Chapter CXXVI: Leadership

"How did you know to come here?"

Yugi shook himself out again, looking over. The smile on his face was bright and playful, though Atem noticed the slight shadow in his eyes. "I sensed them coming and when I realized they weren't headed for the village to see me, I knew they had to be coming for you." He paused. "I hadn't realized she would turn on you, or I would have come sooner to stop her. I…I'm sorry."

Atem blinked and swallowed a pathetic whimper. Yugi was apologizing to him? To him? He couldn't fathom speaking for a long moment, though he forced his voice out when the silence was too deafening. "I… Thank you."

Yugi gave him a mildly puzzled look but nodded all the same.

"You brought him back?" his mother snarled incredulously. "How can that be when you seem so utterly amazed yourself that he stands before you?"

Yugi bristled. "Mother."

"What? It's true. He's looking at you as if he doesn't believe it himself. How am I supposed to believe he saved you when he can barely even look in your direction without basically gaping?"

Atem flinched faintly. "It wasn't an easy task. He died, and I went and found him again." He hesitated, then looked to Yugi. The Gandora turned to him again, and the way he peered back so steadily helped to calm his growing nerves. "I barely had time with him before we took him to the village."

His mother snarled softly again. "Yugi," she said slowly, and his head turned so he could regard her with a surprised expression. "You were brought back and then dumped with the humans. Why?"

"We were waiting until the gathering so that if Dimitri came back, he wouldn't know I was alive again."

"Alive again," she echoed softly, the words dull. Abruptly she turned to Atem. "You couldn't protect him, but you plan to show him to his killer as if he's some kind of prize at this gathering?"

Atem flicked his tail. "No. I do not want Dimitri to see him for more than a moment. I—"

"For what reason?"

"Because it should knock him off balance and—"

"Because you're not strong enough without a fabricated sense of surprise," she answered scathingly. She bristled and lashed her tail. "You got him killed. And you hid here while he was forced to take refuge among the humans. You. You. You should have been the one to die instead."

Yugi sprang forward with an outraged snarl. Timaeus growled low in his throat. Yami bristled and scowled. Atem flinched violently and shifted his weight, flexing his claws once more with a small snarl in his throat. He couldn't think long enough to speak, the words choking him as they wrapped around his tongues. His teeth ached from how hard he'd clenched them.

"You let him kill him. And you failed to protect him when it mattered." She fell silent for a single moment, then laughed derisively. "You should never have allowed him to consummate."

Yugi looked as if she'd struck him, head snapping toward Atem with wide eyes. He opened and closed his mouth, and Atem could see the thoughts churning behind his gaze. He didn't know what to say—not because he didn't have an argument, but because Atem himself had said so once. It hadn't been in a fit of anger or anything of that nature, but rather because he'd been apologetic when Yugi had gotten hurt. He'd said he almost wished he hadn't let them both consummate for the fact Yugi wouldn't have been hurt…

"You should have stepped up and told him no. You should have acted your age for once." She snarled so furiously the sound made Atem's ears ring. They stared at each other blankly for a long moment. "You should have acted as a God Dragon and argued against it. He would have listened to you."

Atem pressed his wings into his flanks until he felt a trickle of blood. "I didn't know any of this was going to happen," he spat, though he felt it was too weak and exhausted to truly count for more than a choked whimper. "You think I would have wished this on anyone? Let alone him? I didn't know he was going to get hurt. If I'd ever have known he would be hurt—let alone killed—I would have denied it."

Yugi was statuesque for a long moment, then scoffed. "Everyone gets hurt at some point or another. That reasoning would have been pathetic. You can't safeguard someone so solely as to be able to prevent it."

Yes, but all of this is my fault.

Atem didn't answer him, exhaling slowly. He kept his eyes on Yugi's mother, wondering for a moment if she might be so brave as to launch herself at him again. "It's over and done with now. The series of insults and ridicule involving my inability to protect him is unnecessary and pathetic." He lashed his tail after a moment, a sense of defiance rearing through him abruptly. "You have no right to say it, either. Yugi was the one to pursue me, never the other way around. Perhaps you should have done better as his mother and fought harder to convince him to hold his paw and remain away."

Timaeus gave him a startled, flustered glance. Yugi bristled in surprise and stared at him in shock, while Yami flinched and turned to him with wide eyes.

"Perhaps you should lay blame upon yourself for once in light of all the things you swear up and down to be my failures. If you'd been half the mother you pretend, he would have listened to you."

Yugi jumped forward when his mother sprang. They collided in a rolling ball of obsidian scales before Yugi dodged aside. His mother sprang to her paws, snarling and shaking herself out. Yugi's father had turned away to scowl at the snow, shaking his head slightly with narrowed eyes and a curled lip.

"No force in this world was going to keep Yugi from seeking you out," his father commented wryly. "We lost him the moment he laid eyes on you. It was just a matter of when he sought you out."

Atem flicked his tail. "I'm aware," he hissed, "but that seems to be something your mate refuses to accept. Easier to blame me than acknowledge she never had any say in what Yugi would or wouldn't do when he matured."

Yugi looked over uncertainly. "Atem, don't be so cruel. You said yourself you acknowledged she only wanted what was best for me."

"Yes." He flexed his claws and forced himself to exhale slowly. "I acknowledged it then. I acknowledge it now. But blaming me will not alleviate her guilt."

Yugi frowned and looked over. "He's right. And so is Father. I would never have listened to you no matter your reasoning as to why I shouldn't have pursued him." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter what either of you might have told me to deter me. It was over the moment I saw him, and that should have been accepted a long time ago. It was my choice whether I put myself in the path of the other three deities. It's my choice now to remain here despite Dimitri and the threat he poses. I chose. I'm choosing now. There is no argument to be had."

Atem weighed the silence for a long time, then looked away. He flicked his tail again and considered the snow. How long until the full moon? How long did they have before they summoned Dimitri to them? He knew if Yugi's parents had heard the news, Dimitri must have as well. There was no escaping the fact he would have gotten his claws on the information. He'd know to ambush them there at the gathering in order to sink his claws into their flesh. He'd want Atem if nothing else, especially if he had any idea of what his abilities seemed to be.

His eyes flickered toward Yami. The Divine Dragon was watching Yugi with glittering eyes, as if he were unsettled somehow by the firm tone he'd projected.

The moon is full tomorrow, the Uria answered without looking over. Dimitri is still blind to anything to do with you. If he weren't, he would have acted by now and I can't imagine he'd have stilled his paws just for fear you might win a battle with him. He can change into a Gandora now, and Yugi may not have had his abilities when they fought, but he's matured and he's got all the standard strengths of a pure-blooded Dragon of Destruction.

Atem flicked his tail. He didn't get the chance to eat one of his hearts.

No, Yugi revived too quickly each time. Dimitri couldn't manage it before Yugi would next strike. But he'll know Yugi only has one heart, because he couldn't have regained four after the attack. Yami finally looked over, considering him with burning eyes. You must be careful, Father. I know you wish to strike him down, but I don't know that you will be able. I…I'm not certain of which path will come to fruition.

It doesn't matter, he hissed. I'll rip him to pieces. If I must lose a heart to do so, I shall.

Yami searched his face for so long Atem was almost amazed the seasons had not changed. Abruptly his son smiled, a sour and cruel expression, and turned away with a small shake of his head. He looked annoyed and flustered, and Atem pondered it for a single moment.

Did it matter if he was unsettled?

Dimitri had to die.

They all knew it.

"The gathering will be tomorrow," Yami said quietly, flicking his tail. "No doubt Dimitri has been waiting for Atem and the other three to settle in one place so that it'll be easier for him to attempt to strike them down. As long as Yugi remains hidden until tomorrow night, I think there will be a good chance of killing him then and there."

Something about the words made Atem wonder.

"I'll join you in the Badlands when the moon is at its zenith," Yami announced quietly, tilting his head. He flicked his tail and eyed them both. Yugi looked suspicious, eyes glittering as they bore into his. Atem seemed too tired and withdrawn to truly care for what Yami was saying, though he had turned to him when he'd begun speaking. The distance in his expression was too far for Yami to reach, though he knew he still somehow had his attention. "But I wanted to speak to Ryou before I did anything else."

Timaeus stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "The human?"

Yami nodded. "The shaman," he agreed, studying his expression. Did he see a glimmer of anger or was it jealousy? Yami almost smirked but there was no joy to be found in the knot that formed in his stomach. Did Timaeus think he'd decided a human more worthy of his affection? "I wanted to ask him if he saw anything I might have missed."

"Does it matter?" Timaeus scoffed. "You have a good idea of what's going to happen, do you not? What does it matter if the human does or doesn't see the same?"

It matters more than I can put into words, he thought, fighting a grimace and the flinch that threatened to come over him. He flicked his tail and smiled faintly. "I'll come to meet you all when I am done with my conversation with him."

"When the moon is at its zenith?" Atem echoed, sounding somehow faraway and yet present all the same. "You think it will take so long to strike him down?"

"I think he's a coward and afraid of the dark," Yami answered, fighting a bristle. "I think he'll hide until he thinks it best to strike and what better time than when the sand is so blinding silver?"

Atem narrowed his eyes. "He can't truly think that will win a battle?" he scoffed. "Surely even he knows moon blindness is not so easily obtained or inflicted?"

"I don't think you've ever seen the desert under the moonlight when the full moon shines on it," he laughed softly. "It's actually really stunning. Everything is bathed in silver and the sand becomes almost like ice, brilliant and startling."

Atem snorted. "I don't care if the sand looks like waves across the water, Yami. I am not so easily blinded. And I plan to rip his throat out one way or another." He lashed his tail. "Does that happen at the moon's zenith?"

Yami almost laughed at the sneered words. He leaned forward to flick his tongue at him and Atem smirked before growling softly. Yami could see the focus returning to his eyes the longer they studied each other. His heart felt tight as he considered him. "Maybe," he muttered, "but I don't know for sure. I just know that that's the time I'll be there."

Atem nodded. "Then I suppose I shall see you then."

Yami dipped his head and looked at Yugi. The Gandora peered at him just as suspiciously as always, but he stepped forward to bump beaks with him. The sensation sent warmth through him, though he realized Yugi was only doing so in order to make a point to Atem he would accept Yami there even if he did not agree with his supposed heritage. The cold that crept through him as Yugi pulled away was almost suffocating.

Yami turned away and started for the edge of the clearing. Timaeus watched him but didn't speak, eyes narrowing faintly as they locked for a single second. He resumed his path until he got to the tree line, then took flight. It wasn't a long flight to the village, nor would it have taken any longer had he simply trotted. But somehow flying made it feel more urgent, though he couldn't fathom why.

Yami landed at the edge of the village, shaking himself out and changing shape as he set paw within their domain. He glanced around briefly. There was a fire in the cavern nearby, and he could hear Jonouchi talking to the Tyrant Dragon and the Harpy further inside the stone walls. He didn't care enough to listen to their words but rather heard their voices and recognized them easily enough.

He scratched his fingers along the animal tarp that served as the door of the shaman's home. The canvas seemed to peel upward as if by magic as it had before and Yami glanced briefly in the direction of the cavern. No doubt they'd started that fire further into the stone den to allow Jonouchi to maintain his body heat. The Tyrant probably didn't have it nearly as bad, due to his scales being less dense and not so terribly large.

Yami shook the thought off and wandered inside. Ryou barely glanced up at first, as if he'd been expecting one of the villagers, then froze upon seeing him. He blinked bright brown eyes and straightened, bewildered.

"What are you doing here?"

"My fathers plan to face my sibling soon—tonight, during the full moon. And I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if they'll survive it. I…" He tilted his head and exhaled slowly. "Yugi was struck down and revived. That was why I brought him here with Jonouchi."

Ryou nodded slowly. "I knew that was Yugi. I just… He seemed really different from what everyone said of him before."

Yami hesitated for a long handful of seconds. "He is. He's…extremely different from the dragon everyone knew and adored when he stayed here last. I… So much happened. My sibling got to him and managed to kill him." He searched Ryou's face as the human froze in place with a horrified look. "I brought him back but he's suffering from memory loss. He doesn't remember me at all. And he's unsure why he and Atem are at odds at times. But it… It's okay, because he's still alive now."

Ryou stared at him as if he didn't know how to answer. After a moment he looked away and shifted his weight as if he expected Yami to strike out at him. The thought left him cold and anxious for a single moment, but it passed when Ryou muttered, "I'm sure it takes a while to reorient yourself when you…come back from the dead."

Yami could have sobbed with relief, but the noise died in his throat. He looked away and considered the small cottage and the various items scattered about. What was he even doing here? Yami felt a strangled sensation come over him. He would have rather have been with Timaeus, seeing as this was likely one of his last days alive. But Timaeus was so angry with him and he didn't think an apology Atem coaxed out of him was truly worth much in the long run.

For all he knew, they'd never actually recover from it.

But then, he didn't know if it would be worth it for them to try, either.

After all, he and Dimitri would kill each other and when that finally happened Timaeus's life would cease with his.

So, what was the point truly in trying to actually make their relationship stronger again? What was the point in even imagining much further than the ice he was offered at the moment? And hadn't he further aggravated it originally? He'd been the one who had argued with him before and ignored the original apology he'd offered. Yami felt stupid and small for a moment, torn between wishing once more to talk to Timaeus and the urge to simply block it out. It would be easier that way, right?

Amun had said he was going to eat his soul when he died. He wouldn't even be able to see Yugi or Atem or Timaeus again when he passed.

The thought made his stomach churn with despair. His entire body felt cold and shaky and he wondered if his heart was even pumping any longer. His mouth felt dry as he looked at one of the bowls on the table nearby. The bowl was carved with a dragon in the side—one with two mouths and huge gaping wings. It was so obscure that had he not realized there were two sets of teeth he would never have realized it was meant to resemble Atem. He wondered what the bowl was used for and what herbs it housed.

"Yami?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's just that," he answered quietly, looking over and flashing him a small smile. He knew it looked strained—it certainly felt it—and from the look on Ryou's face it wasn't convincing in the slightest. "It probably takes a little while to reorient yourself when you've come back from the dead."

Ryou opened and closed his mouth, studying him for so long it made him anxious. And then he looked away with a small nod. Yami was both grateful and infuriated that he did not try to argue with him on the matter. Yami almost wished he would have called him out on his false response, that he would have forced him to keep talking. But Ryou wasn't the type to do that, and Yami had always enjoyed his company because of that.

Yami looked away. "The bowl with my father's face."

"It's used for seeing ceremonies. The mixture is made in it and then swallowed. It sends the person into a deep sleep to find the answers they're looking for." Ryou looked up. "I used it for your ceremony, too, but I guess you didn't notice."

He shook his head slightly. "I didn't."

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't hold any true weight. It's just comforting, and some people pretend it means that they've been Blessed," he answered, shrugging. "It's more just for ease. People feel more comfortable, but there's nothing truly significant about it. I just used it on you because you're related to him."

Yami snorted. "Thank you for that." He rolled his eyes and looked around briefly. "The four of them plan to fight my sibling tonight, when the moon reaches its zenith. I don't know what to think of the situation. It just seems so…strange. It's been building up for so long and then… I don't know how it will end. I can't shake the fact that Dimitri and I have to kill each other, and even letting A—my father tend to the matter means my death. Is it wrong?"

"Is what wrong?"

"The fact that I don't want to die."

Atem landed easily in the center of the camp, shaking himself out. Immediately the Lightning Clan stirred and rushed forward. Several stopped short when they spotted him, but others paused and studied him with burning eyes. Atem flicked his tail and twitched his wings, attempting to make a point of shrugging his tension away. He looked around slowly, then turned to face Akunadin with glittering eyes. The Clan leader had come forward to meet him, expression unreadable as they considered each other.

"Do you plan to attend the gathering tonight?"

Akunadin watched him coldly for a long moment. "You're brave to arrive here alone like this, without your son or your Knight Dragon," he commented dryly. Atem considered him, studying intently, but the Clan leader made no move to step closer or even bare his teeth. "You came here to demand my presence?"

"You were the only one truly on the ledge about doing so. Aki and Leviathan will be bringing their Clans along, and as far as I know Yusei's sister Obsidian will only remain in the northern region due to their small numbers. I don't know if you took to heart my advice about sharpening your claws and teeth."

"You come here as if you have something to tell us that we don't already know."

Atem snorted. "You have the knowledge now that I need, not the other way around. I want you to tell me what I want to know," he answered softly, flexing his claws. He noticed a few of the other dragons nearby stare down at them after a moment, as if they'd almost forgotten how long and sharp they were. "Will you attend or not?"

Akunadin remained silent for a long moment. "Do you truly plan to force us?"

"I could," he answered, lashing his tail. "And I shall if I must. But I had hoped my brother would have done as Yami asked of him."

The Blue-Eyes blinked. "Yami asked something of him?"

"He was to usurp you and take over leadership for the moment." Atem narrowed his eyes and flexed his claws again. Some of the others crept closer as if to protect Akunadin, and Atem watched the Serpent Night Dragon in his peripheral. They'd gotten the nearest him and he was relatively sure they'd be the first to spring should the command be given. "Yami wanted him to take over the Clan just to make a point of the Clan appearing more powerful. He was meant to make sure your teeth and claws were sharpened in case Dimitri came for you here. With Seto as leader, it might prove to slow him a little more easily."

Akunadin scoffed. "How reliable of your brother to fail to even suggest it."

Atem nodded. "I had suspected as much when Yami mentioned the argument they'd gotten into. Rather selfish of him, if I should say so, but the fact remains." He lashed his tail. "If Seto will not dispatch you, then I shall. The Clan will arrive at the gathering and from there you will take them home again. I only need your attendance and for your arsenal to be sharpened. Beyond that, you can keep your rank. I care nothing for conquering a Clan and supporting so many."

The Blue-Eyes stared at him for a long time. "You should fight me for the title of Clan leader?"

"To ensure the majority of you survive, yes," he hissed. He flicked his wing into the Serpent Night Dragon's gut when they moved too close. The movement sent them flying back with a thump. Akunadin looked over, snorted in surprise, and then turned back. Atem risked a glance as the juvenile sprang to their paws and shook themselves out. He hadn't realized they were so young until he'd struck them, and the way they peered back so haughtily spoke volumes. They were just trying to impress the rest of the Clan, because he overestimated the neutrality between Atem and the Clan. He turned back to Akunadin. "I'd rather save my teeth and claws for Dimitri, but seeing as Seto proves himself a failure as usual, I'll sharpen them on your scales and you can resume your leadership later when I rip my sibling to pieces."

Akunadin stared at him in shock for a long moment, then stepped forward. Atem flicked his tail and ignored the Serpent Night Dragon creeping closer again. He'd swat them aside the next time, maybe so that they hit one of the ledges and was too stunned to move. He stepped toward Akunadin.

"I don't plan to spill blood here."

Atem narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't suspect you could."

Akunadin smirked at his dry response. "No, Atem. I mean to say I will not strike out against you. I will not raise a paw to fight you here." He shook his head. "Seto may have failed to do as your son requested, but I shall not. Take over the Clan should you so desire, until you deem it necessary to give it back. You forget my goals align with yours. If it ensures they survive, then that's what will have to happen."

He blinked. The Serpent Night Dragon sprang at him again. Atem turned to him, huffing, and threw him back with a flick of his wing once more. Akunadin snorted and Atem turned back, tucking his wings into his sides and raising his head. "I would have expected this to be more of a battle."

"I don't see a point in getting myself or the Clan hurt just for the sake of argument with you or any other God Dragon." Akunadin fell silent for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "And, yes, as you said, their claws and teeth are sharpened. They've been training for days. Seto may not have taken the proposal seriously, but as you said, their lives rely upon my decisions. I could not ignore the truth of your warnings in favor of ignorance."

Atem blinked, then nodded slowly. "Good." He glanced around briefly. "Then that's all I required of this visit. I'll come to retrieve you later for the gathering. Seto is to pretend to be in charge when we arrive, if only so that his role as a mock leader is enough to startle his son. I'm sure Dimitri is already aware Seto is too much of a coward to take the Clan by force otherwise, so the majority of you will have to pretend the decision was made through dire circumstances—especially you, Akunadin. Dimitri is more likely to scrape at your thoughts than anyone else's. If each of you wish to survive, you'll pretend Seto truly usurped Akunadin because of how dire the situation is. Considering it's life or death for you all, it shouldn't prove to be too terribly hard."

Yugi was surprised by how familiar and yet entirely different the clearing within the Badlands looked. The entire area was bathed brilliant white and silver, with small hints of gray, as if the world were full of snow rather than desert sand beneath the moonlight. He shivered as he looked around. Yusei and Jaden padded toward the peak of the plateau of raised sand, eaten away by sunlight and heavy torrential rains, and Leviathan moved to the western edge of it. Yugi looked at them for a moment in surprise, memory nipping at the edge of his thoughts.

Jaden and Yusei had sat together at the very point of the plateau, with Leviathan and Atem facing each other. The realization made him wonder. Had they truly meant to set the two of them on each other? Had that been why they'd made them sit opposite each other like that? And what of the two of them sitting together there? Was it to make it more apparent they were meant to stand as a united front while the other two were more on their own?

Yugi had never considered the display before, but the power dynamic upon meeting Atem would have made sense.

He glanced around uncertainly. Atem had left to get the Lightning Clan and lead them there, whereas he and Timaeus had come along with Yusei. The Ice Dragon had come to retrieve them earlier, though Yugi was bewildered as to why. He didn't remember that being discussed, though he had seen the relief in Atem's eyes when Yusei had announced himself.

Atem had not spoken the words, but the gratitude in his stance had been obvious. Yusei had dipped his head and taken to leading them as Atem left for the Clan. He still wondered if Seto would step up as Atem needed, or if he'd prove just as useless now as he always had. It infuriated Yugi more than he wanted to admit that Atem was even willing to place a modicum of faith in his brother.

That bastard didn't deserve it in the slightest.

He sometimes wished Atem would have just let him kill him the first time they'd crossed paths. When Seto had come to their territory asking for help, the day after they'd consummated, he should have just let Yugi do it. He wouldn't have had to help. He could have handled Seto…

Yugi sighed and glanced at Timaeus. The Knight Dragon was studying the stars overhead with glittering eyes. Yugi tilted his head when Timaeus abruptly looked over.

"He'll be fine."

Yugi wanted to argue that he wasn't worried about that, but he supposed in the long run it all circled back to that fact. So perhaps he was right to offer the mild comfort.

"Atem isn't stupid. If he thinks this is his best shot at winning against Dimitri, then it is." Timaeus stretched so that his spine popped and slowly rolled his shoulders so that his wings spread before furling back. After a long moment he took a seat and considered the sky once more. "I'm more worried about whether Yami is going to truly show up."

"Is he unreliable?"

Timaeus blinked. "No. But he's scared." He glanced over at Yugi, searching his face for a long handful of seconds. After a few lengthy heartbeats he murmured, "I keep forgetting that you don't remember him. You don't even remember that you lied to Atem for him. It's amazing how different you are toward him without your memories. You're trying. We can all see that, but it's all for Atem and never for Yami."

"I don't owe Yami anything."

"You don't owe Atem, either."

"No, but he's my mate. And if Yami is…his, then I owe it to him and myself to put my paw forward in attempting to be cordial."

Timaeus chuckled and shook his head, smiling. "You're amazing. Most dragons wouldn't care enough to do that, no matter who it was."

Yugi huffed. "Atem deserves that." He paused and looked around slowly. "Why do you speak so well of Yami if you're so angry with him?"

"He's too young to stay angry with," Timaeus said quietly, and Yugi could hear the undercurrent of regret. But when he looked over again the Knight Dragon seemed fond. "And I can't blame him for wanting to live. He's been hiding since the moment he was born. We hid him and I spent all my time in the den telling him stories. I can't be so angry with him when he's still so young and lost to everything. Atem was right. Yami is so afraid of everything, even if he's trying not to be. If he doesn't show up to help with Dimitri, I don't believe I'll be angry about it. I'll be disappointed, yes, but not angry."

Yugi tilted his head and watched him for a long time before looking briefly toward the other three God Dragons. They were sitting together, talking quietly. Only Yusei glanced at him, smiling and giving him a slight nod, and then turned away again. Jaden more pointedly ignored him than Leviathan who merely refused to look over.

"Do you think Atem can do this?"

Timaeus faltered as Yugi turned back. The Knight Dragon had frozen in place, eyes widening. He bristled faintly, then shivered. "I've never known you to doubt him."

"I don't. But I've fought Dimitri. And… He's a monster. He was beyond anything Keith could have even aspired to be. He was…almost infallible. I don't… Atem's abilities should help, but… He told me I can't help him. And if I can't help him, what happens if he can't handle it by himself?"

Timaeus peered at him for a long time, the looked away with a grimace. "Then we better hope Yami does come back to help him. Because if he can't handle him, then Yami will have to."

Yugi opened his mouth to answer just as he felt the sudden shock of lightning down his spine. He whipped around, heart in his throat, as a voice sneered, "Look at all the pretty corpses gathered here for me."