Chapter Six: The Doctor Is In

"It's said he'll talk to a wanderer, to the man without a home.The lonely god."

-Novice Hame

The Pharaoh tightened his grip on the screwdriver, pulling it out of his pocket and walking into the passage, the initial part of the passage dimly light until they reached the stairs, the green light used below throwing strange shadows on the walls. The Time Lord watched as Yugi walked down the stairs, his suspicions growing as the human didn't stop to look back at him, disappearing around a bend. He knew that Yugi had the tendency to wander off, but he also had the common sense to stay close when he needed to. The Pharaoh eased his way down the stairs, turning the corner to see Yugi staring at the green pods that were against the wall.

He acted before his companion could even speak, walking to the first pod and pointing the screwdriver at the door mechanism. There was a faint whirr as the mechanism opened, the Pharaoh pulling back the green tinted door and staring at the thing the pod contained, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the girl inside the pod.

She was held to two railings with clamps, tubes connected to her and running all through the pod. But the worst part was her skin, covered with burns, rashes, boils and blisters, some of them oozing puss. The Pharaoh heard Yugi gag, shaking his head before shutting the door, quickly walking to the next pod and pulling it open, only to get the same result. He slammed the door shut, backing away until he hit the railing, reaching back to grip it with one hand, trembling in anger.

"Were those patients?" The Pharaoh glanced over at his companion before shaking his head, trying to calm his shaking down. He had to keep from lashing out at Yugi, because it wasn't Yugi's fault that all of this was happening. He glanced up towards the ceiling, suddenly realizing what those nurses had been talking about before. "Then why are they down here?"

He sighed, finally calming himself down and turning around, nearly losing his calm as he stared at the rows of green pods, all of them probably holding one of those people. The Pharaoh glared down at the pods as he spoke. "They're how the nurses are getting the cures. Those people are born and bred to be sick."

"Then why don't they just die?"

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow at the callous tone. "Plague carriers always die last."

"It's for the greater good." Yugi started by his side, spinning around. The Pharaoh only smirked, glancing back over his shoulder at Novice Hame.

"How do you know that?"

"There are people out there who are alive and happy because of these people." Hame glanced down. "And they're not even proper people, so what does it matter?"

"It matters." The Pharaoh turned slowly, Novice Hame backing up as he advanced. The Pharaoh was peripherally aware that Yugi was following him, sickened by his companion's obvious disinterest with this problem. He glanced over at Yugi once before focusing on Hame again. "Is this what you took your vows to do?"

"You don't understand!" The young cat nurse was on the verge of tears. "We tried everything from meat to bio-cattle. This was the only thing that produced results. We just want to keep people from dying!"

"This isn't worth it!" The Pharaoh forced himself to take a step back as Hame trembled, shaking his head before calming himself down. "I can understand the secrecy and I can understand your vows, but what I can't understand is what you have done to Yugi."

Hame looked up confused, anxiously playing with her hands before shaking her head. "We've done nothing to him."

"Listen to her, Pharaoh. I'm fine."

The Pharaoh shook off the hands that Yugi placed on his shoulders, hating himself. "Yugi would care about these people. They're dying and he wouldn't just stand by." He stared at his companion for a moment before lowering his gaze. "Yugi wouldn't have kissed me."

His companion rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Oh, alright, you caught me you sly, handsome dog." The Pharaoh stared at the human as Yugi sauntered up to him, one hand tracing a path from the base of the Pharaoh's rib cage to rest over one of the Time Lord's hearts, Yugi pressing close. The Pharaoh tried to back away, only to be gently chided as Yugi reached up to tangle his other hand in the Pharaoh's hair. "We could have had much more fun if you had just ignored this."

"Yugi would-"

"Yugi is aware of everything." The words were spoken against his neck, the Pharaoh shivering at the sensation. "And he likes it, he wants it, Pharaoh."

"W-who are you?" He tried to jerk away as Yugi kissed his way up to the Pharaoh's ear, freezing as Yugi pressed himself completely against him with a soft moan.

"The last human…"

"Cassandra!" The last part of her name was cut off as Yugi kissed him again, the human rubbing his body against the Pharaoh's, drawing a moan out of the Time Lord.

Yugi pulled away a moment later, a smirk on his face as he gently traced the Pharaoh's jaw with a finger. "Oh, it could have been so good, pretty boy, and then you ruined it. Sleep well."

The Pharaoh didn't have time to react, Yugi pulling a small vial from his pocket and pressing down on the metal top. The Time Lord had a moment of clear headedness before he lost control of his legs, the world going fuzzy for a moment as he collapsed to the ground. His vision wavered in and out, the Pharaoh struggling to keep his hold on consciousness as he saw Yugi move. He tried to move himself, just getting his hand to twitch before he slumped, just able to listen to the conversation as he edged towards unconsciousness.

"What have you done to him?"

"Just ignore him. He'll be fine. You, however, need to run to your superiors and tell them of this situation. I'm sure it would be awkward if the public found out about this." The Pharaoh heard the sound of someone running, a shadow crossing his vision as Yugi squatted down in front of him, gently guiding his head so the Pharaoh could look at him, the Time Lord's vision constricted to shadows. "What a waste."

He must have blacked out, because he woke up sitting upright. The Pharaoh groaned and blinked, trying to stand up only to be pulled down by the restraints that were on his wrists. He stared at them dumbly before looking around, his heart sinking as he realized where he was. Cassandra must have found an empty pod and had dragged him in here. He looked up, blinking as he realized that someone was walking over, the shadow gaining features as it moved closer to the door.

The Pharaoh nearly snarled as he recognized Cassandra, glaring at her as he strained to get out of his restraints. "Let me out!"

"Oh why should I do that?" Cassandra waved her hand in a flirtatious manner. "I've got you cornered and tied just the way I've always wanted to." She leaned the body up against the door, staring at the Pharaoh through Yugi's eyes. "Now I finally have a thousand ways to kill you. Simple and so satisfying. Besides, you won't do anything as long as I've got your precious Yugi."

"You can't have him, Cassandra!"

Cassandra laughed. "You honestly think that I'm keeping this thing? Aside from distracting you, Yugi is worthless. I'll keep him long enough to find someone more attractive and then I'm throwing him aside. Calm yourself, Pharaoh, and be silent. You're going to ruin my deal."

With that Cassandra was gone, leaning the Pharaoh to stare at the door in front of him in horror. How could she even contemplate doing that? To him, it was an impossible thing to think of. The Pharaoh shook his head, shifting to try and see through the door, uttering a low curse when he couldn't, slumping back and staring around at the tubes.

The nurses had to keep their human lab rats supplied with the diseases so they just didn't run their course or actually be overwhelmed by the drugs that they were testing, which meant that he had a limited amount of time before he was treated to a dose of the diseases. Even his Time Lord physiology wouldn't keep him safe from some of those diseases, and he doubted that the Sisters of Plenitude would let him out so easily, just passing him off as one of their experiments gaining sentience. The Pharaoh winced at the idea, leaning to his right as he heard voices, finally able to see shapes through the door, but he couldn't make out anyone other than Yugi's body, still under the control of Cassandra. He would just have to content himself with listening.

Cassandra spoke first, the Pharaoh wincing as she put a false sweetness in Yugi's voice, that tone not belonging there. "So, now that the cat's out of the bag, if you will forgive the phrase, what are you going to do?"

"I misunderstand you." It was Matron Casp talking. "What do you mean to imply?"

"Well, if you don't give me want I want then I will tell the whole city about the institutional murder that you commit here every day." He could almost imagine the smirk on Yugi's face. "All I want is a little money to make sure I remain silent…and maybe a yacht."

"I'm afraid you don't understand, the Sisterhood never accepts money, people just donate out of their generosity. We only accept."

"Then you should give me some of that."

"I'm afraid we can't do that either." The Pharaoh strained forward, watching as the shadow that he assumed was Matron Casp advanced on Cassandra. "You see, we will not let this go lightly."

"What are you going to do? Your order works on the idea on peaceful existence."

"Unless we are threatened." There was a hiss from Casp, the Pharaoh trying to jerk out of his restraints as he saw Yugi jump backwards.

"Plan B, Chip." Another shadow was moving, the Pharaoh straining to see what he was doing before there was a flash of light, the Pharaoh guess that something had sparked before the restraints let him go. He stood up quickly and slammed his shoulder into the door, grunting as it gave. He stumbled out into the open, his eyes widening as he watched the diseased people stumble out of their pods, grabbing Cassandra and pushing her in the opposite direction. There had to be a way to get out of this place.

"Run!" He shoved Cassandra again; the man that he guessed was called Chip hurrying along with them. Just before they all turned the corner, the Pharaoh looked back, watching as Casp escaped the people, the other nurse not as fortunate. She screamed as the people touched her, boils breaking out on her furry face as she slid down the wall. The Pharaoh spun back around and raced after Cassandra and Chip. "Don't let them touch you, Cassandra. I want that body back in good condition!"

He doubted that she heard him over her screaming, the Pharaoh rolling his eyes and rushing to catch up. The three of them rushed down a flight of stairs, the Pharaoh nearly throwing Cassandra around a corner to keep her from getting touched, realizing that Cassandra had managed to let all of the plague carriers out. The people would probably get out of their dank prison and go up to the main floors of the hospital, spreading their disease through touch. From there, it would be all too easy for it to spread to the city. The Pharaoh glanced back at the people before shaking his head; he would have to focus on one thing at a time. Escape was first, then figuring out what happened to Yugi later.

"Lock down initiated." The Pharaoh glanced up at the announcement, a smile on his face. That meant one less thing to worry about. The plague carriers were stuck in the hospital and contained, which meant that he had time to think of another plan. Still, escaping was the most important thing on his mind.

The charged down a slightly brighter corridor, the Pharaoh reaching out to stop Cassandra as Chip darted away, his hand slapped from her arm. "Let him go, he's not worth our time."

He scowled but followed her into a room, taking a moment to glance around before turning to lock the door with his sonic screwdriver, stepping away as Cassandra ran to the only other door in the room, opening it to reveal a group of the plague carriers. She threw herself against the door, locking it quickly before turning around to stare at him. "We're trapped."

The Pharaoh just nodded, raising his sonic screwdriver and pointing it at the psycograft, destroying the machine when he turned the tool on. Cassandra gasped, ignoring the sound as he walked forward, pocketing the screwdriver. "Let him go, Cassandra."

"My old skin is dead! I have no where to go!"

"Not my problem!"

"We are trapped in a basement! Is this really the time to talk about this?"

"I don't care." The Pharaoh took another step forward, watching as Cassandra scrambled to find a place where he wouldn't corner her. "Now, let him go."

"I'll die!"

"Give him back to me!"

Cassandra quailed for a moment after his shout, looking around the room before drawing herself up with a smirk. The Pharaoh barely had time to figure out what her behavior had changed before she spoke. "You asked for it, pretty boy."

He stared at her for a moment, wondering what she meant when he saw Yugi's body slump, a purplish-pink mist rising from him. The Pharaoh blinked, taking a step back as he stared at the mist. He only had a moment to think before it was on him, tearing at his mental barriers and forcing him back into a corner. The Pharaoh attempted to fight, stopping when he realized that Cassandra would only go back to Yugi. He quickly gave her control of his body and motor functions, but kept his store of knowledge away from her, listening as she mentally railed against him before resigning himself to sitting back.


Yugi rubbed at his forehead, a dull pound there before looking up, his eyes widening as he realized where he was and what had just happened. He shook his head, trying to clear residual fuzziness when he saw the Pharaoh move. Yugi smiled, hoping that the Pharaoh had managed to throw off Cassandra's influence, the smile dying down as the Pharaoh turned around, staring down at himself.

"Well, this is…different. Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum!"

"Hey!" The exclamation was out of his mouth before he had time to think, Yugi glaring at Cassandra instead of getting angry at himself.

"Sorry, honey. You're more of a boy. This," she gestured at the Pharaoh, Yugi finding himself following her motion and then quickly looking back up, "is a man."

Yugi was still blushing, staring at the Pharaoh, listening to Cassandra's commentary on her new host's body. "So many parts…and hardly used."

His gaze dropped to the Pharaoh's crotch with that, Yugi blushing a deeper red before forcing himself to look away. Yugi had to turn away as Cassandra gasped, rubbing his hands over his face in the vain hope that the blush would disappear.

"Oh, oh, two hearts! Oh baby I'm beating out a samba!"

He spun around at that, pointing vaguely in one direction. "Cassandra, get out of him."

She didn't seem to hear him, running a hand down the Pharaoh's body, Yugi following the motion with his eyes, feeling his blush come back, but he couldn't stop looking. Cassandra seemed to notice his gaze, her hand caressing the thigh of her stolen body, one of Yugi's hands twitching with the move. "Oh, he's slim…and a little bit foxy. You think so too."

Yugi looked up at that, stumbling through an explanation that he didn't even believe, most of the words just stuttering. And still Cassandra kept walking forward, Yugi unable to move from his spot. Cassandra sauntered over, resting a hand on his shoulder as she leaned closer. "You've been looking." Yugi shivered as she moved forward, running her tongue over the outer shell of Yugi's ear before whispering into it. "You like it."

"N-no."

"I've been inside your head, Yugi." She moved to place a kiss on his forehead. "Don't bother to lie to me."

"I don't. W-we're just friends."

"Then why are your hands on my waist?" Yugi swallowed harshly and looked down, managing the beginning of what sounded like a word. His hands moved without his permission, drawing the Pharaoh's body closer to his, Yugi shivering at the contact. He heard Cassandra moan, shivers running down his spine at the sound. While Cassandra was still in control of the Pharaoh's body, it was still his voice, that wonderful deep voice.

"Good boy." The two words were cooed out, Yugi feeling the body that he held relax a bit. "Maybe I should keep this body. It's quite attractive."

"No." Yugi tried to pull Cassandra away, only to find that he was trapped. He wiggled a bit, biting back a moan as his body rubbed against the Pharaoh's. But he didn't want this! He wanted time to get over his old Pharaoh, not fall in lust with this new one. And it was such a temptation right now. "I need time."

"What do you need that for? He likes you, isn't that enough?"

"No. I want…I want to know him."

Cassandra pulled back, looking disgusted and like she was about to speak when one door burst open, Yugi staring in horror at the plague carriers that were shambling into the room. Cassandra yelped and tugged at his arm. "The Pharaoh, what would he do?"

Yugi turned around, trying to get his brain to function again his mouth falling open as he watched the infected people stumble into the room, their hands outstretched. He spun around, ignoring the panicking Cassandra before spotting a ladder that was behind the frame that her skin had been on, hating that he had missed that earlier. He gritted his teeth and rushed for the ladder, yelping as he was shoved out of the way by Cassandra. "Out of the way, spiky."

He caught himself on the metal frame, growling before rushing forward to start climbing, pushing himself to keep up with Cassandra. He glanced down once confused by a spot of white that suddenly appeared among the torn grey clothes that the infected people wore. He shrugged to himself and focused on climbing, managing what he estimated were a few more floors before something grabbed onto his leg, Yugi turning to look.

Casp hung onto his sneaker, her claws digging in slightly as she hissed at him. Yugi tried to yank his foot away, reacting out of habit. "Pharaoh!"

He saw Cassandra glance back at him before continuing her climb, Yugi cursing and trying to shake the nurse's hand off him. Yugi got a better hold on the ladder, managing to drag himself up one rung before the weight of the cat became too much. He glanced down at his leg before giving it a shake, wincing as she dug her claws in deeper, Yugi looking up to the Pharaoh for help, only to find that Cassnadra was still driving the Time Lord's body upwards. He turned his attention back to the cat. "Get off!"

Casp just tightened her grip, nearly snarling now. "You ruined it, all that healing work! You did this!"

He was about to stutter out an apology when he felt Casp tense, looking down at her in horror as he face became covered in boils, her eyes becoming dull before she loosened her grip on him, falling off the ladder and towards the floor, several floors away. Yugi flinched before hurrying onwards, nearly slipping from the ladder twice before he finally caught up with Cassandra, his heart sinking as he watched her stare at the door. "Open it!"

"He won't tell me what to do!" Cassandra pouted. "He won't tell me anything. He's hidden himself away."

"Then," Yugi glanced down to gauge how much time they had, "then use me for a bit. Get him to open the door! We need to get out of here!"

Cassandra stared at him for a minute before nodding, Yugi watching as the purplish-pink mist appeared, the Pharaoh clinging to the ladder as his body shuddered. Yugi only had a moment to comprehend that before the mist was hovering by him, automatically pulling his consciousness back as Cassandra settled back into place. He hid in his little corner of his mind, paying close attention to what was going on. Under Cassandra's orders, his body straightened to glare at the Pharaoh, Yugi surprised that the Time Lord already had the sonic screwdriver out and was pointing it at her. Cassandra snarled. "Open it already!"

"Not until you leave him."

"We don't have time for this."

"I order you to leave him!" Yugi had to mentally smile a bit at that, feeling incredibly happy that the Pharaoh was so insistent. At least he could still count on the Pharaoh to guard his back, the happy thoughts suddenly coming to an end as he felt Cassandra getting ready to leap back for the Pharaoh. He wrested a bit of control, turning himself slightly to be sure that the mist flowed downward, jumping awkwardly up a few steps before clinging to a ladder, glancing down to see the body of one of the infected humans twitching oddly. He swallowed nervously before turning to look back up at the Pharaoh.

The Time Lord spared a glance at him before turning his sonic screwdriver towards the closed door, Yugi hauling himself up the ladder quickly. If they could both get out of here, then they could solve the problem of these people without worrying about the one that would be under the control of Cassandra. And Yugi didn't want Cassandra seducing the Pharaoh, it was embarrassing and awkward.

He admitted that he had been looking at the new Pharaoh and he did like what he saw, but that was no reason to just throw himself at the Time Lord, he had more self control than that and he prided himself on being sensible; or as sensible as one could be when one traveled through time on a daily basis. And there was still the lingering pain over losing his first Pharaoh, the one that would spout condescending phrases about him and his species almost nonstop, but it was something he missed.

"Yugi!" He looked up as the Pharaoh offered him his hand, Yugi grabbing the appendage and using it to help haul himself up, glancing backwards to look at the distance between them and the infected, not surprised that it was only a narrow margin. Yugi smiled and pulled himself into the corridor, laughing at little in relief before he felt that familiar shove, reacting against it so violently, that he fell to the floor, gasping as Cassandra clawed her way back into his mind.

He was barely aware that the Pharaoh had knelt down to hold him, fighting back control long enough to jerk his head towards the door. The Pharaoh hesitated for a moment before turning to go and shut the door, Yugi shivering as he lay on the ground. He clenched his eyes shut, tempted to use the golden light from before to escape from this, but he didn't want to see the old Pharaoh again, it still hurt too much. He hesitated for a moment before finally allowing Cassandra to take control.


The Pharaoh looked at the door for a long moment before turning around, wanting to be sure that it would hold. He glanced at Yugi, frowning before kneeling on the ground and resting a hand on his companion's shoulder. "Yugi?"

"Aw, I thought you didn't care about me."

The Pharaoh recoiled, taking a step back before glaring at the human as he sat up. "Cassandra! I told you to get out of him!"

"And I told you that I still needed him."

"I don't care. You're suppressing Yugi's mind, he can't take that for too long. He'll die, Cassandra."

She looked at him, shrugging before standing up. "So be it. It'll be my revenge against you."

The Pharaoh lunged, slamming her against the wall and glaring down at her as she struggled. He tightened his hold on her, listening to her yelp and writhe before letting go, not wanting to injure Yugi's body too badly. He glared at her for a long time before turning around, resisting the urge to punch the wall as he forced himself back into control. "Why didn't you stay in that other body?"

He expected a snappy comeback, blinking in surprise as Cassandra's eyes became unfocused, staring ahead as she shivered. "Inside their heads, such loneliness, such longing. All this time reaching out for comfort and never having been touched." She wiped the tears that had been forming in her eyes away. "I would have gone insane!"

"Better that then this." The Pharaoh looked her over before grabbing her wrist, watching as Cassandra shivered in fear. "But I warn you, as soon as I have dealt with them, I will come after you. Make your choice now."

"I," she had to stop and lick her lips, "I'll die."

"If you don't leave, then I will kill you." He dropped her wrist before storming down the hallway, pulling his screwdriver from his pocket before striding towards Ward 26. He didn't turn around as he heard Cassandra rushing after him, his gaze focused on the plague carriers that beat on the glass windows that surrounded the path that he was using. The Pharaoh looked at all of them, his anger growing. There would have to be a way to cure them, anything to get the Sisters to stop their inhumane experiments. His quick pace slowed for a moment, the Pharaoh glancing over at the diseased people before rushing for the nearest ward.

Since the hospital was under lockdown, the police would come and see what was wrong. They had the codes to end the lock down, but to open the doors would be fatal. The Pharaoh glanced towards the city in the distance, mentally calculating the time he had left. While he couldn't be sure, he had to work quickly. At least protocol demanded that the police call in first, in case it was just an outbreak that could be calmed. He smiled to himself before ducking into the ward, smiling at the confused people as he congratulated himself on another good plan.

"I need you to get all the IV bags for all the diseases. Now!" He shouted the last word while running for the nearest empty bed, glancing up at the winch before pulling out his sonic screwdriver. He glanced back at the people, watching as they gathered the bags together before aiming the sonic at the winch, catching the metal piece as it fell down. The Pharaoh tucked it under his arm, rushing to a chain that lay off in a corner, one part of the mess that came from a broken bed. He fiddled with the chain, finally fashioning a kind of bandolier before rushing over to the pile of bags, attaching them all to his makeshift holder before glancing towards where the plague carriers were, wincing as he watched as they began to open the door.

The Pharaoh turned, rushing towards the elevator shafts, knowing that the door that protected the small area would give at any time. He fumbled for his screwdriver, nearly dropping it as Cassandra latched onto his arm, shaking her head. "The elevators aren't working."

"Exactly." The Pharaoh aimed the screwdriver at the door, watching at it opened up before glancing down the shaft, smiling at what he saw. It was perfect, the elevator car resting at the ground floor. He nodded and took a few steps back, pausing only long enough to shift the winch in his hands before sticking the screwdriver in his mouth, taking a breath around the tool before rushing forward, jumping at the last minute. He latched onto the thick cable, waiting for the worst of the swaying to stop before maneuvering the winch to rest on the cable, using the screwdriver to force the metal back together, hoping that it would hold long enough for him to get to the bottom. He tugged at the winch a couple of times, waiting for it to give and surprised when it didn't. He turned to smile at Cassandra. "Coming?"

"You're insane!"

"Who do you have a better chance we? Me or them?" He jerked his head towards where the plague carriers had made it past the glass shields that had lowered once the lockdown had initiated. She bit her lip before racing forward, screaming as she leapt. The Pharaoh grunted as she collided with his back, holding on to the winch more tightly as he waited for the cable to stop swaying. Cautiously, he tested the winch again before nodding. "Here we go."

He paused only long enough to slip the sonic screwdriver into his pocket before pressing the button that released the break on the winch. The Pharaoh took a deep breath before they plummeted down the shaft, a smile crossing his face as he felt Cassandra press up against him, glorying in the speed. Of course, it was nothing to the speed a TARDIS could get, but it was fun. He glanced down, reaching up to slow down their fall as the elevator car came up quickly, his eyes widening as he felt the quick fix to the winch break before they fell, the Pharaoh relieved that he had gotten their speed down before they had both tumbled to the ground.

The Time Lord picked himself up, wandering over to the nearly empty tub of disinfectant and smiling. He glanced over at Cassandra, glad that she was in one piece before motioning her over to the lever beside the tub. "When I tell you to, pull that lever. It's going to resist, but just keep pulling on it."

Hesitantly, she grabbed a hold of the lever, looking at him with wide eyes. "What are you going to do?"

He didn't answer, pulling off the first of the bags before ripping it open and squirting the contents into the disinfectant. He repeated the process as fast as he could, watching the usually clear disinfectant change colors as he mixed the medicines together. He hoped that this would work; he wouldn't be able to regenerate fast enough if it failed. The Pharaoh shook his head to get rid of that thought, stripping the bandolier from him and throwing it to one side before moving over to the hatch that led into the elevator car, glancing over at Cassandra before opening the hatch.

"Are you insane?"

"Just pull that lever, Cassandra!" He heard her grunt, leaning forward to press the door open button, amazed when that worked. The Pharaoh stared out into the reception area, watching as the plague carriers perked up, all of them looking towards him. He swallowed before nodding. "Over here! That's right, come and get me!"

The people slowly rose to their feet, the Pharaoh backing further into the elevator. His back hit the wall as the first group began to shuffle towards him. The Time Lord held his breath as the first few entered the elevator, letting it out with a whoosh as the medicine laced disinfectant was showered down onto them. He let out a short laugh, watching as the boils on their skins disappeared, most of them straightening up and breathing easier. He smirked, throwing back his head to laugh as the bath of disinfectant stopped, looking forward again as he watched the people shuffled back out, reaching out for their sick brethren. His smile widened as he watched them touch, a slight puff of smoke marking where the medicine hit the body and the healing began almost instantly.

"What did you do?" He looked up as Cassandra began lowering herself into the elevator, catching her as she let go. She blinked up at him for a moment before pushing away. "Did you kill them all?"

"No. You would do that." The Pharaoh walked out of the elevator, watching as the people still milled around, smiling as a few simply hugged each other, enjoying the sensation of touch. "There has been too much death already. It is more prudent to left them live."

"Live and do what?"

"Live." The Pharaoh shrugged before gesturing to the city. "It's their world too, Cassandra, and I will not deny them it."

"But they're-"

"They are human." He gave her a scathing look over. "You aren't."

He spun on his heel, storming back towards the stairs. There were too more things that he had to take care off, both of them better off away from the eyes of all. He began to climb the stairs, trying to steady himself as he fell into the monotonous motion. Now that he had taken care of the immediate danger, he could worry about Yugi, and that was something that made him very uneasy. He wasn't too sure about what the possession would do to Yugi.

He forced himself back to the present, glancing up as he realized that he had started the walk to Ward 26, Cassandra still trialing behind him. The Pharaoh glanced toward one of the large windows, wanting to take his mind off of his companion's problems, brightening when he saw the police coming. Hopefully, something could be done about the Sisters. It would be best if they were kept from doing this ever again, no matter what their motives were. He turned, walking into the Ward, unsurprised to find it deserted. He was surprised to see that the Face of Boe was awake.

Pharaoh. He blinked as the word formed in his head, unused to this kind of telepathy. The TARDIS spoke mostly through images, noises made with the parts inside of her and the manipulation of her own inner dimensions. The Time Lords had an empathic link, not using it for communication but just for the reassurance that family was alright. This talking directly mind to mind was a bit disconcerting, the Pharaoh shoving certain memories away from the forefront of his brain, not wanting the Face of Boe to find out about them. Even he was ashamed of what he had done at times.

The Pharaoh forced a smile on his face before crouching down in front of the jar, watching as the Face of Boe turned to look at him. After a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand to rest on the jar. "I thought you were dying."

I had grown tired of the universe and was ready to leave. But you gave me a fresh perspective, a fresh hope. I will not worry about the universe when I finally depart from it with you around, Pharaoh. The Time Lord ducked his head, giving a harsh laugh before looking back up at the face floating in the jar. As much as he wanted to contradict those words, he would allow them to stand. He was not one to destroy hope.

"I heard a legend about you, something about your death and a secret."

Ah. That can wait, my friend. I am not dead yet. But I will tell it to you when we meet for the third and final time. The Pharaoh blinked as the Face of Boe seemed to dissolve, the sharp metallic tang of the teleport left behind. The Time Lord stared at the place where the large jar had sat before shaking his head and standing up.

"And I look forward to that day."

"Oh good he's gone. The last thing I need was a head full of big face." The Pharaoh turned around to stare at Cassandra, his focus coming to his last problem on the list. Other things could be handled later within the safety of the TARDIS.

He stood up slowly, turning to glare as Cassandra. "Now for you. Don't make me force you to leave."

"But-but, everything is solved. Can't you just leave me here?" She wavered under his glare for a moment before sobbing. "Help me! I know you can! You have the tools here to help me. Why won't you?"

"There comes a time when everything must die."

"But I don't want to die! I want to live."

"Doesn't Yugi have that right?"

"He's not pure!" Cassandra spat the words out, her eyes going wide as she realized the mistake that she had made. She seemed to waver for a moment before shaking her head, plunging on despite the angry glare that was leveled at her. "He's a mut, a mix breed among humans. It sickens me to stay in here."

"Then leave."

"No! I want to live!"

She gasped as the Pharaoh closed the distance between them, resting his hands on the sides of her head. She tried to get away but he held her close, forcing her to look at him. "I gave you a chance, Cassandra, I gave you many of them. There were others that you could have inhabited, the humans with their suppressed minds would have welcomed you, but you insisted on Yugi. And I will not let you have him."

"Please, have mercy."

The Pharaoh stared at her for a long moment, before shaking his head. "No."

He concentrated, spreading his fingers out so two rested behind her ears and two in front of them, his thumbs resting against her cheeks. The Pharaoh closed his eyes, leaning closer and exhaling slowly, breaking through the barriers that she had set up in Yugi's mind and slowly pulling her away, breaking each of her ties to Yugi slowly until she was floating freely in his mind. The Pharaoh took a second to gather himself again before ripping Cassandra's consciousness from Yugi, throwing his own mental barriers up at full strength before extending some to Yugi. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep her out.

The Time Lord opened his eyes, watching as the purplish-pink mist writhed in the air, moving tentatively back towards them before letting out a keen that was heard more mentally than physically. The Pharaoh winced as Cassandra beat against his mental barriers, letting them down a bit to extend more to Yugi, protecting the human as he struggled back into control of his body. His attention shifted to Cassandra again, watching as the mist made a wheezing sound before sinking to the floor, dissolving before it even touched the white tiles.

He breathed a sigh of relief, watching as Yugi blinked, the human's eyes glazed over for a moment before Yugi seemed to come back to himself. The Pharaoh quickly took a step away, giving Yugi the space he needed. Yugi smiled at him, giving a small waved before rubbing his head. "Ow."

"You'll have a headache for a while, but that's about it. It could have gotten worse." The Pharaoh swallowed, hiding the trembling in his hands by shoving them into his pockets. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Yugi gave him a weak smile, managing to stay upright for a moment longer before his eyes rolled back into his head, the human's legs giving out. The Pharaoh jumped forward, catching his companion before he could hit the ground, fumbling to get a better hold as Yugi almost slipped out of his grip. His hearts beat faster, clinging to Yugi as the human worked to recover his balance. To his surprise, Yugi clung to him as well, shaking as he shook his head. "I don't feel good."

"Don't worry, Yugi." He carefully brushed Yugi's bangs away from his face, worried that Yugi's forehead felt hot to the touch. It was probably just a reaction to the possession of his body for such a long time, combined with the fact that there had been two separate possessions. Yugi's body was probably so confused, realizing that it had an invader and acting the only way it could, by raising Yugi's temperature in the hopes to drive out the invader. But a fever couldn't drive out a consciousness implanted in a mind. Still, the fever would pass quickly. The Pharaoh smiled at that thought, glad for the short moment of relief. "I'll take care of you."

A mumbled reply was his responds, Yugi sagging in his arms as he lost consciousness. The Pharaoh held his companion awkwardly for a moment before carefully picking up Yugi bridal style, shifting so he could balance Yugi before heading to the elevators, pressing the button to go back down. He was relieved to find that the elevators were working, stepping into the car and riding back down to the main level.

To his dismay, the police were swarming everywhere, which meant that it would be difficult to get Yugi out without someone questioning him. He cautiously took a step out, slumping slightly when he realized that the police were too busy categorizing the new humans to notice him. The Pharaoh nodded and walked quickly towards the entrance, almost coming to a shocked halt when he saw Novice Hame staring at him. The cat nurse stared at him for a moment more before looking away, the Pharaoh not too sure how to take the motion, but walked out of the doors anyway.

Once outside, he took a deep breath of the apple grass-scented air, letting it out with a long sigh before turning in the direction of the TARDIS, adjusting his hold on Yugi as his companion began to slip. He glanced down at the human, smiling as he watched Yugi reach out to grab a handful of his shirt, mumbling something as he curled closer to the Time Lord, the Pharaoh giving into his urges and cuddling Yugi close for a moment before setting off again.


It was a tornado, a horrible swirl of faces he didn't know, events that he hadn't heard of and burning planets. It twirled faster, images flashing on the tornado's golden surface, the wind singing a soft melody despite the ferocity of the twister. That song was enough to put him off his guard, but that failed to happen the longer he stared at the rush of events, screaming out in fear as he saw faces that he recognized and dead bodies strewn across the ground.

He turned to try to get away, managing only a few steps before he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked over his shoulder as he heard the tornado call his name, the syllables mixed in with titles that he didn't recognize and in languages that he didn't understand. He screamed again, pushing up to his feet again and staggering on, the tornado following him, but never sucking him in.

He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to calm himself down, yelping as he collided with someone, the person catching him before he could fall again. With weeping eyes, he looked up at the man, his mouth dropping open in surprise as he saw that it was the Pharaoh, the Time Lord constantly shifting between the two versions that he had known; first blue-eyed and cold and then red-eyed and passionate. He was sure that he called out to the Pharaoh, but he could only hear the song behind him, blinking when he realized that it had changed. He stared at the Pharaoh, guessing that the new song was coming from the Time Lord.

There was only time to process that before the Pharaoh gently pushed him to one side, pausing long enough to place a chaste kiss on his forehead, before walking off. He tried to grab at the Time Lord's sleeve, missing by mere inches. And still the Time Lord walked on, disappearing into the swirling vortex before he could move.

For a moment, he couldn't comprehend what had happened. Then, all he could do was scream. "No!"

"Sh, I've got you." Yugi woke up suddenly at the soft words, realizing that he was still thrashing, coming out of the terror of his dream. He glanced over at the speaker, his eyes widening as he recognized the silhouette of the Pharaoh, only needing that before he launched himself at the Time Lord, curling up on his lap and clinging to the alien. The Pharaoh didn't seem flustered by this, gently holding Yugi. "I won't let anything happen to you, Yugi. You're safe."

Slowly, Yugi relaxed, surprised when he realized that he was sobbing onto the Pharaoh's shoulder, wanting to pull away before the usual insult was sent his way. He tensed as the Pharaoh held him close when he tried to move, not sure of what to make of the shift before giving up. He was still tired and his head hurt. Yugi moaned and allowed himself to be held, the sound ending as a hiss as his head pounded. "Yugi?"

"Head hurts."

"I'm not surprised." The Pharaoh stood up, Yugi yelping and clinging to him as the Time Lord carried him out of his room and into the corridor of the TARDIS. The Pharaoh merely walked across the hall, the door there swinging open to reveal an infirmary. Yugi looked around with interest as the Pharaoh gently set him on a table, moving to one of the shelves before throwing him a bottle of aspirin, Yugi catching it and giving the Pharaoh a worried look. The Time Lord waved him on. "I can't touch it."

"Why not?" Yugi quickly skimmed over the instructions before tossing back one pill, swallowing harshly in an attempt to get it down. He screwed the cap back on and set the bottle on the table, waiting for the Pharaoh's reaction.

The Time Lord stared at him for a while before looking down at the floor. "It's deadly my species…well, me."

"So why do you keep it?"

"For my companions." Yugi's eyes widened in surprise at the statement, the Pharaoh looking sheepishly up at him. He considered pushing the subject further, but decided to just let it slide. It was something that the Pharaoh was obviously uncomfortable with.

"Anything else I should know about you and what to keep away from you?"

"Anything alcoholic. I can get drunk off of one shot glass of anything." Yugi stared at him for a while before laughing, the reaction getting a smile out of the Pharaoh. "It's true. Thank Ra that I sober quickly, but that's still something."

Yugi wrapped his arms around his stomach trying to calm down. He looked up as the Pharaoh crossed the room, reaching over to pick up the aspirin and returning the bottle to its place in the cabinet. Yugi took a deep breath, glancing around the infirmary before looking back at the Pharaoh, surprised to see that the Time Lord was leaning against the table that he was sitting on already. Yugi tried to move away from the Pharaoh's searching gaze, surprised when the Pharaoh reached up to place a hand on his cheek, holding his head in one place. "Are you sure that you are alright?"

"Yeah." The word came out as a sigh, Yugi relaxing as he felt calm sweep through him, noticing the smile on the Pharaoh's face as the Time Lord removed his hand, leaning against his arms on the table. "Some of my memories are a bit fuzzy though."

"That's a normal side effect of having your consciousness suppressed. It'll fade after a few days." The Pharaoh frowned. "You might still have headaches. Come and talk to me if that happens and I'll see what I can do."

Yugi laughed and hopped down from the table. "Yes, doctor."

"Hey, I have a doctorate."

"Really?"

"Yes, from the Academy on Gallifrey…" The Pharaoh trailed off, turning his head away, the jovial mood gone.

Yugi bit his lip before inching closer to the Pharaoh, resting a hand on the Time Lord's arm. The Pharaoh glanced up at him before nodding, taking the silent apology that Yugi had offered. The human smiled and let his hand fall from the Pharaoh's arm, intending to go back to bed and hope this headache disappeared. But there was still something that he had to find out about. Yugi hesitated a moment more before turning back around to look at the Pharaoh. "The stuff that happened…when Cassandra…"

The Pharaoh stared at him for a moment before waving a hand to dismiss the topic. "You weren't in control and I don't hold it against you. Get some sleep, Yugi."

He smiled before walking back across the hall to his room, slipping back under the covers and curling up, reaching to cuddle the Blue-Eyes plushie close. He stared at the dragon for a while, aware that a tear was running down his cheek. Yugi still remembered the wonder that the old Pharaoh had regarded the plushie, the way that it had been singled out over all of the others. Yugi stifled a whimper before pulling the stuffed dragon closer to himself, tears rolling silently down his cheeks.


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