sighs i didn't mean to take this long updating, but this past week was homecoming week, and life has been especially crazy...at least this should be a longer chapter. hope u enjoy it Rockstar and KaTyA. ;)

otherwise, i see i confused some people with the last chapter. this one prolly won't be much better in that respect, but i'll clear up what i can.
to Cettie-girl - actually, that first part was about Kira. if you think back, Kira was beaten by her yami to the point where she was unconscious. that's where Bakura managed to get to her. But Ryou held Bakura back while Kali started to destroy her hikari. then yugi and yami showed up but were prevented from reaching kira by a force field ryou had set up. the mysterious little girl that pops up occasionally in the shadow realms appeared and told yugi to search deep in his mind to find the girl they were trying to save. so all this is sorta taking place in the subconsciousness of yugi and kira.
(sorry that's a sorta long and confusing explaination. i hope it helps but if u have any more questions, go ahead and email me at and i'll try to explain better)

also to Fyredra - well, it's not really Malik. i thought about bringing him into the story (i still might later) but i know next to nothing about his character :( you'll find out more about the mysterious guy in this chapter. he's sorta a character i made up, but he's supposed to be a little like death or a similar phantom. (my own twist on the grim reaper of the shadow realms i guess???)

and also to Tsurugi Princess and all those Bakura fans out there. you'll have to wait a little longer to see what's gonna happen to our beloved character. and believe me, it's gonna be an interesting struggle. i've saved Part 2 of my story for dealing mostly with that which will hopefully be starting in another couple chapters... this chapter mostly deals with the friendship between yugi and kira, but we won't abandon bakura-chan for much longer...

(wow, super long intro on my part, but hopefully, there's enough story to make up for it. well, now onto the good part and if you get really confused, just e-mail me and i'll do what i can to clear things up. once again, it's ) thanks and enjoy!)

Part 1 (Chapter 16) – Twisting Fate

The air around me, the magic of the world, the very essence of life was all being drawn into the stranger's sphere. It held all that was somehow sacred to me, and I knew in certainty, I must be a part of that. The golden eye glistened, capturing my will in its unearthly gaze. I watched my fingers mark their path through the air towards the golden glow. The tips were pale, without life or color. This new power was slowly draining it away, yet I moved ever closer. Then...

"Stop!!!"

I looked up to see which new voice had broken the air. An almost threatening hum came from the dark figure next to me, but I ignored any warning it might have included and approached the newcomer curiously.

The boy, as I could now see, was over a head shorter than my own mediocre height, and his spiked hair vibrated as he ran towards me. Fascinated by the peculiar sight, I watched beads of sweat form across his brow. Taking a couple deep breaths, the boy managed to catch enough air to speak. "Kira," he finally whispered hoarsely. "I knew it was you." I watched intensely as he gulped more air, then continued. "I'm here to help. You don't have to be afraid anymore. Just come with me."

I stared as the words sunk deep into the clouded reaches of my mind. "Who are you?"

The boy stopped mid-breath and gave a sharp look, "You don't recognize me?"

"I've never seen you before in my life."

"But Kira..."

"Who's Kira?"

The boy stared in obvious shock and astonishment at my question. I felt sorry for him, but I didn't know what else to say. I wanted to share my pity, but somehow, it was held back.

"She may not know you, but I do." The emptiness of the figure behind me started to swirl forward in agitation.

The boy started, "What the...?"

The dark stranger's presence began to hum around me, drawing heat into itself. I shivered in spite of my brave exterior, growing numb where I stood.

With closed eyes, the boy withstood the sharp wind that rushed past him, though his presence seemed fainter, as if his mind was far off. As the dark hum grew louder, the boy began to glow with a faint, golden light. Frowning, he opening his eyes once again and pointed accusingly to the stranger's staff. "So this is the form you have taken. Still, I recognize you now, Saishu, dealer of destiny!"

"Indeed," the darkness chuckled, "yet you cannot compare. I have watched you from afar for all the shortness of your little life. Your possession of that puzzle binds your fate to my power."

"That may be," consented the boy, "However, you are only a channel through which destiny completes its work, you are not destiny yourself."

"Fool. You are a poor excuse for the pharaoh. When it is your time, I will teach you not to make light of who I am."

"Perhaps," the boy returned. "But until then, your threats stand idle."

Without another word in response, Saishu lifted his staff, and it gleamed with a rainbow of magic. The millenium crest, imprinted on the front, flashed with a white light, then gathered to send a beam of pure energy at the boy. As I watched, the light kept the shape of the eye and entered a similar form on the golden pyramid the boy wore around his neck. As the extremity of that power flooded completely into him, the boy fell to his knees, clutching painfully at his own millenium object. Slowly, the magic faded, once again flowing back into Saishu's orb. The glow of the boy had greatly diminished.

Slowly and deliberately, the staff was lowered once again. Saishu's voice floated across the stilled air, showing a complete and total lack of any emotion. "In the future, perhaps you will not be so quick to challenge what you do not yet know. Now go. You have dwelt long in this place. Too long for one who has not been summoned. Few souls ever look on my being and live to remember it."

"No."

"Now you truly are an idiot. Go before there is more danger to your soul."

The boy stuck a finger in my direction. "I will not leave without her." I stared at him, confused, but the being behind me gave a laugh of disbelief.

"And maybe you will not live to gain the wisdom you are meant for. She must go with you willingly, and I don't believe she wants to. Her soul is out of your reach now. You must leave her to me."

What was going on? Was I mistaken or were they truly fighting over me? Who were these people? One like me, and the other almost supernatural. Both with powers beyond my what my reason could comprehend. Who was I that a strange boy cared so much for my fate, and what did this dark destiny have in mind for me anyways? Why could I not remember?

Tears. Running away. I'm frightened.

What's happening to me?

But he's coming. I can't stop to wonder now.

Who's coming? Why am I so afraid?

Eyes that gaze through my soul. They know every part of me. He will use that knowledge.

Now I see a shadow. Pointing. I look. Mist grows from a never-lit ground. A garden. A young boy stands in the middle, rags draped across his worn frame. His ghostly hair is matted with blood. His pain shows in his haunted expression. Almost unbearable. Stretching his fingers, he reaches for me.

My hand starts to find its way to him. Only inches from it's goal, I stop.

"No. I just can't trust you."

"Why?" The torture of his soul is all too evident in his emerald eyes.
I back up, my mouth opening in the voice of betrayal, "It's safer this way."

"Kira?" The voice was above me.

"Huh?" I look up only to find that I have curled into a small ball, my head tucked between my knees.

"Are you all right?" the boy asked me again. He hadn't left yet. He was truly concerned for me.

Strange things. Clothes that weren't mine. People thinking I'm somebody I'm not. But who is it that I am? I do know – I'm not a thief.

"You never really seemed like that type of girl."

"You didn't do anything, did you?"

"Of course not.....are you all right?"

No. I'm not all right. I can't remember.

"Kira?" he asked again.

I shook my head to clear it. "Flashes. Of something. I just wish I could remember what."

"Flashes?"

"People, places, words that sound strangely familiar," I explained.

"You'll remember," he assured me. Then, in a whisper, "You have to."

"You shouldn't be here...but I'm glad..."

"As long as Bakura doesn't come, I'll be fine."

Bakura. The name rang a bell and left a strange distaste in my mouth.

"The dark one..." I murmured, almost subconsciously, as my thoughts continued to shift in agitation. The boy watched anxiously as did the dark power to my back.

"He's pure evil, and I don't think he's afraid to kill."

"He's just a bully. If you stand up to him..."

"It's not like that. You don't understand."

"I warned you not to mess in my affairs. You've crossed the line."

Then a glint of light from something raised above me. Something I fear. Something my body aches with a painful remembrance of.

"She's all yours."

The screaming starts.

"So close," the boy whispered. Both forces around me looked down on my confusion.

"But you cannot claim her yet," came the other, darker voice.

"We shall see."

"Time is running out."

"Hurry, Kira," the boy cried softly. "Hurry."

"You don't even deserve to live. You've corrupted and destroyed shadows. You are a killer of innocent beings. A rebel against the forces that keep order. A disturbance and danger of the very worse kind!"

I'm not!!! I know that. I know what I'm not, but who am I?

The boy calls me Kira. Is that who I am?

"You were right, Kira. You were right and I was wrong. You stood up against the evil, and I promise from now on, I'll do the same. I won't let you down again, only don't..."

Don't what?

I feel the warm arms around my soul, holding me firm. "Never again." It is as if a whisper from another place, another time. A new voice enters my world. "I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for it to happen. But you can't give up now. Fight for what you believe in. You must defend your heart. I need your help, but first you must save yourself. Remember, Kira. Remember and fill your soul with this love. Hold fast to your hope. You do know what has happened. Believe and you will return."

"Believe...?" My voice echoed in the stillness of the moment. Not a breath of air could be heard. Slowly, the feeling of a warm embrace began to fade. I glanced up. Above me, Saishu's orb drew the energy into it. A green swirl caught my attention. Jade green. Eyes of jade.

"Ryou..." I whispered the name softly at first. "Traitor and friend." As my mouth spoke, the memories followed. "Garden of mist. Spirit of the ring. Torture and a face to match my own." A trickle of what I remember had carved it's way into my conscious. I then knew I was Kira.

"Beware." A presence rested on my shoulder. The emptiness of Saishu's hand chilled my every bone as he warned me. "You have left pain behind. If you return to that, it cannot be forgotten again. You have a choice between a tortured existence of your soul and one of complete and undisturbed oblivion. It is your decision."

It was then that I realized, I was dying.

I reached to my side, hesitantly. My fingers touched raw skin. Blood. I was wounded once again. A faintness filled my head. The boy reached to steady me in concern.

No. I don't want the pain. I'm too tired. I can't go on like this. I will kill myself trying. I can't stand against the evil any longer. Let me go.

"You are not alone," the boy spoke firmly in my ear. I opened my eyes to meet his steady gaze. I have seen those eyes somewhere before.

A young girl's voice.

Trust the pharaoh, listen to me; it's yourself you have to watch out for.

It's too late to save myself.

But the Pharaoh?

Crimson, no, violet pupils. Full of concern. Spiked hair. I'm falling. Reaching for a hand that I cannot grasp. A moment of truth. The Pharaoh's boy. A golden pyramid on a chain. More than just jewelry. A golden eye. A friend.

The floodgate opened.

"Yugi!" I threw myself into the boy's arms. He was surprised for a moment, then hugged me tightly back. "Kira. I won't leave without you now. Things will be all right again."

A menacing growl came from my back. Saishu hummed with a frightening air. "You are but mortal. There is no magic of any millenium to protect you in this forbidden place. Your memories have been your doom."

Yugi stepped protectively in front of my tired soul, "Leave her be. I will take her with me now."

"It is too late."

"Yugi!" I cried out as I felt my presence melting away. The pull of Saishu's orb was suddenly overpowering my young soul.

"No!" Yugi lunged for me, trying desperately to hang on as I began to fade, my life energy being pulled into oblivion.

"I warned you," Saishu spoke to Yugi, without any malice or pleasure in his words, "Things cannot be this way. Not anymore."

"I won't lose her. Not now," Yugi insisted.

"You have no choice," Saishu explained. "A magic of ancient days protects your spirit. There is nothing that can save your friend."

"We won't lose to this, Yugi. I will stand, just like I swore I would," I whispered as the last of my soul vanished.

There is a power greater than magic. Even fate cannot break the bonds of a true friendship.

I heard the echo in my mind and perceived. Giving shape to what was still mine, I threw it forth from the void I had entered. From the other side, I felt my life gain a firm hold in reality. I would not be lost. It was not my time.

Yugi stared in surprise at the rope which reached his fingers. Sensing Kira's power and energy somehow in his hands, he clutched the rope and did not let go. Saishu stared in amazement at the glowing bond. Slowly, he lowered the staff. "You have proven yourselves to be true. But your test is not over yet. Maybe one day, we will meet again."

A flash came from the orb, and Yugi opened his eyes to find the familiarity of the Shadow Realms around him once again. In his arms lay a still unconscious Kira. Yugi clutched her tightly. Nothing could separate them now.

PS - in case you didn't catch it, a lot of what kira was remembering was flashbacks from earlier chapters. also, Saishu's name is japanese for "the last". just in case u were curious. well, g2g. the next chapter is almost finished so hopefully i can get it up soon...