Ok Everyone. I am so sorry it took me so long to update. But I didn't have the Internet for like 2 years… ok so maybe it was only 2 weeks but it seemed like years. Also I wanted the ending to be really good. So here it is: the last chapter, combined with the previous chapter it's about 24 pages long. Enjoy, and check my profile other stories you might like.
The Dark Side of Love Part II
Anzu sneaked past the orderlies in the hospital. She needed to find Shizuka; she had a feeling the evil she sensed had something to do with her. She slipped on her school uniform jacket and walked through the sliding glass doors. She knew her parents wouldn't approve of her walking out of the hospital without telling them but she couldn't waste time.
Anzu quickly walked down the street towards Yugi's house. She just hoped Jonouchi was still there. She suddenly stopped at the corner of the block. Maybe she should try going to Shizuka's house first. She was bound to home, it was getting late and Shizuka's mom was a little over protective. "Wait. Jonouchi said this morning that he couldn't find Shizuka at school. That could mean that she wasn't at school today," she said thinking out loud. Where would she be? She wasn't the type to skip school.
Anzu spotted a payphone at the gas station across the street. When the light changed she crossed the street and dug around in her pockets until she found some change. She dialed Yugi's number, the phone rang but no one was answering. "Come on Yugi…pick up…" she said glancing around at her surroundings.
Yugi's voice laughed as he picked up the phone, "hello?"
"Yugi? This is Anzu."
"Oh hey Anzu. How's the hospital food?" he joked.
"Yugi, is Jonouchi there with you?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Tell him to stay there ok? I'll be over soon."
"Ok, but why? Aren't you still in the hospital?"
Anzu hung up before she gave him an answer. She just needed to find Shizuka…and Kaiba. She hated that something had to happen to him, and she hated that she thought about the phone call that sent her to the hospital. She was almost certain that Bakura had something to do with it. He did ask what she would do if he disappeared. And his Yami was back. The thought of what happened to her during Duelist Kingdom made her stomach turn. She knew with his Yami back there were innocent souls in danger. She kept her pace quick as she walked down the street to Yugi's house. Fortunately the Game Shop was close to the hospital. She just hoped that she could find Shizuka in time…
From Shizuka's POV…Shizuka gasped and covered her mouth. "It's not possible…you can't…" She stared into the sea green eyes she had fallen in love with. Her Leader, the one that had initiated her into the coven, followed her home, and promised her anything she wanted, was none other than Duke Devlin…
Shizuka fell to her knees. How was it possible? She must have been seeing things; her Leader couldn't possibly be Duke. She rubbed her eyes and then looked back up. It was no use. Her Leader was Duke. "Why…" she asked softly.
One of the robed men ran to her and placed their arm around her. "I'm sorry Shizuka… I truly am…"
Shizuka's heart stopped. "Raven?" she asked hoping she was wrong. Raven removed her hood, it was her. She looked different; her black hair was longer and her light brown eyes seemed to now be dark black. She looked as if she had been crying. "You knew the whole time?" she asked softly.
"Shizuka… let me explain. You don't understand—"
"Just tell me you didn't know…" she said with tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
Raven didn't respond, she just hugged Shizuka and cried. "I'm sorry…I should have told you…"
Shizuka pushed Raven off of her. "I trusted you." She stared at her angrily. She couldn't believe her best friend was lying to her the whole time. She told her everything, her deepest secrets and fears, and most of all gave her all her trust.
"Come now Raven, don't tell me that you have started to have feelings for this girl. I only used you to bring her to me," Duke said with a smug smile on his face. "You knew what you were supposed to do to get what you most desire. And I gave it to you."
"Shut up! I don't care anymore!" Raven stood up. "Shizuka is my best friend, and I won't let you hurt her."
Duke laughed, "are you forgetting that you are bound to me Raven. I own you." He outstretched his arm, "now come to me my Raven," he commanded.
Raven seemed to move on no accord of her own. Shizuka stood up and noticed that Raven still had tears coming from her eyes. Maybe she truly was sorry. "Duke?" she asked softly. She looked away when she saw him caressing Raven's face. "Could you let Raven go?"
He pushed her onto the robed man that stood on the right of him. "I thought you wanted my love?"
Shizuka took a deep breath, "I do, but I can't stand to see my friends in pain." She bit her lower lip, "so could you please let her go?" she requested softly.
"Why do you care so much for this girl? She's not even human." Duke stepped closer, "I don't understand. She lied to you Shizuka. You told her everything and she kept everything from you, yet you want to free her." He removed his cloak and tossed it to the floor. "You only get one request Adamo… and you wish to waste it on her?" Shizuka nodded.
"Shizuka don't! Don't worry about me please! Just run as fast as you can away from here! It's not safe!" Raven pleaded.
Shizuka stared at her friend, then at Duke. "I want you to free her. Free Raven," she said softly. She felt sorry for her. She didn't fully understand what was going on, but she did know a friend was in need of help. So she was willing to give up her wish. It was selfish enough for her to have come this far, this way she could at least partly make up for her deeds.
"NO!" Raven screamed. "She's lying to you!" she screamed to Duke. She tried to pull free from the robed man that was holding her but he was too strong. "Don't do it Shizuka! The only way you can free me is if you take my place, I won't let you!" she cried and fell to her knees.
"I want to know why Duke, why would you do all this?" Shizuka asked as she stared at the ground.
"Because I was forced to…" Duke answered.
"Alright Devlin. You have served you purpose," the robed man holding Raven said.
Duke fell forward into Shizuka's arms and she knelt to the floor as she guided him down. "What? I don't understand…I thought you…" She stared down at him lying peacefully on her chest. He looked like he was asleep. She stroked his head, "Duke speak to me, and tell me what's happening." Shizuka felt the ground shifting beneath her; she also noticed the air changing. The walls around her disappeared and were replaced by dark purple walls of foreboding. She recognized where she had experienced this before. It was during Battle City when Bakura took her and all her friends to the Shadow Realm during his duel against Yugi. But that side of Bakura was gone, wasn't it? She held Duke tighter in her arms, "I'm scared Duke…please help me…" Her teardrops fell on his face, she was scared and now she feared she had made a big mistake.
From Anzu's POV…Anzu pounded down the sidewalk quickly, she didn't realize it would take this long to walk a few blocks. Her head was still throbbing from the concussion she received in the back of her head. She stopped and leaned against a bus stop bench to take a break, the back of her head had so much pain she could barely focus on walking. The group of kids that waited for the bus stared at her oddly. Anzu understood, the way she stumbled around probably made her look like she was drunk. At the moment however, she didn't care what people thought of her. She used all the strength she had and continued to walk down the street.
When Anzu reached Yugi's house she went around the back and rang the doorbell. Yugi's mother opened the door. "Anzu? You're supposed to be in the hospital. What are you doing here?"
Anzu walked up the small steps that led into the house. I have to talk to Yugi and…" she trailed off and held onto the kitchen table for support. She could feel unconsciousness trying to take a hold of her again, but she wouldn't give in. Not until she warned her friends about Bakura and his Yami spirit. She forced herself to walk into the living room to tell her friends what was going on.
"Anzu!" Yugi called out as she walked into the living room.
"I need you to warn you about…" Anzu tried to say but she trailed off and fell backwards. She felt someone catch her and place her on the couch. Anzu fought hard to stay conscience; she needed to tell them what she knew. "You guys," she said with a weak voice. "I have to tell you… Bakura…his Yami is back… he came to me in the hospital and I think he wanted to kill me…"
"What are you talking about Anzu?" Jonouchi asked her.
Anzu partially opened her eyes but she couldn't hold them open long. "I think it has to do with…Shizuka… and Seto…"
"We don't understand what you're saying Anzu," Yugi said softly. "You said Bakura's evil side was back and he came to you in the hospital?" Anzu nodded. "Ok, so what does that have to do with Shizuka and Kaiba?"
"I… don't…" She breathed heavily. She wished she had taken the medicine the nurse gave to her to suppress the pain she was going through, but she didn't want anything that would make her sleepy so she refused it. "Seto…I don't know… but Shizuka, I think it has to do with the… coven she joined with that friend of hers…"
"Raven?" Jonouchi asked.
Anzu nodded. "Do you know…where she is…"
"My mother said she was sleeping over at Raven's house for the weekend." Jonouchi paused. "I haven't seen her all day…"
"Is there anyway we can reach her?" Yugi asked.
"No," he responded. "I don't know where Raven lives. Come to think about it… I don't know much about her at all."
"No one does Jonouchi," Anzu said as she sat up. "Is there anyway we could find her?"
"Not sure," Yugi responded. He held the gold puzzle around his neck. So many times his Yami had saved him and showed him the way to go. Maybe he can help out now as well. "Hey guys, what if I ask the Pharaoh for help? He might be able to find Bakura."
"I thought we were looking for Shizuka?" Honda said as he scratched his head.
"I think wherever Shizuka is, Bakura is somewhere close by… and I think Seto is with them," Anzu said. "Try asking Yugi."
Yugi closed his eyes and held his puzzle in the palm of his hands. It shined golden-yellow throughout the room. "I know where they are," the Pharaoh said with full confidence.
From Shizuka's POV…Bakura let his servant Raven fall to the floor. He had revealed himself as the true leader of the coven Shizuka joined. She still sat on the floor with Duke lying unconscious in her arms. She still had no idea what was going on and she felt alone. "Why are you doing this?"
"For power, why else?" Raven said as she crawled to her knees. "Shizuka, I'm truly sorry… I didn't mean for—"
Bakura stepped on Raven's back making her collide with the ground. "Would you shut up! Damn, why did I give you feelings and morals? I should have left you mindless when I created you."
"Stop it!" Shizuka cried. "You told me you would free her. So please stop it!" She lowered her head as tears ran down her face. "Let Raven go," she pleaded.
"Oh. That's right. I did promise that…" He lifted his foot from off her back. "Well you can have her. I'm done with her."
"Raven!" Shizuka called out. She set Duke down carefully then ran to her friend. Raven sat up and hugged her tightly. "Are you ok?" she asked returning her hug.
"Shizuka why did you save me? I told you to run."
She smiled slightly, "because you're my best friend."
"Isn't this sweet… the little girls getting along," Bakura snickered. Somehow he had moved from next to Raven, to next to Kaiba and Duke. "I want to thank you Shizuka, you brought me Seto Kaiba. However, it wasn't apart of my plan. I could care less about him." He smiled and cocked his head back, "what I wanted was you."
"I won't let you hurt her Bakura," Raven said bravely. "I will protect her."
Bakura laughed in a sinister way, "do you really believe that Raven? I may have given you some of my power, but you can't possibly think that I would let you ruin my plans for my dear Adamo, do you?"
Raven closed her eyes then stood up and faced her creator. She stretched her arms strait above her head and concentrated the power that ran through her body. Black, angel like wings sprouted from her back, ripping through her clothes. A black ball of power encircled around her hands as Shizuka watched in disbelief. "Ancient Spirits, hear my plea, Protect us please!" As she shouted the words, a transparent black shield appeared around them. Raven fell backwards, in what seemed like slow motion, into Shizuka's arms.
"Raven! Are you ok?" She nodded. "How did you do… What did you do?…"
"You can't possibly believe that little power will save you, do you?" Bakura asked rhetorically. "Come now my pet," he shook his head. "Well, if you must try…" He stared devilishly at Shizuka, "it's only a matter of time before I have your soul."
Shizuka's heart beat rapidly. What did he mean by that? Did he plan to take her soul, but what for? She couldn't possibly have a powerful inner self, could she? She was shy, weak, and quiet that's why she got picked on at school, she couldn't help it; this was just who she was. But what Bakura said to her still made her feel on edge, she has gotten so many people involved in her problems and she regretted all of it. "Raven, tell me what's going on. What does he want with me?"
Raven sat up and faced her friend. "Shizuka, Bakura wants your soul because it's pure. He had me follow you for a long time before I approached you." She looked away from her, "he wanted to find out your weakness… that night at the dance with Duke is when Bakura took his soul."
Shizuka gasped and covered her mouth. "No…no…" she shook her head as tears once again formed in her eyes. "He couldn't have…he's been so nice to me…" She caught a glimpse of sorrow Raven's eyes, so she let her continue.
"I'm sorry, but that night Bakura did take his soul and has been controlling him ever since." She glanced up at the barrier protecting them, it was starting to crack, and she knew it was because of her master. "With Duke under his control he knew you would fall for all my lies." She lowered her head. "He knew, when the time came, you wouldn't choose a selfish wish." Raven glanced at the barrier again, it was breaking and it was only a matter of time before Bakura broke through entirely.
"But I still don't understand why Bakura made me go through everything. The incitation, where he told me to purify myself in water, then he carved something in my forehead… and promised me anything I wanted. And then he made me bring Kaiba to him, why did he do that?" Shizuka asked partly angry with herself for even falling for all of his lies.
"For amusement," Raven responded softly. "He doesn't care who he hurts in the process, and yet, I lo—" she stopped herself and laughed softly. "Do you know what I asked him to do for me?" Shizuka shrugged. "To give me a soul… along with a body…" she half-heartedly laughed and stared at the ground. "I'm not even human, but I still get feelings like you do…"
Shizuka touched her shoulder. She didn't care if Raven was human or not, all she knew was that she had a true friend. "Is there anyway we can defeat Bakura?" she whispered.
"You can Shizuka…" The barrier around them shattered, which filled the area around them with the sounds of glass breaking. "Your heart and soul is pure, that's what makes it powerful…" Raven clutched her heart in pain. "That's why Bakura wants it, he wants to use…I tried to tell you in a dream you had…" she held herself up by resting her hands on the ground.
"Raven…" Shizuka said softly. She knew her friend was hurting but she couldn't do anything to help her. It reminded her of the incident on the roof of their school. A cold chill ran through her body, she didn't know why—no… deep inside she knew, her friend would be leaving her soon. She swallowed hard; she knew this was the end. There was no way she could defeat Bakura alone, and save Duke, Kaiba, and Raven. She glanced in Bakura's direction, Kaiba was lying on ground and she knew his soul was gone. Bakura was now walking towards them, and Shizuka was scared of what he might do so she looked down at the ground. "Raven!" she screamed. They both sat in a pool of Raven's blood.
"I guess this is where we say 'good-bye' to each other Shizuka… I tried to protect you… but I knew I couldn't protect you forever…" Raven coughed up blood then fell into her friend's arms, unable to hold herself up on her own accord anymore.
"Don't say that Raven," Shizuka cried. She rested her head on hers. "You can't die… I need your help… I'm scared…"
Raven wrapped her wings around Shizuka. "Don't be scared Shizuka… you have what it takes to defeat him…" Tears ran down her face, but she was too weak to even wipe them. "Promise me something Shizuka…"
"What?" she whispered.
"Promise me that you will save them…" She took a breath, "…and promise that you will find it in your heart to forgive me…" she said with her last breath then gave into the darkness that was death.
"I do forgive you Raven…" Shizuka cried. "How can I save them all? I don't know how…" she whispered to herself out loud.
"Well Adamo, it looks like you have lost just about everyone close to you. All because you had to have a boy love you," Bakura said hovering over her. "All because you had to be selfish." He raised an eyebrow, "did you truly want him to love you after losing all your friends? Then again, you did ask to free my little pet bird." He knelt down in front of her to be on her level and stroked Raven's hair. "I knew you would become close to her, I just didn't think she would in turn become close to you…" He stared at her with piercing eyes. "I don't want to hurt you my precious Adamo, so give up your soul peacefully and I promise not to hurt you."
"No!" Shizuka said bravely. "What gives you the right to decide who gets to keep their soul or not?" She glanced at Raven, "it's not fair."
"No one ever said life would be fair," he said softly then his voiced changed back to the evil attitude he had before. "I will take your soul by force then!" he yelled as he stood up. He backed up slightly, and then closed his eyes. "But first…" he said calmly. "I must first get rid of my 'little distraction'." Bakura outstretched his arm toward her and Raven slowly disappeared in Shizuka's arms.
Shizuka watched in horror as her best friend just disappeared in front of her. "No…" she said softly. "I didn't get to say good-bye…" She wrapped her arms around herself and cried softly. Why did all this have to happen to her? All she wanted was the boy she loved to love her back, that's all. But now, she had to watch her friend die and disappear from existence. How could she let this happen? And now she would loose her soul to an evil spirit.
"You'll be with her soon—that is what I want to say. But I would be lying." He walked closer to her. "You see my dear Adamo, little birds don't have souls, so when she died there was nowhere for her to go," he smirked. Bakura was close to her now, he didn't take his evil eyes off of her, and neither did his voice waver. Yami Bakura was in total control of everything around him, no one could possibly stop his immense power he had secretly gained by having two different Millennium Items.
Shizuka's eyes shook slightly as she stared into his brown eyes. A million thoughts flashed through her head. She wished she had a chance to say 'good-bye' to her brother, her mother, and even her father. She loved them all, each in different ways. Katsuya, for always being there for her; her mother, for her warm smile and love she always gave to her; and her father for taking care of her brother. Even if she didn't get along with all of them sometimes and fought with them, they were her family and she loved them and she knew they loved her too. She really wanted to see them one last time, them and her friends: Anzu, Yugi, and Honda. They always accepted her as their friend, even before they met her, and they were so kind to her after her operation. She liked that memory most of all. Then, of course, there was Duke, the love of her life. He had been under Bakura's spell since after the dance they shared together, that still didn't make sense to her, she never noticed a change in his behavior. He was still kind to her and didn't treat her like a child. He treated her like a girl he wanted to date but couldn't bring himself to say the words. At the concert, he told her that he wanted to get to know her better and take her someplace special. Why would he say that if he were under Bakura's spell?
"Because, my love giver," Bakura cut in answering her thoughts. "I wanted him to say such things to you."
"I…how…?" she couldn't form a sentence to ask he had known what she was thinking about.
"How did I hear your thoughts? Because Shizuka, you are in my playing field: The Shadow Realm. Your thoughts aren't your own; they are said out loud. You can't keep anything from me." Bakura stepped closer as she stepped back. "I know your every secret, your every fear, I even know what makes you happy." A slight smirk came over his face. "Devlin… isn't he what you want? To love you, to be with you, marry you, you'd do anything for him… even give him your virginity…"
Shizuka covered her ears and screamed, "shut up! Stop it! You know nothing about me!"
"Shhh…Shizuka… it's ok. I'm here for you." Duke wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "I love you Shizuka… I promise to stay here with you."
Shizuka relaxed and looked behind her slightly. Duke was standing behind her with his arms pulling her closer to his cold body. "Duke…you feel so…so cold…" she said softly. "This isn't real…it's all—"
Bakura clenched the top of her head, pulling her hair. "Your soul belongs to me now!"
"No! Don't!" she screamed. "Duke help me please!" she pleaded. Shizuka felt a surge of energy flowing through her body then just as it rose to its peak, it was sucked away. To her, it seemed like her whole life energy was being taken from her. She screamed in pain and sorrow, but the Duke being controlled by Bakura, wouldn't let her go. She felt her legs go limp, and then an outpouring of numbness came over her entire body. She fell backwards, but Duke held her up. Her vision blurred, as everything around her was turning black. "Katsuya…I'm sorry," she whispered. She closed her eyes and gave into the darkness that called her to the other side.
--:0:--
Shizuka's mother sat in the kitchen staring at a framed picture of her daughter. She hadn't seen her since this morning when she left for school. Something about her seemed different; it was how she said 'good-bye'. She had said it in such a sad way. Earlier when her mother called the number Raven gave to her, it said it wasn't in service. Then when she drove by the address that was where her daughter was supposed to be, she found out it was a fake address.
Her mother knew she didn't like going to school, something inside her told her that maybe that had to do with her running away. "She wouldn't do that…" she said softly to herself. "Then again… she tried the same thing when I divorced her father and separated her from her brother." Tears fell from her eyes and her heart sank. Something inside of her told her that she was going to never see her daughter again. She picked up the phone and dialed her neighbor Ty'.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Shizuka's mother answered the door quickly. Ty was dressed in her purple pajamas with a purple robe around her. "Ty' could you possibly stay here and wait for Shizuka's call? Just incase she calls…"
"Of course. Do you know where she is?"
"No," she said grabbing her purse and keys off the little table by the door. "I'm not sure, but I want to drive around and see if I can find her." She put on her jacket and slipped on her shoes.
"Ok. Don't you worry, I'll wait here until she either comes home or calls."
"Thank you so much Ty'. You can reach me on my cell phone. And help yourself to anything in the refrigerator," she said as she left out the door.
She drove around the streets of Domino slowly, carefully checking every side of the street for her daughter. "Maybe the reason she ran away was because of school," she thought. "I did push her to skip a grade and told her that it was ok not to have friends in her class." She sighed, "or maybe she misses her brother, she hasn't visited him in while, maybe that's why she left me…" She suddenly slammed on her breaks. She was sure she just saw her son running down the street with his friends. She did a quick U-turn and parked her car. She jumped out quickly and ran in the direction she saw them run. "Katsuya!" she yelled towards him.
Jonouchi turned around surprised to see his mother chasing after him. "Mom?"
She threw her arms around him, "Oh Katsuya, I can't find Shizuka… please tell me you know where she is." She cried on his shoulder, "I think she ran away…"
Jonouchi reassured his mother, he didn't have the heart to tell her what she was really doing. "I know where she is mom, and she's ok…"
"Where is she?" she pleaded.
"She's… at Yugi's house. She wanted to learn how to duel… she's fine mom really," he lied.
"But why would she lie? And why aren't you with her?" she asked wiping her nose.
"Just don't worry about her mom, she'll be back by morning. I promise," he said sincerely. He held his mother in his arms and looked up at the night sky. "Shizuka…"
--:0:--
"Shizuka …Shizuka …Shizuka? Can you hear me Shizuka?" a woman's voice softly asked.
Shizuka regained consciousness but didn't open her eyes. Was everything she went through just a dream? No. She knew better. Was she dead? Bakura took her soul so she shouldn't be in any after life because she had nowhere to go. The voice she heard was soft and calming, just like her mother's sweet voice. She would give anything to hear it again. She opened her eyes slowly and everything came into focus. She was lying on the shore of the beach. How was that possible? She was just with Bakura in the shadow realm. Was this heaven, her version of heaven? The place she always enjoyed going to with her brother?
"So you are awake," the voice said behind her. "Good, we have things to discuss."
Shizuka stood up and turned around. Before her stood a woman dressed in an all white flowing gown with a transparent veil to cover her face. "Who are you?"
She laughed a little, "you don't know? I am the one that lives inside of you, the one that entered your body during the ceremony." She stepped closer. "The one Bakura is afraid of."
"Ok... How is it that I'm alive?"
"You're not—not really. You're in a different realm. I saved you so that you can defeat Bakura and return to your friends and family. They're all very worried about you Shizuka." She extended her hand, but Shizuka stepped back. "Oh, still don't trust me?" she smiled.
"It's not that… it's just I don't know what to think…" Shizuka bit her lower lip, "is Raven ok, did you save her too?"
"I don't want you worrying about now. Right now I have to send you back to earth so you can save your friends."
"I don't know how! I can't!" she cried.
The woman touched her shoulder. "Shizuka, you don't realize how powerful you are. Your heart and soul is pure. Bakura couldn't take that part away from you. During the ceremony, a seed of evil was planted in your heart, but it never flourished. You are too kind and giving. Trust me," she smiled. "I will help you. All you have to do is believe in yourself."
Shizuka was still unsure. Could she really trust this woman? She didn't know who she was but she has seen her before, in her reflection sometimes. Was this woman her inner self? But how was it possible for her to defeat Bakura? She sighed, she had to brave, like her brother and Raven. After all, she promised Raven that she would save them all. "What do I have to do?" she asked cautiously.
The woman smiled, "trust in me and more importantly, trust in yourself. Are you ready to go back?" Shizuka nodded. "Wonderful. Now, pray with me."
Shizuka closed her eyes and interlaced her fingers together. She prayed that she would return to earth and save everyone that she cared about. She also prayed that her family wouldn't worry about her. She felt a surge of energy underneath her feet, which made her feel like she was floating. She felt herself join with her body in the shadow realm. She opened her eyes and saw Bakura still in front of her, trying to steal her soul. "Bakura…"
His eyes widened at the sound of his name coming from her lips. "It isn't possible… I'm supposed to own your soul!"
"You can't own something that was never yours to begin with Bakura," she responded casually.
"Do you really think I'll let you go Shizuka?" Bakura said throwing her to the ground. Something in her eyes made him back up. "You…"
"I'm not afraid of you Bakura. Not anymore." Shizuka stood up and bravely confronted him. "I know you're afraid of me, now that I know how powerful I truly am."
He laughed menacingly, "me afraid of you? Come now, that's the biggest load of bull I've ever heard." His eyes narrowed. "How do you plan to kill me?"
"I don't. I'm just going to seal your Yami spirit away Bakura." She stepped closer. "I will pray for the best." Shizuka put her hands together and interlocked her fingers. She began to pray so that the good side of Bakura could be saved, while the evil side would be sealed away. "Pray hard Shizuka, his power is strong, but you are stronger…" the inner voice inside her told her. She could feel Bakura trying to reach inside her again to gain her soul, but she wouldn't let him. She made a promise to a friend, and she was determined to keep it.
Bakura stumbled back and his eyes widened. "This isn't possible… you can't…" He wrapped his arms around himself and curled up into a ball. "I won't let you win Bakura…Shizuka! I've worked too hard for this!" He fell to his knees and started to have trouble breathing. He was loosing the control he had over Bakura and the Millennium Items. "I can't loose the souls I've already taken… I can't lose…everything I've done…" He fell to the floor, "I can't…"
Shizuka opened her eyes for a second; she noticed that the dark clouds of the shadow realm were disappearing. She smiled slightly, it was over, and she won. Her arms slowly fell to her side; she had used all her energy to defeat the Yami in Bakura. "You've done well Shizuka," the inner voice said to her. She turned around and stared at Duke, he started to move. "Duke you're…ok…" she smiled. As she took a step towards him, she fell to floor and fainted.
--:0:--
Anzu arrived at the park with her friends. It was almost daybreak, and there still was no sign Kaiba or Shizuka. The Pharaoh led them to the park and said he sensed Bakura's Yami fade out somewhere close by. "I don't see them guys…" she said nervously. She glanced around quickly. "Maybe we should split up and look for them," she suggested.
"I didn't think it would be this hard… I figured we'd just have to look for the purple shadow realm cloud thing," Honda shrugged.
"Everything is fine guys," a familiar voice said behind them. Everyone turned around to find Duke standing behind them carrying Shizuka in his arms. "She saved us all," he smiled. He set her down in the grass gently.
She took a sigh of relief; at least she knew Shizuka was safe. "What about Seto?" Anzu asked worried.
"I'm fine Anzu," Kaiba said taking her hand.
Anzu threw her arms around her boyfriend knocking him to the ground. "Oh Seto! I didn't know what happened to you! I love you so much Seto." She touched his face and looked into his deep blue eyes. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too Anzu." He caressed her face with the back of his hand. "I like you in this position," he smirked. "Spend the weekend with me?" Anzu nodded then kissed him passionately.
"I guess they forgot we're standing here, huh Jonouchi?" Yugi said as he scratched his head.
"I guess," he rolled his eyes. "The last thing I wanna watch is them having sex."
"You wouldn't say that if you had someone Katsuya," Mai said as she walked up behind him.
"Mai? I thought you were comforting my mother?" Jonouchi asked.
"I was, but she fell asleep so I thought I'd come and find you," Mai smiled.
"How did you find us?" Yugi asked.
Mai clutched onto Jonouchi's arm. "My love for Katsuya," she winked.
"Mai?" he blushed. "Do you really mean that?"
She stepped back. "After last night you still have to ask?"
Everyone looked at each other oddly. Yugi broke the silence, "uhhh… has anyone seen Bakura?"
"Yeah, he's over here Yugi," Honda said sitting him up next to a tree. "I think he's gonna be alright."
Anzu walked over to Shizuka, she was still unconscious. Anzu knelt down to her level and touched Shizuka's head with the back of her hand. "Do you think she'll be ok?"
"Yeah," Duke smiled. "I think she'll be ok. She's just been through a lot."
Shizuka moved slightly and squinted her eyes; a soft moan pasted her lips as she became fully aware of where she was. When she opened her eyes she saw Duke hovering over her with her favorite smile on his face. "Duke?" He nodded. She sat up and threw her arms around him. She started to sob as the memories of everything she went through came back to her. "Oh…Duke…I'm so…sorry… I just wanted…you to love me so bad…" she confessed finally. "I was afraid if you…loved anyone else… I wouldn't know what to do… I just love you so much… and I wanted you to be with me and no one else…" she cried.
Duke wrapped his arms around her and softly stroked her back. "Shizuka… it's ok. I understand." He kissed her forehead. "I just wish you would have told me sooner."
She sniffed and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "Why?"
Duke stood up and helped her stand up with him. "Because Shizuka," he tilted her head up towards his. "I love you too," he said sincerely.
"What? How could you… I…don't know…what to say…" she blushed. "Really?" Shizuka's heart fluttered for joy and her stomach filled with butterflies, this couldn't possibly be happening, could it?
Duke stroked her face softly, "really. I love you, I have for a while." He pulled her closer to his body, not caring who sees. "Will you go out with me Shizuka?"
Shizuka nodded with excitement, "yes Duke, I will." She placed her arms up and around his neck. "I will," she repeated. She gave into her emotions and pressed her lips to his. Enjoying the fact that her first kiss was with the boy she has loved for so long. She pulled back suddenly and giggled. "Sorry," she said shyly.
"That's ok," he laughed.
Shizuka hugged him tightly. "I want to be with you always…" she whispered. She noticed someone standing next to her that wasn't there a few seconds ago. She almost didn't recognize her but then she smiled, and Shizuka knew. It was Raven. She was in a white flowing gown with white wings, opposed to the black ones she had under Bakura's spell. Shizuka had saved her, she did have a soul and she would go to heaven. She mouthed 'good-bye' to her as tears of joy fell from her eyes.
Raven seemed to talk to her telepathically, "I'm glad you're happy Shizuka, thank you for saving me and the one I love… good-bye. I will always watch over you." She slowly disappeared but kept the smile on her face.
"No, I don't think so. Not with my sister!" Jonouchi said clenching his fists.
"Calm down Jonouchi," Yugi said trying to hold him back.
"But she's…and he's… they're…"
"Calm down dog boy," Kaiba said with a slight smirk.
"Yeah Katsuya, they're in love." Mai took his hand. "Like we are…" she smiled.
"Mai…" he said softly. He placed his arm around her waist. "I guess he'll be good to her…" He kissed her on the cheek.
The sun rose over the sea and everyone looked to the sunrise to welcome a new day.
THE END
So that's it. You've finally reached the end of my story. Thank you for reading my Fic, I hope you enjoyed ever dramatic moment, every twist and turn, and the ending. What did you think? Give me your most well thought out Review!
Explanations for a few things:
Formatting: For some strange reason doesn't always save the formatting I want. All the titles are supposed to be in italics, and all the author notes are supposed to be bold and italic. Same with the lyrics, so that's why in chapter 4 everything is kind of weird…
Anzu & Kaiba's relationship: I like to write about their relationship when they are already in love; I think that's when I write my best. :smiles: The reason they 'make love' a lot is because they're teenagers in love. :)
Shizuka's problems at school: I wanted to have some conflict for her because she needed a reason to join a coven. Usually, when girls aren't accepted by other girls, they do anything to fit in. So that's why she did what she did.
The Fabulous 5 Dance group: I wanted to show that Anzu had an ordinary life besides what was going on throughout the story. The actual Yu-gi-oh story is kinda like that. Yugi is just an ordinary duelist until he duels Kaiba and the story goes from there. That's what I was going for, ordinary life, then the magic and adventure comes in.
Raven/The woman who helped Shizuka: A girl who wandered the earth without a soul. Her only purpose was to help Bakura. However she ends up being saved by Shizuka, who was her best friend. If you couldn't figure it out: Raven was a bird turned human.
The woman who helped Shizuka was like a guardian spirit guiding her through her whole ordeal. It's mysterious how she came about, but she's supposed to be Shizuka's inner conscience.
Mai and Jonouchi's relationship: I just think they're cute together. :) :smiles: I wrote a story about them too.
I think that's it… if you have any more questions just ask in a review and I'll update this page. --DeadlybeautyGoddess