Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Fleeing the Shadows	By : tavia454 Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 6110 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Sorry,
sorry � author dodges rotten fruit by readers � the details to this story seems
to elude me! (sighs) Next time I know not to get into
such an intricate plot. (dumbass!)

Thank
you to everyone who volunteered their help on this last chapter! You all are
great!!! I have decided to split this one into two pieces as it wouldn�t come
together for me in the 15 pages I give per chapter.

Oh
and Dragonlady222 � if you want to help out with this story feel free to email
me � it is yours after all!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi
glanced at Ryou, a plate slipping from his hand to fall harmlessly to the
carpet, his eyes comically wide. The look of complete and total fear was
mirrored in the white haired teen�s tearful expression as he grabbed on to the
tricolor haired teen�s hand like a lifeline. Something was desperately wrong!!

Together
they melted back into the shadows of the dining room, watching their
surroundings anxiously, unable to utter a sound. But both
thinking exactly the same thing�How?

Just
seconds later the doors from both sides of the house simultaneously exploded
into splinters, causing the two teens to recoil in terror. Sporadic gun shots
and Isis�s cutoff screams were heard from the
direction of the kitchen � where she and Shadi had gone to retrieve their
dinner.

The
horrified teens crouched, rooted to the spot like frightened rabbits as tears
rolled down their faces, hearing the racket as what sounded like a herd of
elephants invaded the house. Furniture was tossed over and destroyed as the
invaders immediately began searching each room thoroughly for the two teens,
not knowing that their prey was in the formal dining room in the middle of the
house hiding in the corner overshadowed by the immense china cabinet that they
had been attempting to raid not moments earlier.

A
particularly close, deafening crash shook Yugi out of his terror induced
stupor. They were coming! The smaller teen grabbed Ryou by his hand, urging him
towards the silent living room just as a couple of gun toting masked men rushed
into the room they were vacating. The men immediately gave chase, frightening
the teens even further as they scattered the elegantly set table, throwing
chairs aside in their haste to keep sight of their quarry.

The
two lights scrambled through the previously destroyed parlor room, through the
living room and made a bee-line for the stairs � hoping like hell to make it
out of the house and onto the roof, both screaming through the silent links for
their darkness� help. But their progress was halted just shy of the steps by a
menacing, cloaked figure with white flowing hair that had materialized in the
doorway.

The
figure reached out, snatching Yugi up by his hair before he could back track.
Tears of pain sprung to the teen�s eyes as he struggled against the tight grip,
kicking and screaming. He fought wildly, only managing to land minor strikes to
the cloaked figure as Ryou was ripped away from his grasp and hoisted into the
air by another cloaked form.

�ATEMU!!!!� Yugi shrieked mentally as well as out
loud, wincing when his tiny fist found purchase unexpectedly.

A
frustrated oath was muttered by the cloaked figure just before a large fist
shot out and crashed forcefully upside the teen�s head, quieting his cries for
help as it sent him tumbling into the darkness. A moment later and the white
haired teen�s screams abruptly silenced as well. The sound of tromping feet and
breaking wood continued throughout the house � as the last few men who didn�t
know the prey was captured continued to search.

Pegasus
tossed the unconscious tricolor haired teen over his shoulder and stepped fully
into the ruined living area. He casually kicked a piece of debris out of the
way before walking up to Dartz, a merry smile dancing
on his face.

�I
do believe we have won this round.�

Dartz nodded back with an evil leer, his
burden secure. �How many hours do we have left?�

�Midnight is the deadline - we have plenty of
time. They will be pleased. After so many centuries it is time to call Him
forth.� The white haired leader snickered victoriously as he picked his way
around the rest of the debris from the errant gunshots and demolished doors and
furniture, heading towards the kitchen.

�We
have waited for so long�� Dartz gave a wry smile as
he spied something humorous amidst the mess in the kitchen. �Well, well, look
what we have here��

Shadi�s stunned, almost unintelligent gaze
shot to the two Senators from his seat on the floor beside the refrigerator.
His left leg pedaled uselessly against the floor in remembrance of a normal
brain function now dead. A small puddle of blood was beginning to form around
his figure from a hole in the side of his stomach.

A
shocked, questioning look flitted across his normally stoic features as he
watched the two give a chuckle at his expense.

�Silly,
silly man�� Pegasus proclaimed, hearing the mental question as he lifted his
hair to the side to reveal the solid gold false eye. �It doesn�t matter if your
little pet can sense danger. I have my own ways of countering that. You should
have kept a closer watch on the treasure you were supposed to guard. Your
little spy wasn�t as good as he thought he was.�

Shadi�s mouth worked a couple of times in
attempted protest, a tiny rivulet of black blood dribbling down his chin, but
no sound came forth.

Satisfied
that their nemesis was no longer a threat, the cloaked duo turned to leave, the
two motionless teens slung over their shoulders. One of the men trailing behind
the two senators callously kicked Isis�s
still form as he made his way out of the house, calling out to the men that it
was time to go. The remaining invaders filed out of the house � most without
even a glance in the fallen agents� direction.

Eventually
an eerie silence reigned over the demolished house. The older agent half lay in
a pool of his own blood for a time, fading blue eyes wandering over Isis�s silent figure remorsefully, wishing
with all his might that she could still be counted as among the living. He
watched her lifeless form for signs of breathing as blood leaked from a bullet
wound in her throat. Every so often he thought he saw her chest rise, but
didn�t know if it was a figment of his imagination or the honest to god truth.

Shadi
didn�t know how long he sat there, stunned - totally unable to move so much as
a pinky finger. It could have been mere minutes. It could have been hours. The
house was in total silence other then sounds of his own
making. His left leg twitched continuously, the sole of his foot scuffing
against the floor, but he couldn�t feel it. That particular ability had
vanished from the moment the first unforeseen bullet pierced his spine.

How
could this have happened?! How could he not have realized that Yugi wouldn�t be
able to sense someone in the cult leader�s presence? If only he would have paid
more attention to the warning signs. If only he had�But he had been to wrapped
up in Isis�s comfort after the near miss of a car
accident. How stupid�

A
pained groan escaped chapped lips. It hurt�bad! He had felt the bolt of
scorching agony long before he heard the shot. Felt the icy pain as it shot up
his spine, curling around his brain like the fires of hell. The impact had sent
him spinning hard into the fridge as it knocked his legs out from underneath
him, almost rendering him unconscious.

After
a few moments of agonizing flashbacks and bouts of self pity the blue eyed
Egyptian pulled his scattered thoughts together, grabbing a towel off the
handle of the oven. He wrapped a fist in it and held it up to staunch the flow
of blood. The faint screeching sound of the sole of his shoe drove icy shards
of pain into his already overloaded brain as he scooted away from the blood
smeared fridge.

But
even what he could feel of searing pain didn�t stop him from using his free
hand to haul himself across the two foot expanse of floor between him and his
wife, leaving a thin smudge of blood in his wake. It seemed like it took
forever to cross that small space as he finally looked down on Isis with tears of regret leaking out of
his eyes.

�Isis?� He croaked hoarsely, pawing at her
shirt with bloody hands, needing her to wake � to look into those beautiful
brown eyes one last time. �Isis�honey, come on�please.�

The
sounds of a car in the drive way caught Shadi�s
attention not moments before racing footsteps ground the fresh splinters of
glass into the damaged floor in one of the front rooms. Someone come back to
finish him off? The click of a round being loaded into a chamber was heard in
the silence.

Shadi
tensed, waiting for the end, his vision narrowing as pin points of light
gradually took over his sight. His last thoughts were of the boys he had failed
to help. It was all up to the darker halves now. Adrenaline rushing through his
system, the bald agent�s head dropped onto Isis�s chest, refusing to let go of her
hand even in the impending darkness.

�SHADI�ISIS?!!!!!� Marik screeched when he saw the
condition of the kitchen � which was by far the worst room in the house.

The
large blonde holstered his weapon as he spotted the two older agents lying on
the floor amidst the wreckage. He flew over to join them, skidding to a stop on
his knees just shy of Isis�s prone figure. He took in the bloody
streaks on the floor, Shadi�s lifeless body and Isis�s bruised and bleeding form. Gently he
lifted the lady out of Shadi�s limp arms, feeling
franticly for a pulse.

There!
Underneath all the blood and gore there was a faint fluttering. Thank the gods!
Marik began to clean Isis�s wound so he could judge the
severity. As he looked over to grab another piece of paper towel that had
landed on the floor in the earlier melee his violet eyes met with concerned,
glazed blue.

Marik�s breath caught in his throat. Shadi was
still alive! It was a miracle! He had given up the older agent as dead, just
from the sheer amount of blood surrounding his limp frame. Was there a chance
it didn�t all belong to him?

Reaching
out with his free hand Marik offered the other agent a part of himself as he
had done the last time. Shadi shakily grasped the hand, his blue eyes closing
briefly as he felt the energy exchange. Then it was over. Somewhat more focused
blue eyes met with concerned violet once again as Shadi regained a portion of
his strength.

�She�s
alive�?� Shadi rasped.

�She�ll
live. It looks like the bullet grazed the side of her neck. Right now my
concern is the knot on her forehead. She took quite a hit.� Marik replied as he
finished cleaning the wound, looking Isis
over for more injuries. �I�ll be right back. Hang in there, okay?�

Shadi
nodded, resting his head on the cool floor. Isis would live! A couple of thankful tears
slid down his face.

But what about him? This exchange would tide him over
until the lights could be rescued. But he wasn�t completely sure he wanted to
be healed. Not without the control of his lower body. And not even all three
lights powers combined could help that. They could only replenish his energy
and help his body to recover the lost blood. Nothing could be done for his lost
sensation and movement�Did he really want to live this way?

Marik
skidded to a stop at Shadi�s feet, shaking the agent
from his morose thoughts. In his hands were bandages and peroxide from the
bathroom cabinet. He handed Shadi a large tablet and another towel, instructing
the Egyptian to take the pill before turning his attention to Isis. Immediately the blonde set to
cleaning Isis�s wounds, dressing them with the
utmost care. As he was applying the last of the tape his patient took a deep
breath, coughing painfully before opening her eyes.

�Marik�?�
She questioned softly, reaching up to touch the ugly greenish blue welt on the
side of the blonde�s head.

Marik
twitched away from the touch with a hiss as he cut the tape. �I�m fine. You�re
okay too. But right now I need to deal with Shadi before he loses more than I
can help with.�

�Shadi�?�
Isis turned her deep brown gaze to her
husband. �Oh my gods!�

She
lurched into a sitting position as she caught sight of the deathly pale blue
eyed agent. The movement set off sparks behind her eyelids and she put her
hands to her head to stop the room from spinning so violently. Eventually the
dizziness passed, leaving her drained of energy and she slumped back to the
floor, her hand gripping Shadi�s in a death grasp.

Throughout
Isis�s spell Marik continued to work on her
husband. He couldn�t afford to wait any longer for the pill to work. Every once
in a while the blue eyed agent would flinch or twitch as the needle pierced
flesh that still had feeling. But other than that the man said not a word, his
breathing ragged and labored as he fought off the once again impending
darkness.

On
the off chance of distracting Shadi from the pain, Marik explained how he got
the massive contusion. Of all the rotten luck in the world that he would get a
clean shot off at the man who had cornered him, only to have the barrel of the
man�s gun crack him on the side of the head as the man fell to the ground -
with such force as to knock him out cold for over two hours. But, as he told
his captive audience, it could have been worse � the other man could have
gotten a shot in first.

Shadi
cracked an unstable smile at the explanation. Even Isis had to laugh, but it was a sad, hollow
sound in the emptiness of the demolished kitchen. Once she was certain the
dizziness had left, and that Marik had done all he could for her husband, Isis
climbed to her feet and hobbled out of the room to retrieve the information
that Seto had sent. They had to go. There were other lives on the line.

When
she arrived back in the kitchen it was to find Marik walking out the door, an
unconscious Shadi in his arms. Minutes later the blonde came back into the room
to see Isis searching through the remains of what
used to be their kitchen table.

Raising
a questioning brow, Marik said. �We got to go. Shadi doesn�t have much time.
And neither do any of the others. We�re already a good two hours behind those
assholes. And I doubt they�re gonna stop and gawk at the scenery.�

�I
know, I know, but I need to find something.� She replied as she dug through the
debris.

After
a few moments Isis emerged with an insane cry of glee, a
smashed cell phone in her grasp.

�You
well enough to drive?� Marik questioned.

�I�ll
drive�you fix this.� Isis shoved the half broken phone into Marik�s large hands. �We need to get a hold of Seto and the
others.�

Marik
nodded and the two of them ran out the door. It was going to be a close race.
And so many lives were on the line. Not only Shadi�s,
but Yugi, Ryou and Malik�s
as well. Not to mention the countless innocent civilians should this evil be
set loose on the world in general. They tore off down the driveway and away
from the house, determined to give it their best shot. Even
if it killed them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atemu
sat against the base of the tree, his binoculars trained on the gates across
the road. Two days�two days and absolutely no traffic. It was almost as if
something was wrong. As if they knew�But they couldn�t. There was no way! The
foursome had taken every precaution they knew of, including blocking off their
links just in case someone here could sense the magic.

�ATEMU!!!!� The shriek sounded in his mind,
jerking him out of his dazed surveillance.

Atemu�s
head shot up, ruby eyes narrowed as he attempted to contact his light through
their link. No reply. His troubled gaze sought out Bakura�s
concentrated one as repeated efforts yielded only silence. A quick glance over
to Jou and Seto proved that the cry indeed did not go unnoticed. The two were
standing tense, guns cocked, as if waiting for something to happen.

�You
heard it too?� Atemu questioned the three.

�Ryou�Yugi!�
Bakura snarled. �They�re gone!�

�What
the hell was that?� Jou questioned at the same time, shivering. �I felt somethin��somethin� wrong. Like
the air shifted.�

�They
have our little ones.� Atemu responded with a hiss. With an assessing glance
over at the blue eyed agent, he asked. �Are you one hundred percent positive
this is the place? We need to know now! Our time is up!�

Bakura
glanced over at the shaken ruby eyed agent, speaking before Seto could clear
his thoughts. �This is it�can�t you smell it? The scent of evil is everywhere.�

�We
had better be positive�as of right now we have approximately six hours to make
a workable plan, depending on how fast they�re driving.� Atemu glanced at his watch
before he backed away from the cover of trees they were hiding in, keeping his
eyes trained on the cameras across the street.

The
others followed his lead, stealthily moving out of range of the security before
heading into the open field. Damn and they hadn�t been able to get into the
well protected area to do any scouting yet. All this time sitting here and
nothing! The ruby eyed agent had so hoped to be able to take this group out of
commission before they got a chance to lay a finger on his little one. What the
hell happened to Malik?!

Hastily
the group made it back to the car they had left a couple of miles back. Atemu
mentally ran through the list of what they needed to bring back with them on
their return trip as Seto fired the engine, flying down the road towards town.
The tricolor haired agent�s thoughts were frantic as he scrambled to come up
with a workable plan. A couple of pea shooters weren�t going to do it this
time. Damn they needed more time!

Their
first stop was the hotel room. They bolted up to the room where Atemu called up
Duke � one of his closest allies in the Bureau, while the others retrieved
their belongings. It was a long shot, but they had to do something. After
quickly explaining their dire circumstances he requested back up.

By
the time he ended the rather awkward conversation with a promise to divulge
everything that had gone on during his absence Atemu was immensely relieved to
know that none of their old friends had abandoned them � had in fact been
fighting for him and the others during their disappearance.

�Back
up is on the way.� He called as the group hurriedly finished gathering their
belongings.

The
foursome raced back down to the car. It was time to do a little shopping. Their
first stop was the local hardware store. Being as this was a small mountainside
community this store was more of a catch-all rather than just the normal home
improvement warehouse. They blasted through the doors and headed straight to
the back of the store, already knowing where they needed to go.

The
first thing Atemu grabbed was a lightweight crossbow.� Elegant and deadly, this would do for what he
had in mind. The ruby eyed agent hefted the weapon and checked it against his
slight frame. Deciding that it would fit he selected a stock of bolts from one
of the overly helpful employees seen milling around the store.

Then
he bought some more rounds for his guns, knowing that he only needed the bow
for silent kills. As accurate as he was with the large, unwieldy weapon, his
guns would come in handy at some point during the night.

While
Atemu bought out the store of complicated weapons, Bakura went searching for
something a little more his style. The white haired agent was cursing his
decision to leave his favorite toy back at the house with Ryou. Apparently it
hadn�t done the boy any good. And he sure could have used its comforting
presence now.

Out
of the corner of his eye the disgruntled agent saw a sight that made his senses
tingle. There, in the corner of one of the display cases was a beautiful
hunting knife. Expertly molded, with a large serrated blade, symbols from a
different time were engraved into the hilt, almost a message of sorts. He felt
as if it was calling to him. Who was he to deny?

�If
you talk to any of the Indian people around here, those are supposed to be
Shoshone words engraved into it.� One of the men wandering the store came up
behind Bakura. �Would you like to see it?�

Bakura
nodded, entranced. �If you could.�

The
man took a key from his ring and unlocked the display, plucking the knife out
to hand it over to the white haired agent with a shrug. �I don�t know exactly
what it says, but it has something to do with the soul of the animal that is
being hunted and�I think�about it belonging to the person who wields the knife
if it�s used for the kill. Superstition I guess.�

�Really
now�� Bakura drawled with a gleam in his eyes as he ran his hand reverently
over the engraved hilt. �How much?�

A
wide, evil smirk formed on his features. This would work. And the people he would
kill with this would forever be bonded to his soul if his reading of the
symbols was correct. He would make them pay for the crimes they committed
against his light in this life. Over and over again! Oh the fun he would have!

They
decided on a price, the white haired agent handing over his money just as Seto
and Jou reappeared from the clothing section of the store. Atemu sauntered over
to the group with a wicked grin not long after and together they walked out of
the store with their new purchases, the employees thinking they were nothing
other than a group of out of town hunters.

Isis�s
frantic phone call to Seto�s phone not minutes after
they left the parking lot of the hardware store brought the group up to pace on
what had happened earlier at the safe house. They now knew that Malik was among
those in the hands of the enemy. And that Shadi was not in the best of shape.

But
the hastily fixed phone had cut off not long after the blue eyed agent had
agreed to find a way to keep the gates open for Isis, Marik and whatever help
their friends could gather. Their estimated arrival was four hours away. That
meant they had only a couple of hours before their enemy would arrive.

At
their next stop the four of them changed into the white camouflage clothing that
Jou and Seto had picked out earlier, thoughts of what was happening to Yugi and
Ryou weighing heavily on their minds. Both Atemu and Bakura had tried their
links repeatedly, but with no success.

By
the time they made it back to their hiding spot behind the cluster of trees
they were all nervous and fidgety, drinking the warm coffee that Jou had the
presence of mind to grab at their last stop while Bakura procured some last
minute necessities.

After
discarding several ideas before they were even voiced, Atemu pounded the back
of his head into the tree behind him. �I am at a loss. Bakura and I can get us
around human traffic, but neither of us can get past those doors or the
electric fence. We cannot fool electronics. And to announce our presence will make
it all the harder to get our little ones out alive.�

Bakura
sighed audibly, looking each of his friends in the eyes. �Look, I have an idea.
I don�t know if it will work, but those damn sensors on the gate leave us with
no other option if we want to get in there without their knowing��

�What
do you mean you don�t know if it will work?� Atemu questioned harshly. �It has
to work!�

�I
know, I know.� Bakura waved an impatient hand. �But the way I see it, the only
way without announcing our presence � like blowing up the front gate, and
believe me if it comes to it I will do just that � is to sneak in under the
cover of plain sight. All of us. The minute the gate
opens we walk right in.�

Atemu�s
eyes widened. He now understood the glitch to this plan. It was what had been
stopping them all along, besides the lack of traffic to get Bakura and himself
inside. Jou and Seto. Neither one of them had any
abilities whatsoever.

His
scarlet gaze slid over to the two appraisingly. But if they had no abilities,
then how was it that they sensed Yugi and Ryou�s call
earlier. They may not have heard it, but they sensed it all the same, much as a
dog would sense an unseen, unheard threat from inside of a locked house.

�So�you�re
thinking that they may have some residual magic left over from their previous
life?� He questioned the white haired agent.

Jou
and Seto both glanced over at Bakura with raised eyebrows. The skeptical look
on their faces said it all. It was impossible!

�You
have to believe in it first.� Bakura commented to the wide eyed duo as he
nodded. �I�ll take care of the rest. Since I don�t need to baby-sit
Atemu too I should have enough energy to make this happen. But
when I tell you to believe than you damn well better do it. You put your
heart into the words that you speak. Do you understand?�

Jou
nodded anxiously. He just wanted his friends back. And if he had to believe in
something he couldn�t see than he was going to do it. He had already seen part
of what Atemu, Bakura and Marik were capable of. So how hard could this be?
Hell he already believed in his new group of friends� extraordinary powers.

�So
what do I have to believe in? Seto asked warily.

�You
need to believe that you�re invisible. That you�re nothing but a shadow on the
wall�� Bakura replied evenly.

�Wha�??!!!� The blue eyed agent
balked. �There�s no way in��

�You
will do it!� Bakura snapped. �I said I would take care of the rest, but if you
fight me with your thoughts it takes more of my strength than I can afford to
lose. Do it or be left behind. And I hate to say it but we need you too.�

�Please��
Jou�s pleading brown eyes met Seto�s
shocked blue ones.

Seto
dropped his head into his hands. Bakura was right. He could do this. He had to.
He had overcome every obstacle in his life; he wasn�t going to let a little
hocus pocus get the best of him.

�I�ll
do it, but you better know what you�re doing!�

After
a quick glance at Jou to make sure that he understood what needed to be done
Bakura began outlining their plan. It was time to be ready. They wouldn�t get a
second chance.

The
sun set on the group in a brilliant display of oranges and reds, but no one
noticed, none of them cared. An hour later they sat in the dark, silently,
tensely watching the gates across the road for signs of activity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi
awoke to someone dragging him out of the car by his hair. He reached up to swat
at the hand, only to have the person dragging him give a painful yank on his
tender scalp. The action brought tears to the boy�s eyes.

�ATEMU!!!!� He cried out again.

This
time there was a strong sense of reassurance drifting down the link. Almost as
if Atemu wanted him to know that he was there, even if he couldn�t say it. The
feeling increased and for a moment the distraught teen felt somewhat safe,
despite the pain in his head.

But
it didn�t last long for as soon as the petite teen was dragged into what
appeared to be a large, plain brick dwelling built into the side of a humongous
mountain, the comforting sensation halted abruptly � with no explanation
whatsoever.

Yugi
tried several times to catch his footing to lessen the throbbing in his head,
but it was no use. The person dragging him so cruelly was too
fast for his short legs to keep up with. He was hauled down a long
flight of stairs and thrown forcefully into a windowless stone chamber, the
door locked tightly behind him, screaming for his darker half the entire way.

The
instant the door shut on his last hope of escape the small teen clutched the
top of his head, tears squeezing through his closed eyes. No longer did he have
the comforting presence of his link with Atemu. It was as if the other had
vanished.

After
a moment he opened his eyes and looked around the barren room. There was a
bucket over in the corner of the room. And a pile of straw.
On closer inspection the straw bed had copious amounts of a dark, almost black
substance. Yugi backed away cautiously, his eyes darting around the room for
any means possible of escape.

His
breath caught in his throat as the door opened and three rather large men came
into the room, a fourth one stationed by the door.

Yugi
eyed the men warily as he backed towards the wall. One had a knife; the second
one had a pouch like object with a dripping rubber hose attached to the end.
The third one had a length of rope and a rather evil gleam in his beady black
eyes.

�Prepare
him for the ritual, but do not touch�yet.� The fourth man announced with a
smirk directly at the tricolor haired teen before closing the door behind him �
locking Yugi in with the grinning men�

Ryou
heard his friend�s screams through the locked door of his cell. The white
haired teen slid to the floor sobbing. He couldn�t help. He was worthless. Why
had Bakura saved him? He couldn�t even help his friends!

Frustrated,
the gentle teen lashed out, beating his fists helplessly on the wall and
screaming, adding to the noise in the hall. He screamed and screamed and kicked
and beat his fists into the wall until his rage was spent, his hands bruised
and bloodied, his voice hoarse.

Then
he collapsed to the ground in a shivering heap. He was next. After they
finished with Yugi, he was next. Or Malik was. He clearly saw the unconscious
blonde being dragged out of one of the other cars that had driven through the
wire topped gates along with the one he had been held in.

What
could he do? There had to be something�right?

A
calming presence made itself known the minute he left off with his banshee
quality shrieks. Ryou sniffled quietly, letting the soothing feeling wash over
him. Along with the feeling came an urging to remember what he had trained so
hard for�what had he�Ryou sat up with a tearful gasp.

Footsteps
sounded outside his door. Trembling, the white haired teen raised his head and
began to chant the words in his mind � words that he knew so well, watching the
door closely. �You don�t see me�you don�t see me�I don�t exist�please let this
work�you don�t see me��

Seconds
ticked by and it almost sounded like the footsteps receded. Then a key clicked
inside the lock and the door creaked open. A blonde man with deep facial scars
that looked fairly recent walked into the room, muttering to himself. �Check on
the sacrifices he says�like I didn�t used to run this joint�blah,blah,blah��

The
man muttered as he looked around the clearly empty room. Quickly he walked back
to the door and peered out in the hallway, never noticing the white haired
teen�s presence. Ryou held his breath as the man took one more frightened
glance around the room before taking off down the hall, leaving the door wide
open.

For
a moment the petrified white haired teen couldn�t believe his luck. And then he
realized that this was his opportunity. He pulled himself off the floor and
scampered out of the room, flying down the passageway. After a few minutes the
white haired teen�s pace slowed to a brisk walk as he realized he was lost.

With
no way of knowing where he was or how to get out, Ryou became confused as he
wandered the labyrinth of twisted, torch-lit corridors. Yugi�s screams had quieted
not long he fled the room and he had nothing to guide him anymore.

Tentatively
he reached out with his mind, attempting to contact his darkness. A strong
presence enveloped him and he sobbed in relief before hurrying to obey the
command. His darker half was coming and he needed to help them find a way
inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atemu
sighted on one of the men below as they scurried about, his finger on the
trigger of the crossbow, cursing impatiently as he sat in the crook of the tree
rubbing his injured knee. Damn Jou! If he hadn�t tripped and alerted everyone
in the compound to their presence they might have been able to get inside the
building before anyone was the wiser!

But
the blonde had proved to be an amazing klutz not long after they made it inside
the gates, tripping over one of the men who had come running to greet the cars
as they made their way inside the compound. His howl brought guards from all
around, making them have to split up and run for it in
order to stay alive. One of the men got a lucky shot off, skimming the side of
Atemu�s knee just before he made it to the cover of the trees.

Now
they had all of what looked to be at least fifty or so men searching the
compound for them. The ruby eyed agent rolled his eyes, fuming. Of all times to
realize that the blonde was an utter klutz now was not it! They would be lucky
enough to make it out of here with their lives, let alone take back their
little ones.

If
they were lucky the head boss didn�t know they were there. But Atemu wasn�t
counting on it. Before making for the safety of the trees, he had let a well
placed bolt fly straight into their transformer by the gate, taking out the
security system, as well as their lights. Now the only illumination was that of
the moon � which suited him just fine. It made his targets easier to see
against the backdrop of snow.

The
irritated agent glanced over to another tree beside the one he was hiding in to
give the signal, but Bakura was already on it, aiming for one of the cult
members that arrogantly assumed he was well enough hidden behind a shed some
yards away from the cluster of trees they were sitting in. Atemu moved back to
his sight, then backed off again when another man came running out of the
building waving his hands wildly.

Although
he was too far away to tell what was said, the second man must have had dire
news for his announcement caught the attention of the larger group that was
hunting for him and the others � and that group tore off back towards the
building, leaving only a handful of men out on the grounds.

With
a deadly smirk, Atemu took aim on the first unsuspecting man once more, pulling
the trigger to let the arrow fly. A muffled �mph� was made by his target before
the man fell to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his neck. Quickly
Atemu racked another bolt and let fly toward the man running to check out his
fallen companion.

But
he was too late, his arrow missed as the man fell to the ground near the first
one, a soundless bullet wound in the center of his head. Where the hell did
that come from? A body hit the ground underneath the tree he was sitting in,
startling him into dropping the bolt in his hand.

�You
missed one.� Seto smirked before fading back into the cluster of trees.

Atemu
and Bakura glanced at each other, dumbfounded, before climbing out of the trees
and meeting Seto and Jou on the ground. Atemu gave a glance at the silenced 357
in the brunette�s hands before shaking his head with a wry grin.

The
sounds of running feet caught their attention and the foursome scrambled in
different directions not too long before a group of men met in the clearing by
the trees, apparently too brave � or stupid for their own good � intent on
storming the copse of trees. A moment later and four corpses were lying on the
ground by the shed, copious amounts of blood flowing from the variety of wounds
inflicted.

Atemu
glanced over the grounds, looking to catch those who had run before they made
it out of range, but apparently not all of their enemy was without brains � for
those left had vanished.

Quietly
the group wound their way out of their hiding spots to meet by the shed where,
after a few moments of struggling Bakura grabbed his knife back from one of the
corpses. He wiped it clean on his pants and studied the landscape. They needed
to find a way inside the building.

�What
gives?� Atemu whispered as he peeked around the corner of the shed to scout for
his next victim. A well placed shot pinged off the metal shed and sent him
ducking for cover.

Bakura
grinned widely and said only one word. �Ryou.�

Jou�s eyes widened as he understood what the
white haired agent was trying to say. �So�you mean we have someone��

Seto
muffled the blonde�s comment as he heard a noise coming from the other side of
the shed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bakura melt into the shadows
from one side, Atemu doing the same as he faded around the corner of the small,
rusted structure.

�Stay
quiet, stay down.� Seto commanded in a hoarse whisper.

Jou
nodded, allowing the other to pull him down into a crouched position. Seto held
his silenced 357 to the ready, pointed at the corner where he last saw Atemu
vanish, listening intently as he thought of how truly crazy his cousin was to
court death like that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Please review � this damn plot bunny is an annoying pain in
the ass!
- 16
- 17
- 18
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Fleeing the Shadows