Seto hurried behind the lemur as the furry primate raced down corridors. Suddenly the small creature stopped and began hopping around in front of a closed door.

Gently laying Yami on the ground, Seto reached out and placed a hand on the door. The door shimmered green but it did not harm him. Moving his hand to the door handle, Seto was surprised to find that the door was not locked. Slowly the door creaked opened and Seto stuck his head inside.

"Ryou?"

A dozen demons were scattered around the room, sitting on cushy pillows. All had a collar around their necks and all looked up at the demon hunter in surprise as he entered the room. To Seto's horror there were even a few children in the group.

"Seto!" Jumping to his feet, Ryou flung his arms around the brunet's neck. "Where's my brother?"

"We ran into trouble and got separated," Seto quickly replied before turning his attention to the group of demons, all who were getting to their feet. "Get out of here; run in any direction you can. I'm going after Dartz and once he's defeated your collars will fall off. You'll be free after that."

"But you're the famous hunter," a small girl whispered who stood at Seto's feet and looked up at his tall form. "Why are you helping us?"

Seto remained quiet for a few minutes as he stared down at her trying to think of an answer; she had big green eyes and Seto wondered how she got in her current situation. "…Because no one deserves this…"

Swiftly turning in his heel, Seto exited the room and picked Yami up once again. Around him the demons began hurrying off, their only desire to get away from the horrid room where they had been kept captive.

"I'm coming with you!"

Turning his head, Seto found Ryou standing behind him with the lemur clutched in his arms. "Very well."

Ryou instantly brightened and for a moment Seto feared he would be hugged again but fortunately the primate in Ryou's arms kept the wind demon from doing that once more.

"Do you know him?" Seto asked, nodding his head towards the lemur, who looked quite happy to be with Ryou.

"No, he just kinda hopped up and expected me to carry him," Ryou replied with a small smile on his face as he looked down at the small furry creature.

"Whatever; let's get going."

Ryou led the way as they hurried towards Dartz's throne room. Yami's collar continued to get dimmer as they ran and Seto knew it needed to come off fast.

"Do you have a plan for when we find Dartz?" Ryou inquired as they hurried down a flight of stairs. "I've seen his powers; he's going to be tough to beat."

"I'll figure something out."

Rounding another corner, Ryou gradually began slowing his pace. "There it is," he whispered, pointing toward two massive doors that were shut tight.

Walking forward, both Ryou and Seto approached the door with caution. Something wasn't right; they should have met up with Bakura by now but the fire demon was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly the large doors swung open by themselves and sick laughter could be heard from inside the hall.

"It's a trap!"

"I know," Seto calmly replied. "But we have no choice."

Shifting Yami so that he could grip the cat demon better, Seto held his head high as he strolled inside of the he throne room with Ryou, who was still carrying the lemur, following close behind.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Seto glared at the man with long aqua hair who stood in the middle of the room with his arms wide open as if he were gracefully welcoming Seto into his home. "It's such an honor to be in the presence of such a famous demon hunter! Is that one of your recent kills?"

"Shut up!" the brunet demon hunter growled. A glance to his left found the three men he and the fire demon had encountered earlier; to his horror, kneeling at their feet was Bakura with a collar around his neck and an angry look in his eyes.

"Bakura!" Ryou cried from behind Seto. The demon hunter knew that Ryou wanted to rush over to his older brother but was afraid of the three men.

"What did you do to Yami!" Seto demanded to know. The cat demon was his primary concern at the moment so Bakura and the other demons were going to have to wait. "Why is his collar getting dimmer?"

"Ah…" Dartz began with a grin upon his face. "…Well you see unfortunately there are only two ways for those little collars to be removed while I live…I remove it or the demon dies. The dim glow indicates that your friend there is dying."

Anger filled Seto as he placed Yami gently on the floor and stepped over the leopard's body. "Then remove it!"

"Umm…no…"

Seto freed his sword from his side. "Remove it."

"Stay where you are," Dartz commanded to his three servants. "He is no match for me."

"Seto!"

Snapping his head back around to look at Ryou, Seto saw that the wind demon was staring at Yami's body. In horror Seto watched as the collar went completely dark before falling free from around the cat demon's neck. The leopard's body then faded away to Yami's human form.

"NO!" Seto yelled as he swung back around and charged at Dartz, hoping to spear him with the tip of his blade. Dartz however easily sidestepped the sword and gave a cruel laugh.

"Looks like it's too late for him."

With one hand, Seto swung his sword as he spun around to face Dartz again but for a second time the aqua-haired man dodged the attack.

"My, my, my, you are a slow one. And to think that you were the one who defeated all those demons; must have been luck."

Seto growled as he swung again and once more received only air as Dartz moved out of the way once more. The wizard's laughter echoed through the throne room, taunting the demon hunter some more, which only made Seto angrier.

"Stop moving and fight me like a man!"

"Such a brute."

A swift kick caught the demon hunter off guard and a second kick sent his sword flying through the air, landing next to Yami's prone body. Seto reached down to his boot to pull out a hidden dagger when he felt a strong invisible grip surround his entire body.

"Now it's my turn to play," Dartz mocked with sick amusement in his voice. Holding his hand out toward Seto he clinched it shut and it felt as if Seto's entire body was being crushed.

"Agh!" he cried out in pain. The pain and Dartz's sick laughter was all that he knew which was why he didn't notice that across the room a pair of crimson eyes snapped open.

"Stupid human!" Dartz spat as he flung Set up against a nearby wall with his invisible hand. "My entire collection has escaped now because of your meddling, but don't worry they'll all be back soon once I send out Raphael, Varon and Amelda."

"Leave them alone!" Seto yelled as he slouched against the wall, holding his left arm against his ribcage. He already knew he had suffered some broken ribs from Dartz's attack but he didn't care. "They've done nothing to you!"

Dartz loomed over Seto with a dangerous look on his face. "I know."

In desperation Seto went for his hidden dagger again but the crushing pain surged through his body once more, but this time more powerfully. The demon hunter was on the verge of blacking out when suddenly the pain stopped. Focusing on Dartz's chest with hazy eyes, Seto was surprised to find his sword sticking through the wizard's body.

The aqua-haired man fell to the ground and Seto was even more surprised to find that Yami had been standing behind Dartz on shaky legs. The cat demon could barely stand but there was a fire in Yami's eyes that Seto had never seen before. Then, as if coming out of a trance, the fire faded and Yami began toppling over into the brunet's arms.

"Seto…" he whispered before dropping unconscious.

"YAMI!"

Seto was barely aware when Bakura, Ryou and the lemur, who was now in his human form, rushed to his side. Their collars all had fallen free when the wizard had died but Bakura was in a foul mood as the Three Swordsmen of Doma had ran off before he could kill them.

"We need to get him home," Ryou quickly explained to Seto, who had his eyes locked on Yami in horror. "He's alive but weak. We have healers there who can help!"

By some miracle, Ryou's words got through to Seto and he nodded his head before standing up with Yami once again in his arms. The small group then quickly made their way outside the castle so that they could begin their journey.

"I'll go ahead and warn them," Bakura grumbled, still in a bad mood over not killing anyone. Flames sprung up around him and when they were gone, Bakura had vanished.

"But how will we get there?" Seto asked Ryou; Yami's condition still greatly concerned him.

"Bakura's not the only one with special traveling powers," the wind demon replied with a smile on his face. "Just hold onto Yami tightly. Yugi, you better grip me tightly," he said turning his attention to the former lemur. Seto had forgotten about Yami's smaller look-a-like and realized that Ryou must have learned his name at some point when they had been escaping.

Closing his eyes, Ryou extended his arms outwards as Yugi latched his arms around the wind demon's waist. Seto impatiently waited in silence as he wondered what was going on. Yami needed help and he needed it fast.

Then it happened. A gentle breeze began blowing through the forest, rustling the leaves in the trees. Gradually the breeze began growing stronger, whipping around the demons and the hunter. With expected concern, Seto began growling in alarm when the wind grew stronger.

"Just relax," Ryou softly commanded. "Watch what I do."

Falling backwards, Ryou allowed the wind to catch him and lift him up high above the trees with Yugi still clinging to him. Staring up at the wind demon, Seto wondered how he was going to mimic the move when he felt the wind sweeping out under his feet, toppling him backwards, and before he knew what was happening he had joined Ryou and Yugi high among the trees.

"Remember…hang on to Yami."

Swiftly the wind began picking up, transporting them all rapidly through the sky. Seto had to admit that it was better traveling that way than Bakura's way but still he couldn't help but feel the knots form in his stomach as they sailed over the treetops.

Finally, to Seto's relief, they began drifting downward and landed safely in the middle of the village of Chale Jao where a small crowd was gathered, waiting for them.

"Atemu!" Yami's father, Elder Akunumkanon, cried, rushing forward. The demon went to make a move to take his son but stopped when Seto snarled and held Yami's body closer against his chest. "…Er…yes…alright then…our Medical Hut is this way. A private room has already been set up for Atemu."

Silently Seto followed Akunumkanon as the Elder led the way; Yami safe in his arms the entire time.

"What is wrong with him? Why hasn't he wakened yet?" Seto demanded to know. It had been three days since their arrival to Chale Jao and Yami still remained fast asleep. During that entire time, Seto remained seated by the bedside in case the cat demon woke up.

"His powers have been spent," Akunumkanon softly explained from where he stood in a corner, his eyes trained on his son's body. "I had hoped he would have recovered by now but it appears that won't be the case. He's barely holding on; it's as if one single thread is keeping him from passing from this world to the next."

"How do I help him?"

"I don't think you can."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!"

"My son suffered greatly under Dartz, yet he still managed to summon enough energy to destroy the wizard; even I don't know how he did it. He has become weak however and it appears this is a weakness he will not be able to overcome on his own."

"Then there is a way that I can help him."

"…Yes…but I cannot tell you how. That is something you'll have to figure out for yourself."

Shooting daggers from his eyes, Seto glared at Akunumkanon's back as the Elder left the room. He didn't understand why the demon just couldn't tell him how to help Yami. One would have thought that the Elder would want his son to remain alive but Akunumkanon was acing like he didn't care if his son died or not.

'Demon…' he rudely thought. He would never understand them.

The sound of music woke Seto from his peaceful sleep. Raising his head from where it lay next to Yami's body, the demon hunter sat up straight in his chair and turned his head until he realized that the source of the peaceful tune was coming in from the open window.

Staggering to his feet, Seto moved towards the window and looked out it. At the nearby temple fires were lit all around it and that was also the source of the music.

"The mating rituals," Seto quietly murmured to himself. Over the past few weeks the entire village had been abuzz with the upcoming ceremonies and they must be happening that night.

Pulling out a small, flat, white stone, Seto began playing with it in his fingers. The stone he knew was a part of the ritual; it had come from the cave where their goddess had lived when she was a mortal and the mating couple was supposed to travel to the cave and retrieve one of the white stones for their ceremony. Malik had given him the stone when he had returned from his own journey with Bakura. Seto suspected that not even the fire demon knew that the blond had done that.

During the actual ceremony, the human of the pair was to draw a symbol on the rock and then it would be split in two, creating two pendants. Vows would be said as the pair placed the pendants around each others necks and then it was said that their souls would be one, drawing strength on each other whenever they needed it.

'Draw strength when needed…'

Clasping the small white stone in his hand, Seto hurried over to the desk that was in the room and found some ink and a quill. Placing the stone down on the surface, Seto began thinking, wondering what he should do. Hastily he drew a picture of a cat and above the feline, a sword.

Taking out his dagger, Seto held the stone in place before ramming the blade straight through the center, creating two equal halves. Cutting two leather cords, Seto tied them around each half of the stone and then returned to Yami's side.

"I don't exactly know how this works," Seto began, kneeling next to the bed and holding up one half of the stone. "But I want you to have this." Leaning over Yami's still body, Seto placed the pendant around the cat demon's neck. "I know what this means but I don't care anymore. I just want you awake again."

Placing the other half of the pendant around his own neck, a sudden force of exhaustion came over the demon hunter. Settling himself on the bed next to Yami, slinging an arm protectively across the cat demon's chest, Seto was once again soon fast asleep. It wasn't long after that when both pieces of the stone began to glow.

Smoldering warmth woke Yami from his peaceful sleep. Keeping his eyes closed he rolled to his side in an attempt to find a cooler spot. The movement however caused something to knock against his bare chest. Blinking open his eyes, Yami reached a hand up to his chest and was surprised to find he was wearing a pendant in addition to his normal ribbon and bell.

Sitting up, Yami spun around to find Seto lying next to him, still fast asleep.

"Seto!" he cried, shaking the demon hunter awake. His crimson eyes fell to a similar white pendant around Seto's neck and he knew what had happened.

"…Yami…" the demon hunter murmured before snapping his eyes wide open and sitting up. "Yami! You're alive!"

Yami lifted a hand to Seto's check and gently stroked it, all the while staring at the demon hunter with loving eyes. "Only because of you."

"…"

"Why though? You know what this now means."

Reaching up, Seto clasped Yami's hand in his own. "I couldn't let you die."

"But-"

"There are worse things that could have happened to me than being stuck with you for life."

Yami smiled and rested his head against Seto's chest. He could sense that things would be all right from that point on.

Hand in hand, Seto and Yami walked around the forest, which surrounded Chale Jao. Walking along the river they found Ryou and Yugi playing in the warm waters.

"They're still like children," Yami commented as the lemur and wind demon giggled and splashed each other with water.

Heading further along, going deeper into the forest, they soon came across Bakura and Malik where Bakura was attempting to teach Malik about his new powers.

"Concentrate on what you want to happen!" the fire demon yelled in frustration. Above Bakura's head a small rain cloud formed and began dumping its water down on the fire demon.

Next to Bakura, Malik stood smirking. "Hey you were right…it did work!"

Seto shook his head as they moved on. 'Morons.'

'True…but they are our friends.'

Seto's head shot sideways to look at Yami. 'You can hear me?'

'Yes; it appears our bond is now complete.'

'Hn.'

Yami laughed as he dodged in front of Seto and rose on his tiptoes so their lips could meet in a sweet kiss. 'You can't fool me. I know you like it.'

They made out for a few minutes before continuing their walk. When they found a small clearing in the woods, they sat down next to each other on a fallen log.

"What happened during the fight against Dartz?" Seto softly asked. It had been a question that had been bothering him since that day. "I was sure you were dead; Dartz said that the only way for the collar to be removed while he was still alive if he did not do it. But then the next thing I know, you're saving me from him…"

"I thought that was a dream," Yami murmured, staring off into the distance. "I remember a bright light and then a voice telling me that it wasn't my time. The next thing I knew I was waking up next to your sword." Yami shook his head. "Let's talk about something else."

"Fair enough. Your…our…abilities are unique aren't they?" Yami nodded. "Why?"

"I do not know yet but I feel there is something special in this world that we must do."

"What though?"

"Who knows…" A smile crossed Yami's lips as he stood and faced Seto. "You saw Malik training earlier and now it's your turn. Time to see what powers you possess."

Seto smirked as he stood as well. He was actually looking forward to his training. After all, Yami had taught him that not all demons were evil and living without Yami was simply not possible.

A/N - Yay! Yay! It's finished! Thanks Dukie for doing all the edit work on this fic, you know I love you. I'm kinda sad to see these characters going but now it means I can work on something else. Besides who knows when they'll show up again...

:p

Thanks for reading everyone!