Small Note
Sakura: As always thanks for the reviews! I wanted to touch up on one review I got this week. I understand some people's concerns about this story not making it through to the end. I just want to let everyone know that there may be some weeks where I can't update, but if I can help it I will finish this story. I made myself a goal of hopefully finishing it at the end of this year or possible the beginning of next. Here's to hoping I reach that goal.
Chapter 5
Chains
Despite their being a closed sign in the window, Joey tested the doors and was surprised when they easily opened up for him and his friends. The Black Crown game store should have been locked up for the day yet the front doors were unlocked. That was either really irresponsible or something was not right. None of them could shake the feeling that something was not right. They looked around the empty shop but no one was in sight.
"Tristan, you said Bakura went in here too right?" Joey asked again just to be sure.
Tristan nodded, "Yeah I did see him, but now this place just looks deserted."
"But Duke would never leave the shop unlocked," Tea commented, "I get the feeling something may have happened."
"Hey look somebody's on the ground," Ryou called over to them. He had thought he saw something and went to check it out only to find two security guards on the ground. He prayed this wasn't Bakura's doing.
Tristan and Joey hurried over and went to check on the guards, finding them only to be knocked out and unharmed. Joey looked around making sure there still wasn't any kind of intruder before he stood up. "Let's try upstairs and see if Duke's there."
They were all in agreement as they hurried along trying to find their four missing friends. Two knocked out guards and no one in the shop spelled trouble.
The dice unfolded perfectly fitting into the small space on the board. Duke was left speechless as Armor Wizard Pazoo emerged from the unfolded die. 'Talk about luck… he had a die that could fit into such a tiny area…' At this point no one was luckier than Yugi.
"Do you see now?" Bakura asked of Duke as he smirked, "Yugi solved the millennium puzzle your little board game is nothing."
Yugi was glad to have gotten one more monster on the field to protect him. 'My dungeon only has one life left and Pazoo's my only other monster. Will he be able to stop Orgoth?' He would lose if his creature wasn't strong enough or had good special abilities.
"Sorry to rain on your parade Yugi…" Duke spoke up deciding to point something out Yugi seemed to have missed, "Good job summoning a creature but how do you plan to fight me with no weapons and zero attack?" It was then Yugi realized that his creature had no attack points at all meaning he would have to rely on the creatures unknown special abilities. "That creature is no match for the overwhelming might of God Orgoth."
Just when there seemed to be a ray of light, it was covered once again in darkness. 'He's right. I can't beat him with zero attack…' Yugi's thought process was moving back toward helplessness. 'Isn't there anything I can do…?' Yami was still in trouble and Duke's crazy father still wanted his puzzle. He just couldn't let the man take either of those away from him.
"Yugi don't be a baby! Stand up!" Bakura growled at him catching his attention again, "This is another test for you. This is the King's final challenge to see if you are the true successor of the millennium puzzle."
Yugi looked toward Bakura with complete confusion. He had no idea what Bakura was talking about so he asked "What do you mean 'King'?"
"Listen to me Yugi, only one person on earth can solve the millennium puzzle. Only one person is chosen for the duty of awakening the king's memories." Bakura looked Yugi dead in the eye as he said, "That person is you and I came here to make sure of that."
Apparently what Bakura said was funny to Mr. Devlin as he started laughing out of nowhere, "Heh heh heh Bakura was it? It's useless to kibitz! The millennium puzzle goes to whoever wins this game and if you take a look at the board you know the winner will be my son!" He still believed Duke would rightfully take the puzzle after the game was won, he did not even care about how his son was feeling about all this.
"Rot and die old man," Bakura hissed with a glare toward the fruitcake. He was getting on Bakura's last nerve and that was never a good thing.
Sure Yugi had no clue what Bakura was talking about but he was right in not giving up. Yugi had to do this to prove the puzzle was his and he was the King of Games. No one could take any of those away from him without a fight. Looking toward Yami, he was even more determined now to make things right. 'I'll fight to the end! Pazoo, he may not have any attack points but I know it has some secret power. I'll gamble on that power. My next move will decide the game!'
"Now it's my turn," Duke announced once Yugi had ended his turn. He tossed his dice on the board getting just what he needed to send Orgoth on the attack to win the game for him. "Attack and finish this game!"
The sword of Orgoth came down ready to take the last life point away but Yugi wasn't going to let it end like that. "I pay three magic crests to activate Pazoo's secret power!" He shouted and just like that Pazoo started to change.
At first sight it looked like Duke might have won but when the smoke cleared Yugi had turned the tables saving his dungeon master for another turn. Duke's eyes widen when he saw what Pazoo had turned into, "It turned itself into a shield. He protected the dungeon master." Due to this move it deflected Orgoth's attack as if it was nothing.
"Duke this game is not over yet. On my next turn my dungeon master will fight!"
"But Pazoo has no attack points. How are you going to fight like that?"
Yugi could agree with him there but he wasn't out just yet, "You're right it's attack points are zero but the reason why it's points are zero and why it's not armed is because Pazoo is a weapon. It turns itself into equipment for the dungeon master." Duke created the game he shouldn't have forgotten about something as simple as that.
Duke could not believe how fast Yugi had figured that out. He knew of Pazoo's abilities but he did not think Yugi would know how to use them so quickly. "You're right, but to keep the shield you have to pay the crest cost each turn and to change Pazoo into a weapon you need one magic crest and two attack crests. All you have is one."
Yugi gripped the dice in his hands, "Then I'll just have to roll for it…" It was his turn now and it would all come down to his roll. With Orgoth and his dungeon master face to face for the final showdown, Yugi tossed the dice watching them roll around. All was silent as they watched the dice come to a halt giving Yugi two attack crests and one summon crest.
"Yes!" Yugi cheered as he paid the price needed to change Pazoo into sword mode. The little creature shifted in shape changing from a shield to a sword in the dungeon master's hand. Thanks to the change the Dungeon master gained attack points of two thousand five hundred making him stronger than Orgoth. "Go Dungeon master attack Orgoth!"
The Dungeon master leapt forward with amazing speed, splicing the once powerful creature in half just like it had tried to do to it not long before. It was over in a second with Orgoth being no more and Yugi's dungeon master safe and alive.
Duke was speechless as he looked at the board, 'H-He rolled it just when he needed it… and I don't have anything that can beat his attack points…' This was his game of his own creation and the first time Yugi had ever gotten to play it. Without knowing the rules, without even having played it before he beat him… and it was just like Yami said.
Yami smirked as he saw how happy Yugi looked now that he had won. He hadn't even taken out Duke's last life point but the game was over. Yugi's monster was the most powerful on the board now. Mr. Devlin had lost his composure with the lost. He thankfully wasn't even holding the gun toward Yami anymore much to the young adult's relief…. real or not that was scary.
"Now you know that Yugi is the true owner of the puzzle," Bakura stated catching their attention as he moved over to Mr. Devlin. Before they could blink he had gotten the gun and taken all the bullets out of it like a master. "If someone with a weak heart like you tried to solve the puzzle, you'd just end up trapped in a labyrinth of darkness. You got away with your life this time…" Without another word he moved back over to Yugi tossing the useless gun to the side as if he had just did nothing.
Yami gave a sigh of relief as he tried to stand on shaken legs the pain in his head dying back but still there. Yugi forgot everything else as he rushed over to him not wanting him to strain himself. While Yugi was busy with Yami the puzzle was left on the table, Bakura easily picked it all up and made his way over to the two like a friend would.
"I don't trust that old man, better keep this nearby," Bakura stated as he handed Yugi back his puzzle. He could see the guy looking extremely pissed off about the lost, but he was now without a gun so he couldn't do anything too stupid.
Yugi nodded as he let Yami use his shoulders for support while he took the broken puzzle back up in his hands. "It took me eight years to solve it the first time," He looked up at Yami out of the corner of his eye and smiled, "But no matter what I'll solve it again no matter how long it takes."
Yami squeezed Yugi's shoulder with a smile of his own, "I know you will."
Neither of them noticed the one piece left in Bakura's hand as he clenched his fist behind his back. They didn't even notice the evil look in his eyes as he thought, 'This is the real reason I came to save you… You don't know the true power hidden in the millennium puzzle. No not even your partner does….' He cut his eyes to see the two all smiles as they talk about going home and working on the puzzle, 'Hidden in the millennium puzzle are the memories of the pharaoh from three thousand years ago. When the six remaining items are brought together the seal will be broken and that memory will be restored. Of course one of those keys is my own millennium item. So I have my own agenda in mind,' He clenched the piece tighter as he put a piece of his own soul within the puzzle piece, 'Now when he solves the puzzle a part of my spirit will become a mind spy… infiltrate the labyrinth of memories and eventually find what I'm looking for inside…'
"Oops sorry…." Bakura said playing the innocent act again as he pretended to pick something up off the floor, "Before you try to solve that… I found another piece on the floor."
Yugi's eyes widen at that as he carefully took the piece, "Thanks Bakura, I couldn't have solved the puzzle if this was missing." He became so worked up over making sure he had all the pieces that he did not even notice the change in Bakura.
Bakura shook his head to get rid of the dizzy feeling before taking in where he was. His eyes widen a bit as he looked around. 'Huh Where am I?' He thought, not having any memory of coming there. Yugi, Yami, and Duke were there as well, but still he had no memory of coming there. Plus where was Ryou and why did he leave work early…
While Bakura tried to figure out what the hell was going on, Duke had stood up and moved around the table to talk to his friends, "That was a great game Yugi and I have no regrets about losing. You truly are the King of Games." He looked to his father with his head bowed, "I know you wanted me to get revenge, but Yugi's my friend and I never wanted to fight your battles. I hope now you'll see that the puzzle belongs to him. I'm sorry dad…"
"I know… I was wrong Duke. I shouldn't have asked you to do that…" Mr. Devlin said faking sadness as he looked to Yugi, "I'm sorry for breaking your millennium puzzle. It must have been hard on you…" He moved a little closer to them with one idea in mind, "Let me do something to make it up to you…"
Yugi had no idea what Mr. Devlin had in mind, but he did not expect the old guy to move with such speed and take the chain part of the puzzle out of his hands. It all happened so fast as Yami, who was already weak, was easily pushed back for trying to take the chain back out of Mr. Devlin's hands and then Mr. Devlin looping the chain around Yugi's neck. He pulled cutting off Yugi's air way and pulling him away from the others and toward the wall.
"Come with me or I'll break your neck!" Mr. Devlin shouted as he pulled Yugi who could only follow.
"Dad what are you doing?" Duke shouted at his father, "Let Yugi go! Revenge won't solve anything!"
Bakura had no clue what was going on as he helped Yami get back to his feet from the fall he took. Yami would have gone after the guy but now the tables were turned and Yugi was the one in danger. "Let him go now!"
"Duke now that you lost to Yugi, you are no longer my son. You were born just to exact my revenge. Now that you failed you have no right to live." Mr. Devlin informed him driving a knife right through his son's heart.
Those words stung but he was his father and Duke did not want to give up on him, "Please stop this! Don't show any more of your ugly heart!"
"I don't expect anything from you anymore. I'll get revenge with my own hands." Mr. Devlin reached behind him to turn one of the clown faces and just like that a door opened letting him escape with Yugi before slamming shut behind them.
Duke ran over and started pounding on the door and trying to open it the same way his father just did. "Shit, this door won't open once it's locked from the inside."
"There has to be another way in!" Yami stressed only to have Duke hang his head.
"No and my dad's going to play the devil's board game with Yugi on the other side of the door. We have to find a way to get in from here before that happens."
Yugi was already struggling to breathe as he was pulled into a room that looked like it was some medieval room for sacrifices. There were chains and drapery hung from the walls and ceiling with a few animal skulls here and there making it even more creepy looking. At the very back of the room was a table set up for two people with the devil's board game sitting on top.
"A forbidden ritual will take place here…" Mr. Devlin tossed Yugi toward one of the walls letting him lose from the puzzle's chain. The young adult hit his head on the wall and with the lack of oxygen he was already seeing black dots. "Stay still until the game is ready."
Yugi groan as he tried slowly to take in air to calm his breathing and to get his vision to clear so he could sit up. His body felt like it was just dead weight as he laid there with a splitting headache.
Mr. Devlin paid him no mind as he set about lighting candles around the board game. "Do you know what this is?" He asked like Yugi would really answer him before stating rather proudly. "This is a cursed Ancient Egyptian game which devours its player's very lives. It's a simple game where two players roll dice to the goal. The scary thing is, every time you move your piece you must bet a number of years. When the game ends, the loser ages by the number of the years they bet." He turned angry eyes toward Yugi as he growled out, "I lost to Solomon at this game and aged fifty years in a single night!"
At this point Yugi had only been able to sit up when Mr. Devlin walked back over to him, "My original plan was for Duke to solve the puzzle and then curse Solomon with this game, but thanks to my shiftless son that plan was ruined…" He easily took the rest of the millennium puzzle pieces from Yugi's limp hand as the other couldn't even put up a fight. "I will build the millennium puzzle! The puzzle is mine and no one can have it!"
Moving back over to the table, Mr. Devlin produced a large nail and hammer, and nailed the nail right through one of the chain loops keeping the puzzle there so no one could take it. "Now nobody can take it from here!" He sat down in front of the puzzle placing the pieces beside him. He picked up one of the pieces, "I'll solve the puzzle and gain its power then make you into an old man with this game and you'll suffer just like I did until you die!"
No could stop him as he fitted one of the pieces in just the right spot and went for another one.
"S-Stop… Y-You can't solve it…." Yugi tried to tell him finding new strength out of nowhere to stand up but still have to use the wall for support. It was like a new fire had come alive while seeing someone trying to solve his puzzle.
Mr. Devlin laughed, "Just watch in my hands this is simple…."
"You'll make…the puzzle…angry…" Yugi warned him. He couldn't understand why, but he felt like he could feel the puzzle's anger as someone else besides himself tried to solve it.
As Mr. Devlin fitted in another piece that's when things started to go downhill for him. He looked down at the puzzle and could feel this weight pulling him down. It was as if his very soul was being pulled from his body and then in the blink of an eye he was surrounded by millions of puzzle pieces. 'Wh-Where am I?' He stressed as he looked around having no idea he was seeing an illusion. He started to freak out even more when the pieces started to fall apart and then he was falling down into a dark abyss.
Outside the illusion Mr. Devlin screamed in terror as he tossed the puzzle away from him making it knock over a candle in the process. The fire from the candle quickly spread as it caught the table cloth below it. After a few seconds from the puzzle, Mr. Devlin's mind started to clear allowing him to witness the fire grow to life around him.
"F….Fire!"
Outside the room, after having tried many ways of getting the door to open, they stopped when Duke noticed smoke escape out of the room they were trying to get into. Yami's eyes widen as the black smoke made its way into their room. Because when there was smoke there was fire… and it was coming out of the room Yugi was in.
'No no no no….' Yami kept screaming in his head as he wanted even more to get that room open. He couldn't lose Yugi like he lost them! It wasn't going to happen, he couldn't let it happen. His chest started to hurt and it was getting hard to breath. 'No not now!' His body was rebelling against him as his thoughts kept playing the worth case scenario in his head and the panic attack started to set it in.
"Guys!"
Duke turned to see Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Ryou enter the room from the other exit. They couldn't have had the best timing in coming to look for them.
"What's going on?" Joey demanded they were all just standing around some wall that had black smoke coming out of it.
"No time to explain! We have to get Yugi out of here!" Duke urged them pointing toward the door they were trying to get into. "We'll have to break down the door."
Hearing that Yugi was in trouble Joey and Tristan jumped into action. So this left it up to Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Bakura to try and ram the door down, while Yami who was in no shape to help stood back with Ryou and Tea. Yami knew what was on the other side of that door one thing he feared and the other he loved, but he wasn't leaving until Yugi was with him.
The fire had started to spread faster than they could control it as it moved from the table to the drapery in the room. Yugi was more awaken now than before as he hurried over to the table to get his puzzle. Mr. Devlin was already at the door trying to get it open screaming about the fire.
Yugi got his hands around the puzzle's already hot chain but the pain was nothing as he pulled and realized fast that he wasn't leaving so easily. Looking at the table he saw the nail keeping his puzzle in place. Mr. Devlin wasn't kidding when he said no one would take the puzzle away from him. Yugi used both hands and tried to pull even harder hoping the nail wasn't in there good. Oh how wrong he was when the nail would not even budge. He took in the fire around him and there was no way he could leave the puzzle behind, 'If I don't get the puzzle out of here the fire will melt it into molten gold!'
The fire was making it hard to think straight but Yugi did hear the cries from the other in the room and turned to see the fire had caught part of Mr. Devlin's outfit on fire. Not one to let someone die, he left the puzzle and hurried over to the other man, "Mr. Devlin roll around on the floor to put the fire out!"
It was a serious situation and neither was laughing as Mr. Devlin poorly rolled around on the floor until the fire was no longer on him. The man sat up feeling much better now that the blaze was gone off him. He looked toward Yugi with new eyes as the young man just saved him despite what he did.
"Mr. Devlin, you have to open the door and call for help!" Yugi urged him. He couldn't leave his puzzle behind and had to make sure it did not melt on him.
"Th-The door's stuck… I can't open it…" Mr. Devlin told him not sure what they could do. He could only hope his son realized what was going on.
The news did not sit well with Yugi as he looked at the fire around them then at the door that would not open. That's when he noticed something about the door. For just a second he thought he saw it move like something had hit it. At first he thought the fire was already playing with his eyes when it shook again but this time he heard a voice yelling out to him.
"Yugi! Hold on man! We'll get you outta there!"
There was no mistaken that voice as Yugi called out, "Joey!"
The four guys stood back away from the door prepared to go at it for a third time. On the count of three they went at it with everything they had and that was when it finally came off the hinges and fell into the room. Joey and Tristan were the first to come in covering their mouths from the smoke as they located Yugi with Duke's father inside.
"Are you okay man?" Tristan asked when their friend was in reach, "Come on this get out of here quick…."
However Yugi was worried about other things as he saw Duke come in, "Duke get your father out of here…"
Duke took one look at his father and no matter how much he hated the guy at the moment he was still the only parent he had left. He nodded as he helped his father stand and pull him out of the room, "I'm on it."
Joey went to put a hand on Yugi's arm to pull him out, but the other pulled away and headed back into the room, "Yugi! What are you doing?"
"I can't…." Yugi shook his head not wanting to even think about leaving it. "I can't leave without the puzzle."
Clearly none of them were thinking with their heads as Joey and Tristan followed Yugi farther inside to where the puzzle was. Yugi tried for the chain again but it had only gotten hotter with time nearly burning his hand this time.
Joey cursed their luck as he tried to get the chain lose, "The chain won't come off…."
Yugi looked at the pieces around it and his heart ached at the thought of it being destroyed like this. "I've got to solve the puzzle right now…" He knew his Yami could not save them, but maybe the other Yami could.
"Are you nuts?" Joey yelled, "We gotta get out or we'll burn to death!"
"I can't leave it behind!" Yugi shouted back nearly in tears at this point. He was the puzzle's protector and he had failed at that. The other Yami did not deserved to die like this because of him, "If this place burns down the puzzle will be destroyed!"
"Yugi…" Joey was taken back by those words and watched as Yugi ignored them all in favor of working on the puzzle.
"All of you, let me stay here and make the puzzle, let me make things right one last time…"
"Last...What do you mean 'one last time'?!" Joey couldn't stop himself from grabbing the front of Yugi's shirt making him look at him, "Nothing'll come out of you dying! Don't' be a moron!"
"Please!" Yugi kept his focus on the puzzle despite Joey's grip on his shirt. He would keep working until the puzzle was complete again, "Let me solve the puzzle. Leave me alone!"
Outside the room Anzu, Ryou, Bakura, and Yami waited for Joey and Tristan to drag Yugi back out. The problem was they weren't coming out, Duke had already taken his father out of the building and went to make sure help was on the way. The blaze was moving away from the room and it would not be long before the whole building would go up.
"Sometime today ladies!" Bakura called as he walked to the edge of the room to peer inside. He couldn't really call them friends, but Ryou would be sad if any of them died.
"Yugi won't leave the puzzle and it's nailed to a table," Tristan hollered back at them, "He wants to solve it."
Those words were like a knife in Yami's chest. His Yugi, wanted to try to solve the puzzle, but that just wasn't possible not given the situation. The item meant a lot to both of them but not over Yugi's life. "Just drag him out of there!" He yelled for Joey, "The fire is spreading, please come on!" This couldn't be happening again! Just the sight of the blaze coming out of the room toward them was terrifying enough. He would have gone in there after Yugi himself, but his feet were rooted to the floor. His fear was outweighing any desire to go in there and save his lover.
Joey looked toward the door before looking back at his friend trying to solve it. He could hear the cries from Yami and the others, but one look at Yugi trying to solve the puzzle he knew he couldn't go against his friend's wishes. They had a minute or two before they would have to get out of there. And he would stay but the others had to go. "Tristan, get everyone out of here. You guys will be in danger and I can only focus on helping Yugi."
"Joey you can't be serious!"
"Nothing we can say will make Yugi let go of the puzzle. Just leave this to me."
Tristan was torn, but then Yugi spoke up, "Please Tristan, get Yami out of here."
The two looked at him, but he continued to work on the puzzle like he had not even spoken. Tristan did not want to leave but Joey was right. "Take care of him, Joey. I want to see you both come back alive." Those were his parting words as he left the room to inform the others of the plan and get them out of here.
Yami was almost relieved when Tristan walked out, but when he was not followed by Joey and Yugi then the worry started all over again. "Where are they?"
Tristan did not say a word as he walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He addressed them all as he said, "Joey will take care of Yugi, but it's not safe. We need to get out of here."
"No…" Yami whispered, but when the grip on his shoulder tighten he tried to push Tristan away, "No! I won't leave him!" He started yelling at the doorway trying to get Yugi to listen, "Yugi! Please I can't lose you too!
Tristan kept a grip on his friend being much stronger than Yami, "Joey will take care of him. He won't let Yugi die."
Yami felt tears roll down his face. Someone did say those words to him once before and at that time two very important people to him had die. It was like looking into the past as he watched the fire spread from the room coming toward them. This was revenge for what happened to his parents, the fire was getting back at him by taking his boyfriend away from him. The memories that were once thought to be locked away came flooding back as he watched his childhood home collapse right before his eyes taking his parents with it. 'I'm once again the cause of this…' was Yami's only thought before everything went black.
"Shit!" Tristan cursed as he caught Yami before he hit the floor. He hadn't thought the guy would faint on him.
"The smoke and stress must have gotten to him," Tea guessed as she waved Bakura over, "We need to get him out of here."
While Bakura and Tristan carried Yami out with Ryou and Tea not behind them, Joey stood just in the doorway of the room carefully watching Yugi work on the puzzle. 'Yugi I'll stay with you on the edge of the river Styx… but I won't let you cross over. If you get too close, I'll drag you back even if I have to hit you.' He vowed not willing to let his friend die like this.
Despite the blaze around him Yugi worked on the puzzle like it was the simplest thing to do. The pieces were going in without a problem like it wanted to be put together. 'I'm so sorry…' Yugi kept thinking in his head hoping the other Yami would forgive him. The shattering of the puzzle had caused his boyfriend and new friend so much pain. He would put the puzzle together and make things right.
Outside the Black Crown game shop lit up the night sky with its blaze as the whole place was covered in flames. Firefighters arrived on the scene trying to put out the fire before it spread to neighboring buildings. This is what Solomon witnessed when he heard the sirens and looked out the window not but a few minutes ago. He quickly made his way down the street toward the scene praying to all gods out there that his grandson and his friends were not trapped inside.
When he got there he looked around trying to find any sign of them and that's when he noticed them standing near an ambulance and two paramedics loading Yami up into the back of it. Going over to them he couldn't help but notice two people missing out of their group, "Where's Yugi and Joey?"
Tristan was a little shocked to find Solomon standing behind them and he really didn't want to tell him that they were still inside, but that's when a couple windows busted causing glass to fly everywhere. Tea latched on to Duke's arm as she looked at the burning building, "Oh god, please tell me they'll make it out."
"Wait they're still in there!" Solomon eyes widen when he put two and two together. "What happened?"
"It's the puzzle…." Tristan informed him knowing he couldn't keep quiet about it. "Yugi wouldn't leave without it and Joey stayed behind to make sure Yugi got out of there alive."
Duke clenched his fist as he watched the shop he built go up in flames. "Do you see, dad? Do you see this fire consuming everything?" He told the man beside him, "This is your revenge!" Because of him he might lose two of his friends. He should have stopped it long before it got out of control.
"I was… I was wrong…" Mr. Devlin shook with fear at his son's disapproval in him. Everything was his fault he knew that, but he had to make it right. He turned and hurried over to one of the firefighters and let him know where the two boys were still. There was no way the blaze would be put out quickly enough for them to get out on their own.
Just as the news was relayed to the firefighters already inside, they all heard what was called back over the radio. "The second floor is blocked by the fire. We can't go any farther!"
The news was not something the group of friends wanted to hear as they could only watch and wait to see if Joey could really get Yugi out of there with them both still alive.
It was getting so hard to breath but Yugi was determined as he fitted in the second to last piece. 'Almost…Done…' Yugi thought to himself as he picked up the last piece and reached to fit it in.
Joey could hear the creak of the wood and knew the place wouldn't stay standing for long. 'We have to get out of here!' He hurried over to his friend hoping he was done already so they could get out of there. There was no telling when the building would go and he was not going to let them die this day. "Yugi!" He shouted when he found his friend passed out on the table hand still around the chain. "Wake up!"
No amount of shaking was going to wake the young adult and Joey had no idea if Yugi had truly finished the puzzle or not but they did not have the time. He put Yugi's arm around his shoulder getting ready to carry him out. However there was a slight stag in that plan as Joey pulled only for Yugi to not budge. He looked back and realized Yugi still had a mighty grip on the puzzle's chain. Completed or not even when Yugi was passed out he wasn't going to let go of the puzzle.
Joey tried to get Yugi to let go, but his grip was too tight. "Move your hand! Let go of the puzzle!" He kept shouting even if Yugi couldn't hear him, "You'll die if you stay here!"
The fire continued to rage around them as Joey pulled on the chain instead since he couldn't get Yugi's grip off of it. There had to be a way to get the puzzle out of here with Yugi before they both died. No matter what he wasn't going to leave his friend behind. Looking up he noticed the board game still sitting on the table and the claw like hands attached to it.
"That's it!" He shouted as the idea hit him just like that. If he couldn't move the table he would have to remove the nail. Picking up the game he used one of the claw hands and put one of the fingers through the hole on the top of the nail. The board game now stood up like a lever which was perfect as Joey raised his foot, "We're not…." He put all his force behind his kick, kicking the game and sending the nail flying up high, "Gonna die!"
"Stay back the building's going!" The firefighters warned each other as they tried to keep themselves and the onlookers back away from the building. The structure was coming apart and it wouldn't be long before the whole thing came down.
Solomon and Yugi's friends could only watch in horror as more of the building came down almost as if telling them there was no way their friends would be coming out alive. However a second later and Tea gasped as she noticed a figure coming through the front door of the shop.
"Joey! Yugi!" She hollered in near relief as she watched Joey slowly walking away from the fire. Both were sporting bad burns and were covered in ash from the fire, but other than that they were alive.
Before they could even hurry over to them, firefighters had a hold of Joey helping him stand with Yugi in his arms and leading him over to the two other ambulances that had arrive on the scene just in case. Paramedics quickly took Yugi away from Joey also trying to detach the puzzle from him but failing.
Joey let out a chuckled and said, "Let him hold on to it. He nearly died in that fire trying to protect it."
The paramedics looked at him funny, but let it go for now. They checked him over and quickly put him on oxygen, while another set of Paramedics pulled Joey toward another ambulance and set him down. As they checked over him and him fighting them the whole time, his friends came over to talk to him while Solomon stayed with his grandson.
"Joey let them do their job," Tea huffed trying not to fall into tears from having all her friends safe.
"I'm fine, it's Yugi they should be worrying about." Joey said as he waved off the oxygen mask. He noticed the missing of Yami who he figured would be all over Yugi once he got him out of there. "Where's Yami?"
Duke pointed to the other ambulance that had yet to leave. "Fainted when Tristan tried to get him to leave. It's nothing serious and there about to take him to the hospital."
"Dude that was one close call," Tristan pointed out to Joey not believing they made it out alive.
Joey agreed with him, "He built the puzzle while the building was burning down around him. He held on to it the whole time. He wouldn't let go of the chains…." He looked at the ambulance Yugi was in as the paramedics made sure he was stable enough to transport. Solomon was in the back with him holding the puzzle now. The medics must have given Yugi something to relax his hand so they could treat it. As long as Solomon had the puzzle it was in safe hands.
"Sir, we need to take you to the hospital," The male medic beside Joey told him as he tried to give Joey the oxygen mask again. "You were in a fire…."
"Okay, I get it." Joey grumbled as he took the mask into his hands. He looked to Tea and asked, "Think you can call Seto and tell him what happened. I'm pretty sure he'd rather not find out later that his brother's in the hospital."
Tea nodded, "I will…" She watched as they finally got Joey loaded up into the back of the ambulance so they could treat him. The ambulance with Yami and Yugi had already left leaving only Joey's the last one to leave. She turned back to her boyfriend's shop which was nothing as the building started to collapse in on itself. That was one close call she did not like and hoped never happened again.
Sakura: There was one other part I was going to add to this chapter, but it's getting long enough. So next chapter will be the aftermath of all this mess.
Yumi: Please Review!