STORY SUMMERY: It had been only weeks since the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, where Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, had bravely stood against the Dark Lord, and failed to protect the world from the sinister creature's return. However, the Death Eaters and their master moved fast, locating an appropriate location to continue their plotting and plans. One of which would not only complicate the lives of the Order of the Phoenix, but of several others as well…
STORY WARNINGS: Drama, Violence, Angst, Swearing, Romance (Shonen-ai and Het)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey! Thanks so much for the long reviews, everyone! And thanks for answering my questions! :D For now, I'll stick with Marik.
And on pairings: My rule of thumb is this- if they're straight in canon, then they'll probably end up straight in my stories. Maybe I'll be evil and make them bisexual (cackles madly while lightning flashes in the background), but for now use this as a guide as for what to expect from me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh. I'm not making money off of this. Also, I blame coffee and my sadistic ways for most of this chapter. Bwa-ha-ha?
CHAPTER TWO:
TRUCIDO, CELO
Ryou stared down Marik, his own brown eyes burrowing into the other teen's lavender ones. He exhaled sharply, the corner of his eyes twitched in concentration and indecision. Marik smirked, but his own eyes were concentrating just as hard as Ryou was, narrow and staring.
The world seemed to stand still for them before…
"Higher!" Ryou cried, thrusting a pale, accusing finger at the tanned boy. The Egyptian's left eye twitched as he stared at the card in his hand.
"NOT A-RA-DAMNED-GAIN!" The teen bellowed, throwing the ten of spades into the air and clutching his blonde hair. He frowned unhappily, pouting at his friend who was smiling innocently at him, eyes closed and head leaned gently to the side. Marik reached over and flicked his nose, eliciting a sharp yelp from the white-haired boy. Ryou rubbed his nose, glaring half-heartedly back at the lavender-eyed teen.
"My turn," he merely snapped back, and snatched a card from the deck while Marik, chuckling, placed his card into the face-up card pile. Ryou turned his doe-brown eyes on the card in his hand, and his vision narrowed in confusion. There was a duel monsters card stuck face-down on the playing card. Ryou, under the confused watch of Marik, peeled the card away from the six of hearts. He flipped it over in his hand.
Ryou's voice hitched in his throat, brown eyes widened as they fell upon the card in his grasp. He'd only seen it once before- when he'd been able to sneak around his yami's defenses to look at the world. He'd never forget it- how angry and… sad his yami had felt as he'd held the monstrosity in his hands- the merged form of man and snake.
Diabound Kernel.
Ryou wasn't aware that his hands had been shaking, or that a cold sweat had started to form along his brow until Marik grabbed a wrist and he instinctively flinched, turning his brown eyes upon the Egyptian. Marik was saying something to him, but Ryou was having a hard time hearing him. A deep feeling of loneliness filled Ryou, as well as a strange yearning, a desperation that made the albino boy nauseous. Marik gripped his shoulders and shook him slightly, jarring the freshly-scarred wound on his right arm. This extracted a sharp hiss from Ryou, and he jerked backwards, clutching the wound with his left hand, the right still holding the card.
"What was that about?!" Marik snapped, voice barely above a whisper. Ryou shook his head, gasping slightly before holding the card out to Marik. Marik took it gingerly, eyeing it with confusion.
"I haven't any idea why…" Ryou began softly, wiping away the sweat from his brow, "but, this card… it reminds me of… him."
Marik dropped the card as though it were made of acid and had been eating away at his flesh. Ryou instinctively snatched the card from the dirt, frowning at it quietly. "Strange, isn't it? That it would remind me…" Ryou trailed off, eyes softening as he held the card in his hand, the other instinctively reaching up to grab for the golden trinket that wasn't there. Marik shook his head, and began to shuffle the deck of normal playing cards together.
"Not really. Every time I see a Nightmare Wheel card I get chills…"
Ryou smiled appreciatively at the other teen before slipping the card into his pocket with a sigh. Maybe he'd one day understand these feelings, but for now, he'd have to live with the gnawing confusion. He turned back to Marik, eyeing the deck that was placed before him with a forlorn stare.
"Alright, I'll try another card…"
He stared at the Queen of Diamonds darkly before looking up at the blonde Egyptian.
"An eight."
"… Higher."
"Dammit!"
No matter what they told him, Bill Weasley hated this. The redhead currently was glaring at the fireplace before him, elbow leaning against the arm cushion of the red, gold, and green plaid couch. His chin was resting in the palm of that hand, while his other tapped his fingertips idly against his knee. His own blue eyes were narrow and dark, his mouth twisted into a frown.
He'd been called away from his work in Egypt under the guise that his mother had fallen ill. However, it was merely that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's forces were gathering up for something big- he was needed here for the counterstrike when that occurred. That didn't stop Bill from feeling antsy about the situation. It felt like something was going horribly wrong- like he shouldn't be there.
CRACK!
Bill leapt from his seat, wand whipped out and pointed towards whoever had Apparated into the same room at him. However, his wand immediately lowered at the annoyed and pale face of Severus Snape. The greasy-haired male glared back at Bill with dark, narrow eyes.
"Where is Headmaster Dumbledore?" the man said immediately.
Bill opened his mouth to talk when the grey-bearded wizard strode through the door from the kitchen, the grey-haired Mad-Eye Moody and the graying brunette, Remus Lupin, following behind. Dumbledore's long, blue robes dragged only slightly on the ground as he hurried into the room, his usually soft blue eyes hard and nervous.
"What is it, Severus? You're back several hours earlier than expected…" the elderly man asked, his voice holding none of the apprehension his eyes betrayed.
"The Death Eaters have already made their move, Albus," Snape spoke evenly, and all the faces in the room paled. "Egypt. To attack Mister Bill Weasley. Lucius Malfoy planned the event, but is currently at the Ministry, pouring lies about the state of the extremist Egyptian Wizards in Barty Crouch's ears. I suspect it'll be the dig site the Weasley boy was working at."
Bill's eyes widened, mouth dropping open in horror. Dumbledore was ordering Remus to contact the rest of the Order, and to place Mrs. Figg on high-alert over Harry Potter. Sirius Black rushed into the room, pale and drawn face tense.
"What's going on, Albus? Something's wrong with Harry?!"
"No, Sirius," the old man said in a softer tone, "only a precaution. Help Remus send word to Arthur and Nymphadora."
The tall man paused before turning and following his friend as he rushed from the room. Bill moved forward. "I have to go with the team, Headmaster."
"Bill, you were the original target. If they get sight of you…" Dumbledore began, but was cut off as Bill spoke once more.
"I'm the only one who can speak Egyptian, and we don't have the time to cast a Language Charm on everyone."
Dumbledore exhaled, a dark cloud hanging over his vision. "Fine," he said quietly, but a twinkle returned to his eyes a second later, "but do tell your mother and father that I put up a better fight than that, would you?"
"Lower."
"… You got it again, Ryou."
Both boys sighed, staring at the deck of cards for several seconds. Ryou rubbed the nose for a moment.
"Do you know any other card games?" came the eventual statement. Marik shrugged, blinking down at the red-backed cards.
"Well, there's always 'Go Fish-'"
Marik was broken off suddenly by the sound of yelling from above them, and the other researchers came to a pause in their work. Someone was running down the winding pathway to their chamber, and Ryou pressed himself against a nearby wall. Marik followed suit and kicked the deck of card in doing so, sending them flying off over the sandy ground. Ryou instantly clutched the Millennium Eye in his pocket, breathing softening to almost pure silence. Suddenly, the balding Donald Badger rushed down the doorway, fear obvious in his wide grey eyes.
"We've got to get out of here!" he exclaimed as the other men rushed to their feet. Reggie Baggs stepped forward, a hand at his back pocket.
"Why, Don? What's going on?!" the new-guy demanded, grey eyes flashing dangerously.
Donald opened his mouth to reply, but a feminine screech sounded behind him, the exact phrase was lost to Ryou, for a bolt of green lightning struck Donald in the back, and he was thrown across the room, body striking a wall and falling to the floor. Lifeless eyes stared over the group, seemingly pointing at Ryou and Marik's location. Ryou clamped his hands over his mouth to stifle his cry.
Fortunately, he wasn't the only one. Several of the workers gave strangled cries, leaping to their feet and rushing around, knocking each other over in an attempt to take cover. Five figures rushed into the room, two of the forms leading, in long, full-body black robes. Faces covered by the black material, they pointed sticks- the feminine figure held a grey one, the masculine one wielded a black stick- in different directions. The shrouded men behind them followed in suit.
Marik pulled Ryou closer to the wall, better hiding them in the shadows so that the intruders would overlook them. Ryou's eyes were wide, horror clearly depicted in their brown surfaces. Marik kept his breathing steady, but desperately avoided looking over at the corpse, whose eyes stared so accusingly at them…
The feminine figure spoke first, mirth and joy bubbling from her mouth, as though she were a child at an amusement park. "Well, look at all the Muggles! So much to do! So much to do!"
Her partner stood still as death, and just as quiet. His face turned to watch as a worker tried to rush past him, but his pointed his wand in the man's direction, and the worker was instantly struck by a shot of red lightning, and the man slumped to the ground. One of the other cloaked men stepped forward, grabbing the limp man's shirt and dragging him towards the exit. He dropped him in a heap, and pulled a dagger from his cloak. Marik and Ryou averted their eyes, Marik clutching onto Ryou's arm unconsciously as they both stared at the two people in the middle of the room.
'Oh Gods…' Ryou instantly thought, clutching his Millennium Eye tighter, 'they're going to find us, and kill us… oh Gods…!'
As if reacting to his panic and fear, the shadows of the room flickered to life, catching both Ryou's and Marik's trained eyes as they danced on the walls. Ryou stared at his feet for a moment before exhaling softly, concentrating on the shadows before him. The shadows at his feet quivered before slinking up his legs, sliding over his body. When they reached Marik's hand, they swiftly slid over to him, coating his body as well in a cold, silky darkness. Lavender eyes found the world far darker than it used to be, and he clutched Ryou's arm tighter.
"Ryou!" Marik whispered into the albino's ear, "What's going on?!"
"Stay still and keep quiet," Ryou retorted, face, if possible, paler, "and don't let go of me."
In front of them, Reggie Baggs had moved forward, and was pointing a stick back towards the others. His grey eyes were narrow and harsh, although fear flickered deep within. His voice, however, was calm.
"What… do you want?"
The cloaked male turned and stared at the cloaked female, who nodded slightly. She giggled out to Baggs, "Oh, we are here representing the Egyptian Wizards of the West, who have come to… stop this… uh…"
"Archeological dig," Ryou's father supplied helpfully where he was crouched by the unopened door, although his face was pale and eyes hidden by his sunglasses. The giggling witch nodded to him.
"Thank you so much, Mister…?" "Bakura." "Oh, of course! Thank you Mister Bakura! Yes, archeological dig. We don't want you disturbing our great Pharaohs of the past, such as this one."
Ryou's eyes narrowed and turned to whisper what the woman said to Marik. The Egyptian's nose flared and his eyes darkened dangerously. "This isn't a Pharaoh's tomb," Marik began with a snarl on his lips, "it's a nobleman's tomb. No way that these people are who they say they are."
The woman was obviously not aware, for she then turned and pointed her 'wand' at Grisson, who was hiding behind his stack of stone tablets. Ryou could almost see the cruel smile on her face as she giggled again.
"And because you have disturbed our great Pharaoh's rest," she said with a soft, child-like voice, "there must be retribution! Your souls will make wonderful gifts to our Gods for such a disturbance. Now," she turned to her group of men surrounding her, "die."
The incantations were sent every which way, and green lightning flew from sticks and slammed into bodies. Grissom was the first to be struck, and he crumpled over his stone tablets. Amborne, Smith, and Collins had rushed into the room at the first sign of trouble, and were the next to fall. Workers screamed and rushed past the cloaked men, only to come flying back down, a barrage of red and green lightning bolts streaming from the exit.
Baggs leapt forward, his own wand firing red and purple and blue streaks at his attackers, managing to get himself in front of Ryou's father, the person nearest to him. He managed to take out two of the four that were attacking him, forcing them to fall to the ground, unconscious or dead- Ryou wasn't sure. Mister Bakura, however, was horrified, eyes twitching from the men in dark robes to the newest member of his team.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Ryou gagged when a body fell down in front of Marik and himself, turning a pale green. Marik's eyes were shut tightly, and he clenched tighter to Ryou's left arm, while the white-haired boy's brown eyes stared down at the corpse of Jeffery Franks. Franks had worked with his father for years, they were practically inseparable. Jeffery was recently married, Ryou's mind numbly told him, and you watched him die without even trying to help.
Ryou didn't even bother to argue, but turned his head around, looking for his father amongst those that still stood within the tomb.
"…And Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks your Black Magician Girl!"
The towering form of a white dragon with wide blue eyes spread its wings, letting out a scream of rage before turning upon the form of a young blonde woman who was holding out a blue staff, her green eyes narrow with fright. The white dragon opened its mouth, and let out a ball of brilliant white lightning. The figure of the woman screamed as she was engulfed, and was silenced as she vanished. The dragon let out a bellow of pleasure and settled next to its twin, awaiting their third.
"And I end my turn. What're your life points at now, Yugi?" Kaiba called mockingly from the other side of the room. Attached to his arm was the wing-like Duel Disc System from his Battle City tournament.
Across from him stood Yami, wincing slightly as his life points dropped to two-thousand. A trickle of sweat dripped from his brow and he glanced at his empty field. He just couldn't concentrate on the game, instead his mind focused on something else… like an annoying ache was pulsing somewhere from the back of his mind. He shook his head and gave Kaiba his best sneer.
"Oh, I've always got something planned, Kaiba!"
He was about to draw when suddenly a metallic clank reached everyone's ears. Mokuba, who had been standing as close as possible to his brother's side of the field, spun around and blinked as Yugi's small black backpack dropped from the table it had been set on. Three sets of eyes (Yugi was peering through Yami's) watched the backpack for a moment, when it lunged forward, hopping slightly across the floor.
"What the hell?!" Kaiba called from across the room. Mokuba jumped backwards, and Yami rushed forward.
"That damn Ring!" he snarled leaping forward to catch the slinking backpack, but merely managed to scuff his nose when he missed. In a small flicker of light, Yugi appeared in spirit form next to him, hopping from one foot to the other.
/ Get it, Yami! /
/ I'm trying, Yugi! /
Yami crawled to his feet as he chased the bag down, cursing Kaiba under his breath for making the room so large that the bag could manage to avoid his every attempt. Mokuba eventually sprinted to his side, and after cornering the backpack, Yami grabbed it. Yugi peered worriedly at the black sack, and Kaiba, left eye twitching in annoyance, approached from behind.
"Yugi, what are you doing?! This won't get you out of the duel…"
Yami glared over his shoulder at the CEO. Kaiba rolled his eyes, and Yugi stood next to his Yami, watching the bag. Kaiba frowned at Yami struggled to open the bag. "What's in your backpack that's making it jump all over the place? Did you bring and animal in here?!"
Yugi flinched at Kaiba's tone while Yami managed to open the sill twitching sack. Kaiba peered into it, and his eyes widened in shock. The Items within were all still and looked absolutely innocent… save for the Millennium Ring. The barbs had managed to poke several holes in its plastic bag, but it hadn't yet been able to cut itself loose of the fishing line that kept it tied tightly to the bag's interior. It jerked again, flailing like a golden fish on dry land. Mokuba stared at it for several seconds.
"That's pretty Ra-Damned weird."
"Mokuba- language."
"But you-"
"Are older than you. Mutou, what are you doing to Bakura's necklace?"
Yami shook his head, keeping his fingers away from the sharp tips of the Ring as they flailed about agitatedly. "I'm not doing anything, Kaiba," the teen responded, staring at the Item. "But knowing the Ring, it's definitely not good."
Kaiba stared at Yami's form for several seconds.
"… Alright, Frodo. Do you want to go to Mordor and drop it into Mount Doom?"
"Shut up, Kaiba."
Marik and Ryou sat numbly in their small corner, eyes dully looking on as the group of men and women started to walk out of the tomb, high-fiving each other at the carnage. Finally three of the cloaked figures remained- the leader of the entire operation, and the two who lead the group inside the tombs. Of the men within, only Ryou's father and Baggs were standing: Mister Bakura was tied with rope that had appeared from the tip of the new man's wand. Baggs, however, was stiff and leaning against the wall of the tomb, his wand snapped in half and lying across the chamber. Finally, the three spoke.
"All right, Mister Bakura," the female figure giggled, "you'll find that we Egyptians are quite forgiving, if only to those who do us justice. You earned my favor by helping me earlier. However, it has now run out and you will die if you don't tell us what we want to know."
Mister Bakura's sunglasses had been removed and discarded, landing against the opposite wall as Ryou and Marik. The blue-haired male smiled at the woman softly, his green eyes oddly blank on his tired face.
"What is it?" he answered softly. The trio looked at one another when the leader- a lanky being that moved slowly, with precision- stepped forward. He stood before the green-eyed man, and exhaled.
"Do you know," an elderly male voice with a British accent came forth, "where a Mister Bill Weasley is?"
Ryou jolted at that, and the shadows that hid them wavered for a moment until he forced himself to focus. Marik looked over at him, and mouthed, "What?"
"They're looking for Bill Weasley," Ryou spoke back, face slightly green. Why would they be looking for Bill Weasley? Why all this violence… death… over one man? Why?
Mister Bakura started, and dropped his gaze to the ground. "He… left. Earlier this morning. Something wrong with his family."
The lanky fellow growled in annoyance and nodded to their muted companion. He stepped forward, and pointed his wand at Reggie Baggs. Ryou's father gasped, eyes wide.
"Pl-please!" he cried, "I'm telling the truth!"
"I doubt that, Mister Bakura," the man drawled again, and nodded. A blast of white energy struck Baggs, and he went limp immediately. However, he was given no chance to move, for a second later the giggling woman stepped forward.
"Crucio!" she giggled, and Reggie Baggs let loose a scream that made Marik's pupils shrink. Ryou gripped Marik's shoulder with his left hand, for Marik had pulled his away, clamping them over his own ears to try and block out the screams of agony that made memories of his past fly back to him.
Ryou closed his eyes, and focused on the darkness behind them, focused on the shadows that hid Marik and himself. He avoided thoughts that made him think of his father, bound before those people, and focused.
A voice broke through the screaming.
"Stop, Vulnus. Maybe the Muggle will tell us now."
Ryou opened his eyes, and Marik slowly pulled his hands from his ears, face pale and eyes half-lidded. The woman stepped back, keeping her wand on Baggs as his spasms died down to mere sobs of agony. Mister Bakura turned his face away from the form beside him, shaking. "I… I can't tell you what I don't know. He's gone."
"Pity. Avada Kedavra!"
Baggs jerked once more on the group, mouth open to scream, but no noise came. Instead, he went limp, and Mister Bakura sobbed beside him, face pale, drawn, frightened.
"Crutenus? Place the body with the others. We'll give Mister Bakura one last chance," the elderly voice uttered, gesturing with his wand to where they had piled the bodies in a corner. Baggs's lifeless form was hardly an obstacle for the silent wizard, and he threw him on top.
Ryou, however, couldn't bring himself to divert his brown eyes from his father's shrunken form. His breathing quickened, and he knew what would happen. He could feel it. See it in the air around the people. He clutched the Millennium Eye again, panic rising in his stomach and threatened to make him scream. He clutched Marik tighter, looking over at the blonde teen, to find the lavender eyes already back on him. The shadows quivered around them, and it was all Ryou could do to keep it from falling.
"Mister Bakura, please look at me," the man spoke again. The blue-haired man complied slowly. The cloaked figure bent lower, gazing at him. "Where. Is. Bill. Weasley?"
"I'm sorry!" the green-eyed male choked out, "He isn't here anymore!"
The man strode away from him, disgust written in the way he walked, a snarl evident on his breath. He nodded to Vulnus, the lady, and she giggled gleefully.
"Sorry Mister Bakura!" she cooed, "But you know orders! You've got to follow them." She leaned back, pointing her wand at him, "Avada Keda-"
"No!"
Ryou hadn't realized he brought himself to a stand, or that he'd shouted until the eyes of the room found their way to him. The shadows hastily retreated from their sights, and erected a shield of shadow in front of Ryou's father. The man stared in surprise at the shield of darkness. The green lightning that raced from the wand collided with it, and withheld it.
CRIK-CRACK!
For a moment, before the womanly figure leaned into the spell, and shattered the small shield. The green lightning consumed the man with blue hair and green eyes, and sent him into a nearby wall. He lay limp, he did not blink. He did not breathe. He did not live.
Ryou felt his horror fade away, leaving him with a pleasantly numb feeling trickling over his body. Someone grabbed his shoulder- Crutenus, the silent one- and pulled him over to where the others had gathered. He landed heavily on his side. Marik was soon to follow. He brought himself to a sit, and blinked up with a dull stare at the veiled face of the woman who'd killed his father.
"That was some spell, kiddo," she giggled to him, ruffling his hair with a gloved hand. Ryou blinked his brown eyes, aware that Marik was twitching next to him. The woman continued, "Wandless magic, I presume?"
Ryou opened his mouth and choked out with a croak, "You could say that."
The other two men were starting toward the exit, and the elderly man called over his shoulder, "Just finish them, Deridea. Afonik and I will get the rest of us to the Portkey."
With that, the two left. Marik was staring between Ryou and the shrouded woman before them. Ryou felt a twinge of pity within his numbness for Marik. He was about to die and had no idea that it was coming. He let out a soft chuckle at that, and this made Vulnus pause in her attack.
"Why are you laughing?" she asked, her childish voice holding a curious note. Ryou shook his head, a tried expression crossing his face.
"No reason. Go ahead. Blast me."
She shrugged and was about to comply when suddenly a black shrouded man fell down the tunnel, gasping. "Vulnus! The Order! It's come!"
"What?! Shit!" the woman cried, spinning around to glare at the entrance as the other man stumbled to her feet before standing. Vulnus spun around, ready to shout the incantation, and saw that the two boys had fled from their sitting spots. She growled under her breath, stomping her foot in a pout.
"We can't leave until they're all dead!" she whined to the other, who nodded quickly to her and rushed after her when she tore around the tomb.
Ryou and Marik paused in front of the door Ryou's father had been trying to open, and Ryou felt his emotional blockade start to slip, and he muffled a sob expertly. Marik ran his fingers over the inscriptions, mumbling in ancient Egyptian. He pressed a forefinger onto the pupil of the Eye of Horus, causing the door to shiver and open.
"C'mon, Ryou!" the Egyptian shouted, for their attackers would have heard the loud rattling from the old stone door. "Get inside!" Ryou stumbled after him, and the sounds of the robed duo seemed quieter in the darkness of the tomb.
Ryou latched onto Marik's wrist and tugged the boy after him, down the constricting corridor, which ended in a small room. Too dark to get a good look around, Ryou pulled Marik to a corner to the left of the entrance, setting the taller boy in front of him and hugging him to his chest. Ryou peered over his shoulder, and then clamped his eyes shut, pulling the shadows over them again.
"We have to move fast," Ryou breathed into the tanned boy's ear, "don't stop running. No matter what."
Marik numbly nodded, lavender eyes wide with fear and determination. The two cloaked individuals rushed into the room, their wands glowing at one end. They stalked forward, and then turned right. Ryou softly shoved Marik's shoulder, and the teen moved softly forward, drawing from his experience as a Rare Hunter. Ryou, however, was a thief before he was even born- sneaking came about almost naturally to him. Of course, this was anything but a comfort, and he pushed this from his mind.
"There they are Vulnus! Gah! Avada-"
Marik broke through the door they'd recently opened, and yanked Ryou to the side, sending them rolling, barely dodging the bolt of green lightning. Marik stumbled to his feet and spun around, eyes widening at the sight before him.
Ryou panted, feeling his arm wrapped around something soft. He shook as he raised himself up, staring down at a pair of lifeless green eyes, partially blocked by blue hair. He gave a startled cry when he realized he was lying next to his father's body. Marik tugged on his shirt and helped pull him to his feet. Ryou stifled a sob as he backed up, and they darted towards the exit.
"Not so fast!" a voice giggled to their left. Ryou stopped short when the cloaked woman suddenly appeared next to Marik with a pop! The blonde boy jerked backwards, but was snatched up into Vulnus's arms, her wand pointing at his head. The other man ran over to her side, a wand pointed at Ryou who stood a few feet from the trio.
"Sorry, kiddo," Vulnus trilled, and Marik struggled more. She jabbed the wand to his throat, making him choke momentarily. Fast-falling footsteps reached their ears, and she gasped, turning sideways to check to see who was coming from the outside. Ryou's eyes twitched from the cloaked man to the entrance, and felt a flutter of hope rise in his chest, combating the steadily-climbing depression.
Bill Weasley was rushing down, wand pointed at the woman with Marik. She giggled at him, but made no move to do anything when she saw four others come rushing down behind him. She tossed her head with a giggle, and pressed the wand harder against Marik's throat. His lavender eyes were narrow and clouded over, head twitching slightly and fingers clawing slightly at his captor's arms.
"Weasley!" she squealed happily, "And friends!"
"Let the boy go," the redhead said dangerously, blue eyes hard and cold, like sapphires behind glass. Vulnus giggled again, shaking her head.
"No, silly! He's my pet now," she squeaked, and stroked Marik's blonde hair quickly before putting the wand to his throat again. Marik snarled at the touch, thrashing violently, eyes wide and pupils small. Ryou's face paled.
"Don't lose control, Marik!" Ryou called to his friend in Japanese, and took a few steps forward. He suddenly found two wands pointed in his direction from both cloaked wizards. Marik blinked before snapping out of it, closing his eyes and turning his face away, panting slightly.
"Quiet, kiddo," the witch pouted to him, and turned back to Bill and the group behind him. "Maybe I should leave you with a doll, however…"
Ryou's eyes widened, feeling a sick feeling in his gut.
"Don't you like your dolls, Yadounishi? I got them just for you."
"You did this for yourself!"
"Even so, at least I'm giving you rent."
The world came crashing back around him instantly when the witch's laughter rang cruelly through the tomb. During the time when he had zoned out, three of the wizards had gotten into a fight with the man in a cloak, and he held them at bay while Vulnus still held both Marik and himself hostage. Bill and the other man, a withered-looking fellow with graying brunette hair and harsh blue eyes, were holding their wands at the giggling mistress, and she merely laughed cheerfully at them.
"A doll it is!" she trilled and turned to face Ryou. Ryou felt his hand dive into his pocket of its own accord, and clutching the Millennium Eye fearfully. Then she squealed:
"Avada Kedavra!"
There were cries from around him, but his own eyes were focused on the approaching streak of green lightning. The shadows immediately crept up to defend him, and stalled the blast for a moment longer. The shadow shield cracked, splintered, but held. Long enough for a thought to cross his mind.
'The Eye! Use the Eye!'
Was it… his own thought? Or was it from… him…?
With no time to question it, Ryou did the only thing that came to his mind- he pulled the Millennium Eye from his pocket, and held it in front of him.
The shadow shield shattered, and the blast came through, just as powerful as it had to Baggs, Grissom, the workers… his father…
And struck the Eye of Horus.
The Millennium Item began to glow brilliantly, and for a moment Ryou felt hopeful once more. Then an aftershock of energy slammed into his chest, and he felt the spell seep from the Eye into his hand, and pain filled his mind. He was aware that he'd gone flying, but then there was only blackness.
Only the shadows of his mind…
AFTER NOTES: Honestly, I wasn't expecting this chapter to be so long. Really. I couldn't find a place to end it that I liked. I'm fond of cliffhangers, but this chapter wouldn't have accomplished anything without this ending, I think.
Additional Disclaimer: I also don't own the Lord of the Rings series. I couldn't help myself with the joke. Forgive me? :D
