Chapter 5:

Title: Shadow Wars Inc.

Author: Fairyfae

Rating: PG-17

Pairing: SetoxYami (they meet again in the next chapter)

Genre: Action, Romance

Spoilers: None of which I am aware.

Warning: Cussing.

Disclaimer: Me no own...TT (Snuggles Seto plushie)

Summary: Memories long since forgotten have reemerged to haunt Seto. The world is suffering random and unimaginable attacks. Seto suspects his company is involved in weapons dealing and a Pharaoh is brought back to life for a limited time to stop a supernatural disaster and to save his undeclared love

"Yami!" the door slammed against the wall with enough force to leave a dent.

A small body launched itself into the seated figure promptly bouncing the figure out of the chair, off of the bedside table and onto the floor.

"Aibou." Yami simultaneously rubbed his head with one hand and rubbed the back of his one-time host with the other. "I am glad to see that you're happy to see me."

"Of course I'm happy to see you." Yugi hugged Yami with all the might in his small body. "We all are." Yami's eyes followed the direction of Yugi's gaze to see Joey and Bakura standing in the doorway, Bakura cluching his sides in mirth.

"You know Pharaoh," Bakura smirked through his laughing, "For once I feel like I'm seeing the real you."

Yami's lips pursed in confusion until he looked down at himself to see that his gown had, once again hitched around his waist. Blushing, he hastily set his abiou away from himself and straightened his gown. He was beginning to understand the modern obsession with underwear. Glaring at the thief, he stood, "Don't laugh! You would never be so lucky."

"Don't flatter yourself, Pharaoh. My tastes run much more along the lines of tall, dark and rich over there." Bakura prodded, eyes dancing with enjoyment at his small malice.

"Keep trying me Bakura and you just might find some shadowy playmates in your bed one night." Yami growled.

"Try it." Bakura sneered.

Yami was about to reply when he spotted the small figure huddled behind Bakura's legs. Choosing to ignore the pest for the time being he instead directed his next statement to the young boy.

"Mokuba. Don't you want to see your big brother for yourself? Come over here." Mokuba crept out from behind Bakura's legs, eyes cast down. Slowly walking towards Yami he whispered, "He's doing well?"

Yami smiled at the boy. "Of course. I'm sure he would love to hear your voice." Mokuba crept over to Seto's bedside.

"Hey big brother. I'm here now." Mokuba looked back up at Yami.

Smiling, Yami picked Mokuba up and set him on the bed. "You brothers back is hurt so you may not want to lay on his chest but you could lay next to him if you want."

Returning Yami's smile with a watery one of his own, Mokuba snuggled up to his brother's side, tucking his head close to his brother's bicep. Grasping Seto's hand in his own, Mokuba whispered, "I'm here big brother. I am never going to let you go anywhere without me ever again."

Yami laid a hand on Mokuba's hair in an expression of both reassurance and fondness before turning to face the others in the room. "Did you bring the items I asked for?"

Yugi bit his lips, "We brought them but I'm afraid we were kinda in a rush. We didn't really have time to buy you anything in the sizes you gave us so we had to improvise."

Joey smiled as he reached into the bag he was carrying, "Hey man! Now you get to dress in style." He pulled out a pair of jeans and a baggy green t-shirt. "You're bigger than the Yug-man now so ya hafta wear some of my clothes."

Yami looked on in horror as he wondered if it was too late to keep on the hospital gown. He quickly masked his expression. Ah well…he had to do what he had to do. "Thanks Joey. If you'll give me a moment to go change…."

"Sure thing man. You can tell us what happened when you get back." Joey handed the items over. Yami stepped over Bakura who was currently rolling on the floor laughing and into the adjoining bathroom.

Stripping out of the despised hospital gown, Yami held up the jeans. He was not wearing used underwear, at least not underwear used by Joey or Bakura, so he would have to go commando. Studying his new garment he winced. It's true, the pant legs were long enough but even after wearing leather for so long, the crotch was going to be a little snug. Geez, how can Joey fit in these things without becoming a eunuch. Surely, he could not actually be so small that these fit comfortably. Now he knew why Joey's t-shirts were always untucked. If not, he would have been arrested for indecent exposure long ago. Yami carefully tucked himself into the pants and was in the process of slipping on the t-shirt when he heard a shout from the other room.

"Yami! He's awake!"

Yami threw the t-shirt the rest of the way on and rushed back into the other room. There, on the bed, Seto blinked groggily, slowly looking around at the excited figures surrounding him. Well, Yugi and Mokuba were excited. Joey looked cautious and Bakura looked like…well Bakura looked like an asshole. Bakura always looks like an asshole.

"Seto!" Yami gasped drawing Seto's attention. Seto's eyes wandered down Yami's figure, taking in his new body…and clothes.

"My god," Seto's voice croaked, "I've died and gone to hell."

"Seto. Thank god your alright." Mokuba's voice piped in as he threw himself bodily across Seto, causing his brother to gasp and wheeze in pain. "Mokuba kicked off from the bed, "Oh god. I'm sorry."

Seto took a moment to get his breath before reassuring his brother. "It's alright. Don't worry about it." Looking around at the figures surrounding him. "What the hell is going on."

Yugi, Joey, and Mokuba looked at him incredulously. Bakura looked at Yami, "That's what I would like to know."

Yami shifted, back going ramrod straight as all eyes came to rest on him, "I'll tell you what I know but I am afraid that I don't know everything."

Seto snorted, voice still gravelly, "I don't care if you know everything. Someone better tell me something before I hurt someone."

Bakura raised a snide eyebrow, "I don't think you're in the position to hurt anyone today priest."

"Shut-up Bakura," Yami returned to the bathroom for a moment to fill a glass with water before moving to join everyone at Seto's bedside. Setting the water on the bedside table, Yami helped Seto into a sitting position, help that was received by Seto only reluctantly. Yami handed Seto the water and waited.

When Seto was done drinking, Yami took the glass and placed it back in the bathroom. Under the weight of everyone's stare, Yami leaned against the bathroom doorway. Taking a deep breath he ordered, "Bakura, get my pouch out of the drawer in the bedside table and dump out the contents."

"Dammit Pharaoh! I never was, nor will I ever be, your slave. Get your own damn pouch…"

"Bakura!" Seto yelled, "Get the bloody bedamned pouch out of the drawer and dump the shit out. I am getting tired of waiting for an explanation. This is my company everyone is fooling with and my patience is getting short."

Bakura snorted while reluctantly moving to do as he was told, "One, what patience? You have patience? Two, this seems to be your life someone is fooling with, not your damn company. You'd think a wiseass like you would know the difference. Get your priorities straight."

Mokuba whimpered in protest.

"Bakura." Seto's unspoken threat hung in the air.

"Alright, alright. I'm doing it. Keep your dress on." Bakura opened the drawer, pulled out the pouch, carelessly dumping the contents onto the bed.

Bakura's eyes widened and his breath caught. Slowly, he turned to face Yami's level gaze. "These are…."

Yami sighed and pushed off of the doorframe, "Yes Bakura. That is exactly what they are. Those are talismans usually used only in the shadow realm. There purpose, to control shadow monsters. More specifically, they are a means of control that can be used only by shadow monsters to control other shadow monsters. I burnt one out recently in my effort to save Kaiba."

Yugi's eyes were wide and glassy, his voice shaky, "What do you mean Yami. You can't mean that…" Joey placed a comforting arm across his best friends shoulders. "But shadow monsters have to be connected to someone to be here. They have to work for someone right?"

"Yugi, I'm sorry. This body is not natural. There was no other way I could come back once I made my decision and I had to come back at least for a little while. And, yes. Technically, I 'work' for Kaiba. As his monster, I am connected to him and am here only as long as he is in need of my protection. Unfortunately time is short." Yami lowered his head in thought. How to begin…

Water danced in a magnificent display over light and dark, its streams gurgling downward over plains of obsidian and quartz to land smoothly in the pool at the base of the cliffside. Mist curled up around the base of the falls creating a mass of prisms each of which fractured the light into a spectrum of vibrant colors. The land surrounding the pool was rolling and lush, a green landscape dotted with exotic flowers, each providing a unique pleasure for the senses.

In an effort to caress the image captured in the pool's iridescent plane, Yami glided his fingers over its surface causing the image to ripple and distort. Releasing a melancholy sigh, he withdrew his hand. Who knew he would regret leaving so much. But, to be fair, he never knew that his feelings could be returned…would have been returned…until it was too late. The figure in the pool stood up, and slammed closed his laptop, the figure obviously passionately angry about something. Yami chucked. His love was always passionately angry about something.

Yami sighed again, this time in pleasure, as fingers drifted softly through his hair. "Is it really so bad here. Do you regret coming so much." A melodious voice drifted softly over the noise of falling water.

Yami rolled over so he could stare up at the beautiful face above him. He was always struck with wonder every time he remembered that the exquisite creature in whose lap he was currently resting was his mother. He thought on her question for a moment, always wanting to be truthful with her. "No. Of course not mother. Knowing you has been one of the most wonderful things to ever happen to me. It's just…I guess I was not quite ready to be here yet. I feel as if I abandoned someone who has already spent so much time alone."

"Patience son. He'll be here with you soon. Is that not enough."

Yami sighed and turned back to the pool, "It will have to be." A tear escaped his eye.

Isis stared at her son, a peaceful and resigned smile on her face. She wanted so bad to protect him. Already, so much has been asked of him. To send him back to the world now would only led to more pain but in her heart she knew. He would want the choice. She also knew what that choice would be. Leaning over her son, she placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head before running her own finger over the surface of the water.

"I warned you son, that looking into the pool of all-seeing would only cause you pain." Yami turned to face his mother with questions in his expression. Gently she grabbed his chin and directed his gaze back to the pool. "Look."

Yami stared at the image of a building, the outside of Kaiba Corp. headquarters, and gasped. Above the building hung a dark transparent plane of smoke, which seemed to buckle and warp in waves as nightmarish creatures tore at the surface with tooth and claw. "No. This can't be." Yami shook his head in denial."

"Do not deny what is in front of your face son. The barrier between the mortal world and the shadow world is thinning and the source of that thinning is somewhere in that building. Time in the mortal world is short. Soon, the weakened barrier will break and creatures of unimaginable power will flood into the mortal world. The matter is out of our hands for mortal creatures have long since ceased to believe in us." Isis allowed her son to roll off her lap and lean over the pool. Patiently she waited for the question she knew would come next.

"You cannot be insinuating that Kaiba has anything to do with this. You know as well as anybody that he does not even believe in the other world much less tamper in its affairs." Yami yelled at his mother for the first time.

His mother regally raised herself to her feet, "Calm yourself my son. Your demeanor is unbecoming of your station. I would never insinuate that your destined love was involved in this vile act. If anything, he is the target."

Yami's shame at his outburst was fleeting as his mind grasped onto the fact that his dragon was in danger. "I am sorry mother, but we must be able to do something. I have to help him. Tell me what is really going on and tell me how to stop it. Who is causing this."

Isis smiled at her son, both proud of his determination to help and sad at the implications of what may happen. "I am not entirely sure who is causing the problem. I know only this. Someone has found a way to again call monsters from the shadow realm into the mortal world and in doing so, they have damaged, knowingly or unknowingly, the protective barrier that separates those two worlds."

Yami looked around him frantically as if the answer might be floating somewhere in the air around him. "What about the pool of all-seeing. Can't we use that to find who is causing this problem?

Isis laughed softly, sadly "Son, you know as well as I do that the pool only shows you what you tell it to. We know not where to direct its gaze. Furthermore, we cannot use it to look into the past or future. We would have to catch the villain in the act. The likelihood that we would do that by accident is so small as to be negligible."

Yami fought to control himself. In his normal authoritative voice, he ordered, "Mother, tell me what I can do. There is something. I know there must be or you would not have shown this to me."

Isis casually reached over and slapped Yami lightly. Yami blushed and looked down. "Sorry again, mother. I did not mean to take that tone with you." Adjusting to a more pleading tone, "Please mother, tell me."

Isis pursed her lips. "So be it." Shaking her head she turned her back on her son and continued talking. "There may be one person who knows who is doing this. Do not get your hopes up though. I do not think he remembers what he knows. He is a damaged soul that had long since locked his most hurtful memories away. He visits them only in his nightmares and even then he blocks himself from reliving the worst moments. To find out what you need to know you must secure this individual's assistance. You must dig through his memories for clues. Only then can you find who is causing this damage, how and why."

Yami stared at his mother confused, "How am I to do that? I cannot even return to the mortal world much less meander through someone's mind."

Isis turned back around, her face grave. "The only way I know of is to give you a body."

Yami blinked, "But I was told that once I made my choice I would not be able to have a mortal body."

Stepping forward and placing her arm on her son's shoulder, "That is true. You cannot have a mortal body. Your body would not be constructed from materials in the mortal world. The body I will give you will be made of the shadow world, its essence and form will be subject to the rules of shadow magic."

Yami gasped. "Mother…"

"That is not all that you must consider son. For you to go to the mortal world in such a body, your soul would have to be tied to a mortal's. More specifically, it would be tied to the mortal you need to protect. The same mortal whose memories you must invade."

Realization dawned on Yami as he fell slowly to his knees, "I would have to be tied to Seto Kaiba, right." He is the one I must protect. He is the one I must hurt by rifling through long-buried memories.

Isis nodded. "Consider carefully. Your duty once you go to the mortal world is to stop this disaster that threatens all life in that realm. You must cease the disturbance that is weakening the barrier. Once that disturbance is gone, the barrier will strengthen." Isis saw determination gathering in her son's stance as he rose to his feet and her heart sank. She forced herself to continue. "Remember son, all things have a price and this time on earth is no different. Your body will be a shadow body. It will exist in the mortal world only as long as the barrier is weak enough to allow wisps of shadow magic to leak into the real world. Once the barrier is strong again, you must either forfeit your new body or go reside in the shadow realm. Once the barrier is strong, even with your tie to a host, your time in the mortal world as a shadow monster is limited to the amount of shadow magic you can store in your body."

Yami nodded his understanding, "How long mother. How long do I have until the barrier breaks forever."

The tears now streaking down Isis's face in no way disturbed the enchanting cadence of her voice or the perfection of her countenance, "You have decided for sure than. You are going."

Yami stepped into his mother's arms and embraced her, "I am sorry for your sorrow mother but I have to go. Please forgive me. I will return to you. I promise."

Isis returned the embrace and then stepped away, "As you say son, you must do. One more word of warning. If you fail to prevent the breaking of the barrier, you will lose yourself forever. The shadow magic will overwhelm your soul and you will truly become a monster. Do not fail. You have at most one month."

Yami shuddered, "Only one month…Fine. I will make one month enough time."

Reaching into a slit in her gown, Isis removed a hidden pouch. "Here, these will help you. The means into your lovers mind as well as the means to yours and his protection are in there. Keep them well. They are all the help I can give you on this journey."

Yami took the pouch and tied it around his wiast.

Isis raised her hand one last time to her son's face, caressing his check in a fond farewell, "Now go. Stand under the waterfall and close your eyes."

Yami obeyed. His vision only slightly obscured by the water pouring over his head and down his body, Yami watched his mother one last time as she raised her hands over her head. He closed his eyes.

Carefully, Isis called out to the shadow realm. Smoky shadows billowed out of the obsidian that partially formed the cliff, the magic's form buckling and distorting around the clear quartz as if to avoid contact with the lighter element. Slowly, it moved to coalesce around the spirit standing under the fall of water, hiding the figure from the teary eyes of the woman on the shore. The water flowing over the spirit turned black, soaking into the figure it covered as if it was filling an open container. The blackness disappeared from site.

Yami almost opened his eyes as he fell backwards, air rushing by his face. Abruptly, he stopped. He started to shudder uncontrollably as the magic continued to roll around him. The lids of his eyes flew open and he looked around. He was in his tomb. Looking down at himself, he was appalled. His body was an inky black, a bit of formless nothingness. He was about to panic when he noticed that he was not lying on an even surface. He was actually lying in his open sarcophagus, on top of his own deceased body. Ewwwww. He was about to jump up when the room became alive with fire. The torches on the wall were alight and his corpse burst into flames. As his body burned, the ashes floated into the air only to settle on different parts of his nothingness. Yami lay still, eyes wide open, until his corpse was nothing but ash covering his shadow body. Finally, the stillness was broken as a bright light blinded him. Blinking spots out of his eyes, Yami looked down at himself again and breathed deep in relief. Although his body was not quite as he remembered it, it was still a 'human' body. His skin was still tanned and pliant, but he seemed to be a bit longer in the leg, a little broader across the chest. He must be about 22 or 23. Carefully he stood, stumbled a bit, then set about practicing walking.