So this chapter is a bit overdue. Oops.

I had a lot happen over the past couple months and I also had a few issues with setting plot advancement up in this chapter, so I apologize for my prolonged absence. It's a little longer than normal to make up for it, haha, and with this chapter the fic has just broken the 200K word count.

Also, a little reminder: because this is AU and set in what's basically a medieval era, things we would recognize to do in certain situations are not always known about. That will make sense, I promise.

A huge thank you to everyone still following this story and who are leaving feedback, including all you anonymous reviewers! Your reviews make me smile when I get them, so I thank you for the continued support!


The storm had hit the castle first and the only part of it that reached the forest was the sound of thunder, but closer towards dawn the dark clouds had finally made their way over the trees; the full fury of the thunderstorm had been unleashed on the castle and the city surrounding it, but even so there had still been quite a bit of power left in the storm and older trees had been felled in the woods. The river that ran from just outside of Hermos, swollen with rain water and cluttered with debris, was heavily flooded and only became more so when it joined with its sister branch in the forest.

As a result of the storm there was a chill in the morning air. Mist was still rising from the ground and the morning was gray and overcast; barely anything moved in the woods, but every color seemed to be far more vibrant in the subdued light of the morning. A light drizzle was falling, the water coming down in a gentle and cool mist, and the sound of the flooded river was almost too loud in the silent forest.

It was this kind of weather Marik despised the most.

He shifted the sticks in his arms to a more comfortable position, shivering in the cold morning air; the waist-baring, sleeveless top he was wearing did little to warm him. It was times like this that he wished he still had his cloak, but as one of Kaiba's dragons had ensured its destruction when it had attacked one of their camps Marik had to make do without it.

He had elected to go find some dry firewood for Téa. Bakura did not prefer doing menial labor and Yami was sleeping for a change; he did not necessarily need the rest, but as he was acting through a physical body that was not his own Yami had to sleep. With Ryou gone it left himself and Jou behind to assist Téa. Valon was still avoiding the camp and Jou was confined to the clearing where the lair was located.

Marik's face darkened at the thought of the Aurosian. Valon had been almost unbearably angry for weeks now; it had gotten to the point that the boy would not even speak to anyone at all, instead glowering at those who approached him before storming away. While Marik was grateful that Valon had stopped lashing out at everyone—both physically and verbally—this newer, sullen Valon was no less easy to deal with.

He suspected Valon was angry largely because of what Jou had done to Mai, but that had been some time ago. This had not been the first time Valon had been angry over an incident involving the woman and he always had bounced back before. The fact the other young man was still angry was telling him that something else was wrong.

Marik made a face. Of course, if Valon had been harboring more than just a simple crush for the princess, it might be the entire reason he was angry—and as very few of them expressed concern for Mai's welfare it would likely be a sore point for the Aurosian.

He turned back, making his way to the clearing where the lair was. It took him more than five minutes to return, and when he pushed his way through the bushes surrounding the clearing it was to find Téa stoking a steadily growing fire; sitting on the ground beside her was a bundle of what Marik assumed was food. The young woman was shooting uncomfortable looks at the foot of the tree across from her.

Marik followed Téa's gaze and he raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of the creature sitting at the base of the tree. It looked like a woman, though it had blue skin and its eyes were entirely black with only the barest hint of light in the empty gaze; in the woman's arms was a beaten up wooden doll. He knew what the appearance of the creature meant. "I take it Bakura's actually resting for a change?"

"He is," came Téa's reply. "I really wish he wouldn't use Necrofear to guard the Ring. It's not like anyone's going to steal it from him while he sleeps."

Marik smiled but did not reply; his initial reaction to seeing the creature years before mirrored Téa's. He dipped his head at the creature—Necrofear—before crossing the clearing and stopping near the fire. "It's hard to find anything dry, Téa," he announced, dropping the wood in a pile a few feet from the woman. "The storm soaked everything."

"I was afraid of that," she replied, returning her attention to the fire. "Good thing I thought to store the firewood out of the rain. I'll make breakfast for the others first, and then I'll get you something that doesn't have meat in it."

"Thanks, Téa," said Marik gratefully, sitting himself in front of the fire. He leaned in as close as he could, trying to warm his chilled hands; Téa spotted the Enterran's suppressed shivers and reached for a blanket, putting it around Marik's shoulders.

"It won't do us any good if you get sick. I wish you'd wear another shirt—one that has sleeves," she chided, plucking at Marik's shirt. "Colds are hard to get rid of, you know."

Marik heard a low rumble from behind him and he turned, his eyes going to where the dragon was now watching the two humans in the clearing. "Hey Jou," he greeted. "Sleep well?"

The dragon did not reply, instead lowering his head and allowing his breath to escape in a small, miserable huff; aside from readjusting his body into a more comfortable position he did not move any further.

Jou had been mostly lethargic, staying in the clearing ever since he had gone to the castle days before to talk to Mai. Marik and Téa had both tried coaxing Jou out of the miserable mood he was in, but with little success; even Yami of all people offered some solace to the dragon, staying near Jou and conversing quietly with the beast at times.

Marik wanted to be skeptical about Jou's side of the story. He could still remember the absolute panic that lit the dragon's eyes when he had snapped out of whatever mental state he had been in, but Marik also remembered the pain from the four cracked ribs Jou had given him. He was not the only one who had been wary around the other man since that night, in spite of Téa's reassurance that Jou would not hurt anyone.

Yami and Téa both believed Jou without question, while Valon clearly did not; Bakura did not care either way and Marik had no idea what Ryou thought of the matter, while the members of Téa's troupe did. Marik would have been with Valon and would not have believed Jou at all, except…

"I'll see about finding some more dry firewood," he announced, getting to his feet. He slipped the blanket off his shoulders and folded it neatly, handing it to Téa. He hesitated, and then added gruffly, "Give Jou a portion of whatever you're making. Try to get him to eat if you can—it's not much, admittedly, but it's better than nothing."

The young woman nodded and looked back to the fire. She paused, looking at a point outside the clearing. "Be careful, Marik, especially if you're going to the river," Téa said, peering into the forest. "I can hear it from here."

Marik nodded curtly and then slipped back into the forest without another word. Téa watched him leave uneasily, reaching for another log to add to the growing fire. In a few minutes the fire would be hot enough to start cooking with.

Téa's gaze shifted past Necrofear, to where she could see Yami's slumbering body, and her eyes softened. Lately Yami had been attempting to cast spells using regular magic and his efforts were exhausting him, though he would never admit it. Yami was only capable of wielding Shadow magic at the moment, so any progress with normal magic meant that Yugi's magical core was one step closer to recovery—and it also meant that Yugi was recovering as well.

With any luck Yugi would soon be able to regain control of his body; Yami had been trying to communicate with the wizard for weeks, and while Yugi had still to answer the Enterran spirit had been pleased to note that there were more stirrings at the back of his mind.

Yami had also been acting strangely the past two days. First had been that business with Ryou (and she still was not certain where the white-haired man had gone), and then there had been last night; the Millennium Puzzle had flashed bright enough to light the clearing over the fire, but aside from a suddenly triumphant smirk Yami had not told them why the Puzzle had lit up.

Her eyes went back to Necrofear and she repressed a grimace. "Do you…er…do you need to eat?" she asked uncertainly. Probably not, she added silently.

Necrofear did not move, though the doll's blank eyes rattled in their sockets before locking onto Téa. The doll's jaw opened and its wooden limbs briefly clattered, but beyond that there was no reply from the creature.

Téa flinched and went back to tending the fire. Hopefully Bakura or Yami would wake soon—she was getting sick of being stared at with two pairs of unflinching eyes.

Jou rumbled and rose stiffly to his feet, lumbering only a few steps forward to place himself between Téa and Necrofear. There was no mistaking his own unease being so close to the silent guardian of the Ring, but even so he curled up once more just behind Téa and closed his eyes, acting as a screen between the two women.

Téa looked up at him and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Jou."

One of Jou's red eyes opened half-heartedly and the dragon's lips lifted in a pitiful attempt to smile.

Téa hesitated before she rose to her feet and padded her way to Jou's side, stopping at the side of his face before resting a gentle hand on the dragon's cheek. Even in the cold morning heat radiated through the scales. "You know," she said softly, "Mai's only afraid right now. Give her time, Jou—she struck me as a sensible woman. Once she calms down and realizes there's more to what happened that night, she'll find a way to talk to you again. Don't give up on her."

The dragon stiffened under her hand and Jou jerked his head away. His tail rose and moved between Téa and his face and he let out a miserable, angry growl.

"Moping isn't going to help you, Jou!" she snapped, rising to her feet. "If you're so upset over this, then go get her and make her listen! Didn't you kidnap her once already?"

There was no reply and Téa sighed, stalking back to the fire and jabbing a stick viciously in the embers. The flames rose and flared to life, and as Téa added more wood to it the fire grew.

"And they think women are the complicated ones?" she muttered.


Marik frowned at the sight of the river, which had risen over its banks and was surging forward; he could see trees, wagons, and parts of houses in the frothing waters. No doubt that most of the debris had come from the area around Hermos—this part of the river was a junction, where the river running nearby Hermos joined with the one that cut through the forest.

He had gone downstream, past the small, peaceful area where Jou had fought the White Dragon weeks before (and even that area was flooded, though not as severely as what he was seeing now). Marik had hoped to cross the river to try and find more dry kindling, but as there was no safe way to ford the river at the moment he was not about to risk his life for a warmer fire.

"Doesn' tha' jus' beat all?"

Marik jumped and turned, watching as the bushes parted and Valon pushed his way into view. He was running a hand through his soaked hair (which still had managed to defy gravity) and he was eyeing the river with a tired smile. "I was goin' t' try and get t' the other side. Got a small little 'ouse somewhere over there tha's out of this weather 'n' I was 'opin' to dry off there. I'd go to another, but…well, too far."

Valon's voice had caught when he had referred to "another" and Marik knew why—the only other houses he could go to, aside from the currently unavailable Turtle Shop, was either Raphael's or Alister's home.

"So why don't you?" he asked. "I don't think either of them will entirely care."

He saw it then. Valon's tired but relaxed nature vanished entirely and the Aurosian's eyes significantly darkened, an angry scowl starting to mar his features. "You're righ'. They don'."

Marik raised his eyebrow at the change in behavior. "And you're starting up with that 'I'm angry at the world' routine. Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for it."

"You'd know all about tha' routine, Marik. I bet you 'n' Jou compared notes," he retorted angrily.

Marik's face darkened and his eyes narrowed, but he did not say anything; though he desperately wanted to, Valon was the type of person who needed little provocation to start throwing punches and right now speaking would only result in a pointless fist fight that would only hurt his still-healing ribs. He instead turned on his heel and started back the way he had come.

Valon laughed, the bitter sound cutting through the silent forest. "You're leavin'?" he asked. "Great, go ahead. Join the rest of the stupid club, mate—everyone's leavin', aren' they? They're all 'avin' a grand ol' time, so why don' you join 'em?"

Marik stopped bristling, looking over his shoulder with a confused frown. "What are you babbling about?" he asked incredulously. "Join who?"

"Whoever else feels like screwin' up my life at the moment," came the angry reply.

"This has something to do with Jou, doesn't it?" Marik guessed. "He's already beating himself up over what happened with Mai, he doesn't need you adding onto it. Just because you have some crush on Mai doesn't mean you can blame Jou for whatever you're angry at."

"So you're on 'is side now?"

"I'm on no one's side! Come on, Valon, even you saw it that night—either he's a very good actor or something genuinely happened," Marik snapped furiously. "I can't deny there's plausibility behind Jou's claims! I can't just dismiss it!"

"Yeah, but 'e still attacked Mai! 'e prob'ly did it on purpose—'e's got those 'eightened senses, 'e probably 'eard them comin' 'n' attacked Mai t' get 'er to run 'cause 'e knew—'e knew they were there! It was probably payback f'r something I did, but if tha's the reason then tha's stupid!"

Marik looked at Valon, no longer trying to mask his confusion or his disbelief. "Who are you even referring to?"

But even as he spoke he suddenly realized who Valon was talking about and his anger abruptly vanished. In a painful flash of understanding Marik grasped the real reason behind Valon's surly attitude.

"That night, Raphael and Alister…they were in the forest, weren't they?" he guessed quietly.

Valon's head snapped back up to him, and once again he saw the same furious, wounded expression he had seen that night. "Yeah. Yeah, they were there," he said, his voice darkening. "But I don' care. They bloody ignored me ever since they left, no letters 'n' no contact f'r three months, 'n' then they got Yugi and Adias t' lie to me about them bein' back. If they don' want anythin' t' do with me, then fine. I don' want anythin' t' do with them."

The Enterran sighed, planting his hands on his hips. "Now I get it. I should have seen the signs faster. I was in your shoes once, you know," he added with a bitter laugh. "You're not just angry because you thought everyone lied to you about your friends. You're also angry because you were the one who possibly got your friends into trouble."

The Aurosian paled, his arms slackening and dropping to his sides as the glower faded from his features. "'ow did you…?"

Marik looked up into the sky, the familiar ache rising in his chest as he spoke. "Because your friends did the same thing my brother and sister did for me years ago. I was the one who put them in danger to begin with, and yet they gave up everything to protect me.

"You had the exact same thing happen with you and your friends. You didn't want to be the reason your friends got hurt or killed, and you're both angry and miserable. You're also upset because Mai got hurt and you really liked her, if your attitude is any indication of it. You're taking those emotions out on everyone around you because you don't know what else to do—and you're targeting Jou with your anger because his actions ultimately led you to your friends. Am I wrong?"

There was a very long, uncomfortable silence. Marik did not look away from the clouds overhead, watching the birds that were flying high overhead.

"I was mad at Raph and Alister at first." Valon's accent had thickened and all the anger in his voice he had died. "I mean, most o' the other forest folk came back months ago, but Raph 'n' Alister weren' with 'em. I 'aven' 'eard from them f'r so long and I don' know wha's goin' on up at the castle, and it isn't 'elpin' tha' I kept 'earin' about all those rumors about rebellion up there. I even sent a letter two months back tellin' 'em I was comin' up there.

"'Stay where you are.' Tha's what Raph sent back as a reply and tha's all he said, so I trusted 'im 'n' didn' leave. But then I got nothin' else from 'em no matter wha' I sent, and when I bumped into those guards the first time I thought the fellas were there. When I asked, though, everyone said that Raph 'n' Alister weren' 'ere at all. Yet who is it I bump into tha' night?

"…I didn'…I didn' ask 'em t' protect me. I didn' want them t' die f'r me. If I 'adn' gone after Mai, if I 'ad jus' paid attention t' the surroundings…the fellas wouldn'…they…"

"You couldn't have known Raphael and Alister were going to be at that exact spot," Marik responded quietly. "I don't know how the prince figured out where to go or even how he would know where Mai was going to be, but you can't hold yourself responsible for something you couldn't have prevented. I figure your friends would probably tell you the same thing."

Valon leaned back against a tree, but he straightened with a grimace when the soaked bark brushed against his shirt. He sighed as he hooked his thumbs in his in his belt and then he too looked to the sky. "I've been actin' like a prat, 'aven' I?"

Marik chuckled as he looked back down. "At least you can be thankful that all you did was beat up on a dragon and yell at everyone. Ask Yugi sometime about our first meeting. Because of what I did then, Yami still doesn't like me and only tolerates me because of Yugi."

Valon gave a weak laugh as well as his eyes went to a spot beyond the river, but the smile did not reach his eyes and he kicked a nearby stone into the river. "So…d'you really think Jou's story 'as merit to it? I still don' believe 'e didn' know wha' 'e was doin', 'n' it's not b'cause I'm still mad at 'im."

Marik's eyebrows arched. "You're really asking me that question?"

The other young man winced. "Sorry."

"Though the circumstances were different, the events played out the same," Marik began, frowning. "Both of us unwillingly attacked someone, both of us came back to ourselves covered in blood that did not belong to us, and both of us can't recall the attack. What happened to me in the catacombs happened to Jou weeks ago, and that's why I can't dismiss what Jou says."

Valon was about to reply when they both heard the sound of bushes rustling and he paused, throwing out an arm to stop the Aurosian. Was it a predator of some sort? It couldn't be, since he could still hear the animals in the forest around him; if a dangerous animal was nearby the woods would have gone silent. What was it, then?

Something huge tore through the bushes in front of them, rearing up on its hind legs at the sight of the two humans in its path. Marik's first impression was that this animal was a bear and he backed away, but Valon pushed past him and leapt, catching the flying leather reins.

"'ey, fella, whoa!" he grunted, pulling down hard to pull the animal back to all fours. Though the animal still danced nervously it noticeably calmed at the sound of Valon's voice. "Grarl, take it easy, i's me!"

"Grarl?" Marik edged forward cautiously. Now that the animal had been subdued he realized that it was a large, dark brown draft horse. Its sides were slicked with sweat, mud, and rain, and the horse's brown eyes were wide with panic. He took a step closer, taking in the empty saddle, the leaves and sticks caught in the tail and mane, and the horse's skittish behavior.

"Yeah," Valon replied, pulling sharply on the horse's reins again when it tried to start forward. "'e's Raph's horse. 've never seen 'im so spooked b'fore, though…Grarl, mate, you're not goin' anywhere so stop it already!" he growled when Grarl continued to fight against him. "Wha' the devil's the matter with you, you silly horse?"

Marik felt something close to unease starting to rise in his stomach. "Valon, if this is Raphael's horse, then where's his rider?"

Valon paused at that, turning to look at Marik with an alarmed look before he started scanning the surrounding forest. "Raph?" he called. Getting no reply, he cleared his throat and with a raised voice called out, "Raph, mate, where are you? We've got Grarl 'ere, so come on out!"

"Maybe Grarl threw him off?" Marik suggested, also starting to look.

The brown-haired teenager shook his head, struggling to keep a grip on the still-fighting horse. "Not a chance. Grarl rarely bucks a rider and if it's Raph on board Grarl wouldn' toss 'im off at all," he responded. "I don' get it. 'e keeps tuggin' me t' the river."

"If he wants to swim it's the wrong time to try," Marik said flatly, glancing at the river. "Even such a strong horse would get swept away in this current."

Something in the water caught his eye and he paused, squinting through the mist still rising from the grass. He nearly missed it at first, but then he caught sight of the dark red, almost magenta splash of color that stood out against the brown in the river and the grays of the sky. He took a step forward, his unease growing into full-blown alarm when he realized what he was looking at.

"Valon," he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat and he repeated the Aurosian's name with a sharper voice. "Valon."

The other boy turned to Marik with a worried frown. "Wha's with that voice?" he asked, his gaze going past Marik and to the river. Seconds later all the color drained from his features and his grip went slack, the reins falling from limp fingers before he strode forward.

Marik realized what Valon was about to do and seized his friend's arm before the Aurosian nearly dove into the river. "Valon, don't! You'll drown if you try that—!"

But Valon was not listening, fighting against Marik. He succeeded in breaking free and before the Enterran could stop him he made his way to the river's edge. Just before Valon leapt into the storm-tossed water his voice broke the silence of the morning with a horrified, anguished yell:

"ALISTER!"


Jou's head snapped up, startling Téa as she passed by. The dragon's head swiveled sharply in the direction Marik had gone earlier that morning. A low growl rumbled in his throat, catching Yami's attention; the Enterran spirit had woken up minutes before and was perusing a book he had brought back with him weeks before.

"I do not think that cry should go unanswered," he remarked casually. "Go."

Téadid not have time to ask, for even as she was about to open her mouth the dragon lurched to his feet and with one spring took to the air, disappearing over the tops of the trees and flying out of sight.

"Jou! Jou, wait a minute, come back!" she called sharply, but Yami caught her arm and gently tugged her back.

"Let him go, Téa," he said with a small smile. "He is needed elsewhere. We have our own errand to run, however, and I will need your help."

He glanced over at Necrofear. "Oh, and Bakura? I know you're listening. Just a few moments ago the door to the Shadow path I created opened—Ryou has returned to this part of the forest."

Necrofear vanished in a small explosion of shadows, the darkness pooling underneath the Millennium Ring and reforming into another human shape. Moments later Bakura appeared, glowering at Yami. "Keep what I said in mind. King or not, if Ryou has been harmed I will exact punishment."

Yami did not look bothered, however, and instead smiled cordially. "Ah, but you would know it if he was injured."

Bakura scowled at him, but Yami was already turning on his heel and he gestured vaguely to the left. "Ryou is somewhere in that direction. You had best hurry, before our enemy discovers us."

"Your enemy, not mine. He didn't attack me that night," retorted Bakura, but nonetheless he pushed his way through the bushes in the direction Yami had indicated.

The former king watched the thief leave before turning to Téa, reaching for her hand. "Come. As mentioned earlier, there is a place we need to go."

Téa followed after the shorter man with a half-worried, half curious expression. "Where are we going?"

Yami smiled at her. "The Turtle Shop. I had to hide it from view of others, but it is still in the same place as it was before. In order to gain entry inside, however, you need one who can manipulate Shadows."

"But what do we need from the shop?" she asked, quickening her pace to catch up with Yami. "I thought you took everything you would need from it when those guards came."

Yami chuckled. "Ah, but I forgot one thing and it is something only you, Yugi, and his grandfather are familiar with. As I cannot access Yugi's memories at the moment and his grandfather is no longer here, I am relying on you."

Téa shot him a doubting expression. "Okay…but what are we looking for?"

Yami waved his hand and a small, oval shaped mirror formed from shadows abruptly materialized—another Shadow path, she realized. He turned to her with a small, mysterious smile.

"I need to find a children's story book," he announced pleasantly.


Marik urged Grarl into a gallop, following after the bobbing head of the Aurosian in the river. "Valon, you stupid fool!" he snarled. The Enterran had been forced to climb on Grarl to keep up with the river, but judging by the speed of the horse it was evident the animal was tiring.

Valon, meanwhile, was focused only on getting to where he could see Alister. More than once he was forced underwater and it was hard to catch his breath, and his perilous journey was not helped at all by the debris that smacked into him and threatened to drown him. Every few seconds he could make out Grarl and Marik on the riverbank as they fought to catch up.

Just as he managed to grab onto the log Alister was draped over the other man started to slip into the water, nearly vanishing from view. Valon lunged across the log and grabbed the sleeve of Alister's shirt, yanking him back over the log and slinging an arm over Alister's back to keep him out of the water.

"I gotcha, mate!" he panted, still trying to catch his breath. "Jus' 'old on!"

Alister did not reply. Valon could not even tell if the older man was breathing, and his friend was far paler than normal; it also did not help that Alister had been a virtual ragdoll when Valon had been moving him. "Alister?" he asked, shaking the older man's shoulder. Was he…was Alister…?

No, Valon thought with a vicious shake of the head. He would not believe such a thing! Alister was stronger than that and he would be fine once they got back to the riverbanks.

He gasped sharply as the log suddenly slammed into a collection of debris, snapping almost cleanly in half. Valon sprang into the water as Alister dropped into the waves, and he managed to loop one of his arms around Alister's chest before they both vanished underwater.

Marik cursed when he saw the other two men disappear from view and he pulled back on the reins. His eyes roamed over the river, landing on a less than turbulent area. He had no idea how deep it was, but he could see debris gathering there and the pile was acting as a partial dam—he could try to intercept Valon and Alister at that point. With any luck the Aurosian would resurface and Marik would be able to see them both.

"All right, Grarl, let's go for a swim," he muttered, and with a kick to the sides he urged the horse into the river.

At first Grarl was able to cut through the river with ease, but soon the current proved to be far too strong to navigate through. The water nearly pulled Marik from the horse, and as they got deeper he noticed Grarl beginning to struggle as well.

Just as the waves were about to roll over the top of the horse and rider something looped around his waist and both of them were lifted into the air. Marik yelled and clung to the Grarl, while the horse neighed in surprise and struggled; he looked down and caught the sight of obsidian-tinted scales curled tightly around him and looping around the girth of the horse.

"Jou!" he called, suddenly relieved.

The dragon did not respond, instead depositing Marik and Grarl on the shore; the Enterran slid from the saddle and dropped onto the earth, never happier to be sitting on land. Jou then took in a deep breath before his head disappeared under the water to seek out Valon and Alister.

Minutes passed, with no sign of anyone resurfacing; Jou's head remained under the water, moving left and right slowly. He was clearly uncaring of the debris smacking into his body and no matter how hard he was hit Jou refused to come up

Marik was just about ready to dive into the river himself when Jou's head abruptly resurfaced. Alister was draped limply in Jou's jaws and the dragon was taking great care not to bite down any harder than necessary; Valon had managed to get a grip on Jou's neck and was holding on as best as he could manage.

Jou brought his head to the shore and allowed Valon to slip off his neck. Once the young man had set foot on the bank Jou then deposited Alister gently onto the grass, letting out a worried sounding whine. He was still half submerged in the river, but as there was no place for him on the bank he stayed where he was. As Jou tentatively nudged Alister Marik gained the impression that the dragon somehow knew the other man—but how or why had yet to be explained.

Valon recovered almost immediately and stumbled to his feet, making it to Alister's side. "Alister?" he asked, still coughing. He shook the red-haired man's shoulder, visibly frightened. "Alister, c'mon, don' be dead. Wake up!"

Marik dropped onto his knees beside the two of them. "Back off a minute," he ordered, gently shoving the Aurosian back. He took two fingers and placed them on Alister's neck, pressing down on the area where his neck met his shoulder and also assessing Alister's physical condition; he flinched when he felt the heat rising from Alister's skin, a sure sign of a high fever. He took in Alister's condition as he searched for a pulse.

The red-haired man looked absolutely terrible. His skin was a pale shade of gray save for the patches of dark red in his cheeks, shadows underneath his eyes. His soaked hair clung to his cheeks, as vibrant a color as blood, and Marik had to make doubly sure there were not any cuts underneath his hair. The tan oversized shirt he was wearing clung to his skin, one of his sleeves pooling just above his right elbow. Marik flinched when he caught sight of the dark red lines that stood out on the far too white skin of his right arm, streaks that traveled up his shoulder and across his collarbones. That was blood poisoning, he knew, and as soon as he was able he would have to take a look at that arm.

Marik registered all of this in a matter of seconds, but his first priority was making sure Alister was not dead. He had no idea how long Alister had been in the river…for all he knew Alister could have drowned long before he had been found, his body tossed on top of the log by the currents.

He felt a wave of relief hit him when he found a slow, sluggish pulse throbbing beneath his fingertips, and after closer inspection he noticed the shallow rise and fall of Alister's chest.

"Marik, is 'e...?" Valon was rocking anxiously back on his heels.

"Alister's still alive," Marik announced, relaxing.

Valon slumped in relief. "Of course 'e is. Alister's a tough bloke, 'e doesn' go down easy," he said, a small laugh escaping him. His smile soon faded, though, and he asked, "'ow'd Alister end up in the river like this?"

"I don't know," came the troubled reply. Marik frowned when he caught sight of the dark red lines once again and reached for Alister's arm. "Something's going on with his arm, though. He's injured it bad enough to get blood poisoning—"

The two men gasped as Alister spasmed violently, the first movement he had made since they had pulled him from the river; the movement jerked Alister's arm free and it hit the ground, making Alister spasm even further. His mouth opened and a strangled moan bubbled from his throat, but his eyes did not open and he lay back moments later. His breathing now carried a pained whine that had not been there before.

"Wha' did you do?" Valon snapped fearfully, staring at his friend with alarm. Jou rumbled uneasily, looking just as frightened as Valon.

"I didn't do anything," Marik replied shakily. "All I did was lift his arm, and I didn't even grab it that hard."

Marik eyed Alister cautiously, studying the still-unconscious man with a worried frown. His frown deepened when he saw the rope looped through a hole in the cuff of one of the sleeves, and he cautiously lifted it; he did not want to hurt Alister any further by jostling whatever injury he had. The movement adjusted the cuff's position, however, and Marik's eyes were drawn to Alister's now exposed hand.

He felt a terrible chill wash over him. His hands...

Alister's fingers were all bent at almost impossible angles, shattered white bone coming out of every finger. Underneath the skin on top of Alister's hand were more bumps and more areas where sharp, jagged bone ends had come out. His hand was swollen and an angry shade of red.

Now Marik knew what he was dealing with.

Bakura had made absolutely certain that those with him knew the different penalties and punishments for each kingdom; as Bakura tended to tell them about the more gruesome punishments, almost every one of the men under his
command did their best to avoid capture.

Valon had not missed the look on Marik's face and he leaned over the Enterran's shoulder. Marik blocked his view before turning around. "Valon, do you have your knife?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I do, but…Marik, wha's wrong?"

Marik did not reply, instead slipping the blade of the weapon in the opening of the sleeve; he pinned down the loose material of the sleeve before he brought the knife through the cloth, ripping it all the way up to bare Alister's entire arm to the open air.

The garish wounds were far worse than Marik had initially thought. Alister's arm below the elbow was practically rippling and the skin was flushed and hot to the touch, just as swollen as his hand. Bone shards stuck out of innumerable holes in his skin, and wherever the bone poked through the skin the area was a darker, angry red. From above his elbow were countless dark red lines, the veins standing out in sharp contrast to the alternating pale and flushed skin surrounding the veins.

Valon looked as if he was ready to be sick. His face was a mix of ashen gray and tinted green. "Oh God, 'is arms…Alister…"

"All the bones below his elbow were broken multiple times, to the point where his bones splintered and came through his skin. It's done to both arms to ensure they can never set and heal properly. If the infection or the pain from the injuries doesn't kill him, he gets the joy of living with his permanently useless arms," Marik recited dully. "It's a miracle he's survived this long, given how advanced the infection is."

"…It's 'cause of me, isn' it?"

Marik looked up at him with a frown. "What?"

"'e got 'is arms broke 'cause of me, didn' 'e? It's because 'e wouldn' let anyone shoot at me or come after me," Valon continued, looking incredibly guilty. His wide eyes met Marik's and he said, "If Alister looks like this…then Raph…'ow bad is 'e hurt?"

The Enterran leaned back, sitting on the damp grass. "I won't sugarcoat it. You're probably right," he stated unhappily. "As for Raphael, I'm afraid that's something we have to ask Alister—if he wakes up."

"If 'e wakes…but we c'n fix this, right?" Valon looked genuinely afraid, something Marik had never seen before. "We jus' give 'im some of Ryou's 'ealing potion 'n'…well, it won' fix 'im all the way 'cause you mentioned potions don' heal broken bones entirely, but it's better than nothing."

But Marik was already shaking his head, his shoulders slumping. "The infection's gotten into his blood, Valon, and it's really advanced. The only thing that can help him now is a blood-cleansing draught."

"So wha's the problem? Ryou's bound t' 'ave a couple spare bottles of the stuff back at the camp, so we need t' get Alister back there 'n' get 'im 'elp!" Valon said fiercely. "Wha' are we waitin' for?"

"…Ryou doesn't know how to make the draught."

The Aurosian's eyes widened and his face drained of what little color it had left. "'e can' die!" he burst out helplessly. "'e can't! I won' let 'im! Marik, there's gotta be somethin' we c'n do!"

Jou growled, startling both of the men as he rose to his full height. A medley of sound burst from his throat, growls and whines mingling together as he came halfway out of the river; Grarl, who was still uneasy around the dragon, whickered at the sound but did not gallop away.

"Jou, we can't understand what you're telling us," Marik said tiredly.

Jou let out a frustrated whine, his eyes darting around the clearing before lighting up. He dug his talons deep into the mud of the riverbank, making sure they were plainly visible to the two humans. He next scooped water into his palms and poured it over the gashes in the earth; the water practically erased the gouges he had made in the ground.

It was Valon who realized what Jou was trying to tell them. "Sanare aquos," he breathed, his eyes lighting with hope.

The Enterran blinked, caught off guard by Valon's words. Since when had the Aurosian learned Latin? "What?"

"Healin' water. Yugi said it 'imself—healin' water c'n fix anything, including broken bones. If it c'n 'eal Kaiba's baby dragon, it can fix Alister up with no problem!" Valon replied eagerly, shooting to his feet.

Marik also felt a brief flare of hope rise and he felt like an idiot. Of course. He had almost forgotten about the healing spring. There was still a chance to help Alister after all, and if they could just get him to the mountain where the spring was in time…

"Jou, you're going to have to take us," he ordered, also rising to his feet. "Show us how fast you can really fly."

The dragon shot them a disconcerting grin before turning his attention to Alister. Jou carefully scooped Alister into his talons, curling his hand around the limp man to cradle him as gently as possible. He then bent down and caught both Valon and Marik by the backs of their shirts with his teeth; he then lifted them into the air as he completely came out of the river, hunkering into a small ball.

"Jou, wait a moment," Marik said in alarm, realizing too late what Jou was going to do. "You can't carry us in your jaws, we'll never—JOU!"

But the dragon had already sprung from the ground, shooting into the sky faster than any arrow could fly. Marik felt the pressure hit him and he yelled in shock as he was nearly yanked from Jou's teeth. He could just barely hear Valon's frightened yelp over the rush of wind, but then he let out an actual scream as Jou opened his jaws and released them both.

The two humans did not fall far before Jou's other taloned hand caught the two humans and tightened around them securely as the dragon's body evened out. Jou's massive wings began flapping faster, his body cutting through the air like a knife—unlike the last couple times Marik had flown with him, Jou was flying far faster than before because there were no humans on his back that he could dislodge.

"Valon, hold on!" he roared over the wind.

"Not a problem, mate!" came the yelled response as Valon gripped the edge of Jou's fist. The boy shot an anxious look at where Alister was and muttered, "Don' you die on me, Alister."


Téa's gaze wandered around the empty forest clearing where the Turtle Shop once stood, feeling entirely at a loss. The gray skies overhead made the once bright and warm clearing even more forlorn-looking, and there was nothing around her to suggest that anyone had even lived in this place. "Yami, where's the shop?" she asked.

Yami gave her a reassuring smile as he strode forward. "I did not destroy it, if that's what you are afraid of," he replied, pausing at where the gate had used to be. "Yugi values this place far too much to allow me to harm it. All I did was hide it from view."

As he spoke he stretched his hand forward and Téa gasped as the air around his fingers rippled. He turned to her and motioned for her to go forward. "No harm will come to you," he said mildly. "I am here, after all, and the Shadows will part for those with me."

"You used Shadow magic to hide the Turtle Shop," she said, suddenly understanding what Yami had done.

"After the guards came the first time, I realized I had no other alternative but to hide this place from unfriendly eyes," said Yami calmly, stepping forward and vanishing from view. Téa froze for a few moments as the air distorted and rippled once again, but she followed after Yami all the same.

Cold pressure settled on her shoulders and she flinched as the chilled air weighed on her body. She stopped walking entirely, suddenly unable to move at all as the barrier pushed her back. Not knowing what else to do, she fought to remain where she was.

A hand caught her wrist from somewhere in front of her and tugged her forward, pulling her through the barrier. Téa gasped in relief as Yami once again appeared in front of her, nearly sinking to her knees.

"I apologize," Yami said, sounding tired. "I forgot that those without magic can have trouble with a barrier formed from Shadow Magic."

Téa did not reply, though she did shoot him a reassuring smile. Yami had a lot on his mind as of late, and even using the Shadow path had drained him; she suspected it was because he was not used to dwelling in a physical body for such a long period of time, but as Yugi was still hurt there was no other choice for the Enterran spirit.

"So what story book are we looking for?" Téa asked once she had recovered. "There are a lot of books in Yugi's grandfather's library."

"As I told you, it is a children's story book. I do not know its title, but Yugi's grandfather would read it to you and Yugi. There's a story inside that book that highly pertains to Jou's situation."

Téa smiled at the memory. When she had been younger she had always come to the shop, curious about the magic that hung about the building; Yugi had also been rather sickly as a child and was confined to the shop grounds, so she had often come to keep Yugi company in the store. Sometimes she had even stayed the night and had listened to the stories Yugi's grandfather would tell, watching in awe as the older wizard would cast spells on the storybook to bring the words to life; the elderly man always enjoyed the looks of wonder that would light his grandson's face, as would Téa. Even now, Yugi's open, bright smile was contagious.

At that thought of Yugi she felt a pang of misery and she halted in her tracks. When the shorter man looked to her curiously she said, "Yugi's going okay, isn't he?"

Yami's calm expression flickered and his eyes shifted past her. "His presence is getting stronger, of course, and using regular magic is becoming easier, but when he will fully recover is entirely up to him," he replied, and for the briefest of moments he looked vulnerable.

Her gaze went to the empty, silent building that had once held so much magic and life in it. In the dim gray light the building looked abandoned and it seemed to be just as forlorn as she was; for one second she thought she heard Yugi's bright voice calling out a greeting to her and a lump rose in her throat.

"I miss him," she admitted softly, her vision starting to blur.

Yami did not reply as he stepped into the shop, but she noticed his jaw tighten and she knew he felt the same way.


Marik squinted against the wind that was blowing violently into his face, but even so he spotted the familiar volcanic mountain in the distance; the storm had completely missed the area surrounding the warm mountains, and though the gray clouds were still above them the rain had stopped falling.

"We're almost there!" he called.

Valon looked up and over at Jou's other curled hand. Though he could not see Alister from his new vantage point he was no less worried. "Oi, Jou! 'ow's Alister 'oldin' up?" he shouted.

Jou rumbled and stopped in mid-flight, flapping his wings to hover as he brought up his other hand; his talons uncurled to allow the two humans to see Alister. He lowered his head and nudged the motionless man experimentally, holding his position for only seconds before an alarmed light entered the ruby eyes.

Before either of them could ask, the dragon closed his fist over Alister and then angled his body into a steep descent as he dove for the jagged opening in the side of the mountain. Jou's grip readjusted on Valon and Marik, tucking them entirely inside his fist by closing his claws over the top of them.

Valon felt a shudder through the dragon's body as Jou hit the mountain and he heard several smaller splashes; Jou had dislodged a few rocks on his re-entry into the cave and they had fallen into the pool of water. He only had seconds to register this, however, before they slammed into the water and he found himself submerged.

Upon hitting the water Jou's fist had loosened enough for the two humans to push their way free, though it took some doing to entirely free themselves, and moments after they had entered the water they broke the surface.

"'m gonna kill 'im!" Valon choked through his gasps. "This's the second time I nearly drowned t'day!"

Marik treaded water, content with pulling air into his lungs. An odd look had appeared on his face and when Valon shot him an inquiring look the Enterran said, "My ribs haven't entirely healed yet. The water's at work."

Valon shifted his gaze to Jou, who was almost sitting in the water. Jou's palms was open and he could see Alister floating in the water in the dragon's hands; it seemed Alister had come to no further harm, but the worried noises coming from the dragon's throat bothered him and Valon immediately started swimming over. Marik saw him move and shortly followed after his friend; when they both got to Jou they clambered onto his outstretched palms.

Valon's attention first went to Alister's exposed arm. He had expected to see the water at work as it healed the broken bones, but a cold feeling settled in his stomach when he saw that Alister's right arm was not changing. "'ow fast is this water supposed to work?" he asked uneasily.

"Almost immediately," Marik replied, and he leaned over to check Alister's pulse. As he did, however, his lavender eyes locked onto Alister's chest and he stiffened. "He's not breathing," he said, paling.

"What?" Valon felt panic rise in his chest and he sat upright.

"He had a pulse, but he's stopped breathing and now his heart's stopping," he replied, his fingers on Alister's throat. "Ryou told me about this once, hang on…no heartbeat, no breath…we've got to get him breathing," he continued, clearly trying to remember. "It's some complex process, something about pressure on his chest—"

Marik rose on to his knees and pressed his palms over where Alister's heart was, starting to repetitively push on his chest and completely focused on getting Alister's stopped heart to beat again.

Valon watched with increasing anxiety, his fear growing with every passing second. He always prided himself on his ability to adjust to any situation and disliked admitting to things he could not do, but as he watched Marik fight to get Alister to breathe he felt an overwhelming wave of helplessness slam into him when he realized he could not do anything to help Alister.

Marik soon halted his actions to see if there was any change in the other man's condition. He growled in frustration shortly afterwards. "Alister, breathe!" he said angrily. "I'm basically keeping your heart going, but it won't help me if I can't get you to draw breath!"

The helplessness Valon had been feeling abruptly vanished and he straightened up—he realized that he knew one way he could get Alister to breathe. He pushed Marik aside, drawing his arm back and his hand forming into a fist. "Sorry, Alister," he muttered, and before Marik could stop him the Aurosian punched Alister's diaphragm as hard as he could.

"Learned it when I was in the fightin' ring, a hard enough punch in the right place forces the air outta your lungs," he explained brusquely when Marik began to protest. "It 'urts like nothin' else, but if a bloke isn' breathin' it 'elps cause it also forces you to—"

They both jumped as Alister started coughing and gasping for breath, rolling onto his side and starting to curl in on himself. His right arm landed in the water and as they watched the bones almost immediately began retreating to their proper position, his arms returning to a normal color. Color started washing back into Alister's face and the flush of the fever died away.

Jou let out a pleased whine, giving another disorienting smile. Marik leaned over to check for Alister's pulse, and seconds later he shot Valon a triumphant grin; he did not say anything, but Valon knew what Marik was going to say and he sagged in relief. They had done it.

Alister stirred with a soft moan. Valon leaned forward and he gently shook the redhead's shoulder. "Alister, you wakin' up? C'mon, chum, say somethin'," he urged when Alister did not immediately respond.

The red-haired man's eyes opened at last and he blinked several times, clearly disoriented. He turned his head to look up at Valon and did not seem to register him at first, but then the gray eyes closed again and he mumbled, "Somethin'."

Valon visibly relaxed, waves of relief washing over him. "You're okay. You're really okay," he said shakily.

"Aside from feeling like I've just been kicked in the stomach," came the hoarsely spoken retort.

"Oh c'mon, chum, I didn' hit you tha' 'ard," the Aurosian said, forcing a chuckle. "And anyways, you're were the one tryin' t' die on me."

Alister opened his eyes at that, one of his eyebrows rising. "Admit it. You've wanted to punch me for years. Raphael's the only reason you haven't done it so far," he said, his voice coming out much stronger than before.

Valon's laugh was much more genuine this time. Alister was clearly on the mend if he was already quipping. "Well, I can' lie, you've called me enough names in the past. Consider it payback."

"Fair enough." Alister's eyes closed again and he looked almost as if he would doze off.

Valon sobered at the sight, his smile fading. He desperately wanted to ask Alister about what had happened to him; it was Valon's fault his older friend was in this condition to begin with, no matter what anyone told him, and he was also worried about Raphael. He knew Marik wanted to ask as well, but right now Alister was still recovering and it would have to wait until his friend was feeling up to the task.

"'ow're you feelin', mate?" he asked awkwardly at last.

His friend did not open his eyes, but when he replied his voice sounded oddly amused. "I got both of my arms gruesomely broken so I could never use them again, I was stabbed and then tossed into a river to drown, I had to endure everything in the river hitting my arms and getting sick, and I think I actually died and came back just now. Beyond that, I'm perfectly fine."

Alister paused, and then continued speaking. "Oh, and if I'm not much mistaken I'm currently lying in the hands of a dragon I tried to kill almost a month ago. I'm in need of an explanation."