Chapter 10 - Secrets In The Ink

Yami gasped when he saw Rose. Her eyes were blank and empty, which could only mean one thing.

"Marik!" Yami yelled out with rage, "I demand that you set her free! She has nothing to do with this!" He looked around, trying to spot Marik lurking in the shadows.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Rose replied, but it didn't sound like her at all. It was a twisted version of her voice mixed with Marik's, as he spoke through her. She was standing perfectly still, her hands at her sides and her blank eyes staring numbly at Yami.

"Rose," he said to her, "Marik is controlling you, you must break his mind spell!" He urged.

"She is much too weak Pharaoh,"Rose laughed, "Really, you should pick those you care about more wisely."

"Rose please listen to me," Yami pleaded, stepping forward, "You have to fight back, I know you are strong enough to overpower his shadow magic!"

"Your efforts are futile Pharaoh!" Rose laughed, "Now hand over your millennium puzzle and my Egyptian god card!"

I should have known he'd try something like this, Yami thought. "That card is not yours, and neither is my puzzle!" He said with finality.

"Very well," Rose walked up onto the ledge, only centimetres from the deadly drop to the rubble below. Yami's breath caught in his throat. "I have no problem with letting your friend step off of this ledge."

"He can't do that!" Yugi said, panicking, "We have to stop him!"

"You wouldn't!" Yami said, starting to move toward her.

"Hold it right there!" Rose said, holding a hand up. She smirked, shaking her index finger at him, "We don't want anything happening to Rose now, do we?"

Yami wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He could sense Yugi's fear, know that his heart was pounding in his chest. But he had to be strong and confident for both of them, innocent lives were at stake and he couldn't afford to make a mistake.

"What do we do?" Yugi asked hysterically.

"Now hand over your puzzle and my god card!" Rose demanded for the last time.

"I'll never give you my puzzle!" Yami said, instinctively grabbing the chain that it hung on around his neck.

"We have no choice!" Yugi said. Yami knew he was right, he was running out of time. He'd never let anyone hurt his friends, and he couldn't let anything happen to Rose.

"Too bad,"Rose said, "She's such a pretty face..."Rose went to step off of the ledge.

"No!" Yami screamed, "Rose, stop!" fear had overcome him, and he lurched forward, trying to reach Rose as she went to step off of the ledge...

and stopped. Yami stopped in front of her with wide eyes, confused, before looking down in amazement, seeing that his puzzle was glowing. He then looked back up to Rose; all he could see was the back of her head, she was standing still on the ledge.

Yami took a step forward, "...Rose?"

"Marik!" Rose's voice dripped with malice as she turned around, glaring into the shadows. Yami and Yugi let out gasps of relief. "You selfish coward!" She bellowed. That's when they saw a figure standing in the shadows.

"What?!" Marik emerged from the shadows, clearly enraged, "How can this be? You are my mind slave! Do as I command you!"

"I will not be controlled!" Rose yelled, outraged.

"Hey, look!" Yugi said, "on her forehead, It's the millennium symbol!"

Yami looked to Rose's forehead, and sure enough the millennium symbol was glowing brightly as if it belonged there, was somehow a part of her. He gasped in surprise, "It is, But how?"

"And her tattoo is glowing!" Yami had figured by now that it must have been more than just a tattoo, from the few odd occurrences that had happened lately, he knew it held some sort of powerful secret.

Marik seemed to notice this as well, and he stepped back, shock clear on his face, "that glow on your chest! It looks like...But it can't be...who are you?!" Could this girl truly be the one from those stories? Marik thought with shocking realisation. I thought they were just tales! But how else would you explain this?!

"I may not know much about who I am," Rose said, "but I do know that I can hold off your pathetic attempt at blackmail," she spat.

"Looks like your mind tricks are getting old," Yami said to Marik, who scowled.

"I've had enough of this!" Marik yelled with rage, using the power of his millennium rod to force Rose backwards. She stumbled back and her eyes widened when she felt there was no ground below her foot. With a blood curdling scream, she fell off of the ledge.

"Rose!" Yami ran over to the edge, terrified for her safety as she screamed for help. She had managed to grab onto a lower ledge, and when Yami reached the edge of the tower, he saw her hanging on for dear life just below. Marik stepped back, laughing maniacally at the scene before him.

"Rose! Grab my hand!" Yami said, reaching down to her.

"I can't!" She said, "I can't hold on!" Her grip was slipping fast.

"Yes you can!" Yami said to her, "I know you can! Please trust me!" Rose reached up to grab his hand, and just as he grabbed hold of her, her other hand slipped and she was left hanging onto his arm as he tried to pull her back up. Yami managed to pull her back up and over the railing, and she fell into his arms in relief, her knees buckling under her.

"Thank you," she said, breathing heavily.

"It's okay, you're safe now," he reassured her, letting her lean on him while she regained her feet.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your moment," Marik said, "But I have some unfinished business to attend to!" He lifted his millennium rod and forced Yami back into the far wall. He was unable to move.

"Pharaoh!" Rose started running towards him.

"Rose! Behind you!" He called out to her. She turned around just as Marik swung his millennium rod at her. Rose yelped and ducked out of the way, but Marik just held up his rod and it forced her backwards, but unlike Yami, there was no wall for her to hit. Instead, she plummeted down the stairs.

"Rose!" Yami called out.

"Next time we meet your power will be mine, Pharaoh!" Marik taunted, before going down the stairs to deal with Rose. He found her curled up in a ball at the bottom of the stairs, and he stopped in front of her.

"What do you want from me?" She demanded, slowly getting to her feet with a wince.

"Well my dear," he smirked, "with you in the shadow realm the Pharaoh will be weak enough for me to destroy and claim his ancient power," he laughed.

"You'll have to defeat me in a duel before you can try and send me to the shadow realm, you creep," Rose spat.

"Very well," Marik replied, "But you're only prolonging the inevitable." They found a suitable area to duel, on a secluded area of the island, "This should make sure we have no unexpected interruptions," Marik said with a smirk.

"Just shut up and duel," Rose said, glaring at him as she pulled out her deck.

"Prepare to be sent to the shadows," Marik smirked, and the duel began.