Disclaimer: so, no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, in case anyone was confused.

Author's note: I know I said I'd do two updates last time, and (hoping you would have forgotten) I didn't. I've been super busy lately :P anyway… sorry again… here we go.

Thanks/responses/whatever:

Reviewers: princess atemma(x2), fan person, me, The Trio of Twilight, fanficfan (thanks!), Khemet- Egyptian vampire,

Princess atemma: I'm getting to that X) if you've been paying attention, you have noticed that Mahad had a gold ring on his left ring-finger… as for Seto and Kisara, obviously they'll be married before long. Also, meaning of the Return of the Pharaoh—basically it's his return to saving the world and the World of the Living…

Fan person: hahah 'the pharaoh has his ways.' It's true! It's true.

Me: Many people have wanted to strangle me X) (including my sister) it's nothing new!

The Trio of Twilight: thank you! :D I'm working on a few other ideas for Yugioh stories, actually—been nursing some thoughts. Crossovers. One-shots. Boredom Games 2. You know. This story won't be the last of me!

Khemet- Egyptian vampire: Oh, I hate that :/ I'll check it out and see what I can do to help.

And last but not least, thanks to Amara Nyx for adding this to story alert subscription! That's it. Let's move on, shall we?

The Plan

Mana's eyes snapped open.

Something was wrong, she was sure of it.

She sat up ramrod straight and examined the room. Both Mahad and Atem were gone. Their day clothes remained in the same place they had been the night before. Mahad's bedcovers were askew, nearly thrown off the bed. Atem's dragged on the floor, as if he had fallen or been pulled from them.

Alarm bells rang in her head. Where were they?

As her hearing reasserted itself, she heard someone outside the door, running around the house. Her wand materialized in her hand, but before she could do anything someone burst into the room in a flurry of panic.

"Mahad?" she questioned, her voice pitching. He looked wild. His gray eyes showed nothing but dread. His hair was unruly and he wasn't even wearing a shirt—only his night trousers. His chest rose up and down heavily and he was shaking.

"He's gone," he croaked.

Mana's breathing came shallowly, fearing the worst. "Who's gone?"

"The Pharaoh," choked Mahad, "They took him."

Mana's resolve snapped. She jumped from the bed in horror, "Who took him? Mahad, who took him?"

Mahad shook his head, "I-I do not know. Hamon, by the looks of it. Who else would take him?"

Mana began shaking like Mahad was. She tried to stop it, closing her eyes. Atem was gone. They had taken him. "No," she muttered, "He can't…"

Mahad closed his eyes angrily, "He is. I checked the entire house and beyond for the last hour."

"Then we've got to find him!" she cried, "Where are the others?"

"Still asleep," he said, eyes still closed, "I think we were drugged. If I had not been…" he growled angrily, leaving the sentence unfinished and pounding his fist on the wall, where it left an imprint. "If I had only heard him, I could have helped him. Saved him. I have failed my King."

Mana had never seen Mahad like this. He was almost broken.

His gray eyes flashed open, and when he looked up, they were as steel. Hard and determined. "I must find him. It is my duty. He is my King and friend and I…" he snarled angrily again, "I pledged my loyalty to him! I must find him."

"We'll find him," Mana said, shaking, "We have to. Why didn't they take us, too?"

"The Pharaoh," Mahad said, glaring at his fist, "He must have made a deal with them."

Mana's aquamarine eyes slid closed. It was definitely like Atem to do that. He would do anything for their safety: hers, Mahad's, Yugi's, Tea's, Tristan's, Joey's, Ryou's… he would give himself up for them.

"We must wake the others," Mana said quietly, "We have to find him."

Mahad didn't need telling twice. He turned on his heel and marched down the hall to wake the others.

Alone now, Mana sank to the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs in a fetal position. The tears she had held in now flowed freely, and a small sob escaped her lips. Hastily, as she heard the others waking, she wiped the tears away, pushing herself back to her feet. It was time to save Atem.

When Yugi heard the news, he almost fell over.

Yugi's insides dropped. "What do you mean, he's gone?"

Mahad's eyes were hard as he responded: "Hamon took him. Now we must find him." He exited the room at a brisk march. It was obvious he was upset. Yugi quickly followed, barely hearing the panicked babble of his friends as they too heard the awful news.

Not Atem. He always had all the awful things happening to him.

Yugi.

Yugi stopped, eyes wide. ATEM! Where are you? Are you alright? Did Hamon take you? Are you hurt? Ra, I'm just glad that our mind link still works!

Yugi! Calm down. Yes, relax, I'm alright. Hamon tried to take all of us last night. I bargained with him after I threw my cartouche in to the Afterlife so that he couldn't take it. I told him that if he took me and left you, I would tell him where it was.

Atem! Why did you do that? Did you tell him?

It was the only way, Yugi. I couldn't let him take all of us. No, I haven't told him yet. I managed to convince him to let me show him where it is instead. This way I have a way back to it, but I'm going to need your help to escape. I can get off on my own just fine now, but I need my cartouche so I'm going with him. When we enter the Afterlife in an hour, there will be more soldiers guarding me. I won't be able to escape anymore, which means I'm going to need you, Mana, and Mahad to find me. Bring the others if they want to come, since they probably will. Mahad will need to time this right. Get the others attention and I'll relay the instructions.

You got it. Are you okay, Atem? Really?

Yes, Yugi, I'm fine.

Promise?

Promise. Other than the occasional dirty look and a prod or two with their sticks, I'm pretty much left alone.

Good. I mean, the prodding must be annoying but…never mind. Just a sec.

Yugi ran after Mahad and the others, calling, "Guys! The mind-link!"

They spun around at the stairs, and Mana's head popped out of the room. "Can you contact him?" she asked quickly.

Yugi nodded, "He's waiting for me to tell you his plans right now."

"Go on, Yugi," Mahad urged. They waited with rapt attention.

Ready, Atem.

The portal opens in an hour. It will remain open for ten minutes. It will open in the sewers, in a remote area. I'm leaving a torn piece of my kilt near it so Mahad can still find it. He'll know what to do from there. One hour, Yugi. After that it becomes unstable and the connection breaks.

Yugi told them, and Mahad frowned. "A portal? Do they have his key? The key's portals are stable."

"No," Yugi said, "Atem threw it into a portal before Hamon could take it, and that's how he managed to get us off the hook. He told Hamon that he would tell him where the key was if he left us and took him. Now Atem convinced him to let him show him where the key is instead. Hamon's sorcerer made him a key of his own, but it's unstable."

"How did he manage to convince him?" Joey wondered, scratching his chin.

Yugi asked. "Hey says that he reminded Hamon that he didn't know if we were safe."

"And that convinced him?" Tristan asked, "The Pharaoh is one smart guy."

"Why is he showing them?" Tea wondered.

"Atem needs his cartouche," Mana said, eyes far away, "Without it he would return to the Afterlife or burn up. This way, he not only has a way to his cartouche, but he can keep an eye on Hamon."

Mahad nodded, watching his old apprentice carefully. "Yes, the Pharaoh's plan is good. Now we must do our part."

"How were we drugged?" Joey frowned, "Mahad said we were drugged."

"That's my fault," interrupted Ryou guiltily, who until now had been silent. "Bakura took control and drugged the drinks. I passed out after he left. I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Yugi said reassuringly. Of course it had been Bakura—poor Ryou. "Don't worry about it. We'll get Bakura back for this."

Ryou remained silent. Yugi closed his eyes, listening to Atem. He nodded. "Atem says we have to move fast. We don't have a lot of time."

Mana looked at Yugi with pleading eyes. "Is he okay?"

Yugi nodded with a smile, "Atem is fine, Mana. He promised me himself. He says not to worry about him, and he'll see you soon."

Mana nodded, closing her eyes in relief. They all hurried downstairs, gathering snacks and talking quietly. Well, other than the occasional shout over snacks from Tristan and Joey.

Yugi set his hand on Mana's arm as she hung a bag around her shoulders. "Mana, Atem wants me to tell you 'forever.'"

Mana's eyes grew misty and she smiled. She remembered their conversation the night he asked her to marry him.

"Atem, is it really possible, for me to have you forever?"

"Mana, my love, you can have me for as you could possibly want."

"So, forever?"

Then, on the night they had been married, he had answered her question.

He had told her: Forever.

Mana nodded with a contented sigh, patting his hand, "Thank you, Yugi."

It took Mahad just over fifteen minutes to find the Pharaoh.

Yugi, Mahad and Mana all changed and gathered the appropriate supplies. Five minutes to the hour, they prepared to go.

"He is in a 'sewer' system, as you said," he nodded, "We must go. Now. There is no time to waste."

Mahad and Mana stood side by side before them. "Yugi," Mahad said, "The Pharaoh has a job for you. We need you with us. But your friends…" he nodded at them.

Yugi nodded. "I know." The gang looked to him questioningly, so Yugi elaborated: "Mahad and Mana need me as a translator, so they can stay in contact with Atem. But you guys have another job."

"What?" they protested.

Yugi soothed them hastily. "Guys, we don't have time for this. All of us together would be conspicuous. We would be too big a group. It only makes sense for us to split up. Atem needs you guys to watch Domino. He thinks something bad is going to happen, and you'll be of more use here. You'll be safer." When they protested again, Yugi shook his head violently: "Guys, Atem needs me! I have to go. You'll be better off here. Please? For me?"

They stopped. Ryou nodded before the others, "I should stay here, but I shouldn't be with them. If Bakura tries to take over again…"

"Naw, Ryou," Joey disagreed, "We need you with us."

Ryou sighed when Tristan and Tea nodded in agreement. Tea met Yugi's eyes. He had changed back in to his Egyptian clothes: the black tunic and headdress and all the uncomfortable gold. Mahad and Mana wore their Egyptian garb as well.

"Come back, Yugi, okay?" Tea said, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Yugi blushed and grinned, "I will, Téa."

"Good," she smiled.

Joey, Tristan, Tea and Ryou backed up. Mahad, Mana and Yugi stood in the center of the room, and the Magicians raised their staffs. Yugi waved one last time before they were gone, and he felt like he was being squished through a tube, flying through the air.

Yugi sucked in air when they landed in the sewers. He knew it was the sewers because it reeked. Glancing around, he found the portal Atem had been talking about, and beside it, right next to the wall, was a small white cloth. It was maddening to think that Atem had been here only minutes before.

"Ready?" Mana asked in a squeak.

Yugi and Mahad nodded. Together, they stepped through the unsteady portal.

It was just like walking through a door. On the opposite side, they were in a dense jungle. Was this where Atem had hidden his cartouche?

Behind them, the portal snapped shut. All they could hear was the squawk of birds and the noises of animals, a tree snap here and a predator snarl there.

"Let's go," Yugi said quietly, and the three fell into step beside one another.

We're in, Yugi thought to Atem.

Excellent, Atem's baritone came to him.

In the jungle noises, Yugi felt Atem's presence in his head, and he was reassured by that. The three fought through the forest growth, roughly following a path made previously. Mahad said it was Hamon's trail because he could sense the Pharaoh.

After minutes of fighting through the jungle, Atem's voice came to him again, this time thoughtful and almost playful—maybe just a bit.

So… you and Tèa?

Well, there's a longer update for ya. Hope you liked it. There's quite a bit of info in there

Anyway, it's like one in the morning so… yeah, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, FFnet and I will see you tomorrow.

Well, not see… more like… oh, never mind.

Review! ^O^

-Anevay