Walking into one of the sanctuaries that night, Seto meets up with Aknadin who stands on top of a higher platform. The room is surrounded by different tablets of monsters and it is lit with candles surrounding each side.

"Master Aknadin," Seto calls out to the older priest.

"Seto." The priest wielding the Millennium Eye turns to face Seto.

"Our mission was a success. We searched the land for shadow creatures dwelling within our citizens' hearts. And our findings were greater than I ever could have imagined. You should be proud," Seto informs him.

"Well I am not," Aknadin responds rather sharply, taking Seto off guard. "Now release those innocent people immediately!"

"You cannot be serious!"

"Silence! You must do as I say. You are starting to head down a dangerous path Seto. You are a guardian and you must act like one! Free those people for you have disgraced the name of the pharaoh!"

"Never!" Seto shouts back and Aknadin gasps. "I did this to protect him! It is the only way we can defeat Bakura! I do not regret it at all!"

"But Seto—"

"I am sorry. But there is work to be done." And with that he turns away, despite Aknadin's calls for him to return.

"He's making a mistake…" Aknadin goes down to one knee, bowing his head. "I should know…Long ago, I made the same mistake myself." He hears a clanking noise, sensing the presence of another Millennium item and he quickly lifts up his head. "Who's there?!" His eyes widen in horror when he sees Bakura standing at the entrance, snickering.

Cairo runs through the halls in a panic after her run in with the grey haired intruder. Just his purple eyed stare gave her chills and an immense amount of fear that she has never experienced in her life. She thought for sure he was going to kill her. Stumbling over her own feet, she drops to her hands and knees, panting heavily as the blood drips from her forehead and onto the floor.

A magical blast that she managed to hit him with catches him off guard. Falling back to the ground a few feet away, he looks up at the girl who also seems to be surprised by her own abilities. He grits his teeth, growling at her. Sensing his growing anger, she tries to run, but he grabs her by her long locks of hair and slams her against a nearby wall.

He drops her and she lands on the floor, grimacing and holding her face. But he isn't done with her yet. He snatches her up by the arm. "You little brat," he snarls, glaring up to the crown on her head before grinning. "So you're the pharaoh's daughter."

Cairo doesn't answer, only shutting her eyes as the red liquid pouring out of her head wound drips between her closed lids.

"I would find great pleasure in causing the pharaoh and the queen more pain and anguish by killing you," he starts off and her stomach starts to do flips. Is this really the end for her? "Luckily for you, I have other business to attend to. Where is the old priest, Aknadin?" She doesn't answer and he throws her back to the ground. Using his newly acquired Millennium Ring, he seemingly disappears.

Cairo reaches the entrance of the sanctuary, holding onto the wall for support. Her vision starts to become blurry, but she can hear the pain filled grunts of Aknadin up ahead.

Bakura firmly presses his foot into Aknadin's chest as the old man lays on the ground writhing and helpless. "We meet again," Bakura says, glaring down at him with his signature grin. "Only this time you didn't bring any of your friends to fight with you by your side. I, on the other hand, did."

In a flash of light, his Diabound appears and this time it appears to be much stronger. Its initial appearance was white and somewhat small compared to the darker figure with muscles that now stands before him.

Laughing, he presses more into Akandin's chest. "You're not as impressive without your younger counterparts to hide behind, are you? I could seize your Millennium Eye in an instant! But I have something more amusing in mind. After all, we still have a score to settle. Perhaps your recall a little incident occurring in a village called Kul Elna? Crushing my people and abandoning your son, Seto," Bakura reveals and Aknadin gasps.

"Release me at once," Aknadin demands in a weak voice.

"From where I'm standing, it looks like you're in no position to be giving orders."

"You won't get away with this…"

"Wrong. I already destroyed one of your comrades and I have the Millennium Ring to prove it!"

Aknadin's eyes go big with realization, seeing the ring hanging around Bakura's neck. "No…so it's true!"

"It's painful isn't it, old man? To lose someone you care about? Well try losing your whole village!"

"Please! If you would just let me explain…!"

Bakura grabs Aknadin by the collar, looking him in the eyes. "You destroyed my homeland…took away my family and left me with nothing! Now it's time to pay the price…by serving me!" Aknadin gasps loudly, beginning to shake within Bakura's grasp as the thief reaches for his Millennium Eye. "I know you have a dark side. I know of your real feelings toward your brother and his son. It just needs to be brought out! And I'm just the man to do it!"

There is a huge flash of light and Cairo shields her eyes, hearing Aknadin cry out. She blindly rushes forward, her body glowing purple and a dark figure appears behind her.

"Sleep well, old man," Bakura says before turning around. Walking down the stairs of the high platform, he is only able to get halfway until he notices the small girl standing there. But something else catches his attention and his eyes slowly scroll up to the tall dark figure standing behind her. It wears dark leather clothing with long, black spiky hair and a magician's hat. It's blue skin looks somewhat ghoulish and its staff is long, being pointed at him.

"Foolish child! Get out of my—" Without a word from her, the magician shoots out a powerful blast and Bakura dives off of the stairs, looking back at the girl with shock when he regains his stance. Just how much is this kid capable of, he says to himself. She holds her head, feeling dizzy and her monster begins to fade, not being able to hold her concentation. Once again, a mischievous grin appears on Bakura's face.

"I could use you," Bakura says, walking up to her.

Yami looks up to the sky and places a hand on his Millennium Puzzle. "My Millennium Puzzle is sensing a dark presence…"

"Pharaoh!" Shimon calls out in a panic.

The pharaoh turns around, hearing the haste in his advisor's voice. "What is it?"

"A village along the Nile was just attacked moments ago!" Shimon informs him.

"What?"

"The Queen has already taken it upon herself to help while we—" An explosion follows soon after and they both looks back to the sanctuaries, seeing smok coming out of one of them. "Look! One of our sanctuaries!"

"But who's?" the pharaoh asks.

Shimon looks closely before realization hits him. "It's Aknadin's!"

Seto, Karim and Shada are the first to make it to the halfway destroyed sanctuary and are horrified to see Aknadin lying on the ground.

"What happened here, master?!" Seto asks, lifting Aknadin into his arms. Blood pours out of the same socket that the Millennium Eye is in and Aknadin grits his teeth.

"Is…Is the princess alright?" Aknadin asks, worrying about the princess's safety before his own.

"What do you mean?" Karim asks. "Was Cairo here as well?"

Seto grits his teeth. Has the princess been kidnapped?

"He…must…be stopped," Aknadin replies weakly.

"Who did this?" Shada asks.

"Pure…evil…" he manages to say before passing out.

"We cannot let that rogue continue to get away with these despicable acts!" Seto exclaims in anger.

Gritting his teeth, the pharaoh and Shimon watch as the smoke billows into the dark sky. "There's only one person capable of doing something as treasonous as this," Shimon says and right on cue, they hear the loud laughter of Bakura. The pharaoh narrows his eyes, running to the edge of the balcony just in time to see Bakura trying to make his escape on a horse he stole from one of the guards. His Diabound floats behind him, blasting anyone that gets in his way. But something else catches his eye and immediately puts him into a panic.

"No…Cairo!" he yells, seeing her slouched across the horse that Bakura is riding on, appearing to be passed out. He whistles, signaling his horse and he jumps off of the balcony, landing on his horse right on time.

"Pharaoh!" Shimon shouts with worry. "He shouldn't go alone…"

Bakura smirks, looking out the corner of his eye to see the pharaoh starting to pursue him on his own horse. "Heh. So the pharaoh has taken my bait."

"Bakura!" the pharaoh yells. "Now you've gone too far!"

He follows Bakura out of the palace walls and he raises his hand, summoning Slifer the Sky Dragon. The large red dragon floats above as onlookers in the village gaze up in a mixture of fear and awe. Nearby, Yugi and the gang, who were previously resting outside, are awoken by the chaos, gasping when they see Bakura on his horse, running by them on his horse.

"It's Bakura!" Tristan yells.

Joey squints his eyes at the girl laying across the horse. "And it looks like he's taken Cairo hostage!"

"Oh no!" Téa exclaims with worry.

"BAKURA!" They hear a familiar voice yell and it is shortly followed by the pharaoh, riding by on his white horse along with Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"It's the pharaoh!" Yugi points out. They run out into the main area of the pathway, watching the intense pursuit. "We gotta help him!"

Seeing the pharaoh is quickly approaching, Bakura looks up at his Diabound and then to the unsuspecting civilians. He orders Diabound to rain down attacks on the onlookers and the pharaoh gasps, quickly commanding his Slider to use its body to protect them. But by doing so, he takes damage to his own body.

The pharaoh grimaces, clenching onto his chest and sweat trickles down his forehead. Bakura is ruthless with his attacks, but he refuses to allow anyone to get hurt. The distance between them gradually opens and he grits his teeth. "Cairo…"

She slightly opens her eyes, seeing the blurred form of her father and Slifer before her vision goes black.

Bakura laughs, seeing the pharaoh trailing off behind and he rides further off into the desert, stopping on a high rocky platform. He hops off his horse, wiping the sweat off his brow with a grin. "He doesn't even know what he's about to walk into, for I have so much more in the works at this very moment."

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Back at the palace, Aknadin stumbles into the pharaoh's tablet sanctuary. He was previously tended to by nurses, but has made his way back out. His eye that contains the Millennium Eye is bandaged, and his usually tamed hair is unraveled, slightly covering his face. Seto and Karim had left shortly after helping Aknadin, trying to track down the pharaoh, while Shada stayed behind to make sure no more harm came to the palace.

He is supposed to be resting. But after Bakura came in contact with his Millennium Eye, all he can hear is the sound of Bakura's voice echoing through his head, bringing back negative memories and emotions of his past.

It was his most proudest and shameful moment in his life. The day that the Millennium Items came to be. It was a desperate moment for the kingdom, having been cornered by oncoming intruders that had wiped out a lot of their army. Pharaoh Aknamkanon had entrusted in his brother Aknadin to create the Millennium Items by using a spell from the Millennium Spellbook. What Aknadin had failed to tell his brother, was that the creation of the items would need souls. It was then that Aknadin ordered his men to kill the thieves residing in Kul Elna, using their blood for the ritual. The ritual was so horrific, that he never told his brother or anyone else about it. He even abandoned his wife and son in fear that his actions would later cause criminals to target them.

As he walks further up the stairs that would lead him to the tablet of the Egyptian gods, he thinks more and more of the son that he abandoned and all the sacrifices he made. The feelings of resentment he felt when his brother was chosen as pharaoh and not him. And how his brother's son is now the king of Egypt, a position he feels that Seto should be in.

If only Seto knew of his royal past. But Seto had no idea, even now. He made his mother promise all those years ago not to tell Seto of his royal roots or that he is his father. Despite not knowing his past, Seto still went from being a peasant to a member of the Sacred Court, signing up and testing on his own will, now serving alongside the current pharaoh. But Aknadin feels so strongly that it is Seto that deserves to be king.

He strongly grips the sword that he carries in his hand as he reaches the top of the platform and he eyes Slifer's stone tablet. The anger and jealously that he has kept inside for so many years is finally seeping out. He cannot contain it any longer.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

In the desert, Bakura laughs once more, knowing that his plan is coming into fruition. "It won't be long now," he says, knowing that he has control over Aknadin's mind, releasing his true inner self.

Cairo stirs out of her slumber and she slowly lifts her head. She first looks at the horse and her surroundings, confused as to where she is. Then upon hearing laughter, her eyes go big with horror when she sees the same gray haired man from before. In a fright, she slides off the horse, stumbling and falling on her rear and Bakura whips around.

"So you're awake, eh?"

Cairo quickly stands up, clenching her fists and shutting her eyes, causing a huge magical force to emit from her body that blows Bakura back a few feet. He shields his face, managing to stand his ground and he chuckles. "You've got a lot of fight in you, child." Walking up to her, he places his hand on her head, kneeling down to her. She tries to put on a brave face, narrowing her eyes at him and gritting her teeth. "But I can tell you're barely hanging on."

He hears a galloping noise and looks at the corner of his eye, seeing the pharaoh approaching. "Perfect timing." Standing to his feet, he faces Cairo and she looks up at him, taking a few steps back until her feet are practically on the edge of the cliff. "If you survive this, I may have more use of you. But for now, you've served your purpose. I'll see you later…or not," Her eyes widen, wondering what he means by that and his Diabound appears behind him, preparing to aim a blast at her.

"BAKURA, DON'T!" the pharaoh yells, his eyes widening in horror.

At a further distance, Yugi and the others witness the events occur in front of them from behind a rock, watching helplessly as Bakura sends its attack at Cairo. "Cairo, no!" Yugi yells.

Cairo barely has time to raise her hands as Diabound shoots its attack at her feet, causing the ground below her to crumble.

"NOOO!" the pharaoh cries out, hearing Cairo's screams echo through the area as she falls down the cliff.

"No…Cairo," Téa says trembling, placing her hand up to her chest as tears threaten to fall.

Tristan slams his fist on the rock. "I don't understand! The Cairo we knew wouldn't go down that easily. There were hardly any limits to her powers. What gives?!"

"This must've happened before she inherited her dark abilities and her immense strength," Yugi assumes, remembering a story that the pharaoh relayed to him in the present world. "But…if that's the case…"

"Then maybe she survived the fall," Joey finishes and Yugi nods.

"I hope you're right," Tristan says.

The pharaoh bows his head, seething with anger as Bakura laughs. "If you couldn't even protect your own daughter, what makes you think you're capable of protecting all of Egypt?" Bakura taunts. "Now Diabound, attack his dragon now!" The dark monster shoots out a blast and the pharaoh quickly looks to his dragon, silently ordering it to counter. The two blasts clash together in the middle of the field, battling for dominance.

"Do it, Slifer! Finish him off!" the pharaoh commands loudly. The dragon's blast slowly starts to overtake Diabound to Bakura's shock and it appears the pharaoh will become victorious.

Until…

Aknadin throws the sword he is holding at the stone tablet of Slifer, having a direct hit. He is soon struck down by lightning after his act of treason and he cries out, falling down to the ground. Hearing his cries, Shada rushes into the shrine, going to his aid. "Master Aknadin! Are you alright?" Shada asks Aknadin grins inwardly.

Feeling the effects of its tablet being struck, Slifer loses strength and Diabound easily overpowers it, completely severing the dragon in half and it explodes shortly after. The pharaoh gasps loudly, holding onto his chest for dear life, feeling his energy fading from such a critical attack. He hunches over on his horse, his vision becoming blurry. "I can't let him win…" He feels his world going dark and passes out, falling off his horse.

But when he manages to open his eyes, he gasps, seeing Yugi and his friends hovering over him. "Yugi, is that you?"

"So you can see me!" Yugi says with relief.

"You alright, pal?" Joey asks.

"Pharaoh?" Téa says with worry.

"You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous," the pharaoh says while Bakura looks on with rage, wondering how they were able to infiltrate this realm.

"We've come too far to turn back now, pharaoh," Yugi says, grabbing his hand. "You and I are a team, remember?"

The pharaoh looks up at him in surprise. Miraculously, he feels his energy returning. But how? 'This is incredible,' he thinks to himself. 'I almost forgot how strong my bond with Yugi truly is.' He narrows his eyes with determination, giving Yugi's hand a squeeze before springing up and back on his horse.

"Impossible!" Bakura yells.

"Bakura! Your reign of terror ends here and now!" He raises his diadhank into the air, beginning to summon another god. "Come forth, Winged Dragon of Ra!" The golden dragon appears out of the sky, its red glowing eyes glaring down at Diabound as it prepares to attack.

'But how?!' Bakura asks himself, looking over to Yugi and gasping in realization. 'Did reuniting with his former host somehow restore the pharaoh's life force?'

The Winged Dragon of Ra shoots a powerful attack, engulfing Diabound in flames and Bakura can feel those same flames burning through his body. His horse raises up on its hind legs, causing Bakura to fall to the ground unconcious and seemingly justice has been served. Viewing the downfall of Diabound in the distance, the villagers rejoice, hailing the pharaoh and praising him for his victory over the dark being. Diabound then lands on the ground motionless next to Bakura.

"He did it!" Téa exclaims. "He won!"

The pharaoh sighs in relief, watching as the Winged Dragon of Ra disappears from the sky. But he cannot find it within himself to celebrate. Not without knowing what he's lost. Had Cairo really perished?

"Wait Téa..." Tristan says and she looks at him before realization finally sets in.

Yugi lowers his eyes. "Cairo…"

Joey stands in the background, bowing his head momentarily until he hears a light grunting noise. He looks over to the edge that Cairo has previously fallen off of and he suddenly rushes over. Tristan looks over at his friend questionably.

"Hey man, now's not the time to take an evening jog," Tristan says.

Joey reaches the spot and peers over the edge, his eyes going big with shock. A few inches down, Cairo hangs for dear life off the edge of a rock. "Cairo!"

The pharaoh quickly lifts his head at the sound of her name. "What?"

"Tristan, get over here quick!"

Tristan dashes over, looking down and having the same reaction that Joey has just had. "Hang in there, Cairo! We got you!" Joey reaches down, grabbing onto her wrist and starts to bring her up. When he lifts her at a good distance, Tristan grabs her other wrist, helping her up to safety and placing her down on the ground.

"She's alive!" Yugi yells with relief as the pharaoh races over to her, lifting her up in his arms.

"Cairo! Are you alright?" Dried blood covers half of her face as well as multiple wounds all over her body. She looks up at him, then over to the four individuals standing nearby. Her body becomes tense and she huddles closer to her father. "It's alright," he assures her. "They are my friends."

"Friends?" she repeats in a light tone.

"I knew you were tough and couldn't go down so easily!" Joey exclaims, raising his fist with a grin. "Even without your shadow powers, you—"

Téa quickly whacks him on the head. "She doesn't know about that yet…" she mutters and Cairo looks at them with a confused expression before looking back at her father.

"Is it really over?" she asks him and he nods his head with a warm smile.

"Yes Cairo. Egypt is now safe." He then looks to Yugi and the others. "None of it would have been possible without you."

"Aw come on. You're the one that did all the work!" Yugi points out, rubbing the back of his head.

"But you gave me the strength I needed to fight. So thank you."

"Like I said, we're a team!"

On the ground where Bakura lies, he hears the laughter and chatter coming from the pharaoh and his friends. His eyes are in a daze and his body feels weak, but he refuses to lose this way. "It wasn't supposed to end like this…In fact, I won't let it…" Tilting his head in the direction of the pharaoh, he notices that his god is gone, leaving him wide open.

The pharaoh looks down at Cairo, seeing that she has taken on quite a bit of damage, though she appears to still be in good spirits. "Let's get you back to the palace and—"

Suddenly, there is a huge gust of wind and everyone shields their faces, trying to hold their ground. Yugi and the others get pushed back a further distance while the pharaoh wraps his arms around Cairo protectively. He manages to squint through the fierce winds and notices Diabound starting to rise again in the air.

"No…I defeated him…" the pharaoh says in disbelief. "But how…?!"

Bakura snickers weakly. "You've forgotten who you're dealing with…and you've let your guard down. Diabound, attack now!" Bakura's monster shoots an incredible blast toward the pharaoh and Cairo while the others look on in shock.

"Pharaoh, no!" Yugi yells!

The pharaoh quickly gets up, attempting to dodge the attack while holding onto Cairo and it hits right at his feet, causing the ground beneath them to crumble. In a last minute attempt to save his daughter, he grabs Cairo by the back of her blouse, using one arm to fling her up to safety while managing to grab onto the opposite ledge where Bakura is now standing.

"Dad!" Cairo yells, kneeling on the edge across from Bakura as Yugi and the others join her side.

"Hang on pharaoh!" Yugi exclaims.

The pharaoh grimaces, using all the strength he has to hold on. He looks up, gazing into the dark eyes of Bakura who grins down at him. "What do you want…?" the pharaoh asks between clenched teeth.

Bakura kneels down, taking the puzzle from around the pharaoh's neck. "I want what's rightfully mine. Your puzzle." He laughs and all the pharaoh can do is watch helplessly as Bakura hangs the puzzle around his neck. "Don't worry. Where you're going you'll have no use for it." He slams his foot down on the rocky edge that the pharaoh is holding onto, causing it to crumble and the pharaoh's eyes widen in horror, feeling his body going into a free fall.

"NO!" the pharaoh yells, his arm outstretched as he falls.

"PHARAOH!" They all cry out, watching him plummet to the darkness below.

"DAD!" Cairo screams at the top of her lungs while tears fall from her eyes, hearing the echoed cries of her father until there is nothing but silence.

Bakura walks away with Diabound following behind, finally victorious in gaining the Millennium Puzzle. "Enjoy the shadows," he snickers.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Another end to an action packed chapter. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review! And thanks to those who are favoriting and following the story! :)