Into Darkness
Ame no Mizu
Author's Note: Wow… when I started writing about seven years ago, I never thought you guys would like me as much as you appear to. I have to thank everyone who reads my stories, whether you review or not. You all keep me going.
There is one person I'd like to mention at this time. FireFriendship, you are the sweetest person I ever met (wow… I'm famous? Since when?). I've never had someone review every single chapter I've uploaded all in the same day. You are one of my greatest friends I've never met (you're right there with Guardian (my editor) and Ryou-Bakura1). Friends like you are the reason I still write.
My updating has been kinda slack lately, I know. However, I'm a little busy right now. I've got a job, and I have to go to school, and my anniversary is coming up (one year with my boyfriend! Yay!), and midterms for my fall semester classes have just started (studying's a bitch). I'll probably pick up the pace starting the end of next month or the beginning of January (when we have Christmas break). I do have up to chapter ten of this story written, and I'm working on chapter eleven currently. Expect chapter eight next week or the week after (but don't hold me to that… I'm bad with promises). I might attempt to write a lemon for chapter eight, but that's not a real promise either. I do have an adultfanfiction.net account, but there's nothing there currently. I also have a mediaminer.org account, but there isn't much there except the first chapter of 'Checkmate' and the one-shot 'Dying Again'. There's a chance my lemons will go there, since mediaminer's deciding to behave now (you used to have to wait nearly fifteen minutes for one page to load, but it's better now). The penname on both is Ame no Mizu (but on adultff.net, it has no spaces, like amenomizu).
Review Responses:
Wow, I haven't done these in a looooong time…
Choclate-Cherries: ::grabs candy and runs off:: Thankies, and I'll try to update more often…
Ciu Sune: Thanks, I appreciate the review! About Marik, yes, he's got a hard time making up his mind, but don't worry, he'll fix that soon… ::winks::
The whole story about Yami will also come together, trust me. I'm glad someone caught that.
FireFriendship: Hmm… actually, I don't care too much for ff.net, but it's the most popular site, and I post here because it's the easiest site to search. The bigshots here are going too far with deleting fics, in my opinion. They banned NC-17 because some people complained. That, to me, is simply restricting our freedom of speech. They had no right whatsoever to delete the stories that we as true writers worked hard to write. The only reason I post here is because the other sites are a pain to post to. In time, I will be switching my fics over to mediaminer, and I hope all my readers will go there with me. This whole deleting this is way too much. I've even seen stories being deleted for no other reason than that someone reported it. The story I'm talking about even met the new 'no NC-17' policy.
No, Bakura wouldn't die because, well… he's already dead. He'll simply be sent back to the Ring. What I mean by putting another soul into the hikaris' bodies is that their souls will be removed and another soul will take over. Kinda like what the Big 5 plan to do in the Noah arc (only that's not what I originally thought of when I wrote this. The Noah arc hadn't even started when I began writing this).
Wow, this is a really long note…
Oh, and just one more thing…
I LOVE YOU, DAMIEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
::clears throat::
Okay, I'm done. Oh, and yes, Damien's the name of my boyfriend. I love him dearly. This chapter's dedicated to him, even though he'll probably never read this. He'd like all the killing…
::shuts up before giving away any more hints::
Okay, read now.
Chapter seven:
New evil
Marik began to follow the two yamis, but Malik held him back.
"Marik, I want you to go to the others. They need someone with them. Tell them we're coming, Yami too. If something happens, call me," said Malik, and drew his hikari into his arms, "Be careful, Marik. I love you." Without giving Marik the time to reply, he ran off with Bakura.
Marik shook his head in an effort to clear it. He had time to think about that later. Now, he had to get back to the others.
He went back down the hall and peeked his head into the room. There were guards at both Ryou and Yugi's feet. No problem…
He took the Millennium Rod out of the belt loop of his jeans and unsheathed its hidden dagger. He would have to deal with them in Malik's style then…
Creeping up behind the closest guard, he swung the blade down into the man's back. With a shriek, the man went down, and the other guard rushed over to help his fallen comrade. The blade swung up this time, and caught the second man in the gut, but this one went down quietly.
"Marik!" Ryou cried," You came back!"
Marik smiled as he went to Ryou's side and began to work on freeing him from the chains, speaking fast, updating Ryou on the discussion between Malik and Hynes, and Hynes' true plan.
"So, he was never truly after the Items," Ryou whispered, "But that still doesn't answer a lot of questions. Why did Hynes try to rape you if he's planning to use your body for some wizard? Why bring the yamis here? Why—"
"Ryou, we can worry about that later!" Marik cried, "Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here."
"Not so fast, little one."
The voice was female, and Marik couldn't quite place where it came from. It sent chills up his spine and he let go of the shackle in his hand and looked up.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" he yelled.
"I'm right here, little Marik," said the female voice, and before he could turn, he was grabbed from behind. He struggled, but the grip on his arms was too tight to brake.
/Malik! Yami, help me! / he cried through his mindlink, /I'm in the room three doors down from where you were kept! Please hurry! /
//We're coming, hikari. We just found the Puzzle! We're heading there now! //
He continued to struggle as he was thrown onto the third table and the female he guessed that had spoken shackled his wrists and ankles. He struggled against them, but they wouldn't give. The woman forced the Millennium Rod out of his hand. A shiver ran through Marik's body, as his link with his yami was suddenly broken.
"That fool…" the woman hissed, "I told him he couldn't work that damn spell, that it would backfire on him… stupid mortal," she looked around at the men that Marik didn't realize had walked in, "Go find the two yamis. Bring them to me. Tell them I have their hikaris… they'll come quietly."
The men left, and Marik shuddered at the thought of what this woman could possibly do to them.
Malik and Bakura ran down the hallway, the sound of their footfalls resounding in the emptiness. Malik was scared. His hikari's final words to him before their link was broken sent shivers up his spine. Someone must have taken the Millennium Rod from him. He'd kill whoever had it, of course, and whoever had gotten Marik so scared. No one scared his hikari and got away with it.
Speaking of which…
They passed Hynes where they had left him, and Bakura growled at the sight of him. Not being able to use his Shadow powers, he unsheathed a knife he had hidden in the waistband of his jeans. With three stabs, there was no doubt that Derek Hynes would never walk the earth again.
"Did you have to do that?" Malik asked, but by the look on the Egyptian's face, Bakura could tell that he didn't mind.
"Yes," Bakura snapped, "That bastard had it coming."
Malik shrugged and they continued, leaving Hynes behind.
"Hey."
They turned to the voice, and saw a man standing behind them, wielding a knife. Bakura grinned and held out his own bloodstained weapon, ready for a fight.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, seeing as your hikaris are still in quite a bit of danger," the man laughed, "Follow me if you want to keep them alive as long as possible."
Malik and Bakura growled together, but knew they could do nothing. If this man could take them to their hikaris, then they had no choice but to follow him.
Ryou shivered as the woman turned away from Marik and approached him. Her long, acrylic fingernails dragged over his cheek, and she purred so softly that Ryou was suddenly unsure she actually had.
"So… you are the boy my little brother will take over," she whispered, "He's always had good taste… it's too bad. If you weren't about to be thrown out of your body…" she sighed and turned away.
Shivering harder, Ryou felt a tear escape his eye and he turned his head to look at Marik. The Egyptian was also trembling, but he must have felt Ryou's gaze, because he turned his own head and their eyes met.
"I'm scared," the tanned boy whispered when the woman walked out of hearing range.
"I know. I am too," Ryou whispered back, "But they'll come for us, I know they will. All of them. Malik would never let anything happen to you. He loves you too much, even if he doesn't always show it." Ryou smiled semi-comfortingly. However, he doubted his own words. His mind flashed back to when Marik had been kidnapped. How much time had passed between when Marik was taken and when Malik had confessed his love for Ryou? It couldn't have been more than about ten minutes!
Guilt ate away at Ryou's stomach. He knew he'd never live it down without mentioning Malik's confession to Marik. He knew his fellow hikari would be angry, and Ryou didn't want to get Malik in trouble, but it would be too big a secret to keep. And what if Malik tried again to win Ryou's affection? What kind of position would that put Ryou in?
"Ryou? What's wrong?" Marik whispered.
"I… nothing," Ryou hesitated. More guilt materialized in his stomach. He hated lying, "I'm just nervous, that's all." He fell silent, and Marik got the point.
The woman returned, singing a song beneath her breath. The words sounded foreign to Ryou's ears: Egyptian. She sung as she checked the tightness of Ryou's bindings, and something clicked in the hikari's mind.
The park. Hynes. The kiss. The words spoken to him beforehand. Marik's story of what his yami had told Hynes. He put it all together, and came up with a kind of plan.
"Um… miss?" he called to the woman as she began to walk away, and she turned, smiling.
"Such manners," she giggled, "Yes, little one?"
"I… have something to tell you," he said, hoping she would take the bait.
"What?"
"Well… it's kind of a secret," Ryou whispered, forcing a blush. Behind her, Marik frowned at him in confusion. But the woman didn't notice. She bent down and put her ear next to his lips, smiling.
Softly, Ryou whispered to her the words Hynes had to him in that park. She uttered a soft scream, barely audible, and collapsed, sliding to the floor.
"What did you say to her?" asked Marik in awe.
"Well…" said Ryou, "You told me Marik said that we could very well be part wizard. I remembered the words Hynes whispered in my ear when we met him in the park, and I remembered how I felt afterwards. I was drowsy and I wanted to sleep so badly. I think… I know now why he did it. You say Hynes did a spell on you himself… I think the spell he did on me was to prove to himself that his powers worked, and that he could control them. He simply lowered the effect on it, so that I wouldn't sleep, I would just get drowsy. He… kissed me to see how I would react after the spell was put on me. That's why he had you kidnapped so soon after that happened."
"But how did you know the spell would work?" Marik asked.
"I didn't. But I was out of options. It was worth a shot. I mean, she can't kill me, and she was gonna take my soul anyway," Ryou laughed.
They heard footsteps outside the door, and it opened, revealing the two men who they had seen the woman order to retrieve the yamis. Ryou's heart rose. If the yamis were here…
The men froze at the sight of the unconscious woman, but they were shoved aside by Bakura, followed by Malik.
"Bakura!" Ryou cried, and the albino yami ran to him, kissing him full on the mouth.
"Oh, Ra, Ryou…" he whispered, "I was so incredibly worried about you, hikari… Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" he asked as he began to work on the chains binding Ryou's wrist. They shattered in a few seconds, and Ryou knew why: Bakura had the Ring around his neck. He helped his hikari sit up, and hurried over to Yugi, who appeared to have fainted, to free him. Ryou, however, moved over to Malik, who was having difficulty freeing his own hikari. The Millennium Rod was on the floor next to the woman, and Ryou scooped it into his hand.
"Here," he said quietly, holding out the Item to Malik, who took it eagerly.
"Thank you, Ryou," he whispered, using the magic to shatter the bindings.
"What happened to her?" asked Bakura, pointing to the woman, Yugi now in his arms. Marik laughed softly, getting off the table.
"Well, it seems that our little Ryou is part wizard," he said, "He put her to sleep, it appears. Or that's what he thinks he may have done."
"Well, let's get out of here," said Bakura, "We can deal with her later. Malik, pass me the Puzzle." Malik tossed the Item, and Bakura caught it, placing it in Yugi's hands. It flashed, and Yami appeared, looking flustered.
"Yugi!" he cried at the sight of his hikari, and took him from Bakura's arms, cradling him. Ryou saw the shared look between his yami and Malik, and knew it was finally time to go.
They left as a tightly knit group, careful to stay aware of their surroundings. The yamis relaxed only when they got outside, and Malik turned to Yami Yugi.
"You going back to your place, or coming with us?" he asked, "It would be better if we stay together. This isn't over, I know it isn't."
"I agree," said Yami, "I think it's best we stay together." Malik nodded, and no one talked until they reached Ryou and Bakura's home.
They made themselves as comfortable as possible in the living room, and Yugi awoke slowly.
"Yami?" he groaned, "Where… where am I?"
"In Ryou's living room, hikari," Yami answered, "Don't worry, baby, you're safe now. No one will ever hurt you again." Yugi smiled and drew Yami into a hug. Ryou smiled too, and snuggled into his own yami's chest, and Bakura tightened his grip on Ryou's waist, stroking his hair. Malik and Marik, however, were not as comfortable. Marik seemed tense, and Malik hesitant.
"Marik…" Malik whispered, "I'm so, so sorry… please forgive me, hikari."
"I don't blame you," the light whispered, "It's just… I can't relax. I can't help but feel we aren't safe at all."
Malik sighed and whispered something in Marik's ear. They stood, and headed for the kitchen.
"I hope they work things out," Ryou whispered. Bakura nodded.
"I hope so, too, Ryou."
Well, there you go. I have an editor now, and she's doing a great job so far, so my writing should be getting a little better. I hope you like!
Next time: Malik finally listens to his instinct, and everyone's happy, but is everything better? Who was the woman? Are the hikaris even safe? And what was Hynes' original logic behind his actions? Find out in chapter eight: "Calm Before the Storm."