An update? Is this real? Yes, it is. :) I hadn't realized that it's been several months since I've given you an update. i hope ppl are still reading this!

Sorry...

Well: I enjoyed writing this, especially the first convo.

enjoy!

-TSA

Chapter 21:

It hadn't been very long since they'd left Chicago – it was only about five thirty in the morning. Mokuba was still asleep on the back seats, leaving Seto focused on flying and Gwen mulling over the silence. She'd dozed off a time or two, but was hoping at some point Seto might want to talk. He was still grumpy from Samantha's call, but she could also tell he had several things going on in his mind. This wasn't exactly the situation either of them wanted to be.

She glanced over the controls to the helicopter, finding the autopilot and clicking it on. Before Seto could yell at her for messing with things, she took one of his hands in hers and gave him a weary smile. His body finally relaxed for a moment and he slouched back in his seat.

"Do you want to talk about what's on your mind?" she asked.

He grumbled something incoherent before replying, "Not sure now's the right time…"

"It's not like we're going to have another moment." Gwen let go of his hand, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, "You seem upset."

Seto sighed, running his fingers through his hair a couple times, "What was your deal with that fruitcake?"

She should have known he was going to ask her about that. Of course, from the sour mood he was in from Samantha's call, she had to figure he was going through all the negative thoughts in his mind. It was just unfortunate to think that as soon as they had made up, they were on the verge of a potential argument. Looking out the window, she carefully answered, "I wanted to forget about you. When you called me 'Miss O'Malley' the day after, I felt used." A hollow laugh escaped her, "So, thinking this Amelda guy was genuine, I ran off with him. Turns out, he was using me to get to you…"

"I never meant for you to feel that way."

"Well…you did anyway." She bit her bottom lip, "I got this great idea about hollowing my heart. I learned from you that you have to be ruthless in business and in pleasure-"

"So that's how you got Lionel's company." Gwen's brow furrowed as she looked over at Seto's all-knowing smirk, "Samantha told me you had a real edge to you."

She shrugged, "How could you expect any less? Yeah, I seduced Lionel into turning over his company."

Seto laughed, "And how much did you enjoy that?"

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes, "All it took were a few drinks and caresses. Nothing too personal, if you get my drift."

"I'd call you a slut if I didn't know better."

"You just wish you'd been on the receiving end of my seduction."

Seto leaned toward her, giving her a wink while taking hold of her chin and pulling her face towards his, "I get jealous knowing you haven't let me see this side of you."

"Maybe when this bullshit is over, I can seduce you into turning your company over to me?" she chided.

"As if." Seto let her go, flipping the autopilot off to resume flying, "Though I'd definitely be game to see you try…"

Gwen couldn't help her laughter. How interesting a person Seto was turning out to be! She was starting to think she might enjoy herself in an actual relationship with him, "So, should I ask you about Samantha Crawford?"

He looked offended by her suggestion of it, "You've got to be kidding me if you think I was ever involved with her."

"Well?"

"No." Seto grinned, "She just loved prying into my life."

"Then explain why she was always in your office."

He grimaced a little at the thought of what to call her, "She's sort of…a friend…" He was glad he didn't hear Gwen giggle, "And I'm using that lightly."

"Only friend in the world, huh?" she teased.

He gave her a glare, but it only fueled her smile, "Where do you get off saying that?"

"You called me a slut."

"I said I'd call you that if I didn't know better."

"So, you're antisocial and I'm a social butterfly."

"Fuck buddies don't count."

She smacked him on the arm, deciding to pout while he laughed at her. Glad to know they could still take shots at each other…but it looked like he was always going to win… "Charming as always, Darling…"

"Pet names already?" He reached over and pinched her cheek, "Is this one of your seduction tactics?"

"Ya know what? I'm just gonna stick with calling you 'asshole'," she spat.

"I'm finding it hard to believe you whisked Lionel's company away from him."

"Aren't you supposed to be happy that you created me?" She gave him a wink, which he glowered at, "Just don't break my heart or I'll bring you to ruin."

"I'm starting to think I'd like to see you try."

Gwen glanced over her shoulder to assure Mokuba was still asleep and hadn't been listening to their ridiculous conversation. At almost six in the morning, she was surprised at the stirrings of desire in the pit of her stomach. All this talk of seduction made her want to prove Seto wrong. She'd love the opportunity to make him come undone by the small things she'd taught herself. He'd turn over his company without her asking. Not that she really wanted his company…

"Ya know…" She flipped the autopilot back on, one hand moving along his chest. Drawing his face over to hers, she licked her lips, "…if we weren't in this helicopter, I'd shut you up for good."

"Oh really?" He loved that challenge in her voice, "Don't temp me or I'll wake Mokuba to fly this thing so I can fuck you in the back seat."

"Sex on a helicopter? That'll be one for the bucket list." She laughed, despite that he was being serious in a demented way. She rolled her eyes, "Seriously? Your brother would practically be watching."

"You keep nagging at me about it."

"Are you that horny already? It's six in the morning."

"No!" He slapped her hand away when it fell against his thigh, "But some people like morning sex."

She lifted a brow, swearing that his face was a little red, "I'm beginning to think that you and I have a lot to figure out in our potential sex life."

He smirked, "I'm open to that discussion."

She couldn't help her burst of laughter, once again glancing over her shoulder to assure Mokuba was sound asleep, "Well then, what are your thoughts on foreplay?"

"Waste of time." He wrinkled his nose, "Would be less of a hassle if you would just get wet easier…"

"That's your fault for not turning me on fast enough."

He rolled his eyes, "And you?"

"I don't mind. Just not for a prolonged amount of time…"

"Fair enough…" He was silent for a moment, thinking about another question, "Bondage?"

"Only when it's you I get to tie to the head of the bed." She winked at him, musing on how red his face was, "A silk tie to keep your hands from being used. I think I could really enjoy that."

He didn't seem to like the idea of it, "No. Not happening."

"But you'd prefer to tie me up?"

"Depends if your being a pain in the ass…"

"Let's just say 'no' to the bondage." Gwen gave a shy smirk, feeling a tad embarrassed at her next suggestion, "Public sex?"

Now that sounded like fun...He glanced at her to notice that she wouldn't look at him, "I like a challenge."

Her face got even darker, "That might need to be on our list of things to do…"

"You dirty girl." He shook his head, hardly believing he was having this conversation with her. They only had sex once! Yet…they certainly were eager for the next time. Damn his hormones, "So…still against oral?"

"You can keep dreaming about me sucking your dick."

"Fine. Then we'll just say 'no' to oral completely."

She could see where he was going with that, but she wasn't going to buy it, "Fine."

Taking a moment to collect himself, he decided to get into more specifics, "How about positions?"

"Depends on my mood, I think." She giggled at her willingness to discuss this, "Gotta say the 'cowgirl' sounds like fun to me."

"You in control? Not sure how I feel about that…"

"You can't have all the fun."

"So is that a no to doggy-style?"

"I can see where that might happen." Her face had finally recovered and she wasn't blushing so dark anymore, "Standing, sitting, spooning…I think there are definitely options. My only concern is where."

"The shower, for sure." He gave that another thought, "Hot tub?"

"Sounds to me you like this water idea." Well, she had to admit that sounded amazing, "The floor, the wall-"She gave him a curious glare when she saw he had his eyes closed and seemed to be smirking, "What the hell are you thinking about?"

"You sure you want to know?" he hummed.

"I figure it'll save me the surprise of finding out later…"

He gave her a sidelong glance, "I was just imagining you bent over my desk as I take you from-"

"Are we there yet?"

Gwen and Seto both froze up, faces the darkest shades of red while Mokuba sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. They both cleared their throats, Seto switching back autopilot in an attempt to distract himself from the ridiculous conversation he was just having. The worst part was both of them were hot and bothered, and coming down from the high was a little difficult. But it seemed that Seto recovered first.

"We've got at least another hour, Mokuba."

Mokuba nodded his head and lay down across the seats, preparing to doze off again.

Gwen and Seto exchanged a glance, laughing lightly, though still embarrassed about their conversation.

"Well, I think we both can be thankful for Mokuba waking up…" Gwen muttered.

Seto was back to being tense, acting as though he hadn't heard her, "It would be better to focus on what's going on…"

"Uh huh…" She sighed while resuming staring out the window, "I hope Samantha's safe."

"I think whoever the sniper was in her mansion is working with her." And he had a hunch who that sniper was, "I'm sure he's keeping her safe."

Gwen chose to stop talking, figuring it was useless when his temper had risen again. He was so moody… Eyes watching the clouds rolls by, she tried to find a shred of hope in their current situation. Samantha's house staff had been murdered, Amelda was after Seto for revenge, and whoever this Dartz guy was, he certainly wanted her dead… And all of it was making her wish she had Niall with her. He'd know what to say to comfort for her, and just his presence would make her feel safe. But there was no trace of him after he left.

Niall had never told her much about his past or his life in general. He always seemed preoccupied with her because of how often he was involved with her day to day activities. She was beginning to regret that she never asked him more about his home in Ireland or about his family or how he came to America. She just accepted him as her bodyguard. What if he was in danger somewhere? Though she couldn't think of any trouble he'd have gotten himself in, it didn't make her feel any better.

Landing on a helicopter platform at the top of Industrial Illusions, Gwen stood from her seat and walked over to Mokuba to give him a little nudge. With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she hopped out of the helicopter, glad to be back on the ground, and looked around the rooftop in hopes to see Samantha somewhere. When Seto walked up beside her, she felt him taking her hand in his, a gesture that made her smile, especially when he brought her hand to his lips.

"Nothing's going to happen to you," he whispered.

She bowed her head, "I know…"

"As long as you're with me, no one will hurt you." He reached into his pocket, pulling his deck out to show her the top card – The Fang of Critias, "Guess I should put some faith in him…"

"Nautia did…"

Nodding her head, Gwen made towards the door that slid open to reveal a composed Samantha Crawford, looking as stylish as usual with a velvet red butterfly blouse, black skinny jeans, oxford styled bootie heels and a fisherman's cap to top it off. Definitely a more bohemian look…

"Glad you could make it." The edge in Samantha's voice wasn't present, "I realize the time difference won't be treating you too well, but there's been a lot going on since you've arrived…"

They followed after her as she gestured for them to walk inside, leading them down a stairway before stopping at an elevator. Samantha swiped a keycard attached to her belt and they all stepped in to be brought down to a lower level.

"Are you still in danger?" Gwen gingerly asked.

Samantha sighed, "Two men and a woman broke in here. I found them lurking around not too long ago. Fortunately, they are preoccupied with a fellow I'm sure Seto is familiar with."

"Is your company okay?" Seto replied.

"Depends…This Paradius company is still trying to buy out Industrial Illusions." Samantha shook her head, "I think your company is in more danger than you think."

"I don't see a purpose in buying me out."

"I'm not the mastermind here, so your guess is as good as mine."

The elevator stopped, Gwen tagging along behind Seto into the lobby of Industrial Illusions. They all suddenly halted at the sight of several other people their age who were assembled around a boy kneeling on the ground. The one fellow looked familiar, especially those violet eyes, and when the blonde on his knees looked their way, she froze. Those two were so familiar…so like in image to Timaeus and Hermos. Did they too possess a card?

"What are you doing here, Kaiba?"

Gwen pushed her way between Seto and Samantha, nearly tripping as she walked over to where Jonouchi was kneeling. She took his arm and brought him to his feet, noticing that he was holding a card in his hand that bore a likeness to Seto's. Everyone was watching her with wide eyes, having forgotten the statement the Anzu had asked.

"Is that card Hermos?" she asked.

The blonde blushed a little, "Uh…yeah…"

Once she was sure he was standing, she turned to face the boy with violet eyes, "Do you possess Timaeus?"

"Yes," he replied.

Walking over to Seto, she jammed her hand in his pocket, digging out his deck to take Critias into her hand, "I think I understand…"

Seto was trying not to yell at her for her embarrassing behavior, but the chance passed him as Gwen's eyes closed shut and she collapsed. He made the diving catch, cradling her in his arms as she fell silent and unmoving. She certainly knew how to make an entrance… He brushed her hair from her eyes, holding her as he patiently waited for the lapse to pass.

"What the fuck just happened?" Jonouchi muttered.

"Shut up." Seto glared at him, "This happens a lot…"

Samantha knelt beside him, taking Gwen's hand and pressing her fingers against her wrist to check her pulse, "One of these days I swear she's gonna stop breathing…"

Well, this was certainly not like all her other visions. She was herself as far as she could tell. Still had her jeans on and black tank-top, but that didn't mean she wasn't about to be thrown into another strange situation. Wandering around the tiled floors of the high ceiling chamber she found herself in, she came across three circle platforms where remnants of ice were still melting. As she stepped closer, a bright light appeared. She braced herself, afraid it would transport her somewhere, but it slowly faded away to reveal a woman half encased in ice.

"Nautia?" Gwen muttered.

Those eyes…grey with a white section of them at the top of the iris…

"We haven't been formally introduced, have we?" Nautia smiled, despite her apparent discomfort from being sheathed from the waist down in ice, "I'd come closer, but I'm a little stuck."

Gwen walked over to her, "Is there a way I can get you out?"

"Unfortunately, not." Nautia still smiled, "The key to my release was taken from you."

"Who has it?"

"Don't worry. It's not in the wrong person's hands."

"So, if I have the key, I can get you out?"

Nautia grimaced, "Unfortunately, no. There's a nasty spell on me." When Gwen lifted a brow in confusion, Nautia continued, "Upon my death, Dartz cursed my soul to be doomed to the netherworld between the afterlife and eternal nothingness. I can only be released by a blood tribute-"

"Blood tribute?" Gwen murmured.

"If there is someone connected to my soul, then their death would release me."

"So my death?"

"You're not the only one who is connected to my soul."

"Who is the other one?" Gwen was worried that it would be Seto…

"The one who carries an orichalcos stone that hasn't been corrupted…" Nautia's smile had faded, "The stone was entrusted him without any knowledge of me. The stone was mine before death that I hid. It was to only resurface when a savior presented itself."

"Is it someone I know…?" Gwen whispered.

"Yes." Nautia sighed, "He agreed to the task when I manifested myself to him in a dream. He was to seek out my reincarnate and serve as her guardian."

Gwen choked on her breath, covering her mouth in horror. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she furiously shook them away. It all made sense now…Why he had to leave…She hugged herself, gathering courage from the memory of his embraces, "Niall…"

"I never meant to cause you pain." Nautia reached out to her, touching her cheek, "But by releasing me, Dartz can be stopped."

"But why?!" Gwen couldn't help the tears in her eyes, furiously wiping them away with the back of her hand, "Why would he do this…?"

Nautia smiled again, "Why do you think? Because he loves you dearly…"

Gwen wished that had made her feel better. Instead, she felt guilty, "Will I get to say goodbye?"

"I hope so."

The bright light appeared again, but Gwen was denied any further questions as she was hurled back into her body-

Gwen jolted upright, clutching her shirt while panting heavily. She looked at Seto, who was still holding her, and saw her own tear stained face reflected in his eyes. Without a word, she threw her arms around him, forcing back her tears while she buried her face in his shoulder. Feeling Seto's chest rise and fall in a sigh as he held her tighter, shushing her and whispering as many comforting things as he could, she tried to stop crying. Despite not knowing what caused this, Seto found himself with an ache in his heart to stop her tears.

"What's wrong, Gwen?" Mokuba asked, touching her shoulder.

Gwen finally lifted her head, wiping at her eyes again, "It's Niall…"

Samantha froze at the name, shaking her head, "He's safe, Gwen."

"But he won't be!" Gwen shouted.

Seto took Gwen by the shoulders, giving her a slight shake, "What's going on?"

"Niall's going to free Nautia." Gwen paused a moment as more tears formed in her eyes. Anzu walked over to her and offered her a handkerchief, which Gwen took gratefully, "He has to give his life to release the curse put on her."

Seto sighed, holding her once again as she broke into sobs. There wasn't anything he could say to make this situation better. Everything was starting to make sense. That's why Niall had needed Seto to take care of Gwen. It just wasn't fair to have not told Gwen anything. If protecting her was his aim, he'd only succeeded in hurting her at the same time.

"Gwen…" Hearing her name made her sobs turn to hiccups as she tried to compose herself, "If saving Niall is what you want, then we need to destroy Dartz before he tries to."

Gwen nodded, slowly rising to her feet with Seto still holding her. She dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief, taking in several deep breaths to compose herself. She managed a smile when Seto wiped away the final tear away with his hand. If there was something she could be thankful for, it was his refusal to behave any differently towards her when people were watching.

"Um, Kaiba…You have a girlfriend?" Jonouchi asked.

Anzu smacked him on the arm, "Don't be rude, Jonouchi!"

"Pardon my crying…" Gwen held her hand out to Yugi, smiling as best she could, "I'm Gweneth O'Malley, CEO of O'Malley Financial Corporation." She gave Jonouchi a glare, "Not that I expect you to know what that is…"

"Yep…definitely Kaiba's girlfriend…" Honda muttered.

Samantha clicked her tongue impatiently, earning everyone's attention. She paced around the lobby for a moment, "Let's cut to chase, why don't we?" Her typical articulation had returned, "My father's soul has been taken by that orichalcos card. Seto's faced it before, as I'm sure you two have, Yugi and Jonouchi." She put her hands on her hips, still putting things together in her head, "Now, if any of you have an idea what's going on, now would be the time to say something."

Seto rolled his eyes, "Someone is trying to take over my company as well as yours, Samantha. Let's be honest, the idea of destroying the world seems a bit farfetched."

"Then explain why people are losing their souls," Jonouchi grumbled.

"My father's game has turned into one giant shadow game…" Samantha glanced at Yugi, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Yugi nodded, "It's not any different than Battle City."

"But everyone woke up from their comas-"

Seto was cut off by Samantha, "So it's a similar concept. We need to defeat whoever is holding all these souls."

Gwen's brow furrowed, "There's a god I remember from one of Nautia's memories." Everyone's eyes on her made her blush, "It's called the Orichalcos God…I guess you could say it's the essence of evil."

"Orichalcos God…" Samantha grinned, "According to Plato when he wrote about Atlantis, it suddenly vanished in one night. Supposing we're following Greek mythology, we can say that Neptune sunk it. But! If we're thinking about Nautia and this Dartz fellow…I bet this Orichalcos God resembles some kind of leviathan, like mentioned in the bible, since it's associated with the devil, i.e. the essence of evil. If that's the case, then that monster was set on Atlantis and whatever powers were fighting against it, only succeeded in weakening it, thus the city sank…"

Gwen lifted a brow, "I'd love to know how your mind works…"

Samantha grinned, "If that's the case, I bet this god is about to be revived."

"Well, you're probably not wrong." Gwen began pacing as well, trying to remember all the details of Nautia's life that she had been shown, "Critias told Nautia that Dartz was worshipping this god. But how did he manifest it?"

"That I don't know." Samantha laughed a little, noticing all the strange stares sent her way, "Well, do any of you have thoughts on this?"

Yugi shrugged, taking a card out of his pocket, "Your father didn't give us many details when he told me to come here. But he left me this."

Samantha examined the card, "Well, can't say my father clued me in on this…"

Ryuji stepped forward, blushing as Samantha looked up at him, "There was one door that wouldn't open when I cracked the security system."

"Then lead the way," she replied.

Ryuji stood there a moment, "Uh…you wouldn't happen to know who I am, would you?"

Samantha giggled, "Why of course, Silly. You pitched the idea of Dungeon Dice Monsters to my father."

"Oh!" He was blushing darker, "Yeah…He seemed to enjoy the game…" He grinned, "Well, I just wanted to say it's nice to meet the head of the dueling industry-!"

"She's not ahead of me!" Seto bellowed.

Samantha started laughing, "Suck on that, Kaiba!"

Before the two of them could go at each other, Gwen took Seto's arm and dragged him to follow Ryuji, who was enjoying his conversation with Samantha. There was an awkward silence when they finally came to the door that required key card access. Samantha took the card from Yugi, swiping it as she was used to with all the security of Industrial Illusions. But no one dared enter the room since it was completely dark. Gwen gave Seto a glance before pushing her way past everyone and stepping inside.

"Wait, Gwen!" Mokuba wailed, tripping behind her before taking her hand to walk beside her.

Seto sighed before following her, which prompted the others to walk in as well. The lights turned on slowly to reveal a room full of giant decorations the resembled Pegasus' most treasured Toon Monsters. Eerie as it was, there wasn't much time to ogle. A hologram appeared, revealing Pegasus' image.

"Yugi, I hope it's you who found this." The image began, leaving everyone in silence to hear what else he said, "If this hologram is playing, then that means I was unable to fend off the men after my soul. This all began so suddenly when a company called Paradius was trying to buy out Industrial Illusions. The man's name is Dartz, and he possesses a dangerous power unlike anything I've ever seen."

Yugi's brow furrowed, "Who's Dartz?"

"He's the King of Atlantis." Gwen wasn't sure anyone had heard her, but the disbelieving glances sent her way made her face turn red, "What? It's true…"

Samantha chuckled, "Oh, don't all act like you haven't heard crazy shit before."

The hologram continued to speak, as if having expected that conversation to develop, "You're all in danger. Dartz plans to use duel monsters as a way to steal souls for his Orichalcos God, which can destroy the world as it once destroyed his home."

Gwen grinned, "I know now where you get your thought process, Samantha."

"I'm my daddy's girl."

"After Duelist Kingdom I took leave from my company and researched the origins of Duel Monsters. It turns out that there was once a society where these monsters were real in a time even before the pyramids." The hologram's face looked distraught, "You must not let this monster rise or we will no longer exist. I have hidden a card in this room that I specifically designed for your use, Yugi."

The hologram turned off, leaving everyone in silence.

Gwen cleared her throat while pacing around the room, "Well, I guess we should start looking…"

Samantha hummed to herself while strolling past everyone toward a giant replica of Pot of Greed. Reaching into it, she pulled a card out and handed it over to Yugi. She laughed, "Problem solved!"

"It's blank," Yugi muttered.

"My father does have a knack for games…" Samantha grinned, "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll come in handy later."

"I can't believe this!" Jonouchi wailed, "How could some guy who's supposed to be dead be trying to destroy the world?!"

Gwen glanced over at Seto, who looked incredibly irritated, "Well, you losers are on your own. I've got my own agenda…"

As he turned to leave, Yugi called out to him, "Wait, Kaiba!"

"What for? I have no business working with the likes of you."

Yugi drew a card out of his deck, holding it up, "You have one of these cards, don't you?"

Gwen ran up to Seto, handing "The Fang of Critias" to him, "Yes…he does."

Seto wrinkled his nose, "So what?"

"This Orichalcos God is going to be more than any of us can handle alone." Yugi paused as a light began to shine from the three cards, prompting Jonouchi to take his out of his jacket pocket. They waited to see what would happen to Gwen, but she was still on her feet, "Trust that it's only right to join us."

Gwen gave Seto a nudge, "Nautia trusted Timaeus and Hermos as well as Critias…"

"If Critias had been smart he wouldn't have dealt with such idiots." Seto shook his head, "You should know this by now, Yugi, but I don't play well with others."

"Be reasonable, Kaiba. We need to work as a team-"

"No." Seto turned on his heel, Gwen trailing behind him with Mokuba, "Unlike you losers, I have a company to run."

Once out of sight from everyone else, Gwen took hold of Seto's arm to stop him. Looking up at him, she was at a loss for words since his expression was still irritated, "Are you going to help me find Niall?"

"My first priority is to keep you safe," he replied, hoping that was a good enough answer.

"But Niall might die..."

"How do you suppose we find him?"

"I don't know." Gwen bowed her head until Seto lifted her chin up.

"I won't lose you again, Gwen." He kissed her forehead, "I can't make the mistake of letting you get hurt."

"That was always Niall's job," she muttered.

"Niall asked me to take care of you." Seto grinned a little, "As a matter of fact, he basically said he'd kill me if I failed."

That made Gwen chuckle a little, "That sounds like Niall…"

. . . .

He watched as Seto and Gwen left the lobby, though Samantha Crawford joined them to allow them access to the elevator to bring them back to the roof. Perched in the shadows of the upper level, Niall was cleaning off his sniper rifle. The suppressor was glistening like onyx as he reattached it to the barrel. It clicked into place, a sound that pierced the silence. He'd refrained from shooting the intruders that broke into Industrial Illusions, not wanting to give away that he was in pursuit of them. He also had a deal with Raphael…

Leaning back against the wall, he pulled the necklace around his neck from out of his turtleneck. He examined the glistening green stone, watching as Nautia's eyes appeared and stared back at him. He'd need to act fast if he expected to save Gwen. She'd be in danger is Nautia wasn't released and he couldn't afford to let his soul be taken by the Orichalcos God. Dartz had power beyond his imagination, and he was praying that The Legendary Dragons had been entrusted to the right people.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the message that flashed on the screen. Reading it quickly, he committed to memory the location he was asked to arrive at within three days' time. It wouldn't be too difficult to reach, but he was more concerned with his Little Miss being able to track him. Seto Kaiba was brilliant, not that he often wanted to admit that…

He turned his phone off, listening to the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. Nodding his head to Samantha Crawford, he rose to his feet, "Will you be safe if I leave?"

"I'll be traveling around a bit with people, so I should be fine." She crossed her arms over her chest, "You knew about Nautia all along?"

"Yes."

"And you're just going to die?"

"Yes."

"What about Gwen?"

Niall smiled sadly, "She was never meant to be mine. I've accepted that Sir Kaiba is to watch over her now."

"It's a shame you're resorting to this…" Samantha smirked, "I'd hate to lose such an attractive companion."

Niall took her hand and kissed it, "The feeling is mutual."

please don't be angry...i know most of you love Niall...but this was my plan all along! SORRY!

anyway: please review so that I have an idea if this is being read by anyone. I'd hate for it to be discontinued...

-TSA