Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, the characters within, or any references mentioned. Shira is copyrighted by me, and remains my creation forevermore.

Chapter 38

Shira's POV

Tenchi was gone. She really was.

Shira looked at the spot where her hikari disappeared after Adare, and felt a touch of what she identified as loneliness, anger, hurt, and guilt. Remembering all of the times Tenchi had been there with her, the spirit thought of right now and felt slightly unwell. She felt angry and hateful toward the Pharaoh and Isis even more, because they turned Adare against her. Adare was Arwen's reincarnation, and to see that she hated the yami sparked the fire in her belly. She also felt guilty to her behaviour, to both Tenchi and Adare; she threw Adare away with force, and she hurt Tenchi with your words. She felt so mixed up with these emotions, she couldn't decided which one to feed. It all just added to her bad mood.

Shira looked over at Sayegh to see he was talking to some men out of the corner of his mouth. They looked at each other and nodded, with smirks on their faces, and left after Sayegh walked over to her. He threw an arm around her shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"My, my!" he exclaimed. "An example of this immortality of yours; you didn't so much as grunt as that girl plunged that knife!"

Shira looked over to where Malik was rubbing at his eyes frantically, and searched the ground. Adare's knife wasn't so much as where it had dropped from the crate. She wondered if Bakura had picked it up.

"Yeah..." she sighed, unfocused.

"Something happen between you and your hikari?"

"...kind of. She's gone to go back home."

"So she's disagreed with you?" Sayegh tsked. "Hikaris all tend to be the opposite of their Yamis. Don't worry about it— there is water in the back if you are in most need of it, Mr. Ishtar."

"I'd like to go to the back, if I could fucking see where it was!" Malik roared, testing his eyes by trying to open them. Whenever he did, though, he closed them with inward hisses. "Damn whore! Bakura, you should have a shorter leash on her! Argh! I think she's gotten glass in my eye, too!"

"She is not my responsibility," Bakura growled. "Though I find that you like this makes me laugh."

"Shut up!"

Sayegh turned to another of the remaining men, and whispered an order. The guy nodded, went over to Malik, and lead him by the arm. Malik was cursing all the way.

"Now then," Sayegh cleared his throat, and looked back at Shira. "Before you went to deal with your, shall we say, business, I was filling you in on what Zorc wishes."

"Uh-huh."

"Now, since there is no place for you to put your Millennium Circlet, you will have to place your hands on the Stone. Zorc will do the rest. Now, before He could be free, there are some things requested. In this time, that thing is your immortality."

"What?" the yami stared at him in disbelief. "My immortality? Whatever for?"

"The Stone always asks for such sacrifices," Sayegh rubbed his temple, looking off to the side. He laughed half-heartedly. "It's probably why He hasn't been awakened yet; the sacrifices were never met. But you... you could be the answer."

"Will this... kill me?" Shira asked suspiciously.

"Oh no! No, no no!" He laughed enthusiastically. It somehow made her shudder; there was something there, in his voice, that said something different. But it was so small, she didn't know if it was valid or not. "Zorc thinks of you as a great servant. He wouldn't dream of hurting you. He's very fond of you."

Servant...? Fond...? Shira tilted her head and didn't say anything out loud. She looked up at the Stone.

"So... all I have to do is place my hands on the Stone, let Zorc take my immortality, and I'll have my Circlet recharged?"

"Not only that," Sayegh chuckled, and came closer to her ear. It was a bit too close for comfort. He whispered lowly. "In exchange for your immortality, He will grant you one wish. Now I have reason to believe that you have a deceased sister whom you treasured greatly..."

Shira's eyes widened at Karen's mention, and mentally demanded how Sayegh came to know. Had Zorc told him about her? Sayegh still stood close, his presence malevolently hanging something dark about the air. She sensed that he had evil intentions, despite his youth. Perhaps he was fitting to do Zorc's will. He whispered even louder and slower.

"Zorc can bring back the dead. You just have to ask him, and He'll fulfill your wish."

Shira started breathing deeply, tempted by the idea. Karen back at her side was what she wanted most. She was too young when she died, and she had done nothing wrong, despite being the sister of a dangerous thief. However, when she thought of Karen, an instant picture of Tenchi entered her mind. Would I be betraying and turning my back on Tenchi, once I ask for my sister back? Will Karen make me forget her?

After a few moments, she realized that she mistook the reason why Tenchi's figure entered her mind's eye.

Sayegh stepped away, and took her hand, which felt strong and powerful. If he had chosen to trap her in any way, it would take some time to get free. He lead her to the steps of the stage, and in no time, she and Sayegh were facing the Stone and the rest of the room. Malik came back and stood by Bakura again, his eyes burning red. It made the spirit smirk and laugh softly, because she couldn't decided if his eyes were so red because of the lemon juice or because that was how pissed off he was with her.

"Alright!" Sayegh lifted his arms high and shouted. "Sorry to keep all of you waiting. We should wait no longer, for Zorc grows agitated every minute. Now, Abbud! Bring me the Scale and Key!"

As commanded, a man in a long robe walked across the room and up the steps, carrying something covered with a violet fabric. He knelt down and offered it up to Sayegh, and Sayegh pulled the cloth away, revealing the Millennium Scale and Key. Sayegh picked them up and held them high for everyone to see.

"Here I hold the Key to the Human Heart, and the Scale of Judgement and Souls!" he raised his voice to travel all around the room. "Two Sennen accounted for!"

He pushed the Key and Scale into their places on the Stone, and already it seemed to glow slightly. Sayegh cried out again, "Now, if Mr. Ishtar would be so kind, I would like it if you bring us your catch."

Malik grunted and ascended the steps. In one hand he held the Millennium Rod, and in the other, Shira recognized it as Isis' Millennium Necklace. His eyes briefly swept over her, and as he walked by her, she heard him hiss.

"After this is all over, I'll kick your ass."

He went to Sayegh and gave him the Items, and was coming back the way he went to descend the steps. When he walked by, she hissed back; "I'd like to see you try."

Malik turned his eyes and glared at her, then walked back to his spot.

"Here I hold the Rod of Mind Control and the Necklace of the Future Foreseen!" Sayegh said, and she assumed that he was doing some ceremony. Perhaps Zorc was listening right now, growing excited every time his release became apparent. "Four Sennen accounted for.

"Bakura, if you will."

Under Shira's heated gaze, Bakura advanced toward the Millennium Stone. Unable to suppress her anger, she looked away and glared at something else, not able to force herself to stare at him unless she wanted to attack him. Now was not the time.

His shoulder brushed hers as he passed. He ignored her and went to Sayegh, and then she was able to look at the back of his head. More thoughts about his recovery kept nagging her. He turned back once he gave his Items, and his eyes flickered to her coldly. The spirit crossed her arms and watched him gravely, feeding the anger inside. He walked by and descended the steps without a word to her.

"Here I hold the Eye of Mind Comprehension, and the Ring of Detection! Six Sennen accounted for!"
Sayegh looked at Shira and she immediately reached into her pocket. She handed the Millennium Puzzle.

"And last of the Stone's Sennen, I hold the Puzzle of Mind Crush! All seven Sennen are accounted for! But certainly not the last!"

Sayegh took the yami's hand gently and lifted it up as if he were announcing the winner of a wrestling match. "Here stands none other than the Moondancer, Shira, owner of the mysterious Millennium Circlet! The Circlet that Revisits the Past and Reclaims Lost Discoveries!

"Now, you must all know by now, from Shira's demonstration, that she can never die. However, she is our answer; Zorc's requested sacrifice is the essence of immortality! Will Shira be able to give such a thing?"

"Yes," she told him, and he smiled widely.

"Of course she is! She is the answer!"

Most of the strangers in the room applauded and wolf howled, making her face burn. Sayegh dropped her hand and prodded her forward.

"This is it," he smiled. "You know what to do."

She nodded and stood before everyone and the Stone. With the Items all in place, the ground shook slightly, and golden light enveloped and rose from the rim. Egyptian text wrote the claim; Immortality. Taking a breath, Shira placed her hands on the shoulders of the stone Pharaoh.
Its eyes began to glow.

Suddenly, black tendrils of darkness rose up from around her arms and clamped tight, holding her arms tightly. Her eyes widened and she tried to pull her arms free, but the thorns only grew tighter. She looked at Sayegh for help.

"What the hell's going on?!"

"Relax. Those are only there to restrain you. Zorc says this will be a sort of painful process," she saw a smile play upon Sayegh's lips, and her eyes widened and darkened even more. It wasn't the pain that startled you; it was the smile.

At once something felt as if it was digging into you, as sharp and as painful as thousands of serrated knives. Shira cried out, and gasped as it continued to grow. Then suddenly it felt as if a part of her was being pulled in every direction, ripping like fabric in the middle. It was ripping what she thought was her soul, and it hurt like hell. Soon the pain disappeared, and all was still and quite. Until blood erupted from three places on her body; her shoulder, chest, and stomach, where she got hurt by all the hijacker, Hasani, and Adare.

Shira was mortal.

The spirit gasped heavily, and felt blood climbing up her throat. She vomited, and it sprayed all of the Stone. Sayegh had lied. She was slowly dying.

Sayegh turned to the men in the room and raised his arms high, laughing.

"A success!" he cried in triumph. "Shira is now mortal!"

Almost all of the people in the room were shouting in triumph. All the strangers, anyway. Shira saw that both Malik and Bakura were watching her cough up blood silently. There was even a spark of disbelief in Bakura's eye. Sayegh turned to her and held her jaw.

"I didn't expect you to die," Sayegh said. His smirk was spine-chilling. "But now that you are, it makes everything so much easier."

Sayegh whistled, and the men that he had sent out earlier returned. All with struggling Tenchi and Adare in their grips.

"Hey!" Shira shouted angrily. "What are you doing? Let them go! Sayegh!"

Sayegh just smiled, a powerful aura around himself, now visible to her. He looked at her, and his eyes narrowed with his smile.

"Blood shall be spilt."

End of Chapter

Bakura: Now things get interesting!

Vixen: What, the chapters leading up to this point aren't interesting? -sulk-

Shira: What Bakura means is that everything's getting more actiony. ... and I know that that's not a word.

Star: Haha XD Stay tuned for the next chapter!