Know what? I should probably take this opportunity to point out that this was not originally meant to be a multi-chaptered fic. Nonetheless multi-chapters are what has happened to it, and I'm not entirely certain the mostly-dialogue style of the fic, which worked very well for a simple one-shot, is being especially appropriate here. I guess I'm now taking inspiration from Jean Cocteau's "The Human Voice", amongst others. So if anyone wants to point out how I'm doing with continuing to use this style in a longer fiction, feel free to do so.

Btw Mokuba's age has been changed in the last chapter, 'cause I made a boob. This story is set roughly six years after the end of the series, in an alternate Ending scenario (since the dark spirits are still around.) There is some swearing in this chapter. It's barely possible for me to keep Yami-Bakura in character without it. Standard disclaimers still apply, go have fun.

Chapter Four.

Austria, Vienna, 10:06 pm.

'It can't be as bad as it really looks, right? Maybe if we take it step by step.'

'Be careful. It's high.'

'Y-yeah. Okay, whoa. I'm changing my mind. It's definitely as bad as it looks. Got to be safer than what's trying to come through there though, hasn't it? Ow!'

'Sorry, was that my foot on your nose?'

'Actually it was more like your foot on my eye, Atem—oop!'

A spatter of light from a nearby fuse box that had previously been dead as the grave. Light sparking up the concrete walls of the alleyway.

'Oh, damn it. I'm sorry, I hate it when that slips out.'

'Ngh. It's fine. Just a little static, keep moving.'

'Believe me, Yami, I'm trying. I think the fire escape must be…'

'Broken. Yes, I've just noticed. How far are we from the ground?'

'I… I'm not sure. It's too dark to tell.' He sits back against the fire escape wall, takes a deep breath. 'God, this is a mess. Yami, I hate to say I told you so, but…'

'Alright, fine. The next time they hold a tournament we'll take a direct flight instead of stopping over in Europe for a transfer. I still expect the undoubtedly fourth coming disaster would follow us wherever we went anyway.'

'You seal the darkness, you control the darkness. Yeah, Yami, I know.'

'Hm. Or don't control it, as the case may be… Now, the airport, right? We have to get there and we have to get there now. If anyone is coming to help then they'll be arriving at that point. It would help to have a vehicle.'

'No it wouldn't, neither of us can drive.'

'I hardly think we're going to get stopped for a ticket, partner.'

A vaguely agreeing sigh. 'Still can't believe got them into this.'

'Let's focus on getting us out of it for now, Yugi.'

The sound of metal clattering beneath them, and now above them, too as whatever has followed them into the room bins scraping about somewhere overhead. 'I know I promised I'd never say this, Yami but… Can't you just… mind crush a couple of them?'

'…Pardon?'

The scrape of metal against an elbow, the hissed effort to ignore it. He'd let it hurt later. Now wasn't a good time for pain.

'I know, Yami. I know you know that I hate the very concept of the mind crush and made you promise to never do it, but… what about just a temporary shock, of some kind? Nothing permanent, just give us time to get away?'

'No. Mind crushes are centred on peoples emotions and weaknesses, Yugi. These creatures are possessed; there are no emotions I could target. Besides I couldn't do it without causing permanent damage, all I might do is make things worse. The only way that would work would be to use it on whoever is responsible for this mess.'

'Yeah, really starting to wish we knew that.'

'We'll discuss it later. Right now move a little faster.'

'Kind of hard when there's nowhere to go!' He can see Yami lick his lips nervously, even in the chaos of the darkness. '…We could try jumping. For all I know that's a fifteen metres drop below us, but…'

Yami hesitates. Yugi knows he's wracking his brain, wracking his mind, listening to the growing curdling screams from the rooms above. 'I can sense the magical influx on the streets below… we were on the sixth floor of the motel… it can't possibly be that far, it depends how far we've climbed.'

An interruption comes from glass smashing overhead and the appearance of a shining, translucent white hand that is, but isn't quite human, bleeding black blood. And soon the bodies follow. A crowd of cold figures rearing through the glass.

Another hand – this one warm and strong– grasps hold of his. No time for hesitating. No time for wondering. 'Yugi, jump!'

So Yugi does.

It's not a huge drop. Just enough to knock the wind from your gut without being hard enough to shatter any bones unless someone landed on their books. Metal clatters from trash cans that one of them has fallen into.

'Urgh… Y-Yami!'

'I'm fine. Can you—

'Yes, move!'

And up above them the bodies are joining the hands on the fire escape as the creatures climb down after them like catlike, ghostly gymnasts. It's disturbing. But not disturbing in the same way as nightmares or the sight of The Thousand Eyes Restrict appearing in play during a Duel Monsters match might be. Not disturbing in the same way it might be to see the ghosts of your ancestors staring out at your from parched white faces. Worse than all of those things. Real living people reduced to shells of flesh, pigment and muscles dissolving as the shadows fed on the hosts whose bodies they carried.

Yami's hand is still clutching his as they stagger to their feet.

They run.

Cairo International Airport, Egypt 10:21 pm.

"Hey there, you've reached the Joey Wheeler Mobile Hotline. I'm kinda busy helpin' save the world, kicking duellist ass or maybe out getting burgers or something right now. Leave a message!"

'…Jounouchi? It's Marik Ishtar. Just thought you'd like to know, wherever you currently are that we're... still in Egypt. We'd probably be somewhere else except we're having a bit of an issue with the whole Airport Security thing and the fact that Ishizu didn't think to renew our passports the last time we left the country. Believe me, we're trying to get there.

'We're also still getting about as much response from Yuugi's cell phone as we usually get from all the catacombs. Which isn't much, in case you're wondering. I'd seriously be glad of the break from staring at stone walls and text books, Jounouchi, but why the hell do you have to be saving the world every…

'…Time. Oh. Uh. Big Sister?'

'Marik?'

'I think I just lost reception in the middle of a message to Jounouchi.'

'Yes, I thought that might happen.'

'So much for you not having a vision in years, sister.'

'It's merely a hunch, brother. The growing energy currently centering on an area of Europe is probably interfering with any signals we attempt to send. That would explain why we couldn't contact Yuugi after he called us the first time. Maybe the signals can get out, but not in, I'm not certain. But whatever the case, this means that they must surely be growing close to the eye of the chaos itself.'

'Wait, you mean to say they're already there?'

'Most likely. If you lost contact so abruptly it is likely they are now within the sphere of influence. Doubtless they don't have to deal with the Cairo Official Airport Documentation. Speaking of which, Marik, if you want to get on a plane any time in the near future and have any hope of reaching Yuugi before the imminent collapse of Europe into total oblivion, you will sit still and allow me to fill out these forms in peace now.'

'Huh. Such a ridiculous thing as passports. No offence intended, sister, but aren't you supposed to be the Board of Directors for Egyptology or something? Why didn't you ever think renew our passports after Battle City?'

'I wasn't expecting -nor hoping- to have to travel again at such short notice. It's also very difficult, little brother, to explain your identity to the correct authorities without being able to produce any evidence of birth records or documentation to prove you exist in the first place and we currently have no way in which to explain the absence of those things.'

'…Ishizu, we did live in the tombs cut off from all of civilisation.'

'Exactly. But that explanation isn't going to get us through customs within the next forty-five minutes. My current method will.'

'And what would that method be?'

'A little creative licence, nothing more.'

'…Ishizu.'

'Marik, please. I don't approve of this anymore than I would if you were doing it.'

'No, but really, sister, forging important documents is surely not becoming for an important member of the Egyptian Counsel for Archaeology.'

'It is not forgery, Marik. As I noted, this is simply a means to an end. The fastest way out of here is written on this paper and if we don't do something to help the pharaoh soon then there is a strong risk we may lose them completely. I'm fairly sure that destiny may… cut us some slack here.'

'And using modern colloquialisms too. I never knew you had it in you sister. Okay, fine. So what have we got there and who am I supposed to be exactly?'

'You'll find out later. For now please, Marik, let me fill out the forms.'

'Alright, sister. Alright. Fine. I'll go bother Odion for a while and see what we can dig out of the book store. It's a long flight to Vienna Airport.'

'We aren't going to Vienna.'

'…What?'

'All flight paths have been closed off to that destination. They've been closed off ever since this chaos started. According to the guide the closest we can get is a one way route to the south of England.'

'Which is how many miles away from them? Sister, we wouldn't be any better off there than we are here!'

'I wouldn't count on that, Marik. We'll be closed by a few thousand miles at least.'

'A few thousand… but that's not going to make a difference, we're no good to them on some random island in the middle of the pacific!'

'We may be more use there than you think Marik.'

'Ishizu, what—'

'Brother, please. Just… Call that a strong hunch also. And it really is the best that I can do for us right now. and even that depends upon me being able to do these papers convincingly…?'

'Hint taken, big sister. I think I'll continue with my offer for my brother and I to go entertain ourselves elsewhere…'

'You do that.'

Domino University Residents Area: Twelve, Apartment Three. 5:19 am.

Damn phone was ringing again. One of those persistent callers who refuses hang up until well after ring-the-eighteenth.

'Ngh… damn it, man… sleepin'.'

Ringing. Ringing.

'I said shut up.'

Ringing, ringing, ringing, ringing. Banging on the neighbour's wall. Etcetera.

'Oh for crying out…'

Ringing, ringing, ri—

Click.

'Um… Teiko Itchika— I mean… Ishikawa Teiko from flat twelve speaking, who the hell is it?'

'About time you picked up you little pestilence, what do you think I am a bloody operating service? Where is he?'

'…The hell, man?'

'You know who it is speaking, you moron, now where is he?'

'Uh… you're gonna have to clarify a little for me here, mister. Where's who? Because if you're some guy looking for Kanabashi then he swears on his parents lives that the rent's gonna be through to you by—'

'Oh for the love of Ra and all that is holy you brat, will you do me a favour and shut up?'

'…Charming. You know, we can get people kicked outta the flats for messing with our study periods.'

'Oh, and you were of course studying with all your fucking might at five oh clock in the morning. Just put Ryou on the line already and I will cease to bother your beauty sleep.'

'Guh… Ryou?'

'Yes. White haired kid. Quiet. Fondness for Cream Puffs. Find him. Bring him to the phone. Now.'

A couple of blinks worth of pause to re-establish coherency. 'You… wait, you're that white haired freak who hangs around our white haired freak, aren't you?'

'And the genius finally fucking works it out. Congratulations, you win the prize of not being sent to the Shadow Ream provided not a single word I don't want to hear comes out of your mouth for the rest of this –hopefully short– conversation.'

'Hey! Man, I'd have a few choice words to say to you if I weren't still half sleepin'.'

'Oh, really? Well I have a few choice words for you too, boy, and I honestly don't care how conscious you are. Is. Ryou. Bakura. In. That. Flat. Or. Fucking. Not? Answer me already!'

'Well sure I mean he's… kinda… well, no.'

The groan down the phone line sounds kind of like a bad actor's evil-cackling-warm up. 'No. Of course he's not. So where do you think he might be, then, dear boy, hm? Where can I find that annoying little Yadounoushi who so stupidly refuses to leave a message for the other half of his soul before charging off to god knows where? What does he think I am, some pharaoh's wretched cat?'

'…I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'You wouldn't. It's beyond you, anyway. Now where could he have gone to?'

'Uhuh. And why, pray tell, should I even tell you anything, mister "I'm-all-scary-and-screaming-down-the-phone-line-at-a-guy-he-doesn't-even-know-about-maybe-getting-his-good-buddy-Ryou-worked-up-again? 'Cause I had enough stress dealing with you the last time you showed up and I tell you, I still ain't ever looking at the toaster in the same way again.'

'Listen to me, mortal—'

'No! No, you listen, you freaky… person, you. Enough is enough already. I don't know who the hell you are but if you don't leave our flat buddy alone then next time we see you, we're gonna have to give you a taste of your own freaking medicine!'

The caller's laugh, Teiko decides, also sounds very much like a bad actor's evil-cackling-warm up, only worse. 'Oh, gods. You ridiculous fools, I really would like to see you try it.'

'Oh yeah?'

'Yes!'

A silent pause, kind of like a stand-off over the phone lines. He can totally hear the molars grinding and the clicking of the golden spurs.

'Alright, then,' the caller continues, suddenly sounding far too polite for Teiko to be comfortable about it. 'Let me be uncharacteristically generous and make this simple for you. Now, arrogant, bratty, lazy little mortals like yourself couldn't even mildly begin to comprehend just what this whole wretched world is about. Even when the very meaning to existence is sitting right there in front of you (which it pretty much is, I'll have you know), you still don't for the life of you see it. Thus, you, mortal, cannot possibly understand exactly what is happening right now and doubtless, you have not even so much as switched on that wretched television to find out what is going on outside.'

'Hey, I watch the news, okay?'

'Oh? Then no doubt you know all about the Vienna incident that's taking place right at this very moment. The evacuation of surrounding cities, to little or no avail? The dark hazard that is threatening to spread across half of Europe even as we sit here wasting time so I can explain it all to you idiots?'

'Of course we know! It's on pretty much every channel.'

'Good. Now, if you also have just the tiniest hint of intuition, you will also know about the possible risk of mass carnage which is approaching and which all of those lovely news channels are being deliciously hush-hush about but which are still quite obviously coming, judging from the looks on their faces as they read the latest headlines? The stories about the terror that will come when people have to be pulled out of gutters apparently dead but still, for some reason, still trying to attack those who dragged them there?'

'Urgh, man too much information.'

'Oh believe me, mortal, you've heard nothing yet. How about the part about the certain bodies of certain half-souled human brats found amongst all of those other bodies, one of which bore a startling resemblance to a mister Bakura Ryou? And you can bet your own life, boy, that that particular body wasn't so much as trembling, much less trying to grab at people.'

A hesitation followed. A silence as deep and cold as two day old pizza. 'That… that wasn't on the news.'

'Well it's fucking well going to be if you don't tell me when the darned fool left that building and which direction he took to the airport!'

'So… so whatever this whole mess is it's-'

'Worse than me. Almost, anyway. The world can go to hell for all I care but I need that boy alive -again, for reasons you could probably never comprehend'

'…Fuck.'

'Exactly. Finally you've grasped something of logic. Now tell me when Bakura left.'

Teiko can feel his face paling. 'Man I… he left hours ago, okay? If he was going out there he'd already be on a flight by now. Wait, what the… why would Bakura be going to—'

Click. Beep.

'… Austria, anyway?' The student heavily replaces the receiver and lets the silence hang for a second before another roommate starts thumping on the walls.

'…God damn it, that crazy bastard.'

Somewhere over Asia, 8:30 pm.

'You've reached Seto Kaiba's mobile line. I'm otherwise preoccupied at this moment in time. Leave a message after the beep.'

'Seto? It's me. You know this is the fourth time I've called, already. I'm pretty sure this isn't what you wanted the company budget money spent on. And yeah –I know you're not supposed to use mobile phones on aircraft but I've seen you doing it often enough and we've never exactly crash landed so long as you were piloting. So anyway, I'm…

'Actually I'm not entirely sure where I am. All I know is we're talking a land-flight route since I asked for the fastest way there. That's the fastest way, we just have to hope the army doesn't catch us. The pilot's not exactly being informative no matter how much I try to explain to him how coherently I understand navigator talk and the standardised flight plan for personal aircraft.

'Try and hire some employees who don't try to patronize me next time, okay, Seto?

'I'll see you in the airport. Vienna I… I hope you're there. I'm pretty sure you'll be there, but if you're not, this would be a really good time to call up and tell me. I know something weird is going on there and… and I know how bad it is. I don't know why you'd wanna get yourself involved in it, big brother, but if it's something to do with them, then…

'Ah, damn it already, I'll just see you there. Try not to get in any trouble. Okay, big brother? Okay?

'…Okay.

(Sigh) 'Seeya.'

Beep. Click.

Approaching Vienna International Airport, 9000 Ft Above Sea Level. 10:14 pm.

'Tristan! Yo, Taylor, wake up already!'

'Ngggh… nuh. Head hurts. Need sleep.'

'Hey, s'your own fault man, don't expect any sympathy from me.'

'Urgh, but you weren't even— wait, Joey?'

'Yeah. Me. Go figure.'

'But… You don't work in my department. Ow. Actually you don't work in my station at all.'

'You kidding me? I wouldn't work in that place if they paid me twice the maximum wage. Your boss is like the rebirth of Dartz and that Man Eater Bug card rolled into one.'

'Oh-kay. So. I'm assuming we're no longer in Domino Police Station, so where the heck are we?'

'Well, last I checked we were just in the middle of crossing that big ocean between American and Europe.'

'I think you mean the Atlantic, Jo— whoa, what the hell?'

'Yeah, that's the ocean he meant. Kaiba says we had to take a scenic route to Austria in order to find a viable flight path… That and there was me to pick up.'

'Wait! Hang on a sec, I— Austria? I don't need to go to Austria! My passport hasn't been renewed since the last time we went to Egypt, this is illegal! What the hell are we— Wait, Téa? What're you doing here? Last I checked you were on the other side of globe.'

'Yeah, as we all are right now. Hi, Tristan. New York is great, thanks for asking. How's the hangover?'

'…Urgh, I think I need to go back to sleep so I can wake up and find out I'm dreaming.'

'Sorry, Tristan, but I'm afraid that's really not an option. Just don't count this as international kidnap, okay? It's all for Yugi's sakes, and we didn't have the time to wait until you were sober again.'

'But you actually had to have me along with ya? I have a job to do! I'm supposed to be on duty at six this morning and… damn it, what freaking time zone are we in here, anyway?'

'Oh, I wouldn't worry about that until we land, Tristan. Airlines operate to an international guideline so it doesn't really matter when you're moving between continents.'

'Yeah and anyway, you would've moaned about it later if we hadn't brought ya along. Man, you're never happy. C'mon, we're getting to see Europe, here!'

'During an Armageddon!'

'That's unusual?'

'…You are so paying for this when we get back to Japan. Joseph Wheeler.'

'Sure I am. For now, though –you wanna coffee? We've got some of that cheap stuff in the cans in the back.'

'Yeah… Yeah coffee would be good, thanks.'

There we have it. Reviews would be appreciated, excuse me now while I go join Tristan for his coffee.