Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, All Dogs go to Heaven or Heaven's Not Enough; they all belong to their respective owners. Everything in between is mine.

Warnings: minor character death

Chapter Thirteen

Ryou remained in stunned silence in front of the house before he dared to look down at the leather collar in his hands. For a second, he was tempted to throw it away and forget about it all. What had the kid done for him? If anything, he had made Ryou's life miserable. But Ryou couldn't condemn him to imprisonment with Noa. No one deserved that. He sighed and turned around, walking straight into Bakura.

"What was that all about?" The thief nodded toward the retreating form of Yami as he steadied Ryou.

"Noa got Yugi again." Ryou heard Bakura scoff, shaking his head.

"Good. At least now things can get done without Yugi pulling Yami away for something inane."

"Nobody deserves what Noa does, and you know it!" Ryou slapped his hands over his mouth, suddenly frightened. He silently begged Bakura not to take offense to his words, waiting for the rain of blows that was sure to come.

To his surprise, Bakura just shook his head again. "What did his royal highness order you to do?"

"Gather reinforcements, and the kid's grandfather."

"I'll handle this side of town, you take the grandfather." Ryou's question was stalled when Bakura rested a finger against his lips, leaning forward to stare down into Ryou's brown eyes. "You look more trustworthy than me. I might have been seen lurking around there earlier."

The thief removed his finger long enough to brush a light kiss across Ryou's lips before he too sprinted off into the rain, leaving Ryou to stare after him in amazement. A shaking hand was raised so his fingers could brush across his lips, wondering if it had just been his imagination. Another rumble of thunder startled him into action.

Ryou glanced down at the leather collar still held in his hand, wincing at the only piece of evidence he had. He raced back into the house, heading for Yami's room. Yugi must have had something specific to him alone, something that his grandfather would recognize instantly.

He scanned the room impatiently, only spotting the blue jacket on the floor. He stared at it, running through the list of high school uniforms in his mind. None of the high schools in Domino had that color and style of jacket that he knew of. Ryou just hoped that it would be enough to convince Yugi's grandfather that he was telling the truth.

He barely looked up as thunder rumbled above them, the last peals echoing slightly as Keith shoved him into the ship. Yugi began to take the familiar path back to his prison, but was stopped by the hold on his arm. He looked up at Keith, expecting an explanation and jumping as Noa spoke.

"You won't get a second chance, brat. I have a better place for you to be." The aqua haired teen shoved Rex out of the way as he took the lead, pushing another loose panel on the steamboat open and stepping in. Yugi was nearly lifted over the threshold as Keith followed after his employer.

Noa led them to the very bowels of the old steamboat, the rocking waves that the thunderstorm conjured up encouraging strange sounds from the ship. The sounds didn't seem to bother Noa as he walked even deeper, far beyond the areas that Yugi had been warned away from in his first days here because they had been deemed unsafe for people. They stopped at a small door, wide enough to admit them one at a time. Yugi felt his mouth drop open in shock as he stared around him.

The ship opened up, the walks used by the stokers broken and scattered across the sides of the ship. Old electrical equipment, which Yugi assumed had been fitted to the steamboat before her retirement, make eerie shadows on the wall. Old oil drums lined the sides two levels above the bottom of the ship, which was covered in water allowed in by a hole in the hull. A fine layer of dust coated everything, creating an environment of dreary grey. Everything except the cage that was suspended from a rope.

Yugi whimpered and tried to struggle as he was pushed toward the cage, looking down inside to see the patchwork blanket and a single crate. He clawed at Keith's arms, earning a slap across his face. Yugi reeled, nearly falling into the cage before he caught himself.

Noa chuckled. "I said you wouldn't get a second chance, Yugi. This is your new home. No way to escape, and no way that Atemu will find you."

Keith lifted Yugi from the ground and dropped him into the cage, the young teen flailing until he hit the bottom. The wind was knocked out of him, leaving Yugi to gasp for breath as the cage rocked and swayed. He rolled onto his side, coughing as he finally brought air into his lungs. Yugi reached for the crate, using it to help him stand and glare up at his captors.

"Welcome home, Yugi." Noa gave a dismissive wave before walking out of the door, Keith following on his heels like a well trained dog. Yugi kept the glare up until he was sure that Noa was gone, then he reached for the blanket and wrapped it around himself; feeling even more miserable. At least he had stopped shivering uncontrollably. Now he just felt sick and lethargic.

Yugi clambered up onto the crate, sprawling out over it before curling up to prevent his legs from hanging off the end. He coughed and drew the blanket closer around him, cocooning himself in what little warmth it allowed him. For a moment, Yugi was tempted to imagine that Yami was holding him, and he was safe with him. But the dream was broken by the fast tempo of the waves beating against the sides of the ship.

This was his home now, an inescapable prison. And Yami was too far away at the moment.

Bakura pounded on the door, pushing himself against the house to get out of the rain. He didn't even wait for the person to open their door fully before briskly stating, "Yami's gone to settle with Noa, be ready for trouble," before sprinting on. They would know what to do anyway.

If he had wanted to look behind him, he would have seen people ushering families into the deeper parts of the house before gathering together in large groups before moving off toward the swamp. They all knew that they could do nothing to help in whatever fight was coming up, but they would always be ready to handle the aftermath. Or secreting the survivors away.

Now Yugi and Yami could disappear for months without ever leaving Domino, all because of these people. Because they all trusted in their Pharaoh. Bakura had to smile at the irony. Yami was mistaken if the thought that the title was just a nickname, the people on this side of Domino took it all too seriously.

He held up his hand to knock on the door only to step back at the last minute to avoid being hit by it as it slammed open. Bakura had the presence of mind to grab Mana by the back of her collar before glaring at Mahad. The man shrugged before pointing toward the crowd. "New travels fast around here."

Bakura gave a stiff nod before spinning the girl around to face him. "You go up to the old church."

"But I-"

"I don't want a lecture from the Pharaoh about how I let you get into trouble. He's causing me enough of a headache right now." Bakura sent Mana on her way with a shove, glaring after her before he turned back to Mahad. On an unspoken agreement, the two began to jog up the street, knocking on the doors of people who had yet to come out to investigate.

Mahad watched silently until Bakura had sent a force of ten men scrambling after Mana with the same set of orders. "You think that it will come to that?"

Bakura wiped rain from his eyes, tipping his head back to stare at the slightly taller man before shrugging. "It's been coming for a long while. First, Noa moved against Yami, then the Pharaoh retaliated. Now that Noa's taken back his pet, I think that Yami will try to move heaven and earth tonight. And I, for one, don't want to have to deal with the aftermath on my own."

"He took..." Mahad suddenly snatched Bakura's arm and began to drag him back down the street toward the group that was waiting for him, ignoring the curses that were being directed at him by the thief. He only glanced back once they were at the front of the group, leading them toward the swamps. Mahad pointed at a pair of men, motioning for them to come close. "Go into Domino and call for an ambulance. I'm sure one will be needed by the end of the night."

"Let go of-" Bakura was cut off as Mahad roughly dropped his arm, glaring at the thief as he kept walking.

"Where's Ryou?"

"Off to get the kid's grandfather. It's something Yami told him to do."

Mahad was nodding at this time. "Yes, it would be better for Yugi to stay in Domino, where Noa would have a slimmer chance of getting his hands on him again."

Bakura let out a cold chuckle. "I wouldn't worry about Noa when this is all over. The Pharaoh will take care of him."

There was a moment of hesitation before Mahad finally nodded, enough time for Bakura to give him a look of doubt. What did Mahad guess that he didn't? He ran his mind over a series of questions beginning to emerge, getting ready for his own rescue plan when Yami's went horribly wrong. "How stable is the Baroness?"

"Not at all." The gruff reply surprised him. Bakura schooled his face into a careful mask, staring at Mahad until he gave more information. "From what I last saw of her, the Baroness is hardly staying afloat. If this storm gets any worse…"

Bakura increased his speed, cursing Yami with every breath. Stupid, reckless, Pharaoh…

Ryou leaned against one of the buildings, clutching a stitch in his side as the panted for air. He shook the rain out of his eyes before stumbling off again. This was too important to stop for long. He had to get to that little game shop before Yami got into big trouble. He gritted his teeth as his body protested the movement, pain spiking through every limb as he moved.

Through the rain, he spotted the street that he had been pointed to. He had asked about the small game shop on the bridge over, surprised that he had even found someone, let alone a person that was willing to tell him anything. Ryou could even see the faint light given off by the shop's lights. He almost sobbed in relief.

That meant that he wasn't too late. He could just run in and get the story all out in a rush before he collapsed from his run. Ryou hoped that Bakura had done a better job in getting reinforcements than him, because he wasn't going to make it much further.

Ryou came to a panting stop just outside the door, reaching out to push open the door when the first wave of dizziness and nausea hit him. He gasped for air and leaned against the door, resisting the urge to rest his face against the cool glass. He needed to keep going. There was no time for this!

Groaning he looked up, surprised to see a kind face looking from the inside of the door. He pulled away so the old man could open the door, stepping inside to get out of the rain. Pleasantries could wait until later.

Before the old man had time to ask, Ryou held out the soaked jacket and leather collar, stepping back as the man stared at it. He entertained himself for a few minutes by looking around the shop from where he stood, awed by the sheer amount of games. Yami would love this place.

"These are…where did you find them?" Ryou looked back down at the old man, shocked by the deep purple eyes that reminded him vaguely of Yugi.

"I…we…" He gave up and turned to walk out, limping slightly. "Yugi is in trouble. We need you to help."

"In trouble how?"

"No time." Ryou was bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking out into the driving rain. How far along was Yami in whatever suicidal plan he had thought out? How long did he have until he had to call in Bakura and the two of them had to confer on a plan to rescue both Yami and Yugi?

What he was not prepared for was for the old man to nod. "Alright."

Solomon looked up at the young man that had come bursting into his store earlier, only half aware that he was still clinging to the jacket that the boy had brought with him; the leather collar left behind on the floor of his store. The boy kept his head tipped forward so his white hair fell over his eyes, effectively keeping him apart from Solomon, perfectly happy to be kept in his own little world.

He wanted to speak to this strange boy who had appeared from nowhere, bringing news about his grandson. Albeit, it was disturbing news, but at least it was better than what he had been working on. Solomon clutched the jacket closer to him, sometimes having to break into a semblance of a job to keep up with a boy. Normally, he would ask for the boy to slow down, but there was an urgency that Solomon recognized.

And hadn't he said that Yugi was in trouble? His own discomfort could be put aside for the sake of his grandson. But there was one thing that he had to know. "Where is he?"

The boy hesitated, it was only visible in the one short stride that he took before forging ahead. "Somewhere in the swamps on the other side of the river. He could be anywhere, but I think that he's on the Baroness."

"Baroness?" It sounded like the name of a ship. Solomon shrugged off his curiosity.

They managed a few more minutes of silence before the boy gasped, his pace increasing as he seemed to remember something. Solomon meant to question him further, but found that he did not have the breath to. Instead, he put all his energy into following the boy through the streets of Domino, heading always toward the bridges that would lead across the river.

Yami shifted impatiently in the brush before the boardwalk that led to the ship. He glared at the deck of the decrepit steamboat, watching as guards patrolled the top, the guards often ducking for shelter as lightning flashed across the dark sky. Yami smirked to himself before sneaking out onto the boardwalk.

He burst into a run, relying on luck to get him across the rotting wooden structure. The darkness and the storm were with him, withholding another flash of lightning until he was hiding in the entrance to the steamboat. Yami craned his head up to see if a person was looking over the edge of the ship. When nothing was revealed to him, Yami slipped into the darkness of the steamboat.

Noa, for all his faults, would not put Yugi in the same place. But there were only so many places that he could put the smaller teen. And Yami didn't have the time to search through all of them. He crept to the curtain that divided the entrance hall from the rest of the casino, part of him wanting to go racing for Noa's office and demanding an answer. But he would just end up being cornered if he took that path.

Yami cursed under his breath and turned away from the casino, padding back down the hall. The sound of someone approaching sent him scrambling into the deeper shadows, his eyes gaining a dangerous light in their depths as he watched Weevil slink towards him, fingers twitching. Weevil was the one that Noa depended on, he would know where they were keeping Yugi.

He leapt from his hiding spot, grabbing Weevil by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to eye level, his smirk growing into a grin as he watched the play of emotions in the other man's eyes. At first there was surprise and shock, fear and then pure terror. Yami couldn't hold back a low chuckle, watching as Weevil shivered, before bringing himself back under control. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Don't play with me." He shook Weevil, patience quickly running low. "Where did they take Yugi?"

"How would I know?! I came back here to beg Rex to give me a job." Yami stared blankly at Weevil as the information processed. Weevil wasn't the top dog in the chain of command anymore, which meant that he had just wasted his time and lost the element of surprise. There was no question that Weevil would go running off to Noa as soon as Yami let go of him.

A squeak of surprise from behind Weevil made Yami shift the man to the side, spotting Rex. Yami threw Weevil to the side, only vaguely hearing the faint crack as Weevil's head came in contact with the metal of the wall. Then he was grabbing onto Rex's arm to keep the lackey from running. He jerked the arm behind Rex's back, putting pressure on it until he felt something give, one of his hands clamping over Rex's mouth to muffle the scream.

When he was sure that he had Rex's attention back, he leaned forward to whisper in Rex's ear. "Take me to where Noa is keeping Yugi and you may keep the use of your other arm." The lackey nodded miserably before trudging off, Yami keeping a tight hold of the arm behind Rex's back.

Rex led him into the passages that littered the ship, turning to head down into the places that Yami and Noa had closed off before they had opened the casino. Yami bit back a growl as they even passed the rooms where they stored the older games that they would try to refurbish, hoping to reuse parts instead of spending their meager profits.

Noa was endangering Yugi with his actions, all to make sure that nothing would happen to his little prize. And Yami couldn't forgive him for that. Noa would regret everything that he had done this night, Yami would make sure of that.

He had to adjust his grip on Rex's arm as he was led into the very base of the ship, staring in awe at the wreck that presented itself. His eyes skipped over the platforms and the dust, briefly looking at the water that rushed in and out of the hull with the pounding rain. This was more dangerous than he thought. He had to get Yugi out of here as soon as possible.

"There." Rex's weak voice broke his musings, drawing his attention to the cage that dangled just below them. Yami scowled as he saw Yugi curled up in the same blanket that he and Ryou had found him in. He shifted close to the edge, growling at the treatment of the younger teen. Rex wiggled, bringing his attention back to the captive he held. "I showed you where he was. Will you break my other arm?"

Yami spun his captive around, sneering at him as he forced Rex to back up to the edge of the platform they stood on. "No. I think I'll let you keep it. But you won't get the chance to go running back to your master."

He shoved Rex off the platform, leaning slightly forward to watch as the lackey fell. Rex screamed until he hit another platform three levels down, a snap barely heard, before he tumbled into the water. He never resurfaced. Yami smirked to himself before turning back to the cage.

"Yugi." He whispered the name as he crept toward the edge, ending up on his hands and knees leaning towards the swinging cage. Yugi groaned and rolled onto his other side, coughing as he did so. Yami bit his lower lip. "You are sick, aren't you?"

He grabbed the edge of the cage, using that to swing him inside. Yami tensed as his landing caused the cage to rock back and forth, the motion bringing the teen partially out of his sleep. Yugi propped himself up on an elbow, a haze covering the usually bright purple eyes. "Yami?"

Yami smiled and walked over to the crate, carefully scooping Yugi up into his arms. He relaxed when the younger teen snuggled closer to him, humming in contentment. Yami shifted his hold and looked back up at the top of the cage. "Don't fall asleep on me now. I need to get you out of here. And then, I'll take you to your home."

Yugi nodded against his chest, wrapping an arm around his neck. "Not mad anymore?"

"Of course not, aibou." Yami let himself lean down and kiss Yugi's forehead. The moment of peace was broken by a familiar chuckle coming from above.

"Isn't this just the sweetest thing?"

Read and review please. Criticism, as always, is much appreciated.