Umm… yes. Once again, I am sorry for the long wait. Not to mention surprised… has it really been almost 5 months already? O.o

Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you guys still remember how the previous chapter ended… (in the mountain, there were a couple of… umm, creatures, and another of them kidnapped Ryou. Remember…?)

Anyway, this chapter introduces a couple of new characters (Yuugi and Bakura, that is. No, it wasn't him in the previous chapter. Sor is from the books, btw.)

Without any further ado, let's get on with the chapter.

Oh yes. Warm thanks to all reviewers! (I don't have time to write responses right now, but I'm sure you know even without saying that all reviews are very much appreciated.)

And an even warmer thank you to Sarasusamiga for betaing.

Chapter 11

Up in the mountains was a small valley, hidden by sharp cliffs. There was a small lake – a pond, rather – in the valley, its clear water reflecting the night sky. Unlike the rest of the mountains, this place had quite rich flora – small trees with bended trunks, flowering bushes sprinkled here and there, thick grass mattingthe ground. All in all, it was a beautiful place, a small paradise made even more wonderful by its rough surroundings.

The young man crouching behind a big rock did not have time to admire the valley's beauty – actually, it is questionable whether he would have in any case been interested. Right now, his eyes were fixed on a woman standing by the lake.

She stepped forward with a small smile playing on her lips. "You may be powerful, but not powerful enough to face me. Haven't you yet understood that?" She took another step, staring at the quiet figure half-hidden by the rock. "At the very least I'd imagine that you'd choose better hiding places…"

She raised her hand and with a swift move threw a fiery ball towards the rock. It exploded into pieces, and cursing mentally the boy behind it muttered afew words raisinga quick shield to shelter himself from the flying pieces.

As the dust settled he straightened slowly, still quiet.

The woman smiled again, and stretched out her hand. "Now, be a good boy and give me the Ring. Then I might let you go your way…"

The boy gave a short laugh. "You really think I believe that? You want it, come and get it." He fell silent again, not wanting to waste any more energy onspeaking. This cat-and-mouse game had taken quite a long time, and he was exhausted.

The woman's response was cut off as her companion suddenly appeared, carrying a limp form on his shoulder.

"Hello, Sor." The newcomer grinned at her. "Look what I caught." He let Ryou fallto the ground.

The woman snorted. "I am sure that that was a very difficult catch," she stated with heavy sarcasm. "We don't need it in the first place. I could take the Ring from him on my own – together it's like stealing a candy from a child."

The other grinned even more widely. "You are so boring sometimes, my dear… Of course we could just take it from him – but where's the fun in that? Why not play some games first?"

"You and your games," she muttered a little exasperatedly. "Why can't I ever get a sane partner on my missions… look out!"

The warning came a little too late. The boy had gathered his powers intoa spell that lifted the ground and sent the two demons sprawling on the ground.

They got to back to their feet in a moment, but that moment had been enough. There was no sign of either of their victims in the valley.

-

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?" Ryou blinked at the harsh, quiet voice that was shaking him fervently. No, he thought, voices don't shake people. There has to be someone… Forcing his lidsopen he found himself staring at quite familiar, reddish, furious eyes.

"Huh?" he said again. "What are you doing here?"

The other gave an exasperated sigh. "That's what I'm asking you! And don't talk that loudly… What the hell are you doing here!"

Ryou sat up. "Where are…" he started to ask, but fell silent in the middle of the sentence as he suddenly remembered. The chase of his brother, Seto, Jou and his dogs, Evayne, the Summer Road… and the demons. He took a sharp breath and grasped his brother's arm.

"You have to be careful! There are demons here!"

"You're kidding," Bakura stated flatly, shaking him off. "Demons? What a surprise." He stood up with an annoyed grunt.

"Oh well. Now that you are here, you could be of use. I…"

"Wait," Ryou said quietly, finally starting to get his thoughts into order. "You… I know what you're going to do and…" he paused, hesitating, and his brother frowned at him.

"Yes? What words of wisdom will the…"

"Oh, stop that," Ryou snapped irritably, and Bakura raised his eyebrow. "You must not do it."

The eyebrow rose even higher. "Why not, pray tell?"

Ryou sighed. "Because… I have seen… no good will come of it. You will just end up trapped into that… thing." He glanced at the Ring that was hanging on Bakura's neck.

Bakura eyed him in silence for a moment. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew that when it came to his gift his brother was good. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes! Everything fits the vision I had… this place is just like what I saw. I think…" he shot a careful look towards his brother, "maybe it'd be best if you gave it to me, so I could…"

Bakura barked a short laugh. "Nice try. But I will…"

"Give it to me, of course," a new voice cut in.

Bakura jumped to his feet and Ryou gave a sudden breath in shock as he looked up.Yami stoodon a rock near them.

"How the hell did you find me?" Bakura snarled. Yami shrugged slightly.

"Followed your brother," he answered and continued, cutting offBakura's curses, "it wasn't as easy as you might think."

He stepped down from the rock and approached the brothers who were eyeing him warily. "Handing back that item is the best you can do in this situation. You can't be fighting both me and the…"

"Shut up," Bakura muttered. "If you think I've gone through all this trouble just for nothing, you're quite mistaken." He stretched his fingers a little, preparing a spell in his mind.

"I was simply offering you an easy way out of this," Yami answered calmly, "but apparently you're too stubborn to take it." The pyramid-shaped object on his chest gleamed brightly and he opened his mouth at the same time as Bakura started to voice his spell.

After that, things happened too fast for Ryou to keep track. Later, he remembered shouting a warning though he didn't yet know why, but it was too late: at that very moment two bolts of black lightningstruck from the hills. OnehitBakura in the chest, the other found its way to Yami's head, and they both fell down without a word. Witha sudden feeling of sheer disbelief, Ryou foundhe had grasped the Ring before his brother's body hit the ground, and was now running down the hill as fast as he could.

He heard an angry snarl behind him, and knew without looking that the mad-eyed male demon was about to send a similar bolt after him. To his surprise the lightning never came; instead he heard the growl of a big dog, and fervent curses. Risking a glance over his shoulder he saw the male demon throwing a yelping dog away from himself.

"You catch him," he heard the woman's amused voice behind the dog's yelps. "Anyway, he was your prey to begin with. I will take care of these two."

-

"Damn," Jou muttered quietly as he ran up the hill together with his dogs.

"What?" Seto asked behind him.

"Feron's hurt," he answered, a bit out of breath. "And the demons are there and that Yami-guy and Ryou's brother too… it's quite a mess, really."

"Are they far?"

Jou stopped for a moment and closed his eyes in concentration. "No… not that far. But there's still a lot of climbing left."

"Let's go then."

-

On the now-quiet battlefield, Sor na Shannen was eyeing the fallen combatants with satisfaction. It would be an easy task for her companion to catch that boy, and after that they would have the Ring, the Puzzle, and the son of the Goddess of Death. A good day's work, one could say. The mage didn't interest her that much, but who knows, maybe they'd find ause for him too.

She took a step towards Death's son, so happy about being finally done with this mission that she didn't notice how the boy's eyelids stirred a little.

Since the word that the Millennium Puzzle, one of the greatest treasures of the Goddess of Death, had been stolen had reached the Shining Court where the God of Darkness lodged, she and many of her kind had been walking long in the mortal lands searching for the thief. Sor na Shannen had ambition, and she had immediately recognized this mission as a way to satisfy it. She knew that things were beginning to stir at the court, that their God was forging new plans… and this was the perfect time to make a name for yourself and rise in position.

The only thing she wished was that she would have gotten someone else as her companion. In her opinion, Malik was quite mad. She had never liked him that much – he was too chaotic, too unpredictable, and she had a feeling that he wasn't that interested in serving their Master, only in indulging his own whims. Wondering what would be the best way to get rid of him she bent down over the fallen body and stretched her hand to take the Puzzle, but at that moment a bright beam of light shot out of it. With a yelp of pain she clappedher hands overblinded eyes. By the time she recovered, her victim was far away.

-

The boy with tri-colored hair was running downhillas fast as he could. There was a throbbing pain in his head and in his arm which he had hit as he fell. He took a look over his shoulder but did not see the female demon. He knew that the Light would hold her back for a moment, but he wasn't sure how long that moment would be. And once she gotover it, he was afraid that it would be very easy for her to find him.

He was just about to run past a big cliff, but stopped short and stumbled back into its cover. A little ahead, he saw oneof the white-haired boys, backed upagainst the mountain wall, facing the male demon. To his amazementhe saw that the boy was holding the Ring in front of him with bothhands, and that it was shining softly. The demon before him appeared to be quite wary.

How could that boy be able to use the Ring? There are so few who have that gift…

The demon was muttering some words, so quietly that he couldn't hear them. The white-haired boy raised the Ring higher, looking quite scared and a little confused. With a start the watcher noticed that a dagger had materializedin the demon's hand.

"Look out!" he started to shout, but the demon had already thrown the dagger.

At the same time as it hit the boy's shoulder he grasped his Puzzle. Onceagain a beam of light illuminatedeverything around them. As the demon shrieked in pain, trying to shieldhis eyes, he ran quickly to the boy who had fallen on his knees, grasped the Ring and started to drag him away.

"C'mon, start moving! We don't have much time…" He kept on glancing nervously behind themat the demon as they ran – or rather, stumbled – away. He knew that the Light was a very potent weapon against the kin, but not lethal, unfortunately. And since there wasn't much else he could do…

The white-haired boy fell again tohis knees and he tried to drag him up again. "Just a little further, we…" He glanced at the boy and winced a little at the sight of blood on his shoulder. "Damn…"

He looked around frantically, noticed a small crack in the mountainside, and started to help the other boy into its cover. There was just enough room in the small cave for them, and they both collapsed, quite exhausted, leaning against the stone walls.

The boy eyed the opening warily – it was a little wider than he would have liked. Then he placed his hands on his Puzzle and muttered a quiet prayer to his mother. The familiar warm sensation made him smile, and he relaxed a little.

"Now we're safe, at least for a moment. If we just keep quiet they won't find us easily," he said with a smile, turning to his companion. Hopefully not before he's woken up again, he added in his thoughts. "I asked…" he cut the sentence short in shock when he saw the way Ryou was slumped against the cave's wall.

"Let me take a look at that wound," he muttered and removed the bloody clothing that covered Ryou's shoulder.

The cut wasn't deep, and it wasn't bleeding that much, but as he looked at the pale face of the other boy, he knew with a sudden certainty that the boy would die soon. Even though the wound didn't seem to be that bad, it was made by demon's blade – and even a scratch of that might be fatal. For a moment he hesitated, cursing the fact that there was nothing else he could do, thenplaced his hands on Ryou's shoulders and closed his eyes.

Ryou had been staring blankly at the opposite wall, as he every now and then bit his lip trying to ignore the pain in hisshoulder. His mind felt very cloudy and it was hard to even remember where he was, let alone figure out what was going on. The opposite wall grew blurrier, and he felt incredibly sleepy. Closing his eyes, he let go of thinking – it was getting too tiring. Now everything was dark around him, like a thick, black blanket. He leaned deeper into it – so soft and comfortable…

A sudden sensation, like a soft tingling in the back of his mind, snapped him out of it, back to some kind of consciousness. He could hear something, or someone, calling him, and suddenly he realized that he was sliding through the darkness toward the caller. The call held a promise of life, and he clung to it, desperately. It grew stronger, and suddenly, almost without noticing, he fell into the presence of someone else, and strange sensations and memories flooded his mind.

-

A little later Ryou woke up again. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. Right now it almost felt too difficult to remember who he was. A familiar face, surrounded by black, red and yellow locks was smiling down at him, relieved.

For a moment they stared at each other, both boys feeling this weird new connection between them, connection, recognition… longing.

Ryou blinked slowly. "What did you just do?" he whispered, pressing his fingertips lightly against his forehead, as if he had a headache.

The other blinked back at him, and the same pain that he was feeling flicked in his eyes. "I…"

He cut off his sentence quickly as quiet voices entered their little cave.

"…did you stop?"

"The tracks end here. I… I don't understand…"

There was a moment's silence. "It's as if he had disappeared into thin air…" the same voice continued, and Ryou blinked again. There was something familiar aboutit.

"Who knows, maybe he did," the other voice said darkly. "If those demons caught him again… Can't your dogs find anything?" The voice sounded a bit grumpy.

Demons? Dogs? Suddenly the fog cleared, and he jumped tohis feet, hitting his head on the low ceiling in the process. "Se… ow…!"

"What was that?"

"I think…"

Rubbing his head Ryou peeked out through the opening. "Seto? Is that you?"

"Hey, he's there!"

"Right under your nose! What's wrong with those dogs of yours?"

The dogs in question were gathering around Ryou as he stumbled out of the small cave, some of them barking in excitement.

"Nothing's wrong with them!" Jou was standing on a small rock, glaring suspiciously at the mouth of the cave. "There has to be something weird with that cave…"

Seto wasn't listening to him. "Are you all right?" he asked, hurrying to Ryou.

"Somewhat," Ryou muttered, still rubbing his head. "Though I don't understand anything of what's going on anymore…" He glanced hesitantly behind into the cave, wondering if he should say anything about the other boy. "I…"

"Yes?" Seto followed his gaze with a frown. "Is there…" He fell silent as tri-colored hair and purple eyes flashed in the opening. "What are you doing here?" he asked, suddenly completely stiff, and placed a protective hand on Ryou's shoulder, not even noticing it.

"It's not him," Ryou said quietly before the other could respond. "Or… it is, but…" He let the sentence fade away, suddenly starting to wonder: if he knew all this, how much did the other boy know about him? The thought made him uneasy, but just then the other boy – Yuugi, he suddenly thought – looked at him, and for some reason he didn't completely understand, he knew that he had nothing to worry about from him. "Yuugi," he muttered aloud quietly.

"What?" Jou's confused voice athis shoulder startled him out of his thoughts.

"It is my name," Yuugi answered in his stead. "I know you're thinking that I am Yami, but he is my brother."

Jou rolled his eyes. "So what's this? Another pair of twins? Which of you is the evil one?"

"Neither really," Yuugi answered, giving him a weird look. "But this isn't the best time for chatting…" he glanced around nervously. "There are two demons nearby, and I'm afraid they'll find us soon, especially now that we're not in the cave."

The reminder of the demons made Jou shift and start eyeing the rocks. Even Seto shot a sharp look around, before turning back to Yuugi.

"Keep it short, then. What's happened?"

"Well… my brother and his brother," he nodded towards Ryou, "were starting to fight when the demons attacked. I managed to… block them out, so to say, and we fled here. His brother is still out there somewhere."

Ryou stirred worriedly as he suddenly remembered his brother – how could you forget in the first place? – but Seto's next question cut his thoughts off.

"Where is your brother, then?"

"Right here," Ryou said, as Yuugi hesitated a moment before answering. "They… share the body. He tried to heal him like he healed me, and…"

"Healed you?" Seto turned to him while Jou started wondering if he even wanted to understand any of this. "Are you hurt?"

"Oneof the demons hit him with a dagger," Yuugi said. "Don't worry, he's quite fine now. Luckily he wasn't as close to death as I thought…"

"What's this 'they share the body' business about?" Jou asked suddenly, deciding that he was curious.

Yuugi was quiet for a moment, staring at his feet, and even Ryou was avoiding his companions' eyes. His reasons were different, though – he was thinking about Jou's question, the answer to it, and how… unfair everything was.

"I'm healer-born," Yuugi said finally, "which might surpriseyou since you know who my mother is. Few years ago, my brother was badly hurt. I was with him, and I tried to heal him, but he was dying – and I guess he should have died then. I… couldn't stop, couldn't let go when I should have, so I kept on calling for him, trying to find him to guide him back to life.

"Do you know how the healing is done?" he asked suddenly.

"Basically, yes," Seto said, at the same time as Jou said, "No."

"When someone is about to die," Yuugi continued quietly and didn't notice the frown Seto shot at his hunter who just shrugged, "a healer-born can call him back from the thresholds of death… but he has to call with all he has. For a moment the healer draws the dying into his own body, and for that moment they are one. My brother…"

He fell silent for a moment but continued soon. "He was very badly hurt, as I said. Too badly that he could have returned to his own body, and we were so entwined that it might have been impossible in any case. It required some – well, a lot of– help from our mother for us to beable to continue living like this."

Ryou was frowning. "It sure helps to have the right kind of acquaintances," he muttered, and Yuugi glanced at him quickly, sympathy flashing on his face. It only made Ryou's frown deepen.

There was a moment's silence as everyone was absorbed in his own thoughts.

"I think we need a plan," Seto said finally. "There are many things I still want to know, but we can't forget the demons for any longer. Anyone have any ideas what to do?"

"Uh…" Yuugi's face paled suddenly and he stared somewhere over Seto's shoulder. At the same time Jou's dogs started growling, and Jou himself spun around. "Looking behind you might be one thing…"

Damn it, Seto thoughtTurning, he saw two figures watching them from the slopesbelow just a little lower. "What's your brother doing?" he muttered to Yuugi.

"Still unconscious," he muttered back, gulping as the two started approaching.

-

Morning was beginning to dawn when a woman walked down from the cliffs to the rocks which had witnessed the brief struggles a short while before. She stopped for a moment to look around and pushed her already graying black hair away from her face. Finally her eyes restedon a limp figure sprawled on the rocks. For a moment she eyed the white-haired boy in silence, thenwalked to him.

She bent down, wincing a little at the pain in her back. "Right now I wouldn't mind being a little younger," she muttered quietly as she poked the boy's shoulder. "Can't be helped, I'm afraid."

She poked the boy again. "Time to wake up, boy. We have much to do."

A/N: Cliffhanger again? Uh.. sorry, I didn't mean to…

Anyway, the next chapter will be the last, so let me know what you think about this so far. : )