Chapter Twenty-Four: Minus One

"I only take the best, I've got Rose."

-The Doctor

Yugi jumped as the creature – even his mind couldn't comprehend how to pronounce the name- screamed and began to writhe above them, turning his head to see some of the icicles beginning to drip steadying. His mind, still foggy from the two bouts of electricity that had been dealt to him, realized what was going on; someone was helping them escape. But he was willing to bet that Tomoya had nothing to do with it.

He looked back down as the Editor jumped backward, the remote dropping out of his hand and sliding across the floor towards them. Yugi reacted immediately, stretching out a leg to draw it closer, hissing as he almost sent it flying further away. It was their only hope to get out of here. A few more seconds of fumbling and he had the remote within reach.

Yugi stared at the contraption before giving a mental shrug and pressing the next button over from the one that the Editor had been using to electrocute him. Surprisingly, it didn't send an electric shock to the Pharaoh, something that he had suddenly thought could happen the second he had pressed the button, but undid his manacles.

The Pharaoh jerked forward, giving his wrists a rub before reaching into his coat pocket and snatching the sonic screwdriver out. Yugi turned his head away, hearing the buzz and feeling sparks land on his skin as the Pharaoh overreacted. He was pulled away from the contraption, the Pharaoh pushing him in the direction of the door the next moment. He thought that he had felt a hug before the push, not sure what to make of it. But the Pharaoh was already running after him.

"Get back here!" Yugi looked over his shoulder as the Editor charged after them, the man falling to the floor the next moment. Yugi gasped, watching as Suki held onto his ankle. The young man paused at the door, staring at the corpse before swallowing and following the Pharaoh out. He was grateful for Suki's last act.

He bounded down the stairs, splashing through the water that was on the floor. The Pharaoh was ahead of him, the Time Lord pausing to look towards the sheet that he had noticed before, Yugi watching the light play oddly on the defrosting curtain. Yugi hesitated a moment before rushing over, his mouth dropping open in surprise as soon as he saw Cathica sprawled out on the chair.

The Pharaoh gave him a solemn look, snapping his fingers. The opening in her head snapped shut, the broadcasting being suddenly cut off. Yugi gasped as Cathica slumped in her chair. The Pharaoh walked closer to her, fishing in his pocket for something before throwing the sonic screwdriver at Yugi. "Open the elevator."

Yugi fumbled in the catch, turning and running through the water. He stared at the cylinder, wondering how to use it when he saw the button on the side. Praying that it would work, Yugi pointed the sonic screwdriver at the elevator controls, pressing the button and watching the controls spark. A few seconds later, the doors opened.

"Get in!" He spun around to see the Pharaoh wading through the water, carrying Cathica bridal style. Yugi made a motion to go over to her, but he was waved off by an awkward flick of the Pharaoh's hand. "Into the elevator, back to her floor. We have to be in motion before that thing explodes."

He need no more urging than that, rushing into the elevator and keying in the floor number, shifting impatiently as the Pharaoh followed him in. Seconds later the elevator doors slammed shut and the whole thing began to move. They were between floors when something rocked the elevator, Yugi falling to the ground and looking up, the sonic screwdriver still clenched in his hand.

"That was the Jagrafess." Yugi glanced over at the Pharaoh, envious that the Time Lord had managed to remain standing while he had been thrown to the floor. With a huff, he stood up and brushed himself off, staring at the sonic screwdriver in his hands before deciding just to hold onto it. After all, the Pharaoh had his hands full.

Cathica stirred when they were at their destination, glancing up at the Pharaoh before giving a short shout of shock, nearly leaping out of his arms. "Hey buddy!"

The Pharaoh rolled his eyes, pushing past her to walk out of the elevator. "Please, you're not my type. Can't stand reporters."

Yugi chuckled and followed him, Cathica stumbling out. They were hit by a wave of smells, Yugi rocking back to take a deep lungful of the scent of fast food. He shook his head, turning to look back at the Pharaoh, placing the sonic screwdriver in the Time Lord's outstretched hand, the Pharaoh more focused on Cathica. "Can you handle this?"

Cathica raised an eyebrow, tipping her head to the side. "You doubt me."

"You've given me cause."

The grumbled reply made Cathica laugh, the African woman shaking her head. "Trust this reporter just once."

The Pharaoh stared at her for a long moment before he rolled his eyes again, walking off. Yugi giggled, giving Cathica a goodbye wave. "That's a yes, if you were wondering."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly, I don't know how you stand him."

Yugi shrugged. "It's a gift."

They both shared a laugh, separating to go off in their own directions. Yugi easily caught up to the Pharaoh, pausing at the door to the room that led to where the TARDIS waited for them. He spotted Cathica making her way to the panel that they had used before, fiddling with something on the computer before turning around. She found him easily, giving him a thumbs up before mingling with the rest of the reporters that had come out for their dinner break. Yugi returned the thumbs up himself before slipping through the door.

He found the Time Lord leaning up against the TARDIS, smiling at the Pharaoh before reaching for his key. They had started racing, in a completely dignified manner, to be the first to unlock the TARDIS, their masculine pride on the line. Yugi reached for the chain that should have been around his neck, halting when he realized that it wasn't there. His eyes narrowed as he remembered where it was.

Tomoya.

As if thinking his name summoned the blonde, Tomoya raced through the doors, panting for air. He smiled at Yugi before handing over his cell phone and TARDIS key, the latter going back into place around Yugi's neck. Yugi stared at his cell phone before slipping it back into his pocket. Tomoya's smile increased, the blonde wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I thought you guys were going to leave without me."

"Yugi wouldn't let me." The Pharaoh glanced at Yugi, obviously letting him decide about what to say. Yugi looked over at the Time Lord, biting his lip as he absently played with the key around his neck. There was no way that the Pharaoh would allow Tomoya to stay on the TARDIS after he had done something like that; the TARDIS was too precious to the Pharaoh. Just the thought of losing it would send him on the defensive.

And that was not taking into account the fact that Tomoya had betrayed them.

He sighed and looked at the ground, coming to his decision not to say a word about it. Yugi shrugged and shuffled back towards the TARDIS, knowing that the Pharaoh had sensed his sudden change in mood because the Time Lord let him open up the time machine. He felt the Pharaoh's hand land on his shoulder for a moment before he was released, going to stand but the railing.

"Alright," he heard Tomoya walk onto the grating, listening to the Pharaoh following behind him, "where are we off to next?"

"2012." The Pharaoh spoke, moving around the TARDIS console. "To the Hanasaki home."

"To…home?" Yugi flinched at the look that Tomoya shot his way, unable to look up from the grating. He didn't want to be a part of this, his nature demanding that he remain hidden. But this was partially his fault in the end. Yugi sighed, letting go of the railing with one hand to rake his hand through his hair.

"Yeah." The hand went back to the railing as the TARDIS rocked into motion, Yugi already sensing that the Pharaoh was encouraging the time machine to move faster than normal and he couldn't blame him. The Pharaoh probably wanted the danger off his ship as soon as possible.

"But…why?" Neither Yugi nor the Pharaoh answered the question, the Time Lord too busy piloting his ship and the human too busy ignoring the world around him, one hand reaching up to play with the key around his neck again.

Yugi jerked forward as the TARDIS came to a stop, finally looking up as the Pharaoh stormed over to where Tomoya stood, taking the blonde by the shoulder and marching him out of the TARDIS. Yugi swallowed before following them out, clutching his key like it would disappear if he let go of it.

"What? Let go of me!" The Pharaoh complied, nearly throwing Tomoya out of the TARDIS and into the living room of his house. The two glared at each other before the Pharaoh reached into his pocket, Tomoya flinching as he drew out the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the phone in the room. Tomoya took one look at the Pharaoh before lunging at the phone. "No!"

Sparks flew from the plastic device, the phone jumping a bit before settling back down, smoking slightly. Tomoya stared at the phone before turning to glare at the Pharaoh, pointing at him. "You had no right to do that!"

"I had every right. I am the Guardian of Time and you," the Pharaoh pointed at Tomoya, "were disturbing it."

"I wasn't going to tell anyone!"

"You would have altered it enough!" The Pharaoh yelled, taking a step back. "And this is your punishment. We will not be coming back to get you. I only take the best, which is why Yugi is still here."

"But…but…" Tomoya was obviously looking for something to bargain with. He finally shuddered and snapped his fingers, Yugi paling as his forehead opened. "I have this thing! You can't leave me with this! I'll-"

"Be treated as a lab specimen." The Pharaoh snorted. "Like anyone would believe what you say."

"This isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair!" The Pharaoh shook his head. "You got your one chance at the universe and screwed it up. Now, live with your mistake."

The Time Lord snapped, the action closing the hole again. The Pharaoh turned and got back into the TARDIS, staring at Yugi before jerking his head, a clear sign that they were leaving. Yugi nodded, looking up at Tomoya and rubbing his arms.

The blonde was obviously trying to find a way that he could get back onto the TARDIS. Yugi turned away, walking over to the still open door of the TARDIS. He tensed as his shoulder was caught. "Yugi, please, I did this for you. I love you!"

"No, Tomoya," Yugi shook the hand off, staring back at the blonde. "You did this for yourself. And you don't love me, it's just infatuation."

"You don't understand…" Tomoya growled, looking around the bright living room before leaning closer to Yugi. "You lied to me."

"What?"

"You are in love with the Pharaoh."

"We're just friends, Tomoya." Yugi paused at the sound of someone entering the house. "And you should go."

They stared at each other before Tomoya shook his head and walked away, Yugi leaning on the TARDIS as soon as the blonde was gone. He gritted his teeth to keep from screaming in frustration, resting his head against the wood. Yugi moved slightly as he heard voices coming from beyond the living room, one obviously female.

"Tomoya, I didn't expect you to be home."

"Yeah, my job fell through."

"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry. But I'm sure you'll get a new job, just like that." Yugi froze at the sound of Mrs. Hanasaki snapping, turning to stare at where Tomoya had disappeared to before darting into the TARDIS and slamming the door.

"There you are; took you long enough." Yugi didn't turn around to give the Pharaoh his usual scolding, instead pressing his forehead against the doors of the TARDIS. The Time Lord didn't seem to notice, continuing to pilot the TARDIS to their next destination, leaving Yugi to think against the door.

This was all his fault. He had known that Tomoya, in his shy and quiet way, had been flirting with him. He had almost taken advantage of that at times back in Van Statten's museum. He had encouraged Tomoya, when he should have set him straight immediately. And his interactions with the Pharaoh, which sometimes toed the line between friendship and something more, had just urged Tomoya to this.

Yugi sighed, his hand dropping from where he had placed it on the door, turning and walking up the ramp. The Pharaoh was still oblivious to his current preoccupation, Yugi not bothering to ask where they were going and instead heading back for the depths of the TARDIS. The ship would tell the Pharaoh where he was if he was needed. Right now he had to think on his own.

The TARDIS gave a soft hum, Yugi looking up from the key he was playing with to see a series of lights flashing along the corridor. The young man hesitated for a moment before following the lights. He trusted the TARDIS to take him somewhere quiet.

With only lights to follow, Yugi quickly sank back into his thoughts, gripping the TARDIS key tighter as he walked. He had almost lost this, the representation of all that he was doing. The literal key to the universe. And it had given it away without a question. How stupid could he get? It was a wonder that the Pharaoh hadn't thrown him out with Tomoya. He had almost lost the only thing that the Pharaoh had from his home.

Yugi stumbled to a stop as the lights on the floor went out, looking up at the double doors that the TARDIS had led him to. He looked around nervously, realizing that he was further into the TARDIS than he had ever been before. With shaking hands, he opened the doors, his mouth dropping open in shock the next second. The whole room was covered in stars.

He took a deep breath before walking in, taking three steps before stopping and spinning slowly in place, raising his eyes to look to the ceiling. This place ways amazing, the stars flickering like he was watching them from the Earth. A whole room filled with stars.

Yugi sighed and walked around the room, noticing a black strip that seemed to hover off the floor. Further investigation showed that it was a bench, the cushions the only things visible. He smiled and settled down in one corner, leaning back against the cushions and playing with his key again.

Honestly, he loved this life, even though his quiet personality would have seemed to be at odds. But he loved traveling through space and time, seeing things that no other human could see. And it amazed him every time; he could never get enough of it. To think that it would just suddenly stop…but he would have to adjust, wouldn't he. And his mother would probably love that.

Then what? Settle down with Miho like she had been hinting for a while? Produce grandkids to make his mother happy? Work at a job he hated? Come home and slouch around, hating his life because he had gotten a taste of something so much better? He couldn't do any of that, not anymore.

Yugi sighed, tipping his head back to look at the stars that twinkled above him. Junri told him that his grandfather had always come into his nursery and the two of them had stargazed together. Games, ancient history and stars, the things that his grandfather had loved. Yugi sniffed and wiped tears that were forming. "Here's to you Grandpa. Between the two of us we completed your dream."

The Pharaoh jumped away from the console as the TARDIS sparked, glaring up at the ceiling before stomping over to the captain's chair and flopping back on it. The TARDIS was obviously not going to allow him to continue to pilot her anymore, for reasons that she was not telling him. He glared at the time rotor, tapping his foot irritably against the grating before forcing himself to stop. The TARDIS would take it as a sign of victory if he displayed signs of impatience.

Hours passed in their standoff, the Pharaoh finally caving as it hit four hours, standing up and shouting, "What?"

He was met with a stern rumble before an impulse pushed at his mind. The Pharaoh shook his head before beginning to walk to where the TARDIS was pushing him. They passed the more used rooms, the Pharaoh pausing at his, so far unused, bedroom. The Time Lord paused to stare at it before shaking his head. He hadn't slept for long periods of time since the Time War, not wanting to see his memories being twisted into nightmares. The short naps of a few hours were enough to keep him running anyway.

The Pharaoh stopped at the double doors, feeling the impulse die away. He sighed and opened the doors, blinking at the sight that met his eyes.

Yugi was curled up in a corner of the room, obviously asleep, with the gentle light of the stars shining down on him.

He swallowed before walking into the room, sitting down beside the young man, smiling as Yugi gave a soft coo and curled tighter. The Pharaoh reached out without thinking, stopping himself before he could brush the bangs back from Yugi's face. He stared at his hand before pointedly setting it down on the bench.

This was getting ridiculous. He could no longer deny his attachment to his latest companion, he had stopped when they that run into the Slitheen. He could deny that he had feelings for the human, but it was probably just because this was the one that had stuck with him. And he had honestly missed having a companion again. But was it so obvious that a mutated Dalek could tell that he was in love? And was it really love?

The Pharaoh wasn't ready to confront that yet. All he knew was that he and the TARDIS were too attached to this one human for their own good.

He ran a hand through his hair before looking up at the ceiling. "He's going to die, one day. You know that?"

The TARDIS gave a sad hum, the Pharaoh feeling her reach into his mind for the equivalent of a hug. He nodded his thanks, not surprised when the TARDIS remained in close contact. With a sigh, he scooped up Yugi, going still as the young man shifted to curl into him. The Pharaoh swayed a bit with the action before beginning the walk back to Yugi's room, forcing himself not to think about what could happen.

He laid the young man into his bed, carefully pulling the blanket up around Yugi's shoulders. In the moment that it took for him to step back, Yugi had made himself his usual ball, nestling further into the covers. The Pharaoh smiled at the action, taking a few more steps back before he allowed himself to watch.

He had done this once before, and even then, he wasn't really sure why he had felt compelled to do this. The Pharaoh shook his head and cut the session short, walking back to the control room, despite the TARDIS' whine of protest.

"We can't get too attached." There was a rumble, obviously a question. "Because he'll want his life back, he'll want to go home after a while. Humans can't deal with this all the time."

The TARDIS managed to sound disbelieving, the Pharaoh shooting a glare at the nearest wall. "He's a human. It may be a generalization, but it's true."

The Pharaoh walked quickly towards the control room, tensing as the TARDIS pressed closer to his mind, obviously still wanting something from him. He managed to ignore the pressure until he reached the control room, his patience snapping. Even though he knew that the TARDIS had no physical presence, he spun around, snapping at the air behind him. "We'll lose him if this continues! He's not safe!"

The TARDIS retreated from his mind with a sorrowful hum, leaving the Pharaoh suddenly aware of the emptiness of his mind. He stumbled over to the captain's chair, nearly falling into it. He ran his hands over his face, his whole body shaking as he came to a sudden realization.

"I don't want to lose him."

They had called all the neighbors and they had confirmed it. All the stations were out. There was no news to be had anymore. No more reports on the weather, stock market or any of the nearly daily threats that had consumed the Empire suddenly. They were vunerable.

Some just blamed a solar flare; those were known to knock out communications from Satellite 5. But then, they had waited. If it was a solar flare, it shouldn't have lasted two weeks. So something was wrong with the station itself.

And so, the people waited in fear.

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