I'M ALIIIIIVE! Thank you to everyone who waited patiently - or not-so-patiently, as the case may be!
Instead of finishing the previous "chapter", I'm actually going to start this as a separate chapter. Anyway. This story should be done in one or two more chapters, excluding this one. Yes, I will get off my lazy bum and finish this up. Mostly because I've almost completely forgotten what happened and had to re-read it, and I'd rather not have to re-read my own stories each and every time I update.
Anyway, the first few paragraphs in italics are from the end of the last chapter, just to recap.
So, now then…
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and its characters don't belong to me. Oh, boo hoo.
Warning: Yaoi, Yami x Yugi, Bakura x Ryou, Kaiba x Jou. But you know that already, don't you?
Oh, and just a note… I actually kinda like Malik now. But I didn't, at the time I started this, and we can't really switch villains in the middle of a story, now, can we? XD
Chapter Six: The Continuing Battle
"You two, get up!" a rough voice growled. "We've been ordered to take you to the main room. Apparently, some people came looking for you. Our boss is considering… bargaining… with them."
Yugi's blood ran cold. "They… they won't listen to you! They won't agree to your terms…"
The henchman laughed mockingly. "Take a look at your hands, little boy. They are dyed red with your friend's blood. It is by the boss's power that he still breathes. I would say that his life is price enough for his look-alike's treasure, don't you think?"
Soft copper eyes took on a brave front. "He… he doesn't care about me. At all. You can't goad him into anything."
"Hah. He'll care soon enough when you cry out, your body writhing in agony. You… or your little friend."
Ryou clenched his teeth, hiding the misty layers of tears in his eyes. "I won't cry out. The pain he had dealt me is far greater than anything you could do. I've survived that. I… won't…"
That's right… the shorter boy encouraged in his mind, though knowing his friend could not hear. That's right. We must not make a sound. We can't give whoever captured us another weapon against those we love. We must be brave. And why not? Why wouldn't we be able to? We have both taken much punishment without flinching.
The thugs did not seem fazed by the act. Without speaking, they grabbed the two hikaris, unlocking their chains and leading them out the door. Through a lantern-lit corridor that twisted and turned like a maze, they marched, climbing and descending stairs. Finally, the two henchmen chose a door.
The second man, the one who had been silent until then, spoke up now, as they threw open the door.
"Let's just see how much your words are worth, little boy. Heh heh heh…"
When the teens' eyes adjusted to the sudden intake of light, both gasped in unison. However, none seemed more surprised than the leading henchman. Obviously, this was not what he expected. Yugi took comfort in that fact.
It was the central room of the warehouse, its large gates blown off their hinges. Moonlight filtered in, sparkling mysteriously on the… giant, obsidian dust cloud in the middle of the room. The giant dust cloud out of which came beams of black and white, resembling rays of laser.
"So this is what a Sennen Item fight looks like…" Yugi mused, staring curiously, forgetting his fear for the moment. "I wonder which side is which, though."
"We'll find out soon," the snowy-haired boy murmured, and his friend knew his plan. "Well, shall we?"
Each counting to three in his head, the boys broke away, leaving behind their bewildered captors. Luckily for them, stray beams of ebony shot past, knocking out the unfortunate thugs. However, that did not help matters. Did their Yamis try to help? Or was it just friendly fire that missed…? Within the laser labyrinth, the boys did not know what to do.
White beams came, shooting straight in between them…
Instinctively, Yugi and Ryou leapt away… to opposite sides.
"Ryou? Ryou, where did you go?"
"Y-Yugi-kun! I can hear you, but…"
"Ryou-kun, hold on, I'll come ov—umph!"
"Yugi? Yugi! Yuuuugiiii.."
There was no answer. Not watching his surroundings, the albino boy bumped into something – or someone.
"Y-Yugi?"
Suddenly… darkness. The last thing Ryou noticed was a flash of gold… and a headache.
"Aibou…"
Yugi relaxed. After being separated from his friend, he had been calling out, when, suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth and he was pulled against a body roughly. Now, he knew he was safe.
"Aibou, I was so worried about you! What happened?"
The tricoloured-haired boy leaned against his dark half, reveling in the momentary sense of security. "I… just went out for a breath of fresh air, and… I don't remember. I tried calling for you, but then everything blacked out, and I woke up in a dark room with Ryou-kun. Oh, Yami-chan, it's horrible! These people's 'boss' wanted to exchange Ryou and me for the—"
"I know, Aibou. I know." The Spirit of the Sennen Puzzle leaned against a wall and tilted his head back, marveling in the wetness that traveled down his cheeks. Relief. Gratitude. His Yugi was safe. His light. His life and heart. "We're… we're fighting them, Bakura and me. This is… the Shadow Realm. That is why I could see you, though you were virtually blind here. Only trained eyes could see through this 'dust'. Here, the Tomb Robber and I hold the advantage."
"So you're winning?" The shorter boy beamed. "I knew you would, Yami-chan. You're the bestest one there is."
The Pharaoh had to laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Don't make up words, Aibou. And yes, we are wining, though barely. However… it's strange. It's unnaturally quiet. I don't see anyone attacking; us or them."
"Oh! What colour were you?"
"Black. We are the darkness, Aibou. You and Ryou are the light."
"Ryou!" The boy looked around. "Where is Ryou?"
"Perhaps Bakura had found him…"
"Not so, my Pharaoh," a voice sneered. "But someone indeed has. I have, to be precise. And Bakura, are you listening? If you don't give me the Sennen Ring… this boy here dies."
"Hikari!" The thief's voice came out of the darkness to Yugi's left. "Hikari, answer me! I command you! Don't you dare die!"
Ryou's captor laughed. "Scream all you want, my bandit thief friend. He won't answer."
"What! Is he…"
"Dead?" the infuriating voice mocked. "No, but he may be, soon enough…"
Yami hesitated. This did not bode well. Malik and Pegasus might not be native to the Shadow Realm, but they certainly navigated it much better than the two lights. Ryou was already taken, and Yugi was now frantic with worry. If his Aibou were to be captured too… He knew that he would rather hand over the powers of his Puzzle than to see the boy hurt.
"Shadow Realm… Dispel!"
The effect was that of dust settling, blackness sinking to the ground and dissipating like a fog. Four figures were left standing, not far from each other. Yami shifted his stance, ready for battle. Held protectively behind him, Yugi looked around, searching for a way to solve this problem. The other member of their so-called team was glaring at the remaining enemy, hands clenched at his side, knuckles white. Malik stood calmly, an unconscious Ryou draped unceremoniously in his arms.
Pegasus was nowhere to be seen. At the moment, none of them cared.
Bakura spoke first. "Malik, da you, let go of my hikari, now!"
The gravekeeper raised an eyebrow. "Now, why would I do something like that? I am not stupid, my friend."
The thief gave a low growl. "Oh, but I think you are. You see, you've made one mistake too many, and that's going to cost you."
"How so?" Malik kept up the "friendly" banter, eyes never leaving the tomb robber. "In case you're blind, Bakura, I happen to hold the upper hand here."
"You seem to be forgetting one thing." As he spoke, the Ring Spirit circled around, drawing Malik's attention to him and away from Yami. The teen did not seem to notice.
Malik kept his gaze carefully trained on his former comrade. "Oh? And what's that?"
"Maybe you've been watching too much of the… 'television' thing," Bakura informed him. "So much that you seemed to have forgotten that good guys are not so stupid as the ones in those children's shows."
Malik carefully arched an eyebrow. "And when were you ever a 'good guy'?"
"Never." The silver-haired spirit smirked evilly, catching movement from behind Malik and keeping him fully distracted. "But the bad guys aren't so dumb either."
"Really, are th—"
The sandy-haired Egyptian did not have a chance to finish his question, as a bolt hit him from behind. Quickly, Bakura stepped in and caught his unconscious hikari, grunting slightly at the sudden weight.
"Ryou, are you still alive?" The tomb robber smacked himself mentally for asking. "Dait, you'd better not die! I told you that already!"
"I'll take over from here." Carefully walking around Malik's prone form, Yami placed a hand on Ryou's forehead. "He is hurt badly, both from the activities here and whatever happened before. Bakura, have you any idea what he—"
"He got shot."
The two puzzle-holders stared, and Bakura growled impatiently. "He got shot back at that da Christmas party thing, all right! I was on my way to find you, but then those freaks came and nabbed him."
Yugi frowned, eyes full of worry. "Yami, is Ryou-kun going to be all right?"
The spirit hesitated before nodding. "Yes, Yugi. He will be fine." Or so I hope, for your sake, my dear Aibou.
Silence stretched, both tense and empty. Beads of sweat formed on Yami's forehead and dripped down. He did nothing to stop them, all his attention given to the silver-haired teen in Bakura's hold.
Finally, the Puzzle Spirit spoke, though his voice was distracted. "Aibou, why don't you look around and see if you can find the Sennen Items that these two stole? I don't sense anyone else around, so it should be safe. Don't go out of earshot, and call for me at the slightest hint of trouble."
"What!" Bakura glared at him, noticed that he was not watching, and settled for a growl instead. "Why are you sending him to fetch them! I should be able to do that! That's why my Sennen Ring is for!"
Yami gave a miniscule shake of his head. "And do you expect me to trust you, now that the crisis is over?"
The Ring Spirit snorted. "You have my hikari. I won't do anything. So I'm going, and that's final." With surprising gentleness, he deposited Ryou in Yami's arms. "But don't you dare do anything to him. Remember, I'm with your 'Aibou'."
"There is no need for this stalemate," the Puzzle Spirit mumbled through his concentration. "Unlike you, I have some shreds of honour."
"Hmph. If you wish to think so, Pharaoh."
Casting one more worried glance at his Yami and his friend, Yugi followed the white-haired spirit. With Bakura's magic, it was not long before they found what they were looking for – a small room containing the hikaris' Puzzle and Ring.
A wide smile spread over the tricoloured-haired boy's face as he cradled the Sennen Puzzle lovingly with his hands. The tomb robber snorted at his sentiments, denying that he held Ryou's Sennen Ring just as tenderly. The link to his light. The link to the light without whom he could not exist, in both the literal and – so it seemed now – the figurative cases.
"I… guess we go back now," Yugi suggested, as he carefully looped the Puzzle around his neck again.
The thief rolled his eyes. "Of course."
They walked in silence until the teen decided to pose his question. "Bakura, do you… love… Ryou?"
Bakura stopped in his tracks. "Do I what!"
"You know, love."
"I know!" the tomb robber snapped. "Of course I don't love him! That's ridiculous. I don't love anyone, especially not him. He's a stupid, weak, useless; he always gets in the way, ruin my plans, and…"
"But you know that's not true," Yugi ventured. "I think… he really thinks that you don't care about him—"
"I don't!"
"—and it made him upset," the boy continued as if the interruption had never happened. "But I don't think it's true. You do care, don't you? If you didn't, you wouldn't have come to rescue him. And you really wouldn't have agreed to work together with Yami."
"I came to get the Sennen Items!" Bakura growled. "I don't give a da what happens to my host. He can die for all I care!"
Yugi gave a small snort. "That's not what you told Yami. And it's not true, either. I… guess Ryou and I haven't heard the beginning of your conversation with Malik and Pegasus, but from what I have heard, you were more worried about Ryou. It's like you forgot all about the Sennen Items until Yami mentioned them."
"That's…!" The spirit gave what was his closest equivalent of a pout. "That's preposterous! Ridiculous! Absurd! I was…"
"It's not something to be ashamed of," the teen murmured softly. "It's kind of sweet."
Bakura glared. "I don't do 'sweet'."
"Nice?"
"Not that either."
Yugi shrugged. "Well, then, it makes you more human. More real."
"What?" A small frown settled on the thief's brow. "I'm a ghost, kid. How does loving someone – supposedly loving someone, I mean – make me human and real?"
"Before, you just seemed like some sort of a storybook villain," the boy explained, violet eyes wide and sincere. "You were just 'evil'. You were always trying to steal the Sennen Items, you liked causing trouble, you liked to… hurt Ryou. That was the only thing you were, just a stereotypical villain. But if you can love and feel, too, then it makes you more like an actual person."
"Hmph." Bakura scowled, not willing to admit that he was rather pleased. Somehow, he knew that Yugi could tell, though neither would say it out loud. "Well, what about you, then? Are you the stereotypical hero?"
The youth blinked. "Wh-wha? I'm no hero."
"Of course not," the spirit grumbled, "but all of those people think you are. The brilliant, brave, kind, innocent one." He poked Yugi in the chest, though not hard. "What more is there to you, then? Or are you telling me that I'm more human than you?"
Yugi looked down and shuffled his feet. "I'm not brilliant – that's Yami. I'm not that brave or kind either. Or innocent, really – I just act that way."
Bakura snorted. "And what's one not-so-brave thing that you've done?"
The boy hesitated. "It's… not something not brave that I did. It's something that I should have done and would have done if I really were brave."
"Well, get on with it!"
"I… love Yami." A dark blush spread across Yugi's cheeks. "I know most people think it's wrong, and… maybe it is, but I don't care. He's… always tried to protect me, and whenever I need a friend, he's there. And I… know that I'm supposed to be going out with Anzu, but that just doesn't feel right. She makes me feel like a stranger. Yami makes me feel safe and happy, and… I realized that when I got captured. I could only think about Yami, and that he must be worried, and he's coming to save me, and…"
"How, ah, sweet?" Bakura rolled his eyes and grabbed Yugi's wrist, dragging him back towards the common room. "In any case, I'm sure the mighty Pharaoh doesn't dare let me wander with you alone and has been checking up."
Yugi's eyes widened considerably. "You mean…"
"Yep." The Ring spirit smirked, taking pleasure in the boy's panic. "He probably heard everything."
"But what if he doesn't…!"
"Doesn't what?" There was a look of innocence on the spirit's face.
Yugi chewed on his bottom lip. "What if he doesn't love me? What if he gets disgusted and hates me, or…"
He was your lover in the past life, Bakura muttered in his mind, but kept silent on the outside, letting the boy draw his own conclusions. He's probably itching to get into your bed again.
"Ummm, Bakura?" Making sure his mental shield was up, Yugi gently removed the albino's hand from his wrist. "I'm… just going to, ah, check some of these empty rooms and see if they put my, ah, deck in one of them. Tell Yami to, ah, not wait up for me. Please?"
"You're a bad liar," the thief informed him. "Your deck is jutting out of your pocket."
"Bakura, please?"
"Fine, fine!" The Ring Spirit gave a casual wave. "Anything to make trouble for the Pharaoh is fine by me. Whatever, go ahead."
"Thank you." Clenching his teeth, Yugi ran down the hall, looking for a way out.
Bakura shook his head, heading back to Yami and, more importantly, Ryou. "Love makes people stupid. Must have made me stupid too."
The park. Yugi shook his head in irony; didn't Jou say that Seto found him in the park? And there he was to lose Yami. For a moment, he toyed with the possibility that Yami would actually love him back. But what were the chances? What had he to offer to such a strong, wonderful, beautiful, perfect – at least in his eyes – person?
But now was the bigger problem. Where was he to go? He could not stay in the park; he was dressed more warmly than Jou was on that day, but the chill was rising, especially at such a late hour. And he did need to go home, and soon. His grandfather probably did not know of the events of the past hours yet, but the dance was over quite some time ago. He was probably not so worried, because Yami was there with Yugi, but if neither returned home – or, worse yet, if Yami went home to look for him and he was not there yet – then trouble would start.
Yes. Maybe he really should go home. But Yami would be there, and he could not face…
But this is stupid too, isn't it? Yugi asked himself. If he is disgusted, then he's going to avoid me anyway, and I don't need to avoid him. And if, just maybe, if he cares about me too, then he would be worried if I don't come home. And Grandpa must be worried. But what if Grandpa thinks it's disgusting that I like – not just like, love – another man? What if, what if…
"Well, well, Yugi-Boy," a voice interrupted, "fancy seeing you here, all alone too. Must be my lucky day after all."
The tricoloured head snapped up. "Pegasus! What are you doing here! I thought we… I mean, wait… you were gone, and…"
The older man smirked. "Yep. No need to stay in a losing battle. But how kind of you to bring me the Sennen Puzzle, even if it's only a half of it."
"Y-you're not getting my Puzzle!" Yugi clutched it tightly and started backing away. "Never, ever, ever!"
"Really?" The smirk stayed on the man's lips. "And what do you plan to do to stop me? Call that Yami of yours? By the time he gets here, it'll be too late."
If he comes at all, Yugi thought, but did not give voice to his worry. It was true. It would be too late. But he had to try.
/YAMI! Yami, help/
Aibou?Yugi's knees almost gave way from relief as he heard the spirit's voice. Aibou, what happened? Where are you?
/Park/ The boy stumbled back away from the advancing Pegasus. /Pegasus, trying to steal Puzzle, help/
Try to hold on, Aibou! I'm coming!
Coming, coming… Yugi knew that Yami would not arrive in time. He kept backing away, hoping he would not trip. Alone, powerless…
"I have you now, Yugi-Boy!" With a triumphant grin, Pegasus brushed the hair out of his face, exposing his golden eye. As it glowed, Yugi's hands flew up to shield his face.
This is it… Good-bye, Yami. I love you…