Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and references belong to their respective owners. The song I Don't Need Promises belongs to Ma'aya Sakamoto and the company that recorded it and was used in this story with the best of intentions. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.

WARNING: This story contains sensitive cultural practices and references that might offend some readers. The views and opinions of the cultures which condone these practices are not shared by this author, but they are included in this story for awareness purposes only.

Time to Duel, Mariko!

By

Hideki LaShae

Chapter Eighteen

Resuscitate

Everyone gathers in a large room on the blimp where the beds of all the unconscious people have been brought so that Marie could try to use her newfound healing abilities to help them.

It's all been so that we
Can shine,
I just know it…

"I think you should try to do this in order of who got zapped first," says Mokuba looking at the beds that contain Ryou, Odion, and Mai.

Marik sits on the floor beside Odion's bed poking the sleeping man's hand with his sharp earring. "Blood, blood, blood!"

"Okay… I'll try to bring back the real Marik last," says Marie with a confident nod of her head, "So… I guess it's the white-haired kid first… Bakura, that's his name, right?"

"Yeah, that's Bakura," says Tristan.

Marie walks up to the bed where the white haired boy lies. She wears her cream-colored tank top and matching colored loin-cloth style skirt that allows her tattoos to be seen so easily, but instead of the white pumps she normally wears, she instead wears a pair of white knee-high boots with an even more prominent heel than her pumps to make her even taller, and she also wears something not from her own wardrobe, Seto's sleeveless white trench coat. "Hey, Seto… do you suppose we could get some music in here or something? You know how I hate silence."

Seto scoffs. "And you know how I love it."

"I do," says Marie glancing at Seto with a smile, "but I am working to change that!" She runs a hand over her silky-smooth hair, which amazingly enough doesn't stand up in odd spikes over her head today. She calmed it down with an excess of hair gel that glistens in the light and holds her hair down so that it gently frames her face and slides down her back.

Seto sighs and walks over to a wall. He slides a panel out and turns on the radio. It's a satellite radio so there won't be any distraction from stupid announcers or commercials, just Marie's beloved music. "Better?"

Marie nods. She turns her eyes to the bed beside her. She smiles at how innocent and angelic the boy looks. She sets her left hand on his forehead, and she closes her eyes.

"You can do this, Marie," says Téa smiling.

I believe… I believe in you
Even on the coldest night…

Marie takes a deep breath. She sets her right hand on the bed and opens her eyes just long enough to see her right hand move to clasp Ryou's. Her lips start to move but no sound emerges.

'I don't know what I'm doing, Mariko,' thinks Marie.

'What are you doing?' asks Mariko.

'Thanks for all your help. If I knew that I wouldn't be arguing with you,' thinks Marie sending a glare towards Mariko.

'Well, sorry!' snaps Mariko, 'You want to find that boy's spirit?"

'Yes.'

'It's not in his body,' says Mariko plainly.

'Damn you, Mariko! Quit telling me things I already know!' screams Marie.

'Be quiet or Yami might hear you!'

'Could he really?' thinks Marie quietly.

Everyone watches Marie.

Even if I lost tomorrow,
And even if I lost you too,
I want to shine
Smiling as best as I can…

Marie turns her eyes to Yugi and blinks at him curiously.

'I'm sure he cannot hear what we are saying, Marie,' says Mariko, 'If he could, he would have screamed at us earlier. Now… as far as I know, Nefertiri never tried to return a soul from the Shadow Realm.'

Marie turns towards Ryou again and closes her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Mariko. You're a big help! Really!"

"Is something wrong, Marie?" asks Yugi anxiously.

"Nothing, Yugi. I was just talking to Mariko… I hoped he could tell me how to break the Shadow Prison," says Marie, "but my yami has always been clueless. So I'll have to figure it out instead." She moves her hand from Ryou's and puts it in her pocket. She draws a card out. "I summon Dian Keto the Cure Master!"

With a flash of light, a holographic image of the magic card appears on the other side of Ryou's bed.

Serenity gasps. "How did Camaro do that, T-bird?"

Téa simply shrugs her shoulders.

"Dian Keto, I beg for your assistance. The soul of this boy is trapped in the Shadow Realm, in a prison of his own creation," says Marie, "Can you help me free him?"

Dian Keto shakes his head. He points to Marie's coat pocket.

Marie quickly pulls out her deck and spreads out the cards between her two hands for the holographic man to see.

Dian Keto points to another magic card then points to the beds.

"Yes… I see… I understand, Dian," says Marie nodding, "You think this card can help me free them all?"

Dian Keto nods.

Marie pulls the card from her deck and looks at it. "I suppose it does have strong potential, but I've never used this card before. I don't know how it works."

Dian Keto turns to look at Yugi and points at him.

"Yugi's played it? All right then… thank you for your help, Dian Keto. I will summon you if I need help again," says Marie bowing to him in thanks.

Dian Keto bows to Marie before vanishing in another flash of light.

Marie hurries over to Yugi. "Yugi, what does this card do?"

"This is Soul Release," says Yugi, "I was going to play this card in my duel against Rebecca after Duelist Kingdom."

"Rebecca Hawkins? You own the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon card?" asks Marie with wide eyes.

I call out to you now with my eyes.
I don't need promises or such things.
I reach out to you now with my eyes,
Even on the coldest night…

"You know Rebecca? How do you know about the Blue-Eyes card that Grandpa has," says Yugi with shock evident in his purple eyes.

"I saved Rebecca's life at one of the excavation sites. She did something stupid and I had to save her because I was the only one small enough to reach her! She went off to Japan to get the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card that had been stolen from her Grandpa, so that she could give me the Dragon in thanks for saving her life!" exclaims Marie laughing, "But when she returned, she said that she had been unable to win the Blue-Eyes back, and since I was close to Seto, she gave me some cards that only he would ever be able to use!"

"Really?" asks Joey, "Why moneybags?"

"Because they are fusion cards and the Blue-Eyes is needed to create them!" exclaims Marie, "Blue-Eyes Black Dragon and Blue-Eyes Black Dragon Rider Nefertiri!" She sighs. "I can tell you all about it later. Right now, I need to know about this card so I can save your friends. What does it do?"

"This card allows you to select as many as five card from either Duelist's Graveyard and remove them from the duel," says Yugi, "I don't see how Dian Keto thinks that will be of use to you."

Marie's eyes widen. She kisses Yugi on the cheek quickly. "Thanks, Yugi! You're the best!"

"What did I do?" asks Yugi blushing as Marie runs back over to the bed.

I don't need promises or such things,
Because of the precious
Strength that you've given me…

"I summon Soul Release!" exclaims Marie holding the card up, "And bind its power to this room!"

With a flash of light, a beautiful woman, wispy and windy in nature, appears before them, hovering slightly above the bed where Ryou rests. Her hair and dress flow around her in an invisible wind and fade off to join the wind. Her appearance makes the possibility quite evident that she could in fact be the wind.

Marie bows to the woman. "Thank you for coming, Soul Release."

"Sa-Ra!" whispers the wind.

Marie smiles. "Thank you for coming, Sa-Ra! As you see, these people here are in need of help. They have been trapped within prisons in the Shadow Realm. Can you help me to free them, Sa-Ra?"

"I will do what I can," whispers the wind.

The season-changing winds
Running along the streets
Forever…

The woman whom Marie calls Sa-Ra nods her head. She places her right hand on Ryou's forehead as she floats down to hover a foot off the ground on his left side. She places her left hand on his left hand.

"Ahm kum Ra," whispers the wind.

"Ahm kum Ra. Ahm kum Dei," says Marie once again placing her left hand on Ryou's forehead and her right hand on his right hand.

"Ahm kum Dei," whispers the wind, "Ahm kum… Osiris…"

Sa-Ra begins to glow a soft lavender light.

"Ahm kum… Osiris… Ahm kum… Isis," says Marie as the tattoos along her arms and legs begin to glow a soft golden light.

"Ahm kum… Isis," whispers the wind, "Ahm kum… Sa-Ra."

"Ahm kum… Marie… Ahm kum… Bakura," chants Marie.

"Ahm kum… Bakura," whispers the wind.

"Efday… Ahm… Shokrun," says Marie as her golden light brightens and starts to turn violet around the outer edges.

"Efday… Ahm… Shokrun," whispers the wind.

Everyone watches and waits as the wind, the Duel Monster's magic card, and Marie work their ancient magic.

"Ahm kum… Ra… Ahm kum… Anubis," says Marie.

"Ahm kum… Ra… Ahm kum… Anubis," whispers the wind.

"Bakura… Bakura… Bakura…" says Marie starting the chant of the boy's name.

"Bakura… Bakura… Bakura…" whispers the wind while Marie continues chanting the words, "Bakura… Bakura… Bakura…"

"Bakura?" asks Yugi.

The lavender light from Sa-Ra flows down to her hands and starts to surround Ryou's body.

Sa-Ra removes her hands and floats back a step.

"Bakura," says Marie forcing her glowing gold and violet light down her arms and to her hands where it quickly moves to surround Ryou making him glow unnaturally. She removes her hands from him as she steps back.

The glowing light suddenly snuffs itself out.

"Bakura! Come back!" exclaims Marie stepping up quickly and placing her hands on his chest. She feels the outline of the Millennium Ring beneath his clothing. She grips the edge of the ring and nearly shouts, "Ahm kum Bakura! Ahm kum Bakura! Ahm kum Bakura… Bakura… Bakura… Bakura…"

Ryou gasps as his eyes open. He stares at Marie leaning over him before he suddenly screams and shoves her away.

Marie falls on her butt. "Ow!"

Ryou grasps his chest and clutches the Millennium Ring beneath his shirt. He breathes heavily.

"Yeah! Marie! You did it!" exclaims Tristan running up beside Ryou, "Hey, Bakura! How do you feel?"

"Um… lonely?" asks Ryou.

"Uh… okay," responds Tristan.

Marie stands up and wipes herself off. "That's a fine thank you and hello!"

Ryou blushes and looks at Marie. "I'm sorry. You scared me."

Yugi, Joey, and Téa run up to Ryou and hug him quickly.

"Nice to see you back on your feet," says Joey helping Ryou from the bed.

"Thank you. It's nice to be out of that prison. How did you free me?" asks Ryou looking at the floating woman that's now beside him and Joey. He screams again and backs into Joey. "Ghost!"

"I am not a ghost. I am Sa-Ra of the Silent Winds. I am Soul Release," whispers the wind as Sa-Ra bows to Ryou.

"Don't worry! Sa-Ra is our new friend!" exclaims Joey smiling.

"She helped bring you back!" exclaims Yugi happily.

Ryou bows to Sa-Ra slowly. "Um… thank you."

Say, when they're in love,
Does everyone get this lonely?

"Let me take a look at you now and see if you need any other healing," says Marie, "I do need to practice with the simple healing aspect of my powers too after all."

Ryou nods and walks over to Marie. He hangs his head and looks at his feet. "Sorry about pushing you away like that. Did I hurt you?"

"Don't worry about it! I deserved it!" exclaims Marie giggling, "I almost didn't get you to pull through!"

"I wish you hadn't!" Ryou's voice sounds suddenly cold as drops of salt-water fall and splash on the tile floor.

"What?" asks his small group of friends in shock.

Ryou falls to his knees in tears. "Now I'm alone…"

"You're not alone!" exclaims Duke, "We're all still right here with you!"

Marie kneels down beside Ryou and gently sets her hand on his shoulder.

"Bakura… Kimi o kimi o aishiteru," whispers Ryou crying as he clutches the Millennium Ring to his chest.

I love… I love you.
I'm gazing at you with my heart…

Marie clasps her hands over her mouth. She whispers, "You're in love with your yami… Yami Bakura, aren't you, Hikari Bakura?"

Ryou nods.

"And he is still trapped within the Shadow Realm, isn't he?" whispers Marie, "I brought you, but not him, back."

More tears fall to the tile floor as Ryou nods again.

"Pull out your Millennium item then, and I will summon back the spirit you love," whispers Marie, "Against my better judgment because I know him to be evil, but I will grant you your wish."

Say, do they embrace the pain
That's even deeper than the darkness?

Ryou pulls the Millennium Ring out from beneath the cover of his shirt. He looks at Marie with tear filled chocolate brown eyes.

Marie smiles. "Don't worry about a thing! I can do this!"

"Part of him exists still… in the Millennium Puzzle," says Ryou.

"And what is his name?" asks Marie still smiling.

"Bakura… Tomb Robber Bakura," says Ryou, "I am Ryou Bakura."

"So… can we call him Bakura and you Ryou?" Marie winks slyly.

"No one except my Dad calls me Ryou. I would like that," says Ryou smiling.

"Ryou it is then! Nice to meet you, Ryou!" exclaims Marie, "Now! Let's act against our better judgment and bring back the Spirit of the Millennium Ring!"

Yugi suddenly transforms into Yami. "NO!"

"I'm sorry, Pharaoh! I have to do this! Whether you agree or not, I must perform this task!" exclaims Marie, "You see… Ryou has fallen under the Yami-Hikari curse, and the only cure for it is for me to return the spirit to the Ring! Otherwise he will be cursed to live a life of solitude and hate for the rest of his life! He would never know love if I don't bring his yami, Tomb Robber Bakura, back to him! And I'll try to do it in a way so that the piece of his spirit within the Millennium Puzzle is removed! Now, Yami, Ryou, both of you, sit on the bed and let Sa-Ra and I get to work!"