Okay, this is part of the bigbiggigundonormoushugeass fan(atic)fic I thought up! This is part of Yuugi-tachi's adventures on their road to becoming... nope, I can't tell you! You'll have to wait and see!

So I'm not allowed to tell you where they are or how they got there. You are going to remain painfully ignorant of what they are doing and why. I can't even tell you what age they're in (but you should be able to figure it out easily). You will claw at the computer screen, screaming at me to tell you what is happening and where the hell all the other characters are, to no avail. You are going to hate me, and you will want to do nothing more than punish me by reading no further, but you won't be able to stop, because you will NEED TO KNOW what happens next. Because the story is just that good.

So, by all means, continue!

Katsuya couldn't remember the last time he had run so fast. Sure, he and the rest had been sprinting during training almost as if their lives depended on it. But now that it really was a matter of life or death, he was amazed at the difference.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. His right hand automatically groped for whatever was lodged in there, when Shizuka yelped. "Wh-what...?" he panted, barely managing to talk over not only their own thundering footsteps, but the countless screams and inexplicable explosions all around them.

"O-oniichan... you're bleeding!"

Shit.

"No... time!" he managed to gasp, for the white-hot burning sensation in his shoulder was beginning to spread. "Just... run! Run for... your friggin... lives!" Some thick, warm liquid was dripping down his back, and he really didn't want to think about why his sister was so horrified at the sight of it.

Shizuka gaped at him, disbelieving. Dark red blood was rapidly gushing out of the wound, the cause of which was still quite visible in the form of a long, cruel-looking arrow shaft portruding from his flesh. Shizuka was panicking so much she could hardly think. There was her brother, bleeding more than she thought anyone should while doing physical labor, and all she could think was that if she pulled the waepon out now, he would bleed even more. But then she was struck by a sudden, horrible thought.

What if that arrowhead was poisoned...?

She didn't want him to bleed uncontrollably, but was it worth the risk of some dangerous toxen leaking into his body? She knew if there was poison, it would have to be sucked out right away, but was it worth the risk of causing him to lose enough blood for him to die? She had to think of something, and fast. Everything she knew about open wounds was telling her to not touch it until they got some clean bandages, whereas everything she knew about toxic, unsanitary, or otherwise dangerous substances was telling her to get that thing out of her brother immediately.

She thought as hard as she could, knowing full well that Katsuya's life depended not only on her making the right choice, but the right choice being made in time, meaning she had scarcely more than a few seconds. She looked ahead, memorizing where to put her feet so she wouldn't trip, and then, her lower body settling into a swift, efficient pattern, stared hard at the base of the arrow. She leaned in carefully, trying to examine it thoroughly without hindering Katsuya or actually touching him.

"Shizuka?!" he yelled, sounding anxious and worried.

"I'm right here!" she replied, gently placing the tips of her fingers on his uninjured shoulder. "I'm all right, I can keep up! Just focus on running!" Then she realized something of the utmost importance.

Whether that arrow was poisoned or not, she had to get him to stop moving.

"How much further is the boat?" she shouted at nobody in particular.

"Should be right around the next turn!" Ryou shouted back. "It's this way, just follow me!" As soon as he rounded the corner, however, he came to a screeching halt. Miho nearly crashed into him, and Hiroto actually fell over, catching himself just before what would have been a spectacular face-plant in the dirt. Ryou screamed something in Egyptian, which the rest could only assume meant something terrible and profane.

As they turned to look at whatever had gotten him so upset, though, anyone close enough might have been able to identify four different voices yelling things that could only have been learnt in the filthiest of city slums.

The ship was there, all right, just as Ryou had assured them. It was almost exactly as they had left it, sitting innocently on the water, tied securely to the dock. There was just one teensy weensy little problem.

It was up in flames.

They all stared in horror for about five seconds, until a loud splash snapped them back into reality. Still swearing profusely, Ryou, Hiroto and Miho took off after the fallen lifeboat. Katsuya made to follow them, but Shizuka grabbed his arm and held him back. She yelled at him to shut up; they weren't about to be abandoned-- while swiftly turning him around, using light from the tremendous fire on the docks to properly see the wound in his shoulder.

She held him still, carefully inspecting it. Then she noticed his ragged, unsteady breathing, coupled with the fact that his eyes were sliding in and out of focus, and he was beginning to sway ever so slightly, even as she kept a tight hold on his biceps. "Oniichan, sit," she commanded, and he slumped to the ground in exhaustion. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before carefully maneuvering around him to check his forehead for a rise in temperature. It was as cold and wet as a rock on the ocean floor.

"Ryou!" she yelled to their companions out on the water, "Hiroto! Miho!" They didn't seem to hear her over the chaos. "OI! GUYS! KATSUYA'S HURT!"

The information took a moment to register properly. But register it did, for Hiroto soon came leaping out of the water and across the short distance between them, screaming obcenities. He stopped just short of the siblings, intense frustration showing on his face. "What the hell happened?!" he demanded, then saw the arrow. "Why's that still in?!"

"I don't want him bleeding to death, okay?!" Shizuka's stress was quickly turning into real panic, forming teardrops at the corners of her eyes. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do!"

Hiroto, if possible, felt even worse at his friend's misery. "I don't know either," he admitted sadly. He turned to face Ryou and Miho, who had just caught up with him. "Guys?" he asked hopefully.

Ryou, always the mature one, leant down to have a look. "He won't die." Everyone relaxed a bit. "He's just paralyzed. I saw an apothocary back there; its owner is probably in the mob. So he shouldn't mind if I snatch an antidote. As for you three--"

"I'm coming with you," Miho said quickly. "None of us should be alone."

Ryou conceded the point. "Fine, but Hiroto and Shizuka, stay here. One of you-- I don't care-- has to get Katsuya onto the boat-- who's watching the boat?!"

Hiroto swore yet again, and made a mad dash for the drifting lifeboat.

Ryou watched in wonder, shaking his head as he and Miho departed for the apothecary. "Did we learn anything in the mountains?"

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Miho grumbled darkly in response.

Meanwhile, Anzu was wondering the same. She ducked into a nearby alleyway, angrily holding a hand to her nose, which was bleeding profusely. "Fucking brats..." she muttered, remembering the band of young noblemens' sons who thought they had a chance of stopping her. If she hadn't hesitated to beat the crap out of the littler one, she wouldn't have gotten a rock thrown at her face. Seeing no other option, she grudgingly tilted her head back, knowing full well the nasty sensation of blood trickling down her throat that would soon follow.

"Hey, miss." She jumped at the voice, staring at the opposite end of the alley to see one of the boys she'd just escaped. She glared at him, quite unable to speak properly due to her nose. "I'm awfully sorry about my mates back there. They're still young, you see. They don't know how to treat a lady."

Anzu raised an eyebrow at his words, not to mention his tone. Who did this kid think he was?

"I, however, have much better manners." Had she free use of her sinuses, she would have snorted. Right now she settled for a twisted smirk. The boy, unfortunately, seemed to think she was smiling at him, and took it as an invitation to keep going. He sidled on over and continued in what he evidently thought was a sexy and seductive voice, "You know, I'll soon be of age. We do have a beautiful house with a garden, and with luck my father may soon recieve a large sum from the king in thanks for--"

But she would never hear what his father had done to get into the king's good graces, because at that particular moment a series of quick, light footsteps were heard from where Anzu had entered the alley. A familiar spikey head emerged from the darkness, as Yuugi's small form edged its way in to join them.

He glanced briefly back the way he had come, then smiled, satisfied. "Lost 'em," he explained happily.

"Excuse me," the boy cut in rather obnoxiously, "but we were--"

"Anzu," Yuugi interrupted, much to the other boy's ire, "why is there a ten-year-old coming on to you?"

She shrugged. "'E eng 'is fellow brads thwew a wock ad by doze."

"Your nose...?" Yuugi's smile faded, and his eyes flickered ever so slightly. Anzu groaned inwardly. Yuugi was getting angry. This was not good.

"Anzu," it seemed the boy had picked up on her name, "You don't have to keep living with the likes of him..." Here he took note of Yuugi's-- admittedly-- odd appearance. Yuugi, meanwhile, was uaffected by the implications of that statement, and helped her with her nose, his mood lightening considerably when she stopped bleeding.

"Unfortunately, I can't imagine anyone else whose likes I'd rather live with," she informed him coldly. "Now get the hell out of our way before I hurt you." She shot him a scathing look, and he paled.

In yet another part of town, things were not going quite so smoothly. "Ryou!" Miho yelled, "The antidote!" He looked quickly up at the shelf, which was just beginning to fall. He swore, making a mad dive for it. Miho jumped to handle his opponents as well. She cursed at the odds; five on two was not good. She swung her blades artfully, chopping some of their wooden weapons into pieces. She then seized the opportunity to dart foward, jabbing at their heads and successfully knocking several unconcious. The others, upon catching sight of their fallen comrades, turned tail and fled.

Miho, having heard an ominous thunk, whirled around, only to find her friend collapsed on the ground. "Ryou!" she shouted, her voice a little higher than necessary, "Ryou, are you okay?"

"Bottle..." he mumbled confusedly, "headache... don't like it..."

Indeed, quite a large bruise was forming where a glass bottle had apparently hit him. "Just don't close your eyes, alright?"

"Mmm."

"Now which one is the antidote we need?" He raised a hand, a small vial clutched in his fist. Miho was grateful for this; she doubted she could have identified one mysterious potion from another. She tucked it into her belt pocket and hoisted Ryou up onto her back. "Whatever you do, Ryou, do not close your eyes!" And with that she took off toward the beach.

Several minutes later at the lifeboat, Shizuka and Hiroto had just finished hauling Katsuya into the depressingly small watercraft. They sat in worried silence, waiting for their friends to return. Suddenly they heard a scream.

"Bring the lifeboat over here, you idiots!" Miho was sprinting toward them, Ryou slung over her back. Poor Hiroto had to actually jump into the water and start kicking to get the boat closer to shore. He was noticing a pattern; he hoped Yuugi wouldn't have to be hauled to the beach, half-concious, on Anzu's back.

Eventually, as Katsuya and Ryou were beginning to come to, Hiroto's unspoken question was answered. Two rapidly approaching figures became visible as dark spots, soon turning into Yuugi and Anzu. The gang's spirits lightened considerably; they were about to wave when suddenly a much larger dark splotch appeared behind their comrades.

"Dear Anubis..." Ryou breathed in his native tongue, now fully awake, "please be kind to us when all is said and done... and please Your Holiness, tell my brother I tried..."

Behind Yuugi and Anzu there was almost literally a sea of humans, as the largest and most deadly angry mob they had ever seen chased them to the beach.

Yuugi and Anzu, meanwhile, were gesturing wildly, just about screaming their heads off. Those on the boat frowned. They shouldn't be losing their cool like that... Then Shizuka realized what they were pointing at. Upon turning around to see, she paled, squeaked, and grabbed the arms of the those nearest her. Everyone looked out, then up. A wave of mind-boggling proportions towered over their little rowboat. There was just enough time for a scream from Shizuka and Miho, an "oh" from Ryou, and a word or two of some very filthy language from the other boys.

The wave came upon them with a sickening lurch. They were lifted into the air, left to gape in horror at the dark water below. It came at them with frightening speed, and before they quite knew which way was up, they were all submerged in the icy Mediterranean, wincing when their precious lifeboat came down after them.

Yes, I'm going to leave you like that. The main purpose of this whole charade was to gather interest for my fan(atic)fic, but I also wanted to show how my writing has improved by a LOT, and to let everyone know that I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!

Also, you may have noticed that the characters (particularly Ryou, Miho, and Shizuka) seem a lot more tough and badass than we're used to. Don't worry, it all works out in the story.

And I think I'll have a contest! Y'all can try to guess:

1)where they are

2)what they were doing before this

3)what misfortune befalls them next

4)what they eventually become

5)what part of the story this is

6)an idea (however vague) of where the others are and how old everyone is

If you're right, I have the following prizes to choose from:

1)Jou and Mai sprite

2)SetoxKisara sprite

3)SetoxKisara wallpaper

4)very large smartass Seto GIF

5)very large flashing Seto GIF

6)sweet/sad SetoxKisara doll (a doll is like a really big sprite)

7)adorable SetoxKisara GIF

If you get more than one right, you can have more than one prize. I am willing to give a prize just for reviewing, and a prize just for trying. So you don't have to get anything right, you can just guess and tell me your first, second, third choices, etc., and you will automatically get two prizes. Sweet deal, huh?

So, please leave your reviews. I want to see how this turns out.