Judgement

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, otherwise . . . you get the picture

Summary: Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji are TC's Elite and their job is to exterminate all Otherworldly beings from the real world. But real judgement is yet to come, what with the Chimera Brigade on the loose . . .

Warnings: Semi-Alternate Universe, OOC (on some parts, not all). In this chapter there will be angst (GO ANGST!) and an uncertain Ryou with a pathetic attempt at showing how much Seto and Ryuuji really care about our bishie.

Responses to Reviews/Author's Notes:

Kaoru: hey, you got a good idea there! I'll consider it =^-^=! I've never written a threesome before, but I have written a triangle where Seto ends up with Ryou anyway (when have I not?)! I've got the story all planned and I think you may be pleased ^_~

Jargonelle: I'll look forward to your reviews! Yeah, Mokuba's usually used to manipulate Seto, so I thought I'd change that a bit. Besides, Marik wants Ryou to trust him and he doesn't really care about manipulating Seto. I thought to add a bit of angst and argument between our three main characters and it's perfectly normal for them to doubt Ryou.

Elle-FaTe2x1: of course there's nothing wrong with OOC! I never said there was, only that I've received flames in previous fics that dissed OOC. Ryou 'forgot' to meet Marik . . . hehe, 'forgot' on purpose ^-^

I will be using one line [--------] to signify a change in character focus, but the scene will not change. When a scene changes, there will be the name of the scene and lines above and below it. Okay?

// ~ // Ryuuji

/ ~ / Ryou

* ~ * Seto

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Chapter Eight: Struggle for Security

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Kaiba Seto was a very responsible person. He worked hard in school, at home and ran his own gaming company very smoothly. Juggling these three things was very difficult, especially for a teenager. This teenager, the child prodigy of Japan, was different.

He made time for these things, organising himself down to the last minute, curt and strict on orders. Organising his schedule meant that he had to sort things according to priority. His first and foremost priority was TC. Next on the ladder was his company, then the business deals and functions for his company. Fourth would be his school and homework.

The last rung would be his family and friends. He barely made enough time for Mokuba when he was still an individual TC agent. Now he found that, with two partners, a considerable amount of stress had been taken off his shoulders and he could fit a bit more time for his otouto.

That did not mean, however, that they still spent a lot of time together. Often these times would be late at night, when Seto finished off the last of his paperwork and went into Mokuba's room to talk. Otherwise it was when they were doing homework and Seto helped him. Other than that, they only saw each other at meals.

Otogi Ryuuji was almost the same. He had recently gotten his head around a new game he was devising and was locked up in his room more often than not, designing the base of the game. He only came out of his room to eat. Even at school, he brought a laptop, which contained his data, with him.

Ryou was fed up with the two of them. It hurt Mokuba to not see his niisama and he always had this unexplainable feeling of insecurity whenever they weren't around. Like a leaf being tossed around in a violent gale.

It was on one of these occasions he finally gave up. Ryuuji was in his room, par usual, and Seto was in the study, working.

"Ryuuji," he called, knocking on the door. "Ryuuji, are you busy?"

"Very. Let me finish this, onegai, Ryou."

"Hai," he sighed.

It was the same with Seto.

"Go away, Ryou. I'm busy."

/ Fine! Be busy! I guess you don't care about Mokuba anymore /

* Mokuba's at a school camp * Seto sounded confused. * Daijoubu ka, Ryou? You sound upset *

"Upset doesn't even begin to cover it," Ryou snapped. The ground shook and he took a deep breath. "I'm leaving, so don't bother coming out. When the two of you decide to spend some time with the rest of the world, you can do so."

The sound of footsteps came through the door as he turned to walk away. Seto flung open the door with a bang, grabbing Ryou's elbow as he turned to leave. Ryuuji came up behind them, having come from his own room a few doors down. The albino was staring straight ahead, ignoring them.

"Ryou . . ."

"Gomen, Kaiba-sama, I'll go away as you ordered," Ryou said scathingly. "You and Otogi-sama can finish your work, which is obviously more important."

"What is wrong with you?" Ryuuji demanded. "We never said anything like that! Where'd you get that idea from?"

"Don't be such an attention-seeker, Ryou."

The ground trembled so violently, Seto and Ryuuji were almost afraid the mansion would collapse. Ryou's eyes flashed. He was struggling to keep his temper in check and was failing utterly. He didn't understand. He used to be able to control his emotions and suppress them so he could avoid the disasters that went along with it. Ever since he had met Seto and Ryuuji, he couldn't.

"Attention-seeker?" he repeated incredulously. "You say I'm an attention-seeker? Would I need to seek attention if you give it to me?"

"Look, we're both very busy people Ryou." Seto attempted a reason. "We can't always make time for other people."

"So I'm just another person?" Ryou took a step back, face hidden behind the fringe of his hair. "Wakarimashita. I won't bother you again."

I can't help it. I need the attention. I need to know someone cares about me, otherwise I might just kill myself trying to decide whether they do or not. I've always been alone and I hate it.

He turned and, before Seto or Ryuuji could say anything, left.

I just want to feel safe.

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Domino Pier

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As the first droplets fell, Marik knew his young lover was hurting. The breeze told him that Ryou was in a state of confusion and the hail . . . he was annoyed. He had long since learnt to read how Ryou's emotions affected the weather. It proved useful when trying to read him.

Of course, there was yet another reason why Ryou's power was useful to him. When it rained, the dark clouds blocked out the sunlight and he was able to go outside of his 'den'. It didn't restrict his movements, though he had to be quick to get back into the shade when it cleared.

So now he had to find Ryou. He hadn't seen the albino in two months and it almost seemed as if Ryou had forgotten him altogether. He didn't like being forgotten. And he didn't like his property getting hurt either. Ryou was his property, and he owned the albino boy. The one who looked so much like an associate of his.

It seemed that luck was on his side. As soon as he stepped outside the warehouse, the sight of a soaked, wet boy who was standing beside a white motorcycle greeted him. Ryou had tears coursing down his face and he made no effort to stop it. He looked shaken.

"Namu . . ." he said weakly.

"Ryou!"

Marik jogged up to him and took the frailer boy into his arms. Ryou had a hard, outer emotional shell, but when that shell was broken, his will was shattered. As the boy clung to him, Marik gritted his teeth. The damn Chosen were behind this. They won Ryou's trust and then hurt him like this.

"Sh . . . daijoubu, Ryou," he murmured, stroking the boy's wet hair.

"They said I'm an attention-seeker," Ryou whispered.

"Dare ka?"

"S – Kaiba and Otogi."

"Kuso, Ryou, I'll go teach them a lesson."

"Iie, dame yo, Namu!" Ryou looked up at him. "Onegai, don't do anything to them. I just – just need you here with me. Onegai."

Marik complied with his wishes and pulled him closer. He wouldn't seek to punish Kaiba and Otogi just yet. Right now, the important thing was to savour his time with Ryou. He brushed the hair from the boy's eyes gently and kissed him on the forehead.

He was glad that, as a demon, he couldn't catch colds.

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Ryuuji's Motorcycle (A/N: lol, great scene name, ne?)

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Ryou had been gone for over an hour and the rain still had no intention of letting up. They had really hurt him this time. Seto was somewhere in the city, looking for the albino as well. When the time came, Ryou really knew how to hide himself.

"Ryou . . . doko de?" he muttered.

The screen on the handlebars of his motorbike flashed and Seto's voice came through the intercom.

"I've found him."

"Where?"

"Domino Pier."

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Domino Pier (A/N: Again!)

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Seto was waiting for him on the highway. He was leaning against his own black motorcycle, tapping his foot impatiently. Ryuuji stopped beside him. His bike was blood red, a colour that matched his favourite vest. Neither of them wore helmets.

"How did you manage to trace him here?"

"I've seen him come here before," Seto explained, getting onto his bike. He started the engine. "This pier's unused, since they built the new docks. He comes here to meet that friend of his, Namu."

"Namu?" Ryuuji frowned. "Hen na."

"Ee. Namu's the one who gave Ryou the antidote. They met here before."

"Namu's dodgy," Ryuuji said, with a street-wise air. "Coming out only at night, hiding at an abandoned pier. You gotta hand it to him, though. He's got Ryou wrapped around his little finger. Ryou's at his beck and call."

They both frowned before speeding off in the direction of the pier. Ryuuji gripped the bars tightly. If anything happened to Ryou, he'd never forgive himself. He wanted to protect the other boy and he was doing a pathetic job at it. How could he hurt him like that?

"This is it, Ryuuji," Seto said over the intercom.

"Wakatta." He looked briefly over at Seto. "What do you think we'll find?"

"You wouldn't want to know," was the final reply.

They came to a stop a little way off from the pier, safe enough so they would not be seen and yet close enough so that they knew what was happening. At the far end of the pier was Ryou and he was leaning into the arms of a man Ryuuji assumed could only be Namu. The rain had cleared, but there were still dark clouds covering the sunlight, so it was rather dark.

"That's Namu?" he asked.

"Ee, Namu desu." Seto frowned. "Ryou no koibito desu."

"Koibito? Are you sure?"

"They were together the last time I came," he explained. "You can definitely say they're more than just old friends. He's not a good character, to be sure."

"You sound worried, Seto."

Seto didn't reply. 'Namu' kissed Ryou on the temple and embraced him from behind. The CEO felt his insides churn. He definitely had a bad feeling about this. Ryuuji clenched and unclenched his fists, forcing himself to relax. They didn't have any evidence against this Namu to take any action, but they couldn't just let Ryou be taken away so easily without giving a fight.

"I can't take this anymore," he said finally. "We have to get him back."

"Who are we to him, Ryuuji?" Seto asked sharply. "We are dealing with someone who Ryou might possibly love and we know what damage can be caused when his temper is provoked. Who are we to tell him who to be with?"

Ryuuji turned away from him, green eyes squeezed shut.

"I know he's making a mistake," Seto continued in a quieter tone. "We both know that he'll end up getting hurt. But this is his decision and his life. We can't tell him what to do. He'll see sense sooner or later. Let him be happy, even if it's all a façade. He won't know what's really good for him until he's experienced something that he thinks is good for him."

"Wakatta," Ryuuji mumbled finally.

"Now we just need to have him come home."

Seto placed a hand over his third eye area and channelled his power. They went along the bond they had to Ryou, only to find it blocked. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Ryuuji destroyed the wall and they continued. Now they were aware that Ryou knew they were inside his mind. He tried throwing up another block, but with Ryuuji present, they were destroyed before they even formed.

/ What do you want? /

* Ryou * Seto began softly. * Come home, onegai *

/ Why should I, Kaiba? The two of you obviously don't care about me at all. Go back to your precious work /

// Ryou, you know that isn't true // Ryuuji interjected. // We do care about you, otherwise we wouldn't have dropped everything when you left, to come looking for you //

* Gomen. We were bakas to not realise your feelings. Onegai, come home *

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Ryou was hesitant. He pulled away from a confused 'Namu'.

"Ryou?"

Seto and Ryuuji sounded so sincere, which was a surprising thing for both of them. They apologised and wanted him back. They cared about him enough to drop work at once to come looking for him. He had raised on hell of a storm and they had braved it to look for him.

"Ryou, come with me," 'Namu' murmured in his ear. "I'll make you happy."

The albino wanted to melt into his arms forever at those words, but Seto and Ryuuji were foremost in his mind. They gave him a sense of security and belonging even 'Namu' couldn't give. The latter made him happy, but there was always the thought that he would just leave again that made him feel so unsure.

* Ryou. We need you with us *

/ Y-You need me? /

// Hai, Ryou. We need you. You're too important for us to let go //

He was important to them. He meant something to them. They cared for him. Even when he threw his fits, they always wanted him back. They broke through his outer barrier and touched his real soul and they held it. They were the ones who never let him down.

"Come with me, koi," 'Namu' whispered in his ear. "Stay with me. They wouldn't come after you if their conscience didn't tell them to. They did something wrong and they just want to fix it. You aren't that important to them. If you had just run off on them without reason, they wouldn't come after you."

* Don't listen to him Ryou *

// Don't go with him, Ryou! We need you //

"I won't hurt you. You know that. I've always been here for you. You know I've only helped you every time you came to me. I'm the only one who understands you, remember?"

"You – helped me . . ." Ryou sounded dazed.

"Yes, I helped you and I'm still helping. You trust me. They only use you." He kissed Ryou's neck lightly. "Come with me and you won't be hurt ever again."

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"Was this in the plan, Seto?" Ryuuji asked.

"No, not this, no."

They watched as 'Namu' whispered to Ryou, leading him away from the edge of the pier. The winds picked up; showing that Ryou was confused. By this time, the rain had died away totally, so he wasn't upset anymore. Everything around them was wet and the clouds hadn't gone away.

"I don't want to lose him," Ryuuji hissed.

"Do you think I do?" Seto snapped. "This 'Namu' is influencing Ryou with his close presence. If we don't think of something, he'll be taken away and there'll be no way we could get him back."

"You go down there and hold them for a while," Ryuuji said. "I'll go scrape up some details about this 'Namu' person."

* Ryou . . . *

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End Chapter Eight

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Author's Notes:

That was weird. I'm telling you that came out nothing like I'd expected! Too much weird attempts at romance. So repetitive, ne? I'll try and do better next chapter. To those of you who don't like yaoi/shounen-ai, I suggest you open your minds cos it's everywhere on the net and you'll never get rid of it! Male/male pairings are cool! I might put rape and torture in further chapters, so brace yourselves!

I'll brief all you faithful readers about my plans for this story:

First of all, I'm going to finish this off at the end of this 'issue'. Then I'm going to go through a revising stage. When that's done, I'm going to write a sequel!

I love sequels. I can do so much more with sequels.

This sequel will occur around 6 months after the ending of this and there will be Kurama and Hiei from Yu-Yu Hakusho, who will also appear near the end of this fic. Before I give too much away, that's basically it.

I was planning for this to be a quartet, so watch out!

Now, keep those reviews coming!

Relinquished

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REVIEW, ONEGAI SHIMASU!