::comes running in:: MUAH! I HAVE COMPLETED CHAPTER 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::turns caps lock off:: I apologize greatly to everyone who has been anticipating this for way too long :3 this week I was extremely busy, but on one of my sleepless nights, the last half of the chapter that seemed to be unfinishable hit me in the face like a brick wall and I concluded it! Thus, by process of the forces that bind me to writing, I shall begin work on this once again and hopefully update more than once a month. I hope you enjoy chapter 4!

Chapter 4: The Priest's Puppeteer

Another flash of light flooded the area before a large room faded into view; as the furniture became more and more clear, a figure emerged, hunched over slightly on the edge of the bed. The high priest was sitting with his head in his hands, his elbows resting upon his knees, muttering somewhat to himself. Though the room was empty except for him, another was present and speaking back to him.

"She loves me…I won't let you take that away from me," he whispered to the empty room.

A small glow appeared from Seto's body as a being separated itself from him to sit upon the bed next to him, semi-transparent and ghost-like, though almost exactly identical to its lighter carrier. "Who says I was going to take that away?" it said harshly. "All I am asking is for my share of it."

Seto jerked his head out of his hands to glare at it. "Share it? She is not some object we can split, and neither is her affection. You are dead wrong if you think she will give any over to you," he snapped.

"You say that so fiercely, as though you were trying to convince someone other than myself," said the spirit with a wide smirk.

"What in Ra's name do you mean by that?" inquired the hikari, somewhat angered.

"Simple really," it stated, shrugging its broad shoulders. "You sound as though you are unsure as to whether or not she holds me in the same light as you, perhaps even more so than you, I dare say."

"I believe no such thing," Seto nearly shouted at the spirit. "She fell in love with me, not—"

"She fell in love with both of us, hikari. Do bear in mind you were too much of a coward to do anything but fight against her; it was I who instigated the first kiss, I was the one to whom she revealed her name; all she did to you was yell," it added with a smirk.

The high priest pressed his palms against his forehead once more, closing his eyes. "I swear one day I will come up with the reversal of the spell that created you... rid the world of your existence..."

The being laughed at him. "You will never be able to destroy me. You were far too young when you were experimenting with your newfound magic, and if you cannot recall the exact incantation that brought me about, I will remain. You should have been more careful when playing around with things you didn't understand."

"Be quiet, Setokku!" yelled Seto, finally naming the dark one beside him.

The spirit merely continued to snicker at him, and Seto clenched his hands to keep from grabbing the Millennium Rod and attempting to curse his yami into a thousand bits.

"I swear if you take over me and hurt her, I will send her back to her land until I find a way to lock your soul away for eternity," snarled Seto.

"I won't fully take over you, hikari, don't you worry," snickered Setokku.

Almost right on cue, there was a small knock upon the door. The yami looked at the door for a moment before tilting its head back and receding into Seto once more; a faint glow emitted from Seto's body as the being settled itself into him, and he stood up almost immediately to go to the door. Upon opening it, Anji stood before him, smiling brightly, once again in her warrior-like stance with a light blush in her cheeks. Seto smiled and stood aside for her to come in and she delicately walked through the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her, almost giving her the look of an innocent school girl.

"I have just received good news, Seto," she said, going to the window of his room and leaning against it, folding her arms as she did so.

"Oh?" He came over to stand by her side and gaze out over the desert with her.

She nodded, smiling. "The recitation you performed has lifted the plague of my people… They can all sleep soundly thanks to that." Keeping her gaze upon the endless sand, she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms about him, resting her head upon his shoulder. "I can sleep soundly thanks to that," she whispered.

He reached around her and held her to him as well, taking in her sweet scent. "I'm glad."

We're glad… a voice hissed in his mind. Indeed glad to have her so close you could just… Seto felt his arms tighten around the girl.

I'm warning you, he thought back to his spirit as Anji tightened her grip on him as well, mistaking it for a loving squeeze.

Warning me? it asked with a hint of a laugh. What makes you think you can do anything to me? I may take control whenever I want… you are too weak to stop me…

His arms moved, separate from his mind, to turn Anji around to face him. Seto did not resist, worried that it would have appeared as though he were forcing himself to do the act.

"Anji…" His lips formed the words as he heard the voice in his head speaking through them. "I want you to stay here with me forever."

She blinked up at him, though a small smile found its way to her lips. "You do?" she asked in a hushed voice.

The spirit bowed his head for him and Seto watched with apprehension as her face softened, looking up into his and his spirit's eyes with the warmest look he had ever seen.

"I would love to… Seto…"

The high priest felt the spirit release his body from its hold and he nearly faltered in the gaze in which his face was set. Keeping it in place, he wrapped his arms around her again, turning his eyes to the sands again, silently cursing at the spirit now laughing darkly in his mind.

Once again a blinding light filled the vision, but before anything came into focus, noises were heard first. Sounds of raised and strained voices. It was difficult to discern what was being said at first, but they began to separate into two distinct entities, one male, one female.

"…you would even think of doing something like that!"

"I didn't, Anji, please listen to me!" The male voice was practically pleading with the first.

As the scene came into focus, Anji could be seen standing a little ways in front of the door to the same bedroom, clutching a silk robe about herself, and she looked livid. A trail of blood ran from her right cheek and down her slender neck, a cut recently made upon her soft skin. She had some smeared on her hands as well, probably from having clutched at it.

"Then what? What could you possibly tell me that would make me forgive you?" she spat at him.

"I've already said, if I tell you, you will not believe me anyway!" Seto shouted back. He held a short blade, some of Anji's blood still upon it and his hand. It was angrily tossed aside with a clatter and he took a step towards her. "Anji—"

"Don't come any closer to me!" she warned, immediately retreating closer to the door. "Dalila!" she called behind her before refocusing her eyes upon the pale priest. "I don't know what sort of sick trick you're trying to pull, high priest," she said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "But I refuse to stay in a palace in which I cannot trust someone I have known for nearly six fortnights. Never in my life has someone attacked me, and I assure you, you will not be coming near me again."

"Anji, you aren't listening to me!" Seto shouted, getting angered.

"Don't call me by that name! You promised to protect me, high priest! This is not the first time you've done something out of the ordinary to me, but this has gone on far enough!"

Dalila timidly knocked upon the door as Seto clenched his teeth and hunched over slightly, his arms going over his head, trying to force Setokku back. Anji opened the door and the servant took a step in, gasping at the gash on her mistress' cheek.

"My lady! What happened?"

Before Anji could respond, Seto gave a loud yell of anguish, throwing his head back; he let it come back down, slightly tilted, as his eyes opened up to reveal their fierce violet color. He threw out his arm in front of him, making the door snap back shut behind Anji and the slave; they both jumped a great deal, though the princess still looked furious.

"High priest, if you think—"

"I am not the high priest," the spirit growled, keeping his place in the center of the room, the evil energy surrounding him swelling slightly.

"Be quiet." She straightened up slightly, adding to her look of defiance. "Whatever excuse you may have will not convince me that you did not intend to hurt me."

"Oh, but I did mean to hurt you, my dear princess," hissed the spirit with a slight tone of mockery. "Your high priest was not the one who so carelessly cut open your cheek. I must say…" He lifted his hand to lick a little blood off one of his fingers. "I have waited quite a while to taste a bit of you."

Anji frowned, becoming rather unsure as to whether Seto had lost his mind. She had seen him act strangely before, but never had he spoken to her in this tone of voice, and it was scaring her.

"I would very much like to have another sample," he murmured sadistically when she did not respond, taking a few long strides to her. Dalila cowered and backed into the door, but Anji remained where she was, staring up into the spirit's darkened eyes with confusion.

"Who are you?" she asked bravely.

He reached forward and gripped her chin forcefully, a twisted grin forming upon his face. "I am not one to be trifled with."

"You did not answer my question." She winced slightly at the hold he had on her.

Setokku gave a short laugh that resonated deep within his throat. "You weren't nearly this annoying as I watched through my hikari's eyes… you need to be disciplined to hold your tongue in a man's presence."

Anji jerked her chin away from his hand and glared up at him. "Be that as it may, I need not do that in your presence. You are no man… you are a demon."

The spirit responded by backhanding her sharply, causing some of the blood from her cheek to spatter onto the wall. She did not utter a sound, but her teeth clenched so hard that her jaw seized up, adding to the pain. Setokku let his hand fall to his side, turning to pick up the dropped blade and running a finger along the sharp edge, sneering at her.

"If I am a demon to you, princess, you should think twice before getting involved with someone possessed by me. I have been toying with you since the first day you met him, and you were too naïve to realize it."

Anji finally opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. "You are what's been causing him to act out at me," she whispered angrily.

"My, we are quick-minded," he said, sarcasm etched into his words. "Though," he continued, slowly coming towards her again; his hands still restlessly played with the dagger. "If it had not been for me… you wouldn't be here now."

"What do you mean." It came out as a blunt statement.

Setokku laughed. "You are quite amusing to me, princess, you truly are. You may not realize it, but I was the one with whom you shared your first kiss; it was I who asked you to stay here in this palace forever… that fool of a high priest was powerless to stop me, and he was too much of a coward to do any of it on his own."

"He could have done much more had you not done anything! Get out of his mind!" Anji yelled, becoming furious at the spirit and regretful for what she had said to Seto.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," he murmured darkly, twirling the blade between his fingers. "His mind is my mind. His body is my body… whatever is his is also mine," he finished, his eyes glinting maliciously as he looked down on her.

"I would rather die than belong to a minion of the underworld," Anji said in a hushed tone.

"So be it…" muttered Setokku, tightening his grip on the hilt in his hand. "I have killed plenty of my hikari's slaves in their sleep, and you shall be no different if you do not oblige to my orders."

Anji took a hesitant step back. "Seto will not let you harm me," she shot back, though her voice quivered.

The yami began to laugh insanely, advancing on her. "He can do little more than plead with me for your life! You have made your choice, and I have made mine; if I cannot have you, then no one shall!"

Anji screamed as Setokku's maniacal laughter increased, his arm raising in a swift movement, the cold metal of the blade glinting menacingly. As it came down, the scene suddenly whited out and Kinou felt herself jerked back into her body, Anji's cry of fear flowing from her mouth. She stared wildly around and saw that Seto was still sitting on the couch next to her, laughing cruelly. Her mind shocked her body into doing the only thing she could think of to do.

She ran.