Bakura: *sweatdrops* Get on with it!

WSJ: ^_^ Otay! Please excuse the typos... It's a little late... *sweatdrops* And me with an algebra quiz tomorrow...

Attention *sweatdrops* I need some translating help for later in the story. I need a good, online, and above all, free resourse that can reliably translate English into Egyptain/Arabic/Aramic. I've found a couple websites that do it, but whatever I ask them to translate comes out in their wiggly little characters that I call psudo-elvish. Those don't help me at all, since they're impossible to copy and even more impossible to type. Anyone have a site that'll translate into English script? Like spoken Arabian spelled out in English letters? Or can any of you do it yourselves? I really need it! It's only two senences for crying out loud, and I'll have to change the entire plot of the story if I can't get it! *wails* I could translate it into Japanese, but that wouldn't work as well or be as cool as if I did it in Arabic!!! And now I'm rambling, so I might as well shut up... -.-;

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Chapter 8 -- Bakura's Explinations: Mokuba Gets Revenge!

~Joey's POV~

I stared in shock at Malik and Yugi. "No way Kaiba's dead... He jus' can't be..." My mind flashed back over countless duels, countless fights, countless times we'd disagreed... Was I actually gonna miss him? Well, maybe not the part about him calling me a chihuaua...

Yugi looked at me with mild shock on his face. "Joey, you're crying!"

With surprise I noted that I was. "Yug', we jus' gotta help! Kaiba tried, I guess, and that demon got to 'im! It all ties together! The demon, Ryou, and Kaiba, your yamis too! It's all one big mess and I plan to get right in the middle of it!" I smacked my fist into the palm of my other hand and growled. "I gotta idea, but it'll be dangerous."

Yugi and Malik looked at each other, apparently a little surprised at my rant. They probably thought I was losing it. Maybe I was! Then they turned back to me and nodded solemly. "What's your idea Joey?" Yugi asked.

I swallowed. "Weeeell... If one a' you two would be brave enough to go into your yami's soul room, there jus' might be som'in in there we could use. I wish I could help more but... eh heh... Slight lack of evil spirits in my body..."

Malik and Yugi looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Oh sure, come up with a plan that makes us do all the dirty work..." Malik muttered.

I glared at him. "What was that?"

"You heard me!"

"Watch it blondie!"

"Well you're one to talk!"

"Stop it!!!" Yugi yelled, pushing in between us. "Just stop! I'll do it!"

Malik paused for a moment, and then nodded. "If Yugi will, then so will I."

Yugi smiled at him gratfully, then turned back to me. "Joey, you stay out here and make sure nothing goes wrong. If one of us looks like we're getting *cough* lost in our own minds, then slap us. Hard. Make sure we 'wake up'."

I grinned and wiggled my fingers at Malik. "Oh, I'll make sure you're all right, all right..."

Malik shot me a glare. "No unnecessary slapping or I will personally pull every hair on that head out of your scalp by its root."

I rolled my eyes and cowered in mock-terror. "Oh help me Yugi! Save me!"

Malik growled and tightened his grip on the Rod slightly. I flinched a little and Yugi possitioned himself between us again. "Guys, this is no time for jokes! Kaiba's dead, our yamis are probably about to follow and Ryou's getting worse by the moment! Will you stop acting like two-year-olds and help here?!?"

Malik paled at the mention of his yami and I lowered my head a little in shame. "Sorry Yug', you're right." I held my hand out to Malik, who seemed more then a little surprised. "Truce?"

He scowled and took my hand grudginly. "Temporarily."

Yugi smiled at the both of us, though I could see the pain and fear in his eyes. "All right then. Let's go." He and Malik sat down side-by-side on the floor and I noticed for the first time that Malik was only wearing a pair of boxers and a bathrobe that was too big for him. I started to comment, but desided better of it.

Yugi and Malik began to space out, and I leaned back against the couch, shivering slightly as Ryou's deathly cold hand brushed the back of my neck. Wait a sec, deathly cold?!?

Eyes wide, I spun around a put my hand near his nose. Nothing. I checked his pulse. Again, nothing.

Paniking I cast a glance over at Yugi and Malik, who were totally out of it. I considered slapping them, but desided that if they were going to find something that might help, even now, it was worth leaving them alone.

Swallowing hard I turned back to Ryou. "Aw man, com'on... Ryou you can't go an' die on me too..." Desperate, I tried to remember what Serenity had taught me about first aid. I shrunk back at the prospect of mouth-to-mouth, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

I took a deep breath and leaned over my fallen friend, muttering as I did "Forgive me Ryou..."

~Yami-Malik's POV~ (And the moment you've all been waiting for!)

Yami and I watched in horror as Kaiba dropped away from the window. "Nooo!!!!!!!!" There was no way we could save him now. We didn't have the levetation powers of the Shadow Realm that Kuroi did.

But that didn't mean we were helpless.

In a fit of rage I threw out my hands and a bright lavendar glow filled them. I launched the pure darkness energy at Kuroi and sent him crashing back into the wall.

I had no fear of harming Bakura's body. After all, it wasn't really a body at all, not in the living, breathing sence. It could feel pain and it could bleed, a fact I was very thankful of at the moment, but other then that it was not alive and was merely metaphysical. Even if I totally destroyed it, all Bakura would have to do was enter the Ring and then re-emmerge to "get" a new one.

A sharp golden glow caught the corner of my eye and I saw Yami getting ready to throw energy at Kuroi as well. I powered up for a second blast just as Kuroi was getting up after my first one.

The lavendar and gold balls of pure energy smacked into him at the same time, and we had the saticfaction of hearing him scream in pain. I was about to launch a third ball of energy at him when Kuroi was suddenly engulfed in a miniature black whirlwind.

I let the energy I had gathered bleed off into the air as I stared at the bloodied Kuroi in shock. I glanced to my right and saw Yami with a similar expression on his face.

Mokuba Kaiba was attacking Kuroi, tears rolling down his face one after the other. He was shaking so badly I was surprised he could even stand, let alone hurt anything. But nevertheless, his fists, though small, were pummeling at Kuroi, who seemed too shocked momentarily to move.

Yami, a sorrowful look on his face, moved forward and gently pulled Mokuba off of the demon, easily lifting the boy into his arms. Mokuba went stiff, and then limp, like a rag doll, and began to sob on Yami's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter." Kuroi wheezed, a crazed smile on his face. "The Locking Rituals are about to begin. It won't matter that you've beaten me! You lost Seto Kaiba and you are about to lose Ryou Bakura! Still think you're so high and mighty Pharoah?"

Yami just looked at him, and I swear to this day that there were tears in his eyes as he gently rubbed Mokuba's back. He looked almost heart-broken for a moment, and then turned away. I had to strain to hear him whisper "Mind crush."

Kuroi went completely limp, and after a moment the matter of his "body" became unstable and he faded away. Yami stood near the shattered window, still holding Mokuba, whose sobs had been reduced instead to hysterical hiccupping. "N-nii-sama..." I heard him whimper.

"What are you doing here?" Yami asked gently.

"I-I was coming to bring Nii-sama his lunch. He forgot it. And then I heard the crash, and I saw-I saw h-him-" He broke into tears again and Yami patted his hair. "It's all right Mokuba, it'll be all right."

I put a hand on Yami's shoulder and realised for the first time there were tears in my eyes, for reasons I still don't entirly know. "Come," I said gently, steering the Pharoah back toward the door. "There will be guards coming soon."

Yami nodded and started to lower Mokuba to the ground, but the Kaiba heir held on tighter and burried his face in Yami's shoulder. "Please don't leave me," he whispered chokingly.

Yami nodded and straitened back up. "All right Mokuba, we'll take you with us back to Ryou's." The expression on his face was one I almost felt privilaged to see. His eyes were tender, and almost motherly. I'd only ever seen his face like that when Yugi was near.

"Come on," he said, this time bringing me out of my thoughts. "We'd better go."

We headed down the stairs, avoiding the security easily, as they were going up and we were headed down. Mokuba somehow fell asleep in Yami's arms, and I carried him for a bit after that because Yami began to complain his arms were falling asleep.

As we stepped out of the back entrence into Kaiba Corp (the front was roped off with police tape and crowded with curious spectators and besides, we didn't want to have to see Kaiba's body) I felt a slight pressure in my mind and raised and eyebrow. *Aibou, what are you doing in my soulroom?*

Mentally I felt Malik jump. ^Just looking for anything that can help us with Ryou! He's getting worse.^

I thought for a moment. *Third door on the left, second shelf up from the ground. Take the scrolls there and then get out of my head!*

I felt Malik chuckle slightly, despite the tensity of the situation. ^Yes sir!^

"Malik's looking for anything in my soulroom that might help us with Ryou." I reported to Yami as the two of us began to jog back towards Ryou's house, Mokuba on my back, sound asleep.

He nodded. "Yugi is too. He says that Joey's there with them and they have told him what happened. And they know Kaiba's dead."

I nodded solenmly. "'Kay. Now will you take Mokuba back? This kid's heavier then he looks."

Yami gave me a slightly watery smile and lifted the kid from my back. "Sure thing Ishtar."

I blinked at him as we neared the Bakura household. "You actually called me by name!"

Yami looked surprised. "I did, didn't I..."

To door was unlocked and I pushed it open, still half-turned to talk with Yami. I turned back around and my jaw dropped. "Joey?!?"

Joey jerked and looked up from his "passionate kiss" with Ryou's still form. Instead of becoming indignant, as he usually would, he looked vaugly releived. "Yami! Yami-Malik! Ryou ain't breathin' and I can't feel 'is 'eart beatin'!"

Yami and I looked at each other, shock regestering on both our faces as on the ground next to Joey our hikaris began to come out of their traces. Yami dumped Mokuba onto Yugi's lap and kneeled down next to Ryou, placing his ear to Ryou's chest. After a moment he let out a releived sigh and sat up, but there was worry on his face. "It's there, but faint. It has begun."

~Bakura's POV~

When I next came to I was lying flat on the cold stone floor of the Shadow Realm. Pegasus and Jonathon were kneeling on either side of me. I groaned slightly and managed to raise myself to my elbows, looking back and forth from one to the other, and then to the gold bubble surrounding us. "The heck? I've got the Eye in Ryou's top dresser drawer. What's protecting us?"

Pegasus tucked his hair behind his ears, showing me that where the Millenium Eye had been there was indeed still an eye. But it was dull and glassy, and after my recent experiences with my hikari I readily identified it as blind. The other eye, however, seemed normal.

Everyone thought that when the Millenium Eye was stolen Pegasus had eventually died without the magical properties of a Millenium Item to heal the loss of an eye. But everyone was wrong. I'd sent him to the Shadow Realm and then carved the Eye from his soulless body. Now I was slightly glad that I hadn't killed him.

"This," Jonathon said, and held up, of all things, the Millenium Ankh.

I blinked. "I thought I was the theif of the family Jonathon. How'd you get that away from Shaadi?"

He shook his head. "I didn't. He gave it to me. Something about the strain of two Millenium Items being too much."

"Speaking of strain..." I looked around and was releived to see Ryou lying a few feet away, the Ring on its broken cord beside him. "What's wrong with him..." I muttered, frustrated.

Pegasus and Jonathon exchanged looks and shrugged. "We don't know." Jonathon said. "You're the almighty Spirit of the Ring."

I frowned and resisted the erge to smack my older twin. "Enough sarcasm. I wish I knew what was happening..."

"And so you will."

The three of us turned toward the new voice and were amazed to see a woman standing behind us. She looked vaugly like the Mystic Elf, and a little bit like the Ties of Friendship. Her skin was light blue, her hair long and sea green. Two angel wings floated behind her. She was dressed in a long robe a shade darker then her skin. She smirked at us, and I caught the glimmer of fangs.

"The time has come for the Locking Rituals. We are in need of a pure heart. And so we have chosen."

She raised her arm to point at Ryou and I felt my eyes widen. "No!" I tried to get to my feet to leap on her, but I suddenly found myself held down by two Duel Monsters, the real ones that we used in my day, on either side of me. The Flame Swordsman gripped my right arm, and the Cyber Commander held onto my left. Mentally, I reminded myself to kill Joey and Tristan if I ever got out of this. I looked around frantically and saw Pegasus and Jonathon similarly restrained.

"No! R-Ryou!" I struggled against the grips of my captures, but to no avail. They simply held on tighter. I watched in horror as the woman advanced to stand in front of my hikari. She bent down and picked up the Millenium Ring. She considered it for a moment, and then tossed it into the shadows. I heard it clink as it rolled away, but at the moment I didn't care.

The woman gathered Ryou into her arms and lifted him with no more effort then if he had been a paper doll. She nodded at the Duel Monsters to bring us along as she started down the hallways.

"Where are you taking us?" Jonathon demanded.

The lady looked back over her shoulder and smirked. "Why, to the ritual chamber. Of course."

"Who are you?" was Pegasus's question. I stayed silent.

"My name is Briar-Rose. I am preistess of the Shadow Realm in my beloved's absence. But he has finally returned to us and shall perform the Locking Ritual on your friend here. You should feel honored that the great preist Seth is attending to you."

Within a few minutes the corridor ahead of us opened up into a huge room. The ceiling soared away into darkness. Hiroglyphics were carved into the walls. I chose not to read them, not out of ignorence but out of a desire for self-preservation. I did not want to know what they said.

In the center of the room stood a stone alter, lined in gold. That did not surprise me. In a place called the ritual chamber you expected there to be some sort of alter. No, what surprised me was the man standing behind it, dressed in deep blue robes that reminded me of the Dark Magician's, minus the hat.

Apparently, he surprised Pegasus too. "Seto Kaiba?"

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WSJ: ^_^ Yay! Chapter 8! *jumps around happily* Hurrah! Many reviews please!

Kaiba: *sweatdrops* Dark Magician...? He has no fasion sense! No trench coat either... *pouts*

WSJ: *conjures up the DM's staff and whaps him on the back of the head* Don't you dare diss DM! He's my favorite Duel Monster ever! Well, actually, it's a tie between Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Celtic Guardian... But what the hey!

Kaiba: *rubs the back of his head gingerly* Itai... I think you cracked something...

WSJ: *raises an eyebrow* What do you care? You're dead.

Kaiba: *growls* Don't remind me! What do you want with me?!?

WSJ: *giggles evilly, sounding disturbingly like Weevil* Two words. "Yami Mokuba".

Kaiba: *pales* You wouldn't!

WSJ: *grins sadisticly* I could and I probably will. In two, maybe three chapters. *snickers*

Kaiba: *facefaults* Oh help...

Chapter 9: The Locking Rituals begin, with Kaiba as the instigator! Bakura is powerless to stop him, but what you can't stop you should sabatoge, right? But as Kaiba (version brainwashed) comes towards an unconcious Ryou with a dagger held at ready, can Bakura do anything?

Meanwhile, Yami and Yami-Malik pour over ancient scrolls, seeking a way to help, any way to help!

As time creeps closer and closer to the moment of truth, the universe seems to focus in on Domino City. Tea, Tristan and Isis show up at the Bakura houshold as well. Isis has an idea... But will it work?

God bless minna-san!