A/N: We're getting close to the end! Note that I'm warning for character death in this chapter – not anyone you like, but just as a heads up.

The reunion between Bakura and Ryou didn't exactly go the way Ryou had planned. True to Ryuuji's word, no one tried to approach them when they initially drove onto the grounds of Central Academy. In fact, the school was strangely barren. There were no signs of the students and professors that had been there when they left, like overnight someone had decided that everyone needed to vacate. She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing as she got out of the car, the purple sundress Ryuuji had given her whipping around her legs from the force of the wind. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing that innocent people weren't going to get caught in the crossfire.

At least, she hoped that's all it was. It didn't seem fair to think about the poor kids who might have already become collateral damage. She was wondering if it might be worthwhile trying to get back into their dormitory to check it out when someone grabbed her from behind, strong arms that picked her right up before she could yelp out a warning. The breath was knocked out of her lungs as she was spun roughly around and pushed up against the car. Ryou opened her eyes, not sure when she'd closed them, and looked up expecting to see an unfamiliar but threatening face. Instead she saw Bakura smirking at her from less than a foot away.

"Asshole!" she squeaked, the word coming out far less threateningly than she wanted it to as she hadn't really earned back the ability to breathe right. She punched him in the arm anyway, hard enough that he actually winced a little, and then took part in the ultimate revenge by throwing her arms around his waist. Bakura froze as she pressed her face into the warm curve where his shoulder met his throat, her fingers already so entangled in his shirt that there'd be no way he could pry her off without ripping the material. She wasn't looking, but she would have bet a lot of money that his arms were flailing through the air.

Eventually, his hands settled awkwardly on her shoulders and Ryou relaxed without really thinking about whether or not that was a wise choice. The persistent, nagging feeling of not right that had been plaguing her for days finally started to go away; the empty hole in her chest was filling in so suddenly that it was almost like a switch had been flipped without her notice. It would be a while before she felt 100% again, but just from his proximity she was already a dozen times better than she'd been when she woke up that morning. She took in a deep shuddering breath and let it out slowly, and his hands squeezed reflexively by way of response.

She could have stood there forever and not moved an inch, but it wasn't long before she remembered why they were there in the first place and she reluctantly lifted her head again. Her cheeks felt wet and she realized that at some point she'd been crying without even knowing. She wiped at her face, embarrassed, as she looked around. Malik and Mariku were still so tightly pressed together it was difficult to tell who was clinging to who, and Yuugi and Ryuuji had turned away to give them some privacy. There was no sign of Seto or anyone else. Only once she'd made sure of that did she glance up at Bakura.

He was already looking down at her, eyebrows drawn together as he studied her face. There was something in his expression that she couldn't identify, but it would've been impossible to miss the possessive grip that he had on her body. She could feel her cheeks warming even as he leaned down, or maybe she was the one who sought him out: it was difficult to say and in the end it didn't really matter. Ryou's hands found their way into his hair of their own accord and she pulled him down against her more firmly, greedily seeking proof that this was really her yami in front of her. But Bakura tasted like salt and cinnamon and bitterness, and there was no mistaking that.

"Oh my god," Yuugi said from somewhere outside of their little bubble.

"Okay, you two, break it up," Ryuuji said less than a second after Yuugi, though to her credit she sounded a lot more amused than shocked like Yuugi had. "I get that you're happy to see each other and I'm pleased for you, I am, but we've got more important things to worry about. If we all live through this, you can kiss and screw or whatever you want. I'll even rent you a suite at the best hotel in Domino."

Ryuuji's blunt phrasing was like a shock of cold water, but Ryou was still reluctant to pull away. She kissed Bakura one last time and then, realizing that their impromptu make-out session had left a little bit of a memento behind, rubbed a bit of lip gloss off of his bottom lip. He smirked and kissed the tip of her thumb, then turned his head to look at their audience. He arched an eyebrow. "You better start being more cautious. Mariku and I saw you coming from about a mile away. Or were you trying to get caught?"

"Bite me, thief," Ryuuji said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, you're not my type."

"You're right, I'm too much woman for you," Ryuuji deadpanned, already turning away to look up at the building that Bakura and Mariku had come out of in the first place. Ryou vaguely recognized it a dormitory. "Is there where they're keeping the Millennium Items?"

"No. Gozaburo's got them," Mariku said. He had yet to release Malik, like he thought that if he took his hands off she might disappear into thin air. "We saw him walking around the auditorium with Hafiz. He has the Ring, the Rod, the Scale, and the Key as far as we could see. He might have the Eye, too. Bakura and I were discussing the merits of sharpshooting."

Instead of the response Ryou was expecting, Ryuuji actually looked thoughtful. "Do you seriously think you could hit him from a suitable distance?"

"Yes," Mariku said with no hesitation. "Used to be I could fire an arrow and hit my target from over a hundred feet away. My reputation preceded me, because when Rishid found out who I used to be in my previous life he made me practice for hours with a gun just in case it ever came in handy. If Bakura can find us a spot that's up high enough, I could take care of the both of them and they'd never know I was there."

"Do you have a gun?" Malik asked, and to hear the way she spoke you would never have known that one of the men they were talking about killing was her father.

"I always come prepared." Ryuuji took her keys from her pocket and popped the trunk on the car. Inside, hidden underneath what turned out to be a false bottom, was the largest arsenal Ryou had ever laid eyes on. Not only were there guns and knives, Ryuuji had other weaponry that clearly had more magical origins. She tapped her finger against her chin for a moment before selecting a case and handing it to Mariku. "That one should be suitable, but I have another option if you need it."

Mariku opened the case and began examining the gun inside while Ryou did her best to wrap her mind around what was about to happen. She'd known that Gozaburo and Hafiz would need to be dealt with, but somehow that had never translated into killing them. She watched as Bakura picked through the other guns and felt sick, though she noticed that Yuugi seemed surprisingly unaffected by the plans. When Yuugi noticed her scrutiny, she raised a knowing eyebrow.

"Yami told me," she confided in an undertone, gesturing Ryou closer.

"And you didn't think to share it?"

"Sorry, Ryou. There wasn't any time. He only said it when we were saying good-bye to each other. It didn't seem like the kind of thing I should bring up around Ryuuji."

"Are you okay with this?"

Yuugi sighed. "Not really, no. I wish there was some other way. You know I don't like violence, and this is…" She shook her head, unable to properly sum it up. "But I can't see any other way of dealing with it. No prison will be enough to hold him and Gozaburo's not going to stop fighting. Even if we did have a place to put him, you know he won't come with us quietly. I don't want anyone else to get hurt." In spite of what she was saying, Yuugi didn't sound at all confident.

"It just doesn't seem right," Ryou said quietly. It was downright coldblooded to be standing around discussing the best way to kill a man from a distance, but like Yuugi she found it hard to see an alternative. She grew increasingly uncomfortable as Ryuuji locked her car and the six of them began walking to their chosen destination, but what other choice did they have?

AU

Seeing Seto again was a little like that first jump into a pool on a warm summer morning. A jolt to the system, but one that left her feeling refreshed and clear minded for what felt like the first time in days. Jou straightened up, her eyes flicking rapidly between Hafiz, Gozaburo and Seto. It didn't take a genius to see that Seto wasn't pleased. He was standing only a few feet away from his stepfather, and although there were no visible chains on him Jou could sense that his magic had been collared in some way. Their bond should've been far stronger for their proximity, but instead it remained weak.

Gozaburo smiled broadly as they approached. Right away, she could tell that he was a force to be reckoned with: he had all of the Millennium Items except for the Tawk and the Puzzle, even the Millennium Eye. It was sitting in the breast pocket of his suit and the dark red stain around it couldn't have been anything except for blood. Looking at it, Jou felt like throwing up. She had the strong suspicion that Pegasus wouldn't have given up the Eye lightly. Had he been attacked mere minute after they departed from the Island?

"Welcome," Gozaburo said before she could spend any more time dwelling on the absent man. Dark clouds were materializing around his feet, shifting and rising until his lower half was obscured from view in less than a minute. "Not that you'll want to be here, mind you." He threw up a lazy hand and a bolt of jagged magic leapt from the clouds around him. Yami reacted instantly, knocking Jou aside and they both went sprawling. When she looked again, Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki were gone.

Jou stared at the place where they'd been in rising horror. "What did you do to them?" she demanded, swinging around to look at Gozaburo. "Where are they?"

"What does it matter? Insignificant is what they were and that's how they were disposed of. I'm not sure how stupid you think I am, but I am not so foolish as to believe those were really the hikaris." He glanced over at Hafiz. "The only reason you're still breathing right now is because you found and brought me the Millennium Tawk. Otherwise it would be your corpse that was sent to the Shadow Realm."

Fascinating as it was to watch the way Hafiz went pale at those words, Jou's attention was caught by the way Isis stiffened in horror. "You have opened the Shadow Realm?" she exclaimed. "Do you not understand the madness you are risking? The terror you could set free? Those portals were never meant to be opened the way that you have!"

"Shut up," Gozaburo hissed. "I grow tired of your whining already. The power of the Millennium Items and the Shadow Realm will belong to me. I will be master of it all." He motioned to one of the guards standing nearby. The man marched over to Isis and gripped her by the arm, roughly tearing the Tawk off her neck. Isis flinched and cried out as she was pushed aside, so hard she stumbled and fell. The guard offered the stolen Item to Gozaburo, who smirked broadly and swung it lazily around one finger.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Yami said, his hand tight on Jou's shoulder in warning for her to stay down.

"Oh I have every idea. Did you think you were going to get to keep it for yourself? Times have changed, Pharaoh."

"I don't want it!" Yami snapped. "The Shadow Realm is a dangerous place, and –"

"Spare me, I'm not interested in hearing anymore. This is how it's going to work." As Gozaburo spoke, two guards fell on Yami and dragged him to his feet. He didn't fight, allowing himself to be manhandled. "I'm going to put a knife against your throat and leave it there until the rest of your little friends come out of hiding. I know they're here somewhere, trying to bide their time, and although I could easily search them out I'm a bit lazy. I'd rather they came to me. If they don't, I'll slit your throat."

"The Puzzle won't work then," said Yami.

"No? Well, at least I won't have to be concerned about the power being stolen and used against me then." Gozaburo nodded to Hafiz. The knife Hafiz pulled out of his pocket made Jou's stomach hurt. It was long and thin, the blade copper, and she didn't need the taunting way Hafiz pressed it to the ball of his thumb to know it was sharp. As his flesh split and a thin trickle of blood dribbled down the blade, she stood up.

"That's enough," she said forcefully, ignoring the way Yami jerked his head frantically in a bid for her to remain silent. "It's about time that you stopped being able to do whatever you please. That's not how the world works, you know. For one thing, Seto is a thousand times more talented than you will ever be. He's the one who deserves to be in control of Kaiba Corp, not you!"

Anger flared in Gozaburo's eyes, bright and hot, and he swung around to face her. "You need to learn your place!"

Right before he could bring his hand up to attack, another hand reached out and gripped his wrist. Gozaburo stared at the hand in silence, slowly lifting his gaze to meet that of his step-son. Seto looked furious. "Don't touch her. Don't touch either of them," he said, every word crisp with rage.

"Who's going to stop me?" Gozaburo taunted, making no effort to pull away from Seto's grasp.

The gunshots surprised everyone. Jou wasn't even sure what was happening at first, not until Yami grabbed her for the second time and shoved her down. As they hit the ground, so did Hafiz – but he wouldn't be getting up again. Jou stared at his wide open, vacant eyes, his face marred only by the blood seeping from the bullet wound in his forehead. A similar shot had been fired at Gozaburo, but the growing clouds around his body absorbed the bullet long before it would've reached him.

The ensuing silence that fell pressed hard against her ears. The guards Yami had escaped from didn't seem to know what to do, whether they should try to protect Gozaburo or find the shooters or take down Yami and Seto. Jou took advantage of the silence, climbing to her feet again and lurching towards Seto. He saw her coming and turned, ducking around Gozaburo, hands already outstretched. His fingers were cold when she grabbed on, but Jou didn't let go. Not even when pain roared through her body as Seto scrabbled for magic and pulled.

She felt opened and raw, vulnerable to the blue eyes that never once looked away from her as the flimsy bond Gozaburo had put into place to restrain Seto's magic snapped open. Gozaburo shouted his fury as magic crackled through the air. Twin roars answered him as the Blue Eyes White Dragon and Red Eyes Black Dragon materialized together. Blue Eyes White Dragon in particular looked hungry when she caught sight of Gozaburo. The man flailed and turned to run.

He didn't get far. Pegasus Crawford stopped him, arms folded across his chest. His face was mostly covered by a blood-soaked bandage, but he was able to see out of one eye. He looked pissed. "I wanted to stay out of this, you know," he said, the words sounding almost conversational. "But you just couldn't let it go, could you? It wasn't enough that you controlled the free world already from behind the scenes. No, you had to get greedy. Selfish."

"That's the way you've always been," Isis said spitefully, picking herself up off of the ground and clutching her right arm closely to her body.

"You have no idea how right that is, Priestess."

Jou glanced around at the new voice and realized that Bakura and Mariku, both toting guns, as well as Yuugi, Ryou, Malik and Ryuuji had all joined them. There were also two people Jou didn't know who came from an entirely different direction. It was the man who had spoken, and Gozaburo must have recognized him because he went white and tried to back away. Only there was nowhere to go, because he was surrounded on all sides and there were no friendly faces.

"It's over," the woman added quietly.

"The hell it is," Gozaburo said wildly. "It's only just begun."

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