Chapter 26

Seeker's eyes moved from Anzu's face to Jounouchi's. His smile was forced and seemed more like a grimace now.

"Good… That pathetic, blond duelist is out cold. And that just leaves… you." In Japanese, he used the familiar "anata," when he referred to Anzu—which made her cringe inside. Anzu blinked back, afraid to move or breathe. Seeker was in control and he knew it. He glowered at her, slapping her face a little harder with each word. "You're…such… an… idiot."

Seeker suddenly felt a fist in his face. He fell to the floor and slid a few centimeters. Jounouchi had gotten up, clutching his side. Yugi was to his left and Anzu to his right. Yugi…? He went to the side of the stone tablet where his best friend was. His eyes moved across it. The symbols meant nothing to him. But, he could see Yugi's body lying there. There was an empty expression on his face. Jou grabbed his arm and shook him. Nothing.

"What have you done to him?!" Jou yelled, panic in his voice. He wiped his mouth on his forearm. More blood dripped down. He wiped it again-- with blood now streaked from his elbow to the knuckles on the back of his hand. He was leaving blood splatters on the floor, too.

Seeker strolled around after Jou, "You can't go far. You're in pretty bad shape. Can you even run? Namiko really worked one over on ya." He shook his head in mock pity. "Just look at you—with blood in your teeth! Yes, she was definitely worth every yen that I paid for her."

Run? He's right. I can't…

The two men by the door watched and waited to be called into the fight. Seeker motioned them back with a gesture of his hand. "This is going to be fun," he said, rubbing his jaw. "Leave the pretty, blond boy to me."

I'm not your 'boy,' he thought angrily.

Jounouchi tried to untie Anzu, but found Seeker closing in on him. "Jerk!" Jounouchi said, grabbing Anzu's compact off the floor and throwing it. Seeker ducked. Jou tugged at Anzu's gag. "Lame," Seeker said under his breath and started again at Jou. "No, this is lame," Jou said and threw the next thing that he could get his hands on—the lipstick. He was rather proud of the spin that he put on the silver tube. It gave him a second longer to pull the gag out of Anzu's mouth and grab the next thing on the floor.

"Idiot!" she said to Jou.

"I know! I know! But I'm not leaving, and I can't untie you right now."

Anzu was about to say something else but, instead, looked over Jou's shoulder and his eyes followed her stare. Seeker tackled Jou, who screamed in pain as he fell on his back. They were wrestling in the middle of the floor. The two of them were so close that Jou could smell Seeker's rancid breath. It made his stomach turn. Seeker had Jou around the throat until Jou tried to smash the other man's nose with the heel of his hand.

This guy doesn't know how to fight. Maybe, I've got a chance, Jou thought.

When Seeker tried to get on top, Jounouchi shoved the other man away with a rolling motion and stood up slowly. He desperately wanted to breathe but found it almost impossible. His torso started to cramp. He doubled over when Seeker hit him. Jounouchi fell on the stone tablet. His legs knocked the archaeologist field notes and Japanese translations to the floor in a heap.

"Dumb blond," Seeker said, pulling Jounouchi into the space marked for the second body.

Almost immediately, the stone tablet pulsed into life. The vibration was harder now and there was a faint shimmer around Yugi and Jounouchi's bodies. The symbols on the tablet began to glow with a white heat. Anzu, still on the floor, heard a laugh echoing throughout the room. She shuddered and pulled herself into a ball—hiding her face.

The two guards at the door walked over to Seeker, looking confused. Where was the voice coming from? They glanced at their boss, wondering if this was a threat or not. He was grinning broadly. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

"The symbols on this stone talk of power. And I want it!" Seeker demanded. "You have no idea what I've had to do to get to this point…"

A voice, speaking in a smooth and almost rhythmic language that Seeker didn't understand, replied. The voice stopped and then began again. It was still impossible to tell where it was coming from. The art gallery echoed everything. What was unmistakable was the arrogant and sarcastic tone that the voice had. Clearly, it was mocking them and Seeker didn't like it.

"I want it! Give it to me!" He looked around the room. "I SAID GIVE IT TO ME!" He picked up the field notes and translations, throwing them into the air in frustration.

The masculine voice laughed at him and jeered him one last time before sending out the beam of blue-grey light from the corners of the tablet.

Like poison arrows, the thick light caught Seeker and his men. Their faces had a feeling like walking into cobwebs and the rest of their bodies felt electricity shooting through them. Their bodies wouldn't move, wouldn't obey any command. In the next second, they could feel their souls being torn out and sucked away into the tablet—and, beyond that, the Shadow Realm. Their bodies collapsed on the ground, eyes staring to points far, far off.

The light missed Anzu entirely. She sat on the floor and blinked---grateful that she couldn't move.

"Let's go! Let's go! Move it. Move it! Move!" One of Kaiba Seto's men, wearing mostly black with a light blue tie and mirrored sun glasses entered with a gun drawn. Three others followed, aiming their guns and scanning the room. The first put away his weapon and walked up to Anzu. Roughly, he began to untie her.

"Th-thanks," she said uneasily.

The man finishing up the rear said into his Motorola, "We've secured the area."

Kaiba Seto walked in the room with his usual arrogant gait. He stopped briefly and said to four men behind him, "Go to the study and see if you can find a silly man in effeminate clothing there. There's bitch tied up in the dining room. And there may be others on the grounds." Seeker was a fool to let me touch my cell phone. I had it on the speaker setting and "I don't like" was the code for "emergency."

Returning to business, Seto had a smirk on his face which faded when he saw only his men standing in the distance.

Where…?

He glanced around the room and found himself walking at half a run—wondering where the others were. Three men stood with their backs to him, staring down at the stone tablet. Seto pushed them aside, looking down.

"N-NO! NO!" Seto's voice echoed in hideous tones, his shouts would have made Namiko proud. Memories of Jounouchi's face, when he turned to leave, came back to him. Mokuba's looks of horror and disbelief were there, too.

Seto tried to touch Jou's hand, but was repelled. The shield, now, took on a golden tone, grew in size, and encased them. No! What, the hell, is this? Seto's eyes were shut tight as he doubled up his fist. Furious, he punched the shield. I will not allow them to be sacrifices! he thought furiously. They will not die! Seto could see inside. He tried again to touch them, break through, but couldn't. He punched again and again. Each blow was reflected back at him.

Yugi's body was lying on the sandy, stone tablet. His face tilted toward the ceiling and his violet eyes dull, seeing nothing. His right hand was stretched out, holding onto Jounouchi's arm. Jounouchi's face was peaceful, almost angelic. He was turned toward Yugi, eyes open slightly. His cheek had a fresh, purple bruise on it. There was dried blood from his elbow to the back of his hand in several long stripes. The bleeding had stopped on his lip. The shirt he was wearing had tiny blotches of blood on it, too. The stone had smears of his blood, which looked like there had been a fight.

Anzu stood as close to them as the shield would allow. She desperately wanted to hold Yugi's hand and touch his hair.

"Why did you come back?" Her voice was shaking, and she was so upset that she couldn't look at him.

"I had to get Mokuba out of the room. It was the only way." Seto shook his head in disbelief.

"I asked why you came back. I didn't ask why you left."

"I came back because… I had to be here. Because…my men were here to help."

"Logical as always," she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I knew you'd have an answer that you could live with."

Mokuba walked into the room, watching his brother's men securing the building. He was used to hustle and bustle. Most of the time, it gave him the perfect opportunity to move around unnoticed. Yay! Over there! There was Nii-sama and he could see Anzu, too. But, she was pink faced, nose running, and…tears? She was wiping her face with her hand. One of the men in black, speaking on a cell phone, moved away and… His eyes shot open.

"No!" Mokuba's screams were echoing in the gallery from the far end.

Seto turned his head with a sick look on his face, rubbing his fist absentmindedly.

"No!" Mokuba came running up to the stone tablet, but found himself being shoved back by the barrier. His hands pressed against it hopelessly. Mokuba's eyes were full of tears. "You said we'd be back in time. You said that they'd be okay! Nii-sama?!" His face was red with rage.

"Mokuba," Seto began impatiently. He'd just gone through the wringer with Anzu. He really didn't want to have this conversation all over again.

"This is blood!" Mokuba's frightened eyes stared at the tablet, Jou's arm, shirt, and face. "We left Yugi. We left Jounouchi. Jounouchi would never have left us…even if we told him to, he wouldn't!" Mokuba avoided Seto when he reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.

"Calm down," Seto ordered, his attention back to Jounouchi now. "And you're too loud."

Anzu bent down to get her purse—packing everything up. She found some tissues, pulled one out, and wiped her face.

"Fine. I'll shut up." Mokuba's head was in his hands.

Seto gave him a steely glare. "Since when did you care so much about Mutt?" he asked in a quiet, low tone.

"Sorry," the child said. "I guess I…" he looked at Seto briefly and then back to Jou, "I like him because…you do. I rely on him because you do."

Seto sighed with worry. "It's more than 'like' and you know it."

"Yeah," Mokuba said sadly.

The stone tablet shook. Anzu stepped back in shock. Mokuba did, too. But, Seto leaned forward, trying to break the shield again. Maybe it's weakening, Seto thought. With both hands, he shoved the barrier, but nothing happened. Seto looked at Jou again—only to discover that he was holding Anzu's deck of Duel Monsters Cards.

"What is he doing with that?" Seto called to Anzu on the other side, pointing down to the cards.

"Jounouchi was trying to untie me. He was throwing anything he could at Seeker to buy time to do it."

The stone tablet shook again.

"I see," Seto said grimly, and felt something shifting around in his shirt pocket. He pulled the coat's material back and felt "Painful Choice" fly out of his shirt pocket. For the briefest second, he saw the card penetrate the shield. He tried to force his hand into the brief opening in the shield, but was too late. There was another rumble and Seto tried to straighten up, but it seemed that he was being forced backwards. This time, the shield was cold to the touch, and felt like it was made of thousands of tiny vibrations.

"You can't," Anzu said with a sad shake of her head. "Just stop this for now."

Seto glared at her with icy blue eyes. She backed down a little. Then, he tried to hit it with his fist again—knowing that it wouldn't change anything, knowing that Anzu was right. But he needed to hit something.

The room shook again.

"What's going on?" Anzu shrieked.

"Nii-sama?"

All three of them looked to the stone tablet. Jounouchi and Yugi's bodies had a soft glow. Painful Choice and Pyrrhic Victory began to smolder and burst into green flames. The magic fire spread quickly across the tablet.

"They'll be burned!" Anzu screamed.

Seto's body froze. He looked at Jounouchi's face as though he'd never see it again. His pain was unbearable. But it was all that he'd ever have if Jou didn't make it out alive.

As the green fire engulfed them, Yugi and Jounouchi took sudden, sharp breaths.

Yugi and Jou fell through the darkness. Their bodies sensing the fall, hair billowing up.

"I have you!" Yugi said, holding onto Jounouchi's arm.

"What's happening?" Jou said, panicking, seeing nothing but darkness.

"I won't let go."

"I really hate the dark," Jounouchi said, cringing as they fell.

"I know. I've been with you all this time. So, I know."

"Yeah."

They landed hard on their feet in a stone room with two ornate, Egyptian thrones set up high on a dias. There were sconces on the walls with the same green torch-fire that spread across the tablet. A thin goddess with dark kohl under her eyes who was wrapped in a white cloth adorned the walls. Sometimes, it seemed like she had feathers in her hair. Yugi felt, for a second, that he almost knew who she was. But, suddenly, the thought faded from his mind.

Yugi and Jounouchi looked around, confused.

This is one weird dream, Jou thought to himself. Then again, thanks to Yugi, I've pretty much seen it all… No, this has got to be a dream….I think…maybe…?

A tall, well-built man wearing a black animal mask that looked like a strange cross between an aardvark and a jackal approached them from the shadows. He had a gold ankh hanging heavily from a bracelet on his right wrist and a tall staff in his left hand. A red cloth was wrapped around his waist and legs, showing well defined muscles. His sandals had silver threads laced in the material.

The man's voice spoke in a language that Yugi and Jou didn't understand at first. But, gradually, the words became Japanese. They blinked at him in astonishment.

"Greetings, duelist-warriors," the man said. "I've been wanting to meet you."

"As have I," came another, familiar voice.

"Atem!" Yugi said with joy.

"Aibou! Jounouchi!"

Walking up to Yugi and Jou was Atem, dressed in the rich gold and white robes of a pharaoh. Yugi rushed into Atem's arms and held him. For the first time in ages, Yugi felt whole and complete. He was thrilled and, strangely, his soul was at rest. He placed his head against Atem's shoulder. "I have missed you so much! Every day of my life, since you've been gone, I've missed you."

Jounouchi smiled, happy for Yugi. He was happy for himself, too, because Atem was a good friend.

Jou's eyes drifted to the stranger. The man took his staff and drew a large rectangular shape in the air with the end of it. Almost immediately, a dark grey shape appeared within that was filled with smoke. It swirled slowly and then brightened, full of colors. Jounouchi realized that it was a window into the room that they'd just left. He could see Anzu, Mokuba, and Seto looking down onto their bodies on the stone slab.

That's kind of creepy…seeing myself like that… Jounouchi approached the window. There were still small whisps of smoke swirling curved paths around the edges.

"Touching it," the man said, "could break the connection."

Jounouchi nodded and looked up at him. "I'm sorry to say this, but… Do I know you?" he asked. "I feel like I do somehow."

The man laughed at him and walked the stone steps back to his throne. His animal head turned to watch the pharaoh and Yugi. He was clearly enjoying himself. Jounouchi followed his gaze, too. What's so funny? he thought.

Jou looked over to Atem and Yugi again. Yugi's arms were around Atem's shoulders and they were talking quietly. Pointy-haired Yugi had a tear streaking down his cheek, but his round face was bright and happy. They were both truly glad to be with each other, their eyes glowing with joy. Yugi laughed and rested his head on Atem's shoulder.

"You are so much taller than I remember," Atem voice drifted.

"It's been over twelve months. Of course, I've changed a bit…"

"Time doesn't mean anything in my realm. So, it seems like I just left you," Atem said in his beautiful, deep voice. His wine colored eyes lined with kohl looked back with affection.

Oh, no. What if they're…in love? Jounouchi thought to himself.

He turned his eyes to the window. Anzu was standing across from the stone tablet, crying bitterly, trying not to sob. "Please, Yugi, I believe in you," she was whispering. Jou turned his face back to Yugi and then down to the floor. Jou's heart hurt a little for Anzu at that moment.

From high on the dais, the other one said, "Shall we begin?"

"Begin?" Yugi asked Atem. "I don't understand."

Atem moved his hand around to Yugi's waist. "I don't think they understand the purpose of the stone."

"Can't they read? Had they no education? Really, dear pharaoh…"

Atem smiled at his companion, perhaps a bit broadly, humoring him. "I know these two very well. They have had educations, but they can't read our language very well." Atem turned to Yugi and Jounouchi, "This tablet was designed as a way for leaders of other lands to challenge the ruling pharaoh to a shadow game in this… How to describe it? It's a battlefield…but also a game...a dangerous game. Two duelist-warriors come, one leaves to the afterlife. To prepare, requires a sacrifice. To play requires a sacrifice. To return requires a sacrifice."

"Why is that?" Jounouchi asked, curious.

"Challenging leadership should never be done lightly, Jounouchi. Too many people rely on you when you are king. And the reason why the stone worked at all is because of Yugi. It recognized him."

Recognized? Jou thought. He's no pharaoh…

"Long have I watched your split-apart," the man said from high on his dias. "He has done well in the world of the living."

"Split-apart?" Yugi asked, confused.

Atem's grip around Yugi's waist slackened a bit, causing him to worry. Atem sighed openly. Yugi placed an arm around Atem's shoulders, encouraging him.

"I see…When you got back, you finally remembered it all?"

Atem nodded. "I'm sorry. I should have just told you the second I met you in your dream, but I didn't have time. No, that's not true. I was being selfish. I wanted to see you again."

Yugi understood. "I can't exactly talk, can I? For a second, in the dream, I wanted to walk through the waves, the barrier that separated us. I knew that if I did, I'd die. But, I wanted to be with you just the same."

They are lovers, Jounouchi thought sadly, poor Anzu.

"You can tell me," Yugi said. "I'd really like to know."

"When Seteh," he gestured to the man on the dais," and I died in the past, we knew that we could not come back as we once were."

"Come, now, my king. You make it sound as though we died together."

"True, it was at different points in history," Atem nodded in agreement, "But, we did meet. And we were allowed to send…a piece…back to the living world."

"This last time," Seteh said, looking down, "my pharaoh and I decided to send back a piece of ourselves together—in the same place—to compare."

"Y-Yes," Atem said with reluctance, "we both sent a split-apart of our souls—a piece of ourselves—down to the living world. But, it was more than just a piece. We each made it a mix of the best parts of ourselves and sent it back."

Seteh said, "With mine, I chose work ethic, intelligence, and strength."

Yugi looked to Atem. "What did you send back?" he asked, knowing full well the answer.

Atem held Yugi in his arms. "I sent you—my light."

Yugi nodded with a vague smile, "Honestly, I don't know why I asked. I knew the answer before you said it."

The pharaoh rested his head against Yugi's. "My split-apart represents kindness, thoughtfulness, mercy, forgiveness, understanding, and hope."

"So, he's you and you're him?" Jou felt confused.

"Think of it as two pieces of the same puzzle," Atem said.

"So, when I was gone, what did that make you?" Yugi asked, but almost kicked himself immediately for asking the question. The link between them answered—Lonely.

"Not long after that, I was locked into the puzzle and my memories erased. And, maybe, that was the kindest thing the puzzle could do. But, it was also the puzzle that chose you to complete it, to complete us…"

"When that one dies," Seteh interrupted, motioning his staff at Yugi," will you merge him back with you? My king, you've never sent a split-apart away before the way I have." The animal head was cocked to one side. "After all, what is darkness without light?"

"I'll leave that up to Yugi," he returned, staring up at the dias. "Whether Yugi is part of me again or simply by my side, I'll be happy with it."

This got a "humph," from the dias. "That one," he gestured to Yugi, "has just traveled the twelve hours of the night with his friend to be here. And you expect him to make a decision just this moment about being part of you again or not?"

"No," Atem said and looked to Yugi, "I expect more. I want you to do all of the things I never could do…because there's someone else we need to think about." Atem pointed to Anzu. Through the window, Yugi could see her. Misery was etched into her face. Yugi's heart fell. "Oh, Anzu."

Atem saw Yugi's reaction and held back a smile. "You love her, don't you?" The question was honest—too honest. Yugi looked back with a blush and shook his head "yes" a little, "But I think you're the one she wants. Once, I offered to trade places with you so that she could spend more time with you."

"I remember that," Atem said, "and she told us…she told you…that 'both Yugis' were the same. She was right. She understood us even when we didn't understand ourselves."

"So," Yugi said awkwardly, "we… both…love Anzu." Atemu nodded. "When I was with her in the living world, it was hard to stay away from her. But, I had to. I knew I'd end up here and… I'd hoped… that you would be the one to…" His voice trailed off. Sometimes, being too honest with aibou made him uncomfortable. But it was cute in a way.

"Can I tell her about you and me?" Atem nodded again and smiled at his "light"—who was not so little anymore, he noted. "Yes, Yugi, but I want more than that for you: Grow up. Get a job. Get married. Have babies." Yugi blushed deeply that time and Atem laughed openly. "Live out the rest of your life. And, when you die, the moment you die, I will catch you in my arms." Atem's smile was kind. "Decide then what you want of me, and I will gladly accept it."

"Can we continue with this?" Seteh said with a note of weariness in his voice.

Yugi held tighter onto Atem and felt his soul complete. "Well, I'm not going to duel Jounouchi," Yugi said with finality. "We didn't come here of our own free will and we're not going to play this shadow game."

Atem smirked a little, "To be honest, 'intent' has nothing to do with it. I seem to recall in my childhood one barbarian chieftain who was thrown onto the stone by his younger brothers."

"That was a good one," Seteh chuckled darkly. "I remember it well."

"And what exactly do you… do?" Jounouchi asked while looking up at the dias and the man sitting there.

"We're the judges. And declare a victor when the life points fall to nothing," Atem said. "Usually, my father takes this role. But, when I felt Yugi's soul touch the stone, I asked to come in father's place."

"Just the two of you?" Jou said, turning his head left and right, looking at them.

"You've played the game before, Jounouchi. It's pretty clear who wins and loses. We're here to make it official," Atem said.

"Well, we're not playing," Yugi said defiantly and held Atem's shoulder a little tighter.

"Surely, we can send them back?" Atem said, looking up at Seteh with a sly smile. "Who would know? And if they both don't want to battle…?"

"I suppose…" Seteh sighed. He looked through the window again and then directly at Jounouchi. "But, you know, my king, my pharaoh, when my split-apart dies, I will make him part of me again—whether he wants to or not."

Atem looked back with surprise. His wine colored eyes hardened slightly. "Are you certain about that?"

Yugi looked to Atem alarmed. "Can he…?" Atem shook his head "yes" very slowly. "But…I mean…!" Yugi stammered, looking distressed. "I'm sorry to say this," Atem said, "but not everyone has the same connection that we do. I could never force a decision on you. But, that's how we are together."

Seteh stood up, left his staff leaning against the stone wall, and walked down the five narrow stone steps down to Jounouchi. "Yes, he will be a part of me again."

Jou's face hardened and he stood his ground as Seteh approached. This guy's trying to yank my chain for some reason. I'm not gonna let him.

For the first time, Jounouchi noticed that the man was taller than he was. The macho posturing was starting to annoy him, too. Without the animal head, this guy wouldn't be scary at all. The monsters on the field looked much worse, he thought.

The man in red stood before him, arms folded. "And there's nothing you can do about it. This is neither a dare nor a feud between us. So, accept it."

"Oh, really?" Jou said back. Is he talking about me? It must be me. When I die, I don't want…to be him. I don't want this at all. I guess, it can't be helped…

"Then," Jounouchi said with a finger pointed at Seteh, "I challenge you to a duel."