Moons: I am on a roll with this story!! I have this incredible drive to write this one all of a sudden.

Aurora: That would be my doing. I just want to see more of Marik and his evil ways.

           

Moons: Of course. Anybody that's bad grabs your attention. But that doesn't matter because I really do like this story. And I have a ploy that I think will knock everyone for a loop. Including Aurora.

Aurora: Ha! I highly doubt that.

Moons: So you think. Anyway…please, read this chapter and leave me some nice reviews. I worked hard on this story!

Aurora: Yeah, because it's my hard work.

Moons: v_v…*sigh*

Unbroken

            The Game Shop was quiet. There was no one there. Marik growled. Brett had told them that they had forced that Tomb Raider to lead them here, where the Pharaoh had been hidden by two young boys. The two that Marik had added to that drawing. But they had skipped out. That was of no concern though. There had to be a clue here to where the four of them had slipped off to.

            Beginning his search, Marik saw the remains of the earlier battle. Green splashes of goo dripped off the walls. Alan may have invented those power dispellers but he sure couldn't aim with them. He shook his head before continuing his search.

            Slipping silently up a small staircase, Marik found himself standing in a hallway. There were three rooms in this small hallway. He stepped forward and found that the first room obviously belonged to an older man. There was nothing different or out of place. It was just a bed with average white sheets. There was no way a kid spent his time in there.

            He shut the door and continued down the hallway. Pushing open in the next door, he grinned. This was defiantly the room he had been searching for. Games littered the room, including scattered Duel Monster cards.

            "Petty games." He breathed to himself. "Such a waste of time."

            Marik walked into the room and noticed the unmade bed. That confirmed the fact that this was the room of a younger person. Some posters were tacked to the wall, most of them music stars and some were from movies. A shelf was nailed to the farthest wall and a line of stuffed animals sat atop it. So the owner of this room was an innocent. Leave it that damn Pharaoh to find an innocent to hide behind.

            But if they weren't here then that meant they were hiding behind another. And Tomb Raider was with them. Maybe this little innocent had a way to help him find both the escapees. He wandered over to the desk that sat in the corner and saw just what he needed. An address book. He flipped it open and saw something that thrilled him even more. There was only one address written within its binding. And it belonged to someone named Ryou.

            "This must be where they are hiding." He spoke to himself. "And I will find them. Pharaoh, you are mine."

~*~

            Yugi could only stare at Yami as he lay sleeping in Ryou's bed. He hadn't made a sound in almost thirty minutes. Yet Bakura didn't seem worried. But Yugi figured that he should be reassured by that.

            "You're right in that thought." Bakura suddenly spoke, startling Yugi. Bakura gave him a sorry smile. "I'm sorry. You've seemed to forgotten that I read your thoughts even if they aren't directed at me."

            Yugi gave him a tiny smile in return. He had forgotten that factor. Yami and him had talked as though they shared a mental link. Which they never had. It had always been Yami's power that allowed them to hold those private conversations. But that bullet had stripped him of those powers.

            "You're wrong again." Bakura sat beside Yugi and shook his head. "Those bullets effects can't be permanent because then Yami would never regain his powers. And The Master doesn't want that at all. He wants Yami for his powers. There's a reason his code name is Pharaoh. A Pharaoh was a supreme ruler, thought to be a very descendent of the Gods. They ruled everything.

            "As The Master wishes to do." Bakura shifted. "But unlike his many little 'experiments', The Master has no powers. So required the supreme power that Yami holds. The power over all elements."

            Ryou gasped from the corner he had himself propped up in. He quickly approached the bedside and looked at Bakura with wide eyes. Bakura found that somewhat upsetting. It was like looking into a distorted mirror and finding your reflection completely surprised by what sat on the other side.

            "You means your master wants total control of human life?" Ryou seemed more disturbed by this information then Bakura. "He wants to own everything?"

            "Is that really surprising?" Bakura shrugged. "He already controls a handful of lives. What's the rest of the world?"

            Neither Yugi nor Ryou had a chance to react because Yami chose that moment to start stirring. He let out a low moan as his eyes flickered open. He felt empty, like part of him was missing. His head and side ached as though on fire. And still he couldn't get over the hole he felt inside. What was wrong with him?

            "It was those bullets, Yami." Bakura spoke. "They stripped you of your powers. That's why you feel empty. Because in a matter of speaking you are. But don't worry. I think they're temporary."

            "You think?" Yami groaned bringing a hand to his head hoping to relieve himself of some of the pain that stirred there.

            Bakura shrugged and moved to his friends side. "Do you honestly think The Master would do anything to you that would render you powerless permenatly?"

            Bakura had a point. Yami could only be that lucky. If he had no powers then The Master would no longer require his services. And he knew just as well as anyone else in that lab that The Master desired what he could bring. Total destruction.

            "Never." He whispered to himself. "I'll never let him use me."

            Suddenly faint thoughts began flittering through Yami's mind. He could hardly decipher the voices from one another. They blurred together in one quick rambling of nonsense. Yami gasped and closed his eyes tight, hoping that he could somehow separate the murmurings. But he couldn't get a grasp on them. Instead he curled up into a tight ball and let out a small whimper. This action cause the voices to get louder and they chattered on painfully in his mind.

            Bakura noticed his friend's sudden withdrawal and feared the worst. He feared that the bullets weren't temporary and they were going to kill him. But that didn't make sense because everyone knew that The Master wanted his precious Pharaoh back in one piece, powers intact.

            That's when it hit him. Yami's powers! They were coming back but he couldn't control them yet. Which meant all his, Ryou, and Yugi's thoughts were bombarding Yami's mind like an air force raid. Bakura grabbed both Ryou and Yugi's mind and spoke to them quickly.

            "His powers are coming back and he can't control them." His voice was hushed. "Clear your mind because the weight of our thoughts are crushing his mind."

            Yugi and Ryou nodded and closed their eyes. After a few seconds, Yami's whimpering softened and the ball he was curled into loosened. Bakura let out a soft sigh as he watched his friend slip off to sleep. It was better that way. When he woke up, he'd have his full powers back and they wouldn't have to worry about pain.

            "We were really hurting him?" Yugi spoke softly.

            "I'm afraid so." Bakura pulled the blankets up to Yami's chin. "It wasn't physical pain, just an over whelming mental strain. When he wakes up he should be fine."

            Yugi nodded and turned to Ryou. This also drew Bakura's attention to his clone. Their eyes met for a brief second and the sharp softened. He felt tied to this boy, as Yami must have Yugi because he had shoved both teens behind him when Bakura had snuck up on him. It must be odd to have that feeling towards someone with out powers. But he realized as he watched  his look alike, he understood Yami and Yugi's mysterious tie.

            Ryou quickly looked away. The discomfort at having to see someone who looked so much like himself was settling hard on him. He scuffed the ground with his toe and sheepishly looked up again.

            "You look so much like me." He spoke softly. "It's almost scary."

            "Yes," Bakura nodded. "It is odd to finally be out and find someone who resembles me so closely. But Yugi and Yami also look alike so maybe it was fate that we found each other."

            Ryou grinned and turned to look at Yami. His crimson eyes were closed tight but his features had relaxed. Sleep really was the best cure. Hopefully when he woke up things would fall back into place.

            "Not so little one." Bakura spoke, turning to look at Ryou. "Things for us will never be normal."

            Ryou sighed.

            "That's what I was afraid of."

Moons: All right the second half of this chapter sucked.

Aurora: The second half?

Moons: Shut up!! Anyway, Marik's part was worth reading right? I love making him so maniacal.

Aurora: Evil is good.

Moons: Ignore her and please and review!!