Not many people are reviewing this story. Please do or I wonder how long my interest in this story will last...

Constructive criticism is always a welcome.

A quick note:

/ "" / - Yami to Hikari

/ ""/ Hikari to Yami

Everyone in Domino speaks Japanese so I will not be having random Japanese words in my text unless it is something like 'yami' or 'aibou' – you know like a name something that justifies speaking n Japanese. When the HP crew finally show up I will make the speech distinction... if I remember.

I just love you all that actually review!

Ning Jun – I actually hate it when it turns out that everyone existed in Ancient Egypt. Trust me that isn't what's happening here. I just needed a reason to give Jou the scales and powers, there's a whole explanation behind it but I don't know how much of it will get into this story. That said I could put it all in just for the heck of it lol. Let me know if anyone's getting OC – God forbid that happening.

Kris Phantom – Of course he has the Rod! And don't worry Jou's tough. Lol. Those two? Together?... Like I could have it any other way? But that's not the point of this story! XD

The Darkest Magic

Chapter 3

Tifa Strifeheart

With a gasp his eyes snapped open, he had no idea where in the world he was but Jou did know that it wasn't here that he needed to be. With more effort than he was expecting, Jou pulled himself into a sitting position. He stared around semi-franticly trying to place where exactly he was. After a few moments he was able to place the somewhat comfortable bed, the stark walls and the sadly familiar layout. He had been in the hospital so often that he should have recognized it by now. Suddenly he shook his head. There were more pressing matters.

A glint of gold caught his eyes. On one of the three chairs that stood against the wall was the scales still in their necklace form laying on top of a pile of folded cloths that he could only guess were his. Slowly he made his way off the bed and across the room. As soon his fingers touched the scales the feeling of anxiousness that had woken him up and dragged him across the room intensified a hundred times over. Something was so wrong. Something was very wrong and he had to stop it somehow. Franticly he rushed into his clothing – pretty sure that he wasn't supposed to crush the heel of those classy shoes the way that he did with his heel – and sped out of the hospital room. He was running out of time, the glowing scales in his fisted hand seemed to be burning him in a way that wasn't physical as if urging him to hurry. So blinded by his urgency, Jou hardly saw the people that jumped out of his way left and right and so expectedly he didn't notice the person in his way until he had slammed into the persons chest.

The impact was so startling before he knew it Jou found himself on the tiled hallway floor with a very sore bottom. The person he had run into had a hand to his chest but luckily for him he had managed to stay on his feet. For once Kaiba looked too surprised to glare. That didn't last long however. "What the hell do you think you're doing Mutt?" Jou shook away a building headache and pulled himself to his feet.

"I don't have time for this, Kaiba." Stumbling he tried to get pass the CEO. He had almost made it and was beginning to regain his momentum when Kaiba took a hold of his wrist. He sighed with frustration. "I don't have time for this Kaiba!"

"You should be in bed, you fainted in my office this morning." Jou shook his head.

"That doesn't matter! I need to get down there!" Confusion flashed in azure eyes.

"Get down where?" Jou groaned.

"Don't you sense it? I need to help them!" The desperation in his voice must have gotten to the CEO for Kaiba let go of him and the instant that he did Jou was off. After a few feet he realized that Kaiba was following close behind him. After what had felt like an eternity of stairs jou was finally running through the lobby and burst out of the front double doors.

Standing on the side walk in the crisp night air Jou stared up and down the street. Even as the scales seemed to tug him to the left he could already feel the dread beginning to settle into his chest. He was too late. Something inside of him just knew it. As he ran, each pant becoming harder and harder, he recognized the place that the power of the item had led him; he had been here a couple of times way in the past. This was where the homeless and those that just didn't want to go home hung out on the warmer nights when they had injuries that they didn't know what to do with. During the slow hours some of the nurses would come out and tend to their wounds and sometimes had food with them. With the chill tonight he wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't see anyone there. What did surprise him when he finally rounded the corner was the single body that was leaning against the hospitals eastern wall.

With a cry he launched himself at the homeless man not caring about the tearing sound his dress pants made in protest and knowing by the stillness of the body that it was too late. The old man's jaw was slack making the scruffy beard that he wore scruffier still. His eyes were open and blank. He didn't know how he knew but he knew that this man hadn't just died. He gripped the scales in his hand tighter, they had finally stopped glowing, and the heat that had been lancing through him had finally faded. Why had it brought him here if there had been nothing he could have done? Maybe if he had been faster... He hung his head trying to deny the tears that burned the back of his eyes. How was he supposed to fix this? It was the sudden intrusion of Kaibas voice behind him that pulled him out of his dark musings. He listened as the CEO called for emergency aid. He only chose to speak once the CEO had hung up.

"It's useless you know." Behind him Kaiba was silent. "This is what the scales were trying to tell me." He turned his head away from the man to look up at Kaiba. "He's gone." He gestured at the body. "Just touch him." Jou wasn't able to figure out the expression that appeared on Kaibas face but for once the brunette didn't argue with him. He got down on one knee beside Jou and reached out to touch the body. With a low hiss the CEO pulled his hand back almost as soon as flesh touched fabric. Jou nodded sadly at the disgusted and slightly sick look on Kaibas face.

"What was-" Jou reached out and touched the man's coat. The man's body was still warm but it wasn't that that had his stomach turning. There was a cold – an emptiness – that seemed to tug at him from his very core. It complete itself; to be one once again. To relate that to a physical feeling – it felt like the coolest ice was shooting tiny spikes through is arm and into his chest. He pulled his hand back, slower then Kaiba had with as much – if not more – relief as the CEO.

"He's empty. That's how the body feels when the soul has been taken from it. I saw it in my dream. Nothing can help him now. Death would have been so much kinder." Kaiba just stared at him and Jou ignored the slight concern in his face.

"Well? What should we do?" Jou shook his head again his eyes falling on the man again. He didn't know why this hurt him so much. He had seen so much in his years but...

"There's nothing we can do." This, he realised, must be what it felt like when someone's heart broke.

He couldn't catch his breath but for the life of him he wouldn't stop running. The way Bakura had acted had just been to strange, even for a person with a background like his. His yami had been mid-sentence, something about what he wanted for dinner, when he had froze and the suddenly bolted out of the room. When Ryou had tried to probe his yami's mind he had found such a jumble of thoughts. The only clear thing that he had been able to get was the sense of urgency. Now he was left pushing past the evening crowds apologizing for both his and his yami's rudeness.

Turning around the corner he slowed to a stop. Bakura was standing partway down the ally. His back was rigid and he seemed to radiate malice as he stared down at something on the ground. Ryou followed the others gaze and gasped at the body that lay there. Without thought, Ryou moved to the body and knelt down on both knees. Instinctively, he reached out to check for a pulse. When his fingers touched flesh it was all he could do not to cry out. For in instant his mind blanked and when his vision returned Bakura was holding his kneeling form over the woman's body. It took him a moment to realise that he was shivering.

"She's gone. Her soul is gone. There's nothing left!" He could feel the desperation in his own voice and couldn't for the life of him do anything about it. Above him he felt Bakura nod.

"Yes. Her soul has been taken. And she is not the first." Bakura sighed and Ryou's shiver only became worse. "I have felt tiny bursts of shadow magic throughout London for some time now... this is the only one that has been close enough to investigate. It is exactly as I thought."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He felt Bakura shook his head. In his desperation, Ryou tore himself out of Bakuras hands and attempted to stand across from him. "Why-why didn't you let me know what was happening?" He couldn't stop the shaking. The cold wouldn't go away! How could a body be so cold! It was like a hole! No one deserved something like this to happen to them – it was just so wrong! He wrapped his hands around his middle in a futile attempt to keep the cold out but it was no use. The chill had leaked inside of him and was spreading. In front Bakura sighed and crossed his arms.

"This is why I didn't want you to know." Slowly he walked across the ally and before Ryou could protest Bakura took his face in his hands. He felt the others magic crash into him and push away the cold with the darkness; heat from a dark flame. He leaned into the warmth allowing it to drive away from the chill that had gotten inside of him. "You are a hikari it is more than just being the lighter half of our shared soul. It means to be in essence the lighter part of what all souls are." He let go and Ryou followed his hands not hesitating to lean on the others chest as his heart rate began to return to normal. After all these years he was still as weak as he had ever been. "That's not true and you know it." Bakuras arms stayed at his sides. "As a light you have the potential to become very powerful. You are simply more sensitive." Bakura placed his arms on his fore arms and gently pulled him away, Ryou allowed himself to be pulled away from his Yami, the cold finally gone. Bakura turned to look at the body.

"Can you feel the magic lingering in the air?" Ryou paused for a long moment taking slow deep breaths. He felt flickers and if he concentrated he could sense something very familiar and at the same time something very... different.

"I can." Before he opened his eyes he felt Bakura nod. When he opened them again, Bakura's back was rigid once again. Without thinking Ryou stepped forward and placed a hand on his yami's back. "There's something that is not shadow magic here. It feels... unnatural." Bakura shook his head.

"Dumb hikari."

"So what do we do now?" Bakura turned to face him and crossed his arms.

"None of the item holders would do this. So we'll have to go to the source." Ryou frowned.

"The source." Bakura smirked.

"Say we give the Ishtals a long over due visit.

"They are too close to the innocent this time." Beside him Yugi nodded as they ran.

"Uh huh. Non-magic users shouldn't be drawn into this." Through the link Yami felt his abiou's determination. He agreed with his light, these people could not be trusted, not after what they had been doing to people. He still didn't understand how they had been able to get their hands onto shadow magic but the things they had been doing were wrong. Even in the time of his reign none of the royal court had done something so cruel as to rip a person's soul from their body. Not even Seth had done such a thing even though all would have agreed that he had more than due reason to.

/Aibou. There./ Beside him Yugi nodded and for a second Yami felt a twinge of pride. His Aibou had grown up so much. Mentally he shook his head and they finally reached the point where town met wood, this wasn't the time to be thinking of those things. He halted as shouting finally reached his ears. Beside him Yugi did as well. Waving a sign to be quite at Yugi, Yami silently pushed through the wood one hand moving to hover around the deck at his waist. Through the mind like he felt Yugi doing almost the exact same thing; he would have smiled if they weren't right here right now. After what seemed like forever the trees began divided and a clearing began to came into view.

"You won't get away with this." The single woman was standing with her back towards himself and Yugi a stick – which they had learned was a 'wand' – clutched tightly in her right hand, her left one clutching at he thigh. Around her lay the bodies of her fallen comrades the truth in that obvious in the fact that all the others standing were draped in those black cloaks that he had begun to detest. Through the link he felt Yugi still at the sight of them. One of the cloaked guys had their hood down. He was a thin man his matted hair speaking of how unimportant hygiene was to him. He was standing in front of all his cloaked companions smirking at the woman.

"Of course we will. The ministry doesn't even believe what you have to say." His laugh was cruel. "Even if you survived this, they would probably just have you locked up at Mungo's for the rest of your pathetic life!"

/We should help her./ Yami nodded and, as one, they began to rise.

"But, you won't be leaving here alive." Before either of them could think jets of sparks collided into the woman's body from the six still hooded figures. Her cry was drowned out by Yugi beside him. Yugi launched himself out from the bushes light sparkling at his fingers tips. With a curse in hieratic, Yami pushed through the last trees and into the clearing as well in time to see Yugi kneeling at the woman's body. His light's hands were glowing on as they pressed against the woman's still chest. The blacked cloaked ones were starting to get over the shock of Yugi's sudden appearance and Yami opened himself to the shadow realm.

/Yugi! It's too late for her!/ His abiou was silent as he stood up still staring at the body. He cursed out loud as one by one the cloaked figures began to get over their surprise at their sudden appearance. /Yugi!/ With a growl, the man that had his hood down raised his wand and fired sparks at his abiou. Without thought his hand touched his deck holster at his waist. He felt himself open up to the shadows as a barrier materialized in front of his light just in time to deflect the sparks – whatever they were. The blast that their connection to the shield made must have jerked yugi out of his daze for his hikari put his hand on his deck for an instant – an action he did more out of habit then need – as Yami felt him open himself up to the shadow realm. Yugi's powers had become so great.

His hands began to glow again but instead of the gentle light that had encased them before now the light was cold and sparking violently. Yami came up behind his aibou he didn't have to see the black fire to know that they burned in the palm of his hands. "You'll pay for killing innocent people!" Yugi's voice was passionate and in their shared mind he saw a flash of the late Motou. Yamis resolve hardened. "These people don't deserve this! What right do you think you have to hurt people?" He waved a hand at the bodies that littered the clearing. The man who had attacked Yugi smirked.

"That's easy," The man hefted his wand. "The Dark Lord gave us the right to do his bidding." Yami's eyes narrowed.

/There's that name again. I would really like to find this dark lord of a guy and tear him a new-/

/Now, now Abiou. Do you really think now is the time for that?/

"And since we can't have anyone knowing about the Dark Lord just yet, we're going to eliminate the witness as well as the pray." Behind him his other six companions raised their gnarled sticks as well. Yugi raised his hands; arms outstretched at his sides his voice flat.

"I highly doubt that."

"Someone is using illegal magic in this area, far south of London. You are to go and quell whoever it is. An investigation team will be sent in approximately half an hour from you departure for the details and the detainees. Is that clear?" The half dozen elite wizards acknowledged their orders before leaving the room. Standing behind the commander the Minister of Magic watched the wizards file out of the room. Fudge grimaced. These things always tended to happen now and again. What he didn't understand was why he had to be here every time they did.

He sighed as the second part of the usual process began.

Yami whirled at the sudden popping noise behind them. In the few encounters that he had had with these types of people he knew that that was the sound of their entrance. Sure enough six people had appeared behind both him and Yugi. He glanced back at Yugi who was sparing with three of the cloaked men, deflecting their magic back at them. The other three were groaning where Yami had left them. He had been off to help his abiou when this ugly distraction had reared its ugly head. He growled feeling the shadow realm pulsing within him as he took in the new arrivals.

Apparently they were not with the cloaked ones but that gave him no reason to trust them. Like beget like and Yugi liked to say. He opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by a cry from behind him. Yami turned. One of the men that he had taken to be unconscious was up on one elbow his wand was extended and the green sparks that had shot out of it were a breath away from his light. Before he could move, before he could utter a curse to himself for his utter stupidity, before he could do a thing for his abiou the sparks hit Yugi square in his chest. Yugis eyes met his and in that instant he felt the bond between them snap.

Time seemed speed back to normal as Yugi's body crashed to the ground. There was a stillness, Yami didn't know if it was the a real stillness or on just in his mind but all that mattered was the body lying still in the dirt. His mind couldn't wrap around the idea that that body was Yugi. The shadow realm pulsed stronger then before but it didn't matter. All that mattered was the emptiness of his mind. All that mattered was Yugi and what had happened to him. And what they had done to him. He felt his control snap and the shadows swell... but none of that mattered. Only Yugi.

His world went black.

So what do you think? Please review...