Disclaimer: Mmmm... monkey goodness: P
Thanks to:
Astral Firefly: still think its Malachite/ Zakuro, eh? As a great mind once said, "Maybe"
Beastfire: hmm... maybe. Hehe, I ain't telling anyone if they're right or not!

The One To Rule Them All: Aaaaw, Petalite don't worry! You'll be ok!

Twister91: yep Otogi's evil! And are you always such a master of speech, Onyx? Lol

4Evermonkeyfan: Thanks and once again, maybe.

"I'll be Alright"
"We have to go get him, Malachite!" whispered Zakuro after they were in and she was dry. She was wrapped up in a blanket and shivering, "we can't leave him out there, lost and alone!"
"I know!" Malachite whispered back, looking warily at the others, "but you're in no shape to be running off and facing enemies!"
"I don't care about me!" she whispered back, the whisper becoming raspy from where she was trying not to yell, "All I care about is saving my little brother!"
Malachite looked around before sighing and hanging his head in defeat,
"Alright! But we've got to be quiet about it if we don't want anyone to be suspicious!" he said.
"Suspicious about what?" asked Onyx, appearing out of nowhere and making them jump. They fell on the floor and Zakuro started coughing, Onyx chuckled quietly. Ichigo frowned and walked up to them, she smacked Onyx one around the head hard,
"Don't do that, Onyx! You know Zakuro's not well!" she scolded as Onyx rubbed the bump on his head. He looked about ready to yell then he looked at her and pouted instead, he walked off grumbling quietly.
"Um... ok, thanks Mum" said Zakuro, raising an eyebrow at the scene that just happened, Ichigo smiled and helped her onto the sofa again.
"No problem my dear, now rest" she tucked Zakuro into her blanket, kissed her forehead and went back to talking with the others.
"That was close!" whispered Malachite, breathing a silent sigh of relief, he noticed Zakuro gaze at her parents and he could tell she felt anxious and scared of telling them in they couldn't find Bakura. He reached over and gave her a sideways hug,
"Hey, listen. We'll find him! I promise" he said, nudging her encouragingly. Zakuro smiled a little, but he could still feel the knot of unease within her, and he had to admit that he wasn't so confident himself.
Bakura sniffed sadly as he sat on the cold, damp cell floor, he had overheard Skeleton King's plan to use him as bait to lure the Monkey Team here and he felt awful.
"If they get hurt, it's all my fault" he sobbed, tears rolling down his chubby cheeks as he gazed around at the high bars and scary looking guards. The man who looked like Uncle Ryou was also there, thinking about something as he sat on a rickety wooden chair. His hood was down and Bakura decided to take a good look at him.
At first, he looked exactly like Ryou, pale skin, big blue eyes, and long white hair. The only difference he could see at first was the bright blue tips to his hair, but on closer inspection, he saw that there were many small differences between them. Whilst Ryou's eyes were a light sky blue, Otogi's were a deep blue, like the night sky. They were dark and void of all emotion, like black holes sucking in everything that came their way and leaving nothing but a shell of a person. Bakura shivered every time he looked into those eyes, and yet he could almost see behind that darkness. He felt like someone was hidden in those murky pools, attempting to escape. But whatever was stopping them was strong and it was pulling them in further and further.

Bakura blinked and looked away, he looked around again but his eyes came back to rest on Otogi. He had a feeling that he wasn't here of free choice, like he himself wasn't, and that in some way Otogi was a prisoner too. Bakura crawled over to the bars and reached out a hand, his fingers brushed the fabric of Otogi's cloak but it was enough to stir him. Otogi looked down at him,
"What is it?" he spat, shooting through the silence like a bullet and making Bakura recoil like he'd been bitten. Bakura mustered up all his strength and courage and looked into Otogi's eyes,
"You look my uncle" he said, he wanted to say more but all his energy seemed to be sapped by those eyes of Otogi's. His fur pricked with fear as Otogi first looked surprised then disgusted.
"What do you mean by that? I could never look like at all related to an animal like you!" His voice was like a hiss of an angry cobra and Bakura felt like he'd just been sighted for the attack. He crawled back as Otogi entered his cage, face contorted with anger, and he whimpered when Otogi grabbed him by the scruff of his neck,
"What did you mean by that?" he repeated slowly, his breath running over Bakura's cheeks as his face was so near. Bakura shakily reached for a hidden bag and took out a photo of Ichigo and Ryou. He handed it to Otogi and waited.
Otogi examined the photo critically, his brow knitted as he tried to understand why there were two others who looked like him. Suddenly he dropped Bakura and lurched forwards, clutching his chest. His eyes were dilated and his breath became harsher and more desperate, he gripped at the floor and it looked like he was having a battle within his mind. Bakura watched him grip the floor hard and his breath becoming grunts of exertion as he willed himself to battle whatever force had plagued his mind. But with a sudden scream, he slumped for a second before sitting up and glaring at Bakura. He looked at the photo and quickly snatched it up before leaving in a flap of his cloak.
Bakura sat dead still for a while whilst he let the event sink in, then he realised that Otogi had just taken the thing he desperately needed close to him to comfort him in a place like this. As this realisation sunk in, Bakura hung his head and sobbed,
"No..."
"Are you ready?" whispered Malachite, his eyes glowing in the dark and silent robot. Zakuro flew up to him and nodded silently before they set off creeping down to the garage where the ships were kept.
They strapped themselves into Malachite's ship, Malachite flicked the silent mode on the engines and they took off into the sky. Zakuro gazed up as the distant star grew nearer and her home grew farther away, she looked down at the quickly vanishing world she loved and felt a sudden pang of homesickness. She held back a sob and shook her head, she gazed straight ahead at the back of Malachite's seat and tried not to think about what could be happening to Bakura or what their parents will do when they find them missing. She sighed and looked down at her hands, she had them clenched in anxiety and she clenched and relaxed, focusing on them greatly so as not to let any stray thoughts enter her mind.
"I've got a lock on Bakura" said Malachite suddenly, making Zakuro jump. She looked at him and tried to get her bearings again, he raised an eyebrow at her.
"You ok?" he asked, and Zakuro nodded vigorously, not daring to let herself speak. Malachite pressed the auto pilot button and turned his seat to face her,
"We'll find him, Zaki" he said gently, taking her smaller hand in his and stroking it slightly. "I promise"
Zakuro smiled slightly and the knot of unease seemed to vanish as Malachite held her hand, she gazed into his deep blue eyes and was instantly lost. She felt herself being pulled into them and she let herself go willingly. She smiled a little wider and nodded,
"Thanks" she whispered, smiling at him. Malachite smiled back.
"Warning! Enemy missiles approaching!" cried the computer, making them spring back to reality and Malachite turned away. Zakuro felt cold again when he turned, the warmth from Malachite's hand and eyes had gone and she hugged herself slightly. She watched as Malachite turned with expertise to avoid the clusters of rockets that headed their way but she didn't feel the least bit frightened. She knew she'd be safe with Malachite, her heart knew it. And yet, even when their ship was hit and pulled into the Citadel of Bone, Formless swarming in and taking them prisoner, she still felt it.
'As long as I'm with Malachite' her heart said, as they were locked into a cell then hours later taken out and forced to confront the Skeleton King, smirking in all his fearful glory, 'I'll be alright'
'I'll be alright...' she thought when he knocked her out.

Yay, another chapter done! Read and review and all that stuff!