Aki woke up with a start.
"What was that?" she said.

---

"Over here" Ashleigh's voice echoed from the middle, slowly being incased in ice. At least this time, it was clear.

"That was Yusei," Crow said. He helped Aki up. "It came from down there somewhere." He added, pointing.

"Then let's find him," Jack said. He looked pale, no doubt from overexertion.

---

"Ashleigh," Yugi said, running to her and seeing her condition. Both her legs were encased, as well as one of her arms. The ice was making its way around her shoulder from the back, and from the front it was covering her other shoulder. All that was exposed was from shoulder to waist, and her head.

Yugi stepped forward and cupped Ashleigh's face in his hands. She's so cold, He thought. He planted a kiss on her forehead and let a stream of his power trickle into her, to warm her. "I'll do all I can to get you out of here, even if it kills me." He said quietly, a single tear rolling off his face.

The warmth from Yugi's magic started to melt the ice on the shoulders, then the legs, causing the girl to fall. Yugi caught her just in time. She snuggled into her husband, smiling.

"I'm with Jack; come on!" Kiryu said, leading the way. When he stopped suddenly, Crow nearly ran right into him. "Hey, what the--" He started, then saw what had made Kiryu stop.

"Yusei..."

---

Yugi held her close. "You're safe now, I promise." He said gently. "And I'll keep it that way."

Aki smiled and dashed hugged him.
"I missed you so much" she said.

---

Everything swirled around and left the pair back to the hall. Selena stood in shock. Ashleigh fluttered her eyes and opened them to see Yugi there, smiling. She was now wearing a black dress with white around her waist and on the top of the dress, shaped like a circle. She hugged him.
"I thought you have died" she said, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm fine, and safe." Yugi said. "And so's everyone else."

Selena knelt down next to tye girl. "Glad to see you're back," she said.

---

Yusei gave her a weak smile. He had a hand over the wound in his abdomen. He placed his free hand, still bloodied from the fight, to her face. "Glad to be back," he said. "But now...the hard part starts...."

Ruby bandaged Yusei up.
"If you need a bit of a boost, let me know. I know an ancient angel healing method that I can use" she said.

---

"What happened? Last time I saw you guys, you were heading out the door" Ashleigh said.

"N-no...no magic," Yusei replied. "I---" He was cut off as he coughed up more blood. His vision was starting to waver. "Aki...I'll make it, believe me." He said hoarsely, before passing out from blood loss.

---

"You don't rememer anything...?" Selena asked. "Yugi was poisoned, and you gave yourself over to Kaimiri so that he'd be safe...after that, you got turned into a dark angel."

While Selena spoke, Yugi had a concerned look on his face. "Yugi? What's wrong?" She asked.

Ruby sighed.
"Again, it's not magic. It's just some herbs and spices that the Aztecs used for their people. You can either spread it on teh wound or let the person drink it" she explained, "in Yusei's case however, it's both."

---

"I remember most of what you said, just not the dark angel part" Ashleigh said.

"What do you mean?" Crow asked. "How is it both for him?"

---

"In other words, you don't have any memories of when you were a Dark Angel." Selena said thoughtfully.

"You guys hear that?" Yugi asked suddenly.

"If someone's coughing up blood, that means that he's bleeding internally as well" Ruby said.

---

"Yeah, probably from that rubble" Ashleigh said.

Aoi took out a cloth and cleand the blood from her blade, before sheathing her sword. "That would be my fault." She admitted in a flat tone.

---

Yugi shook his head. "Before I trapped you as a dark angel in that chamber, I could hear Kaiba and Kaimiri going at it." He replied. "Now I don't hear anything."

"There was a pretty loud blast from behind all that rubble...." Selena's eyes went wide. "Followed by the scent of sandalwood." She finished in a whisper.

"It's not your fault Aoi" Ruby said.

---

"I'm going to try something" Ashleigh said, and surprising enough, a huge blast was formed to make a hole to get through.
"Something tells me that this necklace is a fake" she said.

"If it's not my fault, then who's is it?" Aoi asked. "I was the one who ran my sword through his gut."

"You what?!" Jack asked incredulously. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"Don't you remember what Yusei told us?" Aoi shot back. "That one of us has to try and kill him." She looked to his unconcious form on the ground. Blood was seeping into his clothes. "That's what I did....and I didn't like it."

---

"I think you're right." Yugi said, taking a close look at it.

"Kaiba!" Selena exclaimed when she saw the scene. Kaimiri was missing an arm, shoulder and leg up to the hip, as well as burns all over his body. Kaiba on the other hand was slumped against a wall, one bloodied hand hanging limply on his lap, clearly having been holding the bloody stump of his shoulder, where his right arm had been. There was no sign of the missing arm in the area. "My god....what's he done?"

"You got to get him out of here! Don't worry about me, just get Kaiba out of here" Ashleigh cried.

---

"Then we got to get him out if here" Ruby said.

"I'll carry him," Aoi said. "I was the one who gave him that wound; I'll be the one to carry him back." She knelt down and slid her arms carfully under Yusei, one arm under his knees, the other supporting his shoulders.

---

"We will," Yugi said. "We're taking you with us, too." He took off his jacket and wrapped it around the bleeding stump that used to be Kaiba's arm. "Selena can you carry him by his shoulders?"

Selena nodded. "No problem," she replied, gently lifting Kaiba's torso. Yugi carried him by the legs. "The rendevous point isn't that far from here, thankfully." He said.

"I'm not going" Ashleigh said. Then Selena grabbed her by the arm.

---

"Right. Should we go back now?" Ruby asked.
"Um, guys...problem. We still got those guys to deal with" Aka pointed at the other men standing there.

"I'll take care of them. You guys get out of here." Jack said.

"No way; you're still exhausted from fighting with Red Dragon Archfiend." Crow said, standing in front of Jack. "You go with the others. I'll handly these goons."

"You sure about that, Crow?" Kiryu asked.

Crow nodded, igniting his deep mahogany aura. "I'm sure. Go. Get Yusei outta here." He turned and gave them a thumbs-up and a wink. "I'll follow once I'm finished with these guys."

---

"Yes, you are." Selena said. "Besides, with Kaiba out of commission as he is, we'll need someone to help fill in for his power, so that Yugi'll be able to open the portal back to Omega."

"I can help with that, but this is where I belong now" Ashleigh said, "I can't afford Kaimiri coming down and hurting everyone to get me back."

---

"Right!" Aki said and everyone ran as far as they can.
"Do you guys know where the portal is?" Ruby asked, who was not there when the group first come through the portal.

"Ashleigh, we're not leaving without you!" Selena replied hotly.

"Selena, we don't have time for this!" Yugi said. "If we don't get back there to open the portal, then Kaiba will bleed to death. He needs help, now!"

Selena hesitated, then nodded. "Just don't die before you get back to us!" She said as she and Yugi ran as fast as they could down the hall.

---

"Yugi opened it, with the rest of us pooling our power." Kiryu replied. "I just hope that we can pull it off again with Yusei out of commission."

"Maybe I can help! Ruby suggested.

---

Ashleigh watched as the pair ran towards the meeting place.
It's for your own good. Why can't you understand it? she thought.

"I see. What about Ashleigh? Is she coming back with us?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, since Kaiba's out, how are we going to get back home?" Aki added.

"Aoi finally got him back, but is totally injured, including the abdomen. I'm going to try an Aztecs healing method which is totally natural and non-magic. I'm going to hold my healing power unless it's the last resort, if you know what I mean" Ruby replied, "I mean the skin will heal, but his abdomen is going to take a while."