Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Return of the Demon ❯ Snatch ( Chapter 10 )

Solitaire: Oh dear gods! We finally finished chapter 10!!

Xpyne: Sorry it's so short; it's kinda a transition chapter. You know, building up to the big climax!

Solitaire: ::hentai snicker, as she's been awake too long:: Doesn't that happen in the first scene of this chapter??

Xpyne: ::thwaps Soli:: You know very well what kind of climax I was talking about! ::sighs::

Solitaire: ::prys chibi Joey away from trying to beat up chibi Seto and hands the squirming chibi to Nkoah::

Chibi Joey: ::squirms::

Nkoah: ^_______^

Xpyne: Chibi Seto is such a wuss... I guess he didn't become a hardass until he hit twelve. And btw, Nkoah is our cool friend who drew us this cute fanart of Ryou with angel wings! ^__^

Solitaire: ::frowns and hugs chibi Seto:: You will not talk ill of him! But yeah, Nkoah's picture was so kawaii!

Joey: ::to Seto:: You'd think they'd like us better as teenagers.

Seto: ::smugly, to Joey:: They like chibi me better now.

Joey: -_-

Solitaire: Oh, and it's time to learn Egyptian with Solitaire, yay!

Xpyne: But Egyptian's a dead language.

Solitaire: ::blinks:: And? I have magical resources.

Joey: ::rolls his eyes:: Yeah, the internet.

Solitaire: XP Anyway, you'd better remember these, because they come up.

merwet is the noun form of "love," ib means "heart," nefer means "beautiful," bener means "sweet," and the suffix -i means "my." Like ibi means "my heart."

Xpyne: Yeah. Try to remember all that. ::cries:: I remember when that comes up...

Yugi: And you complain that Soli gives away the plot...

Xpyne: ::sniffles:: Meh. They'll read it soon enough. Yugi dear, do the disclaimer.

Yugi: If you haven't figured it out from the past nine chapters, Solitaire and Xpyne don't own Yugioh, or else Joey wouldn't act so in love with Yami. Anyone who's seen the sub knows what I'm talking about. "Big ocean"... ::mutters:: My Yami.

Xpyne: If you're reading this on ff.net, there's gonna be a big chunk of the lemony-good beginning cut out. ::sighs:: ROTD is so getting kicked off...again. It doesn't seem to matter when we edit it... Maybe we oughta retitle the story. I think "Return of the Demon" is just permanently biased against by whomever keeps reporting it. We friggin' edited it, and it still got kicked off!

Solitaire: Yeah, whatever. Stupid jerks. So anyway, we'll be posting the unedited version of all chapters at mediaminer, adultfanfiction.net, and, if you still can't go to those sites, e-mail us at bamf__@hotmail.com and we'll send a hentai chapter your way. ^_^ And feel free to continue to request Xpyne's pictures. She gets a kick out of that. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten - Snatch

His breath came in ragged, gasping pants. Yugi winced, feeling his love's hard length slide into him.

"Ahh--" At the slight noise of protest, Seto stilled instantly, muscles quivering with restrained passion. He groaned, eyes indigo with lust rolling back. He was hardly in his koi, but biting his lip, he focused on the thought that he must take it slowly.

Yami leaned over to kiss Yugi's temple and attempted to distract his light with his tongue. But the smaller teen broke away, arching up to encourage Seto. He wrapped his slender legs around the brunette's waist and pushed himself against his koi, taking him deeper. Seto hissed, falling forward to support himself on his arms.

< God, he's so tight! > He keened as the form beneath him trembled, causing his dick to be squeezed and massaged.

Yami settled back limply against a tree trunk, chest rising and falling rapidly, his blood rushing though his veins. Watching Seto's expression as he experienced the ecstasy that was Yugi turned Yami on so much it ached. Letting his full lips hang slack, he rubbed an elegant hand over his own pelvic bone to wrap around the base if his shaft. His eyes slid shut. He heard Seto moan deeply, adjusting himself in Yugi, and Yugi---he heard the sweet boy's feathery sighs, barely whispers, but quite audible to one whose ears were adept at picking up even the softest sounds of contentment from one he loved so much. He gave his manhood a slow, hard stroke. Through his link with Yugi, he could feel the transferred ghosts of each gentle, deliberate thrust. He timed his self-pleasure with the tall teen's movements, and a throaty moan that escaped from his lips echoed a keening cry torn from his lighter half as the brunette probed something so electrifying within Yugi it sent tingles up Yami's spine.

Seto blinked rapidly. His desire clouded mind cleared enough at the double response to realize he'd neglected his other petite love, a mistake he vowed never to repeat. Still up to the hilt in Yugi, he reached over to yank Yami to him by his upper arm. The pharaoh's eyes flew open in surprise and Seto pressed his lips to the darker one's soft mouth. When they broke apart, gasping, Seto managed to say, "Sorry." Yami only shook his head.

"Believe me, Yugi is not the only one you are pleasuring," he whispered, drawing his hand up the smaller one's sensitive side. Yugi bucked his hips, moving Kaiba in him and Yami sighed, euphoria washing over him. "We are connected in body and soul--" The two multi-color haired boys locked their wide, unique eyes on him.

"--and we give both to you," Yugi finished breathlessly. Kaiba lowered his head and his next thrust came roughly, but his chestnut locks could not hide the little droplets that splattered onto Yugi's cream colored chest.

"...I think God forgot He was supposed to be punishing me."

Yami pulled the blue eyed boy into a fierce kiss as his movements into the other teen became more rapid.

\ Make Seto know he deserves happiness! \

Yami grinned at his light's order, finding it almost too cute. He slid against the larger one, and his burning erection pressed to the other's rear. Letting his hands travel over the smooth expanse of the billionaire's chest, he sunk his teeth into a pale, muscled shoulder. When Kaiba opened his mouth to cry out, a pair of delicate fingers slipped in and obstructed his tongue, coating themselves. As quickly a they'd entered his lips they were gone, and Seto's eyes widened when they entered somewhere else.

"Ahh--!" He grunted, moving forward into Yugi's tight sheath and back to stretch his own against Yami's hand. He was still sore from last night. But to refuse Yami was a self-sacrifice he had long tired off.

Yami reached around Seto's lean waist to reach down and stroke his light, collecting more lubricant. The boy near sat up at the pleasure, screaming now. It was a beautiful sound. Yami stroked himself with the fluid, positioned himself over his taller koi, and when the brunette pulled out from one thrust, Yami pushed forward with his own. Kaiba threw his head back and cried out, tears springing to his cobalt blue eyes.

Yami clung limply to Seto's back as the brunette continued to ride Yugi. Whereas before, with Seto or Yugi, he had felt some control, some arousing dominance, now he felt beyond overwhelmed. The longer he waited, leaning on his larger koi, for some control to return, the further he felt it slipping away. It was like every nerve in his body, every sensitive spot, was on fire, twice. Not only was he suffering from his own acute ecstasy, but from his hikari's as well. Yami moaned, and gripped Seto's hips.

His reason was blinded, his fears of the three of them together like this evaporated, and his self-control gone like so many barriers surrounding a cold billionaire's heart, he drove into his lover roughly. So heightened was his connection to both teens, he found the rhythm immediately, and began his fluid movements into the blue eyed boy wildly. Every thrust into his one koi at the right angle sent the brunette pounding into his other koi perfectly as well. Perfect. Nothing else could describe the sensation. Being one with both his two loves, nothing had ever been more right.

Seto was all but screaming from being taken and taking at the same time. He felt so insanely happy. He braced his muscular arms and managed to focus his hazy eyes on the angelic figure groaning low in his throat under him. Yugi's hands were clenching at the trench coat and his slender thighs squeezing Kaiba's middle. The erotic sight before him and the tempest of passionate lust raging through him was too much. They were too much. Light and dark, and Seto must be everything in between, was the strange, fleeting thought that passed in front of his mind's eye before an explosion of stars went off behind his eyes.

Yugi could feel every tremor flooding through his brunette love from his multi-color haired one. It was like nothing and everything, and it was so incredible he could hardly scream. He felt Seto tense as he released into him, and it sent him over the edge as well. He shrieked, as there were no words for his love.

Kaiba heaved forward as he came, Yugi arching up as he followed. The burst of feeling, in his mind, in his willowy body, and his enflamed sennen link, threw Yami into a climax more powerful than any he'd ever known. Seto fell to his elbows and managed to only collapse on half of Yugi, Yami rolling off his back like a limp doll, panting heavily.

"I love you," Kaiba gasped, "with everything that I am." Each spiky haired boy knew he spoke to both of them. Yugi kissed Seto's shoulder.

"I love you too." The petite boy cuddled into Seto's warm embrace. "Yami? You still alive?" he giggled. Breathing very laboriously, Yami managed to murmur,

"Yeeah...Barely," he panted. "--Love you both--" was all he said before snuggling against Seto's other side, sighing contentedly. They lay like that for a long moment, basking in the completeness that was their love, until finally, Yugi yawned and hugged closer to Seto, the cold air registering in his brain as a light breeze brushed over his naked skin. Goosebumps rose on his flesh.

Seto sat up, groaning, and ran a hand though his messy hair. "We need to get dressed before either of you get sick." Yugi shivered from the sudden lack of body heat. Yami simply mumbled grumpily and attempted to pull Seto back down to them. The brunette began gathering his strewn about clothes and dressing, still smiling dreamily in the after glow. Yugi, too, began to dress, and tossed Yami's pants at him. The former pharaoh muttered something about needing sleep before pulling on the tight garment. He made a face as he buttoned his fly.

"I need a shower."

Yugi laughed, pulling on his top. "Me too!"

Yami snuck up on the dressing CEO, planting a wet kiss on his cheek as soon as his head popped out from the turtleneck he was pulling on. Seto reached back and pulled the small spirit into his arms, leaning down to delve his tongue into the other's waiting lips. When he had finished the kiss, the brunette simply dropped the former pharaoh, smirking.

"Hey!" Seto had only been kneeling, so it wasn't much of a drop, but Yami stuck out his lower lip nonetheless. Kaiba just laughed happily.

"Put on a shirt, boy," he ordered. Yami only rolled his eyes and turned to face Yugi.

"Seto's got a whole shower room," he informed his light. Yugi blinked, grin spreading over his features.

"Yeah?" Yami nodded.

"Uh-huh," Seto confirmed, glancing from one tri-color haired teen to the other. "Let's hurry up and go back to my place."

Yami rolled to his hands and knees then stood, walking over to where his top had ended up. He put it on, with a great jangling of buckles, as Yugi stooped to pick up his beloved puzzle. The sight of the millennium item reminded him of another, however. He held the puzzle, unsure if he should put it on with the eye in his pocket.

"Yami? Joey gave me back the eye." Yami's crimson eyes widened slightly. He answered after a moment.

"...What are we to do with it?" Yugi looked to Kaiba.

"Seto-kun, do you have some place safe where we could lock it away?" The brunette thought for a minute.

"I'll have a vault built for it." Yugi walked over, limping slightly, and kissed Seto sweetly.

"Thank you." Seto eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you alright, Yugi-kun? You're walking funny." Yugi blushed.

"You guys are a bit much," he smiled shyly, "but I'm quite fine."

"Sure you are. Just wait `til we reach Seto's staircase," Yami teased, finishing with his shirt buckles and bending over to retrieve his coat.

"Here, Yami." Yugi brandished the millennium item and tossed it to his other half, who stood a few feet from them, as he hung the puzzle around his neck once more. Yami caught it deftly and slipped it into the pocket of his coat he still held.

"I will keep it until---" He was cut off by a strange crack of thunder. A violently sizzling split creased reality under his feet. "Nani?!?!"

"Yami!!" Kaiba cried, jumping to his feet as Yugi gaped, horrified. He could feel his dark half's terror throbbing in his chest as gnarled black hands as large as Yami reached out and snatched up the slender teen. His coat flew from his grasp to flutter down onto the grass.

"Help--!!!" was all the wide-eyed pharaoh could get out before he'd been yanked into the dark rip, which sealed itself with another sizzle.

"YAMI!!! NOOOO!!!" Yugi screamed as he felt every thread of his soul connection ripped from his consciousness by an energy force of hatred and darkness. The small teen let out a terrible, animalistic moan, clutching at his heart, and collapsed.

"Yugi!! Oh gods!" The brunette dropped to his knees and scooped up the violently shaking boy, who seemed to be gasping for air he couldn't get in. Wide blue eyes were brimming with shock and fear, as he jerked the diminutive teen's shoulders.

"BREATHE, Yugi," Kaiba commanded, shaking him again. The rigid boy finally managed to suck in a ragged gulp of oxygen before he went limp against Seto, sobbing pitifully.

"Seto! Oh, Seto! Our link!" He cried harder. "He's completely gone! Seto!" He shuddered in the brunette's arms, his tears pouring out in anguish. The billionaire could only sit in shock, not understanding what had just happened. Emotion pricked his cold blue eyes. Apparently the gods had not forgotten...

"Yugi, shhh, it'll be alright," he soothed, hugging his angel tighter in his grip, partly to comfort him, and partly in fear of another hole in the goddamn earth swallowing him up, too. He stroked Yugi's silken hair, still slightly sweat-dampened and messy from their love making. "Shhh, don't worry, merwet, we'll find him again, shh, don't cry, merweti bener, shh," he murmured. He felt the unfamiliar sting of tears swelling in his own eyes. "Don't cry, ibi nefer."

"Merweti bener. Stop. Please, don't cry. Shh, you know I love you," he whispered. I held him in my arms bruisingly tight. Even so, I could feel him slipping away.

"Yami-chan, you can't go through with this!"

"I already have... Don't cry, ibi. You know I have to do this..."

"I'm not crying," I replied stubbornly, even as I felt the treacherous tears drip from my chin onto his tanned arm. "Must you save the world?" I joked, sniffling. He looked up, his own wet, crimson eyes boring into my blue ones.

"We will find each other again...in the next life." He blinked hard. "Until then," he touched my face, "never cry, ibi nefer. Love doesn't die." He kissed me, and as our lips pressed desperately together, he vaporized in my arms, his soul slipping between my fingers. Merweti bener.

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"That sounded like Yugi!" Honda exclaimed. Téa brought her fists to her trembling lower lip.

"Are we too late...?"

Joey glanced around their small group with impatience. "Well, what're we all standin' around here for?? Yugi `n Yami're in trouble!" Ryou slipped the ring around his neck with a worried expression.

"But we don't know where they are..." Téa and Honda suddenly turned to the Dark Magician expectantly.

"Can't you find him?" Téa asked insistently. "Through your connection to the puzzle?" The purple haired sorcerer glanced off to the side, eyes narrowing. He stood extremely still for a moment before declaring, "This way," and taking off through the trees.

"How--? Ah!" Ryou squeaked as Joey grabbed his hand and ran after the duel monster, pulling him along. Téa blinked at that, but didn't say anything. Pushing her suspicions aside, she hurried after Honda and the others, fearful of what they might find.

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The Dark Magician burst into the secluded clearing, followed closely by the others. Panting, Joey shoved past the now frozen duel monster to se Kaiba sitting on the grass, Yugi in his lap, clutching tightly to the brunette's shirt and sobbing. Tears in his own eyes, Kaiba held the smaller boy tightly, whispering words of comfort. The sight was enough to give even Joey pause.

"Wh-what happened?" the blonde asked, feeling a sickening sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. His best friend only sobbed harder.

The billionaire swiped at his eyes with the back of a hand before raising his head to meet the concerned gazes of the other five. He faced them with a mask of cool detachment, but the façade was ruined by the pain in his eyes. "Yami's been taken," he told them. Several exclamations broke out at once.

"What?!"

"Why??"

"Who took him?!"

"I don't know..."

"Where is he, now?"

"I don't know!" Kaiba slammed his fist against the ground. "One second he was here, and the next, this...this `vortex' had opened up and sucked him in! There was this laugh..." Squeezing his eyes shut, he grit his teeth. "I should have been able to do something--"

"The Shadow Realm..." the Dark Magician breathed with trepidation. Seto's head immediately snapped up.

"What?"

"Yu-Gi-Oh has been taken to the realm of shadows," the sorcerer informer the brunette grimly. "An ancient evil seeks retribution--" Seto stood abruptly, leaving Yugi on the ground, hugging his knees and hiccupping, wiping at his tears embarrassedly.

"You knew this would happen?!?"

The magician held his ground, gazing at the other coldly. "I was aware that my pharaoh was in danger, but I could not foresee the exact nature--" Kaiba stepped forward and grabbed the purple haired boy's breastplate, yanking him face to face with him, pale fire burning dangerously in twin pools of azure.

"How do we get him back?" Seto hissed, his whole body fairly tingling with the desire to severely harm this duel monster who had know Ouiji was in danger and done nothing to prevent it.

"Mage Sekhmet--" the Dark Magician growled warningly, his grip on his staff tightening. Téa's eyes widened. Not wanting to see what had happened to her and Yugi's would-be rapist happen to Kaiba, she jumped between the two.

The young CEO brusquely shoved Téa out of the way with one hand and knocked the magician's staff from him with the other. Teeth gritted and anger flashing in his pale, often expressionless eyes, the duel monster drove a hard fist into Seto's midsection. The other gasped, more in indignation than at the acute pain.

< How dare that purple haired fuck toy lay a hand on me?! > Kaiba lunged at the violet-clad man.

"Guys, stop!" Téa pleaded. Joey and Honda came up behind the brunette and pulled him off of the magician.

"Téa's right." All heads turned toward Yugi. The multi-color haired boy picked himself up from the ground. He sniffed once, eyes red and slightly puffy. "Fighting about it isn't going to get us anywhere."

Forced to admit the logic behind Yugi's statement, Seto stopped struggling. He glared hard at the other two teens as they released him. Ryou spoke up timidly.

"Well, if Yami is in the Shadow Realm, Yugi should be able to travel there with the use of his Millennium puzzle."

Said boy's gaze dropped to the golden puzzle around his neck before drifting to the blue coat on the ground, all that remained of the spirit. Stooping to pick it up, Yugi stood slowly, the indigo material clenched tightly in a small fist and a fierce look of determination in his eyes.

"I'm going to rescue Yami."

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There was a harsh slap across his face.

"Wake up, Yami no Yugi."

The former pharaoh's eyelids fluttered and a low moan escaped his throat as crimson orbs slowly opened to darkness. He knew that voice... After a few moments longer his eyes adjusted to the lack of light and he recoiled in shock from the face leering at him.

"Pegasus?!" The white haired businessman smirked in acknowledgement, the dark shadows under his eyes and the gauntness of his face making the expression all the more hideous. Yami stared at the once proud man in horror.

"What--what happened to you??" Pegasus chuckled at the teen's reaction, though the sound had something of a forced levity to it.

"What's the matter? Have my smashing good looks deteriorated in the time I've been here?" he questioned jokingly, gesturing to the darkness of the Shadow Realm that pressed against them from all sides. Yami grimaced slightly, but remained silent. The taller man nodded, as if in agreement to a comment the former pharaoh didn't make.

"Remember our duel, Yami no Yugi? When you won, how you tried to use the magic of your puzzle to punish me for tearing up the soul cards of your loved ones?" He smiled wistfully, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "I tried to escape here, to the Shadow Realm, where I knew you would follow to rescue their souls. But your magic...interfered with the process; something went wrong and I was...stuck, without the aid of my Millennium Eye." He trailed off and lifted his head to gaze up at the sky as if searching for something, and let out a sigh. A few strands of his hair fluttered briefly at the movement then settled back into place, but not before the captive teen saw the gaping socket and had to repress a shudder.

"How long have I been here? Weeks? Months? It seems so long..."

Yami blinked, feeling a small swell of pity for the man before him. It appeared his already unstable mind simply wasn't equipped to handle the stress of this world, and whatever sanity he'd still possessed was quickly deteriorating.

"It's been two days, Pegasus," he told him quietly. The American stared at him in disbelief.

"Two da--? That's impossible!"

The multi-color haired boy shook his head. "Time passes much differently in the Realm of Shadows." He tugged angrily at the chains that bound him. "Now why have you brought me here?! If you're still after my puzzle--!" Deep, rumbling laughter made him stop short, the sound chilling the blood in his very veins for some reason.

"No, Pharaoh, this goes far beyond some mere mortal's pathetic quest for the love fate snatched from him..."

Pegasus seemed to visibly shrink back at this second man's voice, which did nothing to allay Yami's unease. A large, claw-like hand settled on his shoulder and he tried to pull away, the touch making his skin crawl, but he was unable to move, bound by chains that consisted of a magic the teen knew far surpassed anything Pegasus was capable of. The man stepped around in front of him and all the color drained from Yami's face as his worst fears were confirmed.

"This is about revenge."

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Seto frowned in concern. Yugi's last trip to the Shadow Realm had rendered him unconscious, and he'd had Yami's help, then. There was no way he was about to let Yugi do this alone.

"Not without me," he told he multi-color haired boy resolutely, laying a hand on his shoulder. The smaller teen smiled up at him gratefully.

"I'm comin' too."

Everyone turned to the blonde, who stood with his arms crossed, mind already made up. "He's one'a my best friends, an' he's helped me out more times then I c'n count, so don' even try ta talk me outta it." The corner of his mouth turned up in a dauntless grin.

Yugi ran a hand over his puzzle lightly. "Joey, you don't know how much that means to me, but--"

"What good would you be to us?" Kaiba interrupted tersely, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Kaiba-kun!" Yugi admonished.

Caustic laughter suddenly erupted from deep in Ryou's chest. Six sets of eyes settled uneasily on the platinum haired boy before Bakura split from his hikari. He sneered down at Yugi derisively, then glanced at Joey.

"What the little runt is trying to say is he knows even less about his puzzle's powers and the Shadow Realm than that idiot pharaoh. He won't last ten minutes in there, much less be able to take you and dear Kaiba with him." Something foreign flashed through the petite boy's eyes. Anger? Or was it fear...?

"I'll find a way, Yami Bakura!" he snapped. "Even if my own soul is ripped apart in the process, I won't let him endure another five thousand years in oblivion! I...I won't let him be all alone again," he finished quietly. He remembered how being alone felt. Isolated, cut off from love and joy, knowing nothing but the heavy pain of your own pathetic loneliness. It was how he'd felt before he solved the puzzle.

"So you can help or you can stay out of my way." He glared at the other yami.

"Eh--sure he'll help!" Joey threw an arm around the silver haired teen, who stiffened noticeably. "You c'n handle takin' me to the Shadow Realm, an' Yuug'll get Kaiba."

The rest of the group sweatdropped. It was no secret Joey and Bakura didn't exactly appear to get along well.

Bakura's head snapped in the other's direction. "This isn't your fight, Jounouchi," he hissed, so low that Ryou was the only other person who heard him. He shrugged away from Joey's arm. The slightly taller teen touched his fingertips to the tomb raider's, curling them gently around the pale boy's hand. He stared at the other with such an openness in his bright, honey colored eyes, the dark one's breath caught in his throat.

"Where it concerns th' ones I care about, it will always be my fight." Bakura blinked a bit, unable to tear his gaze away. Finally, his eyes slid shut, his brow furrowing in defeat.

"Idiot," he muttered. In truth, he admired the blonde's unwavering loyalty--not that he'd ever tell him that in a million years... He peeked at his hikari from under his lashes and let out a long, overly-dramatic sigh. "I suppose this means you'll be coming as well?"

Ryou grasped the ring lightly, a bright smile spreading over his face. "Well I'm certainly not about to let you two leave me behind..."

Bakura's eyes slid over slyly to Yugi, who was being comforted by his too-tall loser-mage boyfriend, evil glint appearing in his dark brown orbs.

"Yugi, I'll help you find your yami--but I'll need to see something of his."

Yugi frowned. "I'm not falling for the `let-me-see-your-puzzle' trick again!"

"No, no--his jacket will do fine."

Ryou raised his slender eyebrows. < What is my yami up to?? > Yugi handed the blue coat to Bakura solemnly. The pendants on the millennium ring glowed and stood up, pointing at the article of clothing, to Ryou's surprise. The doe-eyed boy gasped. Bakura pulled the ring, which was still attached to his lighter half's neck, over and began feeling up the coat, `hmm'ing every so often. Abruptly he tossed the jacket back to Yugi.

"That'll do," he announced ingenuously. Everyone was staring at him. He growled. "Well, are we going to the Shadow Realm or what??"

"What about us!?" Honda cried out.

"Yeah," Téa chimed in. Yugi was about to open his mouth when Bakura beat him to it.

"I'm sorry but you're about as useful as you are good-looking."

"Hey!"

"Bakura! My friends' support is always useful! But guys--" Concern flooded his features as he regarded Honda, Téa, and the Dark Magician apologetically. "I just can't sustain so many consciousnesses in the Shadow Realm. I'm really sorry."

Téa nodded sadly. "We understand, Yugi-kun." She threw her arms around her petite friend. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Un." And with that he stepped back, took Seto's hand, and surrounded them with a glowing golden light. Their bodies became black silhouettes against the energy, their eyes glowing white slits. With a crack of the air, they were gone.

"Heh heh heh." Bakura only smiled mysteriously and tossed the millennium eye into the air, catching it like a toy.

"Hey! How'd ya get dat? I gave that t' Yugi!"

"Funny think, it just fell out of Yami's coat pocket and into my hand. Chance, really."

"Why you--!!" Joey fumed. The dark fiend grinned, yanking the blonde into a hungry kiss.

"Oh, gross!" Honda whined, covering his eyes. Téa and the Dark Magician sweatdropped.

The tomb robber broke the heated kiss grinning maniacally, leaving Joey rather dazed.

"Come here--" he snatched Ryou by the arm. The boy squeaked and was drawn into his yami, the two boys becoming one, ring glowing luminously.

"Have fun, um, waiting around, I guess," the white haired spirit offered the remaining trio before surrounding himself and Joey in a blue aura and disappearing, as Yugi and Kaiba had moments earlier.

"Well," Téa began, "I guess there's not much we can do now." Honda was scratching his head, looking confused at the spot where his friends had just been.

"Since when is everybody gay??" he blurted. Téa and the Dark Magician covered their faces with a hand in unison. "What? It's a legitimate question..."

"I must be going," the purple clad spell caster announced. "Master Yugi may need me in a duel."

"Wait!" the uni-spiked haired boy called out as the magician surrounded himself in shadow energy.

"Not without us!" Téa clung to one of the duel monster's muscled arms.

"Yeah!" Honda latched onto the other.

"!!" The sorcerer disappeared with a clap of thunder, two mortals in tow.

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With a shifting of the strands of reality, Yugi and Kaiba found themselves in the Shadow Realm. Yugi stumbled slightly from the effort it had taken to bring them here and the brunette's hand shot out to grab his shoulder and steady him. The small boy regained his footing, wincing as he already felt the beginnings of a migraine building up behind his eyes. Shrugging it off he glanced down at his puzzle, running a hand over the item lightly. Seto knelt behind him, wrapping an arm around Yugi's waist and peering over his shoulder, cerulean eyes filled with concern.

"Are you all right?" It was strange, but Seto would swear he could almost feel his koi's energy.

The multi-color haired teen nodded reassuringly and Seto pressed a kiss to the skin beneath his ear. Just then two more forms seemed to melt into view and Yugi was able to recognize the outlines of Joey and Yami Bakura. The blonde grimaced and clutched his stomach, moaning.

"Good thing I skipped breakf'st this mornin'..."

Bakura snorted. "Don't expect any sympathy from me--you're the one who insisted on coming."

Kaiba released Yugi and stood to face the others, something compelling him to take charge of the situation. He narrowed his eyes at Bakura. "Alright, since you seem to know so much, how do we find Yami?"

Bakura growled at the former mage's stupidity. "Look, I never said this was going to be easy. You have no idea how extensive the Shadow Realm is--you might as well ask me to locate Yami in the middle of Tokyo." Yugi's brow furrowed.

"Can't the ring find other Millennium items?" he insisted. The pale fiend made a noise of exasperation.

"He doesn't have the puzzle, now does he?" he spat sarcastically.

"What about..." Joey started hesitantly, squirming slightly when Bakura speared him with an intense stare. "The Dark Magician said somethin' about an' `ancient evil.' D'ya think you could, ya know," he wiggled his fingers in the air, "zero in on that energy or somethin'?" It was silent for several seconds and the blonde shifted his weight nervously, his gaze darting between the other three. The corner of the tomb raider's mouth finally turned up in a grin.

"Joey, that is the most intelligent remark I've ever heard come out of your mouth in all the time I've known you, though you did say it in an incredibly stupid way..." Joey buried a hand in his hair, scratching at his scalp.

"Uh, thanks...I think," he replied, not sure whether to be insulted or not. The platinum haired yami turned back to the other two.

"We'll make better time if we separate," he informed them. "Little Yugi can use the puzzle and his connection to the pharaoh to search for him, while Jounouchi and I try to hunt down the bastard responsible."

Yugi shook his head adamantly. "I don't think we should be splitting up. The Shadow Realm can be dangerous, and we'll be safer if we stick together."

Bakura's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Do you want to find your yami or not?" he challenged. "We'll cover more ground in less time and ideally end up in the same place anyway."

"Yeah," Joey piped up, "I hafta agree wit Kura on this one, Yuug. We've gotta better chance'a findin' `im if we split up." The multi-color haired teen's brow crinkled slightly in concern and he looked to Seto for his opinion. The larger boy shook his head.

"For once, I actually agree with Jou. We'll find Yami sooner if we separate." Another factor in the brunette's decision had to do with the suspicion that, whether consciously or unconsciously, Yugi was straining himself by directing some of his own energy to his blonde friend. The small fish was supposed to be here to help--not sap his koi's strength.

\ Yami? \ Ryou ventured, having heard the gist of the conversation. \ I think Yugi may have a point-- \

\\ Too bad \\ he cut him off with the mental equivalent of a smirk. \\ You're out-voted. \\ He heard Ryou sigh, and crossed his arms. "Good. We're all agreed then. Come along, Joey." He spun on his heel and started off into the surrounding shadows, Joey hurrying to catch up.

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Three figures materialized in the blank reality and the Dark Magician uttered something in Egyptian even Honda could tell was a curse word. He released the sorcerer's arm and backed away sheepishly, wary expression on his face. Téa was at his side in an instant, eyes darting about as she took in their location.

They appeared to be in some sort of nowhere-land. They were surrounded by blackness, but it was almost pleasant. The darkness seemed comforting, inviting--not at all sinister or miserable. The duel monster loomed over them, moderately pissed look on his face.

"Where are we?" she questioned at the same time Honda pleaded, "Please don't vaporize us!" Téa's blue eyes slid over to notice the Dark Magician's displeasure. She sweatdropped.

The magician growled and said in a voice akin to that of a perpetually angry CEO they knew, "You two are quite stupid for coming here."

"Well, we're not about to sit around and do nothing while Yami's in trouble!" Honda insisted, sounding a lot braver than he felt. The duel monster sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Stop cowering; I'm not going to vaporize you." The brunette girl let out a sigh of relief and Honda fell over.

"Thank you!!" The purple-clad being whirled around, his robes billowing, and strode into the darkness.

"Come. As long as you're here, you might as well be of some use."

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Eyelids closed, he concentrated on the pulses of energy flowing though him. The muscle beneath his right eye twitched as he reached out past Ryou's life force, past Joey's, seeking... \\ There. \\ He felt the dark energy that emanated from some distant point, ahead and slightly to the left. He opened his eyes to see Joey staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Bakura raised a slender white brow uncertainly.

"What?" The slightly taller teen shook his head.

"Nothin'," he asserted innocently.

The pale fiend narrowed his eyes at the other suspiciously, but all he said was, "This way."

They walked in silence for several minutes, Joey sneaking glances at the former tomb robber every so often and looking as if he wanted to say something. Once, he got as far as opening his mouth before he shut it again, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. Bakura found the blonde's behavior distracting and irritating, and he told him so. Stopping and turning to the other, he crossed his arms.

"If you've got something to say, just come out and say it," he ordered, his patience wearing thin.

Joey shrugged apologetically. "I was just thinkin' how beautiful you are."

Bakura blinked at that, taken off guard. He dropped his head slightly to hide the shy blush that had suddenly crept onto his cheeks, unbidden. Ryou was the one people complimented. No one had had a kind word for him in millennia...not that he deserved it... Growling at his own susceptibility to one stupid compliment, he began walking again and felt the other fall in step beside him. After another minute or two, Bakura broke the silence following Joey's remark.

"Are you alright?" he inquired somewhat gruffly, trying to make up for his earlier lapse. "You're of no use to me if you pass out." He'd noticed the shadows beneath the blonde's eyes and that there was less spring in his step.

"Who, me?" Joey waved away the other's concerns with a dismissive gesture of his hand. "I'm fine, don' worry about me." The white haired yami made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a laugh.

"You always were a terrible liar." He reached into his pocket and after what looked to be a brief internal debate, pulled it out again. "Here." He tossed something at the other, which he almost dropped before he managed to get a good grip on it. Glancing down, Joey saw the millennium eye glitter faintly in his hand. He rolled it between his fingers, feeling a slight warmth that he supposed came more from the power the item contained than the fact that it had been in Bakura's pocket. His eyes flicked up to the other boy questioningly.

"Even though you are not the eye's intended owner, it can still impart enough power to you to make it easier for you to maintain yourself in this world," he explained. "It's just a loan, so don't go getting...attached."

"Hmph," Joey scoffed. "An' what make you think I'll give it back ta ya? Th' last thing we need is you goin' all `power crazy' on us." A wave of guilt washed over him as soon as the words left his mouth. < It's my past life's fault he has `power issues' to begin with... > The confused blonde sighed. Bakura eyed him contemplatively.

"You--" the dark one began hesitantly, "--don't have to keep blaming yourself for things `Jono' did. That part of our lives is over, in the past." He paused. "We have Ryou now--and a second chance." A small grin spread over Joey's face.

"You're right," he nodded. His grin widened. "Though dere're some memories I'd like t' compare with th' real thing, if you know what I mean..." he trailed off suggestively, winking. (A/N: -_-;;; You're so subtle, Jou-kun.)

"Oh yeah??" Bakura raised an eyebrow at the other teen's brazenness before breaking into rich laughter. He could feel his other half's blush all the way from his soul room. \\ Oh, Ryou, stop trying to hide from me how hot and bothered that made you. It isn't working. \\ An embarrassed squeak was all the reply he received. Still chuckling lightly, he watched Joey hold the eye close to his face for inspection.

"I wouldn't recommend that..."

"What?" the blonde retorted petulantly. "It's not like I'm gonna shove it in my socket." Bakura shrugged innocently.

"It might try to jump in there itself."

Joey jolted and pulled the eye away from his face as if it had transformed into a snake. Eyes wide, he glanced from the item to the tomb raider, to the item again. He wasn't sure whether Bakura was telling the truth or just messing with him again, but decided he didn't want to find out. Shoving the object into the pocket of his jeans he let out a breath, running his hand through his hair. Now that he thought about it, he did feel better, and smiled at the other gratefully.

"Thanks, Kura." He had taken to calling Ryou's yami by the name he'd had five thousand years ago, feeling a little weird calling the spirit by Ryou's name. He wasn't sure how the other boy felt about that, but he had yet to object to it. Hesitating only momentarily, he slipped an arm around the snowy haired demon's waist, pulling him in to kiss his cheek. At the last second Bakura turned his face so Joey's lips met his own. The kiss was brief but lingering, gentler than any of the others the blonde had received from him, and when it ended Joey pulled back, pleasantly surprised. Seeing the look on his face, Bakura smirked a little in amusement.

"That was from Ryou." He leaned back in to nip at the side of the slightly taller boy's neck, making him jump, and swiped his tongue over the faintly salty skin. "That was from me," he added slyly. Joey slid his arms around the other, cupping his rear and pulling him into a tight hug. After several moments, Joey kissed the white haired boy's temple and released him.

"C'mon. We gotta help Yami." His companion nodded, remaining silent. They had only taken a few steps when the blonde nudged Bakura's hand with his own, threading his fingers through the other's. The slender boy said nothing, only tightened his grip on his koibito's hand.

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Téa and Honda stared, wide-eyed.

"So...this is where Duel Monsters are when they're not being played?" The Dark Magician nodded.

"You just kinda...hang out?" the spike-haired boy asked incredulously.

"Un. We mostly fall into a magical sleep. But if we want, we can roam the `Black Room,'" the purple haired boy explained.

"The Black Room," Honda repeated. Téa broke out into a fit of giggles.

"It sounds like a night club!" She paused, imagining various duel monsters dancing. She burst out laughing. Honda and the Dark Magician exchanged a `look.'

"Riiiiiight."

Téa finally sobered and placed a finger on her chin. "You said we could help, right?" she asked eagerly. "How?" The sorcerer took a step back and held out his staff, soft purple glow emanating from him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Honda questioned. The magician looked up abruptly and his lips curled into a smirk.

"Calling my apprentice." As if one cue, a very pretty blonde girl in a little pink and sky blue magician's outfit burst into the room.

"Uh-huh?!" She did a twirl in the air and grinned up at her mentor, pink hearts and stars sparkling from her mini-staff. Honda drooled.

"The Dark Magician Girl!" Téa gasped. "Yugi showed me her once! Suigo!" At the Dark Magician's glare, she put an elbow into Honda's gut. "Cut it out!" she hissed. He straightened immediately, flashing a suggestive grin, and snatched up the blonde's hand and pumped it enthusiastically.

"HiI'mHondaHiroto!" he gushed. The girl stared at him wide-eyed for a moment as he jerked her arm up and down.

"Hi!" she squealed. The taller sorcerer shoved the uni-spiked boy away and directed his disciple toward Téa, hands on her shoulders.

"I need you to endow her with your powers for a while." The magical girl looked Téa up and down.

"Sure!" She leapt into the air to hover with her nose inches from Téa's. "This'll just take a second, hon!" With a wave of her staff, the brunette was floating beside her.

Téa blinked, unsure of what was going on. The other girl spun her around and hummed, a pink light coming from her. It shot from the magician girl to Téa, causing them both to glow brightly. The blonde giggled and threw her arms around Téa from behind in a sort of hug.

"See you later!" she called to her teacher with a wink, and gave Téa a squeeze that sent her now vapor-like essence into the brunette. Téa squeaked as she fell to the ground, something falling over her eyes.

"Huh?" She pushed back the conic helmet she now wore. "What the--??" Téa blushed crimson, realizing she was attired in the skimpy costume of the Dark Magician Girl. "Eeep!" She attempted to cover herself while Honda snickered. Téa stood, self-consciously pulling up at the cleavage and down at the skirt hem. "Who designed this thing?!"

"I did," the magician replied smugly.

"I think you look hot!" Honda announced, and received a thunk from two staffs.

"So I--I have the power of the Dark Magician Girl now? How will that help Yami?"

"The ancient evil will want to duel. For the Millennium puzzle. As a magician and a friend, you can aide on the field."

Téa gulped. "And if I'm sent to the graveyard...?"

"It will have been an honorable death." There was silence for several moments.

"Make me a duel monster, too," Honda demanded.

"That was my intent."

"I wanna be the Cyber Commander!" The Dark Magician frowned.

"You must be something more powerful. And in Master Yugi's deck, for starters."

"Oh, right. Umm... Gia, the Fierce Knight?" The mage considered this for a moment.

"All right." Once the horseman had been summoned and his power transferred, the three stood in the Black Room.

"Wow, I look so cool," Honda commented, adjusting his uni-spiked helmet. The other two sweatdropped.

"Uh, Dark Magician? There's something I want to ask you," Téa ventured. The purple haired boy nodded for her to proceed.

"Why Yami? And why the puzzle? I just don't understand what this `evil force' wants."

The mage looked at her, but his sky blue eyes were focused on some memory far beyond here and now.

"I cannot explain everything." There was a long silence. "But know this, Teana: among the many abilities of the seven items, only the sennen puzzle holds the key. Its power sealed the realm of shadows many millennia ago, and only its power can completely free the darkness again." The duel monster blinked, taking in the solemn faces of the two mortals before him. "Evil has always sought to dominate he who can control the millennium puzzle."

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The man grinned lecherously as he took hold of the spirit's chin. "It's good to see you again after so long, Ouiji." His eyes roved over the captive monarch before him calculatingly and Yami glared at him with icy hatred, though the squirming of his insides couldn't help but remind him that he was little more than a seventeen year-old, and this man, a pedophile and a powerful sorcerer.

"What do you want with me?!" Yami growled, rattling his chains, though they both knew it was futile. The man laughed.

"What do I want with you?" he repeated amusedly. "I want the sennen puzzle, that I may escape from this realm into that of the light and bend that pathetic world to my will. I've been assured the item will be arriving shortly, which--" He turned and narrowed his eyes at the white haired man, who cringed almost imperceptibly, obviously having hoped he'd been forgotten. "--Had better be true, for your sake." Returning his attention to the bound teen, he smirked. "Other than that, your only purpose is to serve as bait."

Yami narrowed his blood red eyes at the pair and looked away. He knew it was true. His brave little hikari would be coming for him, and Seto certainly wouldn't be left behind either. He sighed, pain filling his heart. His poor Yugi... The teen had difficulty maintaining himself in the Shadow Realm, and Yami knew he must be supporting their tall lover as well. So deep in his own depressing thoughts was he that he didn't notice the sorcerer looming over him until the bastard took in a deep sniff. The small teen practically jumped out of his skin, pulling away from the gray skinned nose hovering in front of his shoulder.

"You smell like sex," he commented. Yami crinkled his nose. The dark man took another long inhalation, allowing his hands to ghost over the pharaoh's tense body. "You smell like Sekhmet," he accused. "...and something else--" He brushed his nose against Yami's collar bone, sniffing. The demon pulled back, quirking his brows. "Ménage à trois? You areliving well these days, little boy." He snickered. "Mmm, I should like to meet this...third party. He must be quite extraordinary--I mean, who else could possibly be good enough for dear Sekhmet, besides you? He must taste lovely..." He trailed off, looking thoughtful. Yami spat in his face.

"You will never touch him!!" he shouted, yanking at his chains. The man narrowed his eyes and backhanded Yami with one hand, wiping the saliva from his cheek with the other. For a long moment he only glared down at his captive, before finally, he let out a low, rumbling chuckle.

"Ever protective, dear boy, as always," he smiled. "You do not disappoint me. But child, if you think you can save your mage from me...you are quite delusional."

"You will not touch him, either," Yami growled, a thin trail of blood trickling down his chin.

"I won't need to," he whispered, kneeling so he was eye level with the chained teenager. He brushed a golden bang from his face. "There are easier ways to break a spirit. I need only remind our little blue eyes how powerless he is..." The fiend wrapped his spidery hands around Yami's waist. "How powerless he is to stop me from taking the only thing he loves. When he gets here, which we both know he will, I will rape you, and he will watch."

Yami felt icy fear clench in his stomach. The hateful man pulled a little at Yami's hips, smirking. Not breaking eye contact with the red-eyed boy, he called out.

"Maximilian... Tell me about the third boy...the keeper of the millennium puzzle. What is he like?" Pegasus, who had been leaning a black wall in the shadows, trying not to watch, started.

"Uh," he cleared his throat. "His name is Yugi Mutou, he is very brave, as good a duelist as that one there, and far too trusting. Innocent, really."

"Innocent, you say? How charming. Ouiji dear, I didn't know you had a `thing' for innocents... Smells like you and Sekhmet corrupted him, though," he laughed. His eyes sparkled in interest. Yami felt sick to his stomach.

\\ < No...gods no, leave Yugi out of this... > \\

"What does he look like, Maximilian?" he slid his thumbs along the pharaoh's pelvic bone absently, still keeping his eyes trained on Yami's face.

"Well, like him. Most people don't even realize they're separate beings." The demon looked genuinely surprised.

"An innocent version of Pharaoh?? This I must see. More details, damnit."

"He's several inched shorter, rounder in the face, and has huge, violet eyes." The sickly pallid man released his hold on Yami, bursting into laughter.

"There's someone smaller than Ouiji?? How old is he?"

"Fifteen," Pegasus answered, sighing. He remembered all too well the beautiful face of little Yugi-boy. He had been so close to having him... It seemed so long ago.

"Robbing the cradle, eh?" He fiend nudged Yami in the ribs, grinning slyly. A thought occurred to him. "How old is Sekhmet's reincarnation?"

"Seto Kaiba? He is fifteen as well."

"Ah, how--" He paused. "I do believe we are being approached..." He stood, black robes billowing like shadows with a life of their own. "Yesss..." He closed his slit-like eyes. "They're coming for you, Pharaoh..." His eyes snapped open. "My you are popular. There's five of them."

\\ < Five?? Bakura, Ryou, and Joey. > \\

"They will defeat you," Yami stated confidently. A slow smirk spread over the demon's face. He let out a cold, humorless laugh.

"Perhaps...but they will not save you."

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Chibi Joey and chibi Seto: ::crying::

Xpyne: This is getting too sad for chibis to hang out in the author's notes anymore.

Soli and Xpyne and Nkoah: ::kiss the chibis goodbye and send them off to wherever it is characters go when not being tortured by authoresses::

Solitaire: I think they went to the Black Room. ::shudders:: I hate.... ::stops herself from revealing his name:: our bad guy!

Xpyne: Anyone who's been paying attention to more than the lemons can probably figure out who he is. ::giggles:: Isn't he such a freaky perv? All his sniffing and stuff? What a gross-o!

Solitaire: Thanks to Alpha Slave and Enkidu for their help on choosing a pet name for Sekhmet in Egyptian. ...I ended up using both, though. ^_^``

Xpyne: Technically, didn't I come up with them and you just translated them into Egyptian?

Solitaire: ::indignantly:: No! I had to change a lot of stuff around for it to make sense, damnit!

Xpyne: ::holds up hands in Joey-like surrender:: Yeahwhatever!!

Solitaire: XP Please review. We need encouragement. ::cries:: 250 reviews gone now...

Xpyne: So many people like us, and then one person goes and ruins it for everyone. ::cries:: It's not fair.

Seto: ::slightly freaked out by the sobbing authoresses:: ::hisses at them:: Get a grip! ::to the readers:: Please review, if only to shut them up. ::glares back at them:: And to bring Yami back sooner.

Yugi: (the sensitive one) ::goes and comforts them:: I miss Yami. ::commences crying::

Bakura: What a bunch of girls.