-Rewrite- Hope it's better then the last one…
" Where are we going?" Mokuba asked after the older Kaiba had retrieved his briefcase and they were walking toward the limo that had been instructed to pick them up. Kaiba didn't answer as he opened the door, not waiting for the driver, and ushered his brother in. Tea and Tristan ran up after them.
" Wait! What about us?" Tea asked breathlessly. Mokuba looked back at them and then up at his brother as they waited for an answer. Kaiba remained expressionless and indicated that Mokuba should just get in.
" I didn't bring you so I'm under no obligation to take you home," he said.
" What?" Tea asked in disbelief. " Are you crazy? They're our friends too you know. It wouldn't hurt you to be nice once in awhile." Kaiba rolled his eyes.
" Fine. If it'll shut you up." Tea opened her mouth to protest but Tristan quickly covered it with his hand and pushed her into the car. Kaiba watched him suspiciously as he crawled in behind her. Kaiba took a deep breath, wondering how much he was going to regret this, then got in after them. Tristan was already playing with the door to the icebox. He stopped when he caught Kaiba watching him displeased. Mokuba bit his lip as a silence set in and no orders were given. He looked out the window as if for confirmation that they hadn't started moving then turned back to his brother questioningly.
" Seto?" he said, knowing that it was enough for Kaiba to understand, but Kaiba didn't answer right away, caught up in thoughts of how he should. To tell the truth, he was just as clueless as his staff and he didn't know Marik all that well to get into his head.
" So…why aren't we moving?" Tristan asked, his gaze also lingering on the two unmoving buildings outside. Kaiba glared at him for disturbing his concentration but he kept all his comments to himself. He pushed a button on the consol above his head and the limo started off. He ran everything that had happened before they'd disappeared through his head until a thought occurred to him. He pushed another button.
" Yes?" the driver awaited his orders.
" Kaiba Mansion," Kaiba replied, hoping that they hadn't been gone for too long.
" Yes sir." The connection was disconnected. Mokuba watched his brother curiously but didn't say anything, trying to figure out the older Kaiba's thoughts on his own, but Tristan asked the question for him.
" I thought we were looking for Marik?" he said exchanging confused looks with Tea.
" We are," Kaiba said, which only made them more confused.
It didn't take Bakura long to wake himself back up and slip free of the ropes holding him down. Without Marik as a direct threat they seemed to have lost their motivation, not as willing to restrain him as they had been before. In a way, they were just as afraid of Bakura as they were of Marik. Both seemed a little bit too confident and dangerous to be kept from getting what they wanted. Bakura's knife was motivation too. The ropes slid away and disappeared the same way that they had come. Bakura looked around, trying to pick up on Marik's spirit but either he wanted Bakura to escape or he really was gone because he didn't seem to be doing anything to stop him. He walked over to where Yami sat unconscious and with one swift movement the ropes around him dropped to the floor. Bakura scowled at the sleeping spirit.
" Don't take this the wrong way, pharaoh," he said making the last word sound repulsive. " I still hate you." He kicked the chair over, spilling Yami to the floor with a groan but before he could move to remove the blindfold Bakura slipped out the door unnoticed. Yami crawled away from the chair and looked around. When he spotted Joey he quickly moved to wake him up.
" Joey?" he said shaking Joey's head. Joey's head rolled to the side and he started to drool a little. Yami made a face but didn't give up. " Joey, come on. You have to wake up."
" Not today, it's Saturday," Joey mumbled before making a whining sound.
" Actually I think it's Thursday," Yami said confused. He shook his head, finding it unimportant and moved around behind Joey to untie him. " Marik will be back any minute and we need to find Yugi." Joey yawned and sighed, mumbling something that didn't quite make sense and blinking himself awake. Still in a daze he looked at the fallen chair in front of him.
" Where's Yami?" he asked absently. His arms dropped as the ropes released him and he stretched them out.
" I AM Yami," Yami said walking back into view. Joey smiled.
" Oh." He broke into a laugh. " So you are. How are you? How'd you get out? And…where's Bakura?" His eyes moved to the spot where Bakura had been.
" Bakura?" Yami followed his gaze. " He wasn't…"
" Wait!" Joey shot to his feet, reality finally reaching him. " We have to get out of here and find Yugi!"
Yugi shifted in Ryou's arms and Ryou had to put him down so he wouldn't lose his balance or drop him.
" Yugi?" he asked as Yugi opened his mouth… But no sound came out. Yugi shuddered as if he was cold and then his body went motionless. " Yugi?" now only a half whisper. He was afraid to touch him to see if he were still alive for fear that he wouldn't be. But then, Yugi opened his eyes. He smiled and looked around.
" I'm really…wait…" He frowned." I'm still here." He turned to study Ryou, who was eyeing him curiously, unsure of how to react to Yugi's quick recovery. " We should go home," Yugi said before standing up.
" But what about Joey?" Ryou looked up at him, this new suggestion just as confusing as the recovery.
" Joey can take care of himself. I can't think with all these shadows…it's torture…" Yugi put a hand to his head like he had a headache. Ryou stood up and watched him, still uncertain. He shook his head.
" I know this has been hard for you but we're not leaving without him. We promised…"
" Ryou, get over here!" Ryou looked away from Yugi toward the voice.
"…Bakura?" he asked, even more confused then before. Yugi's eyes widened as the spirit walked over and he tried to hide behind Ryou.
" Don't let him hurt me," he whispered. Ryou looked back at him.
" It's just Bakura. He's not going to…" Bakura shoved Ryou out of the way and grabbed Yugi by the collar of his shirt.
" Let him go!" he yelled right in Yugi's face, making him wince. Ryou rushed back over and grabbed onto Bakura's arm.
" What are you doing? Stop it!" Bakura just shook him off and narrowed his eyes at Yugi. He slipped his knife under Yugi's chin before Ryou even saw his hand move and all Ryou could do was watch in fear.
" Let him go now or none of us are leaving," Bakura said through gritted teeth. Yugi closed his eyes as tightly as he could and then his body went limp again. Bakura shoved him over to Ryou who just barely caught him before he fell to the ground.
" What's wrong with you?" Ryou looked at him horrified as he scanned the rest of the area, looking for something neither of them could see. His eyes stopped on Ryou and he scowled.
" What do you mean? I just saved his life. And yours, if you'd have kept it up." Ryou looked down at Yugi, trying to see.
" What are you talking about?" he asked not seeing how he'd helped anything.
" There are millions of spirits in here ALL trying to escape. You let your guard down, they will. You of all people should know that. So let's get out of here now." He ripped the millenium necklace from Ryou's neck. " Neither one of you are capable of fending off such great powers. I'm actually surprised you even lasted this long," Bakura snarled, stressing the word you. He grabbed Ryou's arm but before he could get them out, Marik showed up.
" Leaving without saying good-bye? How very rude." Marik ripped Yugi from Ryou's arms but before Ryou could do anything in retaliation, Bakura pulled him back and they disappeared. Marik huffed then shrugged it off. " No matter. I have what I want anyway." He looked down at Yugi with a smirk.
" Mokuba, stay here," Kaiba ordered as they pulled up to the mansion. Mokuba started to protest but one sharp look from his brother made him withdraw.
" What do we do?" Tea asked. Kaiba ignored her and climbed out of the car. He held his breath and looked around the grounds for any sign of anything abnormal. He wasn't sure exactly how great security would be against a terror like Marik but seeing as how Yugi had gotten in and Mokuba had gotten out unnoticed earlier, chances were that they weren't too good. He made a mental note to remedy that when all of this was over with. He was surprised that after all the kidnappings and attempted kidnappings of his little brother that had already happened that it hadn't already been perfected, then again, nothing would ever be perfect. He started toward the front door half hoping that Marik wasn't really all that smart but not allowing himself to fear him if he was. He was too concentrated at keeping his feelings at bay to notice Tristan's approach behind him.
" What are we looking for?" the voice made his heart stop a second but he remained stoic not to let on how nervous he really was, worse now that Tristan was around…but that had just been a dream right? Tristan was the same dumb reckless youth that he always was, wasn't he? As long as Marik had the power, anything could happen…well if Kaiba believed in that kind of thing. As far as he was concerned, Marik was just very good at mind games…so maybe…he was still dreaming. He frowned. Chasing Joey in his dreams was not how he wanted to spend his time. Not that chasing him in real life would be any better. He really didn't like the idea of chasing anyone at all but this was different somehow…but he didn't want to waste any more time thinking about it.
" Just shut up and stay out of the way," Kaiba grumbled as he opened the door. " And don't touch anything." Tristan looked at him annoyed but nodded and followed him into the house. The house was quiet as the two of them crossed the front hall. Kaiba spotted the millenium rod on the floor, underneath the coffee table, in the living room and he looked at it suspiciously a minute, remembering that te last place it had been was the couch.
" Do you think…" Tristan started but he stopped short and his face went blank. Kaiba turned to him, sensing what had happened but unwilling to admit it.
" Another trick," he mumbled.
" You thought you had gotten away," Tristan started evenly. " When will you…"
" Save the speech, I've already heard it before," Kaiba interrupted crossing the living room toward the rod. He wasn't sure what he'd do with it once he had it but he was pretty sure it wouldn't matter. If he had his facts straight he couldn't use it to it's full potential unless it was officially labeled as his and he wasn't sure how easy THAT would be. Tristan moved swiftly after him, grabbing him from behind. Kaiba wrestled him to the floor and pinned him down, then looked at where the rod was.
" It won't work," Tristan smiled. That smile made Kaiba's stomach turn.
" Then fight me like a real man and stop hiding behind other people. Or are you afraid you'd lose?" Tristan lost consciousness and Marik appeared from out of the shadows.
" Fine. I should have known that it would come to this. What kind of duel would you like? Cards? Knives? Wit?" Kaiba smiled and pulled a coin from his pocket.
" Heads I win, tails you lose." Marik laughed.
" You wish I was that dumb." He retrieved the millenium rod from it resting place and watched Kaiba with curiosity as he stood up and moved away from Tristan, keeping his distance from Marik.
" So, what will it be then? Heads or tails?"
" If I hadn't just heard you say it, I never would have expected a resolve like this. Trusting in luck over skill, it's so unlike you."
" You're right but I want to settle this as quickly as possible. And just to be sure that neither one of us are cheating…he'll do the flipping." Kaiba flicked the coin to the back of the room at Ryou who had appeared there. He struggled to catch it and looked at it blankly when he did. " No mind tricks," Kaiba said threateningly, still watching Marik. Marik just sighed.
" What's going on?" Ryou asked looking at the two of them.
" Just toss it," Kaiba ordered. " I call tails." Still clueless as to what was going on, Ryou threw the coin up.
" I think I heard something," Joey whispered leaning his ear up to the door. Yami pushed him out of the way and swung it open.
" Do you see anything?" Yami asked. Joey stood up and peeked his head out the door.
" No. Unless that thing…is…Marik, comingrightatus." He slammed the door shut and shrunk down behind Yami.
" Chances are that he's coming here," he said looking at Joey in disappointment.
" I told you we should have gotten out while we had the chance," Joey stood up and nodded. Yami glared at him.
" You were the one who had to make sure he wasn't out there before we opened the door," he said trying not to get angry.
" Hey, it never hurts to be careful." Joey crossed his arms. Yami sighed.
" Okay. We need to think about this. How close was he?" The door burst open and Marik walked in, still carrying Yugi.
" About right there," Joey said, hiding behind him again. Yami looked at the unconscious boy in Marik's arms.
" What did you do to him?" he demanded instantly.
" What?" Joey peaked out. He growled and took a few steps toward Marik. " Hey! Get you're filthy hands off him!"
" I haven't done anything to him. Yet," Marik smiled.
" Pfft. Yeah. Right. And we're supposed to believe that?" Joey looked at him skeptically.
" Just let him go Marik," Yami said, making sure not to move in a way that Marik might not like. Marik laughed.
" I thought I'd never have to hear such a horrendous sound again," a voice behind him said. He turned and Joey took the moment to kick in the back of his knees. Yami grabbed Yugi before Marik went tumbling down on top of him and then moved past him out of the room.
"Kaiba? How'd you get here?" Yami asked confused. Joey joined them before Marik regained his composure enough to stop him.
" Now is not the time. Just get out of here," Kaiba replied. Yami nodded.
" What are you going to do?" Joey asked not moving to go with them.
" Nobody's going anywhere. I waited too long for this," Marik said angrily standing up and moving toward them.
" That's what you think," Kaiba said pushing Joey toward Yami and stepping between them and Marik. " Go Yami, now!" Yami grabbed onto Joey and despite his protest they returned to the city.
" Why did you just leave him? He may think he's God but he's far from it. Take me back," Joey spat as soon as the room appeared.
" Kaiba can keep his own. We need to get Yugi to a hospital," Yami said carrying Yugi toward the door. Joey took a deep breath, hoping he was right, and went after him. A limo was waiting outside. Mokuba ran out as soon as he saw them.
" Where's my brother?" he asked immediately.
" Yugi's first priority. Is everyone else okay?" Joey asked before Yami seemed like the only one who cared about how Yugi was. Mokuba nodded and helped Yami get him into the car.
" Seto had paramedics set up at the hospital. The others are already there. Ryou told us everything. They're waiting." The door closed after the rest of them climbed in and they sped off. " What about Seto?" Mokuba looked to Joey. Joey didn't know what to say ' We left him,' didn't exactly seem comforting. ' We left him in the shadow realm with a deranged psycho' seemed even less appropriate. He looked at Yami angrily but settled on the decision that he just had to trust him…and Kaiba.
" He's…fine. He'll probably be at the hospital waiting when we get there," Joey said, trying his best to make it believable. Not just in attempt to convince Mokuba but also to convince himself. Mokuba seemed to buy it and Yami met Joey's glare. A nod from the spirit seemed to communicate silent words and Joey nodded in return. " I know," he said, accepting the idea that everything would be fine.
"I'm leaving with a body, I don't care whose," Marik snarled bitterly. Kaiba met his eyes and slipped the millenium rod from its hiding place. Marik's eyes widened and for the first time ever fear glowed in them. " What are you doing with that? You don't have the power to use it." Marik tried to regain his courage. Kaiba smirked.
" I'm going to do what Yugi should have done in the first place; get rid of you once and for all." The fear finally slipped away as Marik grinned evilly.
" You can't get rid of me. You don't know how."
" I guess we're going to find out then, aren't we?" Marik smiled faded at Kaiba's show of confidence. He knew Kaiba wasn't one to make empty threats and as they were talking he could feel that something had changed inside of him. Something was missing. " You don't own it any more so your powers are useless. Said out loud…I might not even have to do anything," Kaiba said, sensing the hostility in the surrounding shadows growing. " In a way, you've done all the work for me." Marik looked around, paling.
" No. It can't be," He tried to use his shadow powers with no response, which only proceeded to make him angrier. " How?" he growled stepping closer to Kaiba. Kaiba shrugged.
" Let's just say that your other half isn't exactly as strong and demanding as you are. When struck with the right kind of motivation he just cowers like a scared kitten. He's not even that bad of company, quite a charmer. He almost convinced me not to come here…too bad you don't share those qualities." Marik's face twisted into a fierce scowl and he moved to grab Kaiba but Kaiba just nodded and turned his back on him as the angry spirits devoured him. The last thing that Kaiba heard was Marik's screaming.
Tea, Tristan, and Ryou walked over as Yugi was taken away for immediate care. Ryou had a few bandages himself and Tea was on crutches.
" He's in the best of care," Tea tried to lighten Yami's mood. Yami just nodded and watched him disappear around the corner. " How are you? Are you okay?" she asked Joey, who had a few bruises but not a lot more.
" Of course he is. Joey's the most durable person I know," Tristan said hanging an arm over his shoulders. Joey winced still feeling the strain of having his hands tied behind his back for so long.
" I'm just tired," Joey said shrugging him off. " What happened to you?" he nodded toward Tea. She shrugged.
" Don't ask, just blame Tristan," she said sending him a forced smile.
" I scared her and she tripped over something and fell into a lamp at Kaiba's," Tristan explained, to which she responded with a dirty look at him.
" You didn't scare me, I just…" she trailed off.
" What about my brother?" Mokuba whined. " You said he'd be here." He looked up at Joey in expectation. Joey smiled uneasily.
" I said he PROBABLY was. That wasn't a definite… He's…"
" Right here," Kaiba announced his presence.
" Seto!" Mokuba ran over to him. Joey looked down uncomfortably then looked at all his friends.
" I'm going to see if there's any news on Yugi," Yami said walking away down the hallway. Tea nodded.
" Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she said. Ryou agreed and they started away.
" So Joey, what did…"
" Tristan," Tea smacked him with a crutch. " Come on," she mumbled annoyed. Joey smiled awkwardly.
" Oh," Tristan said and followed them away. Joey walked over to Kaiba and regarded him shyly.
" Are you…you?" he asked, trying not to sound accusing.
" Have I killed anyone yet?" he asked. Joey smiled and shook his head.
" That was a really stupid thing you did. You don't always need to be the hero you know."
" But he is," Mokuba piped in. " Nobody can stop my brother." He smiled up at them proudly.
" I got the job done didn't I?" Kaiba asked with a smirk. Joey shook his head again in disapproval but couldn't keep himself from smiling.
" So how'd you do it?"
" I just…"
-Flashback-
" It's heads…" Ryou said lowly. Marik laughed.
" I guess you should have stayed with skill," he said picking up the millenium rod.
" Maybe you're right," Kaiba said hitting him across the head while his back was turned. Marik cried out in pain as he lost his balance and tripped over the coffee table, dropping the rod so he could catch himself. Before he could grab it again Kaiba was hovering over him. " So, do you think you could reconsider," he said through clenched teeth. Marik winced in fear, afraid to move.
" I'm a lover, not a fighter," he said as sweetly as he could manage under the circumstances. Then he smiled alluringly, noticing how close Kaiba actually was to him physically. " But I suppose we could negotiate." Kaiba made a face of disgust and moved away from him, taking the millenium rod with him.
" I still don't see what's so special about this thing. All it seems to do is make everyone crazy," he said studying it closely. Marik sighed and sat up straight, straightening himself.
" Yeah, a lot of people seem to want to kill for it…you included. I don't really understand it myself. Maybe it's the unlimited power thing, I don't know. That's what seemed to get me. I mean you have to admit, being able to control people at will is pretty cool." Kaiba thought about this a minute then shook his head.
" Nothing that you didn't earn is…"
" Guys, I don't think this is the time to be discussing…" Ryou started toward them but Tristan groaned and they all looked down at him. Kaiba turned a threatening glare to Marik.
" I'm giving you one last chance to give it to me willingly before I beat the living crap out of you and take it by force." Marik rolled his eyes and shook his head.
" I was going to give it to you anyway. I'm tired of being stalked by that demanding spirit anyway. He used to be fun but now all he wants to do is get his revenge on Yugi. Frankly, I never really had a problem with the little…" Kaiba disappeared before he could finish. He frowned. " Well that was rude." He watched Ryou help a recovering Tristan up. " He didn't even say thank you."
-End flashback-
"…Well, it might be a little too much for you mind to take right now."
" You drive me crazy you know that?" Joey said annoyed.
" You wouldn't like me if I didn't," Kaiba replied. Joey laughed.
" I think you've been listening to too many rumors. You must have forgotten that I hate you," he said arrogantly. Kaiba nodded.
" Good. As long as we're on the same page," Kaiba returned just as arrogant. Joey shook his head, smiling again, then looked down the hallway at where the others had gone. Mokuba looked as his brother and then Joey and back again, unsure of what had just happened but knowing that whatever it was didn't seem to be like something to smile about. He sensed that there was some kind of hidden meaning in the words that passed between them but he was pretty sure that he didn't want to know. He just rolled his eyes and pulled the two of them down the hallway.
" Come on. I want to see how Yugi is too," he said. Joey nodded and the three of them went to join the others together.
Three months later…
" Mokuba! Get back here right now!" Kaiba looked up as he heard Mokuba pass giggling with Joey bounding down the hallway after him at full speed. He stopped short at the kitchen doorway when he noticed Kaiba sitting at the table, with his paper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, staring amused in his direction. Joey was dressed it only his school shirt, a pair of boxers, and a pair of white socks. He blushed first then spoke. " Aaaaa, you didn't happen to see Mokuba come through here did you?" he asked unable to hide his embarrassment. Kaiba smirked and looked him over.
" Are those new socks? I don't think I've seen you wear them before," he said casually. Joey crossed the room and hit him playfully.
" This isn't funny. He stole my pants." Joey looked behind the counters and across the hall but Mokuba was nowhere in sight.
" Really? I thought I taught him better then that," Kaiba acted like he was going back to his paper. " If it had been me I would have taken everything." Joey scowled.
" I'm going to be late for school," he said seriously. Kaiba smiled.
" Well… If we're already going to be late…" Joey put his hands up.
" No. You're not going to pull that one again. I can't afford another detention. Mokuba! Get out here now!" He started to walk back out into the hallway but Kaiba grabbed him.
" Be a good boy and have some breakfast," he said pulling him down onto his lap and kissing him briefly. Joey frowned.
" You mean you had breakfast and you didn't wake me up?" he asked sweetly, wrapping his arms around Kaiba's neck. Kaiba rolled his eyes.
" I was being metaphorical," he said, looking at his paper as best he could past Joey. Joey smiled.
" So was I," he said before kissing him again more deeply. Mokuba shot through the room then and Joey pulled away from Kaiba to go bounding after him again. " You're not going to get away! Where did you hide them this time?" he yelled. Kaiba shook his head and sighed, taking a quick glance at the clock.
(School bell rings)
" Joey's late again," Tristan whispered to Tea over a desk.
" So's Yugi," Tea shrugged. " I think they need to stop taking lessons from each other. This is the third time this week and it's only Tuesday. And where's Kaiba? I thought he was keeping Joey in line from now on?" Tristan's eyes moved to Kaiba's chair and he opened his mouth to say something but everything that popped into his head was too disturbing for him to think about, let alone say out loud. He looked at the other two empty desks and shrugged as well.
" I guess some things never change," he said.
" I wonder about Ryou though," Tea said absently, bringing Tristan's eyes to another empty chair. " He's never late."
" I said no!" Ryou yelled, throwing a pillow at Bakura on the bed. " You know the consequences of missing school."
" But you're already late," Bakura pouted, pushing the pillow onto the floor. Ryou's eyes shot to the clock.
" Oh no, my perfect record. You turned off the alarm, didn't you? I'll get you back for this," he huffed grabbing his school books and rushing for the door.
" Please do," Bakura smiled slyly. He followed him to the doorway and waved as he continued on down the hallway. " Have fun," he called after him. Ryou turned.
" No way. I'm not leaving you alone in my house. You're coming," he looked at Bakura accusingly. Bakura smirked.
" Make me," He said crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe.
" Bakura!" Ryou reprimanded angrily. He threw his books down and stalked over to him, pushing him into the room and down on the bed.
" I don't see how this is getting you anywhere faster," Bakura said after moving Ryou into a position where he couldn't move. Ryou scowled.
" Can't you ever just cooperate?" he said sourly. Bakura let him go and crossed his arms, turning away from him. Ryou smiled and sat up. " Just kidding," he said giving Bakura a quick peck on the cheek and standing and darting out the door.
" Ryou, you get back here!" Bakura rushed after him.
Yugi was halfway out the door when he remembered that he'd forgotten his school bag. He ran back upstairs to get it and Yami pulled him into the room and closed the door.
" I think you forgot something else too," he said before kissing him softly and handing him his bag and the millennium puzzle. Yugi blushed.
" I'm so sorry Yami. I'll make it up to you, I promise," Yugi said pulling the puzzle over his head. " But right now, I have to go." Yami smiled and nodded before disappearing into the puzzle. Yugi took one last look around the room for anything else he'd forgotten and rushed back down the stairs.
The End :)) oO (crazy smiley) Thankies again!