A/N: Do you know how much I want to give you the remaining chapters at once?! But I'm holding off so I can give myself time to review my other WIPS. I have intentions to complete the little spin off of this series, and I am currently rewriting another fic I started. I also have brief ideas for a sequel to my Egyptian story and a completely new idea for a different Egyptian story. My mind is a buzz but that means so much more puzzleshipping!

Yugi's POV

I've been here for what feels like hours! Checking my watch tells me it's only been 45 minutes but it feels like forever. I have no idea what's going on now. I know this was my plan but this part was my least favourite. I hated that I can't talk to anyone. I have no idea if everything is going okay on their ends. At least I know Atem managed to create a diversion… and a hilarious one at that. The moment I saw his name burning in the lawn I knew that must have riled up Bakura enough. How he did it is another thing though … I'll have to ask him. The grass is too wet for him to just set it ablaze and even then, how did he get it to stay within it's confines to create a cartouche? Egyptian Magic maybe? Explains why wet grass can burn. Brilliant… but still.

Even then there's still the possibility he was caught and if that happens, even if he managed to get Marik out there's no way this plan can continue. If I was caught, sure - he can still travel to and fro as he pleases, but if he's caught then we're at a sudden halt and there's no way for me to know if that happened. All I can do is sit here behind this tree, hoping no one will see me. It's well and truly dark now but that doesn't mean I can't be found… not to mention I'm four hours by car away from Domino, I can't just walk on home even if I do get out of here. All I can do is wait.

Then there's Joey and Tristan… I have absolutely no idea what happened to them. The last thing I saw before they bagged me was Tristan's face on the glass counter and Joey with a gun to his head. These people are willing to kill… then there's the glass that broke. I never heard Tristan after that and … I have no idea what happened. I don't know if they're okay. This plan was never danger proof. Every step has a chance of one or more casualties but given we're dealing with Bakura it is kind of unavoidable. Tristan and Joey could have been killed during my capture… hell even I could have been killed. All they need is the Puzzle after all. Atem, Ishizu and Odion could have been captured during their assault here… for all I know thats exactly what happened. Bakura doesn't need Ishizu, Odion or Marik alive… he barely needs Atem alive but I highly doubt he'd kill him yet. I agree with Ryou - he likes to play with his pray. He'll keep Atem alive even if it's just to see him hurt.

I'd think that if he caught Atem, there'd be more movement though. He'd be making some song and dance about his capture of the Pharaoh … so I can only hope the silence is good news. But until the next phase begins I don't know anything. All I can do is pray. Pray the gods have protected him and will guide him to safety.

"Shh… be quiet."

I immediately slide down flat against the ground, hiding my legs under the bush and staying as close to the trunk as possible. I have no idea who whispered that or where they are but if they spot me it will not be good. I need to stay hidden if we're to succeed.

I don't see where the voice came from. I don't even know if it was a boy or girl. It wouldn't have been a guard… maybe someone else? Someone who works here perhaps like a kitchen hand or a maid… a place this big would have people like that, right? But why would they be sneaking around?

Then I hear rustling nearby. I hold my breath, keeping as still as possible and making sure nothing of me is reflecting light at all. I should be completely hidden… I hope. Soon someone steps out from a tree but they're not facing me. In fact they're trying to remain hidden too and beckoning someone to hurry up. I can't tell who they are, just that he's a tall man. I don't recognise the clothing… if it's a guard I don't imagine he'd be secret about it. Who is he?

I hear a snap of a twig followed by a hushed curse by someone else and a sigh from this guy. Definitely not a guard… but then … who?

"Come on. We can't be seen and the others are probably already at work." This guy whispers. There's something about the way his words form that feels familiar to me but being a whisper I can't quite tell. He said the others are probably at work which means there must be more of them… but then… could it be?

"Yeah I'm comin." I know that mannerism. That accent… is it?

I lift myself up just a little to get a better look but as I do a twig by my foot snaps and I duck straight down, hiding my face and hoping I'm completely hidden again. I hear the guy nearby jolt and then fast footsteps away and only when it's silent do I move my head back up to see I'm alone. I must have scared them …

I try to look but I can't see a thing. If they ran they'd have kept to the shadows as much as possible but no matter how much I scan the area I can't see a single moving silhouette or anything. Where did they go? And who were they? I thought for certain the second one might have been Joey but … it's hard to tell. My heart sinks when I realise I'm not going to find them… not remaining here anyway and I need to remain hidden until they need a diversion. If that was Joey and whoever then that means the next phase has begun… but I won't know for certain until this damn watch vibrates. Still… maybe I can move around if I just remain hidden. If that was Joey and someone then maybe the other's they're talking about are less hidden.

…

They are…

They're hidden of course but I'm looking for them so it's not that hard to find them. I can't see Atem but those two over there are definitely Ishizu and Odion. They're sneaking about, coming up behind guards and patrols and somehow putting them down to sleep. I don't think they're hurting them but whatever they're doing is quick and silent. They're laying them down one each and then dragging them off into the bushes. So if that's Ishizu and Odion… then maybe it was Joey and someone else I know back there. Tristan? If they didn't kill Joey then they wouldn't have killed Tristan, right? I can hope so… so where's Atem? That wasn't Atem with him ... where could he be? I doubt he was captured. He'd have needed to teleport the others back here so …

I need a better vantage point but I can't get to the house with so many guards walking around. I have to wait and trust they can clear enough of them without being seen. At least now I know what stage we're at. Phase 2 was a success and Atem was able to figure out what happened to Marik. Phase 3 has begun and now I wait for Phase 4 to be triggered. Which means I should find a good place to be to lure Bakura. Ishizu and Odion have the western side covered. Joey and friend was headed to the east. I can stay here in the south but the north seems more dangerous… which means Atem will likely have this side covered wherever he is. As soon as they need me, I need to be as far away from them as possible to draw back Bakura. Of course the mansion itself is preferable. If I can find a way up the roof or inside without being seen, I'll take that route instead. At least from the roof I should be able to see everything. It'll be safer for me too. Okay… roof it is. Somehow.

Atem's POV.

That seems like the last guard on my side. I've been patrolling up and down the south side for a good while now and can't seem to find anyone else coming out to patrol either. Joey and Tristan have been doing well on there side piling up the guards and Ishizu and Odion have cleared out a lot more people than I thought there were. Apparently some of them weren't nerve gassed though and brutally knocked out instead… which might explain why there was more of them if Ishizu had his portion of gas to use.

I haven't seen Yugi yet. I have no idea where he's hiding. He's very good at these kinds of games so it doesn't surprise me. In fact I can't tell if I'm pleased or disappointed I haven't even caught a glimpse. I hope it means he's safe. But if we're running out of guards to kidnap then that means we can move closer to the manor. We've officially completed our task and anything more we do just makes everything easier. I should make sure thats okay by the others though.

Touching the earpiece Mokuba gave us all I hear a faint beep and crouch down by the tree I'm behind.

"Atem here, how are you guys doing?" I ask quietly.

I hear an uncomfortable static noise followed by Joey's annoyed voice.

"Red Eyes to Pharaoh. The hell we give ourselves code names for if we don't use em? Over."

Sighing and pinching the bridge of my nose I can't help but giggle.

"Pharaoh to Red Eyes and Tomb Keepers, how are we doing?" I reiterate.

"Red Eyes to Pharaoh. You didn't say over. Over." Joey says but his comment was promptly followed by a smack.

"We're almost done on our end dude. Barely anyone left save for those a little close to the front gate." Tristan says. Understandable.

"Same on our end, Pharaoh." Ishizu's voice is much softer and a lot more patient. Judging by the body count it doesn't surprise me.

"There's no sign of Yugi but thats best taken as a good thing." Odion says.

"I agree. Do we want to move closer to the mansion?" I ask them.

"I have one more person to teleport away then thats good by us." Tristan says. I nod, despite them not being able to see and start carefully making my way back to his side.

"That sounds good to us too. Do you want us to meet you back on the south side?" Ishizu asks.

"Head back there and wait. We'll move together." I say. I get a quick affirmative and then it falls silent again.

I find Tristan and Joey back where we had been collecting guards. As every time before they remained hidden in the shadows while I came up, opened a portal and moved their man inside it. The way back to Kaiba's makeshift prison hold was a lot easier to access now. Taking them and leaving them on the other side of the portal took barely a minute compared to how long it took to travel before. Apparently I can create regular paths which shorten the travel time to almost nothing… so that works out very well for us.

Leaving him just inside for Kaiba's boys to take him I head on back and meet with Joey and Tristan, sharing a fond high five with them for a mission success. That went well… almost too well. In fact everything has… but I can't start getting ahead of myself now. We should thank our blessings and keep going. We're already doing well … the mansion is going to be tougher.

"So… no sign of Yugi huh?" Joey asks quietly as we sneak on back to find Ishizu and Odion.

"Not yet. Like Odion said though, that must be good." I say with a soft, worried sigh. I agree with his reasoning, but even a glympse would be preferred.

We find Ishizu and Odion waiting patiently behind a couple of trees. We're right at the back of the mansion and most of the outside forces have been dealt with so we're not really worried we'll be seen yet. It's quiet… eerily so but again, we must count our blessings. Inside will not be easy.

"So we'll move as a team. I can protect us with the Key but you can't be more than 6 meters away or you'll be seen. We won't have the cover of darkness to help us and there will be less room to move around in. Keep the talking to a minimum. Rely on gestures to communicate. We take this slowly. We're not piling them up this time. We take each guard as they come. All of you remember the panic button?" I ask them and they each show me their fancy new watches. Good.

"We don't press these unless we need to though yeah? I mean if you can't just zoop us out of here." Joey asks and I nod curtly.

"Yes. Ideally capturing as many people as we can is good. But right now our priority is to find anything that Bakura might be using to store Marik's soul. Yugi will be long ready by now to act if we need to but lets not make this more difficult than it needs to be. The more we cover the better it will be in later stages." I say and they each nod in agreement. Good.

"You all ready?" I ask them and again they nod. Alright. If Yugi is watching, we're about to be completely unseen. He's going to need to be quick on that reaction if we need it but I trust him. Wherever he is.

Yugi's POV

I lost sight of them a while ago. I think I saw Joey headed towards the south dragging someone behind him but when they reached the tree line I lost them and haven't seen them since. It was a good idea to climb up to the roof. From here I'm able to see the whole grounds with a little movement. I watched Ishizu and Odion take a lot of people with them but where they went I have no idea. I never saw Atem but it seems like they were doing just fine. It's been quiet for a long while now though. I'm sure they know about the panic button on their watches but perhaps they haven't needed them yet.

And I'm back to worrying. It felt good when I could see them making their rounds up and down the grounds. At least I could see them and knew they were okay. I don't know how cops do this. I don't think I could handle the stress on a daily basis. One things for certain… secret agent is out of the question. I can kiss that dream goodbye. There is no way I'm choosing to do this for the rest of my life. Game designer it is, for sure.

I sigh tiredly. It's cold. My fingers are freezing. I can barely feel my nose. I wonder how Atem is faring. He's already not a fan of the cold even when he's rugged up inside… let alone walking around in the dead of night, amongst frosty grass and freezing conditions. He might get sick again… but we didn't really have any other choice. He's the only one who can safely operate the Key in this way. Again… with the inescapable dangers. Why couldn't Bakura attack us in the summer? Then we could assail this mansion in swimsuits and I could watch him work wearing barely anything. So rude.

Oh… noise? From inside. Wait if I get closer… it sounds like yelling. Sounds like orders being barked followed by running… and gun shots! No! Damn it they were found? They're inside?! What?! Why are they inside? When did they go inside?!

I feel the vibration of my watch set off and without even giving myself a chance to wonder I slide out the last Millennium Puzzle piece and click it into place. The eye glows brightly, filling me such incredible power it's almost enough to make me fall off the roof. But I hold myself steady and wait a moment. The commotion inside changes. For a minute I hear the gunshots stop followed by angry confusion. I have no idea what has happened and I fear the worst. Was I too late? I couldn't have been… but if they were killed inside what do I do?

I slap myself for the thought and do my best to stop from crying. The fake images of them shot down in some hall way follows me but I must find somewhere to hide. Bakura will be sensing the Puzzle close by, which is what I want but I won't have long until I need to disconnect it again. I need to find somewhere safe I can be for when Atem comes to find me and until then it needs to remain active. But Bakura will find me eventually… so I need to keep moving.

Staying on the roof is likely the best course of action though. He'll think I'm upstairs if anything for a while and by the time he figures out I'm not, hopefully Atem will be here… unshot … and fine.

God damn it!

I lay here on the tiles staring up at the stars just listening to the scurrying movements inside and the shouting. There's so much confusion and I can hear it climbing from one story to another. They won't check the roof yet… but Bakura might. Still… if I go anywhere else thats easier to access I am screwed. I need Atem… where are you?

Did you get shot? Are you hurt? Are you alive? You must be… right? I'd have sensed if the Key's master was in danger, right? So why I can't I shake this feeling? Is this the feeling? Are you hurt? What is happening?

I don't like this anymore. I want to go home. But I dont have a home to go back to because of blood Bakura. I want to take Grandpa and the guys and whoever is left and just go. I don't care where, I just want to go.

I hold my breath, trying so hard not to bawl my eyes out. It hurts so much and I feel like I need to throw up but I have to be quiet. I need to stay hidden. Damn it Atem why did you go inside? If it got to the point you were done outside you were supposed to signal me. We were supposed to start this phase cleanly… what were you thinking? What if you get hurt? What if someone else gets hurt? What if you don't come for me… how long until Bakura finds me? What the hell am I supposed to do if you're hurt or worse? I won't care about the puzzle or anything if you're …

"Yugi." I jump, almost sliding off the tiles when I look to see you creeping over to me. A tidal wave of relief washes through me and falls relentlessly as I scramble to meet you half way. As I reach him I feel a wave of cool energy blanket me but I ignore it because you're right here! I don't know if I can be heard but I try to keep my crying muffled in your jacket as I hold you close to me, clawing at your clothes and trying to climb inside. I can't get close enough to hear your heartbeat or feel your warmth. You're like a solid pile of clothing and I hate it!

"It's okay, hush. It's okay."

I pull back and glare at him, holding my breath to stop myself from exploding and his eyes… they look so apologetic and kind… how can I be mad at him? He almost died but he didn't… I'm just so happy he's here! With a warm but gloved thumb he wipes away my tears and holds me close to him, rocking me gently as he hushes me down and pets my hair.

"Guys I hate to break this up but are we safe here?" Ryou… When did Ryou get here?

"Yes. The Key is protecting us from Bakura but if Bakura concentrates his power he will detect the Puzzle. Yugi… you can go ahead and deactivate it now."

I nod vigorously and play with the pieces. My fingers seems to have forgotten how to move and the tears flooding my eyes make it hard to see but eventually I manage to push the eye and it clicks out into my palm. Immediately it feels heavy again and the power warming me fades. Bakura might not have sensed it deactivating thanks to the Key but now there's no chance he can sense it now.

"So we can stay here for a bit then?" Ryou asks quietly, sitting down beside us carefully.

"Yes. We don't need to move straight away. In fact it's probably better we wait until the commotion dies down."

"Do you have to say that word?" I ask without thinking. He looks surprised and honestly it makes me want to slap him.

"Which word?" He asks like an idiot!

"Dies!" I snap at him. I can feel the tears coming again but I draw in a deep breath and look away from him, sitting with my knees to my chest. I need to calm down. It was probably not his fault and he seems unharmed. I need to calm down.

"Yugi I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Idiot!

"Of course you frightened me! Why were you inside?! You were never meant to go inside! I can't see anything from up here if you leave my line of sight!" I snap at him again. God for someone so intelligent how can he be so stupid!

I hear Ryou exhale slowly which … helps. I need to calm down. I am beyond furious and I won't be able to think straight if I'm blinded by irritation for the stupidest Pharaoh alive.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to try and minimise the size of Bakura's forces as much as possible. The grounds were easy enough and I might have gotten a little confident." Weak excuse.

"You have always told me never to underestimate my opponent. Overconfidence is a killer. You could have died tonight. I had no idea what was happening or if I had acted in time. You could have been laying down there in some hall way bleeding to death and I wouldn't have known!" He flinches at that and angrily I turn away from him. I feel sick. I understand exactly now how it must have felt when he was running down that tunnel… knowing full well that train was behind us. He didn't blame me though. He was never angry at me… and now I'm having a go at him for making a reckless mistake that could have had the same consequences as mine. God…

"You're right… I'm sorry, Yugi." He says sadly… and it hurts. It hurts so much I need cuddles!

So I find them in him. I turn immediately and snuggle into him, just relishing in how solidly he feels in my arms. I keep my ear to his neck… which is unfortunately draped in a scarf but I can feel his warmth underneath… a firm sign that he is infact alive and I cry softly. I'm going to get a nasty headache later from how tightly I'm trying to hold it in but for the moment at least I must be quiet. The Key can muffle most sounds but I doubt the extent of how much I want to cry.

"Just don't do it again you big idiot." I sob in his ear and he holds me, leaning into me with the warmest embrace.

"I won't. I promise." He says, his voice thick but stronger than mine at least. Good… if he were to start crying I'd only be more mad with him.

I'd like to stay here a while but there are people waiting for us I suppose. There's still the rest of Phase 4 we need to get a move on and everyone else back home isn't going to wait for me to stop crying.

"Is anyone hurt?" I ask, gently pulling off him to wipe my face dry and get a hold of myself.

"No. Everyone's fine." He says with a weak smile I nod to.

"Was that Joey and Tristan I saw with you?" I ask and he smiles even wider.

"Yes. They're okay. A few scratches and bruises but they're all good."

I sigh in so much relief I need to hold my head just to stop from face planting the roof. Thank the gods they're okay. Oh my god. I am so stressed out.

"Thats right. You wouldn't have known how they were when you were taken right?" Ryou asks me warily.

I shake my head no, unable to answer him right away.

"No. The last thing I saw before they put a bag over my head was Tristan being pushed onto the glass counter and Joey on the floor with a gun to his head. I had no idea what happened to them and seeing what they did to the house… I thought that maybe…"

My voice breaks and I stop before I lose it again, rubbing my arms just for something to do.

"They're okay. Joey didn't tell us about the gun though, I'll be sure to have a word with him when we get back." Atem says in a tone that was clearly unimpressed. Not that I blame him.

"Yeah I'm sure he'll have lots to say about that." Ryou says sarcastically.

"So whats the situation. What's been happening?" I ask them. I know where we are at with the plan but beyond that I know nothing.

"Well pretty sure Kaiba can't fit any more hired thugs in his wine cellar and the police are having fun arresting them all. I reckon a good bonus is heading our way for services to the city." Ryou says light heartedly. I force a smile but I really don't care about that.

"Marik's soul was taken with the Eye. It wasn't taken by the Shadows which means it's somewhere here. I don't know where or if Bakura is keeping it on his person but I believe he hasn't noticed Marik's even been taken yet." Atem says. Now thats more useful.

"Okay. It won't take him long now that he's been alerted. This is the second strike tonight you've pulled against him, he won't be so relaxed as to not expect a third." I say and they agree.

Alright… so hopefully he isn't keeping his soul on his person. That'll make things a bit more difficult. We won't know until we search though and this time, now we can enter the building. They're on alert though… I'll need to reactivate the Puzzle if I want to help but Bakura knows the Puzzle is here now. He doesn't know where but if he uses all his Items he could find it within the Key's protection.

But this was accounted for. In the event he does find us, we leave through Atem's portals and we give it a rest for tonight. This is my best chance to learn how to use the Puzzle. If I can't master it the way Atem has mastered his Key… I must. I know I can do this.

"Do we have any clues as to where to begin?" I ask.

"While we were in there we managed to find what looks like an Egyptian Throne. He's decorated some big hall to look similar to a Pharaohs throne room. Next to it on a small wooden table is something I tried to get my hands on. It was a small gold box but as we got near it the Key faded. We were seen immediately. Thats why we were caught. I know where it is."

"And this box is where he's keeping Marik's soul?" I ask but his shrug isn't convincing.

"Bakura isn't one to keep valuables where he can't show them off. I doubt it's jewellery or he'd be wearing it one way or another."

That makes sense. He is always enamoured with gold after all, he seems like the kind of person to brag about everything. Whatever is in the box must be valuable and something he can't just wear or take with him.

"Why did the Key fade?" I ask him. This is important. If it does it again we need to know why.

"I don't know. Bakura wasn't in the room and as far as I could tell there were no spells around the area to disarm it. It seemed like perhaps it shorted out, got tired maybe.

"If it's tired then we can't rely on it to keep us safe." I say but neither of them had anything to say to that. That was a truth they knew well.

"Okay. I'm going to reactivate the Puzzle. The Key should be able to feed off it's energy to keep us hidden." I say with absolutely no basis to that. I'm realllllly just hoping it will.

"Then we're looking for this box?" Ryou asks.

"Yes. As soon as we find the box we look at whats inside, take it and return the box. Bakura will never know."

"We need to stay together. 6 meters is all the Key can manage." Atem reminds us and we nod.

Okay… Phase 4b… lets go.

Yugi's POV

We slide off the roof to land on a balcony. Atem is first down, followed by Ryou and myself and together we hug the wall and creep inside. We're on the third story. According to Atem the box we're after is on the first floor so we have a bit of ground to cover without getting seen. At least this time with the Puzzle activated I can protect us long enough for Atem to get us the hell out of here. This was supposed to be the plan all along… if a certain knucklehead didn't let himself get too damn cocky. Yeah I'm still mad at him… He's damn right if he's anticipating a punishment later.

The inside of the manor was amazing though. I'll admit it truly is beautiful. High roofs, clean walls, lavish golden, gilded frames housing portraits that MUST be from the black market. It screams luxury. I can't even begin to imagine what most of these rooms are for. Who needs this big a house? Surely the guards don't live here… right? You need a house this big to house your guards so your guards can guard a house this big? I mean … really?

Whatever. The third story is at least the smallest. It's mostly some halls, rooms along the sides and open in the middle. I can see all the way down to this throne room Atem mentioned. It looks a little like an enclosed courtyard and from what I can see there are people down there. Checking out this box wouldn't be easy.

There are grand stairs we take down to the second story but it's here we encounter people we need to avoid. Guards are walking in groups of 2 to 4, pacing the halls with guns and suspicious looks on their faces. Most of them are wearing black and face marks, heavy gear that looks sort of like riot gear. They'll be tough to take down. Perhaps if we had Odion or Joey and Tristan it'd be easier but they've done their part of brute strength for now. We need to be careful here and slide by without them knowing. We could duck into the rooms and wait for them to pass but with the doors closed it'll be difficult to slide in without them noticing a door opening on it's own.

So … how do we do this?

"Whats the plan?" Ryou asks as if reading my mind.

"The Key can infiltrate their minds but I'm concerned about using too much of it's energy." Atem whispers. But… the Puzzle though. It can do the same thing can't it?

"I've seen you mind crush people, is it possible to do that to more than one person at a time?" I ask him. He looks uncomfortable judging by the line his mouth forms but after a short inhale he nods.

"Yes. I'd rather not teach you that but it involves imagining their mind as an entity you can touch. The puzzle should pick up on what you intend to do and guide you to how it feels. It feels like a chilled ball of yarn in your hand that you can mold. Once you get a feel for anothers mind in your palm you can expand it, open it, put it back together, take it apart… or simply crush it. It's a very violating experience though, for both parties. Unless you're okay with playing with someone else's mind it's not something I exercised often… only if I needed to to help them see the error of their ways." He explains.

I think I understand, both the process and his apprehension. He'd like to keep me innocent, clear of this weight on my shoulders that he's been taught to bare his whole life. I was never meant to be taught how to wield this much power over someone. In his mind I was meant to be pure one, the one who grew up well with love and support while he handles the tough things … but that's not fair and with everything I've been through and everything I could lose, I can't afford to remain innocent anymore. Bakura has threatened me and my family for the last time and he ends now. I don't have a home to go back to. Atem has almost died twice in as many days. I will not be losing to him anymore. I am done. I want to go home. I want to take my friends and my family and I want to just leave. We settle this tonight, or leave him devastated trying.

So… pick a target. These two closest to us seems like my chance of getting a feel for this. If only I had someone alone outside I could practice with…

"Yugi wait." Atem says quickly, touching my arm to make me stop.

"What?" He's not really stopping me is he?

"If this doesn't work… we need a back up plan." He says. Back up plan? I suppose but.

"Kaiba gave us this. It'll knock em out. If we can lure them away from being seen we can knock them out." Ryou says, showing me a rag and some kind of vial. It smells awful but … it makes sense. This must have been what they were using on the guys outside. Some kind of chloroform?

"We should use this first then. If I fail at affecting them I could alert them. It'd be better to practice this where if we fail we can't alert anyone." I say and Atem sighs in relief.

"I was hoping you would say that." He mumbles under his breath.

"How do we lure them?" I ask.

"Follow me." Atem says, tapping my arm as he quickly leads us to a room. We wait for no one to be looking when he opens the door and lets us through. He's lucky there's no one here or what would he have done then. He doesn't close it though, not fully anyway.

"And if someone had been in here?" I ask pointedly as he switches on the light.

"The light was off, no one was here. You two are going to stay here, behind the door. Alone I can draw in the two closest to us and once they're through you're going to use the gas to knock them out." He says clearly. I don't like this though.

"This is how you almost got shot half an hour ago!"

"No I won't be anywhere near them. All I need is line of sight, I'll stay as close to the door as possible."

"Atem…"

"Yugi please. I know I broke your trust earlier but you need to have faith in me now. If you don't trust me to be able to do this we will never make it through this mansion."

…

He has a point. But I don't like this. I'd rather just destroy them all. I don't know have him summon the gods to devastate this place and we'll pick up Mariks soul while his boys recover… but I suppose this way is less subtle.

"Fine." I say grumpily. He comes over to me and with a soft brush of his hand he caresses my cheek. I refuse to look at him though. He doesn't understand how much this hurts. I don't want to lose him.

"Look at me, please?" He asks me, his voice so kind and warm and … god damn it does he have to?

I do as I'm told and knew immediately that if I did I'd swoon. I am so angry … but I'm even angrier because he's impossible to be angry at. "I'll be safe, I promise. If anything you guys are more at risk than I am." He says softly… as if thats meant to make me feel better.

Idiot… it kind of does.

"Okay. Go." I say, gesturing for him to hurry up. He smiles and ducks back out of the room. Ryou tosses me a rag and a bottle and shows me to pour a bit onto it. I copy him and wait and soon Atem is walking back into the room. We're under the Key's protection still and when they both walk in, backs to us Ryou and I jump them. They're tall but I'm able trip one of them back with a slide of my leg and get on top to press the drenched rag over his nose. Despite being masked he still has no choice but to inhale. He's tough and if it wasn't for whatever this chemical was he'd easily shove me off but in seconds he's falling asleep until finally he stops moving. His legs go limp, his hands drop his gun to his sides and he just stops.

Ryou and I let them go together and get up just as Atem has made a portal within the room. We help him drag them through and to another portal just on the other side. It's cold in whatever room that is but this must be where they were taking them before. That's … pretty neat I'll admit.

Returning back Atem closes the door almost all the way and together Ryou and I sigh and hug and relax. I can't believe how easy that was… oh… I understand now how easy it was for Atem to get confident. My own is boosting just from knocking out two guys, let alone an entire back yard of them. Fair enough… it was still stupid.

"See?" He asks me, cocking those damn sexy brows of his and giving me that smug grin I oughta wipe off his face.

"Yeah yeah. Go get another patrol." I say, rolling my eyes and taking up the same position we did before.

"I need to go further away. Deactivate your puzzle first." He commands me. That cheeky tone of his is going to get him a spanking but I do as he says; and I note his behaviour for later.

Well… I don't know how we did it but we made it to the first floor. There's no sign of Bakura but the population down here isn't any less dense. I see the box from here. Despite being hidden by the Key we're still crouched behind a wall. That throne looks expensive. It looks like something I saw in the museum once… I wonder if it's real. Bakura is somehow leading the Yakuza now, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it is… how he got it is another question. But one the cops can solve later. For now, we need that box. If we are right and the Puzzle is powering the Key enough to stay working then walking up to it should be fine. We have to go together or one of us will be seen in seconds. We could do with a diversion but I'm afraid I'm all out of those now. 2 is enough for tonight.

"How do we get it?" Ryou asks. I actually don't know though. Besides walking up to it I actually don't know.

"Walk up to it?" Atem suggests… it sounds so stupid though. I mean I literally don't have a better idea but it just sounds so… stupid.

"Just like that?" Ryou asks incredulously.

"Do you have a better idea?" I ask him.

He opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes out… which means yes. We walk up to it.

"I can't believe how in sync you two are." He mumbles under his breath in defeat. I don't give Atem the satisfaction of seeing me smirk but I can feel his. I might be mad with him but it's ebbing down to a kind of feistiness now. He's been giving me as much cheek tonight as I've been giving him.

"Alright. Lets go. Together." He says, standing to lead the way.

"Well obviously." I mutter sarcastically, intentionally loud enough for him to hear me. He looks back at me but my grin is enough to reassure him I'm playing. We stay close together, walking while holding our breaths towards the box. It seems our theory was right: the Key is tired. I'm not surprised considering it was never meant to be used as public transport but at least the puzzle seems to be picking up its slack. I can feel it ebbing now as we reach the box. It has plenty of energy left but if I can feel it tugging it must mean the key is almost done. But… it seemed fine further from the box…

"Wait." I say quickly as Atem goes to grab it but the moment his fingers touch it I feel the protection of the Key fade … and we're standing here … exposed.

Anyone who was looking is now staring… and those that were not now are. We can be seen by everyone and it is remarkable they haven't shot us down yet. But how long this luck lasts? We shouldn't risk it.

"Grab it!" I say immediately and touch the puzzle. I don't know what I was looking for but it did. It scanned my heart and granted me the knowledge I need to envelope us in the protection we needed to survive the assault. My eyes are closed as I look within but I can feel their bullets hitting the walls of my Puzzle's shield and … disappearing I think.

"Wow… is this?" Ryou asks behind me. Cracking my eyes open I'm almost blinded by the gold surrounding us but as my vision adjusts I can see it. This gold pyramid around us. This… this must be that shield that everyone else has seen me put up… wow its pretty! I did this?

"Yugi… well done." Atem says breathlessly. I feel myself blush and beam with pride. My confidence is soaring! Oh yeah! We're fine now!

"Save your bullets." That voice…

He's here.

Bakura shows himself, casually walking into the room. He's dressed in what looks like royal attire. Gold jewellery hangs from almost every inch of him save for a white tunic, white large pants and a deep red cape. He's even wearing a crown but where did he get all this stuff? Why is he dressed so … weirdly? I thought he'd want to be a little more modern.

"Bakura." Atem snarls angrily.

"Pharaoh. Finally cornered huh? I'll give you something you're craftier than I gave you credit for. I was going to call you a chicken, but your more like a rat aren't you?" Bakura growls. His smug snarl doesn't meet his eyes though. That normally smug gleam is actually rather furious. Looks like Atem's really been getting under his nerves tonight. Which makes him impatient and lethal. We need to be careful. He's got both Ring on his person of course and I see the scales just inside his belt… he's undoubtedly got the Rod and maybe even the necklace and eye on him too.

"Thank you for the compliment, but pretty words lose their charm when spoken from a coward such as you. If I am a rat what does that make you, I wonder? A maggot perhaps, feeding off the past because his life depends on it?" Atem retorts. I keep quiet but he really shouldn't be pissing him off any more.

"At least I am not ignorant of it. You run from your families sins while the remnants of them suffer. A ruler is supposed to take responsibility for their people but you forsake them."

"Say that again." Atem growls, his voice wavering with the anger he's seething in. I've only ever heard him this angry once before. This isn't good. If I don't calm him down he's likely to do something stupid.

"Don't listen to him Atem. He's trying to get under your skin. He knows he can't touch us." I say to him. He bites his tongue… good. He needs to be quiet right now.

"Oh can't I?" Bakura asks… and something about his tone sends a chill down my spine.

He holds his hand out and suddenly his Ring shoots a beam of powerful energy straight into the shield. Its so strong it almost knocks me to my feet but I hold on. I have to. Gritting my teeth I hold onto my Puzzles power, fighting against his strength but wow is it a lot.

"Yugi!" I hear both of them scream. I'm glad they're safe but I cannot hold this for long. Is this … the power of 5 Millennium Items? God damn!

I can feel my life almost being drained from this. I cant… keep standing.

I fall to one knee. I can feel the shield wavering but if I let it fall we are dead.

"At-temmm… we have to go." I manage to get out with a strained voice. Its so hard to concentrate on keeping this shield up I'm afraid I might have slipped a little talking.

"Right." He says quickly and I feel another tug on my puzzle. Its power is being drawn in 3 different ways: powering the shield, deflecting the attack and powering the Key.

"Ryou go." Atem commands. I hear him moving but I can't let this go yet.

"Don't you dare think you are escaping a third time!" Bakura shouts, somehow throwing even more power through. What … how… is he … this strong?!

I grunt and groan, unable to do anything else but keep this up…

"Yugi we have to go."

I can't… I can't move… the moment I let this shield down we are screwed. I cant… I can't…

"Go." I say. Its all I can manage. He needs to leave.

"What? No!"

"Don't … fight me! Go!" I shout at him, somehow pushing my own strength against the shield. I need more power. Come on! Go!

"Like hell I am leaving you, Yugi! No! He shouts back at me. God damn it!

"Grrrrnnnh. WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN?!" I scream loudly.

But then … the world stopped. Everything went quiet. Nothing is moving. There's too much light. I can't see. But I can hear… the humming. The song… the song of the Puzzle, filling my mind and body.

I can see the energy between us. The energy in each of us… in everything. Its… incredible…

I'm on fire. I can feel everything. There are 150 different heartbeats on this property. 150 different minds I can feel on the edge of mine. One is warm and familiar and so bright its like a star of the Gods. He is precious and mine and must remain safe. Surrounded by love both present and past. He has a future I must cherish but all seeks to capture it. The past, the present and his future.

The others are small. Inconsequential by comparison. They are particles in the grand design but replaceable in any time. Pawns. They will not hurt us.

Then there's another. He is small too with a grasp on power too large for him. He struggles to understand his purpose for it was robbed of him. He is pitied by the Gods and he lashes out with pure anger, leaving chaos in his wake without regard for the damage he is inflicting on the designs the gods have planned for everyone. Why should he care after all when his was destroyed?

The power he barely grasps will lead this current world to oblivion but it does not stop there. He will inadvertently tear down the walls of reality. His anger doesn't stop at this world but the next as well. It will never stop unless I take it from him.

The necklace will be rescued. The souls within are already expending their energy refusing him. They deserve rest and with me they will. The Rod as well. Its resolve is weaker than his necklace but it is fighting too. I could take the scales and the eye but they are some how resisting. Their purpose resides with him… for now. They will see. Soon. Come the right time they will help me calm his fire.

His power is weakening. He is nothing…

Compared to me.

"Yugi…"

The bright soul… the precious one. He calls my name. Why is he worried? I am beyond this little starlings threat. He cannot touch us…

"Yugi please. We have to go."

…

"Do not think because you have unleashed the full power of the Puzzle you can control it! You are volatile little Yugi. A single spark will destroy you and thats exactly what I will do!" The angry soul shouts at me. It is cute that he thinks what power he can muster from the remaining Items in his possession is enough to harm us but regardless of how dangerous he is not, he still has proven his intent to threaten my precious one… design or not he will regret that decision.

It is effortless for me to swat away his attempt of an attack and just as effortless to send the raw energy swimming around us out in all directions. This power is sent out in a massive shock wave, searching all it passes through and determining who is dangerous and who is not. My precious one is safe from its heat and many have made the smart decision with their hearts to not attack us; but those still loyal to this little starling is not so lucky. Their minds are gone from this plane and no longer irritating my awareness. The starling though, he is protected by his Ring. He may not be able to hurt me but there is enough energy to shield from my attack. Still, I can take satisfaction from how far back he was thrown.

I sense the fear of my precious one and as I turn to him I can see his soul, bright as the sun and feel his terror. I remember a time when I could see the form his soul takes but this energy filling me up blinds me from it. If I had to guess though he would be frightened. He wants to leave, but he refuses to leave without me. The starling is crippled, his forces devastated and soon this cute structure will crumble.

I am done. The Gods will have their design. The starling will get his game. There is one who still needs the return of his soul and I am finished playing with my pray. He bores me now. It is time to go.

His Key is weak. The opening of the universe cut off the portal he had made back but that is of little consequence. Reaching for the golden Key his form holds I channel this energy into it. The pay off is that while his soul and the ribbons of the universe begin to fade from my vision I can now see his form and the world I know take shape around me.

Atem as the Gods have named him stands near and wide eyed. The Key is firmly in his hands glowing brightly but he doesn't seem to notice its strength. Strange… he was so ready to go and now he hesitates, watching me as if I am strange to him. Bakura will recover soon. We do not have time to wait.

"We should go." I say… I think. I feel like I said it but I can't feel my mouth… my body is feeling numb and heavy. It feels as if I'm coming down from somewhere really high too fast. My brain feels like it's melting and sleep is desirable. I feel sick. Nausea is quick to creep up on me. If we don't leave now we might not.

"R-right." Atem recovers and a shimmering white portal opens before us. He wastes no time guiding me through and as soon we're clear it closes behind us, leaving the mansion and all inside it for a bright white void I feel comfortable in. It is nice here. Still. Silent. There are no minds tugging at my attention save for 2 … but I can rest to them for they are my allies offering comfort and safety. I can be slow with them.

"Atem.. Yugi.. what the hell happened?" Ryou… such a gentle soul. I never realised one could exist after childhood. He's so bright and kind. I can't see his soul the way I could see the others back there but I can feel it. His warmth is soothing. I want to touch it.

"Ahh… Yugi?"

I touch his heart, feeling the rapid beating under my fingers and its rhythm is like a lullaby.

"Yugi. Come on, lets go. We need to get back." Atems glorious voice sings to me like a choir of angels. I would do anything he commands of me. Ryou's soul is bright and warm but there's something so intoxicating and alluring about Atem's that draws me to him. Simply reaching for his chest isn't enough. I want more. More of him. Its not enough.

"Yugi?" He asks me. He sounds nervous which is rude. I'm gripping his clothing, irritated that its getting between him and myself but as his hands touch my cheeks I lean into his heat and purr. This is miraculous.

"He's burning up." His voice sounds rushed… I don't care. I want more of it.

"Talk to me. Tell me a story. Sing me a song. Speak to me." I request humbly. My energy is fading quickly but I am in bliss in his hold.

"We need to get him back." Ryou says. I feel him duck under my arm and then Atem does the same as I am draped over them my legs decide they have this and sleep. My eyes are quick to follow and soon… my mind.