Rebirth

Chapter 10: Deadly Games (part 1)

The windows shattered completely throwing glass all over the tidied room. The chairs blew over from the amount of power erupting all around. Furniture was shaking and the castle seemed to rumble in response. If those outside the palace walls could feel it none of them exited their safe houses to see just what was causing it. When the power died down and the furniture stopped shaking, Fidil was finally able to let go of the wall he was clinging onto. Shadi was standing next to him looking just as grim. Yami was standing in the center of the room having reacted pretty badly to the news that had just been given by Shadi. Yami's eyes were narrowed and he was breathing deeply, heaving with anger.

"I should have never left him alone!" Yami seethed. "I was supposed to protect him!"

"Pharaoh please calm down or you'll get overwhelmed," Fidil began.

Yami's eyes narrowed intensely into his. "I will not rest until Yuugi is back safely with me, do you understand? Do you?" he seethed.

"Of course Pharaoh. We all want that," Fidil answered calmly, feeling extremely concerned.

Shadi moved forward silently. "Pharaoh, he's not the only one missing. Yuugi's friend Ryou is missing—the one who was traveling with Bakura. I know this since I've been keeping an eye on the Millennium Items and when I checked in on Bakura he was with him. I haven't been able to track down Bakura recently but I believe that we are all in danger now. There have been many disappearances not connected with young Yuugi, such as the dead architect found in the cave."

Yami turned toward Shadi with a grim expression. "I knew I felt something was wrong. But if we can't figure out who's behind it how are we going to stop them?"

Shadi shook his head. "I'm not sure. I had gone to the cave to find the witch in order to ask for her help but she wasn't there. I could smell murder in the air. With her having died now I have no way of being able to get a hint at who's behind this. I do know, however, that they are clearly after you pharaoh. And it might be that they're using Yuugi and Isis as a sort of bait."

"And where is Marik? I have tried to figure out his whereabouts," Fidil broke in. "I know you told me to track him down because you needed his assistance but he's vanished. Mai was questioned again and she honestly doesn't know where he is."

"It could be I'm not the only one as a target," Yami said darkly.

"What exactly do you mean?" Shadi asked.

Yami lifted his head up. "I mean that perhaps Isis wasn't kidnapped to get to me."

Fidil and Shadi exchanged glances while Yami turned around to stare out the broken window.

"There is nothing we can do now but follow the bait. Otherwise there's no telling what will happen to Yuugi or the others," Yami glowered. "It's our only option."

Fidil opened his mouth to protest but Shadi stopped him with a shake of his head. It was apparent that Yami's mind was made up.

"If you wish pharaoh," Fidil said quietly. "If that's your choice then you must know there was a fire at the other end of town."

Yami paced back and forth. "It must be a sign—some sort of clue that will help lead us to them. All of these events can't be random. Let's go immediately!"

Fidil bowed and left to get vizier guards and a group of horses together. Shadi slowly approached behind Yami and put a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"I know how much he means to you pharaoh, but you have to be careful. If you're overpowered or captured you won't be able to save him anyway and the enemy will win," Shadi informed him gently.

Yami turned his head and sadly glanced at him. "I know dear friend. I can't put Egypt in a position to be taken over by a terrorist, which is why I will sacrifice myself again for both of them—for Yuugi's life and Egypt's."

"But then what about Isis and Yuugi's friend? This enemy can not be compromised with, pharaoh. And if you surrender your life who's going to stop them from taking over Egypt and killing Yuugi and the others despite your sacrifice? They will most likely try to take everything from you."

Yami's fist clenched instinctively. "That may be...but what am I supposed to do? I can't just sit here and wait. If I do what they want of me Yuugi and the others will remain unharmed."

Shadi sighed heavily. "You don't know that, Pharaoh. And what happens if you follow everything, give them what they want and in the end they hurt them still? You can't trust the enemy even if this feels right, Pharaoh. They could be using this scheme to get to you knowing you sacrificed yourself in the past. It could be a huge trap that could get everyone killed, including you."

Yami turned to face him with fear in his eyes. "What do you propose I do? Is this the end?"

Shadi's eyes darkened. "Not until we all fall, Pharaoh. There is something you can do. It has never been done before because it is a danger to you and our Items and it's not known if it can be reversed, but it might be the only way."

Yami's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

"Come, I'll show you," Shadi gestured.

Yami followed him to the very back of the palace in a small room where there were statues of past pharaohs and other items. Shadi approached a hidden shelf, unlocked it and pulled an item out. Yami immediately backed away from it.

"This was the item Kontar's father was going to use against you in the first war long ago," Shadi said, holding it out. "You know what it will do."

"But…why, Shadi? This can't be the answer," Yami whispered, horrified.

"Its purpose is evil but we are not going to use it the way Kontar's father intended it to be used. I believe this is the answer pharaoh. It may destroy you as Pharaoh, but…even if it does evil will not succeed because it's not evil that will control this power. It will be someone of good intent…"

Shadi's eyes shined in the dim light and Yami glanced at him uneasily. Almost at once Yami knew who he was talking about. It was obvious by the way Shadi was staring at him and holding out the item…but what he was proposing was something that Yami didn't ever want to think of doing. However, he trusted Shadi with his life.

"Yuugi…," Yami whispered aloud.

"Your bond with him is strong enough that this might work, Pharaoh. You trust him with your life, don't you?" Shadi asked, knowing the answer.

Yami hesitated but nodded. "I do, but…to put this sort of responsibility on his shoulders…I couldn't."

"Yuugi volunteered his services last time and nearly his life, didn't he? Besides, he is in grave danger already. This could be the only way to save his life as well as everyone else's."

Yami lowered his head. "Is this really the only way?"

"I believe so," Shadi answered gently, walking toward him with the item outstretched.

Staring at it silently, Yami raised his head again. "And…and what if it can't be reversed?"

"If it can't we will have to do something that hasn't been done in the history of pharaohs. But we won't think on it until the time comes. Right now this is more urgent," Shadi emphasized, bringing the item closer to Yami.

Yami took in a deep breath then very slowly he nodded his approval. "Very well, Shadi. Destroy me."

XXXXXXX

The clear blue water flowed gently through the tubes, filling yet another container. Cold, maroon eyes stared down at it watching the lid close. Soon it would be time for another to enter and be surrounded by the mystical powers of the water. It was only a matter of time before they'd all start following the trails he left behind. He had already sent out a sign for Bakura making it look like there had been a struggle with his dear acquaintance—Yuugi's friend. He had probably already found the apartment a wreck with false blood stains on the bed and carpet. Then he'd get samples of the hair strand Keith purposefully left on the bed and track him down to the underground facility by torturing one of Keith's friends into opening Keith's apartment (which conveniently enough would have the blueprint and area map of the underground facility).

It was all planned out brilliantly. There was no way he'd lose this time around. Sneering, his eyes glanced up high toward the trapped ledge that Yuugi and his friend were on. It would be a shame to destroy the boys when he had plenty of room for servants. Perhaps once Yami and the others were dead they'd give in to that idea.

Having that dear Yuugi serve me when he means so much to Yami will really brighten my rule of Egypt.

Smirking with pleasure, he turned and left the room to go find Keith. He took the hidden elevator to the main room where Keith was supposed to have disposed of the bodies. There he found Keith lounging in his chair with his feet up on the table looking as if he ruled over the underground palace. Kontar's eyes stared coldly at him, but instead of showing his rage and discontent he cleared his throat. Keith immediately turned and gave him a salute.

"How are the prisoners?" Keith asked, taking a bite of an apple.

Kontar's eyes narrowed. "Just fine. They're trapped now so they can't get in the way. Have you done as I asked?"

"Of course. Bodies have been disposed, blah, blah, blah, now you can get on with luring those Egyptian guys here. I still can't believe you caught Marik! When I worked for him he completely acted as though no one was a match for him!" Keith exclaimed, standing up.

"Yes, well, no one is a match for me, except for that pharaoh that I've got to get rid of," Kontar said coolly.

Keith raised his eyebrows. "How exactly are you going to defeat him?"

Kontar's lips curled maliciously. "The pharaoh will be the last one I will catch, as planned. Once I have everyone else I will suck the power from their millennium items while they're in a deep sleep. When they are completely drained I will have the abilities of each item which will give me the power to fight and defeat the pharaoh."

"Sounds good enough, but how is it that you're able to suck the power from those items. I thought they were all mystical and stuff," Keith said, crossing his arms.

Kontar stepped closer and smiled coldly. "They are mystical, which is why I have used the water. Remember when we went to the hag and forced her free me in which I became a spirit? Well, after she…died unexpectedly," he sneered, "I snooped around her little home there and found some interesting things. I had to test out a few concoctions but I managed to find a liquid that froze a person. With those victims you brought to me to test on I managed to put them in a deep sleep and with the power from the Millennium Scale I was able to find a hidden power of the item—the power to absorb energy. For regular human beings like those victims it sucked the life right out of them, but with careful training with the item (and some more test subjects) I managed to be able to stray away from sucking out their last breath and managed to get it to suck out memories and such.

"And then of course I needed a millennium item to test it out on so I kidnapped Isis. I put her in a deep sleep like the other victims using the liquid and I took away her memories, but also found a way for it to absorb the energy from the millennium item she held around her neck. As I saw it being absorbed into the millennium Scale I touched the Scale and it produced a vision for me, much like Isis' Item did only now my Scale could do the same. It completely sucked away the power of her item into mine," he sneered coldly, with eyes lit up in pleasure. "And I saw a vision of the Orb being unlocked even further for the entire prophecy and unleashing a power that would destroy me forever this time. So of course with that knowledge I had the Orb stolen from Yuugi so that Yami wouldn't find a way to unlock the full power of the Orb.

"But of course like I said I need all the items first. It was easy kidnapping Isis and almost as easy getting Marik in my grasp. He actually thought it was you who did it and sent him the message to meet you so that you both may bargain for his sister. Too bad he didn't see me coming. All I had to do was wait until he used his millennium item on you and was too distracted with you to see me coming from behind and using my millennium scale to suck the energy from him so he was too weak to stand up. And carrying him here wasn't too difficult but it was hard to get him drenched in the water since he struggled very violently. Still…I'm getting everyone where I want them to be," he smirked.

Keith nodded after he finished, scratching his chin. "Well, that sounds like a very good plan. And you do have Isis and Marik, but you still need three others. And what about Isis' item? I heard that visions sometimes can be tricky if you're trying to prevent them."

"Yes, yes," Kontar glared. "Visions are tricky if you don't prevent them correctly but I have. The Orb is in my possession and so is Yuugi and once the pharaoh gets here I'll use Yuugi's life as a way to weaken the pharaoh so I have time to pour the water around him so that he falls into a deep sleep, enabling me to steal all his powers. I have waited too long and I have learned from past mistakes so that this time will be flawless!"

Keith's lips curled into a smirk as he bulked his muscular body up and raised his arms to show off his biceps.

"And of course I'll be able to catch anyone you need.

Kontar refrained from killing him on the spot and just sneered back. "Make sure you do. And check all the hidden cameras and watch them closely. You must alert me when you see signs of intrusion."

"Yea, sure," Keith said, sitting back down and putting his feet up.

Kontar's eyes glazed red as he glared at Keith. Clutching his throat, Keith lost his balance on the chair and tipped over, kicking his arms and legs as he struggled for breath. His throat was being clenched tighter and he reached toward one of the tables to lift himself up. Finally, Kontar's eyes turned back to normal and Keith fell over gasping for air.

"Don't test my patience!" Kontar hissed mercilessly. "You will do as I say immediately!"

Keith coughed loudly, trying to catch his breath. "Y…yes sir."

Satisfied, Kontar walked away without another word heading back toward his room. On the way he heard a strange noise that caused him to pause and listen. It was a sort of shuffling noise and he was certain it wasn't any of the pipes. Feeling his glee rise he opened a secret door hidden in the wall and stepped inside disappearing from sight.

Footsteps came from down the hallway and a figure appeared breathing heavily from having climbed through the vent system. No alarms had been triggered which meant that he had safely used his Millennium Ring to slip underground into the facility. Bakura glanced around not knowing which way to go. This mission was completely different from the others he had been on. For one, this was definitely the bad guy's hideout. For another, Ryou wasn't there with him. In fact, Ryou was in grave danger which was why Bakura reacted right away. Heading back to Marik's old hideout he meant to talk to Marik but talked to Mai instead because she didn't know where he was. She told him she suspected he too was in danger because it wasn't like him to vanish. Through her tears she managed to point out that there was a young man named Keith who had also vanished without a trace. After looking Keith up he found some very interesting facts.

Not only had he worked for Marik for some time, but before that he had been a street thug, school bully, doing the dirty work for anybody who he could find (as long as the pay and benefits was good) which added up to be the perfect man who obviously was involved somehow. The three boys outside the apartment complex were very helpful in getting him access to Keith's apartment once he tracked down where he lived. Inside he was hoping to find Keith so he could spill his guts…literally, but all he found was a messy, untouched apartment and some blueprints that were carelessly stuffed into a drawer. The blueprints were of an ancient styled palace, much like Yami's only a lot bigger and more complex. But what caught his attention most of all was that it was underground.

Now all he had to do was find where Ryou was being kept and hopefully after setting him free he'd be able to confront the person who did it. He'd have to use his Millennium Item of course. He walked forward and stopped short, his eyebrows furrowing. It felt like the floor was vibrating from something. He bent down to listen and realized that the sound was getting louder as if something was coming up beneath him. Bakura glanced around suspiciously wondering if perhaps he should go the other way in case he was standing over some sort of generator, but he only got to take two steps back before the floor in front of him opened and a large silver gate rose up from beneath and connected with the ceiling. Stunned, Bakura wheeled around to see another gate behind him rise up and touch the ceiling, which ultimately blocked both ways that he could go. Now he was trapped in the center looking around and wondering how he could've triggered a trap.

"My, my, my…look what I've caught."

Bakura's eyes narrowed as a figure approached the front of the first gate sneering at him. At first rage took over and Bakura was ready to fight until he noticed something peculiar about the person—those same maroon eyes that he remembered seeing several times in the past. But it couldn't have been him for he had been killed…twice.

"Don't you recognize me, my dear friend," he drawled. "It's your new ruler, Pharaoh Kontar."

"Impossible!" Bakura seethed through clenched teeth.

Kontar laughed coldly. "You fool, as if I could be defeated so easily! And just as I planned you fell right into my trap. I knew you'd follow to save your dear friend Ryou."

Bakura's eyes narrowed darkly. "So…it's not him you want it's me. Why?"

"Explaining my brilliant plan would be a waste of time. Besides, I believe it's time to join your friends Isis and Marik, don't you think?"

Bakura's eyes widened and he opened his mouth in shock. Before he could utter a word the floor beneath him vanished abruptly causing him to gasp as he fell through down the dark tunnel. Kontar's sneering face disappeared from view and he was suddenly sliding down a slippery material. He realized that he was incredibly soaked and at once figured out that the slippery substance wasn't the material but it appeared to be water—almost like he was sliding down a water slide. Only there was one huge and fatal difference—this water paralyzed him making it impossible for him to move. He tried wriggling his legs or arms but his limbs wouldn't listen to him. They seemed stuck to his sides so he could only slide down feet first with no way to turn himself around and search for something to grab onto. Whatever was in it was powerful stuff…possibly magic, but where had he gotten it? And how was he going to save Ryou now when he couldn't even help himself?

The slide curved to the left and Bakura was thrown back into a lying position unable to move as water splashed over his front including his face. Some of the water got into his mouth and he tasted it a little. Although it looked like water it tasted extremely bitter—almost like…almost like a concoction that contained Lilathum plant in it. That was what some alchemists used back in the day when combing science with magic—much like hags. Somehow Kontar had figured out how to use alchemist concoctions, but how could he? Alchemy had been banned in Egypt for a long time since Yami's reign so how could he have learned it?

A sudden dizzy spell came over him. His entire body was immobilized and he could see that the dark tunnel was becoming darker. He was going to lose consciousness and then there'd be no telling what Kontar would do to him. He had failed…He had failed in his mission and he had failed Ryou. Despite his better wish to not hold Yami in high esteem, he began hoping that Yami would be able to figure it out soon and stop Kontar once and for all. That was his last thought as his eyes rolled back and he was no longer in the present world, but in a deep, enchanted sleep. When his body came out of the slide it was submerged into the same clear blue water that had surrounded him before. His body floated into a full container and was lifted until it rested beside Marik, who was beside Isis, all of them in a coma-like state.

Up above, Yuugi peered down from the ledge having heard the machine turn on. His eyes caught sight of Bakura's body, now concealed in a container, and gasped loudly.

"What is it?" Ryou asked quietly as he approached the ledge.

Ryou's eyes glanced around and landed abruptly on Bakura who lie motionless below them. A terrified expression took place on his face and tears began to tingle in his eyes. The star-shaped machine holding the containers with the bodies in it began to submerge back underground since the machine with the water-like substance stopped. Ryou's fingers touched the glass that surrounded them as he stared even as the sight of Bakura disappeared.

"B…Bakura," Ryou whispered, as several tears dripped down his face slowly.

Yuugi sadly put an arm around him, holding him close. "We have to help all of them."

Ryou nodded and wiped his tears away. "How can we? Every plan we've thought of can only work if we get out of here."

"It's okay, don't worry!" Yuugi said standing up. "We'll figure out som….," Yuugi trailed off as he suddenly felt extremely dizzy.

"Yuugi? Yuugi!" Ryou exclaimed as he ran to catch him as he fell to his knees.

Yuugi could barely register anything as the dizziness began to grow. All he could see were flashes of light blaring in front of him and Ryou's voice was so far away. His entire body was tingling as if all feelings had been heightened. His skin prickled as some hairs on the back of his neck rose. Suddenly his body felt too heavy and Yuugi collapsed with Ryou shouting to him. The abnormal sensation began to disperse and finally Yuugi blinked in order to clear his sight and his mind. He took in several deep breaths and was finally able to lift himself into a sitting position. Ryou had his hands on his shoulders looking very concerned.

"Are you alright?"

Yuugi nodded, holding his head for a second. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was the weirdest thing I've ever felt. Maybe I just got up too fast."

Ryou nodded uncertainly and let go of him to allow him to stand up. Shakily, Yuugi stood up and tried to shake off the tingly sensation that was beginning to fade. A sudden shock crawled up his entire spine and even up his neck so quickly he barely had time to register it. Ryou stared up at him uneasily.

"Are you feeling dizzy again?"

Yuugi didn't answer right away—he was staring out in front at nothing. He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I feel him."

Ryou blinked in confusion. "Who?"

Yuugi turned away to face the opposite direction looking out toward the machinery.

"Yami…he's coming."

TO BE CONTINUED…

To Reviewers:

Padfoot13: Thanks for sticking with me even though I took a semi-long break. Hehe…Everything will become clear soon enough, that's all I can say. But you can always guess!

Kari-Sama: Lol! I'm sorry you're a bit confused. I'm glad it's still a mystery, but I don't want your brain to become so wound up you don't know up from down. Just to clear things up Kontar really does have Marik, as it was explained in this chapter. Hope you're not too confused still!

Yana5: Thank you! I'm glad you're liking it. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon.

SilverWing147: Sorry I didn't update as soon as I planned, but it's up now, right? Hehehehe. Anyway, sorry Bakura wasn't able to rescue Ryou right away like the shining prince and take him away on a white horse…it won't be a fairy tale adventure but the dream was a sign at better things to come.

YamiyugifanadicWell, they don't have a plan yet but it's coming! And so is Yami, hiphip HOORAY! Tehehehe.

Atemu Yugi Lover34: Awww, thank you for your concern but I'm not near the hurricane. Hope you weren't either. I've just been having less time than I want to write but at least I got this up finally.

Yuki-san: Awww, thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying this so far. I'm sorry this wasn't the quickest update. Hopefully I'll update the next chapter sooner!