Hey all. Well, I thank everyone for their comments.

pink-kiss-candy: Thanks for adding me to your favorites and alert list. As for Illidan and Marie's roles in the past, they were involved a good bit. Just early on they weren't.

Isis the Sphinx: Joey isn't a push over. He's stronger than many give him credit for. After all, he nearly beat Seto once. True, that was a nearly, but still, that should count as something, lol. As for with Yugi being defeated, well, he had no way to save Slifer really. Once Slifer hit Mirror Wall, he was done for. Anyways, I know Yugi is undefeated, or nearly due to technicalities, lol, but I let him lose a tag duel for now.

Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks for those suggestions on Illidan's deck, but for the most part, he doesn't play fusion or rely on equip cards for specific monsters. His deck was actually a copy of an old deck I ran, minus a few things. But yeah, Gozaburo is desperate to get Illidan beat, and throwing Joey at him is just another way to try, lol.

Ok, so that is everyone. As usual, I encourage everyone to post a review. Good and bad feedback is appreciated. Without further ado, enjoy.

Chapter 31

Finally, after the celebration for Illidan and Marie was over that night, Illidan went to his room to sleep. Lying in his bed, his mind screamed for sleep.

"I am completely spent. I feel like I was run through the ringer big time today."

Once he finally fell into a deep sleep, Illidan began seeing a vision of his ancient past as he always had. There he saw himself and the other five remaining Millennium Item holders at a funeral for their great pharaoh, Yami. The entire kingdom mourned for the loss of the pharaoh, as did his closest personal friends, but Illidan missed him the most. They had been exactly like actual brothers their entire lives, but the truth was Illidan was only related due to Yami adopting Marie to his family. To Illidan, it was as if he lost of a piece of his soul that day.

After the pharaoh had been laid to rest, and Egypt tried to return to it's duties, the remainder of the Shadow Court met in the palace to discuss what was next.

"I say we destroy these horrible items! They are nothing but evil and will surely kill us all in the end!" spoke a rather angry Pegasus. Unfortunately for Pegasus, he could no longer see due that the attacks Gozaburo had made on him had blinded him. Now he relied on his friends more than ever to help him, but he was literally fed up with the Shadow Magic that remained in Egypt.

Countering Pegasus, Set said "No you fool! If you destroy them, the Shadow Magic will escape again! Do you want Egypt ruined again by the evil of the Shadow Magic?" Set had as well been injured by Gozaburo during his rampage. He had lost an arm to the madman, but seemed to cope without his arm.

"Illidan, what should we do? Yami left you as his heir to the throne of Egypt when he died. So, what do we do?" asked a saddened Marie. She had suffered slightly, but still, had nearly died due to Gozaburo's betrayal.

Sighing, Illidan slowly rose to face the group. He had shed many tears in the last week since the fight with Gozaburo. Many were over how Gozaburo had hurt Marie, then many over the loss of Yami. He still wanted to mourn for his friend, but he knew he had a job to do, and a duty to fulfill to Yami.

Sighing once more, he slowly began saying "I think we should seal the items away. And I know the person who is right for the job of protecting them for all time."

Turning to Shadi, he said "Shadi, I want you to be in charge of guarding the Millennium Items."

A shocked Shadi just stared at Illidan. His face had great confusion as well as great fear for this duty he was being asked to perform.

Shadi was about to say something, but Illidan held up his and said "Shadi, I have complete faith in you and your abilities. To help you with guarding the items, I shall grant you immortality, ensuring that the items will be forever guarded by you. Please, accept this offer."

Thinking for a moment, Shadi finally said "I accept this duty with great honor. I shall not fail you pharaoh."

Nodding, Illidan then said "Shadi come forward, and I shall grant you the immortality you need to perform this job."

Slowly, Shadi stepped forward and bowed before Illidan. Illidan then pulled his Millennium Key over his head and pointed it at Shadi. Gently, he started creating a life thread from the Millennium Key to Shadi's life line. He had once seen this done by his former teacher, the nomad named Squall. Painstakingly slowly, Illidan created many life line threads between Shadi's soul and the Millennium Key, including ones to help keep Shadi's body in a flawless state. Once finished, Illidan motioned for Shadi to rise. As he rose, everyone noticed that Shadi's eyes were now a ghostly gray. In a way, his eyes looked sort of like someone who had died.

Happy that he had succeeded in creating the link, Illidan said "Now Shadi, you are immortal and are the guardian of the Millennium Items. You will now be able to fulfill your duty for all time. As well, you shall keep your Millennium Scales. If you choose to put them away like the other items, that is fine as well, but you may keep them or take them out whenever you like. Also, you will ensure that if the items are ever needed again, our reincarnations will receive these items. I have a feeling that one day Yami will be needed again in this world. His spirit is locked within the Millennium Puzzle, but it is only his spirit. Before his death, he erased his memories, but he left himself a way to remember all that has happened. Once he figures out what the way means, he will remember everything."

Turning to the others, he said "Me and Marie were made his official Tomb Keepers when we married, but due to circumstances, we cannot fulfill that duty yet, or possibly ever, therefore till a certain time till we can find a permanent solution, we shall have another two people provide security for the pharaoh's secret to reawakening his memories."

Then turning back to Shadi, he handed him his Millennium Key. "Shadi, as long as you possess the Millennium Key, the immortality that I have granted you shall last, unless of course you are killed. You won't succumb to disease or age, but you must be careful, for someone could kill you. Till I am reincarnated in the future and am in need of the Millennium Key, I leave it with you to keep."

Nodding, Shadi took the Millennium Key from Illidan and placed it around his neck. The key slightly glowed at it's new master, making Shadi seem more humbled.

"I promise I shall keep it in my possession till your return Illidan, I promise." replied Shadi as he humbly bowed to Illidan.

Nodding, Illidan then made a motion for the others to follow him, saying "Come, we have one last thing to do before we leave."

Illidan then led the six out of the palace and to a set of tombs. Once there, he took them down into the ground where a large stone was. The stone had seven niches carved into it, each in the shape of one of the Millennium Items. There was already one item there though, which was the Millennium Puzzle.

He then turned to the others, and said "Here we shall store the items till they are needed. Shadi, this is the place they are to rest. Do you understand?"

Shadi quickly nodded and replied "I fully understand pharaoh."

Slightly irritated due that everyone was starting to call him pharaoh, Illidan just turned back to the stone. Staring at it, he realized this would be the final resting place of the items, he hoped. Illidan deeply hoped that the items would never be needed again, but he knew peace was too good to last. He knew one day they'd be needed, but he hoped not for a very long, long time.

Turning back to the others, he then said "Please, each of you step forward and place your Millennium Items into the niche where your item belongs."

First to comply was Marie, who placed her Millennium Necklace in it's niche. Next followed Set, who slowly placed his item within it's niche. Then the others helped Pegasus find his way over to the stone, leading his hands up to where his Millennium Eye would be placed. With a growl from the pain he was in, he slowly pulled his Millennium Eye from his eye socket. Once done, he placed it in the niche the others had shown him to place it in. Slowly Pegasus then walked back over to where the others stood with assistance from Set.

Then there was only one item left, which was Bakura's Millennium Ring. Each of the others stared at the young man left, pondering why he was hesitating.

Illidan knew that Bakura had not been the same since the battle with Gozaburo. It seemed like the sweet young man that loved life and was full of it was now only a shell of what he once was. Now he was much greedier, as well as more jealous and seemingly devious than he had ever been. Illidan had even caught him trying to steal from Yami's treasures that were to be buried with his body the night before, but had let Bakura go with a strong warning to never try it again, for he would punish him the next time. Now it appeared that the same greed was still with him.

The previous night, after he had foiled the attempt by Bakura, he only sat and wondered why the young man had changed. He slowly came to one conclusion. It had been the Millennium Crown's corrupting evil. It had taken something from everyone, and Bakura was no exception. He had lost all his innocence it seemed, not to mention his strong sense of knowing what was right for the world.

Bakura only frowned at the others, and said "Illidan, we shouldn't do this. Think of the greater good these items can do if we continue to use them. We could save Egypt from disease, famines, and war. It would be a utopia!"

Shaking his head, Illidan said "No, it wouldn't be possible Bakura. For every good deed down with those items comes a price. Keeping the darkness within Egypt will not solve our problems. Sealing away the darkness won't solve the problem either, but at least we can keep from destroying everything. Gozaburo reasoned the same logic. He thought that the greater good of the crown's power would outweigh the evil, but he was wrong. You are wrong as well Bakura. I know you think that the items could make things better, but in reality, they'll never be able to save us all. We must give up this power, before it does destroy Egypt, if not the world. So, please Bakura, hand over your Millennium Ring."

Bakura only laughed at Illidan, and replied in a dark voice "You're a fool Illidan! With these seven items, and including the eighth, we could rule the world and keep peace forever! Think of the greater good that would do!"

Sighing and shaking his head, Illidan responded with "Bakura, that would be forcing people against their will though. Forcing people to live under your rule because you want them is not the solution. Using power to command people is wrong, and I won't allow it. Now, please hand over your Millennium Ring. I don't want to have another battle like we had with Gozaburo. He wanted to rule the world with the power of his Millennium Crown, thus forcing people to fall in line. That is not the solution. Only when people willingly live under peace will a true solution be found."

Growling slightly, Bakura then let a chuckle come out, which sounded rather evil. The others had noticed, as did Illidan, that Bakura's face was somewhat different now. He no longer looked the part of the innocent boy. Now he looked the part of a thief, if not an evil villain.

He continued to laugh till he finally said "I've had enough of your lectures Illidan. I believe it's high time someone with the ability to control the Millennium Items steps in, and that's me. I will now take all seven items, including the eighth. I'm warning you all, don't stand in my way, or I will send you to the Shadow Realm."

With that, he started to slowly advance with his hand holding his Millennium Ring out. Power was slowly flaring out of it, making the others slowly step back. Everyone but two people that was. Illidan and Shadi both stood their ground. Shadi went to take the lead, but Illidan put his hand on Shadi's shoulder and shook his head.

"No, I'll take care of this." he flatly told Shadi.

Illidan then stepped towards Bakura, who only laughed. "You're unarmed, not to mention not carrying your precious Millennium Key! What could you possibly do to me Illidan?" taunted Bakura.

Illidan only smiled and continued to walk towards Bakura. Bakura slightly hesitated, for he couldn't understand why Illidan would dare to take him on without a Millennium Item himself. This was what would cause Bakura's downfall. Like Gozaburo, he had underestimated Illidan.

In a flash, Illidan appeared in front of Bakura and punched him hard while Bakura was trying to activate his Millennium Ring. Bakura screamed as he fell to the ground and dropped the Millennium Ring. It landed with a clattering sound, making the others relieved.

Illidan then stood over the young man and turned him over, only to find a pair of blank eyes. Then it hit him instantly what had happened. When he had caught Bakura off guard, Bakura was trying to power up his ring to send Illidan to the Shadow Realm. Instead, the ring somehow absorbed his spirit, much like how the Millennium Puzzle had done to Yami. Feeling some sorrow for his friend, Illidan grabbed the Millennium Ring from the floor. He felt the evil spirit within the ring now.

"It's truly sad that it had to come to this Bakura. Now you'll have to suffer in an eternal prison for your crime." Illidan said sadly.

Illidan then walked back over to the stone, where Marie asked "Is he…"

Before she could finish, Illidan shook his head, saying "He is imprisoned within the Millennium Ring now. He made a foolish move, and has paid for it. To think, our once great friend has turned from an honorable man to a tomb thief."

Then Illidan slowly placed the Millennium Ring within it's niche, nearly completing the missing niches.

Illidan then turned and said "Shadi, I leave you to guard these items. It is up to you now to protect them with your life."

Shadi nodded, humbly saying "I accept that responsibility. I swear, I will guard them with my life."

Nodding, Illidan then turned to the others and said "The items are to remain here. Anyone trying to break in to take them will be dealt with. I trust you all to not tamper with the items, but I want an oath from you all that you'll leave them."

Each Shadow Court member then swore an oath to leave their items, as well as all the other items in this tomb for as long as they lived.

Once it was taken, Shadi then turned to Illidan, asking "What of the Millennium Crown?"

Slightly sighing, Illidan said "I have taken care of it. You see that far wall in this chamber?" Illidan then pointed towards the wall he spoke of. Shadi nodded that he did know what Illidan was talking about.

"Well, behind that wall is another tomb. In there lies the Millennium Crown. I personally sealed it up again. I placed heavy seals on it in hopes of sealing away it's full power, but I can't. My previous seal was strengthened slightly, but I couldn't fully seal it yet again. The power to grant a wish is still sealed away, but that is about all I could seal. Hopefully the seals I placed around it to suppress it's power will work. I can only hope it does last forever."

Nodding, Shadi replied "I understand. I will guard all these items with my life. I swear it."

Sighing with relief, Illidan then said "Good. Also, I will ask sometime in the future for the Millennium Rod and Millennium Necklace. You see, once I find a permanent solution to the Tomb Keeper problem, I will lend those items to the Tomb Keepers. That will allow them to protect the pharaoh's memories for all time."

Shadi nodded with what Illidan said, as if silently agreeing.

"Now, I must be off. I must try to heal the country. With the loss of our pharaoh, the people are deeply saddened. I'll have to try to do the best I can to lead the people back into prosperity. Good luck my friend." Illidan said as he gently hugged his friend.

Shadi hugged back and then released Illidan, saying "Thank you. Don't worry, we'll one day meet again."

Nodding, Illidan said "I hope so Shadi, I really hope so."

And just like that, Illidan woke up. He quickly sat up as usual, and then looked at his Millennium Key that was glowing.

"So many have suffered because of these cursed things. I should have done something more. There is nothing I can do now but stop Gozaburo from releasing the horrible powers of the Millennium Crown. If he breaks my seal, this whole world is doomed."

Slowly, Illidan rubbed his sleepy eyes and glanced at the clock to see it was already 6:00 A.M. Painstakingly slowly, Illidan dragged himself out of bed and into the shower. Once out, he felt a bit more refreshed, but still was tired. He decided on eating a toaster strudel today rather than his usual pop-tarts.

Once done eating, he went over to the computer and logged on. The person he was matched up for the day was Joey Wheeler. "Sounds interesting." thought Illidan.

Grabbing his deck off of the table where he kept it and his Duel Disk, Illidan quickly ran through it, making sure that it was ready for the duel. Once satisfied that everything was in there, Illidan slid his deck back into its holder and continued to prepare to leave. When he saw it was about 7:30, he decided to head for the elevator. After quickly grabbing his deck and Duel Disk, he was on his way.

Illidan arrived a bit early at the elevator, where the judge stood as usual. Glancing up, the judge said in a shocked voice "You're actually here early for once?"

Illidan couldn't help but grin and simply nod his head. About the time they were to board the elevator, Illidan saw Joey running down the hall.

He was screaming "DON'T LEAVE YET!"

Once he arrived, he stood there for a second panting and finally had them both board the elevator.

After arriving at the top, the judge began his usual speech about the following duel was for the two titles Illidan held and then had the two shake hands and shuffle one another's deck. When handing one another their decks back, each had a comment for the others.

"Illidan, this is going to be a fun duel. I have a feeling lady luck is on my side." commented Joey.

Lightly chuckling at that bold statement, Illidan replied "We'll see Joey. Good luck."

The judge then cleared his throat and said "Illidan, you have the choice of going first or second."

Without thinking, Illidan said "I'll go second."

Nodding, the judge then said "Very well. Joey, you may go first. Now, both of you take your marks and then activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Once that is done, draw your first five cards and begin the duel."

Both duelists slowly took their places and stared one another down. Then simultaneously, they each fired their holo projectors from their Duel Disks. Once they had landed, their Duel Disks then completely unfolded and lit up.

Smiling, Joey said "I'll bring out my Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)." A huge warrior in orange and blue armor then appeared. He had a huge orange sword on his back as well.

Smiling back, Illidan said "And I'll bring out my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The large soldier with black shiny armor then appeared with his sword and shield in each hand.

Both then drew their first five cards and said "Let's Duel!"