Yami's koi: well. It would seem that I have achieved the impossible… a new chapter! Yay! Writer's block has been kicked in the ass again!
Nefertiri: yes, but for how long?
Yami's koi: in the words of Naruto… screw you. Now, on with the fic! I actually spent three minutes deciding on the song, and not three years. XD Later! (Song: HIM – The Sacrament.)
I hear you breathe so far from me…
Bakura's swift, yet strangely silent pace had him encountering minor dangers again in no time. From within his pocket, he withdrew two Uzi guns. Despite his old passions for swords, he felt that it would be folly to attack scarab beetles with them. Bullets would be much more efficient… yet even the great Tomb Robber knew that his ammo would not last a lifetime. Therefore, he took careful aim on every shot… and rid himself of the problem at his feet.
A sharp, instant creaking noise from behind the Thief startled Bakura, and his cursed foully. Instantly he knew what it was that he had done wrong. Gun shots echoed, and would resound through chamber… after chamber… which could, very possibly, contain mummies. Which could, very possibly, have curses upon them. Which could, very possibly, involve the mummies killing any intruder entering the Tomb within Domino.
And what was it that had always occurred when Bakura was stealing riches from within a tomb?
I feel your touch so close and real, And I know…
Ironically, Bakura tried shooting into the darkness, paused, and then replaced his guns. Still squinting into the shadows before him, he drew his two swords, falling into a fighting stance: a sort of odd-looking crouch.
Shuffling feet soon reached Bakura's ears, and he knew instinctively where the noise came from. Of course, a less experienced Thief would have heard the echoing, and wildly blundered in any direction… leading him right where the enemy was.
Yet Bakura was skilful enough to hear behind the imitations, and concentrated solely on hearing. At the last possible second, he whirled around and struck the staggering, groaning form… of a dilapidated, decomposed mummy. Dark, horribly brown patches of skin still stretched over broken, decayed bones, which almost horrified the Thief.
Whilst one sword locked into the creature's stomach area, holding him in place, Bakura brought his other sword around, behind the mummy's shoulders… and impaled him again.
A sickening cutting sound, and a loud, ear-splitting screech, was all that could be heard for the next few seconds.
My church is not of silver and gold… It's glory lies beyond judgement of souls…
Yami and Yugi
Yami slowly brought his arms back from around Yugi to his sides. As much as he wanted to take Yugi, right there… Ryou was in likely danger.
"Come on, Yugi. I think that we shall know where Bakura is heading towards by the trail of the dead."
Yugi nodded, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach: the feeling that seemed to tell him that he was going to die. Right here, in this long, cold, winding tomb that led to who knew where. It was odd to even think of an Egyptian Tomb being in Domino City, Japan, yet it was real. Or, perhaps they had been transported over to Egypt from that nasty fall. Or perhaps this was all a dream. Yes, maybe that was it… a long, horribly twisted dream.
Despite his fears, Yugi's intentions were probably the only thing – apart from his yami – that were moving his feet forwards. Yet the diminutive boy still cringed when he saw vast, drooping spider's webs, hanging down from the ceiling that was high above their heads. If there was another thing that he really could not stand… it was spiders.
The Commandments are of consolation, oh… You know our sacred dream won't fail…
Their current settings were quite dark, despite Yami lighting several flares. The Pharaoh turned and lit a piece of wood on the cold, slimy wall of the chamber, illuminating the tomb more so. Yugi looked ahead, noting that the floor sloped steeply downhill. Of course, various rocks and suchlike were scattered around the place, but it still did not provide any less of a slope. Yugi inhaled the musky air around him, and he coughed. Before he had not noticed it, but the air was foul. It reeked of what Yugi could only place as death, yet there was a hint of something else, as well… and he could not place it. At all.
Both boys finally moved forwards, down long the sloping landscape that they were in. Occasionally they would slip on cobwebs, and pause, listening for scuttling noises… yet they would hear nothing.
"I can't shake off the feeling, aibou, that the eyes of the ancient and the wise are upon us." Yami stated after a moment, gripping onto the side of the wall for support. Something glinted in the dim, flickering light from the torches that he recently had lit, and it attracted the Game King's attention successfully.
He wandered over to the glittering object, after gesturing for his hikari to stay back. It… looked like a gun. Yami went to pick it up… yet then felt a sudden shot of pain in his ankle.
The Sanctuary tender and so frail. The Sacrament of love…
"FUCK!" The Pharaoh yelled, turning around and staring down at the floor. He squinted for a moment, and then leapt backwards, falling over the gun. It was a scorpion.
Yami picked up the gun and, with more sense than Bakura had previously, he slammed the handle of it into the creature's spine, killing it instantly. Wiping away any blood that the scorpion had shed, Yami pocketed the gun calmly. Yugi stood several meters away… intrigued.
"Why didn't you actually use the gun then, Yami?" The curious one questioned his yami.
The Game King smiled at his hikari's naivety. "Well, aibou, I presume you know what was buried in Egyptian Tombs, right? These mummies can either be awoken by a said curse, or they can be activated by traps being set off (in other words, motion), or by sound. We need to make as little noise as possible, but I think that Bakura's dealt with the majority of the creatures… he probably just didn't want to dirty his swords over an insignificant creature such as that."
The Sacrament of warmth is true… The Sacrament is you…
Yugi blinked. "Oh…" Yami's smile twitched slightly at the cuteness of his light, but he suppressed it. In a tomb… they needed to have their wits about them.
Jou and Seto
Seto cleared the front entrance to the airport in almost no time at all, whilst his slightly shorter, less healthy lover struggled to keep up behind him. Jou knew of the importance of his friend's lives, but he really couldn't keep up… the car park had been absolutely full, so they had had to park about ten minutes away from the actual building. Seto of course… had made them run, both carrying a suitcase each.
"Dunno… if… I… can… keep this up… much… longer… Seto!" Jou puffed, in between deep, heavy gasps for air. Seto glanced behind him, and they slowed their pace to a brisk walk… yet Jou was still falling behind. Seto smirked, despite the frantic situation.
"Jeez, pup, I never saw you as one to tire so easily… do you want a Scooby snack to keep you going?" He mocked, earning a growl from Jou.
"Shaddup!"
I hear you weep so far from me… I taste your tears like you're next to me…
Seto walked over to the front desk, his eyes flashing in a way that just dared the foolish to come in his way.
"Hello, I'm Seto Kaiba, and this is Katsuya Jonouchi. We desperately need a flight to Tokyo, today. Are there two seats still available?" Seto explained curtly, direct to the point. The young, vain lady behind the counter smiled.
"I will check on our database, sir." And so, she began to type. Using one finger. Seto 's eyes narrowed.
"So, eh… have we got a flight or what?" Jou asked, his accent very thick and pronounced. Suddenly, the typing stopped, and the young woman glanced up from her computer. Jou noted that she looked at him rather impatiently, before talking instead to his lover… something that truly irked the teen.
"There are two seats available, in first class travel, complete with a meal…"
Seto's eyes stopped her, but inside he was smiling away. It seemed that they had a flight.
…And I know…
Bakura
Bakura listened intently, after destroying the corpse. Dimly he could hear groaning sounds, yet, listening harder, he realised just how near the sounds were.
They were directly beneath him.
'Ok, fuck the swords.' Bakura thought, sheathing his swords roughly, whilst drawing his guns, and pointing them at the ground. Still focusing on the sandy, gritty surface, Bakura began to circle around the edges of the chamber, directing his focus at different parts of the ground as he heard fresher, louder noises.
It didn't occur to him that he was right near the entrance to the chamber, and that to get into that certain room, he had had to climb up a horribly steep slope.
Then, he realised, and turned just before two mummies could decapitate him. Shit, these ones where armed… and, judging by the looks of things, there were more to come.
That our prayers are not enough to give…
Hardly considering where he was aiming, just so long as the bullets struck the wandering, leering dead, Bakura began to shoot. Firstly, he tried shooting the mummies in the stomach… and they merely staggered for a moment, before regaining their bearings. Bakura then aimed at the ancient one's foreheads… and instantly found their weak points. Every time he struck one in the side of their heads, the part where the bone jutted in slightly… they fell, and never rose again.
With this danger defeated, Bakura knew that he could not linger in one area for too long… it was just too risky. And, if his calculations were correct, Yami and Yugi would be worrying about him by now, wondering just where the hell he could be, and if he had found Ryou or not.
If only Bakura knew just where they were… then he would have had some regard for the path that he had taken. Or, rather, the cave.
Yami and Yugi
Everything around them echoed: their voices, even their footsteps. The shadowy, silken webs that spiders had made for centuries seemed to mock Yugi, who, after Yami getting slightly injured, was slowly becoming adjusted. Still they travelled down the steep slope, stopping and listening at small intervals.
Yugi jumped. He heard a strange, eerie groan, as well as rather odd, indescribable other noises that followed. He glanced at Yami, whose eyes were dark, whose face was frowning in deep concentration. Yugi could instantly tell that he was listening as hard as he could.
Then, as suddenly as the noises had come, they passed. Yami relaxed slightly, yet was still on his guard. His hands gripped the gun even more tightly, his knuckles turning white.
/I really hope this… this… tunnel thing ends soon. / Yugi whispered, just wanting to voice some of his concerns. Yami nodded in acknowledgement.
/Just stay away from the shadows until I find you a weapon, aibou. Would you be willing to kill an animal if it attacked you? Or a mummy// Yami asked gently, not wanting to put pressure on his light, and hating the fact that he had to.
Oh the ancient runes so deep and so dear…
Yugi was silent. Yami feared that Yugi's psychological being had not yet developed quite enough to take something's life, but the Pharaoh knew that the time would come… too soon for either of their liking.
Yugi then paused, and smiled. A small dent in the hillside, with two automatic pistols lay there. Of course, he knew that a creature of some sort was there… he could see it. Therefore, he gently pried the gun from Yami's hands… and smashed its head against the solid rock beneath it, beating the creature until he was sure that it was dead. He claimed the auto's as his own, and then froze.
He had just taken an animal's life. Sure, he had killed the odd fly and wasp before… but not anything so deadly.
Yami sensed this immediately and walked over to his paralysed hikari. "Aibou, it was either your life or that of the scorps'. I would rather have you live than die by the sting of a poisonous creature." He said gently, knowing just how difficult a first, real kill could be. Knowing just how pathetic his advice was, he softly steered his precious Yugi away from the dead creature, and carried on down the tunnel.
Yami received quite a shock, however, when he felt Yugi's hand entwine with his own. Yugi stopped being herded along, and knelt down when he realised that there was a three foot drop at their feet. Both nodded, and leapt down silently, managing somehow to keep their hands connected.
Bakura
As swift and silent as an assassin stealthily doing away with his clients, Bakura passed through chamber after chamber, somehow managing not to activate any traps.
The revelation is our patron fear…
Suddenly he froze, having just entered a very narrow tunnel, and backed away, releasing a startled cry as he ran in the opposite direction, attempting to slither away through an almost invisible crevice in the wall before the ancient, decrepit thing found him. Bakura would not allow himself to be decapitated by a mere slave to the Pharaoh's whim… no way on earth would he allow that to happen.
With a sharp, insistent push, he managed to squeeze through the gap. Sand was rapidly pattering down, onto a rather hastily growing pile before him, so Bakura had to think fast. He darted swiftly around the sand and hurriedly threw himself, headfirst, into a long, musty smelling room.
Bakura dusted himself off impatiently, ignoring the fact that his arms were heavily scraped from his rough, yet needed, fall. He pushed away any thoughts about the stinging… because he did not want his hikari to die. Who ever would dare to harm just a single hair on Ryou's precious head… then they would only live to see a glinting of the Thief's blade as it swung through the air… to cut off the bastard's head.
Possessive, or simply obsessed? Bakura didn't know, and did not care. Gathering his thoughts, he entered the chamber fully, eyeing every shadowed area with dislike.
The chamber had a small set of stairs leading upwards, yet Bakura knew better than to follow them: they led to nowhere. Directly ahead of his were several torches, lit in their brackets, casting an eerie, flickering glow on the Tomb Raider. Glancing up at the ceiling, Bakura finally realised the true reason as to why the steps led to 'nowhere.' A small grin lit up his face.
You know our scared dream won't fail…
A sudden rush of cool air from behind Bakura startled him, and then he heard a low, ancient groan. Another slave to the Pharaoh was awakening.
Bakura suppressed his own groan, and headed for the stairs. He watched, crouching in the shadows, hoping beyond hope that his eyes wouldn't reflect the light, as he saw two withered mummies emerge from around a corner, staggering over the gritty floor beneath them. Stray bandages, turned a horribly grey and brown colour by the sand of time, wrapped around their ankles, causing the fallen ones to stagger horribly at some points.
Bakura rose to a stand and, careful not to attract any attention to himself… which was difficult, considering that the leap he had to make was two feet ahead… and, he also had to grab on… all in all, a lot could fail with his plan.
But he had to try. Stepping back slightly for a small run up, Bakura ran forwards, jumping off the edge of the steps… and grabbed onto the bars that were attached, very cleverly, to the ceiling of the chamber. He swung dangerously for several moments, and Bakura very nearly released his hold on the almost monkey bar-like metal strips. Eventually, however, he managed to cease the swinging and maintained his grip, suspended, hovering above the walking carcasses beneath him. Somehow, Bakura feared that they had heard them, for they had stopped, bewildered, directly underneath his feet. Ah, if those creatures could walk without a slouch and a stumble, then the Tomb Robber's life would not have been spared.
Knowing that his fingers would not be able to hold him up for very long, even if he was quite strong, Bakura began to swing himself forwards, gripping the bars in front of him frantically. He did not know where he was headed, so he simply followed the direction in which the ceiling ladders were taking him.
The Sanctuary tender and so frail… The Sacrament of love…
Yami and Yugi
Yami lowered his body to the floor in a slight crouch, examining the small exit to their tunnel. Throwing a flare into its murky, aged depths, Yami fell onto his stomach and gestured for Yugi to follow.
"Come on, aibou. I will go first… and if danger comes, then I want you… to shoot at whatever it is that's hurting me, okay? I don't mind if I get hurt… but I don't want to see you with a single mar on your body." Yami admitted softly, care shining through his voice. He was fully aware that that comment had drawn Yugi's full attention to him, as the curious duellist couldn't stop staring at the Pharaoh's face. Yami, however, didn't want to give away too many of his emotions, and never looked back.
"Come. Ryou may be getting nearer… and the only way we can find out is if we continue," Yami stated, beginning to shuffle his way into the narrow opening in the wall.
Yugi waited until only Yami's trainers could be seen before sighing and lowering himself down to his stomach. Bracing himself for an awkward and uncomfortable journey, the little hikari began to follow his yami.
The only advantage that Yugi could withdraw from this stuffy tunnel was the fact that he got a rather nice, and arousing, view of Yami's behind. Even if Yugi knew that this was neither the time nor the place for his love towards Yami to distract him, the young man began to feel himself getting warmer… in the lower regions of his body. With a growl, Yugi ceased staring at Yami's beautiful rear and concentrated on making it through the humid tunnel.
It was only then that Yugi finally began to realise that he was having difficulty in breathing. He was panting, his breath coming out in ragged, harsh gasps, beads of sweat forming on his brow. The sudden shock began to make the angel panic, which automatically led to him panting even harder, his blood rushing around his body way too fast for it to handle…
He needed to escape. Now.
The Sacrament of warmth is true… The Sacrament is you…
Seto and Jou
Ten, solid hours, and not even one of these had passed. Seto was very, very tempted to simply pay the pilot to skip the security video and get on with the most direct route to Domino… but he was too tired. He knew that to save Ryou, and possibly Bakura, he and the Mutou's would need their strength.
Provided, of course, that Yami had heeded the CEO's warning, and did not follow the Tomb Robber down into the caves. For, with so many caves there, and so many hidden entrances that all led to different chambers, and perhaps even different tombs… whom would know if they even ended up in the same area as each other?
Seto tried to close his mind off. But Jou was having trouble with his belt… he couldn't get it slack enough. Seto rolled his eyes and caught on with his slightly kinkier side… this could be translated into a very… adult scenario. Leaning across his partner slightly, he gripped the black straps himself and adjusted it for the blonde. Whilst the help was given, Seto accidentally brushed his fingertips against Jou's groin, making the blonde groan quietly. Smirking, Seto began to run his long, skilled fingers up and down his lover's leg, teasing slightly when he massaged the insides of Jou's thighs. Jou arched, trying hard not to get too aroused, or moan too loudly.
The Sacrament is you… The Sacrament is you… The Sacrament is you… The Sacrament is you…
Seto sensed the trouble his partner was having, and was only encouraged further. Whilst one hand continued to provide attention to Jou's inner thighs, his other began to lightly skim the flat expanse of Jou's stomach, stroking the muscle lightly. Gods, that touch was so light… so completely erotic that Jou couldn't hold back a moan. He began to arch slightly, but found his belt restricting him somewhat. The fingers on his thighs were getting ever so slowly towards where his arousal was beginning to stir…
"…Seto…" Jou groaned, resting his head on his love's shoulder. Grinning wickedly at the opportunity, Seto nipped the pale column of flesh that was exposed to him, nibbling and sucking. He reached Jou's chin, and slowly rose his eyes to stare into Jou's own.
"So… how don you think we spend this ten hour flight, hmmm?" Seto purred, his fingers lightly touching Jou's groin through his pants. Jou arched in response.
"Um… excuse me, Sir… would you like any refreshments?"
Seto growled and stared at the obviously very dim stewardess. Oh, if only looks could kill.
You know our scared dream won't fail… The sanctuary tender and so frail…
Ryou
Chocolate, blurred eyes tried to focus on the thing before him, but his eyes did not seem to co-operate with Ryou's needs. Blinking quickly to try and clear his vision, the snowy-haired hikari tried to sit up… but found his arms trapped, far above his head. Twisting his head around slightly, Ryou noticed that they were bound together, pinned above his head, by a lock.
Had Bakura been present, Ryou would have liked this position. Unfortunately… unbeknownst to Ryou, he was avoiding mummies by hanging onto the ceiling… and was still a fair distance away from where he was.
"Ah… so you've finally awoken, little Ryou?"
Immediately Ryou tried to find the source of the voice, but the side of his head throbbed angrily. He cried out in pain, and tried to clutch at it… and then remembered his current position.
The Sacrament of love… The Sacrament of warmth is true…
"Oh, don't worry about that… it will heal in no time at all." The voice assured him, a mocking tone filtering in behind the fake concern.
"Who… are you?" Ryou asked slowly, his voice husky and low. Again he tried to shift, but found himself unable to do so.
The voice which belonged to – seemingly – no one laughed cruelly. "Oh, but don't you care more for why you are tied up? And why you are my bait… the trap in which Bakura has fallen for?"
Ryou looked away, to the side. He could see a collection of flickering torches to his left, with various Egyptian artefacts standing proudly beside the light. Dark, sand-like walls carried these things, with small alcoves for the artefacts to stand in. Bars further imprisoned the little light, and suddenly, Ryou's head exploded in pain.
"SHIT! What the hell-?"
You know our sacred dream won't fail… the sanctuary tender and so frail…
"Language, Ryou. We needed to… ah, numb the pain for you whilst you slept… of course, we would have used modern anaesthetics, but… they are so difficult to come by nowadays, aren't they?" A rhetorical question. How pathetic. "But anyway… hadn't you better rephrase your question, little Ryou, hmmm?"
Ryou hated doing this, but he didn't want to get hurt. Turning to his right, he saw only the same as what he did on the left. No sign of anyone… or anything.
"Fine… who are you, were am I and where is Bakura?"
Another dark laugh. "Ryou… I am a mere spectre to you humans. An image long since passed… a phase that only lasted several thousand years before falling into dust. If you have studied history well enough… then surely you will know what I mean. You will know what I mean, but can never understand how… broken I feel.
The Sacrament of love…
"As for where you are… you are in a temple, where Bakura shall never know of where to find. He and the Pharaoh, along with his hikari, are searching for us in this very tomb. But they shall never learn the truth of my catacombs… why, this tomb is so complex, it almost mimics one's memory…"
Ryou snapped. He had complete confidence in Bakura, and knew that he would do everything within his power to ensure Ryou's safety.
"I bet you that Bakura and the other's will find me, you bastard!"
At that outburst, the lights sputtered slightly.
"If you win, I let you go… but if I win… then I can claim your life!"
Ryou shuddered: he knew that he should not do this, but felt compelled to do so. He nodded.
"Deal."
Then, suddenly, from out of the gloom came a gnarled, ancient hand, decayed by the twists and tests of time. Ryou suddenly realised what the creature had meant by spectre… and screamed.
Bakura
Bakura suddenly shivered, pausing as he swung, motionless, on the bars of the ceiling for just one moment.
He had almost heard Ryou's voice, and then a piercing scream to follow it. In a moment of pure madness and fear, Ryou was known to make ridiculous bets… could this be the case now? Or was Bakura simply getting edgy because Ryou was nearby.
The Sacrament of warmth is true… The Sacrament is you…
Even though the latter was most appealing… Bakura somehow knew that it was both.
Yami's koi: well. That concludes this chapter of Guess they're in love! I wish to thank all of my lovely reviewers, and also the amazing game that inspired this chapter. For legal reasons, I won't say what game, but I will admit that I don't own it. Period. So… R&R, my lovely reviewers? Or at least submit me some fan art on our review? … nn Ja ne!