Ryou stood, horrified at the announcement. Ryou's eyes filled with tears as he looked up at Bakura. Bakura's mouth was set in a thin line. Ryou walked over, next to Bakura, and grabbed Bakura's hand. Bakura made no response, except to squeeze Ryou's hand. As Ryou looked up at Bakura, Dartz's voice hissed in the air.

"Now, everyone is here. Good, my dear family. Now, please, pay attention to this display, so we do not have to repeat this despicable display." Nodding at Zorc, Dartz stepped back to the edge of the circle.

Akeifa felt himself slammed into a post. Biting his tongue so he wouldn't cry out, he felt his arms tied. He didn't fight. He couldn't bring pain upon his brothers. He knew if he fought, Dartz would then move to his brothers...and with Akeifa's luck, Dartz would pick on Ryou. Bracing himself mentally, he waited for the pain to come.

Zorc walked around, looking at Akeifa. With his long black hair, beady black eyes, and muscular form, his pale face was emotionless, studying Akeifa. Akeifa stared back impassively. Smirking, Zorc got close. "I am going to enjoy this."

Ryou looked at Bakura. "'Kura, we have to do something to stop this! His vision..." Ryou started, in a whisper.

Bakura glared down at Ryou. "Be silent." Bakura hissed. Ryou gulped, cowering.

Zorc snapped his finger and this little, scrawny teen brought out a table, laying equipment on it. With his shaggy brown hair with a streak of purple down the bangs, he was no taller than four feet tall. Zorc smiled at the teen, who scurried back to the circle. Going over to the table, Zorc slipped on a leather glove over his right hand, and then started running his fingers over the implements.

Picking up a slim, shiny, stainless steel silver scalpel, he walked up to Akeifa. Staring at Akeifa, he looked around the group. Looking back at Akeifa, he smiled. "You know, with punishment, you have to know what affects your mark best. A lot of times, I talk...but with you...silence will work better." Saying nothing more, he took the scalpel. As bright silver sunk into the pale flesh under the left eye, crimson blood spilled. Akeifa made no movement as Dartz carved intricate cuts under his left eye in the shape of a half moon, cutting out the lower eyelid.

"Hmm...no whimpers..." Zorc stared down at Akeifa, blood flowing down Akeifa's face. "You know...personal torture is fun, but you have great control over your pain reflexes. Let us try something..." Pulling down his left hand, Zorc took out a set of small, silver spikes, no larger than a match. Putting a spike under Akeifa's right pointer fingernail, Zorc shoved it in. Akeifa gritted his teeth, but said nothing. Zorc took another spike, shoving it under the middle finger of Akeifa's right hand. Blood starting to drip from the hand, Akeifa said nothing.

Zorc raised an eyebrow. "Physical pain does not seem to be affecting you. Very well, I will jumpstart this. Bring me the brother." Large hands gripped Bakura, ripping him from Ryou and pulling him towards Akeifa as he struggled, growling. Akeifa's eyes got wide, muscles tensing as he saw Bakura being drug out to the center of the ring. Ryou started after Bakura, but was stopped by Joey's hands and the shake of Bakura's head.

Zorc sneered. "Well, let's see how well you do when I hurt your kin." Zorc grinned, as Bakura looked at Akeifa, both sets of eyes emotionless. Akeifa's heart fell into his feet. He was never trying to hurt his brothers. Yet somehow he had. He was simply trying to follow his heart...how f...

BOOM!

Akeifa jumped at the loud noise as, suddenly, Akeifa's eyes started to burn. He couldn't see as a thick smoke appeared. Coughing, he couldn't see three feet in front of him. Darkness started creeping over his eyes, at the corner of his vision as his chest burned from the smoke. Fear crept into his heart as he tried to escape the bindings that held him. If there was a fire, he was going to die! Muscles burned as he tried, futility, to escape. As the darkness consumed him and he succumbed to the darkness, he felt hands at his wrists.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Ryou awoke, muscles aching. He froze at feeling a weight on his body. Opening his eyes slowly, he sighed in relief as he saw Malik's arm over him. Smiling at Malik, he leaned over...and then froze. "Malik!" He whispered urgently. Malik opened an eye.

"Hi Fluffy!" Malik grinned.

"Malik! My brothers!" Ryou scrambled, trying to get up.

Malik yawned, holding Ryou down. "It's fine, they are fine. Atem saved them."

Ryou could tell Malik wasn't lying. Sniffing, he smelled Bakura and Akeifa. Sighing, Ryou laid down by Malik. "Did you help?" Ryou asked quietly.

"Mmmhmmm." Malik nuzzled Ryou. "I'm keeping you now. You are cute and fluffy. I'm not giving you back. Specially not to that prick."

Ryou smiled, settling down by Malik. "I...I don't want to leave." Ryou blushed, turning into wolf form. Malik grinned, transforming as well, and snuggling around him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Bakura jerked awake, swinging. Sitting up, he looked around him, confused. He was sitting in a bedroom, on a bed. Atem was sitting in a chair, reading a book. Looking up, Atem raised an eyebrow. "You are safe, even if you are in the Reds pack house."

Bakura was panting, looking around. "What the fuck happened? Where the fuck are my brothers?" He jumped up, eyes wild.

Atem put his book down calmly. "Ryou is with Malik, and Yugi is tending to Akeifa. Both will be fine."

"Why the fuck are we here?" Bakura asked, hackles raised.

"Dartz was going to kill you and Akeifa, and perhaps Ryou. Ryou sent out a mental plea, which Seto happened to pick up. He mentioned it to Yugi, who demanded we go. We got there, and I saw them ready to attack you. We then had our spellcaster smoke up the place and cast sleep. We took you, Akeifa, Ryou, and ...Joey."

Bakura looked at Atem. "You have fucking endangered your pack by rescuing us. Dartz will stop at nothing now to destroy you and bring us back. Fucking idiot." He shook his head.

Atem looked at him. "I told you I would protect my pack to the death."

Bakura growled. "I'm not part of your pack."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "You are now."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Joey sighed, stretching and yawned. Opening his eyes, he saw the cool cobalt look up from a computer. "Are you okay?"

Joey nodded. "Wha's goin' on? What am I doin' here?"" Sitting up, he scratched behind his ear.

"Ryou sent out a plea to help his brothers. I happened to intercept the plea, and so I told Atem about it. Atem directed us to go. We did so. We saw Akeifa being tortured, then Bakura was brought up. At that time, Atem told our spellcaster to cause a distraction, which she did. The three brothers were then rescued."

Joey looked at Seto. "So, uh...how'd I get here?"

Seto cut his eyes away, standing up and turning from Joey. "Are you hungry?"

Joey could feel the apprehension given off by the other wolf. Standing and walking over to Seto, he put a hand on Seto's arm.

"Kaiba, wha's wrong...why am I here?"

Softly, not turning around, Seto whispered, "Because I didn't want them to hurt you."

Joey walked around in front of Seto. "Hey, tanks...it's okay that you can be nice...ya don' have to be embarrassed about dat." He smiled his goofy smile. "I promise I won' tell anyone that you have a soft side."

Seto looked at Joey, capturing those honey eyes in his cobalt gaze. "I wasn't being nice, I was being selfish. I couldn't imagine you getting hurt. I...I love you. I have for a while."

Cheeks dusting red, Seto looked away, only to be surprised by soft lips capturing his own.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Akeifa awoke, feeling amazing. Opening his eyes, he saw Yugi above him, changing the washcloth. "Oh, good, you're awake." Yugi smiled at him.

"What...did you do?" Akeifa asked softly, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind Yugi's ear.

"Saved you. I couldn't bear for you to be hurt." Yugi said simply, adjusting the washcloth on Akeifa's head.

"B...but how...how am I healed, not hurting...it was silver?" Akeifa asked, confused.

"I discovered that I have excellent healing abilities...especially under stress and pressure." Yugi blushed, shrugging.

"Th..thank you. But...Yugi...this will mean war for the packs." Akeifa worriedly looked at Yugi.

"Atem can take care of it, and we can fight." Yugi said calmly.

Akeifa looked at Yugi. "Since when have you become so confident?"

"Since you loved me and showed me I could be."