Chapter Ten

Yami was furious.

He slammed his hand down on Seto's desk, glaring at his cousin. They were in Seto's office, the sparsely furnished monochrome room an exact replica to Yami's located down the hall. Seto folded his hands in front of him, watching Yami as if waiting for a toddler to tire himself out during a tantrum.

"I will not leave Yugi at Pegasus mercy for another two weeks," Yami said. He knocked Seto's nameplate off of his desk as he straightened, and it crashed to the floor. It did nothing to quell the anger pounding through him.

Seto frowned, looking at the empty spot on his desk.

It had been fourteen days since Yugi had been taken by Pegasus and, Yami's attempts to convince Seto to expedite his rescue had gotten him nowhere. Yugi was trapped in the hands of a psychotic billionaire and, Yami was helpless to do anything to help him until they could draw Pegasus off the island.

Illusion Island was a fortress and getting there without detection would be an act of god on its own. Worse, recovering Yugi while Pegasus was on the premise would be a suicide mission, the older man having had decades to hone his powers into the controlled weapon that could rip away a soul without blinking.

"This is cowardice!" Yami said. "We have waited and cowered for two weeks now, and I will not do so any longer."

"Sit down," Seto said. His voice was an icy slap across Yami's conscious.

Yami's spine was rigid as he sank back into his seat, trying to quell the shadows that raged in his mind. It was becoming almost impossible to control the darkness thrashing inside of him anymore.

"Get a hold of yourself," Seto said.

A snarl built in Yami's throat. "I will not allow any more time to pass as Pegasus continues his attempts to destroy my bond with Yugi."

"This is the only option," Seto said. "You're too weak to fight Pegasus and trying to rescue Yugi while Pegasus is on the island would be a waste of life and resources."

Yami took a deep breath. The shadows had grown so close to the surface, and the darkness was starting to cloud his judgment, turning him into someone even he couldn't recognize.

Seto pinned him with a stare before going back to the papers spread across his desk. "Call Mariku," he said.

"What?" Yami said. He hadn't seen the yami of the Rod since their encounter with Ryuji in the lunch shop several weeks ago.

"He's agreed to help you control your magic until Yugi returns," Seto said. He scrawled something across a piece of paper, adding it to a growing stack. He sat back in his chair, pinning Yami with a stare. "You're useless until you can control yourself."

The rage resurfaced, punching through Yami's gut as he watched his cousin across the desk. He was so tired of fighting the shadows inside of him. Exhaustion had become a constant weight on his mind ever since Yugi's disappearance, his sleep riddled with nightmares of his hikari in Pegasus' hands. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He couldn't breathe without Yugi with him.

"Fine," Yami gritted out. He forced himself out of his chair. He slammed out of Seto's office, ignoring the startled look from their secretary as he moved towards the stairwell.

The stairway was silent as the door clanged shut behind him, and Yami sank onto the top step. He knew he was acting unreasonable, crazy even, but every sane, civil thought in his mind seemed to have fled the day that Yugi had disappeared. Yugi had trusted him to protect him, and now he was in the hands of Pegasus and, there had been barely a word about his wellbeing. Seto had been getting intelligence on Illusion Island long before Yugi was taken, but the only information that they had obtained in the past two weeks was that Yugi was alive but drugged into insensibility.

Yami rubbed his eyes. The days without Yugi had been passing with excruciating slowness, each hour a form of torture as the shadows demanded to be set free. The emptiness had begun to consume him, a hollowness echoing in his chest.

His cellphone buzzed in his pocket, and Yami checked the call – Mariku.

"What?" he answered. He didn't want to talk to yami of the Rod. He didn't want to talk to Seto, Jou, or his mother. He didn't want to talk to anyone except for his hikari.

"Your cousin is a pain in the ass," Mariku said.

Yami considered hanging up.

"Just get over to my apartment now," Mariku said.

"I don't have time – " Yami said.

"Now," Mariku growled. The phone went dead.

Yami jammed the phone back in his pocket, shaking his head. He reached out for Yugi with his mind, searching for his hikari, yielding the same hazy cloud that had been blocking their bond for two week now. Frustrated, he got to his feet, determined to get whatever torture Seto had arranged for him over with.

Yami's mood had darkened by the time he got to Mariku's door.

The apartment was a walkup on the east side of the city, a burgeoning neighborhood packed with young professionals and hip middle aged couples toting burlap bags and fresh cut flowers. Yami knocked on the door, the locks clicking and a chain sliding before revealing the hikari of the Millennium Rod.

"Pharaoh, hello!" Malik said, bowing deep. "Please, come in." He gave Yami a small smile as he ushered him inside. "I'm sorry about your hikari – Yugi, right? Isis told me a little about him."

Yami nodded and, Malik refastened the locks behind him, leading Yami into the living room where Mariku was sprawled on the sofa with a book. The yami of the Rod watched Yami as he entered the room, a small cluttered space illuminated by the afternoon sun streaming through the window.

"You look like shit," Mariku said.

"Mariku!" Malik said. He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his yami. Malik was slender with high cheekbones and a mid-length shirt that revealed a strip of tan skin above his jeans. He was easily dwarfed by his broad shouldered partner as Mariku got to his feet, crossing the room to stand next to him.

Mariku shrugged, tossing his book on the table. "The Pharaoh and I agreed a long time ago not to lie to each other."

Malik shook his head, turning to Yami. "Can I get you something to drink or eat?"

Yami shook his head.

"Please, sit then," Malik said. He took a seat on the couch, and his yami flopped back down beside him. Malik leaned into the older boy, their shoulders touching, and Yami's chest clenched.

"You need to get your shit together, Pharaoh," Mariku said as Yami took the remaining chair.

Malik elbowed Mariku in the side. "The priest has asked us to help you manage your magic until Yugi can be recovered," Malik said. He fiddled with one of his gold earrings. "It has to be getting difficult to control the shadows after such an extended separation from your hikari. We would like to assist you. You have always extended the same courtesy to us."

The last time Yami had seen Malik was when he helped Mariku rescue him from Pegasus' men over a year ago. Malik had been bruised and bleeding by the time they got to him, having fought Pegasus' men tooth and nail before being they had managed to restrain him. Yami and Mariku had freed him at the last possible second, Pegasus men having been dragging him to the helicopter to take him to Illusion Island before they rescued him.

"You are destined to save the world," Malik continued, "and Isis and I both believe that you are the only one who has the power to stop Pegasus. He has grown strong, too strong, and his quest to destroy the bond between the remaining hikaris and yamis reveals that the balance between the halves of his soul has been lost. Whatever light was there, has been snuffed out. His hunger for power has led him to the shadows."

"Who is his yami?" Yami said.

Malik shook his head. "Even with our time in the tombs, neither I nor my siblings knew the lineage of the yami of the Millennium Eye."

Yami sat back in his chair, staring out the window across from him.

"Enough talk," Mariku said. "Let's go." He stood from his chair and turned to his hikari. "We're going up to the roof."

Yami followed Mariku back out the apartment door, the pair silent as they ascended several flights of stairs. When they reached the top, Mariku shouldered open the door to the roof, stepping out onto the stretch of concrete. Yami shaded his eyes from the late spring sun as he followed.

The roof was devoid of any safety barriers, the edge plunging ten stories to the street below. Mariku stalked a few feet away, stopping and turning to face Yami.

"Try to break into my mind," Mariku said.

Yami frowned.

"Just do it," Mariku growled.

Yami focused his energy, reaching for the shadows that clamored for this touch. The power flooded through him, his fingertips tingling and the breath freezing in his lungs as he gathered the magic inside of him. The darkness became a raging force as he opened the barriers of his mind, allowing the shadows free reign.

"Concentrate," Mariku said. He was scowling. "You're letting the magic control you."

Yami took a breath, trying to channel the energy. It was too much to control. He could feel his focus slipping away as the darkness chanted inside of him, scrambling his thoughts.

"Go ahead, Pharaoh," Mariku said. "Let's see what you got." He braced his legs, his hair and clothes whipping around him though the air on the roof remained still.

Yami was so angry. He needed Yugi. He needed to save him. He needed to do anything but wait, wait another two weeks when Pegasus could be hurting him, destroying his mind. The magic whipped inside of him, feeding on his pain. He wanted his hikari.

The energy exploded from him, clamoring for Mariku's soul, his mind, anything. The yami of the Rod barely flinched, casting aside the magic with a roll of his shoulders. Yami's legs shook beneath him. The release of energy had drained him, knocking the strength from his limbs.

"My turn," Mariku said.

Yami felt a pressure in his mind, and he forced the shadows to shield him. Mariku's energy was relentless, ramming into Yami's defenses with a focused fist that shattered through the barrier surrounding Yami's mind in a matter of minutes. Mariku had beaten him. It would only take a small flex of his power to destroy Yami's mind.

The roof door swung open. "Enough!" Malik said, sounding breathless.

Yami realized he had dropped to the ground, his knees cold against the concrete as Mariku's presence disappeared from his mind. Yami straightened, dizzy as he got to his feet.

Malik steadied him as he wobbled. The hikari of the Rod was watching him, his hand on his shoulder. "Are you feeling better, Pharaoh?"

Yami's legs were shaky beneath him and, he felt like someone had jammed a spike into his head but surprisingly, he did feel better. The shadows had quieted, their energy expended, and his mood had stabilized in their absence. He felt calmer than he had in weeks.

Mariku joined them, a smirk on his face as wrapped his arm around his hikari.

"I could feel your magic all the way downstairs," Malik said, frowning as Mariku pulled him back against his chest. "I told you to challenge him not try to kill him."

"We were having fun," Mariku said.

Malik sighed, turning to Yami. "I ordered some food for lunch," he said. "I was hoping you would eat with us, Pharaoh."

Yami nodded. He was suddenly starving, his stomach rumbling with an appetite that he hadn't felt for many weeks.

"And, you will return again tomorrow?" Malik said.

"Tomorrow?" Yami said.

"The priest has asked that you return every day to strengthen your control over your magic," Malik said. "Did he not tell you?"

Yami sighed.

"I hope that you can manage to be some sort of challenge tomorrow," Mariku said, cracking his knuckles. "I always thought the Pharaoh would have more bite than a puppy – "

"Your powers are already strong," Malik said to Yami. "Mariku has had three years to hone his magic. You only met your hikari a few months ago. It will take practice before you can challenge Pegasus but for now, Mariku will be a good test of your strength."

Yami followed the pair back to the stairs. He had two weeks until he could rescue his hikari, another excruciating amount of time until the plan was in place, and Malik was right. Yami was going to have to practice sharpening his magic until he was strong enough to take on Pegasus. He would return tomorrow and every day until it was time to rescue his hikari, and once Yugi was home and safe, Yami would kill Pegasus Crawford.