Disclaimer: Yugi! Yugi! Alas! For not I own you, but indeed, a man named Kazuki has you in his keeping!!

Coming Chaos & the Ray of Destiny

The Garkon worshiper looked at the limp child in his arms with a strange gleam in his eye.

"Maron don't!" Unthinkingly, Yami tried to stand, and failed miserably. Tea and Joey looked at the robed man.

Tears were forming in Yami's eyes, from the biting pain in his leg and the sudden fear he had for Yugi. "Maron! Don't hurt the boy!" Yami cried wretchedly.

Joey jumped to his feet. "Yeah! If you don't put him down –!"

"JOU!!" Yami barked suddenly, turning a sharp gaze on Joey.

Joey Wheeler blinked, and swallowed, for the look in Yami's eyes, told him to be quiet. Joey looked down, before turning his harsh glare on Maron; Tea rose, doing likewise.

Yami picked himself off the floor with much difficulty and rested painfully on his good knee. "Maron, please, don't hurt him. Please!"

Joey grit his teeth. "No way Yami!" he snapped, "You shouldn't have to beg for anything from this creep! I won't stand for it!"

Yami stuttered on what to say. 'Yugi.' he thought.

Maron then felt Yugi go rigid in his arms; he looked down, and saw that the boy he held, was staring up at him. Yugi gave a shout and fell out of Maron's grip.

Yugi scrabbled to get away, but Maron's reaction was too fast. The man jumped forth, catching Yugi beneath him. Yugi gave a winded lament at the little man's weightiness.

Joey wanted to jump to his friend's aid. Tea gasped.

"Ah! No! Don't come any closer!" Maron bade, sitting up and holding Yugi's arms to his back. Yugi cringed, and Maron sat him up.

So there Maron was, sitting upon the floor holding Yugi, who was on his knees in front of him. The Leader of the Garkon worshipers looked at Yugi's trio of friends, as by all appearance, he held them at bay.

Maron closed his eyes for a moment; he pulled Yugi close and whispered in his ear. "I won't hurt you boy, I promise, but if you have hope for you and your friends' escape, you must play along."

Yugi Mutoh fidgeted. "How can I trust you??"

"Look at it this way: you haven't much choice." Maron looked forward, at Yami who was across the way, as they were now pretty much on the same level.

Joey was getting edgy; nothing was happening. He couldn't stand to see Yugi being held hostage, but neither could he do anything about it.

"Up!!" barked Maron, getting to his feet. Yugi, more or less, had to follow suit.

Suddenly there came a sound to the door behind Maron and Yugi; Maron turned and cringed briefly, for there was his 2nd in charge, Kylen and two of the others.

Kylen smiled as he saw that his leader was acting as his old self.

"Well done sir!" he yipped, then jumping past and charging right for Yami.

"No! Don't!" called Yugi. Yami tried to move away, but Kylen seized his arm in such a manner that the Pharaoh had to bite his lip to keep back a cry of pain; the muscles of his frame were sore to a pinch!

"Hey! Lay off'a him!!" raged Joey, meeting Kylen's face with the business end of his fist. Kylen spun sprawling onto the floor, yet Joey was grabbed from behind the other two Garkon worshipers.

Tea jumped forward and began yanking back on their heavy robes with all her might. "Back off you creeps!"

Yami did what he could to help. Joey ducked under the grabbing arms of one man, and swung his hard fist out at the other.

Maron watched, rather dazed; nothing was going as he had hoped.

Yugi turned his head and shot Maron a very dangerous look.

"You fink!" he spat, "You rotten liar!"

Maron wanted to say he had no intention for things to go as they had, but had no idea were to begin.

Tea let out a screamed and landed with a thud on the metal floor. Yami saw a dazed look in her eyes and a bight red bruise on her face; he went to her for she was near to him.

"Are you all right??" he asked urgently, coming up along side, at her back.

Tea was holding her cheek, and all she could manage was a weak nod; she had hit her head hard against the floor.

Yami grit his teeth. He wanted to protect her, and reached his arm over her, planting his palm flat on the floor near her middle.

King Yami glared at Maron, but that was all he could do.

Suddenly Joey let out a fierce groan, as he was slammed, face down, against the cold floor by the pair he'd been fighting. They held him there.

Kylen glanced quickly at Maron before lunging for Yami.

Tea's eyes widened.

Yami was caught 'round the neck by Kylen's first hand, and his arm was grabbed and bent at his back by the 2nd's other. Kylen yanked Yami to his feet, and pushed him before him as they went to face Maron.

"No!" Tea cried, but that made her head hurt terribly. Joey struggled, and he was smacked roughly up-side the head.

Yami limped dreadfully, holding back a lament with every wrong step he took.

Kylen laughed: "Ha ha! Look at you! You're all finished!!"

Yugi's eyes were glassy, and then he shut them tight. "God!" he called, "Please don't let this happen!"

There was a moment of complete silence, and then there came a deep growl. And Kylen looked up just in time to see Slypher's jagged teeth.

The slack of the evil man's robes were caught between the god Monster's second set of jaws and he was lifted into the air.

With a shriek, he let Yami go. The two holding Joey, were stricken with fear and loosed their grip. Joey Wheeler used that moment to leap up, and shove them aside.

And before he could land anymore punches the two ran from the chamber, for a feisty Joey was one thing, but the god Monster was another.

Wheeler immediately spun and went to help Yami stand.

"We must leave . . !" said Yami.

This time, Maron reacted. "Go!" he sounded, shoving Yugi away from him. Yugi was startled by this.

Yugi went right to Tea. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her stand.

"I'm feeling better," she said.

Kylen was screaming at the top of his lungs, yet Slypher the Sky Dragon was simply holding him; Maron cringed.

Joey glowered at Maron. "Listen up you! Don't think you're gunna get away with what you've done! Ya' hear me?!"

Yami held up his hand. "Wait Joey please," he said. Yami looked oddly at Maron, but Maron was looking at Kylen, who sobbing like a little child.

"Please let him go, I beg of you!" pleaded Maron. Joey grumbled.

Yami nodded; upon his silent command, Slypher shifted, first moving itself so that its body was even with the edge, then lowering its red spike-crowned head and releasing Kylen's clothes from the bite of its teeth.

Kylen crumpled on the floor, shaking as though he were cold as ice; Maron went to him.

"Tea, Yugi! Joey! All of us, quickly! Onto Slypher's back!" Yami ordered in his kingly manner. With Joey's help, and despite his injuries, Yami moved relatively quickly.

They all were upon the god Monster's back and it rose upward, raising its head toward the cavity in the roof. With Yugi's help, Yami had a grip on the reins; Joey and Tea were doing their best to keep hold of the back-plate they were beside.

"Up Slypher!" called Yami.

Yet, out of nowhere, Yami and Yugi's god Monster gave a wild cry of pain. Suddenly Yugi and Yami jerked with pang, feeling the Monster's distress.

Tea gave a scream for she saw what was behind them.

Ra had dug its now metal claws into Slypher — at Malik's command.

Malik sat up right in his seat upon the golden Monster. "Do it now!!" he ordered his creature.

Raopened its mouth, and a ball of flame started to form.

"NO!" sounded Joey and Tea.

"Yami!!" cried Yugi. Yami seemed to be leaning away from Yugi. Then the eyes of his creased face snapped open.

"NOW!" he bellowed. Slypher the Sky Dragon swung around upon its serpent-like body and its attack blasted forth from its mouth, just at the moment Ra's did. The attacks met.

There was a soundless explosion, and all those upon Slypher could do, was hold on. When they opened their eyes again, they were up in the sky, high above the citadel.

"Come! GO!" blared Yami, shaking the reins. The god Monster obeyed, and started into the sky-dome. "Hold on everyone!" he yelled to his friends.

Tea gasped as she was starting to lose her grip; Joey came up and held her tight around her waist, so she didn't have to worry.

"Thanks Joey!" Tea smiled.

"No problem!" he replied.

Ra was rising toward the citadel roof.

"Don't think you're leaving me here!!" spat Bakura, shaking his fist at Malik. Maron and Kylen were watching the white-haired villain fester.

Malik rolled his eyes, looking down at Bakura. "You're making me waste time! They're getting away!"

"Idiot!" barked Bakura, "My Millennium Ring can track all of the Millennium Items! That includes the Puzzle worn by that whelp Yugi! Your better half already knows that!!"

Malik considered. "Oh fine!"

He had Ra lower itself and Bakura climbed on.

"Go now!!" commanded Malik, and his god Monster charged upward, breaking more of the ceiling as it passed into the sky.

Kylen looked at Maron, and vise versa; they said nothing.

"I want you to track that Puzzle wherever it goes!" sounded Malik.

"Yes, yes quite!" snapped Bakura. He held his Ring up before him and concentrated. The Ring attained a slight glow and the middle arrow-spike rose, pointing toward a great gray cloud, lighted with blasts of dancing lightning.

"It's pointing to that cloud," said Bakura, with slight confusion in his voice, "That's odd. The day seems rather sunny to my eyes."

Malik's eyebrow perked up. "No duh idiot! Yami's god Monster is lord of lighting and thunder, it would be able to manifest its own storm."

"I see," remarked Bakura.

"They're probably hiding in there hoping for some succor. Well, not while I'm here!"

Ra shot forward, right into the brooding storm cloud.

In fact, Slypher was just exiting the field of clouds it had created from the damp atmosphere. Joey and Tea were kneeling beside the nearest back-plate, trying to stay out of the wind as much as possible; it was cold.

Yugi, however, had worry on his mind; for one thing, he wasn't sure how they were going to get home, because he wasn't even sure how they'd gotten there in the first place. But now he saw that Yami, who was kneeling and clinging to the reins, was beginning to falter, his head sinking lower and lower as though he were taken suddenly by a great sleepiness.

"Yami?" Yugi looked right at his partner's face. Yami looked up, his lower eyelid quivering and his teeth gritted.

"I–I can't do it Yugi!" King Yami immediately dropped the reins and collapsed against Slypher, an expression of great distress on his face.

The Sky Dragon instantly slowed, letting out a lamenting roar.

"Yami!" Yugi grabbed the Pharaoh's shoulder.

"What's wrong?!" shouted Joey. He and Tea came forward and kneeled next to Yugi and Yami.

Yami was clutching his broken leg tenderly; still his face was creased in pang.

"What can we do ta' help ya' Yami??" asked Joey readily. The Pharaoh didn't answer, and his friends felt their hearts beating.

A shot of anger ran through Yugi, and he took up Slypher's reins within his fists.

"We need to get far away from here before we can figure out what to do about getting home!" he barked. Tea and Joey nodded.

Yami's body slide into a state of limpness and the pained expression on his face fell away to nothing; his chest rose and fell as he breathed.

"Yami??" Tea shook him, but it did no good; he had fallen into a place between unconsciousness and sleep.

Tea put her arms around him and slid back, leaning against a back-plate, where she sat and held him. Joey came and bent on one knee beside them so as to prevent either of them from sliding or falling as the god Monster began to move forward.

Joey reached out and took a firm grip of Yami's hand. "You're gunna be okay Yam, you'll see! We'll make it home, I know it!"

Tea looked at Joey, him with his hair the color of golden wheat. "Do you really think so Joey? That we'll find a way home?" asked she.

"Well, if we pray 'bout it, I'm sure somethin' will happen. God knows best ya' know."

Tea nodded. "Yeah . . . you're right. He does." She tried a smile.

The wind rushing past them suddenly dwindled, and Tea and Joey looked up to see that Yugi was now looking back at them.

Yugi let the reins slip from his hands; Slypher the Sky Dragon had now halted completely. "You're right," smiled Yugi, looking at his friends, "The Heart of the Cards' hasn't let us down yet."

He came and knelt by Yami's side, opposite Joey and Tea. "I'm sure God knows how we can get home,"

Joey nodded with a firm smile on his face. Yugi closed his eyes and lowered his head; Joey and Tea did the same.

Yet the air around them snapped, cracking and a wave of heat rushed past.

"WHAT?!"

Joey jumped to his feet. "Ah no!!" he spat, looking out to the air-space beyond them, "It's Malik! He's shootin' at us!"

"Ah! What'll we do??"

"Why that —!" Joey's fists were balled.

"Joey! We don't have time!!" Yugi held his hand out to Joey. Tea, Yugi and Joey put there hands together, one above each other.

And then, to everyone's surprise, Yami's eyes opened and he then put his own hand together with his friends'. They glanced at him with wide eyes.

"We can do this," he said. The atmosphere was getting warm again.

Malik and Bakura barreled toward them. "We've got them now!" yelled Malik.

"But Malik, don't you thing it's rather odd that they aren't moving?" quizzed Bakura.

"I don't care what they're doing!" Malik screamed raucously, "I want the Pharaoh dead!" He then winced as a raw pain came into his vocal cords.

"God please! We want to go home!" Yugi cried.

"Please!!" the four trilled in unison.

And then the sky above seemed to open. All four gazed in awed wonder as the layers of sky were rolled back, revealing a light far brighter than that of the sun, and yet, it did not pain their eyes.

A great and mighty glow then surrounded Slypher and its human cargo, flooding the whole of the sky with shimmer of brightness.

Yami and his friends felt a great wave a warmth, a soft encompassing warmth, almost as though they were floating in the golden glow.

"What the—?!" shouted Malik and Bakura.

There came a great rumbling in the sky, similar to thunder.

Then something happened that made everyone hold their breath, and feel as though they would never have to take another again.

The next moment beheld: the sky empty.