This is a Yu-Gi-Oh, fic. Yay! o.o It takes place after Battle City, but I've decided to pretend everything after that never happened, at least not yet. Hey, I needed a place to stick the setting, alright? Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and all of its characters. I take no claim over them. For future reference: Yami Marik is Marik, Marik is Malik, and Yami Yugi is Yami.

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Yami led a small group of eight, following the lead of his puzzle. The item glowed faintly, showing Yami things that would take him to the source of the supposed call for help. The group of friends soon found themselves led deep into the woods behind Mr. Moto's game shop. As they tried to find their way through, they became more and more uneasy. "I don't like the looks o' this, Yug'..." Joey mumbled. "You can turn back now if you want to, Wheeler," Malik offered. "I said I didn't like it, Malik, never said I was scared!" Joey replied with a huff. Serenity patted her brother's arm to try and calm him. Needless to say, it worked.

Yami stopped walking. Duke didn't; he walked right into Malik who turned and glared at him, "Watch it." Duke apologized and shrank back some. "Why did we stop?" Mai asked, walking up beside Yami. "The signal is coming from...in there," Yami said suspiciously as he pointed toward a foreboding cave mouth. Tristan swallowed, "You sure?" Yami nodded, "I am." Malik shrugged and headed inside, "I'll go scout ahead, you guys don't seem to be moving," he said with a smile. His millenium rod emitted a glow that illuminated his way as he walked off. In a moment or so, they heard him yelling, "Ahhh! Help!" naturally everybody ran in to see what was wrong.

When they were inside, they found Malik laughing at them, "So priceless." Everyone glared. "Well you weren't coming in on your own..." Malik said innocently. "That wasn't funny, Malik, don't joke like that!" Tea snapped. Malik shrugged, "Well I thought it was amus-"Suddenly, Malik was snatched from view and his rod slipped from his hand, clattering to the floor and rapidly losing its glow, "What the hell, let go of me!!!" Nobody reacted for a moment; they thought he might be trying to trick them again.

"Malik?" Duke asked to the shadows in front of the group. When there was no reply, or even laughter, he became worried. Yami's puzzle glowed brightly, lighting up the area around them all, "Oh no..." Malik was nowhere in sight. "Where'd he go?!" Joey asked in surprise. Yami frowned and picked up Malik's millenium item, "We have to keep going. Malik could have been taken further in." Serenity tugged her brother along, "Come on, Joey."

Struggling all the way, Malik looked up into the green eyes of someone very familiar, "YOU!" The man only smiled as he literally dragged Malik into a very cold and very dark chamber. The only defining features Malik could make out were some carvings in the wall and light from a torch reflecting off of something metallic. "What are you doing?!" Malik screamed. The man smiled again, "I am entertaining my Lady..." In confusion, Malik ceased fighting for a moment, "What are you talking about?" The man looked about the room and shouted something in French, "Le feu!" Torches around the chamber flared to life one by one. With each flame that blazed into existence, Malik saw more and more of what rested atop a platform in the center of the room. "My name is Domestique..." the man began. As the last torch in the chamber flooded everything with light, Malik finally saw in horror what rested atop a platform at the center of the room. "Domestique de la Guillotine!"

Malik began to kick and yell things at Domestique, "Let me go! Now! Leave me alone!" he tried to bite Domestique who merely laughed, dragging Malik up the stairs of the platform, "Ma Madame Guillotine, I bring you a gift." Malik became fearful, his eyes wide with the feeling. Stepping down on the end of a flat wooden board, Domestique brought it into a vertical position. Despite Malik's unceasing struggling, Domestique successfully shackled him to this board. Malik screamed loudly for help, but no one seemed to hear him. Where were they?! "Don't scream boy, you shall offend my Lady."

Malik continued to make noises of unease. Domestique enjoyed the fear on his face as he lower the board again. Now Malik's head was in line with the bottom half of the neck brace which would hold him in place. Domestique soon after pushed down the top half to the back of Malik's neck, sealing him in place. Malik shivered in horror, "Why are you doing this?!" Domestique shrugged, "Simply because I can. Even the dead must find some amusement in their wandering."

"Bakura!" Marik called to the white-haired spirit. When he didn't get a reply he frowned, "BAKURA!" He shouted louder this time, perhaps unsettling several people in apartments on the first floor. "WHAT?!" Bakura growled, walking into the room with a scowl on his face. "Idiot... Anyway, there is something terrible near us. I was considering leaving to check on it. Care to join me?" Marik offered. Bakura snorted and looked aside, "I was planning on going as well..." Marik grinned, "Oh good, I can take you with me." "I beg your pardon? It will be the other way around thank you very much-"Bakura tried to explain as Marik grabbed his wrist and dragged him out the door.

Yami and the others ran deeper into the cave, calling Malik's name. They slowed to a walk again to rest. "He's gone..." Tea said sadly. "Don't worry, we'll find him. In the meantime, we have to keep searching." "He's going to be in BIG trouble if he's trying to trick us again," Mai growled. Serenity shook her head, "He's not playing, Mai." Joey frowned, "Man, this tunnel goes on forever and ever!" Not far ahead of the small group, the millenium ring deposited two people into the shadows. One of which was Bakura who shoved Marik away from him. They'd used the millenium item for its teleporting capabilities and unfortunately this meant close contact in order for it to work. Marik had gladly hugged Bakura around the waist, claiming that he didn't mean anything by it when they re-appeared. "You're sadly mistaken, I do not attract to anyone in that way!" Bakura whispered harshly to the grinning spirit across from him in the dark.

Marik was about to say something when he head a noise. There was light approaching both him and Bakura, "Come on, it's the pharaoh and his groupies," Marik hissed, heading further down the tunnel. Bakura shrugged and followed him. A Yami rounded the corner where the two spirits had departed he never suspected a thing. Emitting a sigh, he looked downward, "Perhaps I shouldn't have waited the second time he yelled for help." Duke shook his head, "Nah, we all thought he was kidding, you're no exception." Yami thought about that, "Thank you, Duke."

Torchlight shone up ahead, gleaming against Bakura's deep, dark eyes. Marik walked in front of Bakura, not really noticing this. Bakura purposely lagged behind. If anything was up ahead, Marik would feel the brunt of whatever it was, not him. Marik startled laughing, not aloud, but in his throat. "What is it?" Bakura asked, though not particularly interested. "You. Hiding back there." He replied, smiling even though Bakura couldn't see. "I am not hiding. I'm merely using you as a human shield as it were." Marik nodded, "I see." Marik stopped walking. Bakura's reaction was delayed and so he paused beside Marik, "What are you-"Bakura began to ask but he stopped himself,"Marik, I don't have time to play this game with you.

Marik grinned, "That's the second time someone has said that to me. I must seem playful to you all." Bakura narrowed his eyes, "Walk." Marik shook his head, "You walk." Bakura's frown deepened, "I said get moving." "I said you first," Marik replied. Bakura kicked Marik in the shin and continued on. Marik purred, "You turn a nice shade of lavender when you're angry," Marik mentioned, following Bakura, "It could be its own color. 'Bakura Purple.'" "Shut up before I take your arm off," Bakura growled. Marik grinned widely, "That won't be anything new."

Malik had given up his fight and now lay helpless, shackled to a wooden board and secured to the base of a guillotine. Marik's eyes were wet and he tried hard to fight back tears. He'd be losing so much now! For once in his life he cared about people. He had just started to make friends and enjoy the world he tried so hard to get to. Would Yugi and the others even come to save him? Maybe they had forgotten about him! Did they leave? If not, then where were they? Domestique seemed to have sat down behind him, waiting. Malik wasn't sure though since he couldn't turn his head.

Malik decided to start conversation, "You said the dead needed amusement..." Domestique calmly responded, "Yes. We are still people are we not?" Malik was confused and took a moment before venturing further with his questions, "Does that mean that you're not alive?" Domestique nodded although Malik couldn't see, "Unless I am mistaken that -is- how you define one who is dead." Malik processed the information carefully. He was being held captive by a ghost? But ghosts couldn't touch people could they? "Why did you bring Marik back from the dead?" Malik asked, turning his head as much as he could. "He was not brought back from any death. He was only lost in a realm of shadow. As for why. Marik, I had hoped, would cause you to care for each other. Then I could kill one of you and watch the other's grief."

Malik began to laugh. "Have you gone mad, young boy? Why do you laugh at me?" Domestique asked quietly. Malik gathered himself, "Marik? Care about me? I'm sorry, but you are an idiot. Marik could never care about anyone except himself. He is evil. Every bit of him. You are a fool!" Domestique didn't seem offended, "I see. But perhaps the conditions have not been proper just yet. You on the other hand cared for a short while. This you cannot deny." Malik snorted, "Yes, before I knew who he was. But now I could care less what happens to him. Kill him too if you plan on going through with this." "I do plan on it, boy," came Domestique's reply.