Anime: Throw stones at terrible me. I accept them because I deserve them. I am so awful, aren't I? So, let me get stoned.

Jaden: *throws a stone at me*

Hikaru: Is she dead?

Chazz: Unfortunately, she's not.

Shun: Eh, welcome to the one year anniversary of this fic. Man, a year? There's not a lot here, even though it's been a year.

Anime: *sudden recovery* I'm so sorry, guys. Really, I am. It's just that I've had no inspiration for this fic and contemplated abandoning it. After a while, I decided not to. So, here we are! The one year anniversary of Dueling Legend. To the chapter!

~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~

"Talking" – regular communication

Talking - thinking

'Talking' – Duel Spirits communication

'Talking' – Duel Spirits telepathic communication

~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~

8: The Sands of Egypt

Ace left me in the forest alone, laughing at how I would soon join the darkness. I didn't want that. I didn't want to join the very thing I had vowed to destroy. It was so ironic, the way I was suffering like this. Someone up there must really hate me.

I touched the accursed bracelet and tried to remove it again. As usual, it didn't yield and I fell back on the hard ground, tears of frustration threatening to appear. I gave out a loud scream, knowing that no one would hear me, no matter how hard I screamed. I was trapped and my own body was my prison.

"You only have five days until that happens. When the darkness finally spreads throughout your body, you'll become a servant of my Master. Shun Sakaki will be no more. You'll be one of us. Forever."

"Never!" I screamed, sitting up and pulling at my hair. My arm began to throb, the darkness continuing to spread. I had to stop it! I couldn't go down like this! I refused to go down like this!

"Then don't give up, Shun. Show him that you won't give up."

My eyes widened, momentarily stunned. That was the voice of the Phoenix King! Where was he? I couldn't see him. Was he speaking to me through telepathy? If so, how was he doing that? I looked around, just in case. No Phoenix King, just several trees that offered me protection from the rest of the world.

"How do I do that? This thing," I touched the bracelet, glaring at it, "is not gonna come off anytime soon and I don't know if anyone can remove it. Not only that but this thing will make sure the darkness consumes me to the point where I won't even know who I am!"

I felt really stupid, shouting at a voice that was only in my head. If anyone saw me now, they'd certainly think I was insane. I knew that I might be insane. I was bound to crack at one point. What person would willingly suffer through what I have? If they wanted to trade, I'd gladly hand over my style of life in exchange for a normal one.

A normal life . . . that possibility seemed so far out of my reach. As soon as I realized I was a Spirit Duelist and learned of my gift, I never thought about the possibility of a normal life. Everyone who could see spirits – Jaden, Jesse, Aster, Chazz, Hikaru and many others – was bound to never live a normal life. That was our fate. There was no way to avoid it.

"Whenever there is a will, there is a way, Shun. You have the will to fight this darkness; all you have to do is make your own way."

I had to give him credit. The Phoenix King, no matter how old he looked, sounded as wise as an ancient sage. He was also a little inspiring. He reminded me a lot to Yugi. He could cheer me up or motivate me with just a couple of words. Did they have some kind of class for that? If so, I would love to join it so I could, somehow, inspire those who needed my help.

"Find a way? How?" I asked, half-mumbling the question.

"We cannot face the present and we cannot look towards the future without remembering the past. You are at a disadvantage because you cannot remember the past while the enemy does."

I sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. But how will I remember . . .?"

"Then allow me to show you a fragment of the past."

For the second time today, I felt my world turn dark. This time, though, I didn't pass out because of my powers. This time, I was going to remember something of the past. Maybe, with this information, I will know a little bit more of the Phoenix King and the Master Ace listens to.

The first thing I noticed when I felt myself appear in the memory was that it looked vaguely familiar. With a jolt, I realized why: the hot sun, the clear skies, the sandy desert, the people and how they were dressed. I had seen this place before, when I was younger.

I'm in Egypt! I'm in ancient Egypt!

I began to float down from where I had been hovering but I stopped floating down when I was five feet from the ground. I began listening to the conversations that the people were making in the rowdy marketplace. With this, I was able to gather exactly where I was and what was going on during this era.

Apparently, the reason the royal palace and the city surrounding it was alive today with sound was for the celebration of Prince Atem's twelfth birthday, the son and heir of Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen. The ancient Nameless Pharaoh, my mind thought when I had first head the name of the prince. My astral-self began to fly to the direction of the palace and I passed through the large golden gates. Inside the royal palace, several people from distant lands had come to give the prince of Egypt something for his birthday.

I landed on the ground and looked around, making sure that no one would pass through my body. I felt a dark aura nearby and the bracelet around my wrist caused me a bit of discomfort. I grunted and held it and turned towards the source of the dark aura, eventually seeing the one who was emitting.

Amongst those giving gifts was the one who had the dark aura: a wealthy man named Kek – in accordance to the gossip – and his only son Akiiki. Kek was a tall and intimidating man with bronzed skin, wearing black robes that covered most of his body. Most of his face was covered as well, only showing ruby eyes to those who approached him. I wouldn't like to mess with him. He seems like the kind of guy that likes the suffering of others.

His son Akiiki was the same age as the pharaoh – a woman told someone who had decided to listen to her gossip – and he wore white robes instead of black like his father. He had the same color of skin as his father and most of the people from Egypt. He had short black hair and striking light green eyes, smiling at many of the people. He was more approachable than his father Kek, that was for sure. I had no idea why I felt that his presence felt so familiar.

"Atem looks bored," Akiiki told his father, looking at the royal who looked tired and unamused at the proceedings, a hand resting under his hand. I stared at him for a moment, noticing the similarities between him and Yugi, before turning to the duo. Kek was giving his son a stern look and Akiiki gulped, eyes widening.

"That's Prince Atem, Akiiki," He told his son with a cold voice, "Respect him for he will be the future pharaoh. . . Unfortunately. . ."

"I think he'd make a great pharaoh!" Akiiki said with a grin that was filled with child-like innocence that, for a moment, I envied, "I met Mahad and he told me that he was a good person! He'd grow wiser as he grows up, too! And he's a lot like our current pharaoh and-."

"Silence, Akiiki." Kek told his son, glaring at him with unknown malice. More of the dark aura coming from him surrounded the room and I shivered, holding the bracelet that was shaking in my wrist. This man had so much darkness surrounding him that I knew that he wasn't one I'd like to become enemies with.

Akiiki looked down, eyes saddened, "Yes, Father. . ."

Kek turned to the Pharaoh and glared. I took in a sharp intake of breath when suddenly I could hear exactly what he was thinking: He hated the royal family and wanted to destroy them. He knew what had happened at Kul Elna – images of dying people filled my mind – and, since then, had grown to hate them. The Millennium Items were creations of darkness, a power he had grown to control. He was already teaching Akiiki the power of the shadows so he could rule by his side. It was a shame that his only child was extremely competent only using white magic.

"Make way!" A messenger yelled. Everyone turned to him and Kek nudged Akiiki, a sign for him to pay attention. His son nodded, his brilliant green eyes focusing on the messenger. The messenger ran through my astral-body – not a very nice experience, thank you very much – and knelt down in front of the Pharaoh, "My Pharaoh, Jahi has arrived!"

Kek raised an eyebrow and the people in the room began to mutter amongst themselves. Judging by their whispers, Jahi must be a powerful man in Egypt; however, he lived rather far, according to the woman that I was close to. Was the celebration of Prince Atem that important to bring him here? This celebration was becoming interesting now, I noted. Then again, it had never been boring.

Akhenamkhanen nodded, "Give him passage, then."

All of the occupants turned to see a man come in, followed by four men carrying a large litter vehicle. It was bright red and the golden veils covered what was inside. Even so, I could feel great power coming from the compartment. What was in there? What had Jahi gotten? The man in front of the procession stopped in front of the Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen and bowed. He was wearing simple white robes that hid most of his hair, the way most people were. He had bronzed skin and light brown eyes, along with a black beard. This was obviously Jahi.

He smiled as he stood, "My pharaoh, it is good to see you alive and well. I heard that Prince Atem was turning twelve this day and decided to give him a gift. It is a gift to you as well, Pharaoh."

"What do you think it is?" I heard Akiiki ask his father, tugging at his dark robes, "Whatever it is, it's enormous! Do you think they are more jewels? If so, Atem has plenty of those." Kek was silent, staring intently at the litter vehicle. Could he also sense the great power coming from that thing?

By Atem's side, a young, bronzed skin brunette – A girl named Mana that, I noted, bore a striking resemblance to the Dark Magician Girl – turned to him, her eyes gazing at her royal friend. She whispered, as to not disturb the eerie silence of the royal chamber, "He's got a rather big gift for you. What do you think it is, my prince?"

Atem wondered that too, gazing at the large box the men had come in carrying, his ruby gaze seemingly staring straight at whatever was on the other side. What exactly was inside that thing? It seemed that that question was prominent on the minds of all those who had gathered for Atem's birthday.

Jahi nodded at his men, who slowly set down the litter vehicle. A guard opened the door and Jahi grinned, "Fire boy, come out, will you? The pharaoh and the prince want to see you."

That definitely peaked my interest. After all, I was seeing the memory of the Phoenix King. It would be no good to not see the Phoenix King himself in this memory. I clenched my fists in anticipation, ignoring everyone else in this room. I had to know if it was him in that cart.

Everyone watched the veil move and a pale white hand came out, gripping the sides of the cart. A person emerged, wearing a white veil and white robes. The male's face couldn't be seen but his feet and hands, pale in color, could. Judging by the small build and stature, it was obviously a child.

"What is the meaning of this?" Akhenaden, the brother of Akhenamkhanen asked, looking between the child and Jahi. His eyes revealed his surprise and shock, having a hard time keeping his gaze away from the "fire boy". With good reason, as the amount of power he was emanating was enormous.

"Whatever do you mean?" Jahi smirked slyly, walking towards the little boy in white. Dressed in that attire, the boy seemed to be something holy, like one of the gods from the heavens. I don't know if I should consider the Phoenix King a god, though. A powerful spirit but not a god, right?

"The soul of this child is like none other. His spirit seems to be infused with that of a creature. It's as this boy in front of me is a creature!" Akhenaden pointed at the child, who whimpered and seemed to want to become smaller, "Not only that but I've never such power coming from within someone so young!"

"Indeed!" Jahi boomed, his voice traveling throughout the whole chamber, "This child is a gift from the Egyptian Gods themselves! He has powers beyond that of a normal human! Not only that but I saw when the child appeared in front of one of the sacred temples of Horus!"

I heard Akiiki gasp before turning to Kek, his eyes wide with surprise as he took in the information, "Father, did you hear? He appeared in the temple of Horus! Is he truly one of our gods as Jahi claims he is?"

Kek narrowed his eyes, looking at the child. Again, I could hear his thoughts: He felt an immense amount of light coming from him. He sensed no darkness within his soul. He had a pure soul. Ah, so Kek could sense more than just the power of the Phoenix King. He could tell that his soul was light or dark.

"He came down from the heavens with these grand and majestic wings. They were about this size," Jahi stretched his arms apart and I admitted that they did sound large, "and the feathers were golden-red while most of its primary wings were blue! If you don't believe me, ask the child to show you."

Atem stood up from his seat and approached the child, passing through my astral-body to so. His father tried to reach out to grab him but missed as Atem nimbly avoided his grasp, "Atem! Don't go near that child."

Atem stopped in front of the child, gazing at him with startling ruby-colored eyes. He smiled, trying to be friendly with the small child who looked so afraid, "Hello there. My name is Atem; what's yours?" I slightly shivered. Atem sounded a little like Yugi when he had been younger. How many similarities did these two share?

The boy looked up, mouth agape in surprise, "You . . . are Atem?" His voice was soft but it sounded ancient, as if he had seen and heard everything. The voice was laced with power as well and I felt myself approaching the two males.

Atem nodded, "Yes, that's me. Who are you?"

"I . . . I am the destroyer of evil, bringer of light and justice. I stand by the side of those who are righteous and I fight by the side of those who protect the weak and innocent," He spoke in a voice that sounded too old for his body, "I am the Phoenix King. My powers rest with the Pharaohs of Egypt."

The Phoenix Child began to glow and a white light surrounded him and Atem. A gust of a powerful wind knocked off the veil that concealed his face, allowing for people to see his face. Due to the bright light, however, no one could see how he looked like or what was happening to him and Atem. Hell, even I covered my eyes slightly so I wouldn't be blinded by this light.

"Prince Atem!" Akiiki yelled, sounding mildly distressed. I felt his small body run through my astral-body – that was really uncomfortable. I should start avoiding these people – and I knew he was running towards the light.

Kek's voice sounded equally distressed as he yelled, "Akiiki, no!"

After a while, the light dwindled down and no one was blinded by the brilliant flash that had been as bright as the sun itself. Kek and several others – including myself – were surprised at the scene in front of them. I had never seen anything like this, after all.

The child's face was visible. He had ivory skin, spiky black hair with most of his hair having red tips while the tips of his bangs were golden at the tips. He had violet-blue eyes, a hue that they all thought as odd and peculiar. He also had unleashed his wings and Jahi had not exaggerated the majestic sight. The feathers were golden-red while most of its primary wings were blue, just as he had said.

Atem was standing in front of him, looking extremely surprised and impressed on what the boy had done. Akiiki was on the ground, looking extremely lost. The eyes of both Atem and Akiiki's were brighter than usual, as if they were giving out their own kind of light. That was a little creepy, to say the least.

"Akiiki?" Kek asked, shaking his son's shoulder as soon as he reached his son's side, kneeling on the ground. His son did not respond, gazing at Atem and the Phoenix King. It almost seemed as if he wasn't there mentally. Kek didn't seem to like to see his son like this; Akiiki being quiet wasn't something normal. Even I felt uncomfortable upon seeing such a quiet Akiiki.

The child known as the Phoenix King turned to them, gazing at Akiiki, looking surprised and a little worried over the boy's condition, "Oh dear, it seems he's also bound by the contract."

"Contract?" Akhenamkhanen asked.

The Phoenix King turned to him, looking wise and powerful despite the fact that he was in the form of a child, "Yes, the contract. I have bound myself to the future pharaoh of Egypt, Atem, to serve him when danger is near. My limitless powers are in his hands now."

"Limitless?" Akhenaden questioned.

The Phoenix King nodded, "He has also been given some of my power to assist him when that time comes. It seems that this other boy, Akiiki, has control over me and my power and has been bestowed some of my powers as well."

"Su. . ." Akiiki muttered, the glazed look in his eyes disappearing. However, his eyes still seemed to radiate their own light. Su? What is he trying to say? Are those the first two letters of the name of the Phoenix King? Well, I had a lead on his name now, I thought with a smile.

The Phoenix King narrowed his eyes slightly, "He seems to know too much."

Kek helped his son up, the boy's legs looking as if they were going to fail him at any moment. He leaned towards his father and, after a moment, his eyes stopped radiating its own light.

"Akiiki," Kek said and enveloped his son in a hug. I frowned, as that display of affection wasn't something I expected from Kek. Suddenly, the aura of darkness turned darker and Kek smirked, his eyes filled with malice. Whispering, he told his child, "you are my pride. . ."

~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~

I woke up and blinked when I noticed I had a wet cloth resting on my head. I sat up and immediately noticed someone sitting down next to me. For a brief moment, I thought it was Hikaru but, after making a double take, I realized it was the Ra Yellow Roka Iwo.

"You're awake at last." Roka said, his eyes briefly staring at my wrist where I could feel the cursed bracelet. I groaned and was about to ask him a question when he beat me to it, "I saw you and Miyamoto coming over here and I followed. It was a little suspicious that you would leave when your friend Hikaru was trying his best to win the contest."

"Damn, I forgot about that!" I yelled, smacking my head, "Is it over yet?"

Roka nodded, "Alexis Rhodes won, Blair Flannigan was runner up and Hikaru Amiya received third place and Arine had quit."

I sighed, "Damn, I missed so much." I hissed a little when I felt the darkness spreading over my body more. I placed a hand on the bracelet, letting out a small whimper at the pain.

Roka's eyes narrowed and grabbed my arm. I was about to protest when he pulled up my sleeves, revealing the golden bracelet. He stiffened, "So this is what has been causing them to get riled up . . ."

"Eh. . . Roka?" I asked and that's when I noticed that, surrounding Roka, was a bright blue aura that I had never noticed before. My eyes widened, "You . . . . you can see Duel Spirits too, can't you?"

Roka smirked, "Took you long enough to figure it out." Another Duelist with the ability to see spirits?Jaden, Hikaru, Chazz, Jesse, Aster, Ace, Blayke, Arine and now Roka. What next?

"Shun!" I looked up and saw Hikaru – dressed in the female version of the Slifer uniform minus the extensions – Jaden and Chazz run towards me, Haru, Blair, Alexis, Syrus, Hassleberry not too far behind. I stiffened when I noticed Hikaru, Jaden, Chazz and Haru had bright auras similar to Roka's, except Jaden's was black with red.

"You guys!" I grinned before Roka stood in front of me, taking out his Duel Disk and placing it on his left arm, activating it. At this, everyone stopped running towards me, confused at Roka's actions.

"Hikaru Amiya," Roka growled out, "I challenge you to a Duel."

"Hey, kid," Hikaru crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I don't have time for a challenge right now. Challenge me another day, will ya? I heard from Ace that Shun was hurt and we need to take him to Ms. Fontaine."

"Shun Sakaki is fine, don't you see? So shut up and Duel me!" Roka said before he smirked, his eyes glinting with slight malice, "Unless you're scared. I didn't know that that Hikaru 'Firestorm' Amiya would run away from a Duel."

Hikaru stiffened before she put on her Duel Disk. Alexis seemed like she wanted to tell her not to do it but a look from Jaden silenced her. Hikaru placed her deck on her Duel Disk before activating it, "Well then, you asked for it. Don't cry to me when you get burned by the storm."

Roka smirked, "I know I won't. It'll be you that falls to my swirling tempest."

(Roka: 4000/ Hikaru: 4000)

"Let's start it off with me, alright?" Hikaru grinned, drawing her sixth card. She gave out a small hum before she made her move, "I summon my trusty Gorlag in Attack Mode!"

The Four-Star, Fire-Attribute fiend appeared on Hikaru's side of the field, its eyes glaring at Roka, who looked at the fiend with a nonchalant look. He wasn't intimidated by the monster at all.

(Gorlag: ATK/1000 DEF/1000)

"Cute," Roka deadpanned.

Hikaru chuckled darkly, "You should be afraid of my partner, kiddo. This card gains 500 Attack Points for each face-up creature of fire on the field, including itself." I gave out a whistle of appreciation for Gorlag's effect, Hikaru shooting me a grin and Roka narrowing his eyes at me.

(Gorlag: ATK/1500 DEF/1000)

"I place two cards face-down and that's all for now." She said with a grin, "Show me your moves, neh?"

"With pleasure." Roka said as he drew his sixth card. He smirked, "I play the monster Aqua Spirit in Attack Mode!" The Four-Star, Water-Attribute monster appeared on the field, elegantly appearing in the field.

(Aqua Spirit: ATK/1600 DEF/1200)

"Oh dear." I muttered.

"Next, I equip her with Horn of the Unicorn." Roka played the Spell Card and I saw Hikaru's eyes narrow, as if she thought this was familiar. Roka grinned, "Go put out that small flame, Aqua Spirit!"

(Aqua Spirit: ATK/2300 DEF/1900)

'With pleasure, Riku!'The spirit happily replied. I blinked in surprise at that. Riku? Roka's name was Riku? Well, that was unexpected and suspicious. Why would he enter this school as Roka rather than Riku?

"Not so fast, Riku!" Hikaru said, "I activate my Negate Attack trap card!"

Roka – Riku? – scoffed, shooting Hikaru an incredulous look, "Predictable, Hikaru-onee-sama. I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

"You're predictable, imōto! Mystical Space Typhoon!" Hikaru shouted. Roka/Riku flinched and Aqua Spirit sighed, upset that her attack was stopped. Gorlag seemed relieved, though.

"Gotcha." Hikaru said with a grin, "Thought you could beat me, Riku?"

"I tried, didn't I?" Riku replied, shooting her a grin.

"Eh? Onee-sama? Imōto?" I questioned. I felt someone appear behind me and I turned to see Ace, Arine and Blayke. I glared at them, "What are you doing here?" The bracelet on my wrist tingled and I hissed as the darkness continued to spread and I saw Ace's eyes flash with regret before it was gone.

"We came to see the show." Arine said with a small smirk.

"Don't you see the family resemblance, little Shun?" Ace asked, pointing at Hikaru and Roka/Riku. I did see it, as they had similar hair and eye color. But Hikaru said she only had a twin brother and a little sister . . . No way.

"How did you find me so quickly, Riku?" Hikaru asked as soon as Riku had ended his turn. Riku raised an eyebrow in question and Hikaru's face turned grim, "Mother and Father have yet to find me but you found me . . . how?"

"Daisuke was a big help." Riku replied, removing his cap, "Of course, it took some time and persuasion to get him to admit that he had helped you run away from our home and come to Duel Academy so I did the same thing you did. You are a bad influence on me."

Blonde hair similar to Hikaru's fell out of the cap and the long flowing hair stopped at Riku's waist. She pushed a stray hair out of the way and the uncanny resemblance between sisters was more prominent when they both held the same facial expression.

"That's what Nikko always said." Hikaru said, both of the sisters staring at each other with the same fire in their eyes. Hikaru placed a hand on her hip, "What do you plan on doing, Riku? Take me home, perhaps? Because you can forget it."

"I am taking you back home." Riku replied, "If I win the Duel, I'll be doing just that. If I lose, though, you get to stay and I won't tell Mother and Father that you're here. Deal?"

"High stakes like always, Ri-chan?" Hikaru said with a small smile, "Heh, some things never change. Alright then, I accept." Her eyes narrowed, "I'm not going back again."

"We'll see about that, huh?" Riku replied.

~~~~Dueling Legend~~~~

Anime: Boom, cliffhanger!

Chazz: We'll hear from you in about six months from now.

Anime: Hey, leave me alone!

Shun: If anyone is reading this, thank you for being so patient with us. It is appreciated.

Hikaru: We'll try not to have a long span between updates.

Jaden: We promise nothing. We're not keeping false promises.

Shun: Leave us a review, please? They will help fuel this indecisive spirit.

Anime: [said indecisive spirit] Hope to see you soon!