I was hoping to have this whole story finished by chapter nineteen but the bunnies were plotting and I couldn't shut them up, so onward and enjoy. (places traps around the computer) damn plot bunnies!

Warnings: M and Yaoi.

Don't own Yugioh

CHAP 24:On The Move

Malik gasped and just in shock reaction alone he sat up right in a bed and found himself surrounded in all bright white light. He closed his eyes and shielded them with his arm and moaned at the instant headache.

A few minutes later when Malik moved his arm from his eyes it fell back against the pillows and the brightness in the room dulled down a little as his eyes had adjusted. Malik frowned confused for a minute, why wasn't he laying on sand? He lifted his head and took in his surroundings better, the back of his hand had a few tubes and wires running from his chest going to a machine against the wall near his head, and the white walls, he was in a hospital, but why? Images flooded his mind he had just been at the beach when…

"Ryou!" Malik gasped out he then threw the blankets off himself and swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, but fell against the bed as a wave of dizziness came over him. Malik placed a hand to his head as if it would help with the pain. He hoped that this Dartz guy had taken him along and Ryou was here in this hospital as well, if this was even a hospital. Malik shook off the dizziness and ripped the wires from his hand, instantly the machine started to beep in alarm. Malik ignored it and started to search the room for clothing as he was only wearing a green hospital gown.

Suddenly the door opened. "You should be in bed?!" A nurse called out entering the room and rushing to him, Malik pushed her away.

"I'm fine." Malik frowned and looked at her. "Where am I?"

"You're in Domino city, you arrived here late yesterday afternoon." She said concerned about him as he wavered on his feet, he was home again, but how? "You have been in a comatose state for two days due to the drug that was injected into your body… you were very lucky." She walked towards him, Malik collapsed to the floor, two days? Two days? Ryou would most likely be on the other side of the world by now, or sold to a bastard with the most money. Malik's world tipped on its axis was Ryou even still alive? He had been when Malik had pulled him from the water and got him breathing again, Malik felt like throwing up at his own thoughts, he was lost and didn't know what to do.

"Malik!" Yugi called out as he walked into the room then rushed over kneeling beside him.

"He's gone, Yugi." Malik mumbled out his hands clutched onto fists on the hard floor. "They took him and I have no way of getting him back." Malik's body started to tremble, he had no money, no apartment, and he didn't even have the stupid hospital gown that he was wearing, so how was he meant to find Ryou or his body? "I failed him and my promise to keep him safe."

"You're tried." Yugi patted his back to help comfort him. "That's all you could have done."

"It's not good enough!" Malik shouted at him, Yugi flinched knowing his friend was just upset; the nurse left the room in a hurry. "I want him back." Malik mumbled feeling so tired suddenly. "I didn't even get the chance to tell him how I really felt about him or even a good bye."

"Ryou knew how you felt about him even if you didn't say the words to him, he knew." Yugi said as he helped Malik stand up off the cold floor, he had never seen Malik like this before. Sure Yugi had seen Malik upset over a past relationship but it lasted about a few days and Malik was moving on and back to his normal self. "But Malik… Ryou is gone. I saw the blood on the sand. The Doctor and his son were shot as well." Yugi sighed. "We led the police to the house and saw it had been blown up. Then the call came in and told us where you were... no Ryou though… I'm sorry Malik I really am."

"I have to help him." Malik sat on the bed. "Before they hurt him."

"Listen to yourself Malik." Yugi shook his head. "Marik told us everything, Ryou's fall and how he was shot multiple times in the chest and in the…"

"He's not dead!" Malik yelled at him. "I cannot conceive of it!"

Yugi ran a hand through his hair and sighed, Marik had warned him that Malik might not take the news so easily about Ryou and could very well be in denial. "Ryou fell from a cliff, Malik. He fell the distance of sixteen stories and he fell onto a shelf. Mokuba fell from the full height of at least twenty stories and died." Yugi took a step towards Malik. "How can you think Ryou survived that?"

"He's not dead!" Malik seethed at him furious tears gathered in his eyes. "He was breathing and talking to me on the beach after I pulled him in, he's not dead." Malik growled he would give Ryou his answer that he didn't have time to give him? Malik wouldn't let the unknown answers of 'what if' plague his mind, he had to know, had to find out for himself what happened to Ryou.

"Ryou was shot seven times, in the chest and stomach, there is no way he can be alive." Yugi watched as tears welled up in Malik's eyes, he added. "Its just not possible."

"Get out!" Malik growled at him his hands clutched the sheets on the bed that he sat on.

"Malik?" Yugi said sounding surprised at Malik's reaction.

"I said, get out!" Malik pointed to the door.

Yugi's eyes widened. "Don't do this to yourself."

"What am I meant to do?" Malik got down off the bed and Yugi backed up. "Just give up on him? Let those people get away with it, weather Ryou is alive or not, they have to pay… even if it takes me a life time, I'll get them." Once he was out of here, the first door he was going to be knocking on was Seto's and finding out all he can.

"I'm not saying you should do that." Yugi's back hit the wall and he looked up, Malik stood right in front of him.

"Don't I have the right to find out?" Malik hissed out, his head felt like it was splitting open and his legs felt weak as if unable to support himself. "Why aren't you with me on this, I know you and Ryou didn't get along to well, but you really want to stop me?"

"No." Yugi shook his head. "It's just that this Dartz guy could be anywhere by now, you may never find him… and when you do, you might not like what you find." Yugi moved away from the wall and took Malik's hand in his. "I'm worried about you."

"How long have you known about this project stuff for, Malik?" Seto asked as he walked into the room, his eyes were red and puffy he had been crying at some point, but every one knew that he would never own up to it.

"A few weeks only because of Ryou." Malik looked at him.

"The only reason Mokuba is dead was because he was fighting with Ryou." Seto seethed at him stopping just inside the door.

"Because Dartz sent Mokuba after him, Ryou was defending himself." Malik now turned to face him, pulling his hand free from Yugi's. "And I remember Dartz ordering Mokuba to kill us… that included you as well, Seto."

"This is madness, you're both grieving over people you have lost and you're arguing, now." Yugi blurted out. "Seto you're not helping by being here, I think you should leave." Yugi said, hoping the two weren't going to kill each other, because the looks on their faces sure as hell said they would.

"This is Dartz's fault, Mokuba was taking orders from him… Ryou had taken orders from him as well. So if you're going to be pissed at anyone then it should be him, not Ryou and not me!" Malik shot back at him; Seto smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then it looks like you won't have any objections in going after him."

Malik raised an eyebrow not sure how to take it. "I'm not going after Dartz, I'm going to kill him. I have grieved for years over Mokuba's sickness, until that bastard came along with his ideas and a promise to cure, Mokuba. But he destroyed my brother instead." Seto said, his tone cold and hard. "Why should I sit back and wait for someone else to miraculously take Dartz down, when I can do it myself."

"Listen to yourselves, you're talking about taking someone's life! You're acting no better then the people that had done this to them. " Yugi moved and stood behind the chair for a little protection, not that they would attack him or anything he just felt a little safer having something between them and him. Yugi just couldn't understand why they were so angry; he would be upset if his grandpa died but not this angry about it.

"Are you in, Malik? I'm not going to…"

Malik butted in. "Find me some clothing and I'll leave with you right now." Seto smirked. "I have someone waiting for us at my plane, I was going to go alone but thought you would want in."

"You thought right." Malik said.

"I'll call her and let her know." Seto said as he went to walk out of the room.

"I can see them locking you two up in the loony bin." Yugi shook his head.

"I hope you weren't thinking of leaving us out of it?" Marik said as he walked into the room dressed and with Bakura at his side, who was holding a bag of clothing.

"Hey, if you need any extra help? Count us in as well." Yami said from behind Marik and Bakura. Valon, Mai, Jou, Otogi and Serenity walked in.

"This guys rich and most likely a million miles away with his high-tech gizmo's and gadgets." Yugi said doubtfully.

"And I don't?" Seto narrowed his eyes insulted by the comment. "Who the hell do you think gave him the gizmo's and gadgets? Me! And I know all of his locations, his contacts, there is nowhere for that man to hide."

"He almost blew us up." Jou said smacking his fist into his open palm. "That bastard is going to pay." Serenity gave a nod of her head agreeing with her brother.

The nurse walked in with the doctor who said. "All you people have to leave and you two." He pointed at Malik and Marik. "Have to be in bed resting." He looked over the small group. "I have no idea what the side effects are of the drug that was used on you." He looked at Marik and Malik. "Please get back into bed."

Marik placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder and said. "Sorry doc we're checking out."

"You can't!" The doctor blurted out as he and the nurse were pushed aside as everyone walked out of the room.

Three days it had been since Dartz got his hands back on his project. The man wasn't stupid enough to be in the same room as 482, even in heavy sedation the project still proved to be violent towards him. Hence the two-foot think bulletproof glass that separated the Neko from the man, and the large crack in it from bottom to top. Dartz had been standing there when they moved 482 into the room to be monitored. 482 had gained consciousness for a few minutes being in-between sedatives. 482 aimed what strength he had at Dartz in attempt to kill him, and only succeeded in cracking the glass, if Dartz had of been in the room at the time he would have been dead like the four doctors. One of them had sedated 482 before dieing and the project had fallen unconscious again, so now 482 slept soundly and heavily sedated and pain free.

The doctor in the room looked up from taking down 482's progress, placed the clipboard down on a small table and walked to the window and pressed the intercom on the wall. Ryou lay on a bed behind them, a light sheet covered him up to his hips, his chest and shoulder was wrapped up in a large bandages, a mask on his mouth and noise, tubes ran from his chest and the back of each hand, all kinds of drip bags hung on stands next to the head of the bed, the room was filled with soft beeping. The doctor came to a stop and said. "The drugs you are using on the boy are not going to work much longer." Said an older man with gray hair and rather kind face.

Dartz sighed annoyed the new doctor had no idea what he was talking about or what he was really dealing with. But that's what you get for kidnapping doctors and forcing them to work for you. "Any other drugs for this project will not work, he would be awake, in pain and he will kill everyone in this building or even the city." Dartz had to wonder about 482's violent behavior towards him, was it the doing of those teenagers 482 had been staying with? Especially that one that had been crying over the injured project, was it his doing, that 482 was acting this way? Even on the brink of death, was 482 still wanting to get back to that boy?

"Also his heart and kidneys are going to fail on him if you use these drugs long term, they will kill him." The doctor shook his head trying to reason with the other, the boy was in such a fragile state right now and the new changes in the projects body were something to be concerned about, but how to tell the man who abducted you? "I can suggest a safer alternative for him." The Doctor asked.

"I said nothing else would work on him." Dartz snapped. "Keep him alive no matter what, I have gone through with the deal that Boots made to sell 482 to a Maximillion Pegasus, I want him ready in two days."

"The boy is in an induced comatose state, he's to fragile and his body needs time to recover and repair itself, he can't be moved under any circumstances." The boy had mumbled the name Malik a few times when the doctor was checking his vitals and close enough to hear it, was this Malik the reason why this boy was holding on for so long? Injuries such as these would have killed anything, but not this one he was a fighter and whatever the reason it maybe the doctor was going to see the boy to the end and make sure he pulled through.

"Have him ready for travel, but keep him sedated no mater what." Dartz warned him and started to walk away.

"Wait!" The doctor called out making his captor stop and look at him. The doctor frowned, he read all the files on the project and he knew a fair bit on him, the medical side, the physical side and the body side of the project. In the last few days of examining 482 the Doctor stumbled upon something so unexpected, that hadn't been in the files before and it was only found once 482 had returned from the outside world, this new information could save 482 or get them both killed, and it was something that he couldn't hide, only one way to find out, he spoke up. "There is something you should know about 482, his p …" He didn't get to finish as the power went out all over the building and the back up power turned on throwing the place in red lighting.

"I'm locking down this room." Dartz ordered.

The doctor called out. "482 is…"

Dartz cut him off again. "No one gets in or out." With that he walked to the door and stepped out. "I'll be back once I find out what's going, we'll talk then."

The doctor shouted out after him. "You have to hear this, 482 is…" The doors closed and the heavy door locked into place, leaving the Doctor to stand in the eerie red lighting of the room. He shook his head and walked back to the bed with a sigh. He brushed the sweat soaked white hair from the boy's face and his brows furrowed slightly with the contact, even on all the drugs the boy still seemed to be in pain. "Maybe we can keep this secrete to ourselves a while longer."

TBC

Oooo wander what the doc found out, your thoughts readers, Seto just seems angry and wants payback. Will Ryou live? Hmmm… I'll leave that one for now or until the next chap, so if you want to find out more R&R (love and cookies)