heya everybody. it's been awhile, but i hope you all have had a good break, i did!
so... it's a new chapter. sorry for keeping u waiting after that last cliffhanger, but i can't promise any better for this chapter.

i hope it doesn't get too confusing. i don't think it's quite my best job, but it turned out to be a little harder to write than i thought. regardless, i'm hoping it'll still be full enough of action that you'll all make it through. ;)

a quick thanks goes out to...
Sakura30 - i feel bad. you're always there, checking on my story right away, and i make u wait... . homework's out to get me again, hope u're surviving...
Isis47 - hey again. thanks for consistency and for loving this prolly more than i deserve... :P
kalathetrumpeter - well, shouldn't be too much just transition for a while. this chapter definately isn't. thanks also to you for enjoying this, and letting me know!
Cettie-girl - well, guess we'll see how it turns out... and thanks also for all your awesome support on i should be starting to post the sequel "Eternal" this weekend.
darksilverdragon - not that i mind the nagging, but yeah, i do know what u expect, and i dont wanna let u down... hope u like this, despite the wait!

all right now, i need to go, but i'll leave u with this to keep u busy, at least for a short while...

Part 2 (Chapter 18) – No More

With every passing, labored breath Bakura gave up, Ryou's soul grew more and more concentrated. The real transfer hadn't even begun, and already, the dark spirit felt taxed. The rest of Ryou's soul, though channeled into magic energy inside Bakura's body, still called to it's missing piece. Bakura couldn't have pulled away now, even if he had wanted.

Surprised, Yugi watched his hand draw back slowly, second by second, as if he was suddenly floundering about in water. He had thrown his arms forward as he stumbled out of Kira's grasp, but they had hit something and moved backwards against him. Thinking about it, Yugi realized that actually, his whole body had begun to move backwards. Bakura's mouth opened. Then closed. A pause, then it opened again. His eyes closed slowly, then he opened them again after a moment. Now his mouth had changed shape. In a rather disjointed train of thought, Yugi realized that Bakura was yelling, though not at him. From the way his eyes had blinked, it was almost like it was a cry of...

"Ow!" Yugi was suddenly looking up at Yami standing above him, gazing down concernedly. "...pain," he murmured, finishing his thought. Realizing that everything had returned to a normal speed, Yugi pulled himself into a sitting position.

"What happened?" Kali asked from over where she and Kira stood, keeping a steady watch on Ryou.

"He ran into a barrier of some kind," Yami guessed, helping his light to his feet.

"So now what?" Kira said. She glared at each one of them in turn. "What's this going to do? You going to try to fight again? Try to break the barrier to get to him? It'll just be like last time, and it'll end in a draw." She glanced at where power continued to gather in Ryou, right below Bakura's outstretched hand. "That is, if we don't get killed first."

"She's right," Kali crossed her arms, not taking her eyes off Bakura. "We need a different strategy. Something we've never tried before. Something we'd never even think about trying."

"...something, even Bakura could never be ready for." Kira glanced over darkly.

Yugi glanced from her back up at Yami. "Is that even possible?"

Finally! Bakura felt something shift within the grasp his dark magic held on the last of Ryou's soul. His heart was finally giving way. There were still a few faint murmurs of Ryou's energy collecting in his own power. A pause, and then, it felt as though the world was suddenly exploding. Bakura gasped at the shock of power and struggled to keep his balance. It was stronger than anything he had ever felt. Stronger than the aura that surrounded Malik. Stronger even than the greatest of the Pharaoh's strength that had first sealed him away all those years ago. This was a new level of power, something he should have been reveling in, but Bakura was frozen in place, too stung by the strength in it to even move.

Bakura couldn't hold back an audible cry now. There was pain filling him, but a pain that he was willing to endure.

The foursome outside his barrier turned in surprise. Light was streaming from the forms of both boys. White hair whipped around both Bakura's expression contorted in pain, and Ryou's peacefully sleeping face. The light was becoming like a wind, spreading outward from some mysterious source in front of Bakura's outstretched arms and Ryou's body.

"No..." Yugi stumbled forward, fist raised, expecting to only futilly encounter the barrier again. But somehow, his legs moved him closer than last time.

"The barrier's gone," Kali guessed, watching the scene. "All of Bakura's power has gone into that...light...whatever it is. He can't protect himself anymore..."

"Then it's finally our chance!" Yami moved forward, gathering his own violet power in his fist.

"Too easy..." It came as barely a whisper, but the moment the words left Kira's lips, the increasing light between Bakura and Ryou exploded with intensity. Sweeping over them was a wave of pure energy, but it soon gathered again in the center of it all. Suddenly weak, Yugi fell to his hands and knees, unable to look away. Likewise, Yami also felt his gaze drawn, and his hand felt as though it carried lead. Loosening his fingers, he let his power flow out and dissapate. Even if the thought of attacking returned to him, he wouldn't have possessed the strength to follow through.

It was raw emotion that flowed through Bakura's veins now. Everything, even the energy that had been his own since his mortal days, was flowing into the bond he had formed with his hikari. All of Bakura's life had essentially left him, flowing into the space between him and Ryou's body, as Ryou's own soul energy began to flow out of him to meet it.

As power left him, Bakura felt the energy give out in his muscles. His nerves were as though they had been scraped, revealing any of the very little feeling he had ever experienced. Soul notes were swimming through his head, but Bakura didn't even realize. Their song was wild, agonized to the extent that no other music had ever been in that realm, and it flowed between them like the rest of their energy, joining together the soul they shared.

Though...neither of them possessed it now. Ryou's form lay on the ground yet, stiller than still, and even Bakura had fallen to his knees, overwhelmed and unable to move. His arms were just barely lifted in front of him, and his head was tipped back, the power between the two of them streaming from the empty space that Bakura seemed to trying to gather to him, though frozen in time. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut at the growing brightness.

The rest watching were caught in the same inhibiting intensity. Even their bodies were streaked with the radiance coming from the two boys - one boy of light, the other of darkness. The glow from the energy in between them was more intense than a gathering of all the stars in the night sky. In comparison, everything touched by its light was still pale, washed out and hidden in the beams. But in-between those were the deepest of shadows. Blackness washed out anything not touched by the glow, and the shadows streaked inward toward the magic, fighting against the light, if not to destroy it, than to balance it.

Yugi, still on his knees, pressed his hands firmly into the ground beneath him, trying unsuccessfully to keep the light out of his eyes. "Ryou... What's happening to you? How is it possible?" Yami stood just short steps behind his hikari, though stiff and blinded by the power and unable to move or reply.

Kira felt strength in her legs give out and slipped her hand into Kali's for support to keep from collapsing. She stared, knowing what was happening, but not quite ready to understand or believe it.

"One soul," she whispered. Kali managed to turn her head slightly to look down at the hikari girl. "One soul," Kira repeated. "One soul divided between the two. The body doesn't matter anymore. But there are still two persons regardless."

"And they still can't share a soul," Kali forced her gaze back to the scene before her.

"Ryou," Yugi whispered. "What will happen now?"

"He'll die..." Kira's eyes widened. The glow was beginning to fade ever so slightly. She blinked twice, then looked from Kali to Yami, avoiding Yugi's eyes now that he had turned his head. "Not completely, because his soul will still exist. But Bakura will have it and it won't be Ryou anymore. He won't have a body. The person he was will disappear." Surprised, Kira found herself trying to look through a smudge of salt water blurring her vision.

"Try something different?" Yugi quietly recalled Kira's earlier suggestion. Kira could tell that he was just barely managing to keep the panic out of his voice as the light from Ryou's soul continued to fade in front of them. There wasn't much time left. Not much at all.

"I fight Bakura however I can," the Pharaoh whispered. "There's no one strategy. But if I can get a hit in, that's all that matters. Weaken him, then destroy him before he does the same to us..." Yami shrugged hopelessly. "That's all I know."

What strategy is there? Kali put all her energy into channeling the conversation away from the Pharaoh and into her hikari solely. She glanced back at the light. With how that's fading, you don't even have minutes. And you certainly don't have the power to win where the Pharaoh already lost.

No, Kira silently agreed. But maybe...it's not all about power.

Huh?

"It's like this." Kira didn't bother to expend any more energy speaking silently. Confused, Yami and Yugi both turned to listen as Kira let her train of thought travel. "We've been trying to fight a battle of force – of wills. But that hasn't worked for us. Ryou even tried somewhere along the line..."
"And he failed too," Kali answered shortly. "You can't be just telling us there's no way to beat him."

"I don't know," Kira shook her head. "I don't know anything really. But I don't think Ryou failed." She glanced at Yugi's widening eyes. "At least, not completely." Motioning with her hands, Kira built up speed as she thought aloud. "Ryou didn't kill you, Yugi, not even when Bakura tried to force him to do that. Somewhere he remembered us. And Bakura's been suffering too. From what you heard him say the time before," she nodded at the yamis, "He might be developing a soul. Either way, he's not the same spirit that first devised this plan. He's stuck now, but I think there's a part of him that's more, well...human, than it used to be. Maybe there's a way to appeal to that. Maybe there's a way to catch that side of him unawares."

Yami and Yugi were quiet, trying to think, but Kali just growled. "That's an awful lot of maybes for the few seconds you've got left."

Maybe so, internally, Kira smirked. But maybe that's all I need.

Hikari..? There was a sudden hint of alarm in Kali's thoughts, but Kira frowned and cut her off, hiding all of her thoughts but the most basic emotion from her yami. Kali moved to put a hand on Kira's shoulder in an attempt to regain contact, but Kira moved forward just enough to avoid it.

"Hikari?" Kali whispered. Yami and Yugi both looked at her.

Kira turned, met Kali's eyes for a long moment. Finally, Kali nodded, turning her face back to it's same expressionless façade, though Yami noted that she couldn't quite keep the fear out of her eyes. Kira closed her eyes, and returned the nod. She kept her head down for a long moment.

Bakura... You can't be forgiven. Not after what you've done to me and Kali, what you've done to Yugi, to Ryou, and all my friends. I won't let you manipulate lives like this. And yet... There was a small ache in Kira's heart, I can't quite work up the anger any more.

She had already seen Bakura humbled once before - when he found out about the song, and just later when he had lost control of Ryou, and even found himself unable to kill Yugi. It was that side of him, no matter how small, that she was depending on. Whatever that one little thing that had kept him from being a truly heartless murderer, at least in front of them. Maybe it would be enough. Maybe not.

And maybe all I can do is try... Kira clenched her fist and threw her eyes open.

Seeing the glow again drop in intensity, Yugi started with a slight gasp. A moment later, he felt something push past him, and turned his head in surprise to see Kira practically stumble against Bakura as she pushed forward with all her might.

Kali fell to her knees, hiding her face. Even though she was ready for anything, Kira's words had made her grow icy inside. "Trust me." Kira has whispered as she passed, running forward. But fear gripped at Kali and would not let go. Is...is this what it is to care about someone? To love them and hold them dear... Kali breathed heavily, ...in my heart?!

Bakura leaped out of his nearly unconscious state as something warm wrapped around him. He forced his eyes open, though didn't move his hands that had nearly closed around the now small ball of sharp light. Turning his head, he only barely kept himself from jumping back as his own green eyes met a near match in Kira's own surprised pupils. There was a strange warmth in her arms, something entirely new to him. Bakura was at a loss as to what to do.

But he didn't have to do anything. The frozen fraction of a moment passed, and Kira immediately withdrew herself, leaving only a couple fingers to rest on his shoulder. Behind her, friends watched with baited breath, but now, there was nothing more any of them could do. Now, it was just her and the dark spirit.

"Bakura," Kira whispered. "What are you doing?"

Bakura didn't answer, but stared back at her, confused.

Kira took a deep breath and continued softly. "I know you don't care. You don't care for Ryou, or Yugi or me, or any of us. You hate us, even, and there's nothing I can say to change your mind on that. We haven't been able to stop you either."

She sighed, and looked down at Ryou. There was almost no glow left in his body. Kneeling down, Kira placed her body between Bakura and his hikari. A tingling sensation rose up her spine as the last remnants of soul magic still trickled through the air in between them. The confusion in Bakura's eyes faded and his eyes returned to their normal coldness. Slowly, deliberately, he stood.

"Stubborn mortal," Bakura's voice was like ice. "You can't snare me with your mindless words. You're in a battle of power. Strength will triumph, and I now have the upper hand."

"You only think you do." Kira met Bakura's gaze without fear. She nodded at him, "But there's more than one person inside there now." She looked back behind her at Ryou. "Does he agree?"

"He must die."

No! Never die.

"Must..." Bakura grunted

Would you destroy yourself?

"I would destroy you," Bakura muttered to the voice that spoke so clearly in his mind.

A soft moan escaped from the sleeping Ryou. Kira looked in surprise at the sound that was barely more than a breath of wind. "Hold on," she whispered. Then she started to stand, turning back to Bakura.

There is a greater power...

"There can't be!"

"It's over Ryou," Kira said.

"No!!!" One hand still clutching his head, Bakura flung forward his other arm, half-flailing.

I am the greatest power.

But Bakura wasn't sure if that thought came from the voice or himself. Feeling his forward arm come in contact with something warm, he looked up in surprise. Kira was stumbling backward, falling on top of Ryou's unconscious body. The two of them were wrapped in a shimmering aqua light, and were soon fading from his sight. Afraid to guess at what had happened, Bakura could only stare.

Feeling the power rush out at her, Kira's speech caught in her throat. Bakura's arm had pushed against her, and knocked her backward, tumbling to the ground with Ryou. But the pushing feeling kept coming, and didn't stop when it reached her. The energy rushed straight through her, filling her body with a strange, weightless feeling. Looking around, Kira couldn't make out where Kali and her friends stood. She couldn't even make out Bakura anymore; too tired to take the light, her eyes closed. But even through the magic, Kira heard the echo of Bakura's last word - the one he had whispered again after the power came out.

No.

Kira and Ryou were now wrapped in the blue-green light. Bakura stood over them, motionless, but Yugi couldn't make out the expression of his face. "What's happening?" he asked, afraid.

Yami glanced over at where Kira's yami had knelt. "Kali?" He started at her appearance. She hadn't moved from her hunched-over position, nor did she respond to his voice. Her entire body had a greenish tone to it, and, as Yami realized with a start, was starting to look transparent. "Kali?" he repeated, moving from his hikari's side to the other dark spirit. He tried to reach out to her, but his hand passed right through her form.

"What is it?" Yugi asked, watching.

"I..." Yami stammered. There was a flash of bright green light from right beneath his hand. "Kali!!!" Yami cried out, hiding his eyes from the brightness. When he looked again, Kali had vanished.

"She's gone," Yugi spoke the words that Yami couldn't manage. "If Kali's gone, then..." He turned to see that the light had died down around Kira and Ryou's still forms. "It can't be!"

A fresh flood of tears forming in his eyes, Yugi threw himself at Bakura, furious.

Bakura turned slowly as Yugi came upon him. His eyes were a dark emerald and shone, despite the shadows. Slowly, he lifted his hand in front of his face, staring at it blankly. Then, just before Yugi reached him, Bakura turned and ran, letting the shadows take him.

Seeing that Bakura had esaped, Yugi turned back to his friends, lying still where they were. "Kira?" he asked hesitantly. "Ryou?!" There was no answer. "Please," Yugi fell to his knees beside them, stretching out a hand. "Please don't be..." But just where his fingers should have reached their skin, Yugi found himself grasping only mist. Their bodies had disappeared into shadow.

Kali had disappeared. Kali, whose life had been tied to Kira's. Bakura had a new power - stronger. Kira had failed in her task, and now she and Ryou were gone. "No..." Yugi buried his face against Yami who had arrived by his side. "They're dead. Bakura . . . killed them."

so....cliffhanger....hehheh...
realizes that readers don't find it quite as funny, and smiling, attempts to slip out of the room
nooooo! don't kill me! please?!?!?! it wasn't my fault, i swear, that it turned out this way... it just sorta got outta my control.... yeah...
but you'll have to stay for the next chapter to figure out where Yugi's gonna go from this...

winks cya soon!