...I'm sorry for the delay. I wasn't happy with the first versions of this chapter, still aren't, but when am I not unsatisfied?

Today I want to thank all my readers, since I feel like I haven't done so in a very long time. So, thanks to all of you for still keeping up with my story and me :)

Deep worry, panic, fear, sorrow, anger, helplessness, confusion - Yuugi felt all of it and more. It was a wonder for him that such a load of emotions had room in him or that they weren't exhausting him, didn't deprived him of all his energy or made his head spin, weren't leading him to an emotional breakdown. Instead he was strangely focused and clear in his mind, not letting himself getting overwhelmed by his emotions.

His eyes traveled to Mokuba. Yuugi was impressed by the calmness the young teen showed, how collected he was after what he had witnessed. Kaiba would be proud of him. Kaiba. Yuugi felt his heart clenching. He instantly had known that something was wrong when a confused "Mokuba" was breathed out by Yami after he picked up his phone. The CEO never had said it but Yuugi was sure that he had wanted to keep his brother out of the crazy mess they're caught up in and not only because he still liked to pretend that this all was just a prank they pulled on him even though he knew better.

Everything has gone fast after that call. Yuugi couldn't even remember how they had arrived at Kaiba Corp., they just had been here. The next moment Mariku and Bakura had kicked out some doctors, saying that they were useless and Yami had summoned Mystical Elf to heal a badly wounded Kisara, the sight of her had been a shock and Yuugi still couldn't comprehend why this was necessary and he started to fear even more for his grandpa and that the old man was in the same kind of state. Maybe that fear was it that forced him to stay focused and not lose himself into despair.

After Kisara had regained her consciousness she had explained what happened from her point of view. Sadly she could describe her attacker as good as Mokuba could, which meant that she couldn't describe him at all. She hadn't even noticed the second intruder. Kisara still was weak and had to rest. Mana and Mahad were keeping her company, trying to cheer her up a bit if that was possible. She blamed herself for what happened even if no one else did.

And now Bakura, Mariku, Jonouchi and Honda were throwing a fit to reduce some anger while Mokuba spurred the employees to rescue the data they had gained over night in hopes that it would be helpful. They all were hoping this. Hoping for answers to clear their frustrating situation. Frustration, a new emotion he had to add to his list, but he knew that it was only partly his own. For once Yami's emotions leaked out of him like a waterfall, amplifying his. It really was a wonder that neither of their heads was exploding.

Yuugi looked up at his dark that stood next to him, half leaning against the wall and once again thinking deeply, slightly hitting his head in a steady rhythm against the hard surface without noticing.

The short teen frowned and let his hand slip between the immobile object and Yami's head. "You will get a headache."

Yami broke out of his pondering and gazed back at Yuugi with a sheepish smile. "You're right." He heaved a sigh. "I'm really out of it, aren't I?"

Yuugi shook his head and pulled his hand back. "We all are stressed out. Did you come up with anything?" He changed the topic, instantly getting the attention of Ryou and Malik who weren't far away and until now had observed their darks to step in if they should overdo their spat with Jonouchi and Honda. Not that they needed to do anything, Anzu was scolding those four more than enough, hopefully she wouldn't overdo it. Yuugi didn't know what the two psychos would do to her when they would get enough. Well, perhaps his friends were looking out for her safety.

The former Pharaoh closed his eyes. "Not really. I have my theory about the reason your grandpa... was chosen, but Kaiba's kidnapping makes no sense to me." Yuugi nodded, ignoring the pain in his heart and understanding what his dark was talking about. He had come to the same conclusion.

"Why doesn't it make sense?" Malik asked them curiously. Yuugi bit his lip and shared a glance with Yami. "What are you two keeping from us?" The blond now asked impatiently.

It was Yami who answered his gaze soft and his voice calming. "It is just my theory but I think this game is just about you hikaris and us yamis. Our friends are here to support us. I don't know what the gods have planned for us now but considering my theory to be true Kaiba shouldn't have been their victim." His eyes now hold some sadness and Yuugi could feel how hard the next words were for his dark. "I'm sorry for thinking this but I believe one of your beloved ones should have been their next victim."

Malik's and Ryou's eyes widened. The blond wanted to protest but Ryou hold him back, frowning a little. "He has a point." He let go of an annoyed breath and mumbled, "This whole thing reminds me more and more of one of my RPGs." This time it was him who received all the curious looks. He blushed furiously and raised his hands. "It's a stupid idea, forget about it."

"Forget what?" Bakura appeared out of nowhere right behind Ryou, who was the only one that wasn't startled.

"Ryou said that this whole thing starts to remind him of one of his RPGs," Malik answered him when Ryou wouldn't, keeping his dark literally an arm length away from him.

Ryou started to fidget with his hands. "It just popped into my head. Just forget it."

"No, that would be foolish of us." Yami looked thoughtful again and Yuugi mirrored his expression continuing where his dark had left off. "Your idea is good. Ryou, Bakura, what would you two do if you would be the masters of this RPG?"

"Simple, I would get rid of your little helpers first." He glared playfully at Yuugi. "I wouldn't make the mistake to underestimate them and your stupid bond again." The short teen sweat dropped, clearly remembering his duel with the thief in Atemu's tomb and the final battle against Zorc. He sure was happy that those times were over.

Ryou nodded but also rolled his eyes at his dark. "I also would hinder you to gain information in any way possible, feed you with false ones and I would force you to act blindly, so that you have to make a mistake." He looked a little troubled after finishing his thought.

Malik blinked and understanding dawned on him, "So, in other words you would do exactly what those gods are doing." He wasn't the only one who came to this conclusion.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Yuugi asked the two white heads.

Bakura snored. "We could either stay here and hope that whatever rich boy has found out is helpful for us, if that gnome can rescue the data, what I don't believe or we go out blindly and see what happens." It was obvious what he preferred.

"I'm for the later." Mariku smirked insanely. "It's better than standing around and doing nothing."

Yami massaged his temple. "I fear that truly would be the best course of action at this point. We have to take this risk. We can't waste more time. Let's find the others and talk to them."

Only now did Yuugi notice that their friends weren't with them, except for Mokuba, who still supervised the employees of Kaiba Corp. Panic rose in him. "Where are they?"

"That kid wanted to kick us out for making so much noise." Mariku answered at once with a scoff. "He sent that blond and his buddy to the kitchen. They left before we could even blink. That Anzu chick followed them."

Malik face palmed. "Those two, there truly is no room for anything besides food in their heads."

Mariku snored. "Did you believe in anything else? They clearly are mind slaves to the entities that disguise themselves as their stomachs." Yuugi giggled a little at that and wouldn't have thought that he still had this ability after all what had happened.

"Look there, the squirt is laughing at his own friends." Bakura teased as they walked out of the room.

Yuugi stuck out his tongue in a childish manner, surprising himself with the action, before saying, "I always believed that their stomachs would lead into another dimension but Mariku's idea isn't half bad either." That earned him chuckles from both psychos and smiles from the others. Yuugi had to admit, he liked the lightness of their mood, that it wasn't tense at all, although it had something surreal. But it was nice, this little normality in all this painful chaos. His good mood deflated greatly when his grandpa crossed his mind. Was it really alright for him to laugh when his grandpa was waiting for him? Counting on him?

They rounded a corner and the next moment Yuugi was planted on his ass, saw stars and rubbed his throbbing head.

"Sorry kid. Are you alright?" He heard a man ask in concern.

"I'm not a kid." Yuugi answered with a pout and could hear his dark sighing in relief before he helped him to his feet, steadying him and not letting go.

Yuugi directed his eyes ahead to see with what he had collided. Instantly his eyes found a person that was dressed like janitor. That was strange. It sure had felt like he had run into a wall out of steel.

"Are you really okay?" The man asked again. Somehow he reminded Yuugi of some sort of dog, a very scary and dangerous dog. After a moment he registered that he had to answer and so let his head sag into a nod.

The man looked them over and Yuugi felt like he was judging them with his watchful eyes. "Alright." After one last calculating look the stranger started to walk away. "You kids better should leave your eyes open."

"That man was..."

"..strange." Malik ended Ryou's sentence.

Yuugi had to agree with them. That man was strange and something had been off with him, but Yuugi couldn't pinpoint what. However he noticed Yami's gaze and also saw that the other two darks had the same expression. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Yami furrowed his brows. "I don't know, but I feel like I have seen that man somewhere."

"Yeah, that man looked familiar...somehow," Mariku agreed with the same kind of frown.

"What's that at your feet squirt?" Yuugi looked down after Bakura's sudden question and saw a piece of paper, wondering if the janitor had lost it when they had collided. Yami kneeled down before he could and picked the note up. The former Pharaoh scowled and Yuugi soon registered why.

"Papyrus." Malik stated in a strangled voice. All eyes instantly darted to the direction the man had left to. Bakura and Mariku looked like they wanted to follow the man.

"Don't." Yami spoke in that authoritative voice of his and the two darks stopped mid step. "I don't think that you would find him or that it would be a wise idea."

Yuugi also had the urge to run after the man but he trusted in Yami's instincts and so kept still, only moving his eyes between the three darks that stared intensely at each other. Eventually the two psychos gave in, nodding reluctantly, returning to the side of their hikaris.

"What is written on it?" Ryou gestured to the papyrus, a bit of fear but also hope in his voice. And all of them focused back on the note in the former Pharaoh's hand.

Yami cleared his throat and started reading out loud, "I don't like cheaters, so here is a little help: It was meant as a joke but it also holds the truth. Now they have three. Kaiba doesn't count. For each of you the start is elsewhere." He paused, which made Yuugi anxious. "P.S: You really should consider taking tea with you. It helps against the stress." They all looked as dumbfounded as Yami had sounded.

"Okay...are we taking this seriously or...?" Malik trailed off.

Mariku snored. "It's too suspicious. I bet it is another trap or a joke. We should ignore it."

Yuugi thought over the note, repeating every word. "I don't know. Something tells me that we can trust this message." It unnerved him that he had mistrusted those lines until the advice with the tea came up, though.

"Are you sure?" Ryou asked uncertain. "Couldn't it be here to mislead us?"

"I'm against trusting in some ominous note. Look where the last one got us." Bakura spoke up, his voice cold, eyes unyielding. "We only should trust in ourselves."

Yuugi bowed his head. Maybe his friends were right and he was a little suspicious of that note himself. He looked back up when he felt Yami laying a hand on his shoulder. His dark smiled down at him before turning his attention to the other four. "There is a simple way to find out if this is another prank." In contrary to his former smile his voice sounded grave.

"And what would that be your highness?" Bakura raised a brow.

"To look if someone we hold dear is missing." It was Malik that answered for Yami, a concerned expression on his face. "Has any one of you seen Ishizu?" His voice was full of dread. Yuugi's heart dropped. He hadn't seen her since they left the room Kisara was resting in. What if...?

"She got a call from the museum and left." Yami explained. "She didn't tell me what was wrong, though." Yuugi wasn't feeling relieved by those words. He had a very bad feeling.

Malik looked a little hurt. "And she told you and not me why exactly?" Yami had no quick answer for that. "Forget it. I can guess why. She probably didn't want to bother me with her problems."

"You have enough on your own plate." They all jumped slightly and turned towards Ishizu. Sometimes she reminded Yuugi of a ghost or something.

"Oh great, look who's back." Mariku said flatly. The two instantly glared poisonous at each other. Yuugi feared that it could become a real problem if they couldn't overcome their dislike for each other.

Malik shoved his dark to the side, which earned him a protesting sound, but Yuugi could see that he wasn't caring. Malik's eyes were fixed on his sister. "What's wrong?"

The woman's stoic expression faltered for a split second. "We best should sit down somewhere."

"Just spill it." Bakura barked. "We have no time for a big show."

"Bakura." Ryou scolded and pulled the thief back.

"I really th-"

"Ra dammit, woman, do we look like we have all day?" Mariku interrupted her angrily. "Stop the suspension and get to the point." Yuugi sighed. These interruptions weren't helpful.

Ishizu stared coldly back at him. "Very well, but you might want to support Malik and Ryou-kun." This time the two weren't arguing back and followed her advice for once. Ryou and Malik went pale and Yuugi could feel his heartbeat quickening. "Like you know I got a call earlier this day and went to the museum. Malik, Ryou-kun...I'm sorry but it is confirmed that Rishid and Bakura-san are missing."

Her statement was followed by an unbearable silence.

X

A groan escaped his lips. His whole body was hurting. It wasn't helping that he was resting on a bed that felt like it was made out of cold stone. No, let him rephrase that. It wasn't helpful that someone thought he could rest on a bed out of stone. And was that straw? If those two psychos had pulled a prank on him he would make them pay greatly.

"Don't move." A feminine voice hissed at him.

He forced his heavy eyes open to glare icily at the woman above him. He never had seen her. He supposed she could be described as beautiful by some men, but he never felt attracted to women that looked like a lioness, so he wouldn't describe her as such.

"Who are you?" He demanded and once again tried to stand up only to be pushed down by the woman.

"I'm finished." She said annoyed, ignoring him. How dare she? "He still shouldn't move for a while."

For a second Kaiba was confused but then he noticed the second stranger. It was a man, whose face was hidden in the shadows. "I don't plan for him to move." The man replied bored. And upon hearing that voice his last memory before waking up hit him full force.

"What-"

"Your brother and dragon? Maybe they live, maybe not. You'll find out eventually." The woman had the nerve to interrupt him before turning to her partner. "We can leave now."

Kaiba tried to protest but before he knew it the two disappeared in a flash. Great, more magic he had to deal with. He sad up and took in his surroundings. A cell looking like it came directly from the ancient past was the view that presented itself to him. "Just my luck." He growled and glared at everything he could make out.

"You know, even though your glare is impressive it won't free you." A new voice unnecessarily pointed out. The owner hiding in the shadows like that monster had minutes ago.

"And who are you?" Kaiba demanded, sounding a huge part more intimidating than he actually felt. He never had thought of himself as weak but slowly it dawned on him that he was weak in front of those people...those gods? Where had his nice normal and rational life disappeared to? And did he truly believe in all this shit?

"How are you feeling?" Would anyone be so nice and answer his questions for once? He wasn't used to so much disrespect. The man sighed. "Not so good I suppose."

"What do you want?" He felt like exploding.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're fine." The man answered dismissively. "I can't have you dead. At least not know. Well, my friend, I hope that you can enjoy your stay." And like the other two he just disappeared.

Seto slumped down against the wall. A million thoughts racing through his mind, most of them surrounding his brother and Kisara. "You better not lose this game Yuugi."

Someone shoot me...let's hope the next chapter gets better again.

I wish you all a great week!

P.S.: I try to update until Wednesday if there isn't one the next update will be a week from then.