Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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Chapter 6: Closer To You

Atemu looked down at the map. "There must be something we've missed. Some small detail must have been over looked."

The priests of his court stood around him. Mahado stepped forward. "Perhaps we are looking too hard, my pharaoh. We won't find an obvious sign that tells us where they are."

Karim spoke. "My pharaoh, what if we are not searching far enough?" He pointed just past the drawings of the dunes. "This is the farthest we've ever gone. I believe Bakura may have gotten farther then that. He did get away into the desert faster then we could."

"I propose we do as Karim says, my king." Shada advised. "We search farther, however I have another idea. What if each of us were to separate into different groups, taking soldiers with us, as we searched different areas?"

Atemu paused. "That might work. An excellent idea, Shada. So let it be written so let it be done!"

Each area that the five priests would search was decided and now they gathered soldiers. Atemu bid the final priest to leave a safe journey as they left. The gates closed and he sighed, returning to his thrown.

Atemu felt useless. He couldn't go search for his son. He may be Yuugi's father, but he was also the pharaoh. He had to stay and look after his kingdom.

Shimon saw his king's sadness and smiled. "Don't worry, my pharaoh. They will come back with good news, I'm sure of it."

Atemu smiled softly. "As am I." Even though Atemu wanted to find his son more then anything, he had a responsibility to his country.

XxX

Yuugi looked up. Grains of sand slipped out of the stones in the ceiling. There was a rumbling sound above him. What was it?

He closed his eyes and listened closely. "It sounds just like a horse galloping!"

He stood up and cupped his hands around his lips to amplify the sound. "Help! Someone! Please, help me! I'm down here! Can you hear me?! Please help me!"

There was silence for a while. He couldn't hear anything. Suddenly, the hoof beats rolled away. "WAIT! It's me! Pharaoh Atemu's son! Yuugi! Please help me!"

The rumbling faded away. Yuugi sighed and sat down again. 'I knew it wouldn't work. But I am trying, papa. I really am. It's just hard sometimes. I hope he won't be angry with me.'

Yuugi looked back up at the ceiling. "Who was that out there? Is it Bakura?"

He hoped not. If Bakura knew he was calling out for help, who knew what the thief would do to him. He sighed and leaned against the wall. "I guess I'll never know."

XxX

Seto looked out over the sand. This was the farthest they had gone to the north. "We're close to our destination, men. Watch the sand closely. Keep your guard up. Don't let anything surprise you. Bakura has many tricks he could use against us. Be prepared!"

They called out, triumph and courage in their voices. The horses they rode on were strong and didn't seem to be tiring just yet. The Gods had given them a safe journey so far. 'I pray that they let us find some clue as to where that thief is holding the prince.'

After a few more miles, when the palace was nowhere near in their view, Seto signaled the men to stop. "We start our search here. Any clue must be reported!"

The soldiers went off to start their search. Seto stroked the eagle that sat on his shoulder. Atemu made sure that each priest had to have with them an eagle so they could keep in touch. He shrugged his shoulder so the eagle could take flight back towards the palace.

The eagle cawed as it flew off into the sky. Seto looked down at his side. There was an oddly shaped rock sticking out of the ground. He was just about to dismount when, from behind a small dune, Bakura jumped out at him. He raised a sword high in the air and slashed it across Seto's chest. The two of them collided then fell off the horse. Seto fell onto the rock and screamed in pain.

The guards ran towards them, raising their weapons. "Stop, thief!"

Bakura looked at them and smirked. "So typical. You order me around and expect me to obey. But has it ever stopped me before?"

He jumped off of Seto and sliced through the soldiers with skill and accuracy. Blood quickly stained the sand as all but one of the guards fell, dead.

Bakura looked down at the man who was quivering in fear. He got down on one knee and rested his arm against his other leg. "Tell him it's his own fault that the boy will suffer so much."

Bakura stood up once more. He looked behind him at Seto. The pharaoh's right hand priest still lay against the rock, pain twisting his face. He was trying to breath while a tiny trickle of blood fell past his lips. Bakura smirked and quickly turned around. He walked past a dune. Hiding behind it, he waited until the guard took Seto and left.

He opened the door again and walked down the stairs. He stood in front of the cell and watched Yuugi for a moment. The prince looked up at his captor in defiance but there was fear behind his eyes.

Bakura took out the keys and unlocked the door. He opened it and walked inside. "You are coming with me."

Yuugi gulped quietly. "Where are we going?"

He didn't answer his question. Bakura grabbed Yuugi's arm and forced him to stand up. He spun the prince around so his back was facing him and tied his hands together behind him once again. He grabbed Yuugi's robe, turned around and walked towards the door.

Bakura shoved Yuugi ordering him to walk. Yuugi fell off his feet and his rear collided with the ground. Bakura commanded him to stand. Though he couldn't use his hands, Yuugi stood up. This time, Bakura gripped Yuugi's sleeve and pulled him along. Once they got outside, Bakura grabbed the reigns of one of the horses that the dead guards had been using. He lifted Yuugi onto the horse then mounted himself just behind the prince. He kicked the sides of the horse and it galloped towards the west.

Yuugi was silent. He thought it best to not ask any questions; especially since it was clear Bakura wasn't going to answer him. But his curiosity was disturbed. Why would Bakura take him outside and risk being seen? Why was he so confident?

The sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon when they started to slow down. The horse stood at the edge of a cliff. Bakura pointed down into the valley below them. "Take a good look at this place, prince. This is the kingdom your father governs."

Yuugi looked down over the edge and gasped. The buildings were broken and crumbled. The sand was black with ashes and the people were stumbling around attempting to clean their village. They were starved to the point of being terribly sick and there wasn't a well of water in sight. Yuugi couldn't believe it.

He heard children crying and screaming for their parents. Dead bodies were everywhere. At least half the villagers were gone. Burnt flesh and wood stained the air with a bitter scent. Nothing was untouched by the ravaging flames. They had been put out some time ago, but the scars it created were still fresh. This village was destroyed.

"This village was filled with what you call "good people." Here, they obeyed the pharaoh's law and never caused trouble. And how are they repaid? A fire. It destroyed everything. Your father is the one that caused this damage." Bakura said bitterly.

Yuugi looked at him. "Papa didn't do this! He's a good person"

The thief raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think he's so wonderful? Because he takes care of you? Because he orders people to guard you and protect you?" He scoffed. "You know nothing of your father."

Yuugi looked down at the carnage below him. He saw a young girl huddled against a wall. She was sick, he could tell. And she was crying. 'Why isn't anyone helping her? She's in pain!'

Yuugi shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the girl. "No . . . papa wouldn't do this. He's a good king."

"Then why is no one helping them?" Bakura asked. "Where are the guards to help them rebuild their village and bury the dead? Why is you father allowing them to suffer? Would a good king allow this?"

Yuugi sobbed. Tears fell down his eyes. He shook his head again. 'No . . . this can't be . . .'

Bakura smirked. 'He's close to being broken. You haven't prepared him for the truth of the world, Atemu. You kept him too pure. Bad form.'

He turned the horse back to the lair, his smirk never fading. He watched Yuugi slump forward slightly as he cried. 'You're the reason he suffers.'

XxX

Atemu's heartbeat was quick. He could hear it pounding against his ears. Where was Seto? The sun had fallen and it was nighttime. Why wasn't he back yet?

Shimon noticed how tense the king was. "Please don't worry, my pharaoh. Master Seto will return soon, I'm sure of it."

He sighed. "Yes, I'm sure as well."

Atemu tried hard to not become pessimistic about the situation at hand. His other priests returned safe and sound but also, with no news of his son's location. Seto has still yet to return. It had been too long for Atemu's liking.

Then, a guard burst through the door. "My pharaoh! Master Seto has returned!"

Everyone ran out of the room and into the courtyard. Only one soldier was accompanying Seto on a single horse. The priest looked weak and injured. His chest bled heavily as he leaned back against the guard.

Atemu turned around. "Alert the healer! Quickly!"

Isis and Shada took Seto from the horse and carried him to the healer's room. The soldier that had come back with Seto dismounted and bowed before Atemu. "Please forgive us my pharaoh. We hadn't even started our search when Bakura attacked us. The others are dead." He took a breath. "And he also told me to give you a message."

Atemu narrowed his eyes. "What message?"

He sighed. "Forgive me, this is just what he told me. He said, "Tell him it's his own fault that the boy will suffer so much." I'm so sorry, my king."

Atemu's body was tense. He quickly whipped around and walked back into the thrown room. He paced around the room angrily. He was so angry he couldn't even gather a straight thought.

Mahado entered the room. He watched Atemu for a moment. "My pharaoh, please don't be so upset. Bakura only sent that message because he knew it would make you angry. He wants you to be unfocused with your anger. You're giving him exactly what he wants."

Atemu stopped pacing. He knew Mahado was right. He just needed to calm down.

Mahado walked over to him and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "As a father you have every right to be worried for your son. But as a pharaoh, you must not let Bakura control your emotions."

He looked up at the magician and smiled. "Thank you, Mahado."

Mahado smiled back. Isis ran up to Atemu. "My pharaoh, Seto is awake!"

--

"I couldn't even tell he was there. He attacked swiftly and silently." Seto winced as a medicine was applied to his wound to keep it from infecting. "He killed the other soldiers. Forgive me, my pharaoh. I shouldn't have allowed myself to become so injured."

Atemu shook his head. "No, cousin, you couldn't have stopped it from happening. You know that. Bakura is cunning. Anyone would have been caught off guard."

Seto slowly sat up so the healer could wrap his chest. "There was a rock. It was shaped like the center of a pentagram, a star. I think it might be a marker to where Bakura is hiding. I couldn't find anything else. There was no sign of an entranceway. There was nothing but sand and dunes."

"We have some kind of indication to where my son is, Seto. That's all we need." Atemu smiled. "Tomorrow, the other priests and I will take soldiers and find this rock at first light. You will stay here."

Seto shook his head. "No, pharaoh, I must go with you."

"Seto, you are badly injured. I will not allow you to put yourself in such pain. You need to rest. It's the only way to heal you." Atemu stood up. "I command that you stay here and rest. As pharaoh, you cannot disobey my orders."

Seto sighed. "As you wish, my king. I'm sorry I can't be of any use to you."

"You have nothing to regret, cousin. Rest well." Atemu turned around and left the infirmary. He walked to his room with a confidence in himself he hadn't felt for a long time. 'We're close to finding you, my son. Please, hold on just one more night.'

Upon entering his room, Atemu noticed something was different about the atmosphere. Something had been disturbed. There was no other presence in the room, but someone had been in here before. Immediately, he knew it was Bakura.

Looking over at Yuugi's bed, there was an arrow imbedded in his pillow. Atemu ran over to it and yanked it out. Tied around the arrow was a piece of papyrus. Atemu untied it and raked his eyes over the message.

Atemu's blood boiled at the words written on the message. "How dare he! I swear Bakura I'll kill you!"

There was a knock on the door. "My king, is everything all right?"

He beckoned Shada to come in. He gave the priest the note. Shada gasped quietly. The note sent chills down his spine. After reading it, he looked at Atemu.

"Tomorrow at dawn, we attack." Atemu's voice was cold with anger.

Shada nodded and walked out of the room to alert the others. Once he closed the door behind him, he read the note again. 'Gods of Egypt, I pray to thee. Protect the prince tonight. Spare him.'

He crumpled the paper and tossed it into a torch. As the papyrus caught fire, he turned away from it. It was now impossible to read what was previously clear as day.

"How he misses you. He cries out for you even in his sleep."

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Thanks for the reviews everyone! We're slowly getting closer to the end. I hope I don't disappoint you all!!

And, as always, I have a special girl to thank!

Hey "Andrea"! I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'm definitely keeping in touch with you after the story is over. Sorry I didn't try to contact you before. I just finished my exams and it's been a little crazy here. But I will real soon! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter too!

See you all next chapter! (love)