Chapter Five

Mokuba could sense that the mood among the villains had greatly changed as they walked. Khu seemed to be triumphant and gloating, while the Big Four were still badly troubled. Despite the threats and cruel laughter against the traitorous member of their alliance, none of them had apparently really thought Lector would be swallowed up by the darkness. Now that it was too late and he was gone, they were regretting what they had encouraged and what had happened.

"Is he really gone?" Crump spoke at last.

"Oh, he still exists in the darkness, of course," Khu shrugged. "But he's no longer the person you knew. I doubt he'll forgive you. Can you blame him?"

"But we didn't really mean for this to happen!" Crump protested. "We all thought he'd just get shook up a bit and then come around to our way of thinking."

"You should have known better than to play with the Shadow Realm," Khu mocked. "And aren't you angry at all about his traitorous actions against you?"

"Of course we are," Gansley retorted. "Obviously he could no longer be trusted. This is for the best, really."

Johnson looked to him with a start. "Don't you care at all?! Surely you didn't want this outcome!"

"No, but I didn't want the outcome of Lector having turned against us either," Gansley said. "We're better off without him."

"And maybe he thought he was better off without you guys," Mokuba muttered. "Only now it's too late."

"Do you really care, Mokuba?" Gansley wondered. "After all, learning about Lector's sabotage in your favor doesn't take away all the terrible things he did. And he could have done much more than he did. He had no guarantee that you would find the working window. It was a cheap attempt for him to feel a little better about himself."

Mokuba looked down. "Yeah, I guess that's true," he admitted. "And it doesn't take away what he tried to do to Seto. But he tried to help in some way, even if it was cheap. Maybe after living with hate for so long, that was the only thing he could even think to do. At least it's better than any of the rest of you creeps. He didn't deserve to be swallowed up by the darkness! Especially since he probably thought you guys were his friends and you wouldn't turn on him! Sure, he didn't tell you about me, but it's not like not knowing really hurt you. He didn't do anything to try to get rid of you, like you did to him!"

"Objection," Johnson snapped. "It was this Egyptian who trapped Lector in the darkness, not us."

"Well, you sure didn't try to help him," Mokuba spat. "You just laughed and encouraged it!"

"None of us really thought he wouldn't be able to withstand it," Johnson said.

"And now that you know what this Khu guy is capable of, what makes you think he won't try it on any of the rest of you?" Mokuba continued. "He doesn't care about any of you! All he cares about is his own goals!"

"Shut up," Khu snarled, holding Mokuba tighter.

"We're quite aware of that," Gansley said. "This partnership is an alliance of convenience. We each desire something out of it and it would be worth our while to pursue this angle. Lector never actually agreed to join forces with Khu. The rest of us did. Khu has no reason to get rid of the rest of us at this point."

"Unless maybe you decide that you've all had enough of him," Mokuba returned.

"Are you trying to give him ideas?!" Crump exclaimed.

"I think you're all crazy for teaming up with him," Mokuba said. "You don't know anything about him except that he can make the shadows even worse! You're not safe with him. And if you care about Lector at all, why do you want to work with the guy who pretty much killed him?!"

"It has nothing to do with our personal preferences," Gansley said. "This is all about business."

"Yeah, well, you should all be worrying about how safe you are with someone like this," Mokuba retorted.

"Right now, Mokuba and I are your only chances to be free of this realm," Khu said.

"Sure, I am," Mokuba retorted, "but what is it that you really offer?"

"Holding on to you," Khu sneered. "Since they're all wandering spirits, they can't do that."

"Point taken," Johnson mused.

Mokuba inwardly groaned. He didn't want to be with the Big Five or this new guy, but at least he was familiar with the Big Five . . . Four. He knew his way around them. With this Khu person, he didn't know what he was in for. He had hoped to convince the Big Four to get away from him, but that clearly was not going to happen. For now he would have to go along with their plans and hope and pray that a solution to save himself and everyone else would present itself.

Was there any way to save Lector too?

Did he want to?

Lector should have done more to help than he had. But . . . well, too little, but not too late, as Lector's actions had certainly saved not only his life, but Marik, Duke, and David as well. Mokuba owed him something for that. Not to mention Lector apparently hadn't been going to use Mokuba for ill purposes tonight. If it hadn't been for Lector trying to help him, Khu wouldn't have placed him in the darkness.

Yes, Mokuba wanted to help Lector . . . if there was any way to help him. Khu said he still existed, so . . . that had to mean there was hope, right?

xxxx

Seto was tense and angry and worried. He wasn't sure how far he had run, but there was still no sign of Mokuba. There was no answer to his frantic calls, either. No, Mokuba was nowhere to be found. In a place such as this, there was really no shortage of possible locations.

"Kaiba, this isn't working!" Marik exclaimed to his side. "We need a new plan."

"We don't have a new plan!" Seto retorted. "We formed that soul circle or whatever you want to call it and Mokuba was calling out from this direction! But he's still not here!"

". . . I think he might have been here," Téa said with a shudder. "Do you guys feel this? Something's really wrong in this spot."

Seto immediately ground to a halt. "Mokuba?!" All he could see was dark mist in every direction. All he could feel . . . was a coldness, an uneasiness the likes of which he had never known before. It was unrest, it was anger, it was pain, and it was fear. It didn't feel like Mokuba, and he couldn't really make himself believe it was, but . . . what if the darkness had swallowed him? No, he wouldn't believe that!

Marik had stopped too, his heart pounding. "Mokuba, are you here?!" His earrings jangled as he whipped around, worried for his young friend.

"This isn't Mokuba," Seto promptly decided. He frowned at Téa. "What makes you think he was here?"

"Like you said, Kaiba, you and Marik sensed that Mokuba was this way," Téa replied. "So . . . he must have been here. . . ." She bit her lip. "What could have happened?"

"It feels fresh," Marik said. "I think someone was pulled into the darkness."

"But if not Mokuba, then who?!" Seto burst out. He looked around, unsure of what to do, if anything. If it wasn't Mokuba, he couldn't stop to deal with it right now. But . . . what if it was? How could he leave until he knew for sure? . . . How would he ever know for sure?

"Kaiba?!" Atem and the rest were catching up now. "What's going on?"

"I don't know!" Seto cried. His utter helplessness pierced his voice.

"It feels like the darkness took someone right here," Marik said grimly. "We don't know if it was Mokuba."

Yami Bakura went stiff. This was too much like what had almost happened to Bakura. If he hadn't been able to do what he had back then, Bakura would have become part of the darkness just as whoever this was had.

Bakura laid a hand on his shoulder. "How horrible, in any case!" he exclaimed.

Atem frowned, stepping forward with the Infinity Puzzle glowing. For a moment he stood still, mentally reaching out, trying to make contact with whoever was lost to the shadows. At last he looked up, confused and grim. "It's not Mokuba," he reported.

"Then who?!" Seto demanded. "And do they know where Mokuba is?!"

Atem concentrated for another moment. "I can't properly connect with them," he frowned. "All I can feel is a twisted mass of anger and hatred and pain."

"Tell us something we don't know," Seto said in frustration.

"Wait!" Yugi exclaimed. "Atem, can't you try to tell them to focus on the light and everything else you told the victims of Dartz's Leviathan? You said this is pretty much the same thing!"

"I can try," Atem agreed. "But they have to be willing to listen. Maybe they're not."

"It's worth a try," Yugi insisted.

Atem nodded. As everyone stood around and tensely watched, he tried again to make contact. "Focus on my voice," he said aloud. "Don't think about anything that's dragged you into the darkness. Think about whatever brought you joy and happiness. Remember the good in your life. I know it will be hard at first. The darkness has a way of crowding out all that is good. But it doesn't have to be that way! You can choose not to let it! Think about the good."

Seto stepped away. "I'm going on," he said. "You can keep trying here, but if that isn't Mokuba, I have to find him before the same thing happens to him!"

"Wait, Kaiba," Yugi pleaded. "If Atem can reach whoever it is, maybe they really do know what happened to Mokuba!"

"And maybe they don't," Seto countered. "And regardless, maybe they're too far gone. I can't wait around to find out. My brother needs me!"

Suddenly there was a surge of anger in the darkness, so strong it knocked Atem and Seto off their feet. Atem looked to Seto with a start. "Kaiba, your words made whoever this is very angry!"

"Is that supposed to bother me?" Seto retorted.

Atem got to his feet. "Maybe it should. It could be a clue as to who this is."

"One of the Big Five, perhaps?" Marik frowned.

"Then they deserve whatever happens to them," Seto growled, getting up as well.

Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes. He couldn't deny he felt the same.

Atem sighed. "Are you one of the Big Five?" he asked the darkness. "Lector?" He paused, listening, trying to feel the emotions within the swirling mists.

Bakura shuddered. "I must say, this is frightfully disturbing. Whoever that is has truly become the darkness?"

"Yes," Yami Bakura growled.

"Now that is messed-up," Tristan proclaimed.

"Do you know what happened to Mokuba?" Atem tried again. "If you do, we desperately need your help! But you won't be able to help anyone like this!"

Silence. Then a surge of regret.

"Mokuba was here," Atem mused after a moment. "He tried to help. I think this is Lector."

"Then nothing he says can be trusted," Seto retorted. "I'm going." Again he started off.

"Kaiba, don't go alone!" Téa cried, running after him.

Marik clenched his teeth. He was torn. He wanted to go with Seto, but what if Lector really did have information that could help them? Then it might be profitable to wait. On the other hand, could they possibly trust him?

"Lector, Mokuba will be hurt if we don't know where to go to find him," Atem said. "Your grudge is against Seto Kaiba. Don't drag Mokuba into it. He tried to help you! Return the favor by helping us help him!"

Another silence. Then, slowly, the mists began to swirl together again.

"Oh my," Bakura gasped. "Is it working?"

"I don't know, but I'm getting freaked out!" Joey exclaimed.

Yugi stared, his eyes wide. The darkness was beginning to take on a human shape. As everyone stood and watched in stunned amazement, the mists receded, leaving behind a man on the ground on his hands and knees.

Atem hurried forward. "Lector!"

The Big Five member looked up, breathing heavily, clearly haunted by his experience. "They let this happen to me," he gasped. "All of them. . . . They just stood by and laughed. . . ."

"Who did this to you?" Atem demanded.

"I don't know," Lector retorted. "Some strange character they'd picked up. Khu or something like that."

Yami Bakura went stiff in horror. "Khu?!"

Bakura's eyes widened. "He's working with the Big Five . . . er, Four?!"

Lector slowly got to his feet. "You know him?"

"Yes." Yami Bakura's expression darkened. "He is well-versed in the art of betrayal. Apparently he is also good at getting others to follow in his footsteps."

"They're gonna be sorry," Lector vowed.

"Wait!" Atem protested. "There has been far too much hatred and misplaced vengeance already. It was this sickness, this desire for revenge, that led to your being trapped here in the first place."

"Yeah, not to mention getting trapped all the other places you've been," Joey added.

Tristan nodded. "That's right. We want your help in getting Mokuba back, but we don't need any more crazy revenge schemes!"

Lector growled and looked away. He had to admit they had a point. Not to mention that he had been thinking about those very things himself, before Mokuba had arrived and turned everything upsidedown.

"Anyway, if you become swallowed up in thoughts of revenge, you'll only get taken by the darkness again," Marik said. "It's a miracle you pulled out of it this time. Don't tempt it."

Lector sighed. "Alright. What do you want from me?"

"Just to know where Mokuba is and what they're planning to do with him," Marik said.

"I don't know where he is," Lector said. "Probably not far. They were planning to use him as bait to get all of you to come to them. Then they're planning to possess some of you and escape to the real world. Khu wants out too, but he can't possess anybody. He's mortal."

"So we noticed," Marik frowned. "Alright. Let's move ahead and keep looking! I'm sure they're close by."

"And Kaiba and Téa might get overpowered unawares!" Yugi said in alarm. "We have to find them before they get possessed!" He ran out ahead before he could be stopped.

"Yugi, wait!" Atem cried.

Marik took off running too. "There's no time to lose!"

Bakura looked worriedly to Yami Bakura as they joined the mad dash. "Yami . . . everything's been so hectic in here that I didn't stop to think about it, but . . . what if we run into The White Death in here?" he said in fear.

Yami Bakura growled. "If we do, he will also be a spirit."

"I know," Bakura said. "Do you think he might try to possess one of us?"

"Having white hair would probably be a dream come true for him," Yami Bakura grunted. "Not to mention then being in close proximity to someone else with white hair. Yes, he might very well try to possess one of us."

Bakura stared at him in horror. "No! We can't let that happen! We can't!"

"We won't," Yami Bakura snarled. He glanced to Lector. "And we should also stay on our guard with that man around. He's one of the Big Five. I don't trust him."

"I don't know what to think," Bakura admitted. "Maybe he's different from the others. I mean, he seems to care about Mokuba. Thinking about Mokuba brought him back to himself. That has to mean something."

"Perhaps," Yami Bakura said. "But it doesn't mean he wouldn't be willing to possess someone other than Mokuba. I'm going to stay cautious."

"Oh dear." Bakura shuddered. But he couldn't deny Yami Bakura had a point.

xxxx

Téa looked worriedly at Seto as they continued to run in desperate search of Mokuba. "He's just not around, Kaiba," she said. "I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe we should have stayed behind with the others."

"And listened to the Pharaoh trying to talk to the darkness?" Seto retorted. "If that was Lector, there's nothing he could say that I would believe. Maybe he'd just lie in the hopes that the Pharaoh would find a way to restore him."

"I don't think it works that way," Téa said. "Atem said that only the victims can bring themselves back."

"Then they've got a long wait. Lector will never overcome his inner darkness any more than any of the rest of the Big Five will," Seto said.

Téa couldn't deny that seemed likely. "But we're sure not having any luck," she moaned. "Maybe we should at least stop and try reaching out to Mokuba again. We might not even be going in the right direction now!"

Seto was willing to concede to that logic. He stopped and turned to face Téa. "Alright. We'll try it."

Téa stared as Seto took her hands to form the soul circle. Of all the things she had never thought she would do in life, holding hands with Seto Kaiba was certainly at the top of that list. And unlike what she had thought, she couldn't even say it was an unpleasant experience. In spite of herself, she went red.

If Seto noticed, he didn't comment and couldn't care less. His only thoughts were for Mokuba. As he closed his eyes and concentrated, so did Téa.

"Seto! Don't come, Seto. It's a trap! Lector tried to help me and they killed him. You're next!"

Seto jerked, his eyes opening like a shot.

Téa gasped. "This time I heard him too! Do you think what he said was a trick?!"

"I don't know." Seto frowned. "I can believe the part about it being a trap. But Lector trying to help Mokuba?"

"Well . . . maybe they tricked him into thinking Lector tried to help him?" Téa suggested.

"Maybe." Seto looked to the left. "I'm still sensing Mokuba is that way. And trap or no trap, I have to go in after him."

"And I'm going with you," Téa vowed. "But maybe we should wait for the others to catch up. . . ."

"I'm not waiting." Seto took off running again before Téa could protest.

Swallowing her misgivings, the girl quickly followed him.

They hadn't gone far when Seto stumbled, falling forward and then back as though stricken. He gasped, bringing a hand to his head.

Téa stopped running. "Kaiba?! Kaiba, what is it?! What's wrong?!"

Seto hissed, clenching his teeth. "I . . . I don't know," he rasped. "Something . . . I felt something rush into me!" Suddenly he straightened, turning to leer at Téa with an expression she had never thought she would see from him. "Well, well, so we meet again, Téa," he laughed, but not in his voice.

"Crump!" Téa shrieked. "What are you doing?!"

"Why, just taking possession of my way out of here," Crump grinned. "But I don't think I'll let any of the others possess you. I'd rather have you as yourself." He stepped forward, grabbing for her wrist.

"No way!" Téa backed up. She didn't want to hurt Seto's body, but she would if she had to. "Kaiba, fight it! I know you wouldn't let anyone take over your body without a fight!"

Seto's eyes flickered. "Run, Téa," he choked out. "Go find Mokuba. Get away from me. I . . . I can fight him off better if you're not around."

Téa was torn. "You've never been possessed before!" she retorted. "How do you know what you can do better?!"

"Don't argue with me," Seto said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then you won't," Téa insisted. "You're a lot of things, Seto Kaiba, but weak isn't one of them. You're stubborn and you want your own way. And most of all, you want to save Mokuba! So you won't let this creep have your body. You'll fight him off with all of your heart and soul!"

"Maybe he will," Crump said as he took control again, "but you've both walked right into our trap." He seized Téa's wrist, much to her horror and disgust. "Now we'll still have the last laugh."