Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, All Dogs go to Heaven 2 or Your Guardian Angel; they all belong to their respective owners. Everything else in between is mine.

Warnings: Some nasty name calling. Not actually that bad...but just putting this up here in case.

Chapter Four

Yami plastered a fake smile on his face, waving as he watched Ryou race past, chasing after his sister. The smile died as soon as they were gone, Yami slumping back into the clouds that surrounded him and staring up at the stars. There was really not a time that he couldn't see the stars, the sun just changing the shade of blue that the sky displayed. He absently reached for his watch, stopping abruptly when he remembered. That was gone.

The sound of someone sitting down on a cloud next to him pulled him out of his silent contemplation of the stars. He didn't turn to look at the angel, guessing that they had taken this seat next to him because all the others were full. They probably didn't want him to even acknowledge their presence, because that would mean that they had to notice that he was there. It was easier for them and he was happy to keep up their little illusion. It would save him some harsh looks in the meantime.

"I heard you looked after Ryou after everything fell apart." Yami sat up abruptly at the soft voice, turning his head to look at Ryou's mother. She wasn't looking at him, but instead watching as her children romped around with a smile on her face. Yami studied her for a moment, noticing that she and Ryou looked a lot alike, another reason for Ryou's father to abandon him.

"And while I don't approve of some of the things you two did," she continued after a pause, "I want to thank you for taking care of my son when no one else would."

"It was nothing."

"No, it's not." Yami stiffened as she turned to look at him. "It means the world to me that Ryou was happy before he died. And it was all because of you. So, thank you."

Yami didn't respond, preferring to look at his boots. Ryou's mother seemed to follow his train of thought, sighing before laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know he died young, he told me."

"If I had been there…"

"You would have saved him. I've heard that you gave up your own life saving another boy." When Yami shot her a surprised look, she laughed. "Not all of the angels here look down upon you because of your clothes, your manner and the stories that have grown up around you; quite a few respect you but prefer to keep to themselves. This is their resting place, but your prison."

Yami gave a harsh laugh. "Yes, it is that. I've been in worse places, but this," he motioned around him, "is still the worst. Always has been."

Ryou's mother looked at him in confusion before seeming to brush the comment off. "Well, you were young when you died. You expected to be around a little longer, not stuck here with the rest of us."

Yami just nodded, not wanting to tell her that she had misinterpreted the statement. The two settled into amicable silence, something that Yami had not experienced for a long time, watching Ryou pin his sister to the ground and begin to tickle her. He smirked to himself and leaned back onto his hands. Here was the peace that seemed to never come to him. A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth. It was a glimpse of why the others enjoyed this.

He was about to close his eyes and lay down when a general murmur started around the angels. Yami snapped to attention, standing up as Ryou's sister came scurrying back to her mother, staring in amazement as the head angels filed in. Ryou followed his sister at a more sedate pace, looking curiously at the procession.

"Who are they?" The question was directed to Yami instead of his mother, a habit that was too old for the British teen to break right now.

"Head angels, in charge of everything around here. And if they've come down without calling a meeting, it can't be good news." Yami stepped closer to Ryou, moving into a position to protect him in case anything happened, while watching the angels. To his surprise, they split off individually to talk to certain angels instead of calling everyone to order. He tensed up at the breach in the monotony, glaring as Isis as she walked over to them. "What's going on?"

The dark skinned angel looked over her shoulder before turning worried blue eyes back to him. "Someone stole the book."

"So," Yami raised an eyebrow, "it just holds the records of who had died. Besides, if it's that important, it must have some kind of safeguard, like it's invisible to living people."

"It is." Isis bit her lip, glancing back over her shoulder again. Yami peered around her, scowling as he saw that the others in the group were talking to well known guardian angels. Isis cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. "The book will just be blank to those who are still alive, but not those who have been dead, or touched the border of death. You could have read it without any problems two years ago.

"But, the book also has the keys to unsealing things that have been locked away for years, things that should not be let loose on the world again." Her blue eyes suddenly darkened at a thought. "Things that you have seen, Atemu."

Yami froze, his mind creating images of the demon that rose from the lava. He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly cold. Isis nodded, taking his shivers as a sign he knew what she was talking about before continuing. "And he can convince anyone to help him. He can read the book if he takes them over for long enough. He must have had someone up here to get the book for him, there's no way it would have disappeared from heaven otherwise."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"We need to send someone to find it."

"Don't tell us that you mean to present this one as your champion, Isis." Isis turned around, pulling Yami up to stand beside her as they faced down the angels that had gathered behind them as she had spoken.

Giving off a calmness that Yami knew she did not feel, Isis tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave them all a serene smile. "You said that, if he could prove himself worthy of our trust, Atemu would be given the guardianship that he desires. You have been skipping over him for months now."

"Giving up his life for that kid barely got him into heaven, especially after the stunt he pulled." Yami glared at the angel, not backing down as he was obviously expected to. The angel stared at him in amazement for a moment before turning his gaze back to Isis. "You will have to convince us that he can be trusted."

Isis gave them a slow smile. "He is the only one out of all the ones chosen that knows the city where the book fell. Second, he has no person to guard, therefore, no restraints on his time. Besides, you know that they would have to be granted some semblance of life to accurately track the book, and none of your choices would be willing to do that."

The angels looked at each other, all scowling as they went over the evidence. The leader spoke up a few moments later. "Have it your way, Isis. We will send Atemu back down on two conditions. One, you must be able to contact him and you will watch over him. Two, send his friend with him." A finger was leveled at Ryou, who squeaked and ducked behind Yami. "After all, that one's family is all here. Why would Atemu torment his 'little brother' by remaining on earth? Atemu will have to return to heaven for Ryou to ever return. Fair?"

"Yes." Yami looked over at Isis, flabbergasted that she would just agree like that. The other angels nodded before moving off, shooting him somber looks as they passed. Yami smoothed his face into a mask of confidence, while he seethed internally.

How could they do this to him? He had already passed judgment twice. Who were they to ask him to go through it a third time? Especially with that condition.

"Atemu, Ryou, follow me." Yami rubbed a hand over his face, slowly shaking his head. He motioned for Isis to lead Ryou away, turning toward Ryou's family with a sad smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I'll bring him back."

"What about you? Don't you have a reason to stay here? You have to have one." Ryou's mother was holding onto her daughter, like she would be taken away from her if she let go.

"No." Yami turned away, walking swiftly to catch up to Isis as she walked toward the gates. The taller angel looked back as Yami slid into place beside Ryou, a smile lighting up her face for the first time since she had approached him. Yami straightened up, a smile tugging at the corner of his own mouth. "So how will it be better if we go back alive?"

"The book isn't of earthly origins, so it will feel different from everything else; put out an aura if you wish to think of it like that. If we sent you down as angels, then you wouldn't feel it yourself because you would still be connected to heaven. You would find it, eventually, but it might be too late. I'm sorry; it's just how it has to be."

Yami shrugged, hoping to distract Isis from her pity, but the angel saw through him. "You know the dead must stay dead, Atemu. It will do you no good to linger over him."

He shot her a angry glare before toning the gaze down. "It's not that easy to give everything you love up. I thought you would understand that."

Isis paused by a cloud, sighing as she looked back at him. "I do, Atemu. I do."

She pushed through the cloud, Yami pulling Ryou behind him as the British teen stared after the angel's passage. The familiar tick of clocks met his ears as Yami emerged from the cloud. He could feel Ryou tense beside him, turning so he could watch the white haired teen's mouth drop open in wonder.

"Atemu," Isis held out her hand, a golden watch drifting from the collection and drifting toward them, "I believe you recognize this."

Yami held out his hand, smirking as the watch immediately shot into it, nestling gently into his palm. He spent a moment staring at the familiar engraving, running a thumb over the inverted pyramid shape and the Eye of Horus before running his fingers through the chain that was attached to the fob watch. He frowned as he encountered two tags, lifting he chain from where it dangled over the edge of his hand as Ryou leaned toward him to look.

"What is that?"

"It's my life." Yami chuckled as he opened the watch, showing the still face to Ryou. "It stops when you die."

The watch was snapped shut again, revealing the engraved surface. Ryou gasped and grabbed the watch, holding it close like the engraving would disappear if put into a different light. "But, I remember you have this after the accident with the car. You wore it everyday, even when you slept. If this watch is your life…"

Yami reached over and reclaimed the watch, pulling the two tags down the chain to present to Ryou. Isis looked up from where she was pacing the rows, intruding on their conversation. "Each watch is labeled with the cause of death."

"Wound from the impact of a car includes shattered ribs, which pierced a lung and a broken neck. Cause of death was drowning due to unconsciousness when hitting the water." Ryou read the tag out loud, his voice pitching higher as he neared the end. He looked up at Yami, eyes wide. When Yami did nothing but shrug, Ryou looked down at the next tag. "Cause of death: heart failure."

Yami could see that Ryou was getting ready to comment, but was stopped by the appearance of his own watch, a golden fob watch like Yami's. Yami leaned over as Ryou grabbed the watch out of the air, the two of them looking at the almost dream catcher-like shape on the front, the triangle in the middle of the ring holding the same Eye of Horus design as Yami's inverted pyramid shape. The watch, like Yami's had originally, dangled from a simple leather cord.

Isis walked back over, pulling the tags from the cord and the chain before motioning for the two teens to put the watches on. "I'll contact you through the watches when I can. But I feel I can trust you enough not to have to speak to you every day. Now," she held out a hand, "your halos please."

Yami nearly ripped his from the air above his head, quickly placing the metal in the outstretched hand. He pitched forward as the wings disappeared from his back, remembering at the last minute before he fell how to balance without them. Beside him, Ryou actually did fall. Yami knelt down to help his friend up, trying not to flinch under the accusing glare. He would have a lot of explaining to do once they got away from Isis.

His hand drifted to the winding mechanism, looking at Isis for her approval. The nod was faint, but enough for him to break out in a smile as he got a better grip on his watch. He began to spin the bulb, looking over at Ryou as he hesitantly followed Yami's lead. "See you on the other side."

The watch in his hand began to thrum, light pouring out from inside it. He flashed a smile at Ryou before he was thrown backwards, shutting his eyes against the now familiar colors as he was sent flying back to earth. He only had a moment to remember where his body was before he slammed back into it.

Pain ran up and down his limbs, making it impossible for him to move. His mind screamed that he had to get out of there. He blearily opened his eyes, searching the hull around him for the hole as he twisted in pain. Before he could find the exit, he was overcome with pain, curling in on himself as skin and muscle where grown again. When the itching sensation finally stopped, he was able to relax.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the hole, swimming quickly for it. In his chest, he began to feel the hesitant beat of his heart as it started up again, soon throbbing in pain as the muscle began to pump blood at the normal rate; something it had not done for two years. His lungs began to burn from lack of air, his supply of oxygen long since dissipated. Just when he thought he was about to pass out, Yami broke the surface, drawing in a huge lungful of air before looking around.

He quickly turned toward shore, the new muscles shaking as he put them to the test. He began to shiver, the crisp air not helping his saturated condition. Yami groaned, wishing the shore was closer or that the boardwalk was still in place. Everything was beginning to feel numb when the water became shallow enough to stand.

Yami stumbled onto the shore, casting one look at the line of flowers before stepping onto the road and stumbling up it a ways. He caught a glimpse of Ryou staggering from the woods, holding onto one of his sides. Then, exhaustion hit him, sending him to his knees with a gasp before he fell face first onto the dirt road. He was conscious enough to move the watch closer to his body before his drifted into the beckoning blackness.

Noa leaned against the side of the building, keeping to the shadows. He tapped a few fingers against his arms as he waited for Weevil to come out of the bar. He gave a low growl. It wouldn't be smart to go in there since everyone knew he had died, but he wasn't quite ready to trust his former lackey. He leaned his head back against the wall with a groan before pushing off and walking into the darkened smoky interior.

He blinked to clear his eyes, coughing as he pushed his way through the crowd. There was once a time when he could have dealt with this but, apparently, his immunity had disappeared when he had been resurrected. He shuddered and shouldered his way deeper into the crowd, glaring at the people who glanced his way.

Weevil was secreted away into a corner, talking to a few people. The small man glanced up at Noa with fear in his eyes before hurrying through his discussion and dismissing the few people. He scrambled over to Noa, whimpering as his employer glared at him. "Wouldn't it be safer outside, boss?"

"Nonsense. The people in here are too drunk or too blind to notice anything." Noa carefully guided Weevil through the crowd, edging toward the door. "What does matter is that you keep looking for that book."

Weevil nodded and slipped back off into the crowd. Noa smirked after his employee before storming back outside. Weevil would find him somehow. The little worm knew that Noa was his only protection, the little man jumpy for some reason.

He stepped out into the sun, taking a deep breath of air and enjoying it for the moment before turning, intending to find a place where he could hide for the rest of the day or until they found a better base.

His motion was brought to an abrupt stop as he came face to face with a man. Noa took a step back, confused by the blank blue eyes, black hair and neat business suit. He was almost frightened that it was someone sent by one of the other casino owners who had somehow discovered that he was alive again. The thought was immediately tossed away. There was no way they could have known that.

"Noa." The man's voice had a strange echoing quality. The aqua haired teen rapidly stepped back, looking around to see if any of his enemies were around. He relaxed as there was no one around.

"You must have the wrong person."

"I would know the angel who begged for life anywhere." Now that the man was closer he could see the red that ran through the man's eyes. "You promised to help me in exchange for me giving you your life back."

Noa relaxed fully then, eyeing the man as he recognized the echo as the familiar growl of the creature he had been in contact with. He gave the man a critical once over. "Who is he then?"

"No one important." A hand was waved. "He promised to help me if I returned the favor. For now, he serves as my puppet, of his own will."

Noa bristled at the implication that he would need watching before turning and slipping into the shadows, tensing as he felt the man follow him. "Do you intend to follow me around? It would be very conspicuous."

"You are working to get the book, but you must work harder."

"It's barely been one day. What are you worried about?"

Noa gasped as the man pushed him against a building, hand easily encircling his neck. The aqua haired teen flailed a bit as the man leaned in, blue eyes became streaked with more red. "You have a limited amount of time before they make their move. You have to get a lead on the angels that they will send or know where they all at all times. Do you understand?"

He was pushed away, left gasping on the ground as the man strolled away. Noa stood up, stiffening as the man shot a last look at him, and implied 'I'll be watching you' in the gaze. He growled to himself and brushed the dirt of his clothes before shoving his hands in his pockets and stalking back through the shadows.

There was bound to be an abandoned warehouse that he could spend his days in, waiting for Weevil to report back. He paused for a moment before turning to head toward the docks. His best chance lay there. It was far enough away from this side of Domino; safer for him in the end.

And, better yet, the creepy man that the voice had commandeered to be its body wouldn't know where to find him. Noa scowled to himself at the thought and shivered. How anyone would agree to that was beyond him. What was worth so much that you would give up control of your body?

Ryou woke up with a groan, standing up and stretching his sore back. He shook his head, stopping the motion suddenly as something bumped against his chest. The British teen looked down, staring at the golden watch that hung around his neck. There was something important about it, something that his mind refused to grasp at the moment.

He lifted it up to eye level, turning it in the afternoon light. Briefly, his thumb skimmed over the engraving before he snapped the watch open, eyes widening as he listened to the watch tick in time with his heart. Ryou snapped the watch shut as he heard a groan.

On the road, he saw another person stirring, slowly clambering to their feet. Ryou took a step back, memories gently flowing back into his mind at the sharp prick of pain in his back.

He had been killed and sent to heaven. And he had come back, with Yami, to retrieve something important…a book. Ryou glanced back down at the watch that hung around his neck. The watch was his life. A similar watch had been given to Yami. The same watch Ryou had seen his friend with after the car incident.

The exact same…

"You died that night." Yami glanced up, seemingly confused by the abrupt accusation. Ryou ignored the look and stomped over, reaching for the watch that hung around his friend's neck only to have it snatched away at the last minute. He let his hand drop back to his side, trembling in an effort not to yell. "You never told me!"

"What was I supposed to say?" Yami winced as he brushed himself off, limping away from Ryou for a few strides before he settled into his normal walk. "You already thought I was a ghost. What would your reaction have been if I had told you the truth? Besides, it didn't matter by then."

"It did matter." Ryou jogged to catch up with Yami, placing one hand on his friend's shoulder to turn Yami to face him. "I thought you were dead and I would be next. It nearly destroyed me that night. And, when you really did die, it hurt me then too."

"How was I supposed to tell you, Ryou?!" Yami rounded on him, glaring at him before shaking his head and lowering his gaze. "I didn't know I was going to die. I didn't even know if I could get back, but I did because I thought you still needed me. And I would have given it all up, even if I had known then that you didn't need me."

"What?"

"You're strong, Ryou. You just never notice it because you allow yourself to be overshadowed by Bakura and I." Yami chuckled, the sound erasing some of Ryou's anger. "And I've known it for a while. You can thank Mahad for that. But I wasn't ready to let you go, because you were the only family that I had and my only friend."

"But, Yugi-"

"Yugi is different." Ryou's heart warmed to see Yami dismiss the younger teen in that manner, knowing that his friend had not meant it that way. Yami rubbed a hand over his face, the other gently holding the watch.

"I condemned myself the day I came back, Ryou. I stole this watch and gave myself my life back. I spent the nights I was alive peeking into hell. And, the horrible thing is, I still don't regret it."

Ryou took a horrified step back, watching as Yami started backing away, the tri-color haired teen opening his arms in a shrug. "Why do you think the other angels avoid me? I've seen things that no one in heaven is supposed to see and I don't regret that actions that brought me there."

He hurried to catch up with Yami, falling into step with his friend as Yami turned back around. Thousands of questions raced through his mind, most being forgotten almost as quickly as they appeared. Ryou looked down at his feet, unable to voice what he really wanted to say. He shrugged, more to himself than to what Yami had said before sighing. "What now, Yami?"

"We find somewhere to stay before we go out looking." Yami had already started down the road toward their old house, striding along at a fast pace. "Isis will contact us when she can but, in the meantime, let's get this over with so you can go back to your family."

Ryou shook his head, a motion that Yami caught and glared at him, tensing as Ryou opened his mouth to speak. "I don't want to have you punished as well, Ryou! Let's just get his over with before I start doing things I regret!"

"We can't go back."

"Ryou..." It was a growl this time.

He still shook his head, grabbing a hold of Yami's arm and clinging on as his friend tried to pull away. "Bakura knows that you're dead and, if somebody took me off the road, they know I'm dead too. The word will have spread by now. We can't go back to our home, or anywhere on this side of the river."

"Then where should we go? We can't just wander around and hope to survive. These are our real bodies!"

Ryou nodded and let go of Yami's arm so his friend could cross them in his irritation. Yami was right about that, they needed a stable place to recover from any after effects of their return. But it was too late to try and reintegrate themselves into the society on this side of the river. Yami had been dead for two years and Ryou's demise had time to spread, this time through respectable sources. Nobody would believe them. Nobody except…

"Yugi."

Yami's eyes widened at the mention of the name. He lost control of his mask for a moment, allow Ryou to see the gambit of emotions that ran through his friend before the mask slipped back on. "No."

"It's our only choice."

"No."

"He won't believe that you're dead and he's never heard about me."

"No, Ryou!" Yami slumped after his outburst.

"Well, you don't get to make this decision, Atemu." Yami looked up at the sudden drop of his nickname, hurt flashing through his eyes as Ryou tried to look over his friend. "This is mine since it's my afterlife on the line. I say, we go to Yugi's."

Yami dropped his eyes to the ground, letting Ryou take the lead as they walked out of the swamp. The white haired teen glanced back at his friend, not knowing what to make of Yami's sudden submission. After all, he thought that Yami would have been overjoyed to go and see his pet again.

Ryou winced at the biting tone of the thought. He would have to be more welcoming to Yugi now. They were relying on the teen's hospitality to survive this mission at all. And, in the end, it wasn't Yugi's fault for what had happened, if Ryou allowed himself to dwell on it. Yami had said that he trusted Ryou to take care of himself, but there was the childish impulse to keep Yami to himself.

But Yami had said that Yugi wasn't important.

Ryou brightened at the thought, his stride gaining and extra bounce. Maybe it would turn out alright now. It would be easy to find the book and get back to paradise. Even Yami agreed that they had to move fast. He smiled, heading for one of the bridges that would lead into Domino.

How long could it take to find a book?

Yugi waved good-bye to Tèa as they separated, his own house about half a mile more down the road. She returned his smile and wave before turning to head down her own street. Per usual, Yugi stood where he was until he saw that she had made it to her front porch safely before shouldering his backpack and moving off.

His friends thought it hinted at a crush and teased him mercilessly about it. And Yugi took it all in stride. Although, he thought it was unfair to Tèa because he thought that she really did have a crush on him. Yugi smiled to himself and shook his head, flicking a bang out of his eyes as he did so.

He knew he should probably stop them before things went too far and his guess was proved right. But he just didn't quite know how to tell them about his experiences. They knew that he had been kidnapped and held against his will for a year and a half; to which they would praise his resilience.

But how could he tell them about Yami? Tristan and Joey seemed nervous at the mere mention of homosexual relationships. And Joey was more inclined to distrust anyone from the other side of the river, because they had tried to hurt 'his best buddy'. Tèa was the one who seemed the most receptive to the idea, but then the issue of the crush came up again.

And truthfully, if he had never met Yami, Yugi would have been happy to let Tèa fall in love with him. Underneath the almost cheerleader mentality, there was a strong woman, if you got to know her. And Yugi appreciated that about her. She was always there for him when the other guys wouldn't understand.

But Yami just felt right.

It was hard to explain, even to himself; something that he was afraid even Tèa wouldn't understand.

When he was around Yami, everything seemed right and natural, like he was more free to be the person he remembered from his youth and not the way everyone else saw him. But this was unfair to his new friends, because they treated him just as well as Yami had. But unlike Yami, they were prone to treating him like he was made of glass because of his experiences on the other side of the river.

Yugi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, confused by his thoughts that raced around in circles. He was almost certain he was in love with Yami, more than the gratitude for his rescuer. But it had been so long since they had talked last.

Yugi rubbed his arms, really hoping that it hadn't been infatuation, because he had enjoyed his time with Yami. Enjoyed the more tactile approach to interacting they had taken. And he didn't want Yami to come back and discover that everything they had once had was now awkward.

If Yami came back.

Yugi shuddered at the thought, shaking his head to clear it. Of course Yami would come back; he promised he would. And he trusted Yami with his life. Resolute, Yugi nodded to himself. Yami would come back, and they could figure out the rest then.

A smile finally broke across his face, relieved that he had sorted out the thoughts that had been bothering him so far. Yugi sped up a bit, wanting to get home and help out his grandfather in the shop before submitting himself to piles of homework he had managed to gather.

He bounced cheerfully on the balls of his feet as he waited at the corner for the signal to cross the street, easily meshing into the crowd as the green man finally lit up. Yugi started humming to himself, a tuneless little number, but something to do as he walked along. The humming stopped as a hand landed on his shoulder, roughly guiding him into the nearest alleyway.

Yugi turned around swiftly as soon as the hand lifted from his shoulder, the offensive position he had adopted dropping at the first glance at the person who had led him here. The teenager was taller than he was, looming over him in a way that reminded him of Ushio from his days under Noa's control. Under the influence of the memory, he froze.

The teenager swung, sending him reeling back into the wall. Yugi coughed weakly and stood up, looking for a way out. He was smart enough to know when to run, that often becoming his only defense against those who were bigger than him. Unfortunately, the teenager wasn't leaving him a way out.

Yugi ducked the next punch thrown at him, but was pushed back against the wall of the alley as the teenager kneed him in the stomach. He wrapped his arms around his throbbing middle, trying to catch his breath as the teenager laughed. "I heard that you had been on the other side of the river. I doubt that you could have survived, unless you worked for your protection."

There was something in the manner the teenager said it, the way the words seemed to slide out sneakily and sideways, that made Yugi stiffen where he stood. He peeked out from under his bangs, shivering at the leer that the teenager gave him.

He pressed back against the wall as the teenager leaned over him, hissing in his ear in a way that made Yugi tremble in disgust. "Was that it? Were you some casino's little whore?"

Yugi gave a low growl and shoved the teenager away, darting to one side as his attacker stumbled backward. Yugi had a heady moment of freedom before he was yanked backwards, his head whacking against the wall on this collision. His vision blurred for a moment, only showing him splotches of color before the world righted itself. He blinked rapidly, vision clearing only to show him the teenager with a pocketknife calmly sitting in his hand.

"You shouldn't have done that, kid." The knife was flipped, Yugi watching the blade rise and fall with horrid fascination. "I was willing to give you a chance, something others wouldn't give to scum like you."

The nonchalant tossing of the blade ceased as the teenager brought it close to Yugi's neck. "And now you will pay for that. Unless, there is something you are willing to offer in return for your life."

Yugi bit his lip as the teenager tightened his grip on Yugi's shoulder, viciously swallowing the whimper that threatened to come up. He wasn't that weak, he could fight for himself…if he had a plan. His eyes closed as he frantically worked for a plan that would let him escape.

When Yugi closed his eyes, the teenager shook him hard, making his head bump against the wall again. "No. I want you to watch this, whore. I want you to see what happens when scum like you cross to this side of Domino."

The hand holding the knife started to move closer to his throat, Yugi feeling the blade beginning to press against his skin. Then, someone caught hold of the teenager's arm, the hand clamping down around the forearm and forcibly drawing the arm back.

From the shadows behind Yugi's attacker, a voice growled out, "You will not harm my aibou."

Read and review please. Criticism is always welcome.