Disclaimer: I don't own these...duh.
"Oh, no! Not Yami Marik! When did this happen Yugi?!" Bakura was becoming more furious by the minute. He reached out to hit something, trying to release his rage, but with the words of his little Ryou ringing in his head he thought better of it.
"If you always want to destroy things when you become angry you're not making yourself any better than the monsters out there that make you angry."
Yes, Ryou was right. He'd be no better than that devil...Marik. He shuddered convulsively at the name, it literally caused him to be sick. Back in the day it was true that he had run with Yami Marik, laying seige to innocent people and causing needless destruction to fuel the burning evil need inside himself. Little Ryou had changed all that, however. He showed 'Kura it wasn't all about the violence or treachery, things could be worked out through compromise and patience; even through love.
Oh my little Ryou, where has he taken you?
"Ugh, that guy makes me want to hit stuff, release of that Brooklyn Rage!" Jounouchi was gripping his blonde shaggy hair in clenched fists and shaking his head from side to side. "Why does he needlessly torture all of us? It's not we did anything!" He shot 'Kura a knowing look, his brown eyes harbouring a dark secret.
"Yami Marik is the incarnation of pure evil," Atem replied. "He'll stop at nothing to get what he desires most. I'm sure Bakura and I understand that most of all." Atem laid a protective and comforting hand on Yugi's head, smoothing his disheveled hair.
"Yes, it's true. I did leave Yami Marik when I realized what we were really doing together. In the beginning the idea of world conquest through Duel Monsters was something that seemed to good to be true. It felt good to deceive people, to cheat them out of their best monsters; enslave them with their own selfish desires. Little *sniff* Ryou showed me *sniff* that it doesn't have to be that way." 'Kura turned away from the group and wiped away his hot tears, his face flushing with embarrassment and shame.
"We need to make a plan, a way to get Ryou back." Jounouchi sat with his legs curled close to his chest, his long blonde bangs falling in his eyes.
"I agree. On the downside, however, Yami Marik is one of the most brilliant and diabolical minds of our age! Trying to outsmart him is pretty much both stupid and futile. The hopes of actually being able to rescue him are very slim; very slim indeed." Atem's low voice rumbled with emotion. Ryou was like a little brother to him, as much as Yugi was to him as well. He didn't want to see 'Kura hurting like this.
"Maybe if we talk to Malik he could help us!" Anzu yelled through the door, her voice muffled.
"Would Malik help us? The last I recall he hated us just as much as Marik does!" Katsuya sulked from behind his knees.
"It's worth a shot, we could at least talk to the guy. Perhaps we could persuade him to help us if he knew under what pretenses his yami is acting under," Yugi spoke after coughing up the last of the contents of his stomach. Nobody really noticed how violently pale Yugi had become over the last while.
"I'll get him to the nurse's office, then I'll come back and help with the plan." Atem picked up Yugi and carried him out the door.
A few minutes later Atem returned to Katsuya and Bakura huddled close together, poring over some maps and drawings on the bathroom's tiled floor.
"So, if we enter here and crawl through the duct work this grate would lead to the main sitting room and then that branches out to the guest rooms and other accomodations." Katsuya grandly swept his hand over the large map of a mansion of some sort. Obviously this was where Marik was staying.
"You'd probably try to pull this off while humming 'Mission Impossible' wouldn't you?" Bakura snorted.
"Jerk." Jounouchi turned around and saw Atem watching them. "Oh, hey Atem! Look, we called Malik and he agreed to give us these maps of the house they're staying at and some of the underground subway tunnel maps; apparently Marik has some secret facilities down there. We've got a good feeling that Ryou is being kept in the guest house just off the main central sitting room near the Imperial Gardens." He smiled, priding himself in how educated he sounded.
"That's just great, Jou. Do you know precisely where this place is?" He glanced over at the maps and felt an odd sort of recognition for the layout of the building. Something from the past...
"Yeah, Malik said it was a house on the outside of town. Apparently it's pretty hard to miss, it's on top of the hill overlooking the town." Jou showed Atem a picture.
"Oh my gosh! No fricking way!" Bakura wore the same look of dread and recognition as Atem did. The house was an exact replica of the palace Atem had lived in when he was a prince in Egypt. Bakura had seen the palace often enough to know what he was looking at.
"He's playing some twisted and sick game with us, Atem." 'Kura spoke quietly.
Atem nodded solemnly. "Yes. If that's the way Marik wants to play...game on."
Oooohhhh, it's SO on! Please review!