Hey there everyone. Well, it's Friday once more, thankfully, lol. Only one week till Marie will be moving back. I can't wait for my coy half cat demon to come back. Anyways, in other news, not much really going on. I'm finding that filling out my security clearance paperwork for work is beginning to be a real pain in the arse. Oh well, that's what I get for procrastinating.

In the last chapter, Illidan finally managed to beat Kiba, promising to help bring him back and to take down the puppet masters. The group quickly headed out afterwards on a mission to save everyone. Also, Dartz and Darcia were found talking, discussing things and about Marie. What could Dartz have planned for her, and what will happen when Illidan finds out?

Alright, time to answer the reviews. Hurray! (//Does happy dance.\\) That's what happens when you've not been sleeping well. Well, at least to me, lol. I get energetic too easily!

Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he summoned Anubis one more time to pull out the win in the end. Poor Kiba, he didn't stand a chance against it. Very true, Darcia knows he has to stop Illidan at all costs, as well as Ryou. If he doesn't, Dartz himself will be in possible danger. Also, who knows what Dartz has planned with Marie. It's not a pleasant thought to think about all the possibilities, lol. Yes Bakura, you being a good guy wouldn't work too well. Well, unless you're like some good guys who just don't care and are just as destructive as the bad guys.

Isis the Sphinx: Possibly he'll get pounded, but yes, emotionally, one has to wonder what will happen when Dartz does whatever to Marie.

x-knight20: Possibility, but who knows with Dartz. He maybe just holding her body and soul hostage now, or maybe he's going to use her body for something else… Ewwww… I shouldn't have thought of that, lol. (//Punches Dartz picture on punching back too. Punches through the punching.\\) Oops, I don't know my own strength, hehe.

Metal Overlord 2.0: True, Dartz and Darcia are quite like Naraku from Inuyasha. Neither wants to soil their hands, and would rather have someone else do their dirty work for them. But yes, Darcia seems confident that Illidan won't beat him. Yeah, with the Wolf Pack being defeated, that leaves the two masters to deal with Illidan and friends, as well as Yami and his group. Lol, yeah, good old Anubis just had to come out again. Illidan may hate using that card, but he sometimes has to rely on that card. Btw, I reviewed your chapter, and it was pretty good. Hehe, I liked Zeruge going for a swim in that water. The poor man, he reminds me of how Marie treats me sometimes, lol.

Well, that's all for today everyone. Tonight, I head up to see Marie as usual, so that should be fun. Plus, there is a big thunderstorm with plenty of wind going through today. It will make driving interesting. Too bad I'm not a Demon Hawk or some kind of flying demon. That or found a way to fly like Sesshomaru. (//Sigh\\) Oh well, I'll just drive it. At any rate, enjoy the chapter, and I hope you all leave me some reviews to read through and answer. Later!

Chapter 47

The rest of the trip to Santa Barbara was a quiet one with Illidan and Ryou. Illidan drove as fast as he could, but not fast enough to get a ticket, towards his target.

In his mind, he silently said "I promised I'd come Marie, and I intend on fulfilling my promise to you soon. Just hang on a little longer."

Within the passenger seat, Ryou was silently thinking about his own promise to Bakura. "Vessel, I will save you if it's the last thing I do. I meant it when I said no harm would come to you all those years ago. I will find a way to save you."

Looking over at Ryou, Illidan knew instantly what he was thinking, and gently said "We'll get him back Ryou. I promise we will."

"Keh, like I'd think of that fool right now." Ryou replied grumpily.

Smirking, Illidan knew he had guessed it right, but said nothing. No, he had someone else on his mind. "Soon my love, we will be together. I promise."

As the sun was setting, in the jeep close behind Illidan and Ryou, Vash and Blue were quietly sitting together. They were holding hands, and for once, weren't blushing.

When Vash had come to earlier in the day after he had passed out from his duel, he had waked to find Blue holding him in her lap. He had instantly blushed at this, and opened his eyes to see her staring at him concerned. After she explained he was alright, he sighed happily and sat up.

As they had prepared to leave, they had loaded Toboe into the back of the jeep, but Vash was still blushing from waking up in Blue's lap. Finally gathering up enough wits about himself, he said "I'm sorry I made you worry about me in that duel Blue."

Softly smiling, she replied "It's alright. I knew you'd be fine, but I was worried. You… you mean a lot to me. I don't want to lose you, ever."

Knowing what she was saying, Vash blushed and decided he had to tell her the truth. With a great deal of blush on his face, he said "Blue, I need to tell you something."

"Hmm?" she said, turning towards him fully to look him in the eyes. "Those eyes, they make me melt at the sight of them." she silently said in her mind.

Looking into her beautiful blue eyes, Vash felt as if he could get lost, but remained focused. "Blue, during the duel with Toboe, I realized it's not fair to you to not tell you how I truly feel about you."

Sighing slightly, he could feel the heat coming off his face. He knew right now he must have tones of blush on his face, but sucked it up. With all his courage, he hurriedly said "I love you!"

Blue was slightly shocked that he had said those words to her. True, he had said it hurriedly, but she had heard them. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of those words, and she felt it beating rapidly in her heart.

An eerie silence filled the air, as Vash mentally said to himself "Great, you most likely scared her. She probably has no feelings at all for you."

"I'm sorry…" he began in an apologetic voice, and began to turn around to head for the jeep.

Before he got anywhere though, Blue grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around, embracing him tightly and burying her head deep in his shoulder. "I love you too." she said, which was muffled due to her head being buried at the moment.

Smiling, Vash had never known such happiness as he pulled her into a tight embrace himself. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, and calmly said "I promise Blue to always protect you, and to be here for you."

She pulled back and looked up at him and smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks. These were tears of happiness though, as she said "I promise to always protect you too Vash, and to always be there for you."

Then the two's faces came closer towards one another till finally Blue and Vash's lips touched, and the two kissed one another. Their first kiss was gentle, yet powerful at the same time. Finally, the two parted, coming up for much needed air. Smiling at one another, they then pulled back in for another passionate kiss.

Once the two finished, they then separated and jumped into the jeep. As Vash drove, he held Blue's hand, glad that he had finally told her how he felt. They had finally come upon Illidan and Ryou, where Illidan told them he knew where to go finally. The four had then left and headed for Santa Barbara to meet up with the ones pulling the strings.

Now the two were still following Illidan and Ryou's jeep, but were holding hands still. Vash and Blue had randomly talked about different things, and had gotten to know one another more and more. Each wanted to know all they could about the other. They were happy.

Suddenly, Vash saw Illidan turning off towards a hospital, and said "We must be dropping off our passengers."

Nodding, Blue saw Illidan pull up and stop at the E.R. He gently picked up Kiba, while Ryou came back and picked Toboe up from their jeep. Ryou simply said "Wait here till we get back."

The two nodded and waited fifteen minutes. Finally, the two returned and leapt into their jeep. Illidan then fired up his jeep again and they were off once more.

Slowly, the two jeeps made their way through the city till they came to the outskirts. There, they saw a skyscraper that was completely alone. "There it is." Illidan said in a cold voice.

Knowing they had arrived, Ryou only looked at it and then looked back down at Illidan. "He'll tear that place apart to find Marie." he thought with a small smirk.

Illidan slowly drove the jeep into the parking lot surrounding the skyscraper and parked. He then grabbed his Duel Disk from the back and strapped it on and began walking towards the skyscraper. Ryou, Vash, and Blue were each not far behind him, each with their Duel Disks ready as well.

The four walked into the front main office to only find no one around. The only sound they heard was an elevator opening, which seemed like a clear sign for them to get in. Each of the four climbed in and the elevator started moving on it's own. Soon, they were taken to the top floor. The doors opened to reveal a large room decorated with light greens and light blues. At the end of the large room was a set of double doors, seemingly leading them in the right direction.

Illidan led the way, not even bothering to take his time. In a confident pace, he walked up to the double doors and pulled them open to reveal yet another larger room, this one decorated in the similar colors. At the end of the room stood a man dressed in black robes with dark hair.

Seeing this, Illidan stepped forward towards the stranger till he was only five feet away, and said "I take it you're Darcia?"

Smirking, the man looked up at Illidan with an evil smile. He had upper back length black hair that hung freely, and wore dark robes. His face was fair, but his eyes were the oddest features of him. One was a color of violet, while the other was yellow. The yellow one looked more like an animal's eye, possibly a dog or some other member of that family.

He said in a confident voice "Yes, I am Darcia, creator of the Wolf Pack. I see you've finally come to face me Illidan Stormrage."

With a commanding voice, Illidan asked "Where are Marie's body, and her and Bakura's souls?"

Lightly chuckling, Darcia replied with a voice of silk "I don't have them here."

Illidan's brow furrowed slightly, and asked "Where are they then?"

Chuckling again, Darcia replied "They are with my Master Dartz."

Finally feeling like he had gotten one question answered, Illidan asked "I see, then where is he?"

Smirking, Darcia simply said "I can't tell you that."

"Why?" Illidan asked with full composure still.

Smiling evilly, Darcia replied "I can't give the whereabouts of my master that easily. I am his second in command, and will not allow you to get to him. If you want to find him, you must defeat me in a duel first."

Illidan slightly growled and said "I have no time for this foolishness. Step aside and let me deal with your master. It is him I'm after, not you."

Chuckling, Darcia said "You're wrong. Any enemy of my master's is an enemy of mine. You will not pass till you defeat me."

Ryou then suddenly jumped in and said with much irritation in his voice "Move out of my way! Your master has my vessel's soul, and I intend on reclaiming it. So, unless you want me to tear you apart in a duel, I suggest you move now!"

Turning his attention from Illidan to Ryou, Darcia smoothly said "Oh, so you wish to fight with me? I would prefer to have Illidan really, but since you're both in a rush to lose your souls, I'll take you both on in a duel!"

Slightly shocked, Illidan replied "I don't wish to duel with you. Step aside so I can get to your master."

Darcia returned his gaze to Illidan, and said "No, I won't step aside. Defeat me, and I shall tell you where to find my master. Lose, and I'll take your two souls and that fourth Egyptian God Card."

"We're getting nowhere with him, so let's just duel him!" Ryou said with much irritation in his voice.

Sighing slightly, Illidan said "Very well, we'll duel you. I just hope you're prepared for the consequences."

Laughing evilly, Darcia replied "I was just thinking the same thing for you two. Now, let's do this."

He then pulled his arms out from under his large black robe to reveal a black Duel Disk on his left arm. He then took his deck out of the Duel Disk and began to shuffle. Illidan and Ryou each pulled their decks out of their holders and began shuffling as well, till all three finally stuck their decks into their Duel Disks. The three Duel Disks then powered up, with both Illidan and Ryou's unfolding and lighting up while Darcia's opened to shoot out a long blade and then power up. Blue and Vash backed up, knowing that this duel would be intense. The three duelists then drew five cards each and called out calmly "Let's duel!"

Smirking, Darcia said "Since it's two on one, I'll take 8000 life points while you two have 4000 a piece. And I think I'll let Ryou begin, then you Illidan, then I'll take my turn. Just remember, you can't attack on the very first turn."

Only letting out a "Keh," Ryou drew his sixth card and smirked. He then said "I'll start by summoning my Scarr, Scout of Dark World (500/500) in defense mode." A red creature that was down on all fours, with two spikes sticking out it's back and some grey skin on it's hands and feet then appeared.

"Next, I'll place two cards face down. I think that'll do it for me for now." (Ryou 4000, Illidan 4000, Darcia 8000)

Illidan drew his sixth card and glanced over his hand. He held Emissary of the Afterlife, Sasuke Samurai #4, Silent Swordsman LV5, Ring of Defense, Scapegoat, and his newly drawn Ring of Destruction. After thinking for a moment, he said "I summon Emissary of the Afterlife (1600/600) in attack mode." A grim reaper like creature with a flowing black cloak and sharp steel scythe appeared on the field and swung it for good measure.

"I'll next place one card face down and call it a turn." (Ryou 4000, Illidan 4000, Darcia 8000)

Smirking evilly, Darcia drew his next card and said "I'll begin by playing the spell card known as Fiend Sanctuary! Now I can special summon to the field a monster known as Metal Fiend Token (0/0) in attack mode!" A metal creature made up of spheres of metal appeared. It's tail had a small point on the end of it, and then it had two arms made up the same way, and a simple round head as well.

"Next, I sacrifice it to summon Guardian Sphinx (1700/2400) in defense mode." A stone statue made of golden looking rock that had a face and garb of a pharaoh from the shoulders up, but with the look of a lion below his shoulders, appeared on the field.

"Now I place three cards face down, and finally, I play the card that will destroy you both! I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" A powerful beam of light then shot out of Darcia's deck as he played the field card into it. The top of the building then vanished as the seal descended from the sky. Finally, the circular seal landed, sending out a burst of darkness. The green six pointed star then formed and Darcia let out a cry as the symbol appeared on his forehead. He then revealed his face, showing the symbol proudly was on his forehead. His two eyes then tinted red as he smirked.

"You're both trapped now, for there is nowhere for you two to escape. Also, don't forget, the seal strengthens each of my monsters by 500 attack points (2200/2400)!" The green symbol then appeared on the stone sphinx's forehead, causing it's eyes to begin to glow red.

"I'll end my turn at that. You fools shall soon fall before me and my monsters true might!" (Ryou 4000, Illidan 4000, Darcia 8000)

Vash and Blue could only watch on with worry as they their friends dueled for not only their souls, but to find out where the others were. Vash turned to Blue and asked "Blue, do you have any idea what kind of deck he runs?"

Shaking her head, Blue replied "No, I never saw Darcia or Dartz duel. From what I heard, they were unbeatable. I only hope Illidan and Ryou can work together and beat him."

Smiling, Vash said "If anyone can beat Darcia, it'd be those two. They've just got to work together to win this one though."

Both nodded and then looked on, each hoping against all odds, the team of Illidan and Ryou would be strong enough to win.

Back on the field, Ryou drew his next card and smirked, saying "I'll now summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World (1800/400) in defense mode." A grey skinned creature with a green coat on his back, green locks of hair, chains binding his arms together in the front of his body, and a sick looking face appeared on the field. He lightly flexed his green claws and then sat down in a crouching position.

"Finally, I'll place one card face down and end my move. Let's see what you can do Illidan." (Ryou 4000, Illidan 4000, Darcia 8000)

Drawing, Illidan saw that he now had his Fusion Recovery card. Knowing it was useless, he placed it into his hand and pulled out a different one, saying "I summon Sasuke Samurai #4 (1200/1200) in defense mode." A small creature with a yellow head, a small mustache, a samurai's outfit, and a long staff sword appeared on the field. The creature then took a one kneed defensive stance.

"Next, I'll switch Emissary of the Afterlife into defense mode and end my turn." (Ryou 4000, Illidan 4000, Darcia 8000)