The Eternal Gem

Chapter 10: The Black Queen's Revenge (part 2)

It had only been an hour since he had told Fidil to protect Egypt's border. He had already told the citizens of the predicament and most of them were headed to shelters underground. Some of them remained with the guards to fight. Yami was worried about Yuugi and what would happen to him, but he knew there was nothing he could do until the enemy showed their face. The fact that the enemy had guards or servants that could use invisibility told him that they must've wished for the ultimate power, but wasn't there a price? He couldn't believe the three sacred beasts would create such a Gem to allow mere humans to wish on anything without a consequence. There was no doubt their spirits were angry because they hadn't gotten the chance to move on yet. Perhaps there was some way he could ask for their help.

"Pharaoh! Pharaoh!" a guard rushed in, out-of-breath.

Yami wheeled around, startled. "What is it?"

"The enemy is approaching the border. Their numbers are twice as much as ours!"

Yami nodded, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Then let them pass."

"P-pharaoh?" the guard questioned.

"It would be useless to try and stop them at the border. Countless lives will be taken because of that. Let the guards hide around the city, but tell them to keep low. If I'm not mistaken, the enemy will most likely have the servants who can use invisibility in the front. We have to wait to see if their invisibility wears off. Once you can see them, attack, but from a distance. Don't get too close because we still don't know how much power this enemy has and remember most importantly that they've got Prince Yuugi."

"Yes pharaoh," he nodded. "What about protecting the palace walls?"

"Don't worry about me," Yami shook his head. "I want to make sure the citizens are well guarded and that none of the enemy's guards finds them. Protect the city and leave the palace to me. Tell Marik that his men can wait underground until my strongest men are already fighting when the enemy is getting near the palace. And when I see Yuugi, we will attack from all sides. This is so that we may distract whoever has Yuugi and when they're distracted with fighting both our men, I will have the other five men waiting patiently so that they may retrieve Yuugi safely."

"And you said that if that should fail and the enemy has Yuugi too close to them, that we should make sure to keep the enemy surrounded, correct?" he questioned.

Yami's eyes dimmed but he nodded. "Yes. At this point, once the enemy is surrounded, although their number outweighs ours, I will show myself and make a deal. I will allow whoever is against me to come into the palace, alone, and I will tell them that the palace is empty. The enemy will most likely make the deal that if it isn't empty Yuugi will be killed, which is why I told all the guards to be away from the palace," he spoke softly, as the guard nodded. "And remember to give both Bakura and Marik the other message I spoke of earlier. When the time comes, they will make their move and hopefully, when I have the enemy in here with me alone, it will be enough."

"Yes pharaoh, but Fidil also wanted me to ask you about the fact that you have no powers. How will you fight the enemy?"

He knew that question would come up sooner or later and for now he could only be honest with himself and his people. "The truth is that I'm not sure I can fight them equally; I'm certain this person, or people, is stronger than I am. However, once they are in my turf, I feel that I will at least have an advantage to keep them preoccupied enough, perhaps to get them to explain their reasons for being so angry with me, and this way it'll give Marik and Bakura their opportunity."

"Very well my pharaoh. I will report this to the others immediately!" he exclaimed, bowing quickly before he ran out of the room.

Once he left, Yami's hardened gaze turned toward the window of the third story sitting room. He could just barely make out his men ducking nearby the underground sanctuaries to wait for the enemy. Hopefully, if the plan worked then no matter if he died or not Yuugi and Egypt would be safe. It wasn't that he wanted to sacrifice his self like the last time; now that he had Yuugi he wanted so badly to live and spend each day with him. And Egypt was a lot happier with the two of them; if anything happened to him Yuugi would be saddened so deeply and he didn't want that. At the same time, he couldn't bear the fact of losing his beloved. There was a great possibility he would have to make that decision at some point, but he hoped and he prayed to each of the sacred beasts that everything would result in something better than death and destruction.

Moments later, he saw the enemy's troops walking slowly into the city. Although they were still a distance from the palace, they were entering quickly. From the distance, he couldn't make out anything but as they came closer he could just barely see something in the center of the army. It was like a royal carrier something that Kontar used to make his servants carry him on. There was no doubt in his mind that his true enemy was on it and perhaps even Yuugi. Very soon it was going to be time, but he had to wait until the precise moment. He watched carefully, noticing that the enemy's army was in a familiar set-up; it reminded him of the day his father went to war and never came back. If he remembered correctly, he had seen the enemy's army in the distance in the same sort of strategic line-up. Neither side had won that war. Both sides had lost and Yami had only been about six then.

It was confirmed that his suspicions were right when cloaked figures suddenly appeared out of thin air. The ones that appeared had been in front and they couldn't stay invisible permanently, which meant there was a limit to the power. That was a good sign; the bad sign was that there could be more invisible guards in the back, but the plan had already been put into action. His guards suddenly jumped out of their hiding places and surrounded the enemy. Although the enemy had higher numbers they were still surrounded in a circle. Now the enemy's guards were posed for attack. A figure suddenly rose up from the carrier, holding an object in their hand and next thing he knew he saw Yuugi being held firmly against the person.

Rushing down the stairs, Yami emerged from the palace and shouted: "This is Pharaoh Yami!" he bellowed out firmly as the enemies now looked at him. "I have a proposition to make with you!"

"And what would that be oh great pharaoh?" a voice called back.

Yami's eyes widened in response; he was certain it was a woman's voice. "Let the prisoner, Prince Yuugi, go and do not call your men to fight mine! We can prevent bloodshed! It is me you want! The palace is empty; no guards to protect me and we can settle this inside, one-on-one!"

"Very well! But I am not giving up the prince! He will stay here under the protection of my guards until we have settled things!" she shouted loudly.

Clenching his jaw angrily, he had no choice but to agree. She obviously wanted to make sure that if she lost she could still take something from him. It was now up to Marik and Bakura.

"Fine!" he bellowed in agreement. "Let her through!"

His guards reluctantly made a space for her to walk through. Wearing a long, fancy gown, she was helped off the carrier and made her way confidently up to the palace. The veil covered her face, but the object in her hand was revealed to him as she came closer. It was some sort of staff; definitely nothing he had ever seen before. Was that what she had wished for, if she had used the Eternal Gem?

As she approached him, the smile on her lips widened. "My pharaoh how you've grown."

Yami bluntly gestured to the palace doors and she walked right past him and inside. That was the signal for his guards to get back in position. While Yuugi was being pointed at with weapons, his guards could do nothing…for the time being. Very shortly, however, he hoped that the circumstances would change. Once inside, the woman stopped in the lobby and turned to face him, clutching onto her prized possession.

"Do you recognize me, pharaoh?"

It was obvious she was going to enjoy her revenge. Yami tensed and prepared for anything she might do.

"No, I'm afraid your face is covered."

"Well how rude of me," she said, lifting the veil slowly.

He could now see her face, but he still didn't recognize who she could be. His eyes narrowed as he studied her features. There was something about her…it was her eyes. They were a dark maroon; in fact, they were the same color as Kontar's had been. Even before that fact registered, Yami felt it in his gut. She was related to Kontar, but how? Sister? Aunt?

"Well?" she challenged, giving him a smirk.

"I don't know," Yami said, not wanting to quite reveal the connection with Kontar in case he was wrong.

Sighing dramatically, she waved the staff above her and grinned. "You don't remember me? It's been a long time since we saw one another. The last time I saw you, you were about five or six…," she trailed off, watching as his eyes widened.

"You were in the palace?" he asked softly, almost uncertainly. "Were you an angry servant?"

"Please!" she snorted. "Don't you get it? All the times you saw me walk out of your father's room? Don't tell me you didn't have it figured out, what he was doing."

Suddenly, Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously and his fists shook with rage. "You…you are the woman father was with when mother was sick."

"Yes, yes, I am his whore, or used to be anyway. Don't worry, your father got what he deserved," she sneered, putting weight on her right foot as she tapped the staff. "It was I who told him about my husband's attempts against him—a lie of course—and then made him go to war."

"You set them up on one another!" Yami growled angrily, his eyes flashing a deeper red.

"You seem upset," she said, feigning concern and innocence. "I thought you hated your father."

"That doesn't mean I agree with what you did!" he shouted. "Why did you do it?"

She laughed coldly in amusement while taking a step closer. "And I thought you were smarter than this! Don't you get it? I wanted power! All I was before was a somewhat successful general's wife. It was such a boring life and I wanted some entertainment. So I went off without my husband knowing and sold myself as a whore, but had to kill a few people to get to the place where I wanted to be. I needed the pharaoh at that present time to choose me as his top whore! What better way to manipulate and control power than to have the one controlling it in the palm of my hand?"

Yami's fists clenched even harder as he seethed toward her. She ignored him and continued: "I thought that just being his whore would be enough; being able to live inside the palace at times, away from my husband and boring life. Then complications came; I had given birth to Kontar and at the same time I had discovered your father's dirty little secret with finding this Eternal Gem. Of course, I didn't want such a greedy, cruel man to get such a thing so I hatched a plan! I needed to get rid of my husband anyway because he was in my way! I knew sooner or later he'd find out about my…other job and probably beat me for it. He was a worthless man just like the pharaoh as well so I didn't feel bad at all playing both of them like a harp!" she laughed joyously. "It was actually simple, you know? All I did was tell the pharaoh, in a very dramatic voice, that I was in my home village and heard about this general who was seeking revenge against the pharaoh out of jealousy. I told him he was going to try and take everything away from him: his palace, his power, his son…everything.

"Your father was so enraged he basically turned into a mad-man," she said, bringing the staff up to her chest as her lips curled into a devious grin and her eyes flickered with hunger. "And then I ran back home and told my darling husband the same thing and I told them both about the strategies I heard they'd be using. So they were obviously prepared to face one another; I'm not surprised they didn't stop fighting and realize that the other knew of their plans and instead just killed each other. Your father killed my husband and then he was killed by someone else. Either way it worked out perfectly, except for the fact that my idiot husband got me impregnated with my dear son."

Her voice suddenly lowered into a bitter, enraged tone and Yami felt he knew what was coming. "I had to put my son in the care of some foolish woman until I returned. Although she wasn't the best, she would keep him safe and ignorant from the truth while I was gone in search of this Eternal Gem with your father's notes. I stole a ship of his and escaped; no one in the castle even went after me. It was never found out what I did because everything I said to your father was in confidence. And while I was away for a few years searching for this Eternal Gem, my boy had grown up and it had been told to him that his father had been killed by the pharaoh out of cold-blood and that he deserved the throne," she smirked, as Yami's gaze hardened.

"So you made sure he believed lies then?" Yami spat out.

"They all believed my lies, dear boy. Lies are just exaggerations of the truth," she smirked even wider. "I'm sure you can figure out by now that I found that Eternal Gem, all by myself! I found what your greedy father wanted and I took it for myself! I made myself the strongest, most powerful and beautiful woman of all. My charms and strength with my new abilities allowed me to take over nation after nation. My last target was to be Egypt, but when I returned for my son—for us to take over Egypt together—I found out that you had killed him and sacrificed yourself! And the only way I would ever get to face you again is if I gave myself immortality and with my new abilities I could easily grant that to myself. So I had to wait for a very, very long time, but I didn't sit around idly," she said, taking another step forward as Yami took one back. "I had conquered almost all of Africa, dear Yami, in that time that you were sleeping soundly. It was I who overlooked every trading into your nation, everything that went on outside of Egypt and I even had spies go into Egypt to let me know when exactly you would awaking. However, things apparently changed," she explained, stopping less than five feet in front of him.

"I didn't realize you had woken up earlier than expected, otherwise this would have come much sooner. After my spies had already told me the prophecy and I thought I knew when you would wake again, I forgot about you for a while and focused on building my fortress and strengthening my army both in power and number. As you can see, my army takes up a great amount of space in your city and I outnumber you by at least three times. It was all worth it; and then recently I sent a spy in to double check and just tell me if any news had come from Egypt and I found you had already been awaken ahead of schedule. Of course it took me some time for my servants to find out why. And then I found out about your beautiful wedding with that foreign boy, Yuugi," she laughed cruelly at him, while watching him carefully. "How interesting the way things work out, isn't it? Well of course my interest peaked when I heard about him, so I just had to meet him. And here we are, dear Yami. I have someone that you love so dearly in the palm of my hand and with one simple gesture of my glorious item he could be killed in seconds," she hissed coldly as her eyes flickered and Yami scowled in rage. "Just like you killed my dear Kontar!"

"I thought so," Yami said. "You have the same cold, irrational eyes that he did!"

"SILENCE!" she roared, pointing her staff at him.

He was lifted off the ground and shoved high up onto the wall above the entrance doors. Yami winced, feeling the power of the item flood through him as it forced him to remain still. She was definitely powerful; this wasn't like anything he had ever felt before. It was so much stronger than the power of the Millennium Items he had used. She had combined strength, but did she have the combined strength of all the items?

"You have no power over me, pharaoh!" she hissed darkly as she walked in his direction, keeping her item pointed firmly at his chest. "I have all your powers; since you used my fake Gem I have gained the power of each Millennium Item. Combined with my own strength I will have as much power as one of the Egyptian gods," she smirked. "I have yet to combine your items with mine, but before this is over I will; I will show you true power in all its glory!"

She let him drop to the floor and Yami winced as he nearly twisted his ankle. Lifting his head angrily, he stood back up. "Your son didn't die on that day either."

"What?" she spat out with wide, angered eyes as she pointed her item at him again, though she didn't use it.

"If you hadn't been so greedy with wanting power, just like my father, then you would have realized that and perhaps he wouldn't have been killed. Kontar came back for revenge against me shortly after I woke up," Yami explained as she glared at him.

"He was alive?"

"Yes and if you hadn't been so consumed with the need for power and checked to make sure he was really dead, you might have been able to save him!" Yami shouted.

"HOW DARE YOU!" she roared, sending him hurtling into the furniture nearby.

Yami was winded but managed to shakily get back up on his feet. The side of his leg had been scratched badly and he was bleeding, but he tried to ignore it as she came closer.

"It is not my fault my son died!" she seethed with anger.

"Are you sure about that?" Yami challenged, managing to jump out of the way of yet another brutal attack. "If you hadn't wanted power so bad, you could've stayed with him and raised him instead going off to find this Eternal Gem. Just from my father's notes you couldn't have been sure it was real and yet you cared more about that than your own son!"

"If I wanted him to be raised in the palace like he should have then it was my duty to find that Gem!" she bellowed, glaring at him with hatred.

"You made that choice on your own! All I did was I defended my nation, as a pharaoh should!" Yami shouted. "That is what a pharaoh is to do and you wouldn't have done that had your son or you become pharaoh! Sooner or later Egypt would have rotted under your care because all you would care about were the riches and ordering everyone around. Egypt would either fall apart and be overtaken by another country or a revolt would occur against you. Either way, because of your lust for power and your cruelty and selfishness you would've ended up in a bad position one way or another!"

Surprisingly, she laughed coldly as she approached him with her item. "Are you saying fate is against me Yami? That no matter if my son had lived and become pharaoh or not he would have been killed? For your information, I would care for Egypt, enough to keep it from being overrun by others! I would make sure the power remained in my control forever; I would make sure both my son and I were immortal to always be in control of this place and that it flourished continually. Don't take me for a fool!" she spat back.

Yami ducked as the power obliterated much of the furniture before him. Some glass from the table nearby cut him, but otherwise it hadn't hit him directly.

"Just think: if you had just gone back to your husband and raised Kontar there none of this would be happening right now!" Yami challenged, distancing himself from her as she began to prepare for another attack. "Kontar would still be alive and Egypt wouldn't have had to suffer through that hard time! Not to mention your husband and my father would still be alive."

"Oh shut up! I didn't need them anyway! Why do you always act so sentimental? It sickens me!" she scoffed, disappearing instantly.

Yami's eyes widened, realizing that she was the one who granted them invisibility. Perhaps because they hadn't made the wish themselves then that was why they couldn't remain invisible for long, but did that mean she could stay unseen?

"AHHH!" Yami cried out as his body was forced against the wall again, breaking his arm on impact.

"Egypt needs a strong ruler, not a sentimental pharaoh who most likely cries over everything. They need a woman in charge, not a boy pretending to be a man!" she exclaimed, holding him against the wall even as his face scrunched up in pain because of his arm. "And now, you will die!"

"L-let Y-Yuugi go," he managed to choke out, even though the force from the item was making it hard to breathe.

Smirking devilishly, she retorted: "Now why would I do that, Yami? If I'm ever going to fully get my revenge, I'm not only going to take your life and your beloved Egypt, but your property along with it."

Yami managed a subtle growl. "If you…put one hand on him…," he trailed off angrily.

She laughed in amusement. "You'll what? Haunt me from your grave? Not if I send your pathetic soul to the Shadow Realm for eternity! That is where you sent my poor boy, isn't it?"

Instead of answering, he cried out in pain as she pushed him harder into the wall. He was being forced so hard against it by the power that the wall was beginning to crack behind him. She raised the item to finish the job only she suddenly stopped still. Noises from outside caused her hesitate; it was like screaming and yelling, as if fighting was going on. Releasing the item's hold on him, which caused him to slump painfully onto the floor, she raced to the window to see what the commotion was about.

"What's this?" she shouted, enraged.

Her eyes were staring outside at the number of men that had begun to swarm in and surround her guards, adding onto Yami's numbers. They certainly weren't her men and they weren't Yami's, but they seemed to be aiding him. She wheeled around, her eyes alight with fury and saw Yami standing there holding his broken arm, but he had a subtle smile on his face.

"You see…," he managed out slowly. "Did you think I wouldn't have…some other forces hiding?"

"Whose men are those?" she demanded furiously. "WHOSE ARE THEY?"

"You wouldn't…know him," Yami winced from the throbbing pain. "There are more loyal to me than just my guards or the citizens. Don't worry, I won't kill your men. After all, you conquered them unfairly…and f-forced them to serve you. They shouldn't be punished…you should."

"How touching!" she spat in disgust.

In seconds, Yami let out a loud cry of pain as he was thrown onto a wooden table that shattered beneath the force of his weight being thrown so hard. Tears stung his eyes and his broken arm was now in more pain from the fall; he couldn't even breathe properly now. She walked over to him until she was hovering above him, staring down at him looking satisfied. Cruelly, her eyes swept over his tattered robes and with one wave of her staff his robes were torn off his body, leaving him with nothing to cover him. Her lips curled into a smirk as her eyes examined his body hungrily and she finally gazed into his face.

"Not bad, Yami," she said softly, lacing her tone with lust. "I can see why your dear Yuugi appreciates you," she sneered, as he gasped for breath, staring up at her helplessly as she cruelly exposed him. "You have a man's body, but a boy's heart."

She held her item up over her head. "Now, I command all the Millenium Items to be set free from their confinement!" she shouted, holding up a small, round glass ball that apparently held the Items inside. "COMBINE WITH MY POWERS!"

She smashed the glass ball onto the floor nearby him and all he could do was watch as a bright golden light erupted from it and encircled the staff. The crystal at the top of her staff glowed brilliantly as the powers morphed into it. The entire staff glowed for several seconds and the crystal at the top now held the golden light in it.

Yami couldn't get anything out to her, not that he knew what to say. He was in so much pain he could only breathe erratically; he couldn't even move his legs for they were sore and stiff with small cuts on them. His whole body was aching, but his arm especially was causing so much pain that even the slightest movement brought more tears to his eyes. Very slowly, she lowered herself over him until her face was hovering just above his. He could do nothing but stare as she brought her lips to his ear.

"How does it feel, Yami? You know, I just thought you might want to know that your dear Yuugi is going to become my whore now."

Yami growled in the back of his throat and his eyes hardened with strength again but Kanika put pressure on his broken arm and he hissed, biting his lip to keep from crying out in agony.

"Can you imagine the things I can force him to do?" she taunted, licking the side of his neck mockingly. Yami glared at her through gritted teeth as her fingers trailed down his firm, tan chest. "I wonder though, is his body as manly as yours or more childish?"

Kanika smirked as she dug her nails into his hip and he winced. Then she smirked as she placed her legs between his and forced him to spread his. Yami's eyes widened in both disgust and uncertainty, but he was still in too much pain to fight her.

"Wouldn't it be nice if you could have one last time to make love to him? Instead, if you liked, you could make love with me," she sneered, grabbing him between the legs.

Yami's legs jerked in surprise and he growled darkly, making to move his good arm but she only needed to apply more pressure on his broken arm before he stopped.

"No? Too bad…You would've been a nice whore too, but I feel better killing you," she smirked, finally releasing her strong hold on both his arm and his private area.

She then stood up and pointed the item down at him, letting her eyes trail once more over his body, covered with fresh bruises and cuts.

"It's time to di—UUGH!"

Something hard hit the back of her head and caused her to be thrown sideways. Yami's eyes strained to see and soon his eyes widened with both fear and joy as Yuugi came running to him.

"Yami!" he exclaimed, kneeling down over his body. He saw the cuts and bruises and the broken arm. Tenderly, Yuugi positioned himself above his body with both knees on either side of his waist as he caressed his love's cheek. "What did she do to you? Don't worry, I won't let her harm you anymore," he whispered as he bent his head down to place a loving kiss on his lips.

"Y-Yuugi, you c-can't…," Yami trailed off, unable to finish his sentence for it hurt to breathe.

"Shhh," Yuugi whispered soothingly. "I'll protect you now. Just rest, Yami; you're in too much pain."

"YOU!"

Yuugi's head jerked up and landed on Kanika, who glared at him fervently after picking herself up off the floor. Her item had fallen out of her hand briefly but she had picked it back up. And now she was approaching them looking both angry and disgusted. Yuugi kept himself positioned protectively over Yami, covering him as well as making sure she didn't harm him any more.

"How did you escape?" she spat, pointing the item at him.

Yami made a useless attempt to move in order to shield Yuugi, but he firmly gazed down at his love and shook his head, not wanting him to move for fear that he could make his wounds worse. He was having enough trouble breathing as it was.

"I won't let you touch him!" Yuugi hissed venomously, a tone that didn't suit his appearance. "You will not harm him any more, Kanika!"

"I prefer the Black Queen," she retorted coldly, while glaring at him. "And you will move willingly or forcefully. Your precious Yami's life belongs to me."

"NEVER! You'll have to go through me to get to him!" Yuugi spat, wrapping his arm around Yami's good arm as he kept himself on top of him.

Kanika glared with fury but slowly her expression turned to one of amusement. "Very well," she said, pointing the item at him.

Yami's eyes widened in fear and shakily his good hand came up to grasp onto Yuugi's arm. Glaring at her, Yuugi didn't budge as she prepared to attack. Instead, he wrapped his legs around Yami's and placed his body completely on him as she fired an attack from her source. Yuugi screamed loudly as it hit him, nearly throwing him off but he kept his body pinned over Yami's protectively. He gasped for breath, staring down into Yami's face which now had tears streaking down his cheeks.

"It's…alright, Yami," Yuugi whispered shakily. "I'll…protect you."

"GET OFF HIM!" she roared angrily, swiping the item toward him again.

Yuugi's body was lifted off the ground, but he grabbed onto the railing, since they were situated right near the stairs and kept himself hovering above Yami even as she tried to separate them. He kept a firm grip on Yami's good arm and his legs wrapped around his to keep them firmly together.

"FINE! If you won't let him go, I'll kill you first then!" she screamed, aiming it at him again.

"Y-Yuugi run," Yami choked out, wheezing as he tried to get enough oxygen into his lungs for it burned so much.

Although tears of pain stung his eyes, he didn't let them fall as he shook his head firmly. He whispered "I love you" to him as Kanika fired at him again causing him to scream out in agony as he was electrified by some sort of power. Yuugi slumped down on his body, unmoving, and Yami allowed more tears to fall as he shakily brought his good arm up to embrace him.

"Now, it's your—"

"HOLD IT WITCH!"

Wheeling around, Kanika turned to see Yuugi's friend standing in the doorway seething.

"Don't you dare even think about it!" Ryou snapped furiously.

Snorting in amusement, she glared. "You foolish boy! You have no power over me! Why don't I just get rid of you as well?" she smirked.

"I don't think so," a cold, protective voice spoke from behind.

Before she could even turn all the way around, a punch sent her flying causing her mouth to bleed as she fell down. Bakura pounced on her and pinned her to the floor.

"GET OFF ME!" she hissed. "I'll kill you both!"

Ryou ran to his aid and stepped on the hand holding the item, in which she cried out in pain as a couple stomps broke her wrist. The item slid from her grasp and he picked it up, distancing himself from her so she wouldn't get it back.

"Now what can you do?" Bakura spat angrily, glaring at her. "How dare you threaten him!"

"Are you all pathetically love-sick?" she snapped and Bakura hit her across the face again. "I normally wouldn't waste my time hitting a woman, but someone such as yourself doesn't even deserve to be called that. So one more word out of you and I'll mess your face up!"

"I'll take it from here," another voice said and Bakura turned to see Mahado approaching.

As his eyes took in his injured pharaoh and unmoving prince, he grabbed her by the hair as Bakura slid off her and held her good wrist.

"YOU'LL BE SORRY! I'M THE MOST POWERFUL ONE HERE!" she screamed. "YOU CANNOT DESTROY MY ITEM AND IT ONLY ANSWERS TO ME!"

"We'll see about that," he hissed, throwing her outside the palace walls. Kanika gasped when she saw that her men were no longer surrounded by the pharaoh's, but rather they had all morphed into one. They crowded around outside the palace, all of them glaring daggers at her.

"Servants! What are you doing? AID ME!" she ordered angrily.

None of them moved to aid her and Mahado approached her again even as she stood. "You have no power without that item!"

"You cannot just take it from me! I can summon it back!" she said, raising an arm in the air.

"You're mortal, you have no such power," Mahado spoke softly.

She kept her good hand raised and her eyes were alight in fury when it did not return to her hand. "I have the ultimate power!"

"No, you wished for ultimate power, but no mere human could actually gain such a thing. The sacred beasts are angry that you have abused their power and they wish to be set free," Mahado said distastefully.

Kanika shook her head, an insane smile forming on her lips. "No! That item belongs to me and me alone! I have immortality! You cannot destroy me!"

"Perhaps not, but once we destroy the item you will no longer have immortality," Mahado spoke coldly.

"YOU LIAR!" she screamed, backing away. "I'll prove you all wrong and destroy this whole city!"

"Shut your mouth, foolish woman," a cold voice spoke from her left.

She wheeled around to see a young man with dark purple eyes and sandy-colored hair approach her. He was wearing the same cloak as the strange figures that had aided Yami's men and surrounded hers when she had glanced out the window.

"You! You are the pharaoh's ally who helped him by giving him more men!" she snapped.

"I wouldn't call me an ally, but I certainly am not going to let some foolish, old woman think she can have so much power," he said simply.

"Old?" she snarled.

"Besides, you've forgotten one very important thing," Marik continued, oblivious to her angered state. "When you sucked up all the powers of the Millennium Items you stupidly sucked up the Dagger of Anubus, which holds the hag's curse on it. And because it is now bestowed into your item it'll have the same weakness."

"What are you talking about?" she spat angrily.

"He is referring to the fact that we have figured out how to separate the powers from the Dagger," Isis spoke up as she approached beside him. "And since the Dagger is inside, once we use the potion to eliminate the hag's curse it will eliminate everything attached to it."

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" she screeched, her eyes alight with rage and fear.

"And once the souls of the three sacred beasts are released," Mahado continued, "they will be the ones to deal with you."

Her eyes now widened in fear even as Isis pulled out a vial. "NO! The Eternal Gem is the most powerful thing the Gods left behind! It cannot be destroyed that easily!"

"All we need is a little bit of your blood to unbind the item from you, as if you never wished upon the Eternal Gem to begin with," Isis said simply, even as guards surrounded her and held her still.

"NO! NO YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME!" she screeched loudly, thrashing with one good hand and both her legs.

Mahado approached her with a small knife and cut her bad arm deeply, causing her to cry out in pain. He managed to hold her still long enough to get the blood into a separate vial. Then he approached Isis who combined the blood with the potion she held in her hand. After it was added, Ryou gently set the staff on the ground and Kanika watched with wide, terrified eyes as the potion was poured onto it. A loud explosion sounded immediately after, in which Bakura jumped forward to catch Ryou as he fell backward. The crystal atop the staff floated above it as the staff itself disintegrated. Kanika screamed in disbelief, struggling to get out of the grip of Yami's guards. Finally, the round crystal shattered and the golden light dispersed to the sky. For a minute, everyone stood around uncertainly and Kanika stared down at the remains of the staff. An explosion of light suddenly erupted in the sky and soon three familiar shapes were seen.

Meanwhile, Yami had been helped up and attended to by his viziers, including Fidil. Yuugi had been carried out as well and set down as the viziers tended to him to see if he would live or not. Yami remained by his side, but glanced up weakly as the souls of the sacred beasts appeared above them. Kanika's legs shook beneath her so that she could barely stand. Yami was grateful that they appeared and then limped toward them.

"Please, my Egyptian Gods," Yami spoke weakly, bowing before them. "Please save Yuugi's life. He did nothing wrong. Please…," he whispered, bowing his head low as tears came to his eyes once more.

The Egyptian God Osiris lowered itself to the ground. Yami gazed up with saddened eyes at his most trusted God card that was now really in front of him in true spirit form. It knelt in front of him and in a blazing light summoned something from its mouth. Yami thought for sure it would take his life, but instead something was forming inside of its mouth. When it opened again, a glimmering object floated out and Kanika screeched her fear and shock. Yami reached up a shaky hand, for the other one was bandaged, to catch the beautiful Gem. His eyes widened in realization that it was the Gem, the Eternal Gem. Bowing in thanks, he cupped his hands around it and wished for the most important wish to him. The Gem slowly disappeared from his hands in a glowing blaze after his wish had been granted. Yami allowed tears of hope to fall from his eyes as he thanked the Gods with all his heart. Every single person there bowed to the Gods, except for Kanika.

One of the Gods rounded upon her and she screamed in fear. The guards were no longer holding her and she tried to run away. Ra roared with all its might, furious with her like the others for trying to control their powers and keeping their spirits sealed away. He released a powerful golden flame that engulfed her entire body, consuming her and causing her body to completely vanish. Her scream of pain was the last they saw or heard from her. The Gods then rose up above all of them and everyone, including Kanika's former servants praised them as they were set free into the sky, taking with them all the powers of the Millennium Items, which had been theirs in the first place. Yami smiled up at the sky, glancing back once at Yuugi knowing that even though he hadn't awakened yet, everything was going to turn out alright.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Last chapter coming up! Yes, there will be TWO more lemons for your guys! I'm spoiling you now. Hehe! But it'll still be a long chapter so don't worry about that, but be prepared for much sap, humor and fluffy romance! No more death, pain or depressing stuff. It's all over so you can breathe a sigh of relief. I hope to get it up by next weekend at the latest!

To Reviewers:

Atemu Yugi Lover34: Were you at all surprised with the way she died? I hope so! I didn't want it to be predictable! But yes, she's finally dead, YAY! And now more fluffy romance and happiness can begin!

Yamiyugifanadic: Lol! Yes, I know that part was predictable that she was Kontar's mother. But I hope the way she died was satisfying. This had major angst/suspense in it, but now more romance! YAY! And yes, TWO LEMONS! So don't worry, you'll get your happy-ending.

Yana5: Don't worry, I never let stories end in a depressing manner. Now more romance!

Kingleby: Yes, our dear little Yuugi was very strong this time around, wasn't he? Don't worry, the worst is over!

Jenniyah: Lol! Yes a GPS system would be good, or some tracking system. Well, I suppose they don't have to worry about her anymore though. Yeah, she was planning on molesting Yuugi, but I figured it wouldn't seem right if she suddenly did it there when it was more important to her to get Yami, which is why I had her molest him instead. That seemed more realistic to me for her character. Trust me, Yuugi was COMPLETELY pissed off, as you could tell and so was Yami, but he was in too much pain to really get mad. But anyway, now more romance to come! And yes, TWO LEMONS! Yay!

Russa: Poor Yami, I really tortured him this time around, didn't I? And Yuugi too! Ah well, everything worked out as it always does, right? But hopefully it wasn't predictable how it ended for poor Kanika. :-)

Padfoot13: Wow, you caught up fast! I tried to get this up sooner but school got in my way. So I really hope to update this no later than a week from now. Anywhoo, thanks a bunch! Glad it's suspenseful enough for you. And now, more romance galore!