Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I just came from Tokyo where they confirmed my theory...yeah...

A/N

Dear Lord...chapter 20...21 with the Prologue! O.o Will you ever see the end of this? Will Alena finally finish this story once and for all? Stay tuned! And don't forget to review! Oh and thank you all for reviewing, too! You people are awesome! /skips around merrily and throws candy and cookies all over the place/

...I think I should stop putting so much sugar into my cappuccino...


The Legend of the Three Souls

Chapter XX – Settling the scores

-by Alena S. Anigor


Ishizu was having a hard time trying to move the flat looking piece of rock from where it lay above the underground chamber. Mai and Serenity were still in a panicky mood, looking all around the ruins almost hysterically. Tea joined Ishizu and with a few huffs and moans, they finally managed to move the rock away.

"Come on," Ishizu exclaimed, chills running down her spine after feeling the familiar and unpleasant swoosh of cold air passing by, "get inside!"

Mai and Serenity obeyed and without a word, slipped through the hole and disappeared in the darkness of the chamber. Ishizu turned to Tea who was staring worriedly at the sight in front of her – hundreds of Jackals standing all around them, waiting for the cloaked creatures to arrive. She bent slightly and almost gasped when she spotted a sea of cloaked monsters, approaching them slowly.

"Oh, my God..." she whispered. She ignored Ishizu's command to get inside and simply kept on staring at everything that was happening in front of her. She saw Bakura and Yuugi, standing stiffly behind Shadi who was having his eyes narrowed, his whole demeanor tense. Kaiba was observing the whole sight with his eyes slightly wide while Joey and Tristan were simply petrified by the Jackals and the upcoming army of the ancient Priest.

"Tea!" She jerked suddenly when Ishizu grabbed her by the hand and started dragging her towards the hole in the ground. The two Jackals that were supposed to protect them started to advance towards them, pushing them both towards the entrance to the chamber. Inside, Serenity and Mai were shivering, their eyes shut.

The last thing Tea saw was Bakura, glancing at her with a half-worried, half-serious look and then the image of him was replaced by a cold stone of the ruins, and she almost let out a shriek when she saw one, lanky hand of the Jackal, grabbing her by the shoulder and pushing her forward.

"Let's go!" Ishizu yelled and she had no choice but to comply, sliding inside before Ishizu, who stood out there for a moment. The Jackals spread their arms, urging her to go inside and reluctantly, she nodded at them, not really knowing herself why. Casting one final look at the darkening sky, she took a deep breath and hopped in, joining the other three girls inside. Above them, the Jackals were still for a moment, until on of them pushed the piece of rock over the hole effortlessly and darkness started to envelop the chamber.

"Wait!" Tea shrieked and startled Mai who was the closest to her. "They can't shut it completely!"

Ishizu realized she was right and with a gasp, she reached up to tell them not to shut the hole completely but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, the rock was placed neatly above them and total darkness took over the chamber. She held her breath and her hand fell by her side.

"We need air in here! Hey!" Tea's shrill voice was heard in the chamber and then silence. Mai's eyes were now open wide but nobody had a chance to see that.

"We're...we're going to suffocate in here?!" She screamed and without a second thought, got up and bumped into Serenity who let out a yelp and fell down on the cold ground.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

"We need air in here!"

"You stupid dogs, open this damn hole!"

"I want out!"

Ishizu clasped a hand over her forehead, trying to summon at least one coherent thought. With the racket around her, that seemed nearly impossible. In the end, she let out a growl and decided to break it in the old fashioned way.

"BE QUIET!"

The amount of noise died down in the chamber, making the girls blink in the darkness and stare ahead where they presumed Ishizu was standing. They lowered their heads in embarrassment and stared at the ground numbly.

"Please," Ishizu breathed heavily, "just calm down! This isn't the perfect time to start panicking." She finished in a calmer tone, her fists clenched by her sides now. Mai plopped down on the ground and decided to wallow in her misery while Serenity was trying to find the wall of the chamber to lean on. Prodding with her hands around her, she accidentally patted Tea on the head and the girl jerked violently and stepped back.

"Uh, sorry," Serenity apologized quickly, finally touching the cold surface. She leaned on it with a heavy sigh.

Ishizu managed to step on one of the stairs and touch the solid rock above her head. She scanned the surroundings and still couldn't see anyone in the complete darkness.

"Tea?" She asked hesitantly and the brown-haired girl answered meekly from aside.

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me remove this rock a few inches?" She added and after a few seconds heard a soft rustling sound approaching her. Tea was stepping carefully forward, not wanting to step on her toes. She finally bumped into her slightly and muttered an apology. "Stretch your hands up," Serenity instructed and Tea raised her hands in the air, examining the rock with her fingers gingerly.

"Okay..." she replied slowly and waited for Ishizu to say something. The young scientist took a deep breath, her hands already up.

"Just place your fingers somewhere and when I say 'now', push!" She said and looked up, closing her eyes quickly when a few specks of dust flew down to her face and prickled her eyes. Tea nodded and replied with a muffled 'hmm'.

Ishizu gritted her teeth and summoned all her strength into her arms, pushing the rock with everything she possessed.

"Now!"

Tea gritted her teeth as well, her hands on the rock above her and her fingers spread over the cold surface. Mai and Serenity were listening carefully to the pained sounds coming from the girls next to them, waiting for something to happen. Strange as it was, lifting the rock above them seemed to be harder than they thought. It was easier to just move it away a bit when they were still out, but now...

"What if those dogs are sitting on it?" Mai suddenly said, that certain thought entering her mind suddenly and making her shudder in dread. Would she ever see the daylight again?

Tea and Ishizu stopped for a moment, contemplating Mai's words. Two pairs of blue eyes widened and they both gasped.

"She's right! What if they're standing on it or sitting on it and...oh, there's no way to move it then!" Tea yelled, panic getting the best of her, too. Ishizu was silent for a few moments, before she opened her mouth again.

"Let's just...try again, okay?" She pleaded and Tea reluctantly raised her hands again. Serenity bit her lip and took a few steps forward, grasping a soft fabric of somebody's shirt. Tea looked down to feel somebody's hands on her waist and raised her eyebrows.

"Who's groping me?"

Serenity stopped and quickly retrieved her hands. "That was me," she replied sheepishly and then took a step to the left where there was still space left, "I want to help." She added exasperatedly and raised her hands in the air as much as she could. Mai sighed from her position on the ground and slowly got up, dusting herself off more out of habit. She put her hands on her hips and let out a long breath.

"Okay," she said in a bossy manner and approached them slowly, ignoring Serenity's yelp after she stepped on her foot, "make some room."

A few moments later, eight hands were up in the air, pushing the rock with all their might, and after a few swear words, growling and panting, the rock finally nudged a bit and one streak of light illuminated Tea's face. She squinted a bit before her eyes brightened with relief and she almost squealed with joy after she saw a few rocks of the ruins scattered around and above, the dark sky over the desert.

"We did it!" Serenity exclaimed happily and hugged Mai tightly whose eyes bulged out slightly from the sudden pressure. Tea's face soon became serious, a heavy frown replacing her cheerful expression and she told the excited girls to calm down. They stopped with their little celebration and silence filled the chamber again.

They were staring at the little gap between the rock and the entrance to the chamber, listening intently. And just as Tea presumed, she did hear disturbing sounds coming from outside. She backed away in surprise when she saw one, skinny foot of a Jackal, stepping closer to the gap.

Ishizu's eyes widened a bit when she recognized the sounds coming from above.

"It's...happening," she whispered and three pair of eyes turned to look at her, brows furrowed in confusion.

Serenity gasped and her breath got stuck in her throat. "My brother...Joey is still out there."

"And Tristan and Shadi..." Ishizu added, her eyes lowering to stare at her feet that were now slightly visible. Tea's eyes were almost blank as she was staring numbly at the white piece of fabric Mai was wearing.

"Bakura..." she whispered solemnly, "Yuugi..."

"And Mr. Kaiba, too..." Serenity remembered the tall figure of the elusive, young businessman that was the reincarnation of the Second Soul.

Silence ensued in the chamber again, as the sounds of the wind howling filled the air outside, creating the pre-apocalyptic atmosphere.


The sky above the desert was dark, looking ominous with heavy clouds towering over the ruins, making everyone edgy and nervous. Shadi was probably the only one who knew exactly what was about to happen. After all, he had been there before, and still remembered every detail like it happened yesterday and not thousands of years ago. The wind started to blow unpleasantly, making others shiver slightly.

"This," Tristan managed to choke out, "doesn't look good." Joey was too distracted by the herd of cloaked creatures approaching them to even notice his remark. Yuugi and Bakura were standing behind Shadi, immobile and completely speechless. Kaiba was still holding the bust, the remains of his soul in his hands, fingers clutching the clay like thing firmly.

The Jackals were waiting patiently, not making a move or a sound, like they were there just for a decorative purpose. Compared to a few mortals behind them, they didn't seem to be intimidated one bit by the approaching swarm of cloaked monsters, floating toward them, swiftly and tenaciously.

A pair of emerald eyes narrowed – Amukh didn't expect to see Anubis's army, waiting for him in front of the Ruins of the doomed. Next to him, with his face shadowed by a hood, Marik was staring at the ancient warriors, standing in front of them calmly. When he glanced at the Priest, he spotted a shimmer of surprise in his eyes and that disturbed him. The Ancient One wasn't expecting this? Then...what was going on?

Amukh was busy with trying to comprehend how could the army of Anubis be summoned to rise from the Underworld again and who had the power to summon them in the first place. He was sure the last bust was in the possession of the puny mortals and there were no obstacles for him to eradicate anymore...He was always prepared, always a step ahead of everyone, but...he wasn't prepared for what was in front of him now. And that was making him slightly annoyed and irritated. He stopped, before Marik and other minions did to observe the Jackals, standing proudly in front of him. Their eyes were fixated on him, on his minions, but none of them made a single move. The leader that was standing ahead of everyone was staring at him indifferently, red eyes glistening under the dark clouds. Amukh's eyes narrowed again and he gritted his teeth. This was...unusual. His sense of premonition didn't warn him about this and it was starting to make him slightly agitated. Something was different...something was in the air. Something familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it.

'Well,' he thought with a malicious smile plying on his lips now, 'since the original plan faltered, I will just have to improvise.'

With that, he turned to Marik and told him to proceed as agreed. The sandy-haired Egyptian nodded slowly and ordered the others to move. Hundreds of cloaks started to billow madly, making the wind howl around them and creating a whirlwind of sand.

"You and I will concentrate on the bust," Amukh whispered again and Marik glanced at him before nodding again.

Joey and Tristan jumped in the air slightly, backing away after they saw the creatures starting to move. When they both stepped on the feet of the two Jackals behind them, they quickly turned around and with wide eyes started spluttering apologies. The Jackals, however, didn't even glance at them; their attention was directed ahead, towards the creatures in cloaks.

"Destroy them!" Marik yelled and motioned with his hand for them to move forward. On the other side, Shadi closed his eyes, sending a mental command to the leader of the Jackals.

Go.

The tallest of the Jackals jerked suddenly, his fist clenching around the spear in his hands as his eyes flashed with a red light. He roared loudly, raising the spear in the air, before others behind him did the same. Hundreds of spears flew up, remained there for a few seconds before the leader lowered the spear down and thrust it straight ahead, towards the approaching creatures. With one, final roar, he plunged forward, the tip of the sharp spear glistening.

"It has begun..." Shadi whispered and opened his eyes to see the Jackals in front of him move, making the sand fly all around them, and creating a sandy curtain. It was almost impossible to see anything through the dust; he could only hear the sound of feet thumping down the desert, the sound of the Jackals roaring, the cloaked creatures howling and the sound of metal clashing against bones.

"Dear Allah..." Joey and Tristan muttered, their eyes wide, their bodies stiff. As if on cue, they reached with their hands to hold onto something out of sheer fear and almost hugged each other if there wasn't for the Jackal, standing slightly between them. They grabbed him by the hands, holding onto him so tightly that the creature looked down in one moment to glance at them in curiosity.

Yuugi and Bakura stared at the cloud of dust in front of them, in some sort of mixture between shock and amazement. Kaiba, who was closer to them than the others were, stepped back a bit, covering his eyes with his hand to protect them from the sand. Shadi looked up to the sky, noticing the swirling dark clouds, the wind carrying the specks of dust high in the air. He glanced at the three reincarnations of the Souls and resisted the urge to smile. He was...proud of them.

Just when he was about to say Kaiba to step back a bit more, his head suddenly whirled around and he barely had a split second to jump back to avoid a sharp edge of a long sword. Yuugi quickly grabbed Kaiba and pulled him back towards where Joey and Tristan were already praying all sorts of prayers they knew. Bakura frowned, clutching the handle of his dagger, ready to slice anyone who dared to harm him.

A tall figure appeared amidst the cloud of dust, visible only as something dark and hidden, before it stepped out slowly, revealing the dark cloak and the hood, covering its face.

Bakura lurched forward, dagger in his hands up and ready when Shadi surprised him suddenly, stretching his hand out to stop him, but it was already too late. The tall figure managed to turn its head just in time to avoid getting stabbed by the thief, jumping back swiftly to land on the sand effortlessly. The action caused his hood to fall and reveal the face of a sandy-haired Egyptian; violet eyes with the shades of gray glaring at him.

Bakura stopped abruptly, his mouth agape, dark eyes wide in disbelief.

"Marik!" He breathed.

"Yes, and I believe my friend has a few scores to settle with you," another voice said, its owner appearing suddenly behind him, taller and more intimidating. Amukh made his way through the dust, ignoring the flying body of a Jackal that whizzed over his head. He turned to look at Shadi, whose eyes narrowed dangerously now, glaring at the ancient Priest.

Behind them, Joey and Tristan, together with Yuugi and Kaiba stared in wonder at the tall figure of a young man that seemed to be in his late twenties, with short, dark hair and dark bangs falling slightly over his tanned skin and emerald, malevolent eyes. Something stirred in Yuugi's stomach, making him feel sick all of a sudden and he clasped his hand over his abdomen, trying to get rid of the sick feeling. Kaiba felt worse; his head was suddenly swarmed with visions of the man, laughing at him cruelly, standing above him while he was trying not to scream in pain. A sudden feeling of hatred coursed through him, something so powerful and strong that it made him growl. When he opened his eyes, ignoring the agonizing headache, blue eyes narrowed threateningly.

"Amukh," he snarled.

Shadi and Amukh glared silently at each other, Marik doing the same, standing across Bakura who was still trying to compose his thoughts that were now screaming at him that this was his friend...his friend who was now ready to kill him in a beat.

"Shadi," Amukh said in a carefree tone, as if he was chatting politely with him, "nice to see you alive and kicking again," he added on which the man with the turban frowned and glowered at him even more.

"I really couldn't say the same about you," he replied back, words choked out between gritted teeth. Amukh smiled at him maliciously and glanced at the CEO behind them, who was now glaring at him. He spotted the bust in his hands and almost instinctively, took a step forward. Shadi reacted, raising his hands in the air and a couple of Jackals stood in front of them immediately, pushing them back and shielding his view at the precious artifact.

Amukh frowned. Shadi smirked.

"So, it was you all along..." the Priest concluded in a deep voice, turning his attention back to him. Shadi ordered Bakura to get away from there, but the thief seemed to be glued to the spot, still staring blankly at his former friend turned enemy.

"Bakura!" Shadi yelled at him, but Marik only smirked, positioning his sword again. Bakura snapped out of his stupor and redirected his gaze at the sharp blade. Frowning, he searched for something inside of his robes and retrieved his dagger, left on the street after the monsters appeared for the first time and took him away.

He threw it down on the sand and the dagger landed heavily, sinking in the soft sand a little.

Marik was eyeing the dagger for a few moments, before he looked blankly at him again. Throwing the sword at the sand, he picked up the dagger and smirked again at his former gang leader. Bakura swallowed, hoping that the dagger would do something in order to remind him of who he was, but that didn't happen. Instead, Marik leapt at him and Bakura barely had the time to take a stance and raise his dagger in the air before meeting Marik's. The impact sent him flying backwards a bit and he stared wide-eyed at him, gaining his equilibrium quickly.

"You've gotten stronger," he whispered and the sandy-haired young man smirked evilly. He leapt at him again, metal clashing against metal mercilessly.

"I don't know what he did to you," Bakura growled, pushing him away with a force, "but I WILL get you back!"

Amukh watched the whole scene with amusement in his eyes, satisfaction evident on his face. Shadi could barely restrain his anger and resentment towards him. When Amukh turned to him again, his eyes glistened with evil and he raised his chin slightly.

"Ah," he let out a soft sigh, "there's nothing better than the two best friends fighting," he coaxed "wouldn't you agree, Shadi?"

The Prophet let out a growl this time and clenched his fists. "You should know, Amukh." He spat out.

Amukh only laughed coldly and after a moment of staring at the now, completely dark sky, lowered his head to narrow his eyes at him.

"Oh, yes, I do," he replied in a deep, raspy voice that sent shivers down Shadi's spine. Emerald eyes flashed and Shadi had a second only to send a command to the Jackals to protect the others before Amukh spoke again in a tone that promised certain death.

"And now it's time for us to settle our score, my dear friend."