Ok, this is a completely new fandom for me to write in and I'm sure I've screwed stuff up, feel free to complain if it bothers you that much. This is set somewhere at the end of Battlecity and is really just a one-shot, a plot bunny that's been in my head for forever & something to write while I wait for my beta reviewer on another story chapter (so sorry in advance for any typing or grammatical errors). If anyone really likes it (I know this isn't exactly the most popular 'ship in this fandom) let me know and I might write up another chapter. Oohhh & if you do happen to like this you might want to check out my HP story, it's a Hermione/Draco & it might be right up your alley.

Basic disclaimer . . . yeah, I don't actually own any of this except the idea, nor am I making any money off it (or any other money either for that matter), so please don't sue, there is nothing for you to win anyway . . . oh, lol & before I forget - PLEASE enjoy, read & review

"You will never get your hands on my Millennium puzzle, Marik." Yami's voice boomed out with rage.

"Yeah, you tell him, Yug. We're behind you 100 percent, man." Joey cheered on his best friend, with Tristian and Mai adding their encouragement. Seto Kiabia stood a bit apart watching the proceedings in silence, while his brother Mokumba also offered up his support. Inside his soul room, Yugi held his breath as he watched Yami deal with this latest threat that Marik posed. Pacing back and forth, he couldn't help but be worried, although there was no logical reason for him to be so afraid.

"Oh you really think so?" Marik's normally insane laughter was tinged with something far more ominous. "You will duel with me and I assure you that this time, you will lose, "king of games" or no. Pray to Ra that I don't send your soul to the Shadow Realm before I'm through with you."

Yami's eyes narrowed. For some reason, Marik was being bolder than ever before, but why was he suddenly so confident, what had changed so dramatically? There was no doubt in his mind that he was by far the better duelist, so what did Marik have planned? Something about this whole situation seemed . . . very off to him in some intrinsic way that he couldn't quite grasp.

"Foolish Pharaoh, you never learned how to truly protect what was yours, did you? Ahh, well, more benefit to me, I suppose, yet again." Taunting Yami was one of his great pleasures in life, especially when he was so clueless about his past and by extension his present. Marik smiled to himself, an evil half-smirk, because no matter how fun this was, Yami's reaction when he learned the truth promised to be so much satisfying. He only wished that he had thought to bring a camera to capture this for all time, not that he was likely to forget anytime soon, of course.

"Say what you have to say Marik or leave, I won't play these games with you."

"Yeah, you freak. You heard Yugi." Joey Wheeler, punching his own hand excitedly while speaking. Damn Marik and his fucked up mind slave bullshit, Joey really wanted to rip him apart with his bare hands.

"Bring your dog under control Yami, before I am forced to discipline him myself." Marik laughed, before commenting, "or perhaps a good choke collar would suit him after all."

"Discipline? Who me? Is that sonofabitch talking about me?" Joey snapped, taking a step forward, preparing to launch himself at Marik. "Why, I outta -" only to break out in a coughing fit, almost choking as Tristian grabbed the back of his shirt, while Mai snagged his arm to hold him back.

"Control yourself, Joey, he's just trying to provoke you."

"Easy for you to say," Joey mumbled under his breath, rubbing the red mark that was now visible across his throat.

"You still don't get it, do you, Pharaoh? I've already won this war." At Yami's quick expression of disbelief, Marik smirked. "Think about it, aren't you missing something . . . or should I say someone?"

Yami's eyes widened and even Yugi stopped dead in his soul room. It couldn't be . . . could it? No, they both agreed. Tea was safely back in Domino city, they had absolutely made sure of that, right?

"Bring her out, Bakora!!! Let the Pharaoh and his little friends see exactly what is at stake in this duel." Marik casually leaned up against the wall, waiting for the ensuing reaction to explode. He couldn't believe how easy this was all turning out to be, after all who needed Rare Hunters, when Yami left his greatest weakness all alone, unprotected and so very vulnerable. Who would have ever thought he'd be so naïve?

With his peripheral vision, he saw Bakora drag her out, knife to her pale throat and securely gagged, those blue eyes so filled with fear, before quickly focusing on Yami. The tall figure dressed in black went pale, blood seeming to drain out his face, as his jaw visible tightened and his eyes grew dangerously narrow. That's right Pharaoh, Marik practically crowed to himself - get angry, get violent, I've got you this time and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me.

Yami felt a wave of rage unlike anything he'd ever remembered feeling before running uncontrollably through his - Yugi's - body. Marik had Tea - oh Gods, Marik had Tea! The world around him fell away until all he could focus on was her face. Her beautiful face, tear-stained and terrified, and that damned knife wielded by that grave robber on the order of that homicidal maniac. As fast as he could move, Yami, knew it would never be fast enough.

Meanwhile Yugi was so far beyond panicked that in some distant corner of his mind, he was amazed that he could still think at all. He thought that he'd been scared when Pegasus had stolen his grandfather's soul, but this was an entirely different level of terror. This was Tea - his best friend for what seemed like forever, the one person who had always been on his side and the one person he couldn't see himself ever living without. He tried desperately to break free of his soul room, but the door was locked, from the outside. This had never happened before and Yugi's anxiety grew even greater, he didn't know what to do, but he had to do something. This was Tea who was in trouble, *his* Tea, and Yugi knew he'd do anything and everything for her.

//Yami!!! Dammit Yami, let me out . . . What the fuck are you doing? Answer me, goddammit!!!// Yugi screamed though their mind link, his 'mindvoice' sounded hoarse to his mind, but he didn't even spare that a second's thought. //Be quiet Yugi. I need to think for a moment, I have to figure out how the hell to get Tea away from that madman, before something terrible happens.//

"Awwww, did I upset you?" He didn't even try to hide the malicious glee in his voice. For the first time in over 5000 years, he finally had the Pharaoh all but on his knees and would make him crawl and beg for mercy before this over. The anticipation was absolutely delicious.

"Let her go, Marik. This is between me and you, not Tea." Yami's voice was cold, laced with a dangerous fury barely leashed. Everyone else began protesting as well, but Yami tuned them all out, knowing that he stood on the edge of a dangerous precipice that demanded his sharpest focus. He might be known as 'the king of games' but losing this match was unthinkable. The spirit could feel the panic of his other half, even aware of the tears that Yugi, himself, was unconscious of, but had no time to comfort the boy now, and so he resolved that he had no choice, but to leave in locked up in his soul room, not unless he was willing to risk losing Tea and that was out of the question.

"Let her go . . . now and spoil all the fun?" Marik mocked, "oh I couldn't bear the thought. We've barely had any chance to get to know each other just yet." He subtly nodded to Bakora who with a smirk, let Tea go.

Tea froze for a minute, her cerulean eyes poorly veiling her suspicions, carefully searching both Marik's and Bakora's expression for the tip off that this was just another trap or mind game. She knew they weren't going to just let her go, but couldn't figure out exactly what they were up to at this moment. So for lack of a better plan, she gave into her overwhelming impulse and the cries of her friends, and with a quick twist began running pell-mell towards the only promise of sanctuary she could believe in anymore, directly towards Yami/Yugi. It didn't matter who was in control, she loved them both and knew that if she could just reach the safety of his arms than this nightmare would all be over. She couldn't hold back her scream of pain as she was suddenly jerked to a stop by a vicious hand curled in her hair.

Her eyes fell shut rather than watch her bid for freedom fail, only to open again in renewed panic when she felt herself pulled back firmly against a distinctly hard chest. Across the distance, she met Yami's eyes, her desperation fueled by the glint of fear she could see in his that grew sharper as she felt a hand, his hand, reach up, cupping her breast. Arching against his hand only brought her closer to his chest and growing erection. Tea cringed in despair, as Marik leaned down to laugh in her ear, sadistically drawing his tongue against the side of neck. She moaned angrily in protest, trying to buck off his hold on her, while his free hand reached up to tighten around her throat, forcing her head to tilt back onto his shoulder. His thumb rubbed across her nipple teasing it into hardness, before cruelly twisting it into submission. She instinctively fought his hold, only to learn that squirming against his touch made it that much easier for him to try and choke the life out of her.

Yami felt something inside of him begin to break, as he stood by helpless to stop Marik from putting his filthy hands on her. The look in Tea's eyes nearly broke his heart - fear, pain and the beginnings of shame creeping into them, her eyes slowly turning glassy and he knew that he had to bring an end to this, but Ra help him, he couldn't think of a way. In the distance he could hear his friends, even Kiaba threatening Marik, but none of it seemed real anymore. // Not Tea, of all the people in this world, why, why spirit, why the fuck had Marik stolen her?// Yugi cried out slumped on the floor, beating his fists against the locked door of his soul room.

Yami was slow to answer, //he knows, Yugi, he knows how we feel for her and that he can use that against us.// Yami knew what he wanted to say, the sight of Marik molesting Tea was almost more than he could bear, but he had to remain calm. For her sake he had to keep his temper under control until she was safely out of Marik's reach. "What do you want Marik?"

Marik smiled, savoring the moment, laughing in his own state of vindictive rapture. "It most be so very hard for you, unable to remember your life or the people who had the greatest impact on it. I almost feel pity for you, Pharaoh; I truly do, well almost anyway. I know *you* don't remember, but we've done this before and now that the stage has been set and all the important players have returned, in one fashion or another," smirking for a moment at his joke, "we shall battle again." He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. For the most part, they looked confused, those poor simple-minded fools and he couldn't help but shake his head, destined to be nothing more than his mind slaves, until he tired of them. The Priest - Seto - seemed in a state of denial, while in his hated opponent's eyes, Marik could see the dawning light of understanding spark.

"I stole her from you once before, nearly five millennia, but this time I won't lose. You will duel me and you will make sure you lose, forfeiting your Millennium Puzzle and your god cards. You really have no choice, Yami/Yugi, or else I shall cast her soul in the Shadow Realm for all eternity and you know what means. She will never reincarnate again and you will lose her, call her Tea or call her Anzu or whatever other name she's had in all the lifetimes you spent together. Cross me today and that will all end, forever and you will have no one to blame but yourself. But don't worry too much, I promise that after I win, and when I'm through with her, I'll leave the pieces of our sweet, little Tea somewhere that'll you'll be sure to find them." Marik gave a cruel smile as he felt Tea's body go limp in his arms. "My desire is very simple, Pharaoh, I want to see you suffer." He watched as Yami's eyes quickly rose to meet his in dazed kind of horror and Marik didn't even try to stop himself from laughing.

I hope you liked it & please don't forget to read & review, ok? ;) thanks