Me: Mwua ha ha ha ha!!!

Shinu: ...

'Leanne: -.-U she got back from Anime North 2004 (Congress Centre, Toronto)

Me: yeppers! =D the cosplaying went great (T-T all the pictures I took turned out black... I forgot the freaking flash button! .) It was a bit weird, though. Angela was Malik and I was the only one there cosplaying Ryou and was glomped 12 times, we signed 2 people's pants (O.o;;) and so many people took pictures of us, I lost count. . The items turned out really good, though. I also got a big poster of Baku-kun! ;D It looks so cool!

'Leanne: ...I wonder if she needed to breathe through that paragraph...

Shinu: I hope so...

Disclaimer: (sighs in defeat) I have just discovered something. She doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, but she does own the plotline and all original characters...

Warning: aww, poor baby! :P

Disclaimer: -

Warning: and yes! The first quest is dangerously close to ending! =) Maybe even this chapter! We can always hope... But not much else except maybe some shonen-ai and things like that.

Me: ...whatever...


The small army of angels had been flying through grey mist-like stuff for a while now. Tepemkau had somehow miraculously navigated through flawlessly, no one could really tell each other why. It didn't really matter to them, anyway, as long as they eventually managed to get through. But what seemed to be one of the main topics on everyone's mind was the time taken. Especially Honda.

"C'mon... It has to take less time than /this/ to get through this damn plane!" Honda sighed apathetically and slouched limply onto the golden dragon's back.

Jou rolled his eyes. "It's called Limbo, Hond'. It takes a while."

"Hey! It seemed to take Ryou no time at all..."

"Yeah, but think about this, Honda." Malik decided to say, "He was at the Guardian's Window as well, where we had our classes sometimes. He had a direct passage." The young angel closed his eyes matter-of-factually. "Of course, it wasn't for /his/ use, but the sensei's." Yuugi frowned at this.

You have to understand this particular part of the Guardian's Window. Each young angel trying to become a formal GuardianAngel is assigned a human to look over and protect, give him or her a push in the right direction every now and then. But since everyone is assigned a different target, they see different things through the gaps in the cloud. Ryou saw New York because that was where Anzu was currently. However, anyone else looking through that particular space wouldn't have seen NY, they would have seen where ever their human was. The sensei, of course, can see the entire world through that space. That's basically how it works in a nutshell.

It was about then that the fog disappeared and they were on the material plane for the first time since they had died. And the place they ended up in, well, that just happened to be Yuugi's, Honda's and Jou's place of death. So it came as no surprise to find themselves to be at a lose for words.

The town of Domino.

Malik looked curiously over to his two friends with gaping mouths. "What's the problem? Something the matter?"

Yuugi spoke up for the rest of them, since no one else could seem to find their tongues. "Domino..it's gone..." Malik blinked.

"What does that have to do with you three?"

"It's our point of death." Jou croaked out. It was standard not to talk about your death in Heaven, so Malik wouldn't know anything about Domino (a/n: remember, this story is alternate universe). "And..it's just gone.."

"So that must've been what killed us. The Ghost Effect."

"A tiny apocalypse..."

Malik blinked again. "What, didn't you already know where you died? I know I did."

Yuugi grimaced and they all shut up immediately. Yuugi had happened to be one of the 'special cases', as they were referred to on the holy plane. The first time he had died, it had been in unrest, so the boy had chanced loosing his place in Heaven for the chance to be reincarnated, and so it was granted. He was reborn into Domino City, 1996. Where he died just as unsettling, but Yuugi had given up on finding whomever it was he was searching for, and just went to Heaven. This was commonly referred to as 'Giving up the Ghost', and not very respectable nor talked about. Because one thing can go wrong when you want to be reincarnated: you run the risk of becoming demon.

Tepemkau nudged his rein draped across his neck in an effort to get going again. Going /here/ of all places was against everything his instincts had to tell him, but he would anyway, for his master and rider.

"All right, all right." Malik stroked his ka's bull-like neck. "Let's get going again, all right? No time to spare." Yuugi murmured a silent breath of relief and everyone else nodded curtly. "Hyaa!"

Tepemkau dove through the misty air into the heart of the city.

)(

The Dark Scorpions and Bakura had been traveling for about a week now without many eventful happenings. They had met a caravan of palace men two days ago, but managed to stay out of sight. No one really felt much up to a good fight yet, anyway.

Bakura was getting restless. The eclipse was just five days away, and he still had to get there. He sighed, not only to relieve him of an approaching headache, but also to reassure himself that they were traveling as fast as they could. The only way to speed up would have been to go on ahead, but that was definitely out of the option. Not even the great Theif King Bakura could have crossed the rest of the Western Desert, locate and enter Karnak and manage to steal the sheath, alone.

But something struck him funny just then.

(Flashback)

Cliff raised his eyebrow. "You tryin' to top your records, or somethin'? No fool would rush in like that 'cause some guy took somethin' from ya." He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "Or 'cause some gal asked ya. Is that it?"

(End Flashback)

How could he have known? Bakura frowned. He hadn't told anyone of them the motives behind stealing the sheath, yet Cliff had correctly predicted that something was taken from him. And that Kyokae had asked him in the first place.

So how did that work?

"Hey, Bakura! Stop lagging!" Chick's youthful voice startled Bakura out of his thoughts and brought him back down to Earth. "You'll be happy to hear that I can see the Nile just over this upcoming sand dune! Come and look!" Ah, yes. He had forgotten. While Chick may be deathly timid in closed spaces, open land was his kingdom. Henceforth, he was their scout. A scout now standing on top a /very/ steep dune, and waving down to all five of them at the foot.

Bakura grumbled and kicked a stray stone into the sand. A couple of grains fell, but nothing significant. Good, at least he wouldn't break his neck attempting to climb up that damn pile of sharp dust.

Another stone flew into the space right above Bakura's. "So, you gunna climb or what, Theif King?" Bakura rolled his eyes at Cliff whom had his thumbs hooked into his studded belt and foot raised slightly in the air.

"Yeah, yeah.." He ran up halfway before he realized that this was as far as he could go on two feet. So, muttering curses under his breath, Bakura knelt on all fours and climbed up. But what he saw was worth any climb.

Ra had just begun to sink into the golden-tinted river, and almost every pastel colour imaginable was present. Crawling across the stretch of sand, illuminating the glassy water, reflecting off all the multicolored stones at the bottom...it was just breath taking. And all Bakura could think about as a lone tear escaped his eye was the fact that Ryou wasn't here to see this beside him.

Maybe it was the awing sun, or remembering what he was truly here for that made him do it, but just then for the first time in literally three thousand years, Bakura wasn't shedding tears of sorrow.

Zaruug had scaled the side of the dune without disturbing Bakura and stood beside him. His grayish blue hair churned in the slight wind coming over form eastern bank of the Nile and the patch over his right eye sparkled in the sun. "We can't linger here, Bakura. Ra is setting much too fast for us to make camp here. We must find a suitable cavern for the night." Don rested a hand on his friend's shoulders for a moment and then left down the hill.

Through the next couple of days, the Dark Scorpions plus one had made their way across the Nile in a reed raft and they were nearing the small town called Karnak. Only over that next hill... Just a couple more hours...was all Bakura heard from Chick. But then again, if he wasn't there, no optimist might have meant no crossing the desert. No one else was saying much, anyway, so conversation was welcome.

When they finally did reach the City of Temples two days later, it came with much relief. Don Zaruug and his team fare welled Bakura and they hadn't seen each other since they had arrived primarily. Bakura was now attempting to circle the temple of Ashita.

"Hey, you! What's your business here?!" A watchman shouted from inside the rows of stone pillars lining inside and out.

"Meh.." People had been shooing him away from the temple ever since he had arrived. That was definitely not what he had planned. If they grew suspicious of him...it could mean that he would never get the Sheath of Mortality...and that meant-

It was getting very late now. The stars overhead had begun to light the sky like frozen dragonflies and illuminated all of the building tops. Bakura had to find a place to stay for the night. And that's what was bothering him. By tomorrow, he would only have until nightfall before the eclipse, and the symbol of Kyokae's deadline.

So the albino sighed and headed towards the outskirts of the town to find a good, comfortable place to rest the night.

)(

"Get..get away form me..." cried a young boy, maybe only ten of age. He was in the cold embrace of some creature that seemed to have jumped right from his old fairy tale books. Pale, white skin and tri-coloured hair wearing a completely leather outfit. The boy was at first intrigued until the man had pinned him to the wall with clawed hands and bore his enlarged fangs.

Yami sighed impatiently. "If you wouldn't move so much, it wouldn't hurt." You see, Yami wasn't stupid. Though the jugular was plentiful, you would cause your victim to kill themselves by struggling too much and ripping it out. And that meant wasted blood. So instead, he had always pierced their wrists with his fangs. However...this particular little boy was being quite the hassle. Yami had almost thought of putting him and his parents out of their misery by just killing the kid.

But no.

He was just going to suck half his blood, like everyone else's. No exceptions.

"AHH!" Yami reeled back off the kid in mental pain, clutching his head. The small boy took advantage of his attacker's weakness and ran.

'I can't think..at all...' The prince of the undead's mind seemed to be tearing apart. The never-ending darkness of Yami's soul was being split...light was escaping...

/Yami! I know you can hear me!/

A reflection of Ryou standing in his mind flickered in front of his eyes.

/I want to let you know that I still have hope!/

Yami fell to the floor and teleported unwillingly back to the heart of Domino City.

/You can't destroy me, not like this!/

'What..what's going on...' The vampire squirmed on the once-warm floor of the Kame Game Store.

/I STILL HAVE HOPE!!/

And that last verse rang through and ate away at Yami's emotional binds. Ryou was out of his control now...

"No..all that I've worked so hard for...it's all gone..." Now he had taken the place of his hostage on the frozen terrain of the Shadow Realm, without a way of escape. Not even he could escape himself.

)(

Bakura woke up the next morning with a kink in his neck. He had spent the entire night thinking over everything that could possibly go wrong, and now everything seemed so impossible. 'How can I possibly do this?' he had asked himself over and over in his mind.

But then, everything he had ever done in his two lives, mortal and demonic, seemed impossible, yet he had done nevertheless. Like earning the title Theif King. Or beating Marik on nothing but a rush of adrenaline. And meeting Ryou, though it did seem like the second time.

/Git up, Bakura. This ain't the Theif King I knew./ Cliff's familiar voice rang through Bakura's ears.

So he stood up off the ground and dusted himself of the dirt because he had just reminded himself of something. That he had made a promise to himself before he ever accepted Kyokae's quest. A promise to save Ryou at any cost. No matter what the circumstances were, including self-pity.

'I go tonight, then.' Bakura made the second promise just then.

As the day went on, everything surprisingly went according to plan. No one grew suspicious around him and by keeping his almost-unique white hair and signature triple scars out of site, no one recognized him either. It was near the end of the day when things decided to go a little out of whack.

"Hey, stranger. C'mere for a moment." A deep grunt emitted from a darkened stall to Bakura's left. He sighed, as people seemed to be doing this all day. The residents of Karnak were pretty paranoid, if you asked him. Bakura went over, not expecting much, though still keeping a fair grip on his hidden daggers and such.

"Your cloak reminds me of someone I used to know...let me feel its material." Now Bakura was getting a bit more aware of his surroundings as he neared the peddler. The stall had a blackened storage room that led out into a small backstreet in between two buildings. The merchandise all had something to do with rouges. Weapons, tools, picks...

When Bakura had gotten close enough to smell the dirt off the man, not only a handful of his white-striped red shawl was grabbed, but his elbows was also caught from behind by two middle-aged palace men.

"Hah! Theif don't look so big now, eh?" Shouted one of the people in his blind spot.

'What the...' Bakura tensed up. Not that this would be a problem to get out of, but now he'd have to go straight for the sheath. By tonight, everyone would know who, and where he was.

By back heeling the guy in his gut, and swinging rather awkwardly, Bakura managed to free himself of the two behind him. Now all was left was his original man, whom was currently yelling for more backup. Ok. Not a good thing.

"Hyaa! Begone, knaves!" Meanae the Thorn swung down from a roof with her rose whip on the ready and red sash bellowing wildly behind her.

Meanae nailed the first guy square on his head with her foot and then turned to take out three more approaching rapidly. "Bakura, why didn't you call?" Her exotic accent rose above the fight.

The tanned albino jumped out of the way of a punch and came down hard on their head with his elbow. "I guess I didn't need to, now did I. You came so quickly."

Another fell by her thorned whip. "You go to the temple. I'll keep them busy here." Bakura nodded and dashed off towards the city monastery grounds. Since everyone had heard the commotion down in the marketplace, no one but a couple guards on duty should be left in his way. That was a good thing. The guard part, however, was not.

Avoiding an elderly couple, Bakura could begin to see the outer premises of his temple and began to sprint faster.

A pack of five palace men sprang out from Ashita's gates armed with composite bows and spears. While Bakura was contemplating in his flight how to handle them, a hulking shadow passed through the street and knocked all five of them down to the ground at once with a huge mace.

"I was informed you might be in need of my assistance. I came immediately." Gorg the Strong held all of them down with two feet and one hand. Bakura nodded his thanks and headed straight into the temple.

After he passed through the pillars before the entrance, a gigantic courtyard with the sandstone spires he had seen earlier lay before him. No other exit than the one about fifty yards ahead. A few surprised monks were paralyzed at their posts while the resident Theif King passed their midst.

Past the doors were rows of endless halls, meant to slow down and confuse penitraitors. However, Bakura had seen nearly the same layout in the Shrine of Osiris in Abydos. So he had no problems here. Weaving his way through twin rooms, he had finally reached the inner sanctuary of Ashita, where the Sheath of Mortality was kept.

Sneaking through the doors, Bakura was able to see most of the rooms from where he was standing. The actual shrine was straight ahead, though surrounded by fourteen separate rooms, some connecting, some solitary. What these rooms held was no secret to anyone who lived near a temple. They were the living quarters of service men sent to keep out thieves like him.

Bakura's cloak swept behind him as he strided confidently towards the Sword of Aki. No need to be trying to hide himself, for there wasn't anywhere to blend into safely and still reach the very room of his goal.

"Hey, you!" For the second time that day, Bakura was called over by ambushers and he rolled his eyes. This one apparently wasn't quite as subtle. "Stop right there!" A soldier ran out of the furthest door to the left, taking his scimitar from his belt hanging loosely. And of course, this upset drew the rest of the soldiers.

'Crap...' The thief nimbly ducked his first swing and jumped above the rebound. He was searching franticly in his pockets for something to slow down the mob and let him pass freely.

He pulled out a piece of white fabric and immediately recognized it as belonging to Ryou. Bakura remembered he had picked it up when searching for any clues in his lair.

"Grk" Bakura felt his eyes swell and morph to red orbs with thin, black slits. His shoulders rolled back and his back began to burn unbearably where his wings should have been. That was right before he feel unconscious to the floor before his attackers.

(Dream Sequence)

Nahkti was hovering above a blood-red room on his wings in a night black turtleneck and matching pants. His skin was pale and the length his hair grew, you could have sworn it was just doubled. "What the...?" He raised and rubbed his hands to study them further. Yes, they were definitely real...

Through the gap between his hands, he could see a young, wingless boy lying asleep on the floor. "What?" Nahkti threw down his hands and swooped down to him.

"Nnnn.." The albino kid groaned softly when he was turned from his side onto his back. It was! It was Ryou!

But his wings...why were they gone?

For some reason, this dream seemed to cloud Bakura's sense of being, so he couldn't think fast. It was almost like someone had given him a sleeping pill, or whatever humans used to fall asleep.

(End Dream Sequence)

Bakura snapped awake just as fast as he had fallen into sleep.

Cliff swung overhead while pelting several guards with sharp rocks and a slingshot. "So yer awake now, eh? Took you long enough." Bakura sprang up off the ground and tried to focus on the wild battle in front of him. Zaruug was going three-on-one using his short sword and random kicks, and Meanae was just arriving through the door covered in scratches and cuts from the earlier scuffle.

"Go now, Bakura!" Yelled Don Zaruug. "Get the sheath and run!" Bakura bit his lip and nodded firmly.

Most of the sword's protectors were already occupied with Bakura's backup, but one or two managed to slip away and went after him.

"Crap..." Bakura muttered under his breath. Only seven feet away...five...three... Bakura launched himself the rest of the way hoping to gain ground from his pursuers, and partially due to the fact that he had tripped over his immeasurably long cape. 'Gotta make it...no other way...'

Through the temple windows, you could see that the sun was beginning to be covered with a gigantic, black object.

His fingers passed the sword of Aki and touched lightly on the sheath.


Me: wow...what a cliffy, eh? :P Yes...I'm evil

'Leanne: -.-;; if you say so...

Me: by the way, if anyone's confused, the Sword of Aki was still in its sheath when Bakura touches it. He just touched the hilt or whatever it's called... (shifty eyes)

Shinu: gimme a part! gimme a part!

Me: no.

Shinu: :'( I'll cry...

Me: :o you sound like that kid in Spirited Away... ANYways! :o} There are a couple things I'd like to get in reviews, that is, if you want a kawaii picture! :D /Constructive/ criticism, whether all four of the quests left should take as long as this one (five to six chapters), and what you like best. ;l

'Leanne: you sound like a survey card...

Me: . whatever...don't forget! Piccies!

chibi Ryou: ja! (r/r!!)