AYNIM 5

"Wake up for me"

Seto approached carefully. Joey was unconscious.

Bad

Joey was unconscious on an unbalanced platform – worse.

Seto looked around – searching for some way to get to the young man. He spotted a narrow wooden plank and hauled it across, carefully he put it on the unbalanced platform that was prominent in his considerations of what was happening – he swallowed and slowly walked out. Carefully he grabbed the shorter boys wrists and lifted him slowly, the plateau creaked. Seto felt it teeter backwards then slowly creak in the opposite direction away from where he had come.

He hurled himself back – Joey crashed on top of him as the walkway fell away. Seto had landed back on the main body of the walkway with Joey prone on top of him. He pulled his phone out as he slid Joey off his body with a faint reluctance he chose to ignore. "Mr Ishiroma? The chopper…to my coordinates…Now!"

"It's bad" Yvonne said. "Joey's had a major lapse"

"We can't pay for the surgery" Serenity said. "It would take twice what my father or I earn"

"He's going to be okay" Yugi murmured.

"No" Serenity murmured…despair hardening her voice to a rasp. "He won't" she covered her eyes with her hands – and let the tears come. Rebecca and Mokuba both put an arm around her.

"Seto" sang Juno, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Yes?" he murmured. Dazed? Why?

"You can help here" she said.

"Hm? What?"

Juno stomped on his toe. He yowled and stumbled away…Juno grabbed him by the ear and hauled the uncharacteristically stunned Seto into a passage. "I have had enough of you Seto Kaiba" she hissed. "That boy is in love with you and God knows why. He looks at you with passion – love – desire that no one will ever understand. And I know you, I know you only WANT to hate him…Seto. He loves you. You love him. You know you can save him…"

"I don't" Seto said. "You're – you're – you don't know me!"

"That's bull" Juno snapped. "You and I have been through hell together. We're friends first adn foremost and I won't let you forget that if Joey dies so does the thaw for that iceblock over your heart". She glared at him.

"I don't love – I don't - "

Juno slapped him. He stumbled back in shock. "You do. If you don't do what you KNOW you WANT to do – I'll never forgive you, and neither should his friends…" she turned and stormed away.

Seto watched her and then leaned against a wall.

"Do I love him?" he whispered.

"We're clear for surgery" Yvonne exclaimed. Serenity spun and stared as her brother was whisked from the room.

"What?" exclaimed Serenity.

"A charitable donation to your brothers surgery" Yvonne said. "Just coz your insurance can't cover it doesn't mean that a millionaire can't!"

Noah blinked and glanced over his shoulder. Seto and Juno had just left the building. He smiled to himself.

"Seto helped JOEY?" Tristan gasped.

"Hmm…" Ishizu mused. She frowned when she saw Serenity hug Joey… "What's that?" she gripped Joey's wrist, examining the small beads of gold and blue wrapped around them.

"A lucky charm Tea gave him- they got it when they went shopping a year ago before she and Yami left for Egypt" shrugged Serenity as Joey was pushed on to the theatre. "She said it was a good luck charm for their friendship…"

"That is interesting…" Ishizu murmured. "I must visit my brother, they will have settled him in the catatonic ward they have set up for the victims of this menace."

"The police arrested the Duel Devils" said Tristan as the officer walked away. "They haven't go information on anything-" he was cut off as Ishizu gasped. "What? What is it?"

"I see – the darkness – it is nearby!" she exclaimed. Just then the elevator doors opened and a woman was whisked in on a cart.

"Another catatonic victim" exclaimed the paramedic. "We're not getting response!"

The blonde hair was unmistakeable. "Mai!" Yugi exclaimed.

"This is bad" Noah said.

"I know where the dark one is" Ishizu said. "Come! We must end this soon!"

"They're headed for the Museum" Juno said as she looked up from her laptop. She was piloting the chopper as Seto prepared his deck. "This isn't good news" she added. "That place has heavy security, anyone hiding in there is protected by it – and another thing…what was wrong, exactly, with sticking WITH the duelists?"

"They'd slow me down" Seto said quietly, staring out the window.

"You can't live alone" Juno said. "You need to remember that No Man I An Island" she frowned. "The tracer says they've stopped. I think we can land on the museum, that's where they stopped."

Seto nodded as his assistant brought the chopper down. Joey.

Yvonne watched as the surgeons operated. Her most promising neurosurgeon was in there on the table…she netted her fingers together and closed her eyes and prayed…

Ishizu ran along the halls with the others having opened the doors with her passcode. "Stay together!" Yugi exclaimed. They ran into the darkened hall…and Tristan cried out. He collapsed at the feet of the cloaked figure. Noah dived at it – there was a flash and Noah crashed through the air, the figure had vanished…Ishizu cried out next as an antique painting swirled around her and sucked her in. There was another flash and she fell from the painting Unconscious.

"Well now Yugi" the voice said. "I've been waiting for you. I knew my lackies wouldn't do much good against you at the church, but perhaps now I can win you over…" she laughed. The hooded cloak shadowed her face but she exposed her outfit beneath the folds clearly. A tight black bodice with a long black gown that exposed firm toned marble thighs behind a crisscrossing of black strings. She wore high-heeled boots and gold bangles and jewellery. Her blood red fingernails had golden specks on them – they were shaped like the Eye symbols, like the eyes were floating in a pointed shining midnight sky.

"Now…shall we duel?" the duel disk flashed open on her wrist…

Kaiba raced along the hall. Juno was right beside him, an amazing feet given her six inch heels… the flashes of light and shadow repelled them in surprise. A misty field of dark light floated around the floor and Kaiba was shocked to find that it wasn't floating over the floor.

The floor wasn't there for it to float over.

He stared as the lightening flashed and crackled.

"Red eyes Black Dragon!" the woman exclaimed. "Attack! Say goodbye to your life points Yugi!"

There was a cry as Yugi was superimposed on Kaiba's retinas by the violent flash of light. Kaiba stepped backwards and stared…Yugi lay in the empty room. Alone and unmoving.

Kaiba walked forwards.

"You're next!" a sinister voice hissed.

Ishizu opened her eyes and groaned. She was in the back of the stretch limo. Tristan was lying on the seat opposite her and Yugi was on the one near the driver's window. Juno and Kaiba sat on the one at the back. Juno was typing swiftly on a laptop and speaking in fluent Portugese while Kaiba simply looked thoughtful.

"I have bad news" Juno said to Ishizu. "Yugi's catatonic – we're heading straight for the hospital. The chopper was too small to hold use and him. How are you two?"

"Unwell" Ishizu said. "I am physically fine – but I fear the Darkness is already growing stronger with each soul she consumes by the staff or ring. I believe that this being possesses the Millenium Crown – if so they have the ability to Remember the Past and Understand things and people…"

"If they do how do we stop them?" Tristan asked, his voice croaking from exhaustion

"Listen to yourselves" snorted Kaiba. "Magic and Spells…"

"Explain what we saw any other way!" Juno snapped.

Kaiba looked away and closed his eyes…he was a man of science and this was fairy tales. He didn't have time for them. Juno picked up her phone as it buzzed away merrily. "Yes? Yes? Oh! Thank you -" Juno shut the phone, emotionless as Kaiba.

"Joey died on the operating table"

Kaiba's body sagged. He turned to look at her, something dead in his expression.

"I'm being insincere" Juno said. "He's expected to make a full recovery. But you've just realized how much he means to you haven't you? If I'd not said that to try you. If it had been true- what would you have done?"

From the other end of the limo Tristan was straining to hear.

"JOEY'S OKAY" Juno shouted. She glanced at her boss. "And you have to tell him…"

TBC: Short I know but I just need a few suggestions and thoughts in the reviews. Anyone want to guess who the villain is? It's obvious but the first person to guess who this sinsiter manipulating being is gets a cookie - and can get their request in a review to come true. Okay love you all review me and I'll be quicker.

But sometimes slow is good ; )