The fight
The next day Joey was getting more and more worried, but not about finding Atemu. Seth and Seto were oddly quiet all day and Seth definitely was thinking up some sort of plan while Seto looked more like he was waiting for something, with a smug smile on his lips. "Did I miss something?" Joey eventually asked Yugi when both of the others were out of ear shot. "They aren't fighting."
"I'll only tell you if you promise not to get mad at me." Yugi said.
"What did you do?" Joey asked, already sounding upset due to a very bad feeling about this.
"This morning, before you woke up,...well I told them what you said last night, like that you like Kaiba, even though Seth is nicer." Yugi admitted. "I only did it to help Atemu, we have to help him right, you said so yourself. And it might help if they know that you like Kaiba and not Seth And you sort of atmited it last night to me and, well you're going to come back with us so it might help to let Seth know that it's hopless now rather then later."
Joey could see how guilty Yugi felt about this and knew that he would have probably done the same to save Seto as well as Seth. And considering that Joey was sure that Yugi was much closer to Atemu than he could ever get to Seto, who had tortured him for years, he said "I get it, and at least I won't have to say a thing and when I'm back I can still tell Seto that it was only the heat that made me fussy in the head. He'll probably be picking on me for ages but at least I'll get a few good fights that way."
"I still think he really likes you." Yugi said. "I hadn't caught up on it before, he said it but it does explain why he was working so hard on getting you back and why Mokuba knew that he would do his best."
Joey turned around to watch the other three. Solomon was walking in between Seth and Seto, distracting Seth from fighting with his endless questions. Both of the tall man had a top on again, probably to save them from getting sunburned. But considering the bruises on the arms and faces Seto wasn't only wilder with his kisses but in a fight as well. Seth looked a little worse but obviously had gotten a few good swings in, too. Joey liked the fact that Seto had taken a few hopefully painful punches. "I still doubt that he really likes me." Joey said, looking at the smug smile on Seto's face. "He probably just can't resist a good challenge. I disappeared seemingly due to his duel disk and he had to get back in time to get me, that probably was the ultimate challenge and when he arrived and heard that someone who looked exactly like him liked someone, he just had to prove that he was better than his former self and could get me."
"I doubt it." Yugi said "Even Kaiba isn't that cold."
"We'll see when we're back." Joey said.
"I guess we will, but what will you do if he is still flirting with you?" Yugi asked.
"That's easy." Joey said with a grin "I go to the top of his freakishly high Kaiba Corp. building and then jump down."
Yugi chuckled. "Or you end up in his probably freakishly huge bed."
"Like hell." Joey said sounding mad.
"We're nearly there." Joey heard Seto's voice and felt his arm around his waist.
"Paws off." Joey said.
"Why?" Seto said much too pleased with what he knew. "You like it, don't you?"
"Sure, as much as I like a visit to the dentist." Joey said mad at the fact that he sounded upset instead of annoyed as he wanted to sound.
"Fine. But once we're back I'll prove to you that my brain never gets deep fried, you stupid mutt." Seto said.
"Jerk." Joey mumbled.
"Suck it up, I know you like it." Seto said and Joey wanted to punch him.
"I don't like it. I hate it and I hate you, just so you know." Joey said this time easily sounding mad since he was furious right now.
"You only don't want to admit it." Seto said still sounding smug "But I'll make you admit it as soon as we're back. And now quiet down a bit, like I said, we're close."
Joey ignored Seto for now and just forced Kaiba's arms away from around his waist where Seto had left them. Noticing in that moment that he was leaning against the jerk much more than necessary but redeeming that fact quickly.
They were getting closer to a pyramid that even now looked old.
"What's that?" Joey whispered once they were there.
"The pyramid of a death ancestor of Atemu." Solomon said after talking to Seth for a moment. Seth started to walk in when Solomon added "He wants to go in alone first and you all to wait here for about an hour."
Joey looked at Yugi who nodded. After that they both started to count to ten on their fingers without saying anything and then walked right in. "That was not an hour." Seto said.
"Correct and you know what else? I do not listen." Joey explained.
"You really need to be trained, mutt." Seto mumbled.
"Shut it moneybags." Joey whispered, already a few steps into the pyramid.
"Do you have to risk your life?" Seto asked in a whisper.
"If that's the only way to get rid of you," Joey answered, "YES!"
"Quiet." Yugi ordered, rolling his eyes while thinking of the saying 'The quarrel of lovers is the renewal of love.'
A loud noise made them hurry along the narrow way and then they stopped at a corner where they could here Seth talking to someone and they listened. "What are they saying?" Joey quietly asked Solomon, who was standing close behind him. "It seems like Seth doesn't want to attack the other. He is trying to talk the other to stop attacking him. This Jōno said that he can't not attack since Niu is holding his sister as a hostage."
Joey looked around the corner to sneak a peek. "Do you have to risk your life? Let me look." Seto mumbled from behind him but Joey simply ignored the overprotective idiot.
But one glance was still enough to make him move back a little bit "Seth will never attack Jōno." He whispered "And why the hell didn't you tell me how creepy this is?" He added looking at Seto.
"What?" Seto asked.
"Why?" Yugi wanted to know.
"Jōno looks like me." Joey said. "As much as Seto and Seth look alike. Seth will never attack him."
"And if Jōno is like you, he won't stop if it is for his sister." Yugi added knowing where this might end.
"He's not going to hurt Seth, not as long as I'm here." Joey said and walked around the corner. "Hey, asshole. Put that dragon of yours back to sleep. Cause now I'm here." Joey looked into the red eyes of the black dragon Jōno had summoned. Seth said something Joey didn't understand. But he didn't care either. He simply pulled two cards from his deck and placed one on the disk to summon it without looking at it. Out came his Red-Eyes B. Chick and Joey used it to special summon his favourite dragon. Jōno stared as he saw his own dragon opposing him. Two of them were now in the room Joey had just entered, filling most of the space. Seth had to press himself against the wall while Seto, Yugi and Solomon stood in the entrance watching them now.
Jōno said something and Joey looked over his shoulder to Solomon. "He still will attack you, even if it means that you both die." The old man translated.
"Great, tell him that I won't die, but he'll die for nothing unless he stops that foolishness and gets his sister out of being a hostage." Joey said. "Tell him that I have a sister as well and that she would never want me to do something like this, so he should suck it up and help us get her out of there instead of helping the guy who holds her hostage." And after that Joey activated a trap that was in place since his duel with Yugi and due to that it worked perfectly and within seconds his own dragon had gotten a nice metal coat on. "Now my dragon is stronger. Think about what your sister would want, boy."
Jōno stared at the now obviously stronger dragon and then at Solomon, who was translating what Joey had said. After another short stare at Joey he just let himself drop to the floor and his dragon disappeared. Seth ran over to Joey looking worried but as soon as he was there Joey grabbed one of his arms, turned him to face Jōno and then pushed him with the words "Jōno is Seth's." Hoping Seth would get the point and stop annoying him with his constand worries. Also, Jōno needed someone much more then Joey ever had and if things were the way Joey feared, Seto might not have gotten his brain deep fried after all. It might be destiny. But unfortunately, Seth didn't move.
"Yugi." Seto asked "If you want to start about that destiny crap again or maybe chat to Joey about soulmates or such things I'd be really grateful."
"I thought you don't believe in it." Joey said.
"I don't." Seto explained "But you tend to believe it. And I use whatever advantage I can get."
"For all that's holy." Joey mumbled before saying more clearly "Maybe it is only destined that you get on my nerves."
"Either way." Yugi said. "We should go on. We still have to get Atemu and it seems like we now need to save a young girl as well."
"You're right." Joey said.
"Oh before I forget." Solomon said "Seth wanted to know why in the name of Ra you're here already?"
"Tell him I never listened to anyone and I sure as hell won't start to listen to him now." Joey said.
"That's my feisty Joey." Kaiba said.
"Shut that hole under your nose or I'll shut it for you…with my fist." Joey said angrily.
"How about you exchange fist with lips?" Seto suggested.
"How about I exchange it with a dagger instead?" Joey said.
"Just let's go." Yugi said before Seto could open his mouth for another reply.
They walked on, Seth walking ahead and soon they were hearing voices again. "We're there." Solomon said. "I can hear that Atemu is there. He said that his guards would find him and kill the other. But someone else is saying that whoever is trying to save Atemu is as good as dead and all thanks to a little boy that can control a dragon that might be a match to the white one of high priest Seth."
"Foolish idiot, if Seth would have had the guts to fight, the boy would be dead." Seto whispered.
"Would you fight, Joey?" Yugi asked him.
The silence that followed and the expression on Seto's face said it all. He would never attack Joey unless he was sure that Joey would survive it at the very least. A little fight was one thing, but risking Joey's life was something Seto could never do. This time they didn't need to look to know what was expecting them. Jōno had told them already that the paraoh and his sister were in a cage over some spicks and that Niu had a knife to cut the rope that kept the cage up. He was always close to that rope and Jōno had never dared to do anything since he had no idea how to get her out of that dangerous place. But Joey had just looked at Yugi and both had smiled, much to the surprise of all the others. Now both used their fingers to count till three and on the last count stepped out into the open. "Hey, stupid." Joey said. "I'm so going to kick your ass for threatening my pal and the little sis of what seems to be my former life...or what ever the hell it is."
Yugi and Joey simultaneously drew cards from their disks at the same time Niu cut the rope. The last thing they all saw was the cage falling towards the spicks below before the whole room was filled with Kuribus. Nothing else was visible since the little fur balls were already touching each other.
By the time enough of them had disappeared to see anything, the cage was on the ground and broken but some of the metal bars were steaming and smouldered. And Atemu and the young girl, who looked exactly like Serenity were standing unharmed next to the Flamed Swordsman.
Atemu ran towards a pile of golden pieces. "The puzzle" Yugi mumbled and Joey immediately caught on that the puzzle obviously was taken apart by that Niu.
Niu himself looked furious. He said something and then pulled on a rope which took one little stone out of the celing. The pyramid started to tremble and Solomon said in fear. "He's bringing the whole pyramid down on us to win. He doesn't even care to get out himself."
Suddenly a big Blue Eyes White Dragon was above them all, his huge wings keeping the falling stones from them. But the dragon got closer to them by the second unable to carry the weight.
"It's too much for one Blue Eyes." Seto mumbled before pulling some cards himself for the first time. Seconds later there was an even bigger dragon with three heads and Seth stared at Seto whose dragon was getting higher up. Dust and small stones were flying through the air and the ground seemed to shake.
By the time the sun came through the dust and the rumble settled, they could see that a good part of the top from the pyramid was gone and they were standing unharmed in the middle of the rubble. The only one missing was Niu. Joey could see the siblings hug and cuddle and Seth watching Jōno before looking to Joey.
Authors Note.
The next update might take a tiny bit longer. The chapter is sort of write, but I'm thinking about rewriting it and change it a lot since I got another Idea...or rather two others. I might actually write multiple possible endings for this story because I simply love all three ideas! But I'm not sure yet and will need some time to think about it.
And thanks to BrowneyedShamer, Leviathan of the Sea, Nagareboshi-Lover, TheRoseThatKnowsPain, silvers-edge and sherabo for the reviews.
Also I'm a staff member of sherabo's community "SHOW YOUR STUFF YUGIOH 2002 to 2010" And there are lots of cool story's. And thanks to Sherabo for the invite! (hug)