It wasn't long after The Viper left when Yami Bakura found the boy laying sprawled in the grass.
"Bakura!" the thief growled angrily, dropping to his knees and giving his young charge a gentle shake.
The boy groaned and curled into a tight ball, his silvery hair—by now unbraided again—falling across his face and shoulders. "I killed her," he cried in despair. "I should have been able to save her, but she's dead!!" Tears coursed down his face.
Yami Bakura grabbed Bakura angrily. "What are you talking about, you dolt?!" he yelled. "You didn't kill anyone!!"
"Amane," Bakura sobbed. "She's dead because I ignored that sense of foreboding!" It was obvious that he didn't know where he was or that anyone was with him.
In frustration Yami Bakura pulled the boy up and clutched at his arms. "Open your eyes," he growled.
Almost as if in response, Bakura's eyes fluttered open. "Yami?" he said softly.
"That's right, you idiot," Yami Bakura snapped. "Now. What happened to you?"
Bakura's eyes filled with tears again. "Yami," he wailed, "I didn't mean to push you out the window!! Please forgive me, Yami!!"
The old thief just stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about, you moron?!" he snapped.
Bakura looked up at his Yami sorrowfully. "Vivalene told me I did it," he sobbed.
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Oh, for the love of . . ." He trailed off and cursed in Egyptian before reverting back to English. "You imbecile, you should know by now that everything she tells you is a lie!! She threw me out the window—you were unconscious!!" He shook Bakura roughly, seeing the empty look in the boy's soft brown eyes. "What did she do to you?! Once I find her, I'll . . ."
"No Yami!!" Bakura practically shrieked. "You can't go after her!! You mustn't!!"
"And why not?!" Yami Bakura growled. "Don't tell me you want her to get away with this treachery?!"
Bakura looked crushed. "Yami, of course not," he said in a quieter tone. "But you just can't go after her, and the others mustn't either!!" His eyelids started to droop as drowsiness began to overtake him once more.
"Go to sleep, you dolt," Yami Bakura grunted. "Perhaps you'll be feeling more like yourself when you awaken."
Almost before he had finished his sentence Bakura slumped against him in exhaustion. The thief glared at him before at last picking him up to carry him back to the ship. Only then did he realize that the cats were rubbing against his legs again.
"You ridiculous creatures!!" Yami Bakura fumed. "Don't you have somewhere else to go?? Off with you now!!"
The cats only purred loudly and began following him as he started walking.
****
Marik slowly began to return to the conscious world, instantly becoming aware of the fact that he had a terrible headache—and that his hands were each being held gently. He felt safe and loved as he opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by Ishizu, Rishid, and little Mokuba—who instantly sprang up and hugged his friend when he saw that he was awake.
"Marik!" he cried happily.
"We were so worried, dear brother," Ishizu said softly, squeezing his hand.
"It's so good to have you back with us, Marik," Rishid added, the relief showing in his golden eyes.
Marik smiled weakly in reply. "I'm alright," he said in a rasping voice.
****
As Yami Bakura carried Bakura's sleeping body through the streets, he suddenly encountered Joey and Tristan, who had gotten separated from Seto and Mai a while back.
"What the heck?!" Joey burst out. "What's the matter with Bakura?! And why are all those cats rubbing against you?!"
"Never you mind," Yami Bakura grumped, trying to ignore the cats.
"Hey, Bakura's our buddy!" Tristan interrupted angrily. "Even if you don't care about him, we do!"
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed at the hurtful remark. "You insolent cur," he hissed.
Bakura stirred then and opened his eyes. "Oh hello," he said sleepily to Joey and Tristan.
"Hey man," Joey said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Bakura's expression became sad again. "Joey, please promise me you'll all stop investigating," he begged.
"What?!" Joey burst out. "Give up the case?! No way! We never back down from a mystery! I mean, come on! Seth! Nuru! That other freaky guy! This is gettin' serious here!!"
"The witch-woman did something to him," Yami Bakura growled.
"'Witch-woman'?!" Tristan repeated.
Now Bakura's eyes glistened with tears. "Oh please don't investigate any more! You can let the police handle this!"
"What's the matter, buddy?" Tristan asked worriedly. "I've never seen you like this!"
"Yeah," Joey added. "Heck, we've solved lots of mysteries more dangerous than this one and you've never tried to get us to give 'em up. I didn't think you'd be some kinda coward now." As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them, but the damage had been done.
Tears spilled over Bakura's cheeks and he leaped down from his Yami's arms to stand next to Joey. "You don't understand!" he wailed. "This one *is* more dangerous! You're all going to die if you keep pursuing it, and . . . and . . ." He turned away. "It will all be my fault!!" he sobbed hysterically.
"Whoa, pal, calm down," Tristan exclaimed, seriously concerned now.
Bakura shook his head. "I suppose you can call me a coward if you wish," he said at last to Joey, "because I . . . I am afraid of being responsible for killing everyone I care about, and if that's cowardice, then I'm guilty!" And with that he turned and ran into the nearby trees, leaving Joey and Tristan both stunned.
"Come back here, you dolt!!" Yami Bakura screamed and tried to dash after him, but by the time he arrived at the spot where he'd last seen Bakura, the boy had vanished.
"Where is he?!" Tristan exclaimed.
Yami Bakura clenched his fists. "You moron!!" he yelled at Joey. "Now see what you've done!! I told you the witch-woman did something to him!! He's not in his right mind and you've just made it worse!!"
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay!" Joey said in frustration. "I should've known better."
Yami Bakura cursed at him in Egyptian. "Imbecile," he muttered before dashing off to find the runaway boy.
Tristan stared after him in disbelief. "Man, what could've happened to Bakura?!" he cried. "Whatever that woman did—whoever she is—it must've been catastrophic!"
"You said it, man!" Joey agreed emphatically. "Come on, we've gotta get him back! If something else happens to him 'cause he ran off it'll be my fault!"
****
Uncle had tried to communicate with the dark spirit several different times now, but always without getting any results.
"It refuses to speak," he said grimly, and Yami Yugi had reached the same conclusion.
"I believe it is simply here to cause us distress," the ancient Pharaoh declared solemnly.
"Wait!" Uncle exclaimed suddenly, his blowfish glowing intensely. "I am getting a faint reading!"
Everyone perked up.
"Well, what's the fish say?" Jade asked impatiently.
"This spirit was a healer in ancient Egypt," Uncle replied slowly.
"The fish told you that?" Jackie exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Do not be ridiculous!" Uncle snapped. "Chi Master Fong told me so!" He paused. "But both of them have departed now."
The cold breeze abruptly halted and the lights turned back on. Yugi and Tea looked at each other and exchanged looks of relief.
"But what would the ancient healer want here?" Yugi wanted to know then, blinking in confusion.
"Perhaps he is one of the three who participated in the theft of the artifacts," Yami Yugi suggested.
"I would not be surprised," Uncle declared, "but the healer is a 'she.'"
"So now what?" Jade chirped. "Are we gonna go out and kick some major evil spirit booty?"
"Jade," Jackie exclaimed, "we do not even know where the spirits are or who they are . . . or what sorts of powers they may have! And besides, it is too dangerous for you to come along!"
"Awww," Jade whined.
Yami Yugi closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "One of the spirits may be an evil high priest named Seth," he announced.
"AIIYYAAA!" Uncle cried loud enough that the room seemed to shake.
Yugi blinked. "You know about Seth?" he said in surprise.
Uncle pointed to several pieces of scratch paper. "Uncle was doing research on the Egyptian tablets that were among the artifacts stolen from here," he replied. "There were several mentions of Seth on one of them!"
Quickly Yami Yugi rushed over and picked them up. His expression grew much more solemn and grim as he read them through.
"What do they say, Yami?" Yugi asked, coming over to look.
"This one seems to be a curse Seth put on a small part of Egypt," Yami Yugi replied slowly. "Right before he died during the final battle fought over control of the world, he weakly raised the hand holding his sceptre and said that the spot around the area where he was entombed would forever be a dark and dreary place, and that those who trespassed would be overcome by a immense sense of despair and hopelessness."
Uncle nodded. "I know the spot," he declared.
"Hey," Tea exclaimed suddenly, "could that be the spot where that lady's son was digging?"
"What lady's son?" Jackie asked. When Tea explained, the man's eyes grew wide. "He was on the archaeological dig I went on!" he cried.
****
Rex was wandering down the long corridors on the boat when he heard a low moan coming from a room where the door was slightly ajar. "What the . . ." he muttered, going over to see what was wrong. "Hey!" he called, knocking on the door softly. "Is everything alright in there?"
He didn't get an answer immediately and so the long-haired boy pushed the door open further to look in at a man he vaguely remembered from the last wild mystery. "Hey!" he exclaimed again. "What's wrong?!"
The man seemed at first to not hear him, but then he opened his blue eyes and gazed back at the well-meaning intruder. "I . . . I am fine," he said then with much effort.
"Fine?" Rex blinked. "You're laid up in bed and you've got some kinda weird marks on your neck!"
The man's hand flew up to examine the red welts around his neck, his eyes narrowing.
"Did someone choke you too?" Rex exclaimed, remembering his own experience.
Shadi shook his head. "They tried," he said at last. He had actually fallen unconscious when his assailant had pushed against the pressure point on his neck, not when he had been nearly strangled. He gave Rex a piercing look. "Were you attacked?" he demanded.
"Well . . . yeah," Rex admitted, uncomfortable under the man's penetrating stare.
"Tell me of your experience, then," Shadi said quietly.
Rex hesitated at first, but he found that he didn't want to withhold the information from this strange, enigmatic, and cryptic man.
"Our attacker was the same person," Shadi deduced at the conclusion of Rex's tale.
"But why the heck did he go after me?!" Rex burst out in frustration.
"As a warning, most likely," Shadi replied. "I regret that I cannot explain everything to you at this time, but know that you must always be on your guard."
"Gee, how encouraging," Rex said sarcastically.
****
Bakura ran blindly through the trees, sobbing uncontrollably. Vivalene's evil words echoed through his mind.
They'll die, Bakura. They'll all die, and you'll know it was your fault. You should have stopped them. You should have always stopped them. Who do you think was responsible for getting them hurt on all your previous cases? You, Bakura. You were responsible for it all!
"No!! No, no, no!!!" Bakura wailed. A branch slapped him sharply across the cheek, leaving a painful mark, but the boy barely noticed. "I wasn't responsible!! I wasn't!!"
Then why didn't you make them stop investigating? Tell me, Bakura, when you kneel next to their lonely graves in some out-of-the-way cemetery where no one goes, what will you think? Will you regret never having stopped them? Will you realize that they would still be alive if it wasn't for your inability to do what you should have?
"Stop!!" Bakura screamed. "Stop it!!"
He never knew how it wound up happening, exactly—one moment he was tearing madly through the foliage, and the next he had somehow managed to run out onto Golden Gate Bridge—just as a car was coming right toward him. The boy let out a yelp of alarm and darted out of the way frantically while the driver screeched past and cursed loudly at him. As more cars came from the other direction, Bakura was forced dangerously near to the edge and then right over it.
Now the boy found himself clutching the bottom of the bridge, watching as the icy water churned far below and splashed up onto his jeans. He shuddered and looked up at the passing cars, none of which stopped to help him. Bakura was not able to be seen by anyone unless they were specifically looking for him, and even his cries and pleas for help remained unheard.
"Oh, what shall I do?!" he fretted. "I won't be able to hold on much longer and then I'll fall into the ocean!"
"Bakura!" the thief growled angrily, dropping to his knees and giving his young charge a gentle shake.
The boy groaned and curled into a tight ball, his silvery hair—by now unbraided again—falling across his face and shoulders. "I killed her," he cried in despair. "I should have been able to save her, but she's dead!!" Tears coursed down his face.
Yami Bakura grabbed Bakura angrily. "What are you talking about, you dolt?!" he yelled. "You didn't kill anyone!!"
"Amane," Bakura sobbed. "She's dead because I ignored that sense of foreboding!" It was obvious that he didn't know where he was or that anyone was with him.
In frustration Yami Bakura pulled the boy up and clutched at his arms. "Open your eyes," he growled.
Almost as if in response, Bakura's eyes fluttered open. "Yami?" he said softly.
"That's right, you idiot," Yami Bakura snapped. "Now. What happened to you?"
Bakura's eyes filled with tears again. "Yami," he wailed, "I didn't mean to push you out the window!! Please forgive me, Yami!!"
The old thief just stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about, you moron?!" he snapped.
Bakura looked up at his Yami sorrowfully. "Vivalene told me I did it," he sobbed.
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Oh, for the love of . . ." He trailed off and cursed in Egyptian before reverting back to English. "You imbecile, you should know by now that everything she tells you is a lie!! She threw me out the window—you were unconscious!!" He shook Bakura roughly, seeing the empty look in the boy's soft brown eyes. "What did she do to you?! Once I find her, I'll . . ."
"No Yami!!" Bakura practically shrieked. "You can't go after her!! You mustn't!!"
"And why not?!" Yami Bakura growled. "Don't tell me you want her to get away with this treachery?!"
Bakura looked crushed. "Yami, of course not," he said in a quieter tone. "But you just can't go after her, and the others mustn't either!!" His eyelids started to droop as drowsiness began to overtake him once more.
"Go to sleep, you dolt," Yami Bakura grunted. "Perhaps you'll be feeling more like yourself when you awaken."
Almost before he had finished his sentence Bakura slumped against him in exhaustion. The thief glared at him before at last picking him up to carry him back to the ship. Only then did he realize that the cats were rubbing against his legs again.
"You ridiculous creatures!!" Yami Bakura fumed. "Don't you have somewhere else to go?? Off with you now!!"
The cats only purred loudly and began following him as he started walking.
****
Marik slowly began to return to the conscious world, instantly becoming aware of the fact that he had a terrible headache—and that his hands were each being held gently. He felt safe and loved as he opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by Ishizu, Rishid, and little Mokuba—who instantly sprang up and hugged his friend when he saw that he was awake.
"Marik!" he cried happily.
"We were so worried, dear brother," Ishizu said softly, squeezing his hand.
"It's so good to have you back with us, Marik," Rishid added, the relief showing in his golden eyes.
Marik smiled weakly in reply. "I'm alright," he said in a rasping voice.
****
As Yami Bakura carried Bakura's sleeping body through the streets, he suddenly encountered Joey and Tristan, who had gotten separated from Seto and Mai a while back.
"What the heck?!" Joey burst out. "What's the matter with Bakura?! And why are all those cats rubbing against you?!"
"Never you mind," Yami Bakura grumped, trying to ignore the cats.
"Hey, Bakura's our buddy!" Tristan interrupted angrily. "Even if you don't care about him, we do!"
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed at the hurtful remark. "You insolent cur," he hissed.
Bakura stirred then and opened his eyes. "Oh hello," he said sleepily to Joey and Tristan.
"Hey man," Joey said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Bakura's expression became sad again. "Joey, please promise me you'll all stop investigating," he begged.
"What?!" Joey burst out. "Give up the case?! No way! We never back down from a mystery! I mean, come on! Seth! Nuru! That other freaky guy! This is gettin' serious here!!"
"The witch-woman did something to him," Yami Bakura growled.
"'Witch-woman'?!" Tristan repeated.
Now Bakura's eyes glistened with tears. "Oh please don't investigate any more! You can let the police handle this!"
"What's the matter, buddy?" Tristan asked worriedly. "I've never seen you like this!"
"Yeah," Joey added. "Heck, we've solved lots of mysteries more dangerous than this one and you've never tried to get us to give 'em up. I didn't think you'd be some kinda coward now." As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them, but the damage had been done.
Tears spilled over Bakura's cheeks and he leaped down from his Yami's arms to stand next to Joey. "You don't understand!" he wailed. "This one *is* more dangerous! You're all going to die if you keep pursuing it, and . . . and . . ." He turned away. "It will all be my fault!!" he sobbed hysterically.
"Whoa, pal, calm down," Tristan exclaimed, seriously concerned now.
Bakura shook his head. "I suppose you can call me a coward if you wish," he said at last to Joey, "because I . . . I am afraid of being responsible for killing everyone I care about, and if that's cowardice, then I'm guilty!" And with that he turned and ran into the nearby trees, leaving Joey and Tristan both stunned.
"Come back here, you dolt!!" Yami Bakura screamed and tried to dash after him, but by the time he arrived at the spot where he'd last seen Bakura, the boy had vanished.
"Where is he?!" Tristan exclaimed.
Yami Bakura clenched his fists. "You moron!!" he yelled at Joey. "Now see what you've done!! I told you the witch-woman did something to him!! He's not in his right mind and you've just made it worse!!"
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay!" Joey said in frustration. "I should've known better."
Yami Bakura cursed at him in Egyptian. "Imbecile," he muttered before dashing off to find the runaway boy.
Tristan stared after him in disbelief. "Man, what could've happened to Bakura?!" he cried. "Whatever that woman did—whoever she is—it must've been catastrophic!"
"You said it, man!" Joey agreed emphatically. "Come on, we've gotta get him back! If something else happens to him 'cause he ran off it'll be my fault!"
****
Uncle had tried to communicate with the dark spirit several different times now, but always without getting any results.
"It refuses to speak," he said grimly, and Yami Yugi had reached the same conclusion.
"I believe it is simply here to cause us distress," the ancient Pharaoh declared solemnly.
"Wait!" Uncle exclaimed suddenly, his blowfish glowing intensely. "I am getting a faint reading!"
Everyone perked up.
"Well, what's the fish say?" Jade asked impatiently.
"This spirit was a healer in ancient Egypt," Uncle replied slowly.
"The fish told you that?" Jackie exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Do not be ridiculous!" Uncle snapped. "Chi Master Fong told me so!" He paused. "But both of them have departed now."
The cold breeze abruptly halted and the lights turned back on. Yugi and Tea looked at each other and exchanged looks of relief.
"But what would the ancient healer want here?" Yugi wanted to know then, blinking in confusion.
"Perhaps he is one of the three who participated in the theft of the artifacts," Yami Yugi suggested.
"I would not be surprised," Uncle declared, "but the healer is a 'she.'"
"So now what?" Jade chirped. "Are we gonna go out and kick some major evil spirit booty?"
"Jade," Jackie exclaimed, "we do not even know where the spirits are or who they are . . . or what sorts of powers they may have! And besides, it is too dangerous for you to come along!"
"Awww," Jade whined.
Yami Yugi closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "One of the spirits may be an evil high priest named Seth," he announced.
"AIIYYAAA!" Uncle cried loud enough that the room seemed to shake.
Yugi blinked. "You know about Seth?" he said in surprise.
Uncle pointed to several pieces of scratch paper. "Uncle was doing research on the Egyptian tablets that were among the artifacts stolen from here," he replied. "There were several mentions of Seth on one of them!"
Quickly Yami Yugi rushed over and picked them up. His expression grew much more solemn and grim as he read them through.
"What do they say, Yami?" Yugi asked, coming over to look.
"This one seems to be a curse Seth put on a small part of Egypt," Yami Yugi replied slowly. "Right before he died during the final battle fought over control of the world, he weakly raised the hand holding his sceptre and said that the spot around the area where he was entombed would forever be a dark and dreary place, and that those who trespassed would be overcome by a immense sense of despair and hopelessness."
Uncle nodded. "I know the spot," he declared.
"Hey," Tea exclaimed suddenly, "could that be the spot where that lady's son was digging?"
"What lady's son?" Jackie asked. When Tea explained, the man's eyes grew wide. "He was on the archaeological dig I went on!" he cried.
****
Rex was wandering down the long corridors on the boat when he heard a low moan coming from a room where the door was slightly ajar. "What the . . ." he muttered, going over to see what was wrong. "Hey!" he called, knocking on the door softly. "Is everything alright in there?"
He didn't get an answer immediately and so the long-haired boy pushed the door open further to look in at a man he vaguely remembered from the last wild mystery. "Hey!" he exclaimed again. "What's wrong?!"
The man seemed at first to not hear him, but then he opened his blue eyes and gazed back at the well-meaning intruder. "I . . . I am fine," he said then with much effort.
"Fine?" Rex blinked. "You're laid up in bed and you've got some kinda weird marks on your neck!"
The man's hand flew up to examine the red welts around his neck, his eyes narrowing.
"Did someone choke you too?" Rex exclaimed, remembering his own experience.
Shadi shook his head. "They tried," he said at last. He had actually fallen unconscious when his assailant had pushed against the pressure point on his neck, not when he had been nearly strangled. He gave Rex a piercing look. "Were you attacked?" he demanded.
"Well . . . yeah," Rex admitted, uncomfortable under the man's penetrating stare.
"Tell me of your experience, then," Shadi said quietly.
Rex hesitated at first, but he found that he didn't want to withhold the information from this strange, enigmatic, and cryptic man.
"Our attacker was the same person," Shadi deduced at the conclusion of Rex's tale.
"But why the heck did he go after me?!" Rex burst out in frustration.
"As a warning, most likely," Shadi replied. "I regret that I cannot explain everything to you at this time, but know that you must always be on your guard."
"Gee, how encouraging," Rex said sarcastically.
****
Bakura ran blindly through the trees, sobbing uncontrollably. Vivalene's evil words echoed through his mind.
They'll die, Bakura. They'll all die, and you'll know it was your fault. You should have stopped them. You should have always stopped them. Who do you think was responsible for getting them hurt on all your previous cases? You, Bakura. You were responsible for it all!
"No!! No, no, no!!!" Bakura wailed. A branch slapped him sharply across the cheek, leaving a painful mark, but the boy barely noticed. "I wasn't responsible!! I wasn't!!"
Then why didn't you make them stop investigating? Tell me, Bakura, when you kneel next to their lonely graves in some out-of-the-way cemetery where no one goes, what will you think? Will you regret never having stopped them? Will you realize that they would still be alive if it wasn't for your inability to do what you should have?
"Stop!!" Bakura screamed. "Stop it!!"
He never knew how it wound up happening, exactly—one moment he was tearing madly through the foliage, and the next he had somehow managed to run out onto Golden Gate Bridge—just as a car was coming right toward him. The boy let out a yelp of alarm and darted out of the way frantically while the driver screeched past and cursed loudly at him. As more cars came from the other direction, Bakura was forced dangerously near to the edge and then right over it.
Now the boy found himself clutching the bottom of the bridge, watching as the icy water churned far below and splashed up onto his jeans. He shuddered and looked up at the passing cars, none of which stopped to help him. Bakura was not able to be seen by anyone unless they were specifically looking for him, and even his cries and pleas for help remained unheard.
"Oh, what shall I do?!" he fretted. "I won't be able to hold on much longer and then I'll fall into the ocean!"