Hey there everyone. Well, from the way the reviews look, I can tell everyone was shocked I had Marie forfeit the duel. Originally, I had planned on her winning, if not tying Blue, but then later on, I thought about it. When I finally finished thinking about it, I realized that someone had to lose their soul, and I figured Marie should be the one. It wasn't an easy concept, due that I really like the Marie character (after all, she is modeled after my wife, lol). After much debate and rewrites though, I finished Marie's duel.
Now Illidan is left in a position that could take him one of a few ways. One way is to an extreme, where he goes ballistic and destroys the Wolf Pack, including Blue. Another way is he could drop into a deep depression and refuse to fight again. And yet another way is he could accept her loss and try to move on, and keep up the fight. What Illidan will do is up in the air, but one thing is for sure, something will have to happen.
Alright, now to get down to answering some reviews.
Tomb Robber Vicky: Yep, it was a big chapter. Illidan fought hard and got around the blockade, only to be too late. Kicks Bakura in gut too. Thanks for knocking him out, but leave the violence to me. It's my specialty.
Ryon Nakura: 10k isn't too much to ask for. Be thankful I didn't ask my usual price of 100k. I'm not evil, all the time… You should call me though Ryon. I could save you all. Just send the money first.
pink-kiss-candy: It says Dr. Evil only due that it's a novelty gift. Looks at bones. Ryon put those there, I know it.
Strawberry Cake: I didn't do anything to Marik. That was Ryon that did something to him, and Marik struck back. I talked to him recently. He's still not happy with Ryon. Marik did say though that he may let him live…
Brianna Ishtar: Let her turn evil. It could be interesting. Oh sweetxokissesxo, do you need help getting out of those old … Gets a glare that says he'll die if he finishes that sentence from mate. … never mind.
Ultimate Legendary Master: I figured you didn't, lol. No one really expected me to kill off Marie. Things can't get much worse, right?
Isis the Sphinx: She actually knew about the chapter when I wrote it long ago. She said it was rather sad, but agreed that someone in this story did have to go. I chose Marie mostly to give more motivation to Illidan. Plus, we'll see the effects it has on him as well. Illidan could very well lose it. It is somewhat similar to the show, but not quite. In later chapters, you'll see the differences, which will be clearly shown.
x-knight20: Yeah, it was one of the saddest parts. I even felt rather sad when I wrote that chapter. My wife, Cindy, even cried over it. Lol, she said I did a great job at it though. And yes, I got your email. I emailed you back.
Metal Overlord 2.0: Very true, he's not happy about the loss of Marie. That would be interesting with Illidan losing control while wielding Anubis. But thanks for the comments.
Well, now that we know what happened to Marie, it's time to see what happens in the aftermath. Will Illidan go ballistic and obliterate all of the Wolf Pack, or will he manage to hang on to his usual calm and cool behavior? Read on to find out. Enjoy guys and girls. Later.
Chapter 16
While Illidan was busy holding onto Marie, Hige walked over to Blue and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying "Let's go Blue."
Blue didn't rise though. She just sat there, crying still. "Blue, I said let's go." he repeated.
He grabbed her hand roughly and attempted to pull her up, but she refused to stand. Growling lightly, he pulled harder, but she fought for her hand back till she was free.
"LEAVE ME BE HIGE!" she yelled, her eyes still full of sadness, yet a spark of anger was noticeable.
"GET UP YOU IDIOT! We have to go!" he yelled back.
She shook her head and still sat on the ground. Furious, Hige grabbed her hand roughly again, and prepared to pull her up when he heard Kiba say "Leave her be Hige. She's chosen her path."
Angrily, he yelled "I won't leave her!"
Kiba quickly walked over to Hige and punched him in the face, instantly knocking him out. He grabbed onto Hige and threw him on his shoulder. Before turning to leave, he said to Blue "I wish you luck Blue, but remember, dare to go against us, and you will regret it."
With that said, Kiba then walked away with Hige on his shoulder. Blue still sat there, crying. "What have I done?" she asked out loud with great sadness in her voice.
After ten minutes, Illidan finally unburied his head from Marie's hair. Tears still streamed down his face, but he knew crying for her now was pointless. Gently, he lifted her into his arms in bridal style. He stood and looked over, noting that Blue was still there.
A slight bit of anger washed over him, making him want to take it all out on Blue, but he knew it had been Marie's choice to lose. Sighing, he realized Marie had also seen good in Blue. "Always sacrificing yourself for others." he silently said in his mind.
Sighing yet again, he noticed Vash was behind him, looking at the ground. "Vash, go help that girl up, and bring her with us." he said with much sadness in his voice.
Vash angrily looked at Illidan, yelling "YOU'RE KIDDING ME? After all she's done, you want her to come with us? Are you insane?"
Turning towards Vash with cold, emotionless eyes, he replied "Yes, bring her with us. Do it, or I'll do it."
Slightly afraid of how Illidan had just looked at him, he nodded and walked towards the girl, the one called Blue. At the same time, Illidan began to walk away, headed in the direction of the motel.
Vash had to admit, she looked very beautiful, but she had just taken away one of his friends. "She maybe beautiful, but she's deadly." he silently told himself.
He offered her a hand, but she ignored him. Sighing, he gently said "Come on, let's get you inside."
The girl looked up at him with a look that nearly broke his own heart. Her icy blue eyes were filled with tears, and they were filled with guilt and sorrow. She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. When he pulled her up, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, letting fresh tears spill. She sobbed into him, seemingly letting everything go.
Sighing, he patted her back and gently rubbed it, trying hard to calm her down. After a few minutes, she looked up at him, but her eyes still told the tale of a broken soul. Gently, he lead her towards where Illidan and Marie had been staying, not knowing really what Illidan had planned.
Illidan was first to arrive back at the motel. Nobody was around, which made carrying Marie's limp body in easy without causing a big uproar. Slowly, he made his way back into their room, and set her body gently down on the master bed. There he sat too, looking at her now soulless body.
Fresh tears fell from his eyes as he held her hand, saying with slight anger in his voice "Why? Why didn't you let me protect you? Why didn't you wait for me, or let me know? I'd have gone! Why did you give up the duel you could have won?"
No answers came though, for he knew Marie was gone. He laid his head on her chest, still crying, not understanding why she would do such a foolish thing.
As he laid his head on her chest, he suddenly saw a golden glow. Looking up, he saw that her Millennium Necklace was reacting. He then noticed another golden glow, and quickly realized it was his Millennium Key reacting to something.
Suddenly, he went blank and a vision began. It had been nearly a month and a half since his last vision, so he was unsure why now he'd receive a new one.
This one took him back to ancient Egypt, where he and Marie had lived their past lives. The vision was showing him images that he soon remembered.
"This was the first time me and Marie made a journey outside of the palace. It was the day…"
Before he could complete his thought, he saw his past self walking along with Marie. Both were sixteen years old, and were smiling as they were making small talk.
"This day, it was when we had only completed three weeks of her training. I remember, I took her out to show her how the guards used their Shadow Powers." Illidan mentally thought.
The two were slowly walking along when they saw one of the guards of the city pull a peasant out of the crowd roughly.
"You, I saw you steal that apple!" the guard yelled.
The man simply shook his head, saying "I did not steal it sir. I bought it from that stand over…"
Before he could finish, the guard said "You lie! You're a thief! Thieves are punished easily though. Now spend an eternity in the Shadow Realm!"
The guard held out his right hand and sent a blast of Shadow Magic at the man, causing him to scream out in pain. He hit the ground, holding his head as he was finally sealed away in the Shadow Realm.
At that time, another man came forward, yelling "NO, BROTHER!"
He held the body to his own, cooing it. He turned to the guard and angrily said "My brother never stole anything! It was me that stole the apple!"
Marie lightly gasped, shocked at this. She looked to Illidan to find an answer, but he shook his head. "He is gone now. The guard didn't leave a way to return that man's brother." he simply said.
Before things could get any more out of hand, Illidan stepped into the situation, saying "Guard, you are relieved of your duty."
The guard angrily turned to him, yelling "ON WHO'S AUTHORITY?"
Giving the guard a cold set of emotionless eyes to stare into, Illidan replied "On authority of Illidan Stormrage, part of the court of Pharaoh Yami."
The guard snickered at Illidan, replying "You're nothing more than a traitor. I served under Pharaoh Raijin, and you were declared a traitor under his rule, yet his son let you back in. How sad this kingdom is."
This angered Illidan greatly, who stepped forward, saying "I have never betrayed Egypt. I serve the Pharaoh Yami with my heart and soul, and I was never a traitor to his father. His father betrayed Egypt and his son those eight years ago, and betrayed my own father as well, so don't get me started on traitors. Now, you're removed from duty, and if you say one more thing about me being a traitor to Yami, you will be removed from this earth, permanently!"
Seeing Illidan was serious, the guard nodded and bowed, only to slowly slink away. Turning his attention back to the young man who was still hugging his brother, he said "I'm very sorry for your loss. I'm letting you go, so please, do try to live your life without resorting to stealing. You only hurt the ones you love by breaking the law."
The young man looked up and nodded and slowly stood up and carried his brother's body away. Illidan turned back to Marie and the two continued on with their walk.
"Illidan, is it required to take a soul in order to keep the peace in Egypt?" she timidly asked.
Still looking forward, Illidan shook his head. "No, it's not, but sometimes… Sometimes you have to in order to keep the peace."
She sighed, but Illidan continued, showing he wasn't finished. "Still, it is possible to keep the peace without doing it. I've only had to take one soul in my entire life. That one soul, I regretted taking, but I had to in order to keep my friends and loved ones safe. It is something that has to be done sometimes."
Nodding, Marie smiled and said "I never want to take a soul."
Smiling, knowing that it was a naïve comment, Illidan said "Is that so?"
Marie nodded and replied "Yep. I am taking an oath right now to never take a soul. I swear, I will never take a soul."
Illidan smiled at the comment, thinking that her oath would be empty, but simply said "It is a good oath to take. Perhaps you will be able to keep it."
The vision then ended, bringing Illidan back into the present. He closed his eyes, knowing now why she had given up.
"That oath she took, all those years ago, she honored it always. She refused to take a soul ever, even when it was at a cost of her own well being." he said with sadness in his voice.
Opening his eyes, he stared down at the beautiful woman lying before him. He sighed, knowing she had sacrificed all in order to keep from taking a soul. She had given her everything in order to protect that girl, Blue.
"I… I failed you Marie. I should have went with you, then I could have protected you." he sadly said, knowing it was partially his fault for Marie's condition.
He lowered his head slightly, letting the shadow of his bangs hide his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I should have gone with you. I should have been there and protected you. Still, you would have probably told me that you could protect yourself. I'm just so sorry for not being there when you needed me. Please, forgive me." he lightly whispered in her ear. A silent tear slid down his face at the request.
In the main room, Vash had finally dragged himself and Blue into the motel. He had sat her down on the couch to let her rest, but she wanted to still cling to him. Since they had left the alley, she had clung to his arm, crying softly into it the whole way.
Giving up in defeat, Vash sat down on the couch and let Blue continue to unleash her grief. He kindly held her to his shoulder, softly stroking her back.
His mind was lost in a war of emotions. He was angry with Blue for taking away his friend, but at the same time, his heart was breaking seeing her like this. This girl, she was so sorry for what she had done. "She regrets it…" he silently told himself.
Finally, she cried herself to sleep, but still clung to his arm tightly. Sighing, he leaned back and held her in his arms still. Slowly, he closed his own eyes and fell to sleep himself.
Meanwhile, Illidan was still sitting beside Marie's body. He then realized something. "They've got two of my friends now." he sadly said.
Slowly, he began to wonder how he was going to get them back. "Kiba said to see Pegasus, so I'll go later today. But there is another problem. I have four people to fight now, and I don't know if I can. I need help, but I can't drag the ones I love in on this. Yami is stuck in Japan, dealing with his own problems, meaning Joey is out too. Seto will soon be dealing with the same problem too. The only help I have close by is Vash and that girl."
Sighing, he then remembered one other person he hadn't accounted for, merely shook his head. "No, that would be foolish of me to use him. But still…"
He slowly stood up and looked down at the form of Marie. "I'm… I'm so sorry Marie, but I will save you. I promise." he said down to her. He then gently kissed her forehead and walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door as he left.
When arriving back in the main room, Illidan noticed Vash and the girl were on the couch. From what he could tell, the girl had cried herself to sleep, but was still clinging onto Vash for dear life. Vash had eventually succumbed to sleep himself, and had wrapped his arms around her, seemingly protecting her from the world.
Lightly smiling, he then walked past the two and into the spare bedroom where Bakura's body lied still. As he walked towards the room, the smile slipped away and a look of no emotion appeared on his face. Once in the room, he gently closed the door and turned back to the body sitting on the bed.
Slowly, Illidan walked over to the body, knowing what he was about to do was wrong. Still, he had no choice in his mind. "If I don't get help now, I'll never be able to take on the Wolf Pack members. With four left, I need all the help I can get. I just hope he agrees to help for the sake of his vessel's soul."
Sighing yet again, he took hold of his Millennium Key with is right hand and pulled it up. Slowly, he sat on the bed and put the key up to Bakura's forehead, and then turned it, instantly sending him into Bakura's mind.
With quiet steps, Illidan walked down the hallway of Bakura's mind. On the left, was a door that stood open. Inside the room was many things of innocence, but the one that occupied the room were gone. He would remain gone too till his soul was returned.
Looking back down the hallway, towards the end of it, stood the door with the Millennium Symbol on it. This door held the one Illidan had to see. He slowly walked towards it, regretting every step along the way. He knew what he was about to do was wrong, but at the time, he had no choice.
"If I don't enlist his help, I'll be overwhelmed, and I can't afford to lose another friend or lose my own soul. I swore I'd bring back their souls, and I meant it." he said to himself out loud.
He continued on till he reached the door. Holding out the Millennium Key, he lowered the barrier that surrounded the door. He then took his key and placed it in the lock of the door, and turned it, allowing him to open the door. Slowly, he turned the knob of the door and entered, seeing the room was dark, as if no one was in the room.
Being mindful to watch for the one he wished to speak with, he pushed his way into the room and glanced around. Using his key's power, he illuminated the room, which quickly revealed the location of the one he was looking for. He was in the corner, head down, seemingly resting. Seeing this, Illidan closed the door behind him and pressed forward.
The young man looked up, his eyes slightly adjusting to the new light in his room. Seeing who it was, he growled and stood up. His grayish-white shoulder length hair was rather wild looking, his eyes a hardened dark brown with a tint of evil in them, and most noticeably, he wore the Millennium Ring around his neck.
"What do you want Illidan?" he called out with a tint of anger in his voice.
Smiling, Illidan knew now the hard part was about to begin.