Chapter Seven

All This Time

The Pharaoh stood there, guilt filling his soul. "What have I done!?" His voice shook. He had just killed a man. He hadn't felt that power surge through his body in years. Last time he did that, Yugi almost destroyed the puzzle. It was before they met, before they knew of each other's existence.

"Easy. I did it, not you." Elise grinned. "I just used your powers."

"I don't understand." The Pharaoh asked confused.

"You see, Pharaoh. You possess the powers of the shadow games. So that means that I am able to tab into it, now that I hold the Millennium Puzzle in my hands." A small chuckled escaped her mouth. "There is so much that Yugi doesn't know, nor do you." She glared at the spirit that stood in front of her.

"Yugi will never forgive you!" He snarled at her.

"I don't care!" Elise laughed. "I possess one of the most powerful items to ever exist! Between you and the power your father created, I am going to be able to finish what little Yugi backed away from."

"My father? Power? What are you talking about?" The Pharaoh questioned.

"You see your highness. My father isn't in the army, he is a Archaeologist." She smirked. "He had heard of your tomb being uncovered years ago and wanted to join in on it. It made headlines! Tomb of Nameless Pharaoh, plastered all over Egypt, where we lived. Yet they refused to let him!" She clenched her fists. "He was able to see some pictures of the walls and read of your father, his name too, unknown. It stated that no names were allowed to be in your tomb, for darkness and death would come to the world if the Nameless Pharaoh, were to know them." She turned and looked up to the moon. "But my daddy was able to read better than others. The hieroglyphics he saw spoke of where his tomb was. So he went to his tomb and learned of the origin on the Millennium items."

The Pharaoh's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How is that possible?"

"Well you see. My daddy is smart, he deserved to be the one with the puzzle. He learned that your father created these items to stop a horrible being, however it was a great cost. It took lives, many lives! To create the seven millennium items and with that loss, gained darkness. The items are not as good as you like to believe." She smirked. "They are dark! They were made with dark magic. The great pharaoh before you, your father, became consumed by the darkness. He eventually died because of it. Heart attack from what daddy said." Elise scoffed. "He only had one heir to the throne, which was you. Because he feared that power of the items, he refused to let them be buried with him or his priests who wielded the other six items. He decided to pass his item to his son."

"Are you saying that the darkness that lied within his heart is what made the millennium items?" The Pharaoh was shocked and confused.

"Yes and once you were given the puzzle, that darkness sparked in your heart." Elise stepped close to the Pharaoh. She leaned close to his ear. "You remember the Orichalcos?" She whispered.

The Pharaoh gasped, his face filled his fear and surprise. How could she have known about that? Was she watching them? All this time! "How long have you been watching us?" He growled.

"Long enough." Elise began walking once again. "I have already told you more than you should know. Besides getting your memories back right now isn't going to help you or me."

"Wait!" The Pharaoh called out.

"Yes." She turned on her heel. "What is it?"

"Promise me you won't harm Yugi." He stared into her eyes.

"You really do care for this stupid kid?" She smirked putting her hands in her pants pockets. "I can promise you I won't harm him. But, no promises on what you will do to him." She walked down the street, knowing the Pharaoh would eventually follow.

The Pharaoh stood there, staring at Elise as she walked away. "Aibou." He began to feel the puzzle tugging him and with that he retreated back to it, tears falling from his face. With everything that she had just told him, maybe he really was, an evil King.

The next morning Yugi awoke before his alarm. He got dressed and grabbed some toast before running out the door. He stopped mid step when he saw Elise outside waiting for him. "Yugi! Good morning!" She smiled and waved at him.

"Ah! Good morning." Yugi greeted her as he walked out of the game shop.

"Are you ready to find your puzzle?" She asked.

"Yes!" Yugi grinned. "I have felt so naked without it." He smiled.

"Goody!" Elise spun around in a circle. "I already got transportation for us so no need for a stinky bus."

"Elise you think of everything, don't you?" Yugi shook his head and followed Elise down the street.

When they arrived to a parking lot, Elise unlocked a car. "We are driving?" Yugi asked confused.

"Yep! I can drive." She opened her door. "Get in!" She motioned for Yugi to follow and got in the car.

Yugi walked over and opened his side of the car. "How? When?" He asked, confused but got in anyway.

"You see I have my permit and this is daddy's car, so I can drive it. When he doesn't know." He giggled shyly.

"Oh I see. He doesn't know." Yugi slumped his shoulder. "Here comes the trouble." He mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Elise asked with a small grin.

"Nothing!"

"Good. Now, let's go find your puzzle." She started the car and headed towards the outskirts of Domino. The GPS said they would be driving for twenty minutes and that they would reach their destination by 10:30am.

They arrived at an old house. It was dark, weird for how early in the day it was, Yugi noted. They got out of the car and stared at the house. It was abandoned, abused, it looked like no one had lived in it for years. "Are you sure this is the right place? Yugi asked.

"It's where the GPS told us to go. Also the address is on the door." She pointed to the front door and they saw the numbers that matched the paper Ichizo gave them.

"I guess we can just go in and hope for the best." Yugi took a step forward and began to walk towards the house.

"Yugi wait!" Elise stopped him. "What if there is a murderer in there?" She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill. "I don't want die."

Yugi smiled and looked at her. "I won't let that happen to you, I promise." He held his hand out and waited for her to take it.

Elise looked at Yugi and smiled, taking his hand she nodded and they both walked to the house. They got to the door and Yugi reached to open it, but the door cracked open instead. "Not creepy at." Elise's eyes went wide. "You do watch horror films right? This is usually how they start." She nodded and watched Yugi step inside the house. "I take that as a no." She walked in after him.

"AH!" Yugi reached for his chest, his heart was hurting. He fell to his knees, clutching his shirt.

"Yugi!" Elise ran to him and went to touch him.

"Ah!" He screamed. Elise pulled away. "It hurts! Someone is hurting him." He cried out.

"Hurting who?" Elise asked, fear over took her and she couldn't move. "Yugi!"

"YUGI!" A voice called out.

"Pharaoh?" Yugi looked up, still clutching his shirt, the pain was slowly going away. "Where are you?" He called out.

"Yugi, run! Get out of here! She isn't who she says she is! She's been lying to you!" The Pharaoh cried out, pain filled his voice. "AH!" He screamed.

"AH!" Yugi felt the same pain the Pharaoh did.

"SILENCE YOU FOOL!" A voice cried out. Yugi turned his head around and saw Elise holding, "No!" his millennium puzzle. "I should have known you would try to stop me!" She smirked looking at Yugi.

"Elise?" He stood up slowly, the pain finally ceasing. "What are you doing with my puzzle?" He asked looking at her.

"I was going to hide it upstairs and pretend that I found it, then use it on you." She smirked. "However your stupid Pharaoh decided to get his link back with you." She rolled her eyes and looked at the puzzle in her hand. "But don't worry, I was able to punish him." She looked at Yugi and grinned, maniacal, she changed her entire persona. Her eyes changed color and the eye of wdjat was on her forehead.

"What is going on?" Yugi demanded.

The Pharaoh appeared next to Elise, he sighed not looking at Yugi. He felt the control Elise had on him, he didn't know what was going to happen, but he refused to open his eyes to see the pain that was about to come.

"Pharaoh?" Yugi took a step about to reach for the puzzle.

"No you don't." Elise waved her hand shadows grabbed Yugi's legs. He groaned and glared at her. "Now if you must know! I control the power of the nameless Pharaoh! The power that my daddy deserved!" She put the puzzle around her neck and smiled. "You see Yugi, I already explained it once to this sore loser, but I thought maybe you should get the short version. By that I mean the Pharaoh is going to show you." Elise raised her hands to the puzzle and grinned. "Nameless Pharaoh, I call upon your power." She closed her eyes. "Show Yugi what real pain is!"

The Pharaoh's arm began to lift, though he fought it. "No!" He cried out. "Yugi." He closed his eyes tight and a tear fell from his eye. He couldn't control it, Yugi was about to die by his hands.

"Pharaoh! Fight it!" Yugi called out.

"I can't!" He cried.

"Yes you can! I know you can!" Yugi looked at the Pharaoh with pleading eyes. "Open your eyes, look at me."

The Pharaoh did as he was told and was shocked. Yugi was smiling at him, he had faith in him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "I can't stop it, but I can change it." He said.

"What are talking about?" Elise growled.

"Just watch!" The Pharaoh closed his eyes and the shadows changed to a gold color, they engulfed Yugi, but no screams were heard. The light was gone, Yugi was gone. The Pharaoh sighed happily.

"Where is he?" Elise demanded.

"He's safe." He smiled and disappeared into the puzzle.

"No! I demand you to bring him back! Bring him back so you can kill him!" Elise screamed at the top of her lungs, she ran to the basement and through a hidden door. There she was greeted by a man. "Daddy! What is going on?"

"It seems that maybe you aren't good enough for the power of the puzzle!" The man, dressed in a black suit raised slowly from his chair. He turned and looked at her in the light. He had grey hair, dark blue eyes, and his age showed. Wrinkles all over his face, he carried himself with a hunch in his back, his voice was raspy. He seemed to struggle both to stand and to breathe. "The true powers of the puzzle will not be unlocked until the prior owner is dead!" He yelled.

"Daddy isn't me! It was the stupid pharaoh!"

"Enough! I don't want excuses!" He interrupted. "I want a dead body! Between that little brat and the ones who uncovered the nameless pharaoh's tomb, we need that power! Without it, you can't become the chosen one." He began to cough.

"Daddy!" Elise ran to her dad and helped him back into the chair. "I will, I promise. Yugi will die and with his death we will unlock the Pharaoh's memories."

The Pharaoh stood in a corner listening to it all, he couldn't feel Yugi anymore, he hoped he was safe. "Yugi, please stop this from happening." He spoke out loud.

"Yugi!" Joey shook his friend. "Come on man, wake up!"

"Yugi!" Tea cried. She closed her eyes looking away.

Yugi opened his eyes and sat up quickly. "Pharaoh!" He called out. He looked around and saw his friends. Joey, Tristan, and Tea. "Where am I?" His voice filled with fear.

"Your at my place." Tristan spoke. "One minute I was mowing the yard the next you were on my patio, unconscious!" He waved his hands in the air. "Out of nowhere!"

"Tristan called me and Joey and we came right over. We knew that wasn't normal." Tea got down and hugged Yugi close. "You had me worried."

"Nothing is normal for us. But yeah that was weird." Joey sighed and looked at his friend who was blushing from the contact he received from Tea.

Yugi pulled Tea away and smiled. "Sorry for worrying you all. But we need to hurry up and go!" He stood up and looked at his friends. "I found the Pharaoh and he is in a lot of danger!"

"Wait what!?" Joey stumbled on his words. "Care to explain better?" He followed Yugi who took off to Tristan's car.

"I will while we drive, let's go! He needs us!" Yugi pleaded.

Tristan sighed and followed Yugi. "Ok, but I am driving. Joey no more back seat driving!" He got in his car and they all followed.

"Let's go!" Joey grinned.

"We're coming Pharaoh!" Tea said and buckled her seat belt.

"Just hold on a little longer." Yugi said as Tristan went the direction he directed him to. Yugi knew Tristan couldn't go any faster but was scared it would be too late.