The Eternal Gem
Chapter 5: The Island
26 hours later…7:08 a.m.
"Pharaoh!"
Yami's eyes glanced away from the shimmering sea and turned to see a guard rushing toward him. He hadn't been able to sleep a wink since the beginning of the voyage. Ryou and Yuugi, although they had remained in the lower deck since the day before, were still looking very pale and complained about a constant headache. He knew time was running out, but even if they made it to the island there was no telling if they'd find the Gem soon or not. What if the Gem was miles away from the island? Would Yuugi and Ryou last that long? During the night he had thought about turning back, but he was certain it wouldn't matter either way now. They were too far into the journey and now there was only a small hope of succeeding.
"What is it Adil?" Yami asked softly, his gaze saddened by the present situation.
Adil came up to him out of breath. "We see something in the distance! It could be the island!"
Slowly, the pharaoh's eyes illuminated a bit of life with the hope that they had finally made it. Nodding firmly, Yami's gaze hardened into a determined one.
"Continue toward it. Let me know what it looks like as we approach it."
"Yes pharaoh," Adil bowed before rushing back to his post.
Yami sighed heavily letting his firm gaze drop away to reveal his worried expression. He didn't understand why there was always some danger or something that had to be solved. He thought with the defeat of Kontar everything would be alright and he'd be able to spend the rest of his life with Yuugi. He was even considering asking Yuugi to become his kasih (his love-companion). It was a word taken from the Indonesian language, but it meant the same thing. A kasih was a specialized individual who went through a ritual to, in a sense, combine their spirits. The ritual was called: amor verus meditatio which was Latin. Yami was very fond of that particular language; he wasn't completely fluent in it, but he thought it was beautiful.
The Ritual of Love…it was called that because those that went through the ritual and became a kasih normally loved each other. Lovers who ran away together usually sought out a way to go through this ritual to bind their love so that even the law couldn't interfere. It was against Egyptian law for any affairs to go on and that was why the amor verus meditatio was so popular. He and Yuugi were not lovers though; lovers normally consisted of a least one person who was already bound in matrimony to a person, but did not like who they ended up with so they found a lover. He and Yuugi were soul mates and to go through that ritual would allow their souls to be bound together. Egyptians believed so much in life after death that they carved many symbols into every day items, especially when a person died; the sarcophagus would be covered with symbols representing the person so that they would find their way into the after life. The ritual was the same; it was so that both of the persons' ka would find each other in the after life and remain together forever. It was a way for people to outwardly show just how much they cared for one another.
If Yuugi couldn't be near him though then they couldn't ever do that ritual, nor could they remain together forever. His crimson eyes dimmed in sadness and he tried to take his mind off the current predicament. The waves were much calmer as if they had just missed a storm. A few minutes later, he heard several voices shouting and turned to see what all the commotion was about. As Yami neared the group, Bakura wheeled around to face him.
"Looks like it's an island," Bakura said. "But whether or not it's the island is the question."
Yami pulled out the map and held it up in front of him. "It looks like it could be. This appears to be the right area."
"It's about time," Bakura grumbled.
"We're approaching the island!" a guard shouted from the crows nest.
Yami walked over to the edge looking out over the sea as they approached what appeared to be a mound of land. As they came closer though, it was recognized as a tiny island. From all the shouting, Ryou and Yuugi came up on the main deck, searching around for clues as to why everyone was so excited. Yuugi's eyes lit up and he pointed the island out to Ryou who appeared just as relieved. Yami's eyes softened and suddenly Yuugi's violet gaze reached his and he saw the torn expression. They stared at one another without blinking and without having to mouth anything. Suddenly the ship jerked and Bakura fell over right into Yami, who just barely caught him.
"Who's driving this thing?" Bakura shouted as he steadied himself.
Mahado glanced over at him with an irritated expression, but ignored him and instead faced Yami. "Pharaoh, the ship is now anchored. We can't get any closer to shore; it's already fairly shallow here. We can take the smaller boats to shore, but there are vicious fish swimming about."
"Vicious fish?" Yami asked, blinking. He peered over the edge of ship to see a couple fins poking out of the water's surface.
"Sharks!" Yuugi exclaimed, grabbing hold of Ryou's arm.
Yami glanced in his direction and then back at Mahado. "Will they attack the smaller boats?"
"It's very possible," he responded quietly.
"Then how are we supposed to get on shore!" Bakura demanded, glaring at him.
Mahado gave him a blank look. "Perhaps you'd be willing to sacrifice yourself to the beasts so that we can get across safely."
Bakura's fists clenched. "If that was a joke I feel insulted. And if it wasn't, be thankful that I don't use my Millennium Ring to throw you overboard!"
"No one is going to be fed to them," Yami interrupted before a heated exchange could continue. "We'll just have to take the risk of using the smaller boats. If they begin attacking perhaps we can lure them away with something."
"Or destroy them," Bakura added, crossing his arms.
"Yami!" Yuugi called over to him.
Yami's attention was immediately drawn to him. Yuugi stared at him with longing before taking a deep breath. "Do you have any meat?" he shouted.
"Meat? I'm sure there's some. What for? Are you hungry?" Yami called back.
Yuugi sweat-dropped. "No, Yami! For the sharks! If you throw meat in the opposite direction of shore the sharks will be drawn to it and that'll give us a chance to go across."
"Good idea," Mahado said, nodding toward the pharaoh.
Bakura just snorted. "I still think throwing you would've been better," he muttered.
Mahado cast a glance at him from the corner of his eye. "Perhaps some should stay aboard, pharaoh. Like the tomb robber here. We wouldn't want him stealing valuable items from any ruins."
"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Bakura roared angrily, clenching a fist in his direction.
"Enough!" Yami shouted, stepping in between them. "A couple people should stay here though. Yuugi and Ryou will remain here with three others that will guard them. Adil," Yami nodded toward him as he bowed, "you will along with—"
"NO!" Yuugi shouted suddenly, causing them all to look his way. "Yami we're coming with you!"
"Yuugi it's too dangerous!" Yami exclaimed, turning to face his direction completely. "Staying here will ensure your safety and that way the sickness won't spread so quickly!"
"I don't care about that!" Yuugi shouted, fighting back tears. "I'm coming with you! We'll take a healing potion!"
"It's not a good idea, prince," Mahado interrupted.
"Yami, please!" Yuugi shouted desperately.
His plea tugged at Yami's heart and he saw the sad expressions on both Ryou and Yuugi's faces. Yami's eyes dimmed again and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Let them come," he said softly. "If that's what they want. Just as long as they are with two people at all times. And they must take a couple healing potions with them."
"Understood," Mahado replied.
"Adil, you and Tarlek will be by their sides at all times!" Yami commanded. "And the rest of you will remain onboard to protect the ship."
"Yes pharaoh," Adil and Tarlek said separately, bowing right after.
"We need to fetch some meat and then get the two smaller boats ready," Yami said. "The moment we get into the boats is when the meat should be thrown."
Immediately, a couple viziers went to retrieve the meat and the guards, Adil and Tarlek, went to ready the boats. Yuugi and Ryou were to ride with the two guards and Bakura, Mahado and Yami were riding in the other. The moment the boats were ready the seven of them carefully stepped into their respective boats and the viziers on the main deck began throwing chunks of raw meat over the edge in the opposite direction of the shore. Yuugi barely managed to contain a whimper as he saw something swim past them. The boats were pushed away from the ship and Adil and Tarlek began rowing toward shore. In the other boat just a few meters away, Mahado and Bakura were rowing. The shore luckily wasn't too far away, but Ryou was trembling and trying to stay as far away from the edge of the small boat as he could. A couple times they spotted a fin a short distance away but the sharks never came very close to them.
They reached the shore a few minutes later and Adil and Tarlek stepped into the shallow water and pulled the boat on the land. Then they helped Ryou and Yuugi out of the boat. The other three were already on land and Yami was looking at a piece of paper.
"The map says that the secret entrance is somewhere between those two large rocks," he said, pointing.
"Alright, let's get moving then!" Bakura exclaimed, marching forward.
Yami began moving forward but then he stopped as he turned toward the guards, who were beginning to follow.
"Yuugi, Ryou, you two must remain up here on the surface."
"No, Yami!" Yuugi exclaimed, taking a step toward him.
"Yuugi, please," Yami said gently, giving him a sad smile. "You can explore on top but I'm not sure what it's like below. And the farther you both are away from us the better. Stay up here with Adil and Tarlek and we should be back shortly."
Yuugi opened his mouth to retort but instead he closed it and nodded reluctantly. The truth was that he just wanted to be as close to Yami as possible. That and he wanted to help search for the Eternal Gem. But Yami had already let him come on the voyage so he knew it would be rude to argue. He and Ryou watched as the three of them began walking away toward the large rocks.
"I hope they find it," Ryou said quietly.
Yuugi nodded in agreement, staring at them until he could no longer see them. The two guards remained by their side as told even as they decided to walk around a bit. The air was fresh and crisp and the sun was shining down upon the land. Although it was deserted and not that attractive there were a few trees and plants that interested them. Mainly, Yuugi liked looking as the unique flowers that grew in a small bunch. As he and Ryou examined the wildlife, the guards stayed with them.
"Quiet!" Adil exclaimed suddenly, putting his hand in front of them. "I heard something."
Yuugi and Ryou froze, glancing at each other with uneasy looks. Adil and Tarlek exchanged uncertain glances and nodded.
"You two stay here. It could be a wild animal," Tarlek said. "I'll go check it out."
He made his way past an old elm tree and into the jungle-like area with overgrown plants and tall trees. As he disappeared, Yuugi began to feel a little nervous. He suddenly wished they had gone with Yami. Ryou too seemed unable to enjoy the scenery anymore. Five uneasy minutes passed and Yuugi was trying to distract himself by staring up at the blue sky.
"I'll give him another five minutes. If he doesn't come back I want you two to head back to the small boats and return to the ship just in case," Adil replied, glancing back at them.
"But…the sharks!" Ryou exclaimed, trembling.
"Don't worry, just signal to those on the ship and they'll make sure you get there safely. Right now you're safer with the sharks than on this unknown island."
Ryou gulped and Yuugi scooted closer to his friend. The two of them remained in a tight embrace as the minutes slowly passed. Adil made a gesture to them and slowly they began heading back the way they came, following his directions. Ryou grasped Yuugi's hand tightly as they hurried toward the small boats.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Ryou asked, glancing over his shoulder where they had left Adil.
"I don't know," Yuugi said fearfully. "I'm worried about Yami too. What if there are animals down below and they get attacked?"
"There's nothing we can do though," Ryou said quietly, glancing at him. "Even if we found our way below we could be attacked before we reach them."
"I wish the Millennium Items didn't affect us!" Yuugi exclaimed, shutting his eyes.
"Yuugi…," Ryou trailed off, his voice sounding concerned.
Yuugi opened his eyes again and glanced at him to see he was staring ahead of them. Turning his gaze in the same direction, he noticed the same thing. The shoreline that they were approaching was supposed to have two boats waiting for them, but there were no boats in sight. They could see the large ship in the distance, but nothing else.
"Where are the boats?" Yuugi asked. "I'm certain this was the right spot."
"It is," Ryou said nervously, stopping as he glanced at the ground. "Look in the sandy spots; those are our footprints."
"I don't get it," Yuugi said aloud, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Where are they?"
"Looking for something?"
Yuugi and Ryou both jumped and wheeled around at nearly the same time. Ryou stumbled backward as he did so nearly falling over. Their eyes met with something very unexpected. A tall, robed figure stood looming over them carrying a familiar golden item in his hand. Marik's eyes gleamed toward them as an amused expression was shone on his face. Ryou and Yuugi both took a step back, their eyes wide with fear. Ryou glanced sideways at Yuugi, gulping.
"Yuugi, how come we didn't feel any pain when he was approaching?" he whispered.
"Probably because we took a potion," Yuugi whispered back.
Marik took a step forward, grinning. "I should've known he would've dragged the both of you with him."
"What do you want?" Yuugi voiced finally.
Marik gave him another amused grin. "What do I want? For you all to go back to the palace and stop intruding on my mission."
"We can't!" Ryou exclaimed suddenly, stepping forward. "We need that Gem more than you!"
"So you are here for the Gem then? I should've known my dear sister would've alerted Yami about this," his eyes narrowed.
"Please," Yuugi said, approaching closer, "we really need that Gem."
"Yes, well so do I," Marik said bluntly.
"But we'll die without it!" Ryou exclaimed fearfully.
Marik's eyes narrowed. "That's exaggerating things."
"No, really! We can't be around any Millennium Items! Their power will slowly kill us!" Yuugi said exasperated.
Marik raised an eyebrow then pointed his Item at them. "Then why aren't you dying now?"
"Because we took one of Isis' healing potions, but it won't last for long!" Yuugi explained.
Glaring, Marik reached out suddenly and grabbed the both of them by their shirts. They both made a sound of surprise as Marik pulled them in close.
"Quiet!" he hissed. "Come with me!"
Fearfully, the two of them were forced to follow Marik back toward the way that they had come from, except that he took them onto a different path that led into a small jungle of trees. As they came to a small clearing near the center of the island, Yuugi's eyes widened as he saw a group of people standing together. One of them he recognized as Isis. Ryou too looked surprised as he noticed her and he exchanged wary glances with Yuugi.
"Sister!" Marik called out angrily.
Isis turned and her eyes immediately locked onto Yuugi and Ryou. She didn't seem very surprised to see them though. Her expression dimmed into one full of guilt and regret and slowly she approached them.
"Hello Prince, Ryou," she smiled sadly. "Are you two fairing well?"
"Stop with the small talk!" Marik interrupted before Yuugi could even open his mouth. "They told me something very interesting, sister. They told me that the Millennium Items will kill them!"
At the sound of his angered tone and the two new captives, the others turned to watch what was going on. One of them was a dark-skinned man with tattoo-like symbols over one side of his face. His eyes were as dark as Mahado's and they pierced right onto them.
Isis' eyes dimmed as Marik said that and immediately he stepped forward uncomfortably close to her, staring at her with narrowed eyes. "So that's it, isn't it? You figured out the Millennium Items would affect anyone foreign to them. So you decided to lie to me and pretend to be on my side when actually wanting to help the pharaoh get to the Gem! Is that it, Isis?" he shouted.
"It's true that I knew about their condition," she said softly. "But I didn't pretend to be on your side."
"You liar!" Marik hissed, grabbing her arm out of anger. "Then why is Yami here right now? I thought perhaps he figured out that someone had broken into the Forbidden Library and figured out about the Gem by himself! That's why I pushed his boats out to sea! But I didn't think that you'd be behind this!"
"Marik, please!" Isis winced as he grasped her arm harder. "I didn't set you up."
"You think I believe that!" he exclaimed, pushing her off balance so she fell to the ground. "Now I'm going to have to worry about him getting there first! And here I thought even if he had figured it out it would take him too long to get here, but of course I bet you helped him out the entire way! If you don't want me to send you out to sea to be eaten by sharks then I suggest you do as I say and hold these two!" he shouted, pointing at Yuugi and Ryou, who flinched in response. "And they can tell us where Yami is!"
Marik's face wheeled around toward them and Ryou grasped Yuugi's arm tightly. "We don't know," Yuugi said quietly. "We were told to stay on shore and they just went off somewhere."
Very slowly, he approached until he was within a foot, glaring down at Yuugi. "You know where they're headed though, don't you?"
"Please! Didn't you hear what I said!" Yuugi exclaimed, avoiding answering the question. "We'll die!"
"That's only if you remain near the Items," Marik stated firmly. "If you go back to the place where you came from you won't be affected by them, isn't that true Isis?" he asked, glaring at her out of the corner of his eye.
Isis, who remained on the ground, glanced downward and didn't respond. Marik turned back to Yuugi, who was trembling.
"You can't!" Yuugi exclaimed, lashing out forward and pounding on Marik's chest. "I want to be with Yami! I want to stay here! I don't want to go back!"
His chin was suddenly grasped roughly and forced to look up into a similar pair of dark violet eyes. Tears were leaking out of the corners of Yuugi's eyes and Marik was staring down at him with a stern expression.
"So, you think you need it more than anyone else, do you?"
Yuugi's eyes widened in response as Marik kept a firm grip on his chin. "What about all those out there who are dying of some incurable disease? Or someone who can't walk or see?" he asked, as Yuugi's lips trembled even more. "There's always someone out there who needs it more and there's only one Gem. The only way to determine which person gets it is to see who gets there first. That is the only way it's fair," he finished, releasing Yuugi's chin. "Now, I will only ask you this once more: Where is the pharaoh?"
"I don't know," Yuugi whispered shakily, tears still leaking from his eyes. "He said something about an underground entrance."
Marik's eyes narrowed but they weren't directed at Yuugi. He turned and stared down at Isis. "Well sister? How does Yami know about the underground city?"
Isis stared up at Marik with saddened eyes, looking as if she were about to cry. Yuugi stepped forward hesitantly. "It's not her fault. Yami found a map."
The harsh purple eyes came back on him and Yuugi nearly shivered. "A map? How convenient. And does he know where the entrance to the underground city is?"
Yuugi stalled for a minute before nodding very slowly. Luckily, he didn't know where the entrance was so he couldn't help Marik even if he were forced to.
"Very well," Marik breathed in deeply, the anger apparent on his face. "Then there's only way to stop him."
Suddenly, he pulled out his Millennium Rod, pointing it at Yuugi and Ryou. Jumping back fearfully, Yuugi stumbled into his friend who looked just as frightened.
"Marik stop!" Isis shouted, standing up.
"You stay out of this!" he hissed, pointing it at her as well. "The only way to get the pharaoh up here is if he knows they're in danger. And the only way for him to hear them is if these two scream. If what they said about their condition is true, the potion will be wearing off any minute."
"You can't! It'll weaken them so much! You might kill them!" Isis shouted, running toward her brother.
"Stay where you are!" he hissed as the Millennium Rod glowed.
Isis' eyes blanked suddenly, her pupils disappearing as she remained paralyzed in her spot. Yuugi suddenly grabbed his head feeling a painful throbbing begin. His knees buckled beneath him and Ryou tried to bend down and help him but he was feeling pain of his own. Marik turned back and saw them cowering away.
"Scream quickly and I won't have to keep this on you for long!" Marik shouted, pointing the Rod back at the two of them.
Yuugi was the first one to feel the white-hot sensation slice through chest, making it difficult to breathe. He screamed loudly and collapsed completely on the ground. Ryou was holding his head tight, shaking from the throbbing that was spreading through all his muscles. Yuugi's scream seemed to cause the pain in him to heighten and soon they were both screaming and writhing on the ground, trying to get away from the power. Marik's expression was a bit surprised at the sudden reaction, but he held his Rod toward them for a few minutes longer. Yuugi let out a high-pitched, loud cry that echoed around them. Ryou was screaming continuously pushing at the air as if to hit the pain away. Slowly, the Millennium Rod came back to Marik's side, but the two boys continued to scream. He backed away, trying to distance himself but it wasn't working; they screamed and screamed as if they couldn't stop screaming. He had only wanted them to scream once or twice but now he was staring at them with a grave expression.
Pointing his Rod at Isis, he broke the trance he had put her in and she blinked out of the daze. Hearing the screams, she wheeled around with a horrified expression on her face.
"Marik! What have you done?" she shouted, stepping toward the screaming boys. As she came closer, Ryou and Yuugi let out continuously loud screams of pain and soon were both writhing on the ground, shaking violently.
Isis backed away in shock and began shaking her head in disbelief. "No!"
"What happened?" Marik asked, glancing at her with a grim look.
"They're dying, that's what!" Isis screamed at him as tears invaded her eyes. "I told you not to use any power! They were already running out of time and now I don't know if a healing potion can even help!"
"YUUGI!"
The voice cut loudly through the air and both Marik and Isis, plus Marik's crew, wheeled around to see Yami emerging from the bushes with Mahado and Bakura in toe. Yami's eyes glared toward Marik, glancing at Isis.
"Marik what have you done to them?" Yami shouted angrily as the Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead.
"Pharaoh, don't!" Mahado exclaimed, glancing over at Ryou and Yuugi who were now screaming hoarsely. "It'll make it worse!"
"Just give it up pharaoh!" Marik shouted. "Hand over the Gem and you can leave and get these two away from Egypt!"
"We can't now, Marik!" Yami shouted firmly, his eyes narrowed in anger. "They won't make it back home! The Gem is the only cure! They will die without it! You must let me get to it!"
Marik scowled darkly. "It's always about you, isn't it? Of course it has to be that you need the Gem to save lives just like when you sacrificed yourself for Egypt! That way, my wish won't even compare, right?"
"Marik, stop it!" Yami shouted.
"Would you both shut up! Nothing is helping!" Bakura snapped.
The screams in the background suddenly vanished and Yami's eyes widened with fear. "Yuugi! Ryou!" he shouted, rushing over to them. Bakura and Mahado followed. Marik was watching them with a grim expression and Isis had tears in her eyes. Unnoticed by any of them, since they were distracted by Yuugi and Ryou's conditions, Isis stepped back until she was out of view. Then she turned and ran through the bushes.
"Seems like they're in a coma," Mahado voiced softly as he stared down at the two boys.
"Great! Thanks to this moron!" Bakura snapped heatedly, glaring at Marik.
"If you hadn't come here this wouldn't have happened!" Marik shot back, gripping his item.
"Oh please! Don't try and turn this around!" Bakura hissed, approaching him and gripping his own item.
Clenching his jaw, Marik made a move to lift up his Rod toward Bakura, but was interrupted by one of his crew members.
"Marik! Isis is gone!"
"WHAT?" he roared, wheeling around to see that she was no where to be seen. "Where did she go! That traitor!"
"Her footprints lead that way," Mahado pointed out.
"Go find her Rishid!" Marik snapped, commanding the man with the tattooed face.
Rishid nodded obediently and went in the direction of her footprints, disappearing into the thick brush of plants.
"Thank you, Mr. I-Know-Everything," Bakura drawled sarcastically, glaring at Mahado. "Next time, stop her before she escapes!"
Mahado's eyes narrowed. "I didn't see you doing anything helpful, tomb robber."
"THE NAME'S BAKURA!" he shouted in frustration, stomping over to him.
"SILENCE!" Yami roared angrily, stopping Bakura just as he opened his mouth. "We have to get to the ship!"
"What about the Gem?" Bakura retorted. "You can't just let Marik get away with it!"
"We don't even know if the Gem is here," Yami said.
Marik stepped forward. "Didn't you get to the underground city?"
"Just barely. The whole city is in ruins so there are many areas that aren't safe and we hardly got over the river before I heard…," Yami trailed off, glancing down at Yuugi's lifeless body.
His eyes dimmed and he bent down, holding Yuugi close to him. Marik watched him as he pushed Yuugi's bangs from his face and his expression morphed into something unreadable.
"Look, we'll get to the ship, get some supplies and then go explore that city," Bakura said.
"What if it's not there?" Marik snapped.
"We have no choice but to explore it," Yami said, sitting up straight as he continued to hold Yuugi close to him, while Mahado kept a firm grip on Ryou. "The sky is dark and by the force of this wind there seems to be a storm coming."
"A storm? It was clear two seconds ago!" Bakura snapped.
The bushes rustled and they all turned to see Rishid emerging from the plants.
"Well? Where is she?" Marik demanded.
Rishid closed his eyes briefly. "She has pushed the ship out to sea, master Marik."
Marik opened his mouth and stared at him blankly. "I'm sorry, she what?"
Bakura snorted loudly and crossed his arms. "Looks like she's not on your side anymore."
"I don't think she was on anyone's side to begin with," Mahado spoke, glancing up at the sky. "Doesn't Isis have the ability to affect the weather?"
All of them glanced up at the sky at once and Marik's fists clenched together angrily. "So, she's making it so we're all trapped here on the island. I guess she doesn't care what happens to your two precious boys!"
Mahado's eyes narrowed. "Isis' intentions seem a bit more complicated than that. If she has pushed your ship out to sea, then she most likely made sure we can't reach our own ship. Since she has apparently stranded us on the island we don't have any choice except to explore underground."
"Isn't that the same thing?" Bakura retorted sarcastically.
Mahado glanced at him with an unreadable expression but didn't respond.
"And if the Gem isn't there your two friends will die anyway," Marik added, crossing his arms. "So it seems that Isis has betrayed us both."
Yami's gaze fell back down to Yuugi and silence came over them all. Mahado stared up at the sky and his eyes narrowed as if sensing something else. He glanced over at Marik and the others then began walking in the direction of where Isis took off.
"Now where is he going?" Bakura scoffed.
"Why don't you keep that trap of yours shut!" Marik hissed. "It isn't doing anyone any good."
"Why don't you stick that Rod up your a—"
"We should get out of this clearing because it's about to rain," Yami said, interrupting Bakura, who sent him a glare. "Bakura, let's take Yuugi and Ryou to the several large rocks we passed by earlier. We can place them on the lower ledge and they'll be protected from the rain."
Making an irritated sound, Bakura bent down and picked up the boy in his arms, while Yami carried the smaller one in his. The two of them made their way out of the clearing and back toward the rocks. Marik scowled darkly and gestured for Rishid and the others to follow him as he trailed along behind them.
Once the two boys were wrapped up in robes and set on one of the flat surfaces, protected from the rain, Yami headed in the direction of the underground city. Bakura hurried to catch up with him.
"Excuse me, pharaoh, but isn't it a bad idea to lead them toward the underground city?"
"I don't care right now, Bakura. We have to hurry if we want to save them," Yami said quietly, continuing to walk with a determined look on his face.
Bakura glanced behind them and glared at Marik who was following them. "Fine, but we have to keep a very close eye on him."
The group of them walked toward two towering rocks molded together. Yami slipped between the rocks and pushed on the loose door carved into the wall of the miniature cave. He slipped inside the passageway toward the underground city with Bakura following right behind him. Marik followed them through the passage with his crew behind him. The passageway was narrow and uneven, but it was fairly good for an ancient civilization. When they came to a clearing, Bakura nearly tripped on an overgrown root from a willow tree standing just outside the passage. Its roots were overgrown and pushing through the surface of the ground, but it was still alive and thriving. Just as before, Yami approached the small river that was flowing less calmly than before. Glancing around he noticed that there was a hole that allowed the rain to pour through and reach the river. That was how they kept the streams flowing with water. He was wondering why it hadn't dried up; then again, underground the plant life and structures were protected from bad weather, which was why most of the buildings were still standing. There was still much decay, but for the most part the structures had stayed in tact. However the bridges crossing over the rivers and certain areas were made out of wood so they had decayed pretty badly.
Very carefully, Yami began crossing over the first bridge hoping that he wouldn't fall through. One by one, each of them crossed the bridge until they reached the overgrown grassy side where there was a steep hill that led up to a tall, worn structure. It resembled a house, but it wasn't very big in size.
"It could be anywhere in this place," Bakura grumbled, sticking close to Yami's side.
He nodded in agreement. "That's true. However, I think if we find the biggest structure we'll have more luck."
"How come?" he asked, glancing sideways at him.
Yami turned to look back at him. "Because that would have most likely been Queen Elmina's. She was their ruler after all."
Bakura searched around as they came to the top of the hill. Suddenly he tapped Yami roughly on the arm. "Hey, what about that one over there?"
Yami looked in the direction he was pointing and saw the thick structure he was staring at. Nodding toward Bakura, they began making their way across a slightly narrower bridge. Marik was keeping up behind them and watched their movements very carefully. The bridge creaked as they began walking across it. Bakura glanced down to see that this particular bridge was over a large gap of ground that had decayed. Falling would result in hitting many hard rocks below. The bridge trembled and he twisted his head to see Marik beginning to cross. Scowling, Bakura stepped over a rather large hole and tried to quicken his speed. His foot stepped over another hole and onto another portion that looked more kept-together. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Bakura's foot suddenly fell through and let out an exasperated gasp as he slipped through, clinging onto the rope just in time.
His slip caused the whole bridge to shake and Marik grasped onto the edges tightly.
"What are you doing? Trying to break the bridge!" he snapped heatedly.
"Shut…up!" Bakura seethed as he struggled to pull himself out of the hole he had created.
Once he got his feet back onto sturdy wood, he carefully stepped across until he reached the other side. Yami was already off the bridge and approaching a part of the city they hadn't been in before. There was a long bumpy hill downward where several houses were apparently built. There was decay and bits and pieces of items scattered about like there had been a storm that blew things out of the houses. However, they were still a distance from the biggest house that stood at the very end of the path. Unfortunately, the bridge leading across to the door of the house had broken completely so the only way there was across some uneven rocks that led close to the roof. There was no telling if the rocks were still stuck into the soil or hill they were leaning against.
Bakura made it to Yami's side and saw the problem. "What now?"
"We'll have to go over those rocks, but be careful because we don't know how sturdy they are."
"I got it," Bakura grumbled, pushing past Yami as he took the lead.
Stepping onto the first huge rock inches from the top of the path they were coming off of, Bakura steadied himself and made sure that the rock wasn't loose. Then he glanced down at the next one which wasn't exactly even. It was at least a couple feet away from the rock he was standing on. Clenching his jaw, Bakura took a breath and leapt toward the rock. His foot nearly slipped as he landed on it and he grabbed a handful of weeds that happened to be growing out of the dirt wall that the rock was embedded in. The next rock was up a little higher and it was a lumpy rock; not one that would be easy to grab or stand onto.
"One, two…three," he whispered to himself, before leaping up toward the other rock.
He landed on it and the rock budged, shaking slightly from his weight.
"Bakura, be careful!" Yami called out to him.
"Just stay there pharaoh! Only one of us needs to go across these rocks and look in that house. I don't want any of you to loosen the rocks for my way back!"
Marik and the others were now standing behind Yami, watching as Bakura made his move to leap to the next one, which was a distance away.
"Don't fall!" Marik called out to him, smirking.
"SHUT UP!" Bakura shouted. He bent his knees and then leapt to the next rock, only the rock wasn't stuck in the wall. "SHIT!" Bakura shouted as the rock fell, throwing him off balance. Out of reaction, Bakura kicked off the stumbling rock and flew up, grabbing ungracefully onto the next one.
The fallen rock made a huge thud as it hit the ground below. Bakura glanced down and then over his shoulder at Marik. "Thank a hell of a lot!"
"Bakura, you should hurry!" Yami called out to him. "The rocks may not hold long, especially because the soil around us is getting damp because of the rain."
Bakura cursed aloud and then hoisted himself up on the skinny rock while holding his arms out to keep his balance. "Only two more rocks to go," he murmured under his breath.
The first one wasn't so hard because it was right nearby. He made it onto that one, but stumbled because it was so small. Then he bent his knees again, knowing he needed to jump pretty far for the next one. It was a huge granite rock that was right next to the roof and it was jutting out of the soiled wall. It was lumpy and uneven, but it was big enough to jump off of. If he planned it right, he could jump on it then immediately land on the roof. Rubbing his hands together, Bakura positioned himself for the jump. Bending his spine down a bit, he suddenly hurled off the rock he was standing on and headed straight for the granite rock. His feet touched it and instantly he kicked off, flying high up in the air but going straight toward the roof.
"Got it," he smirked, readying himself to land on the roof.
He slammed down on it with both legs and the roof suddenly collapsed from the sudden forceful weight. Bakura let out a shout as he fell through.
"BAKURA!" Yami shouted, stepping forward in concern.
Marik's eyes shone with amusement as he stared at the building. "Looks like the tomb robber's losing his touch."
Yami sent a glare toward him before turning back. "Bakura, are you alright?"
Inside the building, Bakura just barely managed to grab onto one of the roof tiles. He was hanging from one of the roof pieces over the other pieces of wood and stone making up the house. There were many holes and decaying areas in the house and it wasn't a regular two-story house. There was no inner floor separating the first two floors. So if Bakura fell, he'd go straight down to the first floor and most likely land on one of the stone tables that were below. The piece of wood he was holding onto began to shake as if it were about to break. Bakura glared up at it, trying to keep his grip tight. He needed to find something else to grab onto.
"Bakura!"
He heard Yami shout for him again, but he didn't want to shout back and have the roof collapse on him. He was getting ready to let himself drop and hopefully land on his feet when his eyes caught something to his left. It was a small niche in the roof tiles and there was something barely noticeable peering out. Bakura's heart suddenly began pounding. The wood beneath his fingers jerked again as it began detaching itself from the other roof pieces. His fingers were slipping from lack of a good grip and he was searching frantically for something else to hold onto. Bakura's eyes suddenly locked onto a piece of stone that was jutting out from one of the roof pieces to the side. It was obviously used to keep the roof pieces from caving in at one point, but it was all Bakura needed.
Slowly, he began picking up speed and swung his body to and fro to get enough momentum to grab the stone that was above him. The wood piece he was holding onto suddenly snapped in two and Bakura was forced to do a very awkward half-jump, half-flail as he hurled himself forward. He bumped his head on one of the wood pieces and just barely grabbed hold of the stone slab with one hand. Several more roof tiles collapsed and fell down, one of them hitting Bakura in the back. He was dangling again except this time from a small ledge made out of stone that was poking through the roof just below the niche. Bakura shakily struggled to pull himself up but there was nothing for his legs to hold onto. Seething, Bakura let go of the stone ledge with one hand and reached up his other hand toward the niche. His legs were flailing below him as he struggled to keep holding his weight up. His feet scraped against the wall of the building as he tried to force his body up higher so he could reach the niche.
"Come on, come on!" he hissed as he stretched his arm as far as it could go.
His fingers brushed up against the niche and he kicked against the wall to push himself up higher. The color in his face was red from the strain of holding up his body. The wood was rough on his fingers, but he squeezed his hand into the niche, feeling his neck muscles stretch as he forced his way inside.
"Just…a little…," Bakura trailed off, making a grunting sound as his feet began to slide down against the wall. Quickly he hurriedly began kicking at it again, not aware that the outer walls were trembling. His foot found a small hole in which he could push into and his body lifted up a bit higher. His fingers latched onto the object inside the niche and his eyes widened in surprise.
"I got it!"
The wall of the house made a loud noise as the pieces of it began falling apart. Bakura dragged the item out of the niche and tucked it close to his body as the wall his feet were leaning against began to fall backward. Still gripping onto the stone ledge, Bakura was forced forward as the building began collapsing. Luckily, the granite rock right by the house was able to catch the piece of wall falling forward with Bakura on it.
"Bakura! Hold on!" Yami shouted, seeing him struggling to keep upright.
"I think I've got it!" he shouted, holding up the item.
"Quick, throw it here!" Marik yelled, pushing Yami out of the way.
"What do you think I am, stupid!" Bakura yelled back, clutching tighter as the wall began to fall forward again.
"You stupid tomb robber! If you fall with that Gem you could destroy it!" Marik exclaimed angrily, stepping forward.
"I'd rather die with it than let you have it!" Bakura retorted hotly.
"Why you…!" Marik seethed, leaping forward onto the first rock.
"Marik, stop!" Yami shouted after him.
Bakura struggled to get into a kneeling position and slowly he crawled off the wall just as it broke and collapsed beneath him. He luckily made it to the granite rock in time. Standing up unsteadily, Bakura clutched the item close to his chest as Marik struggled to get closer to him.
"You can't cross it Marik!" Bakura yelled triumphantly.
"Oh no?" Marik seethed, grasping his Rod tightly. Stepping back slightly, he took a huge step forward and leapt off of the rock. The distance he had to jump though was too far and Bakura thought he'd fall for sure. Instead, Marik held out his Millennium Rod and forced the rocks from the ground to fly up and allow him to jump off of each and every one of them until he made it to the one right next to him.
"I forgot you can manipulate people and things!" Bakura snapped.
Marik's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Throw that here if you know what's good for you."
"Don't boss me around!"
"You idiot! You're going to destroy it if you keep this up!"
"Don't act as though you're trying to save us all!" Bakura shouted back.
"TOMB ROBBER!" Marik yelled, leaping off the rock he was on.
Bakura was so shocked he didn't have time to react as he was suddenly toppled by him. The two of them lost balance and fell off the rock, heading for the ground.
"NO!" Yami shouted putting his hands in front of him as the Eye of Horus glowed brightly on his forehead.
The two of them were suddenly engulfed in an aura and they were caught in mid-air. Very slowly, Yami allowed his power to bring them up and set them down gently on the path. Marik was lying on top of Bakura, grasping both of his hands to try and get the item. Bakura's legs were trapped between his and he was struggling to pull away. Yami approached the struggling duo and used his powers to separate the item from Bakura's hand. Both of them turned, shocked, as it landed safely in Yami's hands.
"PHARAOH!" they both shouted in unison.
Yami opened the metal box and took out the folded parchment that was inside. Bakura stared at it dumbfounded and suddenly kicked Marik off of him.
"I risked my life for a piece of paper!" he roared angrily.
Marik whacked him over the head with his Rod causing him to fall forward and hit the ground. "You risked my life for a piece of paper!"
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Bakura shouted, jumping up and rubbing the back of his head. "I'll teach you to mess with me!"
The Millennium Ring suddenly glowed brightly and Marik posed to fight any oncoming attack.
"BOTH OF YOU STOP THIS INSTANT!" Yami bellowed, sending waves of power through each of them and knocking them off their feet.
The two of them glared and stood back up but didn't make an attempt to attack each other. Yami glanced down at the parchment he had unfolded.
"This is an entry from the journal of Queen Elmina. It was apparently ripped out of the journal and placed in the box. I think it's a clue to the Gem, but it'll take some time to decipher it."
"We don't have time!" Bakura shouted, frustrated.
"We have no choice!" Yami replied sternly. "We will take a rest for ten minutes or so while I try and decipher this. In the meantime, you both must stay in this area! We don't know which parts of the city are too decayed or not and there's no sense destroying things or risking lives to find it. Just be patient."
Bakura scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. He marched away and seated himself against a rock. Marik glared in his direction and stared sternly at Yami but he didn't budge from his spot. Silence befell them as Rishid approached Marik's side and Yami sat down to begin deciphering the entry. He would have to use his powers again to break through the language barrier, but it would hopefully be worth it. As things settled below, up above the sky was raging as it poured down rain. Winds blew many miles per hour and the waves were splashing against the shore. Even the sharks didn't dare to approach the surface.
Standing in the rain, a figure stood atop a rock, staring up at the darkening sky. Isis was soaked completely but she knew she had to do it. Glancing across the sea she saw both ships a far enough distance away. She knew there was a chance the Gem wouldn't be on the island, but if it came to that she'd find another way. Footsteps alerted her and she turned to see Mahado walking up the steep rock toward her.
"So you have created this storm then?" he asked, not sounding surprised.
Isis looked away but he continued to approach her. "I know what your intentions are."
Her eyes gazed back into his face, looking surprised. "Do you?"
"Yes," he answered casually. "I will help you."
His answer wasn't
expected, but Isis shouldn't have been surprised. After all, Mahado
wasn't like them; he had abilities even beyond her comprehension so
of course he had ways of figuring out things.
"Where are they?" she asked softly.
Even with the
howling winds, he still heard her clearly. "The pharaoh and the
others have gone into the underground city in search of the
Gem."
"And the prince and his friend?"
"They are safe," he answered calmly.
Isis took in a breath of the crisp air and smiled subtly, staring out at the raging sea. "This is what I was hoping for. My brother, the pharaoh, the tomb robber…they all will be forced to work together. When working together, the Gem will be found much faster."
"They will only work together until its location is discovered," Mahado replied.
"I know, but that's all I'll need," Isis said, facing him as her soaked hair dripped water down her robe. "Once they discover the location I will make my move. You will help me, right?"
"Yes, I said I would," he answered. "I know that while your approach hasn't been just or true, your intentions are. The pharaoh and the others are blinded by the wishes that they feel must be granted. But you…you see clearly what needs to be done and that makes all the difference."
Isis' eyes shimmered sadly and she took several steps toward him. Uncertainly, she reached down and grasped his hand. "Thank you."
"We should follow them and be ready," he answered quietly, allowing her to keep hold of his hand.
"Yes," she whispered, before letting go.
Mahado then turned and began leading her in the direction of the underground city. Isis knew the Gem had to be found in the next few hours or the entire journey would have been in vain.
TO BE CONTINUED…
To Reviewers:
Kingleby: I'm so glad you liked the history! I knew I had to put it in somewhere so that people understood Mahado wasn't normal. :-) Yes, Bakura/Ryou fluff is nice, isn't it? I was completely dying without being able to write much romance. But very shortly the romance will be coming back full blast! I hope to update this very soon!
SpufFan: Yeah, FF has been annoying me lately! It takes so much longer for chapters to show up and reviews too. Everything seems to take longer now. So this chapter won't show up for a few hours or so. I'm glad you can at least tolerate Ryou/Bakura fluff. Because there will be more romance with both of them, so you'll have your fill.
Atemu Yugi Lover34: Aw, thanks! Well, I hope you can't exactly see what's going to happen. I did hint at it though so that people aren't completely lost. I do like surprise endings though. :-)
Flame-Chan: Thanks for giving me some advice to improve my chapters. I took your advice and tried switching it up a bit. It's hard though because we all know who the characters are so referring to them as "white-haired boy" or "taller boy" or something just doesn't seem to fit. I usually use descriptions like that when introducing the character in a scene. But I can see what you mean by it's kind of repetitive. I should go back and read some of the Harry Potter stories and see what J.K. Rowling does with that. :-) Just out of curiosity, what did you mean by describing in more detail the characters actions? I try and put as much detail in it as seems necessary, but I don't want like a thirty page chapter with tons of descriptions that make it too detailed, you know? And sometimes I feel explaining every little reason for everything the characters do would just get annoying. Could you tell me more specifically what you think I should do? That's true that Yami is the fandom term and his name is really Atemu in the comics, but I used Atemu as his last name (since this is an AU story basically). I don't know, I kind of like the name Yami. Not just because it means "dark" but just because I like the sound of it as his first name. :-) So hope you don't mind but that's what I'm going to call him in every Yu-Gi-Oh story I write. Anyway, thanks again for the advice!
Yamiyugifanadic: Lucky you! I wish I didn't have school! This winter is so crazy! We've barely had any snow…it's been kinda warm and it's been RAINY! Anyway…I'm glad you liked the chappy! I hope this one was suspenseful enough. I'll update asap!
Yana5: Yes, I'm sorry! I know it seems like things are going downhill, especially for Yuugi and Ryou, but hey, there has to be some major drama and suspense somewhere, right? Just know that I'm a happily-ever-after kind of person. :-)
