Im ba-ack! Lets hear it for free time ladies and gents. I dont know where it came from though, since Im in the process of applying for college. ANYBODY WHO LOVES ME OR CARES BETTER DARN WELL CROSS THEIR FINGERS!!!

Hee hee. Thanks.

Now then, where were we? Oh yesall the hikaris are trapped by a crazy lady that appeared from no wheresounds like a fangirl got loose. On with the fic!

Ch. 9- Into the Shadows

Bakura let out a string of choice words. Yami couldnt say he disagreed.

"Where are they?" Shion demanded anxiously. She kept walking a few feet in one direction, then seemed to change her mind in mid-step and would whirl around to face another direction, wringing her hands. "We've go to find them. We've got to-"

"Get ahold of yourself already," Bakura growled. "You're a disgrace of a darkness."

"You-" Shion started angrily when Yami cut in.

"Shion. Bakura is not the one who took your light. Your anger would be better directed at the proper source." His own fists were clenched as he spoke and his voice was strained though gritted teeth. Something was bound to explode.

"Jounochi saved them the trouble. We gotta go after her!" He punctuated the statement with a kick to the sofa. That fire yamis asking for it!

"She has, hasnt she?" Yami said thoughtfully. Bakura gave him an odd look. "No, I mean she's hinted there's more to this than just stealing our hikaris, which made me think she knows well find her. She's counting on it."

"Of course she is!" Bakura snarled in disgust. "She's deranged. She'd have to be to challenge me so blatantly."

"Yugioh, I dont care if its a trap, Shion enunciated clearly.

Yami nodded. Nor do I. Im going to get Yugi back. Hes counting on me."

"And I just want to plant her smiling face face under my foot" Bakura simulated pushing something down with his foot. "And Ryou cooks better than I do, so we might as well haul him back while we're there."

"Fine" Yami's mouth was set in a hard line. "All we need to do is figure out how to find her."

The silence sett;ed as they racked their minds for anything. Some clue that the fire yami might have left. The stillness was broken when Jounochi, of all people, lept to his feet. "Yer sour rooms!" he shouted, nearly tripping in his rush to stand.

"What?" Shion looked at him, puzzled.

"She got in through your soul rooms, right? So couldn't you go through your soul rooms to get to her?" He looked at them excitedly. Honda clappe dhim on the shoulder.

"Alright Jou! That's it!"

"You morons," Bakura said with disgust. "We just got out of our soul rooms. Do you really think we'd want to give her the opportunity to capture us again?"

Yami, however, sided with Jounochi. "Wait Bakura. Remember what she said? She couldn't have held the two of you for much longer." He pointed at Bakura and Shion. "With the three of us and having to hold our hikaris, I don't think she can do it."

"Good." Shion clapped her hands together in anticipation. "Let's get in and get out fast. We're going to need to do this quickly.

"But not before I have a 'talk' with this girl one-on-one." Bakura cracked his knuckles. "You and the Pharaoh grab Ryou and the others while I explain what happens when you try and humiliate me."

"You really miss Ryou, don't you?" Yami asked him.

"It's the principle of the thing, Baka Pharaoh. Thinking she could take him was an insult to my powers." He glared at Yami. "Just get your royal butt into the soul rooms. They said something about a hallway, didn't they?" Without waiting for a resonse, he vanished. Shion shrugged and followed suit.

"This sucks'" Jounochi grumbled. "How are we supposed to help ya stuck out here?"

"Be prepared in case she reappears." Yami suggested, vanishing into his own soul room. He immediately recoiled in horror when he saw the state of his soul room. Silver vines that pulsed with a strange light had crept into everything. They covered the floor like a loose carpet and slithered up the wall like so many snakes. One began to creep up over his foot and he quickly crushed it under his heal.

Surpressing the desire to begin ripping them from every surface, he made his way over to the door and wrenched it open. To his disgust he saw vines in the hallway were covering Yugi's door and creeping into it. How dare those foul things invade a place which should have been a refuge for his young light!

He reached out a hand to tear them off.

"Pharaoh!"

His hand dropped and Yami spun around in surprise. Bakura and Shion stood a little ways away. He strode over to them, quickly concealing his surprise.

"Look," Shion pointed as he drew nearer. Along the floor stretched the vines. They covered every door, but all of the branches eventually continued past them farther down the hallway into the darkness. Without another word the three of them followed the silver line: the darkness of the Stars, Moon, and in the lead, the Sun.

((A/N: Sorry. I'll post more soon, but It's all I can get up now.))

Review!!!!