"You psychotic fruit loop!" Tanith exclaimed as Yami commanded his hikari and friends to leave. Ryou was torn between staying with Bakura, Yami, Isis and Rashid or leaving with everyone else.

"Disable the bomb, Marik." Yami commanded.

"When will you learn people don't have to do everything you say." Marik asked with a smile.

"He has a point there." Tanith added.

"Stop taking his side, he's trying to kill you." Bakura snapped then noticed Ryou standing around and shoved him toward the door. "Get out of here!"

Ryou ran away like a puppy that had been kicked. Multiple times at that.

"Disable the bomb." Yami commanded again. Marik nuzzled Tanith with his chin and shook his head.

"Marik, please…for my brother" Isis begged. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Your brother almost killed my Tanith for the sole reason I like her." Marik retorted. "He deserves to die simply for that reason."

"He does have yet another point." Tanith added. "And I'm not yours, Marik."

"Stop egging him on." Bakura scolded. She shrugged and muttered something about touchy yamis.

"We're at an impasse it appears. You can't make me disable the bomb in fear I'll detonate it early and I am willing to wait until it does go off. A no win situation if there ever was." Marik announced proudly. "But I'm willing to turn the device off, if Tanith gives me a body. Then I win, you win and everyone is happy."

"But she can't do it!" Bakura exclaimed in frustration. "Why can you not get that through your thick head?"

Marik shrugged, "Then she dies."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Tanith replied with a yawn. "A spear in the back, being blown to kingdom come; eh doesn't matter to me."

"It matters to me!" Bakura retorted. "We haven't robbed any tombs. Or drink any drunks under the table."

She smiled sweetly in remembrance with a yawn, "We did pull some mean pranks on Kaiba. Sent a email virus throughout the Kaiba Corp network. Specially designed too. Reversed his dueling system to play monsters the opposite of what they were played…"

"And don't forget that lovely spam bomb you sent to the Pharaoh." Bakura added and both yami and hitokage chuckled.

Yami spun on him, "That was you two? I thought I did something wrong to Yugi's computer!"

"Shows what you know of technology." The tomb robber shot back with.

Marik cleared his throat, "I hate to interrupt your moment but you have about five minutes to say your good byes."

Tanith shut her eyes, "Guess this is good bye again old friend."

"I'm not leaving you behind this time."

"Suits yourself." Tanith replied. "I'm going to sleep. Night."



She found herself in a room similar to her soul room. The candle lit table set for two. Dark indigo silk drapes. Thick plush black carpeting under her bare feet. From the shadows a familiar figure sat before at the table.

"When I was young, I used to dream of a red haired girl who looked almost like you." He told her. Tanith tried to figure out where she had seen this man before. There was something very familiar about his lavender eyes.

"She had the same hair as you. But it was the eyes that were different. Her eyes belayed a sadness deep inside her. Your eyes spit blue fire at anyone who dare look upon them."

"Yeah, I guess." She replied nervously.

"Then when I became a man, I no longer dreamt of her. No more dreams of her laughing or crying or even her angry shouting." He told her.

"Who are you?"

He smiled just a little bit, "I am the Tomb keeper."

Tanith nodded as if she understood, which she didn't. He looks so familiar, who is he really?

"I'd like for you to do something for me, Tanith." He asked her. "I want you to tell my sons how sorry I am to have hurt them as I have."

"I'll try." She replied with a shrug. He nodded as if satisfied.

"Could you do me another favor?"

She nodded.

"I want you to save him. Try as hard as you can to save him."

"Save who?" Tanith asked as the dream began to fade and realization on the identity of the mysterious man hit.

"Save my son, all of him."

Tanith awoke with a gasp, a name on the tip of her tongue.

"You didn't sleep long, m'love." Marik said nuzzling the top of her head.

"I'm not that tired." Tanith replied as Bakura snapped, "Don't call her that!"

She looked around the room with clarity, the drugs already gone from her system. A little ways away, a pile of clothing wiggled. Tanith nodded with satisfaction, she would give it all she had.

"Yami. I want you, Isis, Bakura and Scar face to leave."

"Tanith, I'm not leaving you again." Bakura replied angrily as Yami tugged Isis toward the door. She and Yami left peacefully. Bakura wouldn't.

"Bakura, you are the greatest pain and the greatest friend I've ever had." Tanith told him. She glanced at Rashid and motioned to Bakura with her head. The man nodded and threw the tomb robber over his shoulder and carried him screaming out the door.

"We're all alone." She told her captor serenely.

"Didn't wish to endanger your friends I see." He replied with a sneer. "A weakness I never noticed in you before."

"That's because I never had friends when we last met." Tanith said loosening her bonds with her mind. "Now I have Ryou and his friends plus a yami to worry about. Since you don't have friends you wouldn't get how much I care for them."

"What kind of friends would leave you to die?"

The last of the ropes slid free as Tanith leaned forward and sent her head back into Marik's face, then rolled away from him as he screamed in pain.

"The kind that know I can take care of myself!"

"It seems the drugs have worn off." Marik muttered as he cradled his chin. He smiled deviously, "No matter, you'll never get out in time to save yourself."

"I don't need to." She replied. "Something has come to my attention. While I was sleeping, some things began to click."

"Like what?"

"Why you're so drawn to me for one."

Marik smirked, "So I find you're beautiful, smart, and very sexy."

"Why thank you." Tanith replied with a sneer. "But I know the real reason why you find me all those great things."

"And what would that be?"

"Who your father is." She revealed. Marik lost his smile as she continued. "I bet your father was one mean SOB. Hurt you both bunches all in the name of educating. Maybe took something painful to your back."

He began to glower at her and took an unconscious step away from her. Did she know of the ritual that created him? Marik wondered.

Tanith smiled, noticing that step away from her. "I see he did. He made you study and live up to some 'great destiny' you were to perform that was of his design, not yours."

She continued ruthlessly, "But you never got to while he was around, so what did you do?"

"I killed him."

Tanith tried not to look shocked at the confession, and continued with her attack. "Good for you! Hope it was painful. Bet it was, a evil man such as yourself is sure to make sure it was painful as can be."

"He died too quick. He deserved to suffer, suffer like we did!"

She smiled sweetly, "You bad boy! What would Mommy say to that?"

Marik froze in his fury, his eyes locked onto hers. "What. Did you say?"

"I said what would your mother say?" Tanith replied harshly storming up right up to his face. "Would she love to hear how much her baby boy loves to kill? Oh yeah I bet she would."

Marik's face slowly turned red as she continued her speech.

"Bet she was a blood thirsty cow. Practically drank the stuff. Wonder if she smoked some weed to create such a stupid, brainless son of a—" Marik's hands around her throat stopped her.

He threw her across the room, then trampled over to where she lay stunned, dragged her up by her throat and slammed her into the wall. When he finally spoke, it was with both Marik and Malik's voice.

"Do not talk about my mother!!"

She choked out a laugh, "Finally stuck a nerve did I? Good!"

"Shut up!" they screamed slamming her into the wall again.

"I bet your parents were inbred." She shouted through compressed air pipes. Tanith continued in a dopey tone of voice. "Uh, not only is my mommy my mom but she's also my aunt!"

"Shut up!" was followed by another slam into the wall. Already she was seeing stars but she continued just as harsh.

"But maybe she wasn't your aunt. I bet she was really your sister! Ishtar and Ishtar going at it just to make you!"

"Would you shut up!" they shouted slamming her into the wall with every word. He finally released her and allowed her to slide down to the floor where he began kicking her. "Shut up about my mother, shut up about my father and shut up about me!"

Tanith laughed not even bothering to deflect the blows to her body.

"You know, I'm not even going to bother with you any more." Marik finally said as he pulled out his Millennium Rod. "You are going straight to the Shadow Realm."

That was exactly what Tanith had been waiting for. As Marik began working his magic, she silently prayed to the gods for help as she drew upon the only spell she learned from her previous life.

Just as a wave of power erupted from the rod, Tanith felt power beside her own reach out of her and slam through the barrage straight into Marik. He began to scream silently and began to be enveloped in shadows. Then it was over.

Tanith knew she had to work fast to accomplish the hardest thing she ever had to do.



Bakura was still screaming and threatening Rashid as they ran out the door and raced through the maze to the end of the drive where everyone awaited.

"Where's Tanith?" Yugi asked no one in particular. "What's going on?"

"Miss Rivencroft had a plan that did not require us." Rashid said over Bakura's ranting.

"Was Marik still with her?" Isis asked. "Or did my brother return."

"I don't care about that nut, let me go to Tanith!" Bakura screamed angrily. "She needs me!"

"If Rashid says she has a plan then she has a plan and doesn't need us butting in." Tristan told him. He received the tomb robber's famous glare of death.

Tea looked at the fortress and bit her lip, "Shouldn't they be out by now? It's been three minutes, they only have two more."

"We should go back inside." Ryou said with fear in his eyes. "Maybe she does need us like Bakura said."

"I'm sure her plan will succeed and we'll see her soon." Yami said confidently. Tea went into her boyfriend, Yugi's arms as everyone watched for Tanith.

A minute went by before anyone said a word.

"She cutting it close don't you think?" Ryou asked nervously playing with his hair.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed quietly.

"Bet she's already out and is jerking our chain." Joey said confidently. "Ya know just to see our faces."

"Yeah!" Tristan agreed. "Remember that time she had Croquet call and tell us that Pegasus stole Tanith's soul, was plotting on taking over the world and his first mission was to turn all of us into marshmallows?"

Tristan joined Tea, Yugi, Ryou, Joey and Yami in laughter.

"I still remember Halloween where she rigged the shop up as the 'Turtle Dungeon'. Plastic turtles hanging from the ceiling on hang man ropes. Turtles twitching anytime Grandpa made a sale. Screaming any time someone opened the door." Yugi said with a laugh.

"My personal favorite was when Tanith and I went costume shopping for that same Halloween. Somehow she talked me into a slinky harem outfit and Yugi into a biker costume." Tea laughed.

"Yug did look pretty funny with that fake beard." Joey commented.

"Oh? And do you recall what Tanith talked you into wearing when she dragged us to Kaiba's mansion trick or treating?" Yugi countered.

"A doggie costume." Joey replied with a wince.

"I can't believe she talked Bakura into dressing up as an angel. Halo and all." Ryou said with a fond smile. From over Rashid's shoulder Bakura glared.

"If you also recall, she placed you in a red leather devil costume and you received all sorts of cat calls that night." The tomb robber shot back. "You even got a look from Kaiba."

Ryou blushed furiously, "I remember."

"My favorite Tanith moment was when she asked me to teach her how to play Duel Monsters." Yami told everyone. "She didn't once make any sarcastic remarks during the entire time I helped her assemble a deck and taught her how to play."

"I think that was the last time I ever heard her call you self righteous." Tristan replied. "You were now a slave driver."

Even Rashid had to chuckle at that and another moment of silence passed.

"Where is she and my brother?" Isis murmured.

"I'm sure she's fine." Yami replied.

Just then the entire house blew up.