Disclaimer: I do not own yu-gi-oh or any of the characters. I do however, own Kara.

Kara

Dark faces all around. Running, out of breath. A scream, my own voice.

"Leave me alone!"

Chanting.

"You lied. You can't save us. Weak little girl."

I trip, stumbling to my knees. "No…. No! You're wrong. I didn't know!"

Louder still, the voices grow.

"No."

"Weak little girl. Liar."

"No, no, NO!" I shot up, gasping for breath. My eyes flew around wildly just in time to spot Jou jump in the darkness. He was panting about as hard as I was. I pulled my knees to my chest, shuddering violently. No one else knew but one of my greatest fears was being thought of as weak or incapable. I hadn't even told Seto that one. Finally, I felt him relax across the room as though waiting for an explanation. When I remained silent he spoke hesitantly.

"K-kara? What was that?"

"Nightmare." Came my simple replied, muffled by my knees. I didn't feel like talking about it. Of coarse, he had to go and sniff around.

"What about?" The blond boy stepped closer to my bed, though I couldn't see his face. His voice said it all. He was worried. Just what I needed, a servant feeling sorry for me.

"Things I'm afraid of, alright? Do you want to know that?" I snapped, more harshly than I'd meant to sound. He remained silent and unmoving. "Well?" I repeated, my fear pushing my anger to the limit. He shook his head.

"Not unless you're willing to tell." Jou stepped back to the wall. After a pause he said, "You might want to guard your mind from the priests, as impossible as it sounds. They'll see everything." That had my attention. My head shot up so fast I think I got whiplash.

"N-nani? I-I mean, what?"

He sighed sadly.

"When… they test you, they look into your mind. Everything in your mind."

My breath seized in my throat. They would see… They would see…

"Isn't there anything I can do? Anything?" I practically pleaded with him and I had never stooped that low. I wouldn't let some random person learn my most hidden secrets within seconds with no say in the matter. He pushed off the wall again to sit cross legged at the side of my cot.

"There is a way that I heard about that I sometimes use, but it doesn't always work." He paused painfully. "It took me weeks to be able to do it properly."

I closed my eyes, my head falling into my arms.

"I could teach you." He said quickly, trying to recover. "Who knows, if you are Isis' heir, maybe you'll be powerful enough to get it fast."

"And if I'm not?"

His caramel eyes remained on me in silence. I still really doubted this whole magic thing, but it was my only hope no matter how small. A long breath escaped my lips.

"Teach me. I'm willing to try anything at least once."

Jou actually smiled, which was weird considering how I felt at the moment. I heard him stand and shuffle some things around in the dark. A rough parchment and some sort of quill were thrust into my lap.

"Draw a maze. You can put anything in it to make it difficult. Make it impossible. Make it so even you can hardly figure it out, no wait…. You have to be able to get through it, but make sure it's too hard for anyone else, especially those with intelligence and genius."

I stared.

"This is no time for games."

"Just draw it. Trust me, you need it." He brushed off all my attempts of protest, so I finally decided to play along. After drawing a particularly difficult labyrinth, I held out the paper. He snatched it up and shook his head. "That's too easy."

I raised my eyebrows skeptically.

"I happened to be really good with mazes!" He said defensively. I sighed, picking up another parchment. This time Jou watched over my shoulder, giving me tips and hints for traps and dead ends. He was, as he said, surprisingly good at mazes and when we had finished, we had a very formidable entanglement of lines. "That's better." He said nodding. "Now memorize it."

I started to nod, but then the impact of his statement hit me.

"Memorize? That?" My jaw dropped. "That's impossible!"

The blond whipped around to face me.

"Don't take that attitude without trying, otherwise this lesson is pointless!" His harsh reprimand surprised me and caused Marik to shift in his sleep. "Sorry." He muttered apologetically. "Just try first, alright?"

I nodded, looking down intensely at the drawing.

"If you picture this clearly when the priests enter your mind, they should find themselves in it. Hide your memories in hidden chambers. If you can't see it clearly, then there will be gaps where they can pass easily through." He instructed me carefully as though he were afraid he would make a mistake instead of me.

After what seemed like hours, my mind began to wander from the labyrinth. At that precise moment, Jou snatched the paper from my grasp.

"Draw it." He ordered, a new paper in his hand.

"I ca-…" My chin dropped. "I'll try." It was a feeble try at that. It was as if my knowledge of the whole thing had been ripped away with the picture. I could hardly recall the middle and end, but the beginning was mostly clear. When I couldn't think of any more, I sighed, holding out the paper in defeat.

"That's not good enough." He said plainly. I growled.

"You try it then smartass." The boy nodded, turning his gaze to the parchment. After a few moments, he handed it to me and drew his own rendition. His pen flew quickly over the paper only pausing in two or three areas of uncertainty. I stared down in amazement and a little jealously. "How'd you do that?" I groaned.

"I looked at it and memorized it. I mean really looked at it. It's difficult to understand… I don't know how to explain it, it just sort of has to happen. Look at it, but don't."

I rubbed my temples.

"That makes no sense."

"Please try. Empty your mind." He begged. I took the paper in hand and stared again, attempting to understand how to look at it before doing anything else. I supposed it was like looking at one part and the whole picture at the same time. 'Clear my mind?' That was another problem entirely. How could I possibly empty my mind with all that was going on? Slowly I began checking off things in my mind, shoving them out to the side until I was left with the maze. It was a strange feeling, strangely detached. I shivered, seeing nothing but the lines of the maze. My eyes adjusted, as if bringing it into some unknown focus, the sensation sending excitement shooting through me. As quickly as it happened, it disappeared, everything returning to my vision with only a hazy imprint left in my mind. He handed me a new sheet, where I drew what I could remember once more. I was able to sketch more of the maze, but still not enough to say it was clear. Jou nodded encouragingly.

"Keep trying." And so the night continued in that way. I would get into that state of mind and 'see' the maze, leaving an imprint before I would lose focus again. Each time, the image would last longer and longer until I could finally 'see' it with only spots that were fuzzy instead of completely missing. The blond nodded with satisfaction.

"You've done really well for only one night. You have a few hours before the sun rises. Get some sleep and we'll work a little more in the morning."

"What about Marik?" I asked, weariness evident in my voice.

"They may only search your mind for facts about him. If they get enough, they might not even bother."

I had no idea if he was right, but it would suffice for now.

"Go to sleep." He urged. He didn't need to tell me twice. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. No more dreams. No more nightmares.

Jougbe

"Wake up."

I groaned.

"Wake up."

I shifted, losing, my balance slightly.

"It's too early." I felt someone push me all the way over causing me to topple onto the floor.

"Wake. Up."

I opened my eyes and jumped. I was face to face with a girl!…. Kara right. It took my hazy mind a few seconds to reconcile all the events of the past day.

"Cram session. Come on. Let's go. Up and at 'em." She urged nervously. "If you don't get up right now and I can't do this, I'm going to blame you and haunt you forever when I'm dead."

"Alright, alright, I'm up." I mumbled, sitting up groggily. My stiff muscles protested as I stood, reaching for the maze, quill, and blank paper. "You know how to do it already, why did you need me?"

She took the offered items.

"No reason. I just wanted to wake you up." Her lips twisted into a playful grin. "You were supposed to be watching guard anyhow, better me then that cold guy."

I tensed. She was right. What if Seth had walked in here and found me like I was? I shivered to think of the consequences, for they were too deadly. I turned to retort to her comment, but she already had her head down, deep in thought. 'She must really want her privacy.' I wondered why, but wouldn't ask. I'd never get it out of her. She shuffled the original drawing aside, swiftly recreating it on a clean sheet with almost 100 accuracy. Only one or two small areas blurred indiscreetly. It amazed me how well she was doing. She gazed up at me, her azure eyes brimming with anxiety.

"W-well," She stammered. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

I nodded, trying to be firm. She looked so…. scared, and showing my fear for her would only worsen hers.

"You'll be fine. You picked up this technique amazingly fast, Kara. Just take a deep breath and do it." Lame, yeah I know, but it seemed to calm her nerves if only a small amount.

The sudden jolt of stone on stone sent her back into her silent mask and woke her white haired companion. His face looked like he was arguing mutely with himself…er that other creepy guy.

"You can't go through with this-!" Marik began, panic evident.

"Those priests will tear your mind to shreds, girl." The voice of the other boy finished bluntly, a cruel smirk twisting his features. I winced at the harshness of his tone.

"I can handle myself, thanks." She retorted, an emotionless mask barring her face. "Leave."

"You know, I'm starting to like you, girl." Again he left with a smirk as if sauntering from a room.

"I have a name, bastard." Kara growled, her hands fisting in her sheets fiercely. My attentions turned back to the original noise. A lone servant stood in the opened door. Amazing how such a small sound could create so much chaos. He was a young boy, in his teens, and looked to be shaking like a leaf and confused as all hell.
"H-high Priest M-mahado awaits young Kara and young Mosi in his study. P-please come quickly." The boy stammered, fleeing the room at the very first hint that we would follow. The white haired girl looked to me once more before I nodded and ushered the two in front of me towards the hall. Damn, I hoped it wouldn't be the last time.

Kara

God I was shaking. I mean really shaking. If I hadn't been surrounded by three guys, I probably would have fainted there on the spot. But, of course, I was and I wasn't about to look like some weak little girl. I would never stoop that low. Never. My fists clenched tightly, paling my already pallid knuckles. I kept my face strictly forward, a mask of stone, but the feeling of Marik's sideways glances whittled away at my façade. I could feel Jou's nervous gaze on my spine and the young servant's wariness of us. A walk of eternity. Weren't we there yet? The walk couldn't have taken more than a few minutes, but seemed to take hours. As soon as we stopped at the entryway, the priest's door slide open with a grinding of stone. Mahado's profound voice beckoned from within, calling us forward.

"Jougbe, the three of you may enter. Rhahk You are free for the day for I will be busy and not have need of you."

The boy scurried away without a backwards glance.

"Go on." Jou whispered urgently, nudging me through the door. My heart thudded so deafeningly in my ears that if the seven priests couldn't see my fear, I swear they could hear it from miles away. I stepped forward, stopping in the middle of the room while Marik and Jou stood in the circle that converged around me. The lights dimmed, forcing me to blink repetitively to refocus.

Then, it started. The low chant of Mahado joined by Seth and each member of the ring in turn save Marik and Jou. Electricity shot through my body and soul, acting as a stimulant and a paralyzer at the same time. My mind locked. I couldn't move. It was that ghastly nightmare all over again. The mantra's rise and fall crashed over me like waves battering a cliff, building towards an ear-shattering climax.

"The maze!" Jou screamed recklessly, his voice reanimating my thoughts. The image of the labyrinth raged intensely in my mind's eye; walls, turns, and traps racing to a fevered pitch. All my concentration poured into one solitary thought, making it solid and forcing it into existence. Super novas blazed before my eyes, ebbing away every seeping shadow. The inferno faded to reveal my conscience and the flicker of all seven clerics forcing entry. My physical being shuddered violently with each new entrant. I cried out piercingly, forcing back tears. Concern emanated from my left, though who it belonged to I couldn't distinguish. The strangeness of the sensation served as a distraction from the excruciating pain, which began to gradually incline. Some of the presences were gentle yet probing while others ruthlessly tore through any and all thoughts as though they were paper. Pinpricks of torture marked areas where a few were actually attempting to simply blast through the barriers of the maze. I tentatively tried focusing on these areas and found that they would reshape, repair, and reposition traps and walls. Again I sensed worry rippling towards me.

'Jou?' I felt another's conscience feather against mine before shying away as though just realizing its own action. I probed further with my thoughts, but uncovered nothing. The absence of its assurance disturbed me as I turned my center of attention back to the task at hand. All truths and positive facts had been unearthed long ago and still the priests searched on, violence increasing to unknown levels. My throat grated itself raw as screams tore from it.

'What are you hiding, little girl?' Someone snarled mentally.

'It's my mind! You have no right to do this! No right! Leave me alone!'

'You're lying. You think you can keep us from learning the truth? You're weak, pathetic even.' My blood congealed and then boiled just as rapidly within seconds.

'Get out. GET. OUT!' Every fiber of my being, every ounce of will and energy emptied into those two words and soared at all seven unwelcome minds. Seven images flashed over and over, faster and faster at a dizzying pace. I couldn't see, feel, or think. All I remember was exhaustion and the relief that only the ice-cold floor against my cheek could've brought me.

Marik

My arms flew to my eyes as protection from the blinding light. When it subsided and I dropped my arms, I saw a sight that froze me to the core. Kara lay slumped in the center of the circled of priests who lay sprawled about, panting and bewildered and one even enraged. His wild eyes sprinted around the room, finally lading on me. Anger housed itself there, deep and boiling. He turned to glare ferociously at the unconscious form that was Kara.

"What form of treason is this? The point of our search was to look for fact and fiction uninhibited, not do battle of minds! This will not go unpunished!" Priest Seth snarled indignantly, shoving himself off the floor straight for Kara. He wrenched her wrist from the heap, her body hanging limply below.

'Do something before he-'

"That is enough." The pharaoh bellowed from the far shadows of the corner. The dim light only illuminated half of his features, but revealing his distaste all the same. "Her feat proves her heritage if nothing else. We know what we set out to find, so leave the girl be."

The brunette complied reluctantly, allowing her to loll to the floor.

"Mutt, take her back to the room, now." His eyes pierced the other boy like daggers. "She couldn't have figured out how to do that on her own. I will talk to you later." Seth ground out threateningly in his ear. Jou tensed before stiffly shifting over to Kara and lifting her with ease. "Mosi's staying with me."

'Joy.'

'Quiet.'

The blond glanced back at me, nodding uncertainly before disappearing from the room.

"You." The priest pointed to me warily. "You don't know how to mindguard, do you?"

"I had no idea that she could, let alone do it myself." I replied coolly, meticulously carving myself a mask of indifference.

"Good. Stand in the middle."

'There's no way that bastard is getting his mind in here. I'll kill him.' Malik rumbled mentally.

'Don't. Just… let him continue. For now.'

'You may not know how to guard yourself, but I do. He's not getting in here.'

'Stop! I can't hold you back and keep an eye on them at the same time.'
'How hypocritical. You go and tell the girl not to go through with this and yet here you are doing the same.'

'She has something to live for…' I dropped my chin. 'It's ok if I die.'

'Marik, you can't-' It was too late. I pushed out of his thoughts to find the chanting had already started. I took a deep breath, preparing for the pain. Malik was in the back of my mind, trying to force his way through, but I held steady.

The first priest entered, unleashing a pain I didn't even think possible. My throat released roar of pain as more came and my concentration split between distractions. Malik continued to struggle, but not to kill. It really seemed as if he wanted to protect. And not just himself, but me as well, which was a little more than odd, but what the hell. I hesitated a second more before releasing my hold. A violent whirlwind of power enveloped my consciousness.

'You liar! You said you couldn't mindguard!' Seth roared angrily.

'He said he couldn't mindguard. He never said a thing about me.'

The priest emanated confusion.

'Careful, Yami.' I warned.

'There's two of you? Two souls in one body... This power feels so similar to my own. The millennium staff, but that's impossible! I have it here in my hand.'

'Believe it, 'cuz it's true, priest boy. That item belongs to me in the future. It's a part of me as well. I-'

'Malik! Agh!' Marik cried out mentally and physically, silencing his yami and shielding him from a telepathic blast of the priest. Seth tore from the teen's mind signaling for the others to follow.

"Lock him up!" The brunette priest bellowed. Marik then lost touch with reality. All he could distinguish was Malik yelling: 'Don't die! Don't die on me, you idiot!'

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Malik: DON'T DIIIEEE! DON'T- …. Die. Damn. This isn't in the story, is it?

Dia: cowers No…

Marik: x.x

Dia: Marik?

Marik …..

Dia: Marik?

Marik: …

Dia: Uh-oh…

Malik: NOOOOOOOOOO!