A Spiritual Matter Part II

The Pharaoh and Mayet came out of the blimp and looked around.

'Téa and Ishizu met here,' Mayet said.

'But where have they gone?' the Pharaoh asked.

'I don't know…' Mayet frowned. 'There's too much interference in the air. They're still around but I can't feel where they are.'

The Pharaoh scowled and looked around.

This was a fine mess.

YGO

Malik paced atop of the duel tower.

'I must discover what happened up here today.' He looked around. 'When the two Egyptian Gods clashed, something was released.' Malik pulled out the Millennium Rod and looked down at it. 'The force created by these two behemoths caused my Millennium Rod to activate. According to the Pharaoh, he and Kaiba were shown a vision of the past. But what did they see? And why is my Millennium Item serving anyone but me?! Only I should control the Millennium Rod.' He glared at it. 'I command you to obey me now! Hear me?! Show me the ancient images that you showed the Pharaoh and Kaiba!'

But the Millennium Rod did nothing.

Malik growled in anger. Then he pitched the Millennium Rod. It clattered on the ground and then rolled until…it alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone.

'You should be more careful with this.' The girl that travelled with the Pharaoh and his servant leaned down and picked up the Millennium Rod.

'Pardon me?' Malik asked, confused. He quickly recovered though. 'Hand over that item! You are meddling with forces beyond your control.' He began to walk over. 'Return it!'

The Millennium Rod flashed in her hand and Malik found himself blown back.

He landed hard on the ground and then pushed himself up. 'What's going on?' he demanded. 'No one can use the Millennium Rod but me!'

YGO

The Pharaoh's Millennium Puzzle suddenly flashed.

What's the deal with the Puzzle? Yugi asked. It's glowing.

I have a strange feeling that we're linking into the Millennium Rod. The Pharaoh lifted it and he and Mayet looked at it. They immediately saw Téa's face projected on it, blank and vacant. The Pharaoh frowned. Part of it was in confusion.

'We don't make Yugi and Sharee look like that,' he remarked to his right hand.

'That's because we're actually compatible to their vessels,' Mayet responded. She put a hand on the Puzzle and then looked up. 'There! They're on top of the duel tower!'

The Pharaoh and Mayet took off running.

YGO

Malik was almost amused, even as Marik backed him up from within the Pharaoh's friend. 'So you left a piece of your mind inside this girl? How sad.'

'Yes,' Marik said through her. 'And it's my responsibility to stop you.'

'Is that so?' Malik sneered. 'Don't you realise that you don't exist anymore, Marik? I occupy your body now.'

'I know,' Marik said, 'and I've returned to reclaim it from you.'

'I'm afraid you're too weak now. Marik, I'm the real you and you're nothing but a small piece of my memory – thanks to Odion.' Malik watched Marik stumble in that moment. He decided to twist the knife. 'Because of his accident, I was able to emerge again.'

The boy lowered his eyes and Malik seized the girl's arm. He threw her. 'I told you that you were too weak!' The Millennium Rod dropped from her hand and Malik scooped it up.

Marik managed to keep the girl's footing and spin her around to face him.

Malik turned the Millennium Rod on him. 'Sorry, Marik. But it's time for me to banish what's left of you into the Shadows where you belong!' He advanced on them.

Marik looked over the girl's shoulder to the sheer drop to the ground below.

'I'm afraid there's no where left for you to run now,' Malik said.

Marik looked back at him. 'You won't get away with this!'

Malik chuckled and pressed the end of the Rod to the girl's throat and pushed. 'You're in no position to make threats.'

Marik grabbed the barrier in an attempt to keep from being pushed over the edge.

'I drove you out once,' Malik said. 'Now it's time to finish the job.' He chuckled.

In the next moment, though, Marik sprung up and did a handstand on the barrier. He then sprung off the barrier right over Malik's head. That was not something Marik knew how to do. But…both the Pharaoh and his servant had acquired skills and knowledge from being inside the minds of their vessels – as evidence by their ability to speak modern tongues and their understanding of modern technology. It was entirely possible Marik had done the same thing in the girl's head.

Malik spun around to where he'd landed. 'You're just prolonging your demise! Goodbye!' He thrust the Millennium Rod out and blew back Marik as Marik had done to him.

'You're nothing without Odion to protect you,' Malik declared. 'It's time to end our little game. You'll never meddle in my affairs again!' He raised the Millennium Rod. The eye began to glow. 'It's over!' He laughed.

'Stop this at once!'

Malik was so stunned…the power of the Millennium Rod was cut off.

Ishizu stood in the doorway leading onto the area.

'Stay out of this, Ishizu!' Malik growled.

But Ishizu stepped onto the field and walked around to physically protect her brother from him.

'This doesn't concern you!' Malik insisted. 'Then again, I could banish you both.'

'Begone,' Ishizu said. 'You're not my brother.'

'Sister,' Marik murmured. 'It's too late!'

Ishizu turned around. 'What?'

'I have grown weak, Ishizu,' Marik said. 'Stop him, but forget me…'

Téa passed out on the ground.

'Marik!' Ishizu called. 'Get up!'

'I'm the only Marik now,' Malik said.

Ishizu spun back around.

'I occupy his body, Ishizu. Now it's time for you to go!' Malik raised the Millennium Rod again. 'Prepare to reunite with your brother, in eternal darkness.' He chuckled and the eye on the Rod began to glow. 'I'm going to enjoy this immensely.'

'Hold on!' a strong-sounding and familiar voice barked.

Malik froze.

Ishizu turned and the golden glow of the Millennium Puzzle preceded both the Pharaoh and his servant stepped up onto the field.

'Look at this!' Malik sneered. 'I'm quite popular today.'

'All right,' the Pharaoh said. 'This has gone far enough, Marik!'

YGO

'Ah, welcome, Pharaoh,' Malik sneered.

Ishizu quickly stepped aside for the Egyptian King.

Mayet paused by Téa and leaned down to check her pulse. With a sigh, she straightened up and remarked. 'I'll need to have a word to that boy later.'

Malik ignored it though. 'Our battle will begin sooner than I thought.'

The eye glowed on the Pharaoh's forehead and his Millennium Puzzle lit up. Malik raised his Millennium Rod, this time aiming at the Pharaoh. Mayet wasn't sure what, exactly, manner of duel was talking place but the sky grew dark and both of them engaged. If Malik had thought he'd have an easy victory over the Pharaoh, he quickly found he was sorely mistaken.

From the outside, Mayet could only feel the faintest echoes of the power being flung between the two combatants. And all she could note was that Malik was significantly weaker than he projected himself out to be. In a straight fight, the Pharaoh would easily overpower him – and that was exactly what was happening. And he was realising it as the battle wore on.

From the outside, it looked like a stand-off. Apart from the darkening sky, there were no outward indicators of what was going on. The Pharaoh's expression remained stoic and unchanged. But Malik was another matter entirely. Malik was the only one giving any signs of how the battle was going: not in his favour.

Malik ground his teeth, and then, suddenly, drew back. 'On second thought, I don't want to end this just yet.' He made his way off the top of the tower. 'That would be too easy, Pharaoh.'

The Pharaoh turned his head.

Malik stopped next to him and turned to look at him. 'And I have something more fun in mind.' He chuckled. 'So, until then, good day. When we next meet, your power will be mine!'

YGO

Malik brushed through the doorway with a flourish.

The Pharaoh watched him go, before he turned to check on Téa. Already, Ishizu and Mayet were knelt down over her.

What's Téa doing up here? Yugi asked with alarm.

'Mayet?' the Pharaoh asked.

'Marik's been split down the middle,' Mayet answered. 'The part we've been seeing are the darker bits, born from his childhood isolation and the traditions imposed upon him in the name of waiting for your return. The purer half of him, though, seems to have secured himself inside Téa's mind.'

'I'm afraid so,' Ishizu agreed. 'And he just tried to reclaim his body back.'

The Pharaoh sighed in irritation and knelt down.

'She's all right,' Mayet said. 'He wasn't in there long enough to do any significant damage.'

The Pharaoh nodded and knelt down to take a look himself.

Ishizu looked at them. 'What do you mean?'

Mayet lifted her head. 'There's a reason we had to wait five millennia for these vessels. If we were to try and do this with vessels that were incompatible…well, it would be rather like getting a transfusion with the wrong blood type. We'd make the body sick. I'm not surprised Marik doesn't know; it's very specialised information.'

'I suspect we only know because we were advised as such by the court sorcerer,' the Pharaoh added. 'There's a reason Téa looked so strange when Marik was possessing her.'

Ishizu looked concerned. 'That would…rather explain a lot. How does the illness of an incompatible spirit progress?'

'For starters she'll have one ugly headache when she wakes up,' Mayet said. 'The next phase would be spontaneous bleeding inside the body, which often results in coughing up or regurgitating blood. You begin to lose both energy and weight. Then you develop organ failure.' She frowned. 'As you could figure, death soon follows.'

Ishizu winced.

'But, as I said, he hasn't been within Téa anywhere near long enough for more than the headache,' Mayet added. 'As long as he doesn't go back in, she should be fine.'

'If that is the case,' Ishizu said, 'I have a feeling he still lives within Téa's mind. But, soon, he could be gone forever! So…I have a favour to beg.'

AN: Once again, I am NOT accepting requests for any artworks or commissions.