Hello once more everyone. Well, yet another shocker has happened to the story. Now we have Illidan going to search out the spirit of the Millennium Ring. What has he got planned you all might ask? Well, you'll have to read to find out, lol. But anyways, things are getting interesting, wouldn't you all agree? Time to get down to business and answer some reviews.

Isis the Sphinx: True, it's not a good idea, but Illidan needs help. Sometimes when you want something so bad, you'll do the worst possible thing to get it. Btw, AE story line? Lol, not sure what AE is… But yes, the past is much different than the show's past. In the show, Bakura was a thief. In my version (before I found out about the last season), I made Bakura an actual part of Yami's court, and an important piece. Of course, he went off the deep end eventually, but it happens.

Ultimate Legendary Master: Yep, and probably then some. Yes, I do know, and of course a nice cliffe, hehe. Yep, you'll see soon enough what happens, so hang on, lol.

pink-kiss-candy: Yes, very spooky. Lol, very true, tell that to Bakura. He's good, deep down… Well, maybe not, hehe.

Tomb Robber Vicky: I'm not, but Illidan (story one) might. And no one saw it really, hehe. Very true, when everyone else is busy, who do you call? Bakura! Btw, you're not free yet Bakura. Illidan could change his mind and decide to forget about you. Hears whimpering coming from Bakura.

Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, I seemed to have surprised everyone this time. But yes, who better an ally than your greatest enemy? I don't know, lol.

x-knight20: Very true, it is, but who else should he ask for help? And you're welcome for the help.

Well, that's all for tonight. Gets dreamy eyed. I get to see my lovely mate tomorrow night. Smiles evilly Yes, many things must be done while there. Chuckles evilly till smacked by story Marie. Sorry… guess I got carried away, again. Oh well, it's all good. Anyways, enjoy guys. Later.

Chapter 17

Illidan only continued to walk forward, and said "It's been a while since we last spoke, hasn't it spirit?"

The spirit only growled and yelled "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Lightly smirking, Illidan replied "Well, that's no way to treat an old friend. Here I thought you'd be more hospitable, seeing how I came to see you. You've only been cut off from the world for a month and a half."

This angered the spirit even more, and he ran forward, intent on attacking Illidan. He went to punch Illidan, but Illidan quickly dodged. The spirit tried again, but again Illidan dodged. Growing angrier, the spirit then tried to front kick Illidan, but Illidan only knocked it aside. Illidan then quickly grabbed the spirit by the arm and twisted it around behind his back, trying hard to only restrain the spirit, not harm him.

"We need to talk." Illidan said flatly.

The spirit only growled and tried to break free of Illidan's grasp, but Illidan only held firm. The spirit then angrily spat "What do you want?"

Sighing, Illidan said "Calm down first, then I'll let you go and we'll talk. It's something we need to discuss, seeing how it affects you and your vessel."

This caused the spirit to settle down, and finally Illidan released him. Turning back to face Illidan, the spirit asked "What about my vessel?"

Sighing deeply, Illidan found a stone in the room large enough to sit on. He took a seat and closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath. Finally he opened his eyes and replied "Your vessel, Bakura, he… he lost his soul in a duel earlier tonight."

Shockingly, the spirit lightly gasped and closed his eyes. He then turned away from Illidan with his fists clenched. Once turned away, he screamed loudly, kicking the wall as well as a sign of his anger.

After a moment, he finally asked roughly "Who did it!"

"It was a group known as the Wolf Pack. The power they wield is much greater than our Millennium Items. It even puts the power of the Millennium Crown to shame. The power they use is known as the Seal of Orichalcos, which is ten millennia old according to them." Illidan softly replied.

The spirit turned back towards him, slightly wide eyed and said "There is no way something that powerful could exist at this day and time. We'd have known about it five millennia ago."

Illidan only nodded and said "I know. I'm curious how a powerful magic could remain hidden from us as well. I wondered though, you used to study military history in ancient times. Do you have any idea who could have had that kind of power ten millennia ago?"

Seemingly thinking for a moment, the spirit finally replied "No, I can't think of any particular civilization that far back being that strong. If they were that strong, they'd have still been around I would guess, but still, I don't know of any. Most of the history I studied was up to eight millennia ago from now."

Nodding with this news, Illidan sighed and lowered his eyes. He then said "There is more. They defeated Marie too…"

This caused the spirit to look Illidan in the face. He saw the hurt and sadness on his face and in his eyes now, knowing that his former friend had just lost the woman he loved.

The spirit then smirked, saying "She always was too weak and compassionate for her own good."

Before he could say another thing, the spirit was thrown up against the wall with Illidan roughly gripping his collar. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT ABOUT MARIE AGAIN!" Illidan yelled, anger glaring off his face.

The spirit only smirked again, saying "I see someone is a bit touchy about this. Hurts, don't it…"

Those words only made Illidan grow angrier as he lowered the spirit and punched him roughly in the gut. The spirit doubled over, but Illidan wasn't through. He brought the spirit's face back up and punched him hard in the mouth, drawing blood with the one shot.

Illidan slightly backed off after his attack. The spirit wiped the blood off his lip with the back of his right hand and said "I see this has affected you deeply."

This about sent Illidan over the edge of anger again, but he brought himself under control. Still angry, he yelled "I'm going to ask you this once, and only once. I'm going to go get Marie and Bakura's souls back, but there are four members of the group I'm hunting. In order to get them back, I'll need help. Since Bakura was your vessel, I thought it only right that I ask you if you wish to help."

The spirit only laughed at this, saying "You… want my help? You must be desperate to ask me…"

Before the spirit could finish, Illidan had him by the collar again, fist pulled back, but it appeared Illidan was trying hard not to hit the spirit. Finally, he lowered his fist and let go of the spirit's collar and backed off.

Fists still clenched white, Illidan said angrily "Yes or no! I want your answer!"

The spirit was quick to say "If I say yes, what happens? I'm trapped in here, or have you forgotten?"

Calming down, Illidan nodded and replied calmly "I'll allow you out on parole. I'm willing to free you for now in order to help me save your vessel's soul. I owe you that much, seeing how it was your duty to protect him."

This caused the spirit to turn away, as if he was angered by the statement. After a moment, he asked "Will you let me be free once we save the boy's soul?"

Sighing, Illidan replied "I'm not sure. It all depends on you. If you are willing to let him have a normal life, and not force him to do your evil bidding, then yes, I'll let you remain free. But I warn you now, do anything that puts this mission in jeopardy, or anyone else in danger, you will be locked away permanently!"

The spirit only lightly laughed, and said "Not taking any chances, eh Illidan?"

Illidan only stared a hole through the back of the spirit's head and replied "Put my friends or any other innocent people in danger, you'll have me to answer to."

The spirit turned around then and sighed, and said "Fine, have it your way. I'll join this little expedition. I swore to protect my vessel always, and I mean to honor that oath."

Nodding, Illidan said "Good. Now, this is a very strong warning. Leave Bakura's brother, Vash, alone. Don't you dare harm or threaten him."

Shocked, the spirit asked "Why Vash?"

Seeing the curiosity, Illidan replied "Because Vash was traveling with him when this happened. Vash has told me about the past, and I know what you tried to do to him. Try again, and it'll be the last thing you do ever."

Sighing, the spirit nodded and said "I will leave him be. It's not like I care about him at the moment anyways."

Nodding, Illidan replied "Good, because if you harm him in any shape or form, you'll live to regret it. Now, let's get out of here."

Focusing on the power of his Millennium Key, he released the two from the room. Each awoke back in the world. Illidan still had the key to Bakura's forehead. He gently pulled it away and saw the body begin to move.

The Millennium Ring glowed as Bakura's body made room for the spirit. Soon, his body was morphed, and the spirit opened his eyes and smiled.

"Back to the living world, at last." he lightly muttered as he then closed his eyes, as if going to sleep.

Knowing his own body needed rest, Illidan walked over to the door and sat down and leaned up against it. "No way am I leaving him the opportunity to leave this room, not without me." he thought silently.

It was already 5:21 A.M. when Illidan fell asleep. About five hours later, he awoke, seeing the sunlight filter into the room.

He stretched and stood up, noticing the spirit still sleeping. Sighing, he opened the door quietly and went to the main room. Both Vash and the girl, Blue, were still sleeping. She had curled up closer to him during the night, and was now snuggling into his chest.

Illidan only shook his head and walked on by to the master bedroom. There, Marie's soulless body still lay. He glimpsed at it, but tried not to stare. He grabbed some fresh clothes from his duffle bag and then headed for the shower.

Once finished with his shower, he walked back into the master bedroom wearing a pair of tight blue jeans, a black shirt with a red dragon on it, and his damp hair hanging loosely. He grabbed his hair dryer, tooth brush, and deodorant and headed back into the bathroom.

While he was drying his hair, Blue stirred from her sleep. She lightly yawned and noticed she was leaning up against something very warm. She also felt safe and secure at the moment, something she hadn't felt in a long time. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see she was snuggled up against the young man's chest that had brought her back with him to see Illidan. She lightly gasped and deeply blushed, but didn't go to pull away. He had his arms wrapped around her protectively, seemingly shielding her from all the harm in the world.

She looked up into his face and saw that he was quite handsome. Soft grey-white hair covered his eyes, and his breathing was very even. She quickly realized he was still asleep. Deciding not to wake him, she snuggled deeper into his chest and closed her eyes, just enjoying the warmth she felt and the feeling of safety in his arms. Within a moment, she was back asleep.

In the other room, the spirit slightly stirred in his sleep and opened an eye. "Was it all a dream?" he asked softly.

Looking around, he realized immediately it wasn't. He had dreamed before during his captivity that he had been freed, but now he knew it was real. The air smelled sweet, and the sunlight, it was warm feeling. No, he knew it was real this time.

Slowly he sat up and stretched his body. It seemed to be very stiff, but he realized that since his vessel had lost his soul, the body hadn't been moving. He sat there, and a small hint of sadness crossed his face. It had been so long since he had felt this emotion. He seemed to miss his vessel's innocence, even though he truthfully despised it. Still, he liked the feeling of knowing it was there. Now that he was alone… it felt strange. Too strange almost. It was almost like when he was trapped in his own mind. He was alone there, and now he was alone again.

"Bakura…" he softly said, sadness reflecting in his voice.

Shaking his head, he stood up, but fell back onto the bed. His body was definitely stiff. After a few moments of stretching, he stood again and looked around. Illidan was gone now, meaning he hadn't gone too far most likely. The spirit then noticed the bathroom and saw two bags lying near the bed.

After rummaging through both, he realized which Bakura's was by the color of the shirts. He grabbed a set of clothes and a pair of pants, and then headed for the bathroom for a shower. He felt dirty, and knew he needed a good shower.

During this time, Vash lightly stirred. He felt something warm against his chest, and opened an eye to see it was Blue. She had snuggled up close to him, and he then noticed also he had his arms protectively wrapped around her. Blushing lightly, he gently unwrapped his arms from around her and laid her back against the couch. He then stood up and stared at her sleeping form for a moment.

He noticed in the daylight that she was quite beautiful. "She's so pretty…"

This caused him to shake his head hard, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. "What is wrong with me? She is the one who took Marie's soul. I should hate her for what she done… Yet, I can't help but feel something for her. Why?"

Sighing, he quietly walked towards the spare bedroom, hoping to check on Bakura's body before getting a shower. He walked in to find the bed empty. Puzzled, he said softly "Where is his body?"

As if his question had been answered, the bathroom door opened and out walked the spirit, with no shirt on, but was still wearing the Millennium Ring and a pair of pants. His silver-white hair was still damp from his shower, and he was mumbling something about bloody hair dryer. He wasn't looking up, but when he realized someone was in the room, he glanced up to see Vash.

He lightly smirked, while Vash's face went white with fear. He slowly backed away towards the door, trying desperately to get away from the spirit. The spirit in turn just held up his hands in a surrender like stance, trying to show he meant no harm. That didn't matter to Vash. Vash was frightened, and had no intentions on finding out why the spirit was back.

He sprinted for the door, opening it quickly and running as fast as he could to Illidan's room. He opened the door quickly and yelled "ILLIDAN!"

Illidan had been drying his hair at the moment and sighed, knowing Vash had most likely just found out that the spirit was back. Slowly, he turned off his hair dryer and walked towards the bedroom where a scared Vash stood against the door.

"WHAT IS HE DOING BACK?" Vash yelled.

Sighing, Illidan replied "I… I brought him back. I released him this morning to help me find Bakura's soul."

Vash looked horrified at Illidan and yelled "How could you? After sealing him away, promising Bakura he'd never be free, you do the unthinkable the second Bakura's soul is taken!"

Looking down at the ground, Illidan timidly replied "I… I had no choice. In the upcoming battle to save Bakura's soul, I need all the help I can get."

Now he looked back up at Vash and continued saying "I had to do it. There are four Wolf Pack members to fight, and I had no choice but to bring the spirit back. It'll take his help in order to get Bakura's soul back. I'm sorry if you're hurt by my decision. I don't even like what I had to do, but I have no choice in the matter. If we're to get Marie and Bakura's souls back, we need all the help we can get."

Vash was still angry, but sighed and nodded. Looking at Illidan with slightly understanding eyes, he said "I guess you're right… But why the spirit of the Millennium Ring? Why not Yugi Moto or some other friend of yours?"

Sighing, Illidan replied "I thought about that, but they're tied up as well. Trust me, the spirit was the last one I wanted help from."

It hit Vash then that it was true. Illidan literally despised the spirit of the Millennium Ring for all he had done to Vash and Bakura. "He must be desperate to free him to help."

Vash finally sighed and said "Alright, I understand Illidan. Just watch him. I still don't trust him."

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "Trust me, I plan on keeping him on a short leash, and he knows it."

Nodding, Vash then turned to leave, but remembered he had another question. He turned back to Illidan and said "Illidan, what do we do about the girl?"

Lightly smiling, Illidan said "Well, you seemed to comfort her greatly last night."

Vash blushed, but was quick to say "She wouldn't stop crying, so I did the only thing I could, and that was hug her. I kind of fell asleep like that."

Chuckling, Illidan said "Yes, and she seemed to be snuggling into you as well. It's alright… Just be careful yourself. As for why I wanted to bring her here, I think she's officially out of the Wolf Pack. I have a few questions to ask her."

Nodding, Vash said "What time were we to meet Pegasus?"

Sighing, Illidan said "We were to see him at noon, but I'm going to call and reschedule for one. He'll most likely agree to that."

"Ok, that sounds good. I need to go get cleaned up, and I'll see if Blue needs a shower too." Vash replied.

With a perverted smirk, Illidan asked "So, you two are that far along already?"

Vash turned a deep shade of crimson and yelled "No, that's not what I meant!"

Illidan only chuckled and replied "Sure, you say that now, but one only has to wonder."

Sighing, Illidan then seriously said "Anyways, in all seriousness, send her in here. I need to speak with her."

Nodding, Vash then silently slipped out, trying desperately to get the blush off his face.