AN: Hello, I hope I was able to update quick enough for y'all. It's been a hard week, so it's nice to get back to my roots and do what really makes me happy. Hopefully this chapter will be meaty enough for everyone. I know last chapter was barely a teaser. These were written years ago, and so I've been improving them slowly over time. Hopefully you all can enjoy my writing style, because the truth is, it's probably boring. I've read it so many times that I don't know if it's good anymore. Let me know what more you want to see in this story. I have it mapped out in my head til the end, but I still have more to write, so I am open to suggestions.

Warning, this story literally has ZERO happy moments, from what I can tell. I mean, it's pretty dark and depressing, with absolutely no happy breaks. I mean, I guess a good writer should be sure to include ups and downs, like happy moments as well as tragic ones. I never claimed to be a good writer though, or even a decent one, so you have been fairly warned. I don't know why I write such depressing stuff.

Also, "this means that Zorc is talking" although I never bothered to say it in the story. It was meant to be a mystery like, who is talking? But it's also supposed to be obviously not a mystery. Thought I'd clarify.

Disclaimer: Kazuki Takahashi is the gifted, talented, brilliant creator of Yu-Gi-Oh, not myself, for I am none of those things. I am simply borrowing the concept from him as a fan appreciation artwork. All thanks go to Kaz.

Enjoy!

"Mortal... what kind of fool are you to think that you could put an end to my terror so easily?"

"You may be powerful, but you are helpless! I have sealed you away where you cannot hurt anyone."

"Heh, heh, heh..." He laughed menacingly with his deep, gravelly voice. "You may have prevented me from killing your people, but I am far from helpless. Before the sun dies in seven days, your blood will stain the sands of Egypt, whether by my hand, or your own!"

"You are bluffing. That is impossible!"

"What is impossible is to keep me locked away in your little toy. It is no bluff—your death is quickly approaching. Until then... I will make you wish you were dead..."

Atem's eyes shot open he jolted up from his bed, gasping for air. With a racing heart and intense breathing, he looked down at his trembling hands. His palms were coated in sweat and more sweat dripped down the sides of his face. Was that all a dream? Hanging from the rope around his neck was the millennium pyramid. It was a powerful device—the most powerful item that Atem knew of to seal Zorc's soul into. It was not a victory, but it bought him time to find a way to defeat Zorc for good. Maybe someday, he will be strong enough to defeat the wicked beast all on his own. Until then, Atem had to hang onto it to make sure that Zorc remained safely confined within.

He let his millennium item drop down to his bare stomach. Looking around, he wondered how he ended up in his bed in his own chambers. From the dimming rays that passed through his balcony entrance, he could see that the sun was hanging low, ready to set. Lamps were already burning in his room, providing a low lighting that he adjusted to at night. His room was barely visible now, as it usually was when the day was winding down. His eyes made their way to his bed, where he could somewhat make out Mana's form. She was fast asleep with her head on her arms; she must have been sitting by the side of his bed, waiting for him to wake up and dozed off.

A genuine smile graced the handsome, young pharaoh's features. She was sort of his weakness and could always put a smile on his face. Looking down at her soft, sleeping expression, his heart ached and sighed with joy at having her by his side. Gently, he poked her in the arms with intentions of waking her up. It was not easy though—she was a stubborn sleeper. Eventually, she moaned and grumbled awake, sounding somewhat irritated with whomever disturbed her rest. With a smirk, Atem leaned down and murmured into her ear, "Mana, wake up!" Then her head shot up out of her arms.

"Huh?!" She sounded surprised to hear Atem's voice, "Prince...?" For a moment, she was trying to convince herself that she was not dreaming. When her eyes adjusted to the dull lighting in the room, she was able to identify him from his perfectly chiseled features and his striking eyes. When his cocky smirk became apparent her, she was convinced. "Prince!" She leapt up from her chair and threw her arms around the king. "Oh, you scared me so much!" Her small arms fully embraced his small but muscular frame, tightly holding him. It must have been forever since she was last able to hold him like this. As the moment was settling in Mana's head, his presence became more and more real to her: his soft, warm skin, his shapely arms, his toned chest and back, and his intoxicating aroma. As Mana took a deep, calming breath, she picked up the scent of his delightfully manly perfume. She noted that he always smelled of roses from the oils he used, but on his skin, it had a slightly different and even musky scent.

Atem chuckled and wrapped his strong arms around the girl. "I am sorry," he mumbled into her messy, dark hair.

Not able to contain her happiness, she pulled back with a smile and replied, "Why?" Her eyes aquamarine eyes were staring back into his deep, violet ones, searching for the answer.

"For worrying you," he simply replied, "I did not mean to."

"Oh, right." Mana began to realize that she was holding him affectionately while his bare chest was exposed to her. There were few times when Mana was actually embarrassed, but as she looked down at his perfect form, she blushed and let the embarrassment sink in. She saw his eyes staring into hers curiously, probably noticing what she had done. Her face became warm as blood rushed to her cheeks, so she gently pulled away and took a seat on his bed across from him, blushing at the appearance of his toned chest. Timidly tucking some of her messy brown hair behind one ear, she said to him, "Sorry."

Atem did not seem to flinch—he was always so cool and collected. Instead, his smirk seemed to sharpen as he replied to her confidently, "It is alright."

Had he noticed what she had done? Her heart skipped in her chest as she dug her fingernails into his silk bed sheets nervously and said, "Well, you do not need to be sorry either. I always worry about you. The thought of losing you just scares me so much."

Atem simply looked into her eyes and blurted, "You will not lose me."

Knowing that he really was alright allowed Mana to relax in his presence. "Good!" She grinned and punched him playfully in the arm, "If you scare me like that again, then I will chase you up and down the Nile, mister. Do not think otherwise!"

Atem chuckled in his baritone voice, "Mana, I am your pharaoh. I serve to protect you no matter what."

"Nope!" She perked right up; the elevation of her excitement levels caught Atem off-guard. "Actually, I am the next in line to take the millennium ring." She winked at him, "I will be protecting you for a change."

Atem's eyes widened in shock and he replied skeptically, "What?" He failed to keep up his reserved composure. "Did you just say that you are inheriting the millennium ring?" Those who held the millennium items were always so stern and she was the complete opposite. Will you become like Mahaad now? He sighed remember that Mahaad had always been serious, but that becoming the owner of the millennium ring had caused him to shut everyone out. It was hard enough losing Mahaad, and now Mahaad was gone for good, but losing Mana would be more than Atem could handle. I do not want her to change.

"Yep!" She grinned. "How do ya' like me now?"

Dismissing his previous thoughts, he forced a smile, shrugged and replied, "The same, I guess."

The change in Atem's demeanor was obvious to Mana. "Do you not think that I should wield one of the sacred items, Prince? You know that I would always serve to protect you. Maybe most people do not take me seriously, but I thought that you would."

Atem's smile was more genuine this time, but not full of content. "Mana, I know that you can be taken seriously when you want to."

Mana relaxed, "Good, because I am serious about this! I have been training all of my life. Did you even notice that I healed all of your wounds?"

Looking down at his flesh where his wounds had been, he discovered that she was right—each of them were healed. "Wow." he noted that his body did not feel any pain at all. He gazed back at her and smiled, "Thank you, Mana."

"No sweat! I am Egypt's top magician after all." The words fell right out of her mouth without realization. However, when she realized it, the sorrow was written all over her face.

"That is right," he trailed off. Seeing the look of devastation on Mana's face made losing Mahaad so much worse. "You were next to take that position from..."

"Yeah," she agreed before Atem could say the name, but her usual cheerful air was gone. "I know..." It was too hard for her to think about Mahaad. She was not strong enough yet to accept that she would have to wake up every day without having Mahaad to teach her.

"Mana, I am so sorry," his grieving tone was somewhat comforting to Mana.

Though she could not hide the tears she wanted to shed for her master, Mana decided to be strong. Wiping away the tiniest bit of water that leaked from her eyes, she smiled to her best friend once more, "It is alright. Things are will be different from now on. Without him, life will feel weird but," she sniffled, no longer able to hold back her emotions. Again, she threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, "...but I am so glad you are okay. I just do not know what I would do without you!"

Mana's tiny sobs grew more and more intense as she wept onto his shoulder, shaking feverishly in his arms. He simply held her there, embracing her, trying his best to comfort her. His head rested against her soft, but messy hair as he spoke gently to her, "You must have been really worried for me."

Her head nodded against him, "...you have no idea!" She tightened her arms around his neck, silently wishing that she never had to part from him.

Atem began to stroke her hair affectionately. Thanks to Atem's birthrights, there were few people that he could be close to in this way, and now it seemed that Mana was the last one of them. So he treasured the few moments he had with her. Even though they had a heavy weight on their hearts, at least these moments could help them work through it. Atem knew it could not last much longer, and he would not have the opportunity to be with her like this often enough.

Knock Knock

Atem's heart sank and his attention turned to the door, seeing that Isis was standing in the entryway. "Enter," he said flatly to her. Slowly, Mana pulled her arms away from him awkwardly, not sure how Isis would respond.

"My king," Isis offered a small bow, "The kitchen staff is preparing a feast in the dining hall, just as you had requested. You must be famished."

Atem felt his stomach twisting in knots over having eaten nothing all day. In spite of his discomfort, he was not yet willing to leave Mana, especially when she needed him. "Of course, I will be right down. Please, excuse us for a few more moments, I just want to spend some time with her."

Isis nodded, but then Mana said, "No, pharaoh, it is fine." On her face, she showed a weak smile, "You should replenish your body, you need all the nutrients you can obtain." With the road that was ahead of Mana, she knew that she would have to learn to be strong, even in the face of losing her loved ones. She should not rely on Atem for strength—she would have rely on herself. Plus, putting Atem first would be her duty, and that includes his health.

He thought that Mana still needed to mourn. She was not back to her usual, bouncy self, based on her tone and mannerisms. "Mana, are you sure?"

"Yes." She nodded, offering a convincing smile, "I promise, I am feeling great."

After debating the situation in his head for a bit, not sure whether he should take Mana's word for it, he finally nodded. Then he turned to Isis, "Never mind then, we will be on our way."

Again, Isis bowed and left to relay the message to the palace staff.

When Isis was gone, Atem stood up from his bed to dress himself. The two were silent. Maybe they were both quietly acknowledging that Atem could be a demanding king who told Mana what to do, but she was his best friend. He felt no need to

As Atem was preparing the outfit that he planned to wear, Mana also left his bed. With a little bow, she said, "Excuse me, I must get dressed," and took off. Atem thought that was weird, since she never formally addressed him like that. He thought to himself, whatever! Mana was never one who was easily predictable; why would he start trying to understand the methods to her madness now?

Standing before his wardrobe, he felt an energy come from his the millennium pyramid. Atem looked down, and did not notice anything strange about it. It looked normal, but there seemed to be a pulsing surge around it. It was not normal.

So, like I said, I hope you guys found it enjoyable. I know I have barely scraped the surface of the story. I am sorry if it is such a slow start. I told you it was boring! I should also just go ahead and change the rating of the story because it only gets darker and gory from here on out. I wasn't sure if the content that I had written really qualified as "M" rating, because there will not be any sexual scenes, but there should be extensive amounts of violence, as far as I know. I mean, how violent is "M" rated violence? Anyways, review please if you want me to continue this story and especially if you have a suggestion or critique. I live for them!