Well, another long chapter for all you wonderful fans of mine out there! Hope it's what you've been waiting for.

Thanks especially to my new reviewers: mom-mi-oh and firefly of hell. I love it that more people are finding my story.

random rockstar - your support has been awesome!

thanx to all - enjoy

Part 1 (Chapter 17) – Loyalty in Question

"And who exactly are you?!" A new, darker voice raged.

Yugi looked up into a face that was eerily similar to Kira's. Only the eyes were dimly colored with rage. "I might ask you the same question."

The dark spirit bent closer, "The name is Kali. Not that it should concern someone such as yourself." Her eyes narrowed. "I assume you're mortal?"

"And what if I am?"

"Then I will deal with you as I would with any of your kind." Kali lifted her hands above her head, forming a pulsing ball of dark energy above her. Yugi drew Kira closer inside the protective shell of his own body. Fear was a thing of the past. He had won against destiny. Whatever harm this evil meant him, Yugi would survive.

As Kali's shadow magic flashed down on the two of them, another magical force ripped through the air. Golden light soared towards Yugi and Kira, shattering Bakura's shield around them and encasing them in a protective bubble.

"What the...?!" Kali was clearly in an angry state of shock.

Yugi closed his eyes briefly in sweet comfort. Thank you, Yami.

The spirit of the ancient Pharaoh stepped through the broken remains of the shield and rested one hand on Yugi's shoulder, still holding the golden protection over his hikari with the other. I would never abandon you, my light. Yami met Kali's defiant gaze evenly. A lively magic pulsated between the two spirits as he spoke once again to Yugi. But it was you who saved us all. I never would have been able to pass though the shield if you had not found your own way here first.

"I recognize you," Kali spat. "I was warned about your spirit – one who has betrayed the shadow."

Yami smothered his surprise at that remark. "Hardly. I have lived through many ages with my magic, and have earned my place as king of the shadow games. A young spirit like you has no place rebuking what she does not know."

"But why would you defend these mortals? They mean nothing to us."

"They may seem to mean nothing to you, but even Bakura, the one you call "lord", must respect the life in his hikari. So must we all."

"You speak in riddles," Kali spoke harshly. "What would you know of my Lord?"

"More than you might guess. I may be of royal descent, but the one you look up to is not even close. A tomb robber in his mortal life, Bakura lived the very essence of deceit and lies. There is no mercy left in his soul. You are just another step on his way to power."

Kali looked slightly shaken, but managed to hold up her tough exterior. "Bakura gave me life and someone to be. I swore my soul to him. How could you ask me to turn against my master?"

"Where is he now? What loyalty has he ever showed you in return? You accept his lesson blindly, but when has he ever listened to you?" Yami saw that his words were reaching the depths of Kali's mind and continued. "You do what he commands without question, and that is a noble sacrifice, but only a fool shows such devotion without first knowing the truth of both sides. Can you say that you know both sides and have chosen wisely?"

Kali did not answer.

Yami spoke again, softer this time, "Bakura instructed you to destroy, but did he ever tell you what would follow?"

Kali whispered hoarsely, "I am to destroy the one I have been bound to, for she is an enemy of the shadows. Then I will be free."

"Bakura has not told you the whole truth. The one you are bound to is a girl named Kira."

Kali shrugged, "And what use is her name to me?"

Yami frowned, "More than you know. She is a part of you, whether you admit to it or not. Look at her," Yami motioned to where the battered girl lay still in Yugi's arms. Kali looked. "There is a resemblance even you can't deny. You took on her form when you were brought into being. You are the dark, she is your light. You are a part of each other; the bond you share is no different than that shared by any other shadow spirit. You must respect that to survive."

"What do you mean?" Kali demanded.

"If you continue your destruction, you will kill your light. And when Kira dies, you also will cease to exist."

Kali had no response, but her face paled severely. Finally, she spoke softly, "You lie."

"Maybe so," Yami shrugged, "But are you willing to risk your existence to prove me wrong?"

"And you?" Kali asked, "You claim that you have lived through thousands of years, yet your boy obviously has not."

"My soul was once mortal, unlike yourself," Yami explained. "And it has always been trapped in both the Millenium Puzzle and this Shadow Realm. That is what sustains me. But you are purely a dark spirit and have no refuge if you destroy Kira. Look at her!" Yami demanded, "Do you truly enjoy watching her suffer so?"

Kali seemed to sink to the ground, and her words were barely audible. "I don't know."

"Don't be afraid to admit your mistakes," Yami said gently. "Save your courage for doing what is right."

"But how do I know what is right?"

"Trust your heart."

"My heart?" Kali was confused. "But I'm a spirit."

"Even you have a heart," Yami told her. "But you must search deep within your being to find it. Let your thoughts loose, and trust what you can feel."

Kali closed her eyes for a long moment.

Yami.

Yami was startled for a moment at the mental word from Yugi. What is it, hikari?

It's Kira. There was obvious worry in Yugi's mind voice. Her soul and life force are tied to me for now, but they're fading. If we can't get her the help she needs, soon it may be too late.

Yami sighed. All right. Then we can't waste any more time.

"Kali?" Yami approached, putting a hand on the other spirit's shoulder.

Kali did not look up, but gently fingered the dagger Bakura had given her. "I accused her of being an enemy of the shadows and a killer of innocent beings, yet I never saw any of that for myself. I was the one to torment her; I did exactly what I accused her of committing." Kali slid her finger along the sharp of the blade without flinching, opening the finest of cuts along the length of her hand. Yami watched this in suppressed alarm.

Finally, Kali met the Pharaoh's eyes, a look of complete helplessness and confusion filling her own. "Fine. She is a part of me whether I like it or not, and I can't keep fighting her forever. I won't be asked to choose a side now, but I am willing to give...Kira...the chance to argue her own case, and then I will choose." Kali spoke the name of her hikari with hesitance, then let her dagger fall to the ground as she stood.

Yami nodded at her decision, "Fair enough. But there is not much time if we want to save her."

"I will enter her body and keep her soul alive if you can get her physical form healing," Kali suggested solemnly.

Yami seemed surprised at this offer. "It's very risky to enter the body of one so close to death, even when you do share a strong bond with them. You would die with her if you fail."

"I am willing to try," Kali spoke again. She knelt next to Yugi, holding tight to Kira's other side. "Your move, Pharaoh."

"Yugi." Yami took the young boy's hand, concentrating hard. "Let's go back."

Yugi nodded, a sudden flash of light lit the shadow realms, and the four of them vanished.

In surprise, Yugi noted that he was not where he had last left the mortal realm. Instead, he stood in a strange room; Kira's weak and bloody physical form still rested in his arms. Yugi struggled to support her weight with his own small body.

Let me help you, hikari, Yami spoke through the mind link. Yugi felt the spirit's strength supporting both him and the body of Kira.

Where are we? Yugi asked.

Kira's room.

But how?

You bound your mind and spirit to hers in the shadow realms. The tie was strong enough to keep the two of you together, and brought your own physical form to this place.

Where's Kali?

Inside Kira, Yami explained. But we still have little time.

Right. With continued help from the spirit inside, Yugi managed to run, still clutching Kira to him, and made his way to the nearest hospital.

Stop pacing, hikari. You're wearing me out. Yami grumbled through the mind link.

With a repressed sigh, Yugi sat himself in the nearest chair but continued to fidget anxiously against its straight wooden frame. His short legs swung back and forth in agitation.

Would you please relax?!

"Sorry, Yami," Yugi murmured aloud. But it's been so long...

They had brought Kira in close to five hours ago. The nurse at the front desk had taken one look at her and rushed her to the ER. After that, Yugi had filled out pages of forms to the best of his ability, and answered several different over-curious practitioners. It was hard to come up with a story on how Kira had been so severely wounded, and not everybody seemed to believe it. The assistant at the front desk kept giving the little boy strange looks, and the police had seemed all to anxious to blame Yugi for the whole mess. He was physically and emotionally burnt out.

I'm the one who should be sorry, Yami replied after a moment. It's been an especially strong strain on your young soul. I'm proud of you.

Thanks, Yugi blushed in spite of himself.

I still can't believe you survived all that you did. Even standing up to Saishu himself.

It wasn't easy, that's for sure.

Nonetheless, it's amazing enough that you're alive and not in the same state as Kira right now.

She was responsible for a lot of it too, you know, Yugi replied. I hope she's all right.

She will be, hikari. She will be.

A snore came from the corner where Joey had curled up against one of the potted plants. Yugi had phoned Joey, Tristan, and Tea immediately, and they had all come over. But now the waiting and sleeplessness was catching up with them all, and Yugi was the only one left awake.

Yami?

Yes, my light?

I have a question. Yugi shifted his position uncomfortably. It was something you said to Kali back in the shadow realms.

Which something?

You said that if she killed Kira, then it would also destroy her.

I did.

And that the same thing applies to spirits like you.

It's true. Though I have the millenium item to protect me, if something ever happened to you, I would be trapped until another person claimed the item and its magic. Not that I would ever wish anything of the sort.

And if you didn't have the item, then what?

Yami sighed, My soul would be bound to yours. Your death would otherwise mean my own. That is why Kali could not risk destroying Kira.

The same goes for Bakura.

Yes, Yami seemed to growl in frustration, that power-hungry traitor!

Exactly.

What are you saying, hikari?

Bakura wants power too badly. He'd never risk destroying himself or the chance of being locked back within his item.

No, he wouldn't.

But Ryou's his host. And without Ryou that would happen.

I see...!

Right! Ryou can't be dead! Bakura wouldn't risk that. Maybe there's a chance of saving him yet.

Good thinking, Yugi. Once we know that Kira is all right, we will look for your friend, and find him.

Hold on, Ryou. I won't leave you to Bakura, I promise.

"Yugi?"

Yugi started in surprise from his mental conversation. Tea had risen from her chair and had knelt before her small friend, her eyes directly meeting his.

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt anything?"

"You're okay," Yugi waved her off.

Tea smiled, "It's just, I could tell you were talking with Yami. You were serious, but something seemed to make you happier. That is, you seem to be more relaxed."

"I suppose," Yugi shrugged. "I don't feel like everything is quite so hopeless anymore."

Tea's brown eyes were filled with a friendly sort of curiosity. "Why's that?"

But before answering, Yugi's attention was drawn away, down the hall, past his female friend. Kira seemed to be walking out from her room, but a quick second glance told Yugi that it was not Kira, but Kali. Bruises stained her soft skin, and her face didn't seem quite so sharp. Her normally angry eyes had been replaced with a weary glance and weak smile.

Kali? Yami was as much in shock as Yugi. The dark spirit had indeed entered the body of Kira and endured the pain along with the soul of her light.

Is it really you? Yugi asked mentally.

Kali nodded. Yes. I have done all I can for the girl. What is left to heal, only time will cure.

Thank you! Pure joy flooded Yugi's mind. Kali perceived and smiled at the enthusiasm of a young boy. Our paths will cross soon enough, but for now, I leave you to your friends, Kali's voice seemed to whisper in Yugi's ear, then she was gone once again.

"Did you hear me, Yugi?" Tea was asking again gently. One look in her face told Yugi that she had seen nothing of the apparition. "You seem even happier."

Yugi nodded with a definite smile this time. "She's going to be all right."

"How do you know?" Tea asked.

Before Yugi could answer, a doctor approached the twosome. "Yugi Mutou?"

Yugi stood from his chair, "That's me."

"Good news," the man smiled. "Your friend has pulled through. It was quite a miracle, really. Almost like there was another life within hers sustaining her... Anyway, she should be fine after some more rest and quiet."

"Thank you," Yugi bowed to the man, "For everything."

The doctor returned the bow and then continued down the hall.

Tea turned her attention back to Yugi, astonishment clearly written across her every word. "How...how could you know?"

Yugi only smiled.

well, i didn't leave much of a cliff hanger this time (i don't think) but don't forget to come back and check up on me soon. there's plenty more to come!