Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or anything related to it what-so-ever. The only characters in this fic that are truly mine are:

Lady Aurora Phoenix

Lady Natara Fear

Lady Sapphira Star

Dorian "Chaos"

Bryant "Havoc"

Sanura

Zahara

Adais

A/N: This is a fantasy as you can tell. It is part 2 to the Eternal Love fanfic that I ended a little while ago as it was getting to be too long. The story of the Pharaoh and his family is far from over however. His children are still around and they will incorporate themselves in the lives of little Yugi and his friends in one way or another. Fair warning, I am not one for writing out duels so you may not see a lot of them- barely any actually, as the fic is about the events that happened outside the duel arena. There will be some familiar scenes to fans of the show but most of those scenes will have a small twist or two in order for it to fit with the plot being laid out.

I understand many will not agree with a lot of what is written but that is why this is in the fantasy genera and not in just the general one. This is purely a concoction out of my own head and I am just going where the ideas lead me.

Just want to thank my faithful readers and reviewers again for continuing along on this little journey. DDCfreak, Atemu Fangurl, Ishizusan, Pastelblue, Luna Dusk, and mugen thank you all!

Chapter 19

Beaten By An Amateur

Zahara watched in awe as Yami began to turn the tide of the duel. He managed to break through the Mirror Wall and gain an opportunity to have a chance to win. She watched as he stopped Mai's assault with his Swords of Revealing Light. The look of concentration on his face made her wonder just what he was trying to call up from his deck. There was a moment of hesitation. A moment of weakness. Fear flashed in those crimson eyes and it startled her. Fear was not something that settled well with his look.

What is he planning? What does he fear? Yami had Kuriboh and Gaia the Fierce Knight on his side of the field. The Swords of Revealing Light faded as Mai ended her third turn. The fear returned to his eyes. At least for a moment. Suddenly there was a grim determination on his face. Respect and relief. He bowed his head as if praying. He picked up the last card.

Aurora was rocked suddenly by a burst of hidden power and she heard Pegasus gasp beside her. She had not realized he had felt the power as well. Something happened when Yami drew that last card. Something magical. Something that would be the key to ending the duel. Yami flipped that card over to show Mai what he had drawn; The Black Luster Ritual spell card.

"I play, Black Luster Ritual!" he shouted out. Mai's mouth fell open in shock as he threw the card into place on his panel. He sacrificed his Kuriboh and Gaia the Fierce Knight to bring forth an ultimate monster. A monster with so much power Aurora was stilled in her seat. Her eyes were transfixed on the soldier as it appeared on the field.

"No! Is that really the Black Luster Soldier?" Mai gasped out.

"Now, Black Luster Soldier, Attack !" Mai's Harpy Ladies had been able to fly away to escape the attack, but the Pet Dragon was not as lucky. A bright white light filled the room causing everyone to shield their eyes while the dragon called out with one last roar. "Harpy's Pet Dragon is gone!" Yami announced. Mai's eyes were still open wide. They were the eyes that showed fear this time. She bowed her head and placed her hand over her deck. Aurora frowned at the young woman, but said nothing as she heard Ryou explaining the meaning of Mai's actions.

"When a duelist places their hand over their deck like that, it means they concede the duel. They surrender."

"Mai?" Yami frowned as well. He was confused by her actions. "Does this mean… Do you really… Surrender?"

"I would rather not see my Harpy Ladies taken out in the next turn. The duel is yours Yugi." With a toss of her hair, she turned and stepped down from the platform to head back to her room. Yami stopped her.

"Wait, there is something I would like to say to you." She half-turned back to show she was listening, even if she did not feel she could actually face him. "Thank you."

"What?"

"You said a lot of things during this duel that I had forgotten. If it was not for what you said, I would never have gone face to face with my own fears and weaknesses. I never would have been able to deal with them and come back into the duel the way I had, if it had not been for you. If you had not forced me to realize this, I could never have defeated you."

"That is awfully nice of you to say that, Yugi," Mai told him, her back still turned to him. "But it seems I still have a lot to learn myself. Like that defeat does not have to be forever." She turned then to face him with a smile. "We will meet in the arena again one day Yugi. And when we do, be ready. Because I know I will be." He smiled back at her and gave a noble nod of the head. Aurora loved that smile. She had to shift in her seat again to allow her hair to fall over her face at such an angle, the crimson color she felt beginning on her cheeks could not be seen.

"Something the matter, Ms. Hart?" Pegasus asked her, flashing an amused look.

"Nothing you can fix," she told him coldly.

"I'm hurt," he toyed with her.

"And I care, why?" His smile faded.

"You are a cold hearted woman, Ms. Hart."

"Only when I need to be, Mr. Pegasus." She felt him continue to gaze at her through the curtain of her red-gold hair, and she continued to ignore him as Croquet announced Yugi as the victor in the match. As Aurora watched, the darker half of Yugi faded from sight leaving her grandson in his place again. The sound of clapping startled her a moment and she cast a glance back over at Pegasus. The blush fading from her face, she gently lifted the curtain of hair from her view and brushed it over her shoulder again.

"Well done, Yugi. Excellently played," Pegasus praised him. She arched an eyebrow at him, but turned a genuine smile to the young boy and nodded, pride glowing in her eyes. This was one step succeeded. He only had one match left to duel that would decide whether he faced Pegasus or not. Pegasus stood. "That was a marvelous performance." He paused in his clapping as Aurora stood and all he saw was the glare on Yugi's face.

"Apparently, he is not as impressed with your praises as you would have hoped, Pegasus," Aurora muttered at him with a sly smile. His own smile faded slightly, but not enough to give himself away. He did glance over at her for a moment before sitting again and allowing the duel to continue. Aurora left without another word. She was determined to meet up with Yugi as he left the arena.

"The second match between Bandit Keith and Joey Wheeler will begin shortly. Duelists, prepare your decks." Aurora was already out of the spectator's section Pegasus had created for them and made her way to the door leading to the duelist platform. Yugi looked up at her shocked when he stepped into the hall. Then he frowned at her.

"I know you are Zahara's mother. I also know you work for Pegasus."

"That is true. To a point."

"How so?"

"I work for him, only because I forced my way into his company. I knew he was planning something but had no idea just what it was. By the time I pieced everything together, it was too late. I am terribly sorry, Yugi." She bowed her head to him and he was taken aback.

"You knew he had planned something evil?"

"I had a feeling he could not be trusted with the Millennium Eye, but the guardian over it, he tested Pegasus. The Eye chose him. It then became a matter of making sure he did not abuse his power." She sighed and glanced back in the direction she had just come from. "He was once a good man. He had the purest of intentions. But the Power corrupted him." She looked back down at Yugi. "Thank you, Yugi, for putting your trust back into the spirit of the Puzzle. He never meant any harm. He thought only of protecting and helping the one who set him free. He never dreamed he would have put you in the position he did."

"I know that, now anyway. But thank you for your words." She nodded at him again before turning to return to her spot. "Why do you sit next to him, may I ask?"

"You may. I sit next to him to keep him in line. To make sure he meddles not in the duels that take place, by adding his own twisted mind game to it. He had more planned to say in his welcome speech this morning. My appearance stopped him. Stopped him before he could have you and Joey, as well as the other's, too shaken to really concentrate."

"Oh, then thanks again."

"I admit I cannot help much, Yugi. But I will help where I can. I promise you that." He watched her leave without another word.

"Something in the way you look at me, see me, and speak to me, has me believing that. I am certain we will meet again after Duelist Kingdom," he said softly after her, knowing full well, she wouldn't hear him. Joey's foot steps pounded up behind him and he turned to give his friend a high five.

"That was great, Yuge!" His friend told him. "Now it's my turn."

"You can do it, Joey. I know you can," Yugi told him with a smile.

"Thanks man." He paused as a thought came into his mind. "You know, Yuge, if I win this, you and I will have to duel each other. What do you think about that?"

"I think that we can both look forward to an honorably fought match."

"And we will stay best friends no matter what?"

"No matter what, Joey," Yugi promised him.

Sanura stretched out by the helicopter. It worried her that Seto had not come back out yet. She wondered what was going on. If he was ok.

"He never actually told me to stay put this time," she muttered to herself. She made a quick decision to leave the helicopter and go in search of her boss. She found it odd that the forest was so quiet. Off in the distance, she heard the sound of thunder announcing the promise of a storm. Her main thought now was to get inside before the rain began to fall. Taking a breath, she made her way through the paths and up to the stairway. She found it odd that none of the guards seemed to be around. She had expected and prepared to face at least one of them. Cautiously, she made her way to the door and found a lock on it she could not figure out. She glanced around to see she was alone and no one was watching her. She raised a hand and concentrated. A soft red glow began to show and she pressed the hand against the lock, burning through far enough to open the door and let herself in.

She looked around the inside of the castle, shaking her hand to rid it of the tingling after affect of using that power. It was something she had realized a few years earlier that she could do. She had always meant to talk to her mother about it, but timing had never been right for her revelation. She instead began to research other abilities she may have by first speaking with her "aunts" and "uncles," learning as much about her ancestry as she could. It was the only thing that kept her somewhat sane when she learned why everyone around her was growing old and dying while she remained so young and untouched by the years. She secretly fine-tuned the skills she had begun to sense within her. Using the abilities to her advantage. She was the one who had taken Ishizu out of the tomb keeper's home one day. She knew she should not have, but she had been tired of being underground as well. They swore each other t secrecy. Vowing that no one would ever know of their excursion. Up until Ishizu took pity on her brother and helped him out one day. Sanura cringed at the memory of the phone call with the news of the death of Ishizu's father. She wished she had never broken the key rule that day.

"Nothing can be done about it now. What is done, is done," she whispered as she headed downstairs, away from the sounds of the duel taking place down the hall. She knew she would not find Seto up there. She would find him somewhere down below, searching for his brother. "I will find you, and your brother. I promised to take care of you both. I have to find you." She made her way down several passageways, keeping to the shadows, and away from the security guards pacing and making their rounds through the halls. She had a dark feeling creep through her as she began to fear that Seto was in danger. That feeling pushed her farther and faster in her search.

"Did you hear something?" Sanura stopped and flattened herself against the wall as two guards turned around to check out the hall behind them.

"Check it out," the other guard told him, nodding his head. Sanura held her breath and closed her eyes, silently pleading for the guard to walk by and not see her. Her breath stopped and she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. The guard kept getting closer. Every step echoing in her ears.

Ra, help me! She begged silently as she turned her head up to the ceiling of the hall. The steps stopped right beside where she was hiding and the guard grew silent. Her hand began to tingle as adrenaline flowed through her. She did not want to hurt anyone, but that did not mean that she would allow herself to be captured either.

Zahara found herself learning a great deal more about the game as Yugi and Ryou gave commentary during Joey's duel against Bandit Keith. She was afraid the duel would not even take place as when the entry cards were asked for, he found that his had gone missing. When he returned he not only had an entry card, but he had his confidence back as well. However, the duel did not start out well for him. Keith's monsters well metal type which had the advantage of Joey's warrior type monsters. Their magic seemed to not be able to touch Keith's monsters. This point in the duel was no different. Their life points were low, but the emotions were running deep. Her thoughts were distracted when a battle of words broke out between Joey and Keith.

"People like you never win Keith," he told him. "Your tricks may get you a little ways, but only until people with good intentions show up. So if by some odd chance you do defeat me… which you won't, Yugi would cream you. Your selfishness will break you."

"Oh yeah," Keith challenged him. "We'll just see about that." He placed one card face down and played his barrel dragon. Yugi cringes beside Zahara and she turned slightly to look down at him. Keith explained his dragon had the power to make three attacks in a duel. The dragon attacked, clearing the two monsters Joey had off the board. He boasted about being able to wipe Joey out. Joey smiled and pulled a card from his hand.

"I already figured out how to beat your toy blaster," he told Keith. The Time Wizard appeared on the field. Along with the Time Wizard, Joey added his Baby Dragon to the game. He called the Time Wizard's Time Roulette to begin his chance to win.

"It's in fate's hands now," Ryou said as they all watched the Time Wizard go. Fate was smiling on Joey as the spinner landed on a time warp. Baby Dragon turned to Thousand Dragon. He destroyed Keith's dragon, but Keith had a new move planned. A Time Machine that brought back his Barrel Dragon. One attack from the Barrel Dragon took away Joey's Thousand Dragon. Joey's eyes showed his frustration as he laid one monster in defense mode on the field. The next monster to hit the field, however, was one that drew an odd feeling for Zahara. Keith's Slot Machine, monster. He used his Barrel Dragon to take out Joey's only defense, leaving him wide open to an attack from the Slot Machine. Joey looked back and forth from the field to his hand. The group on the balcony stood there watching nervously. Finally Yugi could not keep quiet any longer.

"Joey! You have to believe in your cards! You need to trust them now if you want a hope at beating that thing!" Zahara could not be sure if Joey had been listening as he made his play. One card face down and then bringing his Red Eyes Black Dragon to the field. The room seemed to shake with the mighty roar of the Red Eyes.

"That Red Eyes is no match for the kind of fire power I hold on my side of the field, dweeb!" Keith hollered at him, with a laugh. He ordered his attack, which gave Joey his chance. He flipped over his face down card. The Copy Cat. He used the card to copy the effects of the Magic Metal Force Keith had played on one of his own monsters earlier in the duel. Keith was shocked as he watched the Red Eyes take on a shiny new coat.

"Now my Red Eyes Black Dragon has become a Red Eyes Metal Dragon," Joey told him with a grin. The metal on his dragon gave him the strength to withstand the attack of the Barrel Dragon. With Keith's attack thwarted, Joey countered with his Red Eyes, destroyed the Barrel Dragon. Zahara joined the others in their cheering.

"All right!" Yugi shouted.

"Great play!" Ryou added.

"You got it going now!" Tristan joined in.

"We knew you could do it!" Téa said as she jumped up and down. Zahara let them do the talking as she clapped along with them. A bright smile on her face. She glanced over at her mother who was staring hard at Keith.

Does she know something we don't, she wondered. Could Keith be plotting something that could spell trouble for Joey?

"I have far too much on the line, Keith. The moves will only get tougher from here on out!" Joey Promised his opponent.

"Keep talkin' tough guy!" Keith told him as he placed one card face down and switched his Slot Machine monster into defense mode. Joey had a look on his face that had him seeming like he was going to win in this next turn. He had no idea the surprise Keith had hidden for him. Joey played one card face down and ordered his Dragon to attack. Keith flipped over his face down card. A Seven Completed card that spun the center slot on his Slot Machine. The center slot spun to a seven as the attack struck, raising the Machine's defensive power by seven hundred points, high enough to be safe from the attack. "I have two more where that Seven Completed came from, too," he added smugly.

"Yeah, well, just because you have 'em, doesn't mean you will draw 'em." Zahara saw her mother suddenly sit up right in her seat as she watched Keith make his draw. An odd look crossed Pegasus' face as well.

Hmmm, this could be interesting. Both Pegasus and Mother eyeing Keith like that. Something definitely has to be up, she thought.

"Well, lookie what I just drew," Keith bragged with a grin. Zahara glared when she realized what had caught their attention. So he is cheating. Figures, she thought angrily. She realized there was a reason both Pegasus and her mother had not said anything so she kept her mouth shut, but Ryou sensed her suddenly still beside him.

"What is it? Do you see something?"

"I didn't, but it looks like they did," she told him softly as she nodded down at her mother and Pegasus.

"Wonder what is going on?" They watched as Keith used his second Seven Completed card to power up his monster's attack strength. Joey frowned and said nothing as the slot spun and another seven appeared.

"If that Slot Monster gets one more Seven Completed card, it will have powered up enough to destroy Joey's Red Eyes!" Yugi exclaimed.

"No," Téa said softly, her eyes wide. On top of the Seven Completed, Keith played a Blast Sphere to attack to Joey's Red Eyes. Ryou gasped.

"At the end of his turn, the Blast Sphere will self destruct!"

"Meaning the end of Red Eyes," Zahara added quietly. A violet light began around the Blast Sphere as Keith ended his turn. Zahara's keen eyes saw Joey flip over a face down card he had played just before the light grew to be too bright for anyone to see. Keith laughed as he thought he had taken the match, but his laughter died when the smoke cleared and he found the Red Eyes still standing.

"But how?" he growled. Joey showed him the card he had flipped over. Dragon Nails. Its power boost had given the dragon enough strength to be stronger than the Blast Sphere. Sparing the dragon form the fate Keith had wanted to hand it. Not only did the Dragon survive, but because of the raise in attack strength, when the Blast Sphere attacked, the difference in attack strengths was subtracted from Keith's life points instead of Joey's. Zahara watched him more closely when he went to take the draw for his next turn. That was when she saw it. She saw what had brought Pegasus and her mother to attention in the duel. His fingers dipped underneath the cuff on his wrist and removed the card hiding there. Zahara leaned forward and gripped the railing, her knuckles growing white with the grip.

"Zahara?" Ryou lightly touched her, but her attention was glued to Keith as he made his next play. "Zahara, what is it? What is wrong?" She heard his sigh when she did not answer and he turned back to the duel. He took a look at the calculated scores between the monsters and the life points. "Their monsters have the same attack strength now," he commented.

"And almost the same amount of life points," Téa added.

"The whole match could be decided in this next turn," Yugi told them. Joey was staring hard at his cards, trying to see what he could do to increase his chances. He drew and played one card face down without a word. Keith grinned.

"This duel is over for you," Keith told him as he held up a cared called the Pillager. He used the card to steal one card from Joey's hand. The card he stole was Joey's Shield and Sword card. He then played the Shield and Sword card to increase his odds of winning. The defense points of each monster switched, giving Keith the advantage. He switched the Slot Machine monster into attack and ordered the move. Joey's eyes widened and he sat up, flipping the face down card into face up position to activate it.

"Activate Trap!" He shouted. Keith growled in frustration. His original laughter cut short with the sound a tiny laughter. His eyes widened when he saw what Joey's trap had been. The Grave Robber Card. But that was not all he saw.

"Is he holding what I think he is holding?" Téa asked. Zahara smiled. Joey could win this even with Keith cheating.

"It is, Téa," she answered. "Joey brought back Keith's Time Machine card."

"That means," Ryou began.

"That Joey can bring one monster back from one turn back. His Red Eyes will return!" Yugi said excitedly.

"And with its full power, too," Zahara added, her smile growing larger.

"Should have paid more attention to my moves," Joey told him. Red Eyes glowed from inside the Time Machine Trap. "He's back, and he is hungry, Keith." The Dragon stepped out of the trap, ready to end the duel. Joey ordered his attack and the Slot Machine was destroyed. Keith stepped back, completely taken off guard by the idea an amateur could have beat him. Croquet threw his arm up in the air.

"Joey Wheeler is the victor!" He proclaimed. Everyone cheered again and Joey jumped up in surprise and joy. He was one step closer to winning the tournament. But not just any tournament. His first tournament.

However, Keith was not finished by a long shot.

Aurora glared at Keith as a premonition of danger flashed over her. She saw the stab of anger in his eyes. Her body tensed and she readied herself for whatever may come. She expected anger and violence, but his next words did not surprise her either.

"This duel doesn't count!" He shouted. Aurora arched an eyebrow. He cheats and he wants to try to draw attention to the legality of the duel? Baka! She thought with a mildly amused look. "The entry card Joey showed to even get into this match wasn't even his!" Aurora stifled the chuckle that wanted to escape her lips. She cast a glance over at Pegasus when she realized he was doing the same.

"He's right," Joey admitted. "My card was missin' so Mai gave me hers. But tell me, how did you know that this wasn't my card, Keith?"

"Good question, Joey," Aurora mused. She turned her gaze back to Keith as everyone waited for the answer. She saw he realized he walked right into his own trap. "Care to explain, Keith?" Pegasus stopped him.

"He doesn't need to," he said nonchalantly. He gave her a look that told her she should already know the answer. She did know the answer. She wanted Keith to be the one to give it however. "Seems to me that Keith stole Joey's card."

"Yes, and that is the reason why he was so sure Joey would never find it, or just not show back up at all." Aurora added. "So much for him being to afraid too come back and face you, Keith. Not only did he come back, but even with eh odds you handed him,. He was still able to defeat you at your own game."

"Hey, then Keith should get disqualified, not Joey!" Tristan hollered down. Aurora laughed softly.

"Oh yes, he should. But not just because he stole the card to ensure Joey to be unable to duel today," Aurora finally said. Zahara could see that this was the time everyone would know what she saw happen with Keith and his hidden cards.

"Oh yes, very true, Ms. Hart. We can finally find something to agree on. There were misdeeds going on during the match that had not gone unnoticed by the both of us, I see." Pegasus turned and his Millennium Eye flashed as Keith growled.

"Is that so, Keith?" Joey asked him, his anger beginning to grow evident in his voice.

"Of course it is," Pegasus answered for the silent but growling duelist. "Keith kept his set of Seven Completed card hidden under his wrist ban so he could draw them whenever he wished."

"I knew it," Zahara exclaimed. "I knew I saw him pull something from his wrist ban!"

"Is that why you got so angry earlier?" Ryou asked her. She nodded as Pegasus continued.

"Take the scoundrel away," he told his security. Aurora had accidentally brushed her arm against Pegasus' and caught a quick vision. She swiftly stood and moved form her chair, prepared for what was to come. Keith came running back into the room, a gun aimed right for Pegasus. Gasps rang throughout the room as Keith leapt from the dueling arena and landed right beside Pegasus. The Duel Monster's creator did not move, but he simply closed his eye and smiled. Aurora realized he had known all along that Keith would pull a stunt like this and had fully prepared for it.

"You truly are a stubborn one, aren't you?" He asked Keith with an air of arrogance in his voice. Aurora crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Nothin' you can do about this, now hand over the prize money or else!" Keith demanded.

"Fool," Aurora muttered.

"Of course, just let my body recover from the paralysis you sent it into with your return," Pegasus told him.

"You got till the count of three to hand it over," Keith informed him. Aurora saw the next move before it even had the chance to take place. Pegasus' smile never waved.

"Fine, one, two, three," he said quickly as he uncrossed his legs long enough to press a sensor on the floor near his foot. Aurora made a mental note not to find herself standing in Keith's spot for whatever reason during the time she was there. A panel opened up under Keith's feet and sent him down a hatch and out to of the castle. With Keith gone, preparation for the duel between Joey and Yugi could finally be made.

"A ten minute recess will be given so that the duelist for the next match can ret up and make ready. The duel will be between Yugi Motou and Joey Wheeler," Croquet informed everyone. Aurora turned to see Joey and Yugi staring at each other. Serious looks in each other's eyes. Neither one of them wanting to go against the other, but both knowing they had to. She lowered her gaze and left the room. This was not only going to be a tough duel, but a very emotional one as well.

And now the duel between Joey and Yugi... This will be fun to try to write and yet not write at the same time... (grins) how to change that duel without really changing it will be my greatest challenge so far so it may take me a little bit to get the next chapter up. So bear with me... I will have it up shortly...