The Puzzle in the Puzzle
Chapter
2: The Heart of the Matter
It had taken quite some time for Shadi, Yami, and Yugi to explain it
all to Bakura. Especially since
the other three kept interrupting. Now
they were silent, allowing Bakura to absorb it all.
Unfortunately the quiet gave Marik time to think about the fact that he
was now seeking refuge in another item for the second time.
And it was all his yami's fault!
Yugi watched nervously as Marik and his yami glared at one another.
Bakura was staring uncertainly at his own yami, who was glaring back at
him. Shadi stood to one side
observing them all calmly.
“Are you alright Bakura?” Yugi asked timidly, forcing his attention
away from the Mariks.
Bakura nodded numbly.
“Okay,” Yugi swallowed, searching his mind for something to take
their minds off the awkwardness caused by their previous conversation.
“Hey,” he said uncertainly, turning to Shadi, “Uh, Shadi, I was
wondering, what happens to your body while you’re in here?
I mean, you aren’t normal right?
You’ve been alive a long time.” He stopped, realizing he was
rambling.
Shadi focused on him intently, his eyes glazing strangely.
“It… rests.” He said emotionlessly.
“Oh…” Yugi looked away. That
hadn’t been a good choice. He
tried again, “Um, I was thinking… what are we
going to call all of you?”
All eyes turned to the small teen. He laughed nervously, “Well,” he
swallowed once more, “There’s me, and Yami, and Shadi,” he pointed,
“we’re okay. But then
there’s Bakura and Bakura – and Marik and Marik. Isn’t that a little
confusing?”
For a moment everyone just stared at him and Yugi shifted nervously.
It looked like he’d stuck his foot in his mouth again.
But this question really did need to be answered, especially if they
were going to be here for a while.
“Well,” Bakura came to Yugi’s rescue, “If they’re ancient
Egyptians we don’t we just use their Egyptian names?
You know, the ones they had when they were
alive.” He had expected agreement, or at least an angry outburst from one of
the sullen yamis. But he was met
only with silence. Yami
Bakura’s eyes shifted away and he frowned.
Yami Marik closed his eyes completely and clenched a fist.
Yugi and Yami looked pained.
Bakura looked around in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
When it was clear neither of the other spirits was going to answer Yami
cleared his throat, “They can’t remember,” he
said quietly, “I cannot even remember my true name.
In fact, I remember very little about my mortal life.” True, Yami
Bakura seemed to actually remember quite a bit about their past, but clearly
that detail eluded even him.
“Oh, that is a problem.” Bakura considered a moment, “Well, I
suppose Marik and I, the mortal one,” he quickly added, “could go by our
last names.”
“Ryou and Ishtar?”
Yugi asked.
“Why do we have to use our
last names?” Marik snapped (note: they will be referring to each other by
the new designations, I will continue on as before, sorry if that confuses
you).
“Well, they don’t
actually have last names.” Bakura explained apologetically.
“They don’t have first
names either.” Marik pointed out harshly.
Bakura swallowed and smiled nervously, “Oh, right.”
“Well, I think it’s a good idea.” Yugi said firmly.
Bakura smiled at him in gratitude.
“It will do for now.” Yami agreed.
Yami Bakura nodded stonily, but Yami Marik growled. “That name is not
worthy of me.” He said imperiously.
The real Marik snorted, “Don’t you mean you are not worthy of
it?”
Both men growled.
“Very well,” Yami interrupted, wishing to avoid another argument,
“We will call him Marikue.
Will that do?”
The two grudgingly agreed to this arrangement.
“Great!” Yugi’s voice was overly cheerful as he tried to brighten
the gloomy group. “So, how do
we get out of here?”
***
“I am certain the answer must lie within the puzzle itself.”
Shadi’s quiet, calm voice broke the long silence.
It seemed like an eternity since Yugi had posed his question, and no
answers had been forth coming.
“As to how we came to be here,” the man continued, “I cannot say,
but why – that I have a vague
idea of.”
“Really?” Yugi’s voice held a thread
of hope. If they could figure out
how they got here it might help them get out.
Shadi nodded solemnly, his gaze holding Yugi’s, “There is a grave
imbalance of shadow powers. I
felt it just before I was brought here.”
“Yugi and I felt it as well.” Yami confessed, “It was very
strong.”
“Is that what knocked us out?” Yugi asked.
Yami nodded.
Shadi began to speak again, “I do not know what could have caused
such an imbalance, but-”
“I think I know.” Marik interrupted.
All eyes turned to him in shock. Marik
actually knew something?!
“How could you possibly-” Yami Bakura started.
Marik gave a laugh that was neither evil nor pleasurable,
it was actually rather bleak and despondent.
“I can’t believe you haven’t figured it out yet.” Yami Bakura
looked from Marik to Bakura to Yami Marik.
Yami Bakura's eyes widened.
“No!” he breathed.
“What is it?” Bakura asked.
“The Shadow Duel-” Marik explained testily, “the one we were
talking about earlier - and even before that.
He,” Marik paused, “Marikue”
he spat the word as though it were distasteful,
“Attempted to banish me to the Shadow Realm, but I used,” he paused again.
He didn’t want the pharaoh and his vessel to know that Tea was still
under his control. Though he
doubted they could do anything to free her even if they returned to their
normal lives he didn’t know what they could do to him in here.
“One of my servants,” he continued carefully,
“to place myself into the ring.”
Yami’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
He didn’t like the sound of that, but he let it pass.
“That in and of itself may have been the cause.
The ring was not intended to house three souls,” Shadi remarked,
“Nor was the rod meant to be wielded by one alone.” He focused his gaze on
Yami Marik. Never mind the fact
that the rod actually belonged to Seto Kaiba and Seth.
When Yami Marik had taken it all that had changed.
Marik snorted unhappily, “There is more.”
He continued, “We were in a Shadow duel where the loser’s body
disappeared. Bakura – we,” he
quickly amended, seeing the thief’s murderous look, “lost, and Bakura’s
body ceased to be.”
“Ceased to be.” Bakura echoed.
They had said something about that earlier, but he had been too
confused to notice. “Forever?”
he asked weakly.
Marik ignored him. “Bakura
has explained how that sent the three of us here, similar to the way I sent
myself to the ring when I was banished from my own body.”
“But why the rest of us?” Yugi asked,
glancing nervously at Yami Marik. The
spirit wasn’t saying much. He
was leaning on the wall, his arms crossed casually as though this, and they,
didn’t matter.
“We may have been drawn,” Shadi mused.
The others clearly didn’t understand.
“Like things often attract one another... molecules... science.” He
tried to explain. “Shadow magic
is much the same.”
They just stared at him. What
was he talking about? A light
went on in Yugi’s head, “You mean like siphoning?” he asked, “like how
the water molecules stick together and that, coupled with the pressure, allows
it to be pulled upward once a flow has begun.”
Now Bakura was remembering his science classes, “or like when you
draw a trail from a drop of water.” He said brightly.
“Yes, something like that.” Shadi
agreed, “however, the puzzle was not meant to
support shadow powers of this magnitude.”
“Meaning?” Bakura asked uneasily.
Shadi drew in a breath, “I am uncertain how long the puzzle can
sustain us all.”
Yugi gulped.
Yami placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder, “Then we had better
begin our search.” He said calmly.