Chapter 2

It was early afternoon when Yugi groggily opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was watching Kaiba's soul being turned into a card, much like his grandfather. "Hey, look who's up," Joey teased, sitting down beside him. But the worried look in his friend's eyes told Yugi that he'd been the last to awaken.

"What happened?" he asked as he sat up slowly. "Last thing I remember was being inside Pegasus' castle."

"That's all we remember," Tea told him, smiling down at the small teen.

"At least we kept our star chips," Mai noted, scrutinizing her dueling glove. Joey and Yugi did the same, seeing ten star chips shining brightly in the sun.

"I still don't get what happened," Tristan said, standing up and stretching lazily. He saw Bakura standing a few feet away, looking down at his Millennium Ring. As he watched, Bakura sighed heavily, and Tristan bent low to the others and whispered: "Hey, what's with Bakura?"

"He's probably trying to make sense of this mess," Tea replied, shaking her head. She did feel bad for Bakura at times. It seemed lately he'd been scared of his own shadow, and no one was really sure why. Yugi stood and walked over, tapping Bakura's arm lightly. The white-haired teen jumped and blushed when he saw him.

"Sorry Yugi, I guess I was daydreaming."

"That's all right. We were just wondering if you were okay."

"I'm fine, but thank you. I was just trying to understand why all of this is happening." Yugi's purple eyes held a puzzled look, and he placed a protective hand over the Millennium Puzzle. Truth be told, even he was starting to get a little overwhelmed by all the new dangers and twists that were occurring. If one more Enforcer or other Millennium items showed up, he wasn't sure how well his mind would handle it.

"Why do you think Pegasus is doing this?" he asked softly. Bakura's brown gaze turned towards a line of thick trees, and his hands copied Yugi's as he held the Millennium Ring. There were so many questions racing through his mind that he found it hard to focus on one at a time. First there was his Millennium item: Why he'd been given it, what it really was, and how it had possessed him. Bakura repressed a shudder as he remembered being turned into a Duel Monsters' card in a fight against his friends. But Yami, the spirit in Yugi's Puzzle, had banished the "evil Bakura" back to the Shadow Realm. That of course turned his thoughts towards Yugi and the Millennium Puzzle. Why did Yugi have it, and why did its spirit not possess him in an evil manner? The Ring's spirit had been damn-near terrified of the being it called Yami, but there had been no explanation other than "It's the Pharaoh" before the spirit had been banished. Then there was Pegasus of course, and the realization that he too owned a Millennium item. But what did all these items have in common, and was Pegasus possessed by the spirit of his Eye much like Bakura had been?

"I don't know, Yugi," he finally replied. "I just know that Pegasus has to be stopped before someone else gets hurt."

"You're right, Bakura," Yugi agreed with a nod. "Then we can save Mokuba, Seto, and my grandpa." The boys were about to turn back to the others, when a rustling in the bushes stopped them cold.

"What was that?" Bakura wondered, fear creeping into his voice as his eyes darted all over the small clearing. Yugi was about to call for Joey and Tristan, when he felt a… Stirring from the Puzzle. It was as if Yami knew what was happening outside, and was trying to tell Yugi something. The rustling stopped after a moment, and the feelings from the Puzzle faded.

"Let's rejoin the others," Yugi suggested, walking quickly back to his friends. Bakura followed close at his heels, looking back over his shoulder. His Ring had stopped reacting to whatever had been out there, but he wondered if he should say something.

'Maybe later,' he promised himself.


Seto Kaiba was watching the small group, planning out his next move. Pegasus had told him to bring Yugi and his white-haired friend Bakura back to the castle in exchange for his brother's soul. A single, hot tear slipped down Seto's cheek as he thought of Mokuba, his soul trapped inside a card. "I'm coming, kiddo," he whispered, "Just hang in there."

"Let's get going," Joey called to his friends. They all began grabbing their packs, preparing to go-

"Hey genius, where are we going?" Tristan asked, folding his arms across his chest. Seto smiled as Joey's stupefied look settled on his face. The novice wore the look like most people wore clothes.

Well, it's now or never," the rich teen muttered. Brushing the leaves from his jacket, Seto Kaiba strode out of the bushes to intercept the group. Tristan and Joey heard branches cracking and stepped in front of the others, prepared to face the danger. But they weren't prepared to see Yugi's arch rival standing before them.

"Kaiba!" everyone shouted, amazed to see him alive and free.

"I thought Pegasus captured you?" Tea questioned, frowning slightly. There was something very odd going on, and she didn't like it. 'Why would Pegasus let him go after their duel? And if Seto is free, why isn't Mokuba with him? Wait, what if he came back just to challenge Yugi again?'

"He did capture me, but we worked out a little deal."

"What sort of deal?" Mai wondered, hands on her hips. Even though she knew Kaiba was rich beyond anything she knew, her woman's intuition kept flashing warning lights. She wondered if Tea was feeling the same thing.

"Answer the lady, Kaiba," Joey ordered, taking a threatening step towards him before Tristan held him back,

"Patience Joseph, and all will be revealed," Seto mused, a smirk dancing across his lips. But if you must know, I've come for those two." He pointed at Yugi and Bakura, who paled.

"Why us?" Yugi demanded.

"Well, not really you, but those gold items you both wear."

"My Millennium Puzzle? Pegasus wants this?"

"He promised that when he had them, Mokuba would be free. And I will do whatever it takes to help my brother."

"Seto, you don't have to do this," Tea told him. "We'll help you get Mokuba back." Truth was, she was also feeling guilty that they'd let him be taken again right from under their noses while Yugi had dueled the Kaiba-clone.

"You can't." It was more a whispered realization than an argument, but the others didn't understand.

"With all of us together, we'll find him-" Tristan began.

"You can't help me!" Kaiba yelled, fists at his sides and tears threatening to slide down his cheeks. This conversation was not going as planned at all. "Pegasus is the only one who can release Mokuba."

"He stole his soul, didn't he?" Yugi asked softly. Kaiba was stunned for a moment, but nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Because Pegasus has my Grandpa's soul. He uses an item called the Millennium Eye. Winning duels isn't all it's good for." Kaiba vaguely remembered seeing the artifact glow before Mokuba had collapsed. So that had been Pegasus' little game.

"So are you with us, Kaiba?" Tristan wondered. "We'll help you get Mokuba back."

"I-" Bushes rustling refocused their attentions on the woods, and a moment later four of Pegasus' men emerged from the undergrowth. All of them had guns pointed at the teens.

"Mr. Pegasus has requested your presence at his castle," one said.

"And he don't take no for an answer," another added.

"Well he's gonna have to, 'cuz I ain't going," Joey retorted, glaring at the men.

"Oh, you seem to have misunderstood," the third goon explained, "Because we're only taking those three." He pointed at Yugi, Bakura, and Kaiba.

"Over my dead-"

"Joey no!" Mai and Tea yelled, grabbing the blonde's arms before he did something stupid and got them all killed.

"We'll be okay, Joey," Yugi assured his friend as two goons escorted them away.

"You're gonna be sorry you messed with us," Tristan threatened their two guards.

"I doubt it, kid," goon #4 replied. Meanwhile, in the trees above them, a pair of eyes watched the scene unfold, then followed the smaller group through the forest.


"You followed me," Kaiba accused their guards as they walked along the narrow path through the trees.

"So what?" #1 replied, keeping his eyes on the woods. Mr. Pegasus had warned them there might be something out on the island that might try to stop them. But what else besides them and a bunch of kids could be there?

"Keep moving!" #2 ordered from the back, pushing Bakura into Yugi. The smaller teen stumbled and then his Puzzle began glowing faintly. It was accompanied by the same stirring that Yugi had felt before in the clearing. Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he saw that Bakura's Ring was also glowing.

"Hey, what's with the gold glow?" #1 asked, halting the group. When neither boy spoke, #2 grabbed the front of Bakura's shirt, lifting him off the ground.

"Let go!" the white-haired teen yelled, struggling in vain.

"Think Pegasus would mind if we roughed them up a bit?" #2 asked his partner, an evil smile on his face.

"Just as long as they're still in one piece," #1 replied, reaching for Yugi. Only he never got a chance to touch the blonde. A dark shape leapt from the nearest tee, landing squarely on #2's back. With a shout of pain and surprise, the goon dropped Bakura.

"Run!" Kaiba yelled, side-kicking the guy near Yugi, who grabbed his knee and toppled to the ground. The three boys took off, following the path as best they could. "Don't stop."

"What was that thing?" Bakura demanded, keeping his eyes focused ahead.

"Not something we want to meet," Yugi told him. Just up ahead he saw a fork in the path, and Kaiba said:

"Split up so they'll lose us easier. You go left while I take the right path." They had reached the fork, and Bakura followed Yugi down the left branch. Footsteps suddenly sounded behind them, making them move even faster.

"Hurry!" Yugi urged. But no sooner did the words leave his mouth than the ground gave way beneath them.

"Yugi!" Bakura yelled, seeing the darkness stretch below them. The boys fell fast and far, and soon the sun was lost to them.


A minute or two later, a figure stepped onto the trail and stopped at the lip of the hole, peering down into the darkness. Hair blacker than the deepest night fell halfway down her back in a thick sheet. A gold circlet rested on her head, where it supported a small metal circle in the middle of her forehead. Her clothes were all back, including what appeared to be a leathery cape. But it was her eyes that set her apart, because one was blood-red, and the other was light purple. The ankh around her neck began glowing faintly, and she grasped it tightly.

"Hold on, Yami. I'm coming." The "leathery cape" on her back extended into a pair of wings as she leapt into the dark hole.