Okay slightly longer than expected update but here it is!
Disclaimer: Not owned by me, only the plot is!
Chapter 8 (wow)
Atemu stared at the woman in front of him. Although he recognised her, the way she looked at him struck fear into his very being. The last time he had seen her she had been laughing and joking with the man who he had called father while they got ready for their trip and then there had been a crash…
"You're supposed to be dead." Atemu accused her.
"And yet here I am, alive and well."
"So it would seem." Atemu said his voice very close to a growl. "Why have you decided to show yourself to me now? Why did you kidnap me? And where is Yugi?"
"I need you here now as you are, weak and unable to defend yourself as for your brother, I do not know how he is nor do I care." She looked at him her once beautiful face twisted and evil, Atemu blanched.
"I loved you as my mother." He said his hurt and betrayal portrayed in a simple sentence. "When they said you had been killed with dad…" he paused then and narrowed his eyes "is he"
"Here, yes." A deep voice said and the figure of his adoptive father came round from behind a bookcase. He walked over to Iria and gave her a long lingering kiss. "At last we shall have what we desire my love."
"Yes, I have waited all my life for this Michael."
They turned and looked at their one-time son and smiled but there was no happiness there it was only evil.
Atemu shrank back into a corner of his prison and tears began to roll down his cheeks knowing the hopelessness of his situation. Pulling his knees up to his chin he wept.
Yugi was back at Seto's mansion pacing the floor. The CEO was staring out of a window and Jou was drinking from a large glass of vodka and orange because as he put it his nerves needed it.
Yugi stopped and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
"There must be something we can do!" He said and sat down suddenly on one of the soft leather couches in the room. Jou got up from his place and went over to Yugi offering his glass to him.
"Drink, you might feel better." But Yugi smacked the glass away from him. It flew out of Jou's hand and smashed on the floor.
"I don't need a drink I need my brother back don't you understand?" he almost shouted and gripped his tri-coloured hair in his hands. "I hate this not knowing!"
"So do I Yugi, but until I hear back from the searchers there is nothing we can do. I'm sure he's fine." Seto said the last part in the hope of reassuring his young friend.
"But you don't know that he's fine do you Seto." Yugi said quietly. It was a statement, not a question. The other shook his head. "Thought not." And getting up, he resumed his pacing while Jou went off to find a dustpan and mop to clean up the broken glass. Seto resumed his staring out the window.
"Atemu where are you?" He silently asked but only the wind replied, rattling the windows and whipping up the leaves on the lawn.
Atemu watched as Iria and Michael went about the room gathering things that they were going to need. His attention was again drawn to the box on the table. What was it about that box that attracted him so much? It was as if it was calling to him but stuck in his cage there was nothing he could do about it. He inched his way forwards towards it and got as close as the bars would allow.
It happened in a split second. One minute he was staring at the box wishing he could get closer to it and the next it was flying through the air towards him. He gasped as the lid flew off and a pyramid shape flew out of it and landed on the floor in front of him.
When it landed to Atemu's dismay it seemed to shatter into many pieces when it hit the stone floor. One of the pieces landed in the cage and he snatched it up quick.
"Look what you did." Michael said angrily at his wife who squeaked and dashed to gather up the fragments of the strange pyramid.
"What is it?" Atemu asked.
"Nothing to do with you." She snapped at him but he noted that she said it a little too fast.
Iria gathered the pieces to her and put them in the box shutting it with a snap. If he discovered what the puzzle really was, she shuddered to think what would happen. She hadn't noticed the small piece that Atemu had managed to snatch up and conceal in a pocket and thinking that she had got all of them she placed the box this time on a shelf. She would have to put it together again later when she had time.
She went into another room and returned with some bread and cheese.
"Here." She said shoving it through the bars and dropping it on the dirty floor. "I suppose you ought to eat."
Atemu was feeling too upset and hurt to think of eating and besides he couldn't be sure the bread would be alright as he didn't trust her now.
"Thanks." He muttered and picked the bread up making as if to eat it but when she turned to walk away he threw it away through the bars where it slid across the floor and came to rest in a grubby corner.
Michael yawned.
"Well I'm going to bed, you coming?"
"Yes we have a big day tomorrow." Iria said and flashed Atemu a nasty smile. "Tomorrow we shall get what we deserve."
They laughed and left the room.
Atemu waited until he thought he could hear the faint noise of snoring drifting down to him from Michael. He remembered that Michael had always snored and Iria had constantly been woken by it.
From his pocket he drew the fragment of the strange object and looked closely at it. He noticed that the edges were smooth and that it seemed to be made of gold or a metal with gold over it. It looked like the piece of a puzzle.
Was it a puzzle then? He had no idea but as he held it in his hand, it glowed slightly as if alive. Was it possible that this object had some sort of power? If that was true then maybe it could help him.
He closed his fingers round the item and concentrated.
"Yugi."
Yugi was still pacing and Jou was beginning to think that he would wear a hole in the rug! The searchers had been and gone reporting that nothing could be found and that they would continue the search tomorrow. Yugi had grabbed one of them and demanded to know why they had found nothing yet and Jou had to drag him off the poor man.
"Yugi! They are doing their best. They will carry on tomorrow now calm down!"
Jou had held onto Yugi until he had calmed down and stood quietly. When he let him go, he had walked back to his place on the carpet and resumed his pacing. Seto had apologised to the man who nodded in understanding of the situation but feeling at the same time that it was hopeless. They left then and silence fell over the trio save for the soft thudding of Yugi's feet on the carpeted floor.
"Yugi."
Yugi was so surprised at hearing the voice in his head that he fell over backwards with a cry. Jou and Seto rushed over to help him up.
"Yugi! What's wrong?" Jou asked when they had got him to the couch.
"It's Atemu." He gasped still in shock. "I heard him!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes it was him I know it. Seto, he's alive!" Yugi smiled for the first time since Atemu had vanished.
"Where…" Seto began but was interrupted by Yugi raising a hand to stop him.
"Sssh I need to concentrate, somehow he is able to talk to me through our link again and I don't want to lose the contact." Seto nodded and they sat opposite Yugi in silence and watched him close his eyes in concentration.
Again the voice came to him.
'Yugi.'
'Atemu?'
'Yes thank goodness I can hear you again.'
'How?' Yugi began but Atemu cut in.
'No time to explain Yugi can you feel me again? I can feel you now. I feel the pain you have suffered and I'm sorry.'
'Don't be sorry Atemu it wasn't your fault.'
'Well that's not strictly true but there's no time to explain now I feel so weak.'
'Yes I can feel it, why are you so weak?'
'Please! No time to explain if I'm right, you should be able to follow your feelings to find me but be careful Yugi, I was taken by evil people who are planning something big and for some reason they need me.'
Yugi listened as Atemu described the room he was in and gasped.
'That's the room from my dream!'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes I'd know that room anywhere. Do you think you are still in Japan?'
'I don't know but I'm sure you'll be able to find me I have faith in you my brother.'
'I'll find you Atemu I promise.'
'I have to go now.' Atemu said his voice sounding very weak.'
'I'm coming brother.' Yugi said through the link but there was no reply. He hoped Atemu was okay but he had sounded very weak. When he found the ones responsible for this, they would pay he swore it.
Seto and Jou watched Yugi closely as he opened his eyes and looked at them.
"I can feel Atemu again, come on we're going to find him."
"By just a feeling?" Seto asked, his voice sceptical.
"Yes trust me I know we can find him! Come on we have to hurry!" he added when he saw them hesitate.
"Well if you're sure Yuug, I'm with you all the way." Jou said and turned to Seto. "Come on we need you."
Seto shrugged and followed hoping that this wasn't a wild goose chase and that Yugi really could feel his brother again. If he even could, there was no guarantee that they would be successful. He hoped they would be for Yugi's sake, he hated to see him so sad.
"Get the chopper ready." He spoke into the com on his jacket.
"Yes sir Mr Kaiba." A voice came back and Seto led the way.
'I'm on my way.' Yugi said through their link hoping that Atemu had heard even if he couldn't answer.
Yami-Seirei: Wow I didn't expect that chapter to be so long hehe ah well guess it'll make up for the wait!
Silence from everyone as they are all reading…