DIS: I actually intended on discontinuing this story, but then I sat down after finals week when I got home from work and was doing laundry and figured I'd read something. Recalling that I had written a few pages on this a couple months back, I decided to read what it was that I had written and somehow managed to complete this chapter. Eureka!

X

Chapter Eleven

Night had fallen and while Otogi was seated near the fire he had conjured, Isis moved around their temporary campsite, her hands hovering a few inches from her chest as she raised protective barriers. Even with the barriers, however, they were taking turns at being on watch in case one of the sorcerers happened upon them in the night. Once she was finished, she paused to glance behind her at the younger male. He was staring intently at the fire with a haunted expression. "Have you ever been in love, prince?" she asked him, lowering her hands and joining him at the fire. He continued to gaze at the fire for a moment and then sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing them.

"No," he answered crisply, "I have not."

"I suppose not," she said mildly, unbothered by his tone. "Love can completely overwhelm a person. Familial love torments enough, but nothing compares to when a person is tormented by love for another person. If a person becomes entirely possessed by it, then it is all that drives them. Nothing can break its spell. If, however, they control it as the Prince Yami has, then it is not made out as an obsession, but as true love." Otogi slowly raised his head to look at her. "He misses your sister dearly. To be in such a state of love, you must sacrifice your very soul to that person. When that other person is gone, they have taken a part of them with them. When they go of their own accord, then that part goes with them, yet it still hurts. When they are taken as violently as Anzu was, that portion is torn violently and leaves a bleeding wound that never closes up. It will always be there. If we do not recover your sister, he will always be in a state of injury. Do you understand why I am saying this to you?"

"No," he said flatly, "I do not."

"I can sense that you do not believe the prince to care as much as you do about your sister."

"I know he cares for her," Otogi snapped a bit too loudly. He controlled his voice and after taking in three, careful breaths he continued, "I don't appreciate some heartless wench from Hoshäi telling me of matters that you know nothing of. First, let me say that although I believe your story about your brother, it does not change my view on you or your people. Furthermore, I am only cooperating with you because nobody of any use will help me and most of those in Kraion and Siruean are so paranoid that they barely allow any magic to be performed! I appreciate your assistance and acknowledge that, but I'm not interested in your analysis of mine or Yami's affairs." With his exposition concluded, he turned his angry stare to the fire.

"I apologize," Isis said softly after a view moments of silence. "I did not mean to offend you. I will keep our relationship strictly professional and once again, I apologize for overstepping." He did not reply. In any other situation, Isis would not have taken such rudeness from someone of considerable less rank than herself, but she understood his situation all too well. He was bottling up a good deal of emotions, mostly worry and stress. She could not blame him for his distrust, as her people hardly deserved it. It did not help that she had practically told them that she cared more about finding her brother than the mission for which she had been sent.

I have incriminated myself, she admitted, and I expect nothing less than hatred from this prince.

"There is such a horrible mixture of magic in this forest," Otogi abruptly said as she was absorbed in her thoughts. She flashed him a curious look through the corner of her eye, somewhat surprised that he had picked up such a thing. "Too much of a mixture."

"I agree," she said. "Did you sense the magic as we came in the forest?"

"No...What was it?"

"A barrier," she replied and closed her eyes, pulling her cloak around her more securely. "A barrier that keeps any who enter inside."

X

Anzu woke in the middle of the night, feeling as if she had only blinked. She was as awake as she might be if it were midday. She found herself staring across the room, wondering what it was that had woken her up so suddenly. The fireplace glowed, showering light upon the walls and causing shadows to bob up and down on the ceiling. The effect was eerie and not at all something she wanted to lay watching in such a silent setting. She sat up and slipped out of bed, moving to the door quietly. She listened for a moment, but all was quiet. She considered simply going back to bed and trying to sleep, yet she was still uneasy.

Careful to make no noise, Anzu left her room and crept downstairs, pausing at the bottom of the staircase to listen again. The kitchen was empty and too dark for her liking. Feeling her muscles tense up with fear, she hurried into the den where a fire was dully crackling. The shadows seemed to loom up behind her, but she remained standing, listening. It seemed like ages that she stood there until she heard a sound outside. Swallowing, she approached the entry way and went to stand by the door, staring outside. A dark shape was moving around outside along the edges of the barrier, making horrid, beastly sounds. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she fumbled at the knob, but there were no latches or locks in which to put in place.

"What are you doing out here?"

Anzu gasped and threw herself away from the door, tripping upon her own feet and collapsing on the floor. Bakura stood above her, his eyes narrowed on her limp form. Anzu had not seen him since the discussion early in the day. Since then, he had confined himself to his chambers. She was uncertain whether she was more frightened of him or the creature outside. Regaining what little courage she possessed, she said, "I was woken by something and came downstairs to see what it was...There's a...There's something out there."

"Mm?" He opened the door, causing Anzu to stumble to her feet and skitter around him, grabbing the door and pushing at it. He glanced at her and then roughly pulled her away from the door. "Don't be ridiculous, you stupid little girl," he bit out. "Do you honestly think that there aren't creatures that try to surpass the barrier other nights? Look at it. It doesn't dare go any further than where it is now. It know we're in here, whether it can see us or not." He grabbed her wrist and shoved her in front of him. "Look at it," he ordered, holding her arms in place against her chest. "You want to know everything about this new world you're in? Well, take a long look at that beast, princess. It's been exposed to whatever dark magic that's corrupted all the animals for the longest. It's completely mutated it to something that is no longer recognizable."

Forced to stare at the beast, she felt a sudden twinge of pity. Although there was no doubt that the sounds it made were violent, it also seemed like it was tortured and was seeking some sort of escape. As the fear gradually drained from her body, she was suddenly aware of how close she was to Bakura. She could feel the warmth of his body behind her and stiffened. He must have noticed and correctly interpreted the reaction. He laughed, putting his face next to hers, his laughter massaging her cheek. "Concerned for your precious virginity, princess?" He chuckled darkly again and then spun her around so that she was facing him. "Or are you desirous to lose it?" She felt a rush of horror streak through her and as she tugged at her wrists, he released her. She found her balance and glared at him from her place. "No worries," he snidely said, "I don't particularly want it."

As he turned away, she asked, "Did you take Mai's?" The question had not even been in her head before she said it. It simply came and flowed out of her mouth at the same time. He paused and slowly turned to look at her again. "Why else would she feel so vengeful towards you? Did she love you?"

"Don't bore me with your romantic visions," Bakura told her coldly. "There was nothing of the sort between her and me. Mai doesn't love. I don't love. It's about time you realize that this world is not sugar coated in every situation. Life isn't easy like yours and your prince's lives are. Or rather, were." There was a bitter tone to his voice when he spoke about Anzu and Yami's lives being easy that surprised her. She opened her mouth and then stopped herself. Whenever she felt a bit of sympathy towards Bakura, she felt conflicted. He didn't deserve it with how he treated her, much less with what he must be putting Yami through by her being missing.

X

Isis glanced behind her to look at Otogi in question. She could feel the strength of the magic she had felt earlier become stronger the further they moved into the forest. Bakura must have gone very deep into the forest to avoid detection, she mused. She knew that they were getting close and magic helped hasten their journey. Otogi had been surprisingly quiet and thoughtful, likely because of the knowledge that they would be stuck in the forest with no way out. Not that it will mean much to him once we find his sister safe and sound, she thought to herself. Once he is with the princess, he will have no reason to be in a hurry to get back. She paused, turning her head in question. Otogi continued to walk and put a hand on her arm to indicate that he had sensed another person with them as well. Isis probed the area around them, but could not detect her brother's magic. A sudden explosion of dark spirals swam towards them. Isis lifted a shield just in time to deflect them. The shield shuddered dangerously, a subtle sign that whoever she was facing was not a weak sorcerer. But if it is not Malik...then it must be...

"That's a strong shield you managed to raise in such a short amount of time," Bakura remarked, emerging from the trees with a handful of plants. He was wearing gloves, likely to protect his skin from any poison that may be contracted from the plants. Isis felt Otogi stiffen beside her as he recognized their adversary. Afraid he might do something rash, she held an arm in front of him. Bakura noticed the gesture and looked from one to the other with an amused look upon his face. Isis was unaccustomed to facing someone outside of Hoshäi who had such magnificent power. She had only heard of Bakura and very faintly, at that. It was no wonder that her brother chose him to hide with in the forest. "And by your appearance...I would say that you are from Hoshäi."

"You are correct, sorcerer Bakura," Isis calmly responded, brushing some hair from her face that had flown into her face when she had raised the shield. Bakura's lips curled into a smirk and he raised a hand. She stiffened, watching the slow swirls of dark magic build in the palm of his hand.

"Shall we see how your shield lasts against a harder blast?"

"Wait, fiend," Otogi barked out, shoved past Isis.

"Prince, no! You don't know who you're dealing with!" she cried out, glancing uneasily at Bakura, who watched them mildly, not lowering his hand.

"I don't give a shit," he said to Isis, turning his head slightly so that he might meet her gaze a moment. "Listen, you," he turned back towards Bakura, pointing a commanding finger to him, "I know that you have my sister, Anzu, and I also know that you're as trapped as we are in this damn forest. I'm willing to make a proposition with you. I might not be that much help, but the fact that the barrier is still up is an apparent sign that you are as baffled by it as we are. Or, well, as she is since she sensed it before I really did." Isis watched Bakura's humor fade from his face, transforming it into an aristocratic, haughty expression. He seemed to be seriously considering Otogi's words and she was shocked to find that he lowered his hand and allowed his magic to fade back into nothing. Otogi looked a bit triumphant.

"I'll just kill you later when I've found you useless," Bakura told him.

"Fuck you," Otogi pleasantly answered. The latter sorcerer raised an eyebrow and then eyed him interestedly. Isis was surprised that he still did not kill them.

They are more desperate than I would have thought. "What makes you think that Anzu will let you kill us?" she asked Bakura. "Wouldn't that foil your plan when you took the princess from Kraion?" Bakura swept his cloak out and carefully arranged his plants on the belt in his pants so that he would have his hands free. When he was finished, he raised his eyes to hers and she felt a chill travel down her spine at the look. Bakura was an attractive man without a doubt, but also a frightening one. The stare he directed at her was impassive and almost was not human. She felt that he could slaughter them without a thought. Isis was not one easily frightened by another creature, having dealt with several in Hoshäi, yet this sorcerer made her insides twist and made her wish to step back.

"Killing her would be a favor to the world," he said at last, grinning in an unwholesome manner. "Follow me."

X

Malik's nightmares had been getting increasingly worse as of late and this time he woke later than usual because he had become entrapped in one that, as always, included his sister. His room stank of fear and sweat. It enraged him whenever he woke to such a smell. He felt weak and when he was drawn to such weakness...it only disgusted him. He sat up in bed, breathing hard from anger and when he had calmed his racing heartbeat, he sat with his hands on his knees, staring at the ground with a scowl on his face. Admittedly, he had thought of never sleeping again but he felt that, too, was a type of weakness. He would be running from the thing that caused him such distress, hiding from it so that he did not need to suffer. No matter where he went, there was always something that reminded him of how weak he had become – how weak he had always been.

While brooding over his self-hatred, a little probe seemed to tickle his brain and pull his attention from his thoughts. He could sense a familiar bit of magic, but was unsure of why or whose it was. It was not any of his housemates, as he was so used to theirs that it would simply be another part of his life. No, this was another sorcerer entirely. He frowned. Sorcerer did not sound right when describing this new magic. Sorceress seemed to be more appropriate. A knock sounded on his door and he stiffened as it slid open. However, his anxiety was unnecessary as it was only Anzu. She smiled tiredly, appearing to have gotten little sleep and as if she had been awake for some time now. "I'm sorry...I heard you cry out from downstairs and felt I should come check on you."

Check on you...it was a term that one applied when speaking of a child. He found yet another reason to hate himself. Not only was he weak, but a human princess with no magical blood in her veins wanted to "check" on him to make certain he was doing well. It was revolting. Malik became disgusted with himself abruptly, wishing he had not thought such bitter thoughts towards Anzu a moment after they had ran through his head. She didn't deserve his scorn, although her attempt at escaping gave him good reason for disliking her. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking, though," he muttered.

"When did you finally get to sleep?"

"Not soon enough, apparently," he said under his breath. She gave him a questionable look. He sighed and waved a hand. "It's nothing, Anzu. I just...have trouble sleeping well. Where is Bakura? Have you seen him yet?"

"He left outside somewhere," she replied, "and I haven't seen him for a few hours now. I imagine he's getting more plants again." He frowned, noticing the subtle shift in her demeanor. Clearly wishing to avoid the subject, she suggested, "Maybe you should get a bath going and relax a bit? Maybe it will make you feel a little more rested. Then you can come down and we can make something to eat. I'm starved." She smiled, patting her stomach emphatically. He continued to survey her with a narrowed gaze, instinctively knowing that there was something that she was not telling him.

"Yes...that sounds like a good idea," he murmured. However, before he could usher her out of his chambers to begin to bathe, Seto let himself into the room. "Get the hell out of here, I didn't invite you in," he snapped at him.

"I'm not interested in being in here," Seto drawled self-importantly. "It reeks of sweat." His eyes flickered to Anzu suspiciously and after determining that she did not hold that same smell, he continued, "Bakura's outside the cottage with some visitors. And no, I haven't spoken to him. I felt their magic and just a moment ago he appeared with them outside. I think we ought to meet him."

"Alright, alright," Malik grunted, standing up and disrobing in front of them. He assumed Anzu had slapped her hands across her face because he heard Seto snort behind him. After dressing, he pressed the clean cloth to his body, feeling a little more in control of his emotions. He nodded to himself and buckled his belt, turning around. As he had thought, Anzu's hands were clenched over her eyes. He smirked and then clapped his hands. "Well, let's get going then." He moved forward and jerked Anzu's arms down, revealing her bright red face. "You missed a great sight, princess."

"Spare me," Seto said, rolling his eyes.

The three of them went downstairs, Malik leading the way with Anzu following close behind them. Malik hesitated in the kitchen as he probed outside. The magic he sensed was far too familiar for his own liking, yet he still could not determine where it was from or whose it might be. He sighed inwardly and then continued towards the door. He could see nothing outside the window, so he opened the door and stepped out. Bakura was nowhere to be seen, nor the visitors that Seto had spoken of; however, there was still the unmistakable sensation of foreign magic. Seto stepped ahead of Malik, clearly knowing where Bakura was to be found. They rounded the cottage to find Bakura standing with two other people, one of whom Malik recognized very well. His footsteps slowed until he could no longer bring himself any closer to them. Seto continued, but Anzu stopped and looked back at him in question. Isis, however, turned in hearing their approach and stared at him, her gaze boring into him. A strange expression crossed her face, one of which Malik had never seen upon his sister's face. Was it relief? Remorse? He could not be sure.

"Malik." He was startled away from Isis's eyes and looked down to see that Anzu had returned to him. Her hand was on his arm, a concerned look crossing her face.

"I'm alright," he murmured. The lie slid off his tongue easily despite his increased heartbeat and the feel of cold sweat on his back. His memories were returning to him again and he suddenly felt ill. He wanted to go back to his room and crawl under the covers. "I'm fine," he heard himself say to her.

"You're not," Anzu said quietly and then looked behind her. Malik followed her gaze to see that she was staring at Isis. He turned his gaze away from the women and found Bakura, instead. He was standing next to the unfamiliar male. The male appeared as if he had tried moving forward, but had been stopped by Bakura. His green eyes glared fiercely at Bakura, who merely stared at him impassively.

"Allow me to introduce ourselves," the male abruptly called out, taking a few steps away from Bakura. "I am Prince Otogi of Siruean and this is my companion, Isis Ishtar of Hoshäi." He paused to allow this to sink in. Bakura's eyes narrowed and Seto turned his head slightly. Malik's stomach dropped when he saw Anzu turn and stare at him, a suddenly fearful look entering her eyes.

Now they know about my sister, he thought, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, and I'm sure that soon they'll know about Marik, too.

X

DIS: As always, sorry for the super long wait everyone. The good news is that now that I have everyone where I want them, the story should be moving faster. Updates, however, will probably be just as sluggish. Please leave a review telling me how you liked it, what could be better, etc. Ciao!