Negative Chaos

by High Crystal Guardian

*Sequel to Shadow Turned Light* The Shadow Realm's power is growing too high for the Realm to hold, and now it's magic is overflowing into Yugi's Realm. He tries to stop the magic, but can't...so a few old friends come through from the N. Realm to help...

12. The Ways of Fate

((HOLY SHITE folks, I think this is the longest I've gone without posting yet. I've got a good reason though...moving. Yes, I've been stressed about moving for ages now, but it's finally done and over with, and I'm just unpacking and getting settled in. Sorry! At least the chapter's up though, riiiight? Riiiiight?))

HCG: And here I am, returning once again with chappie 12! Isn't it exciting?!

Kawari:....yeah...sure...exciting...[rolls eyes]

HCG: [cheerfully and rather unaware of the sarcasm] I know! And guess what else? I have a guest! [points at newcomer cheerfully]

Unmei: (WSJ's blind, telepathic version of Ryou, seen in her Tales of the Child of Fate series) Er...hello?

HCG: WSJ said she had too many muses to deal with at the moment, so she let me take Unmei off her hands for a while! I have to give him back, but...not right now...[grins, then latches onto Unmei, immediately taking to playing with his loooong ponytail of white hair]

Unmei: -- WSJ, I don't deserve this...let me come back, please?! Give HCG one of your hyperactive chibis!

HCG: Aw, come on, WSJ stole Kaze from me for a while so it's only fair that I get one of her more prominent characters!

Unmei: Couldn't it have been Chiot then?

HCG: But I like you more and she let me pick!

Unmei: [siiigh]

Kawari: You have my pity.

Unmei: [somewhat sarcastic] Gee, thanks. Any chance that you could make her stop playing with my hair?

Kawari: I'm not dumb enough to cross the authoress.

Unmei: xX wonderful. [puts up with HCG playing with his hair rather reluctantly, then notices Kawari's still there] Hey, I thought Ebony Kuroneko took you because HCG lost the 'who's fic'll be out first' bet?

Kawari: She did. But I was too much to handle. [smirk] She took Kaze instead.

Unmei: Ah. [Sighs and waits for HCG to STOP playing with his hair]

HCG: [gleefully toys with the ponytail for a few minutes, then coughs] Er...yes! So, readers! Are you ready for this next chapter?!

Readers: Yes!

HCG: I bet you can't wait!

Readers: Yes!

HCG: I bet you're all ready to see what happens to Kaze!

Readers: Yes!

HCG: I bet you're thinking I'm being annoying right now and want the evil cliffie solved really badly!

Readers: YES!

HCG:.................well too bad. This chapter's about the other group that headed off for the Scroll at the Temple of Darkness.

Readers: [all stare for a minute, then with an amazing speed pull out various weapons, brandish them, and form an angry mob]

HCG: [deeep sweatdrop] AGH! NO KILLIE! I DON'T WANNA DIEEEEE! [runs off wailing....dragging Unmei with her to act as protection, since he IS a super powerful telepath]

Unmei: x Dangit, I thought she woulda freed me....[gets dragged off and is cut short]

Kaeru: [looks after HCG's retreating dust cloud] Not the brightest of people, is she?

Kawari: No kidding. [rolls eyes]

Kaiba: -- well, as HCG has left her post, I suppose I, being her muse, am forced to take her place. [exasperated sigh] Right. First things first; the answer to the Capere Vitam Primam question. The title of the story means "To take a first life," or "To take the first life." A few people got it right. Good for those few people; you're not all a bunch of morons out there, I guess. [rolls eyes]

Kawari: -- How nicely put.

Kaiba: Shut up. [looks over clipboard] Nothing else to announce, it says here. Fine then. Disclaimer: the High Crystal Guardian doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, but she does own the Negative Realm, related characters, and all ideas and theories connected to it. While she doesn't own the Elements themselves...those are Wingleader Sora Jade's...she owns the Realm Scrolls that they're used with. That's it. [irritated look] I should be paid for this job, not forced to do it. It sucks. Somebody get me out of here!

Kaeru: And here I'd have thought you would have given up escaping a long time ago.

Kaiba: [Annoyed look] I'll get out eventually!

Kawari: Sure you will. I'd suggest you do your job until then.

Kaiba: [irritated] Alright, fine. The stupid notes are next...

Notes:

Kawari NR Ryou

Kaeru NR Bakura

Kaze NR Kaiba

Saguru NR Joey

italics are thoughts or memories/dreams

Special thanks to WSJ and Ebony Kuroneko, who helped come up with this Challenge. I just expanded on their ideas.

Also, blah on FF.net, which changed my good ol' symbols completely. I know several other people are extremely angry about this...somebody make FF.net burn! [searches for Bakura and his flamethrower]

Negative Chaos

Chapter 12: The Ways of Fate

          Things were going quite slowly back at the Kaiba Mansion, leaving its two Scroll-hunting occupants incredibly bored beyond belief. Kaiba and Saguru had been monitoring Police activity all night long, as well as keeping a good watch on the museum security and staff, but nothing had happened so far; Kaeru knew what he was doing as far as stealing things went.

            With nothing else to do, the two of them had retreated to other activities to pass the time. Kaiba had gone back to his work, and was now clicking madly on his laptop, hoping to at least get a portion of what was now yesterday's work done on time. Saguru was amusing himself by going through Kaiba's rare collections of cards, currently stored in his briefcase (Kaiba was only letting him to keep the Negative Joey quiet, since he really wasn't interested in conversation with the teen when he had better things to do).

            "Damn," Saguru commented suddenly, "just seeing all these cards reminds me how great a duelist Kaze used to be."

            "Yes, well," the CEO began to respond, voice slightly dry, "I'm not the number one duelist for no--"

            He halted in mid-sentence rather suddenly, shock playing over his features for a split second before returning to his original emotionless look. For, suddenly and completely without warning, a searing pain had shot through his chest, before disappearing just as suddenly as though it had never existed.

            Startled, he stopped typing, pressing one of his hands to his chest in confusion. He was completely fine, no wounds, no hints of internal injury--nothing. His startled look turned very slowly to a frown....what was going on here?

            Saguru, alerted by the halt of both Kaiba's voice and the sudden lack of typing sounds on a keyboard, looked up, instantly wary. "What's wrong?"

            Kaiba's sudden frown vanished and he went back to work, looking a bit more irritable than usual at the sight of the worried version of Joey staring at him. "Nothing."

            Saguru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're lying."

            Seto focused on his work, mind slightly divided from it due to the sudden pain he had experienced, but he still found a moment to shoot a response to Saguru. "I'd like to see you prove it."

            "Really, would you?" Saguru asked, a smirk playing over his features. He carefully replaced Kaiba's cards into the briefcase, speaking as he did so. "Okay then, I will. I've noticed you and Kaze, opposites or not, have the same expressions, and I am an expert at figuring out what's on Kaze's mind back at the Opposition." He stood up, grinning over at Kaiba in an almost easy going manner. "I ain't the Second in Command for nothing."

            Kaiba gave an irritated sigh and continued on with his work, ignoring Saguru. "Fine. Whatever. At the moment I really couldn't care less, I just want to get this paperwork done."

            "Suit yourself," the Negative replied, his smirk disappearing to be replaced with a serious look that, had it been on Joey, would have looked completely out of character. "Now let's see here. Your eyes have narrowed considerably and they aren't focusing as much on one particular thing like they would normally. My guess is you're either angry or worried about something." Kaiba said nothing, so he continued. "The way you're typing is what's going to influence my guess. You're not banging on the keys like you would if you're angry; actually, if anything, you're tapping on them too lightly. You're obviously not focused on your work, so it's my guess that you're worried about something."

            Kaiba was inwardly amazed--how the hell could this moron, a Joey no less, spot such tiny details to put together a guess like that? Outwardly, he kept his face perfectly smooth, continuing with his work as though nothing had been proven against him.

            But Saguru was grinning. "Hah, I was right, wasn't I?" he asked, the smirk coming back.

            Kaiba twitched slightly. "How could you know--"

            "You better watch your hands, they give you away a lot. Your left one faltered while typing for a second when I made my guess." The Negative Joey grinned. "So, was I right?"

            Seto looked even more irritable now, and had to remind himself strongly about the deal he'd made with his opposite to be polite to both versions of Joey. "Yes," he finally hissed, annoyed, "you're right. I'm worried about something. Happy?"

            "Not quite," Saguru said, serious look returning. "It's the cause I'm more interested in learning. Why suddenly be worried?"

            Kaiba felt like arguing at this point, and snapped, "What about Mokuba? Did it ever occur to you I could be worried about my own brother?"

            "Actually," the Negative answered, looking quite serious, "that did occur to me, but I discarded the idea. Kaze's looking out for your brother and it's guaranteed he's in safe hands. No," he continued, shaking his head, "I think this sudden cause for worry has something to do with why you suddenly stopped talking." He gave Kaiba a look. "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

            Kaiba growled at the tone Saguru took; it sounded almost as if the Negative was in charge, and not him! "Why should I tell you something that isn't any of your business?" he snapped, annoyed.

            Saguru crossed his arms over his chest, serious look never once leaving him. "Because," he said, quite calmly, "you have that thought connection to Kaze, which is the only explainable reason for you to suddenly become worried over nothing, and while stuff concerning you isn't any of my business, anything about my boss is." He gave Kaiba a flat look, and then continued. "So I suggest you not withhold any information concerning the Opposition's leader, because as the Second it is my duty to take hold of that information."

            Kaiba narrowed his eyes slightly at the authoritive tone, but found himself rather grudgingly agreeing in his head with the Negative. If something happened to the President of a company, the Vice-President had the right to know, and he supposed it was the same with this Opposition.

            "Fine then," he answered, sounding a bit angry--he didn't have to like giving in to the Joey's demands, after all--"I'll give you that information. Just a few minutes ago I felt a shot of pain in my chest, but I have no idea where it came from--I'm not injured." He gave Saguru a glare. "There, you happy?"

            "I wouldn't say happy," the Second muttered, frowning at this new piece of information. "I wonder if pain can travel through a thought link?"

            "No idea," Kaiba growled, turning back to his work once again. "Whatever it was, it's gone now, and good riddance." All the same, he rubbed at his chest a little, recalling vividly the memory of the pain only a few minutes ago.

            "Hope they get out of there soon," Saguru murmured, sitting down again and not losing his frown.

            Kaiba ignored him, going back to his work, but he still felt distracted. A final thought slipped through his head, remarkably clear....had something happened to his opposite?

                        ()                      ()                      ()                      ()                      ()

            Kaeru, Kawari, Ryou, Téa, and Tristan paced through the darkness of night in a town nearly and hour and a half's time of driving from Domino City, searching for the boundary that would act as their limit before they needed to cross over into the Shadow Realm. Kaeru was at their lead, his false Millennium Ring glowing brightly as it checked the energies of the Dark realm, and the others trailed behind rather like hunters after a hound, not having anything to do until the boundary was discovered.

            Upon splitting up from Yami and his group, the five had borrowed a car from Kaiba (or at least, Kaeru and Kawari called it "borrowing"; the other three weren't sure Seto knew that he was loaning out one of his vehicles), since Kaeru had informed them that the boundary was some distance away and it would be pointless to walk there. They spent an hour and a half in the car, Téa driving since she had gotten the most rest, while Tristen, Ryou, Kawari and even Kaeru took a snooze, the spirit in his soul room and the others leaning against the car windows. This, Ryou noted with interest, was the first major time he'd seen Kawari have trouble with anything--his Negative appeared to have difficulty sleeping and often woke at the slightest touch of the hand or jerk of the car. 'War training,' he'd called it, which did make sense, considering all those other war stories [1], but Ryou had a slight suspicion there was more to it than that.

            When they had gotten close to the boundary, Kaeru momentarily possessed his hikari and told Téa to pull over. She did, parking neatly in a spare lot in the new city they had come to, and the five exited the car, waiting to go on their hunt.

            From there, it had been twenty minutes of follow the leader, taking them into the present. Kaeru had spent most of the time weaving between buildings, gliding up and down alleys, and following the Ring's indications without question while the others tried to keep up. At first, it seemed like they were going in circles, but after some time had passed Kaeru finally came to a halt in the middle of an alley, a slight smirk on his face.

            "Got it," he said calmly, turning to look over his shoulder at the four behind him. Kawari looked bored, as though this were some routine, Téa and Tristen both looked a little nervous, and Ryou looked partly worried, and partly interested. "This is as far as we can go. We're heading into the Shadow Realm, now."

            "Right," his lighter half said, nodding, and then motioned to the three True Realmers. "Come over here. We need to do this under cover, so no wandering eyes see Shadow Realm related things." He turned, heading behind a dumpster, which was the only thing that could act as cover within the area.

            Téa wrinkled her nose, following somewhat reluctantly, as the others trooped behind her. "Eew. Couldn't you have picked a better spot? It stinks here!"

            Kawari gave her a look. "Where else do you want us to hide, inside the brick walls?" he asked flatly, tapping his gloved knuckles on the wall behind them. "I don't think so. And as for the smell, we're only going to be here for a minute or two, so deal. It smells a lot better than some of the stuff back home, at any rate, so I don't see why you're complaining. Garbage is perfume compared to blood and burnt flesh."

            Téa, needless to say, was a little surprised at this, but notably stopped complaining within a few moments.

            Kaeru shook his head, looking slightly annoyed or exasperated, but quickly went to work. He did not bother to take control of Kawari's body in order to work the magic of the Shadow Realm; he had long since become accustomed to strengthening his temporary physical form's magical abilities, as he often had to work as a separate being from his aibou and could not afford to be weaker because of it. Instead, his own false Ring glowed once more, all five pointers waving as if blown by some mysterious wind as its owner controlled the magic released from it. All it took was one small motion in the air with his hand, and a black disc sliced the air open in front of them, sitting there expectantly and glittering with a light that was not light at all, only lighter shadows.

            "There," the spirit said calmly, glancing back casually once again at the group he was responsible for. "The portal awaits." He moved forward and easily stretched out his hand, brushing at the edges of the gate gently, yet somehow exerting enough force to pull and stretch the portal open wide enough for a person to fit through. It looked oddly as though he was opening a door for somebody behind him.

            "You'll have to go first," he continued, hand still held in place as though he had to forcefully hold the portal in place. "I need to sustain this here until everyone has passed through."

            Kawari allowed a very faint grin to pass over his face. "Okay then," he said, sounding almost cheerful, "let's go!" He grabbed Ryou's wrist, as his True happened to be the closest person to him, gave a quick tug, as if to say 'Come on!' and then leapt through the portal, Ryou vanishing into it moments after him.

            Téa and Tristen stared in surprise. "I've never seen anybody so..er...not nervous about going into the Shadow Realm," Tristen commented, raising an eyebrow slightly.

            Kaeru shrugged. "What's the point of fearing something if you're going to be working with it a lot?"

            "Er.."

            The spirit smirked a little. "Exactly. No point. I taught Kawari to look at things the same way." He nodded towards the portal. "Now if you would enter so that I can close this..." The two remaining mortals, catching his meaning, hastily stepped through the portal, and Kaeru entered last after them, closing the nightmarish-black disc with another wave of his hand.

            As he stepped towards the others casually, he became aware of the conversation that was currently going on; Ryou was just finishing up a sentence. "--place always creeps me out," the True hikari said, sighing. "I've never liked it."

            "Hey, it's not exactly my choice for a vacationing spot either, but we're safe. Kaeru's with us, remember?" Kawari said, looking confident as he spoke of his yami.

            "I suppose," Téa admitted, "but it's not like we've had many good scenarios with Bakura and the Shadow Realm. It's still a little..weird, I guess."

            "Point taken," Kaeru said calmly, coming up to stand next to the girl absently, "but still, don't let this place psyche you out. You'll be safe here, that's my job."

            Téa blinked in surprise since she hadn't heard Kaeru coming up behind her--the Shadow Realm didn't have much of a ground or floor to make noise on--but nodded quickly. "Er..right. Thanks."

            "You guys really don't like this place, do you?" Kawari observed, somewhat dryly, as he glanced at the expressions on the True Realmers' faces.

            "Nope. Nothing good ever happens here." This was Tristen, although he was attempting to copy the cool, calm demeanor that the Negatives were showing. "What about you guys? How's the Shadow Realm in your Realm?"

            "Technically," Kaeru said, raising an eyebrow slightly, "the Shadow Realm is its own Realm onto itself, but we get what you mean. And as for our experiences there, well, they vary. We use it a lot now that the Hand doesn't have any more Millennium Items at its disposal, but when Yami had it four months ago...it wasn't pretty, let me tell you." He grimaced a little.

            "Speaking of which," Kawari spoke up, eyeing Kaeru slightly, "should we use our guard tactic? It would make things a lot easier."

            Kaeru nodded. "Yeah, it would. We'll need a guard, especially since the Shadow Realm has gotten even more dangerous with this Overflowing. Besides," he continued, "the latest Verse suggested that there would be monsters guarding the Temple, and it would be extremely inconvenient if we met one."

            Ryou blinked in surprise. "A...guard?" he asked, looking confused.

            "Yeah," Kawari answered him, grinning a little as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slightly battered deck. "A guard. It'll scout around and ward off monsters...or at least warn us about them. We use the tactic a lot when we have to transport supplies or people through the Shadow Realm." He paused, considering a card in his deck that he had been flipping through, and then tossed it to Kaeru. "Here...that one's a high flyer and it'll be able to ward off attackers easily enough..." he laughed a little. "Plus it fits the whole mood well...Negatives and Trues and all."

            Kaeru caught the card easily out of the air, glanced down at it, and then smirked a little. "Well, you're certainly right, I suppose. She definitely does fit the mood." Raising the card casually between two fingers, he concentrated, and the Ring around Kawari's neck glowed as the monster within the card was summoned.

            The shadows nearby swirled and condensed together, forming a vague shape of a creature, which quickly began to gain color and an identity. Within several minutes, a very familiar figure had appeared--long hair, mismatched wings, and a half black, half white robe that split the figure neatly into a dark and light half. Unmistakably a Change of Heart.

            Ryou gasped in surprise and stared at it for a minute; although he was used to the summoning of real live monsters by now, it still surprised him to see his favorite card hovering before him, alive as he was.

            Kawari, next to him, chuckled slightly and elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Your favorite too, huh?" he asked, grinning a little.

            Ryou nodded slightly. "Yeah," he said, still staring at the Change of Heart with a sort of awe.

            Kaeru, meanwhile, had turned to the monster that appeared and was calmly instructing it, but not in Japanese. The three True Realmers recognized it after a few minutes as Ancient Egyptian, mostly by the general sound, though they were a little surprised by this discovery. Confused, they had turned to Kawari to get some questions answered.

            "Why isn't he talking to it in Japanese?" Téa started out, blinking in curiosity.

            Kawari just shrugged. "Well, it's a monster from Egypt, isn't it? So it only speaks and comprehends Ancient Egyptian."

            "All of them do?" Tristen asked, raising an eyebrow. "That has to be a hassle."

            "Well, not all of them," Kawari admitted, paying attention absentmindedly to what his yami was saying to the summoned monster. "Some of them understand modern languages, depending on who summons them and how often. I'd bet some of your Yami's more prominent monsters would be able to understand some Japanese even if they don't actually speak it. Our Pegasus back home has monsters that understand English." He shrugged again. "Most just stick with their home language though."

            "Oh...so what's he saying?" the True Realmers asked, watching Kaeru.

            Kawari listened for a moment, then translated, pausing momentarily at a few words but for the most part making the translation smooth. " 'Circle the area that we occupy by a fifty yard radius and search it for possible threats of surrounding monsters. If any are spotted, either attempt to drive them away or, if this is not possible, report back immediately in order to give preparation time. That is all.' That's the end of the message."

            It did indeed appear to be the end, for the Change of Heart gave a small yet formal bow and turned away, sweeping out its wings and plunging into the 'sky' above them to do as it had been asked. After a few moments it was no longer visible, its graceful form lost in the writhing, cloudy mass of shadows.

            "That's that," Kaeru said calmly. "Now...let me think..ah yes, shields." The Millennium Ring flashed momentarily, and the mortals felt a sense of pressure being lifted off them ever so slightly, relief flooding through them as their minds and consciousness' no longer had to fight the Shadow Realm, however unconsciously they had been doing it.

            "This is only a weak shield," Kaeru explained carefully, "so if you feel faint, tired, or drained, let me know immediately. I don't want to waste too much energy protecting everybody fully or there won't be enough left in case we get in a tight spot." He frowned momentarily, and then added, "I just hope the Pharaoh thinks of that. From what I've seen of the way he acts, he'll try to be extra noble and protect everybody with the strongest shields he can produce, but he'll have lost all his energies if he gets into a fight, and that won't turn out all too well."

            "What about Kaze?" Ryou asked, blinking slightly. "Wouldn't he think of it?"

            "Maybe, but I doubt it," Kaeru said, shaking his head. "Kaze doesn't work with the Shadow Realm that much, that's really my department, along with the rest of the Millennium Item owners in our Realm. He has too much on his plate to handle the Shadow Realm as well...but because of that he doesn't know some of our major strategies there, and that could turn out for the worse now." He paused momentarily, then continued. "But it doesn't matter now. We have no way to change what goes on in their group, so we'll just hope their Scroll hunt goes well, and continue with ours." He turned slightly, heading off in one direction with the rest following him. "Let's go."

            In the beginning, trekking through the Shadow Realm as if they were on some hike, along with a spirit who, though on their side, was still a Bakura and was inadvertently freaking them out, did not seem much like the True Realm beings' idea of a picnic. At Kaeru and Kawari's apparent ease in the Shadow Realm, however, the remaining members of the group began to feel safer, and even began to break out into idle chatter. The entire trip would have been fine, they had guessed, but for one thing: he had decided to take the journey with them.

            Just as Tristen had been explaining eagerly about several of the streetfights he and Joey had gotten himself into to a rather interested Kawari and Kaeru, Bakura, of all people, suddenly materialized in their mist, looking particularly murderous and ready to kill something. By the way he was eyeing Kawari, it looked as though the Negative Ryou had been deemed a good subject.

            At his sudden appearance, Tristen and Téa had given small gasps of surprise, while Ryou had backed up several paces and bumped into Kaeru, who had been near him. At the slight jolt, Kaeru had turned to look over his shoulder to see what the commotion was; he spotted his opposite instantly and broke into a growl, Kawari nearby throwing the True tomb robber a dark glare.

            "What are you doing out?" Kaeru snapped, breaking the tension that had lasted several seconds, though it seemed like more.

            Bakura still had his murderous scowl on and did not stop throwing Kawari glares (which the Negative unhesitatingly returned) but when he answered, he managed to keep his voice relatively smooth. "No law saying I can't," he said, smirking a little. "I felt like stretching my legs after that...incident." His lip curled; he was obviously very pissed about his loss to Kawari.

            "Well you have. Go back to your soulroom," Kaeru growled back. Bakura shifted his glares from Negative hikari to yami; Téa had a distinct feeling that there was enough angry energy flashing between the two to create a lightning bolt.

            "Tch. You can't order me. Who the hell do you think you are?"

            "You, stupid. Now get back to your soulroom."

            Bakura smirked a little, but his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Make me."

            Kaeru's eyes also narrowed, and being that the two were the same person, the strange effect that one was staring into a mirror was brought off, as the actions occurred at the same time. "I bet Kawari would love to."

            "Hah!" Bakura gave a small, dark chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look at you. The spirit hiding behind the host. Pathetic! Do you use your hikari to do your dirty work now? Is he your attack dog?" Another smirk, causing Ryou to grimace slightly; his yami was obviously trying to be annoying, now.

            Kawari bristled at this statement, eyes narrowing until they almost mirrored that of Bakura and Kaeru, but it was the Negative thief that spoke. "No," he snapped, tone of voice showing his anger to match Kawari's, "he's not a possession, and I believe we went over this before. If I could attack you, rest assured I would have kicked your ass by now, but as the Realm laws stand it appears my hikari is the only one of us that can fight you." He glared for a minute, then gave a smirk identical to Bakura's. "Besides, it isn't as if I need to defeat you, my hikari appears to be able to do so just as well. Or perhaps you didn't notice, what with being unconscious and all."

            That comment certainly hit home with Bakura; the tomb robber snarled angrily, half reaching for his back pocket--and deck--before he remembered the Realm laws as well, stating he couldn't win a fight against his opposite. Still furious, he spoke. "Be that as it may, my point still remains. I'm staying out, so if you want me to go back to my soulroom, you'll have to make me." His glare shifted back to Kawari, who was still bristling. "And believe me, if you try to fight me again I will make you pay, by Ra."

            "I'm so scared," Kawari said mockingly, his gloved hand forming a fist.

            "You should be."

            "Sure. Whatever."

            The two looked like they were indeed squaring off for another fight, but Téa broke in rather suddenly, grimacing a little. "Guys..." neither Kawari or Bakura appeared to be listening, so she appealed to Kaeru instead. "Kaeru...don't you think we should get moving? I mean...if those shields of yours really are weak, like you said, then we want to get in and out of here quick before the Shadow Realm has a chance to break through them."

            Tristen nodded, agreeing, though he watched the two white haired beings bristling at each other rather warily. "That means we wouldn't have time for this fight...we gotta get moving now."

            Kaeru looked irritated, but finally nodded at the logic in this statement. "Fine," he finally snapped, glaring at Bakura and obviously not liking the idea of 'losing' to his opposite, "but you're supporting yourself, I'm not shielding you."

            Bakura smirked, giving a rather mocking bow. "Of course," he said, a dark laughter escaping his lips. Although he gave no appearance of having used any magic, he had evidently already shielded himself, as he was now simply standing (although he had not ceased his glaring contest with Kawari, and this was, apparently, the battle that was replacing the one they had been just about to commence).

            "Okay," Kaeru muttered, now looking a lot more annoyed, "Let's get going. And you," he added, giving Bakura an angry look, "will be traveling up front with me, and Ryou will be staying away from you."

            Bakura laughed a little, thinking it worth it to give in to that particular command so long as he could perhaps cause a little more inconvenience and perhaps, if he got lucky, havoc. "Don't trust me?" he asked, again rather mockingly.

            "Not as far as I can throw you," his Negative responded.

            The True thief shook his head, tutting a little. "Don't you know you should always trust your companions?" he responded, taking the words Téa used so often, but his tone of voice completely mutilated their true meaning and turned it to a pile of ash.

            "You're not a companion. You're an inconvenience. Now do shut up, I have to get everybody to that temple and you're not helping any by being here."

            Bakura just laughed.

            From then on, the journey to the Temple of Darkness was not quite as cheerful. For one thing, the confident moods that Kaeru and Kawari had held earlier were gone, and the True Realm beings were feeling rather nervous with the presence of the Bakura that had caused them so much trouble. The spirit seemed to take delight in constantly looking over his shoulder, sending dark, murderous glares around to those walking behind him, as if saying that he was simply itching to kill something, preferably one of them. Usually this made Ryou and Téa shiver, while Tristen would look slightly unnerved and Kawari often appeared to be debating attacking the spirit head on or wasting a few extra seconds to draw Gin Hebi. And in addition to the True Realm Bakura, there was Kaeru as well, who looked particularly annoyed now, something that most of them were pretty sure a Bakura shouldn't be for one's own personal safety.

            Yes, all of the True Realmers silently agreed that two angry Bakura's and an equally annoyed Negative Ryou were probably not the best conditions for traveling, and through such a dangerous place, at that.

            After perhaps two hours of such tension had passed, however, the results of their traveling finally began to be rewarded. Far ahead of them, still quite a bit of walking distance away, a speck could be seen against the horizon. They weren't sure how they saw it, because it seemed just as dark as Shadow Realm, and at first most of them had thought it was simply a trick played on their eyes--until Kaeru announced they had reached their destination.

            "That," he said quietly, pointing ahead at the speck in the distance, "is the Temple of Darkness, and the home of one of our Scrolls."

            Tristen looked relieved. "Finally! Geez, you think they'd make it a little closer to that borderline."

            Bakura looked over his shoulder again, fixed Tristen with a glare, and said rather flatly, "Fool."

            "Hey!" the boy protested. "What was that f--"

            "Because you're a fool, that's why," Bakura said, smirking a little and delighting in annoying--and scaring--the mortals further. "They're meant to be far for a reason, you stupid mortal, and--"

            "Shut it, Bakura," Kaeru snapped. "We're not interested in hearing it."

            "I honestly cannot believe you can put up with these morons without wanting to throttle one," the True thief stated, looking distinctly annoyed.

            "Call it a skill. Now shut up," Kaeru retorted.

            Bakura looked as if he was getting ready to argue more, but was brought short by the sudden fluttering noise that came through their midst. The noise was soon connected to the monster that was swooping gently through their group--the Change of Heart, come to report back its findings.

            Kaeru immediately muttered something in the Ancient tongue again, and the True Realmers, as one, turned to look at Kawari. The hikari, rolling his eyes a little, yet looking amused, set to translating. "He asked it if it spotted anything dangerous approaching."

            It didn't appear to have, however, because it shook its head, long hair fluttering behind it and wings shifting slightly with the movement. Satisfied, Kaeru nodded, speaking once more, and Kawari set about translating again.

            " 'Good. We are nearing the Temple now; monsters are not allowed on its sacred grounds, unfortunately. You may return to the card if you wish.' "

            The Change of Heart nodded quietly, looking quite serene. It gave another small, formal bow to Kaeru, and then turned, giving both Ryou and Kawari polite nods as well. As its gaze brushed over Bakura, however, it gave him a disdainful look, turned its head away, refused to politely acknowledge him, and vanished, returning to its card.

            Bakura looked extremely annoyed at the card's treatment towards him, but continued to cause trouble for his opposite by smirking a little. "You called a Change of Heart to guard you?" He laughed. "What are you, weak? That's got to be the most pathetic thing I've heard yet, and that's setting aside your little attack hikari," he added, smirking as he glanced over at Kawari slightly.

            One of Kaeru's eyelids twitched, but he kept his temper remarkably well, considering he was also a Bakura. "I am protecting several mortals, in case you haven't noticed."

            "Tch, mortals. They're so annoying. Why don't you just let them all die and get it over with?"

            "Bakura!" Kaeru growled warningly, cracking several fingers as his hands clenched into fists. "You're digging your own grave, you fool. I won't be surprised when you get buried in it."

            Bakura chuckled. "But I'm too fast to get caught. I never die." His dark smirk added to these rather unnerving words, delivered so coldly that it sent shivers up the True Realm being's spines and even made Kawari raise an eyebrow in surprise.

            "Don't speak too soon," Kaeru shot back, glaring. Bakura only smirked.

            By this time, they had gotten closer to the Temple of Darkness, and speech was brought to a halt at the stunning structure in front of them. It was enormous, with wide sweeping steps at its front and large pillars supporting it, and (though they didn't know it) of the same structure as the Temple of Light. This temple, however, was not built of white marble, but rather, of marble colored with the deepest black they had ever seen. Indeed, it seemed to absorb light from the Shadow Realm, making the surrounding area look much brighter in comparison to the stone of the temple, which was so dark the eyes kept slipping by it as if it was invisible--it was difficult to see. All of them had the strange feeling that they were looking at a black hole.

            "Well," Bakura said, smirking a little. "Here you are at your precious temple. What are you planning to do now?" He gave Kaeru a look, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

            "First," Kaeru hissed through gritted teeth, "I'm going to suggest you shut your mouth before somebody does it for you, preferably painfully." He gave his opposite a warning look, then continued, turning back to the others. "As for the rest of us, we'll go in and try to find that Scroll."

            "Someone desires the Scroll of Fate?"

            The group froze, even Bakura. With various amounts of surprise, six heads from the Scroll hunting party turned to look up at the top of the temple steps...where somebody was now standing.

            It was a man, looking somewhat elderly but still with an air of strength about him, as if he had once been powerful and still had some memory of it. His hair was pure white with age, very long and falling nearly to his feet, tied back in a simple ponytail to keep it out of the way; he also had a long white beard, though it fell considerably shorter than his hair did. His attire consisted of deep, flowing black robes, which contrasted sharply with his hair and beard but made the rest of him almost fade into the temple walls to fall unseen. His hands, hidden in the long folds of the arms of his robes, were folded calmly across his chest, and he looked quite peaceful simply standing there.

            The man spoke again, and his voice, though also sounding somewhat elderly, held that same hidden strength to it that the rest of his demeanor did. "A peaceful greeting, friends. I am glad to see your journey to the Temple was safe. I am Custos, Guardian of the Temple of Darkness, and also the assigned Guardian of the Scroll of Fate for nearly 6,000 years."

            Kaeru raised an eyebrow. "By Ra, you're even older than I am!"

            The man, Custos, smiled a little. "Yes, perhaps, but I shall most likely pass on soon, and there are very few mortals such as myself still left alive that can still claim they have outlived the Item spirits. Soon I shall rejoin my brother and allow a new Guardian to take my place, just as my nephew Kanshinin replaced the last Guardian of the Light Temple."

            Bakura snorted. "Tch, you, a mortal? I'm surprised you lived past one hundred. Quite an achievement for mortals, I'm told."

            Custos turned his head slightly, frowning. "I am not sure how you were allowed to pass the barrier, but nothing can be done about it now. Please, keep peace. I cannot allow you to stay in my sanctuary if you wish to cause trouble."

            The True tomb robber snorted. "Is that supposed to be a threat?" he asked, rather sarcastically.

            "Yes," the man answered sadly, but there was a flicker of fire in his coal black eyes for a moment that suggested he had the power to back up what he said.

            Bakura was not stupid. He had seen that flame, and decided that it would be best to comply with the man's request for now. Scroll Guardians probably were not the smartest people to fight with.

            "So...you're the Scroll Guardian?" Ryou spoke up, looking curious.

            Custos turned his head back to face the other Scroll hunting members, who were separate from Bakura by about a foot or so. "Yes," he answered quietly, "I am."

            "But what happened to the weird voices?" Téa asked, confused. "Don't they usually guard the Scrolls?"

            "Usually, yes," Custos answered, nodding. "But they dislike the Shadow Realm, and they needed someone to protect the precious Scrolls for them. I was asked by the Guardians to protect the Scroll of Fate for them, and so I have done for 6,000 years."

            "Oh..." Téa frowned a little at the thought of guarding a Scroll for that long, but left the idea alone after a few minutes.

            "So," Kawari said casually, "since you're the Guardian here, does that mean you're presenting the Challenge instead of the other Guardians?"

            The elderly man nodded. "Yes, quite correct," he answered. "I shall present you with a Challenge I deem suitable, and if you pass, I shall allow you to claim the Scroll of Fate as your own. Of course," he added, looking a little sad, "I am by no means at the level of the true Guardians, so I will not be able to present you with Challenges in another Realm or dimension, but...I will do my best."

            "S'okay," Tristen said, grinning a little. "Those were getting a little old, anyway."

            Custos smiled slightly, looking more cheered up thanks to Tristen's words. "Most of you have good hearts," he said, eyeing them all. "I do hope you pass my Challenge. You all seem worthy enough. Even you," he added, nodding at Kaeru, who blinked slightly, "because I can sense that you and him," (this was directed at Bakura) "are related somehow, yet you are completely different. Opposites, I presume." Kaeru nodded, while Bakura looked angry.

            "So how many people need to be in this Challenge?" Kawari asked, looking ready for anything.

            "Three," Custos answered calmly, smiling a little at Kawari's eagerness. Chuckling a little, he eyed the hikari and his yami, asking, "You two are from the Negative, aren't you?" At their surprised nods, the elder man closed his eyes, nodding slightly with the smile still on his face. "Yes, I traveled to that Realm once, several millennia ago...you were probably still unawakened in the Ring," he added, for Kaeru's benefit. "It has always been a troubled Realm, but the people there are very distinguished...most of the notable figures in that Realm are stubborn and dislike giving up. I suppose that is the trait of your Realm, would you agree?"

            Kawari blinked. "Er..."

            Custos shook his head. "Never mind...I can see it in the two of you, but it doesn't matter. You probably do not know of the complex web of Realms and traits yet. That is fine. Most beings are not meant to know of Realms at all, and those that do understand little more than the Balance." He smiled, as if he were a grandfather telling his grandchildren stories, and then continued. "I shall continue with your Challenge instead. Your quest interests me, so...I believe I shall give a Challenge that takes the strongest talents of the Challengers and put them on trial. You shall face against an opponent to see if you can defeat them while proving your true strengths. Three wins total are required, so all three Challengers must win their respective battles to take hold of the Scroll. Does this seem fair?"

            The Scroll hunters nodded, with the exception of Bakura, who just looked bored.

            "Very well, then. Follow me to the inner chambers, if you please." The elder man turned and glided softly into the dark interior of the temple, the others heading hastily up the steps to keep up with him.

            When they entered the Temple, it was almost impossible to see due to the incredible darkness of the marble. Its seemingly light-absorbing abilities were now feeding off the flickering light coming from Kawari's Millennium Ring, which was glowing slightly as it supported the shields for the mortals. Yet, in the middle of the room, on a pedestal equally as dark and as hard to see, sat a simple, innocent-looking Scroll, the purpose for their travels. It shined as well with a soft, steady light, yet that light was not absorbed by the Temple, but rather it was allowed to shine brightly, acting as a beacon to call them forth towards it.

            Custos halted next to the Scroll, white hair and beard standing out clearly in the dark and gloom. "Here," he said quietly, "is the prize you desire. Now. May I ask the three Challengers to stand forward so that I may choose the problems they shall face?"

            The group hesitated a moment, before Téa spoke up. "I haven't done anything yet," she said, moving forward a pace. "I need to help out somehow. I'll be in this Challenge!"

            Ryou agreed. "Téa's right. I haven't done much either other than solve riddles...I'll join, too." And he, too, stepped forward.

            Kawari and Kaeru exchanged looks. "One of us is going to be the Negative Challenger for this," the hikari pointed out.

            The tomb robber nodded. "And I think I should enter."

            "No way!" Kawari protested, shaking his head. "For one thing, you've been in more Challenges than I have, and I need a chance to catch up to you. And for another thing, you still have to sustain those shields for everybody so the Shadow Realm doesn't eat at their minds. You can't do that and participate in a Challenge."

            "I've only been in one more Challenge than you," Kaeru muttered. "But your second point...that makes more sense." He gave an annoyed sigh, then nodded. "Okay. You're in."

            Kawari grinned. "Perfect! This oughta be fun..." he stepped forward to join Ryou and Téa, crossing his arms in an expression of readiness. "Okay, everybody's ready...Custos, was it? So let's go!"

            The Guardian nodded quietly, smiling slightly at the eagerness of the three Challengers. "Very well. For each individual there shall be a separate, smaller Challenge. One will lead to the next, so keeping with the team is essential, whether it happens to be your particular Challenge or not." At this, he stopped, pointing at Ryou. "You," he said quietly, "will take the Challenge of Intellect. He--" he pointed at Kawari for this, "will follow with the Challenge of Endurance, and she--" he pointed, last, at Téa, "will finish with the Challenge of Grace." He glanced around at the three again, and then said softly, "If there are no questions, the Challenge will begin."

            None of them spoke up, so Custos nodded softly and drew his hands from his long robes, holding them together and looking as though he was praying. Closing his eyes, he concentrated momentarily, and the Temple around them began to swirl, buck and shift, changing from its sacred shape to create something...else. After perhaps two minutes had passed, it had finished, leaving the group standing at the foot of a very large, dark...maze.

            "The Challenge of Intellect begins," he said softly, gazing at Ryou and nodding. "You must find the way through the maze, and lead your comrades to the next Challenge, the Challenge of Endurance." Ryou nodded, taking a step forwards towards the entrance, but Custos threw out a hand to keep him from moving, smiling a little. "Hold on...you have not met your opponent yet."

            "Opponent?" the hikari asked, blinking slightly. "Oh, that's right...you did mention facing off against an opponent, didn't you?"

            Custos nodded quietly again. "And here she is," he said softly, waving one hand behind him to indicate the figure moving towards them.

            Ryou blinked in surprise...it was a duel monster. It looked like a woman, wearing a crisp, neat business suit and with short, black cropped hair. Red-framed glasses were perched precariously on the tip of her nose, and she kept pushing them back up onto her face with an air of being in control, reminding them all vaguely of a lawyer or nerd. She clutched a leather-bound book in her arms carefully, as if waiting to nail them with rules and regulations that they had broken to get them into trouble. But that wasn't the strangest part; she had a pair of snowy white wings producing from her shoulder blades, though they were currently folded and not doing anything in particular. Téa thought she had seen the monster once in Yami and Joey's duel against the Big Five; a Hysteric Fairy, she thought it was called.

            The Fairy walked up to them curtly, not speaking but giving Ryou a snooty look that suggested she was just dying to defeat him in this little Challenge, and then maybe if she was lucky get them arrested after that. She pushed her glasses up her nose once more, then took up a place near Ryou, as if waiting at the starting line for the Challenge.

            Custos chuckled a little. "The Hysteric Fairy is your first opponent. The others will be met when you reach the next Challenges. You must get to the end of the maze before she does. You may begin when we have left your field of vision." He turned to Kaeru, Tristen, and Bakura (who was still idly hanging around, waiting for another chance to cause some trouble) and spoke calmly. "You three will follow me...I will take us to an area where we can watch the whole Challenge and observe, but not get in the way. Come." And he strode off, the others following with only Kaeru giving a glance over his shoulder at his aibou.

            As soon as they were out of sight, the Hysteric Fairy gave a small yell of triumph and shot for the maze's entrance, disappearing into its dark, mysterious depths in seconds. Ryou, surprised at its speed, hastily whirled to face the others, yelling, "Come on!" before dashing for the entrance as well.

            Téa started for the opening into the maze as well, trusting that Kawari was behind her and suspecting that he would actually pass her within a few seconds; he was much faster, after all. But when he didn't shoot by her after several seconds had passed, and she was nearly at the maze, she stopped, looking confused, and turned around to see what had happened.

            Kawari hadn't moved.

            "Kawari!" she yelled, surprised. "Come on! We have to beat that fairy thing!"

            The Negative gave her a look, opened his mouth, and to her surprise answered, "I'm not going in there."

            "What?!" she yelped, surprised. "Kawari, are you crazy? This is a Challenge!"

            Ryou, by this time, had heard the commotion and returned, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

            "Kawari's saying he's not going in the maze. But it's a joke, right?" Téa hastened to add, giving the opposite Light a questioning look.

            "I'm dead serious. I'm not going in there."

            Ryou looked confused. "But...Kawari...it's part of the Challenge! We have to go through there or we'll lose the Scroll of Fate!"

            But Kawari only shook his head firmly, looking not the slightest bit as if he cared.

            The True hikari was getting a little antsy now, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly towards the maze, as if hoping he would somehow be able to spot the Hysteric Fairy's progress. "Okay...okay....you don't want to go in there. Why not?" Maybe they could find a solution to the problem if they figured out what the problem really was...

            "It's a maze," Kawari answered flatly, glancing at it's entrance somewhat nervously. "A maze. You can't get out of them, we're just gonna get lost in it. No way I'm putting myself in there."

            Ryou perked up a little; maybe there was a way he could get his opposite into the maze after all. "But that's where I come in, see? I'm supposed to find our way out! I can make sure we don't get lost in there!"

            Kawari gave a rather sarcastic laugh. "Good luck with that," he said dryly. "We didn't seem to do very well with that last time, now did we?"

            "What?" Ryou's brow furrowed in confusion. Kawari just shook his head, as if waving away his last statement.

            "I'm just not going in there, that's all."

            "Come on, Kawari!" Téa broke in, shifting back and forth from foot to foot in nervous excitement as she spoke. "Don't you trust us? We won't get lost if we work as a team! And Ryou can get us through it, he's smart and Custos wouldn't have given him this Challenge if he couldn't do it!"

            A slight twitch on the Negative's part. "I..."

            Ryou could see Téa was starting to convince him, so he added hastily, "plus, we need that Scroll to help us with the Shadow Realm, and we can't get through this Challenge without a Negative, remember?"

            Kawari looked vaguely as if he would have liked to shoot himself by this point, but finally nodded, expression rather grim. "Fine. Fine, I'll go in. I just hope to Ra I get back out..."

                        ()                      ()                      ()                      ()                      ()

            Bakura, Kaeru, and Tristen had watched the whole dilemma from an elevated section of the Shadow Realm, lifted high enough so that they could see the entire layout of the maze in order to watch the Challengers' progress through it. They hadn't bothered to ask Custos how he had managed to elevate the area to its particular height at the moment; he obviously had very strong control over the Shadow Realm, and probably had more abilities at his control because of it. Bending the fabric of the Shadow Realm most likely seemed like a piece of cake to him.

            Though they hadn't been able to hear the conversation going on below, the gist of the problem had become rather clear to the watchers, who were currently debating it.

            "Your hikari is scared of mazes?!" Bakura asked, laughter bursting forth in dark waves from his lips as he spoke. "Mazes?! Is he that much of a coward?!" He shook with more laughter, adding afterwards, "Tch, I'm amazed he beat me, if he is so easily frightened!"

            Kaeru gave him a murderous glare, saying in a low, dangerous snarl, "He has his reasons."

            Bakura burst into another fit of laughter. "What, did he get lost in one as a kid? Is he scarred for life?" The last sentence was delivered mockingly, with the spirit smirking at his opposite as he spoke.

            "I don't think it's worth it to grace you with an answer," Kaeru snapped back, looking decidedly annoyed. Why did the first portion of this Challenge have to be in a maze? Kawari never did well with them of late, since he had escaped the Labyrinth in his own mind...

            "Come on, Kawari," he muttered under his breath, so low that not even Custos heard him. "You can make it through...you'll be fine."

            He only hoped that his words would be true.

                        ()                      ()                      ()                      ()                      ()

            As soon as the three Challengers had taken their first step into the maze, Kawari had given a deep shiver, as though he was being condemned to the gallows and could find no way to escape his punishment. It seemed that it was only his war training and discipline that was making him put up with going through the twisting collection of passages, and he was obviously trying his hardest to not hinder the other two, but he wasn't hiding it as well as he probably would have liked.

            Ryou was positively bewildered. He had not yet seen his opposite acting this way, and it was definitely a new side to the Negative. Until now, all he had seen was a confident, skilled hikari that seemed to be able to walk through most situations without the bat of an eyelid, but now...it was as if nearly all of that personality had disappeared. Though Kawari was trying not to show it, Ryou could see all too well the signs that showed he feared his surroundings; the slightly faster pace of his breathing, the wary way he kept glancing about the walls, as if they would attack him, the unsteady step that suggested he was a little nervous about moving forward. And even if the opposite had been able to hide those signs, the thought link connected to Ryou was enough evidence to make him quite certain the other version of himself was afraid, with muttering wisps of thoughts passing through here and there just long enough for him to register what they had said.

            Ryou could also sense, however, that his opposite was not in the mood to talk about his situation, and he didn't want to frustrate his Negative by pressing him. When Kawari wanted to talk, he would, Ryou was sure of it, just as much as he was sure that his opposite knew he was available to listen.

            So instead he concentrated on navigating the maze, knowing the best way to calm Kawari down would be to get him away from the thing he feared.

            Entering at a quick trot, the three of them headed down a seemingly straight corridor for several minutes, until they eventually came to the first break in the maze--two junctions, one moving off to the right while the other cut left.

            "Which way?" Téa asked curiously, coming to a stop next to Ryou, who was in the lead--Kawari was lagging a few paces behind.

            "Um..." the True hikari considered momentarily, trying to call up his knowledge--it was a Challenge of Intellect, after all. He thought he'd read about maze strategies before, and how keeping your hand on the left wall would eventually lead you to the exit. He wasn't sure he trusted it entirely, but it was their best bet for the moment. "We'll go left."

            Téa nodded, entirely trusting his judgment, and took off down the left corridor, knowing the boys would catch up in a few minutes. Shouldn't have worn heels for this, she thought to herself dryly, grimacing a little. I always have the worst luck with shoes...[2]

            Ryou pounded after her, turning over his shoulder to shout to his opposite. "Come on, Kawari! We'll get out of here in a snap, don't worry!"

            His opposite simply grimaced, eyeing the new corridor warily. Licking his lips, he looked over his shoulder momentarily, at where he knew for certain a way out was, before muttering something under his breath rather shakily and forcing himself into a jog, following the others.

            They ran for a few minutes, Kawari always lagging behind by a few feet, until they hit another junction; without hesitation Ryou chose left again, keeping with his basic strategy for the moment until a better one came along. The other two followed, Téa completely trusting and Kawari just praying that they would not get lost in the labyrinth they had entered. Two more junctions came and went, with Ryou continuously choosing left, trusting the strategy more and more as it kept them away from dead ends. The twisting and turning around corners and through breaks and passages in the maze was endless, yet the True hikari thought the Challenge was going pretty well so far...

            Kawari, however, had been continuously falling into a worse state. The deeper into the maze they went, the more his fear became obvious, though he was still trying to the best of his ability to hide it, although by now 'the best' wasn't much. By now, a slight trembling had taken hold of him, although with his heavy clothing and jacket it was hard to notice without a practiced eye; his breathing had gotten a little faster than it had been before, when they had entered the maze, and he continued to look increasingly wary. More often than not, his gloved hand hovered near the hidden sheath of Gin Hebi, and his fingers twitched continuously, as if he was desperate to use the weapon against his fear but could find nothing material to use it against. And, both Ryou and Téa had noted with confused interest, the Negative had a habit of stretching out his hand in front of him and swiping at the air as they went around corners or through particularly long passageways, as though he was testing it for something invisible lying in wait, ready to snare him.

            The actions still confused Ryou, though he continued to let his Negative keep his silence on the subject, respecting that the opposite wanted to keep it a secret. Téa, though, was sure that Yugi had mentioned something like this when he was telling her and the rest of the gang about the Negative Realm several months before; something about Kawari having been lost in a maze for a long time, and how Yugi had to rescue him, or something...she couldn't really remember, now, she hadn't been paying as much attention at the time, worrying about Yugi...well, whatever it was, she remembered that he had good reason for acting like this...

            About twenty minutes of maze-traveling had passed when Ryou spoke, attempting to calm his opposite, whose signs of fright had not lessened any. "See?" he questioned, giving a cheerful grin in the hopes of spreading a better mood, "We're really doing fine, we're cruising through here! We'll be out in no time!"

            "It can't be this easy," Kawari answered softly, glancing about at the stone walls that rose several feet above them to expose the 'sky' of the Shadow Realm above. "They're never this easy...they like to trick you..."

            "Kawari, don't worry, we'll be fine. Custos wouldn't put us in here if it wasn't safe, right? And anyway, I think we can make it through here just fine." Ryou grinned again and then led the others at a run around the next corner.

            And stopped dead.

            There were four passages leading off in different branches now, not the two that they had been previously accustomed to. Ryou's strategy of choosing left was dead, now--there were two lefts to choose from, not one.

            "Told you..." Kawari hissed quietly, taking a step back from the four corridors nervously.

            "No problem," Ryou answered, attempting to be optimistic. "We can do this, it's not impossible." He considered for a moment, but could recall no strategy for just such an occasion, and finally shrugged, sighing a little. "It'll take some valuable time, but...we could probably just guess a corridor and see where it leads. If it doesn't work we can always come back and--"

            "No!" the Negative Ryou yelled, grasping his True self's arm in a surprisingly strong, almost painful, grip. The True hikari winced, but Kawari went right on talking, wide-eyed with worry and fear. "You can't just choose one! That's how you get lost! It plays with your head that way!" He looked slightly panicked, and his grip tightened in his worry.

            "Okay!" Ryou said hastily, pulling Kawari's hand free of his arm. "We won't guess...but how are we going to do this, then?" He glanced down at the stone maze ground, thinking idly...and blinked in surprise at the designs carved into the stone between the weathered lines and cracks.

            Startled, he bent down to take a better look at them, blinking at what he saw. Four stars in a row, with a line standing vertically on the row's right side; in addition, there was a single star below the first four, with a vertical line of the same size on the left.

            Téa bent down to look at the stars as well, rather surprised, while Kawari remained standing and watching the four corridors as though something was hiding in them. "What are those?" she asked curiously, blinking.

            "I'm guessing it's a clue or sign as to which way we're supposed to go," Ryou answered, studying the stars carefully. After a moment he stood up, heading for the farthest corridor on the right. "Let's go, hurry!"

            "Are you sure?" Kawari hissed softly, feet planted firmly for the moment.

            "Yeah, see," Ryou explained hastily. "The stars represent corridors, see? The top row has four stars and a line on the right--so the fourth corridor to the right is the one they're indicating. The bottom star has a line to the left, so it's the first corridor moving left. Both are the same corridor, that one." He pointed at the door he had chosen, then gently tugged on Kawari's jacket sleeve to get him moving. "Come on, let's go, we need to beat that fairy!"

            The Negative hesitated for a moment, and then slowly nodded, pushing himself forward to get moving once more. "Right...lead the way."

            The three of them dashed down the new corridor, passing the stone walls by in a whirlwind but always met by endless more. This particular corridor turned and twisted for some time before leading them to their next junction, a break of three corridors this time. Ryou, after finding another clue carved into the stonework, made his next choice and led them down the middle corridor, pushing them onward through the maze.

            The travel was endless. The corridors and passageways never seemed to end, and the dark, dreary coloring and deep shadows cast by the Realm they were in were beginning to make the Challengers feel slightly disturbed. None more so than Kawari, though, for the longer they stayed in that fast-becoming-hellish maze, the further he fell into his panicked, scared state, muttering under his breath that they were never going to get out of the labyrinth now and that they had lost.

            Several times, Ryou misinterpreted the clues that were given, sending them in the wrong directions and leading them to dead ends. At this point, he would hastily backtrack, leading them back to the original junction so that he could try to figure out what he had done wrong. Téa would usually encourage him when this happened, urging him to do his best to figure out the problem. Kawari, on the other hand, would more often than not be caught in a state where he was obviously trying to keep himself from doing anything rash due to his panic (Ryou once saw his opposite's lip bleeding from where he had bitten it in an attempt to calm himself down after the third time they had gone in the wrong direction).

            Worse, the labyrinth was not always silent. They were used to the echoing sounds their own footfalls made in the maze, but it had come as a shock to all three of them (particularly Kawari) to hear, at one point, something snarling on the other side of the wall they had been near. After calming themselves down after the heart-stopping surprise, they had realized that this was none other than the Hysteric Fairy, who had most likely reached a dead end as well and was furious because of it. Several other times they had heard the monster during their travels, as well; sometimes faintly, as if it was far away, sometimes close by as if it was only a wall away, but all times it had sounded almost as frustrated as they were.

            Despite the wrong turns and startling noises, however, they were making progress. Ryou was a very effective leader through the maze, making careful decisions and never allowing impatience or nervousness to take control. He was also quite good at calming his opposite down when Kawari looked particularly nervous, keeping the Negative going through the maze despite his fears, and it was because of these combined skills that they had gotten so far.

            Eventually, the three of them turned a corner at a run and found themselves facing a gigantic, rounded chamber, which had four corridors (including the one they had just exited) leading off from it's circular sides. Startled, Ryou came to a halt, the others following suit next to him.

            "See any clues?" The True Realm being asked, looking around hurriedly. "We won't be able to make a correct choice without one, there are three doors left and--"

            Before another word could leave his mouth, something erupted from the passageway to their left, causing all three of them to flinch or jump in surprise. The something, halting nearby them for a minute, turned out to be the Hysteric Fairy, which was standing with its book clutched tightly in its white-knuckled grip and wings spread wildly, feathers disarrayed.

            The Fairy gave the three of them a disdainful glance, which covered up its momentary look of surprise as it realized they were just as far as it was, even with its head start. Scowling, it gave an annoyed hiss, and then suddenly shot forward, passing them and pelting down the right-hand corridor ahead of them on the other side of the circular chamber.

            Ryou started in surprise at the Fairy's actions, but only momentarily; with a determined yell, he called, "Come on!" and darted for the left-hand corridor that the Fairy had not taken.

            "What?" Téa yelped in confusion, though she pushed to a run again. "Why? What happened to the clues?"

            "There's no time for it anymore!" Ryou called back, entering the corridor as he spoke. "I have a feeling we're close to the end, so much that I almost know we're nearly there. If we waste time anymore, that Fairy'll beat us!"

            Kawari had not moved at first, nervous at the idea of simply guessing in order to choose what direction to go in, but when Ryou mentioned he thought they were close to the end, all his doubts vanished. He was running after the others in seconds, catching up quickly, nervous of being left behind when they were hopefully so close to their goal.

            They pelted down the corridor at high speeds, twisting, turning, going so fast they were afraid they would not be able to slow down in time to cut around corners and would crash dangerously into the walls. Kawari's endurance really came into play now as he strove to escape the labyrinth he hated so much, and he was actually a few paces ahead of the others, moving with agility but with the grace he had had earlier missing due to his fear.

            After several minutes of running, they heard an angry screech behind them, belonging without question to the Hysteric Fairy that they had left behind. Ryou was almost positive the corridor it had chosen had come to a dead end, or it wouldn't be so angry--which meant the corridor they were currently traveling in was the correct exit out.      And at last, they pulled around a final corner, staring with victorious excitement at the final, straight stretch awaiting them, with the empty darkness of the Shadow Realm swirling beyond the walls of the maze. Pouring on the last of their speed, the three of them shot forward, sliding across the line chiseled in the stonework of the ground that evidently marked the end of the maze race, and the Challenge of Intellect.

            "We beat the first one!" Téa said excitedly, slowing down a little as they crossed the line--running in heels for an extended period of time tended to hurt a little. "And all thanks to you, Ryou!"

            The True hikari smiled a little at his accomplishment. "Yeah...I'm glad I could get us through. Well, there's one of the three miniature Challenges done, at any rate."

            The Hysteric Fairy came suddenly rushing out behind them, wings wide as it used them to push itself even faster down the maze. Seeing the others already across the 'finish line,' it came to an abrupt halt, folding its messy wings and sneering at them angrily. The Challengers had expected this, but it was when it spoke that surprised them.

            "You win the first Challenge," it said, looking irritable, in clean Japanese that held a bit of an accent. "But wait until my comrade deals with your friend...you will lose then..." and it smirked, pushing its glasses up its nose once more, giving them furious looks.

            Téa and Ryou exchanged looks, frowning a little as they contemplated this new piece of news. Kawari's Challenge was next, then...would he be up to it? Turning, the two of them glanced down towards the exit to the maze, blinking a little at what they saw.

            Kawari had not stopped running when he had crossed the 'finish line;' although the Challenge had been won, the marking point was still within the walls of the maze, and the Negative hikari wanted out more badly than anything else at the moment. He had gone dashing at high speed for the exit, determined to reach the open, 'safe' airs of the Shadow Realm, just so he could be free of the trap that he had been stuck in...but someone, or more appropriately something, had blocked his exit, a something that was very large and dangerous-looking.

            All of the Challengers were absolutely disgusted at what they saw. A rotting, skeletal body stood before them, the skin and muscle that managed to stretch over the bones old, dirty, and tainted green with the color of decomposing flesh. Wide, ghastly eyes stared down from the face, and a mouthful of twisted, discolored teeth was bared at them, giving the face an altogether skull-like look with a grim, nasty grin and atrocious features. The creature was garbed in what once had to have been fancy, respectable clothing, but by now it was so worm-eaten and torn that it was almost impossible to recognize it for what it was. In its right hand it held a long European blade, with a wide, golden, fancy bellguard and old, dark bloodstains splashed on both the hilt and the blade. The creature stood seven, nearly eight feet tall, standing several feet over both Ryou's and Téa, and it looked extremely murderous. Kawari and Ryou recognized the creature well, as it was from their own decks, while Téa, who had never seen it before, simply looked disgusted with its rotting appearance.

            "The Earl of Demise," Ryou whispered softly, staring awestruck at the fearsome monster.

            The creature gave a positively ghastly grin, raising its blade slowly to point in Kawari's direction, though that was its only movement--it still stood casually otherwise, and looked as if it was only indicating one of the three Challengers. Slowly, its decaying mouth opened, and it spoke in a raspy, cracking voice, as though it had long been in disuse and it had forgotten how to use words.

            "A battle," it hissed softly, glaring at Kawari with unblinking eyes. "Our Challenge awaitssss...." the last word ended in a hiss, and it looked positively eager to kill.

            Kawari, in response, gave a glance at the walls still rising above him, and then at the monster. He still looked slightly nervous, as if the walls were somehow signifying his doom, but he managed to respond, taking a step forward. "Fine...outside."

            "No." Smiling darkly, the Earl slipped sideways to block Kawari's exit, still pointing the long blade at him. "Here. Now."

            The Negative gave a slight twitch, still not really focusing on the fight as much as the fact that he wanted to get out of that maze. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not fighting you in h--"

            The Earl growled in response, a low, hissing sound, and slashed out suddenly with its blade, forcing the hikari to leap backwards in surprise with well-toned reflexes. It did not speak again, but instead lowered itself into a stance, the blade held out before it, ready to stab deep into its opponent's heart at a moment's notice.

            Kawari took a minute to gather his footing, and then glared across at the Earl, shifting a little. "Fine," he snapped, his anger, for the moment, replacing his slowly-disappearing fear. "We fight now. But you've made a big mistake here...because you don't want to get in the way of me and my exit!" So saying, Gin Hebi was out in a flash, and he dived forward, charging the Earl in a sudden move.

            The creature was ready. It brought its long blade around to parry Kawari's short one, and the two were very suddenly engaged in several rounds of attacking and parrying, each trying to gain just enough control in the battle to effectively wound and drive back their opponent. The movements of the blades were a blur, just silver streaks flashing one after another, connecting with sudden loud clangs only to pull back and flash once more in another attack. Ryou and Téa could not follow the paths of the two weapons, but apparently the two battlers could, and were keeping up with each other perfectly, matching each other move for move.

            At last, the two rather suddenly parted in an explosion of movement and speed, the Earl leaping back while Kawari skidded out, bringing his left, non-gloved hand down to the shadowy not-quite-ground to steady his balance. Both combatants glared at each other, and Kawari slowly rose to his feet from his crouch, blade at the ready.

            The Earl was strong, he had discovered that very quickly in his first round with the creature. It took him nearly all his strength to successfully parry one swing from the long blade, and if he kept with the head-on assault too long, he would wear out before the creature did. But he had also noticed its weakness; the long blade and its particular style left it many weak spots, if he could only get around the blade long enough. As soon as he passed by the front half of the monster's sword, it would have so many blind spots that Kawari would be able to sink Gin Hebi into its rotted flesh fifteen times over before it could react.

            Deciding on his plan, he darted forward once more, bringing his dirk up for the beginnings of what looked like a frontal assault. The creature smirked, bringing its blade down to parry Kawari's and possibly cut into his skin, but the hikari, in a burst of speed and strength, knocked it aside to the right, away from himself, and darted to the Earl's left, hoping to get around his range before it had time to bring the blade back.

            It would have succeeded very well, the battle ending in seconds, but Kawari saw too late the flaw in his plan--and skidded to a halt, second before crashing into one of the walls in the maze. The Earl gave a dark smirk, having already realized that this would happen, and brought the blade swinging around suddenly, stabbing into the wall towards the hikari's torso as if trying to spear him there.

            The Negative dodged to the side and avoided being pierced through, but not without being injured slightly; the sword sliced his side and grazed his ribs, and though the wound was shallow, it hurt considerably. He gave a small hiss of pain and leapt back out of the creature's range, pressing his free hand to his side momentarily to check the damage--he could make it through the fight, but he knew he had to be carefully or he could hurt himself more in the process.

            He couldn't help but swear, though. Damn that Earl! He knew why it had kept him in the maze to fight, now...without a wide area to move in, Kawari's major skill in battle--agility--had become virtually useless. And in addition, he was now at the mercy of the Earl's surprising strength--all factors that did not bode well for the hikari.

            The Earl gave a soft, grating burst of laughter, bringing its rapier around to lunge rather suddenly, blade point stabbing outward with the hopes of burying into Kawari's chest. The Light leapt back in surprise, a feat easy enough to manage for the moment--he was still relatively out of the creature's range, but he wouldn't be for long.

            The creature, apparently, also knew this. Smirking, it took three large steps forward, its long legs carrying it far and bringing it within close range of Kawari--a range that the shorter being would not be able to dodge out of, should there be an attack, as the blade was too long.

            With another vicious lunge, the Earl shot its blade forward to skewer its opponent once again, its evil, skull like smirk twisted into a malevolent grin. Kawari knew he could not dodge this one and instead moved to protect himself, Gin Hebi flashing up instantly; grasping the hilt in his gloved hand, he held the blade out horizontally, using his left, non-gloved hand to support the blade edge and using it as a shield. The rapier point crashed with a screech into the stout, defensive dirk blade, the momentum and strength behind it so great that it actually forced the defender to skid back a few inches on his feet, despite putting his full force into the protection maneuver. The double-edged dirk blade cut into his left palm slightly, causing tiny rivers of blood to drip off his hand to the dark ground below, but it was well worth it--his defense worked, keeping him from being ruthlessly run through with the Earl's rapier.

            Still smirking, the Earl recovered and lunged again, hoping to either drive back, wear out, or somehow pierce Kawari. Again the rapier point came into contact with the dirk; this time, however, the blade glanced off the edge and continued sliding forward, finishing off the momentum put behind it and slicing the hikari's arm painfully in the process. The blade, being extremely long, razored along the side of his left limb and continued cutting, going deep. The Negative gave a slight gasp of pain and hastily pushed the blade away with his own dirk before it could do any more damage.

            A harsh laugh came from the zombie-like creature standing several heads over him, and all at once its strategy seemed chosen. With furious speed and strength it lunged again and again, its berserker-like attack meant purely to overpower its opponent, wear him down, and throw him into the ground. Kawari battled with all his skill, parrying, defending, and moving when he could, but the creature was simply too strong, and every defensive maneuver he managed to pull off cost him dearly in strength and endurance. His left hand was starting to go numb from the consistent battering it was getting, supporting the blade in his defensive stances, and it was beginning to bleed more heavily as well. And he wasn't escaping the attacks without harm, either; more often than not, the rapier would glance off his own blade as it had before, slicing into his skin, and while none of the hits were vital--usually it was just the blade slashing open a surface wound--most of them were extremely painful, and all of them were bleeding regularly. If these conditions kept up, he was going to wear out or pass out soon.

            Behind him, the others appeared to see this as well. Téa and Ryou had stayed put by the finish line in order to give Kawari enough fighting room, but they could see all too well the toll the fight was taking in their Negative friend, regardless of how little they could follow the battle itself. Worried, Téa turned to her friend, asking nervously, "Do you think he can do it? He looks like he's in a bad spot..."

            Ryou didn't hesitate in his answer, trusting his opposite entirely. "Of course he can! Did you see how he took out my yami? This Earl should be a piece of cake! He just needs to figure out the secret to beating it, that's all." He sounded extremely confident, a tone added to his usually soft voice that made him seem a lot different than he actually was, for the moment...almost like his opposite.

            "If you say so..." the girl bit her lip, turning back to watch the fight, still looking worried.

            Kawari was still not doing so well. He had taken a few more wounds, and was still trying to defend, but he was being slowly driven back and worn down at the same time. As the Earl made another lunge, he swung Gin Hebi, trying to parry, and noted with dismay that he hardly sent the rapier off course before it came back to slice at his arm again. His strength was rapidly dwindling, what little he had to use against this monster.

            Another rapid lunge, and the hikari threw himself to the side quickly to dodge, not having gained enough strength back so quickly in order to defend against it. His speed, he soon noted, had dwindled as well, as he only barely made it away from the blade in time and felt it slicing at his coat sleeve vaguely. Shit...and not only that, but he was far too close to the wall for his liking...

            The Earl gave another harsh cackle, twisting its rapier so that the blade edge was facing towards Kawari, and without even a moment's pause swung the weapon in a wide arc, lowering it slightly and not even bothering to recover the blade before it did so. At its new, present level, the rapier was on a direct course for the hikari's legs, with the creature's obvious intent of cutting the limbs out from underneath him, or damaging them, so that there would no longer be any running or dodging.

            The Negative wasn't about to let this move defeat him, however, and while tired he was not completely worn out yet. He leapt, stretching out one leg to push off against the wall and rebound to give himself more air. Hanging suspended momentarily in the middle of the atmosphere of the Shadow Realm, he saw the rapier slash by underneath him, like some hideous game of jump rope gone wrong. Snarling, the Earl withdrew its blade, even as Kawari hit the ground, stumbling a little in his recovery due to his fatigue and clawing at the ground with his numb left hand to slow himself down as he crouched.

            Pulling himself to his feet quickly, Kawari panted rather heavily, chest heaving in its own separate battle to take in air while the hikari fought. He automatically fell into a fighting stance once more as the Earl readied its blade and loomed over him, but his left hand unconsciously curled around the leather cord of his Millennium Ring as it often did while in battle--usually checking to make sure he hadn't lost it. As the numbed hand touched against the cool metal of the Ring, some of the Negative's senses seemed to be restored to him, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

            What the hell am I doing? He thought to himself angrily, standing a little straighter, hand still curled around the Ring tightly, as if it was reassuring him somehow. Defending? Constantly? No way an Opposition agent is taken down so easily like this. And me of all people! His gloved hand tightened around Gin Hebi's hilt, as if he was getting ready to really use it. That's it, this thing's about to get more than it bargained for.

            With a yell, the Negative charged forward suddenly, taking the offensive before the creature had a chance to lunge. It seemed genuinely startled at this sudden attack, actually taking a step back before it came to its senses and held its ground. Kawari didn't appear to care, but lashed out with Gin Hebi for all he was worth, battering at the rapier with such skill and speed it was almost impossible to understand where he had suddenly summoned it all from.        Despite his determination and ferocity, however, the attacks didn't appear to be doing much good. The Earl's blade was far too long, and it had too much strength, making it a simple task to parry the smaller hikari's weaker blows. Nevertheless, Kawari was far too stubborn to give up, and kept trying, though the likelihood that his plan was going to succeed was growing dimmer by the second.

            Eventually the Earl gave an irritated growl, finding this new game rather boring, and deciding to end it. As Kawari moved to attack him again, it lashed out randomly with the rapier, hitting the Negative with the flat of the blade and causing him to stagger back in surprise and pain, the blow much too strong for his body to take easily. He gasped momentarily, and then leapt forward with new determination, ignoring his pain for the moment as he full-out charged the Earl...just as the massive creature went into a lunge, blade aimed straight for the hikari's heart.

            Working on pure instinct, Kawari dropped suddenly to his knees to avoid the attack, momentum actually forcing him to skid a few inches forward on his knees while the rapier thrust out harmlessly over his head. For several seconds he felt disoriented, the sudden jolt of hitting the ground working into his fatigue, but then he pulled himself back together, realizing exactly where he was...inside the Earl's guard, where the creature had no room to swing at him and attack.

            He made his decision instantly. He knew all too well how the Earl would react to his next maneuver, how it was going to be excruciatingly painful, and how his worn-out body might not be able to take it with the same endurance that he would have had if he had been completely fresh...but he knew for a fact that he wasn't going to get another shot like this. Damn, though, this is gonna hurt.

            Throwing himself forward suddenly, he raised to his feet, bringing Gin Hebi to the ready. The Earl, seeing all too quickly Kawari's intent, flipped his rapier so that the blade was pointing downwards, bringing it crashing down on its opponent in an attempt to defend. But Kawari had foreseen this, and moved aside just enough so that it did not split his head, but rather slammed home on his shoulder, digging through flesh painfully deep...and coming to a sudden stop on the heavily armored bone of the shoulder blade, no longer cutting into the hikari and effectively protecting him from crucial, possibly fatal wounds.

            The Negative heard somebody screaming in surprise and worry behind him--probably Téa, he thought vaguely--but cast it aside as he implemented the next part of his plan. He dashed forward the few feet remaining between himself and the Earl, ignoring as the rapier razored through his new wound, not having been removed from his shoulder yet and resulting in it further being cut open, biting his tongue to keep himself from crying out. Disregard it...ignore it...you've got a job to do...

                        Too late, the Earl pulled the blade from it's perch in its opponent's shoulder, trying to bring the rapier around to attack and defend itself. But now the length of the blade was a disadvantage, as it could not reach a target so close to its user without injuring the user itself. Kawari's plan had worked to perfection.

            Snarling slightly, a sound both expressing his pain and showing his anger, Kawari drew back Gin Hebi and plunged the blade forward. The reason for the blade's name soon became evident as, quick as the strike of a cobra, the silvery flash shot forward, burying itself in the abdomen of the Earl of Demise with a sickening, tearing noise.

            The Earl gave a wild screech and took a step backward, flailing the rapier in its hand uselessly, but Kawari wasn't finished and slashed out again, and again, tearing at the creature's abdominal cavity in a mad attempt to kill the undead. Each time he struck, the fiend gave another wild scream, retreating wildly, until it finally shrieked in harsh, cracking words, "Stop, stop, the Challenge is yours, yourssss!" To emphasize its point, it dropped the rapier to the ground, taking another step backwards and raising both gnarled, rotten hands to show its surrender.

            "Then step aside and let us out!' Kawari half snarled, half gasped, Gin Hebi still held in a tight grip. His entire left arm was throbbing now, courtesy of the attack on his left shoulder, but he ignored it for the moment.

            "Yesss, yesss!" The Earl hissed, slipping sideways and leaving enough room for the three Challengers to pass by, with room to spare. "Pass! The last of the small Challenges awaits!" It seemed eager to get rid of them.

            Kawari gave the creature one last glare, but it only retreated to stand next to the Hysteric Fairy, which had a sullen look on its face upon seeing the result of the battle. Sighing, he finally wiped his dirk off carefully, giving the blade his utmost attention for the moment, before sheathing it and clamping his right, gloved hand to his arm in hopes of relieving the pain a little.

            Ryou and Téa came running up seconds later, beaming as they congratulated him for his win. "Nice job!" Ryou exclaimed. "I was a little worried when it got you on the shoulder, but..." he eyed the wound a little, frowning at the red liquid spilling forth, and went silent.

            "I let him hit me," Kawari said, massaging his arm a little, now--the whole thing was rapidly going completely numb. "The shoulder is very heavily armored by bone...better than getting hit in the head." He grimaced a little. "Now can we get out of here?" he finished, giving the walls an angry look.

            "Hold on!" Téa said, staring at the Negative hikari as if he was crazy. "You're just going to walk right out of here with all those wounds? We should check you first!"

            "I'm fine, let's just get out of here," Kawari hissed, whirling and moving for the exit to the maze as fast as he possibly could--which, at the moment, wasn't particularly fast.

            Téa blinked in surprise before heading after him, Ryou next to her. "Is it just me, or are all of these Negatives a little bit crazy?"

            Ryou just shrugged.

            It took them only a few minutes to free themselves from the maze, and that freedom had an interesting effect on Kawari. The hikari seemed a lot more relaxed once they had left, and although it took him several minutes to pull himself back together from his strange fear of mazes, he seemed to be rapidly coming back to his original, calm nature. Of course, he was also still wounded, which did somewhat take from the effect, and every time he took a step on the side of his slashed ribs, he winced a little. Téa finally stopped him after only a few steps and said quite firmly that she thought she and Ryou should look over his wounds before they went anywhere else, and this time he didn't argue, instead waiting patiently until his major injuries were bandaged to their satisfaction.

            Once his wounds were treated in the best possible way they could manage for the moment, they took a look around, wondering where exactly to go next. The maze loomed behind them on both sides, so after quick debate, the three decided to continue straight on forward, as if they had just left the exit and were moving straight ahead.

            After moving for only a few minutes (at a slower pace than previously used in the maze, courtesy of Kawari), Téa blinked in surprise and came to a rather sudden halt, pointing off in a direction somewhat to their right. "Look! Do you guys see that?"

            Ryou turned his head slightly, eyes flickering in search of what Téa was pointing out. "See what?"

            "That little flicker of light! See, there it is again!"

            "I see it," Kawari said after a moment's pause, narrowing his eyes slightly to try and better his vision while keeping his right hand still clamped firmly around his left arm--it was still numb, and they hadn't been able to do anything about that. "Hard to spot, though, it's moving fast."

            Ryou had caught sight of it as well after a few seconds, and blinked. "It's moving this way, isn't it?"

            "Hey, yeah!" Téa said suddenly. "You're right...is it that third challenge monster?"           "I hope so, I'm not much in the mood for fighting some random extra monster," Kawari said, somewhat dryly. "One's enough for the day."

            The flicker of light, whatever it was, was fast approaching them now and growing larger by the second. As it narrowed the distance between itself and the group of three, it began to gain shape, evidence of what it was clearer. It seemed almost transparent, and had the figure of a thin girl with long, blonde hair. It was obviously extremely pretty, even in the simple dress it wore [3], but what was most astounding was its wings. They were absolutely enormous, far larger than those of the Hysteric Fairy, spreading out wide on either side of it and producing from its shoulder blades, and each pump from the limbs sent it speeding forward...yet at the same time the whole appearance was positively graceful. To add to the effect, the entire creature glowed with a mysterious, gentle light, which trailed after it as it flew, only to be eaten up by the shadows behind it moments later. Téa thought she could recognize this one, unlike the Earl they had just seen....she was pretty sure this was a Soul of Purity and Light. She'd seen one in the Kame Game shop before when Joey had been looking for other cards.

            The Soul approached them quickly, and when it was within a few feet of them its wings began to backpedal, flapping wildly in front of itself in order to slow it down and bring it to a stop. The action was accomplished within a few seconds and the monster landed gracefully, nodding politely to the three Challengers.

            "Er..." Téa hesitated a moment, then stepped forward quietly. "Are you the third opponent that we have to face in this Challenge?"

            The Pure Soul nodded quietly, but did nothing else.

            "Um...so...." Téa blinked a little, then ventured to speak again. "So....what exactly are we supposed to do?"

            In reply, the Soul stretched out one long, elegant, pale arm and motioned for them to follow it, before turning and walking slowly away, large wings trailing after it. It still seemed graceful while walking, but the wings appeared to give it trouble, as it looked like they were extremely heavy (relatively, for a spirit anyway) and like they could force the creature to topple over backwards at any given moment.

            The girl watched it striding off for a few minutes before turning to her white-haired companions. "What do we do?" she asked, giving them each a somewhat confused look.

            "Follow it," Kawari said dryly, "What else?" Ryou, standing next to him, nodded. Téa shrugged and turned, trotting after the graceful creature with the other two following along at a slower pace behind.

            The Soul lead them for several minutes quietly, fluttering its transparent wings every few minutes as it moved, but staying perfectly silent the whole time. The absence of sound from the creature struck them after several minutes; even the swish of its dress as it moved was non-existent. Obviously, being a spirit had freed it from such rules, though even Ryou and Kawari--the two in their group more used to the supernatural--needed a few minutes to adjust to it.

            After a few minutes of walking, the three began to notice a big change in the Shadows around them; they seemed more restless, moving more often, whirling around them almost hungrily and chasing each other in spinning circles nearby. The Soul did not appear to notice and lead them towards the thick of the activity, but the other three had most definitely become aware of the excited movement from the darkness around them and had shown their displeasure at it.

            "This is starting to look pretty bad," Téa had said, beginning the quiet conversation as she gazed, startled and slightly nervous, around her at the frenzied shadows.

            "No kidding," Kawari said, eyeing the shadows as if expecting them to jump him--they had, after all, caused the Pharaoh of his Realm to go crazy, so he didn't trust them much. "Just stay close to the Soul...if it's your Challenger, it can't let you die yet."

            "Yet?!" Téa snapped, whipping her head around.

            "Well, mine tried to kill me."

            "If I ever need some encouraging words, remind me to never ask you." Téa muttered, turning back to face forward.

            "Will do."

            Ryou shook his head and fought the conflicting emotions of sighing in exasperation and bursting out laughing. He ended up occupying himself by keeping a wary eye on the excited shadows around them as well, hoping that they would stay away long enough for Téa to finish their Challenge so that they could get out of here.

            The Soul came rather suddenly to a halt, whirling around gracefully and holding out its pale, elegant arm once more to motion for the threesome to stop. They did so, and once it had seen that they had halted as well, it quirked one long finger towards Téa, motioning for her alone to come forward.

            Téa blinked. "Me? We're doing the Challenge here?"

            The Soul nodded in response, indicating once again for Téa to move forward and pointing at the not-quite-ground next to it. Still looking confused, as she didn't know what they were doing yet, the girl moved forward to stand where it had been 'told' to, waiting.

            The Soul waited for her to take her spot, and then nodded, the smallest of smiles flitting onto its transparent face. Its wings spread momentarily and it raised its pale hand to the air again, waving it quietly with several hand motions that Téa supposed vaguely had something to do with spellcasting or magic. She did not see the results of whatever the Soul had done, and looked around in confusion, wondering if this somehow indicated the start of her part of the Challenge; Kawari, on the other hand, the only one with a little more experience in magic-sensing than the others, looked around himself and Ryou curiously, as if searching for something.

            Téa saw his confusion, but didn't have much time to ask. With an almighty screeching sound, the shadows, already excited around them, became absolutely crazed. They swirled around both the mortal human and the transparent Soul, screeching their frenzied calls...and began to attack.

            The brunette wasn't quite sure what was going on at first. She had been standing quite still, rather intimidated by the sudden noise that had exploded from the silence all around them...and the next thing she knew, a sudden pain slashed through the side of her lower arm. Startled, she had raised the limb to see what was wrong, amazed to see a shallow, two-inch long cut on her skin, beginning to bleed but not to any great extent. It looked, she thought in surprise, as though somebody had taken a needle or a small razor and slashed her with it. Another flash of pain, and another cut appeared on her leg, followed by another on her cheek, and another on her other arm. Startled, she glanced around rapidly, wanting to try and spot what was attacking her.

            The answer came quickly as a small wisp of shadows exploded from the darkness all around her, solidifying momentarily into an almost needle-like shape and lancing forward to slice at the skin of her hand, leaving another long-yet-shallow cut there. The little shadowy needle disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived, vanishing into the gloom all around once it had done its work, leaving room for others of its sort to attack her as well.

            Both Ryou and Kawari were surprised at the sudden attack of the shadows, their eyes widening in identical exclamations of astonishment. Ryou took a step forward, yelling to his Negative over the roar of the shadows, "That's not fair, how on earth is this a Challenge? Maybe the Rings can help--"

            "Stand still!" Kawari snapped suddenly, reaching out to grab his opposite's arm with his good, right hand and wincing slightly as the numb left one lost the sudden support he'd been giving it. "Don't move...I think we're being contained by a spell!"

            "What?" Ryou said, blinking. "Where?" He glanced around, but the only thing he could see was the swirling, angry shadows mobbing Téa and the Soul of Purity and Light.

            "Can't see it," Kawari explained, pulling his opposite back a step, and then throwing his right arm back to his left hastily to ease it. "I'm not even sure it's there, I've been learning the basics of sensing other types of magic from Kaeru, but I'm not that good yet...I'm sure there's something around us, though. That's what it was setting up when it was making those hand motions."

            "So..." Ryou considered this information for a moment, then asked a new question. "What's it doing, exactly?"

            Kawari frowned a little. "Keeping us from getting out and keeping those shadows from getting in. Look!" He indicated upwards, over their heads, where one of the shadows had tried to lance down at the two of them angrily and had been dispersed before ever reaching them.

            Ryou frowned as well, glancing over at where Téa had been in worry--the shadows had swarmed both her and her opponent so much by now it was hard to distinguish them through the haze of black. "I hope she can do this on her own, then...it might be hard if she doesn't have a Millennium Item..."

            Téa, within the cloud of attacking shadows, was thinking much the same thing. There were cuts all over her, now; though all of them were superficial and only caused by the needle-like shadows grazing at her skin, they were getting more and more numerous, and she still wasn't sure what exactly to do. What kind of Challenge is this?! I don't even know how to win it!

            Hissing slightly as another shadow struck her, she whirled her head to try and find the Soul, thinking that maybe, if she got lucky, she could figure out what it was doing and imitate it. She narrowed her eyes to try and find the creature's familiar glow, covering her head with her hands to protect it from the attacking shadows as she did so...and then she spotted it, and gasped.

            The Soul of Purity and Light...was dancing.

            No, not quite, she realized after a second or two of observation. It looked like it was dancing, but in reality it was dodging the attacks of the shadows with a surprising amount of grace, twirling, dipping and swaying perfectly to protect itself and avoid the needle-like attackers. Téa could see it had been hit a few times, as there were long, dark patches where the soul energy creating it had ceased to exist on being touched by the spirit-eating shadows--being a spirit it could not truly be wounded and hurt--but it sported far less 'injuries' than Téa did.

            It came back to the teen rather suddenly. My Challenge was the Challenge of Grace! It makes sense now! I know what to do! Face set with an expression of determination, she prepared herself for the dance, one small corner of her mind already analyzing the attack patterns of the shadows around her to see if there was any rhythm involved to aid the steps and movement she was readying herself for.

            And then she began. Slowly at first, still a little intimidated by the screeching and mad attacking of the shadows around her, she took a somewhat hesitant step, sliding to her left and spinning a little. She heard something streak past her a hairs-breadth from her face, and realized with a sense of success that she had avoided one of the attacks. The success was short lived as another needle-like attack grazed her arm, slashing over one of the already-existing cuts and causing her to wince slightly in pain.

            Faster. She moved right, shifted a little, twirled again, changed her footing suddenly, all at a increasingly more rapid pace, beginning to get the hang of the rhythm being set up for her. The attacking shadows were hitting her less, now, lancing by her harmlessly, the distance from her skin growing as she became more accustomed to her limitations. Another twirl, a slight dip to protect her head from the double attack, a bend of her waist to avoid that slice from the particularly sharp-looking needle slashing by...piece of cake. I can do this. Just a normal dance...that's all..wish I had some music though...she outright laughed as the image of the Shadow Realm playing music for her during a Challenge for one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever popped into her head.

            The Challenge was all becoming one gigantic rhythm for her now, and she flowed with it perfectly, keeping time with each attack and avoiding it effortlessly. When they sped up, so did she, when the pattern of attacks shifted, her style did as well. It was all one big game to her now, and she was almost enjoying it. Unconsciously, she began to make her dance moves a little fancier, adding extra, unneeded moves and amusing herself by seeing how fast she could pull them off before the next attack hit.

            Ryou and Kawari were watching from the sidelines, both relieved that their friend had discovered the secret to the Challenge, but now both of them--particularly Kawari--looked confused. "She's having fun?" Kawari muttered, raising an eyebrow as he watched the extra dance moves Téa was throwing into the Challenge for her own amusement. "Now? At a time like this?"

            Ryou laughed slightly at the almost comical, confused expression on his opposite's face. "Téa's always loved dancing, though. I bet she wins hands-down."

            Kawari shook his head. "Our Téa is a terrible dancer," he said, rolling his eyes, "but that's besides the point. I just hope she doesn't mess up the Challenge because she's fooling around."

            "Don't worry," Ryou said, turning back to watch Téa's progress. "I'm sure she won't."

            Téa thought she was doing extremely well as far as surviving in the Challenge was concerned--she hadn't been hit at all for several minutes now, and though she wasn't quite sure, it seemed as if there were less shadows hovering around her, now. She still had no idea how to beat the Soul, however...did she have to wait until it wore out before she could be declared the winner? Because if that was the case...a spirit probably had more endurance for physical activity if it didn't have a body to tire...the girl grimaced a little and, after completing another graceful dodging move, turned her head momentarily to see how her opponent was doing.

            She realized rather quickly why it seemed the shadows around her had lessened--they had all traveled to the Soul of Purity and Light, swarming it, frustrated when they could not hit Téa and deciding instead to attack the slower target. The Soul was still trying gracefully to dance its way free of the attacks that bombarded it, but there were too many shadows, pouring on thicker by the second, and there was hardly any more room to move in order to escape. Slowly but surely, the Soul was being defeated, the black slices in its soul material growing larger and more numerous, the shining, transparent colors of the creature itself becoming smaller and harder to see.

            At last, with the first sound it had ever made--a soft pleading shriek--it fell to its knees, wings sprawled out over its head to try and protect itself from the onslaught of shadows. They bombarded the creature for several moments, but after a sudden flurry of hand movements from the Soul, they came to a sudden halt, retreating in order to swirl once more in the gloom around them, excited but no longer completely crazed.

            Téa stood for several moments, panting slightly and looking somewhat surprised at the sudden retreat of the attackers. Blinking, she glanced over at her opponent, startled at the torn-up state of the Soul, which was currently pulling itself to its spiritual knees and looking a little downcast.

            "Did...did I win?" the mortal girl asked, giving the Soul a slightly sad glance upon seeing its downcast look. The creature nodded slowly, quiet once more, and raised its darkened hand up to point behind them, back where they had come.

            Téa assumed this meant they should head back, and nodded. "Thanks! Er...you'll be okay, won't you?" she added, disliking seeing the Soul of Purity and Light looking torn up and wounded in its own way. The Soul blinked, nodded slowly, and gave a gentle smile, then pointed back in the direction they had come once more, and vanished.

            "Guess that means we should head back now," Ryou volunteered, trotting up to meet Téa, with Kawari a few paces behind him--when the Soul had vanished, the containment spell had as well.

            "Right," the girl agreed, grinning a little as the realization came to her...they had won another Challenge. "We need to claim the Scroll of Fate...and then we can get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

            "Okay, but if we have to go through that maze again, I'm staying here," Kawari remarked flatly. "I can't stand labyrinths..." he grimaced a little as they turned to walk back the way they had come.

            They did not encounter the maze again, however, much to Kawari's pleasure; when the Challenge had ended, it had reverted back to its original shape as the Temple of Darkness, as that was the building they approached, several minutes later. All three were bone tired, and Téa and Kawari had suffered injuries as well (though Kawari's were sufficiently worse) so it came as a relief to see the mysteriously dark building looming before them. Even more relieving was the sight of Custos standing on the steps of the temple, hands folded in front of him and hidden in the arms of his robes once more, with Kaeru and Tristan standing beside him and waiting. Bakura was also there, sitting off to the side on the steps with an annoyed look on his face, as if he'd been hoping the three would lose, but none of them, with the exception of Ryou, paid him any mind, and Ryou only gave him a quick glance before focusing on his true companions.

            The Guardian smiled down at them as the three slugged up the steps and came to rest near their friends for the moment; Kaeru eyed Kawari's limp arm with a frown but said nothing, while Tristan looked a little surprised at the multitudes of scratches and cuts covering Téa's skin. After allowing them to rest, the kindly elder opened his mouth, speaking with an edge of praise to his voice.

            "Well done, very well done! Your determination and success amazes me, but then I wonder why, by Ra's name, I ever doubted your abilities for a second. Ah, but you are all tired, and some of you hurt." He shook his head quietly, then brought one hand from the folds of his robes and motioned that they follow him back inside the Temple. "Please, come inside. The Temple will refresh you for your long journey back, and I may heal you within its sacred bounds if you enter." And so saying, he turned and once more glided inside, the dark color of his robes blending him in with the darkness of the building and leaving his hair the only part of him that was distinguishable. 

            "Come on," Kaeru said, giving his hikari's limp arm another glance and looking as though he was having a few regrets about allowing the hikari to take the Challenge, and not himself. "You need that healed." He gave his lighter half a careful nudge to get him moving, seeing as his charge seemed a bit tired and interested in resting, and not going anywhere. The others followed him in, ignoring Bakura's dark smirks and annoying mutters in their direction for the moment.

            When they entered, Custos motioned for them to follow him once more, leading them to the center of the room, where the Scroll of Fate lay glowing innocently on its pedestal. He chuckled as the three Challengers eyed it, speaking up once more. "In a moment. You are all so eager to claim what is rightfully yours...I do not blame you in the slightest. But first, let me heal you..."

            So saying, the elder approached Kawari, stretching out both hands and gently taking the hikari's limp left arm. The Negative automatically winced as the wound was jarred, despite the Guardian's gentle handling, but the expression of pain left him almost instantly as a glow flowed from the elder's fingertips to the wounds that were being treated. After a few seconds of concentration, he released the arm, and Kawari blinked in surprise as he discovered it felt perfectly fine once more, the feeling having returned to it and the numbness driven out. The rest of his wounds were gone too, and he felt pleasantly refreshed, as though he had taken a long rest and had woken brimming with energy.

            The Negative blinked. "That's kinda cool," he said absentmindedly, flexing his left hand and observing the abilities restored to it with interest. Even his torn jacket had been mended, for which he was pleased, and he looked completely brand new.

            Custos chuckled, then moved on to Téa, healing the numerous scratches and cuts that scored her skin and causing them all to vanish within a few moments. She, too, felt refreshed, standing a little straighter and looking a lot more cheerful. Ryou came last; although he was not wounded, he did feel a little tired, but that was cleared up almost instantly thanks to the magic bestowed on the Guardian Custos.

            "Now," the elder man said quietly, giving a formal bow and then slipping gently aside, "take the prize that you deserve, and continue on your quest." With one hand, he motioned to the pedestal and its waiting Scroll.

            The three Challengers eyed each other slightly, and then Ryou moved forward, gently plucking the Scroll from its perch. A feeling of power swam momentarily through him when his fingers touched the parchment, but that feeling vanished almost instantly, and still looking a little confused, he carried it back to the others.

            "Who wants to carry it?" he asked, blinking a little. "Kaze's not here, usually we give them to him."

            Kawari shrugged. "I will," he answered, extending his hand for the Scroll. "My pockets are big enough." He smirked a little and gave the baggy pants he was wearing a momentary glance; there were definitely enough large pockets in them to carry ten Scrolls, and Ryou supposed it was fairly obvious as to why the Opposition agent would want to wear them. He bet that lots of equipment and weapons could easily be stored in them...

            The Negative carefully placed the Scroll in one of the numerous pockets, patted it carefully for safekeeping, and then turned to Custos. "Thanks," he said calmly. "We need to get going now...have to meet up with the others who were on the Scroll hunt..."

            "Did they travel to the Temple of Light?" Custos asked mildly, straightening and folding his hands together in front of him once more.

            "Yeah, we have another group over there," Tristan said, nodding. "They should be heading back now too, most likely."

            "I see." Custos cocked his head momentarily, and then added, "I hope my nephew did not give them too much trouble. I do not think the solitary life of a Guardian was made for him, but he did accept the position...ah, well. Good luck on your journey back, and good luck on your quest to defend against the Shadow Realm." And so saying, the elder man bowed, turned, and glided into the inner chambers of the Temple. They did not see him again.

            The Challengers, now rejoined with their two other companions, stared after the Guardian's path for a moment before turning and exiting the Temple, heading down the deep black, light-absorbing marble stairs and turning to head in the direction that they had originally traveled from. Bakura, noticing them leaving, stood calmly and followed after them with a smirk, rejoining the group in a few moments and looking as if he intended to cause a bit more trouble.

            The six of them stopped long enough for Kaeru to send out the Change of Heart once more to guard them from possible threatening monsters (not without much scoffing and commenting from Bakura) before beginning their journey back, trekking along through the Shadow Realm towards their point of entry. The journey was silent, mostly because of Bakura's presence there; he loomed near them all like a demon ready to pounce, and only Kawari and Kaeru seemed completely unafraid of him.

            It was because of this, they supposed, that Bakura decided to try and annoy them instead.

            "So," he said, smirking darkly as he approached Kawari, "got beat up by a big ol' zombie, did you?"

            Kawari said nothing, but a low growl escaped from his throat.

            Bakura laughed. "Ah, and to think that you were defeated by one of my own prized monsters." He shook his head, a mocking tone to his voice. "Sad, really. You obviously aren't as strong as you appeared." He smirked.
            Kawari gave him a look, but then rather suddenly laughed in response. "Yeah, right. If I had trouble against it, it probably would have killed your physical body. That, let me tell you, would have been entertaining."

            Bakura's eye twitched in anger, but then his smirk came back as he steered the conversation to a topic he knew he had the upper hand in. "Tch. Entertaining, eh? Well let me tell you, I found your little trip in that maze entertaining." He gave a harsh chuckle. "Imagine that, little hikari scared to death of mazes. It's almost funny."

            The responses came instantly; Kawari faltered momentarily in his step before turning to give Bakura a furious glare, while Kaeru met his opposite with an absolutely dangerous, warning gaze. "Watch it, Bakura. I told you he has his reasons, and I also told you to shut it."

            Bakura smirked again. "But I don't want to shut up about it. I'm rather enjoying the idea of toying with your hikari over this little fear of his." Kawari's hands were balling rapidly into fists, and his narrowed eyes and angry glare suggested he was thinking seriously about attacking.

            The True tomb robber continued anyway. "In fact," he said, smirking, "I think I'm going to use this new knowledge to the best of my ability and--"

            He fell short suddenly as Kaeru stepped up towards him, looking ready to slaughter and enjoy it, which was something they hadn't yet seen in the Negative thief. He looked positively enraged, and perhaps the only thing keeping him from outright leaping at Bakura and full-out attacking him was the fact that they were opposites. Even so, his anger was obvious, practically burning the gloom around him, and several shadows flitting here and there within the Realm had rallied to the anger they sensed, excited at the prospect of battle. "I. Said. Shut it."

            Bakura was trying to annoy the others, but he was no fool, and could see all too well that pushing his opposite any further would be a bad mistake. Not only that, but he was outnumbered; Kawari was looking particularly angry too, though nowhere near matching the anger of his yami, and even Tristen looked like he was considering joining in the fight against the yami spirit, despite the little use he would be.

            "Fine," he snapped, looking extremely angry, but not able to do much about it.

            "Go back to your soulroom," Kaeru added, giving him a flat, demanding look.

            "No."

            Kaeru's eyes narrowed; both Rings were starting to glow now. "You've stayed out long enough. Too long, in my opinion. Go back to your soulroom. Now. Or as you said before, we will make you."

            Bakura's eye twitched again in his anger, and he gave a soft hiss as he looked over the numbers against him again. He growled angrily, realizing he didn't have much choice...they would force him back to the Ring if he didn't do it willingly. "Fine," he snapped again, swearing at them loudly before vanishing back to his Millennium Item, out of their way.

            Kaeru sighed, exhaling his anger in one smooth breath while the Millennium Rings lost their furious, burning glow and returned to the simple, shield-sustaining one. He shook his head momentarily, muttering to himself, and then turned, starting the group moving again. "Come on. Let's go."

            The others, save Kawari, blinked, and Ryou muttered tentatively, "That...that was odd..."

            Kaeru still looked rather irritated, but responded with, "There's only so much bullshit I'll put up with," and left it at that. The True Realmers still looked a little surprised at this new side of Kaeru, but had to admit that it was extremely handy against Bakura, and so didn't mind it much.

            The rest of the journey, however, was taken in silence.

            Two hours or so after their departure from the Temple of Darkness, they finally reached the boundary of the radius that surrounded the sacred place, and Kaeru announced that they would be able to leave in a few minutes. Feeling relieved, the True Realmers waited, some patiently and others impatiently, for the Negative tomb robber to open a portal out of the Shadow Realm, wanting to get out of the mysterious darkness as quickly as they could--despite the shields, they were beginning to tire after nearly five hours in the energy-draining place.

            At last Kaeru slashed open the disc, and the five dashed out of the Shadow Realm, entering the real world back behind the dumpster they had chosen as their hiding place. Téa wrinkled her nose a little, but said nothing, and the five of them left the dumpster quietly to go in search of the 'borrowed' car Kaiba had 'loaned' them.

            It was just about sunrise by this time, with beautiful reds, yellows, oranges and pinks streaming across the still-partly-dark sky and making for an absolutely wonderful effect. The silhouettes of the tall buildings were perfectly clear against the bright morning colors, somehow making the group of five seem so much smaller when compared against the structures so tall they reached the skies.

            Kawari and Kaeru seemed to enjoy seeing the city so whole, not broken and bloodstained, as most in their own Realm were. They spent some time just looking around the streets, observing and pointing out details to each other that non of the True Realmers really seemed to understand the significance of, until Tristan suddenly asked if the clue to the next Scroll was harbored in the Scroll they currently had position of.

            The question was soon answered when the five of them headed over to a bench at the local bus stop, sitting down and carefully unfurling the Scroll, standing in a circle around it so that it would not be easy to see what the Scroll was. Kawari scanned the writing on the parchment briefly before searching for the small scrap that usually held the clue, but it wasn't to be found.

            "Damn," Kawari commented, sighing and rolling the Scroll of Fate back up to replace in his pocket. "That Death Scroll Yami and Kaze went after must have it, then."

            "We'll just have to check with them later when they come back out," Téa said cheerfully. "And come to think of it, they're probably back waiting for us...we had the long drive on top of getting the Scroll itself."

            "Suppose we should head back, then," Tristan pointed out, hands in his pockets absentmindedly. "Where did you park the car, Téa?"

            "Um..." the girl thought on it a little, then nodded to herself. "I remember. This way, follow me." And she strode off, the other four following her.

            They had only been walking for about ten minutes when Kawari heard the familiar beep in his ear, and, blinking a little in surprise, raised his hand to his com. link hoop earring to receive the transmission. "Yeah?"

            "Good!" Saguru's voice came over the link, sounding a little worried. "I've tried a few times to get you, but you must have still been in the Shadow Realm...it wasn't picking up."

            "Yeah, well, we're out now," Kawari answered, frowning a little at Saguru's worried tone. The others had noticed his conversation and were motioning for him to tell them what was wrong; he held up his free hand to signal for quiet, and Kaeru, also able to listen in on the conversation, filled them in, whispering.

            "Good. Look, we've got an unexpected problem that's come up."

            "And that would be?"

            "The other group, the one with Kaze and the others in it...they haven't come back yet."

            Kawari's eyebrows raised in alarm. "You serious?"

            "Dead serious." That was a rather morbid way to answer, but the Negative Joey didn't seem to have noticed. "Think you can go check up on them? I have no way to know where they went...no magic."

            The Negative hikari grimaced. "Yeah, but we're an hour and a half away right now...in a different city. We'll try to get there as quick as we can, but..." he frowned slightly, and then added, "You're not telling me something, Saguru. Spill it."

            The answer came after a few seconds of silence, but it wasn't Saguru; it was Kaiba. "Yeah, there's one other detail," the CEO answered, sounding rather snappish and irritated, but also the tiniest bit worried--Kawari could only pick it up because he had heard the same tone in Kaze before. "I got this strange stab of pain just a little while back, right in my chest...it hurt pretty bad, I felt like I had knives in me...but there was no wound. We think it may have been something passed over the thought link to me from Kaze."

            "Shit," Kawari cursed, grimacing a little in worry. "That can't be good...we'll head over as quick as we can. Update us if you get anything else across that thought link of yours." He cut the communication, then turned his head upward to glance at the others, all of whom knew the seriousness of the situation thanks to Kaeru.

            "Let's get moving," the Negative hikari hissed softly, motioning to Téa to continue. "If we don't get there fast, we're going to have a problem."

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            An hour later, the team of five had arrived in Domino, all of them feeling somewhat grim, and each ready to do what they could in order to help. They weren't sure what was wrong, but they knew it couldn't have been good, and each had foreboding feelings stirring within their hearts that could not be suppressed. Téa had been so worried she hadn't even minded the continuous encouraging of speeding from both Kawari and Tristan, and had in fact gone several miles over the limit, though it did help to shave a half hour off of the travel time, something that Kawari assured her could be crucial.

            Upon reaching the city, Kawari, Kaeru, and even Ryou got to work instantly, Millennium Rings searching for any remote tracings of Yami's Puzzle or Shadow Realm magic. It took them nearly ten minutes to locate it, the amount of time angering both the Negatives, but once they had found the trail they stuck to it like glue, following it to an old, unkempt basketball court that had certainly seen better days.

            "Here," Kaeru muttered, focusing on the energies of the Ring with his full attention. "There's residue of a Shadow Realm portal here..." he pointed behind several scruffy, old-looking bushes, and frowned. "It is on the border...but..."

            "What's the matter?" the others asked at practically the same time, each frowning and looking increasingly worried. If Kaze, and maybe the others, had been somehow hurt an hour ago...who knew what condition they were in now?

            "Something has been trying to get out of here for some time now," Kaeru said, frowning a little more. "And on this side, I can't tell what it is."

            Téa's eyes widened. "It must be Yami and the others!"

            "Maybe." Kawari looked grim. "It could be, but it could also be some monster trying to break out, too. Remember what Yugi said had happened to him, with the Silver Fang?"

            "Oh..." Téa looked crestfallen. The idea that her friends might be suffering was almost too much for her to stand.

            "Is it trying to get out right now?" Tristan asked, frowning slightly.

            "No. The last time something tried to escape was ten minutes ago," Kaeru answered, frowning. "If it was a monster, maybe it gave up."

            Ryou blinked. "But...why would it be Yami? I mean...wouldn't he be able to get out on his own?"

            Kaeru shook his head. "Remember what I said before, about how he might fully shield everybody? If he has done that...and I have no doubt that he has...he may have used up too much energy to bring himself and others out of the Shadow Realm."

            Tristan frowned. "Damn...this really doesn't look good..." he considered for a moment, then asked, "could you fight a monster if it came out?"

            Kawari answered this one. "That depends on what it is. If it's something small, a low class monster, he could take it out fine, no problem. But if it's something like a Blue Eyes or some other incredibly powerful monster...well, we're screwed, and on top of that it'd be in the real world too."

            "But it could be our friends, too!" Téa cried out in response. "We can't just leave them in there, and--"

            "I hate to break into your conversation," Kaeru growled slightly, "but whatever it is, it's trying to get out again." He frowned. "Better decide now what our decision is."

            Téa looked firm in her decision. "We have to help them, somehow...if it's them...I couldn't forgive myself for leaving them in there!"

            Tristan and Ryou exchanged looks, and then Tristan decided to speak up for the both of them. "We can't just let some giant monster out of there to go rampage in Domino," he said quietly, "but we also agree with Téa...this decision is just too big for a few inexperienced people like us to make..."

            Kawari simply gave his yami a look. "You know my choice."

            Kaeru nodded. "I agree with you." This said, turning to face the portal in question, his hand raising slightly to the Ring.

            "What are you doing?" Ryou asked, eyes widening as action finally began to take place.

            Kaeru planted his feet firmly, both real and imitation Rings glowing brightly with blue fire as he faced the air dripping with Shadow Realm residue and a desperate something battering at the barrier separating them from the Realm of Darkness.

            "I'm going to open it for them."

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[1] - By 'all those other war stories,' I'm mostly referring to Vietnam. Most of you have probably heard those horror stories. [grimace] In particular, I'm referring to the stories about Vietnam vets who used to live in the fields...they would sleep with their guns next to them, and be ready to wake at a moment's notice. In order for their commanding officer to wake them up, he would nudge their feet--touch anything from the waist up and you'll get bullets in your gut so fast you wouldn't know what hit you, that was how they reacted. That sorta stuff lasted after the war too, from the various stories I've heard about husbands punching out their wives when they were trying to wake them up in the morning. Poor things.

[2] - Does anybody else think Téa has terrible shoe luck? I mean, seriously...all through Duelist Kingdom she's wearing heels, in Noa's virtual world she has big gigantic platform sandals...you'd think she'd have broken her ankles by now, but noooo....

[3] - It occurs to me while looking at the actual card 'Soul of Purity and Light,' I don't really know what it's wearing, so I made it up. At first it looked like it had a dress, now the more I look at it it seems like it's not wearing anything...I can't be sure. There's a random guy's head in the way. XD.

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HCG: [tired sigh] WHOOO, that took a LOOONG time. But it's done! Yay! [glomps back onto Unmei and gleefully plays with his ponytail]

Unmei: [siiiiiiiiiiigh...]

HCG: [coughs] ANYWAY...random notes...special thanks to my friend TIM for helping me with Kawari's fight scene, since I was at loss for creative blade fights and he loves swords just as much as I do...and, er, special thanks to whoever does Naruto, since part of Téa's challenge was inspired by Sasuke getting the crap beaten out of him by Haku's senbon needles in the magic ice mirror technique...thing....XD.

Unmei: Can we PLEASE finish this up? I want to go back to WSJ...I hear she's doing something evil to me and I have to be there to try and stop her!

HCG: Relax, that's one of the reasons I have you anyway. [cackle]. I gotta respond to these numerous reviewers first, though. [smirk]

Unmei: Oh Ra, I'll be here all night...[grimace]

HCG: [laughs] Okay, here we go!

Dream Guardian - [sweatdrop] Another Kawari kidnapper...fortunately, he seems to have escaped and worked his way back here, because I've got him now...he's a slippery one! Gets it from his yami. [cackle].

Chikara Takashi - Kaze's moving up on your list, eh? Well, you've got WSJ and Suma to combat with first before you can get him. [smirk] Good luck. Hey, great to hear you can visualize the story, that's my goal...though you're right, if made into a movie they would probably ruin it. [pout]

Snow-blown Wind - You know, I think you're the first fangirl Kawari somewhat respects, since you asked for a plushie and not him. Nice! [Hands her requested plushie, complete with lil' plushie Gin Hebi]. Pirates of the Caribbean kicks ass, I listened to it to write Kawari's fight scene! [random information].

Quintessence - Nitpicky is good! You're right, it should have been 'lies,' not 'lay.' [makes a not of that]. Go ahead, slap Kanshinin silly, I don't much like him either. Nope, haven't read either of the books you listed...but I'll have to do that sometime over the summer when I need a good read...[nods].

Katia-chan - Ooh, bows! I love bows...I used to be pretty good at shooting a hunting bow...[sweatdrops] which makes me think it would be a bad idea for you to shoot that at me...hey, not much to envy here, I just write 'cause I like to.

Evil Neptune - Meh, my knowledge of weapons is okay, but not great. I like studying older weapons like blades and such, I take fencing classes (or DID, school's pretty much out now) and I converse about blades with my equally-blade-obsessed friends. If I need to know about modern weapons, I check with my military-loving brother, who knows just about everything there is to know about guns, grenades, etc. Kinda scary when you think about it, but it's useful for war-fic purposes. [nod]

Chan-chan - Yay, Chan! Yay Tilly! [gives Tilly many hugs] Heh, if I ever need a beta you're the first person I'll check with. Promise! [nodnod].

Anime-Blade - OO;; Dear lord, don't kill me! [hides behind Unmei, her official authoress-notes body guard]. Thanks Blade, I'm not interested in dying anytime soon...[sweatdrop]

Silver Dragon, Iron Claws - [grimace] Sorry about not reading your story, but the truth is I barely have time for it anymore. If I was a little bit freer in my schedule, maybe I would, but as things stand in the present I'm rather lacking in time. Again, sorry!

NeoChaosCrystal - [cackle] That enough Kawari for ya? But please don't steal him again...I need him. [sweatdrop] Hmm, let's see, GIFTS!

Kawari: Damn straight I'm taking that therapy offer, and you better be ready to empty your wallet 'cause it's gonna cost you. [takes the coat and dirk cleaning kit, and then snatches the mallet and looks around for Bakura, grinning]

Kaeru: [accepts lock picks and cell phone] Oh, good, now I can make sure that jackass opposite of mine is behaving.

HCG: Kaze's not here, so I'll set aside that trenchcoat for him for later, along with the BEWD card. Healing spells, unfortunately, cannot get rid of that limp this long after he got the wound, but It'll be very soothing for him.

Ryou: [cheerfully takes the other cell phone] Great, I can keep in touch with Kaeru! [blinks at the mallet, but looks appreciative of the shiny things to keep his yami distracted]

Bakura: I am INSULTED! Dirty Socks? [shakes fist at NCC] I deserve more than that! Look at how much important stuff I did in this chapter!

Saguru: OOh, good, I was running low on ammo anyway...[loads up his gun]. The duel was nothin'.

Joey: [sits down and immediately starts flipping through that book of insults, smirking and awaiting the time when he can use them on Kaiba]

Kaiba: [smacked with newspaper] OW! I don't deserve this! Forced to be a muse, getting smacked with random objects...[twitch, then snatches the aspirin and downs a few to get rid of the headache he has, and totally ignores the book on magic].

Yugi: [hugged, then downs half the sugar and bounces off the walls, totally Naosu-like, which is weird since he's the opposite]

Yami: [downs his whole bottle of aspirin--not much to worry about as far as overdose since he's a spirit--and hides behind his giant pile of hair gel tubes until Yugi calms down]

Mokuba: PIXI STIX! YAY! [eats them, and gets just as hyper as Yugi. Okay, a little less hyper, but not by much].

Tristan: [hugged] [confused] O....kay....er, thanks, I guess?

Téa: Whoo, shopping spree! [heads off for the closest mega mall]

HCG: [calls] Have fun buying your random outfits that don't have matching colooooooors! [cough] Anyway, thanks for giving them the presents, they deserve it, heh heh.

Insane - [sweatdrop] Oh dear, I fear when somebody named 'Insane' is trying to kill me with their swords....[whiiiine]

Liviania - I dunno, it's just one of the grand schemes of life. Authoresses love to torture the characters and have evil mean things done to them. [shrug] Beats me why.

Wingleader Sora Jade - AH! I FEAR THE CHANDELIER OF DOOM! [hides] You think my poetry is good? Well...that's a new one...I don't honestly think it's that spectacular, just random witty lines about fields and rocks and shtuff. XD.

Aurora-Lee - The knife got there because Kaze flung it really fast at the staff before Kanshinin noticed he had actually attacked. If you don't pay attention generally you won't see a master knife thrower do his work. [shrug]

The Mad Tortoise - Hmm...how could I do that? Because the idea was in my brain and my fingers typed it and it went on a computer screen into a file, which I then posted. [cheesy grin] That's how! [laughs]

crazydominodragongirl - The Tiger was a test of worthiness. All the monsters were. That's why they showed up. [nodnod]. Kaze's still worthy even though the Queen Bird beat the carp outta him 'cause he defeated it too...and got hurt trying to save others. Yup. Gotta love self-sacrifice.

Windswift - XD HEART OF THE KNIVES! [falls over laughing] Anyway, Ryou was in this one, just like you said he should be. Satisfied?

Magical Mage - Hmm, fatigue, that's a good point. I had some of them sleep and/or be refreshed in this chapter, satisfy you any? I'll have to think on that one...

Ebony Kuroneko - Yes, it would suck royally if Kaze got shadow infected. [Imagines...Shadow Mad Kaze....that's strange, it is it is] Not that he'd be as dangerous as SM YAMI, of course, but still...not fun...And you know as well as I do Kawari-angst isn't a threat to me, I love it! Unless, of course, Kawari and Kaeru decide to gang up and murder me in my sleep...[sweatdrop]

AAAAAND that looks like everything relevant...[nods] Let's see...any announcements? [plays with Unmei's hair while thinking]

Unmei: [sweatdrop]

HCG: Oh yes! [beams] My birthday's next week! June 14th! Wish me a happeh birthday! HCG desires fanart presents...[cough] [eyes all those artists out there....they know who they are...]

Unmei: [rolls his blind eyes]

HCG: Er, think that's it! Oh, wait, writing will be coming along slowly 'cause I have no computer to set up at home...long story but my room can't hold my computer in it...so it may be a while before I can update again. Not that that's much different from the norm. [sweatdrop]

Unmei: Can I go now?

HCG: [sighs and plays with his ponytail one last time before hopping off him] Okay...you're free...head on back to WSJ now. Tell her thanks for the loan.

Unmei: ...yeah...right....[sweatdrop] [teleports out]

HCG: [cough] Anyway folks, so there's Chapter 12! REVIEW all! Thanks!