Ranko: Have I ever mentioned that I love all of my reviewers?

Yami: Multiple times.

Ranko: Well, I do! Every single one of you are great and so sweet and supportive! You make writing enjoyable. You guys pushed me over 100 reviews on the seventh chapter! Last story it was like the tenth chapter! This is great!

Yuugi: We apologize to whoever the hundredth reviewer was on this story because we will not be doing the same thing we did last time with adding an OC or adding a scene that was requested.

Ranko: But I will be starting a collection of one-shots inspired by songs and will include multiple pairings! I don't know where I will start but I will take requests when I do! Speaking of reviews, I have a few to answer.

hikari no senshi17: Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it and don't worry, there will be no more deaths in this story! Please continue to review!

raindropdew: Thank you, its good to be back. Yeah, everyone needs to sleep and it was the middle of the night when I wrote that scene so I think that affected it. Thanks for the review!

SokiKuro: Thank you for the amazing review! You just kind of put me in a better mood when I read your reviews and I'm glad that I could make you smile with my story, lets me know that what I'm doing is worth it. And I know what you mean, I would have gone insane a long time ago if I weren't already.

Inspiration's Wonderer: Thank you for the awesome review! I know, I was laughing a little when I wrote the conversation between Jou and Yuugi on the phone. No one will get kidnapped…yet. Thanks for the review!

Epona1995: Thanks for the review and the Forbidden Game series is amazing! I got into the same way; I was reading a crossover of the Forbidden Game series and Ranma ½ by Angela Jewell and I fell in love with the story! Anyway, yeah, I know it started kind of slow, I didn't like it. I'm glad that the scene with Bakura played out so smoothly, that made me smile. I hope we get to see Yami in this chapter too ;)

SincereJoyy: Thanks for the awesome review! I agree when it comes to Soren and tendershipping is one of my favorite pairings because whether it is canon or not, it just works. And yes, I know Malik is Egyptian, but when I imagine him sickly pale I think of the way your skin is when your sick, clammy and just an unhealthy shade; a little lighter than your natural shade. Anyway, please continue to review!

Magi Magi Magician Girl: I don't know why, but I feel strangely proud that I made you scared. Because I know I suck at writing two things: battle sequences and frightening themes. Please continue to review!

Ranko: Well, I got them all, and if I didn't answer your review it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it, I love all of your guys! But I just have to narrow it down to concerns or questions, again, sorry.

Yuugi: Quit bringing yourself down, Ranko (hugs her).

Yami: Ranko twin owns nothing except her old computer with cat hair stuck in the keyboard.

Ranko: Enjoy!

-/-

They were all sitting around the coffee table in Yuugi's living room. Yuugi got a strange sense of déjà vu from this, considering that this is exactly where they sat when they opened the Game and began to play it. Where Ryou was too afraid to swear to the oath and play the Game. Where they all laughed as they drew their nightmares as it were a joke and built the paper house.

And now here they were again, threatened by another Game that the Shadow Men set up for their own enjoyment.

Yuugi pondered all of this. If he had never waited until the last minute to buy Jounouchi his birthday present then he never would have had to go into that game shop and but THE SHADOW GAME. If he had never waited until the last minute and bought the Game then they never would have met the Shadow Men and they never would have played the Game and Ryou never would have died…

Yuugi chuckled bitterly. It was strange, thinking about one event, one mistake in your life and thinking how you could have changed it, how you could have avoided it creates this feeling of hollowness and regret in your chest.

"What are we gonna do?" Honda asked, voicing what everyone was probably thinking of.

Seto sighed and ran his long fingers through his bangs. "Well, that's the question, isn't it? What can we do?"

Everyone lowered their heads at this statement. There was nothing they could really do but wait. Yuugi remembered what Soren had said earlier that day. The boy was terrified of Yami, almost as much as Yuugi was and he had that he was coming back with another Game, but that was no use to the group if they didn't know where the Shadow Men were.

Mai rubbed her eyes and sighed, leaning back on the couch. "Where is Bakura?" she asked, more to herself than everyone else.

As if her words had summoned him, they heard someone banging on the door downstairs and judging by the shouted curses, it was Bakura. Malik flinched and pulled his legs to his chest, hugging them close. Mai rolled her eyes and went down to answer the door. She came back a moment later with the white haired boy.

"Where have you been?" Seto asked, noticing the mud stains on the boy's jeans and his wind-tossed hair.

"I know who killed Haga and Ryuzaki," Bakura said excitedly.

Jounouchi and Honda exchanged looks. "So do we," Jounouchi said, "It was Soren with the help of the Shadow Men."

Bakura looked flabbergasted. "Then why don't we get that bastard?" he asked in frustration.

"We already talked to Soren," Yuugi said, "he no longer has any connection with the Shadow Men."

"Then how are we gonna get to them?" Bakura asked.

Mai clapped her hands. "Now you've caught up with us, that is what we were just talking about. That's what you get for running around without us."

Yuugi glanced at Malik who hadn't spoken up since Bakura came in the room. "Well, even though we don't know where the Shadow Men are doesn't mean we can't prepare for when they make their first move," Yuugi said, "they're dangerous."

"You know," Jounouchi said thoughtfully, "I don't think they'll hurt you."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, they?" he asked.

Jounouchi shrugged. "You know, the Shadow Men; Marik and Akefia, Yami's little henchmen."

Honda sat up with interest. "That's right; they would come out of the Game too, along with Yami."

Yuugi closed his eyes and leaned back into the plush cushions of the couch but finding no comfort from them. "Then it has all been real," he whispered in horrified shock. "Oh my, God; everything has been real. The phone calls were real, They really wore saying…" Yuugi couldn't finish.

Mai rubbed the bridge of her nose. So that means that Yuugi was right from the beginning, and she didn't believe him. How was she supposed to protect him if she wouldn't support him.

"And the dreams?" Honda asked. "Do you think those were real too?"

To everyone's surprise, Seto answered. "Sounds like it," he said in slight wonder. "Or maybe the Shadow Men can just make us dream what they want."

"We have to do something," Bakura said.

Mai chuckled bitterly. "Like what? What can we do against three Shadow Men that are set on revenge? Plus God knows what else they might have in store for us."

"Also, they have Anzu to hang over our heads," Honda spoke up.

"They kidnapped Anzu?" Bakura asked.

Everyone nodded simultaneously. "It doesn't look like we have a chance," Seto said with devastating logic.

"We're all in shock now," Bakura said. "We should choose a time this weekend to meet up and make plans on what we're going to do. How about, Saturday?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement…except Malik.

"Actually," the blond spoke up meekly, "Yuugi and I can't."

Everyone whipped their heads around to stare at Malik. "Why not?" Jounouchi asked.

Malik twiddled his thumbs. "Well, Yuugi and I made plans a while back to go to the Halloween Dance at the school this Saturday."

There was an awkward silence in the room and then finally Seto said, "…What?"

Malik blushed and looked down at his feet. "We made plans and I was actually looking forward to going…"

Yuugi's eyes softened; he opened his mouth to say something but Honda cut him off. "After everything that has happened you didn't think of not going?"

Malik pursed his lips and Yuugi put an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's not that big of a deal. Besides, don't you think that it is all of our best interests to take a break from all of this Shadow Men nonsense and just go to the dance and have fun? We all need to take our minds off of this and as long as we all go together in a group, we'll be safe."

Everyone exchanged looks with one another. Mai shrugged and said, "I don't see any harm in it, it actually sounds like fun." She rose to her feet and struck a few poses. "Do you think I could pass for a senior."

Everyone in the room laughed. Malik and Bakura caught each other's eyes from across the room and sobered. Bakura cleared his throat. "Yeah, you guys ought to be safe," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Mai sat up and twisted around to face the white haired boy. "You're coming too." It was more of a statement than a question. "Didn't you just hear Yuugi? We all need to be together, that doesn't mean we stick together and you go off to your own little emo corner and pout."

Bakura sucked in a breath to shout but then released it in a low hiss and stormed out of the house. "Fine, I'll see you guys Saturday."

Mai sighed and ran her fingers through her bangs, blowing out a stream of air. "Drama queen," she muttered quietly.

Saturday night ~

Yuugi stood in front of his full length mirror and inspected his costume from every angle, starting to feel a little insecure. Malik had picked it out for him weeks ago and at first he had gone along with it but now he wasn't sure.

He was supposed to be a panda but it was anything but a cute little innocent costume; Malik found it in the adult section of the store. He wore black "too short to be considered clothing" shorts. Over a black tank top, he wore a tight zip up hoody without any sleeves, its pockets were black and the rest of it was white; when the hood was pulled over his head, there were little ears and a panda face.

Yuugi groaned; he looked ridiculous. He pulled on his black boots and went into the living room where everyone else was waiting. Mai was dressed as a pirate with a short skirt and the first few buttons of her shirt were undone to reveal her cleavage. Honda looked homeless but when asked he said he was a zombie. Seto was dressed in a three piece suit, a pocket watch stuffed in the pocket of his waste coat and rabbit ears on his head; the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Jounouchi were a shirt with a rainbow on it and cat ears on his head, written on the back of the shirt was "Nyan Cat."

Malik's costume could best be described as a bondage slave from ancient Egypt. But to follow the school dress code, he had to wear a shirt, but he cut off a few inches of it to expose his midriff.

The only one not there was Bakura but he said he would meet them at the dance.

"Are we all ready to go?" Mai asked, getting up from the couch and flattening the wrinkles out of her dress.

Everyone nodded and they left. They walked to the school, considering that it wasn't that long of a walk. They ran into a few of their fellow students along the way and complimented each other on their costumes. When they got to the school, they saw Bakura standing by the gates. He wore a long red coat over a black tank top and a blue shenti.

Honda snickered. "What are you supposed to be?"

"A thief," he said, glaring at Honda.

"That is stupid," Honda said, still chuckling a little.

Bakura sneered. "At least I'm not homeless," he said before turning on his sandal clad heel and began walking towards the school gym where the loud music and colorful lights were coming from.

Honda fumed and began to chase after Bakura. "I'm a zombie, damn it!"

Mai sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, come on, I'm ready to dance," she said, sauntering forward, her skirt swaying around her moving hips.

When they got inside the gym, one could definitely feel the Halloween vibe. There were fog machines set up at all for corners of the room. Fake cobwebs hung from the walls and skeletons hung from nooses. The lights were eerie colors and there was maniacal laughter coming from a machine somewhere that made Yuugi jump every time.

Why did he decide to go with Malik? He didn't even like Halloween.

But the boy was looking around excitedly, jumping on the balls of his feet and swaying with the fast paced music. He grabbed Yuugi's arm and began to drag him onto the dance floor. "Come on!" he cried cheerfully.

Mai chuckled and followed behind them. They created a circle and began to dance to the music.

Meanwhile, Jounouchi hadn't moved from his spot in the entrance. He was petrified; he hated Halloween more than Yuugi did, even the possibility of something popping out and grabbing him scared him near death.

As if on cue, a hand reached out and touched his shoulder. Jounouchi nearly fainted right there but then a voice spoke, more like yelled over the music, in his ear. "Hey, Jounouchi, are you okay?" Seto asked.

Jounouchi looked over his shoulder at the man who was staring at him worriedly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, just don't like Halloween is all."

Seto stared at Jounouchi a moment longer. "You mean that you hate being scared."

Jounouchi couldn't even find the energy to deny it and say something smart back to the CEO. "Yeah, I am…"

Seto took his hand off the blond's shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest. "To tell you the truth, I don't like being scared easily. My younger brother always pops out from behind corners and scares me because he knows that that is the only thing that can make me jump."

"Really?" Jounouchi asked, slightly surprised but also relieved that he wasn't alone.

Seto nodded his head. "Yeah, I don't understand why people go out of their way to get scared when they go see those horror films. If I sat through Paranormal Activity, I think I might just faint."

Jounouchi chuckled. "I know what you mean, I actually did faint."

A sweet smile touched Seto's lips and Jounouchi's face turned bright red. The taller man snapped himself out of it and cleared his throat, his face also turning a surprising shade of red. "So, um, do you wanna just…um, hang out? We don't have to, uh, dance if you don't want to, I mean. You know, just try and avoid getting scared," Seto finished dumbly, internally face palming.

Jounouchi smiled. "Sure," he said.

Just then, a first year snuck up behind the two males and shouted, "Boo!" Seto and Jounouchi nearly jumped ten feet in the air and turned around to see the snickering student with his idiot friends laughing like hyenas.

Seto chuckled dryly and grabbed Jounouchi by the arm, beginning to drag him away. "Yeah, yuck it up, you idiots. Tomorrow I'm suing you for all your worth."

The boys stopped laughing and paled. This time Jounouchi and Seto laughed like hyenas as they disappeared into the crowd.

Elsewhere ~

Yuugi was standing by the tables lining the walls with drinks and snacks; just staring at the sugaring snacks and drinks gave Yuugi a toothache. Instead, he grabbed a mini water bottled and sipped it daintily. His hood was pulled over his head so from the back, he looked like a girl; he had been approaching by a few intoxicated males in the last hour.

He left Malik alone with Bakura; Yuugi heard Malik say something like, "I'm not mad at you anymore, we were just never meant to be together," before he walked away. Now from what Yuugi could see, the two were acting like best friends again.

Yuugi was about to go out on the dance floor again when a slow song began to play. Everyone paired up with someone to dance with or decided to sit down on the bleachers and wait. Yuugi sighed and turned back to the snack table, the sugary treats really starting to look tempting, when a gloved hand tapped him on the shoulder.

Yuugi twirled around in surprised and saw a man dressed like the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera. His mask was covering half of his face and he looked like a good Victorian gentleman. He held a gloved hand for Yuugi to place his own in and smirked; something about that smirk was familiar to Yuugi but he just couldn't place his finger on it.

"May I have this dance?" a baritone voice asked.

Yuugi nodded, mesmerized by those enchanting eyes behind the mask. The man led Yuugi out to the dance floor and held him lightly, as if he were a delicate porcelain doll that would break if he squeezed to hard.

Yuugi floated in his arms and let his mind drift away; he didn't allow himself to think about Yami or the new Game that was awaiting them. All he focused on was how his feet moved with his partner's.

The man had swayed them away from the other dancers. He actually seemed to know a thing or two about dancing, or at least he was semi mobile. He had led them over to the two large double doors; it was darker over here and Yuugi felt strangely isolated.

Everything seemed to have slowed. The music had changed. The DJ must have moved on to another slow song when Yuugi wasn't paying attention. This song was a haunting melody; otherworldly. It was weird but beautiful. It was the type of music that got into your blood.

Yuugi began to feel strange. Time seemed to stretch out, like he was in a dream. He wanted to look up but it would be bad manners unless he wanted to be kissed, which Yuugi didn't. It was safer to keep his head down.

They had traveling through the double doors outside. Yuugi's partner was beginning to lead him farther away; he could barely hear the music now. He had to get away from this guy but Yuugi just couldn't resist.

Out here, where he could feel the crisp night air and be surrounded by the light from the stars and moon, he felt at peace. Yuugi felt like he was falling; slowly falling.

They were dancing just near the lining of the trees. Yuugi could hear the cicadas clearly now. It was an eerie sound. A formless, featureless, endless sound. Like white noise…

Shhshhshhshhshhshhshh

Suddenly, Yuugi was awake, more alert. His eyes snapped open, when had he closed them? The soft breeze that had tickled his neck was now a biting cold and sent chills of terror down his spine. It traveled up his spine and sent warning bells off in his head.

Get out of here!

Then he finally tried to pull away but his dance partner wouldn't let him. That light hold was now a grip of steel. One of his arms was trapping Yuugi's and the other was holding of back of his head.

Yuugi couldn't move. There was no point in screaming, he doubted anyone would hear him from this far away. He could no longer hear the music, just crickets and the harsh wind whistling in his ears.

Yuugi didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before but his partner's hair was tri-colored and spiked up like a star, similar to Yuugi's except it had lightning bangs shooting up his hair. The captivating eyes behind the mask were crimson and glowed like flames in the moonlight.

Eyes as clear as rubies. Eyes as dark as fresh blood.

The gothic punk from the game store that stared at him with that predator gleam in those same eyes. The betrayed look in those beautiful eyes as he closed the closest door and marked it with a sealing rune.

A voice whispered in Yuugi's ear, "Famished."

No, that wasn't quite right, more drawn out. "Faaamishhshhed…"

Yuugi's dance partner stopped for the first time and stared into Yuugi's horrified, amethyst eyes. He removed the mask and a familiar face was revealed underneath. He was smirking, earlier that night; Yuugi couldn't put his finger on where he had seen that smirk before. Now he remembered…

"Long time, no see, love," Yami said.

-/-

Ranko: Yes, I am ending it there because it is late and I don't know what else to add to this chapter. The new Game should start, or be mentioned, next chapter, so look forward to that!

Yuugi: Also, Ranko twin has a special announcement! For getting over 100 reviews she will be starting a collection of one-shots based on songs but she also wants to celebrate by commissioning an artist to create a cover page for this story, like what she did for the Shadow Game. PM Ranko twin for details if you are interested!

Yami: Enough of that, no one cares! What they really want to know about is the result of the poll!

Ranko: Apparently a lot of you guys want to see what is up my sleeves when it comes to original stories so that one! Sad day, I deleted RENT. But before you rentheads get upset at me, RENT is not gone for good. It will be going under some serious editing and will be reposted when I find the time.

Yami: But there is another poll on Ranko twin's profile to see which original story she should start. Please vote and show your support!

Yuugi: As always, leave nice, long reviews!