"Arise from Darkness"

By Heikou and Janime

Chapter Seventeen

Ceremonial Disturbance

            Even in such short notice everything had been set up and the wedding was being held outside. A carpeted rug led from the back door to the gazebo where the white roses and lights were still up to add to the effect. Chairs had been set up on either side with family members and friends up front and the reporters taking the back. The people were talking quietly to one another as they made sure everything was in order. Mokuba even had a video camera on, taping anything and everything.

            Katsuya was lying at Keriam's feet, enjoying the sunshine and watching with an alert eye. Reporters wanted to ask if the large animal was a wolf since it looked like one but every time any one of them came to close he just growled and they backed off.

            "Wow this is some turn out," Joey said, looking around.

            "Can you blame them? At least they have an invitation," Keriam smiled at him.

            "Yeah you're right. And everyone made it. Except Tristen."

            "He said he'll be coming and he's not one to be late," Tea spoke up.

            "Yeah I know. Just what could be more important than this?"

            "You can ask him later, he just arrived." Sure enough the young man came running into view, slowing down and smoothing out the faint wrinkles of his suit. Going to the left side of the yard he sat next to Serenity and took a deep breath.

            "Made it," he panted softly.

            Serenity giggled softly at him. "Did you run all the way over here?" she teased.

            "I feel like it. Least I didn't miss anything."

            Bakura was just sitting quietly, ignoring Ryou when he had demanded to know why he went out the bathroom window. He said simply he needed to do something alone. Sighing deeply he watched as Malik fidgeted in his seat. Mokuba had another suit that he let him borrow but it didn't mean he had to like it. Marik was sitting on the other side of the ten-year-old and kept pestering the thief on what he won on eBay.

            The music starting playing and everyone scrambled for their seats. Mokuba quickly placed the camcorder on its stand and took his position at the alter. His hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail so it wasn't as wild looking as it usual was. Once everyone was in their place the wedding march began and everyone stood.

            Cheri slowly made her way down the aisle, the veil over her face as in Egypt but around her neck was the necklace Bakura had given her. As she slowly made her way to the gazebo the cameras flashed and reporters spoke quietly to their cameramen but she ignored it all. All that mattered was the man she was walking towards. Once she reached her destination she smiled. Seto smiled back and took her right hand within his left, both of them turning to the priest.

            The priest nodded to them and spoke up in a clear, strong voice. "We are gathered here today to witness the remarriage of these two young people. Be there any who wish to speak of why these two should not be together, let him or her speak now or forever hold their peace."

            Sure enough there were several people who didn't want them to wed, mainly the girls from their school who wanted Seto for themselves but a piercing glare from the friends and family and they kept their mouths shut. Bakura could feel the stares from the others but ignored them. He wanted to jump up, say this wasn't right, and take Cheri as his own but he had meant what he said.

            As long as she's happy, I'm happy for her, he said to himself.

            Cheri looked over at him before smiling, thanking him and turned back to the priest.

            Keriam smiled as she watched her best friend. She let her right hand drop from her bouquet to take hold of Joey's, which he squeezed tightly.

            Katsuya suddenly jumped up and started growling. Before Keriam could grab him, the large wolf jumped out onto the carpet, blocking the path to the gazebo.

            "What's with him?" Marik asked.

            "Don't look at me," said Bakura.

            Something's not right, Keriam thought. "Sorry!" she quickly rose from her seat. "Katsuya! Get over here!" She took hold of the blue collar around his neck and tried pulling him away, but the Silver Fang stayed where he was.

            "What's the matter with you?" Keriam whispered to her wolf. A dark feeling came over her; she looked at Seto and Cheri. He's protecting them! "Cheri! Seto!"

            Just as the couple turned, a shadow flew through the crowd of photographers at an incredible speed. Katsuya broke free of Keriam's grip on his collar and leapt at the shadow, tackling it to the ground.

            "Infernal mongrel!" the shadow growled, a flash of metal and the wolf yelped in pain. The person kicked him off before jumping to his feet. He had bluish-gray hair falling past his shoulders with a metal eye patch over the right side of his face, armed with a pair short swords and wore an outfit of red/dark gray. But what really stood apart was the tattoo of a scorpion in black on the outside of his right, upper arm.

            Tea's eyes widen as she felt herself tremble. "The mark of the Dark Scorpion Clan…"

            Seto immediately moved to stand before Cheri but a loud rumble suddenly shook the ground. This sent many people to hit the ground and/or begin to panic as they tried to run inside but kept running into one another or tripping over chairs. A kid with spiky blonde hair wore a red bandana around his head with a matching tattoo on his arm as well seemed to be the cause of the shakes. He lifted the large mallet over his head and struck the ground once more, causing another rumble as even more people fell.

            Yugi knelt on the ground, trying to calm Tea down but she continued to tremble. "Yami, people are going to get hurt if this continues!" he shouted over the noise.

            "I know but something isn't right here. And if these two are here then the others-" he stopped when he heard a piercing cry. A man, bearing a jagged scar down the length of his face over his right eye, with thick, bulging muscles appeared from the shadows and with a war cry swung a long-handled mace onto the table set outside, thereby smashing it into splinters. Yami wasted no time in trying to direct everyone back into the mansion.

            Bakura growled as he quickly moved to Katsuya's side, frowning as he examined the wound. That sword had missed the chest cavity but sunk deeply into the high leg, giving it a deep gash that continued to bleed and mat the fur. He was surprised the wolf could still move his leg. Cursing he lifted him up, ignoring his struggles to be set free and quickly handed him to Joey.

            "Oh no Katsuya! What's going on here?" he asked.

            "Hell if I know just get him inside."

            Cheri swallowed as she watched the chaos ensuring but she heard something behind them. Quickly turning she held her arms up and the braces on her wrists glowed. The silver blades appeared and quickly deflected a pair of daggers that had been aimed for her husband's back. "Who did that?!" she demanded.

            A man slowly appeared from shadows. He had chestnut brown hair, a pair of round, wire frame glasses and wore the same outfits as the others along with the scorpion tattoo. He easily caught the daggers as they came back at him and slowly headed towards them. Stopping, he stared at her.

            "Meanae…" he said softly.

            Cheri blinked as she slowly lowered her arms. "Who… are you?"

            "You do not remember me? Meanae, it's me! Your brother!"

            "I-I don't have a brother." She 'eeped' when he moved swiftly towards her, grabbing her upper arms tightly. "Let go!"

            "It's me, Cliff! How can you not know your own brother?!" he fairly shouted, shaking her a bit as if trying to force her to remember.

            "Let her go!!" Seto yelled. Charging his fist connected with the man's face but Cliff landed on his feet, rubbing the side of his face. "Are you alright?" he asked her worriedly.

            She could only nod before gasping but it was too late. The blonde had tackled the brunette and the two of them fell to the ground, trying to beat the other senseless. "Seto!!" Cheri made to help him but someone grabbed her arm. "Let go-Heeey put me down!!" She didn't have time to do anything as the one who grabbed her arm hefted her over a pair of strong shoulders.

--

            Tristen held onto to Serenity's arm tightly and guided her to the mansion, following behind Joey and Katsuya. Before they could get inside, the young man with the mallet appeared before them. Tristen moved in front of Serenity.

            "The girl is no concern of mine," Chick said. "Where is it?"

            "Where's what?" Joey asked.

            "I was not speaking to you; I was speaking to the Keeper."

            Joey and Serenity looked at Tristen.

            "The book, Keeper," said Chick. "Give it to me."

            Tristen swallowed hard. "I don't have it." He wasn't lying. The moment Tristen arrived at Kaiba mansion, he asked Nan to put his backpack into a strong safe.

            "But you were near it recently," the Dark Scorpion walked towards him. "The power is still resonating from you."

            "What is he talking about?" Joey demanded as they started backing off.

            "I'll explain later," Tristen answered, his eyes never leaving the warrior before him.

            Chick's beady eyes bore into his as his face turned into a fierce scowl. "So you will not tell me where it is hidden. Then how about if those you care about are in danger?!" Lifting the mallet once more he brought it down only to have the ground under their feet shift and crack. Joey couldn't help but fall back, Katsuya landed a bit rough but he growled angrily. Serenity was terrified as she held on tightly to her boyfriend but her eyes widen as the ground under her feet shifted. She screamed as she fell but managed to grab the edge at the last moment.

            "Serenity!!" Tristen whirled and reached to grab her hands but a hard blow came to him in the side, feeling his ribs nearly snap under the pressure.

            "Serenity!! Tristen!!" Joey crawled over to his baby sister and grabbed her arm, trying very hard to pull her up but any movement they made the ground shift. "Sis, try to hold on!"

            "I-I'm scared!!" she cried, tears falling from his green-brown eyes.

            "I know just hold on! I'm not letting you go."

            Chick slowly approached the young man, holding the massive mallet easily over his shoulders. He watched as the young Keeper struggled to sit up, wrapping an arm around his sides as he struggled to breathe. "Tell me where the Book of Shadows is hidden, Keeper. Or you will watch as these two fall into the world of demons."

            Book of Shadows? Joey's eyes widen as he kept his grip tight on Serenity. "Tris don't tell him!! That book could mean the end to us if they fall into the wrong hands!!"

            The young man tried to get up but that blow to his ribs was killing him. It even hurt to breathe but he couldn't let them fall. Grandpa… what do I do? If I give him the book everything will be destroyed. If I don't, Joey, Serenity, and others will die. "I told you… I don't have it. I don't even know where it's hidden." He cried out in more pain as the warrior stomped over and gave a swift kick to his bruised side, hearing a rib snap.

            "You're just as pathetic as the Keepers before you!! Very well, we will find the book with, or without your help." Lifting the mallet he prepared to bring it down once and for all but he never got the chance. On three good legs Katsuya charged and thanks to Chick's height, managed to wrap his razor sharp fangs around the boy's arm.

            Keriam came out in time as her wolf launched his attack, doing everything in his power to keep the boy from swinging the mallet but unfortunately the weapon flew out of his hand and hit the ground. The rumble, although weaker than the ones before, made the ground rumble, causing Serenity's hand to slip from Joey's.

            "NO!!!!" The blond haired youth screamed, still trying desperately to reach her. Even if he managed to summon the Wings of Isis he would be too late. Keriam however, wasted no time in jumping after the young woman. "Keriam don't!!"

            I have to reach her in time! she thought to herself desperately, falling into a sharp nose dive that just as soon as she was close to Serenity she held her arms out to her. "Serenity!"

            "Keriam!" She held her arms out to her in instinct. As soon as she could wrapped her arms around her shoulders tightly. "What are we going to do??"

            "Just hold on tight." Isis, please give me strength. Holding her tightly she closed her eyes and concentrated. From her back the six lines representing her wings glowed and in a flurry of feathers were released. Snapping her wings forward she went into a sharp dive upward, racing to beat the clock, as it were. When they finally broke the surface she watched as Chick managed to throw Katsuya off. But what drew her attention was the mark of the Dark Scorpion in the shape of a tattoo on his arm.

            What the?!

            Chick looked up at Keriam and cursed. The fairy of light was much stronger than he was but at least he knew what the Keeper looked like and that he did have the book, if not on him.

            "Another time, Keeper! We will be back for the book!" Grabbing his mallet he jumped into the spilt earth. Joey watched numbly as he faded from view but he quickly crawled back when the earth rumbled and came together. It was as if it was never unstable.

            "Joey! Tristen!"

            "Huh? Serenity! Keriam!"

            Keriam landed and released the young girl, watching as she ran and embraced her brother tightly. He looked at him, thanking her. She smiled. Once he was sure his baby sister was fine he let her go only to watch her try to help Tristen to stand. Opening his arms he gathered his angel into his arms, holding her tightly.

            "Something is seriously wrong, Ker. Big time."

            "I know. That boy right now, I saw a tattoo of a black scorpion on his arm."

            "I can beat that. Tristen has the Book of Shadows."

--

            "Yugi look out!!" Yami shouted just in time as he tackled his light and the young dancer to the ground. Where they had been standing the ground was now a crater and the chairs were nothing but piles of broken wood. Yami growled as he stood. "How dare you attack those under my protection!!"

            Gorg looked at them, one of his eyes a stark white. "The Daughter of Osiris must die… so that the Child of the Scorpion may live," he said in a deep rumble. He lifted the long handled mace in a thick hand easily from the crater he had just made. "Step aside…"

            "No!! I will not let you hurt them!!"

            "Yami!" Tea cried. "Don't let him get too close! He'll kill you!"

            "No, he won't." Yugi reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck. Quickly searching through, he removed his two Dark Magicians. "Tea!"

            Taking the cards from her boyfriend, Tea held them up and began to sing. A red glow surrounded them and the cards turned to vapor. Moments later, the red and violet Dark Magicians stood in front of Yugi and Tea.

            "What do you say, Arcaida?" the violet one asked.

            "After you," the red clad spell caster bowed slightly.

            The mage held his staff out as a warning threat. "We are more powerful than you, Gorg. I suggest you leave or you will be sent to the Graveyard."

            The warrior seemed to stare at him blankly, but his sight shifted to Tea. "She must die... we will not lose her again!" Lifting the mace he brought it down on the mage.

            "Dark Magic Attack!" A blast of power caused the weapon to be knocked out of his hands where it landed a few yards away from them. "Are you insane?!"

            "We of the Dark Scorpion Clan are no different from you and the others... we would lay our lives down for each other and our master."

            "At least we don't kill innocent people!" Arcaida shouted, gripping his staff tightly. "You will not hurt the Daughter of Osiris!"

            Gorg growled but knew he would be powerless against both mages. "You cannot protect her always... a parting gift!!" Yelling he brought his clenched fists together and slammed them into the ground before them. The earth shook as ridges formed, threatening serious harm. Both spellcasters cast a protection spell even as the ground still shook under their feet but Gorg was gone along with his weapon.

--

            "Put me down!" Cheri yelled.

            "Be calm, princess," said the man as he quickly ran from the gazebo with Cheri over his shoulder; she was kicking and trying to stab her wrist blades into his back, but the armor he had on prevented the sharp objects from harming him.

            Cliff knocked Seto into the railing and followed after Cheri and her captor. "Don Zaloog, she doesn't recognize me!" Cliff said in disbelief.

            "And I should?!" Cheri swung at the other Scorpion member.

            Don and Cliff jumped from the ground to the porch roof and looked at the yard below. Chick and Gorg soon joined them.

            "Well?" Cliff looked at them.

            "She summoned two Dark Magicians," said Gorg.

            "The Keeper didn't have the Book," Chick responded.

            Despite her struggling, Cheri heard every word. She wasn't surprised that Tea had summoned Yugi's Magicians but what book? And what Keeper? Shadi hadn't been around in months.

            "We can come back for those later," said Don. "Right now we bring the princess back to his majesty."

            "I am not going anywhere with you!" Cheri yelled at them. "Put me down!"

            "Meanae, please," Cliff begged as he moved to look at her. "You must remember, little sister. When you died the Scorpion King used his power to have you reincarnated as-"

            He stopped as the area around them turned into a black and purple fog. Eyes and mouths appeared in the mist-like wall and opened.

            Cheri couldn't help smiling. There was only one person on the mansion grounds that had this card.

            A mouth opened wide not far from them. "It would be wise on your part," Bakura's voice floated out followed by the thief himself, "to do what she said." He glared at the four men. "Let her go."

            Immediately the men moved into an attack position with their leader just slightly behind them. "Why should we listen to a mortal such as yourself?" Don Zaloog asked.

            "I may be a mortal right now but I can cause more damage than you realize," he said with an evil smirk.

            "We do not have the time to play games. Gorg!" The largest of the Scorpions moved forward and swung his mace at the thief's head.

            "Bakura, no!!" Cheri cried.

            The mace went through Bakura and he vanished.

            Gorg regained his balance and stared at the now empty spot. "What the?"

            Don felt Cheri pulled away from him and something slammed into his back, knocking the Scorpion Leader to the roof shingles.

            Bakura gathered Cheri into his arms and bolted across the roof into another open mouth. Cheri had to close her eyes as they went through and when she opened them, they were outside the dark fog.

            Bakura smirked at her. "That should keep them busy."

            A loud bang echoed and the fog vanished. The four Scorpions glared at them.

            Cheri looked up at her savior. "You were saying?"

            "So give me fifty lashes with a wet noodle," Bakura shrugged.

            Cliff's eyes narrowed as he held his dagger tightly in his hand. "How dare you touch my sister!!" he yelled.

            Bakura blinked. "Sister?" He looked at Cheri. "You have a brother?"

            She glared at him. "You know I don't!"

            "Your Magic and Traps won't work against us, mortal. And we are not leaving without our princess," Don Zaloog said as he slowly approached them.

            "You have no where to turn unless you wish to fall to your death," Chick added with a grin.

            Sure enough, there was really no way to get through them without jumping down but if they did jump the odds of breaking something was too high. But the thief was not going to hand Cheri over so easily either. Setting her down he gently pushed her to stand behind him as he reached into his pocket to withdraw another card.

            "I am not going to give up without a fight so bring it on," he taunted.

            "Bakura are you crazy?! I don't want you to get hurt because of me!" Cheri pleaded, holding onto the back of his sport's coat.

            "I've gone against worse odds, Cheri. Besides, if I had to pick I would rather you be with Kaiba than these pathetic men."

            Gorg growled angrily. "We were the best warriors of Egypt and we will not be denied!" he shouted, lifting his mace once more.

            "Meanae please! Come back with us, where you belong!" Cliff tried pleading with Cheri. "Come back to your true family!"

            "I am with my family just, leave me alone!" The bite began to ache painfully but then it started to travel up her arm, stopping at her upper arm just before reaching her shoulder. She felt a painful, stinging sensation she just reached up to hold her arm. What's going on with me? she asked herself a bit fearfully.

            Bakura glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

            "I don't know... my arm..."

            "She's awakening," said Chick. "Princess, you must remember!"

            "Shut up!" Cheri screamed.

            "I think you better let me handle them, thief." A ripple appeared next to Bakura, and Shadi emerged.

            "Where the hell have you been?" Bakura demanded.

            Shadi stepped towards the four Scorpion members. "Get the Daughter of Anubis to safety."

            For once you have a good idea, Bakura thought. He picked Cheri up and jumped to the next roof.

            "Meanae! Who are you to stand in our way?!" Cliff demanded.

            "I am a guardian and I will not let you kidnap my friend," Shadi said calmly.

            "No one, mortal or guardian, shall stop us. Dark Scorpions attack!!" Don Zaloog commanded. The men obeyed without question but they clearly under estimated the robed man as he dodged all attacks directed at him while keeping his sense of balance steady. He did not attack them directly but he was swift. Don Zaloog frowned, seeing that this wouldn't be easy but they couldn't leave without their princess since she was so close to awakening.

            "Cliff, go after Meanae. We shall handle this guardian."

            "As you wish." Bowing quickly he went after Bakura and Cheri.

            "You will not leave!" Shadi made to go after the young man but jumped to the side. Where he once stood were nothing but shattered roof shingles, courtesy of Chick's mallet. He was surrounded by all sides with no way out. I had hoped it wouldn't have come to this, he thought to himself but reached into his sleeve for his deck.

--

            "Seto! Seto wake up!" Yami shouted, lightly shaking the CEO.

            Seto groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to focus but he had a terrible pain in his back and head. "What the hell hit me?" he groaned.

            "You hit your head when you were thrown into the railing. Give me your hand." Helping him to stand Yami looked him over. He wasn't seriously injured but then again how could he tell? "We have to get you inside."

            "No! I need to find Cheri." He made to push the former pharaoh out of the way but nearly fell. Gritting his teeth he held his head and stood still until the world stopped spinning. "Damnit… I think I have a concussion."

            "Cheri's fine. Bakura is watching her but it isn't safe out here. I know you want to go after her but you can barely stand on your own feet."

            "He's right, Seto. You're in no condition to do anything, especially fighting those people. They wouldn't hesitate to kill you," Ryou added as he took Seto's other arm and looped it over his shoulders. "Besides, Keriam and Tea are gonna try to find Cheri and Bakura."

            "What about those men?" he asked, wishing he wasn't so weak right now.

            "Shadi decided to pay a visit and is taking care of them right now."

--

            Bakura knew without looking over his shoulder that someone was following him and Cheri as the thief ran across the roof. He stopped and looked down at the large in-ground pool below them.

            Cheri looked up at him with wide eyes. "Please tell me you're not thinking-"

            "You know how to swim?" Bakura backed up a few steps.

            "Not in my wedding dre-EEEEEEEEESS!!"

            Cheri screamed as Bakura ran and jumped off the roof. She held onto him tightly as they descended and splashed into the cool water. Moments later they surfaced; Cheri gagged a little and spit water into Bakura's face. "Sorry," she coughed.

            "Don't worry about it," said the thief. He hooked one arm around Cheri and they swam to the edge of the pool.

            "Cheri! Bakura!" Keriam and Tea ran to the pool and helped them out.

            "Are you guys okay?" asked Keriam.

            "I've had better days," Cheri wiped her face with her sleeve.

            "Well, they say your wedding day is supposed to be exiting," Tea smiled.

            "Not this exciting." She struggled to her feet, looking at her now soaked wedding dress. "I'm not sure if I should start crying or laughing."

            Bakura's eyes narrowed as he slowly pushed Cheri behind him. "That'll have to wait."

            Cliff watched them from the other side of the pool, slowly standing as he held the dagger tightly in his hand. He watched as the fairy and female spellcaster stood before his sister. The man that had taken her was glaring at him angrily but at either side of the group were the violet and red mages. He frowned but looked behind him as the other Black Scorpions joined him. "Don Zaloog?"

            "We must go. The Gravekeepers have been summoned," he said in a monotone. Sure enough, eight people dressed in dark clothing, each varying in style landed softly on the ground. Each armed with a weapon they parted and Shadi stepped forward. He said nothing but it was obvious to see that he was the one who had summoned them. "We must go now."

            Cliff's eyes widen. "We cannot leave Meanae! I will not abandon my sister!" he shouted.

            "We must retreat or else all will be for not!! Black Scorpions retreat!!" Their bodies became enshrouded in darkness and seem to melt into the ground like shadows before flittering away. They were gone.

            Cheri shivered lightly but it wasn't from the breezes or her wet dress, it was something deep inside. She reached up to hold her arm once more, almost afraid to see what was there on her skin.

--

            "Could someone please tell me why I am getting all this attention?" Cheri asked no one in particular. She was now in dry clothes and sitting on the couch, leaning against her husband.

            Seto had his arm wrapped around her as he looked at the new alive Duel Monsters that were now standing in his living room.

            Yami, Marik, and Bakura used their powers to alter the memories of the press and everyone else on the mansion grounds. For some reason it didn't affect Rose and her daughter had to explain a few things. This caused the older woman to faint and she was still asleep in her room.

            Keriam healed any wounds that were discovered, making sure she healed Katsuya. The large wolf was sprawled out by her feet looking somewhat dazed.

            "Before we do," Keriam spoke, "Tristen, isn't there something you should show everyone?"

            The brown-haired young man swallowed before pulling his backpack onto his lap. He unzipped it and removed the metal book from inside.

            Yami rose from his seat and stepped closer. "That's... the Book of Shadows..."

            "My grandfather had it," Tristen pulled out the letter and read it aloud. When he finished, everyone looked at Malik and Marik. Both boys were in utter shock.

            "Who's Esiarenna?" Yugi asked.

            "Our grandmother," said Malik.

            "This just keeps getting better and better," Bakura said and walked over to Tristen. "So, the Book of Shadows-" and he found himself on the floor pinned by Ryou, Marik, and Yami with several glares from those still standing.

            "Don't even think about it," said Ryou.

            Bakura held his hands up. "I'll be a good boy."

            "That's why that kid with the mallet kept calling you Keeper," Joey spoke up. "Apparently, this king of theirs wants it but why?"

            Yami stood and returned to his seat. "The Book of Shadows is dangerous in itself and in the wrong hands-" he glanced at the King of Thieves for a moment; "Let's just say we have a better chance with the Shadow Realm merging with our world."

            Seto sighed as he rubbed his temple. "I don't even want to begin to picture that."

            "Back to the letter, father never spoke much about our grandmother, just that she had abandoned the clan but deep down inside Ishizu and I never believed that," Malik thought out loud.

            "Maybe she knew what would happen if it stayed in your family," Tea summed up. "I don't mean to sound mean but if you had that kind of power back when you were trying to kill us-"

            "We would have succeeded but then would have never met Keriam and Cheri," Marik finished. "So what's this business about 'find the other two and give them to their chosen Keepers'?"

            "Honestly? I have no idea but I know one thing's for certain. We can't let this fall into those Scorpions' hand."

            "And we're back at the beginning. Why is it that everything seems to revolve around him?" Cheri muttered, reaching up to rub her arm. When she had changed she didn't dare look at her arm but now every time someone mentioned the Black Scorpion that area would begin itching. She almost felt like crawling the skin off.

--

            Rose kept drifting in and out of consciousness--the dreams she was having didn't make any sense. Duel Monsters, Cheri, Tea, and Keriam dressed in Egyptian clothing. Stone tablets with the three Egyptian Gods on them. Anubis, Osiris, Ra, Isis...

            She was getting too old to have this kind of stress.

            Rolling on to her right side, Rose hugged a pillow close and shut her eyes, drifting off to sleep again.

            She opened her eyes but blinked and slowly sat up. She wasn't in the bedroom at Kaiba mansion but she had no idea where she was in the first place. She looked around, finding herself in what looked like a desert. Frowning she slowly stood and looked around. There was nothing in sight and to be honest, it was scaring her a bit.

            "What's going on? Where am I?" she asked. A sudden wind blew up the sand that she lifted her arms, shielding her eyes but just as quickly as it came it left. She lowered her arms and gasped. What lay before her looked like the ruined remains of a grand city. It looked like the sudden wind unearthed it but why? "I know I'm going to regret this." She sighed and entered the ruins.

            The first thing that caught her eyes was the images along the broken walls. They looked like those Duel Monsters but what did it mean. She moved carefully through the ruins, watching her step but why was she here? What was she suppose to be looking for? I am really too old for this, she thought to herself.

            A flutter of white from the side caught her eye. Rose turned and looked down the alleyway. "Hello?"

            Slowly a young girl came into view. She was very pale and her hair was a strange light blue color that it was almost white. Her eyes were colored sapphire blue and they seemed to reveal that the girl held a great amount of power in her soul.

            They looked at each other for a long time. After what seemed like hours, the girl spoke.

            "You did become her mother in this life..."

            "What are you talking about?" Rose asked.

            "You wished then that she was of your blood," the girl continued, "and she was born from you."

            "I don't understand. Who are you?"

            "Kisara," she smiled. "I am a Blue Eyes White Dragon."

            Blue Eyes...? "That's from a card game," said Rose. "It was created by Maximilian Pegasus."

            "He created this version of the Shadow Games. The more duelists play when the Shadow Realm's power is seeping into your world, the more likely their Duel Monsters will come to life."

            "How do you know all this?"

            "Five thousand years ago, when your daughter's husband was once the High Priest Seth, he saved me from being killed in the market." Kisara lowered her eyes briefly. "He was one of the Seven who were chosen to use the Millennium Items. They knew what my soul was, but Seth could not bring himself to kill me. Instead, his father then, Akunadin, was the one who killed me. Before I died, I killed him, and Seth was free from his father's control."

            Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing.

            "I was not Akunadin's only victim," Kisara went on, "but I was his last. After what he did to his mistress and unborn son, I was glad to end his life."

            "He killed them?" Rose asked.

            "I took the baby's soul with me into the Valley of the Dead. After Anubis weighed my heart, I begged Osiris to let the child's soul be reborn so that he may be reunited with his older brother one day. He agreed and sent me with him to keep watch until that time came." Kisara smiled happily. "And it has. The two lost brothers are united."

            "Mokuba..." Rose whispered. "Are you still with him?

            "I am," Kisara nodded. "If the Shadow Realm flows into your world, then my powers as a Blue Eyes White Dragon will awaken in Mokuba. He is not ready to control such power."

            "I don't know much of what's going on but, if this power is so great, it could possibly kill him," she summed up. "But how can I help? I know next to nothing about dueling or what's going on."

            "You have been helping whether your realize it or not," she smiled gently at her. "You have been there for your daughter and Mokuba as well. He sees you as a mother as he does to Nan. Please, continue to protect him?"

            Rose nodded without hesitation. "I love the little guy. He's great and I don't know what I can do but I'll try my best."

            "You will know what to do when the time comes," Kisara smiled, "Zashida..."

--

            Rose jumped awake and looked around her, sighing when she realized that she was in one of Seto's guestrooms. "I am definitely too old for this," she said and climbed out of bed. She left the room and headed downstairs towards the living room.

            Everyone was still there, and the two Dark Magicians that Tea had summoned bowed to Rose when she entered.

            "You guys really shouldn't do that," Rose smiled, "I might get used to it."

            "Are you okay, mom?" Cheri asked.

            Rose sat beside her daughter and son-in-law. "It's a lot to digest," she smiled lightly. "You've told a few good ones, sweetie, but nothing will top this one."

            "Because it's true," said Seto.

            "I've come to terms with that," Rose nodded. Her mind went back to the dream she had earlier, debating if she should tell them about the girl, Kisara. No, not now, Rose sighed. They have enough to worry about. If anything similar about it is mentioned, then I'll tell them.

            "So what do we do now?" Malik asked.

            "For one thing this book cannot fall into those Scorpions' hands," Tristen said as he looked at said item in his hands. "Kaiba, I know I shouldn't be asking this since the book was entrusted to me, but can you keep it in one of your safes? They know I'm the Keeper but they have no idea where the book was hidden or else they would have been after it instead of me."

            Seto frowned as he thought it over. "Alright… but no one outside of this room is suppose to know I have it."

            "Who would believe us?" Ryou added, trying to make a jest.

            Tea was quiet but something had been bugging her since the arrival of those four men. The one with the glasses kept calling Cheri his sister but she was an only child. Now that I think about it, they seemed very anxious to take her with them but had no intention of harming her, she thought to herself. Is she really the one who tried to kill me in my dream or was it just a coincidence?

            "Tea?"

            She blinked and looked up. "Huh?"

            "I asked if you were alright," Yugi asked.

            "You looked like you were spacing out," Joey added.

            "I'm fine just…" Biting her lip she looked up at the two mages. "Who were those men and why did they have a tattoo of the black scorpion on their arms?" The mages stiffened and looked at each other but said nothing. Tea knew they were hiding something but they didn't seem to want to speak up. Frowning she narrowed her eyes at them. "If you don't tell us I'll go into the Shadow Realm and find out myself." Sure it was a bluff since she had never been there and had no idea how to get there but they bought it.

            "Back when the Scorpion King was still alive, he had his own private guard," the violet mage sighed as he began the story. "No one knows how he met them or why but they were very loyal to him. They obeyed him without question and at first acted as a guard but when the Scorpion became greedy they became his most trusted assassins. There only five but together they were a force to be reckoned with."

            "Before the assassin made king had his wife he had tried to take over the capital of Egypt which is now know as Cairo," the red mage spoke up. "With the Army of Anubis at his command he had managed to overtake the city and corner the pharaoh and his priests in his throne room with his group of assassins. But they summoned their monsters and engaged in battle. The Scorpion King and Pharaoh fought but just as the Scorpion was about to kill him one of the monsters tried to kill him from behind." At this point he closed his eyes tightly. "One of the assassins managed to protect him but was killed in the process. They vowed revenge and retreated back to their kingdom."

            "But why are they after her?" Rose asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

            The red mage slowly opened his eyes but it was the one in violet who answered that question. "… The one who risked her life for her king was known as Meanae the Thorn, the only female assassin of the Black Scorpion clan. The one who killed her… was the Dark Magician Girl."

            All eyes in the room went to the Daughter of Osiris, whose own eyes were extremely wide and she had paled several shades.

            Yugi took her hand. "I guess I should have gotten your Magician of Fate card instead."

            "Too late for that now, isn't it," Tea smiled nervously.

            "So what happened to Meanae?" asked Joey.

            "Her soul didn't pass to the underworld," Shadi finally spoke, "which normally happens after a person's life has ended. Instead the Scorpion King kept Meanae's soul and with the help of his newly wedded wife-"

            "She was the Daughter of Anubis," Cheri cut in. "She allowed Meanae to be reborn as her child. But she tricked the Scorpion King into giving her his land, his power, and his soul. When he found out, he killed the Daughter of Anubis. But Anubis took down the Scorpion King, and he allowed his priestess to live long enough to give birth and name her successor."

            Cheri turned to Seto. "I'm the Scorpion King's daughter..."

            Seto didn't say anything; he just pulled his wife to him and held her tightly.

            "So that's why that guy was calling you his sister," Bakura said.

            "It also explains why they were after Tea," Yami said; he gave the brunette girl an apologetic look as he spoke. "They don't want history repeating itself."

            Rose was very quiet but deep down inside she was scared but not for herself. For her daughter and everyone else. "This Scorpion King must be stopped once and for all," she said quietly. "He won't rest until he has the book and my daughter back."

            "Mrs. Dante we won't let that happen," Ryou spoke up. "Those warriors are strong but they aren't stupid. I doubt they'll try another attack like today."

            "Not unless they wanna be on the late news," Joey scoffed. "So what do we do now?"

            As everyone began discussing about what should be done, Marik took the opportunity to slip out of the room. He went into Kaiba's office and dialed his sister's number; Rashid picked up and Marik asked for him to have Ishizu on the line as well. Once his sister was on, Marik told them what happened.

            "Great gods of Egypt help us," Ishizu breathed.

            "You're not kidding," Marik said as he leaned against the desk.

            "Why am I getting the feeling this isn't the only reason you called?" Rashid asked.

            Marik took a deep breath. "I have to come back to Egypt," he said, "I have to come home."

            "Brother, they won't let you come back," said Ishizu. "The clan-"

            "I don't give a damn about what they said! This is more important than family honor and traditions!" Marik stopped. "I'm sorry, Ishizu."

            "Marik, it won't be easy to convince them to listen to you," said Rashid.

            "I know I was exiled for what I did... and there's nothing I can do to change the past, but I'm going to make sure that the future is set right."

            Silence hung on both ends before Ishizu spoke, "When will you be here?"

            "Depends if Kaiba lets me use his plane," said Marik. "If not, I'll call you with the flight details."

            "And Malik?"

            "I'll bring him with me. Maybe when they see him, they'll believe."

            "Alright," Rashid said, "we'll wait for your call and we'll see you at the airport."

            "Okay, and please don't let them know I'm coming." Marik hung up the phone and sighed. Straightening himself, Marik left the office. He stopped short when he saw Keriam, Joey, and Katsuya standing in the hallway.

            "Planning a little vacation?" Joey asked.

            Marik looked at them. "Eavesdropping, were you then?"

            "They'll kill you if you go back," said Keriam.

            "I'm willing to take that risk."

            "And Malik? You're going to risk him too?"

            "His soul is pure and unsoiled," said Marik. "Not like mine is. He didn't kill anyone."

            Neither did you, Keriam thought.

            "So I guess nothing we can say will stop you from walking into a deathtrap," Joey surmised.

            "Not a word," said Marik.

            Joey looked at Keriam. "Guess it's settled."

            Marik frowned. "What's settled?"

            "Whether you like it or not, Marik," said Keriam, "we're going with you."

Authors' Notes:

Heikou: Welcome home! How was your vacation? How was Ozzfest?

Janime: Had a blast with my aunt and her grandkids. Ozzfest was okay. The lineup wasn't as good as last year's. Lacuna Coil rocked! I got their autographs! ::shows signed band pic::

Heikou: Too cool!! Hey don't forget to share any pictures you took.

Janime: No cameras allowed. ::pouts:: Oh well. Back to fic! What a way to stop a wedding!

Heikou: No kidding. At least the reporters got their fill.

Janime: And Bakura got to see Cheri in a wet dress.

Heikou: A wet wedding dress. Now I'm worried about Marik.

Janime: You and me both. We know this is an evil cliff hanger but this way you'll be coming back for more.

Heikou: And the plot thickens! Hail the Plot Twist Queen!! bows to Janime

Janime: You also have good plots too. This fic is combo of our creativeness.

Heikou: Indeed. We are a good writing pair.

Janime: Should we give them a teaser for the next chapter?

Heikou: Hmm, sure why not. A treat for everyone who's been with us since 'Sisters of the Moon'.

Janime: Treat or torture, I wonder. Okay in the next chapter, Marik and Malik go home to Egypt with Keriam and Joey along for the ride.

Heikou: Naturally the rest of the tribe isn't going to be too happy to see Marik, but imagine their reactions when they see Malik!

Janime: And Ishizu learns something that she would have been told, had her mother lived.