Yup, that's right folks. Your eyes are not deceiving you – we have in fact finally updated this fic. Now, some people might say we took a long time, and admittedly we did, but remember that we have more going on in life than fanfiction. We want this story to be high quality and if you want good reading, please be kind and remember that updates take time, though a little gentle persuasion is always rather helpful. ;-) Now that that's out o the way, time to scoot over to our reader appreciation corner! g Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Rainaidran Warrior – Wow, he got out, huh? dispatches fic police to reclaim the captive Seto's a persistent little bugger, isn't he? Sorry about that, hope Legolas and the rest are alright. Sometimes Seto gets too high strung for his own good. Hehehe…
Queen-of-Demon-Dragons - LOL I had no idea that Stan and Kyle would like this, though there are enough blood and guts scenes I guess… hmmm, maybe not. Maybe we should rough Joey up some more, huh? ducks I'm kidding! No, not the newspaper of DOOM! … speaking of which, I didn't known DOOM published a newspaper. ;-)
evilcourtney – Of course we haven't dropped it. There's just two people woring on this thing, and that takes time to get our schedules in synch to write. I think everyone needs a hug at this point, especially Mokuba. But then, I think all the chars appreciate having their cheerleaders, especially Duke. g Yugi's hair would make a good weapon, now that you mention it. I'll mention it to Pegasus, maybe it'll help.
Elfie-chan – Nope, Croquet seems sort of … alive …. I guess… well, anyway, he was still breathing and that's always a good sign.
Leland Lancaster – The more we write Joey in this fic, the more we feel sorry for the poor old punching bag… err, I mean guy. Yeah, this was a creepy chapter. Seto's nuttiness finally convinced people that he needs a psychiatrist and some meds badly but hey, at least Pegs hasn't run into him right? g
Wingweaver Hope – Yea, you tell him! But then Seto is very convinced that Mokuba has betrayed him … see what you've done? Now you've got me worried for him. Poor little Mokuba!
wraith queen – We're working on it, the problem isn't a lack of ideas or motivation but just finding time. sigh Pegasus is nothing compared to the Overlook – at least he never drove Seto bananas, or at least not murderously bananas. g Hey, we can forgive you're lack of reviews if you were busy reading. The reading is what's important; though we does like the little notes, precious, we does. You know, Mokuba probably is the backbone of KaibaCorp. Seto seems like he has the Bruce Wayne problem of pushing himself until he crashes – very unhealthy. But I wonder how Mokuba can fix this problem?
Chibi Angelic Slayer – I'm sorry about that, but we can't help the long hiatus between updates. We'll try to do better but, well, look at our track record. blush Hmmm… hey Seto, will you be psycho for long? ducks snowshovel Er, he's not too sure.
HiKari, Mokuba's Guardian – Sorry you don't like how long the story is, but we feel we should go into as much detail as necessary to develop the characters and take the plot where we want it. Short and sweet is just too condensed for us, I'm sorry to say. Sorry you were bored.
Myotismon13 – Hey, thanks for dropping by! I'm glad you're enjoying the tangled web we've woven here. It will all come together as quickly as we can get our chapters written, edited, and posted – we already know how it'll work out in minute detail. g Yea, five stars for us! happy dance Thankies!
Shadow's Girl12 – Yup, Yugi's safe and sound in the kitchen. Hehehe… if you can call that safe. hands you a tissue I know how you feel with that cold. Wonder if you caught it from me or vice-versa? ;-)
Hirotani – Poor Croquet indeed. Pegasus is not going to be pleased when he finds out how Seto treated his bodyguard. Thanks for being so patient, hope this chapter is just as well-received as the last.
Jherrus – g Glad you think he's in character that well. We're trying to mesh things well … when it comes to Seto it kinda comes naturally. Maybe he's always had a little Jack Torrance in him. Hey its ok, you're allowed to miss a few … I guess. ;-) But hey, we love you're one page long reviews! pout
angelohaku – You're review was no later than our update, right? g Midterms suck, that's a good excuse for not reviewing right away. Glad you liked the Joey scene, though he did get the short end of the snow shovel, so to speak. Poor Pegasus wishes you didn't hate him so badly, but it's ok – leaves more for me.
He Who Is Chosen By The Planet – Wow, impressive screen name there. Hey, imagine the ruckus if Yami Bakura was hanging around here. With Yugi's luck, he'd have two lunatics to deal with along with the hotel. You see now why they left him at home. Thanks for reading!
SW – gasp No, not the Yugi Puppy eyes! Oh the horror! I'm posting, I'm posting! I'm on vacation now but Lena still has work and stuff. Very depressing. We'll get to the confrontation soon enough, dear. I've gotta make sure the suspense is in place first, and as Lena's the Kaiba expert I need her for the dialogue. You understand, I'm sure. hugs Thanks for sticking with it!
Jia-BlackHoleSun – Joey probably left his Dealing with Madmen for Dummies at home or something. If only he'd known, right? g The smiley face on two short legs – that's gotta be the most apt description of Yugi I've ever seen! L We're pretty sadistic, though. Look at Seto and Pegasus – and they're our two fav characters.
Firewing – Hey, you came back! waves Glad to see you still around these parts. Yeah, Pegasus isn't a bad guy, he just gets a little desperate sometimes. g Glad you liked the Croquet we've got here, the two of them are like the Odd Couple. Thanks for dropping by!
Dark Koorime708 – We just did! g
uye – Thanks so much, we're glad you like it so much. We're writing as fast as we can.
Josh – Isn't he a funny maniac? Gotta love loony Seto Kaiba – the guy had it coming.
Pegasus-Luvr4life – Hey, Kaiba's kinda snapped. The Overlook is a crazy place and has that effect on people. Poor Kaiba, he's just a good target.
gam – Glad you're enjoying it. Yes, we know it moves slowly but we feel it's necessary for to the plot and atmosphere of the story. Thanks for reading!
meh – Yeah we know, but we have to have time to write in between. This chapter is exra long, maybe that can make up for the long absence. =)
Da Qiao – Wow, thanks so much! Glad you like the story that much, it means a lot to us. Lena's favorite character is Seto and mine is Pegasus – I don't know if it shows in the story though cause we try to give everyone equal attention. Thanks for reading! Glad you're enjoying!
Whew! Well, there's the responses. We had quite a lot this time, and since we took so long to update we made this chapter pretty long. Hope you enjoy and do review and let us know what you think. We're always curious to see what the reaction is to what we've written
Thanks everyone!
Kabuki & Lena
Chapter 24:
"We're all doomed…"
The words seemed to melt in the dead air. Tea's eyes darted between Duke and Tristan nervously. Tristan's face reflected deepening levels of rage, resentment, and something like reluctant acceptance. Duke, on the other hand, stood on the verge of numb acceptance and complete denial. His face was blank as his mind tried desperately to come to a decision – deep down he could feel that Mokuba's words had a prophetic weight, but he simply couldn't resign himself to that fate. He shook his head repeatedly as though in attempt to convince himself that it wasn't true. Tea could understand, she didn't want to believe it either. However, Mokuba was perhaps the most optimistic in this small group, and his fatalistic words left a resonating mark on the fragile group psyche. Mokuba's stormy eyes were welled with fresh tears, but though his lip trembled at the damning words he'd just spoken against his elder brother his voice never quavered as he continued. "I'm the only one who has a chance of stopping him. There's nothing any of you can do now. You need to get out of here if you still can."
An intense weariness swept over his small body. Somehow Tea's hand found its way to boy's shuddering shoulders, and remained there sturdy as a lifeline. "Mokuba …"
Tristan shook his head. "Don't talk like that, Mokuba. Kaiba may be a prick, but I don't think he'd plan to kill us. You're just upset by Duke's big mouth."
"Don't try to make me out to be the crazy one around here." Duke threw his arms into the air. "I'm just telling you what I saw. You can take it or leave it."
With a low growl, Tristan grasped the red leather of Duke's trendy vest and hauled the skinny boy to eye level. "Listen, Duke, Mokuba's been through enough, alright? He doesn't need any more of your wild stories, ok?"
"Wild stories? Look, if I were just trying to scare the kid that'd be one thing, but this is fact! Kaiba's acting like a full-blown loony and I don't see why we're all just screwing around debating it. I say it's time for action, tough guy. Let's find Joey and Yugi then get the hell outta here!" Duke tried to push Tristan away, but the former street punk held his grip tight.
"Oh, smart move, dip shit! And where, Mr. Brilliant Game Designer, should we go, huh?" Tristan gestured toward the single window within the servant's quarters, the edges of the glass pane coated in a thickening layer of frost, and beyond which the gusts of billowing white made it impossible to gauge depth or distance. Tea stared in abandonment through the cloudy window in fear as another chill swept down her spine, and as if on cue the wind picked up in speed, howling against the Overlook as the abundant snowflakes spattered against the glass like tiny kamikaze warriors intent on entering the hotel. She shivered, clutching Mokuba's shoulder tighter as Tristan continued. "It's a freakin' blizzard out there, and you want us to take a hiking trip cause Kaiba threw a temper tantrum? I hate to break it to you buddy, but Kaiba's always pissed about something or someone, and furthermore we'd never survive a night out there anyway. We barely even know where we are! Quit being such a coward already!"
Duke narrowed his eyes, glaring with such intensity at his friend that he seemed ready to throttle him. "Well we can't just hang around waiting to pummel dogmen, can we? At least I'm trying to think up a plan!"
Tristan grinned, an expression Tea had never once seen cross his face in all the time she'd known him. She tried to remember the way Tristan had acted at school last week, the tough biker blushing at the very mention of Serenity's name. Joey had been furious, but although the two had nearly come to blows over the matter, never had Tea seen Tristan argue so vehemently. His voice was over-the-top, intent on humiliation, so very unlike him but seeming to fit his current environment. "Gee, those are some ass kickin' options there, buddy! Let me see … death or death! Man, I'm sure glad you're the brains of our team."
The longer she watched the sparring match, the more convinced she became that something was terribly wrong about it. She couldn't put her finger on what exactly the root of the problem was, but she was pretty certain it went deeper than Kaiba's sanity, the dogman, or even rivalry for the affections of Serenity. "Guys!" Tea rushed forward, separating the two boys forcibly. "Stop it, both of you! You don't want to fight like this, we have to work together!"
Duke backed away obligingly, tossing his thick ebony hair over his shoulder with an arrogant wink, his eyes never leaving Tristan's face. "Anything for the lady."
"I can't believe this! You're impossible!" Tristan turned up the collar of his coat with a jerk, striding toward the door once again.
Tea shook her head, "Tristan, it's this place that's making you upset. It's getting to you, like its getting to me and Duke and … and even Mokuba!"
Mokuba nodded solemnly from his place on the edge of the bed where he had been silently observing the fiery argument. "I think it wears on you purposefully, trying to make you tired so that you can be controlled. That's what it's still doing to Seto." He shook his head. "We shouldn't have left him alone so long."
Tea looked on helplessly as Tristan turned the handle, calmly ignoring her desperate pleas. The door swung open, and everyone held their breath for the brief instant before the dimly lighted and thankfully empty hallway was revealed. "I'm going out to the garage. There might be a snowmobile or something left by Pegasus' goons. If that's the case, I don't care if Kaiba's gone loony or not but he's coming with us. We're leaving this dump."
Tea shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "Tristan, please don't leave!"
"Look, if we don't get out of here I have a feeling this is only gonna get worse. Somebody's got to do something about it, and since some people around here are too cowardly," he leveled his gaze at Duke, making the other boy bristle, "I'll just have to do it myself."
"But Tristan, what if you don't –" Tea trailed off, glancing about helplessly for some support. The only person who stood a chance of talking Tristan out of rushing headlong into trouble was Joey, and he was … and Yugi was …
She sank down upon the bed beside Mokuba, not even bothering to watch as Tristan sighed, "Besides, my best buddy's out there somewhere. Maybe I'll come across him downstairs. Just sit tight you three. Duke, take care of them, alright?" He didn't give the other boy a chance to answer before he entered the hallway, closing the door behind himself.
Duke sighed, pushing the bangs out of his eyes. As much as he thought Tristan was a dumbass, he couldn't let the idiot run off alone; but if he went with Tristan, Tea and Mokuba would be left by themselves. What if Kaiba came back? But more importantly, what if Duke had been wrong about Kaiba? He gave his two charges a quick glance over and frowned, twirling his dice earring thoughtfully. Kaiba was under a lot of stress, but more than that, he'd been injured more than anyone else. Even if he had lost his mind, would he really be such a terrible threat? Duke thought back to just a short time ago as he and Kaiba had set out to explore room 217. The guy had been limping then, but he'd still managed to kick down a solid wooden door – the same door Duke had pounded on with all his strength that first night before spying those pictures … the ones that seemed to leer at him furiously.
He shook his head, wishing as he had all weekend for a cigarette. The situation was going to hell in the proverbial hand basket pretty fast, but with Tea looking so forlorn and Mokuba set to introspective mode, something had to be done fast. "Mokuba?"
The kid blinked, turning to Duke slowly. "It's all falling apart."
"I know it seems that way, but I think –" Duke paused, catching himself before he could continue. He wasn't feeling too positive with all that had happened, but Mokuba already sounded like a prisoner accepting his execution. He glanced at Tea, her unresponsive eyes staring vacantly with unshed tears before he shook his head, "We'll get out of here, kid. Don't worry."
Mokuba lowered his head. "No, you're wrong, Duke. We can't leave. The hotel won't let us. The hotel won't let us out alive, not until it gets what it wants." Mokuba turned his wide eyes up to Duke steadily. "It wants my brother because… I think it wants me. It knows I can't leave without my big brother!"
Duke cringed as Mokuba's voice caught in his throat. He had not the first clue how to be the supportive adult, hell he'd barely been able to comfort Pegasus after the poor guy had lost to Yugi in his own tournament. He put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder in an awkward show of support. "Look, Mokuba, it's really not as bad as all that. We just have to wait until the bus comes back. We'll get out if we can just survive the weekend. C'mon, it's not so bad."
"But… but Seto's trapped now and … and I can't …" He lowered his head, swiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his striped shirt. "He's helped me all his life, Duke. Every time I was in trouble or someone was making fun of me, Seto always helped me out. He stood up for me when nobody else would. He was always there and we've always watched each others backs. I think the hotel went after him because … because of …"
"Mokuba, this isn't your fault! Trust me, your brother's been walking a thin line for years."
"Why do you all always have to bash him? You don't understand him, you never will! He's my brother! Seto spent his whole life chasing his dream, and he would never let anyone stand in his way. He'd never act like this! He'd never …"
Duke sighed. "I don't think even Kaiba could have planned for a situation like this, Mokuba. Be realistic." In the back of his mind, Duke could hear Tristan mocking him.
Mokuba sniffled, raising his head to look into Duke's face. "I never thought his dream would end like this. It doesn't seem real."
"Kid, it's not over. Tristan's got a pretty good plan there, about the snowmobiles." If they even exist, which knowing this place I doubt, Duke thought cynically to himself. And even if we get past the dogman, we've got a crazed Seto Kaiba to deal with, in the middle of a blizzard, no less. I don't know if I remember how to get to the garage. We could die out there … we could really die, and neither of us would come back as a robo-monkey for our stupid mistakes. Duke shook his head, glancing around the room suddenly. "Hey Mokuba, do you remember where we put that sack Pegasus gave us? You know, the one with the flashlights?"
Mokuba blinked in confusion, and it took him a few moments to sort through all that had happened since they'd come to stay at the Overlook Hotel. "I know what you're talking about, but didn't Tea have it that night?" He was grateful for the change of topic.
"Oh man, you're right. Here, look around the room and I'll try to ask her about it."
Mokuba cocked his head. "That doesn't make any sense. If you're going to ask her about it, why should I have to get up and look for it?"
Duke shook his head, silently counting his breaths in an attempt to keep his temper down. Blowing up at Mokuba wouldn't help anything, he'd already proved how sour that plan was. "Just see if you can find those flashlights and get two that definitely work, ok?"
Mokuba shrugged, sliding off the bed in search of the elusive lights thinking it better not to press the issue. Tea was definitely upset, more so than Mokuba could understand. Yes, this hotel was a terrible place, but she just sat on the edge of the bed listless as he'd been earlier after the strange encounter in the kitchen. Surely her experience on the third floor couldn't have been that bad…
He shook his head, to be honest, he had little doubt that Yugi was still alive. Although this hurt Mokuba to know, he was more worried about his brother's safety than anyone else's. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Duke moved closer to Tea, rubbing her bare shoulders comfortingly. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. Couldn't Duke pick a better time to come on to a pretty girl?
As soon as the kid was out of the way, Duke leaned forward taking Tea's shoulders in his hands. "Are you ok?" He watched her carefully, gauging silently how much he could rely on her to stay focused. He needed her help in this, he knew he couldn't handle this alone.
She swallowed, the tears brimming over again. "Yugi," her breath caught in her throat. "He can't be dead. If he's dead I'll … I'll never forgive myself." She rolled her eyes toward him, gazing with such an expression of utter hopelessness that Duke was compelled to take her in his arms. "I tried to save him but … everything happened so fast."
He sighed, rocking her slowly, barely noticing the way her breasts pressed against his chest. There had been too much happening, she was right. It had scared the libido out of him. "It'll be alright. I'm sure Yugi can handle himself. He did a damn good job against Noa, didn't he? And against Marik. If you ask me, this hotel's a pushover compared to them."
She sighed, shuddering helplessly. "I don't think I have any hope left if … if Yugi's gone –"
Duke sighed mentally. He really had to work on his communication skills. A cheerful Tea was annoying enough, but a miserable one was worse. He had to pull her from her despair quickly. "He's not gone. We'll find him, ok? Calm down."
"No, we won't. The things on the third floor were so fast. They were trying to get him and I … I just slowed him down!"
Mokuba tried to ignore the wailings of poor Tea, and focused on his task. He lifted sheets, rummaged through suitcases, poked at the piles of discarded clothing, but the flashlights remained hidden. Finally, frustrated with all the searching and beginning to doubt there'd ever been any stupid flashlights in the first place, Mokuba decided to search in the dumbest place he could think of. Typically, the bag was in plain sight behind the bathroom door. "I found them, Duke!"
"Great. Hand 'em over." Duke voice sounded strained as he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Tea's sobbings had melted to low whimpers as the door clicked shut..
Mokuba pulled out two long-handled metal flashlights from the bag. He flicked each switch twice then, satisfied, he passed them to Duke. "They work fine for me."
Duke nodded. "Good enough."
"Is Tea ok?"
"Well, she's gonna lay down for a bit. I convinced her to take a nap." She's having a nervous breakdown, Mokuba. Do you know what that is? It's the same thing that happened to you're big brother, isn't that neat? This just gets worse and worse, Mokuba, but who cares, right? Well, have fun with the girl in shock! I'm off to die with Tristan. Duke felt like his head was gonna explode. "Being outside dressed as she is and all, I think she just needs to take a little time to collect her thoughts, you know?"
Mokuba nodded slowly. "I think she's more upset about Yugi and Joey than her clothes, Duke. Just cause I'm a kid doesn't mean I'm stupid."
"Uh … yeah, you're probably right."
"Do you want me to come with you? We can let Tea sleep for a while I guess…"
Duke shook his head. "No, kiddo, you're staying here."
Mokuba crossed his arms, "God dammit! Why do I have to stay in this crummy room forever? I want to help my big brother!"
"Look, I've gotta rely on you to protect Tea. You wouldn't want to abandon the poor lady, would you?" Besides, your brother doesn't need anymore help, he's crazy enough on his own.
Mokuba smirked, an annoying expression a bit too much like his older brother's. He momentarily wondered if craziness ran in the family, and if Tea would be as safe with Mokuba as he'd thought. "Tea would kill you if she heard you talking like that. She wouldn't want to be babied."
"Well she can beat the crap out of me after she's back from crazy town. Just keep the door bolted and wait, ok? Tristan and I will come straight back here after we check the garage. Now the serious stuff, you listening?"
Mokuba rolled his eyes. "I'm not five, you dimwit! Of course I'm listening! Jeez, who's the telepath here? And besides, I can even navigate a jet, I'm sure you can't even do that. Or even Pegasus for that matter!"
"Look, kid. Deflate the big head for a minute. Bitch at me later, but for now promise me you won't open the door to anyone besides me or Tristan, ok?"
Mokuba was shocked. "Not even Seto?"
"Especially not Seto."
"I can't do that! He's my brother, he wouldn't hurt me!"
Duke sighed. "Mokuba, I know he wouldn't hurt you, but what about Tea? Do you think he'd be so nice to her?"
Mokuba frowned, swallowing the painful truth. "She does lecture him a lot."
"Exactly. So just stay quiet and no one will know you're in here, ok? Keep the lights down and maybe he'll think you're off with someone else."
Mokuba cracked the bathroom door and looked at Tea's prone form snuggled into the plaid sheets. Her breathing was easy, not labored. He thought of Yugi's disappearance, of how both Yami and Joey had also gone missing, and decided that Duke was right. It was better to just keep quiet and let Tea sleep. She was upset, and it was likely she'd be sick in a few days after clinging to the side of a stone building in a snowstorm. The sleep would be good for her. "Ok, Duke. I'll be quiet and I won't let anyone in, except you and Tristan of course; but how will I know you're back?" He grinned. "Do we need a secret code?"
Duke glanced at the door eagerly. Tristan had gone quite a while ago and Duke was still wasting time. Every second he waited would make finding his friend all the more difficult. "How about I knock twice in spurts of three?" He demonstrated on the bathroom door, rapping briskly six times with a brief pause in the middle. "Got it?"
"That's boring! What about a secret password?"
"No time, Mokuba. Look, I've gotta find Tristan. You stay here and lay low, ok? I'll be back, I promise!"
Mokuba nodded, watching with some dismay as the lean boy opened the door and, after a brief glance around and a thumbs up to Mokuba, vanishing into the hallway. The door closed with a barely audible click, shaking Mokuba from his musings long enough to ensure the door was indeed bolted against trespassers. It would have been more fun if they'd had a secret password, it would have made Mokuba feel like this was all just another game instead of a madhouse. But he couldn't concern himself with that right now. Seto was in danger, and though Mokuba couldn't sense him anymore he could feel the energy fluxing throughout the Overlook.
As he'd been trying for hours, Mokuba reached out with his strange gift, searching for Seto, Yugi, or anyone; but it was like an invisible shield had been created around them, and no matter how hard he tried his attempts to find Seto were all deflected. He was almost afraid that the hotel had swallowed them up, that they couldn't be reached because they no longer existed; but death was different in the Overlook. If they had died surely they would able to be contacted – perhaps more so. He could sense the energies moving again, gathering and scattering like insects. Something was happening, and for a moment the younger Kaiba almost flung the door open again to call Duke back, to warn him.
But would that do more harm than good? The hotel was planning something, but maybe it was too distracted by its own power and its control of Seto. Maybe it wouldn't notice Duke and Tristan. Maybe things really would be alright in the end like Duke seemed to think. Already thoughts of their group a few days from now munching ramen and laughing at their ordeal filtered through his optimistic thoughts, elusive as dreams – even Pegasus was there, laughing along with the rest and always apologizing, claiming he'd never realized the hotel was so dangerous, that he'd burned to the ground after this crazy weekend. And Seto would be better then, reluctant to join the conversation but quietly glad that nothing too terrible had happened, his blue eyes softening with thankfulness as he and Mokuba exchanged glances. But would they ever make it to the end of this weekend?
With only the wind groaning against the hotel and the ticking sound of snow on glass to comfort him, Mokuba returned to Tea's side. He thought of sleeping, but he couldn't risk letting his guard down. Instead he dimmed the lights, fetched a flashlight for himself, and sat on the bed at Tea's feet with his eyes fixed upon the door. He would be strong like his brother. He would protect Tea as Duke had asked. There was nothing he could do but wait and watch.
Somewhere in the bowels of the Overlook, a dark force was shifting. The power was gathering, swelling in a renewed vigor that had been ignored for decades as the spiritual energies merged and parted, drifted close then shot apart, their motion stirring the power of the Overlook itself. Yugi sensed the tension not for the first time and recoiled, the sheer hatred searing his senses. He groaned, the pressure causing his head to throb, but the panicked feeling arose when he realized he couldn't move his arms. He struggled against sleep, trying to push forward into the world of reality. Something terrible was happening. Had he been shot? Why was he shaking so badly? What was the strange scratchy thing against his chin and where was Tea? What had happened to Joey and Tristan?
With slow surety the layers of consciousness began to return, and Yugi was mindful of a strange scent, vaguely like mint or honey wafting through the air. He was warm, but shaky, and he wondered why his hands had trouble moving. Absently, he felt for the reassuring warmth in the back of his mind, but finding nothing there he remembered. Yami was gone, sucked away from him while Kaiba and Joey had been fighting. His face felt suddenly wet and he realized he'd been crying – hot tears stung his eyes and cheeks. His mind was fuzzy, like his ears had been stuffed with cotton, and for some reason he was having trouble breathing. With as much effort as he could muster, Yugi forced his eyes to open, to face the reality of wherever he was and to understand how he'd gotten there in the first place.
The first vague images were blurred, whether by tears or exhaustion he didn't know. There was grey and white all about, and a tall dark silhouette busying itself at a … a stove? It seemed too far-fetched at first and Yugi blinked a few times before he truly believed it. The kitchen then. How did he get here? The last thing he'd remembered, was Tea's eyes, shocked and afraid, her slim hand squeezing his own surprisingly tight.
His mind was wandering, he had to stay focused. The kitchen. The same place Joey and he had been attacked, where Mokuba had been attacked. The same place where he'd managed to fend off the creatures in the meat locker. The memories caused his heart to pound with renewed energy. The black blur at the stove seemed to get bigger, and Yugi realized it was watching him. He felt like a rabbit caught in the wolf's den. The creature moved closer, squeaky wet rubber on the linoleum tiles. Yugi winced, trying to move backwards on sluggish limbs before he realized he was seated in a chair – yet another obstacle impending his movement. He instinctively started to struggle, pushing with what little strength he possessed against the scratchy tethers which bound him. As it came within about a foot from Yugi's face, he could discern shadow on the creatures face – a mouth, long hair, a curious amber eye. Before Yugi could figure out what it was, a hand materialized near his face. Yugi winced once again but was surprised to find the touch warm and soft.
"Glad to see you're awake, Yugi-boy. I was afraid you'd hit your head too hard for your own good there … why are you looking at me like that? Yugi-boy, don't you know me?" The hand moved up to Yugi's forehead, brushing back the wet strands of blond bangs and peering studiously into the hazy violet eyes eyes.
He tried to open his mouth to speak but found his body wouldn't function properly, as though he'd slept funny.
The older man chuckled, moving backwards. "Don't worry about that for now, just stay under that blanket." He cast his gaze around, as though afraid he'd woken someone, then breathed a sigh. "Well, at least you haven't frostbite. I am not prepared to deal with such a dilemma."
Yugi glanced around, taking in the kitchen where just that morning the group had enjoyed a brief breakfast before Kaiba and Joey had gone outside. Before Yami had vanished. Before he and Tea had been attacked by dead gangsters on the third floor. The boy felt the tears welling up again. When he was finally able to speak, his voice didn't sound like his own and the words were slurred together. His lips wouldn't move properly to shape phrases. "Why'm I s'stiff?"
"Probably due to the zero degree weather outside, Yugi-boy, don't be dense. I refuse to believe that little nippy weather could deaden that sharp mind of yours. Croquet's the one with true medical knowledge and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to look you over... once he decides to make his fashionably late entrance, that is. You were lucky enough not to get frostbite, Yugi-boy, but you did come close. I suppose reincarnations of Egyptian pharaohs don't have to worry about the cold, hm?"
"I fell offa ledge … on th'third floor."
Pegasus had removed a steel tea kettle from the stove and had been pouring some of the hot liquid into a ceramic mug. He paused only shortly before continuing with his preparations. "I was afraid of something like that. You had a pretty nasty bash on your head, Yugi-boy, and I doubt you'd normally sleep outside for fun."
"Yeah, it's hard to explain."
Pegasus sighed rather defeated. "I'm finding that many things are difficult to explain in this place." Pegasus started browsing about the cabinetry, trying to remember exactly where the cooking sherry had been left. "How about we start simply: Why were you on the third floor?"
Yugi was finding that the longer he spoke the easier it was to move. His head was still logy, and when he breathed too quickly a stabbing pain in his side made him wince. Still, he knew he was lucky to be alive. "We were working … on the rooms. Some of the … the roof is caved in … upstairs."
Pegasus winced at the wheezing sound Yugi made with each breath. He wondered if he'd suffered some undetectable internal injuries, and for the umpteenth time wished Croquet was with him. He tried to keep the conversation light, though. The poor boy had been through enough already – a fact that made Pegasus feel terribly guilty. "Really? Well I'm glad you found out about it. I'll have to let my team take care of that immediately." He had to let Yugi feel like he'd accomplished something, if the poor kid had fallen from a three-story window for no reason, it would make the recuperation all the more difficult. Yugi was lucky to think clearly at all, and the best thing Pegasus knew to do was to administer a little of his own brand of first aid. Grasping the bottle of cooking sherry he added a liberal dollop of the liquor to the mug of hot tea and stirred in some honey. Milk would help with the smoothness of the drink, but as it was poor Yugi-boy would have to suffer through the raw treatment. He turned, carrying the pink ceramic mug carefully to Yugi's side "Here, drink this down."
Yugi tried to clutch the cup, but his fingers had trouble gripping and the heat singed his chilled skin. "S'hot!" he blurted.
Pegasus furrowed his brow but made no response, silently kneeling at Yugi's side and blowing on a spoonful of liquid before bringing it to Yugi's lips. It wasn't the most proper of methods of aid, but Pegasus couldn't think of any other way to help him. Yugi sniffed at the strange sweet-smelling concoction hesitantly, "Whazzit?"
"My patented cure for shock and hangovers."
Yugi blinked. "M'n shock?"
"No, but you've been out in a blizzard dressed abominably."
Yugi nodded, wondering if his fashion sense had slipped that badly since his first night in the Overlook. He wanted to ask what was in it, but his body was shivering uncontrollably and the temptation for the warm liquid was too great. He sipped carefully at the offered spoon before gagging. "Is'errible!"
Pegasus chuckled softly, at least the boy was not so lost that he ignored his senses. "No one said medicine was supposed to taste good, Yugi-boy. Now drink it down. It'll warm you up and help clear your head." As soon as Yugi had managed to overcome the terrible taste, he looked up to see Pegasus offering him another spoonful. He sighed in submission, imagining how cross his grandfather would be to see him refusing medicine. After a few more spoonfuls, Yugi found he could grasp the mug on his own. Although his face scrunched up at each sip, he was dutifully drinking the strange concoction that made him a little light-headed, but dulled the pain in his head and chest enough to where he could speak easier. His head was clearing slowly as though a great fog was being burned away by the heat of Pegasus' brew.
The older man crossed to the other side of the room, picking up a worn black backpack that Yugi assumed he'd brought with him. "What's wrong?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing, Yugi-boy. Just trying to find something… ah, thank you my dear Croquet!" Pegasus stood, beaming with a small bundle of clothes in his arms. "I'm soaking wet, Yugi-boy, and now that it seems that you'll be alright, I can finally finish changing. Do you mind?"
Yugi shook his head stiffly, trying to keep his eyes averted without accidentally dropping his cup. "What happened? How did you get wet?"
Pegasus shrugged, "Well how do you think you got in here? Don't be silly." When Yugi failed to show any understanding, Pegasus sighed. "Look, I found you out in the snow after Croquet and I got separated. Don't you remember anything?"
Yugi swallowed that last bitter gulp of the tea, then spoke softly. "I remember being upstairs with Tea. We were being chased by these big men with guns… but they weren't really men, you know? And they weren't really… alive, either…"
The silver-haired man nodded in fearful understanding as he stripped off his clingy wet turtleneck and tossed it aside in a mushy pile. He shivered a bit as his moist skin was exposed to the chilly kitchen. Goosebumps crawled up his arms and he clutched himself tightly as he poked around for a hand towel to dry himself off with. "I think I know very well what you mean, Yugi-boy… and I really wish this hadn't happened to begin with."
Yugi paused for a moment, staring blankly in grim reminiscence as Pegasus pulled out a small hand towel from a drawer Yugi didn't remember ever noticing before. He dried off his chest and back briskly before tossing his mass of silver hair over his head and rubbing his scalp vigorously with the cloth. Yugi continued. "Why did you let us stay here, Pegasus? I mean, if you knew it was as bad as this?"
Pegasus threw his mussed hair back again, his entire countenance seeming to have fallen with the boy's words. "Yugi, sometimes the owner of a large corporation has very important and delicate decisions to make. Decisions you simply wouldn't understand." The silver-haired man pulled a thick blue Old Navy sweater down over his chest before pulling out a small compact brush. "Ah, thank you Croquet!" He began dragging it over his locks in determination.
The spiky-haired King of Duels sighed, clutching the warmth of the blanket around him once more. He watched as Pegasus blatantly ignored him as well as the topic, busying himself with anything he could. Somewhere inside, Yugi knew the man must feel guilty, and in a way Yugi felt sorry for him. Of course, Tea always did tell him he was too soft on his rivals. But the more instinct side of him, the part that had been striving to survive in this cursed hotel for the past few days merely found it disgusting. Despite the boy's good intentions, he simply couldn't deny the anger that built inside of him at the thought of all that had happened for this arrogant hotel owner.
Pegasus dragged the brush a final time over his moist hair, reluctantly satisfied with his appearance now that he was out of the freezingly cold shirt. He was glad that he'd changed his pants before Yugi had woken up – there was something… not right about changing clothes in front of his former adversary. But as Yugi had asked the inevitable question, Pegasus simply couldn't face him. How could he answer the shivering boy? To be honest, Pegasus hadn't had a plan – that was the terrible truth of the matter. The school had contacted him and offered the opportunity for the students. For all the scheming, and all the tricks, Pegasus simply didn't know what he was doing any more than the rest of them.
Yugi watched the arrogant aristocrat with growing anger despite the fact that he now owed his life to Pegasus Crawford. He wondered in a flash of bitterness, if any of the cleaning and manual labor that his friends had sacrificed their safety for had even been necessary. The thought had crossed his mind first when he and Tea had been on the third floor and seen the caved in ceiling. Had it all been a waste from the very beginning – Kaiba's accident in the basement, Mokuba getting attacked in the kitchen, and the strange unearthly attacks that had followed them everywhere? Yugi realized with a start that he hadn't seen any of his friends since he woke up. What had happened to them? "Why did you buy this place, Pegasus? Tea said earlier that she thought it was going to be a casino, but why build one way out here?" Pegasus started rummaging through the duffle bag and, shivering a little less often, Yugi gripped the blanket close around him as he whispered, "This was all for your wife, wasn't it?"
As though struck by lightening, Pegasus stopped in his tracks. He stood slowly, turning to glare at Yugi with an unforgiving gaze. His eyes were a mixture of disbelief and undeniable pain. "What did you say?"
"We found your diary, Pegasus. At Duelist Kingdom – we found it in your room. You wanted to take Kaiba's technology so that you could bring her back to life. And now you think that owning a funhouse full of ghosts is going to bring her back?" Yugi chuckled a little as he shook his head in an unconscious imitation of his Yami, "You haven't changed at all, have you? After all this time, you still think some grand scheme will allow you to finally see her again. When will you finally realize that she's dead?"
Pegasus nabbed the closest thing he could put his fingers on. Yugi ducked as the tiny sherry bottle came within inches of his head, the shattered glass breaking the almost electrifying atmosphere. "What do you know about death, Yugi-boy?" Pegasus spat, "Have you read about it in books? Seen it in the movies? Maybe your precious pharaoh has told you a few fairy tales. Oh, how sweet, death is an endless cycle of rebirth, is that what you know?" Pegasus stalked across the room with blazing fury glinting in his eye. "You foolish little child. All you have are your silly games and worthless friends. Where do you think they'll be five years from now? Ten years from now? Still tagging along at your heels, grasping every word you say as religion? What would you know of love? And worse – what would you know of loss? You who've been given everything in your life – even that damned Puzzle if I'm not mistaken?"
"Why did you let us stay here?" Yugi's eyes pleaded with unshed tears, his body trembling from exhaustion and the ever-present chill. "I just want answers, I won't believe you made us stay in this stupid hotel just to clean it! Why didn't you make us leave that first night? Do you know anything of what's happened? We knew this place was a dump, but we had no idea that it should've been condemned ten years ago and that it's been a regular loony bin for psychotic ghosts!"
"I didn't know what else to do! What else could I do when you showed up on the doorstep?" Pegasus tossed his hands into the air in frustration. "I didn't invite you here. No one asked you to come, your school decided that, not I."
"You could have warned us! You knew what was in this place and you let us walk right into it practically blindfolded."
"Of course I warned you, I told you not to go to Room 217 – and that's the worst place in the building."
"But we didn't go in there!"
"Well somebody must have, Yugi, because that's one of the centers of this damned place. If you avoid Room 217, usually you're fine. I've had plenty of my men stay here overnight, there hasn't been a problem. No one's ever gotten hurt."
Yugi paused, cradling the Millennium Puzzle in his raw hands, "I bet none of them had an Item, though Pegasus."
Pegasus turned sharply, "What?"
"The workers – the other people you've had stay here. I bet they never had problems here like you did. Did you think it was just your psychic sensitivity that made you see the things you saw? I'll bet you thought you were really clever, buying a spiritual hotspot like this for so cheap. You thought she'd come to you here, didn't you?"
Pegasus allowed his eye to slide closed slowly as he dropped down into one of the chairs at the small dining table. "Yugi, you can't understand what she meant to me. You couldn't... there are no words to describe how empty I feel without her…"
"I understand you miss her, Pegasus, but that doesn't give you the right to meddle with the dead. You should have left that arena after Duelist Kingdom."
Pegasus stiffened slightly, but didn't retaliate. He knew there was truth behind Yugi's passionate words. He sighed deeply, the ghosts of their argument still ringing in his ears. "That's easy for you to say. You didn't live it, and I never meant for you or your friends to get involved."
"Well, it's too late for that now. We're as involved as they come." Yugi sighed, allowing the Puzzle to drop against his chest. "I'm worried about my friends, Pegasus. We have to get everyone out of here alive and safe. The hotel is getting worse … I don't know how, but I can feel it. Yami didn't think it would be this bad, but now …"
Pegasus raised his gaze, arcing one silver eyebrow. "Yami… the pharoah's spirit?"
Yugi nodded.
Pegasus nodded dully in response. "When Mokuba called me he implied that the situation was very bad…"
Yugi stiffened. "How did you speak to Mokuba? Is he here? Did I miss him?"
"No, no." Pegasus tapped his left temple. "Just trust me on that one. I'm not about to go making up stories."
Yugi shook his head. He was still groggy, but the argument fired up his senses. "Kaiba was upset last time I saw him, but if Mokuba's awake and able to … um, talk with you, then they should be fine." Yugi's countenance darkened. "Unless something worse has happened."
"All I know is that I got cut off from young Mokuba as we were just getting to the important details. He told me that I shouldn't come straight back to the hotel – not that I could have anyway, but maybe they knew you'd gotten yourself lost. You must have been missing in action for some time if they were worried about you so terribly."
"Did he mention Tea? Did she get away?"
"I would guess so." Visions of what might have befallen the poor girl alone in the Overlook flew through Pegasus' mind in an instant, but he tried not to think pessimistically. The odds that Miss Gardener had returned to Mokuba's immediate circle were almost impossible; yet it was undeniable that the boy had known about someone being outside and lost. Perhaps they'd been referring to Joey Wheeler. A sudden frost touched his spine as Pegasus began to feel like he was being watched. "Yugi-boy. You said bad things have been happening to all of you here. Did, um, did anything happen in this room?"
Yugi paused briefly, unwilling to answer at first. "I didn't want to think about it too much but … yeah." He glanced around furtively. "I think I scared them away earlier though."
Pegasus narrowed his gaze. "Scared 'them'? There was more than one?"
Yugi nodded, remembering the way Mokuba had looked when he'd last seen him. The boy had been strikingly pale, his eyes wide and staring as Kaiba held him. The brothers had clutched each other like drowning men, but while Mokuba battled his own inner demons Seto had seemed like he was already engulfed by them. If Mokuba was awake and worried about Kaiba, there was probably a good reason.
He looked downward, noticing for the first time the blanket that covered him was merely Pegasus' parka, the woolen lining so warm against his cheek that Yugi hadn't noticed the difference. He still held the empty pink mug in one hand, and he noticed too that he was dressed in new clothes, warmer and more apt for the freezing weather. A quick glance around the room revealed his wet and likely ruined leather garments, hung neatly from the pot rack above the stove. He sighed, "Thank you, by the way. You saved me. I would have died out there."
Pegasus smiled. "You saved me from becoming a monster on Duelist Kingdom, you know. I guess we're even now."
Yugi nodded. "If we survive…"
Pegasus rolled his eye, "Can't you be a bit more optimistic?"