Kinsako- Well, less than 24 hours after I did the last chapter, I'm at it again!

Tonde- Wow. You have absolutely no life, huh?

Kinsako- That's debatable.

Tonde - Not really, no.

Kinsako- Oh, and this is the first chapter that I've added song lyrics to, I just like them because I think it helps to develop the character's mood a bit more.

This is a story about a Yami and Hikari of my own creation, and was done pretty much on a dare, cause certain people kept telling me my writing is too "normal" and "cutesy".

*Warning* This story contains Yuri, or a girl on girl couple. Don't like it, don't read it. It's that simple. Flames will be used to set fire to spare soul cards. This story is rather angsty, and there is quiet a bit of violence and unrequited love and such. Oh, and other couples mentioned in this story but not really expanded upon are: Yami/Yugi, and some mentions of Marik/Malik. I love Yami/Hikari relationships, so check for future stories on them. I'm going to do some Bakura/Ryou, and Seto/Joey fluff too.

Kinsako - Any of the copyrighted items I mention here are not mine, I'm just bastardizing them for my own uses.

Tonde- Yup, that you are.

Kinsako - /…/ is Hikari to Yami

//…// is Yami to Hikari

~...~ is Song Lyrics

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Shadow's Light- Chapter 6

Promises



Rain. Why is it still raining. It's been nearly a week since this storm first started, but it's not showing any signs of letting up. I stared out the window dejectedly and sighed. I hate the rain. The rain reminds me of her. Everything reminds me of her.

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I shook my head violently and wiped them away.

Stop it! I chastised myself angrily. Do you think Akasha would want you to spend the rest of your life moping around pining for her?!

I sild off my perch in the window seat, and wandered aimlessly around the living room. I should leave. I should cancel my contract with the Domino museum, and move as far away from this place as I can get. I sighed, and ran my fingers absently over my CD player. I had to stop thinking about her. It was driving me mad.

I riffled through my CD collection, then pulled out one of my favorite mix CDs. I flipped open the case, and slid the holographic disk into the player, and hit the start button. The CD player whirred for a moment, then a haunting melody filled the room. I flopped back onto the couch, and sang softly along with the lyrics.

~Now i will tell you what i've done for you
50 thousand tears i've cried~

I sighed again, and buried my face in a pillow. Why? Why did she have to do something like that? Was my life really that important to her that she couldn't live hers without me?

~just when i thought i'd reached the bottom
i'm dying again~

Wasn't it enough? I had sacrificed everything in an instant to save the life of her hated enemy, but no, I guess the gods had decided it wasn't enough. They had to take her away from me too.

~i'm going under
drowning in you
i'm falling forever
i've got to break through~

She's gone. She's really and complete gone. She vanished like she never really existed, and her soul room is as empty and dark as an abyss. Tears burned down my cheeks and soaked into the pillow. I pushed it away from me angrily, and lay mt head on my arms.

~blurring and stirring the truth and the lies
so i don't know what's real and what's not~

I'll never know now. I finally told her how I really feel, but I'll never know if she felt the same for me. Or if she hated me for loving her.

~i'm going under
drowning in you
i'm falling forever
i've got to break through~

I'm alone. For the first time since my parents died, I fell totally, alone. She had promised, right after I first met her, that she would never leave me. And now... now she's gone.

~i won't be broken again
i've got to breathe i can't keep going under~

"It's not fair." I sobbed.

"Neither is life," said a deep voice, and the CD player shut off with a click.

I whirled around, and narrowed my eyes at the speaker. "Who are you?" I demanded. "How did you get in here?"

The tall bleach blond leaning against the CD player sighed, and took a step towards me. He looked... familiar. I remember him, he had been with Yugi and Yami at the gameshop.

"My name," he said simply, "Is Malik. As for how I got in here, lets just say you're apartment isn't very well guarded against Shadow Magic." He crossed his arms, and eyed me for a moment.

"So, you're the Mage's hikari, correct?"

I blinked. "What do you know about Akasha?"

He shrugged. "Not much. She was a lesser Shadow Mage in my time in the temple of Bast, who was accused of treason, and met a rather sticky end. I never thought she would be able to cheat death without the power of a Millennium item, but I guess that little trinket of hers holds the power to do so."

I sighed, and buried my face back in my arms. "Why are you here anyway? To steal the Night Stone. It wouldn't matter, you can't use it's power anyway."

Malik shook his head and smiled strangely. "No, I am here to help you. You do want to get Akasha back, don't you?"

I sat up with a start. "What do you mean? Without the Night Stone, she doesn't have enough power to leave the Shadow Realm, and it would be impossible for anyone else to find her there."

Malik sighed. "Impossible for anyone maybe, but not impossible for you. You are still connected to Akasha, even if your link is broken."

I swallowed. "Why would you want to help me anyway, I don't even know you."

Malik stared at me for a second, then closed his eyes. "I owe a kind of debt to the pharoah that I'm not sure I can ever repay. I casued great pain to him and his friends, but even after he defeated me, he still showed me mercy. Instead of banishing me to the Shadow Realm and ending his problems, he used his power to remove the evil in my hikari and my spirit." He paused for a moment, and opened his eyes. "I know Yami would try and help you if he could, but he does not have enough of his memories to do so." He silently pulled a strange golden staff from under his dark cloak.

I shivered and backed away. That thing felt... ancient, and somehow dangerous. "What is that thing?" I said warily.

"This is the Millennium Rod." He held it up, and the engraved eye of Horus began to glow strangely.

I tensed and glared at him. "What are going to do?"

Malik sighed. "This can be done willingly or unwillingly, it will be a lot easier on you if it is willingly." I hesitated. "Don't you want to at least try and save Akasha?"

I stared for a second, then nodded stiffly, and closed my eyes. I heard him take a step forward to stand in front of me.

"Whatever you do," he said quietly. "Try not to resist. I can't guarantee this will work if you do."

I felt Shadow Energy begin to swirl around us, and I automatically tensed, then remembered his warning, and forced myself to slowly relax.

All of a sudden, it felt like I was floating, and a golden light surrounded me. Egyptian hieroglyphics began to run through my mind, and against my will I began to chant softly in Egyptian. The hieroglyphics began to come faster and faster, and the low chant rose to a fevered cry. The energy built higher and higher with the chant, and the weight of the spell bore down on me.

Then, abruptly, it stopped, and my eyes snapped open. My breath came in ragged pants, and I slowly forced myself to my feet. "That..." I said shakily, "That was..."

"Forbidden Magic. I know." He slid the Millennium Rod back beneath his cloak. He turned to leave. "To activate the spell, all you have to do is hold the Night Stone in your hands, and speak her name." He paused at the door, and glanced back over his shoulder. "You realize," He said quietly. "That once you enter the Shadow Realm, even if you find Akasha, there is now guarantee you will be able to make it back."

I smiled softly. "It doesn't matter. If I can see her again, I don't care what happens to me." I looked up. "Thank you."

Malik nodded, and left the apartment silently.



I sat for a moment in silence, then slid off the couch, and padded softly up the stairs to my room. I pushed open the door, and strode to my night stand. I hesitated for a second, then yanked the drawer open.

The Night Stone glittered in the dull light of the overcast sunset, and I swallowed thickly, and gingerly picked it up. I took a deep breath, and sat down on my bed.



This was it. Akasha had protected me and been there for me more times than I could count, and now it was my turn. My hands shook, and I squeezed the Night Stone so hard the edges of the sliver wings cut into my palms. Blood slowly welled around the black stone, and mixed with the tears that fell from my cheeks. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the Shadow energy that still filled the apartment. The energy slowly turned from a bright gld to a dark purple black, and I swallowed thickly. This was it.

"AKASHA!" I cried, and the sound was ripped from my throat by a strong wind that howled through my room. The fabric between realities split, and I let out a silent cry as the icy darkness bit into my soul.

I fell, fell through the darkness again, fell into the harsh unreality of the Shadow realm.



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Yay! Cliffhanger! Hehehe. Ever so evil. Anyway, I don't really know if the Evanesece song "Going Under" really fit the story, but meh, it's my story, and I like that song!

Okay, so it might be a little unbelievable that Malik isn't evil any more, and that he openly admitted he owed a debt to Yami, but I needed him to help Kayore, so :-P if you don't like it.

Thanks to everyone who read this, even if you didn't like it, you're still all awesome for reading it! :) Vanilla Coke and Starbursts for all!