Gently Ishizu turned the lifeless man to face her, her blue eyes wide and alarmed. "Rishid?" she whispered now, searching for signs of breath or a heartbeat. To her immense relief, she found both. Rishid was alive, but injured—perhaps seriously. There wasn't anything broken, but Ishizu knew that he might have a bad concussion. Unless he regained consciousness and could walk, there was no way Ishizu would be able to get him out of the ravine without help.
"Please wake up," she said quietly, touching his shoulder. Rishid didn't even flinch.
Sadly Ishizu looked down, wondering what she would do now. "Marik!" she called loudly, praying that her younger brother would hear her and come.
The Egyptian woman carefully raised Rishid's wrist and checked his pulse. Finding it slightly slower than should be normal, she narrowed her eyes worriedly. "Rishid," she called softly, now gently touching his cheek and accidentally brushing her hand against the deep carvings there.
Knowing that it wasn't likely that Rishid would be able to revive on his own anytime soon, Ishizu continued trying to wake him up by rubbing his wrists and neck, without much luck.
"Sister?"
Ishizu looked up to see Marik standing up at the top of the ravine, a horrified look in his lavender eyes.
"Sister, what happened?!" he screamed, leaning over the edge.
"I do not know," Ishizu replied grimly. "But Rishid is hurt. Someone may have pushed him off the ledge. Be careful that you don't fall, Marik."
Marik gasped in horror and cautiously picked his way down to the bottom, collapsing to his knees next to his adopted brother. "Rishid!!" he cried in desperation, gently pulling the man into his arms.
Abruptly Ishizu froze, sensing another presence nearby. "Marik," she whispered urgently. "We must take Rishid and leave at once."
****
"Joey!!" Tristan called loudly. "Hey, buddy, come on! Where are you?! Don't play tricks on us!"
Yugi glanced all about, his violet eyes wide and concerned. "Joey?! Are you okay?!" He shook his head in disbelief. "He couldn't have gone far!"
"Yeah? Well, why did he go somewhere at all?!" Tristan retorted.
"Someone must've carted him off," Yugi replied soberly.
"Yes," Yami Yugi agreed, "but who? And why?" The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes in concern.
"What's happening in here?!" Bakura gasped, running in with Mai, Ms. Myrvyn, and Yami Bakura in tow.
"We heard you boys yelling all the way down the hall!" Ms. Myrvyn put in.
Quickly Yugi and Tristan explained about Joey's sudden disappearance, causing gasps from Bakura and Mai.
"Joey's missing?!" Bakura burst out. "Oh dear!"
"Meow?" Oreo spoke up, emerging from Yami Bakura's shirt and looking about. Gracefully the cat leaped onto the thief's shoulders, blinking with her bright yellow eyes. Yami Bakura looked less than pleased with Oreo's antics and muttered something about foolish felines.
Bakura had to chuckle at that sight but then looked worried again. "Poor Joey," he said quietly. "I do hope he's alright."
"I'm sure we all do, Bakura," Yugi replied, walking ahead nervously. "Joey?!" He tapped on the wall, hoping that perhaps Joey had simply fallen through a secret entrance—but nothing happened.
"He's nowhere around at all," Yami Yugi said grimly.
****
"A tornado?!" Tea shrieked, grabbing onto Mako tightly.
"Yes," Mako nodded, "it's quite a strong possibility, especially since there was that unusual calm right before the wind picked up."
Seto growled to himself. "We have to get to shelter," he directed. "We'll all be swept up by the tornado if we stay here." He gazed off into the distance and noticed a large funnel cloud almost touching the ground.
Mokuba looked up at him worriedly, his blue-gray eyes wide. "Seto!" he cried. "I don't want anything to happen to you, big brother!!"
"And nothing will, kid," Seto replied reassuringly. He glanced up at Tea and Mako. "Come on," he said, daring to let go of the tree trunk. "There's a cave over there. We'll hide out in it until the tornado's over."
He received no arguments.
****
Ishizu also noticed the funnel cloud, far off in the distance, but at the moment she had more pressing matters to worry about. Hopefully, she thought, the tornado wouldn't come over where they were—and she prayed it wouldn't torment anyone else either.
Carefully she and Marik managed to lift Rishid up, each one taking an arm and draping it over their shoulder. A strong wind whipped by, nearly knocking them all off-balance.
Ishizu cried out and then narrowed her eyes worriedly. "This is very bad, brother," she declared. "I fear the storm may be coming our way."
Marik looked back at her with wide lavender eyes. "We have to get back to the ranch with Rishid!" he exclaimed. "It cannot be that far away!"
"I pray it is not," Ishizu said gently.
Rishid groaned softly but didn't regain consciousness.
Marik glanced at him, obviously concerned. "Please be alright, my brother," he whispered. "I cannot lose you. . . . I simply cannot!"
****
Linda and Joan were still holed up in the room they were sharing, glancing about worriedly.
"You don't suppose," Joan said slowly, "that maybe that Rishid person really was being framed? I mean, I couldn't see the guy's face when he broke in and was going through the desk. Why couldn't someone have just gotten a cloak that looked like Rishid's and fooled us both?"
Linda shook her head. "There's no one else on the ranch who has Rishid's build. It would've had to have been him!"
"But everyone else said he was with them!" Joan protested. "Linda, face it—neither of us really knows for certain who it was. Maybe Rishid is innocent, just like they say."
"That's crazy," Linda snorted. She was about to go on when the floor suddenly turned into a dark, swirling mass of colors. Frightened, Linda pulled her legs onto the bed, out of the way of this strange phenomenon. "What's happening?!" she yelped.
To her utter horror and Joan's absolute shock, a man began rising out of his floor, his eyes closed as he concentrated on his spell.
"What on earth?!" Linda screamed. "Who in the world are you?!"
The man opened his eyes and looked first at her, then at Joan. "You do not need to know of my identity just yet," he replied, walking to the door.
Linda stared after him, chalk-white.
Joan was also gazing in disbelief. "Are you a spirit?!" she shrieked.
"No," the man replied simply, going out into the hall.
The two women exchanged disturbed looks.
****
The man walked down the hall purposefully, glancing in every room. After a moment, he paused and looked behind him. Much as he'd expected, he found a brown-haired, dark-eyed boy following him. "So," he spoke at last. "You decided to come along after all."
"Well, yeah," the boy retorted. "So?"
The mysterious stranger didn't answer him. Instead he walked on, opening the door to Tea's room and peering inside.
"What're you lookin' for, anyway?" the boy demanded, trying to see what was so fascinating.
The man walked over to the wall and began feeling it carefully, eventually finding the panel and sliding it open. "There was a grave crime here," he replied somberly, gazing down the stairs.
"A crime?!" The teenager came over and stared into the darkness. "What's going on?! Where are we, anyway?"
Slowly his simply-dressed companion pulled the panel shut again and turned to leave the room. "If we remain here for any length of time, you may find out about it," he said.
The boy wasn't sure whether to consider that good news or not.
****
"Great Scott!" Bakura exclaimed suddenly while they were searching through the rooms.
"Huh? What is it, Bakura?" Tristan asked, perking up.
Bakura pointed out into the hall. "I . . . I could have sworn I saw Shadi," he replied.
"Shadi?!" Yugi said in disbelief. "Why would he be here?!"
"I can't imagine," Bakura said, shaking his head, "but I'm almost positive I saw him! There's no one else who looks quite like Shadi does!"
Mai shrugged. "I'm sure you did see something, kiddo, but somehow I have a hard time believing Shadi would turn up here. Doesn't he only investigate . . ." She paused, searching for the right words, "more . . . supernatural stuff?" she finished at last.
"Yes," Yami Yugi nodded, "he does."
****
Shadi clicked on the light to the basement and silently walked down the stone steps, his young shadow trailing after him in confusion.
"What on earth would you want in a dump like this?!" he cried. "It's nothing but a storage room!"
Still Shadi did not answer. Instead he pried the door open and looked inside. Finding nothing, he advanced further and pressed himself against a door on the far right. Carefully he then concentrated hard, opening a portal and stepping through it into the room.
An elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair looked up as he approached, not seeming surprised at all to see him.
"Oh, hello, young man," she smiled.
Shadi nodded a wordless greeting and knelt down to be at her eye level. "Do you remember me?" he asked, suspicions forming in his mind.
"Remember you?" The woman stared into space, as if attempting to call some long lost memory to mind. "No, I don't think I do," she said finally with a helpless shrug. "Should I?"
Shadi gave her a thoughtful look. "Perhaps not at the moment," he replied. Straightening up, he half-turned and glanced at the wall while continuing to gaze at her as well. "How long have they kept you here this time?"
"I lose track of time in here," the woman said sadly.
Rex Raptor, the boy who had been following Shadi, now watched from the portal, his eyes wide. Someone was keeping this lady prisoner in the basement?! What sort of mess had he gotten himself into by coming along?!
****
"Stay close," Seto grumbled as he, Mokuba, Tea, and Mako all crowded into the small cave. The funnel cloud whipped past, tearing trees from their roots and sending them flying miles away.
"Big brother!!" Mokuba wailed, clinging to Seto in a panic.
Seto, who wasn't about to let the younger boy go for anything, held him as tightly as he possibly could, growling as the almost unearthly wind howled by the tiny opening of the cave.
"I wish this thing was deeper!" Tea burst out in reference to the cave, her blue eyes wide. She, too, was afraid someone might be swept away.
Almost as quickly as it had come, the tornado then lifted off the ground once more and was gone, leaving a horrid trail of debris in its wake.
"Is everyone alright?" Mako asked worriedly.
"We're all fine," Seto replied, narrowing his eyes.
****
"Ishizu," Marik spoke up in concern, "didn't you say someone was following us?!"
"Yes," Ishizu replied quietly. "I sensed another presence . . . and I still do, as a matter of fact."
A fierce wind screamed through, though not nearly as violent as the funnel cloud.
"Someone is still pursuing us," Ishizu told her brother grimly.
Rishid stirred then, opening his golden eyes halfway. "Master Marik?" he managed to say softly.
"Rishid!" Marik exclaimed in relief. "Are you alright? Can you walk?"
"Master . . . I am weak," Rishid replied, struggling to stand up straight.
"Do not worry, my brother," Marik said gently. "We will help you."
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Ishizu asked now.
Rishid paused, looking confused. "I . . . I was thrown over the edge by . . . by a rider on a black horse," he said at last.
"What?!" Marik cried, aghast.
Before Rishid could respond, Ishizu gasped suddenly. "There is smoke over there!" she exclaimed. "The ranchhouse may be on fire!"
"Please wake up," she said quietly, touching his shoulder. Rishid didn't even flinch.
Sadly Ishizu looked down, wondering what she would do now. "Marik!" she called loudly, praying that her younger brother would hear her and come.
The Egyptian woman carefully raised Rishid's wrist and checked his pulse. Finding it slightly slower than should be normal, she narrowed her eyes worriedly. "Rishid," she called softly, now gently touching his cheek and accidentally brushing her hand against the deep carvings there.
Knowing that it wasn't likely that Rishid would be able to revive on his own anytime soon, Ishizu continued trying to wake him up by rubbing his wrists and neck, without much luck.
"Sister?"
Ishizu looked up to see Marik standing up at the top of the ravine, a horrified look in his lavender eyes.
"Sister, what happened?!" he screamed, leaning over the edge.
"I do not know," Ishizu replied grimly. "But Rishid is hurt. Someone may have pushed him off the ledge. Be careful that you don't fall, Marik."
Marik gasped in horror and cautiously picked his way down to the bottom, collapsing to his knees next to his adopted brother. "Rishid!!" he cried in desperation, gently pulling the man into his arms.
Abruptly Ishizu froze, sensing another presence nearby. "Marik," she whispered urgently. "We must take Rishid and leave at once."
****
"Joey!!" Tristan called loudly. "Hey, buddy, come on! Where are you?! Don't play tricks on us!"
Yugi glanced all about, his violet eyes wide and concerned. "Joey?! Are you okay?!" He shook his head in disbelief. "He couldn't have gone far!"
"Yeah? Well, why did he go somewhere at all?!" Tristan retorted.
"Someone must've carted him off," Yugi replied soberly.
"Yes," Yami Yugi agreed, "but who? And why?" The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes in concern.
"What's happening in here?!" Bakura gasped, running in with Mai, Ms. Myrvyn, and Yami Bakura in tow.
"We heard you boys yelling all the way down the hall!" Ms. Myrvyn put in.
Quickly Yugi and Tristan explained about Joey's sudden disappearance, causing gasps from Bakura and Mai.
"Joey's missing?!" Bakura burst out. "Oh dear!"
"Meow?" Oreo spoke up, emerging from Yami Bakura's shirt and looking about. Gracefully the cat leaped onto the thief's shoulders, blinking with her bright yellow eyes. Yami Bakura looked less than pleased with Oreo's antics and muttered something about foolish felines.
Bakura had to chuckle at that sight but then looked worried again. "Poor Joey," he said quietly. "I do hope he's alright."
"I'm sure we all do, Bakura," Yugi replied, walking ahead nervously. "Joey?!" He tapped on the wall, hoping that perhaps Joey had simply fallen through a secret entrance—but nothing happened.
"He's nowhere around at all," Yami Yugi said grimly.
****
"A tornado?!" Tea shrieked, grabbing onto Mako tightly.
"Yes," Mako nodded, "it's quite a strong possibility, especially since there was that unusual calm right before the wind picked up."
Seto growled to himself. "We have to get to shelter," he directed. "We'll all be swept up by the tornado if we stay here." He gazed off into the distance and noticed a large funnel cloud almost touching the ground.
Mokuba looked up at him worriedly, his blue-gray eyes wide. "Seto!" he cried. "I don't want anything to happen to you, big brother!!"
"And nothing will, kid," Seto replied reassuringly. He glanced up at Tea and Mako. "Come on," he said, daring to let go of the tree trunk. "There's a cave over there. We'll hide out in it until the tornado's over."
He received no arguments.
****
Ishizu also noticed the funnel cloud, far off in the distance, but at the moment she had more pressing matters to worry about. Hopefully, she thought, the tornado wouldn't come over where they were—and she prayed it wouldn't torment anyone else either.
Carefully she and Marik managed to lift Rishid up, each one taking an arm and draping it over their shoulder. A strong wind whipped by, nearly knocking them all off-balance.
Ishizu cried out and then narrowed her eyes worriedly. "This is very bad, brother," she declared. "I fear the storm may be coming our way."
Marik looked back at her with wide lavender eyes. "We have to get back to the ranch with Rishid!" he exclaimed. "It cannot be that far away!"
"I pray it is not," Ishizu said gently.
Rishid groaned softly but didn't regain consciousness.
Marik glanced at him, obviously concerned. "Please be alright, my brother," he whispered. "I cannot lose you. . . . I simply cannot!"
****
Linda and Joan were still holed up in the room they were sharing, glancing about worriedly.
"You don't suppose," Joan said slowly, "that maybe that Rishid person really was being framed? I mean, I couldn't see the guy's face when he broke in and was going through the desk. Why couldn't someone have just gotten a cloak that looked like Rishid's and fooled us both?"
Linda shook her head. "There's no one else on the ranch who has Rishid's build. It would've had to have been him!"
"But everyone else said he was with them!" Joan protested. "Linda, face it—neither of us really knows for certain who it was. Maybe Rishid is innocent, just like they say."
"That's crazy," Linda snorted. She was about to go on when the floor suddenly turned into a dark, swirling mass of colors. Frightened, Linda pulled her legs onto the bed, out of the way of this strange phenomenon. "What's happening?!" she yelped.
To her utter horror and Joan's absolute shock, a man began rising out of his floor, his eyes closed as he concentrated on his spell.
"What on earth?!" Linda screamed. "Who in the world are you?!"
The man opened his eyes and looked first at her, then at Joan. "You do not need to know of my identity just yet," he replied, walking to the door.
Linda stared after him, chalk-white.
Joan was also gazing in disbelief. "Are you a spirit?!" she shrieked.
"No," the man replied simply, going out into the hall.
The two women exchanged disturbed looks.
****
The man walked down the hall purposefully, glancing in every room. After a moment, he paused and looked behind him. Much as he'd expected, he found a brown-haired, dark-eyed boy following him. "So," he spoke at last. "You decided to come along after all."
"Well, yeah," the boy retorted. "So?"
The mysterious stranger didn't answer him. Instead he walked on, opening the door to Tea's room and peering inside.
"What're you lookin' for, anyway?" the boy demanded, trying to see what was so fascinating.
The man walked over to the wall and began feeling it carefully, eventually finding the panel and sliding it open. "There was a grave crime here," he replied somberly, gazing down the stairs.
"A crime?!" The teenager came over and stared into the darkness. "What's going on?! Where are we, anyway?"
Slowly his simply-dressed companion pulled the panel shut again and turned to leave the room. "If we remain here for any length of time, you may find out about it," he said.
The boy wasn't sure whether to consider that good news or not.
****
"Great Scott!" Bakura exclaimed suddenly while they were searching through the rooms.
"Huh? What is it, Bakura?" Tristan asked, perking up.
Bakura pointed out into the hall. "I . . . I could have sworn I saw Shadi," he replied.
"Shadi?!" Yugi said in disbelief. "Why would he be here?!"
"I can't imagine," Bakura said, shaking his head, "but I'm almost positive I saw him! There's no one else who looks quite like Shadi does!"
Mai shrugged. "I'm sure you did see something, kiddo, but somehow I have a hard time believing Shadi would turn up here. Doesn't he only investigate . . ." She paused, searching for the right words, "more . . . supernatural stuff?" she finished at last.
"Yes," Yami Yugi nodded, "he does."
****
Shadi clicked on the light to the basement and silently walked down the stone steps, his young shadow trailing after him in confusion.
"What on earth would you want in a dump like this?!" he cried. "It's nothing but a storage room!"
Still Shadi did not answer. Instead he pried the door open and looked inside. Finding nothing, he advanced further and pressed himself against a door on the far right. Carefully he then concentrated hard, opening a portal and stepping through it into the room.
An elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair looked up as he approached, not seeming surprised at all to see him.
"Oh, hello, young man," she smiled.
Shadi nodded a wordless greeting and knelt down to be at her eye level. "Do you remember me?" he asked, suspicions forming in his mind.
"Remember you?" The woman stared into space, as if attempting to call some long lost memory to mind. "No, I don't think I do," she said finally with a helpless shrug. "Should I?"
Shadi gave her a thoughtful look. "Perhaps not at the moment," he replied. Straightening up, he half-turned and glanced at the wall while continuing to gaze at her as well. "How long have they kept you here this time?"
"I lose track of time in here," the woman said sadly.
Rex Raptor, the boy who had been following Shadi, now watched from the portal, his eyes wide. Someone was keeping this lady prisoner in the basement?! What sort of mess had he gotten himself into by coming along?!
****
"Stay close," Seto grumbled as he, Mokuba, Tea, and Mako all crowded into the small cave. The funnel cloud whipped past, tearing trees from their roots and sending them flying miles away.
"Big brother!!" Mokuba wailed, clinging to Seto in a panic.
Seto, who wasn't about to let the younger boy go for anything, held him as tightly as he possibly could, growling as the almost unearthly wind howled by the tiny opening of the cave.
"I wish this thing was deeper!" Tea burst out in reference to the cave, her blue eyes wide. She, too, was afraid someone might be swept away.
Almost as quickly as it had come, the tornado then lifted off the ground once more and was gone, leaving a horrid trail of debris in its wake.
"Is everyone alright?" Mako asked worriedly.
"We're all fine," Seto replied, narrowing his eyes.
****
"Ishizu," Marik spoke up in concern, "didn't you say someone was following us?!"
"Yes," Ishizu replied quietly. "I sensed another presence . . . and I still do, as a matter of fact."
A fierce wind screamed through, though not nearly as violent as the funnel cloud.
"Someone is still pursuing us," Ishizu told her brother grimly.
Rishid stirred then, opening his golden eyes halfway. "Master Marik?" he managed to say softly.
"Rishid!" Marik exclaimed in relief. "Are you alright? Can you walk?"
"Master . . . I am weak," Rishid replied, struggling to stand up straight.
"Do not worry, my brother," Marik said gently. "We will help you."
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Ishizu asked now.
Rishid paused, looking confused. "I . . . I was thrown over the edge by . . . by a rider on a black horse," he said at last.
"What?!" Marik cried, aghast.
Before Rishid could respond, Ishizu gasped suddenly. "There is smoke over there!" she exclaimed. "The ranchhouse may be on fire!"