An update at last, after an unfortunate dry spell that lasted far too long. If anybody is still reading this, thank you very much! Read and enjoy, people! Any feedback would be nice.

Under ordinary circumstances, Ryou's kitchen was the very model of cleanliness. Every surface gleamed, from countertops to floor tiles, and despite the fact that Ryou did a lot of cooking, the room always looked brand new and untouched. On one of the rare occasions when Yugi had been over to Ryou's house, he had had the opportunity to observe how the room was kept in this condition – Ryou cleaned it thoroughly every day before going to bed, and pity the stray food particle that caught his eye! Not only were the floors polished to the point that they could be used as mirrors, but they were probably clean enough to eat off of as well. With this in mind, Yugi could not help but gape at the scene before him.

The room was a mess. An upended cereal bowl lay on the floor, surrounded by a puddle of milk and cornflakes. The source of the smell they had noticed earlier, the milk was sour and curdled; evidently, it had been spilled quite some time ago. The dropped bowl, the chairs that had been knocked over, and the silverware scattered on the ground all spoke of violence, of some struggle that had taken place days ago. Yugi trembled, terrified at the implications.

At least there's no blood he suggested tremulously through their mindlink. He did not like to think about what that would have been like, had they walked in on a scene where it was Ryou sprawled on the floor instead of the two kitchen chairs, if it had been a pool of blood rather than milk.

Yes, aibou. Yami answered gravely.

He was not reassured though. There were an infinite number of ways to kill or hurt, many of which did not involve spilling blood or even physical pain. Bakura knew them all, and it was not a comforting thought. What has he done now? Yami moved to the doorway and closed his eyes, extending his other senses outwards as he searched for the traces of magic that would remain if Bakura had taken his light to the shadow realm. He hoped he would not find them, for whatever horrors the tomb robber inflicted on Ryou in this world could be amplified tenfold in the shadow realm. Nevertheless, he had to be certain.

A scraping sound made his eyes snap open, instantly alert. Instead of a threat, all he saw was Yugi looking rather sheepish, bent toward one of the chairs.

"I was just going to straighten them, Yami," he said in a small voice, tears coming to his eyes. I can't help but think…Ryou would hate it if he knew his kitchen was like this.

Yami moved to his hikari's side quickly and wrapped his arms around him, letting the smaller boy bury his face in his chest as his shoulders heaved.

Yugi, it's ok, we'll find him he soothed, nuzzling the boy affectionately. When Yugi's sniffles subsided a bit, Yami ruffled his hair and pulled away.

"I was just checking to see if Bakura had taken him to the shadow realm; he hasn't, so that's good."

Yugi looked somewhat relieved, though still teary. "That's good, I guess, I'd hate to think of Ryou in there all alone…"

Or with someone, or something, else, Yami thought grimly. Bakura had a fondness for letting his monstrous pets play with his victims once he himself got bored…and there were duel monsters in the shadow realm more sadistic and perverted than anything on earth, as Yami knew from unpleasant personal experience. Bakura was going to pay big for this, Yami resolved, gritting his teeth.

"Yami, how will we find him? He could be anywhere," whispered Yugi, interrupting Yami's dark thoughts.

"We'll look around here first, see if he's hiding in the woods or something," Yami answered after thinking a moment. "I'm guessing he's with Bakura, but we have to check just in case he somehow got away. Then, if we can't find him, I can track Bakura."

"How?" asked Yugi. "I thought it was just the Ring that followed other Millenium Items, how will you find Bakura?"

Yami grinned fiercely, though it was a smile with no warmth in it. "Trust me, Yugi, I can always find that tomb robber when I need to. Always."

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