I swear my ship's schedule is gonna kill me. I haven't got more than 5 hours of sleep every day for the past three weeks. To make matters worse I haven't been able to sleep in on the weekends because I naturally wake up at the crack of dawn. I am so dang tired I can't think straight anymore! On a positive note, one of my reviewers has decided to make up comics for several of the funnier scenes in this story. Once they're up I'll be sure to let you know!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it.

Chapter 12

When His Sights Go Red Again

Tea's eyes drooped as she looked down into her fourth cup of mocha cappuccino. Clarissa and her had been up since four in the morning after only achieving five hours of broken rest. Giving up after the eleventh time of waking up, thirteen for Clarissa, Tea suggested going downstairs and getting something to drink until breakfast started. The two-colored haired girl agreed sleepily as they both made their way to the elevator yawning and stretching in a pointless effort to wake themselves up. Blue eyes looked up towards the woman sitting at the opposite side of the table. She was on her fifth cup of coffee and was staring into space as she poured sugar from the dispenser into it.

"You know, if you keep that up you're going to have a cup of sugar and not coffee." Tea chuckled as the coffee level began to rise slowly as more sugar was added. The ebony haired girl snapped out of whatever she was in and cursed as she stopped the sugar from flowing. A metal spoon tinked against the glass as she tried her best to mix the two substances before adding liquid creamer.

"Well, maybe the amount of sugar in it will take away the bite of the coffee beans and wake me up. Let's have a taste shall we?" Clarissa raised her glass a little in a 'cheers' motion before bringing the white porcelain cup to her lips. Warm brown liquid touched pink lips before swishing past them and into a small cavern. A set of eyes twitched as the taste of the drink met the pink organ it came in contact with. Liquid was shot onto the floor and coughing soon followed as the girl emptied her mouth of the horrendous tasting concoction.

Tea let out a loud laugh holding her sides as she watched her new friend sputter and make gagging noises. A glass of water was quickly taken off the table and downed in seconds in hopes to wash away the aftertaste. After the water was gone Clarissa glared at the cup that held the disgusting coffee before sliding it away from her.

"That was absolutely vile! I'm not drinking anymore coffee, not after that. Ugh, that was so gross." Clarissa ranted as she filled her water glass from the pitcher sitting in the center of the table. Tea giggled trying to recompose herself while the other cleaned up her mess with some napkins.

"I tried to warn you. Oh look, here comes Joey." The two girls turned their sights on the blonde haired teen that was walking through the dinning room doors. There were dark circles under his eyes and his pace was slow and dead like.

"He looks like he went through hell." Clarissa muttered as she began pouring a fresh cup of coffee for their new arrival. "I'm beginning to think none of us slept very well."

"Hey Joey, why don't you take a seat and drink some coffee. Are you okay?" The brunette asked as the male got closer. His shoulders gave a shrug as an answer as he plopped down into the chair next to Clarissa. Reaching for the nearest coffee cup he unknowingly grabbed the disgusting concoction filled cup. The blonde downed it in one go as the two females exchanged a look of worry before staring at him.

"Wheeler are you feeling alright? Did you sleep at all last night?" Clarissa's hand reached out and felt his forehead. Not feeling any unusual heat she gently smacked his cheeks trying to wake him up. He groaned as he pulled away grabbing the good cup of joe.

"I'll be fine. Why do you ask?" The blonde murmured as he began to sip his drink. Tea and Clarissa once again exchanged looks of concern before answering.

"You just down a cup of jacked up coffee." Clarissa stated as she picked up the empty glass. A blonde eyebrow rose in question as he glanced at the glass Clarissa was setting off to the side.

"I was wondering why it tasted a little funny. Sorry, just didn't sleep well last night. Something hasn't been sitting right in my mind and I have an awful feeling that things are a bit off." Joey replied. In all actuality he had fallen asleep on the couch when his body gave into exhaustion. He had been tossing and turning in his sleep the entire night as images of Yami Bakura harming his sister kept coming up.

"We didn't sleep well either Joey." Tea stated gently as she patted Joey's larger hand comfortingly. Taking a sip of her mocha she yawned and looked up in time to see the hotel staff wheeling in carts of food. "Oh good breakfast!"

The three teens stood, Joey wobbling a little, before picking up glass plates and silverware. As they loaded their plates with scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, fruits, and various other items Clarissa made a suggestion.

"After this we should all take a nap in the lounge. The rangers won't be here until at least eight. It'll at least help us all a little." The two-colored haired girl filled a plastic cup with chocolate milk before making her way to the table.

"I wouldn't mind an extra hour or two." The brunette agreed as she took her seat. The blonde nodded mutely stuffing his mouth with eggs. They ate their meals in a comfortable silence none of them really up for a conversation.

The sense of something off is what made red flags rise in Yami Bakura's head. Brown eyes snapped open in a brief moment of worry as a pair of pale arms closed around air. A pair of legs sprang into action as the male stood up in a panic looking around for the girl who had been in his arms earlier. Seeing nothing but dirt and stone walls the male was about to call out when a noise near the mouth of the cave had him on full alert.

"Oh! You're awake!" A feminine voice floated into the cave. Seeing the look of panic draining and color returning to the male's face Serenity bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't know when you'd be waking up so I went to find a stream or something to clean ourselves up a little. I didn't realize you'd freak out."

It took only a few long strides before the auburn haired girl was wrapped in a tight embrace. Her eyes widened a fraction as she wondered if this was truly happening. Serenity was so caught up in her own little world she nearly tuned out what Yami Bakura had growled at her.

"Don't you ever do that again! You stupid girl! I thought-" Yami Bakura cut himself off at that moment. Shaking his head he didn't feel like traveling down that road. Especially after the nightmare he had woken up from. In his case it was more of a premonition than a scary dream. The event was sure to take place as soon as they were found or returned.

"I promise. Now can you return the full functionality of my lungs please?" Serenity giggled a little as the grip on her tightened briefly before relaxing. Taking in a well needed breath the girl took a short step back and looked up at the man who's hands were still on her shoulders. Placing a hand on the male's cheek she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his other cheek before whispering, "thank you."

If she hadn't seen it for herself Serenity would've thought her mind was playing tricks on her. A pink tinge was slowly forming on Yami Bakura's cheeks. His eye twitched on reflex as he spun around trying to hide it. Snickering the girl gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't, it's cute, and makes you human." One of her hands came up to her mouth as Serenity tried to hide her laughter as the male's ears now turned a hot pink. Was he, the insane, murderous, dark hearted, demon blushing?

"It is not cute." The white haired demon scoffed as he crossed his arms in a pouting gesture.

"Is so."

"Is not."

"Is!"

"Isn't!"

"Are too."

"Is not! Wait..." Yami Bakura turned around an eyebrow arched in question. Serenity stole one of his trademark smirks as she looked up at him arms crossed. The look on her face read only one thing 'I win.' "Well played."

"I learn from the best." The girl shrugged nonchalantly as she turned around hiding a smile. Stepping out into the sunlight she breathed in the scent of wet earth, grass, and leaves. A smile graced her features as she turned to look at her companion who was watching her silently. "Come on, I found a place to wash up until we can find another cabin."

Yugi, Duke, and Tristan filed into the lounge upon finishing their breakfast. The scene before them was semi-comical. Joey was half sprawled out on the couch, one leg was swung over the back, his other leg was bent at a weird angle on the cushions, and the rest of his body, waist on upwards, was on the floor. The blonde's right arm was across his chest, his left arm currently being used as a make-shift pillow and he was snoring loudly. Clarissa was asleep in a chair using a long wooden coffee table to prop her legs up. The noises escaping her mouth sounded like that of a mewling kitten. Tea was curled up under the coffee table Clarissa was using as it provided the only protection from the sunlight that kept creeping closer and closer to her face.

"Should we wake them?" Duke asked as he sat down on a couch adjacent from Joey's.

"We'll give them a few more minutes. It's only fifteen after seven." Yugi whispered as he glanced down at his watch. The other two nodded in agreement as they sipped on their coffee they had brought with them. Suddenly a loud ringing filled the room causing a chain reaction.

The brunette curled up under the table was the first to jump slamming her head into the heavy wooden object. As a result this awoke the two-colored haired female in the chair who sprang up screaming like a feral cat. In turn Joey was startled enough that his legs lost control and came crashing to the floor. A few choice words were said as the previous sleeping forms tried to recompose themselves. The female brunette dug into her pocket and pulled out her small pink cellphone which was vibrating violently and ringing shrilly. Flipping it open she pressed a button silencing the alarm that she had set. None of them realized they weren't alone until the newest occupants began laughing hysterically.

"That was absolutely priceless!" Tristan gasped between laughs.

"Oh I wish I had a camera for that one!" Duke held his sides his head thrown back in a fit of giggles.

"Come on guys, let's be nice. A video camera would've been so much better." Yugi tried hard to breathe but couldn't help himself to a new bout of laughter.

Tea, Clarissa, and Joey tried their hardest to scowl at the three males on the couch but couldn't resist chuckling themselves. After briefly resetting the furniture they had disrupted they each took a seat either on the couch or the chair. A silence filled the room none of them knowing what to say to break the silence. Two of the men were still not on speaking terms with one of the females, their companion was slowly warming up to her but was far from apologizing to her.

"I can't take this silence anymore." Tea grumbled after they had been sitting like this for more than fifteen minutes. "I know some of us are still having issues getting along with each other but this fight is over something so stupid! Can't we just all hug and make up?"

"You know as well as I do Tea that's not going to happen." The other female muttered bitterly. "Two of them have their heads so far up their asses they can't smell their own shit anymore. The other one is only being civil because he's too damn tired to notice it."

The blonde in the group shrugged in agreement. She was right, he was too tired to even try and fight with anyone at the time. The other two she was talking about shot glares at her but remained silent; either due to the fact they were tired as well or the fact that Tea was shooting looks of her own at them.

"Even so, can we at least put differences aside while we search for Serenity and Ryou? Bickering with one another isn't going to help their situations." Yugi spoke from his spot at the end of the couch.

"Not until she apologizes first for corrupting Serenity." Duke grumbled his arms crossed in front of his chest. "When she apologizes, then I'll decide."

It took quite a bit of self-control from Clarissa to keep from jumping up and snapping at the dice gamer. Instead her nails dug into the arm rests of the chair and her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. Tea reached over and touched the other girl's wrist comfortingly but pulled away quickly when Clarissa shook her head. Right now touching her wouldn't do anything more than set her off.

"That's not fair Duke and you know that." The tri-colored haired boy sighed in exasperation. "No one shares more blame than anyone else in this room. Petty fights like this one will not help us when we get out there and begin searching. Imagine what Serenity will say if she hears about this. Do you think she'll be pleased to know her friends were arguing and fighting over something that wasn't such a big deal? Serenity is her own person and she's free to do with her life what she wants. Influenced or not this situation still could have happened."

Everyone stared at the shortest person in the room with a look of awe. One of them smirked in admiration as her nails retracted from the cloth they had been digging into. Another crossed his arms in a slight pout but said nothing not wanting to hear another lecture. The brunette next to him frowned and stared down at his boots. The other two let out a silent sigh of relief as they relaxed into the couch. Yugi leaned back into the chair as his other self spoke to him mentally.

"Yugi, I know this is a bit of a stretch, but something has been disturbing me. There is movement in the shadows and I don't know what. This has been on my mind since the two went missing and I can't help feel that they're related." Yami Yugi stated calmly.

"You're not the only one. I think the others can feel it as well. Look at us all, none of us really slept much at all last night. What do you want me to do?"

"Call your grandfather and have him check on the Millennium Items. It's a bit of a long shot but the last time I felt something close to this was when the Spirit of the Millennium Ring and Evil Marik showed up in Kaiba's Tournament. I just want to rule out any possibilities that one of them returned." The old Egyptian said a look of concern on his face.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back, I just remembered Gramps wanted me to give him a call when we got settled in. I'll be right back!" Yugi smiled before standing quickly and hurried out of the lounge. Not a single suspicion was given about Yugi's antics.

Yami Bakura strolled behind Serenity his back pack slung over his shoulder in an attempt to relieve the right one from the pain that had been shooting through it all morning. As he watched the girl in front of him navigate one of the many paths he couldn't help but dwell on the dream he had. With a silent sigh he prayed that Serenity would be able to handle what was coming. There would be no avoiding it and he knew it. His left hand's grip tightened on the strap of his bag as a fresh wave of fury overcame him. The scenario kept playing over and over in his head and no matter what either he or the girl would say wouldn't stop the inevitable. The white haired demon would once again be forced to reside in the shadows.

"Here we are!" The auburn haired female beamed as she held out her arms out parallel to the earth. A crystal clear stream flowed quietly in front of her weaving around in and around boulders, tree roots, and the occasional bush. Tiny little fish swam beneath the surface but quickly disappeared down stream when the two humans approached the edge. The deepest part only appeared to be about eight feet deep and the current was slow and gentle. "I figured we could at least wash up here for a moment. Especially you, seeing as you have blood on your clothes and in your hair."

A pair of white eyebrows knit themselves together as he looked at his female companion questioningly. Bringing a few locks of snowy colored hair into his sight he finally noticed small amounts of dried blood clinging to the strands. How he hadn't noticed this earlier was beyond him but then again he wasn't really caring about looks when trying to find Serenity. With a shrug he set his bag down.

"So exactly how are we supposed to bathe ourselves dear girl? We don't exactly have soap nor bathing suits." The male was quite curious as to how she had this planned out. What came next had his jaw dropping and a bit of pink rise to his face, though it couldn't compete with the color Serenity turned.

"We'd have to strip down to our undergarments." Serenity blushed fiercely. "We'd bring our clothes in with us, soak them a little to get some of the dirt off, and while they're drying in the sun we'd clean up ourselves. It was the only option until we can find another cabin and that's even if we find another cabin."

The albino stared in awe still trying to wrap his head around the situation. While it was true there was a high possibility they may not find a cabin he was still trying to figure out how she came about this idea. Okay, so maybe after the fighting and the hiking they had gone through they didn't exactly smell that great but still. His thoughts would have continued on had they not been interrupted by movement from the girl in front of him. Serenity had taken advantage of his distraction to pull off her shoes and belt setting them in a pile next to a bush.

"Wait, you were serious?" Yami Bakura asked still startled by what the female was doing.

"Yes, now turn around so I can finish," came a reply. Serenity turned her head slightly to see if the demon obeyed. Blinking in amazement the white haired teen did as she commanded while working on his own items. A moment later a splash alerted the male teen that the girl had already jumped into the water. He turned around in time to see her surface. "Hurry up! The water is pretty decent!"

A sigh passed by a set of lips as the dry teen began taking off his boots. Things were getting just a little too awkward and he began to wonder if he was still in a dream world. His shirt was the last thing to be removed leaving him in a pair of black boxers. Yami Bakura heard a snicker and he turned around in time to see the red head checking him out. Upon noticing that she was caught her face changed from tan to cherry red. A smirk appeared on his face as he grabbed his clothes before sprinting towards the water and jumping in. Laughter met his ears as he resurfaced his face inches from his companion.

"Told you the water was great." The girl snickered as she began rubbing her shirt between her hands under the water. Little pieces of mud floated away down stream as they both continued to semi-hand wash their clothes. When the articles were as clean as they could get the two teens laid them on a stiff shrub to dry in the sun before walking back into the water.

"This would've been better if we had soap." The albino stated referring to his comment earlier. He was busy try to claw some crusted blood out of his hair.

"Aww poor baby. Does someone need his Loreal?" Serenity joked as she scraped at the mud on her arms with her blunt nails.

"Yes, because I'm worth it." The male replied not missing a beat as he flipped his hair with a hand dramatically. Laughter filled the woods around them at the joke. As the laughter died down the two slowly drifted off into their own thoughts. Yami Bakura was more lost in his own than Serenity who was busy trying to get some muck out of a snarl in her hair.

Why did the thought of disappearing back into the shadows hurt more than the previous times? Was it the fact that someone actually cared for him now? Would he be able to get out again or would he be stuck there for all eternity? How would Serenity deal with it? Would she wait for him or move on with her life after a period of waiting? A pair of fists clenched under the water as frustration coursed its way through their owner's body. Taking a deep breath Yami Bakura submerged himself under the water in an attempt to clear his head.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Yugi but the Millennium Ring isn't here," an old man's voice came through the ear piece of Yugi's cellphone. "Are you sure you didn't take it with you?"

"I'm sure Gramps. Thanks for looking." Yugi mentally sighed as one of his hands ran through his multicolored hair.

"Yugi, is there something going on?" Grandpa's concerned voice questioned.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. The Ring likes to disappear without warning so its probably up to it's tricks again. Have a good day Gramps I'll see you when we get back."

"Have fun on your trip. Tell Joey not to eat all his snacks in one sitting!" Mr. Moto chuckled knowing that nothing would stop Joey from eating his snacks once he got at them.

"I will," the young duelist laughed before hanging up. This time an audible sigh escaped his lips at the news. He had been hoping that he was just exaggerating his feelings when he called. Now that he knew for certain the Millennium Ring was gone a new issue was at hand. How to tell his friends and what did that mean for poor Ryou and Serenity?

A soft sigh of relief escape a pair of lips belonging to a young teenage girl. She had finally managed to get the last of the dirt out of her hair. Trying her best to comb her hair with her fingers she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail using a scrunchie she had found in a tiny pocket of her bag. Looking around she noticed that her white haired companion was no where to be found.

"Bakura?" The question came out with a mixture of worry and fright. Looking around she noticed that his things were still laying where he'd left them. He couldn't have left, she thought before calling out his name. "Bakura!"

When no response came panic took over and she began to fear the worst. If he wasn't on land then the only other place he could be was underwater. Taking a deep breath she slipped under the water and looked around. Four feet to her left a white haired teen was motionless beneath the surface of the river. His eyes were closed and the lack of bubbles escaping from his mouth or nose meant he had no air in his lungs. Quickly the female swam behind him and slipped an arm around his chest. Using her feet to push off the river's sandy bottom to gain momentum the two teens surfaced one gasping for air. Serenity swam as fast as she could towards shore while towing Yami Bakura behind her all the while fear gripping at her. A few antagonizing moments later Serenity had the male dragged half way onto shore.

"Oh God, oh God. What do I do? What do I do!" Serenity looked around in alarm after hovering her face near Bakura's mouth and feeling no breathes of life. She had only seen how to do CPR in movies and TV shows. Her health class wouldn't cover the topic until next semester. The poor girl was helpless as tears welled up in her eyes. Just as she was going to do her best to mimic the fictional shows she had watched she heard a small chuckle.

Yami Bakura burst out into laughter after hearing Serenity going into hysterics. He had faked everything he had done out of sheer enjoyment. The girl surprised him with how strong she was when she dragged him onto the shore. However, the icing on the cake was when she was about to perform CPR. It was a good thing she hadn't tried, her hands were in the wrong location to start and she hadn't performed any of the other steps prior to that.

"You are such an ass!" Serenity shrieked as she stood up fists clenched. Her eyes were alight with anger as the white haired teen continued to laugh. Stepping into the water to rinse off the mud that had gotten on her knees she ignored the white haired demon's laughter.

"Serenity?" Yami Bakura started to stand and walked towards the girl who was still in the river. "I was only having some f-"

A loud smack filled the woods around the two as the young woman turned around in rage and slapped the man across the face. Red covered one of his cheeks where skin connected with skin and a pair of dark brown eyes look taken-a-back. Another hand came at him but he caught the wrist it was attached to and looked at the fuming female before him. Clutching her other wrist before she could strike him again his sights became red.