Moons: Next one! Next one! I think this story is about to wrap up soon, but I'm not sure. I believe I have the perfect ending but I'm not exactly positive. So we'll just see what happens.
Aurora: Then what in the hell was the point of even saying anything?
Moons: Good point.
Aurora: -.-;; some times I wonder about you.
Moons: Oh well! Anyway, now that Otogi's been thrown into the mix let's see what happens. Will Yami save Yugi? Will Bakura and Ryou allow him to make the switch? And if Yami gets away will Bakura be able to get by Marik's new attack dog? And what the hell happened to Alan, Brett, and the Master?!
Aurora: Shut up and write this chapter!!!
Moons: I'm going!! I'm going!!! Damn, no respect!!
Aurora: You're right, none! Now write so they can read and review!!
Moons: *grumbles* yeah, yeah….
Unbroken
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Yami gave Bakura a weak nod as his friend handed him a glass of water. Earlier the shock of Marik's plan had hit him so hard that he passed out. Bakura and Ryou had carried him home, waiting over him diligently till he woke up. As soon as enough of his sense came back, the arguing began.
"Yami you can't go to Marik!" Bakura shouted, jumping to his feet. Yami flinched and pulled backwards, spilling some of the water on himself. With a grimace, he tried to wipe away some of the offending liquid.
"I have to." He didn't bother looking up at Bakura, his head hung low, defeat evident in his slumped shoulders. "If I don't, there is no way for us to save Yugi."
Yami placed the glass of water aside and looked up at his friend. He hated making Bakura worry about him, but he had to save the little innocent. Yugi had taken him in, given him a house and clothing. It was his fault that Marik had Yugi in the first place so if anyone should suffer, it should be him.
"There has to be another way to save Yugi." Ryou whispered from his place on the couch. "With your and Bakura's combined can't you just break in there and take him by force?"
"I'm afraid not." Yami rubbed at his forehead. "We have no idea what condition Yugi is in, and if we'd be putting him in danger by just rushing in. Marik's expecting just me and therefore will be more ready for an ambush. I'm not sure how or what he'll do to attack, but he will be ready for us."
Ryou sighed and fell back against the couch cushions. So much for that idea. One thing was for sure, what ever did happen, Ryou was to get no where near Marik for fear of leaving himself open to another attack. But they couldn't allow him to get his hands on Yami because that could prove to be the end of the world as they knew it.
"Well one thing is for sure." Bakura huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You aren't going to meet that lunatic by yourself. I won't allow it!"
Yami smiled lightly before rising to his feet. He gave Bakura a sympathetic glance before a horrible thing started to happen. Yami began to fade away.
"Yami!" Ryou yelped, sitting up straighter. He recognized this as one of Yami and Bakura's attacks. The ability to make themselves invisible to the human eye.
"Yami, no!" Bakura screamed, jumping out of his chair. He leapt at the spot where Yami had just been, hoping to tackle the teen and keep him from going anywhere. Instead he cut easily through nothing but air and landed with a thump on the chair that Yami had evacuated. "Yami you can't do this! He'll kill you!"
'I'm sorry but I must.' Yami's voice filled the two look a likes heads. 'I can't allow Yugi to die because of me. Besides, if anyone can beat Marik it's me. Please don't follow me, I fear your safety if you do. Goodbye Bakura, Ryou. I will do my best to save little Yugi.'
The front door was suddenly pulled open and then slammed shut. Bakura fumbled to get out of the chair and turned, staring at the door. Ryou jumped to his feet running towards the door and pulling it open. He looked outside and scanned the streets. There was no sign of Yami anywhere. Where ever he was going, it was obvious he didn't want to be followed.
"We have to go after him." Bakura announced, coming to stand behind Ryou. "We can't let him go do this alone."
Ryou jumped slightly and turned to meet the sad brown eyes of his look a like. He felt horrible at seeing the sorrow in his chocolate orbs. Yami was the only friend he had known for years and it was killing him to not be able to do anything while Yami went out and got himself killed. But that was really all they could do.
"How do we find him?" Ryou sighed, stepping out into the chilled night. "He disappeared. Even if we choice the right way to go, we could walk right by him and not even notice."
"Not true." Bakura explained as they walked down the front stairs of Ryou's house and out onto the sidewalk. Bakura paused and allowed the air around him to course over his body. "I can sense when one of us uses magic. They leave what is almost like a trail. I can track him down using that and when I think we're close I can become invisible and see him. I just can't let him get hurt."
Bakura felt a faint sense of magic trailing towards his left. He pointed in that direction and started walking. Ryou followed closely behind him, almost afraid to be left alone on the street. When they came to the end of the street Bakura paused. He raised a hand and motioned for Ryou to stop moving.
"What?" Ryou whispered, eyes darting around him. "Do you sense Yami?"
"No." Bakura's voice had become deathly cold. Ice froze over every word he spoke. "We're being watched, followed. And it's not by Yami. You stay here and don't move."
Ryou nodded as Bakura took a few steps forward, trying to locate the center of the presence he felt. He opened his mind reaching out in hopes of tapping into their intruders thoughts. If he could do that, he could figure out why this person was following them, and what they planned to do. But he slammed into every mental defense that a person could conjure up.
There was also one more thing that bothered him more then knowing he was being watched. A new magic trail was there mixing in with Yami's, twirling it's way up into Bakura's senses and messing up his tracking. A low growl rose in his throat. There was no way this could end nicely.
"Bakura!"
Bakura spun around at the sound of Ryou's scream. His eyes widened as he saw a large fireball hurtling towards the innocent.
They were under attack…
~*~
Yami ducked in an alleyway and quickly allowed his form to become visible again. He leaned over, placing his hands on his knees and panting. Once he got out of the house he had run. At one point he felt the lingering sense of magic that wasn't his own or Bakura's but he ignored it. He figured that it was just Marik making sure he was coming on his own. Like he had told Ryou, he didn't know how Marik would be prepared, but he would be ready for an attack.
After his breathing returned back to normal, he slipped out of the alleyway and glanced at the building across the street. That was where Marik was supposed to be. If he followed instructions right, he should walk up to the top floor where Marik would be waiting. Once he was sure he had what he wanted, Marik would let Yugi go.
Making his way up the front steps a feeling of dread settled over him, running a shiver down his spine. He knew whatever happened to him wasn't going to be good, but as long as Yugi was safe that was all that mattered. Bakura would be shattered, and Ryou and Yugi would be hurt, but Marik had made one promise that Yami knew everyone would enjoy. None of them would have to go back to The Lab or follow under the control of Master ever again. He was pretty sure that Bakura could forgive him if those were the circumstances.
He stopped just two stairs short of the top floor and took a deep breath. This was it, the end of his freedom. And though it was something he had looked so forward to, he knew he wouldn't enjoy it if it was at the expense of an innocent's life. Sighing he threw open the door.
The first thing he noticed was a bed on the far wall. Laying on top of it was the limp form of Yugi. Yami's muscles tensed and he ran over towards the small innocent. Just before he reached the bed a form stepped out in front of him. Gasping he jerked back away from the blockade. But he recognized the laughter that reached his ears.
"Marik." He growled.
Marik stepped out of the shadows and gave Yami an evil smirk. His lavender eyes narrowed as his heart beat faster. He was here, standing in front of him was the key to controlling it all. And he was giving himself up willingly.
"Pharaoh." Marik snickered. "Are you here to make the exchange? Or must I hurt the young one?"
Marik waved a hand over his shoulder and Yugi groaned. Yami gasped and tried to make his way around Marik to reach the little one. He couldn't allow Yugi to wake up and see nothing but Marik's back. His heart felt as though it would break.
"Yes!" He cried, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. "Just please, let him wake up to see me. I'll do what ever you want as long as you grant me that one wish!"
Marik nodded and stepped aside. Seeing Yugi stir, Yami ran over and dropped beside him on the bed. The little one rolled over tucking his weight up against Yami. Yami wiped at a tear that tracked down his cheek and pulled Yugi closer.
"Y-Yami?" Yugi's violet eyes cracked open. He looked around before allowing his eyes to dart back to Yami's face. "Where am I? What's going on? Why are you crying?"
Yami pulled Yugi into a tight hug and silenced all his questions. He knew he had to give him the answers that he seeked, but it seemed too painful to do so.
"Don't worry Yugi." He rasped out. "All is fine. You're free to go. But I can not come with you."
Yugi jerked away from Yami, breaking out of his grasp. He looked up at the powered teen with wide, watery eyes.
"What are you talking about?" He rasped. "Let's get out of here. We can go back to my place. My grandfather wouldn't mind. Please don't say anything like that!"
Yami turned away from Yugi, knowing that the young boy had become strangely attached to him over the last couple days. But the sad truth was this was going to hurt himself way more then it would hurt Yugi.
"That's not it." He whispered, grabbing Yugi by the shoulder's and forcing him to look at him. "Now listen and do everything I say. When you leave this building go straight to Ryou's place. Tell them that everything is fine and they can stop worrying. Everything is fine. They all must forget about me."
"No!" Yugi cried. "I can't leave you here. And I surly can't forget you!"
Yami's jaw clenched. He had to get Yugi to leave, even if it meant hurting him. Taking a deep breath he tapped slightly into the anger that rested in his soul.
"Go!" He shouted, ripping away from Yugi and pointing at the door. "Listen to me and leave. You can't stay here, now just leave. Go and never return!"
Yugi drew back away from Yami. Tears poured down his cheeks. The hurt shone painfully in his eyes and Yami felt his own heart break. With a strangled sob, Yugi leapt off the bed and ran from the room. When he was gone, Yami collapsed on the bed.
Marik slipped out of the shadows once more and stepped up beside Yami. He lowered himself to the bed and placed a gentle hand on Yami's heaving shoulder. This was just what he planned to happen. It was the biggest step in breaking the Pharaoh's spirit and using him for his own personal gain.
"This is not the way you wished the outside world to be is it Pharaoh." He spoke in a gentle voice. "It's not the warm fluffy place that you imagined it to be. The Master hid many secrets from you. Such as the cruelness of the real world. But it is the Master's fault that this happened to you."
Yami sniffled before turning wide crimson eyes to Marik's lavender ones. How could this all be the Master's fault? It was Marik's fault! He was the one that had taken Yugi and Ryou. He was the one that had forced Yami into exchanging his own life for the innocent's. As much he hated the Master, he knew none of this was his fault.
"No." He rasped out. "No it's not. It's your fault. All this is your fault!"
Marik pulled back, huffing lightly. He crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a stern gaze at Yami.
"Oh really?" He mocked. "Am I the one who made you so different? Am I the one that locked you up in a room for eighteen years? Am I the one who gave you those horrible lessons, or built the place where they kept you? Am I the one who did that?"
Yami shook his head miserably. No, Marik hadn't imprisoned him for his entire life. Marik wasn't the one who had fueled him with information of the outside world yet always kept it just out of his reach. Marik wasn't the one who made him diff-
He paused in his mental defeat gasping in surprise. Yami raised moist crimson eyes to meet Marik's lavender ones.
"What do you mean made me different?" He asked softly. "I was born this way. Nobody made me different."
"Is that what he told you?" Marik laughed bitterly. "Yami, ever wonder why your code number is six? Because you weren't the first. There were others like you, one's who controlled certain elements. But Master realized he couldn't control them like he wanted to. They had a will and he wanted it broken. So he decided if he could create a, ah what should we call ourselves…mages. He decided if he could create a mage that controlled every element that it would be born without a will and he could control this ultimate weapon. But it backfired when you were born with a will. He made you Pharaoh, created you in a tiny dish and unknowingly planted you in your mother while she was on a routine doctor appointment. When you were born he convinced her of your danger and took you from her. Granted she was unwilling at first but she knew that you'd be safer locked up and away from the world. Master made his life's work breaking you and others who controlled elements. So you see, it is the Master's fault. He made you Yami, made you what you are."
Yami let out a tiny sound and pulled back. He had been…created? So he couldn't even be considered real, a person. There were no loving parents out there anywhere for him. His mother had given him up and his father was really the one person who caused him such grief and heartache, the one who locked him up like some kind of animal. If all that was true, what did he have to live for? Life? He had none. Family? He never had one. All his life could bring him was more pain, more anguish at knowing he wasn't real. An emptiness consumed him as he felt his very soul vanish. He no longer had a will to fight.
He no longer had a will.
Marik saw the emptiness that filled Yami's crimson orbs and smiled to himself. Who knew that the Pharaoh's very own past would be what sent him over the edge? Who knew it'd be the thing to break him? His plan was working perfectly. Now all he had to was slip the last part into play, make Yami his own weapon.
"But I'm here for you." Marik whispered, pulling the slack body into his grip. "I know what it's like to have no one care for you. Me and you, Yami, have to get revenge. We must destroy the Lab that created us, kill the Master. Only then can we be free. And after that we can seek revenge on the world that shunned us, caused us pain. What do you say, me and you?"
"Yes." Yami's voice was cold, void of all emotions. "Revenge on everyone."
Marik grinned and patted Yami's head as though he were a puppy that finally got the hang of going outside rather then on the rug.
"Okay." He whispered. "Now sleep. Later we attack."
Yami nodded and crawled into the middle of the bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out. Marik had to hold back the laughter as he grabbed the cell phone out of his pocket. Quickly punching in Brett's number he waited for the disgruntled scientist to pick up.
"Hello?" Brett grunted.
"Ah, Brett." Marik purred into the phone. "Good news, I have the Pharaoh."
"You got him!" Brett shouted, the excitement bubbling up in his voice. "That's great! Bring him back here and we can use him to bring that Tomb Raider back. Those two go hand and hand."
Marik chuckled deeply, switching the phone over to his other ear so he could turn to see the Pharaoh as he slept.
"Time for the bad news Brett." He hissed. "The Pharaoh is under my control. It appears I broke the Pharaoh, did more damage to his will then any of you pansies could. And we will becoming back to the Lab, but when we do you might want to heighten your security, cause we're coming back with a bang."
Marik quickly hung up the phone before Brett could farther argue. Oh yes, they were coming back. And they would destroy that place. With a gentle hand he stroked the cheek of his ultimate weapon. Pretty soon, everything would be his.
His evil laughter filled the blackness off the room. Yes, in a few hours the fun would begin.
Aurora: Oh I love it when Marik's so evil!
Moons: Yeah, except he broke Yami! Poor Yami, thinking that no one cares about him. Poor little cutie.
Aurora: Yeah, but now he's evil so he's by right hot.
Moons: Whatever. Well please review, that's what that little button is there for!
Aurora: *hugging Marik* Yes please!!