"I still say brute force will be better than trying to sneak around unprepared." Malik growled after over an hour's discussion.
"And I still say we will never win in a fight against them, so we need to sneak in, it doesn't mean we can't be prepared though." Ryou said carefully, moving around in his yami's lap – where he was now sat.
"Got it!" Yugi suddenly yelped triumphantly, grabbing whatever it was he'd just printed from the shops computer and handing it to Bakura. "Is that what you need?"
The spirit eyed the print out, his sharp eyes scanning the page quickly before he nodded.
"Where'd you get this?" He growled, finally looking up from what the others could now see was a map of the inside layout of the White House, complete with secret passages, that seemed to be in abundance, and marked security cameras and security access points. It also had some gun-points marked, part of the buildings defence.
"You can find pretty much anything on the net, and with all the people missing and all the protesters still active and uncaught, maps and security data's flying all over the net, just a simple search is coming up with hundreds of results now, but I thought that was the best, I just hope it's the most accurate."
Marik slipped off the counter he'd been sat on and walked over to look at the map over Bakura's shoulders, Malik joining him as they began to discuss plans.
Seto's eyes shot open and his head flicked back, a haunted scream being ripped from his throat as the spiked whip crashed over his sensitive flesh once again, malicious laughter filling the air.
"You'll beg yet, Seto, you'll beg." Gozeburo said, his voice barely audible as he laughed again, landing the whip harshly, over and over, tearing screams from the brunette's helpless mouth, his cries slowly deteriorating, weakening into wretched sobs as the pain continued to assail his senses, consuming his being.
They were alone, just the two of them. That sick, sadistic bastard; and Seto. The brunette knew, however, that there were plenty of guards around, so, once again, escape wasn't an option; it never was with Gozeburo, he knew that all to well. It was either grit and bear it, or let yourself withdraw into insanity, and Seto wasn't about to let that happen.
"You know what." Gozeburo mussed, stopping his harsh assault for a moment, watching as Seto's body went limp, his frame collapsed against the wall, head drooped as he hung limp in the shackles holding him off the floor. The stiff pain in his shoulders and arms would have been, under any other circumstances, high enough to make it register in his mind, but right now, the burning, bleeding gashes along his lower stomach and upper thighs were providing more than enough pain to make ignoring the stiffness an easy task. "I don't think I'm going to get to you this way. I think I need to target your one weakness, Seto."
The teen cracked one pain-hazed eye open a slit to glare at his stepfather.
"Touch him and the next chance I get I'll kill you, and mark my words, I will make sure you die painfully, and in such a way you won't be coming back again."
"But I won't give you the chance to do that, you'll be in a mental institute before you get a chance to touch me you little, naïve brat."
"No matter what you do, you won't break me." Seto whispered, though he knew it was false, his step-father could very easily get what he wanted from Seto, he could very easily make the teen beg for death, and that thought sent shivers through the brunette's frame, the thought that, if Gozeburo dared to do what Seto was sure he would, he could have the brunette begging for him to just end everything, so he didn't have to see that he'd failed. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he kept fighting, his one weakness, which Gozeburo knew all too well, was wide open now. There was nothing Seto could do. Nothing.
"We'll see, you just wait here." The eldest smirked, grabbing Seto's chin and kissing him roughly before he turned and left.
"Why does this have to happen Yami? What did we all do so wrong?" Mokuba whispered to the spirit who's lap he was currently curled in, despite the heat. Yami shook his head, gently running his hands over the frightened boy's back, what could he say in answer to that? Nothing that would help. Well, he couldn't even say his old thoughts now, not after what had happened this morning. The only reason Seto was with that bastard now, was that he hadn't wanted to let Yami get hurt again, he seemed sure that this was all his fault, though Yami couldn't see how it could be, if it came to blaming anyone, it was their own faults for going along with Joey. But what had surprised Yami, was the fact that Tristen and Seto seemed to have changed rolls, whereas it was usually Seto who cared for no one other than himself and his sibling, and Tristen who'd willingly sacrifice himself for a friend, it now seemed the other way round. Though Yami wasn't sure why Seto was bringing the torture upon himself for his rival, unless he was still trying to prove he was better than Yami in some odd way, but it still didn't make sense.
Yami thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps down the hall outside their room. Tristen and Kerry were asleep at the moment, not that it really mattered, and Mokuba had crawled over to Yami, needing the support of the dependable spirit now his brother wasn't here. What had made it worse for the youngest though; was that Gozeburo had only taken Seto to the room next to the one they were trapped in, so his screams had been easy for the distraught Mokuba to hear.
The door was push open, and Mokuba instantly shrank back into Yami's chest, shaking lightly after seeing his step-father in the doorway.
"Mokuba, why don't you come see your brother?" Gozeburo said, voice dripping with a twisted delight. Yami growled lightly, given half the chance that man would be worse than dead if left to Yami, but of course, things were left to Gozeburo here, especially as the twisted freak had taken Yami's puzzle, meaning the spirit no longer had the comfort of his hikari's presence at the end of their link, even if it always was silent these days.
"I don't want to." Mokuba whispered then, burying his face further into Yami's shoulder. "Please, please don't make me see him like that."
"But you always seemed to want to see him after I'd finished. Yes Mokuba, I know how you used to hide in the suits of armour and wait for me to leave, then run in to comfort him, what's changed? Why don't you want to see him now?"
"Because... because..."
"Because you're scared? Because you fear the sight will make you sick? You fear it'll break his spirit to see you frightened and scared because of him?"
Mokuba whimpered, clinging to Yami a little tighter, so the spirit decided to step in, Mokuba was traumatised enough without Gozeburo adding to it, again.
"He said he didn't want to, so why do you keep bugging us?" Yami growled, not looking at the hated man in front of him.
"But his brother's asking after him, I was only passing on the message." Gozeburo simpered, the sickeningly sweet tone fooling no one, or so would be expected.
"Seto asked for me?" Mokuba whispered, looking up from Yami's chest. Gozeburo nodded, smirking evilly as the raven haired boy slowly got up and walked to the door, following the eldest Kaiba out.
Seto sighed lightly, wincing as his chest heaved; he hoped Mokuba had more sense than to follow his stepfather back in here, but, his hopes were shattered as the door opened, admitting Gozeburo, and, Seto's raven haired younger brother. The brunette sighed again, before hitching a small, brave smile onto his tortured face as he looked at Mokuba.
"You wanted to see me?" Mokuba whispered, averting his eyes from his brother's beaten body as he took a few tentative steps forward. Seto blinked lightly, what?
"I didn't ask for you." Seto frowned, before he growled at his stepfather; of course, Mokuba had more sense than to just follow Gozeburo, so the twisted bastard had worked out the only way to get him to come.
Mokuba's tentative hand then rested on his shoulder, and Seto couldn't help but shudder lightly at the touch, purely cause he hadn't been expecting it, the soft fingers ghosting his burning skin.
"Are you... will you be ok?"
The brunette nodded in response to his brother's question, before he gently pulled the smaller boy to his chest, hugging him softly. Mokuba pulled away a little, the elder realising the problem as his brother averted his gaze again, a soft blush tinting his cheeks.
Gozeburo smirked, suddenly knowing what would break them both once and for all, drive them apart through fear and shame...
