Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. I do own my OCs, Akunriou / Tory and Kishtoh / Lucca, plus the storyline.

Read the notices!

MidnightBallad: Once again, I must thank you guys for all the positive/helpful feedback you've been giving me. I think I'm getting about four reviews a day, and that's enough to make me happy. Now, some answer-thingies to reviews from the last two chapters...I think.

Sylvia Viridian: You will find out everything about Tory's weird memory-ness in time. I already have the last memory planned out and ready to go.

RobinIV: Applause! Thank you! Your review was so nice, by the way. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much.

SladesDaughter: No more evil aunt! (I'm assuming she's evil, at least) Anyway, I'm loving your fics also!

Auroran-Wings: Motorbikes are SO fun! I'm going to use them in the next instalment of Your Heart & Mine. And there will me more chapters – don't know how many, but there WILL be!

Shadow-fox313: Those rods that the priests were carrying simply held the power to destroy a person's life, so that's how they killed Akunriou. They're not official in the Yu-Gi-Oh series, they're just something I made up.

MidnightBallad: I can't believe I made people cry...

Present: Fight For Justice, Part I

Tory was very surprised to wake up in the alley where her brother had put her to sleep less than an hour ago. She felt fresh tears on her face, and her voice was clogged in her throat. Tory stared up into the rain, watching the droplets zoom in on her...

'Tory?'

Tory turned her head and saw Yami laying beside her. His Millennium Puzzle was as bright as a star; eyes were rimmed with tears. He was holding back what Tory couldn't. 'Are you alright?'

Tory said in a husky voice, 'Why didn't Lucca's magic work?'

'The Millennium Puzzle,' Yami explained, helping Tory to her feet. 'That's the only explanation. Are you sure you're alright?'

Tory wavered slightly on her feet. 'Yeah...what happened to –' She stopped. Bakura was still lying on the ground with blood running down his nose. ' – so, he's still here? What about Lucca?'

Yami shrugged. 'Who knows. But we better get out of here first.'

Lightening cracked across the sky. And the walls of the alley lit up, revealing words marking the walls:

I will hate you forever.

The message was written everywhere – not a single brick was left unmarked. Tory shivered. She had no idea that her brother's grudge was so strong against her.

'Jeeze...' Tory whispered. 'I don't believe this.'

Someone groaned from the floor, and Tory and Yami spun around. Bakura was coming round. Yami didn't wait that long, however. He went straight over to Bakura, taking a firm grip on his shirt and slamming him up against the wall. 'Where did Lucca go?!'

Still quite dizzy, Bakura just groaned again. Yami hit him up against the wall again. 'Well?'

'Yami, wait,' Tory uttered. 'Let him go, he's not worth it.'

Yami did as Tory said, and Bakura slumped up against the wall. He touched the blood running from his nose and winced. He shot a ghastly glare at Tory. 'You...I should be impaling you on the knife's edge right now!'

'We just want to know where Lucca went.' Tory snapped, exasperated. 'Tell us and we'll let you go without any more damage to that stupid face of yours.'

Bakura grimaced, wiping the blood away from his nose. 'Lucca wants to keep this storm riding until you die. He does not want to damage anything intentionally, but if he doesn't stop, he could destroy the city.'

'We know that!' Yami exclaimed snappily. 'All we ask was where Lucca went?'

Bakura licked his lips thoughtfully. Finally, he slid away from Yami and Tory, making his way down the alley. Tory cried, 'Where do you think you're going?'

Bakura spun around on his heels and said viciously, 'Do you want my help or not?!'

Tory and Yami have each other fretful looks, before Yami nodded and followed after Bakura. Of all the people in the world he was going to trust, he did not think it would be Bakura. Tory was slightly more hesitant, and needed a look from both boys before she went with them. Bakura lead them from the alley and out onto the street, where the full fury of the storm could be seen up above...the black, swirling clouds, the blue lightening and the rain coming down as hard as needles.

No joke. Yami's skin prickled with pain. 'How is this going to help us?' he asked Bakura questioningly. 'We'll be washed away.'

Yami noticed Bakura swing onto the back of a particularly expensive-looking motorbike, and he quickly started it up. Bakura glanced at Tory and Yami. 'Only one of you are going to fit on the back. Someone'll have to walk alone.'

Once again, Tory and Yami exchanged looks.

'You go,' Yami said as Tory opened her mouth to speak. 'I'll go find Kaiba, and I'll meet you where you stop.' He spoke to Bakura. 'Which is where, thief?'

Bakura sneered. 'The harbour...Pharaoh.'

Tory looked nervously at Bakura, and Yami spoke to her again. 'I know you don't want to be around him, but it's the only plan we have.'

Sighing deeply, Tory nodded. She jumped down onto the road, where the gutters were overflowing, and swung herself onto the motorbike behind Bakura. She smiled meekly at Yami.

'Good luck.' Yami said, as the motorbike roared and Bakura took off, a thick cloud of smoke rising in his wake.

- -

Yami was now all alone, but he had a fairly good idea where to find Seto. Obviously, they would be taking shelter from the storm, so the closest open shop would be the place.

Setting off at a quick run, Yami raced through the storm, jumping slightly whenever thunder boomed overhead. His heart was thumping as fast as he ran; wherever he went, the lights in the buildings were off. He was beginning to worry now – what if he never found Seto, and was lost in this storm with no way of helping Tory?

And the fact that she was alone with Bakura, the same man who had 'attacked' her in her former life, made Yami feel quite sick.

Wandering through the streets, he finally came across a very small corner store, which (according to the sign on the door) was opened 24/7. And it was the closest safe-haven to the helicopter crash.

Opening the door, Yami stepped into the amazingly bright store, where the cashier was reading an out of date magazine and an old woman was buying milk, oblivious to the storm outside. Both she and the cashier stared at Yami, with his tri-coloured hair, and saturated and singed clothes. He looked as though he had come from a nightmare.

'Konnichiwa...' the cashier said, regaining his senses. 'Are you okay, sir?'

'No.' Yami said simply. 'Did three people just come in here?'

The cashier went back to reading his magazine. 'They went out the back, saying they needed to use the phone to call "their company". Go get 'em if you want.'

Yami went out to the back of the store, ignoring the 'Staff Only' plaque on the back door that lad to the storeroom. In the darkness, Yami could see three figures bent over a telephone in the light of a single lamp. Yami smiled to himself when he found that they were Seto, Mokuba and the pilot of the helicopter. Seto, who was on the phone, turned to Yami as he walked in.

'Okay, good, thank you.' Seto hung up. 'Where did you go – where's Tory?'

'At the harbour,' Yami said quickly. 'I do not have time to explain. I need you to come with me, Kaiba. Tory may need your help.'

Seto laughed under his breath. 'What makes you think that I want to help? This stupid battle has nothing to do with me.'

'Kaiba –'

'The prophecy says so.' Kaiba snapped. This silenced Yami in a matter of seconds. All he could do was ask, 'Please, Kaiba.'

'Um...' Seto gazed up at the ceiling. 'No. Even if I do, what will I get in return?'

Yami hesitated, before taking his Duel Monsters deck from his pocket. He selected one card, and waved it around near Seto's face. 'You can have this when I'm done.'

Seto raised an eyebrow. '... Really?'

Yami nodded, placing the Winged Dragon of Ra in a separate pocket to his other cards. 'Yes, but only if you help me.'

There was a brief pause, before Seto stepped up next to Yami, throwing on his coat again. He turned back to his little brother and the pilot, saying, 'Stay here until the car arrives to pick you up. Get the driver to come around to the harbour and pick up Yugi, Tory and I.'

Mokuba frowned, but still nodded. 'Sure thing.'

Yami and Seto turned to leave, and Mokuba yelled out, 'Be careful, and good luck!'

- -

Tory was trying very hard not to hold onto Bakura as the motorbike screeched toward the harbour. It was a fairly difficult thing to do, however: Bakura drove daredevil-style and Tory almost fell off twice as he rounded a few corners. He even drove straight over a roundabout (A/N: Don't know if they have those in Japan, but anyway...) and the motorbike practically glided through the air for a few meters, before hitting the road so hard that Tory screamed shortly.

'Don't be stupid – hold on or you'll die before I even get you to Lucca!' Bakura hissed like a snake. Tory retorted, 'Like you care anyway! You were helping Lucca!'

Bakura laughed softly. 'What do you mean "were"?'

Tory suddenly realised why Bakura had helped her in the first place: as a quick and easy solution to get her to Lucca, and possibly a quick and easy solution to killing her and claiming whatever it was Lucca was offering him.

Bakura laughed again. 'For someone who was so very smart long ago, you catch on slowly.'

Tory had no choice but to let Bakura take her to their destination.

- -

Bakura drove the motorbike up onto the sidewalk, braked sharply, causing the bike to skid sideways to a jolting stop. Tory stepped shakily off the motorbike, gazing out over the harbour –

It was a mess. Some jetties had been ripped apart, boats were turned over, and waves splashed violently over the docks. The lightening was possibly worse out to sea.

Bakura pushed Tory forward, and she slipped slightly on the ground. 'Hurry up: dock three.' He muttered.

Tory glowered at him and said, 'You know, riding that bike of yours made me quite hot in the face... Maybe I can chisel some ice off of your heart – if you have one.' She smiled teasingly.

Bakura shoved her again. 'Oh, ha-ha, funny. Dock three.' He was actually quite stunned that Tory had insulted him twice in the one sentence.

Tory did as she was told, and made her way over to dock three, salty sea spray lashing against her ankles as the waves attempted to swallow the harbour. Tory felt fear creeping back into her heart as she spotted the single figure at the far end of dock three's jetty, a blue glow surrounding his right hand. The waves glowed silver beneath the jetty on which Lucca stood.

Bakura grabbed Tory by the arm and dragged her down the jetty, until he was only a few feet from Lucca. He threw Tory forward, and the girl slammed into the soggy wood of the jetty face first.

'I see my spell didn't quite work,' Lucca said, turning around to address his sister. 'I'm not surprised: the Pharaoh's power does overcome those of the Essence Rod; as well as the other Essence Items.'

Panting, Tory pushed herself to her knees. 'Other Essence Items?'

Lucca waved her Essence Rod. 'Not that you or the Pharaoh will live until the morning to bother searching for them.'

'So even if I defeat you tonight,' Tory whispered. 'The other Essence Items will still cause trouble?'

Lucca held a hand to his ear. 'Sorry? I can't quite hear you over the waves, you may need to speak up!'

With his words, a wave crashed over the jetty, threatening to drag Tory into the murky sea. Tory clasped the wood with the very tips of her fingers, splinters sinking into her skin. Voice shaking, Tory whispered, 'You're a monster...Lucca...'

'Hmm? I can't hear you.'

Tory leapt to her feet, slapping her 'brother' very hard across the face. 'You're a monster! NOW CAN YOU HEAR ME?!'

Bakura whacked Tory on the back, causing her to slip back onto her knees. She felt vomit forming in her mouth. She felt sick to the stomach, tired and cold. Tory wanted this to end, and in her mind prayed that Yami and Seto were on their way.

-End chapter 19-

MidnightBallad: Did you like that? I'm starting a new chapter tonight (hopefully), so Fight For Justice, Part II should be up soon or, at the latest, tomorrow evening. Please review – I can't thank you enough for the previous ones – and tell me if you want to see any changes, such as including a character more to the storyline. Believe me, I'll make room for them ;)

- Happy Holidays!