Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG ASS WAIT! As a 'thanks for being so patient' you get a really long new chappie today! After I finished editing I noticed it was HELLA long so I broke it up into two. Sadly, a lot has happened lately and I've suffered another loss in my family. It goes without saying that I've had quite a lot on my mind that has caused me to get sidetracked. But I'm making a comeback with my writing, so please continue to be patient! Many thanks for all the lovely reviews and favorites and follows! You guys are amazing; I ADORE hearing what you think and all the theories you have. :D Keep em' coming cause it helps keep me on my toes and really add depth and flesh to my story. I hate leaving questions unanswered, you know? No one played with a Ouija board right? Good. Still with me so far? Yeah? Good! Let's get it! Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own little plot & of course the entirety of the Avhallian universe so meh..

Chapter 15: Decoded

"YOU DID WHAT!?"

The morning had not gone according to The Plan. Sure, it had started out innocently enough… Yugi and Ryou had of course started their early morning with coffee and breakfast. After which they made good on their deal and made a call to Pegasus ("No answer. Huh, he must be really busy.."). Once that had been taken care of, it was time to gather everyone together (and roll a still-sleeping Joey out of the bed) to fill them in on what had happened during the undercover spirit board session. Their group had been a bit confused as they recounted last night's events but listened attentively. It was only when they brought up Ryou's temporary possession and the *cough cough* "borrowed" Millennium Item that shit hit the fan. At the moment, Yugi and Ryou found themselves cowering at the foot of their bed in the wake of Teá's rage. Her eyes alight with fire as she towered over them, bending over and putting an accusing finger in Bakura's face. "You were supposed to leave that thing at home Ryou! This is exactly why! We specifically asked you not to bring it! And you STOLE one of the Millennium Items from Ishizu, UGH-who even ARE you! And YOU-" She rounded on Yugi, "-You actually went along with this?! What the hell were you two thinking!?" Yugi flinched as Bakura ducked behind him, gripping his upper arms and trying to make himself as small as possible.

Yugi valiantly wedged himself fully between the irate brunette and a teary-eyed Bakura. "Wait! Let me finish! I set Shadi free from Ryou's body and it stopped and then he passed out! He's fine now! Shadi told me-"

"-That doesn't make things any better Yugi! What if he hadn't just passed out?! Did you even CONSIDER the fact that you guys could have been taken over by a bad spirit? Do you not recall the number of dead people who hate us? Who've tried to kill us?!" She ranted on, waving her fists above their heads threateningly.

Ryou's face popped out from above Yugi's head, "Please! We're very sorry! I was gonna give the Key back once we finished telling you, I promise! We only borrowed it-"

"You STOLE it!" Teá grit out. Bakura whined and disappeared back behind Yugi's smaller form.

Yugi looked around for support from the packed room, "It's not as bad as it sounds! Help, somebody please…" His attempt at puppy dog eyes miraculously thwarted by Teá's growl. "Ahh! Okay okay I'm sorry! Sorry.."

Grandpa spoke up from his spot on the other bed, "Sorry Yugi, but you can't say it isn't well deserved. Were I a few years younger I'd tear into you too, but as it is I'll leave the punishment to your friends. They seem quite capable of whipping you back into shape." He turned away from his grandson's look of utter betrayal and adjusted his grip on his cane. Everywhere Yugi looked he was met with disappointed eyes and displeased frowns. Grandpa.. Rebecca… Ishizu.. even Professor Hawkins looked let down. Crap..

Yugi sighed, "You're right, we shouldn't have done it. It was stupid and reckless and scary but it worked, so I can't truly regret what we did. Had it not worked and something bad did happen, I'd be beating myself up about it... but it did work. Shadi came through for us! And we now know for a fact that whoever took Marik was really after the Pharaoh-not the shadow magic that used to reside within the Millennium Items. I don't think that mysterious woman meant to take him. Marik was just in the wrong place at the right time. More to the point, whatever power this jewel has isn't dormant... and we can access it. If we can figure out how to use this thing then we have a better chance at finding Marik and the Pharaoh!" Joey snorted from his spot behind the elder gentlemen.

"Yeah, except we don't know how! Ryou was basically knocked unconscious when that thing lit up, right?" He lay on his side with one arm propping his head up.

"Well yes but-"

"But nothing Yug'! We've had that thing with us for days and it hasn't done jack. Who's to say that what happened to Bakura last night wasn't just a fluke?"

"It wasn't a fluke! Trust me, Shadi wouldn't have mentioned it unless it was important. He may not know who took them, but he wanted us to figure out how to use this necklace." Yugi stood abruptly, shaking a Bakura off himself. "Look, you can all be mad at us forever if you want, but I need help figuring out how to get this thing to work. Ishizu, you said this thing can open up a portal right?" He pulled the necklace from out of his pocket and held it up to her.

The Egyptian woman slowly answered, "I can't be sure but that is what it looked like."

Ryou shakily piped up, "Well there's our biggest clue. If I can get the pendant to work again maybe it will open the same portal. Listen, when I was possessed I remembered where I had seen those symbols. There's a box in the basement at the shop that has a really old paper with these same markings. It looked like gibberish to me at the time but my boss told me not to throw anything out so I just shoved it in with the rest and packed it away. I sent an email to her to see if she could help us by pulling it out. As for getting the necklace to work, I think if we're gonna have to use the board agai-"

"NO. MORE. BOARD." Ryou squeaked and inched out from under Teá's thunderous shadow. Ishizu addressed him as he shuffled past on the carpet.

"If you no longer need it, I'd like the Millennium Key back please." Ryou blanched and hurried over to his bag. He rummaged around until he found it and promptly handed it over, bowing low and apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry! I'm really really sorry. I'll never steal from you again!" To which she chuckled and forgave him. Rebecca, having taken up her usual spot in the rolly chair, sank back into it and rubbing her temples.

"First of all, you guys are idiots for messing with that stuff. Secondly, what exactly is the plan? We're just gonna poke and prod the necklace till a rabbit pops out of the metaphorical hat? I don't know about you guys but I didn't study Witchcraft 101 in college." She emphasized with quotation fingers.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "It's a weird situation, I'll give you that. So our plan-well, actually it was Ryou's plan-(Hey! Don't throw me under the bus!") is that we get Pegasus' help to throw an extremely last minute Duel Monsters tournament in Cairo. That way we won't be too far away if anything happens here. We'll make it exclusive and only duelists with high enough credentials will be invited to participate. Once the names drop we're hoping that people will flock to Egypt. The more attention the better. We may even be able to pull some strings so you guys can stay longer-in exchange for advertisement or donation to your current places of employment."

Joey's eyes lit up, "Hey that's not half bad! Alright, so who's all on the exclusive list? I'm already here so who else is there to call?" He puffed his chest out. Yugi held back a chuckle when multiple eyes rolled towards the ceiling.

"People who put up a real challenge.." Teá bit out. The tension in the room dissolved as everyone stifled their laughter. Poor Joey deflated. Professor Hawkins and Grandpa grunted as they were jostled by the angry blond-who had jumped up to stand on the mattress so he could yell across the room.

"WHAT! You saying I ain't a challenge?! I'll take on ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE! I'll show YOU who's a challenge!" He and Teá continued bickering back and forth, while the rest of the group tuned them out to listen to the rest of the plan.

"So, Yugi, did Pegasus agree to help with this tournament?" Professor Hawkins called over the din.

Yugi shrugged and called back, "I don't know yet. I left him a voicemail asking him to call me, so now it's a waiting game. In the meantime I figured we could do another round of research-but this time on magic rocks." The collective groan in the room from his friends echoed his feelings on the thought of more long hours in the library. "Hey, c'mon guys, we finally have a lead so let's just suck it up until we hear back from Pegasus! Which reminds me.. Rebecca, I need a favor."

She sat up, "Sure, what's up?" He walked over and opened her laptop before whirling her chair so she was in front of it.

"I need you, O Brilliant One, to make me a list of the top duelists on this side of the hemisphere. Anyone who we can get here in under 48 hours. See what large venues in the city are open for last minute rental and whatnot… It'll make things easier if we have some of the finer details worked out for Industrial Illusions, you know?" She saluted and got to work. Yugi turned to address the room, "Ryou will stay here with Rebecca while he waits for his boss to email back." Bakura gave a thumbs up and whipped out his computer-setting up right next to Rebecca. "Once she does, Teá, Joey and I will hit the books to look for any info she gives us." At the mention of their names the two ceased their bickering to blink over at him. Yugi then turned to the ex-Tomb Keepers.

"Ishizu and Odion, I know you have a lot left to do with what's left of the excavation so I think you should keep focusing on work for awhile." Ishizu looked startled, before passing the Key to Odion and coming to stand next to him.

"Is there nothing else we can do to assist? While I am grateful for all that you've done for my family I can't just sit back and do nothing..."

"You haven't been doing nothing. You're going to finish your research on the Pharaoh's past! Despite what's happened, it's still important to you that the world know what Pharaoh did for the world. Am I right?" Over his shoulder his Grandpa and Arthur were nodding sagely in agreement.

"Yes, of course, but.." Ishizu took a breath, "But what about Marik? He's been gone for days now…How can I just continue to go about my work when he could be somewhere in danger? What if he's hurting? I am his sister and I'm supposed to protect him.." Her voice wavered, eyes shimmering with tears. Odion moved to comfort her-but Yugi beat him to it. Grabbing her around the middle he hugged her tight a moment, before pulling away and taking both of her hands in his. She stood stunned at his sudden affection.

"Ishizu, I promise you we'll bring him home, but right now I need you to be strong. Marik needs you to be strong." Ishizu bowed her head. Yugi could see the doubt written on her face. He leaned in, catching her gaze and smiled up at her encouragingly, "I know you're worried. We all are, and we're doing everything we can to find him. You may not believe me, but I feel that he's really okay. I can't explain it, but my heart is telling me he's alright and he's fighting to get home. Please trust me! Let us keep up the search for him. We all have a part to play and I think I speak for the Pharaoh as well as myself when I say you need to finish what you started." Ishizu took a moment to really look at the young man before her. She could feel the absolute surety of his words-that he spoke a certain degree of truth-a truth that resonated within herself. Hope blossomed in her chest for her younger brother. Yugi was right; they would find Marik and bring him home... She blamed the moisture clouding her vision but for a heartbeat it seemed as if she was looking not just at Yugi, but the king himself too. 'A true leader..' Warmth filled her and she grasped his hands back firmly, borrowing the strength he offered.

She sniffled and smiled back, "Yugi… I do trust you. Thank you." Her fond gaze had Yugi embarrassedly scratching the back of his head, a faint blush on his cheeks at her statement.

Professor Hawkins caught their attention by clearing his throat. "I assume then that Solomon and I will be assisting them with salvaging our work. Now that that's all settled why don't we get to it?" He, along with Grandpa and Odion, stood to leave.

"Oh wait just a sec' Odion! I have something I wanted to ask you." Yugi waved down the enormous man. Odion looked down at him questioningly. With the formidable-looking Egyptian towering above him he almost told him forget it. "Uhhhh.." Despite Yugi's slight growth spurt he still had to look, well, way the hell up at him. At people in general really, if he was being honest with himself. Being short was really frustrating sometimes. Whatever. Back to the point, "I know this may be a stupid request so I'll understand if you don't want to do it."

Odion cocked a curious eyebrow, "Go on."

Yugi shuffled uncomfortably, "Well I know you and Marik used to run around with, um, some less than savory characters-you know, back in the day! And I was just curious if you had ever stumbled across anyone who might have mentioned or knew about other forms of magic other than the Millennium Items?" He squirmed as the Egyptian's other eyebrow disappeared with the first into his hairline.

"You're talking about the Rare Hunters?" In his peripherals, Yugi could see Joey and Teá shudder. Their last run in with Rare Hunters definitely made the Top Ten worst experiences for all of them.

"Yeah. This kind of magic is unheard of as far as we know, but it's still possible we may not have been the first to stumble across it. The Rare Hunters made it their business to hunt down and take possession of the rarest items in the world-even before Marik had taken control of them. I know you don't have anything to do with them now but the group itself is still made of elitists who want power in any form right? Someone in the bad guys club may have information-a legend, a myth-hell I'll even take a bedtime story! Anything really, because we desperately need it."

Odion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I see. You want me to use my connections to find information." Yugi nodded. He could feel everyone's eyes on him. Inside, he found himself fighting down the sudden stage-fright nerves fluttering in his stomach at being put in the hot seat.

Yugi already knew that his friends looked up to him; they respected him, thought of him as the glue holding their little rag-tag group together. They'd told him as much in the past. It made him feel good to know his leadership was valued. More often than not, they followed his lead in any situation and he supposed this time was no different. But what he hadn't realized was that they weren't the only ones who might be looking to him for direction. It suddenly dawned on him that he had somehow ended up (again) at the helm of their current dilemma. There was a problem and they were looking to him to fix it. They believed in him. That trust, while encouraging, weighed heavily upon his shoulders. He didn't want to let them down. So the pressure was on to steer them down the right path! He swallowed hard and spoke.

"Look I know it's a lot to ask, and I'm by no means saying you need to jump back into all that mess! All I'm asking is that you find what you can, preferably without putting yourself in danger. It's risky, and I don't feel completely comfortable asking you for this, but I'm not about to let any possible lead go unchecked." Yugi straightened his spine, hoping to exude confidence even when he felt none. Conviction was key, right? He may be not be the oldest or the wisest in the room but he knew this was the right course of action. Their plan would work-he just needed to make them believe it too. His eyes never left Odion's as he waited for an answer. Seconds ticked by without so much as a twitch from the man… He almost wavered, until Odion finally cracked a smile.

Yugi "oof-ed" as a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder. "A valid point, young master Mutou. If you truly think the answer is out there, then it is a risk I am willing to take. Especially if it will help you find my brother. Give me a couple of days to find some of my old...friends. I'll call as soon as I find anything." He almost made it out the door before Ishizu stopped him. He passed her back the Key. She looked up at him seriously-green locking onto hazel.

"Be careful Odion, I couldn't bear it if something were to happen to you too." He winked and planted a kiss on the top of her head before leaving. A chorus of farewells followed him out. Yugi's eyes followed his broad form out the door. Ishizu's adopted brother was no gentle giant-this they knew from experience. Knowing that left him with the impression that wherever Odion was headed he was more than capable of looking out for himself.

"Well then, we should be getting back to work ourselves shouldn't we? Let's leave this to the youngsters. They seem to have it all figured out." Grandpa Mutou clapped Yugi on the shoulder. He winked at his grandson before leading Arthur and Ishizu out. The gang lounged around the room for the rest of the morning until a familiar trilling had them looking around in confusion. They all jumped as Rebecca gasped.

"Uhhh Yugi? It's Kaiba." Rebecca turned, her deer-in-the-headlights expression mirrored his own. The skype tune jingled merrily through the hotel room as panic ensued. The girls seemed determined to get out of the camera's angle and dove into the bathroom-slamming the door behind them; Ryou had clamoured underneath the covers of his bed, making a valiant attempt to lie flat as possible while Joey spider crawled along the floor to cram himself underneath the desk. Yugi tripped over the blond on the way to the computer and just managed to catch himself on the edge of the desk. It didn't help that Joey kept grabbing at his knees trying to pull him to safety.

"OOF! Dammit! Leggo! Everyone just keep cal"-THWOCK!-"I SAID KEEP CALM!" Joey whimpered and cradled his cranium where Yugi had hit him. "I'm gonna answer it! Just stay out of sight!" He took a deep breath, clicked open the line, and plastered on his best 100 watt smile. "Hey Kaiba! What's up?"

"LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT! I'VE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR DAMN GEEK SQUAD MAKING MY LIFE A LIVING HELL!" Crap. They'd done it now. Seto's normally calm and collected facade was nowhere to be seen. Hair askew and dark circles underneath his eyes told Yugi just how stressed out he was. He cringed, feeling a small twinge of guilt. Well, small as in minuscule. Barely there at all. He still hadn't forgotten how Kaiba left them high and dry in Domino.

"Wha-WHOA. Hold up! What are you talking about Kai-"

"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! THIS TIME YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR! MY ENTIRE COMPANY IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR A FUCKING TERRORIST ATTACK THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS!" Seto made a violent gesture with his hands in front of the lens. Yugi could hear Joey hyperventilating and whispering the word "assassin's" over and over from his hiding spot. Afraid Kaiba would hear it too, he forcibly nudged Joey's leg with his foot to quiet him.

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that. Me and the geek squad, as you say, get into a lot of trouble on the regular. And I'd appreciate it if you'd lower your voice before you blow the speakers."

"My team is unraveling that little encryption code as we speak! Mark my words! It's only a matter of time before I have what I need to bring the entire might of Kaiba Corporation down on your heads! AND I KNOW YOU'RE ALL THERE WITH HIM SO GIVE IT A REST AND SHOW YOUR FACES!"

"Nope! Nuthin' doin!" Yugi tried not to roll his eyes as Joey's muffled voice came through the wood, which only seemed to piss Kaiba off more. He glowered at Yugi through the little screen, face slowly turning an unhealthy shade of puce, leaving Yugi wondering if it would be wiser to just tell the truth.

"Y'know Kaiba, I'm detecting just a tiny bit of hostility here. Not that I don't believe you have the power to make us all disappear off the face of the Earth, because we all know you do, but I'd much rather that happen if you had actual proof we did something wrong." He schooled his features into a neutral mask as Kaiba cussed him out about just how he'd like to make them disappear. Behind him in the little screen he could see the bedcovers Ryou took refuge under visibly trembling over his shoulder. Yugi rolled his eyes. This had gone far enough, if Kaiba wanted to be nasty then he'd play ball. "Wow Kaiba, I didn't know your vocabulary was so colorful! If you're done painting a vivid picture of my future demise I'd like to say something."

"AND WHY WOULD I WANNA HEAR ANYTHING ELSE OUT OF YOUR DAMN MOUTH?!"

"Because I might have information that will clear your company's good name." Yugi's little half-smile turned cheeky as Kaiba's jaw flapped open. Through the computer screen he could literally see a vein in Seto's temple throbbing. In their long time of knowing each other, Yugi had never seen him this mad. It was quite entertaining.

"Information you say? Heh. That's funny, because I thought I already told you that once my team is done unscrambling the encryption code I'll HAVE the proof I need!"

"And you think we're the ones who did it. So what exactly are we going down for?"

"You and your pathetic goon squad hacked into the Kaiba Corp database and activated one of my drones. Then, for some unfathomable reason, you decided it would be a great idea to turn it into a weapon and launch an attack on the damn pyramids of Egypt-a world landmark that's protected by the EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT. And now said government has crawled up my ass with so much of their terrorist bullshit that I'm about this close-" He held his thumb and pointer finger a hairsbreadth apart to emphasize, "-to hanging myself with all the red tape surrounding my company!"

"I see…" Yugi inwardly commended himself on not faltering under Kaiba's Death Glare of Impending Doom. He was keeping up a pretty good act of seeming bored with his tirade. Pegasus would be proud. "That's a tall order for a bunch of…What was it you called us not too long ago? Oh right! A bunch of friendship-spewing imbeciles." He lifted his head so he was looking down his nose at the CEO.

"Oh spare me with that 'holier than thou' crap! You really think I'm THAT stupid Yugi? You called me out of nowhere asking me to fly you to Egypt just days ago for some emergency-which I had every right to turn you down!-and by pure coincidence my drone just happens to get jacked from Japan and blown out of the sky mere miles from the hotel you're staying at?! Give me a fucking break!"

Joey's finger appeared in Yugi's face, "There! Yah see? I TOLD ya he was creepin!" Yugi swatted his hand down and gave Kaiba an exasperated look.

"Okay look Kaiba, I get you're pissed. However, your accusations are still just speculation seeing as you don't have proof. Even if you did manage to find any, why would a bunch of twenty-something's steal one of your drones and attack the pyramids? Who would believe you? Not that any of that matters anyway. We're just in town for the Duel Monsters tournament Pegasus is throwing. Isn't that right guys?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at him. "Bullshit. I think I would know if Pegasus was throwing a tournament. Your imaginary alibi is useless."

"Don't be so sure about that. It just so happens that Pegasus is throwing a tournament! It's being held in Cairo in just a couple of days. I heard it's a pretty big shindig for only the top ranking duelists in the world. Does this mean you didn't get an invitation?" He kept his voice even, feigning innocence. "That's too bad! I was pretty excited when I got mine.." Kaiba growled in irritation.

"Pssst! Yug'! What the hell are ya doin?!" Joey whispered hoarsely, his head appearing between Yugi's legs. Glancing down, Yugi could see his best friend's alarmed expression. The downturned curve of his mouth adequately expressed his WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK MAN, WHY YOU LYING TO KAIBA sentence he couldn't yell out loud. Yugi smooshed his head back by crossing his legs. Yugi opened his mouth to speak but stopped as an odd sensation hit him, like he was being watched. Nonchalantly playing it off as a yawn, he peeked over his shoulder towards the bed-to find a horror-stricken pair of brown eyes boring into the back of his head. Yugi sweatdropped. 'So much for the vote of confidence..' He cleared his throat loudly and the eyes disappeared from sight. Kaiba slammed a hand down onto his desk, getting so close to the lens his head took up the whole screen.

"Don't toy with me Mutou! You're gonna admit what you did! Right here. Right now. And then you're gonna beg for forgiveness and pray I have mercy on you. You'll regret messing with my company, because I plan to ruin your live's completely." Kaiba's fiendish smirk gave away just how much the idea appealed to him.

Yugi scoffed, "Beg? Not a chance Kaiba. But seeing as how you and your precious company are in a tight spot, I may be inclined to do you a favor." The smirk vanished. Kaiba's eyes flashed, a storm brewing in his cobalt irises.

"A favor... So we're back to that again, huh?"

It was Yugi's turn to smirk, "Looks that way. After all, what are friends for?"

Kaiba snarled, "I alway knew you were a manipulative little bastar-"

"Actually, I just had a great idea! Whaddya say we make this interesting? I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you fork over that shiny Kaiba Corp credit card to me and my friends for a whole week to do with whatever we please. If you win, then my friends and I will come forward and clear your company's name. With proof of your innocence." He leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers. Kaiba threw back his head and cackled before sobering up, looking almost back to normal with his condescending smile in its proper place.

"You must be joking. I'm not gonna stake my company's reputation on a duel Yugi. And I don't have to! Not when I have the most prestigious team of decryptors in the world on my payroll. I'll just wait you out."

BA-BOOM. The bathroom door bounced off the wall with the force of impact. Yugi caught a blur of movement as Rebecca stormed out, ready to rip Kaiba a new one-no doubt about how his 'prestigious team' could drop dead. Teá lunged at her, clamping a hand over her mouth and dragging her back to the safety of the linoleum lavatory.

Yugi rested his chin atop his fingers, "You sure about that? It's hard to find proof when there is none. C'mon Kaiba, I'm only trying to help you-I was even nice enough to make it interesting. If you win against me you could save yourself and your company a lot of grief. I told you we'd take the heat for you, all you have to do is hop in that nifty jet of yours and pop on over here. It's not like you have to climb Mount Everest butt naked screaming 'I LOVE KIRA' or anything.."

Kaiba looked about ready to strangle him, "Why you…"

"Will you or won't you take me up on my challenge? I just told you there's a tournament I need to prepare for. I'm a busy guy, you know, being King of Games and all. Tick tock." Yugi chuckled as he heard something audibly snap over the skype line. Was it mean to hope it was Kaiba's last shred of sanity? Probably.. Yugi waited as Kaiba thought it over. The brunet's color receding back to normal before leering through the screen.

"You know what? Fine. I'll do it. And once I'm done kicking your ass you'll make good on your end of the bargain. Kaiba Corp's golden reputation will be restored. And the cherry on top? I'll reclaim my title as the number one duelist in the world."

"Great! We'll see you soon then!" Yugi chirped, unfazed.

"And since you seem to be best buds with Pegasus," His voice dripped with disdain, "I trust you'll make sure my tournament invite gets sent in the mail."

"You bet! Bye now!" They clicked off and Yugi slumped down to the floor exhausted. "Well, that wasn't so bad…" Everyone came out of their hiding spots and flopped about the room.

Teá was the first to speak, "You know Yugi, for a guy without a mean bone in his body you sure can be ruthless." She gave him a pointed look from her upside-down position on the bed. Yugi just shrugged.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm wiped. Is it too early to go back to bed?" Yugi moaned out. Rebecca grabbed a pillow and chucked it at his head. He snagged it at the last second and lay down on the floor, face down in the soft downy cloud of cloth with a contented sigh.

"No sir! No sleep for you! And you're not going to bed until you can get Pegasus to throw a tournament for real!" Teá rolled over onto her stomach and reached out, ripping the pillow from under Yugi's head. He latched onto the corner and tried tugging it back with a forceful "No! My pillow!" Joey intervened by walking past them, roughly yanking the pillow away and throwing himself across the other bed-effectively ending the pillow battle and squishing Bakura in the process.

"HEY. Joey, you need to lay off the junk food! You're heavy!" Ryou muttered from under the covers. Joey ignored him and made himself comfortable atop the other boy-much to Ryou's annoyance.

Yugi forced himself to sit up, "I guess we should get back to the libr-" His cell phone trilled the theme song for Funny Bunny from the bedside table. Everyone watched Yugi hop up and run to answer it. "He-hello? Pegasus-hey! Yes, I did. I know it's probably really late over there but do you have a minute? I had a crazy idea I wanted to share with you, actually it's more me asking for another favor…yeah? Cool, um, you might wanna sit down for this…. Well it's a pretty big favor…."

Marik sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Tired, hungry and anxious he sat on a stiff white chaise lounge chair, jiggling his foot impatiently. The large suite resembled the infirmary area he'd woken up in, only much bigger and more private-it even had it's own washroom. He guessed this was where those of higher social stature were treated. Across the room from him were two large beds-Aeva asleep in one and the newly reborn Pharaoh on the other. Both lay still as statues breathing slow and even. They'd been like this for the past few hours; both Marik and Kisa had dutifully watched over them as they'd been asked (err-ordered? It had sounded like an order..whatever..) by Queen Seraphine, and it was still dark outside. If he had to guess Marik assumed it was close to four in the morning, given that the dark navy of night had brightened in the tiny windows in the room. Kisa sat curled up at the foot of Aeva's bed, eyes locked on the Catalyst's peaceful face.

'Poor Kisa… She hasn't said a word since we got up here.' Marik zoned in on the back of the Tiger girl's head. He wondered if she was still freaked out over what had gone down in the Chapel. He wouldn't blame her if she was… His eyes drooped and he rubbed his face to wake himself up, fearing what he might see if he closed his eyes. Sigh. Even he was still trying to sort through everything. Only two things were really sticking in his head: One-Aeva was powerful. Scary powerful. If her ninja skills didn't get you her vast array of powers would. Two-Pharaoh Atem was ALIVE and due to wake up any minute. He'd never admit this aloud but he was actually glad to see a familiar face after weeks of being away from home-even if that face happened to be his ex-nemesis. He hoped Aeva would wake up first, that way he wouldn't have to be the first to interact with him. Marik worried that when Pharaoh actually did wake up that he'd either A) lose his mind and keel back over dead or B) be so enraged at being brought back that he'd smite them all. Marik grimaced; neither scenario seemed promising, and he'd be damned if he let himself be caught within smiting distance. Did Pharaoh even still have his power? He would just assume he did to be safe..

Marik was no stranger to powerful forces of magic, but after seeing a dead guy resurrected before his very eyes he seriously needed to reassess just what the fuck he had been doing trying to take over the world seven years ago. The magic sealed within the seven Millennium Items had been great but they paled in comparison to what these Avhallians could do... He now felt incredibly stupid thinking he could reign in whatever power the Pharaoh had carried within his Puzzle. In some ways he was glad he was here to experience this little reality check. It really put into perspective just how bat-shit insane he used to be... How crazy his Other self was. 'Shit. What if I had won against the Pharaoh? Could I have really taken over the world? What would I have done with the world once I had it?' Marik frowned, realizing he'd never really thought about just what he'd do as a King endowed with shadow magic-his plans never developed passed that part. Marik grunted, standing up and vigorously shaking all thoughts of 'what if' away. He needed therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. Speaking of dangerous amounts of power….

Marik cleared his throat, "Hey Kisa, I think I'd better go grab the Dark Tome from the Chapel. It disappeared somewhere on the floor in there and I don't know about you, but I don't trust those flaky Council freaks with it. I'd rather Aeva have it under her watch. Want to come with me? They seem okay for the most part." He kept his voice low so he wouldn't startle her. Kisa slowly shook her head in response. "Are you sure? It might make you feel better to stretch your legs…" Tiger girl turned to him, and he could see the worry etched into her sweet face. He stood and walked over to pat her head. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. She's gonna be okay. I know I haven't been here long but from what I can tell she's tough as nails. Probably just worn out from all the energy she used." Kisa looked up at him hopefully and Marik grinned. "She'll be up in no time, promise."

The tiger girl gave him a small smile and wrapped her arms around his middle. He chuckled and gave her a hug. "I'll be right back." Tigerlilly nodded, turning back to her sleeping Lady. Marik slipped out of the room. It took a few tries but he managed to retrace his steps back to the Chapel.

The stone doors were closed, the runestones no longer glowing. He ran his fingers along the intricate patterns. Perhaps they weren't glowing because no one was inside? He hoped not. A shudder went through his frame as he recalled Aeva telling him the Council members lived up here-they'd probably not be too happy to be disturbed. That left one option-just waltz on in and hope no one was home. 'Get in. Get Out. No one will even notice.' But what if they were in there? He went to knock but stopped to rethink that action. These doors were thick and he highly doubted anyone would hear him knocking. 'You know what? Fuck it..' Sparing his knuckles from any trauma he placed his hands on either side of the seam in the door and pushed. It didn't so much as budge. Throwing a little more weight into it he tried again with no luck.

"How the hell did Aeva open this?" He eyeballed the seemingly impenetrable Chapel, curious if there was a specific way you had to open the door. Did you have to use magic? Secret knock or a password do the trick? Was there a key under the rug? 'Wait.. A key..' Marik reached into his shirt and pulled out the pendant Aeva had given him, holding it in his palm. He looked between the doors and the jewel, focusing intently on getting them to open to him.

"Aeva said these pendants were only given to those of high status…. Maybe only certain people are allowed into the Chapel. Since I have one shouldn't the doors open for me?" His question didn't go unanswered. The pendant began to glow-lighting up a small section of runes in the Chapel doors not even a second later. Marik's surprise turned to excitement with his discovery. He leaned forward, figuring out the closer he got to the doors the more runes would light up in response to his necklace. He stepped up half a foot from the stone doors and smirked as the runestones lit up all the way to the top. Leaving the jewel exposed around his neck he placed his hands on the stone and heaved-letting out a triumphant "Ha!" when it finally slid open.

Pushing it open enough to slide through he found the room dark and deserted-and still in the state of disarray it had been when they left hours previously. The flame candelabras along the walls cast an eerie glow on the white stone pillars. He glanced around making sure the coast was clear before walking in, loudly clearing his throat to alert anyone to his arrival. 'Good. No one's around.' His footsteps echoed in the large circular room as he hustled to check the entire room: behind the pillars, the tiny alcove behind the podium… There wasn't a lot of places it could have gone-seeing as how the room had no corners and two pieces of draped furniture. A long curved table opposite the doors served as an altar of sorts, and held an assortment of strange items. He peeked underneath the thick golden table cover and spotted a purplish piece of binding. Yes!

"There you are." He released the fabric and moved behind the altar, spotting the Tome lying open on the floor. He bent down to pick it up, closing it halfway before something odd caught his eye on the paper. Curiosity got the best of him as he opened it fully, flipping through a couple of the ancient pages. Grotesque images and what appeared to be anecdotes scritched in a red ink so aged it was almost black decorated every other page, but that's not knocked the wind out of lungs. Heart beating frantically, he flipped through the pages faster-convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him. 'What the hell?!' He blinked repeatedly as the symbols on the page swam and morphed into letters..then words.. The pendant faintly shone as it warmed Marik's chest, his trembling hands struggling to hold the leathery covers. Stunned, he sank to the floor and rested the Dark Tome in his lap. His own words not even registering to his own ears as his gaze ran through the messages taking shape on the stiff fibrous paper.

"I can readthis.. I can read the Book!"