Ok, this chapter is pretty fast paced. A lot happens in a little amount of time. I wanted this last bit to go fast so the characters really wouldn't have a chance to anticipate or try to prevent anything. It just happens and if there is a problem with that for the characters, then tough luck. Hope you guys like!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
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Ateyda awoke to the comforts of her bed chamber in the palace. She had been bandaged up, and was now lying on fresh, cool linens that soothed her skin. She started to sit up and felt pain sear through her. She gripped the gash on her side as it throbbed and silently screamed its aches. She forced herself over the edge of the bed, and her feet met the cool stone floor. She walked over to the balcony with the wind whipping through the white linen curtains bringing her the essence of the fragrant flowers below. She let her hands slide up the balcony's banister as she took in the view of the Egyptian horizon mingling with the dark, velvet blue sky. She had won. Even as she stood there in less than her best form, she had triumphed over Bakura, and his sick little game had come to an end. All through the tournament matches, she met up with foes that did not believe she could hold her own in the fight, and yet she defeated each one until she became the victor above all. She smiled to herself thinking about how Yami had pushed her to enter the games, and how she doubted herself. He did not lose faith in her for a moment. Of course there were times when he worried, but he still believed in her.
She reached up and touched the pendant that hung around her neck. Mito had been there for her also. She could not forget him. He had lent her support, and helped her win over her enemies. She just wished for his happiness now. He always wore himself down as he fought to protect her and keep her happy up until he left, and now that he was back, he remained firm in that idea. He had sacrificed so much when they were children to teach her virtues their father did not know. She felt it was his turn to be happy, but what was it that he could possibly want?
She heard stirring below in the palace's garden. The Priestess Isis walked out and sat down on an altar in the middle of a bed of exotic flowers. Ateyda did not know what time of night it was, but she knew Isis never came out to this part of the palace, especially not in the mid of night. She sat quietly not saying a word or doing anything in particular. It was as if she were waiting for something or someone. It was then that another figure came out and sat next to her. Isis reached out and gripped the figure's hand.
"I wondered when we would finally be able to speak again," she said to the person next to her, "The tournament games and the attacks on the palace have kept us from meeting, but I saw from my necklace that if I came out here, you would too."
"Well this is certainly different," joked Mito's voice, "Our last rendezvous you didn't have the millennium necklace."
"And our last rendezvous, you were but 17," Isis pointed out, "Has it really been five years?"
He was quiet for a moment. "To me it felt like 50," he replied as he hung his head, "I left behind everyone I cared for without even a thought. After I had left, I felt I betrayed everyone I loved. The two most important people in my life were the ones hurt the most, my sister. . . and you. I'm sorry, Isis. I was a coward and did not want to face my father any longer."
"You did what was right by you," Isis replied turning to him. She put her hand up to his cheek, "No one can condemn you for that. Instead of just running away, you actually took that time to try and help people with the crusades. There was nothing wrong with your actions."
"Still, I cannot believe my sister actually forgave me. I did not even look back and say goodbye when I left. I could hear her though. She was yelling for me to come back, and I just left her behind without another look. Right after you and I had finally found out how we. . . felt for each other, I left you too. I don't know how I could have left you without letting you know where I was going or what was going to happen. Isis, I should not have been capable of that."
"Mitonen, you know it was the right thing to do. It would have been worse for you if you had stayed. Not only did you let your sister fight for things on her own, you helped the crusades, and you were the one that threw the crusades into an uproar when you discovered the leader of the troops was stealing the villages blind. No one else believed he would do something like that, but you risked your station and your life for what you believed. Leaving this kingdom to go with them is no different. Leaving your sister and. . . and me was no different."
"Do you really believe that?"
"There is no doubt in my mind or in my heart. That is all in the past, and the only thing that I care about now is that you are back."
Mito grabbed her other hand. They sat for a few minutes staring into each other's eyes. Finally, after a few moments of thought, they closed the gap between them and shared their first kiss in five years. Ateyda smiled from the balcony above, and let them be. She slowly backed up into the room again with her heart being a little lighter than it had been a few minutes ago. It was exactly what she had been hoping for. She bumped into something lightly. She turned around to see Yami standing before her smiling at her.
"I see you are finally up," he said bringing his lips down on hers.
She savored him for a moment then said, "Was I out for a few hours? I feel a lot better."
"Try a few days," he replied and then laughed at her shocked reaction, "You can't expect to receive damage like that and be up a few hours later."
"Well, I would have expected to at least wake up," she said with the shocked look still gracing her.
He laughed, "I see most of your injuries have healed, except this one," he lightly put his hand on the bandage on her side, "This one will take a while. I'm surprised you could stand after receiving this."
"Bakura was tough," she replied leaning into him, "but I was not going to give up no matter how much it hurt."
"And that is why I knew you could do it," Yami said wrapping his arms around her and bringing her into his tight embrace, "Even though Bakura seemed undefeatable, I knew you could do it."
She looked up at him and asked, "How can you hold such confidence in me?"
He stopped for a moment, and looked hard into her eyes. They widened a bit while she wondered what he was doing. No one could stare down the Pharaoh. His eyes were too intense. Anyone could feel the immense power they held, but it was more than that. The depths of his amethyst eyes were both beautiful and dangerous. Anyone who looked in them did not know whether to be drawn in or run scared. They invoked both lust and fear in their cold yet warm stare. He pressed his lips against hers once again. She felt like she was going to faint. He stuck her to the spot with his hard gaze, and then swept her up in his soft lips. He knew exactly how to get to her.
He pulled back, "I can sense anyone's strength and weaknesses, and your strengths far outdid Bakura's. Besides, what kind of man would I be to deny you?"
Before she could respond, Priest Shadi burst into the room.
"My Pharaoh, it's Seto. He's here," he said with a bit of panic in his voice.
"Stay here," Yami immediately said to Ateyda, "I know you wish to fight him, but you can't in your weakened condition. There is no doubt that is me he wishes to fight anyway."
A black spot appeared and started to delve in her mind. She did not know what it was or where it came from, but something was not right. Something felt as if it were going to explode. She grabbed Yami's arm as he started to walk out, "You. . . You can't do this. I don't know why, but something isn't right."
"This has to be done, Ateyda. Seto will not stop unless I stop him," Yami said.
"It's not that," she replied looking off, "I can sense something from him. He has hate brewing in him, but. . . It's not his own."
"What?," Yami asked. He stared at her trying to comprehend what she was feeling.
"I can't explain it. All I know is that all the hate and anger we have received from him is not him. That creature that attacked the palace, the one that tried to take me from you is not Seto. It's as if there is someone else burrowing inside him, slowly eating away his mind."
"I see. That would explain his haste in turning against me."
"He turned against you? What are you talking about?," she asked him. If Seto hated the Pharaoh so much, then he should never have been with him.
Yami turned a grave face toward her, "Seto is my cousin. He was one of the chosen few to become priests. When he received the millennium item, something was different about him. It was not long after I took over for my father that he rebelled. That was about five or six years ago."
"My Pharaoh, please," Shadi pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Ateyda," Yami said turning to leave, "Explanations must be kept for later. I must go. Stay in this room." With that he left her with her worries. She could not explain it, but she could exactly sense where Seto was. It was like he was a black spot of filth on a white canvas, but somehow she felt the black hate that engulfed his mind was not of his making. She felt there was a light somewhere inside him that was the true him underneath all the darkness. She could not let Yami go through this alone. During that ceremony, they promised to be there for each other through and through. She was not going to break that now.
She pulled on a few of her linen robes. The gash in her side was searing again, but she ignored it. She was not going to let a small wound like that stop her now. Her hand was almost healed. At least she had it to fight with if everything came to a head. She went over to a large, wooden chest in the corner of their room and pulled off the lid. She reached in and pulled out the long, silver sword that Yami had given her the day she became head of the guard. She put it around her, and headed toward the door. She slowly crept down the stairs to hear yelling coming from the main hall. She sliently walked to the door, but before she could open it and go inside, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You cannot go in there, Ateyda," she turned to see Lamasse holding her back. He had bandages over his wounds much like she had, and he was leaning on a crutch, "You will be in danger if you go in there."
"I will not let Yami go into a fight alone," she said a turned back to the door. He maintained a firm hand on her shoulder. She whipped out her sword and pointed its end toward him, "I hate to do this to you, Lamasse, but that is my king in there, and no one will keep me from fighting by his side." He loosened his grip on her. He had a very solemn and sad expression.
"As you wish, your majesty," he said turning around and walking away.
"Lamasse, I did not mean it. . .," she called out to him.
"Goodnight," he said quietly. He did not call her by her name. He was disappointed that she reacted to him in that way. She hated to leave him on bad terms to fight, but perhaps she could reconcile with him after Seto paid.
Yami and Seto were standing facing each other. The other priests stood back, but with their monsters ready. It seemed that Yami had told them to stay back. She even saw her brother standing with them. He had a monster by his side as well, but it had been years since she had seen it. She only saw it one other time in her life. It was a very powerful monster that he rarely ever let see the light of day. The legendary demon he called "Summoned Skull" stood beside him awaiting a command of action. Yami and Seto also had their monsters out. A monstrous white dragon was curled around Seto looking menacingly at Yami. Yami was facing him with no fear in his eyes. He had what looked like a version of Mahaado's magician beside him, but as she walked closer, she saw it was Mahaado himself.
"Mahaado?!," Ateyda cried running forward, but before she could get very far, the Pharaoh's right hand man, Shimon, held her back.
"You must not interfere. It is too dangerous," he said.
"What happened to Mahaado?!," she yelled at him.
"Ateyda!," Yami called out, "What are you doing down here! I told you to stay upstairs!"
She looked up at him and saw both fire and a deep fear in his eyes. She scared him to death by being down here. "What happened to Mahaado?!," she cried.
Shimon pulled her back away from the fight, "My Queen, please, Mahaado went after Bakura after the tournament games. Before you had awoke, Bakura made an attack on the palace. He demanded to fight the Pharaoh and the rights to you."
"The rights to me?!," she asked confused. What did Bakura want with her?
"Bakura wanted to make you pay for defeating him in front of the entire kingdom, but at the same time he wanted the power of the millennium items. He thought if he defeated the Pharaoh that he would get his throne, the millennium items, and the right to condemn you. The Pharaoh prevailed in the end, of course, but Mahaado was furious that Bakura disgraced the royal family. He went to kill him, but in the end, it was Mahaado that had to do the sacrificing."
"Shimon! Take Ateyda out of here!," Yami yelled out to him.
"No!," Ateyda said and broke Shimon's grip, "I will not!"
"Ateyda. . .," Seto's voice echoed across the ring to her. She turned to look at him, but she had never seen him like this before. On the outside he looked completely fine and even attractive, but she could see something in his mind that was black and disgusting. His true mind was being blocked. She was sure of it now.
"Yami, I will not let you do this alone," Ateyda said as she started to approach Seto.
"Ateyda, stop!," Yami yelled.
"Ateyda. . .," Seto said again. He suddenly yelled and gripped his head as if he expected it to split open, "No! I can't! No!"
"Seto, what is going on?," Ateyda asked him cautiously.
"Stop! No! I won't do it!," he continued to yell without even acknowledging her presence, but his lips were not moving.
"Seto, who are you talking to?," she asked him again. She walked slowly up to him and touched his cheek. She felt a jolt and could sense the voices in his mind. He was not yelling audibly. It was an internal struggle.
"Kill her," a raspy voice taunted him.
"No! I won't! I can't! Not her!," he screamed.
"Do it now. She's within your reach. Kill her, then finish off the Pharaoh."
"Stop it! I can't!"
"Then I will do it for you!"
Seto suddenly looked over at her with such hate in his eyes that she gasped and stepped back. She started to back away from him when he turned completely toward her, "Blue Eyes White Dragon, destroy her!"
Before she could react she felt the immense power of the blast attack, but it stopped and instead evaporated all around her. She looked up to see Yami's Kuribohs blocking Seto's attack. He had summoned them in front of her before the attack could kill her. The Summoned Skull then walked in front of her to protect her. Mito was standing by her side making sure Seto's attacks did not hit her.
"Mito, if your ka is destroyed, then it will physically hurt you," Ateyda warned him, "You can't do that."
"I have to protect my little sister," he said giving her a glare, "I wasn't here for all those years, but I am now."
"Mitonen, you don't have to make up for all those years. I don't need protection!"
"Seto," Yami said with hate burning in every bated breath, "How dare you try to attack her. I will not forgive you."
"And neither will I," Mito voiced.
"You think I care what the two of you think?," he hissed, "I'm here to defeat an enemy, not make alliances. Now, attack my Blue Eyes with White Lightning!"
Instead of the dragon attacking the Mahaado magician, it attacked Mito's Summoned Skull. Mito was knocked off his feet. Ateyda was wide open, but Yami was standing ready. Mito slowly got to his feet, but was staggering. Ateyda closed her eyes tight. She had never done it before, but she knew the ka in her mind had never been extracted. If she could look into people's memories, hear their thoughts, then maybe she could search her own mind as well. Memories of her life flashed before her, every emotion to be felt ran through her as she searched until she hit one very dark, unused corner that held immense power. With all of the concentration her mind could possibly process, she unlocked the ka inside her.
A large sorcerer appeared in front of her. She heard murmurs from the priests. A magician and Maha Vailo swept through the mingled whispers. She did it. She could not believe it, but she had summoned the ka from her mind. The only thing left to do was figure out how to use it. This sort of battle she had never participated in. It was her brother that was skilled in it. She did not know how long her ka would last if Seto decided to attack it, but at least it was some sort of protection.
Mito came from behind her, "Have it protect you."
"What?," she asked.
"Just command it to defend," he instructed.
"Um. . . Defend," she called out to the magician monster. It went into a defensive position, "Wow."
"You need to pull back," Mito said, "You don't need to be in the line of fire. I know you want to be by Yami's side, but it is harder on him to defeat Seto if he is worrying about you."
"I. . .," she started.
"No arguments," he replied sternly. He had never been so strict with her, but then again he knew what he was doing in this much more than she did. She backed up away from the battle field, and the so called Maha Vailo magician followed maintaining its defense. Ateyda saw there were large bruises and cuts all over Mito.
"What happened?," she asked.
"Do not worry about it," he replied, "With a powerful monster like that dragon, I should be thankful it did not do worse."
"You need to take her down first," a voice said. It was the same voice she had heard in Seto's mind.
"Attack her when the Pharaoh is not expecting it. When he is weak, you may finish him off easily."
"Mito," she whispered, "He is going to attack me. What do I do?"
"Do not worry," he replied, "He won't. His attention is on the Pharaoh."
"You have to trust me, Mito," she begged, "He's going to attack me."
"Pharaoh," Seto called out, "You had better prepare yourself. For my monster far outdoes your own."
"You see?," Mito said trying to calm her, "He will not attack you."
"Kill her."
"Mito," she began.
"Hush, Ateyda," he whispered, "Yami will defeat him. Do not worry."
"Now my dragon, attack!," Seto yelled. Just as Ateyda had expected the blast came directly her way. Mito yelled something, but she could not hear it as the attack collided with her ka. She was thrown from her feet just as Mito had been. Everything became fuzzy, and she could not see clearly. She saw Mito above her saying something. She could see his lips move, but could not hear him. He kept glancing down at her. She attempted to look down herself, but he kept her gaze toward him. His voice slowly started to become audible.
". . . don't give up. Keep your eyes on me," he was coaxing her, "Don't look down, just keep looking at me." But it was then that she felt it. The gash in her side had completely ripped across the whole front of her stomach. The warm liquid that gushed from it was now making a gory bed for her. She knew there was nothing anyone could do. Yami rushed to her side.
"Ateyda!," he cried as he reached her.
"I'm sorry, Ateyda," Mito cried, "I did not think he would do it. I'm so sorry."
She smiled at them, "Do not worry. Mito, this was not your fault. Yami, I'm only sorry I didn't get to help you. I let you down."
"Ateyda, please don't," Yami cried. The kohl around his eyes started to run.
"I'm sorry, Yami," she said as the pain started to ebb away, "Next time, I promise I will not let you down. I promise to protect you forever." And as the pain slowly started to fade, so did she.
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I know this chapter was kinda short, but I just couldn't stand to just continue on to the next chapter. I really wanted to end it here, but the next chapter is coming very soon. Maybe even tomorrow. Thanks a lot you guys! And a big huge thanks to Black-Rose-Of-Death, who will be my beta-reader for all coming duels! Glomp Read & Review!
