Written: 27/05/14

Author's Note: Hello, everyone. My name is I'm-Sorry and welcome to chapter 34 of Past Repeating 2. ._. xD Although year one of university was a looong journey, I've managed and am now back home. Balancing everything was really tough - I only managed to update one chapter throughout the months but that's okay! Because now I have three months of pure summer holidays and we can finally get to the exciting part. This chapter marks the beginning of what my evil side will write. From here on in, this isn't a regular card game/sword fight. Now it's going to be intense.

Well… either this chapter or next chapter.

It depends how far I get and when I would like to stop and at which cliffhanger.

…

Maybe it is this chapter because I seem evil already. 3=)

Muahahahaha!

Ahem, um. Don't worry. xD It'll be fine. =3

I hope everyone has an awesome summer! =D

(I'm going to enjoy writing these next few chapters... uwu)

Rewrite Fiasco: So, I indeed have some chapters in Past Repeating 1 updated. :D Chapters 1-5 are up and running - making sense on top of that! I'm thinking about diverting most of my energy into re-writing Past Repeating 1 because of how terrible the point of view is and how terribly I introduced my character. And I want to fix it all fast so no one gets confused! I don't want my readers to get confused! Q^Q Okay, So I'll try to do both Past Repeating 1 and 2. x3 Fingers crossed!

Although I said that Past Repeating 1 would be my main concern, I think I'm going to alternate at random times. So I'll be working on both Past Repeating 1 and 2 because sometimes I can't make up my mind. x'D And it's all about being in "the zone" or "the mood" or "the setting". If I'm feeling a certain way, I'll work on one and if I'm feeling another way, then I'll work on the other. It's an interesting condition. o-o

I hope you enjoy the edited chapters! =3 Thank you for your patience! x3

Summary: Marik's Rare Hunters being inconsistent with his plans seemed to tip Yugi and Sarah in another direction. Since the mysterious hooded duelers left, Yugi and Sarah have been wandering around Battle City trying to find the person Marik had sent to target them. He would have an Egyptian God card. This was where things became more complicated.

*Note*: I didn't do my math right in the last chapter. The duel waged four locator cards all together. I only added two in for the whole total. The score at the beginning of this chapter should be right. I'll fix the last chapter.

Disclaimer!: Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

Battle City - New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite - Chapter 34

Locator Cards: Yugi: 5/Joey: 4/Sarah: 6

Yami switched places with Yugi after poking me in the forehead. That little gesture made my head feel numb. I suppose it was because I hadn't talked to the Pharaoh like that in such a long while. So… casually. It felt odd, but in a good way. I missed being close friends with him, I admit, but I couldn't speed up the process of helping him no matter how much I wanted to. He wanted to know more about himself as soon as possible but I just wished I knew how to start. Isis' Millennium Necklace only showed bits and pieces of what was going to happen. I was told of what to do but not how to do it. So much time has already gone by, but I suppose instead of rushing things we should first face the problems that were popping up head on before worrying about why Yami was reborn in the first place.

I remembered that back in Duelist Kingdom, when the Pharaoh introduced himself to Yugi, I overheard the names he said he was called by, and I might have used those names during the first few days after I introduced myself. Now I was thinking about how foolish I was. He was a Pharaoh and I was his Guardian - I had no reason to call him by his name especially when we just met all over again. I've decided that I was only going to call him "Pharaoh" from now on. At least… until we felt more comfortable around each other.

I sighed. 'Until we felt more comfortable with each other'...

It had already taken a good few years to be close friends with him. Now I had to start all over again. Will it take just as long once more? Whatever the time, I will not dishonour him. I should stay in my place and start being formal again.

I guess… I was just so happy to see him that I couldn't help myself…

"Hey… Sarah?" I blinked from my thoughts and looked at Yugi. His violet eyes held question. "Are you alright?"

I blinked again. "Yes… of course, I am…" I said a bit uneasily. I didn't know where the question came from all of a sudden. Was concern evident on my face? "Are you alright…?"

Yugi nodded. "I am," he said. "You just seemed so… distant…"

"Oh… sorry about that… I was thinking…"

I heard a small sigh from him. "I know what you mean… I have been too."

We stopped by the waterway to take a breather. It had been a while since we took a break just to sort out our thoughts. For the past little while it was go, go, go. Even though there was a Rare Hunter ready to strike us with an Egyptian God card, we couldn't help but try to calm our racing hearts. There was so much to do with so much information, and yet, we still needed more.

"Marik keeps talking about wanting the power of the Pharaoh…" said Yugi, gazing into the soothing water. There weren't any waves or ripples. It was calm, which seemed to help settle our nerves. "But you are the Pharaoh. If you had all that power, wouldn't we have known about it?"

The Pharaoh's spirit form emerged from within the Millennium Puzzle. He stood beside Yugi with crossed arms, gazing into the water just as thoughtfully.

Slowly, he shook his head. "I'm afraid it's still unclear to me..."

I thought back to the dream I had about our last day. For some reason, no matter how many times I would try to interpret this information, a bit of it would just disappear. As soon as I began searching through all those memories, I found that one to be the most different. Why was that day so unclear...? Such an important day and it could have helped us so much in knowing… I knew it had a lot to do with the power of the Pharaoh.

Was my past amnesiatic state influencing present memories? How much more of this complex system could I possibly take? How was I supposed to help the Pharaoh? I was his Guardian and I couldn't even guide him!

Glaring down at the streaming water, I searched my brain for something - anything. Any small fact or piece of information that could help me guard the Pharaoh. All I ran into were walls that kept me away…

I blinked as I stared back at myself from the reflection in the waterway. 'All I ran into were walls…

'As if I was meant to stay away…'

"I understand…" I said suddenly, quietly. My astonishment could not be overcome. I continued to stare at the water in realization, thinking more deeply of our situation. The Pharaoh and Yugi turned towards me to see what I had meant, hoping for an explanation.

I finally understood.

"We aren't supposed to remember certain events and memories… because they're at risk of being read and manipulated…"

Yugi and the Pharaoh blinked at me with confusion. I finally looked up to see their questioning eyes. "It all makes sense now…" I said with relief, finally able to fit a piece into place in this giant puzzle.

"What did you find out?" asked Yugi with a blink. "You didn't even move or anything."

"Sometimes, it's not about looking," I said with a smile. "Sometimes… it's about what isn't there…"

The Pharaoh gazed at me with his dark cerise eyes. "You're speaking of our memories…" he said.

"Yes... See, you don't have any memories of your past life and power, and any new memories I see disappear because we aren't allowed to have them with us. It might have to do with the Millennium Items."

"We've only run into a few…"

"Yes, and two of them happened to be Items that looked into the mind."

The Pharaoh's eyes widened. "Of course…" he said. "The Millennium Eye could see everything we were thinking and Marik's Item can control minds."

Yugi nodded. "Who knows how much he might be able to see with that kind of power…"

"There are ways to block off intruders…" I said. "Like we did in Duelist Kingdom. However, continuous barricades take a lot of mental strength. We managed to pull it off back then because it was all of us putting our strength together and for a short period of time. You spent a lot of energy to switch places in the Shadow Realm, Yugi… These kinds of things take years of training."

"So it was made easier for us to simply forget about the important memories?" asked the Pharaoh.

"Yes… but it's also harder, because now we don't have a solid idea of how to fight off the enemy." I looked off into the distance, wondering what Marik could possibly be up to. "Our memories held secrets, things we couldn't speak about to just anyone. Even if we did tell someone, like our friends, there's a large disadvantage. If our enemy happened to find out that we told our friends, they might capture them…"

Yugi covered his mouth. "Maybe it really is better if you've lost your memories…"

I nodded, just as frightened about what could have happened if we did have our memories. "My previous amnesiatic state… I still don't know what that was for, but the state we're in now isn't amnesia. We're being kept away from our own memories to keep ourselves safe along with everyone else around us."

"That makes sense," said the Pharaoh. "However, the fact still remains… we need those memories sooner or later, but when will we get them if not now?"

I shook my head, just as troubled. On one hand, it was good, but on the other…

"I'm not sure..." I said quietly. I felt like laying down by the waterway and just falling asleep, but I couldn't because Marik's goon might show up any second. I sat down by the stream instead.

"Destiny has led us this far…" said Yugi. "We should stay patient and wait until it shows us another direction…"

"... You're right…"

"What do we know for certain?" asked the Pharaoh.

"Well… for starters, we know that Marik's family has been protecting the Pharaoh's tomb all this time, and for some crazy reason, Marik suddenly thinks he deserves to be the Pharaoh," replied Yugi.

I clenched my fist by my side. Again the thought of there being two families who guarded the tombs came into mind.

I saw Yugi's reflection in the water gaze at me carefully. I couldn't see Yami in the water though - it made sense… he was a spirit.

Yugi gazed down at the Millennium Puzzle as he held it in his hands. "It took me years to complete the Puzzle…" he said. "I knew it wasn't an ordinary puzzle. Once I fit the last piece in…. I realized I was meant to solve it. I get the feeling that I was meant to have it because I solved it."

"That was why the Millennium Puzzle was so difficult to solve," I said, looking up at the boys. The Pharaoh was listening intently. "It was made that way so that only a person worthy of knowing its ancient powers could solve it. And that person is you, Yugi."

Yugi nodded. "But I didn't gain any new powers," he said. "I met an important friend. The Pharaoh gave me courage, and now I have many friends."

"It's all because of you," said the Pharaoh. "It's your own power."

Yugi smiled at the thought. "If I have any power of my own, I would be more than willing to lend it to you. But… I'm not sure if it'll help much…"

"Don't say that. Because of you, I am able to fight."

The bond the two of them shared already…. was so strong, it was clearly visible on their faces as they smiled to one another. I couldn't believe that in such a short amount of time, they had gotten so far. Then again, Yugi was the Chosen One, destined to help the Pharaoh in certain ways that even I couldn't. He didn't need guarding all the time, there was something else he was missing that Yugi would be able to help him find.

"Because I solved this Puzzle…" Yugi continued. "Marik probably thinks it was a mistake and that's why he's after us. He wants the power of the Pharaoh for himself that he wasn't able to get from trying to solve the Puzzle."

I nodded. "That could be it, Yugi."

"Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle because he was destined to solve it," the Pharaoh stated confidently. "Yugi has the heart of a Pharaoh, that's why he was able to."

"Marik's heart is full of lies and deceit," I said quietly to keep myself from raving. "But he still wants power. Who knows what will happen if he gets his hands on the Millennium Puzzle?"

Yugi held the Puzzle close. "I'll guard it with my life," he said with determination lining his amethyst eyes.

I stretched towards the sky. "You don't have to worry about that, Yugi," I said. Then I smiled towards him. "That's where I come in."

Yugi blinked. "Sarah, you have to be careful," he said. "Marik really doesn't like you. He'll throw you off a cliff if he ever got the chance."

"I know. I'll be alright. This is what I've been training for."

"..."

"... What is it, Pharaoh?"

It was the Pharaoh's turn to quietly blink at me. I blinked back.

"... Okay, you're scaring me…"

"I was just curious… but it seems that we don't know any details about this training that you speak of."

I gazed at the Pharaoh. He was right. I didn't really talk about the magic I learned or the process of being a Guardian. I suppose I was just waiting for a moment where we had nothing to worry about, but as I thought about it now, that was never going to happen. There was always something.

"Well… I…"

"Hey, he's right!" said Yugi with bright eyes. "Can you show us how your magic works? I can't even believe I haven't thought deeply enough about this! I know someone who can wield real magic!"

"After what we've just dealt with… I'm ready to see true magic too," said the Pharaoh with a small smile directed towards Yugi. I became aware of how much he adored Yugi. He was so carefree and spontaneous sometimes; always smiling and hopeful. The Pharaoh hasn't met someone like him before.

It was why Yugi was so special.

I smiled, watching the excitement in Yugi's eyes. Regardless of ups and downs, he took the time to appreciate the little things and life. He loved to explore, just like his grandfather.

I sighed, trying to prolong the inevitable. "I suppose… I am willing…"

Yugi's smile didn't falter. "Great! So… how do you do it?"

I stood up and gazed at the waterway and concentrated. Ever since the end of Duelist Kingdom, I felt stronger because I had gotten some practice in the new world. It took less energy now than back then for a spell to work, but it still took energy. Raising a hand above the water, I willed some of it to rise up in the shape of cylindrical pillar.

"The trick is to understand how water works," I explained. "You have to imagine how each molecule will move and connect with each other. It takes years of practice, but to completely understand, it takes a few months."

"That's a lot of time," said Yugi. "How long did it take you?"

"I took me about a year to understand all the elements with lots of practice, but continuous practice everyday continued for years after that. I never truly finish my training because I learn something new everyday. Each element is also very different and mastering all of them takes even more time."

Yugi watched intently as the pillar of water moved up towards my hand. Then I moved it up and over the concrete while my hand was still open above it.

"I use my whole hand to help me move the water around because it just seems more dramatic that way." Yugi anime fell and I swear the Pharaoh was trying to bite back laughter. I smiled, enjoying the fact that I could be funny sometimes.

"In reality, as long as I have something pointed towards it, it can move. I just have to direct my energy towards that part of my body."

I curled my fingers inward and pointed my forefinger at the water. The position of the water didn't change.

"Considering that all I need is concentration, I can will the water to move wherever I need it to go." I inched backwards, moving my hand up and down which in turn made the water move up and down, creating waves along the ribbon of liquid. Then I moved my finger around in a circle a few times and the ribbon of water also twirled around in a circle to match. Yugi and the Pharaoh were still watching intently.

I moved my hand to the side in a sharp manner and the ribbon of water flicked in that direction. Then I spun around on my feet and the ribbon followed. When I threw my hand up, the water shot high into the sky and burst into droplets, raining down on all three of us.

"That was really cool, Sarah~" Yugi said with a smile.

I returned the gesture. "Why, thank you. I worked really hard on that move." We shared a laugh.

"This freedom of being able to move the elements around gives you an advantage," noted the Pharaoh. I nodded, not surprised by his sharp intuition grasping the concept so quickly.

"Indeed. During a battle, it becomes critical that I be able to do something from wherever I happened to be standing."

"And you can do the same with the other elements?"

"Fire and air, yes. Earth… well…" I sat down by the edge of the waterway again and leaned back on my arms.

Yugi blinked. "Now that you mention it… I don't think moving grass or dirt around will help much…"

"Nope." I laughed at the thought. "I can't imagine it would. The Earth element helps me with healing spells."

The Pharaoh and Yugi blinked. "Healing? You can heal people?" asked Yugi.

"In a way…" I said. "We get our energy from the earth, right? All I do is channel some of that energy into the person I wish to give the energy to. It doesn't heal wounds, unfortunately, but if I give the body energy, then the person will be able to fight off the wound's infection and speed up the process of cellular restoration that much more quickly. So in an indirect way… I can heal wounds."

"Could you heal yourself?" asked Yugi.

"I could but it wouldn't be very helpful. I would be spending energy just to get that much energy back."

"So there is a catch: you use energy from your own body to cast these spells," said the Pharaoh crossing his arms and holding his chin in one hand.

I nodded. "It's like this saying I heard from somewhere: 'Equivalent Exchange: In order to gain something, something of equal value must be given.'"

Yugi blinked at me curiously. "Who said that?"

"Probably a philosopher… from… a while ago..."

"..."

"Ehehe…"

"But… how do you replenish your own energy?" asked Yugi.

"I just need some rest and I'll be back to normal," I said. "However, during a battle, I might not get that luxury, so I've been training myself to withstand being able to cast many spells without losing much energy. When your body gets used to it, it becomes a lot easier."

"So you've studied magic and you can cast spells," said the Pharaoh.

I nodded. "Yes…"

Yugi placed a fist in the palm of his hand. "Oh! Sarah's like the Pharaoh's personal magician!"

I blinked. Then I looked up at the Pharaoh and wondered what he was thinking. He was gazing back at me, his cerise eyes searching my own scarlet ones.

"... Er…"

"My own personal magician, hm…?"

I blinked. He was seriously considering it.

"I… also know combat by sword and hand…" I stated lamely, trying to settle the slight awkwardness I felt. Maybe it was because I never mulled over different names I could have given myself.

"And you use all of that… to guard the Pharaoh?" asked Yugi.

I nodded. "Anything could happen at any time, and I'm supposed to be ready. So I made it clear to myself that I needed to learn all of this to help him."

"It's interesting," said Yugi. "So you know about battle strategies and things like that too?"

"Yup."

"... You're like a magician and a soldier all in one."

I laughed.

The Pharaoh regarded me carefully. "Why do I require a Guardian in the first place?" he asked. His arms were crossed and his crimson eyes were slightly narrowed. It wasn't noticable but he had a questioning gaze.

I looked back at him, all signs of laughter gone. "There were people who wanted to hurt you," I said. "They didn't care about the consequences so long as you paid for whatever reason they could concoct."

"Like Marik wanting the power of the Pharaoh."

"... Yes."

I saw something in his eyes that I couldn't describe. It's been so long since I gazed into those pools of sharp red; always thoughtful, always observing. They weren't anything I could easily look away from. I remember stealing momentary glances when he wasn't looking back in Ancient Egypt. There was just something about them that was mesmerizing. They were full of determination.

"Why wasn't I taught how to defend myself?"

"You know how to defend yourself, believe me, I've seen you with a sword. The main reason why you were given a Guardian was because no one wanted you to be a Pharaoh without having some form of shield around you. We wanted you to focus on being King and not have to worry too much about fending off an enemy."

"So I can trust you."

Slowly, I got back up from my seated position and stood straight; shoulders square, back unbroken. I focused my gaze at the Pharaoh's which was just as strong as mine. I returned his determined glance with one of my own. Suddenly it was just the two of us.

"You can," I said confidently, never faltering. "I'd give my life for you."

The Pharaoh's fixed stare continued searching, as though he was trying to find something within me. Then for a brief moment, his cerise eyes reminded me of the first time he saw me when I introduced myself, five thousand years ago. There was a hint of mysterious question and wonder mixed in with the regular confidence I always saw.

I felt as though he wanted to say something, but we simply stood there, matching each other's confident stares; sizing each other up. Perhaps the Pharaoh was trying to see how much truth I put into my words.

"Sarah…"

Suddenly he stopped. I realized why. Both the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Locket glowed a faint hue. We sensed something familiar - the power of Marik's Millennium Rod.

"... Someone's coming..." he said.

I nodded. "Yugi… it looks like it's time."

He took a deep breath before replying with a nod of his own. The Pharaoh disappeared back into the Millennium Puzzle, whatever we were talking about was now thrown into the wind. For now, we had a Rare Hunter to deal with.

By habit, I stood beside Yugi, ready for an attack of any kind that wasn't a duel. Yugi's questioning eyes were now amethyst pools of tenacity. After waiting for so long, Marik's latest threat was about to show itself.

And this one… would have one of the Egyptian God cards in his deck.

At first, all we could do was listen to our racing heartbeats. Then we watched someone jump over the stone steps and land on the concrete before us. He was shorter than all the other Rare Hunters, and instead of a cloak, this guy wore regular street clothes consisting of a black shirt, red pants with yellow suspenders, and black shoes. He also had a green bag slung over his chest. His eyes were wide, his ears were pointy, his head was bald, and his face was covered with piercings: one on each ear, three over his right eye, three near his lip, one on his nose and one on his lip. There were dark circles around his eyes that looked like makeup but I wasn't sure. He looked like a mime - he was probably from the plaza we just left.

But something was clearly different about him. He had a glowing symbol on his forehead - the Eye of Ra.

Marik has taken control of him.

"Yugi…" said the mime. He pulled a Duel Disk from out of his bag. "Prepare to lose your Puzzle. I challenge you to a duel!"

"Marik!"

"Yes, and soon, you and the entire world will be calling me Pharaoh!" The mime chuckled darkly.

"Don't count on it…" I seethed. He had already begun his patter about becoming Pharaoh.

"Meet my mind slave: Strings the Quiet One, and thanks to my Millennium Rod, he shall defeat you."

"Coward! Fight me yourself instead of hiding behind your Rare Hunters!" said Yugi, his eyes narrow.

"We'll meet soon enough," said Marik through Strings. "Why should I waste my time while I can duel you through my mind puppets? Battling with the power of my Millennium Rod is no different than you using your Puzzle to duel."

That ticked something off inside me. It wasn't true. There was a huge difference between how Marik used his power and how Yugi used his power. I was about to say something about it but a blinding glow stopped me. The Pharaoh had switched places with Yugi. He took off his school blazer and swung it around his shoulders.

"That's not true," he said. "You force your servants to do your dirty work by taking control of their minds against their will. I duel with respect and honour."

"And I will do what is necessary to claim that Puzzle."

"To do that, you will have to defeat me, Marik, and break the heart of the cards. And I can assure you that won't happen."

"You call yourself a Pharaoh?" asked Strings. "You don't even know how to use your power."

At this, the Pharaoh gave me a sideways glance.

"He will know," I said, returning the brief look before directing my glare at Strings. "There are reasons behind everything. He may not know now but he will know soon enough. You don't have the right to his power to begin with!"

Strings' gaze narrowed just the slightest bit. "Oh, it's you. I could hardly notice that you were even here, Guardian."

My fists balled up. "Why you…"

"Destiny has chosen me to take the power of the Pharaoh away from him. And then destroy him."

"That ancient power isn't yours to take, Marik," I said. "You're abusing the power of the Millennium Rod to get whatever you want."

"This duel was destined five thousand years ago," said Strings. "I simply pushed it forward a bit."

"If it's destiny," said the Pharaoh. "Then I accept the challenge."

"You will have to. Once I win the duel, my puppet will kill you immediately."

I gritted my teeth together. "You'll have to get past me at that point!"

"Yes, yes, your turn will come soon too."

"Don't make me knock you down where you stand…" I said with a dangerously low voice. Even the Pharaoh looked at me. "I've had enough of your idle threats. I could beat you down right now and end this confrontation before it even begins. What's stopping me?"

"If you do that, I will send all the Rare Hunters I have to come for you."

"..."

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't have prepared for such inane threats? My Rare Hunters are strong enough to overcome your fighting styles. You are just one Guardian."

My eyes blazed. "I am the Pharaoh's Guardian," I said defiantly. "I will vanquish each and every Rare Hunter you have."

"... Remember those words, Guardian. Remember them."

"Enough," commanded the Pharaoh. "If it's a duel you want, then a duel is what you'll get."

He turned to me and said quietly, "I don't want things to get any messier than they already are."

I nodded, understanding that the Pharaoh wanted to end this in the easiest way possible, and stepped back. The Pharaoh slid his Duel Monsters deck into the deck slot.

"Good choice," said the mixed voices of both Strings and Marik as he did the same. "Maybe you should have a leash on your Guardian's neck while you're at it."

The Pharaoh showed the smallest hints of a smirk, amused by the fact that Strings didn't understand something. I glanced at him with slight confusion. "Sarah's temper is what keeps her on her feet," he said. "Don't tell me what to do with my Guardian."

… Now that was more like it.

"Your Guardian, indeed. Let's just start the duel."

"Your plan will never work, Marik. I'll make sure of it."

"I'm afraid it already has," said Strings. "I've drawn you into a duel you can't possibly win. It's all over for you, Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed. "Alright, Marik. No more talk. Let's duel."

"Prepare to be destroyed by the force of my Egyptian God card!"

"I've heard enough!" said the Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh recognized the fact that he had to deal with a force he knew nothing about. I hadn't even known about the power of the Egyptian Gods being produced in cards, so I couldn't prepare him. Instead of listening to the boasting of Marik, he's decided to accept this "destined" duel and continue fighting, even if it was with an unknown force.

What Egyptian God card could Strings possibly have?

The Pharaoh activated his Duel Disk - the holographic projectors landing a few feet away from him on either side. Strings also activated his Duel Disk. The separated card slots joined together and a rainbow light flashed momentarily from the devices, signalling that they were ready. The Life Point counters were set to four thousand.

"Let's duel!"

LP: Yugi: 4000/Strings: 4000

"Good luck," I said.

The Pharaoh nodded. Again I was left to stand beside him, unable to do anything. Someone had challenged the Pharaoh. He had to fight on his own in a duel and I couldn't help him, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that at this time and place, we couldn't fight like we used to back in Ancient Egypt. It was just like the situation back at the museum with Bakura. I didn't press a fight because we would have destroyed the museum and it could have escalated onto the busy streets. Bakura would not have given a damn, but I cared. I didn't want to hurt innocent people. Here it was the same situation and the fact that Strings was here in place of Marik. If we started fighting, we could end up destroying the place. My magic had destructive power, and while we move around with weapons, sometimes we couldn't control where we go. We could have ended up in a populated area where there were more innocent people. I couldn't bear to see people hurt or a beautiful city ruined by a few people who were fighting with ancient powers hardly anyone even knew about.

Maybe that was why Duel Monsters was the perfect way to handle the situation. Two opponents would stand some ways away and battle using holographic monsters. Everyone who happened to see them dueling would think it was a friendly match. No one would know about the real reason they were dueling. This way, innocent people weren't harmed and the city wouldn't be destroyed by magic.

No matter what the Pharaoh was given for arsenal, he had the power and determination to defeat his enemies with those resources. In this case, he was an exceptional duelist, so I shouldn't have to worry about not being able to help. This way, it was safer and the Pharaoh could control the outcome of a duel or how it was handled.

I felt myself grow slightly calmer.

"Sarah…" When the Pharaoh said my name, I looked up at him. I hadn't noticed I was looking at the ground in thought.

"Yes…?"

The Pharaoh looked at me carefully. "I'll win this duel, even if there is an Egyptian God card."

I blinked. Then slowly, I nodded.

"Yeah… just be careful."

The Pharaoh returned the gesture. "I will."

"I'll start this off," said Strings after drawing his five cards. Then he drew another one for the start of his move. "I place one card face down. Then I place this monster in Attack Mode: Humanoid Slime." A face-down Duel Monsters card materialized before him followed by a grey blob of jelly-like substance that slowly conformed into the somewhat-shape of a person. Instead of separated legs, it had a tail as if it was appearing out of a genie's bottle. One hand had three fingers on it while the other hand wasn't even a hand - it was a sickle. He wore a yellow vest of some kind and he had no face. Just a head. Humanoid Slime had 800 Attack Points and 2000 Defence Points.

"This will be the beginning of the end for you, Pharaoh," said Strings. "So make your move and prepare to lose everything."

"You will be the one to fail," said the Pharaoh confidently while drawing his card. He looked over the cards in his hand to determine his first move. I noticed his brow furrowing further.

"He played a weak monster," he murmured quietly so that only I could hear.

I blinked. Then I realized it. "He wants you to attack so he can use the face-down card to destroy your monster…" I said just as quietly.

The Pharaoh nodded. "But I won't give him the satisfaction." He then proceeded with his move, this time, talking loud enough for Strings to hear as well. "I also set one card face down. And then I'll summon a monster known as Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in Attack Mode." After the face-down card appeared on the field, Gazelle also emerged from within the holographic pixels. It had 1500 Attack Points and 1200 Defence Points.

"A stronger beast than yours."

"It's true that your monster is almost twice as strong as mine," said Strings. " But don't be so confident that your Gazelle will prevail. It takes more than strength to win a duel."

"I'm well aware of that," said the Pharaoh with a smirk, amused by the fact that Marik was using his own words against him.

"Then you won't be surprised when my Humanoid Slime annihilates your monster."

"Hmm. I'd like to see you try that, Marik."

Strings drew his next card. "Very well. I summon Worm Drake." The monster was an oddly decorated green snake with an eye on its tongue. It gave me slight shivers. It had 1400 Attack Points and 1500 Defence Points.

Then he slid another card into one of the slots. "Now watch what happens when I activate a magic card: Polymerization! It'll fuse Humanoid Slime and Worm Drake together into a diabolical new monster. Behold my new weapon: Humanoid Worm Drake! Its attack power is more than enough to destroy your Gazelle, as well as a portion of your Life Points." With 2200 Attack Points and 2000 Defence Points, it certainly surpassed Gazelle. The monster was now a fusion of both previous monsters with a snake-like body, a hand with three fingers, a sickle on the other arm, and it was a bluish-silver - completely made of slime. The kind of slime a mad scientist would create in their laboratory.

"When you fuse two monsters together, you must wait one turn before you can attack," said the Pharaoh. "So you've left yourself wide open, Marik."

"That's of no concern to me," said Strings. "Rules are meant to be manipulated, and my face-down card will take care of that task for me. I've simply outsmarted you, Pharaoh."

"Let's see."

"Just as you wish. Reveal face-down card: the Quick Attack magic card!"

"You can attack now…"

"Very perceptive. Quick Attack allows my monster to attack in the same turn it was formed. Hmm… you underestimated me as a duelist, and for that, you must pay a price. So watch as I destroy your monster and move one step closer to relieving you of your Millennium Puzzle forever! I'm afraid you're no match for me, Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh remained silent.

"Humanoid Worm, attack! Destroy his Gazelle, my beast!"

Humanoid Worm Drake charged in for an attack, but I saw the Pharaoh smirk.

"Hold on, Marik!" The Pharaoh activated his face-down card. "Activate De-Fusion, turning your one monster into two again!"

Humanoid Worm Drake stopped in the middle of its attack and split down the middle, back into Humanoid Slime and Worm Drake with their original Attack and Defence Points.

"So you knew my plan at the start!" said Strings, a bit surprised. Marik was so full of himself.

I blinked, however. I wasn't expecting this. The Pharaoh had a really sharp mind when it came to things like this.

"Yes, as soon as you played a monster as weak as Humanoid Slime in Attack Mode, I knew then and there that you were luring me into attacking, Marik."

"And I thought you fell for it."

"That's exactly what I wanted you to think, but it was really I who was luring you to use your hidden magic card so that I could reverse it."

"..."

The Pharaoh crossed his arms. "I was hoping for a far more challenging duel from you, but you've only disappointed me."

"... This duel's far from over…"

"You will never win my Millennium Puzzle if you continue dueling like that."

"It seems you're as smart as they say you are, but that last turn was only a test. I will not be denied my victory or your Puzzle!"

"You will if you keep making amateur moves."

"You shall witness my true skills in due time. Your Puzzle and your power will soon be mine."

"Only if you win."

Whoa… things were getting really intense. The way the Pharaoh interpreted Marik's moves was amazing. He really was smart but he always surprised me. I always learned something new.

He drew his next card, looked at it for a while as if in deep thought, and then placed the card amongst the ones in his hand. Then he chose another one. "Now I'll dispose of your… weak monsters. I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode. Destroy his Worm Drake, now!"

Beta's 1700 Attack Points were a good match to Strings' Worm Drake. Beta pointed the large magnets in his hands at the targeted monster and released a blast of electrical energy. Worm Drake disintegrated instantly.

LP: Yugi: 4000/Strings: 3700

"And next my Gazelle will attack. Destroy his Humanoid Slime!" Gazelle pounced forward and clawed right through Humanoid Slime, reducing it to drops of slime.

LP: Yugi: 4000/Strings: 3000

"You've lost one thousand Life Points in one turn, Marik," said the Pharaoh. "And you also have no monsters protecting you any longer."

"Very impressive dueling," said Strings. "But I'm just testing out your strengths and weaknesses so that I can ultimately destroy you and take away all that you possess!

"It's time for round 2, and this duel is about to get interesting. Are you ready?"

The Pharaoh didn't seem fazed. He shouldn't be. Regardless of whatever tricks Marik had up his sleeve, he was no match to the Pharaoh.

Strings looked at the card he drew and then looked at us. "The card I now hold is something that you've never seen before. It's a creature that simply cannot be destroyed."

A creature that couldn't be destroyed? That was impossible.

"It's a shapeless being made completely of plasma with no solid mass making it utterly indestructible. And a perfect defence against enemy attacks.

"So prepare to experience Revival Jam, in Defence Mode!"

Once he summoned his monster, a blob of slime materialized onto the field with the shape and face of a ghost. It had 1500 Attack Points and 500 Defence Points. One would think that if a monster had Attack Points then it could be destroyed in battle and deal damage. If it had Defence Points then the monster will be destroyed even if there was no damage dealt. So what did Marik mean by the monster being indestructible?

"Just try to attack," challenged Strings. "You will fail."

"It looks weak to me, Marik."

"It looks weak, does it? Well, take a look at this."

Suddenly the Pharaoh's eyes widened.

Strings played a magic card. Smoke swirled around the playing field and from within that smoke emerged a round machine with a whole bunch of different mechanical parts to it, including a small window on the right side.

"It's my Jam Breeding Machine. And it begins the countdown to your destruction!"

The Pharaoh and I stared at that strange piece of machinery.

"What's it do?" said Strings, asking for us. "Think of it as a monster creating machine, breathing life into a new plasma creature every turn. And this machine will continue to provide me with more and more plasma beasts called Slime Tokens."

"Your plan's obvious," said the Pharaoh. "You're going to produce plasma monsters until you have enough to sacrifice and summon your Egyptian God card."

"Very impressive, Pharaoh. Too bad you can't stop me."

I clenched my fists. This was going too fast. Of course the Pharaoh can stop him.

"Once my breeding machine creates three slime tokens, I'll be able to summon the monster that will bring about your ultimate destruction… my Egyptian God card. And then your Millennium Puzzle will belong to me forever!"

"Sorry, Marik, but as long as I'm still standing, your plan will never work."

"That's right," I said quietly.

The Pharaoh drew his next card. "So prepare to lose." He looked at his hand of cards, searching for a strategy. I noticed a light in his eyes. He's thought of something. Maybe it was a way to defeat the so called indestructible monster? I couldn't tell. The Pharaoh's soul had depth - there was so much more to him.

"Now I'll sacrifice my two monsters on the field to summon this creature: my all powerful Buster Blader!"

Gazelle and Beta disappeared off the field while another monster with purple armour and a large sword took their place. Buster Blader had 2600 Attack Points and 2300 Defence Points. He was crazy powerful.

"My expert swordsman has the power to wipe out your Revival Jam and more than half of your Life Points!"

"Your monster's attack strength is quite impressive, Pharaoh," said Strings. "But it's still useless against my Revival Jam."

"We'll see. Now, Buster Blader, destroy his Revival Jam!"

Buster Blader stepped forward and swung his sword in his hands. Then he slashed the blade right through Revival Jam. It burst into a bunch of miniscule globules that floated around the playing field.

"Your monster has been splattered."

Strings' lifeless eyes gazed at the Pharaoh. Something was wrong.

"Has it?" he asked.

Suddenly, all the little droplets of plasma that were scattered about started coming together; every single one of them.

Our eyes widened.

"What's happening…" said the Pharaoh, confusion lining his voice. He refused to back down but he was faced with a problem.

Revival Jam lived up to its name. It could revive itself.

"It's reforming…" I murmured.

Strings chuckled. "You're surprised?" he asked. "I told you my Revival Jam employed the perfect defence. Even the most powerful sword cannot destroy my plasma monster. It will always reform itself."

The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed. How could one defeat a monster that couldn't be destroyed?

"So I can attack… but it just won't work…" he said.

"Exactly. With this special ability, Revival Jam will protect my Life Points while my Breeding Machine continues to create monsters for my ultimate sacrifice."

"Then I need to find another way to wipe out his life points… and fast," he said to me. "Sarah… do you have any thoughts about this?"

"This is crazy," I admitted. "But it's just another challenge and every strategy has a flaw. It just needs to be found."

"Your dueling days are almost over," said Marik through Strings. I wondered what he really looked like. "Soon my breeding machine will have created enough monsters to sacrifice. Then comes your worst nightmare."

He drew his next card. "Activate my Jam Breeding Machine," he said. A small slimeball with a smirking ghost face emerged from within the machine through the small little window. It had 500 Attack Points.

"It's weak…" I murmured. The Pharaoh's brows furrowed once more.

"I also set one card face down." Another face-down card materialized onto his side of the field. "Only two turns left," Strings taunted. "And then you'll meet your doom. Soon… that Puzzle's mine..."

In two more turns, he will have two more Slime Tokens. In total, there will be three. He needed to sacrifice three monsters in order to summon the Egyptian God card? There may be time. The Pharaoh had to simply destroy the Slime Tokens. If Revival Jam couldn't be destroyed, then he will have to defeat other monsters to drop Strings' Life Points.

"I may not be able to stop your Breeding Machine but your plan has one tragic flaw, Marik. The rules state that you need to sacrifice three Slime Tokens to summon your one Egyptian God card," said the Pharaoh. I blinked. Sometimes our minds worked at the same pace. It was nice to know that I could catch up at times.

"But what happens… if I destroy them first?

"You see, your Slime Tokens are defenceless against the superior attack power of my Buster Blader. I can take them out with no resistance, and more importantly, each time Buster Blader destroys one of your Slime Tokens, you'll lose twenty-one-hundred Life Points because they're so feeble. So according to my calculations, in two turns you'll be defeated.

"Now Buster Blader… destroy his Slime Token!"

"Or don't."

I stared at Strings. What did he mean, "or don't"? The Pharaoh found the flaw in his strategy! There was no way things could get any worse. On top of there being an undefeatable monster, he had a breeding machine that could create an army of little Slime Tokens. He could sacrifice enough to create an army of powerful monsters on his side of the field - but of course he was only interested in one: The Egyptian God card. That was enough to wipe out an army itself.

But of course, Marik would have reviewed this strategy and come up with a solution to this drastic problem. That was why Strings seemed so confident. It was quite obvious with just his actions and calm Marik-voice that everything was going as planned.

'What did he have planned...?'

"Reveal face-down card…" said Strings and the mystery card flipped over for us to see. "The continuous trap card, Jam Defender!"

As it was glowing, Buster Blader's attack was still in the process. As soon as his sword was about to slice through the Slime Token, Revival Jam appeared before it and took the hit instead, scattering into a million pieces.

The Pharaoh's eyes grew wide. "That can't be!" he said. "Your Revival Jam defended your Slime Token!"

"Exactly," said Strings. "And as long as Revival Jam stays in Defence Mode, the Jam Defender card forces it to absorb all of your attacks. Which means every one of your attacks will be blocked."

I could feel my heart growing heavy as we watched with despair at how fast Revival Jam reformed itself after the attack. There wasn't even a scratch on its plasma body, just the same silly ghost face.

"You see, I knew you would attack my Slime Tokens in a desperate attempt to stop me from summoning my Egyptian God card. So I protected it with an indestructible force!

"The end is near! Now, another beast to sacrifice: meet Slime Token number two!" After the Pharaoh's attack, it was Strings' move again, and there was now one turn left.

"I have to stop this…" said the Pharaoh. I saw a bead of sweat over his left eye. He wanted to defeat Marik before he could summon his Egyptian God card, that way he wouldn't have to face its wrath in battle. Marik's only strength lies within the power of those powerful cards.

"I'm afraid there's only one turn left, Pharaoh," said Strings. "Then I'll summon my Egyptian God card to destroy you. But… just to be safe…"

Strings played another card. "I'll play this magic card: Nightmare Steel Cage! To make sure you can't attack me for the next two turns, not that you'll be around that long."

Beams of orange flames shot out of the ground around both the Pharaoh and Buster Blader. It covered his whole playing field. The beams connected above their heads before completely filling in the gaps so that they were trapped in a dome-shaped fiery prison. The flames then turned to a round steel cage with spikes sticking out.

"Pharaoh!" I cried. I looked at him through the bars which were going both horizontally and vertically. I didn't like the way it looked - it felt as though he was trapped in time again.

The Pharaoh stared at the steel cage before glancing over to Strings' playing field. He had the upper hand in more ways than one.

"Now all you can do is watch while I summon the most powerful force you've ever seen to annihilate you!"

The Pharaoh's eyes were wide. He wasn't scared. He couldn't be. The Pharaoh would never get scared. There was simply too much going on at once. First it was a monster that couldn't go to the Graveyard, then a monster breeding machine, then a continuous trap that protected said breeding machine and the monsters it created with the undefeatable monster, and now there was a cage around the Pharaoh which prevented him from attacking. Not that his attacks would have been useful anyways… they would have always hit Revival Jam and it would just reform back into its original shape.

"This looks really bad…" he said to me.

I shook my head. "You mustn't give up," I said.

The Pharaoh nodded, but I could understand that when something didn't work, it becomes frustrating.

"There's gotta be a way around this."

The Pharaoh scanned the playing field, surveying the situation Strings had put him in. He tried to interpret this information to find a hole in Marik's strategy. He was limited to the cards in his hand, but the strategy was already well put together. Could all he do was wait until the Egyptian God card was played?

"History may be on your side, Pharaoh," said Strings. "But destiny is on mine as I grow closer to winning your Puzzle."

The Pharaoh gritted his teeth together.

"Once I possess it, only the final Egyptian God card will be left to claim. When I do, I'll be the Pharaoh. You're not worthy of the power within you. So I'll take it.

"For as long as I can remember, I was taught to obey the Ancient Scriptures and to help my family protect the Pharaoh's tomb. Now I realize that your time as Pharaoh has expired and I must take your place. And your Puzzle is the key to your power."

I stepped forward. "What makes you think the Pharaoh's time as Pharaoh is up? He was born with the right to rule!"

"He doesn't deserve that power," stated Strings.

"But why!"

"I don't have to answer to you!"

"You do because I'm his Guardian."

"You wouldn't know because you weren't there when it happened."

"... I wasn't where when what happened?"

"I know what you're doing, Guardian. You're biding time for the Pharaoh to come up with a strategy to win. But it won't work. He's trapped. Now step back and stay in your place!"

A low growl reached my throat as I gritted my teeth together to keep from lashing out. Then I took the step back.

"Thank you… Sarah," said the Pharaoh. "I was able to think for a while, but… nothing came."

I looked down. "I'm sorry…" I said.

"Don't be." The Pharaoh shook his head. "Maybe next turn, we'll think of something."

'By next turn… we'll be dealing with an Egyptian God card...'

The Pharaoh drew his next card.

"Remember… you can't attack," said Strings. "So unless you have some kind of miraculous magic or trap card, you're out of luck."

The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed. There was nothing he could do. "I end my turn."

Strings chuckled darkly as he drew his next card. "That's good, because your time has run out anyway. Breeding Machine, create the third and final Slime Token!"

"This can't be… he succeeded..."

"Now I have enough monsters for my ultimate sacrifice!

"Finally… the time has come… The sky shall be shrouded in darkness!"

I looked up at the sky and watched as the blue was soon veiled with dark and heavy clouds, flashes of lightning randomly surfaced. The wind roared against our bodies. There was coldness in that wind that we could not describe. Was this the power of an Egyptian God card? To affect the environment that wasn't within the confines of the holographic projectors? I knew that their power was great, but even within cards?

"Prepare to experience a force like no other!"

The blasts of lightning reached the ground, charring the concrete all around us. I could feel the heat coming off from the lightning strikes even from where I was standing. I could feel the destructive power vibrate through my bones. Shivering, I looked on.

What have we gotten ourselves into...

"I sacrifice my three Slime Tokens in order to summon the beast of your ultimate destruction!"

A giant bolt of lightning crashed into the Jam Breeding Machine from the heavens, disintegrating the three Slime Tokens in its heated light and demolishing the machinery into bits and pieces, scattering it about the playing field.

"A creature whose power is absolutely limitless! Meet your maker, Pharaoh; the last monster you'll ever see! The Egyptian God: Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

The fragments of machinery glowed and flew into the darkened sky, merging together behind the volatile clouds to create something stronger. There was a sphere of white light and the crackles of lightning lining the dimmed mass. The white light beamed towards the ground - a giant pillar was created before us. It was the light of a summoning.

From within the light we saw a massive creature. A long dragon with a dark underbelly and red scales emerged from within the summon. It had two mouths and glowing yellow eyes. Its teeth and claws were sharp. It had to be many storeys tall - absolutely breathtaking to look at. The majestic Egyptian God card glowered down at us.

"You're finished, Pharaoh! Prepare to feel his wrath!"

"W-Whoa..." I said quietly, completely mesmerized. The Pharaoh also couldn't tear his gaze away. We expected the Egyptian God card to be big but this was outrageous.

"How can I stop it…" I heard the Pharaoh say before we were pelted with a roar. The blast was so great, we had to shield our eyes.

"You're staring into the face of defeat, Pharaoh," said Strings. "Slifer the Sky Dragon is one of the three most feared creatures in history, the Egyptian God monsters. They cannot be defeated."

The Pharaoh held his ground. "Every monster has a weakness, Marik. And I'll find yours."

"You're in no position to make threats. You're trapped in my Nightmare Steel Cage with no way to attack, and you're face-to-face with an Egyptian God monster whose attack power is limitless. All you can do is watch it grow stronger!"

Our eyes narrowed. "Grow strong? But how?" asked the Pharaoh.

"Allow me to explain how Slifer works," said Strings, holding up his hand. There were two Duel Monsters cards in his fingers. "The number of cards I hold in my hand determines what Slifer's attack power will be, and since I hold two cards, it has 2000 Attack Points."

"I'm afraid Slifer is still weaker than my monster," said the Pharaoh, reminding Strings of Buster Blader's 2600 Attack Points.

"But this is just the beginning, all thanks to my magic card," said Strings, holding up the card he was going to use. "I activate Pot of Greed. This card allows me to draw two more cards. Greed is good. I lost one card but gained two, giving me a total of three cards and Slifer a total of 3000 Attack Points."

"But in Duel Monsters there's a limit to how many cards a player can hold. So Slifer the Sky Dragon has a limit to its strength."

"Foolish Pharaoh," said Strings. "Don't you realize that every rule is made to be broken?"

'How could this possibly get any worse…'

Strings looked down at his cards. "I'm afraid any hopes you have of survival are completely in vain for no one has ever defeated an Egyptian God card."

"Until now," said the Pharaoh. I knew he wouldn't back down. He was determined as ever to defeat Marik. He knew that he would meet an Egyptian God card sooner or later. To tremble beneath its power was not an option. The Pharaoh had to fight back.

"You are a fool. Slifer will wipe you out with one single attack. Then I'll take your Puzzle and send you to a place of eternal darkness."

"Not the Shadow Realm…" I realized. "That's the worse kind of suffering…"

"Now, prepare to lose!"

The Pharaoh looked at his Buster Blader. A thought was forming in his mind. "Buster Blader gains 500 Attack Points for every dragon-type monster on the field…" he said quietly.

"... Then he has 3100 Attack Points," I said with a blink. Slifer was a dragon-type monster. "He's stronger than Slifer."

"But… I cannot attack with Nightmare Steel Cage still in play…"

"... A magic card to cancel its effect?"

The Pharaoh looked back at his hand of cards. I saw him shake his head. He didn't have that kind of card at the moment.

"You see?" Strings noticed hesitation in the Pharaoh. "My Sky Dragon will only get stronger as I draw more cards. So when I draw on my next turn, Slifer will have 4000 Attack Points, more than enough to annihilate your Buster Blader and seriously damage your Life Points. Then soon enough, you'll be out of my way!"

The Pharaoh clenched his teeth together.

I was beginning to get seriously anxious.

"Your reign is over, Pharaoh. Hand over that Puzzle and accept the inevitable!"

The Pharaoh didn't seem hesitant at all. "Never!" he said. "I'll trust my deck."

He drew his next card.

"This duel is far from over, Marik," said the Pharaoh, looking up from the card he drew.

"How sad," said Strings. "You're finished. Just embrace it. You've had your chance to be Pharaoh. Now it's time for me to take over and rule the world!"

I couldn't help it.

"All you villains like to do is take over the world. Where's some class?"

The Pharaoh looked at me with a small blink. Strings regarded me with narrow eyes.

I glared daggers back at him. "That power doesn't belong to you. You have no right to say that it does and that you'll be taking it away from the true Pharaoh."

"The fact that you don't stop interrupting my monologue is extremely aggravating."

"I'm glad I can tie your brain into knots from all the way over here."

"You don't even do anything and just the sight of you angers me."

"Do I have something on my face?"

"How can you serve such an ungrateful person…"

"The Pharaoh? Ungrateful?"

"He's already forgotten what he's done in his lifetime and he isn't even twenty yet."

"That wasn't his choice, Marik! As a Tomb Keeper, you should know that! The Pharaoh had to do what he needed to in order to save the world. If he did something to hurt you-"

"He did and that's why he's unworthy of his power!"

I stared at Strings with utter confusion before turning towards the Pharaoh. He had something in his worried eyes as he looked over his shoulder at me. He was hoping that he didn't do anything to hurt anyone in the past, because without his memory, he didn't know about anything that he did and that scared him even more.

"I can assure you that the Pharaoh has done nothing to wrong you or your family," I stated. I realized that he was finally speaking about his motives. I couldn't waste this opportunity. Hopefully the Pharaoh would believe me. "You weren't even there the day he was sealed away."

I decided to try some psychology on him. Maybe the Pharaoh could win the duel with Marik's forfeit once I talked him into how ridiculous his reasons were. It wasn't the best choice, but it was a choice. I could buy more time for the Pharaoh to properly think about his strategy. He seemed to like the card he just drew and perhaps he could use it to defeat Marik. But he needed time to plan it all out.

"Sarah, you are really beginning to get on my nerves…"

I didn't like the way Marik said my name. Strings' voice was full of venom. An icy cold shiver went up my spine. Maybe psychology wasn't working after all.

"I didn't know you even had nerves, Marik…"

"Did I ever mention that we should talk one day?"

I just stared at him. We were getting way off topic.

"... What?"

"I have a few questions I need to ask you. Actually, now that I've arrived at Battle City, you should come over and we'll discuss these things together."

I had a bad feeling about this… 'talk'.

"... A moment ago you were saying you despised me."

"I do. Quite a bit, but your amusing attempts to bide time is enjoyable to watch. I can feel the doubt the Pharaoh has of himself from all the way here. You should really learn to Guard him better."

I turned to the Pharaoh. He was looking down. "No… Pharaoh, you really didn't hurt anybody. I was there! I saw-"

"You saw nothing."

The Pharaoh's eyes suddenly narrowed. Maybe he did believe me. I was sure that somewhere deep in his heart, he knew he was a righteous Pharaoh. I had no reason to lie to him about his past.

He believed in me.

"Marik… leave her out of this. You challenged me to a duel."

"You still don't see. She is always in my way, always blocking my intentions. I meant to scare you with Slifer's boldness as well as demolish you with his power, but Sarah's vapid talk interjects everything I say."

"... So I'm a shield to block out stupidity as well as a magician and soldier? That's pretty cool."

"You... insolent…"

"Marik. The Pharaoh always has support from me. He knows that."

The Pharaoh looked at me. "Sarah…"

"I am growing quite tired of these interruptions. One would think that you wouldn't be a problem because you can't swing your sword around all over the place but you're just as bothersome without it."

"That's because I stand up to people like you."

Strings was quiet for a moment. "Pharaoh, our duel is still on, but I'm afraid I will have to deal with your Guardian."

"Marik…" said the Pharaoh with a dangerously low voice.

I smirked. "It's alright," I said. "I'm curious to see what he has in store for me."

"Then look behind you."

"Sarah! Look out!"

My skin crawled. I spun on my heel and was soon face-to-face with a Rare Hunter. He had his hood drawn, and a red scarf covered his nose and mouth. We were so close I guess he didn't want me to see who he was.

"What the..."

Two more showed up. One was wearing a royal blue scarf while the other was wearing an emerald green one. They were all wearing the dark violet cloaks we knew too well. This wasn't good.

"Do you wanna go?" asked one of the Rare Hunters. "Because you've been mouthing off to our boss quite a bit."

I slowly shook my head. "I just wanted answers," I stated calmly. "No one needs to get hurt here."

"She's so cute," said another one. "She thinks we're going to get hurt."

"Short too. No wonder she has a temper."

My eye twitched.

"Are you sure you wanna go?" I growled.

"Sarah, don't let them get to you," ordered the Pharaoh.

"If I don't attack, they will."

The Pharaoh stared at me with disbelief. "You're leaving me to deal with an Egyptian God card all on my own?"

I offered a smile despite the situation, hoping to lighten his heart if he really was about to feel lonely. "You're never alone," I said. "You can do this. Your friends believe in you."

Something sparked within the Pharaoh's eyes. I was sure it was newfound hope. He nodded with a small smile of his own. "Thanks, Sarah. Be careful."

"Yup."

The Pharaoh turned back to Strings and faced Slifer with fresh determination. The Sky Dragon looked down at him with unmoving eyes.

"I'm not giving up, Marik," he said defiantly. "I place two cards face down and summon Kuriboh in Defence Mode. Make your next move."

"Grrr… you should have been cowering in fear!"

"The Pharaoh doesn't get scared of people like you!"

"Damn it, get her!"

The three Rare Hunters advanced towards me.

I dropped to one knee and swung my other leg around, hoping to trip my attackers. They merely jumped back as though it was nothing. I quickly stood back up and held my arms up with fists clenched. The one with the red scarf threw a straight punch towards my face. I managed to dodge it in time.

The one with the blue scarf grabbed me from behind, tightening his arms around my neck. As I tried to rip his arms off, he picked me up off the floor and choked me. The one with the red scarf then tried to punch me again, hoping he would get me this time with the help of his friend. I got a tough one straight into my gut and felt the wind get knocked right out of me. He reeled in for another punch as I was trying to regain my breath.

I pulled forward and found my feet on the ground again. Then I flipped Blue over my back and head, grabbing tight onto his arms, and tossed him into Red. They fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Green made his presence known by throwing a variety of punches and kicks in my direction while his partners tried to find their footing again.

I dodged a lot of the attacks by Green but he managed to get me in the jaw. I jumped back, wiping my mouth, and found the three Hunters hovering over me again. Damn my height.

Then I remembered the waterway. I summoned energy to my fingers and pointed at the water. A ribbon of molecules formed and followed my finger in a whip-like fashion as I swiftly pointed towards my attackers. They held their arms and legs from where the water hit them.

"Hah!" I said triumphantly.

"Curse your magic!" said Red. He lunged towards me but I just wrapped him up in the ribbon of water. Then I tightened the hydrogen bonds between the water molecules and solidified the ribbon even more. Red cried out in crushing pain.

Then I hurled him over my head, as though I was passing a basketball to a player on the other side of the court, and watched him crash into the waterway further upstream with a giant splash. Green and Blue held still for a moment, comprehending what just happened.

"Who's next?"

They didn't move. I found it strange. Then a bolt of electricity shot through me and I found myself unable to move, with only a cry of pain escaping my lips. I fell to the ground in a heap, barely conscious, my body throbbing. There was a fourth Rare Hunter, and this one had a yellow scarf over his mouth and nose. He held a stun gun in his hands.

'Where did he come from…'

I saw the Pharaoh's eyes widen. "Sarah!"

Even now I could hear Strings' evil chuckle. "Finally, a physical weakness," he said. His voice was full of malice. "Bring her to me at once."

The Pharaoh was about to run to me but Marik stopped him.

"If you leave your side of the playing field, you forfeit the match."

The Pharaoh glared at Strings before looking back at me with worry filling his crimson eyes.

I struggled to put my hand up and wave it off dismissively. It felt as though I had been stabbed everywhere. I couldn't feel my body. What was the setting on that taser?

"Don't… worry about me…" I managed to say somehow. "You aren't… supposed to trouble yourself… with that sort of thing…

"Just let me go… it looks like… they were… going to take me… one way or another…"

It included cheating. Who brings a taser to a fist-fight?

"That's right," said Strings. "Like I said, we need to discuss something."

Yellow picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like I was a sack of flour. Because my body was zapped, my hold on the water diminished and Red was let loose from my magic. He rejoined with the group, soaked to the bone. They had grown silent all of a sudden. There were no more cocky remarks even though they won this round.

It meant that this was going to get worse.

"Let Sarah go!" commanded the Pharaoh. There was something in his voice, something I couldn't quite grasp. I wondered what it was. Why would he worry?

Strings was quiet for a moment. Then he smirked - something he hadn't done before.

"Oh… I see… you consider her more than just a Guardian, don't you..."

The Pharaoh was quiet. I didn't know what was going on anymore. I was slowly losing consciousness. My body had never gone through such a thing as electrical shock before and it hurt just to fight and stay awake. I had to recover and quickly. The fight had just begun.

"Marik… this fight is between you and me… leave her out of this!"

"You consider her as a friend, don't you!"

"..."

A friend? The Pharaoh… considered me… as a friend…?

"My, my, Pharaoh… you really have lost your touch. She is your Guardian - a servant of the King's. She is supposed to give her life for you. You shouldn't care about such things."

The Pharaoh's fists tightened even more. "No…" he said.

"... What…"

"I said no, Marik! She is my friend and I will fight for her!"

Something burned in my heart.

'Pharaoh...'

He considered me… as a friend.

Feeling came back into my fingers. Suddenly I found strength… from his words.

Marik was quiet for a moment. Then he began cackling wickedly.

"Pathetic! Hunters! Bring her to me at once! Let us see what is so special about this Guardian."

The Rare Hunters began walking away. I brought my fists together and slammed the heels of my hands into the back of my captor's neck. He stopped walking and fell to his knees, dropping me beside him. Red, Blue, and Green noticed too late. I jumped back onto my feet and held my hands up in battle stance once again. My chest heaved, trying to work properly again and I could only keep one eye open, but I was still able to fight.

However, I had to be careful of that taser. I couldn't afford another hit. After a second time, I won't be conscious.

"If you want to talk about something, come over and invite me yourself," I challenged Marik.

The Pharaoh smirked.

"Pharaoh!" I said. "Defeat Marik's Egyptian God card! No matter what happens to me… you have to keep going."

The Pharaoh nodded. "I won't give up, Sarah," he said. "But you shouldn't either."

"Right."

Marik was growing seriously impatient. Strings snapped his fingers. The Rare Hunters immediately lunged towards me.

I took a step back and blocked a punch from Red. Then I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me, shoving him to the floor. Blue tried to trip me but I jumped out of the way. Then I swung my own leg underneath his outstretched one and made him fall as well. Yellow had gotten back up and tried to grab me with the taser still in hand, but I flipped over him, landed behind, and kicked him into the waterway. He dropped the taser before he hit the surface.

There was one missing.

Green came up behind me.

He was the silent one out of all the Rare Hunters here. I could hardly see him around. He grabbed me from behind like Blue did before, but instead of trying to choke me, he held a wet cloth to my mouth. I could smell something weird coming off it and tried to rip myself away from his grip. I tried elbowing him in the side but by the time I could get any real damage done, darkness was slowly rushing upon me. I didn't understand why at first, but then I realized…

Chloroform…

When it came to fighting with me, there weren't any rules set, so Marik got his Rare Hunters to do anything he wanted.

It gave them a reason to play dirty.

No matter how hard I fought, the drowsiness wouldn't go away. I felt darkness swallow my vision. I couldn't fight them off.

Again, the fight had only just started. Already, I was down.

"Pha… raoh…"

I felt myself fall limp in Green's arms. Darkness swallowed my mind.

I forgot how to think.

I heard my name. It sounded broken. As I continued to watch, with the Rare Hunter's back towards me, I noticed that she ceased fighting. It was then I noticed her arms fall to her sides. The Hunter put something back into his pocket and threw his opponent over his shoulder while his friends came back to him, limping or rubbing their arms.

Why was this happening?

Her eyes were closed and she wasn't fighting back anymore.

She was only trying to help. How could they hurt one of my friends like this?

Yes, I considered her my friend.

At first, it seemed strange to have someone from the past with me. Then I realized that although she didn't have all the answers I was hoping for, her presence made me feel a lot better. I would have had to go through all this fighting alone in the sense of knowing nothing about myself. I had Yugi, Téa, Joey, and Tristan… but someone who knew who I was before I lost my memory… that was something else. She was someone else.

Even though she may not think so right now… she was more to me than just a Guardian.

She was also a friend.

The kind of friend that gave me a bit more comfort in this new world.

It was comforting to know that someone from my past was here with me.

But that small fragment of comfort was now being taken away.

I wanted to run towards her and stop them, but if I did, I would lose my Puzzle and the power we were both trying to protect.

She wouldn't have wanted me to forfeit the match.

But I wanted to run after them at the same time that I didn't want to.

I watched with anxious eyes as the Rare Hunters took her away. She was willing to do so much for me but I couldn't do a thing for her. Was this how it was going to be? I didn't remember what it was like back in Ancient Egypt, and I didn't know how I treated her back then, but I knew that there was something more to a servant of the Pharaoh's. We spent so much time together - didn't that mean something more than just a shield covering the King?

She didn't mention this… but I could tell she wanted us to be friends again.

I wished for a friend too. One from the past. I adored Yugi and the others, but she was someone else - a childhood friend.

And now she was gone.

I stood in silence as they took her away, disappearing over the hill. Strings, behind me, cackled nefariously once again.

I could have yelled at him all day to release her, but I knew he wouldn't. Not until he got this duel.

I felt heated anger grow within me, frustration from not being able to help and rage from having to deal with a madman.

I stared through the cage, feeling as though I was truly forced back by its bars to keep from interfering.

This couldn't have been happening.

"Sarah…" I heard myself say solemnly. I turned to my right to find Yugi looking over the hill stairs with a saddened expression on his usually happy face. Could he feel the helplessness that I felt?

I couldn't find any words to say to him. The situation simply spun out of control far too quickly.

What were they going to do to her...

"We're only going to talk," said Marik with a slight malevolent edge in his voice, as though that wasn't all he had planned. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal."

"... You wished to separate us… that's why it's such a big deal."

Strings didn't say anything, but when I turned back around to face him, his smirk was still there. "I have heard legends saying that you two are stronger when together. Of course, I had to do what was necessary."

Stronger when together?

We were together just now… and we were still unable to ward the Rare Hunters off.

Could it have something to do with our powers?

"You are the Pharaoh whose power I must duel for in order for it to work for me. The Guardian, however, was expendable. I could dispose of her and have no negative side effects whatsoever."

"But if we're stronger together, wouldn't you need her as well?"

"Pharaoh, you would hardly understand the power I'm talking about."

'That's right… I don't know anything...'

Yugi shook his head, reading my thoughts. 'You know many things,' he said in his calm-natured voice. 'You just need to know more. Sarah is strong. Even though she's been taken away, she won't be gone for long. We'll get her back. But we can't stay down about it.'

'You are too right, Aibou...' I told him. 'We cannot give up hope.'

Yugi nodded. Although I felt at fault for not knowing anything, it couldn't have been so. Sarah said I had to do what I had to, and Marik - as a Tomb Keeper - should know as well. I trusted Sarah. She proved herself countless times.

But I still didn't understand...

My hands clenched by my hips. "You said you only just arrived at Battle City…" I said, my voice quiet. "So how did you…"

I stopped with sudden realization. This had nothing to do with him being here.

"You had already sent them out… You had this attack planned from the beginning…"

"I knew Sarah wouldn't have wanted to come willingly so I prepared the little… "welcome party"."

"... What will you do to her…? What do you wish to… "talk" about…?"

Strings shook his head. "That is the least of your concern. You will have plenty of other things to worry about when I set my other pawn pieces into place."

… He couldn't possibly mean…

"Marik…" I said harshly. "I swear, if you…"

Marik laughed. "Slifer! Remind him of your power!"

The enormous sky dragon roared at me once again, the air ripped at my face and clothes. I stared up at it through the bars, wondering how such a beast could exist. Was it stronger than Exodia? I didn't know.

Nothing made sense anymore.

I was up against an unstoppable creature and my friends were now in danger.

This was what Sarah was talking about earlier, but Marik still did it anyway.

I couldn't let him.

I felt warm hands on mine. Yugi was in front of me, gazing up at me with his wide amethyst eyes. They were shining with determination for me.

"Let's beat this guy…" he said.

His words reminded me of what Sarah said before she was taken. Both she and Yugi were counting on me to be strong.

I couldn't let them down.

With a deep breath, I looked up at Slifer with a new gaze.

"I will defeat you… Marik…" I promised.

"You don't make threats here, Pharaoh," said Strings. "I might tell you the location of your Guardian and your friends if you win this duel."

That zapped some energy back into me. "You're on."

I wasn't just fighting to protect the power Marik wanted anymore. I was also fighting for my friends.

And with that sort of thing on the line, I would never want to lose.

Marik laughed again, this time it was a bit quieter. "What did you say about telling you what to do with your Guardian?" he said.

I bared my teeth.

I could never lose to someone like this.

Never.

Author's Note: … -smiles innocently- Oh, hey guys. Don't mind me. Just writing some depressing and suspenseful things here. =D

What did I do! =O Oh no! o_o I really am evil! ='o

But guys. Seriously though. This took me about three weeks to write. I hope it turned out okay. Despite the kidnapping. w

Did I rush the end? I felt like I did. :S But I tried to make it as dramatic as possible. Let me know how it was!

Overall, was it a good chapter? I found it's pretty long. o.o But I suppose it'll make up for my lack of writing. ='3

Ohmygoodness. I just realized.

I came back after a few months of inactivity only to write something like this.

;~;

Review are appreciated! =D

Thank you very much for reading. =3

-runs away laughing evilly-

Enjoy the summer! ='D

~xyugiohluvrx

P.S. - Remember to like the Facebook page for updates and cool stuff! Just Google "xyugiohluvrx Facebook" and it should be the first link there. Thank you! =)