Two reasons I'm updating so soon. One: it's Christmas Eve! Two: this is the first time there's been double digit reviewing! Ten, peoples!

Blue Bunny 2: Yes I missed you. How could I not? Sorry if you were confused about the "finished" thing. I've finished typing the story. There are twenty-three chappies in this first half. I have yet to write the second half. (smiles happily) Happy Christmas and please review again! Love ya!

Dragontiger 1: Yay! A new reviewer! Always appreciate people like you! (grins) Anyhoo, no there will not be romance in this story. Well, people can look at Bakura and Marik's relationship as romance if they're absolutely desperate for some type of gooshing. However, that's not my intention. If it makes someone happy: go for it. (shrugs) Whatever. My other story I'm presently writing is a romance. (winks) I'm glad you like this one so much. Please review again! Merry Christmas! Love ya!

Ryou VeRua: (cackles) Yay! At least one of you peoples reviewed. I applaud you, dear. Thank you very much. Thanks also for the compliments. Like Ryou? (grins) He gets his moments. I'm planning on making him a more major character in the sequel. (of course, I've yet to start the sequel...) Stroke of genius, eh? (grins with pride) Well... ...What can I say? Merry Christmas! Review again! (hugs)

Bluegrass Elf: Yes, poor Bakura. Well, he's gonna have a lot more to worry about than being sick. (grins mischieviously) I've said too much already. (cackles) Yay! Ryou gets an important mission in this chappie! ...wow. You were one sick puppy, weren't you? Well, hope you're feeling better. Peace out! Review again! (kowtows)

Jessara40k: Have I had you as a reviewer? I don't think...(befuddled) anyhoo, thanks for the review! I wanted to put in the scene with Ryou bashing the others for not helpinghim. That scene had always irked me. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T THEY HELP HIM?... (breathes)...Okay, I'm better now. So yeah, I wanted to scold the others for what they'd done...or didn't do, in this case. Please review again, dearie! Happy holidays! (hugs)

Satra: Yes yes, they finally found it. About you talking about Yami and Marik, I knew what you meant. STOP DISSING YOURSELF!...grrr...(self-loathing bilingual people...--;) Anyhoo, review again, love. Happy holidays! (hugs)

dragonlady222: I always wondered why they didn't helpRyou as well. It really annoyed me. If it had been anyone else they would have jumped on up there. (grumbles about fakes...) Heh. Anyhoo, Bakura playing duel monters with Jou? (evil smirk) Oh you'll seeeee...(cackles insanely) Ooooh i love it! Review again, darling! Happy X-mas! (kowtows)

blackalbino: (shrugs) I usually update about once a week...I'm eager about such. (blushes) What can I say? I love hearing from you guys! ...Yeah, it is better for Bakura to be with Jou than Yami. Yami's...shall we say, less than kind to our dear tomb robber... I love you! Review again! Happy holidays! (Hugs)

Freak in the Shadows: That's gotta be the longest review you've written me. (smiles in glee) Yay! Thank you for all those charming compliments! (blushes) You're too kind. I LOVE YOU MORE! Review again, love. Happy holidays! (kowtows)

Silver Mirror: Oh I didn't have to try to imagine attempting to entertain someone who speaks a completely different language. I've done it on several occasions. It can be veeeery amusing. ...Thanks so much for the review. Do so agian, pwease! Happy x-mas! (hugs)

I'm dedicating this chappie to Ryou VeRua. (for reviewing when I singled them out.) Yay!

Dragon Eyes

Scales shine in dim moonlight

On majestic dragon in soaring flight.

Higher and higher above the land,

Witness to history's ever-changing spans.

Older than time, wiser than we

Who demolish all the world could be.

Eyes that can judge, eyes that can spy

All that lies below the sky.

Never to leave, always will stay,

Though man may believe they've wandered away.

Thought to be fake, no more than a dream…

Perhaps these legends are more than they seem.

Chapter 14: Preparation

Bakura was getting a hang of duel monsters. Jou was surprised the thief didn't know how to play. The blond had ended up drawing out a lot of each card's abilities on a large piece of scrap paper. When Bakura had first lain eyes on the cards he didn't seem interested; until, that is, he began to recognize the creatures. Jou, somewhat reluctantly allowed the thief to shuffle through the deck, examining each card.

"You know, I was told duel monsters originated from ancient Egypt," Jou said thoughtfully. "Perhaps Pegasus added some stuff."

The tomb robber stared at the pictures in fascination. Was this how they kept the monsters in these times? Much more efficient, he had to admit. Back in Egypt he'd even gotten control of a few, and it hadn't been easy.

They were sitting by the light of a candle, the storm still raging outside. Bakura was still curled up on the couch, somewhat like a cat. Jou sat on the floor munching on some chips.

"I need something to drink. Drink?" Jou motioned.

Bakura shook his head, turning back to the cards. Jou shrugged, wandering into the kitchen. Bakura slowly picked up a card that the blond had proudly displayed to him earlier, a gleam in his eyes.

Jou fumbled with the cap of a soda can. It let loose a sturdy spray of foam.

"Ack!" He ran and held the can over the sink, letting the liquid calm. Sighing, bandages dampened, he muttered, "Great."

He grabbed a towel off the counter and placed it over the puddle on the floor. Getting down on his hands and knees, he mopped up the mess.

"Stupid soda," he muttered tossing the drenched towel into the sink and trudged back into the living room.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"Thank Ra," Yami whispered as he and Marik examined the scroll. It was yellow and extremely crinkled. The surface was worn, writing faded.

"Don't get too excited yet. We still have to perform it," Marik warned.

"Why wasn't this in the book? It would've been helpful," Yami frowned.

Marik sighed. "Well, Priest Set undoubtedly knew counter spells; not that he would've been interested in giving his victims' memories back anyway…"

"It looks like a pretty complex spell. Will we need Bakura here in order to perform it?" Yami asked, heart sinking.

"Yes," Marik answered. "Assuming the memories are in the ring somewhere."

"And if they're not?"

"Well, they could be in the puzzle…"

"What if they're…gone?" Yami asked softly.

"Then I'll personally disembowel your friends in front of you," Marik hissed, snatching up the rod and scroll and racing out of the room.

"Marik! Wait!" Yami yelled, running after the younger Egyptian.

"Did you hear that?" Yugi asked, sitting up.

"No," Anzu answered from the couch.

"Someone's here," Mr. Mutou's voice called form the shop, rain pounding against the windows.

A few moments later a drenched Ryou and Honda came in, followed by Mr. Mutou who was flocking about them.

"You guys all right? Where have you been?" Yugi exclaimed.

"Well, we stopped for drinks but then…" Honda began, squeezing his shirt, water dripping to the floor.

"Any news of Bakura? Where's Marik?" Ryou broke in, soaked bangs nearly hiding his chocolate-brown eyes.

"Marik and Yami are still searching at the museum," Mr. Mutou replied reassuringly, taking the boys' soaked jackets.

"Wait, where's Jou?" Honda continued, looking about for the blond.

"HOLY SHIT!" Jou screamed.

Bakura was standing in the center of the room watching the red-eyes black dragon that was lying sprawled out across the top of the couch and over most of the small room. It was extremely crammed, forcing Jou back against the wall.

"What the hell? Put him back! Bakura!" Jou demanded in a high-pitched voice.

Bakura turned to stare with confusion at the blond. Wasn't this the creature the boy was fawning over when he'd proudly displayed his collection of monsters? So what was wrong?

"Okay, my favorite monster is sitting ALIVE in the middle of my apartment. It's okay. We're all right. We're…it's…" Jou slowly slid to the floor.

He jolted slightly when Bakura was suddenly kneeling in front of him.

"Put 'im back," Jou mumbled. He grabbed the thief's arm. "Put it away," he repeated firmly.

Bakura ripped his arm from the boy's grasp, standing unsteadily to his feet. He glanced at the dragon then back at the boy. Jou blinked, slowly standing. Warily, he stepped forward, eyeing the monster nervously as he approached it.

'Hasn't he seen his own monster before?' Bakura wondered.

Jou stopped about a foot from the dragon's head. Blazing eyes stared at him, studying its master. Jou's body tensed as a rush of steam blew against his body. Slowly, tentatively, he reached out a bandaged hand, allowing it to brush against the monster's nose. It was dry, seething hot. The scales were shining black, the edges like razors.

Jou looked back at Bakura who stood silently, watching. The blond's eyes were wide and bright, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Dis…is incredible!" he laughed as another breath of steam covered him.

The dragon was so majestic, awe-inspiring to the boy. He'd always loved playing duel monsters with holographic projectors; the digital images made the monsters life-like. Yet now here was red eyes before him; breathing, moving, staring straight back at him.

Bakura remained motionless, watching the interaction between the boy and his dragon.

"So Jou's all right, though?" Honda pressed urgently.

Mr. Mutou nodded. "He sounded fine, yes."

Anzu sighed. "Now all we have to do is find the spell and Bakura."

Honda scowled. "So basically we haven't accomplished anything."

Ryou remained silent, sitting back on the corner of the couch. He was extremely discouraged. He'd finally told Honda the truth. Now all he could do was wait to hear the others' reactions when they found out. He couldn't even help Bakura. He was of no use to anyone.

They all jumped at the sound of the shop door.

"Marik, wait!" Yami's voice was heard yelling.

The blond Egyptian appeared holding the Millennium rod and a roll of parchment under his jacket. Yami was behind him, panting.

"There you guys are!" Anzu said in relief.

"Good, Ry, you're here!" Marik breathed, walking over to the hikari.

"Marik," Yami coughed. "We're going to get in trou…"

"Ry," Marik interrupted the pharaoh. "We're gonna need your help." He unrolled the piece of paper.

"What the devil! That's a scroll from the museum!" Mr. Mutou exclaimed, eyes bulging at the sight of the hieroglyphs.

"Ry, we've got a spell here, but we need a connection to Bakura's mind," Marik ignored the elderly man, speaking earnestly.

"How'd you…? This is incredibly dishonest! And you carried it under your jacket, with an injured arm, on a motorcycle, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm!" Mr. Mutou continued to rant, though no one was paying him heed.

Ryou nodded slowly.

"Hold up now," Honda stated. "Are you certain the memories are in Bakura'a mind?"

Marik looked slightly worried. "Well, I'm doubting the puzzle contained Bakura's memories after the spell was performed. It has enough memories and such to contain. It was designed to hold the pharaoh's thoughts and past. It's probably why Bakura didn't forget the past when he was sealed in the ring. The ring wasn't crafted to preserve such."

"But then wouldn't the memories have been destroyed?" Honda continued.

Marik scowled. "I told you, I'm not sure."

"What's Bakura's soul room like?" Yami asked curiously, turning to Ryou.

The boy shrugged helplessly. "I've never seen it." Marik remained silent.

"You sure you wanna intrude?" Honda asked.

"Hopefully we won't have to," Marik stated. "That's where Ryou comes in."

Jou sat on the floor staring at the red eyes card in his hand. The picture hardly did the monster credit. Its large, flowing scales of lead, breath like a furnace; eyes like flaming hot coals.

He glanced over at Bakura who was asleep on the couch. The thief's breathing was deep and ragged, most likely because of the cold he'd obtained wandering around in the storm. There was a relatively peaceful look on his worn face.

The thunder was finally subsiding, rain still pounding on the windows; although, it sounded like the wind was dying down.

'He kinda looks like Ryou when he's sleeping' he mused. 'Dis must mean he trusts me…since he fell asleep in front of me an' all.' The blonde smiled at that thought, sitting back happily.

"All right, Ry, this is how it's gonna happen," Marik said standing in front of the hikari who was sitting on the couch. "Yami here is going to say the spell and try to free Kura's memories from the ring…"

"..assuming they're there…" Honda muttered.

"By," Marik continued, turning momentarily to give the brunette a glare. "…by reaching his soul room through your mind link with him."

Yami stared nervously at the spell on the paper he was grasping tightly. Mr. Mutou had insisted on copying the spell onto a separate sheet of paper, not wanting any harm to come to the scroll. The monarch had looked over the spell again and again, not wanting the situation to worsen any more than it already had; mostly thanks to him.

"All you have to do, Ry, is focus entirely on you and Kura's link. I'll connect my mind to both you and Yami's to help you both along…"

"…or hinder…" Honda grumbled.

Everyone stared in shock as Honda suddenly wedged two of his fingers up his own nose.

Marik snickered as the Millennium rod stopped glowing. "I couldn't resist."

Yami smiled and shook his head, standing next to Marik. Looking over, he could see the blonde trembling. Ryou sat on the couch before them, looking fully determined. Yami took a shaky breath.

"I'm ready whenever you guys are," he said quietly.

"Right," Marik whispered. "Let's get Kura back."

His eyes met Ryou's. The white-haired boy nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on his link to his yami. Marik motioned for the others to back away, not wanting any interferences.

"Good luck, boys," Mr. Mutou said softly, steering Yugi, Anzu, and Honda into the kitchen.

Yami slowly began to chant the spell, the puzzle around his neck beginning to glow. Beside him, he could feel Marik as the boy began his connection with their minds. Ryou sat motionless.

Yami let out a gasp as he appeared in the hall that connected Ryou and Bakura's soul rooms.

"Everyone all right so far?" a voice questioned.

Yami turned to see Marik and Ryou standing next to him. Ryou looked slightly dazed, focusing more on the link than on anything else; his trance-state making his eyes unfocused.

"Is he okay?" Yami asked uncertainly, motioning toward Ryou.

"For now. I've no idea how long he can do this though, so let's finish the spell quickly," Marik stated.

Ryou's door was on their left. It was wood, looking like pure mahogany. Uncorrupted.

"I'll take it that's Kura's door," Marik said grimly.

Yami turned to see what appeared to be a sarcophagus. It seemed to be lead or granite. Solid and tightly sealed.

"Ra…" Yami whispered.

Marik delicately ran a hand over its hard, cold surface. "Let's do this."

They both began to chant, items illuminating the hall. They repeated the spell over and over, items' light increasing.

'Yami, we just need to open the door enough to let the spell through,' Marik's voice instructed through their own link.

'Right.'

There was a heavy creaking from within the chamber. Hopefully it was the door beginning to give and not the thief's soul room caving in on itself. The door began to vibrate rapidly.

'Almost there!' Marik quelled, increasing his energies to his full power.

Jou jumped when Bakura began to whimper, thrashing about on the couch. The blankets flew off his writhing form, his arms and legs flailing about.

"Hey man, you all right?" Jou stood.

His eyes widened when the Millennium ring around the thief's neck began to glow.

'Dat can't be good!'

'Almost! Almost…' Marik screamed through the link.

The hall began buzzing, a high-pitched ringing filled their ears. Marik and Yami winced.

'G—guys…can't…hold….on!' Ryou heaved through their link.

'Just a little more!' Marik urged, feeling his own power diminishing.

'I…can't!' Ryou choked.

'Come on, Ry!' Marik yelled through the link as he continued chanting, the ringing causing his head to throb painfully.

'Ryou, you can do this. We can,' Yami said encouragingly, closing his eyes.

'I…'

The two Egyptians jumped as the door budged, dust shooting all about them in a whirlwind.

'Just a little…more,' Marik grit his teeth.

They looked about frantically as the room began to spin, the doors starting to fade. The hall was vanishing!

'Ry, you've GOT to hold on!' Marik urged madly. The hikari didn't answer.

The evaporating door opened a crack. Just a small fissure. It was enough.

'NOW!' Marik screamed, he and Yami sending the spell full force straight at it.

Bakura let out an earth-shattering shriek. Jou raced forward, grabbing the thief by the shoulders.

"Hey! Wake up…!" His hand slid against the glowing ring on the yami's chest.

Everything went black.

(Laughs insanely) What a cliff hanger! Mwahahaa!

Anyway, I hope you all have fun holidays. (whatever you all celebrate) ...Anyhoo, I'm not sure how soon I'll be updating again. Mmm...an unclear future. Now that we're in double-digit land for number of reviews I'm hoping we'll stay there.

Review!