EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! HOLY MOTHER OF SPICE CAKES! I was on this car trip for three days and guess how many pages of my new story I wrote? TWENTY! 20! EEEEE! In only THREE days! 3! (jumps around in happiness)

My beta blood-relation yelled at me for my spelling mistakes again. Its not MY fault SHE never sends me back corrected copies! (grumbles darkly) (Actually I'm just mentioning this to see if she actually reads my chapters online, so no one tell her I wrote this) (secret, secret)

Why does no one like Yami no Malik? Oh well, I guess he's kind of a creep now. Hey! Yami no Malik didn't technically rape Malik, it was just a freaken kiss god. Well, that and lying on top of him...

This chapter is brought to you by rope. It's very useful, as Yami no Malik has already found out, for tying down certain people… and not just in kinky ways.

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Chyaputa 18: Attack and Receive

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Yami no Yugi lead the group through the trees, bending low to the ground to kept himself concealed. They were nearing the place now, he knew it. He bent low behind a fake bush and looked over his shoulder to his companions. Yami no Bakura was right behind him, followed closely by Ryou, who was panting and wheezing as though he were about to pass out. Yugi was holding onto his shoulders, supporting the white haired teen as he walked.

Yami no Yugi's insides clenched with worry. He didn't like being to far away from his light. He had a feeling Yami no Bakura had separated them on purpose.

"What are you waiting for?" Yami no Bakura hissed harshly, his voice hardly a whisper. Yami no Yugi set his jaw, took one last look at his other half and continued.

Suddenly there was a tremble of branches above him. Yami no Bakura saw it too. A dark thing was falling right towards them from above. Yami no Bakura and Yami Yugi jumped to the side. Yugi, still supporting the struggling Ryou was unable to move. The dark thing dived for Ryou.

There was a loud clang of steel. Yugi had drawn his sword just in time to block Yami no Malik's first attack. Yami no Malik's other hand swung, aiming this time for Yugi's gut when Yami no Bakura tackled him over with his staff. Yami no Malik fell backwards, away from Yugi. Yami no Yugi breathed again.

"Come for a visit?" Yami no Malik spat, pale eyes ablaze. His gaze looked at each member of the group in turn and then he laughed, just as cold and high pitched as Yami no Yugi remembered. "Well look," he teased maliciously. "I didn't know the mighty Bakura could work in a team! So they can be trained after all!"

Yami no Bakura launched himself forward, the blade of his glaive diving for Yami no Malik's chest. Yami no Yugi was about to jump forward as well.

Wait! Yugi cried in his darker side's head. Bakura's got a plan. Yami Yugi saw Ryou was whispering frantically into Yugi's ear, as though Yami no Bakura were giving his light the instructions while he fought. You need to watch Ryou while I go after the original Malik, Yugi said.

You? By yourself? Why? Yami no Yugi questioned, eyes flicking back and forth between Yami no Malik and Yami Bakura's furious battle and his lighter half. What if Yami no Malik comes after you?

Would you rather go? Yugi questioned, frustrated and panicked. And leave me here alone with Yami no Malik and Yami no Bakura while trying to take care of Ryou? Yami no Yugi thought about it for a moment.

Okay go! Yami no Yugi conceded. Yugi lowered Ryou onto his glaive as Yami no Yugi made his way around the battle in the center of the clearing. A knife went flying passed Yami no Yugi's ears as he ran. As soon as Yami no Yugi and his light side crossed paths, the dark soul grabbed his arm before he had a chance to leave. Be careful, Yami no Yugi said giving Yugi's arm a squeeze. Yugi flashed him a grin.

I will, his light said. Yami no Yugi released him, reluctantly, and Yugi was off, sprinting into the trees making a wide curve around the battle zone.

Yami no Malik had noticed something was up. He had realized one of their company was missing, frightful panicked eyes searching everywhere. Yami no Yugi darted forward, trying to join the fight to keep Yami no Malik's attention focused. But Yami no Malik grabbed a hold of a branch overhead and swung backwards, away from Yami no Bakura's attacks and then spotted Yugi running toward the place where his light was hidden.

Yami no Malik leaped from the tree in a mad dash, running straight at Yugi, knives flashing in his hand.

"Aibou!" Yami no Yugi shrieked, panic clutching his heart, running after them. Yami no Malik was catching up to Yugi. Yami no Yugi's feet slipped on the grass as he ran. Yami no Malik held up a knife, ready to throw at Yugi's frantically sprinting form. In his desperation, Yami no Yugi pulled the sword from his belt and swung it wildly at Yami no Malik's knees. The other dark soul tripped over his weapon and rolled forward in his furious momentum.

Yami no Yugi leapt forward, standing in Yami no Malik's way, sword raised. Yami no Malik, still on the ground, took a swipe at Yami no Yugi's legs. The knife slashed a cut across both knees. Yami no Yugi fell to the ground and Yami no Malik pounced on him, knife at the ready and stabbed him in the shoulder. Yami no Yugi screamed.

Yugi already far ahead, turned wildly around.

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi cried, face white. Yami no Yugi saw his light start to run back, clumsily drawing his sword from his own belt.

No! Don't come back! Yami no Yugi shouted through their link. Get Malik! Make sure he's safe! Yugi stopped running, there were tears in his purple eyes.

But mou hitori no boku… Yugi protested weakly.

Get Malik, aibou! I'll be fine! Yami no Yugi cried and elbowed Yami no Malik in the face. There was no response through their link, Yami Yugi hoped his light had turned back around but he too busy trying to get the dark soul off of him to check.

Yami no Malik raised his knife again but before he could strike Yami no Bakura smashed the blunt end of his heavy spear into Yami no Malik's outstretched arm, throwing him off Yami no Yugi. Yami Malik roared in pain. The arm Yami no Bakura had hit was twisted at a very bad angle. It looked broken.

"Where were you the first time?" Yami Yugi grunted as he examined his heavily bleeding shoulder, going rapidly light headed. Yami no Bakura scowled.

"I saved your skin, didn't I?" Yami no Bakura spat as though Yami no Yugi should be more grateful. "You should be thanking me." Yami no Yugi would have liked to respond but Yami no Malik was back on his feet.

"You trying to take my light?" he chuckled, blood dripping out of his chapped and blistered mouth. He was standing lopsidedly, broken arm hanging useless at his side, hot breath hissing at the corners of his mouth. "Yugi can't kill him, he is too weak. Your plans to get rid of me won't work."

"Our plan isn't to kill your lighter half," Yami no Yugi spat, eyes growing heavy after so much blood loss. He barely could keep himself standing; his sword grew heavy in his hands. Yami no Bakura shot Yami Yugi a harsh look, warning him to keep quiet.

"No matter," Yami no Malik growled, his voice dangerously low, tongue licking his lips. "I will finish off one of your weaker halves any way." Yami Yugi's head was spinning, the fumes from the warm blood spreading across his shirt was making it hard for him to concentrate. So he didn't even notice when Yami no Malik aimed for Ryou.

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Ryou was leaning against his staff, his injured arm hanging like a dead thing at his side. The pain seemed to have traveled up into his neck and chest as the fight continued making it increasingly hard for Ryou to breathe. Stinging sweat dripped into Ryou's eyes.

'Even if I wanted to do something,' Ryou thought desperately. 'I can't even move. Once again I'm just useless…' Despair carved a deep empty hole in Ryou's chest. 'I've always been useless.'

There was a sudden movement from the fighters dancing in front of him. Ryou looked up to see Yami no Malik's sick, empty eyes targeting him, knives at the ready. The heavy spear slipped from Ryou's limp fingers onto the ground. Ryou knew he had to move, to run.

A cold flash of sunlight hitting steel and the battle daggers were flying right at him. Ryou didn't have time to think, his mind went blank. He closed his eyes waiting for the impact to hit. At the last second, something large and solid jumped in front of him, in the direct path of the knives.

There was a sickening thud of metal landing in flesh and a gasp as air escaped from an empty lung. Warm droplets of blood hit Ryou's pale face. He opened his large brown eyes to see Yami no Bakura standing in front of him with three of Yami no Malik's daggers logged in his back.

Yami no Bakura had an expression of shocked puzzlement on his face, as though he didn't understand how he had gotten there. Ryou stared, eyes wide, gut clenched and sunken.

'He stepped in front of me…' Ryou thought, numbly. 'He saved me.' A dribble of blood trickled out of the corner of Yami no Bakura's mouth. His body fell forward. Ryou caught him with difficulty; his own knees collapsing under him, bringing them both to the ground. Yami no Malik's high cold laugh echoed through out the wood.

"How's that! How does that feel!" he shrieked. Yami no Malik's eyes were round with triumph. "No one can defeat me!" Yami no Bakura's body was leaning on top Ryou, his dead weight almost crushing him.

'Dead weight? Dead? No, he can't be…' Ryou thought, his brain had gone numb with horror. He struggled to pull himself out from under his darker half's body.

"Why?" Ryou breathed, cradling Yami no Bakura's head in his lap. "Why did you do that? I thought… don't you hated me…?" The lifeless mouth did not answer.

"Now I'll finish you all off," Yami no Malik hissed through sharp teeth. He took his last knife and approached Ryou on the ground, eyes glinting with a deadly light. Yami no Yugi jumped in his path this time.

"You will not lay a hand on them, Malik!" Yami no Yugi snarled. Yami no Malik giggled, blood bubbling between his lips.

"Well, I'll just have to kill you first then," Yami no Malik concluded calmly. Even though Yami no Malik's left arm was crushed, he could still fight unlike Yami no Yugi. Ryou could see Yugi's dark side struggling to keep his balance, the sword drooping unsteadily in his hands. Yami no Yugi knew he had no chance of beating him.

A strange feeling was filling in Ryou's chest; his hands were shaking like mad but not with fear. Yes, he knew he was afraid, but his anger and desperation consumed his fear. Without thinking Ryou grabbed his battle glaive, laying a few feet away from him in the grass. For some reason it didn't feel that heavy anymore, Ryou could lift it.

Yami no Malik had taken a swipe at Yami no Yugi's chest, a large gash had appeared there causing him to lose even more blood. Yugi's dark side fell to the ground, panting, the world around him spinning. Yami no Malik was ready for the final attack when a large thing hit him hard in the face. Yami no Malik fell backwards onto his back, blood exploding from his broken nose. He looked up to see his attacker, Ryou, standing above him, a hard fierce glow shining in his once soft brown eyes.

"You fight now?" Yami no Malik panted, chest heaving. His dark skinned face twisted with exhaustion and pain. "You can barely lift that weapon of yours." Ryou's eyes narrowed and pulled the heavy staff above his head ready to strike.

"Same goes for you," Ryou said as his blow fell. Yami no Malik rolled to the side and Ryou missed. Ryou swung fiercely again, the blade of his staff scratched Yami no Malik's elbow and his dodged it.

"Are you fighting for the memory of your darker half?" Yami no Malik taunted sickeningly. "How sweet." Ryou struck again, more furiously this time. The heavy weapon missed and Ryou lost his balance on his weak legs and fell toppling to the ground. Yami no Malik grabbed his last knife and dived for Ryou on the ground, blood covering all of his face, white eyes flaming.

"You can't kill me! You light halves are all too weak!"

"Are we?" a cold voice spoke from behind him. Yami no Malik was thrown to the sideways by Yugi, who tackled him in his bruised side to get him away from Ryou. Yami no Malik was on the ground, growling and snarling like an animal. A shadow rose above him. Yami no Malik looked up in horror to see his own lighter half raise a large rock over his head.

"Go to hell," Malik snarled and slammed the rock down on the top of Yami no Malik's head. The dark soul fell unconscious to the ground.

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Yami Yugi was fast asleep when the warm thing underneath his head moved, jarring him into consciousness. He slowly pealed his eyes open. The first thing he saw was his lighter half's face floating above him.

"Sorry," Yugi said, purple eyes shining. "Did I wake you?" Yami Yugi was speechless. Maybe it was the soft gray light flooding through the trees or maybe it was fact that Yami no Yugi's head was resting in his aibou's lap, but for whatever reason, Yugi looked strangely captivating. Yami Yugi couldn't seem to look away from his face. Yugi frowned slightly in worry when his darker half didn't answer. "Is there something wrong, mou hitori no boku?" Yami no Yugi forced his voice to work, breaking himself out of his trance.

"No… nothing's wrong," Yami no Yugi said truthfully, still staring at his lighter half. Suddenly he remembered the more urgent matter at hand. "What happened to the battle? Where's Yami no Malik?"

"Off over there tied to a tree," Yugi answered and pointed in direction into the woods. Yami no Yugi squinted, scanning the rest of the clearing.

Yugi and Malik were the only ones who remained unscathed. The original Malik was sitting with his back against a tree, staring fixedly off in the direction his darker half. Aside from some rope burns on his wrists there was no serious physical damage to him. For what Yami no Yugi could see of his own injures they weren't too severe. Yami no Bakura was the only one to really worry about then. The white haired demon was lying on his side, the knives having struck him in the back. Ryou was sitting right beside him, watching the darker half of his personality intently, his large brown eyes strangely empty.

Yami no Yugi's gazed stayed on Yami no Bakura's still unconscious body.

"How is he?" Yami no Yugi asked his light hollowly.

"We don't know," Yugi admitted weakly. "He hasn't woken up. I just hope those knives didn't hit a lung or something." Yami no Yugi's stomach clenched unpleasantly.

"It's my fault," he said softly. "I was supposed to be guarding Ryou."

"Its no one's fault," Yugi insisted. "He'll wake up soon and then we'll get out of here." Yami no Yugi didn't answer.

"Is mou hitori no Yugi awake?" Malik asked, turning sharply to face Yugi and his Yami.

"Yeah," Yugi answered. Malik nodded briskly.

"Okay, I get to kill him now, right?" Malik asked fiercely, a knife already in his hand.

"What?" Yami no Yugi asked, confused. Yugi smiled nervously.

"I told him about the compromise. You know, when we decided to let him choose whether to kill Yami no Malik or not," Yugi explained hastily, eyeing Malik warily. "He's… very enthusiastic about the idea." Yami Yugi looked over at Malik as well, his head rotating in Yugi's lap.

"You sure about this?" Yami no Yugi asked Malik. "You don't want time to think about it, at all?"

"That bastard doesn't deserve to live!" Malik spat forcefully, violent eyes flashing threateningly. Yami no Yugi felt uneasy, he looked up at his lighter half. Yugi shrugged.

I don't know what Yami no Malik did to him, Yugi insisted. Yami no Yugi, frowned in puzzlement.

"Maybe we should wait till Bakura gets up," Yami no Yugi suggested although he knew when Yami no Bakura got up, if he was going to get up at all, the dark soul would probably side with Malik. Malik scowled, frustrated.

"You said it was my choice!" Malik hissed. "And I want him dead!" Yami no Yugi exchanged glances with his lighter half. Yugi's eyes were wide in worry, his darker half knew he didn't want to see anyone die.

"Ryou!" Yami no Yugi called as a last resort. The white haired teen's head snapped up suddenly as though he had just realized they were all there.

"What?" he asked, blinking, not focusing on the people in front of him.

"They're trying to delay me from getting my revenge," Malik growled angrily.

"Shouldn't we wait till Bakura gets up before Malik kills him?" Yugi asked, staring at Ryou pleadingly. Ryou blinked in confusion.

"Well it is Malik's choice," he answered distractedly, looking back down at his darker half. Needing no more convincing, Malik stood up.

"Wait!" Yugi pleaded. "Do you really think you should be the one doing this?" Malik turned sharply to Yugi, eyes fiery.

"Yes," he answered simply and he began to walk into the wood.

"Do you have to do this Malik?" Yugi asked. Malik stopped in his tracts, eyes nailed to ground. "He doesn't know any better," Yugi said. Malik didn't answer, standing as still as a stone column. The knife was already raised in his hand.

"Think about this before you go through with it," Ryou spoke up from across the clearing, his brown eyes finally lifting from Yami no Bakura's still form. "Don't let this be impulse."

'Don't be like him,' was the unspoken thought.

"He is your dark side," Ryou added looking down at Yami no Bakura. "He is your fear… Who are you without him?" There was silence. Malik had not moved, he made no sign he had actually taken in anything Ryou had said but he didn't look like he was rejecting it either.

"I'm going alone," Malik said hollowly and, without another word, walked straightforward, his body rigid, and out of sight of the others. Yugi and his dark side glanced nervously at each other.

"Will Malik be okay?" Yugi asked. Ryou took one last look back at the direction Malik had gone.

"I hope so," Ryou admitted. "I just don't want him to make a decision he'll regret." Yugi nodded. Ryou placed Yami no Bakura's own folded leather coat under the darkness' head. "They can surprise you, can't they? Our darker halves?" Ryou asked nervously, looking down at his darkness' body as though he was something fragile.

"Yeah," Yugi said grinned looking down at his own darkness. Yami no Yugi smirked.

"We're not nearly as confusing as you lighter halves," he admitted, staring up at his aibou, red eyes twinkling. Yugi grinned.

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Malik stood there for a while, in front of his Yami, arm holding the knife still raised. His teeth were clenched painfully; his jaw ached with the strain. Yami no Malik had been tied with copious amounts of rope to a tree trunk. His chin was bowed down onto his chest, his wild thick head of hair hiding his face from view. The knife grew heavy in Malik's hands; its handle was slippery with his sweat.

"Can't go through with it?" a cold voice hissed. Malik gave a start and almost dropped the knife.

"How long have you been awake?" Malik spat coldly. Yami no Malik lifted his head from his chest, spikes of platinum blond hair falling out of place, revealing his scared nose and bloody face.

"Long enough," he hissed threateningly. Pale bloodshot eyes locked onto Malik's violet ones. Malik's will shook for a second then he collected himself. He was the one with the weapon this time; he was not one the one being tied down or tortured anymore.

"How do you feel now?" Malik asked, voice poisonous. His violet eyes were glowing fiercely down at his foe. "Now that the tables have turned, now that I am in control?" Yami no Malik grinned and spat onto the ground, cleaning blood from the inside of his mouth.

"Come on, my weaker half, I know you. You won't do this. You can't," he purred, eyes half lidded, glaring up at Malik. "Face it," Yami no Malik hissed, his voice low, words twisting cruelly around Malik's thoughts. "You are weak, you need me."

"I am not weak!" Malik cried angrily. His knees were shaky beneath him; it felt as though at any second they were going to collapse. "I don't need anyone!" Yami no Malik smirked.

"How did you survive this long?" Yami no Malik asked. "It was because of me. I protected you. I have always protected you. I was born to protect you," Yami no Malik continued. Malik stared at his darker side unbelievingly.

"Well, you did a very poor job," Malik spat doubtfully.

"When Chichiue was against you, when he tortured you with harsh lessons and fierce teachings, you thought it was unfair, being forced to live below the ground for your entire life, never to feel a ray of sun. The loneliness, anger, sadness and hatred you buried deep inside your heart created me!" Yami no Malik insisted, pale eyes staring at his urgently. "You have no right to kill me, you should be thanking me! I protected you, main personality." Yami no Malik threw back in his head insanely and laughed, his voice tearing painfully at Malik's eardrums.

"Shut up!" Malik shouted angrily, interrupting Yami no Malik's insanity. "You're lying. You didn't protect me at all. You killed Chichiue!" Malik accused intensely. "You killed my father!" Yami no Malik's fake smirk fell, he actually looked quite serious.

"Well now, I won't be taking all the blame for that one," Yami no Malik growled, eyes narrowed. "You know as well as I do what happened on that day. Just because we have two separate minds doesn't mean you can keep all the good memories and give me all the bad ones. You are just as guilty as I am!"

"But you were the one who killed him," Malik insisted detestably. Yami no Malik shrugged.

"Technically yes," he admitted mildly, still smirking.

"The whole tribe believed I was a demon! They thought some devil had climbed up out of hell to curse the family. The only ones who believed in me were Ne-san and Rishido," Malik said, eyes falling to the ground. Yami no Malik chuckled icily.

"And see where Ne-san got you," Yami no Malik taunted. Malik's heart hardened.

"And you killed her too," Malik said, hatred hanging from every syllable. Yami no Malik scowled sourly.

"I would have liked to have had the pleasure," Yami no Malik admitted casually. "But can't say I wouldn't have tried if I had been given the chance."

"Liar! I know you killed her!" Malik cried, jabbing the knife towards Yami no Malik again, panicked and frustrated tears hanging at he corners of his eyes. "You were the only one that could have!"

"You believe what you want," expressed Yami no Malik coldly, shrugging indifferently. "But may I remind you there was a time when you claimed you would kill her as well." Malik struggled for words.

"That was different," Malik insisted. "She was my sister."

"And I'm your other half," Yami no Malik said accusingly.

"Ne-san was trying to help me. You tortured me every night," Malik snarled. Yami no Malik scoffed.

"I might have scared you a little," he admitted, rolling his pale dead eyes, irritated. "But I never hurt you. I was only having fun. I never locked you up in an insane asylum or made you take medical drugs or forced you through years of experimental philological testing."

"Ne-san loved me," Malik insisted sternly, expression hard. Yami no Malik's face twisted in disgust.

"What does that word have to do with anything?" Yami no Malik snorted, voice harsh and cutting. "I could just as easily say I love you and it wouldn't mean anything." Malik looked thoroughly appalled at this statement.

"You love nothing but darkness," Malik spat. Yami no Malik grinned, pale eyes dancing.

"I do," Yami no Malik answered. Malik felt sick. He looked away, stomach churning unpleasantly. He wasn't sure if Yami no Malik's answer had meant, "I do love nothing but darkness" or "I do love".

"Why did you… kiss me?" Malik asked hesitantly, not looking at his darkness. Yami no Malik stared for a second, as though pondering his reply, which was strange. Malik had never known him to think over anything before saying it before.

"I knew you would hate it and I was having fun," Yami no Malik drawled loftily. "I didn't know you'd take it so personally or… that you'd taste so good." Yami no Malik licked his broken lips, eyeing Malik positively hungrily. Terror gripped Malik's heart; he took a step back, knife shaking in his hand.

"You're s-sick," Malik stammered. Yami no Malik grinned broadly.

"Why do you ask? Have you been thinking about me often, original personality? I didn't know you liked it so much," he purred cunningly, voice dangerously low.

"Shut up!" Malik cried impulsively. "I'll kill you! I will!" He commanded his arm to move, to strike this evil reflection of himself but it did not move. Yami no Malik laughed, cold and shrill. He knew he words were working now.

"That's right, my weaker half, let your hatred consume you," Yami no Malik taunted harshly. "Let it drive your actions, let the darkness into your soul. Then you can be just like me." Malik gave a start.

"You're trying to scare me out of doing what I have come to accomplish!" Malik cried angrily.

"Only because I know you won't do it," Yami no Malik said calmly, his tone mocking, as though he wasn't worried at all. Malik's grip on the knife shook in his rage.

'Even now, while I am in command of the situation, his words still control me!' Malik thought angrily, squeezing his eyes shut, wanting to scream. Anger, hatred, and fear were building upon either in Malik's heart. 'I am not weak!' Malik screamed at himself.

Malik shot forward, grabbed a fist full of Yami no Malik's platinum blonde hair, twisted it and pulled his head backwards, making the dark spirit look up at the sky. His other hand held the knife, now resting on Yami no Malik's dark throat. The cold steel glinted in the sunlight. Malik was breathing hard, his mind was a blur, hot rage keep the steel pressed against his evil counterpart's neck. Yami no Malik's eyes were wide, fear etched harshly in every pulsing vein.

"How about now?" Malik breathed harshly. "Do you believe me now? I will bury your darkness with my own hands. Your life ends here."

"You don't know what you're doing," Yami no Malik hissed, neck stretched. Malik could smell the sharp sent of fear on him. "You need me. We could own the powers of darkness. We can destroy those other fools who stand in our way, together. We could rule the world."

"Now you are showing your true self," Malik growled. "Afraid to die? Is that why you're making bargains with me?" Yami no Malik did not reply. Malik drew in a calming breath. His hand on Yami no Malik's hair relaxed and he moved the knife away from his darkness' throat. "But you're wrong," Malik said, voice disgusted. He tossed the knife away with a flick of the wrist. It landed blade down in the grass, handle wavering in the air only a few feet away. "We both have our weaknesses." Malik moved away from his darker half and set his back against the tree, closing his eyes in fierce frustration. Yami no Malik watched him closely, eyes still wide with shock at having a knife to his throat.

"I should kill you," Malik insisted forcefully, hands clenched furiously at his side. "But I can't!" Yami no Malik breathed again, the sweat trickling down the sides of his face grew icy cold. "Killing people is your job," Malik spat hateful, opening his eyes, glowering at the tree across the clearing. "I could get Yami no Bakura to kill you, I'm sure he'd be happy to do it." Yami no Malik's body went rigid, fear gripping him again. Malik snorted as he sensed his darkness' panic. "Its disappointing actually, I thought you weren't scared of anything."

"Everyone is afraid to die," Yami no Malik commented stiffly. To his surprise Malik laughed harshly.

"There, you're wrong again," Malik announced. "Not everyone is afraid to die. Some wish for death." Yami no Malik felt sick, his whole body was trembling.

"Do you wish for death?" Yami no Malik asked, his voice shook. Malik turned his head slowly to look at his shaking darker half.

"Does it scare you that I would want take my own life?" Malik snapped. Yami no Malik refused to answer, cold sweat still dripping down the sides of his face, acidic breath hissing. Yami no Malik couldn't take it, he looked away from Malik's empty eyes. He couldn't understand. It didn't make sense, how could anyone wish for nonexistence?

"What do you fear?" Yami no Malik asked.

"I thought that was obvious," Malik said coldly. Yami no Malik scowled. "I'm afraid of you," Malik answered truthfully. "I am afraid of the darkness in my heart, of not being in control of my own destiny, of hurting people I care about. And in a way," Malik added. "You're afraid me. Afraid of power I hold over you."

"What power?" Yami no Malik scoffed bitterly.

"That to get rid of you I could end my life at anytime," Malik growled threateningly. Yami no Malik flinched, his face twisted in frustration, veins pulsing at his temples.

"You know, don't have to kill me," Yami no Malik spat coldly, eyes shining hopefully. Malik blinked slowly, turning this idea around in his head.

"Well I certainly can't trust you," Malik said candidly. Yami no Malik smirked.

"Neither can I trust you," he hissed, voice rough. "Something we have in common." Malik snorted

"Something we have in common?" the lighter half repeated ironically. "If that is even possible…"

There was silence, surprisingly neither of them could think of anything to say. The conversation had come to a complete stand-still. Malik was still staring at the knife only a few feet away in the grass.

"Maybe…" Malik pondered softly. Yami no Malik's face twitched painfully.

"What are you thinking, main personality?" Yami no Malik growled, curious despite himself. Malik looked up.

"I created you," Malik repeated. Yami no Malik scowled.

"Yes, I explained that already," Yami no Malik spat irritably.

"Then maybe I can seal you back into my body," Malik said. Yami no Malik laughed harshly, his voice grinding and painful.

"That's ridiculous," Yami no Malik spat. Malik's gaze sharpened determinedly. Yami no Malik was startled, this new look unnerved him.

"My anger and hatred created you," Malik said slowly, eyes widening as though coming to a suddenly understanding. He stood up and turned to Yami no Malik still tied to the tree. "So maybe I can control my anger, seal my hatred and fear within myself."

"You can't…" Yami no Malik insisted, trying to keep his voice strong and failing, staring apprehensively up at his light side. "That's impossible. You can't…"

"I can try," Malik snapped. He stepped very close to his dark personality and crouched down so they were eye level with each other. Yami no Malik's head and pressed back against the tree as though he would have liked to run away. Malik's surprisingly calm stony expression gazed at him thoughtfully. "I will bury my anger inside myself."

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Wow, that was deep. Real deep. Kinda weird switching of roles yet not switching of roles. Yeah, think about that too long and your head will explode.

All I can say is, MALIK IS SO COOL!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! YAMI NO BAKURA! (morns) Though, Ryou was pretty awesome in this chapter. Pretty FREAKEN awesome!

Next Chapter: Good lord, it's the chapter from Hell, and I am not kidding. Now that they kinda got mostly everyone on board with the whole, not killing each other thing, how are they going to get out of this world? Better question, how are they going to get out without Bakura's assistance? What if they can't wake Bakura up? Is he really dead? Malik's not doing so well either... SHADI YOU BASTARD!

God, now even I'm excited.

Here's a secret: Reviewers are awesome. People who are awesome review. Does that mean all awesome people review or all reviewers are awesome? What if you don't review? Well then you're just a BIG FAT LOSER!

Take that with your tea and drink it!

REVIEW!