A/N: So I was having a little trouble writing this chapter and I wasn't really sure why. But as I got closer to the end, it hit me. It's because this is the end. I wish I could've given you more advance warning. It snuck up on me. I kind of glanced around and went, "hang on, really? You're sure? This is it?" Please see the end of the chapter for more notes, and enjoy!

It had been a mistake to go to upstairs instead of waiting for Honda to finish his meal. Otogi knew that even as he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, but he couldn't stop himself. His body was begging for sleep, craving the opportunity to let the horrors of the past few days get swept away so that he wouldn't have to think about it anymore, and he was dying to take advantage. He slept, oh yes he did, but with the darkness of sleep came the dreams. Nightmares, really, as nothing about what woke him out of a dead sleep could ever be termed dreams. Twice, he woke up gasping, sweat sliding down his cheeks, hands pushing at invisible terrors, but he was so exhausted that he fell back asleep as soon as his heart had stopped pounding.

The nightmares were all composed of the same memories and fears about what might have been. Hafiz leaning over him, hands pinning down his wrists, hot breath sweeping over his cheek while he thrashed and protested and cried. Laughter coming out of the shadows, as cold and cruel as the hands that drifted lazily over his body. Fingers exploring territory that previously only a lover had touched, provoking squeaks and stuttered protests that never fully vocalized, and he thrashed, crying out. His breath lodged in his throat, Otogi came awake for a third time, choking on the alarmed sound that wanted to escape. He sat up and looked around desperately.

The room was quiet. Nothing was stirring. Everything looked exactly the way it had when he'd gone to sleep – he checked the clock beside him – less than two hours ago. Honda hadn't come to bed yet; the space beside him was noticeably empty and hadn't been touched. He was probably still downstairs eating with Jou. Otogi touched the space beside him and debated going to get him. Honda would come if he knew, there was no doubt in his mind about that. If he had even the slightest inkling that Otogi was suffering from nightmares, he'd be up the stairs so fact that he'd run the risk of tripping and breaking his neck. It was just the way he was. But... Otogi closed his eyes and forced himself to lie back down.

He'd been taught from a young age that depending on anyone else wasn't a good idea. He was meant to stand alone. Becoming a guardian hadn't changed that, but falling in love with Honda had. It had been confusing. For all that he knew a great deal about sex and confidence and how to attract people, actually being in a relationship was something new. Honda had been patient, had accepted Otogi with everything that he was, but sometimes... He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, which seemed altogether far away and too close at the same time, as much of a contradiction as that was.

God, if it wasn't for Hafiz and his stupid dungeon, he wouldn't be having this problem! He absently rubbed at the marks that had been left on his wrists and sighed. It hurt to touch the raw wounds, but the pain felt good and was helping to cement him to the present. He'd been foolish to get caught, he knew that now. Whatever duel monster it was had drawn him easily into its spell until he'd become a willing puppet. Was it worse that he couldn't remember exactly what had happened, or better? He took a deep breath and touched his cheek, recalling the slide of cold fingers. A shudder worked its way up his body.

"Ryuuji?"

The warm voice slipped out of the darkness and coiled around him. Otogi sat up quickly and blinked at the door of the room, where his lover was standing. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" Honda came close enough to the bed for Otogi to see that he was frowning. His hair was damp, indicating that he'd showered already, and he was wearing a towel around his hips but nothing else. He sat down and reached out for Otogi. "I thought I heard you crying out over the sound of the water."

"I'm fine," Otogi muttered, though he didn't push Honda away. He allowed himself to be gathered into Honda's arms and leaned his head against the broad shoulder, savouring the warmth rolling off of the tanned skin. It felt so good to be held.

"Were you sleeping?" Honda shifted, pulling the towel out from under him, and then pulled Otogi down with him so that they were both lying down on the bed.

"I'll sleep better now," he mumbled in reply. "Thank you."

Honda chuckled and a kiss was pressed to the top of his head. "You never have to thank me for sleeping with you, love. The pleasure is all mine."

GMA

This was becoming a habit. Jou looked at their bed, the bed that was supposed to be a safe haven for him and Seto, and tried to keep his mouth from twitching. Shizuka blinked back at him, big eyes all rounded with innocence. She was already dressed in her pink pyjamas, having been given a clean bill of health by the doctor after a few of her worse scratches had been bandaged, and was ready to go to bed. In their bed, apparently. He shook his head slightly and pulled his shirt off, tossing it towards the other side of the room and not bothering to watch to see where it landed. Seto hated it when he left things lying around but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

"Should I be expected Mokuba too?" he asked wryly.

Shizuka considered the question and brushed a few strands of her auburn hair over her shoulder before responding. "Yeah, probably."

"Right." There was no point in arguing and really, it was just as well she – well, the both of them – wanted to sleep in their room. After what they'd been through, he was keenly aware of how close he'd come to losing her several times. At least if she was in the bed he'd know where she was. He grabbed a fresh pair of pyjama bottoms - Seto's, by the looks of them - and headed over to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. Don't wait up for me."

"Kay." Shizuka flopped over backwards and drew the sheets up around her shoulders. Jou shook his head and entered the bathroom with a fond smile lingering on his lips. It was late, and he knew that they were the last ones to go to bed. Seto would no doubt be prowling around the house, unable to settle down even though Yami was now home. It wouldn't sit quite right with his lover, the fact that Hafiz had walked away without any repercussions. That would annoy Seto for months.

He turned the water on and climbed in, heaving a groan of satisfaction as the heated liquid struck his shoulders and back, soothing a variety of bone-deep aches. It felt damn good to just stand there. He washed languidly, more concerned with making sure that every inch of him had the opportunity to be massaged by the steaming water. By the time he was ready to get out, he was tired but relaxed. He dressed in the pants (definitely Seto's, considering that he had to roll them up a little to avoid tripping over the ends) and opened the door. Mokuba was in the bed as well, he noticed as he padded across the room, and both he and Shizuka were sound asleep. But as he had expected, there was no sign of Seto.

His lover was bent over the kitchen table, the remains of the meal they'd consumed still spread around him. No doubt his staff was waiting in the shadows for Seto to go to bed so they could clean up. He smiled a little and moved over until he could wrap his arms around Seto's shoulders. "I know you've done as much as you can tonight," he murmured softly, deliberately brushing his lips against pale skin. "You've put the word out amongst all of your best personnel and they'll be searching as soon as dawn breaks. In the meantime, I think it's time that you came to bed."

Seto sighed and looked up. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes, just visible in the light the laptop was producing. "I was trying to catch up on some things for Kaiba Corp," he admitted.

"That can wait, Seto. Your company isn't so instable that it will fall apart without you." Jou stepped around and sat down smoothly in Seto's lap. Sometimes it was the only way to force him to ignore the computer. "I mean it. Mokuba and Shizuka and I are all waiting for you. All of that stuff - " he indicated the laptop behind him with a wave of his hand " - will still be here tomorrow morning."

A slow smile spread across Seto's face, making him look years younger. "If all of my men could argue as well as you do, my company wouldn't be in half the trouble it's in," he said, placing a gentle kiss on Jou's lips.

Jou chuckled. "If your men argued the way I do, I'd have to start worrying about whether or not you were cheating on me!" He grinned with genuine amusement. If there was one thing he knew Kaiba Seto would never do, it was betray the people he loved like that. "Come on, Seto. Everyone you care about is safe and sound under one roof. And so is everyone they care about. I know you've already been up there at least two or three times to check on the yamis and hikaris and we're all fine. Please come to bed with me. You're exhausted and you won't help anyone by doing this to yourself."

"Alright, pup, you win." Seto reached around Jou and began issuing the commands to save what he had been working on. As the laptop began to power itself down, Jou stood up and then helped Seto his feet. Seto grimaced, rubbing his lower back with one of his hands. "I really must buy another table set. These chairs are so uncomfortable."

"Anything is uncomfortable if you spend hours at a time in it!" said Jou, taking Seto's hand and gently tugging him along before Seto could change his mind. The two of them walked up the stairs, comfortable in the deep darkness, and down the hall. True to Jou's word, the house was completely silent and the only light came from their bedroom. As Jou approached the door, he glanced inside and saw that Shizuka and Mokuba were curled up together in the middle of the bed. The light was coming from Mokuba's Blue Eyes White Dragon nightlight, which had been plugged into the wall.

"You get into bed. I'll be right there," Seto said. He walked over to the bathroom and went inside as Jou moved to the bed. Normally he would've gotten in beside Mokuba and left the children between them, but tonight he needed to feel Seto's warmth beside him. He climbed in beside Shizuka instead, sighing as his head hit the pillow. It felt so good that he wasn't awake long enough to feel Seto get in beside him.

GMA

The mansion was quiet when Yuugi got out of bed the next morning. He left Yami sleeping, curled up in the bed underneath the covers, and took a shower. It was hard, considering that several places on his body bore bandages, but it was worth it to rinse away every last trace of Hafiz Ishtar and Illusion Island. He stole some clothing from Yami - boxers, a pair of pants that he had to roll up, and a shirt that was a little too long - and padded, bare foot, down the stairs, cell phone in hand. He stared lazily out the window as it rang.

"Domino Hospital."

"Hi, this is Mutou Yuugi. I was wondering if I could get an update on my grandfather, Mutou Sugoroku." Yuugi said. It had been on his mind all night. He listened to the faint tapping of keys, his stomach churning.

"Mutou Sugoroku was discharged yesterday with a clean bill of health."

"Really?" His eyes widened. "Thank you." Relief poured through him as he hung up the phone and he leaned his head against the window, taking a slow breath. It was tempting to call his grandfather right away, but it was still early and Sugoroku would likely be sleeping. He'd need all the rest he could get. Yuugi sighed and put his phone back in his pocket before wandering towards the kitchen. His stomach was letting him know that his numerous missed meals over the past few days had not been appreciated in any way.

It was the delicious smell of coffee that led him to the kitchen, where he found Isis sitting at the table, sipping from a cup and perusing the newspaper. The remains of her breakfast, an empty plate covered with crumbs and the rind of an orange peel, were still sitting in front of her. She glanced up at him and gave a weary smile in greeting. "Good morning, Yuugi. Did you sleep well last night?"

"About as well as can be expected," Yuugi replied, taking the seat next to her. One of the maids appeared next to him like magic and set a cup of coffee, a glass of milk, and a glass of juice down in front of him before retreating. Even though Yuugi didn't usually drink coffee, he decided that an exception could be made. He added generous amounts of milk and sugar as he looked up at Isis, noticing that she clearly hadn't had the luxury of a good night's sleep like he had. Her face was pale and dark, and puffy circles were evident under her eyes. "I think that having Yami next to me did a good job of keeping any nightmares away. What about you?"

"Oh, I've had better nights," Isis said with a thin, weary smile, setting her empty cup down. She waved off the maid who tried to approach with a fresh mug and folded the paper.

"Did you have a vision?" He glanced at the Millennium Tawk around her neck. He vaguely remembered hearing someone, possibly Bakura, talking about what the different items could do. At least it explained why Isis had always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone else in the past.

"No, nothing like that." Her fingers toyed absently with the necklace, rubbing against the symbol of Ra. "Or at least, I hope not. I have no desire to see most of my dreams become a reality, let's put it that way."

Yuugi grimaced slightly as he took a gulp of his tea. "Where do you think he went, Isis-nee-san?" he asked.

She turned her head and looked at him for a moment before she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I don't know, Yuugi," she murmured, leaning forward and smoothing his bangs off of his forehead. It was an unconscious gesture and Yuugi allowed it only because he could tell it soothed her as much as it comforted him. "If I knew, I wouldn't hesitate to tell Seto so that he could be tracked down and brought to justice. It makes me apprehensive to know that he's still out there."

"You don't think he'll come back?"

"I can't be sure." Isis fell silent as the maid returned for a third time, this holding a plate that was heaped high with pancakes, bacon and eggs. She set it down in front of Yuugi with a silent bow and then moved away. Isis continued, "If there is one thing I know about my father, it's that he does not take being defeated lightly. And he will take what happened on Illusion Island as a defeat. Until he is caught, we will all have to exercise caution in what we do, especially the six of you."

That wasn't really what he wanted to hear. Yuugi began eating, his mind mulling over what Isis had said to him. "Do you know where he will go?"

"I can guess," she answered. "I believe there's a chance he may head for Egypt."

"Egypt?" Yuugi found that hard to believe. "Why Egypt? I thought Malik said you guys never wanted to go back there."

"I don't, and neither does my brother for obvious reasons. But Hafiz was always bitter about being cast out of our clan. I believe that some part of him has always wanted to get revenge for what he sees as a grave injustice. It wouldn't surprise me if he chose to do so now. Our clan's job was to protect the Pharaoh." Her face grew troubled. "Part of that meant keeping the Millennium Items and their secrets safe. But that was not our only task. There are many things in their possession that could cause a great deal of trouble if Hafiz managed to get his hands on them. I may have to travel to Egypt to see if I can get into contact with the clan. They deserved to be warned."

"Will Malik go with you?"

"Probably not. He was very young when we were kicked out. I don't expect he remembers much of that life and I would like to keep it that way if at all possible. Besides, they may be more amenable to me since I'm a woman." Isis touched the Millennium Tawk again and the true implication behind her reasoning was evident: her clan would be more accepting because of her item, not because of her gender. For whatever reason, she didn't want them knowing that Malik had an item as well, hence her reluctance to take Malik along.

"That's alright. If you did, Mariku would have to come, and that would be a fight waiting to happen," Yuugi said with a grin. He'd seen the way Mariku and Isis looked at each other sometimes. Like two dogs fighting over a bone. Malik would be better off not getting in between the two of them even if it meant Isis going by herself. "You should take another guardian with you, though. It won't be safe."

She smiled, but before she could say anything, the sound of loud voices cut her off. Both of them looked up as an older woman stalked into the room. Her voice was grating and echoed through the kitchen above the banging of the pots and pans. "I want to see my son, I told you. Where is he? I know that he's here."

"Tenno-sama, please." The maid skittered into the room after the woman, followed by a man who was dressed in a suit. "I told you, your son is indisposed right now."

Yuugi didn't have to ask Isis who these people were. It was evident by just one glance. The woman was short and slender, yet she carried herself with the kind of confidence of someone who knew that their every word would be obeyed, no questions asked. She had golden blonde hair tied up into a bun with a few strands hanging around her face, high-lighting a pair of cold blue eyes. She was wearing a black suit jacket with a crisp white shirt over a grey-striped skirt with black heels. Though she was not classically beautiful, her full lips, thin nose and high cheekbones gave her a striking look.

The man was a bit taller than his wife, with deep chocolate brown eyes. He had dark hair that was short and neat, recently trimmed. His skin was noticeably darker than his wife's, tanned, like he spent more time in the sun, and he was wearing a dark grey suit that showed both his tan and his body off to the best of his ability. He wore an exasperated look and kept glancing at his watch. Even though the coloring was all wrong, he looked a great deal like Yami, and Yuugi knew that these had to be Yami's parents.

"Hello, Tenno-san," Isis said calmly, rising from the table. The woman twitched and swung around to look at them, having apparently not realized that there were other people in the room.

"Oh, Ishtar-san," she said. "I didn't see you there. Good morning. I'm looking for my son."

"I gathered. I believe he's resting."

"This late?" said the man, raising an eyebrow. "It's nearly seven!"

"He was tired," Yuugi said, unable to keep quiet at this perceived slight against Yami. Quite frankly, he was amazed that he and Isis were up so early after the past few days. It wouldn't surprise him if Yami and the others slept until the early evening hours. He was contemplating a return to bed himself.

"And you are…?" Her voice trailed off and her mouth dropped open when she got a good look at him. "By Ra, it's you," she breathed. Swaying lightly back and forth, she made a grab for her husband's arm. "Daichi! It's the pharaoh's light!"

Something about the way she said that made Yuugi a little nervous, especially when she took several steps closer to him and gripped his shoulders, pulling him forward and preventing him from moving back. "It's an honour to meet you. My name is Tenno Akemi, but you can call me Akemi," she said fervently, her blue eyes glittering. "By the stars, you even have the Millennium Puzzle! And you've solved it! My gracious, you look just like a more innocent version of Atemu. How cute."

Her nails were digging into his shoulders and it was starting to hurt. Yuugi tried not to squirm. Isis signalled to the maid and then stepped up beside them. "This is Mutou Yuugi," she said, gently but firmly detaching Akemi's hands. "As you guessed, he is the wielder of the Millennium Puzzle."

"So this is where Atemu has been." Akemi looked delighted. "Would that he had told us sooner. We have so much to discuss, little one."

Yuugi stiffened and his violet eyes flashed. "Don't call me that."

Akemi looked surprised by his vehemence. Before she could say anything, though, the door to the kitchen swung open and Yami barrelled inside. His eyes assessed the situation and within moments, he was across the room and planting himself squarely between Yuugi and his mother. Yuugi stumbled back a step, but was steadied when Yami's arm shot out and slipped around his waist, bringing him securely against Yami's side as Yami glared at his parents.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded in a low voice.

"No need to get all wound up," Daichi said soothingly. He placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, and then, with his other hand, he held out a box. "This came for you. It was waiting on the front porch when I woke up this morning at five."

The subtle dig was lost as Yami frowned and took the box. It had been wrapped in plain, non-descript paper and had his real name written across the top in fat, messy black lettering. He exchanged a concerned look with Yuugi as he stepped over to the table and placed it down. Isis silently fetched him a knife, which he used to slit the paper, revealing a cardboard box with no distinguishing features. He poked it cautiously, and then shook it. Nothing happened. Finally, he cut the tape and opened the top. Whatever he saw inside made him go very still indeed. Yuugi exchanged a worried look with Isis and then stepped forward.

"Yami, what is it?" he asked, looking up at his darkness. When Yami didn't respond, he glanced down into the box.

There were four things inside.

A vial of sand.

Maiden of the Moonlight's duel monster card, ripped neatly in half.

One strand of silky white hair, dotted with blood.

And a note.

THIS IS NOT OVER, PHARAOH.

The End!

So, first of all I'd like to thank everyone who stuck with me through this story, including those who have been here from the beginning and those who joined me along the way. This was my first Yu-Gi-Oh story and I was initially apprehensive about posting it, but the response has been phenomenal, far beyond anything that I could have expected. Believe me when I say that this story has taken me places I never expected to go, and that I have new appreciation for authors with a cast of characters above five or six... it's a hell of a lot harder than it looks!

In regards to the sequel, there will be one coming. I need to read the rest of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga before I can get too far into it, mostly for certain details since I never got that far into the anime. I'm relatively certain I can find them online so it's more an issue of time than anything else. Still, I hope to have the sequel posted within a couple of weeks or so. I'll post an alert onto this story when it's posted so that everyone who has it on story alerts will know.

If you can't wait that long, please check out my other Yu-Gi-Oh fics and one-shots, including the new YGO story I posted today. Thanks again!