The Puzzle in the Puzzle

Chapter 4: Labyrinth

            “That’s it!” Marik’s shout echoed down the passage walls.  The others just looked up at him, up because they were on the floor panting.

            In the last hour (at least, they thought in had been about an hour) they had run into three dead ends, four traps (fortunately Yami Bakura had saved them from those), twelve incredibly annoying puzzles, and, most recently, one very angry duel monster.

            It was from this monster they had just escaped.  And it was because of this close call that they now lay panting on the floor.  Only Marik had managed to remain standing, though he was leaning heavily on the room’s sole statue.

            “That’s what?” Bakura managed as he drew in a deep breath.

            “I’m through following all of you! I say it’s my turn to decide which way we go.”

            “And why should we trust you to do any better?” Yami Bakura scoffed, rising to his feet.

            Marik spread his arms expansively, “Well, I certainly couldn’t do any worse.”

            No one commented, it was true enough.

            “I will not follow that weakling.” Yami Marik stated.

            Marik glared at him, “I followed you if you’ll recall.” He pointed out icily.

            Yami Marik studied his nails casually, “Which only proves that you are weak.”

            Marik was going to lunge at him, Yami could see his body tense and he quickly stepped in the way.

            “Enough.” His word fell with all the regal command he must have employed in his days as pharaoh of all Egypt .  Surprisingly Marik listened.  “Now, we are getting nowhere.  I am open to suggestions.”

            “We should go left.” Yami Bakura said confidently.

            “And you know that how?” Marik snapped, “I say right.”

            “Left.”

            “Right.” Marik maintained stubbornly.

            “You haven’t an inkling of direction or sense in your body - I refuse to do as you say!” This comment prompted Marik to get right in Yami Bakura’s face.

            “We go right or I don’t go at all.” He knew this would make Yami vote for his direction and the others would follow Yami, whether they wished to admit it or not.

            “We have to stay-”

            Yami Bakura held out a hand, already knowing what the pharaoh would say.  He had been saying it all day.

            “I’m telling you right is the wrong way!” he shouted, inches from Marik’s face.

            “And I say I AM GOING RIGHT!!!”

            Yami Bakura studied him for a moment than threw up his hands in exasperation.  “Very well, I’m through arguing with such imbecility.  We’ll go right.”    

***

            Bakura nearly ran into Yugi as they came to a sudden halt.

            “This can’t be right.” Marik’s voice was soft, almost as though he was speaking to himself.

            Bakura stepped out from the passageway and into the room.  It looked horribly, devastatingly familiar.

            Yami Bakura smirked, “Oh, but it is.”

            Marik didn’t seem to hear him.  He just looked around dumbly.  Now the others had emerged from the passage as well and were staring in various states of depression and displeasure.

            “Go right.” Yami Bakura sneered.

            “Quiet.” Marik commanded, his voice dangerously soft. He looked despondently at the torches on the walls, the myriad of staircases and doorways in a disorienting pattern.

            “Are we… in the main chamber again?” Bakura asked, already certain he knew the answer. He stepped away from the others, studying his surroundings with interest.

            Yugi, who had followed him, his eyes still warily focused on Marik, stepped so that Bakura was between himself and Marik and nodded silently.  He didn’t want to attract Marik’s attention.

            “How-did-this-happen?” Each word sounded as though it had been pulled from Marik by force, such was the emphasis placed on them.

             “Actually, I believe that you chose the last door.” Bakura said amiably, still gazing at the room before him.  There was no malice or blame in his voice, it was simple fact.

            But that didn’t mean it sat well with Marik.  

            “Um, Ryou?” Yugi’s gaze was focused behind the boy.  He looked nervous.

            “Yes Yugi?” he inquired innocently.

            Yugi gulped, “I don’t think you should have said that.”

            Ryou Bakura tracked Yugi’s gaze and turned to see a very angry Marik behind him.  His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles had gone white, and his eyes were on fire.

            “I – suggest – you – run.” He growled through clenched teeth.

            Bakura’s eyes widened, and without a sound he took off running.  Marik silently counted to ten and then took off after him.   

             “Oh bloody Ra!” Yami Bakura snapped angrily, “If he kills my host I’ll have no body to go back to.” He took off after the other two.

            Yami Marik snorted, “Imbecile, he has no body to go back to already.” Absently the yami reached up to finger an earring.  When his hand found nothing but his ear his eyes widened for the briefest moment before narrowing.  His gaze darted to Yami Bakura’s retreating form.  <That little…>

            “TOMB ROBBER!!!” he roared taking chase after the man.  

            <Those are solid gold!>

            Shadi’s gaze followed the spirit and, after a moment, he let out a heavy sigh, “I cannot allow those two to roam free in the puzzle.  Who knows the damage they might cause.” he hastily followed the others.

            “Guys! Wait!  We should really stay-” It was too late, Yugi and Yami were now alone in the central chamber, “together,” Yugi finished lamely.  He let out a sigh that rivaled Shadi’s.

            Yami laid a hand on his shoulder, causing the teen to look up at him.  “Come on,” he urged, “we had better go after them.”

***

            They were running in circles darting in and out of doors always reappearing in the central chamber (though never in the center), always in a different direction, never catching up to one another.

            “I’ll kill you!” Marik howled, bursting through another door and onto a set of steps.  

            “I’m sorry!” Bakura reflexively covered his head, cowering while still running, though Marik was nowhere near him.  He couldn’t even see Marik right now.

            “Where is everyone?” Yugi shouted, entering the main chamber.  He stopped and stared as he saw Marik and Bakura standing on opposite sides of the same staircase.  As in, one on the stairs and one underneath them, yet still on them.  Feet to feet, if the stairs were removed.  But they were both sideways to him (though opposite sideways of course).  He looked up to orient himself and did a double take.  He gulped.  The central floor was above him.  He was upside down!  Was there no gravity in this place?

            But then they should have been floating.  

            A more accurate description would be that gravity was inconsistent, changing from stairway to stairway, person to person.

            Yami Bakura shot into the room, to Yugi he looked upside down, which meant he was right side up.  His gaze darted around until it fell on Ryou and Marik.

            “Fool, he’s right above you!” he yelled at Bakura.  

            Bakura looked up, err… down, well, at his feet and over the edge of the stairs.  Marik looked over to the edge at the same time.  Ryou yelped and drew back.  Marik reached for him but could not move past the edge of the stairs.  He darted back toward the doorway, determined to catch Ryou.

            It was then that Yugi realized Yami was no longer with him.

            “Yami!” he cried.

            “Over here Yugi.” The Pharaoh’s calm voice sounded from very nearby.  Yugi glanced over to see him standing on what, from his orientation, appeared to be a wall.  He was sideways.  Yugi reached for him, but the further he  reached the further the Pharaoh seemed to be. He moved toward the door.

            “Yugi no.” Yami commanded, “Stay where you are, we’ll only go in circles if we both move.  I’ll come for you.”

            Yugi nodded and faced the doorway expectantly.

            Yami disappeared into the doorway and a few moments later reappeared across the room, upside down, which was actually right side up, since Yugi had already established that the floor was above him.

            Yami’s eyes widened in surprise and he tried again, this time coming out closer to Yugi, but once again sideways.  This continued each time Yami emerged from a new doorway.

            The same thing was happening to the others, all of whom were still running around.  

            Marik was trying to kill Ryou, who was running as if the dogs of, well, you know, were on his heels.  Yami Bakura was yelling all sorts of vile threats at Marik, presumably to be carried out if he hurt Ryou and if Yami Bakura could catch him.

            Yami Marik was shouting at Yami Bakura about his earrings, but the thief was yelling far too loudly to hear him.  And Shadi had given up and sat, cross legged, on the floor with his eyes closed in meditation.  They couldn’t do much damage as things were so it was a good time to rest.

            Soon enough, however, the yelling turned to cursing as the room’s umm… quirky personality, finally got to them.  

            “Everyone stop!” Yami’s voice rose regally over the noise.

            Everyone stopped, Shadi opened his eyes.

            “This is getting us nowhere!”

            “A familiar place it seems.” Marik snapped. “We’ve been getting nowhere all day.”

            “Still your tongue or I’ll still it for you.” Yami Bakura warned.

            Marik seethed but refrained from commenting.

            “Not to interrupt, but, what are we going to do?” Yugi asked uncertainly.

            “I remember a puzzle…” Shadi said rising slowly, his eyes half lidded, “the story of a man condemned by Anubis to wander the depths of the underworld for all eternity.  It was very similar to this.”

            “How did he get out?” Bakura asked.

            Shadi shrugged, “I do not recall.”

            “A circle has no end, a sphere no up nor down, no side to side, but only one center.” Yami Marik said softly.

            All eyes flew to him.

            “There is but one way to the center of a sphere and it is the same from any point on the surface.” He continued, seemingly unaware of their stares, or even his own voice.  

            “But what is the path?” Yami prompted quietly when it seemed he would not continue.

              He drew in a shuddering breath, his eyes closing slowly, “Through then left, left, and then… right, and through.”  As soon as the words had left his mouth his eyes snapped open and he was the same old Yami Marik.  It was that transformation more than anything else that convinced them to do as he had said.

            “Together.” Yami said.

            “Through,” they ducked through the doors nearest them and then took the first left, they did not reappear in the chamber, so they took another left, then a right.  Now they were in the chamber, but once again in various orientations and distances from the floor.

            “This is pointless.” Marik growled.

            “Keep going!” Yami Bakura snapped.

            Then through once more…

            And they all stepped into the central chamber, ground floor.  

            Fortunately the frustrating experience, and the relief that it had ended, had driven from their minds the original reason for the chase.    

            Marik immediately turned on his heel and headed away from the room, “Let’s get out of here.”