Chapter XV: Reborn in Darkness

(A/N: In this chapter, and most likely in the sequel, there will be a special appearance by Jonathan Davis, member of my favorite band, Korn. I personally know him, and so I won't get in trouble. Peace!)

Carry me away
I need your strength
To get me through this

The black abyss swam over her head as she was cradled within it. Her silver eyes closed, not understanding or knowing where she was or how she got there, she welcomed the cold darkness onto her. She felt so cold, so lost, so alone, yet there was that one sensation flowing through her. A sensation of being in the right place. A sensation of being home. That was a place she had never been in for years. Home was nowhere to her. Home was a place that no longer existed to her. It was nowhere to be, nowhere to be home. She just hoped someone could help her now. In the distance, she heard several voices calling out her name, several of them crying and mourning. However, one voice was close and clear, so familiar to her, swallowing her into the warm comfortness it held. Only one word escaped her lips as she recognized this voice immediately.

"Jon…athan?" she murmured. She opened her eyes and stared directly into the cold, dark eyes of her childhood friend. His black locks fell against his fair face, while his dark eyes smiled at her from behind his thick, black framed glasses. A slight black mustache and thin goatee was appearing on his face, making him look like a French man. However, at the same time he looked Goth, or punk.

"Hey, there, Squirt, you ready to get up now?" he asked teasingly to her. She laughed and smiled at him. She had not seen him for years. Five years, actually, before she even met Kaiba Seto or Mokuba. Jonathan Davis was a famous rock star from America, being the main singer for a popular rock band, Korn. However, even before he became so famous, she knew him better than anyone. She sat up and looked around. Where was she? It looked familiar; a large room where the walls were painted black, a dozen of hard rock band posters hung on the walls, as well as a David Draiman poster. Rika didn't recognize the place, but it sure felt familiar.

"Jonathan, where are we?" Rika asked. Jonathan smiled at her and pulled her up.

"Wow, the bump on your head must be more serious than I thought. We're home," Jonathan spoke.

"Home? But…Jonathan, I have no home," Rika muttered. Jonathan gave the famous confused and you're-acting-weird look.

"Now I'm seriously getting worried. Not having a home. Everyone has a home, Rika. You just need to look hard enough," Jonathan spoke. He grabbed Rika's hand and pulled her to the door of the room. Then she realized something was amiss. She immediately pulled away, and stared at him in a shocked and stunned manner.

"Jonathan, this is all a dream. I mean, I don't have a home, my parents are dead, and you're on tour in Europe with the rest of them. This can't be real," Rika murmured to him. He smiled in a dark way, the same sort of smile he always gave her when she was right.

"You're right. This is a dream. An everlasting dream. Rika, you're dead," Jonathan spoke. Rika gasped at his words.

Dare to believe
For one last time
Then I'll let the

"Rika! Rika, wake up! Wake up!"

Rika's limp and cold body was now in the arms of Kaiba Seto, whose face was pouring with tears as he tried to shake Rika awake. Malik was sitting on the bank, his face in his hands as he cried for the young girl. How could she have died? She seemed so happy at last, so alive. She had banished his other for the moment, she had freed his soul, and hers, from the darkness. She was a hero. Now all of a sudden, she dies in his arms. She falls limp and cold all at once. There was no explanation for it. Nothing. And what doesn't make the most sense is that she's the hoste to Horus, the god of the skies, warrior of the sun, a literal phoenix. Phoenixes don't die, they are reborn in their ashes. So how could Rika die? She was a phoenix now.

"Hey! Seto, put her in the water!"

Malik and everyone looked up at the choking voice of Mokuba. The little child had tears running down his face, and he was staring at the lake, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his sleeve. Kaiba stared at him, and Malik then realized what he was talking about. This lake was the same lake Horus' servant died in. At that same moment, Horus possessed her body. Hoping to escape, Horus became trapped in her body and died. If Rika is the reincarnation of Horus, then these waters should heal her, should save her before she dies.

"Mokuba, what are you talking about?" Mou Hitori no Yugi spoke. Mokuba looked at him, his eyes slightly red and puffy, but held such a serious focus and promise in them.

"A few days ago, Rika brought me here. She got hurt, bad, and when she touched the water, she was immediately healed. I'm talking, perfect condition," Mokuba spoke. The Pharaoh looked at Kaiba, who had that skeptical look on his face, but then a smile crossed his face. He turned to his little brother with that smile.

"Are you sure, Mokuba?" he asked.

"Yes," Mokuba nodded, and Kaiba smiled hopefully. He approached the water and leaned down, Rika's limp arm trailing into the surface of the black water. As Kaiba lowered her body completely into the water, he watched with horror as her flesh began to turn paler and darker, almost an eerie, corpse-like color. Anzu let out a terrified gasp, and immediately Kaiba pulled her body out of the water.

"What's…happening!" Mokuba choked, tears flowing like a river from his eyes. Kaiba looked at the cadaver in his arms, and at once buried his face in the soaked, pitch-black hair, hiding his face as it became soaked with tears. Everyone soon began crying, except for Malik, who knew why the water didn't work and heal her.

"It's polluted by darkness. My other cursed it, so it wouldn't heal her. He knew this would happen. That's why he had the dark veil!" Malik yelled. "There's no way to clean the water now!"

As Malik looked at the black water, he, nor the others, heard the soft clinking of a gold chain around the cadaver's neck, the moonlight sparkling on the golden eye, the black pupil sparkling with an inner, silver light as like a window into another soul, another world, another life. A few flecks of crimson blood had poured onto the pupil, and sparkled in the moonlight. As it did, a small area in the water, which once was black, was now sparkling faintly in the moonlight, the blackness fading slowly in the water.

"What! I'm dead!" Rika jumped back from Jonathan, her silver eyes staring fearfully and horribly at him. Jonathan smiled at her, and then approached her.

"Like I said, this is all a dream. I'm not dead, but you are. This was a wish you've had since I joined the band. You've wanted to be home again, with me, with your mother, with your father, and with your friends. You've wanted to live a normal life. Now you can, but you can never return to that old life, because it's gone now," Jonathan spoke. No! This couldn't be real! She wasn't dead! She can't die now!

"Now, come on, wouldn't you rather have this life than that old, boring life you had? The life that you wrecked?" Jonathan asked. Rika looked at him, and saw the darkness of her eyes reflect in his. He was right, she did ruin her own life. She did when she pushed Kaiba and Mokuba away. She ruined her life when she went out to baby-sit of the Kaibas and her parents got into a car crash. She ruined her life when she gave herself to Kaiba. She ruined herself when she tried to push everyone away, including Motou Yugi, who was only trying to help. Now she was dead! And there was nothing she could do about it.

"Yes, I guess I just have to deal with it now…" Rika spoke solemnly, falling to her knees. Jonathan was right. This was all her fault. She had ruined her own life, her own family, and now she no longer has a life to even live through. She had been nothing but a little brat, all because she couldn't handle living anymore.

"Yes…you have to…. Because there's no going back. After all, you had your chance. You could've lived happily, if only you hadn't listened to Kaiba. If only your father wasn't such a bastard…." Jonathan spoke. Rika's silver eyes widened. This wasn't Jonathan Davis, her childhood friend. Rika knew who this was. An imposter. Jonathan Davis never badmouthed her family, especially her father. After he went into the band, her father became his biggest fan, literally. He enjoyed their music, he enjoyed how Jonathan sang with both a high and low-pitched voices. And because of that Jonathan grew more than enough respect for her father. He never badmouthed him before, but now, if anyone did, Jonathan would beat them up or knock them up to ten lives forward. This was not the Jonathan she knew. She knew who this was. Someone who she knew she had to get rid of for the last time.

"Heh heh. You know, Jon, what I love about you is the fact that you know when to put down someone. However…" Rika stood back up, her silver eyes gleaming with golden light within their darkness. This was the final battle, her final battle, and it was going to end here tonight. "You never put down my father at all. In fact, you would kill whoever did. Now, I'm going to do the same…SETH!"

Jonathan's eyes grew wide, and soon his flesh turned a complete black and his eyes gleamed scarlet. His black hair grew longer, and his body morphed into different shapes in different areas as he became a completely different being. A black demon, glaring at her murderously with burning, scarlet eyes. This was her uncle, this was her enemy, and this was…her last battle before death. This demon was the soul of Seth, the king of darkness and evil. The king who tried to destroy her a millennia ago, and now she'll end the battle once and for all. Isis can't step in, now. Nothing can stop her from her destiny of destroying the darkness, balancing the world once and for all.

"PREPARE TO DIE, MY NIECE!" Seth roared to the darkness, and Rika smiled at the disfigured form before her. Seth flew towards her and his black claws reached out towards her, ready to pierce her flesh and kill her once and for all. But it didn't happen. As he drew closer, her smile grew wider, and at once a blinding, gold light pierced the darkness. Seth let out a pain-filled roar as he retreated slightly from the light. "WHAT IS THIS! YOU'VE MASTERED YOUR POWER? BUT HOW!"

"It is the power of life, Uncle Seth. It is the power my mother passed on to me, and it is the very power to stop you at last! This is my destiny! This is my choice! And if I die again…so be it!" Rika's hand came closer, and the light between them formed into a golden, sparkling bow, burning and shining brightly in the darkness. The light surrounding Rika then flew into the bow, forming a ghostly form of a gold, beautiful arrow. This was the famous weapon of Horus, the weapon of light. He was a phoenix, burning brightly and brilliantly. Now it was her weapon, her power…her light. As she pulled the arrow back, aiming, and ready to strike, she chanted words under her breath in a language she did not know, she was not familiar with, yet she could understand and translate completely.

"Sucoe noco hitai misue kiyo! For my friends, for my family…for my loved ones!"

She released the arrow, and it pierced into the black demon, piercing the darkness and shredding it. As the light from the arrow expanded into the darkness, Seth let out a horrible, haunting roar of pain, and faded into the light. Soon the light faded, as well as the room, and Rika was floating through a thick, dark fog. She fell to her knees in the cloud, feeling the cold, wet air soothe her body, and she realized, with horrible exhaustion and fatigue, that now she can die in peace. She had given Horus what he wanted, to destroy Seth once and for all. She had done what she needed to do. Now she can die….

"Not just yet, my hoste…."

Who's there?... Rika's mind began drifting away into the dark fog surrounding her, and felt the cool air wrap around her. She stared, exhausted and ready to die, into the fog, where a dark figure was approaching her. Please, not another one. Not another battle. I'm too tired. I'm too weak….

But this figure didn't seem evil or dark. In fact, it was the complete opposite. As the figure approached her, coming into view, Rika smiled in weakness as she stared at the stranger. The stranger wore an armor of Egypt made entirely out of gold, a beautiful silver cape billowing behind him. His face was hidden behind a gold mask that resembled a hawk's face, four ruby eyes staring at her from the mask. In the stranger's arms was a gold battle helmet. All this gold shimmered on the stranger's dark skin, his black hair billowing softly around his face. As soon as he approached, Rika felt the warm, comforting sensation flow through her, but it wasn't enough to give her strength and help her stand up. She remained on the ground, lying in the thick fog, as the stranger approached her. She didn't know who he was, or what he was going to do, but she trusted him. She somehow trusted him with her heart and soul, whatever was left of them, that was.

The stranger hovered over her, and then leaned down to meet her. His soft, warm hand stroked against her face, brushing back her black and crimson streaked hair. He smiled at her, and then she tried to smile, but then he spoke for her.

"I know you're tired, I know you're weak right now. I promise you, because I got you into this mess, I'm going to get you out of it. You are my hoste, myself, and I need to help you survive. I won't let you die. I will make sure you and your loved ones are reunited at last," he spoke to her. She then knew who he was. He was Horus. "You helped me balance darkness and light, and now I need to help you balance your life."

Rika smiled, letting out a soft sigh, and her eyes closed gently as she fell through the darkness of her mind.

Darkness cover me
Deny everything
Slowly walk away

Soon the moonlight was shining down on a sparkling, beautiful lake, the water's surface clear turquoise blue and sparkling in the night. No one noticed this, though, as they decided to carry Rika's body out of the trees and into a hospital. But as they turned from the lake, they were immediately blinded by a gold light shining from the lake.

"What's going on!" Malik yelled, turning to the water, shielding his eyes. He was amazed by what he saw. The entire lake was shining a brilliant gold light, almost blinding all of them. Then he realized what was going on, as a warm, comforting sensation flowed through him. Apparently everyone else did, too. Kaiba turned towards the water, and realized what he had to do with Rika's body now. It was like a stern, deep voice was guiding him, controlling him….

"Place her in the water…."

Kaiba approached the bank of the water and laid her body on the surface. He stepped back from the golden water as her body floated into the center of the water, covered and hidden in the light. They looked on with interest and hopefulness. Hoping inside their hearts that Rika would come back to them. The light burned brightly for moments, and then vanished completely, only revealing the lake. Moments passed after that, revealing the water, but no Rika. A few gasps came from the group, now realizing the Rika was dead, and always will be. They couldn't see her body anymore, they couldn't stand these horrible moments of where she could live or die, be good, or be evil. It was too much. They couldn't take it anymore. She was dead, and she wasn't coming back. Never again….

They turned from the water, heading home, hoping to explain some information to the authorities, but knowing it would be difficult. But as the walked towards the opening of the trees, Mokuba's voice echoed in the woods.

"Hey, guys! Look!" They turned to see him pointing out to the middle of the lake, and they all stared in suspense, hoping to see something out there. A few moments passed of complete silence, and they all gave up hope of her coming back.

"Come on, Mokuba. She's not coming back," Kaiba spoke solemnly, choking on his own tears. Mokuba looked at his older brother, confused, and then turned back to the water.

"No, Seto. She is back. I can feel her. That warm…comforting feeling that I've always felt around her. I still feel it. She's alive, Seto. She's alive," Mokuba sniffled, his eyes sparkling with tears.

"No, Mokuba, she's not. She's dead, she isn't coming back," Malik spoke, knowing what feeling he was talking about. They were all close to Rika, important to her, and they all felt that sensation. He was wrong. That wasn't the sign of Horus, that was a sign of Rika. A sign of…love. But what he realized was that that sensation did not vanish at all. In fact, it was stronger. But how? Rika was dead….

Unless Mokuba was right! What if she wasn't dead? In fact, what if she was alive? Malik looked out into the water, hoping to see something new. That sensation in them, the feeling Rika gave them, was what kept them hoping she would come back. That's what it truly was. Love, strength, life, light, and hope. Something she never had, but always had for them.

And at that moment, everyone gasped as they stared at the water. The water began to move and ripple in the center, and at once something shot out from the surface. Something fair and black. A beautiful face, covered in blood and black make-up, soaked, pitch-black hair with randomly placed scarlet streaks framing her elegant, fair face, her silver, deep, endless eyes scanning the lake with a graceful, extravagant beauty. Her body was covered in black, beautiful, Victorian dress that was ripped in several places and covered in her own blood. The young woman stood up to reveal herself, wounded in several places, loss of blood, but she was alive.

"RIKA!" they all screamed as they ran out into the bank, and she smiled sweetly at them. She walked onto the bank slowly, but as soon as she reached it, the air was knocked out of her as a small child with wild, untamed silky black hair and dark eyes ran at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and crying into her body. She embraced the child first with an unknown smile on her face. A smile her mother would give her as a child. A smile showing love and safety, a mother's smile. As soon as the child pulled away, however, the young woman was surrounded by her friends embracing her and crying into her. Kaiba was so happy that he immediately lifted her up and twirled her in the air like how he used to. Jonouchi, who didn't exactly get along with her, embraced her like another sister, Anzu sobbed into Rika's shoulder, and even Bakura gained a kiss on the cheek from her.

However, the two shocking greetings were last. Mou Hitori no Yugi only smiled on at her as she was greeted by her friends, but as Rika found him, there was a moment's hesitation between them all as she looked at him. The Pharaoh didn't know what was going to happen, but what she did surprised all of them, especially for the way she used to treat him before. She ran towards him and immediately her arms wrapped around him in the most intimate, friendly embrace they ever saw her give. Mou Hitori no Yugi was stunned and paralyzed by her actions, but smiled in acceptance and respect as he returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Yugi, for being the best friend I could have ever asked for…" she spoke sweetly in his ear, holding back her tears. The Pharaoh smiled and she pulled away softly from him with a teary-eyed smile.

Then she turned to Malik, and what happened next surprised all of them. Rika approached him slowly, but then her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips found his. Soon, they all watched in surprise and shock as the two were locked in a passionate, loving kiss. As they watched with awe and surprise, Kaiba Seto only glared angrily and jealously at them.

To breathe again
On my own

"It's a rather deep cut, Seto-sama. Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" spoke the doctor to Kaiba Seto, who was sitting on a chair in one of the closed up rooms, his right sleeve rolled up to reveal his now bandaged arm.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's just a cut. I want to check on Yukari Rika right now," Kaiba spoke, standing up and bringing his sleeve back down. The female, blond doctor blushed from this action, falling for his looks, but acted professionally to her patient.

"I'm afraid your friend, Rika, will have to stay the night. She has lost far too much blood, and I'm afraid is too weak to even stand up," she spoke. "If you want to see her, you can, but visiting hours will be cut short early for her, in three hours."

"Thanks," Kaiba left the room and walked down the hall, several doctors and nurses passing by him, rushing to their patients, surgeries, or other nonsense. Kaiba found a room packed with teenagers, and knew this was his room. As soon as they left the lake, Rika fainted again from loss of blood, and they had to rush her to the hospital. She had to spend an hour in surgery and blood transfusions, and eventually was brought out to rest almost an hour later. At that time, the cut on Kaiba's arm was noticed and he was forced into an examination and being bandaged. Everyone was checked out for injuries or problems, and only Kaiba, Malik (for some unknown reason), and Rika were taken into examination for injuries and wounds.

Kaiba found Rika sitting up in bed, a bandage circling her forehead and around, her arms, neck, shoulders, legs, and any other places were bandaged, and she was forced to change into some new clothes. Already she looked comfortable and situated in her room, Malik sitting in a chair next to her bed, Honda and Jonouchi fighting over the hospital food, Anzu arranging the flowers in a vase on her small night stand, and Yugi was leaning against the wall, watching Rika with fixed, dreaming eyes. Bakura was standing alone in a corner, feeling a bit rejected again. However, Mokuba wasn't found until….

"Big brother!" At once the wind was knocked out of Kaiba as his brother ran at him to embrace him. Kaiba had to talk to Mokuba about that later. He was getting hurt more often by that than heartbreaks. "Is it true? Is Rika spending the week here?"

"I just had a talk with the doctor, and they've told me that she isn't staying for the week, just for the night," Kaiba spoke. Rika sighed with relief.

"Great, 'cause I don't think I can eat anymore of that nasty hospital food," she spoke teasingly to him, and Kaiba smiled, sort of. He needed to talk to Rika alone, not with everyone watching him. He turned to the others, and they looked at him expectantly.

"Is it possible that I could get a few minutes alone with her?" Kaiba asked with a glare, and everyone walked out of the room. Malik stood up from his chair, and, before he left, he shot Rika a worried gaze, but her smile reassured him as he left and closed the door behind him. The room was empty except for the two of them, and then Kaiba sat down in a chair closest to her bed. He sighed for a moment, hesitating as to what to say, but then Rika spoke for him.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" she asked. He smiled with relief.

"Actually, yes. I want you to come back and live with me and Mokuba," Kaiba spoke. Rika looked at him for a moment, and then looked away sadly.

"I can't, Seto, you know why," she said.

"But you don't have to push us away. We're your friends, we need you….Just like how you need us," Kaiba said, his eyes pulled away from her. He heard her sigh with sadness and despair.

"I'm not pushing you away anymore, Seto. I care about you and Mokuba, I really do. And you're right. I do need you. But right now, the person I truly need, is myself. I have to show to myself I'm not just some scared little child anymore. I can live on my own, take care of myself, and not fear from anything," Rika spoke. "Please, understand it's nothing personal, but I need to prove to myself before I can prove to others I'm alright."

"But Rika, we can be a family again," Kaiba couldn't stop himself from what he did next. He had leaned forward and grasped her hands into his, staring directly into her eyes. She stared at him for a moment, and then pulled away.

"Please respect my wishes, Seto! As soon as I'm out of the hospital, I'm leaving. I'm leaving Japan, I'm leaving this place!" Rika spoke loudly, tears forming in her eyes.

"But where will you go? Will I ever see you again?" Kaiba asked. Rika didn't look at him wanting to hide her tears.

"I'm returning to an old friend, I'll live with them, and do some soul searching. I'm not sure if we'll ever meet again, but, Seto…" she finally turned to him, her tears sparkling in the dim light. "I'll always remember you, and I'll always care about you and Mokuba. You're right, you guys are my friends, and I love you both, but right now…I need to learn more about myself. I need to figure out more about me, and there's one person that I'd like to see again. Someone who I haven't seen in years."

Kaiba sighed sadly and the two of them just sat alone in silence for moments. Eventually the others came back and talked with Rika, but they didn't know that their friend would be leaving them.

FD: Okay, the next chapter is the last one besides the Epilogue. I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I've been really busy with school, and homework, and everything else in life. Remember what I said about Jon Davis, he will be appearing in the sequel, and possibly in the Epilogue of this story, I'm not sure yet. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. Peace!