A/N: From here on out, there will be a lot of things both similar and yet different. It was a warning from the getgo that not everything was going to be the same. This is, after all, an AU version of the YGO-verse. The differences are just beginning and that includes a few different directions for the ending. If you are not open-minded to this, I ask you please not continue. However, if you choose to continue to read, I thank you and hope that you are able to enjoy everything as it unfolds.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything YGO related. I don't make money from it or anything. I do own Aurora and her friends and family.

Dark Magician Girl To The Rescue

The drive was silent as Adais and Seto made their way out of the main city stretch and more toward the outskirts of town. Seto stared out the window lost in thought while Adais gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles and clenched teeth. He had so many questions for the young CEO, but doubted he would actually get any answers. He was just worried about where his sister had been taken and wondered how he could help her. He pulled up to a cavern he knew well from his childhood and turned off the car.

"You coming?"

Seto looked over at him. "What are we doing here?"

"I'm assuming Bakura told you to come to Egypt for answers. I'm also assuming you figured the old Tablet from the museum would help. Well, you are partly right in that."

Seto climbed out of the car while he listened. "Partly?"

"The tablet at the museum now is only a copy. The real one has been brought back to its resting place." Adais nodded at the opening to the cavern. "Here."

"I'm warning you, if you are pulling my leg-"

"Stop, Mr. Kaiba. Save it for those who actually worry about your threats. I've been around and seen far too much to for your threats to concern me." He felt Seto's eyes burning into his back as he kept walking into the cavern that housed his father's tomb. "Believe me, there are things far worse than you out here."

"And you expect me to believe Bakura is one of them?"

"He managed to take your brother and my sister, didn't he?". Adais kept walking down the twisted steps along the path and sighed. "This would be easier to explain if you were as open-minded as your father."

Seto stopped in his tracks. "What do you know about my father?"

"You're biological father. My sisters and I grew up with him for a time." Adais knew he was stepping on dangerous territory, but the time for secrets was done. Seto had to know where his roots lie in order to make the decisions he had to make. "I also know that he and your grandfather were both very good, strong, and proud men. Nothing could shake them once they switched their minds to things. A trait you definitely took."

"This is impossible!"

"Is it? Is it really so hard to believe that people out there knew of you and your life before the accident?"

Seto grew silent. He was finding his senses assaulted in all directions and felt the onset of overload. He wanted answers, but he had not expected this.

"You see, Kaiba, your roots really do stretch way back to ancient times. You have, what some would call, 'special blood'."

"This is ridiculous."

"And yet you are here. I know you are willing to do everything possible for your brother and my sister. Now that would include opening your mind so you can gain what you need to save them.". Adais stopped at the end of a path and looked up to an ancient tablet covered in carvings from his childhood. "This is where you will find your answers."

Back in the memory world, Yugi, Yami, and Aurora sat near the shoreline of the river watching the water flow. Yami had recounted what memory he had of what had happened. Aurora had closed her eyes and tilted her head back, allowing the sun to fall upon her. Yugi smiled when he watched Yami glance over at her with a half-hidden smile.

"I bet it has been nice for you in some ways, being here."

Yami blinked and turned back to face Yugi. "Hmm?"

Yugi grinned and nodded at Aurora, earning a slightly flustered response from the Pharaoh. "Yes, in some ways it has been. There was a lot I had missed. It was nice to get some time with certain people." He reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze.

She offered him a warm smile before going back to the sunlight. It was taking her a little longer to recover from her plummet into the darkness than she would have liked. It had been Yami that insisted she rest until she was back in fighting shape. Yami turned his gaze back to Yugi who had taken to looking back out to the water.

"I heard about Bakura," Yugi told him softly. "So he's the evil force you battled all those years ago?"

"That's right, Yugi. And now Bakura has our puzzle. An Item that was handed down from my own father."

"Does this mean you got your memory back?"

Yami shook his head. "Unfortunately, I haven't. Not for the lack of trying. With Aurora's help, I have been able to unlock a small fragment of memory from my childhood during a time my father protected me. When I was just a Prince, my father had the Millennium items created. He had wanted them to restore peace to Egypt. But I'm afraid the Items all have a dark side to them as well."

"That must be why Bakura wants to get a hold of them all," Tristan commented idly.

Yami nodded again. "That's right, and I must do everything in my power to stop him before he can, just as I did in the past."

Yugi brightened. "And this time you have us to help you." His smile grew larger when the Pharaoh reached out and patted his head affectionately.

Tèa walked over and knelt near them. "Yami, did you ever learn your name?"

Yami frowned and glance at Aurora. "No, and believe me, we've tried. Aurora has tried to use it a few times, but something always stops her before she can."

"Finally something the great alien being can't do, huh?"

Yami frowned at his friend. "Tèa, I don't quite understand where you are coming from on this, but she is my wife. I ask that she be treated with, at the very least, the same respect you have given me. She is doing everything that she can. Some of the events playing out that she is with me now for, she wasn't even a part of before. I've been grateful she's been with me through this. Just as I am grateful to all of you." There was silence a moment before Yami pulled the cartouche out from under his tunic and showed them it was blank. "For my name, it's not just on Aurora. No one here uses my name. They always just say King or Pharaoh. Even if I directly ask for my name, it is a dismissed request. Aurora and I figure it just isn't time for me to have that memory revealed just yet. That when the time comes it will be revealed."

Aurora sighed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze of assurance this time. "I'm certain its almost time, my love. The pieces are all falling into place."

"I'm sure you're right. I'm just ready to end this."

"Then let us go. Let's return to Kul Elna and face Bakura once more."

There were silent, but solemn nods of heads from everyone as they all stood to leave.

Saphira looked around her in the palace. She felt a strange pulling toward a wing she was not sure she remembered going down in the past. The halls were dark and she grasped a small torch to help light her way. She found a room at the far end with guards standing at the entrance. They recognized her and nodded, standing straighter to grant her entrance. She did not understand, but she was grateful for it.

Entering the room, she froze when she noticed Priest Set standing over a bed, watching over a young, frail-looking girl with long, blue hair and snow-white skin. She knew this girl. This girl was important to the High Priest. She had to be guarded.

Kisara...

Saphira stepped forward, boldly moving to stand near the High Priest in a way she did not typically do in the beginning. She stared down at the girl but remained silent out of respect.

"I just hope she will rest well," the priest said suddenly beside her. She could hear the strain in his voice. "The White Dragon that is within her... It could very well be what saves us all."

Saphira nodded, continuing to watch the girl sleep. "Indeed, it just might."

He looked over at her then. "I must ask for your help."

She blinked up at him. "My help, Priest Set?"

He nodded to her, his gaze hidden. "Aknadin knows her secret. He has already demanded I kill her for it to take her Power for my own. But that doesn't feel right to me at all." He paused a moment. "What puzzles me, is how is it a man who built his reputation on being merciful to criminals, can be so heartless now?"

"If I may, Priest Set?" Saphira waited until he nodded his permission to her. "I am not all certain Aknadin is acting of his own accord. I believe something else is commanding him at this time."

"I see," Set accepted with a frown. "This is upsetting to hear, though it could very well be the truth with how things have been as of late. When I first came to court, it was Aknadin who taught me compassion and reason. This Aknadin, I don't even recognize anymore. But this means that Kisara is in even greater danger than I feared. Because if he feels I won't do what he wants me to, he just may try to kill her to take that power for himself." He reached up and took both her arms. "Lady Saphira, please watch over her. I have to help find the Pharaoh, but I can't be in two places at once. I know that with you, she will be protected."

She nodded. "Of course, Priest Set. I'll watch over her for you.".

Thankfulness filled his eyes and he nodded to her again. "Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Saphira had not realized she had been holding her breath until he left the room and she heaved a sigh. Turning, she looked down at the girl. She knew what was to happen. She knew what was coming. She hated that she was going to have to watch him go through that pain again, but knew it was necessary for events to continue to unfold as needed. She only hoped that he accepted her help this time as he had before.

The sun was high when the Pharaoh and his friends were found by Shada and the others. Horses were brought forward for Yami and Aurora, and they gratefully climbed atop them. Tightening the reigns, Aurora kept near Yami as Yugi and Joey ran up to them.

"We are going with you," Joey said defiantly.

Yami shook his head. "Not this time, please Joey. I know you want to help, but it is too dangerous for you there. Bakura has challenged me to a Shadow Game with the ultimate stakes. I don't want to risk losing you."

"Come on, Yami, it's Bakura. Not like I couldn't lay 'im out with one punch," Joey continued to insist.

Yami shook his head again. "Unfortunately, this Bakura isn't like the Bakura that you knew in your world. This Bakura is much more dangerous. I don't want you all to be hurt. I care too much to risk you. I'll finish things with Bakura. It would be safer if you could just return to your own world."

"Wait, Yami…" Aurora climbed back off her horse and stepped closer to Yugi. She kept her voice low as she knelt down to his level. "Yugi, you are so very important to all of us. I know how important Yami is to you. Even more so than you even realize. So…"She glanced over her shoulder at her husband who was watching her intently before she turned back to Yugi. "There is something you can do to help him."

"Really? What can I do, Aurora? Please, anything to help him."

"He still needs his name. Find his name, Yugi. Many places in this world should now be open for you to pass through. I don't know if you will find anything in the palace with his name. He was really careful about having it removed from there. But if you can find his destined resting place… You may just be lucky enough there. Find it. Learn it. Even if you can't read it. Find us again. It's the key he needs to end this. Just please, be careful, Yugi. It's far more dangerous here in this time than it was back home."

Yugi nodded and hugged her tightly. "Take care of yourself and him, Ms. Hart. We will find you with his name."

"I believe you. Now go." She returned to her horse and climbed back up, tightening the grip of the reigns and moving her horse back into position beside Yami. "We can go. They will be alright where they are going." She only nodded to Yami when he cast a curious look her way.

"Onward to Kul Elna!"

Zahara looked around, scanning her surroundings for the best exit out. She had wandered all over the area she was allowed to explore with no luck in finding any trace of her sister. She had realized with a start after Bakura's run-in with the shadow beast that she had not seen Sanura or Mokuba anywhere near him since her arrival here. She had even begun to wonder if he had them trapped in this realm at all, or if he had stashed them somewhere else. She froze when she felt heat pressed near her from behind.

"Can I help you find something, Princess?"

"Nothing you can help me find, Thief." Her voice had grown venomous. She was no longer under whatever spell she once thought he had her under. After being led to believe that her parents had fallen to their deaths in some land crevice, she could only think of one thing. She had to be the one to destroy him.

"I'm not entirely certain that's the truth."

She spun on him. "I said, nothing you can help me with!" She felt the power surge up within her and she pushed him back away from her, no longer surprised when he was forced back against a far wall in the cavern.

He growled as he stood and put a hand to his chest. "I am getting awfully tired of that little trick."

"Then stay away from me and it won't happen."

Bakura opened his mouth to speak when they heard the sound of approaching horses. Both looked at each other confused for a moment. Bakura's eyes suddenly sparked to life and he turned to head back up to the surface. Zahara followed behind him, stopping when she reached the top and found herself staring across the sands at her parents.

"You're alive…" she breathed.

"Not for long, Princess," Bakura sneered. "The time has come." He spread his arms out in mock welcome. "Ahh, Pharaoh, welcome back to my humble abode! But now that you have returned, you will experience the full extent of my power while you are within my personal realm. The spirits here won't let you escape. You belong to them for the sins of your family."

"The sins of my father were already reconciled, Bakura. He took the whole of the punishment so that I would be spared. It's time to let this grudge match go!"

Bakura grinned and grabbed Zahara. "I still have a few tricks left to place, Pharaoh. You see one, but where is the other, pray tell? Perhaps you should come down below and maybe you will find her there."

Zahara growled and struggled against Bakura's hold on her as he began to drag her back down underground. "You won't get away with this, Thief. You will not win!"

"Shh, Princess. You're prettier when you are silent."

"Oh, you…" her eyes flashed red and she kicked back harder, the air whooshing out of her when she was suddenly lifted from her feet and flung over his shoulder again. She pounded on his back with her fists the whole of the way down. "You bastard! Let me go!"

"Ah, but I want you to have a front row seat to your father's demise."

"Nah, this is a front row seat to his greatest victory." A startled cry left her lips when she was hoisted off his shoulder and tossed haphazardly to the ground.

"Bakura!"

"My pharaoh!" Bakura turned and announced with faux grandeur. He turned and found Yami had made his way to the bottom of the steps, Aurora right beside him. "There is something I think you should see, Pharaoh."

Yami glanced to one side of Bakura and eyes the stone tablet that rested near him. "The Millennium Stone."

"The one and only," Bakura grinned. "This stone is the gateway between our world and hell. It is guarded by the spirits of those that were sacrificed to make it. It was your father who destroyed our village and captured their souls in order to gain the power to dominate mankind. I know this because I am the only survivor of this village."

"That still made you merely a pawn for the Dark One," Zahara quipped darkly, earning a seething glare from the thief.

Yami growled in anger. "My father created the Items in order to gain peace and prosperity for Egypt."

"That's the lie that you have been told for years, Pharaoh. Open your eyes. The spirits here will tell you the truth, and without your puzzle, you will be unable to call forth the gods for help! Spirits of Kul Elna, arise and take your vengeance on the Pharaoh!"

Yami felt the full force of the spiritual attack and he shouted out in pain, falling to his knees. Aurora reached out to him and Zahara managed to break away from Bakura's watchful gaze long enough to run toward her father.

"You can't save him, Princess. The Pharaoh should be able to hear the cries of the spirits now. He will now learn the truth!"

"Father," Zahara whispered as Yami's eyes went wide before shutting tight and shaking his head.

"Father, please tell me they weren't made this way!" Yami pleaded.

"Oh, they were. And now you will redeem the sins of your father."

Aurora and Zahara both touched Yami on either shoulder, trying to bring him back to them when suddenly the spirits were blasted away from them and all three gasped as the Dark Magician appeared with his arms folded in front of him. The Magician's dark gaze fell upon Bakura who scowled up at him.

"Mahad!"

Bakura sneered. "Getting struck down once wasn't enough, you had to come back for round two?"

"My soul will always be with my Pharaoh," Mahad told the thief coldly.

"Mahad, you don't have to put yourself in harm's way again. You have served me well," Yami told his dearest friend.

The Dark Magician shook his head. "No, I made a vow to always protect the Pharaoh. That vow will hold no matter how powerful our foe. Now, rise, Pharaoh. I only exist by your will, so you must stand now. If you lose your courage, I will be lost as well."

"Did my father really destroy a village to make the Millennium Items?"

Bakura huffed. "I can answer that since I was there when it happened. I'll never forget that night. The night your father's henchmen stole the souls of my fellow villagers to further his own selfish needs. "

"But how could he? My own father?"

"Pharaoh, listen to me," the Dark Magician commanded. "While it is true that the Millennium Items were created using living sacrifices, what Bakura fails to mention is that every person in this village was evil."

"How do you know this?" Yami asked him.

"I always sensed the darkness within the Ring when I wore it. So I began to research the spell used to create it. I reported what I had learned to your father and he was just as surprised as I had been to learn what had occurred here. He struggled to believe these items could bring peace when they were plagued by so much evil. He didn't want you to suffer for the mistake that was made and asked me to make sure you were protected. But as I told your father, Pharaoh, It was not your Father's fault. He was never fully informed of the truth of the spell behind it. He was taken advantage of and then forced to suffer the consequences of the actions of the one who desired this Power so much for himself."

"My father was innocent?"

"Your father took the blame. He did so because his desire for lasting peace was not wrong. By taking the blame, he made it so you could continue his legacy and bring peace to Egypt."

"Are you both about finished?" Bakura asked with an air of annoyance. "It's not like it matters whose will he shall continue onward with anyway. The spirits of this town will have their day. They will have their revenge. Spirits, destroy them!"

"I believe in my father," Yami said as he stood. Aurora and Zahara took one step behind him to allow him the place to fight with the Dark Magician. The spirit of the priest lifted his hand and produced a magical barrier against the oncoming spirits. "Bakura! Return the Items to where they belong!"

"And I suppose you believe the Items belong with you?" Bakura laughed. "For a Pharaoh, you sure don't pay much attention. The Items belong back in their original resting place."

"Never!" There was a rumbling under their feet and Yami spread his arms to his waist to regain his balance. "It's coming!"

"Diabound!"

"Good gods above," Zahara gasped.

"It's evolved," Yami breathed, his eyes wide.

"That's right, Pharaoh. By using the power within the Ring and the Puzzle, I have been able to help my creature evolve to be even stronger than before.

The Dark Magician stepped in front of Yami still more to meet Diabound head on. "Be ready, my Pharaoh."

"Please be careful," Yami returned, keeping his eyes locked on the monster in front of them.

"Diabound use Thunderforce attack!"

"Dark Magic Portal!" The Magician managed to redirect the attack, striking a column behind Bakura. As the column began to crack and crumble, the pieces began to fall upon the Millennium Stone.

"No!" Bakura shouted. "Diabound, stop that pillar!" His creature wrapped its long serpent tail around the pillar, stopping it just above the stone.

"Dark Magic Attack!" The next attack struck Diabound's eye, which caused Bakura to stagger backward with a hand over his own eye.

Bakura seethed. "You will never destroy my Diabound, no matter how many times you manage to come back from the dead. But even more, you just wait. Zorc the Dark One will be here soon. You will make great offerings to him."

"Zork!" Yami gasped.

"Told you that you were nothing more than his pathetic puppet!" Zahara shouted back to him.

"And I told you enough of your lies!" There was a surge of energy from out of the shadows that caught Zahara up and lifted her into the air. She struggled within its grip, unable to break free. Bakura returned to his previous task. "Skeleton Fiend, protect the stone tablet! It will be needed to release Zorc when the time comes."

Diabound began to fade into the shadows and Dark Magician sent out a series of attacks around the cavern. Aurora turned her attention and her magic on the shadow that was keeping her daughter held fast. All around them, holes were blasted into the walls ceiling of the cavern, allowing sunlight to filter through the darkness. When Diabound was revealed in the light, the Dark Magician attacked Diabound directly. The attack caused Bakura to be thrown backward and he struggled to lift himself off the ground as his creature sank into the ground.

"It's over," Yami said with a slight release of breath.

"Not yet," Bakura growled from the ground. He looked up at the Pharaoh with blood dripping down the side of his face. "Mahada may have improved his skills, but he's still not good enough to keep me down." He slowly stood and coughed, spitting blood onto the ground before he turned to face them. "Spirits, I ask you now to fill me with your strength so that I may, at last, be able to avenge your suffering!"

Zahara's eyes widened and she stopped struggling long enough to watch as Bakura began to glow red from their strength. His laughter rang out loud and vibrated within the cavern of ruins. She whimpered when she saw Diabound, once again, rising up from the ground behind him. The Dark Magician attacked, but Diabound was ready and blocked each attack that came. There was another attack from the dark creature and the Magician was thrown back into one of the columns, falling to the ground.

"Father!" Zahara cried out fearfully as she and her mother fought even harder against her own prison, her father falling to his knees.

"Diabound, finish this with Lightning Blast!"

The attack shook the room and the Magician disappeared, leaving only a hole in the ground. Yami shouted out in pain and gripped his chest, looking up at Bakura with one opened eye. He growled and clenched a hand into a fist. Slowly he tried to stand yet again.

"Game Over, Pharaoh," Bakura said with a pleased grin. "The Dark Magician is no more."

"You're wrong." All eyes turned to a spot just above the dust. "Mahad is safe." Dark Magician girl could be seen as the smoke began to clear, holding the Dark Magician by an arm as she carried him toward one of the holes in the roof.

"Who summoned you?" The Dark Magician asked her.

She smiled down at him warmly. "A former student of yours." She nodded toward the opening.

"Mana," Yami whispered gratefully.

"I told you that you would become a wonderful spell caster." Aurora beamed with joy. "You really will do great things."

Mana opened her eyes and smiled at them both. "Yes, you did, my lady." She glanced at Yami with a slight bow of her head. "I thought you might be needing some help."

A/N: And now for the major changes and reveals to come… See you next chapter!