The night, overall, had been very quiet. Ishizu, Anzu, and Varon had slept in the makeshift hospital room, Ishizu using her Item's power to shield them from any influence as they rested, the locked door code keeping Marik out in the physical plane as the mental one was also safe.

She hated this. Though the three unconscious Duelists were not in any immediate danger, their inability to wake, or for either herself or the Pharaoh to reach them, was disturbing. Unless they were reached soon, and woken, their bodies would begin to fail and their spirit would be left trapped within. It had been how her father had died, and one of the many reasons why Rishid and Marik's escape and decisions had not affected her as much as they should have.

I was simply glad to know he wasn't alone, that the parasite had something to stop it.

She slowly took Rishid's hand in her own, wishing he'd wake up and help her, tell her everything was alright. She didn't know if her brother was still alive within the parasite that had grown into his mind, or if he was fully consumed and without any way to reach her or the others. If he fell to such a fate, and left her without Rishid as well…

This is what happens, because of that man, because of him and his group.

She allowed herself the angry thought, wishing that Layla had already kept her promise and destroyed the man and his clan. Layla Naunet, or Sekhmet as she was often called by Ishizu's family, was a dangerous foe. She had the only lesser Items around, all three attached to her and her shadows, dangerous lion-beasts that consumed anything that she pointed them at. She also had no love for the one who held the Key and the Scales. The thought made Ishizu shudder - what type of person forced his will upon two Items? Her own Item allowed her glimpses into the future, so long as it was set, but finding one in a future with so many strings was always hard. Even knowing she would be at the Finals had not stopped her from feeling a bit worried when her strategy looked like it wouldn't work.

To have one like mine is to accept that fate is fickle and time is changeable. There are no set things, save for events that surround certain ideas or concepts.

If her family had taken to carving up all their children, not just her brother's back, would it be her as the darkness, not him? The Tauk could show her such a thing, or what might lead to it, but she had no right to look into it. She simply wanted to make sure everyone was safe, and that the end results left them with a way to heal everyone.

No matter how I look, all I see is Katsuye Jounouchi falling to my brother's hands, her soul scorched and ruined. I know that Kaiba wishes to change that future, and so will Yami, but I doubt she will allow them the chance.

Mokuba woke with a wide yawn, rubbing his eyes as he looked over to see his brother up, typing on the computer as a tired-looking Hinagata-san talked as well.

"It's still at 13%. There is a way to defeat it, but you have to be VERY lucky."

"Could any of our Decks defeat it, so long as that card is there?"

"It's still low, but that 13% runs through for yours, Yugi's, and maybe even Jounouchi's, if she gets things right. I haven't seen her whole Deck, though, so she might pull a card that could change things up a bit. It's the timing that worries me."

"What about it?" Mokuba asked, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and frowning when he heard Ren's coo from her own video screen before going quiet as Hinagata glared at her.

"We've figured that Ra has two main powers - the first is that attack it used during the Duel against Mai, where the attack power was equal to the three that were sacrificed to it. My problem is what happened."

Mokuba frowned and looked at his brother, who said, "It appeared that Mai could have read the words, but...an outside force prevented it."

Mokuba shivered at the implication, and what it meant. If Marik had done something with the Shadows to create a disadvantage for everyone, they couldn't win…

"The second power is a one-shot kill. Basically you have to sacrifice all of your Life Points but one, and attack in one go. Which is where the timing part comes in."

Ren spoke up then, "Basically the only way to stop Ra is a spell-card, and hope there's no other resurrection cards in that guy's Deck, or that he doesn't bring back the Monster Reborn card. But it has to be the RIGHT card - if you do one that reverses everything, it fails because he could try that again. If you don't negate the power, he might have all of his life points returned. Getting things to work is a very hard balance, and one that will take a lot of stalling and hoping to get."

Mokuba glanced at Kaiba, happy when he saw his brother give him a smile. "I have a solution. I'll do my best to fight Marik first, and end this whole thing before it begins."

Of everyone that gets ready, only a few remain onboard the ship. Ishizu, Varon, and Anzu all stay with the comatose patients, Anzu hoping that she could maybe bring out Bakura's soul but uncertain of how. Ishizu wishes to work with them, but the darkness from her brother, as well as the general work towards that final showdown atop the huge tower coming out of the ruined island. Marik seemed to enjoy the idea of dealing damage to people atop the huge tower and among the wreackage, but both Kaiba and Yugi were uneasy. The tower was the one that had been shown in the final scene they'd seen at the museum, the one that Ishizu said could go either towards darkness or light.

Layla looked around with a sense of unease as they headed in, noting a few of the guards as well as seeing Honda arguing briefly with Otogi about something. Katsuye was also nervous but obviously curious about the area, as if trying to make sense of the broken machinery and discarded weapons and technology that was around them.

Kaiba waited as they all gathered, most in a cluster away from Marik and glaring at the man, before he motioned to Otogi, apparently now the spokesman, who smiled and said, "Welcome to the Battle City Finals. This is hosted on the island called Alcatraz, the former testing facility for KaibaCorp's now-defunct Weapons Division. The final battles will take place at the top of the Tower," he pointed to the larger tower in the middle of the debris field, "with the winner gaining all three of the God Cards."

Marik smirked at that, though he obviously seemed impatient, as Otogi said, "So, without further ado, let's go to see who will be the first two to Duel."

The group slowly headed out, Shizuka staying close to Katsuye and Layla while Anzu walked beside Yugi, Mokuba to one side and shielded from Marik's view by Kaiba.

"Katsuye...can I have a quick word alone?"

Shizuka glanced at Layla, who gave her a small smile of reassurance, before she headed over to talk to Anzu and Yugi. Katsuye waited as they walked, Layla saying, "I do know a bit about the Shadows."

"You do?"

"It does come up in studies, especially about games, but it also means learning a bit from those who survived, or who didn't."

Katsuye stopped, looking at her as Layla let out a breath before saying, "I don't think Mai or the others will survive this unless someone takes Marik down right away."

"And you think I can do that?"
"I think you have the best chance, because of Fulgara and because of your Deck. Marik doesn't know it that well, and he will underestimate you and your ability. He will do his best to torment Yugi and to just kill Kaiba, but he'll think he can psyche you out or have some advantage because of whatever he did."

Katsuye looked away, doing her best to focus on the end of that Duel, not the Duel itself or what little she remembered of it. Her mind still felt like it'd taken a hit, in a way that no concussion or any other hit to the head had given her, and she looked up to see Marik watching them, giving her a smirk that made her blood boil.

"I know you can do this," Layla said as they started walking again, catching up with the others, "and I know that everyone is going to try to protect you as well. You need to get Ra, and show them what you can do."

Katsuye let out a breath as they caught up with the others and Shizuka came over, looking at her worriedly as Katsuye tried to give her a smile. "I'm fine, Shizuka. I'm just wondering what new ideas Kaiba's goona pull for this. Especially since this place apparently belonged to that jerk that adopted him."

"It did," Kaiba said, apparently hearing her comment, "he used this place to test any and all new weapons he could think of, and it's distance nearly allowed him to have maritime law status over the island when his money and influence could not force others to look the other way. This was also one of the first places that my holographic technology was tested, but not for what I wanted it to be used for."

Everyone was silent as he added, his tone neutral but hints of anger creeping in, "My adopted father used his power and advanced technology to create this island. Three years ago, the Tower was built to test my own creation, one that he stole from me. So for this, I am taking it back, and using it to lay the new foundation for KaibaCorp. After this event, Alcatraz will be demolished and scrapped, so that his one last legacy will finally be tossed away."

Marik seemed to find that funny, chuckling as he finally spoke, "Fathers and their sins are never too far away. I have my own father to thank for what I have become," he spread his arms, "and you have yours to thank for the power and influence you now wield."

"I have myself to thank - I have rebuilt KaibaCorp, and myself," Kaiba told him, glaring the holder of the Rod down as he added, "doing that, even when you acknowledge where some of your old thoughts still come from, is never easy. Apparently, you're too locked in your hope for revenge and destruction to ever figure that out."

Marik's smirk faded as he glared at Kaiba before Honda broke the silence, announcing, "The first stage of the finals is ready! Duelists, enter into the tower, one at a time."

Marik turned and went in first, the guards glaring him down as he did before Kaiba headed in. Yugi let out a breath, allowing Yami to take over before he went in. Katsuye was last, glancing at Layla who gave her a reassuring smile before she went in as well, entering the remaining open door and stepping into the odd contraption that was before her, with a few of the slots looking like the older Duel system that had been used by Pegasus.

The thing moved upward suddenly, making her nearly fall forward as she worked to regain her footing and looked over, seeing the others around her as Yami looked startled as well, Kaiba appearing cool and Marik looking impressed as Otogi said, arriving with the others, "Now, the battle to determine the first Duel of the Finals begins!"

Layla walked behind everyone, listening as Itert and Menw growled and paced around near her, Merew upset over their actions and how they were acting. Layla ignored it, knowing that Itert was drawn to Katsuye because of how it had helped her, but also because she reminded Itert of the girl that Seti had loved, the one they had been unable to save, and whose sacrifice had spurred him to fight the evil and overpower it, even if it cost him his Pharaoh and her sebah.

She's not at all like her, though. Kisara was quiet and soft-spoken, and her power was inherent and she was always avoiding people so they wouldn't hurt her. She had been accepted because she saved Seti's life, even unconsciously, and because her power could slowly be trained. Katsuye is nothing like her...save for what her fate is.

She felt no remorse over what she'd told Katsuye and what she knew the girl would do, in order to save her friends and to show her ability to the men around her. Katsuye was going to Duel Marik, even if Layla hadn't encouraged her. Of all the ways this could end, that one thing had no divergent, no other way, nothing that would change things. Marik would fight Katsuye, and Katsuye's failure would only spur on the two in the way that Kisara's death had not.

After this...well, after this, Layla could finally put all of the fights and finally, truly, see her sebah as he should have been years ago, as the Dead Osiris, and she could return to his side in the afterlife and leave this world behind for the living to enjoy.