Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.
My Notes: Like all great authors, I'm prolonging the suspense. We'll get back to Egypt shortly, after I do some research. Here's that duel I alluded to earlier, because it just ain't Yu-gi-oh without them playing the card game. Always playing the card game... Anyways I'm indebted to my reviewers who read this story faster than I expect them to.
Departed Daemon
Shadi had undeniable proof of the connection between the High Priest and his incarnation as Seto Kaiba. Although torn between watching the unraveling mystery memory and returning to the outside world before anyone discovered his presence, he knew that it was his job to return the Millennium Items and nothing else. He could not let this knowledge of what he was discovered to anyone, the burden his alone. He gazed at the Millennium Ankh, knowing that soon he would have to give it up to its rightful owner, like he had already done for the Scales. He allowed the talisman to activate its magic returning Shadi to his corporal body.
The fate of the Millennium Rod now lies in the hands of this sleeping young man. Whatever the threads of destiny are, they are now bound between master and object. Tucking the object into Kaiba's hands, and arranging it so that the rod and hand lay over his heart, Shadi took his leave and vanished into the shadows.
Meanwhile,
Bakura of the Ring was closing fast upon Kaiba's compound. I will not be denied the rod! he thought as he made his way in the cold night air. One of the pointers of the Millennium Rings pointed sharply to the left and Bakura turned into the alleyway. He had been hunting long into the night. How dare an interloper encroach on my assured prize. I must make sure that I am not so easily detected for my next pilfering. Now he was out with a vengeance to claim all of the mystical items as they were passed into the hands of the unknowing and ignorant.
The only one that lies unclaimed are the Scales. Bakura held the Ring as if it were a compass, waiting for it to lead him on somewhere. The night air was stagnant and chill. The Rod will go back to the High Priest, whether he likes it or not and the Necklace will return to the Ishtar family. That fool woman did not realize that you cannot predict the future of someone who holds a Millennium Item. And the Puzzle, Bakura crudely smiled, will be dealt with. He stopped to catch his breath.
"What is this?" he asked as he watched two of his Ring's pointers point in two opposite directions.
The sound of one person clapping was audible. Bakura's eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be a Rare-Hunter. A female Rare-Hunter, whose hood was down, revealing a head of furious red hair, and a pair of green eyes, approached. "Well done Tomb raider, well done!"
"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" The thief's tone showed distrust for young women.
"Someone who needs your services." She licked her lips. "Or rather someone who needs the Millennium Ring."
Bakura chuckled. "Many have tried taking this ring, and have paid for their attempts."
"I only wish to negotiate, but since you seem unwilling..." she reached under her robes...
...and brought forth the Millennium Scales. "...I challenge you to a Shadow Game!" A shroud of black darkness engulfed the two.
Bakura smirked. "I've survived countless Shadow Games." He readied his duel disk on his arm. "You shall be easy prey. Name your stakes."
"Simple," her blithe voice chimed. "The winner claims a Millennium Item." Her duel disk was at the ready, as she tucked the scales in her belt.
A trademark manically laughter rang out. "You really are a rank novice. What are the stakes of the Shadow Game, you fool!"
A sincere smile appeared on the Rare-Huntress' face. "You'll find out soon enough," she beamed. "Draw." Both duel disks read four thousand life-points.
The white-haired duelist drew five cards along with an additional one for going first. "I place two cards face down, and summon Ancient Brain in attack mode (1000/700)." The image of a large, pulsating brain emerged from the ground. A pastel green faced covered with a red beard was attached to the brain, with small purple wings flexing themselves from the creature's small body. The monster twirled a small rod at the opponent, ready for attack. "End turn."
The Rare-Huntress drew. "I set four cards face down and set a monster face down as well." Four cards emerged in a neat row, each about the size of a person, while one card was set horizontally in front of them. "Your turn," the woman stated.
Bakura slid one card into his hand. "I play the magic card Polymerization to fuse my Ancient Brain with Tainted Wisdom, to summon Skull Knight (2650/2250)." A whirling nexus of the two cards surrounded his side of the field. A point pierced the nexus' veil and slid open a slash to part the way for a heavily armored solider wielding a heavy sword to emerged. True to the card's name, his upper armor and shield were both designed with a deformed, expanded, white skull creating a matching set. "Attack her face down card!" The toughened warrior hacked the card into bits.
The face down card was revealed to be a Morphing Jar. "You've activated my creature's ability. We each discard our hand and draw five new cards." The Rare-Huntress slid one card into her card graveyard slot before drawing five new cards. She grinned as she watched Bakura scowling as he discarded his hand and also drew five cards. "I place one card in defense mode. And now I play this card, Card Destruction!"
"Accursed woman!" Bakura hissed as he again discarded his hand and drew five new cards.
The woman only smiled as she did the same. "I activate one of my facedown cards: Monster Reborn. Bring to the field, Wingweaver (2750/2400)." The silhouette of a feminine angel appeared, wearing only a golden silk dress intertwining itself around her body. The only other difference between this creature and a normal angel was the additional two pairs of wings sprouted from her back. "Destroy his monster." The winged fairy flew across the field and slammed her elbow right at the Skull Knight's chest, causing the warrior to fall backwards and scatter into holographic pieces.
Bakura's life-point counter reduced itself by one hundred points. But what concerned him most was the fact that part of his memory was being emblazoned on a disclosing bas-relief that emerged from behind him. It began listing general information about Bakura: His name, address, phone number, and etc. "What is this?" he asked.
"The shadows are doing their work. I like to learn various things from my opponents. It makes their passing into the shadows much more appropriate." The Rare-Huntress stared at Bakura. "But don't worry dear. You're not really gone as long as I'm around," she said as part of his face was superimposed over her face. "Your move."
The bearer of the Millennium Ring stared at his cards. I can't afford to attack right now. Her one monster is too strong to attack directly, and she'll probably make me discard again, he thought. "I place these two cards face down, and set this monster in defense mode." He watched the additional cards take their place near his feet. I'm going to have to stall.
"My move." The scarlet haired vixen paused to look at her cards. "I set another monster face down, and end my turn."
The image of a good-hearted seraph, one half in light, the other in darkness, was the card that Bakura drew to his hand. He smiled. I'll sacrifice her monster for one of my own. "I play this card, Change of Heart."
"Not if you can't get pass this, Magical Drain" A trap card sprung up on her side of the field. The image of a vampire using its wings to ensnare an innocent solider while drawing blood was seen. "You must discard an additional magic card or have your card be negated."
A snarl escaped Bakura's throat as he threw out another magic card. But he watched as the Rare-Huntress' Wingweaver came over to his side of the field. "I sacrifice these two monsters to summon the Decomposing Cadaver (2450/1000)." A skin-melting undead monster appeared, shambling forward. Strings of bodily organs trailed behind leaving bloody marks on the pavement. "Attack!" The perversion of the sleeping dead shambled its way across the field and brought its arm downward on one of the facedown monsters. The card scattered.
A wave of murky mist spread to Bakura's side of the field causing him to cough and wheeze, while losing five hundred life-points. "Aw you had to get sick from my Giant Germ. Don't worry, it's rather contagious," the Rare-Huntress laughed as two more appeared on her side. She watched as the shadows inscribed more information about Bakura on his tablet. "Ah, so you know where the location of the Millennium Puzzle is, one Yugi Moto, hmm? He thinks you're his friend. How very interesting." More of Bakura's body asserted itself over her lithe frame.
"Not as interesting as this. The special effect of my Decomposing Cadaver: whenever I lose life-points, my opponent loses twice the amount," Bakura barked. "I will finally know who I am dealing with." Watching her life-point counter decreased and hearing her screech, the Tomb-raider learned much. Foremost her name. "Nadia," he hissed. As the shadows inscribed their tablet for her, Bakura felt that information coming from a force more reliable: herself. The shadows seemed to be providing a telepathic link, he discovered. Born in Europe as a normal educated girl, she had obtained the Millennium Scales during her stay in Alexandria as part of a summer abroad archeological internship. Learning that she had the sacred item Marik's forces had accosted her once they tracked her down. But she had manipulated Marik's wishes by unbalancing his reason, and fueling his desire to be pharaoh courtesy of her own Millennium Item. But there was something else, something that the shadows almost wanted to tell Bakura.
Regaining her footing the Rare-Huntress grimaced. "You've done well, thief," Nadia grinned, "but it ends now. I sacrifice my three monsters to summon my Egyptian Demon Card, Ammemet the Devourer!"
"Egyptian what?!" Bakura cried out. But his voice was drowned out by the sound of the wind howling. He was being pulled forward, sucked into something huge. Giant jaws opened and shut, hinged, snapping. His Decomposing Cadaver was crushed in the great mouth, a dismembered arm caught between teeth. Bakura tried to avert his fate, his arms in a futile gesture of protection and screamed.
The dark robed woman walked forward to claim her prize, her fragile white fingers held the ring at an angle, so that all the pointers were slanted, chiming against itself. Soon, Justice will be done, the flamed haired woman thought. She walked on, holding one prize in her hand and keeping her second prize, the accumulated knowledge of one Bakura, in her mind.
Meanwhile,
Yugi Moto instantly awoke with a sweat and shivered. He stared out the window in his room. The pharaoh, who never slept, noticed his sudden arousal asked what was wrong. "Something's terribly wrong," was the reply.