A/N: Hello everyone! I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. Get ready for chapter 21! I didn't wanna make you all wait so long on that last cliffy! :)

I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON OR YU-GI-OH!

Chapter 21- Rise Of The King

Bright visions, like flashes of light raced through Seto's mind just moments before the gun was fired. He saw Yugi's double, the Egyptian Pharaoh, Atem, handing over Egypt's thrown to him, and dubbing 'High Priest Seto' Egypt's new pharaoh. He saw Serena dressed in a beautiful white and gold gown. He saw himself with her and felt the connection being made between them. In that instant he knew that Serena and him were more than just acquaintances, and that their line of interaction descended through time.

There was an important item in Seto's visions, the Silver Moon Crystal. The moon crystal was what gave Serena life, and Seto was somehow connected to it, like he was chosen by a part of the item itself.

Just then, the visions ended and a shot was fired.

Darkness.

Silence.

Nothingness.

These were the things Seto felt, saw and heard. Then there was nothing. Absolutely nothing….

It felt like years until he discovered the sound of his own heavy breathing. He heard his heart beating inside of his head and felt it hammering against his chest. Blood rushed through his veins, causing a wave of flushed heat to wash over him, like a sudden and brief rainstorm.

Was this a dream? Was he still…. Alive!?

Ahmose's burst of anger confirmed Seto's musings. He rapidly shouted into the air, "What!? This damn gun!" He smacked the side of the barrel and checked the magazine. It was loaded. Ahmose aimed the weapon straight up in the air and shot into the ceiling. The firing sound was loud and vibrated the tiny room. Little pieces of the ceiling crumbled down onto the both of them.

Seto was shocked. He was still on his knees and was motionless. The gun had just misfired! The chances of a gun malfunctioning were like the slim chances of winning the lottery. It barely ever happened!

"There," Ahmose spoke, "all taken care of." He placed the end of the barrel back onto Seto's temple and smirked wildly. "Now…. Where were we?"

Another shot from the gun, but this time it only clunked.

A surge of silence occupied the room as both of the men were astounded.

Twice! It happened twice! The gun misfired twice! This was insanely impossible, yet here Seto Kaiba was, alive and well after having a gun fired at his head, twice! How was the weapon able to shoot just fine at the ceiling, but every time it was aimed at Seto it failed? What in the world was happening?

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Ahmose bellowed as he flung the gun across the room. The weapon hit the wall with a loud crash, and Seto winced at the noise it made.

The sound of a metal blade being yanked out of its holster made Seto freeze. He swallowed anxiously when he realized that this weapon would not malfunction.

Ahmose thrust the sword high up into the air, targeting it straight for Seto's back, "Good riddance!" He pushed the sword down, but before the harsh, silver blade could reach its mark, a flaming arrow shot Ahmose in the hand, making him drop his precious weapon to the floor. The sword clattered and shook violently as it connected with the concrete.

Ahmose grabbed his burning hand and cried out in pain, "Dammit!" He screamed.

Seto turned to where the arrow came from. He saw a woman with dark eyes and dark hair. She was wearing a red sailor outfit and was holding an all flame bow and arrow. She looked familiar and Seto knew he'd seen her before. He studied her quickly, realizing that she was the famous Sailor Scout, Sailor Mars, but more importantly, he recognized her as Serena's friend, Rei.

Ahmose turned toward her with a ferocious look upon his face. Irritation and rage boiled inside of him, "What the hell are you doing here, Rei!?"

"I'm here to end all of the trouble you've caused, Ahmose." She looked determined and her intensity never faltered.

He scoffed at her, "It's too late. I already have all that I need." He held out the moon crystal, marveling in its beauty. "Without this Serena will die, however," He rapidly reached out and seized Seto by the back of his neck, "once I kill him, I can become Moon King and revive Serena."

"It doesn't work that way, Ahmose. Serena never chose you! She chose Darien, but after you killed him, fate chose a new partner for Serena, someone who was already a king."

Ahmose frowned deeply, "And you don't think I know that!? What do you take me for? A fool?"

Rei glared at him, "Yes! The Moon Princess chooses her king, the one that will wield the power of the moon crystal. Why do you think your shots failed, Ahmose?"

"What're you talking about!?" He spat.

"The gun shots. Why do you think they failed?" The room fell silent, the tension building. "I'll tell you why," Rei continued, "because the moon crystal listens to Serena. If Serena chose Seto then the moon crystal will protect him. Since you're holding the crystal, it decided to prevent you from killing him."

"THAT'S ABSURD!" He screamed, "IT WAS ALWAYS MY DESTINY TO BE THE MOON KING!"

Rei narrowed her dark eyes, "Sometimes we don't get to chose our own destiny."

The rage boiled up in Ahmose and it soon overflowed. Within a flash, Ahmose pushed over Seto, snatched his fallen sword from the concrete floor, and rushed toward Rei at full speed. She barely had enough time to dodge his attack. Rei glided towards the side and prepared herself for a fight. The tip of Ahmose's sword clanked against the ground when his target missed. He flung round hastily and whipped his weapon around, slicing through the air as Rei strategically eluded each swing. She defended herself by sending radiant bursts of fire his way. Ahmose's sword slashed through the flames, however, the heat was slowing him down.

"Ahmose!" Rei roared, "You must stop this nonsense and think about Serena! Her life is on the line because of you!"

He swung at her once again, "I'm doing what's right, for the both of us!"

Rei tried to hit him with additional flames, but all attempts failed. "Listen!" She wailed, "Serena is DYING!"

"SHUT UP!" Ahmose hurled his weapon but hit it against the concrete wall.

"Ahmose! Please!" She cried. She sent a blazing fireball his way, knocking him off his feet.

Ahmose hit the ground hard, but didn't stay down for long. He was hastily hoisted up and was being held in a headlock from someone behind him. He could feel the end of a gun barrel being held up to his temple.

Seto gripped Ahmose tight. His eyes showed a passion of fire and fury, mixing like ominous red storm clouds. Seto was frustrated, but most of all, he was profoundly hurt. How could someone who knew Serena his whole life betray her like that? Seto hardly let people come into his life, but even he wouldn't betray someone he loved and cared about. Heck, he wouldn't even betray Yugi and his stupid friends! So how could someone who 'loved' Serena do that? These considerations infuriated Seto to an endless degree that he wanted to just pull the trigger without letting Ahmose explain himself first.

Rei conjured up her flaming bow and arrow and pointed it at Ahmose's head. Her eyes shared the same deep passion that Seto's wielded.

"How could you?" Seto spat, disgusted with Serena's friend, "How could you betray her like that? She trusted you and you turned your back on her!"

"I'm making a new life for us!" Ahmose declared.

"How!? By killing her!?"

"I can bring her back once you are out of the way!"

Seto dug the barrel into Ahmose's head, pushing it hard against his skin. "Well, news flash, I'm not going anywhere! You're the one on his knees now, and you're under my control."

Ahmose knew Seto was right. He didn't want to lose because that meant losing Serena forever. He wanted her to be his and only his! But it was two against one. Ahmose was confident that his plan was going to work, but now he wasn't so sure.

"If you love her you'll give me the crystal. I'm the only one who can control it properly and you know that. That's why it protected me from your gunshots, and that's why you killed Darien and why you've been trying to kill me." Seto paused, a dangerous grin dancing across his lips, "But trust me, the crystal won't protect you against my shots."

Rei spoke up, "Give Seto the crystal so he can save Serena, Ahmose. It's the only way."

Ahmose closed his eyes. They were right. Seto was the chosen one, but why would Vincent tell him that Ahmose was the rightful Moon King? Would actually killing the current Moon King bring Ahmose to the thrown? It made sense, yet the crystal protected Seto. It made sense that the Moon King was always chosen by the crystal itself, not rightfully picked. Since the crystal was part of Serena, then Serena was the only one who could pick her king. Ahmose unfortunately knew that Serena hadn't picked him, and this made his heart fall to pieces. In this entire process, he'd killed Darien and practically killed Serena. She could even be dead now, and Ahmose couldn't live with that burden on his shoulders.

He took in a long, deep breath, thinking about all the things he did because Vincent told him it was his destiny. Vincent was wicked and surely he was nothing but evil, and Ahmose had listened to him, and in the process, destroyed his best friend, the woman he loved so dearly. Ahmose realized that the only reason he had possession of the moon crystal was because Vincent probably had a plan in place to kill him in order to use the moon crystal for his own demonic purposes. Ahmose let a few tears fall from his eyes, knowing that he wasn't truly the Moon King, or the true love of Serena. He'd just been used, and nothing hurt worse than knowing that.

Tears began to fall, "I'm sorry." Ahmose's heart broke. He'd just realized everything and nothing could change reality. Nothing was ever going to be the same. "I'll give you the crystal, but you need to listen to me. Vincent is evil. He's been using me, and unfortunately it's taken me until now to realize that… Vincent holds this dangerous power, probably equivalent to that of the silver moon crystal. He wants to try and rule the world as king. He's been attempting to do that for thousands of years! His power has allowed him to live for a long time, and if he continues to embrace this power he could possibly live forever!"

Both Rei and Seto were frozen, intently listening, not knowing what to say.

"Seto," Ahmose said through clenched teeth and watery eyes, "I know now that you were chosen for Serena. You are the Moon King. Let me give you the crystal, please."

Seto hesitated, but let go of his grip on Ahmose. Ahmose reached into his back pocket and pulled out the Silver Crystal. He delicately handed off the shiny stone to Seto, who placed it into his own pocket.

Ahmose looked down at his sword and clung to it tight. "I have to kill myself."

Both Rei and Seto gasped. Their eyes were wide with shock.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Seto hollered.

"Yeah!" Rei shouted, "You can't kill yourself!"

Ahmose looked at both of them, giving them an overpowering look of confidence. "I must. It's the only way that this sword will listen to anyone else."

"What do you mean?" Rei inquired.

"I've seen visions ever since it was given to me. This sword belongs to the Moon Kingdoms Highest Noble Knight and it can be past down to anyone that knight chooses." He gave Seto an intense look, "This sword may have enough power to kill Vincent and his ancient power. I am giving the sword to you Seto."

"But why do I need it!? Can't you just go and kill Vincent with that sword yourself!?" Seto was feeling totally uneasy. This was all happening too fast and all at once. It was kind of too much to take in.

Ahmose shook his head; he tilted the sword upward towards his heart. "I can't go on carrying these burdens…."

"NO WAIT!" Seto tried to rush towards him, but it was too late. The sword cut through Ahmose's chest, piercing through his back on the other side.

Rei covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She looked horrified and felt like she was going to throw up.

Seto grabbed the sword and trust it out of Ahmose's body. He held Ahmose up and looked the dying man in the eye.

"S-Seto…." His voice was rough and sad, "P-p-please tell her I love her…."

Seto couldn't say anything, he briefly nodded, and felt Ahmose's body fail him as it fell completely lifeless. Seto placed his body gently down on the cold, concrete floor, and used Ahmose's black shirt to wiped the blood off of his hands and the sword's silver blade.

Rei looked at Seto with wide eyes, she seemed worried and confused. "What do we do now?" She asked. Her voice was uneven and shaky.

Seto seized the sword up in the air and studied the blade for a moment. He turned to her with a determined expression in his eyes. "We find Serena."

Time was something Seto Kaiba never took advantage of. He needed time, maybe even more of it. Being the big corporate tycoon that he was, time was of the essence, always. The saying, 'time is money,' was true for him. Time literally was money. However, the situation he was in this very moment was completely different. In this moment time wasn't exactly money but rather life itself. Time was life. Time was Serena's life. And in this moment, at any moment, her time could run out and Seto wouldn't even have the chance to save her. Nothing was more important than time right now, because time meant Serena.

Seto and Rei raced through the narrow hallways of the old building, trying to figure out where Serena could be. Each door they opened seemed to be one endless dead-end after another. Neither could seem to figure out where the heck they were going.

Seto ran ahead of Rei and opened a few doors down the hall to no success. He slammed all the doors shut in frustration and fury. Walking back from where he came from and turning to Rei, Seto noticed she wasn't moving. She was just standing there, staring at the concrete walls.

"What're you doing?" He asked. A hint of a growing temper in his tone, "We need to be looking for Serena, not standing around!"

She turned to him slowly, their eyes locking. "Seto…. We never went upstairs."

"What?"

Hysteria grew in her voice, "We never went upstairs! She could be up there!"

Rei began to run in the opposite direction but was pulled back by Seto's firm grasp on her upper arm. "Wait! The stairs are broken."

"That doesn't mean there isn't another way to get up there." Seto let go of her arm and they both ran towards the room with the broken staircase.

Once they got to the room and scaled around hunks of broken and busted wood, Rei pointed to a rope hanging from the ceiling that led to the upper level of the building.

"I threw this down to get to you," she said, tugging on the rope with a moderate amount of force, "and it looks like it's still tied up on the other side. Let's go."

The two began climbing. Halfway to the top Seto asked, "Did you just bring a giant rope with you or-"

Rei giggled, "We're by a bay! They have giant ropes here for all of the boats when they need to dock. When I saw that the stairs were out I grabbed the best rope I could find."

"I don't give out compliments too often, so this is rare, but nice work."

Rei smiled, "Thank you!"

When they reached the top they noticed a large hallway jetting out from the right. "Let's go that way," Seto pointed, and they speed down the huge hall, opening every door to hopefully find Serena.

Sweat trickled lightly down the side of Seto's forehead. It wasn't all the running and rope climbing that was making him sweat, but the fact that Serena still wasn't anywhere to be found made Seto extremely nervous. Were they ever going to find her? Was she somehow dragged out of this building and Rei and him were just running in circles trying to find her? Was it too late and he was going to open up a door and find Serena dead-

Just then as Seto opened a door, he found a sight that made his heart stop. His worst thoughts had come true. There she was, lying on the cold floor, eyes closed, barely breathing.

Serena….

Serena.

SERENA!

He didn't realize he was screaming until his screams became so loud that they reverberated throughout the room. Seto's own screams sent a harsh chill down his spine. He heard the clicking of Rei's red high heels, and her loud gasp as she caught eye of Serena. They were both frozen. Not knowing what to do or say.

A snake-like hiss spoke suddenly and out of nowhere from behind them. "I'm glad you two decided to make it." The door behind them slammed shut and the room became pitch black.

A/N: Yes, I am ending my chapter right here. I hope you all enjoyed. Please review, and thank you all for reading thus far! Until next time!