I know, I know, it's been how long? But see, I come bringing a long update to make up for my absence—*dodges the rotten vegetables being tossed at her*

Quite a few things have been going on for me lately and I've really not had a chance to work on the chapter. There might be some tweaks here and there later, but for now we have an update. I'm afraid that the real action won't necessarily start until next chapter, so put up with the "beating around the bush" chapters for just a while longer, guys.

Again, thank you to every reviewer and follower, anonymous or signed. I appreciate you all, haha, and your reviews honestly make it all worthwhile.


When they had left the Shadow Path earlier that morning it had started off as a small, gentle throbbing behind his eyes. As they had advanced further into the forest, however, the pounding headache grew stronger, making it difficult to even breathe; it was well on its way to becoming a migraine.

Ryou knew why this headache had come, of course. When he had left he had blocked the mental link that existed between himself and Bakura, as he had not wanted Bakura to see where he had gone. It was easier to block the connection the further away he was from Bakura, but now that he was back in the forest the other man could sense him—and the headache was proof that the thief knew Ryou had returned.

"Ryou?" Sivya had stopped walking, turning to study him with a concerned expression. She was clearly exhausted, as they had been walking practically all night, but even so she had not failed to see Ryou start trailing behind them. Rishid and Ishizu also halted, watching him with something close to worry.

Ryou bit back a groan as another agonizing throb shot through his temples, this time the pain nearly blinding him. "I…hold a moment, I've got to…"

He staggered, the world tilting on its axis for a few jarring seconds, but someone caught him and wrapped a strong arm around his shoulders. He was then steered him to a fallen log to sit on—Rishid was helping him, he realized dimly. He was on the verge of passing out, but he fought back the rolling darkness gathering at the back of his eyes; if he passed out now the link would remain closed, and years of experience had taught him enough to know this was not a desired outcome.

Mind links were not something trivial, despite the almost too-simple name. The link was not just to his mind but to his soul as well; to block such a connection required an immense amount of control and mental concentration. It had taken Ryou almost his entire life to learn how to create a barrier strong enough to block Bakura, and while it took time to craft a defense strong enough to keep the thief out of his mind it took only seconds to dismantle.

Hello, Bakura, he called wearily through the link.

Some of the tension in his temples alleviated as the link began reforming; the best way Ryou could ever describe re-opening the link was akin to carrying a familiar weight on his shoulders. It would be some time before the blinding headache disappeared, however. The balance between himself and the thief was off-kilter because of the amount of time the link had been blocked, and until it evened out Ryou would have to work around the pain.

Bakura's voice was painfully loud when he replied to Ryou moments later. You have no idea how angry I am at you.

If this headache I've got is any indication of how you feel, I'd say you're furious. I almost passed out, you know.

What right do you have to complain? You're the one who snuck away in the dead of night without telling me.

If I had told you what I was doing, you would have never—

SHUT UP.

Ryou flinched at the accompanying spike of white-hot pain that shot through his temples. The voice currently resonating through his skull held a tremble of anger that permeated each and every word that followed.

Since when are you Yami's little errand boy? Since when does he have the right to order you about? The last I checked, you held the Ring, not the Puzzle. If Yami wants to risk someone's life that's his business, but you are not his pawn to command!

There was no one else who could go! Ryou's voice came out sharper than he had intended, and his head throbbed once again. He waited until he was certain he would not snap any further before he spoke again—he didn't need to make an already furious Bakura even angrier. If there was another option then I wouldn't have left at all. But I made my choice and you can't change it now.

The pain in his head was growing stronger, as well as Bakura's presence through the link—he was getting closer to them. He kept his eyes shut, but he started listening to the forest around them to try and pinpoint which direction Bakura was coming from. A fruitless task, he thought wryly, for Bakura could be as silent as a shadow when he desired. The title "Thief King" was not just a means to boost an already insufferable ego.

You have free reign over your actions, yes, and if it is such a heavy burden I can easily remove it from you. I enjoy having my own body, but I remember a time not so long ago where we had to share.

Ryou paled, dread rising within him. There were still gaping holes in his childhood memories from where Bakura had overshadowed him, and while he had never found out exactly what had happened he had always gained the impression that nothing good had come of it.

And of course there had been the occasional casualty or two that he did remember.

Bakura was not one for idle threats. If he felt that Ryou had crossed a boundary the thief would take action the moment he found them, and Ryou had enough gaps in his memory as it was. Can you at least trust that good came from this excursion? he asked at last.

And what sort of good would that be?

Without preamble Ryou summoned every memory he had of his visit to Hermos and pushed it to the forefront of his mind, not bothering to place them in any particular order. In such circumstances it was best if Bakura chose the important memories for himself.

He felt the pressure increase at the back of his skull and, much like one would turn pages in a book, he felt the memories he'd called being perused. The memories were clipped, jarring and often disconnected in sequence; Bakura was viewing them in the order in which Ryou had called them, but he was seeking out the important aspects of the memories.

"Ryou?"

The white haired man opened his eyes wearily and gave Sivya a reassuring smile. The headache was finally easing, though not entirely dissipating; in about another hour the headache would be entirely gone. Rishid was still holding him upright, but when Ryou shifted and straightened the Enterran man released him.

"There's no need to worry. I'm sorry if I frightened any of you," Ryou said tiredly, looking at the others around him. "Bakura can be rather impatient and I did sneak off without telling him what I was doing."

Sivya hovered around him anxiously as Ryou slowly went to his feet. She did not know much about the mind link between Ryou and Bakura, but she was at least aware of the connection. "Are you certain you should walk?" she asked. "Maybe it would be best if we rested a while longer, until you've recovered."

"I'm certain," said Ryou, smiling with some exhaustion. He glanced to Rishid, who had risen to his feet as well, and to the silently watching Ishizu. "We need to get back to the lair. From here it's only twenty minutes, ten if we walk quickly," he announced, already starting to stride forward.

He caught the motion of Ishizu shaking her head from the corner of his eyes. "I find it both prudent and in our best interests to remain here," she stated.

Ryou turned, noticing that Ishizu was no longer looking at him. Her eyes had gone to a point off to their right, and one of her hands was lightly resting on her Tauk. "What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned. Ishizu could see the future…what if something terrible had befallen the others while he had been gone? Was there some threat approaching them even now?

Rishid was standing next to his sister now, and his own head moved in the direction that had caught Ishizu's fixed gaze. Though he did not appear any different Ryou could tell the taller man was bracing himself to possibly defend the woman. "I do not see a threat, sister," he said quietly.

"It is not a threat that approaches," she replied. "I cannot see his future in the Tauk, but my Item still recognizes its brethren."

Ryou and Sivya exchanged baffled glances. "Brethren?" Sivya asked cautiously.

"She's talking about the Ring," came the annoyed response, and everyone with the exception of Ishizu started as Bakura pushed his way through the bushes behind Sivya. "Hello, little mouse," he continued as he passed the girl, addressing her with the greeting.

Sivya glowered at Bakura, slightly affronted by the nickname, but wisely did not speak. The thief had never thought much of Sivya to begin with and would not hesitate to bring her harm if she bothered him enough. Bakura was not shy about hitting a woman

"I don't recall you having the ability to sense the items, Ishizu," Bakura drawled, his mahogany eyes going to the Enterran woman. If he was fazed by seeing Marik's older siblings, he was doing an incredibly good job of hiding his surprise.

"Much has transpired since we parted ways. My power, though still limited in certain aspects, has grown," Ishizu said evenly as she faced him. "It has been some time, Bakura."

The thief grunted, his eyes flicking over to Rishid. "You're also here, I see," he remarked. "You look a lot healthier and a lot less bloody than when we last met. The scars on your face haven't faded—a pity, as they would at least help you look semi-approachable."

"I was given time to heal. As for my scars, I do not intend to let them fade," said Rishid, a noticeably wary edge to his words. "You have not changed at all, but what of Master Marik?"

"You still don't trust me in the slightest. He's fine," retorted Bakura irritably when Rishid made to speak. "In fact, the moment he sees you both I know exactly what he's going to say. 'I told you they wouldn't let themselves get separated!' I can hear him already and I don't relish that encounter."

"Then he is safe?" Ishizu was watching him attentively, but there was no hiding the concerned note to her words.

"Oh he's physically healthy and his hatred of every nobleman is still as strong as ever," Bakura said, waving a hand dismissively. "I would think that you could see him for yourself on that Tauk of yours."

Ishizu's composed mask cracked for the briefest of seconds. "I cannot, Bakura. Any Item holder's future is one shrouded in mystery," she said, and Ryou gained the impression that she was choosing her words carefully. "My abilities are still limited in that regard."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Marik does not hold a Shadow Item."

Ryou cleared his throat to catch their attention. "That's why we need to get back to the lair. There is a message for Yami from Princess Mai I need to deliver and…well, I believe it will answer quite a few questions," he said. For Bakura's benefit he pulled the memory of the Shadow creature from the night before, sending it to Bakura's own thoughts.

The other silver-haired man grunted again, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Fine, whatever. I for one despise traveling in the rain," he declared, and with a snap of his fingers the entrance to another Shadow Path opened directly in front of him. "Let's go."

The Enterrans passed Bakura without problem, but as Ryou walked by the other white-haired man grabbed his arm and yanked him to the side. "Don't think that the arrival of the mouse and Marik's siblings have served as a distraction from our earlier conversation," he hissed. "There is much we have to discuss when we are alone."

Ryou did not immediately reply. "I understand," he said at last, resignation coloring his words.

Bakura released him and stalked forward. "For what it's worth," he called over his shoulder gruffly as he stalked into the darkness, "I am glad that you're safe."

Ryou shook his head, hiding the small smile. It was nice to know the thief had been worried about him, even if it had been because Bakura did not want to end up trapped in the Millennium Ring.


Téa scrutinized the bookshelf, trying to pinpoint the book in the dim light. She and Yami had gone upstairs to try and locate the storybook, as Yugi and his grandfather generally kept all written text in the room above the shop. While it was certainly lighter upstairs than it was below because of the windows, the room still was rather dim, as if a curtain was hanging over the window; Yami had told her that the upstairs could only be lit by fires made by magic, and as he was incapable of casting regular spells they had to make do with what they had.

The familiar magical pressure that was normally in this room had abated in the time since Yugi had been struck down, and everything seemed to hold a gray cast to it, one that was not necessarily caused by the light from outside. Yami had started when they had come upstairs, as he had not been up in the loft since his departure weeks ago; clearly he was not used to the change in atmosphere.

Téa reached for another book, examining the emerald green cover carefully. Was this the one? It had been years since she had seen any of these books, so she could not be sure; there was something about this particular book that she felt was different, for out of all of the novels she'd picked up so far this one had been the only one that felt oddly warm to the touch.

"I wish I could see these books better," she grumbled, glancing at Yami. Perhaps he could conjure up a light of some kind, even if his expertise lay only in Shadow magic.

Almost immediately after she had spoken Yami's hand seemed to move on its own. A very faint warmth touched her fingertips and she started, looking down at the dimly flickering pink orb of light resting on her fingers; it illuminated the cover of the book and just inside the orb she could see what looked like delicate butterfly wings.

She instantly relaxed at the sight of the fairy light—Yami had heard her. Her eyes were drawn to the golden letters written across the book's cover, the color illuminated by the glow of the fairy light, and she brightened. "Here it is, Yami," she announced victoriously, holding the book up.

Yami, who had been perusing a different book, set it down on the shelf nearest him before crossing the room. He took the book mutely and began rifling through the pages, his eyes scanning each page intently before he finally made a triumphant noise in the back of his throat.

"So it is in this book after all—Yugi's memories weren't wrong," he said, closing the book. At Téa's affronted look he said reassuringly, "The memories in question were from his childhood. A child's perspective is oft different than those of adults."

"You peered into Yugi's memories?" she asked. "How come?"

"Remember that I am confined to the Puzzle," he replied, his hand unconsciously cupping the golden pyramid resting on his chest. "In the years before Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle I was…not paying attention to my surroundings, shall we say. When Jou told us as much of his predicament as he could, it reminded Yugi of something he'd heard as a child. I simply perused the memories called forth by those thoughts—hence why we are here now."

His eyes landed on the orb of light resting on Téa's fingers and they widened by an almost imperceptible fraction. "A fairy light," he breathed, suddenly sounding odd.

"Yes. I couldn't really see what I was reading, even with the light coming from the windows. I'm glad you gave me the fairy light—what's wrong?" she asked uncertainly, noticing the expression on Yami's face.

"I cast no such spell," he said after a brief pause, frowning at her.

"You did," she insisted. "I saw you move your hand and then the light appeared."

The spirit stared at her for several long moments before he spoke. "Téa, I cannot cast regular magic and the fairy lights cannot generate themselves," he said slowly. "Creating fairy lights was something Yugi alone could do—and I don't recall moving my hand to create that light."

It took a few moments for Téa to process what Yami was telling her, but when it clicked she sat up straighter. She held out the hand with the fairy light twinkling ever so faintly on her fingers, hope and excitement began to rise within her chest. There was a joyful tremor in her voice when she spoke.

"Then that little light means Yugi's getting better," she said, a smile starting to grow as she looked fondly at the ethereal pink orb. "This is his way of telling us he's going to be okay, isn't it?"

Yami did not answer her, but not because he was ignoring her or because he was uncertain how to respond.

Despite the fact that he inhabited a physical body, Yami had felt entirely off balance in the weeks since Yugi's collapse. It was not his body, after all, and ever since the Puzzle had been completed Yugi had been a familiar presence; when Yugi had been attacked the wizard had promptly disappeared, and though Yami had caught traces of his presence over the weeks it had been as if Yugi had been practically torn away from his body. He had put on a front, of course, and most people could not tell that he was bothered by Yugi's absence. Even so, after spending years sharing the same body it had been disorienting—even frightening—to not even be able to detect Yugi's presence.

While Téa had been speaking to him, a very familiar and reassuring weight had returned to the back of his mind; this event had been the reason he did not immediately answer her, and in fact it had happened in only a few seconds. This new presence did not yet speak, but Yami knew immediately who it was.

Outwardly, he smiled at Téa, feeling almost overwhelmingly relieved. "You would be correct."


"…And if it hadn' been for our dragon friend 'ere you wouldn' 'ave made it," Valon finished, glancing at Alister for some sign of acknowledgement.

Marik re-adjusted his position on the cave floor, leaning cautiously against a nearby pile of rubble. Jou had moved all three of them to the shore, lifting Alister with especial care out of the water to situate him; once again Jou had the odd predicament of not having enough space to settle with them on land, so he remained where he was in the water.

Valon had just finished relaying to his older friend about how they had found Alister floating in the river, though the Aurosian had left out his argument with Marik; the Enterran had pitched in here and there, but he had left the bulk of the tale to Valon. The other teenager had briefly mentioned that Jou was an ally in response to one of Alister's questions, but had not said anything further on the matter. Though the Aurosian was still uncertain about Jou, it seemed that he trusted the dragon a lot more since their adventure at the river.

Alister had remained on his back while Valon had been speaking, and though his eyes had been locked on his younger friend he made no attempt to sit up on his own; perhaps he was too exhausted to move, but Marik did not miss the way that Alister was pointedly ignoring his arms. It was entirely possible Alister was unaware of the changed condition of his injuries, he thought, but for now he would wait to address that point.

"So I can be assured the dragon won't try to eat me for shooting at it when it attacked the castle?" the red-haired man asked then, glancing at the dragon looming over them all.

Jou's face scrunched into a scowl, an irritated huff escaping him.

"Naw, Alister, 'e won' 'urt ya. 'e's like Marik—'e eats rabbit food," Valon replied, but then he yelped when Jou ducked his head and deliberately knocked the brown-haired man into the water.

"He eats meat, Valon. He just doesn't eat humans," Marik said with some amusement when the spluttering Aurosian resurfaced. Jou himself was giving his own version of a laugh, a sound that was a cross between a growl and a strange hum.

Alister did not laugh, but there was a small smirk that quirked the corners of his mouth. "Glad to hear that—I've got enough to deal with as it is," he said tiredly. His eyes closed seconds later and he relaxed.

"So wha' 'appened t' you anyways, Alister?" Valon demanded, scrambling out of the water and back onto the shore. "'ow'd you end up in the river? You said someone stabbed you," he added, his voice darkening and his eyes flashing.

"Ah yes, about that," Alister said, and his own eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid that at the moment I can't give specifics. Let's just say I didn't play nice with Jean Claude's guards while I was up there and Jean Claude decided I was better off dead."

"'ow come you can' tell us?" Valon retorted. "Tha's not somethin' you keep t' yourself. I know you don' like bein' social 'n' all, but—"

"It's not me being secretive," Alister interrupted, the first hint of annoyance coloring his words. "I don't think I can tell you what's going on—not without bringing a whole world of hurt down on certain, undeserving heads."

His eyes flickered downward at that comment, towards his neck, and he seemed to unconsciously tense. From above them, Jou let out a low rumbling growl of understanding.

Marik had not understood straight away what Alister had been hinting at. Jou's reaction, however, had triggered a memory from weeks before, when Marik had come into the room above the Turtle Shop and had seen a then semi-human Jou flailing helplessly on the floor, green lightning brutally shocking and punishing his body. "A gag spell," he said grimly.

Alister turned his head to Marik. He did not have to say anything—the look in his eyes was confirmation enough.

"Not you too," groaned Valon. "I's bad enough that ol' Scaly 'ere 'as that problem, now you seem to 'ave it."

Jou made an affronted noise at his new nickname, but no one paid him any mind.

"I'm not the only one," Alister replied slowly. "More than one person at the castle was afflicted with this…ailment."

Valon stared incredulously, realizing who Alister was referring to. "Raph and Elya, too?"

"Not just our little group, Valon—all the guards, save for those on Jean Claude's side, have my problem." Alister said darkly. "As for why, I can't say anything until I've seen Yugi. He's the only one who can do something to help."

Marik and Valon exchanged glances. "About that," Marik began slowly. "Yugi's incapacitated at the moment. He's been gone, so to speak, so currently we have Yami in Yugi's body."

"Bloody confusin', tha's wha' I say," Valon muttered under his breath.

Marik ignored him. "Yami's available, but if you are under a spell he can't do anything about it until Yugi's recovered—and he's made it pretty clear he has no idea when that
will be."

Surprise flitted across Alister's features, but seconds later it vanished. "I'd wondered whether he'd known Yugi was here," he muttered. "Jean Claude must have found out Yugi was still present, so of course he made sure the one wizard left in the area was taken care of. That's one of my questions answered."

"I wasn't aware Jean Claude knew magic," said Marik with a frown. "From what I gathered, he was nothing but a rather pompous airheaded braggart, and you seem to share Mai's opinion on the matter—you haven't called him 'prince' or 'Highness' at all."

Valon snorted. Marik disliked royalty on principle—whether Mai had ever said such a thing was questionable. Come to think of it, though, how did Marik know that Jean Claude had no experience with magic? Valon had never even seen the prince (though he'd heard his voice before) and the Enterran certainly never met him...

Alister gave a dark laugh as he looked up at Marik. "You won't like the answer I give you when I'm able to speak freely, Marik," he said grimly. "I'd tell you now if I wasn't afraid of exacerbating my oh-so-dire situation."

Marik's frown deepened and he studied Alister with renewed concern. What was he talking about?

Valon made an impatient noise that caused everyone else to look at him. "So if you can' tell me 'ow you ended up in the river, Alister, 'ow come you were unstrung?" he asked, but even though he tried to keep his voice neutral there was still a slight stutter in his words.

Alister had not missed Valon's shift in behavior and he frowned. "I think we both know the answer to that one. That night in the forest, when you and Mai ran into us, Jean Claude ordered Raphael and I to shoot at one of our best friends. I shot an arrow at Jean Claude's face instead. Suffice it to say, I don't think he was pleased by my actions—and I'm rather sorry to say I missed."

The Aurosian flinched. "So…Raph was punished too, then?" he asked, gulping nervously. He was almost afraid to ask what had happened to their oldest friend, because if Alister had been unstrung he could not even try to imagine what the prince had done to Raphael.

"Twenty-five lashes with a whip and a few other nasties I can't discuss at the moment, but he'll heal," said Alister quietly. Noticing that Valon was looking rather guilty, however, a scowl crossed Alister's features.

"Don't you dare apologize," he said sharply when Valon opened his mouth. "You had no idea we were there that night. I chose to defy Jean Claude's orders, and so did Raphael. We brought our punishments on our own heads. If anyone, blame Jean Claude for what happened."

The dragon growled above them in agreement, his ruby eyes flashing.

Valon still did not look convinced. "I was still the reason you got your arms all mangled."

"Last I checked, you weren't the one who dropped both a hammer and a freaking anvil multiple times on my arms, nor were you in the crowd that was watching and laughing the whole time," Alister retorted irritably, though his eyes darkened and a haunted edge crept into his words.

Valon's guilty expression morphed into one of absolute fury and horror. "They were laughin'?"

Jou abruptly snarled in outrage, a strangled and feral sound that startled all three humans. His tail slapped the water and his red eyes glowed in the dim light.

Marik was not entirely surprised by what Alister had said. Punishments were specifically designed to be cruel in nature; for those who watched such things, it was a reminder to obey the laws. Even so, the mention of the anvil had Marik subconsciously drawing his arms closer to his body.

He glanced at the hole in the ceiling above them and frowned. Though normally he could determine what time of day it was based on the sun's position, the rainclouds above them made it difficult for him to gauge how long they had been gone. "We need to go," he announced, rising to his feet. "Bakura's probably wondering where I got off to—he's mad enough Ryou's vanished and I don't intend to make him any angrier."

Valon snorted again. "Tha's if 'e actually cares you're gone," he pointed out.

Marik glanced back to Alister, who was looking suspiciously close to dozing off. Even though the water had taken away Alister's injuries and the fever, it did nothing to hide the fact the red-haired man was utterly exhausted. "You should try to sleep on our way back," Marik said then, catching everyone's attention. "I'm pretty sure if we tried to stand you upright you'd fall over."

Alister's eyes shut and did not open while he spoke. "It's a tempting offer. I haven't slept for weeks because of my arms—speaking of which, I have no idea what you did to make them this comfortably numb. Thank you for that," he said, and there was a truly grateful note to his words. "I feel almost normal. I don't know what potion you used, but I hope it lasts for a while yet."

Marik nodded to himself, suddenly much more certain. His earlier suspicion about Alister's reluctance to look at his arms had been confirmed by that statement, and frankly Marik was not all that surprised; the other man's arms had been so horribly mangled when they'd found him. Neither of them had thought to tell Alister that his arms had completely healed, however, and Jou obviously could not say anything.

Valon had reached the same conclusion Marik had and he scooted closer to Alister. "We didn' give you a potion," he said, and Alister's eyes opened to regard the Aurosian with some confusion. After hesitating a moment, the younger man reached for one of his friend's arms. "You also don' 'ave t' worry 'bout your arms 'urtin' anymore—we fixed 'em."

Alister had stiffened when Valon's hand moved to his arm, and out of instinct he swatted Valon's hand away. "Don't touch my arms!" he snapped angrily, his eyes flashing. "They're—!"

But then Alister froze as he stared at the hand he had used to push Valon and his breath hitched. He said nothing for several long moments, gazing disbelievingly at his bared arm, and then he slowly lifted his left arm to join its companion; the oversized sleeve immediately dropped to expose the appendage. He continued to stare as he began rotating his arms, alternating between wiggling his fingers to forming fists.

"I didn't think I would ever get to do that again," Alister said softly, his voice catching as he lowered his arms at last. He slowly sat up and looked over at them, and for the briefest of seconds the red-haired man seemed almost vulnerable. The expression vanished almost as soon as the other two men registered the look, however, and the red-haired man locked his eyes onto Valon. "What did you do?"

At Alister's suddenly sharp voice Valon held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Easy, mate, I didn' sell my soul t' the devil or the like," he said hastily, slightly quailing under Alister's glare. "The healin' spring patched up your arms."

Alister blinked once, then glanced at the water nearby. "I had thought springs such as this were bedtime story fodder," he said. He glanced at his fingers splayed across the dirt and pebbles beneath them, still marveling he could even move them. "How did you find it?"

"Quite by accident," Marik replied instantly. "We saw our dragon friend fly here one day and we figured he had a hoard. Instead, we found an annoyingly loud princess that was more trouble than she's worth in ransom, and later discovered the spring's powers when Kaiba came a-calling."

Alister arched an eyebrow. "Is that why a quarter of the forest is destroyed?" he asked Marik. "What happened to anger the oh-so-mighty Lord of Dragons?"

"Someone de-scaled one of his kits and he assumed Bakura had something to do with it," Marik replied nonchalantly.

The redhead frowned at the comment. "I want to hear that particular story," he said grimly. "Jean Claude has a very interesting sword that Kaiba might like to know about."

"The one crafted from the White Dragon? Mai already told us about that," Marik stated.

Alister's face darkened. "Of course. Throw everyone off her tail by pointing out Jean Claude's short comings. Honestly, Marik, you should have just let our dragon friend here blast her—if you knew half of what she's done you would have let her be."

Marik did not like the sound of Alister's words; the red-haired man had more chances to see and interact with Mai at the castle, and clearly she had done something to garner his disgust. Something was definitely going on up there, if the hints Alister were dropping were any indication of it.

But what? What was happening up there? There had been the rumors of the coup d'état, then had come the banishing of the wizards and of some of the servants from the castle—and now Alister had shown up, currently bound under a gag spell and had actually died at one point this morning. And how exactly was Mai tied into all of this? This was not supposed to be his business, yet Marik was starting to get the impression that he was indirectly involved.

Marik had been lost in his thoughts, but the abrupt sounds of Jou's snarls ripping through the air brought him back out of them and he looked to the dragon. The black-scaled creature was bristling, half-rising from the water and glaring at Alister. His fangs glinted in the dim light and his eyes were glowing once again.

"Shut up, Jou," he said flatly, primarily to take the dragon's attention off of Alister. "Yes, she's a princess, but just because you seem to be harboring some sort of crush on Mai doesn't automatically make her a saint—"

But Alister had violently started when Marik said the dragon's name and he shot a wide-eyed gaze to the black-scaled dragon, the little color left in his face draining. "Jou…Jou," he breathed, comprehension dawning on his face. "Is that…it is you, isn't it?"

Jou was calming, startled by the sudden shift in behavior from Alister. Even so, there was something close to realization on his face and an approving sound left the dragon's throat—though he still seemed angry about the comments about Mai.

Valon blinked. "Er…Alister, I thought you didn' know who the dragon was. You tellin' us you do know 'im?"

But Alister had not heard Valon's comment. His eyes were trained on the dragon, and when he spoke it was apparent he was speaking to Jou.

"You vanished and in your place came a dragon…a dragon than never destroyed the castle and avoided causing too much harm to the guards," he said slowly. "The dragon always seemed to be searching for something whenever it came…of course. Of course. You were searching the castle for her before Mai arrived…and then you took Mai out of the castle. Jean Claude never said he killed you, just that you were indisposed, and what better way to keep you out of the kingdom than to—?"

"I can practically see smoke comin' out of your ears 'cause you're thinkin' so fast," Valon said wryly, though he sobered at Alister's current expression. "Wha's wrong?"

"We need to go to Yami. Now," Alister said urgently, rising unsteadily to his feet.

"Forgive me for asking the obvious, but how do you even know Jou?" asked Marik, glancing at the dragon in some surprise. "Was he a guard at the castle with you?"

"In a way. I need to get to someone who can wield magic and who can do something to help me," came the irritated retort as Alister fought to keep his balance. He stayed uncertainly in place, tried taking a step forward, and fell forward. He was clearly not ready to try walking yet.

Jou's head had been lowering even as the red-haired man had been moving, however. He caught Alister and kept him upright with a low rumble, and after steadying Alister on his feet he lifted his head into the air. He lowered one of his taloned hands, glancing pointedly at the humans and dipping his head toward his outstretched hand. Taking the hint, Alister and Valon moved forward; Jou waited until they were secure before lifting them to his back, gently setting them atop of the scales.

Marik nimbly climbed up Jou's front left leg and ended up in front of Alister, already in motion before the red-haired man finished speaking. He did not know Alister nearly as well as Valon did, but he knew that the other man rarely sounded so urgent unless something was truly important. That, coupled with his own questions, had been more than enough to get him going.

Jou began hunkering down, his muscles tightening as he studied the small opening in the cavern ceiling above them.

Valon tapped Alister's shoulders. "You might wanna 'old on t' somethin'. Jou takes off wicked fast 'n' you're still tryin' t' recover."

"I've seen him take off whenever he finished paying us a visit at the castle before, Valon," Alister said flatly, "He doesn't go that fast—"

Jou sprang into motion, hurtling through the air with all the speed of a flying arrow as they made for the cavern exit, and Alister's frightened breath came in a sharp gasp. He had obviously not been expecting to go at the speed they were flying.

The three of them ducked as Jou just barely avoided scraping his back on a nearby ledge and his large wings instantly started to flap the moment they were clear of the mountain. They gained even more momentum as they ascended above the rain clouds at nearly breathtaking speeds. Not one of the humans could open their eyes without cold, wet air assaulting and stinging their vision.

At least they were on their way, Marik decided, shivering in the cold air. The faster they were back at the lair, the faster he could get warmed up and get answers to some of the more pressing questions that had come up in their conversation.

You won't like the answer I give you when I can speak freely.

And then the sound of laughter began echoing in his ears, a warped sound accompanied by the brief memory of cold lavender eyes—his eyes—and a smile that sent a thrill of fear up his back—

Valon noticed Marik's sudden shudder and called over the wind, "Wha's wrong?"

"I'm fine! Worry about Alister—he's still rather weak and he could fall off!" he called when Valon jabbed him particularly hard with a finger in the shoulder. But he did not turn around to show them his face, because then they'd see just how troubled he really was.

The laugh he'd heard had come from inside his mind.

And as warped as it had been, that had been his own voice Marik had heard just now.


Téa and Yami had only been in the camp for literal minutes when the sound of Jou's wings beating the air above them broke the silence, and Tea shielded her eyes against the loose grass and fallen water being kicked up by the gusts of wind Jou was creating.

At the sight of a soaking wet Valon and Marik, however, the greeting on her lips died and a scowl replaced the smile. "You boys get over here by the fire this instant!" she barked, grabbing each one of their arms and starting to drag them to the fire beneath the shelter of a nearby awning. "You are freezing, both of you, and you're getting out of those clothes this instant!"

Marik, who seemed oddly distracted and subdued, did not fight against her. Valon, however, pulled away from her and instead hurried over to Jou's side. When Téa turned around, it was to see the Aurosian kneeling next to a figure sitting on the grass. She released Marik (who seemed all too eager to get away from her) and instead went to Valon. "Is that…?"

"Alister? Yup, sure is, love, 'n' I think 'e's out of it at the moment," said Valon, eyeing his older friend with some concern. The man was pale-faced and leaning against the dragon with visible exhaustion. Jou was also looking down at Alister, just as worried. "Jou took off pretty fast 'n' I reckon Alister wasn' ready f'r tha'. I know 'e doesn' like heights—"

"He climbs trees if it means he can get a better shot with his bow and arrow," Téa retorted. "He can't be that afraid of them."

"You've clearly never ridden on a dragon's back when he's going top speed," Alister growled, one of his eyes opening.

Valon grinned, as did Jou. "Perfect, you survived! 'ow are you doin'?"

"Never again," came the responding snarl, and Alister directed a furious glare at the dragon. "I don't care if you're the king of all Chronas, never again, do you hear me?"

Jou gave him a look that plainly said No promises.

Once Tea was assured that Alister was all right she allowed Valon to help him up before grabbing the both of them by the arm. "Alister, I have no idea how you got here, but you're coming over to the fire with Valon. Then all three of you are going to change out of those clothes and into something warm. You'll catch your death of cold."

Alister smirked at her. "Wouldn't be the first time I've died today, to be honest," he said darkly, catching her off guard.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. It seems you have quite the story to tell, if what I'm seeing is any indication," he said.

The red-haired man started, for Yami had appeared directly in front of him. He recovered seconds later and said, "I need your help, as much as I hate admitting it."

"Yeah," piped up Valon, who had just joined Marik by the fireside and was gratefully accepting a warm blanket from Tea. "Look, Yami, Alister's gagged or summat like that and—"

"I know," replied Yami evenly. "I can see the residual magic from the gag spell. The spell has been lifted already. You've been free of it for some time, Alister."

Valon stared, as did Alister. "'ow? I thought you needed a wizard t' break spells—"

For the second time in the space of a few seconds Yami interrupted the Aurosian. "Did Alister's heart stop beating? Did he stop breathing? Or is the declaration he made moments before only an exaggerated statement designed to push away concern?"

Alister and Valon remained silent, waiting to see where the conversation was going.

"The moment his heart stopped the spell lifted. Magic cast on living creatures have no hold on the dead. Even though Alister yet lives, the spell broke the moment Alister's heartbeat ceased. The only way for the spell to keep its hold on Alister is if the sorcerer re-casts the spell," Yami explained, sounding just a tad too patient.

Alister started, looking up at Jou with dawning realization. "Then that means…I can tell you all what's going on, can't I?" he said, and before anyone could reply he said without preamble, "Jean Claude is not the real prince."

A hush fell over the clearing. Marik, who had been accepting a bowl of warm broth from Téa, looked up at that. Téa was staring at Alister with something close to surprise, while Valon's jaw dropped open.

Alister, on the other hand, seemed perfectly happy by what he'd just said. "Oh thank heaven, I can talk freely now. I couldn't earlier—speaking about anything that involved Jean Claude's plans would result in everyone aside from me getting hit with nasty green lightning. That's including Elya and the princess, by the way."

Jou let out a strangled whine at that, his eyes lighting with something close to panic. Alister glanced up at him and said quietly, "I don't believe her dead."

"So then who's the prince?" asked Valon. "It's not me, last I checked. Sure isn' Marik, and Jou? Well, 'e tried t' take a bite outta me b'fore 'n' 'e also attacked Mai, so it can' be 'im either."

Jou grimaced, the shudder causing his scales to ripple, and the dragon looked away. Alister gazed at the dragon in some disbelief and said, "You attacked Mai? I honestly thought a bear had gotten her that night."

"What happened that evening is no fault of Jou's," said Yami, and the tone he had adopted allowed no room for contradiction. "There is no way to protect yourself from an attack you cannot see coming."

The sound of rustling bushes caught their attention and the group looked to the far side of the clearing just as a white-haired man stepped into view. At first they thought it was Bakura, but then they took note of the slightly large brown eyes and the silver hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Ryou, you're back!" said Téa, and then she promptly scowled as she took note of his sodden appearance. "And you're just as soaked through as these guys. Come over here by the fire this instant!"

Ryou gave her a tired smile as he started forward. "Believe me, a nice warm fire is exactly what I want right now," he said. "I've been traveling all night in the storm."

Marik straightened up and rose to his feet. "Where have you been, anyways?" he demanded, relief lighting his features. "You pulled a complete vanishing act. Does Bakura know you're back?"

Ryou grimaced. "He does," he said wryly, tapping his temple. "He's already expressed his, ah, displeasure at my departure."

He sobered, however, and looked to Yami. "I've got a message for you," he said to Yami, holding out a rolled piece of parchment. "It's from Princess Mai and it's very urgent."

As Yami took the parchment from him Ryou's eyes wandered to where Valon was watching him, and then his gaze landed on Alister. He paled almost immediately at the sight of the redhead. "You're…you're alive?" he asked, stunned.

Alister raised an eyebrow. "Gee, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," he retorted sarcastically.

"Princess Mai told me you had died." Ryou looked shaken, sounding almost breathless. "She had heard from Prince Jean Claude that you had died. In fact, she thought Bakura had something to do with it."

Valon started. "Wha'—but Kura's been 'ere this whole time!" he said. "'ow could 'e 'ave been responsible f'r Alister's condition?"

Alister shook his head, a dark chuckle leaving him. "Well, if you're trying to cover the fact that Jean Claude ordered me to be killed you look for any avenue to redirect the blame. It's also entirely possible Mai was in on the whole thing—I'm almost positive she knows Jean Claude's a fake prince and yet she's done nothing about it."

Ryou's eyes widened, while Téa and Valon both shot Alister identically stunned looks. "What?"

But Jou instantly starting shaking his head violently. A cacophony of sound—whines, growls, and snarls—escaped Jou's throat as the dragon's tail slapped the ground, nearly knocking Téa off balance as the earth trembled under her feet. Jou was clearly trying to speak, but was failing spectacularly.

"Calm yourself, Jou," said Yami evenly. His eyes went to Alister and he asked, "Can you be certain she is directly involved in this plot you've implied?"

Alister gave him a clearly exasperated look. "No, but I couldn't very well ask her either. My best friend's wife and a helpless, sickly princess would pay the price if I asked—two innocent lives taken all for a question isn't exactly a fair price. Her actions, though…"

"I see." Yami glanced at the parchment in his hands. "I suspect there is a good deal that will be explained in this letter she's sent. Perhaps reserve your judgment of her for a while longer, Alister."

The bushes rustled again and the group watched silently as Bakura pushed his way into the clearing. At their startled looks he rolled his eyes. "Well don't stop speaking because of me, you idiots," he said irritably.

The thief's eyes then went to Marik, an unidentified emotion lighting his eyes. "You. Ryou brought back company and I don't think he noticed that we left them behind. Go get them."

Marik made a sound of protest. "Are you kidding me? I'm not the one who brought them here and I'm soaking wet. I'm trying not to catch pneumonia," he said indignantly. "What do I look like to you, a dog that plays fetch?"

Bakura arched an eyebrow and then tipped his head to the forest behind him. "Woof."

Marik scowled at the thief and promptly began muttering, his words a curious blend between Enterran curses and mutters the group could understand as he stormed out of the clearing.

Téa shot a disapproving glare at the thief. "Why send Marik, Bakura?" she asked. "He's soaking wet, he's half-frozen, and he needs to get out of those clothes. Why does he have to go get your guests?"

Bakura scowled at her. "I don't answer to you, woman," he said flatly, brushing past her. Noticing Yami's own gaze, his scowl deepened. "And I don't answer to you either, Yami. You'll see soon enough why I sent Marik off."

Yami shrugged. "Very well then," he said. "Who am I to meddle in your business?"

Bakura shot him an annoyed look but did not say anything in reply.

Yami tipped his head to the fire. "In the meantime, we will wait until Marik's return before we discuss the situation at the castle any further. Alister, I understand you are concerned for those at the castle, but Marik is involved and we cannot continue without him," he added, noticing that Alister was about to begin protesting.

Téa and Ryou both jumped, looking slightly alarmed at Yami's words. Bakura did not comment, though his eyes narrowed, and Valon shot a puzzled look to the Enterran spirit. Jou, on the other hand, lowered his head and growled.

"There is an explanation coming, believe me," Yami continued heavily in response to the looks on the faces around him. "And out of all of us here, Marik is among those who will be the most impacted by what I say."


Marik stormed through the forest, nimbly climbing over fallen trees or their roots as he moved through the almost silent woods. "Woof, he says," he muttered angrily. "I'd actually have stayed, except he's proven before he's not afraid of tanning my hide with Shadow magic—and it's tan enough as it is. It's bad enough that I'm finally going crazy and that I'm hearing voices in my head. Now I've been demoted to a bloody babysitter for some idiots who got themselves lost in the woods."

He passed a sapling tree and shoved a branch out of his way, but as he strode forward the branch rebounded and slapped him in the face. He yelped and stumbled, tumbling down a small hill and coming to rest in a ditch. He snarled an Enterran curse as he held his face, his eyes watering beneath his fingertips.

"Marik! Marik, are you all right?"

He lifted one of his hands at the familiar voice, hastily sitting up and trying to force his watering eyes to focus. "Sivya?"

In the next second someone was hugging him tightly and he yelped again, nearly knocked off balance by the hug and completely caught off guard. "Sivya, it's nice to see you too," he said with a small laugh, catching sight of familiar honey-hued eyes.

While her presence was not enough to banish his foul mood, he could not help but smile. One winter he and Ryou had gotten separated from Bakura in a sudden but vicious blizzard, and Sivya had opened her door to them until the storm had passed. He liked the girl well enough, and shortly afterward he had started stopping by her home whenever he was in the area, and soon enough they had become friends.

"I thought you'd gone to Enterra with your brothers, though," he said, a troubled note entering his words. "Don't you usually take your sheep to Enterra this time of year?"

"My brothers have already taken the flocks and I will join them soon enough, but…" Sivya glanced over her shoulder. "There were those who needed my help before I left."

Marik frowned at that, following her gaze. He had not noticed it at first because he had still been reeling from being slapped in the face by a tree, but though his vision was still blurred he could see two others keeping back at the edge of the small clearing. He frowned, trying to pull them into focus. They were Enterran, a man and a woman, but beyond that he could not tell much about them.

"Well then, let's go," he said, gently pulling out of Sivya's hug and heading back to the hill he had just fallen down. "I'm completely soaked through and there's a fire waiting back at Bakura's lair that I'm dying to go back to. Watch out at the top of the hill, there's a tree out for blood up there—"

"Marik."

Marik stopped so suddenly at the woman's voice that he staggered, nearly falling over. His eyes widened to an almost impossible size and he felt the color draining from his face.

It had been years since he had heard that voice. It had deepened, of course, because its owner was no longer a young girl, but it was the same voice that he had listened to for the half of his life—a voice he had never thought to hear again.

He whirled, his vision suddenly clearing as his gaze went back to the other two Enterrans, and his breath hitched as his eyes took in the woman's appearance: blue eyes, tanned skin that was not as dark as her those of her countrymen, and a gleaming gold necklace that hung just above her collarbones.

Ishizu. That was his older sister, he knew it was her. And if that was his beloved older sister…then that meant…

His eyes caught the movement of the man beside her and his frightened eyes locked onto a far too familiar face, the left half of the other man's face covered in scars. But they weren't ordinary scars, Marik knew, because on closer inspection he would see text written in ancient Enterran—similar to the scars that marred Marik's own back.

Rishid.

His arms started rising and falling helplessly as his eyes darted back and forth between them. Marik wanted to run to them, to embrace them and never let go, but every muscle in his body had locked and betrayed him. Effectively, he was paralyzed.

If he wanted to be honest, however, he was staying where he was because he genuinely did not know what to do. So many years had passed between them, so much time had been lost—and it had all been his fault. It had been because he had been so selfish that his siblings had suffered.

What could he say to them? Marik had gone over what he would say to his brother and sister should he even find just one of them, but now the moment had arrived and Marik found that he simply could not speak. The words were trapped in his throat and would not come forth.

Ishizu stepped forward silently, her arms lifting and spreading out in a welcoming gesture. Her facial expression was that same picture of serene dignity that he remembered from his childhood, but her eyes were suddenly far too bright. "Marik," she said again, and her voice shook for the briefest of moments.

That was all the invitation Marik needed. A sound very close to a sob tore from his throat and then he was practically flying across the clearing, barreling into his older sister seconds later and throwing his arms around her in an almost bone-crushing hug. He buried his face in her shoulder just as a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around the two of them. Marik's legs buckled and the three of them sank as one to the ground.

Someone was speaking in almost a hysterical babble, the voice oddly muffled, and it took Marik a moment to realize it was his own sobbing voice, alternating between Enterran and English: "I'm sorry, it was all my fault. I'm sorry, so sorry…"

But almost in unison his older siblings were gently shushing him, their voices just as choked with emotion as Marik's was, and Marik gave up trying to speak and burrowed into the first embrace he'd had with his siblings in years.

There was so much to make up for, so much to be said and so many things to explain to one another, but Marik was content enough to stay where he was for just a few minutes.

He had his family back. Nothing else at that moment mattered.