Atem's eyes flashed open as the door to the room creaked. He was still in Kaiba's arms, head pressed safely against his chest. There was a shuffling and a curse muffled somewhere as the door was shut rather quickly. Much less silently than it had been opened. Well, this would be interesting. There really wasn't any good way to explain this. Atem looked up to see Kaiba undisturbed by the interruption. His eyes were still closed; breathing steadily. The Pharaoh tried to maneuver out of his grasp as carefully as possible. Kaiba immediately woke up upon feeling the body move away. His eyes opened as he rose up quickly to see that Atem was still there. They weren't under attack and everything seemed calm. Atem smiled running a hand through the brunette's hair.

"I'm still here. Someone just opened the door."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the door. They didn't lock it last night. Judging by the fact that whoever just came in did not stay, he guessed that they definitely saw both of them. Now it was a game as to who that was exactly…and if everyone else knew as well. Kaiba crawled out of the bed, a hand smoothing over Atem's leg as he bent down to grab his jacket. Atem raised an eyebrow as he stood up as well. Were they just going with this now? What even was this? There was a sudden pounding on the door that made them both crouch into defensive positions.

"Yami! There's something going on outside!"

They exchanged glances before Kaiba opened the door. Yugi's face turned beet red as he tried to avert any eye contact with the man. He cleared his throat as Yugi just moved out of the way; eyes glued to the floor. Kaiba left the room with an annoyed expression as Atem approached Yugi. He looked up sheepishly and smiled.

"I'm sorry…I should have knocked earlier…I didn't realize that…"

"It's fine. What is going on outside?"

Atem followed Yugi to where everyone was standing outside of the house. The sky was black; people could be seen walking around the town taking pictures and enjoying the spectacle. Marik stepped in to explain.

"It's 1:00 pm. And it's still pitch black outside. The sun never came up."

Atem's eyes widened as he looked up into the sky. That wasn't exactly correct though. They could see where the sun was above them; directly behind the moon. Before the Pharaoh could point this out Kaiba spoke up.

"It came up, there's an eclipse."

Ishizu shook her head.

"That isn't possible. It doesn't match with the calendar…"

"Then it must have something to do with me being here."

Atem glared up at the sky. They needed to go to the desert. That was where all of this started. It was safe to assume that it would be where it all ended as well. Rishid must have read his mind. The buggy pulled up scattering a dust cloud of sand around them. There wouldn't be enough room for everyone. Atem got into the passenger seat as Marik got into the back. It made sense. This was technically Marik's job, Rishid was the best driver, and the entire thing involved Atem. Yugi had made a move to sit down when Kaiba crossed over. He took the seat behind Atem while sending a glare everyone else's way. He was the only one that didn't make a lot of sense. Well, except for Yugi. He smiled sheepishly taking a step back. There was obviously something going on between the two of them.

Kaiba absolutely refused to allow Atem out of his sight. Especially going to the desert where he first appeared. Bakura put a hand on Yugi's shoulder nodding to them.

"Call us if anything happens. I'll see if we can acquire another buggy."

The vehicle sped off then. Sand whipping up around them as Mokuba turned to Yugi with a puzzled expression. Why did his brother go instead of Yugi? It didn't make a lot of sense. Yugi just shook his head. The explanation he thought of would just bring on more questions. He was still unsure of what he saw that morning. Kaiba had been in bed with Atem; holding him even. Yugi didn't even think they were friends. Rivals sure, that much was obvious. He scratched his head watching where the vehicle disappeared. There was a slight chance that the Pharaoh would not return from this trip. There was a chance that he may disappear at any second period. Sighing the tri-coloured man followed everyone else back into the house. Ishizu turned on the TV and flipped it over to the news. An emergency broadcast had been sent out regarding the current eclipse. All of them stared wide eyed.

"The natural phenomenon that the globe is currently experiencing should be impossible. Every country has reports of an eclipse. Covering our streets our cities...in darkness. Now scientists say-"

Everyone started to tune out the broadcast. This was not an eclipse; it wasn't possible. The entire globe seeing the same eclipse? It had to be something else. Bakura got up to start making calls. They needed another buggy. There was no way that sitting here and doing nothing was in the cards for the group. Mokuba texted his brother about the broadcast. It probably wouldn't really help anything but it just felt like something he should mention.

Kaiba felt his phone vibrate in his front pocket. He reached up and took it out. A finger glossing over the crack that now took up his entire screen. He would need to get that replaced once he got home. Ignoring the many messages regarding his work, Kaiba read the text from his brother. The entire world was seeing this? It definitely wasn't a coincidence then. This had to do with Atem some way or another. Part of him wanted to take over the vehicle and drive as fast as possible in the opposite direction. Take Atem away, hide him even. As if they could play hide-n-seek with ancient Egyptian gods. It just wasn't feasible. Not to mention he'd have to kidnap the man. There was no way that the Pharaoh would run from a fight. That wasn't in either of their blood. Besides, the thought of having to really fight for something again appealed to him.

"We're here."

Rishid's comment broke Kaiba's concentration. The brunette turned to see that they were in an ocean of sand. It was a little hard to see, he wondered how Rishid could even tell. Stepping out of the vehicle the ground immediately shook. Kaiba grabbed Atem's arm as the Pharaoh stumbled. Marik raised an eyebrow as he nodded towards where they needed to go from here.

"It's this way a little."

Kaiba released Atem's arm quickly realizing he had reached out. It was second nature now...when did he start acting like this? Was he always like this? Maybe it was just activated now since he was no longer in Yugi's head all of the time. They walked across the rolling blanket of sand. It felt cool in-between Atem's toes. They had been in such a panic that he didn't even think to ask for footwear. The group had been walking for a couple minutes before Atem stopped. He started to look around curiously. Something felt different, something was calling to him. He crouched down in the sand looking around the area. Hands brushing through the cool sand. Marik turned to see the Pharaoh on his knees. He turned on his heel quickly, making Rishid and Kaiba turn around as well. Atem didn't glance up as they approached him. He kept sifting through the sands, trying to find whatever was calling to him. His fingers hit something hard. Reaching further he pulled out the small object. It was smooth, sharp in some places. Bringing it closer he could feel his soul vibrate. It was part of the Millennium Puzzle. Atem froze while holding the fragment. Whispers started to fill his mind. Too many voices, all speaking at once. Clouds started to form in the dark skies as the whispers grew louder and louder. Turning to shouts and screams. Overlapping in the small space around him. He tried to understand any of it. It could be important.

Kaiba's fist connected with Atem's cheek. The Pharaoh hit the sand hard. The golden piece falling next to him. The voices immediately disappeared. Marik ran to his side while frowning at Kaiba. He helped Atem sit back up.

"Was that really necessary?!"

"He hadn't moved for ten minutes. Whispering nonsense!"

"He was speaking Egyptian you asshole; fuck! He was saying something about Gods and rules...consequences."

Kaiba crossed his arms as Marik helped Atem to his feet. The gold piece could be seen off to the side. Marik put a hand on the Pharaoh's shoulder. A red mark starting to swell on his cheek. Something started moving beneath them in the sand. Marik jumped out of the way as another golden piece rose up.

"What the..."

The surrounding area started to move. The ground shook, making everyone waver. They struggled to stand as golden pieces started to rise to the surface all around them. Clouds started to form fast above their specific area. The shaking intensified. Sand blasting up around them violently. Marik fell over, Rishid rushed to try and help his brother up. Kaiba looked up suddenly not seeing Atem right next to them. Somehow he had moved, farther away. Looking up the clouds started to circle directly above the man. Golden shards of Millennium items swirling around him, faster and faster. Kaiba tried to run towards him but the winds had picked up. Forcing him back toward the edge anytime he got anywhere near the gusts. He screamed out, voice lost in the storm.

Golden pieces started to rise into the air. Circling fast around the Pharaoh. He watched them, head turning left to right. He couldn't see the others anymore. The golden pieces creating a wall around him. The voices returned. Speaking louder and louder. The voices started to mold and mix. Slowly becoming one loud voice.

"Do you think you're immortal?"

Atem tried to answer, but his voice was lost in the storm. No, he knew he wasn't immortal. He had lived two short lives. He wasn't ungrateful of any of it. He hadn't meant to stir anything up in Paradise. The Land of Two Fields was beautiful. He had gotten the taste of competition again. The will to fight and the love of the game. His heart had always pulled towards the cards. It wasn't anything against the Gods. He had never meant to anger them or to start a war. The Gods had been restless for quite some time now. They were looking for a fight at this point. His scene had just tipped them over the edge. One of their own Pharaohs...jealous of the living. It was blasphemy. The circle started to get smaller. Atem could feel his body lifting off of the ground. It suddenly started to make sense. He was never supposed to end up here. There could even be others. Something happened when the Gods collided. He had been cast down here by one of them. Either on accident or purpose; didn't matter. The eternal eclipse was enough of a sign. Ra was angry.

Kaiba could partially see Atem rising in the center. Marik and Rishid took a few steps back staring at the spectacle.

"They're taking him back..."

Kaiba flashed a glare at Marik. There was a swirling black portal appearing directly above Atem. Kaiba's eyes narrowed. The fuck they were. Fuck the Gods; if they were so powerful then they should have been able to keep him there in the first place. If anything this was amusement to them. Dangling the Pharaoh in front of them. What would they even do to him when he returned? The Gods were all fighting weren't they? Images of Atem being sent to hell flashed through his mind. The World of Darkness...Kaiba bolted for the cyclone. If it was a war they wanted then it was a war they'd get. He wasn't letting Atem leave again without his permission.

The winds blew violently, he forced his way through sheer determination. The spinning gold was the difficult part. As soon as he stepped inside his skin was ripped apart by the spinning shards. He gritted his teeth through the pain as he made a break for it.

Atem's attention was taken from the swirling portal to see Kaiba jumping into the center. Cuts covered his body, clothes ripped in every direction. He tackled the Pharaoh onto the sands. Both of their bodies crashing hard. He didn't waste any time. Kaiba cradled Atem close to his chest. Bending over him to shield his body from the swirling darkness above. They wouldn't take him. Not this time.

Light struck across the portal a few times. The ground shaking violently. Almost like the Gods were having an argument about this very moment. A bright flash of light blinded all of them. Kaiba dipped his head down against Atem's head. Blood trickling down his face.

"You will be tested."

Fucking bring it. They weren't children anymore. If the Gods wanted a fight then they would get one. Wouldn't be the first time that the group took on some insane power. The bright flash faded away. The winds and spinning gold were gone. As were the clouds and spinning portal. Kaiba slowly lifted his head to see the sun bright across the sky. Not a cloud in sight. The brilliant bright white sands partially hindering his eyesight. He looked down to see Atem unconscious in his arms. His eyes widened. Resting on the Pharaoh's stomach was the Millennium Puzzle. Did they make a mistake? Kaiba stood up, keeping Atem in his arms.

"Marik, call the others. Is Mutou with them?!"

Marik flashed his phone out but the screen wouldn't turn on. Cursing, Kaiba rushed over to the buggy and set Atem down on the back seat. He shuffled his phone out to see that it wouldn't turn on either. Rishid shook his head as he pocketed his phone as well. Now they all needed new phones. Marik hoped in the front seat as Kaiba got in the back. His arm going around the Pharaoh to ensure he didn't fall from his seat. The vehicle took off at top speed; minutes felt like hours as they drove towards the house.

[Minor edits]