AN: This took me longer then expected, I'm so sorry! I had the draft already written but I'm just very slow because online classes. Enjoy! Also no I don't intend to abandon this, I just feel very cringe with my writing but shhh.

Trigger warning: Possible violence[graphic/explicit], mostly illusions and mind games.
''Text''-Speech
/Text/- Thoughts
(Text)- AN (for now)
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi

Chapter 5: Bark Or Bite

Atem was back.

''...!''

Yugi's senses were suddenly filled with the weight of the mindlink he and Atem used to share. Yugi froze in place for that very moment just so he could take in everything that he has able to feel, or rather, what his Yami felt: worry, sadness and anger. Oh so much anger. It happened in the blink of an eye, but as soon as he felt it, just as soon he closed his part of the link, tensed.
He looked at the scene of his crime that was a crying, shaky yet standing still Kaiba on the floor, then took one step back, out from Kaiba's view. His head too full with so many questions, Yugi didn't continue with Kaiba's death. It was too late. So in that dead silence, he snapped his fingers and the shadows returned to him, blinking back in his apartment room.

Atem, Bakura and Marik were at what seemed to be the entrance to the underground temple where the door to the Afterlife was. The entrance was blocked by rocks, air chill, the sky almost fully darkened with some stars starting to make their appearance. They yamis had their respective Millennium Items in hand, as they looked at each other. All nodded and used the magic to teleport to Domino City. The air was just as chilly, but there was a small underneath feel of rotten bodies. The sky mostly covered by clouds, some small shades of blue and lighter blue at the horizon, indicating that the sun will rise soon. They were close near-by Domino City Hospital, so they went there first.

On their way there, Atem couldn't take off his mind what he just felt mere seconds after he returned to the mortal world. The mindlink he and Yugi shared returned and it hit him like a strong wave. He was angry at the others for doing this to his Yugi, but some hope shone again in Atem. Yugi wasn't going mad. For a split second he could feel what Yugi felt: sadness, hatred, pain, confusion and betrayal. But then Yugi shut down his part of the link and Atem had been met with a mental wall that blocked him from going further. So Yugi was aware that he returned...wasn't he?

An apartment room, not too fancy, not too bare either. Curtains closed, Yugi was pacing around his apartment. Atem was back. But why? Why now? Who was he worried for? Who was he mad at? Was it their so called 'friends'? But he tried his best to hide it from Atem, he tried to live. He couldn't have had let known Atem all this, he tried his hardest to live while letting Atem rest in peace as he finally got to his own home, Atem deserved at least that, didn't he? His own malevolent Magic turned against him, shadows swirling around his form as he paced and his own clouded mind didn't give him a easy time either. Then it hit him and he stopped dead in front of the window as he whispered, after all the silence he had been in for the past hours. ''He returned because I killed them...'' Atem must have believed what his friends told him. Atem must be angry at Yugi. He disappointed Atem.

And then, in that brief moment, the shadows vanished as Yugi's knees failed to keep him up, falling on the floor and soft, crystal tears made their way fast down his cheeks, his eyes returning to that once amethyst color even though still clouded, he seemed like himself for once in all these days. He disappointed Atem. He disturbed Atem's rest for what, for his own stupidness? In that moment the broken Yugi slipped through beyond the mask of revenge. But why did Atem leave in the first place? Why Atem left him here all alone? He was broken. Because they broke him. They broke him... They broke him... They broke him...
The shadows returned, heavy whispers all around the broken Yugi ''This isn't your fault, Master. They did this to you, they started this. Including the Pharaoh. He could have chosen to stay, but he left you. He knew they will break you, because he was part of it all. He wanted to break you, Master. You shouldn't care because they started this, not you.'' and with that, Yugi's eyes returned to that almost complete dark dead color that was very much blending in with his outfit from the previous encounter. His tears no longer present, he agreed as he stood up. One more enemy to face for him. One more enemy to torture. One more enemy to kill.

At the hospital, the yamis found Joey, Tristan and Ryou on the corridor and headed to them. ''Hey, Pharaoh wait up!'' the Thief King tried to talk some sense into Atem before foolishly heading to the others, but the Pharaoh had none of it. At the brief voice though, the others turned to face the yamis and a fumming Atem heading towards them. They all seemed really happy that Atem was there, but somehow very conflicted as well. Joey was the first one to talk, it seemed. ''Atem! Yo, how ye got back? We are h-'' but he stopped when Atem looked at him with a cold stare. The coldest Joey could remember from any other one. Atem spoke, his voice taut, but low, as he looked at each one of them. ''Yes, I'm back. But I had heard everything you've done to Yugi. If you want to live, better behave yourselves, and actually be people. You are not my friends until you will recognize your mistakes, for now you all are just people that I need to save and nothing more. Now. Where's Kaiba?''
All of them were silent. Even Marik, because THAT was really cold from Atem. Good thing Malik wasn't around. Maybe he didn't even know about all what happened to Yugi, so he shouldn't be involved in any way, he thought. The little group looked at Atem and the yamis bitterly, but Ryou was the one to look at the door and speak. ''There's Mokuba and the other room is Tea's. Kaiba went to the company to search for the one who caused all this and to stop them.''
Atem looked at the doors, already knowing what was on the other side, and then he looked at Ryou. ''How long has he been gone for?'' at which the other looked at his watch and murmured ''For... a few hours now. Why?''. Atem looked at the yamis for details, for an answer that would tell him if Yugi found a next victim or not. The Thief nodded ''He's the lone wolf from the pack, isolated he must be the perfect target to hit since these deaths and attacks all happened one by one.'' and Marik agreed ''Once you get one out from the group, there's slim chances you wouldn't go for that one, since a whole group would be difficult to take out without much control over the shadows.''
''Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's go, we can't waste any time on this!'' Atem rushed down the corridor, everyone following him, Joey, Ryou and Tristan confused, but Atem couldn't care any less. He was going to save Yugi and everyone else. He had to.

When they got in front of the KC tower, there was carnage every side of the entrance. Bodies hanged in bloodied branches of trees, on the ground which now had a dark blood color painted to it, and the broken window frames painted in that same blood. Since Atem wouldn't be able to teleport everyone upstairs, they had to go through the building, through the corpes. Ryou was almost frozen by the sight, but they all eventually moved inside.
''Who did...all this?...'' Tristan asked in disbelief as he watched those corpses of the cops and security guards. Atem kept walking till he got to the elevator and spoke ''Yugi.''

''Yugi? Tat brat?!'' Joey seemed to be the one who was the most hating on Yugi it seemed and Atem's cheeks flushed as he turned, voice rising ''Will you shut up ALREADY?!'' his chest falling and rising fast. Joey narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth, the others only watching. Marik came by Atem's left side and asked ''Are we taking the elevator?'' and Atem pushed the button to open the elevator. As the doors opened, 3 corpes were there and the light was flickering. Atem shook his head and walked up the stairs, trying his best to not step on the dead people, and also on watch for a possible encounter with Yugi. Everything and everyone was silent for what seemed like forever until they made it upstairs, Kaiba's office door open wide. Some rays of the sun were coming through the window, lighting up the room nicely, though a shadow was present. Kaiba's. They all watched Kaiba stand there crying. Everyone was shocked, eyes widening and that dead silence continued until Atem walked by next to Kaiba and knelt in front of him. ''Kaiba, what happened here?'' Atem asked, but there was no response. Marik was about to use his Rod before Atem shook his head and looked back at Kaiba. ''Kaiba, do you hear me? What happened here?'' this time he placed one hand on his shoulder and Kaiba muttered which a dead voice ''Mokuba...I failed Mokuba...I failed to protect Mokuba...'' and kept muttering the sentence like a mantra. Atem shook Kaiba and the others came by Atem as well. ''Mokuba is well taken care of at the hospital, we have been there a moment ago. Kaiba, listen to me, he's fine, he's alive thanks to you. Mokuba will be fine, you hadn't failed him.'' but Kaiba seemed to be stuck in that motion which none of the persons in the room could imagine. ''Hey, Kaiba, ya bro is fine in ta hospital. We left from there and the doc's said he's recovering.'' Joey added, as it seemed Kaiba wouldn't believe either of them. It took an hour or so to take Kaiba out of that trance and actually be back with everyone on Earth and explained to him what happened.
They all sat down in his office, no one too brave to go out knowing what's beyond the office door. And then as excepted, Joey snapped at the yamis ''You told he can't take the group on without control over the whateva magic he has, yet he was able to take out an entier tower of cops and guard, how does tad come?!'' and Marik snapped back, obviously fed up already by those humans who interrupted him from admiring that brat's work ''We meant group! G. R. O. U. P. You are a group of so ooohh 'friends' and he's hunting you all down one by one, can't you see that dumbass?! He wants you alone so he can torture you!'' and before anyone else could continue, Atem stopped them. ''Stop! You won't solve anything like this.'' and then turned his attention back to Kaiba ''Kaiba, we need a plan, or rather, we have a plan but we need your help. You're the only one who could help us right now.'' and Kaiba looked back at Atem ''If you told the truth, then Yugi is more then capable of hacking into the system. I cannot help you.'' ''Not unless he will be away from any computer and won't be able to hack'' ''How are you expecting to do that?'' ''You'll see, I just need you to trust me, Kaiba.''
There was silence in the room as everyone was waiting Kaiba's answer and Atem's plan...

''I'll trust you this one time. For Mokuba.''
''That's all I needed to know.''

AN: And with that Chapter 5 is over! Atem's plan, what could that be? HMMM. Now you'll all have to wait probably another month or so...oof. Interesting how I got to write all this in 3 hours ^^; See you in the next one and thank you so much guys for the reviews!