Well, its that time of year again. Time to update Weekend Detention, or as we refer to it here at home, Shine! So now, time to shine on with a new chapter. Are you happy? Cool, so are we. We feel muchly accomplished actually moving the story along. No, this story is never dead, so don't ask. It gives us bad ideas for the characters. Hehe, but moving along, time for the review-a-thon followed by your irregularly scheduled fright-fest. Happy Halloween!

Elfie-chan – Yea, poor Pegasus. He's always trying for the impossible dream. Makes me love the guy even more.

Leland Lancaster – Suffering from Seto deprivation? This chapter may be just the pick-me-up you needed. ;-) Hope you like it.

hikarisuko – Yes, some people are under the impression Seto's not insane. For me, and I think I can speak for Lena too on this, Seto's insanity is what makes him cool. I don't know why people hate Pegasus either. He seems like a perfectly loveably bishie to me… gack, you want more terror? Wow, haven't been asked that lately. We'll see what we can do.

Da Qiao – Yea, I guess Pegasus and Kaiba get extra treatment cause Lena and I love them so much. But do you think we love them too roughly? Poor Kaiba, he's about to collapse! We're pleased you liked the last chapter and got into reading our little fic of horrors. Thanks for being so understanding of the wait!

HiKari, Mokuba's Guardian – No biggie. Glad you're still reading, and we do like a variety of opinions. So you want Mokuba to find Seto, huh? Interesting…

The Mad Tortoise – Thanks for the stellar review! Hey, you have to admit that with his friends in trouble and split up all over the place even Yugi's gonna lose some optimism. Hmmm… Yami? Who's Yami? ;-)

Katsuya Jounouchi – And update we have! Hope you enjoy!

Matalsilverarmor23 – Maybe he can help. I guess it all depends on whether Mokuba can resist the urge to check tea out while she sleeps.

meh – Well, in a sense all chapters are connecting …

Raven – Thanks so much! We're blushing as we speak! Just read to find out about Seto. ;-)

uye – You are muchly welcome, dear! Thanks for the glomps and puppies, they make us type all the faster between work and classes in dreaded RL.

Jherrus – Well, we have a sick sense of humor. This is humor to us anyway, in places. Hehehe.. and when we first started posting people asked why this was in the horror section. We are in absolute shock and bliss, though, dear Jherrus. You compared us to … Stephen King … thanks so much!

Jia-BlackHoleSun – Well, we might live. Or we might be undead. Hehehe…. Walking talking dueling smiley face – we've never heard a better description of cute lil Yugi!

evilcourteny – Yes, we love too many random characters too. Like Seig, Leon, Noa, Dartz, Croquet, Bandit Keith, Pegasus, Mai … what a list!

Mookins – We're referring to him as Maximillion Pegasus J. Crawford for future reference. I usually put that before all my stories, but I guess since lena and I are working collaboratively here we forgot. Sorry if you were confused. Hokey plot holes? Where?

Myotismon13 – My, well thank you very much! We do try to make sure our characters don't overstep their bounds so to speak. Well, hopefully this fic'll keep you excited for quite a while. Just wait till you read this little update. ;-) Thanks for the spectacular review!

RC Dreamer of Hope – Wow, congrats on your graduation. Hope you enjoy college as much as we do (hah – yeah right!). We've updated this one just for Halloween at SW's request.

Elli the Ghostie – Heck, Mary-Sues can be so annoying after a while. Well, as long as you don't go completely over to Mary-Sues, that's fine. Just don't forget about the good fics like these. ;-)

Rainbow Guardian Angel – Yeah, a new recruit! Well, we hope you enjoy this latest update as much as you've liked the rest of the story. So you're worried about Joey and Croquet being dead, eh? Well, don't worry, you're not the only one. It seems other characters are going to be worried about that soon too, and for good reason. Well, ahhh, we updated as soon as possible. Sorry about the delay.

Josh – Me?? You hate me because Seto's not in the chapter? The most ultimate worshipper of the god that is Seto Kaiba? Okay, I can understand that. Here, he's in this chapter now. Just don't be releasing any angry psychotic vibes in our direction. This hotel is bad enough as it is.

BlueAngel 0104 – Your favorite fic ever? Gosh, we're really flattered. Wow, we're actually really proud to have provided you with late-night fuel. Hey, great dedication! Hey thanks for the review, we've got Seto in this chapter too – so be prepared for craziness.

Forever Growing Garden – Wow, better than Mr. Stephen King? Geez, I don't quite know how to respond to that. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chappie just as much as the last ones.

Akira, Amy, and the chase – Hey thanks. Review from a group of crazy people about a story about a group of crazy people. How very ironic… Thanks.

Dragon-Tsuzuku – Thanks, well we updated as soon as possible. Hope you enjoy!

Onigiri – Wow, thank you so much. We really appreciate your review, and your patience. We do try to post as quickly as possible and keep the quality of the work – cause it just wouldn't be the same if we tossed it all together in one hour.

Duelmonster2 – Hey thanks! We certainly will try to. Hope you enjoy this part as well!

Chibi Arwen – Hmm, you want everyone to be alive. Hmm. Well, we certainly can't promise anything. This is a horror fic after all, and promises can't be kept in horror fics.

Queen-Of-Demon-Dragons – Well, you're about to find out what Kaiba does next. Hoo-boy. Hey, it's great your comp got fixed. Thanks for the review.

Sapphire Kitsune Angel – Well please do keep your sanity, dear, because this hotel is definitely lacking in that department. Heehee, see? We updated!

Gatochu – Yes, the dogman is one of the absolute best parts of The Shining, and I can't believe he was cut out either. The book is always better, of course. I'm sure you expected no less, but at least the movie is a well-filmed thrill ride. Danny's so cute, attacked every few minutes. So you reread the entire story! Wow, that's great! And what's even better is you enjoyed it and didn't see anything really outstandingly screwed up. That's a good sign for us, right? More Duke huh? I think we can manage that …

Firewing – So you can picture Duke and Tristan going at it in the first scene, hm? So can we, with our dirty little minds. Ah well, we all can see it anyway. Well, Tristan did smile a lot whenever he was robo-monkey … or at least he seemed to. Pegasus' first aid was actually adapted from the remedy for shock in The Shining. Of course you're drooling. Who wouldn't be drooling with a wet Pegasus in the room? Well, Pegasus' motives for buying the Overlook will be exploited pretty badly as the story progresses. He kind of asked for it though by purchasing this haunted respite. Oh, you know Seto. He's just been an angel in the mean time…

Another Maniac Yet – Wow, are you serious? We're the longest horror Yugioh fic here? Geez, that's kinda cool. Well, don't worry AMY, we're not stopping, this hotel's got a ways to go yet before this story's burned out.

nOnymOus-19 – Hmm, glad we're creeping you out. We certainly hope we keep this trend going. Bwahaha!

Suko – The end? Was that at the end of the last chapter? (Looks over notes in worry) Oh no, no it's not the end. Don't worry me like that! Thanks for the review tho.

Soulxstealer – Yeah, SK stories can be very addictive ( just look at Kabuki!). Hehehe, looks like Pegasus left many wet mouths in the last chapter. Oh, geez, the kitten eyes! Can't … resist …. Ok. Here's the chapter…

Dracozombie – Just starting? Hm, you've got a long way to go. Looks like we'll have to quit pulling the punches…

Moonymonster – You hate being stuck on cliffhangers, well we never leave our readers with those. (puts on a little angel halo) We've updated as soon as we could, hope you enjoy dear!

Draconic-Master – Hey thanks. Hope you enjoy the update then.

Sw1 – See? We're updating this just for you. In time for Halloween even. Hope you enjoy, dear!

Seme Riku – What's that? A strange voice coming over my mental innercom. It makes my spider sense tingle. We best update then. Hope you enjoy and thanks for the review.

Whew, looks like that's it for the reviews! Sorry for the delay everyone, but now that house keeping has been taken care of we can get back to business. Hm, now where were we? Oh yes, the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel were screaming like little kids and running around like crazy people. Ah yes, that sounds about right.

Enjoy the show boys and girls, and please let a review fly our way.

Lena & Kabuki

&&&&&

Chapter 25: Beware the Biting Jaws of Death

Seto stared at his raw and bleeding hands in amazement. He wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten so many cuts and bruises, the events of the last few days having smeared across his memory like some dusty scribbling on a chalkboard – erased and rewritten so many times that the fresh words were barely discernible from the old. He allowed his aching knees to give out as he lowered himself to the ground.

Somehow he'd found his way up to the second floor, he knew that by the doors to the bedrooms that surrounded him and the swirling paisley carpet beneath him. Seto coughed violently, his chest heaving with pain until he spat out a glob of blood and spit, the glistening pile landing somewhere beyond his scope of vision. His whole body ached, and he didn't know if he could muster the strength to move any further. The hallway was dimly lit, the scant electric lights flickering against the aged wallpaper. It was dreamlike, unreal, and the pain he felt only made him want to curl into himself. He leaned his head against his knees in complete exhaustion, thinking that perhaps if he could just get a little bit of sleep he might be able to sort out reality from fantasy. If he could just get some sleep maybe the voices would let him be.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaiba squeezed his eyes shut willing the voice to go away. "You're not falling asleep are you?" Gozaburo's voice again, the slimy cockroach. No matter how many times Seto tried to crush him, he always kept coming back.

"Go away."

The older voice sighed, and Seto could almost see the amusement on his face, the way his tiny mustache would curl up into a sly grin whenever he knew he had the upper hand. "I'm not trying to fight with you, Seto. I simply hate to see such a brilliant man taken advantage of."

Kaiba's ears involuntarily perked up. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why your brother, of course. Do you really think he's safe at the moment?"

"And since when did you ever notice Mokuba?"

"Come now, Seto. I've noticed him from day one. He's always been quite useful for both of us. No, I don't think I would have ever seen you take over the proud Kaiba name without Mokuba pulling your strings. Mokuba in fact knew exactly how to persuade you into doing what he wanted."

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?"

"Really, Seto. You've lost your touch. Do you really think your brother is so naïve? He's manipulating you, Seto, as no one else ever could. You are truly guided by your brother's wishes, never your own. In fact, some might call you foolish."

"Hn," Kaiba snorted, shaking his head in resolute denial. "Quit playing mind games."

"Are you just going to sit here and let your brother take what you rightfully earned? He wants Joey to take your place. He wants Yugi and his pathetic little friends to take your rightful position."

"Leave Mokuba out of this – this doesn't concern him! It doesn't matter to me if he wants to make friends with these idiots!"

"But I'm afraid it does, Seto. Where do you think you're going to end up? Do you really fit into the equation? Of course not, you're old news as far as he's concerned. You've served your purpose, and now he wants someone who can truly serve him as his older brother. You can't even beat Yugi Moto in a duel . . ."

Kaiba's eyes snapped open in rage, a roar bursting free of his throat as he stood and arcing the shovel high above his head. With one quick thrust it exploded through the wall sending pieces of wood and plaster flying through the air. "Shut up! Shut up, damn you!"

Gozaburo's sickening laughter filled the hall, a sound Seto had never wanted to hear again. The cackling sent shivers down his spine, "I don't want to hear anymore! You're trying to mess with my mind, you're trying to get to me, you slime. But it won't work!"

"You've grown trusting and soft over the years, Seto. With trust comes weakness – a weakness that Yugi and his friends have always taken advantage of."

"No, you're lying, you're not real. I – I don't know what I did downstairs to… to Joey, but that won't happen again. You can't control me – nobody tells me what to do. I make my own path, I create my own destiny. Not you, or Yugi, or anyone else can control my future. You're simply some pathetic dead thing begging for attention. I refuse to do your bidding!"

"But Seto… you already have."

Kaiba's breathing became heavier as the disembodied words sunk in. Joey. He couldn't forget the tears that had stung the blond's eyes whenever he told him to push Croquet into that abyss. The dark hole that had so terrified Kaiba. He hadn't given him any option, and the pleas of his long-time enemy echoed like gunshots through his head.

"No, I – I didn't mean to. I –"

The deep, resonating laughter filled his chest with despair. "But Seto, I thought you chose your own path? Surely you don't blame me for your poor decisions. Of course, if you're certain it was your decision, I suppose you'll have to explain it to the others…" The laughter caused a weight to fall in Kaiba's belly, and he shut his eyes against the regret that flowered in his chest. "You're a puppet, Seto, you always have been and always will be – you don't know any other way to live."

Tears stung Seto's eyes as he shook his head weakly, he wanted to rail against the cocky specter, but he was tired – so goddamned tired. He swayed on his feet, and then he thought he could hear footsteps coming towards him from down the hall. His fingers clutched the cold wood of the snow shovel in desperation before he realized what he was doing. He dropped the weapon in disgust, stumbling away from it as though it was a poisonous snake. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, a real physical hand – he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Kaiba?"

Tristan blinked in shock as he watched Kaiba jump a good inch off the ground, his pale, wide-eyed face turning toward him with complete shock. "Kaiba – whoa! Whoa, chill out man!" Tristan laid two heavy hands on the taller boy's shoulders, steadying him and supporting him at the same time. "Jeez Kaiba, it's just me." Tristan looked Kaiba over, noting the grime and the filth and the … "You look like shit! What happened to you?" He couldn't be sure but he thought Kaiba had been talking to himself in the middle of the hallway. Tristan had seen homeless people do that on the side of the streets in Domino City, but he'd never thought he'd see Kaiba doing that in the middle of a run-down hotel. But after watching Mokuba, and seeing how the kid seemed to know things he shouldn't know, he wondered if maybe weirdness ran in the family.

Kaiba's chest heaved and he spoke in disconnected sentences as though his whirling thoughts refused to form a cohesive whole. "I thought that … I mean that you were …" He glanced behind himself nervously as though afraid something was going to sneak up on him at any moment. Tristan couldn't blame him – he felt the same way.

"Duke and I just met up a moment ago. Man, are we glad to find you!"

For the first time, Kaiba saw Duke move out of the shadows, the flickering electric lights making his motion jerky and unnatural. His eyes were wide and haunted, the makeup on one side smeared as though by a large thumbprint and his hair a dusty mess. Tristan too looked like he'd been worse for the wear. His leather jacket was smudged with dirt and dust and God knows what else. He was grateful to have found Kaiba and to have someone else on his side to brave the horrors of the hotel.

Kaiba shut his eyes for a few moments and then opened them again, half expecting the apparitions of his fellow classmates to have disappeared. But there they stood, whole and human and very much alive. For the first time in what felt like days he didn't feel alone.

Tristan was shaking him, patting him on the shoulder, and it took a force of mind to Kaiba to pay attention to what he was saying. "What about leaving?"

"We've got to get out of here, Kaiba. Duke and I think there might be snowmobiles out in the shed."

"Wait a minute, that's not my idea. I'm just here to keep lug-head here out of trouble." Duke eyed Kaiba with a mixture of amazement and distrust. His gaze lingered on the snow shovel lying innocently on the floor. "Did you run into the dogman too? You must've gotten a good hit in on him." Duke tried to smile.

Kaiba glanced at the snow shovel uncomprehending. "Dogman?" Were Joey's own companions insulting him? The thought of Joey brought forth a flood of memories and emotions that made him break out in a cold sweat.

Duke and Tristan glanced at each other. Tristan decided to change the subject, "Well, I think there are some snowmobiles outside. Didn't Pegasus mention that our first night, Kaiba?"

"I – I don't remember," Kaiba blinked in confusion. It seemed as though thinking back on that night was like thinking back on a year ago, his memory was so foggy. "He might have I guess. It would make sense."

Tristan nodded, he was glad that someone finally agreed with him. He patted Kaiba on the shoulder and smiled in boast at Duke. He was discouraged, however, to find that Duke's attention was completely focused on Kaiba however. He looked as though ready to run at any moment. "My thoughts exactly. You want to come help us?"

"Help you?" Did Yugi's friends truly trust him enough that they would want his aid? They wanted his opinion, his help, it was so unlike what Gozaburo had told him just a moment before. He wondered if the specter had been wrong after all. He nodded, managing a slight smile. "Sure, whatever you need me to do."

Duke sighed, "Yeah, we're also going to see if we can find Yugi and Joey –"

"Kaiba," Tristan's eyes grew wide, "Yugi fell out of the third-floor window! Tea's all upset, she saw it happen. She and Yugi were up there cleaning and they got attacked by some weirdo with a gun! Man, you should hear her tell it, this place is nuts. We've got to get out of here. We have to find Joey and Yugi and get the hell outta here!"

"Joey…" Kaiba's eyes slid closed for a moment.

"Yeah," Tristan nodded, "He's been outside forever, nobody knows if he's come in or not. I sure hope my best buddy didn't freeze to death or something."

"No, no, he didn't freeze to death, Tristan, I saw him." Kaiba swallowed hard.

"Really?" Tristan grabbed his shoulders in a vice grip. "Was he okay? Where did you see him?"

"Well, he… was okay. Um, he's not really okay now."

"Were you guys attacked?" Tristan's voice was desperate, angry.

Duke's eyes darted back and forth between the two boys; he started to understand where this was going. "Kaiba, you might want to be quiet now. Come on, let's go find those snow mobiles."

"No way! Kaiba, please! Tell me what happened to him."

"He's… badly injured. I … I think I killed him." Kaiba was almost as shocked by the statement as they were.

Tristan's face went completely blank as Duke linked an arm inside of his, urging him backwards. "Come on, Tristan. Just let go of his arm, come on. Hey Kaiba, why don't you go check on your brother or something?"

"You see, it wasn't really me, I don't know but, I think it was Goza—" Kaiba felt the blow connect solidly with his jaw sending him into an ungainly pirouette before the back of his head smacked into the wooden wall, causing a short plaster rain from the crumbling ceiling.

"You killed him? You killed by best friend? You son of a bitch! I'll kill you, you little—"

"Whoa, man, he's not in his right mind! You're the one who said Kaiba wouldn't kill anybody, remember?" Duke clung to the taller boy's arm desperately trying to pull him back a safe distance. "Tristan don't be stupid, man."

"He killed Joey! Duke, get your damn hands off me!"

"Will you think? Think for a minute here!"

Tristan wrenched his arm free, pushing Duke away before stalking toward Kaiba again. Tears stung his eyes, clouded his vision of the wounded millionaire. His thoughts were spinning. All those times he listened to Kaiba put Joey down, all those times he let the two argue it out without getting involved. Joey was dead, dead at the hands of some snotty rich kid who wouldn't know friendship from a hole in the ground. It wasn't that he'd never heard threats before, but this was Kaiba. Kaiba was capable of doing something like that, and he had no reason to lie about what he'd done. "You bastard! What the hell did he ever do to you?!"

Kaiba shook his head. The world was sludge. He reeled from the blow and the screaming. It was all coming together somehow, and a rage filled him, a seething hot rage that boiled its way up from his gut. It filled his arms, his legs, his hands as they balled into fists. He'd trusted them, let his guard down for just a moment and look what had happened. He couldn't trust anyone. Gozaburo was right, damn him. He was right all along.

When Tristan's foot came into view, Kaiba no longer heard him. He tuned out the emotion and the shouting, focusing on the instinctive knowledge that Tristan was about to deliver a blow to his midsection. His foot would come around soon, knifing into his belly or his groin. He was calm, clear-headed and focused. He had to protect himself. In the distance, just within eye sight, the snow shovel lay temptingly. The silver blade was still red tinged, the handle smooth from years of hard work. It would fit nicely into his hand. He felt his fingers curling around the wooden handle even before he'd reached for it.

"I'll kill you!" Tristan was shouting, his foot slicing forward as expected, tears streaming down his grimy face. Kaiba brought the shovel around, aiming at the balancing leg, the one firmly planted furthest away. The shovel connected, the dull side thumping mightily against Tristan's leg, causing him to lose his balance. Had Duke not caught his arm and supported his weight, Tristan might have found his face a bloody mess plastered against the wall.

Kaiba groaned, the heat of his rage tightening his grip on the weapon as he used it as a crutch, pulling himself to his feet. "You … he was right … you …"

Duke helped Tristan to stand, wobbling a moment. "Way ta go, Tristan."

"He killed Joey."

"Yeah, and now you've pissed him off." Duke began dragging Tristan toward the elevator doors. "C'mon. We've gotta get away from him."

"But what about Joey? I've gotta avenge him, man. I can't just back down from a fight."

"You're limping and he's slick with a shovel. Get real, Tristan." Duke pulled him bodily, his eyes locked on the elevator doors gleaming murky in the flickering light. He mashed the button to head down and glanced over his shoulder to see Kaiba making his way down the hallway, his steps growing faster and more confident with each gasping breath. Duke hit the button again, waiting to hear the lurching squeal of the elevator's gears. He knew he was no match for Kaiba in a fight like this.

Kaiba was moving quickly now, his body picking up speed of it own accord, and his legs pumping as his arms prepared the shovel to strike. He had reached a state of near Nirvana. His motions were outside himself. He was going to do it. He was going to take back his life. His voice was low, and he didn't even realize the words were bubbling over, "All against me, they're all against me. Mokuba you little bastard …you're gonna pay, Tristan …"

Duke pushed his back against the cold metal doors and felt Tristan grip his shoulder hard as Kaiba made his way across the hall with frightening speed, the giant shovel hoisted high above his head. He looked more like a crazed beast. Duke thought he saw merely the whites of his eyes rolled up in his sockets as the man gave out a war cry. He realized quickly that they weren't going to make it, not without some extra time, not without just a minute… Suddenly, he pulled at his earring, placing the tiny die between his thumb and forefinger. Just as Kaiba was within about two feet of the elevator, he shot it right at the taller boy's forehead, clonking him squarely between the eyes.

Kaiba stopped, blinking for a minute in surprise. "Yes!" Duke cried, jumping up and down and nearly dropping Tristan to the floor. Behind him the elevator doors opened, as though he'd passed the test. But just as he turned to walk inside, he felt something strange wrap around his throat, rough and scratchy like the canvas Pegasus always enjoyed using for his paintings. "What the - !"

For a moment he couldn't move, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized that every moment he waited, Kaiba got closer. That stupid dice trick wouldn't stun him for very long. He shoved Tristan into the elevator, scrambling at the coil about his throat and pulling his head free. The object writhed in his hand, and it took him a moment to realize he was holding a fire hose. He tossed it behind him quickly and leaped inside, as Tristan started mashing the close button for the doors.

Duke had a split second to peer into the hallway. He saw Kaiba was just getting up off the floor, a large red welt forming across his forehead. It seems Duke had better aim than he'd thought with the fire hose. That guy was gonna have some kind of a headache later, he realized with a grin as the silver doors slid closed.

Duke sighed, leaning against the wall as he smiled at Tristan. "Hey, man, be a little more careful next time, okay?"

Tristan didn't respond, only stared at the floor.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The darkness had chewed him up and spit him out without mercy, and though he wasn't aware of much, the pain twanging in his side with every breath was definitely enough to keep him focused on the present. He tried to breathe slowly, shallowly, but his lungs were crying out for air and no matter what he did it just wasn't enough. When he finally did give in to his need for more air, the deep gulping breaths that came unbidden made his chest burn until tears ran down his cheeks. He wouldn't scream, he refused to scream. He thought of Kaiba's smug expression and wanted to hurt something beyond repair. He knew nothing but pain though, and the vague whine that had lodged itself in his throat remained no matter how hard he struggled or choked it back, humiliating and comforting. It was the only sound that he wanted to make, but he held it in tight for fear of what might hear him if he made noise. He must have been lying here for hours, darkness soothing and displaying his meekness. Vulnerability had a firm grip on his spirit, but Joey would not allow his pain to please anything that might be watching him in the darkness. He'd already suffered enough for the pleasure of others … Croquet and he both. He felt lost in the dark hell he'd unwittingly made for himself, exhausted. And I deserve it … helping him like that … Croquet … poor bastard … Kaiba … wish I'd killed him ...

As much as he would like to search for poor Croquet in the mess, he was quite content to move as little as possible. All manner of terrible images greeted him at the thought of the bodyguard, dead from the fall perhaps or, worse, impaled on some shattered remains of the twisted stairway. He'd thought he would die, but was it someone's sick idea of a joke to line the basement floor with a thick layer of trash? Kaiba must have thought it fitting.

I'm gonna die down here … It was something he'd thought of since the hedges had begun chasing him, but never had the possibility loomed so visibly above his head. He thought of Kaiba, stowing the snow shovel and shrugging when Yugi and Tristan asked about him later. Growling when they persisted and pulling off the act so convincingly that everyone would think he'd frozen to death. How long would it take to find them? How long would Pegasus have to renovate before he decided to try the basement. It was winter, and the snow wouldn't melt until spring at least. They'd be well-preserved in the cold down here, and no one would ever know. Yugi'll know, he'll suspect, he and Tristan. They'll wonder, and Pegasus'll vouch for us once he gets inside. A small cynical voice in the back of his mind laughed at the fact that he was now depending on Pegasus to save his life. But as ridiculous as the idea of Duelist Kingdom's nutty host saving the two might be, Joey wondered what would happen if Pegasus never made it inside. Kaiba would have eliminated two of his enemies easily, only five more left…

"Yugi …" Joey thought of his friend, trusting psychotic Kaiba while Joey was still warm in the grave, never suspecting that anything truly intentional had happened. He tried to untangle himself, to find some way to get out, but the pain of his chest was sharp and severe. There was no denying how serious it was now, he'd been in some tough situations, but now Joey could barely breathe. The full weight of despair hit him like a kick in the groin – underhanded and unexpected. He collapsed once more into a whimpering heap, the fat tears leaking down his face.

When a breeze rustled his hair and the temperature dropped abruptly, the breath hitched in his throat. It was pitch dark but he sensed a presence. He was no longer alone – in fact he wondered if he ever had been since his fall. He shortened his breaths almost completely, his eyes shutting for fear of revealing his position. As brave as Joey might seem, he'd seen enough horror flicks to know that you never look at something undead. That was where all of the murder victims-to-be went wrong, and Joey – as broken and as close to death as he was – refused to go down in such a stupid way. Looking at the thing that was thinking about killing you was almost as much of a death ticket as being a big-breasted girl in a wet t-shirt. Sure, perhaps it was a little late to be reviewing horror warnings, but perhaps it just might keep him alive a few minutes longer. The temperature felt as though it rose again, and Joey began to relax as he felt out of danger.

"Joey! Stay with me! You mustn't get caught by the biting jaws of death!"

Joey's mind hung like a frozen computer for a few moments, as cold ice cubes seemed to swipe through his chest. The blond boy stumbled mentally for a few moments, the voice sounded like Yugi – but what if it was something trying to trick him into thinking it was his best friend? What was the coldness that went through his body in waves? Was he having some kind of heart attack? Yugi had mentioned that the freezer in the kitchen had gotten unnaturally cold whenever he'd encountered the ghosts – could this be what was calling him now? He felt the hair stand up on his arms.

"Please Joey, don't die. It – it's all my fault, please don't die in this place!"

Joey's eyes snapped open. He'd been by Yugi in all of the short guy's matches, and he knew the tone of that voice. "Yugi? Is that you, pal?" It was blurry at first, but as Joey's eyes adjusted, he saw that Yugi did indeed stand before him. A transparent Yugi, but Yugi nonetheless. "Ahh! Yugi! You're dead!"

The incandescent Yugi raised his head, his eyes brimming with ghostly tears as a smile spread across his face. "Joey, you're alright! Thank the Gods!" He went to place a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, but the palm passed right through. Joey felt the strange chill where the hand was embedded in his shoulder.

"Ah! Get it out, get it out!" Joey made to try to push the hand away, but the pain burst with a sudden determination in his chest. His breath hitched once again in his throat and the illuminated Yugi jumped back in shock and fear.

"I-I'm sorry!" See-through Yugi stammered.

As the pain burned out for the moment, Joey stared at Yugi's eyes. The light was dim from the ghostly Yugi, but as Joey's vision sharpened he saw that the eye color was red and burned with an unearthly fire. "Wait a minute, you're not Yugi…"

The ghostly Yugi blinked, "But I am! Well, not exactly, but …"

"You're the other Yugi!"

The pharaoh blinked again, "Yes, yes that's exactly right. You made that much simpler than I had feared."

Tears came unbidden to his eyes as Joey looked the spirit up and down. "Jeez, I'm glad to see you! Yugi was so worried, he freaked out after he couldn't find ya and then Mokuba started freakin' out too and…." The blond's shoulders shook as he forced himself to fight down the sobs that threatened to overtake him. "Man, we've all been freakin' out."

The pharaoh opted for a different topic, "You may call me Yami if you like. That is how Yugi refers to me."

"Ah, " Joey shook his head slightly to try to clear his head, "It's good to finally meet ya Yami – er, out and about I mean."

Yami smirked, but nodded in agreement nonetheless. "It is not intentional, my friend. I had no idea that I could even be forced from the Puzzle in this manner. Usually I have some type of psychic string that links me to my home and to Yugi's mind, but it has somehow been cut. I feel… lost now." The pharaoh looked downwards, the sorrow heavy in his voice, "I can hear the spirits in this hotel, Joey. They… they want power, they want a voice, but most of all… they want to kill."

Joey tried to pull himself up, but the pain flared. "S-sorry Yami. I know you're probably as happy as I am to find somebody I know, but I don't know if I can hook you up with Yug anytime soon. Hell, I don't even know if I'm gonna make it outta here without bein' a ghost."

Yami looked at him pointedly, his eyes moving down to his chest almost as if he could see through to the bones beneath. "You are badly injured, Joey. I wish I could help you, but as you can see I am unable to affect anything real in this condition."

Joey allowed his eyes to slide closed for a moment, "Don't I know it pal. I'd rather you not send any icy fingers my way though if ya don't mind."

Yami cocked his head to the side, as he picked up his hands and looked at them quizzically, wiggling the fingers as he chuckled. "Well, at least you felt something."