A/N: A long chapter to make up for the last chapter's short length and no update fore the prequel, Shadow Beginnings.

The Dark Returns

"Marik was not doing well. He had a splitting headache and his body ached like he had run a marathon. But Marik knew it was not really his body that hurt, it was his soul. The threads binding the pieces of his soul together were snapping one by one and it hurt like pulling single hairs out of his head and he knew it would not stop no matter what he did the try to alleviate it.

It was cold and lonely without the Shadows holding him, sealing his soul together. He felt tired but refused to sleep, too afraid of what would happen if he did close his eyes. As long as he was awake and aware, he knew he was alive. The moment he fell asleep he would not longer be sure if he was alive or dead. He refused to give up the little bit of control he had left.

On the bright side, he had managed to freak out his captors to the point they avoided him now and just watched him through the security camera in the far corner. He groaned and shifted as he felt another thread snap. It made his body twitch, itching to move, to grab the threads and tie them back.

But that was not the worst part of this whole thing. Nope, the worst part was that he was massively bored. Ever since the older man with the beard left him alone in disgust, Marik had had no one to talk to except for that one bald man who popped in on occasion. The bald man looked familiar but Marik could not say why. Baldy enjoyed talking and Marik took advantage of the chance to run his mouth.

Baldy was obvious rich, that much was evident from the way he dressed and carried himself. If Marik guessed right, this was the bald man's place. Why did he think that? Because the vault Marik currently sat in was stocked full of knick-knacks from all over the world, including Egypt, as well as bundles of money stuffed in a hidden wall safe near the ground behind a shelf. Marik had seen Baldy put some money in there several hours ago.

Naturally, Marik had run his mouth during that particular visit. But surprisingly, instead of talking back like Baldy usually did, the man had ignored him, put the money in, and left. While vastly annoying, it had proved there was a chink in Marik's armour. It forced him to admit that he was alone in this.

That was terrifying. Alone, unable to touch the Shadows, his soul falling apart at the make-shifted seams, no one to talk to, and nothing to do except wait for someone to find him was a terrible fate.

So Marik decided to change that. His captors had bound his feet with zip-ties after his last escape attempt, but if he could slip free of the ties binding his wrists, he could do something about that. It was not a pleasant experience, popping his wrist out of socket never was, but it was necessary. It took some doing and dear Ra above it hurt, but it was worth it. Marik pulled his hands around, and forced his left wrist back into place with a grunt.

He would make the bald man pay for his aching wrist. Someone had to pay after all, and like hell it was going to be Marik. Perhaps a quick trip to the Shadow Realm would make Baldy rethink his ways. Marik was criminal mastermind and had need of his hands. He may not have been a thief with talented hands, he shuddered at the memory of Bakura's dancing fingers, but he did need his hands for other things. He could not think of the other things at the moment, but who cared.

He began working on the zip-tie holding his ankles together and deeply regretted loosing the Millennium Rod. The blades on the scepter had proven useful on more than one occasion. Fed up with the infernal plastic strips, Marik pulled off his shoes, took a deep breath, and popped his ankle out of joint. He cried out at the pain but he was able to work his feet free. He had to fall back against the shelf behind him to catch his breath from the agony before controlling himself long enough to pop his ankle back into its proper place.

The old man would pay for that one. Marik definitely needed his feet; he planned to walk out of here after all. He was tired of waiting and tired of the pain in his body and soul. The only reason Bakura or Yami had not come after him was because they could not sense him as long as his Shadows were gone. That meant Marik was truly on his own.

He limped over to the vault door and eyed it carefully. It was very well made, solid steel from what Marik could see. The Priest of the Shadow Court placed his hands on his hips and leaned on his unhurt foot thoughtfully, studying the floor. Getting an idea, he turned back to the shelf of rich man's trinkets and grabbed a small marble that was likely some priceless pearl or whatever, and placed it on the center of the vault floor. He grinned when he saw the pearl roll towards the vault door.

That meant the door was heavy, so heavy it was causing the floor to bucket beneath it. That meant the support beams below were straining. Now he deeply wished the lights in the vault were off. He looked up at the recessed lighting above his head and cursed his height. He was not short, but even jumping he was not tall enough to reach the maddening bulbs. A quick glance at the nearest shelf solidified his idea. All he had to do was...

He paused, tilting his head curiously at a strange noise. It was a faint clicking like the sound of notches sliding into place. Marik grinned; so someone had seen his little escape attempt through the security camera and decided to come investigate. And they were even opening the door for him, how nice of them.

Marik shifted to a ready stance, resting lighty on the balls of his feet, distributing his weight evenly despite the agony his injured ankle was experiencing. He winced inwardly at the pain he knew his injured wrist would feel. He could already feel the damaged joint begin to swell. This was going to be fun.

The great door swung open and Marik leapt out of the vault tackling the person on the other side, knocking them back a step or two. But the next moment, Marik found himself slammed against a wall, a knee between his legs, jamming into his crotch almost painfully. He grunted and tried to fight back when his wrists were caught and pinned against the wall on either side of him. He cried out when his swelling wrist impacted. He had to tiptoe on his right foot because his aching left ankle was struggling to hold his weight. He opened dark violet eyes and glared at his attacker, blinking in surprise when a very familiar, very welcome pair of earthen brown eyes met his.

"Well, well," said a voice that sent Marik's blood rushing to more important places than his feet and hands. "If I had known you missed me that badly, I would've come to get you sooner."

"Bakura," Marik groaned. "Damn it to Ra, you idiot. I was going to get out of here on my own."

Bakura snorted. "Yes, I'm sure you were," he said derisively. Marik grunted and bucked his hips, trying to get his fellow Dark off of him. Bakura just grinned and let him wear himself out. "I think I like you like this," the Thief said with a smirk. "Minus the injuries of course." Calloused fingers brushed against Marik's swollen wrist. "I dislike it when other people mark my property."

"Even if the 'other people' in this case was me?" Marik said, pausing his fighting in favor of sliding his hips up Bakura's knee slowly in the teasing manner he knew the Thief enjoyed.

"You?" Bakura growled. "You did this?"

Marik shrugged as best he could in his position. "Well, the zip-ties wouldn't come off so I had to do something."

"And I assume that's why you're favoring your foot as well, hm?" Bakura sneered.

"Well, someone decided to take their time getting here and I was absolutely bored stiff."

Bakura rolled his eyes and leaned forward to kiss Marik hard and possessively, releasing the captive wrists in favor of running his hands up the Priest's sides. Marik looped his arms around Bakura's neck and ran his nails up the Thief's slender back. He purred under his lover's attentions.

"About the delay," Bakura said pulling out of the kiss and catching Marik's chin in a firm grip. "I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. Leave the dirty work to me."

"You don't like me dirty, 'Kura?" Marik purred, receiving a hard buck in punishment.

"Remember who you belong to, Marik," Bakura hissed. "Your mind is your main asset in battle. Leave the manual labor to me and Ryou."

"Speaking of which," Marik said, "are you occupying Ryou right now?"

Bakura scoffed. "What's it to you?"

Marik shrugged. "Well, if you were, I was going to suggest the three of us pay a little visit to a certain someone I owe a debt to. Or someones actually, now that I think of it. Athough, I doubt we'll be able to find the old man."

"Old man?" Bakura asked intrigued. "Just curious. This old man, did he have a beard and mustache? And was his left eyes fake or missing entirely?"

Marik raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Why Bakura? Since when did you start taking an interest in older men?"

"Since he wiped my village off the map and murdered everyone I once knew and loved," the spirit snarled.

Instantly, all humor drained out of Marik. "Oh." He placed his hands on Bakura's -or was it Ryou's?- cheeks and brushed his thumb over the flushed skin. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Bakura lowered his eyes and nipped Marik's thumb. "I know you didn't. But that begs the question: where is he? The old man?"

Marik sighed in defeat. "I honestly don't know. But I owe him for my foot and the zip-ties."

Bakura cackled. "Yes, about that. If I knew zip-ties were your weakness, I'd've used them a long time ago."

"You had better not," Marik retorted furiously.

Bakura merely grinned and winked before stepping back and letting Marik down. Then he separated from Ryou and leaned on his yadonoushi who was blushing bright red and having trouble breathing evenly. Bakura grinned.

"I told him about our proposal to have him join us in our bedroom endeavors," Balura said, pointing teasingly at Ryou. "But I figured a demonstration would help seal the deal."

Marik smiled and strolled up to Ryou who stared at him with lustful eyes. Marik casually flicked a few stray strands of white hair away from Ryou's face and slid his finger under the reincarnation's chin. "Like what you see?" He leaned in to whisper in Ryou's ear. "Want more?"

Marik did not need to feel the convulsive swallow to know he had Ryou's full attention and approval. But just for good measure, he flicked his tongue along the soft cartilage earning him a gasp.

"What the hell is going on here!"

Marik leaned back and looked down the hall to see a line of men standing there, guns in hand, and ready to shoot. "Well, I'm not particularly interested in cannon fodder," he said, waving dismissively at the men. "But I believe you two have some anger issues to work out. Isn't that right, my little thieves?"

"Never call me 'little' again, Marik," Bakura warned. "Or I'll work my anger out on you."

Marik shuddered in anticipation. "Oh, I look forward to it."

It was hardly a fight. Bakura and Ryou slaughtered the men mercilessly. It was over in less than a minute leaving a huge bug chomping on the remains of one man's legs and another man standing over a dead comrade with a smoking gun. Change of Heart withdrew from the remaining mortal and returned to her place in Ryou's Deck. Man-eating Bug, however, had to be coerced back into the Deck. A meal was a meal after all.

"Now, your boss," Bakura said, placing a hand on the surviving mortal's shoulder. "Where is he?"

The man quaked, caught between terror at the macabre scene around him, and the knowledge he had helped cause it. "I...I...I-"

"I?" Ryou said, stepping up next to his spirit. "Are you the boss then?"

Bakura glanced at his yadonoushi curiously. "Ryou?"

Ryou smiled sweetly. "Then give my regards to the afterlife." A fist slammed into the man's throat, snapping the man's head back, followed swiftly by the sickening crunch of bone as the Scribe's Shadows rose up and devoured the man alive.

"Ryou," Bakura gasped when the screams finally stopped, bursting into a brilliant grin. "You are a fine Dark indeed."

"I agree," Marik said. "A magnificent show indeed." He looped his arms loosely around Ryou's neck and leaned against his back. "But now we have a mess to clean up and evidence to remove."

"Do we?" Bakura asked. "Are you sure?"

Marik raised an incredulous eyebrow at his lover. "Yes, we do. Unless you have another idea."

Ryou closed a hand around one of Marik's arms drawing the Egyptian's attention back to him. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "Noa will take care of the security cameras, the ones still working, anyway." The Scribe leaned his head back against Marik's shoulder. "And as for the mess, well," he shrugged. "Someone has to take the fall. For all the murders in this city. Why not whoever owns this place?"

Bakura grinned and Marik kissed the top of Ryou's ear affectionately. "Did I ever tell you how sexy that brain of yours is, Ryou?" Marik purred.

"I try," Ryou said, fighting back a blush.

"Now how about we pay a visit to the owner, hm?" Bakura said. "I think you have a few words for him, Marik. And I'm sure Seth won't mind us taking our time returning."

"Seth?" Marik asked. "He came out, did he?"

"You've missed a lot," Ryou said. "We'll fill you in."

"Or," Marik murmured into Ryou's ear, "I'll fill you, hm?" Ryou had to fight not to let his eyes roll back in his head. Damn, Marik was good with words.

"So," Green Lantern said, coming up to Shaadi when things were finally calmed down enough to do so.

"Yes."

"How do- Wait, what?" Lantern asked in confusion.

Eerie pale brown, almost orange eyes gazed steadily at Lantern's bright green eyes. "Yes, I sew."

Lantern blinked in confusion before shaking his head. "Look," he began again, "how did you get here so fast? Last I heard, you were still in Egypt."

Shaadi nodded gravely. "I was."

"So, how did you get here so fast?" Lantern repeated.

"I teleported," he said.

"Wait, you... You teleported?" Lantern gasped, drawing Flash's attention. Curious, the other superhero came over to join them while the other members of the Justice League listened from their current places.

"That is what I said, yes," Shaadi said.

"How?" Flash asked. "What did you use?"

Shaadi tipped his head to the side and adopted a look of mild confusion. "The Shadows," he said, as if the fact was obvious.

"You mean like Shadow Travel?" Oliver asked, leaning on a workout bench nearby.

The Egyptian shook his head and continued speaking. "No. Shadow Travel is generally a local means of travel. The farthest I have ever heard a Shadow user Shadow Traveling unaided was from Sapporo to Osaka in Japan which I believe over 1,000 kilometers or so."

"Who did that?" Flash asked.

"The King. He was quite out of breath and dizzy when he arrived, if I recall correctly," Shaadi said.

"I don't blame him. It sounds tiring," Lantern said.

Shaadi shook his head. "It was tiring but that was not why he was dizzy. That was because keeping a firm hold of your consciousness and soul while enveloped in the Shadows so deeply is dangerous. It is easy to loose oneself and if that happens, there is little chance of being saved."

He cut off abruptly when the sleeping monarchs stirred.

Yami woke with a start when he felt his Dark Shadows strengthen. He focused his senses and felt Bakura and Ryou fighting. He was about to reach out and join them when he felt the void near his two Darks. He bolted upright, quickly pulling a startled Yuugi back into his arms murmuring apologies.

"Awake, are we?" Mai called.

Yami turned to the Sorceress with a nod. "Yes," he replied in Japanese. "I feel Bakura and Ryou. What are they-"

"They are retrieving Marik," Shaadi said from his place on the couch's arm at Yami's feet. "Seth found him and sent the Thief and Scribe after him."

"Seth found... How?" Yuugi asked, now fully awake.

"Said some'm about lookin' fer places without Shadows," Jounouchi said munching on a sub sandwich.

Yuugi sat up when his stomach grumbled hungrily. "Where'd you get that?"

Jounouchi grinned and waved an wrapped Subway sandwich teasingly in the air before tossing it to the King. "Gotcha one, too. Figured you 'n Yami could split it."

Yuugi eagerly unwrapped the sandwich and munched at it happily. "But what about-" he stopped himself to swallow. "What about Marik and Seth?"

"I believe Seth was looking for any place the Shadows refused to or were unable to go," Shaadi said. "With Marik unable to access his Shadows," Yami winced uncomfortably, "Seth thought it would be worth his effort to look for a place void of Shadows."

"Why didn't we think of that?" Yuugi murmured.

"'Cause we're used to using our Shadows for almost everything," Mai said in English. "It's a crutch in a way. Which brings to mind," she pointed to the Justice League gathered around the room, "we've got company."

Yami shifted so he sat leaning back on the back cushions and Yuugi could lay across his lap, kicking his feet in the air. The Pharaoh smiled indulgently at his precious Ba, petting Yuugi's flyaway hair affectionately. Yuugi continued eating happily, pausing only when he noticed Kaiba curled on the floor by the couch.

"How long has been out?" Yuugi asked in English, deciding diplomacy was the best route.

"A couple hours or so," Oliver said from his place on the workbench. "Guy sleeps like the dead."

Yuugi shook his head. "Not usually. He's normally a very light sleeper. He must be tired."

"He was talking with Seth there for a bit," Oliver said. "At least I think he was. It was kind of hard to tell at times."

Yami nodded. "That makes sense. If his soul is sleeping then he's sleeping very deeply. That's good. He needs it to heal the damage to his soul room."

"Souls seem to be an integral part of this Shadow magic you use," Green Lantern commented.

"Of course," Yuugi said around his mouthful. He swallowed when Yami clucked and pinched the back of his neck. Yuugi squeaked and glared at his other half in annoyance.

"Why is that?" Wonder Woman asked. "I've never heard of magic that uses souls like yours does."

"And I would like to know why it repelled my mace," Hawkgirl said. "Thanagarian technology is built to disrupt all magic."

"It did not disrupt the magic simply because Shadow magic isn't really magic," Yuugi said. "It's more like manipulating a sentient physical existence using our souls as both a power source and a channel."

"Sentient... You mean like slavery?" Green Lantern gasped.

"What do you mean using your souls as a power source?" Flash exclaimed.

Yuugi paused in his chewing, letting his legs drop to the couch. He swallowed. "Didn't Kaiba tell you?" he asked.

"Tell us what?" Walter demanded, moving to stand by Oliver.

"It is hardly slavery," Shaadi said calmly. "It is a mutual symbiotic relationship in which both sides benefit equally."

"How so?" Batman asked.

"Dude, what about the soul thing?" Flash said.

"The Shadows are sentient and do not wish to be left alone," Shaadi said.

"They are like children," Yami said. "Constantly tugging and touching and clinging and worrying about us. The Shadows love our souls as only they can. In return for access to our souls, the Shadows offer us companionship, acceptance, power, and completion where we would otherwise die from a broken soul."

Oliver felt his heart drop. "So...whenever I use Shadow magic, which isn't really magic, kinda, I'm using a sentient thing or creature as a tool and it, what, eats my soul?"

"No," Jounouchi said. "Don' be ridiculous. If it ate souls, we wouldn' be 'ere. The Shadows only eat souls if they go insane, are told to, or if they want revenge."

"Revenge?" Walter asked.

"Usually for breaking their rules of a Shadow Game," Mai said.

"But otherwise..."

"No," Mai said. "They won't."

"How about this." Yuugi stood up from the couch, wobbling slightly when he moved a bit too fast after sleeping. He walked over to Oliver and held out his hands. "Follow me. I'll take you into the Shadows and you can decide for yourself whether it's slavery or not."

"I would like to come as well," J'onn said, surprising the King. "With my mind, you understand."

Yuugi blushed and shifted awkwardly but nodded. "I...alright."

"Aibou!"

"It's alright, Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said in Japanese. "He asked."

Yami stood and walked over to join his other half. "Fine," he replied in English. "But I will keep him from...intruding."

J'onn tilted his head. "Intruding?" he asked.

"It's rude to watch someone use their Shadows without their permission," Oliver said. He rolled his shoulders nervously. "It's...like watching someone strip in the bathroom without their knowledge."

Faint color bloomed on sea green skin. "Oh, I am sorry. I did not realize."

Yuugi waved J'onn aside. "Don't worry about it. I gave you permission. Just don't...push. Just watch."

The Martian nodded. "Very well."

"One of these days, I want to know what's going on when they do that," Hawkgirl muttered.

"You're not the only one," Batman said nodding.

"Perhaps you will one day," Yami said, staring directly at the Dark Knight. "And if you do," lips pulled back revealing a fiendish grin, "you will answer to me."

"Behave yourself, Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi chastised in Japanese. Yami merely snorted and waited for his partner to call on the Shadows.

Oliver shrugged and took Yuugi's hand firmly. The next moment, he was falling into darkness only to be caught and surrounded by something. It was warm and soft and tingled where it touched him. Oliver found his normal sight blinded by the darkness so he opened his Shadow senses and was surprised to see what appeared to be a cloud of darkness. But it did not scare him. In fact, it lulled him into a calm relaxation.

The Shadows were soft and gentle and soothing. It was almost too soothing. It felt, not wrong exactly, just uncomfortable. He felt like he was falling asleep. He felt faint worry from the flickering torch that was Yuugi accompanied by a tugging sensation that pulled him back.

The tug became a strong yank and the Shadows surrounding him abruptly changed to something more dangerous and chaotic. Kaiba's Shadows. That meant the Regent was here. He felt the Regent's chaotic Shadows wrap themselves around him protectively, no possessively.

:Mine!:

Oliver jolted when Kaiba's voice echoed through the ever shifting darkness. Then the familiar horizon of power Oliver associated with the Regent appeared and something physical had a death grip on his arm. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kaiba standing next to him on his left with a positively furious expression on his face.

Someone else stood behind Kaiba and slightly to behind Oliver. The more he looked, the more Oliver realized he was looking at Kaiba only with darker skin and longer hair tied back in three long braids, one of which fell over the person's right shoulder. Blue eyes that glowed with power much like Kaiba's slid to the side, catching and holding Oliver's gaze and suddenly Oliver knew who this was.

Seth.

Seth nodded with a small quirk of his lips. There was something...different about the way Seth's Shadows felt. They were similar to Kaiba's Shadows but older and, not stronger exactly, but wilder, more instinct driven than Kaiba's. Both Seths's and Kaiba's Shadows swirled around them like the arms of a lover, caressing them, embracing them, cherishing them.

Oliver felt something slink up his leg and glanced down to see a small tendril of Shadow wind its way up his leg, weaving between his fingers, and slithering up his arm. He lifted his free hand and stared at the sentient Shadow with...adoration. He felt adoration for this small Shadow that clung to him. It belonged to him and he belonged to it. Them, they corrected him. He belonged to them.

He finally understood. The Shadows were not just sentient, they chose their users, bonding to them, and owning them. If anything, the Shadow users were the slaves. But that was not right because the Shadow users had freedom to do as they pleased. The Shadows and their users had a truly symbiotic relationship that Oliver suddenly felt proud to be a part of. He was smiling before he even realized it.

In fact, he was so distracted by his own Shadow he was surprised when the grip on his other arm tightened almost painfully.

"What do you think you're doing, King?" Kaiba said. Well not said, that would imply he spoke. Kaiba did not speak verbally so much as Oliver felt the meaning of the Shadows and found a verbal translation in his head. "How many times have I told you not to influence my orientation."

Oliver looked up and saw Yuugi standing across from where he, Kaiba, and Seth were standing. Yuugi's eyes were wide with surprise and, was that fear?

"I'm sorry," the King said. "That was not my intent."

"You deliberately brought him into the Shadows," the Regent hissed. "Did you honestly think he could feel his own Shadows with your greater power present?"

"It was an accident, Kaiba," the Pharaoh said appearing from the Shadows beside the King. The Pharaoh's Darkness engulfed the side of the Shadow not-place they stood in, held at bay only by the King's brilliant Light.

Oliver took an inadvertent step back. The Darkness seemed to creep towards him and the Light blinded him. He unconsciously sought the balancing horizon Kaiba embodied. A hand rested on his back and he turn to his right to see Seth standing there, old eyes gazing at him calmly.

"You're the one I saw," Oliver not-said. "When Ak-"

Seth slammed a hand over his mouth, silencing him before he could say the name.

"Speak not that name," Oliver heard Seth whisper urgently through his Shadows. "Not here." Oliver nodded and Seth withdrew.

"Accident or not," the Regent said, "you and the King need to stop influencing my power. I have enough to deal with at the moment. The last thing I need is you two pulling too hard one way or the other, especially right now."

The King bowed his head in shame leaning into the Pharaoh for comfort. Oliver was fascinated to see the Light grow brighter and the Dark grow darker the closer the two monarchs came to each other. Their Shadows meshed perfectly until it was difficult to tell which Shadow answered to the Dark Pharaoh and which to the Light King.

But there was something that did not belong. It tickled like the faintest brush of a feather on his cheek. It was not a Shadow. Oliver began looking around for the source of the tickle, gaining Seth's attention.

"What do you seek, fledgling?" Seth asked.

Oliver could not find enough concentration to answer and focus on the search at the same time so he simply remained quiet and looked. He felt Seth's Shadows follow his own joined quickly by Kaiba's. It took a minute before he found the source. It floated just to their left and above their heads, watching them.

"Telepath," Kaiba snarled.

J'onn, Oliver realized. Before he could stop his Regent, Kaiba lashed out with a whip of Shadow, striking J'onn's feather. Oliver felt a brief flash of startled pain then the feather was gone.

"I really hate telepaths," Kaiba muttered. "Always poking their noses where they don't belong."

Seth stepped closer to Kaiba, releasing his hold on Oliver in favor of pressing a hand against the Regent's back, offering comfort to the Regent. Kaiba leaned subtly into the touch and Oliver felt he could almost see something, or understand something. It was right there, so obvious, and yet he could not put it into words.

Then the moment was gone, interrupted by a sudden growth in the Dark Pharaoh's presence. The Regent jerked his attention back to the King and Pharaoh with interest. The Pharaoh was grinning. "They're back," he said.

Seth leaned closer to Kaiba, whispering something in the Regent's ear that Oliver could not hear. Kaiba glanced at Seth before nodding and turning back to the Pharaoh. "Your Triad is whole, Pharaoh. I suggest you end the Priest's Penalty Game so we can hold Court. I want everyone to be ready for tomorrow's Judgement Game."

"You intend to preside over the Game, I presume?" the King asked, pressing himself against the Pharaoh's body. The Pharaoh held the young King close with a steadying arm around the King's slender body, pressing his hand between the King's shoulder blades. Violet and crimson eyes met two sets of electric blue.

The Regent grinned savagely. "We will all preside over the Judgement Game. But Seth and I will be the ones to enact the Penalty Game." Cold blue eyes narrowed. "It is our right as the wronged party."

"As it is mine," Oliver not-said.

Both the King and the Pharaoh nodded. "Of course," they said together.

"You should come out of this Pharaoh," Seth said softly. "You too, King."

The King nodded and vanished followed a moment later by the Pharaoh leaving the Regent, Seth, and Oliver alone in the Shadow fields not-place surrounded by the horizon of power. Kaiba turned to Seth and Oliver again felt he was missing something important. Again, he felt on the verge of figuring it out when Seth bowed his head and faded away.

For some reason, Oliver felt pain, rejection, and an intense loneliness hit him like a wave when Seth disappeared. He staggered under the strength of it and looked to Kaiba for guidance. But Kaiba wore an expression that was equal parts pain and sorrow as well as confusion. The Regent tightened his hand into a fist and then Oliver was dragged back to reality and the insanity that entailed.