Greetings!

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead. I just had to concentrate on school for a little while… okay, a long while. I'm done now, got through all of my classes with really good grades, so I'll have more time to write.

Thank you to all who replied to the last chapter, and to those of you who replied to gently remind me to update (for any of my stories). I appreciate it and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

If anyone is interested, FUNimation (I think that's the company) has released the first 6 episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! in their original, Japanese format (uncut, unedited, original music, cards with their Japanese names, and the original opening and ending) with an English voice track that much better reflects the original dialogue. I found them completely by accident while browsing through Netflix, and I was glad I did. So far, I think it's only the first 6 (on two DVDs, region 1) but I hope that at some point, they release more. It's worth watching, if only to see the original, uncut episode in English.

Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy and please let me know if you're still reading this story. I'm debating whether to cut it short or keep going with it the way I planned, so seeing how many people are still interested would help. Thanks!


Part 28: Direction

When Yami had grown tired of looking at the walls of his soul room, he'd left the confines of the puzzle and ventured outside to stand by the ship's railing. He'd debated going to Yugi's soul room and attempting to talk to him again, but had decided that after the small confrontation they'd had, Yugi wouldn't be very receptive to conversation. The atmosphere of the puzzle, even inside Yami's own soul room, was tense and thick with apprehension. Yugi's buried emotions were being channeled into the puzzle, as were his lost memories, and it would get to the point where the magic of the puzzle would be forced to do something with them. What that was, Yami could not be certain of, but he didn't think it would have a good effect on either of them.

As Yami gazed down into the ocean, he concentrated and brought forth a memory from the few he'd retained of his time in Egypt. The choppy waters underneath the ship disappeared, to be replaced by the calm, clear waters of the Nile. The Egyptian sun beat down on his back and birds flew overhead, providing the soundtrack to the late afternoon. The warm breeze caressed his face and hair, and for a moment, Yami forgot where he was and completely submerged himself in the memory, and the calmness and peace it brought. The image of a broken mirror and a bleeding young man shattered the peaceful imagery, however, and Yami found himself once again standing on the ship, cold dread coursing through his soul.

He sighed and leaned into the railing. He bowed his head and looked at the reflection of the moonlight on the water. The image morphed into a river of blood, cut through with pieces of glass. Yami shuddered as the memories of his time in Yugi's soul room hit him. Yugi needed help, he needed to remember what had happened to splinter his memory, and his soul, but Yami had a feeling that it was not going to be easy to get him that help. Yugi was normally an easy going person, eager to talk and share, but this time, he was folding in on himself, holding on to his lack of memory like a shield. A part of Yugi knew what happened and was afraid of facing the memories. Yami had to get Yugi to acknowledge that before his subconscious destroyed him.

"I'm surprised to find you out here away from the brat."

Yami sighed again but did not lift his head. He didn't want to argue with the tomb robber right now. Maybe if he ignored Bakura, he'd go away.

"I'm talking to you, Pharaoh."

No such luck. With clenched teeth, Yami raised his head to look at Bakura, who stood a few feet away from him. The tomb robber was also leaning on the railing, but his back was to the water. He was examining Yami in a way that made the pharaoh nervous. When Bakura gave you that much attention, he was either going to send you to the shadow realm or kill you, and Yami didn't think he wanted to deal with either option at the moment.

"I'm not up to this, Bakura," Yami said.

Bakura smirked. "You had a fight with the brat, huh? It figures."

Yami's eyes widened. "What do you mean, 'it figures'?"

Bakura shrugged. "This is about last night, isn't it, about why he couldn't sleep? I figured he'd be upset when you brought it up. Not everyone likes having their dreams dissected, you know."

Yami shook his head. It was amazing how perceptive Bakura could be when he wasn't busy plotting to take over the world. Not that Yami would ever admit that to anyone, especially not Bakura, of course.

"It's none of your business."

Bakura chuckled. "Of course it's my business when Ryou is involved. My own brat took it upon himself to help yours, which put me right in the middle of it," he said. The breeze blew the hair into Bakura's face, but Yami could still see the intensity in the spirit's eyes. "It is in my best interest to know what you're planning to do."

Yami shook his head and turned away from Bakura. He didn't know what he planned on doing, not that it would involve Bakura regardless of what it ended up being. Yugi's inner demons were going to stay between the two of them; Yami would make sure of that.

"We will be reaching our destination soon," Yami finally said. "Ryou will no longer be involved."

"That is true, Pharaoh. Regardless, it is important for us to know how you plan on dealing with Yugi. He will not like you digging around in his mind."

Anger flooded Yami so fast that it took his breath away. He wasn't sure who the anger was for, but at that moment, Bakura was his only target. Before he could think about what he was doing, he was on Bakura, holding him up by the front of his shirt.

"Like I said, Yugi's problems, or my own, are not your concern. We will deal with them as we see fit," Yami said through clenched teeth.

He tightened his hold on Bakura and smirked when the other spirit winced slightly at the pressure. Yami expected to be blasted by shadow magic at any moment and was surprised when Bakura simply went limp. Surprised, Yami released the sprit and Bakura dropped back to the deck.

"I have struck a chord, Pharaoh," Bakura said, smirking. "I wonder if you are projecting your own loss of memory onto Yugi. Is that why his amnesia bothers you so much?"

Yami frowned. How had Bakura known that Yugi had lost the memories of his imprisonment? Yami had a feeling that he really didn't want to know the answer to that.

"Are you concerned for our well being?" Yami asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Bakura laughed. He turned his back on Yami and walked away. Before he was out of ear shot, he left a parting thought.

"I am just sorry to see you leave so soon, before I can truly enjoy your suffering."

With that, Bakura disappeared from view. Yami leaned on the railing again and took a deep breath. He and Yugi had a long road ahead of them.


Hours later

Yugi clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking. The adrenaline rush he'd gotten as he snuck out of the ship before Mr. Bakura noticed had still not worn off. His nervousness and fear weren't helping matters either, but he'd started out on this journey with a purpose and he was not about to turn back now. He had to get his emotions under control, however, or someone was going to spot him and see that something was wrong. He didn't want to be cornered and sent back home. He had to keep it together; at least until he got far enough away from the ship.

He walked briskly down the crowded pier intent on getting as far away from the ship as he could. He had no doubt that Mr. Bakura would start looking for him as soon as the man realized Yugi was gone, and Yugi didn't want to be anywhere near the ship when that happened. It had taken a lot of planning and sheer luck to sneak out while Ryou kept his father occupied. A couple of the crew members, as well as other passengers, had seen him leave, but they'd assumed that he was just another passenger and hadn't bothered him. The fact that he wasn't carrying any luggage didn't seem to bother anyone either.

All around him, the sounds of people enjoying the late afternoon, visiting the few shops and restaurants that littered the pier, brought a pang of homesickness to Yugi's heart. He was alone, at the other end of the world, in a country he had never visited before. Seeing the groups of young people reminded him of his friends, and for a moment he wondered if he should have told them about his plans first before taking off as he'd done. They would have come with him, of that he had no doubt. He could always count on his friends in times of need, and now would have been no exception. He hadn't told them because he hadn't wanted to put anyone else in danger, not after everything that had already happened. He had to do this by himself.

He had not been paying attention to where he was going, so he was surprised when he bumped into someone. The young woman gasped in surprise as Yugi hit her. She started to fall back, but Yugi caught her arm and steadied her before either of them ended up on the floor.

"Gomen1," he said automatically. At her look of confusion, he shook his head and remembered where he was. "I'm sorry," he said, wincing as his English came out more accented than he intended. "I didn't mean to bump into you."

She looked at him for a moment and then smiled slightly. "It's okay," she said and brushed her long, brown hair away from her face. "See, no harm done." She studied him some more and her smile disappeared. "You look like you've seen better days, though."

Yugi frowned. It took him a while to process what she'd said, but he was glad that he'd paid attention during his English classes. He'd never thought that he'd have a chance to practice the language with Americans, and he hoped that he'd learned enough not only to get by, but to not arouse suspicion. The young woman's eyes widened a bit as she continued to look at him, which was when it hit Yugi that he was sporting a lot of cuts and bruises on his face from his ordeal in Japan. He panicked, until a soothing presence wrapped itself around him.

It's okay, Yugi, just tell her you got into a fight. She won't question it.

Yugi smiled inwardly at the advice. Regardless of how he felt about Yami snooping around in his soul room, he was glad that Yami was with him. The spirit had been quiet and very reserved since their argument, and Yugi wasn't sure whether to be glad that Yami was leaving him alone, or worried about the spirit's frame of mind. Either way, Yugi was glad that Yami was still paying attention to what was going on. It was comforting to know that Yami was there, that he wasn't entirely alone.

"I got into a fight at school a couple of days ago," Yugi said in better, less accented English. He smiled, hoping that she wouldn't ask anything further about his injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief when the young woman smiled in return.

"I didn't mean to bump into you," Yugi said before she had a chance to say anything more. "I don't want to keep you from whoever you're with."

The girl smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm here by myself. I like to come down when the ships dock to see who comes and goes. I doubt I'll ever be able to travel overseas, so I'm content to see who comes to visit us."

The sadness that entered her eyes as she said that made Yugi sad as well. She seemed so lost at that moment, like she didn't belong where she was.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she said, changing the subject and cheering up as she did so.

Yugi felt his cheeks burning at the scrutiny and he automatically looked around to see if anyone was close enough to overhear. He was relieved to know that he and the girl were standing by one of the shops, away from the main crowd. Even if anyone was paying attention to their conversation, it'd be hard to hear it clearly over the noise of the other people on the pier. At the same time, Yugi felt Yami's strength and it boosted his own.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

She chuckled, and as she did the afternoon light caught her green eyes. Yugi smiled a bit, even though he didn't know why she was laughing.

"Your clothing, your accent, and the fact that you're here on the pier at the same time a ship arriving from Japan just docked," she replied. "Let me take a wild guess, but you're from Japan, right?"

Yugi swallowed the lump in his throat, but nodded. What would be the point in denying where he was from? Just because he knew what he was here for didn't mean everyone else had to know too. Yugi pasted a smile on his face despite the churning of his stomach and the pounding of his heart, and nodded again.

"I'm visiting family, actually. Well, not family but close friends that are like family," he added, remembering that he was going to visit Mike's family.

The young woman's eyes lit up. "Oh, wow, that's so sweet! It's kind of romantic to visit friends that live so far away. Are they here in Seattle?"

Yugi hesitated. He could lie to her and say that yes, they were in Seattle, but what if she pressed the issue more? He didn't want her to get suspicious and start questioning him further. He had to tell her something… something close to the truth.

"They're in New Mexico," he finally said. Mike's family was in New Mexico and he might end up there after all. The answer wasn't really a lie, just a stretch of truth.

"New Mexico, huh? That's pretty far away from here. How are you going to get there?"

The question stumped Yugi. He hadn't really thought about how he was going to get there. He'd panicked when Mr. Bakura had told Yugi that he was being sent back to Japan as soon as they docked, so all he'd been able to think about was a way to get off the ship without being noticed. Now that he was actually off the ship, he had no idea what to do. Maybe she could help him, though. She was an American, after all. She'd know the best way to get to New Mexico.

Are you sure you want to go through with this, Yugi? Yami asked. Joey is safe, there is no reason for us to be here

Yugi grit his teeth, the anger he'd felt at Yami before returning slightly.

/I need to do this, Yami, you know that./

Yami was silent and Yugi was beginning to wonder whether the spirit would speak up again or not when he finally got his answer.

I am not entirely convinced that you know why you are doing this.

The answer caught Yugi by surprise. Why wouldn't he know why he was doing this? Why would he stow away on board a ship and travel overseas if he didn't know why he was traveling? What was wrong with Yami?

"Excuse me?"

The young woman's voice caught Yugi's attention and he snapped out of his internal dialogue to find her staring at him. He smiled sheepishly at her.

"I'm sorry; I was just thinking that I don't know how I'm going to get to New Mexico. Perhaps you can help me?"

The young woman regarded him for a moment, studied him, before she held out her hand. After a moment, Yugi took it.

"I'm Danielle, but you can call me Dani. What's your name?" she asked.

After a slight hesitation, Yugi answered. "I'm Yugi."

Dani smiled at him. "Well, Yugi, why don't we go get something to eat and we can talk about New Mexico a bit further."

Yugi regarded the young woman while still holding on to her hand. She was about his age, maybe a year older, with long, brown hair, green eyes, and an outgoing personality. She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and looked like a nice, normal girl. She didn't look like she could be a threat, and Yugi had nothing to lose by going with her. He was a stranger in a strange land, so who better to educate him about the strange country he was in than someone who was familiar with it?

"Okay, Dani, dinner it is."


Kaiba snapped the laptop shut, disgusted at the lack of progress. He'd hacked into the databases for the airport, train stations, and even outgoing ships, to look through their surveillance video. He wasn't sure that Yugi wanted to leave town, but it made sense if he had indeed been the one at the Moto's home the day before and had not stayed. Maybe Yugi was still frightened about being found by the men who had kidnapped him and had left for a safer place. Kaiba shook his head. Yugi didn't have the resources for that. As far as Kaiba knew, the Motos didn't have any source of income other than the game shop, and he seriously doubted that they made much money that way. If Yugi had left town, he wouldn't have the cash to do it the traditional way, unless he'd gotten money from another source. However, if Yugi had stayed in town, someone would have already seen him. He was a well known duelist, after all.

He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. There was so much uncertainty in this whole situation, so much confusion. He was enjoying the challenge of the search, but he was so worn out and stressed over the situation already. Having Mr. Moto and Wheeler at the mansion didn't help matters either. Kaiba was getting frustrated with the lack of information because his normal sources had turned up nothing. He wasn't sure where to go from here.

A groan brought his attention away from his musings, and he found himself starting up at Joey Wheeler.

"Great," Joey said, "even in this huge place I can't seem to stay far enough away from you."

Kaiba smirked and got up from the couch he'd been sprawled on. "This is my house, Wheeler. If you don't like it, you can leave."

Kaiba walked past Wheeler and would have made it out the door without further comment, but Wheeler's hand on his arm stopped him. Kaiba snapped his arm out of Wheeler's grip harder than he'd intended.

"Don't touch me."

Wheeler's eyes narrowed slightly and sympathy flashed through the blonde's eyes, which only made Kaiba angrier. He didn't want anyone's pity, especially not the mutt's.

"Chill, Kaiba, I only wanted to ask if there was any news," Wheeler said.

Kaiba clenched his jaw in anger, not at Wheeler, but at himself, at the reminder that he'd been unable to accomplish a thing. He had no intention of giving Wheeler news, or explanations, so he was better off leaving the room before the teenager ended up provoking him in his usual, irritating way. Kaiba walked back to the couch and picked up the laptop and file folders he'd had spread out. He wasn't going to get any more work done with Wheeler around. As he turned around to leave the room, a sharp pain pierced his temple. He gasped.

"Priest!"

His living room vanished and Kaiba found himself standing in a swirling mist of purple and black. His heart sped up as he recognized the place Pegasus had forced him to spend some time in. What the hell was he doing here now?

"Hey, priest, I'm over here."

Kaiba turned around and found Bakura standing a few feet away, grinning from ear to ear. The annoyance he felt at having been called 'priest', along with the appearance of the homicidal spirit, overruled his reservation and fear. He clenched his fists and closed the distance between himself and Bakura.

"Why did you bring me here? What do you want?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Are you always this uptight, Kaiba? No wonder no one likes you. Besides, you should be grateful that I'm here. It's not easy communicating over such long distances. If Ryou hadn't insisted, I wouldn't be doing this."

Kaiba sighed and shook his head. "I don't have time for this."

"Ah, yes, you're looking for the pharaoh's brat, aren't you?"

Kaiba hid his surprise well, unwilling to give Bakura anything to use against him. How did the spirit know what was going on? Ryou hadn't been around for the last few days, so there's no way he could know.

"I'll take that as a yes," Bakura said. "I'm supposed to tell you that the brat is in," Bakura paused for a moment as if trying to recall the place he'd been told. After a moment, he shook his head. "All of these strange cities," he said softly as if he were talking to himself, "it's hard enough to keep one of them straight. Here, I'll just show you."

Before he knew it, Kaiba found himself standing on board a ship that was docked in a harbor. It was very late afternoon, but there was still enough illumination for him to see where he was. He looked around at the familiar place, but he couldn't remember where it was. Suddenly, he gasped as recognition set in.

"This is Seattle Harbor, in the United States," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "You're in the United States?"

The scene disappeared and they were, once again, standing in the purple and black mist.

"So you know where that is then?" Bakura asked.

Kaiba turned to him and noticed that the sprit look transparent, more than he had when Kaiba had first seen him. It was as if he were losing his solidity the longer they kept up the conversation.

"Yes, I know where it is. What does that have to do with Yugi?"

Bakura shrugged. "Ryou snuck him on board the ship with us. He said he had to go find someone over there."

"Is Yugi with you then?" Kaiba asked, hope coloring his voice.

"No. Ryou's father found Yugi on the ship and told him that he would send Yugi back to Japan as soon as the ship docked. Yugi took off as soon as we docked. Ryou doesn't know where he is."

Kaiba sighed. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Well, I've done my job. I leave you to yours, priest."

With that, Kaiba was back in his living room, on his knees, clutching the laptop to his chest as the folders lay scattered around him. Wheeler kneeled beside him, his hands on Kaiba's shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Damn it, Kaiba, what the hell is wrong with you? Talk to me," Wheeler was saying.

Kaiba shook his head and pushed Wheeler away. The teenager yelped at the shove and landed on his butt.

"Kaiba, you bastard!" he yelled from the floor.

Kaiba wasted no time. He got to his feet, leaving Joey sprawled on the ground, and headed to his office.

"Hey, what just happened? Where are you going, Kaiba," Wheeler said, annoyance clear in his tone.

"Yugi is in the United States. I'm going to go make arrangements to go get him."


Next up: The gang heads for Seattle

Posted on: 12/12/04