From somewhere above them, Jounouchi and the others could hear muffled explosions.

Currently, their group was on the second floor; only now were they seeing any guards. So far, they had taken down a grand total of three of them. They had raided a broom closet and now brandished several 'weapons.'

"Jou, why am I using a feather duster?"

"'Cause I'm too manly for it, and you aren't."

"Get over yourself, Mutt."

"What did you call me, Otogi?"

"At least I'm carrying the glass cleaner."

"Yeah, and glass cleaner is more useful...how, exactly?"

"I can use it like pepper spray."

"Can you hit people over the head with it?"

"Knock it off, you two!" hissed Honda at length, watching as a whole group of men suddenly appeared from around the corner.

"Time to bash some heads in!" cried Jounouchi, moving forward. He reached the lead goon and delivered a gut punch, spinning off of his left foot to drive his right knee into another guard's groin. Brandishing his mop, he used it to whack the semi-automatic away from the guard who had drawn it.

"Hey, man, save some for us!" yelped Honda, tackling two guards to bring them down.

Otogi nodded, spraying a particularly burly looking guard in the face with the glass cleaner before chucking it at another guard. He delivered a karate chop to the base of another man's neck before noticing Honda in trouble. He moved quickly, tackling another guard as well. This is going to be a long night...

At length, they finished off the last of the "goon parade" and stood, slightly panting but triumphant. "How many did you get, Honda?"

"About four. You?"

"Six," said Jounouchi proudly.

"Ha! Beat you by one," said Otogi triumphantly, smirking with amusement at the expression on the blonde's face.

"What? Why I oughta—!"

"Save it for later, would ya?" growled Honda in annoyance. "We're still on the second floor."

"Oh, yeah..."

Meanwhile, Yugi, Anzu, and Ryou were having their own troubles.

They had deviated from their previous plan to distract the guards when they had noticed a loud wailing sound, somewhere on the third floor. Following the sound of it, they soon found themselves on a small balcony overlooking large room filled with people of varying ages. All of them were chained to the wall. They did a brief head count to find at least fifteen people.

"Who are all these people?" asked Ryou in a whisper, his eyes horrified.

"I don't know...but we have to help them," replied Yugi firmly.

"Okay, but how? Yugi, in case you haven't noticed, we don't have any musclemen in our group," said Anzu doubtfully. "I can see at least two or three guards, and they're as burly as Raphael."

"Then maybe we should even the odds."

All three of them jumped at the sound of Raphael's voice. Turning, they spotted both him and Alister as they stepped away from the corner they had been hiding in.

"I thought you two were supposed to be finding Valon," said Ryou in slight consternation.

"Yeah, but then we saw you three about to try something crazy. We'll take out the guards; you get these people out of here," replied Alister quietly.

"Are you sure? You both are pretty badly hurt..." Yugi trailed off as Raphael gave him a curt nod.

"Believe me—we can take them. But don't expect us to stick around too long."

Yugi, Ryou, and Anzu nodded. They knew why.

Raphael frowned, looking to see if there were any more guards in the room than the two Anzu had spotted. After looking carefully, he finally noticed another two in the corner. "Alister?"

"I'll take those two. Get the taller ones." Alister had seen them too.

They launched themselves forward, Alister moving like lightning. Although he was not tall and burly like Raphael nor muscular like Valon, he made up for the lack of power with his speed. He demonstrated it by taking down the first guard before the second one could react. He turned around to face his new antagonist, who was now circling him.

"Nice to see you again. Are you checking in permanently this time?" asked the thug tauntingly, moving almost as fast as Alister and catching the redhead in the ribs.

Backing away, Alister allowed his gray eyes to check briefly for Raphael and noted that he was holding his own—although he was obviously favoring his injured shoulder. He turned his attention back to the guard in time to block a roundhouse kick intended for his injured torso.

Yugi watched the proceedings anxiously as he ran to the table and grabbed two sets of keys. Anzu took one pair and headed for the left side of the room; Yugi took to the right. Ryou, however, had spotted Raphael wearing down and he moved to assist.

Bakura had always been insistent on Ryou learning self-defense ("If you utterly defeated one of those bullies, then they wouldn't bother you so much!"), but because of his gentle nature he had refused to use that knowledge. Now he had no other alternative: if he didn't, Raphael would be hurt worse.

He brought the heel of his foot as hard as he could manage into the small of a thug's back, praying that it would have the desired effect. Sure enough, the man crumpled to the floor, winded and clutching his back in pain. The other thug turned his attention to Ryou, and Raphael took the opportunity to take the man down.

This was good, because at the moment Ryou's entire leg was numb.

Across the room, Alister had managed to defeat the thug he was currently dealing with and was now heading to check on Raphael. After a brief moment of regarding each other, they turned and began tying up the fallen guards.

Anzu and Yugi unchained every person they could get to, receiving their cries of thanks with warm smiles. "We're saved!" cried one elderly woman in joy, tears running down her cheeks. Three small children shyly hugged Yugi in gratitude.

"It wasn't just us, thank those two as well," said Yugi, gesturing to Raphael and Alister. The two acknowledged the remark but then turned and headed the way they had come in.

"Where are they going? What if the guards come back?" cried one man in vexation.

"One of their friends is trapped somewhere in this building, and they're worried about him," replied Anzu firmly. "But why on earth are you here?"

"We were captured to prevent our loved ones from betraying Akira," replied the same elderly lady who had been crying. "I'm Rose. This is my husband, Frank," she continued, pointing to a balding man in his fifties. "That's Mary—" a finger toward a pregnant young woman, "—her son and daughter, Joshua and Rosette—" a gesture toward two blonde children, "—and her husband, Ewan."

"I'm May," said a dark haired girl. "This is Flora, my sister," she finished, pointing to a small four year old with auburn hair.

"Michael and Michaela—we're twins," piped up two ginger haired teens simultaneously.

"And I'm John," said a middle aged man with slightly graying hair.

"I'm Yugi. This is Anzu, and that's Ryou. We're going to get you guys out of here," said the short teen firmly.

"But what about our families?"

"Don't worry about that," came Seto's voice suddenly over the loud speaker. "I'll notify them ASAP. Yugi, get them out. The mutt's group is below you, so they've already taken care of interference."

"Thanks!"

A grunt. "All right, I know that you all can hear me in this building, so listen up. If you're one of the ones with family members being held captive, they are free. You can go now. Raphael, Alister, I know you two are listening. They moved Valon off of the twelfth floor; he's on the fifteenth currently. They won't move because I turned off the speakers on that particular floor, and the goons not on the fifteenth floor are now experiencing technical difficulties contacting them; I sealed all floors except for the one Valon's on. Get going."

A clicking sound told them that Seto was no longer on the intercom.

"All right everyone, head this way!" said Anzu, directing everyone toward the exit.

"Wait! There are some more families upstairs! We have to help them!" cried Mary in alarm, a hand shooting to her swollen belly.

"...Anzu, focus on getting the women and children out of here. Michael, Ewan, and Jonathan, could you come with us?" asked Yugi firmly, he and Ryou moving forward.

"Aw heck no! I'm not leaving Michael alone!" snapped Michaela indignantly, moving to her brother's side.

The two boys barely nodded, and Yugi said, "Then come on ahead."

"B-But Yugi—!" cried Anzu in alarm.

"Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda, and Otogi are below us. They'll help you get these people out of here."

Yugi's tone told the brunette that he was not asking her.

"All right," she agreed reluctantly, moving over to assist Mary as the women, Frank, and the three children moved ahead. She turned back in time to see Yugi about to head out the door. "Yugi!"

He turned to look at her.

"Be careful..." she whispered softly.

Yugi flashed her a grin and a thumbs up before disappearing into the darkened doorway after his own group.


On the rooftop, chaos had ensued.

Black Magician quickly surged forward, his green eyes intent on his target as he sent forth a powerful energy spell. At the last second, the black serpent twisted out of the way and lashed out with its tail, catching the Pharaoh's servant squarely in the chest and knocking him backward into the air before blasting out a stream of dangerous venom.

From nowhere, one of Dartz's Mirror Knights intercepted the venom and instantly dissolved, causing the Atlantean to double over in pain. Seeing his chance, Akira called out, "Attack now!"

"I think not," said Bakura with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Diabound, annihilate him!" he continued, a blood-curdling laugh escaping his throat as Diabound grabbed the serpent by both ends of its body and began to pull. His intentions were quite obvious.

Atem went to Dartz's side and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Worry for yourself, Pharaoh—and for the tomb robber," he replied, gesturing vaguely towards the two intertwined monsters above them. The Leviathan had escaped Diabound's grip and was now crushing Bakura's monster in its coils.

"I-Is that...the best you got...you pansy...?" choked out Bakura with disgust in his eyes.

"Black Magician, defend Diabound!" cried Atem.

The Magician nodded once, aiming a blast for the Leviathan's head and firing it once it had gathered enough strength. The remaining three of Dartz's Mirror Knights moved fluidly as well, their swords fully extended. As a result, all attacks now combined and struck solidly.

The snake hissed and screeched in agony, releasing Diabound as it thrashed wildly. Akira doubled over, a small crimson trail coming from the corner of his mouth.

"Who said I wanted your help?" growled Bakura with obvious annoyance, turning his attention back to Akira.

The taller, raven haired man had a psychotic look in his golden eyes—one that quite rivaled even Yami Marik's when he had been dueling Atem. A small chuckle that soon escalated into full-blown maniacal laughter escaped his lips, the pupils contracting sharply.

"FOOLS! ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS ARE IN VAIN! I WILL ACCOMPLISH MY PURPOSE!" he shouted, his eyes full of a crazy light.

"Oh shut up," muttered Bakura, rolling his eyes.

"And what is your purpose, Akira? Why go to all the trouble to recreate the lost Millennium Items?" asked Atem coldly. Akira shot him a look of contempt.

"Do you honestly think I'll tell you, just as easy as that? No, you'll have to defeat me—something I will not allow!" said the older man, his Leviathan trying to ensnare the Black Magician. Thankfully, the servant of the Pharaoh managed to dodge its coils and flew down next to Atem.

The former Pharaoh of Egypt narrowed his amethyst eyes. "So be it," he said coldly.

The attacks resumed in the next moment.


No more. I can' take any more...

It's all dark around me...'ow long have I been 'ere? I dunno...I feel like 'm kinda floatin'. I know 'm not s'posed t' be 'ere...but I don't 'ave any more energy t' go back t' the light... to resurface. 'm done...my spirit's broken...I jus' wanna die in peace...No more pain...please...let it all go away...

Someone's 'and takes mine in a warm, gentle grip, stoppin' my descent.

"Valon! Please, you must hold on! Your friends have almost come!"

Mother Mary...I 'ear 'er voice callin' me, but it's like my eyes 're glued shut and it feels like my throat's been ripped out...I really can't...too tired...let me go back to sleep...I never wanna wake up again...

"Valon! VALON!"

Sorry, Mother...I can'...sorry, Raph...Alister...I can' go on any more...I tried...

I feel my 'and slip through 'ers and I start fallin' again...


Seto typed as fast as he could, his cobalt eyes narrowed in concentration as he typed.

His injuries from the car accident were paining him, the pain medication having worn off a few moments earlier, but that was not deterring him at all. He was used to working through any kind of condition; Gozaburo had once made Seto compose an entire presentation on one of Kaiba Corporation's projects with a 104 degree fever.

Currently, he had no time to dwell on that thought, his focus centered entirely on finding incriminating documents and shutting off certain areas of security. Seto had hacked into the monitors earlier to figure out where everyone was; it was a bother that there was no camera on the roof, but he had spotted a whole group of thugs carrying what seemed to be a body onto the fifteenth floor.

Whether Valon was alive or not was hard to say.

Seto had made his little announcement and had logged off, returning to his previous task of locating incriminating documents to prove Akira's treacheries. So far, he had managed to locate and transfer a grand total of twenty documents. Normally that was good enough for most people...but he had only gone through fifty out of two thousand. He had a ways to go—and time was running out.

Mokuba had woken up and was currently sitting next to Noa, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. Seto sighed, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his hair. He was not willing to admit it, but he was exhausted. The day's events had taken their toll on him, and he was feeling it.

"You okay...?" asked Noa, slightly wincing and putting a hand to his head. "You want me to take over?"

"No. I'm fine, Noa," replied Seto quietly, frowning when Noa held his head in his hands. "Are you okay, though?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Noa shakily, but he suddenly let out a hiss of pain and his eyes closed.

Mokuba was watching his stepbrother with a worried look; Noa had doubled over in his seat by now and was clutching his head in apparent agony. "Noa?"

"It's just...a migraine...it'll pass..." groaned the aqua haired Kaiba brother.

Seto did not hesitate. He stood up, allowing for the sudden vertigo that was caused to pass before scooping Noa into his arms and striding to the sofa where Mokuba had been. Gently, he lay his stepbrother on it before moving to the sink. He wet a small washcloth and returned to Noa, placing it on Noa's forehead.

"Mokuba, keep an eye on him," he ordered, returning to the computer for a brief moment to grab his cell phone. He dialed Roland's number and waited almost impatiently for an answer.

"Mr. Kaiba, I have informed the authorities and the hospital as you requested. They are already en route to your location."

"Good. Are you near Kaiba Corporation?"

"...Yes, I am."

"Good. I want you to go to the main computer. I'm sending in a whole bunch of documents that I recovered from Akira's database. Make sure they get there."

"Yes, sir! Anything else that needs to be done?"

"No, Roland, I think that'll—"

"SETO!"

Seto dropped the phone out of shock, Mokuba's cry of alarm piercing the quiet of the room. The older teen whirled around to fight whatever it was that was a threat to his family. He had already allowed too much to happen to them, and he was not about to let it happen again.

But he was not prepared for the sight that met his eyes.

Mokuba had a knife placed against his throat, his blue-gray eyes wide with terror. His captor was using his uninjured arm to keep the knife in place, tight enough against the boy's pale throat to effectively gag Mokuba. His sapphire eyes, which matched his stepbrother's own, were filled with a dangerous light.

Noa.

"Surprise, surprise, Seto," chuckled Noa, a sadistic grin on his face. "I played you for the fool, didn't I? Since day one, I've been waiting for an opportunity to reveal my true intentions...and this whole mess with Akira is just the chance I have been looking for. I'll have to thank him for that."

Seto could only stare in disbelief.

"Come now...did you honestly think that I was reforming? Please," he scoffed. "Don't take me for a fool. It was so easy to get me into your good graces, and even easier for Mokuba to trust me. This is what you get, kiddo, for trusting an enemy," he said, addressing the last remark to the raven haired child in his grip.

"So...the migraine..."

"Faked. I had a lot of practice doing it beforehand, just for this moment."

"Seto...I'm sorry...he got up and got the knife from the counter, I didn't realize..." whimpered Mokuba pitifully, wincing as the blade pressed a thin red line into his neck. Seto growled but dared not move.

"Noa, what do you think you are doing?" Seto said in a shaky voice, hardly daring to believe it. The beginnings of an old anger stirred within him and he said in a stronger voice, "I trusted you...Mokuba trusted you...and for WHAT?" he shouted then, the anger almost breaking loose.

"For Kaiba Corporation, of course," replied Noa smoothly. "I was always able to utilize any and all weaknesses better than you. I have no qualms about slitting his throat—though I would rather not any more blood on my clothes. Now, be a dear and hang up the phone on the floor. Then go sit down over on that chair—away from the computer."

Seto growled in frustration, clenching his fists tightly, but there was really not that much he could do other than obey. He picked up the phone and said in a mechanical voice, "Roland, everything's fine. I'll call you later."

"Mr. Kaiba!"

He hung up and walked to the chair pointed out by Noa.

Seto could do nothing else.


Alister skidded to a halt in the hallway, his breathing coming in ragged gasps.

Both of the bikers had arrived on the fifteenth floor at last, fighting off the heavy resistance that they were encountering as they searched frantically for their comrade; Valon was here, and they both could feel it. But this floor, like all the others, was so much bigger than the lobby. The young Australian could be anywhere on it.

Dead or alive.

"We're running out of time," growled Alister as he took down a thug with a kick to the stomach. He heard Raphael hiss in pain as one man punched his injured shoulder and Alister moved to defend, his gray eyes narrowed. He pushed a pressure point on the back of the thug's neck and Raphael's assailant collapsed.

Raphael held his shoulder, a pained grimace on his face. "I'm fine," he said.

Alister moved Raphael's hand away and noted that there was a spreading dark stain on his shoulder. "Doesn't look like it. I think that your stitches ripped."

"Worry about it later," said Raphael, his eyes scanning the immediate area for any danger. "We have to find Valon."

Alister agreed, his own eyes troubled. Raphael was beginning to wear down; all Alister had were a few cuts and bruises. The older blonde had probably been roughed up more than the redhead while they had been held captive, but if the man wasn't going to bring up his condition, then he was content to let the matter alone—for now.

As he and Raphael walked down the hall, the redhead could not help but feel as if this was familiar...like this had happened before...oh, wait. It had.

Five or six months before this had all happened, all three of them had gone their separate ways for a short amount of time. Not one of them found any comfort in returning to their homelands—well, Valon hadn't exactly returned to Australia; he'd gone to Domino for some unexplained reason—nor in being alone.

As a result, all three had searched for each other. Alister had found Raphael in France, and they had found Valon fighting for his life in the abandoned warehouse that he had been calling home. Alister thought he had been worried before when he had been tending to the teen's injuries.

That situation paled in comparison to this one.

They were standing in front of a divider in the hallway, each path going in a different direction. Alister felt a wave of despair overcome him. Which way was the way to Valon?

"Raphael...what do we do if we find him and...he's dead?" asked Alister aloud in a quiet voice, breaking the silence first.

There was another long silence before Raphael responded. "He's not dead."

He didn't need to say anything further to tell Alister that what he said was spoken to reassure both of them. And Alister didn't mind it.

That was what he was telling himself, after all.

The sound of approaching footsteps came from behind them and Alister inwardly groaned. Not now...no more fighting...Valon was running out of time. They needed to find him, not waste time with Akira's hired men. They had been telling every thug that they had come across that their families were safe, but it seemed that this information only pertained to a small portion of them.

Raphael growled low in displeasure. He knew they were running out of time, as Alister did, and his shoulder ached with a vengeance. He could barely move it without cringing in pain, but that was the least of his worries. Every second that they spent defeating Akira's men was another second of Valon's life vanishing. He felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and utterly lost. They had to find him. They had to.

Please, God...I know we aren't exactly the most perfect people in the world, but I'm begging You...help us find him...we can't afford to lose him.

Alister's whispered exclamation brought Raphael to attention immediately. The blonde looked to see what had caused it and he felt his eyes widen.

Sonia and Julien stood in front of their brother with sympathy alight in their eyes.

The last time Raphael had seen them was five months ago in France, when they had appeared to him shortly after Alister had found him. They had not only reassured Raphael of their love and forgiveness, they had told Raphael where Valon had been residing since they had last seen him.

The small children now moved simultaneously, taking a hold of Raphael's hand and pulling him forward. He could not feel their hands grasping his, but there was a warm and loving energy radiating off of them. They pulled their brother to the left pathway and stopped, looking up at the bikers.

"Are you showing us where he is?" asked Raphael softly, unsure if the words were spoken in French.

They nodded wordlessly and turned, running down the hall.

Without hesitation Raphael launched himself forward, Alister close behind him. The two biker's eyes never left the slightly glowing forms in front of them as they led them through a maze of pathways. Somewhere along the line, however, the two forms abruptly vanished, leaving Alister and Raphael in the middle of the hall.

"Where'd they go?" asked Alister aloud, his eyes looking for them.

Raphael had spotted a small movement from the corner of the wall, and he squinted, unsure if that was his younger siblings. He stepped forward and noticed that the form in front of him had copper-colored hair. He recognized the small child immediately and murmured quietly, "Alister."

The redhead looked over and stared at his younger brother.

"Miruko..."

Like Sonia and Julien, the child moved forward and took Alister's hand, gently guiding him to another hallway. Alister moved, gaining speed as the young child also began to run. He heard Raphael's footsteps next to him vaguely, but his entire attention was on his little brother's transparent figure.

Somewhere along the way, Sonia and Julien rejoined Miruko, so that the two older bikers were following three small figures as they wove in and out of the complicated passageways. Alister wondered briefly how they were going to find their way back out when the children in front of them suddenly stopped in front of a door.

All three looked up at their older siblings meaningfully, their eyes speaking louder than any words could, before fading away.

Alister and Raphael exchanged glances.

Valon was behind this door...their siblings would never deceive them. They knew that.

Bracing himself for whatever fight would lay behind the door, Raphael kicked it open and moved forward, his eyes alertly looking for any sign of danger. But he was surprised—and, admittedly, relieved—that there were no guards in here.

Raphael's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward into the room, observing his surroundings intently.

The room itself was in shambles, which was unusual, considering the fact it was in a multi-million dollar building. The table displayed playing cards and money in untidy piles, a few bottles of alcohol scattered on its surface and on the floor. The older man wrinkled his nose in distaste at the sight and advanced further into the room.

"Looks like we interrupted their poker game," said Alister quietly, his gray eyes also narrowed.

But Raphael's attention had gone to a single dirty sheet in the corner of the room.

It didn't look like much, and he would have passed over it altogether if he hadn't noticed the limp and bloodied arm sticking out of it.

His breathing hitched.

Slowly, he made his way toward the limp figure in the sheet, his heart beginning to beat almost painfully in his chest. He had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what was under the sheet, and he began to softly pray that at least the poor soul underneath was alive as he lifted the blanket off of the floor.

Raphael had thought he was ready for the sight that would meet his eyes when they found Valon; it would be foolish to hope that Valon had been unharmed during his 'stay' with Akira. He had known that Akira wanted information and that he would do anything for it.

As he stared at the form curled pitifully into a ball at his feet, he realized he truly hadn't been prepared.

The Australian teen's shirt and pants had been all but torn away, bloody rags sticking to the boy's pale and broken skin. Whatever part of Valon's torso was not covered in dried blood was mottled with bruises, lumps, and welts, the latter of which had been made with a whip. One of the teen's arms was bent at an awkward angle, and Raphael was horrified to discover that he could see the bone sticking out of the arm.

The boy's pale face had no color to it at all, and as Raphael gently took hold of the boy's bleeding shoulder he realized that Valon's body had no warmth to it...none at all.

"Valon..."

Alister had heard Raphael's constricted voice from the other side of the room where he had been exploring. He crossed the space in between them in three swift strides. The young man stopped when he saw Valon and swore softly under his breath. "...Is...Is he alive?" he asked at last, terrified of the answer.

Raphael was almost afraid to find out.

With a shaking hand, the blonde pressed a finger to the base of Valon's neck, desperately waiting for the gentle throb of the boy's heart. This had happened a long time ago...Valon had been curled up like this when they had found him months before. But the spunky Australian had been merely unconscious then.

This time, Valon was not going to wake up.

"I...I can't find his pulse..." said Raphael in a tortured whisper, raising his eyes to meet Alister's.

Alister drew in his breath sharply, sinking to the floor beside Raphael and mirroring what the older biker had done moments before. Maybe Raphael's own heartbeat was masking Valon's, or perhaps Valon's heart was beating so softly that no one could hear or feel it...

But after what felt like an eternity later, Alister withdrew his hand and let it drop to the floor.

"I can't, either." His voice was hollow.

Neither biker said anything aloud, their eyes fixed to the young, limp form of their friend. Neither of them could make themselves move, and neither was willing to accept the reality that was at hand. They had known that they could possibly find the boy dead, but they had been hoping against hope that it would not be the case.

Valon was gone. No amount of wishing or tears could change that terrible fact.

Oh, there was definitely anger registering in their minds. Dark thoughts would soon emerge, similar to the ones they experienced when the Orichalcos was manipulating their emotions and souls. Their thoughts would become revenge-oriented and they would stop at nothing to bring down Akira.

But those malignant thoughts and feelings had not emerged yet. The sound of their hearts breaking was drowning them out.

Raphael and Alister had both lost a brother for the second time in their lives because of the Orichalcos.

And, like before, they had been powerless to stop it from happening.