The Truth is out

The ruins of Kul Elna were just as Dartz remembered it: ransacked, burnt, and dead silent. He heard shouting nearby and found Max hollering at Bakura. Knowing the magic of the Orichalcos will cause Bakura and Max to sense its presence, Dartz decides not to use its magic to conceal himself. He instead hides in one of the nearby houses that's half destroyed that way he'll be safe and able to hear the conversation between the two thieves.

"It was you from the very beginning," Max told Bakura.

"Yes, it was me," he repeated. "Come now, you've lived with me for ten years and you're finally figuring it out?"

"Don't toy with me!" Max shrieks. "Why did you kill my parents?"

Bakura just stands still with a calm, emotionless expression. Finally, he answers, "Because, Max, by leaving you in the care of the Millennials, your parents disgraced the Dark Lord. So I made them pay for their sins." That wasn't the only reason he killed that poor couple. He also knew that they never loved their daughter to begin with. Why else would they give up their child in the enemy's care? But what if he never killed them? If she stayed in Kul Elna and was involved in its destruction, her spirit would have likely been sold to the Great Goddess so that the Millennium Items could be created. Also, there's no guarantee that Bakura would have risked his own life to rescue her. How ironic. Bakura caused Max so much pain, yet he saved her life.

"My parents were only trying to protect me," she whimpered.

"You're wrong, Max," Bakura protested. "The only person who protected you, was always there for you, your true friend, was me." Max tried to argue that she was in good hands at the palace, but Bakura continued to state his claim. "I took care of you like family. I let you live with me, I shared my food with you, I gave you a bed to sleep in, I made sure you had clothes on your back, I tended to your wounds-,"

"Enough!" Max interrupted. "The servants in the palace did all that as well. And do you know what? They weren't evil." Dartz grinned as he watched the poor woman. She hates him so much; she wants to kill him. Yet at the same time, she doesn't want to kill him because he is her friend and he did take care of her.

Bakura shakes his head. "But they could never give you anything you wanted, let alone make you happy."

Max scoffed and said, "And you think you did? Spare me. You would never know what would make me happy." She was right. It didn't matter how well Bakura's mind was bonded to Max's. He would never know her true desires and ambitions.

But Bakura did think so. "I gave you power, made you a true Cobaltite, promised you would have revenge. I made you who you are."

Max raises her voice and cries, "Don't say anything else! All you really did was use me like a pawn in your game!" She lowers her voice and adds, "And I'm through playing."

"I'm sorry, Max, but you can't break your contract with the Dark Lord. Besides, we're so close to destroying-"

"No!" Max screams. "I'm sick of fighting, I'm sick of hurting others, and I'm sick of this whole Shadow Game! I don't want to fulfill your goals anymore."

Bakura puts on a straight face and asks, "What do you want then?"

Max could sense it in his tone that he really didn't care. "What's it matter to you? I'm just tired of pretending to be something that I'm not."

Bakura was about to burst out laughing, but he relaxed and asked her, "And you think you're one of them?" Max was at the verge of losing her temper. Tears were falling from her eyes, her teeth were gritted, and her hands were curled into fists. Dark magic surrounded her hand and her eyes glowed with a dark violet light. Bakura catches her arm to stop her from dealing a blow. "You should know that no matter how great the evil in your heart, you can't use Cobalt's own power against him. Simply, you can't attack me, his own true heir, with dark magic."

Dartz heard Bakura correctly there. Max was the one who held the powers of the Cobalt Star. He carefully watches her as she dispels her magic. She still can't seem to calm down. She continues panting and exhaling. She just wants to hurt Bakura; make him suffer.

Bakura stops smiling. "I understand. You want me to leave you alone. Better yet, to die." He turns away and tells her, "Fine, I'll finish everything myself. Even if it means having to die trying to fulfill Cobalt's wishes. Goodbye."

Max's anger fades as her expression turns into a look of surprise. Once Bakura takes his first step, Max stops him and pleads, "Don't go!" He stops, feeling her arms wrapped around him and his eyes widen of surprise. Max sobs as she holds her friend, but she manages to speak and tell him, "I can't forgive you for murdering my mother and father because they didn't deserve to be killed even by the heir of Cobalt. Even if they did leave me in the care of the Millennials, they still didn't deserve to die that way. And I can't stand by and let you kill more people even if it satisfies the Dark Lord."

Even Dartz was surprised with Max's expression. Is she saying what I think she's saying? Does she not want Bakura to cause more pain to the royal family? That was when he wondered, Is Max Luna?

She continues crying and adds, "But I can't forgive the royal family either for destroying my village and sacrificing my people to the Great Goddess." Actually, she should be glad her parents didn't meet the same fate as her fellow villagers. That's one reason why she can't despise the royal family. "Still, they took care of me and raised me like I was one of them. Besides, it's not like the pharaoh and queen were the ones who took everything from me. They're not the ones I hate. I never even hated them from the beginning." This was a difficult predicament for Max. She's been backed into a corner; having two enemies and having to decide who to trust. Will she make the right choice or will she lose herself? Does she belong in the light or in the shadows?

"So please," Max sobs, "no more fighting. I don't want you to hurt them anymore. I don't want to lose you either. Because even though you caused me so much pain, you did change my life and I probably would be lost if you had never come into my life."

They still don't seem to notice Dartz or even sense his presence. Cautiously, he comes out of hiding and tries to approach the two thieves. Bakura smiles once again, puts his arms around Max, holds her head, closes his eyes, and presses his lips against hers. Max's eyes widen, but she closes them and sighs. Looking closely, Dartz realizes that she's only pretending to enjoy the kiss. He sees her holding a dagger in one hand and pointing it close to Bakura's neck. Her words were true, but her emotions were false. Unable to take anymore, Dartz finally speaks up. "Stop." They finally come apart and face him. Max also drops her dagger. "Do either of you really think you can accomplish anything by taking advantage of each other?"

"You again," asked Bakura. "What do you want?"

"If you really are the true heir of Cobalt, why are you using Millennia's power against her to fight the royal family? Why haven't you been using Cobalt's powers to fight? Why haven't you killed the princess yet? What is your true objective?" Before giving Bakura a chance to speak, Dartz tells him, "Don't even answer. I know everything. It's all right here in these ruins. The gateway to the shrine behind you; the one guarding the tablet where that beast was sealed. You've been trying to obtain the Millennium Items so you could release that monster."

"Not just any monster," Max clarifies. "The monster trapped in that stone is Zorc; the ultimate beast born from the will of the Dark Lord, a monster whose power knows no bounds. Once he is set free, he will engulf the world in shadows."

Dartz merely chuckles. "My dear, I heard everything between you and Bakura. You said you didn't want to be involved in this anymore."

"Don't patronize me," she growled, "I know what I said."

Dartz clears his throat and picks up where he left off. "But, Bakura, I also understand why you haven't been using Cobalt's power. You can't use it at all. You gave the Cobalt Star to Max."

"She needed his power more than I did," he claimed. "It was the only way for her to become the Cobaltite she truly was."

"But not a true child of Cobalt," Dartz debated. "The only thing Max really became was a shadow behind a mask, hiding and lying to everyone just like you."

Max couldn't bring herself to argue with Dartz because she knew he was right. Bakura, on the other hand, was beginning to lose his temper. "Don't mock the shadows," he snarls.

"It's true. You're no prince of darkness. You're nothing more than a fake."

Bakura picks up the dagger Max dropped, but as he gets up, he notices that Dartz has somehow vanished. He looks around asking him, "And what are you, a hero?" Dartz just keeps quiet. "A thief? A murderer?" Not getting an answer, Bakura growls and inquires, "If you don't have an identity, then why keep it a secret?"

Finally, Dartz answers and says, "Because I don't even exist in this world." Bakura sees the Atlantean standing behind him and tries to attack, but by using the magic of the Orichalcos, Dartz makes it so that the thief's arm moves through him.

Max's eyes widen of fright. "You… you're dead?" She suddenly relaxes and sighs. "I see. Your body is neither human nor demon. Actually, you have no material form. You're a spirit."

"A spirit," Bakura repeated in question. "If so, then why do you still linger in the world of the living?"

"Like you, Bakura, I want the princess, but for different reasons."

"You want to kill her? Why?"

Dartz didn't think that killing the princess would be Bakura's first guess. The Atlantean was expecting the thief to think that he too, would want her power. He answers anyway and says, "I do, but I can't with you and your girlfriend in the way. I must protect her from the both of you."

Max wanted to say something, but she silenced herself. She had the thought that Dartz could frame her and Bakura for killing the princess, but that would be bad for them. Not just because they didn't commit the murder, but because their plans would be ruined. She breaks her own silence by asking Dartz, "What is your connection to the princess?"

He faces her and replies, "Let's just say that for now, I'm her guardian. But in truth, I would be considered her angel of death."

"Your own niece?" gasped Max.

Dartz stopped smiling and said firmly, "Don't say such a heinous thing. That child is of no relation to me."

Max was confused. "Hold on, are you Queen Mystery's brother or not?"

Dartz was annoyed and wondered if these two thieves ever used their common sense. One would think they would, considering how cunning and clever the both of them are. But the Atlantean figured there would be no harm in telling them. "We do share a connection. Five thousand years ago, I had a younger sister with blue eyes and white hair. She was reborn into Queen Mystery."

Bakura's eyes widen. "You mean to tell us that you've lingered here for five thousand years for one girl?"

"We both fell in a battle against each other and vowed to one day return to finish what we started. When I discovered that my sister was reincarnated into the queen, I thought the only way I could gain her trust was by convincing her that we were family."

It was becoming clear to the two thieves. "I see," Bakura was saying. "But you were also aware that she had another enemy. So to further your own needs, you had to protect her. Rather her child since my intentions would be focused on the next generation."

Max carried a different expression. "But then you lied," she said softly. She raises her voice and yells, "You took advantage of Mystery! She believed you were her brother when really, you were just using her like a pawn!"

Dartz merely chuckles at her. "You should talk. You've been lying to the queen and her husband for years; using them to gather information for Bakura. Even now, you're still lying to them by pretending to be somebody else."

"That may be," Max replies, "but I'm through lying to my friends and to myself. I'm also through with lying to the people who truly care about me."

The Atlantean stood by the fact that Max was a very complicated woman and it was hard to know if she was ever telling the truth sometimes. He continues tormenting her and says, "Don't tell me now that you actually consider the queen your friend, let alone care about her."

She releases the tears in her eyes, lifts her hand, and shows him the crystal ring on her finger. "Always," she says softly. She sniffles and adds, "I know I said it was just a piece of jewelry, but I am and always will be her friend. The ring on my finger shows that my promise is true."

This was enough to justify that Max was Luna all along. She seems to be serious, but Dartz keeps testing her by laughing, finding her claim pathetic. He sighs and argues, "Please, if you were Queen Mystery's friend, you would tell her the truth about you being Max and wielding the Cobalt Star. Also, you would be fighting with her instead of against her. If you really are tired of trying to be something you're not and want it all to stop, then you should confess to the royal family." He wipes his brow and figures, "But that's just one man's opinion. You do what you think is best."

Bakura clears his throat. "Actually, Dartz, Max would only do so if she really was a friend to the royal family. And Max would only turn herself in and reveal the truth about herself if she chose to." He crosses his arms and says a little strongly, "So I say the chances of Max confessing the truth to the pharaoh and queen are as equal as their chances of defeating me. But I guess that's just one man's opinion."

Dartz faces the confused woman and tells her, "Make up your mind, Max. Are you her friend or are you her foe?" Without giving her a chance to speak, he decides, "Never mind, don't even answer. I just realized something completely ironic."

Max tightens her eyes a little. "Ironic?"

"My dear, don't you think it's ironic that your name is Luna? Don't you think your role in this Shadow Game is pure irony? Think about it, 'Luna' comes from 'moon' and the moon has both a light and dark side. And you, a woman born in the darkness, but raised in the light. You know the strengths and weaknesses of both the Great Goddess and the Dark Lord, but you're neither with nor against either of them. You're a friend and foe to Bakura and Mystery."

Bakura was beginning to lose his temper. He raises his voice and tells Max, "Don't listen to him! He's poisoning your mind!"

"No," whispered Max. She speaks up and says, "He's right. It is ironic. This whole battle, my whole life, everything." She smiles and wonders, "If I'm a friend and for to both, this means I can control the world." Her smile fades as she adds, "But I said I had enough, so I should live up to my word. And if the queen is my friend, then – no, I can't let her know everything."

"Seems to me you want to test her and see if she really does consider you her friend," Dartz assumed. He knows that Mystery will do whatever she can to help her friend, but he's curious to know what will happen once she sees that her friend Luna is her enemy Max. Will she be able to reach into her friend's soul and save her? He wonders if that's what Max wants to find out. "Do as you see fit. Rather, do whatever you want to the queen. But the princess is mine. I will be the one to destroy her." The Atlantean turns his attention to Bakura and tells him directly, "As for you, Bakura, you and I may not be fond of each other, but when you get right down to it, you and I are somewhat alike. We're both manipulative, we're both masters using our subjects like pawns in a game, we betray those who've trusted us, and we both share a common enemy. Also, once we're through with our servants, we do away with them. But having that common enemy is what makes us common enemies."

"Just get out of here," he orders. "Leave and never come back."

"As you wish," he tells him and starts walking away.