Disclaimer: I'd rather own Yami....(laughs maliciously)

Mahalo(Hawaiian) for reviews: Darkhope, Karania Avalon, Little Atemu, norestar-angel, Shining Friendship, eveeee90, Disappearing Mist, Jess, AerinM, Seabreeze-Yami/Anzu-fan, Hysterik-Angel, yami/tea no.1 supporter, and inu-girl45, and WaterGoddessMizu! I'm so happy that this story was actually good. It didn't reach up to A Fresh Start, but it's the reader's happiness that counts.

A/N(1): Go yell at my teachers for not updating. Crappy oral speeches, Honor Society forms, and essays. DIE! (cough) Umm...yeah....so...I'm glad everyone liked the previous chapter. It made me very happy to read your reviews. I hope this chapter is good. I kind of had writer's block throughout the whole thing. Go figure.

A/N(2): Join my C2 community, Yamea! (gay name....join anyway!)

A/N(3): Update: No lemon! Sorry, I couldn't bring myself to do it...

Title: Almost Royalty

Chapter XI: Demise

'Anzu! Where are you?' thought the amethyst-eyed youth, now circling around the courtyard for the missing servant. It seemed his previous "encounter" with Seth had left him distraught over knowing if Anzu was going to....live, after all, Seth wasn't the one who would determine Anzu's fate--it was Marik's decision.

"Anzu," he whispered. Then, leaning against the wall, he added: "I'll....save...you..." Knees growing weak, he found himself sliding down the wall, eyes fresh with tears. "When I was Pharaoh, you said we couldn't be together.....but now that I'm a peasant....I know now that we were meant to be together. I won't let you be harmed! I--" The teenager buried his face into his hands, pained.

"Yami?!" A voice called, curiosity mummifying the cat. "You shouldn't be out here; the guards will see you." Yami could tell that Jou was speaking to him at this point, but he couldn't find it in him to look at his friend. He was beyond anguish. "Do you want to be in that dungeon again? The choice of food was horrible."

"Jou, I neither care about the guards nor feel like hiding. I only want to be alone."

Sighing, the former bodyguard crouched next to the grief-stricken boy. "You should be saving your princess," Jou joked. He only received a head shake from his friend. "Don't worry, there's still time to save Anzu.....I heard from the guards that they're going to take her to the square. They can't stone a person in front of the Pharaoh's palace--it's disrespectful."

"Jou...I..."

"You can't give up! Anzu needs you......you need her!" At this point, Yami was shaking his head in disbelief, but Jou had grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him. Then, looking into his eyes, Jou continued, "Remember when she visited you in the dungeon? She risked a great deal.....just to see you! What if your positions were switched? What if you were the one being stoned? I have great faith that Anzu would be there to rescue you!"

Finding Yami's eyes, Jou knew that he was getting through to his friend. 'The eyes show everything--your emotions, your thoughts, even your very soul.' Steering away from his stream of consciousness, Jou said: "We need a plan, Yami. Fast."

"Yami knows about...." Marik's words drifted off, now looking at the Pharaoh. "..Seth..." Stroking the staff of the rod, Marik's eyes gleamed with a certain wickedness. "He is more trouble than he's worth..." With this statement, his thoughts centered on one thing: the Shadow Realm. "A realm created by the millennium items, and can only be opened by the millennium items....."

"Pharaoh!"

Closing his eyes, Marik concentrated his mind control powers. Seth was becoming harder and harder to control each time. He was trying to break the hold. "What is it, Tayu? I already know about the prisoners," he said through his mind slave.

"One of the guards has found Yami," the guard said, "we also know where his friend is, too."

Seth glared at him. "You lie..."

"W-what?! Master Seth, I--"

Turning around, Marik cornered the guard into a wall. "You dare mock the Pharaoh?" Then, taking out his millennium item, he added: "One does not tell false news to the Pharaoh, Tayu. How could you even begin to think that your loyalty to Yami would not be known to the Pharaoh?" The guard quivered in fear at the disdain in Marik's eyes. "You have deceived the Pharaoh and are not worth living, but....I have bigger plans for you..." It was then the aurora of the rod mirrored within Tayu's oculus.

"Hello, Tayu. Welcome to the Shadow Realm."

Yami dug his nails into the fabric of his tunic. "What if it doesn't work?" questioned the tri--colored peasant, after hearing Jou's plan of action. "There's so many different things that can go wrong."

"You worry too much," Jou responded. Then, cracking a smile, he said: "We can do this."

Nodding, Yami stood from his current recumbent stage. "Are you sure you want to leave Cairo?"

"Yes," called a voice from behind. "It's time to start our lives anew," she added.

Jou smiled at his wife. "We want to work outside of the palace gates, start a family, and just enjoy our freedom." Sighing, Jou pat his friend on the back. "I'll miss you. I just hope my plan is a thank you for the time we spent together." Giving a quick hug, Jou continued, "let's do this."

The figure before Marik dropped to the floor, motionless. "It does exist," whispered the blonde, now looking into the rod. "The energy of his soul is raging through my body. I--" Stopping, the mind controller held his head. "Seth....he's....trying to break free from my control. He must hear my thoughts about the Shadow Realm." Closing his eyes, Marik held the rod close to his head.

"Don't worry, Seth, you will learn of the Shadow Realm soon enough." Unbolting his eyes, he smiled. "I must take care of important matters first." His thoughts diverged toward images of Yami. "You think you can escape me, Yami? Ha! You will soon see what happens to people who deceive me!"

His eyes shifted to the motionless body on the floor....

Then...the room was filled with malicious laughter....

Anzu looked at the crowd before her.......the crowd looked back, only with hate and spite. Now she knew how Serenity felt...almost. The citizens of Cairo had spread rumors that she had had relations with the Pharaoh....and Prince Honda. Instead of stoning, they would probably....kill her...

'Nobody can save me now...' Looking down at the rope fastened around her wrists, she knew that there was no way she could make a quick getaway. 'I hope Yami finds--'

"MOVE!" Receiving a push from the guard behind her, Anzu drifted from her thoughts...back into the acrimony of the crowd. But, as she scanned their disgusted faces, Anzu came across a grinning being. It was Seth. He had come to watch her die....

"Seth," whispered the servant. The Pharaoh folded his arms disagreeably at her, but Anzu only smiled. "Sorry Pharaoh, there's no point in following orders anymore..." Laughing, the brunette looked down at her constricted hands. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, but you should be when Osiris weighs your heavy heart."

"Tsk. Tsk. Why be afraid of me when you have all of them?" He spread his arms out to emphasize his diction. Then, grinning uncontrollably, he looked at the people. "Citizens, I believe this lawbreaker has committed a serious felony!" Raising his voice, the people elevated their cheers conjointly. "The Code of Conduct clearly states that their shall be NO relations between a servant and his or her superior!" Pausing, Seth looked at the crowds reaction to his talk. They were athrill.

"What should we do with people who disregard the Code?"

"Kill 'em!" and "Stone 'em!" were heard throughout the crowd. Anzu cringed, knowing that the people of Cairo were too delirious to see the wrong they were committing. Her "punishment" could happen to any one of these people. Love was an uncontrollable emotion....she had found out the hard way.

Seth smiled. "Settle down, my people. Both can be arranged." The citizens cheered. "No citizen shall disrupt the code Ma'at created! No one is above the law!" As the citizens lifted their clenched hands toward the sky, Seth said the words that made Anzu twitch. "Let the gods see this punishment as a sign of order restored to Cairo."

Without any other notion spoken, the people hoisted stones into their arms. 'This is it,' she thought, now feeling her stomach contort sharply. 'Isis, I'm really going to die.' Drawing a deep breath, she stared at the people readying their stones. Then, one of the citizens stood before her.....stone aimed for her head....

"No," the servant whispered. "This isn't right...." The woman didn't seem to care, she only, from the look in her eyes, wanted to see Anzu dead. "It's not fair," Anzu whispered, as the woman drew closer. "This isn't fair..." Closing her eyes, Anzu tried to picture herself in a better place....

Thud.

"What?" Not feeling the result of the stone, Anzu opened her eyes. Before her, to her shock, was Yami. He had....saved her. "Yami..." As she whispered his name, she could hear gasps and whispers from the crowd. She didn't care. All she could perceive was Yami, who had his arms stretched protectively in front of her. The stone thrown was by his feet. "Are you...injured?"

"ENOUGH!" Yami didn't get a chance to answer, for once he opened his mouth, Seth had the floor. He looked furious. "No one is allowed to interfere with a criminal sentence! That means death for the obtruder! GUARDS!"

"Anzu, grab my hand!"

Hesitating at first, Anzu grabbed his hand. "Where are we going?" she asked, once he had pulled her away from the crowd. No answer. "Yami?" He seemed deep in thought.

Then, "somewhere safe" came out of Yami's mouth.

"Safe?" Anzu asked, eyes now inspecting the countless guards behind her. "How are we going to outrun all of them?" Without receiving an answer, Anzu looked ahead to see where he was leading them. "The Pyramids?"

"You'll see," whispered the teenager.

Before Anzu knew what was going on, he pulled her into a uncovered catacomb. There rest a mummified body with no coffin. "Yami..." Anzu whispered, eyeing the corpse fearfully. He didn't look at her. Instead, he was peering at the guards. "Yami..." she whispered again.

"It's okay," murmured the former Pharaoh, "they won't see us..."

Anzu shook her head. "No...the--"

"Shh," putting a finger on his lips, he used his other hand to point at the guards. "They're falling for the decoys.."

Anzu, frowning, brought up enough courage to turn her head. "Decoys?"

Her question was answered upon seeing two cloaked figures running hysterically from the guards behind them. "Yami.....are they--?" Before she could finish her sentence, Yami nodded his head and said:

"Imitating us? Yes. That's--"

It was Anzu's turn to interrupt. "Jou and Mai?"

"Yes," Yami said, "they agreed to leave the city..." His smile was replaced with a frown.

"We'll see them again," Anzu reassured, referring to Jou and Mai. "Faith will bring us together again."

Yami nodded. "Indeed."

Smiling, Anzu took on a more serious tone. "What are we supposed to do now? Hide?"

"That's exactly what we're going to do." Turning around, Yami threw his hands up at the uncovered catacomb. "This was the royal tomb I was supposed to be buried in, but now they're using it as a burial for unidentified bodies." He threw a look at the mummified corpse. "It's where we can hide though..."

Anzu gave a quizzical look. "Hide?As in stay here?"

"Not here," Yami corrected, "inside. My antechamber."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "No. No! I'm not staying in a tomb--"

"We can't go back to the palace. We can't even go to the marketplace because it will be swarmed with guards by morning." Sighing, his eyes landed on hers. "Anzu, it's our only chance! Please."

"Fine," she finally answered, "Let's hurry."

"Pharaoh," a voice called from behind the brunette, "Het and Migu are after the two fugitives as we speak, and I'm trying to contact Tayu"--Seth smiled inwardly--"in the dungeon, but it's like he disappeared."

"Ah Tayu," Seth started. He couldn't find the words he wanted, though. Instead, "where are the fugitives headed?" came out of his mouth. It was better to throw suspicions of Tayu aside.

"They're moving up the Nile, sir."

"Good," smiling, Seth turned to his loyal guard. "When they find the fugitives, I want them to kill them..."

"I'll send one of my men to tell them."

"Perfect."

Fearfully, Anzu hugged herself tightly.....she hated the sight of the dead. "It reminds me of my mother," she whispered, faintly remembering the day her mom died. The day her life was thrown into slavery. The day she met Seth.

"Yami," she said, "what happened to Seth? Why is he--"

"Evil?" In the corner of his eyes, he saw Anzu nod. Then, "Seth has always been--" He stopped, seeing Anzu lower her head. "Anzu! How can you think he isn't? He's beaten you, yelled at you, and tried to kill you by--"

"It wasn't him!" Her outburst caused Yami to close his mouth. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that he's evil. I know there's good in him....I know that he didn't want to stone me."

"Maybe," Yami reasoned. "Should she know about Reira?" Taking a deep breath, he decided that Anzu should know. "I went to see Seth yesterday....and his assistant was controlling him with the help of his millennium rod--"

"The staff he holds? It has powers?"

"Yes, like I told you in the garden, each item possess some form of power of the millennia." Yami answered. Then, turning away from her, he added: "I'm not sure yet, but I think his assistant is really Marik, a thief that my father sentenced to an eternity in the rod."

"Marik? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Anzu, deep in thought, shook her head lightly. "How can we stop Marik?"

"I don't know," Yami whispered quietly. "We have to find a way--" Before he could finish, his hand went to his side, where he cried out in pain. "Ahh! I thought the pain would go away..."

"What's wrong?" She grabbed the torch in his hand and brought it to his side, "what happened?"

"The stone," cried the teenager; referring to the stone thrown by a member of the crowd.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Anzu asked, worry evident in her tone.

"We were kind of in the middle of....let's from the guards!"

Anzu rolled her eyes, apparently unfazed by Yami's humor. "Let me see," she beckoned, lifting up his tunic. Yami closed his eyes, but soon reopened them upon feeling warm flesh on his.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't get any ideas, we're in a tomb," she joked. Then, answering his question, she said: "I'm checking to see if you broke anything." Pressing her fingers into his skin, she searched around for any abrasions.

"That's not the only thing you're doin--OUCH!"

She looked up; a playful smile on her lips. "Sorry.." Standing up, she looked around the chamber for some cloth. "Don't move," she whispered, disappearing into the darkness of the room.

"No pun intended..." he whispered, now looking at his bruise.

"Any sign of them, Jou?"

Jou shook his head. "Looks like we lost them..."

"For now," Mai whispered. Then, looking at Jou, she asked: "Do you think Yami and Anzu are safe?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that they aren't," Jou answered, bringing an arm around his wife. "You worry too much." As he said this, a frown found its roots on Mai's lips.

"I don't know, I'm just getting this feeling that--"

Before she could explain her fear, Jou kissed her on the forehead. "Everything will be okay."

Meanwhile, a couple of miles away, two guards were discussing their lost prey. "Where did they go? No one ever deserts the route the Nile has created! The Sahara is too dangerous."

Migu nodded, but didn't speak. Instead, he turned around upon hearing footsteps. It was one of Seth's guards. "Have you received word from the Pharaoh?"

The guard nodded. "He wants both fugitives dead."

"There," whispered the servant, now wrapping some silk around his wound. "This is the only thing I could find."

Yami nodded. "Thank you."

Securing the bandage, she looked up to meet his eyes. They were so full of hope. "Out of all the things that have changed, your eyes have never been affected. They're still the eyes I fell in love with..." Leaning toward his face, the gap between them was closed by Yami, who grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward him.

"I love you," whispered the peasant, finding her lips again. "I'm sorry for everything that has happened."

She shook her head, pulling away. "It's not your fault, things happen for a reason."

Now leaning against Anzu, Yami started to close his eyes. "Maybe that's why I'm here with you.."

"From now on, I'll always be by your side. I promise."

He smiled. "And I you."

Exhausted, Yami's eyes found comfort in the darkness of his eyelids....

"They escaped again!" Marik yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. "Why does this keep happening?" Fingers trembling with anger, Marik grasped the millennium rod tighter. "I think it's time I--"

"Master, I told the guards to kill the fugitives."

Marik, standing up, smiled at his pawn. "Good Seth, now I need you to--"

"NO! I will NOT let me....anymore!" Seth bellowed, now holding his head. Then, "you...won't...win. I...know who you are.." Tired of the struggle, Seth fell to his knees.

"Do you?"

"You're....Marik! You killed Reira, and you...tried to kill...me."

"Yes," Marik said, "I haven't killed you yet because you were of good use to me! But now...you will join Reira in the Shadow Realm!" Pointing the rod at Seth, Marik carved a sympathetic smirk on his face. "I guess this is the time when I ask 'if you have any last words'?"

"The rod will not....obey you for long..."

Marik laughed. "Funny, Reira said the same thing..."

Without another word, Marik chanted some words and aimed the rod for Seth's forehead. The next few moments were full of the helpless screams of a mind being pulled into the shadows of darkness.

To be continued....

It's not over yet! Still got two chapters to go! Hooray!