"Mokuba! Stop!!"
The boy heard Yami Yugi's voice behind him as he passed the Pharaoh, but he refused to acknowledge him. He had to find Seto and Marik! He *had* to!
Abruptly there was a glow of light and the veiled man appeared in Mokuba's path.
"You will not save them this way," he said quietly.
"I'm not gonna stand around and do nothing!" Mokuba said defensively.
"You do not comprehend the gravity of the situation, young Mokuba," the man replied, crossing his arms. "They have their destiny and you have yours. You cannot interfere with what they must do."
"You sound like someone else I know," Mokuba muttered, then suddenly noticed he was alone. The stranger had vanished.
"Mokuba!"
He turned, seeing the others running up to him.
"Mokuba, what were you thinking, you crazy kid?!" Joey burst out. "We should stick together!!"
"But Seto and Marik are being hurt!" Mokuba wailed. "They're being hurt, and I can't believe that's their destiny!"
Ishizu looked away, feeling tears rising. "It shouldn't be anyone's destiny," she said finally.
"Guys!!" came Tristan's upset voice. "I can't find Kamara!!"
"What?!" Téa exclaimed. "Oh no! She must've been captured while we were distracted!"
Yami Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Stay silent," he said sternly. "I sense danger nearby."
A wild laugh echoed throughout the corridors as many wraiths surrounded them all. "That's putting it rather mildly, Pharaoh," Lou's voice laughed. "Now we have you all right where we want you, and we'll never let you go free!!"
****
Seto tensed as the whip connected with his flesh again and again. The pirates were finding great delight in torturing him and Marik before they proceeded on to killing them and releasing the beast.
Marik cried out as the whip wrapped around his wounded leg and was pulled taut. Gasping, the Egyptian boy grabbed at the post Seto was chained to, struggling to keep his consciousness in check.
"You both look absolutely pathetic," the lead pirate sneered.
Seto's eyes narrowed. "Feel free to keep tormenting us, but it won't help you with your plot."
"Oh? And why not?" Another thug finally relaxed the pressure on Marik's leg and the boy went limp, breathing heavily.
"Because the longer you keep us alive, the better chance we'll have of stopping you." Seto exchanged a look with Marik and they both nodded. They now knew what must be done.
"You can't stop us," the leader objected. "Not when the color of your blood is all over your pathetic bodies."
Seto grunted. "Just keep thinking that and it'll be your downfall." In the next moment his eyes went wide as his injured shoulder was struck.
"Just shut up," the thug growled.
"Oh, so you are afraid that we speak the truth," Marik observed.
"Never!!" The leader used the whip to lash around Marik's choker, tightening the pressure on his throat.
The boy's eyes began to water. Not again!! he thought desperately, trying to pull it away.
"What a bunch of losers," Seto commented in disgust. "You're all cowards!"
"You dare to call us cowards?!" came the enraged reply as a blunt object connected with Seto's head.
"That only proves it all the more," Seto choked out before drifting into unconsciousness from the blow.
Frustrated, Marik reached out and grabbed for the whip, pulling on it hard. "I've had enough!!" he growled.
"You can't even stand up," the bully taunted. "You're easy pickings!"
"I'll show you 'easy pickings,'" Marik retorted, tugging on the whip with all of his strength and winding up pulling his attacker to the floor.
"Why you little . . ." The man let out a vile curse which Marik just ignored. "You're gonna pay for that!!"
"I'd like to see you try." Marik gazed at him with steely eyes, not intimidated.
Snarling, the man violently lunged, certain that it would be easy to subdue the injured boy. Marik quickly proved him wrong, rolling out of the way and letting him crash to the floor again.
Instantly five others descended upon Marik, forcing him to hold still.
"You arrogant creature," one of them growled, holding him up by his neck. Marik struggled, but in vain—as his captor had a build like Rishid's. "Just settle down and be a good sacrifice."
"Not by all the sands in Egypt," Marik grunted, kicking out with his uninjured leg and hitting the man in the face.
The bully cried out as blood poured from his nose. "I'll be glad to see you dead," he hissed.
****
Yami Yugi looked around at the wraiths, his eyes narrowed. "I could easily destroy all of these creatures, Lou. What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.
One of the wraiths reached out and snatched Yugi up into the air. The boy gave a cry of surprise and panic.
"Oh!! Yugi!!" Téa shrieked.
"Hey!! Put our friend down, you creepy Ringwraith!" Joey yelled indignantly.
Yami Yugi stood in shock and alarm as he watched, his face draining of color.
"Ah, I expect you'll abide by my terms," Lou sneered, stepping out. "After all, you don't want this boy you protect to be harmed."
Yugi gasped, his eyes wide. "Yami, don't do what they want!!" he pleaded. "Please! Don't do it!!" He tensed as a sharp claw brushed against his neck.
Lou grinned. "Well, Pharaoh? I hear that you believe in the greater good. Is that so?"
Yami Yugi clenched his fists, realizing where this was going. "I believe in it when the situation calls for it," he said finally.
"Well," Lou smiled, "I'd say this one calls for it. Either relinquish Yugi to us or all of you perish."
"What??!!" Joey burst out.
"Yami, you have to think of the others," Yugi whispered.
Yami Yugi stood still, his mind and heart in turmoil. How could he leave Yugi to the mercy of those fiends? Was it possible that . . . that his actions against Yami Bakura were not simply for the greater good, as he had said? Had part of him perhaps just wanted the evil tomb raider gone?
He closed his eyes tightly. No . . . that couldn't be. . . . He'd known how much it would crush Bakura. He'd told Yugi the truth when he'd said he hadn't wanted to do it.
And yet now . . . with Yugi's life in danger, it somehow seemed different than the previous situation.
I have to concentrate, Yami Yugi knew. Something is amiss. Lou is toying with my mind. He just wants to see what I will do. The outcome will be the same no matter what I decide.
And so, with that truth in mind, the Pharaoh spoke at last.
"This is not the time for sick jokes, Lou. I know it doesn't really matter what I decide here. You will destroy us all just the same."
Lou crossed his arms. "Well . . . I give up. You're right." He smirked. "But before you all go, you must watch our spectacular show."
"What's he babbling about?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He wants us to watch them unleash the beast," Duke replied grimly. "It'll be like the final blow. We came all this way and couldn't stop them."
"Oh, we'll stop 'em, alright!" Joey yelled, trying to rush forward and attack. "Lemme at 'em!!"
Tristan and Duke held him back in frustration.
"Come on, Joey, don't be an idiot," Tristan sighed.
"This isn't the time for one of your stunts," Duke added. "That's what they want! It's their version of entertainment."
Roughly Lou walked over to Bakura and hauled him up. "Come on now," he growled.
Bakura barely noticed or cared. "Yami has to come with us," he said softly, the fight gone out of him.
Lou shrugged. "Fine. What do I care?"
Oreo gave a loud yowl and sprang out, scratching Lou across the face. "MEOOOOW!!" she yelled, almost as if to say, "This one's for Yami Bakura!"
Instantly Lou let go of the boy, clutching his cheek in anger. "Stupid cat," he growled.
Before anyone could do a thing, the wraiths multiplied without warning and grabbed each and every one of them.
"Uh, Yug?" Joey said nervously. "I really don't like this part."
Yugi narrowed his eyes. "I don't, either, Joey," he said. "We'll just have to hope and pray that Kaiba and Marik will come through for us. After all . . . they *are* the only ones who can make sure the beast never comes back."
****
Mokuba tensed as they were dragged to a ledge overlooking a horrible, never-ending pit of darkness. Screams echoed about him . . . familiar screams. . . .
In horror he looked up to see Seto and Marik far above him on another ledge, both being mercilessly whipped and beaten.
"NO!!" the little boy cried out. "SETO!! MARIK!!" He struggled against the phantom holding him captive, but to no avail.
"BROTHER!!" Ishizu shrieked, her eyes wide in alarm.
Rishid stood still, frozen with rage and anger at the situation. He wanted nothing more than to get up to that ledge and throw Marik's attacker into the pit, but he knew there was nothing he could do.
Lou stepped out in front of them all. "I think that's enough of that," he called up to the tormentors. "We have a monster to unleash."
Seto growled as the chains were unlocked. He stumbled violently, the only thing holding him up having been the manacles and the post.
Marik moaned as he was prodded with a javelin. He felt as if he could never manage to stand up, but he knew that was what these people wanted and that he couldn't let them win.
"The time is now!" the veiled stranger's voice rang out from the shadows. "You understand what you must do, and now you must do it!"
Lou narrowed his eyes. "What the . . ." He looked around, trying to determine where the voice was coming from.
Marik suddenly kicked out with great effort, knocking the would-be executioner off his feet. "You'll never take me alive," he murmured, managing to stand and then somersaulting off the ledge into the darkness before he could be caught again.
Ishizu screamed, covering her mouth with her hands. Rishid stared in horror, calling their brother's name.
Seto took the opportunity to grab the spear away from his own attacker and break it in half. Throwing the pieces aside, he looked down and smiled at Mokuba before diving overboard as well.
Mokuba went pale. "BIG BROTHER!! MARIK!!!" Breaking free of the wraith, he ran to the edge—where Ishizu and Rishid already were—and stared into the endless depths of the void. "Why?!" he sobbed. "WHY??!! What's going on???!! Why did they do that?!"
Lou started to laugh. "The fools! They're only furthering our plot all the more!!"
"You are wrong, Lou."
Everyone looked up to see the veiled man standing on the ledge, Alyson in his arms.
"WHAT?!!" Lou yelled. "Who are you?! Come down here this instant!!" His face turned purple with rage.
"Seto Kaiba and Marik Ishtar have defeated the beast," the stranger said, ignoring the wicked man's temper tantrum. "Their acts of willingly throwing themselves into the pit mean that the beast can no longer rise. It is destroyed."
A horrible rumble shook the cave they were in and everyone toppled to the hard floor.
Lou picked himself up, his face twisted in an ugly grimace. He knew that the Middle Eastern man was right. But he also knew something else.
"They may have foiled our plans, but none of you will ever see the light of another day!!" he screamed.
The boy heard Yami Yugi's voice behind him as he passed the Pharaoh, but he refused to acknowledge him. He had to find Seto and Marik! He *had* to!
Abruptly there was a glow of light and the veiled man appeared in Mokuba's path.
"You will not save them this way," he said quietly.
"I'm not gonna stand around and do nothing!" Mokuba said defensively.
"You do not comprehend the gravity of the situation, young Mokuba," the man replied, crossing his arms. "They have their destiny and you have yours. You cannot interfere with what they must do."
"You sound like someone else I know," Mokuba muttered, then suddenly noticed he was alone. The stranger had vanished.
"Mokuba!"
He turned, seeing the others running up to him.
"Mokuba, what were you thinking, you crazy kid?!" Joey burst out. "We should stick together!!"
"But Seto and Marik are being hurt!" Mokuba wailed. "They're being hurt, and I can't believe that's their destiny!"
Ishizu looked away, feeling tears rising. "It shouldn't be anyone's destiny," she said finally.
"Guys!!" came Tristan's upset voice. "I can't find Kamara!!"
"What?!" Téa exclaimed. "Oh no! She must've been captured while we were distracted!"
Yami Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Stay silent," he said sternly. "I sense danger nearby."
A wild laugh echoed throughout the corridors as many wraiths surrounded them all. "That's putting it rather mildly, Pharaoh," Lou's voice laughed. "Now we have you all right where we want you, and we'll never let you go free!!"
****
Seto tensed as the whip connected with his flesh again and again. The pirates were finding great delight in torturing him and Marik before they proceeded on to killing them and releasing the beast.
Marik cried out as the whip wrapped around his wounded leg and was pulled taut. Gasping, the Egyptian boy grabbed at the post Seto was chained to, struggling to keep his consciousness in check.
"You both look absolutely pathetic," the lead pirate sneered.
Seto's eyes narrowed. "Feel free to keep tormenting us, but it won't help you with your plot."
"Oh? And why not?" Another thug finally relaxed the pressure on Marik's leg and the boy went limp, breathing heavily.
"Because the longer you keep us alive, the better chance we'll have of stopping you." Seto exchanged a look with Marik and they both nodded. They now knew what must be done.
"You can't stop us," the leader objected. "Not when the color of your blood is all over your pathetic bodies."
Seto grunted. "Just keep thinking that and it'll be your downfall." In the next moment his eyes went wide as his injured shoulder was struck.
"Just shut up," the thug growled.
"Oh, so you are afraid that we speak the truth," Marik observed.
"Never!!" The leader used the whip to lash around Marik's choker, tightening the pressure on his throat.
The boy's eyes began to water. Not again!! he thought desperately, trying to pull it away.
"What a bunch of losers," Seto commented in disgust. "You're all cowards!"
"You dare to call us cowards?!" came the enraged reply as a blunt object connected with Seto's head.
"That only proves it all the more," Seto choked out before drifting into unconsciousness from the blow.
Frustrated, Marik reached out and grabbed for the whip, pulling on it hard. "I've had enough!!" he growled.
"You can't even stand up," the bully taunted. "You're easy pickings!"
"I'll show you 'easy pickings,'" Marik retorted, tugging on the whip with all of his strength and winding up pulling his attacker to the floor.
"Why you little . . ." The man let out a vile curse which Marik just ignored. "You're gonna pay for that!!"
"I'd like to see you try." Marik gazed at him with steely eyes, not intimidated.
Snarling, the man violently lunged, certain that it would be easy to subdue the injured boy. Marik quickly proved him wrong, rolling out of the way and letting him crash to the floor again.
Instantly five others descended upon Marik, forcing him to hold still.
"You arrogant creature," one of them growled, holding him up by his neck. Marik struggled, but in vain—as his captor had a build like Rishid's. "Just settle down and be a good sacrifice."
"Not by all the sands in Egypt," Marik grunted, kicking out with his uninjured leg and hitting the man in the face.
The bully cried out as blood poured from his nose. "I'll be glad to see you dead," he hissed.
****
Yami Yugi looked around at the wraiths, his eyes narrowed. "I could easily destroy all of these creatures, Lou. What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.
One of the wraiths reached out and snatched Yugi up into the air. The boy gave a cry of surprise and panic.
"Oh!! Yugi!!" Téa shrieked.
"Hey!! Put our friend down, you creepy Ringwraith!" Joey yelled indignantly.
Yami Yugi stood in shock and alarm as he watched, his face draining of color.
"Ah, I expect you'll abide by my terms," Lou sneered, stepping out. "After all, you don't want this boy you protect to be harmed."
Yugi gasped, his eyes wide. "Yami, don't do what they want!!" he pleaded. "Please! Don't do it!!" He tensed as a sharp claw brushed against his neck.
Lou grinned. "Well, Pharaoh? I hear that you believe in the greater good. Is that so?"
Yami Yugi clenched his fists, realizing where this was going. "I believe in it when the situation calls for it," he said finally.
"Well," Lou smiled, "I'd say this one calls for it. Either relinquish Yugi to us or all of you perish."
"What??!!" Joey burst out.
"Yami, you have to think of the others," Yugi whispered.
Yami Yugi stood still, his mind and heart in turmoil. How could he leave Yugi to the mercy of those fiends? Was it possible that . . . that his actions against Yami Bakura were not simply for the greater good, as he had said? Had part of him perhaps just wanted the evil tomb raider gone?
He closed his eyes tightly. No . . . that couldn't be. . . . He'd known how much it would crush Bakura. He'd told Yugi the truth when he'd said he hadn't wanted to do it.
And yet now . . . with Yugi's life in danger, it somehow seemed different than the previous situation.
I have to concentrate, Yami Yugi knew. Something is amiss. Lou is toying with my mind. He just wants to see what I will do. The outcome will be the same no matter what I decide.
And so, with that truth in mind, the Pharaoh spoke at last.
"This is not the time for sick jokes, Lou. I know it doesn't really matter what I decide here. You will destroy us all just the same."
Lou crossed his arms. "Well . . . I give up. You're right." He smirked. "But before you all go, you must watch our spectacular show."
"What's he babbling about?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He wants us to watch them unleash the beast," Duke replied grimly. "It'll be like the final blow. We came all this way and couldn't stop them."
"Oh, we'll stop 'em, alright!" Joey yelled, trying to rush forward and attack. "Lemme at 'em!!"
Tristan and Duke held him back in frustration.
"Come on, Joey, don't be an idiot," Tristan sighed.
"This isn't the time for one of your stunts," Duke added. "That's what they want! It's their version of entertainment."
Roughly Lou walked over to Bakura and hauled him up. "Come on now," he growled.
Bakura barely noticed or cared. "Yami has to come with us," he said softly, the fight gone out of him.
Lou shrugged. "Fine. What do I care?"
Oreo gave a loud yowl and sprang out, scratching Lou across the face. "MEOOOOW!!" she yelled, almost as if to say, "This one's for Yami Bakura!"
Instantly Lou let go of the boy, clutching his cheek in anger. "Stupid cat," he growled.
Before anyone could do a thing, the wraiths multiplied without warning and grabbed each and every one of them.
"Uh, Yug?" Joey said nervously. "I really don't like this part."
Yugi narrowed his eyes. "I don't, either, Joey," he said. "We'll just have to hope and pray that Kaiba and Marik will come through for us. After all . . . they *are* the only ones who can make sure the beast never comes back."
****
Mokuba tensed as they were dragged to a ledge overlooking a horrible, never-ending pit of darkness. Screams echoed about him . . . familiar screams. . . .
In horror he looked up to see Seto and Marik far above him on another ledge, both being mercilessly whipped and beaten.
"NO!!" the little boy cried out. "SETO!! MARIK!!" He struggled against the phantom holding him captive, but to no avail.
"BROTHER!!" Ishizu shrieked, her eyes wide in alarm.
Rishid stood still, frozen with rage and anger at the situation. He wanted nothing more than to get up to that ledge and throw Marik's attacker into the pit, but he knew there was nothing he could do.
Lou stepped out in front of them all. "I think that's enough of that," he called up to the tormentors. "We have a monster to unleash."
Seto growled as the chains were unlocked. He stumbled violently, the only thing holding him up having been the manacles and the post.
Marik moaned as he was prodded with a javelin. He felt as if he could never manage to stand up, but he knew that was what these people wanted and that he couldn't let them win.
"The time is now!" the veiled stranger's voice rang out from the shadows. "You understand what you must do, and now you must do it!"
Lou narrowed his eyes. "What the . . ." He looked around, trying to determine where the voice was coming from.
Marik suddenly kicked out with great effort, knocking the would-be executioner off his feet. "You'll never take me alive," he murmured, managing to stand and then somersaulting off the ledge into the darkness before he could be caught again.
Ishizu screamed, covering her mouth with her hands. Rishid stared in horror, calling their brother's name.
Seto took the opportunity to grab the spear away from his own attacker and break it in half. Throwing the pieces aside, he looked down and smiled at Mokuba before diving overboard as well.
Mokuba went pale. "BIG BROTHER!! MARIK!!!" Breaking free of the wraith, he ran to the edge—where Ishizu and Rishid already were—and stared into the endless depths of the void. "Why?!" he sobbed. "WHY??!! What's going on???!! Why did they do that?!"
Lou started to laugh. "The fools! They're only furthering our plot all the more!!"
"You are wrong, Lou."
Everyone looked up to see the veiled man standing on the ledge, Alyson in his arms.
"WHAT?!!" Lou yelled. "Who are you?! Come down here this instant!!" His face turned purple with rage.
"Seto Kaiba and Marik Ishtar have defeated the beast," the stranger said, ignoring the wicked man's temper tantrum. "Their acts of willingly throwing themselves into the pit mean that the beast can no longer rise. It is destroyed."
A horrible rumble shook the cave they were in and everyone toppled to the hard floor.
Lou picked himself up, his face twisted in an ugly grimace. He knew that the Middle Eastern man was right. But he also knew something else.
"They may have foiled our plans, but none of you will ever see the light of another day!!" he screamed.