BlackRose: Okie, finally got the next chappie.  Sadly, this'll be the last one for a while, as I'm leaving the country August 6th and won't be back until the 31st.  Sorry guys, hopefully this'll be enough until I come back.  Oh, and for time's sake, this chappie is a Malik and Ryou chappie.  Malik? 

Malik: Ahem.  ON WITH THE FUCKING CHAPPIE!

Bakura:  O.O  Ow…my ears.  DON'T DO THAT WHEN I'M STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, ASSHOLE! 

Ryou was clinging to Malik's side as if his life depended on it as they crept down the dark hallway, something that Malik quite enjoyed.  The duo was silent as they walked, eyes peeled and ears open for anything out of the ordinary, such as that smell that was beginning to seep out into the corridor.  A sickenly sweet smell, like that of putting a tad too much sugar on baking cinnamon bread. 

"Where's that smell coming from?" Ryou whispered, his fingers entwined with Malik's.  Malik shrugged. 

"I have no idea.  But I'd like to find out.  Let's see if we can follow it."  Ryou wasn't exactly fond of the idea of trying to find the cause for the syrupy odor, but he didn't want to be left alone again. 

"All right."  They had only been followed it for a few moments until they came up to a door.  The aroma became so strong that it made Ryou's eyes water.  Malik ignored the sudden strength of the smell and opened the silver door, his eyes missing the strange symbol carved into the metal.  He walked in, making sure to keep Ryou behind him in case something was waiting to ambush them.  His words were true when he had promised he'd die before letting Ryou get hurt again.  The room was dark, which wasn't a surprise to either as they walked further inside. 

"You want to keep going?" Malik whispered. 

Ryou opened his mouth to answer, only to be interrupted as the door they had just entered through swung shut, a loud bang reverberating throughout the apparently cavernous room. 

"Well, we have no choice now," he answered back.  His voice was unwavering, although the trembling of his body betrayed his fear.  Malik took the other teen in his arms, holding him as tightly as he comfortably could. 

"I promise we're going to get out of here alive.  I won't have it any other way," he said.  Ryou couldn't help but give a small giggle.  Those words sounded so…comforting, for some reason. 

The two teens resumed walking, Malik careful to keep Ryou as close to him as possible.  Ryou suddenly became all too aware that his dress shoes had begun to make squishing sounds every time he put his foot down. 

"Malik…" 

"What?" 

"Um…why are our-" He was immediately cut off as the two teens were plunged down into a large body of water.  Malik opened his eyes as he felt Ryou's hand slip out of his grasp, to find to his horror that the water was dark red.  And thicker that water should be.  The Egyptian struggled to get back to the surface as realization from his previous thought hit.  It wasn't water.  It was blood!  His head broke through the surface.  He was gasping for air, crimson liquid running down his face in morbid rivulets. 

"RYOU!" He shouted, searching frantically for his white-haired friend.  Swimming through the blood, he continued calling.  His mouth was open as something wrapped around his ankle and pulled him down into the garnet depths.  He took in swallows of the metallic liquid, gagging as he tried to get air.  The thing on his ankle tightened.  Lungs burning for oxygen, he kicked frantically.  Bony fingers clawed at his ankle, trying to pull him down.  He kicked a final time and felt the hand release it's grip.  He tried to scramble back to the surface, dots swimming before his lavender eyes. 

 I have to get to the surface.  I have to make sure Ryou's safe.    

A living corpse wound its hand around his ankle again, tugging him down into the depths of the blood, a sinister grin stretched across it's face, chunks of rotten flesh tearing off and floating away as it did so.  Bubbles of air streamed out of Malik's mouth as he struggled; only to have several other corpses latch onto him, dragging him down, all in various states of decay. 

No!  I won't let you have me until I know Ryou is safe!

The Egyptian continued to struggle, his lungs burning, mind growing fuzzy. 

No!  I won't!  I have to find him! 

A skeletal hand grabbed his face, another forced his mouth open, causing him to lose what little oxygen he still had.  The bodies continued to gain in number as he fought.  He couldn't breathe.  Everything began to grow dim. 

Can't…Ryou…I hope your okay. 

*~* 

"MALIK!  DAMN IT MALIK, ANSWER ME!"  Ryou was on the verge of hysterics.  He had been treading through the blood for the past five minutes, searching for his Egyptian friend, who had yet to surface. 

Something happened to him, I know it.  Without a second thought, the white-haired teen took a deep breath, and then dove down into the blood, his brown eyes wide and open.  He swam hard, arms and legs pumping. 

I have to find him.  Damn it, where are you Malik? 

 His lungs started to burn, something which he ignored as he swam farther down.  Something was floating in the middle.  Or rather, someone.  Ryou almost cried out as he realized it was Malik.  As the white-haired teen swam closer, he realized that Malik was obviously unconscious, not to mention he was tied to something.  A large something.  

An ankh!  Indeed the Egyptian teen was bound to a large ankh, one arm tied to each side, his ankles tied together at the bottom end, also tied to the bottom stick itself.  The platinum blonde framed head hung limply forward, as if trying to get away from the golden loop behind it.  An Egyptian Jesus Christ, minus the thorny crown and the nails. 

Oh my God!

Ryou swam as fast as he could towards Malik in a panic, praying he hadn't come too late. He tried to undo the bonds, his lungs burning, and vision dimming. 

No time to go up for air.  It's him or me.  And I'm not going to leave him here to die. 

Thin fingers fumbled at the knots, frantic to undo them.  It seemed like ages before Malik was finally free.  Ryou pulled a tan arm over his own shoulders and swam upwards, slower now that he had a body to bring up.  Ryou felt his vision dimming, but kept kicking frantically, lungs now screaming for the oxygen they had been deprived of for five minutes.  Finally he broke through the surface, splashing scarlet liquid into the air.  He was gasping for breath as he continued to swim, frantically looking for the floor.  It may have already been too late…

No…he's not dead.  I refuse to believe it. 

Suddenly, he felt bony fingers claw at his calf, crying out in both pain and surprise as he looked into the water to see a corpse grinning back at him, flesh dangling from it's left cheek.  The flesh had long since rotted away on the right side, showing off pink tinted bone.

"Let go!" Ryou shouted, kicking the thing in the head with his free leg.  The body disconnected with the arm from that move, the fingers still digging into tender flesh.  Pain shot up Ryou's leg in sharp pinpricks, but the white-haired male continued to swim as fast as he could, in hopes he was swimming in the direction of the solid ground.  Thankfully, he had been, as his arm slammed painfully into the floor.  He disregarded it and set Malik onto the blood-soaked carpet, ignoring the stomach turning squelch that greeted the weight.  Ryou pulled himself up and kneeled down next to Malik, thankful to his deceased mother for signing him up for those first aid lessons before her death.  He proceeded to push oxygen into the Egyptian's mouth repeatedly, his hope slowly diminishing as he continued to receive no response.  That is, until blood began to spurt out of Malik's mouth after five minutes of it.  Malik gasped for breath, blood that wasn't his spurted out of his mouth.  Ryou cried out in relief and tackle hugged his Egyptian friend. 

"Ryou…you know I love you and everything…but…I can't breathe!" Malik choked.   The said white-haired male blushed and pulled away, allowing the dark skinned teen the much-needed oxygen.  It was a few moments until Malik caught his breath finally and looked at Ryou as he stood up.  The Egyptian opened his mouth to say something, only to have Ryou interrupt him by extending a hand.  Once they were both standing, Malik opened his mouth to speak again, only to be stopped as Ryou suddenly hugged him, pressing his blood drenched face into the Egyptian's chest. 

"God, I thought you might have died!  I was so afraid I had lost you!" he mumbled, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks, leaving behind trails that shone through bloodstained cheeks.  Malik half smiled and wrapped an arm around him, his other stroking the once white now pinkish red hair. 

"I'm right here, Ry.  I'm not going anywhere.  Now let's get the hell out of here." 

Only as they tried the door handle did they remember they were locked in.  The two voiced their thoughts at the same time. 

"Shit." 

BlackRose:  Okie, that's it for this chapter.  T-

Bakura:  Liar. 

BlackRose:  ^.^ Just kidding.  The chapter ain't over yet.  *glares at Bakura* I had them going for a minute there. 

Bakura: -.- Just shut up and let them keep reading. 

BlackRose:  Ass. *walks off to see what Malik's doing* 

*~* 

"Bakura, would you just slow down?"  Tristan protested as he and the other three chased after the tomb robber, who was running wherever the hell his Ring was taking him to.  The other four had disappeared completely as Bakura skidded to a stop at a silver door. That was when a stomach turning odor hit his nose, causing him to make a face.  Experienced eyes trailed over the symbol etched into the metal. 

Ancient Egyptian for Walking Dead?   What the…

Impatience and curiosity caused him to take hold of the handle.  He was about to turn it as the other four, all panting, came into view, Yami in the lead.  The former pharaoh approached him, Kaiba, who was carrying Duke, to his right.  Bakura cocked a brow. 

Well, doesn't that seem familiar?  And Kaiba says he has no memories of Egypt. 

"Well, do you plan on opening the door sometime this century?" Kaiba snapped.  Bakura made an obscene gesture with his hand, and then turned the handle.  He didn't realize Tristan was right behind him until he felt hot breath brush past his face.  Bakura stepped inside first, a frown etched on his features. 

"Do you…smell that?" 

"Smell what?" Duke asked. 

"Blood."

It was Duke's turn to make a face. 

"It's a lot of i-" He was interrupted as a familiar voice cried out,

"Bakura?" 

"Ryou?  Where are you? I can't see a damn thing!" 

"I'm right here."   The Ring decided it would help it's prisoner find his other half just then, glowing brightly enough to reveal to him his hikari's location.  Ryou whirled around and looked straight into Bakura's eyes. 

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" the said yami cried out as he saw his hikari covered in blood. 

"I'm fine Yami.  It's not mine."  Then he indicated to a large pool behind him.  But, from what the Rings light showed, it was red.  Dark red.  Like…

"Blood…" Tristan gasped.  Relief flooded over the white-haired yami, and, before he even thought about it, swept his hikari into a tight hug, resting his cheek on bloodstained hair. 

"Thank Ra your alright.  I knew you were still alive, I would have felt it if you weren't.  But that didn't mean you had to be healthy…" Bakura was so relieved to find his hikari unharmed that he didn't realize he was rambling.  Ryou, to say the least, was surprised at his yami's sudden relief.   From all of the shit that Bakura had done to him in the past, he was under the impression that his yami only just barely tolerated him.  He wasn't the only one shocked, though.  The rest of the small group's faces ranged from eyes wide, to a surprised O.  Bakura was still holding Ryou as Duke asked, 

"Hey, where's Malik?" 

"Right here."  Yami started slightly, as he didn't realize the said Egyptian was standing right next to him until he spoke. 

"I take it you both went for a refreshing swim?" Duke asked sarcastically as he saw that Malik's appearance matched Ryou's. 

"Oh yeah, being attacked by a bunch of skeletons then being tied to an ankh is really refreshing," Malik answered with the same amount. 

"Now that we have your precious hikari back, Bakura, can we get the hell out of here?" Kaiba snapped. 

"Oh, leaving so soon?" The entire group turned to look at the figure that was rising from the blood, a triumphant smirk on their face. 

BlackRose:  ^.^  Okie, now the chapter is over.  Hm…only two chapter left, if you count the epilogue. Well, there's no point in making you guys all wait almost all month just to read the last two chapters, so maybe I'll try to get in the last two before I leave.  But it's just a maybe.  If not, then you'll have to wait until the end of August.  Hopefully not.

Bakura: O.O  Only two chapter left?  . Damn it! 

BlackRose: ^.^  I knew you liked this fic. 

Bakura:  I do not! 

Malik:  That's not what you were saying earlier, 'Kura. 

Bakura:  . Damn it, I DON'T!  

BlackRose + Malik:  LIAR! 

BlackRose:  Well, since this is going to take awhile, before we get to into it…Malik? 

Malik:  REVIEW PLEASE! *argument resumes  *