Please Read and Review. And thanks to all the people who have taken the time to let me know what you think about the story. I really appreciate it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapters 34 and 35 were posted at the same time.

WARNING OF PROBABLE SENNEN ITEM CANON VIOLATION: Up until now I've tried to stay as close to the storyline of Yugioh (at least until the point where Déjà Vu veers of in its own direction) as possible. But the Sennen Items are the exception. For one thing, the powers and rules vary during the course of the series itself, and they seem slightly different from the manga to the anime. What I've tried to do instead, is create a set of rules for their powers, and for how they can be activated and used, that preserves the idea that these are powerful, mysterious, artifacts, yet makes sense within the confines of this story. Some of the rules, like that the Items can only be won in a duel, or given up voluntarily closely match the Yugioh storyline. Others are my own adaptations. They are necessary for my story to work. Hopefully how the Eye and Rod work will be explained in the story itself. I've noted any changes I've made (and why) in the Author's Note at the end of the chapter.

CHAPTER 35: GOLDENEYE

KAIBA'S POV

We were all back in Domino. Unfortunately, as promised, Ghost Boy was here as well.

"Each person can wield only one item at a time," he was saying.

"I thought you said Akunadin had the Eye and the Rod," I challenged. "Last time I checked, one plus one equaled two."

"Akunadin might be the caretaker for both items, but I have seen him wield only the Eye. I do not know if he can control both the Eye and the Rod at the same time, but I do not believe so, especially given their divided nature," Shadi answered. "However if they are re-united and Akunadin and his master, Zork Necropolis, gain control of them, who knows…"

"Who gives a shit about all the things you don't know?" I interrupted impatiently. "I got the point: as far as the items go, it's one per customer."

I paused, then gestured to the Eye in Yami's hand. "If we succeed…" I said, leaving the rest of my sentence unfinished. Given Shadi's admitted cluelessness, I wasn't sure why I was bothering asking him anything. And this wasn't the time or the place or the person for revealing a weakness. It wasn't even like the answer would change anything. But I had to know if there was a chance I'd ever be sharing the sky with my dragons again.

Luckily, however obliquely, Shadi chose to answer my half question. "Then the Eye and the Rod will be whole and complete, once more. They will vanish as if they had never existed in this timeline. All will be as it was. And with the re-union of the items, and the restoration of your timeline, Akunadin and Zork Necropolis will be resealed in their prison beyond time. I hope our actions will destroy them utterly, but their ultimate fate is hidden from me."

I found myself hoping Shadi knew what he was talking about, even as I wondered why people talked about 'hope' as if it was a good thing, instead of the edgy, uncomfortable feeling it was.

I opened the office safe and nodded to Yami. "The Rod can stay here," I said. I turned to Seto. "You know the combination. When you need it – it's yours." Yami handed me the Eye, next. I closed my fist around it.

"Why are you giving the Rod to the boy?" Shadi asked curiously.

I didn't feel like explaining that when this whole stupid plan went down in flames, I wasn't about to saddle a 13 year-old boy with a hunk of gold for an eye. So I needed a distraction.

I tossed the Eye in the air; caught it lightly. It was fun watching how upset these fools got every time you played with one of their toys.

"Shadi," I hissed, "You like fucking with people's heads. Did it occur to you that I have a toy of my own now? A trinket that lets me see into people's minds; that lets me steal their souls? Ever hear the expression, 'Payback's a bitch?"

Shadi turned to face me. So, he liked to meet his enemies head on. If he thought that made a bond between us, he was wrong. I studied my adversary. The arrogance and annoyance were gone. He didn't look frightened, but he wasn't a man for revealing a weakness, any more than I. For the first time though, he looked tired.

"I will not oppose you, Seto," he said quietly.

I growled. If he thought he was getting off the hook that easily, he had the wrong Seto Kaiba in mind. Who did he think he was to try and deny me the fight I suddenly wanted? Who was he to pretend he didn't want it too? I was willing to bet that with a little prodding, he'd come across.

"What's the matter, Ghost Boy? Not as much fun when it's a fair fight?"

"I do not glory in attacking the unarmed, Seto. I know as well as you, how dishonorable my actions have been."

"Spare me the fake regrets," I snapped.

His jaw clenched. Good. He was getting angry. But his words were disappointingly mild.

"What is it you want, Seto?"

"You know what I want, Ghost Boy. I want a rematch. We both know you're the kind of sick bastard who likes fucking with people's heads as long as you think they can't fuck back. But it's a brand new game now – and I want the chance to even the score."

Once again I saw that involuntary tightening of his jaw. Once again I thought I was about to get the fight I wanted. But once again, his words were annoyingly conciliatory.

"I am prepared to pay for my transgressions. If today is the day that reckoning comes due, so be it. I have given everything for this moment… for this chance to defeat Zork Necropolis and his henchman, Akunadin," Shadi said. "I have sacrificed all that was precious to me… my life… my dreams… my death. The slow fires of time have purged my soul of everything but my mission… have turned everything to ash, but my duty to my pharaoh to fulfill it. It has been my honor and privilege to serve my prince even as the years have lengthened, and I have become a shadow in more than seeming. Seto, my old friend, would have understood. He knew sacrifice and respected it."

Shadi set aside his key, leaving himself unprotected. "I did not stay long enough in your mind to know if the same could be said of you. But I trust that there are some things that even millennia cannot alter. The pharaoh and you were brought here for a purpose. My path is clear, and nothing will deter me. If you need revenge for my intrusion before you will move on, before you will complete our mission, then take it."

Damn.

I wanted revenge all right. If Shadi had challenged me, had said anything to goad me even one inch further… I swear I would have done it. It's what everyone expected from me – what the damn Eye wanted. I could feel it, warm in my hand; tempting me to see what kind of damage I could cause.

I frowned and shook my head, clearing it of my sudden anger. This had started as a diversion. How had it almost escalated to a death match, instead? I hated Shadi, but that was nothing new. I looked down. The only element that had been added to this equation was currently nestled in the palm at my hand. The lights flickered off its golden surface as it sat there, winking at me.

In spite of all that had happened (or maybe because of it) I had fought against believing in any Sennen Item bullshit. But now that I was actually holding the damn thing, I knew…

"You son of a bitch," I hissed at the Eye in my hand. "Who the fuck do you think you're playing with? Seto Kaiba is nobody's tool."

The Eye was seductively warm, faintly animate. It was powerful… and I've always been drawn to power… feel most myself when lost in its embrace. The Eye spoke directly to the flame that burned at the core of my heart… urging me to release my rage, to destroy whatever was unlucky enough to be in my path, to have stirred my anger. I'd done that before; I knew what kind of damage I could cause. I could feel my heart race at the prospect.

The Eye was encouraging me now, pushing me, as if it had a voice that tickled my ear as Gozaburo's had… until Yami's whispered 'Koryuu' had drowned it out.

Yami…

I turned to Yami. "Do you remember what you told me – that when I pieced my heart together, I had to do it with no mistakes?"

He nodded. Of course we both remembered. When someone shatters your heart, then gives you a chance to rebuild it… his words are meant to last.

I had known, from the moment I had seen the Eye, what I had to do. We were going to have to face Akunadin sooner or later – that was the point of this whole ridiculous enterprise. We were going to be on his battlefield, using his weapons – and I had 3,000 years of catching up to do regarding this one.

I took a deep breath, ready for the pain. Right now, the Eye was my true enemy, not Shadi. It had stolen my soul when I had barely put it back together. Worse, it had hurt Mokuba.

I looked at that golden orb, as though I could read its expression. I grinned. Now that I was no longer blinded by my anger at Shadi, I could see where the true danger lay. Until I had held it, had felt its weight, I had thought that the Eye was only a weapon to be deployed. Now I knew – it was an adversary to be defeated, as well. The Eye wanted to control me; to twist me as it had twisted Pegasus. Well, it would get its chance to try. I wasn't going to back down from its challenge. I remembered the Eye all right… and it was time to see how I'd fare against it a second time.

"You're lucky, Ghost Boy," I told Shadi. "You're not my opponent of choice at the moment."

I also like to face my enemies head on. So deliberately, defiantly, I turned the eye until that the pattern, so like one on Yami's puzzle, was facing me. Then I plunged it in.

YAMI'S POV

"The fool!" Shadi cried.

Kaiba fell as irrevocably as a tree stuck by lightning. He lay on the floor, blood streaming from his ruined eye, as unmoving as after Death-T. The smooth, pattern-less, golden surface of the back of the Eye gazed back at us from the shattered remains of Kaiba's real one.

There is a difference between shock and surprise, and I was standing in sorrow on its border. I would not have opposed Kaiba, could not have withheld a Sennen Item from its rightful keeper. And I knew that when Kaiba finally accepted that the items were real… that they had power… he would be drawn to activate them. Nonetheless, the reckless speed of his decision had caught me off guard.

Mokuba was the first to reach him. He threw himself across Kaiba's chest crying, "Nisama!" as if his screams could revive him; as if he couldn't believe that his brother would refuse to answer his call.

"What has happened?" I asked.

"Do you remember what I told you about his soul room… about what lies in wait for those unwary enough to enter it?" Shadi asked. "The Eye has the power to see into the soul… and the power of judgment. When Seto turned it inward, he plunged himself into the heart of his own nightmares. It could kill him."

Mokuba answered him, saying fiercely, "You don't know my brother. There's nothing he can't survive. He'll come back to me. I know it."

"Even if he survives the shock, he could be lost in the maze of his nightmares forever." Shadi replied.

"You're wrong," Mokuba repeated. They're his nightmares. He can find his way out."

Mokuba was half-right. Kaiba certainly had the strength to tread the path of his own labyrinth; he would not be stopped by his own monsters. But there was one thing that could defeat him, for he had taken his own worst enemy along. Shadi had said that the Eye had the power of judgment. Mokuba didn't want to admit it, but he knew as well as I, that Kaiba could easily decide that whatever nightmare world he was wandering in was what he deserved, was where he belonged. He might need someone to remind him that he was wrong… that he was loved.

I turned to Shadi. "I'm going after him. Use your Sennen Key to open a door into his soul room."

"It's dangerous," Shadi warned. "Once you are inside of the Eye, you will be beyond the reach of any of us here. And I believe that Seto is the only one who has even a chance of traversing its path to the end. If he does not accept your presence and you can not free yourself, you may be trapped there forever."

"I'm willing to risk it," I said as Shadi prepared to accede to my request. "I promised Kaiba that we would face the world together, and I will not be forsworn at the first test."

I took a deep breath like a diver before a plunge, all but grinning with anticipation. Mokuba had told me that although I had seen Kaiba's demons, I hadn't lived with them. This was my chance…

Thanks to Clarity for editing these chapters and for helping me sort out the Sennen Items…

Thanks to Amarin Rose for suggesting the title 'Goldeneye' from the James Bond movie.How could I resist any pun that bad?

Thanks to Madam Hydra: A while back, after Shadi's narrative in Chapter 16, Madam Hydra wrote that although it was clear that Shadi was only concerned with his mission, it wasn't clear why that was so. I realized she was right, and he was kind of one-dimensional in that regard. I pictured him as being sort of burned out to the point where nothing except his mission was real to him anymore, but I realized I needed to make that a lot clearer. Well it's taken me 19 chapters, but I hope Shadi's a little more three-dimensional now.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I admit, this was a pretty evil cliff-hanger. On the other hand the next chapter is really long, and had to be told in one unbroken chapter. One thing I am curious about though… way back in Chapter 16 when Shadi invaded Kaiba's osul room, a lot of people wondered if Yami would eventually go into Kaiba's soul room. I'm wondering if people remembered that, or were distracted by all the stuff that happened in between, and only recalled that scene when Yami actually got ready to enter Kaiba's soul room (if at all).

Sennen Items Note: One problem with writing a story involving the Sennen Items, is that the items themselves evolve over the course of the series, and vary between the manga and the anime (not to mention the dub version). For example, in the early manga, Shadi uses both the Key and the Scales, but after that, even when characters have more than one item, they only use one – and it's usually the first one they touch. (On that note, thanks to Clarity for reminding me that if Kaiba had picked up the Rod, even to put it in the safe, he might end up stuck with it.) Anyway, for example, Bakura gets the Eye from Pegasus. But even though you'd think a gadget that lets you read minds and seal souls in cards would be useful to a master thief bent on revenge, he never tries to use it. So I decided the 'one per customer' theory was at least a somewhat reasonable interpretation, and it works for the story.

The Eye doesn't exactly have the power of judgment – I think it's the Scales that have that. But it does have the power to not only read minds, but to look into souls, and the power to lock them away – so I decided tying it to the idea of judgment in some way was a reasonable bending of the rules.

Basically I'm trying to create a consistent set of rules that work within the confines of this story, even if they don't (and at times they don't) match the series itself. As I've tried to sort it all out, I'm really coming a lit closer to sharing Kaiba's distaste for the pesky things…

Kaiba Sennen Items Note: In the dub version, Kaiba refuses to consider the existence of shadow magic, or the idea that the Sennen Items are real (or even that there are two people inside of Yugi) even after his face is shoved in the truth. In the manga, Kaiba is a lot more open-minded. From the start he acknowledges that Pegasus might have some kind of psychic power that lets him look into people's minds. It's why Kaiba designed the duel disks – to (hopefully) keep himself out of Pegasus's range and to hide his eyes. (He's not quite, right, but it's a pretty good guess.) Anyway, I'm going with the manga version and depicting a Kaiba who is much more flexible concerning the Sennen Items – especially once he's holding one in his hands.

ANCIENT EGYPT SPOILER WARNING: One thing interesting about writing a long story based on an ongoing series, is that there's always the possibility that the series itself will throw in a curve ball. At some point I decided that once I started posting a story, it has to continue in its own path, regardless of what happens in the anime. When I plotted Déjà Vu out, I never imagined that anyone could use the Eye without sacrificing their own – but I think that happens in the Ancient Egypt version of the anime. (I haven't seen the episodes yet – because then I'd have to admit the series is over.) Anyway, to me that contradicts the earlier version in the manga, when Pegasus gets the Eye, where it was implied that to gain the power of the Eye, the user has to offer something of equal value, like his own Eye. That also ties in with the idea that Sennen Items are a test of sorts. And I think the idea that power only comes at great cost fits better both with the story in general, and Seto Kaiba's character in particular.

Yugi and Kaiba Note: I think that Yugi respects Kaiba, but I also think they are the two characters who are most diametrically opposed. Yugi's strengths (and I see him as a very strong character, if less dramatic than say Yami or Kaiba) flow out of his sense of himself and his insightfulness and charity towards others. These are qualities that Kaiba not only lacks, but is almost unable to recognize (or even imagine.) At the same time, I think Kaiba's recklessness and lack of moderation perplexes Yugi. It's almost equally out of his frame of reference. If you look at how they react in similar situations – in Battle City, Yugi is fighting a brainwashed Jounouchi, with the possibility that one or both could lose their lives. Yugi is ready to sacrifice his life for his friend – but it's clear this is a last resort – he is trying to come up with a game plan where both will win (and live). In contrast, from the moment Noa threatens Mokuba's well being, nothing but Mokuba matters to Kaiba – and certainly not his own life. You can see Yugi trying to convince Kaiba not to throw his life away – and it's equally clear, Kaiba isn't listening.

RESPONSES TO REVIEWS:

Sennen Eye (AmunRa, Bishonen no Miko, Clarity, Desidera, Kekewey, Maris, StainofCurare, Troubled Talent, Wintersslayer) Well I learned one thing last chapter – if you're going to imply that a character may lose an eye – especially a blue one – be prepared for comments! I'm not sure what to say. Obviously I have no compunction about maiming my favorite character if it's integral to the story – which hope it's clear this is. But I promise, I wouldn't do it for shock value, or because I was afraid the story was dragging and wanted to spice it up a bit. Ironically I think what would bother Kaiba most is not the loss of his eye, but that he's losing the ability to fly, and with it the sense of freedom, and I think a sense of coming home that being in the air represents for him. I know that various anime/comic book characters fly with only one eye, but according to aviation regulations no one can get, or keep a pilot's license if they have an "acute or chronic pathological condition of either eye.. that interferes with the proper function." I'd have to think that having a mystical golden eye counts as a pathological condition.

I think Yami has too much respect for Kaiba to try and stop him, although, given the chance, he might have tried to get Kaiba to think things out a little. But I think jumping for self destructive solutions is part of Kaiba's character.

Yami, Kaiba, gloating, and the Dark Magician: (AmunRa, Bishonen no Miko, elirian 19, Kagemihari, mistressKC-wanteddeadoralive, Wintersslayer) I think Yami might find Kaiba's gloating endearing – partly because it's one of the few childish things about him. It's also a side that he really only shows to the Yugi-taachi. In his duels with Gantling of the Big Five in Noa's Arc, or later with Gozaburo, he's all business, even in victory. Compare his comment to Gantling in victoy, where he basically says that he will never be used as part of a war machine again, with some of the more childish Nyaaaah, Nyaaaaah, comments he indulges in with Yugi and friends. But I also think it's Kaiba's ferocity, his passion, and his sheer determination that really gets to Yami. Like in Kaiba's duel with Isis, you can really see how Yami admires Kaiba's determination to defeat destiny. On the surface, yeah, I'd agree – only Kaiba would think the Dark Magaician was there to hurt him. But I think Kaiba's unused to recognizing help, even when it's standing in front of him. And he's also used to seeing the Dark Magician as an adversary – he's used to seeing him on the opposing side of the field, so I think the mental switch to realizing that he is, and always has been an ally, would take some time.

Battle scene: (Clarity, Desidera, Kagemihari, elirian 19, Maris, StainofCurare, Troubled Talent, Wintersslayer, Zak a.k.a. YGO EcoGoth) Well I rated it as 'R' for general content – but yeah, the ability to commit fictional mayhem is a definite perk! I could picture Kaiba waking up from that nightmare and being more upset that he'd lost, than that he'd died. So I could see him replaying the scene over and over in his mind, until he had managed to find a way to 'win.' And I think part of him would welcome a chance to even the score. It is odd though – that in the end, the nightmare Yami forced on him, in this story anyway, ended up saving his life…

It's clear in the manga/anime that Kaiba loves to fight. You see him fend off armed thugs with a briefcase, jam a gun with a card, jump out a window, and threaten to snap a guy's neck with a briefcase. Not only does he fight very efficiently, but he fights with every sign of enjoyment. And I can't help but think Yami might find this side of him sexy.

Akunadin: (Moonrunner, supernerd3333) Akunadin probably could use his Sennen Eye to read Seto's mind – except he thinks he already knows what's on it. He's blinded by the idea that Seto will finally repay the debt he feels his original son owes him. Also Akunadin doesn't need to know what's on Seto's mind – he needs his freely given cooperation. In Battle City they make the point that the Sennen items can only be won in a duel or given voluntarily. I picture Akunadin as being aware when Seto or Kaiba claim the other items because the two versions are connected, so as the holder/caretaker of one set, he would be aware of major changes within the other ones.

Monkey King: (supernerd3333) I have to admit, that I was searching for a character that was small, resourceful, and maybe a little impishly sneaky – and the Monkey King just popped into my head. I don't know much about him, just from Lawrence Yep's Dragon series, and Goku in Saiyuki, so I'm sorry if I used him inappropriately. I don't think of Mokuba, however as a defenseless little brother. He's extremely resourceful – he manages to escape from Pegasus, and later the Big Five, assemble a search and rescue team for his brother in the Virtual World arc, and them evade them, when Yugi and Co. want to protect him, and manage to reach and free Kaiba first. He's little, but he's certainly not weak.

Note to SoulSister and Nachzes Black-Rider: In a story that's this long, I always wonder if people will get tired of it before the end, so thanks for letting me know you're enjoying it.

Note to Troubled Talent: Yeah, I thought the battle scene was a little rushed too, I just couldn't find a way to slow it down anymore. It was a lot harder than I thought.

Note to QueenofGames2: Thank you! The truth is I read a lot and there are so many words you never get to use in everyday speech. There's a line in 'National Treasure' where Nicholas Cage says something very earnestly, and the 'love interest' says, "People don't talk like that any more." And Nicholas Cage's character says, "But they think like that." One thing I like about writing is getting to show that. And corny as it sounds, I really am trying to tell this story as best I can, so I really appreciated your comments. Sweden sounds wonderfully exciting!

Note to Ceribi Motou: Thanks. That passage about Kaiba and flying was probably the part I rewrote the most – because I really wanted it to sound like it was coming from deep inside of Kaiba's heart – without getting to sappy. My favorite line was the one where Yami says: "I don't think anything could cure Kaiba of the habit of gloating before the match was truly over," because that's just so true for Kaiba.