NOTE: Just my periodic reminder that this isn't slash ;D LOL.
Yugi gasped. ~Next?! Yami, why would they want me?!~
**I don't know,** Yami Yugi admitted.
~How do they do it, Yami?~ Yugi asked. ~How do they make people go like . . . like that?!~
**It has something to do with the powers held by real zombies,** Yami Yugi said grimly. **These dark wraiths must have some of the undead under their control. The undead then go around to whomever the wraiths wish and bring them under the wraiths' control as well.**
Yugi tensed. ~Something's coming, Yami!~ he exclaimed.
**Yugi, hold on,** Yami Yugi told him. **You can resist the dark power, I know you can!** He felt their mental connection snap. **Yugi! Can you hear me? Answer me, Yugi!** It was no use. Yugi was not able to respond for one of a number of reasons, none of which were good.
"Yugi," Yami Yugi whispered aloud, a tear falling from his eye. He looked up determinedly. **I'll find you, Yugi,** he promised. **Just hang in there a while longer.**
****
"This is terrible!" Tea cried. "Poor Yugi! Where could he be??!"
"Don't worry, Tea, we'll find him," Tristan assured her.
"Yeah, but when? And will he be okay when we do?" Tea wrung her hands worriedly as Joey opened the door to the game shop. "And how will we ever tell Yugi's grandpa?"
"I already know," the elderly man said gravely.
Everyone looked up to see Grampa Muto at the counter, watching them enter the shop.
"You . . . you do, Grampa Muto?" Tea blinked in surprise. "But how?"
"I could sense something had happened to Yugi," Grampa Muto replied sadly. "We share a special bond, he and I."
"We're so sorry, Grampa Muto," Tea said softly. "I was afraid something like this might happen after I heard about those two students who disappeared."
"It's alright, Tea, I don't blame any of you for what happened," Grampa Muto assured her and the others. "And Yugi is one tough boy. I'm sure he'll be alright." Despite these words, the teens could see the worry in the man's eyes.
"I have to be going," Seto said abruptly. "Mokuba will be waiting for me."
"Okay, see you later, Kaiba," Joey replied. "Take it easy, man."
"I told you, I'm fine," Seto grumbled, pushing the door open. "Goodbye, Mr. Muto," he called back.
"Goodbye, Seto Kaiba," Grampa Muto replied, but Seto had already disappeared out the door. The elderly man sighed. "There's too much going on here for me to keep up with. Scarecrows coming to life, Seto Kaiba being injured, people vanishing without a trace, and now Yugi being kidnapped . . ." He trailed off.
"We'll figure out what's happening," Tea said comfortingly. "Right, everyone?"
"That's right!" Joey agreed, and Tristan and Bakura nodded as well. "We're gonna bash us some scarecrows!"
****
Yami Yugi wandered the dark streets in despair. Yugi had been missing for hours, and he hadn't been able to establish a mental connection with him since it had been broken off abruptly ages ago.
"What should I do?" he said softly. "Where should I look?"
That's when he felt the impression to check the deserted alley just behind the buildings on the street he was on.
When he stood at the front of the desolate and narrow alley, he could feel the evil that lay in wait. Narrowing his eyes, Yami Yugi raised his right hand and banished the sinister presence before entering the abandoned passageway. "Yugi? Are you here?" he called softly. Silence was his only answer.
About halfway through, Yami Yugi suddenly noticed what looked like a small form curled up against the back wall of a building. "Yugi?" he asked, kneeling down and gathering the limp body into his arms. "Wake up, Yugi . . . please," he said softly. A cold chill ran down his spine. Even if Yugi did wake up, would he still . . . would he still be Yugi? What if . . . what if the zombie had overpowered him and Yugi was now like one of them? Yami Yugi couldn't bear to think of gentle, innocent Yugi being controlled by evil forces, unable to make any decisions for himself, and forced to do whatever the wraiths wished.
"Speak to me, Yugi," Yami Yugi pleaded. He knew they wouldn't be able to know if Yugi had been affected by the zombies until he woke up, which didn't seem forthcoming any time soon. **Hang on, Yugi,** he said through their mental bond, **we're going home.**
****
Seto closed the blind in his home office with a sigh. He didn't feel like being watched by the scarecrow in the next yard over.
He hoped that Yugi would be found soon. This mystery was proving to be very dangerous.
"Big brother?"
Seto looked up and smiled. "What's up, Mokuba?" The electrician had checked out the house earlier and had concluded that nothing else was out of place, much to Seto's relief.
Mokuba came in and sat down next to his brother. "Big brother, why is all this stuff happening?" he asked.
Seto sighed. "I wish I knew, Mokuba. Someone doesn't want us to find out why." He smiled crookedly. "But they're not scaring me. If anything, they just make me all the more determined to solve this."
Mokuba grinned and hugged Seto, then looked uneasy. "Just stay safe, Seto . . . please," he whispered, his blue-gray eyes shining.
"Don't worry, Mokuba," Seto assured him. "I'll be alright."
That's when the phone rang. "Kaiba," Seto answered, pressing the button for Line 1.
"It's Tea," the familiar voice announced. "Yugi's been found."
"What's wrong with him?" Seto asked. He could tell from the tone of Tea's voice that something was.
"We don't know yet," Tea replied softly. "He's unconscious. His Yami thinks he was poisoned by a zombie."
There was a long silence.
"Kaiba? Are you there?" Tea demanded.
"You are kidding, aren't you?" Seto said finally.
"Seto Kaiba! I would never kid about someone being hurt!" Tea replied angrily.
Another silence.
Maybe I was too harsh, she thought to herself. "I know it probably sounds ridiculous," she admitted finally, not sure whether she was talking to herself or not.
"Try insane," Seto told her. He paused. "Keep me informed on how he is," he requested.
"I will," Tea promised, and hung up.
Mokuba looked up at his brother curiously. "What's wrong, big brother?"
Seto sighed. "It's Yugi," he said. "Someone hurt him." He decided not to mention the zombie nonsense.
"That's awful!" Mokuba gasped. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"I'm sure he will be, Mokuba," Seto replied, ruffling his brother's hair. "Yugi's a tough fighter. I don't think he'd go down easily."
****
"This is such a worry," Tea fretted, wringing her hands. "Yugi, please wake up," she whispered.
As if in reply, his eyes opened. Everyone gasped. He had an eerily vacant expression that didn't change as he slowly sat up.
"Hey, Yugi, man, are you in there?" Joey exclaimed, waving a hand in front of Yugi's eyes. Nothing happened.
"It's as I feared," Yami Yugi said sadly. "He's been taken over by the zombies' powers."
Tea gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh no! It can't be!"
"Yami, there must be some way to get him back," Grampa Muto pleaded, looking shaken.
Yami Yugi nodded slowly, tapping into the Millennium Puzzle and looking into Yugi's mind. After what seemed like hours, the ancient pharaoh looked up, relief evident in his eyes. "He's still in there," he announced. "They weren't able to complete the process. He only appears zombielike, but he won't respond to the wraiths' commands."
Grampa Muto smiled. "That's my Yugi!"
Tea still looked worried. "But will he stay zombielike?"
"Not for long," Yami Yugi replied, activating the Millennium Puzzle again and banishing the evil power that had had its hold over Yugi. Free of the sinister force, Yugi toppled over onto the floor, and everyone rushed to help him up.
"Yugi, are you alright?" Grampa Muto asked worriedly.
Yugi blinked, his expressive violet eyes finally focusing. "Grampa . . . Yami . . ." He looked around at the others and managed a weak smile. "I . . . I think I'm okay," he said. "But . . . I don't remember what happened . . ."
"That's probably for the best," Yami Yugi replied, gently laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I . . . just remember darkness . . . and evil," Yugi said slowly. "Yami, what happened to me?"
"You were attacked by zombies," Yami Yugi said grimly. "You're very lucky to still be here. Normally they would've taken complete control over you and made you do their bidding. Somehow you managed to resist them."
Yugi gasped. "Yami, if I had been completely taken over by them, would I have remained like that forever?"
Yami Yugi sighed. "I don't know, Yugi," he said finally. "I don't know of any cases where the victim has been able to break the control, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Still, I'm very glad that we didn't have to put that to the test."
"Me too," Yugi grinned.
"Oh man, it's great to have you back," Joey declared, giving Yugi a hug.
Tea nodded. "We were so worried . . ."
Yugi smiled. It was such a relief to be back with his friends and family again. He never again wanted to deal with such dark forces!
No one was aware of the scarecrow looking in through the window, which soon turned around and left to report the recent events to its master.
****
"So, tell me again why we're here at the morgue at 2am," Joey said.
"It's the only lead we've got," Tea replied. "We promised Mr. Graves we'd help him, and we have to find out what's going on!"
"Especially before someone actually does fall under the zombies' spell," Bakura added. "The next person might not be as lucky as Yugi was." Grampa Muto had insisted that Yugi stay home and rest, and so Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Bakura had come to investigate here without him.
"Alright, we're in," Tristan said triumphantly, hearing a click.
"Let's check out the offices first," Tea suggested, taking the lead. "Kaiba told me that he hacked into Bob Fielding's computer this morning, but that anything suspicious had been removed from the hard drive. He said that maybe it was on a floppy disk instead." She looked slightly disgusted at the thought of hacking into someone's computer.
Tristan noticed. "Normally, Tea, you'd be giving Kaiba quite the scolding for doing that," he grinned.
"Don't change the subject, Tristan," Tea retorted. "Of course I don't think it's right to hack into someone's computer."
"Oooh, touchy," Tristan teased.
"Alright, let's get going," Bakura interrupted.
Somewhere along the way, all four of them got separated from each other.
"Oh no," Tea groaned, reaching the offices and finding that she was all alone. "This is just great—we're all lost now!"
Tristan wound up in a closet next to a body bag. "Oh man . . . not exactly the company I was hoping for," he muttered, opening the door and running out.
Joey found himself in the chapel. "Eh, not much going on in here," he mused, then suddenly started upon seeing a dark shadow. "On second thought, I could be wrong," he decided, ducking down low.
That left Bakura, and he discovered uneasily that he was in the morgue. "Oh dear," he said to himself. "I don't think I like this very much . . ."
[Dolt . . . there's nothing to be afraid of,] Yami Bakura said grouchily through their mental connection.
Bakura backed up against a coffin and jumped. {I don't know,} he replied. {I feel like I'm disturbing the dead. . . .} He stumbled around, trying to find the door, and instead accidentally opened the freezer. He let out an ear-piercing scream and backed up, looking frantically for the door.
[This is going to be a long night,] Yami Bakura growled.
"Longer than you might think," a hideous voice hissed.
"Who's there?" Bakura exclaimed, wondering how in the world they had heard his Yami's comment.
"Your worst nightmare," was the reply.
Yami Bakura growled and tried to take control of Bakura in order to fight this new enemy, but instead found himself being ripped from the Millennium Ring and thrown forcefully across the room. He heard Bakura shrieking in fear and pain and looked up to see him being danced through the air by a dark figure in black robes.
"Put him down," the ancient tomb raider hissed, struggling to get up. Instantly five more of the creatures had surrounded him, beating him harshly to the floor. He reached out and grabbed a handful of black cloth defiantly. Suddenly pain exploded through him and he let go of the cloth, remembering no more.
Yugi gasped. ~Next?! Yami, why would they want me?!~
**I don't know,** Yami Yugi admitted.
~How do they do it, Yami?~ Yugi asked. ~How do they make people go like . . . like that?!~
**It has something to do with the powers held by real zombies,** Yami Yugi said grimly. **These dark wraiths must have some of the undead under their control. The undead then go around to whomever the wraiths wish and bring them under the wraiths' control as well.**
Yugi tensed. ~Something's coming, Yami!~ he exclaimed.
**Yugi, hold on,** Yami Yugi told him. **You can resist the dark power, I know you can!** He felt their mental connection snap. **Yugi! Can you hear me? Answer me, Yugi!** It was no use. Yugi was not able to respond for one of a number of reasons, none of which were good.
"Yugi," Yami Yugi whispered aloud, a tear falling from his eye. He looked up determinedly. **I'll find you, Yugi,** he promised. **Just hang in there a while longer.**
****
"This is terrible!" Tea cried. "Poor Yugi! Where could he be??!"
"Don't worry, Tea, we'll find him," Tristan assured her.
"Yeah, but when? And will he be okay when we do?" Tea wrung her hands worriedly as Joey opened the door to the game shop. "And how will we ever tell Yugi's grandpa?"
"I already know," the elderly man said gravely.
Everyone looked up to see Grampa Muto at the counter, watching them enter the shop.
"You . . . you do, Grampa Muto?" Tea blinked in surprise. "But how?"
"I could sense something had happened to Yugi," Grampa Muto replied sadly. "We share a special bond, he and I."
"We're so sorry, Grampa Muto," Tea said softly. "I was afraid something like this might happen after I heard about those two students who disappeared."
"It's alright, Tea, I don't blame any of you for what happened," Grampa Muto assured her and the others. "And Yugi is one tough boy. I'm sure he'll be alright." Despite these words, the teens could see the worry in the man's eyes.
"I have to be going," Seto said abruptly. "Mokuba will be waiting for me."
"Okay, see you later, Kaiba," Joey replied. "Take it easy, man."
"I told you, I'm fine," Seto grumbled, pushing the door open. "Goodbye, Mr. Muto," he called back.
"Goodbye, Seto Kaiba," Grampa Muto replied, but Seto had already disappeared out the door. The elderly man sighed. "There's too much going on here for me to keep up with. Scarecrows coming to life, Seto Kaiba being injured, people vanishing without a trace, and now Yugi being kidnapped . . ." He trailed off.
"We'll figure out what's happening," Tea said comfortingly. "Right, everyone?"
"That's right!" Joey agreed, and Tristan and Bakura nodded as well. "We're gonna bash us some scarecrows!"
****
Yami Yugi wandered the dark streets in despair. Yugi had been missing for hours, and he hadn't been able to establish a mental connection with him since it had been broken off abruptly ages ago.
"What should I do?" he said softly. "Where should I look?"
That's when he felt the impression to check the deserted alley just behind the buildings on the street he was on.
When he stood at the front of the desolate and narrow alley, he could feel the evil that lay in wait. Narrowing his eyes, Yami Yugi raised his right hand and banished the sinister presence before entering the abandoned passageway. "Yugi? Are you here?" he called softly. Silence was his only answer.
About halfway through, Yami Yugi suddenly noticed what looked like a small form curled up against the back wall of a building. "Yugi?" he asked, kneeling down and gathering the limp body into his arms. "Wake up, Yugi . . . please," he said softly. A cold chill ran down his spine. Even if Yugi did wake up, would he still . . . would he still be Yugi? What if . . . what if the zombie had overpowered him and Yugi was now like one of them? Yami Yugi couldn't bear to think of gentle, innocent Yugi being controlled by evil forces, unable to make any decisions for himself, and forced to do whatever the wraiths wished.
"Speak to me, Yugi," Yami Yugi pleaded. He knew they wouldn't be able to know if Yugi had been affected by the zombies until he woke up, which didn't seem forthcoming any time soon. **Hang on, Yugi,** he said through their mental bond, **we're going home.**
****
Seto closed the blind in his home office with a sigh. He didn't feel like being watched by the scarecrow in the next yard over.
He hoped that Yugi would be found soon. This mystery was proving to be very dangerous.
"Big brother?"
Seto looked up and smiled. "What's up, Mokuba?" The electrician had checked out the house earlier and had concluded that nothing else was out of place, much to Seto's relief.
Mokuba came in and sat down next to his brother. "Big brother, why is all this stuff happening?" he asked.
Seto sighed. "I wish I knew, Mokuba. Someone doesn't want us to find out why." He smiled crookedly. "But they're not scaring me. If anything, they just make me all the more determined to solve this."
Mokuba grinned and hugged Seto, then looked uneasy. "Just stay safe, Seto . . . please," he whispered, his blue-gray eyes shining.
"Don't worry, Mokuba," Seto assured him. "I'll be alright."
That's when the phone rang. "Kaiba," Seto answered, pressing the button for Line 1.
"It's Tea," the familiar voice announced. "Yugi's been found."
"What's wrong with him?" Seto asked. He could tell from the tone of Tea's voice that something was.
"We don't know yet," Tea replied softly. "He's unconscious. His Yami thinks he was poisoned by a zombie."
There was a long silence.
"Kaiba? Are you there?" Tea demanded.
"You are kidding, aren't you?" Seto said finally.
"Seto Kaiba! I would never kid about someone being hurt!" Tea replied angrily.
Another silence.
Maybe I was too harsh, she thought to herself. "I know it probably sounds ridiculous," she admitted finally, not sure whether she was talking to herself or not.
"Try insane," Seto told her. He paused. "Keep me informed on how he is," he requested.
"I will," Tea promised, and hung up.
Mokuba looked up at his brother curiously. "What's wrong, big brother?"
Seto sighed. "It's Yugi," he said. "Someone hurt him." He decided not to mention the zombie nonsense.
"That's awful!" Mokuba gasped. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"I'm sure he will be, Mokuba," Seto replied, ruffling his brother's hair. "Yugi's a tough fighter. I don't think he'd go down easily."
****
"This is such a worry," Tea fretted, wringing her hands. "Yugi, please wake up," she whispered.
As if in reply, his eyes opened. Everyone gasped. He had an eerily vacant expression that didn't change as he slowly sat up.
"Hey, Yugi, man, are you in there?" Joey exclaimed, waving a hand in front of Yugi's eyes. Nothing happened.
"It's as I feared," Yami Yugi said sadly. "He's been taken over by the zombies' powers."
Tea gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh no! It can't be!"
"Yami, there must be some way to get him back," Grampa Muto pleaded, looking shaken.
Yami Yugi nodded slowly, tapping into the Millennium Puzzle and looking into Yugi's mind. After what seemed like hours, the ancient pharaoh looked up, relief evident in his eyes. "He's still in there," he announced. "They weren't able to complete the process. He only appears zombielike, but he won't respond to the wraiths' commands."
Grampa Muto smiled. "That's my Yugi!"
Tea still looked worried. "But will he stay zombielike?"
"Not for long," Yami Yugi replied, activating the Millennium Puzzle again and banishing the evil power that had had its hold over Yugi. Free of the sinister force, Yugi toppled over onto the floor, and everyone rushed to help him up.
"Yugi, are you alright?" Grampa Muto asked worriedly.
Yugi blinked, his expressive violet eyes finally focusing. "Grampa . . . Yami . . ." He looked around at the others and managed a weak smile. "I . . . I think I'm okay," he said. "But . . . I don't remember what happened . . ."
"That's probably for the best," Yami Yugi replied, gently laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I . . . just remember darkness . . . and evil," Yugi said slowly. "Yami, what happened to me?"
"You were attacked by zombies," Yami Yugi said grimly. "You're very lucky to still be here. Normally they would've taken complete control over you and made you do their bidding. Somehow you managed to resist them."
Yugi gasped. "Yami, if I had been completely taken over by them, would I have remained like that forever?"
Yami Yugi sighed. "I don't know, Yugi," he said finally. "I don't know of any cases where the victim has been able to break the control, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Still, I'm very glad that we didn't have to put that to the test."
"Me too," Yugi grinned.
"Oh man, it's great to have you back," Joey declared, giving Yugi a hug.
Tea nodded. "We were so worried . . ."
Yugi smiled. It was such a relief to be back with his friends and family again. He never again wanted to deal with such dark forces!
No one was aware of the scarecrow looking in through the window, which soon turned around and left to report the recent events to its master.
****
"So, tell me again why we're here at the morgue at 2am," Joey said.
"It's the only lead we've got," Tea replied. "We promised Mr. Graves we'd help him, and we have to find out what's going on!"
"Especially before someone actually does fall under the zombies' spell," Bakura added. "The next person might not be as lucky as Yugi was." Grampa Muto had insisted that Yugi stay home and rest, and so Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Bakura had come to investigate here without him.
"Alright, we're in," Tristan said triumphantly, hearing a click.
"Let's check out the offices first," Tea suggested, taking the lead. "Kaiba told me that he hacked into Bob Fielding's computer this morning, but that anything suspicious had been removed from the hard drive. He said that maybe it was on a floppy disk instead." She looked slightly disgusted at the thought of hacking into someone's computer.
Tristan noticed. "Normally, Tea, you'd be giving Kaiba quite the scolding for doing that," he grinned.
"Don't change the subject, Tristan," Tea retorted. "Of course I don't think it's right to hack into someone's computer."
"Oooh, touchy," Tristan teased.
"Alright, let's get going," Bakura interrupted.
Somewhere along the way, all four of them got separated from each other.
"Oh no," Tea groaned, reaching the offices and finding that she was all alone. "This is just great—we're all lost now!"
Tristan wound up in a closet next to a body bag. "Oh man . . . not exactly the company I was hoping for," he muttered, opening the door and running out.
Joey found himself in the chapel. "Eh, not much going on in here," he mused, then suddenly started upon seeing a dark shadow. "On second thought, I could be wrong," he decided, ducking down low.
That left Bakura, and he discovered uneasily that he was in the morgue. "Oh dear," he said to himself. "I don't think I like this very much . . ."
[Dolt . . . there's nothing to be afraid of,] Yami Bakura said grouchily through their mental connection.
Bakura backed up against a coffin and jumped. {I don't know,} he replied. {I feel like I'm disturbing the dead. . . .} He stumbled around, trying to find the door, and instead accidentally opened the freezer. He let out an ear-piercing scream and backed up, looking frantically for the door.
[This is going to be a long night,] Yami Bakura growled.
"Longer than you might think," a hideous voice hissed.
"Who's there?" Bakura exclaimed, wondering how in the world they had heard his Yami's comment.
"Your worst nightmare," was the reply.
Yami Bakura growled and tried to take control of Bakura in order to fight this new enemy, but instead found himself being ripped from the Millennium Ring and thrown forcefully across the room. He heard Bakura shrieking in fear and pain and looked up to see him being danced through the air by a dark figure in black robes.
"Put him down," the ancient tomb raider hissed, struggling to get up. Instantly five more of the creatures had surrounded him, beating him harshly to the floor. He reached out and grabbed a handful of black cloth defiantly. Suddenly pain exploded through him and he let go of the cloth, remembering no more.