Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis belongs to MGM Studios. No infringement intended.

Many thanks to bittermint, dragondancer5150, and spike21 for beta and encouragement.

* * *

The message from Todd was brief: a planetary designation, followed by “He will be here soon.” No need to wonder who “he” was—there was only one man the Atlantis team and the Wraith Todd both wanted: Michael.

John didn’t stop to question it. Todd might be a Wraith, but his intel was good, and he wanted Michael just as badly as they did, for his own reasons. Anyway, it was a lead, a chance for action, and they were all going stir-crazy with the need to do something, anything to get Teyla back. The last disastrous rescue attempt had been three weeks ago. Three weeks of waiting, spinning their wheels without a single lead to follow.

Within half an hour, John had assembled what was left of his team, along with Lorne and a squad of Marines. They took a jumper and were on their way.

They emerged through the gate and landed the jumper on a dry, rocky field. A tumbleweed blew past the jumper’s viewscreen. Beyond the field, a rubble-strewn town sat slump-shouldered and apparently deserted. Dust devils swirled around them.

“I don’t see anybody,” John said. “Rodney, are you picking up any life signs?”

Staring at his hand-held life sign detector, Rodney shook his head. “Inconclusive. There’s too much interference from… something.” He looked at the desolate scene on the viewscreen. “This is one of the planets the Replicators wiped out. There’s still a lot of residual radiation from the destruction. There shouldn’t be anybody here, except maybe a few scavengers. And Michael, if he’s here.”

“I don’t see a ship in orbit. Or on the ground.” John studied the jumper’s sensors, frowning. “It looks like another dead end.”

“Well, Todd didn’t say Michael was here. He said he’d be here soon. Maybe we’re early.” Rodney didn’t add “again.” They all remembered far too well that they’d arrived too early at their last rescue attempt, only to find an empty laboratory that was wired to explode the moment they accessed its computers.

“Maybe. We’re here, anyway,” John said disappointedly. “Let’s check it out.”

They opened the hatch—and found Todd standing there waiting for them, flanked by four warrior Wraith.

The Wraith inclined his head in greeting. “I see you got my message.”

Rodney shook the life sign detector, then slapped it with the palm of his hand. “Still no life signs.”

Todd smiled. “Good. It’s working.”

“What?” Rodney asked flatly. Then he got it. Snapping his fingers, he said, “You’re creating the interference to suppress your life signs. How?”

Todd waved his hand. “Just a little masking transmitter. But we can discuss that later. The one you call Michael will be here in less than two hours. We need to be ready.”

John took a deep breath and nodded once. It was not a trap. Not a dead end. A battle-ready calm washed through him, his hands tightening around his weapon. “How do you know he’ll be here?”

“My hive is tracking his ship. After he has landed, my hive will move in and establish orbit to prevent his ship from leaving. If we deploy our forces correctly, he will be caught in our trap.”

“What makes you so sure he’ll land his ship?” This was Ronon’s question.

Todd gestured towards the buildings nearby. “Come, we have much to go over. I’ll explain along the way.”

As they all began to walk towards the buildings, warriors falling in with the Marines in a way that John found a bit unsettling, Todd continued, “Michael does not control his hybrids well enough to leave them in charge of the ship while he is on the ground. He will land, and take everyone off the ship. We have seen this on other worlds where he has landed.” He paused to point towards the rocky field just beyond the gate. “I believe he will land his ship there. It’s the closest safe area to the laboratory he has set up here. You will need to move your jumper and cloak it. My Dart is already hidden over there.” He gestured vaguely towards a stand of blasted trees beyond the field, then turned to the others with a sly grin. “As Dr. McKay has verified, my masking transmitter will disguise our presence. Michael will land his ship, unaware that he is entering a trap. Once all his people are out of the ship, we will move in and take them.”

As Todd turned to continue towards the buildings, John and Ronon exchanged a look. John cleared his throat. Todd stopped and waited while John came around to stand in front of him.

“Look,” John said, “You’ve obviously done your recon, and that’s good. And you were here first and called us in, so you think you’re in charge of this mission….”

“Why did you call us in?” Rodney interrupted. “It looks like you’ve got the situation under control.”

“I have only four warriors at my side. My hive is depleted, and we have no queen. Michael’s hybrids number at least twenty. I believe that if we can take him out, his control over his hybrids will end and they will no longer be a threat. But getting to Michael through them will not be easy. I thought it best if we work together.”

“All right, together—that’s the key.” John determinedly brought the conversation back around. “If we’re going to work together on this, there’s one thing that’s not negotiable. We want to take Michael out just as much as you do, but even more than that, we’re here to rescue Teyla. She’s not going to be collateral damage. I want your word that she won’t be caught in the crossfire.”

Todd’s serpentine yellow eyes flashed, and he regarded John stonily for a long moment. Then his expression softened and he grunted his agreement. “I understand your devotion to your friend, John Sheppard. I agree. She will not be harmed.”

“And your warriors… ?” John gestured toward the faceless Wraith.

Todd shrugged. “They also agree, since I do. But if you wish….” He turned to his warriors. “The human queen is to be rescued. Do not allow her to come to harm.” The warriors nodded.

It was more than John had expected. Still, he thought it best not to add that the hybrids were mostly Teyla’s people, whom Michael had captured and converted, and they’d like to try to save as many of them as they could. They were all concentrating on Michael. That would have to be good enough. “Okay, let’s get down to it.”

* * *

From the outside, the building was just another abandoned hulk, but inside, it was obvious that Michael had been there—the laboratory was a near carbon-copy of the one they had found during the previous rescue attempt.

“Do not touch anything,” Todd warned, with a smile that made it obvious he knew how much such a warning was unnecessary.

“Thank you, Mr. I-Wasn’t-There-When-You-Blew-Up-the-Last-Place,” Rodney grumbled. “It’s booby-trapped. We know.”

Chuckling softly to himself, Todd looked around the lab. “I do not understand the purpose of this equipment, but it is clearly Wraith-like in origin, as are Michael’s other installations.”

“It’s a maternity room.” Rodney said. “A very creepy maternity room.”

“For the queen,” Todd said, nodding. “But where are the pods?”

“Humans don’t use pods. The baby grows inside the woman.”

Todd grimaced in distaste. “Truly?”

“Okay, enough of the birds and bees,” John interjected. “We get it. He’ll be bringing Teyla here.”

“If all goes well, they will never reach this room. It will be easier to fight them outside, in the open. I suggest you deploy several of your men near the entrance to this building. The rest can be hidden along the route to their most likely landing point.”

“Why don’t we just blow this place up?” Ronon asked.

“Please do,” Todd replied. “After Michael has landed and left his ship. If he sees that the building has been destroyed before he lands, he will most likely just leave.”

“I can set the C-4… ,” Ronon began, but Rodney shook his head.

“We won’t need it. The place is booby-trapped, remember? I can blow it from a distance, just by tapping into the computer with this.” He held up his tablet.

“You sure you don’t need to be hard-wired to their computer?” John asked.

“No. I’m sure. At least, I’m pretty sure. Let me just see….” His hand hovered above the tablet.

John grabbed Rodney’s arm before he could touch the tablet. “Wait until we get out of here before you do that. Or, better yet—”

He glanced at Ronon, who grinned, and said, “I’ll set the C-4.”

It didn’t take Ronon long to plant a few blocks of C-4 and wire it to detonate. John didn’t much like seeing Ronon, Todd, and explosives all in close proximity, considering what he’d learned when a gate malfunction had sent him 40,000 years into the future: in that timeline, Ronon and Todd had died together, working to blow up one of Michael’s installations.

But that wasn’t going to happen now, John firmly told himself. None of it would. He was back, and they were going to save Teyla, and Michael’s plans to dominate the galaxy would end right here.

Afterwards, John went to move the jumper. He parked it near the Stargate, under the assumption that no matter where Michael decided to set down, he wouldn’t land on top of the gate. Since it was out in the open, he left the jumper cloaked, leaving a distinctive-looking rock near the hatch so he could find it again. Then he rejoined the others, who had just finished deciding where to distribute the warriors and Marines.

“The trouble is, we don’t know exactly where he’s going to land,” Lorne told John. “We want to make sure we can get between Michael and his ship, so he won’t be able to retreat to it.”

“My hive has orders to fire on his ship if it attempts to lift off, but… ,” Todd began.

John interrupted, “Not if Teyla’s on board.”

Todd glared at him. “Then your people had better make sure it does not lift off. If he escapes us again, we will not soon have another chance. He becomes more powerful with each passing day.”

“We will. Just tell your hive to fire across his bow, or something. If they blast the ship while it’s on the ground, it’s likely to kill us all, anyway.”

Todd nodded tightly. “Come. I will show you where the warriors have been placed.”

Lorne and Ronon split off to get into position, while John and Rodney followed Todd as he walked toward the field, pointing out the outcroppings and trees where the Marines and warriors were hidden. John had to admit that he couldn’t have done better in placing the men himself. Now, there was nothing to do but wait.

They had turned back towards the settlement when Todd suddenly said, “My hive is as important to me as your people are to you, John Sheppard. You expect me to risk my hive and my warriors to protect one of yours, yet you would not do the same for any of us.”

It wasn’t like Todd to complain about… feelings. John didn’t like it. He didn’t like it with people, and he really didn’t like it from a Wraith. “You asked us for our help. I’m sure you know us well enough by now to know what our terms would be. Take it or leave it.”

Todd stopped and turned to face John, pulled up to his full height, which was considerable. He loomed over John. “And if I said your terms were unacceptable, would you now take your men and return to Atlantis?”

John had had plenty of practice facing down Ronon, who was equally tall and formidable, and declined to be intimidated. “Would you want us to? Four warriors against twenty hybrids, remember. Isn’t that why you wanted us here?”

“We could have remained on the hive and fired on him from orbit.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Rodney interjected. “In fact, if you know where his ship is, why not just destroy it in space?” At John’s glare, he hastily added, “Not that we think you should.”

Todd continued to glower for a moment, then sighed. “As you have seen for yourself, battles between two hive ships often result in the destruction of both. I did not want to risk it. Even if we could disable his ship, we could not be certain that all aboard would die. He has Darts and could easily escape again.” Then his eyes hardened. “My faction is all but destroyed because of him. I want him dead. I want to look in his face as he dies.” He turned on his heel and strode away. John and Rodney were caught off-guard, and had to hurry to catch up.

John made an attempt to be placating. “Look, we both want the same thing here. We want Michael stopped. We sure don’t want him escaping with Teyla again. So let’s just concentrate on making that happen, okay?”

Todd glanced at him without slowing down. His strange Wraith gait, a long-legged glide, wasn’t easy to keep up with. He looks pretty ragged, John thought to himself. The Wraith was obviously on edge. His usual equanimity was badly frayed. How long since Todd had fed? With Michael poisoning the Wraith’s food supply, Todd would risk death every time he fed. He must be getting desperate.

And let’s not forget what it is that he feeds on. No feeling sorry for the Wraith, John firmly told himself.

“Yes,” Todd finally agreed. “Let us make sure Michael is stopped.”

* * *

Todd went off to join his warriors, while John and Rodney stationed themselves near the gate. There was still nearly an hour before Michael’s ship would arrive. Ronon was with some of the Marines guarding the building, waiting to detonate the C-4, while Lorne was stationed with the rest of the Marines closer to the field, ready to move in and cut off any retreat to the ship. Todd and his warriors were arrayed between the field and the settlement. Everyone was in place. There was nothing now to do but wait.

“I wish we had more Marines,” Rodney worried.

“We’re fine,” John told him. “Between Lorne and the Marines, Todd and his warriors, and you, me, and Ronon, we’ve got twenty-one people. That will be plenty.”

“But what if Michael doesn’t land where we think he will? Our people won’t be in the right place to surround him. Or what if he doesn’t land at all? What if he leaves his ship in orbit and just takes a Dart down to the surface? Or, I don’t know….”

“That would be just great, actually. Just Michael and Teyla and maybe one or two others in a Dart? Much easier to deal with than a whole ship full of hybrids.”

“Well, but….”

“If Michael doesn’t land where we think he will, we’ll just have to deal with it. But Todd seemed pretty sure of himself, and he knows hive ships a whole lot better than we do.”

Rodney thought about that for a moment. Then he said, “Todd seemed kind of touchy, didn’t he?”

John shrugged. “Probably just hungry.”

“I don’t know. He wasn’t like that when we were working on Jeannie’s nanites.”

Todd had collapsed from hunger then, unable to work any more until he’d been fed. John didn’t want to think about what he’d had to do to arrange that. “Maybe he had a bad day. I don’t really care about his moods, as long as he helps us get Teyla back.”

Rodney ignored the hint, as usual. “He seems really worried about his hive. I wonder if this is all that’s left of his faction? Between the Hoffan drug and all the Wraith infighting….”

“Fewer Wraith? I’m going to say that would be a good thing.”

“I know, but Todd’s our….”

“Don’t call him our friend. It’s weird.”

“I was going to say he’s our… Wraith.” Rodney paused a moment, then hurried on. “He has helped us. A lot.”

“He’s helped himself. He doesn’t save humans because he likes them, he saves them because he wants to eat them.”

“Yeah, okay, I know that. But still. He saved my sister’s life. We couldn’t have defeated the Replicators without his help. And we wouldn’t be here right now without him. We’d still be on Atlantis with no idea even where to look for Teyla.”

John sighed. “That’s why we don’t kill him. It doesn’t mean we have to worry about his feelings.”

* * *

The wait stretched on. For a military man, this kind of waiting was part of the job. John took a few deep breaths, tuned out Rodney’s chatter, and concentrated on the operation. Michael’s hive ship would land over there on the field. When Michael and Teyla had reached a point approximately half way between the ship and the settlement—marked by a particular rock grouping they’d all noted and agreed on—Ronon would blow the building and the Marines and warriors would move in. If she was able, they knew that Teyla would use the distraction to break away from Michael. If they were lucky, those few moments of surprise would be all they needed to take Michael out. In any case, if everyone did his part, they’d have Michael and his men surrounded and out in the open.

The biggest worry was the risk that Michael would use Teyla as a hostage. John had agreed to let Todd and his warriors be placed closest to the intercept point, in hopes that Michael would think the ambush was an all-Wraith operation, and let Teyla go in order to fight. He’d have no reason to think the Wraith would care about rescuing her. Then, by the time the Atlantis team moved in, Teyla would be out of his reach.

But that left the attack on Michael in Todd’s control for crucial seconds while Teyla got out of the way. Could Todd be trusted to keep Teyla safe in the heat of the battle? Todd really wanted Michael dead, and if Teyla got in his way… no, John wouldn’t think about that. Todd had given his word, and he would have to trust him. Todd had even told his warriors to protect Teyla from harm—not just to avoid hurting her, but to protect her. John didn’t know why Todd would have done that. Perhaps the warriors were too simple to know the difference.

He hated having to depend on a Wraith for Teyla’s safety. Even Todd. Especially Todd. Todd, with his weird sense of humor and his quick intelligence and his casual determination to treat the Atlantis team as his friends. It was too easy to start thinking of him as… as a person. As someone you could trust, maybe even like. But John could never let himself forget that Todd was Wraith: every time they let him walk away, people died for it. Sure, he could count up all the people they’d saved because of Todd—all the people the Replicants would have killed, plus Rodney’s sister, plus even himself, and now Teyla and all of Michael’s future victims—and balance it out and say that Todd saved more people than he fed on, and that made it acceptable. But it didn’t change the fact that as long as Todd was alive, people would die to feed him.

And he didn’t want to think about it any more. John tuned Rodney back in, listening until he picked up the thread of what Rodney was saying, and waited.

* * *

At first, it all went down like clockwork. The hive ship arrived right on time, just as Todd had predicted, and landed in the middle of the rocky field. It was an impressive sight, throwing a wide shadow over them as it settled to the ground, but its landing was whisper-soft, barely stirring a breeze. Somebody was a good pilot, John thought.

A few minutes later, Michael and the others began to disembark. Two of the hybrids came first, followed by Michael and Teyla, then five more hybrids. John squinted at Teyla, her hugely pregnant belly obvious even from a distance, but she was too far away for him to tell more than that she was on her feet, moving under her own power. Even that was good news—however Michael had been treating her, she was still strong enough to walk along beside him.

Four more hybrids followed, and then no more. That made eleven… Todd had said at least twenty, so where were the others? Could some have been left on the ship? Perhaps Todd’s life-sign scrambler had made him suspicious enough to leave a few crew members aboard for a quick get-away. As far as John was concerned, that would be fine. Eleven on the ground meant they had a nearly two-to-one advantage, and Michael and Teyla were all he really cared about.

Michael’s group reached the stone marker. John braced himself. Right on cue, the building went up in a blast of orange flame. John was on his feet before the first chunk of debris hit the ground, running towards Teyla. He could see the warriors and Marines boiling out of the rocks, moving in.

Then it all started to go wrong. Perhaps Michael had seen Ronon burst into view from a distance. Perhaps he knew if he let Teyla get away now, he would lose any chance to use her later. Perhaps it was a fighter’s instinct. In any case, Michael’s first move was to grab Teyla and hold her in front of him, one arm tight around her throat, weapon at the ready in his free hand.

At the same time, there was a rumbling hum, and the ground beneath their feet vibrated: the hive ship’s engines were starting.

The remaining Marines moved into position, blocking Michael’s retreat to the ship. Michael and his hybrids were surrounded. But Michael had Teyla.

John stopped about twenty feet away from Michael and Teyla. He studied her face. She was sweating, and she looked pale and ill. But her eyes were bright and alert, and there was a determined look on her face. A look that clearly told him to do what he must, and she’d be ready. As calmly as he could, John said, “Michael, let Teyla go.”

Michael smiled. “So you can kill me? I don’t think so.”

“You know if you hurt her, you’re dead.”

“And if you hurt me, she’s dead. Looks like a standoff.”

“All right, let’s see if we can work something out.” John took a few steps closer, holding his palms out. “We just want Teyla back.”

Michael glanced off to his left, where Todd was standing, right hand poised to strike, growling softly. “I don’t think your friend over there agrees.”

“He’s not my friend,” John said. “This is my operation, and all I want is Teyla.” He hoped Todd would understand and wait. Once they got Teyla away from Michael, Todd could do his worst; but if Michael realized that, he would have no reason to keep Teyla alive.

Michael laughed. “Please. I have no intention of letting her go. Back off now and let us leave, or I’ll kill her.”

John thought furiously. What could he even offer Michael that would make him let Teyla go? He had to think of something quickly. Todd wasn’t going to hold back much longer.

The hum of the hive ship’s engine changed slightly. Were they powering weapons? Preparing to lift off? John didn’t know, but Todd apparently did. John saw him talking quietly into his left sleeve—communicating with his own hive.

Hold on, John urged him silently. Michael was slowly backing away, pulling Teyla with him, his hybrids keeping him covered. The surrounding Marines and warriors followed, keeping their distance.

A bolt of fire shot out of the sky, striking Michael’s ship. Four more followed in quick succession. Todd’s hive was firing from orbit. John didn’t know whether to be glad or not. No way was he going to let Michael escape with Teyla. But if Michael’s ship was disabled, what would he do? Give up—or kill Teyla out of spite?

A brilliant white light spat from Michael’s ship. Counterfire. It was like no hive weapon John had ever seen.

A few tense seconds ticked away. Then everything went white. John heard a low rumble, then a shock wave hit him. He was blown off his feet, landing on his back with a hard thump.

John struggled to his feet, blinking furiously. An ear-splitting shriek filled the air. Through the glare of afterfire, John made out Teyla on her hands and knees a few feet from Michael, who was standing unsteadily, one hand to his head. Michael turned towards Teyla.

A screaming black streak flew into Michael, slamming him to the ground. It was Todd.

John pitched himself towards Teyla. Still half-blinded from the flash, he saw Ronon reach her first. “Teyla!” he called out.

She was sitting up, hanging onto Ronon for support, exhaustion and pain mixed with the relief in her face. She, like everyone else, was blinking from the glare of the explosion. “John,” she said, as her eyes focused on him. “Where is Michael?”

He glanced past her, to where Todd was kneeling over Michael’s body, howling as he fed. Michael shriveled to an empty husk, then Todd jerked to his feet, still hissing and growling. Abruptly, Todd turned and stalked away. The hybrids lowered their weapons, seeming lost and confused. It was as Todd had predicted—without Michael’s control, they were no longer a threat. The battle was over.

“Um, he’s dead. Todd just… finished him off.” John would have liked to say that no one deserved to be fed on by a Wraith, but he had no sympathy for Michael. Todd’s fury was a little disturbing, though. That explosion….

“Todd?” Teyla was struggling to her feet with Ronon’s help.

Rodney, who’d just arrived, joined them on Teyla’s other side. “He’s the one who told us how to find you. And helped us plan the ambush,” Rodney said, then looked at John. “He looked pretty upset.”

“Yeah, well, I think that explosion was his hive ship being blown to bits.” John looked at the three of them: Rodney, Teyla, Ronon. His team, together again. John sighed happily.

“Kanaan!” Teyla pulled away from Ronon and Rodney, turning to search the milling crowd of hybrids, warriors, and Marines. “Where is he? Kanaan!”

“I am here.” One of the hybrids came to her side, shaking his head uncertainly, as if just coming awake. As he looked at Teyla, a light dawned in his eyes that soon grew into a fire. John looked away, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

Teyla and Kanaan separated, and stood with arms around each other. Teyla was beginning to shake. Relief, probably. But she was also eight and a half months pregnant, and had just been knocked down by an exploding hive ship, not to mention whatever Michael had done to her while he’d held her captive. Time to get her safely back to Atlantis, before anything else could happen to her.

“Teyla, there’s a gate right over there.” John gestured towards it. “Why don’t you get back to Atlantis so Dr. Keller can check you out? Ronon, you go with her. And Kanaan.” Teyla obviously wasn’t going anywhere without the father of her child. “We’ll handle the clean-up.”

Teyla nodded, gripping Kanaan tightly around the waist. Ronon grinned and took her other arm. Ronon hadn’t smiled like that since Teyla had been kidnapped. It was good to see.

But before moving off toward the gate, Teyla asked, “What about my people?”

“They’ll be safe here for now. Lorne and I will round them all up and make sure they’re okay.”

Teyla nodded. He could see she was torn, but getting herself and her baby safely to a doctor’s care won out. She let Ronon and Kanaan help her to the gate. It was slow going, but John waited, watching until they’d dialed and gone through.

Now, back to work. “Okay, let’s get these people sorted out.” Lorne and the Marines had already begun collecting weapons from the Athosian hybrids. He wasn’t quite sure what they’d do with them. Once Michael’s drugs wore off, he hoped they’d go back to being normal Athosians. Kanaan was obviously already nearly there, his feelings for Teyla having broken through his conditioning. But in the meantime—John didn’t like the idea of letting them wander around Atlantis, not knowing what might be left of Michael’s influence. Their home, New Athos, was in shambles. Maybe they could just keep them here for a while. Bring food and medical supplies from Atlantis and let them stay until they were all back to normal.

Rodney, hovering at his side, broke into his thoughts. “Where did Todd go?”

“I don’t know. He went off that way.” He gestured vaguely towards Michael’s ship. “Probably got in his Dart and flew away.” He knew before he finished saying it that it was wrong. Todd’s warriors were still here, helping the Marines with the Athosians. And even if Todd had been willing to leave his warriors, there was nowhere to go in a Dart except through the gate, and they’d have seen it if it had.

“But…” Rodney began to protest.

John didn’t let him finish. “I know. He’s still around somewhere. Probably wants to be left alone. So let’s let him.”

“He just lost another hive.”

“I know.”

“That’s his third hive in what, six months? And that might have been all that was left of his faction.”

“I know, Rodney.”

“He came to us. So we could save Teyla. And now he’s lost everything….”

“Look, Rodney, I get it. The Wraith is sad. What do you want me to do about it? It’s not like I can invite him back to Atlantis and take him out for a beer. He’s just going to have to deal with it himself.”

“Yeah. I just… feel sorry for him.”

“I don’t. He’s a Wraith.” A Wraith who’d helped them get Teyla back. Who helped them defeat Michael. And the Replicators. He sighed. “All right, I’ll go find him. Why don’t you go back to Atlantis, get with Sam and try to figure out what we’re going to do with all these hybrid Athosians?”

“You sure? I could talk to him.”

“No, go ahead. I want to check out Michael’s ship, anyway, and….” Then he remembered: there had been hybrids left on the ship. Hybrids who had fired on Todd’s hive and destroyed it. And Todd had been heading in their direction. “Uh oh.”

Rodney had obviously come to the same conclusion. “What do you want to bet the hybrids on that ship are Wraith food?”

“Yeah.” With Michael dead, a few confused hybrids would be no match for an enraged Wraith. “Let’s not mention this to Teyla just yet.” It was unfortunate, but he was inclined to cut Todd a little slack under the circumstances. He himself wouldn’t have hesitated to kill any hybrids who’d endangered Teyla, Athosian or not.

“Right.” Rodney hesitated a moment. “Are you sure you want to go find him? He might still be on a rampage.”

“It’ll be fine. He won’t hurt me.” As angry as Todd had been, he’d left the other hybrids, the ones outside the ship, alone. He’d known exactly who he was going after, and it wasn’t any of the Atlantis team. “I’ll get a couple of Marines to come with me, anyway, just in case there are still any hybrids hiding on the ship.”

Rodney nodded, then headed for the gate. John called Lorne over to tell him where he was going, and to pick out two of the Marines to accompany him. Then he started for Michael’s ship.

* * *

Todd was sitting on the ramp to the ship’s hatch, hunched over, elbows on his knees, staring at the ground beneath his feet. He looked pretty miserable. John knew what it was like to lose people. But he still had his team. What would it be like to lose so much? Ronon had lost his whole world, and John couldn’t really comprehend that, but Todd had lost his world three times now. My hive is as important to me as your people are to you, Todd had said. Could that really be true? And if it was… to lose Rodney and Ronon and Teyla… to build another team and lose them, and then again….

All right, it would be horrible, and Todd had every right to be devastated. But still… it wasn’t John’s problem, it wasn’t his job to make Todd feel better.

And yet, here he was, and he had to say something.

So what was he going to say? Sorry you lost your hive? He wasn’t sorry, and he wasn’t going to pretend he was. I know how you feel? But he didn’t, not really. Thanks for helping us save Teyla? That, at least, was true, but he didn’t think it would really matter to Todd.

John took a deep breath, and said, “Hey. Help me check out this ship.”

Todd looked up at him, expression blank. Then he grunted, stood up, and calmly headed up the ramp into the ship. John and the Marines followed.

They passed three hybrids on the way to the control room, all fed-upon husks lying in the corridors like thrown-away dolls. “So,” John said, as he noted three more in the control room itself. “I assume you made sure there isn’t anyone else alive on the ship?”

“Hnh,” Todd replied.

John took that as a yes. “Are there any more bodies?”

“No.”

John spoke to the Marines. “Take the bodies out and put them with Michael’s for now. Maybe we can get some of the others to identify them.” The two Marines picked up the nearest body and went away with it. John and Todd continued to the control room. So, Todd had fed on six hybrids, plus Michael. John said, “I guess you won’t be hungry for a while.”

Todd smiled faintly. “I’ll share with the warriors. They haven’t fed in some time.”

“Oh. Yeah, you can do that, can’t you?” John looked around the control room. He’d been in hive ships before, and knew basically how they operated, but he didn’t know how to access the data he wanted. He should have brought Rodney with him. “I’m looking for anything that might help us turn the hybrids human again. Information on the drugs Michael used. Things like that.”

Todd nodded, and began operating one of the strange-looking consoles. “There is information here. I will download it to a chip. Your Doctor McKay will be able to read it.”

“Good.” John walked around the control room while Todd worked. “How badly damaged is this ship, anyway?”

“Not badly.” Todd didn’t look up from his console. “The self-repair systems are already working. It will fly in a few hours, be fully operational in a day or so. Sooner if it remains on the ground.”

“Really? Pretty souped-up model, isn’t it?”

“Yes. The weapons systems are quite advanced….” Todd stopped, hands dropping from the console. He held himself very still.

Advanced weapons—that had destroyed Todd’s ship. “Hey, maybe some of your people got away in Darts. You said yourself….”

Todd shook his head. “No. They are all dead.” He turned to John, his fist pressed against his chest. “I felt it.”

“Oh.” Another thing he’d forgotten about—the Wraiths’ telepathic abilities. “Well, you’ll get another hive. You’ve done it before.”

Todd gave a slight shake of his head. “There was one aboard this hive who was… special to me.”

“Oh.” Special? Special how, John wondered. Best friend? Lover? Brother? What did those things mean to a Wraith? Special like Teyla? “Sorry.” He almost winced while he said it, but what else could he say?

Todd grunted softly, and turned back to the console. “How is your friend?”

“Teyla? She’s fine. Or she will be. She’s gone back to Atlantis.”

Todd nodded, as he continued his work. Then he paused again. “This information could be very useful to me.” He gave John a grim smile. “In getting another hive.”

“Well, make yourself a chip while you’re at it.” He’d probably regret it later, but it wasn’t like he could really stop Todd from using whatever he could find here anyway.

“This ship,” Todd gestured around himself, “could be converted back to a true hive ship fairly easily.”

Information was one thing, but letting Todd take the hive ship? John didn’t really like that idea. “Now, look, Todd….”

The Wraith tilted his head. ” ‘Todd’? You have given me a name?”

John swore to himself. He hadn’t meant to let that slip out—who knew how the Wraith would react? “Well, if you guys would ever tell us your real names, we wouldn’t have to make them up.”

Todd looked puzzled. “All names are made up, are they not? How is one more real than another?”

“You don’t have one name that your parents gave you when you were born? Well, not your parents, you were born in a pod, but….” Good grief, now he was sounding like Rodney. “Like ‘John Sheppard’ is my name.”

“No, we do not. We are named by our brothers, but that name has no meaning beyond the hive. Others call us by our position in the hive, or what they will, if they have need.”

Named by their brothers. So it was a hive thing… and did that mean that he’d made Todd his brother by naming him? Now, that was really creepy. “Well, don’t read too much into it. We just needed something to call you.”

“Of course.” Todd’s reply was smooth enough, but John could see the pain in his eyes.

Nice move, John, he told himself. The guy had just lost Hive Number Three, with someone “special” on it, and John had to go out of his way to remind Todd that he didn’t like him. “Okay, you can have the ship. Just stay here long enough for Rodney to come back and make sure we’ve got everything we need from it, all right?”

Todd nodded. “With this ship, and the information it holds, I will be able to build my own hive.”

“Great. Just great.”

Todd laughed, a short laugh with a bitter edge. “If you were Wraith, John Sheppard, I would ask you to join my hive.”

“Yeah? Well, if you were human, I’d ask you out for a beer.” At Todd’s raised brow, he added, shrugging, “Same thing. Sort of.” He wasn’t going to pull the rug out from under Todd this time. It wasn’t like they could really join each other’s “hives”, anyway, and Todd knew it as well as he did.

Todd’s laugh was a little more genuine this time. Then his smile faded, and he turned back to the console. A few moments later, he pulled a chip from a slot in front and handed it to John.

It was honeycombed amber, not like any computer chip John had ever seen. “You sure Rodney will know what to do with this?”

“Yes, he will know. In any case, he will be coming back to retrieve the information himself, will he not?”

“Right.” Okay, he was going to get out of here before he accidentally asked Todd to marry him. “Well, I’m going to head back. You want me to send your warriors here?”

“Are they of use to you?”

“I don’t know. They’re helping round up the hybrids, I think.”

“Then let them stay. Send them back when you’re through with them.”

It was yet another thing John hadn’t expected from the Wraith. Seeing John’s surprise, Todd added, “They like to work. It is what they are made for. Here, they would just hover around.” He gestured helplessly. “They worry, but what can they do?”

John knew the feeling.

* * *

It wasn’t the last time John was surprised by Todd: he’d expected the Wraith to be gone as soon as the hive ship was space-worthy, but Todd did in fact hang around for several days, long enough for Rodney to return and mine the ship’s data banks on his own. He also lent a hand and his warriors in setting up a place for the Athosians to stay while they regained their humanity.

Of course, he couldn’t stay indefinitely. It was the third day after the rescue that they heard the hive’s engines hum to life, and saw the ship lift off. Without a goodbye, Todd was gone. John watched it from the hybrid camp, where he and Rodney were overseeing the hybrids receiving some new medications.

“There he goes,” John said. “I wonder if he’ll make it?”

“He will. Didn’t he tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“It was in Michael’s data banks. A list of all the planets infected with the Hoffan drug.” Rodney busied himself with his tablet.

“Damn!” So that was the information Todd had been talking about, that would help him build a new hive! “So now he knows exactly which planets are safe to cull.”

“Yeah. Of course, so do we.”

One day, they’d meet up with Todd again, and there would be no greater threat to humanity, no kidnapped team member to save. Just a hungry Wraith, and the humans he meant to feed on. “One of these days, we’re going to have to kill him.”

Rodney looked up from his tablet toward the field, where Michael’s ship—now Todd’s—had been. “Maybe. But right now, I’m glad he’s okay.”

John sighed. “Yeah. Me, too.”

end.

Drabble.

11/4/2006

Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis belongs to MGM Studios. No infringement intended.

* * *

John woke up with a rock-like bicep pressed into his throat. Ronon snored softly into his ear.

Carefully, John took Ronon’s arm and eased it off his Adam’s apple, while he spat out the dreadlock that had settled into the corner of his mouth.

Ronon shifted slightly, his arm tightening around John’s chest. He mumbled something unintelligible, then sighed and resumed snoring.

John released his breath and relaxed. He’d learned very quickly, and not without a few bruises, not to wake Ronon from a sound sleep. When he slept with Ronon, he got up when Ronon did.

He didn’t mind.

9/5/2006

Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis belongs to MGM Studios. No infringement intended.

* * *

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed you’d been fed upon,” Dr. Beckett said, one hand on Sheppard’s wrist as he counted the pulse beats.

“I believe it,” Sheppard replied absently. He stared at the hand under Beckett’s fingers. It looked like his hand, and felt like his hand. It had been dry and wrinkled a few hours ago.

Dr. Beckett let go of Sheppard’s wrist and stepped away from the examining table. “Of course. I only meant…you’ve been completely restored. I don’t see any aftereffects from the Wraith’s…feeding.”

“Fine.” Sheppard hopped down from the table and nodded. “Thanks, Doc.” He glanced toward Dr. Beckett, but didn’t quite meet his eye, and walked out of sick bay.

Teyla was walking towards him in the hallway. “Colonel Sheppard?” she asked.

Sheppard paused, looking again at his hands. He took a deep breath, gave his head an experimental shake. “I think so,” he answered, then continued on his way, leaving Teyla staring after him.

Later, he met Ronon for knifework practice. Circle, search for an opening, thrust, evade. They moved silently, falling into a rhythm. The knife in Sheppard’s hand felt smooth and comfortable. His body warmed with the exercise. It felt good to be doing something simply physical. He liked the way the floor felt under his feet, the way his breath moved in his lungs. Ronon’s face was grim with concentration, and his dreadlocks bounced on his shoulders.

They were both breathing heavily when they stopped for a break. They sat beside each other on a bench at the side of the practice room, drinking water from bottles and wiping their faces with towels. “It’s good to have you back,” Ronon said.

“It’s good to be back,” Sheppard replied easily.

“The Wraith restored your life.” The undercurrent in Ronon’s voice added that he’d have preferred to kill the Wraith, even so.

“Did he?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he restored somebody’s life to me. But was it mine? I mean, he took my energy, life force, whatever…he must have used that up as soon as he got it. He was starving when they brought him to me. Then he took the lives from those men of Kolya’s, and then he gave some back to me, but whose was it? Was it theirs? Or maybe it was his, the Wraith’s. Maybe once he sucked it up it turned into his.”

Ronon was looking at him fiercely, as if to burn any Wraith-ness out of him with his eyes. “You’re no Wraith.” Again, the unspoken comment: If you were, I’d have to kill you.

“No, but….” Sheppard looked at his hands again. They were his hands, no doubt about that. They felt like his hands, they moved like his hands. His whole body felt like his. There was nothing at all he could put his finger on and say, This isn’t mine: this is part of somebody else’s life.

But still. “I guess it’s no different than a blood transfusion or something like that.”

“Exactly,” Ronon agreed.

“I’m still me. Just the way I was before.”

“You’re the same John Sheppard. Do you want to go again?”

“Yeah.”

They put down their water bottles and picked up their knives. Circling each other, they resumed the rhythm, searching for openings, evading attacks.

Sheppard studied the spot over Ronon’s heart. He would attack right there, when he got the chance. It would be the perfect place to sink his weapon.

The knife felt good in his hand, like part of him.

It was good to have his life back.

end | optional epilog

1/25/2006

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. No infringement is intended.

* * *

Kaiba opens his locket and looks at the picture inside.

Mokuba is older now, taller, leaner. His face has lost its roundness, his eyes their childlike innocence. Mokuba runs through the mansion like a whirlwind, laughing, full of energy, more independent every day.

One day, Mokuba will run right away from him, out into the world, into his own life.

The child in the locket smiles up at him, and Kaiba smiles back. This Mokuba will never change, will never leave him.

As long as Kaiba keeps the locket next to his heart, he will always have his little brother.

12/2/05

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Just borrowing!

* * *

“Mew! Mew! Mew!”

Kaiba looked down at the small ball of grey fluff at his feet and heaved a long-suffering sigh. The kitten shouldn’t be wandering freely in the hallway; it should be… in Mokuba’s room, or outdoors, or… actually, it should be anywhere other than where Kaiba happened to be. He didn’t have anything against cats—or dogs, or birds, or any other pets, particularly—he just didn’t want them under his feet, making noise, making messes, interfering with his concentration on important things.

Now the kitten was pawing at his trouser leg with one tiny white paw. Its needle-sharp claws were going to damage his clothing in a minute, and where was Mokuba? Grumbling under his breath, he reached down and scooped the kitten up in one hand, while looking around for his brother.

“Mokuba?” he called. No sign of him. The kitten squirmed in his hand. Grumbling to himself, he tucked it into the crook of his arm. It settled down instantly, kneading his forearm with its front paws and purring loudly.

Well, he couldn’t just leave the kitten in the hallway. Someone would step on it or it would make a mess or something. He sighed again, and headed towards his brother’s room. Where did Mokuba keep the kitten? He’d put the whole matter of the pet out of his mind as soon as he’d agreed Mokuba could have it as long as he took complete responsibility for it, and Kaiba need never know there was a cat in the mansion. Technically, he supposed today’s Kitten Sighting meant that he could now properly tell Mokuba that the beast had to go. But he already knew that he’d never be able to enforce it. Mokuba’s face would crumple and his eyes would fill with tears and Kaiba would agree to let it stay. So he might as well just turn the kitten over to Mokuba, warn him to keep a closer eye on it, and hope that this was the end of it.

Mokuba wasn’t in his room. Kaiba looked around for any sign that Mokuba kept the kitten here, although he wasn’t entirely sure what that would be. Dishes of food, he supposed, or a litter box. He didn’t see anything. He didn’t suppose he could just dump the kitten in the room and close the door. Where was Mokuba, anyway? Still at school? He shifted the kitten to his other arm while he dug in his pocket for his cell phone, flipped it open and thumbed Mokuba’s number. The call went to voice mail. Kaiba sighed yet again and disconnected the call, putting the phone back in his pocket.

Kaiba looked down at the little beast purring contentedly on his arm. It looked up at him with big yellow eyes. It had a white spot on the side of its nose that looked like a smudge of milk, and a diamond of white on its chest. One front paw was white, and the other grey, with a single white toe. Strange-looking thing.

“Well,” Kaiba said. “Now what? I’ve got work to do. I can’t waste my time running around looking for a place to put you.”

The kitten licked its white paw, eyes closed contentedly, as if to say that that was not its problem.

“I suppose you’ll have to come with me, then.” Kaiba turned and headed down the hall to his home office, where he set the kitten down on the floor and went to his desk to get to work. As he waited for his computer to boot up, he watched the kitten explore the room. Its tiny legs seemed too small for its round body. It stopped to sniff the edge of the sofa, put one paw on it, then seemed to think better of it and trotted across the room to the desk.

“Just don’t get under my feet,” Kaiba warned the kitten. “If I step on you, it’s not my fault.” He clicked the icon for his email program and waited for his mail to load in. While he scanned through his messages, he felt something pulling on his trouser leg. He pushed the kitten away with his foot, muttering under his breath, trying to concentrate on his mail.

A moment later, a tiny paw was batting at his shoelace. He pushed the kitten away again. And again. And again.

Finally, Kaiba pushed his chair back from his desk, and looked down at the kitten. It came to sit directly between his feet, staring up at him with a satisfied look on its kitten face.

“Leave me alone,” Kaiba said, enunciating each word carefully, as if the kitten would surely understand him if he spoke slowly and clearly enough. “I have work to do. Go chase your tail or something.”

The kitten placed its white paw on his shoe, then cheerfully began chewing his shoelace.

Groaning, Kaiba reached down and scooped the kitten up and set it in his lap, where it began to sniff his shirt buttons. It reared back, then leapt onto his tie, battling it with mock fierceness. Despite himself, Kaiba chuckled. The kitten was such a silly little thing. He pulled his tie away from the tiny beast, then waggled the end of it at the kitten, laughing under his breath when the kitten crouched down with its hindquarters wobbling in the air, then pounced. He played with the kitten for another moment or two, then sobered, taking the kitten in both hands and putting it back onto the floor.

“I haven’t any cat toys for you,” he told it. “That’s Mokuba’s department. If I knew where he kept you, I’d take you there, but I don’t, and he’s not answering his phone. So you’re stuck with me for a bit. Just keep out of trouble, all right?”

“Mew,” said the kitten, which Kaiba took for agreement, so he went back to work.

Kaiba finished his email, then went on to study this month’s financial statements, and do a bit more pre-planning on his next gaming idea. He forgot all about the kitten, until he tore his finished To-Do list from its pad of paper, wadded it up and casually tossed it towards the wastebasket, where it ricocheted off the rim and skidded across the floor. The kitten chased madly after it. He paused to watch, one corner of his mouth turning up, as the kitten attacked the wad of paper, flinging it into the air, chasing it from one side of the room to the other. After a moment, he got up to retrieve the paper, but then he paused, holding it over the wastebasket. The kitten was enjoying it; what was the hurry? He could throw it away later.

So Kaiba tossed the paper across the floor, and watched the kitten bound after it. It seemed he did have a cat toy, after all. Smiling to himself, Kaiba returned to his desk and sat back in his chair, loosening his tie and stretching. There wasn’t anything else he had to do today. Maybe he should take a break and have a cup of tea. Kaiba pressed the button on the intercom and asked his assistant to bring the tea, then moved to the easy chair at the side of the room and sat watching the kitten play.

Perhaps he should try Mokuba again, and see if he could find out what to do with the kitten. He didn’t have any food or water for it here, or anyplace for it to use the toilet. There hadn’t been any accidents so far—at least, none that he’d seen, and he hadn’t actually been watching the kitten closely for the past hour or so—but he didn’t know how often kittens ate or eliminated or anything like that. The kitten seemed to be perfectly happy, though, chasing its wad of paper around the office.

Kaiba yawned. He’d been working late for several days, trying to finish up the preliminary work on his new system. It was nearly ready now, though, so perhaps he ought to try to get to bed early tonight. He rubbed his eyes, loosening his tie with his other hand. He’d just have his cup of tea, he thought, then call it a day.

There was a light tap on the door, and Kaiba said, “Come.” His assistant entered with a cup of tea on a tray, which he placed on the table beside Kaiba’s easy chair. Kaiba could see the man glancing at the kitten, obviously wondering what the pet was doing in Kaiba’s office, but trying to pretend not to notice. “It’s Mokuba’s pet,” Kaiba said. “I found it wandering the halls, and didn’t know what to do with it.”

“Ah. Of course. I think Mokuba-sama keeps it in his room. Would you like me to take it?”

The kitten, abandoning its wad of paper, ran up to Kaiba and sat by his foot, looking up at him brightly. It placed its white paw on his shoe. “No,” Kaiba said, “I’ll keep it here. Mokuba should be home soon.” Mokuba would stop by his office when he came home, and he could pick up the kitten then.

“Yes, Seto-sama. Would you like anything else?”

“No, this is fine.”

Bowing, the assistant backed out of the office, tray in hand. Kaiba sipped his tea thoughtfully, looking at the kitten, who remained at his feet, watching him with an expectant look on its tiny face. “No, I don’t know why I didn’t let him take you. I suppose you’re hungry, and I haven’t got any food for you. There must be some in Mokuba’s room. If he doesn’t come home soon, I’ll go and find it.”

The kitten didn’t move, nor did its expression change. It wanted something, but Kaiba had no idea what. “I told you I haven’t any food. I could give you some water, though.” There was a pitcher of water on the sideboard on the other side of the room. He didn’t know what he’d put it in, though.

The kitten stood up, then tapped his leg with its paw. It walked across his foot, rubbing against his leg. Kaiba watched it thoughtfully. It had seemed to like it earlier when he picked it up. Kaiba leaned down and scooped up the kitten, and sat it in his lap.

Yes, that was it. The kitten promptly flopped down, curled up and began to purr, its tiny paws kneading his thigh. Needle-like claws pricked him through his trousers. “Hey,” he said softly. “Take it easy. That’s my leg.” He put his hand on the kitten’s back. Its fur was amazingly soft. It rolled over beneath his hand, wrapping its legs around his wrist.

Kaiba sighed gently. He held his tea in one hand, sipping occasionally, while the other hand rubbed the kitten’s feather-soft belly. In a few minutes, the kitten was asleep.

In a few more minutes, Kaiba was also asleep.

When he woke, Mokuba was standing in front of his chair, arms crossed, smiling affectionately. Kaiba blinked and sat up, disturbing the kitten, who stretched and yawned widely, its little pink tongue curling between sharp white teeth. “How long have you been here?”

“Just a minute,” Mokuba said. “You looked so peaceful, I couldn’t bear to wake you.”

Kaiba picked up the kitten and held it out to Mokuba. “I found it in the hall. You’d better be more careful, it shouldn’t be wandering around the mansion like that.”

Mokuba took the kitten in his arms, stroking it, and it snuggled against him. “I’m sorry, Nii-sama. I don’t know how he got out. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. I hope he didn’t bother you while you were working.”

Kaiba looked at the wadded paper, still lying on the floor. Mokuba followed his glance, then grinned. Kaiba felt his face heat. “It was all right. But I have better things to do than babysit your pets. The agreement was….” Kaiba knew his admonishment didn’t hold much force.

“That you wouldn’t even know he was here. I know, Nii-sama.” Mokuba’s easy smile made it clear he knew his brother wasn’t angry. “You could have just put him back in my room.”

“Next time, I….” Kaiba stopped himself before he could finish. There wouldn’t be a next time, would there? He found himself unaccountably disappointed.

“On the other hand,” Mokuba said, “If you ever want him to keep you company while you’re working, you can always borrow him. He likes you, I can tell.”

Kaiba firmly suppressed a smile. Kittens liked everyone, didn’t they? Or was that dogs? Anyway, who cared what a kitten thought? “Never mind. I don’t have time for pets, you know that.”

“Sure. Have you had dinner yet? I’m hungry, I’ll tell cook to make something for us.”

“All right. I’ll go and change, then join you in the dining room.”

Mokuba left with the cat. Kaiba stood up, yawning, then walked out of his office, shaking his head. Borrow Mokuba’s cat? Ridiculous.

But he really ought to make sure he had a saucer in his office that the kitten could drink out of, just in case.

end.

1/26/2005

Disclaimer: Tolkien’s, not mine.

Note: For Halrloprillilar on her birthday.

***

“A dwarf, and elf, and a man went into a public house,” Gimli began.

Legolas rolled his eyes in that insufferable way elves do. “My dear Gimli,” he said, “Where in all of Middle Earth is there a public house frequented by dwarves and elves and men together?”

“It is a joke, Master Elf. One must simply accept the premise and go on.”

“As you wish,” Legolas said, with a sweeping gesture. “Do go on.”

Gimli grumbled, then continued, “The dwarf ordered a pint of stout. The elf ordered a pint of bitter—”

Legolas interrupted, “An elf would never drink bitter. Foul stuff.”

“What did I say about the premise?”

“You said it was a joke, Master Dwarf. A joke is a story whose humor arises from a twist on a true situation, and I see no truth in your story.”

Gimli heaved a long-suffering sigh. “I have heard it said that elves do, in fact, have a sense of humor, although I have yet to see such a thing demonstrated in practice.”

“Elves have a rich and refined sense of humor, no doubt too delicate to be perceived by one with such rough sensibilities.” The elf’s elegant nose lifted a little higher in the air as he walked along. Yet Gimli was quite sure there was also a twinkle in his eye.

“Well, then. Do tell me an elven joke—one rich and refined, and yet based on truthful situations.”

Legolas regarded Gimli for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, I shall. An elf and a dwarf were walking together, on their way home from the War of the Ring.”

“Nonsense!” Gimli said. “An elf and a dwarf together! Where in all of Middle Earth could such strange companions be found?”

“Where, indeed,” Legolas agreed, smiling.

Gimli laughed out loud. “A very fine joke, Master Elf. A very fine joke.”

end.

1/24/2005

Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings belongs to the estate of JRR Tolkien. No infringement intended.

* * *

He kissed the man’s forehead. Still warm, still pliant, only moments since life had fled.

On battle-churned ground, pierced by arrows, the son of Gondor lay. In life, an angry man. Resentful, proud, given in to temptation. But strong and loyal and, finally, honorable.

Tears fell onto the lifeless face Aragorn held in his hands, pain and care already receding from its troubled brow. Was death the only thing that could have brought Boromir peace? Could the right words, the right gestures have eased his burden beforehand?

Aragorn kissed the forehead again, wishing he’d done this while Boromir was alive.

Contains explicit male/male sex.

Pairing: Yugi/Jounouchi, Yami/Jounouchi

Summary: Yugi has found the perfect place to spend the night with his boyfriend—the haunted Mitsuba Hotel!

10/31/04

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Just borrowing!

Notes: This takes place during the early manga, somewhere between Shadi’s first appearance and Death-T. Jounouchi has seen the other Yugi, but doesn’t know who he is, and Yugi still doesn’t remember what happens when Yami takes over.

* * *

Jounouchi hated spooky things: ghosts and graveyards and curses and empty buildings late at night. Give him something solid he could fight, and he’d stand up to anything or anybody, but things he couldn’t see and couldn’t explain scared the wits out of him.

All his friends knew it. And they all made fun of him for it, and he took their jokes and teasing because he knew they were right, but he couldn’t help it. Spooky things scared him.

“Is this okay, Jounouchi-kun?” Yugi asked.

Jounouchi turned to his friend. His boyfriend. The person he loved most in all the world. Yugi was looking up at him, wide-eyed, eager and a little nervous.

Jounouchi smiled at him, hoping his own nervousness didn’t show. Nervousness, hell, call it what it was—sheer terror. Ten-thirty at night, and they were standing in front of the haunted Mitsuba Hotel.

The Mitsuba Hotel—since the day construction began on the proposed luxury high-rise, things had gone mysteriously and disastrously wrong. Fires started inexplicably. Plate-glass windows shattered for no reason. Accidents, both minor and major, plagued the workmen. Four men died attempting to install the boiler, which spontaneously exploded—before it had even been hooked up. Another two fell from the thirteenth floor after their safety harnesses failed. Unexpected damages caused costs to skyrocket, and work crews shrank as men were injured or quit, and replacements couldn’t be found. The inevitable delays caused financing to be withdrawn. Finally, the project had been abandoned, and the structure stood incomplete, its top floors still skeletal frames of ironwork, unfinished wiring blowing in the breeze like black strands of witches’ hair.

Even the newspapers said the Mitsuba Hotel was cursed.

And this was where Yugi had brought him. This was where Yugi wanted to spend the night.

“Sure,” Jounouchi said. “This is perfect.”

And it was. Because, after two months of Not here, Jounouchi-kun, and Someone will see us, Jounouchi-kun, and It’s too cold here, too cramped, too dirty—yes, I really want to make love to you, Jounouchi-kun, but not here, when Yugi finally came to him and said, I’ve found the perfect place for us to be alone, Jounouchi-kun, then it was perfect.

Even if it was the Mitsuba Hotel.

* * *

The massive front doors, with their ornate bas-relief designs, were chained and padlocked. Jounouchi could have picked the locks easily—padlocks were the simplest of locks to defeat—but he and Yugi didn’t want to risk being seen from the street, so they crept into the alley and around to the back of the building. Jounouchi’s heart pounded—with more than romantic anticipation—as he picked up a few lengths of discarded wire and went to work on the lock of a service entrance. The wires slipped in his sweaty hands, making him fumble, but before long he heard the snickof the lock unlocking, and he swung the door open with a flourish. Yugi giggled as he entered. Jounouchi blocked the door open with a rock and followed.

They were in a dark hallway. Yugi pulled a small flashlight out of his ever-present book bag and switched it on. The pool of yellow light raised looming shadows around them.

“So, Yugi,” Jounouchi whispered, unable to keep a nervous quaver out of his voice, “What did you tell your Grandpa?”

“I told him I was staying with you. I’m sure he thought I meant at your place. I hope he doesn’t call your dad.” Yugi frowned. “I don’t like lying to him.” The light from the flashlight made his face look strange, older and full of dark thoughts. Jounouchi glanced at the Millennium Puzzle that always hung around Yugi’s neck. It, too, was shadowed and strange in the flashlight’s glow.

“It doesn’t matter if he calls,” Jounouchi said, still whispering. “This time of night, my dad would just swear and hang up on him. If he answered the phone at all.”

Yugi nodded, then laughed suddenly. The strange look on his face disappeared, leaving only the good-hearted schoolboy. “Jounouchi-kun, why are you whispering? There’s nobody around to hear us.”

Jounouchi glanced around. “I hope not.” He forced himself to speak in a normal voice.

“What did you tell your dad?” Yugi asked.

Jounouchi shrugged. “Nothing. He probably won’t even notice I didn’t come home.”

Yugi turned and aimed his flashlight down the hall. “Let’s go. We need to find a stairway up.”

Jounouchi followed. “Where are we going?”

Yugi grinned conspiratorially. “I heard that there’s one suite here that’s completely furnished, all ready for guests, with a made-up bed and everything. It’s a model to show investors what the rooms were going to be like. It’s supposed to be on the fifth floor.”

“Wow!” Jounouchi grinned back. “That really is perfect! And they left it like that?”

“That’s what I heard. But I guess we’ll find out.”

Suddenly, Jounouchi couldn’t take it any longer. Maybe it was the excitement of knowing they were finally going to be together—in a real bed in a fancy hotel, no less—not just a quick grope upstairs in Yugi’s room, wet kisses and sweat and rumpled clothes, hot and hard and desperate behind the denim barrier—but long, leisurely, naked lovemaking. Or maybe it was knowing, at last, that Yugi really wanted to be with him, and wasn’t just making excuses to put Jounouchi off. Or just maybe it was—at least partly—the adrenaline rush of fear, of coming here, to the Mitsuba Hotel, to make love among the ghosts….

Jounouchi grabbed Yugi and hoisted him up by the butt, pressed him against the wall, and kissed him, mouth open wide and hard on Yugi’s. Yugi wrapped his legs and arms around Jounouchi, heels digging into the small of Jounouchi’s back, the flashlight in his fist digging between Jounouchi’s shoulder blades. Yugi’s tongue darted into Jounouchi’s mouth. Jounouchi could feel Yugi’s erection against his belly. For a long time he stood there, holding Yugi up against the wall and kissing him for all he was worth, pulse pounding so hard he could almost feel his body sway with it. Then he finally stepped back and let Yugi slide to the floor.

“Let’s go find that room,” Yugi said, a little breathlessly. His lips glinted with moisture, and he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

Jounouchi nodded. If they kept this up, he’d be too excited to be scared.

* * *

They found the stairway a little further on and began climbing to the fifth floor. The stairs were metal, on an open framework, and every sound they made, every word they spoke, echoed hollowly throughout the stairwell, bouncing off the concrete walls, coming back to them changed and eerie. Even whispers became strange ringing hisses, and Jounouchi soon fell silent, his fears building again, as he strained to listen for other voices, other footsteps hidden within his and Yugi’s own small sounds. He clutched the railing tightly, remembering the stories of the unexplained falls. Something had killed those men, and whatever it was, there was no reason to think it had gone away.

Jounouchi’s hand got so damp he could hardly grip the railing. He stared hard at the steps as he placed his feet, blinking sweat out of his eyes, concentrating on not slipping. He could hear Yugi breathing softly beside him, slightly winded by the climb. He could hear the soft rustle of their clothing, the thump of their sneakers hitting the metal steps. But was there another sound? A tapping noise, just at the edge of his hearing? Like other footsteps, several floors down from them. Following them. They’d nearly reached the fourth floor.

“Yugi….” His voice bounced around, like a dozen playful ghosts speaking Yugi’s name.

“What is it, Jounouchi-kun?” kun, kun, kun….

“Do you hear something? Something that isn’t us, I mean?” mean, mean, mean….

Yugi shook his head. “You know how this place echoes.” ohs, ohs, ohs…. He took another step, then stopped, wiping his forehead on his sleeve. “Are we there?”

“No, one more floor. You okay?” kay, kay, kay….

Yugi nodded. “I’ll feel better when we get out of this stairwell. It’s a little spooky.” ee, ee, ee….

Somehow, it made Jounouchi feel better to hear Yugi admit that he thought the stairwell was spooky, too. He took a deep breath and continued up. Only one more floor. Once they found the room, everything would be fine. A nice soft bed, with a nice warm Yugi in it—he’d undress Yugi, touch him and kiss him all over, make him writhe, make him call out, Oh, oh, oh—and it wouldn’t be an echo, it would be excitement and passion and love.

Thinking about that got him to the fifth floor with no further trouble.

* * *

They pushed open the heavy fire door and went out into the fifth-floor hallway, both jumping when the door slammed shut with a loud bang. They looked at each other, laughing sheepishly in the shadowy light of Yugi’s flashlight. “If there is somebody down there, they know we’re here now,” Yugi said.

“Yeah,” Jounouchi agreed, no longer laughing quite as hard. He looked up and down the hallway, but it appeared identical in both directions. Just a plain, straight hall with plain, unnumbered doors on both sides. “So… which way?”

Yugi shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is it’s supposed to be the fifth floor. We’ll just have to start checking the rooms.”

“Okay.” Jounouchi walked up to the first door on his left and pulled it open. Yugi came up beside him and shined his flashlight inside. The room was empty, unpainted, uncarpeted. “Not this one.”

They continued down the hallway, opening each door, always with the same result—the rooms were empty and unfinished. When they thought they’d reached the end of the hall, they discovered that instead it took a sharp left turn and continued on. Yugi pointed his flashlight down the hallway. It seemed to stretch on forever.

Yugi sighed. “Maybe it was just a rumor. Maybe there isn’t any finished room.”

“Hey, don’t give up yet! We’ve barely started looking.” Jounouchi headed down the turn in the hallway.

Just as he was reaching for the first door, a crash echoed down the hall. Jounouchi jumped back with a yelp, bumping into Yugi, who slipped and grabbed Jounouchi. They both fell in a startled heap.

“What was that?” Jounouchi tried to get his feet under himself, but he was still tangled up with Yugi, and only fell again.

“It… it was the door. It must have slammed shut again….”

“Again? How could it slam shut again, unless somebody opened it again?” Jounouchi could hear the note of rising panic in his voice. He managed to scramble free of Yugi, but still lay panting on the floor.

“I don’t know!” Yugi didn’t sound very calm himself. “Maybe the wind blew it open….”

“Yugi—” Jounouchi got to his feet, then grabbed Yugi by the wrist and hauled him up as well. “It’s an inside door. There’s no wind in here. Besides, that door weighs a ton. You and I together had a hard time opening it.”

“Well… we’d just better go and see what opened it, then.” Yugi straightened his jacket—he was, as always, wearing his school uniform, which Jounouchi found suddenly very sexy.

“Um… maybe it was the wind….” Jounouchi did not want to go back down the hall. He wanted to ravish Yugi right here and now, and never leave this hallway again.

Yugi laughed. “Come on, Jounouchi-kun. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. We’ll check it out, then we’ll find our room and forget about all these weird noises.”

Our room. Jounouchi took a ragged breath. All right, check out the noise, then find their room. He nodded, and they turned and went back down the hall.

But the door, when they reached it, was just as they’d left it—closed, with no indication of who or what had opened it. Jounouchi opened it and held it while Yugi shined his flashlight up and down the stairwell. Nothing. The hallway was empty as far as the flashlight’s beam would reach.

“Well, that didn’t help,” Jounouchi said grumpily.

“But there’s no one here. At least we found that out.”

“Did we? If somebody had come up here, they could have gone the other way down the hall and be out of sight by now. They could be hiding in one of the rooms. Or standing right behind the door….”

“Jounouchi-kun, there’s nobody here,” Yugi said firmly. “Now, do you want to go find our room, or do you want to go home?”

He only had to think about it for a moment. “Let’s go find our room.” They headed back down the hall. But, “I hope the door locks from the inside,” Jounouchi muttered as they went.

* * *

They checked door after door, until they reached the end of the hall. “Well, this is it,” Jounouchi said, as he paused with his hand on the doorknob. “If it’s not here….”

“We’ll have to go back and start down the hall the other way,” Yugi finished.

Jounouchi grinned. “Well, I hope it’s here. Because I’m tired of opening doors. I want to start opening zippers.”

“Me, too.” Yugi grinned back.

Jounouchi opened the door with a flourish, and Yugi aimed his flashlight into the room. “Hey! There’s something here!”

They both rushed inside, eagerly looking around. There was something there, all right, but not what they’d expected. The floor was carpeted, and the walls papered in cream and white. There was a table and lamp against the far wall, with an overturned chair lying nearby. A large trunk sat on the far side of the room, beneath the picture window. The carpet had several deep gouges in it, along the path the trunk would have taken from the door to the window.

But no bed.

“Is this it?” Yugi said, sighing. “Maybe they took away some of the furniture.”

Jounouchi walked over to the trunk. It was made of dark wood, with carvings on the lid that reminded him of the bas-relief on the hotel’s front doors. “I wonder what’s in it?”

“Treasure,” said a voice from the doorway. “And it’s mine.”

Both boys whirled around. Yugi’s flashlight clattered to the floor, leaving a semicircle of yellow light on the far wall, and the rest of the room in shadows. Something loomed in the doorway, a metallic glint at its right.

A strange gurgling noise emerged from Jounouchi’s throat. A monster! A ghost! Something had followed them, and now it was going to kill them! Crazed with panic, Jounouchi flung himself at the trunk, trying to get behind it. Instead, he cracked his head on the plate glass window.

There was a flash of light and a harsh pop from the doorway. The window cracked, showering Jounouchi with a dusting of tiny shards of glass. “Yugi!” Jounouchi cried out. Where was Yugi? He had to protect him. Fortunately, he wasn’t cut, but his eyes were gritty with glass dust, and he could see only shadows.

But through the shadows came a golden glow, and for a moment, Jounouchi thought he saw Yugi standing in its light. The glow was coming from—the Millennium Puzzle!

Another flash and pop. The ghost was… firing a gun? Jounouchi scrambled to his feet and flung himself in the direction of the flash. He connected with something solid—no ghost, but a man. A man Jounouchi could fight.

They crashed to the floor, Jounouchi landing on top of the intruder. He still couldn’t see much, but he didn’t have to see the guy to hit him. Jounouchi found the man’s collar with his left hand, and let fly with his right. His fist connected to the man’s jaw with a satisfying crunch. He raised his arm for another blow, and another.

The body went slack under him. “No more!” the man moaned, lifting his arms in surrender.

A small circle of light illuminated the man’s bloody face, and Jounouchi turned to see Yugi standing at his side, flashlight in one hand, the man’s gun in the other. “What do you want?” Yugi asked their attacker.

“Treasure,” the man said weakly, spitting out blood. “I heard a rumor… treasure on the fifth floor. I thought….”

“Yeah, there are a lot of rumors about this place,” Jounouchi said disgustedly, getting to his feet. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” He walked over to the trunk and hauled open the lid. “There. There’s your treasure.”

The man pulled himself unsteadily to his feet. He walked over to the trunk, followed by Yugi, still holding the gun and flashlight. All three of them looked inside—

Wiring. Lengths of cable. The webbing from a safety harness. A pipe wrench. Bits and pieces of construction equipment.

“Aw, shit,” the man said. He took an uneasy step back from the trunk. “Look, guys, no harm done, right? I’ll just leave you two to… whatever….”

Yugi’s eyes narrowed.

Jounouchi let the trunk lid slam shut. “Yeah, whatever. Get out of here before we change our minds.”

Gratefully, the man turned, clutching his jaw, and hurried away as quickly as his injuries would let him.

“You’re more forgiving than I would have been,” Yugi said, looking at the gun in his hand.

Jounouchi shrugged. “He’s not worth the trouble. Like he said, no harm done.” Then he remembered—that last shot—the guy’d fired at Yugi! “You are okay, aren’t you? He didn’t… ?”

Yugi smiled. “He was a very bad shot. I’m fine.” He set the gun and flashlight down on the floor, flashlight pointing up to provide the room with a faint light.

Jounouchi looked at him thoughtfully. Wasn’t there something different about him? It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Yugi look like this—the first time was when that professor friend of Yugi’s Grandpa went wacky, and that weird guy in the turban tried to hurt Yugi and Anzu. Anzu had noticed it, too. Now Yugi was looking that way again, almost like a different Yugi….

When had it happened? Jounouchi tried to remember… the intruder had shot at him, and the Millennium Puzzle had started to glow… was that when Yugi had changed?

Or was it all just his imagination—dim light and shadows, and the shock of almost getting shot?

Jounouchi sat down on the trunk with a thump, rubbing the dust out of his eyes. “Good. At least we’re okay. But it hasn’t been a very romantic evening, has it? First, no bed, then we get attacked by some idiot who thinks there’s treasure here….”

Yugi sat down beside him, one arm around Jounouchi’s back. “Oh, I don’t know,” Yugi said silkily, “I think it’s pretty romantic when you save my life.”

“Yeah?” Jounouchi grinned. “I think we both saved our lives. You distracted him so I could jump him by… going all… glowy….” And now Yugi was distracting him by sliding a hand over his thigh….

“We make a good team,” Yugi said, lifting his face up to kiss Jounouchi.

Jounouchi’d go along with that. He wrapped his arms around Yugi and kissed him back—

And Yugi definitely was different. This wasn’t the sweet little guy who liked to let Jounouchi have his way with him—this Yugi was climbing up onto his knees, pulling Jounouchi’s jacket off, rubbing against him like a cat, all the while continuing to kiss him like—like someone who hadn’t kissed anyone in a thousand years.

Jounouchi didn’t know what to do. Should he stop? It didn’t feel quite right somehow, to be kissing a Yugi who wasn’t exactly Yugi. Not that it didn’t feel good, and anyway, what was he supposed to say? You’re acting too sexy, what’s wrong with you? And it was Yugi, even if he was acting like somebody else, stripping Jounouchi of his tee-shirt, pushing him down to lie on the trunk with his jacket under him, pressing a thigh into his crotch, making him tremble and moan….

Jounouchi braced one foot on the floor and gripped Yugi’s jacket while Yugi straddled his thighs and regarded him with a determined glint in half-closed eyes. Then Yugi started unfastening Jounouchi’s belt. Jounouchi stared at the ceiling and twitched as Yugi’s hands brushed his cock. He’d been waiting for this for so long, wanting it so much—maybe Yugi had, too, maybe that was all it was—Yugi was wild with passion, aggressive with pent-up need.

Yugi slid off the trunk to pull Jounouchi’s jeans and shorts off, followed by his shoes and socks, and then Jounouchi was lying naked on the trunk, and Yugi slid on top of him and smiled, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a strange combination of amusement and desire. He leaned down and murmured in Jounouchi’s ear, “Do you want to turn over?”

Jounouchi froze. One hand flailed, grabbed Yugi’s shoulder. “I….” He stopped, swallowed, and tried again. “You want to… ?” No, this wasn’t his Yugi. At least, no Yugi he’d ever imagined in his wildest dreams.

“Only if you want to,” Yugi said. He stroked Jounouchi’s face lightly. It was the eyes, Jounouchi thought. Yugi’s eyes looked old and deep and hungry. A guy could get lost in them… and never come out. Not the wide friendly eyes of his gentle boyfriend.

Still. Here they were, and Jounouchi’d be crazy to refuse. “Hell. Yeah.” He struggled to reach beneath himself for his jacket. “Do you have lube and stuff? ‘Cause I….” He had some in his jacket pocket, if it hadn’t been squashed by now….

They got off the trunk, and together they located the tube, fortunately still intact. Yugi took off his jacket, and, fumbling in their excitement, hands and hips bumping, they arranged both jackets on the trunk. Yugi chuckled softly, sounding a bit more like his old self, and Jounouchi hugged him and kissed him wetly before climbing back onto the trunk. It wasn’t really big enough for him to lie flat, so he waited on his hands and knees, watching upside-down between his legs as Yugi stood behind him and slipped out of his clothes: white shirt and school uniform trousers, sneakers and white socks fell to the floor, revealing a black sleeveless tee-shirt and black briefs beneath. Yugi paused a moment, smiled and winked at Jounouchi, then the tee-shirt and briefs went, too, and Yugi wore only his dog collar as he laid a hand on Jounouchi’s hip and murmured, “Ready?”

Jounouchi nodded, grinning fiercely, thinking over and over and over, Yugi’s going to fuck me….

Yugi knelt on the trunk between Jounouchi’s legs, his small blunt-fingered hands on Jounouchi’s hips. These were Yugi’s hands—Jounouchi knew them well; he’d licked them and held them and felt them on him so many times, and he could never mistake them. Yugi stroked him with familiar fingers, slicking him with lube, touching where he’d never touched him before, and it was good, it was right, and Jounouchi knew everything was all right.

Jounouchi let his head drop onto his arms. “Yugi,” he moaned, as Yugi entered him. Sweat trickled down his sides and fell from his ribs. How could he have wondered? How could he have doubted for a moment? This was Yugi fucking him—no one else could ever make him feel this way.

Jounouchi closed his eyes and clung tightly to the edge of the trunk, groaning with each thrust. His knees scraped against the fabric of Yugi’s jacket, and his heart pounded in his chest, and the feeling in his cock and balls and butt grew and grew as Yugi’s cock plunged into him, until it broke like waves on the shore, and he shouted Yugi’s name as he came, in hot shivery bursts.

Yugi cried out, too, pumping once, twice, then collapsing onto Jounouchi’s back. Jounouchi lost his grip on the trunk and his knees went out from under him, and they tumbled to the floor, laughing.

Jounouchi curled around Yugi and kissed him thoroughly. Yugi was warm and slick and cuddly, and the carpet was thick and soft beneath them. “Hm, why didn’t we just do it on the floor?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Maybe next time,” Yugi said, disentangling himself and sitting up. He pulled his jacket off the trunk and frowned at the wet spot on it. “I wonder if the bathroom works?”

“Go ahead. I can’t move.” Jounouchi rubbed his sore knees and stretched his neck.

Yugi took the flashlight with him into the bathroom, leaving Jounouchi in the dark. Naked. On the floor. In the Mitsuba Hotel. Where there weren’t any ghosts. But if there were, he was a sitting duck. Sighing, he got to his knees and felt around for his clothes, pulling them on by feel.

He’d just finished dressing when Yugi came back, holding out the flashlight to him. “There’s running water, but it’s not hot. Do you want to clean up?”

“Yeah, I want to wash the dust out of my eyes, at least.” He took the flashlight and went into the bathroom, where he splashed cold water over his face and the back of his neck.

When he went back into the room, Yugi was standing in the middle of the floor, one hand on the back of his head, looking around as if wondering where he was.

“Yugi?”

Yugi turned toward him, startled, then flung himself into Jounouchi’s arms. “Jounouchi-kun! Are you all right?”

Jounouchi patted Yugi’s back. “Sure I am. I was just in the bathroom. What’s wrong?”

Yugi pulled away, frowning thoughtfully. “I remember… we were looking at the trunk. Then a man came and attacked us.” His eyes grew wide. “He shot at you! And then….” Yugi shook his head, confused. “I was here and you were gone and….”

Then Jounouchi realized—Yugi had changed back. It was the regular Yugi again. And he didn’t remember anything that happened after the Millennium Puzzle started to glow! “It’s okay. You distracted the guy and I jumped him. Then we let him go.” And then we had sex. Should he tell him? Maybe it would just upset him. How could Yugi have forgotten?

“Oh. But what did he want?”

“He thought there was treasure in the trunk. But it’s just full of junk—wires and cables and tools and stuff. I don’t know why anyone would keep all that stuff here.” Now Jounouchi felt strange again. Maybe they shouldn’t have done it. But it was Yugi he’d had sex with, even if Yugi didn’t remember….

Yugi went over to the trunk and opened the lid. He reached in and picked up a length of cable, then the safety harness.

Maybe it would be better not to tell him. Jounouchi kind of thought a guy’d want to remember fucking his boyfriend for the first time.

“Jounouchi-kun, this isn’t junk.” Yugi turned from the trunk, holding one of the cables. “It’s evidence.”

“Evidence? Of what?”

“Sabotage. See how the end of this cable is cut part way through, then the rest is frayed? It was weakened so it would fail. Same with the safety harness.”

“No shit? You mean, all those accidents… ?”

“Weren’t really accidents. Somebody made them happen. Somebody didn’t want this hotel to be built.”

Jounouchi walked over to the trunk and looked at the piles of equipment. Evidence. “I wonder who did it?”

Yugi dropped the cable back in the trunk and closed the lid. “We have to tell the police.”

“And how do we explain what we were doing here?”

Even in the near-dark, he thought he saw Yugi blush. And that was his Yugi, all right. “Well, we can call them anonymously, from a phone booth.”

Jounouchi nodded. “Meanwhile, we could be doing what we’re doing here….” And this time, Yugi was going to remember.

Yugi giggled. “But there’s no bed.”

“There’s a nice, soft carpet.” Jounouchi bent down to put his arms around Yugi and kiss his cheek. “And we’ve got the whole place to ourselves.”

“Mm.” Yugi nodded, smiling. “I guess we shouldn’t waste the chance.”

Jounouchi sank to his knees, bringing Yugi down with him. Yugi’s hands slid under Jounouchi’s jacket and tee-shirt to stroke Jounouchi’s back. Yugi’s hands… Jounouchi felt himself getting hard again.

Jounouchi shivered. It had been Yugi… but not Yugi. This was spooky. And Jounouchi hated spooky things.

Except when the spooky thing was Yugi.

“Jounouchi-kun,” Yugi said, his voice muffled against Jounouchi’s chest. “Why is my jacket wet?”

He answered Yugi with a kiss.

end.

Yugi and Jounouchi eat chocolate. For Yami Czarina’s Valentine’s Day challenge.

4/6/04

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Just borrowing!

* * *

“Hang on a second, Yugi,” Jounouchi said, stopping in front of a convenience store. “I want to get something.”

Yugi nodded agreeably and waited on the sidewalk while Jounouchi dashed into the store. A few minutes later, Jounouchi came out, munching on a chocolate Pocky. Casually, he held the box out to Yugi, who took a couple of the chocolate-covered sticks and stuck one in his mouth as they continued their walk to Jounouchi’s part-time job.

Suddenly, Yugi giggled. “Jounouchi-kun, do you know what day this is?”

“Of course! It’s Saturday! Only half a day of school, and four hours at my job, and I get the whole evening free! You want to get together tonight, after I finish work?”

“Mm.” They always spent Saturday nights together. But it was nice to be asked. Yugi smiled to himself, thinking of Saturday nights, cuddling with Jounouchi at the movies, or playing Duel Monsters up in Yugi’s room, betting kisses for points…. “But I meant, what date.”

“Oh.” Jounouchi’s brow creased the way he did when he was thinking. “It’s February… Fourteenth. Oh. Oh!”

Yugi giggled again, as Jounouchi got it. “It’s Valentine’s Day.” He held up the Pocky in his hand. “You gave me chocolate.”

Jounouchi’s cheeks turned pink. He stood for a moment with his eyes wide, a Pocky hanging from pursed lips. Then he laughed sheepishly with the chocolate stick in his teeth. “Guess that means you’re my boyfriend or something.” Jounouchi looked away and started walking again.

Yugi grinned. He hurried to catch up to Jounouchi, then leaned into him, nudging him with his shoulder. “Guess so,” he agreed.

They walked on for a while in companionable silence. When they passed the next convenience store, Yugi stopped. “Just a minute, okay?” He dashed into the store and soon came out with his own box of chocolate Pocky, which he held out to Jounouchi, unopened. “For you,” he said.

Pink-faced again, Jounouchi took the box. “Thanks, Yugi.” He thrust the already-opened box towards Yugi. “I already ate a couple of them, but….”

“That’s okay. We’ll share. We always do, anyway. Thank you, Jounouchi-kun.”

Jounouchi grinned. He draped an arm around Yugi’s shoulders, and they walked on together.

end.

Contains explicit male/male sex.

Pairing: Yami Malik/Kaiba

Summary: Kaiba tries to prepare for his duel in the Battle City semi-finals. Yami Malik has other ideas. This is a missing scene that takes place during Episode 128.

1/19/04

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Just borrowing!

Note: This story was written for the New Years Resolution Challenge for Wildcard, who wanted a Malik/Kaiba story. I have no idea whether this is the sort of thing she had in mind. I hope she doesn’t hate it!

Acknowledgment: Thanks to Yami Czarina for beta.

* * *

Kaiba paced impatiently across the platform at the top of the Duel Tower. “How long?” he barked at Isono, without looking at him.

“Fifty minutes, Sir,” the referee replied at once.

Fifty minutes! Fifty minutes until he finally faced Yugi. Less than an hour, yet it seemed forever. When he’d set up the Battle City schedule, Kaiba had thought that having an hour between matches would give him time to think, to go over his strategies, to make absolutely sure he was ready—but now that the time had arrived, he wanted to duel Yugi now. He’d done nothing but plan for this day since his last duel with Yugi. That duel had been a travesty, and he and Yugi both knew it. This would be the real test. This time, he would duel Yugi fairly and honorably, with nothing but his skills and determination, and he would win. There could be only one Duel King, and it would be Seto Kaiba.

He paced back and forth across the Duel Tower, clenching and unclenching his fists, tension ringing in him like temple bells. He could feel his blood rushing, his breath burning in his lungs. He stopped for a moment at the edge of the tower to stare out over the ruins of Alcatraz. Everything was in place for his victory. Soon, he’d destroy every last vestige of his past and stride into the future in triumph. His heart pounded.

Fifty minutes. And he was already wound up tighter than a drum. He couldn’t spend the next fifty minutes pacing across the Duel Tower—he’d exhaust himself, lose his edge. Kaiba rubbed his palms on his trousers, the motion unconsciously becoming a stroke, straying closer to his crotch. He was keyed up there as well, stiff and aching for release.

Well, why not? There was plenty of time. It would distract him for a little while, help him relax. Everyone else had gone down to the Battle Ship, except for Isono. He should have plenty of privacy in the bathroom on the lower level.

Kaiba went down from the dueling platform and into the men’s room. He stopped to splash a little cold water on his face, looking up from the sink to the mirror. His cheeks were a little flushed, and his eyes a little unfocused. It wouldn’t do to face Yugi like this. Yes, he needed this distraction. He straightened up to wipe his face with paper towels, leaning forward against the sink. The porcelain felt cool and sleek through the fabric of his trousers. He closed his eyes for a moment, pressing his hips against the sink, stroking himself in slow, lazy circles.

“Thinking of Yugi?”

Kaiba whirled around, opening his eyes. Malik stood next to him, one hip canted forward, eyes heavy-lidded, a mad smile on his face.

“Thinking about beating him,” Kaiba said shortly. “In private,” he added pointedly.

“Ahh, Kaiba. So unfriendly. I’ve done you a favor,” Malik said silkily. “With Jounouchi fallen, Yugi suffers. He won’t concentrate on the duel.”

Kaiba leaned back against the sink, arms crossed. “Yugi is a Duelist. His will is strong. He won’t let anything get in the way of our battle.” He hoped he was right. He’d been counting on this day for a long time. He needed Yugi to be at his best, or his victory would be hollow.

Malik chuckled deep in his throat. It was not a pleasant sound. Kaiba glanced sidelong at him. Malik’s eyes darted about, never focusing on one spot, and his tongue flicked at his lips, almost like a lizard’s. He was insane, Kaiba thought. With each duel, he seemed to grow more so. Malik had expected Ra’s attack to kill Jounouchi, and had been surprised when Jounouchi survived. Kaiba wasn’t surprised. Jounouchi might be an idiot and a loser, but he was a tough one.

“Then Yugi will defeat you, Kaiba,” Malik said. “You’ll never get the chance to use the card you think will defeat Ra.”

“Huh. You think Osiris can beat Obelisk?”

“No matter, no matter. All Gods are powerful. But the Pharaoh wields the power of the Millennium Puzzle. He’ll defeat you. I’ll enjoy watching the look on your face when he destroys you.” Malik laughed loudly.

“You think you can beat Yugi?”

“I’ll do more than beat Yugi.” Malik’s tongue flicked out, licking his lips. “I’ll kill him.”

Malik’s ravings made Kaiba a little uneasy. Kaiba didn’t want Yugi killed. Kaiba wanted Yugi around always, to be his rival. Yugi was the only one who made his blood burn.

But it made no difference. Malik would never duel Yugi. Because Kaiba was going to beat Yugi, and then he would face Malik in the final. Malik was only trying to unnerve him, so he’d lose to Yugi. Malik wanted Yugi for himself. Well, he couldn’t have him.

“This is boring,” Kaiba said. “I have a duel to prepare for.” He gave Malik a haughty glance, then started to walk away.

“Kaiba.” Malik’s voice held a teasing note. Kaiba stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Why such a hurry? There’s time yet before your duel.”

“I have to find my brother,” Kaiba said.

“He went down to the ship with Jounouchi, didn’t he? You’ll go down to join the weeping crowds at Jounouchi’s bedside?”

No, of course he wouldn’t. Kaiba turned, sighing heavily. “What do you want, Malik?”

Malik held the Millennium Rod in his hand. Despite himself, Kaiba felt a little thrill of apprehension. Not that he believed in this mind-control nonsense, but Malik had certainly done something to Jounouchi to force him to duel against Yugi. But he held his ground.

Malik took a step towards him, the infernal chuckle still in his throat. He touched Kaiba’s thigh with the Millennium Rod, and ran it lightly up his leg. “What do you want, Kaiba? Something a little warmer and more yielding than the cold, hard sink?”

Kaiba felt his face heat. “Not from you.”

“Only Yugi excites you? Makes your blood hot?”

Kaiba took a step back, face burning even hotter at the echo of his own thoughts came back to him. “Yugi has nothing to do with it.”

Malik moved forward with him, the end of the Rod still caressing his hip. “No. It’s just you and me here.” He glanced at the sink, with a sly grin. “And the plumbing. Which do you think can please you better?”

“Why would you want to?”

Malik shrugged. “I’m bored. I have a long wait until my next duel.” He laughed. “I like a challenge. Are you as untouchable as you seem, Kaiba?” The Rod circled Kaiba’s crotch. “You’re hard.”

Kaiba wanted to cover himself, but that would only draw attention to his erection. And Malik had already seen it. “You just want to distract me, so I’ll lose to Yugi, and you’ll be able to duel him in the final.”

“Am I so distracting?” Malik’s eyes were like a snake’s eyes, small dark dots, mesmerizing. His pale hair seemed to float around his face, and his tongue flicked across his lips like a live thing.

“No,” Kaiba insisted. “I’m just not interested.”

“You’d prefer your own hand. Or… was that why you wanted to find your brother?”

“Shut up!” Kaiba’s fist clenched. No one talked about Mokuba that way.

Malik cocked his head, his snake’s eyes darting a look down at Kaiba’s crotch. Then, laughing, he flipped the Rod around so that he was holding it by its round head, and slid the handle between Kaiba’s legs. “You’re still hard.”

Kaiba closed his eyes for a brief moment and swallowed. He felt his cock leap against his trousers, and his knees tremble, as the Rod moved back and forth between his legs. Through clenched teeth, he asked, “Just exactly what do you intend to do?”

Malik slid the Rod forward until the round head was snug against Kaiba’s crotch, then pulled it away. “Perhaps you’d better lean against something,” he said. “You look like you might fall.” Then he went to his knees before Kaiba.

Kaiba stepped back until his tailbone hit the sink. “I’m not….” But he had no idea what he meant to say.

Malik put the Millennium Rod away under his cloak, then reached for Kaiba’s belt. Half a dozen images skittered across Kaiba’s mind as Malik slowly slid his zipper down. Yugi, Ishizu, Pegasus, Noah. Obelisk the Tormenter and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. How had he ended up here like this? Standing in the men’s room on top of his Duel Tower with Malik Ishtar on his knees in front of him, pulling his trousers down. For a moment, he wanted to slap Malik’s hands away. But he also wanted Malik to keep touching him.

Malik’s mouth engulfed him, wet and hot. He sucked in air, leaned into the sink, rose up onto his toes and fell back sharply. Tongue swirling on his cock, hands on his hipbones, trousers sliding further down his legs as he shifted, pressing his hips forward then back, unable to hold still—

Oh god, that tongue! It lapped his cock like a cat licking milk, tickled his balls, sucked him and teased him. Kaiba gripped the sink and breathed raggedly.

He didn’t want this. Did he? He hadn’t agreed to it. Hadn’t said no, but… it was all happening too fast, he didn’t know what he wanted. He could barely believe it was really happening. I’m standing in the men’s room on top of my Duel Tower getting a blow job from the man I expect to beat in the finals. It was insane. What was he thinking? Anyone could walk in here and find them. Yugi could walk in here and find them.

He stared at the door, cheeks burning in humiliation, even as his hips writhed, and his hand came forward to twist in Malik’s hair. He could see it so clearly he almost believed it was real: Yugi standing in the doorway, jacket thrown across his shoulders like a cape, small mouth set, amethyst eyes flashing in disapproval.

Cold air dashed across his cock as it slid from Malik’s mouth. “Close your eyes,” Malik said, grinning up at him, chuckling softly, his lips shiny and wet. “Pretend I’m Yugi. I won’t mind.”

“What are you talking about?” Kaiba asked roughly, his face flaming even hotter.

Malik laughed. “Pretend you’ve won your duel, and you take his God card. Pretend he gives it to you on his knees. It’s what you want, isn’t it? They say you fall in love with the one who defeats you.”

“Shut up,” Kaiba said. His hand tightened in Malik’s hair.

“When he beats you, will you go on your knees to him?”

“Shut up.” It was nearly a whisper. Kaiba closed his eyes.

Malik’s lips slid over Kaiba’s cock, the hum of his laughter vibrating on the shaft. Kaiba groaned, and swore to himself, and pumped into the slick mouth. He wondered what it would feel like if it were Yugi’s mouth. “No,” he protested under his breath. He imagined that the hair wound around his fingers was black tinged with red. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, but the vision of Yugi at his feet only came clearer. He thrust harder, faster, wanting it to be over, wanting it to be Yugi’s mouth he was ravaging. His orgasm was harsh and abrupt, spilling out of him like something broken.

He held onto Malik’s hair a moment longer than he had to, then let go a little more abruptly than he should. But Malik just sat back on his heels and laughed, then stood up, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

Then he leaned into Kaiba, who was slumped against the sink, and ran his tongue along Kaiba’s jawline, from his chin to his ear. “You lose,” Malik purred softly.

Laughing, he turned and walked away.

Kaiba pushed himself upright, wobbling slightly before he steadied himself. His fingers were awkward and stiff as he pulled up his trousers, zipped them, and fastened his belt. He turned to the sink and splashed cold water on his face. The face staring back at him in the mirror had spots of red on its cheeks, and a white line rimmed its mouth. He heard Malik’s voice taunting him: You fall in love with the one who defeats you. He rubbed his face briskly with paper towels.

This was what Malik wanted, wasn’t it? To plant these images in his mind so he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his duel with Yugi. So that every time he drew a card, he’d be thinking of Yugi on his knees before him.

Kaiba straightened up and took a deep breath. Well, it wouldn’t work. He wouldn’t let it work. All he needed were a few minutes to focus, and he’d be ready to duel. He’d beat Yugi, and then he’d beat Malik, and then he’d own all three God cards and no one would ever beat him again.

Malik’s laughter seemed to echo after him as he left the room.

end.