Chapter Four

Yami Bakura held a hand to his head as they ran through the Shadow Realm, now seeking more of their group who had vanished as well as Mokuba. And while he had always been able to withstand the dangers of this realm well, now he could feel the darkness hungering for him. Seeing Khu had unlocked a painful chapter in his life that he had thought he had kept hidden away. And that in turn was releasing other painful memories and feelings from throughout the ages.

Almost without even realizing it, he slowed, stumbled, and fell forward to one knee, now clutching at his heart.

"Yami?!" Bakura stopped running too. "Oh Yami, what is it?! What's wrong?!"

Yami Bakura slowly shook his head. "I . . . caused so many innocent people to be hurt in ancient Egypt, when I released Zorc," he rasped. "They didn't deserve death any more than my village did, but releasing Zorc led to their demise."

The darkness swirled around him, playing at his knees and chest.

Bakura stared at it in alarm. "No, Yami!" he insisted. "Zorc hurt all of those people, not you. And Zorc hurt you first of all. He hurt you when you first put on the Millennium Ring, and he never stopped hurting you from that point on. You were already so poisoned by Zorc by the time you released him." He blinked back tears. "You never would have released him if you'd been yourself. You admitted you didn't want to destroy the world. All you wanted was justice!"

The rise and fall of weary shoulders. "Justice," he scoffed. "It would have been justice for me to have been consumed by the shadows after Zorc's destruction. Why wasn't I?"

Bakura gently took the larger hands between his. "Because God didn't think it was justice," he said softly. "He wanted you to live, to repent and grow and have the life you were always meant to have. He wanted you to be a protector, not a destroyer. Now you are."

"God," Yami Bakura snorted. From his tone, he clearly thought it was sacrilegious and ridiculous for Bakura to think such a thing.

"Yes, God!" Bakura insisted. He stood, still holding the man's hands. "Stand up, Yami. Stand up and defy the darkness. Don't give in to it! Show it that you're better than it!"

Stunned, Yami Bakura allowed himself to be drawn to his feet. He stood, staring down at his descendant in confusion and disbelief. "Bakura . . . you've become such a strong person," he said.

"And you helped me with that," Bakura said softly, with a shaky smile. "Oh Yami. . . ." He hugged his friend close. "I don't know what you did in the past, but you saved me when I sank into despair in this realm. Now it's my turn to save you."

"You have already saved me countless times," Yami Bakura pointed out.

"Then this is another," Bakura smiled.

". . . Yes," Yami Bakura finally conceded.

The darkness receded, fading back into the eerie borders of the pathway.

Yami Bakura relaxed. But he quickly tensed again when he saw that they had fallen behind. "We have to catch up," he exclaimed.

"We will," Bakura assured him. "We know the path they were taking, so we'll just keep walking along that until we find them."

Yami Bakura wasn't sure it would be that easy, but he didn't protest.

xxxx

Gansley was growing more and more irritated with Lector. The Southerner kept insisting he hadn't been talking with anyone, but Gansley was positive he had. In aggravation he led the rest of the Big Five away to have a conversation of their own.

"Something isn't right," he proclaimed.

"You mean you feel that he isn't being entirely truthful with us?" Johnson intoned.

"Why would he lie?" Crump shrugged.

"Why indeed," Gansley frowned. "That's what I want to find out."

"It's probably nothing," Crump said. "This place just gets to you after a while."

"I say Gansley is right," Nesbitt spoke up. "Lector is hiding something. Maybe none of the rest of you have noticed how distant he's been growing, but I have. A place like this should make people stick together for companionship and safety, but more and more, the longer we're here, the more he drifts off into his own world. What if he finds a way to escape and keeps it all to himself?"

"He wouldn't do that," Crump objected.

"Hmm," Gansley frowned. "It was 'every man for himself' when we decided to take matters into our own hands in Noa's virtual world. Lector was part of that. If he has found a way back to the real world now, he might think the rest of us will hold him back and it's time for him to move out on his own."

"So what do you propose we do?" Johnson asked.

"Just keep watching him," Gansley said. "If possible, don't let him know you're watching him. Eventually he will reveal whatever he has been keeping secret."

"Oh, I can help you with that right now."

All of them jumped a mile as the cruel Egyptian stepped out of the shadows and sneered at them.

"What . . . ?! Who are you?!" Gansley demanded.

"My name is Khu," was the reply, as he slung the spear over one shoulder.

"You don't look like you're from this time period at all," Crump remarked. "How do you even know English?!"

"So many people pass through here," Khu replied. "I've made good use of the time by learning their languages. I also know Spanish, French, and Italian."

Gansley quirked an eyebrow. "I see. Impressive. But nevermind that! What do you know about our associate?"

"I know that he's hiding a child," Khu said.

Everyone gawked at him.

"What?" Gansley finally exclaimed.

"A young boy, my descendant," Khu elaborated. "Mokuba Kaiba."

More staring.

"You're an ancestor of the Kaiba brothers?!" Nesbitt burst out.

"Why would you want to betray one of them to us?" Johnson asked.

"Why would Lector be protecting one of them from us?!" Crump frowned.

"You'll have to ask him that," Khu said smoothly. "As for why I want to betray my family line, let's just say I'm hoping it might lead to a way out of here for me. I've been in here far too long and my business in the real world was hardly finished."

Gansley started to smirk. "I think we might be able to work out an arrangement. But first, we should confront Lector."

The others echoed their agreement.

Standing in the shadows and observing, Yami Marik threw back his head and laughed. "This was a twist I hadn't planned on," he snickered, "but it's perfectly alright with me! Yes, let the chaos and mayhem commence!"

xxxx

Lector just stood and stared off into the distance after the rest of the Big Five left. Mokuba was still behind the rock, unless he had chosen to get up and slip away, but Lector didn't try to check and find out. Instead he just glowered at the shadows.

Why had he done what he had? It certainly hadn't been beneficial to him in the least. If his associates found out his lies, it would be extremely unpleasant for him. He wasn't in the habit of going against their wishes or lying to them. This was only the second time he had done it. And both times had been because of Mokuba. . . .

"So, what's going on?"

He looked up with a jerk as Mokuba came out from behind the rock. "They're gone now," he said, even though it was quite unnecessary.

"I know," Mokuba frowned. "I mean, what happens now?"

Lector heaved a sigh. "I don't know. Isn't there any chance your brother knows what's happened to you?"

"Well . . ." Mokuba hesitated. "Considering who brought me here, I guess it's possible that he'd go brag about it to Seto. But Seto wouldn't be able to get here all by himself!" he rushed on. "I bet if he's here, the whole gang's here!" He folded his arms. "So you wouldn't have much luck trying to get at him, especially in a place like this."

"No, I suppose not," Lector grunted.

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You're not even interested in trying?"

"Right now, I don't know what I want," Lector bitterly retorted. "Except I don't want the others to find out about you. The sooner you get out of here, the better."

"It's funny you don't want to use me against Seto," Mokuba frowned.

Lector wouldn't meet his gaze. "It was Gansley who tried to kill you in the first virtual world," he said. "And I wasn't involved with Nesbitt's attempts to hurt you after that."

"Well, it's not like you tried to stop it, either," Mokuba snorted. "You could have had the Water Dragon Head put out the fire after Nesbitt torched the warehouse."

"Not without revealing it to the other four," Lector said.

"Yeah. So it's always all about you," Mokuba said. "You don't care about anyone else, and you probably never did!"

Lector didn't offer an answer.

"So, it's true!"

They both jumped a mile. The other members of the Big Five were back, and they had brought a strange Egyptian with them. The latter smirked, pleased to have made such a fruitful discovery so soon.

Mokuba backed up. "What's true?!"

"That Lector lied to us and mentioned nothing about your being here, little Mokuba," Gansley said. "Now, Lector, would you care to tell us why?"

Lector took a step back. "Not particularly."

Nesbitt glowered at him. "You know, I've been wondering how Mokuba and those others escaped the warehouse. There weren't supposed to be any openings. We made sure that none of the windows or doors would work! Yet somehow they found one that did. How?"

Lector fumbled for an answer. "That . . . that man with the Ring did it!" he stammered.

"His magic Ring couldn't have overpowered our technology," Nesbitt insisted. "It simply found an already existing way out!" He stepped forward, glowering at Lector. "You set it up so that window would shatter, didn't you? You wanted to leave them a way out!"

Mokuba's mouth dropped open. He hadn't considered such a possibility at all. "Lector?!" He whipped around, staring at his former guardian.

Cornered, Lector finally gave in. "Alright. Yes, yes, I did!" he snapped. "No one consulted me about doing that to Mokuba. I wasn't in favor of it!"

"I do remember you weren't in favor of the boy Ryou Bakura being harmed," Gansley said, narrowing his eyes. "You tried to convince us it would be bad for us because his protector would come after us for revenge."

"Which was exactly what happened," Johnson pointed out, looking slightly shaken from his past experience with an outraged Yami Bakura.

"But maybe you just didn't want him killed," Gansley continued. He studied Lector very carefully. "Maybe you didn't like our plan to permanently get rid of all the thorns in our sides. Despite all your other sins, perhaps that was one line you wouldn't cross. Maybe Seto Kaiba was the only one you wanted to see dead."

"I just didn't see any value in doing that to Ryou Bakura!" Lector shot back. "And I didn't want it done to Mokuba! He's just a child. He did nothing to us! Seto Kaiba used him just like he used us!"

"An interesting argument. Only isn't it hypocritical?" Johnson mused, pushing up his glasses. "After all, many of Seto Kaiba's friends did nothing to us either, but you showed no objection in targeting them in Noa's world."

"I mostly focused on targeting Mr. Kaiba," Lector said. "When that failed, you're right, I snapped. But frankly, I'm sick of trying all these different plans for revenge that backfire on us!"

"And that's why you didn't try using Mokuba to ensure your chances of getting out?" Gansley asked. "If Seto Kaiba comes looking for him, surely you realize you could tag along for the ride and escape."

Mokuba's insides twisted. What if that was why Lector had kept his arrival secret? What if he had wanted to betray the other members of the Big Five and quietly slip out by possessing Mokuba? He shuddered. That was too horrible to think about, and yet, it seemed like a logical possibility.

"I realize," Lector admitted. Mokuba stared at him as he continued, "But I wasn't planning on doing it."

"So you just intended on letting him get away, without any attempt to get out too?" Gansley retorted. "Or maybe you thought you could possess Seto Kaiba once he found his way here!"

Mokuba leaped back. "No!" He backed into the Egyptian, who brought a strong arm around him and held him fast. Unlike the others, he was mortal.

"Maybe I would have done that," Lector admitted. "Although that wasn't why I helped Mokuba. . . . Hey, what are you doing?!" He turned to stare at the Egyptian. "And who are you anyway?!"

"My name is Khu, and I'm just ensuring Mokuba doesn't get away," said Khu. "Seto Kaiba is definitely here, and he's brought quite a concession with him, including some old acquaintances of mine. Eventually they'll find their way to Mokuba, and I intend on being there when they do."

"So do we!" Gansley declared. "But why didn't you tell us at first that Seto Kaiba is here?!"

"I wanted to wait for this moment," Khu said.

Mokuba was still struggling against him. "You'll never get away with this, you big creeps!" he screamed. "Seto and Marik and all the rest won't let you!"

Khu just laughed. "We'll see about that."

Lector glared at him. "Wait, what are you going to do with him?!"

"Just keep him as bait," Khu said. "When everyone shows up, we'll have the perfect chance to get out of here. The five of you can possess some of the group and I can just go through the portal when it opens."

"That works for me," Crump shrugged.

"But are we going to let Lector come with us at all?" Johnson wondered. "It doesn't seem that we can really trust him anymore."

"If we had a way to imprison people, we could lock him away until Mr. Kaiba and the rest show up," Nesbitt said.

"Oh, I can take care of that." Khu snapped his fingers and dark tendrils began to surround Lector, who stared at them in horror.

"What is this?!"

"Your chance to fight off the darkness," Gansley said, quickly warming to the situation. "I doubt you'll succeed, and maybe by the time our chance for escape has come, you'll be seeing things our way again. If not, well, I'm afraid we'll have to leave you behind."

"No! . . ." Lector stared at him. "You can't leave me here like this!"

Mokuba was staring too. "Lector . . ." He hadn't thought he would see the Big Five turning against one of their own. And he still wasn't sure how to feel about Lector. He had never once dreamed that the mysterious exit in the warehouse had been crafted by Lector, although he had certainly wondered why one window had shattered when none of the others would.

"We don't really want to leave you here, Lector," Crump spoke up now, "but if you're not with us all the way, you're against us enough that we can't trust you. We'll check on you and see if you've changed your mind any before we leave, of course. If there's any of you left!"

Mokuba kept staring at Lector as he was dragged away by Khu. No matter what he thought of the man, the panic-stricken look in Lector's eyes was chilling. Then the darkness swirled around him more strongly and Mokuba could see nothing more.

"You've been with him all this time and you really don't care what happens to him?!" he cried.

"I wouldn't say that," Crump said. "I just think that after a few minutes of this, he'll be begging to go along with us again."

Gansley nodded. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't necessarily like in order to keep people in line."

"But . . . what if it doesn't work?" Mokuba said helplessly. "What if he gets swallowed up by the darkness?"

The Big Four looked at each other.

"I really don't think that'll happen," Crump insisted. "We've been here a long time and we've warded it off."

"Yes, but we weren't deliberately plopped in the middle of it, as Lector just was," Johnson said. "That might feed the darkness all the more."

"I think you can be sure of that," Khu said.

Mokuba looked back to where Lector was. Now, despite the clouds of darkness covering him, his screaming was obvious. Mokuba was chilled. "This isn't right," he whispered. "It's not right. . . ."

"But there's nothing you can do about it, is there, Mokuba?" Khu whispered back. "You can't stop it."

Mokuba fought against him again, this time viciously kicking him in the shin. "Oh yeah?!"

Khu yelled in surprise and pain, his grip loosening just enough that Mokuba was able to worm out of it and run back over to Lector.

"What is that brat doing?!" Gansley snarled.

"I'd say he's trying to disrupt our plans," Johnson said. "Don't worry; it won't work."

"Lector!" Mokuba called. "Can you hear me?!"

The screaming stopped, but there was no reply.

"Lector?!" Mokuba demanded.

". . . Y-Yes, I can hear you," Lector stammered.

"Okay. You have to fight against the darkness, Lector!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Think good thoughts. There have to be some good memories you can call on!"

"There aren't," Lector shot back.

"Not even of your family? Your childhood?" Mokuba desperately pleaded. "You made a whole section of the city look like New Orleans! You must have good memories of it!"

Silence. Then, "Yes."

"Then think about them!" Mokuba begged. "Think about anything! Everything! As long as it's a good memory!"

"I . . . I'm trying!" Lector rasped. "I don't think it's working. . . ."

"You have to concentrate hard!" Mokuba cried. "And don't panic! Panicking will only make it worse!"

"Maybe so, but . . ." Lector cut himself off with a scream. This one was different than before. It chilled Mokuba's blood to the core.

"Lector?! Lector!" he yelled.

This time there was no reply. The darkness slowly dispersed, revealing only an empty space. Mokuba could only stare in numb horror. "No," he whispered.

Khu grabbed him again from behind. "Isn't that too bad," he sneered. "I guess he wasn't strong enough to keep his sense of self, like I was."

Mokuba flinched. "Let me go, you big creep!" He struggled as before, but this time Khu didn't let him kick or punch. He hoisted the boy up high.

The Big Four actually looked shaken.

"He's really . . . gone?" Crump gasped.

"That's the nature of the Shadow Realm," Khu said flippantly. "Now let's go."

The Big Four exchanged worried looks. Khu had been the one who had brought this on Lector. Maybe if they weren't careful, he would turn against them when he felt it suited him. They wouldn't be able to let their guard down around him, even for a minute.

As they started off, Johnson turned back, staring at the wisps of dark mist. "Farewell, Lector," he said quietly.