A/N: So while writing this chapter I got the feeling that not a lot was happening… but I still really like how it turned out. Strange, yeah? I just feel like the characters are being so true to themselves right now and I love that. I realize it makes me sound like a freak, but whatever. I thought now would be a good time to let everyone in on where the title from the story comes from as I just realize I never mentioned it. It comes from the Adam Lambert song "What Do You Want From Me" which I think fits this story so well… Listen to it if you've got the chance. Enjoy!
Malik's hand was throbbing badly. He grimaced to himself and flexed his fingers gingerly, holding in the reflexive swear that wanted to escape at the resulting flash of pain that shot up his arm and into his shoulder. The puncture wounds had stopped bleeding after he'd held his hand under cold running water for about five minutes, but the skin was still hot and swollen and didn't seem to be showing any signs of getting better. No doubt it was infected – Ra only knew what had been on that stupid plant – but there wasn't anything he could presently do about it except try to forget about the fact that it hurt.
He shifted his position on the bed and sighed, though he was careful to keep the sound quiet. Ryou was sleeping behind him (or at least, he had his eyes closed and hadn't moved for some time) and both of them had been trying hard not to distract Yuugi. Their friend was perched at the bottom of the bed with the cardboard box containing the puzzle pieces cradled in his lap, and he hadn't looked up from the Millennium Puzzle once since he had begun. Amazingly, even though Yuugi had only been working on it for about seven or eight hours, the Millennium Puzzle was about half finished, which was astronomically fast considering that it had taken him years to get that far the first time.
"How's he doing?" Ryou asked suddenly. Malik jumped and then swore softly when the movement jostled his sore hand. He wished that he felt safe enough to relax a little, but that was impossible when his father was so close and they had no form of protection. Though he hadn't actually seen the man yet, but hadn't failed to notice the familiar markings on Yuugi's body that meant Hafiz was in top form. Every part of him was dreading the next time that door opened.
"He's getting closer," said Malik finally, rubbing his eyes with his unwounded hand. It had been a while since he'd slept and he could feel exhaustion dragging him down, but some part of him couldn't help thinking that if he closed his eyes for even a moment Hafiz might sneak up on them. He shuddered at the thought and looked up at Yuugi, who had not reacted to the sound of their voices in the slightest. The petite teen just kept mechanically reaching into the box, picking up a piece of the puzzle, and sliding it into place without missing a beat. Malik doubted he'd break stride even if someone walked over and waved a hand under his nose. "Do you think we should make him take a break? He's been at it for hours without stopping."
Ryou opened his eyes and sat up. "I hate to make him stop. If he can free Yami, we'd be a lot better off," he said, looking worriedly at Yuugi, who had twitched at the sound of Yami's name. "But at the same time, if he keeps working like this he might keel over. I'm not sure it's safe." He slid off of the bed and stood up, swaying slightly. Once he'd regained his balance, he made his way down to the end of the bed and put a hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "Yuugi, why don't you take a break?"
There was no response. Yuugi didn't even look at him. His violet eyes were completely glazed over and it was like he had no idea Ryou was talking to him. Ryou frowned and crouched down, looking up into Yuugi's face. He gasped when he realized that the symbol of the eye was glowing on Yuugi's forehead. "Malik, look!"
Reluctantly, Malik stood up and walked around to the edge of the bed. He examined Yuugi briefly, taking note of the glowing symbol, and said uncertainly, "I don't think we should disrupt him after all. Maybe he's connected to Yami."
Yuugi twitched again.
"This is creepy." Ryou straightened up and shivered, wrapping his arms loosely around his waist. "I wish Bakura was here."
There had been a time not all that long ago when Malik never would have thought that he would ever heard those words coming out of Ryou's mouth. He closed his eyes and rocked backwards, realizing that he knew exactly where Ryou was coming from; he would have given just about anything to have seen that door open and have Mariku walk through. The urge to be with his yami was so overwhelming that it was almost frightening in its intensity. It was like an itch beneath his skin that made him feel even more nervous and afraid than usual. It made it difficult to act like he was feeling calm.
"I know what you mean," he said finally, opening his eyes and looking over at his pale friend. "I can't help but think that they would know what to do."
"They would probably be just as lost as we are," Ryou said with a half-hearted smile, looking towards the window. The sun had risen to the point where he could tell that it was early afternoon, probably about two or three. No one had visited their little cell since he and Malik had woken up. He was hungry, but he didn't think anyone could be coming to feed them anytime soon. He turned back to look at Yuugi again, his gaze falling to the Millennium Puzzle. "I didn't think Yuugi could complete the Puzzle that fast. It took him forever the first time around and now he's doing it in a matter of hours."
"Body memory?" Malik suggested, backing up until he was leaning against the wall next to the window. It felt good to have something sturdy against his back and, as an additional plus, it left him facing the door. "He solved it once so he remembers how to do it the second time around?"
Ryou looked unconvinced. "Maybe. I still wish that he would stop and at least drink something or maybe soak his arm." He cast a doubtful glance at Yuugi's left arm. The skin was looking tight and shiny and blisters had formed in a couple of different spots on his fingers. It had to hurt, but Yuugi was acting as though he didn't notice the pain. His right hand cupped the Puzzle protectively while his left hand continued to slot the pieces in. "Do you think - "
The opening of the door cut Ryou off abruptly, and he spun around so fast that he staggered as Malik stiffened, his eyes darting over the room for something - anything - that could be used as a weapon. He didn't see anything but what remained of Seto's backpack, but in the end, it turned out not to matter. Standing in the doorway was someone very familiar and welcome to him. He let out a cry and threw himself across the room into Isis's open arms. Ryou let out a breath of relief and dropped his hands to his sides, though he remained standing protectively in front of Yuugi as Anzu and a woman he didn't know came in behind Isis. Anzu pulled the door partly shut to keep any guards from being tipped off by their presence and glanced at Ryou.
"Alright?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"For the most part," he replied honestly. Her sapphire blue eyes ran over him quickly, taking in his pale face, the way his hands shook slightly, and the livid bruising on his cheek, and hardened.
"That bastard," she muttered under her breath.
"You'll be fine. You got off lightly, all things considered," said the woman who was standing right behind her. Her face softened when she looked at Ryou, to the point where he took a closer look at her, wondering if he knew her after all. She must have realized what he was doing because she smiled, her violet eyes twinkling with amusement. There was something familiar about that smile. "You don't know me, kid," she told him. "But I know your yami. My name is Kujaku Mai."
The familiarity of the name caused Ryou's eyes to widen. He could easily recall the pain in Bakura's voice when he talked about his lost cousin. "You're Bakura's cousin!" he exclaimed in surprise. Suddenly, he could see the little ways in which she and Bakura resembled each other. They had the same small nose and sharp cheekbones, the same tendency for a wicked smile that could send chills down anyone's spine. It sent a wave of longing over him that was so intense that he nearly doubled over from the force of it.
"That's right. And you're the light of my cousin's life," Mai said, a tiny smirk playing about her lips. It was the kind of comment that would have no doubted earned her a well-deserved slap from Bakura had he been present, and she knew and revelled in it. "It's nice to meet you, Ryou-kun. Anzu-chan has been telling me all sorts of interesting things about you."
Ryou gave her a weak, tentative smile. "I'd like to say likewise, but..."
"Yeah. We could've picked a better spot." She looked around with an expression of vague disgust, as though to say that she was a hundred times better than the little cell but didn't care enough to point it out. "That's why we've come. It's finally time for us all to get out of this ridiculous place."
"I'm good with that." Ryou could have hugged her for that announcement, though he held himself back. "Do you know where Bakura... I mean, where the others are? Is he... are they alright?"
Perhaps she heard the poorly hidden wistfulness in his voice, because the regret in her face was genuine when she responded. "No, I'm afraid not. I didn't even know that you two had been captured until I heard some maids talking about it this morning. Apparently Hafiz was very pleased that his duel monsters managed to get you away from your yamis and didn't bother to keep it a secret. But I'm sure they're fine," she added quickly when she saw the dismayed look on Ryou's face. "Bakura is tougher than anything that Hafiz could dish out, let me tell you that right now. You mean a lot to him, so I'm sure he's on his way here right now."
A slight flush worked its way up Ryou's neck. "I wouldn't go that far."
"I would," Mai said with so much sincerity that it was impossible to disbelieve her. "I've known Bakura since we were young. He's a darkness that's been searching for his light for thousands of years. Take it from me, kid. If you're Bakura's other half, you mean more to him than any other treasure in the world." Ryou looked at her with wide eyes, but before he got the chance to respond, Isis spoke.
"I hate to interrupt," she said, sounding genuinely regretful, "but we need to get out of here before our presence is detected." Reluctantly, she released Malik from their embrace, though she kept a protective arm wound around his shoulders. Her eyes took the opportunity to scan his body quickly while she talked, cataloguing every bruise, scrape, and puncture wound. "The guards were distracted and we have about another six minutes before they return. We have to be gone before that happens or they'll sound the alarm."
"And that would be bad," Malik concluded, looking at his sister with the kind of expression that a drowning man gives land. She was almost as good as Mariku. "How do we get out?"
"Any way that we can with whatever it takes," Anzu broke in, meeting Malik's startled gaze squarely. There was no time for petty squabbles, not when things were so dire. She released the door and crossed the room to Yuugi, who had not reacted to the presence of the new people in the room. Even when Anzu leaned down, grabbed his shoulder, and shook him gently, he didn't respond. "Yuugi? Yuugi, it's me, Anzu. Come on, we're getting you out of here, but we've got to go now."
"He won't answer," Ryou said quietly, jumping when Isis touched his arm. He smiled at her weakly and added, "Malik and I tried to get his attention but he wouldn't respond. We think that he's communicating with Yami since he's been like that since he started solving the Puzzle."
"It's unlikely he's speaking to Yami, but there is a possibility that they may be reaching out to each other." Isis finally dropped her arm from around Malik and walked over to Yuugi, looking worried. She cupped his cheek and forcibly pulled his head up so that she could see into his eyes. Yuugi looked back at her and blinked, and for a split second a faint spark of recognition could be seen, but then the symbol on his forehead flashed with a brilliant light. Wincing, Isis released his chin and backed away, and Yuugi's head fell back down and he kept putting the Puzzle together like the brief encounter had never occurred.
"You okay?" Mai asked sharply.
"I'm fine." In spite of her words, Isis opened and closed her fingers to stretch them and winced. "You're right, Ryou. There is magic at work here and Yuugi shouldn't be disturbed right now. Our best chance lies with him completing the Millennium Puzzle before this situation comes to an all out fight. If we don't have the Pharaoh's help, it's unlikely that all or any of us will be leaving this land." Her words carried a significant chill that left everyone in the room looking pensively at Yuugi for a long time. At last, Anzu stood up and clapped her hands, breaking the silence.
"Right, then how are we going to get him out of here?" she asked, looking from Isis to Mai. "I can't summon anything, not with Fairy's Gift still out there. She's been gone too long. So it's going to be up to you two."
"I'll do it," Mai said immediately. It had been a long time since she'd had the opportunity to summon her partner and she'd missed it. There were days when the levels of shadow magic fizzing inside of her blood had driven her crazy, but she hadn't dared to summon anything when she was trying to pretend that she was the innocent little servant. Normal people didn't have an ounce of shadow magic in them and it would have been a dead give away if she'd been caught. So she'd learned to deal with the constant itch, learned to grit her teeth and bare with it, and the thought that she could finally scratch it – oh, it was like winning a full week at the spa with an unlimited budget. An almost feral smile crossed her face as she dropped her shields. Her magic raced through her blood, giving her a jolt of adrenaline that made black spots bloom before her eyes as the locator around her ankle snapped apart and fell to the ground in crackling pieces. Ryou staggered backwards a step, still standing protectively in front of Yuugi, as the air beside him shivered and changed in a frighteningly familiar way.
When all was said and done, a tall, wicked-looking duel monster had joined them. It was a female and clad in tight, scanty garments that would've made more than a few men stop and stare. Long, wild red hair, sharp claws, and beautiful wings completed the look. Harpy Lady looked around the room with an air of disdain that was so reminiscent of Mai that Ryou would have smiled if he weren't still shivering. He didn't like having shadow magic around when Bakura wasn't present; it felt too dangerous, too raw, like it could go out of control at any moment. A familiar pulse ran down his bond - his yami was worried about the irrational flash of panic that had gone through him. Ryou responded tentatively – please hurry – and slowly stepped aside.
"Harpy Lady, I need you to carry Yuugi outside. You must protect him and the Millennium Puzzle no matter what," Mai told her partner, violet eyes intent. The duel monster nodded and stepped over to Yuugi, intelligent eyes sweeping over the young boy. Once she'd assessed the situation, Harpy Lady leaned down and picked Yuugi up with a level of gentleness that Ryou wouldn't have associated with her, moving so slowly and carefully that the cardboard box containing the puzzle pieces remained in place on Yuugi's lap. Yuugi, of course, acted like he didn't even notice that he was being carried. His steady work on the puzzle never stopped.
"Now that that's settled, let's go," Isis said, walking back over to the door. She pulled it open without hesitation and stepped outside into the corridor. How she'd known that no one was around, Malik didn't know, but his sister turned and beckoned to them. "Come on. If we can make it outside the castle walls before our presence is discovered, we might just have a chance."
"Wait, we can't just leave," Malik protested. It had only taken him about twenty minutes after waking up to discover that he was no longer in possession of the Millennium Rod. The absence of his Item tugged at his soul even when he wasn't thinking about it; it was almost as bad as losing Mariku. He couldn't imagine walking away from the castle without it, and one look at Ryou's face told him that his friend felt the same way. "I'm not going without the Rod or the Ring. We need them."
"You're not serious," said Anzu, staring at him. "Come back for them later when you're not in so much danger. The Rod isn't worth your life, Malik!"
"What would you know?" he snapped in reply. Desperation shone in his face when he turned imploringly to his sister. "Nee-san, please? I need to get the Rod back and Ryou needs the Ring." How Yuugi had gone so long without the Puzzle or Yami, Malik had no idea. After just a few hours without the Rod and Mariku, he could literally feel himself beginning to falter, like his mind had turned into fragile glass sculpture that was only just barely managing to hold it together. One false move and he knew that it would shatter entirely. Possibly that had already happened for Yuugi; Malik was starting to worry that more damage might have been done to their friend than anyone had realized.
Isis paused and stared at him for a long moment, seemingly surprised by the intensity in his voice. Something flickered in her eyes – worry, perhaps – but it was gone before he had the chance to analyze it closely. "Alright," she agreed at last, though she didn't sound very happy. "Alright, Malik, you win. I suppose it's a bad idea to leave any of the Millennium Items where Pegasus could use them." She glanced briefly at Yuugi and the Puzzle before she sighed. "Mai, why don't you and Harpy Lady take Yuugi outside? The rest of us will meet up with you two once we've retrieved the Ring and the Rod."
Mai hesitated briefly. She didn't like the thought of splitting up and she definitely did not like the idea that the two hikaris and Isis could meet up with Hafiz or Pegasus with only an exhausted Anzu to protect them. "Anzu-chan, why don't you and Harpy Lady go?" she suggested. "I can easily summon another monster and in the meantime, Harpy Lady will protect you and Yuugi."
A small frown crossed Anzu's face, but she must have been more tired than she was letting on, because she nodded without arguing. "Alright. That sounds good to me."
"Make sure you keep watch for the others," Isis told her. "They should be approaching the castle soon. Avoid anyone who looks suspicious."
"Go down this hall; make a right, then a left, then another right. Then keep walking straight," Mai added. "That will take you down to the servant's kitchen. From there, take two lefts and then a right. You'll come out on the eastern side of Illusion Forest. If what Isis told me is correct, that's where your friends will come out."
Anzu nodded again, silently running the directions over in her mind. "Right." She stepped out into the hall and watched as Mai instantly took charge, heading off down the hall with Ryou, Malik and Isis bringing up the rear. Part of her longed to go with them; she hated feeling useless but logically, she was tired and needed to rest. Once Fairy's Gift returned she would be of more help, but until that time, her remaining energy was best served helping Harpy Lady to protect Yuugi. Heaving a sigh, she turned to face Harpy Lady and offered the duel monster a patient smile. "Come on, then, let's get outside as quickly as possible," she urged, casting a concerned look in Yuugi's direction. Hopefully he'd be better once they were outside the castle.
All things considered, it was surprisingly easy for them to leave. Mai's directions proved to be correct, and even when they accidentally went down a wrong hall and stumbled across two servants who were cleaning a room, nothing happened. The servants looked at them with huge, startled eyes, but aside from that, neither of them said a word, and after a moment Anzu awkwardly closed the door and retraced her steps to take the right fork instead of the left one. Harpy Lady followed right behind her, close enough that she would be able to leap into action at the first sign of trouble, but not so close that Anzu was left feeling overly cluttered. It made her feel safer to have the duel monster so ready to act, so she didn't protest.
The warm afternoon sun greeted the three of them when she finally located the door to the outside and pushed it open. Anzu breathed a nearly silent sigh of relief as she stepped out onto the stone walkway and beckoned Harpy Lady through. She left the door hanging mostly shut and then stopped, wanting nothing more than to run for the relative safety of Illusion Forest, but knowing that they would likely bring the whole castle down on them if she did. Mai had made it a point to mention the locator that had been placed around Yuugi's ankle and had cautioned them against going outside the extremely limited boundary that the locator granted. Hafiz carried a small computer on him at all times that would alert him to any locator that went out of bounds, and Yuugi's was no doubt especially sensitive.
"Put him down here," she instructed. "We've got to get that stupid thing off before we can go any further. I'll look at it and hope that we can find some way to get it off without hurting Yuugi." As she spoke, Harpy Lady obliged her request, tenderly placing Yuugi on the stone. Anzu knelt before him and rolled up the ankle of his jeans so that she could see the locator. Fury raced through her when she caught a good look at it. The little machine was small and sleek and pressed so tightly against Yuugi's ankle that the skin around it had rubbed raw and was now swollen. Any longer and Yuugi would no doubt be dealing with an infection. Hadn't Hafiz done enough without that kind of slow torture? She tried to rein her anger in, knowing that it wouldn't do any good, and reached out to touch it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Anzu jumped and nearly fell over at the sound of the voice. The only thing that kept her from launching into an attack was the fact that Harpy Lady didn't seem to be concerned by the fact that someone had snuck up on them, and when she twisted around, she found out why. Bakura and Mariku were standing right behind her, so close that she wondered how in Ra's name she had missed their approach. She looked at them nervously, defiantly, wondering where the others were, but before she had the chance to ask Mariku brushed by her and crouched down next to Yuugi. He took the younger boy's foot in hand and held it up, examining the locator with narrowed eyes. Because his touch was unusually gentle, Anzu let it go and instead glanced at Bakura.
"The others?" she asked, knowing better than to try to scold them for sneaking up on her. It would be a waste of breath as she'd only be ignored.
"They're coming." Bakura waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder, clearly not caring whether or not the others caught up to them, with the possible exception of Seto. He kept his eyes on Yuugi and Mariku, though closer inspection revealed that he was actually staring intently at the Millennium Puzzle and Yuugi's progress. The Puzzle was now close to being three quarters done. "Mariku?"
"It's definitely got shadow magic in it. This has him written all over it," the other yami replied, the distaste in his voice making it clear who the 'him' was. "Between the two of us we can probably overload it, though it'd be easier if Yami were here."
Bakura shrugged - Yami wasn't there so they would have to do the best they could - and knelt to help Mariku. Though he inwardly rebelled against wasting any more time in getting to Ryou, he knew that there was no way he could just leave the Pharaoh's hikari in that kind of state. In Yami's absence, Yuugi had become their responsibility, and they hadn't done such a great job in protecting him so far. Still, it was only the knowledge that Yami and Ryou would both be utterly furious with them if they walked away that made him reach out and place a hand on the locator at the same time that Mariku did. Both of them began to chant in low voices, drawing strength from the closer proximity to their hikaris in order to overload the delicate circuitry.
Sensing that this was something dangerous that she shouldn't disturb, Anzu rocked backwards and stood up as the bushes about ten feet away parted and Seto, Jou, Shizuka, Honda and Otogi walked out. It was a relief to see the five of them, though Seto and Jou both ignored her entirely as they walked over and joined Bakura and Mariku in huddling around Yuugi. Shizuka and Otogi were the only ones who gave her any kind of acknowledgement; Shizuka smiled and Otogi nodded, but that was it. Anzu sighed to herself and then perked up when the bushes opened a second time and Fairy's Gift darted out. Instantly, she felt her fatigue draining away at the little duel monster zipped over to her and sat down on her shoulder.
"I brought them to you, Anzu-chan!" she chirped with a big smile.
"I can see that. Thank you," Anzu said, touching Fairy's Gift's cheek with the tip of her finger. It hadn't been what she'd intended when she had sent her partner out, but perhaps things had worked out for the best. "You did a good job."
Fairy's Gift beamed, preening under the praise as there was a muffled crackling sound and Yuugi cried out in pain. Anzu whipped around to see the young hikari clutching the Puzzle against his chest, shoulders hunched over it and the cardboard box defensively. Bakura was scowling and Mariku looked dangerously blank, though rage glimmered in his eyes. Jou had knelt and was hovering uselessly behind Yuugi, clearly wanting to offer some sort of comfort but unsure of how to go about doing so. Seto was frowning down at what remained of the GPS locator, which was nothing more than a pile of smouldering black pieces on the ground. Every now and then a little pop would echo through the air and a spark of shadow magic would land harmlessly on the ground.
"Is he alright?" Shizuka asked, looking concerned. Now that the locator was gone, she could see that the skin where it had been was lacerated and badly swollen.
"He'll be fine after rest and a doctor," Seto replied, using the toe of his expensive shoes to dig a small hole in the dirt. He kicked the remains of the locator into the hole and smoothed the dirt overtop of it. "But the best thing of all for him will be Yami's return and none of us can help with that." Even as he spoke, Yuugi had returned to slotting more pieces of the Puzzle together, though his fingers were noticeably shaking now.
"Where are Ryou and Malik?" Gingerly resting a possessive hand on Yuugi's shoulder, Jou turned to Anzu. She blinked at him, startled by the sudden question.
"They went to find the Millennium Ring and Rod," she said tentatively. "Malik refused to leave without them and Isis didn't want to make him go. She told me to take Yuugi out here and wait for you to show up while Mai led them to where she thought the items were being held."
Bakura swore under his breath and stood. There was an increasingly dark aura radiating off of him that sent chills down Anzu's spine. She'd always been a little wary around Bakura and Mariku; both yamis had been clearly unbalanced from day one and sometimes she thought it was all Yami could do to keep them in line. The presence of their hikaris had helped to change that, but now that Ryou and Malik were gone, both Mariku and Bakura seemed to be worse than ever. On the one hand, she thought that it was exactly what they needed to win against Pegasus. But on the other hand… she glanced at the raw fury in Mariku's face and shuddered.
"Harpy Lady can probably take us to where Mai is," she offered.
"Very well. Mokuba, you and Shizuka will stay here." Seto's tone left no room for arguments. "You two will protect Yuugi no matter what the cost."
The younger boy frowned but nodded reluctantly. "Alright, Nii-sama," he said. He didn't like the thought of being left out of the fight, but Yuugi needed someone to stay with him; they couldn't just leave him alone, and he and Shizuka did work well together. "Please try to be careful."
Seto patted his younger brother's head. "Don't worry."
That was impossible, but Mokuba tried to smile. "As soon as the Millennium Puzzle is solved, we'll come find you," he said, giving Seto a look that let the older boy know he would ignore any commands that directed otherwise. Seto frowned slightly but nodded, accepting the inevitable. They would need Yami's help to win, and hopefully by the time that Yuugi had freed him, Pegasus and his minions would be mostly subdued.
"If you're done, let's go," Bakura said impatiently, spinning around to face the door. It gave way easily under his hand, which was fortunate, as he likely would've broken it down otherwise and brought all kinds of guards running. He and Mariku disappeared inside with Seto hot on their heels. Otogi and Honda were right behind them. Jou squeezed Yuugi's shoulder one last time and then gave Shizuka a kiss on the cheek before following. Anzu gave the two pre-teens a reassuring if somewhat sickly smile before she and Fairy's Gift re-entered the castle and closed the door behind them.
"I hope they'll be okay," Shizuka said quietly, sitting down beside Yuugi. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs before resting her chin on her knees. The position made her look unbearably young and Mokuba felt his heart twist even as he was filled with determination. He would protect her and Yuugi no matter what it took.
"It will be fine," he promised and hoped that he was right.
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