Matt pressed himself against the cold wall, peering around the corner. No one seemed to be there. Recklessly, throwing caution in the winds, he ran for it. There were two guards who had been hiding, though, and they jumped out at him. He narrowed his eyes. A glint of steely ice flashed in his eyes… the guards had never seen that kind of anger before, and then they knew just what they were in for. Without hesitating Matt slammed his sword through one, then the other. They hit the floor with revolting thuds. Maroon puddles crept over the floor. He smiled cruelly. Never had he felt the desire to kill… it was surging through him. Nothing could stop him now.

Raven shook her head, annoyed. "What is -wrong- with that kid?"

"They never wired him for lights so he's still running on candles. That's why he's so dim." offered Laura.

Yuki glared but snickered. "I can't argue with that."

Rage grinned. "Hehe.... he may be my nephew but he can be quite... a..."

"Dinkus?" beamed Laura.

"Yes. A dinkus. Whatever a dinkus is."

"Like dorkus." Laura explained, "Basically, moron, freak, silly goose, etc...."

"Ah, Alrighty then! No complaints to that." Rage smiled brightly.

Then silence possessed the air around them. Guards lay in gruesomely twisted shapes and grotesque streams of blood trickled in all direction.

"Well, Matt's been here." Announced Rage in a strangled voice.

"You ain't akidding!" fumed Raven. "When I get my hands on that little fink-rat--"
"Rat-fink." Corrected Rage.

"Eat the Mustard of your doom! Study up on Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga! That's Fawful's line!"

"…Oh."

They all avoided the bodies. But one of the guards was still clinging to life. He moaned and Yuki felt a shiver go up her spine. He clutched her ankle and everything happened at once. The ground rushed to meet Yuki. Then the familiar sensation. She panicked. She did not -want- to see this man's memories. But it was too late. The connection had been made.

The view was off a photo in trembling hands. The soldier that she was seeing through was grinning, his arm around a pretty woman's shoulders and three kids, each of a different age but none about ten, all beamed and giggled. Someone knocked the photo out of his hands. The view shifted so Yuki could see a man in a hood. His face was hidden by shadows. The man pounded his fist into the glass casing on the photo, sending it flying to the floor and shattering. The man smirked and stepped on it with his heel, crushing it.

"They're dead, Finix. Dead. You failed to kill the girl while you were in the other world, so they're dead."
"NOOOOOOOOO!" the soldier screamed and sank to his knees and sobbed. "Damn you…. DAMN YOU!"

"I am the king of the damned." Chuckled the man, his voice like pure ice. "Now keep an eye out for any escapees. Rumor has it one of my… prized prisoners has escaped. The Mage. Laura. My sister."

"Woah! Take it easy there Yuki! It's alrighty!"

Yuki awoke to find herself in Rage's arms. He was holding her down; as soon as she realized how hard she had been thrashing and fighting she stopped. She stood shakily up and looked over to the man. Dead. Surely dead. But that didn't change the memory. It had been as real as the sun and stars. And now, it was in the past, a -part- of the sun and stars.

There was a click click clicking and suddenly someone popped around the corner. Laura, who had been kneeling next to Yuki, sprang to her feet and pulled out a handgun and a shruiken. It was a frazzled boy with once-bright eyes. He appeared to have just been in a fight. Yuki, who felt like she was going to pass out anyway, held her breath and ducked behind Rage. Not that he was much help, his final height being 5' 5" plus the fact he was sitting down. The boy was bleeding badly, a black eye starting to form, and he was clutching his arm.

"It's okay." He said gently. "Yuki? Yuki…. I didn't mean it. Earlier, I mean."

"Liar!" Yuki suddenly popped up from behind Rage, coming up a good three and a half feet taller than him (a/n: yes he is sitting down from where he was trying to calm down Yuki. Yuki is -NOT THAT TALL-. Thankya! ) making her quite intimidating.

"I am not. Yuki, please forgive me, lemme explain--"

"Let you explain betraying me?! Lying to me for more than 10 years?! How could I forgive you for your treachery?! Y'know, at one point I was in -love- with you! But guess what?! You were a little Liar and a Sneak-Thief all along and there's no forgiveness in my heart for that!"

"Yuki, you DON'T UNDERSTAND! I WAS BEING POSSESSED! CONTROLED! IT WASN'T MY -FAULT-!"

"Just leave me alone," whispered Yuki.

"Your friend, that stupid boy," spat Dameon, "Is ignorant enough… He's crazy. He's on his way to fight the King of the Damned."

"Who's that?!"

"You should know him. I've nothing left to say to you, Yuki." Dameon ran off.

"Dameon that--"

"Shhh. Not nice to curse." Laura muttered.

"And you don't?!"

"…."

"C'mon. That King of the Damned guy sounds pretty freakin scary… And Matt can't just waltz in there and defeat him. So we need to go after him."

"What are we waiting for?"

            Matt ran at the man in the cloak for the umpteenth time. The man laughed. Laughed and cast magic. Suddenly Quetzalcoatl slammed Matt into the wall. This just couldn't end… He groaned and struggled to his feet. The man suddenly stopped.

"Shhh. Don't you hear them?" he cackled madly, "It is them! Fools! They have come after you! I shall kill them all!"

The man snapped his fingers and suddenly four huge guards came in, wrestling a screaming, struggling Matt till he was pinned to the wall. They chained him to the wall. The man snapped his fingers and the doors opened as if he was expecting someone. Matt cursed for a moment.

"You see, Matt… I am the King of the Damned. You could never hope to defeat me." He sank down in a throne of gold. Matt yelled something very rude at him.

"Ah, come in, everyone." Beamed the crazy man, or the King of the Damned as he insisted upon.

            Yuki came in and flew over to Matt.

"If you hurt him--!" she began to yell.

"Ah, Yuki my love." He chuckled. "Always have had a temper…"

"Who the hell are you?! What do you think you're doing to my Matt you little ba--"

"Such atrocious behavior." He waved his finger disappointedly.

"Who are you, you demented freak?!" Yuki yelled.

"Why, don't you recognize me? I'm hurt."

"Just say who you are, you…"

The cloak fell to the floor, and Yuki stared up at the man in a combination of terror and shock.