Her Sweetness: Wow, baby. We've hit chapter 16. That's odd. I always give myself a pat on the back when I stick with one thing for so long. It's just kind of hard to show so much interest in one thing for so long. Which… is why I post like everyday during the summer. I have so many things I wanna do!

It's like… Gotta hurry, there's another story I want to show you guys!

I know, I sound like a five year old with macaroni art. Heh. Enjoy.

Motel 37

Chapter 16:

Before anyone could say anything, regarding Bakura's stupid remark, the Tomb Robber had already walked down the ramp and onto the main floor of the room. Yami was ignoring him and pulling madly on the shackles that Marik was attached to, but was having as little luck as before. He looked up as Bakura began to pull on the other side and smiled. It was about time Bakura did something helpful.

What's this…? I thought the Bakura had gone down the other hallway…!

"I knew it!" Yami shouted back in between yanks and pulls, "You were the one who got rid of Bakura! You lied to me!"

… So.

Bakura blinked and looked at Marik, "Whose he talking to?"

"The voice of the motel, I think."

"… You mean there actually is a voice?" He looked surprised, "So, the Pharaoh isn't crazy, after all."

"Well, not today."

Yami, don't resist, please… I still intend to deliver my promise to you…

"I don't want your promise anymore! I told you, I changed my mind!"

Bakura stopped trying to free his friend and turned around, hands on his hips and a pout on his face. "Hey… How come Yami is the only one that gets to hear the voice? I wanna hear it too!"

"Because." Shivers said simply, and turned another dial. This one made the machine next to the examining table light up. It's loose wires jolted with energy and the spots not metal, lighted into a rainbow of colors. A long bleeping sound was heard and then it stopped. "In order to get Marik here, the motel would have to manipulate the person who despised him most. The person who would be willing to do just about anything to get just a little bit of respect from Marik."

Yami blinked, "… Uh-oh."

"Yami! You big, fat idiot! I swear, when and if I get out of this device alive, I'm going to totally throttle you! It's your fault that I'm in this!" Marik made the chains jiggle to show his meaning.

"W-Well, it's not my fault!"

"Sure…" Bakura rolled his eyes, "It's not your fault that you listened to a mysterious, murderous voice and ended up getting Marik trapped in a place where he's likely to lose everything that gave him life in the first place. It was just a coincidence."

"That's right." Yami nodded solemnly and folded his arms.

"I was kidding!"

"Shut up, the both of you and get me out of here!"

Quickly, Grandpa came running over to the table and pulled on the brace holding Marik's left foot. "C'mon, boys! Shake a tail feather, we've got to get out of here!"

Yami went back to helping out, "G-Grandpa…!" He said with tears in his eyes, "I'm so glad you're not dead!"

"At least some one is!" He turned around slightly, glaring at Shivers, "I can't believe what an awful man you are! Taking advantage of this young boy!"

Shivers rolled his eyes slightly and motioned to Shakes through one of their silent nods. Shakes obediently walked over to Grandpa. Remembering what happened the last time he came into contact with the taller man, Grandpa grimaced and tried to get away. And much like the last time, Grandpa was picked up by one hand with the greatest of ease.

Grandpa swallowed hard as he gained eye-to-eye contact with Shakes. He tried to smile and asked, "C-Can I offer you some prune pie, perhaps?"

"…" The man's expression never changed as he walked over to a small cage in the corner of the room. Bars surround it and one latch that Shakes took in his hand before he roughly threw the older man inside.

"Oh no! Grandpa!" Yami yelped.

Marik rolled his eyes, "Yami, shut up and help me, that old man's been through everything imaginable! I think he can handle a cage!"

Yami grumbled, "Stupid… Marik… always tellin me what to do… You know, Marik! We wouldn't be in this situation if you were even the slightest bit nice to me!"

"No, we wouldn't be in this situation if you could keep your emotions in check! You big, spiky-headed girl!"

Shakes ignored their bickering and went over, picking Bakura up by the skin on the back of his neck. He carelessly threw him in an open closet door on the opposite side of the room and locked the door with that black key he and Shivers used to get in. Pounding on the door followed and then it was quiet. Everyone supposed Bakura was now trying to bite the doorknob.

Yami sweatdropped but screamed when he noticed Shakes coming over to him. "Eek! No, you stay away!" He squeaked, running and hiding under the table. It was a small space and only Yami (or Yugi) could possibly squeeze in.

Shivers massaged his eyebrows, looking up from the dashboard in front of him, "I didn't plan on so many interruptions. You know, all I wanted to do was extract the darkness, and have the motel satisfied so I can leave. It's not like I wanted to kill anyone."

"…Wait…" Yami said, still scooting away from Shakes grasp, "Y-You mean, Marik's going to be okay after this? If that's a fact then what are we resisting for! Just take the damned darkness and leave us alone."

"Well. That would work, but seeing as how Marik is a creature of darkness, he'd probably shrivel up and become a mindless idiot after the procedure."

"WHAT!" Marik's eyes went wide and he tried his hardest to tear the shackles off, "NO! I don't want to be a mindless idiot! Lemme go!"

Yami shuddered, "Ooh, glad it's not me… Jeez."

"Shut up, Pharaoh!"

"Eep!" Suddenly, two hands had a firm grip on Yami's waist and he lifted the boy out from under the table. "Let go of me! Stop it!"

Shakes took three steps away from Marik's holding place and looked back at Shivers, "… sir, there's no place to hold this one."

"That's okay, just hold onto him." Shivers nodded to his henchman and sauntered over to the lit machine that stood beside the table. He picked up two of the wires, both red and held them over Marik's head as he struggled beneath him.

"S-Stop it! Get away from me!"

Shivers ignored the endless threats and pleas and placed the two wires on Marik's temples, avoiding the boy's teeth. Amidst all of Marik's wails, Yami called out, "Agh! Shivers, don't! Leave him alone, dammit! I don't hate Marik! I… Ugh, I love him!"

"…" Not a word was said or a movement made for over a minute.

Marik blinked slowly at Yami, "… Wow."

"Ah… Sorry about that." Yami said, blushing and fingering a lock of his hair.

"Good Lord…" Shivers returned to his mission by quickly snapping a large, red switch on the machine that Marik was hooked up to. The lights flickered, went off and abruptly came back on. Marik's screams echoed throughout the rainstorm and the back into the room when his eyes dilated and the illusion of a dark glow around him began to fade.

Yes…

"My Ra, I think I turned left again."

"What? Ryou, how could you!"

"I-I'm sorry…!"

On the road, the hikaris had been driving now for a very long time and Malik believed they would've been there in twenty minutes flat if Ryou actually listened to the directions that he was given. Malik even offered to drive about five minutes ago, but Ryou was no good at reading maps and Yugi was too busy with Little Fruitcake. Which Ryou found to be absolutely absurd. He didn't like the fact that Little Fruitcake hadn't maimed Yugi yet at all.

Due to Malik's scolding and the cooing going on in the back seat, Ryou became quite emotional and began to cry.

"Oh, jeez…Listen, Ryou, it's okay…!" Malik realized he was not making this any easier for his sweet friend and took this time to try and comfort him in his time of need. "C-Come on, don't cry!"

He paid no mind and continued to bawl, wetting the map in Malik's lap and since his eyes were closed, he was not watching the road very closely at all. Malik just knew they were going to die soon and he began to cry as well.

While this tear fest was erupting in the front seat, this could be heard in the back: "La la la la la! Wee-bop, wee-bop, wee-bop-bee!" Yugi was smiling brightly and bopping his head to the music in his mind. Little Fruitcake resided on top of the spikes, watching Yugi with a questioning expression. And he seemed to be wanting to say, 'You're a bit nuts, you know. But I really like your head. Which hair gel do you use?'

"Ah! Y-Yugi, do you have to be so insensitive!" Ryou had turned around and witnessed this little act of bonding between Yugi and his kitten. "We're trying to un-loose ourselves and you're having happy hour with MY kitten!"

"Little Fruitcake isn't your kitten, Ryou…" Yugi said, smugly, "Little Fruitcake and I like each other very much. We think it would be best if, after this is all over, he comes home with me and Fruitcake."

"You and FRUITCAKE! YUGI MOTOU! I'LL GIVE YOU SOME FRUITCAKE!" Ryou glared daggers at the boy and swerved the car off the road and into the woods just off the highway. "I'LL KILL US ALL AND WE'LL GO TO FRUITCAKE HEAVEN! HOW DO YA LIKE ME NOW?" He yelled as they went speeding by trees and large rocks, going approximately one hundred and fifty miles an hour.

"Ryou! STOP!" Malik cried, now in hysterics. Before, he was about forty percent sure they were going to die in a fiery explosion. Now he was about ninety-nine point five percent sure. The last point five percentage left was due to the airbags they had. Every cloud has its silver lining.

"Oh no…!" Yugi held on tightly to Little Fruitcake and visa versa. They awaited the end, locked in each other's arms with looks of horror and woe on their faces. Which really would make a wonderful Christmas card.

The car had gotten out of the woods with only a few thousand scratches on it. It was now going about a hundred mph in this clearing surround by nothing but dead trees and some dried grass. A building was coming into view, gray and about four stories. But behind that, there seemed to be an even smaller structure. And with Ryou on the fritz and his foot glued to the gas pedal, that's exactly where they were heading, full force.

"Marik! Marik, speak to me!"

Yami was scrambling to try and get out of Shakes' firm grasp, but to no avail. Every time the Pharaoh tried to get away, Shakes' arms tightened around the boy and he was almost blue by now. Marik was laying, limp and unresponsive, on the table. The large, purple orbs that once filled the blonde's eyes were rolled back in his head.

Yes… I can feel his energy filing into me…

"You horrible monster! Y-You totally killed him!"

Shivers shook his head slightly, "… It's a large amount of energy. It should take about two minutes or so to completely drain from him." He looked to Shakes, "We should go now. Since the darkness in the building is being refilled, the motel has its defenses down and we can escape."

Shakes gave a look of relief, "Finally…" He set Yami down and he and his employer began for the door that led to the backyard.

Yami rushed over to Marik and shook his shoulders, "M-Marik! Listen to me, do something!"

"…"

"Eh! You've must fight this! Pull your energy back, okay? If you don't, y-you're gonna be a vegetable! Can you hear me!"

Before opening the door, Shivers looked back, shaking his head, "Give it up, Mr. Motou, he's not going to-"

Suddenly, just as Shakes opened the door, a red corvette came crashing, full throttle into the side of the wall, taking most of the door and the other half of the wall with it, down onto the floor. The metallic tile was torn up as it skidded to a heart-clutching stop. Both Shivers and Shakes were lost in the rubble that pounded down on the car and the floor. When it stopped in less than thirty seconds, the car no longer looked like a car but a piece of scrap metal.

Yami blinked, "Uh…"

The front door opened an out popped Ryou, who was dusting himself off and Malik followed. Yugi came out last, frowning and ball of fluff rested on his head.

"Y-Yugi! You're here!"

"Oh, for Ra's sake…! This was a rented car! What am I gotta tell the dealership?" Malik looked at the corvette, "… Wait, what am I worried about? It's on Yugi's credit."

Yugi frowned, "Darn it! Oh well… At least me and Little Fruitcake are okay." He punctuated his sentence by cuddling the cat and meowing with it.

"Y-Yugi…!" Ryou balled his fists.

"Wait! Stop!" Yami waved his arms around, "Later! Do this later, but we've go a problem! Marik's going to be-"

"Eek!" Malik had already noticed the condition of his other half and rushed over to the table, gawking at both him and the machine he was attached to, "Yami! W-Wha happened to my precious Biscuit Head? What's this thing?"

Yami tilted his head, "What's a… Biscuit Head…?"

"Never mind that! Yami, tell me what happened!"

"Long story short, Marik's darkness is being drained into this motel and if we don't stop it soon, he'll be just a shell!" Yami was being helped by Malik and Yugi to get the wires off the boy's temples. It took quiet a bit of tugging, but they soon came popping off.

No! Yami, what are you doing? Put those back on!

"Shove it, Motel 37!"

"Hey! What's going on out there!" There was a pounding on the closet door, and a familiar voice sounded out through the room. It sounded like a pouting child was also a bit pissed off. Ryou ran over to the door and kicked it open, knowing already it was Bakura.

As soon as it was open, Bakura came falling out on to the floor. He landed right next to a cage with an older man it in, he looked up at Ryou and shouted, "Ryou! Oh, thank goodness! Can you get me out of here?"

"Ah… Yes, of course!" Ryou nodded and had Bakura help him with the latch on the cage.

Yami, please, listen to me! I must have him… If I go this long without… Yami, you'll all die! I'm going to just explode if I don't have him, Yami, listen to me!

"Explode!" Yami looked up, "W-What the hell do you mean!"

…

Yugi looked to his other half, "Yami, what are you talking about?"

"Listen you guys, the building's going to explode! We have to get out of here, right now!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, EXPLODE!" They all yelled at him.

He cringed, "Not my fault! It's the damn motel! It told me that it's going to explode, since we're taking Marik away! And we've gotta-"

The building began to shake, slightly at first and then more violently. The rocks and pieces of the wall that had landed on the ground were now shaking and the entire building threatened to break down to the foundation. Yami and Malik frantically pulled on the shackles, but there was no moving them.

Yugi bit his lip, "What are we gonna do? We can't leave Marik here!"

Bakura put his hands on his hips and shrugged. "Well, he's lived a full life. Of course, there really was nothing much for him to live for now, seeing as how I now own Malik."

Without warning of any kind, Marik's head popped up and he looked straight at Bakura, a deep malice in his eyes, "WHAT? What the hell do you mean, Bakura!"

"And he lives."

Everyone starred at the two, "… Wow."

Before anything else was said, Ryou clamped a hand on his yami's mouth and shouted, "That's great! But he's still tied down, we can't get him loose!"

As the building began to collapse around them and it got more dangerous by the second, a light bulb went off in Grandpa's mind. He reached into his mouth and removed the dentures. He placed them on the brace holding Marik's right arm and snapped it down. The brace broke and Marik was able to move his right wrist. Grandpa grinned in triumph, "I knew that would work…!"

Everyone starred at the old man, "… Wow."

"Quick, throw them to me!" Yami called and he was thrown the false teeth. He snapped them on Marik's left arm and the hikaris did Marik's ankles. When he was free, he jumped up and grabbed Bakura by the collar, "Baku-"

"Not now!" Malik shouted as the walls collapsed. They all ran for their lives, covering their heads with their arms as they sprinted out to the backyard and in front of the motel. When they looked back, only a loud boom was followed by a large eruption and rubble flew for miles. A scream was heard… but only by Yami.