Bakura cried out in stunned shock as he went flying through the air and into a tunnel resembling a slippery slide. Vaguely he saw Rhea up ahead in the near darkness, tumbling over and over in a daze. Then behind him Bakura heard an angry growl as his Yami fell in as well.

"Hey, move it," Mai's voice wafted over. "There's a lady coming through!"

The quartet skidded through the slide until they all crashed at the bottom in a heap. A string of Egyptian curses from Yami Bakura immediately followed.

"Wow, this is freaky," Rhea exclaimed, trying to untangle her hand from Bakura's hair.

Bakura winced. "Is everyone alright?" he asked shakily.

"I lost an earring," Mai said in irritation.

"I should've landed on my feet!" Rhea cried.

Yami Bakura just growled.

At last everyone managed to stand up. The room was dark and seemed empty. When Yami Bakura used the Ring to light things up, it almost looked like a small store. There was a long, wooden counter, behind which were lots of shelves with boxes and bags of food. A late nineteenth-century lamp hung above them, unlit but with kerosine still remaining within it. And there didn't seem to be any way out.

"Why, it looks like a room for food storage," Bakura remarked. "Perhaps we're in the basement and this is a bomb shelter of sorts."

"I don't care if it's the Queen's chambers," Yami Bakura snapped. His eyes darted about as he searched for an exit. There had to be some way to get out!

Rhea, meanwhile, was reading a label on the kerosine lamp. "'Danger . . . flammable.'" She looked up, blinking. "What does that mean? And why would something old have this warning sticker on it?"

Bakura stared. "This does seem odd," he said softly. He started to wonder if perhaps the lamp was actually very new and had been placed there by Seth or someone else who might be hanging around. Even that strange Egyptian who resembled Shadi could have been responsible, he decided.

"Flammable means everything could go up in smoke, you fool," Yami Bakura grunted, wondering why she wouldn't know that. "And though it very well could be amusing, I would prefer to not be within the abode if it happens."

Rhea sighed and then promptly sat down on the counter, swinging her legs like a young child. "We could be here for a while," she chirped. "Why don't we talk?" She blinked at Yami Bakura hopefully, her yellow-golden eyes sparkling.

Mai looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and disbelief. "Don't count on it, hon," she said flatly. "He isn't really a conversation piece. You're lucky he hasn't stolen your soul yet."

Rhea giggled. "He won't hurt me," she said with confidence.

"You shouldn't trust an old thief like me," Yami Bakura grunted, still investigating the walls and floor for some hope of escape. But this he did in vain. It truly did look as though they would be stranded, for whatever foul purposes their captors had in mind. At last he kicked the wall in anger, his eyes flashing.

Rhea jumped down then and came over to him. "I could help you look," she offered. "We haven't checked the ceiling yet."

"Well, we can't go back the way we fell in," Mai objected. She gazed up at the ceiling with a sigh. There didn't even seem to be ventilators they could crawl through. But then, when the house was supposed to be so old, that didn't really come as a surprise.

Rhea leaped back on the counter and stretched up, feeling along the ceiling for another opening. "It's gotta be here somewhere," she insisted, refusing to give up.

Yami Bakura came over, watching her coldly. Though he wouldn't admit it, Rhea was right that he wouldn't hurt her. But he couldn't understand how he knew that or why he would even care. She was nothing to him, just a strange girl they'd picked up out of the blue. Once they left this town, he doubted he'd ever see her again. And, he told himself, that was fine with him.

Bakura blinked up at Rhea worriedly. "You might fall!" he exclaimed.

Rhea shook her head. "Not a chance!" she replied, feeling her fingers run over what seemed to be a possible door. In determination she pulled at and then hit it, trying to make it open. At last she felt it give way and she moved aside as the panel fell downward. As the foursome looked up into it, they could see ladder rungs built into the side of the wall. "Yes!" Rhea cried, pumping her fist into the air. "We can escape! Go me!"

Yami Bakura grunted, but was pleased that they wouldn't have to continue remaining in the strange storage room. He climbed on the counter as well. "Come on, mortals," he hissed, taking hold of the first rungs and pulling himself up. Rhea immediately followed.

"Good show!" Bakura exclaimed, sharing a smile with Mai. He waited for Mai to get in, and then he brought up the rear, only too relieved to be leaving the room behind. He couldn't know that their problems in this home weren't over yet.

Seto smelled it first. It took him by surprise, causing him to cough horrendously. But there was no mistaking what it was. Smoke was filling up the room! If he didn't find a way out soon, there would be too much to even see.

Immediately his thoughts were for Mokuba's safety. The child was awake, but only barely. He wouldn't be aware enough to protect himself against the fumes. Seto had to do something for him and then try to get out. He growled, wondering if the others were aware of these developments yet.

"Seto?" The weak voice startled him out of all thoughts. Mokuba was blinking up at him with glassy blue-gray eyes. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. But he could sense Seto was upset. Something had gone wrong.

Seto gazed down at the child comfortingly. "Don't worry, Mokuba," he said quietly, bringing Mokuba's bandanna up around his nose and mouth. "Just leave this here," he instructed. "I don't want you to breathe the smoke." With that he again set out, carrying his brother with one arm while using his free hand to cover his own nose and mouth. Trying to protect Mokuba wouldn't do much good if Seto himself was overcome by the fumes.

Mokuba stared at his brother blearily. "Okay," he said, his voice muffled.

As Seto stumbled ahead, starting to feel light-headed, he crashed right into Joey. In the increasing smoke he couldn't see who it was, nor could Joey see who had bumped against him. "Hey!" the Brooklyn boy cried out. "Watch it!" He shoved out at Seto. For all he knew, it was Khu back again.

Seto coughed hard, clutching Mokuba's body close under his trenchcoat. "Wheeler, stop it," he growled. "It's me. And Mokuba's hurt. We have to get out of here." His vision swam in front of his eyes as the heat increased.

Joey's eyes widened. "Kaiba?!" he burst out, grabbing the other teen's shoulders. "Come on, stay with me here!" He gave Seto a gentle shake, finding that he himself was growing weak. If he wasn't careful, he'd be passing out along with Seto.

"Don't be the blind leading the blind," Seto grunted, seeing this. "We have to keep cool heads to get out of here. Do you know where the others are?" He wrapped his coat tighter around Mokuba, who then grabbed at his brother and shuddered. Mokuba wouldn't forgive Seto if he didn't make sure that everyone got out safe. And whether he would admit it or not, Seto wouldn't forgive himself either.

"They should be right behind me!" Joey exclaimed, glancing back.

Slowly Yugi, Tristan, Téa, and the Ishtars emerged from the smoke, each trying to keep themselves from becoming overwhelmed. "We have to get out of here!" Yugi cried. All he could hope was that Bakura and Mai were not in the house. He would stay and search for them, but he was weakening. He knew he wouldn't be able to last.

Seto coughed again, clutching Mokuba with both arms as the flames leapt out at them. He squinted through his darkening vision, trying to see the exit. There didn't seem to be one that he could see. And he was almost passing out.

Marik drew the Rod then, shattering a nearby window. Fresh air streamed in, but the space wasn't big enough for everyone to get through the hole, hoping to get some idea of where the door was.

"Wait a minute," Tristan spoke up. "Where's Duke?!"

Yugi's eyes widened. "Isn't he here?!" He remembered only too well that Duke had been nearly strangled to death earlier. The injured boy hadn't spoken much since then, obviously not feeling well. Now he was completely missing.

"Do you smell smoke?" Rhea chirped as they climbed up the tunnel. Her eyes darted about the enclosed space, trying to find the source of the often fatal substance.

"Oh my," Bakura said quietly. "I do, indeed." His grip on the ladder tightened.

"Then don't stop moving!" Yami Bakura snapped.

They continued in silence for the next few yards until Rhea spoke quietly to Yami Bakura. "I guess someone like you must have a special someone," she remarked.

Yami Bakura growled. "I don't have any soul mate, if that's what you're implying. I only have myself. And I only care about myself. I need no one else."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Rhea said impatiently, as if she'd heard it all before. "But then is Bakura nothing to you? I mean, don't you think of him as a brother or something?"

"Silence, foolish mortal," Yami Bakura hissed, refusing to answer.

Rhea giggled, extremely amused. "You never change," she stated fondly, just as they reached the top. Yami Bakura didn't have a chance to ask her about that odd remark until much later.

There was another door they had to open in order to get out. Rhea shoved against it, struggling to force it to move. It didn't budge. She tried hard, nearly falling backward. Yami Bakura caught her with one hand, snarling in irritation.

"There's something holding it down!" Rhea declared, feeling a happiness as the thief caught her. She slammed against it one more time and a low moan wafted down to them all.

"Or someone," Mai frowned.

Bakura was aghast. "It must be one of the others!" he said in alarm. "Hello? Who's up there?!" His eyes were wide as he longed to get up there and help whoever was there.

Another moan came to them and they could hear someone beginning to move. "Ugh. I must've blacked out," a familiar voice muttered. A round of coughing followed.

"It's Duke!" Bakura gasped.

Yami Bakura wasn't impressed. "Tell him to move off the door!" he snapped.

Rhea knocked on the door. "Hello?" she called. "We're kinda stuck here. You were laying on the way out."

Duke coughed again and they heard the sound of him moving away. Then he raised the door, sending light down upon the four who were standing on the ladder. "Come on," he said weakly.

One by one they quickly climbed up onto the solid ground. As Bakura came up, he saw the red marks on his friend's neck and gasped in horror. "Duke, what on earth happened to you?!" he demanded.

Duke grunted. "Well, let's see. I was abducted, hit on the head, hanged . . . and now I inhaled too much smoke."

"Hanged?!" Bakura repeated incredulously.

"We'll talk about it later," Duke said in irritation as he struggled to stand. "Let's get out of here. I don't intend to die by being roasted."

"I'm with you," Mai retorted.

Khu, meanwhile, was also breaking out. With his staff he shattered a window and then leapt out with agility, landing below in an aging sagebrush. He was certain of the truth—that Seth had done this. His brother truly had gone mad.

He let out a low curse, staring up at the burning abode. Seth and Nuru would have gotten away. They could even be watching right now, even seeing him for all he'd know. But he didn't care. He only cared about what he would do. The Pharaoh—curse him, too!—had actually been right. Khu was trying to save Seth from himself. What did Khu care about the world? Seth was his world, as strange as it sounded to everyone—including Khu himself. But without Seth, what did he really have? Khu had never loved romantically, save for a "schoolboy crush" on a woman in the Pharaoh's court so many centuries ago. There was no one for him save his brother. That was a bit like it was with Nuru, he knew, only not quite the same. Nuru was serving Seth at all costs, while Khu was fighting against him. But ultimately neither one really wanted harm to come to him.

"Are you listening, Seth?" he yelled into the flames, though he knew Seth wasn't within them. "Are you listening to me? I'm gonna catch up to you eventually. And I'll stop you from doing this. I swear, I'll stop you!" And maybe someday he would even make the full truth about his brother known. He knew that everyone thought Seth had always been evil. He knew it wasn't true at all. And so, perhaps just for the record, Khu would make a point to somehow clear it all up when everything calmed down.

"Such strong words."

Khu didn't even have to turn around. "What do you keep hanging around here for, Runihura?" he demanded in a low, dangerous tone. "I know you work alone. If Seth wanted you to help him, you would've refused."

"Very astute of you," Runihura grinned. "But I go wherever there's destruction. What your brother has done amuses me at the moment. I'll leave when I feel like it."

Khu snarled. "Fine." He idly wondered if those ridiculous mortals would make it out.

As it turned out, most of the "ridiculous mortals" (and one non-mortal) were getting out just fine. The smoke billowed around them, making it hard to see what was going on. All they could really see was the vague outline of the door in front of them. Duke and those with him had managed to find the others and they were all striving diligently to get to it.

Marik was stumbling to the sliver of hope, making certain his siblings were right there with him, when he felt a heavy bundle being laid in his arms. In shock he stared down at a dark blue material, which was all wrapped around a small body. It only took him a moment to realize it was Mokuba laying within the folds of Seto's trenchcoat. He let out a gasp. "Mokuba!" he cried, seeing the child's eyes were open but glassy and not focused.

"Where's Seto?" Mokuba choked out, his voice muffled by the protective bandanna. He had been passing in and out of consciousness, roused from a doze whenever he was jerked during the flight from the house. But he had known Seto had been with him. Now he wasn't there any longer. Though Mokuba was barely aware of anything, he knew this for a surety.

"I don't know," Marik whispered, holding the boy close to him. But he was certain of one thing—Seto wanted Marik to get Mokuba out of the house now. More than likely, he had been overcome by the smoke, since he had been around it the longest. But before he had gone unconscious, he had somehow managed to give Mokuba to someone he trusted to keep the child safe. Marik's gaze darted about frantically, as if to see Seto laying on the floor nearby. But he saw nothing.