Destined to be Yours

Chapter 59: The Finalists Gather

The Kaiba Corp Helicopter hovered over the imposing, unfinished Domino Stadium. As it landed, Kaiba Seto looked around, confirming that he was the first one to arrive. Little did he know, two men were already there, waiting and observing.

"So, Kaiba Seto, the man holding one of the God Cards, is the first contestant to arrive," Marik observed then looked over to the man standing on his right. "Hey Rishid, you haven't forgotten the promise you made to my father, right?"

"Of course not..." Rishid replied.

"Very good... I'm going to put an end to this cursed inheritance that my family has suffered for the past three thousand years by taking Yugi's life," the Egyptian young man stated.

Marik's clan was closely tied to the Pharaoh's memories. In Ancient Egypt, a man, blinded by darkness came forth. The seven MillenniumItems were then created by the court magicians to seal that darkness away. One of them, the Millennium Puzzle was in the shape of a reverse pyramid, the symbol of darkness. In order to protect that seal, Marik's family suffered massive losses. One of the many things that they were safekeeping was an inscription that read: "An evil power was sealed in darkness along with the spirit of a young Pharaoh. But after thousands of years of slumber, the evil power will rise once again. When that happens, the Pharaoh's soul will awaken. He will wander this world seeking the memories he has lost." Only Marik knew how to unlock these memories and he was determined never to give the Pharaoh the key to his memories. He was set on plunging the Pharaoh back into the darkness, convinced it would be the only way for him and his clan to be free.

Marik and Rishid then left the stadium. Kaiba, sensing a presence in the stands, asked for the lights to be turned on. Once they were on, he didn't see anyone there. He noticed, however, that there were people entering the stadium.

"Big brother, Yugi and the others are here," Mokuba announced to his brother.

As they all entered, the group glanced around.

"So this is the location of the finals?" Yugi questioned.

"Kind of underwhelming if you ask me..." Akia said, trying to get on Kaiba's nerves a little. Otogi and Mai were also showing their disappointment, considering it was an unfinished stadium. Kaiba's employees, Isono and Fuguta, welcomed them and gave Yugi, Akia, Mai, and Jounouchi their I.D. cards which qualified them for the finals.

"Hey, where are the other finalists?" Jounouchi inquired.

"Currently, only Seto-sama and you four have arrived," Fuguta answered.

"So three left..." As Akia was saying that, everyone looked at the entrance. A figure was appearing and getting closer. When Akia saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat. It was the very attractive guy that saved Bakura.

"That's Namu!" Jounouchi exclaimed as he and Anzu ran up to him to greet him and ask if he was alright. He reassured them and expressed how relieved he was that they were also safe. Jounouchi was a bit suspicious however. After all, they had gotten kidnapped by Marik right after meeting Namu. Not only that, but Namu had asked Jounouchi to show him how to duel right before they were attacked. How then, Jounouchi asked himself, did Namu even have a duel disk and was able to qualify in the Battle City Finals, on top of it all? Marik noticed the suspicious look that Jounouchi was giving him. He still had influence on Anzu's mind, so he prompted her to introduce him to everyone else. "Oh yeah! Everyone, this is Namu. He tried to save us when the Ghouls attacked us. Right, Jounouchi?"

"Uh... yeah..." The blond teen replied.

This was enough to distract Jounouchi from his thoughts.

Akia then walked up to them as well and looked into the newcomer's eyes. "Namu, was it?" She reconfirmed, feeling a little suspicious herself. Marik felt his heart beat faster. He knew he would have to interact with Akia again if he were to infiltrate Yugi's friend group, but he really didn't feel prepared for it at all. He was afraid to let anything slip out.