Author's Note: Well, well, well, here we are at last! The penultimate chapter! I'm sorry its taken me so long, I've been working on my next story 'stalemate' so that I can get the first chapter out quickly when this story is finished! I hope to see you all there! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and appologise once again for keeping you in suspense! Now onward! Until we reach oh I don't know...146 reviews?

Chapter 15

Mask of Darkness

-:FLIP: Select a Trap Card from your Graveyard and return it to your hand.:-

The temperature had dropped. Before it had been cold, but now it was subzero. A frozen draft blew from nowhere and in the complete silence that dominated the area only a single sound could be heard. Drip, drip, drip…it was constant, steady, never ending in its monotony. Inside his glass box Yugi was getting worse. He sat, his arms wrapped around his knees that were drawn up to his chest, slowly rocking himself backward and forward, trying to focus on something other than the noise. The constant dripping, the endlessly regular sound of death. Because no matter how much he tried to forget it, he knew that was what it was. The dripping, blood on the shadow realm floor. The macabre frieze was still there on the other side of the glass, but now it had frozen, fading into black and white, like an old photograph. Now there was just the noise as a constant reminder. The noise of royal, Egyptian blood slipping off cold, unforgiving steel. Yugi shivered, hugging himself tighter. Everything was fading away now, there was only him, the cold, and the noise. Now he couldn't even place names to some of the pale, lifeless faces that floated around him. He was forgetting everything, sacrificing parts of his mind to save his soul. All hope was gone. He couldn't work out how long he'd been there, but it felt like it could have been forever. No-one was coming to rescue him, now it was all about prolonging the inevitable. He knew that he was going to die. The question was when.

----

Yami's heart was racing in his chest. He could feel adrenaline pumping through his system, but something was holding him back. Something else was running through his blood stream. Fear. Fear wasn't something the Pharaoh was familiar with, and so it took him a moment to identify it. What was he afraid of? It wasn't death after all he had died before. Injury? No, he had never feared that previously, instead rushing in and risking life and limb to save others. So what had he to be afraid of? He had everything to win and relatively little to loose. He had gambled with his soul before that was not something he had to be scared of. After all, he was king of games and he never lost…unable to identify the reason for his fear Yami hid it away at the back of his mind and bent, pulling the knives in front of him out of the earth. He wiped them on his trousers and took a deep sigh before leaning his weight back onto right foot and positioning his hands into a defensive stance, one knife ready to block attacks on his face, and one prepared for attacks on his stomach and chest.

"Alright." He said at last, looking his opponent in the eye. "Now its just you an me. Lets settle this."

"Indeed." Ieb grinned, spinning one of the knives in his hands up into the air and catching again carefully. "Finally, I shall beat you at something Pharaoh, and it will cost you everything you hold dear." Yami was about to reply when he noticed that Ieb had tensed his muscles, ready for an attack. "You read well." Ieb smirked and then out of no-where gave the cry to begin. "Mkhai!" Ieb leapt forwards, and a duel of a different kind began.

Knives flashed in pools of moonlight as Ieb sprang forward to attack his opponent. Immediately Yami brought up his right knife to block the attack from Ieb's left and then shifted his weight to dodge the right. Ieb growled and settled back to a semi defensive stance. Yami frowned, suddenly he was in an impossible position. He had to win to get back Yugi's soul and he had to win fast. However he couldn't attack Ieb with everything his had in the risk of harming Yugi's body. But how could this be? Shadow games such as this judged the souls of the players, so how could the odds be so stacked against him?

"So you've figured it out have you?" Ieb grinned as he shifted his weight to his front foot. "You can't win. So its time for you to loose!" Suddenly they were fighting, the sound of steel on cold steel rang out in the woods and pants of exertion rhythmically punctuated the crashes. Sweat dripped from Yami's forehead as he blocked another attack and then, as carefully as he could, launched his own assault. Ieb jumped aside with ease. "You can't afford to walk on eggshells Pharaoh," Ieb lunged in again and Yami was hard pushed to raise his guard in time, the force of the attack pushing him to the ground. With a grunt of exertion he quickly pulled himself back up, but not quite quickly enough to avoid Ieb's next slice at him, which he narrowly escaped but earned a torn shirt for.

"You won't get me that easily." The Pharaoh growled, determination renewed.

"Really?" Ieb asked, lunging in again toward Yami's stomach only to be met with defensive crossed blades. "It looks to me as if that last one was a little closer than even you could be comfortable with Pharaoh!" Ieb laughed in his crazed, unhinged way and blocked another of Yami's half-hearted attacks. "Now why don't we stop fooling ourselves? Be a good boy and let your guard down, you may as well, I can see you getting tired." Yami growled.

"I won't be patronized by you!" Ieb just smiled and once again drew himself up for an attack.

The fight raged on, each spirit determined to have revenge on the other, tongues almost as sharp as the blades. As Yami continued to duel with Ieb he got angrier and angrier. He knew it was wrong, that he should be controlling his temper, but he couldn't help it. Ieb was so annoyingly calm and precise, always knowing where the Pharaoh's next thrust or parry would be. That and Yami was getting tired, though he was fit he was still human, Ieb seemed to have sense of pain at all and was working Yugi's body to its limit. In a last ditch attempt Yami roared and threw himself forward again, all of his anger for the circumstances channelled into his attack. Ieb laughed, sidestepped and let Yami tumble to the floor. Immediately Ieb was on top of him, Yami mentally cursed. He had just thrown it all away in one moment of rage. Yugi had always told him to avoid anger at all costs. How ironic that now due to ignoring Yugi's own advise Yami would loose him forever.

"So Yami, King of Games." Ieb smiled and licked the tip of one of the blades, careful not to draw blood. "Ready to loose everything? Your pride, your life, your soul and your best friend?" Yami internally cursed and desperately tried to pull one of his knives toward him with the tips of his fingers. If only he hadn't let go of them when he'd fallen. "Good." Ieb's eyes flashed with unadulterated malice as he plunged the blades downwards with all of the force he could muster. Down toward the chest of the man that had ruined his life past and present. Revenge tasted good.

Everything happened as if in slow motion. Yami watched as death roared toward him in the form of cold steel. It was all over. He would never see Yugi again, his soul would be lost and his light would be doomed to everlasting torture in the shadow realm. This was it. Yami raised his eyes to look into what had once been Yugi's own. He almost let out a rueful laugh. He was about to be killed by Yugi's own hand. How is aibou would have hated that. In vain the Pharaoh struggled to pull the closest dagger into his hand, his fingers scraping hopelessly at the pommel. The blades were inches away, and then everything happened at once. Two blades clanged together, then a scream rang out in agony. Steel slid cleanly through flesh with little resistance. Yami's eyes widened and he let out a gasp, suddenly weak and shaky, his vision blurring. Blood was everywhere, on Ieb, on Yami, on the ground, on the knife. Ieb grinned wickedly, his eyes dancing but glazed. Black danced at the edges of Yami's vision but he pulled himself back from the brink. There were so many colours. Red, black, blue, green, crimson, white, silver, navy, cream. Then there it was, for the last time that he would ever see it; Amethyst.

Reviewer's Section

Yami Yuugi: Ah... /relieved sigh/ I'm glad you liked it! I guess I was worried because it was the most 'original' chapter, you know, the one furthest from canon. Either way, I hope you liked this chapter too and sorry for keeping you waiting! Only one more (and an epilogue) to go now!

gowb: mwahahaha! Yugi! Quick, pout as well, that'll get 'em /Yugi pouts as well as Puppy eyes/ Pweeese? Pwetty pweese? I want to read your fics damn it, they can't be that bad! Lol, anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you liked this one as well! Only the last chapter and an epilogue to go now! I'm excited!

dragonlady222: Oooh...I am so tempted to answer your last question but I would be counteracting the cliffie! So I can't! However, I'm glad you can sympathise with both counterparts of the betrayal. I have love for both of them after all /Ruffles Yami's hair and huggles Ieb/ too bad one of them has left us for good in this chapter...

Masami Mistress of Fire: Lol! Yay! You updated /runs off to read/ I hope you liked this chapter...and as for Yugi don't worry he's showing up again imminently!

Cactus Bob: Woohoo! Two more meals to go! Does that mean a main course and a desert? lol As to Ieb...I have to agree...poor sweet maniac that he is, you can't help but love him really can you XD Mmm...BBQ pork... /drools for a few minutes/ anywho...sugar highs are fun! Hope you liked this chapter and see you next one!

Coco Gash Niccals/Grabs Ieb and hugs him Because you're awesome and we all love you/Yami rolls his eyes but says nothing/ Anyways, don't worry about Yugi, we have other things to sort! We need some dwarves or something don't we... /looks to Yami with a grin/ You know Pharaoh sweetie, you're quite short...and Ieb...you're Yugi's height... /Both Yami and Ieb look at each other and pale at the idea/ Oh now come on...it is for Gash! (Hope you liked the chapter! Only 1 more and an epilogue to go!)

Yami Val: Ah! Has Yugi been saved? Has Yami met with his end? You'll have to wait and see! I'm glad you found the previous chapter informative, it was supposed to fill in most of the gaps in the plot. And I have to agree with your analysis of Ieb, you're right, he's totally crackers, but that's ok, it is one of indearing traits...right...? But of course you have to take into consideration that he has spent 5,000 years in self-imposed exile in the shadow realm no less...I think actually he's a lot saner than he could have been... O.o Lol, hope you liked this chapter, we're almost finished now!

Yimi Makuya: So you're a happy ending fan are you? Unfortunately at this point in the game I can't give you any answers on that, but as to who will win...we are on the cusp of finding out!

cheekyeyes: I put Yugi in this chapter especially for you! Not much actually happens, but that's not what it's all about now is it? Lol, I never actually knew about that 'seven levels of hell' thing, but thanks for telling me, really interesting! Looks like Yami's had it then doesn't it XD ! Now then, to the idea of proving dear Ieb wrong... first off actually he said "You try finding Ancient Egypt on a map." and I see your point, but actually the boarders of Egypt have changed since the time of Ancient Egypt, so the two areas are slightly different. Modern Egypt incorperates what was in ancient times 'Nubia' Nubia no longer exists as an independant country but rather as a part of modern Egypt. So, actually you would be quite hard pushed to find Egypt as it was all those years ago, on a map /winks/

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Only two more to go guys! I'm getting sentimental! You'd all better read my next fic you know, otherwise I'll miss you!

Trikki