The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife in the last helicopter as both duelists made final preparations in silence.
The poor pilot did his best to avoid attracting their attention as he made the descent into Yami. Between being dragged into the darkness earlier in the day and having his mind controlled into landing in the wrong section just now, he was thoroughly done with magic bullshit and just wanted to head into Koya, the Wasteland section, where there were 18+ bars and he could get a good, stiff drink.
That desire wasn't helped by the darkness of the section he was landing in. Yami's floors were a deep purple and black, with speckled tile, and the lights were deliberately kept low to match the theme of the area. During the day, a holographic field projected a night sky over the area, keeping the 'carnival at night' feel at all hours. The darkness field card was home to the Spellcasters and Fiends. Machines had been grouped into the area for Hekigan, since they normally required their own field card and there hadn't been room for them elsewhere.
This allowed for things such as the horror train ride, the Underworld Railway, which swept around the section on a constant loop, only pausing at various stations for a couple of minutes to allow passengers on and off, before moving on to loop around the Magical City of Endymion, a haunted castle, and the Tower of Babel, the Tower of Terror freefall ride, without breaking theme at all.
The darkness suited both Duelists he was conveying, and as he landed next to the duel site, they were quick to emerge into the night air. Hanaq pushed past the Thief Queen, infuriated and wanting to use her demon-gifted magic to take out her anger on Ba-Khu-Ra and her vessel. She stalked past the Royal Magical Library card shop towards the black and silver marble stage where she was going to obliterate her enemy.
'Are you ready for this? Really?' Amane worried at her sister as Ba-Khu-Ra took a moment to gather herself and watched the other Item holder step past the swirling obsidian wall and into the darkly glowing circle within.
She wasn't used to going into a magical situation as the underdog. It hadn't happened in millennia. Not, in fact, since the Pharaoh had walked the world. And it wasn't a comfortable feeling.
'As ready as I can be. Are you? You know she's going to… that I'm not going to be able to protect you?'
'I know.'
Amane wasn't looking forward to it, but she wasn't going to back out. Backing down now not only gave the woman the win, but let her get one step closer to Yugi.
And Amane would never, ever, let someone hurt her reason for living. Even if it cost her everything.
"Are you coming or not?" Hanaq snapped out, causing the only member of the press that'd come to the very late-night duel between no-name opponents who were new to the circuit, to turn her head.
Ba-Khu-Ra was a relieved that the only witness to the duel was Digital Duelist's only reporter, who was messing with her equipment and frowning as they passed. It meant that Honda had followed her orders and was keeping Yugi away from the duel. She preferred to do this solo, because it meant that if she fell, there would be no witnesses to see her do so.
'No one except DD's livestream viewers.' Amane's voice trembled.
'It's ridiculous o'clock, no one is going to be watching this duel. Not when either of us have been seen dueling before now.'
The Thief Queen hoped that she was right, because this was about to be brutal.
'At least the Shadows don't normally show up on camera?' Amane offered the reminder, letting the Thief relax a little. 'So it should only be the duel they see.'
'Hopefully. Just stay in your Soul Room, if you can.'
'I'll try.'
At her sister's reassurance, Ba-Khu-Ra stepped past the wall and paused to appreciate the magical circle that glowed beneath her feet. One that reminded her of the sigils upon the magician cards that Yugi preferred.
"Scared, thief?"
"Of you? Of course not." Ba-Khu-Ra feigned a complete lack of concern as she handed her deck to Hanaq, "I'm the Queen of Thieves and I've got more power in my little toe than you'll ever have. Why would I be scared of you?"
"Because you're exhausted and we both know it. You've let yourself be dragged down by the Pharaoh and her little doll and I'm going to make you pay for it." Ishizu's wrath shot back as she handed over her own deck and shuffled.
For a heartbeat, Ba-Khu-Ra was tempted to slip the Winged Dragon of Ra out of her opponent's deck. She could easily sense its energies and could remove it without notice.
Then she sensed the Shadows shift, ready to react if she tried anything that would break the rules of the tournament she was locked in.
And the demon wasn't responding to her, so it wouldn't help if they went on the attack.
Suddenly aware that by bringing Yugi back from the other side, she had probably doomed herself to a world of pain and, possibly, annihilation, she handed the deck back, Divine Beast still within it.
The amused eyebrow raise she received as she got her own deck back, made her snarl out, "What?"
"More honourable than I expected. That's not going to save you."
"I don't need it to. I'm going to kick your ass."
At least Ba-Khu-Ra hoped she was. She'd been training with the Queen of Games for the last eight months after all. It'd taken Jonouchi much less time under the same teacher, to be ready to almost defeat Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom.
"We'll see. Won't we?"
Hanaq drew her opening hand and the Shadows flooded the field, slamming into the Thief Queen like a tidal wave. They passed through her defences and sent Amane tumbling out onto the arena floor. Before Ba-Khu-Ra could react, the darkness had swirled around her sister, dragging Amane into the air by her wrists as a wooden stake shimmered into existence behind her. The darkness at her wrists solidified into heavy chains that held her in place, as more chains solidified around her ankles, chaining her to the stake.
As a badly wounded Ishizu shimmered into existence to the side of Hanaq, chained in the same way and wood clunked into place at their feet, Ba-Khu-Ra knew what the Shadow Game was.
After all, Amane wasn't her first host to be burned at the stake.
"Don't you dare." She snarled at Hanaq, fear making her voice waver.
"Why shouldn't I? I don't need my tribute, and yours means so much to you." The demon possessed wrath smirked, hiding the fact that she'd been forced to ante Ishizu in order to be able to get at Amane. "I might as well incinerate them both. And you're not getting away unharmed yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll let you take the first turn. Maybe you can save yourself from finding out."
Ba-Khu-Ra paused mid-draw, her hands shaking in anger and fear. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by the demon as she considered her cards. She'd given it everything.
Everything!
And now it was going to let her sister's soul burn in revenge for her following through on the oath she'd made.
After all, she wouldn't have been siding with the Pharaoh during Battle City, if she'd let Yugi die.
And it wasn't even breaking the deal she'd made with it by doing so. She'd sacrificed the last of her freedom, and in exchange it'd agreed not to hurt Amane, nor force Ba-Khu-Ra or Amane to hurt themselves.
It'd never agreed to protect Amane from other Item holders.
'It doesn't matter what happens to me. Just win this duel.' Amane's words made Ba-Khu-Ra turn to face her.
'This is going to hurt and I can't do anything to shield you.' The Thief Queen warned, her heart aching for her sister, 'The Shadows and the demon won't let me.'
'I know. I don't blame you. And we're going to survive this… but if I don't? If you lose? Promise me, you'll find another host and kick this cow's ass.'
'I'm not going to lose.'
With that promise, she drew.
Relief slammed into Ba-Khu-Ra when she saw what her deck had given her.
"I set a card face down, and a card in defence mode!"
As an opening move, it was unimpressive, but her Earthbound Spirit's 2000 defence points would keep her life points safe and keep Amane from the flames.
"Make your move, bitch."
"Now now, no need for such language." Hanaq's chuckle made Ba-Khu-Ra want to punch her in the face. "Not yet, anyway."
The smirk that grew when Hanaq beheld her draw, promised pain and made Ba-Khu-Ra tense.
"I activate Necrovalley!"
The dark carnival around them vanished behind sheer stone cliffs. The glowing circle beneath their feet disappeared as the shifting sands drifted into view, piling against the walls surrounding them and burying them in a dune. The night skies above faded in reverse, from the blacks and blues of the deep night to the reds and golds of sunset, though the sun that blazed down on them provided no heat.
And no comfort.
"Welcome to the Valley of the Dead, Thief." Hanaq sneered as she set a card face down, "Your ashes will never leave this place!"
"Dragging me back to this hellhole, Tomb Keeper? You've never really been free, have you? You're still tied to the tribe you hate so much." Ba-Khu-Ra snapped back.
"I'm just finishing what the surface tribe couldn't by scattering you to the winds. And once you're gone, my family, my tribe, will finally have their freedom!"
"I won't be the one lost to the sands, I promise you that." Ba-Khu-Ra's blood boiled.
"You stand no chance against me. I'll do what the Pharaoh can't and send you and your vessel screaming to your judgment. And I'll start by activating Double Summon!"
The magic card appeared on the field, allowing Hanaq to summon twice this turn. Not that Ba-Khu-Ra was worried. There were very few level four monsters with more attack than her Earthbound Spirit's defence points.
"I summon two of my loyal Gravekeepers. The Commandant, and the Cannonholder!"
The Commandant arrived on the field first, in a cream, skirtlike, shendyt and gold breastplate underneath a black robe with blue decor. Upon his head rested a canine mask of ebony, lapis and ruby, edged in gold. He didn't hesitate stand to between his Duelist and her enemy as his 1600 attack points flashed.
The Cannonholder was less armoured and crouched on the ground, covered in a similar dark robe, with a yellow shendyt and gold grieves. He aimed his cannon, a thick wooden tube with spiked steel bracings and emerald or jade decoration down the sides, directly at the Thief Queen as the system revealed his 1400 attack points.
"Neither of your tribemates can get to me." Ba-Khu-Ra cackled, unconcerned.
"Not through your monster, no." Hanaq allowed, confusing her opponent, "But, by sacrificing my Commandant, I can start your demise!"
"Wha…"
The Commandant turned into a ball of light, which loaded itself into the cannon.
The Cannonholder didn't hesitate, firing his weaponised colleague directly at the Thief Queen. It slammed into her, knocking her back a couple of feet and ripping away 700 life points.
Ba-Khu-Ra had just enough time to activate her trap card in response before…
She suddenly found herself standing in the doorway of a dark room, lit only by the ceremonial flames burning away in the brazier, horror raging through her as her brother writhed in pain, blood running from his back, dripping from the ceremonial dias and trickled to the floor.
Fury slammed into her as her father scored another line into Marik's back using the dagger from the Millennium Rod. Her brother screamed and she didn't hesitate. Seizing one of the wooden staves by the door and slamming it into her father's back, caused him to drop the Millennium Rod.
And she seized it from the floor.
Amane's scream echoed in her mind and pain overwhelmed her senses, dragging her out of the memory and back into the duel. She wheeled around, heart beating so fast she thought it might burst, to find flames had erupted from the wood and were circling Amane's legs, stopping just below the knees.
The agony echoed in Ba-Khu-Ra's form and she took a trembling step forward, wanting to pull her sister free, no matter the cost to herself.
"Don't!"
Amane's scream made Ba-Khu-Ra freeze.
"She's right, Thief." Hanaq's vindictive chuckle made her turn and glare, "Try and pull her free and you're breaking the rules. The flames will claim her instantly."
"You... are disgusting." Ba-Khu-Ra hissed, her eyes glowing and her hands shaking, "This is far beneath anything I'd do."
"You're the reason thousands of years of my tribe suffered and died. The reason generations of leaders suffered what you just saw. I'm just repaying the agony they went through. And that's not all you'll see. By the time this duel is over, you'll have seen the worst things I've been through. Every last painful memory. And you'll know how much pain you've caused."
"You think you've been through anything? Your life was a dream compared to mine. You're about to understand exactly why I'm the monster I am." The Thief Queen snarled back, "And once you've seen my pain, I will drag every last micrometre of agony you deal to us, out of you and every single member of your family. And my trap will help with that."
She gestured towards her Destiny Board, who took form above her head. The bone Ouija board was edged in gold, while the ebony planchet drifted of its own accord, over the D.
A huge flaming D appeared above it, causing Hanaq's eyes to narrow.
"At the end of each of your turns, a new letter will be revealed." The Thief Queen crowed, "You love time limits so much? Here's one for you, you have four turns… oh wait. Only three now."
At the end of Ishizu's turn, the planchet moved again, hovering over the E, which joined the D in the sky.
'Hang in there, Sen. I won't let you go. I promise.' Ba-Khu-Ra glanced over her shoulder, her heart breaking as she beheld the sheer agony on Amane's face.
'D… Don't… worry about me.' Brown eyes shot open, trust echoing behind the fear etched on her features. 'Just win.'
The Thief Queen nodded and drew.
"I sacrifice my Earthbound Spirit, for Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
The green-skinned demon rose from the ground, his purple robes overlaid with burgundy, decorated with gold and emeralds, cackling as the hand that wasn't holding a wine glass unleashed 2450 attack points' worth of lightning upon the Cannonholder, who screeched before exploding into a million shards.
The lightning surged forward, slamming into Hanaq and ripping away 1050 life points, sending her mentally tumbling onto sand covered stone.
She rolled to her feet, drawing her dagger, which clanged against the sword of a man dressed in the uniform of the royal army, making her arms tremble. Before he could make a second swing, her six year old size allowed her to get inside his range and drive her dagger into his leg. His bellow of pain as she ripped it out satisfied something feral within her and his collapse allowed her to escape the building.
Only to find her village was in flames and her people were dying.
Diving between buildings, confusion pulsed through her. She knew Egypt was at war, but they were Egyptians, they'd been loyal to the throne even after it'd screwed them over. Why was the royal army attacking them?
A scream piercing the ash laden night air made her heart freeze.
Her mother.
She ran for the sound only to find the bodies of her mother and sister being dragged into the heavily guarded village meeting hall. There was no way she was getting in, so instead she headed for the window and peered around, only to wish she hadn't.
Everyone was there, everyone. Or their bodies at least. Within the pile stacked up at the back of the room, she recognised friends, family…
And had to watch as the blood was drained from her mother and sister and poured into a steaming, bubbling crucible of gold.
Gold that was slowly being prepared for the molds for the Millennium Items.
As Hanaq clamped her hands over her mouth to avoid screaming, agony slammed into her, ripping her from the memory. She barely glanced back at her tribute as Ishizu cried out, the flames weaving up her legs and catching the fabric of her cotton dress, too stunned by what she'd seen.
"What… was that?" She gasped out as shadowy figures swirled around the duel, their voices whispering too low to be understood, but loud enough to unbalance her.
"The birth of these bastard things most likely." Ba-Khu-Ra shook the Ring at her, her emotions surging all over the place. "You're not the only one who was betrayed. Me, my people, the souls you see now? We died because the crown wanted power and ripped it away from their own people! Our souls live in eternal torment because of them!"
Hanaq stared as the Thief Queen's voice cracked. The memory made a lie of everything Ishizu had been taught about the Millennium Items. They'd been told the items had been created to seal the darkness. That was why their abilities were the way they were. They'd been tainted by the creature they contained.
But the memory she'd received couldn't be false. The Shadows wouldn't have allowed it.
"The Pharaoh's men…"
"Not Yugi's, her ancient father's, Pharaoh Akhenemkhanon. The Nameless Pharaoh was only a few days old when I lost everything." Ba-Khu-Ra's voice levelled out. "But now you know the truth of my home, of Kul Elna, what're you going to do?"
Hanaq stared for a moment, trying to process what she had just seen.
The Millennium Items, her Item, had been created through the pain and suffering of Ba-Khu-Ra's people. That was why the Thief Queen had attacked Egypt. That was why she had caused everything…
"How did you even survive?"
Ba-Khu-Ra's stomach churned as she thought about the other survivor. A man who'd worked at the palace and had come back to find the village in ruins and her picking at scraps. He'd left her with his merchant neighbour before going to confront the palace.
And the next time she'd seen him, he'd been yet another soul warped by the darkness and sealed away.
"Spite. Mostly."
She lied, not wanting to think about him. Or about how she and Kali, the merchant's son, had ended up on the streets after Kali's father had been killed in a brawl in the market. A brawl started by city guards.
"But you see it now, don't you? We're fighting for the same thing. Family."
She wasn't wrong. Everything Hanaq had done had been for her brothers. Just as everything Ba-Khu-Ra had done was for those who had died in the flames that day.
"So, what are you going to do now you know the truth?"
"Offer a truce."
Ba-Khu-Ra paused, not expecting that answer. "What?"
"I'll end the Shadow Game, and you surrender the duel to me." Hanaq offered. "Then we go and make the Pharaoh beg for the mercy that our people were denied. Imagine it. The Pharaoh couldn't stand against us. We could draw it out for days until Yugi is nothing but a broken shell and the Pharaoh is insane with agony and grief."
Amane's mind went as still as possible, an entirely new fear flickering through her as the Thief Queen turned the offer over in her mind.
A year and a half ago, Ba-Khu-Ra wouldn't have hesitated. Even a year ago, she would have enjoyed the chance to do what was being promised.
But that was before the truth had started to emerge. Before the Pharaoh had proved to be willing to listen. Before Yugi had wormed her way into Sen's heart. Before she'd started to once more fall for the Pharaoh.
She couldn't deny that even now there was a part of her that was convinced that everything the Pharaoh's minions had told them was a lie and craved the chance to slit Yugi's throat and watch the blood spill all over the Pharaoh's precious Puzzle.
But she couldn't do it. Not just because of the oath she'd sworn to Azra, or because it would screw her people over, but because the first thing the Pharaoh had done upon properly processing the truth of Kul Elna had been promise to make things as right as she could. To make a miracle happen so Ba-Khu-Ra's people could get their afterlife.
And this time, Ba-Khu-Ra knew she meant it. Knew that there was no reason for her to hold back or lie about it.
Besides...
"You really think I'm that dumb?" The Thief Queen asked, "That I don't see your true colours? You'll keep me around as long as you need me and then once we're done torturing Yugi out of existence, you'll turn on me next. Then it'll be this all over again."
The scowl on Hanaq's face told her that she was right.
"So no, I'd rather go it alone."
Hanaq was disappointed, but not surprised. As vengeful as the Thief was, she also wasn't stupid.
It was better this was anyway. Working with Ba-Khu-Ra would be betraying her brothers. It would make a mockery of the suffering Marik went through every single day because of the scarring on his back.
And if she took the power of the Demon Thief for herself, she could punish her for her part in her family's torment and still make the Pharaoh scream for mercy before the end.
"So," Ba-Khu-Ra challenged as relief bubbled through the bond from her sister, "What are you going to do now?"
"What am I going to do?" Hanaq asked, fury at the Pharaoh intensified by this new discovery. "I'm going to finish the job the Pharaoh's men started and feed the last of Kul Elna to the Shadows. Then I'm going to tear the Pharaoh and her doll into a million pieces in memory of everyone who's suffered. Your people and mine."
Ba-Khu-Ra's stance shifted as she raised her Duel Disk again, ready to fight. "You can try."
"Oh, don't worry, I don't have to try." Hanaq drew, "I play Polymerization, fusing my Heretic and my Spiritualist, to form this…"
The sight of the Heretic made Bakura grind her teeth together. It was a male form but it looked so much like her, that it being called 'Heretic' was infuriating. Not that it stayed on the field long as it and the Spiritualist, a female Gravekeeper , were caught in a swirling miasma.
The miasma dragged them down, then spun up into a humanoid form that solidified into a white haired, furious looking young man draped in gold and jewels. His teal robes were decorated with streaks of gold, while his golden stave, whose head was shaped like the sun aimed was aimed at the Thief Queen.
"My Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist gains 100 attack points for each level their tributes had." Hanaq explained as his bright blue eyes glared at his enemy, "In this case, he gains 800 attack points, taking him up to 2800."
The jewels on the staff glowed and the Supernaturalist smirked.
"And I'll use his ability to pull a Gravekeeper to my hand." She flashed the Gravekeeper's Assailant at Ba-Khu-Ra, "Before finally…"
She didn't need to tell him what to do. He launched a burst of dark magic at the Dark Ruler, who slammed into Ba-Khu-Ra sending her crashing into the wall before shattering.
Not that Ba-Khu-Ra saw it.
Instead, she was staring up at an Egyptian male, whose expression was both sad and relieved, upon the Eiffel Tower as her heart crumbled into ashes, broken by the betrayal of one of the only people left in this world she trusted.
"All you have to do is come back with me and you'll be able to stay with them."
The man, Omori, the memory informed her, offered his hand. She wanted to believe she could trust him, but she knew she couldn't.
"Or, they can lose you forever. Your choice."
"Wh… what?" Her voice trembled as she forced herself to her feet, only for Omori to try and pin her against the fencing that stopped a nasty fall from happening.
"I love you, Ishizu, but I can't let you keep roaming. And I certainly can't let you keep the Rod." He hissed in her ear, "So either you come with me, or…"
He tried to take the Millennium Rod from her.
And she slammed her heel on his toes. He cried out, drawing attention and allowing her to dart for the emergency stairs, not wanting to risk waiting for the elevator.
Omori was on her before she'd gone more than a flight of stairs, wrapping his arms around her and lifting.
Terrified and furious about him trying to chuck her over the edge, she grabbed onto his arm and rolled, unleashing a burst of magic that sent him tumbling over the railings and falling down, down, down…
Pain overwhelmed her as he dropped out of sight, sending her crashing to her knees and yanking her from the memory.
As the flames rolled up her sister's form, settling just above her waist, the agony echoed over the bond, overwhelming Amane's attempt to shield their soul bond. The Thief Queen's world faded in and out and both girls bit their cheeks hard enough to draw blood to prevent crying out as their life points dropped by another 350.
As they settled on 2950, matching Hanaq's total and the planchet slid along the Destiny Board, Ba-Khu-Ra forced herself to her feet.
The memories meant nothing to her. Nothing, so far, had been her fault and everything had been because the Tomb Keepers had gone nuts. Something she wasn't actually responsible for. She'd been nowhere near Egypt during the Second World War, when the Ishtars had taken over and put the current rules in. She'd been living it up in the Americas, running a prohibition-breaking speakeasy and loving life.
But the flames that were consuming Amane weren't just leaving horrific burns on her sister's soul, they were consuming the half of the Thief Queen that included the Khat, the physical body. With every moment, more of it burned away.
And as it burned, Ba-Khu-Ra faded away.
