You know at some point I started thinking about Atlantis, and realising how the Orichalcos arc tied into this fic in a way I hadn't imagined in the first place. I mean, people in a world associated with water, turning into monsters? Strange...

Ah well. Standard disclaimers apply.

"Thirty minutes the blink of an eye
Thirty minutes to alter our lives
Thirty minutes to make up my mind
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Thirty minutes to whisper your name
Thirty minutes to shoulder the blame
Thirty minutes of bliss, Thirty lies
Thirty minutes to finally decide."

- tATu, Thirty Minutes.

Chapter Fourteen.

Vienna. 03:00 am

'You pulled a real stunt back there, you know, Wheeler.' Kaiba says, and it's only now that Joey realises the two of them have fallen behind. Bakura, Yugi and Yami are basically leading the party now, guiding them through streets they've never even seen before, following the darkness towards the river. Téa and Mai are right behind them, sticking close together and apparently displaying this united sense of Girl Power or something , even if Mai keeps looking back at him to check where he is, the way she does when she's trying to be independent and dependable at the same time. Then there's Tristan, and then Kaiba. Who is walking alongside Joey. And showing no obvious signs of wanting to walk faster to get away from Joey.

This is, in itself, pretty damn weird. But given everything they've seen today, Joey supposes he's had stranger experiences. So he just keeps walking. 'Say what, Kaiba?'

'You refused to let us split up, and look what almost happened.' Kaiba snaps. 'If Yugi hadn't pulled that sudden burst of inexplicable power –which I still want an explanation for, by the way – out of god only knows where, then we'd all be dead by now. You do realise that, don't you?'

'Sure I realise that. Little hard not to realise when you've gotta giant mutant circus entertainer breathing down ya neck, Kaiba.'

'Then what was all that garbage about "Not splitting the party?" because "that's not the way it works in movies?" Kaiba snaps. 'For god's sakes, what do you think it is?'

'Uhh... Kaiba? Look around. We've got monsters crawling outta the waterworks, giant mutant pachyderms attacking in the streets, darkness, demons, the freakin' Shadow Realm on our doorsteps. This is about as close to a movie as it gets.'

'It's still a ridiculous comparison.'

'That's pretty rich coming from you. Our lives are ridiculous. Would'a figured you'd have a little faith in that by now, man.'

Yeah, Joey thinks. Because Seto Kaiba and Faith are totally words that belong together in the same sentence. Can't believe I'm even suggesting it...'

'Believe it or not, Wheeler, I am capable of having faith in things I can't see. I just don't tend to place that faith in the same clichés you find in children's television.'

'Oh, yeah? So says the guy who plays duel monsters for a living.'

'I run a company for a living. Duel monsters is a hobby.'

'Oh, right. Yeah, that totally makes all the difference.'

Kaiba doesn't have a back answer for that –another surprise. Guess he's just full of 'em today. There's silence for a few moments, except for the sound of their footsteps crunching against a gravel path. Joey looks around, and it slowly dawns on him that there much be people living back here, in the seemingly empty backstreets of Vienna. He can't believe they've come so far without seeing anymore of those monsterspeoplefreaks; maybe Jumbo has already scared them all off.

'...I knew you'd come after me.' Kaiba says.

Joey blinks at him. 'Say what?'

'Back at the airport when Mokuba's plane was coming down.' Kaiba says, calmly, kicking fallen debris out of his way as he walks. 'I knew. That's why I went out into the darkness. Not that I wouldn't have gone anyway. With Mokuba out there, I would've run into anything.' His fists clench tightly, and Joey, thinking of Serenity, can believe him. 'But I still know that if you hadn't followed, those monsters would've killed me seconds after I turned on the beam. But you did come, and you gave me the few extra seconds I needed to guide the plane in. I knew that you would.' He scowls slightly beneath the shadows. 'That enough "faith" for you?'

'…The hell, Kaiba?'

And all of a sudden it begins to make sense. Kaiba knew that Yugi wouldn't want him dead. Hell, Yugi wouldn't want anyone dead. And they all knew that Yugi wouldn't want it, too. Including Bakura…

Joey shook his head to clear his head a bit. 'You mean you knew we'd come to help ya out? On the middle of a runway filled with a bunch of crazy not-human freaks prepared to rip us to pieces? Seriously? You used us like some kinda auto-freaking-defensive shield? Because you knew we'd do what Yugi wanted? Man, that's not what the whole bond-that-can-defy-time-and-death-thing is supposed to be about'

'Look, I said it once, I'll say it again,' Kaiba says dryly. 'It might be a placebo effect, Joey, but your faith in one another... Yugi's need to protect people... it rubbed off on you and it works for you. I'm still alive, aren't I?'

'Joey pauses, scratching his head as his brain works its way from one end of the conversation to the other, slowly fitting the pieces into place, like a really strange millennium puzzle. 'Wait, wait, waaaait. So, are you tryin' to tell us that you... wanted our help? You? The high an' mighty Seto Kaiba, and you actually wanted us to help ya?'

'I knew damn well that I couldn't fight off fifty of those things at once if that's what you mean,' Kaiba snorts. 'Don 't read anything into it, Mutt. I've kept this up for going on eight years now. Why would I stop now, just because of one little European apocalypse?'

Ah. Mutt. There's the Kaiba they know and don't-really-love-butwill-put-up-with-because-he-keeps-on-lending-them-jets-and-stuff. Joey whistled through his teeth. 'Not even a thank you, eh? Kaiba you are one strange guy.'

'I refer you to your own "That's rich coming from you".'

They're having a conversation, Joey thinks. He's walking through the backstreets of Vienna with the CEO of Kaiba Corp (who, up until that moment, has refused to address him as anything other than "Mutt", "Wheeler", "idiot", or something else equally insulting), and they're having a conversation. Or as close to one as they've ever gotten without flinging insults, that is. And Joey's not sure which of them has changed enough in the last five years to allow such a conversation to take place... Maybe both of them.

They've grown up, he realises. And maybe, just maybe, they're slowly growing beyond the need to throw insults at one another.

'Uh... boys?'Mai snaps. 'As much as I hate to interrupt your little male bonding session...' (She brushes right other the hiss of annoyance on Kaiba's face). '...Would you mind bonding a little more quietly? We're trying to attract the servant of doom and apocalypse here.'

'As much as I hate to agree,' Kaiba mutters. 'You heard her, mutt – shut up and stop bugging me already.'

'Ahh, chill out already, Kaiba! Joey grins. You already know there ain't anything that can stop us when we're on a roll! Hilfe kommt!'

'Wheeler, you don't even know what that means. And even if you did your accent is terrible.'

Domino City Airport, 10:23 am

Her pumps have metal toecaps, and they're clattering against the marble floor of the airport lobby. Serenity tries not to think too much by focussing upon the sound they're making. Tap, tap, tap, tap. Just... keep it together until your brother gets back.

Oh. That rhymes.

Now Serenity knows she's losing it. Either that or she's had too much coffee and damn, she never could handle that stuff. She sits there in a plastic chair, feeling angry and afraid and totally, totally useless. Here she is, little Serenity all grown up, and still running around after her older brother.

It's kind of pathetic, really.

'Yes it is, isn't it But then, what else are little sisters for if not to annoy the oblivion out of you?' Bakura smirks, and Serenity jumps, her spine prickling.

'W-what?'

'You heard me. Here you are, sitting in some airport in the middle of nowhere, able to do absolutely nothing to help him, and yet you still insist on following him around,' Bakura smirks. 'Quite frankly, you're right – it is pathetic.'

Serenity swallows, eyes passing over the ring around his neck. 'Can you... I-I thought the millennium eye was the one which—'

'Oh it is. But it doesn't take a millennium item to read the expression on your face, little mouse girl.'

'Don't call me that.'

'What, mouse? I happen to think it rather suits you.' He's mocking her, leering in a way that would make Joey want to punch him if Joey were here...

But Joey isn't here right now, Serenity swallows hard. He isn't here. She'll have to be okay on her own for a while. And she can do that, she knows she can. Yami Bakura or no Yami Bakura.

Not that Duke isn't quite prepared to play Joey's substitute. 'Yami Bakura, leave it out already, he says. 'Serenity, just ignore him. He's playing games with you. He plays games with everyone. And he's frustrated too, because he has somebody he wants to reach as well,' his eyes narrow. 'Don't you, Yami Bakura?'

Yami Bakura grunts, leaning back in a plastic chair and continuing to glare at random passersby, seemingly just to bother them. 'You can't blame me. He'd be a lot safer if he just stuck around me in the first place instead of running off to that precious little university of his.'

'I wish I could be sure of that.' Duke says, dryly. 'But I don't really trust you within a mile of him anyway. I guess there's nothing we can do about it; you are the other half of Bakura's soul. We've known that ever since the battle in the ceremonial tomb.'

Bakura lets out a breath which sounds like a sigh, but probably isn't. 'Ah yes. The one the Little Yugi somehow managed to win, as I recall. But that wasn't enough for him, was it? Oh, no then the new King of Games chose to bend fate to his own liking as well, didn't he?'

Duke's fists clench. 'Take. That. Back.'

Oh, please.' Yami Bakura says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Like you can change the truth.'

Serenity shuffles, feeling like she's tuned in right in the middle of an episode of some long running television show and doesn't know the whole story. 'Duke...? What are you guys talking about?'

'It's nothing, Serenity,' Duke sighs, but Yami Bakura doesn't seem to agree.

'You surprise me, Duke. It isn't nothing at all. And I imagine this doesn't make much sense to you, does it, Serenity?' Yami Bakura grins. 'You weren't there. It was quite the interesting duel, that one. The King of Games usurped by his own soul partner, in his own game.' He chuckled quietly.

Tap tap tap tap. Don't lose your cool Serenity, he's just some freaky other worldly spirit. You've dealt with those a thousand times, right? 'I know all about the Ceremonial Duel. My brother told me when he got home from Egypt.'

'I'm sure he did. But nobody ever explained to you exactly how that battle ended, did they?'

'Because it doesn't matter,' Duke says, coldly. 'Yugi won, Yami lost. What more is there to say?'

'How about how much that win and that loss changed the balance of magic as we know it?' Yami Bakura snaps, and Serenity can feel the air growing colder all around them, a passenger passing nearby wraps his coat more tightly around himself and shivers. 'Unlike some people, I would've been quite happy with the Pharaoh's failure in that duel. You think I wanted to stay here, in this world of simpering fools and idiots? Even the shadow realm could hold no worse a punishment. '

'Oh, yeah. I totally believe you there,' Duke snorts. 'You'd have that place taken over within a week.'

'Ha. We may never know, Mortal. For so long as Yami is bound to the spirit of little Yugi, so too am I bound to Bakura Ryou. But no matter, back to my point: Little Yugi broke the rules, and you know it. He messed around with the Shadow Realm for his own selfish purposes, and this world has been paying for it ever since.'

'What... do you mean?' Serenity asks, not certain she really wants to know.

Yami Bakura looks at her; a long, sober, dangerous look. 'Because he wouldn't fulfil his side of the deal, of course. He won that duel, and was offered his prize. But he decided he would rather keep his curse instead. When he won that duel, little Yugi held the power of the universe in his hand for a few brief moments, and he used it in ways that should never be allowed. He used it to bring back the dead.'

Serenity shudders, suddenly very aware of the coldness of the plastic at her back and the warmth of Duke's hand against her shoulder. She finds herself hoping and hoping that he doesn't take his hand away again, because it feels like the only thing left the world with any warmth.

'Yami Bakura—!'

'Oh, shut up, Devlin, your constant whimpering is giving me a headache.' Yami Bakura growls. 'You see, my dear Mouse, because Yugi allowed for the Pharaoh's return he left a gap wide open in the realm of darkness. A gap which the shadow creatures and monsters beyond were all too happy to rise and fill. Haven't you noticed the number of missions your dear older brother has been going on lately? The number of worldwide crises? The many phone calls at strange hours of the night? It's because little Yugi and his Pharaoh keep needing them to save their worthless lives.'

He looks at Serenity, as if judging her reaction. Her foot keeps tap-tap-tapping against the airport floor. 'You know what this means, don't you? The walls between our world and the spirit world are weaker than ever. You can expect many more catastrophes of this sort in the coming years as the magical realms struggle to keep up with the problem. And all because one little boy couldn't bear to let a loved one go when it was time.' He grunts, seeming uanware of the look on Serenity and Duke's faces. 'I can only hope my own Surface isn't so damned clingy when my time comes, because if the pharaoh's absence from the afterlife has left such a gaping hole, then I can only imagine what kind of a void I'd create.' '

Serenity takes a moment, processing what Yami Bakura is saying. He stands up, brandishing his hands around the crowded, nervous, chaotic mess of the airport all around them, one plane after another vanishing from the scheduled arrivals and departures board as they were either cancelled, or lost somewhere in the mists surrounding Europe. 'I do hope he appreciates the chaos he's brought upon the world all for the sake of one long dead Pharaoh's life. Because the whole world may be suffering for it.

Serenity turns to look at Duke, but he doesn't say anything. There's a vaguely disturbed confusion settling across his features, and Serenity shivers as she settles back in her chair and tries to tell herself that Yami Bakura is wrong.

Vienna. 04:00 am

'So, that's it, huh?'

It isn't the most dramatic of introductions, but Joey basically has the right idea. Yami doesn't know whether to smile or scowl as he stares at the endless body of black water stretched out before them.

'Yes. The waters of the Undernile.'

'Undernile?' Yugi whispers.

'Well, more specifically it's the Under Danube, partner.' Yami explains. 'But it's a part of the same system so the difference is irrelevant.'

He lets go of Yugi's arm and steps closer to the riverside. There is but empty silence and the dark, purple and grey waters are flickering even in the absence of light. Now that they're here looking down into its depths, it's impossible to imagine that this destruction could've begun anywhere else. The answers click into place inside of his mind, like the pieces of a puzzle.

'Creepy, isn't it?' Téa swallows.

'Yeah, I'm pretty sure that isn't the same water they sell in fancy bottles at the convenience store back home,' Tristan whistles.

'Not anymore it's not.' Bakura mutters, lifting one hand, as if he might be able to touch the void with his fingertips. He glimpses at Yugi and the message passes soundlessly between them. 'Here then, Yugi?'

'Seems as good a place to start as any,' Yugi shrugs, seeming slightly embarrassed. 'Are you... feeling anything yet?'

Bakura swallows, drawing back his hand as if somebody has burned it. 'That depends on what you mean. I do feel extremely sick to my stomach right now.'

'Heh. Yeah, me too. But I'm not sure that has anything to do with what we're looking for. Try...' He pauses, creasing his forehead, and Bakura can't tell if it's because of pain, or confusion. Or maybe both. 'Try focussing through the water. Looking for where the shadows are coming from.'

'You make it sound easy.' Bakura frowns. 'But I'm not sure how to do that.'

'No, neither am I.' Yugi bites his lip, and Yami follows suite because this is yet another unanticipated dilemma. He hadn't been sure from the beginning whether or not Bakura and Yugi would really be able to trace the path of the darkness. He'd just been hoping, because that was how it had always worked when they encountered something dark and dangerous in the past. Now, however... he isn't so sure.

And this is not a good time for doubts.

'This is crazy,' Kaiba snaps. 'We made it all the way here and now what? You two are going to rely on your gut instincts to find the source?'

'If you have any better ideas, Kaiba, then I'd love to hear them,' Yami says dryly.

'How about this: we follow the same suggestion I made earlier. We split up. Divide into two parties and send Bakura with one group and Yugi with the other.'

'You can't seriously mean we have to search the whole damned river,' Tristan mutters. 'Even with two parties, man, that's miles of ground to cover, and we don't have any idea how many more of those monsters could be out there. Come on, we'll never make it. Aren't we on a time limit?'

'Well, a time limit which only applies provided that we can't reverse the changing process of the infected population, really.' Yugi says.

'Which we don't know,' Tristan answers. 'For all we know all of Europe could already be a lost cause already. Which means the faster we work the fewer people are gonna die in the end.'

'Uh, guys?'

Téa's nervous voice pulls them out of the debate, and they turn to see her standing at the edge of the river, leaning over the railing. 'I've... I think I've found something,' Téa squeaks. 'But I don't think it's what we were hoping for. You remember what we were saying about a zoo nearby?'

Joey whimpers. 'Oh, man, Téa tell me there are not mutant alligators in that water?'

'N-no,' Téa stammers. 'Not alligators. More like snakes, really. And ... and possibly piranhas. And people.'

Yami reacts, reaching out to drag Téa back away from the water's edge. That's when he sees it – the white shapes curdling in the water below. As he looks, the thrashing grows until the river seems as if it's boiling, twisted, broken limbs climbing over one another to reach the river bank.

Shadow creatures. Real ones, this time, not just people who had been polluted by the bad water. They're crawling about in the deep black waters, writhing in the shadows leaking up from deep within the Underdanube. And Téa is probably right about some of them coming from the zoo as well. He can imagine what must have happened when the shadow infection first began: the animals would have been affected first, their instincts dragged upon by the darkness deep within every living soul. He can imagine them breaking out of captivity, animal upon animal racing for the waters, drawn by some new, dark instinct inside of them. The monster that attacked them before had just been doing what Samantha and all the other freaks were doing... trying desperately to reach the light which both terrified, and called to it.

...Yami had always hated the idea of zoos, anyway.

'Well the good news is, I guess that now we know a little more about what happened to Atlantis,' Yugi swallows, not seeming to find this good news at all. 'I'm willing to bet this is just the same kind of magical incident.'

'I repeat my earlier plan to split up,' Kaiba interrupts. 'Now that they all know we're here anyway, it hardly makes a difference.'

'Right...' Yami murmurs, reaching back to clutch Yugi's arm, whether his other wants it or not. 'Yugi's with me.'

Kaiba smirks. 'Of course.'

'Téa and Tristan too.' Yami goes on, ignoring the smirk. 'Bakura, you take Mai and Joey. Kaiba...' he pauses. 'Go with whoever you prefer.'

Kaiba waits a moment before stepping slowly in Yami's direction. 'Done.'

'Very well.' Yami looks around at the confused and anxious faces. He looks at Yugi, with his eyes still bright and hopeful, in spite of everything... 'Then let's begin.'

'I repeat my earlier warning,' Tristan mutters. 'This is crazy.'

'But it's still the only plan we have,' Mai answers. 'and so far as plans go... I think it's as good as we're going to get guys. Now, Bakura, see if you can get those little magical, good-and-evil-sensing gifts of yours working properly, will you? And try not to blow us all to kingdom come while you do it?'

Vienna International Airport 12. 04:06 am

It's been pretty quiet at the Vienna International Airport since his brother left with the others.

Quiet. Not silent. Because the creatures haven't gone away entirely. They've just been... skulking out there on the runways. And for this long, Mokuba and Marcus had kept their distance, sticking to the middle of the airport and avoiding any windows.

This strategy had worked for a while... now, however, Mokuba can hear the scratching of inhuman fingers against the glass and stone of nearby walls, and there's no question about it: the monsters are drawing in again.

'Mister Kaiba!' Mokuba's head snaps up from the airport map he's been studying, to see Marcus returning from his latest scouting trip. 'I don't think it'll be long before those... things start drawing in, sir. They're moving across the runway now. I think some of them are entering the building.'

'Yeah. I guess we've only got as long as it takes them to work out that Yugi isn't here anymore,' Mokuba swallows. 'They don't have to worry about us burning them to a crisp. I think we have a little more time though. Keep watching.'

Marcus doesn't seem all that reassured by this information. Mokuba doesn't blame him; after all Marcus had basically put his life in the hands of a fifteen year old, and Mokuba knows fine well what happened to the last employee who did that... 'No. Don't think about him. Don't think about Daisuke, or Ai or Motoko. Don't think about the people you've gotten killed already.' Thinking about them won't help a bit, so he just studies the map closely, and makes a mental note to increase Marcus (does he even know his surname?)'s salary as soon as they get back home to Japan.

'I'm not sure we even have that long, sir. I... I'm pretty sure I was spotted coming back. They know we're no threat to them, and... well, I think we look pretty much like their next meal.'

'Thanks, Marcus, I'd realised,' Mokuba mutters. There are more of them in the building than Marcus realises. Mokuba can hear them rasping through the ceiling and scratching around the walls nearby. They're getting closer. 'Stay here where it's safe huh? Some logic you had there, big bro. Totally gonna bring this up when we get home.'

If we get home.

'It's been over an hour since they left. Think my brother's gotten to the bottom of this mystery yet?'

'No offence, but somehow I doubt it, sir.'

'Yeah, right.' Mokuba can't help but agree. He sighs deeply, a frightened sensation chilling his bones. He squashed it as quickly as he could. 'And even if they have, I'm not sure it'd help us. If we wanna get out of this one, Marcus, then we're gonna need some kinda miracle. Or more appropriately, we're gonna have to make a miracle for ourselves. Come on!'

Then he turns and races in the direction of what he's pretty sure used to be an arcade with the sound and shape of monsters looming in behind of him, and the reflection of their bright eyes shining everywhere he looks. Mokuba can't quite convince himself that this is the product of unwarranted paranoia.

The Danube River 04:18 am

What they need, Yami thinks, as they follow the sound of the river, is a miracle.

And normally that wouldn't be such a worry, because he's the other half of the King of Games. He hangs around with ancient spirits and handles world destroying artefacts on a daily basis. He's beaten Yami in a duel. He knows many wonderful, incredible, perfectly ordinary people who can broke into the shadow realm to rescue people from oblivion. He's three thousand years old and counting.

Impossible is their usual degree of difficulty. Miracles are their department.

But these are not their usual odds, and Yami has no idea what will happen even if they win. The difference could be between the whole continent, or the entire world. The difference between all of their friends dying and all of Europe living.

Don't worry. The voice echoes up inside of his mind like a warm blanket, and Yami doesn't have to turn and see Yugi to know what his expression will be.

There is much that Yami doesn't understand about his other self. He's walking on a shattered ankle; he's been thrown from two cars, and has had the pressure of the Shadow Realm eating at him for three days.

And yet he's the one telling Yami not to be afraid.

'I'm not worried. I'm with you.' Yami thinks back. It's a lie and Yugi knows it, but he seems grateful for Yami's faith, nonetheless. 'How're you doing?

'Ngh. Head hurts. And all this... focussing on the shadows isn't really helping.' He squints. 'Is it just me, or are there two of Tristan?'

Yugi's using close enough to a jocular tone for Yami not to panic. 'Ah, no, last I checked there was definitely only one of him. I think you're looking at Téa's back.'

'Oh. Oops. It's kinda hard to tell in this dark... And I think Tristan changed his hair.'

'No, he always looks like that, partner. He's looked like that for the last eight years, and short of one of us dragging him to a hair salon and strapping him down in a chair, I don't think it's going to change.'

'You realise we're not exactly in a position to be talking about anybody's hair, right, Yami?'

'Ah. Well played, Partner. You don't have a concussion, then. If you did I'm sure you couldn't come up with something so witty.'

Yugi winces. 'I think I'd prefer a concussion.'

'There, you see? I knew I'd get a confession of pain from you eventually.' Actually, he'd prefer it if Yugi just had a concussion as well. Concussion was so much easier to deal with tan the overwhelming pressure of the Shadow Realm. But saying this won't help, so he casts around for something more encouraging to say instead. 'Your tolerance is improving.'

'Mm… what?'

'There was a time you wouldn't have survived ten minutes in these conditions, Yugi. Remember duelling Pegasus?'

'Yes, though I'd rather not... I guess you're right. We've all gotten used to it.' A smile tweaked his lips, and Yami becomes aware of Yugi leaning on him, just a little more than he'd gladly admit to as they walk. 'I was doing really well until we crashed that second car.'

'You guys need to stop doing that.' Téa says, and Yugi starts so suddenly that he almost falls over. Yami only lets the concern show for half a second, but that's long enough for Yugi to notice it and push him away with a reassuring hand.

'Doing? Doing what?'

'Oh, come on, we've known you two for years now,' Tristan smiles. 'You don't think we know when you're gossiping with each other inside of your heads? There are signs, man.'

Yugi blinks. 'Hey... We do not gossip.'

'Nope. You just complain about us, don't you?' Téa says, with a mock drama she probably picked up in New York. 'It's my new outfit, isn't it? You don't think it's appropriate for a good Japanese girl to walk around in knee high books and stylishly worn-out jeans. I knew I sensed disapproval.'

Yugi giggles, and Yami finds himself smirking at Téa's eyes, glistening blue in the darkness. 'Oh no, Téa, I'm sure it's quite an appropriate fashion statement for the leader of a New York dance troupe. Which reminds me, did I mention that you're developing a very rudimentary New York accent?'

'Is that a compliment, or...?'

'I really wouldn't know, is it?' Yami says, innocently.

'Sheesh,' Tristan mutters. 'Yami's joking, now I know it's the end of the world.'

The jokes are weak and inappropriate, and this is completely the wrong time for humour anyhow, but they all know that already so Yami doesn't mention it. Besides, they're keeping their voices as low as they can to avoid attracting the attention of any shadow creatures (not that any of them seem to be gathered near the river, which is... odd, but understandable. The creatures that were once people are as terrified of the darkness within them as they are drawn to it. They probably don't have any idea what to do with themselves and so stalk the streets, confused and lost without their former identities.

Just like Samantha...

At any rate, Yami thinks, he's starting to get the feeling that joking around is the only thing keeping any of them sane. Well, except for Yami himself. The only think keeping Yami sane is—

' Yugi? Yugi!'

And just like that, Yugi isn't supporting his own weight anymore. It happens so quickly that Yami doens't even have time to notice the switch flicking inside of his brain, switching Yugi's signal from on to off. Yugi is slumping forwards onto his knees while Yami tries to support him. Yami reconsiders his thoughts about concussions, before realising that this reaction is probably more to do with the explosions of energy Yugi's been throwing about lately than it is to do with his head having collided with anything particularly hard.

'Yugi, are you alright?' Téa is asking.

'I knew it; he's down,' Tristan mutters. 'You can't go throwing that much magical energy around in the middle of a shadow game and not pay for it, man. Yugi, talk to us. How many fingers am I holding up?'

Yugi holds up a shaking hand, and Yami relaxes a bit as the signal returns, and strengthens as quickly as it had vanished. 'No, wait. N-nothing, it's nothing, just wait... Yugi takes a deep breath, gripping the cobbled stone beneath his fingers, listening with something that is very definitely not his ears. So technically, it's not really listening at all, but-

Yugi's eyes open, and they're shining with an all too familiar brightness. 'I think I sense something.'

'What? You think you're onto it?' Tristan looked around urgently. 'Yugi, do you sense the soruce.'

'I'm not sure, but there's definitely something over there. Just around the bend.' Yugi half crawled several feet to the side, and looked down through the bars. The whiteness of the shadow creatures blurs thick and fast against the surface. There are more here than there have ever been elsewhere. 'Look at that... they're everywhere.'

'Yeah, I think he's right,' Téa whispers, and now she's shivering as if she too can feel the blackness pressing down upon her soul as easily as Yami and Yugi can. They're close. Close enough to touch it.

'Yugi, listen.' Yami says, slowly, gathering his nerves. 'Just point it out for us. We'll call our friends and get Bakura to do this part.'

'No. Don't even think about it, Yami,' Yugi says. 'This one is ours.' He gestures with an arm, indicating that he wants to be lifted. 'Help me out here, so I get find my footing. And... and then you and Téa need to stay back, Tristan, I don't know if you could handle getting much closer to it.'

'Iiii'm not sure about this, Yugi,' Tristan mutters, biting his lip. 'You're kinda out of it.'

'Well I don't think Bakura would be in much better stead. What he gains in immediate health he loses due to a lack of direct contact.' Yugi says, and Yami knows he's right, he knows he is, but the tug between their souls feels stronger here than it has been since that day in the ceremonial chamber.

'Yugi—' he starts to say, and then...

Then Yugi just looks at him, and that look says everything that's ever been said before, and doesn't need to be said again. It tells Yami to trust him, and so he does. 'I... I started this, Yami,' Yugi says. 'So I'll finish it, too. Come on, let's go. We've got a continent to save.'