I've returned--as promised--before the end of the weekend! Early update! Our deal was you guys review fast--which you already do. 19 reviews! Excellent! (huggles)
My friend is as of today cancer free! (now in remission)Booya! Thank you all for the wave of support! Most appreciated. I informed him of you all and he's incredibly greatful! So thank you. (kowtows)
Life's been rough lately for me. I've got some friends causing me some grief. Some family and depression matters. Yeesh. So wish me luck on all that. (rolls eyes) I'm gonna need it. I'm hoping to finish up this story tonight and tomorrow. I'm over half-way through chapter 31. Yes, 31 baby! BOOYA! (readers: O.O) Oh yes. (cackles) I'm thinking one more chappie should do it. It's rather scary that I've almost completed a fic. (I'm not planning on a sequel for this one) It's time to wrap it up though. So much angst and misery! Yeesh. -.-;
MoonWolf2000: So sorry I spelled your name wrong last chappie! I realized it after the fact. Yeesh. -.-;...just the way life goes, eh? Didja get my e-mail this time? I sent two copies of it just to make sure the damn thing got through! (stupid computers) I've also added you to my instant-message list. (now we have to be on the internet at the same time. o.O...) Like Marik, eh? Yeah, he's cute. (sighs) I know I know: the hikari's usually Malik and so on and so forth. You peoples are all nagging me for that. Perhaps I'll switch it you guys' way for Son of Apophis...maybe not. What do you think?...I tried reading your ficcie but I don't know what the hell is going on or who anyone is! Meh! (so out of the loop...)
Under Finger And Thumb: (blink) You ARE confused. Malik (the yami) is with Bakura in the apartment. You'll find out where Marik (the hikari) is in this chappie. A lot of people have been complaining because Marik is usually the yami and the hikari's usually called Malik. Sorry if there's any confusion there. I'm a bit disturbed on you being excited about Kura getting raped...(though it's going to happen much to your amusement) (-.- disturbed.) Thanks for the compliments though. (huggles)
DreamingChild: "Marik didn't know that Malik knew about what the pharoah did, did he?" I'm confused by this question of yours. Um...Let me do my best based on what I think you're asking. Malik knew about Yami giving kura the spell. He told Marik so later on. So yes, I guess Marik did know about Yami and the spell...if that's what you're asking...which I'm not sure...(feels like a fool...meh) Yes, Marik is a bit dull-witted, but we love him just the same! (huggles Marik) teehee! You're gonna be pounding Malik later on. (cackles)
jessara40k: I totally agreed. I'm thinking Ryou and Bakura didn't have much of a relationship before this mess. Ryou was...careful around his yami. So yes, it's not surprising kura jumped to conclusions. Ah the question of what Kaiba shall do when--and if-- he finds kura. (cackles) Oh the drama!
Freedom of Darkness: (hides behind pet cannibal hermit crab) This be Mladen. (aka: crab-sama bin mladen) He also has aquired a taste for human skin! So keep the frikin' stick away from me or I'll set him loose on ya! (Mladen pinches hand, attempting to rip chunk of skin off) OW! FUCK OW! (glares at crab) Last time I have you try to help...(mladen:...) He doesn't talk. -.-;
pink-kiss-candy: S'okay if you don't review every chappie. I'd LIKE it if you did, but if you're not comfortable doing so then don't. (huggles) I love that: "Aww, Marik loves Bakura. How cute!Wrong, but cute." Awesome way of summing it up, dear! (laughs)
Spryte: (chews cookies) What is it with you peoples and cookies? (shrugs, stuffing more into mouth) I agree, it would be interesting to see what Ryou'd think if he came back and found out what his yami's been doing. O.o...
KeraJeir: o.o;...um...yes, techincally Ryou never died. His soul was just obliterated is all. (Kera: O.O) Heh...um...(shifts nervously) Yeah, the body's alive, but the soul's gone...AND NOT FRIKIN' COMING BACK!...(sighs) Ya. I've had far too many people convinced that he's coming back hounding me lately. Yeesh. (I need a vacation...)
Satra: Yep, not good sums it up well. (might be an understatement though.) :)...hehe...Very good. Kura's not going anywhere. (smirk) Honey, Kaiba makes everything interesting.
TheGodFish: I'm glad you were surprised by Malik. Always glad to hear the story has unexpected twists. There's actually a GIANT twist that involves Malik in chapter...31, I think. It was a surprise even to me. I was like: "Malik, what the heck?" and he was like: "Back up, bitch. I'm in control of the story now." and I was like: "Ooooh you're gonna pay for that one." (smiles) So yes, brace yourselves. I'm working on the final fight scene. Bloody-licious! (Holds out rollos) Review! (waves rollos in front of face)
dragonlady222: Maybe Seto will save them all...maybe not. (cackles) Oh the drama! The angst! The blood! (ugh) This chappie is dedicated to you, honey. Happy b-day! (even though the chappie's really dark...o.-;...)
Silver Mirror: (smirk) Honey, I'm gonna blow the readers away whether I'm taking this story the way you're thinking or not! (-.-; can anyone say overconfidence? yeesh) What can I say though? I'm an egomaniac. (hugs self) readers: -.o
blackalbino: Heh. I'd never ever ever ever work for Seto. He's hot, sure. But work for him? Uh...NO! definate no. (laughs) You'll get some more images of towel-clad kura. (whether that's a good thing or not, I'm not sure.)
BluegrassElf: I love to give cliffies! They make the world go round! (and send the fans on a rampage!) Cackles
Broken Mirrors and Tainted: Oh my. (smirk) You're a lively bunch of peoples, aren't you? Love ya!
moonlit-leaf: (smiles happily) Yay! Praise! Compliments! (huggles tightly) I wuv you!
Kit-Cat Caitlin: Um...no, I don't think I e-mailed you...(can't remember) Um...I can if you really want me to though! (Kit: O.o...) ...or not...(smiles)
Wish-full Thinker: (laughs) One time I was at school and had a fever and everything. To pass the time (since I couldn't focus) I wrote a note. Only...there was only me. So I used different colored pens and wrote back and forth to myself. It was one of the most disturbing things I've ever done. Not only was I not in my right mind but I was bored like hell. Ya. I highly recommend doing so if you're sick and bored at school. The results are amusing but highly disturbing! (cackles) I have a few different personalities, depending on my mood. My friends have become accustomed to them sneaking out. (smirks) Preciousssss...Back gollem-like personality! BACK! Yeesh. Don't worry about Marik in Son of Apophis. We'll deal with that when it comes. (smiles) I hope to hear from you (both?) again soon!
wolfjessica5: Yay! You found my one-shot! (beams) I enjoyed writing that immensely and will be writing more in the near future. (give me a break from the angst and tragedy) Goosh!
This chappie's for dragonlady222 who's b-day is on Suday! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Brace thy-selfs! The gore is coming! Mwehehe! (as well as this disturbing poem!) Onward!
Note the amazing towel that doesn't fall off! -.o (must be magic!)
Predator
His soulless, wicked eyes
Watch me from the corner
Hand twitching somewhat at his side
Pant leg slightly torn.
His face holds a cheerful smile,
Welcoming and friendly.
His eyes show a different man,
Cold and condescending.
He follows at a distance
Awaiting an opportunity.
A predator and his prey—
The pedophile and me.
Chapter 22: Plaything
(Bakura's POV)
I stare in complete shock at Ryou's limp figure in Malik's arms. I should run; I know I should. I just…can't.
Malik smirks. "What's wrong? You're not leaving? You seemed pretty intent on it only seconds ago."
I growl, slamming the door that's still open, turning back and facing the bastard.
"All right, Malik, what's your game?"
He grins. "Game? This isn't a game, thief. A game is the way the pharaoh views the world, taking down one foe at a time…accelerating until you reach the uttermost peak. I know you've never seen life as such. I've known since the day I met you in Egypt. A game is some childish fantasy, the lack of veracity of some incompetent fool who will do anything to avoid reality." He leers closer, my light's listless form held tightly in his grasp. "This is no game, dear thief." He takes out a knife and runs it over Ryou's neck, licking up the liquid on the blade. "This is a nightmare."
"Let him go," I hiss, clenching my fists.
He smirks, lowering his head and lapping at the crimson trail that's sliding down my light's neck. I snarl in fury, lunging and taking them both to the ground. Malik shoves Ryou's soulless form off his legs and pounces on me, attempting to get his fingers around my throat. I hiss in pain as the blade of the knife rakes across my arm. I swing my fist, knocking him off me and attempting to grab the knife that's still in his hand.
He smirks, lunging at me with more speed than before, causing me to fall onto my back. He's straddling my hips, a look of sick delight playing across his demonic features. His hand is holding the blade up against my throat, drawing a trickle of blood. I wince as he lets it go a bit deeper into my skin, a gleam in his callous eyes.
"Does it hurt?" he whispers, reaching down for my towel that, amazingly enough, hasn't come off during the struggle.
"Don't you dare!" I growl, tensing as the blade digs deeper.
"Oh but I think I do."
I reach up, grabbing the blade with my hand. I ignore the pain as it rips through my flesh, my fingers curling around it. It's digging deep, yet I don't care. I won't let him get away with this. I swiftly lash out, directing the tip of the blade at his face. His eyes widen in shock, attempting to dodge only to have it rake across the left side of his face right under his eye.
I push him off me, staggering to my feet. I cringe as I use my other hand to pull the blade from within the palm of my hand. He's still kneeling on the floor, head down. I stumble over to Ryou's motionless form on the floor. He's still breathing.
"There's no one in there, you know."
I tense, not turning to face Malik. I stare down at all that remains of my light.
"You feel guilty, don't you? It is only natural, really." I can sense him coming closer. I tighten my grip on the knife.
"I do feel guilty," I murmur.
There's a pause. I stare down at Ryou, my entire body tense. My light is an empty shell…but I can't leave his body with Malik. He deserves at least that much from me.
"I feel guilty for not seeing the truth," I continue angrily. "I should have seen that Ryou was innocent…that Yami was the cause of all of this. I should have seen what a complete fool I've been the past few months…I should have noticed a long time ago what kind of person Marik really is…" I look up to see him gazing at me with narrowed eyes, unsure of where this is going. "And I should have remembered what you are."
He sneers. "And what is that, exactly?"
I smile grimly, gripping the knife tightly. "A cold-blooded bastard."
I lunge at him, the knife piercing his shoulder. I pull back in time to see the smirk on his face right before I'm knocked flat on my back, blood dripping from my nose. He stands over me.
"I must applaud that speech. Do tell me, how long have you been rehearsing it?"
I grin. "The last part came naturally."
He growls, attempting to pounce on me. I roll off to the side to avoid him, feeling the knife I'm still holding cut into my arm. I stand up shakily. This is getting to be too much for me. My body's still greatly weakened. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on.
Malik stands up, a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. I glance over at Ryou out of the corner of my eye. He notices this, a cruel grin spreading across his face, blood flowing down.
"I do believe you care about what happens to his body, am I not correct?"
I scowl, not answering. He moves closer to the motionless form that's lying between us. I step towards Ryou as well, knowing that the bastard is only toying with me. He has the ring, so whenever he wants to end this he can without hesitation.
"Just what exactly do you want from me?" I hiss, watching his every move as he leers closer.
He smirks, licking the blood that's flowing down his face.
"I'm afraid you're just a plaything…an essential plaything…but a plaything, nonetheless."
I scowl. "That doesn't answer my question."
"Well then…maybe this will."
I let out a scream as some electrifying current forces its way through my body, causing me to crash to the ground in a convulsing heap. The pain is unbearable, my body thrashing back and forth in the bolts of magic as is courses through my blood. I can feel the crimson liquid flowing out of my mouth…my eyes…my ears…I'm choking on it, unable to breathe. I open my mouth but only blood bubbles up, pouring from it in a torrential stream.
Then it stops, my whole body continuing to tremble violently. I can't hold back the whimper of pain as I try to get my senses to focus on something, anything. My chest heaves up and down in uncontrollable spasms as the air finally comes in slow, excruciating gasps.
"Is that more enlightening?" a voice hisses in my bleeding ear.
I cough harshly as a hand grabs me by the back of the neck, forcing me onto unsteady feet. I wince, trying to get a hold of my mind, unable to focus. I'm roughly thrown onto what I assume is the bed, attempting to struggle but having not a single idea where he is.
"Time to play."
(Marik's POV)
I cringe as I slowly regain consciousness. There's a pool of blood collecting all around me on the floor. I'm in what appears to be the elevator of the apartment building. I slowly attempt to sit up only to have my head spin, causing a burst of pain to explode in my temples. I crumple back to the floor, unable to move.
Wearily opening my eyes, I stare at the closed doors with only a single thought flowing through my mind: Malik has Bakura.
He was right. He was right about everything. I let out a sob, my side throbbing with what is most likely a broken rib. This causes a coughing fit, blood coming up along with the air. I moan, closing my eyes. This can't be happening. How could I let this happen to myself…to Bakura? I told him I was there for him—that I'd protect him. Now look at me. I can't even move. Gods, what happens now?
(Yami's POV)
We march up to the gate at Kaiba's mansion, all of us thoroughly frozen with the air. Kaiba's protecting that bastard for whatever reason. I don't care why; I just want to kill him. I want him to suffer for what he's done to Ryou.
"Anybody here?" Jou asks, pushing the button on the intercom.
"State your name and business." A voice crackles.
"Yami Mutou. I'm here to talk to Kaiba about…"
"I'm sorry. Mr. Kaiba isn't here at the moment."
I blink. "Where is he?"
"That's confidential information. If you want to leave a message I'll make sure he gets it when he returns."
"Damn you! Someone died out here and you're blabberin' on and on about confidential crap!" Otogi yells, thoroughly infuriated.
"…someone's…dead out there?"
"Not exactly…"
"Then I don't see any urgency in the situation."
"I'll climb over this damn fence if I have to!" Honda growls from beside me, cracking his knuckles as he starts to survey the gate.
"Anyone who trespasses without Mr. Kaiba's authority will be severely…" The voice stops in mid-sentence. We look at one another, unsure of what to do.
"Um…hello?" Jou asks, pressing the button repeatedly.
"HI GUYS!" We all jump back at the warm and extremely enthusiastic welcome.
"Hi Mokuba!" Yugi exclaims, not the slightest bit deterred
"Seto's not here right now. You wanna come in?" Without waiting for our response, the gates open.
"Let's get this figured out," I whisper as we start toward the mansion.
(Mokuba's POV)
We sit around the fire in the back study on the large, forest green couches. I had the servants bring tea for everyone. Yami looks the worst of the bunch, face worn and downcast.
"So what's going on, guys?" I ask, wanting some information since the guards won't tell me any of what Seto's up to.
"Where's your brother, Mokuba?" Mr. Mutou asks quietly.
I glare at the floor. "I don't know. He hasn't been home since Christmas Eve…after he left with Ryou."
"That wasn't Ryou," Jou growls.
"Huh?" I ask, turning to him curiously.
"That was Bakura. He killed Ryou."
I blink, unable to believe what I'm hearing. Ryou's…gone? I try to fight back the tears but they come anyway. The others are staring at me in surprise. Mr. Mutou reaches over and places a hand on my shoulder.
"Mokuba?"
I wipe my face with my sleeve, trying to get in control. "S-sorry…we were…close."
"You knew Ryou well?" Anzu whispers.
I nod. "He and Seto were here all the time…He taught me tons of cool strategies for Duel Monsters…"
"Wait wait wait…Ryou and Kaiba?" Jou asks in amazement.
I frown. "What's wrong? Is it against the law for my niisama to have a friend?"
Apparently it is because they're all staring at me in stunned silence. Jou looks about ready to pass out; Honda and Otogi's mouths are hanging open, eyes wide in disbelief; Yami's eyes are holding a look of bewilderment.
"Then…why is Kaiba helping Bakura?" he whispers.
Anzu's eyes widen in concern. "What if he doesn't know it's Bakura?"
I frown, going over Christmas Eve in my head.
"No…I don't think so…the way he was dragging Bakura out of your house…Niisama's eyes…He knew."
"I agree with Mokuba," Mr. Mutou nods.
"So…where are they then?" Jou asks, looking down at his mug of tea.
"Perhaps Kaiba decided to finish the bastard off himself," Honda grins, leaning back.
I scowl. "Don't talk about niisama like that. He wouldn't kill someone."
"But…"
"I know Seto. All of you obviously don't, since you didn't even know he and Ryou were friends. Ryou was closer to Seto than he was to any of you," I hiss, feeling the need to defend my brother.
"Now just a minute…!" Yugi begins imploringly.
"All of you did something to Ryou," I continue angrily. "He and Seto were such good friends. He could get niisama to laugh. I was so happy for my brother. Then Ryou and Yami started going out, and Ryou just stopped coming…and niisama stopped talking about him. He told me to forget about Ryou. My brother went back to staying at work late…to never smiling…You did that." I point a trembling finger at Yami.
"I…I…" Yami stutters, unable to speak.
"This is totally unreasona…" Jou begins angrily.
"That's enough! All of you be quiet!" Mr. Mutou states firmly.
We all shut up; Mr. Mutou's standing now, glaring at us. Once he's certain he has the floor, he speaks.
"Now, there's obviously more going on than any of us know. Let's not jump to any conclusions about anyone." He gazes at each of us in turn with a strict look on his normally cheerful face. I lower my eyes when he looks at me. "Now, until Kaiba returns it doesn't look like we'll be getting any answers. I think we've upset one another enough. Let's all go home and wait." They all nod, standing up.
"Mokuba," Yami whispers, glancing at me pleadingly.
"Yes?" I ask softly, ashamed at having lost my temper and blamed him for what happened.
"Would you…call us when your brother returns?"
I smile weakly, nodding. He bows slightly, turning and following the others out the door.
(Kaiba's POV)
I hurriedly push the button on the dashboard when a call comes in from Corshan.
"What is it?" I growl, making a sharp turn left.
"This…is Gerald, sir."
I scowl. "How did he manage to escape? I put you in charge of…"
"I have bad news, sir." Did he just interrupt me? I'll make him pay for that…just not now.
"What is it?" I sigh, running a hand through my hair.
"I—I found the necklace."
I feel my heart sink. "Where?"
"By a park bench…near the edge of Corshan."
I slam my hand down on the steering wheel, cursing under my breath.
"What…what do you wish me to do now, sir?"
I scowl. "Get in touch with headquarters back in Domino. Have them look in the database to see how long the necklace has been in that location. We need a timeframe to know how far he could have gotten."
"Understood, sir."
"And Gerald."
"Sir?"
"You mess this up again and you're a dead man," I hiss, switching off the communications.
I accelerate, going as fast as I dare on the icy roads. At least there aren't many other drivers out this far. At the speed I'm going now, I'm about an hour away from Corshan. The question is: How far away is the thief?
Ah the bloody intensity of it all! (readers: GLARE) hehehe!
So I was writing chapter 30, right, and Malik suddenly does somethign completely unexpected and I was like:
Ferris: "Malik, what the fuck?"
Malik: "Shut up. I'm in control now! You didn't give me enough of an edge! I'm going to prove what a threat I truly am!"
Ferris: "Uh..." (sweatdrop)
Kura: "That's not fucking fair! How come he gets to add twists like that! And you made that incredibly mean one for me where he...!"
Ferris: (covers tomb robber's mouth) "Hush honey. They're only on chappie 22."
Kura: "Mmmeh!" (struggles violently)
Malik: (laughing insanely)
Ferris: (struggling to keep hand over Kura's mouth) "Just REVIEW peoples!"