Well, Yami and Bakura kinda went bye bye for this chappie. They're somewhere still wandering the corridors. I'll include them back in soon, promise.

Just one more thing before you start reading….. owwwww!!!

one more thing...*glares at CB*... she knows what i mean ;)

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Chapter 28: Sacrifise

"I fear you cannot do anything about it, High Priest," Seto's voice boomed. "I know the laws regarding the Afterlife."

"I may not be able to do anything, but Caleia can."

"Would she risk killing the boy? This is his body, if it dies, his soul does too." Silence followed.

^I would rather die than hurt her or Mokuba,^ Seto said in his mind. Morsei's sinister laugh answered him.

^That isn't for you to decide,^ he cackled. Seto growled. He felt so--helpless. He couldn't help Caleia, he couldn't support, her, and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from hurting her. In shorter words, he couldn't do anything!

"Seto, take back control of yourself!" Caleia cried suddenly, breaking the silence.

"He can't," Seto's voice hissed.

"Concentrate. You're stronger than Morsei. I know it," Seito urged. "You have powers deep within you that you haven't discovered. Now is the time to find them!" In the bubble containment within himself, Seto took in their words and tried.

^You're too weak, don't even bother trying,^ Morsei said.

"You'll find that not all the monsters are quite as loyal as the Blue Eyes," Seto's voice said. "I summon La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp." The genie appeared in a cloud of green smoke.

"Duel him," Seito told Caleia. She looked at him helplessly.

"I can't, this is a Shadow Duel, you know the rules yourself."

"Until he is himself, he will try to hurt you," Seito explained hurriedly, knowing that his reincarnation could order the genie to attack at any second. Caleia's eyes pleaded with him for another way. "Would you not think he would rather suffer himself than kill you, just as I?" The princess took a deep breath to resolve herself. She nodded slightly.

"Attack, La Jinn!" Seto's voice boomed.

"Dark Magician Girl" Caleia shouted, tapping into her seldom-used in this age, but none-the-less potent shadow powers. The magician appeared in front of her and dispersed the attack. Then the Dark Magician Girl raised her staff and sent her dark magic at the genie, destroying it. Seto stumbled back half a step as his life points were affected. Caleia's expression relaxed as she became more comfortable, having yet another of her old friends there.

"I'm sorry, Seto," Caleia whispered. "Dark Magician Girl, attack." The spellcaster did so, spinning once around before releasing her attack in her usual grace. Seto stumbled back a few steps, and in the pain, Morsei momentarily lost control of Seto's mind, allowing the rightful soul to control the body.

"Caleia! Don't let him--" Seto managed to say before Morsei took control again.

^Pesky mortal,^ the sorcerer's voice said. ^Don't waste your breath.^ Willing himself, Seto tried to take control of his body again. Whatever the other him had said he had, as in powers within himself, he could almost believe it as true. He could feel Morsei's grip on him slip slightly as his mind pushed forward.

"I summon--" Seto voice seemed to falter. "Swordstalker! And two cards face down. Your turn."

^Get out of my mind,^ Seto demanded. There was no response. He pushed harder.

Caleia summoned the Dark Magician. Her old magic tutor appeared in front of her, poised to attack.

"Your father is looking for you," he said, not turning around.

"When you go back to him, tell him I'm okay. Attack Swordstalker!"

Seto managed to regain control again for a split second, just enough to shout, "NO!" But, it was too late anyway. The magician had already released his Dark Magic attack. Morsei regained control of Seto and flipped up the two trap cards, two Reinforcements. The Swordstalker's attack skyrocketed to 3000 and he reflected the former priest's attack back at him, destroying him.

"Mahado!" Caleia cried, cursing herself for being so careless.

"Master!" the Dark Magician Girl cried at the same time, tears already welling up in her eyes. An eery gold light radiated from her, giving greater illumination to the room. Seto ordered Swordstalker, now back to it's 2000 attack points, to attack the magician girl. To his great surprise the girl promptly destroyed the Swordstalker.

Seto looked almost shocked. In the time that he had learned the Shadow Game, Morsei had never known of this effect. He thought that it was simply added in for drama when the game was reborn as Duel Monsters. In this, a Shadow Game, he did not think the Dark Magician Girl's effect was valid.

"She draws power from her emotions," Caleia said matter-of-factly. "And what greater emotion can she have than the sadness of losing her master?" Seto growled softly in Morsei's annoyance, but the sorcerer was also starting to lost grip of Seto. For another few moments, Seto seemed to regain control of his body, but it was a constant struggle as Morsei fought back.

Morsei regained control and played Monster Reborn, reborning the Swordstalker. Then he equipped it with the Sword of Dark Destruction and attacked. The red blade of the sword looked almost like blood. The Swordstalker attacked. The magician dodged the blade for a few seconds, but finally, the fiend drove the sword into her stomach. The Dark Magician Girl took her pain silently as she dispersed. Caleia stumbled back as her life force took damage it felt like someone had drove a knife into her.

^Stop it!^ Seto cried in his mind as he saw Caleia stumble in pain. He beat against the barriers that trapped him in his mind and broke through, for the effect of the Sword of Dark Destruction was also weakening Morsei's mind as a price for its addition to the Swordstalker's attack. Seto's eyes momentarily cleared and became his own. "Caleia!" he gasped. Morsei's mind pushed against his again, and Seto fought back. He clutched his head and sank to the ground, but he seemed be starting to win.

Caleia looked to Seito, and gasped as she saw that he was semi-translucent. He met her gaze. "I was given permission to come back to the Realm of Life, but I am still spirit," he explained. At the corner of his eye he saw the Swordstalker lunge at the princess. "Caleia, look out!" Caleia raised Sayana just in time to stop the sword, but the magic behind the attack, which she was not prepared for, still took her off guard and threw her off balance. Her life force had still taken significant damage. In Duel Monsters terms she had life points of about 5600 left. The Swordstalker attacked again, out of line with Duel Monsters rules, and speared Caleia through her ribcage, the red blade of the sword shining a full feet out behind her. She screamed. Seito came running over, stepping outside his bounds and summoning his power to destroy the Swordstalker. He caught Caleia as she fell to the ground, her opaque blood running onto his translucent and quickly fading self.

"CALEIA!" Seto roared, his emotions fueling his will, and pushing Morsei completely out of his mind. He ran, tripped, fell, stumbled, and got back up as he rushed over. Seito handed her to him. Caleia cried in agony as the sword shifted slightly on the exchange. Seto cradled her head at his shoulder. The sword, still lodged in her, was starting to poison her with its dark energies.

"We have to remove the sword. It's poisoning her," Seito said. Caleia said nothing, her teeth clenched, trying to stop herself from screaming, and Seto nodded slightly. Seito grasped the hilt of the blade firmly, concentrating on quelling any shaking of his hands. If he pulled it out wrong, more damage would be done, and the priest could tell that it blade had cut dangerously close to Caleia's heart and the major blood arteries and veins around it. After taking a deep breath, he yanked the blade out of the girl. Caleia screamed, unable to supress herself any longer. Seto held her closer as her blood poured over him. Seito dropped the blade and kneeled beside her. In a moment he decided what he must do. He placed his hands over her wounds and poured the last of his existance in the Realm of Life into the girl.

Seto was speechless as he watched the High Priest fade away completely, and Caleia's wound knitting itself back together, the bloodflow halting. She had passed out somewhere along the way, and it seemed as if what Seito had done was in vain.

"Caleia, I'm sorry. Its all my fault," Seto muttered as he stared at her emotionless face. Right on cue, Caleia's eyes slowly fluttered open.

The first thing she saw was Seto's piercing blue eyes staring at her own, filled with worry that turned to joy. "Caleia!" Seto cried as he realized she had awoken and was alive. "You're alive!" He kissed her and she returned it, wrapping her arms around his neck and sitting up on her knees.

"Seto," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. Tears ran from her eyes onto Seto's coat, staining it along with her blood, which had already begun to dry.

But their peace was short-lived as the room spun out of focus. Caleia and Seto closed their eyes to keep from becoming dizzy. When she felt it all die down, Caleia opened her eyes. They were in another room, and someone was in there with them.

"How disgustingly sweet," Morsei sneered.

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do you now understand the "ow"? *sigh* stupid may is stupid music month for me this year. Don't get me wrong I love music but this is annoying. This week is drum major auditions, with me having to audition early cuz of a stupid piano master class thingie at a university on Friday. Week after that, Thursday, spring concert for me in wind ensemble & in symphony orchestra (on the same programs too), Friday, Trinity piano exams and the end of season golf tournament, Saturday, All-State solo & ensemble festival. I really should be practicing for all these stupid things but im not that smart! (heehee im kidding, I am practicing… too much, I might add) So I'm really really sorry if I don't update quite as often. I have HSA exams at school this month too…*sigh* anyway, please review!

~kirsta~