Freezing Fire

Chapter 36

I don't understand why you didn't convince Ryou to stay. Yugi pouted as they flew in the warm air. It was clear his treasure was somewhat upset with the turn of events over the past rise. Yami only snickered as he soared above Yugi, gazing down at the creature softly, shaking his head in dismay. Yugi relaxed his arms in flight and threw Yami another pout. It's not funny, my opposite.

I beg to differ. Yami disagreed as he maneuvered to the left of Yugi and glanced down at Ryou. He had been very quiet as they flew over his kingdom. Yami's smirk disappeared as he moved closer to Ryou. He threw the angel a smile but Ryou refused to turn and look at him. Yami internally sighed and shifted closer to Yugi, a flap of his wings giving both of them energy and height. You know why I can't. If I forced him to do anything it wouldn't be any different from what Bakura did. I won't do that to him.

Yami noticed Ryou flinch at the thoughts of Bakura. He immediately started to think of other things so that Ryou could be shielded from his torment. It wasn't easy.

"Yami, why does it feel so cold?" Yugi asked aloud as he looked around.

The demon royal had also noticed a chill in the air. He had dismissed it earlier as nothing more but the numbness of losing his once friend and priest. But now that Yugi mentioned it, it was getting stronger. "I'm unsure." He replied.

Yugi moved closer to Yami as he shuddered slightly. He brushed his wing gently against Yami's as they made their way higher into the sky. Crimson eyes scanned the horizon for any signs of trouble. The king practically halted at the sight of water.

The pure angel stopped as well and his chocolate eyes grazed the water carefully. "I don't remember Aquarian territory being so close."

"Nor do I." Yami said, somewhat alarmed. He turned around to see that his palace was still in view. He whirled around to face the water once more. The water often had tides but it never grew so close to his kingdom like this before. Yami flinched as he noticed some of the hot lava of his kingdom start to fizzle. It was hardening. Was this why the Aquarians were burrowing under his kingdom?

"You've never mentioned that!" Yugi exclaimed in alarm as he glided to him quickly. He held Yami's hand as they looked down at the lava that was turning more and more a deeper red be the second. The king bit his lip and gave out a long sigh. Yugi noticed this. "Why didn't you say something before?"

You tend to be an easy distraction. Yami admitted, letting go of Yugi's hand and shifting his wings to stay high in the air. He turned to the angels with a deep frown on his face. "We shall see Ryou to your homeland. Upon our return we'll deal with these fiends." He planned before taking off directly into the dark sky. Warm air rises so they further up they went the warmer they would be.

I'm sorry. Yugi thought to him.

Yami placed a hand up to quiet Yugi's apologies. He didn't want Yugi to apologize for this wasn't his fault. This was his own doing. He was king and therefore held the responsibility of one. He should have noticed this before. He hoped that Mahado and the rest of his priests had noticed the lack of land they had left. There were a few miles of lava behind his palace but it didn't matter. If the Aquarians wanted it, they could get it. They were water demons and there was very little Yami and the rest of his kind could do about it.

Use me. Yugi suggested. I can wipe out a few hundred of them.

Yami closed his side of their bond, ignoring the hurt look on Yugi's face. He wasn't going to abuse Yugi's abilities that way. This was not his burden to bear.

A stench started to rise in the air and Yami froze slightly. Yugi visibly stiffened when Yami did and turned towards the direction of the water. Slowly, Yami turned his head towards Yugi. His fingers went numb as Yugi's eyes flashed dangerously to red before returning back to their normal color. "Where exactly is your kingdom?"

Ryou gave them a quizzical look. "Malik always said that there was a portal to our world lingering here. This is the exact spot where Yugi and I were first dumped here. I went to those damn dog demons and Yugi and Malik started to terrorize parts of your kingdom."

Yugi flinched at Ryou's words but remained quiet. He looked into the distance, squinting when he couldn't see properly.

Yami looked in that direction and shook his head. "There is nothing there." Yami insisted, hovering closer to Yugi and grabbing his hand.

"Well I smell something. Don't you?" Yugi questioned, his voice was almost a growl.

The king stared into the distance and took a breath of the sir around him. There was a smell in the air. Yami had thought it was the smell of the water but now he wasn't too sure. He kept his ears strained to hear any sounds. There was nothing but silence. However, there seemed to be some sort of tension soaring through the air. It was like a spring that was ready to snap at any moment.

And there was definitely an odor. Yami was certain he had smelled it before. The royal looked down towards the hard rock that lay before them. It wasn't the Aquarians for their stench left a rather sour taste in Yami's mouth. No, this smell wasn't horrible at all; in fact it seemed rather appetizing. Yami knew it was familiar. He shifted closer to Yugi and grabbed the half breed's hand in order to stop his growls. Yugi turned sharply towards him and Yami only nodded at him.

Ryou shuddered slightly before looking nervously towards the ground. "Let's just keep moving. I don't want to sit here like a target and wait for whatever is out there to come and find us."

Yami had to admit that it was the best plan. Slight fluttering behind him caused his attention to turn towards Yugi who growled viciously. "It's stronger now. Whatever it is, it's close by." Yugi snapped. Yami watched as Yugi's fangs grew slightly and more crimson started to etch in his eyes. Yami's concern drowned out Yugi's anger and the treasure stopped his aggressive tone. He turned to Yami with a sorry smile. I'm sorry, my darkness.

The king tightened his grip on Yugi's hand and shook his head. Amethyst eyes shined upon his and Yami felt his heart start to melt.

"Let's go." Ryou urged, glancing down again. "We need to find the portal to my world. I know it has to be here som-,"

Horrible pain.

White, searing, and agonizing pain.

The rush of cooler air made Yami snap out of his haze. Yugi's horror-filled emotions surged through his heart as he cleared his eyes to see white wings and lavender eyes. More pain gripped as body as Malik tightened his hold on Yami's shoulders and hurled them both towards the cold rock below.

Yami heard Yugi cry out but he wasn't sure what exactly the creature said. All he knew was that he wasn't going to be able to break his fall. Malik snickered at him as the rocks came closer. The king closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable impact.

It surely could have been worse. It could have been water that they plunged into. Yami grunted hard when the cool rock came into contact with his back and left wing. He cursed Malik for not allowing him to turn his body. He was lucky he didn't break one of his wings from the impact. Yami growled fiercely as he felt a threat to his life. Malik straddled him to the rock, keeping his powers on a rather active note.

Yugi's cries startled him when he heard a soft thud come from his left side. Despite his nerves screaming at him, Yami turned to see his precious angel struggling against the hold on two other angels. The king recognized them from the first time the angels had tried to invade his city. Yami growled as he tried to pry Malik's hands off him. Claws dug into Malik's skin when Yugi let out a cry of pain as his wing was grabbed hard and pulled.

The two angels managed to get Yugi secured on the ground. One angel placed a foot on his back and pushed him chest first onto the cold stone while the other held his wing in a death grip. Yugi seethed on the ground, his instincts to survive and fly away taking over quickly. His eyes burned a deep crimson as he tried to concentrate on getting away.

"Do you see what you've done to him?" Malik asked coolly as he clasped a hand around Yami's neck rather tightly.

Yami ignored the remarked but watched as the angels secured Yugi's wrists together and bond his wings before pulling him to his feet. He continued to struggle and growl at them. At one point, Yugi tried to bite the angel with a cold hand on his wing. No doubt his angel was in much pain, however, Yami couldn't seem to sense it because of Malik's grip on his body.

The king resisted but Malik only chuckled at his pitiful struggles. "Continue and I'll put that little traitor in a world of pain."

At this, Yugi suddenly snapped out of his new fire demon demeanor and abruptly looked at Yami. The king stopped his struggles in an instant as the angels taking hold of his little one gave him vicious smiles. Yugi blinked and looked from Malik to Yami. Pain-filled emotions traveled through their link. Incoherent thoughts from Yugi made Yami's mind a mess. Thoughts like make them go away and they'll kill us kept ringing through Yugi's mind and although he tried to shield Yami from them, the king felt their intensity all too strongly.

Two more angels came into view, taller and stronger ones. They landed and immediately dragged Yami to his feet. Malik finally lifted his powers but watched Yami carefully as the angel yanked his wings back and tied them tightly. Yami growled when one pulled especially hard but remained motionless as he continued his gaze upon Yugi. They would find a way out of this, somehow.

Malik chuckled softly as Yami's wrists were bound. White wings fluttered softly next to Yami and the king turned to see Ryou landing quietly on the cold rock. His face was flustered and he looked slightly terrified. Yami was glad he was okay.

"You've made a wise choice, Ryou. You're crimes against our kind will be forgiven." Malik nodded firmly at him. Ryou gave a short nod and avoided eye contact with Yami and Yugi.

The king felt betrayal sting his form as Yugi shook his head. "No." Yugi said sharply. His treasure continued to shake his head back and forth as he stared at Ryou. "Ryou, you wouldn't. You wouldn't do this to us."

Malik turned sharply to Yugi. "Don't worry, we'll break the spell he has over you soon enough." He growled as he glanced back at Yami. "Then you too will be redeemed and this entire mess can be put behind us. We'll kill the Va Hala king and reduce his land to rubble."

No. Yugi's thoughts pierced Yami's own.

Yami snarled at the remarks made of his kingdom. "Malik this is between us. My kind have nothing to do with our conflict. You would be wise as to leave them out of this." Yami warned although he knew there was no way to back up his threat. "You will tell the Aquarians to back off." He hissed.

Malik raised an eyebrow in amusement at Yami's confidence. "It's foolish of you to believe that we angels would never consider working alongside other demons. This…" Malik lifted his arms as he looked around at the flooded region. "This masterpiece is not of our creation. We could probably sit back, relax, and watch your kingdom fall at the hands of another enemy."

Yugi grunted in dismay when one of the angel's at his side yanked hard on his wing.

"Hey!" Yami growled at him.

Malik's smirk only grew. "You should keep quiet." He advised as he walked by him. He stood in front of Yugi and looked the creature up and down. "I barely recognize any part of you anymore." He whispered, shaking his head in a sad display. "I had hoped you would make better decisions. But all of us are guilty of becoming weak under the eyes of the enemy." He patted Yugi's head playfully. "Don't worry, we'll save you yet."

"Malik, please." Yugi tried to slither away from his touch. "Yami has changed. You've seen it. We were coming to take Ryou back. He could have forced Ryou to stay but he didn't. Doesn't that mean something?"

Malik snickered. "Ryou wouldn't have needed permission to leave. He doesn't deserve to be forgiven of his sins for that. He has corrupted one of the purest angels upon existence. What lifts him from those punishments?"

Yugi slowly lifted his eyes from the ground to Yami. "He makes me happy." He said softly. "Doesn't that speak for anything?"

Malik seemed slightly taken aback as he glanced from Yugi to Yami. He shook his head angrily. "Black magic!" He bellowed and roughly dove at Yami, taking him to the cold ground. "Get out of his head! Get out! Stop controlling him!"

Yami growled at the angel's attack but refused to fight under the pressure of further putting Yugi through pain. He could hear Yugi's cries of alarm and didn't want any harm to come to his angel. He refused to make the situation any worse. Yami hissed as Malik's grip on his arms started to take away feeling all together. "You can't break our bond. It's not possible." He taunted.

Malik stopped his aggressive shaking and stared at the king. He immediately sat up and pulled himself off the fire demon below him. Yami remained on his back and gave Malik the best glare he could muster. Malik shook his head in disbelief and then glanced at Yugi. "You..." He couldn't find words. He shakily pointed at Yami, "Y-you mated with him?"

Yugi nodded simply.

"You mean you actually formed a pure bond with this demonic scum?" Malik growled.

Yami winced at the words but smiled when Yugi growled at him. His angel was pissed as well and it made Yami feel important. Selfish but he didn't care. Perhaps this was the last time he was able to be selfish.

Malik spun to face Ryou. "You didn't tell me about this!" He screamed. Ryou bit his lip and jumped at Malik's tone. Malik shook his head and clenched his fists together. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter. Once he is dead the bond will have to reverse itself."

"You can't kill him!" Yugi shouted, more in fear this time.

Malik waved his hand and Yami blinked in fascination as a white sort of purple light formed behind him. "I can kill him and I intend to. The elders have ordered it. He has become too much of a liability." He spat and roughly pulled the king to his feet. Yami was distracted by the white magic forming around them. "I have a feeling you're not going to like our world, Yami."

Ryou took a few steps towards the portal. He turned back to give an apologetic glance in Yugi's direction. "I'm sorry, brother. But I can't let Yami do to you what Bakura did to me. No matter how much angelic blood runs through his veins, he will always be tainted by the demon inside. He will always be dark." He stated softly before taking a few more steps. "He will always hurt you."

Yami felt his heart tug at Ryou's words. The angel slowly seemed to disappear into the lights that made Yami's head spin. Were they heading to the land where his mother existed? Would he see things from her eyes when he entered this world? Would everything be altered? Yami frowned as Yugi was pushed roughly against him. He glanced down at the angel who gave him a pathetic look. Chin up. Yami directed and he was happy to feel a spark of happiness travel in his direction.

Despite the fact that Yugi had his wrists bond, he snuggled closer to Yami as if trying to get away from their destiny. Yami placed his chin on top of Yugi's head and smiled down at the creature. Their warm moment was abruptly ended when both were pushed forcefully towards the wall of lights. They were so much more intense than any fire he had seen.

That is the portal to my world. You'll see where I came from. Yugi explain, growling at Malik's push while trying to keep Yami as informed as possible. His words held a bitter sad taste to them that Yami wished he could rinse away. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. Just makes you feel a little dizzy.

Determination spiked through Yami and he glanced next to him to see Yugi's fear stricken face was back to its normal confident expression. It made the king feel somewhat…safer.

I'll protect you, Yami. I won't let them kill you. Yugi turned to him as they approached the portal. His eyes lit up with crimson but also held a tint of amethyst. Yami shivered slightly but not from the color of Yugi's eyes. His words held such resolve and fortitude that Yami found it hard not to believe him. He trusted Yugi. Whether this was his end or not, Yami was happy Yugi reminded him how much they had. It made everything worth it.

"Stop your stalling." Malik snipped at them as he glanced around. "This place smells like burning flash and fish."

Yugi rolled his eyes and stepped into the lights. Yami felt a jolt rock his heart when suddenly he could no longer sense his angel. Yami swallowed hard as Malik pushed him roughly into the lights. Yami growled harshly but when the other angels stepped forward, he had no choice but to fall back. He closed his eyes and stepped into the sparkling lights.

For a moment, Yami thought of his priests. He had no way of warning them of what was happening. He hoped that Mahado, Seth, and Isis knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't disappear before a fight. He hoped they were okay. Whatever the Aquarians were planning, Yami hoped they would be prepared even if he never came to know the fate of his kingdom. He missed his priests, his friends.

It was nauseating. Yami kept his eyes closed, mostly out of fear that whatever was going on around him would take away the blood still in his stomach. He bit his lip as he felt like he was being flipped over and over again. It wasn't rough hands pushing him but just air.

The travel felt strange. Yami felt as if he was being torn into pieces, but not in a painful way. His eyes remained tightly closed as he felt impact. It was rough but it certainly wasn't the most abrupt one of the rise.

"Yami?" Yugi called to him.

It took a moment for the demon king to awaken from his travels. The first thing he noticed was how cold it was. He immediately shivered when he felt cold material on his bare back and stinging wings. He was laying completely flat and he could feel Yugi's warm bound hands on his left shoulder. Yami shifted his bound wings so that he could lay on his side, closer to Yugi.

"Yami, are you okay?" Yugi asked him worriedly.

The king of Va Hala groaned and noticed everything seemed brighter.

"Get him up." Malik demanded. "There is no time for slacking. Lucky for you, he is to die on the rise not the set of our sun. Too bad. I'd sleep better tonight." He roughed kicked Yami in his back and the king hissed.

His eyes snapped open only to meet the largest headache he had ever experienced. Fearing that Malik was having more of his "fun" with his powers, Yami did the only thing he knew how to do. Scream.

"Yami!" Yugi yelled over him. "Yami, what's wrong?"

The king shut his eyes and let out a cry of pain as his head throbbed to no end. He groaned and tried to move his bound hands to cover both sides of his temple but no luck. He could only writhe in agony as Yugi screamed to him over and over again.

Over the commotion, Malik snickered.

Yugi accessed the king's mind and immediately pulled Yami roughly with his hands. Keep your eyes closed! Keep them shut! Yugi yelled to him. Yami felt Yugi's arms maneuver their way around him. He had slipped his bound wrists over Yami's head and had pulled the king close.

The only thing Yami could think of was to follow Yugi's orders. He kept his eyes shut tight as he snuggled his head against Yugi's warm chest. He panted in pain and dug his hands into the ropes keeping his wrists together. He cured those ropes to no end. If they weren't there he would have been wrapping his arms around the creature trying to spare Yami from Malik's torture.

It's not Malik. Yugi informed him, a hint of sadness lacing his voice. He felt helpless in not being able to spare Yami on some of his pain. Yami grunted against Yugi and kept his face hidden. He didn't want anyone else to see him like this.

What is this? Yami questioned, hissing in his own mind. His head throbbed less painfully but he didn't dare try to open his eyes.

The sun. Yugi answered. It's basically a bigger ball of fire further away than lava. It's very bright. Your eyes can't take the strain. He explained as calmly as he could. Just keep your eyes shut and I'll be your guide.

Yami sighed as Yugi's arms held him tighter.

"A creature that screams in the presence of sunlight…" Malik snickered. "And you dared to mate with such a creature." Yami could see Malik through Yugi's eyes. It was such a strange experience. He relaxed a little even as the angels gathered around them and helped Yugi to his feet. Yugi didn't dare let go of Yami. The king could feel Yugi's determination to keep his mate as close as possible.

I trust you, my opposite. Yami soothed him, glad his pain wasn't dwelling. He smiled into Yugi's chest as they walked awkwardly towards what looked like a white building.

If it weren't for the unpleasant sunlight, Yugi's world was actually beautiful. There were these strands of material all over the land, as green as the emeralds that his father use to place in all his rings. There were hills and hills of this emerald like material covering everything they touched. Among those jewels were scattered colors in different shapes. They were on stalks of some sort and they were gorgeous. What was the most interesting was the sky of this kingdom. It was not black like his own but a beautiful and clear blue color. Yami had never seen such a blue color. The only blue he had seen were the leather pants in a dark shade of blue he used to wear. There were puffy looking white cotton balls in the sky. Yami wished he could touch them.

You wouldn't want to if you knew what they were made of. Yugi shivered and moved them towards the building.

"He is to be killed at dawn. Don't get smart while you're in there. I'm hoping that locking you together will draw you to your senses. Know that you will be spared and forgiven but only after we have nailed his body to the wall." Malik sniffed as he opened the door to the small building.

Yami couldn't help but be surprised by how disturbingly intelligent Malik was in the art of grotesque torture. He thought it was only a demon's mind that could be filled with such hate and need for revenge.

Everyone has darkness within them, Yami.

You don't. Yami pointed out as they shoved into the room.

Malik watched as the angel unbound Yugi's wings very slowly. One unwrapped Yugi's hands and Yami felt his arms and wings immediately close around his form, keeping him warm and safe from Malik's gaze. Yami sighed contently when he could see the angels leaving. He grunted when he saw Malik's glare of hatred before the door was slammed, leaving them in complete darkness.

Darkness. Can I open my eyes now? Yami asked, carefully.

"Yes." Yugi whispered. He quickly moved to untie Yami's sore wings and wrists in the dark. Yami opened his eyes to see Yugi's form clearly in the darkness. His head hurt slightly but he didn't mind. It was nice to be able to see again. "Sorry." Yugi whispered to him, using Yami's better eyes sight to untie him. "When they come back, we'll fight them. We'll get back to the portal and force Malik to open it somehow."

Yami gave a sideways frown as he found Yugi's plan to be naïve and unrealistic. They wouldn't make it that far without being killed.

"We have to try!" Yugi shouted in the darkness, giving Yami the best glare he could muster. "I won't let them kill you, Yami. I won't. I can't." His voice was starting to crack. As soon as Yami's wrists were free, he wrapped his arms about the angel, ignoring the snips of pain gripping his sore body. Yugi started shaking as he shook his head over and over again. Yami could feel emotional agony from Yugi pouring over to him. "I won't lose you. It's not fair. T-They can't do this."

"Sh." Yami directed, afraid his little one was having a nervous breakdown.

"I've never needed anyone before. I-I was trained to never need an-anyone." Yugi explained, gripping Yami's shoulders tightly as he spoke. "I can't be alone again. I don't want to go back to that. I want to be happy."

"As you deserve to be." Yami reminded him.

Yugi whimpered slightly as he rocked back and forth on his knees and into Yami's chest. The poor creature was so worked up he couldn't breathe much less think. Yami leaned down and captured Yugi's lips in a warm kiss, breathing life back into him. Yugi remained numb for a few moments before blinking and searching for Yami's face in the darkness. "Yami?"

"Yes, little one?" Yami asked.

Yugi leaned against the king. "Love me?"

TBC

Some story for you so maybe a review or two for me?

A/N~ Yeah, I figure if I'm breaking the rules why not do it one more time? Hahaha! They can't stop me!