January 7th 2011: I know it's been a while again, but Happy New Year. Hope all the readers keep enjoying it.

End of Chapter 28:

Nicoles face bent to look and was prepared to say something else when the tazer got her square in the cheek and Kagome pressed the button for dear life. The woman's form immediately started shaking and fell down out of even the puppetmasters control as it writhed. Kagome tazed Nicole's body three more times until it seemed to fall unconscious and then pulled herself out from under the bed and glanced around, there wasn't much else she could really use as a weapon in the room so she kept her grasp on the tazer and when Nicole started to push herself up kicked her in the stomach, then broke a vase over her head. Hoping she'd stay down that time she poked her head out to find that the guards were unconscious but seemed to be breathing.

She turned the corner to face a dirty silver haired boy with spikes that smirked at her and settled a rod in front of her eyes just before she could reach him with her own weapon.

Chapter 29: Displeased Damsel

It was the most horrible near hit of her life.

She was so close, she'd nearly gotten the tazer to the man and stopped him, then that damn rod had pulsed it's energy and her body had frozen stiff. He eyes narrowed though, it wasn't like last time, he'd immediately knocked her out and taken her over, where she could only watch from the sidelines, as if outside herself. She was still aware of being in at least enough control not to move from her position holding her weapon in place, willing to strike, but unable.

"How many times have I held a position similar to this, wanting to do anything from loosing my arrow, protecting my companions instead of harming them. Now I'm here and I want to leap forward but I'm held back."

Her weapon was more modern than a bow and arrow, and a tazer tended to leave people helpless in a shivering ball of pain as opposed to causing puncture wounds, but the general feel of the situation was painfully close to other times people had exerted influence over her mind.

"She's fighting it." Marik thought with surprise, eyes widening just a little as he made the realization. "She's actually holding control against the Millinium Rod."

"You won't win." He stated smoothly, increasing the pressure of the items power against the girl. "It's an amusing, but ultimately worthless struggle. You'll bow to me, and I'll use your body to kill the Kaiba boys this time, both of them. No more silly games, his god card won't need to be won from him if he's lying in a pool of his own blood will they."

She started to see less of the world, black curling into the edges of her vision in a slow misty cloud, wiping away her control steadily, until he finished what he was saying.

"Cards." The word boiled her blood. He wanted to kill Kaiba and his brother, a young child, over a few, albeit rare, pieces of paper? The anger had always helped her control her power, her vision started to clear again, pushing the dark mists at the sides of her eyes more swiftly than they had come and she took a small step toward him, though it wasn't enough to get him with the tazer yet.

"Dammit woman, I'll destroy your entire mind if I must." He cursed, pressing the rod closer to her, when it touched her forehead it was like an explosion went off in her brain, pain curled through every inch of her body, the fire spreading instantly from her mind to every other pore of her being, it was as if he'd poured acid into her veins and each pump of her heart was only going to help disintegrate her very being. Her head ached, and she had the vague wonder if he had perhaps shoved the rod into her skull, it sure felt as if it was being cracked open.

Still, she knew she couldn't give in, if she gave in, she'd be trapped again, and watching him while he used her to kill the man she loved, his family...she couldn't do it. She still remembered when he'd forced her to play that game, the horrible feeling that there was something much worse just beneath the surface. There was something more to all this, something sinister beneath the surface, that would take him away.

"Just give in you fool girl, you'll die and then I'll just kill him myself, I'll even use your body as the bait." He laughed darkly, and her vision was blurry but it didn't have the dark mist just yet, she could barely make out that he was sweating, using the items power was draining on him as well.

She had to hold on though, Nicole was gone, her assassin as well, Bakura had been arrested, Marik was all that was left standing between them and having as normal of a life as a billionaire and once time traveling priestess could possess. There would probably be others, but none like this, this sort of power, the pain...it was nearly unbearable. Yet, she still stood, unmoving and with blurred vision, but neither was she giving in.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

"Dammit..." Kaiba repeated as he drove around traffic, unconcerned of an accident. His reflexes had always been amazing, and he had to hurry.

He'd gotten to the school only to find out that Mokuba was happy to see him and didn't have any idea what he was talking about as to being in trouble. It had been a ploy to get him away from the building, he wasn't sure why but he just knew that Kagome was in danger.

Mokuba he'd left concerned in the school hallway, he had his own guard that didn't appear to be infiltrated, the only time he'd spared was to tell the boy to head to one of the cities safe-houses but not tell anyone but Roland where. Roland hadn't been around the city much until the last day or so, he was hoping that no one would have had a chance to get to the loyal servant of the family, one of what seemed to be very few.

He drove with a passion, and ignored the siren that started behind him, the cop cars wouldn't be able to keep up with his own modified vehicle and even if they did then at least they'd be there to help him with whatever possibly awaited at home.

"Dammit, I'm stupid." He muttered again.

Just because he'd caught her, he figured he could leave her to wander the house? Even with a personal guard there, he should have known it would put Kagome into danger somehow. She didn't seem able to do much without getting herself into trouble.

He grit his teeth and drove.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

She focused on thoughts of Kaiba, there were no better thoughts to keep her mind off the pain. The way he tugged her over to him now, held her as if he possessed her and no other would lay a finger on her without vengeance. Even now, even when he wasn't there to stop this man from attempting to violate her mind, she knew if he were Marik would be dead already. She would have smiled a bit if her body could have managed it, in all of this short, strange, but surreal relationship he'd always been quick to protect her. That's always how it was, people were protecting her, she was always the one people had to put themselves in danger to look out for.

She remembered their time together, in more than innocent ways, the night they'd embraced each other completely and without regret, becoming a single person for one small moment. It helped her clear her vision a bit more, how could she just now be learning how to have a lover and allow this despicable boy to take it away from them.

The pain was so incredible, she wanted to cry out, to give in, but she knew she couldn't let herself do that. Even if the promise of unconsciousness was incredibly sweet, even if it lulled her with a false promise of the pain ending...

"Sometimes we need to weep to help seal our wounds." Kaiba's voice whispered to her. "You don't have to be strong or alone all the time Kagome…I've told you I'm here to help you…feel free to cry on my shoulder whenever you need it."

His whisper was there, in her mind, clear as the day she'd confessed her past to him, when she'd been on the verge of sobbing, when they'd been at their worst but had gotten past it moments and he'd supported her even if he might silently consider her claims madness. Even if he wasn't there now, she could cry on his shoulder when she'd gotten past this, when she'd made Marik relent, his will wasn't stronger than hers.

Even if it was painful, she had to press forward, she couldn't do that to Kaiba again.

The first day she met him, rushing through the rain, that then so seemed to define her existence, the first time she'd tripped and bounced off of him. He'd been so cold, with disdain openly written across his face for her bumbling into him, what a fateful stumble that had been. That he'd reminded her of Sesshomaru, the frigid demon brother of Inuyasha, but while he might seem so cool on the outside she learned before long he was much more kind than he'd ever let on to anyone else.

He'd agreed to help the shrine, even if it was for his little brother, it showed that he was actually human and not just the ice statue he'd erected for everyone else. Eventually they just fell into place, she'd been shot, but he'd protected her, saved her with the blood he'd given for her. She'd been drugged, chased, possessed, and he'd put up with all of it and still looked at her more softly than she'd seen him look at anyone.

He'd saved her, he was a genius billionaire but he'd picked her, he'd stood by her, protected her, he'd been there to catch her whenever she fell. What worth could she ever be to him if she was only ever a damsel in distress? One grew quite frustrated with needing to be protected after a while.

"I love you too." Kaiba's voice had been joking at the time, not serious.

Still, she'd barely known him long, but she knew him better than she knew most. He knew her better than almost anyone ever could, he'd saved and protected her. He'd been her first kiss, her first lover, and she'd never even gotten to confess her feelings to him. She wasn't even certain herself of just how deeply they ran before that moment. A tear ran down her cheek, the thought of never being able to tell him how she felt somehow muffled the rest of the pain wracking her body. She pushed back against the influence, even thought it threatened to rip her mind to shreds.

"I'm tired of..." Her first few words were barely a whisper, but it was quiet enough that the shocked Marik heard them from his close proximity. He couldn't move out of the way before she snapped his control, her powers flaring as the rod shattered into several pieces in his hand. "...being a target."

He didn't get a chance to respond, the tazer hit his chest and she pushed the button, his body falling into wracked seizures from the electricity curling through his body.

End Chapter

Sorry for the delay, the holidays and vacation both kept me fairly busy. This is my first updated fiction of the new year though! These two deserve a happy ending and I'll get there.

-Aura

To my reviewers: Thanks all of you for the support.

XquizitSimplicity - Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad I could inspire someone else to write fiction for a couple I like. Whenever I finish trying to taz my muse into letting me finish this I should read yours.

Kage Otome - I like the non-litteral eye-popping. I did enjoy tazing Nicole, it was fun to write it.

Bloodcherry - I want a tazer too, have for a while, the hubby won't get me one, he's afraid I'll use it on him.

Diane - Yes, I'm trying to work on my sense/since issues, I've had them for years though so it's a difficult process.

amutoperson564 - Thanks for the compliments, it makes me happy you like my fic so much. Sorry for the delay but I am sticking with it! And well, I just have a personal love of cliffies, it's mean to my readers but I can't help it, it's like an addiction.

Ethorin - His hair always seemed a silvery color to me, so for the purposes of my fiction, it's silver.