Author's Preface:

I hope this shows you the immense power of reviews. I hadn't intended to continue this, but then I got a few reviews asking about it, and, well... Here we are. I do have one more chapter planned for this as well.

WARNING: This chapter stars Yami no Marik, and all the insanity and cruelty that implies! Read at your own discretion. I wouldn't consider this overly graphic, certainly not enough to justify a Mature rating, it's just Malik toying with some heads and being his usual twisted self. Oh, and there is one use of the B-word.

The desert wind playfully made the hem of the Dark Lord's cloak flutter as he stood before the old stone building in a long-abandoned city. Reptilian eyes glared at the darkened buildings as if they were the cause of all his problems- including the persistent pain deep in the center of his being.

Curse all Shadow Mages, and their casual use of punishment curses! Despite the… setback… he had not given up on finding another Mage to teach him the dark, forbidden arts of their magic. The possibility of a Mage being able to remove the painful curse never crossed his mind. Truly.

His search had brought him to Egypt, the original homeland of the Shadow Mages. Rumors of one bloodline, holding the artifacts that could unlock the Shadows, had trickled slowly into his ears. The Ishtars, revered and feared in most of Egypt's magical circles, had especially drawn his interest. The youngest boy of their family was rumored to have inherited some of the power of his ancestors. He'd come to find him personally, not trusting his Death Eaters to handle him this time, but his search had led him only to this abandoned, ruined town…

"Ishizu told my other half you were searching for me."

Lord Voldemort nearly jumped out of his skin at the hissing, sibilant voice and whirled around to face it.

The bronze-skinned man leaned casually against a degrading building, his long purple cloak waving in the wind that also combed invisible fingers through impossibly spiked, messy blonde hair. The bright desert sunset glinted off the gaudy golden ornamentation on his arms, neck, and ears… and the golden scepter in his hand that radiated a Mage's unmistakable dark power. Lord Voldemort swallowed as his aching soul gave a shudder- the curse upon it reacted with the stranger's magic.

Red eyes met crimson-tinged violet, pupils shrunk to mere pinpricks, and the Dark Lord realized… the Mage knew.

"Oh, yes, Fluffy let us all know what happened… Quite a clever punishment, if I do say so myself. But I pride myself on not being quite as grumpy as our resident thief." He spread his hands dramatically. "I am willing to at least hear your proposal before dragging your soul through the darkest parts of the Shadow Realm."

The Dark Lord took a deep breath, a feeling thrumming through his veins that he couldn't- wouldn't- identify. (It wasn't fear- he was never afraid! He was the most powerful wizard in the world!

… Wasn't he?)

The mage smiled, a glint of too-sharp canines revealed in the twisted expression.

"You'd best start talking, wizard. I grow bored very, very easily."

"My name is Lord Voldemort. I am the most powerful wizard in existence, and I aim to cleanse the world of the useless Muggles and their magicless lifestyle. I came seeking you so I could learn your style of magic; think of it! How powerful we could be, if we added our strength together! You could help me scourge the world, and rule the new society by my side…"

"Nope, you lost me there." The Dark Lord broke out of his rant, startled. "If I'm going to rule the world, I'm going to rule it my own way, not second-best to anyone." The golden rod in the young man's hand tilted in his direction.

"Now, the question is… What shall I do to you?" Voldemort was frozen in place by the pure mad glee he saw in those eyes.

"I could drop you into the depths of your own mind, or even more traumatizing, pull you into mine… No, Hikari-pretty doesn't like that idea, since it's partly his mind too. Ooh!" The man bounced on his toes. "I could take over your mind and make you go tie pretty pink bows onto kittens! Or I could make you slaughter everyone you care about. But no… You don't care about anyone, do you? Perhaps I should just kill you, remove one more annoyance from the world…"

"NO!" The wizard was just as startled as the mage when Bellatrix leaped from her hiding spot behind a ruined pillar- when had his most loyal servant followed him? Why?

"You won't hurt the Master! I won't let you!" She pointed her wand at the mage; even from a distance they could see that her hand trembled. The mage laughed, a dark, chilling, mad sound.

"Oh, here we have the loyal dog, come to protect her master…" Another cackle. "But would he do the same for you, little mutt?" His voice descended into something resembling a croon as the mage pointed the golden rod at the witch. Though he couldn't see them, Voldemort could feel the creeping cold of the Shadows the man controlled as they surrounded Bellatrix. Her arms went rigidly to her sides and her eyes went strangely blank.

"Bellatrix…" Voldemort whispered in despair, despite his determination to be quiet. He couldn't fight this magic; what if he was the next to be ensnared? The mage grinned.

"Oh, so that's the pretty bitch's name? Come here, Bellatrix…" He extended one hand, and like a zombie, she crossed the distance to take it. Whatever he was doing, it had to be similar to the Imperius curse- his Bella would never submit of her own will. The mage pulled her into a twisted parody of an embrace; one muscled arm around her waist, the wings of the scepter pressed dangerously under her chin as he pulled her back to his chest.

"Broken little Bellatrix… Pining after the man who saved you from your own little hell… But he'll never notice you, you know. He's not human anymore, doesn't have enough soul to even comprehend such loyalty and emotion." He licked the shell of her ear slowly, torturously, and frowned when she didn't react.

"Oh, now that's no fun…" He loosened a bit of the magic and Bellatrix's mind broke free, eyes filling with panic even as her body stayed still. "That's better." The mage met Voldemort's eyes. "It's so much more fun when they're aware of what's happening, don't you think?" He pressed the scepter a little harder against her throat.

"Now, time to prove my point… Bellatrix, let's make a bet, shall we? I bet that your master won't be willing to face me to win your freedom. If I win, I get to play with you until I'm bored. If you win, you get to go live with your so-called Master for a little while longer." His arm tightened around her waist and she gasped. "Let the game begin…"

Terrified, tearful eyes met his. Voldemort was baffled. Surely she knew that he couldn't hope to face this unknown magic? Sacrifice a knight to protect the king, it was only good strategy, but Bella was staring at him as if waiting for him to step forward and protect her.

The mage was staring at him with that insane smile. It only widened as the wizard took a step back, and when he turned around the man broke out in gleeful laughter.

The last thing he heard before he Apparated out of the village was Bella's heartbroken, tortured scream.

Author's Notes:

Poor Bellatrix, putting all her faith in a man who truly can't return it...

Seriously, it was your reviews that made this happen. The plotbunny had gone to sleep, and then I got reviews from this story and BAM, it was awake and bouncing around the room like my dog on a sugar high. Thank you all. :)

I hope you enjoyed this new installment, review if you feel the urge!