Disclaimer: Don't own. Go away.

Author's Note: Yeah. I finally wrote another chapter. It only took YEARS but it was difficult to get back into the fandom, truth be told. I hope you guys enjoy this! As usual, read and review and offer inspiration!

Things happened too quickly to follow coherently.

A brilliant light enveloped the unconscious girl, jolting her awake as it threw Isis back, flinging the Egyptian woman against the creature her brother had become hard enough to knock both to the ground several feet further away. Lifting her head, Shizuka felt shrouded in millions of hands, all of them touching her, pulling, dragging, while ghostly whispers caressed her ears.

Little sister, they crooned melodically, filling her mind with images of warmth and sunlight, decaying flowers and a strange gray wash coating the world as if viewed through a dirty lens. Everything bore the touch of corruption, yet the taint was oddly beautiful. It skimmed across her skin like putrid, scented oil, clinging tenaciously in an attempt to absorb her.

Welcome home…

Come with us…

Join us, little sister…

We'll keep you safe…

And a stronger voice dripping with false affection, briefly overwhelming the others like a small explosion in her skull.

We've missed you, daughter…

Laughter tittered in the air, and her form became almost transparent, the hands growing more insistent. They crawled over her skin, beneath her clothes, pinching and bruising and piercing hard enough to draw blood, yet no wounds appeared. The feeling was maddening, and the pain moreso, as if her soul were being torn from her flesh.

"No!" Bakura cried, his Ring flaring to life. Its own sickly glow battled with the aura surrounding the redhead, and perspiration beaded across his forehead. He was too close to let this place defeat him. He couldn't say how long he warred with the presence trying to remove Shizuka from his grasp, but the battle seemed to last for centuries. People were born, grew old, and died while he stood there, eyes fixed on her ghostly form, watching her wane from transparency to solidity, wraithlike wisps dancing around her.

You can't have her, the voices hissed, though none but Shizuka could hear. She is ours…

We have waited too long…

Frightened, the girl lashed out, flailing her arms, trying to dislodge the ghostly hands that were all over her and yet weren't. Despite the Ring's power, Shizuka was steadily being drawn backwards, towards one of the walls, and the glow around her was growing stronger. The pain from the two battling over her became unbearable, as if each had one of her hands and was pulling in a separate direction, and she threw back her head and screamed.

The locket immediately grew warm, then so hot it seared her skin, pushing away both auras with something akin to a shockwave. Bright light blinded her as she screamed again, hearing her cry echoed by Bakura, wind violently whipping her hair and skin, battering her mercilessly, until she abruptly slammed into the ground. The spirit of the Ring was beside her in an instant, gathering her up in his arms and glaring at Dark Malik, who still lay stunned on the ground.

Despite how interminable the entire encounter felt, it had only lasted a matter of seconds.

"Make them be quiet," Shizuka pleaded to no one in particular, her eyes screwed tightly shut. Steadily, the voices dwindled, muffled by an invisible barrier, and Bakura gave a nearly hysterical laugh, throwing the remainder of his strength into the Ring to aid its power.

Moments later, both she and Bakura vanished.

"What happened?" he screamed as he rounded on Isis, his lavender eyes dark with rage. "What did you do?"

Confused, the woman shrank back, glancing beyond him to the spot where Dark Bakura and Shizuka had stood. "I…I didn't…"

"This is your fault!" A strong hand grasped her by the throat, slamming her back against one of the cold stone walls, slowly tightening. "You tried to kill her. You tried to take my victory away. And now look what happened!"

Isis stared up at the creature, clawing at his hand, trying to get him to let go. He only tightened his grip, as if in warning, and her lungs began to burn.

He leaned in close and snarled, eyes burning, before abruptly letting her go and shoving away to begin pacing in a precise circle. He knew he had to keep his rage in check in order to win this little game with his sister, and there was simply no point in killing her just yet. There would still be traps to trigger, obstacles to surmount, and she still had some use. Though just the thought of choking the life out of her, snapping her neck, listening to the bones break, slowly pulling her apart piece by piece…

He started laughing softly, almost a mad gibber, before growing silent again. Such pleasant thoughts, and they helped get his mind back on track. He spared a now-disinterested glance at his sister, who was clutching at the wall and gasping for breath, before stalking over to the area Bakura and his Key had been.

The ground had been scorched, and though his mind attempted to make sense of the pattern left behind, as if a hint had been left but continued to evade his eyes, he eventually had to admit defeat. Looking back towards his sister, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You know what happened." It wasn't a question so much as an accusation. No longer did he blame her – if she had such powerful magic at her disposal, she would have used it against him before ever letting him lay a finger on her – but there was no doubt in his mind that she still knew more than she was telling him. How to break that habit without breaking her...

He grinned, and darkness briefly crackled around his hand, emanating from the Rod.

"If I were you, nee-san," he said in a deceptively rational tone, "I would begin cooperating. Else shujinkaku-sama might never make it back home…"

Isis stared, her eyes wide. "What?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Perplexed innocence was difficult to feign, but he somehow managed a corrupted form of it. "I didn't destroy him entirely. Not yet, anyway. He's still here." Waving a hand absently, he continued, "He's listening, watching…feeling…"

He had never been above lying, after all.

"I could snuff out his remaining life in an instant," he drawled, snapping his fingers to drive the message home and was rewarded with a flinch. He watched the indecision in her eyes, practically tasting every path her mind was frantically racing down. She knew better than to trust him, and yet if there was any chance her precious brother was still alive, and her lack of cooperation would negatively affect him…well, she would be like a tame little bird eating out of his hand.

Or close enough. He knew Isis wouldn't take the chance if she thought her brother's life was at stake, even though she had to know that, if he wasn't lying, then at the very least, he would never allow Malik to survive. However, he mused, it would have been amusing had the darkness been powerful enough to give the boy his own body. Then the torture could have been excruciatingly beautiful, and Isis could have witnessed it all.

He shook himself. He was growing distracted, and in a place like this, he had to remain vigilant.

"Well?"

He saw the defeat before she even opened her mouth. She was swiftly interrupted, however, by whispered voices that made him shiver with delight.

He took her away…

She is ours…we must have her back…

He had no idea who was speaking, but figured that if there were sentient beings floating around who wanted the girl, they would obviously be opposed to Bakura's continued possession of her.

Which would play right into his hands.

"I can help you," he purred, and shivered again when he felt their surprise.

It hears us…

"You want the girl?" He ignored Isis, who was staring at him as if he'd sprouted wings. Clearly, the darkness was offering him another advantage. Idly, he reached down and stroked the Rod, smirking.

She is ours, stolen long ago…

Amusement tinged his voice. "Yes, yours. As it happens, I am seeking her as well." He paused, as if weighing his options, though he already knew what path to take now. "If you will help me, I will deliver her to you." After he'd had his way, of course, though that would mean the destruction of the world, so there wouldn't be anything left for these…things…to take. That didn't interest him, however; he had no intention of letting anyone else touch his Key and divert his destiny.

OURS!

His hand clenched around the Rod, and then relaxed. "Aid me," he giggled, "and she will be yours again." He felt something swirl around him, mist becoming thin fingers toying with his hair, teasing his skin, tasting him, testing him. The darkness coiled around the mist, repelled it, then attempted to consume it.

The mist fled before reappearing, this time around Isis. Her eyes became blank. Her lips parted to speak, but the voice was not her own.

"We will show you the way." An odd echo accompanied the voice, fading into the background sadly.

He noted idly that Isis hadn't even had the chance to struggle.

For once, Shizuka embraced the silence. Nothing was ricocheting around in her head, her temples were not aching, and ghostly fingers were not trying to pull her skin from her bones. No one was threatening her or demanding that she keep moving, and she almost defiantly remained on the ground, sprawled out almost lifelessly, focusing simply on the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

Eventually, she shifted onto her side, catching sight of Bakura lying a short distance away, unconscious. He looked as bad as she felt; whatever had happened had obviously taken a lot out of him. Shizuka could certainly curl up and sleep for a month, but the gravity of the situation had finally sunk in.

This wasn't going to end well.

Pushing herself up and ignoring the way her limbs protested, she watched Bakura, weighing her options. On the one hand, this was the perfect opportunity to escape him, but on the other, thus far he had been her only protection. If it hadn't been for the locket he'd given her, she had no doubt those voices would have dragged her away, and she didn't doubt that their current location was a direct result of Bakura's power. Shizuka had long since stopped questioning how things happened; they simply did.

Swallowing thickly, Shizuka crawled over to Bakura, timidly reaching out to touch his shoulder. When he did not respond, she pushed at him gently, then a little bit harder.

Still nothing.

Her blood ran cold. What if he…

She pressed her fingers against the side of his neck, feeling for his pulse and feeling comforted when she found it. Bakura was alive, at least, and…

His eyes opened and he regarded her with idle curiosity, reaching up to swat her hand away from his neck. His features were strained, and Shizuka got the distinct impression that he was as exhausted as she was.

"That was interesting."

They both stood, though Shizuka's legs wobbled, and regarded each other quietly.

"Where did you take us?" she asked softly.

Bakura shrugged, taking a dramatic look around. "Another part of the labyrinth, clearly." His escape had been blind, but there was no need to let the girl know that. Then he squinted, studying her suspiciously, slender fingers tracing a fresh burn mark on her collarbone. "Something wants you pretty badly, little bird."

Shizuka shifted her weight, taking a step back.

"Don't worry. I won't let them take you." Stretching as if revitalized, Bakura spun in a slow circle, considering their options. One direction was much the same as another at this point. Companionably, he slung an arm around Shizuka's shoulder and led her east, ducking beneath a peculiarly low tangle of speckled vines that twisted around each other and spread between the walls like perverted mistletoe.

The color of the ground slowly shifted, startling blues and violets swirling together in an almost pretty pattern. Shizuka balked, but Bakura forced her to continue forward, nuzzling at her neck and snickering. All traces of fatigue had fled, and there was a decided spring to his step as they continued deeper into the labyrinth and the walls began to pulse, thick veins bulging, the entire thing gradually becoming more organic.

Shizuka shuddered, finding the whole thing revolting.

The whispers started again, though much more faint, their words incomprehensible. The voices swirled into a frenzy as Shizuka and Bakura turned the corner, stepping through a broken gate and emerged in the middle of an elaborate topiary.

The elegantly pruned bushes shuddered, and Shizuka struggled against Bakura, fighting to go back the way they'd come.

"Time's running out," the spirit said firmly, gauging the distance between them and the ordinary stone door in the far corner. A small brass bell hung at its side, and there was a discarded stuffed giraffe beneath it, eyes torn out and one ear missing. "I can't let him catch up to us again. He is already too much of a nuisance."

Despite his bravado, he remained rooted to the ground, dark eyes narrowed. He was a careful creature, and something in the air made him wary.

The closest bush, formed in the shape of a unicorn, stretched and snapped, roots tearing from the ground and dragging behind it as it lumbered towards them, letting out an inhuman cry. The scent of decay preceded it, and Shizuka choked, covering her mouth and nose to try to block out the stench.

The rest of the topiary slowly shuddered to life, rotting leaves shedding on the ground as they stumbled about in a sick parody of life, converging on Bakura and Shizuka who turned to find the gate behind them had disappeared.

"Bakura-san," Shizuka said uncertainly, eyes flickering between him and the topiary animals and back.

Bakura just laughed, Ring flaring to life. "This should be fun," he murmured, opening his arms wide as if to embrace the creatures that sought their blood.