A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. I have to laugh at so many of them! It seems that a lot of you suspect Ryou's stepmother. I haven't decided yet whether she's in on it but I'm having fun hearing that everyone else does. I was going to jump straight into that vein, but it's been a little while (too long) since we had some fluff in the story, and that needed to be rectified first. Just as a note, I changed a little of Yuugi's history. His mother is not around in this story (which should have been obvious) but since this is an AU, I didn't think anyone would mind. Enjoy!

Ryou was pissed. No, strike that. He was pissed, and he wasn't afraid to show it. Folding his arms, he glowered at Bakura, who scowled back at him. The two of them had been bickering for hours, and had eventually entered a sort of stalemate wherein both of them absolutely refused to back down but were no longer allowed to argue. The problem was that Bakura thought that Ryou was insane for even considering giving up the Millennium Ring, while Ryou couldn't imagine doing anything less. After all, this was his father, the only member of his family that he still had left. Every time Bakura told him he was crazy, Ryou kept remembering that he had made a promise to his mother while she was in the hospital that he would care for Osamu as best he could, and come hell or high water, he was going to keep that promise no matter what Bakura said or did.

Very deliberately, he turned his head away from Bakura and took another bite of the spicy noodles that Seto's chef had prepared for them. The food was delicious, but he didn't have much of an appetite. It was very late, and he knew that Yuugi had already called his grandfather to explain that they would be spending the night at Jou's. Neither of his friends seemed to be willing to leave him, and Ryou was grateful for that. In spite of how obnoxious Bakura was acting, Ryou was doing his best to hold himself together, but their support was invaluable and had thus far managed to keep him falling apart. But judging by how tired everyone looked, he suspected that their meeting was going to be breaking up soon.

"Are you sure she didn't tell you anything else?" Seto asked for about the fifth time. Unlike the others, he hadn't eaten anything. A sleek laptop computer was sitting in front of him, and his fingers had been steadily flying over the keys for the past thirty minutes as he did some research into Bakura Samira. From the exasperated look on his face, he didn't appear to be getting very far. "How exactly are you supposed to give up the Ring?"

"She didn't say," Ryou repeated wearily, pushing his bowl away. Jou snagged it and gleefully began finishing the contents. Too depressed even to roll his eyes, Ryou propped his chin up on his hand and glanced at Seto. Repeated attempts to call both his father and Samira had ended in the voicemail picking up, and even though he'd left several messages, no one had returned his calls. That was unusual. Osamu didn't visit very often, and no one would ever peg him as the world's best father, but he always called Ryou back within a couple of hours. Always. The fact that he hadn't made it certain that something was wrong. "I've already told you every little detail. There was nothing about where I should put the Ring, or who I'm supposed to talk to. All she said was that my father had been kidnapped and there was a note left requesting the Ring in return for his safety by midnight tomorrow night."

"I don't see why it matters, since you're not giving up the Ring," said Bakura.

"You told me the Ring was mine, so I don't see why you think that you have a say in this," Ryou snapped back, unperturbed by the reddish brown eyes that were glaring at him. "If that's what it takes to return my father safely, then that's what I'm going to do."

"The hell you will. Don't you know you'll be playing right into their hands?" Bakura retorted.

"How could I? You haven't even told us who "they" are!" yelled Ryou. He felt a bit guilty when he saw Yuugi, Malik and Jou staring at him with wide eyes. It was rather out of character for Ryou to lose his temper, but he couldn't help it. Never in his life had he wanted to strangle someone as much as he wanted to strangle Bakura at that moment.

"He has a point," Malik ventured finally, shifting on his chair. The bruising done to his ribs meant he needed to sit rather stiffly, so he wasn't exactly comfortable. "I get the feeling that the lot of you know exactly why Ryou's father was kidnapped and why these people – whoever they are – would want the Millennium Ring." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Feel free to share. Now."

Seto, Bakura, and Mariku exchanged looks before all three of them turned to Yami, who rolled his eyes. He'd long since finished his own meal and had been sitting silently, observing the fight between Bakura and Ryou just like the rest of them. "You remember how I told you about the Pharaoh's uncle?" he asked, looking at Yuugi.

"Yes," said Yuugi. "The uncle killed his brother in hopes that he would be able to ascend the throne before the son, but the son became Pharaoh and managed to drive him away."

Yami nodded. "That's correct. What I didn't tell you was that the Pharaoh's uncle, Akhenaden, never gave up even after he was driven from the palace. He was a cruel, ruthless man who truly believed that it was his right to rule over Egypt. His bitterness knew no bounds, and when he learned that the new Pharaoh was unable to fully use the Millennium Puzzle, he only grew more convinced that he was meant to be the true ruler. There were many wars after the Pharaoh was sacrificed in the ritual, because the Pharaoh had chosen his high priest and cousin to rule in his place, and Akhenaden was utterly furious that he had been passed over." His crimson eyes landed on Seto as he spoke. Soft gasps were heard around the table as the three lights understood the implications at the same time.

"You were the ruler of Egypt?" Yuugi asked, awed.

"My previous incarnation was because there was no other choice," Seto replied, sounding unusually cold. He'd never liked the story of the Pharaoh and Akhenaden. It always left him with a chilled feeling. "The closest thing you have to a Pharaoh around this table is your yami."

Yuugi's face went pale at the reminder, and Ryou decided to step in. "It's an interesting story, but I fail to see what that has to do with my father," he said.

"We're getting to that," Yami assured him. "Akhenaden possessed a Millennium item just we did. The Millennium Eye. It allows one to see into the minds of others. The current owner of the Millennium Eye is a man by the name of Pegasus Crawford. You've likely heard of him; he is the owner of Industrial Illusions." A frown crossed his face. "This is the point where we don't know as much. We're unsure of whether Pegasus is the reincarnation of Akhenaden, or whether he is merely the new owner of the Millennium Eye. We do know that he can use the power of the Millennium Eye. We also know that Pegasus has been working to collect the other Millennium items."

"What does he want with them?" asked Malik. "From the sound of it, only one person can use them. Aren't they useless to him?"

"It's said that when the Millennium items come together, untold power will be given," offered Bakura, folding his arms. "Pegasus can't use the other items individually, but if he could gather them into one place..."

"Unfortunately, no one is sure what he wants with them, pretty hikari," Mariku answered. He had his arm draped over the back of Malik's chair. Surprisingly, Malik didn't seem to mind – as long as Mariku didn't actually touch him. "The only reason we even know he's after them is because he came sniffing around for ours." Long, agile fingers slipped the Millennium Rod out of Malik's pocket. Mariku lazily spun the Rod and added with a smirk in Bakura's direction, "Of course, we didn't have them because the items don't belong to us."

"You don't say," said Ryou, glaring pointedly at Bakura. Bakura rolled his eyes.

"This is not really a new low for Pegasus, though," said Jou, finishing the remainder of Ryou's food. "He once tried to kidnap my little sister and Mokuba because he thought that we had a Millennium item, too. He was going to offer their lives in exchange for the item. We managed to thwart him, but it was a pretty close call." His honey brown eyes glimmered. "And I'm pretty sure he only stopped because he found out we didn't have one."

"He tried to kidnap Shizuka-chan and he's still alive?" Malik said, genuinely surprised. They were all aware of just how protective Jou was when it came to Shizuka, and it was no stretch of the imagination to figure that Seto was exactly the same way.

"Only because he lives on a private island in this stupid castle," Jou grumbled. "I couldn't figure out a way to get there, and Seto wouldn't let me borrow one of his helicopters."

"There are some things that not even I could hide," Seto replied.

Jou snorted and scooted his chair away from Seto with a smirk. "Liar. You just couldn't say no to Mokuba and Shizuka after they used their puppy eyes and begged you not to."

"Anyway," Yami intervened before Seto could respond, "Ryou, if your father was really kidnapped, it's likely Pegasus was the culprit. The Millennium items have always been shrouded in mystery, making it nearly impossible for them to be traced. Believe me, we've tried. But now that they are with their rightful owners, it would be easy for Pegasus to find them and you. When we first met, I was unaware that held the Millennium Eye, and he invaded my mind to find out information about the four of us." His jaw tightened at the memory. Clearly the meeting had not been a pleasant one. "He knows that we're the darkness's of the Millennium items, so all he would have to do is monitor Bakura, Mariku and I from a distance."

"So then what do I do?" Ryou asked, looking at him imploringly. His fingers trembled around the Millennium Ring. The thought of giving it up was unbearable, no matter what he said to Bakura. They didn't even know what Pegasus would do it. What if he destroyed it? But if it meant that it would save his father's life... how could he do anything else? "Should I give him the Ring?"

"That's a choice only you can make," Yami answered gently, looking sympathetic.

Their meeting broke up shortly after that. Jou coaxed his boyfriend into putting his laptop away and following him upstairs. From the looks of it, Seto wouldn't be doing much more work if Jou had anything to say it. There was no sign of Mokuba or any of the staff, so Ryou decided to stay behind to clean up a little. Malik went off with his cell phone to call his sister, and Mariku stole after him. Looking preoccupied, Yuugi wandered off, and after one last warning glance at Bakura, Yami rose and followed. That left Ryou alone with the one person that he really did not want to talk to. He stared down at the table, doing his best to ignore Bakura, and wished that the other boy would just leave him be. A chair scraped, and for a moment, he actually thought he would get his wish. No such luck.

"You can't give the Millennium Ring away, Rabbit." Bakura sat down right next to him, in the seat that Malik had vacated. A strong hand reached out and caught Ryou's chin, forcing his eyes to look straight into Bakura's. It created a level of intimacy that Ryou was not used to, and he couldn't help blushing as the older boy continued. "Not only will you be giving Pegasus exactly what he wants, I don't believe that it will end with the safe return of your father. Pegasus is not a man to keep his word. Once he has what he wants, your father will become expendable."

Cold dread crept over Ryou, and he took a deep breath in an effort to keep himself from crying. He made no move to break away from Bakura's hold as he whispered pleadingly, "I can't just leave him there. He's my father. What else can I do?"

Bakura didn't say anything for a minute, but his touch grew gentler when Ryou shuddered. At last, he said, "Tomorrow morning, we will visit this wife of your father. Her reaction to me indicates that she knows a lot more about the history of the Millennium items than she's letting on. It's likely she's been withholding information from you on purpose. Sometimes all it takes for people to share is the right incentive." His lips quirked in a dangerous smirk.

Ryou considered this peace offering and after a moment of contemplation, decided that it would do. He didn't have to make a decision for another twenty or so hours, which meant that there would be plenty of time to question Samira. "Alright. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I just don't want you giving away the Ring just when I can finally use it," Bakura muttered, dropping his hand from Ryou's chin. He stood up and turned his back on Ryou as he walked out, leaving the younger boy completely alone in the kitchen with all of the dirty bowls, glasses, and utensils. Ryou sighed, but for the first time since he'd learned of his father's abduction, there was a small smile playing around his lips as he rose and began to gather the dirty dishes. Loathe as he was to admit it, perhaps Bakura wasn't a total bastard. Maybe... just maybe... there was a softer side to his yami after all.

GMA

Ignoring the fact that Mariku was right behind him, Malik opened the front door of the Kaiba mansion and stepped out into the cool night air. The Kaiba mansion was enormous, there was no question about that, but even a place that size could still feel like it was closing in on him. He didn't like the feeling of being trapped. Being able to escape at any moment was incredibly important to him. That was why he didn't feel too badly about closing the door in Mariku's face when the older boy made to follow him outside. It didn't do much good, of course, but the swearing coming from the other side as Mariku jerked the door open again made him smirk.

"Very cute, little hikari," Mariku told him. "It seems you have a lot more fire to you than I originally thought."

Malik shot the man an exasperated look. Was there nothing he could do that would make Mariku angry enough to piss off? Every slight, every shout, every glare – it only appeared to make Mariku that much more encouraged. He didn't understand that, and it was unnerving. "I have to call my sister," he said stiffly, pointedly turning away.

"Go ahead. I don't mind," the other boy retorted, leaning against the wall with a casual stretch. If he didn't know better, Malik would have thought that that had been Mariku's goal all along. Unfortunately, he did know better, and he scowled deeply as he turned his phone on, dialled the familiar number, and listened to it ring.

"Hello, Isis speaking."

"Nee-san!" Waves of relief flashed through him at the sound of her warm voice; a small part of him had been afraid that she wouldn't pick up. Malik sat down hard, clutching the phone to his ear. "It's me."

"Malik!" Ishizu's voice was filled with concern, and he could hear sounds that meant she was slipping off to a more private place so that the two of them could speak without worry of being overheard. Too bad there was no way that he could do the same. "Are you alright, my brother? I returned home this afternoon and saw that there were signs of a struggle in the apartment, but neither you nor Father were anywhere to be seen. No one was answering their phones, so I was concerned."

"I had it switched off, and Yuugi and Ryou probably did too," Malik admitted sheepishly, feeling guilty. "Things have been so hectic that I never even thought about calling you until now, Nee-san. I'm sorry."

Ishizu let out a quick, low breath. "It's alright. I'm just glad to know that you are alright. I'd even thought about calling a few of the hospitals in the area, but Yuugi's grandfather had assured me that he had heard from Yuugi. He said that you're staying with a friend?" To anyone else, she might have sounded casual, but Malik could hear the burning curiosity. A wry smile touched his lips.

"You remember Jou, don't you, Nee-san?" he asked.

"Of course. He was your friend when you were younger," she said, clearly relieved. "I didn't realize that you had made contact with him again, and that you were close enough to spend the night at his house. I had thought that maybe..." Abruptly, she trailed off for a moment. Silence rang down the line before Ishizu began to speak carefully. "Malik, when I was at the apartment, I happened to find a box on the floor with your name written on the top. I'm also told that you paid a visit to the museum earlier today."

Malik squirmed. "I might have picked the box up off your desk and taken it with me."

"Oh, Malik!" Ishizu groaned with frustration. "How many times have I told you that just because something has your name on it, that doesn't necessarily mean it's for you?"

"But it was for me," Malik pointed out. He shot a sour glance over his shoulder at Mariku. "Believe me, I've been trying to get away from that fact for the past several hours."

Ishizu didn't say anything for a moment. Then she sighed. "I take it you opened the box and took out the item inside."

"Err, yeah, I did," he confessed, taking a seat on the edge of the step. The marble was cold beneath his bottom, but he felt better when he was sitting. More centered.

"Be careful, little brother," Ishizu said seriously. "I had wanted to keep the Millennium Rod from you until I felt that you were ready. It comes with a great responsibility and can be dangerous to the inexperienced. There is no doubt in my mind that your yami will go to the lengths of the earth to protect you at all costs, but you will need to keep your wits about you. Do not make any foolish choices and above all, trust no one unless you are certain that they are on your side."

Now it was his turn to fall silent. Ishizu knew all about the Millennium Rod and the yamis, just like he'd suspected. The fact that she'd kept him in the dark about it stung. "I will, Nee-san. Listen, I have to go. The bars on my cell phone are going to die. But I'll plug it in and call you later."

"Alright. Be careful, Malik. I love you."

"Love you too," he mumbled, ending the call without waiting for her to say anything else. His phone actually still had about half the charge left, but he didn't care. He didn't want to speak to her anymore, not until he had time to get over the fact that she'd hidden so much from him. Otherwise, it would cause a fight, and he absolutely hated arguing with his sister. Just in case she tried to call him back, he turned his phone off and tucked it back into his pocket as Mariku sat down beside him. Malik shot him a wary glance but didn't bother to shuffle away. Instead, he pulled his knees closer to his chest and looked out over the grass.

"What did you say that your sister's name is?" Mariku asked after a moment.

"I didn't. It's Ishizu, but everyone knows her as Isis," Malik muttered, resting his chin on his knees. How could she have kept something so important from him? Because of her, he had been completely blindsided, and that wasn't a feeling that he enjoyed.

Mariku made a thoughtful sound at the name, but offered no other comment. He eyed Malik for several minutes as the two of them continued to sit in silence, but the younger boy either didn't notice or didn't care that he was being stared at. His violet eyes were distant, and it was clear that his mind was a hundred miles away. However, it would have been impossible for him to not notice when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders. Malik sputtered, his spine stiffening as the heavy weight settled, but before he could elbow Mariku in the ribs, a strong hand cupped his cheek, forcing him to look straight at Mariku as the older boy leaned in and kissed him.

The kiss was not sweet or soft, but harsh and demanding, with an edge of possessiveness. It was a rather short kiss, all things considered, but for Malik it seemed to last a lifetime and then some. Mariku's right arm kept him from squirming away too soon, and he was extremely aware of the feel of Mariku's hand against his cheek. He could feel shivers running down his spine, and that alarmed him to the point where he didn't feel bad in planting a fist in Mariku's stomach. His yami released him and Malik shot to his feet immediately, ignoring the pain that flared around his ribs. Staring down at Mariku, he unconsciously lifted one hand to his lips. That's when Mariku winked up at him and smirked, causing Malik to snap out of his daze and flee into the (relative) safety of the house.

GMA

Leaving behind the rest of his friends, Yuugi wandered into one of the many smaller sitting rooms that were located on the first floor of the Kaiba mansion and closed the door behind him. He knew that leaving Malik and Ryou alone with Mariku and Bakura had the potential to be a very bad thing, but he needed some time to himself to think about everything that had happened during the past week. It was bewildering and overwhelming, for lack of a better world. Reincarnation? Pharaohs? Magic? It sounded like something out of the fantasy manga that Rebecca used to try to push on him. There was a reason that Yuugi usually didn't read those kinds of stories; they were always about amazing adventures filled with strong, courageous people who had happy endings. Not like him at all.

Heaving a soft sigh, he sat down on the couch and looked with blank eyes at the television. Listlessly, he picked up the remote and turned it on, though that was more for the sound than because he really wanted to watch a show. He was tired, but every time he closed his eyes, he kept remembering what Tenno had told them about the Pharaoh and his uncle. Family wasn't always a good thing. Yuugi had learned that at a young age, when his father had gone out one morning and never returned after a car accident. His mother had tried her best for a good two or three years before the weight of being a single mother got to be too much for her. No matter how good and sweet he had tried to be for her, one day, she'd taken him to the hospital and just left him there. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could still see her red car driving away from him.

Why hadn't she just waited a little while longer and taken him to Mutou Sugoroku? What was pride when you were running away from your only child? Social Services had been forced to step in to deal with him at that point, and since Mutou Sugoroku had been on a dig in Egypt and out of contact for some time, Yuugi had been left with a foster family. It had been fine at first. He hadn't exactly liked the family, but as long as he pretended to be happy and cheerful, they had treated him well. Until he'd come home from school one day and found out that the whole family had gone missing. There had been no explanation for it. Just there one hour and gone the next. Yuugi had even been a suspect for a short while, but his youth and innocence had worked in his favour, and eventually the police dropped him as a suspect. Even now, no one knew what had happened to that family.

Following that, he'd been sent to an orphanage that had burned down in the middle of the night. Fortunately, not long after the fire, Sugoroku had returned from Egypt and been made aware of the situation. Because they were so anxious to place Yuugi, who had gotten the reputation of being 'cursed', the papers had been pushed through quickly and Yuugi had been with his grandfather within a month. Looking back, he considered it to be sheer luck that his grandfather had chosen to take him in, or who knows where he would have ended up? He liked living with his grandfather. Sugoroku never grew angry with him, and Yuugi didn't have to act cheerful or happy all the time; he knew that his grandfather would never kick him out, nor would the man ever disappear. Or at least... that's what Yuugi had thought, before he'd spoken to Sugoroku earlier that day.

Biting his lip at the reminder, Yuugi lowered his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. The point was, he could sympathize with the Pharaoh to some extent. Family could betray you sometimes. On some level, he could even get how Akhenaden could have held a grudge for so long. There were boys at his school who were like that, people who couldn't seem to let things go no matter what. Yet he didn't understand why it had to be them. Why not someone else who would actually want to a part of this fantasy story? He leaned his back against the couch and took a slow, deep breath, wondering why it had to be him, Ryou, and Malik.

Yet as much as that was frustrating him, what bothered him most about the whole situation was how Tenno made him feel. From the moment he'd first met Tenno in the park, he'd become aware of a pain in his chest. It was a small pain, a dull aching if you will, but it was always there. No matter what Yuugi did, he couldn't get rid of it... unless he was around Tenno. Only then, especially when they were touching, was the ache replaced by a true feeling of warmth and completion. A feeling unlike any other that Yuugi had ever experienced. He'd never even realized that he didn't feel whole until he knew what it was like, and he was worried that he was becoming addicted to it. People had the tendency to leave Yuugi, even friends like Jou. It had taken him years to trust that Ryou and Malik wouldn't vanish, and even now, especially with the news about his grandfather, sometimes he wondered if it was only a matter of time for them, too. What would he do if he let Tenno in and the man chose to disappear? How could he risk becoming close to anyone again?

The door creaked, disturbing him from his thoughts. Yuugi tensed and held back an annoyed sigh when he realized that someone else had entered the room. It likely wasn't Ryou, Jou or Malik, as they probably wouldn't have disturbed him, so he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew who it was. Silently, the person crossed the room and sat down on the couch beside him, and he could tell that it was Tenno by the way that he immediately felt better when a hand rested against his shoulders. The disappearance of the ache made the exhaustion hanging over him seem that much more apparent. He told himself quite firmly that that was the reason for which he didn't protest when Tenno gently reached out and guided Yuugi's body into a horizontal position, with his head in Tenno's lap.

That position was beyond embarrassing and also a little frightening in terms of intimacy, and really, Yuugi should have jumped up and stormed out at Tenno's nerve. But as strong fingers began to stroke through his hair in a reassuring pattern, he felt his body relaxing without his permission. It had been a long time since he'd been able to be with someone without worrying about forcing a cheerful smile onto his face, so even when he heard the door open for a second time, he remained still, his breathing slow and even. He could feel a pair of eyes studying him as the other person moved further into the room. Alarmingly, with Tenno's presence, he didn't feel worried or afraid even though his eyes were closed.

"He asleep?" a voice asked. Yuugi identified the person as Seto and relaxed further.

"Just about," Tenno replied, the steady movement of his hand never pausing. "I thought you went upstairs with Jou?"

"He's taking a shower. I already had one, so no, I'm not joining him, you pervert," the taller man said, sounding more amused than anything. "How do you think they took it?"

Tenno was silent for a minute. "It's hard to say. Probably about as well as I did after Pegasus visited me for the first time." His voice was grim and not particularly pleased. Clearly it wasn't a good memory. "Being pulled into the middle of a fight is not a positive feeling. Yuugi is deeply unsettled. I can feel it."

Yuugi wanted to sit up and snap at him. Tenno didn't know anything about him, so how could he presume to say that Yuugi was upset? He hated it when people talked about him like he wasn't even there, and he was contemplating opening his eyes and letting them know that he was awake, even if it meant he wouldn't get the chance to listen to their conversation. But then Tenno's hand moved from stroking his hair to rubbing gentle circles around his back, and all thoughts of sitting up vanished immediately. Somehow, the older boy knew exactly what to do to turn Yuugi into a pile of mush. His eyes fluttered and he found himself sighing softly.

"It's to be expected. Things would have gone over better if we had more insight into Pegasus. None of us really know what he's planning. I've been doing more research into him, and I've hired several private detectives to follow him, but there's still no indication for why he might want the Millennium items," said Seto. "He has the Millennium Eye, and I suspect that he may have found the Scale or the Key, but not even I or Isis can be certain. They're so damned hard to trace." He paused and then suddenly changed subjects. "You and him, all six of you really, you're targets, cousin. Be careful."

"Nothing will happen to our lights," Tenno said calmly. His voice had taken on a dangerous edge that would made Yuugi shudder if he had been more awake. As it was, he merely felt safe and protected. "But thank you for the warning, Seto. Keep looking as best you can. If this whole thing with Ryou's father isn't real, I suspect that it won't be long before Pegasus makes a move."

Seto didn't say anything else, and a minute later, his footsteps could be heard leaving the room, followed by the sound of the door closing. It would have been a good time for Yuugi to make his escape, but in spite of himself that was the last thing he felt like doing. Tenno's hand had never stopping moving during the conversation with Seto, and even now, it maintained a steady, soothing pace. The man's body was warm, and his lap was turning out to be a surprisingly comfortable place for a nap. Yuugi shifted slightly, trying to force himself back into some state of awareness. All the he ended up doing was making himself that much more comfortable.

"Shh," Tenno whispered. "Go to sleep, aibou."

And Yuugi did.

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