A/N: I'm grateful for the reviews I got last chapter, 'cause I get the feeling I'm not going to be loved much after this one. Just know that writing that scene (you'll know what one I'm talking about when you get there) was horrifying and I felt a bit ashamed afterwards. I've never wished Yuugi was real more, if only so I could give him a big hug. Enjoy!
To say that things in the Kaiba mansion were tense was an understatement, Malik decided, glancing nervously around the living room. What remained of their group - Mariku, Malik, Seto, Jou, Shizuka, Mokuba, Honda, Otogi, Anzu, Bakura, Ryou, Rishid, Shadi, and Isis - had assembled in the living room with the intention of figuring out what their next move should be, but even though a good fifteen minutes passed, no one had spoken yet. All eyes were fixed on the worn cardboard box that was sitting innocently on the coffee table. It had clearly seen better days, and from the looks of it, was just barely holding itself together, as the weight of the golden puzzle pieces inside were threatening to tear it apart entirely. Malik wondered if the others, like him, were wondering what had happened to Yami. Was he really trapped in there? Did he know what had happened?
"Hopefully not," Isis said quietly, her voice filled with horror at the thought. Malik jumped, realizing that he must have unintentionally spoken out loud. His sister was sitting on the chair just across from him, and her presence was comforting. Having both her and Mariku in the room was soothing and made him feel safe, not that Malik would ever be willing to admit that out loud.
"But he might be?" Ryou asked nervously, clutching Bakura's unwounded arm tightly. It had been against Seto's better judgement to allow both Bakura and Jou to come downstairs so soon, but the two of them had been so insistent that the brunette had finally given up.
"No one knows," Rishid murmured, speaking for the first time since he had entered the Kaiba mansion. He was standing behind the chair that Isis was sitting in, his arms folded across his chest. Shadi stood next to him. "This has never happened before."
"What do we do, then?"
"We need to get Yuugi-san back." Surprisingly, it was Shizuka who ended up cutting straight to the heart of the matter. She was sitting on the couch in between Jou and Mokuba. Her face was filled with determination and her eyes blazed with ferocity as she added, "It doesn't matter what's going on in there. We're just torturing ourselves. Even if it's hard, we have to forget about Yami-san for the time being and focus on saving Yuugi-san. He's the only one with the power to save Yami-san. No one else can solve the Puzzle."
"You're right," said Jou, giving his little sister a proud smile. Somewhere along the way, Shizuka had grown up without giving him the time to even realize it. He couldn't help feeling sad at the knowledge that he hadn't been there to watch the process happen, but he was filled with pride at the young woman that she had become. Shizuka winked back at him.
"But we don't know where Yuugi is," Malik pointed out, shifting uneasily. He hadn't encountered Maiden of the Moonlight personally yet, and he had no desire to. She had given off the feeling of being as cold as ice during their encounter in the Shadow Realm, and just being near her had made every bone in his body ache. Yuugi had been afraid of her, and he and Ryou hadn't understood why until yesterday. Now he understood all too well. "Maiden of the Moonlight could have taken him anymore."
A young maid came to the door of the room just as he finished speaking. If she found it odd that Malik was talking about a Duel Monster like it was real, she gave no indication of it. "Kaiba-sama," she said with a polite bow. "I apologize for interrupting when you requested that you not be bothered, but... there is a package here for you. The man at the door says he will only deliver it into either you or Tenno-sama, and that if one of you doesn't come to meet him, he's going to push his way inside of the mansion to find you. He says the package will be of great interest to you." She straightened, revealing her face, which was pale and drawn with fright. "I believe he has a gun, Kaiba-sama. Shall I call security?"
"No." Seto's jaw tightened and his blue eyes flashed. He didn't have time for this kind of bullshit, not with everything else that was going on. Normally he would have just called security to handle it, but instinct told him that the timing was no coincidence. Patting Mokuba's arm reassuringly, he stood up and followed her out of the room. Jou followed his lover's progress with worried eyes, but made no move to get up, knowing that Seto would be furious if he put himself in danger when he couldn't really defend himself. Surprisingly, Mariku glanced at him and then sighed loudly before he too got up and, shoving his hands into his pockets, trailed after Seto muttering under his breath about priests. Malik smiled after his yami.
"To get back on topic, we believe that Maiden of the Moonlight would have taken the Pharaoh's hikari back to Pegasus," said Rishid. "That's what makes the most sense. She might not have the Millennium Puzzle, but the boy is a bargaining tool for Pegasus to attempt to use against us, especially if they know that the Pharaoh has been trapped in the shattered puzzle." He swept his eyes over the assembled group and he raised an eyebrow in question. "Does she know?"
No one spoke for several seconds as Malik, Anzu and Ryou tried to remember the final few minutes of the fight. Finally, Ryou said softly, "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that she disappeared as soon as her spell hit the puzzle. Or at least, that's what it looked like."
"Then we have a slight advantage," Rishid concluded with a satisfied nod. "Pegasus will be making an attempt to barter with Yami, but we'll be able to be more clear-headed about this in his place."
Malik narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean, more clear-headed?" he asked suspiciously, not liking the way that Rishid had said that. It sounded far too much like Isis did right before she said or did something that was meant to be in his better interests.
Rishid glanced at him. His green eyes were intent. "It may be that we won't be able to rescue the boy for some time."
"What?" Anzu exclaimed. Up until that moment, she had been standing silently in the corner beside Honda and Otogi. Now, she stepped forward, brown hair swinging around her shoulders, and planted her hands on her hips. "Now you listen to me, Yamada Rishid! I've put up with a lot of shit from you two in the past couple of years." Her angry glare included a disinterested Shadi. "I never complained because it was for Yami-san's sake, and as long as were helping him, that was fine and I could live with it. But this... this is just going too damn far. Yami-san would never approve of this and you know it! Besides, Yuugi is the Pharaoh's light. He's the only one who can rescue Yami. How can you even think about leaving him with Pegasus?"
Shadi looked up. The Millennium Key hung loosely from his fingers like a promise - or a warning. "Where the Pharaoh is, he is safe," he stated in a monotone. "No one can hurt him, we know where he is at all times, and more importantly, he is out of the reach of any Duel Monsters or Pegasus for that exact reason. Having the boy solve the puzzle too soon could prove disadvantageous."
Anzu's mouth dropped open. "Are you suggesting that you're going to leave Yami trapped in the puzzle?" she shrieked.
Fortunately, Seto and Mariku entered at that moment just in time to hear Anzu's words. Seto's head snapped up, the package he was holding forgotten, and he was speaking before anyone else had the chance to react. "What's that?"
"They want to leave Yami-san in the puzzle," Anzu cried, spinning to face him immediately. She might have been a little wary of Seto, as she still felt that the older brunette didn't like her, but she knew that when it came to Yami, Seto held nothing back. "They said that we might not have to bother saving Yuugi right away because we don't need to solve the puzzle and help Yami-san. It's apparently safer inside the puzzle instead of out here, where someone could attack him."
A dangerous look crossed Seto's face. "I allowed you two to come here because you said you could help," he stated coldly. "But if this is the kind of help you're going to provide, I'll call security to have you escorted out." He held up a silencing hand before Rishid could speak. "Regardless of whether Yami is safer in the puzzle - and I disagree that he is - I will not leave my cousin there any longer than absolutely necessary. You seem to forget that with Yami gone, I am the one in charge, and I say that we are going to find Yuugi and we are going to save him so that he can put the Millennium Puzzle back together and free his darkness." His blue eyes were glowing with fury. "Do you understand me?"
"You are being foolish." Rishid folded his arms, clearly not concerned with the fury radiating off of the younger boy. "Do not get ahead of yourself, Priest."
"Don't talk to me about getting ahead of myself," Seto snapped back, tucking the package beneath his arm. Mariku edged closer to him and folded his arms in a position that mimicked his brother's stance perfectly. Bakura rose from where he'd been sitting beside Ryou and stood on Seto's other side. The meaning was clear, and even Rishid seemed a little off-balanced with all three boys staring him down. "You're the ones making decisions that you have no right to make. I think you've been meddling behind the scenes for so long that you mistakenly believe you're in control of the situation. Let me assure you that is not the case." Every word was clipped with an icy rage.
"Really, Aniki," said Mariku. There was an underlying current of anger beneath his jovial tone. Malik shivered. "Did you honestly think we would agree to this?"
"I had hoped you would see reason," Rishid admitted. "Mariku, try to understand where we're coming from. As long as we protect the puzzle, the Pharaoh is safe inside of it. No one can hurt him there." He softened slightly. "If you wish to retrieve the boy so badly, then I suppose we could come to an agreement about that, but – "
"But nothing!" Bakura cut him off with a low growl. He might have been wounded, but there was no doubt in Malik's mind that he would have been willing to fight Rishid and Shadi if necessary.
"I have to agree." Isis's voice put an end to whatever Rishid had been about to say. She stood up and turned to face the man, looking at him sternly. "You claim that Yami is safe inside of the Millennium Puzzle, but you can't know what's happening to him in there," she pointed out. "For all you know, he has no idea what's going on. Secondly, I believe that you're forgetting that while Yami is the reincarnation of the Pharaoh, he is not the Pharaoh. He's a seventeen-year-old boy who has been trying very hard to keep up with all of the demands we've been placing on his shoulders. I think he's been succeeding remarkably considering that none of us have been listening to what him." One of her hands settled on her hip and she scowled. "You know that he would want us to rescue Yuugi immediately, Rishid. Yuugi means everything to him."
Neither Shadi nor Rishid seemed to be able to find an argument for that, but Rishid gave it one last try. "Sometimes the Pharaoh doesn't know what's best for him," he replied. "That's why he has advisors to act in his best interest!"
Malik stiffened. That was hitting a little too close to home for him to remain silent. "Regardless of whether you're an advisor, and I'm not sure Yami would consider you to be one since he barely knows you, his word is still law. Either he's the Pharaoh or he's not. You can't have it both ways!"
"If you don't want to help, you're free to leave," Seto declared. "But the plan is for us to rescue Yuugi so that he can solve the Millennium Puzzle and free Yami, and we're doing it now. It's up to you."
Shadi murmured something under his breath, too softly for Malik to hear, but judging by the way Honda and Otogi stiffened, it hadn't been a polite comment. The man stepped away from the wall and strode towards the door. "I will leave you to it," he said over his shoulder. "But you are making a grave mistake, young priest."
Seto just shook his head as Rishid hesitated, but ultimately followed Shadi after one last look at Mariku. He didn't look sorry that Shadi and Rishid were both leaving. As he sat back down on the couch beside Mokuba, Bakura eased himself down next to Ryou, and Mariku came to sit beside Malik. Or at least, that's what Malik thought he was doing. A startled squeak escaped his mouth when he felt himself being unceremoniously yanked onto the warm lap of his yami. His first instinct was to struggle, but then he felt Mariku's arms wrap around his waist and clutch at him tightly to stop or hide the slight tremors. It occurred to him that Mariku had just stood up to his brother - the one person who had always cared for him - and sympathy flashed through him, stronger than the urge to squirm away. He laid his hands over Mariku's without saying a word.
"How are we going to do this?" Ryou asked, breaking the silence that had fallen from their departures. "Let's say that Yuugi is with Pegasus. How will we get to him? Doesn't he live on an island?"
"Yeah, he does," said Otogi, fiddling with his dice earrings. "I've been there before when we had to have business meetings. Pegasus hardly ever leaves so everyone who wants to deal with him has to go there. It's a pretty reclusive place, out in the middle of no where, and he wouldn't even let me take my own transportation. He sent a helicopter to pick me up and refused to let me know exactly where we would be going." A look of grudging respect passed over his face. "You'll have a hard time tracking him down, and even if you manage to find out where the island is located, it will be difficult to get there without being noticed."
"I don't think we'll have to," Mokuba muttered. Unnoticed by the others, Seto had unwrapped the package and opened it. Inside, he had found several brightly coloured pieces of stiff paper that looked a little like tickets, along with a DVD. A small note on top of the tickets read, "To Kaiba-boy. Love always, Pegasus." Seto growled low in his throat and balled the note up.
"He sent us a package?" Jou said in disbelief, looking at the innocent cardboard box with the kind of wariness you'd usually reserve for a bomb. "Does he think this is some kind of joke?"
"Probably," Otogi told him. "From what I've seen, Pegasus thinks everything is a joke."
Shizuka stood up and took the DVD from Seto. She walked across the room to the television and turned it on, then placed the disc inside of the DVD player. Malik grabbed the remote and put the volume up. The screen went gray with fuzz for a moment or two before snapping into perfect clarity, revealing a large bedroom decorated sparsely in stark white. A large bed, the only piece of furniture, was in the middle of the room, close enough to two windows for the occupant to be able to look out, except that the windows were covered with iron bars. He shuddered, cringing back against Mariku at the sight of the person on the bed. It was Yuugi, his eyes closed and his skin almost as pale as the white sheets he was lying on. One of his wrists had a thick steel band around it, tying him to the headboard of the bed and thus preventing him from escaping.
The direction of the camera turned slightly, focusing on a tall, slender man with shining silver hair. Just visible behind the curtain of hair was the golden eye embedded deeply into his left eye socket. He was grinning broadly, no doubt imagining their reaction to the sight of their friend. "Good evening," he purred with a deep, reverent bow. "As you can see, your dear little friend has been making the most of my humble accommodations. He has been a most pleasant house guest. Does whatever I ask of him."
"Yuugi…" Ryou whispered, horrified.
"I imagine you're wondering why I've sent you this message," Pegasus went on, straightening from his bow. "You have something that I want, and I have something that you want, so I'm proposing a trade. Bring those two little hikaris with you to the island." Was it Malik's imagination, or was Pegasus actually staring at him and Ryou? "You give me the Millennium Ring and the Millennium Rod. We'll allow Yuugi-boy to complete the Puzzle, and then I'll set him free. I'll even let the Pharaoh go. You'll leave the Millennium Items behind and I allow you to leave alive." His smile became cruel.
Bakura swore. "He knows."
"If you decide that you don't want to accept my offer, then I'll kill your friend." He shrugged. "Eventually the Pharaoh's light would be reborn, and in the meantime, the power of six Millennium Items would still be enough to give me the power I want. And just so you know that I'm not joking…" Pegasus spun and the camera followed him, revealing that there was someone else in the room.
Isis stiffened and Malik dug his nails into Mariku's wrists, both of them barely containing the gasps that wanted to escape at the sight of the man standing in the corner of the room. The deep brown hair and cold blue eyes were so familiar to Malik, and he knew he'd never forget the way they had looked coming at him filled with rage. His father. What was Ishtar Hafiz doing with Pegasus? He'd known that the fight with his father was far from over, but he had never expected this.
"Please," Pegasus said with a smirk.
"My pleasure," Hafiz replied. He looked straight into the camera and smiled cruelly as he showed off the device he held in his hand. It was a small, slender silver box that looked a little like a lighter, except when he flipped the top up, there was a tiny red button instead of a flame. With obvious pleasure, Hafiz pressed the button. The results were immediate.
Yuugi's body arched up off of the bed, his lips parting to release a horrifying scream. He thrashed uselessly, struggling to escape the pain. Ryou cried out, his hand flying to his mouth at the sight. Bakura grabbed his hikari and forced Ryou to look away, pressing the boy's face against his shoulder as Ryou shook with horrified sobs. Shizuka's hands flew to her eyes, though she made herself watch between her fingers. Anzu watched in silence, tears running down her cheeks. Otogi reached out and grabbed Honda's hand tightly; his taller lover gritted his teeth, disgusted by the sight. Isis closed her eyes as though she couldn't bear to watch any longer. Jou shook with barely suppressed rage, and it was only Mokuba's tight hold on him that stopped him from jumping up. Seto watched with a barely composed expression, and only someone who knew him well would be able to see the twitch in his jaw as he fought for control. Malik just trembled, barely conscious of the fact that Mariku was almost suffocating him with the force of his grip.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, it ended. Yuugi slumped back against the bed, his breath coming in shaky, uneven gasps. Hafiz stepped closer to the bed and looked down at the smaller boy, leering in a way that made Malik's blood run cold. Violet eyes flickered open and a whimper caught in Yuugi's throat when he saw the older man. He tried to scramble away, but the chain prevented him from getting very far. Pegasus just smiled and looked back at the camera.
"It's your choice," he said cheerfully. "If you want to save your friend, then I suggest you be at the marina at 8:00am Sunday morning. My boat, the Cynthia, will be waiting there for you. Those without a ticket will not be allowed on board. Make sure the two little hikaris are there, otherwise I know my dear friend would love the opportunity to have some fun…" He trailed off for a moment, allowing the full horror of that statement to sink in, before he lifted a hand and wiggled his fingers. "Ta ta for now, Kaiba-boy."
The screen went blank and a moment later, the DVD player automatically ejected the disk. Silently, Shizuka reached out and picked it up with shaking fingers. She dropped it back into the box that Seto was holding and then picked up the tickets, sliding them through her fingers. At last, she looked up and said, "There's only eight of them."
"We'll have to decide who stays and who goes." Numbly, Seto took the tickets from her. He couldn't think about what they had just watched or he would lose it. This was easier to worry about.
"Shizuka and I can come, right?" Mokuba asked, snapping out of his shock and narrowing his eyes at his brother.
"No," Jou and Seto said together.
"But we have to!"
"Enough." Seto levelled a look at his brother that allowed for no arguments. After what he had just seen, there was no way in hell that he was going to allow the two younger teens to come. "I don't care if you're a guardian or not. The answer is no and that's final. There's a ticket for me, Jou, Ryou, Bakura, Malik, and Mariku. The two that are left over will go to someone older than you two."
"I'll go," Isis said quietly. Her face was calm, but there was turmoil in her eyes. "Anzu-san, I think you should come, too."
"Me?" Anzu looked up, astonished. "But - "
"I think someone else should be chosen," Jou interrupted, not looking at Anzu.
Anzu bit her lip.
"I'll go," said Honda, squeezing Otogi's hand gently. "Anzu-chan and Otogi can stay here with Shizuka and Mokuba."
"Fine." As far as Seto was concerned, the matter was closed. He stood up, ignoring the puppy eyes he was receiving from Mokuba and Shizuka, and helped Jou to his feet. The two of them walked out of the room with the package and tickets in hand, followed by Honda and Otogi. Scowling, Mokuba jumped up and stormed out with a worried-looking Shizuka on his heels. Isis cast a concerned look in the direction of her brother before she crossed the room to Anzu and spoke to the younger girl in low tones. After a moment, Anzu nodded and the two of them left together.
Malik hadn't really been paying attention to the discussion, so he nearly had a panic attack when the tight grip around his waist eased and he felt hands gripping his hips. Mariku physically lifted him and turned him around so that they were facing each other. There was such naked concern in his yami's eyes that he had to look away - or at least, he tried. One of Mariku's hands cupped his face and forced him to make eye contact. Even when he struggled, Mariku still refused to release him.
"Let go!" Malik hissed.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Kitten," Mariku told him, ignoring the command. "I felt your fear when he showed up on the screen. Your father can't hurt you anymore. I'll protect you." His voice was low and soothing, and it was accompanied by a pulse of warmth across their bond. Malik stopped fighting and squeezed his eyes shut, realizing that he'd forgotten about that.
"You're spying on me," he said shakily.
Mariku just chuckled and kissed him on the forehead, then both cheeks, the tip of his nose, and then finally, on the mouth. The gentle contact broke the last of Malik's resistance, and in spite of his best efforts, he felt the tears beginning to fall and could do nothing to stop it. He buried his face in Mariku's shoulder, his body shaking with the force of his sobs. Gentle hands stroked his hair comfortingly, and it was just as well that Malik wasn't looking, because he probably wouldn't have felt very comforted by the expression of pure rage that flashed across Mariku's face.
GMA
As the pain slowly left his aching body and Hafiz retreated, Yuugi slumped back against the sheets and gasped for breath that didn't want to come. Every time that button was pressed, it felt as though someone was sliding a hundred boiling hot knives into his flesh, and somehow each time managed to be worse than the last. His muscles no longer wanted to obey him, and he could feel himself shaking uncontrollably from the after effects. It was so, so tempting to just close his eyes and slip away into the comforting darkness that reminded him of Yami, but he managed to force his eyes open and look in the direction of Pegasus, hoping for the chance to get some sort of message to his friends.
Unfortunately, Pegasus had already had the camera switched off. He turned in the direction of Hafiz with an expression on his face like that of an eager puppy. "Was that alright, yami?" he asked anxiously.
Yuugi blinked, his eyes wide with astonishment. Yami? Was there more to the relationship between Pegasus and Malik's father than he'd realized? He'd recognized Hafiz the moment the man had entered the room, even though he hadn't seen him more than a handful of times before. Malik had always gone out of his way to keep Yuugi and Ryou away from his father, and having seen the cruel pleasure in Hafiz's eyes as he watched Yuugi writhe in pain, he could understand why.
"You did well," Hafiz said, pulling Yuugi from his thoughts. "There's no way those brats will risk not coming. They'll be here within a few days, and then we can finally get the Millennium Items from them." His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Pegasus nodded as a dreamy look came into his eyes. "And then I'll be able to see Cynthia again, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, whatever," muttered Hafiz, turning back to Yuugi. He seemed to enjoy the way that Yuugi flinched the second he realized Hafiz's attention had returned. A smirk spread across his face as he advanced again and reached out, sliding one finger tauntingly down Yuugi's stomach. "You're a pretty little thing," he observed.
"What are you doing?" Pegasus's voice was sharp, with none of the childishness that had been present seconds before. He took a step forward and reached out to grip Hafiz's wrist, pulling his hand away from Yuugi. "You already scared them enough into coming. There's no need to keep pretending. We made a deal, yami."
"They'll want him back no matter what condition he's in. Look, let me worry about this. You just think about getting Cynthia back." The word 'Cynthia' was almost like a magic trigger. Pegasus's shoulders slumped as the tension left his body and he nodded happily, allowing Hafiz to guide him to the door. Yuugi shivered as the two of them went out together and remained tense for several minutes, half-afraid that Hafiz would return. When the man didn't, he gradually relaxed.
After a few minutes, the door did open again, but it was only the tall woman with long, curly blonde hair who had been taking care of him since he arrived. She hadn't spoken to him, and her manner was always brisk, though kind. Today she walked over to him silently and, as though she knew that he was in a lot of pain, she removed the cuff from his wrist and helped him to sit up. Yuugi leaned against the pillows and examined the skin on his wrist, which had turned bright red and was rubbed raw from all of his thrashing. It stung when he moved his hand and he winced. The woman sat down beside him with a white box on her lap.
"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly. Startled by the fact that she had actually spoken, he nodded hesitantly. She removed a jar of ointment from the white box, unscrewed the top, and scooped a small portion of it onto her fingers. Gently, she began to massage it into the injured skin. Much to Yuugi's amazement, the burning pain began to diminish immediately, and he found himself wishing that he had enough for his whole body. Apparently, she knew what he was thinking, because she shot him a bitter smile. "Sorry, kiddo. If I had enough, I'd rub it everywhere, but they'll take it away if they realize that I've been helping you too much."
"Who are you?" Yuugi blurted out, blinking back the tears that had welled up in his eyes. She was the first person who had been kind to him since Maiden of the Moonlight had kidnapped him, and it was affecting him more than he'd expected. Her voice was older than he would have thought, and she had a way of moving that seemed kind of familiar, though he couldn't place where it had come from.
She paused a moment and reached out to brush a stray gold bang off of his forehead before she spoke. "It's nice to meet you, Yuugi-kun," she said with a sad smile. "My name is Kujaku Mai."
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