A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I am just having way too much fun with this story, I swear. I love throwing all of these twists and turns into it. Honestly, even I don't see some of them coming! A couple of people did mention that they felt not too much happened in the last chapter, and honestly, sometimes you just need a chapter like that to keep the story moving. Fortunately, this one is filled with things that (I think) are much more interesting. Enjoy!

Unlike Yuugi and Ryou, Malik was not alone when the world plunged into the darkness. He'd been standing in their classroom, listening with a less than patient expression as their teacher, Miyamoto, scolded him for not having completed any of his homework during the past few weeks. That, on top of the amount of school that he had missed, was more than enough to put him on her shit list, and she was clearly enjoying the chance to ream him out judging by the barely contained look of satisfaction in her eyes. Even though his friends were in the same boat that he was, Malik was the only one who had been singled out for her lecture. It wasn't really surprising, but it was really annoying.

"And another thing, Ishtar-san," she went on, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I can tell that you're not taking my classes seriously. You stare off into space all the time, distract the students around you, and are never prepared to answer a question when I ask you. You're consistently late, and I've noticed that you've missed more classes than you've attended. It sets a poor example for the other students in your class and reflects badly on you. If you don't start behaving more responsibly, I'm going to be forced to call your parents and explain exactly why you're being given detention for an undetermined amount of time."

Malik shot her an incredulous look, just barely choking back a laugh. At one time, a threat like that might have been cause for genuine concern. Hafiz would have been furious if he'd gotten a call from any teacher that suggested his son was being less than perfect, and it would have resulted in the beating of a lifetime. Now, the apartment was probably empty, as Isis had likely gone back to work against the doctor's orders, and the only thing that would happen if she bothered to call was endless ringing with no one to answer. Even if Isis were around, it's not as though she would penalize her brother in light of everything that had been gone. He'd never been the best student, but usually, he did at least try.

"Go ahead," he said, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and leaning back against the desk behind him. He knew that his casual stance was making her even angrier, and relished the thought. "My sister won't get home from work for a while, anyway."

Miyamoto's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then we'll just have to leave her a message, or call her at work," she said crisply, spinning away to face her desk. Before she could take more than a step, the whole world seemed to darken and mist over. A chill ran down his back and he shivered, unable to help the automatic gesture as the temperature in the room plummeted about ten degrees. The teacher drew back with a sharp, frightened shriek as the classroom vanished into an ugly black fog.

"Uh-oh," Malik muttered, unconsciously grabbing the Millennium Rod. It had been tucked into the waistband of his jeans, and he'd worn a shirt tugged down over top of it so that none of the teachers were able see it and make a big deal. The Rod pulsed as soon as his fingers curled around it, which was soothing, and he felt better as soon as it was in his hands. Unfortunately, Miyamoto chose that moment to turn around, and when she saw what he was holding onto, her eyes narrowed even further. She promptly forgot about the darkness in lieu of being able to scold him further.

"We do not allow weapons in this school, Ishtar-san," she said harshly, striding back over to him. Amazingly, she was completely focused on Malik and trying to take away the one weapon that they had between them. "I believe that warrants another month of detention and a definite call to your sister's place of work. I'll go visit her at the museum myself if I have to. Now, give that to me." She held a hand out expectantly and wiggled her fingers.

There were a lot of things that Malik could have said right then. First and foremost was a succinct "fuck you" that would have probably gotten him expelled on the spot, but it would've been oh-so-worth-it, so he wouldn't have cared. Second was a "no chance in hell", which probably would have yielded similar results to option one. For the sake of his sister's sanity, he went with option three and outright ignored the teacher. Miyamoto didn't seem to get the message. She actually growled low in her throat and lifted her hand, intending to grab the Rod. Malik jerked backwards instinctively when he saw her hand coming, his mind instinctively flashing back to another, much stronger hand coming in for a blow, and cringed as her fingers brushed against the Rod.

The only thing running through his mind was pleaseRanodon'thurtmeMarikuhelpme - and that seemed to be enough. The Millennium Rod lit up with a dull flash of light, and Miyamoto stopped moving instantly. Her fingers fell from the Rod and her eyes went dull and glassy as she stared off into space at something that no one else could see. Malik cautiously lowered his hands, which he'd thrown over his face for protection, and looked at her in confusion. He was half-expecting her to start yelling again, but she didn't. She didn't move at all, not even when he reached out and snapped his fingers in front of her face. Bewildered, he looked from the Rod to Miyamoto and back again, wondering what exactly the Rod had done to her.

"Hey, sensei, are you okay?" he asked nervously. She didn't answer and didn't move. Malik swore under his breath. "Fuck, Nee-chan is going to kill me. I've fried one of my teachers."

Helplessly, he looked around the dark, cloudy space. He would have given anything to have Isis walk out of the clouds. Hell, he would've gladly settled for Mariku - and he might have even been willing to let the pervert kiss him in return. That thought brought a blush to his cheeks as he shook his head quickly, knowing that it wasn't really the time to think about things like that. Instead, he turned his attention back to his teacher and started trying to wake her up. He tugged on her hand, clapped his hands in front of her face, shouted her name, and physically shook her. Miyamoto didn't make even the slightest effort to protect her body or stop him, but continued to stare forward with a vacant, almost lost expression.

"Fuck. Why won't you do something?" he yelled, finally losing his temper. "At least say something!"

"Something," Miyamoto repeated in a monotone voice.

Malik blinked and turned to stare at her. "What did you say?" he asked in disbelief. "Are you... mocking me?" Somehow, he doubted that. Miyamoto didn't seem to have much of a sense of humour. A nagging suspicion began to grow at the back of his mind, but he prayed he was wrong. Surely Mariku would have mentioned something like that... right?

"Sensei, sit down," Malik ordered. He watched in growing shock and horror as Miyamoto obediently folded her legs and sat down right where she stood. The fall must have hurt, as she landed straight on her ass, but no pain crossed her face. Slowly, he looked down at the Rod. "Oh my god... I'm controlling her mind," he whispered in realization.

His first instinct was to drop the Rod and get as far away from it as possible. Only the knowledge that a) the Rod was his only link to Mariku, and b) he would be totally helpless without it kept him from doing just that. Not to mention, he was fairly certain he needed the Rod to un-do whatever he had done to Miyamoto. As much as the woman annoyed him - and make no mistake, she was driving him crazy - he didn't want her to live out the rest of her days as a mindless drone. He shuddered at the thought.

"God, I hope Mariku knows how to reverse this," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Remind me to hurt him later for not telling me about this."

"Yes Master," Miyamoto intoned.

"You... what... Oh my god," he uttered again, more than just a little horrified. On the surface, the idea of controlling someone's mind sounded like a lot of fun. The reality, on the other hand, was nothing short of completely disturbing. He had the sneaking suspicion that he could have ordered her to do anything and she would have done so without blinking an eye.

"Look, stand up, okay?" Malik said. He tried not to grimace as she stood up as fast as she could. "Come on, let's go." When he turned to walk away and she didn't follow, he stopped and sighed. "Just... just follow me, alright? Stay close."

Miyamoto fell into step behind him, so close that she was nearly tripping him by stepping on the back of his shoes, but Malik was too aggravated to bother telling her off. He clutched the Rod tightly in his hands and looked around at the shadows. The expression on his face practically dared anyone to jump out of the shadows and attack them. There was no way for him to tell where they were going, and he supposed he was going to have to hope that they either found a way of the shadow world, or that Mariku had some way of finding him. And that they didn't run into something – or someone – in the meantime.

GMA

When the world darkened into the Shadow Realm, Yami couldn't really say that he was surprised. It had been some time since Pegasus's plans had worked, after all. As the students around him began freaking out and their teacher struggled to keep order, he closed his eyes and mentally reached out towards Yuugi and the magic of the Millennium Puzzle. The fact that he couldn't feel either one was alarming, and meant one or two things had happened. Either Yuugi had encountered powerful shadow magic that was acting as a barrier, or the hikari wasn't within the Shadow Realm at all. Yami wasn't sure which one he would have preferred, but he wasn't going to waste time finding out what had happened to his partner. He rose to his feet.

Seto had been watching his cousin, and the second Yami stood, he did as well. He spared a moment to glare disdainfully at one of his female classmates who had dissolved into tears before stepping closer to his cousin. Bakura and Mariku joined Yami at the same time, and the four of them shared a long look. No words needed to be spoken; all of them knew what they had to do. Silently, Seto reached out for his faithful companion, summoning his Duel Monster partner with ease. Surprise flowed down their link, followed by understanding and then raw determination that lit him from the inside out. A slow smile flashed across his face for barely a minute before it disappeared and he became serious once more.

Bakura, for his part, was not impressed in the slightest. His bond with Ryou hadn't progressed as far as the other two, but he could still feel the hikari's presence in his mind. He could tell that Ryou was frightened, and quite possibly in pain. The thought of someone or something touching what belonged to him made his blood boil, and the idea of tracking down the person responsible and torturing them slowly and painfully was the only thing keeping him by Yami's side. Well, that and the knowledge that running off into the Shadow Realm on his own would help no one. He was tied to the Ring and he would be able to find Ryou through that, and with the Ring, they could track down the other Millennium Items. And maybe even the person who had caused this. His smile was distinctively more evil than Seto's, and caused more than one of their classmates to faint on the spot.

Mariku was probably the least worried of the four. For the first time since his bond with Malik had matured, he let down the powerful mental shields that had been protecting his mind. Emotions that didn't belong to him flooded into his mind, and he knew that on the other end, Malik was probably being overwhelmed by what Mariku was feeling. It took him a moment to sort through what was being sent to him, and the most important thing he was able to pick out was the sense of magic. That's when he knew that Malik had successfully used the power of the Rod for the first time. In spite of the fact that the magic was accompanied by a distinct feeling of wanting to cause pain to Mariku, he couldn't help but be proud. And, okay, a little turned on. His feisty, fiery hikari was just too much sometimes.

"Alright, everyone calm down!" Their teacher's voice rang out, causing an instant – and eerie – silence to fall. She swept her gaze over the assemble students, looking faintly exasperated. "I want all of you to sit down on the… what passes for the floor and stay there while I go see what's going on. Anyone who moves is going to regret it, understood?"

"Dead woman walking," Bakura muttered, watching her turn and walk into the shadows. He was fairly certain that she would not be returning. Everyone inside of the school had been literally transported into the Shadow Realm... they were no longer on the same plane of existence as Earth. Duel Monsters were rampant inside of the Shadow Realm and the vast majority of them would see a human as a tasty snack. It wasn't safe for anyone who didn't possess shadow magic, and it was particularly dangerous for a hikari. His eyes darkened and he glanced at Yami. "Tell me you're not going to insist that we follow that idiot's orders?"

"I'm tired of following orders," Yami said shortly. "Seto, can you summon a monster to protect these students? I don't want to leave them here alone."

It took but a moment's thought for Seto to summon a creature. A low laugh sounded out from the shadows as a Duel Monster materialized out of thin air. Yami grimaced as he took in the unnaturally bright violet, green, and blue-patterned clothing. The face was painted with dark gray paint and had garish colors making up the eyes, nose, and mouth. Out of all of Seto's monsters, this was one of the ones that he disliked the most, for the clown's presence had never sat quite right with the reincarnated Pharaoh. He stepped quickly out of the way when the clown made a grab for his hair, nearly knocking into Bakura, whose resulting glare scared the clown off.

"Saggi the Dark Clown, you stay here and protect these children," Seto commanded, stopping Saggi's efforts to be annoying almost instantly. The clown clapped its hands together and bowed sharply to its master in response.

"Let's go," Mariku said impatiently, turning to walk away.

"Hang on! We can't just walk into the Shadow Realm without having a destination. Where are we going first?" As soon as he asked the question, Yami regretted it. Just from the looks on Bakura's and Mariku's faces, he knew there was going to be an issue. After all, all of them were yamis with missing hikaris; none of them were going to be keen on waiting. He was – unfortunately – right. Seto put a hand to his head after about two minutes of listening to the ensuing fight, keenly aware of the fact that the four of them had a very interested group of observers who were listening to every word.

"Enough," he bit out finally, glaring his three extremely annoying companions into a temporarily cowed silence. "I don't want to hear any more of it. Can you all sense your hikaris?"

"I can," said Mariku, an expression on his face that just might have been a pout had it belonged to someone else. "I can tell that he's using the magic of the Millennium Rod." A proud smirk replaced the pout.

"So can I," Bakura muttered. He sounded far less happy about that fact than Mariku did. "I think something's wrong."

"I can't feel Yuugi at all," Yami admitted, scowling.

Seto nodded, sorting things out quickly. "Alright. Yami, you and Bakura will go and find Ryou first. Bakura can lead you to him through the use of their bond. Once you find Ryou, you'll be able to find Yuugi using the Millennium Ring. It will take you right to the Puzzle. Mariku, you and I will go find Malik. Jou can sense me, so if he doesn't meet us there, he'll be close by." He looked at each of the three, practically daring them to argue with his plan. It was the best one that he could come up with on such short notice, particularly when a part of him chafed at the thought of letting Jou wander through the Shadow Realm without his presence. The blond had magic, but he had little practice in using it as anything other than a conductor.

"Alright," grumbled Yami after a long pause. Every part of him was screaming with the urge to track Yuugi down immediately, but he still couldn't sense his little one, and it would be foolhardy to go off into the Shadow Realm alone. Like it or not, he was the reincarnated Pharaoh, and there were some Duel Monsters who would recognize him as such. He could summon some protection even without the Puzzle, but there was no sense in inviting trouble. "Bakura, which way do we go first?"

Without saying a word, the white-haired yami spun on his heel and stalked off into the darkness. Yami rolled his eyes and followed, cursing softly under his breath. Seto watched the two of them go and resisted the urge to sigh before he looked back at Mariku, who was already moving off in the opposite direction. He lingered just long enough to make sure that Saggi was performing his job before he jogged after Mariku to catch up, leaving the rest of their curious, befuddled classmates behind with only a demented clown for protection.

GMA

"Ow, shit!" Jou swore for about the fifth time as he tripped and nearly landed on his face. He only just managed to catch his balance and felt a worried surge flood through him from Seto, who had no doubt caught the phantom pain from his faintly throbbing ankle. Rubbing a tired hand over his face, the pup wearily sent back a soothing pulse to calm his lover down and sighed. The Shadow Realm was a damned annoying place to be, and he'd never understood why the yamis and Seto had such an affinity for the place. It creeped him out, especially when he was trapped there alone.

Glancing around at the endless darkness, he let out another heavy sigh. He had been with his class when the Shadow Realm took over, but it had been fairly easy to slip away in the midst of the mayhem and chaos that had erupted .His main focus had been in making his way to Seto; he knew how dangerous the Shadow Realm could be. During the fight to rescue Shizuka and Mokuba when the two teens had been kidnapped, Pegasus had temporarily trapped him in the horrible space, and although he hadn't been there long, he'd dreaded the Realm ever since. His magic was strong, but he wasn't practiced with it.

"I hate this place," he muttered, wrapping his arms loosely around himself and cautiously taking another step. Seto was somewhere out there, and he wasn't experienced enough to pin down his boyfriend's exact location. Basically, he was just wandering in the general direction he knew Seto was in… and worse, yet, he wasn't alone. That feeling had been dogging him ever since he left the rest of his classmates. Something was watching him… and in the Shadow Realm, that something generally was not friendly.

Jou hated it when he was right.

It came from the side, and only instinct borne from years of having to dodge his father's unexpected blows enabled him to get out of the way. The burst of flames struck the ground where he had been standing as he twisted in the direction that they had come from. Jou had twp seconds to glimpse the sight of a creature – large, with fur and scales, and teeth – before his feet were swept out from underneath him. He hit the ground hard with a shocked gasp that drove all of the breath from his lungs. As the Duel Monster loomed over him, no doubt thinking he was easy prey, he felt anger bubbling up inside of him. And anger, as he'd learned from the best, was so, so easy with which to manipulate shadow magic.

The power came from somewhere deep inside. It was a feeling caught between a twist and a pull, and it drained him so quickly that it was actually fortunate he wasn't standing, or he likely would have fallen. A roar echoed around the endless space and the Duel Monster hovering over his body froze. It had about two seconds to absorb the fact that it was in serious trouble before the Red Eyes Black Dragon slammed into it, sending it tumbling head over heels into the shadows. When it failed to return, Jou groaned and sat up slowly. Pain flashed hotly all the way down his back and he grimaced, freezing in place, as the possessive dragon settled down beside him with an enquiring chirp.

"You did lovely," Jou said reassuringly, wincing. "Thank you for coming to help me."

With a soft sound that could only be described as a purr, Red Eyes Black Dragon loosely twined her tail around Jou's waist in an affectionate matter. He smiled and patted the scales gently, wondering how he had ended up with two dragons in his life. The heat radiating off of the scales helped with the cold, though, and before long he felt a little ready to continue on. He stood up cautiously and grimaced when his back protested violently. It was ironic to think that he'd never taken the time to appreciate how important his back was until he'd pulled a couple of muscles. How was he supposed to walk when just standing made his body beg for mercy?

As though sensing his plight, the Red Eyes Black Dragon rumbled and gently nudged him with her nose. When Jou glanced at her, she shifted and lowered her head beside him, then poked him pointedly with her tail. There was no point in pretending that he hadn't understood; he didn't think he'd ever gotten such an obvious invitation. Groaning and freezing every few seconds until the pain lessened, Jou slowly and awkwardly climbed onto her back, helped more than he wanted to admit by her tail, which practically lifted him up. He grabbed onto the edge of one of her scales and hunched his shoulders, realizing that if he leaned forward a little and rested most of his weight on his elbows, it helped. A little.

"Go slowly," he said, holding on tightly. "Take me to any one of my friends that's close." He was hoping for Seto, but he had the sense that the brunette was moving further away from him, not closer, and at that point he was willing to settle for anyone human.

The dragon rose to her feet, mindful of his slender weight. With a single flap of her powerful wings, they were airborne. A jolt of panic caused him to burrow down even further, even if it did cause his whole back to go into spasm. Red Eyes Black Dragon covered miles of the Shadow Realm in only a handful of seconds, and before long, Jou could sense what must have been drawing her attention. Magic, and not just shadow magic. His senses fizzled at the weird sensation, which was similar to his own magic, but more... pure. He instantly recognized it for what it was and sighed in relief. A hikari was close, though whether it was Yuugi, Ryou, or Malik, he wasn't sure. Not that it mattered. Wherever a hikari was, a yami was sure to follow, and probably some time soon.

"Go that way," he said out loud. "Thank you, Red Eyes Black Dragon."

She made another purring sound and her tail whipped lazily through the air as she picked up speed, then ducked sharply in a dive that left a good portion of his stomach behind. Jou swallowed his heart and the girly scream that threatened to escape as she abruptly leveled out and landed neatly on the ground... right in front of a few very familiar people. Mokuba and Shizuka reacted instinctively; both of them formed balls of shadow magic in their palms, but Yuugi just stared with outright fascination glowing in his violet eyes. He didn't appear to be frightened in the slightest.

"Stop!" Jou shouted, lifting his head. "Don't hurt her."

"Onii-chan?" Shizuka exclaimed, dropping her hands to her sides instantly. She looked bewildered. "What... What are you doing? Who is that?"

"This is my partner," he said, gently stroking the back of the dragon's neck. He felt a faint pulse of affection and smiled. It was weird to be feeling something other than Seto, but it felt right. "Her name is Red Eyes Black Dragon."

"Cool," Yuugi breathed, looking utterly enchanted by the sight of the massive dragon. He lifted his gaze to the boy sitting astride, the awe falling away to be replaced by fear. "Jou… Have you seen Yami?"

"No, sorry." Jou shook his head and watched with interest as Yuugi's face fell. He was surprised to see his friend showing so much emotion when it came to his yami. As far as he knew, Yuugi had been fighting the bond between him and Yami since the moment that the two of them had met, but something had clearly changed. Worry flashed into the blonds' face, and he shifted uneasily. "Has something happened?"

"Not that I know of," the hikari mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard. His hand rose and rested lightly on the Millennium Puzzle. "I… I can't… can't feel him."

"It's probably just the Shadow Realm interfering with your bond," Mokuba said encouragingly, exchanging a concerned look with Shizuka. Jou knew what they were thinking. Yuugi and Yami were close enough that they should have been able to sense one another now that they were both inside the Shadow Realm. Either something was deliberately blocking them - which should have been impossible - or something had happened to Yami. His gut clenched hard at the thought. It was times like this that he wished his bond with Seto was more advanced, like the one that the yamis and hikaris would someday share.

"I'm sure that's it," he said out loud, hoping that what he was thinking wasn't showing on his face. He needed to remain optimistic. "Come on. We'll go look for him right now."

"How can we find him?" A doubtful look crossed Yuugi's face.

"Red Eyes Black Dragon can sense magic," he replied, a shadow of pride flashing across his face. "She can even tell the difference between the shadow magic a Duel Monster would use and the shadow magic a yami would use. How do you think I found you three? Now, come on."

It took no more urging to get the three to scramble up beside him. Jou helped as best he could, even though the strain that it put on his back to pull Shizuka and Yuugi up nearly made him pass out. He blinked back spots of black and wrapped an arm around Shizuka's waist to help her sit down. She cast him a hesitant glance, followed by a tentative smile. There was no way he would be able to smile through the pain, so he settled for patting her on the shoulder, and felt a little better when the affectionate touch went a long way towards erasing the worried shadow in her eyes.

"Everybody ready?" he asked. Receiving affirmative nods and mumbles of agreement, he leaned forward again, clenching his teeth against the persistent pain as his back muscles went into spasm, and whispered, "Let's go, Red Eyes Black Dragon."

GMA

"What's the matter, chibi?" The Duel Monster took a step forward, bringing her close enough to Ryou that the edge of her robe brushed against his legs. He flinched. "I saved your life again, you know. That's about twenty packs of pocky you owe me."

Ryou just blinked at her, too amazed to reply. His first thought had been that someone was playing a cruel joke by taking on the face of his beloved sister, but… the nickname was one that only Amane had ever used, and one of their favorite jokes when they were children was that Amane always had to save his life and keep him out of trouble. She'd demand pocky as a repayment, and he used to pretend to get angry over the fact that his life was only worth one box of pocky. No one else would have known that. Could it be…?

"A-Amane?" he whispered again, suddenly feeling faint.

"Don't faint on me, okay?" she said, anticipating what might happen. "I've got some things you need to know."

"I thought you were dead," Ryou said numbly. His fingers twitched with the urge to reach out and touch her, but he refrained, just in case it really was an illusion.

A small, sad smile curved her lips. "I am dead, Ryou. Living people don't get to be Duel Monsters, you know." She started to reach out towards him and then stopped when he pulled back. "I died years ago, but I've been watching over you ever since then."

"What… I don't… How…" He took a deep breath. His head was spinning. "What?"

She sighed. "Most people just go on to the next step when they die," she said patiently. "But like the other guardians you met, I existed in Egypt, and I had... have… shadow magic. I also didn't want to leave you once I found out what your future would be like. When I refused to move on, I was given the option of becoming a Duel Monster and residing in the Shadow Realm so that I could watch over you. I'm your partner monster, chibi. Lovely to meet you again."

For a couple of minutes, Ryou just stared down at the hand she had extended to him, his mind working furiously in an effort to understand what he'd just been told. Amane was alive. Sort of. She lived in the Shadow Realm… he vaguely remembered hearing the yamis talk about that place in connection to the Millennium Items, but he hadn't paid much attention at the time. And she was a Duel Monster now, which meant… What? He looked up at her, at her warm smile, and felt like his heart was being squeezed. Who cared? His sister was alive!

"Nee-chan!" The affectionate name fell from his lips as he lunged forward, bypassing her hand to throw his arms around her waist. Amane stumbled back a step with a gasp, but caught her balance with a quick flutter of her wings. She looked down at the top of his head as he clung to her, and her eyes softened as his shoulders trembled with tears. Gently, she stroked her hand through his hair and spoke.

"Don't worry my chibi. Nee-chan's here. Nothing will be able to hurt you now. Nee-chan will take care of everything, I promise."

Still clutching desperately at her waist, Ryou nodded with a muffled sob.

He never noticed the way her right eye flashed red.

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