Bakura and Ryou

"Bakura? Are we lost?" Ryou asked, tiredly.

"We are not lost! I told you, I memorized that damn map!" Bakura snapped at his hikari.

They were in a maze. And not just any maze, the biggest maze on Earth. And they were here as a part of a contest to see which team could reach the end of it first.

But it wasn't just the contest. Kaiba had kidnapped and brainwashed Joey, as far as most of the group was concerned, and the deal was that if Kaiba and Joey made it to the end of the maze first, they would let Joey go with Kaiba. But if any of them made it there, Joey got to choose for himself. After all, they were all pretty firmly convinced that kaiba was:

A. Blackmailing him.

B. Holding a debt over him.

C. Paying him some outrageous sum of money.

or D. Threatening him.

Bakura thought it was blackmail.

"Bakura, maybe we should take a break?" Ryou suggested.

"We're almost there! I know we are!" Bakura replied. Ryou sighed and kept walking. At least the helicopter would be there soon with some supplies for them.

Yami and Yugi

"I wonder how the others are doing." Yugi said quietly as they turned around after meeting another dead end.

Yami frowned. "Hopefully better than we are. So what do you think?" he asked.

Yugi looked at Yami, confused. "About what?"

"About Kaiba and Joey. Do you really think Joey is brainwashed? I thought so at first, but when Seto proposed this challenge... I don't know if I was just seeing things or no, but he looked kind of scared."

Yugi thought for a moment. "Well... If Joey hasn't been brainwashed, the outcome of this competition will be the same either way, right? Joey will choose to be with Kaiba or Kaiba will win and that'll be that. Though if that's the case in the end, I doubt you'll just let it slide..." he said.

Yami nodded. "I wouldn't. We've got to win, if only to make sure that this is what Joey wants, and not what Kaiba is making him do."

Yugi smiled. His Yami was so determined.

Tristan and Duke

"Dammit Joey! I'll save you!"

"Calm down you dolt! If we keep running like this, we'll be exhausted in no time!" Duke said, trying to keep up with Tristan's angry run.

Tristan turned around to glare at Duke. "So you're just going to walk leisurely while Joey might be... With Kaiba he could be... Agh!" Tristan stuttered, face glowing with rage or embarrassment.

Duke sneered. "No! But I don't want to be lying on the ground dying after only five hours! Tristan, what're you- That's totally against the rules!"

Tristan looked down at Duke from on top of the maze wall he had just climbed. "Then we'll take a short cut! Come on Duke!"

"How do you even know that's the right way!" Duke called after him in annoyance. "Instinct!" he heard shouted from the other side. With a groan Duke started to haul himself over the bushy maze wall.

Marik and Malik

"Go fish."

"Why are we here again?"

"Stupid pharaoh made us come for something stupid... Something about Joey and Kaiba. I don't know..."

"Right."

"Got and threes?"

"Go fish."

Seto and Joey

"I can't believe ya took that."

"I didn't take it, Joey, I bought it. There's a difference."

"Cheat."

"Shut up." Seto was looking down at a piece of paper in his hands. "We're taking the next left." he said.

Joey smiled and shook his head. "Wouldn't it be better ta just let one a the others win so that I can let them know that yer not brainwashin' me?"

"You think they would let that happen? From what I've seen, Bakura and Tristan are dead set on not letting us win, and not letting you be with me." Seto said in his low, gruff voice that said 'Don't bother me now, I'm trying to concentrate.'

Joey shook his head. "Yeah, I guess. Though I think that they'd be OK wid it if it was what I really wanted." he muttered.

Seto looked up from the map. "Is it?" he asked, watching the blonde possessively.

Joey blushed. "'Course it is! If it wasn't, I woulda yanked dat map away from ya by now!"

Seto smirked, which was as close as he ever really got to a smile unless circumstances were dire. "You'd never be able to." he said, arrogantly.

Joey raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You wanna bet, moneybags?"

Seto's smirk grew. "Fine. If you can take this map from me by the time we reach the finishing place, I'll let one of your friends get there first. But if you can't, you'll be mine no matter what." he said.

Joey grinned. "Fine!" he said, cheerfully and lunged at Seto, knocking him down as he reached for the map, laughing.

Seto held it out of his reach and flipped them over so that he was on top. Holding the map up he craned down and kissed Joey. "I'll never let them have a chance to take you away from me. You're mine." he said, quietly.

Joey blushed as Seto got up, off of him and continued to walk, leaving Joey to right himself.