DD: Hey guys! I'm back again with a new chapter. It's over 4, 000 words so I really hope you guys like it. I added the start of a relationship to this one to try and lighten the mood. Though it was brought around in a dark way... Anyway, hope you enjoy. Thanks so much to heartofthecards on wattpad for the great new cover! This chapter is dedicated to her for making it for me! And I'm really sorry for not updating. I was in Thailand and can never think enough to make a chapter for an ongoing story while I'm over there. I'm answering the reviews from the last two chapters because I never answered the chapter five reviews last time. I own nothing!

Chapter Five Reviews:

Ern Estine 13624: Glad you like it

Guest: Oh jeez :( I'm really sorry; I in no way meant to bring up any bad memories for people. Sorry.

PhantomBrat: Yeah, things'll eventually get better. And that arc will be cleared up soon. Thanks, and I hope this is okay for you.

lollileahpop: Aww, thanks :)

Samira Vongola: Will do

Chapter Six Reviews:

San child of the wolves: Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Angel (Guest): Aww, I'm glad you like it :) I won't kill Marik. He's too epic. And Akane may return but she won't be back for a while if she does.

Ern Estine 13624: Thanks; I hope you like this.

Goddess Lyrotheria: I'm glad you like it :) Yeah, the tension's building up. Don't worry; he can't die. He's Marik. He's too epic.

Kigen Dawn: I'm afraid they won't die like that... the hikaris would be traumatised. I'm sorry you don't like it very much. Hopefully the romance will help a bit.

Lu (Guest): He's too epic to die. And thanks. They will eventually.

1enchantedgirl (Guest): Aww, thanks :) I'm glad you like it.

Stephiel9186: 1: Thanks :)
2: They will eventually and that will be cleared up soon.
3: True, but if they did, there would be no story.
4: Yeah, I'm a bitch to them.
5: Aw, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. :(
6: Not quite but soon!

Guest: Right here; sorry for the wait.

Yugi watched as Ryou took the key out of his pocket and stared at the front door. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We can do this tomorrow if you want..."

Ryou swallowed and shook his head. "If I don't do it now, I'll just keep putting it off. I don't want to be a burden on you and your grandfather."

"You're not a burden," Yugi protested.

Still, Ryou shook his head. He took a deep breath and inserted the key into the door, turning it. It didn't do anything. The door was already unlocked.

They shared a look before Ryou pushed the door open. The house was silent. The scent of alcohol was heavy in the air and there were several glasses and lamps smashed on the floor that no one had bothered to clean up.

A pair of boxers lay on the floor that were far too big to be Ryou's and one of his bookshelves had fallen to the ground.

Ryou took a few steps into the house, careful not to step on the broken glass or porcelain. "Hello?" His call was met by silence. "I'm home..." Again, silence.

"Looks like she's gone," Yugi mumbled, looking around.

Ryou shook his head. "She could be upstairs..." He walked upstairs with Yugi following. Everything upstairs was a mess. The shower head was broken and the toilet was blocked. The majority of Ryou's things had been broken and half of his books were ripped apart. His bed was still in one piece, but it was covered in a white substance.

Yugi didn't want to know what that was. Ryou cringed in disgust and closed the door. "I'll clean it up later..."

The guest room had been locked, as it always was when no one was staying in it. Akane either hadn't found where the spare key was or she wasn't bothered enough to wreck it, for when they opened the door, the room was just as it had been when Ryou had left.

Ryou looked at the final door. His parents' room. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The floor was littered with used syringes and empty bottles, both from pills and alcohol.

The bed was unmade, but empty. Yugi smiled feebly. "She's gone."

Ryou nodded in agreement and returned the smile. "Yeah." He closed the door again and looked at the hall. "I guess I'd better clean up... Thanks for all your help, Yugi."

Yugi shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. Remember; I said I'd spend the night if she was gone. I'll help you clean up."

Ryou hesitated and looked at him. "Are you sure?"

Yugi smiled and nodded. "Of course. It's the least I can do to thank you for helping out at the game shop." Ryou began to protest but Yugi cut him off. "Let's just clean your house up, okay? We can call Malik too and see if he can come over to watch a film."

A moment later, Ryou nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Yugi."

"Anytime." He pulled out his phone. "I'll call Malik; you get some trash bags so we can pick up the glass."

Ryou nodded and went downstairs as Yugi punched in Malik's familiar number. It rang twice before Malik picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Malik. You busy?"

"Nah; I haven't even gotten home yet. What's up?"

"Nothing much. We just got back to Ryou's house." Yugi looked around. "It's a mess. We're about to start cleaning it up. Do you want to come over and help out? We can watch a movie afterwards."

Malik hesitated. "Sure; why the hell not. I'll be there in ten."

"Great." Yugi grinned. "See you then." He hung up and went downstairs. Ryou was already picking up the broken shards and throwing them into the bag. "Malik's on his way; he said he'd help," Yugi said, kneeling down next to Ryou.

"You really didn't need to do all this," Ryou said, looking up at him.

"Of course I did," Yugi protested. "We're friends, right? This is what friends are for. We help each other out."

Ryou nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Yugi."

Yugi returned the smile. "Anytime."

Just as the blade touched Marik's skin, a hand grabbed his and forced the knife away from his wrist.

His head shot up and he glared at Yami. "What the hell was that for?"

"Are you insane?" Yami returned the glare and pried the knife from Marik's hand. Marik went to grab it again, but Yami hid it behind his back.

"Give me the knife," Marik hissed.

"No."

He lunged at Yami, but the latter sidestepped out of the way to reveal Bakura, who pinned Marik to the wall.

"Let go!" Marik thrashed to try and get free. Bakura gritted his teeth, using all of his strength to keep Marik in place.

"Marik, this isn't the way out!" Yami insisted, holding up the knife. The words 'Tomb Robber' glinted on it in the dim light. The gift he had given Bakura for Christmas.

Marik scowled and looked away. "What would you know, Pharaoh?" He spat. "It's not like you've gone through what we have." Something flashed in Yami's eyes but it was gone before Marik could figure out what it was.

"So what if I haven't? I still know that this isn't the way to go!" Yami snapped. "Do you want to give them the pleasure of knowing they broke you?"

"I don't give a flying monkey's ass what they think after I'm gone!" Marik yelled. "If I do this, I'll never need to go through that again!"

"You're a fool if you think that," Bakura hissed. "You really think we're about to let our own brother die?"

"What happened to not caring?" Marik glared at him.

Bakura made no move to protect his previous statement. "Even if we let you do this, they'd find out and they'd make sure that you didn't die," Yami said. "Do you think they'd let that go unpunished? You'd die because of them! Not on your own terms!"

Marik struggled for another minute before his body went slack. His head was lowered, his bangs hiding his eyes. "I just want out. I can't deal with this anymore..."

"Yugi and his friends will get us out," Bakura insisted. "We just need to keep going for a few more days. Then we'll be free."

Marik sighed and shoved Bakura aside. He didn't bother trying to retrieve the knife. He just went over to his bed and lay down, closing his eyes. He was so very tired.

"Finished!" Yugi cheered as they threw the last black bag into the bin. Malik looked around. They had cleaned up the entire house.

The broken bookshelves and torn books had to be thrown out as well, much to Ryou's disappointment, but the glass and broken lamps were gone, and as were the ruined sheets.

With the exception of a few missing objects, the house looked just as it had before Akane had arrived.

"That took longer than I thought," Ryou sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"No kidding." Malik plopped down beside him. "Your mom really screwed the place over." Ryou acted as though he had never said the last part of his statement.

"What would you like to drink?"

"No, no, no," Yugi cut him off. "You guys did most of the cleaning, so I'm making the drinks. So what do you want?"

"But-" Ryou began only to sigh as Yugi gave him a pointed look. "Tea please."

"I'll just have some water," Malik said as Yugi looked at him. Yugi beamed and nodded, walking into the kitchen. "Should we pick out a film?"

"Sure." Ryou smiled and nodded.

"And no romance this time," Malik insisted.

Ryou pouted but nodded. "Fine." He stood up and walked over to the DVD rack. "How about... Minions?"

"Hell no!" Malik glared. "We are burning that disk as soon as we get the chance."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "I'm not burning a DVD just because you don't like it, Malik. I'll sell it later instead. Someone online will buy it." He looked at the rack again. "The Hobbit?"

"Seen it."

"Mulan?"

"Romance."

"It's not even-!" Ryou cut himself off and sighed. "Fine. Pixels?"

Malik frowned. "How do you have that? It's still in cinemas."

Ryou smiled. "I have my ways." He picked out another one. "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog?"

Malik paused. "...What?"

Ryou shook his head and put it back. "How about the Shawshank Redemption?"

"How about something more light-hearted?" Yugi suggested as he came back into the room with the drinks.

"Agreed." Malik nodded, taking the water.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "You two are impossible to find a movie for." He looked at the rack. "The Cell?"

Malik blinked. "What's that about?"

Ryou looked at the back. "Something about trying to find where a comatose serial killer has hidden his latest victim."

"Sure." Malik shrugged. Yugi nodded.

Ryou put the DVD into the VCR. "You guys are really unbelievable, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you know you love us anyway," Yugi giggled, handing Ryou the tea.

Ryou gave an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose so." He grinned and Malik pressed the play button on the remote.

All was going well. They were passing around a bar of chocolate Yugi had found in the kitchen as they watched, commenting on this and that when there were less suspenseful parts.

Then came the part where the main protagonist tried to enter the innocent part of the killer's mind.

"Odion, help me!"

The killer's father had abused him for years.

"Lie still you little brat!"

Things had grown too much for him.

"You will take part in the ceremony! You will carry on our religion!"

He had snapped.

"You don't get a choice in the matter! You don't deserve a choice!"

Malik gulped and stood up. "I-I need to get some more water..."

Ryou looked up at him and paused the movie. "Malik, is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Malik nodded, his face pale. "I just need a minute." He walked into the kitchen without another word.

"What is it?"

Joey could hear the clicking of a computer keyboard in the background. He smirked. "Well aren't you a bucket full of cheer today?"

"Cut to the chase, Wheeler. I'm running a-"

"Multi-trillion yen company, yeah I know," Joey sighed. "You remind me every day."

"And you keep calling me because...?"

"I don't hear you telling me not to." His response was met by silence. He smirked again. "Thought so."

"Just tell me what you want."

Joey sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't exactly got my Christmas homework done yet and everyone's saying that it took them ages."

"So you want me to help you?"

"Please?" Joey whined. "School's the day after tomorrow; I haven't had time to get it done!"

Joey expected Seto to tell him to find someone else to help him and then hang up. Instead Seto paused. The clicking in the background died down to silence. "Fine."

Joey blinked. "Really?"

"Sure," Seto agreed. "But you need to come up to my mansion if you want me to help you."

Joey grinned despite himself. "Deal! I'll be there by eight."

"Don't be late," Seto warned before hanging up.

Bakura's eyes shot open as he felt someone grip his arm. He looked up. Aknadin's face leered down at him.

Panic gripped him and he wrenched his arm away. "Stay away from me!"

"Now 'Kura, why would I do that?" Aknadin smirked and reached out for his arm again. Bakura scrambled away from him. "Don't be like that." His eyes glinted. "Or things will get a lot worse for you."

"Leave him alone."

Bakura's head snapped to the side. Yami was standing beside him. He was awake?

Aknadin scowled. "Step aside, Yami."

"I'm not letting you take him anywhere." Yami's reply was firm.

Marik was still asleep. Yami had gotten him to take a sleeping tablet before bed so he would be out cold for a while.

Aknadin smirked. "Then you'll be taking his punishment."

"What for?" Aknadin raised an eyebrow. "What's he being punished for?"

"That's none of your business."

"Then I'll take it."

Bakura and Aknadin both looked at Yami like he was crazy. He was crazy.

"Yami, leave it. I'll be fine," Bakura began but Yami stepped in front of him.

His glare never wavered as Aknadin's look of disbelief became a smirk. "Very well then." He grabbed Yami's wrist. "If you have such a large death wish, be my guest." He dragged Yami out the door.

Bakura stared at the closed door for a minute. "Shit..."

Halfway through the second film, Duke's phone began to vibrate. "Holy shit," Tristan cursed, jumping as it buzzed.

Being the only two in the theatre for Insidious Three did not do anything good for their nerves and the phone didn't help matters.

Duke frowned and looked at the screen. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, standing up.

"You sure?" Tristan asked. "You can call them back later."

"Nah; just fill me in when I come back." He grinned before making his way down the steps.

Tristan watched as he left the theatre. The emptiness seemed to grow more and more noticeable as the movie wore on. When the lights began flickering, Tristan stood up to check on Duke. He looked at his watch. It had been nearly twenty minutes since he had left.

After leaving the theatre, Tristan looked around, trying to find Duke. It was a late show, so the cinema was almost empty. There was no sign of Duke's telltale black ponytail of hair.

Tristan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe the bathroom?" Nodding, he walked over to the bathroom. Once again, it seemed to be devoid of life. Just as Tristan was about to give up and call Duke, he heard a soft sob from the last cubicle. "Duke?" No reply. Tristan went up to the last stall and knocked on the door. "Duke, you in there?"

"Y-yeah..." Duke sniffed. "I'll be out in a minute..."

Tristan heard shuffling before the door unlocked. Duke's hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot. His nose was red and his skin was pale. "Shit, what happened?"

Duke swallowed and shook his head. "Forget about it. Let's just go back and finish the film."

"Screw the film." Tristan gripped Duke's arms, preventing him from moving around him. "Duke, what's going on?"

Duke bit his lower lip. "I told you. Forget it."

"I'm not going to just forget something that's making you cry," Tristan insisted.

Duke squeezed his eyes shut. "Tristan, please, leave it."

"No!" Tristan backed Duke into the cubicle and locked the door behind them. "Tell me what's going on!"

Duke glared at him and looked up. Possibly debating if he could get out of the situation. After a minute, he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "M-my dad..." Tears welled up in his eyes again. "He was killed... He was trying to promote a new game in Ireland and some guy hit him with a car when he was driving through Kerry... His bike flipped over and crushed him..." The tears spilled down his cheeks. "Dammit..." He looked down, squeezing his eyes shut.

Tristan's eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around Duke. Duke leaned into the embrace, gripping Tristan's shirt in his clenched fists.

A choked sob escaped his throat and he buried his head in Tristan's chest. "D-Dammit... W-Why did he need to g-go?"

Tristan rubbed slow circles into Duke's back. "He needed to for work."

"B-But..." Duke gritted his teeth. "H-He's gone..."

"I know." Tristan rested his chin on the crown of Duke's head. "I know." He felt Duke's tears soak his t-shirt but he merely held the boy closer. "It's okay to cry."

"I know," Duke whispered. After a while, his tears began to slow to a halt. He looked up at Tristan. "Thanks."

Tristan's smile was soft. "There's no need to thank me."

"Of course there is."

He chuckled. "You're welcome." He met Duke's gaze. He was so vulnerable right now. But even so, Tristan couldn't help but let his mind wander. His eyes trailed down to Duke's lips.

The distance between them closed without either of them noticing and Tristan pressed his lips to Duke's.

Duke's eyes slid shut and he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around Tristan's neck. Tristan wrapped his arms around Duke's waist, deepening the kiss. He nipped Duke's lower lip gently.

Duke shyly parted his lips, allowing Tristan to dip his tongue into his mouth. Their tongues twisted in battle for a moment before Tristan won dominance and explored Duke's mouth.

Duke let out a soft moan, opening his eyes and looking up at Tristan. Then he suddenly broke the kiss. He looked away from Tristan. Tristan released him. "Duke, I didn't mean-"

Duke ignored him and pushed past him, unlocking the door. Tristan caught his wrist before he could leave. Duke looked up at him, his eyes blank. "I need to go."

"I'm sorry," Tristan blurted out before Duke could leave.

Duke just shook Tristan's hand away. "I need to think about things, okay? I'll call you when I'm ready to talk." He shoved his hands in his pockets and left.

Tristan groaned and sat down on the closed toilet, running a hand through his hair. I'm such an idiot...

The second Joey walked into the mansion, Seto pinned him to the wall. "What the hell?" Joey yelled, wincing in pain as his back hit the wall.

"What's going on?" Seto narrowed his eyes.

"You're asking me?" Joey snapped, glaring at him. "What's going on with you attacking me like that?"

"Where are you getting all of those bruises from?" Seto pressed, ignoring Joey's outrage.

Joey tensed. "I'm just getting into a few fights every now and again. Nothing to worry about."

"Who with?" Seto's eyes were now icy slits of blue. "Whenever you come over here, my limo driver drops you home. You're always home when you call. I asked your friends; they haven't seen you since Christmas. Your sister says you haven't left the house unless it's to visit her at the hospital or come to my house. So where in God's name are you getting them?"

"It's none of your business!" Joey snapped back.

"I'm making it my business," Seto growled. "Now either you tell me where you're getting them, or you're not leaving this house – forget that, this room – until you do!"

Joey swallowed, rage replaced by fear in his eyes. "You don't get it. I can't. He'll kill me."

"Who will?" Seto pressed, loosening his grip on Joey's shoulders. Joey looked down. "Joey, look at me." Joey hesitated before meeting his gaze. "No matter who it is, I promise that both you and your sister will be safe from him."

Joey's gaze ravaged his for any trace of deceit. Finding none, he closed his eyes. "My dad."

Aknadin threw Yami into the chair. "Take off your shirt."

Yami blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." Aknadin watched him with blank eyes. "Take it off."

Yami folded his arms. "No."

"Take it off or I'll cut it off you myself." Aknadin picked up a pair of scissors on the bench and advanced on Yami. Yami hesitated before pulling it off. "Good boy."

Aknadin proceeded to strap Yami's wrists and ankles to the chair. Yami didn't bother struggling. It would only make the experience worse. Aknadin walked behind the chair.

Yami strained his neck to try and see what he was doing and he saw a brief glimpse of a car battery, but a black cloth covered his eyes before he could see anything else. "No peeking," Aknadin scolded, tying the blindfold tightly behind Yami's head. Yami felt cold crocodile teeth clasp down on his nipples and he gritted his teeth in pain. "Oh, this is only the beginning," Aknadin chuckled. "I didn't think you'd be this sensitive after everything."

Yami ground his teeth together, glaring at Aknadin, though he knew that the blindfold covered it.

He heard two loud 'clicks' behind him. "Get ready, nephew," Aknadin called before a third click was heard. This was different to the others. It sounded like a switch being flipped.

The pain took a minute to reach Yami. Then electricity rocketed through his body and he let out a scream of utter pain. Within seconds, he had given in to the darkness.

Ryou followed Malik into the kitchen. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Too bad." Ryou put his hand on Malik's shoulder, turning him around. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," Malik replied. "I just wanted more water." He held up his empty glass and turned around again, filling it with tap water. "Besides, don't people usually avoid telling their ex-boyfriends secrets?"

Ryou felt a pang of hurt hit him. "Malik, we dated for two weeks and we both agreed it wasn't working, so don't try to pull that one on me."

"I wasn't trying to pull anything." Malik shrugged. "I just don't want to tell you."

There was a moment of silence. "Is it to do with your back?"

Malik tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ryou could see Yugi looking between them, unsure what to say. "Malik, you were freaking out because of the movie."

"Ryou, just drop it, alright?" Malik snapped.

"We just want to help," Yugi protested.

"Yeah, well you're not." The pang of hurt hit Ryou again. He could see it flash through Yugi's eyes as well. Malik sighed, looking down. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just... I don't want to talk about it. If I do, I'll get in trouble."

"We won't tell anyone," Yugi insisted. "We never do."

Malik looked back at him. "But-"

"Please, Malik." Ryou met his gaze. "You're our friend."

Malik's body relaxed after a minute. "Fine. It just gave me a flashback of the Ceremony. You know it's coming up again soon. I'm nervous about it. My dad always does something 'religious' on that day, and it usually involves me."

"Why don't you just stay at one of our houses that day?" Yugi suggested.

"I've already been staying out as long as I can," Malik mumbled. "I've been avoiding the house as much as possible. Odion's trying to help, but Ishizu's kind of wary. You know how much she believes dad when he calls his cult a religion. I think she believes in it more than he does." A humourless laugh escaped him and he hugged himself. "I just don't know what to do..."

Yugi and Ryou shared a look before gently pulling Malik into a comforting embrace. "It'll be okay," Ryou murmured, stroking his hair. "We'll find a way to get you out of it."

Yugi nodded in agreement. "And it won't always be like this."

Malik sniffed, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, guys. I'm sorry."

"No need, Mal. No need."

Bakura's head shot up as the door swung open. Yami hit the ground with a loud thud. Bakura's eyes widened and he ran over to him.

"Don't bother," Aknadin snorted. "He's out cold. Probably will be like that until morning."

Bakura glared at him. "What the hell did you do to him?"

Aknadin chuckled, his eyes glinting with a dangerous sparkle. "Believe me." He kicked Yami's side, turning him onto his side. "What I did to him will be nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you."

Bakura's eyes widened and he took a step back. "Stay away."

"Haven't we done this before?" Aknadin hummed, grabbing him. "Oh yes. Earlier today. Well guess what? Neither of your brothers are coming to your rescue this time, 'Kura." He yanked Bakura out of the attic and slammed the door closed behind them. "I've been waiting a long time for this, 'Kura. You're in for a real treat."

DD: Yup, that was dark. Hope you enjoyed! Please review! See you next time, Killer Queens!