Yami Bakura and Oreo, meanwhile, were wandering into a room that had been blocked off for years.
"Foolish mortals," the thief grunted, stepping around a hole in the floor.
"Meow," Oreo said uneasily, bounding over next to him and getting between his legs. Sighing, Yami Bakura leaned down and took the cat into his arms. Oreo purred loudly, putting her paws on his throat.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, cat," Yami Bakura growled. "It's just an old room." But even as he said this, a dark sense of despair began to come over him.
Oreo flattened her ears and let out a growl of her own, wrapping her paws around her master's neck and clinging to him.
Yami Bakura pulled out the Ring and raised it high. "Let the evil that is in this room depart!" he cried, his long silvery hair flying as he whirled around.
An amused cackle was his only reply as at least a dozen wraiths melted out of the walls and floor and grabbed for him.
Yami Bakura aimed the Ring at the nearest one and prepared to fire, but before he could another one came out of the floor and raked its claws across his arm. The tomb raider gave a cry of anguish and jerked his wounded limb back, narrowing his eyes.
Instantly a black-and-white blur leaped on top of the wraith, yowling and spitting. The wraith reached up to dig its horrible talons into Oreo's little body, but before it could Yami Bakura shot it down and drew a card from his deck.
"I summon the Morphing Jar!" he hissed, allowing the enormous pot to scoop up all of the wraiths and send them to the Shadow Realm.
Once they had all departed, the thief leaned against the wall, breathing heavily and trying to catch his bearings. Normally a fight such as that one wouldn't tire him out at all. What was different this time?
He gazed thoughtfully at the blood dripping from his wound. Could it be that . . .
His contemplating was interrupted as Oreo leaped into his arms and meowed loudly as she saw his injury.
Yami Bakura growled. "It's nothing," he told her, even though he knew otherwise.
****
Seto trailed along after the Ishtars and his brother, dragging a tied-up Lou with him. He had stayed back at the house briefly to capture the criminal, but then had quickly caught up with the others. Now the young businessman was angry.
"I want some answers!" he growled furiously, glaring daggers at Lou and tightening his grip.
Lou grinned maniacally. "Everyone working at this ranch is in on this," he announced. "You won't be able to trust anyone here!" The wicked man paused, a plan forming in his mind to rattle his captor. "Even your family and friends are starting to become greedy, desiring the treasure we're all after."
Seto looked at him in disgust, instantly deciphering what Lou was trying to do. "Shut up," he snarled. "Your lies won't work on me."
"There's an evil permeating through the ranch," Lou replied, speaking truthfully at the moment. "Slowly it infects the minds and hearts of everyone here."
"Even if that's true, my brother would never let it get to him," Seto hissed. "He's stronger than any pathetic evil force."
Up ahead, the others were arriving at the well. Marik stared into it, clutching at the edges so he wouldn't fall in. "I don't see anything!" he cried angrily.
"There's nothing to see," the familiar voice snickered. "I only brought you here in case that girl's ghost was roaming about, but I don't think she's here tonight."
"This has gone on long enough!" Marik screamed, raising himself up and brandishing the Rod. "I won't stand here and be made a fool of while my sister fights for her life!"
"Patience, patience," the voice chided.
"I won't be patient!!" Marik yelled.
The voice gave a mock sigh. "Oh, very well. Come to the cave behind the waterfall. But you'd best make it snappy if you don't want Ishizu to die on you before you get here."
Marik let out a strangled cry.
"Will you be there or is this another trick?" Rishid growled, feeling Ishizu grab onto his cloak.
"I suppose you'll just have to find out for yourselves," the voice said with amusement. "After all, it's not like you have any choice."
"COWARD!!" Marik screamed.
****
Tristan watched as Mako began cleaning Shadi's wounds. "Oh man," the hazel-eyed boy muttered.
"This is worse than I thought," Mako told him. "The bullets all tore right through him. He'll be lucky if he lasts the night."
"But this is Shadi we're talking about!" Tristan protested. "He can't die!"
"Even he is not indestructible," Mako replied. "Any mortal can be vanquished in some way, no matter how strong they are."
Shadi groaned, jerking away from Mako and subconsciously reaching up to clap his hand over one of the wounds.
"However," Mako went on, "I know he's not going to give up. And that may make a difference in his case."
****
Bakura struggled to maneuver himself on the floor so that he could crawl toward the saw without causing any difficulty or discomfort for Yugi, but he found that he wasn't having much luck.
"Bakura . . . I can't breathe!" Yugi gasped, straining against the ropes.
"Oh dear," Bakura said in embarrassment, collapsing over on his side. "I'm terribly sorry. . . ."
Yugi struggled to get air into his lungs. "There must be something else we can do!" he cried.
"Well . . . maybe if we tensed up as much as we could, the ropes would loosen a bit and we could wiggle our way out of them," Bakura suggested, feeling helpless.
Yugi shrugged. "I guess we'll have to try," he said finally. "These are desperate times. Remember what Bart said about the cellar still standing when the ranch 'goes boom'?! He might be planning to really blow it up! And that means the others might all be in danger!"
"Great Scott, you're right, Yugi!" Bakura exclaimed, new worry building. "We must get out of here!" He struggled to get to his feet but immediately collapsed again.
At that moment the door cracked open and Yami Bakura stood there, silhouetted against the light behind him. "What are you pathetic creatures doing?!" he growled, his brown eyes gleaming in the dark of the cellar.
"Yami!" Bakura cried in relief. "Yami, please help us get free!! Bart's going to blow up the ranch and we need to make certain everyone's safe and try to stop him!"
Yami Bakura grunted, but then he came down the steps and untied them both. Oreo leaped off his shoulders and over to Bakura's head, meowing loudly. The British boy chuckled, reaching up to pet the kitty.
Yugi was already running for the stairs. "Come on!" he called. "We have to find the others!"
Bakura looked up and nodded firmly. "Right!" Gently he took Oreo into his arms and chased after the vertically challenged boy. "Thank you for saving us, Yami," he smiled, glancing back at the gruff thief. Abruptly Bakura's eyes widened, catching sight of several deep gashes in his Yami's flesh. "Oh!!!" he gasped.
Yami Bakura glared daggers at him. "I am fine. Do you understand me?"
"Yami, you're hurt!" Bakura retorted as they reached the doorway.
"Mere scratches," Yami Bakura snapped. He knew exactly that it was much more than that, but he didn't find any point in telling Bakura that.
Gently Bakura took the tomb raider's arm and stared at the long slash in the skin. "Yami, that's not a scratch!" he insisted. "I know you're just going to say it's nothing, but I have a terrible feeling about it!!"
Yami Bakura yanked his arm away, wincing as he did so. "Leave me alone!!" he yelled.
Bakura gazed at him heart-breakingly. "Please don't die, Yami," he whispered before going out the door.
Yami Bakura was stunned speechless. He examined the wound in his arm again and then looked after the departing boy. How could Bakura know that he'd been poisoned fighting off the wraiths? At any rate, he had no intention of dying—and yet he knew that that was usually the inevitable result of such attacks.
Oreo seemed to know it too. She came padding back to her beloved Yami Bakura and wrapped her paws around his leg. "Meoooow!" she wailed, looking about as sad as a cat can look.
Heaving a sigh, Yami Bakura leaned down and scooped the feline into his arms, stroking her soft fur. "Foolish cat," he muttered.
Oreo wailed again, placing her paws on his shoulder.
****
Alyson looked up at Mai as the teenage girl gently washed the blood away. "What's gonna happen to Shadi?" Alyson quavered.
Mai gave a sigh and sat down beside her. "I honestly don't know, kiddo," she said solemnly.
"Well, you see . . ." Alyson looked at the floor. "Other than Grandma, I don't have any family at all, and when I met Shadi, it was like . . ." She twisted the strap on her overalls. "It was like . . . well . . . he's been like the father I never had."
Mai smiled softly. "If you've known him for a long time, you've probably seen that he always seems to bounce back no matter what. Shadi's pretty tough."
Alyson nodded, but still looked scared. "I've never seen so much blood!" she sobbed, shuddering. "I . . . I'm just so afraid that . . . that he's never gonna get up." Tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her face. "My mommy got shot a long time ago and . . . and she never got up."
Mai let out a gasp. "Oh . . ." she said at last.
"And I don't want the same thing to happen to Shadi!" Alyson wailed. "I don't want him to die!!"
Mai looked down, trying to think of something she could say that would comfort her. "Well . . . then I'm sure he'll stick around, just for you," she said quietly.
****
"There sure is a big echo in here," Mokuba commented as everyone cautiously entered the cave behind the waterfall. "That messed-up person must know we've just come in!"
Seto narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure at all whether they'd ever get the antidote for Ishizu's poisoning. It seemed to him that this person was completely sick and twisted without any redeemable qualities and probably didn't even know how to cure the poor woman.
"Whoa!!" Mokuba yelped suddenly, plunging through a gaping hole in the floor. "BIG BROTHER!!!"
Everyone whirled around at the sound of the boy's scream. Almost instantaneously Seto was there, grabbing Mokuba's wrist. "It's alright, kid," he whispered soothingly. "I've got you."
Marik breathed a sigh of relief as Seto pulled his brother up and set him back on firm ground. "That was a close one," the Egyptian boy remarked, looking at his friend.
Mokuba stood there for a moment, breathing heavily and trying to regain his bearings.
Seto gazed at him in concern, then looked up and clenched his fists.
"That was done on purpose," Rishid spoke up, voicing Seto's and Marik's thoughts. "The entire cave must be booby-trapped!"
"Oh, how smart of you to put it all together like that," the voice laughed. "You didn't really think it would be as easy as traveling through the cave to find me, did you? There has to be one last test first!"
"Ishizu may not last that long!" Marik screamed.
"Then you'd best hurry, hmm?" the voice replied smoothly.
Rishid looked down at Ishizu worriedly. "Lady Ishizu, how are you faring?" he asked softly.
Ishizu smiled up at him. "I will be alright, Rishid," she answered, her eyes starting to close.
"No! Lady Ishizu, please try to stay conscious!" Rishid pleaded, fearful for her life.
Marik also turned to look, gripping his sister's hand frantically. "Ishizu," he whispered shakily, his eyes filling with tears.
Ishizu gently stroked his hand and then his cheek reassuringly. "I promise, I will not leave," she whispered, breathing painfully.
****
Yami Bakura was also starting to feel the effects of the poison. The tomb raider doubled over, beads of perspiration trailing down his face as he clenched his teeth and tried to ward off the feelings of dizziness and confusion.
"Yami?!" Bakura screamed, looking at him in horror.
Yugi turned to look as well. "Bakura, what's wrong with your Yami?!" he gasped.
"I don't know!" Bakura wailed.
Yami Bakura was vaguely aware of their voices, but they sounded far away and distant. Even though it took a powerful non-mortal body such as his longer to register the poison's deadliness, the venom's effects rushed through to their final conclusion much faster than they would with a mortal. Now the thief's vision swam and he collapsed to the floor, descending into oblivion.
"Foolish mortals," the thief grunted, stepping around a hole in the floor.
"Meow," Oreo said uneasily, bounding over next to him and getting between his legs. Sighing, Yami Bakura leaned down and took the cat into his arms. Oreo purred loudly, putting her paws on his throat.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, cat," Yami Bakura growled. "It's just an old room." But even as he said this, a dark sense of despair began to come over him.
Oreo flattened her ears and let out a growl of her own, wrapping her paws around her master's neck and clinging to him.
Yami Bakura pulled out the Ring and raised it high. "Let the evil that is in this room depart!" he cried, his long silvery hair flying as he whirled around.
An amused cackle was his only reply as at least a dozen wraiths melted out of the walls and floor and grabbed for him.
Yami Bakura aimed the Ring at the nearest one and prepared to fire, but before he could another one came out of the floor and raked its claws across his arm. The tomb raider gave a cry of anguish and jerked his wounded limb back, narrowing his eyes.
Instantly a black-and-white blur leaped on top of the wraith, yowling and spitting. The wraith reached up to dig its horrible talons into Oreo's little body, but before it could Yami Bakura shot it down and drew a card from his deck.
"I summon the Morphing Jar!" he hissed, allowing the enormous pot to scoop up all of the wraiths and send them to the Shadow Realm.
Once they had all departed, the thief leaned against the wall, breathing heavily and trying to catch his bearings. Normally a fight such as that one wouldn't tire him out at all. What was different this time?
He gazed thoughtfully at the blood dripping from his wound. Could it be that . . .
His contemplating was interrupted as Oreo leaped into his arms and meowed loudly as she saw his injury.
Yami Bakura growled. "It's nothing," he told her, even though he knew otherwise.
****
Seto trailed along after the Ishtars and his brother, dragging a tied-up Lou with him. He had stayed back at the house briefly to capture the criminal, but then had quickly caught up with the others. Now the young businessman was angry.
"I want some answers!" he growled furiously, glaring daggers at Lou and tightening his grip.
Lou grinned maniacally. "Everyone working at this ranch is in on this," he announced. "You won't be able to trust anyone here!" The wicked man paused, a plan forming in his mind to rattle his captor. "Even your family and friends are starting to become greedy, desiring the treasure we're all after."
Seto looked at him in disgust, instantly deciphering what Lou was trying to do. "Shut up," he snarled. "Your lies won't work on me."
"There's an evil permeating through the ranch," Lou replied, speaking truthfully at the moment. "Slowly it infects the minds and hearts of everyone here."
"Even if that's true, my brother would never let it get to him," Seto hissed. "He's stronger than any pathetic evil force."
Up ahead, the others were arriving at the well. Marik stared into it, clutching at the edges so he wouldn't fall in. "I don't see anything!" he cried angrily.
"There's nothing to see," the familiar voice snickered. "I only brought you here in case that girl's ghost was roaming about, but I don't think she's here tonight."
"This has gone on long enough!" Marik screamed, raising himself up and brandishing the Rod. "I won't stand here and be made a fool of while my sister fights for her life!"
"Patience, patience," the voice chided.
"I won't be patient!!" Marik yelled.
The voice gave a mock sigh. "Oh, very well. Come to the cave behind the waterfall. But you'd best make it snappy if you don't want Ishizu to die on you before you get here."
Marik let out a strangled cry.
"Will you be there or is this another trick?" Rishid growled, feeling Ishizu grab onto his cloak.
"I suppose you'll just have to find out for yourselves," the voice said with amusement. "After all, it's not like you have any choice."
"COWARD!!" Marik screamed.
****
Tristan watched as Mako began cleaning Shadi's wounds. "Oh man," the hazel-eyed boy muttered.
"This is worse than I thought," Mako told him. "The bullets all tore right through him. He'll be lucky if he lasts the night."
"But this is Shadi we're talking about!" Tristan protested. "He can't die!"
"Even he is not indestructible," Mako replied. "Any mortal can be vanquished in some way, no matter how strong they are."
Shadi groaned, jerking away from Mako and subconsciously reaching up to clap his hand over one of the wounds.
"However," Mako went on, "I know he's not going to give up. And that may make a difference in his case."
****
Bakura struggled to maneuver himself on the floor so that he could crawl toward the saw without causing any difficulty or discomfort for Yugi, but he found that he wasn't having much luck.
"Bakura . . . I can't breathe!" Yugi gasped, straining against the ropes.
"Oh dear," Bakura said in embarrassment, collapsing over on his side. "I'm terribly sorry. . . ."
Yugi struggled to get air into his lungs. "There must be something else we can do!" he cried.
"Well . . . maybe if we tensed up as much as we could, the ropes would loosen a bit and we could wiggle our way out of them," Bakura suggested, feeling helpless.
Yugi shrugged. "I guess we'll have to try," he said finally. "These are desperate times. Remember what Bart said about the cellar still standing when the ranch 'goes boom'?! He might be planning to really blow it up! And that means the others might all be in danger!"
"Great Scott, you're right, Yugi!" Bakura exclaimed, new worry building. "We must get out of here!" He struggled to get to his feet but immediately collapsed again.
At that moment the door cracked open and Yami Bakura stood there, silhouetted against the light behind him. "What are you pathetic creatures doing?!" he growled, his brown eyes gleaming in the dark of the cellar.
"Yami!" Bakura cried in relief. "Yami, please help us get free!! Bart's going to blow up the ranch and we need to make certain everyone's safe and try to stop him!"
Yami Bakura grunted, but then he came down the steps and untied them both. Oreo leaped off his shoulders and over to Bakura's head, meowing loudly. The British boy chuckled, reaching up to pet the kitty.
Yugi was already running for the stairs. "Come on!" he called. "We have to find the others!"
Bakura looked up and nodded firmly. "Right!" Gently he took Oreo into his arms and chased after the vertically challenged boy. "Thank you for saving us, Yami," he smiled, glancing back at the gruff thief. Abruptly Bakura's eyes widened, catching sight of several deep gashes in his Yami's flesh. "Oh!!!" he gasped.
Yami Bakura glared daggers at him. "I am fine. Do you understand me?"
"Yami, you're hurt!" Bakura retorted as they reached the doorway.
"Mere scratches," Yami Bakura snapped. He knew exactly that it was much more than that, but he didn't find any point in telling Bakura that.
Gently Bakura took the tomb raider's arm and stared at the long slash in the skin. "Yami, that's not a scratch!" he insisted. "I know you're just going to say it's nothing, but I have a terrible feeling about it!!"
Yami Bakura yanked his arm away, wincing as he did so. "Leave me alone!!" he yelled.
Bakura gazed at him heart-breakingly. "Please don't die, Yami," he whispered before going out the door.
Yami Bakura was stunned speechless. He examined the wound in his arm again and then looked after the departing boy. How could Bakura know that he'd been poisoned fighting off the wraiths? At any rate, he had no intention of dying—and yet he knew that that was usually the inevitable result of such attacks.
Oreo seemed to know it too. She came padding back to her beloved Yami Bakura and wrapped her paws around his leg. "Meoooow!" she wailed, looking about as sad as a cat can look.
Heaving a sigh, Yami Bakura leaned down and scooped the feline into his arms, stroking her soft fur. "Foolish cat," he muttered.
Oreo wailed again, placing her paws on his shoulder.
****
Alyson looked up at Mai as the teenage girl gently washed the blood away. "What's gonna happen to Shadi?" Alyson quavered.
Mai gave a sigh and sat down beside her. "I honestly don't know, kiddo," she said solemnly.
"Well, you see . . ." Alyson looked at the floor. "Other than Grandma, I don't have any family at all, and when I met Shadi, it was like . . ." She twisted the strap on her overalls. "It was like . . . well . . . he's been like the father I never had."
Mai smiled softly. "If you've known him for a long time, you've probably seen that he always seems to bounce back no matter what. Shadi's pretty tough."
Alyson nodded, but still looked scared. "I've never seen so much blood!" she sobbed, shuddering. "I . . . I'm just so afraid that . . . that he's never gonna get up." Tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her face. "My mommy got shot a long time ago and . . . and she never got up."
Mai let out a gasp. "Oh . . ." she said at last.
"And I don't want the same thing to happen to Shadi!" Alyson wailed. "I don't want him to die!!"
Mai looked down, trying to think of something she could say that would comfort her. "Well . . . then I'm sure he'll stick around, just for you," she said quietly.
****
"There sure is a big echo in here," Mokuba commented as everyone cautiously entered the cave behind the waterfall. "That messed-up person must know we've just come in!"
Seto narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure at all whether they'd ever get the antidote for Ishizu's poisoning. It seemed to him that this person was completely sick and twisted without any redeemable qualities and probably didn't even know how to cure the poor woman.
"Whoa!!" Mokuba yelped suddenly, plunging through a gaping hole in the floor. "BIG BROTHER!!!"
Everyone whirled around at the sound of the boy's scream. Almost instantaneously Seto was there, grabbing Mokuba's wrist. "It's alright, kid," he whispered soothingly. "I've got you."
Marik breathed a sigh of relief as Seto pulled his brother up and set him back on firm ground. "That was a close one," the Egyptian boy remarked, looking at his friend.
Mokuba stood there for a moment, breathing heavily and trying to regain his bearings.
Seto gazed at him in concern, then looked up and clenched his fists.
"That was done on purpose," Rishid spoke up, voicing Seto's and Marik's thoughts. "The entire cave must be booby-trapped!"
"Oh, how smart of you to put it all together like that," the voice laughed. "You didn't really think it would be as easy as traveling through the cave to find me, did you? There has to be one last test first!"
"Ishizu may not last that long!" Marik screamed.
"Then you'd best hurry, hmm?" the voice replied smoothly.
Rishid looked down at Ishizu worriedly. "Lady Ishizu, how are you faring?" he asked softly.
Ishizu smiled up at him. "I will be alright, Rishid," she answered, her eyes starting to close.
"No! Lady Ishizu, please try to stay conscious!" Rishid pleaded, fearful for her life.
Marik also turned to look, gripping his sister's hand frantically. "Ishizu," he whispered shakily, his eyes filling with tears.
Ishizu gently stroked his hand and then his cheek reassuringly. "I promise, I will not leave," she whispered, breathing painfully.
****
Yami Bakura was also starting to feel the effects of the poison. The tomb raider doubled over, beads of perspiration trailing down his face as he clenched his teeth and tried to ward off the feelings of dizziness and confusion.
"Yami?!" Bakura screamed, looking at him in horror.
Yugi turned to look as well. "Bakura, what's wrong with your Yami?!" he gasped.
"I don't know!" Bakura wailed.
Yami Bakura was vaguely aware of their voices, but they sounded far away and distant. Even though it took a powerful non-mortal body such as his longer to register the poison's deadliness, the venom's effects rushed through to their final conclusion much faster than they would with a mortal. Now the thief's vision swam and he collapsed to the floor, descending into oblivion.