A/N: I haven't been replying to my reviewers so I think I'm gonna try doing that again ^_^
Cheshire: yeah, yuugi doesn't know about that yet though ^^
Dizzy: Is it well written? i only write this one at 1 AM when I'm trying to sleep so it's far from my best work
Shamrock: Thank you ^^
Queen: Hehe sorry. Hope this chapter's worth the wait ~steals cookie before you read it just in case~

Yuugi and Jounouchi woke the next day to their teacher's voice over a camp-like intercom. They were in their cabin, but Yuugi immediately knew something was wrong. Even in his sleep, he heard the Pharaoh's voice… sensed his presence, always… but not that night.

He woke slowly, his head pounding, that empty feeling in his heart growing stronger with each passing second. Honda was up and getting ready. Jou was curled up in a ball with the pillow atop his head. Yuugi reached beside his bed and…

"My Puzzle!"

Jounouchi shot up in bed and looked around frantically, "what? What's the matter, Yuuge?"

"My Puzzle!" Yuugi cried again, "it's gone!"

Jounouchi groaned loudly as his head throbbed and he laid back down with the pillow over his face. Yuugi could only stare at him in hopeless confusion until Jou's mumbling voice came through.

"When was the last time you had it?"

"Last night, of course!" Yuugi replied quickly, "during the campfire."

"Uh-huh," Jou agreed, "then how did we get here? I don't remember coming back."

"You fell asleep," Yuugi recalled painfully. His vision blurred and the room contorted. Vague images flashed by his eyes. "You fell asleep, and the teacher…"

Jou peeked out from under the pillow, "did he yell at you?"

Yuugi thought about it. "No, no he never woke up. At least, I don't think he did…"

"I think you'd remember getting yelled at," Honda put in, then propped his hands on his waist. "What did you two do after I went to bed? You're acting like you've both got hangovers."

"Shut up," Jou demanded, tossing his pillow across the room. Honda caught it and put it on the couch. Jou whined, "give it back, Honda!"

"You need to get out of bed," Honda replied. "You, too, Yuugi. We'll report your missing Puzzle to the teachers. That thing's not easy to miss, it'll turn up in no time."

"Bakura!" Yuugi exclaimed suddenly. "Bakura… can use his Ring to locate my Puzzle."

Jou glared at the ceiling. He didn't know why, but just hearing that boy's name made him angry. "Hey, Yuugi," he said thoughtfully, "have we talked to Bakura since we've been here?"

Yuugi's head felt fuzzy. "I don't think so," he replied. "Oh, wait! Yeah, I talked to him when we got off the bus. He was worried because he thought we were fighting."

"Worried about us?" Jou sneered. "Why?"

Yuugi shrugged. "Not sure. I never got a chance to ask him."

"He probably values friendship like yours," Honda laughed, "since he doesn't have any friends."

Jou and Yuugi agreed (though the latter with less enthusiasm) then pulled themselves from bed and got ready.

Yuugi was antsy during the entire morning meeting. He did what he could to pay attention but he was itching to talk to Bakura. After the meet they were dismissed for breakfast; Yuugi bolted off while Jou held Anzu back and explained what'd happened… or, at least, what he could remember of it.

"Bakura!" Yuugi called when he caught sight of the boy.

"Yuugi?" Bakura turned slowly, smiling nervously when he saw the other approaching. "Well, this is a surprise."

"I need your help," Yuugi said frankly.

"Oh, my. With what?"

Yuugi instinctively went to clutch the chain his puzzle hung on and felt his heart sink. "It's gone."

"What's g…" Bakura observed the lack of a golden pyramid amidst the teen's body and his eyes widened. "Oh, my."

Yuugi clenched his fist against his chest. "Will you help me find it?"

"Of course," Bakura nodded, holding his hand over his chest and summoning the Ring forward. It phased through his clothing then he grasped Yuugi's hand and offered a comforting smile. "Let's go."

Yuugi followed Bakura into the woods, caring little for the trouble they'd be in when they were found missing. Once they were safely out of sight, Bakura released his hold on Yuugi's hand, lifted his Ring and commanded it to locate the power of the Sennen Puzzle. For a moment, its pointers lay dormant and Yuugi felt an uncontrollable fear creeping up on him. Then, the pointers hummed as they began to glow and lift on their own. Bakura cast a grin over his shoulder and Yuugi just smiled in relief.

The boys followed the Ring like a compass, deep into the woods. Once or twice, it would cease to glow and the pointers would fall limp. Each time, they would start up again after a moment or two.

"The Pharaoh must be really weak," Yuugi mused quietly. Bakura felt a pang of jealousy listening to the small teen's anxiety but reminded himself that his plan would not work if rushed.

"Indeed," he offered just as quietly, "but, you know, this isn't the first time my Ring has tried to locate your puzzle when you were separated from it."

"It's not?" Yuugi blinked then bowed his head, "I thought I was taking good care of it, but you make it sound like I lose it often."

Bakura grit his teeth but didn't let frustration show in his voice, "That's not what I meant. It was actually the first time I saw you using a chain instead of a rope, and this is the first time it's gone missing since then, isn't it?"

"Oh, that was the first time I dueled Marik," Yuugi recalled. "Only I didn't know it at first because he had possessed Bandit Keith."

"That explains why you were dueling him that day," Bakura said in his best Ryou voice. "By the way, I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop him before he shattered the puzzle. I was really worried when you didn't show up to class that day, and when I found out what happened after I left you in that warehouse I… well, I never got to tell you how bad it made me feel."

"That's okay, Bakura," Yuugi sighed… not exactly the reaction the spirit had been hoping for upon hearing that confession. He bit his tongue and estimated how close they were to his destination, when Yuugi suddenly gave a half-hearted chuckle. "I don't know which is worse, losing it because I was dumb enough to hand it over, or not being able to remember how I lost it at all."

"The signal is getting stronger," Bakura feigned one of Ryou's comforting smiles. Yuugi was momentarily excited, then began to grow suspicious as Bakura's pace quickened and a small cabin came into view on the path ahead. The cabin resembled the ones they were staying in but was much older and clearly abandoned. He tried to tell himself that the steady glow of the Sennen Ring's locators only meant that the puzzle was nearby, and the eager way the item now pulled its wearer toward the cabin was sheer coincidence.

But, Yuugi wasn't that stupid.

"Bakura, wait!"

"I can't!" Bakura kept up his act. "It's…"

Yuugi caught up to his classmate and grabbed him by the wrist, feeling the tug of the Ring even though the contact had seemed to still the other. Wide, brown eyes regarded him with wonder, and he looked back with genuine concern. "What if it's a trap?"

"Yuugi," Bakura spoke slowly, "there's nobody out here but us."

"We don't know that!" Yuugi protested, tugging on his acquaintance's arm and triggering a mild shock which he mistook for understanding. He gazed at the Ring, still glowing and tugging incessantly, then returned his eyes to the other boy desperately. "Are you sure we can trust it?"

"The Ring?" Bakura asked with disbelief. "Of course! It lead me to you the first time, didn't it?"

Yuugi stared at the old cabin. "The pharaoh wasn't as weak that time, and the power of Marik's Sennen Item was also in the room. It was probably tracking that."

Bakura growled and started moving forward. "Come on, Yuugi," he demanded, "if we don't try, we're never going to find it, and right now I'm your only hope."

Yuugi stumbled as he was still gripping Bakura's wrist when the latter chose to resume moving. "Bakura!" he called in protest as the boy in question walked right up to the cabin door. The smaller teen now wrapped both arms around the arm he held and tugged. "We can't go in there!"

"Are you mad, Yuugi?" Bakura asked huskily, making the other pause and stare. "My Ring is guiding us, just as you asked, and I would think your puzzle was important enough to you to risk walking into a trap if it meant being reunited with your item and the pharaoh."

Yuugi attempted to say his classmate's name again, but it barely came out in a whisper. He wasn't sure which stunned him more, the boy's behavior or the glaring truth to his words. Now he felt as though he might be heading into a double trap, but the fact remained that reconnecting with the spirit of the puzzle should have been his top priority, and he now made it so. He nodded as confidently as he could and took a step back so Bakura could open the door.

The old handle turned with surprising ease but when the door was pulled it revealed itself to be locked from the inside. Yuugi's heart sank but Bakura growled and tried again; he yanked on the door, shook it violently, then pressed one foot to the wall and prepared to pull with all his strength. Unaware that it was all an act, Yuugi grew concerned, ran over and placed his hands over Bakura's.

"Stop," the smaller teen directed, "if you cause any damage this whole thing might collapse in on itself."

Bakura had been stunned by the sudden touch but thousands of years of remaining emotionless had trained him well and he shook it off before Yuugi even noticed. Still, he kept his hands in place, not wanting the contact to end. "You're right," he said thoughtfully, eyeing the building. A window on the left side had been broken open but it was too high for either of them to climb through. With teamwork, however…. "Yuugi, do you see that?"

Yuugi looked in the indicated direction and grimaced. "What are you thinking, Bakura?"

"Well," Bakura grinned, "if you let me pick you up, I think I can give you enough of a boost that you could reach it, and then you could unlock the cabin from the inside."

Yuugi touched his shoulder nervously. "I don't know, Bakura. What if there's nothing for me to land on inside?"

"Yuugi," Bakura chided, "I've seen you jump down from dueling platforms and those are at least twice as high as this."

Yuugi's cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. "I only do that when my adrenaline is up."

Bakura smiled, though it was his own so it was more of a gentle smirk. "You'll be fine."

After a moment or two of encouragement, Yuugi finally agreed. They approached the target and the smaller boy began analyzing the best way to get up. Without listening, Bakura licked his lips and scooped up the object of his desire, earning a surprised yelp from the latter. Bakura merely grinned, continuing to ignore the accusative sputters from his pocket-sized companion. With only a brief warning, Bakura exhibited his strength by lifting Yuugi effortlessly onto his shoulders, placing him in a sitting position first so they could hold steady while he stepped closer to the building. His mind threatened to wander but he willed his concentration to remain.

"Are we close enough, Yuugi?" Bakura asked, unable to look up.

"Yeah," Yuugi replied shakily. "It's still a little out of reach, though."

Was it really that high up? Bakura thought, then shook his head and slid his hands down Yuugi's shins and gripped his ankles. "You'll have to stand on my shoulders, then."

"What?" Yuugi shrieked and jolted, throwing Bakura off-balance and tensing up to prevent from screaming as the teen below him steadied himself once more. "S…sorry…"

"Forget it," Bakura grumbled, gripping his ankles again, "all you need to think about right now is getting inside. Don't worry about me."

Yuugi trembled slightly, "I'm not…" he looked up at the window and swallowed hard. Without another word, he drew one leg up and hooked the heel of his shoe against Bakura's shoulder. Bakura winced slightly but reacted no further.

"Steady," the spirit spoke softly, "I've got you…"

Yuugi barely heard the first word and completely missed the other three; however this was as Bakura had intended it. When the smaller teen drew up his second leg, he was less shaky than before. When the time came to unbend his knees, though, he began to tremble again. The spirit encouraged him quietly as before.

With Bakura's strangely gentle guidance, Yuugi found himself standing up in no time. He peered into the cabin with some reluctance but knew they'd come too far to back down now. He investigated the frame for broken glass but there wasn't much so he grasped the ledge, swallowed hard and willed his heart to stop pounding. He closed his eyes tight and mustered all his strength to boost himself up and through the window.

As soon as the weight left his shoulders, Bakura looked up. Yuugi had successfully gotten onto the window sill but appeared to be having trouble as his legs were still visible and not moving much. The spirit took a step back to get a better look and heard a crunch beneath his shoe. He looked down briefly and chuckled, wondering how his companion had failed to noticed the glass shards all around.

When he looked up again, Yuugi had managed to get his lower half in and his hands were now visible, gripping the outer edge of the sill as he lowered himself down on the inside. Bakura was about to call up and ask if he was okay when the hands disappeared and a thud was heard from within. The spirit chuckled and headed for the door which soon opened slowly to reveal a slightly disheveled Yuugi.

Bakura put on his best surprised Ryou look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Yuugi said thoughtfully, pointing to the far corner as Bakura entered the small cabin. Two rows of boxes were stacked against the wall beneath the window and an old bed was positioned strangely nearby. The mattress looked slightly weathered but had been sealed in an air-tight, plastic cover that shielded it from everything the rest of the building had endured. The shorter teen looked up at his companion with a shrug, "I'm not sure why those things are arranged like that, but it made getting down a little easier."

Bakura observed the situation with a faint nod. "That's good. Have you found your puzzle?"

Yuugi shook his head and looked for something to prop the door open. "No, it was too dark."

"I see," Bakura lifted his Ring, but nothing happened. Yuugi found an old wooden board and jammed it under the door before joining his friend in the middle of the strange building.

"I don't think it's in here, Bakura," the smaller teen spoke nervously, "and that door won't stay open for long."

"It's okay," Bakura gave a Ryou smile, "you already opened it once, so we know we're safe even if it closes on us. Let's have a look around."

Yuugi eyed his companion as the latter strolled around. There wasn't much else in the strange cabin, but Bakura found a desk tucked in the far corner and began to go through it. Yuugi reached out and began to voice his doubt that a thief would have hidden the puzzle there when his thoughts were interrupted by the cry of unoiled hinges as the prop came loose and the cabin door swung shut.

They were left in complete darkness, save an eerie light pouring in from the window as the sun hung in the sky. Tiny fragments of light came through what could have been holes in the walls or spaces between boards where other windows used to be, but it was the only indication that a second or third window ever existed.

"Bakura…" Yuugi called out, having slowly paced toward the corner, using his outstretched arm to guide him. He didn't want to go that way, it was exactly opposite to the only light source in the room, but knowing his acquaintance's whereabouts seemed like the most important thing at the time. He heard a rustling from where he remembered the door to be and instinctively turned his head that way despite his still-limited vision. "Bakura, where are you?"

"By the door!" Bakura answered, feigning a voice that was growing troubled. "I walked along the walls until I found it but… it's stuck!"

Yuugi's breath caught in his throat.

"I can't…" Bakura grunted as he fought with the door. He sighed and lifted his Ring which still refused to glow. He gave an exasperated sigh and turned to face the darkness. Truthfully, he could see just fine, and he could sense Yuugi's fear. It filled him with desire, though not that which he usually felt when facing his prey. This time, he didn't want to feed that fear; he wanted to take it away.