A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I should tell you that this story is really close to being done, so I thought it was time for some fluff. I've been suffering from Post-Reichenbach Depression again and I couldn't bring myself to write anything too sad. But hey, on the plus side there's always room for more fluff in the world, or at least, I happen to think there is. I can't see many of you disagreeing. Enjoy!

Being back on the mainland felt kind of surreal, like there was a dream they might wake up from without realizing. Malik looked around the helicopter as it came in for a landing, feeling a little dazed. He'd ended up with Yuugi, Yami, Bakura, Ryou, Mariku and Isis. Yuugi was curled up in Yami's lap, sleeping. Yami was staring out the window with a grim expression, absently rubbing the ugly red mark that was round Yuugi's wrist. Bakura had a possessive arm clamped around Ryou's shoulders and although his eyes were closed Malik doubted he was actually asleep. Ryou had his hands clenched into fists in his lap and it was evident he'd been on the verge of tears for most of the journey. Isis was also looking out the window, though she seemed strangely pensive, and Malik suspected she wasn't actually seeing the scenery.

And Mariku... Well, Mariku had climbed into the helicopter first and then proceeded to tug Malik down onto his lap when the younger boy got on behind him. When the driver tried to point out that their position wasn't technically a safe way to fly, he'd been treated to a burning glare until Yami tiredly told him to sit down and start flying already. So Malik had spent the entire trip in his yami's lap with Mariku's arms firmly clasped around his waist and a head buried into the back of his neck. It was a little uncomfortable, especially after his neck began cramping, but he wouldn't have moved for anything. For the first time in years... possibly forever... he actually knew what it was to feel safe. It was a novel concept.

The helicopters finally landed at the Kaiba mansion. Malik got out and felt his knees shaking as he stepped down onto the pavement. He leaned against the hot metal of the machine, hoping to hide his somewhat embarrassing reaction. "What will happen now?" he couldn't help asking. "Where do you think Hafiz will go?"

"That's hard to say," Yami replied. He was holding Yuugi in his arms, clearly enjoying the fact that his semi-conscious hikari had curled around him rather than trying to walk. "Seto has a team of private investigators that will begin trying to track him down as soon as possible. Don't worry, Malik. He can't hide forever."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Malik muttered, rubbing his arms for warmth.

"Alright, everyone into the house," Seto said, leaping gracefully to the ground. After helping Shizuka and Mokuba down, he added, "We all have to eat and get checked out by a doctor before we go to bed. That's not even up for discussion." This was directed towards Mokuba, who had opened his mouth to do just that. The pre-teen pouted and crossed his arms, knowing better than to argue the point. "Come on. I called ahead and the chefs should be ready or us."

Indeed they were. The spread of food was admittedly simple fare, loaves of bread, cheese, turkey, roasted pork, ham, and other things like mustard and mayonnaise to make sandwiches, along with fruit, chips, and a mountain of dessert. Jou and Honda fell on the food ravenously. Even Yuugi woke up long enough to eat a small sandwich, and Malik had to admit that he was hungry. His appetite had been awoken, yet when he sat down with a small plate that was piled high, he realized that he really didn't feel like eating. The food tasted bitter on his tongue and he had a hard time swallowing. Finally, he gave up and just stared blankly at his plate, struggling with the weird but familiar prickling that was going on behind his eyes.

"Bed," someone said, and he looked up, startled. Seto was looking at him and there was an unusual amount of kindness in his blue eyes. "Go to bed, Malik," he repeated. "There's no point in falling asleep in your food. You can take the same room that you were staying in before. There should be some pyjamas waiting for you. I'll have the doctor come back tomorrow to see you."

Falling asleep wasn't what he was in danger of doing, but Malik nodded anyway. Now that they were all safe, weariness was dragging at his bones and he wanted nothing more than to sink down onto the nearest surface and sleep for... oh, the next year or so at least. He stood up, sparing only a brief thought for Ryou and Yuugi before realizing that he didn't have to. Yami and Bakura would make sure that his friends were well taken care of. He nodded to no one in particular and turned, walking out of the room like he was in a daze, yet still aware of Isis's concerned gaze on his back. She wouldn't follow him, not tonight, but he could look forward to being cornered and forced into a long talk the next day.

It took longer than he would have guessed to find his way to the room Seto was talking about. Somewhere between the mansion and Illusion Island, his mind had gone offline, and now he felt like he was running on auto pilot. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Sluggishly, he stripped his clothing off, not wanting to get into bed when he was still covered in grime, and got into the shower. He turned the water on as hot as he could bear it (which is pretty damn hot considering that for the first several years of his life they had bathed in cold water and anything beyond lukewarm was a precious rarity) and watched as his skin began turning a pleasant shade of pink.

He didn't know when it started. His eyes began feeling even more itchy and hot than before, but it didn't have anything to do with the heat of the shower. The walls blurred and a sob rose in his throat, but he swallowed, cutting it off before it had the chance to escape into the air. His breathing grew ragged and he leaned against the wall for extra support when his legs started feeling weak. It was a battle to hold back the tears and he wasn't sure why he was bothering to anymore. Everyone was safe, and sure Hafiz had gotten away, but at least now he wouldn't have to see the man anymore.

Surprisingly, it was the last thought that sent him over the edge. Malik sank his teeth into his wrist rather than let the sounds of his muffled cries escape the shower. He hadn't cried in years and the thought of anyone knowing that he was succumbing to that kind of weakness was mortifying. The water washed away the salty tears and so in a way it was almost like he wasn't crying at all. And after a couple of minutes he felt strong enough to straighten up and start washing his shaking body, running the cloth over his skin until it began to sting and he had to move on.

Malik cried steadily through his whole shower and by the time he was ready to get out, he was even more exhausted than before, if that was possible. He stumbled as he climbed out and nearly fell to the floor, only just catching himself at the last minute on the counter. There was a pair of pyjamas hanging on the back of the door but he ignored them in favour of wrapping one of the huge fluffy towels around his body. The cloth was soothing against him, softer than anything he'd felt before, and once again he found himself marvelling over the wonders that he and his sister went without for long. That they might still be living without if it weren't for the fact that, whether he intended to do it or not, Hafiz had gotten them out of that place. It was the one thing that Malik would always be grateful to his father for.

Without bothering to brush his hair or even dry off, he opened the door to the room and started to step through, only to freeze in shock. Mariku was sitting on the king sized bed, arms folded and looking back at Malik with an expression that can only be described as weirdly patient. Malik swallowed hard. "What are you doing here?" he asked, realizing too late that there was still a lump in his throat. It caused his voice to break in the middle of his question, but at least he wasn't crying and thank Ra for small miracles.

"I was waiting for you," Mariku said it like it should have been obvious. "You were in the shower and now you're not. You're tired. I'm tired. We're going to bed."

Put like that, it sounded so simple, and Malik didn't have the strength to argue. He numbly walked over to the other side of the bed and paused, suddenly re-thinking the concept of pyjamas after all. But the clothing was in the bathroom and that was a long way away, and Mariku was waiting impatiently for him to get in. So without giving the matter any more thought, he dropped the towel and sat down, swinging his legs up onto the mattress. Like all of the beds in Seto's house, it was extremely comfortable. His body sank down at least a couple of inches as his head came to rest on the pillow.

"I'm so tired," he mumbled, realizing that it was true. They hadn't slept much while they were on the island, and even though they were only there for a couple of days it felt more like weeks had passed. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept the night through instead of for a few minutes at a time.

"I know you are." An arm slid around his shoulders and pulled him closer. Malik let him do it, let Mariku rearrange their bodies until Malik was tucked up underneath Mariku's chin with Mariku's arms and legs around him. Some small part of him was mortified that he was naked while Mariku was dressed in a tank top and boxers, but he didn't really care. Mariku was warm, but it was a different kind of warmth than the shower. This warmth finally permeated the chill frozen in his skin and he shivered.

This time when the tears come he didn't try to hold them back, and Mariku didn't comment. Instead, he gently kissed and patiently licked away every tear that dared to fall, the touch of his tongue surprisingly innocent as he lapped at Malik's cheeks. Malik sighed and if it turned into a whimper by the time it escaped, well, that was hardly his fault. A hand began to stroke his hair in response, pulling him that much closer, until there was literally no room between their bodies, and Malik went to sleep like that, warm and comfortable and loved for the first time in many years. Mariku remained beside him and resolutely kept kissing the tears away.

GMA

It was a struggle for Yuugi to remain awake long enough to eat something. He was aware of Yami resolutely plunking the food down in front of him, but all he really wanted to do was push it away. Even though he hadn't eaten in some time, the food - delicious as it looked - wasn't appetizing. He'd had very little sleep while he was under lock and key and in spite of his best efforts, exhaustion was beginning to catch up. Eyes heavily lidded, he managed to force down part of a roast beef sandwich before slipping the remainder of it to Jou, who was consuming anything that was close enough and couldn't run away. His head tilted forward and he sighed, allowing his eyes to slip shut. He'd only sleep for a minute...

There were voices murmuring around him, and then someone grabbed the back of his chair, pulling it away from the table. Before his body could lean forward very far, strong arms picked him up. He was balanced on someone's hip, like a child, which made him suspect that it was probably Seto. It was the kind of position that would have been a complete outrage if he had been fully conscious, but as it was, he was so tired that he just rested his head against the nearest available surface and whined low in his throat. As long as this eventually got him to a bed, that was all he really cared about.

The world moved below him and then he was being placed on a soft bed. "Can you take it from here, Yami?" Seto's voice rumbled beneath him, confirming Yuugi's suspicions.

"Yes, we'll be fine, Cousin." Yami sounded as tired as Yuugi felt. He heard the sound of Seto leaving the room and then someone was leaning over him. Cool hands were unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off him. Yuugi forced his eyes to open and found himself staring up at Yami.

"Hi," he said sleepily.

Yami smiled. "Hello, little one. I thought you were still awake but I wasn't sure." He gently helped Yuugi to sit up and pulled his shirt all the way off. "Do you think you could take a shower?"

"I'm tired."

"I know. Alright, maybe that can wait until tomorrow, but you're injured." There was an odd combination of worry mingled with rage coming down the bond as Yami took hold of his hand and examined the burned skin on his arm. "Seto is going to bring one of his doctors up to look at you and make sure that you're alright. I don't think you should wait until tomorrow."

He stiffened slightly, a little more awake now, not liking the thought of a doctor's visit no matter how much his body ached. It wasn't like he was scared of them or anything ridiculous like that but he'd never gotten along well with doctors. They tended to find a lot of things wrong with him, things not limited to his somewhat stunted height and weight. "I'm fine, Yami. It looks worse than it is, I swear." A lie, and judging by the wry look Yami sent him, he knew it. Both of Yuugi's arms regularly pulsed with pain, especially when he forgot himself and moved without thinking, and his muscles still ached with a dull throb he couldn't get rid of.

"Aibou, it would make me feel better if we knew for sure," the taller boy said gently, sitting down next to Yuugi with a sigh. His face was pale behind his tan and Yuugi frowned at him.

"Only if you get checked out as well," he said. From the looks of it, being trapped in the puzzle hadn't done Yami any favours. Yuugi was pretty sure his partner had lost some weight, and he looked tired and haggard in the dim light of the room. He saw Yami start to frown and lurched forward, looking at him pleadingly. "Please, Yami. I need to know that you're okay." In spite of his best efforts, his voice broke ever so slightly. He would never forget the sight of Yami staring down at him with no recognition in his eyes whatsoever. That would haunt him until the day he died. "Please?"

"Alright, little one, alright." Yami reached out and pulled him into a hug. "Shh, it's okay."

"I'm fine," Yuugi mumbled, leaning into the hug anyway. He took a deep breath and asked the question that had been burning at his mind since they walked through the door. "Yami... do you think he'll come after us?"

"I don't know." Yami sounded troubled. "I wish I could tell you. Hafiz doesn't seem like the type to give up, but then I never would have pegged him for a coward that would run away, either. But if he does come back, he won't get near you or any of the others, Yuugi, I promise you that." He brushed a hand through Yuugi's hair. "He'll never get near you again."

Even though he knew that it might well be impossible for Yami to make that promise, Yuugi felt comforted anyway. He sighed, feeling exhaustion beginning to creep up on him again, but before he could fall asleep there was a knock on the door and Yami pulled away to go answer. It was a tall young man dressed in white - the doctor. Yuugi regarded him suspiciously as he began his examination, and he was relieved when the doctor didn't offer any comments or ask any questions about where, how or why he had received his injuries. He spent a fair amount of time examining Yuugi's burned arm, and then covered the worst of the burns in a soothing ointment and gauze before moving on.

"You'll be fine with some rest, Mutou-san," he said when he was finished wrapping Yuugi's other wrist in more gauze. He'd briefly inspected the bruise on Yuugi's temple and the other, less vital bruises and scratches on his body. "Just try to take it easy. Nothing too strenuous for a while, and I suggest you try to avoid moving your wrist or your arm too much if you can. I'm going to leave a prescription for some antibiotics downstairs and I'd like you to take one a day for as long as they last. I don't like the look of your arm. If you're in pain, I advise you take ibuprofen or aspirin. Seto-sama can call me if you need something stronger."

"Alright," Yuugi said, because really he was getting off lighter than he'd expected, though he supposed that the doctor couldn't do much for bruising, of which he had plenty. As the doctor began to examine Yami, he hopped off of the bed and went into the bathroom. He left the door open a crack and began the little bit of washing up he had the energy for, listening with half an ear for the results. It didn't take as long as Yuugi's examination had.

"You're not too badly off," the doctor said after only a minute or two. "I don't see any serious, but after what you've been through, I'd advise you to rest as much as possible as well. You're dehydrated and a little malnourished, plus you're sleep deprived. Nothing rest and a few steady meals won't fix."

"Thank you," Yami replied. "I appreciate it, Sensei."

"Not a problem, Yami-sama. You know where I am if you need me."

"I do, thank you."

Hearing the door close told Yuugi that it was safe to come out. He walked over to the bed and climbed in as Yami went into the bathroom and shut the door. The sheets were soft and cool against his tired body and he sighed softly as he slumped backwards, curling gratefully into the pillows. For as long as he'd been on the island, he had wanted to be here, safe with Yami nearby. He fingered the puzzle and decided against taking it off – quite honestly, that was another reason he was reluctant to take a shower, as he never wanted to take it off again – and instead laid back with it still around his neck, the weight comforting after days of not having it around. He was half asleep by the time Yami came out of the bathroom.

"You didn't feel like taking a shower?" he mumbled sleepily, only half awake.

"Not when I knew you were waiting for me," Yami answered softly, pulling the covers back and crawling in beside him. He pulled Yuugi into his arms and the Millennium Puzzle fell between them, cradled by their bodies. It should have been uncomfortable considering that the puzzle had sharp edges, but somehow, it wasn't.

Yuugi closed his eyes and rested his head on Yami's chest, thinking about how fast everything had happened. It was hard to believe that less than a month ago he'd still been trying to solve the Puzzle, still been wondering what would happen when he did. If he knew then what he knew now... well. He cuddled a bit closer and sighed when Yami's arms tightened. In spite of everything they had been through, it almost felt worth it, now that he was finally here with Yami. He was through trying to fight against what existed between them. Yami wanted to be with him for the time being and as far as Yuugi was concerned, that was enough.

GMA

Ryou wasn't all that hungry until he sat down and saw that one of the desserts included his favourite. He picked up a cream puff that was liberally coated with a deep fudgy frosting and popped it into his mouth, savouring the sweet taste. The cream inside was real and combined with the chocolate it was heavenly. Chewing slowly, he piled a few more onto a plate and then, when no one was looking, disappeared upstairs. It wasn't all that hard to pick out which room was Bakura's and he went in, taking a seat on the bed.

The room was dark, the walls painted a deep blue, but he liked it. Soothing, especially for someone who had no interest in being around other people. He licked his fingers clean, too tired to care about manners, and laid down. Amane had disappeared at some point between leaving the castle and getting onto the helicopters. Ryou wasn't sure how he felt about that. He stared up through the darkness at where he knew the ceiling was, too unsettled to sleep. His head was throbbing faintly and he thought he'd heard Seto saying something about a doctor as he left, but being poked and prodded was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to go to sleep, wanted to let the sweet oblivion carry him away into nothing, but every time he closed his eyes he was presented with the vision of his father's body. He shuddered and rolled over restlessly, burying his nose in the pillows.

It smelled like Bakura. It was comforting. He closed his eyes again and drifted, caught between sleep and being awake. At some point he heard the door open and close and then there was a weight on the bed beside him. Bakura stretched out, and although he must have known that Ryou was there, he didn't seem to care. Silence fell and Ryou heaved a quiet sight. He could still taste the cream puffs when he swiped his tongue across his teeth. They'd been Amane's favourites, too. He squirmed again and heard Bakura groan.

"For fuck's sake, would you go to sleep?" the older boy hissed, sitting up and looking down at him. Or at least, Ryou thought he was. The room was so dark that Bakura could have been dancing around and he wouldn't have been able to see it, but he doubted that was the case.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding entirely apologetic. "I want to sleep, but I can't. I keep thinking about my sister and seeing my father." He bit his lip hard, chewing on the soft flesh nervously. Bakura didn't like emotions, he knew that much, and he suspected that he would be given a hard time for being unable to let this go.

Sure enough, Bakura sighed loudly and dropped back down onto the bed, propping himself up on his arm. "Your father is dead," he said bluntly. "That's not going to change. Staying awake all night won't bring him back." It didn't escape Ryou's notice he deliberately avoided mentioning Amane.

"I know that." Ryou rolled his eyes. His stomach had tightened and he sucked in a cold breath. Yuugi and Malik seemed to think that Ryou was so busy being relieved that Amane was back that he hadn't noticed she was a bit different. That wasn't true. Sometimes she was so much the same person that he remembered that it hurt, but then at other times she was a complete stranger, and that was unnerving. Was she really his sister or was she a stranger with his sister's face? Or something in between? He sighed, realizing that it might be good to let the matter drop. If not even Bakura wanted to talk about it, then maybe it was best left for later. He said, "You must be happy."

"Oh and why would that be?"

"Mai's back. Well, not back here, but safe. You know she's alive. That was upsetting you before." Was there a slight trace of bitterness combined with envy in his tone? He hoped not. He really did want to let the subject of Amane drop, but that was easier said than done, apparently.

There was a very long, thoughtful silence and then Bakura's hand was cupping his cheek. Ryou willingly let himself be drawn up into a kiss that felt intense enough to set his very soul on fire. He gasped low in his throat when Bakura moved closer, sliding his leg over Ryou and straddling the smaller boy. "Listen to me, Rabbit," Bakura said into his ear, voice low and husky. "Mai is my cousin by blood and I have learned that family means very little in the long run."

"You're not fooling me," Ryou muttered, shivering as Bakura's breath washed over his ear. "You were upset enough to threaten Bandit Keith on the boat. You were upset enough to tell me about it." He peered into where he thought Bakura's eyes would be and smirked. "Between me and Mai and how you reacted when Yami was gone, I know you have a soft spot somewhere deep inside."

"You'd best rid yourself of these ridiculous notions now." Surprisingly, Bakura sounded more amused than annoyed.

"Then stop proving me right." It was spoken through a hastily muffled yawn. Bakura's presence on top of him was soothing in a way that he hadn't been expecting. His weight served to tie Ryou to the present even when he closed his eyes. He was very aware that he was in a bed with Bakura. For the first time, there were no images of his dead father or Amane flashing in front of him and he could feel his body starting to relax as the looming exhaustion began to take over.

"Are you finally falling asleep?"

"No."

"Liar." Bakura started to move off of him and Ryou whined, grabbing at his shirt.

"Please don't," he pleaded. "When you're there, I… I know you're here."

Bakura sighed again. "I really have no desire to crush you underneath me, Rabbit. If you're going to give me power, you need to be alive." He paused and then, in a smooth motion that made Ryou yelp, he rolled their bodies, pulling Ryou along for the ride. The end result was that Bakura was flat on his back and Ryou was now the one laying on top of him.

It was… surprisingly comfortable. Bakura was a few inches taller than he was, meaning Ryou was at just the right height to push his face against the pillow over Bakura's left shoulder. Bakura's arms were loosely encircling his waist, keeping him in place. Ryou thought he could feel something hard pressing against his left hip, and he knew Bakura well enough to know that it was the hilt of a knife. Even that was good: he liked knowing that if someone came in, Bakura was equipped to protect them. All in all, he'd slept in worse places. He adjusted his left knee a bit and then sighed, melting fully into Bakura.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Stop thinking about things and go to sleep. You're useless to me as you are," Bakura muttered. Ryou just smiled a little and closed his eyes. Sleep rose up to meet him swiftly, and this time, he didn't have any dreams.

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