Chapter 11: Midnight Terrors

It was midnight, and pitch black out. Rain clouds were looming overhead, but they weren't going to stop Mokuba from reaching his destination. His own home. Everyone was finally asleep. Mokuba quietly crept down the steps and to the door. He quietly opened it, and ran down the road towards the mansion. The rain started to pour when he was about half way there. There was a flash of lightning. It lit up the darkness like someone had just turned on a giant light outside. Thunder could be heard as a loud crash. Mokuba never stopped running. The sidewalks were slippery due to being wet, and he slipped many times, but he never stopped.

Finally he arrived outside the large gates. He remembered how his brother always locked them to keep everyone else out, but now they just hung open carelessly. He walked up to the front doors, and inside the mansion. He looked around, worry etched on his face. Things were knocked over, plants were shriveling up and dying, and it looked like no one had been there for quite some time. But he knew better. Yugi and Bakura had been here and both times his brother had been here too. He knew Seto was around somewhere. He ran upstairs to his older brother's room. The door was wide open. He peaked inside and saw his brother sitting on the bed, leaning against the back board. His eyes were closed. Mokuba decided to go over to him. Slowly, he made his way over to his brother who was still unaware of his presence.

"Seto?" asked Mokuba quietly.

Seto's eyes fluttered open weakly.

'No,' he thought. 'Mokuba can't be here!'

He turned his head slightly to find his younger brother's worried face.

"Mokuba," said Seto weakly, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you," said Mokuba, climbing onto the bed next to his brother.

"Mokuba, you have to leave."

"No, I'm not leaving you here."

"Please."

"I can't."

"Mokuba, you can't be here. It's not safe."

"I don't care. You need help, and I'm going to give it to you."

Seto knew Mokuba was meaning well, but he had to get him to leave. Part of him didn't want Mokuba to go. He was happy to see his little brother again, and he didn't want him to leave again, but Mokuba's safety came before Seto's happiness. Seto was snapped from his thoughts as Mokuba gave him a hug. Seto wanted to hug him back, but was still too weak to move his arms that far.

Just then, Seto felt Anubis clawing his way to the outside.

'No, just leave him alone!' Seto cried to him.

All he heard in response was Anubis' maniacal laughter.

"Mokuba, get out now," Seto ordered, alarm in his tired voice.

Mokuba let go of his older brother, "What's wrong?"

"Run, Mokuba!" said Seto. "Run!"

Mokuba didn't have any time to run though. Just after his brother finished his sentence Anubis emerged, grabbing Mokuba's arms and holding on tightly.

"Finally, I've got you in my grasp," Anubis told him.

Mokuba struggled against Anubis' grip. Anubis wasn't at full strength yet, but was close enough to it. Mokuba couldn't do anything against Anubis. Seto watched in horror from the soul room. Tears filled his eyes once again.

"Please, just let him go!" Seto cried. "Please!"

Seto felt horrible that he couldn't help his brother. Mokuba needed his help, but there was nothing he could do! Seto couldn't stand it, and he was forced to watch.

"Any last words?" Anubis asked Mokuba.

"I...I'll let you kill me if you leave my brother alone," he said.

Seto was shocked. Mokuba was willing to sacrifice his life to save his? Seto didn't want Mokuba to die at all. He couldn't let Mokuba give his life just to save him. Anubis probably wouldn't stay true to his word any way.

"Interesting," said Anubis. "Risking your life for your older brother's. That's very noble of you."

Mokuba remained silent.

"Unfortunately, your brother will always suffer because of me," smirked Anubis. "You heard my plan for him, and thanks to your little visit here he'll suffer much sooner."

"No," said Mokuba, tears forming in his eyes.

Anubis grabbed his dagger from under the blankets and held it to Mokuba's throat.

Mokuba still tried to break free from Anubis' grasp, but he still couldn't manage to. Seto watched his poor brother struggle to get away. Seto's worst nightmare was coming true right before his eyes.

'This can't be happening,' he thought to himself. 'This is all just a horrible dream.'

Seto knew that wasn't true at all, but still hoped it was. Mokuba needed him and all he could do was watch!

"Say good-bye to your precious older brother," Anubis said to Mokuba.

He raised the dagger high into the air, about to deliver the blow to Mokuba. Mokuba shut his eyes tightly just when someone's voice rang out, "Anubis, let him go!"

Anubis looked over towards the doorway along with Mokuba.

"Yugi!" cried Mokuba.

Seto still wasn't relieved yet. Just because Yugi was here didn't mean that Mokuba was safe.

"Pharaoh, how nice of you to join us," smiled Anubis.

"Let him go," Yami ordered again, walking closer to them.

"You are no longer in charge," said Anubis. "It was your responsibility to protect this boy, and now you will watch as he dies as well. You let his older brother down."

"We have to do something!" cried Yugi.

"Yes, but what?"

Both Yugi and Yami searched their minds for an answer but nothing came. They had to think of something fast or else Mokuba was a goner! It seemed hopeless until Yami got an idea.

"Anubis, you aren't at full power," said Yami. "Wouldn't it be better if you were at full power so you could kill him in a more creative way?"

"That won't work, Pharaoh," Anubis snapped at him, tightening his grip on Mokuba's arm causing him to squeak in pain.

"Yami, use the power and the Millennium Puzzle!" cried Yugi.

"Anubis, stop or face my consequences," said Yami, holding up his Millennium Puzzle.

"Your inferior item doesn't frighten me," smirked Anubis.

He turned his attention back to Mokuba. He took his dagger and swiftly cut Mokuba's right arm.

"No," Kaiba squeaked.

"Anubis, leave the young one out of this!" cried out Yami.

"Why should I?"

"Yami, please do something before he hurts Mokuba even worse!"

"I'm still thinking of something to do to him that won't harm Kaiba," Yami told him.

"Think faster!"

"Mokuba is my prey, just as he was his brother's in the past," said Anubis.

"What!" gasped Mokuba.

"That's right," said Anubis. "In the past your brother killed you."

"No, Seto wouldn't hurt me on purpose!" cried Mokuba.

"You helplessly watched it as I held you back, Pharaoh," Anubis told them. "You struggled to get away to help the young child, but your attempts failed, and he was killed."

Yami couldn't say anything. He still wasn't sure if it was true or not, but it was still shocking to hear. Kaiba sat in the soul room, not knowing what to think. He usually didn't believe all that nonsense about the past, but this time it was different. Being possessed by someone can sway one's mind about these things. Mokuba didn't want to believe what he was hearing. Actually he didn't know what to believe.

"And you will watch helplessly now, Pharaoh."

"That won't happen again," said Yami.

"You don't have a choice in the matter."

Anubis smirked and a blast of energy hit Yami making him fall to his knees.

"What happened?" asked Yugi.

" He...he...dr..drained my...en..er..gy," Yami stuttered.

"Now you can't stop me," laughed Anubis.

"No!" cried Seto.

"Now, to finish the job I've started," said Anubis.

He cut Mokuba many more times on his arms, his stomach, and his face. None of them were very deep, but they still made the young Kaiba wince in pain. Finally, Anubis raised his dagger back into the air.

"It's time for the two brothers to say their silent good-byes to each other," smiled Anubis.

Mokuba shut his eyes tightly again, and Kaiba watched in horror. Then, when Anubis was about to strike he found that something was stopping his arm from moving. When he looked down he saw a shorter version of the pharaoh.

"You forgot about me," said Yugi.

"You think you can stop me? You are only a mere mortal."

'I'm sorry about this Kaiba,' Yugi thought.

Yugi jumped onto the bed and bit Anubis' arm causing him to let go of both Mokuba and the dagger, and sending Yugi and Mokuba to the floor. Anubis jumped down to the floor in search of his weapon, but instead came face to face with it.

"Don't move," ordered Yugi, Mokuba hiding behind him.

"You wouldn't do it," said Anubis. "Your bite may have harmed me tonight, but it's only because I am not a full power. However, if you try to kill me it'll also kill Seto."

"If I could hurt you, why wouldn't I be able to kill just you?"

"I am bonded with this boy at the life force," explained Anubis. "While I am weak I can't stop you from harming me, but if you kill me it will also kill the boy. Quite an ingenious plan, isn't it?"

"You're nothing more than a coward. All you're doing is hiding behind Kaiba!"

"If you really want to get rid of me, go ahead and stab me."

Yugi couldn't stab Anubis. He knew that Kaiba wouldn't survive. Instead, he stood up and pushed Mokuba towards the door, never taking his eyes off Anubis.

"I'll be able to finish what I started very soon," smirked Anubis.

Yugi had finally made it to the door. Quickly, he took Mokuba and went running out of the mansion. They didn't stop until they were half way back to the game shop. Neither of them had spoken since they left until Mokuba broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Yugi."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"Then who should I be apologizing to!"

"You should be apologizing to Yami!"

"Yami?"

"He came to help you, and you saw what happened! Anubis drained his energy!"

"Then, you shouldn't have come!"

"You'd be dead right now if we hadn't shown up!" yelled Yugi. "If we got there one second later, you would've died!"

"I just wanted to help my brother," said Mokuba.

"We all know you want to help your brother," said Yugi more calmly, "but you can't go to him. He wanted you to stay away from him so you wouldn't get hurt."

Mokuba let the tears glide gently down his cheeks, the salty tears stinging the many cuts he'd received.

Finally they had arrived at the game shop.

"Just go in and get some rest," ordered Yugi.

Mokuba obeyed, barely hesitating. He ran inside and back up the stairs.

"I was so close to losing him tonight," cried Kaiba, still in the soul room.

Anubis hadn't given control back to him since Yugi and Mokuba left. Anubis had been pacing angrily back and forth at the end of the bed. Yugi had taken Anubis' dagger, and he wasn't too happy about it.

"Quit your crying!" Anubis snapped at Kaiba. "He's still alive! Aren't you happy about that!"

"Of course I am."

"Then stop complaining about what almost happened!"

That's when Kaiba realized he did that sort of thing a lot. He did complain about things that didn't happen. It's not that he wanted to. It was the thought of watching Mokuba suffer, and almost die tonight that upset him.

'I could have lost everything tonight,' Kaiba thought to himself. 'He only wanted to help me.'

Kaiba knew Mokuba meant well tonight, but he had to be sure that Mokuba didn't come back again until it was safe. When that would be, he didn't know. But Kaiba was willing to wait. Hopefully, Mokuba would be willing too.