Disclaimer. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and crew.
Yami's POV

Yami stared down at Yugi with concern etched into his face as his lighter half sighed for the millionth time. "What if Bakura ran away?" He fretted. "How are we supposed to help him if we can't reach him?"

Yami shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. After Yugi had returned home Honda had stopped by, saying that he had tried calling Bakura but no one answered. Honda had then left, saying he was going to visit Jonouchi with Anzu. Yugi sighed again.

Yami sat down beside Yugi, crossing his arms. "If he ran away we can't help him. He obviously doesn't want us to interfere."

Yugi frowned at him. "But...I just want to know why he hates you so much. The darker side anyways."

Yami clenched his hands, glaring down at the floor. "It has to do with my past I know that much. But I can't remember!"

Yami's frustration hit Yugi as clear as day. He patted Yami's spectral shoulder. "Hey...it's okay. I'm sure we'll find something about you soon..." Yami smiled at him in appreciation. "Thank you."

He suddenly stiffened, and looked out the window. Yami got up, going to the window, his eyes darting around. Yugi tilted his head. "Nissan?"

Yami twitched. "Shh."

Yugi covered his mouth, a chill rising up his back. The spirit's behaviour was scaring him. A moment passed, then Yami relaxed. "Must've imagined it..." He turned towards Yugi, shrugging. "Sorry. Thought I felt something."

Yugi stood up, going to the window and glancing outside. Yami watched him. Yugi scanned the road, then the buildings surrounding them. Something didn't feel right. He soon got his answer as to why. A person stepped out of the corner of a building, awkwardly stumbling.

Yugi gasped and dashed downstairs, Yami in hot pursuit. Yugi flung open the door to the outside and ran down the street. "Jonouchi!" He yelled.

The mentioned person glanced at him, before dropping to his knees, his face twisted in pain. Yugi ran across the street before Yami could lecture him about road safety and knelt down beside the blonde, supporting the exhausted teen.

"Jonouchi what do you think you're doing?" Yugi practically screamed.

Yami was in shock. 'He's so different than he used to be. Jonouchi has a strange influence on him. Even more than Anzu or Honda.' Jonouchi chuckled. "Well Yugi...you see..." Here he coughed, before continuing. "I have to find Bakura."

Yami nudged Yugi mentally, and Yugi nodded. They switched, and Yami peered at Jonouchi's face. "Why?" He asked simply. The blonde shook his head. "This is something I need to do Yugi."

Yami scowled to himself. But he didn't complain, and helped Jonouchi to his feet, letting the blonde lean on him for support. Yami started walking, not knowing which way he should go. Jonouchi grunted, and lifted a hand and pointed down the street. "Go down two blocks then turn right."

Yami blinked, but nodded and helped Jonouchi slowly down the sidewalk, stopping whenever the teen groaned in pain. Yugi was silent, his emotions being blocked off from Yami. Turning right, Yami stopped short by what he saw. A dark alleyway lay before him, littered with people knocked unconscious.

Yami glanced down at his friend. "What is it you need here?" Jonouchi grunted again, and slipped his arm off of Yami's.

He stumbled towards a door in a brick wall. "I'm here to see someone who can help me. But if I don't please her she'll knock me out."

Yami bristled but Jonouchi shook his head. "No don't worry. She won't hurt me. These guys aren't dead. They probably just asked stupid questions and annoyed her."

Yami followed Jonouchi to the door, opening it for him. "How do you know about this woman?" The lanky teen smiled weakly. "I used to come here to seek her help with my family problems. I only got knocked out once. She seems to like listening to me."

Jonouchi staggered into the darkness beyond the door, and Yami followed, closing the door behind them. There was only darkness, and Yami had to hold onto Jonouchi's shoulder to avoid bumping into anything. A dim light shone ahead and Yami peeked over Jonouchi's shoulder, startled at what he saw.

A circular room lay before them, with a blue fire flickering in the middle. Amazingly it wasn't burning anything. A woman was kneeled by the fire, eyes closed and arms outstretched towards the blue flame. She wore a light brown cloth dress, with a hood covering her face. Gold bands encircled her arms. Her skin was a warm brown colour, and something gold glittered around her neck, but Yami couldn't see what it was.

Jonouchi cleared his throat, and the woman looked up, smiling at him. "Ah, Jonouchi. Nice to see you again."

She tensed though, seeing Yami. Her eyes stared at his puzzle, and she frowned.

Jonouchi broke the silence. "Yeah sorry. I brought my friend along today. I wasn't feeling good and he helped me get here."

The woman nodded. "I see." She still looked unsettled.

Jonouchi went and sat down across from her, motioning for Yami to do the same, he complied, holding the cord attached to the puzzle.

The woman bowed. "Greetings Jonouchi's friend. I am Izishu Ishtar. And I believe we have met before."

End Of Chapter Seventeen