FicWad

-=-=-=-

Bakura swore tiredly as he trudged down the sidewalk. He'd been searching this part of the city for hours, and hadn't turned up a single trace of anything out of the ordinary.

About ready to call it quits and head back to the mansion to join the others, he stopped as he passed an alleyway, and a chance breeze brought the unforgettable smell of blood to his nose.

Frowning, he tracked the breeze down to the narrow alley that ran between a department store and a rather seedy bar.

[[Ryou?]] He called.

[Yami?]

[[Tell the others I might have found something. I'm gonna go in and check it out.]]

[All right.] His hikari's voice came back a moment later. [Isis says to be careful.]

Bakura snorted. [[You better believe it.]]

Sighing unhappily, the yami walked into the alley.

-=-=-=-

Trowa hung up the phone, frowning thoughtfully. Pausing as he packed his suitcase, Quatre searched his face, concerned. "Trowa? What's wrong?"

"Chang. When I told him we would be joining them, he sounded..." The taller boy hesitated. "Pleased?"

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "He could just have been happy we were coming, you know."

"..."

He winced. "Good point." Biting his lip, he thought for a second before laughing. "Don't worry, he's probably just glad we'll be there to deal with Duo."

Trowa nodded reluctantly. "I suppose you're right."

-=-=-=-

Yami Bakura was starting to get annoyed.

That bloody alley he'd decided to investigate apparently led through the entire city. Not to mention it was dark, damp, filthy, rat-infested...

And the perfect place for an ambush.

The former thief snorted. Just like old times, it was.

Bakura gagged as the smell of blood and... viler things hit him like a brick wall, driving all thoughts of familiarity out of his mind. Stunned, he gaped at the scene before him. "Oh, shit..."

[[Ryou!]]

-=-=-=-

Ryou sighed as he lay back on the couch, arms folded beneath his head. He and the others had been waiting for his yami to report in ever since he'd said he might have spotted something. Now, five minutes later, there was still no word from him.

"Relax, Ryou, Bakura can take care of himself," Yugi murmured from his armchair. "He probably just hasn't found anything yet. He did say he wasn't sure."

"I know, it's just... this entire thing is making me jumpy. We haven't had a rogue Itemholder since..." The white-haired boy trailed off, looking at Isis, who didn't seem to have noticed their conversation, lost in her own little world.

Yugi nodded. "Since Malik died," he finished quietly. "Nearly five hundred years."

"Yeah."

They were silent as they remembered one of the worst times in their lives. Suddenly Yugi's lips twitched. "Well, if it's any consolation, you aren't the only one who's nervous. If Yami doesn't stop bugging Kon for news I think he's going to punch him."

Ryou laughed softly. He glanced over at the normally composed pharaoh, now hovering around the computer where the latest Kaiba sat. "No, Kon wouldn't do that. He likes his 'Uncle Yugi' too much to punch his yami."

The smaller man winced. "None of you are ever going to let that go, are you? Please, I broke him of that before he turned four."

"But it was so cute-" Ryou started to protest, until he was abruptly cut off by Isis jumping up.

"That's it!"

The two hikaris shot each other a look as Kon and Yami turned away from the computer. "What's it?"

She turned towards them, smiling. "I remembered where I'd felt that kind of spell before... albeit on a rather smaller scale, but..." Seeing the promise of mayhem on the faces of everyone in the room, she hurried on. "It was almost exactly like when each of you split into separate bodies!"

The room filled with silence as they digested that little tidbit of information. Finally, Yami looked up. "In other words, you're saying that there are two of them to deal with now."

There was another pause.

Konjaku shrugged. "Look on the bright side. They'll be easier to spot now. Twins aren't exactly common."

About to reply, Ryou stopped as his yami finally contacted him.

[[Ryou!]]

[Yami, what-]

[[I... I think I found where the disturbance was.]]

Ryou frowned. He almost sounded...ill. [What's wrong?]

[[It's... bad. Think Yami Malik and the pharaoh when he's really pissed.]]

His eyes widened. "Oh, shit..."

-=-=-=-

Commander Alexander Damon was in his office wading through all the paperwork associated with a successful mission- requests for ammunition, status reports, and, thankfully few this time, letters to the beloved ones of deceased troops.

Commander Damon was good at paperwork. He didn't like it, of course. Who does? But he had accepted that forms and the military go hand in hand, and that to rise in its ranks required he deal with it.

And yet, despite his resolution he found his eyes continually drawn to the odd artifact he had rescued, sitting innocuously on his antique secretary desk. He was repeatedly reaching out to it, filled with the urge to touch it, hold it...then he would catch himself and draw back, unaccountably afraid.

At last, he pulled open a drawer and swept the artifact inside, thrusting it closed and locking it securely.

Damon smiled in half-understood relief. Now maybe he could get back to his paperwork.

The smile faded as he went over that last thought again.

-=-=-=-

Quatre was smiling happily as he and his partner tossed the last their bags into the back of the taxi. He and Trowa had been on their own for nearly a month, and as much as he enjoyed spending time with his best friend, Quatre couldn't wait to see the other pilots again.

He slid into the back seat and was quickly joined by the taller boy. "The shuttleport, please," he told the driver. The taxi took off.

Back at the house, their watcher walked calmly over to his vehicle and dialed his employer. "They've left the house," he reported. "Do you wish me to follow them?"

"No. I've assigned someone else that task." The client said, smiling to herself. "You've done well. Your fee has been deposited in your banking account."

The private detective smiled as well, recalling the rather large amount that had been agreed on.

"Thank you, Miss Darlian."