Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or Supernatural.

To the readers: I apologize in advance for taking several weeks to update. I do not promise and update schedule, but I had intended to have something up before now. I have had a wild few weeks, and experienced a bit of writer's block. I have an idea of where I'm taking the story, of course, but there are some parts that I've struggled with.

To those of you who have reviewed my story, I just want you to know I value your feedback and love reading your reviews. They're very motivational. I probably wouldn't continue writing if I did not know that there are people who are enjoying reading what I've written, so props to you guys!

Bananarock509: I don't think I could ever do that. Don't worry, Yami and Yugi will be remaining separate entities and no one is going to the afterlife on my watch. I cried when he left in the show so I'm just not about that life.

Chapter 18

"He can't have gotten very far."

After the morning's incident, Melanie and Sugoroku Mutou, the Winchester brothers, and Bobby, had all set out in a desperate effort to locate and return Yugi home. Their efforts had finally brought them to a semi-abandoned parking lot on the edge of town, where they found Bobby's old truck, complete with the keys.

Yugi had proven clever, leading them only far enough that they could recover the truck and then disappearing off the map. After making a large withdrawal using a nearby ATM, he had avoided using his bank card so that he would be more difficult to track.

Sioux Falls was a big city. If Yugi didn't want to be found, then he could easily become invisible. They'd asked around, using a photograph of the boy to try and find anyone who might know where he'd gone. Most people hadn't noticed him, though several recognized Yugi as a celebrity and assumed this was a joke of some sort. The group was preparing to give up and begin searching elsewhere when, finally, a young woman's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh! I do think I saw him. He was getting on the bus earlier. He was wearing a hoodie, though. He…didn't look so good." The young woman frowned slightly, trying to recall more details.

"Can you tell me which way he went? Please, he's my son. I'm worried." Melanie Mutou pleaded with the young woman.

The woman met Melanie's eyes and shook her head. "I'm really not sure. I'm so sorry. This bus could take you all over the place." She swept her hands towards the large city around them to emphasize its vastness.

Melanie smiled politely and thanked the young woman, though tears glistened in her eyes as she turned away. Yugi could be anywhere. He'd sent Sugoroku a message, letting the elderly man know he was okay, but it appeared that the teenager had turned his phone off immediately afterwards. No calls got through, and Sam hadn't been able to track the cell phone from then on.

Sam ran his hand through his hair. "Let's just think for a minute. If I were Yugi, where would I be going? Where would I stay?"

Mrs. Mutou shook her head and sighed, "I really don't know where he would go, Sam. He knew not to start using cash, so he'd be harder to find. That bus could take him anywhere, though. He'd need somewhere to stay."

Sugoroku Mutou scratched his chin thoughtfully and glanced around the mostly-abandoned street. "I don't think Yugi would stay around here and longer than he had to," he began.

"No, but we know that already. He got on the bus." Dean shook his head, not understanding the elderly man's point.

Mr. Mutou fixed Dean with a quiet stare. "What I mean, Dean, is that I don't think Yugi would stay in Sioux Falls."

Dean's mouth formed an "oh" though he did not say the words. He looked away, not wanting to meet the old man's gaze.

"You think he'll go back to Domino?" Melanie asked, hopeful.

"Melanie, I think that's exactly what he will do. He has people he can trust there. Since you all have decidedly blown any chance of trust, he'll go to those he knows he can count on."

"We need to get to the airport. Domino isn't safe, either. If he goes back there, who knows what will happen."

Yugi woke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. He didn't remember what he had been dreaming about, but it had most certainly been a nightmare. Dark images flashed before Yugi's eyes and were gone. He made no effort to call them back.

He grasped for his Puzzle, which still hung at his chest, and blinked the sleep from his eyes. The teen found himself squinting to make out his surroundings in the darkness. This wasn't his room; the bed was too uncomfortable, and everything smelled of smoke. He rubbed his spine, trying to work the knots out of his aching muscles.

After a few moments of reflection, Yugi remembered where he was, and the events of the previous day rushed back to his mind. His heart sank. It had all been very real and very painful. Glancing at the clock, he found that it was still the early hours of the morning, about 4 am. Fortunately, nothing and no one had disturbed him during the night hours. He'd half expected to wake up and find demons bearing down on him.

Yami didn't wake. The Spirit was in a deep sleep, and it would take a great deal of effort to cause him to stir. Yugi decided to let his other soul sleep, knowing that Yami needed the rest after what he'd been through. Yugi toyed with the idea of rolling back over and letting sleep reclaim him, as well, but there was too much to do.

Yugi groaned slightly as he sat up in his bed. The salt he'd spread the previous evening remained undisturbed and the room was still, other than the steady thrumming of the air conditioner. He still needed to get a ticket back to Domino. Yugi figured he would buy one at the airport, of course. He doubted there would be a lot of people traveling from Sioux Falls to Domino, but he still needed to know what time the next flight would take off. He wanted nothing more than to get home and back to a place where the world made sense again. Maybe he could find an early flight.

The diminutive teen found that he had one minor issue. The room phone had no dial tone, and he had no laptop with him to check departure times online. He could use his cellphone, of course, to search up flights, but he was afraid to turn the phone on in case his family decided to track him. It would need to stay off until he was safely on the airplane.

Yugi would need some help. He threw his legs over the side of the bed, hoping to accomplish his goal quickly. He was still on edge and nervous, but he couldn't hide in this room for the rest of his life.

The hotel was quiet, its guests sleeping in the early morning hours. The only people Yugi ran into were tired staff, ready to end their shifts, and one rather intoxicated fellow passed out by the elevator. They paid him no mind.

A stern, middle-aged woman was manning the front desk as Yugi approached. She turned her attention to him, looking mildly surprised to see a guest wandering the halls at this hour.

Yugi shuffled his feet, uncomfortably, but spoke clearly, urgency working to temporarily banish his shyness.

"Excuse me, but I need to find out about flights leaving this morning for Domino City. Can you help me?" He blushed slightly but was proud that he hadn't stumbled over his words.

The woman, whose name was Myrtle according to her name tag, nodded slightly, and turned to her computer, pulling up the airport website. After perusing the flights for a moment, she nodded again and muttered something under her breath.

Myrtle turned to the young man standing in front of the desk, and her mannerism softened somewhat. He looked like he'd been through quite an ordeal, judging from the dark circles under his eyes and the tense set of his jaw. She attempted a comforting smile, which admittedly felt out of place on her usually severe face. Yugi recognized her efforts, however, and offered a tired half-smile in return.

"There are two flights leaving for Domino today, but the earliest one will be at 6:05 am."

Yugi nodded and thanked the receptionist. That wouldn't leave him very much time, really, and he needed to take a shower. He turned on his heel, and speedily returned to his room.

The room was undisturbed, much to Yugi's relief. He was still expecting demons to swoop in at every turn. The fact that he had not been assaulted yet was almost more unnerving than if he had been confronted directly. He wondered what they could be waiting for. Surely, the demons knew where he was. Sam and Dean told him once that it was very difficult to hide from the wicked creatures if they wanted to find you. Bobby's house was supposed to be the only truly guarded place, other than his own home in Domino, so why hadn't they come?

Yugi shuddered. Thinking about this wasn't helping. He needed to get moving right away. If they were watching him, as he expected, then sitting in one place for too long would put him at greater risk. Swiftly, he pulled a clean, albeit rumpled, grey t-shirt and pair of jeans from his duffle bag. Everything else was haphazardly packed in the bag so that he could leave directly after his shower.

He allowed the hot water to soothe his tired body and sighed in relief as the dirt and sweat of the previous day was purged from him skin. His muscles loosened with the heat and Yugi emerged from the shower feeling much refreshed.

Within fifteen minutes, Yugi was dressed and out the door. Some of the bounce had returned to his step with the promise of home, friends, and familiar things. He couldn't wait to put this place behind him.

/You seem to be in high spirits, young one./ Yami noted. Yugi hadn't noticed that the Pharaoh had awoken and started in surprise. The older spirit still seemed weakened, in a way, though that hardly seemed surprising. The small smile returned to his face, swiftly, however, and he laughed under his breath.

/I feel better. Don't you?/

/I suppose so. I'm still very tired but I will be fine with some time and rest. I am glad your energy seems to be returned./

Yugi nodded, glancing around him at the handful of people along the sidewalk and pulled his hood tighter. It was still dark and quite early. There weren't many people, or cars, around and that gave the street an eerie feeling.

/I could have done with a few more hours, for sure, but I'll sleep on the flight. We're not out of the woods, yet, though. I'll feel better once we're on the plane. I'm just glad to be going home. I…don't want to leave grandpa here, but he'll be safe with…with them./

/He's probably very worried about you./

/I know, but there's nothing I can do about it right now. I'll call him when we get back to Domino. Right now, we must get somewhere safer. Then we can figure out what to do about everything else./

Sam and Dean had gotten more than a few suspicious looks as they loitered around the airport terminal in the early hours of the morning. Fortunately, Melanie and Sugoroku looked significantly less threatening and had been able to settle in relatively unnoticed. Bobby remained in his truck and circled the parking lot and surrounding roads in the hopes that he might spot Yugi as he approached the airport.

They were certain Yugi would try to fly home to Domino, probably today, but they didn't know which flight he planned to board or when he'd show up, so they arrived early and waited. If possible, they would convince him to return with them. If not, then this was still their best shot at finding him and confirming that he was safe.

It was their only chance.

Dean doubted that Yugi would return to Bobby's house. If he were in the kid's shoes, he certainly wouldn't go back. Mr. Mutou was right: they'd blown their chance with Yugi when they tried to separate him from the Spirit and the Puzzle. Yugi was kind and forgiving, but he wasn't stupid.

The elder Winchester massaged the bridge of his nose. Sam noticed this and gently patted his brother on the shoulder. He could tell Dean was terribly worried for Yugi, and that he was struggling with his own guilt over the situation.

"It'll work out, Dean. Probably. I think."

Dean smiled wryly, "Who's worried?"

It was just like Dean to pretend nothing was wrong, to the point of disfunction. Sam shook his head in exasperation and began scouring the crowds for the familiar face of his cousin once again.

Had he been paying attention moments before, he'd very likely have noticed as Yugi, having nearly stumbled on top of them, froze in his steps and turned away, ducking into the airport gift shop. He purchased a random, unexciting baseball cap and a few snacks for the trip. It wasn't as if he could walk around an airport with a hoodie on, and his hair drew way too much attention. His cousins were here, and clearly looking for him.

/You could always try dying it, I suppose,/ Yami commented, dispassionately.

/It doesn't do any good. I tried that one time and it's still super noticeable, and it grows too fast, so I stopped bothering./

Quickly, Yugi wove through the crowd and towards his gate. He glanced at his watch and found that he only had a few minutes remaining to board his flight.

"Yugi!"

Melanie Mutou's voice cut through Yugi's thoughts and he stopped, causing at least two people to have to maneuver suddenly around him to avoid slamming into him. One man cursed nastily as he pushed past the teen, though Yugi didn't seem to notice.

He turned stiffly, and found his mother moving hastily through the crowd, Sugoroku hot on her heels. She'd recognized him, of course, even with the hat on. Little disguises like that typically don't fool mothers, even estranged ones. She was still some distance away, however. He could outrun her easily, and his small stature gave him the advantage when it came to escaping into crowds.

/What will you do?/

Yugi glanced down at his watch again. His mother was here, and his grandfather, but he'd also seen his cousins before, though he did not see them now. He couldn't risk running into them now. The fear and pain of the day before was still fresh in his mind.

Yugi turned and began walking towards his gate again, more quickly this time. /I already know what they are going to say, but remaining here isn't an option, no matter what they say to the contrary. We have to go…so I'm going./

Yami accepted the decision without argument. Melanie called out to him again, pleading this time, but Yugi gave no indication that he'd heard her, and broke into a run towards his destination. Most people assumed he was late for his flight and did not question the fleeing teenager's urgency.

He was on his flight within what seemed like only a few minutes and breathed a sigh of relief as the plane took off. Soon, very soon, he would be home and everything would be alright.

"Yugi Mutou has successfully boarded the plane to Domino, master." A tall, dark-haired man bowed as he addressed his superior, his black eyes turned towards the ground.

His superior, a striking dark-skinned, brunette woman, turned, with mild interest, to the speaker. Her own colorless eyes glistened in amusement. "Oh, I thought he might, if he could get away from the Winchesters. This has become quite entertaining, hasn't it, Bartholomew?"

"As you say, master."

She smiled coldly. "Have him tracked when he lands. Wait for my signal. Twice now, the child has evaded my grasp. There can be no mistakes this time."