It was a cold January evening. Snow covered the ground softly, everything was quiet, except for a set of careful footsteps crunching through the snow.

Hands moved to tighten the scarf around the wearer, gloved hands shoved further down into deep pockets in search of heat.

The hooded figure looked behind him, glanced both ways before slipping down the dark alleyway, over cautious, careful. Keeping as quiet as possible. As he reached a group of run down apartments he looked behind him once more, before carefully opening the door. The stairway was dark and unlit, the doors to two of the bottom floor flats were boarded up, obviously abandoned, or worse.

However, the figure paid no mind to the derelict state of his surroundings, slipping up the stairs as quick as he could manage, he didn't bother taking his hood down, he was stealthy, and silent.

He walked up the stairs quickly, fumbling with keys in his gloved hands, met with instant warmth as he stepped into the apartment...which was, unexpected. No one knew of his location, he had been careful, quiet...

With a frown the figure smacked the light on, noticing a large man standing by the window.

"You?! How are you back, how did you find me?" The man in front of him gave a soft sneer, as the light flickered softly.

"The great spirit of the Millennium Ring, surprised by little old me? How, delightful~" A purr was heard, causing the hooded man to shiver, fear coursing through his veins. He thought to run.

"Where is Akefia?" He frowned, looking further around the apartment.

"I have no idea, why would I?" The dark-half of Marik stepped from his position, causing Bakura to flinch, and step back.

"Come now, you really did not expect to see me eventually? The 'Great and Powerful' Pharaoh is back, along with the Spirit of the Puzzle, they have settled into their little lives, playing house with those...ugh. You and the Thief King seem to have settled into life quite well here. I figured I would stop by for a visit."

"Well, you have visited, now leave!"

"Such hospitality Spirit. I come to you with a deal, to be perfectly blunt" The sound of a yell was heard just as the darkness finished his sentence.

"Ah he is awake, perfect timing." Bakura looked in shock as the man...no creature. Just because the darkness had his own body...did not mean he was human. This monster was a creature of pure shadows, evil to the core.

The door to Bakura's bedroom was open, Bakura dared to follow the other in...eyes widening.

"Marik?! What in Ra's name are you doing with Marik here?! Do you know he could tell the Pharaoh where I am!" The spirit chuckled, shaking his head, both looked to the blonde haired man, bound and gagged.

"If he escapes, which he will not. I need a place to stay, and we will make a deal. You, in your cosy little...abode, can put us up, and in return, I will give you this"

The dark-half of Marik pulled the Millennium Ring from it's hiding place, and Bakura's eyes widened.

"It still has magic in it?"

"Yes, a small amount. Easy enough to coax the rest of it back in, if you know how. I will give it to you. But do we have a deal?"

Bakura was instantly on edge again, stepping back from the darkness, smirking in front of him.

"I do not think that is a good idea" He muttered, trying to regain his composure. This thing could not get the best of him, not like during that duel. Well then he had Marik distracting him. He glanced over to Marik, before back at the demon.

"Now now, I am hurt. I think it is a wonderful idea personally, aaannnnd, we both have the same goal"

"What is that then?" Bakura frowned, not taking his eyes off the eccentric figure, hood still up, and scarf still covering most of his face. Uneasy, in his own home. This was practically unheard of.

"We both want to see the demise of the Pharaoh. We could team up, rid the world of him and his 'delightful' doppelgängers." The hooded figure folded his arms, raising one eyebrow warily.

"It's the trust thing, that is the problem, to be completely honest with you. You sent me to the shadow-realm...and you are insane. I just do not think it is going to work out"

The shadow turned as he heard the door open, and another man come in with a bag of shopping. He glanced up, before frowning.

"Bakura, you never bring guests over, who is this?"

"Not a guest, and not someone we want to associate with. Get out, and take your Hikari with you." The monster gave a sadistic grin, stepping closer to Bakura.

"Oh, but I rather like it here, besides wouldn't you like to know another piece of information?"

"I said I am not interested demon, now get. out" The words were punctuated with disdain, and loathing.

"Okay okay, fine. I was just going to tell you the location of your precious Hikari, I understand you have been having trouble locating his ...home, with the Spirit of the Puzzle protecting him now."

Bakura turned back to him.

"How on Earth did you know that? How do you know all these things?!" The room became eerily quiet, no one moved, the dark-half of Marik's grin seemed to grow bigger, impossibly so.

"I have my secrets, I have found something, that is highly useful. Also, the Millennium items do not go to waste. True, with your dear shadow friend defeated, the items are not as strong as they once were. But, there is a way we can bring them back to their full potential, and bring the Pharaoh to his knees, together."

"Why do you wish to work with me? As far as I am concerned, we have been enemies for far too long. You and I do not have the best history, after all" Bakura's arms were folded across his chest, glaring at the demon from under his hood.

Akefia had moved to put the items away, not really understanding what was going on, but not wanting to interfere with Bakura and his...strange house-guest. He still was not used to this world, and all the differences. The weather was far too cold, the food was not the same as usual. There was flashing screens, loud cars and much much more that just confused him. However, stealing was still as easy as ever. Their fancy technology only slowed them down in his opinion, while he could sneak through unseen, unheard, with the slight bit of Shadow Magic that remained in him.

"We have the same goals, Bakura. I have told you this, we both wish to see the demise of the Pharaoh. As well as that however, I want to turn their 'happy family' upside down. A good way to do that, would be taking your precious Hikari from them, something they have already been trying to prevent"

The white haired man unfolded his arms, sighing.

"Yes, they have been watching him more carefully. I was too...careless with my lighter half. Usually he would just store the information and not tell a soul. He has gained some courage...or some other fool-hearted emotion to say the least. With the Pharaoh and his...friends on full alert, it makes it harder to lure Ryou away. Though still possible. I know a few things he likes to do, that I can probably catch him doing on his own."

The man opposite him raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you do need any help~?" He purred softly.

Bakura had to agree, it was a good idea. The two of them, could stand a good chance against the Pharaoh, with Akefia's help. The demon had access to the Millennium Items with the Tomb Keepers insight. As well as that, Marik had access, and the trust of the Pharaoh. They knew Bakura was back, but how likely was it that they knew the demon had returned? It gave them the element of surprise to say the least, and the extra fire-power was nothing to shrug off.

"Fine, you can stay, there is one condition however." He did not trust him, he did not want to trust him. But at this moment in time, this demon was the best hope of getting to Ryou. He had been trying to for the longest time without those...idiots catching onto him.

Shadows seemed to loom across the wall, as the demon leaned closer.

"Tell me then, sweetheart~ What is this condition?"

"I want you, to kidnap my Hikari for me. I would myself, but I imagine they are looking for me, considering Ryou has been far more aware than he usually is." This was a better idea. Protecting himself from the Pharaohs magic, and risking this one in return. That way if he did not get Ryou, he would still have to deal with the Pharaoh, while Bakura was safe.

The smirk that crossed the other man's features was...grotesque, unnatural. Not that he looked much different from usual.

"Deal"

-x-

The plan was simple. Well so Yuugi had said for the hundredth time.

He picked a day when Joey and Tristan were both off, as well as himself taking advantage of the time off Kaiba gave him.

It was like putting bait in a trap...not that he would ever call Ryou bait, though that was technically what he was. Bakura was lured to Ryou, just as Yami had been lured to Yuugi. So, leaving Ryou alone would hopefully bring Bakura closer, or close enough for Joey and Tristan, or Atemu and Yami to ambush him from one side. They had separated so there would be nowhere for Bakura to run...or hide.

Yuugi had set off from home first. All of them had left at least 5 minutes apart, so they were not obviously close together, but so they could get to Ryou as quickly as possible. There was no way this was going to fail.

Unless Bakura didn't care, and ignored Ryou. But this was probably one of the only chances he was going to get him alone, if he was watching at all.

Besides, it was the perfect evening for it. Quiet, a festival was going on in another part of the city, so the streets were calm and quiet, no witnesses. Bakura would want to take advantage of this, wouldn't he?

Yuugi walked silently, hood up. It had been a long time since he had been 100% alone, with just his thoughts. Ever since Yami and Atemu came back, ever since he had started working for Kaiba. Life had been all go, which had been amazing. But...it was nice, to think for himself again.

The snow was falling softly, floating gently to the ground. The silence was peaceful, even though this was a trap, he had never felt more relaxed.

He turned a corner, and unexpectedly bumped into Yami, who turned to him, putting a finger on his lips and pointing.

There was a man, on the roof. A faint figure in the flurry of snow, but still there, obviously watching Ryou's route.

"Do you think that's him?" Yuugi muttered quietly, and Yami nodded, saying nothing he started to move. They needed to get to Bakura before he got to Ryou.

Yuugi followed Yami quietly, trying not to notify the figure to their presence, Ryou was still walking, oblivious to his surroundings as he listened to music. Good, the more they could keep Ryou out of this, the better.

As they turned another corner, the figure turned to them, before running in the opposite direction.

"Oh no, he saw us"

"Yes, but if we are quick, we can still catch him! Come on" Yami snarled.

"He is back, we are going to make sure he does not put Ryou through that torture again." The pair turned the corner of a dark alley, but there was no one there. It was dark, apart from the dimly lit street lamp. It was then that both of them heard a yell.

"Ryou?" Yami frowned, Yuugi shrugged and turned on his heel.

They arrived where Ryou used to be, the pair of footprints just stopped suddenly. Atemu was lying on the ground, and gave a soft groan, and Joey looked like he had been flung against a wall.

"Joey! Yami check Atemu!" Yuugi frowned, running to his friend. Tristan appeared from another street as well, dashing over to the group.

"Aw man, what happened here?" He joined Yuugi by Joey, who was seemed to be sleeping.

"He's still breathing, we should get him home. Atemu?" He turned to Yami, who was helping the other up carefully.

"That was no Thief King. Who was that?!" Atemu groaned. "He had the millennium rod...wild, spiky blond hair. I have never seen him before"

Yami turned to Yuugi and Tristan, who both gave a nod.

"The Dark Half of our friend, Marik. We fought against him during our time together. How did he overpower the pair of you?"

"He has his magic, a lot of it apparently. The strength was...unlike anything I have ever witnessed. He just knocked me, and Joey back effortlessly, grabbed Ryou and disappeared." He looked over to Joey, who was stirring slightly, before he bolted up.

"Marik is back?!" He gasped suddenly, and Yuugi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, we got the news from Atemu. How are you? You suffered a pretty bad knock" Atemu nodded, kneeling down next to him.

"You were really careless rushing to him like that Joey, thank you for trying to protect me. But I can handle things, knowing you got the brunt of the magic makes me feel terrible. How are you feeling? Nothing sinister?"

Joey gave a smirk, and waved his hand.
"Thanks for your concern Atemu, but I'm fine, honestly. A little knock like that can't damage me. That guy especially has done far worse, so his little magic tricks don't bother me."
The others nodded, and Atemu sighed, turning to look at the place where Ryou was standing not too long ago.

"Well, do you think this means he is working with Bakura? I mean there would have to be a reason he targeted Ryou directly"

"Poor Ryou" Yuugi rubbed the back of his neck, giving a soft sigh. They promised to protect him, but they couldn't even do that. He was now somewhere unknown, with at least Marik's dark-half, and maybe Bakura as well. There was no way they could possible track him down.

"Wait, Millennium Rod? Marik has the items?" Yami looked to the others.

"If he does, they have no power...I checked them myself. There is no way they could have enough power to be used for dark purposes once more...well not that I know of" The group of them sighed. Before Joey moved forward.

"Well, Ishizu knows about the Items. We should talk to her, see if anything bad has happened. Maybe we can get some clues about Marik, and about the others. Maybe it will help us find out where they are. We need to try and get Ryou back, we promised we'd protect him!"

Yuugi nodded, walking in the direction of their home. "I have her home number, we can get in contact with her. The fact she hasn't spoken to any of us about this is a bit worrying. But we need to find out. The sooner we can get Ryou back from these...ugh. I just can't believe they want to put him through all that again. Why can't Bakura just leave Ryou alone?!"

The walk back home was sullen, and quiet. Atemu was still scolding Joey for protecting him, but both seemed okay after their run in with the demon.

When they walked through the door, Tea looked up with a smile.

"Hi guys, how did it...where's Ryou?" The look on their faces said it all, and she couldn't help but give a soft gasp.

"But you promised he would be safe?! What could possibly have happened that he could be taken from all four of you." Yuugi stepped forward, rubbing his arm gently. He felt bad, really bad for all the problems he had caused. He was the one that made the plan...that failed. He was the one that pushed Ryou to confronting his darker self...and now here they were.

"Marik's dark-half has returned. Me and Yami spotted who we thought was Bakura on the rooftops, so we chased after him. But he disappeared, when we returned, Atemu and Joey were both on the floor. Marik's dark-half has some powerful shadow-magic Tea. If the Spirit of the Ring and him are working together, then we are going to have some problems. He has the rod as well, which could mean he has access to the other Millennium Items. Though Atemu says they have no power, which I am inclined to believe"

Tea sighed, moving to sit back down, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Ishizu has not been at work these past few days. At first I thought it was just coincidence, Marik and her could have both taken a holiday. But she still tends to come in, especially because they are planning a trip to Egypt for next year, so it is rather hectic. But, there has been no sign of her, and still no sign of Marik. Something bad is happening guys. I can feel it"

Atemu put a hand on Tea's shoulder, frowning.

"We will find them, and we will make sure that the Thief and the dark-half of your friend are punished. I promise, but we cannot lose hope Tea. We need to work together, and you have access to the museum, do you not? Maybe there will be important information there. Right now we have to focus, not mourn the loss of people we still have a chance to save."

Tea gave a quiet sniff, and a soft nod. Atemu smiled, and turned to the others.

"Right, first thing tomorrow, Tea me and you will go to the museum, see if there is anything there. Yuugi, do you want to take Joey, Duke and Tristan to Marik's house? You know where he lives right?"

Yuugi nodded, and turn to the other three, who all smirked.

"Atemu is right, we can find these creeps, and get Marik and Ryou back. We've bet them before" Joey chuckled.

Atemu turned to Yami.

"You still have access to shadow-magic, correct? Maybe there is a way to track their own shadow-magic usage. Do you think you could do that?"

Yami nodded. "Of course, I remember seeing a book the last time I went there with you. I will come with you, and see if I can find more information about shadow-magic. If it is the only way to track them, then we should try to take advantage of it. If they are using shadow-magic, then I might be able to find away to get rid of it, or at least try and send them both back to the shadow-realm."

"First things first though. We need to find Ryou. We're going to need to start tomorrow though, considering nothing will be open, and I do not wish to bother Ishizu if she is having problems."

Everyone nodded, and Tea sighed.

"I hope he's okay, the thought of leaving Ryou with those...monsters, and we don't even know if they have Marik, he might be all alone having to put up with them. I wish we could have done more to protect him"

"Don't worry Tea, we will find them. There is no way they'll be getting away with this, I promise you."

Tea sighed, and hugged herself tighter.

"I hope so Yuugi, the thought of him having to deal with this on his own, and he has just started to come out of his shell more. He'll never be able to trust us again after this. We lied to him, and promised him protection."
"No one expected Marik's dark-half to be so strong, or to be around at all. I'm sure he will understand. He's a lot stronger than he was. I'm positive he wont give Spirits an easy time. He's got some fight in him" Tristan smirked.

"I hope you're right Tristan, I hope you're right"