Chapter 16. Now the game begins.

Serenity woke to the noise of her evil alarm clock, hit it with a half-hearted whack and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She reluctantly got up, and got ready for school. She walked out of her room and shut the door behind her. Her hand was still on the knob, when she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she turned to see a man dressed in leather – similar to the one that had attacked Kaiba – standing in front of her. She tried to make for her room again, but the demon caught her wrist and they seemingly disappeared into thin air.

They reappeared in a heavily protected part of the Underworld. She immediately tried to punch him, but he blocked it easily and sent a blow at her head, knocking her out.

When she woke, she found herself sitting against the far wall. She tried to stand up, but just before she reached her full height, she hit her head on an invisible barrier that forced her back down again. A force field. She heard someone chuckling, and looked around. She saw a woman in the door way, with a small bottle in her hand, voice tinged with evil;

"Now, the game begins."

"SOMEONE, ANYONE, HELP!" she yelled, but the demon woman turned away, leaving her and her voice behind.

Meanwhile, at the Halliwell Manor…

"Ahhh! Damn whitelighter senses!" growled Paige,

"What's up?" said Piper,

"I can hear someone yelling for help but I can't locate them." She said, holding her finger to her ear, trying to concentrate.

"Keep trying." Said Piper, taking on a serious tone, "Who does it sound like?"

"Errr… It sounds like… that girl Serenity, I think a demon's got her."

"C'mon, orb us there." Said Phoebe, getting up from her chair,

"I can't, can't locate her."

"Just orb, you'll get there. How'd you think I ever found you guys?" said leo, who was trying to feed baby Chris.

"I could end up somewhere in Antarctica!" she said.

"You won't. Just trust yourself." He said reassuringly.

"Okay, Underworld holiday checklist:

Potions, plenty of," said Piper,

"Check,"

"Spell, written and tested,"

"Check,"

"Suitable amounts of caffeine in bloodstream,"

"I think that's it then, c'mon, orb orb orb!"

Somewhere in the Underworld…

Piper, Paige and Phoebe orbed into the room to see Serenity sitting near the far wall.

"Piper, Paige, Phoebe, no! It's a trap!" she yelled, but she was too late. The demon woman appeared from behind them, and threw the potion bottle at their feet. The glass shattered and the potion turned into a gas which traveled up so quickly that they didn't have time to think about holding their breath. When the gas subsided, Piper flicked her wrists, but nothing happened. Paige tried to orb shards of the bottle at her, but nothing happened. The demon cackled and made a fireball in her hand.

"Uh oh this is not good!" said Piper, as she and the others backed away, ready to dodge the fireball.

Meanwhile, at Kaiba's Mansion…

"Ahhh! Damn whitelighter senses!" Kaiba growled, hitting his ear against his hand, but it did nothing for the shrill sound.

"Ah. I know what you mean, hikari." Said Seth.

"What the hell is this? I know whitelighters are supposed to sense their charges, but; 1. I don't have any charges, and 2. Last time I checked, they didn't nauseate you!"

"Oh…"

"What?"

The last time I got a calling like this was just before Kisara's death." He said, "At the time I couldn't place it either, but now it is unmistakable. The cry of someone you truly care about."

"Who? Mokuba is next door." He said, jerking his head towards the lounge. Seth shook his head in despair,

"You are such an ice cube. Is he the only one you care about? Or is there another?" "If you are going on about Wheeler's sister, you couldn't be more wrong!"

"You don't think you do, but when you kissed her, a powerful bond was created between you and her. Something you will both grow into, which will then in turn grow into you."

"Seth! I have had enough of you telling me this stuff!" he mentally yelled, so loud in faact, he was surprised that Mokuba didn't hear it.

"Are you going to help her then? Because if you aren't, I am."

"You wouldn't dare!" Kaiba snarled, remembering the last time Seth took over without his consent.

"I would." He said smugly, "So you can orb yourself down to the Underworld then. or I'm sure Kisara and I can make you and her do something very entertaining…"

"SETH IF YOU DO ANYTHING…"

"You'll do what? Kill me? Earth to hikari, I'm already dead, I haven't got much to lose."

"I bet YamiYugi never does this."

"No, but then again he is the Midget Pharaoh. He can only do so much without collapsing." Kaiba had to smile at that. "If you don't start orbing sometime soon, the Charmed Ones will be dead as well. No pressure." Kaiba finally gave in to his somewhat annoying yami, and orbed out into the Underworld.