Chapter Six
Yugi had a headache.
The Kyoto sky was grey above him, clouds heavy with the threat of rain and air warm with the approach of spring. He and Yami walked down another block, the street crowded with packs of students recently released from school and cars snared in the beginnings of rush-hour.
He and Yami were headed to the west side of the city, to the Hana Hotel. In their brief conversation, Ryuji had mentioned to Yugi that he had checked in two days ago, after Pegasus' men had broken into his Kyoto apartment and threatened him. The men had told him if he refused to his cooperate, Industrial Illusions would steamroll Dungeon Dice Monsters in an intellectual property lawsuit that would drain Ryuji dry.
"So, are you going to tell me why you almost sent Ryuji to the shadow realm?" Yugi said.
The only reason Ryuji had approached Yugi was to warn him about Pegasus' plan, having been worried that Yami and Seto had dismissed his initial warning. Ryuji planned to fight Pegasus in court, refusing to take part in the deranged billionaire's plan to gain Yugi's trust and then betray him.
Yugi glanced over at Yami. The older boy's face was drawn, his hands shoved in the pockets as he walked. He hadn't said a word since they left the shop ten minutes ago.
"The shadows are harder to tame when you are at risk," Yami said.
"Ryuji isn't a risk," Yugi said, shaking his head. "I didn't feel at risk until the shadows clouded your judgment." He ignored the quiver in his stomach at the memory of Yami turning on him, his eyes empty and angry, darkness coating his aura in a fog.
Yami reached for Yugi's arm, leading him to a stop off to the side of the sidewalk.
"It won't happen again," Yami said.
Yugi knew that Yami would never purposely hurt him but, when it came to the shadows, Yami's control was still a work in progress.
"I would never hurt you, aibou," Yami said. His body was tense, muscles rigid as he watched Yugi.
"I know," Yugi said. "But, we have to work on getting your magic under control. I mean, isn't that why we are linked anyway? So that I can help you?"
Yami nodded. The pair continued back down the sidewalk in the direction of the west side and Ryuji's hotel. Yugi reached for Yami's hand, and the older boy gave him a small smile as Yugi's fingers curled around his.
They found a cab after another few blocks, making it to the Hana Hotel twenty minutes later. Yugi stared up at the crumbling brick building, the tint from the glass doors peeling as they pressed inside.
The lobby was musty and dim as they entered, the air rattling through the vents overhead as they approached reception. A broad shouldered boy with a dark head of hair sat behind the desk and, his nametag read 'Honda.' He glanced up as they stopped in front of him.
"Yo," Honda said. "How can I – uh – assist you?"
"We are looking for Ryuji Otegi," Yugi said.
Honda returned to his computer, his fingers flying across the keys before he shook his head.
"Sorry - no one checked in with that name," Honda said.
"Perhaps you will recognize a photo of him," Yami said. He held up his phone, and Honda studied the image. He nodded.
"Yeah, I remember him," Honda said. "He checked in a few days ago when I was working night shift. Ihutsu, I think his name was."
"We need his room number," Yami said, shoving his phone back in his pocket.
Honda shook his head. "No go, man. I could get fired for that," he said. "All you can do is wait till he gets back." He gestured to a few sagging arm chairs a few feet away.
"Can you dial his room?" Yami said. "He is expecting us."
Honda frowned, but went back to his computer. After a few seconds of typing he picked up the phone and dialed, but shook his head after a few rings. "No answer."
"Thank you. We will wait," Yami said. He led Yugi away from the desk, and to the waiting area.
"What if he's already been here and gone?" Yugi said, whispering. He glanced over his shoulder at Honda, who had already gone back to his computer.
Yami gripped Yugi's shoulder as he deviated from their course, yanking Yugi down a hallway with a sign and arrow pointing towards the rooms.
"What are you doing?" Yugi hissed. "We don't even know his room number!"
"120," Yami said as they walked further down the hallway, squinting in the dim bulbs that lined the way. "The receptionist had to dial the room number to call."
Yugi shook his head. Yami was one part smart and one part devious.
They came across a set of stairs, ascending before wondering the halls until they reached room 120. Yami knocked on the door but, the room remained silent inside.
Yami turned to him. "Aibou…" he said.
"No way," Yugi said, already knowing where he was headed.
"I've seen you pick locks before," Yami said.
"Once - I did it once," Yugi said, shaking his head. "And, I was locked out of the shop then. I wasn't breaking and entering."
Yami sighed. "Ryuji could be in danger," he said. "Any hints we have to his current situation would be helpful."
"What would have been helpful," Yugi said, gritting his teeth, "is if you had let Ryuji finish telling me what was going on before having your crazy friend attack him!"
"The crazy friend is named Mariku," Yami said. "And, he's not my friend. He's the yami of the Millennium Rod."
Yugi wasn't surprised. He had felt something off about the man since he'd first looked at him in the shop.
"I'm still not doing it," Yugi said.
"It's in the benefit of Ryuji's safety," Yami said. "I thought that was the point of this."
Yugi huffed, staring up at the ceiling. The yellowed surface needed a good scrubbing, probably a new coat of paint altogether. "Fine," he said. He dug out his wallet, selecting a worn, scratched card from the back and studied the door lock.
He had mastered the art as a teenager after he'd come home from school more than once to find his grandfather locked out of the shop when the older man had gone outside to sweep and left his keys. It happened enough that it was either learn to pick the lock or get used to scaling the tree to the second story windows, a difficult feat especially since heights terrified Yugi.
"Tell me about, Mariku and his hikari – Malik, right?" Yugi said, sliding the card between the door jam. He glanced over when Yami remained silent. "This is going to take a few minutes, and you owe me for the whole shadow thing."
Yami paced behind Yugi as he worked the lock.
"They met three years ago when Mariku was visiting Isis' first Egyptian exhibit in a Tokyo museum. He came across Malik, who was assisting his sister at the time, and Mariku realized who he was immediately," Yami said.
Yugi jiggled the handle, twisting the cad. "Then what?"
"Mariku kidnapped him," Yami said.
Yugi paused, glancing over his shoulder. "What?"
"He kidnapped him," Yami repeated. He shrugged. "I have told you that the feelings that a yami experiences when first encountering his or her hikari are intense."
"You didn't kidnap me," Yugi said.
"No," Yami agreed. "But, when we met, the idea of you leaving my sight seemed so unthinkable that it took all of my will to let you return home. Letting you go after I had found you was difficult, much how any extended separation continues to be hard for both of us."
Yugi returned to the lock.
Even from the beginning, being separated from Yami had been a struggle, an exhausting, aching struggle that made him feel exhausted, lonely, and cranky. It had gotten better as the months had passed, with the pair being able to separate for the better part of a day without effect, but Yugi often worried how they would both fair if kept apart for longer amounts of time.
"Malik escaped from Mariku after only a few hours," Yami continued. "Mariku had falsely assumed that his hikari was weaker than him. However, the Ishtar siblings grew up in the tombs of Egypt and as you have experienced first-hand with Isis, they are not easily bullied."
"That wasn't a good start to their relationship," Yugi said. He was halfway through the lock, the card straining with the force of his ministrations.
"Indeed," Yami said. "It took Mariku another three months to convince Malik back to him, but Malik had grown up with the knowledge of his lineage as a hikari. He knew who Mariku was, and he yet he forced him to wait."
"Malik didn't want to just roll over, I guess," Yugi said.
"And that is what makes him the perfect match for Mariku," Yami said. "He was born to be the only person who can keep a handle on him."
"Why can't I keep a handle on you then?" Yugi teased. He was almost finished with the lock, the card millimeters from the bottom.
"Aibou, you are the only one who can keep a handle on me," Yami said. His aura flared and as the heat of Yami's energy arched down their link, Yugi popped the lock.
Yugi got to his feet, swinging the door open, his eyes adjusting to the dark interior. Yami held him back, shouldering in front and, Yugi sighed.
The room was pitch dark, the curtains closed tight, and Yugi fumbled for a light switch. Finding it, a lamp flickered on next to the bed, illuminating the space in a fluorescent glow. The room was empty, the bed made and devoid of any belongings. Yami opened the closet, finding only hangers inside.
"He's gone," Yugi said. Regret weighed down on him. He had wanted to help Ryuji. The Dungeon Dice Monsters CEO had been minding his own business when Pegasus had approached him. He was innocent and, he'd tried to help Yugi. Ryuji didn't deserve any of this.
Yami walked around the room, surveying the space.
"Do you think we can find him?" Yugi said.
"I'm not sure," Yami said. "Seto may be able to track his phone but, if Ryuji was smart, he would have already disposed of it, and considering my less than friendly interaction with him, I don't think he will attempt to approach you again."
"But, what about Pegasus?" Yugi said.
"Pegasus does not make empty threats," Yami said. He walked back to Yugi, meeting his eyes. "Never underestimate his power, doing so has cost many their souls."
Yugi was worried for both Ryuji and himself.
Yami led Yugi from the hotel room, hand on his back as he propelled him forward and back into the hallway. The door clicked closed behind them, and for a moment, Yugi wondered if even the King of Games could protect him from Pegasus Crawford.