Hi there, I am sorry for taking so long with the update, but well, uni life and all.

Thank you for your comments, really I am very greatful.

This time we have plot without porn, next chapter it is plot with feelings, so we are getting somewhere! I think the rest of what I want to write will take roughly 7 chapters, maybe few more, so the end is near.

Let me know, what you think!

Darkness engulfed both Yugi and Osiris almost completely.

At first, Yugi counted on the starlight to guide them, but soon he lost hope.

The moon was nowhere to be seen, hidden behind dark, heavy clouds. But he pressed on.

There was no emotional struggle anymore, just this urging feeling of purpose.

Yugi wouldn't say that his mind was blank, rather that it was strangely focused.

He had a clear goal before him and all he could do was to press on. With time his eyes got accustomed to the darkness and although he still couldn't actually see anything, the shapes surrounding him stopped being a black mass. He could distinguish where the walls ended and where the sky began.

The road Osiris was walking on was as dark as the sky, but the horse didn't seem to mind nor despair, so Yugi wasn't going to. True, the complete silence disturbed only by the horse's steps was slightly unnerving, but it was preferable to actually hearing something move.

Not seeing a thing was strange.

But it helped seeing what mattered.

Yugi's mind, running wild with worry and options before, was now almost calm, narrowing on getting out of the maze.

He didn't know how long he had been going through turns and fake alleys of the maze, because the time stopped mattering. He yet had to feel desperate, though. The dawn would be coming sooner or later, and by then, it would get better.

Another turn, another path.

And suddenly, Yugi saw a light.

There was something burning in front of him, he could see the glow raising above the walls.

His heart beating faster, Yugi sped up, to Osiris' indigence.

One more turn, just another one and...

And Yugi stopped in the middle of some kind of a court. It looked like a city market, as if the maze was no more. The houses melted into the walls, creating an illusion of an ordinary city. There was a great fire in the middle with few people gathered around it. Now when out of the maze's walls, Yugi could hear their quiet talks and laughs. Behind the fire he could see a tall, massive building that looked like a palace.

Not seeing any immediate danger, Yugi directed Osiris to approach the fire. However, before he could reach it, he was stopped by a blur on his left, running up to him with a shout "You're back!"

When he focused his eyes on the person that stopped Osiris, he recognized Mana.

"I knew you were on your way, you always are, and..." Here, she fell silent. "Yugi..." She said, as he jumped off Osiris' back.

"You thought I was the prince, right?" He asked her simply, not quite comprehending that he had managed through. True, he saw Mana and was quite sure that she was no hallucination, but even though his mind saw her, he could not muster a feeling of relief. Maybe he was too tired.

"I... I saw the light refelcting on the pyramid, and I thought... But I am happy to see you, I was worried about you too!" She added quickly. But she could not hide a note of disappointment from her voice. And Yugi couldn't blame her. He didn't doubt her honesty and he knew that she was concerned for him, but he understood why she would worry for the prince more.

"You must be exhausted!" She continued, taking Osiris' reigns from him in one hand and Yugi's own hand in her other. "We are staying in the inn for now, we will get you something to eat." Yugi simply nodded, tiredness wiping out any other sensations.

Mana led him to the building he had first assumed to be a palace. When he got nearer he noticed that it was a slight exaggeration. True, the inn was big, but not that huge. And it certainly wasn't representative enough to be considered a palace.

"Go right inside, Joey is at the table, I will take Osiris to the stable, he deserves it." Mana rambled on, failing to hide anxiety from her voice.

Yugi simply nodded and went to inn's door. When he opened them, he was welcomed with laugher and songs, his entry completely unnoticed. The inn was like any inn he had ever read about. People were sitting at their tables, eating, talking, shouting and fighting, caught up in their own lives and quarrels. One day before, Yugi would've found it fascinating and exciting. Now he was tired, wary and somehow older.

Maybe it was the tiredness. Maybe it was stress. Or maybe the darkness and loneliness changed him, but when he finally spotted Joey and Timaeus, he could not bring himself to shout and wave, as Joey did, but simply approached them and sat down, only now realizing how sore he was from all of these hours on a horseback.

"Man, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Joey shouted, pulling Yugi in a hug. Yugi returned the embrace immediately.

"Not as much as I am to see you." He replied, feeling the numbness from before finally fading. The sensations hit him almost at the same time.

He was hungry. Scared. Worried. Determined. Happy. Afraid. Proud of himself. Lonely. Lost. Found. Exhausted. Cold. All at the same time.

Soon, he felt tears pooling at his eyes, and he heard that Joey and Timaeus were saying something, but he did not register the words, sobbing quietly in Joey's arms.

"I take it the prince is not with you..." That, Yugi heard. He quickly wiped his tears and looked up. He tried to calm down his beating heart, his erratic breathing. He could do this. He bested the maze. He travelled in darkness. He had found his friends. He was strong.

He wanted to prove it, and prove it he did.

The prince asked him to protect the pyramid.

He had not failed.

The prince won't either.

"I will tell you everything when Mana gets back." He managed, stealing a glance at Timaeus who was sitting on the bench facing Yugi.

Yugi might be emotional at the moment, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to tell Timaeus anything until Mana gets there. She would stop him if needed. She was the one who knew the other prince the best, so there was a possibility that she was also keeping a discreet eye on their unexpected ally.

"Are you all right?" Timaeus asked, and his voice sounded genuinely concerned.

"I will be in a moment." He answered. Joey quickly stood up to catch a barkeeper, presumably to order something to eat and to drink for Yugi. Gratitude washed over grief and fear.

Joey returned alongside Mana and they both sat down quickly, stealing worried glances at Yugi. They were not exactly subtle.

Yugi opened his mouth to tell them everything, but was interrupted by a woman bringing him hot mead and something that judging from the smell was lamb. He thanked her and took a sip of mead. It was hot, which really shouldn't surprise him. But it was what he needed.

"The prince was taken by duke's men." He finally said. By admitting it out loud he'd made it real. The prince was gone. He ignored Mana and Joey's gasps and continued. "He planned to be taken from the very beginning. He'd sent me with the pyramid and his horse here, to tell you that he should be at the Paradox Fields tomorrow. He said that he will steer duke there."

When he finished, there was silence.

Timaeus' expression betrayed nothing. Mana was deep in her thoughts and Joey was simply looking at Yugi.

"Did he tell you how to get to the Maze?" He asked finally, and Yugi was taken aback.

"No? Did he tell you?" He countered, not sure where this was all going.

"He did." Mana answered, seemingly having made her mind up. "You see, there is a set of rules about entering and leaving Maze City. It is a strange, ancient place, where the beliefs of old times are cultivated. The people of Maze city take their ancestors very seriously. One can only enter Maze City once by the same entrance, that's the rule." She explained, and in that moment she reminded Yugi of Mahad, the wisdom of his words coming from his apprentice. He started to eat, thanking every deity for the food. He definitely needed it. He hoped that Osiris was getting his fair share of substance as well.

"The prince had entered through the city gate once, and told me to wait for the rest at the gates to let them pass. He told me, which gate was the proper one. I thought he had told you as well..." She seemed concerned. But Yugi wasn't. The prince told him that he believed in him. That Yugi was stronger and smarter than he believed. And he had proved it, letting Yugi put himself to the test. And Yugi had passed. The pride he felt, previously squashed by everything else, now shined brightly in his heart.

"He did not. I figured it out myself." He replied, letting his pride speak for him.

"That's... impressive..."Mana started, but Timaeus interrupted her.

"It is very impressive. Especially in the dark, to find your way here..." Yugi thanked him for the compliment with a nod of his head. The man's voice was very similar to that of the prince, it's a wonder he had not noticed before... Haga said something about Yugi being the prince's double, but Timaeus would do a better job. He was of right height, he spoke in a similar manner. His face resembled that of a prince, and yet Yugi was sure he would never for a moment believe Timaeus to be the prince and vice versa. They held themselves differently. They acted and spoke differently. Timaeus did not have that fearsome, murderous aura around himself, and Yugi was surprised to see that he had considered this to be a fault. Maybe that's why didn't trust Timaeus? Because to him he was a disrupted version of the Mad Prince?

"What do you mean, 'same entrance', if only one of the three is correct? You can enter only once, later you must take the wrong path? Or you cannot enter? Must be stupid to live here." The moment Joey finished, he was silenced by Mana and Timaeus' wild gestures.

"Don't say anything like that out loud! We cannot come here and insult people's customs and beliefs!" Mana hissed, and Yugi had to agree with her.

"Besides, There are many more entrances. But those are much more difficult to find. Most of the people of Maze City simply don't leave it, for the fear of not getting back. And that was the point of building the Maze in the first place. The Paradox brothers, the creators of this City believed that the true city is the one that is concerned with itself, not with the outside world." Timaeus explained.

'The world may change and one can never be sure of what's going to happen next. But within the Maze, they were safe. Only the most clever and daring could enter. I don't quite remember why and when that happened, but the result is this Maze. The buildings outside the Maze that we've passed are the houses of guardians. They are controlling whether you have not passed this particular entrance before. And trust me, there is no way to fool them." Yugi wanted to ask whether somebody had tried before, and out of the corner of his eye he could see that Joey was thinking the same thing, but they were both silenced by Timaeus' expression.

"The same guardians will kill anyone who dares to turn back and attempt to get back where they started."

"Wait a second, how is a normal person meant to know such thing?" Joey hissed in outrage, looking around to see if somebody paid them any attention. Nobody did.

Well, it made sense, now when Yugi thought about it.

"The normal person isn't meant to know it at all. The whole Maze is a test not only of cunning, but also of courage. You are put in front of a Maze. If you are wise and brave enough to wager your life on your guess, you are worthy of entering the city. " He explained. The feeling of pride returned. He was worthy. If asked directly, he would never say that about himself before, and yet, here he was, Yugi Mutou, the boy who bested the Maze.

You are far stronger than you give yourself credit for. I chose you, because I trust you to do what is right.

Yugi smiled to his thoughts.

"And where are Paradox Fields?" Joey pressed, and this time no one had an answer for him.

"Well, here's the problem. We are here for the first time and I assumed... I assumed that the prince will be with us already." Mana finally admitted.

"We can always ask somebody here?" Joey suggested, but Yugi was pretty sure that considering the rules of the city, it won't work. They had to figure it out themselves.

"I don't think so." Replied Timaeus." I think it is something more complicated. My cousin puts a lot of faith in us if he truly expects us to welcome him at the Paradox Fields. In fact, he puts a lot of faith in us, demanding even more faith in him. I have no idea what he is planning at the moment." For the first time today, Yugi heard anger enter the man's voice. " He told me his plan and yet now I found out it was just a decoy. I assume you are in the same situation. " He looked around, searching for confirmation. " I don't know what awaits us tomorrow. I don't know whether we will even see him tomorrow. Maybe he truly had lost his mind..."

"Don't you dare!" Somebody shouted, and Yugi took his time noticing that it was him. Everyone else seemed as surprised as him. His first thought was to apologize, the man was a prince, or a king, if Yugi remembered correctly, so he had no right to shout but... But his new found confidence in himself stopped him.

"I don't know what the prince is planning either. But he is playing a dangerous game and he takes a great risk upon himself. It is disrespectful to say that! To lack faith in him, to kill his companions' morale. Or maybe that is what you aim for?" He was not prepared to face the fury of prince's look alike.

Where prince's anger was cold, menacing and calculating, Timaeus was unabashed.

"You are taking it too far!" He hissed." Just because my cousin gave you the necklace, it doesn't make you his queen. You are just a peasant boy who forgot his place, a stray adopted on the way."

Yugi sat, frozen in his seat.

"Who gave my cousin place to stay and nursed him back to health, who helped him in need? Who brought him here, to help him regain the throne?" With each sentence, the voice of the enraged prince grew louder and louder. "You, of all people, have no right to accuse me of treason! A boy who is responsible for Mahad being wounded, and taking his place? Who's the traitor here?"

Mana started to shout something, she snatched Timaeus' hand and started to placate him, while Joey started to shout in Yugi's defense.

But Yugi wasn't listening.

True, from Timaeus' perspective, Yugi was the only weak link. No wonder he seemed to dislike Yugi . No wonder Yugi answered him with the same. And true, he was the one responsible for Mahad not being with them, and he was the one who usurped his position. But he was here to make amends, to help instead of destroy, and he will not back down now, just because one man refused to acknowledge Yugi.

And it might be true that he had no claim on the prince, since he usually went against the man's actions, but he believed in him. And the prince returned that faith.

" I might be unworthy for you, but at least I passed the Maze test." he said simply.

He went too saw it the moment he stopped talking. The silence once again fell on their table. If eyes could kill, Yugi would be dead by now.

"I think that's quite enough. " For a moment, Yugi thought it was Mahad. But the one speaking with authority was Mana, adapting her teacher's strong, calm demeanor. " We have rooms upstairs. We will wake up at dawn and start searching for the Paradox fields. We have more or less three hours. Do what you want with your time, but cool your heads. We cannot afford fighting with each other if we need to face duke's men."

Joey opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced by Mana's gesture. " Second floor, rooms 11,12,13,14. 15 will be left empty, because the prince is not here with us. I will settle the bill. You go."

Yugi and Timaeus exchanged hard gazes for the last time and left the table. Yugi immediately went towards the stairs and was relieved to see Joey following him. Timaeus disappeared behind the front door, going outside.

"That was stressful." Joey started as they made their way upstairs. "I mean, we have arrived few hours before you and all of this time this guy seemed to be all right. I never noticed him having anything against you."

"Maybe he doesn't." Yugi replied. " Thank you for protecting me." He added and earned himself a smile.

"Well, he was insulting my best friend." Yugi's smile that appeared at this confession was so wide it started to hurt his face. He always knew that Joey cared for him, but to hear it was something else. In his small world he shared only with Anzu, more people appeared.

"I hope he will get over it, eventually. I mean, he is strong, and the closest thing we have to the prince at the moment. Even if he truly is somehow suspicious."

"Well, from his point of view, we are suspicious. We joined in and started off by messing up. No wonder he is not exactly keen on welcoming us to the team." He defended, and he meant it. Here, out of the heat of the moment, he was well aware that he had overreacted.

"Well, the least you deserve is to sleep. I truly cannot imagine how you managed to survive the way and pick the right gate. But I will pester you about it later. For now, you must rest. You look like you could faint any moment."At that, Joey hugged him. "Go to sleep."

And Yugi could only nod.

He entered room 13, the one in the middle, hoping that his neighbors were Mana and Joey. He was not exactly looking forward to sleep next to Timaeus right now.

He barely took off his clothes and fell on the bed when fatigue got to him and he fell asleep.

/

He was warm.

He tried opening his eyes, but it was no use. He could not see a thing. But he could feel.

He was in somebody's arms. He could feel them on his back, caressing his skin. He hadn't noticed before, but his clothing seemed to be missing. Before he could panic, the arms lessened the force of embrace, as if assuring him that he could go if he wanted.

When he concentrated, he could feel the slow beating of other's heart.

He moved his hands to at least outline the shape of the person holding him, since he couldn't see them. But there was nothing. True, he felt the touch on his skin, but he could not find a body in front of him.

Only the steady beating of the other's heart and their hands on his back.

He wanted to ask, but before he managed to find his voice, he felt chin resting on his shoulder.

The hold of the arms tightened slightly, as if the person holding him tried to make sure that he indeed was there. Like he was missed. The warmness he felt, returned.

Even without his eyes, he felt safe. He felt needed.

"I cannot see you." He whispered as other's cheek brushed his neck.

You see me.

He had not exactly heard the answer. He rather felt it. A ghost of breath danced on his shoulder.

"I do not. Everything is dark." He tried, moving his hands to touch the head resting on his shoulder. But his hands found only emptiness.

Everything is me, then. The voice offered, as if astonished and amused with this turn of events.

"I cannot touch you." He complained, his hands still encountering his skin instead of the other's.

But he felt the beating of the heart in front of him.

Maybe you are not trying hard enough. The voice was definitely amused. I can touch you. As if to prove their words, Yugi felt a hand on his back move upwards, to rest on his nape.

See? Not that difficult.

It was a strange conversation. But he didn't want it to end.

Without his senses, he could only feel, and it somehow made everything easier.

"Are you the darkness?" He asked softly. For a moment, he was afraid that he had scared the other away. But the arms around haven't disappeared and he could still feel the pressure of the head resting on his shoulder.

I think that depends on you. I think I am many things. But if you prefer me as darkness, I might be it. The voice finally responded, and the arms and the head suddenly disappeared.

The warmness was gone.

"Don't go" he begged, trying to catch the other, in vain.

I think I have to. We're getting near.

The heartbeat withdrew.

"I miss you." He confessed, not understanding his own words. " I want you back."

You are doing fine without me. Before he could respond, he felt lips cover his own for a short moment, and then they withdrew, taking the warmness, the safety with them, leaving only longing.

The he heard a knock.

/

Yugi woke up with a start. He looked around, surprised that he could see. Finally, he noticed a figure at the door.

"I didn't want to wake you." Said Timaeus, entering." We are supposed to get moving soon, so I assumed you will no longer be asleep." He added in explanation, closing the door behind him and turning the light on.

" Well, I had a rough night..." Yugi started, but Timaeus stopped him.

"Doesn't matter. I came to apologize." That was... Unexpected. " I had no right to accuse you of anything and I have said some words that should have never been said." At that, Yugi stood up from his bed.

"I need to apologize to you as well. I think all of us were tired, nervous, and worried. We weren't thinking clearly." Timaeus nodded at that, but he sat down on Yugi's bed, gesturing him to do the same. The talk was far from done. Yugi sat back down.

" The thing is, I don't understand my cousin anymore. I usually did. When we were kids, I understood him better than Mana and Mahad, because we were so similar. We looked the same and we thought the same. Then, he disappeared. And I couldn't believe that he would kill himself, just like that. I searched for him with my father's troops, but there was no trace of him. Then, my father died and I became the king. I had to stop searching. " So he was the king. Insulting him was even more dangerous than Yugi previously thought.

"And then, year ago, he came to me with Mana, Mahad and some people, and I could hardly recognize him. He looked like a ghost of himself and he talked like that, too. His core has not changed, or else we wouldn't be here, but his methods and his... choice of companions, did. "

Yugi tried not to take offense at the significant change in Timaeus' tone.

"You see, before, he adored his family the most. We all did. Our family was always close, we always believed that the family was the greatest gift our gods could give us. We were strong together and we trusted each other. When Aknadin did what he did... He destroyed us all. We were no longer together. We were parted, fighting and distrusting each other. And your prince was the one most damaged by this. He doesn't trust his family anymore."

That took Yugi back to his talk with the prince, back in the forest. "He doesn't doubt your loyalty." He assured Timaeus. At that, the king shook his head.

"I'm not worried for me. I gave up the crown and gave it to my mother, she's the Queen Regent now. I decided to help him myself, because I want my family back. I want our line to rule once again, strong in blood. But he is no longer of the same belief as I am."

A shiver of dread ran up Yugi's spine.

"What do you mean by that? He trusts you, he..."

"There's another one."

Now, Yugi was confused.

"Aknadin has a son. He overthrew his own brother and his son, to guarantee his own bastard son the recognition the boy, in his mind, deserved. I'd met that son. And I hate to tell you, but for reasons I cannot disclose to you, I am lead to believe that this boy is the answer I was looking for. Aknadin must go, but... So must your prince."

"How can you say that?" Yugi whispered in horror.

"Oh, I don't mean him any harm. He's right, Aknadin doesn't deserve the throne, he sullied it with what he did. But with Mad Prince's lack of belief in his family, I fear that by overthrowing Aknadin, he will be sure to kill his son as well. A... my cousin, prefers company of strangers, of people who are devoted to him not because of blood, but because of the bond he shares with them and I cannot fault him for that. "

That made sense. Of course, since Mahad and Mana were the only ones the prince could count on, and they were not related, the prince would assume that bond created by what they went through would be stronger than that of mere blood. It would explain why he trusted Joey and Yugi well enough to allow them to go with him. Because they've passed his judgment.

"But I cannot let him run what's left of our bloodline to the ground because he is afraid of his own family. He will leave no heir. Of that I am sure. And by killing off Aknadin's son, the line will end. I cannot let him do that. And I ask you to help me convince him."

"What can I do? As you said, I am nobody, I have no power over him, maybe Mahad..."

"Mahad is too protective of his prince. He will follow him in destroying every threat that the prince could encounter. Mahad is incredibly wise, but he was with my cousin too long. He too is perceiving people's life as a token in a game. What you did with Haga was stupid. But it proved that you are not willing to see people die for vain."

"What I did with Haga almost resulted in Mahad being dead. It should teach me that what the prince says is true." Yugi argued. True, what Timaeus said made sense, it made perfect sense, but there was something Timaeus was not telling him, something Yugi was missing. Why would the prince not leave any heir? And all of the Timaeus asked of him... It sounded strangely like conspiring. And Yugi didn't want to conspire against the prince, didn't want to make the man lose the faith in people, in his friends... His faith in Yugi.

"True. But Haga already expressed his intent. Seto, Aknadin's son, didn't. I don't think he is even aware what his father had done. And he will be murdered by default. You know that I am right. " And unfortunately, Yugi did. Knowing the prince and his sense of goal, he would not ask any questions. And even if he did, if that Seto was at least a little like his cousin, he would refuse to ask for forgiveness, out of spite.

"I have no influence over the prince..." Yugi tried.

At that, Timaeus looked at him, sadly.

"I think both of you would be happier if that was the truth. He gave you the Millennium Puzzle. And from what I've heard, you've went against him a few times and survived. He is not well acquainted with his feelings at the moment, so he probably haven't noticed yet. But he has a certain weak spot for you. It could prove lethal for him in the future. But, if you help me, it could save him."

Yugi was shaken. He had no idea, what to do, whom to trust. For all he knew, Timaeus could be lying right now, convincing him to do something else entirely. But...

"Help me, Yugi. Help me save Seto. And the prince's name." The prince's name... The name he would get back when he regains his honor. The name without which his soul would be forever loitering here, not allowed to enter the Afterlife. The name the prince probably remembered, but felt too unworthy to use. Killing his own kin, his own blood would strip him off the honor forever...

"What can I do?"