Oi, it's been a year. How does time move so slowly and yet so, so quickly?

Sorry it's taken so long to update. This chapter's been taken apart and rewritten so many times in the past twelve months that I was afraid I would never get it to you guys. It was almost painful to write - you'll see why later.

Anyway, thank you for sticking with me long enough to see this update (and for the previous FiVe YeArS)! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Erin, Devon, and Landon.

Chapter 32

Atem had never seen her move that fast before. She was out the door before he could even blink, even as he lunged to stop her.

"Erin!" He called, nearly ripping the door off its hinges when he opened it a mere second after it had slammed closed behind her. His heart was running a marathon with no intention of stopping.

And there she was, so far down the hallway already that raw panic began to fill his chest. He took off after her, knowing that even in the best of circumstances he wouldn't catch up, not with the head start she'd gotten. He called her name again, twice, but as her figure grew smaller and he slowed to dodge curious lurkers in the hall, he knew she wouldn't stop.

So he let her go.

He felt tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, frustration and pain and regret fighting for dominance in his throat. He expected the next sound out of his mouth to be a sob, but it was just a loud exhale, a product of the sudden sprint he'd made. When the whispers of the people he'd darted around during the chase reached his ears, curious glances being thrown his way, he tried his best to put on an impassive mask and pretend he was fine, pulling his phone from the back pocket of his jeans as he reentered his room. The panic didn't reach his face until he'd closed the door behind him.

The phone rang three times before Yugi's chipper voice answered. "What's up?" Atem could hear other voices in the background that told him his friend was still down in the lobby.

He didn't answer for a few seconds. He didn't know how to say it without his voice quaking, without completely losing his composure.

"Atem?" Yugi asked, tone veering to concern. "Is everything okay?"

Atem's next breath shook far too much for his liking. "No."

There was a pause. Yugi had shared a mind with Atem long enough to know that Atem answering that question with any word other than "yes" was very bad news. "What happened? Is Erin still with you?"

Atem shook his head, then remembered Yugi couldn't see him. "No. She...she ran, Yugi."

"She what?"

Another voice, one that sounded a lot like Tea's, asked what was going on. He could almost see Yugi giving her a grave look. "What happened?" He repeated.

Atem hadn't felt this amount of despair in a very long time. He'd messed up. He'd done this. "She knew about the riddle. She knew everything. She was angry because…" he took another shaky breath that still didn't quite fill his lungs. "Because I wasn't the one to tell her. Because she doesn't want to go back to the afterlife. She said it would end badly for her. And after all of this, seeing it the way she does...she's right. If I take her with me, the Gods will destroy her."

Yugi left him in silence for a few moments, mulling over the situation. When he finally spoke, Atem could tell he was trying to keep his voice calm for his sake. "Do you know where she went?"

"No. She was too fast."

Tea spoke up again, and though he didn't hear all of what she said, he caught the words "safe" and "Devon." Those alone heightened his anxiety. If something happened to her, if that snake got his hands on her…

Yugi's voice interrupted his train of thought. "We should split up to look for her and make sure she's okay. Tea's trying to call her now."

Atem nodded. "Good idea."

"Let go of me," I growled, trying to pull away from Devon.

His grin was feral and not at all comforting, and his grip was like iron. "No."

"I'll scream."

Was it possible for someone to look so smug and terrifying at the same time? "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Even with my mouth already open to deliver a smart comeback, I hesitated. He sounded far too sure of himself.

He pulled me closer, breath blowing on my face like a gust of damp spring air. "Relax. I'm only here to talk to you, Sagira." When I stiffened at the name, his smile only grew wider. "When we're done with our discussion, you can run along back to your precious Pharaoh. But only then."

His eyes were dark and glittered with a familiar malice I thought I'd never see again. Questions flew through my mind faster than I could think to voice them, pieces locking together in ways I should have seen all along. "You," I snarled.

His smirk confirmed every suspicion I had. "Come along, pulchra." He opened the door behind him, pushing me in ahead of him before closing it securely once we were both inside.

We were in a normal double room, with two large, comfortable-looking beds dominating most of the space and a high-tech entertainment center decked out with an expensive coffee maker, mini fridge, and flat screen TV. It wasn't quite the size of Atem and Yugi's suite, but it was still big enough that I knew I wouldn't make it to the window before Devon caught me again. I whirled to face him. "What do you want?"

He stepped closer so I stepped back, effectively keeping himself between me and the door. "A bargain, if you'd be so willing." He reached for the coffee pot next to him, withdrawing two disposable cups from the dispenser and pouring something that smelled decidedly not like coffee into them. "Please, have a seat. Make yourself at home."

"Stop fucking around," I said, not making any move to sit or take the cup he offered me.

"I'm not," he said softly, still holding the drink towards me. "It's just lavender tea. If I wanted to kill you, Stephenson, I would've already."

When I still didn't accept it, he shrugged and placed it on the entertainment center. My lips pulled back from my teeth as my next words formed. "You were the man in ancient Rome. The one who killed my sister."

His smirk remained in place as he took a casual sip of his tea. "An unfortunate casualty."

"Is Devon even real? Or have you been posing as a former basketball star for almost two years waiting for me to show up?"

A puff of air that may have been a trace of laughter left his mouth. "Oh, he was real. Quite the athlete, if I do say so myself. And," he smiled to himself as if at an inside joke, "a rather upstanding young man. He and sweet little Astrid fit together so well I almost reconsidered choosing him as a host, if only to protect her sanity."

The words "sweet" and "Astrid" didn't click right in my mind.

He continued, encouraged by my confused silence. "Astrid's fall from grace was another unfortunate casualty of my plan, though her bitterness over their breakup is proving to be quite useful now."

"Astrid was…" I couldn't seem to finish the sentence. All this time, I should have known. I should have seen the signs, Astrid's behavior toward Atem and boys in general, the holes in Tea's story about Devon's complete one-eighty sophomore year…

He smiled. "A perfect little angel before I ended things? Yes. But I much prefer her new attitude. It's much more…" he got an all-too-familiar look in his eyes, and I recoiled in disgust. "Alluring."

"You pig," I growled. My fists were clenched at my sides, so hard I could feel my nails breaking the skin of my palms. "She doesn't know about any of this, does she? You've just been using her. She's just a toy to you."

"You insult my character, Sagira."

"You insult over a hundred years of feminism."

A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "I always envied that about you. Every time, so snappy with the comebacks, even to the very bitter end."

As if it hadn't already, dread pooled in my stomach. "What are you talking about?"

He didn't answer my question. Instead, he took a long, draining swig of his stupid lavender tea. "Astrid knows enough to do what I've asked. In fact, she's carried out her duty to the tee."

Something about the way he worded that sent shivers down my spine in all the wrong ways. "What did you make her do?"

"I didn't make her do anything."

"Stop dancing around my questions. Why am I in here, who the hell are you, and what do you want from me?"

He placed his cup, now empty, on the entertainment center next to mine and gave a long-suffering sigh, like I'd just ruined the mood of a fun party. When his eyes turned back to me, the light in them was much more terrifying than it had been before. I stumbled back in surprise, the bed catching the backs of my legs before I just barely steadied myself.

"The bargain I brought up earlier," he said, voice unnervingly deep. "I brought you here to discuss it."

"What -"

He held up a hand to silence me, then continued. "Over the past months I've been watching you, one thing has stood out to me very clearly: you value the lives of your family very much. Am I correct in saying so?"

I nodded dumbly, hoping cooperation would help him get to his point faster.

His smile grew at my confirmation. "Well, then, pulchra, this is your moment of truth. You see, I find most people are much more willing to follow orders when given a particular brand of...motivation."

The dread in my stomach was threatening to eat its way up through my esophagus. I didn't like where this was going. "Motivation?"

"We'll call it...collateral. Your brother's life in exchange for your cooperation."

My heart froze. I realized with a start that I hadn't seen Landon, hadn't talked to him, in hours. I hadn't even thought to look for him after the final duel, too caught up in my own problems that I didn't remember the one I'd been worrying about since I'd first seen him speaking so casually with the snake standing in front of me. "No…" I whispered in horror.

"Oh, yes," he purred. "Funny how easily he trusted Astrid when she offered to bring him to me after your boyfriend's duel. Right up until she broke a vase on the back of his head in a service hallway."

My arms and legs were shaking uncontrollably. Beyond that, I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. I should've known, I should've found him after the duels. This is my fault. "You bastard."

My insult didn't faze him. He simply waved it away, like a bug buzzing around his head. "Relax. He's still alive, and Astrid will look after him for the time being to ensure he stays that way. That is, unless I give the order to put him out of his misery."

My nostrils flared as I forced myself to breathe past the lump in my throat. "You wouldn't."

"That's where you're wrong, Sagira. I've killed for far pettier reasons."

The screams of innocent people in an ancient Roman temple filled my head. I felt my lip beginning to tremble. He wasn't bluffing. "What do you want from me?"

He strode past me, knowing I wouldn't try to escape while knowing he held my brother's life in his hands. He seemed to revel in taking his time to answer, slowly lowering himself into the armchair I'd just noticed in the corner and kicking one leg over the other. He looked back to me with a grin on his face that told me he knew he'd won. "As you've probably realized by now, I'm not awfully fond of that self-righteous Pharaoh you call a beau. Unfortunately, he is a crucial part of my plan, and I need him in the right place at the right time for it to work." His eyes darkened even more, if that was possible. "That's where you come in."

Bile rose in my throat. In the back of my mind, I felt Sagira panicking.

He continued, taking my silence as confirmation that he had my full and undivided attention. "Tomorrow, while everyone is distracted by my duel with the King of Games, I want you to deliver the Pharaoh to one of my comrades in an agreed-upon location. Once I've received word that we have him, I will release your brother."

"You want me to...trade Atem for my brother?" The words were acid on my tongue.

I wasn't sure what shock felt like, but it seemed very likely I was experiencing it.

He nodded once, steepling his fingers in front of him. "And I will take no substitutes. If the Pharaoh is not in my hands by the end of my duel, I will not hesitate to give the kill order on Landon."

My lips were beginning to tremble. I couldn't think of anything to say to that, no smart remarks, no threats of my own. I was in a box, and I could feel myself running out of air.

"My comrade will call you and give you his location when he's ready. If you don't answer, or if anyone else answers for you or listens in on the call, your brother dies. If you tell anyone of this plan, especially the Pharaoh, your brother dies. If you bring someone other than the Pharaoh with you, or you don't come at all, your brother dies. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," I managed to choke out.

His sneer turned to a pleasant smile, one you would give someone as you passed by them in the grocery store. "Wonderful. You're free to go."

It was like I'd been swimming through syrup during the entire exchange, and those words marked my escape. I stumbled away quickly, unable to tear my eyes from him, afraid if I looked away, he'd do something unthinkable.

Like kill my brother.

As I turned the knob, his voice once more stopped me in my tracks. "Oh, and Erin?"

I raised my chin to indicate I was listening.

"You're being watched. Every move you make, every call that comes to and from your phone, every person that comes and goes from your hotel room...they're being monitored. Choose your next steps carefully, as just one in the wrong direction could result in the loss of an innocent life."

I barely stopped the ball of emotion in my throat from escaping through my lips before I left the room.

The hallway was bright and tastefully-decorated. A group of fans was having a lively conversation a few doors down. Life was continuing on, people were laughing and having a good time, anticipating the duels tomorrow and making bets on who would come out victorious at the end of the tournament.

And that terrified me.

I turned on my heel, deciding which way my room was. I felt numb, short-circuited, and my stiff, haunted walk away from Devon's door reflected that.

I found my room ten minutes later, then looked up and down the hallway for whoever was watching me. No one was at either end, at least not that I could see. I ducked inside. It was empty; Tea was probably still downstairs with Yugi. I pulled my phone from my pocket with shaking hands. There were three missed calls from her, but returning them wasn't all that important to me at the moment.

It only took one ring before my call was answered.

But it wasn't Landon. "Sorry, Stephenson, but your big brother isn't conscious enough to pick up the phone."

"Astrid." I didn't know what I'd been expecting. I'd known Devon wasn't bluffing.

I could hear her poisonous smile in her voice. "Miss me?"

"Devon's using you, Astrid. Don't you see that?"

She snorted. "Do you think I'm some sort of idiot, Erin? I know all about you and your past lives. And his name's not Devon. It's Xavier, and he's here to stop you from destroying the afterlife."

I frowned. "What?"

"Don't play dumb. He gave you his terms, and just you calling me could end badly for big brother over here." There was a thud, like something soft was being kicked, and a groan that sounded very much like Landon. She hmm'd in distaste. "I don't think he's up for another fight, so I'd be careful before doing anything rash."

"Astrid, please, you don't know what you're doing -"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" She said loudly, exaggerating for effect. "The signal's not that great here! I think I'm losing you!"

"Astrid!"

The only thing that answered me was a dial tone.

I pulled my phone away from my ear, my hand trembling. The device slipped from my fingers and landed on the plush carpet with a dull thud. With the threat of my phone being monitored, I didn't want to risk calling Miri or Mom, and prayed that the former was still with the Kaibas.

It was real. I was alone, and with a terrible decision to make.

I crawled under the covers of the bed by the window, pulling them over my head and curling into a ball.

And then I cried.

I didn't remember falling asleep. All I knew was there was now light streaming through the curtains, and the shower was on.

I rolled over, blowing frizzed, tangled wisps of hair out of my mouth. The alarm clock read 7:03 a.m. My attention turned to the ceiling, and I stared up at it blankly, groggy mind trying its hardest to remember why my eyes felt so puffy and sore, and why my body tingled with the aftermath of a long, steady stream of tears.

The bathroom door opened, and Tea's gentle voice called across the room. "Erin?"

And then it hit me. Panic and fear so strong I nearly shot up from my lying position, but couldn't because I was paralyzed. I'd run away from Atem last night. They'd probably been looking for me, probably been worried sick, and Tea had probably found me in here at the very end of the night, curled up in a ball on a pile of tear-soaked, mascara-stained pillows. No one knew about Devon, and no one would.

Not until it was too late.

The smell of strawberries invaded my nose, and I turned my head to find her standing over me, dressed already with a towel still in her hair. She couldn't seem to decide whether to look stern or sympathetic, so her face was caught in a strange neutral state of curiosity, which was almost worse.

She sat on her bed, facing me. "Do you want to talk?":

"No." I croaked, voice the same texture as sandpaper. I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eyes, so I turned mine back to the ceiling.

"Erin," she breathed, a sound that meant she wouldn't pry further. "I'm sorry that you and Atem fought last night."

I didn't answer.

She sighed, then put a delicate hand on my shoulder before standing back up. "The boys wanted to go get breakfast before the good stuff runs out. Are you up for it?"

Another shake of my head.

She nodded. "I'll bring something up for you, then."

After drying her hair, she left the room.

I didn't move for a long time. The world around me was surreal in my paralyzed panic, minutes oozing together like honey. I'd just swung my legs over the side of the bed when Tea got back bearing a plate stacked with various muffins, eggs, and sausages.

"A breakfast smorgasbord," she joked lightly, putting the plate on the bedside table next to me.

"Thank you," I croaked, keeping my eyes downcast. Tea could read me almost as well as Atem - it was for the best if I just avoided looking either of them in the eye.

I could feel her hesitation, her desire to coax answers out of me as she stood there in the corner of my eye. However, after a few seconds of silence, she seemed to resign herself to my indifference and retreated to her side of the room. "Atem asked if you were okay," she said, going through her suitcase. When I didn't respond, she continued. "I told him you needed some time."

I prodded one of the muffins like I'd never seen a pastry before.

"But you can't avoid him forever. You're here to cheer him on, and you guys were all over the Duel Network Thursday night holding hands. It'll look really bad if you suddenly stop talking to each other, you know?"

Nothing on the plate looked particularly appetizing to me.

She tossed something on the bed harder than she should have, startling me out of my daze. When I looked up, her hands were on her hips, her blue eyes severe. "Talk to me, Erin. You're not going to fix anything by pretending there's nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry," I said, for the first time actually meaning it. "I'm scared."

Her gaze softened. "Of what? Atem?"

I shook my head. I couldn't tell her out loud; someone might be listening. "Devon and my brother...there's something wrong. I just want to make sure Miri's okay."

"She's with the Kaibas. We saw her at breakfast with Mokuba."

A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. "Oh, thank god."

My reaction seemed to worry Tea. "Is there...something we need to know? It's just Devon, right?"

Wrong. But I shook my head, not even having to force my reassuring smile to shake. "No, everything's fine. I'm just jittery after last night." I stood and rummaged through my suitcase for clothes before brushing past the desk, fingers closing around the complimentary notepad and pen.

Tea's confused expression followed me until I closed the bathroom door behind me to change. She had to know there was more I wasn't telling her.

That was my hope, at least.

The closer the clock ticked to eleven thirty, the harder it became to breathe. Tea straight-up refused to leave my side until we met the guys in the lobby, and even then, I felt her hawkish gaze on me as Atem approached.

After confirming it was okay for him to touch me, he pulled me aside while the group talked amongst themselves. "Erin, about last night...I'm sorry. I hadn't thought...I hadn't realized what leaving could mean for you." He spoke slowly, carefully, and in his eyes, I saw nothing but regret. His hands squeezed mine in hopeful assurance. "I promise with every fiber of my being that we'll find a way to fix this."

Tears threatened to envelop my vision. I needed to tell him. He needed to know. For once in your goddamn life, Erin, tell someone what's wrong. "Atem, I -"

Right as the words left my mouth, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I promptly cut myself off. Just over Atem's shoulder, my eyes found Devon across the room, watching me. He had that terrifying smirk on his face. He cocked his head and held his phone where I could see it, as if to say, "Go ahead, tell him. Your brother will just have to die."

"Erin?" Atem's voice broke my tunnel vision. When I looked back at him, the frown on his face was so deep it could've been carved from stone. "Erin, please. Tell me what's bothering you."

My throat closed around my voice so all that came out of my mouth was a shuddering exhale. I shook my head. "I can't," I whispered.

Whatever hope was lingering in his eyes immediately vanished. I could see him clench his teeth, biting his tongue to keep from letting me know just how frustrated he probably was. I didn't blame him. I'd be pissed at me too.

"We should get back to the group," I mumbled. If I hadn't spent all of them the night before, tears would have been welling up in my eyes.

He hesitated, opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and nodded, following behind me at a respectful distance. When we rejoined the others, it was evident on everyone else's faces that they knew we hadn't made up. Not really.

Tea put a comforting hand on my arm, the sympathy in her eyes devastating. I'd seen that look before. It was the one you gave a fifteen-year-old girl when you watched her family tear itself apart in front of her. When her brother, her rock, left her behind to stay with their distant father to keep the peace. When she was forced to take care of her younger sister while her mother literally worked herself to death to keep their lifestyle on a single income.

I hated that look.

As if it was second nature, my expression recomposed itself, my stance neutralizing as I glared across the room at Devon, who was still watching me. It's on, motherfucker.

"Let's go," I said.

We filtered into the stadium with everyone else. As soon as we entered the thickest part of the crowd, well out of Devon's sight, I made a show of "accidentally" bumping into Tea, knocking her purse on the ground. I picked it up with mumbled apologies, letting the hastily-folded sheet of paper slip from beneath my sleeve and into the half-open main pocket before handing it back to her with a sheepish smile. Hopefully she would find it before it was too late.

It took thirty minutes before announcements began to give time warnings for spectators. By then, we had already found our seats from the night before, greeting our other friends as we sat down. Atem, despite the obvious frustration in his eyes, was adamant about still sitting next to me. At his steadfast faith in me, my guilt returned tenfold. It was almost time.

The announcement we'd been waiting for finally came. "And now, KaibaLand is pleased to commence day two of the tournament with our first duel: Yugi Muto versus Devon Reisinger!"

The crowd all but lost their minds. There was an overwhelming chant of Yugi's name all around. If I hadn't been on the urge of a mental breakdown, I would have found a sense of satisfaction in Devon's lack of fans.

My fingers closed around Atem's wrist as I watched Devon enter the dueling arena, waving to an audience that was all but booing him. Even as far away as he was, I could still see his eyes find mine, the smirk on his face as he subtly tapped the watch on his non-dueling arm. My heart threatened to break out of my chest.

Atem adjusted his arm so I could hold his hand in my vice-like grip, throwing me a concerned look. "Will you be okay to watch the duel?"

I didn't even realize there were tears on my face until I turned to him and he clenched his jaw hard. My phone vibrated in my back pocket. It was time. Gods, it was time.

"No, I...I won't." I said past the ever-growing lump in my throat. Despite my efforts to remain calm, words were becoming increasingly hard to form.

He threw one last glance at the dueling platform, where Yugi and Devon were shaking hands. There was a long moment where he seemed to contemplate his next words, and then he turned back to me. "Let's get out of here for some air. Before everyone sits down for the duel."

I nodded and led him out of our row, ignoring the questioning looks from Tea, Tristan, and Joey. Once we were outside the arena, after gathering as much courage as I could, I took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something." My voice cracked, but I pressed on, pretending the tears that were still streaming down my face weren't there. "But I can't tell you here."

Eyebrow raised, he allowed me to lead him into another hallway, and then another. I pretended I was just as lost as he was, pulling him around corners and away from the distant cheers of the crowd as the duel continued. A cloud of panic was steadily precipitating in my chest. It was like someone was taking hold of my heart and squeezing until it no longer had room to beat. I was a traitor, a siren luring the one man she'd ever loved to slaughter; the guilt was agonizing.

But still, I pressed on. If I didn't, I would lose my brother.

Finally, after ducking into a hallway well away from any onlookers, I turned to him.

"Atem, listen," I said, taking his arm. This surprised him, though he didn't flinch away. "No matter what happens today, I want you to remember that I love you. I love you so much. We can work out what happened last night. I —"

He stopped me, putting his hand on my cheek gingerly, so soft I hardly felt the warmth of his palm. My sudden willingness to talk about my feelings had also seemed to catch him off guard. "I love you too. We'll figure this out. I promise."

My trembling lips betrayed me.

He interpreted it the wrong way. "Erin," he whispered, pulling me close. "It's not your fault. None of this was your fault."

I clung to him like a lifeline as I shut my eyes and buried my face in his shirt. "It is my fault." I murmured.

"Hm?"

I shook my head before taking his face in my hands and pressing a long, apologetic kiss on his lips. He didn't even hesitate to return it, starved of affection from being held at arm's length. He tasted like summer and sacrifice.

When I pulled away, I leaned my mouth to his ear and whispered the only words that were running through my mind:

"I'm so sorry."

And then we were ripped apart.

Is it possible to be emotionally exhausted from writing a single scene? The last one especially is the one I'd been dreading writing for most of the year I was gone...Atem and Erin are my babies and I just want them to be happy lol.

How did it turn out?

Will Tea find Erin's note?

Will Yugi beat Devon in their duel?

Will Erin save Atem and Landon, or will there be a price?

Thank you for reading, and for being so patient with me! See you next time!

-creativelybored