Her Sweetness: Hello, there. I'm feeling better now. I was a bit ticked last time but now I'm as chipper as a dipper! … Well, not really. But I'm okay.

Let's see… Oh yes, and let me just say that I am now on the look out for a Beta Reader! So, if anyone has nothing better to do, I'd really appreciate it.

Now, on with my latest addition! (And leave a review, for Ra's sake!)

Motel 37

Chapter 8:

"Hmm… That's odd, there's no answer."

Yugi stuck his cell phone back into his pocket and sighed. He'd called about five times in a row and let it ring for ten times each, but still nothing.

Ryou and Malik exchanged a glance, "Um… Maybe your Grandpa is asleep?"

"At four in the afternoon?"

Malik shrugged, "Hey, he's old. Old people need naps."

Yugi slumped down in his chair, sighing as he did so, "I don't feel so good, you guys…"

"Maybe it was the day-old guacamole you licked off Ryou's face?"

The boy glared and blushed slightly, "I mean the fact that no one has answered. And then that feeling I got from Yami earlier, it felt weird. Malik, I know you probably don't worry about Marik… and maybe you shouldn't… But, Ryou, don't you think Bakura could be in some sort of distress?"

"I… Well, now that you mention it, I have been thinking… But, no, he's fine, I'm almost positive."

"They're fine! Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you're thinking about calling off our vacation again…! Yugi, Ryou, listen to me… they can take care of themselves. Isn't it about time we let them be grown ups and take responsibility? Bakura and Yami are five thousand years old!"

"…" Ryou blinked, "Marik is about six, really."

"T-That's not the point!"

Yugi nodded to himself, "You know, Malik, when you think about it, people could consider you a cradle-robber."

"…!" Malik sweatdropped, his eyes wide with realization and so much confusion, "… I… I'm a bad person."

It took forever. And forever seems like a short time when people promise things for forever. But when you're doing manual labor like taking about a ton of rainwater from point A to point B with only a bucket in your hand, forever seems long and highly overrated. And forever took its toll on the boys' arms, their torsos, and their bodies. And besides that, they'd had nothing to eat. Shivers declared lunch cancelled until dinnertime so they could clean out the kitchen. Which means that lunch would just be changed to dinner, and then what would that make dinner? They didn't care.

"Oh… I think my arms have fallen off. Someone pick them up for me." Marik groaned, flopping down onto the bed.

Bakura's head quickly jerked downwards. He saw no missing limbs or dripping of life's fluid. He pouted, turning back around and mumbled, "Liar."

As they lay on the bed, side by side and arguing half-heartedly, Yami came bouncing inside the room. Bakura and Marik looked warily at the boy whose grin was as wide as the Nile. He shut the door behind him and eagerly climbed onto the bed right in front of the two taller yamis.

Before they good yell at him for climbing over their bodies, he shushed them, "Listen, I have to tell you something…!" He claimed, excitedly, "Remember when I said that I heard someone calling my name last night?"

A giggle escaped Bakura's lips.

"Stop that! Anyway, I heard it again when I was in that strange hallway on the other side of the lobby! And I hear what it said, it said Yami, bring him."

"Oh, Yami…!" Marik groaned, turning away from the Pharaoh.

"Yeah, just like that!" Yami nodded and Marik sweatdropped, "I didn't get a chance to say anything back, cause then I got scared because someone was in there with me, I felt them."

Bakura starred up at him, "… You know I think you're stupid, right?"

"What? Don't tell me you don't believe me! You guys!"

"Don't worry, Yami, I believe you." Marik said then mumbled, "Basket case."

That statement did not go unnoticed by Yami as he folded his arms, pouting. "I can't believe you would be so callous as to not believe someone who's always told you the truth!"

Somehow, Marik found the strength in his forearms to lift himself up to Yami's eyelevel, "No, I choose not to believe someone who was caught kneeling over a bleeding old lady, wants to go into the darkness, and is talking about a voice telling him to bring someone!"

"Stop acting, Marik, you beat up old ladies all the time!"

"For good reasons!"

"What good reasons!"

Marik sat back and thought, "Well, usually because I need soda money."

Yami threw his arms into the air, "Oh, I give up! You are the most impossible person I've ever met!"

"Ahem…" Bakura cleared his throat.

"…Oh. And Bakura, I can't stand you either!"

"Thank you."

"Well, I couldn't care one bit about anything you have to say, my Pharaoh!" Marik glared daggers at the back of Yami's head and turned around. Leaving Yami facing one way and Marik facing the other and Bakura in the middle complaining about the lack of blood that had been shed.

BOOM!

Another strong bolt of lightning flashed yet again and both Marik and Yami jumped up and in mid-shriek, landed with a thud on Bakura's back. He screeched in pain as the lay there, one odd-looking dog pile. One of those thing that make you stare when you're driving and you crash into someone else who makes you pay five hundred dollars for something that wasn't even your fault, because – Sorry.

"R-Ra…!" Bakura squeaked out, his face turning purple, "I don't think someone here has heard of Weight Watchers! Damn!"

Yami lifted his head, giving a dignified expression to the two boys on either side of him, "I weigh 102 pounds, thank you very much."

"Does that include the hair?"

"Oh!"

"Heh heh." Marik and Bakura gave each other a high five.

"Oh, shut up, the both of you."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and not a second later, the door opened and Shivers came peeking inside, "Sirs, I must request that… you… Oh my. I should come back at a better time?" His eyes rested on the bed where Yami was sandwiched between Bakura and Marik. All three of the boys starring at Shivers who starred back. He began to slowly close the door. "Just remember to put the Do Not Disturb sign up next time…" He mumbled before closing the door all the way.

There was silence in the room as the boys looked at each other.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Marik and Bakura broke into a roar of laughter and rolled onto the floor, slamming their fists into the ground, both faces turning colors from lack of breath.

"…!" Yami was a bright pink as he rushed off the bed, kicking at Bakura as he opened the door. He'd wanted Shivers to come back so he could tell him it'd been a big mistake. The last thing he needed was that on his résumé.

"Hey, Shiver's come…" He stopped when he saw Shivers in the hallway talking to Shakes. He backed up into the shadow of the wall and tried his best to hear what they were saying.

"… Sir, the Dark boys?"

Shivers cleared his throat, "Ahem… Ah, they are indisposed at the moment."

"Indisposed, Mr. Shivers?"

"Not now, Shakes… Now, about Mrs. Coe. You're sure she's been taken?"

Shakes nodded, "Yes, they thought she was-"

Yami stepped out into the dim candlelight. They stopped their conversation and turned to face him. Shivers whispered something to Shakes and he disappeared around the corner. Yami looked back at the man in the tux, "Um… Shivers, I just wanted to tell you that what you saw back there… that was NOT what it looked like-"

"Oh, I know…" Shivers rolled his eyes, "You were just wrestling."

"Yes – I mean, no! See, the thunder came down and then-"

"You got so scared and figured, What the heck, we might not live through this! Isn't that correct?" Shivers turned around, fitting his white gloves, "I've heard this I can't tell you how many times."

Yami pouted and mumbled, "Not what happened…"

"Now… we've got the kitchen and dinning hall cleaned out. You and your companions may come and join us if you would like." He turned and went up a flight of stairs down the hallway.

As the spiky-headed boy watched him go, he stood still in the hallway before going and fetching Marik and Bakura. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Maybe if he stood in the quiet, in the deep quiet, he'd hear that voice again. Yami's eyes were shut tight in frustration and he gritted his teeth, knowing this might not work. 'C'mon,' He thought, harshly, 'Say something…'

"Yami."

"Ah, I knew it!" Yami looked up and saw Bakura, frowning down at him, "… Oh. Hi, Bakura."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Anyway, let's go, Marik's waiting for us at the dinning hall."

"How'd he know?"

"We overheard you trying to cover your butt with Shivers." Bakura smirked, and began walking, Yami tagging along, "That was pathetic."

"Um… Hey, Bakura. Maybe it's something of little importance, but… You see when I was out here, before Shivers and Shakes saw me, I overheard them talking and they said something about Dark boys. I think they were talking about us."

"… So? We are yamis… Yami. Damn, that's a tongue-twister."

"B-But how could he know that?" Yami insisted. "He's never met us before, knows nothing about us! It doesn't make sense, Bakura, aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No, I'm hungry."

"Ah… But…" He stopped when they reached the dining hall and Bakura took his seat, in between Marik and Yami so there would be no fighting. Yet again Shivers came out of the kitchen, wheeling a silver cart with four bowls of that disgusting foot and tomato soup. And that's when Yami noticed something. It was oddly quiet in the room and the one thing that made it loud was… gone?

"Where's Brittany?" Yami demanded of Shivers.

He stopped in his tracks and gave Marik a quick glance, who growled in return, and he looked over to Yami, "… Ms. Coe is no longer with us."

Marik raised an eyebrow, "Damn. Somebody's working fast."

"…" Yami's eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights, "What…? Again? Someone has died again? That's… that's unbelievable! There's a murder in this motel!"

"Mr. Motou calm down-"

"Don't you tell me to calm down! Someone's lurking in the shadows killing people and you, being the owner, should be most concerned! Instead, you're standing here trying to shove soup down our throats! I wont stand for this!"

Bakura was leaning back in his chair, "Hmm. That's not right… People are going through extreme amounts of pain and suffering and we have nothing to do with it. What's the world coming to?"

Yami looked down at Bakura, mouth agape, "C-Crazy people… You're all nuts! You're a bunch of loonies! People are dying! This place is a boiling blood bath about to erupt! I've had it! I'm calling our hikaris and we're going home right NOW!"

He stormed out of the room, going down the hallway and into the darkness, probably heading back to their room. It was silent for a moment after he left and after that moment had passed, Bakura turned to Marik and asked, "Who's he calling crazy?"