Yami: Last time, we arrived at the ancient ruins near Luxor and ran into none other than Bakura! What's he doing back!?!

Chapter 7 Nazo VS Bakura

BANG!

Yugi's mind froze when the gun fired. Everything became white. It took him a few seconds to realize that Bakura missed. The bullet intentionally grazed Yugi's right ear, taking a piece with it. The pain finally stung him after he noted the sensation of blood dripping down his neck.

Bakura looked mildly disappointed. "Hm! I was sure that would bring out the pharaoh!"

Yugi started breathing hard. He dared not move, though he mentally made sure all of his bodily functions were in order. 'I'm alive,' he said to himself. 'I'm alive! I'm still alive!'

Bakura moved slowly to Yugi's side. "What's the matter, Pharaoh," asked the tomb robber mockingly. "You're normally so protective of your vessel. Suddenly afraid to come out again and face me? It's not like you."

{He's goading you to come out!}

{Yes. But among other things I'd like to know why he wishes for me to be in control. That gun couldn't actually harm me, only you!}

{You'd better stay put until we figure out what he's up to.}

There was an uneasy pause. {Alright, Aibou.}

"Let's raise the stakes a bit then, shall we?" He pointed the barrel of the gun touching the side of Yugi's nose. "Care to find out how large a hole can be created by blowing off someone's nose?" Yugi shut his eyes tightly, trembling.

{Shall I take over now,} Yami asked, in an "I'm-doing-it-anyway" tone.

But before he did, something stabbed Bakura's hand, and he dropped the gun. "What the-?"

"I'm a gambling kind of girl," said Nazo, holding up a handful of razor sharp playing cards. "How about you leave my friend alone and play a few hands of cards with me?"

Bakura sneered and pulled out the card embedded his hand. "I am not interested in fighting some neurotic, gamble-crazy wench for her second-rate Item! My only goal at the moment is the Millennium Puzzle."

Nazo's eyebrow twitched. "S-second rate?"

{Uh-oh,} said Yami with a large smile. {Bakura's in for Hell now!}

"Neurotic?"

Yugi gave a nervous smile. {That wasn't smart, Bakura!}

A golden triangle glowed on Nazo's forehead. The Shadow Realm already began to drop. "I'll show you who's second rate, you sand-sucking, sadistic, son of a … a…!!"

"Snake," Yami suggested through Yugi's mouth.

"Snake!!"

Yugi sweat-dropped and looked at Yami. Yami shrugged. {She needed an "S" word!}

{You're enjoying this way too much.}

{If I was, I'd have popcorn.}

Bakura considered his options, and smirked once again. "Alright, Nazo-chan. I accept. Which game shall we play?"

"Egyptian Wrath!" She sneered. "I'm in a violent mood!"

Bakura's smirk widened. "What a coincidence! So am I!"

As soon as Nazo took out her normal deck of playing cards a black mass of energy swirled around them, encasing all three bodies within the Shadow Realm. Nazo shuffled the cards three feet away from each other, and handed them to the tomb robber. He cut the cards and handed them back. "I think I may actually enjoy this game." He glanced at Yugi. "Don't you agree, Yugi-kun?"

Yugi dropped his hand from clutching his chest. As soon as the shadows had formed, a crushing sensation nearly knocked him off his feet.

Yami split from Yugi. {Aibou, we may need to switch after all. You cannot withstand the shadows for very long.}

Yugi stood up straight to hide the pain. {Give me a little while I promise I'll switch if I can't take it.}

Somehow Yami doubted that statement, but agreed to trust his partner's judgment. He looked over toward Nazo. [1] Their eyes connected. {Be safe, Dearest.}

"The rules of the game are simple enough," said Nazo as she divided the cards. "Lay one card face up on the field. If doubles appear, the one whoever slaps down first takes the stack." [2]

Bakura snorted. "You are not used to this magic-thing, are you?"

"Why?"

"It is customary in Shadow Games to add a bit of danger." Bakura held up an arm, and small torches lit with black fire appears at their feet. "The flames at the moment are equal. As the player's stack increases, the level of the fire decreases. When a player looses their stack, they will be consumed by flames."

Yami stepped forward as far as the Puzzle would allow. {BAKURA!!}

Yugi glared. "That's not fair, Bakura! Nazo is-"

Nazo held up her hand at the boys, eyes fixed and determined. "I'm not backing down," she said in a low voice. "So, if you are trying to intimidate me out of the game, it is in vain."

Bakura gave a nod. "Fine by me. Shall be begin, Your Highness?"

"This is getting really annoying," complained Mai loudly. "First the Kaibas and Keiko disappear, now the shorties! How are we supposed to get back home at this rate?"

"No one asked you to come," Hanif grumbled.

"Would you guys shut up," snapped Honda. "Concentrate on finding the others!"

The large group was wandering around the opening of the palace, huddled together so as not to separate. They each had flashlights or lanterns, and each yelled out for one of the missing member's names.

Anzu found Yugi's name getting caught in her throat. She tried not to start crying with worry over her friend. The moon now shone clearly on the ruins, but this only succeeded in creating dark shadows over the sands and walls. Every breath of wind sounded like a growl or howl, and movement of any kind made her jump. What if something happened to them? What if evil spirits had come around? They might attack Yugi and his Puzzle first! Anzu gripped her flashlight tighter. 'Oh Yugi, where are you!'

Jonouchi preferred staying in the center of the group so he was closer to anybody else. 'This as scary as being in a graveyard on Halloween at midnight,' he thought shaking. 'I'm not afraid of the dark, but ghosts?'

He backed into Isis and jumped up like a scared cat. 'Maybe a little...'

Calpurnia let out an exasperated sigh. "This is ridiculous! We are in the middle of the desert! Both cars are still parked! How could they have just vanished?"

"Apparently with ease," Honda remarked.

"We must find them," said Karim, "and quickly! The trap doors and secret passageways within the palace make this a virtual labyrinth!"

"Thanks for the good news," muttered Mai.

Jonouchi nodded still shaken up. "Y-yeah! A regular..." He trailed off. A carving caught his attention beside one of the old, broken-down statues. "Hey. This guy look familiar to you?"

"No," the foreigners said.

"It's Horus," said Isis. "Why do you ask?"

Jonouchi walked over beside it. "Just looks like I've seen this thing before." He pointed at the hieroglyphics. "Where does this lead to?"

"Lead to," asked Honda. "Jou, that's a wall. Its made of stones. Like the ones in your head."

Jonouichi ignored him. He had a strange feeling that they were more than meets the eye. He placed his hand on the symbol of a scarab beetle and pushed. Air hissed through the cracks, and the wall slid down into a carefully hidden panel revealing a tall staircase upward.

The rest of the group gathered behind Jonouchi, all of them looking up into the unknown. A single beam of moonlight lit the way. "Your dumb luck amazes me," said Mai to Jonouchi.

Jonouchi's skin crawled. 'I'm not sure if it was only luck! How did I know it was there?'

There was a long silence. "Well," said Mai, "what are we waiting for? Let's check it out." Lead by Jonouchi, the group ascended the stairs.

SLAP!! Bakura received a short stack more of cards. He chuckled. "It appears that the fire is getting to you, Your Highness," he mocked.

Nazo tried not to quiver in fear as the fire from the torches rose to her elbows. She could feel the flames dance around her skin and actually start to burn her clothing. 'I can't stop now,' she repeated to herself. 'If I defeat him, I can make him go away. Need to face my fear of fire! I will be safe as long as the game doesn't last much longer.'

Yugi inhaled and exhaled slowly making sure some amount of oxygen remained in his lungs. It felt as though the shadows were trying to squeeze his energy out of him like a sponge, and it took much self control to keep from gasping for breath.

{Aibou-}

{Not yet,} Yugi insisted. He noticed Bakura's eyes dart to them every so often. {He's waiting for it. I can't... let him do anything... not with Nazo fighting for us!}

Bakura, having another self too, knew that Yugi was losing his battle to stay alert due to time. So he decided to help it along by stalling. "Yugi-kun, aren't you even the slightest bit curious as to how I survived the Shadows yet again?"

Yugi gritted his teeth and glared at Bakura. "Why? Because you're part cockroach?"

"Cute." Bakura glanced at Nazo, who was now in such pain from the fire and from fear, concentrating on the game was out of the question. "Actually, help came to me. An old friend of yours pulled me from the Shadow Realm to give me another chance at the Millennium Items, provided I help him get revenge on you and the queen..."

Yami, Yugi, and Nazo all came to the realization at once. "Minkabh!"

"Exactly." Bakura shrugged. "I normally despise working with others, but he truly does intend to let me keep the Items once we collect them all. All I have to do is a few odd jobs here and there, such as separated the 'Dream Team' here to win the Puzzle."

"What do you mean by 'separate,' kuso tomb robber," the pharaoh growled. [3]

"How do you think I'm standing here now, without my yadonushi trying to stop me? Lord Minkabh taught me a spell to exorcise souls to the Shadow Realm. The only catch is that the soul left behind has to be in control of the body." He placed a card on the table to continue the game. "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is, not having to worry about Ryou-kun all the time!" Bakura chuckled at the look of horror and fury on Yami's face. "It seems that whether or not you like it, you have to take control soon. Poor little Yugi-kun can't last much longer."

"This isn't even about our old grudges?!"

"No. Getting back at you is simply the icing on the cake!"

Yugi's eyes were covered by the brim of his hat and his fists were shaking. But this time, it was not out of pain or fear. Yami could feel the same hatred devour Yugi's mind as it had back in Domino the week before. "Ryou...kun..." Yugi said softly. Yugi's face lifted, and he growled, "How could you do that to Ryou-kun?!"

Yami tried to place a consoling hand on Yugi's shoulder, but Yugi batted it away. "Ryou-kun was one of the best friends I ever had! He always tried to help people, and he never got angry at anyone who pushed him down! No matter what people said or did to him, he was always nice back!!" Yugi squeezed his eyes and yelled, "How could you seal him into the shadows?!" He fell to his knees and suppressed a sob. "Ryou-kun… He must be in more pain… than me..."

Bakura was so fascinated with Yugi's anger, he did not notice Nazo place down her final card. Quickly, she slapped down. "I win, tomb robber!" Just as the flames devoured Bakura's body, Nazo screamed out, "Penalty Game: Mind Recall!" Magenta light glowed from the Bracelet, and transferred to Bakura's eyes.

The Shadows lifted, and Nazo collapsed. Yami took over Yugi's body and knelt down in front of her. Her skin was charred with second-degree burns. "Nazo-sa..."

"I'll be alright, Dearest," she said wincing. She smiled at him. "I'm just glad it's over."

"'Mind Recall,' ne?"

Yami and Nazo both looked up at Bakura. The light from his eyes still glowed, and the fire seemed to simply slither over his pale skin like snakes. He could not be burned! "I get it," he said in a frighteningly calm voice. "Your Bracelet connects magic energy directly to the mind and forces the victim to relive their worst memory." He laughed. "And they call me sadistic! The problem is that I have lived 3,000 years of consciousness, so it hardly affects me anymore." He took a deep breath. "Wow! I can even smell the bloody sand as my family's corpses are being thrown into the fire! How vivid!"

Nazo trembled. She had never encountered someone who did not go into hysterics over her penalty game. "Is... Is he... a demon?"

"Demon?" Bakura opened his eyes. The black fire around him and the glow around his eyes gave him a malicious look. "I've been called many things before, but that's a first! I kinda like it!" He picked up his gun and aimed it at Nazo's heart. "Too bad Minkabh said I gotta get rid of you. See ya in Hell, my queen!" He fired on target.

Yami reacted immediately. He pushed Nazo out of the way and jumped the opposite direction to dodge. Unfortunately the Puzzle swung away from him and into the bullet's path. The bullet penetrated the core of the Millennium Item, and it shattered into nearly one hundred small golden nuggets.

"YAMI-SAA!!" Nazo crawled over to her fallen husband. "Yami-sa! Shikaishiro!" [4]

Yugi stumbled out of his soul room across the hall. "Mou hitori no boku," he called. "Mou hi..." The bricks under his feet shook. He pushed open the door. Yami lay in the center of the pitch black room, clutching his chest in pain.

Yugi began to run to his side. "Yami-kun!" Part way to him, Yugi tripped over some loose bricks. Because of the damage to the Puzzle, the cursed pharaoh's soul was in turn damaged. But without the Puzzle solved, Yami's soul had nowhere to go. He was trapped in control of Yugi's body!

The pharaoh looked up and mouthed out Yugi's name, too weak to speak. He began to close his eyes.

Yugi shook Yami's shoulder. "Mou hitori no boku! What do I do?"

Bakura spat. "Baka pharaoh! I need the Puzzle whole!" He bit his finger with his canine, making a small trail of blood drip. "Guess I have no choice, then." He drew a symbol of blood into the stone floor and chanted a spell.

A blood red light surrounded Yami/Yugi, and a strong wind like a small tornado lifted him up so that his boots barely touched the floor. He gripped his head and screamed in a voice that was both Yami and Yugi's at once.

Nazo tried to grab Bakura, but her burns made this action too painful. "Stop," she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Stop it! Stop it, please!!"

"I can't reverse the spell now, Your Highness," said Bakura. He watched the spell taking affect. 'Even as they fight it, the outcome is already clear. Lucky for me!'

When the spell first hit, a red light entered the hallway between Yami and Yugi's soul rooms, blinding them both. The wind picked up and pulled like a vacuum, dragging everything it could take. Bricks and toys alike were consumed. Once it sensed Yugi - who was closest to the hallway - it grew stronger and lifted Yugi off of his feet. The boy went flying, screaming as he grabbed onto the doorframe. The wind only howled with dissatisfaction. It became even stronger. Yami made no reaction as he, too, was lifted into the air and pulled out of his soul room. Yugi caught Yami's left arm with his right. "YAMI-KUN!! HANG ON!!"

Yugi glanced up and noticed his soul room being scattered about in the cyclone. Posters tore down, books toppled, pictures smashed against the wall, the bed flipped over three times... Yami's soul room spewed out brick by carved brick, each nearly missing the two dangling souls. A terrible ripping sensation tore through their link.

'This is so hard,' Yugi thought. 'I'm still weak after being in the Shadow Realm! And my mind is being messed up even more! But I'd rather be a vegetable than let go of Mou hitori no boku!' He looked down and saw Yami staring at the red light, his expression completely blank. "Yami-kun!"

Yami's dull eyes lifted to Yugi. A memory passed between them. They were in the exact same situation months before, only the light was green, and the symbol was of the Oricalchos. They both remembered their last words spoken.

Yami gave a sad smile. He groaned and lifted his right arm to Yugi's right forearm. Yami pressed a nerve close to Yugi's elbow. Yugi's fingers released their grip on Yami. "Mou hitori no boku," whispered Yugi, his voice wavering.

"Shinjiteri-yo... Aibou..." Yami let go and fell into the wind.

"MOU HITORI NO BOKU!!" [5]

1 Spirits are visible in the Shadow Realm. Yami, Yugi, Bakura, and Ryou can be seen when in spirit form.
2 Cards in Shadow Realm - Outside of DM, regular cards are placed onto an invisible table parallel to the ground. As soon as they touch the shadows, they would become much, much larger. If you've ever seen the first YGO movie (not the American one, but the original one), think of the battle between Yami and Kaiba.
3 "Kuso Tomb Robber" - "Damn Tomb Robber"
4 "Shikaishiro!"- slang for "Wake up!" or "Snap out of it!"
5 Dialogue of ep 158 - In case you do not know, my dear English-dubbed fans, Yami loses Yugi's soul in a duel. I've made reference to this before and not explained thoroughly, so I'm sorry. The Japanese dialogue is quite simple to understand; I repeated everything, only reversed the perspectives. "Shinjiteriyo" means "I still trust you" or "I place my faith in you."