Greetings!
I fixed my plot hole (yay me!) Many of you said that you didn't see it, but that was because this chapter hadn't been written yet. If I had written it as originally intended, the plot hole would have been large and glaring. So, I changed the chapter. You Ryou and Bakura fans will be happy with the change (I hope). I'll tell you what the hole was at the end of next chapter (it has to do with Joey ^__^. See, I said it was his fault!)
Something else came up and I feel like a complete idiot for screwing up my own story. Saiyan Jedi pointed out something very important: there was no one named Mike in the story before chapter 21. Jomei's friend at the restaurant was named Alex, not Mike. My apologies for that. I was watching a hockey game when I wrote that chapter, and my favorite player is named Mike, so there you have it, it stuck! For any of you who were wondering who the hell Mike was supposed to be, he is the guy who worked with Jomei at the restaurant. I'm officially making his name Alexander Michael, so both names apply to him. So while not necessarily a plot hole like SJ suggested, this is a rather disturbing and ugly mistake *hides under desk in embarrassment*.
This chapter has no Yami, but he will be back next chapter. I did fix the hole, so there's no problem with him now *hugs Yami plushie*.
On a totally random note: Do any of you watch Inuyasha? I recently got into it (I'm on episode 18, with 115 left to go) and I love it. It's so funny and sweet and romantic. Just thought I'd share.
Reviews:
Fin-Phoenix: Hope this wasn't too long of a wait. The plot hole was a bitch to fix, but it didn't take as long as I thought. Thanks for the lovely review!
Mittens no Hikari: ARG! Yugi's puppy dog eyes. . . must resist, must resist. . . sigh. I couldn't, so here's the chapter. I'm glad you liked the flashback. I'm a sucker for fluffy moments.
Lizzy: Yup, Joey's fault. We should tie him up and punish him *wanders around room for a bit, thinking of suitable Joey punishments*. I have to admit, the idea of Yami playing solitaire is very amusing. Would you mind if I use that next chapter? It'd be funny! I thought about just writing the story anyway and crediting creative license as a right to do whatever I wanted, but couldn't. I'm also one of those freaks who likes to have everything explained so endless nights it was.
TZ: I'll tell you all what the hole was next chapter. It'd be spoiling the story if I told it now. I am a Yugi fan first too, which is why Yami seems to get lost in my stories sometimes. Not that I dislike him, but Yugi always gets my attention *huggles Yugi plushie*.
Kairi-sama: I feel cheated: I got absolutely no Halloween candy. Well, I should probably have gone trick or treating, but was too lazy. Oh, well. . . there's always next year! Thanks for the advice! I didn't have a chance to check out your story, but I doubt it sucks. I'll give it a read as soon as I have some more time.
Hobbit13: What do you mean you grudgingly give me a cookie *glares at hobbit's hand, which won't release cookie*? I want cookie! Ahem. Now that I've composed myself: thanks for the advice. Holes are a pain to fix, but it's all good now.
YumeTakato: Yami's actually been stuck in the puzzle. I don't write him as having his own body, so he relies on Yugi to live. He's been out a bit while Joey's had the puzzle, but not much. He'll be back soon, though!
Oklina: Umm. . . you were half right on your prediction. The evil part of my just couldn't help itself. I hope you don't hate the twist too much.
Celtic Guardian 7: Thank you very much for the compliment! Yami will be back soon!
Naomi Silverwolf: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked the chapter.
Ginger Ninja: ^__^ Great advice and it worked too! You are wise, indeed.
LorayT: Nope, just one review. It's not bad to be into the story too much. You guys catch a lot of my mistakes, which is awesome. Glad you liked the flashback.
Saiyan Jedi: How Yugi finds out about Shadow being an American chemist is explained in this chapter, so it's technically not a hole, just foreshadowing. Thank you for pointing out the error with Alex's name. I had totally overlooked it. Yeah, I do use spell check. It doesn't catch words that aren't misspelled and just misused, which is my problem. When you write 10+ page chapters, it takes time that I do not have to go over the chapter three or four times to catch everything, so I don't do it. It makes the story seemed less polished, but I figured you all would prefer that to me updating the story once every two months. Don't worry about being mean and don't apologize for flaming. I actually saw it as constrictive criticism, because you did point out a very serious mistake. If you happen to catch any more, please let me know. Thanks for the chocolate, by the way. It does help the writing process ^__^
Ann0071: You'll get the Yami-Yugi review next chapter, so I hope that it's worth the wait. Thanks for the review!
Nono: The plot hole wasn't apparent because I didn't write this chapter. I'll let you all know what it was next time. Thanks!
Miss Sera: Yeah, I know what you mean. You can only use so many characters, therefore you should concentrate on the ones who matter. Yami is important, up to a point. Not as much as Yugi, though *huggles Yugi plushie again* I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Cyberkat: You'll get your wish! Yami and Yugi are definitely good together and I have missed the cranky spirit.
Rainie: *waves back to new readers* I adore new readers, so welcome to my crazy world! Aww, that's so sweet! Not that I encourage sleeplessness, mind you, but still! Thanks! I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story.
SerafinaMoon: *peeks out from underneath desk* Don't hate me because I have an evil side that won't leave me alone. . . it was the muse, I swear. (You'll know what I'm talking about at the end of the chapter, which relates to your last review and a certain homecoming).
MidnightFairy: Hey there! Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. Nope, so far there have been no couples, just a lot of friends.
Lucifer: Your wish is my command. Just remember when you get to the end of this chapter that Yugi does get home. What happens after that. . . well, that's another story.
Mysticgear: I like your suggestion about Joey's father. I said early in the story that Joey's father had pretty much washed his hands of the kid, hence why Joey could move to the Moto's with no problem. However, I like the parallel you made about Joey and his father and how they both ended up being very attached to alcohol. It's such a good thing to bring up, since I hadn't thought about it at all. It'll definitely flesh out the character of Joey some more. About Tea: I have absolutely nothing against her. She's in most of my stories, if only for a little while. Writing her just doesn't come easy to me for some reason and I have a tendency to leave her out. I'll try to work her in a little more from now on ^__^. Thank you!
Vappa: Feel free to stare at Kaiba all you want. The only chance you'll ever get to do it in peace is when he's asleep! About Yugi's homecoming: I'm just going to keep my mouth shut on this one go hide!
Amiasha Ruri: Thanks for the review! I found a way to include Yami, so he'll be sticking around. Glad you liked Kaiba's dream. I just think it's cute to show him when he wasn't all cold and detached.
Sorceress Vanessa: Don't worry about it! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. *grabs candy* It's never too late for Halloween candy, especially since I didn't get any on Halloween. Thanks!
Lady Elfskye: Yes, having stories go wacky is definitely something to worry about and lose sleep over. Especially when you really want to do something, and then realize you can't because you've already contradicted yourself. Arg. The fun comes in figuring a way out of it.
LastSheikah: Would you like some more duct tape? I'm just kidding. It's handy to have that around some time though. It heals all wounds! *send muse to closet to get the next 12 pack roll of tape* Thanks for the review!
Amarielle: You rock!! Your reviews came when I was having a horrific day and they made it so much better. Thank you so much! You don't want to marry Kaiba *looks at Amarielle, wondering what's wrong*? I'm just kidding. I'm very happy that you like the way he's been written here. I have really grown to love the character in the process.
Yugi's not a whore. . . but Kano is just evil! I'm not quite through with him yet, and I have a feeling that Yami will want to have a 'talk' with him. Speaking of Yami *wonders what Amarielle is doing with(to) Yami in her room*.
What do you mean quit shooting Kaiba? I've only shot him once. . . oh, wait. He got shot once before at the hospital in Tokyo, right? I must have a fetish with Kaiba and guns *drools as images of Kaiba with guns flash through head*. I wish I could draw fanart. I'd have a field day! Unfortunately, I have no talent in that department.
You would have voted for Kano to get his way? Well, Kano isn't dead yet you know. I'm just kidding. I think everyone else would hang me up by my toe nails if I had Kano come anywhere near Yugi again.
Sorry about making you miss your bed time. I don't remember what chapter it was when Kaiba said that. It was the one where he and Jomei were at Kaiba's mansion. Chapter 19 or 20, I think. Glad you liked the phrase! They'll still have to talk about their respective nightmares; it'll just have to be later. I hope you had a good night sleep that night and didn't stay up too much past your bed time! Speaking of which, I should have been in bed two hours ago. Sorry for the long reply to your reviews. But like I said, they made my day!
BlackDragonDiva: Glad you liked the flashback. Kaiba is just so adorable when he's little, defenseless, and asleep! Yami has his role to play in this fic, especially now that Yugi has regained his memories. It's just a matter of making it fit with everything else. Thanks for the review!
A yami nut: Yup, I knew which way you'd vote ^__^. Thank you for reviewing!
Adrienne: I need Kano back because I'm not through with him in the story yet. Yami has to get his revenge, doesn't he *cackles evilly*? I need the plushie to be in one piece until then. If April makes another appearance, it'll only be in flashbacks. She was never meant to be a big part of the story. Then again, neither was Kano and look where we are with him. . . thanks!
Faith: Jomei means to spread light. It's why I chose the name. . . it just seemed to fit Yugi very well. Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Painful Life: *hands Painful Life some eyedrops* 4 hours 43 minutes and 2 seconds?? Wow. . . that's a hell of a long time. I'm glad you enjoyed the story enough to sit through and read all of it. Hopefully the remaining chapters will be entertaining as well. Thank you for reviewing!
Blue Wolf: *hands BW a box of tissues* Don't worry, I'm not getting rid of Yami, and a reunion is coming. You read my mind about the whole puzzle thing, so here *hands BW some cyber Oreos*. The reunion will happen in the next chapter, though, because this one ran too long. Thanks for the review! I know what you mean about being shy and lurking around. I did that too when I first got into YGO, but soon broke out of my shell and here I am. Most authors are very nice, though, and reviewing lets you get to know them and gives them a chance to get to know you.
I hope I didn't miss anyone! If I did, please yell at me so I won't do it again ^__^.
On to the chapter, enjoy!
**~~**
Part 24: Unexpected Friends
Yugi sat in the passenger seat of Mike's car and tried not to fidget.
They had just passed the sign welcoming them to Domino, and Yugi couldn't help but feel his nervousness escalate. He was happy to be going home to see his family, but at the same time, felt like he shouldn't be returning, like he'd let them down. It had taken him a while to realize where that feeling was coming from: Jomei had run away in the middle of the night, which had led to his capture by Shadow and his men. The part of Yugi that retained Jomei's memories dreaded facing his grandfather's disappointment. Yugi also dreaded having to tell his grandfather that Joey was gone, but knew that he had to.
"How did you find out that Shadow was American?" Mike asked, speaking for the first time in an hour.
The memory of the night he'd found out about Shadow came to his mind, and he shuddered. It had been the night after Kano had come to his room. He'd been unable to sleep and had stayed awake all night on guard. Kano had been taken away that morning, but Yugi hadn't wanted to take any chances on anyone else coming into his room.
"One night, Asami was on the phone yelling at someone. He was in his room, which was next to where I slept. I wasn't supposed to be awake, so he wasn't being careful about what he said. They were arguing about Ka. . . one of the kids Asami had to send back," Yugi corrected, not about to get into the Kano situation with Mike. "Asami kept saying that Shadow should pick his kids better; that his rejected, American butt was not going to last long in Japan if he kept making mistakes. Asami also said that Shadow should go back to the lab and rework the formula or something like that. It didn't mean anything to me at the time, because I didn't remember who Shadow was or what he had to do with me. Once I met him again, I realized he was the guy Asami was talking to that night." Yugi paused and turned to Mike. "I figured he was a chemist because of that drug he made."
"That's quite a leap, Yugi, considering that you have no proof except for what you heard," Mike said.
"I know, but it's all I have. I'm not going to stay here and do nothing, Mike, I can't."
Mike sighed. "I know, but you're going to be putting yourself in danger for something that may not be worth following. My brother's information was sketchy at best, and doesn't give you any proof that this guy is actually behind the kidnappings here in Japan."
Yugi leaned back in his seat, wincing as the seat rubbed some of the cuts on his back.
"Your brother gave me a name, Mike, that's more than I had before. I also know where to start looking. I'm hoping that once I'm there, I'll be able to find proof. Besides, I have no choice. If I'm ever going to live my life again, Shadow has to be either dead or behind bars."
Mike remained silent. He guided the car to an intersection and stopped to wait for the light to change. He looked around and smiled.
"This is a quaint little town, Yugi. Have you lived here all of your life?"
Yugi looked out of the window, seeing the town as if it was the first time. It was still early in the morning so not many people were out and about yet. It wouldn't be too long until people started to get out of their homes to go shopping or to watch their kids play.
"Yes, I've lived here all of my life."
The light turned green. A black Rolls Royce came barreling down the street before they could take off, running the red light as it headed east towards the docks. Mike cursed, but managed to slam on the brakes in time.
"Idiot, rich bastard," Mike yelled, "its people like that, who think they can do what they want, that cause most accidents."
The car's windows were tinted, so Yugi had not been able to see who was inside. However, Domino only had one idiot, rich bastard that thought he owned the place. He didn't need to look inside to know that Kaiba was probably in the car. He did wonder, though, where the teen was going in such a hurry at this time of the morning. For a split second, Yugi thought about asking Mike to follow the car, but then thought better of it. He wanted to see his grandfather first.
"That's Kaiba," Yugi commented as Mike eased the car back onto the street, "he does think he owns the place."
They turned onto Yugi's street and the nervousness he'd felt up to this point suddenly tripled.
"It's the last building on your right," Yugi directed, and Mike brought his car to a stop in front of the shop.
"Nice place," he said. "You live here with your parents?"
"I live with my grandfather," Yugi replied. "My parents are dead."
He turned to Mike, and gave him a quick hug.
"Thank you so much for everything. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me."
Mike carefully wrapped his arms around Yugi, and Yugi did his best not to tense at the contact.
"Ever since I first met you, I knew there was something about you, something that reminded me so much of my nephew that I couldn't help but feel protective of you. I wish I could have done more," Mike said.
He let Yugi go and ruffled his hair a bit. "If you need anything else, if I can help in any way, you have my number. You also have my brother's address and number in the states if you need to get a hold of him. He said he would help if he could."
"Thank you, Mike."
Yugi quickly got out of the car and waved goodbye. Mike waited until Yugi was at the front door before driving off. Yugi hesitated for a moment at the door, before he rang the doorbell. He took a deep, steadying breath as he waited for the door to be opened. He frowned when no one came to the door. He rang the bell again, and then knocked on the door. Why wouldn't his grandfather be home? He doubted that his grandfather went out very much because of his condition, so where would he be?
Shivering slightly in the morning breeze, Yugi walked around the building. He tried the gate that led to the back yard and found it locked as well. If he could only get to the back door, he'd be okay, because his grandfather always kept a spare key underneath one of the flowerpots on the patio. Getting into the back yard, however, would be a problem for Yugi, since he could barely move. The fence was six feet tall and made out of solid wood, so he couldn't climb up it. He looked around, but saw nothing that might help.
Thirty minutes later, he'd fashioned a makeshift ladder out of boxes he'd gotten out of the trash pile for the house next door. He thanked the stars that the family had decided to buy a new entertainment center, since the boxes had been big enough and tall enough for Yugi to use to climb up on. He vaulted over the fence and landed on his feet, then immediately collapsed when his legs gave out. He lay on the soft ground, panting, trying to get the pain under control. Once he was sure he could move again, he got to his feet.
He got the spare key and had it inserted in the lock when he heard voices coming from inside. He peeked into the kitchen window and saw that the front door now stood wide open. He grinned, thinking that his grandfather had gotten home. He unlocked the door and had the knob turned when he heard what the people inside were saying.
"He's not here, Jenkins."
Yugi froze. He remembered Jenkins. The man was Shadow's right hand man. A loud crash from the living room made Yugi jump, and he let go of the door and plastered himself to the wall of the house, out of sight from the men inside.
They'd come back. Shadow must know that Yugi hadn't died and had sent people after him. He couldn't let them see him, or he'd end up back with them. Yugi's breath came in short gasps that he was afraid would draw the attention of the men inside. He didn't know how many there were, but he knew there were at least two. He had to leave. Yugi forced his trembling legs to inch him away from the back door and towards the back gate. He kept his back to the wall of the house until he reached the edge. As he was about to run for the back gate, an arm wrapped itself around his chest, while another covered his mouth. Yugi was frozen for a moment, his heart beating mercilessly in his chest. Adrenaline quickly flooded his system, and anger overrode his fear.
Yugi stomped on the person's foot, grinning at the grunt of pain the man let out. The arm around his chest loosened a bit, and Yugi used the opportunity to slam both arms back, his elbows connecting with the man's ribs. He was released and turned around, his fist in the air ready to strike, when he came face to face with the murderous glare of the tomb robber. He stopped his fist in mid air and glared at the spirit.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Bakura continued to glare at him, his arms wrapped around his chest. "You little brat, you didn't have to attack me."
"Me? You attacked me first, remember?"
Another crash, closer this time, from the house drew their attention.
"They were about to see you, idiot, that's why I grabbed you. Now I suggest we get out of here before we're both in trouble."
Yugi shook his head, annoyance replacing the anger that had spurred him to fight. He ran for the gate and threw it open. He and Bakura stepped onto the alley in back and leaned against the fence.
"How long have they been here?" Yugi asked.
Bakura shrugged. "Not long. They came in after you got here."
Yugi turned to look at the tomb robber, and found that Bakura was staring at him.
"You want to tell me what you were doing at my house?"
Bakura's eyes narrowed.
"Your house?"
Yugi shrugged. "Okay, so technically it's my grandfather's house, but I still live here."
Bakura laughed. "Yeah, you do such a good job of living here that you run away at the earliest opportunity and get yourself caught."
Yugi clenched his fists, fighting the urge to hit Bakura.
"Okay, so I got caught, but I escaped and came home. Where is everyone?"
Bakura shrugged. "Beats me. Ryou wanted to come see what was going on, so here we are. I took over when I saw the people in the house."
Yugi was suddenly reminded of Yami. He put his hand up to his chest where the Millennium Puzzle used to hang. He missed it and he missed Yami.
"You're not going to get all sentimental now are you? I like you better when you show some backbone."
Yugi glared at Bakura.
"Yeah, that's more like it. Yugi was a little soft and very naïve. Jomei is much better to be around, almost as much fun as Kaiba."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Bakura, but I'm not Jomei anymore."
Bakura's eyes narrowed as the tomb robber regarded him. "So you're not. He's still in you, though. The old Yugi would never have fought back when I grabbed you."
Yugi thought about that, the realization making his stomach tie itself in knots. A year ago, he never would have contemplated fighting anyone or voluntarily hitting anyone. It just wasn't his style. Even though he'd been bullied all of his life, he hadn't thought to turn bitter or vengeful. When Bakura had grabbed him, he'd wanted to fight. Not only that, he'd known how. Just a little while ago, he'd had to fight the urge to deck Bakura. What did that say about him? What had he become? What had Shadow made out of him?
"I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the pharaoh."
Bakura's comment pulled Yugi out of his thoughts. Yami! How could he get the puzzle with the men still inside?
There was a flash of light, and Yugi found himself looking at Ryou. The other teen's eyes widened.
"Yugi, what happened to you? You look horrible, are you okay?"
Ryou stepped closer to Yugi, and Yugi instinctively stepped back. Ryou's eyes widened slightly, before he looked away, but not before Yugi had seen the hurt in them.
"I'm sorry, Ryou, it's just been a crazy few days. I'm a bit on edge," he said, trying to calm his friend. "I'm okay, just a bit beat up. I'll survive it."
He walked up to Ryou and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. Ryou looked up and gave him a brilliant smile.
"Bakura can get the puzzle for you if you want," Ryou said and winced as if he'd suddenly heard something that was a bit too loud.
Before Yugi had a chance to ask what Ryou meant, Bakura split from his host and stood transparent to one side.
"I am not going into that house to bring out that stupid pharaoh. If Yugi wants him, he's going to have to go get the puzzle himself."
Yugi grit his teeth.
"It's not like I'm asking you to give up an arm or something, Bakura."
Yugi held up a hand. "It's okay, Ryou. There are armed men in that house," Yugi said. "Not even Bakura could take on two men. Besides, it is pretty scary. I don't blame him for wanting to stay out here where it's safe."
Bakura's reaction was instantaneous. His eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth. It took Yugi everything he had to keep from grinning.
"Are you calling me a coward?"
Yugi shrugged. "If the shoe fits, wear it."
Bakura took a step closer to Yugi, and then stopped when he realized that unless he controlled Ryou's body, he wouldn't be able to do much damage.
"How dare you insult me? I've dealt with more things than you could ever imagine," Bakura growled, his face almost touching Yugi's. "You and the pharaoh are both dim witted, simple minded fools. You're perfect for each other."
Yugi stood his ground. He was not about to lose this battle of wits to Bakura. The spirit was testing him, and Yugi wasn't about to fail the test.
"For two simple minded fools, we sure are able to accomplish more than you have been able to. Tell me, Bakura, are you a tomb robber because you like it, or because it was the only thing you were smart enough to do."
Before Yugi realized what was happening, Bakura disappeared. He took over Ryou's body and came at him swinging. Bakura's fist caught Yugi on the side of the jaw and sent him crashing into the fence. He was momentarily dazed, his entire body resonating pain. He could feel Bakura standing behind him, waiting. Yugi turned around, swinging his fist as he did so. The fist caught Bakura in the eye and sent him sprawling to the ground. The tomb robber lay on the ground, holding his eye. He glared at Yugi, before he began to laugh.
"Who would have thought you had it in you," he said between peals of laughter. "The little runt packs quite a punch."
A flash of light later found Ryou lying on the ground in Bakura's place.
"Ow," he said, tenderly touching his eye.
Yugi held out a hand to help him up. "I'm sorry, Ryou. I shouldn't have let Bakura bait me like that. Are you okay?"
Ryou smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. The ring will heat this pretty soon. I think you just won his respect."
Yugi frowned. "What?"
Ryou laughed. "Bakura went to get the puzzle for you."
Yugi smiled.
"Yugi, are you sure you're okay?" Ryou asked.
"Yeah, I'm just confused. I have no idea what's going on, but I do need to get going. I can't be here anymore, not if my presence is going to endanger my family."
"Where are you going?"
Yugi gave Ryou the condensed version of his plan while they waited for Bakura to return with the puzzle. When Yugi was finished, Ryou was deep in thought.
"My father is going to New York later today. He wants me to go with him, which is why I came by. I wanted to see what was going on, ask if they'd found you and Joey, and then say goodbye before I left. Since you need to get overseas, you could come with us."
Yugi's eyes widened. Ryou was going to America? He'd wondered during the trip back about how he could possibly get to the United States by himself. He'd wanted to ask his family for help, but now that Shadow's men knew he was alive, he couldn't risk putting his grandfather in further danger. The farther away from Domino he was, the better it would be for everyone. Except Ryou, that is. But if Yugi only stuck to Ryou long enough to get to America, he wouldn't be putting him in much danger, would he?
"How are you and your father traveling?" Yugi asked.
"We're going by boat, which is why I asked if you wanted to come. Bakura snuck us on the boat to Duelist Kingdom, remember? I could ask him to sneak you onto the boat we're going on. Since you're supposed to be dead, no one will know you're on board except Bakura and me."
Yugi nodded, liking the idea. Guilt at the pit of his stomach made him pause.
"What about my grandfather, though?"
Ryou shrugged. "You can call him once you get to America. You can't wait for him now, or else those men will take you back."
A flash of light to his right made Yugi turn in that direction, and he barely reacted fast enough to catch the golden object that had been thrown to him.
"Don't say I never did anything for you," Bakura said.
Yugi looked down at the golden puzzle and smiled. He'd missed Yami so much. He wanted nothing more than to go to his soul room and talk to the ancient spirit, but he didn't have time for it right now. He had to get away and get his plan in motion. He wrapped the chain around the puzzle and put it in his pocket.
"I'll talk to Yami later, now we have to go."
**~~**
"This is nothing but warehouses," Joey said.
Kaiba looked around and only grunted in agreement. He walked out of yet another empty room, slamming the door as he passed it. He had been gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw was aching. He had developed a tension headache and the rest from earlier had only served to remind him how sleep deprived he really was.
"These buildings were occupied until recently," Mr. Moto said, wheeling himself past a rectangle shaped mark on the floor. "Look at the markings, Joey, there used to be a desk here."
Kaiba glanced in that direction and saw that indeed, the mark on the floor was that of a desk. The fact that the dust was still in place meant that the furniture had been moved a short while ago.
"There's no trace of where they went," Joey whispered.
Kaiba continued down the hallway into another empty room. This one had not had any furniture inside, and crates still lined the walls. On the back wall he saw two gleaming posts. What caught his attention about them was that chains hung off of them. One still had a pair of handcuffs hanging from the end of the chain.
"Anything here," Joey said, "or is it just another em- " he broke off as he saw the back of the room.
Slowly, as if in a trance, Joey walked to the chain that still had handcuffs on it. He picked them up and turned them over in his hand. He rubbed the metal as if he were trying to remember something.
"Joey, are you okay?" Mr. Moto asked, going up to the blonde.
"We were here. Yugi and I, we were here."
Joey dropped the handcuffs and fingered the bandages around his wrists.
"They kept us here until they took Yugi."
"Where did they take him?" Kaiba asked.
Joey had the same look on his face he'd had back at the Moto's house when he'd remembered hearing Yugi ask for help. He looked as if he were about to faint. Mr. Moto grasped Joey's arm tightly, trying to bring him out of whatever memory he was in.
"Joey, where did they take Yugi?" Mr. Moto asked, a lot more gently than Kaiba had.
"It had to have been close enough for you to hear him scream," Kaiba pointed out, and both Mr. Moto and Joey glared at him. He shrugged. "It's the truth."
Joey shook his head, visibly pulling himself together.
"I think they took him to one of rooms that are beside this one."
Kaiba didn't wait. He walked out of the room and entered the one next door, the one he hadn't yet been in. As soon as he stepped through the door, an odor he couldn't help but recognize made him cover his nose and mouth. The room smelled of blood. He flipped on a light switch and sure enough, he saw that blood was smeared on several parts of the floor. There were two places on opposite sides of the room, and Kaiba headed for the one closest to him, the one with scraps of clothing in it. He kneeled, being careful to stay out of the blood, and picked up a good sized chunk of a cream colored, cotton material. Bile rose in his throat as he realized that he was holding part of the shirt Yugi had been wearing the night he'd run out of the mansion. Kaiba heard footsteps behind him and turned around.
"Joey, take Mr. Moto outside."
Mr. Moto's eyes narrowed, before they dropped down to what Kaiba was holding. His mouth dropped open as he let his gaze wonder to the rest of the room. He wheeled himself inside the room before either Kaiba or Joey could do anything to stop him.
"What the hell happened here?" Joey asked.
He walked over to where Kaiba was standing and finally noticed the other pieces of clothing and the blood. His face changed, and his eyes lost their focus for a moment, before he began to shake. He dropped to the floor so fast that Kaiba thought he'd passed out. He kneeled next to Joey, only to find that the blonde's eyes were shut tightly and his hands were pressed against his ears.
"Oh, God," Joey whispered. "No, please no."
Joey shook his head violently. He opened his eyes and turned to the puddle of blood. He fingered a piece of cloth on the ground but didn't pick it up.
"Yugi kept asking to be let go. He kept telling someone to stop."
Joey was shaking uncontrollably now and Kaiba couldn't help but feel some of the revulsion and fear Joey had to have been experiencing. Pieces of clothing didn't end up on puddles of blood for no reason, and Kaiba hated what his mind had come up with in explanation. Joey's words only served to confirm his theory. Kaiba pulled Joey to his feet.
"Yugi was wearing that the last time I saw him," Mr. Moto said, pointing at the piece of shirt Kaiba was holding. He, too, closed his eyes, and Kaiba could only imagine the horrors going through the old man's head.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Kaiba looked up to see a man standing in the doorway. Something must have shown on his face, because the man immediately ran. Kaiba followed him, his long legs getting him to the man before he had a chance to go very far.
"What happened in that room? Where is Yugi? If you don't tell me, I swear I'll kill you," Kaiba yelled. He had pinned the man against the wall, his anger giving him strength he wouldn't normally have.
The man looked up at him, fear in his eyes. He pushed Kaiba away, which made the teen stumble and lose his grip. Kaiba cursed and ran after the man again. This time, Joey ran with him. When both teens caught up to the man, they pulled him to the ground right outside the warehouse complex. Joey sat on the man's legs while Kaiba held his hands above his head.
"If you don't tell us where our friend is, we'll be more than happy to inflict very painful bodily harm," Joey growled.
"Are you looking for the spiky haired kid, the one that was in that room?"
In response, Kaiba tightened his hands around the man's throat. "Speak, now!"
"The kid's dead. Kano played with him for a bit, and when they brought him out of that room, he was dead."
"You're lying!" Joey screamed and punched the man.
"I'm not lying!" the man screamed, his fear very apparent now. "I saw him myself when they brought him out. He was all bloody, half naked, and was already blue."
Kaiba felt as if he'd been drenched in ice cold water. It couldn't end this way. All of this time looking couldn't end in Yugi's death for a second time.
"Where did they take him?" Kaiba asked, his voice icy.
The man looked from one to the other, before settling on Kaiba again. "I think they threw him into the ocean. I wasn't there, but I heard Shadow order someone to get rid of the body."
Kaiba punched the man as well.
"You're going to jail for a very long time," Kaiba growled.
"I won't believe it, not unless I see a body," Joey whispered.
"I know, Joey, we'll have the harbor searched. If they threw Yugi in there, we'll find his body."
"So you think he's dead?"
Kaiba sighed. "You saw the room, Joey, you saw the clothes. You have the memories, so you tell me."
Joey took a deep breath, and then let it out. "I don't want to believe it."
"I will not believe it until I see the body."
Both Joey and Kaiba turned to see that Mr. Moto had followed them outside. The man was clutching the piece of clothing Kaiba had held earlier.
"Until someone proves otherwise, we will assume that Yugi is alive, understood?"
Joey and Kaiba both nodded, but the man pinned underneath them chuckled.
"You can believe all you want old man, but I saw the kid. There wasn't anything left of him to be alive."
**~~**
Sigh. . . why are all my chapters so freaking depressing? *swats muse upside head so he won't answer*. To those of you who wanted a happy homecoming: don't kill me! I'm innocent. To the Bakura and Ryou fans: I hope you enjoyed the scene. I'm always scared to write Bakura because I think I'm going to get him all wrong, so I hope he wasn't too out of character.
Next up: Yugi, Ryou and Bakura go to New York. Yami and Yugi finally reunite (yay!). Kaiba has the harbor searched. Joey deals with the memories of his time in the warehouse. Mr. Moto sees hope. Until next time!
I fixed my plot hole (yay me!) Many of you said that you didn't see it, but that was because this chapter hadn't been written yet. If I had written it as originally intended, the plot hole would have been large and glaring. So, I changed the chapter. You Ryou and Bakura fans will be happy with the change (I hope). I'll tell you what the hole was at the end of next chapter (it has to do with Joey ^__^. See, I said it was his fault!)
Something else came up and I feel like a complete idiot for screwing up my own story. Saiyan Jedi pointed out something very important: there was no one named Mike in the story before chapter 21. Jomei's friend at the restaurant was named Alex, not Mike. My apologies for that. I was watching a hockey game when I wrote that chapter, and my favorite player is named Mike, so there you have it, it stuck! For any of you who were wondering who the hell Mike was supposed to be, he is the guy who worked with Jomei at the restaurant. I'm officially making his name Alexander Michael, so both names apply to him. So while not necessarily a plot hole like SJ suggested, this is a rather disturbing and ugly mistake *hides under desk in embarrassment*.
This chapter has no Yami, but he will be back next chapter. I did fix the hole, so there's no problem with him now *hugs Yami plushie*.
On a totally random note: Do any of you watch Inuyasha? I recently got into it (I'm on episode 18, with 115 left to go) and I love it. It's so funny and sweet and romantic. Just thought I'd share.
Reviews:
Fin-Phoenix: Hope this wasn't too long of a wait. The plot hole was a bitch to fix, but it didn't take as long as I thought. Thanks for the lovely review!
Mittens no Hikari: ARG! Yugi's puppy dog eyes. . . must resist, must resist. . . sigh. I couldn't, so here's the chapter. I'm glad you liked the flashback. I'm a sucker for fluffy moments.
Lizzy: Yup, Joey's fault. We should tie him up and punish him *wanders around room for a bit, thinking of suitable Joey punishments*. I have to admit, the idea of Yami playing solitaire is very amusing. Would you mind if I use that next chapter? It'd be funny! I thought about just writing the story anyway and crediting creative license as a right to do whatever I wanted, but couldn't. I'm also one of those freaks who likes to have everything explained so endless nights it was.
TZ: I'll tell you all what the hole was next chapter. It'd be spoiling the story if I told it now. I am a Yugi fan first too, which is why Yami seems to get lost in my stories sometimes. Not that I dislike him, but Yugi always gets my attention *huggles Yugi plushie*.
Kairi-sama: I feel cheated: I got absolutely no Halloween candy. Well, I should probably have gone trick or treating, but was too lazy. Oh, well. . . there's always next year! Thanks for the advice! I didn't have a chance to check out your story, but I doubt it sucks. I'll give it a read as soon as I have some more time.
Hobbit13: What do you mean you grudgingly give me a cookie *glares at hobbit's hand, which won't release cookie*? I want cookie! Ahem. Now that I've composed myself: thanks for the advice. Holes are a pain to fix, but it's all good now.
YumeTakato: Yami's actually been stuck in the puzzle. I don't write him as having his own body, so he relies on Yugi to live. He's been out a bit while Joey's had the puzzle, but not much. He'll be back soon, though!
Oklina: Umm. . . you were half right on your prediction. The evil part of my just couldn't help itself. I hope you don't hate the twist too much.
Celtic Guardian 7: Thank you very much for the compliment! Yami will be back soon!
Naomi Silverwolf: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked the chapter.
Ginger Ninja: ^__^ Great advice and it worked too! You are wise, indeed.
LorayT: Nope, just one review. It's not bad to be into the story too much. You guys catch a lot of my mistakes, which is awesome. Glad you liked the flashback.
Saiyan Jedi: How Yugi finds out about Shadow being an American chemist is explained in this chapter, so it's technically not a hole, just foreshadowing. Thank you for pointing out the error with Alex's name. I had totally overlooked it. Yeah, I do use spell check. It doesn't catch words that aren't misspelled and just misused, which is my problem. When you write 10+ page chapters, it takes time that I do not have to go over the chapter three or four times to catch everything, so I don't do it. It makes the story seemed less polished, but I figured you all would prefer that to me updating the story once every two months. Don't worry about being mean and don't apologize for flaming. I actually saw it as constrictive criticism, because you did point out a very serious mistake. If you happen to catch any more, please let me know. Thanks for the chocolate, by the way. It does help the writing process ^__^
Ann0071: You'll get the Yami-Yugi review next chapter, so I hope that it's worth the wait. Thanks for the review!
Nono: The plot hole wasn't apparent because I didn't write this chapter. I'll let you all know what it was next time. Thanks!
Miss Sera: Yeah, I know what you mean. You can only use so many characters, therefore you should concentrate on the ones who matter. Yami is important, up to a point. Not as much as Yugi, though *huggles Yugi plushie again* I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Cyberkat: You'll get your wish! Yami and Yugi are definitely good together and I have missed the cranky spirit.
Rainie: *waves back to new readers* I adore new readers, so welcome to my crazy world! Aww, that's so sweet! Not that I encourage sleeplessness, mind you, but still! Thanks! I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story.
SerafinaMoon: *peeks out from underneath desk* Don't hate me because I have an evil side that won't leave me alone. . . it was the muse, I swear. (You'll know what I'm talking about at the end of the chapter, which relates to your last review and a certain homecoming).
MidnightFairy: Hey there! Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. Nope, so far there have been no couples, just a lot of friends.
Lucifer: Your wish is my command. Just remember when you get to the end of this chapter that Yugi does get home. What happens after that. . . well, that's another story.
Mysticgear: I like your suggestion about Joey's father. I said early in the story that Joey's father had pretty much washed his hands of the kid, hence why Joey could move to the Moto's with no problem. However, I like the parallel you made about Joey and his father and how they both ended up being very attached to alcohol. It's such a good thing to bring up, since I hadn't thought about it at all. It'll definitely flesh out the character of Joey some more. About Tea: I have absolutely nothing against her. She's in most of my stories, if only for a little while. Writing her just doesn't come easy to me for some reason and I have a tendency to leave her out. I'll try to work her in a little more from now on ^__^. Thank you!
Vappa: Feel free to stare at Kaiba all you want. The only chance you'll ever get to do it in peace is when he's asleep! About Yugi's homecoming: I'm just going to keep my mouth shut on this one go hide!
Amiasha Ruri: Thanks for the review! I found a way to include Yami, so he'll be sticking around. Glad you liked Kaiba's dream. I just think it's cute to show him when he wasn't all cold and detached.
Sorceress Vanessa: Don't worry about it! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. *grabs candy* It's never too late for Halloween candy, especially since I didn't get any on Halloween. Thanks!
Lady Elfskye: Yes, having stories go wacky is definitely something to worry about and lose sleep over. Especially when you really want to do something, and then realize you can't because you've already contradicted yourself. Arg. The fun comes in figuring a way out of it.
LastSheikah: Would you like some more duct tape? I'm just kidding. It's handy to have that around some time though. It heals all wounds! *send muse to closet to get the next 12 pack roll of tape* Thanks for the review!
Amarielle: You rock!! Your reviews came when I was having a horrific day and they made it so much better. Thank you so much! You don't want to marry Kaiba *looks at Amarielle, wondering what's wrong*? I'm just kidding. I'm very happy that you like the way he's been written here. I have really grown to love the character in the process.
Yugi's not a whore. . . but Kano is just evil! I'm not quite through with him yet, and I have a feeling that Yami will want to have a 'talk' with him. Speaking of Yami *wonders what Amarielle is doing with(to) Yami in her room*.
What do you mean quit shooting Kaiba? I've only shot him once. . . oh, wait. He got shot once before at the hospital in Tokyo, right? I must have a fetish with Kaiba and guns *drools as images of Kaiba with guns flash through head*. I wish I could draw fanart. I'd have a field day! Unfortunately, I have no talent in that department.
You would have voted for Kano to get his way? Well, Kano isn't dead yet you know. I'm just kidding. I think everyone else would hang me up by my toe nails if I had Kano come anywhere near Yugi again.
Sorry about making you miss your bed time. I don't remember what chapter it was when Kaiba said that. It was the one where he and Jomei were at Kaiba's mansion. Chapter 19 or 20, I think. Glad you liked the phrase! They'll still have to talk about their respective nightmares; it'll just have to be later. I hope you had a good night sleep that night and didn't stay up too much past your bed time! Speaking of which, I should have been in bed two hours ago. Sorry for the long reply to your reviews. But like I said, they made my day!
BlackDragonDiva: Glad you liked the flashback. Kaiba is just so adorable when he's little, defenseless, and asleep! Yami has his role to play in this fic, especially now that Yugi has regained his memories. It's just a matter of making it fit with everything else. Thanks for the review!
A yami nut: Yup, I knew which way you'd vote ^__^. Thank you for reviewing!
Adrienne: I need Kano back because I'm not through with him in the story yet. Yami has to get his revenge, doesn't he *cackles evilly*? I need the plushie to be in one piece until then. If April makes another appearance, it'll only be in flashbacks. She was never meant to be a big part of the story. Then again, neither was Kano and look where we are with him. . . thanks!
Faith: Jomei means to spread light. It's why I chose the name. . . it just seemed to fit Yugi very well. Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Painful Life: *hands Painful Life some eyedrops* 4 hours 43 minutes and 2 seconds?? Wow. . . that's a hell of a long time. I'm glad you enjoyed the story enough to sit through and read all of it. Hopefully the remaining chapters will be entertaining as well. Thank you for reviewing!
Blue Wolf: *hands BW a box of tissues* Don't worry, I'm not getting rid of Yami, and a reunion is coming. You read my mind about the whole puzzle thing, so here *hands BW some cyber Oreos*. The reunion will happen in the next chapter, though, because this one ran too long. Thanks for the review! I know what you mean about being shy and lurking around. I did that too when I first got into YGO, but soon broke out of my shell and here I am. Most authors are very nice, though, and reviewing lets you get to know them and gives them a chance to get to know you.
I hope I didn't miss anyone! If I did, please yell at me so I won't do it again ^__^.
On to the chapter, enjoy!
**~~**
Part 24: Unexpected Friends
Yugi sat in the passenger seat of Mike's car and tried not to fidget.
They had just passed the sign welcoming them to Domino, and Yugi couldn't help but feel his nervousness escalate. He was happy to be going home to see his family, but at the same time, felt like he shouldn't be returning, like he'd let them down. It had taken him a while to realize where that feeling was coming from: Jomei had run away in the middle of the night, which had led to his capture by Shadow and his men. The part of Yugi that retained Jomei's memories dreaded facing his grandfather's disappointment. Yugi also dreaded having to tell his grandfather that Joey was gone, but knew that he had to.
"How did you find out that Shadow was American?" Mike asked, speaking for the first time in an hour.
The memory of the night he'd found out about Shadow came to his mind, and he shuddered. It had been the night after Kano had come to his room. He'd been unable to sleep and had stayed awake all night on guard. Kano had been taken away that morning, but Yugi hadn't wanted to take any chances on anyone else coming into his room.
"One night, Asami was on the phone yelling at someone. He was in his room, which was next to where I slept. I wasn't supposed to be awake, so he wasn't being careful about what he said. They were arguing about Ka. . . one of the kids Asami had to send back," Yugi corrected, not about to get into the Kano situation with Mike. "Asami kept saying that Shadow should pick his kids better; that his rejected, American butt was not going to last long in Japan if he kept making mistakes. Asami also said that Shadow should go back to the lab and rework the formula or something like that. It didn't mean anything to me at the time, because I didn't remember who Shadow was or what he had to do with me. Once I met him again, I realized he was the guy Asami was talking to that night." Yugi paused and turned to Mike. "I figured he was a chemist because of that drug he made."
"That's quite a leap, Yugi, considering that you have no proof except for what you heard," Mike said.
"I know, but it's all I have. I'm not going to stay here and do nothing, Mike, I can't."
Mike sighed. "I know, but you're going to be putting yourself in danger for something that may not be worth following. My brother's information was sketchy at best, and doesn't give you any proof that this guy is actually behind the kidnappings here in Japan."
Yugi leaned back in his seat, wincing as the seat rubbed some of the cuts on his back.
"Your brother gave me a name, Mike, that's more than I had before. I also know where to start looking. I'm hoping that once I'm there, I'll be able to find proof. Besides, I have no choice. If I'm ever going to live my life again, Shadow has to be either dead or behind bars."
Mike remained silent. He guided the car to an intersection and stopped to wait for the light to change. He looked around and smiled.
"This is a quaint little town, Yugi. Have you lived here all of your life?"
Yugi looked out of the window, seeing the town as if it was the first time. It was still early in the morning so not many people were out and about yet. It wouldn't be too long until people started to get out of their homes to go shopping or to watch their kids play.
"Yes, I've lived here all of my life."
The light turned green. A black Rolls Royce came barreling down the street before they could take off, running the red light as it headed east towards the docks. Mike cursed, but managed to slam on the brakes in time.
"Idiot, rich bastard," Mike yelled, "its people like that, who think they can do what they want, that cause most accidents."
The car's windows were tinted, so Yugi had not been able to see who was inside. However, Domino only had one idiot, rich bastard that thought he owned the place. He didn't need to look inside to know that Kaiba was probably in the car. He did wonder, though, where the teen was going in such a hurry at this time of the morning. For a split second, Yugi thought about asking Mike to follow the car, but then thought better of it. He wanted to see his grandfather first.
"That's Kaiba," Yugi commented as Mike eased the car back onto the street, "he does think he owns the place."
They turned onto Yugi's street and the nervousness he'd felt up to this point suddenly tripled.
"It's the last building on your right," Yugi directed, and Mike brought his car to a stop in front of the shop.
"Nice place," he said. "You live here with your parents?"
"I live with my grandfather," Yugi replied. "My parents are dead."
He turned to Mike, and gave him a quick hug.
"Thank you so much for everything. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me."
Mike carefully wrapped his arms around Yugi, and Yugi did his best not to tense at the contact.
"Ever since I first met you, I knew there was something about you, something that reminded me so much of my nephew that I couldn't help but feel protective of you. I wish I could have done more," Mike said.
He let Yugi go and ruffled his hair a bit. "If you need anything else, if I can help in any way, you have my number. You also have my brother's address and number in the states if you need to get a hold of him. He said he would help if he could."
"Thank you, Mike."
Yugi quickly got out of the car and waved goodbye. Mike waited until Yugi was at the front door before driving off. Yugi hesitated for a moment at the door, before he rang the doorbell. He took a deep, steadying breath as he waited for the door to be opened. He frowned when no one came to the door. He rang the bell again, and then knocked on the door. Why wouldn't his grandfather be home? He doubted that his grandfather went out very much because of his condition, so where would he be?
Shivering slightly in the morning breeze, Yugi walked around the building. He tried the gate that led to the back yard and found it locked as well. If he could only get to the back door, he'd be okay, because his grandfather always kept a spare key underneath one of the flowerpots on the patio. Getting into the back yard, however, would be a problem for Yugi, since he could barely move. The fence was six feet tall and made out of solid wood, so he couldn't climb up it. He looked around, but saw nothing that might help.
Thirty minutes later, he'd fashioned a makeshift ladder out of boxes he'd gotten out of the trash pile for the house next door. He thanked the stars that the family had decided to buy a new entertainment center, since the boxes had been big enough and tall enough for Yugi to use to climb up on. He vaulted over the fence and landed on his feet, then immediately collapsed when his legs gave out. He lay on the soft ground, panting, trying to get the pain under control. Once he was sure he could move again, he got to his feet.
He got the spare key and had it inserted in the lock when he heard voices coming from inside. He peeked into the kitchen window and saw that the front door now stood wide open. He grinned, thinking that his grandfather had gotten home. He unlocked the door and had the knob turned when he heard what the people inside were saying.
"He's not here, Jenkins."
Yugi froze. He remembered Jenkins. The man was Shadow's right hand man. A loud crash from the living room made Yugi jump, and he let go of the door and plastered himself to the wall of the house, out of sight from the men inside.
They'd come back. Shadow must know that Yugi hadn't died and had sent people after him. He couldn't let them see him, or he'd end up back with them. Yugi's breath came in short gasps that he was afraid would draw the attention of the men inside. He didn't know how many there were, but he knew there were at least two. He had to leave. Yugi forced his trembling legs to inch him away from the back door and towards the back gate. He kept his back to the wall of the house until he reached the edge. As he was about to run for the back gate, an arm wrapped itself around his chest, while another covered his mouth. Yugi was frozen for a moment, his heart beating mercilessly in his chest. Adrenaline quickly flooded his system, and anger overrode his fear.
Yugi stomped on the person's foot, grinning at the grunt of pain the man let out. The arm around his chest loosened a bit, and Yugi used the opportunity to slam both arms back, his elbows connecting with the man's ribs. He was released and turned around, his fist in the air ready to strike, when he came face to face with the murderous glare of the tomb robber. He stopped his fist in mid air and glared at the spirit.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Bakura continued to glare at him, his arms wrapped around his chest. "You little brat, you didn't have to attack me."
"Me? You attacked me first, remember?"
Another crash, closer this time, from the house drew their attention.
"They were about to see you, idiot, that's why I grabbed you. Now I suggest we get out of here before we're both in trouble."
Yugi shook his head, annoyance replacing the anger that had spurred him to fight. He ran for the gate and threw it open. He and Bakura stepped onto the alley in back and leaned against the fence.
"How long have they been here?" Yugi asked.
Bakura shrugged. "Not long. They came in after you got here."
Yugi turned to look at the tomb robber, and found that Bakura was staring at him.
"You want to tell me what you were doing at my house?"
Bakura's eyes narrowed.
"Your house?"
Yugi shrugged. "Okay, so technically it's my grandfather's house, but I still live here."
Bakura laughed. "Yeah, you do such a good job of living here that you run away at the earliest opportunity and get yourself caught."
Yugi clenched his fists, fighting the urge to hit Bakura.
"Okay, so I got caught, but I escaped and came home. Where is everyone?"
Bakura shrugged. "Beats me. Ryou wanted to come see what was going on, so here we are. I took over when I saw the people in the house."
Yugi was suddenly reminded of Yami. He put his hand up to his chest where the Millennium Puzzle used to hang. He missed it and he missed Yami.
"You're not going to get all sentimental now are you? I like you better when you show some backbone."
Yugi glared at Bakura.
"Yeah, that's more like it. Yugi was a little soft and very naïve. Jomei is much better to be around, almost as much fun as Kaiba."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Bakura, but I'm not Jomei anymore."
Bakura's eyes narrowed as the tomb robber regarded him. "So you're not. He's still in you, though. The old Yugi would never have fought back when I grabbed you."
Yugi thought about that, the realization making his stomach tie itself in knots. A year ago, he never would have contemplated fighting anyone or voluntarily hitting anyone. It just wasn't his style. Even though he'd been bullied all of his life, he hadn't thought to turn bitter or vengeful. When Bakura had grabbed him, he'd wanted to fight. Not only that, he'd known how. Just a little while ago, he'd had to fight the urge to deck Bakura. What did that say about him? What had he become? What had Shadow made out of him?
"I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the pharaoh."
Bakura's comment pulled Yugi out of his thoughts. Yami! How could he get the puzzle with the men still inside?
There was a flash of light, and Yugi found himself looking at Ryou. The other teen's eyes widened.
"Yugi, what happened to you? You look horrible, are you okay?"
Ryou stepped closer to Yugi, and Yugi instinctively stepped back. Ryou's eyes widened slightly, before he looked away, but not before Yugi had seen the hurt in them.
"I'm sorry, Ryou, it's just been a crazy few days. I'm a bit on edge," he said, trying to calm his friend. "I'm okay, just a bit beat up. I'll survive it."
He walked up to Ryou and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. Ryou looked up and gave him a brilliant smile.
"Bakura can get the puzzle for you if you want," Ryou said and winced as if he'd suddenly heard something that was a bit too loud.
Before Yugi had a chance to ask what Ryou meant, Bakura split from his host and stood transparent to one side.
"I am not going into that house to bring out that stupid pharaoh. If Yugi wants him, he's going to have to go get the puzzle himself."
Yugi grit his teeth.
"It's not like I'm asking you to give up an arm or something, Bakura."
Yugi held up a hand. "It's okay, Ryou. There are armed men in that house," Yugi said. "Not even Bakura could take on two men. Besides, it is pretty scary. I don't blame him for wanting to stay out here where it's safe."
Bakura's reaction was instantaneous. His eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth. It took Yugi everything he had to keep from grinning.
"Are you calling me a coward?"
Yugi shrugged. "If the shoe fits, wear it."
Bakura took a step closer to Yugi, and then stopped when he realized that unless he controlled Ryou's body, he wouldn't be able to do much damage.
"How dare you insult me? I've dealt with more things than you could ever imagine," Bakura growled, his face almost touching Yugi's. "You and the pharaoh are both dim witted, simple minded fools. You're perfect for each other."
Yugi stood his ground. He was not about to lose this battle of wits to Bakura. The spirit was testing him, and Yugi wasn't about to fail the test.
"For two simple minded fools, we sure are able to accomplish more than you have been able to. Tell me, Bakura, are you a tomb robber because you like it, or because it was the only thing you were smart enough to do."
Before Yugi realized what was happening, Bakura disappeared. He took over Ryou's body and came at him swinging. Bakura's fist caught Yugi on the side of the jaw and sent him crashing into the fence. He was momentarily dazed, his entire body resonating pain. He could feel Bakura standing behind him, waiting. Yugi turned around, swinging his fist as he did so. The fist caught Bakura in the eye and sent him sprawling to the ground. The tomb robber lay on the ground, holding his eye. He glared at Yugi, before he began to laugh.
"Who would have thought you had it in you," he said between peals of laughter. "The little runt packs quite a punch."
A flash of light later found Ryou lying on the ground in Bakura's place.
"Ow," he said, tenderly touching his eye.
Yugi held out a hand to help him up. "I'm sorry, Ryou. I shouldn't have let Bakura bait me like that. Are you okay?"
Ryou smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. The ring will heat this pretty soon. I think you just won his respect."
Yugi frowned. "What?"
Ryou laughed. "Bakura went to get the puzzle for you."
Yugi smiled.
"Yugi, are you sure you're okay?" Ryou asked.
"Yeah, I'm just confused. I have no idea what's going on, but I do need to get going. I can't be here anymore, not if my presence is going to endanger my family."
"Where are you going?"
Yugi gave Ryou the condensed version of his plan while they waited for Bakura to return with the puzzle. When Yugi was finished, Ryou was deep in thought.
"My father is going to New York later today. He wants me to go with him, which is why I came by. I wanted to see what was going on, ask if they'd found you and Joey, and then say goodbye before I left. Since you need to get overseas, you could come with us."
Yugi's eyes widened. Ryou was going to America? He'd wondered during the trip back about how he could possibly get to the United States by himself. He'd wanted to ask his family for help, but now that Shadow's men knew he was alive, he couldn't risk putting his grandfather in further danger. The farther away from Domino he was, the better it would be for everyone. Except Ryou, that is. But if Yugi only stuck to Ryou long enough to get to America, he wouldn't be putting him in much danger, would he?
"How are you and your father traveling?" Yugi asked.
"We're going by boat, which is why I asked if you wanted to come. Bakura snuck us on the boat to Duelist Kingdom, remember? I could ask him to sneak you onto the boat we're going on. Since you're supposed to be dead, no one will know you're on board except Bakura and me."
Yugi nodded, liking the idea. Guilt at the pit of his stomach made him pause.
"What about my grandfather, though?"
Ryou shrugged. "You can call him once you get to America. You can't wait for him now, or else those men will take you back."
A flash of light to his right made Yugi turn in that direction, and he barely reacted fast enough to catch the golden object that had been thrown to him.
"Don't say I never did anything for you," Bakura said.
Yugi looked down at the golden puzzle and smiled. He'd missed Yami so much. He wanted nothing more than to go to his soul room and talk to the ancient spirit, but he didn't have time for it right now. He had to get away and get his plan in motion. He wrapped the chain around the puzzle and put it in his pocket.
"I'll talk to Yami later, now we have to go."
**~~**
"This is nothing but warehouses," Joey said.
Kaiba looked around and only grunted in agreement. He walked out of yet another empty room, slamming the door as he passed it. He had been gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw was aching. He had developed a tension headache and the rest from earlier had only served to remind him how sleep deprived he really was.
"These buildings were occupied until recently," Mr. Moto said, wheeling himself past a rectangle shaped mark on the floor. "Look at the markings, Joey, there used to be a desk here."
Kaiba glanced in that direction and saw that indeed, the mark on the floor was that of a desk. The fact that the dust was still in place meant that the furniture had been moved a short while ago.
"There's no trace of where they went," Joey whispered.
Kaiba continued down the hallway into another empty room. This one had not had any furniture inside, and crates still lined the walls. On the back wall he saw two gleaming posts. What caught his attention about them was that chains hung off of them. One still had a pair of handcuffs hanging from the end of the chain.
"Anything here," Joey said, "or is it just another em- " he broke off as he saw the back of the room.
Slowly, as if in a trance, Joey walked to the chain that still had handcuffs on it. He picked them up and turned them over in his hand. He rubbed the metal as if he were trying to remember something.
"Joey, are you okay?" Mr. Moto asked, going up to the blonde.
"We were here. Yugi and I, we were here."
Joey dropped the handcuffs and fingered the bandages around his wrists.
"They kept us here until they took Yugi."
"Where did they take him?" Kaiba asked.
Joey had the same look on his face he'd had back at the Moto's house when he'd remembered hearing Yugi ask for help. He looked as if he were about to faint. Mr. Moto grasped Joey's arm tightly, trying to bring him out of whatever memory he was in.
"Joey, where did they take Yugi?" Mr. Moto asked, a lot more gently than Kaiba had.
"It had to have been close enough for you to hear him scream," Kaiba pointed out, and both Mr. Moto and Joey glared at him. He shrugged. "It's the truth."
Joey shook his head, visibly pulling himself together.
"I think they took him to one of rooms that are beside this one."
Kaiba didn't wait. He walked out of the room and entered the one next door, the one he hadn't yet been in. As soon as he stepped through the door, an odor he couldn't help but recognize made him cover his nose and mouth. The room smelled of blood. He flipped on a light switch and sure enough, he saw that blood was smeared on several parts of the floor. There were two places on opposite sides of the room, and Kaiba headed for the one closest to him, the one with scraps of clothing in it. He kneeled, being careful to stay out of the blood, and picked up a good sized chunk of a cream colored, cotton material. Bile rose in his throat as he realized that he was holding part of the shirt Yugi had been wearing the night he'd run out of the mansion. Kaiba heard footsteps behind him and turned around.
"Joey, take Mr. Moto outside."
Mr. Moto's eyes narrowed, before they dropped down to what Kaiba was holding. His mouth dropped open as he let his gaze wonder to the rest of the room. He wheeled himself inside the room before either Kaiba or Joey could do anything to stop him.
"What the hell happened here?" Joey asked.
He walked over to where Kaiba was standing and finally noticed the other pieces of clothing and the blood. His face changed, and his eyes lost their focus for a moment, before he began to shake. He dropped to the floor so fast that Kaiba thought he'd passed out. He kneeled next to Joey, only to find that the blonde's eyes were shut tightly and his hands were pressed against his ears.
"Oh, God," Joey whispered. "No, please no."
Joey shook his head violently. He opened his eyes and turned to the puddle of blood. He fingered a piece of cloth on the ground but didn't pick it up.
"Yugi kept asking to be let go. He kept telling someone to stop."
Joey was shaking uncontrollably now and Kaiba couldn't help but feel some of the revulsion and fear Joey had to have been experiencing. Pieces of clothing didn't end up on puddles of blood for no reason, and Kaiba hated what his mind had come up with in explanation. Joey's words only served to confirm his theory. Kaiba pulled Joey to his feet.
"Yugi was wearing that the last time I saw him," Mr. Moto said, pointing at the piece of shirt Kaiba was holding. He, too, closed his eyes, and Kaiba could only imagine the horrors going through the old man's head.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Kaiba looked up to see a man standing in the doorway. Something must have shown on his face, because the man immediately ran. Kaiba followed him, his long legs getting him to the man before he had a chance to go very far.
"What happened in that room? Where is Yugi? If you don't tell me, I swear I'll kill you," Kaiba yelled. He had pinned the man against the wall, his anger giving him strength he wouldn't normally have.
The man looked up at him, fear in his eyes. He pushed Kaiba away, which made the teen stumble and lose his grip. Kaiba cursed and ran after the man again. This time, Joey ran with him. When both teens caught up to the man, they pulled him to the ground right outside the warehouse complex. Joey sat on the man's legs while Kaiba held his hands above his head.
"If you don't tell us where our friend is, we'll be more than happy to inflict very painful bodily harm," Joey growled.
"Are you looking for the spiky haired kid, the one that was in that room?"
In response, Kaiba tightened his hands around the man's throat. "Speak, now!"
"The kid's dead. Kano played with him for a bit, and when they brought him out of that room, he was dead."
"You're lying!" Joey screamed and punched the man.
"I'm not lying!" the man screamed, his fear very apparent now. "I saw him myself when they brought him out. He was all bloody, half naked, and was already blue."
Kaiba felt as if he'd been drenched in ice cold water. It couldn't end this way. All of this time looking couldn't end in Yugi's death for a second time.
"Where did they take him?" Kaiba asked, his voice icy.
The man looked from one to the other, before settling on Kaiba again. "I think they threw him into the ocean. I wasn't there, but I heard Shadow order someone to get rid of the body."
Kaiba punched the man as well.
"You're going to jail for a very long time," Kaiba growled.
"I won't believe it, not unless I see a body," Joey whispered.
"I know, Joey, we'll have the harbor searched. If they threw Yugi in there, we'll find his body."
"So you think he's dead?"
Kaiba sighed. "You saw the room, Joey, you saw the clothes. You have the memories, so you tell me."
Joey took a deep breath, and then let it out. "I don't want to believe it."
"I will not believe it until I see the body."
Both Joey and Kaiba turned to see that Mr. Moto had followed them outside. The man was clutching the piece of clothing Kaiba had held earlier.
"Until someone proves otherwise, we will assume that Yugi is alive, understood?"
Joey and Kaiba both nodded, but the man pinned underneath them chuckled.
"You can believe all you want old man, but I saw the kid. There wasn't anything left of him to be alive."
**~~**
Sigh. . . why are all my chapters so freaking depressing? *swats muse upside head so he won't answer*. To those of you who wanted a happy homecoming: don't kill me! I'm innocent. To the Bakura and Ryou fans: I hope you enjoyed the scene. I'm always scared to write Bakura because I think I'm going to get him all wrong, so I hope he wasn't too out of character.
Next up: Yugi, Ryou and Bakura go to New York. Yami and Yugi finally reunite (yay!). Kaiba has the harbor searched. Joey deals with the memories of his time in the warehouse. Mr. Moto sees hope. Until next time!