So, so, so sorry for the delayed update. Don't hate me! I was busy with school, then work, and then I just was lazy and couldn't decide what should happen. I hope my fans haven't left me! Thank you guys for all the reviews. Hopefully I'll update more routinely now, but probably won't post the next chapter for about two weeks. Please enjoy though!
Chapter 14
Bakura sauntered through the hallway cheerfully. In his possession he now had the Millennium Scale. And the price he had to pay for it was one easy battle. Karim had attempted to put up the most difficult fight he could muster, but it hadn't been much. Without the rest of the Millennium items to back him up he had been very unsuccessful. Now all Bakura had to do was find Seto, Mahad, Shada, and the Pharaoh. Once he got the last four pieces, he could call upon the great evil to destroy all of Egypt. That's all Bakura had really wanted all along. He wanted the Pharaoh and Egypt to feel the same pain he had felt when his city had been destroyed by the Pharaoh at the time, Akunumkanon. If it hadn't been for the old Pharaoh's quest for power his city wouldn't have to have paid that price. He shook his head trying to clear the bad memories. The former Pharaoh had unleashed blood thirsty vengeance into Bakura's mind and he wouldn't stop until it was completed.
Bakura glanced back at the Millennium Necklace room where one of the other fallen guardians rested. He wondered for a second how Isis had been so strong. She was fighting with all her strength to stay conscious whereas the second Karim lost the battle and his Millennium item was taken, he fell to the ground in defeat. Bakura looked at the black haired man at his feet in disgust. The white haired man wondered if he should just finish Isis off himself. There was no reason to let her stay conscious while she could spill information or nonsense to the rest of the guardians.
Before he could make a decision, Bakura's head shot up when he heard approaching foot steps.
"Is the holding room in the other direction, Seto?"
As Seto and Kisara turned the corner they stopped in their tracks.
"Well if it is not Kisara again. And look she brought Seto with her this time."
Seto instantly noticed Karim's downed body and pointed accusingly, "What have you done to him?"
"It is nothing I have done to him; he just lost a battle against me, is all."
Seto growled angrily, pushing Kisara behind himself, and pulled out his dueling disk, "It is my turn to destroy you Bakura."
"Destroy me or do you mean be destroyed by me?" Bakura snickered confidently.
Kisara tugged at Seto's sleeve urgently, "Please do not fight him Seto."
Seto wiggled his arm out of her grasp, "I cannot just simply do nothing, Kisara."
Suddenly Isis's words were ringing in Kisara's ears loud and clear 'you can get my necklace back.' It was the perfect advice for her now, but how could she do it? How could she possibly get Isis's Millennium Necklace back? She wasn't that strong, she had no duel disk, and she had no power. What could all these people, Seto, Shada, Isis, see in her that she could not see in herself? She glanced around Seto's body to study Bakura, but it didn't look like he had any of the other Millennium item besides the scale. Why would he bring the objects back to the place he had stolen them from anyways? It was wishful thinking.
"Step back Kisara."
Bakura eagerly set his duel disk on his arm. He had no problem with dueling Seto. The faster Seto lost, the sooner he would only have three more items to retrieve instead of four. It was lucky that these two just happened to fall into his lap, just like Karim had. After Bakura finished Seto off, he would take Kisara with him again. He had a fond interest in the untold power she possessed and he could never pass up a chance for more power. No one could pass up a chance for more power, not even the highly esteemed guardian, Seto.
"Whatever you are thinking Bakura, it will not work. You have already lost."
Bakura laughed menacingly, "I think we have only begun Seto, but I cannot wait until you lose. Then finally I can take your Millennium Rod."
Seto clutched the Millennium Rod in his hand tighter, "There is no way I shall ever let you touch this."
"We shall see," Bakura countered.
"Indeed we will."
"And after I get the Millennium Rod, I will take that girl again."
Seto glared at Bakura with such hatred that the other man almost took a step back. Bakura had never seen such a vicious side to Seto before.
"You will not touch her again, ever," Seto promised.
With that Kisara stepped back as Seto instructed and looked on helplessly as the two men prepared to call their first shadow monsters to their duel disks.
--
"Wait," the Pharaoh commanded.
"What is it, my lord?" Mahad wondered.
"I should not go to the holding room."
"Why not?"
"Because if it is Bakura and Aknadin who have broken into the palace, then would Aknadin not know everything that the rest of us do?"
"I see," Mana interrupted, "if we go to the holding room, Aknadin, Bakura, or some assassins may already be there waiting because Aknadin was once part of the guardians so he knows that would be the first place the Pharaoh would go for security."
"That is true," Mahad agreed.
"Mahad, you should take Mana and the Pharaoh somewhere safe and I will go to the holding room to round up the guards," Shada suggested.
"Karim was supposed to round up the guards, was he not?"
"He was, but I have not seen anything happen yet."
"We should not split up!" Mana protested.
The Pharaoh disagreed, "I think it is our only choice, Mana."
Mana looked displeased, but kept her mouth firmly shut nonetheless.
Mahad continued, "All right, I shall take the Pharaoh and Mana to…"
"The former Pharaoh's room," the Pharaoh finished.
Mahad and Mana both turned to stare at the Pharaoh. They wondered why he chose that specific place, but did not ask.
Shada nodded in agreement, "I will meet up with you soon."
Mahad, Mana, and the Pharaoh quickly went to the left, while Shada went to the right, the direction they had first come from. Shada had the feeling like something big had gone down because Karim hadn't rounded up his army yet. Usually he was witty and fast. Karim would have already had a plan formulated if something else hadn't sidetracked him, but what could it possibly be? Plus the fact that there were probably guards in the holding room; maybe even Seto and Shimon were already there. Who knew?
As Shada neared the large marble door that was pushed open on both sides, he heard voices coming from within.
"I do not want to fight you."
Shada could tell right away that that was Shimon's voice. He listened closely to the next person who spoke.
"I do not think you will have much of a choice now, will you?"
That was another voice that Shada was all too familiar with. It was the voice of the former guardian and former friend, Aknadin.
Shada peeked around the door to see that it was Shimon facing him and not Aknadin. That was a relief. Now it would be much easier to sneak up on the man and Shimon would see him coming so he could help if necessary or at least be prepared. Shada crouched down and moved through the double set doors with practiced grace. If you belonged to the Pharaoh's royal guard you needed to be sneaky and smart. He saw Shimon's eyes perk up at the sight of him, but they did not give any more away then that. Shada quickly dashed up and grabbed Aknadin's arms, pulling them behind his back painfully.
Aknadin's head whirled around to see his ambusher, "You."
"How could you betray us like this Aknadin?" Shada stated.
"Because power does crazy things to people."
"You should know," Shada spat.
"Let us not fight, Shada. It does not do any good to argue with someone who already has their mind set."
"Yes you are right."
Shimon continued, "Bring him down to the dungeon and lock him up. I shall wait here for the Pharaoh's arrival."
"The Pharaoh shall not arrive here. Come let me put him away and then I will explain. I do not want to leave you unprotected any longer than we must," Shada told.
"I suppose you are right."
The two walked out of the holding room together, one comfortably, the other tugging an unhappy person along with them.
Aknadin gritted his teeth in anger, but let himself be pulled along nonetheless. Just they wait; he would escape and give them their due punishment.
--
Just before Seto could call up his first duel monster, Bakura slit his eyes in anger and started to retreat. Seto glanced over his shoulder to see a large group of the Pharaoh's guards running up the stairs. They were shouting rather loudly.
"Look there is Master Seto!"
"And look Commander Karim is on the floor."
Bakura slunk back carefully, "We will have to finish this another time, Seto."
Seto took a step towards the man who was scurrying away, "No let us finish it now, Bakura."
"Even if I defeat you now, those guards will capture me and take the Millennium pieces back. Do not be in such a rush to lose your soul, dear Seto. It will leave you soon enough," Bakura hissed.
"The only one who will lose their soul will be you."
"Once again I say we shall see."
With that Bakura turned on his heel and dashed down the opposite staircase.
When the guards reached Seto, he yelled. "Go after him immediately!" After half the guards had gone Seto continued his orders, "Go see to Karim, bring him into his room to rest. And go check on Mistress Isis."
Some of the guards went to do those tasks and then one asked a question while jabbing his finger in Kisara's direction, "What about her?"
"Leave her be. She is with me."
"Yes Master Seto," the guard replied although he seemed unpleased by the response.
Seto ignored the man and then motioned the rest of the guards to follow him, "We must hurry and get to the holding room. The Pharaoh might be there waiting for our protection."
"Yes of course!"
Seto lead the way, offering Kisara his hand. She gladly took it and held his one hand with both of hers, pushing her body as close to him as humanly possible. It made her nervous with all the guards around staring at her, but Seto had enough problems that he didn't need to be bothered with hers.
"I hope the Pharaoh is all right."
Kisara patted his hand, "I am sure Mahad and Shada are taking good care of him. That is who you said you left him with, correct?"
Seto nodded once, but suddenly regretted letting the Pharaoh out of his sight.