Yay! Chapter 21 is out! I didn't think I'd be able to write it so soon, but here it is! Perhaps my writers block has finally gone! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, nor anything else that resembles anyone else's work.

Warnings: Shounen-ai (boyxboy love)is in this fic, so if you don't like. Don't read. A swear word or two as well.

MK: Also, things get a little...mean and nasty a little later in this chapter, so yeah, just be prepared for it.

Seto jumped down from his ledge, leading his un-dead army for the attack. He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What's the meaning of this?" he cried, pointing at the three gods who looked puzzled.

"Meaning of what?" Marik asked, throwing a ball of flames up and down impatiently. Heck, if he was going to die, he might as well hurry it up! He paused for a moment.

I wonder what will happen when Yami dies. He sort of is the god of Death as well as the Darkness...hmm. Oh well.

"How…how did you three some back?" Seto yelled, outraged. This was not supposed to happen at all!

Bakura and Marik looked even more puzzled than before, and Yami smirked as three ghost-like figures stepped forward.

"Hello your highness," Ryou said with a slight mock-bow, his deep green eyes sparkling.

"You don't mind us coming back to help our partners, do you?" Malik asked, folding his arms with a mischievous smile.

"After all, you are the main reason that we three could come back," Yugi informed him.

"How? You…you all died," Bakura said, amazed at what he saw in front of him.

"You three were killed! How is this possible!"

"Not quite. You see, I had been wounded in my battle with my clone but I still had enough magic left to do one last little thing before I returned to the heavens."

"Go on," Marik said, listening intently.

"Well," Yugi turned to face Seto, "I used the last reserves of my magic to give to my other comrades a gift. I anchored Ryou and Malik's spirits to their other half's. Though…Ryou was sort of already attached. I don't know how he managed that one," Yugi shrugged, "However, this is where you come in. It's thanks to you that Malik, Ryou and myself are here. You have the power to give life back to the dead. All dead. Including us," Yugi said with an uncharacteristic smirk.

"But… this was all perfectly planned. The Seers…they…no! It cannot be!"

"It seems to me," Marik said, stepping forward to be in line with the once deceased god of Air, "That you have just caused your own demise."

Seto thought for a moment and then began to chuckle.

"You still don't have the power to destroy my army. If you take the life away, Darkness, I'll just bring it back. You'll have to destroy me first. And to do that, you have to get through these!" he yelled, pointing to his large army of ghosts and zombies who snarled angrily, wanting to tear their opponents apart.

"He's got a point," Malik mumbled.

Ryou looked towards the other five gods.

"I have an idea…but, Bakura. I'll need to borrow your body. As spirits, Malik, Yugi and myself cannot use any magical attacks against physical forms because we need to have a physical form to do so. Spirits can only use their magic against other spirits. Is that alright with you?" Ryou asked.

Bakura looked into his deep forest green eyes. Ryou looked back into pools of deep, ocean blue.

"Of course. What is your plan?"

"Well, what Seto said is true," Yugi said, "If Yami uses his magic to take the life away, Seto will bring it right back."

"Which is where Jonouchi comes in," Ryou stated.

Malik looked at him, "That's right! Jonouchi is still resting!"

Ryou nodded and looked to Bakura, "Which is why I need your body for a little while. I'll use my earth magic to rope him up. We'll sort of hold him hostage."

"And Seto will disband his army of zombies and ghosts to get him back!" Marik said excitedly. Yes! He wasn't going to die today.

"Still leaves us the problem of Sprit man over there," Bakura pointed to Seto who seemed to be thinking something over, strategically planning his next attack perhaps?

Yugi looked to Ryou who looked to Malik. They nodded to each other.

"Leave that to us," the three spirit gods said, "We'll signal Yami when the time is right. You'll know what you have to do."

The six of them turned to face Seto and his army. It was deathly silent, an icy wind blew through the room and a loud clap of thunder sounded, Seto's army rushed forward. Bakura felt something icy brush up against him and then…he was floating. He looked at his hand and saw that it was see through. Bakura's body turned and looked at him.

"Are you alright?"

Bakura nodded.

"Good, now, remember to avoid all attacks launched by spirits. They might be able to damage your physical body because it still exists," Ryou informed him, "Alright, let's go. Follow me up after."

Ryou…or, at least Bakura's body, started to glow an intense green colour as a large iron shield formed itself around the six gods going up at least eight metres into the air. Making a tree sprout from the ground, Ryou grabbed onto one of its branches as it sprung up from the ground to the top of the shield. Creating a little ledge for himself, he stepped onto it and spotted Jonouchi against the far wall of the battle weary room, stirring. Lifting a glowing arm, vines formed around the Battle mage and inconspicuously dragged him to where Ryou was patiently waiting, Seto blissfully unaware of what was going on as he was focusing on getting past the thick mass of metal. Brown eyes blinked open and looked at their surroundings.

"B…Bakura?" he asked.

"Yes…and no."

"Wha?" Jonouchi shook his head and looked at Ryou again, "How did I get here?"

"My plants brought you to me."

Jonouchi turned his head to see his love and the army of zombies trying to get through the thick iron.

"Seto! Seto!"

Cerulean blue eyes looked up to where Jonouchi was struggling against the thick vines.

"Jonouchi!" he cried, "Let him go, bastards! You're fight is with me!"

Ryou broadened the platform to allow the other two gods and three spirits to step onto it.

"If I remember correctly," Yami called, "Jonouchi was helping you at the start of this battle!"

Seto slammed a fist on the barrier separating himself from the other gods.

How could I be so foolish as to leave him unprotected? Seto thought furiously.

Ryou began to disperse the iron metal back into the ground from where it came. He stepped forwards, the vines holding Jonouchi following. The other five gods staying a safe distance away.

"What is Ryou up to?" Bakura whispered to Malik.

"Honestly, I have no idea. We'll see shortly."

Ryou stopped a metre or so away from the weary king, "We have a proposition for you. Get rid of your zombies and spirits. And we shall return to you your most prized possession. If you don't co-operate, I can give you a little…incentive to do so."

"Like what?" Seto spat.

Ryou flicked his wrist and a large thorn sprouted from the vine, very close to Jonouchi's face. Seto's eyes widened, as did the other gods'.

"What are you doing?" Marik called out, surprised at what the normally gentle Earth god was doing.

"Be quiet, I know what I'm doing, Marik," Ryou yelled, he turned to Seto, "These aren't ordinary thorns either. They have rather potent toxins on them. They're very strong, and the toxins have been known to make many people suffer very violent reactions to it. In practically every case, the person who has been pricked by these poisoned thorns dies not long after. I'm sure you don't want to put your lover in danger of a rather painful death, do you?"

"You wouldn't dare. You're Ryou, the god of Earth. You don't have it in you to be cruel like that."

"Don't I?" Ryou leered as he flicked his wrist again, he didn't even flinch as he heard Jonouchi's agonized scream as a thorn pierced the skin of his arm, almost black green eyes stared coldly at the king. Only once before hadanyone seen Ryou's eyeslike this.

Seto visibly cringed, but didn't say anything at all.

Ryou sighed as another thorn grew, this time pricking Jonouchi in the leg.

"The poison should be taking effect about now," Ryou said nonchalantly, "He'll break into a sweat and start to see and hear things. The room will start spinning in around three minutes and his vision will begin to blur in about five," Ryou looked up, Seto still hadn't said a word.

Ryou commanded the vine to grow another thorn.

"Stop! You're taking this too far! Jonouchi shouldn't be suffering like this!" Yugi yelled.

Ryou turned and looked at Yugi with a glare, "I've told you all, I know what I'm doing. Be quiet. This has to be done," he continued on with his description of the course of action the poison would take, "He'll get an extremely high temperature and by that time his body will start to stop functioning. The arms and legs get paralysed first, but it will be excruciatingly painful. That will occur about seven or eight minutes from when his temperature starts running high. Once the arms and legs are paralysed, the voice stops working next and his heart will start beating very slowly. This occurs three minutes after his legs and arms are paralysed. Should I go on?"

"S…Seto," Jonouchi whispered, his golden hair plastered to his face with sweat.

"The poison is taking effect. Will you take me up on the offer?"

"Gods above!" Malik cried, "Are you a fool! Stop him damn it, Seto!Jonouchi's life isn't worth this!' Yugi began to sob, leaning onto Yami's shoulder. Yami whispered soothing words to him to calm him down.

"Ryou," Bakura whispered, shocked at the scene that was playing out before them.

Seto refused.

"S…Se…to."

Ryou looked directly at Kaiba. "In exactly nineteen minutes, his breathing will become ragged and shallow and it will feel like his chest is about to explode from the lack of air. By this time, the pain will be unbearable, but no, he isn't finished yet. After fifteen minutes of that, his airways will slowly begin to close, blocking the already minimal amount of air from being taken into his body. But that isn't before blood in his body start's to spill from him. All in all, it is a very slow and very painful death. Not one I would wish on anybody."

"Kaiba, is your army really worth Jonouchi's life? His condition will worsen beyond healing if he is left any longer," Yami said, "And by the looksof things, Ryouis prepared to allow him to go beyond that."

"Do we have a deal?" Ryou asked Seto emotionlessly.

Seto took one look at Jonouchi, covered in a cold sweat, his face deathly pale and his brown eyes unfocused.

"Alright, I will relinquish my army!" the King said after a moments hesitation. He began to glow a pale blue, the zombies and ghosts returning to their lifeless state.

Ryou released Jonouchi from the clutches of the vines and placed him on a bed of moss. Yami stepped forward, Yugi's spirit in control. Closing his tear filled eyes, Yugi glowed amethyst as he concentrated on purging the toxins from Jonouchi's body. Ryou gave Bakura back his body and finally, Yugi stood, rubbing his eyes as he opened them.

"You are awfully lucky that you told Ryou to stop when you did. Any longer and I wouldn't have been able to do a thing," Yugi paused, "And you call yourself his lover!"

Seto smirked as he began to glow silvery blue.

"Don't even think about it!" Malik yelled as he forcefully took over Seto's body, the spirits of Ryou and Yugi pinning Seto's spirit down so he couldn't regain control.

"Do it! Yami! Destroy Seto's body! Don't worry about me; I'll be fine!" Malik looked over to where Ryou and Yugi were struggling, "Do it now!"

Yami glowed crimson and using his Shadow powers, completely destroyed Seto's body, effectively knocking Malik's spirit out of it before it was devoured by the darkness.

"There's only one thing left to do," Yugi said as Malik pinned down Seto's spirit, "Yami, I'll take over your body so you can use your shadow powers to destroy his spirit completely so he can't come back."

Nodding, Yami felt something icy move against him before he was hovering above the ground.

"So…what do I do?"

"It's like your normal magic, but it can only affect spirits."

Ryou tied some vines around Seto's legs attached to a large, heavy rock, holding him in place.

Yami glowed crimson as he aimed his magic, the five other gods standing behind him.

"We gods have no mercy on an evil soul such as yours. You will never walk this earth again. We condemn you for all eternity to the underworld!"

"Jonouchi…" he whispered, reaching out to his lover, "I'm sorry for…for failing you…and…bringing you into this mess."

The last thing the spirit of His Imperial Highness, Seto Kaiba saw was the scowling faces of Yami, Yugi, Ryou, Bakura, Marik and Malik as he disintegrated into nothing.

Well, that was it. Was it good? I sure hope so. I think this is my longest chapter yet. Yay! Remember to please, leave a review before you move on to the next fic you read. Ja ne! (Hands out plushies to all reviewers)

Thanks to: Time Keeper, Chelley Angel, SilverWing147 and Atemu Yugi Lover34.

The Queen of England: Thank you for your constructive criticism. It really helps! I'll try to mix their reactions in the future, sorry about that. It was my first time writing a chaptered fic, but thanks for pointing it out! I really appreciate it. Thanks!