Hey guys! Well, yet another exciting week is nearly half over. I saw grandpa Monday, and he was doing pretty good. They gave him a goal. If he can stand on his own and pivot on his good foot (right), and mange to get out of bed and into a wheelchair, his former doctor has guaranteed he'd come visit him at home instead of making him come to see him. My grandmother is very happy about that, and we both think that will give him more incentive to work hard. Other than that, life is going on. My mate is applying for a job she once had offered to her again, and hoping to get it. If she does, we'll move probably, which is alright with me. We'll see though. Never know what may happen.
Alright, here is the situation with my story. I finished wrapping up the duel I wrote for this story, and finished making a few changes. As of now, it's done! That means I can keep going on with posting 3 chapters a week! Also, last time I mentioned that I would be doing one last sequel to this story, which is still on. When it'll get done, eh, I'm not sure, lol. We'll see. Also, I have begun work on my Inuyasha fic, Another. My plan is to get one of my favorite authors to help co-write it, thus relieving some strain on me for working on 2 stories at once. As for my one shots/songfics, I still plan on doing them. When, I'm unsure, lol. I'll just have to make time.
Wow, I'm up to 199 reviews! Sweet! That's nearly half of what TWS had! I hope to continue to see this kind of great feedback! Btw, to show my appreciation to everyone for helping me reach the 200 mark, I'll post an extra chapter tomorrow!
Last time, Syrus and Hasselberry finally lost their duel. Illidan has decided to confront this stranger once more, and ordered Marie and the others away. Who could this person be, and can Illidan handle them alone?
Alright, time for the best part! Review Time!
Metal Overlord 2.0: Yes, poor Syrus and Hasselberry! They hit him with everything in their decks, but it wasn't enough. Makes you feel sorry for them. But yes, this guy is far too skilled to have just started using the Sacred Beast Cards, but how could he be? Could it be he knows how to use them… or has some kind of connection? I know, that was evil, lol. It's cool about the KH's rambling. I really liked the game myself. I wish 3 was out! Heh, as for Chazz and the others, things could get intense for them. Thanks for the great review as always!
x-knight20: Thanks. It's cool about the short review.
Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks. Yep, they lost still, lol. Yeah, I thought about Hasselberry falling first, but then I was like, what if Syrus fell and Hasselberry unleashed all that 'Dino' power? He would be like Dino-mite! I know, bad pun, lol. Heh, I'm glad you like the idea that I'm going to do another sequel.
Isis the Sphinx: Lol, it is and isn't a bad combo to be pragmatic and pessimistic. I know I'm that way sometimes, lol. Thanks. Yeah, I do hope Marie finds time to write too.
Knives91: Lol, yes, lots of bodies. (/Hears 'Let the Bodies Hit the Floor' playing.\) Ah, that is beautiful. Thanks for the comments.
Ryon Nakura: Sure you do. (/Points to the flashing light shrine with my pictures covering the walls.\) If that isn't a shrine, what is? Why blame me? I never did anything wrong. (/Grins evilly.\)
ardee: Thanks. Yeah, I know, Syrus and Hasselberry summoned some of their best monsters out, which in real life, it don't happen, lol. Still, in the show it does, hence I gave them the cards to do what they could. I know, demons sounds better, but I've kept the beasts' title. Thanks though. Yep, the identity of our stranger shall be revealed soon. Yes, I'll continue this story on and on! Lol, but seriously, the next sequel is the end of the road for Illidan and Marie. I could have ended it in this one like I wanted to, but I think the next one will be good enough. Eh, nah, I don't follow American Idol. TV just isn't my thing anymore. Lol, I watch GX, Naruto, CSI, and some late night stuff, and that's about it. And before anyone guesses the late night stuff is porn, no. It's more like Futurama, Family Guy, and rarely Bleach. I mostly watch that at work. Thanks again for the comments!
Wow, that's it. The reviews seem to get longer and longer, lol. Thank you everyone for them, and tomorrow, I'll post to celebrate the 200th review!
Well, that's it for me. Thank you everyone for your reviews. Till next time, enjoy!
Chapter 39
Turning his full attention to the stranger, Illidan glared at him. The wind blew to his back fiercely, tossing his hair about. Above the pair, the sky seemed to slowly be clearing. At long last, he said "Last time you ran from me, but you won't get so lucky this time."
"You would never find me even if I ran again." the stranger confidently replied.
Smirking, Illidan retorted "Not so. That trick you used, I've seen it before. I know how to get through it now, so just try and run. I'll track you through hell if I have to in order to fix things."
Chuckling, the stranger calmly said "You haven't changed much Illidan. Even after five millennia, you're still the same."
"How would you know?" Illidan stoically asked.
Raising his arms, the figure slowly began to pull his hood back, revealing his face for the first time to anyone on the island. He had blonde and blue streaked hair, with it reaching his mid neck in length. His light blue eyes had a gleam in them, and there was a strange black tattooed mark on the side of his head. He smirked evilly, somewhat creeping Illidan out.
Examining the person, Illidan got the feint idea he knew this person, but couldn't place it. "The mark, it is what I remember the most. Where have I seen him?" he pondered.
Chuckling, the figure asked "Can't place my face, can you Illidan?"
"Feh, as if it matters." Illidan snorted back.
Again chuckling, the figure replied "Oh but it does. Surely daddy's little boy remembers his dad's best friend and second in command."
Illidan's eyes widened a bit at this declaration, making him slowly say "It's not possible… You're dead…"
"Almost correct Illidan. I'm sure you remember our little confrontation five millennia ago, don't you?" the stranger asked.
Slowly, memories began to fill Illidan's mind as he began to remember the face he saw before him.
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"Marie, it's far too dangerous for you to be going out! What happens if you're captured while out!?" a younger Illidan yelled at a younger Marie. Both were in their teens and dressed in ancient Egyptian garb.
It had only been a few months since Illidan had taken Marie on as a student. Her progress had been slow and steady, yet faster than most people. Still, friction continued to build between the two rather often, mostly resulting in an argument.
Placing her hands on her hips, Marie fired back "I can take care of myself, thank you very much! I'm in no danger when I go out by myself."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Illidan calmly replied "Marie, I'm not saying these things to be mean, but think of what could happen. You are important to Yami, and are one of his personal servants. If you're captured, then someone could use you against Yami. They could ransom you, ask for the pardon of a prisoner, or even bring about Yami's death."
Seemingly taken aback by Illidan's words, Marie finally roared back "Do you think I'm that stupid to not know that!?"
Losing his patients, Illidan snapped back "Marie, I don't think you're stupid! You're a very intelligent girl, but you're also not strong enough to go wondering around…"
"SEE! You still don't believe me when I say I can protect myself!"
Groaning, Illidan growled back "Listen, you're my student, and I am charged to teach you all I can and tell what to do and not do. So, listen to me well. Don't go out of the palace alone!"
"You can't tell me what to do!" Marie fired back with venom in her voice and shot a hot glare at him. With that said, she stamped off with a huff.
Growling loudly, Illidan fired a sphere of Shadow Magic at a nearby water pitcher in the room, instantly shattering it. "Damn woman!" he yelled angrily.
Walking over to pick up the pieces, Illidan heard someone enter the room. Glancing to see who it was, he sighed when he recognized the man. "What do you want Gozaburo?"
"She sure is a hot head, isn't she?" Gozaburo asked with a smirk.
"How much did you hear?"
Shrugging, Gozaburo replied "Enough to know she isn't happy with you and about following orders."
Sighing, Illidan dropped the pieces of the pot and stood up. "I've dealt with some of the hardest heads imaginable with the nomads, most thinking I didn't belong, yet I showed them I did. But this girl, she takes the cake! How I'm ever going to get her to reign in her emotions and self control, I don't know!" Illidan said in exasperation.
"I'm sure you'll find a way." Gozaburo remarked.
"Maybe…" Illidan said with a sigh.
Looking over at Gozaburo, Illidan smirked and asked "Care for a duel?"
Thinking it over, Gozaburo hesitantly said "I guess…"
"Good. Maybe that'll help me calm down before she comes back."
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"That arrogant jerk, how dare he speak to me like that!" Marie fumed.
She quickly made her way through the streets of Cairo without stopping at her usual spots to shop. She always came out alone and did shopping for herself, and at times, for Yami and the others. They always warned her to not go out alone, but Marie was never one to listen to them. She was too free spirited to pay any attention to their rules, requests, or demands.
After an hour of storming through the streets, Marie finally came to the outer city shops. These had many materials not found within Egypt's borders. Usually, merchants from far away came to this place and sold their wares.
Sighing, she silently pondered on Illidan's words. "He was right about one thing. I never did stop to think about what could happen if I ever got captured. Yami would be in trouble, and he'd do almost anything to save me."
Her cheeks lightly warmed at the thought of Yami having to sacrifice everything to save her. Shaking herself of the thoughts, she sighed once more, knowing things between him and her were far from possible.
"I'm a slave, and he's a pharaoh. The two just don't mix…" she thought dejectedly.
Finally tired of fuming, Marie began to realize she should return to the palace. Glancing at where she was, she sighed once more and then smiled. "Well, I might as well have a quick peak while I'm here." she finally decided.
Looking through some of the shops, she soon spotted a beautiful golden dress with heavy straps that seemed to call out her name, but she instantly realized she had a problem when she began looking for her coin purse.
Feeling around, she cursed softly and grumbled "I forgot it. Great, I guess that means no shopping today."
Sighing, she began to slowly walk along, mostly glancing at the other shops. "At least I can make a note to come back tomorrow." she softly said to herself.
As she crossed into an alleyway, someone snuck up behind her and placed a cloth over her mouth. She tried to scream, but she breathed in something from the cloth. Immediately, she felt light headed and faint. Her mind slowly began to blank out and eventually she passed out.
A stranger wearing a set of black robes lightly chuckled darkly, saying "That was too easy. Now my dear, you'll be a great help in my plans."
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The duel between Illidan and Gozaburo had ended almost as quickly as it had begun. Once finished, Illidan left a spiraled eyed Gozaburo behind and decided he still needed something to do. He instantly set out to find Bakura, hoping the young man would spar with him.
Finally finding him, he asked his friend for a sparring session, who hesitantly agreed. When Illidan had returned from the nomads, every member of the Shadow Council was apprehensive at dueling or sparing with Illidan due to his immense strength at both activities. Illidan himself didn't mind this since he had mostly done a good bit of his physical training alone.
The sparring session didn't last too long between the two, with Illidan quickly making Bakura beg to end the session in less than five minutes. Sighing, Illidan agreed and the two decided to go cool off in one of the bathing pools.
Once the two were in the water, Illidan found a flat rock and rested up against it. Closing his eyes, he sighed, hoping to regain his calmness.
"Is something bothering you Illidan?" Bakura asked, snapping Illidan back into reality.
Opening his eyes, Illidan lightly frowned. After a moment, he said "I suppose so. Has Marie always been difficult to work with?"
Chuckling, Bakura replied "For the most part, except when she is working with Yami. She has a tendency to be rather stubborn, somewhat like another certain person here. Of course, for Yami, she almost always does whatever he asks of her."
"Haha, very funny. I'm not that stubborn." Illidan retorted.
Once again chuckling, Bakura responded with "Really? Could have fooled me."
Throwing a glare at his friend, Illidan sighed once more and sank into the water, letting it completely cover his body. After a moment, he came back up and pulled his hair so that it all was on his back.
After a moment, he finally said "Maybe I was too hard on Marie earlier."
"Is she that hard for you to get along with?" Bakura asked.
Sighing once more, Illidan calmly replied "Sometimes, she's so easy to get along with and does amazing things."
Pausing for a moment, his tone then changed. Growling out, he said "Then other times, she won't listen to a word I say! I get so infuriated with her over things she does or says, but somehow or another, I calm down and we move on. Ack, she's the first woman in my life that has nearly driven me into insanity!"
Laughing, Bakura jokingly said "Maybe it's true love!"
Groaning loudly, Illidan growled back "Don't even joke about a thing like that! I could never find myself doing that with her!"
Only continuing to laugh at his friend's expense, Bakura laughed more till he rocked backwards and slipped under the water. He soon came up for air, sputtering, making Illidan chuckle at his friend.
"Serves you right." Illidan smugly said with a smirk.
Sighing, Bakura grumbled. "I didn't want to get my hair all wet. Great, now I'll have to dry it out now…"
"Maybe I should dunk you some more so that this time it takes even longer to dry!" Illidan said with mischief sparking in his eyes.
As Illidan began to swim towards Bakura, a guard walked in and bowed, saying "Seal Master Stormrage, there is a note here for you."
Stopping his hijinks, Illidan began swimming towards the shallow end where his clothes laid. With a sigh, he said "You don't have to bow to me."
"It is tradition sir." the guard stoically replied.
Sighing once more, Illidan grabbed a towel and began to dry off. Tying it around his waist, he walked up to the guard and asked "Who is the note from?"
Rising, the guard replied "We're unsure sir. A peasant brought it in and then left. It was said to be delivered to you, without anyone tampering with it."
Frowning, Illidan asked "Was there anything odd about the peasant?"
"I'm unsure. He appeared normal, although his eyes did seem cloudy looking, almost like he was …"
"Being controlled?" Bakura interjected as he came wadding out of the water.
Thinking for a moment, the guard finally replied "Yes, I suppose. Still, he acted normal, and sounded normal. He even asked for a drink, which one of the others shared."
Furrowing his brow, Illidan grabbed another towel and began drying out his hair. Finally satisfied, he found his clothes nearby and turned his back to the guard. He quickly slipped them on and turned back around to face the guard. "Well, let me see the letter."
Nodding, the guard handed a scroll to Illidan. "You may go." Illidan remarked as he began to open the scroll.
As the guard left, Illidan began reading the letter silently to himself. The handwriting was somewhat messy, but after a moment, he finally deduced what the letter said.
"Illidan, I wish to meet with you to discuss matters of great secrecy. Please meet me thirty miles south of the city. Do not under any circumstances tell any of the others of this matter. That is an order.
Yami"
Frowning, Illidan walked over to a nearby torch and dumped the scroll in, instantly catching it on fire. Looking at Illidan with a curious expression, Bakura asked "What is it?"
"Someone playing a trick on me, I figure." Illidan nonchalantly replied.
He immediately turned to leave, causing Bakura to call out "Wait, where you going?"
"Off to take care of this person. Don't worry, I'll be back later."
Nodding, Bakura smiled, saying "See you later then."
Walking off, Illidan silently pondered who the person was that wrote the letter. "I know it wasn't Yami, that's a fact. Yami would personally come talk to me and ask me to meet elsewhere. Plus, that handwriting doesn't match his, not to mention it doesn't match any of the others in the council. He could have had a servant take it down, but unlikely. He usually only allows Marie to take down his notes anyways, and even then he signs them."
Brow furrowing a little more, Illidan realized he hadn't seen Marie since their earlier argument. "That hard head must be still sulking. I didn't mean to come down so hard on the girl, but she was putting herself in real danger. If anything ever happened to her, Yami would flip out and have my head on a platter for it."
Sighing, Illidan continued his walk. Seeing Yami walking by with Set towards the courtyard, Illidan flagged down the pair.
"Pharaoh…" Illidan said with a humble bow.
With a slight sigh of irritation, Yami said "You don't have to bow to me Illidan."
Set only let out a small grunt at this, making Illidan slightly smirk with his face still down. Standing back up, Illidan said "It is tradition though."
"Tradition doesn't matter for my friends. Now, what can I help you with?" Yami asked.
Lightly smiling, Illidan calmly replied "I'm heading out for a while. I was wondering if you see Marie later, you'd tell her that her class today is cancelled."
"The Pharaoh is not a messenger boy!" Set growled out.
Chuckling at the comment, Yami kindly said "When I see her I will."
"Thank you. And tell her I apologize for this, but something came up. By the way, have you seen her since I talked with her this morning?" Illidan asked with a curious look.
Thinking for a moment, Yami finally said "I saw her storming down the hall near her room. I suppose she maybe in there. Did the two of you have another argument?"
Sighing, Illidan lightly nodded, saying "It's nothing to be concerned about. I'll talk with her when I return."
"Very well. See you soon Illidan."
Bowing once more, Illidan quickly turned and left Yami and Set. Yami lightly growled with irritation once more as Illidan left, yelling "STOP DOING THAT!"
Walking away, Illidan called back with a light chuckle "Never."
Once leaving Yami, Illidan made his way towards the stables. He met and greeted many of the servants along the way. For the most part, all of the servants liked Illidan. He was always hanging around with them. It was comforting to many to see a person of somewhat higher stature to be around. Even Yami himself was occasionally found around with the servants. Unlike many of the previous pharaohs who had held themselves in higher regards, Yami was kind and concerned, and chose to be around his people.
Finally leaving the main palace, Illidan found his way to the stables. Once inside, he found the stable hands working. The men working in the stable were quite nice, unlike the previous ones that had been executed when Illidan had arrived earlier a few months ago.
"Seems like only yesterday that I saved Marie in here."
Frowning, Illidan shook his head, realizing he was thinking of her again. "Maybe I should go apologize for being so hard on her before I go…"
After a moment of pondering on that thought, he decided against it. "I have work to do first. I'll apologize later."
Seeing Illidan standing in the main part of the stable, one of the stable hands walked up to Illidan. Looking at the ground, the man asked "Sir, do you wish for me to get your horse?"
Waking from his thoughts, Illidan nodded, saying "Yes, please, and you don't have to look down for me."
Smiling, the man raised his head and nodded. The young man vanished for a few moments, but soon reappeared with Illidan's horse fully prepared.
"Thank you." Illidan kindly said
"No problem sir." the stable hand replied as he walked off.
Looking over his horse, Illidan slightly smiled. He was a beautiful black stallion with a small amount of white surrounding his four feet.
Illidan had named him Stormy for a very good reason. During a hunting trip with Squall, he had become separated from the rest of the nomads. The horse he had been riding had gotten spooked by a sudden thunderstorm that had blown in. Cold, wet, and lost, Illidan was becoming rather desperate to just find some kind of shelter. In the middle of the intense storm, Illidan fell down from complete exhaustion. He would have laid there and probably died if not for a young horse coming up to him. The horse nudged him gently, making Illidan get back up. Confused, Illidan noticed the horse wasn't afraid of him. He took in the appearance of the horse through the many lightning strikes, and saw that he was nearly pure black, with exception of his four feet that appeared to have white socks. More surprised than anything, Illidan soon figured out that this horse had come to his aide. The horse soon turned and began to walk away, but waited on Illidan, as if leading him on. The horse led Illidan back to Squall and the others, who were very surprised to find him. Illidan was somewhat surprised when the horse did not leave upon leading him back to his party. Squall soon explained to him that the horse had chosen him to be his owner. He quickly explained that not many horses did this, but some who felt compelled to would choose a master. When asked what he would call the horse, Illidan only smiled, saying "Stormy."
Rubbing Stormy's head, Illidan smiled as the horse looked for some kind of food in his other open hand. "Sorry Stormy, I have no sugar for you. I'll get you a treat later." he affectionately said to the horse.
Walking around, Illidan mounted Stormy and moved the horse off in a slow pace towards the southern gates of the city. Once out of the gates, Illidan moved Stormy into a faster pace.
Two and half hours passed while Illidan rode. He didn't want to push Stormy too hard, thinking it would be nicer if he let the horse take it easy. Finally, he noted a figure on a horse off in a small distance.
Pushing Stormy onwards, Illidan began scanning the area for any signs of danger. He sensed nothing out of the ordinary yet, but still, he wasn't taking any chances.
Reaching the figure at long last, Illidan saw that the person was fully dressed in a black cloak. Beside of the figure stood a chestnut colored horse with some kind of blanket covering something on it's back.
Once Illidan dismounted Stormy, the figure removed his hood, revealing a man with blond hair that stuck up in the front like a rooster, while the rest of it remained flat. He had blue eyes, and a strange black tattoo on the side of his head. His body was lean and muscular, seemingly kept in good condition.
"Zell…" Illidan said with a bit of surprise.
"Well met, son of Shando. I see your memory hasn't failed you after eight years." Zell said with a small smile.
Frowning, Illidan replied "No, my memory hasn't failed me, but why are you here? Yami banished you from Egypt from what I heard."
"True. I finished what your father began that night he was killed and you fled. Raijin fell at my hands, but I was then treated like a traitor by that man's treacherous son!" Zell responded with a touch of anger.
Calming quickly, Zell smirked, saying "But that's in the past, and this is now."
"So, why have you called me out here? I doubt it was to reminisce about the old days."
Chuckling, Zell replied "You're very much like your father, Illidan. He always wanted to get straight to the point. You look very similar too."
"The point Zell." Illidan interjected with irritation building in his voice.
Smirking, Zell said "Well, as you know, the treacherous son of Raijin rules Egypt now. He must be removed. It is what your father began, and I will see it through."
Turning away, Illidan slowly walked away, saying "Ridiculous. You dragged me out here over something this stupid. What a waste of time."
"Illidan, you know your father wanted to get rid of the current ruling class and fix things. He wanted justice to return, and that is what we need to do."