Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters

Claimer: I, chop4tess, own this story and any and all original characters

I decided to rewrite this chapter because it was total cr*p. I don't know what the hell I was thinking posting that rubbish but there you go. There is one chapter left and then it will be the epilogue. I already know what I want to write so it shouldn't take me long to write. (I hope)

Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Countdown

"Are you sure you're alright?" Yami fussed over me checking for injures. He grabbed my wrists and scowled at the red marks on my skin from the rope burn. I sighed and gently pulled my hands from his grip. We were still in the same hotel room that Malik had brought me to after he jumped me on the way to the shops. The hole in the wall from one of Malik's attacks was still smoking gently and the wind was coming in through the shattered window where Yami and Malik had crashed through.

"Yami, for the last time I am fine. You're the one who is bleeding, again." I added frowning at the red stain coming from his left shoulder. "You really need to see a doctor or something." Yami had dark circles under his eyes and looked ready to pass out at any moment. He had barely been able to fly straight after his battle with Malik.

"It will heal in time," Yami replied shortly still giving me the once over with his eyes. "A human doctor wouldn't be able to help me. I just can't believe that Malik and Seto did this to you."

"They didn't hurt me really, just scared the hell out me." I grimaced at my choice of words. Yami scowled at me but I knew his anger wasn't directed at me.

"What did they do to you? I can tell you've been crying." I didn't want to answer Yami and make him angrier than he already was but it was impossible to lie when he looked at me like that. I sighed and gave up any possibility of making this easier.

"Seto was going to erase my memories of you so I would forget we ever met." I reported and flinched when Yami's eyes darkened in anger. "But I managed to convince him not to. Well, either that or you interrupted him before he could start by bursting in here like my Knight in shining armor." I grinned trying to make a joke. Yami didn't smile back at me.

"There's something more going on here than I am aware of." Yami muttered more to himself than to me. "God is going to extreme measures to make me return."

"Seto said that taking away my memories was to protect me and your secret." I said softly. "Was that true?"

"We have taken humans' memories of us away before," Yami admitted after a pause. "But it is a very rare thing as we hardly ever tell anyone our secret. The human mind is a very complex puzzle and you can't just reach in and take bits out. Leaving gaps in the memory leads to all kinds of mental problems later in life and can be very dangerous to the person. Leaving behind fragments of memories can be even worse."

"I'm glad I didn't know that at the time." I shuddered. Yami paused and suddenly looked very uncertain. It was a strange emotion to see on his face and looked completely out of place. "What's wrong?"

"Taking away your memories would be dangerous but Seto is a very powerful angel and if he performed the magic I'm sure you would have been alright." Yami paused then looked at me. "Why did you refuse him?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" I exclaimed making Yami flinch. "I don't want to forget you, ever. You are my friend and you mean everything to me." I reached out to grab Yami's arms and gave him a small shake. "Why would I want to forget the best thing that's ever happened to me?"

"Your life would be easier if you didn't know about me." Yami said sadly. "You could live in peace without being afraid of Malik, Seto or any other angel coming after you."

"Nothing worth having comes easily," I scoffed. "And Malik didn't know that I knew you were an angel until after they kidnapped me." I pointed out in frustration. "If angels are coming after me I would rather be aware and ready for them than ignorant and unprepared. And, I can't leave you to deal with this on your own. For better or for worse I am right in the middle of this mess and I'm sticking by you until the end. So you'd better get used to it." I scowled at Yami who looked slightly shocked. His face then broke into a warm smile that made my heart flutter in my chest.

"Ok if you two are going to start making out let me know so I can vacate the room." Joey cut in making me jump and blush. I had forgotten he was even there. Joey shot me a grin that made my blush deepen further. Clearing my throat I let go of Yami's arms.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue Joey," I smiled at my friend. "How did you know I was missing anyway?"

"I bumped into Yami while he was out looking for you and he told me you were missing. I joined in on the search then Yami had this Jedi mind thing which told him where you were so I just followed him." Joey walked over to slap me on the back with enough force to make me stumble. "I couldn't allow my best bud to be kidnapped on my watch."

"Malik contacted me to let me know that they had you and where they were." Yami explained giving Joey a confused look. "What is a Jedi mind thing?"

"Never mind that," I cut in before Joey could launch into a full plot overview of the Star Wars series. "Yami, is there no way to heal your shoulder? You're bleeding really badly and who knows when those two will be back to start another fight?" I reached out to gently touch the wet spot on Yami's shoulder. I saw Yami's jaw twitch before he smiled at me and gently took my hand away.

"It will heal Yugi you don't need to worry about me."

"Well I do worry and I'm worried about your shoulder." I said stubbornly.

"Don't angels have all kinds of magical powers?" Joey asked with a thoughtful frown. "You were throwing balls of fire around a few minutes ago. Can't you do a healing spell?"

"There are many healing spells but I don't have enough energy right now." Yami admitted looking around the room. "We'd better leave before someone comes to investigate the noise."

"What if you took some of my energy?" I asked and Yami blinked and frowned at me. "If you don't have enough energy for the healing spell, could you take some of mine?" I had no idea if it was even possible to take another person's energy in the way I was suggesting but it was worth a try.

"I have no idea how much energy I would require to do the spell, but once I start the spell I can't stop halfway through. I could end up killing you Yugi." Yami said gently. I considered this for a moment before holding my hands out to Yami. Yami looked at my hands perplexed then looked at me.

"Take my energy," I smiled at Yami's shocked and worried expression. "I trust you Yami and if this is the only way I can help you then I want to do it."

"Yugi –"

"You were hurt protecting me," I interrupted Yami's protests. "Now it's my turn to protect you." Yami paused and I could almost see the wheels in his head turning, assessing the situation. "I want to help you." I added seriously. "I'm not afraid."

"You've already been through a lot today." Yami shook his head and I took a deep breath to stop myself from smacking him.

"Yami, I'm not made of glass. I'm not going to break, ok? I'm stronger than you give me credit for."

"It is also worth pointing out that if Malik and Seto come back before you're healed then you're not going to be able to protect Yug' in your current condition." Joey pointed out with a sly smile curving his lips. "If you take some of Yug's energy now you'll be strong enough to protect him later." I could have kissed Joey as Yami pressed his lips together in a thin line. I raised my eyebrows at Yami who hesitated for a second before sighing heavily. His shoulders slumped in defeat and I smiled.

"Fine," Yami reached out and placed his hands on either side of my face with his thumbs next to my eyes. "Just relax and let your energy flow through your body into mine. It will be completely painless I promise." I nodded and took several deep breaths to relax. Yami gave me a comforting smile and closed his eyes. I did the same and concentrated on the feeling of Yami's warm hands against my skin.

It started out as a tingling sensation in my hands and feet as if I had been sitting down for too long. The pins and needles sensation travelled up my body to collate in my chest. It didn't hurt exactly but it felt very weird. There was a pressure building in my head but I breathed out slow and willed myself to relax and go with it. I heard Joey gasp loudly but I ignored him not wanting to break my concentration. The pressure was just starting to get uncomfortable when it suddenly eased. I breathed out in relief as the tingling faded as well. Yami took his hands away from my head and without warning my knees buckled. A pair of arms caught me before I hit the floor and I opened my eyes to see Yami's face mere inches from my own.

"What happened?" I slurred in confusion. I felt so weak all of a sudden as if I had lost several pints of blood.

"Yug' are you ok?" I heard Joey ask as Yami gently sat me down on the floor.

"He will be fine the spell just took some of his energy causing Yugi to feel weakened." Yami moved me so I could lean against the wall. "The dizziness should fade soon."

"How much energy did you take?" Joey asked looking worried as he peered over Yami's shoulder at me.

"I didn't need as much as I feared I might," Yami said thoughtfully. "It was almost as if…" Yami stopped and frowned, clearly confused.

"As if what?" Joey voiced the question I was thinking. I was still feeling a bit out of it so I was happy just to lean against the wall and get my breath back.

"It was as if Yugi's energy was more powerful than a normal human's." Yami said slowly. "Like the difference between a brand new battery and one that's been used."

"What does that mean?" Joey asked looking both fascinated and worried.

"I don't know," Yami admitted. "The level of energy in a human depends on many factors, their health, their mind state, to name a few, but I've never known such powerful energy before. My injury was quite bad but it is completely healed and Yugi wasn't badly affected. Most humans would be unconscious by now."

"So I have freaky powerful energy," I sat up and shrugged. "I can't say there's much that can surprise me at this point." I was already starting to feel better. The fact that my energy packed a powerful punch compared to most humans didn't really concern me all that much.

"Maybe his energy is more powerful to you because of the way you two feel about each other?" Joey suggested making both I and Yami stare at him with identical blushes staining our cheeks. "I don't mean romantically," Joey's grin suggested otherwise, "but you two have a deeper connection with each other than you would have with some random stranger you just met on the street."

"That does make sense I suppose." Yami rubbed his chin as he turned the idea over in his mind.

"Let's save the Q and A for later guys. I just want to go home." I bolted upright as a thought occurred to me. "Oh God my grandfather must be freaking out! How long have I been missing?" I shoved my hands into my pockets not waiting for an answer.

"You've been gone several hours and yes your grandfather will be worried about you." Yami stood up and offered a hand to pull me up.

"Damn it I left my mobile at home." I grabbed Yami's hand and pulled myself to my feet. "Do you have your phone Joey?"

"Yes but I don't have any money on it." Joey grimaced guiltily. "I was going to buy a top up card from the store before I ran into Yami here."

"Well then we'll just have to hurry home before my grandfather has a nervous breakdown." I dusted myself off. "Are you heading home Joey?"

"Yeah I better get back," Joey suddenly reached out and grabbed me in a tight hug. The breath left my lungs in a rush.

"Whoa Joey, human…need to breathe!" I gasped out.

"Sorry buddy," Joey let me go and smiled but his hazel eyes where dark with concern. "Just don't scare me like that again ok?"

"I'll try not to," I promised giving Joey a smile.

"You'd better keep my buddy safe, do you hear me?" Joey frowned at Yami. I opened my mouth to protest but Yami reached out a hand to Joey his face serious.

"I swear it on my life." Yami promised. Joey took Yami's hand and shook it with a nod.

"Well I'm off, see you at school tomorrow Yugi!" Joey waved to me and walked off whistling out of tune. I smiled fondly at his retreating figure and turned to Yami who was watching me with an unreadable expression on his face. I didn't know what he was thinking but it made me feel warm all over.

"Thank you," I said. Yami blinked and the strange expression on his face was replaced by one of puzzlement.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For saving me," I smiled, "And for promising Joey that you would protect me."

"You are welcome little one," Yami said softly and I melted. "Shouldn't we be getting you home though? Your grandfather is going to be worried."

"Ah, yes, come on Yami let's go." I hurried out of the hotel room with Yami following me chuckling. I hadn't forgotten my promise to Seto that I would talk to Yami about him going back to Heaven but now wasn't the right time to talk about it. Deep down I knew I was avoiding the topic because I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want Yami to stay if he was going to be hunted for the rest of his life but I didn't want him to leave either. It was a mess and I needed time to think. Yami joined me as we walked down the corridor towards the lifts and I managed a smile. One thing I was sure of was that I didn't want Yami to suffer because of me. I would cut out my own heart and bury my feelings deep if that's what it took to prevent Yami from suffering.

:-:

"I gave the two of you an order: return Yami to Heaven. Do either of you care to explain why you have yet to complete this task?" God looked down at the two angels kneeling before him. Malik gritted his teeth to bite back a rude retort. This may only be a dream, as his and Seto's physical bodies were still on Earth, but God could still inflict harm should Malik test Him when He was already in a bad mood.

"Yami has been most stubborn in returning to Heaven My Lord." Seto replied his blue eyes fixed firmly on the floor. "It is going to take time to persuade him to return even with force."

"The longer Yami is on Earth the more corrupt his soul is becoming." God replied testily. "The longer the two of you are on Earth the more you're at risk of corruption as well. You must make haste."

"We understand Sir but Yami is a powerful angel and he is fixated on the human Yugi." Malik reported. "I injured him in our first battle but he managed to escape."

"Did you capture the human called Yugi like I ordered to bring Yami to you?" God asked tapping His fingers against the arm of His throne. Malik knew that was a very bad sign.

"Yes I did and Yami came to retrieve him just as you said would." Malik answered.

"And you failed to capture Yami yet again despite the fact that he was injured?" God arched an eyebrow with a look of disbelief.

"I made a deal with Yugi," Seto cut in before Malik could reply. "He would convince Yami to return to Heaven with us in return for us backing off while Yami was injured. I gave him 24 hours until I returned for Yami's answer."

"Did he indeed?" God said in a tone that sent warning flags up in Malik's mind. God looked completely calm but Malik could tell that He was very angry underneath that calm exterior. And His anger was directed at them. "Did it occur to you Seto that this human was lying to you?"

"My Lord, fighting with Yami was only making him more determined to stay with Yugi and by targeting Yugi we made him push us away even harder. If Yugi, the human he betrayed you for, tells Yami he doesn't want him around anymore then Yami will come back to us of his own free will."

"Free will?" God thundered making Malik and Seto flinch. "Free will is a gift I gave to the humans, a gift which is not extended to my angels! You are my warriors and I need your obedience not your opinions!"

"I know that Sir but surely Yami returning because he wants to is better option than attacking him and dragging him here? Would it not set a better example to other angels that even those who turn their backs on you can be brought back into your love and light without the use of force?" Seto asked quietly. God stared at Seto in silence for several minutes. The silence rang loudly in Malik's ears and sweat trickled down his back.

"Any angel who disobeys me will suffer the full force of my wrath." God said finally. Malik sighed sadly, so much for forgiveness. "You will use all methods and abilities at your disposal to make Yami return to Heaven to face punishment for his actions, willing or otherwise. That will be the example I set to my angels." God narrowed His eyes at the two angels at His feet. "Disobedience from my angels will not be tolerated not matter the reason."

"Yes My Lord," Seto and Malik said in unison.

:-:

God sat back with a sigh as Malik and Seto vanished from view, returning to their bodies on Earth. He could feel a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples with His fingers and blew out an irritated breath. Ever since He selected Yami to carry out the task of protecting the human Yugi things had been going from bad to worse. He hadn't been all that concerned when Yami chose to appear before Yugi to interact with him directly, while that wasn't normal practice some angels preferred it. But then Yugi turned out to be a male reincarnation of Yami's past wife and the mother of their child. Yami had died to protect his lands and family in a great war several thousand years ago and his courage and self-sacrifice all those years ago had earned him a place in Heaven. Yami had taken to angel training straight away and had quickly become one of His most powerful angels. It was a great shame that he had chosen to disobey. Now He had to punish him less Yami's disloyalty encouraged other angels to betray Him as well.

"Don't you think you're going a little too far father?" God looked up in surprise to see His son standing before Him.

"Jesus, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training the new angels?" God asked with a frown. As His son it was Jesus's task to train all the new souls in Heaven to become angels. He also decided which tier the new angel-to-be would occupy. At the moment there were only four new angels in training.

"I left them in Michael's capable hands for a few hours." Jesus replied. "I wanted to speak with you."

"Very well, speak your mind my son." God smiled and gestured to His right. Another throne appeared this one slightly smaller and less grand than God's own. Jesus walked up the stairs and sat down; turning so he could face his father directly. "What did you wish to speak to me about?"

"I heard that Yami had disobeyed you and that you dispatched Seto and Malik to return him to Heaven." Jesus said quietly.

"Ah yes, a most unfortunate turn of events." God sighed and rubbed His forehead. "It would seem the human Yugi has corrupted him."

"Is that really how you see it?" Jesus asked frowning at his father. "I have watched Yami and Yugi together and I don't see any evidence of corruption."

"I expect unwavering loyalty from my angels," God said in a dangerous tone. "Son, do not let your love for the humans colour your judgment. Yami has turned against me and this human is the cause."

"From what I've heard Yami only turned against you because you demanded that he returned before his mission was complete. If you had left him be then odds are he would have returned once he was satisfied that Yugi would be able to cope without him. By intervening you have only pushed Yami further away from you and closer to Yugi." Jesus said quietly. God suddenly stood up and marched down the throne steps to stand with His back to His son. His shoulders were tight with anger. Jesus rolled his eyes and also stood up to join his father.

"If you were not my son I would have you punished for saying such things." God said darkly.

"But you must see the unique situation before you." Jesus spread his hands. "Yugi is the rebirth of Yami's past wife and true love. They were soul mates back then and that kind of bond doesn't fade with time or death. You've always made a point of bringing soul mates together in the past."

"In those cases both parties involved where human!" God snapped glaring at His son who didn't so much as flinch. "Yami is an angel, a spirit; he does not belong on Earth!"

"Some would argue that he does belong with Yugi." Jesus said softly. "Father, all this fighting between angels is wrong. It is opening old wounds and causing the angels to fracture. Some support Yami while others support you and its causing infighting. Are you trying to turn Heaven into a battle ground?" Jesus frowned as his father turned away with a scoff.

"Yami must be punished for disobeying me. Those are the rules. My word is absolute and if I let one angel get away with disobedience then I will have anarchy." God turned back to his son. "Surly you understand this principle? You walked among the humans for many years before joining me at my side. You above all know what happens when there are no rules or laws."

"I know what happens when an unjust ruler punishes you because he doesn't want to hear what you are saying." Jesus said touching the back of his hands. God scowled but said nothing. "What exactly are you planning to do to Yami if Seto and Malik succeed in bringing him back? Are you going to send him to hell?"

"I cannot bend the rules for one angel and not for the rest. If I allow Yami to disobey and live on Earth then all the other angels will want to disobey and live on Earth too." God argued.

"But why?" Jesus sighed in annoyance. "Yami wants to stay on Earth because he's found his soul mate once again. How many of the angels here in Heaven have soul mates waiting for them on Earth?"

"What, I should let all my angels leave Heaven in search of non-existent soul mates in the hope that they'll give up and return home?" God scoffed. "There is a good reason why I take away their memories of their past lives. Many of them have lived painful lives filled with sadness and loss. How could I place that burden on their shoulders?"

"If you are worried about your authority being challenged then issue a new order to Yami." Jesus smiled as his father blinked and glanced at him in confusion. "Father, you are God. You can order Yami to remain on Earth until the natural end of Yugi's life and Yami will obey you because that is what he wants. You always threaten your angels that if they remain on Earth for too long their souls will become corrupt and they won't be able to return to Heaven, but I think we both know that that's not always the case."

"It has happened before." God pointed out but the anger was gone from his voice and his shoulders had relaxed.

"Yes but only to weak willed angels and Yami is certainly not weak in any sense of the word. I fully believe that should he remain on Earth for the length of a human lifetime he will still be able to return to us."

"But he would have to go through losing his 'soul mate' all over again." God rubbed his chin. "Would that not be cruel?"

"I'm sure Yugi's death is something that Yami has already thought about." Jesus said quietly. "All human life comes to an end at some point. A lifetime with the one you love is better than no time at all." God said nothing for a long time and Jesus waited quietly. He could tell his father was thinking deeply and he didn't want to disturb his thoughts.

"Leave me now, I need time to think." God said turning from his son and walking back to his throne. Jesus bowed and left the throne room smiling. At least he had given his father another option besides fighting and he believed with all his heart that this was the better path. He just needed something or someone to help nudge his father away from fighting and towards his way of thinking. Jesus grinned to himself as he shut the throne room door behind him. He had a feeling it was time he went to visit his mother.

:-:

I sat on my window seat gazing out into the night. It was late and I really should be sleeping but I couldn't make my brain switch off. If I wasn't thinking about my conversation with Seto then I was thinking about my grandfather. I couldn't exactly tell him that I was kidnapped by angels so I had made up a story about running into Joey at the shops and losing track of time. My story was that Joey and I had gone back to his place to try out his new game consul and I forgot to bring my mobile with me. The look of disappointment on my grandfather's face had been bad enough but knowing that I had really scared him was even worse. I sighed and pressed my forehead to the cool glass of my window. It felt wrong lying to my grandfather and keeping him in the dark about what was really going on but I didn't have a choice. My grandfather wasn't a religious man and if I told him I was speaking to God's angels I would only make him think I was suffering a complete nervous breakdown.

I smiled humorlessly and reached up to trace a pattern on my window. I guess this is what Seto meant when he said it would be better for me to forget about Yami. I wouldn't have to lie to the people I care about anymore. But I didn't want to lose Yami. I was willing to bear any burden if it meant he would stay with me but what punishment would Yami suffer? Guilt gripped my heart making me grimace in pain. I didn't want Yami to leave but he couldn't stay either. I was going to have to let him go. It might tear me apart but it was for the best.

"Yugi, are you alright?" I jumped at the sound of Yami's voice. I looked to the right and saw Yami standing next to me with a concerned frown marring his features. I smiled and shuffled back to make room for Yami to sit down at my feet. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs.

"I was thinking about all that's happened tonight." I admitted softly.

"I thought you might be," Yami reached out and laid a hand on my knee. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yami," I paused to take a breath, "I made a deal with Seto while you were fighting with Malik." Yami said nothing but his grip on my knee tightened. "I said I would talk to you about you returning to Heaven with them if they stopped hurting you. Seto said he would give me twenty four hours to convince you to return before he and Malik came after you again."

"Why would you say something like that?" Yami asked after a long pause. His face was tight and he was obviously trying not to lose his temper. "I am staying here, disobeying God, all for you."

"Exactly," I said softly. "You're doing this all for me but I don't want to be the reason for your suffering. I don't want to be the cause of all this fighting and anger." Yami removed his hand from my knee and turned to tilt his head back against the window. "Every time you get hurt fighting with Seto and Malik I'm going to have to face the knowledge that's it's my fault. If they capture you and succeed in taking you back to Heaven then whatever punishment you receive will be my fault too."

"This isn't your fault Yugi." Yami turned his head to look me in the eyes. "I chose to disobey to be with you and I would make that choice again." My heart fluttered in my chest and heat filled my cheeks. How could someone say such a thing so honestly? "If going back to Heaven means leaving you to face this world alone then I will fight tooth and nail to stay here, with you."

"I don't want you to leave." I admitted softly. "I want you to stay here and I want to get to know you better. But I can't be the reason for your suffering." My voice cracked. "Knowing you are in pain because of me would kill me."

"Yugi I –" Yami stopped talking and sighed. He reached out and gently cupped my cheek. I looked up at him and bit my lip. "You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"But what if you staying here mean that we'll always have angels coming after us?" I didn't want to keep coming up with reasons why Yami should leave me but it had to be said. "What if they never leave us alone to live in peace? What kind of life would that be?" Yami looked away from me and I knew that he had already considered that to be a very real possibility. "I don't know if I could live like that Yami. As if I'm an animal constantly being hunted, always worried about you and always looking over my shoulder."

"I will protect you Yugi." Yami promised, meeting my gaze once again.

"But what price will you pay for protecting me?" I asked softly. Yami said nothing in answer. I don't think he even had an answer. Instead Yami leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to mine initiating our first kiss. Heat exploded in my veins and seared through my body making my blood boil. I gasped and leaned forward returning the kiss. Yami's lips fit perfectly over my own as if we were made for each other. In that blissful moment I didn't care about vengeful angels or Heaven or Hell. All I cared about was this perfect moment between me and Yami. The kiss was chaste and gentle but it was still enough to make my heart pound and my head spin. Far too soon Yami was pulling away and I mourned the loss of his gentle warm lips against mine. I opened my eyes, not sure when I had closed them, and saw Yami gazing at me with a slightly dazed expression. If I looked in a mirror I was willing to bet I would see the same starry eyed expression on my face.

"I don't know what tomorrow will bring," Yami said softly his fingers tracing over my cheek and leaving trails of fire in their wake. "But I do know that whatever comes, we can face it and defeat it as long as we are together." I nodded, unable to speak at the moment. Yami smiled at me and leaned forward to kiss me again. As our lips touched I wished with all my heart that Yami was right but deep in my mind, I knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Before tomorrow was done there was going to be more pain and blood shed, and it would all be because of me.

*End Chapter*

Since no one reviewed this chapter last time I can only assume you agreed with me that it was rubbish but were too nice to say so (this is really kind of you, so thank you). Hopefully this chapter was better written and this time you'll review?

It was a bit surreal writing a conversation between God and Jesus…

Only two chapters left to go!