Chapter 5

Waiting for Rescue

Yugi woke slowly, the second night in the Treasure Room coming to an end. No windows marked the walls of his rich prison, the only light coming from a single candle set in the wall, burned low during the night, that cast gold tinged shadows from the collected items throughout the room. He assumed it was morning, but with no sun to gauge by, he couldn't tell. He lay still, curled upon the soft cushion that was now to be his home for who knew how long. The pharaoh had lost the game, and been forced to leave, but that didn't mean he would give up. Did it? The glow of artificial lights flared up all over the room, causing Yugi to shield his eyes and flinch away.

"Good morning, my pet," came the pompous voice he was beginning to loathe. "I have a few friends coming over in a few minutes for a little private viewing. I just wanted to make sure everything is ready and that you are fed." The Collector stepped from behind the contours of a curved statue and placed a porcelain plate of sweet bread and a laden bowl of fruit before him, then he retreated once more to wherever it was that he went when Yugi was left alone. He sat up and took a bite of the bread resignedly, staring at the figure of the mounted head that had caused all his problems. He called me his 'pet.' The way he treats me, he's right; that was just like someone feeding a cat its morning meal before leaving for work.

A short while later, the Collector's rotund form emerged again into the room, a host of people trailing in behind. All wore jocular faces and sported crystal glasses of amber, burgundy, or golden liquid, despite the early hour. Each wore clothes as obviously expensive as the Collector's, though most were more tasteful. They milled about, talking and joking, some already seeming a bit tipsy. He watched curiously, glad for the respite from his boredom. One man approached their host, a hand slipped inside his coat pocket.

"As is often proper, I have brought a gift for the host. My men took it off a former business associate who…well, he won't be needing it anymore." He presented a necklace of braided white and yellow gold weeping a tear of blood red ruby. "I believe it to be of a set to which you possess the other."

"Yes, yes, I do. In fact, it's just over there." He waved his hand in the general direction of Yugi.

"Speaking of pairs, at our last 'get-together,' you showed us quite an ugly, but impressive piece, the head of that creature of darkness. I seem to remember a little bet we had. Did you find the matching piece?"

"Of course. And it's with my newly completed pair of necklaces. Little Yugi, come here, won't you?" he beckoned, crooking a chubby sausage finger. Yugi remained where he was, looking helplessly at him. "I said, come, boy!"

"Disobedient, isn't he? Not what you'd expect from the 'purest light in the galaxy. Maybe you just grabbed this cute little thing win the bet," purred a lady in a tight black gown.

"No, perhaps I was a bit harsh. Please, dear boy, come over and join us."

"I can't," he replied meekly, acutely aware of all the people staring at him.

"Why not?" Yugi held up the golden tether holding him next to the golden throne, yanking against its secure anchoring in demonstration. "Oh yes. Here," he snapped his fingers, the pudge lolling around with the sharp movement. "Now you may come." The chain fell free in his hands, dangling around his ankles, though the one about his wrists remained fastened. He trudged over, unwilling to upset him now that he had seen the kind of company he kept, and took up a place at the Collector's side.

A man with salt and pepper hair and stuffy formal suit of drab grey looked down on him from his 6 and half-foot height. "Well, it appears you have indeed won. It has the purest white aura I've ever beheld." He took a fat wallet from his crisp pants pocket, and handed over a large roll of bills with good grace.

"I'm not an it." Yugi said, staring up into the man's astonished eyes.

"Heh, it appears even the pure light can have an attitude." The other partygoers had gathered around now, watching the scene unfold.

"Hold your tongue, boy." The Collector shot a piercing look down at him warningly.

"No, no, that's quite all right. What's the point of having a pet if you punish them every time their ignorance runs them afoul of you? Besides, it was cute. He just wants to be called by his name. Do you have one? Did our friend give one to you yet?" The salt and pepper man bent down to Yugi's level, talking as he might to someone's new puppy.

"I'm Yugi Moto, and he didn't give to me. My parents did." He could tell he went to far by the Collector's expression. The man grabbed the chain around his neck, not quite hiding his anger and headed for the nearest exit. Yugi had to follow as he pulled against the leather collar.

"Excuse me, but the boy is still agitated from the journey here. I'm sure you know how it is. I'll just put him another room so we can talk of more adult matters." A stained oak door slammed shut behind them as he finished. He yanked savagely upon the gold, dragging him the entire distance to the bestiary, the room where he had first woken up in the strange house. The Collector threw him inside and latched down the leash, cinching it tight so he could only sit.

"You have embarrassed me. The people have come to see my angel, my purity, and that's what you are going to show them from now on. Otherwise, it'll be long nights just like this, over and over again. I expect you to ready tomorrow, I have other guests to see you."

"I hope they enjoy it, because I won't be here long," he shouted at the retreating back as the Collector left the room.

"And I hope you give up that silly hope. Because if you are counting on that pharaoh friend of yours to break you out, you shouldn't. There is no possible way he can find his way back here, and my 'transportation services' are given to appointments only. Oh, well, I guess that just means you'll have to learn to like it here. Besides, if that meddling fool does somehow find a way to interfere, he's easily taken care of. After all, I believe your Egypt had many pharaohs, so it really wouldn't be a shame if one more were lost, now would it?" His evil smile lingered in the room even after he had left.

Yugi stretched out sullenly, trying to get comfortable on the cold, bare concrete floor. He felt more like a dog being punished then Joey ever had after Kaiba's comments and Duke's digs. The violet bird from before hopped down from its perch and cuddled in close against his chest. "I'm sorry, I lost the feather you gave me," he said, stroking its soft plumage in the golden light. Then he resigned himself to a long wait, occupying himself with silent word games in his head.

The morning of the next day finally came, after Yugi had won nearly 200 different games against himself. The bird stirred on his breast, stretching its wings up and down before flying off to his perch. "He comes," it said, preening delicately under a claw.

"Huh?" Yugi responded articulately.

"Have hope. He comes." As he finished, the door in the wall slid back to admit to Collector, his good humor restored after a comfortable night's rest. He took him back to the Treasure Room, and the next twp days passed by as a blur of shady characters and ill reputable guests. He sat upon the cushion, dutifully doing as the Collector asked, all the while thinking of his friends and his home.

Wednesday came cold and grey, the fun of the winter holiday lost on the four as they waited in Joey's apartment. It had been three days since the pharaoh had returned from the Collector's mysterious home. A silence as cold as the weather hung over them as their waiting drew to a close.

"Its almost time. Maybe someone should go tell him. Y'know, in case he needs to get ready to go."

"I'm pretty sure he knows, Joey." The pharaoh was sitting in a lonely chair by the snow frosted, foggy window. He had stayed off by himself, absorbed in his thoughts and worries, since he had come back Saturday evening. They had taken turns housing him, trying their best to keep him away from Grampa Moto, afraid he would notice the change in his grandson. The last thing they wanted right now was a lot of awkward questions. No one had wanted to bother him, his frown and intense concentration while he prepared his duel deck saying it wouldn't be a good idea. But now the time of his appointment was near, so Téa cautiously approached him.

"Um…Pharaoh?" she said querulously.

"He's been with that madman for three days, and all I could do was sit passively by. I've saved the world from so many evil men, so why can't I save him?" His amethyst gaze glassy, he stared unseeing into the depths of the puzzle around his neck.

"You can, I know you can. It's like you tell everyone else; just believe in yourself, and Yugi." A sudden fire flared in his eyes as a resolve was reached, then their violet glow shone with icy determination.

"Thank you, Téa. The time is almost here, and there are some things I need to prepare before I leave." A few minutes later, the quartet left the room, heading for the Kame Game Shop. "I'll need you three to give me some cover."

"Right." And with that, they pushed open the door of the colorful store.

"Oh, hello, Yugi. You've been gone a while. Hello, Téa, Joey, Tristan." Grampa's laughing, gravelly voice greeted them from behind the shop counter.

"Hey, Gramps, how ya been? Say, what's this?" Tristan plowed his way straight in front of the old man, pointing at some new trinket or game displayed on the shelves, keeping Yami from having to answer in his noticeable deeper voice and distracting Grampa's attention away from his added height and extra blonde spikes. The pharaoh snuck up the stairs to Yugi's room, doing his best to remain quiet. His friend's voices carried up the stairs as he grabbed some items he thought might come in handy against his wily opponent. Then, creeping back downstairs, joined back up with the other three.

"Well, we've got to go, Mr. Moto. We're going to be late for the movie." Téa flashed him a disarming smile as she hustled Yami toward the door.

Outside, Joey asked, "Movie? What movie?"

"I had to say something to explain where we were going in such a rush. Jeeze," she responded in a huffy tone. "Did you get everything, Pharaoh?"

"Yes. And now it's time to get this over with." They rounded a concrete corner, finding themselves where they had first attempted to reach the Collector. "11:00 was the appointed time. It should be here for me soon."

As he spoke, his shadow wavered, seeming to grow darker and blacker. The edges fuzzed, the slowly peeled away from the sidewalk. In a matter of seconds, the darkness enveloped Yami and disappeared back into the earth.

"Good luck, Pharaoh. You're gonna need it." Joey stared at the shadowed crack in the sidewalk, as if it could convey his words across the distance to his friend, wherever he was.

AN: Hey, howya doing? I know, a bit of a strange chapter, but the next one will start the fun stuff. Just a reminder, it would be a lot of help to me if you could post ideas for a duel monsters match. Needless to say, there will be one starting in Chapter 7, but whether our friend the pharaoh wins or loses... well, thats for me to know and you to find out. It might be a while before I post chapter 7, after of course, I get chap 6 up, which will be soon, but it might go faster if you lend a helping hand! If you don't thats fine, I'll do without, since it is my fic, just don't complain if it sucks compared to the TV show or manga, please!

I know, I know, I need to work on my self-confidence!

See you in Chapter 6: Risky Rematch!