Warnings for this chapter: Fighting between brothers, some blood and maybe some slightly suggestive content.

Usual disclaimer: do not own Yugioh.


Broken Dreams

Chapter 28. Night Vigil.

After speaking to Yugi, Mahado began the necessary preparations to rid Anzu of her demon. It would not be easy to remove a creature that Ishizu was certain, was a part of Zorc. It would require a great deal of concentration and he would need to channel his most powerful heka carefully if he wanted to avoid harming Anzu's own soul. But if he was successful in his bid to save Anzu, it would give him some hope that Seto Kaiba might also be saved.

Carrying two cups of peppermint tea, Ishizu quietly entered the room in which he had been meditating for an hour and a half. She had just received a telephone call with some rather shocking news, and was not sure if it was wise to tell him when he was preparing a powerful spell.

Upon hearing her enter the room, he opened his eyes. "Ah, perfect. I was just thinking it would be nice if you could bring me some peppermint tea," he winked.

"I should join with you in meditation." She sat down opposite him, placing the two china cups between them.

"Some chocolate biscuits would be nice," he teased, and then noticed a rather tense look about her. He had known her long enough to know that something was wrong. "Another vision?"

"Not a vision, a telephone call. I was unsure if I should tell you when your are preparing a ritual spell," she took a deep breath and huffed it back out quickly. "I just received some rather shocking news of Pegasus. Seto Kaiba assaulted him in his garden yesterday evening, and stole the Eye."

"Is Pegasus alright?"

"Yes, but very shaken," she frowned, "Pegasus was well enough to talk to me and says that he saw the demon inside Seto moments before his eye was taken. He also says that the demon probed his mind when it touched the Eye. I must warn Shadi and my brothers."

"That means he must be collecting the items to perform some sort of ritual to open the Shadow Resurrect Zorc in his full form. It is logical to assume that he will come after our items at some point. We must make haste in freeing Anzu from the demon's grip. We must also ensure that Yami is well. What time is it now?" Mahado had lost track of time while meditating.

"A little after one in the morning. I just hope we can warn my brothers and Shadi in time." She pulled out her phone and started to dial. It was Rishid who answered. He was busy preparing the evening meal and confirmed that the Rod was safe, and that she should not worry about them facing Kaiba; they would be prepared. As he spoke, he glanced over to where Marik was sitting using the dagger part of the rod to peel and slice an apple – best not to tell Ishizu about that!

"Hello sister!" Marik called out, grinning cheekily and popping a slice of apple into his mouth. Ishizu smiled at hearing her younger brother's voice in the background. She knew he could protect himself with the Rod, but it worried her that Seto might already be too powerful for one person to deal with, alone. "Seto is already on his way to Egypt so we don't have much time. Marik and Shadi must find somewhere safe to stay until we can get them on a flight to Japan. Hopefully, we can outwit Seto's demon by luring him into battle on our terms – he will have no chance against six of the items."

"I will book our flights right away my sister. Have you spoken to Shadi yet?"

"Not yet. I will call him as soon as we have finished talking. Take great care... And please, look after Marik for me."

"I will, you have my word Ishizu." Rishid hung up.

"What did Ishizu want Rishid?" Marik enquired cautiously.

"We are in danger." He plucked the dagger from Marik's hand and carefully cleaned it, before slotting it back into it's sheath. As he did so, he explained their situation.

Marik's response was a string of expletives.

::::::::::::

Mana had always been a light sleeper, and woke with a start when she heard Atem cry out. Leaping out of her chair, she was horrified to find him heaving into the waste paper basket. "Euww..." She couldn't help wrinkling her nose up in disgust.

"Mana," he groaned. "Sorry, I..." He had finished being sick and now didn't know what to do with the waste bin.

Having also heard the commotion, Hana came rushing into the room. She had not long woken up and was wondering why her father had not come to get her and Yugi to take their turn watching Yami. "Let me deal with that." She was not at all squeamish about it. Having brought up two boys she had dealt with numerous tummy bugs and runny noses.

"Thank you." Atem smiled weakly as she took the bin away. He got up and staggered to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. Mana followed him.

"What's wrong Prince?" She thought that perhaps she should go and wake Sugoroku, who was fast asleep on the sofa, snoring very loudly. How he didn't wake himself up with the noise he made, she could not fathom. Maybe it was because his hearing was not very good these days! Yugi's room was another floor up so she doubted he could hear much either if he was sleeping. "Do you want me to wake Yugi or your Grandpa?"

He shook his head. "No! Let them sleep. It was just a bad dream. You should go to bed and get some sleep." His demeanour was not overly friendly which made her feel shunned.

Maybe he is just embarrassed about me seeing him like this? She justified to herself. "As long as you are okay?"

"I'm fine Mana, just go back to bed and leave me. I want to be alone right now!" It was said harshly and he felt bad when Mana flinched. "Sorry Mana. I'm just not feeling that great right now." He turned and shuffled back to his futon and curled up in the foetal position leaving her standing in the hallway. Mana was worried, she had never seen him act like this before. His posture was slouched and his face looked drained and weary.

A rather sleepy Yugi, staggered down the stairs leading from his room. He scratched his head and yawned, "Did I hear something? What time is it?!" Wasn't he supposed to be taking over Yami watch at three?

"It's just past four," Mana informed him.

"What?! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because we fell asleep ourselves. Yami woke me up!"

Having washed out the bin, his mother returned. "Is Yami okay?" She enquired.

"He's gone back to bed," Mana informed her.

"What happened? Is something wrong with Yami?" Yugi asked.

"I think he had a nightmare or something. He woke up and was sick," Mana replied.

Yugi frowned. "Okay. Why don't you and get some sleep Mana, I will keep an eye on Yami until morning."

"No. I'm not leaving him alone like this, and I don't think I can sleep now anyway."

"I will make a pot of tea," Hana decided.

When he entered the sitting room, Yugi tutted at the sight of his grandfather, still snoring obliviously.

Yami rolled over to look at Yugi and then sat up with his knees hugged into his chest. Something was clearly not right and he was rocking his body back and forth as though he were deeply troubled by something. It was a harrowing sight and definitely not the usually confident, proud young man that they all admired so much.

Yugi sat down carefully on the edge of the futon and Atem glanced up at him with a rather defensive look. "What did the demon do to you Yami? Are you infected with its venom?"

"In my head, it's in my head," he mumbled, banging his head with the palm of his hand. "I have to fight it." His face became pained. "I saw it in my dream; felt it. I saw the Pharaoh as if he was myself. Where's the puzzle? I need the puzzle.." He was mumbling incoherently and Yugi didn't understand.

"The Puzzle is in my room. I should wake Grandpa! Or... call Ishizu and Mahado, they will know what to do. I will get the Puzzle in a minute. Maybe it can help get rid of the demon in your head Yami. You just need to hold out a bit longer, okay?!" He reached out and rubbed the back of Atem's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"I don't think I can keep fighting it much longer Yugi." He flinched when Yugi touched him, and his eyes flashed with a hint of crimson. "You have to keep me locked up, I'm afraid I will hurt you. You must wear the puzzle around me. He will protect you." He seldom cried, but Yugi could see his eyes welling up with tears.

"Who will Yami? You're not making any sense." Yugi resisted the urge to shake him. "You will be okay Yami, I promise."

Atem's eyes suddenly turned to a deep crimson and for the first time in his life Yugi was frightened of his brother.

Before Yugi had chance to move, Atem grabbed his upper arms in a vice like grip. Yugi tried to pull away but the grip was too strong. "Yami! You're hurting me! Let go?!"

Yugi was shocked when Yami's face developed a purplish grey hue and he sneered, revealing sharp looking fangs. Mana and their mother were standing nearby, unsure what to do.

When she saw her son's face, Hana suddenly screamed, prompting Mana to let out a small squeal too.

Atem felt the desire for blood rising inside him – the demon needed it. "No! I don't want to..." he cried out, but could not stop himself. He lunged at Yugi, pinning him to the futon. Yugi squirmed and fought, trying to push his brother away but he was too strong. Yugi felt Atem's breath ghost over his skin as his mouth touched his neck, fangs almost piercing his skin as Atem attempted to bite into his jugular.

Yugi! Yami, No!" Hana screamed at her sons.

Thinking quickly, Mana tried grabbing Yami's arm in an attempt to pull him away from Yugi. He lifted his head, snarling viciously at her. Shrugging her off with some force, he sent her flying backwards into Hana, causing both women to fall onto the floor.

This momentary loss of concentration gave Yugi an opportunity to fight him off. Levering his knees up he pushed his feet into Atem's stomach and shoved him hard. Atem flew back, slamming into the wall.

However, he barely felt the impact, and with lightening reflexes, he sprung forward at Yugi again, grabbing him roughly by the collar of his pyjama top. Yugi grappled with him in an attempt to fight back, but found his brother's strength inhuman.

Frustrated that Yugi was fighting so hard, Atem, angrily threw him towards where Mana and his mother were cowering by the book case.

As Yugi landed on them, his head hit the corner of the book case causing him to see stars. Feeling a bit dazed, he put his hand to his scalp and felt the sticky blood oozing from a small wound.

Atem stood there snarling and glaring at them. Inside he was fighting for control but losing the battle. He slowly ran his tongue over his lips and grinned. Mana's blood would taste so sweet, so delicious. He reached forward and dragged her to her feet, pressing her body against his. She flinched when he ran his hand over her lower abdomen and began caressing the soft skin of her exposed shoulder.

"P.. Prince! Stop... p.. please, you're freaking me out!" She tried to plead.

Sugoroku had taken his hearing aid out earlier, because it was whistling. He was in a deep sleep when he was woken by the noise. Luckily, Even without a hearing aid, Hana's screaming and a loud crash was enough to wake him. What the heck is going on? Being old and decrepit was frustrating, he could no longer jump up and leap into action. If he got up too quickly he would become dizzy and his sciatica would be too unbearable for him to even move. As it was, he still tried to get up too quickly. A sharp twinge in his back meant that he had to hold on to the arm of the sofa for a few minutes to recover.

Grimacing through the discomfort, he reached inside his dressing gown and pulled out the ankh.

Slowly straightening up, he was horrified to see Yugi sitting on the floor with his head bleeding and his mother clinging too him screaming. Atem was holding a terrified Mana in a tight grip and was biting her neck. Instincts took over and he forgot about his age as he charged at Atem and grabbed his hair, pulling his head away from Mana's neck. Atem hissed at him furiously for being disturbed from his meal.

Sugoroku acted quickly and pushed the ankh in his face. "Get back beast!" He started chanting something in ancient Egyptian.

The spell made Atem recoil and he let go of Mana. She whimpered and clasped her hand to her neck, shrinking away from her deranged boyfriend.

Despite his head wound, Yugi got up and grabbed her in a comforting hug to keep her safe. Her legs buckled and he could feel her sag against him, sobbing into his shoulder.

Atem backed up, away from Sugoroku, who was holding the ankh and still chanting. Atem appeared to be unsure about it. Sugoroku changed from the spell he was chanting to repel the demon, and started muttering an exorcism spell, but before he could get very far, Atem folded his arms and smirked.

"Do you think that pathetic little spell will work on me? You're too slow old man." He lunged, grabbed the ankh and sprinted for the window. Grabbing an office chair from in front of the computer desk, he smashed the window before diving out through the hole it left.

His mother screamed for her son. "No! Yami!" They were on the floor directly above the shop and she feared the worst.

"Oh crap!" Yugi gasped.

"Stay here!" Sugoroku ordered.

"Mum will look after you Mana. I have to check on Yami." Yugi was shaking with fear as he gently lowered Mana onto the sofa and went with his grandfather. He feared the sight that might greet him when he got to where his brother had fallen.

With Hana supporting Mana, the two women tentatively followed the two men outside but there was no sign of Atem - he was gone.

"What if he is badly hurt?" Hana gasped when she saw some drops of blood, where the jagged edge of the window had gashed him when he dove through the opening. She looked up at the broken window. "How could he survive such a fall?"

"His demon strength probably protected him Mum," Yugi told her. "You saw how quickly those injuries from last night faded."

Sugoroku cursed under his breath. "Damn it, I should have looked after Yami better. I failed to protect him and now we have another demon on the loose. And we have also lost the ankh."

"Never mind the Ankh Dad! Yami is injured and he almost killed Mana!" Hana's voice was full of anguish as she shouted at her father.

"I know, this is all my fault. I should not have fallen asleep... I'm sorry. Are you okay Mana?" Mana nodded weakly and tearfully in response.

"Don't blame yourself Grandpa! We should have treated him as if he was possessed right from the start, rather than trying to pretend he was just in shock!" Yugi said.

"You're right Yugi. This leaves us in a terrible situation. You two go and get your wounds treated while I clean up this mess. We will work out our next move when Mahado gets here." Sugoroku cursed under his breath hoping they would not hear.

::::::::::::

Panicked, Yami ran; ignoring the strange looks from the early morning commuters on their way to work. The sight of a barefoot young man in just his pyjamas and with his sleeve soaked in blood frightened them but they did not wish to get involved and chose to continue with their own routines.

Yami stopped when he reached the apartment block where Anzu lived. He hammered on the buzzer to her apartment.

"Hello! Who is it?" She answered.

"It's me, Yami... Please, you have to let me in." The door release buzzed and he staggered inside and up the stairs to her door.

She looked out to make sure no one was with him and pulled him in. "I told you to stay with me, now look at you! What the hell happened?" He held up the ankh.

"I got this though," he smirked.

She started cooing with happiness. "Ooh! Seto will be pleased. Come on, lets clean you up and you can tell me all about it."

He explained, that after he ran out of the apartment he had been hit by a car. Dazed and confused, he ended up in the park, where somehow, Yugi had found him. He had gone home with him, tried to sleep but ended up having a fight with Yugi and then biting Mana. When Grandpa had come at him with the ankh he snatched it and left via the first floor window!

"I can't understand why I don't seem to be badly injured! What's happening to me?" He looked at her, pleading for an answer.

"You have been given new powers. You are stronger now and injuries will heal quickly." She sat him down and removed the blood soaked top. The cut to his arm was deep and had bled profusely because he had been running. "It might look bad, but it will heal within hours and won't even leave a scar!" She cleaned it up and put a bandage on it to keep it protected.

"I feel weird, I keep craving blood. Am I some sort of vampire now?"

"No, you are pure demon. Our souls have been replaced by part Master Zorc himself! Now you should rest, you lost a lot of blood which you need to replace if you are to heal quickly." She went to the fridge and pulled out a bag of blood.

Part of him still felt repulsed by the thick red liquid, but unable to stop his craving he took it anyway and gulped it down. "If we are not vampires, why do we drink blood?"

"While the host body requires food and water, we are different and need to nourish ourselves by consuming the rich, life giving essence that flows through the humans veins." She smacked her lips at the thought.

"That's gross! Where did you get this?" He felt repulsed by his own desire to find a real life victim to drink from.

"I got this from the local blood bank. It's not ideal as the Shadow Realm requires more souls, but it's not easy to get away with too many kills here."

"Won't they notice it's missing?"

She shrugged. "The delivery driver was keen to earn a little extra cash. It's not my concern if they miss it or not!"

"What do we do now?" He sounded sad. The thought of being a demon was confusing, and it terrified him.

She looked at him strangely. "We can do anything we like! Seto will be so pleased when he finds out you retrieved the ankh. We need all seven items for Seto to perform the ritual and be reborn as the new Zorc."

"Zorc!" He shook his head. "But why? He will destroy the world!"

A demented glint sparkled in her dark navy eyes. "But don't you see? It will be beautiful. Humans are an infestation. They are weak and morally corrupt. From their evil hearts demons like us were born, so that we may feast on them and devour their souls, turning them to shadows. And as Zorc's children we will stand by his side as rulers of darkness."

He stood up angrily. "Are you mad?! I might have this demon poison inside me but I don't want the world destroyed! I love this world! I love my career as a professional footballer. I want to have fun with my friends, get married and have kids, see them grow up and... I don't want it all to end!"

"Why are you are fighting it? Give in and all those silly sentimental feelings will go away."

"I don't want them to go away," he snarled, eyes flashing crimson for a moment.

She smirked when his eyes changed colour. "That's more like it Yami, now you're embracing it." She moved towards him, draped her arms over his shoulders and started kissing him.

He gripped her arms and pushed her away. "Don't you have any humanity left in you? What about Yugi? You were in love with him! Are you really that happy to be throwing away your life with him? And what about your dream of being a dancer? Does it no longer mean anything to you?!"

For a moment her darkened eyes returned to their normal clear blue and a sad look flickered in them. "Yugi," she breathed slowly. In a moment the darkened gaze was back. "I no longer need him," she growled. "I want you." Lust took over from the sadness and she started kissing him again. With the demon desires burning inside him, he was unable to resist her advances.

::::::::::::

By four thirty in the morning, Mahado was now ready to face Anzu and rid her of the demon. The existing ritual was known to leave the possessed person with lasting damage to their soul, Mahado had devised a variation on the ritual that he hoped would not leave Anzu permanently weary, vague and forgetful, or worse, vegetative.

There was no time to waste and by four forty he and Ishizu were on their way to the Mutou home. Having already taken unscheduled leave, neither could take any more time off work and both needed to be at the university at nine.

They hoped that Yami was well and had been able to give details of Anzu's whereabouts.

"I don't really wish to involve Yugi," Mahado said, as they drove to the game shop, "but if this demon inside Anzu is too strong, we might need both Sugoroku's Ankh and the Millennium Puzzle."

"Yugi is stronger than you think! I believe we can rely on him to help us," Ishizu hoped.

"I am not expecting Anzu to greet us with welcome arms. Things are likely to get ugly, making the ritual far more dangerous. Can he handle that?!"

"Let us pray it does not get ugly then," Ishizu smiled weakly. On the two occasions she had met Anzu, Ishizu had liked the young woman's lively, outgoing nature and was unsure if she could deal with the worst case scenario herself, let along console Yugi, should Anzu's soul be burned or swallowed by the Shadow Realm, along with the demon's.

A sense of foreboding hit them as they pulled up outside the game store and spotted Sugoroku sweeping up broken glass. Looking up they noticed the broken window. Ishizu hurriedly got out of the car and ran over to Sugoroku.

"What has happened here?!"

"Ah, well.. I'm afraid we have a rather worrying development..." Sugoroku was looking every bit his seventy seventy five years.

"Is everyone safe?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid Yami has gone," he said shakily. "I have to clear up this mess before someone cuts themselves on this glass." He continued sweeping.

"It can wait!" Mahado snapped, a little too assertively. "I need to know what has happened."

"Yes," Ishizu placed her hand on Sugoroku's arm. "Most of the mess is cleared up. Why not finish it later, only we need to move quickly if we are too rescue Yami and Anzu," she said more softly. It was clear that the old an was upset about whatever had happened to his grandson, and was now obsessing over clearing up the broken glass.

"Yes, you're right." He propped his broom against the shop door and painfully straightened his back, showing them inside. "I'm afraid Yugi and Mana were slightly hurt in the fight, but they are fine and recovering upstairs. Unfortunately, Yami took the Ankh when he left, via that window."

"You must be losing your touch Sugoroku! Your own grandson and you couldn't protect him. I told you to keep him locked up!" Mahado said tersely.

When he saw Yugi sitting holding an ice pack to his head, along with Mana, who had gauze taped to her neck and was sitting next to Yugi, looking pale and miserable, the usually calm Mahado became rather angry. He rushed to Mana's side. "I trusted you to look after my sister, and you almost got her killed! Mana! Are you okay?! What did Yami do to you?"

"I'm okay Mahado. And it's no one's fault. So please don't take it out on Mister Mutou. Prince bit me okay," she said tearfully. "Mister Mutou saved me, but Prince snatched the Ankh from him and jumped out of the window. It's Prince we have to be worried about right now, not me!"

"Mana and Yugi could have been killed and now we have three demons on the loose! God! What a mess." Mahado was still not happy.

"You don't need to rub my nose in it Mahado. Don't you think I feel bad enough already! Yami is my grandson remember!" Sugoroku argued back forcefully.

"Will you two stop it?!" Ishizu stepped in to calm the two men down. "Everyone is tense and worried right now! Arguing with each other will not save Anzu or Yami. It is my assumption that he will go back to Anzu. Since she infected him, he will feel an attachment to her. Are you well enough to help find them Yugi?"

"You bet I am!" Thankfully, even though his head had bled quite a bit, it was only a small nick to his scalp and didn't require any stitching. He was not concussed.

Mana had lost well nearly two pints of blood and was feeling a little weak from her ordeal. Mrs Mutou had given her a nice mug of warm milk and honey, with some biscuits, to help her recover.

Unfortunately, she didn't really feel like eating or drinking anything at the moment. The thought that her Prince had attacked her, drunk her blood and might have killed her, had Mister Mutou not intervened, was playing over and over in her head. Even though she knew he was not in control, it did not make it any better.

What if they could not save him. Mahado had tried to keep her away from the dangers they might face, but she was not stupid and was well aware that people possessed by demons did not often survive with their souls intact.

Yugi looked at her with concern. "We will save them Mana. I promise." He touched her arm lightly.

She looked up at him and half smiled. Poor naïve Yugi, he was in danger of not only losing the woman he loved, but his brother as well. And yet he was still looking on the positive side, believing they will be saved. Anzu had done some terrible things to hurt him, and now Yami was hurting him too. But Yugi still loved them both and was willing to forgive. Mana hoped that she could remain as positive as Yugi. But what if they could not be saved? Could either of them cope with that?!

Mana's eyes filled with fresh tears at the thought, and Yugi leaned over to put a comforting arm around her. "It's okay Mana. I will go with Mahado and find them. You stay here and rest, my mum will look after you."

"I can't rest, I have to get to work, the salon is busy today," she sniffed, slowly trying to get up. She needed to be busy.

"No! You're not going to work in this condition Mana. I will ring the salon and tell them you are unwell. Only sleep will make up for the blood you've lost," Hana ordered.

By five thirty, Yugi, Sugoroku, Mahado and Ishuzu were on their way to the Domino City red light district.

Since most of the occupants of the red light district worked nights, it was very quiet at this time of day. The only place open was a small pizza bar/cafe, which stayed open all night.

There was also a man driving a street cleaner, sweeping up all the debris from the night before.

He ignored the four strangers and got on with his work.

Mahado held the ring in his hands and concentrated, hoping that it would lead them to Anzu's apartment. As they crossed the road from the cafe, one of the pointers moved. "There!" Mahado looked up and pointed towards a three-story apartment building. "The Ring has detected the Ankh. It says they are in there!"

"But it can't lead you to their door unless we can get inside!" Ishizu sighed.

"How do we get inside?" Yugi asked.

"Is the Tauk or the Puzzle able to show us a room number... or anything?!" Sugoroku enquired hopefully.

Yugi yawned, the disturbed night, and the fight with his brother was catching up with him. "No, not at the moment. What about you Ishizu?"

"Nothing. The Tauk has been strangely quiet and it is unable to see the futures of those who are in possession of an item."

Having noticed Yugi yawning, Mahado suggested he should go home and get some rest. But Yugi was adamant that he was not going anywhere until he had found his brother and Anzu.

"We both need to be at work in three hours, we have to find them quickly!" Mahado urged, looking at his watch.

"I'm not going to uni today," Yugi informed them. "I'm staying here all day if I have to."

"How about we get some coffee from that cafe while we decide our next move," Sugoroku suggested.

"The cafe owner!" Yugi perked up a little. "Anzu loves pizza! My guess is she will have eaten there. He might know her address."

"Good thinking Yugi," Ishizu agreed.

The four of them took a seat in the window of the pizza take away/cafe opposite the apartment block. The tables and chairs were rather cheap and tatty so they were not expecting the coffee to be very nice. However, they were pleasantly surprised when the Italian owner brought them four mugs of frothy, creamy cappuccino and a plate of home made biscotti. They thanked him.

"Have you seen a young woman who looks like this? Her name is Anzu." Yugi showed the man a picture of Anzu on his phone.

"Anzu! That her real name huh? Yeah, I know her, calls herself Tea though. She works as a dancer at the Liquid and Envy down the street." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the club. "Comes in for a coffee sometimes, and often has a take out pizza on the way home from the club." A smirk appeared on his face. "I seen her dance! She's pretty hot." His expression dropped when Yugi gave him a disgusted look that could kill. "Erm.. Family huh?"

Before Yugi could say anything, Sugoroku spoke. "She is very important to my Grandson and we have to find her. Her parents are also very worried about her."

The man nodded. "Yeah, we get a lot of runaways that don't wanna be found. I never ask why they end up here. It's none of my business."

"Do you know the number of her apartment?" Yugi asked hopefully. The man shook his head.

"Nah, can't help you there. But my waitress will be in later, she chats to her a bit more, so she might know."

"Is it alright if we wait?" Mahado asked.

"Be my guest, just as long as you buy coffee or food." He went back behind the counter, leaving them to watch the building opposite.

At eight thirty, Ishizu was forced to leave for work. There was no way Mahado could leave Yugi and Sugoroku alone, so he told her to tell them he was sick and would not be in today.

The three men sat there until almost midday and still there was no sign of either Anzu or Atem. They asked the waitress when she arrived at work, and they also asked othercustomers that came in, but they either did not know or did not want to say – Yugi could not tell.

None of them saw the little red car that emerged from the underground car park into the side street opposite. It turned right and drove right in front of the cafe. The pointers on Mahado's Millennium Ring suddenly went crazy underneath his sweater, causing him to startle and put his hand to his chest. "The Ring is reacting!" He breathed.

Before anyone could stop him, Yugi jumped to his feet and rushed outside. But he saw nothing. Mahado joined him, just as the little red car disappeared from view.

"The pointers have stopped moving. I think they have gone," Mahado said quietly.

"But how?! How could we have missed them?" Yugi was beyond frustrated.

"Judging by the speed of the Ring's reaction, the only thing I can think of is that they were travelling by vehicle."

"That's it," he fretted, "they've gone, we've lost them!" Yugi banged his fist angrily into the metal advertising board causing it to clang and sway on its concrete base.

"Come on Yugi, we should go home and rest," Sugoroku said trying to comfort him.

"I can't rest, not until I find them." Yugi sheepishly rubbed his bruised hand.

"We are all tired Yugi. We will see things more clearly one we have rested," Mahado assured him.

Reluctantly, Yugi agreed. He was already hatching his next plan.


So now they have lost Yami to the Dark Side! What will they do to get him back? Can they?

Please review.