Author's Note: Once again I would like to thank Buka 2000 for helping me write this fic. Feel free to check out her stories as well. Oh, and Fairy's Blessing is a made up card. Sorry for any confusion.

"So, we finally meet Pharaoh." Marik smirked, looking at Yami and Buka. The others were gathered around them as well.

"Marik, your problem is with me not our friends. So let us pass and set our friends free!" Yami narrowed his eyes, attempting to move past him.

"Koishii . . ." Buka started, staying back from the arguing pair. She had something of Yami's that he gave her after his duel with Strings. Silently, she drew the second Egyptian God card from her deck.

Marik watched with interest, and a small grin remained on his face. He had been mislead all this time, believing that Yami had Slifer all this time. And here his girlfriend was holding it in her deck, it is a small world after all or so he believed. Then he got a brilliant idea. Why not raise the stakes even higher?

"You know I want the power that is rightfully mine, Yami. And since the only way I can gain your puzzle is by defeating you in a duel, then I challenge you to a duel here and now. As for added incentive, I'll make sure that every time you lose life points something happens to your little girlfriend." Marik cackled, then motioned for Sekhmet to hold Buka back.

"Leave her out of this! I accept your challenge, and should I win you release both Buka and our friends. And I know what happens if we lose, so let's just get this duel started." Yami growled, looking over at Buka every now and then.

All Buka could do was watch helplessly, then she slid Slifer across the floor face down. That was the only way Yami could beat Marik, but it all depended on if he had the right cards. She knew that the dragons attack power was determined by how many cards the owner held in his or her hand.

"Do this for Ryou, Joey and everyone that Marik has hurt so far! I believe in you koishii!" Buka called out, only to get her mouth covered by Sekhmet's hand.

Marik sighed and shook his head. There had to be a better way to get that girl to shut up, without resorting to violence or killing her. He figured she could prove to be useful for him later on at any rate.

"I'll start this duel," Yami started then drew his first card. "I play Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode, and I place two cards face down."

Buka grinned, wanting to cheer him on. But it was almost impossible with someone's hand over her mouth. Then she smirked, and bit Sekhmet when he wasn't paying any attention only to get a few loud curses. She didn't count on nearly getting thrown against the wall in return though.

"Shame . . . you really should keep your girlfriend in check, Pharaoh. Now for my move, I summon Humanoid Slime in defense mode and I place two cards face down as well." Marik said, watching his every move.

"Perhaps, but it will be a shame for you when I win this. I set one more card face down, and I play Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode. Your move Marik." Yami grinned, and then looked over at Buka who had almost gotten herself free.

Smirking, Marik drew his next card. Vorse Raider, as expected. He had other good monsters too, but he was just waiting to make this a battle of the God Cards. He knew that Ra could easily take out Slifer with just one attack.

"Foolish move, Pharaoh. Now watch as I make my move. I summon Vorse Raider and I attack your Magnet Warrior."

"That is just what I wanted you to do. You just activated my Mirror Force trap card; it destroys all monsters in attack mode." Yami smirked, and watched as the Vorse Raider was destroyed.

Buka cheered, ignoring Sekhmet's attempts to hold her back. She had learned how to escape from strong holds the hard way, but that was a different story in itself.

"You got lucky Pharaoh. I end my turn then, it's a pity really. I wanted to see Bukasha get what is coming to her."

Yami narrowed his eyes a little further. This time he got a very dangerous look in his eyes, showing that he meant business and was not about to back down. If any harm came to her, or their friends then Marik would have to deal with a very angry Pharaoh.

"Luck has nothing to do with it Marik. I now summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode, and I place one card face down."

"Foolish Pharaoh. I sacrifice my Humanoid Slime, and I summon Ushi Oni in attack mode. And I will attack Beta, causing you to lose 400 life points." Marik smirked, and then watched as the next part of his plan unfolded.

Yami looked on in horror as Buka was hit with an arrow right near her collar bone. And where the arrow came from? Perhaps it was another one of the Warlords who was in on this whole duel from the beginning, or it was someone else entirely. Either way, he closed his eyes as she saw her stumble as she got hit.

"Tenshi! No . . . Marik, I told you to leave her out of this! Now let us settle this like mature people instead of resorting to your foolish games."

"You would like that wouldn't you? Now take a look at your precious tenshi while you can. The next time, we won't miss." He smirked noting the arrow above the collar bone, placed right near the top of her shoulder.

Buka fell to her knees from the pain, holding the shaft of the arrow with her hand. This was some of the worst pain that she had ever endured, and it marked the first time she was actually hit with an arrow.

"Don't worry about me . . ." Buka said, tears welling up in her eyes. But she had to be strong; she had been taught the hard way to never show weakness. And she had the scars to prove it.

Yami nodded, and then narrowed his eyes. He still had a fool proof plan, even if it meant summoning Slifer then so be it. As he drew, a small grin crept across his face. That never meant anything good, but he was not going to use his plan just yet. He knew that Marik was tricky, so he just had to think like a trickster himself.

"First I activate Swords of Revealing Light, so you can't attack for three whole turns. Then I place Gamma the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. That's it for me." Yami grinned, but he knew that Marik must have another plan set. There were other ways for him to lose life points, and in turn more ways for Buka to get hurt.

"A last ditch effort no doubt. Since I can't attack your monsters just yet, I'll play Oozaki! That takes away 800 of your life points, and you know what happens when you lose life points." Marik smirked, and then watched as another arrow hit Buka. This time it hit her between the ribs on her right side.

Yami narrowed his eyes, wondering who the hell had been firing the arrows at Buka. He then looked on in horror as the arrow pierced her side, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Tenshi! Marik, you leave me no choice . . . You will pay for harming Buka and my friends!" Yami drew his next card, and then closed his eyes. 'Come on . . .' He thought, and then he opened his eyes, feeling a great power come from the card that he just drew.

"I sacrifice Gamma, Gazelle and Alpha to summon the all powerful Slifer the Sky Dragon! And since you can't attack, I am free to attack your remaining monsters!" Yami said, watching the large red dragon appear beside him.

Buka looked up, wincing slightly as she moved forward a bit out of Sekhmet's grip. She then looked over toward where the arrows came from and stumbled back a little, it was Anubis. And he was poised to strike her again, perhaps in a more vital area than her shoulder or ribs. She coughed slightly as she spoke to Yami.

"Koishii, you can do this! You just need a few more cards and you have this duel!" Buka started, only to get hit again this time in the stomach. That caused her to fall onto her left side, and cry out in pain again.

"I'd advise you to keep out of this Kashii! Now just let your boyfriend finish his duel or you won't be around to see the outcome." Anubis said, getting another arrow ready just in case Buka decided not to listen to him.

"Well looks like you're worse off than I thought Pharaoh. Not only will you lose this duel, but you're about to lose your girlfriend as well. She's been hit three times, and is already losing a bit of blood. Do your worst, Slifer only has 2000 attack points right now at any rate, so he hardly poses a threat." Marik smirked, waiting for Yami to make his next move.

Yami looked over at Buka, who was lying motionless on the floor. He sighed to himself and closed his eyes again. He was not going to lose this duel, or Buka. There was no way that he was going to let that happen, she meant the whole world to him.

"Now I activate Pot of Greed! Slifer is now up to 4000, which is more than enough to take out your monsters and a good chunk of your life points. Consider this payback for all the pain you have caused!"

Marik narrowed his eyes, knowing that trap and magic cards are useless against the God Cards. And there were still 2 more turns until the Swords of Revealing light wore off. This duel was over, and he knew it. It just wasn't the way he wanted it to end at all.

Buka tried to look up at Yami, but she just felt like going to sleep. She was in more pain that she had been in for a long time. That and this was the first time that she had been so close to death.

"Now, Slifer attack his Ushi Oni!" Yami smirked, and watched as Marik stumbled back slightly. His life points were down considerably now, and he was far from done. He had one more thing he could do to finish this once and for all.

"Come on . . . You can do this . . ." Buka managed to say before passing out from blood loss and shock.

"That only got rid of 1900 of my life points, big deal." Marik smirked, now there was only one turn left until the Swords of Revealing light wore off. Just what he needed to get Ra.

Yami just narrowed his eyes, then pulled a card that could help him. "I use Dark Magic Curtain and summon the Dark Magician! He has never let me down, and he won't start now!" Yami then realized his mistake, and saw Buka get hit with a 4th arrow right below the 3rd, and that was not good for one reason.

Then for some unknown reason, Buka's Wingweaver showed up next to the Dark Magician. She stood with her arms crossed, and smiled at her true love before looking over at Marik.

"How the hell is that possible? That Wingweaver is a fairy, why did she appear with your Dark Magician?" Marik stood shocked, knowing that an attack by both will effectively wipe out the rest of his life points.

"When my Dark Magician was summoned, that activated my face down card Fairy's Blessing. It enables me to summon any Wingweaver from a nearby player's deck, and that would be Buka's Wingweaver. Plus they have the strengths of both light and dark, and they support each other. So prepare to lose it all!"

'Thank you Tenshi . . . This proves that above all, love conquers every obstacle thrown in its way.'

"Hmm . . . well I summon Sangan in defense mode. So you can't do anything to my life points now." Marik smirked, sounding pretty confident in his plan.

"Oh, but I can! Slifer, attack his Sangan! That is not all, Marik. Wingweaver and Dark Magician, attack his life points directly!" Yami smirked, watching all three attacks make a direct hit on their intended targets. He watched as Marik slumped to the ground, then he ran over to Buka.

"Tenshi . . . I am so sorry . . ." Yami said, holding her in his arms. Being very careful not to hurt her any more than she was, he didn't care about the blood seeping into his black tank top. He put one hand above where the fourth arrow hit, praying that nothing happened to her or their soon to be little blessing.

Buka was still breathing, but it was labored. She placed her free hand on top of Yami's, she was basically praying for the same thing he was. That nothing happened to their miracle in waiting.

"It's alright . . . I'm right here . . ." Yami sighed, keeping her held close

Yami knew he had to get her to the others. Maybe they knew what to do. He picked her up and started walking away when Sage and Kento came around the corner.

"What happened?" Kento asked when he saw Buka.

"She got hit by four arrows," Yami said, putting her down. "Can you do anything for her."

"If we can get these arrows out, I'll be able to heal her," Sage said. "My armor has healing powers."

As Sage freed the one out of her shoulder, Buka lapsed into unconsciousness. Sage and Kento then was able to get the rest of the arrows out. Sage transformed into his armor and placed his hands on Buka. Buka started glowing and all four wounds healed. Sage, feeling weak, dropped down against Kento.

"You okay?" Yami asked, concerned etched in his face.

"Yeah," Sage answered. "Healing people takes alot out of me sometimes."

They looked down as Buka's eyes opened and she sat up.

"We need to find the others," Kento said. "Knowing Talpa, he probably has them in the dungeons somewhere."

They took off heading for the dungeons after Buka and Sage were able to rest.

--to be continued--