Lee: Hello. Rightyho: Explanation for the name change. I am a liar XD A big fat liar. Lily is not my name: and so my PenName will be changing to Leesky!

My stories will not change!

I am the same person!

I swear!

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh. Only when I learn to draw will I ever stand a chance of owning any anime.

…

The Era of Adversity

Chapter 12: Just The Way To Like It

…

Malik made his way down the dark stairs and into a large, long room filled with cells. Many prisoners watched him has he passed, curiosity shining in their dead eyes.

Malik managed to keep his gaze to the floor and his grip on the keys, even though his body was tense and trembling. What if Ryou wasn't alright? What if he blamed them for everything? His stomach nurtured a tight knot that strengthened with every step he took through the room.

"Malik!" a young voice squeaked. "Marik! Bakura!"

"Ryou?!" Malik turned around to see a small, pale figure gripping the bars of his cell. "Ryou…" Pushing the keyring into his pocket, Malik slinked his arms as far into the bars as he could and held the fragile boy.

"Get me out. Take me away from here, now," said Ryou. "Help me."

Malik flinched away from the pale figure, observing Ryou's looks but… what was different?

"Help me," the boy repeated. "Save me."

Malik stared in horror as Ryou's picturesque features swam in a pool of flesh and a bizarre Fiend appeared, his naturally red hair tinted with grey.

"Where's Ryou?" Malik said.

"Save me."

"Where is Ryou!?" Malik yelled shrilly.

"The moonlight boys."

Malik examined the next cell. Hairs on the back of his neck rose as he saw a dozen little Ryou's parading the unit. He had never seen anything like it. He span round and observed the opposite cell - the same; lots of Ryous. Malik took a step back and buried his head in his hands. What now? This Fiend that spoke wasn't ordinary. What was wrong with him?

"Moonlight boys," the red haired Fiend sang. "Cry for saviours. Malik! Marik! Bakura!"

"You're crazy," Malik sniffed. "How long have you been here? What are you here for?"

"The boys are all very pretty,"

"How did you know my name?" Malik locked eyes with the other Fiend. His features were distorted and scars ran over every inch of his pink flesh.

"I'm very clever. I have a reality test,"

"Just what are you talking about?"

"Moonlight boys," he repeated. "Cry for riddles. Real! Fake!"

Malik felt like screaming. He wasn't going to get anything out of this mental Fiend. "What are you?! An experiment? A creation? Some kind of deterrent?"

"A riddle," the prisoner smiled toothily. "Save me. Malik! Marik! Bakura! Please help me!"

"Stop saying that… you've learnt my name from Ryou, haven't you? So you've heard him, you've been around him,"

"Reality test," the Fiend said. "Cry for riddles."

Malik paused, "Tell me… this riddle,"

Automatically, the Fiend's deformed face took a blank, robotic expression, "The moonlight boys are all very pretty. Cry for riddles! You and I have one question: what do you know we don't? What is your question? Save me for a reality test."

Malik frowned. The moonlight boys must be all of the Ryous, he thought. "What do I know you don't - about Ryou? What do I know about Ryou that you don't?" Malik clapped his hands. All he had to do was think of a question that only Ryou would know, in order to define who the real Ryou was! "What's this reality test you speak of?"

"I'm very clever. I have a reality test. Get me out, save me," the Fiend's face remained ever vacant. "I know the difference between the real moonlight boy and the fake moonlight boys. Real! Fake!"

"Y-you can tell me which is real?"

"Get me out, save me."

Malik scrutinized the mad Fiend. He was definitely not thinking or speaking for himself; it was like he had been established to say such things. Malik didn't like it at all. How dangerous would he be if he let him out of the cell?

"I'll give you a question," Malik said.

"A question," the Fiend repeated. He had not yet released the bars from his grip.

"Okay… something you won't know… that me and Ryou know. How much do you know about him?"

"'…you've learnt my name from Ryou, haven't you? So you've heard him, you've been around him…'" the Fiend quoted Malik's previous words with ease.

"You could have found out anything," Malik said. "So I need to ask something Ryou couldn't have said… but knows, deep down. Argh! If I only knew him better… oh Ryou." Malik retraced his memories. Surely there was something… Ryou's past? No - he didn't know much about that.

Malik vowed to learn more about Ryou once they were together again.

"I know!" Malik clapped his hands again. "Okay, here's your question: what is the first thing I ever said to Ryou? Ever."

The Fiend's empty expression vanished and he strode back into the darkness of his cell. Malik looked around at all of the Ryous who had now come up to their cell bars.

"'Hello,'" one said. "You said 'hello' to me."

"No. You said 'you're beautiful' to me," said another.

"Malik! Marik! Bakura! Let me out… I want to go home," one Ryou clattered the bars and tried to reach for Malik.

"No! I am your Ryou… take me home!"

Malik stood in the middle of the two cells, waiting for the answer he was hoping for.

"You shouldn't walk upon these streets," came a small voice. "What you cannot see can still hurt you. Fiends are masters of your new world and they're not going away."

Malik's eyes widened and he ran to the Ryou who had spoken, "Ryou… it's you… is it you?"

"Malik! It's me… help!" the young boy Malik held onto began to cry, his eyes like water buckets.

Malik wrenched the keys from his pocket and began fiddling, "Can you remember which key was used?"

Ryou shook his head and his tears began zigzagging down his cheeks, "I-it was too dark."

"No matter… it's a small and quite new lock, so lets try the biggest and oldest key," Malik flipped each key, one by one, examining each, only half realising the other Ryous around them were disappearing.

"B-biggest and oldest?" Ryou said. "That m-makes no sense."

"Exactly," Malik kissed the key he selected and slotted it into the lock upon the door, which clicked around easily and swung open. Malik held Ryou for a minute, relishing the sensation of the small boy. "Come on… we have to meet Marik and Bakura at the gate - and get out of here."

The two of them dashed from the room, back up the stairs and out of the large, menacing kingdom. They slipped beside the gates, waiting. They didn't have to linger for long, as Marik came rushing out and greeted them. "Brilliant!" he said, cuddling Ryou. "We've done it. Akefia will not survive long because I - we - finished off heaps of guards! They fuel him and his castle, without them - well - he's practically dead."

Malik looked about, "Marik," he said. "Where's Bakura?"

"Wha - "

…

Bakura lurked in the circular room, inhaling his cigarette slowly in a way to stall time; or perhaps to gain more composure - he wasn't too sure himself. Every now and then his eyes would flick back to the dishevelled body sprawled in the middle of the stone floor.

Was he going to enjoy this? Bakura wondered. Or would it hurt? Leisurely, almost merrily, Bakura made his way over to the convulsing heap. Within seconds, his brain had begun its little expedition on his past once again. It flooded with the murderous images it had once before, but it was milder now: Bakura knew this was only because of his authority at the moment.

He had to get rid of what was killing him - for life. The time was now and Bakura's strength swelled knowing this. He stubbed out his cigarette on the floor, and then picked up one of the high, metal candlesticks.

"Akefia…" he sneered calmly, fixing his eyes on the twitching bundle of a man in front of him. The energy from Akefia had been drained from the raid of the castle and the death of his guards; Bakura advanced on him, knowing full well he was in control. His shadow cast itself upon Akefia's flexing limbs, everything from his eyes to his toes trembled. "Ba - Ba - Ba - KURA!" Akefia's words scrabbled in his throat and emerged as whispers, stutters and sudden barks.

Bakura's desire to rip this being apart increased. "I didn't think you'd forgotten the name," he said. "You screamed it often enough."

"G - g - get awAY!"

Bakura sauntered further up the quivering body, situating his feet on either side of the crumpled white-grey hair and stared down into a pair of horror-struck eyes. "I'm going to be rid of you, once and for all. You won't threaten me or - " Bakura paused and let his gaze wander, pondering about Ryou.

"L - look at what y - YOU h - have becOME!" stammered Akefia. "P - paTHETic. At l - least I - I made y - you strong!"

"Strong? That's what you call strong? Feeding off of someone's existence is not a way to make them strong," Bakura snapped. "You made me weak. Weak enough not to carry on living,"

"P - p - pathetIC!"

Bakura cackled. He knelt down and put his face close to Akefia's, "If I am weak - what are you? I'll tell you a secret, Master. Dartz is the one that gave me keys to escape this place, but I'm afraid you won't live to punish him for his gullibility,"

Once again, a time of Bakura's past had come - come in order to leave. Bakura stood up and raised his chosen weapon high in the air and, after a thought, admitted, "I'm going to enjoy this."

…

"Bakura! Where did you go?!" Malik practically leapt into Bakura's arms and began kissing his face.

"You have blood on your cheek," commented Marik. "What were you doing?"

Bakura reached around Malik for Ryou and cuddled them both, fixing a kiss to both of their foreheads, "I had things to sort out," Bakura replied. "For the future."

"I'm glad you're safe," Malik sighed. "Can we go now? This place gives me the creeps."

…

Ryou yawned and stretched and blinked. It was morning, surely, but there was no sunlight shining through the window and there were no birds singing. Ryou smiled. Just the way he liked it anyway. He gazed down at the three figures strewn around him, all a little glossy from sweat. Breathing deeply and unreservedly, Ryou smelt the passionate and secure ambience he was going to love getting used to. His smile widened. This was definitely the way he liked it.

Oh My Gosh! I think this is the End!

…

Lee: Ok … please review. Let me know if I screwed up, because I think I'm ready for the insults! Heh heh … I'll remind you once again, just in case, that my PenName is going to be changed to Leesky. Please stay in touch with me! Hehe! Thankyou and goodnight! Or morning, wherever you are …

Bakura: Well I don't like this story one bit. I'm too lovey-dovey! I wouldn't touch Ryou with a barge pole!

Ryou: 'Kuraaaa … could you help me make my bed again please? I can't seem to get the sheets on properly like last time and -

Bakura: Idon'tknowwhatthehellyou'retalkingaboutgoodbye #scuttles off#

Lee: Until next time, whatever it may be - next story, next poem, next songfic, next oneshot, next PM …