DECLARAION- This story has been written and produced by Cathrath (FanFiction. net ID: 609465). Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Cathrath. If you should see this story posted anywhere other than FanFiction .net or under any other name it has been stolen so please notify the author. I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 11 – Facing Death

As Yami slowly came to, the first thing he became aware of was the cold, hard ground he was laying on. The second was the missing weight of the millennium puzzle around his neck. Slowly he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around at his surroundings. He was lying at the bottom of a deep pit. Yami looked up. The top of the pit was open but the smooth steep sides meant there was no way he could climb up and escape. Above the pit was a low roof with a small opening letting in light. Yami groaned as he tried to move. His head throbbed painfully from where Marik had hit him and his body ached all over from where he supposed he had been dropped into the pit whilst unconscious. He tentatively touched the place on his head where the rod had made contact. He winced.

'Damn! He hit me hard. How long have I been out?' Yami thought.

He slowly, with the help of the wall, pulled himself into a standing position.

'Where's Yugi,' he thought frantically.

"YUGI," he called out hoping the boy was somewhere close but there was no reply.

+.+ YUGI, +.+ he called out again, this time using his mind but the absence of the puzzle made this form of communication impossible.

Suddenly there was the sound of movement above and Yami held his breath in anticipation. Marik appeared at the edge of the pit and looked down at Yami with amused eyes.

"I'm afraid Prince Yugi can't be with us right now. Can I help," he asked sarcastically.

"Marik, you traitor," Yami snarled.

"Where is he? If you've hurt him I swear I'll..."

Marik started to laugh.

"You'll what, pull faces at me. If you haven't noticed yet Pharaoh you're not really in a position to make demands. You don't have the millennium puzzle anymore and without it you're too weak to call forth any aid from the shadow realm."

Yami snarled in frustration he hated to admit it but Marik was right.

"Where is he?" Yami repeated.

Marik wagged his finger from side to side in a mocking gesture.

"Patience, patience Pharaoh. Bakura is getting him ready for our little finale."

A cold smile of utter delight crossed Marik's face and he chuckled.

"I must admit Bakura has surpassed himself this time. He has an exquisite death lined up for you Yami, and your little friend. Some other acquaintances of yours also have a key role to play."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked suddenly feeling afraid.

"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. You have until dawn."

With that Marik vanished from the edge of the pit.

"MARIK," Yami shouted after him but if Marik was still there he got no reply.

Dawn came too quickly for Yami. He wasn't afraid to die. He'd lived with death all his life. It was for Yugi he feared. When they were finished with him what would be Yugi's fate? Yami sat at the bottom of the pit and watched as the new light of dawn crept its way down the walls. He stood at hearing a sound above him. Whatever was to be his fate he would face it bravely. Marik appeared at the top of the pit again.

"Ready?" he said as he threw down a rope ladder for Yami to climb up.

Yami took a deep breath and started to climb. As he reached the top he was roughly grabbed and hauled the rest of the way. He struggled against the sudden contact as his hands were tied behind his back but stopped as he caught a look at his assailant's faces.

"Jou!" he exclaimed in shock.

He looked to the face of the other.

"Honda?"

Instantly he knew something was wrong. These were not the friends he knew. They wore blank expressions and showed him no recognition at all.

"What have you done to them Marik," he snarled.

Marik chucked and held up the millennium rod.

"We found these two trailing a little way behind you. The human mind is so easy to manipulate. They were no challenge at all."

Marik had Jou's millennium scales tucked in his belt.

"Let them go Marik. They've done nothing to you."

"Free my toys? Oh I don't think so Yami, it's going to be so much fun watching your own friends take you to your execution and besides they fit in beautifully with Bakura's show."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked slowly.

"Why spoil the surprise," Marik laughed.

Marik turned his back to Yami and beckoned to his two servants who tightened their grip on Yami's arms and pulled him forwards. In his current condition Yami didn't have the strength to try and break free.

It seemed like forever as they followed Marik along a dark corridor. Despite his weariness Yami stood tall. Whatever was coming he would be ready for it. They finally entered a dimly lit chamber. Marik moved away to the side and Jou and Honda let go of Yami's tied arms but stayed close.

"Welcome Yami," Bakura's voice echoed out of the darkness.

"Are you ready to face your death Yami?"

"Go to hell Bakura," Yami said defiantly.

"Probably," came Bakura's droll reply behind him.

Yami hadn't heard him approach and the blow from behind took him by surprise. Yami fell to his knees.

"Where's Yugi?" he said through clenched teeth.

"Not far, you will see him soon enough. He has a fairly major part to play in our show."

A hand grabbed hold of Yami's hair and yanked his head backwards. Yami glared defiantly up at Bakura.

"Why are you doing this Bakura? What is it you want?"

Bakura gave Yami a savage smile and tightened his grip. Yami winched.

"You mean besides you dead. I want power Yami what else."

"You've already got power Bakura, the millennium ring. What more do you want?"

"It's not enough. I want all the items."

Yami couldn't help a small smile at this.

"And just how do you intend to get them? Do you think Ishizu and the others will just hand them over to you? Besides you know I'm the only one who can use them all."

Bakura drew near to Yami's face.

"So you say but it doesn't matter how I'm going to get them or how I'm going to use them. The fact is once you're gone there will be no one to stop me and besides I'm going to have help."

Yami laughed at Bakura's statement.

"You mean Marik? I suspect he's after the same thing you are which means he will turn on you just as quickly as he turned on me."

Bakura gave Marik the briefest of cautious glances before whispering in Yami's ear.

"He might try but that's all he will do, try."

Tired of the conversation Bakura pulled away and forced Yami to turn and face a dark corner of the chamber. Yami could just make out the shadow of something tall standing there.

"Now enough with this banter shall I show you what I have in store for you Yami," Bakura said in a delighted voice.

At these words Marik began to move around the chamber lighting torches as he went. As more light lit up the room the shadow was revealed as a tall, rectangular object, covered with black cloth.

"Ready?" Bakura asked as Marik reached up and pulled the cloth free.

Yami's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the contraption before him. The main structure was a large rectangular frame of wood. In front of the frame stood a wide board about the height of a man with hinges at its base and onto the board were fixed three hinged metal hoops, one to secure the ankles and two to either side of the body to hold the wrists. It was obvious that the board could then be lowed flat. Yami's eyes finally took in the large straight edged blade fixed into the frame and suspended by a thick rope. Yami's eyes traced the course of the rope to a windlass and lever. The position of the board once it was lowered would place the neck of the unfortunate creature bound to it into the path of the blade.

"Ingenious isn't it," Bakura whispered in Yami's ear.

"I call it the mystical guillotine. What do you think? Catchy."

Yami answered by spitting into Bakura's face. The harsh blow Yami received from Bakura knocked him to the floor.

"Before we commence the show I have one more person I want you to meet Yami," Bakura said in an angry voice as he wiped the spit from his face with the back of his hand.

Yami was pulled back to his knees by Jou and forced to turn and look back at the open doorway. In the half dark Yami could just make out the figure of a young boy with spiky hair.

"Yugi?" he said uncertainly.

The boy who stepped out of the shadows was not Yugi. He had long dark hair and deep blue eyes. Yami instantly recognised him as the boy Yugi had described as Yami's attacker two years ago. It was Seto's brother.

"Mokuba," he exclaimed.

However, the look Mokuba gave him was not that of a child. Mokuba's face cracked into a hideous smile and his eyes began to glow a crimson red. The voice that came forth from his lips was one Yami recognised all to well.

"Welcome Yami, I've been waiting for you."

"Seto," Yami gasped.

"The one and only."

"How did you escape the shadow realm?" Yami said recovering from the shock of hearing his greatest enemies voice coming from the form of his brother.

"I haven't," Seto spat.

"Then how," Yami asked confused.

"I have Mokuba to thank for our current conversation. Ever since you sealed me in the shadow realm Mokuba has been attempting to free me. After all, I am his beloved brother."

Seto's words were filled with venom as he spoke of his brother.

"After many attempts and a little encouragement from my associates here he finally managed to break through to me. At first I tried to leave through the portal he had created but it was not large or powerful enough for me to use. It was then that I realised Mokuba could come and go as he pleased so I took over his body with my mind."

"You've possessed your own brother," Yami said in shock and disgust.

The Seto controlled Mokuba took a step towards Yami his eyes glowing fiercely with hate.

"Thanks to you I'm forced to live this miserable form of existence. My body and part of my mind are still trapped in the shadow realm but thanks to Mokuba I'm able to gain a little freedom."

"Where's Mokuba's mind?" Yami asked still shocked by the actions of his enemy.

"Still in here," Seto said as he tapped Mokuba's finger to his head.

"But he can't break free, not whilst I've got him under control and that's the way it's going to remain until I get my body back. The ironic thing is Mokuba wasn't the one I had intended to possess."

Realisation dawned on Yami.

"It was you that attacked Yugi. He was right. You tried to posses him so you could break free."

Seto took another step towards Yami. He was now less than a metre away. Seto's movement was lightening fast as he grasped Yami around the throat. His grip was much stronger than that of the small boy he possessed should've been. Yami gasped as Seto tightened his grip.

"Yes, but you interfered again, didn't you Yami? You stopped me yet again from claiming my prize."

"And you will be stopped again Seto. If not by me then by others loyal to me." Yami managed to gasp as Seto tightened his grip still further.

Suddenly Seto let go and Yami collapsed back down onto his heels coughing.

"Oh but I will Yami. You see I've discovered a way to open a portal to the shadow realm large enough for me to use. I intend to gather as many of the millennium items together as possible and use their power to open the portal."

"It's still not going to work Seto," Yami said in triumph.

"Despite Bakura's illusions only I can control all the items."

"Ah, now that's where you're wrong Yami. There is another."

Seto stepped aside and gestured to a figure behind him to step forward. There was no mistake this time.

"YUGI," Yami cried out.

He tried to stand but was held in place by Jou and Honda. Yugi didn't respond to Yami. He just returned Yami's look with the same vacant expression worn by Jou and Honda. Seto chuckled.

"Ironic isn't it that the one who will bring about the destruction of the world is the one who saved it in the first place. And I have you to thank for it Yami. Yugi should have died in accordance with the prophecy but you revived him. With his revival a new chapter to the prophecy was opened. Yugi is now the only other person beside yourself capable of wielding all seven millennium items. However, unlike you, they will eventually destroy him. You see the prophecy has become twisted and a new and darker side has been brought forth. If Yugi uses any of the items they will slowly absorb his life force. The life force he should have given to them when he died. He was never meant to survive beyond the completion of his task. He should have died and that would have been the end of the story but a new chapter is now open and I intend to write it."

Seto turned back to Yami with a look of delight on his face.

"Shall we get on with the show now that our guest of honour has arrived."

Yami had no time to react as Jou and Honda dragged him to his feet and pulled him over to the upright board of the guillotine. Yami started to struggle trying desperately to break free but froze at Seto's next words.

"Remember Yami, I only need Yugi alive which doesn't mean I can't have fun with him first."

Yami ceased his struggling at the sight of the knife that had appeared in Seto's hand.

"That's better. Bind him," Seto commanded to his two slaves.

The ropes around Yami's wrists were untied and strong hands pulled his arms out to either side and closed the cold metal bands around his wrists pinning them in place. Yami didn't resist. How could he? He would put Yugi in danger. Jou finished closing the band around Yami's ankles and joined Honda at the side of the guillotine. Seto approached Yami.

"Are you ready to die Yami?"

Yami gave Seto a defiant look but said nothing. Seto smiled and looked triumphant at his enemy's response.

"Defiant to the end I see Yami. Oh by the way, I haven't introduced you to your executioner."

He beckoned to Yugi who approached.

"NO, leave him out of it Seto," Yami cried out realising Seto's plan.

"Ah, now that got your attention," Seto said in delight at his enemy's distress.

"Please Seto, I beg you. Leave him out of it," Yami pleaded.

Seto didn't say anything as Yugi moved himself into position by the lever that released the blade. Yami was desperate now.

"Don't you want the pleasure of killing me yourself?" he baited Seto.

"Nice try Yami but I will have even more pleasure in watching Yugi realise what's he's done when Marik releases him from his control. I might even give him your head as a trophy. Then I'm going to use him to free myself from the shadow realm. Don't worry, it won't be long before he joins you in the land of the dead."

Yami's stomach churned.

"You're sick," he said finally.

Marik clapped his hands together and Jou and Honda moved to either side of board and lowed it into position. Yami stared up at the blade as it hovered above his neck. He then turned his head to the side to look up at Yugi.

"Please Yugi you have to wake up. Don't you recognise me?"

Yugi glanced down at the sound of a voice and looked into Yami's fearful eyes. For a brief moment Yugi's controlled mind recognised the prone figure before him. However, the recognition was gone as soon as it had come and he lifted his head back up and took the lever in his small hand ready to release the blade.

+.+ Yugi, +.+ Yami called out with his mind.

Yugi was still wearing the replica puzzle around his neck but Yami had no idea where the real puzzle was or even if he could use the mind link without it. Yugi's hand tightened on the lever.

+.+ YUGI, +.+ Yami shouted as loud as he could with his mind in one last desperate attempt to get through.

For a brief moment he felt Yugi's mind respond. Yugi blinked and looked down again at Yami and moved his hand away from the lever. Yami saw the recognition in Yugi's eyes but his moment of triumph was short lived as Marik stepped forward raising the millennium rod. Yami was thrown out of Yugi's mind with such force that he cried out in pain. He looked up at Yugi through a haze of pain and saw another brief look of recognition in Yugi's eyes but his hope was soon crushed as Yugi once more reached for the lever. Seeing there was nothing more he could do Yami resigned himself to his fate. He turned his head away from Yugi as a single tear rolled down his pale cheek.

+.+ I'm sorry Yugi. I've failed you, please forgive me, +.+ were his final words as Yugi slowly pulled the lever.

Yami squeezed his eyes shut as the blade began to fall.