Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lethally Hot ❯ The Third is Unleashed ( Chapter 8 )

//…// is Yami to Yugi (if that’s possible); /…/ is Yugi to Yami; <<…>> is Bakura to Ryou; and <…> is Ryou to Bakura. Another thing...naturally, Ryou would call Bakura his yami. Don't confuse it with the pharaoh. [#] are footnotes. Quotes will be italicized.

Disclaimer: Toboe LoneWolf doesn't own YGO, the lovely Ebola virus, or the works cited:
Draper, Allison S. Ebola. Epidemics: Deadly Diseases Throughout History. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2002.
Horowitz, Leonard G. Emerging Viruses: AIDS and Ebola. Rockport, MA: Tetrahedron Inc., 1996.
Peters, C.J. and Mark Olshaker. Virus Hunter: thirty years of battling hot viruses around the world. New York: Doublesday, 1997.
Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. New York: Anchor Books, 1994.
…or any other snippit of stuff I quote from.

Chapter Eight: The Third is Unleashed

Bakura wandered the dusty corridors of Yami’s soul room alone. He chuckled darkly, amused that for once, he was out of his annoying vessel's vicinity and could do as he pleased. And what he was doing pleased him greatly.

Finally, he could garner the hidden secrets of the elusive pharaoh. Bakura strolled down the hallways, taking a peek at whatever door he desired. He was in no rush; all he wanted was to find a weakness, a flaw, in the pharaoh's seemingly unfailing gaming ability. Then Bakura could exploit that advantage when the time was right.

Bakura craned his neck to look at a sideways door. It was jammed into a slant of the hallway, as if wanting to hide itself from passerby. Of course, Bakura was no mere passerby.

"Let's see what's in here..."

Bakura knelt and peeked behind the iron door. Far below, he could see the pharaoh's vessel fall to the brick floor, tears running down his face. Yami was standing behind him, lowered head, his hand half-reaching out in regret. And on the other side was the reincarnation of the high priest, sneering at the pitiable fool who had lost.

Bakura spat in disgust. He already knew that the pharaoh cared for his vessel to the point of making Bakura want to retch. Why someone of such former power would want to associate himself with a lowly vessel was beyond Bakura's comprehension. Although that fact did have some merit… Bakura knew that sometimes the greatest pain of all came from the soul and not the body.

After all, that was what made him what he was today.

He shook his head. Musing about his past would get him nowhere. It was the here and now that mattered.

Bakura got up and began to saunter up and down the many stairways. In the back of his mind, Ryou and those supposed friends of his were trapped within the pharaoh's second memory about the Ravager. Because Bakura himself was no longer connected with Ryou, he was not enveloped in the memory, although that annoying bond between him and Ryou let Bakura know what was happening. Almost like one of those newfangled split-screen TVs that his vessel always wanted. Half amused, he watched as that twit of a priest said that the Ravager was created.

Fools. Could they not see what was so plainly written before them? Could they not see the enemy within their midst?

All too quickly, the memory ended, and Ryou came back to the real world. Bakura cursed and closed his eyes. It was time for him to return to the Ring.

But he would be back.

* * * * *

Blood ran down Yami's face and cheek from a sudden nosebleed, seeping into his open mouth as he labored for breath. The IV that Dr. Seimei had just put in a few seconds ago was trailing a thin line of red. Yami coughed, and little spatters of Ebola-tainted blood came up to stain the white hospital bed. Blood, and more blood, ran down Yami's nose and chin and clothes, marking him as a victim.

Your mouth bleeds, and you bleed around your teeth, and you may have hemorrhages from the salivary glands -- literally every opening in the body bleeds, no matter how small.

Yami winced and tried to withstand the waves of suffering. His mind was becoming delirious, and he could no longer tell if he was in the present or the past. Through the throbs of pain and gritted teeth, Yami clutched onto one truth: somewhere out there, his hikari, his light, his aibou was still alive…and he must protect his light.

Dr. Seimei didn't know what to do. After all, he'd never been taught on what to do if one of your patients had contracted Ebola. Massive internal hemorrhaging was not something one encounters often in a hospital.

He shook his head. Well, he might not be able to do anything, but he must get the boy's relatives out of here before something truly dire happened. Dr. Seimei began to herd the two other people towards the door.

"I'm sorry, but our time is up. We must leave now."

Mrs. Motou twisted around to look at her son. "Wait? So soon? But--"

Dr. Seimei quietly consoled her as he pushed her towards the doorway. "Please, we must leave. The nurses will take care of him."

Staring at her son's closed eyes, Mary whispered, "Be strong, Yugi. I love you."

Yami did not have even the strength to look back.

As soon as they had taken off the bulky suits and had dumped them in the improvised room for cleaning them, Mary quickly walked down towards the hospital lobby, sobbing. Grandpa took one look, glanced back at Dr. Seimei and then trotted off to catch up to Yugi's distraught mother.

Dr. Seimei slowly trudged to his office and slumped into his seat. Now what could he do? He had seen the bleeding, and knew what it meant. The boy's body was slowly clotting up, and there was nothing he could do.

His blood is clotting up -- his bloodstream is throwing clots, and the clots are lodging everywhere. His liver, kidneys, lungs, hands, feet and head are becoming jammed with blood clots. In effect, he is having a stroke though the whole body. … Small blood clots begin to form in the bloodstream, and the blood thickens and slows, and the clots begin to stick on the walls of blood vessels. This is known as pavementing, because the clots fit together in a mosaic. The mosaic thickens and throws more clots, and the clots drift through the bloodstream in the small capillaries, where they get stuck.

Dr. Seimei groaned and covered his face in his hands. What could he possibly do? Blood thinners wouldn't help; they'd just make the boy bleed faster. And he couldn't use blood thickeners; that'd just make the clots bigger. Nothing he did would matter against this virus.

The boy was doomed either way…

If you cut your finger, the platelets in your blood will start the clotting process so that the bleeding stops. Of course the clotting has to be localized to the site of the cut, or else all of your blood would clot, you’d have no circulation, and tissues all over your body would start to die off for lack of oxygen. So the body cleverly maintains a counterregulatory mechanism to the platelet effect which keeps it from going beyond the local actions that’s needed. In other words, there is a balance between clotting and anticlotting.

What happens in some of the severe hemorrhagic diseases such as Marburg, Rift Valley fever, or Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever is that many, many tiny clots begin forming all over the body, a condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation. And everywhere one of these tiny clots forms a piece of "downstream" tissue dies for lack of oxygen. Trying to balance out this diffuse clotting problem, the body begins sending out the specific activated molecules (plasmin) responsible for taking up clots. The consumption of the body’s clotting proteins and actions of plasmin result in defective clotting. We end up with massive bleeding, or blood leakage, throughout the vascular system.

Yami moaned. "Suffering" was inadequate to describe his pain. All that Yami could do was ride each throb; each pulsating wave of pain until the next one came in. In desperation, he tried using the old "breathing technique" that his old training master had taught him in an effort to distance himself from the pain.

Inhale. Exhale. In…and…out. In…and…out. Pain is outside. Pain is separate. In…and…out.

For a few minutes, that was all that Yami concentrated on. That single repetition. If he focused on that single thing, the pain was secondary. Blood continued to stain the hospital bed, but that was now vague. In…and…out.

"Yugi Motou, I'm going to take a blood sample."

That simple sentence shattered Yami's meditation. The pain came back in a flood, and Yami gasped out. Yami suddenly felt exhausted and weakened, thrown out of his reverie and into the cold, unforgiving world. He had lost far too much blood, and now he was feeling the drain. What was happening? Where was he? Who was he? His eyes swam and rolled and then focused on a long and pointy object.

He was going to be stabbed!

Yami flinched and tried to move away, although he had barely enough energy to lift a finger. All he could do was stare as the sharp object came closer and closer at him, and Yami could do nothing. He screamed inwardly in his mind, unknowingly crossing the bond between him and his hikari.

//Iie! No please, Ra! Nonononooooo--//

/Yami!/

Then the needle plunged into Yami's arm, and he fainted from the overwhelming sense of fear and pain.

* * * * *

Everyone gaped at Yugi, who was slumped on the floor, motionless. Joey shook Yugi's limp body.

"Yuge! Come on, man! Wake up! It's Joey!" Yugi's head just rolled onto Joey's arm.

Ryou gazed at Yugi in shock. What had happened? One second Yugi was perfectly fine, and the next he was lying on the ground, unconscious to the world. Even Bakura was interested.

<<What happened to the Pharaoh's pet?>>

<I don't know...he was just standing there, and then he fell over.>

<<Hmm, that's interesting.>> In an almost hopeful manner, Bakura said, <<Maybe he's dead.>>

<Yami!>

Joey set Yugi carefully down and slid Yugi's vest off, throwing it aside. He put his head close toward Yugi's sweat-soaked chest. Joey could feel Yugi's small chest slowly rising and falling, and his heart beating, ever so faintly. Still alive…

Tea grabbed Yugi's hand. "Yugi! Wake up! Please!" Frantically she tried to call her childhood friend. "Joey, what did Yugi say?"

Joey shook Yugi again. "I dunno...somethin' about Yami, and bleeding."

Slowly, Yugi coughed and his eyes fluttered open. "Hey guys..."

"Yugi!"

Yugi slowly sat up, rubbing his left arm. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you guys worry." Yugi's eyes were still unfocused and not quite right. He groaned and held his head in his hands. "Owww...it hurts..."

"What hurts? What happened, Yugi?" Tea pressed.

"It's Yami...he fainted from the bleeding. He...I probably lost too much blood, or he's in shock. I can't even sense him anymore, other than pain, and lots of it."

Shadi spoke within the confusion. "The Ravager attacks all. The effects of trying to withhold the Ravager at bay in Yugi's body is taking a toll upon the Pharaoh."

Yugi shakily stood back up, with Joey and Tea hovering over their little friend. "So what is happening to Yami?" He put his vest back on.

"He has lost the first battle. Now the second is upon him; the struggle for his blood of life. If we do not find the remaining memories, he may not be able to recover."

"And if we fail?" Tristan said quietly.

"Then the world will fall into chaos. For without the Pharaoh, who can turn back the tides of darkness?"

Kaiba snorted at this. Gullible, weren't they?

Yugi took a few unsteady steps. Watching, Shadi thought that it was not good for the Chosen One to struggle so. "Worthy Light, perhaps it is best if you separated yourself from the Pharaoh. His pain is beginning to affect you, and you cannot carry on if his pain looms over you."

Yugi stared at Shadi. "What? Separate myself from Yami? But why?"

"You cannot concentrate, you cannot think, you can barely move without shaking. How can you find the five remaining memories if pain supercedes your every thought?"

Everyone stared at Yugi. Tea pleaded with her eyes, wanting Yugi to stop taking everyone's burdens upon himself. His heart may be great, but sometimes even the greatest fall...

Yugi glanced down at the puzzle hanging around his neck. Separate himself from Yami? That had only happened twice, neither of them pleasant or voluntary. It had been as if his heart was torn in two. Yugi had never really needed to block off his link to his other self, unlike Ryou, who did it constantly to barricade himself from pain. But to separate his link, his bond, from Yami?

Yugi shook his head. Could he live with the fact that he had taken the coward's way out? "No. I won't do that. Yami's my partner, and I'm not going to ditch him. Yami would never give up on me, and I'm not going to give up on him. Yami, conscious or unconscious, needs me, and I'm not going to let some puny virus get in my way of saving him!"

Joey's mouth curved into his famous grin, and he gave a thumbs-up. "That's our Yuge."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. Sentimental junk. "And so now that we're done with the fluff and stuff, can we move along, like I've been saying for the millionth time?"

Yugi grinned back at Kaiba, not caring. "Right. Ready Ryou?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Ryou took the Millenium Ring in his hands and spoke, this time with a bit more force than last time, "Ring, show us the way to the next door."

As before, nothing happened.

Ryou frowned. He was sure he did it the right way this time. He repeated his command. "Show us the way, Ring."

Not even a twinkle of movement.

<What did I do wrong?>

<<As if I know. Move over, runt.>> Bakura wrenched control like before, gave the Ring a hard shake, and growled, "Ring, show me the way." The ring feebly swung its pointers, finally pointing straight up -- at the door they had just opened. Bakura shook the Ring some more, muttered a few choice curses in Egyptian, and shoved Ryou back into control.

Everyone was staring at Ryou. It had appeared as if Ryou had suddenly cursed out loud in a foreign language, which was a very uncharacteristic thing for him to do.

Joey voiced his confusion first. "Uh..."

Ryou shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide what had just happened. "Sorry guys, the Ring's not responding." He looked down at the Ring. "And I really don't know why."

Yugi looked at Ryou closely. Something had happened to Ryou, and he wasn't quite sure what, although he had a suspicion it had to do with Bakura. He dismissed it out of hand, however. They had to concentrate on finding the next memory-door -- if Bakura was causing trouble, they would deal with it later.

Once again, Shadi brought understanding to the group. "The Ring is not attuned to the other memory-doors we seek. It is possible that the only door that it could find was the one connected to the Millenium Ring."

"So now what?" Joey asked.

Yugi thought about it. "Well, Ryou's Ring found the door connected to the Ring, and the Puzzle probably lead me to the first door that was connected to the puzzle. So probably all of the Millenium Items are connected to a door in this place." Yugi turned his head towards Shadi, or more specifically, his Ankh. "So Shadi, maybe your Ankh can show us the way to the door connected to its memory-door."

Shadi took the Ankh into his hands and looked down at it. "It is worth a try." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Ankh's power. Ankh, show us the truth.

With a faint, golden glow, the Ankh responded. With his eyes still closed, he saw two faint, golden glows far off in the distance. One Shadi knew already -- it was the door he had attempted to enter the last time he had entered here. Or more specifically, the truth that resided in that door.

The other, though…that had not been there the first time.

With his eyes still closed, Shadi walked towards the second door. Everyone was a bit puzzled -- how could he walk without hitting anything? -- but they quietly followed the seemly blindfolded man to their destination.

Up stairs. Down stairs. They seemed to go in circles, turning left and right without any pattern whatsoever. In Shadi's eyes, the doors once again floated and flowed around him, almost covering his goal, trying to push him off the path towards truth. But he refused to let his mind wander from the truth. Up stairs. Down stairs.

My pharaoh...what do you hide here? Shadi thought. What is it that you must conceal every thought, every memory, behind locked doors that only open in your aibou's presence? What hidden truth lurks behind these black doors? Is the common past we all share so painful that you must turn them away? My pharaoh, my pharaoh…so much time has passed…when will you remember? The tides are changing, and you must play a part…

Up stairs. Down stairs. Yugi weakly followed, rubbing his temples in a poor attempt to keep a headache away. His head was slowly throbbing and his left arm pounding. It was as if a part of him was draining out, drip by drip. Up stairs. Down stairs. Joey kept urging Yugi on, to keep going, until Joey threw up his hands and carried Yugi on his back. This was of course feebly protested, but Joey wouldn't hear of it. Up stairs. Down stairs. All the while, Yugi tried to find out what was happening to his other self, to his mou hitori no boku. But the bond was fuzzy, cloudy...as if something was blocking Yugi off.

Up stairs. Down stairs. And still, Shadi kept his eyes closed, leaving the rest of the group feeling as if they really were being led by a blind man; the old saying of "if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" came to mind. Unfortunately, the ditch was something of much bigger consequence…Yami's life depended on them, cliche though it may be. Up stairs. Down stairs.

Shadi let his mind wander, trusting his Ankh to lead his footsteps. You used to be the Morning and Evening Star, the son of Ra, King of Games…you have lost it all except the former. My pharaoh…come, and return to your glory, regain your memory. We are waiting, Pharaoh. The Prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. The darkness is rising, and we cannot stand alone…

A flare of light flashed through Shadi's eyes, and he involuntarily opened them. And stopped. The sense of the truth that awaited him was gone.

Tristan looked around. "Uh, this isn't exactly any different..."

Joey set Yugi down onto the ground. "Awww, have a little faith, Tristan. It's just probably hidden around in some funky place like last time." Joey said as he circled the general area. A wall to their right, a pillar right down the center, and a stairs going up yet another level to their left. He peered around the pillar. Nope, no marked door there.

"What are you doing, Joey?" Tea asked in confusion.

"For the door, what else? It's gotta be 'round here somewhere..."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, because if you'd look Joey, the door's right over there." Yugi pointed towards a dark shadow underneath the stairs. And faintly hidden underneath all that, on the bottom of the stairs, the shiny gold of the Ankh symbol was impressed into the iron door.

"What? How'd you see that?" Joey scratched his head.

"Well, you know, the first things I see are, well, low." Yugi said sheepishly. And indeed, the door was…low. The door was turned sideways, so that the actual height of the door was only about half a meter, instead of the usual two.

Tea glared at Joey and Tristan, who were trying hard not to laugh at the height-impaired teen. "Geez, be more mature, will you? Does it really matter how we find these doors, as long as we're saving Yami? We'll need to use whatever it takes to find these doors. Even if it means 'looking low.'"

Yugi muttered, "I'd give a lot to get taller though."

Unfortunately, Kaiba had heard that. He smirked. "Well, if you have about half a million yen, I can fix that problem. I am the most powerful person in Domino, of course."

Everyone slowly turned to look at Kaiba with wide eyes. Had Kaiba actually made a...joke?

Kaiba glared at the surprised faces. "What?" And then he stared at everyone with that famous scowl, and everything went back to normal. They crowded around the door, looking down at it. Like the doors before it, it had the mark of the Puzzle on the top and the item embossed in the center, this time the Ankh. And again, the strange code was chiseled beneath the Ankh.

Tristen raised an eyebrow, and turned towards Shadi. "Will you do the honors?"

Shadi smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

He bent down and pulled the door open. A faint crash of the tide hitting the shore echoed within minds, bringing the waters of the past to the shores of the present. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Seto jolted at the last statement. "Created? How, Mahado? How can such an abomination be created with magic without our knowing of it?"

Mahado shook his head. "Seto, the tides of magic cannot be monitored. Each wave, every spell, changes the ebb and flow of magic. Yes, scrying can look at what is happening in the pool of magic…but only at a single drop."

Seto snorted. "Pah. You mean you don't have the power to do it. Well, get some, man! You're the Head of Magicians, so do your the job! Look at where this has gotten us, Mahado! Half the Council is resentful of us, some priests are aiming to bring back the monsters again, and now we have to deal with this! Egypt will be ruined if you don't shape up!"

Isis rolled her eyes. "And where, may I ask, will Mahado get this power? As I recall, magic comes from within…unless you're using unethical means. Which I highly doubt the Pharaoh will approve of."

Seto stared at his Rod. "Gods willing, I will find a way. Anything to protect our kingdom."

Karim spoke up. "That's very nice, Seto. But in the meantime, we must find a way to stop the Ravager." He put a finger on one end of the Scale, making it dip lower. "The people's lives are piling up. The scale must be balanced."

I nodded. "Right. Karal, you and the rest of the swnw may leave now. The rest of this duty resides in the magical realm." Bowing, Karal lead his group of physicians out of the throne room. I turned towards Akunadin. His Eye should be able to help. "Akunadin, search for someone nearby that has been touched by the Ravager but not yet consumed."

Akunadin turned towards me. "What? Pharaoh, why?"

I raised an eyebrow. Akunadin seems to always question my authority these days. Yes, he was the brother of my father, which makes him my uncle and elder. I should, in all respects, bow to him in deference. But I am the Morning and Evening Star, and I cannot let someone else decide the fate of my land and my people. I must assert control. "How else are we going to study the Ravager? As Mahado said, we must use our Millenium items to examine this new threat. But first we must find someone to actually study, correct?"

Akunadin bowed his head. "So shall it be." He gazed off into nothingness and searched, using the power of the Millenium Eye. I prayed that the person found would not be someone close. After a few seconds, he spoke within the silence. "I have found one. I have already alerted one of the nearby guards to bring him to us."

If I had been allowed to do so, I would have grinned. These new magic alerting devices that Seto had invented were becoming useful. Some time ago, Seto had managed to concoct a magical device that would allow anyone with a Millenium Item to give certain commands to the person wearing them. Granted, the devices were new and could only give a minimum of commands, but the concept was novel. All of the palace guards had been given one of these devices, and the number of thefts had quickly dropped. Seto, as usual, was already planning something better.

The doors burst open, and three guards came in carrying a struggling person bound and gagged. He was tanned darkly, thin and bony, with a head of white hair, an unusual characteristic. A bloody nose left streaks of blood running down his chin and his billowy red cloak. A distinctive scar marked the right side of his face -- two slashed across his high cheekbones and one scar running down his right eye. He glared at everyone with hate, eventually focusing on me. The eyes were brown and wild, flitting back and forth, but always returning to me with some unknown fire.

Seto looked down at the fighting person. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, Akunadin, if this is your impression of the Ravager, I really don't see what all the fuss is about. He certainly looks very healthy to me."

Akunadin glared at Seto, and then the guards. "He was not the one I requested!"

One guard stood to attention. "No sir. Don't really know of any request, sir, but we found this thief in the treasury." He roughly turned the thief-in-question over and yanked out a pocket. Gold coins tumbled out, accusing the thief with each tinkle as they hit the floor.

"Like you ordered, sir, we brought all thieves to you personally. Sir." He stood up straight and tried to ignore the curses that the thief was muttering.

Akunadin frowned at the captain. "I believe I had explicitly expressed that all thieves were to be executed right away." He waved his hand. "Go on, get out of here and take that street rat away."

Akunadin was overstepping his bounds. I had never heard of this proclamation -- someone was giving orders I had not given permission to. In the matters of justice, I had always heard from each trial brought before me, no matter what rank.

"Wait one moment." I swept out my hand, stopping the three guards in their tracks. "Akunadin, who is it to say what is and what is not? He has not had a fair hearing."

"He is a thief! These coins alone prove it!" Akunadin indignantly cried.

I stood up. "Am I not the Dispenser of Justice? Justice must be given to everyone, be it commoner or noble. Let him cool his feet in the dungeons, until he has had a fair hearing. I will not hear from my people that my hand was cruel." I pointed at the thief. "Take him to the dungeons, until I have time to hear from him."

The standing guard saluted, gave a half grin, and began to haul the thief away. However, by this time, the gags had loosened and the thief was able to speak for himself.

He gave a wild laugh, showing bared fangs as he was being dragged away. "Justice! Hah! You know of no justice, Pharaoh! But one day, you will feel my justice, the one you took from me! For I am the present and future darkness, ever waiting, ever watching, and I will have my revenge!"

Seto waved his Rod at the disappearing figure as I sat back down on my throne. "Ah, he will be dead and gone long before he has any sort of revenge. You have nothing to worry about, Yami."

Isis slowly put her hands to her Tauk. Everyone turned towards her, knowing that a vision of the future was about to be revealed. Her eyes became half closed and her cream-colored dress fluttered in an invisible wind. She swayed slightly, chanting,

Dead and gone, no, gone to be dead,
Scarred by the mark that runs down his head,
Destined to play and destined to die,
Cursed be the Holder of the Eye!

Each priest stared at her in shock. Isis slowly came out of her reverie.

" 'Cursed?' " Akunadin questioned. "Me?"

Isis shook her head, from her trance and from apparent confusion. "I do not know. That is all that the Tauk had given to me. Perhaps this is far into the future, after your time. Perhaps this is the imminent future. I do not know."

The doors burst open again, this time bringing the person Akunadin had found. It was obvious that the Ravager had touched him; his eyes were streaming red blood and the former contents of his stomach were all over his robe, covering it in black pitch. The guards were using a large number of rags to prevent the blood from touching them. They dumped him on the center of the room, sweating profusely at touching Death itself. He moaned and flopped over, falling unconscious from the pain.

His face was so young. Too young to die so soon. His face was still unshaped, his chin still having the soft stubble that young adolescents insist on calling a beard and shaving three times a day. His arms and legs were still gangly and awkward, not fully grown into adulthood. He should be out in the sun, laughing in fun and play, not dying before his time.

The doors burst open for the third time, letting a single frenzied person enter the room. He took one look at the blood-covered person in the center of the room. Then the anguished cry of a father split the room as he ran over to the dying person on the floor.

It was Karal, my Head Swnw of Upper and Lower Egypt. Although now, he was simply a lost father. "No! Jkatha! My son! NO!" He got down on his knees and began to beat the floor next to his son, tears running down his face. "Curse you! Cursed, and…curse you! I told you not to go! I told you not to come with me! Jkatha, you can't die on me!"

Seto acted first. He leapt towards Karal and wrenched him back onto his feet, not caring as the runny blood touched both of them. Karal struggled, crying in agony, "Let me go! I've got to save him! He's my only son!"

Seto caught Karal's chin and forced Karal's face to meet his own. "Think, man! There is nothing you can do! You're a swnw, so act like one! The Ravager's got him, and you can't help him like this. We've got to stay focused. Do you want to kill yourself too, and make us mourn both of you?"

The words penetrated Karal's madness, and the wild look drained from his eyes, replaced with grief. He sagged to the ground, burying his face in his bloodied hands, and began to weep hoarsely. "Oh gods! Strike me! Take my life instead of his!" He broke down and hit his head on the stone floor. "It's my fault. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you come. Jkatha, Jkatha…"

Seto backed away, using the power of the Rod to clean the tainted blood off his robe and off Karal. There was nothing more that he could do. I stood up and walked towards Karal. As I knelt down beside him and his son, I prepared myself for a very sentimental speech -- the only kind that would bring Karal back to reason. "Karal, do not despair. There is still a chance that he may survive."

Karal's head shot up. I nodded in affirmation. "Yes, your son may survive. But only if we work together to defeat this great evil will the Ravager be destroyed. We cannot do this alone; for we must study the enemy before we can attack. Your son is unfortunate enough to be the battlefield for this war. Through your son we will be able to decipher the enemy's strategy and use them to our advantage." I stared into Karal's eyes. "I cannot assure you that your son's life will be spared. But I, by the gods and as Pharaoh, swear that I will do all that is humanly possible to save your son."

Karal bowed his head. He took a deep breath, collecting himself as the Head Physician. His face hardened as he stared at his dying son's body. "Then go after the Ravager, Pharaoh, and be the victor! Bring back the spoils of war!"

I nodded. "I assure you, I will not lose this war."

The six High Priests gathered around Jkatha, encircling Karal. We all looked at the pain-wracked person lying on the floor, knowing that this was what the Ravager created -- dying bodies and torn families. The list of names for the Ravager grew. Strangler of Hope, Slayer of Life, Slaughterer of Families.

I looked at each of my priests. This may very well be the last time we would all see each other, if the Ravager consumed one of us as we went right into enemy territory. Mahado's determined face shone through the group, a silent vow to the father below. Quiet Karim stood respectfully next to Mahado, though the clenched fist around the Scales told the truth. On my left Akunadin stood, swathed in white robes as if to signify his old age. He rubbed the skin next to his Millenium Eye; probably still worried about the prophecy Isis had foretold. Isis stood between Seto and Shadi; her blue eyes softened towards Jkatha. Shadi clutched the Ankh close towards his heart, although I knew that his heart was aching for the dying son before him as well. The Knowledge that awaited him would be unnerving, to say the least.

And of course Seto at my right, old friend and comrade. He pointed towards Jkatha with the Millenium Rod. "My Pharaoh, shall we begin?"

I put my hands onto the Millenium Puzzle. "So we shall begin." I closed my eyes and invoked the hidden power of the Puzzle. The golden glow of Millenium magic surrounded us all, taking us into the body, and the battlefield, of the Ravager.

+ + + + +

The entire world was spinning. The six priests and I were within Jkatha's own body, in his lifeblood. We could see the workings that keep our mortals bodies alive. I stared in amazement. For although Jkatha was dying, though the muscles surrounding us twisted and writhed, sending off sparks of pain, though I could see the Ravager attacking everything around us, nothing could cloud the fact that the mortal body that we all live in was a wonder and a miracle.

Colors whirled around me in dizzying effect. Nothing was simply "red" or "white," they had shades and shadows and life in them. No artist could ever capture the beauty around us. Little sparkles of light trailed down the tunnel we were in, lighting up the farthest regions, as if inviting us to explore more, to see more, to look beyond.

And yet, someone out there hated this so much that he created the Ravager to simply destroy it all.

Seto gazed at the wonder and terror around him. A red ball zoomed passed him, and he half-reached out to touch it. "I do not recall this being described in the papyri."

"Nor will you ever. The knowledge of this will not come to light in our time." Shadi said solemnly.

Seto turned in amazement. "But why not? Surely the swnw must know of this, or the Healers. How can we heal the people if this is not written down for the ages?"

Karim shook his head. "Seto, the truth is, the people would never believe. The peasants are still distrustful of magic, and would rather stay in the path of tradition than to forge ahead and embrace change. They do not want to change the Balance."

I stepped forward. "But the Winds of Change have come upon us all. That, however, is not what concerns us. We must first deal with the Ravager, or else the Balance will truly be destroyed."

We turned our attention to study the Ravager. The enemy was tiny and thin, but numbered in the countless millions. We could see the Ravager kill parts of Jkatha's own body to create millions more selves within each passing moment. No wonder Karal could do nothing -- no herb or medicine could fight this destroyer, for it overwhelmed in sheer numbers, killing the child in the act of spawning more selves from Jkatha's very substance!

The seven mysterious proteins that, assembled together, make up the Ebola-virus particle, work as a relentless machine, a molecular shark, and they consume the body as the virus makes copies of itself.

Seto growled and lashed out with a burst of magic from the Millenium Rod. Light shafts of purest amethyst purple lanced at the Ravager. As if that action was a call for battle, the rest of my priests raised their Items and attacked the Ravager, somehow hoping that this would end the battle. Mahado lifted his staff and shouted pure words of Power, incinerating a cluster of the enemy with each cry. Karim and Shadi both pointed their Items, piercing the enemy with each mage-blast. Even Akunadin and Isis, normally calm people, were destroying the troops of the Ravager. As for myself, I too joined the battle, hoping that with our combined powers we could stop the Ravager without needing to use the darker powers.

The enemy swallowed our energy and millions of them did perish. But the Ravager was only a little damaged, and in the next moment, the multitude surged back to life and strength. Although perhaps life was the wrong term; anti-life was better.

They are also very difficult to destroy. In fact, there is great debate among scientists and doctors as to whether a virus is "alive." On one hand, it is not traditionally alive because it does not eat, grow, age or die. It can be killed, but given the correct conditions, it can also be kept alive indefinitely. On the other hand, in the sense that it reproduces and evolves, a virus is very much alive. It exists only to multiply; to make copies of itself.

"What?" Seto cried out, aghast. "Not even our Millenium Items can defeat this evil?"

One fighter under the badge of the Ravager came towards us, flaunting its disregard of us with each movement. We could see the magical bindings that had created the monstrosity. Death, decay, and despair were riddled within its thin body. It had been formed from treachery and greed, dissention and selfishness, pride and poison. But chief and foremost, the black lines of hate, anger, and vengeance were streaked throughout the Ravager. Whoever had created this atrocity had a close bond with pure darkness, bringing together all that was abominable into one creation.

Ebola is without question a biological Satan.

Isis shuddered as it came closer. "Its evil…shall destroy the world…"

Seto glared at it. "Never. Not while I still breathe!" He lifted the Millenium Rod and seared the single enemy dead. However, more and more followed the path of their comrade and surrounded us. In a rage Seto attacked out. And yet, still they followed, watching, waiting.

"That is enough, Seto!" I grabbed Seto's shoulders and shook him, ducking as he whirled around with the sharp end of the Rod. "You cannot stop them like this! Brute force cannot finish this enemy!"

"But how?" Seto cried out. "How can we stop this, this, Beast?"

I watched as more of the enemy gathered around us. They simply sat, and stared, and waited, for some unknown reason. "For once, I do not know, Seto…" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the level beyond the human eye, a new cell was born. Born not from the spawning from another cell, but from magic. It was small and white, and very elastic. The symbol of the Ankh was proudly impressed on its center. It immediately swam out from the giant river and into the lesser streams and brooks, where the war was reduced to man-to-man combat.

This time, however, one man had much better weaponry than the other did.

The new cell literally swallowed the enemy, engulfing it in chemicals and other elements fatal to the enemy. Then the new defender moved on, eating the enemy one mouthful at a time. For this was its mission -- to consume the enemy, one by one.

But then again, there is a limit to how much one can feed. A single mouth cannot swallow a buffet, nor can this single defender devour the entire army of the Ravager. For it needs its brothers and sisters before the final battle can take place…

~ * * * * * ~

Ryou rubbed his eyes and eventually opened them. The strange carvings on the door came into view, and one thing caught Ryou's attention: the last inscription. They looked strangely familiar…

Joey wrenched himself upright, vigorously shaking his head to clear his mind. Okay. That was…he counted on his fingers…the third memory. Right. Man, this memory stuff was deep. Now he finally could distinguish between his best bud and this other self of Yugi's. Although it was kind of unnerving, to think Yugi had a former king residing in him. Joey shuddered. Things were definitely getting weird…

Kaiba fiercely rubbed his head. It was all just the past, having no connection whatsoever to him. But the person that they had just seen had struck a chord within Kaiba, ringing the truth: that this was indeed, himself. Kaiba closed his eyes. But that was a lie…

Yugi sat down hard. This was all too much for him. It was like a world within a world within a world. What was and what was not was becoming merged into one giant mess. Instinctively, Yugi reached out towards his other self, and found that his link was now open. Weak, but open.

/Yami!/

//Yu..gi? What is it?//

Yugi frowned. What could he possibly say? /Are you okay?/

//I'm fine.//

/Sure you are./ Yugi closed his eyes and reached deeper. Slowly, he could sense what Yami was really feeling. Yugi clenched his teeth along with Yami as Yami felt another throb of pain. /You fainted,/ Yugi accused. /What happened?/

//I do not know,// Yami answered truthfully. A few moments later, //I am sorry for worrying you, Yugi.//

/That's okay./

For a few moments, nothing was said, enjoying the fact that both of them were still alive. Dimly, Yugi could hear the radio playing. It faintly sounded like something he had heard before…

Yugi delved deeper in the bond, merging his mind with Yami's even closer. Normally, Yami would do this, to know what Yugi was hearing and seeing. But this time, their roles were reversed. Yugi cocked his head, listening to an invisible song.

"So many memories and so many miles
"The road that stretches behind us
"We've had some laughter and our share of tears
"But all these moments unite us…

Yugi smiled. This was one of the few English songs that both Yugi and Yami knew. The words might be in English, but the heart of the words spoke universally. Indeed, they had been through a lot -- school bullies, Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, and this. Sometimes there was heartbreak, but they always came back together. They would get through this one together too. Softly, quietly, he sang the chorus to Yami, hoping to bring Yami's spirits up.

/I'll be your friend for a lifetime
/Against the wind and the rain of every season
/Won't walk away in the hard times
/I will be your friend
/I'm saying I will be your friend…

Yami opened his eyes in surprise. How had Yugi heard what Yami was listening to? Somehow, Yugi was able to tap into a deeper level of their bond; something Yugi had never done before. The words spoke to Yami, giving him an inner strength. Yugi had often listened to this song on his CD player, saying that it remind him about their bond. And each time, Yugi would promise to always be there for Yami. Smiling, Yami sang back to Yugi.

//Sure as the river runs to the sea
//High as the mountain that reaches
//You were there by my side till the end
//And helped me on my feet again…

Yugi was startled. He had thought Yami was too tired to do anything, from all of the blood loss, pain, and whatnot. Much less to actually sing back to him, in English, no less. In fact, Yami rarely ever sang at all. Besides, Yugi didn't think he did that much. Tentatively, Yugi replied, /Really?/

//Really, Yugi. You have always been there for me. I only exist because of you. Thank you.//

The song enveloped them, easing Yami's pain and soothing Yugi's fears. Yes, they would be friends for a lifetime. Even deeper than friends; two soul-friends. Bonded forever. They could face anything if they were together.

"So in the valley walk on
"Don't have to face it alone
"Cause in the hard times
"We keep growing strong
"As we learn, as we live
"That we live when we give…

/I won't leave you alone, Yami. I promise./

//And I will never forsake you. I am here to guide and protect you, and I will not abandon my duty.//

Yami whispered the chorus one last time, promising Yugi. A pair of invisible arms encircled Yugi, hugging him, silently vowing to always be there, like a brother. Yami's deeper, lower voice embraced Yugi, giving of comfort for eternity.

//I'll be your friend for a lifetime
//Against the wind and the rain of every season
//Won't walk away in the hard times
//I will be your friend
//I'm saying I will be your friend.//

/A lifetime, Yami?/

//More than a lifetime, little one. Forever.//

* * * * *

The Ravager still gorges, filling its unending appetite.

To feed not only upon flesh and blood, but the soul.

It does not care about love, friendship, or vows.

It rips them apart.

Tick. Tock. Tick.

Footnotes:

[1] = ^^ Ah, the big biology paragraph. What a doozy, eh? Okay, what this thing is saying is that Ebola seriously messes with the clotting mechanism of the body. Normally, your blood would clot holes going outside your body; like a cut or scrape. What Ebola does is makes your blood create clots inside your body, thinking there's a "hole" inside your bloodstream. And your body does this so much that all of the platelets, i.e. clotting factors get used up. The body tries to make some more (plasmin) but that doesn't help because then the body continues to clot up. So when an Ebola victim bleeds, he or she is literally unable to stop bleeding because there are no clotting factors left. ^^ Much fun, eh?

[2] = papyri -- plural of papyrus, this time referring to the medical scrolls Egyptians kept.

(3) Well, before you lawyers out there jump on me, the song is called "I Will Be Your Friend" by Michael W. Smith. I don't own it.

(4) Okay, this is just me getting stuff off my back. I know that I'm doing a horrible job at physically describing the priests and the surroundings. My only excuse is that Yami in first person is not going to be describing physical characteristics about people and things he's known for years. Either that or I'm just really bad at doing first person. I will get to it, but in later chapters. Sorry guys.

Author's End Notes:

Toboe LoneWolf: ^^ Now does everybody have a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside of them? Yes? This time, Yugi hasn't fallen over in pain and Yami is vaguely happy now and everything is all soft and downy. ACK! CUTENESS! *chokes* Can't take it…*gags* *deep breath* *straightens up* See, I'm not a bloodthirsty authoress out for Yami's blood… At least, not all the time. Hope you guys liked the little song/bonding time at the end; a counter to the abrupt ending last time, and to assure you all that I'm not going to kill Yami off on a whim.

Yami: >>

Toboe LoneWolf: ^^;;; Ah well, not everything in life can be perfect, eh?

On a side note: to anyone who might have thought Ryou's Ring would take them all the way, I give a hearty "HA!" Nothing is going to be that easy. Never, ever, assume things are going to occur the way they appear. Shadi's Ankh works on one door only, and that's it. The gang's on their own now…

*shrugs* But I might as well give you guys a peek on the next chapter…which is more blood and guts! (Quite literally. ^^) *jumps* I finally get to use some of my favorite quotes! Bakura deals with some old memories, Ryou gets a lecture, the gang gets a workout, Yami finds a way to actually fight the Ravager (kind of), and Yugi's mom goes into shock.

Yugi: What???

Toboe LoneWolf: Don't worry, it's nothing life threatening.

Yugi: I don't trust your level of description.

Toboe LoneWolf: ^^;;...And that's it! Ah well, see you guys around! The Ravager shall feed another time!