A/N~ Coming towards another highlight of this story. I like this plot twist especially. I don't know why but I am glad I was able to put it into the story. I know Yugi and Ryou being kidnapped may seem cliché but I assure you, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy the chapter and thanks to my beta, XLight ForeverX
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO at all. I mean, I'd love to sign some sort of contract or something but I can't. Oh well. However, this plot is mine and mine only. Ask before using it please!
Bakura and Yami tore out of the palace like bats out of hell. Yami couldn't help but notice the pissed off look on Bakura's face. He wasn't just angry. The demon king could sense fear radiating off his friend like heat from lava. He as frightened for the events that were unfolding and for the fate of the angel he had come to adore, just as Yami was.
Yami clenched his fists together and flapped his wings harder. Yugi had only gone to get water with Ryou as his company. Yami should have sent someone with them for protection. Although fire demons wouldn't have lasted long against the Aquarians, perhaps it would have given them time to get away. The king stiffened his wings as Bakura flew under him, letting out a grunt that they had almost reached their destination.
"I don't like this, Yami." Bakura breathed, looking around them position for signs of Aquarians coming to meet them. "I don't like this at all."
"We don't have a choice, Bakura." Yami contradicted. "If we don't go, they'll kill the angels. I'm not letting Yugi die because of some grudge that damn water king had against me."
"They'll kill us." Bakura stated, flying parallel to Yami. "You know that right?"
Yami nodded firmly. "They wish to strip us of any control we may have. That is why they want us to meet on their grounds. The edge of my kingdom is far too cold for us to use our powers at their max. We shall have to stall for as much time before they decide to get rid of us." Yami directed, he glanced over at Bakura. "You don't have to come, you know. I'm certain I can stall as long as I need. I may be able to get Ryou and Yugi safely away before they destroy me."
Bakura shook his head. "I will not have Ryou in the clutches of those beasts. It is my duty to save him and I shall do just that. You won't get the damn credit all to yourself." He added with a laugh. Suddenly he became very serious. "What if they already killed the angels?" He asked softly.
"They haven't." Yami said.
"How do you know this?" Bakura questioned.
Yami glanced over at Bakura as they saw the cold waters of their death loaming ahead. "Because if they had killed Yugi, I would have felt it. If you care for Ryou as much as I care for Yugi, then you would have felt it as well. They wouldn't dare harm the angels without us there to witness it." Yami swallowed hard, bracing himself for the possibility that the Aquarians would harm his little one without him having the power to do anything to stop them.
"There is something I don't understand." Bakura shouted. "Ryou should have been able to read their thoughts right? Why didn't he get away or at least know of their intentions?"
Yami winced at the thought. Yugi said he could influence any demon he wished. So why was it that the angel hadn't found the means to escape? Why had neither of them escaped? The thought that this could be another trick swiped viciously at Yami's mind but he quickly threw it out. Yugi was not trying to kill him, nor would he ever again. If Yami didn't believe that with all his heart, then their relationship stood for nothing. "I don't know." Yami said. "I can only hope that-,"
"What is that?" Bakura cut him off, stopping in midflight.
Yami paused as well as wings came into view. Yami felt temporary relief wash over him. Yugi? Another squint made him flinch as he realized that it was not Yugi who was flying at them with all his might, but Ryou. When the angel got closer, the demons saw tears and desperation in his eyes.
"Ryou?" Bakura questioned, gliding slightly towards the creature. He didn't have time to say anything else before Ryou pounced on him with all his might. Yami blinked in alarm as they spiraled towards the ground. Bakura was quick to grab hold of the sobbing and exhausted angel before taking flight back into the warmer skies. "Ryou, what happened?"
"Where is Yugi?" Yami demanded, looking back from where Ryou came from to see if Yugi was far behind. There was no angel flying towards him.
Ryou panted and cried, clinging onto Bakura, hiding his head in the demon's chest. Bakura held the angel tighter and bit his lip. He looked at Yami with a look of desperation. Bakura was not as well equipped to handle crying creatures as Yami had. The demon was too inexperienced but he tried his best. "Ryou? Ryou, answer me. It's okay, you're safe now."
Yami flew over to him. As happy as he was to see that Ryou was okay, he needed to find Yugi. He had to save his little one. "What happened?" He asked, trying to make his vice sound soothing.
Ryou started to blabber but neither demon could make it out. Bakura shook the angel slightly, "Ryou, calm down. Take a deep breath." He demanded. Ryou did so, shaking with the effort of his sobbing. "Okay, now what happened?"
Yami fluttered in midair, hoping to get as many details of possible. Ryou looked at Bakura and wrapped his arms around the demon's neck. "They're horrible. We were always taught that fire demons were the worst of demons but they are horrible." He cried. He took another deep breath. "Malik has gone rogue. He made a pact with the Aquarians. He said to do whatever it was possible to separate the four of us."
"How do you know this?" Yami asked.
Ryou looked at him. "I could read one of their minds. They kept thinking about the horrible things they were going to do to all of us. I saw the entire memory of the conversation. Malik said to do anything to make sure that you and Yugi could never be together and that Bakura and I could never be together. Malik said to kill the both of you and if that didn't work…"
Bakura searched Ryou's face. "And if that didn't work?"
Ryou looked up at him. "I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Yami asked, growing aggravated. "You read minds, what was he thinking of doing?"
Ryou gave him a frightened look. "I don't know." He repeated. "The demon whose mind I was reading left the vicinity. I couldn't read his mind anymore. More demons came in and I tried to get a read off of them but I couldn't." Ryou explained.
"Why not?" Bakura asked, flapping his wings to keep them in flight. "I thought you could read the mind of any demon?"
"I can." Ryou defended. "That is what makes me think Malik went rogue. The only reason my powers would work on certain Aquarians but not others is if they were immune to my power….to any angel's power." Ryou shook his head. "The only way they could stop my ability to read minds would be if they took the serum."
"What serum?" Yami demanded.
"Long ago, the elders of the angel thought that we were becoming too powerful. As a precaution to make sure our power didn't go to our heads, they created a serum that if drank by any individual, would make them immune to any angel's power, even ours." Ryou explained. "Malik, Yugi and I were given access to these serums to use as we wished but we all chose to never use them. They were never intended to be given to demons but angels and elders themselves. I think Malik must have given it to them to ensure that we couldn't use our powers to escape back to the two of you."
Yami flinched. If this serum did exist then no wonder Yugi was unable to escape. How did Ryou get out-.
"Yugi fought one of the guards and I was able to run." Ryou sobbed. He began to quiver again. "I'm sorry, Yami. He told me to run and to tell you not to come. He said the Aquarians would kill all of us for sure." He cried, shaking.
"Calm down." Bakura insisted, holding his angel closer to his body. "We'll get Yugi back, no matter what."
Ryou shook his head. "I just ran. Even when…"
Yami narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the sound of this.
Ryou shuddered. "I couldn't see what they were doing to him, But…he just kept screaming."
Yami stiffened at this and before Bakura could blink, he took off towards the water.
"Yami, wait!" Bakura yelled, quickly following the king towards the water's edge.
"They'll be here soon." Ryou shouted over the wind soaring by them. "They kept us close to your kingdom in hopes you would search the outer perimeter."
Yami flew faster. The Aquarians were hurting his opposite and there was going to be hell to pay for it. Yami growled at the thought of his other being hurt and slightly frightened with the thought of the water demons using different torture techniques to harm the creature. Yami was unfamiliar with the kind of damage the Aquarians could do since no one who encountered them was ever heard from again.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bakura yelled. "They could have let Ryou go to lead you right to them."
"I know." Yami admitted. They were falling right into the hands of the Aquarians but what choice did they have? Yami wasn't going to let anyone harm the angel he had captured and then freed. It was his newly found job to protect the angel and give back all the creature had given to him. He would not forsaken Yugi because of mere danger to himself. "You two go back." Yami directed.
"No." They chided in unison. Ryou gave the demon holding him a warm look. "I'm not letting some water freaks kill Yugi."
Yami nodded and a glance ahead told them they weren't far from where Yugi was being kept. Yami halted his flying and landed on a chilled rock surrounded by water. They were fully in Aquarian territory now. There was no turning back. The fire king stared at the two Aquarians smiling at his arrival. "You're just in time." One of them hissed.
With a blink of an eye, two Aquarians thrust out of the water, landing on the rock with grace. With them a quivering body emerged and landed harshly with a shiver on the rock. The creature gasped for air and turned its amethyst eyes onto Yami's crimson ones.
Yami made a move to rush to the creature's side but an Aquarian took a blade from his pocket and held it to the angel's neck. Yami stopped moving and growled. "What is it you want from me?" He asked calmly in hopes that the conflict could end shortly.
"We want nothing from you." The Aquarian that was most of a danger to Yugi stated. "We have orders from a higher power to remove the bound you and the angel share." He informed the king who snarled at the remark.
Yami's eyes rested on Yugi's soaked form. He shivered from the cold but gave Yami a look of confidence that told him his angel was okay, for now. Yami gave the creature a sincere look of worry before glancing at the four water demons that surrounded his love. "Then what is it you want us to do? What do I need to do to exchange the angel?" Yami inquired, still hoping peace was the answer to all this.
The water demon to Yugi's left smirked. "There will be no exchange." He stated firmly. "You will never go near your angel again after we are through with him." He inquired.
Yami felt his stomach squeeze in anxiety. Ryou, can you read their thoughts? Yami thought and looked over when Ryou shook his head. What were the Aquarians planning? If they killed the angel, it would be an all out war between the nations. They didn't plan on letting him go. What did they plan on doing that would make Yami not want to take him back?
The Aquarian holding the dagger to Yugi's throat gave the teen a look over. He had rope tightly wrapped around his wrists. It was wrapped so tightly that they bled. Not too much but enough to make the fire king outraged. The angel's white wings were soaked through and slightly red with blood. Yami could see small cuts on the wings, no doubt the reason for Yugi's screams earlier. The Aquarian kept an eye on the fire demon and his allies before glancing up at a quiet water demon.
With a shake of blue hair, the creature pulled something out of his pocket. It was some sort of blue liquid encased in a small bottle. Yugi started to thrash and it took a second Aquarian to hold him down. Sensing Yugi's panic, Yami stepped forward, prepared to fight to the death.
The last Aquarian who had seemed unoccupied, dove at Bakura who still had Ryou in his clutches. Before the demon could blink, the Aquarian had pushed him to the edge of the rock. Ryou fell onto the rock as Bakura fell into the cold water. "Kura!" Ryou screamed, diving into the water and surfacing with the fire demon in his arms. Yami glanced in worry at Bakura who had already lost consciousness. It made sense that Bakura was less resistant to water. He was not half angel after all.
Yami turned to assist the angel with his friend when the Aquarian pounced on him as well. Yami was prepared for the cold of the water but didn't feel it. He opened his eyes to feel searing pain racing through his body like lightning. He growled when he noticed the Aquarian on top of him, holding him firmly to the rock. One hand on pressed on his back and one of the side of his head, pressing his skull into the rock.
"Shall we give him the serum?" The Aquarian causing him so much pain asked softly.
The water demon grabbed Yugi by the neck and sat him up. Yugi continued to thrash, especially when he saw the pain his opposite was going through. Yugi stared at him with a look that translated to 'are you okay?' but Yami wasn't able to give him another reassuring look. What serum were the Aquarians talking about? The same serum that Malik had given the demons to make them impervious to their powers? What good would that do?
"No." The demon holding the dagger answer. He removed it from Yugi's throat and placed it back into his pocket. "Malik said he was the one who got the serum." He said, gesturing to Yugi. Yugi looked slightly terrified.
Yami growled as he struggled to get the water demon off him. What did they plan on doing to his angel? Yami could hear Ryou behind him dragging Bakura's body onto the rock. "What are you doing? There is no way Malik gave you permission to do this!" He screamed in panic. The angels seemed to know what was going on and Yami hated being clueless.
The Aquarian smiled and shook his head. "He said to do whatever was necessary." A needle came out of nowhere and was handled to the water demon holding the tiny bottle. "Therefore I will do whatever is necessary."
Yami saw Ryou launch himself out of the corner of his eye towards the demons holding Yugi hostage. Yugi struggled with all he could against the now two demons holding him. Unfortunately, they were a lot bigger than he was and his struggled only angered the water demons. Ryou tackled one of the creatures to the rock, trying to strangle him with his hands. His luck ran out when the water demon swiped at his chest, sending him almost back into the water.
Ryou, what's happening? What are they doing? Yami demanded, thrashing under the weight of the Aquarian above him. His cold skin gave Yami chills that Yugi never did. His flesh felt disgustingly slimy and he smelled of seaweed.
"Yami, stop them!" Ryou shouted. "Kill them! They're going to make Yugi one of them! That's not angel's serum that's Aquarian serum!"
Yami's eyes widened when he saw one of the demon's withdraw some of the serum into the syringe and re-pocket the bottle. He smirked at Yami who used the rest of his power to push the demon off him. It worked and he bolted for Yugi as the Aquarians pushed the angel onto his back. "Get off me!" Yugi screamed, his wings beating against the ground to try to remove the demons from him.
He never had control. Yami felt a slimy hand grab his ankle and send him falling on top of the cold rock. He shivered when the demon took hold of his wings and smashed them into the ground harshly. Yami cried out in pain but continued to struggle to help his little one trembling on the ground. Control was now an illusion. Both he and Yugi knew it. Yugi had never not had control when facing demons and now that his fate was no longer in his own hands, it terrified him. Yami could smell it and it scared him as well. He wished he had made the journey to get water himself. The whole situation would have been avoided.
Yami watched in horror as the Aquarian raised the needle high. "Hold him still." He demanded of the others who pressed Yugi firmly into the rock. The Aquarian brought the needle down hard, directly into Yugi's heart.
The fire king wasn't sure which scream was louder, his, Ryou's, or Yugi's. Ryou bolted at the Aquarian and succeeded in tackling one into the water. He turned and pushed the one plunging the needle into Yugi's heart off the poor creature. Yugi was sobbing as his body shook from the shock of the object entering dangerous territory. Yami snarled fiercely and bucked the water demon off him. He launched at the last remaining Aquarian holding down his little angel. The demon seemed frightened by Yami's attitude and decided that retreat was a better option.
Yami turned to see Yugi curled in a fetal position and shaking violently, the needle still in his heart. Ryou was struggling with the water demon responsible for his created brother's pain, rolling on the ground and trying to smash the demon's skull in. Yami gently turned Yugi on his side, the angel was cold, freezing in fact. Yugi's eyes met with Yami's as he whimpered, "I'm dying."
"No, you're not!" Yami hissed at him. He would not lose his angel now. "Be still." He commanded as he examined the needle. He touched it gently only to have Yugi scream in pain.
"Get it out!" He screamed, "Get it out!" Tears rolling down his face. He struggled to remove the needle himself but his hands were still caught tightly behind him.
Yami took hold on the needle and pulled with from the angel's body. Yugi completely curled into a ball and cried. Yami heard a pained yell coming from behind him and saw Ryou under the Aquarian. The water demon had a dagger raised above his head. Yami was about to launch at the demon before he saw another creature do it before he could. Yami felt some sort of relief when he spotted Bakura grasping the creature's throat viciously. "You dare touch what belongs to me?" He snarled, his voice shaking with rage. He extending his claws and dug into the water demon's flesh.
The fire king turned his attention to Yugi who was now being cradled by Ryou. Both angels were crying as Ryou smoothed out Yugi's hair. He quickly untied Yugi's wrists and held the poor creature. Yami couldn't take it anymore. "Let me hold him." He demanded, reaching for the angel.
"You can't." Ryou sighed, shaking his head.
"What the hell do you mean, I can't?" Yami asked, ignoring the water demon's howls of pain. He glanced at Yugi who continued to weep and reached for the angel once more. He took the creature into his arms but Yugi continued to push him away. Yami soon noticed why. Sharp pains crept up his arms from the contact with Yugi. He immediately felt weakened and hunched onto the ground. Yugi escaped his grasp and moved away, terrified.
Ryou sighed. "See? I didn't mean you weren't allowed. I meant you physically can't."
The fire demon glanced at his water burned arms as Yugi clutched his heart painfully and sat up against Ryou. Crimson eyes met…blue eyes? Yami blinked in shock when he noticed Yugi's eyes were a blue instead of the normal beautiful amethyst. Yami let out a shaky sigh as the icy feeling in his arms went away. This wasn't happening, it wasn't possible. How could the demons hurt his little one in such a way?
"He isn't hurt." Ryou corrected. "Not too bad anyway. He cries for you."
Yami ignored the comment and crawled on his hands and knees closer to Yugi. It was a trick. Yugi couldn't be a demon much less an Aquarian. It was all lies. Yami gently placed his hands up Yugi's shoulders, forcing the teen to look up at Yami. "Yami…" He whimpered as the king moved closer to him. "Don't…"
Another howl from the Aquarian went unnoticed as Yami swiped through the pain to touch his little angel. Yugi's skin was freezing and it sent spikes of ice through Yami's veins. Still, the demon ignored the physically reality of the situation even though it made him weaker and weaker by the second. The fire king leaned forward and captured ice cold lips. He tried to maintain the kiss but it didn't last. Ice zapped its way through Yami's entire body, freezing him to the core. He whimpered in pain as Yugi tried to push him away but Yami held his shoulders tightly.
Finally, Yami could take no more. He collapsed from weakness next to Yugi's body, shivering from the cold dose of poison Yugi had surely just given him. His crimson eyes met with that ugly blue that stared at him in horror. Yugi backed away from Yami on his knees, covering his mouth in shock. More tears rolled down his face as the reality and truth started to set in.
He really was a demon.
A small chuckle overlapped Yugi's sobs of sorrow. "There isn't a single way you can touch him now." The dying Aquarian in Bakura's grasp sounded out. "He's an Aquarian now."
A/N~ TBC
Whoa! What do you all think of that? I have to thank my fan base for being so supportive to me! I really love each and every one of you! You guys make writing worth writing!