Ranma: *snorts at her from his possition flipping through her drawings* What now?

WSJ: I'm rather annoyed right now. I did great in the contest! I know I did! But I won nothing!!! Zip! In fact, one of the judges actually wrote that my work was 'too dark'!!!! You guys don't care if it's dark, do ya'? AND, since I was gone all day, I put in a tape to tape the new episodes of YGO, and I just found out that IT DIDN'T RECORD!!!! I was looking forward to watching them this afternoon to get over my disappointment about the contest!!!!!!!

Ranma: *lets her rant* Uh huh. And what else?

WSJ: *throws her hands up in frustration and continues to pace* My muses! I just got them back, and they've run off again, taking Ryou and Bakura and Malik with them!!!

Ranma: *groans* Great, so that's why I've been struck with temporary muse-duty... Any evidence? I don't want to be here any longer then I have to be...

WSJ: *hands him a note in Fiore's handwriting* Only this.

Ranma: *reading out loud* 'Stop writing this thing right now. You're giving Dark Magicians everywhere a bad name. Sorry, but I'm leaving and taking everyone with me until you fix things. ~Fiore' What's he talkin' about 'SJ?

WSJ: *shakes her head* This chapter. He's mad at me. I'm pretty sure Elyssa and Alex are still around though, just hiding in case he comes back for a repeat of last night's fight. *winces* K'so, those Dark Magic Attacks of his hurt...

Ranma: *blinks* So why aren't you an oozing mess?

WSJ: *grins* I had cold water on hand. Being cursed as an Amazon does have its advantages, bad grammer nonwithstanding. Those bonbori pack a good punch! Anyway, on to the story. Give me good reviews! Assure Fiore that you still love him so that he'll bring Ryou and the others back! I need them! *pleades*

Ryoga: *wanders through to read the disclaimer* SJ-chan doesn't own YGO. Nor Ranma and I. She only owns Briar-Rose and the Council of Five.

WSJ: *stops and turns to the audience* Hey, I've got a question for all you nice reviewer peoples. *takes a deep breath* What the hell makes this trilogy so good in you eyes?! I mean, there have to be hundreds of Bakura-tortures-Ryou fics. I've only seen three over the one-hundred review mark, VotH and its sequels, Mutilation (White Angel) and its sequel, and Impacting Pain (ShadowSpirit) and its sequel. What makes this story (and those other two) so different from the rest?

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Sacrifice of Shadows

Chapter 7 -- Hostage

"A M-man-Eater Bug?" Joey asked, flinching away from the shadows. "Let it eat you Bakura, I've already been through that gig!"

Ryou looked horrified for a moment, until Bakura chuckled tightly and put a hand on the telepath's shoulder. "That's right, you weren't there for that, were you Ryou? I'll tell you later."

"So what do we do?" Joey asked.

Bakura gave him an exhasperated look, pulling Ryou's, now his, deck out of his pocket. "Joey no baka! Summon a monster!"

"Wait!" Ryou yelled. "If you summon something, the Man-Eater'll just destroy it! And I don't know if I have the strength to sheild anyone or anything else right now."

Bakura frowned. "Actually aibou, any monster summoned is taken from the summoner's life force, so it shouldn't effect you. But you're right about the Man-Eater."

"Of course! I have, after all, been using that card for years."

"So what'a we do?" Joey asked again as a heavy footstep sounded in the darkness.

Ryou pulled at Bakura's arm. "Change of Heart. Then a monster to destroy it."

Bakura's face lit up. "Of course! I'm an idiot!" He drew the needed card from the deck and held it over his head. "I summon the Change of Heart! Get that Bug under control!" The angel/demon appeared, and flew into the shadows. A moment later the Man-Eater Bug, manner much subdued, stepped into the light.

Joey grinned as he drew a card of his own. "All right then! Let's get ready to rumble! Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The dragon appeared and let out a burst of flame, insinerating the helpless Bug. The Change of Heart and Red Eyes both retreated to their respective cards, and, forgetting themselves for a moment, Joey and Bakura slapped each other a high-five.

A sudden, strangled cry from behind them caused them to whirl around. A Dark Magician, one that looked a lot different then Yugi's, was standing behind them, a wicked smirk on his face. One of his arms was wrapped around Ryou's neck to prevent escape, and the other held his staff, the end crackling with electricity, near Ryou's face.

The Dark Magician was dressed in robes much like those of Yugi's DM, but they were done in red and black, instead of purple. His skin had a slick look to it, and his hair was long and light blue in color. His eyes were slanted, and bright green. When he smirked, fangs glimmered in the glow Ryou was still giving off.

"Ryou!"

"You let him go!"

To the surprise of both Joey and Bakura, the Dark Magician spoke. "I doubt very much that that shall be happening anytime soon, you little intruders. Briar-Rose has requested that this one be delivered to her to do with as she pleases. You two will be put to death. As soon as the Locking Rituals are completed."

"Briar-Rose again..." Bakura growled, his fisted clenched. "What does she want with my aibou?"

"Apparently," the DM said in a rather bored tone. "She has taken quite a fancy to him. I assume she wants him as her mate. I really don't care, personally."

"Never!" Ryou gasped out, doing his best to keep breathing around the choke-hold the DM had him in. "I'll never do that! And let my friends go!"

The DM chuckled. "I do believe that that is rather impossible. You see, although I am of a higher ranking then Briar-Rose herself, Lais has ordered that we have to listen to her." the DM pouted slightly. "So I really have no say in it."

"Lais?" Joey asked. "Who the hell?"

"Our leader," the DM said, his green eyes sliding to look at Joey. "Some of you would know him as the Witty Phantom. I am known as Firas, one of the Council of Five. Come now, my brethren await you in the Council Chamber."

"Hell no," Bakura said, crossing his arms. "I'm not moving until you let Ryou go!"

Firas sighed dramaticly and rolled his eyes, then smirked again, wider then before. "It is not smart to oppose me," he hissed. "When I hold the lives of your aibou, and your," his eyes slid again to Joey, "Sister in my very hands. One more literally then the other." He grinned sadisticly and moved his staff to touch Ryou's cheek, sending a bolt of electricity rippling through the telepath's body.

Ryou's mouth opened in a silent scream of pain, his back arching and his muscles spasming involentarily. He went limp, and for a moment the aura around him flickered. As soon as Firas had pulled his staff away, a nasty burn began to form on Ryou's cheek. The Blind One's breathing was shallow, and it looked like it hurt for him even to do that.

"KISSAMA!" Bakura yelled, his fists clenched so tightly that his fingernails were beginning to cut into his palms. He was trembling in rage, and Joey took a firm hold on the ex-spirit's shoulders to make sure he didn't try anything stupid.

Firas smirked and made to touch his staff to Ryou again. "Ah ah Bekhura, wouldn't want to make me mad, now would you?" He looked up and past them, into the shadows behind them. "Jalila, Rigel, take them."

Joey whirled around and found himself facing a Celtic Guardian and a Magician of Faith. But these two, like Firas, didn't look quite right. The Celtic Guardian's hair was much darker then usual, and was dressed in dark browns and black. His eyes were steel grey. The Magician of Faith had hair that was flame red, and eyes that were a heartless green-blue. She too, was dressed in dark colours, grey and royal blue.

Even as the Magician of Faith, Jalila, cast a spell over Joey so he could not run or fight, the Celtic Guardian, Rigel, pulled his sword with a mind to hold it at Bakura's throat.

"No need for that Rigel," Firas assured him with a smirk, watching with pleasure the way that Bakura trembled with surpressed rage, unable to do anything. "As long as I hold this little one, he won't try anything."

Rigel grinned as he slid his sword back into its sheath and grabbed Bakura's left arm, twisting it around behind him. "So this is one of those yami/hikari pairs that Brair-Rose warned us about? I wonder how they escaped her spell..."

"Because Briar-Rose is an idiot," Jalila spat, dragging Joey behind her as she walked over. "I knew she was casting it wrong, but would she listen to me? Noooo..."

"Can it Jal'," Firas warned. "We know you don't like her. But she and Lias gave us our orders, and we have to follow them. Now lets get this overwith. Rimah may need our help with those other two who were giving us trouble earlier."

Bakura's ears perked up at this. Other two? If they were who he thought they were, then maybe all was not lost afterall. He was so deep in his thoughts, that at first he didn't notice that Rigel and Jalila were taking him and Joey down a different fork of hallway then where Firas was carrying Ryou.

"Where are you taking him?!" he yelled in a panic.

Firas turned, a nasty grin across his face. "To Mistress Briar-Rose's bed chambers, of course. Do not worry, the cells where you are being taken are sheilded, so you don't have to worry your pathetic mortal head about being drained. And your stay will be short, after all. As soon as the Locking Rituals are finished, you're going to be killed." With that, he turned and continued to walk, dispite Bakura's desperate cries from behind him. The last thing Firas heard of them before they entered the sheilded detention block was the sound of a very annoyed Rigel drawing his sword.

Firas took Ryou to Briar-Rose's chambers, and threw the telepath unceremoniously to the ground, a delighted smirk playing across his features. Briar-Rose had said she wanted the blind white-haired one. She didn't say in how many peices. Like Jalila, Firas really didn't like the over-confident, pompous preistess.

The evil Dark Magician let himself chuckle, and raised his staff.

~*~

Bakura was thrown roughly into a bare stone jail cell, Joey tossed in on top of him. He growled and pushed the still-paralyzed blond off of him, scrambling toward the door just as it closed.

Outside, Rigel and Jalila were talking to a Harpy Lady, apparently this 'Rimah' they had spoke of. She, like her fellows, looked like no Duel Monster Bakura had ever seen. Her hair was long and gold, and she actually looked a bit like Mai.

Past the three Elders, he could see the door to the cell across the hall from his, and was startled to see a pair of eyes staring through the food slot back at him. Green eyes. Ones he knew.

The green eyes widened as they recognised Bakura's own brown ones, and the owner of the green eyes jerked his head toward the three chattign Duel Monsters (if that was what Rigel, Jalila, and Rimah really were). Bakura indicated he didn't know what to do about them.

However, the problem solved itself when the three apparently decided to go see if they had any new orders, and left the detention block. Bakura opened his mouth to saw something to the green eyes, when behind him Joey groaned as the effects of Jalila's spell began to wear off. Bakura ignored him for the moment. "Jonathon?" he asked in a stage whisper.

"I thought it was you," came his twin's voice back to him from across the hall. "What are you doing back here?"

"What else, the Locking Rituals. This time they want a friend of mine and Ryou's, Serenity Wheeler. We're on a rescue mission, but we managed to blow it,"

"Well, what else is new?" Jonathon asked.

Bakura was about to yell at him for that when a new voice entered the conversation. "Serenity Wheeler? Joey-boy's young sister?"

Bakura groaned at the voice, not sure whether to be thankful or not. "Yes Pegasus, Joey's little sister."

"I saw her as they dragged us in,"

Joey sat bolt upright, shaking off the last effects of the paralysis. "You did? Is she okay? Can we get to her?"

"Hello to you too Joey-boy," Pegasus said dryly. "She appeared to be fine, but under some sort of hypnotism. If we could get out of these cells, we could probably grab her and you four could get out of here before anyone even noticed."

"Not that easy," Bakura said, his voice sad. "They took Ryou. He's someplace else."

"Well now," Jonathon said. "That would be bad. So what do we do?"

"We make a break for it," Joey spoke up. "Grab my sister and hunt for Ryou. Why not? Playin' it by ear's worked before."

"Right then. So... How do we get out?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Duh. Shadow Powers."

"But you're not a yami anymore," Joey pointed out.

"So? Doesn't mean I don't have Shadow Powers. Stand back from the door you guys, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

()()()()()

WSJ: *pants at the sheer longness of this chapter* Hey, if anyone's in the mood for a little humor after this bit of angst, go read my new story Aw, Nuts! It's a parody of all the millions of Bakura-beats-Ryou fics, including my own. ^_^ Onegai? I'd really like your imput on it. Brood, you should definatly read it. You'll love it. ^__^ It reminds me of something Zutsokaki might write...

Chapter 8: Bakura, Joey, Jonathon, and Pegasus institue their break-out plan, grab Serenity, and run. But they're having a bit of a hard time finding Ryou...

God bless minna-san!