Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Thoughts

"Speech"

Chapter 27

Atem ran forward with his childhood friends tried to keep up. Yugi, please stay safe, he prayed. He still had to apologize profusely for what he did that day. The bruise was staring to form on Yugi's face, and there was going to be a scar from the wound above his brow. Atem flinched as he recalled watching Yugi fly down the stairs. He was enraged by the words he said that he didn't care as much as he usually would. He should have been the first person by his side asking if he was okay, and making sure he got help. But inside, he allowed himself to marry someone who was currently taking over his palace and kingdom, and for her to manipulate him like that. He was turned against his own friends, and the one person he ever loved.

How did he come to marry Runihura in the first place? How did it come to be she was ahead of Yugi? Atem tried so hard to answer these questions but a hand on his arm stopped him. He halted, and just in time too, for a blade came swinging down right in front of him. He his own sword came up above it and the assassin's body collapsed into the shadows from which he came. Atem looked gratefully at Mahad, who returned his tired smile.

"Where's Yugi now," Mana asked the elder woman. Isis looked at her.

"In the throne room, facing Runihura," she answered. Atem looked at his friends.

"Thank you Isis. You can leave now if you wish." Isis smiled and nodded.

"I will be there the battle is won," she said. Then, she was gone. Mahad stared after her and sighed.

"We need to reach Yugi now," he said.

If they had found him at that moment, they would have stayed hidden. Better to hear the conversation taking place.

"Why do you do this," Yugi asked. Runihura held up her hand.

"Uh-uh. We haven't finished what we started in the hallway," she giggled. Yugi frowned, but rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you want to continue? You're the one I can't forgive," Yugi growled out. Runihura's smile dimmed a little. "I have no idea what you did to him to make him trust you and marry you, but I will never forgive you for it. You manipulated him! You used him! You stole him from me and in doing so he became someone unbelievable! Never in my life would I ever have believed Atem wanted those things. He would have never made those laws. He loved the people and the people loved him. You took him from me for your own gain and for what? Have you any idea what you'll be doing if you succeed?"

Runihura stayed silent, her smirk now a grimace. "I don't want nor need your forgiveness, slave. You want to know what I did to that boy you look like? I'll tell you. When he rode out into the country as Pharaoh, my family waited until he was with us. Then we drugged his food. As he slept, we performed a ceremony that took months to prepare for. We would have used that Bakura fool, but your lover destroyed him and his monster."

"Atem had no choice. Bakura was set on destroying the city and the kingdom for something Aknadin did. The Pharaoh had no idea what happened until afterwards," Yugi protested.

"Yes, we know that. That doesn't change the fact Bakura would have been the ideal subject. But your king worked just fine. I was able to destroy the kingdom little by little using him. We brainwashed him, among other things, so he was loyal to me and thought I was his true love. He would do anything for me… Originally, the experiment was to make him forget everyone close to him, lose contact with them, but…"

"You didn't foresee anything that powerful. You didn't count on anything like me," Yugi guessed with a smirk. Runihura scowled.

"Yes, with you in the equation, it did make things difficult, but he did marry me after all."

"He never forgot what we had," Yugi countered. Runihura scowled.

Outside the battle raged. Seto and Kisara were doing their best in keeping the soldiers away from the citizens as they escaped. The army was escorting the panicking people as much as they could.

"This isn't going to last for long," Seto breathed as one of his spirit monsters disappeared. Kisara held onto her lover as he regained his strength. Then they were surrounded.

"Seto," Kisara asked, scared. Seto just growled. A shadow whizzed by and blood shot out from the newly formed wound on Seto's shoulder. Kisara's eye went wide in shock before her whole face went dark.

"How dare you touch Seto," she growled. Her form started changing and she was surrounded by light.

"Kisara," Seto yelled.

Back inside, Atem and Mana were running to the throne room. Mahad left them, saying there was something he needed to do, and went running after Isis. Now the two could see the throne room and heard voices and clashes within.

They peeked in and saw Runihura attack Yugi with her dagger. Yugi blocked it with a spear he grabbed from a nearby statue.

I could have had this kingdom in the palm of my hand if not for you," Runihura screeched. She ran at Yugi again.

"You're crazy if you think I'd just let you have it," Yugi countered.

"You don't have to let me have it, you just have to die!" Clash, swipe, thud. Her blade embedded itself into the chair as Yugi dodged it.

"You are mistaken if you think my death will solve your problem. It will only make matters worse for you." Runihura glared at him, then slid her skirt back and grabbed her other blade. Yugi dodged the swipe she took and ran down the stairs.

"Let's test out that theory shall we," she yelled. Yugi stopped to face her but just her blade came down, it made contact with another blade. Yugi stared at the back of his "twin". A hand grasped his and he looked at Mana.

"Yugi, are you alright," asked the deeper voice of his counterpart. Yugi nodded with an affirmative sound. Mana smiled.

"Good. Now what are to do?" Runihura started laughing. Everyone looked at her.

"Thank you for making this easier for me," she stated before slicing open Atem's side. Mana and Yugi cried out in shock while Atem fell to the floor. Runihura raced out, leaving them behind. Yugi glared at the door she exited and picked up Atem's sword.

"Where are you going," Mana asked, grabbing his wrist.

"Someone needs to stop her Mana. If you have a spell to stop the bleeding, use it. If not, find Isis as fast as you can." That said, Yugi left the room. But as he disappeared, Mana heard him say, "I'm not risking my life just to have him die." She smiled. Some things never change.

Yugi raced up the stairs he saw blood spatters on and kept following. As the blood drops became bigger and closer together, he slowed. One little noise sounded to his left and he ducked, just as a sword came swinging as his head.

"Persistent little bastard, aren't ya," Runihura mused. Yugi nodded.

"And you're a conniving evil bitch," he stated. Her eyes narrowed before sighing. She shrugged.

"Given the situation, I have to agree," she replied as she thrusted her blade at him. Yugi dodged and put his sword between his body and her sword.

As the battle went on, the two were oblivious to the toils outside.

Seto could do nothing but watch as Kisara ripped apart the enemy, the kingdom's soldiers wisely staying out of her way. But when he saw the stone, it was too late.

Mahad raced back into the city after accomplishing his task from the desert. Isis saw him come in.

"I knew, I saw it."

The only thing he could say to her was sorry.

Mana dragged Atem through the corridors, yelling Isis's name, his side bleeding, leaving a nice red trail of their path.

People were being torn apart by the enemy, soldiers dying.

All two people could hear were their own heavy breathing and the clashing of their blades.

Yugi pushed Runihura up the stairs and she did her best to push back, but Yugi had more training in this art than she had. She went up and up, and before she knew it, she was standing on a balcony, watching her sword fall to the ground.

"I warned you," Yugi growled.

"Yes, yes you did. How about we make a deal, huh? I give you half the kingdom, and more than half the riches. Team up with me and we could be unstoppable," she bargained, watching his eyes. His sword lowered, but the hatred and darkness in his eyes did not wither.

"I warned you that if touched this kingdom with anything but the hand of a loving queen, you would answer to me."

Runihura swallowed then made a decision. Yugi glared, and she knew he would never kill her. He would hold her there until the soldiers came to take her to the dungeons. Never.

"This plan wasn't allowed to fail," she whispered. Yugi's eyes went wide as he took in what she said. Before he could grab her, Runihura fell off the balcony. She landed on the ground in front Mana, who just got his Majesty out of the palace, and on her way to Isis.

The head of the snake maybe cut, but this seemed to be more of a spider. The head maybe gone, but the legs still twitched. Runihura's army still attacked, but slowly fell one by one as Mahad and Isis attacked.

Yugi stood up on the balcony, watching everything below. He didn't know what to do but decided to try one thing. He ran back down the stairs, through endless corridors, and appeared outside once more, looking over the city.

"STOP!"

Gradually, his words reached everyone's ears, people stopped. They looked up at the small, pale boy with the tri-coloured hair. Mana stopped and looked up at her friend as Isis noticed her and Atem and rushed over. Mahad's changed form stopped his assault but was ready for another attack. All the soldiers stopped, feeling weaker as if…

"You're mistress is dead," Yugi's voice rang out, and the enemy looked at each other. That was why they seemed weaker and were getting slaughtered. Their opponents became stronger and they lost their magical back-up.

"Is there still a reason for blood to be shed?" Atem stood up gingerly, leaning upon Mana for support. Isis watched the smaller boy as Mahad stood his ground.

"You have no reason to be killing anyone. Shadowed Assassins is a patchwork family, used for hired jobs. Your employer is no longer alive." Some of the assassins lowered their weapons as he spoke. Mahad calmed down and lowered his.

Up above, Yugi saw this and took a deep breath, hand tightly presses against the wound Runihura gave him on the stairs. Sure his body was riddled with cuts, gashes, bruises and whatnot, but this one he didn't think he'd survive through.

"Please, stop killing." All weapons were thrown to the ground and Seto slowly stood up, Kisara helping him. The stone behind them was shattered in thousands of pieces.

Mahad smiled in his Dark Magician form at the bravery and strength of his young friend.

Isis and Mana helped Atem back into the palace where she could better treat him. All around the city, people started picking themselves up as the Shadowed Assassins disappeared. Yugi watched, surprised it actually worked. He hadn't expected the enemy to quit, but they did. As curious as it was, it still made him happy. With that being done, Yugi collapsed where he stood.

Strong arms held him before he fell. "That's a nasty wound. Think you'll make it," came a deep and gruff voice. Yugi smiled and shook his head.

"I don't think so. It's been bleeding for a while and me running all the way here from the farthest balcony did not make matters better."

"I see," Rashidi spoke as he lifted Yugi up and carried back down to ground level. "That was quite the speech you gave. The kingdom would be much better off with you leading it." Yugi laughed.

"Perhaps, but it is Atem's birthright and duty, so he is the only one to lead."

Now it was Rashidi's turn to laugh. "That may be true, but that is not what I meant. You lead it together with him. The city was noticeably livelier when you two were with each other. Peaceful," he finished.

"Really," Yugi mumbled. He was getting weaker from loss of blood. Rashidi could feel his skin getting colder and picked up the pace.

"Yugi, you are not allowed to die after everything that occurred. People still need you."

Yugi's brain slowly dragged the words in as he closed his fading amethyst eyes.

Mahad stood by Isis as she checked over the Pharaoh. Mana watched worriedly.

"Mana, stop staring, it's annoying," Atem growled. Mana smiled apologetically and turned her gaze out the door. She gasped and everyone followed her eyes. Seto walked in, arm around a very worn out Kisara.

He gently laid his lover down on the floor next a window. "I nearly lost her," was all he whispered. Mahad laid a hand on his friend and that was when Seto noticed. "Mahad, what in the name of Ra happened to you?"

Mahad shrugged. "Just a back-up plan for emergencies," he answered casually. Isis rolled her eyes.

"Some back-up plan," Seto replied. Everyone laughed, but Atem and Kisara soon broke out into coughs and groans.

It was then Rashidi came down with Yugi. Atem took one look at his paler-than-usual lover and told Isis in a stern, no-room-for-objections voice, "Leave me be and look after him."

As he was laid down, Yugi opened his weak eyes and saw Atem. He smiled tiredly as Atem took his hand. "I'm glad you're okay," he said.

"Shut up Yugi." Silence ensued for a moment.

"Atem?"

"Yes Yugi?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." After that last word, Yugi closed his eyes and succumbed to the darkness.