She sat in the shadows, huddled against the wall with her knees pulled up against her chest and tears streaming from her eyes. All around her was quiet except for the small torches flickering in their brackets. She felt so alone.
Why did they have to do that? She had just found him and she had barely enough time to reassure him that everything would be alright before they tore them apart again. Was that the last time she was ever going to see him again? Would they kill her now that they didn't need her? Or would they let her live but she'd still never see him again because the ritual would supposedly take his life?
A rustling at the far side of the cavern caught her attention. She looked over at the corner of the room to see the heavy wooden door open and a small figure creep in, slowly closing the door behind it. Once the door was secure, the small person made it's way over to her.
"I'm sorry about this…" Chiquita whispered as she knelt down beside the bars of Takoda's enclosure. The girl's bangs fell before her eyes, so Takoda couldn't see what they held.
The Canadian turned away from her. "What do you care?"
"I do care." Chiquita assured her. "It's my job to make sure everyone is comfortable."
"Well, letting us all go would be a nice start." Was the flat reply.
"I suppose I deserve that." The other girl whispered as she, too, drew her knees up under her chin. Both of them remained silent, thinking their own thoughts.
Still glaring at the wall, Takoda spoke. "What do you want?"
"I came to see how you were settled in. And to apologize."
"For what?"
"For my brother's behavior. It's not like him to act like that, you must believe me. But he has orders to follow."
"I don't care if his orders come from the Queen of England. Capturing people and holding them hostage is not right."
"But he's doing it to help the world! To make it a better place!"
"Idiot!" Takoda cried, finally moving to face Chiquita. "You still believe that? You think that by freeing the Chaos the world will become a better place? Can someone be that naïve?"
"It's true." Chiquita told her, but not as fiercely. "Antonio says it's true, so it must be."
"Don't you think you're brother's being played for a fool?" Takoda asked. "Everyone who knows anything about the Chaos knows that it will destroy everything once it's released."
"But Antonio-"
"Antonio is wrong." The older girl said bluntly. "He's been lied to, and so have you."
Now Takoda could see the pain and fear in Chiquita's eyes that came with understanding. Takoda had just confirmed her worst fears, and it seemed to confuse the Mexican. She gaped at Takoda, then finally pulled her eyes away and stared at the ground.
"I have to go." She whispered finally, standing as she did. Quickly she turned and hurried towards the door.
"Chiquita," Takoda called out. The girl stopped but didn't face her. "If you really care about your brother, you'll try to save him. You'll try to stop him."
"But he won't listen to me…" Chiquita uttered.
"You don't have to tell him anything." Takoda said. "But there are other ways to stop the Chaos from being released."
Chiquita turned to her, a questioning look on her face. Then she nodded slowly, and disappeared through the door.
Hopefully she'll think of something before it's too late… Takoda thought as she stared at the door. Because if she doesn't, we're all doomed…
Through the darkness she felt the throbbing. The pain in her head was immense, and she couldn't exactly remember what had happened. She tried to open her eyes, but it hurt to even try so she lay still. She realized she was on something soft, though she couldn't think what it could be.
Once the pain had dulled a bit she opened her eyes a little, squinting up at a wooden roof. She began to sit up, but hand landed on her shoulders and tried to force her to lie down again.
"Don't get up, Bree." A familiar, and most welcome, voice told her. "You might have a concussion. Just stay lying down for now."
"Kaiba?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse.
"It's me, don't worry."
She tried to smile, but that also hurt so she stopped. She squinted up at him, seeing his blurry form beside her. "What happened?"
"You took a nasty blow to the back of the head." He explained. "One of the crew managed to get you with the end of a broom before things were broken up."
"Broken up?" She didn't understand. How did they get away from the angry bunch?
She could see a faint, mischievous glint in his eyes. He brought something out of his jacket pocket that hung on the back of his chair. "I got it off the plane before we landed. I knew it would come in handy." He was holding out a black handgun. "It sure scared them enough to let us go."
Bree felt herself smile. "Good thinking." She looked around a bit, though her vision was still a bit blurry. She was lying on a bed which was against the wall in the small room. The roof, walls, and floor seemed to be constructed of logs. "Where are we?"
"In one of the inns." Kaiba explained. "You were in bad shape, but well enough not to go to a doctor. So I rented two rooms, and we've been here since."
"How long have I been out?"
"A couple hours."
"What time is it?"
"Almost ten o'clock. At night."
Bree tried to sit up in alarm. Ten at night! They've wasted so much time! They had to get out, they had to figure out where the Chaos Gate was.
Again Kaiba forced Bree to lay down. "You're in no condition to be sitting up so quickly." He told her.
"I'm fine." Bree said defiantly, though her head was still spinning from trying to sit up. But Kaiba didn't need to know that. "We have to find out where the Keepers are, we have to go get them!"
"You need rest." He insisted.
Bree glared at him. "I told you I'm fine, so I'm fine. We have to get moving!"
"Not tonight." He voice was dropping to a low tone, telling Bree she had either give up or face the consequences. She picked the latter.
"I will not be confined to this bed or this room or this inn!" She told him as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. "I'm perfectly-" As she arose she swayed. Her head throbbed and spun and she couldn't focus. She sat back down. "Fine." She quickly mumbled.
"Just rest." Kaiba persisted. Bree gritted her teeth but didn't look at him. Did he have to be this annoying and stubborn?
I bet he's thinking the same thing. The thought crossed her mind, and her mood became more grim at the irony of it all.
"We don't have time to be sitting here resting." She said defiantly. "We need to get out there and find them."
"And what if we do go right now?" He demanded. "If we even manage to get information from these people, you'll black out before we even manage to find the Chaos Gate." Though she stared intently at her hands in her lap, she could sense Kaiba crouch down before her. "Can't you just lie down and sleep?" The words sounded more like an order than a request.
Bree set her jaw stubbornly, refusing to listen to him. "No."
"Bree, please."
His tone startled her. It had suddenly become softer. She raised her eyes and met his. They were different, somewhat. They were the usual cruel blue, but there was something else. Bree's own eyes widened a bit. Was he… worried about her?
No. There's no way. He can't be. She told herself. But still…
"Rest for a little while." His voice brought her out of her thoughts. He was looking at her so intently she almost shivered. Absentmindedly his hand arose and brushed a few stands of her hair behind her ear, where it froze. "You're no use to me injured." He whispered.
Bree suddenly became aware of how close the two of them were. His face was only inches from hers. Those blue eyes were so strong, yet tired.
Tired of what? She found herself wondering.
Her mouth became dry as he moved closer to her. It seemed almost perfect. But deep within her a voice called out.
Her fingers enclosed around his hand and her eyes fell from his. "I'd be no use to Neil, either." She whispered.
She felt him tense a bit, then sit back. Bree finally raised her eyes to see his face. Nothing was there, no worry, no tiredness. The old, cold Kaiba was before her once more.
"No, you wouldn't be." He muttered, then stood. "Now get some sleep. We leave early in the morning, whether you're ready to go or not." He turned and went towards the door.
Bree sat silently, wordless, but found her voice. "Kaiba?"
"What?" From where he stood he turned to her, the door halfway open.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I won't always be there to save you." He told her coldly, then vanished down the hall, the door slamming shut behind him.
She sat staring at the door, dumbfounded. She wasn't exactly sure what had just happened.
Almost happened. Almost, nothing happened. Nothing at all. She assured herself. She had done nothing wrong, she did the right thing for once. But if she had done the right thing, how come it didn't feel like it…
Still confused, Bree lay down and curled up under the blankets. What had gotten into him? What had gotten into her? She was here to save Neil, it's why she had come so far.
Is it? A voice within her asked. Is it really why you've come this far? It doesn't seem like you've been thinking about Neil, it seems more like you've been worried about Kaiba. Bree scowled to herself, knowing the voice was right. But even though she came here with Kaiba, she was going to leave with Neil. She had promised herself she would take Neil home, and that's what she was going to do.
The thought of Kaiba's worried eyes surfaced in her mind. Those eyes were so intense, she knew they had seen much in their short life. Probably mostly pain and anger, much like herself. They had grown up in two different worlds, in two different ways. And yet they both learned the same lesson to survive: keep going and never back down.
She quickly looked back on the short time they had known each other. It was strange how they hated each other at first, and yet they had just been face to face only moments ago. Is it possible to learn to respect someone in such a short amount of time? It must be, because she knew she respected Kaiba and was sure he respected her. Yes, they didn't get along most of the time, but when the time came they put their differences aside and worked together.
That may be possible, but was it possible to learn to look out for one another in that amount of time? Was it possible to learn to care about on another? Was it possible to lo-
Stop it. Bree told herself. Stop it right now. What kind of thoughts are those? You hardly know him! It was only five days ago that you met him!
Her thoughts stopped. Five days? Was it really only five days ago that Kaiba and Yugi had appeared on Aine's front doorstep? It was. How time had flown, it seemed like ages since that night. So much had happened. What she had first thought was only a kidnapping had turned into a race around the world to stop the Apocalypse!
And tomorrow it might be over… She thought as she closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep. By tomorrow night I could be back in Ireland, with Neil. And I can forget all about Shadow Gems and Chaos Gates. And pushy control freaks named Kaiba.
For some reason the thought brought more discomfort than relief…
Outside her room Kaiba slowly walked down the hall towards his own, a deep scowl on his face. His thoughts had gone along the same track as Bree's, ending with the realization that in a few days she'll be out of his life forever. To his own surprise, this thought made him as unhappy as Bree mentioning Neil.
What is going on? He demanded to himself. She means nothing to me. She's just holding me back. If she hadn't been on that ship, I wouldn't have been caught. I would've heard the sailors coming and had managed to get off. If she hadn't been hurt, I would most likely be on my way to get Mokuba. Things would be easier if she wasn't here.
Though he thought it with fierce determination, he wasn't sure it was true at all. He admired Bree's own boldness and strength to carry on like she had. Would he really be standing here right now if she hadn't tagged along? No, he'd probably be in a hospital because he was so intent on getting Mokuba he had forgotten to eat. But Bree had not only reminded him, but forced him to take care of himself. He wasn't sure he wanted her to go at all.
More deeply confused than before, he trudged to his room and disappeared inside.
The candlelight flickered around on the stone walls. It revealed the path before them, though only for a few feet before the darkness consumed it. Slowly the two holding the lanterns continued on their path that twisted and turned through forks and simple traps.
Marik stared at the back of Bakura's head. He didn't trust the spirit, but knew he didn't know his way at all. So far nothing had serious happened and neither of them were dead. He supposed that was a good thing.
It hadn't been too long ago that the left the central corridor and began to make their way through the dark labyrinth. At first Marik had his doubts that Bakura could lead them to the chamber they desired.
"Don't be a fool, Marik." Bakura had told him as he strayed away from the light of the stairwell. "You know you need me to lead the way." He had begun to move off down the tunnel.
"Why exactly do I need you?" Marik asked as he slowly followed.
The former spirit sneered. "Not only do I know where and how to get to the chamber we need is, I know where every trap in this places lies. We'll get there and back safely."
"Speaking of those traps," Marik mumbled as he looked at the walls. "There doesn't seem to be any down this hall."
"Of course not." Bakura explained. "The first Pharaoh to build here wasn't one for trickery. He just had an underground tunnel leading straight to his gold. No strings attached. His treasure chamber lies there." He pointed ahead to a pair of large stone doors at the other end of the corridor. "It's empty now, thieves got it all."
"Then who started to build the traps?"
"The second Pharaoh that added on to this place." Bakura said. "He was the one to start the labyrinth. He built many paths off the original, some with traps hidden in them, some that crossed one another, but all of them were dead ends, except the one that led to his treasure room. All the other Pharaohs followed after him in making halls that led nowhere and deadly traps hidden around most of the corners. That room," He again motioned to the one at the end of the hall. "Is the only one ever to be reached. None other have found the other rooms. Or at least," He looked over his shoulder and flashed Marik a grisly smile. "None that returned to tell the tale."
Marik shivered slightly, but asked the next question on his mind. "What kind of traps are there?"
"Hm, let me think." Bakura stopped walking and placed a finger on his chin. "Trick walls. Unstable floors. Compressed acid."
"Compressed acid?" The sandy haired youth blinked. He had heard of traps like those, but never encountered one.
"Yes. There are spots with acid sealed in between the stones. Step in the wrong spot, and a chain reaction goes off. It pushes the acid from the cracks in the walls and your skin melts off your bones." He smiled devilishly again.
"You seem to be enjoying this." Marik noted.
"Only the look on your face." His smile faltered, and he suddenly became serious. "The most dangerous traps are the ones that show up the closer we get to the Shadow Gem, and the more frequent too."
"And those are?"
"The illusion traps." Bakura muttered. When he saw Marik's confused expression he continued. "The illusion traps were specially designed by the Egyptian Gem Keeper. He commissioned his sorcerers to place spells on certain parts of the tunnels built to hide the Lapis Lazuli. Whoever trips one of these illusion traps will instantly be trapped in an illusion of some sorts. These are extremely dangerous because they can get into your very mind and take form of something familiar to you."
"And how do you get free from them?" Marik asked softly.
"I will easily be able to get away from the illusions." Bakura said, a triumphant look on his face. "For I have the Millennium Ring. It's Shadow Magic will be able to break the illusions. You might have had a chance if you hadn't given up the Rod like you did. Still, you will be able to get away easier than other people. You are a descendant of Pharaoh's people, their blood is somewhat immune to the magic at work here seeing as they were the ones who put it there."
"Alright…" He wasn't very convinced.
The pale boy continued sternly, with the air of someone giving a warning that could save your life. "But, if you should suddenly come face to face with someone from your past or present, Marik, remember that they are only an illusion. No matter what they do, say, or how they appear, their soul purpose is to do you harm. If this should happen, clear your mind of whatever it is you are feeling. Be it hate, sadness, or relief. If you let them suck you in, they will lead you to your death."
Thinking back to the words Bakura had uttered then made Marik shiver. Still, he was most likely right. All the traps here were made to kill intruders, by any means necessary.
So far Marik had lost track of all the corridors they had followed, and all the innocent traps they had easily made their way over. No sign of the illusions, but he could tell they would be there in awhile for the traps kept getting trickier and trickier. They had passed one or two traps that had already been set off, revealing a gaping hole in the ground or a wall that had crumbled.
The tunnel seemed endless. They came to another fork in the road and Bakura took the path to the left without stopping to think about whether it was the right way or not. Marik just hopped the thief's memory hadn't failed him.
From time to time he though he heard footsteps behind him. He would stop and look over his shoulder, but all he would see is darkness. Before he could even think of what it might have been Bakura would bark for him to hurry up.
His thoughts drifted. The shadows that danced around them almost urged him to get lost in his thoughts. He thought of his sister, Ishizu, and hoped she was alright. Was it right for him to leave her alone in a time like this? He also thought about Medea. He wondered where she was and how her captors were treating her. But mostly he thought of Sanders, and how he wished he could tear him apart.
"Marik…"
His mind lurched back to reality. He was standing still. Bakura had gone on ahead, and he couldn't see the thief anywhere. Where could he have gone?
"Marik…"
He realized someone had said his name, it was the reason he came back from his thoughts. He slowly turned around to the speaker, his eyes widening as they landed on the man there.
The man was old with brittle sandy hair and a beard that reached his chest. He was dawned in a dark robe with eyes of a deep purple set on Marik.
A cold feeling crept over Marik as he uttered, "Father…" They stood in silence, watching one another.
"What are you doing son?" His father asked, breaking the silence. "You are going against the Tomb Keeper Code, you are trespassing on the sacred property of Pharaohs. How can you disgrace your family like this?"
Marik looked down, ashamed for the first time since stepping foot in the maze. "I'm sorry. But this is something that must be done. I know that I've broken the Code, but the whole world is in danger. There was no way around it."
"There is always a way around it." The older man said sternly. "Always. Now, let's go. There is still time to redeem yourself, you haven't taken anything. Let us leave this place and not look back." He held out a hand to his son.
Marik continued to stare at his father's hand, unsure what to do. "I can't." He whispered. "I'm sorry, father. I must do this."
"Do not talk like that." His father snapped. "You will come with me whether you wish to or not." Feeling the words weigh down on him, Marik dropped his head and slowly walked towards his father.
He had walked three steps before a hand enclosed around his shoulder and shook him fiercely. Marik stopped, but the still felt like he needed to follow his father. A low voice behind him muttered something he didn't catch, and then, before his own eyes, his father broke into millions of pieces and faded away.
Marik turned to the source of the voice and saw Bakura standing behind him, his dark eyes on the spot Marik's father had been. The Millennium Ring around his neck was still glowing slightly, it's arrows pointing towards the area his father had disappeared from. Slowly the light faded and the arrows allowed themselves to be pulled down by gravity.
"You fool!" Bakura growled as he hit Marik upside the head. "That would be an illusion trap. If I didn't realize you weren't behind when I did, you would have gladly followed him to your own demise." He turned and continued down the corridor.
Marik rubbed the sore spot on his head as he followed. He noticed one of the blocks in the walls has black as if it had been burned with smoke coming from it. The brick that held the illusion trap.
"It seemed so real." He muttered.
The pale boy chuckled darkly. "Of course it did. It's an illusion, the best sorcerers in all of Egypt came together to make them. Though, any person with half a brain would have realized that was a weak trap, though a trap all the same." He glanced over his shoulder at Marik, an amused look on his face. "I guess you would have eventually seen that it wasn't really your father. After all, your real father is dead, killed by yourself."
Marik growled, but said nothing. What could he say to that? Bakura was right, he should've seen it was an illusion right away.
The two continued in silence past two more forks before they came to the next trap. This one was more obvious than the last.
They stood at the entrance to a new hall where each block on the floor had a picture carved into the surface. On the wall beside the corridor's entrance was hieroglyphics explaining it all.
Bakura glared at the writing, then turned to Marik. "Well, what are you waiting for? Read whatever it is it says. I do believe your family is one of the few that still can read this certain type of writing."
"Wait, I thought you said you knew all the traps here." The other teen stated.
"No, I said I knew where every trap was located." Bakura said, his tone low in annoyance. "I never said anything about knowing what each one was or how to get past it. That's why you're here." The thief smiled and clapped Marik on the shoulder.
He sighed, then stepped closer to the inscription. His eyes scanned over it twice, then he read it aloud. "To make your way across, you must see the safest path."
"A riddle!" Bakura cried, anger crossing his face. "If we get out of here alive, remind me to beat that damned Pharaoh."
Marik wasn't paying attention. He was looking at the pictures carved into the stones. A jackal; a pyramid; an ibis; two feathers side-by-side; a lion; a crown; a lotus blossom; a hawk; a stem of papyrus; an eye-
"Bakura," Marik uttered as his eyes stayed fixed on the one on the floor. "Wasn't the Keeper of the Lapis Lazuli called The Eye?"
"Perhaps…" He said as he stepped over to Marik's side.
"And what does an eye do?"
"See…" Realization crossed Bakura's face. "To make your way across, you must see the safest path!"
"We step only on the stones marked with an Eye." Marik said with a smile.
Bakura looked down at the Ring, the eye on it sparkling in the lantern light. "Puzzles and eyes, is there anything else he ever thinks of?"
Quickly they made their way across the trick floor, stepping only on the stones with Eyes carved into their surfaces. They went on through the maze. It was some time before they came across their next trap, another illusions. Only, this one came in the form of the living.
At first Marik had been confused when he found his sister behind him. She was in bad shape, clutching a long gash on her left shoulder, her face scraped and several small cuts on her hands and feet. Slowly she hobbled towards him, tears in her eyes.
"It's too late…" Ishizu whispered. "There's no point in going forward anymore. Sanders has the Lapis Lazuli, the Chaos has been released. We must hide before the monsters overtake us."
His first instinct was to rush over to her. But he stopped himself as he remembered the facts. "You're not my sister." He uttered as he stared at her wounded form. "She's back in Greece. You are just an illusion."
Anger crossed Ishizu's eyes as she slowly faded back into the shadows she came from. He turned around to Bakura, who nodded to him with approval. As they continued down the hall Marik saw the illusion brick, black and smoking.
The next trap was more easy to recognize. A line of gold ran down the length of the hall. Quickly Marik went over to the inscription craved into the wall.
"Step in the favor of the gods. If not, feel the fire of their wrath." Marik muttered. "Fire of their wrath… I think it's compressed acid. What do you think?" He spun around to Bakura, only to see the hall was empty save for him.
Marik backtracked, calling out to the former spirit. He came to the fork the two of them had passed moments ago. Looking down one of the alternate paths he saw Bakura down the tunnel. He was kneeling on the ground, staring at something straight ahead of him.
"What are you doing?" Marik asked as he slowly made his way towards the thief. He didn't respond. Frowning, Marik placed his hand on Bakura's shoulder, then felt a surge of electricity course through him.
Instantly he saw what Bakura did. A few feet before them was a small girl. She was curled into a ball with bruises covering her. Long black hair covered her face, and her clothes were dirty and torn. It seemed she was crying.
Slowly she raised her head and looked at Bakura, tears streaming from her eyes. "Why would you let that happen to me? Why wouldn't you stop it? Why wouldn't you save me?"
"I-" The response was in a choked voice. Marik realized Bakura was close to tears himself. "I couldn't… I didn't know what to do…"
"Anything!" The girl cried. "Anything would have been better than you just standing there!" She curled into herself again and wept.
"Theoris…" Bakura uttered. Marik guessed 'Theoris' was the girl's name. Slowly Bakura got to his feet, ignoring Marik as if he wasn't there. He slowly went towards the child.
Marik blinked, unsure what was going on. Then he saw the dimly glowing stone set into the wall. And illusion brick. He realized. By grabbing hold of Bakura's shoulder, I was able to see the illusion that had captured him.
Looking back at the girl Marik saw that the floor beneath her was yet another trap. The markings covering it were that of a trick floor that would collapse if someone stepped on the wrong brick. And Bakura was slowly making his way towards it.
Quickly Marik grabbed Bakura's arm and tried to pull him away from it. The thief struggled, trying to get to the small girl Theoris.
"Snap out of it!" Marik demanded. "It's an illusion, it's trying to kill you!"
Bakura tried to pull away. "I need to get to her, I can't fail her again."
"Get a grip!" The sandy haired teen ordered. But no matter what he said Bakura continued to try to reach Theoris.
Finally, unsure what else to do, Marik balled his hand into a fist and punched Bakura in the stomach. The former spirit clutched his stomach and slumped to the floor, groaning slightly. He slowly sat up, glaring at Marik.
"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded.
"Saving your pathetic life." Marik muttered. He pointed to the illusion brick that was still glowing though Theoris was nowhere to be seen. "You were trapped in an illusion that got the better of you."
Bakura looked at the brick, and Marik could tell he remembered seeing the girl on the ground. Slowly he arose from the ground and straightened himself before facing the illusion brick. Before Marik could ask what he was doing, the Millennium Ring around Bakura's neck glowed and a cracking sound filled the air.
"Now, let's go." Bakura ordered as he turned and headed back down the hall. Marik looked at the illusion brick and saw it was black and smoking like the other ones that they had broken their spells, but unlike the others a long crack ran through the middle of this one.
The trap must have picked up on something personal for Bakura to loose his temper like that. Marik thought as he caught up with the thief.
"So," Marik mumbled, not liking the silence that had fallen between them. "Who is she?"
"Who is what?" Bakura asked.
"That girl, Theoris." Marik pressed on. "What is she to you?"
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"But-"
Bakura turned to him, a dark look in his eyes. "Marik, just drop it." They glared at each other, then Bakura finally turned and continued leading the way.
Eventually they came to the trap Marik had been at when he realized Bakura wasn't with him anymore. Marik relayed the riddle to Bakura, who glared daggers at the ancient inscription carved into the wall.
"What does it mean?" He finally asked.
"Well, I think it means that if we screw up compressed acid will eat away at us." Marik said as he reread the riddle.
Bakura crossed his arms as he stared at it. "And what about the 'Step in favor of the gods'?"
The other teen rubbed his chin, then looked down at the gold line running down the middle of the corridor. He slowly went over to it. "It has something to do with this line."
"I know that." Bakura snapped. "I'm not a complete imbecile."
"Well, do you know why most statues have the person stepping with their left first?"
"I don't know, nor do I care."
Marik smiled a bit, but kept his eyes on the line. "They were carved that way because it was to honor the gods. So maybe to 'step in favor of the gods' is to just step with your left foot first?" He turned to Bakura.
"Well, you're the genius, you go first." He told him.
With a bit of a sigh Marik turned back to the gold line. Slowly he inched towards where the line began, then carefully placed his foot onto the left of the line. He braced himself for something to happen, but nothing did. With a breath of relief he put his right foot onto the right of the line and continued on. Half way across he turned back to Bakura.
"Are you coming?" He asked. Bakura growled slightly, but made his way in the same fashion. Marik smiled satisfactory as Bakura joined him on the other side.
"Let's just keep going." Bakura muttered to him as he took up the lead again. Marik shook his head but followed him.
The rest of the traps were easy enough to over take. No more illusion traps over took them, but Marik did see cracked, blackened and smoking stones in the walls. He supposed Bakura destroyed them before they could over take him again.
After what seemed like an eternity the two finally spotted the end of the corridor they were heading down. At first Marik thought Bakura had brought them down a dead end before he saw that the wall at the far end was in fact a set of doors.
"Here it is." Bakura called as he made a grand gesture toward the doors. "Behind these doors is the Lapis Lazuli."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Marik asked. He moved to push the doors open but Bakura stopped him.
"We can't just go rushing in there." Bakura told him. "There's a trap on the inside. Once the doors are open we'll have a short amount of time to grab the Gem and get as far away from the chamber as possible."
Marik stared at him. "Why? What will happen if we don't?"
"The resulting explosion will incinerate us before we know what's happening." He said matter-of-factly.
"How far do we have to get away from it?"
"At least two corridors away." Bakura told him. "But the blast might not be that strong, it has been hundreds of years since it was first planted."
Marik slowly examined the doorway. "So, how long do you think we have in there?"
"Three to four minutes." Bakura explained. "Give or take a few seconds. We just run in, grab the Shadow Gem, and run like hell out."
"Alright."
Bakura pressed his hands against one of the doors, and Marik did likewise for the other. "Are you ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be." Marik replied.
Quickly the two pressed their bodies against the stone doors. The slabs of rock slowly began to move, and the sound surrounded them. Once the space was large enough for both of them to get through they entered the blackness beyond.
Their lanterns gave a faint light. The large stone room was empty except for a pedestal sitting in the middle of it with something small glittering on it's surface. From somewhere above them there was a rhythmic ticking.
"Hurry, now." Bakura snapped as he began to race towards the pedestal. Marik quickly followed.
"Will something happen if we take the Lapis Lazuli off the stand?" Marik asked.
"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean you're not sure?"
"I mean I don't know if it will or not. I never worked anywhere near the stand."
"Then what are we suppose to do?" Marik demanded. His eyes were fixed on the Gem that kept getting closer and closer.
"We grab it and hope for the best." Bakura said. He was at the pedestal now. Quickly he scooped the Gem up in his hand and turned, motioning for Marik to turn around. "Go!"
Marik nodded and spun around, almost falling as he did. From the corner of his eye he could see the pedestal slowly sinking into the ground, then the stones around it falling from sight. The floor was starting to cave in.
The two ran faster, making their way through the doors. Halfway down the hall a deep rumbling from behind them sounded, accompanied with hissing and crackling.
"Down here." Bakura ordered as he headed down another corridor. Marik followed after him, sensing the oncoming fire.
They dodged down two more corridors before finally stopping and catching their breath. Smoke was slowly wafting through the hall, but there was no sign of fire or of the collapsing floor. They had made it.
"We're still alive." Marik stammered once he was able to speak.
"And we have the Gem." Bakura added. He raised his hand to his lantern and opened it up. Sitting on his palm was a small marble that was blue in color with white and gold specks in it. Hieroglyphics were carved into its surface.
Marik felt relief wash over him as he gazed at the small jewel. He smiled. "How about we get out of this dump?"
Bakura nodded, then got up and took up lead once more. Leaving the labyrinth was much easier than going into. They knew how to get through the traps and where each one was. Slowly, but surely, they found themselves at the entrance again.
The thief pulled himself up through the hole in the temple floor first, then moved out of the way for Marik to follow. He noticed the sweat and dirt on Marik's face and clothing.
"You look like shit." Bakura noted as he put the Gem in his pocket.
Marik dusted himself off once he stood outside the dark hole. "You're one to talk."
The sun was setting as they left the temple. The air rushed over them as they stood at the large doorway and took in the wide open space before them.
"Happy to be out of that stuffy hole?" A familiar voice asked, which was accompanied by the sound of clanking metal.
Slowly Marik and Bakura turned to the owner of the voice as a few other men circled around them, armed with guns.
Marik glared at the one who had spoken. "Sanders…"
The Greek man smiled at the two. "Nice to see you, too, kiddo. How's your sister?"
Anger filled Marik, and before he could stop himself he launched himself at Sanders. But two of the other men grabbed him by the arms while a third rammed the end of his rifle into Marik's stomach.
"Temper, temper." Sanders said with a cruel smile as two more men grabbed Bakura. "Is that any way to treat the future ruler of the entire world? I don't think so."
"I hope you burn in hell." Marik hissed as he glared up at Sanders, who only continued to grin.
"Such harsh words. What, didn't you miss me?" Sanders asked. He shook his head as Marik just glared at him. "But, I do have to thank you. I knew it would take far too long for any of my people to find the chamber with the Gem in it, but once I saw you two pull up in that jeep I knew my prayers were answered. All I had to do was hide, and let you do my work for me, and once you returned I just had to stop you for a chat and pluck it from your grasp."
"What's wrong Sanders, too scared to go after it yourself?" Bakura asked.
"Too smart, is more like it." Sanders told him. "Why endanger my own life when others will do it willingly for me? Speaking of which," He snapped his fingers and one of his men dug into Bakura's pocket, brought out the Gem and placed it in Sanders waiting hand. "Thank you for the souvenir."
"Are you just going to kill us now?" Marik asked.
"Marik, Marik, Marik." Sanders said in a mock sweet tone. "I'm no murderer. But, I can't have you running off and warning the rest of your little group. So, precautions must be made."
Before either could ask what the precautions were, two of the men raised their rifles and hit Marik and Bakura in the back of the head, knocking both unconscious.
"Get them in the truck." Sanders ordered. "And get Antonio on the phone, I'm sure he'd love to know the last Gem is in our grasp." His men scampered off to do as he ordered, while one slowly went over to him.
"How do you become the keeper of the Gem, sir?" The small Arabic man asked.
"Simple." Sanders said, holding the Gem before him. "I, Sanders Euphemia, here by proclaim myself the Keeper of the Lapis Lazuli of the Egyptians."
Within his fingers the Lapis Lazuli glimmered, and a small light began to shine within it. The light grew until it was like a light bulb. Then, without warning, it went out.
"Do you feel any different?" The man asked.
Sanders frowned. "No. But who's to say I'm suppose to. The most important thing is that I am now the Keeper of this Gem, and finally what I've worked towards for so long is now in my gasp."
Slowly he turned and went towards a waiting truck where the rest of his men had gone to. One waited there with a cell phone in his hand. Sanders took it, his grin returning. He placed the phone to his ear and spoke into it, "Good evening, Antonio. I have some good news for us…"