Hey there everyone! Well, not much happened yesterday. Just kind of went home to my lovely mate, and well, had a good evening, hehe.
Thank you everyone who has reviewed this story. I'm so happy that I've hit the 200 review mark! Since I am, of course, I feel like sharing that happiness, so here is a bonus chapter for the week.
Last time, Illidan confronted the stranger, who revealed himself to be a person from Illidan's past known as Zell. Memories of the last time he met Zell instantly flooded Illidan's mind. What happened to Marie then, and what did Illidan do about Zell?
Before I release it though, I have one thing to do. That's to do the reviews!
Knives91: Thanks. Eh, I'm not sure if they had chloroform. Heh, I kind of forgot to check on that when doing that chapter. I'm sure they had something though that would knock a person out. After all, flood someone's senses with enough of anything and it'll knock them out.
x-knight20: Thanks. Yep, Zell has finally revealed himself. Yeah, I heard KH3 was going to be the Keyblade War. I'm excited about seeing it and getting to play it. (/Can hardly wait!\)
pink-kiss-candy: Lol, yeah. But Ryon, it is a shrine to me. See, you have pictures of me up and it says "This shrine is dedicated to the malevolent half demon, Illidan." If that's not for me, I don't know what is, hehe. Nah, I never did anything wrong. Yes, just calm down. (/Watches more clay spiders fall from the ceiling and land on Ryon. Slowly steps back and watches the spiders explode. From the smoke, Ryon is left standing, covered in black soot. He opens his mouth in anime style and blows out smoke rings.\) That looked a bit painful…
Ultimate Legendary Master: Hehe, yeah, the good old memories, lol. Yep, I finally finished writing on this story, well, other than making a few adjustments when I post. I always find little things when I proofread it again… But yes, 3 chapters for sure from here on!
Isis the Sphinx: Yep, sure is interesting. Eh, Zell wasn't originally evil, no. Actually, I think if you read the last chapter of Marie's fan fic, The History of the Millennium Items, it explains what Zell did actually. That's if that chapter is up. She said it was… so it should be, lol. Yeah, he wanted to better his country… in his own way, lol.
Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, that's the last thing you want. Heh, that would have been odd if Zell had been Illidan's father (btw, his name is Shando). Hmm, could he be reincarnated or brought back from the dead? Or are there other possibilities? As for the Sacred Beasts possibly being connected to him, hmm, I don't know. But yes, the Sacred Beasts should have been called by their original name: The Legendary Demons. That is a much better title, but I kept the show's namesake, so oh well, lol. Yes, Illidan and Marie are so incredibly in love in the late past and in the future, but when they first met, they two didn't get along at all. The pair had many fights and just didn't see eye to eye, but I guess like you said, that built up a strong relationship between the two. Yes, love isn't easy to figure out, ever, lol. Thanks for your comments.
ardee: Congrats on being # 200! Heh, yes, you were right, Zell is the villain… maybe, hehe. Yes, the lovebirds at one time were at one another's throats constantly, but that probably helped the pair get closer really. LOL! Yes, I thought the line by Set was great. True, the line did reflect his attitude in the present. Eh, the duels are coming, so patience, lol. It could be an old school style duel though, hehe. Eh, as for the late night stuff, why bother when I have my mate to keep me more than entertained. Thanks for the comments!
Alright, that's it for this round. I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who sent me a review. Till next time, enjoy!
Chapter 40
Stopping, Illidan looked over his shoulder and calmly said "My father never wanted to murder an innocent person. Yami had nothing to do with Raijin's decisions. Raijin paid for his transgressions and Yami has atoned for what has happened in the past and brought back justice, hence what my father set out to accomplish is finished. There is nothing left."
Lightly growling, Zell yelled "He'll kill you eventually! You know his father tried it! Raijin was afraid of you, and Yami is without a doubt like his father. Stop him now while you still have a chance!"
Turning to face Zell again, Illidan searched his face. After studying it for a moment, he replied "Feh, you're crazy. Pegasus told me you had gone insane when my father died, but I didn't believe him. Now I do, and I can see that you're just foolish enough to try this stupid plan of yours."
In a cold, emotionless voice, Illidan added "If you make any kind of attack on Yami, you will have to deal with me specifically. I will not allow you to harm my friend."
"You would turn your back on the very man that was like a brother to you!? The very man that was your father's best friend for that murder's son!?" Zell asked, in somewhat shock.
Still staring at Zell with cold eyes, Illidan replied with a voice of coldness, saying "I will not allow you to harm Yami."
Turning to walk away again, Illidan heard Zell growl loudly, yelling "YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT! YOUR FATHER DIED TO SAVE YOU, AND YOU REPAY HIM BY BETRAYING HIS DREAMS!"
The words instantly brought Illidan to a halt. He slowly turned around to reveal a cold glare that made Zell take a step back. With venom dripping in his voice, Illidan replied "You don't know what you're talking about. My father saved my life so I could live happy and one day return to Egypt with pride. He never envisioned having me rule Egypt. He only wanted to rid Egypt of Raijin. Father had no intention on ruling in Raijin's place. Not even I could have. Too much blood would have been spilled for the people to follow, not to mention neither father nor I had any desire to rule Egypt."
Again turning his back to Zell, Illidan evenly said "Do as you please Zell, but I won't help destroy a good person."
Loudly growling, Zell turned to his horse and ripped the blanket off of it's back. "You may not willingly help me, but I will have your help! Refuse and this girl will die!" he screamed at Illidan.
Stiffening at the comment, Illidan closed his eyes, pondering what poor innocent girl Zell had kidnapped. The breeze suddenly shifted, blowing many scents towards Illidan. Taking a sniff, Illidan caught a familiar scent of vanilla. "Can't be…" he mumbled in his mind while fear began to fill him.
Turning around, Illidan looked at the unconscious form of a very familiar girl on the back of Zell's horse. "Marie…" he softly mumbled.
Smirking at this, Zell walked towards Illidan, asking "Will you let her die for your stubborn pride as well?"
"Let her go. She has nothing to do with me or you." Illidan sternly replied.
Sneering, Zell said "No. She is very important to the Pharaoh. More than likely he has his way with her nightly. I'm sure he'll miss his royal sex slave."
"You will stop slandering her now." Illidan smartly said with anger on the edge of his voice.
Chuckling evilly as he ventured out a little further from the horse, Zell asked "Strike a nerve? What's wrong Illidan, you was full of swagger a moment ago."
"She is innocent, so let her go." Illidan demanded.
"No. I won't let the Pharaoh's whore go." Zell boldly replied.
Keeping his emotions in check, Illidan began to call up his Shadow Powers. A black aura instantly began to flare up from his body as his power began to rise to the surface. "I won't tell you again: release her now, or feel my wrath." he evenly said.
Upon issuing his statement, Illidan noted Marie coming to. She groaned lightly and opened her eyes and slowly began to she sit up. Immediately, she saw Illidan and some man were in the middle of a conversation, and that Illidan's Shadow Powers were flaring about him. Quietly, she decided to remain still, hoping that the man in front of Illidan wouldn't notice she had come to.
Standing his ground, Zell only laughed at Illidan. "So, you'd kill me to save her? Well then, I have no choice."
Pulling a large hollowed out reed out of his cloak's inner pocket, Zell quickly turned and blew into the reed while targeting Marie. A small dart instantly went flying out of the reed and pricked Marie in her upper chest, right near her heart, making her cry out in pain.
Forgetting Zell, Illidan rushed past Zell with inhuman speed thanks to his Shadow Powers. Reaching her, his Shadow Powers dissipated immediately. Without hesitation, Illidan gently pulled the dart out, making Marie whimper lightly in pain. Raising it to his nose, Illidan took in it's scent and tried to figure out what Zell had shot her with.
"It was filled with a rather deadly poison Illidan. This lovely poison will slowly paralyze her body and render her Shadow Powers useless. The creature I had to take it from was very much not willing to give it up, but it eventually donated it to me. Of course, I have the antidote, but I won't administer it till you've completed your task."
Pausing, Zell sneered, saying "She will die slowly and painfully unless you deliver Yami to me. You have till the end of tomorrow, and that is all. At the end of the tomorrow, she will die unless Yami is brought to me. Make no mistake Illidan, I will let it happen!"
"Illidan…" Marie said with tears threatening to fall from the brim of her eyes.
Trying to calm her, Illidan gently said "Don't worry. I'll get you the antidote, no matter what. You're my student, and I promised to protect you."
Turning back to Zell, he growled out "She's coming back with me."
"No she's not. This poison is ancient Illidan, so don't even think of trying to find the antidote. Fetch me Yami and bring him to the cave where me, you, and Shando used to camp at, and I will then release her to you, along with the cure. Fail to complete your mission and her life is forfeit." Zell stated with coldness echoing in his voice.
Finally realizing he didn't have time to argue, Illidan turned to Marie and softened his looks. "I promise I will save you, no matter what. Please, just be patient." he softly told his apprentice.
She shook her head and in a warning tone said "Don't bring Yami here. I don't want him to get hurt due to me."
"Don't worry. He won't be." Illidan replied calmly.
"I mean it! Don't bring him here Illidan! He doesn't need to get hurt due that his slave failed him…"
Hushing her, Illidan shook his head, saying "Don't worry; he won't be in any danger. For now, just try to relax and save your strength."
Tears slowly slid down her cheek as her eyes softened. Softly, she mumbled "You were right."
"Huh?" Illidan asked, unsure what she was saying.
"You were right about me going out of the palace. Look at the mess I've caused." she dejectedly said, causing more tears to slip down her cheek.
Shushing her, Illidan softly smiled and wiped away a few of the tears with his thumb. "I was too hard on you about that, and I apologize. Don't worry, I promise I will come back and save you. You know I never break a promise, right?"
Feeling slightly better, Marie lightly nodded and stopped crying. Leaning forward, Illidan embraced her and soothingly said "I will return for you. Just hang on."
Pulling back, Illidan offered a soft smile and then quickly turned around and began to run towards Stormy. As he passed Zell, he coldly growled out "This isn't over."
"I doubt it is." Zell calmly said with an evil smirk.
Continuing on, Illidan leapt onto Stormy and turned him towards the city. Giving one last fleeting glance at Marie, Illidan spurred Stormy and yelled out "YAH!"
Stormy reared up a little and immediately broke into a full gallop for the north. Glancing back one last time, Illidan silently vowed "Hang on Marie. I promised to save you, and I will keep that promise, even if it kills me."
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After nearly an hour and a half of pushing Stormy hard, Illidan finally made it back into Cairo. Slowing Stormy down to a canter, he quickly made his way for the palace. Arriving at the stables, he patted Stormy on the neck and quickly dismounted.
"Thank you Stormy." he kindly said with another pat.
Seeing a stable hand coming forward to collect Stormy, Illidan said "Please, make sure he's given extra grain and plenty of water, as well as a good wipe down."
The hand nodded, saying "Yes sir."
Running into the palace, Illidan quickly began his search for the others. He immediately found them sitting together in the courtyard, seemingly having a discussion on something. Immediately, they took notice of him running in and stopped their chat.
"Marie's been captured!" he panted out.
Yami's eyes instantly widened. "What!? How!? Who!?" he asked in a demanding voice.
Taking a deep breath, Illidan calmed himself and said "Zell captured her. I'm unsure how he did it, but he definitely has her. He had sent me a letter earlier today, pretending to be you. I knew it wasn't, but I wanted to see who had the gull to impersonate you. So, I rode out to the designated spot that he picked out."
"And!?" Yami impatiently asked.
"He asked me to help overthrow you, saying that it was my father's last wish. I told him I wouldn't harm a friend, and that you were a good Pharaoh, but he refused to hear of it. Finally, I told him if he tried anything, I'd stand by your side against him. That's when he pulled a blanket off of his horse. Marie was laying there unconscious. She came around finally when I was about to fight him, but instead of fighting me, he shot her with a blow dart full of poison."
"What kind of poison?" Shadi asked, instantly interrupting the conversation.
Pulling the dart out of his cloak, Illidan handed it to Shadi and said "This is the dart he hit her with. I've not seen nor heard of the kind of poison that he used. Whatever it is, it reeks. He said it came from some kind of creature, and that the poison was very old."
Examining the dart carefully, Shadi nodded and asked "Did he tell you anything else about it, like it's effects?"
"Yes, he said it would paralyze her body and render her Shadow Powers useless over the course of one day. At the end of the day, her body will give out due that the paralyzing agent would completely paralyze her lungs to the point she can't breath." Illidan said while trying hard to remain calm.
Turning to Yami, Shadi said "Yami, if it is alright with you, I would like to examine it and see if we have any cures in our stores, or if I can create a cure for it."
Nodding quickly, Yami replied "Yes, please hurry. Time is of the essence."
Standing, Shadi left the group quickly. Yami impatiently then asked "Is there more?"
"He told me to bring you to a location where my father, he, and I used to stay at times when we camped out. It's about a half a day's journey there." Illidan evenly said.
Looking at the ground, he added "If I don't, Marie will die from the poison. He promised to cure her if I brought you."
"Pharaoh, you cannot go." Set immediately stated.
Standing up, Yami turned away from the group and pondered what to say for a moment. After taking a few moments to think things through, he finally said "I have to go to Zell. It's the only way to save Marie."
"Not if Shadi finds the cure." Bakura injected with a small bit of hope.
Angrily turning towards Illidan, Yami roughly grabbed hold of Illidan's collar and growled out "Why didn't you protect her from Zell!?"
"I wish I could have, but it seems after our little argument this morning, she left to cool off. I don't know how Zell got her, but if I had to guess, possibly, she went out of the palace." Illidan calmly said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
Growling angrily, Yami gripped Illidan's collar tighter, yelling "You should have followed her! Or at the least, went with her!"
Lowering his eyes below his bangs, Illidan whispered "You're right…"
Moving quickly to Yami's side, Bakura interjected "There was no way to know that this would happen."
Shaking his head, Illidan miserably said "No, he's right Bakura. I took Marie on as my student, and promised to protect her. I failed today…"
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Yami let Illidan go and looked down at the ground. With dripping sadness in his voice, he said "No, you're wrong Illidan. Marie is hard headed and strong willed. If she wanted to leave the palace, she'd have found a way. It's not your fault. I'm just angry that there isn't much I can do right now."
Patting Illidan on the back, Yami added "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame you like that."
"I know, but it is my fault…"
"It's not!" Yami quickly said, cutting Illidan completely off.
"I hate to interrupt the two of you, but we need to figure out what to do about this matter." Pegasus calmly interjected.
The two calmed down and sat back down with the others. After a moment, Bakura gently said "Perhaps we should all go and attack."
"No, that wouldn't work. I believe Zell is a great deal stronger than he's letting on. I could sense tremendous power within him, but he didn't show any of it." Illidan commented.
Turning to Illidan, Yami asked "What do you think is the best course of action is then?"
Thinking for a moment, Illidan finally replied "The best choice of action I can think of is let Shadi have some time to research the poison. Maybe he'll find the cure. In the meantime, I think if time runs out, I should go alone to fight Zell."
"Unacceptable. You can't fight Zell and save Marie. Someone else has to go." Set stated.
"Zell is quite strong I believe. How strong, that I'm not sure of. Maybe even stronger than me, I don't know." Illidan calmly replied.
Silence fell upon the group for a minute before Pegasus finally asked "Wouldn't a group of three be a better idea to combat this problem?"
"Why three?" Gozaburo asked with a clueless look.
"Well, two of the group of three could fight Zell while the third tries to help Marie. Once Marie is out of harms way, the other person could rush back into the battle." Pegasus explained.
"But who are the three?" Bakura asked.
"I have to go since I know the way." Illidan stated.
"And I must go due that Zell wants me." Yami added.
The group turned to Yami, with Bakura saying "Yami, you can't go. You'd be in danger."
"I realize that, but I am second strongest of this group. Plus, Marie is my friend and personal servant. I will never abandon her." Yami remarked with sureness in his voice.
Bakura was about to argue the point when Set suddenly said "I shall go as well. Since me, Yami, and Illidan are the strongest of the group, we shall go and fight Zell."
"That's very kind of you to want to help Marie." Illidan commented with a smirk.
Growling, Set replied "I'm doing this to protect the Pharaoh, not to save Marie."
Slyly smiling, Illidan sarcastically replied "Sure you are."
Interrupting, Yami said "Anyways, we need to prepare. Illidan, how long will it take to get to the cave?"
Thinking for a moment, Illidan finally replied "If we hurry, I'd say at least twelve hours. Father and I usually took it easy, thus it took all day. But since time is important, I think we can pull it off in twelve hours, so long as we keep our horses at a gallop."
Nodding, Yami said "Alright. We will rest for a few hours for right now. I'm sure your horse is already worn out anyways Illidan, so perhaps you should get another."
"Stormy will be fine. He was bred for long trips and little rest. He'll be fine within an hour or two." Illidan quickly replied.
"Very well then. For now, let's go check on Shadi's progress. Hopefully he'll find a cure to this poison." Yami remarked.
Sighing, Illidan said "I hope so, but Zell seemed to think we wouldn't. He said the poison was ancient."
Pausing for a moment, the then grinned and said "Then again, he didn't think about bookworm Shadi researching it."
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Within a cave of Zell's choosing, Marie lay on her back on a cool flat rock. She was already noticing that parts of her body were tingling and slowly numbing. She had tried several times to call up her Shadow Powers once Zell had left her alone, but failed miserably.
"I just can't seem to focus for some reason, and without my focus, my powers are useless. Is that what Zell meant by it rendering my powers useless?"
Turning her head to look around the cave, she saw carvings of three powerful creatures in a small room across from her. They looked rather strong, with each semi resembling other carvings she had seen elsewhere. Thinking hard, she began comparing them to carvings she thought she had seen before. After a few moments, she realized they reminded her of the Egyptian Gods.
"They all look similar to the Gods, but how is that possible? I could ask, but I doubt I'd get any answers."
Her thoughts were soon interrupted when she heard someone coming into the cavern. Glancing towards the entrance of the cavern she was in, she watched Zell slowly slink in and smirk.
"Still here I see. Soon Illidan will bring me Yami, and you'll be free from that tyrant." Zell confidently boasted.
"I wouldn't count on it! Illidan will fight you till the end before he'd hand over Yami!" she snapped.
Chuckling darkly, Zell replied "I doubt he'd let his student die. His honor wouldn't allow him to lose someone that close to him. And besides, you're precious to that foolish man who calls himself Pharaoh! He would never let his whore die."
Growling loudly, Marie venomously fired back "I'm not his whore!"
"Sure you're not." Zell simply stated.
Furious, Marie tried to get up, but found her body was far number than she previously found it to be. "I can't… I can't move my body!" her mind screamed.
She then glanced at Zell and saw he was noticing that she had figured this out, and he licked his lips. "I must say, the Pharaoh does have good taste. I bet you would be rather good."
Fear fell upon Marie as she knew what Zell was thinking. This was the same fear she had felt before when the stable hands had cornered her one day, but Illidan had saved her then. Now Illidan was nowhere nearby to save her. Not even Yami was close to protect her.
Zell slowly approached her, examining her like a fine piece of meat. She struggled to regain some movement in her body, but it was so sluggish that she could hardly move at all. "Please, don't…" she whimpered out.
Completely ignoring her protest, Zell continued to move closer. Desire and lust filled his eyes and began spilling out. With his hands only a few inches from her chest, he suddenly stopped and frowned. A loud audible sigh was then given as he stood there staring at her.
Seeing his frown, Marie realized maybe he was having a conflicting thought. At long last, he backed off, muttering under his breath.
"You're lucky I don't show you what a true man is like. If not for the fact that poison would accelerate and kill you, I would take you now. But I need you alive, so be thankful." he uttered.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Marie tried to reign in her emotions. "The more I struggle, the more paralyzed I feel."
Thinking for a moment, she finally reasoned out why. "The movement, it accelerates the poison. So, if I stay calm and lay still, I should be fine, I hope."
Looking at the door which led to freedom, Marie lightly sighed. "Please Illidan, come back soon."