Disclaimer: Don't own so you better not sue me!

A/N: I took such a long time updating and I'm so sorry! I promise to try harder! And there is probably OOCness here, I'm sorry! I try to avoid it! Try being the key word. I haven't worked on this in a while, I have to find my grove again.

Duel of Love

Chapter 26: Sight

Pharaoh Atemu

"I see the r…ruins," Miss Katiana exclaimed from her horse, pointing to the east. I glanced in the direction and sure enough a pile of rubble was coming towards us.

"Good eyes love," I said, drawing my horse close to hers. The team sped forward for a few moments more before slowing down to a walk towards the ruins as our horses settled down.

"Are you sure this is it?" High Priest Seto asked.

"It may look like rubble but this is it," High Priest Shadi agreed as we dismounted. "It looks like the area on the map."

"It s…says it's here," Miss Katiana stammered, as if embarrassed. "I d…don't see an entrance t…though."

"It is quite possible it is hidden," I said as I helped her dismount. I was very aware how she tensed and clung to me when I helped her down. Was she afraid I would have let her fall? "Are you okay?"

"Here…" she whispered. "I w…want to go home."

"What? Nothing's going to hurt you here." I was puzzled why all of a sudden she would say something, but it explained why she clung to me. I noticed High Priest Seto was staring in our direction. No hatred, just curiosity.

"Y…yes…" she said, glancing around the site. "Sure…" She sounded really afraid. Should we just go back home now just because she's feeling bad, just because she has a bad feeling? I trust her yes, but these weapons could be a powerful asset.

"I'll protect you my princess," I said and watched her blush slightly. "I promise that I shall not let harm come to you."

"I k…know…" she whispered. "But still."

"Don't worry about it," I said and we walked towards the group, she still clung to me in a way. I couldn't sense any sort of darkness around this area, what had my love so spooked?

"My Pharaoh, I do believe we need to search for the entrance," High Priest Seto said. I nodded and we split up, Miss Katiana with High Priest Seto, clinging to him as she had previously clung to me. Admittedly, I didn't know her as well as High Priest Seto did, and so I wasn't jealous when he seemed to understand her fear more than I did. He did look at me though with asking eyes as to why she would cling to him rather than me, but he certainly didn't say anything of it. I couldn't figure her out sometimes, even now that we were engaged. There were still things about her past I didn't know. High Priest Seto obviously knew them and that made me a little jealous. I let out a sigh and started to walk to catch up to High Priest Shadi. Even if I might never figure her out, I know her heart does belong to me.

…

"OVER HERE!" I looked over towards the direction of the shouting. High Priest Seto and Miss Katiana were waving wildly in our direction. High Priest Shadi and I ran forward, as did the rest of the party to where they were.

"Is this the entrance?" I asked, peering at what Miss Katiana began to point to.

"Yes," she said.

"But we can't figure out how to get in," High Priest Seto added, an annoyed look on his face.

"So then this may not be the entrance?" High Priest Shadi asked.

"This h…has to be," Miss Katiana whispered. "It reads t…that way."

"So then what now?" I asked.

"Maybe we should look for something resembling a panel or a puzzle?" High Priest Seto asked. "Puzzles are your specialty my pharaoh, if I do recall."

"That they are, but I don't see anything," I said, glancing about. I watched Miss Katiana approach a series of drawings on a broken wall. Wait, those weren't drawings, it looked like writing! "Miss Katiana, you've found something?"

"I c…can read this," she said. "It s…says: All w…who enter, a price t…there is to pay. In b…blood and in emotion, there is n…no other way. To loose something p…precious, something that is held d…dear. Be wary all s…seeking what is here, be wary of l…loosing something dear." She looked at me with worried eyes. "It's a r…riddle."

"All who enter, a price there is to pay. In blood and in emotion, there is no other way. To loose something precious, something that is held dear. Be wary all seeking what is here; be wary of loosing something dear." I frowned. "I think it's just a general warning. Anything important or powerful is guarded." She didn't look any less worried. I trailed my hands around some of the letters and my fingers seemed to press down on something and a loud rumbling was heard.

"My Pharaoh! Katiana!" High Priest Seto's voice seemed so distant and when I looked in the direction of his voice he was back near the entrance and it was starting to open. Miss Katiana and I ran over back to the entrance. Stairs appeared as a stone tablet moved out of the way. "I can't see what's down there…" He made a few movements with his hands while whispering a spell and small ball of light appeared in his hand. He pushed it in the direction of the opening and he peered down. "Looks clear. Should we go in?"

"It's d…dark," Miss Katiana said.

"The weapons should be in here," I stated. "You and High Priest Shadi were the ones who brought it to my attention you do realize."

"Well y…yes my pharaoh…" she trailed. I put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

"Remember my promise?" I asked her and she nodded against my chest. "Good, then let's find these weapons."

…

"I haven't seen any traps yet." I glanced around; the darkness seemed to grow ever deeper as we walked.

I looked over at Miss Katiana who was still clinging to High Priest Seto. Now it did make me a little jealous, but I think she didn't want me worrying about her or something like that.

"It looks like there's an open room ahead!" High Priest Seto said and he ran forward, Miss Katiana and I right behind him and High Priest Shadi and his team running to catch up to us. High Priest Seto brightened his magic a little and the room became more visible to our eyes.

"There's n…nothing here," Miss Katiana spoke softly, looking around. She walked a bit of a ways from us and towards a wall. "Just s…stones and rocks…"

"This can't be the only chamber," I said, looking around. "There has to be another door or a hallway. We've come all this way…" All of a sudden Miss Katiana shrieked.

"Love!" I exclaimed and we rushed over towards her. She had fallen in some kind of a hole and was hanging onto a piece of stone a little ways down. "Miss Katiana, are you all right?"

"Help!" she exclaimed. I noted the fright in her eyes and her voice. I couldn't see the end of the hole. I started to reach my hand down for her but High Priest Seto was quicker. She grabbed onto it and he attempted to pull her up. "Seto!"

"I…she's never felt this heavy before," he said, struggling to hold onto her. I reached my hand down as well but she couldn't grab onto it. "I can't hold onto her. She weighs too much!"

"High Priest Seto you don't let her go!" I exclaimed.

"I have some rope," High Priest Shadi said and began to dig into a pack one of the men carried with them.

"I'll go down with her…argh! Pharaoh, I can't hold onto her." His eyes shone with panic, just as much as mine probably were now. "I don't know why she feels so heavy!" His hold started to give way and I grabbed onto his arm but his other hand pushed me away. "Don't get dragged in!" What? What was going on? He was pulled in further but he tried to hold on.

"Seto! P…Pharaoh!" Miss Katiana exclaimed. "Don't l…let me fall!"

"I can't…" High Priest Seto groaned and before High Priest Shadi ran up with the rope they both fell in.

"High Priest Seto! Miss Katiana!" I cried.

"There's magic surrounding that hole," High Priest Shadi said darkly. "That must have been what was making her so heavy."

"I'm going in after them," I said, preparing to jump. As I took a step towards it, the hole sealed right before my eyes as if it had never been there. "Where are they? By Ra, what just happened?"

"The first of many traps?" High Priest Shadi suggested even more darkly than his first comment about magic. "At least they are together. Wherever they end up at least they won't be alone."

"I should've been the one to fall down there, not High Priest Seto!"

"Calm down my Pharaoh. You'd know it if either were dead. They are not which means we can still look for them here." High Priest Shadi's voice was gentle as he spoke and I let out a sight of anger and frustration and I hit the ground with my fist for good measure.

"I'll get you back Miss Katiana. High Priest Seto, you better not let any harm come to her…or you."

Thief King Bakura

"So the child and the priest fall down a hole, who knows where they'll go?" I asked teasingly as the Pharaoh and his entourage disappeared down another corridor. "Those weapons are going to be mine."

High Priest Seto

I let out a groan and summoned forth my light spell again as I picked myself up and brushed off what seemed like lots of rocks and sand. I noticed Katiana lying in a corner enclave with what looked like a few cuts and bruises. I hurried over to her and drew her out into a more open area.

"Katiana, are you all right?" I asked. She let out a moan and weakly opened her eyes. "Thank the gods you're all right."

"What h…happened?" she asked, picking herself up out of my arms. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. Last thing I recall is we fell down some sort of trap hole." I stared at her. "Why did you feel so heavy in that hole? I was having trouble holding onto you."

"S…Shadow magic?" she inquired as she stood up and looked around. I stood up as well and continued to brush myself off. "I t…told him it didn't f…feel right."

"It's okay. We'll find a way out of here," I said, directing the light to see if I could find a tunnel or something to get us moving. "Any direction we can go is better than staying here." She nodded and she continued to look around before stepping carefully closer to me.

"I d…don't want to f…fall into anymore holes," she whispered.

"We'll just watch our footing then," I replied and she nodded furiously. I smiled and led the way, using the light I had summoned to see ahead as we walked. She walked with a more cautious air about her than I did, and clung to me all the same. She truly was still like a child, she never really has grown up but now she's in love with the pharaoh and that's that. I'll never have her and I have to accept that now.

"Uh-huh," she said. She was still a child to me, I don't know why but I still saw her that way. Maybe I never let her grow up. Or maybe I just didn't see it.

"I'm beginning to agree with you," I said solemnly as we walked down the passage, no end in sight.

"About w…what?" she asked.

"About not going here in the first place," I replied. "I doubt we'll find anything…"

"But…"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I sensed s…something. It's p…powerful but its n…not…"

"That's right, you did sense something before we came in here. So there is something here, just maybe not what we thought we would find? The Pharaoh is expecting now to find some weapons here," I said. "First things first, we need to find the Pharaoh." She nodded and we continued to walk. "It looks like there's a cavern up ahead." I headed a bit forward, making sure Katiana was behind me as I sent the light ahead into the darkness. A small cavern was lit and I sighed with relief. It wouldn't be so cramped in there. We walked forward and I saw a stairwell that led up.

"Seto…" Katiana began nervously.

"There are stairs, we're fine," I said reassuringly. "Once we go up I assume we'll get out of here and perhaps find the others as well."

"All right," she said and we started walking up the stairs, leaving the darkness we had fallen into behind us.

Pharaoh Atemu

"I think I hear voices," I said and glanced around the new room we had just entered. High Priest Shadi lit up the entire area and what looked like writing on the walls greeted us. "Wait a minute, what is this place?"

"My pharaoh, it appears to be a tomb," High Priest Shadi said.

"How?" I asked. "Can you read what's on the walls?"

"Look," he replied, pointing to an object in the center of the room. I approached it and ran my hands over the top of the stone. It was big enough to hold a person, but that didn't mean that there was a person inside of it. It could just be an altar of some kind.

"Pha…Pharaoh?" a soft voice asked and I looked in the direction of the voice. Miss Katiana was there, just behind High Priest Seto exiting out of what looked like a stairwell. She ran forward and embraced me.

"Thank Ra you're not hurt," I whispered, relief washing over me in a wave.

"Just a l…little scratched," she replied as she buried her face in my chest.

"High Priest Seto, are you all right?" I asked.

He nodded. "I made sure she was fine as well. It's good we found you so quickly my Pharaoh, that trap must not have been much more than a deterrent."

"I see," I said. "Miss Katiana, can you read what's on these walls?" She raised her head and looked at me blankly before glancing around with wide eyes. Nodding that she could, she ran up to one of the walls and began running her hands over it, looking at what she could.

"It's w…well preserved…" she began. "Like m…magic."

"What do you mean?" I asked, walking up to her. High Priest Shadi and his men began examining the rest of the room, and High Priest Seto came with me to Miss Katiana's side.

"Shouldn't it h…have worn away if it's b…been here a while?" she inquired. "That's w…what I was told…but l…like the tomes, its p…preserved."

"So this has some relation to the tomes then?" She nodded again. "Good, so that means this isn't a wild chase with no real end then." She continued to run her hands over the wall, as if searching for something. "What exactly are you doing Miss Katiana?"

"S…Something should open the d...door to the weapons…"

"Is it really that easy?" High Priest Seto asked. "Is it really just beyond this wall?"

"This p…place was well guarded…there s…should have been something here to s…stop us," she whispered. "The w…walls tell of a guardian of this p…place…but it's not here. Someone c…came before and d…defeated it…"

"What?" I asked. "If they defeated the guardian then why not get the weapons?"

"They c…couldn't read this," she whispered. "At l…least, I think that is the c…case." Her hands rested upon a symbol. "But the r…reason no one has ever g…gotten these is written here. No one h…has ever succeeded in m…making a sacrifice."

"Succeeded or survived?"

"Perhaps b…both. It r…repeats what was s…said above."

All who enter, a price there is to pay. In blood and in emotion, there is no other way. To loose something precious, something that is held dear. Be wary all seeking what is here; be wary of loosing something dear." High Priest Seto recited the words from before with a nod. "So anyone who came here before was unable to make the 'sacrifice' because they had nothing dear to loose or what they valued most was their lives?"

Miss Katiana looked saddened. "They c…couldn't make the s…sacrifice. The greatest p…price to pay…" She didn't finish her words. She shook it off and pressed on the symbol she had been resting her hand on. Rumbling filled the cavern and I pulled Miss Katiana away as the wall began breaking apart and opening up a passageway.

"It worked!" I exclaimed. "The weapons are close!"

High Priest Seto

I looked at Katiana. "What is the sacrifice?" She didn't answer and simply looked at the ground. "You can read this so you must know!"

"This is im…important to the pha…pharaoh. We h…have to go." Her voice sounded tired, it sounded empty. The Pharaoh was currently ignoring this, and I only had a small idea of what this sacrifice would be.

"Come along now," the pharaoh beckoned to us and then pointed at High Priest Shadi, "Guard the entrance. We shall be out shortly."

"As you wish," High Priest Shadi replied and his men began to leave, him following shortly after. He looked at me and then at Katrina. "I think I understand. You must really love him then…" The pharaoh had already started down the hallway so he did not hear this, but Katiana's eyes said it all. High Priest Shadi understood, I understood, the only one who did not was the supposed King of Games…our Pharaoh. High Priest Shadi exited the room and we made our way forward to catch up to the pharaoh.

"I can call him back," I whispered to her. "Make him see…"

"I c…can't…" she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I c…can't not do it."

"Forget destiny and fate, tell me what you read!" I hissed as we continued to walk forward.

"The g…greatest sacrifice…" she began, but the pharaoh's voice interrupted. "I can see them!"

Thief King Bakura

It was time to make my entrance. Those weapons would be mind…and I wouldn't even have to make the sacrifice!

Pharaoh Atemu

High Priest Seto and Miss Katiana arrived at my side in mere moments after I called to them. "Look!" I pointed towards the pedestals surrounding a circle and walked up into the center. "We found them."

"They are something," High Priest Seto said dryly with a worried glance towards Miss Katiana. Come to think of it, she looked different, sad somehow. Now wasn't the time, I could comfort her once we made it back outside.

"Come on up here!" I beckoned and High Priest Seto helped Miss Katiana up before climbing up himself.

"They're g…glowing," Miss Katiana said, glancing from one to the next, four in all.

"Just as you said, a bow, a sword, a broadsword and twin blades. I wonder what they are all enchanted with!" I exclaimed. "Magical items…these will help in more ways than one." These items could also help fight the shadows, but I didn't say it aloud.

"Thank you for getting into this room for me Miss Katiana, but I'm afraid here is the end. These weapons are not yours because I'm going to take them."
"That voice!" I exclaimed. "Show yourself Bakura!" From the hallway the thief king emerged, laughter in his eyes. "So you defeated the guardian?"

"Such a weak thing, easy to kill if you know how. I just wasn't able to get into the room, and so in return my thanks will be to dispose of you, Miss Katiana, much quicker and painless than your precious pharaoh and High Priest." He grinned and I put my hand on my sword. Wait, I could just grab one of these weapons. He surely wouldn't be able to fight off something so enchanted.

"You won't win Bakura," I hissed.

"You're stuck defending the pretty little priestess. I however have nothing to loose. Because of this, I know I am going to win," he said with a smirk. "Don't even think of trying to use one of those weapons…you can't. You haven't even made this 'sacrifice' that's required yet!" With that, he leapt towards us. Miss Katiana screamed the moment he entered the circle, and chaos erupted.

A price to pay…

I saw Miss Katiana's body floating in midair.

Something of value to everyone…

"What's going on?" That was Bakura's voice!

The greatest sacrifice

"No…it can't be…the sacrifice…Ra no!"

"You should have waited Pharaoh!" That was High Priest Seto's voice!

Something held dear

"NO!" I ran forward but was thrown back by a powerful force.

"What the hell is going on?" Bakura asked again.

"How should I know?" I snapped.

She is dear to everyone here…

She has been selected…

"She's not dear to me! I was using her as a means to an end…"

"That still means she had value for you!" I hissed at Bakura. "And she's dear to at least two of us."

A price to pay…

"Ra no…" I whispered. She screamed again, her eyes opening wide as they began to cry blood tears. Blood dripped from her back…and I could see it. The scar Bakura had given her was visible…glowing even…and bleeding! The weapons surrounded her and the sword began to move. "DON'T HARM HER! KATIANA!"

A sacrifice must be made

A price there needs to be paid

The four are gathered

And we react so do not fear us

Her blood will pave the way

Her blood will pave the way…

She will not die, it's not her time

We do not interfere with such fate

"What in the world?" I asked. She wasn't going to be killed for us to have the weapons? What sort of a sacrifice then? I tried to run at her again, but before I could the sword sliced into her back! Fresh blood spilled and a pool gathered on the ground. It lined itself up with her scar and disappeared inside of her. She screamed again and was flung to the ground. The broadsword began to move and floated over to High Priest Seto before slicing into his leg and disappearing. High Priest Seto let out a blood curling scream. "High Priest Seto!"

"The weapons appear to be choosing an owner," Bakura said with a smirk. I glared at him across the way. "I don't care who had to be sacrificed…or what. But I'm getting what I deserve, even if I'll have to cut the weapons out of you once this is done." Before he could make more threats the twin blades cut into his arms and disappeared, more blood spilling into the darkness beneath us. He let out a scream and then an insane laugh. "What power!"

"What…What is this? Miss Katiana…"

The greatest sacrifice…of love…

She knows her destiny…

We merely play our part…

Were these the weapons talking? The bow came at me and cut into my upper arm. It felt like hundreds of arrows were shooting at me and I screamed as it melded into my skin.

FLASH

Stone…I was lying on the stone circle…wet…blood was around me…

"Someone…who's there?" Such a soft voice…Miss Katiana!

"I'm here…what's wrong?" It was High Priest Seto. I picked myself up and saw Bakura lying in a pool of his own blood across from me, probably unconscious, Miss Katiana in High Priest Seto's arms, no longer bleeding even though there was still a pool of blood beneath them both but something was different… I crawled on my hands and knees over to them and he handed her to me.

"Who is h…holding me? My pha…pharaoh, where are you?" She sounded scared, afraid. Her hands shot up and felt my face; I saw her eyes and the tears that fell from them. The same crystal green, the same beauty…

"Can't you see me?" I asked.

"W…Where are you?" she asked again. "I can f…feel you…" Her hand fell and she began to sob. "I can't s…see you!"

"High Priest Seto…" I looked over at him.

"The greatest sacrifice is love and…and she paid the price…we all paid a price in blood…but she…"

"I c…can't see you!" she sobbed. I held her against me.

"The blood tears!" I exclaimed. "Dear Ra…no…"

"She loved you enough to pay the price they asked. She will no longer be able to see you. She will no longer be able to see her love…"

"She will no longer be able to see anything at all."

"Love…her love of sight…her love of being able to see you…to see you smile at her…" I nodded. I understood. There wasn't any way now I couldn't understand it. She paid in blood…we all did. And yet they still demanded more. She sacrificed her love for me…she's sacrificed everything for me…

TBC

A/N: The ending was a little crappy, but hopefully next chapter will clear that up. Don't expect it to be up for at least a while, because I have exams to study for, which is why updating takes such a long time. College is a real pain sometimes. I hope I'll be able to update this and other things more over my three week break!