"What?!" Yugi cried in horror as Tea's announcement, and he and Tristan ran in as well.
Tea was just kneeling next to Bakura's lifeless body when the door opened and Yami Bakura came in. He stared at the boy, completely aghast and angry, and then he also knelt on the floor, taking Bakura into his arms. "Bakura . . . you dolt," he said softly.
"What happened to him?!" Tea gasped. She, of course, wasn't very thrilled to see the tomb raider, but she hoped he would know what had happened to the poor boy.
But Yami Bakura only shook his head. He didn't know. The truth was that Bakura had wandered off after the showdown with Mr. Von Wilkenson. Yami Bakura had gone looking for him—and for an empty studio as well, so he could get on the radio and scare some sense into those foolish mortals—when he had heard Bakura screaming pitifully in his mind. "You ridiculous simpleton," he said now, feeling the boy's blood drip over his arms.
Tea reached out to touch Bakura gently. "He . . . he can't be . . . gone," she said softly. Yugi and Tristan were likewise horrified.
"Idiot," Yami Bakura whispered, seeming to be oblivious to the teens' presence. He held Bakura close, trying desperately to connect with the boy through their mental bond, but to no avail. Bakura wasn't able to reply for any number of reasons—none of which were good. "Wake up, you stupid boy!!"
"Come on, buddy," Tristan pleaded. "You've gotta be okay!"
Bakura groaned then, shuddering in his Yami's arms.
"He's alive!" Tea said in relief, hurrying to find something to press against his wounds.
Yugi smiled as well. He didn't know what they'd ever do if any of them ever died on one of these cases.
Yami Bakura also relaxed. Now that he knew the boy was alive, he tried to see how serious his injuries were.
"He's bleeding from his chest!" Tea cried.
Yami Bakura pulled the boy's sweater off and then unbuttoned his shirt, studying the wound thoughtfully. "He will live," he reported at last, muttering things about how absurd mortals were.
****
The nurse entered Marik's room again, her eyes sad. "Sir?" she said to Rishid.
Marik's brother looked up. "You have brought ill news," he stated grimly.
The nurse nodded. "I'm afraid he was poisoned," she informed him softly.
Rishid had expected as much. "Is there an antidote?" he asked, praying that the answer would be yes.
"There is," the nurse said slowly, injecting a needle into Marik's limp arm, "but the poison may have progressed too far to be stopped."
"That cannot be," Rishid said softly. "He must get well!"
Ishizu came in shortly after that, her eyes tired and sad. She wanted this nightmare to be over. "How is he?" she asked now, going over to Marik's motionless form and stroking his hair gently.
Rishid paused. He didn't want to burden the poor woman with anything more, but he knew she needed to know. "He was poisoned," the man said quietly.
Ishizu gasped in horror. "Isn't there something they can do?!"
"They are trying what they can," Rishid told her, "but it still looks grim."
Ishizu took Marik's limp hand, wishing desperately that he would be able to acknowledge her. "That viper," she whispered fiercely. "She denies everything, but I know she did this as surely as I know that the sun rises!"
Rishid nodded sadly. "Someday her evil actions will catch up to her and justice will be done," he declared, wishing more than anything that he could take revenge for her atrocities.
Ishizu rubbed her brother's hand gently, tears in her eyes.
****
Yami Bakura laid Bakura down gently on a couch on the studio and cleaned the boy's wounds. He spoke not a word—at least not in English. He muttered angrily in Egyptian from time to time and wouldn't let any of the teens get near Bakura.
"Do you think he knows what he's doing?" Tristan wondered, looking frustrated.
"We can only hope," Tea replied, also feeling annoyed but knowing that the ancient tomb raider was trying to help Bakura because he truly was concerned about the boy—no matter how much he denied it.
"How is he?" Yugi asked, trying to peer over Yami Bakura's shoulder.
The thief grunted, bathing a cut on Bakura's forehead. "I told you that he will live."
"Yeah, but is he hurt badly?" Tristan demanded.
"Maybe we should call an ambulance," Tea worried.
"We don't need to call an ambulance!!!!" Yami Bakura thundered.
Bakura stirred then, his soft brown eyes flickering open. "Where am I?" he asked in confusion.
"Oh Bakura, are you okay?" Tea cried.
Bakura blinked. "I'm alright," he said with a weak smile. He was actually in a lot of pain, but he didn't want anyone to have to worry about him.
"You ridiculous fool!" Yami Bakura screamed. "You went off and got yourself all hurt!!"
Bakura looked around, the memories of what had happened coming back to him.
"What did happen to you, Bakura?" Yugi asked worriedly.
Bakura watched as his Yami bandaged the wound on his chest and suddenly became aware that his shirt was open. He blushed, feeling self-conscious with Tea there.
"Tell me, you dolt," Yami Bakura growled. "How did you wind up like this?!"
Bakura winced as the thief began to clean a gash on his arm. "I . . . I remember hearing a strange noise here in the studio and I went to see what it was. . . ."
"Imbecile," Yami Bakura interrupted.
"I was worried that someone might be getting hurt," Bakura tried to explain. "So I opened the door and . . ."
"And you got yourself hurt," Yami Bakura growled.
Bakura groaned softly from the pain. "There . . . there was someone in here, but it was too dark to see who it was," he said now.
"Another ninja?" Tristan suggested darkly.
"It might have been," Bakura agreed softly. "He came at me with one of those weapons, and . . . I'm afraid that's all I remember," he said apologetically. "I don't recall him actually hurting me, but it appears as though he must have." Bakura tried to laugh wryly, but then his eyes widened in concern. "Oh dear . . . I hope no one else is hurt," he exclaimed worriedly.
"Are you really okay, Bakura?" Yugi wanted to know, but he realized that the other boy would never want to worry them and probably wouldn't tell them if he was in terrible pain.
"Of course he's not okay," Yami Bakura grumped before the boy could answer. "Rest, you fool," he ordered, pushing Bakura back against the couch when he tried to rise.
"This really isn't necessary, Yami," Bakura protested.
"Idiot," Yami Bakura muttered, and covered the boy with an afghan.
"But I can't rest," Bakura insisted. "We need to find out if everyone else is alright, and also what the person wanted in here!"
"Your friends can do all that," Yami Bakura said sternly. "Go to sleep here or else I will carry you back home to sleep there!"
Bakura turned pink. "Yami, I don't need to be babied!" he cried.
"Oh be quiet," Yami Bakura growled.
"It's okay, Bakura," Tea said comfortingly. "We just want you to get better." She patted his shoulder gently.
Bakura smiled, but still he looked worried. "Please find out if everyone else is alright," he requested softly.
"We will, buddy," Tristan assured his friend.
****
Joey walked down the streets, heading for the cafe where Vivalene had said she'd meet him for dinner. He felt a bit guilty about the mean way he had snapped at Seto, but he was tired of everyone saying that Vivalene was a devil. She's just the opposite, he declared to himself. Seto deserved the harsh words Joey had dealt him.
"Hello, Joey!" a familiar voice purred, and the Brooklyn boy saw his girl coming toward him, smiling in her special way.
"Hey Vifa," Joey grinned, taking her hand.
"Oh, you look upset, darling," Vivalene observed in apparent concern, brushing the long bangs out of the boy's brown eyes. "What's wrong?"
Joey smiled. "Eh, it's nothin'," he lied.
"Is it because your friends don't like me?" Vivalene asked now.
Joey visibly started. He hadn't wanted to make Vivalene feel bad by letting her know in any way that his friends were totally against her, but still somehow she had apparently found out. I bet Kaiba told her somethin', he thought angrily. Aloud he just stammered. "Well, uh . . ."
"I just felt so terrible when I knew that the Egyptian boy—what's his name? Marik?—thought that I had betrayed him," Vivalene said as they entered the cafe. "Perhaps he made the entire thing up just because he doesn't like me!"
Joey fumed at that suggestion, which was exactly what Vivalene wanted him to do. "Man, I wouldn't be surprised!" he declared hotly. "That no-good, low-down, lyin' jerk!"
Vivalene put a finger to his lips. "But then I suppose we really shouldn't speak ill of the poor thing," she mused. "After all, he *is* almost dead, and I pride myself on never speaking ill of the dead."
Joey tried to get his emotions under control as they sat at a booth. Marik had changed, he tried to remind himself. He wouldn't be making stuff up to discredit someone's name.
"But you like me, don't you, darling?" Vivalene interrupted his thoughts, laying her hand over his.
Joey snapped out of his trance. "Oh man, of course I do!" he exclaimed. "I've never loved anyone more!"
They talked about this and that as they ate, and finally they got around to the subject of relations.
"Darling," Vivalene said now, "tell me about your family."
Joey paused. "Well, my parents divorced years ago," he said slowly. "I have a sister who lives with my mother."
Vivalene seemed intently interested in this information. Joey decided that now was the perfect time to ask his own question. "And that's pretty much it," he said with a shrug. "So, uh, what about your family, Vifa?"
Vivalene smiled, almost as if she had hoped he would ask her that. "My parents are both dead," she said in a sad tone, "but I have two sisters."
"Older or younger?" Joey asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"One is younger and lives back in New York," Vivalene replied. "The other is my same age. In fact, she's my identical twin!"
"A twin? I knew it!" Joey cried, elated.
Vivalene shuddered. "She is an absolute witch," she proclaimed.
"Where is she now?" Joey asked slowly.
Vivalene sighed. "I don't know, darling. She's probably off breaking some poor dear's heart again. She is the black sheep of our family." She could see Joey was completely falling for her tale hook, line, and sinker. This is too easy, she thought to herself.
Poor Joey, of course, thought this solved all their problems. I knew it! he said again. It's Vivalene's sister who's the jerk!
****
Yami Bakura watched Bakura sleep, starting to get impatient. What was that strange sweet smell? The tomb raider shook his head, deciding not to worry about it. Probably another soda that someone had left lying around.
Perhaps he should have just carried the boy back home instead, as he had threatened to, he thought now. It actually wasn't very safe to be staying here in this studio after everything that had happened, but Yami Bakura knew that Bakura needed to rest. He was certain that he could take on any intruders. After all, he wasn't even mortal. He could call on the powers of the Shadow Realm to rid himself of any bothersome ninjas or whatever happened to pop up next.
He blinked, shaking his head in confusion. Why did he feel so tired? He couldn't figure it out. Maybe if he just sat down for a minute. . . . He felt his eyes grow heavy, and they closed before he could do a thing about it.
Vivalene stepped out of the shadows, smirking at the unconscious thief. The chloroform she had used wouldn't hurt him—only keep him under for a while, and that was what she wanted. She didn't need to put anyone else out of commission permanently—at least not yet.
Quickly she moved over to the table and began rummaging through the drawers and files scattered across it. No, it wouldn't be there, she decided. Too obvious.
After a long, drawn-out search, the woman found what she was looking for in a secret compartment of the filing cabinet. "Perfect," she declared, turning to leave.
As she passed by Yami Bakura she paused and studied him thoughtfully, then moved closer. She reached out and took hold of his long silvery hair, a slight smile playing on her lips. She braided it carefully and precisely and then again turned to go. "Ciao, darling," she said quietly, blowing him a kiss.
Tea was just kneeling next to Bakura's lifeless body when the door opened and Yami Bakura came in. He stared at the boy, completely aghast and angry, and then he also knelt on the floor, taking Bakura into his arms. "Bakura . . . you dolt," he said softly.
"What happened to him?!" Tea gasped. She, of course, wasn't very thrilled to see the tomb raider, but she hoped he would know what had happened to the poor boy.
But Yami Bakura only shook his head. He didn't know. The truth was that Bakura had wandered off after the showdown with Mr. Von Wilkenson. Yami Bakura had gone looking for him—and for an empty studio as well, so he could get on the radio and scare some sense into those foolish mortals—when he had heard Bakura screaming pitifully in his mind. "You ridiculous simpleton," he said now, feeling the boy's blood drip over his arms.
Tea reached out to touch Bakura gently. "He . . . he can't be . . . gone," she said softly. Yugi and Tristan were likewise horrified.
"Idiot," Yami Bakura whispered, seeming to be oblivious to the teens' presence. He held Bakura close, trying desperately to connect with the boy through their mental bond, but to no avail. Bakura wasn't able to reply for any number of reasons—none of which were good. "Wake up, you stupid boy!!"
"Come on, buddy," Tristan pleaded. "You've gotta be okay!"
Bakura groaned then, shuddering in his Yami's arms.
"He's alive!" Tea said in relief, hurrying to find something to press against his wounds.
Yugi smiled as well. He didn't know what they'd ever do if any of them ever died on one of these cases.
Yami Bakura also relaxed. Now that he knew the boy was alive, he tried to see how serious his injuries were.
"He's bleeding from his chest!" Tea cried.
Yami Bakura pulled the boy's sweater off and then unbuttoned his shirt, studying the wound thoughtfully. "He will live," he reported at last, muttering things about how absurd mortals were.
****
The nurse entered Marik's room again, her eyes sad. "Sir?" she said to Rishid.
Marik's brother looked up. "You have brought ill news," he stated grimly.
The nurse nodded. "I'm afraid he was poisoned," she informed him softly.
Rishid had expected as much. "Is there an antidote?" he asked, praying that the answer would be yes.
"There is," the nurse said slowly, injecting a needle into Marik's limp arm, "but the poison may have progressed too far to be stopped."
"That cannot be," Rishid said softly. "He must get well!"
Ishizu came in shortly after that, her eyes tired and sad. She wanted this nightmare to be over. "How is he?" she asked now, going over to Marik's motionless form and stroking his hair gently.
Rishid paused. He didn't want to burden the poor woman with anything more, but he knew she needed to know. "He was poisoned," the man said quietly.
Ishizu gasped in horror. "Isn't there something they can do?!"
"They are trying what they can," Rishid told her, "but it still looks grim."
Ishizu took Marik's limp hand, wishing desperately that he would be able to acknowledge her. "That viper," she whispered fiercely. "She denies everything, but I know she did this as surely as I know that the sun rises!"
Rishid nodded sadly. "Someday her evil actions will catch up to her and justice will be done," he declared, wishing more than anything that he could take revenge for her atrocities.
Ishizu rubbed her brother's hand gently, tears in her eyes.
****
Yami Bakura laid Bakura down gently on a couch on the studio and cleaned the boy's wounds. He spoke not a word—at least not in English. He muttered angrily in Egyptian from time to time and wouldn't let any of the teens get near Bakura.
"Do you think he knows what he's doing?" Tristan wondered, looking frustrated.
"We can only hope," Tea replied, also feeling annoyed but knowing that the ancient tomb raider was trying to help Bakura because he truly was concerned about the boy—no matter how much he denied it.
"How is he?" Yugi asked, trying to peer over Yami Bakura's shoulder.
The thief grunted, bathing a cut on Bakura's forehead. "I told you that he will live."
"Yeah, but is he hurt badly?" Tristan demanded.
"Maybe we should call an ambulance," Tea worried.
"We don't need to call an ambulance!!!!" Yami Bakura thundered.
Bakura stirred then, his soft brown eyes flickering open. "Where am I?" he asked in confusion.
"Oh Bakura, are you okay?" Tea cried.
Bakura blinked. "I'm alright," he said with a weak smile. He was actually in a lot of pain, but he didn't want anyone to have to worry about him.
"You ridiculous fool!" Yami Bakura screamed. "You went off and got yourself all hurt!!"
Bakura looked around, the memories of what had happened coming back to him.
"What did happen to you, Bakura?" Yugi asked worriedly.
Bakura watched as his Yami bandaged the wound on his chest and suddenly became aware that his shirt was open. He blushed, feeling self-conscious with Tea there.
"Tell me, you dolt," Yami Bakura growled. "How did you wind up like this?!"
Bakura winced as the thief began to clean a gash on his arm. "I . . . I remember hearing a strange noise here in the studio and I went to see what it was. . . ."
"Imbecile," Yami Bakura interrupted.
"I was worried that someone might be getting hurt," Bakura tried to explain. "So I opened the door and . . ."
"And you got yourself hurt," Yami Bakura growled.
Bakura groaned softly from the pain. "There . . . there was someone in here, but it was too dark to see who it was," he said now.
"Another ninja?" Tristan suggested darkly.
"It might have been," Bakura agreed softly. "He came at me with one of those weapons, and . . . I'm afraid that's all I remember," he said apologetically. "I don't recall him actually hurting me, but it appears as though he must have." Bakura tried to laugh wryly, but then his eyes widened in concern. "Oh dear . . . I hope no one else is hurt," he exclaimed worriedly.
"Are you really okay, Bakura?" Yugi wanted to know, but he realized that the other boy would never want to worry them and probably wouldn't tell them if he was in terrible pain.
"Of course he's not okay," Yami Bakura grumped before the boy could answer. "Rest, you fool," he ordered, pushing Bakura back against the couch when he tried to rise.
"This really isn't necessary, Yami," Bakura protested.
"Idiot," Yami Bakura muttered, and covered the boy with an afghan.
"But I can't rest," Bakura insisted. "We need to find out if everyone else is alright, and also what the person wanted in here!"
"Your friends can do all that," Yami Bakura said sternly. "Go to sleep here or else I will carry you back home to sleep there!"
Bakura turned pink. "Yami, I don't need to be babied!" he cried.
"Oh be quiet," Yami Bakura growled.
"It's okay, Bakura," Tea said comfortingly. "We just want you to get better." She patted his shoulder gently.
Bakura smiled, but still he looked worried. "Please find out if everyone else is alright," he requested softly.
"We will, buddy," Tristan assured his friend.
****
Joey walked down the streets, heading for the cafe where Vivalene had said she'd meet him for dinner. He felt a bit guilty about the mean way he had snapped at Seto, but he was tired of everyone saying that Vivalene was a devil. She's just the opposite, he declared to himself. Seto deserved the harsh words Joey had dealt him.
"Hello, Joey!" a familiar voice purred, and the Brooklyn boy saw his girl coming toward him, smiling in her special way.
"Hey Vifa," Joey grinned, taking her hand.
"Oh, you look upset, darling," Vivalene observed in apparent concern, brushing the long bangs out of the boy's brown eyes. "What's wrong?"
Joey smiled. "Eh, it's nothin'," he lied.
"Is it because your friends don't like me?" Vivalene asked now.
Joey visibly started. He hadn't wanted to make Vivalene feel bad by letting her know in any way that his friends were totally against her, but still somehow she had apparently found out. I bet Kaiba told her somethin', he thought angrily. Aloud he just stammered. "Well, uh . . ."
"I just felt so terrible when I knew that the Egyptian boy—what's his name? Marik?—thought that I had betrayed him," Vivalene said as they entered the cafe. "Perhaps he made the entire thing up just because he doesn't like me!"
Joey fumed at that suggestion, which was exactly what Vivalene wanted him to do. "Man, I wouldn't be surprised!" he declared hotly. "That no-good, low-down, lyin' jerk!"
Vivalene put a finger to his lips. "But then I suppose we really shouldn't speak ill of the poor thing," she mused. "After all, he *is* almost dead, and I pride myself on never speaking ill of the dead."
Joey tried to get his emotions under control as they sat at a booth. Marik had changed, he tried to remind himself. He wouldn't be making stuff up to discredit someone's name.
"But you like me, don't you, darling?" Vivalene interrupted his thoughts, laying her hand over his.
Joey snapped out of his trance. "Oh man, of course I do!" he exclaimed. "I've never loved anyone more!"
They talked about this and that as they ate, and finally they got around to the subject of relations.
"Darling," Vivalene said now, "tell me about your family."
Joey paused. "Well, my parents divorced years ago," he said slowly. "I have a sister who lives with my mother."
Vivalene seemed intently interested in this information. Joey decided that now was the perfect time to ask his own question. "And that's pretty much it," he said with a shrug. "So, uh, what about your family, Vifa?"
Vivalene smiled, almost as if she had hoped he would ask her that. "My parents are both dead," she said in a sad tone, "but I have two sisters."
"Older or younger?" Joey asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"One is younger and lives back in New York," Vivalene replied. "The other is my same age. In fact, she's my identical twin!"
"A twin? I knew it!" Joey cried, elated.
Vivalene shuddered. "She is an absolute witch," she proclaimed.
"Where is she now?" Joey asked slowly.
Vivalene sighed. "I don't know, darling. She's probably off breaking some poor dear's heart again. She is the black sheep of our family." She could see Joey was completely falling for her tale hook, line, and sinker. This is too easy, she thought to herself.
Poor Joey, of course, thought this solved all their problems. I knew it! he said again. It's Vivalene's sister who's the jerk!
****
Yami Bakura watched Bakura sleep, starting to get impatient. What was that strange sweet smell? The tomb raider shook his head, deciding not to worry about it. Probably another soda that someone had left lying around.
Perhaps he should have just carried the boy back home instead, as he had threatened to, he thought now. It actually wasn't very safe to be staying here in this studio after everything that had happened, but Yami Bakura knew that Bakura needed to rest. He was certain that he could take on any intruders. After all, he wasn't even mortal. He could call on the powers of the Shadow Realm to rid himself of any bothersome ninjas or whatever happened to pop up next.
He blinked, shaking his head in confusion. Why did he feel so tired? He couldn't figure it out. Maybe if he just sat down for a minute. . . . He felt his eyes grow heavy, and they closed before he could do a thing about it.
Vivalene stepped out of the shadows, smirking at the unconscious thief. The chloroform she had used wouldn't hurt him—only keep him under for a while, and that was what she wanted. She didn't need to put anyone else out of commission permanently—at least not yet.
Quickly she moved over to the table and began rummaging through the drawers and files scattered across it. No, it wouldn't be there, she decided. Too obvious.
After a long, drawn-out search, the woman found what she was looking for in a secret compartment of the filing cabinet. "Perfect," she declared, turning to leave.
As she passed by Yami Bakura she paused and studied him thoughtfully, then moved closer. She reached out and took hold of his long silvery hair, a slight smile playing on her lips. She braided it carefully and precisely and then again turned to go. "Ciao, darling," she said quietly, blowing him a kiss.