Well, there certainly have been some good responses to this so far. Better than I'd hoped, actually, considering the circumstances. Of course, we all know that two people locked in a small space will display some very peculiar reactions, but it's just fun to write. *g* I figure most everyone could guess where it was going. As for their reactions, you'll just have to wait until part ten I'm afraid. I do have some other characters to care for, you know. Hehehe… Glad most of you were surprised. Hopefully you'll like where this little series is going, though it will take some time to get there. I'm reading some excellent fics right now, and feel pretty psyched about this arc. If you want to make some suggestions, I might consider them though. I've got a plan in mind certainly, but I like to hear where you all think this is headed or some scenes you think should be included. Please continue with the feedback – every response means a lot to me and really does keep me inspired to write more.

Oh and btw, the Villain Board is indeed open for business. Check out my Toon World site and click on the Archive. Please read the rules before posting, but feel free to drop by and read or respond! Lets support a Yu-Gi-Oh villain fanbase and get some serious fic circulating. We can build the popularity of our favorite villains if we band together you know. *g*

Ok, now I'll get off my soapbox so the show may continue. /\_/\

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Part Nine

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It wasn't difficult to find where Kaiba was going. All one had to do was follow the security guards which seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. Joey shook his head in disgust at the duelists who were crowding the hallways with undisguised curiosity. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, it seemed that if Kaiba would just tell them, the place would clear out a little, or at least the crowd would back off. "Yug, I don't think this is such a good idea." He turned to his shorter friend, but realized with a start that Yugi was gone. "Dammit! Téa, did you see where he went?"

The girl shook her head, already scanning the crowd for any sign of their spiky-haired friend. "I don't see him anywhere." She rolled her eyes. "It's not like him to run off like that. What was he thinking?"

"I dunno." Joey was searching too, but with so many duelists and guards everywhere it was impossible to pick out anyone as short as Yugi. As distinctive as his hair could be, he was still one of the shortest people in the tournament. "Oh man, why'd he go and do something like that!"

"Hey guys!" Joey and Téa both jumped, whirling around to see the person who'd addressed them. There stood Tristan, the usual grin on his face. Joey smacked his friend in the ear. "Ouch! What'd I do?"

"Ya nearly scared us ta death, that's what!"

Tristan rubbed the side of his head wincing. "You shouldn't be so jumpy."

"You'd be jumpy too if ya knew that Yugi's disappeared!"

"Huh? Are you sure?"

Joey threw his arms out to either side gesturing wildly and frightening a few children. "Do you see him anywhere, Sherlock?"

Téa sighed. "Don't fight, guys. We've gotta find Yugi! There's a lot of guards around and he could be in danger."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, no tellin' what Kaiba's got planned today with all these guys around."

Tristan nodded as well. He didn't know if he should tell the others that the guards were armed. He'd been checking out the source of all the fuss and had been surprised at how many guns there were in this building alone. Kaiba was taking a huge risk in allowing so many weapons in such a small, crowded space. It was an accident waiting to happen. "Then we'd better find Yugi. Should we split up?"

"Nah, then we'll never know if anyone found him. We'd better just stay together."

"Well," Téa gazed at the crowd. It was a terribly daunting task to search for their friend in such a melee. "We'd better get started then."

Yugi meanwhile had slipped away from his friends in search of Seto Kaiba on his own. He felt guilty, but he didn't want them to get involved. In his pocket Yugi felt the weight of the Millennium Eye increasing. It had begun to feel warmer and warmer the closer he'd come to the guards, so he knew that whatever was happening had something to do with the item. That could mean only one thing: Pegasus was around and Kaiba knew it. Yugi didn't know why Pegasus would have come unless he'd planned on stealing the Eye. The boy could understand the bond between an item and its holder, but as far as he knew, the Millennium Eye didn't have a yami. He didn't understand why Pegasus would be so desperate for the Eye unless he wanted to cause trouble again.

But even that explanation didn't make sense. Their brief conversation in the alley beside Grandpa's comic shop was still fresh in the young boy's mind. Pegasus had been in great pain, limbo Yami had called it later when the two allowed their consciousnesses to merge and their thoughts slid together like koi in a still pond. At the memory, Yami emerged in the boy's thoughts, warm feelings of agreement radiating like sunshine. ::Limbo indeed, Yugi. He is drawn tight between two paths, one being the destructive power of the Millennium Eye and the other being life as a free man and a duelist who need not rely on Dark Magic to best his opponent.::

Yugi moved quickly to the left, barely avoiding the security guards that towered over him while nearly colliding with a pair of older boys gawking at something out of the young duelist's eye-level. Yugi stood on his tiptoes, but couldn't see anything, deciding to just move in the general direction everyone seemed to be facing. Being short was terrible, but at least the guards weren't paying attention to him. When he spoke, his voice was low, little more than a mutter. The volume was unimportant, Yami could hear anything he said no matter how he said it. "But Yami, how is there even a choice? The Millennium Eye is not something I would ever trust, let alone want to bond with. It tried to kill me in the stairway, who knows what else it can do."

::It senses the nearness of its master. Pegasus' soul is keyed to the item, as is yours to your item.::

"And to you too, right Yami?"

The spirit affirmed the idea, enveloping his human vessel in a warm glow. Yugi held the Millennium Puzzle in one hand as he navigated the crowd, wondering when he would ever reach his destination. The crowd was terrible, people were stumbling over each other and the guards were beginning to round up any duelists and contain them away from the perimeter they were so intent upon. Yugi began to appreciate his short stature, moving carefully to avoid being rounded up like the others, and pretty soon he'd spotted Seto Kaiba himself. The boy was speaking softly into a cellular phone again, his eyes dark and his expression distant but controlled. Mokuba was nearby as well, staring with a fearful expression at a pair of silver double doors – no, not double doors. An elevator.

Mokuba caught sight of the reputed King of Games and beckoned him forward, his eyes big and fearful beneath his shaggy mane of black hair. "Yugi! I'm glad you're here. We've gotta –"

With a snap the elder Kaiba cut the phone connection, turning to glare down at Yugi distastefully. "We," he sneered as though speaking to a small and insignificant creature, "will do nothing. This is my corporation, my tournament, my responsibility. Get lost, Yugi."

"Yami, I don't think he wants to talk."

::Then let me take control.:: The transformation occurred, young boy shifting into experienced teen with a barely discernable shift. Seto didn't even blink. He couldn't explain the change in Yugi Moto, but he didn't care to explore it either. Nothing about the boy interested him, save for his dueling skill. "Seto Kaiba, I know who you fear. I know who has invaded your building."

Seto sneered, his expression darkening. "You know nothing." He would have seemed completely in control and confident, had his hand not instinctively clutched the shoulder of his young brother, holding him protectively – perhaps even a little desperately.

"Oh but I do. Pegasus is here, isn't he." Yami smiled confidently, pointing with a dramatic gesture to the gleaming elevator doors. "Perhaps even trapped in there."

"How? How could you know?" Seto stared for a moment, but he recovered quickly. He was never caught off guard for long, and immediately he deduced the only logical reason Yugi could know such a thing. "You're helping him, then. I didn't expect such a thing from you, but no matter. I can throw the both of you out without a problem."

"Wrong again, Kaiba." And with a flourish, Yami revealed the Millennium Eye. He held it cupped in his palm so as not to attract too much attention, yet the proof was undeniable. Seto reached out a hand to touch it, awed and lusting already for the power which throbbed in the orb, but Yami concealed it just as quickly as it had been revealed. "The Eye knows he's here."

"But . . . how did you . . . why . . ."

"There's no time for that, Kaiba. We must discover what he plans to do. I do not think he is a threat anymore, but if he gets his hands on this again, I don't know what he'll do."

Kaiba nodded, pulling Mokuba close against his leg. "Alright, then. He's been trapped there since the electricity was cut."

Yami nodded, staring at the elevator doors. The Millennium Eye was growing heavy again, desperate to return to its master. That alone was enough to convince Yami that some terrible plan might be afoot, that Pegasus had shrugged off his nearly-good nature and was bent on retrieving the item again to once more pursue his goal of collecting by any means necessary all seven Millennium items. He was so lost in thought, that he didn't notice the security guards until it was too late. He felt their hands close over his arms like vicegrips, holding him in place. "Kaiba, what's this all about?"

"Just a precaution, Yugi, in case you really are working with him."

"Kaiba, you know I'm not helping Pegasus!"

But Seto only smiled coldly, his gaze fixed upon the doors with obvious anticipation. "I don't trust you, Yugi." He held Mokuba all the closer, his jaw firm. "Not this time."

Mokuba stared at the doors with growing dread. If this was all true, then who knew what could happen when Pegasus was finally released. They couldn't leave him in there forever, and when the doors slid open . . . Mokuba cast a sidelong glance at the restrained Yugi, his gaze focused upon the barely discernable bulge of the Millennium Eye in his pocket. He remembered all too well the terrible things Pegasus had put him through, finally stealing his soul. The rest he'd been told: how his big brother had tried to duel against Pegasus and lost, how his soul had been stolen as well, and only Yugi had been able to free them. Mokuba shivered and held his brother's hand as Seto spoke into the cell phone again. "Power up elevator number seven and open the doors. Make sure all men keep their eyes trained on the target. Shoot him if he makes any sudden moves."