The Eye of Horus
Neferi: I'm updating faster due to two events: one, it's my b-day! And two, I start school this Friday.
Tara: So she's excited, yet down since she doesn't want to go to school.
Neferi: Oh well, those are the laws of life. Here's the disclaimer: I don't own YGO but I do own Tara Kasuki and the Horus Items.
Chapter fourteen: Running Away
Tara and Yami walked down the corridor silently and made their way to the elevator. Tara pushed the button to go down and both waited patiently.
"How far are we from the temple?" Yami asked, breaking the tense silence.
"If my calculations are correct, not much" Tara answered as she crossed her arms and tapped the floor with her left foot, impatient.
A bell was heard, indicating the elevator was there. The doors opened and Tara stifled a shriek. Odion was inside the elevator, accompanied by two Rare Hunters. As soon as he saw them, he narrowed his eyes.
"It's you" he said, looking at Yami and Tara.
"We better go now, buh-bye!" Tara waved as she took Yami's hand.
Then they both ran off down the path they had taken a few moments ago.
"Follow them!" ordered Odion.
The two Rare Hunters ran behind Tara and Yami as Odion hurried himself to Yami Marik's room. He needed to know their prey had been located.
"And exactly where are you planning to get out of here? I don't see any stairs or elevator" Yami asked as he ran beside Tara, followed closely by the two Rare Hunters.
"Using the emergency stairs" Tara retorted as they neared the end of the corridor "They're at our right at the end of this corridor".
"You mean that closed door?" Yami asked, looking ahead of himself, referring to a door painted in gray at his right a few feet away.
"Yes I mean that door" Tara answered "And if we want to get out of here in one piece we better hurry up".
Suddenly Tara's left leg was grabbed and she fell forward. Her arms deadened the pain that would have occurred on her chest caused by the fall but still, they ached.
'Oww!' she thought as she tried to recover herself from the fall.
Then she was dragged away by the Rare Hunter who had made her fall.
"You will regret that!" she exclaimed, clearly pissed by what had happened to her.
She managed to turn around and kick the Rare Hunter in the chin with her free leg. The Rare Hunter fell on his butt in the floor as he clutched his chin in pain. Tara stood up and dusted herself off.
"Don't mess with me when I'm in the middle of something, it gets on my nerves" she told the Rare Hunter.
As she turned around to see where was Yami she noticed he was standing by the other Rare Hunter, whom was lying on the floor. She guessed he had mind crushed him and she found out she was correct on her supposition.
"He was going to stab you on your back" Yami told her as she reunited with him.
"Thank you" Tara retorted gratefully.
They heard a door open a few meters away from them and Yami Marik emerged from the room. Tara narrowed her eyes.
'He was staying in the room next to ours?!' she thought, a shiver running down her spine.
"Hello Tara, it's been a long time since we've last seen each other, hasn't it?" Yami Marik smiled wickedly as he looked at the priestess.
"Hopefully it will be our last meeting in this world" she murmured as she gazed at him seriously.
"What did you say? I couldn't hear you, why don't you come a little closer?" Yami Marik raised his Rod, which he held in his right hand, and pointed at Tara with it.
The girl suddenly stiffened and levitated in the air.
"Marik leave Tara alone!" Yami ordered as the girl tried to move in vain.
"Pharaoh, do you have any idea of the knowledge this girl possesses? She has the secret to finding the Horus Items, the hidden Items you created and made her keeper of" Yami Marik retorted, as he smirked evilly "And I'm planning to use them to rule the world!".
'There is only one thing I can do to try and release myself from his Rod's power' Tara thought as she closed her eyes 'But if I do it, then he would realize I hold in my power one of the Horus Items'.
"Now come to me my lovely priestess, I will treat you the way you deserve" he then laughed evilly as the girl levitated towards him.
'It's the fate of the world we're talking about, I cannot let myself be captured by that maniac' Tara thought.
Suddenly Yami Marik was thrown against a wall as a golden aura of energy surrounded him. Yami had a hand stretched towards him as the Millenium Symbol flashed on his forehead. He was using his powers.
"Release Tara" he ordered.
"Now, now, Pharaoh, you are not playing by your honorable rules" Yami Marik commented, as he smirked at the former Pharaoh.
"In cases like this I find playing like this part of my rules" Yami retorted "Now release Tara this moment".
"If you don't release me Pharaoh, I will make her pay" Yami Marik said, as he glanced at Tara.
Suddenly Tara gasped and opened her eyes. She was finding it hard to breathe.
"What are you doing?" Yami asked alarmed, as he looked at Tara with eyes narrowed.
"Simple, she is having trouble breathing, if you want her alive then you will release me" Yami Marik retorted as he smiled evilly "Is either her life or my capture, what will you choose?".
The girl's face was turning red because of the need of air. Yami glanced at her, unsure of what to do.
-We must let Marik go, otherwise he will kill Tara for sure!- Yugi exclaimed through his and Yami's mind link.
-But he needs her, why would he kill her?- Yami retorted.
-I don't want to test your theory Yami so please just release him, for Tara's sake!- Yugi replied, his voice revealing how worried he was for his friend.
"What will you choose Pharaoh? I suggest for you to hurry up, I don't think she will stand much longer" Yami Marik stated, still smiling evilly.
Yami then felt a faint power coming from the girl near him and cast a glance at her. She had her eyes closed but her Chain was glimmering faintly. Suddenly Yami Marik's Millenium Rod was sent flying away some meters far from him. Tara was released from the power of the Item, and she fell onto the floor gasping for air.
"What is the meaning of this?" Yami Marik said, his eyes narrowed.
"I have freed myself from your grasp Yami Marik, using the power of my Horus Chain" Tara told him as she sat down on the floor, a hand on her chest as she breathed heavily.
"You possess a Horus Item?" Yami Marik said.
"You didn't suspect it? Do you think that the keeper would be left vulnerable when she was taking care of something that contained much power?" Tara retorted as she stood up slowly. "You must have known that I had to carry something around that allowed me to protect such Items in case of an emergency as well as myself".
"So you have been using your Chain to evade all the attempts made by my other self to capture you?" Yami Marik retorted, still attached to the wall.
"Yes I have" Tara answered "Now we must leave before your minions come after us".
She turned to Yami and motioned him to follow her. He quickly released Yami Marik and ran along with Tara. She opened the door to the stairs and both ran down hurriedly.
A group of Rare Hunters appeared after Yami Marik had been released and he gave strict orders "Follow them and don't let them escape, kill the boy and leave the woman alive".
The Rare Hunters spread and tried to find Tara and Yami.
Meanwhile, the two of them had walked outside behind the inn. They had looked around, making sure nobody had seen them and made their way silently to the stable, where their horses were waiting.
"Nobody's in here" Tara whispered to Yami as she peeked from the two closed doors made out of wood.
Yami nodded and both entered the stable as swiftly and silently as they could. Then they walked further ahead, searching for their horses.
"We found you!" said a Rare Hunter walking out from behind a white mare, holding a knife.
Five Rare Hunters also appeared and surrounded them.
"Come with us and we promise we won't hurt any of you" the same Rare Hunter said, as they all approached Tara and Yami.
"Save that stuff for someone who believes you, we're not of that kind" Tara retorted as she prepared herself to fight.
"Do you think you can fight all by yourself against us?" a tall Rare Hunter said as he stopped a few feet away from Tara.
"Actually, I'm not by myself, my partner is also going to help me" Tara replied as she glanced over her right shoulder at Yami, who was standing back to back with her.
"That's right" Yami said as he glared at the Rare Hunter who had spoken first.
"I pity you two, so young and so innocent" said the tall Rare Hunter "That's why I'm letting you two take something that's around here to battle us".
Tara looked around and her eyes landed on a bucket made out of metal.
'That shall do for the time being' she thought.
"I'll use this bucket" she said as she picked it up from beside the white mare.
"A bucket will not help you girl" the tall Rare Hunter retorted.
"It will do me just fine" Tara said as she walked back over to Yami "But if you don't believe me then why don't we test it?".
"Sure thing" said the Rare Hunter with the knife.
'This is easy, the bucket is for the guy with the knife, the others we can deal with ease' Tara thought.
The Rare Hunter with the knife made his advance towards Yami only to see a bucket coming at him, which knocked him out cold. Yami kicked the knife away from them, making sure the others wouldn't try to use it.
"And now to finish this" Tara smiled as she looked at the Rare Hunter "I told you the bucket would serve me just well".
"You will regret that little one" said the Rare Hunter.
Before they could advance towards the two of them, Tara tapped into the powers of her Chain and sent them flying to the walls of the stable.
"Now that we are done here let's escape, shall we?" Tara said looking at Yami.
"Of course" the former Pharaoh smirked as they kept on searching for their horses.
They found them drinking some water in a nearby compartment. After getting their horses ready, they mounted them and decided to part. As they neared the doors of the stable Yami Marik appeared out of nowhere in front of them. Tara and Yami quickly pulled the reins of their horses to make them halt before they crashed into him.
"You will not escape so easily" Yami Marik said as he pointed at Tara with his Rod and smirked wickedly.
Yami looked around quickly and saw a way for them to get out.
'The windows are big enough for a horse to fit, maybe we can escape using them' he thought.
He quickly made his horse run towards the window at his left and Tara followed, not knowing what her friend was thinking.
"Where do you think you are going Tara?" asked Yami Marik as Yami jumped out of the window.
"Out from here!" she told him as her horse jumped out of the window before Yami Marik could use his Rod on her.
"I think your horse changed his mind" he smirked as he tapped into the powers of him Millenium Item.
Tara's horse halted so abruptly that she was almost thrown off of it, had she not kept a tight hold on the reins and had not her legs been tightly keeping hold on the horse. Instantly many Rare Hunters surrounded her as Yami Marik made his way towards her.
"If you are thinking on using that Chain again I'm afraid you won't, if you do then this woman shall meet her doom" Yami Marik spoke as Odion appeared beside him keeping a young woman captive.
The woman was sobbing uncontrollably as Tara looked down at her.
"Leave the woman out of this, she has nothing to do with this!" Tara demanded.
"Well she has now, her life depends on you" Yami Marik smirked evilly "Dismount your horse and I shall let her go".
Tara let out a sigh and dismounted her horse, hoping he would keep his promise. Later she found out she had been foolish in believing his word.
"Good girl, now give me your Chain" Yami Marik said.
"You said you would let her go" Tara said looking at the woman.
"If I have your Chain then yes" Yami Marik retorted "So what say you?".
Tara clutched her ankh pendant and pulling it the Chain came off her neck.
'Oh Horus, please send me some aid' she pleaded as she looked at the dark sky and clutched her Chain in her left hand tightly.
Suddenly Yami appeared out of nowhere riding his horse and picked the woman up, setting her in front of him on the horse using his left hand, and with his right he pulled Tara up and she mounted behind him. Then he rode off at top speed.
"Sorry Marik, today is not the day when you get your dirty hands on the Horus Chain" Yami said as he looked over his left shoulder back at him.
He turned on a corner before the yami could use his Millenium Rod on them and kept on riding.
"Follow them!" Yami Marik ordered.
Some Rare Hunters came out of the stable riding their horses and followed Yami.
"You will not escape from me again Tara, I assure you" Yami Marik said as he watched his Rare Hunters turn on the corner Yami had taken.
Meanwhile, Yami had left the woman safely in a house and kept on riding.
"Ride east" Tara told him as she held on to his waist.
The former Pharaoh nodded as he rode out of the village. Tara looked over her left shoulder to find the Rare Hunters riding far behind them.
"We're being followed" she said as she looked ahead of themselves.
A small oasis was there, which gave an idea to both.
"It seems the gods are on our side" Yami smirked.
"Yes, indeed" Tara smiled as they rode towards it, the Rare Hunters following.
When they entered the oasis, they waited for the Rare Hunters to approach it, hidden between the palm trees and reeds.
"Here they come" Tara told him as she heard the cry of a horse.
"And here we go" Yami said.
As the Rare Hunters entered the oasis they rode away. Tara looked over her shoulder yet again to see if the Rare Hunters were behind them. But they were not.
"I'm guessing they will have a hard time getting to the other side of the oasis" she said as she looked over Yami's right shoulder ahead.
"By the time they do it, we will be out of view" Yami retorted.
Tara rested her head on Yami's back, as the cold breeze of the night caressed her face. She sighed softly and smiled.
'We got away this time but, what about the next? Will we be able to do so?' Tara thought as the moonlight illuminated the cold desert 'I sure hope so'.
Neferi: End of chappie!
Tara: So tell us, what do you think about the persecution?
Neferi: Please review and keep reading!