Mojobubbles: (grin) Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of My Immortal!

Couple things 'afore we get started....

(sigh) I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter...It's not exactly very good, I'm afraid...T.T I think there's too much describing and not enough dialogue...

I got a bunch of location-info for this chapter – names of cities, train stations, etc. All the info I got came from the site japan-guide. It's pretty. So yeah.

In this chapter you'll meet the Higurashis. All their names come from various anime. I'm not trying to suggest that those anime charas are making cameos in my fic, I'm just sorta borrowing their names and personalities. (grins)

And since I use the Japanese names I put in a few Japanese terms where applicable and canon. Mainly just things like Yuugi and Yami's nicknames for each other, etc... Oh, and I refer to the spirit of the Ring as Bakura, 'cause that was his name in ancient Egypt.

I had to take out my review responses because FanFiction apparently counts that as 'interaction'....

&&&&

(Rishid's POV)

That night, Isis-sama had cried herself to sleep. I held her the whole time. Somehow, the more she thought about it, the more probable Malik-sama's supposed death became. She was sick with worry, but exhaustion had overtaken her.

I had planned to keep vigil that night, knowing that tonight above all nights I had to protect her – my sister. If Malik-sama is truly dead – heaven forbid – then I...I've failed him.

I've failed my mother.

I promised her...it was her dying wish, for me to protect Isis-sama and Malik-sama.

And now...Malik-sama...

One way or another, though (perhaps the steady sound of Isis-sama's breathing had done the trick), I gave way to sleep as well.

And then we had the dream.

My eyes snapped open, forgetting for a moment where I was, but when he felt Isis-sama stirring in my arms it all came back. She too was awake, and she looked up at me, her eyes questioning.

"Rishid..." she whispered. "I had a dream."

"He...Malik-sama...was fighting against...It," I said slowly. The horrors that Malik-sama used to hold deep inside his mind...It was a completely separate entity, compiled of nothing but darkness.

"Do you think," Isis-sama began, hopefully, sitting up, "that our brother is alive? Maybe...maybe the dream was a sign. The Darkness...do you remember what the Darkness said? It said...It said we are dead. If it was a sign...then perhaps Malik...perhaps the Ghouls have lied to him as well."

She sighed worriedly, leaning against me, and I flinched and pulled away. "Owch."

"I'm sorry!" Isis-sama apologized, realizing she'd leaned on my injured arm.

"It's alright," I told her, getting up and stretching. I consulted the watch I kept in my pocket - "Nearly morning," I reported, sinking into a metal folding chair in the corner of the room.

Isis-sama sat on her knees next to me, resting her head on my knee. I was...rather confused. "Do you think Malik's alright?" she asked quietly, the dream obviously still weighing heavily on her mind.

I couldn't help it. My surprised expression melted into a smile. I stroked her hair. "I'm sure he is."

Isis-sama is the strong one, always calm, but one wouldn't want to make her angry...Even then she does not lose her temper like others do. I myself have gotten angrier than I'd like to admit on occasions, and Malik-sama...well, he's always been hot-tempered, even if now he does keep a better hand on his rage.

Even so...there are times when Isis-sama is afraid as well, times when her façade slips and she is helpless, like we all are sometimes.

Just like on that cold dark night, nearly seven years ago...It was December 23rd...Malik-sama's 10th birthday. Isis-sama had laid her head on my lap that night as well, crying with fear for her brother's life. "I don't want to be an Ishtar," she had sobbed.

It wasn't the first time she had felt that way.

Flashback

A very pregnant Mrs. Ishtar sat on her daughter's bed, holding a book in her lap. 4-year-old Isis and 9-year-old Rishid sat on either side of their mother, leaning against her as she flipped through the pages.

"What's that?" Isis asked in awe, pointing to one of the photographs.

"That's a place called Niagara Falls," Mrs. Ishtar replied.

"It's...pretty," Isis whispered, stroking the path of the falling water with a chubby finger. It was a book unlike any other the two children had ever seen - it had true, color photographs. "Can we go there?" Isis asked eagerly.

Rishid opened his mouth to say something, knowing that, as Ishtars, it was impossible for them to see the landmark.

"I'm afraid it's very, very far from here," Mrs. Ishtar said quickly. She flipped a few pages further, to a map. "See?" she said, pointing. "This is where the falls are," she pointed to Egypt, "and this is where we are."

"Oh," Isis said, her voice dejected.

"But, Isis, sweetheart, I need to ask you a favor." Her mother paused. "When the baby is born...will you show them this book?"

Isis nodded resolutely. "I promise." She laid a hand on her mother's stomach, as if swearing an oath. Suddenly, she drew her hand back in surprise. She stared at her mother and Rishid in shock.

"Did you feel a kick?" Mrs. Ishtar asked, smiling. Isis nodded slowly, her eyes nearly falling out of her sockets. Mrs. Ishtar laughed at the expression on her daughter's face, but Rishid stared at the ground. His mother had told him that it was possible she wouldn't survive the baby's birth.

"Mother," he'd gasped. "O...of course you will." He couldn't imagine life without her...

"I wanna show Daddy the book!" Isis exclaimed suddenly, taking the book from her mother's lap and hopping off the bed. "Daaaddy!" she called. "Come here!"

Mrs. Ishtar panicked.

Rishid jumped to his feet, scooping up his sister, book and all. Mrs. Ishtar took the book and kicked it under the bed, Isis giggling loudly as Rishid swung her in a circle.

"What is it?" interrupted a gruff voice from the doorway. It was their father.

"Your daughter only wanted to say goodnight," Mrs. Ishtar said, her voice slightly cool.

"Oh." He turned away and walked down the hall. Mrs. Ishtar watched him, her eyes sad. But when she turned back to Rishid and Isis, the sadness was gone.

"Alright, it's past your bedtime now!

&&&&

"Ri...Rishid...Where's Mommy?" Isis looked at her brother, her eyes worried.

"S...she had to go for a while," Rishid said softly, his voice shaking. "She died."

Isis looked at him, alarmed, her four-year-old mind registering the news. "B...but isn't dying...isn't that when you go away forever and ever, and...and..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "But...I don't want Mommy to go away!" she sobbed. "I want Mommy to stay with us and read bedtime stories, and take care of me when I'm sick...and..." The rest of her words were swallowed by sobs.

Rishid was crying too, his mother's last words on his mind. "Protect them...keep them safe...your brother and sister..." He pulled her onto his lap, and they cried together.

&&&&

It happened over six years later. Rishid had just turned fifteen; Isis had turned eleven the month before. Malik, of course, was six years old, the baby of the family. Not that he minded. He rather liked being the center of attention.

Isis had just tucked him in for the night and was ready to go to sleep herself when Rishid walked by. "Your father wants to see you in the study," he informed her.

She made her way down the hall, wondering what it was her father wanted. She hesitantly walked inside. "...Father?"

Suddenly, something heavy struck the side of her head and cried out, falling to the floor in a heap.

She looked up, the room spinning, wondering what had hit her. She saw her father standing over her, livid, the book in his hand.

Isis gasped. She'd only recently rediscovered the book, remembering her promise to show it to the baby once they were born.

"Where did you get this!?" her father demanded, as Isis clambered to her feet. "Did the servant give it to you!?"

Isis began to get angry as well. "He has a name!" she cried. "It's Rishid!

"But you don't know that, do you!?" She was getting angrier by the minute. "And you don't care! You don't care about us at all - only Malik - just because he's your heir! You don't know a thing about him, do you!? You don't know his dreams, and what he's afraid of, and what he likes to do! AND YOU DON'T CARE!"

Without warning, he slapped her hard across the cheek.

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO IN THAT MANNER!" Suddenly, he whirled around and flung the book into the fireplace behind him.

"NO!" Isis screamed, stepping back in horror. "T-that was Mother's!"

There was a terrible silence as the book burned. Isis turned and began to run, away from her father.

"Do not leave unless you are excused!" he snapped. She froze.

"M....may I go now?" she whispered, using all her willpower not to burst into tears right then.

"Get out of my sight."

She ran, her feet pounding on the stone. She leaned against the wall, catching her breath. Isis slid to the floor, bitter tears running down her cheeks. She sobbed silently. "I don't...I don't want to be an Ishtar anymore."

Rishid had been in another room, hearing everything. He stood there, eyes wide, and turned to leave the room when he heard a voice.

"Nee...san?"

Isis looked up, seeing Malik standing there, watching her, concerned. She turned to him, shaking, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"I...I heard yelling," Malik said, his eyes wide. "And I couldn't sleep."

"Well, I-I'm alright," Isis lied, despite the fresh tears on her face, and of course Malik knew something was wrong.

Malik, trying to smile comfortingly, pulled up his sleeve and wiped away his sister's tears. He didn't know why she was upset, but he wanted to make it better, the way she always made him feel better.

Isis stared at him for a moment, surprised, before wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder.

Isis wasn't even sure who all she was crying for. There was Malik...he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve the fate he'd been handing, didn't deserve to never see the wonders the world held. She was crying for her mother, because she never got a chance to hold the beautiful child that was her own, nor tell him bedtime stories, nor take care of him when he was sick. Isis realized she was also crying for her father, because he'd never know who his son truly was.

Rishid came out into the hallway then, telling Isis to go on to bed, promising to put Malik back to bed.

The oldest Ishtar later walked into his sister's room, knowing that, though the lights were out, she was not really asleep. He sat on the edge of her bed, and suddenly she sat up, throwing her arms around him and biting back a sob. "R...Rishid," she choked. "He burned the book."

"I know," he said sadly, rocking her back and forth. "I know."

End Flashback

(Back to narrator POV)

"Do you want to know why I smiled at you earlier?" Rishid said suddenly. Isis looked up at him, her eyes questioning. Rishid was smiling now.

"It's because you remind me so much of our mother."

She smiled back. But the smile disappeared, and she stared at the floor.

"Isis-sama, what's wrong?"

She didn't look up. "Rishid.....you don't have to continue using '-sama'..." Isis watched the floor tiles blend together, humor gone, urgency in her voice.

"Rishid......we never viewed you as a servant. You always have been – and you always will be – our brother. Oniisan......you know that, don't you?"

He blinked, and smiled. "Yes," he said finally. The smile faded. "It's just that...Ishtar-sama always..."

Isis grabbed his hand. "Let's not talk about him tonight." She paused. "I'm sorry, Rishid. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's alright... Isis," Rishid said quietly, folding her in his arms again.

It was the one thing she honestly feared most of all – losing her brothers. Rishid and Malik left the night after their father had been killed, and Battle City occurred five years later.

Three years went by, and she had nothing to go on as to the whereabouts of her brothers except for the fleeting visions the Tauk had given her.

She worked in a museum, listening, waiting, and she grew up. Pegasus had approached her, with the Kami No Cards, and shortly thereafter the Ghouls emerged.

Isis remembered the purple robes well – she'd seen them in her vision. She was getting close – closer to her brothers.

One night, she got a tip from an anonymous call that there would supposedly be a break-in at the museum where she currently worked, and, although normally she would've just let the police know and let them handle it, she went and waited herself.

There was a chance – a small one, but a chance nonetheless – that she'd see her brothers again. And maybe...maybe she'd be able to talk Malik out of his rage.

Her brothers came, all right; but things did not go as planned.

"Neesan...It's been a long time," he'd smirked.

Isis was rather stunned. Here was her little brother – 14, going on 15, and plotting world domination!? Where had the boy she'd known gone? The hot-tempered, wide-eyed boy who poked his nose in everything, the boy with bigger dreams than the cloudless Egyptian sky, and a heart to match...? Where was he?

And Rishid...when she saw him there, waiting outside, the gun in his hand...He turned to her, and his eyes said everything. "I'm sorry," they said. "I have to do this."

She cried that night, for the first time since she first discovered they were gone. She'd gotten her wish; she'd seen her brothers, but now she knew. She knew what three years of darkness and rage had done to her little brother, seen the pain and torn loyalty in her elder's eyes.

Ignorance is bliss.

That's when it hit her full in the face, the magnitude of what she'd done by taking Malik above ground.

Ignorance is bliss.

He wasn't meant to know about the world above. He shouldn't know.

She had bore that guilt for a while, until the end of Battle City, and she realized...If not for all the pain they'd suffered, they wouldn't the family they'd grown to be.

"...Isis?" Rishid's voice brought her back from her reverie. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," she said quietly, smiling slightly. "Just...the past...but it happened a long time ago..." She stifled a yawn, beginning to dose.

'Malik...Please...stay safe.'

&&&&

(Now, back to Domino...)

Malik knew he would have to go to Yuugi's first thing that morning. He had to tell them about the dream.

But before he could get out the door, the doorbell rang, and, sure enough, the whole gang was there – including Mai and Shizuka. Malik blinked at them all.

"Hi, Malik!" Mokuba smiled. Malik had to smile himself, ruffling his friend's hair.

"Morning, Malik-kun!" Yuugi exclaimed.

"Malik-san..." Shizuka said softly. "Hi." She squeezed his hand.

"How ya doing, kid?" Mai asked, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Um...Well...I had this dream..." Malik chewed his lip. "Maybe you all better come inside."

&&&&

"So, you think maybe the dream is a sign?" Ryou asked, once Malik was finished explaining. The Egyptian nodded.

"It's crazy, I know...But if there's even the slightest chance they're alive..." Malik stared at his lap. The others looked skeptical.

"I've had some weird dreams before," Yuugi spoke up, coming to Malik's defense.

"The three of us..." Malik began uncomfortably; starting to wonder if maybe bringing up the dream hadn't been a good idea. "We have this sort-of...bond...You know, we can tell what the others are feeling, and that sort of thing..." He trailed off.

"Yeah, me and Shizuka are like that," Jounouchi nodded.

"And I -" Ryou spoke up, but froze when the others looked at him. "...Never mind," he mumbled.

Malik sighed. "This is just something that I feel. There's a chance that they're alive, and I'm going to take it," he said determinedly.

"I....if you don't want to help, that's okay," he said quietly. "I mean, I don't want you all to..." He trailed off. For a moment, no one said anything.

"What're you talking about!?" Jounouchi demanded suddenly. "Of course we're going to help, you idiot!"

Malik smiled, but he didn't say anything.

"Well, if we're going to find them, the first thing we need is a lead," Mai said, her tone matter-of-fact.

"And where are we going to find a lead?" Honda wondered.

"The last place where Isis and Rishid were seen," Yuugi offered. "Domino Museum."

"You up to going there, Malik?" Anzu asked, concerned. Malik nodded resolutely.

"Mai's right," he said. "We need an idea as to where to start looking."

"How do we get into the museum?" Jounouchi asked. "It's been closed since...it happened."

"Niisama practically owns the police," Mokuba said, pleased that he could help his friends. "He can get us in."

&&&&

(A/N: 'Yakuza' basically means 'Japanese mafia'.)

The group found themselves being escorted through the Domino Museum by police officers an hour later, while Seto Kaiba stood outside the door explaining to the security guards outside the nature of their situation. The gang decided they'd cover more ground if they split up.

One would have no idea that a kidnapping had taken place here. The museum looked as it always had. But Malik and Yuugi ventured into Isis' office, and one could see something was amiss. The chair behind the desk was still overturned, and papers remained scattered all over the floor.

"She'll hate to see this mess," Malik said softly, going behind the desk and setting the chair upright. He slowly began to gather up the fallen papers. Yuugi watched him, his violet eyes sad.

"H-hey, you can't do that – don't touch anything! This is a crime scene!" the police officer protested, agape.

"Yo, shut up and leave him alone," Jounouchi growled, coming up behind the policeman.

The policeman shut up and left Malik alone.

"Find anything?" Yuugi asked, going over and crouching next to Malik.

Malik shook his head. "But...there's got to be something, something in here...." He chewed his lip.

And then a sudden, gust of wind blew a bunch of papers at them.

"What the heck?!" Jounouchi exclaimed, walking around to the two of them. "There's no windows in here!"

Yuugi's jaw dropped, but Malik simply began gathering up papers, when one fell onto the floor. It was a small piece, like something one would tear off of a notepad, with something scrawled across it.

"Hey, guys, look at this," Malik said, his voice rising with excitement. "I think this is a lead."

" 'The Black Knight', " Yuugi read out loud. " 'Pier 3 – warehouse.' "

Malik blinked. "What does that mean?"

"It means the Ghouls have bitten off way more than they can chew," Kaiba said, having entered the room with Mokuba when no one was watching. "The Black Knight...he's black market stuff. We're dealing with the yakuza, here."

"Niisama looked into them once, 'cause a while back there were a bunch of shady guys working at Kaiba Corp.," Mokuba added.

"So the Ghouls are getting involved with the mafia?" Yuugi asked.

"It looks that way. This is shaping up to be a very dangerous task," Kaiba said grimly.

"C'mon!" Malik said suddenly, running out of the room with Mokuba. "We have to tell the others!"

"Don't touch anyyyything! This is a crime sceeene!" Jounouchi mock-whined as they left the room and he passed the police officer. The officer just glared.

&&&&

(A/N: Yes, I am aware that the warehouse where we were first introduced to Malik was not on a pier, but that's what I'm doing for this story. XD)

Later that day, as the sun was going down, the group was making its way down to pier 3 of Domino's port.

"I feel bad for Mokuba-kun," Anzu commented.

"Yeah, we'll have to tell him all about it," Honda answered.

Kaiba, of course, had told Mokuba he could not come. "But I want to help!" Mokuba had said. "You're always treating me like a little kid!"

Kaiba had looked toward the others with an almost imploring expression on his face.

"You know how you can help?" Yuugi had jumped in. "You can sort of run headquarters."

"Yuugi's right," Anzu had put in. "Who knows where we'll have to go? You can find information on where we'll have to go, and relay it back."

"And if something happens back here in Domino, you can be the first to tell us about it," Malik then added. And so, Mokuba reluctantly stayed behind.

They had reached the entrance to Domino Port when Mai suddenly paused.

"Hey, I don't think we should all go see this guy," she jumped in. "I mean, they'll be looking for Malik, right? And the whole group of us is sure to cause some suspicion."

"Me and Honda will go," Jounouchi said. "We're the toughest looking ones, right?"

The rest sweatdropped. "Sure, Jounouchi, go ahead and think that," Anzu mumbled to herself.

"Alright, we'll be back, then," Honda said, his tone a little nervous.

With that, the group split up, Honda and Jounouchi making their way to Pier 3.

&&&&

"Hey, Malik-kun?" Yuugi asked suddenly, a little while later. He was watching pier 3.

"Mm?"

"D'ya recognize the warehouse at the pier over?"

Malik squinted at the warehouse, nearly burned to the ground. ".....y-yeah, I do..."

"It's where I met you for the first time!" Yuugi beamed.

"M-met you?" Malik blinked.

"Uh-huh," Yuugi nodded. "Don't tell me you've forgotten..."

Malik looked at him for a second, and then smiled. "Nope, of course I haven't forgotten."

&&&&

"Excuse me, boys, may I help you?" came an oily voice from behind Jounouchi and Honda. The two boys had been poking around the warehouse, and they jumped in surprise.

Jounouchi made a big show about pretending to look around to make sure no one could hear them. "Yo....you the Black Knight?" he asked.

"Who's asking?" the oily-voiced man asked.

"Just a couple of guys interested in what the Ghouls have to offer," Jounouchi answered.

"Oh, I see," the man answered, amused. "Well, yes, I am the Black Knight."

"You see," Honda began, venturing out onto a limb, "word on the street is that you're the guy to see if you interested in joining the Ghouls."

The Black Knight snorted. "Dunno what street you two come from, because I'm afraid your mistaken. Come here...step into my 'office'." He gestured them into a small room to the side, and stepped over the papers and boxes piled everywhere. Jounouchi and Honda stumbled over his things, trying not to notice the unidentifiable dark stains on the blue carpet.

"If you wanna join, this is the guy you need to talk to," the Knight told them, scrawling an address on a piece of paper.

"All the way in Osaka?" Jounouchi asked in disappointment, reading the paper.

The Knight shrugged. "That's life, kid."

"Well, thanks for the help, then," Honda said, waving. "We'll be going."

"See ya 'round, boys," the Knight answered.

He watched out the window, and waited until they were far from the warehouse.

Smirking, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed something. "Hey....Boss, guess what? The blond one and the one with the pointy head just left. They're headed Higurashi's way."

&&&&

A few hours later, the gang stood outside the Kame Game Shop, saying their farewells to Mr. Mutou.

"Now then, you all won't be gone long?" Mr. Mutou asked.

"Don't worry, Jiichan, we'll be back soon," Yuugi grinned confidently.

"And you'll all be in one piece?"

The group nodded. Mr. Mutou turned to Malik.

"And I expect you'll all be returning with all three of the Ishtars," he added solemnly, but his eyes were smiling.

Malik smiled back, nodding resolutely.

&&&&

'Higurashi' appeared an easygoing average man. But the gang knew better, as they approached what they expected to be his headquarters in Osaka.

What they found was a middle-class two-story home, nestled in a more suburban area of Osaka.

"Honda-kun, Jounouchi-kun...you two go ahead. We'll wait out here, I guess," Yuugi blinked.

Honda and Jounouchi nodded, stepping up to the door. The rest of the gang went around the house and crouched in the bushes to wait.

Not exactly sure what to do, Jounouchi reached out and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man with a boyish face appeared.

"You the guy we should talk to about joining the Ghouls?" Honda asked abruptly.

The man blinked, then sighed resignedly. "Yes, that's me. What do a couple of kids like you want to do with the Ghouls?"

"It sounds like, uh, fun?" Jounouchi offered. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, follow me," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. He led them inside the house, and Jounouchi and Honda were startled to see the items one would see in an ordinary family home – including photographs of two children.

"Look, don't you two have family or something?" the man asked, still obviously skeptical. "You don't want to be involved with people like-"

"HIKARUUU!"

The man froze, a female voice echoing through the house.

"Oh, boy....Miyuki's home..." the man winced.

"W-who's Miyuki?" Honda asked cautiously.

"My wife."

"I'm guessing you didn't know about the kids hiding in the garden out front, huh!?" Miyuki demanded, striding down the dark hallway, yanking an indignant Malik along by the wrist and a sheepish Yuugi by the ear, the others following timidly behind her.

"Friends of yours?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow at Jounouchi and Honda.

They hesitated. How could they get out of this one?

Yuugi stepped forward. "Look....to be honest....We're kind of on a rescue mission."

"You have a family?" Jounouchi asked. Miyuki's fiery demeanor cooled. She nodded.

"Two children – Yuki's our girl, she's 6, and her big brother, Kyou," she said.

"They'll be home from school soon," the man added.

"What are you all doing, being involved with the Ghouls?" Ryou wanted to know.

Miyuki sighed. "Hikaru....he...heard them talking, once. So, to keep him quiet -"

"They've got you under a 'contract'. You have to do work for them, and give them money, and in return they won't kill you," Malik interrupted. He looked down at the floor. He should know...he was the one who'd started that practice, after all.

Hikaru looked at him oddly. "Alright, now it's time we asked some questions. Who are you all, for starters, and who are you trying to rescue?"

"I'm Malik Ishtar," Malik said quietly.

"Leader of the Ghouls," Hikaru said, a statement rather than a question. Malik winced at the incrimination.

"Former leader," Yuugi corrected, noting Malik's discomfort.

"Pff, so we're to believe you're sorry or something?" Miyuki snorted. "We're to believe you all don't really have anything to do with the Ghouls?"

Malik was staring at the floor, bangs falling in front of his eyes. He said nothing. Hikaru was watching him, his eyes critical, but not harsh.

"Why are we going to believe a word you say?" Miyuki continued. "You're the reason we're in this mess. You're the reason our children have no future. You-"

"Miyuki, that's enough," Hikaru said softly. Malik was shaking. "It's someone important to you, isn't it? The person the Ghouls have?" Hikaru guessed, stepping in front of Malik.

Malik nodded. "The one Ghoul who was with me all the time – do you know who he was?"

Hikaru thought for a moment. "The tall one, right? With the ponytail?" Malik nodded again.

"He's my adoptive older brother. Rishid. He served my family, back when we were all younger...when I went to form the Ghouls he went with me. I used to think it was just because as my servant, he had to. But now I realize....it was so I wouldn't be alone in the darkness...he's my brother; he was protecting me.

"We left our sister behind – my neesan, Isis. She...she never gave up hope that we'd go home together. I...I don't remember my real mother. She died a long time ago...so Neesan...she's always been like my mother, in a way..."

"Is it revenge the Ghouls are after?" Hikaru asked quietly.

Malik nodded. "Please!" he burst out suddenly. "They're all I have left...you have to...you have to believe me." He bit back a sob.

"Alright, alright, we believe you," Hikaru said, smiling, his words fairly rough but his tone lacking harshness.

Suddenly, there was a click as the front door was unlocked and opened.

"We're home!" two children's voices rang out.

"Welcome back," Hikaru answered, as two pairs of feet thundered down the hall.

"How was your day?" Miyuki asked, her two children stopping short at the sight of the group of teenagers clustered in their living room.

The boy, Kyou, had wide hazel eyes, and his mother's dark hair, with a touch of red. Yuki, the girl, had purple eyes, a deeper shade than Malik's. Her hair was rather bluish-purple as well.

"Don't stare," Hikaru admonished them. "It's rude."

"It's alright," Yuugi spoke up. "I guess you don't get company often?"

"Kids, these guys came all the way from Tokyo," Hikaru explained. "They've got some business to take care of, and we're giving them a hand." It was amazing, how easygoing and carefree he spoke, despite the fact that he was forced to work with killers.

"We're going to give them a place to stay tonight!" Hikaru added, grinning.

"You are!?" the gang repeated.

"We are!?" Miyuki repeated.

"T....then I'm gonna show you my room!!" Yuki cried, grabbing Anzu and Mai by the hands and dragging them off.

&&&&

Yuki and Kyou were enamored with their new playmates. Yuki, despite being younger, was rather bossy, able to get her brother to do pretty much anything she asked. Kyou thought the teenagers were the most admirable people on the planet. He was into Duel Monsters as well, getting out his rather shoddily constructed deck and showing off his 'dueling skills' to Yuugi and Jounouchi.

/Mou hitori no boku, I'm not letting you duel an 8-year-old!/ Yuugi had protested loudly through their mind link.

Oh, fine, aibou...be that way. Yami therefore spent the evening sulking in his soul room.

At nine-thirty, Miyuki and Hikaru came into the living room, where everyone was congregated.

"Okay, Kyou, Yuki, it's -" Miyuki stopped short, noticing Yuki slumbering in Ryou's lap, and Kyou sleeping against Jounouchi's shoulder.

"...he's drooling on me..." Jounouchi sighed, giving the parents a pleading look.

Hikaru grinned and scooped Kyou into his arms. Miyuki turned to Ryou.

"I'm going to have to kidnap you," she said in awe. The white-haired boy blinked surprised at her. "You got Yuki to go sleep with no effort..."

"She...she likes it when you stroke her hair," Ryou mumbled, embarrassed, handing the sleeping girl to her mother. "I found her to be really quite nice."

Miyuki chuckled ruefully. "The sitters all think she's a nightmare. But then, that's our Yuki for you..."

A while later, sleeping arrangements had been made. Anzu and Mai would take the bed in the guest room, while the boys would spread out in the living room.

Jounouchi grumbled about the girls getting their own room, but when both Anzu and Mai backhanded him he decided he'd better quit complaining.

It was late, and they'd all settled into their respective 'beds', Mai and Anzu still talking with the boys in the living room.

"So, really, Bakura-kun..." Anzu began out of curiosity, "you were pretty good with Yuki and Kyou, especially Yuki. How did you learn to take care of kids like that?"

Ryou froze. "W...well," he said slowly, "a long time ago...when I was younger...I used to take care of this little girl, when her parents weren't around...Her father often worked abroad, and her mother was a schoolteacher. So I...I got to know her very well." He could sense Bakura staring at him. Malik was staring at him as well – Malik and Bakura were the only ones who knew about her. The others just seemed curious.

Ryou took a deep breath, staring at the floor. "But one day...We were walking home from school...I – I wasn't really watching where she was going, and she ran across the s-street..."

"Sorry," Jounouchi said quietly, and the others mumbled in agreement.

Ryou shook his head, suddenly fighting back tears. "You don't get it! Her name was Amane...she...she was my sister!" he burst out, tears spilling over his cheeks.

They all stared at him in shock...they hadn't seen that one coming.

Malik looked sympathetic, having quite an idea as to how Ryou was feeling.

Jounouchi tried to imagine life without Shizuka, and an involuntary shudder ran up and down his spine. Ryou changed a lot in his eyes at that moment.

Ryou wiped at the tears on his cheek with the back of his sleeve.

"Here," a soft voice said. He looked up. Anzu was handing him a handkerchief.

&&&&

(A/N: Once again, not shounen-ai, but it's up to your interpretation.)

Bakura was sitting in his soul room, thinking. The room would feel bare and forbidding to most, including Ryou, but, as Bakura once realized dryly, one gets a little attached to a place one is trapped in for three thousand years, no matter what the place looks like. He knew why Ryou didn't like the room, though – it was the marks. All four walls and portions of the floor were covered in tally marks – single jagged lines cut into stone that marked every day Bakura should've been spending in the afterlife, instead of wasting his sanity inside this box. "Ha!" the marks seemed to cry smugly. "You brought this upon yourself, you idiot!"

But tonight Bakura wasn't thinking about marks. He was thinking about Ryou.

He'd actually told them about Amane...

Bakura had honestly been wishing for a while that Ryou would tell them.

He knew the reason Ryou kept his past a secret was because he was afraid of opening up. And he was afraid of opening up because of him, Bakura.

Ryou had received the Sennen Ring only weeks before Amane was killed. Bakura had hated the girl, because, for some reason, she could sense Bakura's dark presence in the Sennen Ring.

"Oniichan..." she'd said once, looking up at Ryou with wide, concerned, chocolate eyes. "I think...I think there's a bad man in your necklace."

When she'd died, Bakura had laughed, realizing that now, he could begin to reveal himself and set his plan for stealing the Items in motion.

But recently it had slowly begun to dawn on the thief what was happening – Ryou was shutting himself off all because of the argumentative, sardonic spirit that lived in the Sennen Ring.

Bakura begun to see himself in the boy – he saw one who'd loved and lost, one who desired nothing but a kindred soul to confide in. And, after all the chaos that had come of him trying to take the Sennen Rod, he began to wonder if just maybe the Items were better remaining in the hands of their current owners.

"Maybe," interrupted a voice from the doorway, "maybe revenge isn't even what Kuruelna wants. The people there loved you, right? So maybe...maybe all they need is for you to be happy."

Bakura spun around to face Ryou, standing in the doorway, scratching the back of his neck.

"Don't talk about things you don't know," Bakura snapped, but he didn't seem truly angry. He stared at the floor, tracing his fingers along one of the marks.

"It's just a hunch," Ryou shrugged.

"Why aren't you asleep, anyway?" Bakura asked. Now it was Ryou's turn to become rather uncomfortable.

"Because...because I'm afraid I'll dream about her tonight."

"...Oh. A...Are you glad you told them? About Amane, I mean."

Ryou scuffed at the ground. "Are you glad I told them?" he answered.

"Just how much of my thoughts were you listening in on, anyway?" Bakura asked, rather alarmed.

"I only heard what you were thinking about the Items..." Ryou said, looking at the thief curiously. Bakura shrugged.

Ryou let the subject drop. It was time to translate some more Bakura-speak.

Ryou had slowly begun to discover that what the thief said was not always what he meant, and was gradually learning what he meant when he said things.

"What are you doing, ogling me in the doorway?" Bakura demanded suddenly. Ryou shrugged. Ryou's translation – 'Sit. Over here.' Ryou crossed the room and sat next to the spirit.

"Do you think...?" Ryou stared at his feet. "Do you think Isis and Rishid are alive?"

Bakura shrugged.

"I...I hope they are," Ryou said earnestly.

"It'll be a shame if we've come all this way for nothing," Bakura answered quietly. Ryou's translation – 'Me too.'

Because in Bakura's eyes, Malik was one of the few people left in this world with any brains. He'd been secretly impressed with the Egyptian and his manipulative ways when they first met, though he'd quickly gotten annoyed with Malik's bossing. And Ryou – Malik had nearly gotten Ryou killed! And for what – a piece of cardboard!

But then...Yami Malik came.

It was during the Jounouchi/Rishid duel, of course. Bakura wasn't sure where he'd been sent after taking the hit from Osiris, but it felt like half of him remained in Ryou, and the other half was flung into oblivion. Ryou, rather dazed after everything that had happened, had been stumbling around in his mind when he heard the screams.

After Malik placed a piece of himself inside Ryou, he'd had his own addition to the corridors that made up Ryou's mind – a soul room, more or less.

He'd been screaming in pain and anguish, and when Ryou ran to see what was the matter Malik turned to him, his eyes wide and panicked. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!" he'd screamed, terrified of the darkness that clawed at his very mind and terrified of what this darkness would do to the blameless people around him.

After that duel and Yami Malik's emergence, Malik remained holed up in his 'soul room'. Bakura's mind came back from limbo, and Ryou stayed off to the side, a little afraid of everything that was going on.

But then they heard the door to Malik's 'soul room' open, and Ryou and Bakura went to see what he was doing. Malik stood there, weak and broken, staring at the two with pleading eyes.

"He...he's going to kill my brother," Malik whispered, before falling to his knees, breaking down.

So Bakura and Malik went off to fight Yami Malik.

That's when Bakura's opinion of Malik changed. He wasn't sure exactly why it was, but something about the Egyptian's slightly warped honor code struck him as admirable.

Back in the present, Ryou yawned widely.

"You should go to sleep," Bakura said gruffly.

"I...I'm afraid -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know...Amane..." Bakura looked away. "I-if you start dreaming, I'll wake you up."

Ryou didn't know how to translate that one.

&&&&

Back in Domino, all was silent. Most of its inhabitants were asleep – one who was not sat at a computer monitor, fingers flying over the keys.

Seto Kaiba sighed, leaning back in his chair and looking at his little brother who lay asleep on the couch behind him, Seto's trench coat draped over him.

It was nearly five in the morning; Seto had pulled an all-nighter without meaning too. He knew Mokuba hated when he didn't sleep.

Mokuba was worried terribly about his friends, and Seto, not exactly wanting his little brother alone in the house while Ghouls and other shady characters could possibly be skulking around Domino, had the limo bring Mokuba from the house to his office. Besides, he knew how alone and afraid Mokuba was feeling.

Just then, the phone rang, and Seto hurriedly grabbed it, glancing over to make sure Mokuba was still asleep. His brother stirred, but remained in slumber.

"Kaiba," Seto answered in his usual way, his voice low.

"K-Kaiba-sama!" the voice on the other line cried in panic. "There's...there's a break-in! They're armed and -" He was cut off, and a scream of pain echoed on the other side.

Click.

Seto stared in shock as the phone went dead. His fingers flew over the keys once again, pulling up a window that monitored the activity at the company headquarters, using security cameras that were posted on the property.

Watching the action down at the entrance, Seto saw a few of his guards lying there – unconscious, or worse. And then he saw, running down the halls, getting closer to his office –

"Ghouls."

Seto leapt to his feet and scooped up Mokuba, coat and all.

Mokuba began to wake, clinging to his brother's shirt as Seto dashed down the hall. He reached a room with a keypad to the side and pressed his forefinger against the fingerprint reader.

"C'mon, you damn thing, hurry it up," Seto muttered under his breath, as the computer read his fingerprint. He could hear voices. Finally, the door opened, admitting him.

He ran inside, slamming the door behind him, setting a now-awake Mokuba on the floor.

"Niisama, what's going on?" Mokuba asked, blinking, fearful. Seto didn't answer, turning and entering a combination into a safe on the wall. It opened, and he yanked out a wad of bills.

"Here," he said, handing them to Mokuba. "Do you have Anzu's phone number?" he asked urgently.

Mokuba nodded slowly. "Niisama, what-" Then he heard the pounding footsteps outside, and the banging on the door.

"We know you're in here!" voices on the other side cried gruffly.

Mokuba clung to Seto in fear.

The door swung open, the Ghouls entering, brandishing various weapons.

Mokuba cried out, as Seto grabbed him by the back of his shirt and shoved him into the closet in the corner of the room and slammed the door.

"LOCK IT!" the elder Kaiba roared, swinging his fist into the Ghoul's gut.

Mokuba, shaking all over, locked the door, just as he heard someone jiggle the doorknob.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Seto yelled.

A struggle ensued, one that Mokuba could only hear, and hope that it was the Ghouls he heard getting hurt, and not his brother.

Finally, there was the sound of a lifeless body being drug across the carpet, and silence.

Mokuba stood there, shaking all over, his breathing ragged. He slowly unlocked the door. "Nii...niisama...?"

No answer.

He swung the door open, or at least tried too. Something was in the way; it wouldn't open.

"Niisama!" Mokuba cried in panic. "Help!" He gave the door a mighty shove, moving the overturned chair that had been blocking the door. Mokuba flew out of the closet and landed hard on the floor, falling onto Seto's trench coat, crumpled and forgotten on the floor.

"Ow," he whimpered, slowly getting to his feet, taking the coat with him.

Everyone was gone.

"Niisama!" Mokuba cried, turning and running back down the hall. Tears welled in his eyes. "NIISAMA!"

He reached his brother's office, the window monitoring the premises still open. To his horror, Mokuba saw a group of four or five Ghouls throwing his brother's lifeless body into a car, then piling into it and driving off at top speed.

"NIISAMA!! NIISAMA!!"

Mokuba clutched the coat, biting back sobs. He couldn't lose his head. He had to stay cool for his brother's sake. He grabbed the phone, dialing Anzu's cell phone. She just had to pick up...she just had to.

&&&&

Yuugi yawned, staring out the window. The sun was beginning to rise, bathing the room in a bluish, translucent glow. It was probably about five in the morning. He hadn't really slept well that night...

Suddenly, he heard it – the ringing. It took him a moment to realize it was a ringing cell phone. He looked down the hall to the guest room, where Mai and Anzu had slept. Was it Anzu's cell phone?

Sure enough, he then heard a sleepy Anzu from down the hall – "Hullo?"

There was a pause, then she gasped. "Mokuba-kun!?"

Yuugi sat up, completely alert. Anzu left the room and strode down the hall, cell phone to her ear, a worried expression on her face. "Malik!" she said, gently shaking the blond awake.

Malik hadn't slept well either, and was only dozing. "Wh-what is it?" he asked, blinking at her.

"It's Mokuba-kun!" Anzu said, handing the phone to him. "He said he wanted to talk to you."

"Mokuba?" Malik asked, taking the phone. "Are you okay?" Malik listened for a while, his eyes growing wide.

"Kaiba's been kidnapped!?" he repeated incredulously. Yuugi and Anzu stared in shock, the others beginning to wake as well.

They heard Mokuba's panicked tone from the other side. "Alright, just take a deep breath," Malik said quietly. Malik chewed his lip in thought.

"He should come here," Yuugi said slowly.

"Mokuba, do you have any money? Can you get some?" Malik asked. He listened. "Alright, Mokuba, here's what I need you to do – I need you to get to the train station and take the train to Osaka, okay? That's where we are. Someone will be waiting for you at the station when you get here." He sighed heavily.

"Everything's going to be alright, I promise. Goodbye," he said softly. He hung up the phone, handing it back to Anzu.

By now, everyone was awake, more or less, and just then they heard footsteps coming from the stairway. Hikaru poked his head in the living room. "I heard voices...what's going on?"

"Hikaru-san...where are the Ghouls hiding my siblings?" Malik wanted to know, his voice low and urgent.

&&&&

"In Nagasaki?" Honda repeated. The gang was now clustered in the kitchen, Hikaru brewing a pot of coffee. He nodded.

"Their headquarters is in – surprise, surprise – an old abandoned warehouse," he answered.

"The Ghouls have a bit of a warehouse-fetish, huh?" Jounouchi commented.

"What's the best way to get to Nagasaki?" Mai asked, leaning against the table.

"The train, of course," Hikaru answered. He chewed his lip in thought. "Well, you...Wait, who all is going?"

"I'm going," Malik answered resolutely. "Alone."

"WHAT!?"

"No way!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"We're in this together, Malik-kun," Ryou nodded.

Malik shook his head. "You don't understand...Kaiba's hurt, or maybe even worse, I don't know. Mokuba's more upset than I've ever seen him, and then of course...we don't know about Rishid and Neesan. It's my fault," he said heavily. "It's my fault that everyone's in this mess. First Neesan and Rishid...now the Kaiba brothers...It's because of me." His voice shook slightly.

"They don't even...The innocent are paying for my crimes, don't you see? So I should..." He stared down at the table.

Everyone was quiet.

"Just as well," Hikaru said suddenly. All turned to look at him. He smiled. "I only have money for train fare for one of you. Wait here." He disappeared up the stairs for a moment, returning with a silver metal box and key in hand. Hikaru unlocked it, pulling out a wad of money and handing it to Malik.

" 'Tickets'," Yuugi read the side of the box. "What's that mean, Hikaru-san?"

"This is money we've been saving to move...out of here, out of Osaka...To try and escape the Ghouls, you know," Hikaru said quickly.

"T-then I can't take this!" Malik cried in protest, pushing the money back to Hikaru. "I-it's for your family!"

Hikaru smiled. "Which is exactly why you should take it."

"Ya lost me," Jounouchi blinked.

"The money is for my family – because they love me unconditionally. There were times...times when I considered ending my life, because everything seemed so hopeless, with the Ghouls. But that was a long time ago, and now...Now I realize that because I have my family, I'm still here. As long as we stay together, we can face anything."

Malik swallowed the lump in his throat. "Neesan...She said the same thing at the end of Battle City."

Hikaru smiled wider. "I have my family – now you need to reunite with yours. And that's why you're going to take the money."

&&&&

Mojobubbles: My computer was being stupid, hence the screwy formatting during the Rishid/Isis fluff bits.

Anzu: (ahem) Now Kaiba's in danger! But now that we've found the Ghouls' hideout, will we be able to save them? Wait...what? Malik, what's wrong? That Ghoul...did he kill your siblings? Next time on My Immortal - duel standby!