Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh ain't mine, too bad, so sad!

Will of the Sun Rider & Spell of the Mists

Their knees met the ground, and they bowed low. The great golden bird was before them, eyeing them with a certain interest; Malik was upon its back.

He wasn't even controlling them and yet there they were, bowing; he thought this was very amusing.

"Oh great Garkon," said the leader, "I, Maron, declare our faithfulness to you!" He raised his head, "You and your rider."

Malik raised an eyebrow. 'So they believe my Winged Dragon is a real god!' he thought in his mind, 'I can see me using this to my advantage.'

Malik slide his Millennium rod into his belt. "Eh, mighty Garkon speaks through me! I make known his will for you ordinary mortals, and he will show no mercy to those who are disobedient! Understand?"

Ra stamped its shining paw, beset with talons, golden like the rest of it.

"Yes! Yes!" The eight cried, bowing again.

"Good. Now, there is one whom exists that is a great enemy of Garkon. Your god wants him found and brought to us, er, him! He is one with dark spiked hair, and a voice as deep as the night is black."

Maron looked up at Malik. "We, we know of him!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! We had him as our prisoner, and even bound him to mighty Garkon's idol, as an offering. But that's when his red monster came."

Malik grit his teeth in anger, squeezing the reins and realizing Yami had slipped through his fingers.

Although, even in his anger Malik knew it wouldn't be as impressive if he got furious at them, so he silently order his Ra to make a good show of it.

The golden Duel Monster rose up on its four great legs and there it let out a terrible shrieking roar that pierced the air. The eight followers cowered and cringed.

"Please don't destroy us!! We will do as you bid!"

Within his mind Malik told his Winged Dragon to calm down. "Yes, you will! Now come, and Garkon, through me, shall tell you what you will do. Rise."

The eight did so and gathered as close to Ra as they dared; Malik grinned, evilly.

Yami shivered, and opened his eyes. The atmosphere felt cold; Yami turned his head in the direction of the sky, and saw that the morning's sun was obscured by thick gloomy-looking clouds.

He moved his arm out and planted it firmly, so as to get up, but as he attempted to do this, he found his muscles reluctant to help.

'What's wrong?' Yami climbed to his hands and knees, and reached, taking a firm hold of the edge of Slypher's back-plate.

He looked out at the campsite and was startled to see the whole of it covered in a dense foggy mist. He gave a confused frown, barely able to make out the Red-Eyes Black Dragon amidst the moist haze.

Yami blinked; like his muscles, his heart felt heavy. He knew something was amiss, for he sensed an ominous undercurrent flowing from the earthbound cloud.

Yami turned and saw Yugi sleeping just down from him. He quickly crawled to his young counterpart and shook his should. "Yugi, wake up. There's something wrong!"

Yugi groaned and listlessly opened his eyes; he hugged his shoulders and shivered. "Huh? Erm, what is it Yami?" Yugi sat up, but was holding the flat of his hand against his face, as though he felt dizzy.

"It's this!" Yami held his open hand toward the center of their campsite.

"Whoa," Yugi felt a little off kilter and balanced himself. "What's going on?"

Yami lowered his voice. "I don't know, but there's something wrong with it. I'm worried about Tea and Joey, where did they sleep?"

Whispering, Yugi pointed. "Joey slept over by his Red-Eyes. And Tea was sleeping under the tree!"

Yami glanced at both spots. "I'm going to get them." He slid down the side of his Dragon, and strangely as he landed, the mist seemed to part, slightly.

"Be careful Yami!" whispered Yugi harshly.

Yami dashed to Tea, swatting at the mist, uncovering her beneath it. She had Yugi's jacket over her shoulders, and looked to be sound asleep.

"Tea! Wake up, please!" He shook her as gently as possible but got no reaction. He tried and tried, but nothing.

Yami finally looked back at Yugi, and shook his head. Yugi's face creased with worry.

Next, Yami went quickly to the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and kneeled, swishing his hand back and forth in the mist layer, revealing Joey curled in a ball and shivering slightly.

As Yami was kneeling, a slight tingling came to his legs.

"Joey!" Yami gripped his friend and jostled him, "Wake up!"

Joey made no move, nor any sound, not even the slightest groan. Yami tired again and again, still to no avail.

King Yami closed his eyes and grit his teeth; he was desperate, and though he didn't want to, raised his hand and slapped Joey's face. Still, nothing.

Yami shook his head wildly, and ran back to Slypher nearly stumbling as he did so. He attempted to jump up to his Monster, but found his legs racked suddenly with a terrible pricking tingle. They'd fallen asleep!

"Yugi! Help me, I can't get up! My legs aren't working!"

Yugi held his breath; he positioned his knee hard against the back-plate, then reached downward with both hands. Yami took them and struggled up onto his god Monster's back.

He sat gingerly and began slapping his legs. "Come, don't do this to me," he implored. Yugi looked on in agitation.

Much to their relief, the muscles in Yami's legs awoke. Yami exhaled.

He turned his head, looking up the length of his Monster. "I wonder if I can wake Slypher. If I can, we can bring our friends onto his back and leave this place!"

The mist swirled then, as though a wind had swept through it.

"Try." said Yugi. The pair stood and went to the "helm". Yami took up the reins and jiggled them. "Come Slypher! Arise! We must leave!"

And to Yami and Yugi's great relief, Slypher responded, if only slightly. Yami moved the reins again.

"Come! You must get up!" he shouted. Slypher lifted its head, though just barely, and there was a rumble in its throat. Unfortunately, the god Monster laid its head back down, for it felt a great force compelling it to do so; the Monster didn't attempt to move again.

"No! Slypher you've gotta get up!" sounded Yugi, kneeling and patting his hand hard against its veneer. But the Sky Dragon made no move and . . . was silent.

'No.' Yami dropped the reins. "It can't, I can feel it."

The pair lowered their heads. Yami looked up once more, over at the swathed campsite, eyeing what he could see of the Red-Eyes and the spot beside the tree. Yugi was doing likewise, though shifted his gaze, and looked out, to where the flat plains and distant mountains had been.

Yami followed suit.

"What do we do?"

The mist seemed to twist and bend before their eyes, weaving in and out, growing thicker; building into a wall.

There aura of helplessness about the two was growing. All was silent, except for their breathing.

"We must do something!" spat Yami.

"Wait!" hissed Yugi, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Look,"

Yami turned back to the mist wall, and saw something; eight distinct shapes then became apparent. And Yami and Yugi tensed, for then they saw several cloaked figures emerging from the field of white.