Ryou: *sweatdrops* What now?

WSJ: *growls* The Child Who Suffers is 85KB and counting!!! This is harder then I thought... I'm going to have to do a whole bunch of research on the adoption process, court trials for child abuse cases, ect. I could just skip over the court scene, but I dun' wanna! I have a really cute peice of fluff in the works to go in that scene!!! *sighs* I both love and hate working on that peice. I want to print it out and have it framed, and at the same time I want to delete it out of pure aggrivation!!! It is, it is my precioussss... *blinks* Oi vey...

Bakura: *munching on a stale candy cane* So, if it's so much work, what are you doing here? Why not write it and get it over with?

WSJ: *rolls her eyes* It's not that easy. Like I said, I have research to do. *laughs suddenly* Who would have thought! I'm actually updating SoS to releive stress! Usually, SoS is causing me the stress! *shakes her head in amusment* I say it again, oi vey...

Disclaimer: No own. Cry cry weep. 7

WSJ: Hey, has anyone out there ever heard of Dollz Mania? It's this really nifty site where you can create your own little dolls... I'm addicted. *grins* So far I've done Isis, Seto, Tea, two of Mai, female Malik, female Bakura and female Ryou. *sweatdrops* Ryou looks hot, even in girl-form...

Ryou: 0.o *backs away slowly*

WSJ: ^-^ Anyway minna-san, here's chapter 4!

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Sacrifice of Shadows

Chapter 4 -- My Sister's Keeper

Two hours later, Isis, Bakura, Ryou, Joey, Tristan, and Tea were sitting around the kitchen table in the Bakura house. Yugi, Serenity, Malik, and Kaiba had each been put into a bed upstairs. Isis was forcing the group to eat, although none of them much felt like it.

"So... You're a psycic, Ryou?" Tristan asked, his eyes wide.

Ryou nodded. "Hai, a telepath," He blinked, and turned suddenly to Bakura. "I spoke to Shaadi. He is fine, but the Ankh and Scale won't work for him, just like the rest of them won't work for us,"

There was a breif flash of anger across Bakura's face. "You spoke to Shaadi? Mentally?! How could you exhert yourself like that! You know we need your gifts to take you and I to the Shadow Realm and back! You wasted energy needlessly!"

"I did not!" Ryou jumped to his feet, his white aura springing up around him. "We needed to know what had happened to the Ankh and Scale. Now we know. I am fine! You and I will be able to get to the Shadow Realm, so stop worrying over me Bakura!"

Before anyone could move or react, Bakura had raised his hand and slapped Ryou across the face, his eyes shining in surpressed rage. "It's my sharding job to worry over you! I'm the one who has to make sure you don't get hurt! That you don't waste too much energy by unnecissarily using your powers! I won't lose you Ryou, not again!"

Ryou slowly raised his hand to his cheek, which was quickly becoming red. His eyes were wide in disbelief. "You-you hit me,"

Bakura took a deep breath to compose himself. He straitened his shoulders, crossed his arms across his chest, and scowled. "I had to, you were being an idiot,"

To the others' surprise, Ryou just rolled his eyes and sat back down, Bakura grudgingly following suit. They sat in silence for a few moments, eating the cold ham and cheese that Bakura had dug out of the fridge for them.

Finally, Joey couldn't stand it any longer. He stood up and slammed his hands palms-down onto the table, his chair skittering backward. "You keep saying 'Ryou and I', 'Bakura and I'! I'm going too!"

Ryou frowned. "We went over this Joey, you are not going to the Shadow Realm,"

"I'm going!" the blond practically yelled, causing everyone except Ryou to jump. "My little sister is going to have her heart carved out by some evil preistess, and if going to the Shadow Realm is the only way to save her then you can't stop me!"

Everyone else had sort-of unconciously scooted back, leaving Ryou and Joey the center of attention. Ryou was standing calmly, regarding his friend with his head cocked slightly and a gentle expression on his face. Joey stood opposite him, his fists clenched at his sides. The blond was breathing heavily, and his shoulders were shaking a bit.

"No," Ryou said softly. "I can't stop you. But I can try. Joey, you don't know what the Shadow Realm's like! Without Millenium Items or yamis for protection, mortals are nearly helpless, and will die in a matter of hours. Unfortunatly for us at the moment, none of the Items are working! I can use my powers to sheild us, but only for a very short time!"

Joey's frown deepened. "I know that Ryou. But I still 'ave ta' go! Serenity's counting on me! What kind of big brother would I be if I left her there to die?"

Ryou's eyes drifted closed, and a breif look of regret crawled across his face. "All right Joey," he said finally. "You can come with us,"

Bakura took a step forward, his expression feirce. "Now wait just a second Ryou! Who said you could-"

"I did," was the Blind One's firm reply. Bakura scowled, but accepted his aibou's show of authority.

"Right. So now what do we do?"

Ryou extended his hands out to either side, and his aura appeared around him again. He began to float a little ways in the air. "Get ready." There was a breif flash of light, followed by the sound of three more soulless bodies hitting the tile floor.

He was trapped. Trapped in his own soulroom. He couldn't get out. And it was getting colder. Weakly he pounded against the door. "Yami," he whispered feebly. "Yami, Ryou, anyone..."

()()()()()

WSJ: ^-^ That's all for now! My grandparents'll be here in a few minutes, so I've gotta get this posted, and fast! *chuckles* Most of this is the product of overly-sweetened iced-tea and about four sticks of cinnemon gum. ^_~ All hail sugar!

Chapter 5: Bakura, Ryou, and Joey arrive in the Shadow Realm, and poor Ryou immediatly feels the strain of trying to keep all of them sheilded. Meanwhile, Tea notices something strange and rather worrysom about Yugi's unconcious body. It's... Shifting?

God bless minna-san!