BTR Chapter 7

The school semester had officially ended on November 30. That was almost three weeks ago and as much as Jounouchi Katsuya hated to admit it, he missed school.

Now, whenever there weren't demons trying to slaughter them, he was left with nothing to do but read stupid books or play video games that he'd already beaten or sit around and wait for his stupid boyfriend to be done with work so they could sexy times.

…alright it was admittedly not a horrible existence. But he was genuinely worried for his own sanity. Jou knew that if he had to stay at the mansion one more day without decorating for Christmas he would lose his mind. Especially with the way Ryou's cooking made the entire place smell like the set of Martha Stewart's Christmas Special. But he refused to decorate without Yuugi, and his shorter friend had yet to return. Not even for a visit.

Jou, I know you're worried but I'm fine here. I'm not cut out for living with six other people. Just come visit me!

The blonde sighed, chucking his phone to the bottom of his bed and burrowing into the pillows. It'd been almost an entire week since Yuugi left and this was what felt like the billionth time he rejected an invitation to come back. In all honesty, Jou was close to losing his temper, sprinting across town through the snow that had officially claimed Domino, and dragging his friend back kicking and screaming. Or just barricading them both in the Game Shop until whatever the hell was happening was over.

But Yuugi had made himself clear that while he wanted to be there for Jou, he just couldn't bring himself to get involved in all the "weird stuff" and would appreciate it if his friend could just treat the living situation like they used to. He originally wanted Jou to move back into the Game Shop, but stopped asking a few days ago. In fact, for the most part Yuugi stopped talking all together; he said he was too tired to keep up with everything.

Add that to the fact that Seto was the only one to hear from Marik the entire week and they were officially two men down. Jou groaned into his pillow.

All this bullshit and he still didn't even have a magic power to show for it.

His phone vibrated against his foot and Jou bent down awkwardly to grab it then angrily shove it against his ear.

"Who dares interrupt my pity party?" There was silence on the other end as if he confused the caller, but when she finally spoke his heart almost stopped.

"Katsuya?"

"Ma?"


"Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed," Yuugi giggled. "Santa cutie, there's one thing I really do need. The deed-"

"You'll get it soon enough, now help me with these boxes." Grandpa grunted. His upper half was hidden behind two large crates of games leaning dangerously away from him. Yuugi hopped off the wooden stool they kept behind the register to grab the top box and lower it onto the ground. Sugoroku sighed in relief once he, too, set his box down. He graciously accepted the stool from his grandson and wiped his brow.

"Grandpa, why didn't you call for me?!" Yuugi crossed his arms, trying to pull off a look that was more mature than his years. "You shouldn't be carrying those around alone."

Grandpa chuckled, noting the interested twitch of Yuugi's ear when the radio began playing that Mariah Carey song he loved so much.

"Maybe if you hadn't been singing so loudly you would have heard me!" he laughed. Red tinged Yuugi's guilty face. But that didn't stop the way his foot tapped as the tempo of the song picked up. Grandpa rose from his seat and held out a hand to Yuugi, silently swelling with pride that his grandson was officially taller than him after all these years. "But now that I am here, why don't you dance with me?"

Yuugi looked at his grandfather's hand before grabbing it and dancing around the shop with him while they both laughed. It wasn't often Yuugi could get his grandfather involved with music, so when he did get into it, it was pure bliss. He barely even noticed when Jou entered the shop carrying his overnight bag behind him.

That is, until Jou joined in the dance and cranked up the Christmas music so they could stock and decorate the store with the "proper Yuletide jams," as he claimed.

A jingle above the shops door jolted Yuugi away from his reverie. He sighed, very much reluctant to leave his memories. They seemed to be the only things that didn't give him nightmares anymore. Plus, he was surprised to even have a customer what with the foot of snow in front of his door (that also held the broken off shovel he had tried to crack an ice patch with).

"Welcome to Kame Game Shop, how can I help you?" he asked before looking towards the entrance and recognizing his patron.

He almost groaned. Thankfully, the left over calmness from his daydreaming combined with lack of sleep allowed him to keep his temper in check.

At least for the moment.

"Hey." Yami waved shortly before putting his hands in his pockets. If Yuugi didn't know any better, he'd say the other looked like he was arguing with himself.

"Hey yourself." Yuugi brought the sleeves of his white knitted sweater over his fingers. "What's up?"

Yami's eyebrows rose slightly as though he was surprised Yuugi had asked which only served to further the younger boy's curiosity. Though in all honesty, he was slightly more welcome to the idea of Yami's presence when the other wore his fitted winter coat and black slacks. A bit of scarlet red peeked out beneath his sleeves, telling Yuugi that Yami was wearing something fitting for the holiday season. And in Yuugi's opinion, very few things were more attractive than a man who appreciated the greatest time of year.

"Um," Yami cleared his throat and walked to the counter across from Yuugi. "Well I did tell you that I'd come by every day, right?"

Yuugi leaned forward to place an elbow on the counter and his head in his hand, regarding Yami carefully. He did remember that threat vaguely from even before the camping trip.

"Yes, you did."

"Well, I haven't. Done that. I mean not really. Some stuff came up, you know. Well, you do know. Obviously. I mean you were there so you know how distracted I've been. Jou misses you, by the way. He refuses to decorate the mansion until you come around and Bakura is getting restless because despite his annoyingly disinterested personality he actually likes Christmas and I do too. I – okay no, I'm rambling." Yami cleared his throat and uncharacteristically blushed. Yuugi's eyes were impossibly wide and he was trying very hard not to laugh. "Anyway, do you want me to shovel the walk or not?"

Yuugi blinked a few times in surprise and smiled just barely. This was a very strange side of Yami for him to see, not that he was complaining. A bafflingly nervous Yami was much more charming than his usual douchey self; almost disarmingly so.

"Oh, um," Yuugi sat up straight on his seat. "I haven't got a shovel."

Yami perked up.

"I do!" he cleared his throat to lower his embarrassingly excited voice. "In my car I've got, a shov – I mean there's one in my trunk. The trunk of my car."

Yuugi was now chewing the insides of his cheeks to keep his laughter in. Yami swallowed an invisible lump in his throat.

"That I can use." He shifted his eyes around the shop to avoid the incredibly frustrating amusement sparkling through Yuugi's own. This was nothing like he'd imagined when he asked Jou for help talking to Yuugi last night.

"Yami, we haven't even spoken since I left last week. Why are you really here?"

Yami finally looked back to Yuugi, only to notice the dark circles under his eyes and that the usually mischievous glint was missing from them.

"No ulterior motives, promise. I just wanted to check on you and see if you needed help."

Yuugi shrugged and after giving a mighty yawn he waved Yami to go ahead.

"Don't think that I don't notice how bizarrely nice this is," he smirked tiredly. "And I absolutely hate being checked on like a kid.I'm just too exhausted to turn down free help."

With a snort, Yami turned to walk outside and get his shovel. Yuugi, meanwhile, made a mental note to analyze the shit out of this as soon as he could actually get a decent night's sleep again.

After the third shovel-full of snow was thrown next to the door, Yami glanced into the store and saw Yuugi pull some Christmas lights from a box to be hung around the display cases. He gave himself just a moment to watch before turning back to the task at hand and mumbling quietly to himself.

"No, Yams, I promise! Just go offer ta help him, he'll love it!" he imitated Jou's Brooklyn accent to the best of his abilities. "What great advice, Jou. Now he just thinks I'm insane."

He shoveled some more before continuing his one-sided conversation.

"And my name is not Yams!"


Not too often did you find Bakura sitting in a crowded coffee shop. The music was annoyingly cheerful and the patrons were obnoxious (he judged hipsters more than he judged most people). But today, there he was, stirring his black coffee with a grumpy frown on his face. His "vexingly persuasive" cousin had dragged him out of the house and away from Ryou to give everyone a chance to breathe and plan Christmas presents. Sure he didn't mind some fresh air, but his pants were still soaked from slipping on ice earlier and the quiet nature of his company gave him far too much opportunity to think. Across the booth from him, Seto clicked his tongue.

"And here I thought you'd enjoy being able to blend in with your surroundings." Bakura narrowed his eyes at the newspaper that hid his friend's face.

"I'm not pissed at the snow," he said. Seto lowered his paper and took a sip of his own coffee.

"Then why are you pouting?"

"I'm not fucking pouting."

"Frowning with dignity, then."

Bakura scoffed and drank his beverage, taking in the customers around them. There was only one other person in the café; a young woman focused on her laptop with a scowl, papers scattered all around her. He looked back to Kaiba, who was waiting with an increasingly disinterested look on his face.

"I've been thinking."

"My condolences."

"Fuck you," Bakura took another sip, leaning forward and continuing in a whisper. "I mean about all this childhood fantasy crap. And I've come to a conclusion."

Kaiba folded up his newspaper and nodded. He tossed a bill that was probably way too big for their check on the table and gestured for Bakura to follow him out of the restaurant to begin walking to their car.

As they exited the door, Kaiba asked Bakura to continue his train of thought. Thankfully they parked n front of the shop and didn't need to travel too far before Bakura could continue at a normal volume.

"If one thing is real, then doesn't that mean it all has to be?" They sat down in the car and turned the heat on low; it was still blowing cold air. "If that shithead Serp is actually a thing, then we have to assume we've all got magic brewing inside and that pretty soon there will be even more demons after us."

Kaiba said nothing as he pulled out of the spot and drove down the road. His silence bothered Bakura, but did not stop him from ranting.

"I'm in love with someone who speaks to animals."

"You are."

"And Yami can turn into animals."

"He can."

"Ryou is going to leave me and have crazy jungle sex with Yami."

"He might."

"Shut the fuck up that was a joke!"

Kaiba smirked; his inner child always loved riling his cousin up this way. However, as much as he cherished the mischief he knew how serious a topic this was and that the only reason Bakura even brought it up was to get Kaiba's thoughts on the matter. He turned onto the main road that would lead them home and decided to share what he'd been thinking.

"There aren't any other explanations for what has been going on, that much you have correct. We just have to take it all in stride and deal with whatever outlandish magic crap gets thrown at us when we can. Accept it as reality so you can blend it into your life; that's the only way we will graduate high school while probably simultaneously saving the world."

They drove in silence until they parked in the mansion's driveway. Bakura scowled, crossed his arms, and shrunk in his seat. Of course his cousin was right.

"I hate how mature you can be."

Kaiba almost smiled.

"I know."

"Finally!" A shout by the door drew their attention, though they didn't leave the car. Ryou was standing there looking completely overwhelmed; his hair resembled Bakura's more than his usually combed locks and the sleeves of one of Bakura's old sports shirts were rolled up, revealing many small red scratches some of which were bleeding. "I've been calling you for ages."

Bakura opened the door and ran to Ryou once he noticed that his forearms appeared to have been clawed. Seto wasn't far behind, but he let Bakura ask what happened.

"Well first of all, Seto, you have a letter from Mokuba sitting on your desk; it came with some kind of huge package. And while you two have been out gallivanting about town, everyone has gone completely off their rockers!" He pulled his hands out of Bakura's so that he could use his arms for emphasis, flailing them around every time he accented a word. "Jou got a phone call that he wouldn't tell anyone about and ran out the door this morning and in case you haven't noticed it is evening and no one has heard from him. Malik started strutting around the house like he didn't know everything we feel and now he just randomly giggles because he knows what we don't tell anyone. Yami got all bundled up and said he was going to fucking "check up" on Yuugi, so you know he's been murdered because Yuugi hates getting checked on. And then this fucking cat showed up with a thorn in his paw and the bastard wouldn't just listen to me and let me get it out hence –"

He jutted his arms forward to show the scratches. Bakura could see how defined they were when he clenched his fists and stressed his muscles. Ryou was breathing heavily by now, glaring at both boys as they let his scolding sink in. Kaiba was the first to shake it off.

"I'll call Jou," he said, already walking to his office. Bakura stared after him, really wishing he could follow. Instead, he returned his stare to Ryou's big brown eyes and sighed. One thing at a time, right?

"Let's go punch Malik."


Marik yelled in frustration when the DVD player exploded in front of him. He had been aiming for the damn potted plant five feet to his left. Although the debris and cracked floor surrounding him spoke loudly to his improvements; five feet left of the target was eons better than accidentally demolishing the entire room.

Still. Isis would castrate him when she got back. Both for the state of her living room and her little brother.

"No, thoughts," Marik grumbled. Nothing riled him up more than thinking about the terrified state he'd left Malik in when he walked out of the mansion. It was better to have a brain completely void of thought than to guilt trip himself and replay Malik's screams for the thousandth time.

His eyes widened slightly when his phone vibrated against shattered plastic on the floor, startling him. It hadn't rung since Malik stopped calling him four days into his "hiatus" because Marik refused to answer. Honestly he was surprised it was still intact, considering how everything else in the house looked like the arena after Hercules defeated the Hydra. He gives kudos to the otter-box.

Bending his knees, Marik squatted next to the mess of what he assumed used to be the TV and picked up his phone. He slid the bar to answer when Kaiba's name lit up.

"Yeah."

"Is Jou there?" Marik jerked his head back with a suspicious look on his face. Kaiba knew damn well that none of Malik's friends were speaking to him.

"Why would he be?"

"He isn't here and not answering his phone and neither is Yuugi although I suspect that to be because he refuses to even acknowledge anyone except for Jou who appears to be missing and-"

"Kaiba." Marik's face became even more incredulous. "Are you rambling?"

"Shut up," Kaiba muttered. "I already called Yami to no response and checked on Mokuba and he and Noah are completely okay. So it isn't an attack on me. But maybe they are targeting Jou and he needs-"

"What if it isn't an attack at all?" Marik cut his friend off again, admittedly uncomfortable to have someone usually so composed anxiously rambling at him. "Have you checked with his mom?"

The dial tone he heard told him Kaiba had not, in fact, checked at Jou's mom's and was on the way to do so right now.

Marik sat back on his rear and stared at the wallpaper on his phone. Malik stared back with a goofy grin on his face, hanging off the set Marik built for him at the end of the semester. The would be returning to school soon and he had to get his power under control before he saw his love there; Malik would undoubtedly want to punch him in the face and start a fight and Marik would be gone to hell if he accidently blew up the person he wanted to spend forever with.

He just really hoped Malik understood.

In the kitchen, the tea kettle whistled for attention. Marik waved his hand at it in annoyance.

It exploded.

The handle flew into the side of his face and landed on his lap, leaving him to rub his sore cheek while smiling proudly.

"Well, there's that."


By time Jou had walked through town to his apartment, the sidewalks and roads had been cleared of snow and were being covered again by flurries that were falling for the third straight hour. He started to jog when he turned the corner onto their street and bit his lip, thinking about how accusatory and upset his mom was on the phone.

You think you can just disappear and not take care of your poor mother for weeks and I wouldn't notice? There haven't been groceries, my clothes are filthy, and it smells like something died in the bathroom! All because why? Where have you been, Katsuya? Oh your sister would cringe if she saw the state you always leave me in.

The rusted gate leading to his building was hanging off the top hinge as it always had and the high pitched squeak when he swung it open brought back memories of every time he'd shown up after days of living at the Game Shop and his mother barely noticed his absence.

"Guess I found out how long it'll take her to miss me." Jou took the steps two at a time to the third floor and walked briskly down the moldy carpet; he didn't hesitate to compare the torn wallpaper and lack of pictures to Kaiba's hallways. Nor the way his door creaked when he pushed it open or the wave of rotten food and body odor that smacked him in the face once he passed the threshold. Kaiba's home always smelled clean and welcoming.

Jou placed the three paper bags of groceries on some empty counter space by the sink. His eyes watered when the dirty dishes piled next to him assaulted his nostrils. Looking around, Jou realized that the rest of the house was even worse. There were beer bottles – some broken, some still full – littered around the living room and kitchen, old food had grown colonies of fungus that stunk up any inch of room that could have possible smelled alright. Clothes were everywhere and underneath a large pile of dirty pajamas and blankets, Jou could just make out his mother curled up in the recliner. He walked slowly over and lifted some of the articles of clothing off her to find her shoulder and give it a shake.

"Ma, wake up." He sighed when she didn't respond and shook her harder. "Ma! I brought food."

Before Jou could register what was happening, his mother's right fist jutted out of the pile on top of her and slammed into his jaw, knocking him to the ground where he clutched his face in pain but didn't get back up. Instead he stared up at his attacker with watery eyes from the blow.

"About damn time," she kicked her leg forward into his gut. "Worthless son of mine."

Jou gasped and held his stomach. She walked through to the kitchen to make herself some of the food her son brought, not a second look to see if he was alright.

"Clean this place up," she growled. "Now."

Teeth clenched, Jou rose to go his bedroom and deposit his shoes and jacket with is cell still in the pocket. He thought of how concerned Seto had been about Mokuba and the way he hadn't hesitated to send his little brother away for as long as possible. For as long as he was safe.

Jou took a deep breath in through his nose and released it through his mouth. He needed to calm down and stop comparing situations. The Kaiba brothers had the kind of relationship he once had with his baby sister; they loved each other and would break the Earth's core if it meant protecting their sibling. Jou remembered feeling that way. Hell, he still feels that way. If Serenity somehow came back from the dead and told him someone was terrorizing heaven, he wouldn't think twice before offing himself and going to save her.

Maybe that was morbid, but morbid is really all he's got anymore.

The picture framed by his bedside stood unbroken, telling him that his mother hadn't gone into his bedroom since he's been gone. If she had, the sight of Serenity smiling at the camera from her big brother's back would surely have sent her into a grief-induced rage. Jou picked up the frame and turned it over so he could remove the back and take the photo. He didn't want to forget it when he went back to the mansion later. He folded it and put it in his pocket next to his cell phone, then stretched his arms above his head and left to get the cleaning supplies.

Sure it was pretty messed up to do all of this for her after she spent the last two years beating him, knowing he could never hit her back. But at the end of the day, this is his mother. This is the only family he has left, except for Yuugi. If knocking Jou around was what helped her to cope, then he would be there for her.

Even if it did mean he was crazy.


"So why did you really come over?"

Yami sighed at Yuugi's back as the shorter of them pulled two cups of hot chocolate out of the microwave. (Yami mentioned that he never tried Nutella melted into milk and Yuugi was aghast, so naturally he had to make some for them.) His coat and boots were drying by the front door from the many times he slipped and fell in the snow while shoveling, leaving him in his red sweater and black pants. He also appreciated that Yuugi had taken off the boots and sweater he wore in the shop; the tight Christmas themed long sleeve top was far cuter. Especially when it rode up just a little as he walked into the living room.

"What do you mean?" Yuugi rolled his eyes after sipping his still hot cocoa. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, so close their legs brushed together. Eventually, Yami pushed his leg to touch Yuugi's and never moved it back.

"I mean, we don't exactly have the kind of relationship –" Yuugi paused to yawn "- that you would drive all the way over here just to shovel for me."

Yami sighed. Now was the time to tell Yuugi the truth and hope the other was too tired to chew him out that badly.

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you about something for a few days now and…um…"

Yami drifted off as the scent of Yuugi's vanilla shampoo became stronger. The other boy's head was leaning on Yami's shoulder and Yuugi's body relaxed into Yami's. They cradled their emptying hot chocolates in their laps, keeping their hands warm. Yami couldn't see, but he'd bet Yuugi's eyes were closed.

"I'm listening." Yuugi whispered. Yami jumped. "What have you wanted to talk to me about?"

Yami couldn't let Yuugi find out now. Not when they were so close and he was getting dizzy off of how happy and warm and comfortable he was.

"Jou has told me that you seem to be getting more tired recently," he said. It was technically the truth. "You need your strength in case something happens again soon, especially living so far away from us. I just wanted to make sure you weren't overworked."

Yuugi's breathing was getting more even and he only hummed in response. Yami sat his mug down on the corner table next to him before gently taking Yuugi's from him and placing that down as well. Then he put an arm around Yuugi's shoulders carefully and leaned back into the couch. Yuugi's head slipped down onto his chest and his legs curled up into Yami's lap.

"You should really think about coming back to the mansion, little one." Yami ran his fingers through Yuugi's hair, hoping he was already too far gone to get overly upset about the topic. "It's safer there."

Yuugi snorted.

"You sound just like Jou," he mumbled. "Just shut your handsome face."

Yami chuckled pulling Yuugi closer. "Yes, dear."

By then Yuugi had drifted off and Yami had a feeling that he was actually going to get a decent night's sleep.

At least, he thought that until Kaiba barged through the door and scared them both a foot in the air.

They stared at him after Yuugi used Yami to steady himself, they both looked at Kaiba confused and annoyed. He showed no remorse for having interrupted their moment, but continued as if he hadn't done so at all.

"So you don't have to be feline to sleep next to him anymore, cousin? That's good news." Yuugi's jaw dropped and Yami's face turned red as he gaped at Kaiba.

"You don't have to what?" Yuugi turned on Yami as if he had just confessed to preferring Garth over Bobby. The muscles in his neck were strained and despite the fact that Yuugi was terrifying when angry, he was also distractingly sexy. Yami tried to stutter out a poor explanation, but Kaiba once again demanded their attention.

"Oh, well I guess the cat's out of the bag now." He shrugged. "That's not important."

"How the fuck is that not-"

"Is Jou here? No one can find him."

Yuugi's sarcastic question was cut off by his own gasp. He had just talked to Jou this morning.

Well, not talk, really. But texted him that everything was okay and please stop worrying. It hadn't even crossed his mind to be the one worrying. He immediately picked his phone out of his sweater pocket and checked it for any messages or calls from their blonde friend; there were several missed calls from Kaiba, but Jou's name was alarmingly absent from his recent contacts.

"Have you checked everywhere else?" Kaiba nodded to Yami's question, then locked eyes with Yuugi.

"Everywhere except his mother's."

Yuugi stood taller and hurried over to the door behind Kaiba where he pulled his sweater and boots on. Ignoring Yami, he motioned for Seto to follow him with a nod of his head.

"Let's go."


Jou didn't bother flinching when another beer bottle shattered next to his head. He had cleaned up the living room, kitchen, bathroom, his mother's room, and even finished the laundry and prepared enough meals for her to live off of until he came back again. After this beating, she would drink herself to sleep and then he could sneak back out and get to the mansion where he'd no doubt have to answer some questions.

"Idiot." She slapped him. "It should have been you. Not my baby girl. You're the one that looks like him. And you left me all alone just like he did."

Jou nodded, bracing himself when he saw her fist flying back for his face. She knew he would never hit back; not only was she his mom, but she was completely inebriated and if you asked Jou, there was no justifying hurting someone that wasn't at full throttle. It just wasn't fair.

He wanted to yell back and scream until she realized that he came back. Jou always came back. But there was no talking to her when she was like this. The blood rushing by his ears dulled sound, but he was almost certain he heard the door knock before she walked away from him, probably to get whoever it was away before they had a chance to see what was happening.

Jou nearly shat himself when he heard Seto's voice.

"I'm looking for your son."

With great effort, Jou pulled himself to a sitting position and slid along the wall until he could lean around the entryway and see the front door. From his angle on the floor, the top of Seto's brunette hair was visible above his mom's blonde mop. She stood tall, despite the fact that the youngest CEO in Japan's history was most likely glowering at her. But for once, Jou was not incredibly worried about his mother's state of being. He was never going to stay in this apartment; his plan had been to allow his mother to attack him until she was sated and then sneak out once she fell asleep.

However, now that Seto was here and ready to take him home, Jou revamped his plan. He wanted to sit on Seto's lap in that stupidly big recliner by the fireplace in the living room and eat a greasy cheeseburger and then go to sleep and he wanted it right now.

"And why would I tell you where he is?" Jou's mom sneered at Kaiba, daring him to push past her.

Just as Jou was about to call out to his boyfriend, another voice joined the two of them at the door and hearing it brought a huge, relieved grin to his face.

"Kaiba, you son of a bitch. Why would you leave me alone with him?" Jou could tell from the huff in Yuugi's voice that he was storming up to the CEO and glaring as if he weren't the size of Kaiba's little brother. Then he saw Yuugi's purple converse show up at the door and knew for sure that he would be leaving this apartment earlier than planned. The shoes turned to face his mother.

"Oh," she greeted. "It's you."

"Mrs. Jounouchi," Yuugi crossed his arms. "I'm taking him."

Kaiba was at a loss. It appeared to him like these two had faced off a million times before and if he thought about it, he was sure they had. Without waiting for a response, Yuugi shoved Mrs. Jounouchi to the side so he could enter the apartment and find his friend.

"Over here, Yuug." Jou called out. If this had been two years ago, he would have been embarrassed that Yuugi was seeing the truth behind closed doors. But by this point in their relationship, secrets didn't exist. Yuugi had gotten him out of this exact situation more times than he could count.

Yuugi kneeled down and helped pull his friend to his feet, making sure to note when Jou flinched so he could tell which parts of him were the most injured.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were coming here?" Kaiba spoke again from the doorway when they walked up to him. Jou shrugged.

"It's my cross, you know? Besides, I was going to be home tonight. Just had to take care of Ma first."

Yuugi allowed Kaiba to wrap an arm around Jou's waist and lead him out of the apartment so he could grab Jou's jacket and shoes from his bedroom and meet them in the car. They blatantly ignored the drunken yells from his mother; she would never take the scene out of their apartment. Not where all the neighbors could hear them.

"And letting her hit you is taking care of you?" Jou sighed as he relaxed into Seto and nodded his head.

"…I'm pretty insane, huh?"

"All the best people are." Jou grunted, either in agreement or just to brush off the compliment.

When they reached the car, Jou was flattered that Kaiba had let Yami drive so they could stay in the back seat together. Although he felt bad that meant leaving Yuugi to sit next to someone he just didn't get along with. Their shorter friend tossed his jacket and shoes into the back seat so Jou could put them on, but otherwise remained silent.

"So what the fuck happened there?" Jou whispered harshly. As he was tying up his shoes, Yuugi and Yami clogged the entire car with anger and tension. It wasn't like they had the best relationship of all time, but even for what their usual interactions were, this was especially awkward. Yuugi was on the very edge of his seat leaning into the door – basically as far away from Yami as physically possible. Yami gripped the steering wheel with one hand and the gear shift with the other, speeding down the roads home presumably trying to get out of the enclosed space as quickly as possible. Seto shrugged.

"I may have revealed to Yuugi that Yami has been masquerading as a feline in order to cuddle with him at night." Seto's voice was at normal level, assuring both boys up front could hear him. Jou knew they could because they tried harder to be farther away from each other. "It wasn't malicious or anything."

"Not malicious?" Yuugi rounded on Yami as if he had been the one to defend his actions. In the back, Jou shoved Seto when he chuckled under his breath. "You've been spying on me!"

Yami's jaw dropped indignantly as they pulled up the driveway to the mansion. If Yuugi hadn't wanted to return here with them, he didn't say anything about it.

"I wasn't spying, Yuugi, I was trying to –"

"I really don't care, Yami." They all got out of the now parked car and made their way to the living room in silence, Jou and Seto chuckling quietly the whole way. Finally, when they arrived and he had tossed his coat on the couch, Yuugi spun around and glared at the couple, tears brimming his eyes. "Yuck it up, assholes."

Jou immediately looked remorseful, stepping away from Seto and closer to his friend.

"Aww, c'mon Yuug," he pleaded. "It's just funny because –"

"Jou," Yuugi warned. The circles under his eyes seemed to be shouting at the blonde who felt immediately ridden with guilt. "Do you have any idea how tired I am?"

Jou shook his head. Yami walked quietly up behind Yuugi, but didn't have any idea what to say so he settled for looking blameworthy at Seto, silently reprimanding his cousin for bringing the truth to light in the first place.

"I'm exhausted." Yuugi continued. His eyes were drooping and he was starting to sway on his feet. "I haven't slept well in over a week and I just want to close my eyes but every time I do there's another nightmare waiting for me. And you think it's funny that Yami has been spying on me? He's been watching me, probably loving how miserable I've been, and you're laughing about it!"

Yami and Jou both instantly protested Yuugi's accusation, only managing to bring Yuugi closer to tears with the combined volume of their voices until Seto raised an arm in front of Jou and silenced them. Yuugi sniffled and placed his fingers against his temples, rubbing circles against the pain of yet another killer migraine. He clenched his eyes and bent his head, noticeably losing his balance and swaying on his feet.

The others watched nervously, unsure whether to force Yuugi to take a seat on the couch or force him upstairs to a bed. Either way, all three of them shared the opinion that Yuugi needed sleep. Now.

"Yuugi, please just listen to me." Yami spoke cautiously, not expecting a response but praying that Yuugi had his ears open. "Your nightmares are less painful when I'm around. I was just trying to protect you."

"Yami," Yuugi muttered. When he turned and raised his head to look at the other boy, a single black tear fell from his eye. It trailed down his porcelain face, fading to grey before landing on his white sweater. Yami's eyes widened and he took a concerned step forward. "My head hurts."

They watched helplessly as Yuugi fainted into Yami's arms, his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. He was finally sleeping.


Surrounded by a cloud of black smoke, Jafar laughed maniacally, solidifying his hold on little Yuugi's mind by freezing the potion he used to invade his dreams in the first place. He felt more accomplished than he had in any other moment of his very long existence. Not only had he captured a bender before they even discovered their powers, but he single handedly stopped the group of teenagers who would have destroyed Dax's plans of domination.

"Jafar, my love." A sickly sweet voice floated in to Jafar's lair, from where he didn't know. It seemed to surround him, constricting his lungs and making it hard to breathe. "You've done it."

The sandman allowed himself to drift along with the melodic female voice encircling him while also smirking proudly and gesturing to the now hardened potion. What had originally been a thick, black slime – the same liquid that dripped out of Yuugi's eyes earlier – was now glossed over and resembled the uneven ice that grew over ponds in the winter. In the center of the ice was a moving picture; a play by play into Yuugi's dreams. At the moment, the poor little bender was being kicked out of Jou's apartment by the other boy's drunken mother while Jou lay unconscious next to her.

"Dax will be so pleased." Jafar shivered when the voice suddenly spoke directly into his ear. He could feel the moisture from her breath against his skin and the firmness of her breasts as they pushed into his back. Her blood red nails pierced the skin of his arm through his cloak, but he could barely register pain. He was far too distracted by the tongue down his throat reaching farther and farther. By the time he realized her tongue was tickling his esophagus, it was almost too late.

"Enough."

Dax's authoritative voice reverberated through the room, effectively breaking the succubus' spell over Jafar who shoved her aside and jumped forward to stand by the dream potion where he felt safe. Turning around, he took in the appearance of the succubus. She had blonde hair waving down her back, fierce purple eyes outlined in heavy black mascara, and a tight purple body suit illuminating her hour glass figure. Jafar had to swallow to keep from drooling.

"Jafar," Dax began. He walked forward and wrapped and arm around the succubus' waist. "Meet Mai. She will be assisting the take down of the rest of the benders."

Were Jafar anything other than a high-ranking demon, he may have cowered at the psychotic leer in Dax's eyes. As it is, Jafar doesn't scare easily. So he met Dax's stare with a crazy grin of his own.

"Will you let me torture the young one first?" He turned back to the ice and ran a finger along the terrified, sobbing face of Yuugi as he begged to wake up. "It's been very long, you know."

"As it has been for all of us." Mai interrupted. "Why should we wait for you when we can finally go after the benders without worrying about them being a threat?"

With a growl Jafar drew closer to Mai and straightened his back to reach his full height.

"What use are you, anyway? In case you haven't noticed, every bender is homosexual." He nearly spat in her face with the venom in his tone. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Typical," she drawled. "Another bureaucrat failing to see the big picture."

Dax smirked like a twisted scientist watching his experiments get out of control. Mai and Jafar squared off, apparently ready to do battle, and were staring each other down with enough intimidation to strike fear into the heart of the worst human tyrant imaginable. However, as much as he would love to have a blood bath for Dinnertime Theater, they had more important matters at hand.

"Now, now," he tutted, stepping between them. "Rulers away, dearies."

Dax's sickly sweet smile sent shivers down Mai's spine. She would never get used to how depraved these men were. In her opinion, give her a roomful of harpies any day.

They were much better company.

"Look, Jaffy," Jafar growled at Mai's nickname. "The runts may be strictly dickly, but their friends certainly aren't. And your little vic over there has a rather delectable dancer friend that just so happens to swing my way. She will be around for Yuugi's funeral and stay to "help her friends" afterwards, which gets me in to their headquarters.

"So you take the next couple days and torture the kid while I work my magic. Then you will kill him." Mai finished her speech with a lavish bow before disappearing in a puff of violet smoke, leaving both men coughing in her wake.

Once the smoke cleared, Dax turned to stride passed Jafar and touch the ice, his terrifying sneer ever present. Jafar leaned forward slightly, bowing to show respect to the current king of hell. All of Dax's strategies were unfolding exactly as he predicted and at this rate, every future General of his army would be responsible for the destruction of at least one bender, exactly like he wanted.

"Sir?"

Dax smirked.

"You may do as you wish, so long as you do not kill him until Mai has worked her way in." He turned and glided out of the room. "As a reward for your success."

Jafar licked dry lips and gripped the sides of the iced over potion, excitement shaking his every bone. He couldn't wait to get started on poor little Yuugi.


After Ryou yelling at him for being gone when shit hit the fan and Malik mocking him for only pretending to be angry for Ryou's sake, Bakura was really just hoping he could relax with a bowl for the evening and reread some of the old books from his aunt's library.

As he dodged yet another large leather-bound book that was chucked at his head, he realized that having an evening to relax was very far from the agenda.

"Yami," Bakura spoke simply, almost annoyed with his cousin. "Dear, you really must stop hurling the literature around, that's not what it's here for."

Yami scoffed and threw another book at Bakura.

"These books are useless!" He glared at his friend as he plopped down onto his bed next to Yuugi's still unconscious form and opened his seventh book of the hour. "And don't you dare judge me. You'd be even worse if it was Ryou."

"Fair enough." Bakura walked forwards with his arms up in surrender. "But I still think he could just be sleeping. Poor runt hasn't had a decent nap in what? A week?"

Yami's eyes narrowed at the word 'runt', but he didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed Yuugi's hand with his right and flipped the pages of his book with his left. It had been four hours since Yuugi fainted and he had yet to awaken. Even Jou screaming and shaking him couldn't lift him from his dreams. Yami had been pouring over their books since he forced Jou to lay Yuugi down in his personal bedroom so he could watch over him. Even he had to admit that Yuugi looked peaceful, finally getting some shut eye. But he refused to believe that was all this was.

"People don't generally leak black goo before falling asleep, you ass." Bakura made an indignant noise and rounded on the person sitting on the floor at the end of the bed.

"And who asked you, Dr. Phil?" Malik rolled his eyes.

"You're just mad that I outed you to Ryou."

"You're damn right. He's all pissed at me now because he thinks I was just pretending to chew you out for his benefit."

"You were doing that."

"He didn't have to know!"

"Are you both fucking kidding me?" Yami slammed his book shut and tossed it over the bed where it thunked Malik's cranium. "If you aren't going to help, get the hell out."

Rubbing his head, Malik turned his body to glare up the bed. Bakura didn't even bother saying anything before stomping out of the room and slamming the door, theoretically to visit Ryou who would be much gentler with the books he was studying.

"Just because you're embarrassed to have been so pretentious as to think he was simply having nightmares that went away with your presence doesn't mean that you get to be a dick to the rest of us now." Malik huffed and settled down again to reopen his book and scour for something to help his friend. He didn't wait to offer assistance calming Jou down and finding a solution once he found out Yuugi was in trouble. And maybe he understood better than everyone else why Yami was so exponentially distraught about the young one's state. But that didn't mean he would get walked all over.

Just because he was an emotional wreck plagued with the hormones of a gaggle of teenage boys all at once didn't mean he would let them treat him as such.

They sat in silence with only the rustling of pages for another ten minutes, neither sure what to say. Yami's hand was beginning to sweat in Yuugi's but he refused to let it go. As long as he could feel a pulse, he didn't feel quite as hopeless. Though there was some truth to what Malik had said.

"I'm sorry," Yami muttered.

"S'alright." Malik stood, cracking his knees before bending forward and placing the book he'd been reading in front of Yami's crossed legs. "Here, check this out."

Yami examined the book before accepting it. It was old, bigger than the others; he pages felt and sounded like they'd seen more years than most people. He read over the page Malik was pointing to and his mouth thinned increasingly as he continued down the page.

"The dream world? Seriously?"

"What, you can turn yourself into a flipping bear but draw the line at a dream world?" Yami glared at his friend. "Besides, it fits. There's even a way to get in, though we'd have no way of knowing for sure we could find Yuugi."

Malik crossed his arms with a shrug. If he saw Yami texting from his phone that was hidden underneath the book, he didn't say so.

"I can believe it, just thought centuries old demons would've been more creative," Yami spoke under his breath, but grew louder so that there was no mistaking what he said next. "There is no we, Malik."

Yami continued down the page, blatantly ignoring Malik's outraged sneer. He took in all the ingredients needed for entry into the dream world. One lilac flower, the stem of a chamomile lily, and a pinch of sand. It seemed simple enough. In fact, he was sure those things were in the hidden storage rooms of their library, where Ryou was researching as well. He reached under the book to send another text.

"No we?" Malik uncrossed his arms. "You're not going in alone!"

"If anyone would go with me, it'd be Jou." Yami persisted. "And I wouldn't even risk him. Whoever dragged Yuugi in there isn't someone to mess with and none of you could handle it."

"Oh and you can?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"And what makes you so much better than the rest of us?"

The door to Yami's bedroom opened slowly to reveal Ryou standing quietly with the three ingredients Yami needed, though neither boy acknowledged him.

"Guys?"

"Because, Malik."

Ryou placed the stems and vial of sand on top of Yuugi's white sweater that was laid out on the foot of the bed, having pulled them out of the library where Yami's mom stock piled ingredients. It really was a miracle they'd never realized magic existed before now.

"That response doesn't even make sense." Malik glared at Yami who was still avoiding his eye.

"Fellas, I have some really important news." Ryou attempted once more to gain their attention, but failed. Instead, Malik stood tall and continued arguing with Yami about why he had to go in alone. Finally, Yami couldn't take anymore.

"Because I would do anything!" He screamed, tossing the book next to the sweater with ingredients. Both other boys jumped, never having realized exactly how terrifying Yami could be when he got angry. "I will stop at nothing, do you understand that?! I refuse to take anyone with me because you all will just slow me down and I will not lose him."

An awkward silence fell over them as Yami breathed raggedly. He grinded his teeth together as he glowered at Malik, completely serious in his devotion to rescuing Yuugi alone. They continued to stare until Ryou cleared his throat with an unnecessary flourish of his arms to finally turn their eyes on him.

"Yami, we will work on your trust issues later – and trust me, we are working on those - but right now there's a bigger problem we need to deal with." Ryou turned to Malik, his eyes softening, an emotion almost like sympathy shining through them. "Sweetheart, Marik is downstairs."

Malik's heart stopped for a split second before he bounded out of the room towards the living room, not waiting for an explanation or any anxious advice. Marik hadn't been so close to him in almost a week and even though Malik didn't know whether he would shoot Marik or fuck him, he knew he needed to see him. Ryou turned back to Yami before following his friend out the door.

"Are you coming?"

Yami grunted and Ryou sighed, shaking his head.

"Please don't go until we can all agree on something. We are stronger together, you know that." Yami looked at him silently, but nodded. "You aren't the only one who loves him."

"I know." Ryou walked to the door but stopped at the frame when Yami continued speaking. "Hey, kick that douche Marik in the nuts for me, will you? Or ask Bakura to. Whichever."

Ryou snorted. "You really think Bakura could take him down better than I could?"

With a wink, Ryou left the room to give Yami some privacy. Which, in all honesty, wasn't exactly the brightest decision.

Once his white haired friend was gone, Yami gathered the stems and sand with Yuugi's sweater and pulled an old bronze blending bowl from his closet. He twisted the stems together and placed them in the center, then sprinkled sand over them. Finally, he ripped the piece of fabric off of Yuugi's collar where the tear stained it.

All of his books that involved spells specific to a person agreed on one thing: in order to be sure the spell would work, you needed something from that individual. And nothing would get him closer to Yuugi than a drop of the black goo that Yami was convinced was trying to kill him.

Yami placed himself back on the bed next to Yuugi holding the fabric in one hand and a lighter in the other. He placed the bowl between them and faced towards the still sleeping beauty. With one long look at his love, Yami lit the zippo and burned the sweater, letting it drop from his fingers when the flame ate towards him. Once the smoke was thick enough, Yami breathed it in deeply and closed his eyes. Soon, he was lying unconscious next to Yuugi.

Next to him, his phone lit up with two missed messages. One from Ryou, saying he would be right up with the ingredients. The other from Marik, saying he was on his way.


The physical pain was bearable. When Marik punched him in the jaw and broke it, he only felt the agony for a few minutes before it evaporated and he was granted a moment of resurgence. Then, seconds later, Bakura would come at him with a dagger and slice at his chest. It bled and with every scream he felt more of his sanity melting away. But he was never able to black out completely because no matter how exhausting or excruciating their torment was, he recovered quickly and was fixed by the time the next assailant began.

No, the physical pain he could handle. It was the mockery and abandonment that tore his soul.

The first time Jou stabbed him through the gut, his best friend admitted to thinking Yuugi was a weakling and that he was much better off with Kaiba than he could ever be with the Motos. It was as if he had reached through every barrier and grasped his insecurity to rip it out, making sure to reopen every old wound on the way. Yuugi was devastated. But no matter how much he cried and screamed, the chains bounding him to a cold cement dungeon wall never budged. He was stuck as each of his friends cleaved into his soul and shredded it with their words.

"I didn't leave because we're better off friends," said Ryou. He licked a trail up from Yuugi's collarbone to his ear and roughly cupped his dick through the jeans he was permitted to keep; the rest of his clothes were missing, showing off the bruises and slices before they healed. Ryou spoke heatedly into Yuugi's ear, bringing more tears down the young one's face. "You were just so pathetic I couldn't be seen with you. Though I wouldn't mind fucking you again."

Yuugi began to shake with terror. He saw Bakura sitting to the left sharpening his knives while Kaiba was beating Jou mercilessly on his right, mocking Yuugi for doing nothing to help his supposed best friend.

He didn't know if it had been minutes or hours, but every single one of his friends had been there to afflict unimaginable pain onto him. Something in the back of his mind told him this couldn't be real, but he'd lost the ability to think coherently ages ago, it seemed. While Ryou bit his way down Yuugi's neck, the smaller boy took in his surroundings before he forgot again. The pain had a way of taking his mind out of the moment until he had no idea if he was even upright, let alone where he was.

The space between his friends was pitch black, giving him no choice but to focus on them. Their bodies would fade in and out as new torturous scenes unraveled. Once Kaiba had snapped Jou's neck and after Yuugi screamed himself hoarse, Malik and Marik showed up in that same spot only to be decapitated by Egyptian soldiers. They glared at him the entire time, as if it was his fault. As if he could have stopped it.

When Tea ran over Grandpa with her car and then put it into reverse and flattened him, Yuugi vomited from sobbing so hysterically. He knew he could handle bodily harm because his mind was almost completely shattered and he had no sense to register the pain anymore.

"N-no." He stuttered when Ryou unzipped his jeans. He didn't want that. Not that. Not when he couldn't stop weeping over such tragedies unrolling before him.

Unfortunately, his protest only made Ryou smirk.

"No, you say?" The white haired boy stood tall and dipped his hand into Yuugi's pants, squeezing painfully on his penis until he heard whimpering. "Why's that? Do you want someone else?"

The others flashed before his eyes one by one until Jou was standing in front of him with a harsh grip on his dick. Yuugi cried out. He looked up at his bound hands as the tears cascaded once again from his eyes. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. Jou wouldn't.

"Or do we not satisfy you?" Jou whispered into Yuugi's ear. "Is there someone missing, dearie?"

Yuugi's eyes widened and through his sniveling, he remembered. He remembered one face that always riled him up and made him feel safe. He remembered the way those arms wrapped around him when Serp first attacked and how it felt to know someone would literally turn into a bear to keep anything from happening to him.

And then he smelled the cologne.

"You'd better let the young one go." A deep voice spoke behind Jou, who released Yuugi and turned around. His tormentors suddenly stood around him facing the intruder, but with some effort, Yuugi pulled himself up high enough to see who it was. Once he did, he slacked in his bonds and cried with pure relief.

"Yami."


I hope that a 9,798 word chapter makes up for the lateness! Thank you for reading. :) Please review? I could use some motivation. :P