Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh – isn't it obvious? I mean – would I be writing this if I owned it? Nope!

A/N

I updated! [Faints from shock]

Ahem, sorry about my lack of updates and all, but I've been really, really busy lately and couldn't even find time for myself, let alone for writing. I hope you can forgive me...[puppy dog eyes]

Anyway, I finally managed to write this chapter; took me long enough, yes, yes – I know. Oh, and before I forget - I'd like to thank Andrea for pointing out my mistakes and becoming a great friend!

So, here's the new chapter and I hope you'll like it. Of course, you're free to drop me reviews, comments, questions...just go ahead and click that little box down there...go on, don't be afraid! [Smirks]

The Legend of the Three Souls

Chapter XVII – Measures

-by Alena S. Anigor


The sand was still warm under Marik's feet, but he couldn't feel the warmth due to the fact that he wasn't barefooted. He was currently hiding behind one solid rock, his cloak slightly billowing on the soft breeze and the hood shadowing his face. The malicious gleam in his eyes, however, couldn't go unnoticed. He was observing the two people not so far away from his current hideout, waiting patiently and plotting his next move. The darkness around the rock that was shadowed due to the moonlight was definitely a plus and he enjoyed watching the two arguing. His eyes revealed a curious and slightly surprised gleam when he saw the thief leaning down to kiss the brown haired girl. He smirked, letting a malevolent chuckle. Who would've thought...

The first sensation that struck Tea after the thief pressed his lips firmly against hers, was shock. She stared wide – eyed at his face so close to hers and couldn't see anything except his closed eyes and his whitish hair, falling softly around his shoulders and to her face. After the shock subsided, she closed her eyes as well, not being able to resist the wave of emotions surging through her wildly anymore. She felt slightly lightheaded and her knees buckled a bit, but Bakura was already having a firm grip around her waist and she found herself being pressed tightly, almost possessively against him. Her mind barely registered the fact that it was Bakura, the thief, the man who kidnapped her and threatened her with a knife that was kissing her right now, but that thought vanished somewhere quickly when the kiss deepened and the thief became more demanding.

They stood like that, motionless, the moonlight illuminating them, and casting one, oddly shaped shadow on the soft sand. Tea's mind was spinning madly and it barely registered that it was time to pull apart to breathe in some air. Her lungs, however, objected and she grabbed him by the shoulders, steadying herself after she pulled away from him, panting heavily. She didn't dare to look him in the eyes so she stared at the sand instead. The blush on her face was evident even more on the moonlight and she looked both flustered and adorable to the white haired thief. She felt so lightheaded.

Bakura still held her by the waist, not wanting to let go so soon of something, he just claimed as his. Yes, she was his and the thought excited him, almost close to the exhilaration he felt after a very successful heist, when he would run off with the prize, not get caught and then marvel in his dandy work and another gained possession. Not that she was just a normal possession. No, she was just his, a girl that belonged to him only. He smirked when he noticed the look of discomfort and embarrassment on her face. She was staring down at her feet, refusing to look up at him. He let out a chuckle, enjoying her flustered looks and grasped her chin, making her look at him. Cerulean eyes were wide with astonishment and, there he smirked again, hidden passion. He leaned in to kiss her again, but stopped abruptly when he looked past her to observe the shadows behind them. His eyes caught a glimpse of something moving, for barely a second, but it was there. Tea noticed his concerned frown and turned around slightly in his embrace.

When she turned back, he was looking at her intently and she swallowed.

"Maybe we should, uhm..." she started, her voice cracking a bit and she cringed inwardly, hoping he didn't notice her chagrin. Bakura smirked at her, currently innocent and shy demeanor and released her from his grip reluctantly. He still held her by the hand, and looking one more time at the threatening shadows behind them, turned around and she yelped slightly when he pulled her by the hand. She muttered something incoherent, thinking how, after the exchanged moments of affection, he would at least act more gently towards her.

"Let's go," he ordered in a serious tone and she followed after him, occasionally tripping and stumbling due to her shoes sinking in the sand constantly. "The ruins are not so far away." He added, another hand clutching the knife in his robes tightly.

Marik cursed the moment silently and stopped following them. He was very close to approaching them while they were still busy, but then they had to stop and he had to hide back into the shadows of the stone. Through the hood, he could see how the thief tried to scrutinize the darkness that surrounded him safely, but he knew he was still too far away for him to see anything. After a moment of discussion, they started walking forward, leaving him behind. He swore in the shadows of the rock and grayish eyes narrowed malevolently. As he watched their retreating figures, he smirked; it didn't matter how far they got, they would have to face him in the end; him and the ancient Amukh. That moment was approaching steadily and with a vicious smile, he turned around, walking back and sticking to the shadows. For now, he would go back and join Amukh; they still had one final thing to find – the Third Soul, the bust of Anubis.


Ishizu sighed in relief when she managed to reach the end of the alleys without having to meet the cloaked ogres. Now, looking at the soft sand in front of her, glistening almost brilliantly on the moonlight, she realized just how tired and exhausted she was. All that adrenalin from sneaking, running and hiding made her apprehensive and aware of her surroundings, but now when she reached the first destination, she stopped briefly to wipe her forehead and tuck a few loose strands of dark hair where they belonged.

She turned around quickly when she heard funny noises behind her and sighed in relief when she saw her companions, panting heavily and bent from exhaustion as well. Yuugi was on the verge of collapsing down to the ground, but managed to keep himself up on his feet, resting one hand on his knee, still clutching the bust under his t-shirt and breathing heavily. Tristan rested his hand on the little wrecked wall beside him, leaning slightly against it. Ishizu smiled softly, glad that they made it, although they almost ran into one of the monsters on their way; luckily, the creature didn't notice them since they quickly hid into the shadows. They also stumbled across one old beggar in the middle of the alley, and Yuugi, not being able to resist the old man's outstretched hand, fished through his pocket a bit and managed to find a few coins. The old man, whose eyes were so tired and squinted that Yuugi wondered if he could even see him, mumbled something in Arabic and bowed as much as his spine allowed him to.

"What did he say?" Yuugi asked Tristan, after he only managed to understand the word 'Allah' between his mumbles.

"May Allah be with you, young foreigner," he replied.

Ishizu was observing the younger Mutou for a while, noticing how he had the same hair and eyes like his grandfather...there she stopped, wondering briefly if Solomon was all right when Tristan interrupted her, still out of breath slightly.

"We're...almost there," he managed to choke out between gasps for air and Ishizu nodded slowly, still in deep thoughts. Turning around, she looked at the desert intently, noticing the pyramids in the distance, visible only as dark objects, slightly illuminated by the moonlight. They seemed almost sinister and ominous like that, still standing there and refusing to budge under the influence of thousands of years. Ishizu took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, thinking about the Ruins of the Doomed and what awaited them there.

"Yes," she replied quietly, almost absentmindedly, "almost there."

Tristan straightened up a bit, regaining his composure a bit and ready to move on. He looked at Yuugi almost sympathetically, when he noticed that the younger man was still bent and staring at the mixture of the rock and the sand under his feet now.

"You okay?" he asked him and Yuugi raised his head a bit to look at him. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead but he smiled at him encouragingly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied with a slightly raspy voice, "we should get going." He added and looked at Ishizu who nodded at him with a soft smile. Tristan looked at him for a moment, thinking about something then patted him on the shoulder.

"Give me that thing," he said and pointed at the bust beneath his t-shirt. Yuugi gave him a questioning look before Tristan nodded and stretched his hand out. Yuugi glanced at the bust; still hidden neatly behind his t-shirt then slowly pulled his shirt up slightly and retrieved the clay-like thing. He handed it to Tristan carefully and he hid it under his robes now.

"There," he said with a smile, patting the bulge beneath his robes, "it's my turn now." Yuugi grinned at him then started walking after Ishizu who was already on her way across the soft sand.

Not so far away, amidst a labyrinth of alleys, Joey and Mai were trying to keep a low profile, sneaking and hiding in the comforting shadows of the walls. It there wasn't for the moonlight illuminating their path they would end up god knows where in the end. Joey shifted every now and then, still supporting Mai as best as he could. He had to admit, though, that he was afraid his spine would crack if he tried to straighten up and all the pressure Mai was applying to his arm was making it numb so he had a feeling as if he had no arm at all. Still, he tried to get them as far away from the cloaked creatures and to the ruins. The latter, however, currently seemed like wishful thinking.

Joey had a vague idea where the path was leading to, and how to get to the ruins, and he wasn't quite sure and positive in his own memory. When he voiced his doubts and suspicions to the blond journalist, she almost shrieked at him, eyes wide with sheer horror.

"Are you saying we got lost?" She spat out, loud enough for him to hear and cringe since she spat it out right into his ear. He stopped walking for a moment to take a few breaths and Mai let go of him for a second to take a break herself. They stared at nothing in particular, lost in thoughts until Joey managed to straighten up with gritted teeth. The action was followed by a loud, cracking sound and he grimaced slightly. Mai simply glared ahead, crossing her arms. She wanted to scream from all that frustration and anger that was slowly rising inside her and now the Egyptian boy told her they got lost...in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night and with a herd of cloaked zombies after them. Oh, yes – life was great.

Just when she was about to yell at him for getting them in trouble again, he clasped a hand over her mouth, raising his other hand in the air. Mai closed her mouth shut, listening intently. From the nearby, they could hear footsteps, rushed and almost frantic. It seemed like somebody was running.

The two of them exchanged alarmed glances, already thinking the worst. Joey quickly grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer to him and backed to the wall himself. Footsteps were starting to become more audible but now they could also hear that whoever was approaching them, wasn't alone – there was another pair of footsteps heard, following close behind.

"Be still," Joey commanded in a whisper to Mai and she nodded, violet eyes wide with fear and anxiety. When the footsteps were so near that it seemed like they were almost behind the corner, Mai gripped the edges of Joey's shirt frantically, and he gulped slowly, praying for those footsteps to go far away from the alley they were currently hiding in.

Darkness and shadows protected them for now, and they were both staring intently into the direction of the upcoming footsteps. Who ever they were, they were quite near now, and Joey squinted his eyes to try and see who was approaching them. Mai, on the other hand, turned her head away from the other end of the alley and buried her face in Joey's left arm. She didn't want to see anyone...or any thing.

Joey's eyes widened when he heard voices, one of them being quite familiar.

"This way!" Someone said hastily and Joey gasped in wonder and relief, making Mai turn her head back and look just in time to see two shadows running past the other end of the alley. Joey, not thinking about anything anymore, released Mai and ran forward.

"Serenity!"

The girl with brownish hair stopped abruptly, making her taller companion almost bumping into her. Kaiba groaned quietly and turned around to see the source of the voice that called for them.

"Joey?" Serenity asked, still out of breath and slightly bewildered. She turned around so quickly that she almost lost her balance and had to grab Kaiba's hand to steady herself. He looked at her somewhat surprised, but sighed in exasperation when he heard footsteps behind them and turned around to see the blond Egyptian, standing in the middle of the street and looking at them wide-eyed.

"Sister!" He breathed out, not feeling so incredibly happy since he managed to find a job as a tourist guide. She was looking at him in some sort of wonder, before she leapt forward, almost pushing Kaiba away and hugged him with such force she almost sent them flying down.

"Joey!" She exclaimed happily, still holding him tightly. A few tears of joy rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed slightly. "Are you okay? Nothing happened to you?"

Joey patted her hair gently and released her from his bear hug. "No," he replied softly, looking at her thoroughly to see if she was hurt or anything. Spotting Kaiba behind her, his eyes narrowed slightly, observing the taller young man who was currently glaring at them and crossed his hands in annoyance.

"Hi Serenity," another voice called that belonged to the blue journalist. Mai peeked behind the corner of the alley she was still hiding in, just in case. When she saw the young girl and recognized her as Joey's sister, she sighed in relief.

Serenity looked at her and immediately hugged her as well. Mai blinked a few times, never expecting to see someone so happy to see her.

"Mai!" Serenity cried out, making her cringe slightly, and she hugged her back awkwardly, patting her back and trying not to look too uncomfortable. She was never quite good at all that touchy-feely stuff, anyway.

While the girls were busy with exchanging the stories, impressions and all the events that happened, Joey approached Kaiba and looked at him suspiciously. The CEO gave him a cold look then glared at the wall. Joey's eyes narrowed again wearily.

"You haven't done anything to her, have you?" He asked him, his voice cold and his demeanor threatening. Kaiba looked at him again and resisted the urge to snort at him. Instead, he simply glared at him and kept his stance calmly.

"Because if you have, I will find out and then I'll-"

"Relax, Wheeler," Kaiba interrupted him coolly, smirking at him now, "nothing happened to your little sister. She wouldn't be here if that was the case, now would she?"

Joey blinked then lowered his head, clenching his fists.

"I'm warning you..." he growled ominously and caught the attention of the two who were still chatting behind them. Serenity was the first who stepped between them quickly and raised her hands in the air.

"Please, don't start fighting again!" She exclaimed worriedly and then sighed in relief when Joey snorted and left to check up on Mai, while Kaiba let out one, proud 'hmph' and turned his head away to glare at the walls again.

Mai was surprised to find Joey placing his hand around her waist and the other one around her shoulder. She didn't protest, though; she actually started to like that but then quickly shook her head when she realized in what direction were her thoughts going. Luckily for her, Joey didn't notice her blush but Serenity did and looked at her oddly. Mai just lowered her head and decided to be quiet.

"I hope you know where the ruins are, because my memory became a bit rusty, sis," Joey commented when they moved on. Serenity and Kaiba were leading the way and Serenity smiled softly at him when she heard his remark.

"Don't worry," she replied simply, walking down the alley carefully, "I know the way."

"Good," Mai added in a spiteful voice, "because I can't wait to see something else than these damn walls!"


The sudden commotion in the spacious room made its owner look up from his current position of admiring the bust in his hands. Malicious, emerald eyes narrowed, not glad for the disturbance. He placed the bust back into the briefcase and closed it carefully.

Marik looked at Amukh questioningly, then at the cloaked minions in front of them. The row split in the middle and one cloaked creature approached them slowly, hunched and bent in all the respect and trepidation. The ancient Priest was someone you didn't want to make angry. He bowed respectfully in front of him when he reached the end of the carpet and stopped in front of the stairs that separated him from the throne and his ruler.

Marik's eyebrows rose up at the sight of the cloaked creature; he was wondering what was so important that he dared to come in and break the comfortable silence.

He was already ready to bark at the minion to get lost, but his voice got stuck in his throat when Amukh suddenly gasped and rose from the throne so abruptly that he almost made it fall back. The ancient Priest took one, cautious step forward and Marik was slightly puzzled with his behavior but when the cloaked ogre raised his hands up and presented something in them, things became clear.

"Marvelous," Amukh breathed out in some sort of wonder and trance, stretching one hand up to summon the last bust to him - the bust of Anubis.

The creature let his skeletal hands fall down when the bust rose from his hands and floated to the hands of the ancient Priest. Marik watched in wonder how the Priest observed the bust, patted it so affectionately as if the bust was his child. When Amukh let one, blood-curling chuckle, Marik suddenly became aware of the immense power he had and possessed.

"I know what you're thinking, my dear Marik," Amukh coaxed gently, letting the bust turn and spin in the air above his hands, "and this is indeed something very precious to me." He added and Marik resisted the urge to flinch under his words.

"Do you see all these minions in front of me?" He asked him suddenly and turned around to look at him. Marik's eyes flew to the left, observing the rows of cloaked creatures, all down on their knees and waiting. Amukh sensed his curiosity.

"Do you know who they are? Who they were?" He ventured and Marik shook his head slightly. The ancient Priest chortled malevolently and turned once more to observe the spinning bust in the air.

"All these little, pathetic creatures in front of me are the Lost Souls, my dear Marik," he replied calmly, emerald eyes scanning every creature in front of him. Marik's brows creased down in a confused frown.

Noticing his puzzlement, the Priest decided to explain.

"The Lost Souls are the souls of every man, peasant, thief and even the souls of kings who have heard about the legend once and wanted to find it. Unsuccessfully, of course," he stopped to make a brief pause by looking at them with a faux pity, "because they all failed."

Marik started to realize now who they were and why they were so frighteningly scary and hideous. They were dead and now brought back to life.

"Their insatiable desire to find it and get their hands on it made me find them," Amukh said with a note of amusement in his voice, "and control them. They want nothing more than to be in its near." He added with a smirk, letting the bust fall into his hands now softly. He took a deep breath, marveling in the sight of it briefly, before he placed it into the briefcase next to the other one and closed it securely. He sat down on the throne again authoritatively and rested his hands on the throne calmly. His eyes, on the contrary, were burning with such intensity, Marik had to divert his gaze from them. Emerald eyes were filled with such intense need, and raw emotions, greed for power and revenge.

Before Marik could even blink, Amukh's eyes narrowed suddenly and he leaned into the throne firmly.

"Prepare everything necessary for our trip, Marik," he commanded, glancing at the briefcase for a moment. Marik snapped out of his stupor and nodded sharply at his command, ready to leave with the minions.

"Wait!" Amukh stopped him abruptly and he stopped in a mid-step. Turning around, he saw him stretching his hands towards the cloaked ogres. A sudden blaze of light flashed through the room and Marik closed his eyes quickly to open them a few moments later and realize that the creatures were all on their feet. The amount of chilliness in the room intensified and their cloaks started to billow, this time more forcefully.

Noticing his confusion, Amukh let out a chuckle and leaned into the throne again.

"You don't expect me to send my soldiers into the battle unprepared, do you?"

Marik exchanged one last, knowing glance with a pair of emerald eyes, before he ordered them all to move. The commotion in the hall ensued again before they all disappeared and left the ancient Priest sitting on the throne alone, leaning his chin on his clenched fist coolly.

After a few minutes spent in silence and concentration, he opened his eyes and smirked maliciously. He got up from the throne slowly and straightened his business suit. Fixing his tie casually, he started walking down the carpet, footsteps echoing through the deserted room.

When he reached the end of the room, he turned around, raised his hand and summoned the briefcase that flew to his hand immediately.

"Ahh," he said with a wicked smile, "it's time to get your little friend."

Glancing at the briefcase cruelly this time, he snickered malevolently and resumed walking out of the room.

"And I know just where to find it."