Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the song Evil Angel; they both belong to their respective owners.

Chapter Ten

He was barely aware of the tears that were still rolling down his cheeks, just of the weight that he carried in his arms. Yami glanced down at Yugi before shifting the body in his arms, automatically taking the route to the game shop. He didn't look up at the houses he was passing, staring at his precious burden.

He didn't know how long he had sobbed on the ground before he had forced himself to move. There would be another one of those soul takings eventually, and he would not waste Yugi's sacrifice. So he had picked Yugi up and begun walking, half of him not caring if his own soul was stolen.

Yami looked up as he came to a stop, realizing that he had reached the game shop. He took a shaky breath before walking around to the side entrance into the house, aware that the shop was closed. He shifted Yugi so that he could knock on the door, wincing at the sound of excited voices.

Of course they would be happy that Yugi was back, because they didn't know.

Yami dropped his eyes to the ground, listening as the door opened and hearing Solomon's excited voice. "I though you would have the sense to stay, Yugi, but I'm glad…"

He flinched as Solomon trailed off, feeling the elderly man's gaze on him. Yami felt his throat constrict as he heard the voices of Yugi's friends calling out from the living room, all asking if it was Yugi. He swallowed and forced himself to look up at Solomon. "I…"

"Come in." Solomon stepped aside, resting a hand on Yami's shoulder briefly. "Take him up to his room."

Yami gave a curt nod and shuffled into the house, feeling his control starting to break. He hurried his step, fixing his gaze on the ground as he passed through the living room. He flinched at the exclamations that were cut off as they realized what had happened. Yami only looked up once, at the base of the stairs and found himself looking at Dartz.

The angel had his mouth open in shock, staring at the body that Yami held in his arms. Dartz shook his head, looking up at Yami as if demanding an explanation. Yami opened his mouth to speak, only then realizing that the others were staring at him as well. He shut his mouth and ran up the stairs, feeling stares from the accusing eyes on his back.

He stumbled up the stairs, immediately running for the room that he and Yugi shared, setting Yugi carefully on the bed before slamming the door shut. Yami leaned back against the door, panting as he looked back at the bed; sliding down to the floor the longer he stared. He finally sat on the floor, sobbing into his knees.

He allowed himself a moment of this before crawling back to the bed, carefully getting onto it and curling around Yugi. He wanted to shut out the world for a bit longer, just ignore everything but his fragmenting heart.

The world had taken Yugi from him, so he would ignore it.

Ryou leaned against the door to the game shop, gasping for breath before knocking. He slumped against the building when there was no immediate answer. He turned to look at the street before turning away with a wince.

Bodies were splayed out everywhere, left to sit out as people in fear. At least the streets and sidewalks were clear where he had come from.

Ryou was started out of his contemplation as Yugi's grandfather opened the door, the elderly man looking close to tears. Ryou shifted nervously before opening his mouth to speak, all his earlier rage abated.

"They're upstairs." Solomon stepped aside to let him in, Ryou giving a nod of thanks before walking in. He gave a passing wave at Tomoya before jogging up the stairs, his heart beating quickly. The small gathering downstairs had looked completely shattered. Ryou suddenly wanted to turn away, not sure that he really wanted to know what was going on.

He came to a stop outside of Yugi's door, hesitating before carefully opening the door. Ryou peeked in, sucking in a surprised breath as he saw the two on the bed. For a moment, everything looked normal, but then Ryou remembered the looks on the people downstairs. He swallowed nervously before entering the room.

There was movement from the bed, Yami looking up. Ryou paused at the look in his big brother's face and the tear tracks that were visible on Yami's face. Ryou quickly crossed the room, kneeling beside the bed. "Yami?"

The teenager shuddered at his name, ducking back down so he could curl around Yugi again. "Go away, Ryou."

"Yami, what happened?"

"Ryou…please." The pleading tone of voice made Ryou pause, part of him thinking that he had imagined the hitch in Yami's voice.

With a shaking hand, Ryou reached out to check Yugi's pulse, stopped halfway through the motion as Yami spoke again. "He's not there anymore. My aibou…he's gone."

That was impossible. "Yugi hasn't done anything that would attract those things!"

"I have." Yami's voice was quiet. "I stole from heaven and it was supposed to be me. And he…he…"

Ryou sat back, his eyes wide as Yami broke in front of him, clinging to Yugi. He would have done the same for Bakura, he knew that. But, still…Why was the world making Yami and Yugi suffer?

The British teen slumped where he sat, drawing his knees up to his chest and mourning silently with Yami. They had both been through so much, done so much. Why couldn't heaven seem to cut them a break? Ryou shivered, giving his head a slow shake.

He could hear people cautiously making their way up the stairs, looking up at the same time as Yami. They exchanged a look before Ryou walked over to the door and locked it, returning to his place on the floor. Yami watched him, looking he was trying to figure out something. "Bakura?"

Ryou gave a shake of his head, clearing his throat before he spoke, his voice still cracking. "Same."

"Ryou…" There was really nothing else to say, the two of them silently agreeing to wallow in their sorrow. Someone else could save the world this time. They had been used too many times.

Yugi woke up slowly, pushing off from the ground and blinking. It looked like it was just before dawn, the things around him rendered in gray. But it wasn't right. Yugi sat up, rubbing his forehead with a groan. The last thing he remembered was saving Yami from having his soul taken.

He blinked and gave where he was another look around, sighing before standing. At least he knew where the souls went now, not that it helped any. It still left him stranded with no way of talking to Yami. No way to tell him that he was safe.

Yugi rubbed his hands over his face before beginning to walk, quickly discovering that there was no scenery and everything looked the same. So there was no way out that he could see. Yugi shook his head, stopping long enough to take a short break. It was only the then that he realized that there were other shapes moving through the grayness.

He stood completely still as the shapes glided past, the shapes becoming more distinct the longer he stood there. Yugi took a shaky step back, staring at the people who just seemed to drift right by him. He jumped at the sound of yelling, turning to see two of the people fighting each other. Yugi scrambled backwards, eyes wide as more shaped gathered at the sound.

Something grabbed his shoulder and hauled him backwards, Yugi yelping as he was dragged away from the gathering crowd. He struggled in the person's grip, hearing a grunt as one of his blows connected. He was quickly hauled around, getting a glimpse of familiar russet eyes and white hair before he was thrown on the ground.

Bakura glared at him, rubbing his side before flopping on the ground beside Yugi. "Some thanks for getting you away from that. A shrimp like you would have been crushed."

Yugi scowled at the shrimp comment, shifting so he could glance over his shoulder at the fight before looking back at the thief noticing that Bakura had gained a few bruises, if souls could bruise.

"Happens all the time." Bakura leaned back on his hands. "Establishing some sort of pecking order. I try and stay out of it." The thief gave him a long stare. "I assume that it is a mistake that you are here."

"Couldn't let it get Yami. He's the only one who can figure this out."

"Smart." Bakura grinned and leaned back. "So the plan for now is waiting?"

Yugi nodded, glancing around at the grey world they were trapped in. He saw Bakura following his gaze before the thief stood up and stretched. "I'm not sticking close to that not with you around. The Pharaoh would kill me if something happened to you."

Yugi got up as well, shifting closer to Bakura as the fight began to break up. Bakura took one glance at them before hurrying Yugi along. It would be smart to avoid any harm; Yugi wasn't sure whether it would affect his body or not. And he really didn't want to put that theory to the test.

Tomoya stared at the people who were sprawled in the hallway, silently fuming. It was better than the horrible shock and fear, so much better than feeling like you were unable to react. He shot a glare at the door, angry at one of the people hiding behind it.

Yami had said that he would protect Yugi. Tomoya had trusted Yami to take care of Yugi. He had let down Joey, Tèa and Tristan as well. It was what they had expected of Yami. Just like the opposite was true, but it was somehow worse that it was Yugi.

He sat down beside Tristan only because the brunette was closer to the door, all of them completely lost in their own worlds. He traced patterns in the carpet as he stared at the white door in the dim hope that it would open.

It just wasn't fair because he had just gotten Yugi back. Things were just beginning to go back to normal. No more of the nearly blinding depression that had held him in still for all those years. He was starting to feel almost normal again, and it just wasn't fair.

And it was all Atemu Seti's fault.

If he had just been able to…then Yugi would still be here. And everything would be alright.

Right?

Tomoya sighed heavily, three other sighs coinciding with his own. He wasn't sure that the others were thinking the same thing that he was, but he was sure that they were all remembering the way Yugi had just lay limply in Yami's arms, not moving. Not waking up. Gone completely.

And he didn't want to drown in depression again. He had gotten a taste of his old life with the new spice of more friends. He didn't want to stand there and watch them drift away and leave him alone.

He felt something brush over his shoulder, almost like a touch but too light to be one. Tomoya glanced over his shoulder, knowing that the person who was there couldn't be seen by him. At least he had his guardian angel, so he wouldn't be alone anymore. That was almost a relief.

Tomoya stood up and wandered back downstairs, noticing that the adults were still in the living room. He shifted nervously before walking down the stairs into the deserted game shop, sitting down behind the counter. Right now, he wanted a place to hide from everyone.

"Is there a way to bring him back? The news says that they are all in comas." Tomoya looked around hopefully, trying to guess at where his guardian angel was.

"It's not a coma." The soft whisper came from his left, signaling that his angel was sitting right beside him. Tomoya shifted so he was facing the angel, pulling in his arms and legs to prevent himself from splaying them out through the angel. "It is much more than that."

He shivered at the tone employed. "What?"

The angel was silent for a long while, Tomoya almost afraid that it had left him. Finally, it spoke again. "He no longer has a soul. It's been taken somewhere, with the rest of the people out there. But his must have been an accident."

"It's all Atemu's fault." Tomoya growled out the words, letting his head fall forward. He took a couple of deep breaths before looking back up. "Is there any way to get it back?"

"Not that I know of." The angel paused for a moment. "But I will find out. Just stay here for a while. I will let you know when I return."

Tomoya gave a thankful smile before returning upstairs.

Dartz flew as quickly as he could towards heaven, his throat aching from his talking with Tomoya. From the boy's leaning towards him when he talked, his shouting must equate to a whisper. Dartz coughed at the dry feeling in his throat, knowing that he would sound odd.

He pushed through the clouds, looking around as he landed. There were worried mutters from the angels around him, Dartz spotting a group of other guardian angels talking by the gate. He shrugged to himself, pushing through the crowd to where he saw the leaders of the angels, sighing in relief when he spotted Isis.

The female angel turned to him, tipping her head to the side as he motioned her away from the rest. Dartz stood by a spire of clouds, waiting for Isis to make her apologies and walk over to him.

He swallowed nervously as she folded her arms, her hands disappearing in the folds of her robes. Isis stared at him for a long time before nodding her head for him to speak. Dartz twitched nervously before beginning to walk, Isis following without hesitation. "About the thing on earth."

Isis raised an eyebrow at the hoarse quality of his voice before sighing. "We know what it is, where the souls are going and what the will be used for but we do not know who summoned it or how we are going to get those souls back."

"So…the souls can be retrieved!"

Isis nodded, taking the lead in their walk and leading Dartz to where the book was stored. They remained silent until they reached that spot, both of them lost in their thoughts and wanting to get away from angels who could overhear them.

Dartz gave a long sigh of relief, glad that he could retrieve Yugi's soul after such a mistake. But, what confused him the most, was why Yugi would have been targeted in the first place as the crystals would only take those who had no chance of getting into heaven. Yugi was sure to get into heaven.

Isis leaned against the podium the book was on, rubbing her forehead. "The crystals themselves are made out of Orichalcum; it's a type of crystal that is attracted to the evil in people." She added the second part at Dartz's look of confusion. "They were originally used to collect souls to bring forth a demon. If it gets enough, it can rise again."

"How do we stop it?"

"In all realms, when demons were created and sealed, there is a sword that holds the realm shut. Remove the sword and the realm is opened. The demon often manifests when this happens, but it is usually too weak to do much." Isis tapped the cover of the book, looking up when Dartz cleared his throat to speak.

"I thought that you said that you didn't know how you were going to get those souls back."

"It's just a bit more complicated." Isis gave a strained smile. "We have to send an angel."

"I volunteer."

"And I insist that you take a partner or two." Isis gave a shake of her head at his shocked expression. "It's not that I don't trust you. These things are usually handled better in groups. The souls there tend to become very violent, exposed to others as horrible as they are."

"Alright." Dartz leaned on the book as well, biting his lip as Isis moved away, the female pacing. He turned abruptly as an angel came to mind, the move opening the book to the page that showed the angel he was thinking of. "Atemu! He could help me. His charge, Yugi, was caught someone and had his soul stolen."

"Yugi, but…" Isis' eyes widened for a moment before she nodded, her blue eyes darkening. "Atemu will be the best choice if that has happened. Perhaps I could talk to Ryou…"

Dartz gave a nod, turning around. He intended to tell her that he would talk to Atemu about this, maybe giving the poor teenager a bit of relief from his worry. The words died on his tongue as he spotted the page the book was open too, his eyes reading what was written without his permission.

There, before his eyes, was a summary of all the crimes that Atemu had committed in his life, one even crossed out but still visible. Kidnapping of Yugi Mutou.

Dartz was about to tear his eyes away before he caught something else, staring at the last thing that was written there. Stole watch and restarted life-transferred to list of damned. Sentence rescinded.

He took a step back, looking between Isis and the book, his mouth open in shock. The list of crimes, no matter how petty they were, was startling. And Isis had made this person a guardian angel?! This person was allowed to live while he had to die. He had worked hard all his life to contribute to the world and stray away from things that would burden his soul. And Atemu got to live.

"What?" The word was rasped out, Dartz glaring at Isis. The female angel didn't respond, staring at the page before shrugging.

"He's the best we have out there."

"I refuse to believe that."

Isis shook her head, walking over to close the book, Dartz stopping her from doing so. The woman glared at him, moving his hands off the book. "It's true."

"What is he even doing up here?" Dartz hissed out the words, jabbing his finger at one section of the book. "He was sent to hell. He stole from you…what could he possibly steal?"

"A watch."

"A…watch?" Suddenly, Atemu's crime didn't seem that bad. He took a step back, feeling foolish for getting angry over something so stupid. And it worried him that the angels would send someone to hell for something as small as that.

He looked up at Isis, waiting for her to explain further. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "The watch is a measure of a person's life. Once it stops, your life is over."

Dartz's anger flooded back, easily connecting the rest of the story. "So you rewarded him for restarting his life?"

"There's more to it!"

Dartz shook his head, not wanting to listen. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh before glaring at Isis. "I will work with him on this demon thing and that is it. I do not know why you rewarded him or gave him Yugi Mutou as his charge, but I don't care."

He turned on his heel and stormed back to the nearest drop off, taking to the air before Isis could talk to him. He hovered for a moment before diving back towards earth, narrowing his eyes. Dartz wanted to talk to Atemu, get rid of his mistake quickly and then break off all communication with the teen. Maybe he could even get the other angels to remove Atemu from his position.

It was for Yugi's sake.

After all, it had to be Atemu's fault that Yugi was soulless. It was too far of a stretch to believe that Atemu had tried to save his own life by using Yugi as a barrier. He was just pretending to be interested in the poor teen so he could stay on earth and stay alive. It was horrible.

Atemu deserved to be with the rest of them, feeding that demon. Dartz no longer cared how young the teenager had died, Atemu was just like the people in the street the day he had been shot, fighting for what he wanted above all else.

It was time to put an end to this.

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