Author's note: Sorry for the long delay in posting this. Real life has been rather busy and the heat (I live in the Southern US and summer is VERY hot) has made my chronic illnesses worse, so I haven't felt terribly creative. Also, I made quite a few last minute revisions to the final three chapters, which means sending them off to be beta'd again by my wonderful and incredibly patient beta readers. I am working on the final revisions for the epilogue and plan to post it and chapter 23 by the weekend. So, only two more chapters to go, folks! I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it for you.

Chapter 22

"Yami!"

Yami grunted as Yugi plowed into him, taking them both to the floor and underneath the ghosts' diving attack.

Shrieking, the wraith-cloud reformed itself on the other side of the chamber. Yami saw Yugi peer at it, then turn desperate eyes on him. "Do something before they come back!"

Yami grimaced up at the young man still lying on top of him. "I'm open to suggestions!"

With a roar like a runaway freight train, the ghosts attacked again. This time, Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi and rolled, barely avoiding the tendrils of darkness that whipped at them. One struck the floor where they had been, gouging a shallow trench in the stone. Knife-sharp blades of limestone sliced at Yami's legs, leaving thin trickles of blood on his skin. The phantoms screamed in anger at the near miss. Yowling, they whipped around the chamber like a black tornado, sending priceless artifacts flying in their wake. The sounds of fury and destruction were deafening.

Panting, Yami risked a peek around the corner of the sarcophagus he had put between them and the ghosts. The wraith-cloud reformed into a writhing, compact mass at the center of the chamber. It hovered near the floor, as if sniffing at the spot where the two of them had lain. Quickly pulling back, he bent his head to whisper in Yugi's ear. "I think it's me they're after. I'll distract them while you make a run for the door."

Yugi shook his head vehemently. "I'm not leaving you."

Stubborn! Headstrong! Yami stared down into amethyst eyes practically brimming with determination, and found he couldn't hold on to his ire. Instead, he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Yugi's mouth. "If you get yourself killed, aibou, I'll never forgive you."

Yugi favored him with a slightly crooked smile. "I won't, if you won't."

The shadowy tendrils coiled, lashed out -- and there was no more time for talking. Together with Yugi, Yami rolled away from the attack, then scrambled to his feet. Over Yugi's objections, Yami shoved Yugi firmly behind him and backed away, keeping a sharp eye on the wraith-cloud. All the while, Yami's mind churned frantically, reviewing what he knew of the contents of the chamber, trying to remember something -- anything -- he could use as a weapon against the angry ghosts.

Yami stumbled over a fallen statue. He glanced down. Horus. The falcon-headed god's crown was the same as the one still miraculously perched on his own head. The sight of the golden crown triggered something buried deep in the recesses of his mind. What...?

Before the thought could fully form, he was forced to duck another attack. He grabbed Yugi and dove for cover behind a gilded wooden throne. The back of the throne was decorated with an array of rearing cobras wrought in gold. The cobras were there to protect the pharaoh from his enemies. No sooner had he thought it than the wraiths dove at him again. At the last moment, they veered off, as if deflected by something he couldn't see. Bits of shadow boiled off the main mass where it had touched the throne. Yami blinked, then stared incredulously at the cobras. No. He shook his head -- whether to force his brain back into some semblance of working order or to dislodge the insane ideas it was giving him, he wasn't sure. So what if the Millennium Items were real? And he was the reincarnation of an ancient pharaoh? There had to be a logical explanation for--

The cobras glowed as they deflected another attack.

Damn it all to fuck.

Yami growled. When all this was over, he wanted to have a serious talk with whoever was screwing up his reality.

Yugi's hands clutched at him. "What are you doing?!" he hissed, trying without success to tug Yami back under cover. "They'll see you!"

If Yami had dared to take his eyes off the ghosts, he would have shot an "I'm pretty sure the fact that they keep attacking us means the evil ghosts already know where we are" look in Yugi's direction. As if was, he didn't dare. However, Yugi apparently read the intention in Yami's silence, because Yugi's open hand thumped between Yami's shoulder blades, followed by a stern, "Stop that."

Unfairly accused, Yami yelped. "Stop what?"

"Glaring at me through the back of your skull." Another thump, this time from Yugi's forehead colliding with Yami's back. "Seto does that to me all the time and I hate it!"

The surge of instant jealousy distracted Yami from the immediate crisis. "Who," he demanded in a dangerously level tone, "is Seto?"

"Look out!"

The wraiths screamed overhead like a squadron of ethereal jet fighters. Deflected from their target yet again, they banked, howling with rage, and rocketed back for another try. On the back of the throne, the cobras shone so brightly they were almost white.

A single, thin tendril broke from the main cloud. It snaked toward them, bits of it boiling off as it neared the throne. The tendril pushed forward, coiling and twining in on itself as it undulated toward its goal. Yami stared at it, mesmerized by its deadly, serpentine grace. The air around him felt heavy, charged, and tasted of ozone. Every hair on his body tried to stand on end. With a crack like thunder, the tendril whipped at him, missing his face by inches. The wall behind them exploded, showering them with bits of painted plaster.

Yami found himself face down on the floor again, this time with Yugi's weight on top of him. Shielding him. Yugi had reacted in time to save them both.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yugi pounded on Yami's back with both fists. "Or did you not notice the evil ghost-thing trying to kill you?!"

"I noticed!" Yami yelled back. He had noticed, if a bit too late. His head felt as if someone had stuffed it with overcooked pasta. Had the damned thing hypnotized him? He would have to be more careful if he was going to get Yugi out of this mess alive. Then again, maybe he should leave the job to Yugi, who seemed to be doing a better job of it than Yami was managing at the moment. "I was just a little… distracted."

"You were almost terminally distracted!" Yugi stopped pounding on Yami's back and buried his face in Yami's nape. His breath was ragged. "Don't do it again."

"Yes, sir." As gently as possible under the circumstances, Yami bucked him off and rose up on his knees. "Stay here."

"…Says the man who almost got his head blasted off by a pissed-off ghost." Yugi popped up beside him. "I know you're familiar with the theory of self-preservation, but have you ever considered attempting the practice?"

Yami stared at him.

"…What!" Yugi snapped.

"You're beautiful when you're being a protective asshole."

Yugi looked as if he couldn't decide whether to kiss Yami or strangle him. Yami made the decision for him, pulling Yugi close and pressing a quick but heartfelt kiss to his lips. Yugi made a noise somewhere between a moan and a growl.

Pulling back just far enough to meet Yugi's eyes, Yami smiled at him. "I have an idea."

"Am I going to like this idea, or am I going to scream at you a lot?"

Yami shrugged one shoulder. "Scream at me later -- preferably my name, in bed. Right now, do me a favor and -- for once -- keep your head down."

Yugi shook the head in question. "What are you going to--? Yami!"

But Yami had already leaped to his feet and run out into the center of the room. The wraith-cloud homed in on him at once. This time, Yami didn't attempt to hide. Feet braced apart, he waited with his head held high as the killer ghosts swarmed toward him.

Buzzing like angry wasps, the wraith-cloud engulfed him in darkness.

--

When the ghosts surrounded Yami, Yugi wanted to scream. But he feared the sound would break Yami's concentration, so he chewed his bottom lip ragged instead. He had no idea what the brave idiot had planned, but Yugi hoped it worked. Tearing his gaze away from the purple-black maelstrom, he shot a quick glance around the chamber. It looked like a demolition crew had been through it. Statues and storage chests lay overturned on the floor. Chunks of plaster and stone littered the floor. A huge scorch mark obscured most of the painting on one wall, almost obliterating the figure that had once stood next to the pharaoh on his barque. All that remained of the smaller figure was a pair of bare legs and a bit of white kilt.

Grandpa would have a fit when he saw the mess they had made of his find.

Yugi almost laughed at the absurdity of the idea. Maybe he would have, if he hadn't been so scared for Yami. He couldn't even see his outline inside that ominous cloud. The ghosts were writhing and twisting around him, obscuring him from view -- and doing who knew what to him in the meantime. Yugi's fingers clenched on the stone rim of the granite sarcophagus. Until that moment, he hadn't even realized he had ended up there again. He looked around for something that might help Yami, but nothing screamed 'hey, I'm ghost repellent!' to his frantic eyes. He scrambled up onto the lid of the sarcophagus. His sneaker kicked something, and he looked down.

The Millennium Puzzle.

His heart pounding, he picked up the Puzzle and clutched it to his chest. He wasn't sure what he could do with it (besides maybe throw it at the wraiths), but if Yami needed him, Yugi would be ready.

--

Yami was on his knees. Terrible pain coursed through him, as if every nerve ending was on fire. The cobra on his brow shone with eerie ghost fire, as did the amulets worked into his broad collar and on his bracelets. He had a feeling they were the only things keeping him alive. He could feel their power wrapping around him, bolstering his own waning energies. He had to act soon or it would be too late. Unfortunately, he hadn't the faintest idea what to do next.

He had flung himself into the fray, his main thought to draw the furious spirits away from Yugi. He had hoped that his new memories -- Atem's memories -- would come to his aid as they had before. But his mind was a jumble of confusing images that meant nothing to him, and the wraiths weren't giving him a chance to sort memory from imagination. Summoning a breath despite the crushing pressure constricting his chest, he cried out, "Yugi! Run!"

He prayed Yugi would save himself before it was too late. In his heart, Yami knew it was a futile hope.

--

Yugi stood on the sarcophagus, his fingers strangling the Puzzle's chain in his grip. Things had gone from bad to worse, and he felt useless, standing on the sidelines. There had to be something he could do!

The ghostly cloud drew in on itself, forming a tight cocoon around the figure at its center.

Crushing him, Yugi thought, his breath freezing in his throat. They're crushing Yami!

Suddenly, Yami's voice -- filled with a pain that made Yugi's heart clench -- broke from the imprisoning darkness. "Yugi! Run!"

Fuck that, Yugi thought. He wasn't going to desert Yami. And he sure as hell wasn't going to stand by and do nothing while Yami died!

Puzzle tight in his grip, he flung himself at the murderous ghosts.