SW: Whee! I'm gonna have fun with this one!
Malik: Why are you writing this? You can barely finish one chapter in time for your update, how will you manage two?

SW: So anyways, I decided to try something new! Two stories at once! How does that sound?

Yugi: For you? Absolute murder.

SW: Speaking of murder…

Enjoy!

Malik walked up to the bars of his cell, holding back a smirk as the guards realized someone was missing. Wrapping his hands around two bars by his face, he peeked his head out slightly, his platinum blonde hair falling around his shoulders. "Looking for someone?"

"Prisoner 142 appears to have disappeared. Do you know anything about this?" The leader of the squad stepped forward and glared at the smug boy behind bars.

He shrugged and tapped his chin in thought, squinting his lilac eyes. "I might. You know, now that I think about it…Ryou did show me a hiding spot he thought he could use if he ever escaped…again."

The guard reached for his set of keys and moved to the lock. "Prisoner 118, you will show us where Prisoner 142 is hiding."

Malik smiled slowly and shook his finger at the guards. "No, I won't. Not until you use his real name."

The man rolled his eyes as he inserted the key and turned it, unlocking the door. "Fine. You will help us find…Ryou." He threw open the door and gestured for Malik to come out.

"There. Now was that so hard?" He calmly walked out of the cell, crossing his fingers at his side for luck as he walked down the hall. "This way."

All three followed, leaving behind the unlocked cell, already imagining the reward they would get for finding an escapee. Malik gave an almost inaudible sigh of relief as he turned the corner, winking to a boy with tri-colored hair as he passed his cell.

Ryou licked his lips nervously as he waited for the sounds to fade from the hallway. Slowly and carefully, he crawled out from under Malik's bed and made his way to the door the guards had left unlocked.

He walked out of the cell and stopped at a neighboring one, his brown eyes flicking back and forth. "I'll come back. I'll get help. I promise." With that, he ran off, sticking to the shadows and staying away from the cameras that were watching the corridors that led outside.

The boy with tri-colored hair, Yugi, stepped up to the bars of his cell and followed Ryou's white hair until it was out of sight. "Good luck, Ryou." He let his head rest against the cool bars and closed his amethyst eyes. "Be safe."

All around them, those three friends, were dozens of cells, each holding a prisoner, and each hoping for the same thing, that someone would come and save them.

Ryou ran away from the warehouse in the dimming light of sunset, frantic to get as far away from the place as he could. He turned a corner and looked around wildly, searching for something that would show him where he could go. Kami, he didn't even know if he was in the same city! He knew they were still in Japan though, he didn't remember traveling in an airplane or a boat, so they had to still be on the island country.

He kept running, past the abandoned, well, he hoped they were abandoned, houses, making random turns and taking back alleys in hopes to throw off anyone who might have been trailing him. He winced with every step, and he was sure that there were broken bottles digging onto the bottoms of his feet. But he kept running.

"Umph!" Ryou collided with a body and was sent to the ground, landing roughly on his bottom. Gulping and starting to shake with fear, he stared at the combat boots that were slightly covered by a pair of dark jeans.

"Well? Aren't you going to apologize?"

He doesn't know. He doesn't know. He doesn't know. Repeating that mantra over and over in his head, he followed the jeans up lean legs and over a dark purple shirt covered with a black leather jacket, finally meeting smirking purple eyes. His own eyes widening, he took in the similar platinum blonde hair and cocky expression before reminding himself that it was impossible for it to be Malik.

"S-Sorry, sir."

The man rolled his eyes and stepped around Ryou, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Whatever, kid. Just stay out of my way next time." The movement made his shirt slide up and revealed something that made Ryou scramble to stand up.

"W-Wait! You're police?"

He stopped in his tracks, looking down to his belt loop, where his badge was still attached. Scowling in annoyance, he removed it. "Not right now, kid. I'm off duty."

"Please!" He reached forward and grabbed the man's elbow, trying not to cower at the glare sent his way. "C-Can you at least take me to the station?"

Turning around to make certain the kid got the message that he wasn't to be messed with, he finally took in the boy's appearance. Dressed in a gray cotton tank top and shorts, he was just asking to be attacked in the oncoming night. His hair was white, much like his partner's, and was wind-blown and tangled. The boy's cheeks were flushed, like he had been running for a while, and to top it all off, he was barefoot! Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he finished his inspection by meeting the doe brown eyes that were silently pleading him to help.

"Why do you want to go to the station?"

Ryou licked his lips and tried to keep his hope down, he was merely asking a question, it didn't mean he would help. "I-I just-I need help."

Running a hand over his face and sighing, he started walking in the opposite direction that he was headed. "Stop stuttering. It's pathetic."

Ryou watched him leave in confusion, wondering if he should follow or not. When the man didn't hear footsteps behind him he sighed again in annoyance and called over his shoulder. "I'm not slowing down, so keep up!"

Ryou's mouth turned up in a happy grin and he started off after the officer, before biting his lip to keep from whimpering with each step. The adrenaline had kept the pain away, but now that he was walking and he knew he would be safe, his feet were screaming in protest.

A few minutes of walking and the man looked behind him to see the boy trailing slowly after him, wincing with each step. He came to a halt and turned around, watching as the boy came to a sudden stop, looking around in confusion. "You could have told me about your feet, you know."

The boy blushed and looked down, lifting one foot to stare at the bloodied bottom. "I would have only slowed us down."

Again, he narrowed his eyes. What was so important that the kid needed to find help before he cared for himself? "Alright. Climb on my back."

The boy squeaked and looked up in surprise. "Wh-What?"

"You can't walk fast, and the sooner we get you to the station, the sooner I can go home." He swallowed and nodded his head, stepping closer as the man bent over to let Ryou climb on.

"Marik."

Ryou tilted his head as the man waited for him to climb on. "Huh?"

Marik stood up straight, Ryou hanging on with his arms around the man's neck, and started off again to the police station. "My name is Marik."

"O-Oh. I'm Pri-Ryou. My name is Ryou." Slapping himself mentally for almost calling himself a prisoner, Ryou clung to Marik tightly, glad to have some source of protection. Even though he could practically hear Malik screaming in his head not to trust anyone, he was willing to take a small risk if it meant he could get to safety and find help for his friends.

Bakura yawned, placed his feet on his desk, and threw another dart at the door, having it join the seven already there. He reached for another one and was about to throw it when he heard the door click. Changing his aim, he struck the frame of the door just as Marik walked in.

"Shit, Bakura! That could have been my face!"

He shrugged and picked up his last dart. "You're supposed to be off. I didn't know you were going to be walking in." Marik turned and closed the door behind him, and Bakura raised an eyebrow as doe brown eyes stared back at him. "Who's this?" He lifted his feet off the desk and faced the two, already going into interrogation mode.

Marik grunted and walked over to the chair in front of Bakura's desk, and Ryou dropped down onto it. "He's Ryou." He moved over to the side of the room, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

Sensing a change in the atmosphere, Ryou shifted a little in the chair, careful to make sure his feet didn't touch the floor. "H-Hello."

"Yo. So, what did you say to convince my stubborn-ass friend-"

"I resent that."

"-over here to bring you down to my office?" Bakura watched as Ryou fidgeted lightly, and his suspicion rose.

"I-I don't know. I just asked him to take me to the police station because I saw his badge."

Before Bakura could ask another question, a head of slightly curled blonde hair burst into the room and rushed over to Ryou. "I saw Marik bring you in, oh you poor thing!" She cooed over the boy and started checking him over, placing the first aid kit on the ground. "I even saw your feet, how long were you running barefoot, you adorable little man?"

Ryou blushed and looked away, trying not to wince as the woman gently started to care for his feet. "I don't know, maybe an hour or two. I didn't really keep track of time." He definitely felt more comfortable with this woman, who was tenderly wiping away the dried blood, than he did with Bakura and Marik, both of whom were scrutinizing his every movement. "My name is Mai, by the way. And don't let these assholes bother you, they just like to pick on people."

Bakura leaned over the desk to look at the bleeding feet before they were wrapped in a bandage by Mai. He frowned and leaned back, thinking about all the things that could make a kid like this run.

Patting Ryou's knee lightly, Mai stood, knowing not to stay too long if Bakura was in the middle of an interview. "There. Now, if you ever need anything, you just call for me, alright?"

Ryou nodded and watched out of the corner of his eye as the bustling lady left, before turning back to Bakura.

The man smirked and leaned forward, trying not to cackle as the boy leaned backwards in response. "Now, you're going to tell us exactly what happened, aren't you, kid?"

SW: At least the two stories won't be overlapping too much. I mean, I'm just starting this one and Glowing Starlight is about to finish up. *falls backwards onto bed and pulls blanket up* Don't wake me up for a few days. I'm exhausted.

Malik: We tried to warn you.

Review please?