Not many changes. The end has one though. ;D

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn't belong to me.


Chapter 4

Mirror, Mirror

Ryou woke to find Malik—yet again—with the Eye of Horus on his tanned forehead. The shadows greedily slithered and skated over him, testing the taste of his soul, waiting impatiently for time to run out.

The white haired boy took out an old pocket watch, hoping the time would be right. It still read 2:37 A.M., the same time the duel between Spirit and Marik ended. His internal Shadow Realm clock said that the two teens have been wandering around in the dark abyss for a week. Throughout this very busy week, they encountered another Shadow Breather—she was blubbering on and on in Gaelic so the two were safe—stumbled upon a few more Duel Spirits, and were transported to different parts of the Shadow Realm twice. The first time was a real shocker because the two seemed to pass through an invisible door into a graveyard full of screaming zombies. Malik had to use a bit of Shadow Magic to open a portal a few seconds later before the angry mob of rotting flesh got to them.

The second time, Ryou tripped and fell into a rip in the shadows, Malik careening behind him. The rip seemed more like a tube; they zipped across the shadows through a straw before being dumped into a maze full of mirrors that showed random events from the past. The reflected objects lined the shadowy "wall" and hung above them like a ceiling. Shortly after examining the new area, the two teens collapsed on the misty floor and fell asleep.

How long has he been gone? Ryou thought.

"Malik? Are you okay?"

Ryou jumped in surprise when a sun kissed finger flew up to touch his lips.

"Shh," Malik murmured, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. "I need silence." He removed his finger from Ryou's lips, returning to his meditative state. The Eye flickered out and Malik's eyes flew open. "It was hard getting a connection." Malik said blandly. "So far nothing has happened and he hasn't done anything. It seems he's waiting." He shook his head. "I hate waiting like this. I can't do anything in this state."

Ryou looked at him curiously. "What about what Ishizu said?"

A sigh escaped his lips before Malik looked at the Brit. "We're trying. You can vouch for that. But unless I can figure a way out and then how to get back in my body, we're stuck. And I just can't shake all this regret." His eyes widened in surprise as these words, astounded he shared a private thought aloud.

The chocolate-eyed boy nodded his head sadly. "I see. Your life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park."

Malik's smile had no feeling. "Yours hasn't either."

Both teens stood up, glancing at the World War One and Two filled mirrors. Shadows curled around the reflective glass, dancing around the edges and giving the bloody war scenes an even more daunting look. The adolescents walked down the long hallway. They needed out and this endless-looking path didn't look too promising. As they descended down the mirror-lined trail, the glass shifted, no longer showing scenes from Ancient Rome, but doing what a mirror was supposed to do: reflect an image. However, the mirrors did not show the opposite mirror, going back and forth in an infinite pattern of Maliks and Ryous; it only reflected the image that faced it. Mirror Malik swaggered on the right side while Mirror Ryou ambled on the left. The mirror counterparts walked perfectly in step.

Ryou curiously watched his reflection. It looked exactly like Ryou, yes, but there was something different about it that he couldn't put his finger on. Same face, same hair, and same morose expression… same purple bruises under the eyes from the many nights sleep evaded him… same scar on his hand he got from the Spirit last year…

"I've never heard of anything like this before," Malik remarked. "The scriptures were never too specific anyway. 'Course, you never can be too sure what's in the Shadow Realm. And many of the stories are old maid's tales." Malik's reflection nodded in agreement and Ryou gasped loudly, the sound echoing shrilly down the hall.

Malik cursed loudly in Arabic. His mirror copy shook his finger in mock reprimand, an unbalanced smile on his face.

"This is not good." Ryou heard Malik muttering something about being unable to trust mirrors. He glanced over at his own reflection, Mirror Ryou copying him. He stared at his reflection as he walked, a troubled feeling in his gut increasing slowly with each step. The silence that overcame the two boys seemed too sudden and too quite. Just as his uneasiness pinnacled, Mirror Ryou winked and waved.

"Bloody hell!" Ryou exclaimed. His reflection smiled at Ryou's word choice and raised a white eyebrow.

"I knew these weren't just normal mirrors," Malik muttered mostly to himself. He carefully studied the refection, making sure he didn't get too close in case the image in the glass could physically do something to him. He heard Ryou gasp sharply and a hand suddenly and roughly grabbed his arm. Malik turned to retaliate at the sudden motion and found the image in the mirror no longer reflected Ryou. His were eyes sharper, his hair wilder. Malik's mind raced as he gazed at the unfaltering, sneering face of Bakura. He turned abruptly to his reflection. The evil leer of Marik mockingly regarded him. Ryou and Malik's mouths dropped as they stared into the faces of their darker halves.

"Perfect. The one thing that I actually was happy about being without in the dreaded place has returned." Malik growled.

Mirror Marik's smile widened.

Ryou ripped his eyes from the glass, refusing to look at his darker half. Mirror Bakura kept his gaze on Ryou, watching him like a cat watches its prey. Just watched.

Malik, on the other hand, could not take his eyes off Marik. He glared at him with such loathing and hate the glass should have shattered. Behind that detestation, however, was fear. Malik hated Marik with all of his heart, but he also feared his darker half. But he kept that to himself and glowered at the reflection. Mirror Marik stared right back, his pupil-less eyes unreadable, a lazy, crazed smile on his face.

A long, uncomfortable silence settled as the two teens walked, their reflections watching and waiting.

"I really can't wait to get out of this place," Malik muttered to Ryou, never turning his eyes from the glass.

Ryou kept his face forward, his eyes betraying his otherwise stoic expression. "You have no idea how much I agree."

Malik finally shifted his eyes from his reflection and glanced over at Mirror Bakura who turned his eyes at Malik. "At least they can't talk."

Bakura's devilish smile broadened. "What makes you say that?"

The teens stopped in their tracks and glanced at each other.

"Oh great," Malik exhaled angrily. "Just what I need."

"Mirror, mirror reflecting as you stroll, we peer so deep into your soul. You look for you but now you see, your Yami Malik, your evil me." Mirror Marik grinned lazily, happy with the little rhyme. "Clever, aren't I?"

Malik curled his lip and ignored his darker half's comment.

"Oh, we can't harm you."

"Psychologically you can," Malik mumbled under his breath.

Mirror Marik either did not hear him or disregarded what he said. He fixed his eyes on the adjacent mirror, his smile hinting a bit more on the insane side as he looked at Bakura. "Long time, no see."

Mirror Bakura stared defiantly at the twisted man in the reflection and barked something in Ancient Egyptian. Whatever it was must have been extraordinarily rude because Malik flinched—with a slight smile—and Marik's grin dropped.

"You have a very colorful tongue." Marik said in a clipped, monotone voice.

"Bite me."

Ryou and Malik once more glanced at each other, one wearing a look of amused nervousness, the other of loathing fright. The end of the corridor of mirrors suddenly seemed copiously longer, and both were thinking the same thing: get us out of here.

If only the Shadow Realm worked at will.

"Why exactly—ow, Ryou that hurts—are you here?" Malik inquired, rubbing the spot on his arm Ryou grabbed. "How can you be here?"

"Technically, we aren't really 'here.'" Bakura answered in a bored tone. "We're in your head."

"Get out."

A sarcastic smile. "I wish we could." His eyes narrowed as he watched the two hikaris. "Until you leave the Hall of Mirrors, you are stuck with us." His smile darkened momentarily before he frowned. "Not a very creative name if you ask me." His eyed flickered over to Ryou and a slight, satisfied smile crossed his lips.

Ryou wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Yes, the Shadow Realm was horrifying, awful, and spine chilling and he felt lost and hopeless, but he also had Malik—who probably felt the same way even though he had further experience and knew a great amount more. Nevertheless, the Spirit was not there. For the first time in a very long time, he was free. And he was happy. Then he showed up again—in a mirror, nonetheless—and Ryou was trapped once more, a skylark locked in a cage.

He clenched his fists and staggered a sigh. "Why won't you leave me alone for once?" He whispered in a pained voice, directing his question to his reflection but his eyes never leaving the floor.

Mirror Bakura's smile was cruel. "Poor, Yadonushi. My presence is just making him writhe."

Indeed, Ryou was squirming. Two face-to-face encounters with the Spirit in such a short time was a little much for him. He mustered up the courage to look at the Spirit's eyes, feeling the red irises boring into his brown eyes. "Just… go. Leave… leave me be."

"I wish I could," he answered mockingly, laughing cruelly. His eyes moved a second to the opposing mirror, glowering at Marik who slothfully observed the two of them. Malik heeded his darker half no attention at this point. "I really do. But your discomfort and fretfulness are just too much fun to watch." His blood red eyes shined with a twisted light. Ryou couldn't shake him.

Without taking his eyes off Mirror Bakura, Marik turned his head in Malik's direction. "Hello, little light."

Malik ignored him.

Marik clicked his tongue. "So cruel to me? Why little light? Why Malik-dear? I helped you get to where you are today! Look at you! Look at us! Our goal is almost completed!"

Malik tightened his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists to release his anger.

"Of course," Mirror Marik beamed at him, the usually happy look creepy and fake. "You wouldn't have been able to do any of this without me."

Malik shut his eyes and continued walking forward. Clench, unclench… clench, unclench…

"Thank you so much for my body, weaker half." The warped reflection giggled.

Malik finally cracked. "Weaker half my ass!" he yelled angrily. "That's my body you fucking son of a bitch!"

Marik's indolent grin widened to something humanly impossible. "Since you released me," he said slowly, glancing down at his fingernails. "I guess that makes you," his chaotic eyes snapped up to meet Malik's lavender eyes, "the bitch."

Malik suddenly stopped walking.

Ryou paused and looked worriedly at his friend.

Bakura silently watched the yami and hikari face off in spiritless amusement.

Marik waited.

And Malik began to shake. Too many years of listening to a voice in his head. All the pent up anger and frustration inside him was released in one hard swift punch aimed at the mirror. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces, the crashing sound echoing down the path, millions of tiny shards shining in an unknown light like diamonds. A black hole of misty shadows swirled where the mirror once stood.

Malik wiped the blood dripping down his knuckles on his pants, taking a moment to let the rest of the anger leave. "That… was very satisfying." He laughed, long and loud, before breathing a sigh of relief. "I needed that." He moved his gaze to where the mirror once stood and cocked an eyebrow. "I… think… I found our ticket out of here." He tested the inky black shadows with his foot, watching curiously as it disappeared.

An ominous silence hung in the air before the first tremor started. Then another. Soon the whole hallway was shaking.

"An earthquake?" Ryou asked Malik.

Malik shook his head and watched as the first mirror cracked, exploded, and broke. Ryou yelped as a shaving of glass cut his pale cheek, the small line of red pooling. The whole hall was collapsing, shards of the reflective glass soaring everywhere as each mirror splintered.

"I'll see you soon enough, Landlord," Bakura's harsh laughter was cut short when the mirror fragmentized, breaking into a million little shards.

"C'mon!" Ryou grabbed Malik's arm and dragged him into the shadows, the sound of breaking glass fading in the back.

/…\

Caverns were very pesky things in Bakura's opinion. That is just where that door led him, a golden cavern, and the weathered bricks stretching miles above him. Fog misted and churned at his feet, the dark purple clouds flashing like lightning every once in awhile. Staircases randomly floated around, melting into the floor and walls. Suddenly, the ground collapsed under him and Bakura found himself falling into an eternal pit of black.

/…\

Relief washed over Ryou as the shadows curled around the two teen boys, carrying them to another part of the Shadow Realm. The black vortex dropped them into a pit of grey fog. When they stood up, they sighed, thankful no mirrors were in sight. The shadows here were calmer, slinking around slowly on the ground. The fog wasn't as thick and Ryou could see the ground thirty feet ahead of him. A Harpy Lady Duel Spirit floated in. She cried out a sorrowful sound and sped off.

"I hate to say this," Ryou started, ire and malice creeping into his voice, "but I think the only way we are going to escape is if we find my darker half. I feel he will know how to get out, and he can't do anything without… me."

Malik looked at him slowly. He saw how Ryou struggled with this idea, how he struggled with the fact that they needed Bakura. Malik's Shadow Magic was limited, and he didn't even know if Ryou could do any. He nodded in agreement and the two walked forward in determination. Who knew how long the Pharaoh would take to destroy Marik? They couldn't wait to find out.

Ryou stretched him arms, cherishing his limited freedom once again.

/…\

Somewhere in the darkest part of the Shadow Realm, a crackle of blue and green light flashed, revealing monsters that lurked in the darkness. The lights changed and crackled, like someone was casting spells at whim.

A figure in the distance watched, a shadow curling around its arm. It caressed the shadow like a pet. A sudden peal of laughter echoed around and the figure sighed.

"Murzix, you haven't changed."


AND NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA WHO THESE PEEPS ARE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

You have no idea how happy they make me.

Much didn't change except for the end and some add ins.

Review?

Over and out,

Mahersal