Chapter Twenty-One:

The Miasma of the Mind

Malik and Bakura couldn't stop running, the bricks now falling apart almost in front of them, causing the pair to trip more then once. Ahead, the red faded to the color of dried blood and slowly faded back into black. Running faster, the two Egyptians threw themselves forward onto the ebony brick as the last of the red fell away.

The hall had blessedly stopped collapsing, the walls starting to go next, once Malik and Bakura set foot on black stone again, the pair bent double trying to catch their breath.

"We… have to g-go back," Malik panted.

Bakura glared at the seventeen-year-old nastily. "And how do-we do… that?" he growled.

"No clue. But-we have to." A second later, Malik found himself on the ground, silvery red blood running from his nose.

"There's no fucking way, you incomprehensible idiot!" Bakura hissed, prepared to hit Malik again. "We don't know if they're even alive-"

Malik tripped the Egyptian and hit him hard, splitting the thief's lip open. "Don't you dare even say it," he warned dangerously.

Bakura threw Malik off his chest and was about to beat the mortal's head inside out when he felt a shift in the Ring's aura; a shift for the worse. His dark gaze darted around the room, coming to rest on the hallway he had just escaped from.

Malik followed his line of sight, sensing the shift as well and his mouth fell open with a silent gasp. "No…"

The hallway had repaired itself, floor and all, possibly burying Yami and Ryou for eternity.

The Ring fell deadly silent afterward, Malik and Bakura staring at the treacherous hallway as if they could make it crumble again with a simple thought. They sat stock still for an unknown expanse of time, staring down the red corridor in some muted, horrified shock.

Finally, Bakura broke the silence with a whispered, "We have to go back."

Malik turned his poisonous glare from the hall to the thief. "And if that piece of shit gives out again, then what?"

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what in the Hell do you mean?"

Bakura got to his feet carefully, still afraid that the ground could give out at any moment, meeting Malik's glare with his own. "Just shut up and follow along," he snipped.

Malik scowled angrily as he scampered to his feet and took up a position at the Spirit's shoulder. He didn't shoot any nasty or snide remarks this time, the weight of what he had just lost was starting to settle on his shoulders; the Egyptian could tell the same was happening to Bakura.

So marching on in stony, heartbroken silence, the pair suffered under their own grief, unaware of the brutal mistake they were making with every fallen step.

* * * * *

Well, this is amusing, I have to admit, Marik thought to himself as he lazed around the Ring's main room again, just having witnessed the hallway catastrophe.

And while it was on no uncertain terms a riot for the unhinged guardian, the stupidity of his hikari was like salt against an open wound. Not only had he attacked Bakura in his own domain, where he was most powerful, but he also hadn't even bothered to look into the problem fully.

Marik sighed, rolling his eyes as he started pacing restlessly. After all I've taught that child, he still doesn't get that there's always more to a problem then it first seems. And Bakura... That daft thief should work a little better with Malik if they want to walk out of here in one piece.

The Rod guardian's pacing took him to the red hallway and he stared at it expectantly. And the reincarnation of a thief should have seen this happen, he continued on, tapping a toe to the crimson stone. The Pharaoh I can't really blame, as Malik was right about his lack of survival skills.

Again, the stone started to crumble and fall in the same fashion as before. Marik shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets, watching. Even still, that idiot should have picked something up from Bakura in one of his acts. Sitting down to dangle his feet over the edge of the gap, Marik regarding the inky blackness. And what in the Hells does Bakura think he's doing? I think I'm the only one who really knows how to see this project start to finish.

The Egyptian gave a barking laugh at the thought. I guess that's why you never send a child to do an adult's work, he reminded himself before jumping into the darkness.

* * * * *

Ten minutes into their trek and all Malik and Bakura had found was empty expanses of hallway, each one darker and more forbidding then the last. Once they reached the end of what felt like the hundredth hall, Malik reached the end of his patience. "Where in the fuck are we going?" he spat, grabbing Bakura's shoulders and turning him around.

The ancient thief was about to retaliate but he was stopped by the look in Malik's eyes. It wasn't the anger that threw him off, he saw it a thousand times a day. It was the bleak sadness in the lilac depths that threw Bakura off and it suddenly clicked in his mind that Malik was indeed in love with Ryou...

"Where are you taking me?" Malik hissed, shaking Bakura out of his reverie. "Tell me!"

Unfortunately, Bakura's shock was short-lived and his own bitter grief got the better of him. "I don't know? Is that better? I have no fucking clue where we're going or what to do! Yami knew and he's... dead! So I am guessing! Is that better?!"

Malik stepped back, his heart trying to slam out of his ribcage. "You. Don't. Know?" he grated out in the same dangerously pleasant tone that Marik was so fond of. "Is this new?"

Bakura squared his shoulders, hissing a poisonous, "No."

"Well, isn't this great? You lead us into that gods forsaken hall not knowing that you didn't have a single freaking clue." Malik scowled. "And for the last time, they're not dead."

"Get over yourself, Ishtar," Bakura sneered. "I can't sense them at all."

Malik seemed to falter. "Probably just the Ring-"

"No. They're gone," Bakura growled.

"Don't sound so damn happy about it." Malik crossed his arms, struggling to keep himself in one piece. "Besides, if Ryou was, not saying that he is, dead, you wouldn't be here anymore."

"How do you know?" Bakura hissed. "I haven't tried to leave yet. I could very well-"

"Ryou doesn't own the Ring anymore you hopeless baffoon!" Malik pointed out darkly.

"Which means that-they-are-dead!" Bakura grated out, pronouncing each syllable with painstaking care. Every time he said it, the ache ebbed away some.

"I don't believe that," Malik said, his voice starting to shake. "I-I can sense auras too and, yeah, I don't feel them but you know as well as I that death does have some sort of aura to it." His lilac eyes narrowed. "They're not dead."

"Why are you so keen on thinking that the Pharaoh's alive too? I could have sworn you hated him," Bakura taunted.

"Because he's the only one who can help Ryou." Unlike Bakura, every denial of Ryou's death empowered Malik, giving him a will to keep this insane mission going.

Bakura huffed in disgust and shook his head, turning around. "I'm going my own way, Ishtar. You go your own," he called.

Malik's hands clenched into fists. "What? You're going to leave me alone too?"

Bakura looked back at the Egyptian. "If you're so sure Ryou's alive, go back and find him. In the meantime, I'll be looking for a way to bring him back."

"Fine. Fuck you too," Malik hissed before turning on his heel and marching down the way he and the thief had come. That lousy pessimistic shit. Ryou is not dead. Besides, I saw the way he was looking at Yami! If they're so in love, why in the Hell is Bakura counting him for dead?

Amidst his searing thoughts, Malik never saw the hole that opened up in the ground until he was falling through it face first.

* * * * *

Consciousness was slow to come to Ryou, but eventually it came at the hands of the person trying to shake the brains out of his head. "Ugh... Wha...?"

"Thank Ra you're alive! Can you walk?"

Ryou blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to focus in the semi-darkness, finally making out the familiar shape before him. "Malik!" The Brit hugged the Egyptian tightly, ignoring the scream of protest his body gave.

Malik embraced the shaking teenager back, patting his hair soothingly. "It's okay, now, Ry. If you can get up, Bakura's waiting nearby."

"What about Yami no Yugi?" Ryou asked, using Malik's help to get to his feet. The Brit swayed uncertainly, but was determined to stay upright.

"I'll come back and find him," Malik replied, sticking close to Ryou incase he did collapse. "Can you tell if anything's broken?"

Ryou shook his head. "Just a bunch of scrapes and scratches, maybe some decorative bruises, that's about all."

"Good." Malik hugged the sixteen-year-old loosely. "I thought I lost you there for a while. When you fell, we couldn't go back and the hall repaired itself before one of us could get down here."

"I was out like a light before I even hit the ground. Still, it's nice to know that you cared enough to keep running," Ryou joked, leaning his head on Malik's shoulder.

"If you're picking on me, I'd say you're still in one piece," Malik shot back, nudging the Brit. "Seriously though, sorry."

Ryou shrugged. "Don't worry about it. No one saw it coming," he replied.

"We'll just have to be more attentive to what's in front of, behind, and to the side of us." Malik sighed. "Come to think of it, above and below us wouldn't hurt either."

Ryou chuckled, realizing it was getting lighter. "Just where did you hide Bakura?"

Malik looked around. "Follow this hall to the end, he'll be right there," he replied. "I'm going to go back and look for the Pharaoh."

Ryou nodded, hugging Malik a little tighter before following the seventeen-year-old's directions. As promised Bakura appeared in his line of sight just as he rounded the corner. "Yami!"

* * * * *

Doesn't that mortal airhead get it? They're-

"Yami!"

"What?!" Bakura looked up in time to see his supposedly dead hikari fly at him, blinking in shock as Ryou wrapped himself around the thief's waist for a second. "Y-You're not dead?"

"I would hope not," Ryou replied, eyeing his other half suspiciously. "You really did think Yami and me were dead, didn't you?" he accused.

Bakura wisely shut up.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Typical you," he muttered, looking around. "Malik said he was going back to find Yami no Yugi. I guess then we can continue on."

"...Malik? I sent that idiot off in another direction," Bakura replied, now beyond confused. "How did he find you?"

"He didn't say. He was shaking me like a maraca when I woke up." Ryou shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

"I guess," Bakura muttered. "Still, Malik isn't that smart. Something just doesn't sound right here."

* * * * *

"You lazy ass, get up."

Malik groaned and turned over on his back, halfway expecting to see Marik but shocked to find Yami. "Shit, Pharaoh. Don't scare me like that... Wait... Pharaoh! You're alive!"

"In a manner of speaking," Yami replied, helping Malik to his feet. "My head feels like it was split in half, but it's better then dead, I suppose." The former monarch eyed the teenager. "How did you wind up back here?"

"I found a hole a decided to jump into it," Malik quipped, looking around. His eyebrows furrowed as his exact location hit him. "This is the Ring's main room."

Yami looked nonplused as well. "And Bakura says I have the screwed up mind," he muttered under his breath. "This should be expected, I suppose."

"What makes you say that?" Malik asked, starting off for the red hallway again.

"Bakura's deadly, but only when he wants to be," Yami replied. "Malik, that hallway. Unless you want to wind up falling again?"

Malik shook his head and took the corridor the Pharaoh suggested, suddenly asking, "Where's Ryou?"

"I have to find him," Yami replied. "He should be around here somewhere."

"You go find Bakura, I'll find Ryou," Malik blurted out.

"No. If there are deadlier traps in the Ring, I don't need you walking into them." Yami gave Malik a shove forward. "I saw Bakura lurking around somewhere. I think it was two rights and a left. When you find him, I don't care if he strangles you, stay with him."

Malik glared back at the Pharaoh and was about to turn around and help look for Ryou, but the look in the spike haired guardian's eye told him to think twice. "Don't take forever, Your Highness," he grumbled.

Yami just chuckled as he disappeared down another side hallway.

* * * * *

"Okay, so Malik said he was going to go find Yami and sent you to find me?" Bakura asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes already!" Ryou cried in exasperation.

"And he knew exactly where I would be."

"Yes."

Bakura's brows knit together. "Impossible. We parted-"

"RYOU!"

The duelist looked up, face lighting up. "Malik! Where's Yami no Yugi?"

"I... The Pharaoh just said he was going to find you!" Malik replied quickly.

"But you said you were going to find him!"

"I told you it didn't add up," Bakura muttered darkly.

"You're also the one that told me the Pharaoh and Ryou were dead, so your opinion really doesn't count," Malik shot back. He eyed Ryou, then Bakura. "Wait... No one knows where Marik is, do they?"

Bakura glared between Ryou and Malik and Ryou at the two Egyptians. At this point, they were all on guard and suspicious that the other was Marik in disguise.

"There's only one way to settle this," Malik spoke up after a terse silence.

"I say Malik's the one in disguise," Bakura retorted. "Besides, whatever he knows, Marik knows, so there's no sense in asking him anything."

Ryou glared up at him. "You could be Marik too, you know."

"Try me," Bakura challenged.

Hmm... Something Bakura and I know that Marik wouldn't...? Ryou smiled and asked, "Do you have a dragon for a pet and if so, what's its name."

Malik looked at Bakura with a raised eyebrow.

Bakura's expression was deadpan. "Fluffy is not my pet," he stated. "Just my attack dog, er, dragon."

"What type?" Ryou pressed.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Bakura replied flippantly.

"Okay, you're Bakura."

Malik, already armed with a question, spoke up. "Ryou, what is the taboo on my back?"

Ryou's expression went as dead as his yami's. "You never showed me. I happen to remember sitting on you in a vain attempt to get to you give in."

"I'm satisfied."

Ryou went to ask his own question to verify Malik's identity when Bakura put a hand on his shoulder. (But, I-)

((The only way to know that Malik is really Malik is to ask him something only Marik would know,)) Bakura replied.

(But what if he feigns innocence?) Ryou asked.

((I'll know,)) Bakura replied easily. "Malik, what is the Shadow script?" Even as one of the tomb keepers, he shouldn't know about the Shadow language.

"It was the form of writing and speaking used to play Duel Monsters in your time," Malik replied, instantly realizing he had made a deadly mistake before Bakura could even utter a word. "I learned it from Marik the other night, I swear!"

"I'm sure of that." ((I told you it was Malik.))

Ryou still looked unconvinced. (That was unfair. Knowledge like that would be shared.) The Brit looked at Malik, eyeing him closely. "Pretending for a second that you are Marik, what Duel Monster tablet were you laying on when Bakura found you in the Puzzle?"

...He linked the Rod to the Puzzle? Isn't that wonderful. Malik shrugged helplessly. Taking into account who Marik is and that all the Duel Monsters are contained in the Pharaoh's soul room, it would probably be Ra. "Ra, no doubt" he answered.

Ryou flinched, glancing back into Bakura's steely gaze. (There's no fair way to question him and get the answer we want.)

((I know. But, whether that's Malik or Marik, it'll do us good to stay together until we can see this thing through,)) Bakura replied, sounding unsettled anyway. "Whatever. Let's go guys," he spoke aloud.

Malik glanced at Ryou pleadingly, wincing when the Brit turned to follow after his dark side. Well that didn't go like I planned it to. "Do you know where we're going this time, O' Intellectual Compass?"

"A vague idea, yeah," Bakura replied.

"'Vague'?" Ryou echoed. "A sugarcoated alternative for 'I'm completely lost', isn't it?"

"Basically."

Ryou sighed, hearing the agitation in the snow haired Spirit's voice and wisely backing down. Still, it didn't sit right with him that they were basically wondering around blind.

It wasn't until the stone work started to fade to amethyst some five minutes later that Ryou spoke again. "Maybe we should turn back."

Bakura shook his head. "This is safe territory. I've been down here before."

"Then you do have a plan in mind?" Malik piped up hopefully.

"We'll start from the deepest parts of my soul room and work our way out," the ancient Egyptian replied serenely.

"Um... Wouldn't we be heading into danger?" Ryou pointed out.

Bakura shrugged. "With the Rod and Puzzle's traps changing the Ring, there's no telling." He looked back at the two teenagers. "Not to worry you or anything," he added with a sort of teasing maliciousness.

"Oh, we're fine, really. I mean, we're used to waltzing headlong into uncertain peril," Malik returned smoothly. "The sad part is that the Pharaoh's wandering around here somewhere with no clue about what he's walking into. At least we have some sort of help."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "We'll find Yami," he growled shortly.

Ryou looked around as the bricks went from amethyst to blue. "Was it always this... colorful?" he asked out of curiosity.

Bakura shrugged. "No. Just your standard black and purple." The thief suddenly stopped, catching a shift in the Ring a second too late.

"Shit! Look!" Malik yelped, watching in fascination, as a wall seemed to materialize from the ceiling. Realizing if the wall were to fall, it would be right on Bakura. He fisted the thief's shirt seconds before the new stonework crashed to the ground with a mighty thump!

"Thanks," Bakura grumbled, glaring at the red-faced bricks.

Before the trio could move, the walls and ceiling started to rearrange themselves, twisting and morphing to reshape the hallway into a cube shaped room with a door on each wall. The floor itself seemed to go transparent before a hole opened up in the middle and spikes jabbed out of the bricks; the same thing happening on the ceiling to create one giant deathtrap.

Ryou, who had attached himself to Malik, slowly let go, chocolate eyes wondering around. "What... I-How did that happen?"

"I'll be damned if I know," Bakura replied, studying the newly formed room. His old thieving instincts were telling him that there was sure to be some trigger that would send the ceiling down on them, but the question was, what -and where- was it? "No one move."

"Why?" Malik asked, sounding for all the world like a curious five-year-old.

"Because one wrong move and we'll be skewered," Bakura replied matter-of-factly.

"That's obvious," Ryou mumbled, looking nervously at the spiked ceiling then at the doors. "There doesn't seem to be any traps on the floor."

"What if the trigger is the door?" Malik suddenly asked. "Four doors, three chance to become a shish-kabob."

"Good point. But, again, the problem is picking out which door is the right one," Bakura pointed out.

Ryou looked around. "Well, we have the purple door, the red door, the blue door, or the green door. How about we just pick on and pray to God it's the right one?"

Bakura flicked the Brit's ear, annoyance written all over his face. "Pretend you're a reincarnated thief for three seconds and get on the ball."

(Well, Malik's a thief reincarnate and he doesn't seem to be doing to well,) Ryou shot back.

((Yeah, well, he's got an idiot Priest in his family line.))

(There's nothing saying that I'm your reincarnation.)

((You were still a thief in your past life and you should try and act like it.))

(Yami, honestly, I don't know a treasure from a trap, so spare us all and pretend me and Malik are nice, normal teenagers with no thieving backgrounds.)

((Malik's a thief in this life! He should be able to throw in his own two cents!))

"Excuse me, but can we save the mental chit chat for some other time, maybe when we're not in mortal danger?" Malik said, exasperation clear in his voice.

"Right," Ryou replied, cheeks coloring slightly. "We're safe as long as we stay in one place, so we can think this out like mature-"

Bakura made an impossibly ridiculous face and Malik snickered.

Ryou sighed. "-Adults." Jabbing his other half in the ribs, he added, "Unless you'd like to walkout of here in a thousand pieces?"

"Well, I say we go with your earlier idea," Malik stated. "Though, each one of us will pick and door and hope someone gets it right."

"I knew you were an idiot, but that was painful to listen to," Bakura shot back, studying the floor and ceiling carefully. "Well, it's safe to say that if we screw up, there's no escaping."

"Comforting," Ryou hissed.

"Wasn't meant to be." Bakura went on to study the doors, wishing he knew why they were colored. Maybe it's a color code? But... for what?

Malik's face suddenly lit up. "There's four doors, right?"

"Yeah," Bakura replied carefully.

"There's four people involved in this mess, right?"

"What's your point?" Ryou asked.

Malik shrugged. "Just making more loose ends, really."

Ryou whacked the Egyptian upside the head. "There's enough of those as it is."

"The moron's on the right track though." Bakura started to piece things together. "Every person's aura has a different color. Ryou's is green, Marik's is red, Malik's is blue."

"Then what about the purple door?" Malik asked.

"What if you combined Marik and Malik's aura? I mean, Marik would seem like the type to be that... egotistical," Ryou pointed out.

"True enough, but he's not that simple," Malik countered. So the doors match our aura colors, according to Bakura. No matter what we try, it's a one in four chance. The odds are stacked against us... The seventeen-year-old sighed. But, Marik would expect us to think that the odds are against us. So... "What if the odds were three in four?" he asked.

Bakura looked at the blond like he had just grown a second head. "No. We already went there."

"I'm serious though. Marik would want us to think that everything's stacked against us, so what if he purposely put the odds in our favor in a twist?"

Ryou made a face. "Unfortunately, that would follow his... eccentric thought patterns. But, does this mean we can pick any door except the purple or what?"

Bakura shook his head. "That's too easy."

"Says who?" Ryou replied.

"If we continue on in a group, it'll be easier to navigate. But, if we're separated, the odds of finding the memory rooms are increased while our chances of survival are decreased. It's a win/lose situation," Bakura explained. "So, shall we go for broke?"

"We're going to have to," Malik muttered. "So, Ryou gets green, I get blue and... Wait, Bakura, your aura color's purple."

"Oh yeah," the thief sighed. "Even still, we just leave red alone."

Ryou's stomach fluttered as something screamed in the back of his mind that there was more to the problem then it seemed. "It's not that easy."

"Oh, now you're thinking like a thief?" Bakura teased.

"I'm serious!" Ryou growled. "Malik, you're Marik reincarnation so you can think like him. Start thinking."

The older teen glared at the Brit deadpan. "I do not think like him."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Some help you are." The sixteen-year-old ran a hand through his hair, trying to work the problem out by himself. Bakura's aura color is purple, but there's something about that seems off about that. My door's plain as day, so is Malik's. But, Marik seems to like to play with Bakura's head.

Malik leaned on Ryou as if he were a post, tapping on his head. "We don't have all day."

"Bakura has a point. You're a thief, you know how to get around traps like this," the snow haired duelist noted. His eyes suddenly lit up. "That's it! Malik, you take the red door, I'll take the blue door, and Bakura will take the purple door."

"I thought we settled what door you're taking?" Bakura spoke up.

Ryou pushed Malik off of him, throwing a bit of escaped hair over his shoulder, repeating what he had just said. "Malik, red door, Bakura, purple door, I'll take the blue door."

Bakura eyed his hikari suspiciously, but decided to trust his instincts. "Fine with me."

The trio carefully split up, navigating the field of spikes on tiptoe. They reached their respective doors, glancing at each other and opening on the silent count of three. At the same time, the ceiling came crashing down, nearly shredding Malik in half due to his slow reaction time.

Now, there was a distinct sound like many knives scraping against one another and the area was pitch black.

"Malik? Ryou?" Bakura called.

"Over here!" the former replied. "I have Ryou hanging onto my arm," he added.

Bakura stumbled his way to the two hikaris, grabbing a cold arm before realizing he had grabbed Malik's armband. "Everyone okay?"

"Nearly got my ass sliced off, but I'm alive," Malik answered with an unseen scowl.

"Shaken," Ryou replied.

"You're okay and that's all that counts." Bakura looked around the area, but the blackness was total, obscuring everything. It wouldn't have been a problem, but the constant shing of scraping metal put him on edge.

"I really don't like that sound," Ryou stated.

"Neither do I," Bakura agreed. "Anyone have a lighter?"

Malik sighed. "Marik stole mine earlier."

"...I'm not asking."

Malik chuckled and patted the head of hair he knew was Ryou's. "How did you know which doors to go though, just for curiosity's sake?"

Ryou shrugged. "Think about it. I'm Bakura's reincarnation, as far as we know, and you're Marik's reincarnation. The two new generations combine at a point that coincides with the original generation."

"My hikari's a rocket scientist," Bakura teased. "Still, nice thinking, Ryou."

"Save the thanks for later, when we're all in one piece," the Brit replied.

Malik nodded before realizing no one could see the gesture. "Next problem, what in the Hell is that noise?"

"Second problem, where's Yami?" Bakura added, none too helpfully.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "I'm getting the feeling that I'm falling in your list of priorities."

Bakura grinned. "We'll reanimate you... sometime this year. Can't say when, but we'll get it done."

Ryou wished he could have hit the ancient right then but didn't want to chance hitting Malik and starting a fight. "In that case, how about we focus."

Malik waved a hand flippantly. "We'll just pick a direction and go."

"How can we in the dark?" Bakura asked petulantly.

"Good question."

Ryou sighed. "How about we just start walking forward instead of talking about it?" When no reply was given, the snow haired hikari gave a lavish roll of his eyes, detached himself from Malik, and started forward.

With that step, a series of torches lit all down the short hall and into a square room with nothing more then a paper-thin catwalk to get from one side to the other. And slicing across this path, one mere millimeters from Ryou's face, were gigantic metal scythes.

"Ho-ly shit," Malik breathed, following the blades back and forth and counting a dozen of them in total. "How in the Hell do we cross that?"

Bakura shrugged helplessly, realizing with a sinking feeling, that the bottom of the nearest blades was coated in blood; new and shimmering faintly with silver. "Maybe we should turn back?"

Malik looked over his shoulder, eyes widening. "There's no where to go."

Bakura threw a glance behind him and saw nothing but a black, opaque wall. "Wonderful, just fucking great." The thief growled and turned back to the swinging scythes. "There is just no way to get past that," he seethed after watching their pattern. "The timing is flawless."

"So we cross and we'll be chopped up?" Malik asked.

"Simply put, yes."

Ryou, who had since returned to Malik's side, turned his chocolate gaze toward the trap he had almost stepped into. "So now what do we do?"

"I don't know," Bakura admitted. "I just don't know."

Heh… More peril and unexpected danger in the Ring! Where's the Pharaoh? How will Malik, Ryou, and Bakura get past this new trap? And just what is Marik up to? [grins] I know but you don't! …Ahem… Next chapter's gonna be simply to die for… I hope.

Akuro: Yay! I'm the essence of evil! [looks up] Hopefully this chapter wasn't a let down. [sighs] I'm so pressured. But, the reanimation idea's taken me forever to work out. Hopefully I can pull it all off without making an ass out of myself. [shrug] If I do, then everyone'll have an excuse to laugh at me finally. -__-U

Jantra: Hee hee! Arigatou! Marik's so fun to write. [giggles] He'll be raising definite Hell soon enough! ^)^ So, was the wait worth it? Huh, huh, huh? [bounces up and down]

blu chocobo:[grins] Marik's just causing trouble all over the place! Obviously Ryou's okay, but you should all fear for Yami's safety! [cackles] Missing Yami and pissing, angsty Bakura! Throwing in a dash of annoying Malik, a pinch of worrisome Ryou, and a shitload of mischievous Marik and you have the perfect recipe for disaster!

Roen: Nah, I'm not going to kill Marik… yet. :} Fortunately for him, he's an intricate part of the plot from here on out, so I need him very much alive to finish the story. [grins] Oh the trouble he shall cause…

Evaru: lol! Can't say anyone's faith in Malik's intelligence has increased with the passing chapter, but he's still a cute dope nonetheless, ne? Oh, if you thought that last cliffie was bad, wait 'til you read the trailer.

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Chapter Twenty-Two Trailer:

What he was seeing was without a doubt blood, freshly shed from what seemed to be serious or mortal wounds. Deviating from the sickening trail would have done him good, but at the moment, it was leading him safely around the sinkholes.

Still, it unnerved Bakura to no end, not knowing where Yami was or just whose blood trail it was he was following. He didn't want to think that it was his Pharaoh that was wounded so badly, but some part of him was hoping Marik hadn't gone and played with the scythes either.

Clutching his own bleeding arm a little tighter, Bakura hopped over an obvious sand trap and sidestepped another, more cunning one. I hope Malik and Ryou are all right, he suddenly thought, not having heard anything from the pair since they had been separated. Fortunately, he could still sense them, so they were alive.

Dodging potentially deadly traps and almost lost in thought, Bakura followed his savoir blood trail until it trickled to a stop some ten or fifteen minutes later. Looking up, the thief only saw a door at the other end of the room.

No spikes, no scythes, no crumbling stonework or sand. Just an ordinary door with what looked like a bloody hand print trailing down it. It was this distinct lack of traps that sent a chill racing down Bakura's spine.

Something decidedly dark was behind that door, the thief could taste it. On the other hand, something told him he was closer to the fabled memory rooms then ever before.

Bakura stepped lightly, traipsing across the expanse with any sort of resistance whatsoever. The Egyptian studied the door hard, weighing his options.

Ryou or Yami?

It was that simple to the thief. Finish his quest with Ryou or go back and find Yami? Either way, he would be betraying someone in favor of another. Still, what if Yami was already ten steps ahead of them and waiting around some hallway in the middle of a mess of memories dying or boredom?

That's probably it. Yami had the best sense of what we were doing, so he's undoubtedly waiting for the rest of us to show up. Nodding to himself, Bakura finished his trek to the door and opened it, taking no time to think about what he was doing before letting the door close.

The snow haired thief now found himself in room so much like Yami's soul room it was uncanny. Doors were placed wherever and stairs led off into no-man's-land, giving the whole area an out of proportion feeling.

But, it wasn't the room's likeness to the Pharaoh's soul room that had caught Bakura's attention. The minute he entered, he could smell blood and now had his eyes fastly trained on the source.

Laying in a mangled, gasping heap and surrounded in a pool of his own silvery red blood was…

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