A/N: I love the reviews you guys send in! You're all so wonderful. I should warn you that this chapter may be upsetting you're tender-hearted like I am. I nearly made myself cry while writing the end (there are times when I stop and wonder if I'm too attached to these characters… and then I just scold myself for such crazy thinking) and I hope it affects all you just as deeply! Enjoy!
Rebecca Hawkins tucked a few strands of her golden hair behind her ear and shifted restlessly. Hospital chairs weren't designed to be especially comfortable to begin with, but sitting in one for hours on end wasn't helping. She watched in silence as the nurse that had just entered Mutou Sugoroku's room checked the machines monitoring the man's health and made notes on the clipboard. Her eyes narrowed slightly as the nurse shot Rebecca a grim, sympathetic smile and backed out of the room. On the way out, she snagged the sleeve of a passing doctor and, seconds later, whispering filled the room.
"Who is that little girl?"
"Friend of the family, I think."
"Oh, good. I thought maybe she was a family member, but if she'd just a friend, then next time I'm going to ask her to leave me alone to do the check-up. She gives me the creeps. All she does is sit there and stare at me. It's like she's waiting for me to make a mistake."
"Just use your discretion. Maybe talk to her grandfather first. I heard he's a friend of the patient and that's why she's here all time."
"Yeah, but I mean, it's so weird, you know? What normal little girl wants to spend all her time in the hospital? She comes in as soon as visiting hours begin and she stays there all day, not even leaving for food. Something's not right with this family, I'm telling you… I'd never allow my daughter or my granddaughter to sit there for hours on end. Kids should be outside playing…"
Rebecca scowled and rolled her eyes as the gossiping voices gradually faded into the obscurity of hospital noise. Cowards, the lot of them! No wonder she had to remain behind and watch over Sugoroku; gods knew what would happen to the man if he was left to the mercy of the hospital workers. Granted, it wasn't the best job in the world: she was missing several days of college to be there, though she'd already caught up on the work, and it was hard sitting in the hard chair four hours. She grimaced as a cramp began in her left thigh and shifted again, trying in vain to find a position that was more comfortable.
A knock at the door made her stiffen. All thoughts of comfort fled and her partner was halfway summoned before she realized who it was. "Hello Grandfather," she greeted, relaxing minutely.
"Good evening, Rebecca. I'm sorry I'm so late, but time got away from me. At least there's an hour or two of visiting time left." Arthur entered the room and slipped his coat off as he gave his old friend a cursory glance. Noting that nothing had changed, he turned back at Rebecca. "One of the nurses has been complaining to me, Rebecca. She says that when she comes in to tend to Sugoroku you make it very difficult for her to do her job. Is that true?"
"I don't say anything to them," Rebecca said, which was true enough. Quite a lot could be understood with just a well-intentioned glare.
Arthur sighed and took off his hat. He looked a little lost. "Why are you still here? I know that you like Yuugi and that you want to watch over his grandfather for him while he's away, but this is getting out of hand. You've been here for days. It's not healthy and to be honest I'm starting to get a little concerned."
"You wouldn't understand." Also true. Rebecca had never explained her role as a guardian to the Pharaoh's hikari, preferring instead to let her grandfather think that her interest in Yuugi was purely romantic. She knew that as much he let her get away with, this was one area where he would have put his foot down and refused to let her continue, no matter the cost to his oldest and dearest friend. He'd always been a bit overprotective that way. "It won't be for much longer. He'll be awake soon."
"And you plan to stay here until he does," he said. Though it wasn't a question, Rebecca still nodded, and he sighed, taking a seat on the other uncomfortable chair that was right beside hers. "You know, Rebecca, I had heard Sugoroku mention that he thought his grandson had found a boyfriend."
Rebecca stiffened a little at the mention of Yami. She wasn't stupid; she'd been contracted to protect the Pharaoh's hikari. That pretty much said it all right there about the chances of any future relationship she and Yuugi might have. T Pharaoh was notoriously possessive - even she could remember that much - and the likelihood that he would ever allow Yuugi to indulge in a relationship with someone other than himself was about zero. But that didn't mean she had to like it, and she refused to give up just in case Yuugi ever decided he might be interested after all.
"I know," she said sulkily when she realized that he was waiting for a reply. Arthur eyed his granddaughter and - wisely - decided to let the subject drop for the time being. The two of them resumed their silent vigil over Mutou Sugoroku, waiting patiently for him to wake up.
GMA
Anzu had long since passed concern and was now heading into outright fear. For the past several hours, she had been dutifully following Isis in the direction of Illusion Castle. To help keep their location hidden, Isis had opted to go off the beaten path… literally. Every second step resulted in Anzu's feet sinking into knee-high mud, and when she wasn't sinking, she was tripping over tree roots. And to make matters worse, even though Isis was facing the same annoyances, the woman appeared to be completely unaffected by them. She glided through the forest as easily as though she was sauntering down the middle of a paved road. By the time Anzu hit the ground for about the seventh time, she couldn't keep herself from glaring up at the back of Isis's dress as her knees began to throb angrily and painfully.
"You do know where you're going, right?" she asked, hoping that the bitter resentment she was feeling didn't show through in her voice. Night had long since fallen and she would have liked nothing more than top for the night, but Isis had insisted that they keep on even though their only light was a sputtering flashlight she'd 'borrowed' from Anzu's backpack. Shaking her head, Anzu sat back on her heels and ruefully rubbed her black and blue knees, wondering if it would be out of line to claim that the forest was actually reaching up and grabbing her ankles.
Isis paused and turned back to face her. The light shone briefly in Anzu's eyes and she grimaced as Isis said, "Of course I do. You doubt me?" and raised an eyebrow in a way that always managed to make Anzu feel like she was about two years old. Her fingers brushed over the Millennium Tawk, which she was still wearing around her throat, and added, "I can sense that we're drawing closer to another Millennium Item that is unfamiliar to me. If we keep moving at a steady pace, we should be there by the time the sun comes up. As long as Pegasus doesn't get his hands on the Millennium Ring..." Her voice trailed off.
"And if he does?" Anzu stood up and winced as she tested her legs. They held her weight, but she felt a great deal more wobbly than she would have liked. No doubt she would have a stunning set of bruises decorating her shins, knees, and thighs by the time morning came, not to mention the sorry state of her palms and wrists from throwing her hands out as she fell forward. She looked up and frowned as Isis turned away without responding to question. "Hey, wait. What if Pegasus does have the Ring? "
"The Millennium Ring can be used to find other Millennium Items. If Pegasus has it, he will be able to find us no matter how hard we try to hide." She kept walking, her voice taking on a breathless quality that made Anzu nervous. "That's why it's important for us to keep moving."
"You think he already has it," Anzu realized, jogging up beside Isis. Her heart was doing flip flops. Even though Isis would never admit it, she knew she was right. "You… you think that the others have already been attacked, don't you?"
"It is not outside the realm of possibility."
Which basically translated to a yes, Anzu decided, looking over her shoulder at what little of the dense forest that she could make out through the dim light. Every part of her railed against not going to see how the others were doing. What if they really had been attacked? What if they were lost or hurt or worse? Yet they were so close to the castle that turning back seemed pointless. She hesitated for a long moment before she started reluctantly walking again, her eyes pinned to the ground in an effort to keep herself from falling over yet again.
"Do you think they're alright?" she asked after several minutes of silence had passed.
"I believe that the others will do what they can," said Isis, which was an extremely round-about way of saying 'I have no idea'.
"And this is worth it, right?" she pressed.
"I believe so."
Anzu closed her eyes briefly in an effort to summon more patience and promptly tripped for the eighth time, though this time Isis's hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, steadying her before she could fall. She glanced up, intending to say her thanks, and froze with the word on the tip of her tongue when she spotted the look of complete and utter despair visible to her for a split second before Isis's expression smoothed out. A strong surge of fear made her feel unbearably cold all over and she shivered as she straightened. Two sets of blue eyes met and a silent communication passed between them.
"I could send my partner to check," Anzu suggested hesitantly. "You know... just to make sure that they're not in too much danger."
"That would leave us without suitable protection in case we're attacked," Isis pointed out. She paused a beat and then added, "Please do."
Anzu smiled and in the span of a heartbeat, Fairy's Gift was floating next to her. The duel monster had apparently suffered no ill effects from Maiden of the Moonlight's evil spell, for she had returned to her normal cheerful self. "Fairy's Gift, I need you to go and check on our friends. If they're in trouble, please help them. And let them know that we're okay, alright?"
"Okay, Anzu-chan!" Fairy's Gift chirped with a cute smile. She fluttered in a circle around Anzu's head and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek before she zipped off, darting in and out amongst the trees like a firefly. Anzu watched her go and relaxed, knowing that it would be only a matter of time before Fairy's Gift had reached their friends. If something was truly wrong, she had no doubt that her partner would let her know in some way. Isis seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she reached out and touched Anzu's hand.
"Thank you," she said softly with a significant squeeze.
"No problem," Anzu replied, suddenly glad that she had chosen to come with Isis after all. It was maddening not knowing how the others were doing, but the closer they got to the castle, the more she felt like she was on the right path. With a determined nod, she turned. "Let's go!"
GMA
Yuugi was back to looking out the window at the rising sun when he heard the door opening behind him. He twisted, a smile of greeting gracing his lips, only for it to disappear quickly when he saw Hafiz standing in the doorway, not Mai as he had expected. Fear flashed briefly through his violet eyes before he gritted his teeth and turned his face to the ground, not wanting to reveal that the evil man could provoke any such feeling from him. Hafiz just chuckled, amused by the teen's effort to pretend that he was unaffected, and walked into the room, surveying every inch with a quick sweep of his eyes. Satisfied that there was still no way for Yuugi to escape, he turned and beckoned to the guards that had been lingering behind him.
"Bring them in," he commanded sharply. Yuugi's head snapped up and he couldn't conceal his gasp as four guards carried in the unconscious forms of his two best friends. Malik's wrist was covered with streaks of old blood, and vicious purple and black bruising surrounded the parts of his hand that weren't red and swollen. Ryou had a large bump on the side of his head and most of his hair and parts of his skin were covered with some weird grey substance. Instead of tossing the two boys down the on the floor, as Hafiz had no doubt intended, the guards carried them over to the bed and placed their bodies down on the sheets with surprising gentleness. Torn between making sure his friends were alright and staying as far away from Hafiz as possible, Yuugi hesitated, his eyes darting quick, nervous glances at the bed. He jumped when a black pack landed at his feet and looked up to see Hafiz looming over him. Instinctively, he cringed, half expecting a blow that never came.
"You will take the Millennium Puzzle out of that bag and solve it," Hafiz ordered, his twisted eyes gleaming. "I wanted it completed by the time the sun comes up tomorrow. If you don't, I'll make sure your friends suffer the consequences."
"Solve it?" Yuugi stared down at the bag with wide eyes, his mind whirling. Had the puzzle been broken? When had that happened? Then he processed the rest of what Hafiz had said. "By tomorrow morning? That's impossible. It took me years to solve it the first time around. I couldn't possibly – "
The rest of his protest was cut off by Hafiz's hand, which impacted with the side of his jaw and sent him reeling into the wall. He bounced off and fell to his knees, dazed, as Hafiz reached down and curled his fingers into the collar of Yuugi's shirt. Hauling the young boy up, he snarled, "You listen to me, you little brat. Solve the puzzle by tomorrow morning, or, for every extra hour it takes, I'll take it out on your precious friends. And believe me; you haven't seen even a hint of what I can do."
A whimper caught in Yuugi's throat. "I... I understand," he said breathlessly. "Please don't hurt them."
"Just do as you're told and that won't be necessary." Hafiz dropped the boy back on the ground and spun on his heel. He marched out without looking back, snapping his fingers to hasten his guards along. The cell door slammed shut behind them, leaving Yuugi alone. For several minutes, he remained huddled in the corner, fearful that Hafiz might change his mind and return. When nothing happened, he eventually crept forth and rushed over to the bed.
"Ryou?" he said urgently, leaning over his two friends. "Malik? Can you hear me?" Now that he had the chance to examine them more closely, he saw that they didn't look good. Ryou's face was as pale as his hair, and the heat radiating off of Malik spoke of infection. Yuugi leaned his head against the sheets helplessly, agonized by the thought that he couldn't do anything for either of them except hope.
After a short time of resting, he lifted his head, backed away from the bed and quietly walked over to the bag that Hafiz had thrown at him. It was made from such high quality material that he instantly knew it had to belong to Seto. What puzzled him was why Hafiz had bothered to give him the bag at all. If the puzzle had been shattered, why not merely hand over the pieces? The man had been completely paranoid about not allowing Yuugi even the slightest opportunity to escape, so why would he risk handing something over to Yuugi that could potentially be used for that purpose? Hafiz didn't know what Seto had packed in there. A grim smile crossed the hikari's face as the answer occurred to him: traps. Seto was exactly the kind of person who would place strong wards and traps around something that he did not want other people having access to. No doubt Hafiz had figured out the same thing and wanted Yuugi to be the target if it was true.
"Well this is wonderful," he muttered. He had no choice but to open the bag, regardless of what could happen. All he could do was pray that Seto's magic wouldn't do anything too horrible. It didn't sound like the best plan but what else could he do? Hafiz had made it clear that his friends would suffer if he didn't solve the puzzle in the next twenty-four hours, so leaving it alone wasn't an option. Maybe if he could solve the puzzle before the man returned, he could somehow use its shadow powers to escape somehow?
With renewed determination, he sat down on the floor with the bag between his legs and reached for the first two sets of clasps. They unsnapped easily, allowing him to cautiously lift the top. Nothing happened and he breathed a nearly silent sigh of relief at having gotten even this far without being attacked. Had Seto not set traps after all? Or did the priest's magic recognize him in some way? Or maybe, he reflected as he reached for the last set of clasps that were still keeping the top of the bag shut, Seto had been hoping to lull someone into a false sense of security.
He hated being right. The instant the tips of his fingers brushed against the clasps, agonizing pain shot up his hand. Gasping, he tried to pull back, but it felt like someone was holding his hand and preventing him from moving it away. Unable to keep from crying out as the burning feeling began to rapidly spread up his arm towards his shoulder, he thrust out with his opposite hand, trying to shove the bag further away instead. A weird tingling sensation that was vaguely familiar shot through his hand and emerged in the form of a white light that leapt free of his fingers and surrounded the bag, sinking swiftly into the material. Dim blue light flared briefly and then vanished.
Yuugi jerked his hand free seconds later and jumped up, backing away from the bag. His breath came in short, sharp gasps as he huddled against the far wall, clutching his left hand to his chest protectively. The skin from his fingers to just up above his elbow had turned a bright, shiny pink and was throbbing painfully; the very tips of his fingers were an angry red. Anyone looking at him would have thought that he had mistakenly thrust his hand into scalding water, and the thought of what would have happened had he not been able to do whatever he had just done made him shudder. He would have probably been cooked alive.
"Oh god," he muttered to himself, on the verge of tears. Suddenly, more than anything else in the world, he wanted Yami. The older boy would have known exactly what to do. Yuugi fought to keep from crying as he gently rubbed his throbbing arm, wishing that he had some cold water. His gaze landed on the bathroom and he left the bag where it was as he hurried over to the small room. It contained nothing more than a sink with water that was always cold and a toilet, but right then that was all he needed. Quickly, he switched on the tap and thrust as much of his arm underneath the small clear stream as he could. The relief was instantaneous and he sighed, briefly resting his head against the cold porcelain before he straightened up and looked into the mirror.
What he saw didn't impress him. A boy that could only be described as petite stared back at him, the natural spikes of his hair wilting to lay almost flat against his head. The sweater and pants he had been wearing hung loose, nearly sliding off one shoulder and revealing a set of hand-shaped bruises around the back of his neck. His face was pale except for a few bruises here and there from when Hafiz or one of the guards had grown angry and his violet eyes were filled with tears that he was trying hard not to shed. It was a losing battle. A tear spilled free, followed by several more, as he gazed down at his arms, which had gotten the worst of it. One was badly burned and the other still bore the angry mark around his wrist from Hafiz's little experiment on the bed. For the first time, he seriously wondered how much more he would be able to take before Hafiz went a step too far. He was terrified to find out.
"Yami, where are you?" he whimpered, letting out a choked sob as he crumpled to the ground. Burying his face in his knees, his shoulders began to shake with the force of his sobs. He didn't hear the footsteps approaching over the sound of his crying, so when a hand reached out and touched his shoulder he cried out in fear and jerked away.
"Yuugi, relax! It's just me," a familiar voice said. Looking up, he realized that it was Ryou was standing over him, a worried expression on his face. Yuugi didn't hesitate; he threw himself into his friend's arms and burst into fresh tears. Ryou stumbled backwards and winced when his shoulder struck the wall, but he said nothing. Instead, he gently stroked his hand through Yuugi's hair, fear battling with concern and rage as he wondered just what the other boy had endured.
Several minutes later, Yuugi forced himself to pull back from his friend and wiped his eyes. He felt embarrassed for having lost control after days of having kept it together. "Sorry, Ryou," he mumbled. The other boy didn't reply at first; his horrified eyes were locked onto the state of Yuugi's arms.
"Oh my god, what did he do to you?" Ryou whispered, gently taking hold of Yuugi's elbow so that he could better examine the burns. When Yuugi winced, Ryou stood up and wet several paper towels, which he draped across the flushed skin. He couldn't help remembering Shadi's and Rishid's plan to leave Yuugi here and inwardly cringed. From the looks of it, if they'd left Yuugi for much longer, they would have been retrieving his body.
"Nothing much," Yuugi lied. It wasn't the whole truth, obviously, but he didn't feel like sharing everything that Hafiz had done. Instead, he looked up, his eyes wandering over the livid bruising on the side of Ryou's face. "Are you alright?"
Ryou blinked in confusion, at first not understanding the question. Yuugi lifted his un-burned hand and lightly touched Ryou's cheek, and that's when Ryou felt the pain for the first time. A soft gasp escaped his lips and he flinched out of reach. "Oh, ow," he hissed, twisting to look into the mirror. Ruefully, he examined the damage that had been done by one well-aimed blow from an incredibly strong duel monster. The wound looked much worse than it felt, but it still ached. At least now he knew why his head was ringing when he moved too quickly. "One of the duel monsters got me," he remembered, looking back down at Yuugi.
"Because of me." Yuugi bit his lip. "You guys shouldn't have come. It was too dangerous."
"We had to," Ryou said gently, wetting another paper towel and pressing it to the side of his cheek. The coolness of the damp paper felt good and went a long way towards reducing the throbbing ache. "We came to rescue both you and Yami."
"Yami?" The smaller boy's head popped up and he forgot all about the pain in his arms and body as he stared at Ryou. "What do you mean, you had to rescue Yami?"
Brown eyes went wide as it belatedly occurred to Ryou for the first time that Yuugi didn't know what had happened to Yami. Of course now that he thought about it, it seemed perfectly obvious: Yuugi had been kidnapped by Maiden of the Moonlight before he, Yami and the others had arrived on the scene. But somehow, in light of everything that had happened, that fact had slipped his mind. He studied Yuugi's worried, frightened face and wished that he hadn't mentioned it. No doubt Yuugi had been surviving all this time by hoping that his yami was coming for him, and Ryou really did not want to be the one who broke the truth. But he could tell from the mulish look settling over Yuugi's face that Yuugi wasn't going to give up on finding out what was going on. Ryou sighed and gave in.
"After you were kidnapped," he began, crouching down next to Yuugi, "We came to help just as Maiden of the Moonlight returned. Yami, Seto, Bakura and Mariku got into a fight with her but she was much stronger than they expected, I think. She was trying to steal the Millennium Items and she had the Puzzle with her to taunt Yami." His hand went unconsciously to his chest and he realized for the first time that he was not wearing the Ring. The resulting spike of pure, unadulterated terror that flashed through him made his voice rise unnaturally. "Bakura got injured and Yami was trying to distract her. He managed to get the Puzzle away from her but she shot some sort of spell at him at the same time. It struck both Yami and the Millennium Puzzle and Yami..." He swallowed hard. "Yami was trapped inside the Puzzle when it shattered."
For several seconds, Yuugi just stared at him in silent disbelief, his mind whirling as he tried to absorb and understand what Ryou had just told him. When it clicked, his mouth dropped open and he paled alarmingly. "Yami is... No..."
"Yuugi – " Ryou tried to reach for him but Yuugi pulled away.
"No!" With another strangled cry, he staggered to his feet and pushed past Ryou, rushing back into the other room. Malik stirred on the bed and opened his eyes just as Yuugi reached the backpack and fell to his knees beside it. Heedless of the danger, he jerked the top open and started rummaging through it, tossing random items over his shoulders. They fell harmlessly to the ground behind him as he finally pulled out an old, worn cardboard box. His fingers tingled with memories and he started to shake as he pulled the top off, revealing the golden pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. Slowly, he reached down and picked up the center piece that had the familiar eye symbol on it.
"Yuugi..." Feeling helpless, Ryou just stood in the doorway to the bathroom and stared at his friend.
"Yami..." The broken whisper slipped from Yuugi's lips as he tightened his grip around the puzzle piece. He closed his eyes as more tears started to fall down his cheeks. All this time, he had been certain that Yami was coming for him and Yami had been just as trapped as he was. No wonder he couldn't feel the bond anymore. It had been shattered when Yami was forcibly taken away. Whimpering, he clutched the box of pieces to his chest and started to quietly sob, rocking back and forth.
Malik sat up slowly, swaying slightly. Black spots bloomed in front of his vision and he froze, blinking them away before he was able to focus. Ryou walked over to him wearing an expression of guilt and said, "I didn't remember that he didn't know about Yami until it was too late. Do you think...? Should I not have told him?"
"Bit late now." Without thinking, he twisted his hand into the sheets and the resulting hot lick of pain running up his arm made him bite his lip to avoid crying out. His wrist was badly swollen and each puncture mark had turned an ugly dark red color that he knew was not a good sign. Malik ignored it for the time being and, leaning heavily on Ryou, hobbled over to Yuugi. The two friends knelt beside him, one on each side, and tried to offer comfort in whatever way that they could. Unfortunately, Yuugi barely seemed to take notice their presence, not reacting even when Ryou reached out and slipped an arm around his shoulders.
What would it be like? Malik wondered tiredly, staring down at the floor. What would it be like to not be able to feel Mariku at the back of his mind now that he was used to it? The bond between the two of them was humming with anxiety, fear, and fury now that he was awake. Especially fury – he could practically taste Mariku's anger and desire for vengeance. It was massively comforting to know that someone was coming after him, especially when that 'someone' happened to be the other half of his soul. Even though it had only been a matter of weeks since the two of them had met, it was getting hard to remember what his life had been like before Mariku had come into it. He tried to imagine having access to their bond cut off, of being trapped with his father and not knowing what was going on, and shivered.
Ryou had been watching Malik and Yuugi out of the corner of his eye. He, too, could feel Bakura's emotions. His yami was functioning with a thin string of sanity that was dangerously close to snapping without anyone around who could keep him calm. Closing his eyes, he sent a soothing pulse down the bond, hoping that it would help. All he got back was rage mingled with a fierce feeling of possessiveness. Lips quirking, he laid his head on top of Yuugi's and sighed. As far as he could see, the only thing that they could do was wait. Wait for Pegasus or someone else to come back, wait for their friends to come and rescue them, wait to see if Yuugi and Yami could ever repair the damage that had been done.
The steady stream of tears and violent, choked sobs only slowed when Yuugi could cry no more. The puzzle pieces were soaked in his tears by the time he was through. His fingers visibly trembled as he picked up two pieces and mechanically began trying to fit them together, twisting them around to see if there was any way that they might fit. When they refused to slip together, he had to bite the inside of his cheek until it bled to keep from bursting into tears all over again. He dropped one of the pieces back into the box and selected another before beginning the process all over again, thinking only of the one person he so desperately wanted to see. In time, the only sound that filled the small room was the soft clicking of puzzle pieces sliding into place.
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