Chapter 14 - A Single Piece
Bakura and Ryou were close enough to see what happened, but not close enough to do anything. One moment they saw Yugi flying through the sky; the next Malik and Marik were diving at top speed, twin gold blurs through the blue sky, hitting Yugi before he could react and shoving him through a portal into nothingness.
The screams from Yami reached them long before they landed on the balcony. Otogi had wrapped his arms around Yami and dragged him inside; Ryou joined them while Bakura detoured to the point where the portal had been.
"Seventh level of Hell." Bakura growled, his magic sensing the location of the other side. "Arrogant bastards…they didn't even try and disguise the traces. They have Yugi and are taking him right to Asmodeous."
Inside the apartment, Otogi had pinned a hysterically thrashing Yami to the couch. Ryou grabbed Yami's face, trying to get his attention. The teen's eyes were glazed and dilated, staring at nothing. He didn't respond to anything that Ryou said or did; they could only hold on to Yami and make sure he didn't hurt himself as he screamed and screamed and screamed.
Bakura entered the room, thrashing his wings angrily. "Can't you get him to shut up?"
Ryou shook his head. "No…I don't think this is from losing Yugi, Bakura. Shock I could understand, but this… Can you do something please?"
Bakura grimaced in disgust, but nodded, placing a finger on Yami's forehead. He screamed, jerking himself loose and falling back, blue eyes wide, face as white as his hair. Yami gasped, his eyes rolling up into the back of his skull as he passed out.
Bakura stared at Yami for a long moment, an unreadable look on his face before he turned and stumbled to the bathroom where they heard him vomiting.
Ryou sent Otogi a pleading look; the incubus nodded silently. Now that Yami was no longer thrashing, he could handle it himself. Ryou ran for the bathroom, kneeling beside Bakura, who was still dry heaving. "Love, are you okay? What happened?"
"I tried to consume some of his pain, knock the boy out – and I accidentally caught a piece of their link." Bakura shuddered again – Ryou rubbed his shoulders soothingly, reaching into the bathtub for a cloth. He ran it over Bakura's sweat-soaked clammy face. The gaki gave him a watery smile as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They have Yugi in a pain-circle, Ryou – and Yami could still feel everything. I'm guessing that they need to concentrate to block each other off – and no one can concentrate with that kind of agony. It'll be a wonder if he doesn't go mad from that alone."
Ryou blanched a colour that nearly matched his mate. "A pain-circle – Hells, that's sadistic."
Bakura nodded. "I think the shock must have knocked him cold, or Yugi passed out." He sighed, leaning against Ryou in a rare open show of affection. They both knew what their chances of rescuing Yugi were – and they both knew that they would attempt it anyway.
They walked out a few minutes later to see that Otogi now sat beside Yami, stroking his hair and face comfortingly. Yami's features were still twisted in soul-deep agony, and he muttered even in his sleep.
"He's talking to Yugi." Otogi murmured. "I can't make out everything, but he keeps muttering 'Yugi' and 'tenshi'."
Ryou and Bakura exchanged a look; then Bakura explained what was happening quickly while Ryou went into the kitchen to get them all something to drink. He'd spent a few quiet centuries in England and to this day his knee-jerk response to trauma and stress involved tea. He boiled the kettle and brought out four mugs, listening to the murmured voices in the living room. He had no idea what they were going to do now – the three of them had, if one could forgive the bad pun, a snowball's chance in Hell of rescuing Yugi on their own. And taking a mortal into Hell would be murder.
He put the tea on a tray and carried it out to the living room, where he saw greenish light just dying around Otogi's hands. He cocked his head in silent question as he laid the tray on the table.
"It's a spell to mute the link between him and Yugi." Otogi ran long fingers through Yami's thick hair. "He started crying out again, calling Yugi's name."
Ryou shook his head and handed everyone a cup of green tea.
"This is insanity. He'll go mad if we don't get Yugi back from Asmodeous." Bakura snarled in frustration. "And we can't leave Yugi in the hands of the Demon Prince. He'll be tortured, then killed."
"Tell us something we don't know." Otogi snapped. Ryou put up his hands to forestall the argument before it even began.
"We need time to plan." He said quietly. "And we need to gather information – even if we know where the portal went, I would not put it past Malik and Marik to set a trap for anyone who might want to rescue Yugi. And if you recall, they are working with Kyoshori Mutou, which means that they will be after Yami as well."
Bakura nodded, baring his fangs in a vicious grin. "So we go to Kyoshori and find out what he knows."
Seto Kaiba was not the sort to hide for long.
He'd left Mokuba back in the hidden lab, not wanting to expose his little brother to danger, and knowing that whatever help Seto needed, Mokuba could supply using the backup computer access Seto had rigged into the lab long ago.
"Mokuba?" he murmured into his comlink – his own invention, a dedicated microtransmitter built into his coat lapel; Mokuba possessed the mate. And unlike most transmitters of this size, there was no limit to the range.
"Seto? You're coming in loud and clear. All signs are clear from your location to the 17th floor. Mutou hasn't broken the computer protections, so all your overrides should still work."
"Good." Seto strode along the hallways of his building; the cameras in his office showed that Mutou had gone through all the paperwork; thankfully, nothing classified had been on his desk. And apparently his demon backup had left – Seto know he could take the other man on by himself easily; his blood-bond with Mokuba had left him with enhanced reflexes as well as a partial immunity to fire.
However, much to his shock, when he got the office it was empty. "Mokuba? Where is Kyoshori Mutou?"
"I don't know what happened, Seto – one minute he was there, the next he was gone. I think that he must have looped the security tape for a while…"
Nodding, Seto strode into the office and sat at his desk, entering the code to free access to the networks. He studied the keystroke record and saw that Kyoshori had attempted to access the system a few times, but had been foiled – and then he had attempted to dump a virus on the system, but he was a businessman, not a computer expert – the KaibaCorp mainframe had isolated the virus with ridiculous ease. Seto frowned – none of this was a serious attempt. What game was he playing?
Yami. He really was only after Yami…but why? Why go through all this for the son he plainly hated…
Control? No… it didn't seem right somehow. Possession? Close, but not enough. Seto shook his head. Obviously, Kyoshori had found what he had wanted – and he had to get word to Yugi and Yami.
"Mokuba, get the chopper ready."
Yugi awoke slowly, waves of pain flowing through his abused nerves in an echo of the agony he had landed in. He blinked, amethyst eyes still glazed with pain as he looked around.
He lay in a cell, the bars charged and crackling with magic; enchanted stone colder than any mortal ice formed the other five surfaces around him. He hissed as it stuck to his skin, pulling away bits whenever he moved. He tried to get his mind to work, to remember how he had gotten there.
A flash of gold flickered in his mind. Malik and Marik – the hunter demons had hit him with nearly the amount of power to break his back, sending him hurtling through a portal into a magical circle.
After that, agony was all he remembered. Agony that shattered the mind and froze the body – he vaguely recalled Yami's voice in his mind, and trying to block off their link, but he couldn't concentrate. The pain filled his world.
Then blessed unconsciousness – he must have passed out. Then - this place. He reached out for Yami automatically – green light and darkness blocked the way, giving him only a glimpse of his mate's mind. Good – the green had the taste of Otogi, which meant Yami wasn't alone, and the darkness meant his mate was unconscious. With a shiver of regret, he closed off his end of the link as much as possible, just leaving him with a feeling that his mate was still alive. He knew what had to be coming, and he wouldn't put Yami through that.
"Well; you're awake." Marik's voice floated through the bars, heralding the hunter demon and his twin. "Good timing – we were sent to bring you to your trial."
"What trial?" he asked, trying to marshal his strength to move.
"The Prince is trying you for the crime of seducing and impregnating his consort." Marik's smile was vicious; Malik's satisfied. They both knew what the outcome would be.
So did Yugi.
-----
A knock thundered through the door. Bakura went to answer it – as he himself had pointed out once before, the bad guys probably wouldn't knock.
He opened the door to reveal Seto Kaiba and his little brother Mokuba. They certainly didn't look like people on the run, which probably meant Kaiba had managed to get back control of his company.
Mokuba looked up. "I thought this was the apartment belonging to Yugi Takahashi?" the little demon looked confused as he stared at the white-haired gaki.
Kaiba had met Bakura before though. "Where are Yugi and Yami?" he demanded. Bakura jerked his thumb in a backward motion – a silent signal to enter – and stepped out of the way, closing the door behind them.
Kaiba nodded his head to Ryou before gazing down at Yami, still lying on the couch. "What happened?"
"Yugi was taken." Bakura stated bluntly. "Malik and Marik ambushed him – he's somewhere in Hell right now."
"Shh." Otogi hissed, gesturing towards Yami, who had finally fallen into a deeper sleep. The incubus slipped the teenager's head off his lap and stood. "We should take this conversation elsewhere – that way we won't wake Yami. He's going to need all the strength he can gather when we take him into Hell." Otogi turned the couch so that he could see Yami from the balcony before leading them outside.
In deference to Yami, Ryou waited until they were all on the balcony before verbally taking Otogi's head off.
"Are you insane? We can't take a mortal – even one blood-bonded to another demon – into Hell! He'll never survive!"
"We don't have a choice." Bakura said unexpectedly. "Even though we know that Yugi's in the seventh circle, it's still far too large for us to search haphazardly – the only one who has a chance of finding Yugi in a reasonable amount of time is Yami." The gaki took his mate in a gentle embrace. "I don't like the idea, but there is no other logical alternative."
"Fine." Ryou growled. "But I don't like this."
"Nor do I." Kaiba moved until he was standing by the rail of the balcony. "I think that right now, invading Hell would be a bad decision. Don't you think they will be expecting something like that? It's a bad idea – and I don't think Yugi will thank you for getting yourselves and his mate killed thanks to some stupid heroic gesture."
Bakura stalked over to the mortal and turned him to face the rest with a harsh shove. "Kaiba, we're not going to invade Hell with an army and try and fight our way through. We're not even going to be going in a way that can be detected. I was the greatest thief the mortals had ever seen – you think I can't break into Hell?"
Kaiba slapped the hand away, crossing his arms and looking down his nose at Bakura. "I know that he'll be guarded – can the four of you take on whatever is set to prevent his rescue? You will all be killed."
Mokuba nodded, glaring at the thief. "Oniisama is right. I've seen the guards Prince Azmodeous has access too – even a pair of fire demons fell to them!"
"It doesn't matter." Bakura snapped. "We have no choice."
"We can look for aid." Ryou said gently, entwining his fingers with Bakura's to soothe the gaki. "There must be others who can help."
------
Yami wept in the endless darkness of his dreams, alone. His connection with Yugi was faint; his mate had been in horrible pain when it had abruptly cut off – only that faint connection told him that Yugi still lived. He closed his eyes; Yugi was in Hell, and he was too pathetic to do anything but sit here and cry. Damnit, there had to be something he could do!
But he couldn't even master himself enough to summon his own magic, never mind do anything that would save his mate.
Yami wasn't stupid. Unless they rescued him, the Demon Prince would kill Yugi. He couldn't – wouldn't allow that to happen; even if he had to walk into Hell with only his determination to save his love.
"Noble sentiments, Master, but they will get you killed." A voice came out of the darkness – Yami jerked as three figures emerged. One – a man in purple robes with a luminescent green staff – stepped to the fore. In his arms he carried a tiny furred creature. "Master – we felt your need and came. What would you have of us?"
Yami couldn't help but stare. "What…no, there is no time. Can you do anything to help rescue Yugi?"
The girl – a pretty blond in a blue and pink dress that barely covered her form – shook her head. "Not unless you call us to the real world, Prince."
The furred creature kuued and bounced out of the man's arms. Yami blinked at it as it hopped on tiny green legs to sit and his feet and rub his ankles, making a sound suspiciously close to a purr.
"How can I call you to the real world?" he asked, reaching down to pet the little furball.
"When you were a child, we took your powers from you to prevent your mind breaking under the strain of living under your father…but when you mated with your Beloved, we gave them back. You can do this, Master – and when you do you will have the ability to call an army out of the darkness." The girl took a step closer. "But something is stopping you, Master – a wall between you and the dark that only is breached when your life is in direct danger and the Puzzle can act. It is a key, Master – and you are both the door and the doorkeeper."
"Accept the darkness that is a part of you and you will breach the wall forever." The man stated with confidence.
"But how?" Yami whispered. "I don't know how…" He picked up the furball and squeezed it. He fell silent. They couldn't answer his question for him – he had to answer it himself. Looking down at his chest, he fingered the puzzle that hung there. It was a key…and he was the door and the doorkeeper. That didn't make any sense! He – how could he be a door…
Darkness is potential. Yugi's voice. He remembered the conversation they had had about the meaning of his name. If darkness was potential – why was he so afraid of it? Was he afraid of the dark?
No. He never had been – he had always embraced the shadows as a source of comfort, of solace. So why had he not been able to call the darkness?
Unless – it was because of what it might do to him. He remembered the sick feeling he'd gotten after Malik and Marik's thugs had attacked him in the alley. The horror he'd felt when he saw his lover dripping with black blood, the red human blood splashed on the walls before the shadows had moved and wiped it clean, leaving no trace of the poor victims of his rogue magic. He had killed them with his fear and his lack of control.
"He never told me that the darkness could destroy…" he whispered.
"Master…" the man said quietly. "Both darkness and light can destroy – together they have the ability to destroy something utterly and draw it anew from the ashes. Such is the way of the universe. Destruction is not in itself evil – evil lies in the way such power is used."
Yami's head shot up. If that was true – then to prevent it from using him in such a way again, he would have to learn to control it. He caressed Eye in the centre of the puzzle thoughtfully. To do that, according to the girl, he would have to accept it.
But could he do that? Could he accept that potential for destruction that came with the potential for creation? Surely he didn't have to accept that he was capable of murder in order to save his lover.
Yami turned the pieces of this puzzle over in his mind, looking at it in another way – what would he be willing to do, to give up, to accept, in order to have Yugi again? Crimson-violet eyes narrowed as he caressed the tiny furball with one hand and the seams in the puzzle with the other, absently worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.
He had been willing to give up a part of his humanity to stay with Yugi, to share a part of his soul. And Yugi…Yugi had been willing to give up everything to have him, to take on anything to keep them together. Could he really do any less?
No.
In his heart of hearts the last doubts vanished under his determination.
Like the final piece of a puzzle, the missing part of his soul slid into place – and the Darkness rejoiced.
---
No one with the slightest sensitivity to magic could miss the surge of power from the living room. As one, the group in the porch turned to face the source.
Yami stood there, eyes narrowed in determination. He opened his mouth to speak and grabbed his head. In the centre of his forehead, an Eye of black light shimmered.
The Puzzle around Yami's neck flared to life, burning with a rainbow light so bright that Yami himself was a silhouette of shadow in the heart of the maelstrom. Black wings emerged from his back, stretching upwards before spreading fourteen feet on either side; a cry of mingled pain and exultation ripped from his throat - the sound of a soul breaking free of its chains.
Shadows rose around his form, mingling with the light, encasing him in a strange chrysalis. Black and blue and purple; swirling mist and jagged lightening twisted around him in a silent storm.
"Yami!" Ryou lunged forward, but Bakura held him tightly in his arms.
"No Ryou – you don't know what that stuff will do to you…"
"We don't know what it's doing to Yami either!" Ryou wrenched at Bakura's grip, but couldn't break it. "He could be dying…it could be an attack…it could be anything!"
Seto shook his head, watching closely with Mokuba clinging to one arm. "I don't think so – if they had a remote attack, they would have used it by now – and Kyoshori wants Yami alive."
"It isn't demonic magic." Otogi took a step forward. "I don't know what it is."
The darkness exploded outwards, still in that eerie silence, revealing Yami, arms crossed over his chest, wings spread to their fullest extent, head thrown back, floating in midair. A moment later he landed on the floor with gentle 'thump' as the last of the blazing light died around the Puzzle.
"Impossible", Bakura breathed. "His wings…"
White feathers - marked with bars of golden brown and black deep enough to flash blue highlights, long and narrow for speed and manoeuvrability –whispered through the air as his wings folded gracefully to his back. He shivered, arms dropping to his side as he took a deep, shuddering breath, wings shifting as he looked down to face them. On his head glimmered a crown of gold, circling black hair was wild now as Yugi's, bangs floating free; his torso and forearms were covered in blue enamelled armour fashioned into the likeness of Egyptian falcons. A simple white kilt of fine linen hugged his hips; matching blue enamelled armour that protected his shins. His eyes slid open; shadowed, restless red-violet still turned inward, soft and unfocussed. "Yugi…" he breathed.
"I've never seen – could have never imagined…" Ryou shook his head. "Yami?"
His eyes snapped into focus. "Ryou…where is he?"
"In Hell…taken by the Prince." The storm demon answered. He swallowed, then asked "Yami, how…"
Yami shook his head. "No time. Yugi is in danger – and I have a score to settle with the Demon Prince."