Yami quickly realized he was in his own personal hell.

After Dartz was finished admiring his new pet, Raphael of the Three Swordsmen reentered the throne room, attached a leash onto the collar and led the leopard away. As they walked down the long, cold hall, Yami attempted to will himself to attack the servant but due to the collar he found himself having to obey every command given.

"Rebellion is not an option here," the big blond man told him, leading Yami into a room filled with large cages. In each cage was some kind of exotic animal and Yami knew that they were also imprisoned demons.

Yami wanted to yell and run away as Raphael placed him in an empty cage, but all he could do was quietly grumble and follow the commands given. "Good boy."

Once Raphael had left, Yami settled down and fell asleep, exhausted from that day's events.

Throwing his head back, Malik came, shooting his sticky release between their bodies.

As the headboard banged against the wall one last time, Bakura came as well, filling Malik. Pulling out of the blond, Bakura flopped down next to Malik and allowed the human to cuddle next to him.

"We should start heading back home soon," Malik lazily said as he drew a finger along Bakura's chest.

"Do we have to?" the fire demon complained. Heading home meant spending time with his parents, who he knew would gush silly over their announcement. "Why can't we just stay here for as long as possible?"

'Here' was currently the inn at a small town they had forgotten the name of. It was peaceful and quiet; plus the old lady who ran the inn was half deaf and could never hear their wild activities.

"Don't you want to see Ryou?" Malik pressed, knowing that Bakura's younger brother was one of the few people the fire demon cared about. "I'm sure he misses you."

"Give me a week. Then we'll set out for home."

"I love you Kura!" Malik squealed as he tightly hugged his demonic lover.

Inwardly Bakura groaned, wondering how he had become whipped so fast. All thoughts of being whipped however vanished from the fire demon's mind when Malik rolled on top of him and ground downwards.

"Ready for Round Two?"

"Definitely."

Time was slow and agonizing for Yami.

Most of the time he was locked in his cage, except for once a day when one of the Three Swordsmen would take him for a walk. Raphael was the nicest to him, speaking to him as if he was in his human form; Amelda ignored him and Varon would constantly tease him.

During his vast free time, Yami would plot, trying to figure out a way out to escape, but thus far he was having no luck. The collar was keeping him dormant and thoughts of food and walks muddled his thinking process.

There was however one bright spot in Yami's life; a friendly lemur lived in the cage next to him and would often playfully reach through the bars to snatch some food. At first Yami's animal instinct was angered by this action but his human side was able to break through and not attack the small gray primate. After a few days Yami was beginning to think of the lemur as a friend and was grateful for his companionship.

'He has violet eyes,' Yami thought one day while watching his new friend. The odd colored eyes and the familiar glowing collar around his neck were the only things that gave the lemur away as being a demon. As the days went by, Yami learned the lemur's name was Yugi.

Silently Amelda opened the cage and attached a leash to Yami's collar. Obediently Yami followed Amelda for his daily walk. The cat demon was growing restless from being cooped up all the time and was soon going to do something about it.

Seeing that Amelda was bored and distracted, which was typical during the walks, Yami knew that it would be the best time to make his move if he could only figure out what to do. The annoying collar however kept him from disobeying orders and that was a big problem.

It then occurred to Yami that he received no commands when Amelda had retrieved him from the cage; that he had simply followed along because he had grown accustomed to the daily regime.

Yami eyed a corridor coming up to his left. He didn't know where the passageway led but he knew he had to get away from Amelda quickly if he wanted to make a move to escape.

Making sure to fall behind the redhead, Yami stared at the human's back; it was time to make his move.

Gripping the leash in his mouth, Yami tugged on it, jumping backwards in the process. The unaware redhead tumbled to the ground, the back of his head hitting the floor and causing the leash to slip from his hands.

Free, Yami began bounding down the other corridor, the leash helplessly flying behind him; he still couldn't use his powers due to the collar but if he could get away from the castle he would be able to find help to break the magic and get the annoying thing off.

Turning his head to look behind him, Yami made sure that Amelda wasn't following him. He was pretty sure that the redhead had hit his head hard enough to stun him for a few minutes but he wouldn't feel safe until he was far away from Doma territory.

Yami rounded a corner, running as fast as he could on his four legs. He had no clue where he was going but as long as it was away from that horrible room where his cage was located he'd be happy; silently he vowed to return to rescue the lemur and the other demons trapped there as soon as he got free.

Then it happened. As he rounded another corner it suddenly felt like a thousand needles were piercing Yami's body. Crying out, the cat demon stumbled to the ground.

'Get up!' his mind screamed and he struggled to his feet as another wave of pain over came his body.

Attempting to fight through the pain, Yami began to take a few more steps before he collapsed to the ground once again.

"Such a disobedient pet," a familiar voice murmured in amusement. Pain erupted once more as Yami moved his head to find the imposing figure of Dartz looming over him. "You're supposed to be behaving. But at the same time it's almost cute how you managed to outsmart one of my men."

"Varon is taking Amelda to the infirmity," spoke up another voice and Raphael appeared in Yami's field of vision.

"Good; take this one back to his cage. It looks like I'm going to have to boost the magical defense around this palace in case one of my pets manages to break free again."

"Shouldn't someone see to him?" Raphael asked and Yami was grateful for him. The pain wasn't subsiding and his body continued to ache. The pain was so unbearable that even he, a demon, couldn't stand it.

"Fine; send one of the slaves," Dartz replied with a wave of his hand as he strolled off.

Picking up the leash, Raphael gave it a tug, forcing Yami up to his feet. He then began leading the leopard away and each step Yami took felt like daggers were jutting up through his paws.

"It won't hurt once Lord Dartz's powers wear off," the big blond man explained. "The faster you get back in your cage the faster you can start resting."

After what seemed like hours, Raphael and Yami finally reached the cage room and Yami couldn't have been happier. His body was on fire and all he wanted to do was collapse in the cage and fall asleep.

Locking the door of the cage, Raphael stared down at where the black leopard was lying. "Someone will be along shortly to look after you." The blond then left to carry on with his duties.

In the cage next to Yami, the lemur, Yugi, made some mournful noises and attempted to pet the silky black fur through the bars of their cages. As Yami dozed in and out of sleep, he couldn't help but thinking it felt nice knowing that someone cared for him.

After some time the door to the room opened and Yami knew without looking that the person who was supposed to take care of him had arrived.

Keeping his eyes closed, Yami lay still. Although he was in pain it did not mean he was going to abandon his plans of escaping. He would attack the unaware healer and make another break for it.

"Atemu?"

Yami's eyes shot open at the sound of his name and he lifted his head. 'No…'

Ryou was kneeling at the entrance of the cage with a familiar collar around his neck.

Crawling painfully forward, Yami nudged Ryou's chest with his head, letting the wind demon know it was indeed him. Gently Ryou began petting the soft fur as he began to talk.

"Oh Atemu…Dartz got you too," he mournfully said beginning his tale. "I was out seeing the world for my first time when I got caught in a storm not far from here. I made the mistake of using my powers and was spotted by that brute Varon. I've been here ever since as one of Dartz's slaves."

Yami gave rumbled purr as Ryou continued petting him in an attempt to tell him that everything would be okay. The cat demon was now more determined then ever to get out the horrible place.

Yami had thought things couldn't get worse for him but he was wrong.

In the days following his escape attempt Varon and Raphael would beat him regularly from orders coming down from Dartz. A few days went by and Amelda was able to join them; the redhead was more willing to get revenge for the escape incident.

After each beating Ryou was sent to make sure Yami would live and he would end up spending as long as possible gently petting the leopard's head. Sometimes Ryou would unlock Yugi's cage and allow the lemur to visit with them.

Yami liked that. It was comforting knowing that both Ryou and Yugi cared about him as he could feel his strength leaving his body and didn't know how much longer he could last.

"Bakura my hair is going to get wet!"

Bakura rolled his eyes at Malik's complaint. Above them in black the sky thunder crackled as a sign of the oncoming storm and soon they would be stuck with lightning and water all around them.

"The faster we move the faster we can get away from this weather."

"Why can't we stop at a village for the night?"

"Because there is none around here!" Bakura snapped in reply. It had been thousands of years since he had to travel somewhere by walking and he wasn't liking it one bit. "Besides I don't like the feel of these woods…"

"Pleaseeeee! We can stay at that castle over there."

Bakura's eyes trailed to massive dark castle where Malik was pointing. He definitely didn't like the feel of that place but Malik's pleading eyes were too much for him to ignore.

"Alright, alright; come on!"

"Thank you!" Malik cried as he hugged the fire demon.

'No more being whipped!' Bakura scolded himself with disgust as they began walking towards the castle. The feeling of dread grew as they got closer to it but Bakura shoved the feeling away. After all they only had to spend one night there; that wouldn't kill them.

Raphael watched as the aqua-haired lord finished chanting a spell in a foreign language. Patiently the blond man waited until the wizard was completed.

"What is it Raphael?" Dartz asked upon finishing his chanting. Turning around the aqua-haired man looked at his faithful servant with his mismatched eyes.

"Two men are at the gates. They are seeking a place to ride out the storm that will be hitting soon."

"Feed and show them to some empty rooms. Lock them in to make sure they don't go wandering around. We are to be a normal castle for the rest of the night."

"Yes my lord."

"See! I was right!" Malik bragged as he lay down on the posh bed in the room they were given. He was tired from the big meal they just ate and was glad to have some comforts again; Malik was beginning to get annoyed with all the traveling he had been doing recently.

Bakura remained quiet as he stared out the window at the falling rain. He was certain something wasn't right about the place and knew they had been locked in their room, despite the fact that Malik hadn't noticed.

Blowing out the candles, Bakura joined Malik on the bed. "Get some sleep," he commanded, wrapping an arm around the blonde's body.

The fire demon watched as Malik drifted off to sleep. Hours ticked by as he kept guard until he was satisfied that everyone in the castle was also asleep.

Foregoing the door, Bakura used his fire morphing technique to get to the other side. Seeing that the way was clear he began his investigation of the place.

The fire demon's travels took him down various corridors but he found nothing of interest until he reached a pair of thick, tall doors. Curiosity getting the better of him, Bakura morphed to the other side of the doors and found himself in a long, empty throne room.

Bakura lit a fire in the palm of his hand and began looking around the room. At first he saw nothing and was about to leave when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a glint of gold lying against a wall.

Walking over, the fire demon picked up the small object and was surprise to see that it was a familiar gold bell attached to a red ribbon.

'Kitten?' he wondered.

Unwanted concern became planted in Bakura's mind. He knew without doubt that the bell belonged to his rival but the ribbon looked as if someone had ripped it off. Although he hated Yami, Bakura knew that the cat demon wasn't stupid enough to not realize the dangerous feeling around the place.

Morphing out of the throne room, Bakura continued his search. He could sense that there was something hidden in the castle that he was supposed to find.

Heading up a flight of stairs, Bakura found himself drawn towards a closed door. Finding the door locked, Bakura once again morphed inside the room on the other side; to his horror he found cages and cages filled with animals, all wearing a strange collar around their necks.

"Kitten?" he whispered seeing the prone body of a black leopard in one cage. Rushing over to the cage, he picked the lock and reached inside to touch the still body. To his relief the leopard was breathing but unconscious but there was no doubt in his mind over the identity of the leopard. After growing up with his ex-friend, Bakura would have been able to recognize the cat demon anywhere.

Bakura silently swore as he wondered what to do. He could take Yami with him now but that could be difficult without getting caught. He still had Malik to think about too, who was still locked away in the guest room.

"I'll be back," he vowed as he crawled out of the cage and relocked it. He would leave Yami there for now while he investigated the rest of the castle and decided what he would do.

Morphing back into the hall, Bakura walked on until he found himself being drawn towards another door. Reaching out with a hand he attempted to touch the door but small green sparks shot out from the wooden door when his palm came close to it.

"Shit," he swore as he inspected where the sparks had touched it. Fortunately he didn't seem hurt.

"Bakura?" a soft voice whispered and the fire demon's eyes widened in surprise; he had to bite his tongue from crying out his younger brother's name.

"Ryou. What are you doing here?" he finally managed to whisper.

"Bakura you have to get out of here! Dartz is a wizard! He makes us wear collars so we can't use our powers! Don't get caught too!"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Bakura insisted. "Now stand back. I'll morph in."

"You can't! There's additional magic around this room since we slaves don't live in non-escapable cages. You won't be able to get in without help!"

"Then I'll find this Dartz and kill him!"

"Please, not by yourself! I don't want you to die!"

Bakura growled, not liking the situation at all. In normal circumstances he would have ignored the warning but he knew this Dartz had to be extremely powerful if he was able to capture so many demons.

"I'll be back," he promised.

"I know you will."

Returning to his room, Bakura stood guard all night in case someone knew he had been sneaking around. When dawn finally came the same blond who had fed and shown them to the room the night before unlocked the door.

"Did you enjoy your sleep?" the large blond man inquired.

"It was great," Malik sleepily yawned. Silently, Bakura stood next to his blond lover and nodded his head, grateful to have Malik there to inadvertently distract the man.

"Would you like some food before you leave?"

"That would be-"

"We must go immediately," Bakura insisted as he clasped Malik's hand. "The storm had already delayed us enough."

"Very well."

The large blond man showed them the exit and Bakura made sure to keep a casual pace as they walked away from the castle. Once they were out of sight, the fire demon began rapidly pulling Malik through the dense forest.

"Ow! What's got into you?" the sexy blond complained. "We could have eaten!"

"Ryou, Kitten and hundreds of other demons are being held captive there!"

"What?"

"You heard me! We have to help them which means getting away from here first!"

Still not really knowing the whole story but trusting Bakura, Malik began hurrying on as well. Ryou and Yami were his friends too and he wanted to help.

Finally during the late after noon they reached the edge of the Doma forest.

"Keep following the path to Chale Jao," Bakura commanded as he finally released his blond lover. "Let them know immediately what is going on."

"What about you?" Malik anxiously asked; worried that Bakura would go back and try and get everyone out by himself.

"I'm going to go get help."

Taking a step backwards, Bakura summoned a ring of fire around himself. He then disappeared before Malik's eyes.

On the other side of the world, Seto was busy tracking a demon through a jungle; his bow was drawn as he continued forward, stalking his pray.

Then suddenly out of nowhere a wall of fire sprung up in front of the demon hunter. As the flames began to fade away, Seto recognized the familiar form of the fire demon.

Lowering his bow, the two silently stared at each other, Seto not missing the fire that danced in Bakura's eyes.

The fire demon was angry.