Chapter Eight:

Fight or Flight

Bakura tapped his fingers against his knee, his eyes tracing abstract patterns into the ceiling. Yugi and Yami were doing whatever, leaving himself and Ryou to their thoughts. In all honesty, the thief couldn't stand the silence and suddenly asked, "Can I talk to you, hikari?"

Ryou looked up from the hair he was playing with. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The thief shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. "I was thinking about what Yami suggested earlier and it may not be such a bad idea."

"And I've already said I'm not doing it until we get the Ring back," Ryou replied patiently.

"Why's that?" Bakura blurted out before he could stop himself.

Ryou sighed, leaning his chin on his knees. "I guess I'd be a little lonely without you." And a little scared, he admitted to himself. For a good part of his life, he had Bakura's presence in the back of his mind. The thought of being totally alone was barely comprehendible.

Bakura shook his head and leaned against the wall behind him. "It would only be for a short while, hikari," he pointed out.

"I know. It's just..." Ryou sighed. "I'm just not doing it." I really need a more logical reason then that. The Brit scrambled to assemble any sort of an excuse to stick around the Puzzle. "There's safety in numbers," he finally stated.

"But we can get the job done quicker with more people looking."

Ryou raked his fingers through his hair. He knew his yami had a point but didn't want to admit it. His fighting skills, while formidable after living with an unhinged tomb robber for a while, weren't quite up to par with an ancient Egyptian psychopath with Shadow magic.

"I can see you holding a debate in your head," Bakura stated.

"No. I'm just trying to get my own thoughts together before I go spitting out random phrases that have nothing to do with the subject at hand," Ryou replied.

"Hikari, I'm not asking for a detailed essay on the finer mechanics of nuclear science." Bakura leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees. "I just want to know why you're so hesitant to strike out on your own."

"I'm scared, okay? I know I'd be alone only for a while, but what if I caught up to Malik and I had to face his dark side? Then what do I do?"

Bakura was taken aback by his light's sudden outburst. "You come back to the Puzzle," he replied.

"I couldn't, yami, that's the thing. Once I'm brought back to life, there's no way for me to come back to the Puzzle without the Ring!" Ryou cried. "I would be caught in a fight with a three-thousand-year-old Egyptian Spirit with a violence complex and a deadly gold stick!"

Bakura had to agree with the sixteen-year-old's reasoning. "At that point, I'd suggest the hit and run technique. Hit him, grab the Ring, and run like Hell."

"That's so incredibly intelligent. I'd dazzled into speechlessness," Ryou quipped. "Please, think seriously. If Marik had the Millennium Rod, I might as well jump back in my grave!"

"I guess so..." the Ring Spirit admitted. "So, if Malik wasn't still on the loose, you wouldn't be afraid to fly solo for a while?"

Ryou's eyes slid to the floor. "It's not Malik that scares me," he stated in a near whisper.

Bakura raised en eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"...Yeah," the reluctant hikari replied. "Sure he's gone slightly off the deep end, but he's nice enough." A small smiled ghosted his lips. "Under different circumstances, I guess we could have been friends."

"Ryou, have I ever told you how much I love the way you think?" Bakura suddenly asked. "If not, I adore you and your brain."

"Yami, your behavior once again proves to be traumatizing," Ryou mumbled. "What did you think of now that's making you grin like that?"

Bakura got up and went to sit next to the teenager, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "You said you and Malik could have been friends, correct?"

"I believe that's what I said."

The Ring Spirit's grin grew in brilliance as his dark chocolate eyes met those of his snow haired light. "To what extent would you go to get our Item back?"

"Oh no!" Ryou shook his head violently. "I know what you're thinking and I'm not going there!" The sixteen-year-old slid away from Bakura. "No, no, no, no! And for good measure: NO!"

"What? It's only a few dates, maybe a kiss, and when he least expects, it... WHAM!" Bakura hit his fist into his palm for effect.

Ryou's chocolate eyes were round. "I AM NOT DATING HIM!" he yelled.

"Give me three good reasons and I'll drop the subject," Bakura responded calmly, trying not to laugh at his other half's nervous breakdown.

"One, Marik. Plain and simple. Two, Millennium Rod that possesses people and has a dagger in it. I'm not having reason one stab me through the heart. Three, I'm not going to play off someone's affections to achieve my goals. Four, I don't even have my own body! Five, How in the bloody hell do you know if Malik's straight or not? Six, if he isn't, HIS YAMI TRIED TO MURDER ME!"

"Hmm... Five reasons each ending in imminent death." Bakura pushed his hair out of his face. "You seem to have made your point clear."

"Thank you."

"Unfortunately, I don't prescribe to common logic."

Ryou's face fell. He should have seen that coming.

* * * *

School had just let out as Yugi and Yami traipsed across the grounds to the gang's typical meeting spot. Today, only Joey and Duke were present.

"Hey Yugi, Yami," the latter greeted. "We've you been all day?"

"I didn't want to come to school," Yugi replied honestly. "Did I miss anything important?" he asked, sitting down on a nearby picnic bench.

"Nah. There was just a three-second quiz in English. I'll let you see my notes before class," Joey spoke up from his place in the shade tree.

Yami sat down on the tabletop, his amethyst eyes concerned. "Where are Tristan and TPa?"

"Tristan had a doctor's appointment and TPa's moping about." Duke absently played with a wisp of ebony hair. "I swear, today was the most dismal day of my entire school career."

Yugi shrugged. "Death kind of has the effect on people." The Japanese teenager sighed and rested his elbow on the table.

Joey sighed. "It's really strange not having Ryou around anymore," he mumbled. "I mean, he wasn't much of a talker, but he was still fun to have around."

"Namely because of the psycho thief, but yeah," Duke joked. "How're you two taking all this?"

"I'm fine," Yugi replied. "I figure it's better to move on then dwell on something that can't be changed." He looked at Yami. "And he won't leave me alone."

The former Pharaoh looked rather indignant. "You hold the most sought after Item, aibou. Would you like me to leave you alone next time Malik shows up?"

Joey rolled his eyes. "That'd be something to see. No offence Yug', but I don't think you'd last two seconds alone against that psycho."

"No offense taken." Yugi laughed. "I don't think I'd last that long either."

Duke grinned. "In this corner, Yugi Motou, holder of the Millennium Puzzle and rep for the Japan chapter of the Lollipop Guild-"

"I'm not a midget!" Yugi growled.

"And in the other corner, Malik Ishtar, unbalanced holder of the Millennium Rod and poster child for Belle Vue," Duke continued, unfazed. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think the representative of the Lollipop Guild can last long in this fight!"

Yami chuckled at the tomato red shade his hikari had adopted. "Calm down, aibou. He's just kidding."

"I agree, Devlin," Joey pitched in. "I say this is the final, bitter end for the star munchkin. Now, let's go to our reporter, Yami, in the ring."

"Guuuuyyys!" Yugi whined. "I get the hint! I need some protection against Malik. Stop it with the jokes." The height-deprived teenager crossed his arms. "It's not funny to pick on my height."

"Or lack thereof," Duke mumbled, just loud enough to be heard.

"Do you want me to poke fun at your effeminate hair style and earring?" Yugi retorted, grinning when Duke's face fell. "I didn't think so."

"Aibou, be nice," Yami prodded.

"You're telling me to be nice while Joey and Duke have fun at my expense?" Yugi demanded.

Yami smiled. "I'm only playing." The former Pharaoh mock glared at the other two teenagers. "Don't you ever hurt my Yugi again."

There was a beat of silence before Duke and Joey cracked up.

Yugi glared at his dark side, expression deadpan. "You're so helpful, Yami." The spike haired youth sighed and shook his head. "Guys, shut up."

Duke grinned over at his exasperated friend. "You know we're only kidding." His emerald eyes suddenly focused on something behind Yugi as he stood up. "Hey, ain't that Kaiba's kid brother?"

Joey followed the dice enthusiast's line of sight to see the raven-haired pre-teen tearing over the grounds. He jumped from the tree, meeting Mokuba halfway. "Hey, kid, what's wrong?"

Mokuba panted, flopping down on the ground. "H-Have you seen Seto?"

"Yeah. I saw him sixth period for Biology. Why?"

Mokuba looked up at his brother's koi. "He's usually at the Junior High to pick me up. That's obviously not the case today," he replied, matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah, I guess so." Joey bit his lip, his eyes roaming the school grounds. Seto was a fairly obvious individual, especially to the slightly over-protective and possessive New Yorker. When the tall Japanese teen didn't make himself known, unabashed fears started to form.

"Did you see him after Bio?" Mokuba asked.

"No... Not really." Come to think of it, I didn't see hide nor hair of Seto after Bio and he's usually at the door to say good bye to me. "Mokuba, did you try calling home... er... your house?"

"Oh, no." The young Kaiba dug through his pockets, pulling out a small cell phone. "Here, you call."

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Joey jumped at the sound of Yugi's voice, turning around to face him. "Oh nothing." He tossed the cell back to Mokuba, a nervous grin covering his lips. "Mokuba was just asking if he could get Se-Kaiba's assignments for Bio," he replied.

"Why's that?" Yami asked.

"He went home sick," Mokuba pitched in.

"How would you know?" Yugi questioned.

"He, um, called me to let me know I'd have to find a ride home. I was going to call a friend," the pre-teen answered at length. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing." Yugi held his hands up, amethyst eyes trained fastly on Joey. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?" he prodded.

"I'm sure!" Joey looked down at Mokuba. "You want me to bring you home?" he offered nonchalantly, praying Mokuba would take the hint and say yes.

"Um, lemme call first and see where Seto is," the smaller youth replied, dialing in his brother's cell number. Silence reigned until Mokuba stated, "His phone's not on."

Great. If Seto's cell's off, something's gotta be wrong. "Eh, no big deal. I'll walk you home, kid," Joey replied after a beat. "C'mon Mokuba."

The raven-haired Kaiba nodded and scurried after the American. "Do you think they suspect anything?" he whispered as Joey retrieved his backpack.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "See you guys later!" he called, turning back to wave at the others. "But that's not important. We've gotta find Seto."

* * * *

By the outside appearance, it looked as if the Kaiba mansion was completely deserted. Random, unfounded fears flew through Mokuba and Joey's heads as they entered the grand home.

"SETO!" the small Kaiba yelled. "Are you home?"

When no answer presented itself, Joey bounded up the stairs to his and Seto's room, tossing the door open. His brows knit together as he surveyed the area. It was a mess, in short, very much unlike the CEO. This can't be good.

"Joey! I'm going to check Seto's office!" Mokuba yelled up.

"No! Wait for me." Joey darted down the hall towards the stairs, sliding down the railing to save energy. "Seto's room's a mess. I'm startin' to get the feeling someone was, or still is, here."

"Really?" Mokuba ashen eyes were wide. "You don't think someone's trying to hurt Seto again, do you?"

Joey could only shrug as he went into the kitchen long enough to retrieve two butcher knives and a frying pan.

"Um, isn't that a bit immature?" Mokuba asked as he took a knife.

"It isn't if someone's trying to gut you. Now be quiet and c'mon," Joey replied, heading forward with a stealth contradictory to his usual crashing about. I wonder if it's the Big 5? I mean, they were pretty pissed when Seto had them imprisoned. Nah, they're in jail for a loong time.

"Um... Joey?" Mokuba suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong?" Joey looked back at the pre-teen. He followed the youth's line of sight, finally noticing a beam of light pouring from Seto's workshop-type area. "Stay behind me." The Brooklyn native ventured forward, his heart hammering out of his ribcage as he neared the door.

"I'll stay here. If I hear anything, you'll be the second to know," Mokuba whispered.

"The second? After who?" Joey asked in confusion.

"Me, dimwit."

The seventeen-year-old rolled his eyes and slowly pushed the door open, cringing when it creaked. "S-Seto?" he asked timidly. "Are you in here?"

Again, no answer.

Joey forced himself into the room, looking around quickly. Things were in complete disarray once more. Not destroyed, just strewn all over the place. This is so unlike Seto. The teenager saw a small door slightly ajar on the other side of the room. "Hey, chibi-Kaiba, get in here."

"What's up?" Mokuba asked. "Oh Kami-sama," he muttered, looking at the mess.

"You know where that door leads?" Joey asked, trying to keep the twelve-year-old on task.

"No..."

"Then we're going to find out." Joey grabbed Mokuba's wrist and started forward, having to duck when he passed the formerly hidden doorway. He heard muffled growling and cursing and his heart rate picked up another notch.

"I never knew this was back here," Mokuba mused, looking around the small corridor with interest. He was trying to ignore the rapidly clearing sounds at the end of the way.

Joey stopped suddenly and turned around. "Mokuba, stay here. I'll let you know when it's safe to come in, okay?"

The smaller boy nodded and pressed his back against a wall so he could see from both directions for an attack.

Joey, frying pan and knife in hand, pushed the door before him open, standing up fully. This is where he disappears to! The teenager found himself in a downsized living room that looked like no expenses were spared. Chocolate eyes roamed the room, stopping when they hit the plush sofa. The knife wielding hand flew to his mouth and a gasp escaped.

"Oh dear God...!"

* * * *

"I've been thinking."

Malik looked up at the Rod guardian that sat atop a picnic bench. "World domination, revenge, bloodshed, or mass murder?" he asked nonchalantly.

Marik growled. "Shut up." His dusty lilac eyes narrowed and he leaned his cheek against his fist. "Your plan, there's a few key flaws in it that are unacceptable."

I knew it. "What would they be, yami?" the seventeen-year-old asked, trying to keep his tone free of venom.

"I don't think it's a wise idea to touch Kaiba. Call it a gut instinct, but I have reason to believe that if we abduct him, that will only make our lives even harder," Marik pointed out. "We need a more direct approach."

Malik did not like the tone the ancient Egyptian was using. "You mean go right for the Pharaoh himself, correct?"

Marik nodded, brushing a bothersome lock of hair out of his eyes. "Exactly. Our last attempt at indirectly calling him out-"

"Which attempt?" Malik asked in all honesty. Marik and himself had made several failed attempts as destroying Yami during Battle City and the Egyptian had lost count after ten.

Marik sighed. "When we forced Wheeler to confront Yugi," he replied petulantly. "That was our most miserable failure to date. Not even the finals could compare to that."

"Unfortunately, I'd have to agree." Malik sat up so he wasn't twisting his head in inhuman directions. "What do you propose we do?"

A slow smirk worked its way into Marik's introspective mask. "We can't force Ryou out of the Puzzle. So, what if we charm him out?"

Malik froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. No, no, no, no, NO! How in the seven hells can he know? The blond Egyptian took a deep breath to steady himself. "Who's doing the charming?"

"The others see me as a threat and you as the hapless victim of Fate. Take a wild guess." Marik's expression was one of unparalleled glee.

Malik forced himself to stay casual. "So, you want me to seduce Ryou out of the Puzzle?" A mock feral light shone in the teenager's eyes.

Marik's smirk turned chilling. "Exactly. You can have your saseko back and I'll have my god cards and the Puzzle."

Malik's eyebrow knit together at the foreign word his yami had used, only knowing that it was Japanese. Wait, Devlin used that term... Oh shit. The little fuck knows. How? I blocked him out that night! Malik bit at a nail absently. "It sounds like a plan, yami."

Marik leaned forward somewhat. "You looked troubled. You don't agree with my plan?" he asked, voice edge with daggers.

Shit, what was it Devlin said...? "It's actually a very inventive plan," Malik replied distractedly. "Ugh, Joey, you little saseko! Put your shirt down!" Saseko means... Lilac eyes narrowed angrily and the Egyptian glared up at Marik. "What in the hell was that supposed to mean?!"

The ancient only smirked, leaning back on his elbows. "I think you know, little hikari. I think you know perfectly well."

Malik growled and wrenched his gaze down to the grass. He knows and was waiting to use it against me. The teenager bit down on his knuckle. "Shut the fuck up, Marik. I know where you're going and you're completely wrong."

Suddenly, the Rod guardian was at Malik's side, a hand wrapped around his unprotected throat. "Don't lie to me, hikari," Marik snarled. He leaned close to his light's face, eyes blazing with the fires of Hell. "I know exactly what that little whore means to you."

The barb aimed at the gentle Brit sparked a flame of anger in Malik's heart. "He's not a whore. You're just jealous that you're not half of who he is." The Egyptian realized his folly seconds too late.

Marik growled and slammed Malik down, resting his elbow on the teenager's windpipe with enough pressure to bruise. "You just don't learn, do you?" He leaned down to capture Malik's unwilling lips, pressing harder on his throat. "You had better detach yourself from Ryou damn quick, hikari.

Malik gasped, trying to worm away from his dark side's murderous hands. "I-If... not?" he rasped.

Marik dug his nails into the blond's wounded shoulder, drawing a repressed scream. "I will kill him again and again and again in front of you. He is nothing, Malik Ishtar, so he should mean such to you." The ancient's eyes narrowed. "You are mine and mine alone. Never forget that."

Malik felt sick as Marik kissed him again before disappearing, leaving the shaken and confused teenager to deal with his troubled heart alone.

[ducks head] I'm so horrible. [sighs] If it help anyone, I'm unofficially out of school now (Ah, the benefit of homeschooling.) and I can focus my efforts solely on writing. I'm so sorry guys.

Akuro: lol. My oldest, younger brother is twelve and I'm lucky if he can spit out a logical sentence. ~)~U But, does it show that I'm having fun torturing Malik? ^)^

Monoshiri: I hoping I won't be forced to drop off the face of existence again and leave a not nice cliffhangar. Sowwie! [gives Monoshiri a cookie]

Animegirl: Damn. It takes real guts to come out like that. I'm sorry about your girlfriend's mom. Hopefully she'll come around, if she already hasn't. I'm glad I could offer you a little bit of sanity. ^)^ Good luck.

Evaru: The more you review, the more I see that you really don't like Marik. [shrugs] I'm almost afraid to see his general demeanor once they get to Battle Ship Arc. [snickers] Marik's the Boogeyman for teenagers. ^)^

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Chapter Nine Trailer:

"But-"

"But nothing, tomb robber. You want someone to seduce Malik, you go and do it!"

Bakura stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You're the pretty boy, not me."

"'Pretty boy'?" Ryou glared at Bakura darker then the Egyptian could ever hope to, his teeth grit in frustration. "Get this through your rotting cranium, Bakura. I AM NOT-"

"Technically, it's not you dating Malik," Yami pointed out, having quieted down in the face of Ryou's imminent melt down.

"What in the hell do you mean?" Ryou snarled, turning his flaming brown eyes on the Pharaoh.

Bakura raised an eyebrow; a stray thought smacking him broadside. Ryou wouldn't get so angry about something like this. I mean, sure, it's unethical, but he would still go for it to get the Ring back. That he's so pissed off could only mean one thing... "You like Malik, don't you?"

Ryou suddenly froze, his eyes narrowing. "What are you asking?"

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