Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lethally Hot ❯ Search of the Seventh ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: Toboe LoneWolf does not own YGO, Ebola (though she wishes to), or the works cited:
Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. New York: Anchor Books, 1994.
…Or any other snippet of anything I quote. But the story be mine. *bares teeth* Mine, I say.

//…// is Yami to Yugi; /…/ is Yugi to Yami; <<…>> is Bakura (the yami) to Ryou; <…> is Ryou to Bakura. [#] are footnotes.

Toboe LoneWolf: So onward! Here beginth the first of climaxes! ^_^

Chapter Twelve: Search of the Seventh

Ishizu frowned and let out yet another sigh. What on earth could these things mean? They looked so familiar… She growled and rested her head on her elbows on top of her desk, staring down at the undecipherable symbols.

"What's wrong, sis?" Malik peeked his head through the doorway of Ishizu's study. His light hair fell over his eyes, and he brushed it away. "Why are you still here?"

Ishizu pushed the paper away from her and slid back. "I can't translate these."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "You? The Egyptologist?" He walked over to Ishizu's desk and peered down at the paper. "What in the world could stump you?"

Ishizu thumped a pen over the paper. "A doctor from Domino, Japan sent me this. Have you seen the news? Of the Ebola case?"

Malik nodded. "Of course. Who hasn't? With all the terrorist hype out there, everyone knows about that." He grimaced. "And of course, the victim being the oh-so-famous 'King of Games.' But what does that have to do with your problem?"

"One of their interns died mysteriously while observing blood samples of the virus. These hieroglyphs were actually burned into his body. A doctor at the hospital thought they may have some connection to the intern's death, called me and asked if I could translate them." Ishizu sighed. "The problem is, I can only translate part of it. Half of it are glyphs I've never seen, but they look familiar for some reason."

Malik snatched up the paper with the hieroglyphs. "Huh." He mumbled to himself. " 'S neb shweer…maa sheta-ee iw mewet'…Ooeee, this is wierdo stuff…"

Ishizu smiled sardonically. "The normal hieroglyphs I understand. 'Cursed is every man who looks upon my creation. To see my secret is to die. He who looks shall be consumed by fire and ice. Terror shall seize him, for I am Apep's favored one.' But the rest after that I can't figure out."

Malik grinned. "Oh, this?" He waved the paper. "That's nothing. I know what this means."

Ishizu gaped. "What?!"

Malik flourished the paper and set it down. "It's the writing of the low-class. You know, the thieves, beggars, and petty scoundrels of the alleyways. The Network of ye old." He winked. "You learn a lot of interesting things when you're the head of the Ghouls."

Ishizu looked upwards and shook her head. Figures. Her brother would know that. "So what does it mean?"

"I claim this as my slave, my offering. I claim this as my revenge. Hail to the shadows." Malik cocked his head. "What's interesting is that this actually has good grammar. Most of the time I see, 'This be mine. Stay away. Kill you I will if touch.' Good grammar implies education, which implies a thief-lord." Malik raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Bakura may finally have competition now…"

Ishizu whacked Malik. "What did I tell you about bad company?"

Malik covered his head. "Ow! I know! Geez sis, it was just one night!"

Ishizu rolled her eyes. "I'd better call Dr. Keni back with the translation." Isis picked up the papers and moved towards the phone.

"Hey, I wonder what the curse was actually protecting," Malik said.

Ishizu stopped in mid-grab for the phone. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the curse worked, right?" Malik pointed out. "Swiftly, too. It says that 'to see my secret is to die.' What secret?" His eyes narrowed. "What in the world did the intern see that would invoke the curse?"

"The intern was simply observing the virus…" Ishizu trailed off.

They both looked at each other. Malik nodded.

"There's something about that virus, and it has to do with Yugi and ancient Egypt." Malik rolled his eyes. "As always."

* * * * *

Joey shot up and gasped for breath. "Gah! Not again! What the heck happened?"

Tristan slumped to the floor, not looking at anyone. "I have no clue."

Tea slid against the wall and hid her head. How had that happened? She had been there, and then again, not there. Well, really she'd been dead. Tea shuddered. She hadn't even seen herself alive…

Kaiba shrugged and stepped back. So the mutt died. Whatever. That was determinably in the past, and therefore irrelevant. Kaiba looked around, faintly amused by the shaken people. What, they actually cared about what they had seen? Kaiba saw Shadi put his hands in his sleeves and nod sagely. What the heck was that? Well, at least he wasn't moaning about a few more dead people.

Yugi knelt with his head in his hands. Too many memories, too many cross-references and incarnations and visions of the past and present. And more pain from his other self was leaking through their bond. Yugi growled and punched the brick walls. It was his fault that they were in this mess. If he wasn't so slow, if he hadn't been bitten, if he hadn't switched places with Yami so that he would be spared-- why did they all have to suffer because of him? He tried, again, to take Yami's place, but he was blocked.

If Yugi had been more experienced in the ways of magic, he would have known that it was more than Yami's sheer will barring him.

Ryou was half hidden in the shadows, as always. He frowned, and rubbed his temple. His head felt funny, kind of itchy, or empty somewhat. Like that feeling whenever Bakura took the notion of wandering about and leaving Ryou to wonder just what interesting news would pop up on the TV that night.

And with that thought, Bakura just plopped right into Ryou's head. Yep, he is definitely doing something, Ryou thought. Unfortunately.

<<What, you actually care when I decide to walk about, yadonushi?>> Bakura smirked.

Ryou sighed. <No, I just wonder what crazy stunt will turn up on the late night news because of you.>

<<Oh, really?>> Ryou could practically feel the ideas forming in his yami's mind. <<Then I should go outside more often, don't you think? I've heard it's quite healthy.>>

<What were you doing?> Ryou demanded.

<<Oh, have I been bad?>> Bakura mocked. <<Never fear, yadonushi, I've been a very good boy,>> Laughter. <<A very, very, good boy…>>

Joey laid back on the floor. Unconsciously his hand crept up to his chest. Right over his heart. Lub. Dub. Lub. Still beating. Still alive. "How'd I die anyway?"

"By a heart shot with a knife blade."

Heads whipped around to see Ryou clutching his wrists. Ryou raised his head, and then everyone saw the red crimson eyes of his yami. The ever present feral grin was beginning to form on Bakura's face.

Joey swallowed. "What?"

Bakura tapped his head. "My memories are a little less faulty than the stupid Pharaoh. Allow me to demonstrate as a lover of blades." The sadistic smile deepened. "My pleasure."

The Millenium Ring glowed, and then a little image of the past Joey formed and solidified. "This, is the Pharaoh's stupid friend." The Ring glowed again, and a caricature of Yami popped up. His hair was seriously buzzed up, he was exceptionally short (about the size of Bakura's pinkie) and he squeaked at random moments. "And this would be the equally stupid Pharaoh."

The miniature Joey sat down on an invisible mat and the seriously shortened Yami knelt (well, stood) over him.

"The two pathetic friends cheer that Mr. Stupid Friend is healed." Sound effects were provided by the Millenium Ring. Sweatdrops formed on everyone's head.

<You are having way too much fun with this.>

<<Shut up.>>

A ninja-like being materialized. It raised a hand that held a dagger, the sharp edge flashing once. "An assassin appears on the scene behind the stupid Pharaoh from the open front door. He throws his blade at the Pharaoh's unprotected back. Stupid friend, being stupid, knocks the dimwitted Pharaoh out of the way."

Many indignant squeaks from the miniature Pharaoh, to which Bakura smirked at.

"Stupid friend then flicks open the catch to the hidden knife in his sleeve and throws his own blade."

Corresponding movements made in slow motion. Bakura then raised an eyebrow. His smile grew. He reached for his back pocket and pulled something out. Slowly, and with exquisite care, he wrapped them around his wrists. "They look like this."

Everyone's eyes widened. On Bakura's wrists were black sheaths with small throwing daggers within.

Bakura took one knife out and tossed it, catching it in mid-air. He drawled, "Very good quality, these are. Trick release, see?" He put the knife back in and twiddled his fingers. "Watch and be amazed." His right hand twisted in a strange motion, and silently the catch unlocked and the knife hilt slid forward into his hand.

He fingered the plain, black hilt with his other hand. "You never know when you'll need one of these. Very versatile and useful." Bakura made another peculiar hand twist and the dagger slid back into its sheath.

Carelessly, Bakura continued on. "Stupid friend manages to hit the assassin's throat, but the assassin's blade hits stupid friend's heart as well. Both die." Grin. "Bloodily."

The three figures used in the "lesson" vanished. Bakura sat back, satisfied. "There now, wasn't that educational?"

"How do you know this anyway?" Tristan's eyes narrowed. "Were you the assassin?"

Bakura glared. "Imbecile. Anyone who knows the art of knife-throwing could understand. For your information, I was happily roaming Thebes as a free thief." Bakura counted on his fingers. "The scene with the stupid friend flicking out his hand and snapping it forward is the drawing of his hidden blade. The gasp and falling body is evidence of a throat shot. The quick but fairly silent death is the sign of a heart shot." Narrowed eyes, and a slow raising of his wrist. "Or would you like a demonstration?"

Tristan blanched. A smirk and a flash, and Ryou was shoved back into control, messy hair covering his face. The wrist sheaths stayed on.

Long, uncomfortable silence.

"We'd better move now."

Eyes turned towards Kaiba, who had spoken. He glared at them all. "What? The faster this is over with, the faster I can get out of this mad house and finish my work."

"What, you have a idea to find the last door?" Joey said.

But before Kaiba could retort, everything changed.

Things began to ripple, as if the once solid walls were now liquid and fluid. The ground shifted under their feet, bricks crumbling as parts of the floor rose and fell. The hallway began to cave in at certain parts, doors screeching as the walls moved forwards or backwards. Some of the group were in danger of becoming pancakes on the ceiling and others were danger of falling through the floor-- again. Nothing was certain; the moment you thought this was as high as you could get, whatever was below you thought otherwise and shoved you even higher…

Kaiba grabbed Yugi from the floor, who was staring in shock. "EVERYONE! RUN! THIS WAY!!" Kaiba began to drag Yugi along, farther down the hallway.

Joey cursed under his breath, tripping as he came down the huge building blocks. He ducked as more brick fell down. The floor practically erupted beneath their feet, showering them with pieces of brick. Tristan was pulling himself out of a cave. Tea stumbled, holding her right arm tight across her chest because she had been slammed into a door.

"HURRY! HERE, GRAB MY HAND!!"

Tea turned to see Shadi yelling and reaching out a hand. She grabbed it gratefully, and the two staggered after Kaiba, dodging falling stones and jumping over breaking fissures of the floor.

Ryou was trapped. He couldn't see anyone. A massive pile of stone and crushed bricks lay between him and everyone else.

<<SPINELESS IDIOT!>> Bakura screamed. <<USE THE RING!>>

Ryou yelped. <Wha-->

Red eyes flashed as the Millenium Ring blazed, pointers swinging as if in a micro-tornado. Then the mountain that separated Ryou from the others exploded outward, spraying into minute pieces of chalk. Ryou shielded his eyes, his formerly white hair whipping his face.

<<MOVE YOU FOOL!>>

Everyone ran.

This wasn't a single occurrence. The chaos was everywhere, causing them to run over hills that weren't there before and climbing over moving, jiggling staircases. It was a massive, full-scale rolling earthquake. Just when they thought they were safe, the walls would buckle and groan, causing them to flee yet again. They had to watch out in all directions, whether for crashing weights or squeezing tunnels or exploding mines under their feet.

They heard sounds too, other than the crushing of bricks and the bending of iron. Screams echoed and vibrated the already shaking doors. The screams were long and high, like the cry of an eagle. They heard hisses too, and growls, mixed in with yowls and howls that reverberated in their eardrums.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?" Joey yelled, jumping over a fallen boulder.

"IT'S THE RAVAGER! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Shadi screamed back. He was completely covered in gray dust and had a gash on his face from an errant brick. "THE PHARAOH'S MIND HAS BECOME UNSTABLE!"

Kaiba looked down at Yugi. He was slumped over and was only barely moving. Kaiba was practically hauling him along.

"YUGI!" Kaiba shouted into his ear, shaking him. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT OTHER YOU OF YOURS?!?"

Yugi clutched his stomach from where he had been smashed into a stone. Feebly he touched the Puzzle.

Light!

--No one, pain, hurt LIGHT shadows and darkness, cover in softness Hiissss you are oursss NO! I am Pharaoh, I will not fall to the likes of you We knowsss, we can tasstess it, we can tastesss your fear Iie! Nen! NonononoPAIN--

Yugi struggled to come out of the whirling maelstrom. There was nothing to hold onto. His main source of security was lost in a spiraling cycle of pain and loss--

--Lost and unseeing, unknowing, where is he? What he say, he say…protection? Where- cannot see- come back You have nothing, we are your future, hiiissss, tasssty…Massster be pleasssed Who? No no I will not bow to another Little puny man, too weaksss, we knowss Will not listen FALLING nevermore to the raven, nevermore--

Yugi flailed wildly like a drowning person. If he stayed in here, wherever here was, he too would fall and become lost. All of his senses failed; he was unseeing, unfeeling, mute, floating in a mad ocean of swirling shadows…

Kaiba stared at Yugi, skidding as he jumped over a hole. Something was wrong. Yugi was writhing and clutching the Puzzle. The blasted artifact was glowing again, and Kaiba was becoming seriously freaked out. What the heck was happening?

Kaiba lifted Yugi up. "Yugi! Wake up!"

"What happened??" Tea yelled. The sounds of crashing and crumbling walls made speaking difficult, but now that they were closer together, at least they didn't have to yell so loud. Relatively.

Kaiba looked over his shoulder, still running. "Yugi's unconscious or something! I think it's because of that spirit of his!"

Shadi's eyes widened. "He is still linked with the Pharaoh! If he does not break free, both of them, along with us, will fall into madness!"

"Yugi! Break it off!" Kaiba shook Yugi again, and grabbed his Puzzle. "Break the link! Listen to me!" Kaiba shook the Puzzle. "Come back!"

Yugi reached blindly in panic. Suddenly he saw Kaiba --no, the Priest Seto-- holding the Puzzle. Yugi stretched, and caught Kaiba's arm. He clung to it, a pillar of strength. The vision Kaiba dragged him back upright. Confused, Yugi looked up to see the vision Kaiba smiling --an odd sight for one so stern-- and then fade. Now, no longer caught in the storm, Yugi pulled himself back into reality.

And reality was very much like insanity.

"What's happening?" Yugi yelled, breaking free of Kaiba's hold and running for himself. He ducked as a block of bricks crashed down.

"The Pharaoh's mind!" Shadi yelled back. "It's unstable! This is the final stage of the Ravager!"

Yugi gulped as he felt another surge of pain from Yami. There were things in his head, speaking into his mind, shredding his link with his other self. He fell to his knees and cried out.

"GET OUT!"

Kaiba looked down incredulously. What in the world did that mean? The world was falling apart and Yugi was yelling, Get out?

Joey shouted, and shoved Ryou as a huge stone crashed through the ceiling. It crushed the place where Ryou had previously stood, creating a huge crater.

Yugi screwed up his eyes and screamed again. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Tea ran forward towards Yugi, only to be blocked by a flying iron door, flung loose by the buckling walls. "Yugi!"

The Puzzle blazed, the pure white fire blinding everyone.

Shadi gasped as he felt magical energies swirling around the chosen one. No. Yes. The boy-- this mere boy-- was calling on powers he did not know, did not understand, and-- the magic was answering him?!?

Yugi reached out mentally and grabbed his link, not caring as the tainted fire of the Ravager bit into him. Now he knew what those voices were. They were the Ravager itself, attacking Yugi's bond with Yami as well as Yami's mind and body. Everything was falling apart because now the Ravager was fully unleashed, fully born, and fully hungered. Yugi held on to this link, and gripped it, knowing that without this bond Yami would truly fall into the darkness.

Instinctively, Yugi commanded the magics he had summoned to do his will. They surged from his body, and forced the contamination of the Ravager out of their bond. The Ravager may attempt to destroy his body, they may destroy his mind, but by Ra they would not break the link that kept it all together!

The Ravager howled its own defiance, fighting back. Everything was theirs, they had conquered it, and they would feed on its remains until they were full and bloated.

Sweating, Yugi fought back. The magic around him swirled and rushed, creating an unearthly wind that spiraled up and out, stretching, reaching, and holding everything together.

Shadi stared, completely in shock. Yugi was glowing with a golden aura, and sheer Power was emanating out of him. It flowed, and spread, and the sudden chaos came to an end.

The shuddering earthquake ceased. The floor stopped shifting, the hallways blessedly stable. Things bent, but they did not break. No more abrupt hills popping up, no more rolling stairways, no more falling rocks to block their way. Everything was still.

The Eye of Horus flashed on Yugi's forehead, and then vanished. Yugi heaved for breath, his face dripping sweat. He wiped it off with his sleeve, and then looked down. The Puzzle was still glowing.

Joey looked around. Everything was normal again. Well, sort of. He glanced at Yugi, who was still recovering from…whatever he did. "For the third time, what happened? And Yuge, what did you do?"

Yugi stood up unsteadily. Everyone stared at the shining Puzzle. "I-- It's--" Yugi staggered, and Kaiba (being the closest) grabbed his arm. Yugi looked up wearily, thanking Kaiba with a glance. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

Shadi cleared his throat. "I believe what happened is that the Ravager broke through the Pharaoh's shield on his mind. It has moved from attacking the Pharaoh's body to attacking his mind directly, and indirectly the Pharaoh's bond with his hikari. And since it is because of their bond that we are all allowed in this place, to attack the bond between them is to invite chaos."

Yugi nodded in agreement. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "I'm not sure what I did, but I think I'm holding off the Ravager somehow." He wavered a little, and then regained his footing. "I think I used the Puzzle to hold things together. To…stabilize everything."

Shadi's eyes lit up with enlightenment. "Ah! Now I understand!" He turned and muttered a few words, holding onto his Ankh. It glowed, and Shadi looked around with confirmation.

"Yes. I see…" Shadi muttered, and put down his Ankh. "The Chosen One speaks truth. Indeed, he is holding this all together. It is probably only because he is the hikari of the Pharaoh that he is able to do this. The magic of the Millenium Puzzle has been spread out, locking each brick and stone in place. As long as he maintains the magic, things will remain stable."

" 'As long as?' " Tristan said. "It can fall apart later?"

Yugi rubbed his head wearily. "I don't know. I can feel the drain on me. It's not a heavy drain, but it is tiring."

"Then we had definitely start moving." Kaiba stepped away. "I do not want to try searching for the last blasted door when Escher starts becoming real-life." He began to walk down a random passageway.

"What? Escher?" Joey asked.

"Maurits C. Escher. A famous Dutch artist who drew impossible figures and optical illusions. Well-known drawings of his involve architectural impossibilities, stairways that appear to lead upwards and downwards simultaneously, and bizarre buildings with no set floor." Kaiba waved an arm. "As you can see, this has a remarkable resemblance."

Joey shuddered. Things were getting disturbing. He looked back at Yugi, who was gripping onto the Puzzle like a lifeline. Joey sighed and kneeled down. "Alright Yuge. Get on my back."

"But--" Yugi said. "I can--"

"No way." Joey interrupted. "You concentrate on one thing, and that's keeping everything sane around here. You just get on my back and I'll carry you."

Yugi sighed, and crawled onto Joey's back. "You don't have to do this--"

"Forget it. We've got to find that last door, and you can't walk around this mess and do your magic thingy at the same time. Besides," Joey grinned, looking over his shoulder, "what are pals for?"

Yugi smiled, and then blinked. "Where are we going anyway?"

Joey grunted and stood up. "To follow rich-boy over there." He pointed to Kaiba, who was walking away from them. "If he's so dead-set on finding the last door, then we might as well follow him. Come on guys, let's go."

Strange thought, that Joey would willingly follow Kaiba. Everyone else shrugged and moved to catch up to Kaiba. They had no clue what Kaiba was doing, but well, at least they were going somewhere.

Since somewhere was better than nowhere, which is where they would be if they didn't find the last memory.

Time was running out.

* * * * *

Only the soft beeping of the monitor indicated that the body that lay in the hospital bed was alive. For all other purposes, he was dead. In more ways than one.

Blood was flowing freely. It pumped out from the body's nose, trailing down the flushed face and soaking the cloth underneath. With each beep, with each sluggish heartbeat, bright red blood spurted out to drip and stain. It etched a gruesome pattern on the face.

The blood comes from both nostrils, a shining, clotless, arterial liquid that drips over his teeth and chin. This blood keeps running, because the clotting factors have been used up.

The doctors tried everything, of course. But all they could give Yami was supportive care. Multiple IVs dripped blood transfusions, attempting to replace the blood lost from bleeding and to keep blood pressure stable. One IV dripped anti-seizure medicine, just in case he went into epileptic convulsions in the dying stage.

Yami bled at all of the injection sites.

On sheer hope they also gave him immune globulin from lucky survivors. Perhaps, just perhaps, this time it would be effective, and the antibodies would fight against the virus.

Of course, the virus was an engineered weapon designed to take out everything in its path.

Dr. Seimei had even begged the Americans to give them any experimental medicines. They had had created a vaccine for the virus, surely they must of found something!

They had not. Or if they had, USAMRIID deemed it of military secrecy and could not release it.

All they could do was wait and try to make things "comfortable."

The doctors would have put Yami on a ventilator to help him breathe, but his nosebleed prevented that. And Dr. Seimei was adamant against doing an intubation or a tracheotomy. Incisions made into the throat in the presence of a hemorrhagic virus would not be a good idea.

Outwardly, Yami looked like he was the victim of a horror movie blood bath.

The true horror though, was on the inside.

Ebola kills a great deal of tissue while the host is still alive. It triggers a creeping, spotty, necrosis that spreads through all the internal organs.

If Yami continued to deteriorate, his organs would begin to fail. In fact, they would die before he would.

The liver bulges up and turns yellow, begins to liquefy, and then it cracks apart. The cracks run across the liver and deep inside it, and the liver completely dies and goes putrid.

The virus has a certain affinity for the liver.

The kidneys become jammed with blood clots and dead cells, and cease functioning. As the kidneys fail, the blood becomes toxic with urine. The spleen turns into a single, huge, hard blood clot the size of a baseball. The intestines may fill up completely with blood. The lining of the gut dies and sloughs off into the bowels and is defecated along with large amounts of blood.

The future prospects were not pleasant.

His eyes were glassy, sunken hollows, seemingly fixed on some object above his face. Completely expressionless. The eyes were vacant pools of blood red. They just…stared…

Yami no longer tried to resist the pain. He was pain-- no, he was beyond pain. His mind, having already fallen into a trance in an attempt to ward off the pain, had crossed the border of consciousness. Once again he was a fragmented personality, one that had already been broken.

He lay there, unmoving. Blood seeped out of his arm and traced a path down to limp fingers. A droplet hung from his index finger. For a second, it wavered, and then fell down onto the metal bedpan.

Ping. Ping.

Drip. Drop. Drip.

The King of Games was dying again.

* * * * *

Kaiba found himself leading a rag-tag, worn out group.

Great. Just great, Kaiba thought. I have no idea where I'm going, and they're following me?

Of course, he'd never admit that he didn't know where he was going.

Well, sort of. He had a low throbbing in his head, kind of like a mild headache, the kind that Kaiba usually got at work and subsequently ignored. The problem was, he couldn't ignore the dang thing. Whenever he came at a break in the hallway, his head would pulse in a certain direction, and if he didn't go towards that direction, the mild headache turned into a full-blown migraine. Once he went back on track though, the pain would recede back to its "mild" status. Though annoying was more like it for Kaiba.

"Hey Kaiba! Where are we going?" Joey said, breaking Kaiba's "concentration."

"Forward."

Joey made a face. "Ha ha. Very funny. No really, you got any clue?"

"No."

"What?!? You at least followin' anything?"

Kaiba turned his head around and raised an eyebrow. "A headache."

Joey stopped walking and looked at Kaiba incredulously. "You're following a headache."

"A headache that comes from you talking. Now shut your mouth, Wheeler." Kaiba turned back around and continued, well, following his headache.

"We're followin' a headache." Joey repeated. "This has got to take the cake for the weirdest things I've ever heard."

"Wheeler…"

Joey started walking again. "Alright, I know, I know…"

Meanwhile, Ryou was still trying to deal with the spirit of the Ring. Ryou kept noticing the furtive glances at wrists where the throwing knives were still strapped on. He had taken to putting his hands in his pockets, but he'd still catch a peek once in a while, as if he'd whip them out and murder them all. Considering the mental state of his yami, Ryou didn't blame them, but they made him edgy. Ryou tried to take the sheaves off, but Bakura wouldn't let him.

<And just why won't you let me take them off?>

<<'Cause I like them. They don't look that bad, too. Lots of people are wearing bracelets now.>> Bakura grinned. <<Consider them to be a fashion statement.>>

<Oh, sure. The newest, hottest fashion line, straight from the alleys. King of Thieves brand. Great stuff.>

<<Why little yadonushi, are you mocking me?> Bakura said in a lightly pleasant and very dangerous voice.

Ryou faltered, but didn't pull away. Going without "lessons" for so long had made him be a little bit bolder on the treacherous path he walked. <If I am your yadonushi, then what have you been doing? I know you've been out; what have you done?>

<<That's a dangerous question to ask, host.>> Bakura paused, and then grinned. <<But of course, you're my yadonushi; of course I'll tell you. Rather, I'll show you-->>

Ryou gulped and braced himself. Oh no--

Flash!-- Now where is it? I need to find the secret within this cursed maze--

Flash!-- By Ra, that has got to be the most disturbing thing I have ever seen the Pharaoh do…Note to Self: "Remind" Pharaoh of that particular dance--

Flash!-- Well. Well. Well.

Flash!-- Then let it all fall down, and crumble into dust, and all of his pride be stripped from him--

Flash!-- And may I forever drink his blood from the cup of agony and rejoice--

Ryou was thrown out of the fractured bits of memory. He swallowed hard. From what he could make of it, Bakura had been searching for something, and either he had found it or he had done something Very Bad and was accordingly Very Happy. This would come under the category of "Not Good."

<<You know nothing, ahou…absolutely nothing…a single piece in this game we all play…>>

Kaiba was getting to be a bit more relieved. His annoying headache was subsiding, and he actually felt a breeze. Finally, fresh air. The labyrinth was so dull and airless that the light waft made the walking a bit easier.

He didn't think of where the source of the breeze was coming from until the hallway opened out to reveal--

A huge, enormous cavern.

"Whoa…" Tristan breathed. "This is gigantic…"

Tea looked down and saw levels upon levels swirl around and become uncountable. They were very, very high up… and as Tea took a look upwards, there were still even more levels above them…

Joey set down Yugi, who promptly sat down and hung his head. So tired… He didn't care about looking around; it was all in his own head anyway…

Joey just stared. "It's like being on the stands of a huge stadium. Or there's like a big hole in the middle of his mind or somethin'…"

Pillars interspersed the place, holding the place up. A few had fallen down --probably from that earthquake attack-- and some hallway openings had collapsed. Hieroglyphs and engravings were carved everywhere, and there was a border of a bunch of Egyptian kings and praising people that lined the entire cavern. Some stairways lead up to the next level or came down, only to be cut off at the edge. There was no way to get across though.

"Um…what do we do now?" Ryou said.

"Go up." Kaiba lifted his head. "The door's up there."

Everyone turned around and craned their necks. The area right above them was not so far out as they were (so as to be a slant) and there, on the level way above them, was the seventh door, the symbol of the Rod impressed in the center.

Joey took a few steps backward to get a better view. "How'd you know it was up there?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, it's kinda weird, 'cause you didn't even look…"

"I just knew, alright?" Kaiba said irritably. "Who cares? Let's just up there and end this nonsense."

"How are we going to get up there anyway?" Tea asked. "It's practically another story high."

Tristan whistled. "Man. That is one tall ceiling."

"We're not even close." Joey demonstrated, jumping up and trying to reach the edge. He missed by a meter. "How are we going to do this?"

"We…we could try going back and finding a stairway," Ryou said.

Everyone else shook their heads mutely. This place was too confusing to do that. They might need to go too far back to find one, and even if they did, they couldn't know if it would lead to the same level, or even towards the same direction.

"What about magic or somethin'? " Joey looked at Shadi. "Maybe we could levitate up there?"

Shadi shook his head. "I cannot use the Ankh to levitate myself upward for very long, much less all of you, in a group or singularly."

"Yugi? What'd you think?" Joey asked.

Yugi's eyes shot open. "Wha?"

"You got an idea of how to get up there?"

Mutely Yugi shook his head. "Too…tired."

Joey jumped again and missed. He grabbed Tristan. "Hey Tristan, give me a boost up."

Tristan looked confused a moment, and then got it. He bent his knees and cupped his hands. "Alright. One, two, three!"

On three, Joey ran up, put his right foot on Tristan's cupped hands, and jumped while Tristan boosted Joey up.

Unfortunately, that still wasn't high enough, although Joey did brush the ceiling. Only then Joey felt gravity take over, looked down, gave a meep! and crashed.

"Ow…"

Tristan shook his head. "Well, that won't work."

"Some pity would be nice!"

Tea stepped back and looked at the door. Then her eyes trailed down. "Actually, Tristan? That just might work."

"Huh?"

"We form a pyramid. You know, like how cheerleaders do. Then the person on top can get boosted up just like you two did."

Everyone stared at her.

Joey thought. "You think that'll work?"

Tea nodded. "Sure, I've done this loads of times in cheerleading practice. We can go pretty high that way. Though I'll probably be the top person, since I'm the one who had practice."

"But Tea…if you get over, how are the rest of us going to get up there?" Ryou pointed out.

"Er…" Tea sweatdropped. "Lemme think…"

Tristan looked up closely, and then pointed a finger upward. "I know. We'll make a long rope using our clothes."

Ryou frowned. "Are you sure that'll work?"

"Well, I won't guarantee it, but this is the best way."

Well, it was ghetto (a clothes rope?!?) but hey, it was something. They came up with a fairly long rope from all their clothes. However, to get a rope long enough, the guys had to go bare-chested. Yup, jackets, T-shirts, trenchcoats, cloaks-- they all were rolled up and tied onto a long rope. Fangirls would have taken one look at the sight and died happy.

"You know, this has a strange resemblance to strip poker…" Joey muttered.

Kaiba growled as he took off his T-shirt. "Shut. Up."

The results?

Yugi got to keep his vest, since it was too bulky and short to do any good. But his black, long sleeved shirt went to the rope. Joey gave up his blue and white T-shirt, and Tristan threw in his black jacket and the gray sleeveless shirt beneath it. Ryou put in his blue jacket (with much protesting of Bakura, which made Ryou think Bakura had been putting certain things inside) and his blue and white striped T-shirt. Kaiba was forced to add in his beloved purple trenchcoat to the rope ("Come on Kaiba, it's so long and it's made of good strong leather--" "Do you know how expensive this was?!?" "Which means it'll be perfectly fine…") and when they found out it still wasn't long enough, the T-shirt (surprisingly enough) that Kaiba wore underneath. Shadi very reluctantly took off his cloak, and later on his tunic. Whoever Shadi was, the evidence of the tanned, well muscled chest said that Shadi did not always wear those long white clothes 24/7… Tea, being a girl, was spared most of the embarrassment. However, she put in her shiny, orange vest since she wore a tank-top underneath. A few un-Tea-like glares stopped most of the peeking.

Tristan tightened the last knot. "There. Go water-knots. You can trust your life on 'em."

"You sure this…rope can take the strain?" Ryou said, clutching his arms. The metal Millenium Ring was cold against his chest.

"Oh sure." Tristan pulled two ends to demonstrate. "I rock-climb in my spare time, and I make these knots all the time, to anchor and stuff. It's way better than the over-hand knot." He tossed the rope to Tea. "Here, Tea."

Tea dubiously picked it up and wrapped the bulky thing over her head and shoulders, crossing the rope diagonally on her chest. She nodded. "Right. Now, Kaiba, Joey and uh…Shadi, you guys will be the base. Then Tristan and Ryou, you guys will stand on top of them, and give me a boost. I'll be the top person."

"Man, my back hurts just thinkin' about it." Joey gave a long look at Tristan. "Take off your boots. I don't want any heels digging into my back."

So Kaiba, Shadi, and Joey got on their hands and knees. Carefully Ryou and Tristan stepped on, though Ryou kept jumping off saying "I'm sorry!" the moment Joey groaned. A few bops on Joey's head by Tea stopped that.

"Alright, you guys ready?" Tea said.

"Just get up there," Joey whined.

Tea rolled her eyes and stepped on Joey's butt. "Stop complaining, Joey." She put her left foot on Tristan's hands, and then said, "Okay. One, two, three!"

With that, she put her right foot in Ryou's hand as Tristan pushed up, and Tea zoomed upward (blessing the dressing gods there be that made her choose shorts instead of skirts today). Tristan gritted his teeth, but got his hands to go about shoulder height, Ryou trying to keep Tea level.

"Gah! That hurts!" Joey moaned.

"Sorry!" Tea shot back. The second level came up to her chest. She put her hands down on the brick level and pushed her body up farther, enough so that she could get a leg over.

Yugi winced, as he felt the magic ebb and then surge. It was hard to keep everything steady, when so many factors were changing. The Ravager kept trying new areas to break through, and Yugi's strength kept dwindling. It was like a cut that just kept bleeding. And bleeding. And bleeding--

--Hiss!!--

The ground lurched, tumbling everyone to the ground. A pillar nearby creaked. The edge of the floor above them jiggled, sending a few bricks to fall off and thunk! themselves down towards the unforgiving cavern bottom. Tea shrieked, as she was only halfway over, and felt herself slipping…

The scream pierced though Yugi. He clenched his jaw and seized the power of the Puzzle, ignoring the burning, raw power. He shoved it against the hole the Ravager had made, creating another barrier. The Ravager howled, and butted against the newly made barricade, only to have the barrier spark and lash out against them. But for now, they were blocked.

Joey whipped his head around. "Yuge! What happened?"

Yugi closed his eyes. "I lost control for a second. It's…hard…to keep this up."

Joey nodded. "Don't worry, Yuge. We're almost there." He leaned up. "Hey Tea! You okay?"

Tea was stretched out on the second level, gasping for the close call. She muttered, "Yea for upper-body strength." Just before she had really slipped off, she had managed to pull herself all the way over, though her arms were screaming at the abuse. Tea rolled over and looked down. "I'm alright."

She flopped over and pulled the rope off her shoulders. "Alright, here comes the rope." Tea stood up, unrolled the rope, and let it down. It came down to a nice height, easy for the group below to reach.

"Yugi, you come on up first. I'll pull you up."

Yugi got up from where he was sitting and nodded. Grabbing the rope tightly (or rather, Bakura's jacket tightly), he called out, "Ready…"

Tea pulled him up hand over hand. Yugi clambered over to the top, and then lay flat on the floor.

"So tired…"

Tea looked over Yugi. He was breathing heavily and one hand rested on the Puzzle. The Puzzle glowed, proving that Yugi was still keeping the magic together.

"You'll be fine, Yugi. Just keep it up." Tea looked down again. "Ryou, you next. You're the next lightest, I think."

Ryou scrambled up with no problem, his pale white body skimming up the rope. The thick knots helped a little. With two people on top, they could now pull up the bigger people. Tristan went next, then Joey, Kaiba, and lastly Shadi.

The rope was hastily undone. Well, they would have done it hastily, but the thing about water-knots is that they're self-tightening… which made Tea's hands invaluable in undoing the tight knots. So the clothes had a few wrinkles, but hey, they were up here now, right? Everyone put them clothes back on with relief.

Kaiba looked at the tail of his trenchcoat and grimaced. "The dry-cleaner is going to have a fit."

Joey patted Kaiba on the back. "That's right, Kaiba! You took one for the team!"

Kaiba glared.

Then the floor beneath them heaved, like there was a giant creature below fighting to break free. The floor ominously rumbled. Everyone stumbled, and Yugi's hands clutched the Puzzle tighter. With a loud gasp, Yugi regained control on the magic.

Tea ran over and grabbed Yugi's hand. "Yugi! Are you alright?"

Wearily, Yugi pushed Tea's hand away. " 'M fine, Tea. It's just…tiring, keeping it up all the time. Like…there's something pouring out of me."

Joey nodded. "Right. Well, we're here now, so it'll be over soon." He walked over to the seventh door. "Righto. Last door." He looked down. "And once again, no door handle."

Everyone, save Yugi, walked over and looked at the last door. The symbol of the Millennium Rod, the Millenium item that gave all of them so much trouble in Battle City, was impressed in the center, the Eye shining brightly. Beneath were those mysterious symbols they still didn't understand, and beneath those was the line they all needed.

"Well. This is fairly simple. It's right out there." Joey thumbed the line.

Ryou read it aloud. " 'Oh Doubter, touch, and believe.' "

"That's different," Tea said. "The other ones had a pattern, you know? This one breaks that pattern."

"Touch and believe, huh?" Tristan scratched his head. "Wonder what that means."

"No, it's 'touch, and believe.' " Tea corrected. "The pause must be there for a reason."

Joey frowned. "And what about the 'Doubter' part? What about that?"

Kaiba was staring at the door. It couldn't be. They were playing tricks on his mind. No way could this be true. He saw the line that everyone else saw, yes; and the second line in that Egyptian script that he shouldn't be able to read but could--

--but now there was a third line.

In the same Egyptian script, Kaiba could read, Enter, old friend.

What did all this mean?!?

Shadi stared closely at Kaiba. He saw the young man's shock and confusion. Now, Shadi thought, Seto Kaiba, High Priest, now is the time. This is the test. This will be your awakening.

Yugi lay on the floor, completely oblivious. It took all of his concentration on just keeping the magic together. His mind overflowed with flashes of swirling lights, maze layouts, screaming dragons and his dying yami. All while the Ravager was ripping and slashing and roaring in his mind--

Pain shot through his head and he lost control of the magic again. The world rumbled and shook, and things that barely survived the first two shakes lost their battle to the third. Everyone ducked and covered their heads as dust and broken shale fell down. A pillar nearby groaned, and then came down like a felled giant.

Through all the chaos, Kaiba heard that line echo in his head.

Enter, old friend.

Enter…

In a daze, Kaiba began walking forward. He had no clue of what he was doing. Nothing fell on him; in fact, they seemed to veer away. Kaiba never noticed, walking as if in a trance. His eyes focused on that single line. Slowly, he began to stretch out his hand.

Doubter, touch, and believe…

Ryou was crouched against the wall. He was the only one who saw what was happening.

What the?

Suddenly he felt Bakura's consciousness looking through his eyes.

<<No!>>

And Bakura wrenched control from Ryou, slamming him into his soulroom.

<<I will not be denied!!>>

Bakura's eyes narrowed into slits. He tensed his body, his hand flicking to the side--

--Kaiba took one more step--

--Bakura leapt from the shadows--

--and Kaiba's hand touched the iron door.

* * * * *

Yugi's mother sat on the red sofa and prayed. Prayed, and cried; she cried until there was nothing left. Although it was long past visiting hours, no one wanted to force the desolate mother to leave.

Mary wiped her face. She just wanted to see her son…just one last time…before…

But she couldn't.

And so Mary sat there in a secluded hallway near the ICU, the closest she could possibly be to her only son. There was only one sofa --a bench with padding, really-- and a tiny, water starving plant. Down the hallway was the nurse's station, and further down the hallway would be ICU 1, ICU 2, ICU 3, ICU 4 and then ICU 5.

Where her son was…

Dying.

Yugi's mother closed her eyes and denied. No, that wouldn't happen, couldn't happen. He would survive, and they'd go home the next day, and--

But really, realistically…Yugi would die. Mary fluxed between optimism and pessimism. He was young, he could make it; but he had always been on the small side, and weak…

Mary cried until she was nothing more than a hollow, empty shell. There was nothing she could do anymore, except pray and hope she would be heard.

As she bowed her head once again, Mary heard a song begin to faintly play down the hallway.

"Down on my knees again tonight,
"Hoping this prayer will turn out right.

What hospital plays English music over the intercom? Mary didn't know English very well, but she knew a little bit to know when it was spoken. Or in this case, sung. Mary closed her eyes and ignored the music, though it was oddly comforting to her.

"Please God, don't let Yugi die. Let him live, please…just let him live… I can't do anything about it, but surely You can… Please, heal him…"

"See there is a boy that needs your help.
"I've done all that I can do myself.

Mary rubbed her eyes. It was getting to be late. Sometime around midnight. A nurse had offered her a cot somewhere, but that meant leaving Yugi. And Mary would not leave her vigil. Even if Mary couldn't be next to her son in reality, she would be there in spirit.

"His mother is tired,
"I'm sure you can understand.

Solomon Moto, grandfather to the one who was dying, watched over the two children with a sad face.

He had taken Mokuba and Serenity to the cafeteria, joking all the time. For once, his age was a good thing-- he could tell a lot of stories to entertain them. Mokuba was particularly stunned that Solomon never had Duel Monsters to play with, and no holograms…

Dinner was strained, but at least it didn't become a sob fest. Solomon did everything to keep their minds off their elder brothers. But there would always be a wistful edge to their young faces, a tint of worry. Just like when Yugi would become troubled whenever Yami fell into the "memory-loss/brooding" mode.

He kept his promise to them, though. Thank goodness for the powers of age and networking. The nurses in ICU allowed Mokuba and Serenity to stay, due to the fact that they were family members and also that Solomon promised to watch over them.

Mokuba was asleep, his head resting on his older brother's chest and his small hand clutching Seto's. His long black bangs fluttered from his breathing, his face for once peaceful. The two brothers breathed in and out at the same time, gently rising and falling in harmony.

Serenity was still awake, sitting next to Joey. Just like before in Battle City. She sat there quietly and motionless, staring at her brother's face. Mutely she reached out and took Joey's hand, cupping it between her two small ones.

"Each night as he sleeps,
"She goes in to hold his hand,

"Do you think they'll wake up?"

Solomon started at Serenity's question. "Hm?"

Serenity looked up. "Do you think they'll wake up?"

"Of course," Solomon tried to assure. "They'll make it. Joey's tough, and he's gone through harder things than this."

Serenity shook her head. "But we don't even know what happened to them. I don't know what Joey's been through." She raised her eyes and stared at Solomon. "What happened to him? Why is he like this? I can't help him if I don't know what's happened to him!"

She ducked her head and sobbed.

"And she tries not to cry
"As the tears fill her eyes.

Serenity shook her brother. "Wake up, Joey! Please, wake up!"

"Serenity!" Solomon got up, reaching out his hand. "You can't--"

Serenity ignored him. "Stop scaring me like this! Wake up, Joey, wake up!" She stared into her brother's closed eyes. "Do you hear me? Wake up!"

"Can you hear me?
"Am I getting through tonight?

Mary cupped her hands, as if Yugi's frail hand was between hers now. She remembered the last time she had held her son's hand. The hand that had streaked and dripped blood simply by her touch…Mary flinched at the memory. She couldn't even hold her son's hand. Couldn't even see her own son. He was locked away in a little white room with only machines and a monster keeping him company.

If only she could just see him. Just to see him, to know that at least for a little while, he was still alive…

"Can you see him?
"Can you make him feel all right?

Mary gave up formal prayer and just pleaded.

"Please, God. If you're there, if you're really listening to me, if you really exist, then save my son. He doesn't deserve this. He's been through so much…"

Mary appealed. She begged. She sobbed tears that never came.

Somehow, that was even sadder than before.

"Why must he suffer? Why him? He's so innocent, God…my little angel…why are you putting him through this? Let me suffer…I can't live without him...anything, just please…"

"If you can hear me,
"Let me take his place somehow

As Mary covered her face again, having dug the hole of despair even deeper, she still heard that blasted song. It echoed her own pain and longing, a plea for help.

"Please…if you're listening…save him…please…he's my only son…"

"See he's not just anyone,
"He's my son.

"What's wrong?"

Mary blinked. Who said that?

A little girl bent her head way down so she could see Mary's face. The girl, no more than perhaps six, bounced her legs on the bench edge and asked again. "Why are you crying?"

Mary sat up and looked down at the child speaking to her. She was small and tiny, almost fragile. Black shiny hair whished around as the child craned her neck back to look back into Mary's eyes with amazing blue ones, eyes that looked oddly old in such a young face. Mary felt strange…like the child just knew…

Mary looked at the girl, wondering just why the child was here. The bench was in an out of way place; she should have noticed any passer-by. But that girl had just…appeared. Mary turned, and asked, "What's your name?"

Bounce. "I'm Sybil. What's yours?"

"…Miss Moto."

Smile. "Nice to meet you."

Mary frowned inside her mind. 'Sybil.' That was her first name and not her family name. Why give her first name?

"Why are you here?"

Sybil wiggled her toes. "My daddy told me to wait here and watch my big brother. He's sick in the hospital." Sybil lowered her head. "They said he got a funny sickness. But Daddy says he'll make sure everything will be all right. He went to go talk to my big brother and the men in white suits. Daddy says my big brother will be back home real soon."

Mary wished that could be true for Yugi was well.

The little girl smiled in that endearing way that small children do. Dimples and all. "You were crying real hard. What's wrong?"

Mary folded her hands and stared at them. "My…my son is…very, very, sick."

"Ooooh." Sybil wiggled her toes. "That's sad." She paused, and then said, "When is he going to get better?"

"He's…not going to get better."

Sybil frowned in confusion. "Why not?"

Mary tried to put it in a way the child could understand. Which was bluntly. "He's going to die."

"The doctors aren't going to help?"

"They can't."

Sybil cocked her head. "But why aren't you helping?"

"I can't either."

"But mommies and daddies always help! My daddy says he'll make things better, and he's always right." Sybil stretched out her legs and clutched the bench. "Daddy never gives up, and he never leaves us. Grown-ups shouldn't ever give up."

Mary smiled at the supreme trust this girl had in her father. If only everyone could be that trusting. "Really?"

Sybil turned around and nodded furiously. "Uh-huh! I always know that Daddy's going to be right there if I ever get hurted. Daddy's helping my big brother right now, just by being there. Sometimes all we need to know when we're sick is that someone's watching over us."

Sybil's eyes grew wider, and she sat up straight and said very solemnly, "Daddy says that angels are always watching over us."

And then Sybil grinned, and the quiet moment broke. Mary blinked, and it was as if the little girl before her had never become a miniature adult and said something totally un-childlike.

Suddenly Sybil hopped off the bench. "Daddy's calling!"

Mary turned her head around. She'd heard nothing…

Sybil turned around and waved. "Bye-bye! I promise your son will get better!"

And with that, the little girl skipped down the hallway and disappeared. Confused, Mary stood up and looked down the hallway, but she saw no one. Mary frowned, and thought. Why had Sybil been here anyway? It was long past visiting hours, so her family shouldn't be here in the first place. And why would her father tell her to wait in such a secluded hallway? In the ICU hallway, no less. Mary walked down the hallway, wondering just where the child had went. Finding no one, she made her way to the nurse's desk and the lone nurse sitting there.

"Excuse me, but did you see a young girl go by?"

Nurse Kusuri blinked. Wasn't visiting hours over by now? "Ah…no."

"Really?"

Nurse Kusuri nodded, and looked at the security cameras. "Yes, no one has passed by recently."

"That's strange…" Mary trailed off.

"Hm?"

"Well, I talked with a little girl named Sybil, and she just left, going down this hallway. She said that her father told her to wait there and also called her, but I heard nothing." Mary looked around. "Just where did she go?"

Nurse Kusuri looked at Mary strangely. "I heard no one go by this place for over an hour. There is no way a little girl could have come by this way."

"But I did see her!" Mary protested. Something was very wrong here…

Nurse Kusuri shook her head. "You must be mistaken."

Mary opened her mouth, and then gave up. She moved to turn away, and then had a thought.

"Excuse me, but just what song were you playing back awhile ago?"

"A song?"

"Yes, it was in English…"

Pause. "We don't play music, ma'am…"

* * * * *

Kaiba barely registered the fact that his hand was touching the cold metal door when the memory seized him--

He was gone. I picked up the Puzzle pieces and clutched them. My Pharaoh existed no longer in this world--

All because of the stupid magic. I growled. All because people were so greedy, so selfish, so incredibly stupid as to meddle with the higher magics. For this, my Pharaoh, my rival and friend, had to sacrifice his very life just to seal what the fools had released.

Magic was tainted, and all it had caused was more suffering and pain.

I stood up, and threw down my Rod.

"I swear, by Osiris, Isis and Horus, I will never use magic again."

--and Kaiba was back in the present.

Kaiba gasped and wrenched back his hand, clutching his wrist as if he had been burned.

* * * * *

Bakura leapt forward, knife clasped in his hand. He could practically feel the lifeblood beating in front of him, the pulse just waiting to be slit--

--LIGHT!--

:You shall not harm This One!:

<<What!?>>

Ryou stirred in his soulroom. Something had happened. He'd seen Kaiba walking forward strangely, and then--

His eyes flew open. No. The spirit--

<What have you-->

Bakura stumbled in mid-leap and landed on one knee. <<Stay out of this!>> His fist clenched shut, and magic pulsed.

:They are under my protection.:

Ryou shook the fog out of his mind. Someone-- But the spirit had-- A feeling? No, a presence-- Confused, Ryou reached out a mental hand. <Who-->

Bakura snarled and seized magic to punish whoever dared to challenge him. <<This is MY domain, and I shall do what I please!>>

:Not this time.:

And suddenly it was the spirit of the Ring who was locked in his soulroom and Ryou who knelt on the floor, dazed.

Suddenly, Ryou felt the attention of someone --something-- that no mortal should ever have. He felt like there were eyes watching him that he could not see.

:Little One.:

And the voice deepened, and seemed to fill Ryou's ears, his mind, and his world shrank to only the voice that resonated all through him.

:Listen well, Little One. My time is short. Now is the time to act. Awake! Sleep no longer! The winds of fate are changing. What is to be is not what it once was.:

:Now forget, Little One. Forget until you are ready to remember again.:

* * * * *

Yugi shook, his body literally streaming with unrestrained magic. He screamed as magic surged through him, no longer under control, overflowing his link and wrecking havoc. He was caught in a wildfire that ripped and raged, with no chance of escape--

--LIGHT!--

:Peace!:

And the fire died. The world shuddered once, and then subsided. All was calm.

A soothing feeling ran down through Yugi, healing the magical wounds he had suffered. Exhausted from keeping the magic together, Yugi let it be. A light mind-touch, much like how Yami used to do, brushed across his mind.

:Courage, Chosen. Waver not. Stand strong in the time of the shifting sand.:

It didn't sound like Yami… /Who…/

A gentle brush across his face. :A servant only, nothing more. Heed my words. You were Chosen for a reason. Call forth your inheritance, and all will be well.:

/What--/

:All will be well. Stay true to your heritage and all will be well.:

* * * * *

The dust shifted, and settled. Joey cracked open an eye. When nothing came crashing down, he stepped out from behind the fallen pillar.

"Hey! Everyone okay?"

Tristan groaned, and emerged from underneath a pile of rubble. "Define 'okay.' " He rubbed his head, and a bump was beginning to form. "Gah…my head hurts."

Tea crawled out behind Tristan. "Where's Yugi?"

Joey looked around, to see Shadi kneeling and cradling Yugi's head. "Hey, Mr. Turban-- I mean, Shadi. Is Yugi okay?"

Yugi stirred, waking up. " 'M alright, Joey." He blinked sleepily, and then noticed Shadi looking down on him. "Oh. Thanks. Were you the voice I heard?"

Shadi frowned. "I did not speak."

"But…" Yugi said. "I heard a voice…"

Ryou was still on his knees, trying to figure out what happened. He'd seen…something…and then…he was here? That didn't seem right.

Tristan bent down and touched Ryou's shoulder. "Hey, Ryou. You okay?"

Ryou shook his head, and sat back on his feet. "I'm fine."

Tea knelt down by Yugi. "What happened? Are you sure you'll be fine?"

Yugi sat up, his hands already clutching the Puzzle, which was still softly glowing. "I'll be fine, Tea. I just lost control again." Yugi hung his head. "I think-- I think I lost it completely, that time, and everything just recoiled at me. I don't know how I got it to stop, though. Everything was just falling apart--" His eyes went blank. "--and then there was this voice…"

"What voice?" Joey asked. "What did it say?"

"I don't remember." Yugi closed his eyes, trying to recall. "All I remember is it saying, 'All will be well.' "

"That's strange…" Ryou muttered. I think…did I hear a voice as well?

Ryou inwardly winced, bracing for the acidic remark from the Spirit of the Ring.

…Nothing.

Ryou blinked. He gripped the Ring and cautiously tested it. Nope. Still there. Just that…it seemed so…quiet. Or perhaps calm was the word. …Which was an oxymoron with the spirit.

"It matters not." Shadi said, standing up. "We must continue on."

Heads turned towards the door, where they saw Kaiba kneeling, clutching his right hand--

--and an open door.

"What the--"

Yugi blinked. "It's open…"

Joey looked from the door to Kaiba. Then from Kaiba to the door. "Kaiba, did you do that?"

Kaiba stood up and glared at everyone. "What?"

Tea pointed at the open door. "The door. You must have opened it."

"I did not." Kaiba crossed his arms. "The door opened by itself."

Skeptic faces stared back. "I don't think so," Joey said, pointing a finger. "I know you've done something, Kaiba!"

"Does it matter?" Kaiba shot back. "The door's open, so who cares?"

He turned around, his purple trenchcoat whipping across. "Are we going in or what?"

And with that, he stalked through the doorway. Confused, the rest of the group mutely followed, into a room with tall marble pillars, hieroglyphs etched across the granite walls, foreboding statues that stood in a line.

This place just didn't make sense. Why, of all the doors, did this one have another chamber? Why did they not open the next memory?

They walked down along the center, still following Kaiba.

Until he stopped, stunned.

For there, at the end, stood a door.

Except that the door was the same carving of the one in the Domino Museum.

* * * * *

The game is almost over.

Time is running out.

Tick. Tock.

Drip. Drop.

Footnotes:

[1] = tracheotomy -- the act or procedure of cutting into the trachea through the neck, as to make an artificial opening for breathing. An intubation is putting a little tube in the throat; often used for people with throat cancer. Obviously, cutting up someone with a virus that is transmitted through bodily fluids is bad. The immune globulin therapy hinges on the fact that serum from a survivor would have antibodies against the virus. Hasn't been thoroughly tested with Ebola (not exactly many survivors and test subjects), but generally did not work in labs. USAMRIID-- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, at Fort Detrick, in Maryland. One of the few places that has a Level 4 biocontainment area.

[2] = water-knots. A type of knot used in rock climbing. Basically, one rope end (which is one of those flat nylon types, called webbing; not the round stretchy ones) is tied in a loose overhand knot, and the other rope end is traced through the over hand knot. In the end, the water knot is flat; you tighten the knot by pulling on the two ends. The water-knot is self-tightening, meaning the more you pull, the tighter it gets. Oftentimes, by the end of a climb, they're so tight you have to cut the knot off. Water-knots, unlike most knots, do not weaken the rope; and if webbing can hold around 5000-8000 pounds (2270-3630 kg) I'm sure that the knots Tristan made won't break. The shirts might, though. (But of course not Kaiba's trenchcoat; that would be so devastating, don't you think? *evil grin*)

[3] = Japanese generally give their last name first, then their first name, especially in the case of a minor to an older person. There is a reason for this unusual usage, though. (Though it probably only makes sense in my head. Djanil: *nodnod*)

(4) The song bit was from "Can You Hear Me" by Mark Schultz. No own, no sue. Yes?

(5) Egyptian:
s neb shweer -- Cursed is every man
maa sheta-ee iw mewet -- To see my secret is to die

(6) Japanese: *covers head* Please don't hurt me for screwing up any Japanese language or customs. It's hard enough dealing with English and Chinese and learning Egyptian on the side. Anyway, past Japanese references:
ahou -- fool
mou hitori no boku -- my other self. Yugi's term for Yami.
yadonushi -- host or landlord. Used mockingly by Bakura as his term for Ryou.
kami-sama -- God.
Iie -- no.
kuso -- shit. And before someone yells at me for swearing, I am trying to be as in character as possible, and unfortunately most adults swear. Also, I quote, "On the other hand, there are words that are "swear words" but are not as socially forbidden in Japan as in the West; kuso, for example, is both the literal and figurative equivalent of "shit," but doesn't carry the weight of the Western s-word. An actor or an anime character can say kuso on Japanese television with almost no repercussions." Drazen, Patrick. Anime Explosion!: The What? Why? & Wow! Of Japanese Animation. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2003.

Author's End Notes:

Toboe LoneWolf: Again, happiest thanks to everyone. Thanks for reading this monstrous, plot tied fic. If I could hand out real Ebola plushies and cookies to everyone, I would. But instead, all I can give is a digital picture and a HUGE THANKS to all of you. Seriously, I wish I could say more.

Djanil: *looks up* You've said enough.

Toboe LoneWolf: -_- Oookay then. *covers head* Major sorries for lateness, and killing of Jou-Jou. Like I said though, there is a reason. Oh, and about Sybil…anyone get her disappearance? And the voices? ^_^ Ah, connections, connections…

Ryou: Yea. More voices inside my head.

Toboe LoneWolf: But it's finally your part, Ryou! And Yugi! And…Kaiba! (And some Shadi on the side.)

Ryou: Not looking forward. Sheesh, I get knocked out--

Toboe LoneWolf: Nuh-uh, Ryou! No telling anymore! So, shining moments for Ryou, Yugi and Kaiba next chapter! Mysteries explained! A battle beginth and endth! …Oh, and Yami hurts.

Yami: *groans* I've been stuck here for twelve chapters, aka one year, can I get off?!?!

Toboe LoneWolf: *innocently* Want company? *whistles* Ravie!!!

Ebola Plushie: Wheeeee!

Yami: O_O Nonononononono!!!

Toboe LoneWolf: Nice and comfy like, Yami. ^_^ So next chappie, we deal with the present. Later, the past…and perhaps later on…the future? ^_^

And lastly, I'll share this: Quote from Giant Microbes, seller of Ebola plushies:
Since its discovery in 1976, Ebola has become the T. Rex of microbes.
Share the love!

Now go and do likewise. XD Thanks ya'll, please review, and see ya later!