I'm a little discouraged at the lack of attention this story is getting compared to Our Little Secret. If you have any suggestions that you think would make this more interesting, let me know.

Big thanks to Gyaradosmaster for helping me write the duel. You're awesome dude!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh 5ds, I only own my own characters and plot.

Chapter 3: A Candle in the Dark

"Jacob, we've been looking for hours. If we stay here any longer, we're going to attract some unwanted attention."

It was early in the morning, and Yasuo and Jacob's search for the Black Spirit had been a fruitless endeavor so far. After passing through countless alleyways and dozens of shady looking streets, there was still no sign of the mysterious duelist that had wreaked havoc on the Northside Projects. The few duel runners that did pass by paid them no attention, driving away without so much as a wave. And considering they weren't wearing masks and cloaks, it was a safe bet they weren't about to hospitalize any unsuspecting duelists.

The Black Spirit was a different person to anyone you asked. Residents of New Domino knew him as either a mysterious wanderer that couldn't stay out of trouble, or a deranged vigilante with no regard for the law and the well-being of others. The residents of the Southside Projects, however, would call him a hero and an avenger that gave the gangs of Northside an eye for an eye. Sector security denied his very existence and called him a myth engendered by the superstitious plebeians of the slums. The only thing everyone agreed on was that they wouldn't want to be caught dead in a duel with him.

Yasuo wasn't sure of what to believe. He had no knowledge of the Black Spirit's motives (nor was he sure if the Spirit even existed), but he was well aware of the damage such a man could do. Yasuo's guess was that this dangerous vigilante was a psychic duelist, like his mother and sister. He had seen his mother demonstrate her abilities in seminars and lectures, but never to their full extent. Akemi inherited similar powers, but they were not nearly as strong as Akiza's. The bright side of this was that the young girl had no trouble controlling them. But this Black Spirit apparently had no reservations about using his abilities for the worst.

But that didn't stop Jacob from wanting to challenge him. The blonde was hell bent on defeating the Project's most feared duelist in order to gain his sister's respect and to persuade her to give him an invitation to the Fortune Bowl. In truth, Yasuo had only gone along with Jacob's crazy plan to make sure his best friend didn't do anything too stupid. Jacob had wanted to scour Northside for the Black Spirit, but Yasuo had barely managed to convince him otherwise. The gangs up there were infamous for their brutality, and they would give no mercy to two kids wandering the streets at night.

Yasuo sighed and checked his watch. "Jacob, we've been out here for hours, let's go home," he said.

"No!" cried Jacob. "I'm not leaving until I find him!"

"It's almost three in the morning. If we don't get home soon, then our parents will know we snuck out!" Yasuo replied. This was starting to get ridiculous. He had gone along with Jacob, satisfied his childish impulse, and now it was time for him to swallow his crushed pride and call it a night.

Jacob growled. "Unlike you Yasuo, I have to earn my family's respect. And if this is the only way to do it, then that's fine by me. I guess I shouldn't expect you to understand."

Yasuo jumped in front of Jacob and grabbed the blonde's shirt. He had suffered through enough of this crap. "Look here," he hissed, pulling the boy closer. "I've risked getting into a lot of trouble for you, so don't even think about calling me a second rate friend. So your big sister didn't choose you for the Bowl, lick your wounds and get over it. Our time will come one day. And for the love of God, stop feeling sorry for yourself because your sister is enjoying her success."

He released his grip and stepped back, panting from his outburst. Jacob sighed and looked down, shaking his head. "I just..." he said. "I'm sick of my dad always fawning over Kitana. It's like she's the duelist he always wanted to raise, and I get pushed aside as an afterthought. Dammit, it happens every time!"

Jacob kicked at the gravel in anger. Yasuo knew that Jacob was always comparing himself to his sister and that his friend always felt inadequate because of the standard that had been set before him. He didn't know if Jack really favored Kitana, but it seemed more likely to be a fabrication of Jacob's massive inferiority complex.

Yasuo waved Jacob over, trying to reassure him. "C'mon. Let's get out of here before-"

They heard a squealing of tires before a speeding pair of headlights came rushing straight at them. Yasuo and Jacob froze in fear as the vehicle drew closer and closer, lightning fast and moving too quick to dodge. Yasuo closed his eyes, his legs locked in terror and waited for the impact.

It never came. There was another screech of rubber against pavement, and the duel runner skidded to a stop no more than five meters from the two boys. It was jet black with two sinister looking fins extending from each side, blacker than the night itself. The headlights looked eerily like eyes, making the runner even more fearsome.

But real and genuine fear tore through Yasuo's heart when he saw the rider. The man was dressed in a cloak as black as the runner, with dark leather gloves that concealed all parts of his skin. But the mask was what really inspired the terror. It had no space for the mouth, and the only markings on it were two blood red eye slits curved into a fearsome glare. The top of the mask ended with three sharp points, giving the rider the image of a demon when he was concealed by the darkness.

The Black Spirit.

He stared at the two boys with malicious intent, and Yasuo felt a cold sweat on the back of his neck. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even breathe in the presence of this supernatural being. The Black Spirit really existed...and now he was standing right in front of him. Yasuo prayed that by some miracle he and Jacob would escape from this unharmed. He felt a surge of hope when he saw the hooded figure give a short chuckle and turn his runner away.

"Hey you!" Jacob cried.

Yasuo flinched. So much for escape.

Jacob began advancing, but was stopped by Yasuo's firm grip on his arm. Still too afraid to utter a syllable, Yasuo was silently begging his best friend not to go, but Jacob was too hard headed to heed any further warnings. He shrugged off Yasuo's hand and took two strides towards the source of all fear.

"Duel me!" Jacob demanded, activating his duel disk and readying his deck. Yasuo shut his eyes and felt a sickening knot in his gut. He began to tremble with fear, and it was all he could do to not turn and run at that instant.

The Black Spirit chuckled again. "Get lost kid, before something bad happens to you," he breathed. His voice was icy and electronic, which made Yasuo even more uneasy.

But Jacob remained unphased. "What's the matter?" he taunted. "Scared?"

The Spirit turned his head towards Jacob, studying him for a moment. Yasuo saw his best friend's eyes widen, and he knew that Jacob could feel the demon eyes burning straight through him, into the tentative body of his soul. The man dismounted his runner with a frightening slowness, smoothly withdrawing his duel disk, also midnight black, from the runner's mainframe. He stood before Jacob and Yasuo and readied his deck.

Suddenly, the Black Spirit lashed out with some sort of metallic wire. It snaked through the air and connected to Jacob's duel disk with a resounding clang, trapping the boy in the Spirit's hold. Yasuo followed the wire to its other end and found it to be connected to the Black Spirit's disk. Jacob struggled to free himself of the snare, but the device wouldn't budge.

"What the hell is this?" he cried, fear crossing his cocky face for the first time.

If the demon had a face, he would have been wearing an evil smile. "A little device to make our battle more...realistic," he hissed.

Yasuo suddenly felt a very hollow sensation inside his chest. This was bad.

And it was about to get a lot worse.

The phone rang, making a previously sleeping Kitana Atlas very unhappy.

She groggily reached for her cell phone on the dresser, fumbling around for it in the dark. The drowsy teen was annoyed and irritated at being woken up from her much needed rest, and the caller was going to be sadly disappointed if they expected to receive good manners. Her hand finally found the ringing annoyance, and she flipped it open and held the receiver to her ear.

"Hello..." she muttered, still half asleep.

"Kitana! It's Yasuo!" the phone cried.

She held the receiver away from her head, the loud shouting hurting her ears. She checked the clock in her room, which made her even more indignant about being roused at such a time. "Yasuo...it's like three in the morning..." she whispered.

"I know, but..." he trailed off.

Kitana's eyebrows met in a glare. "You and Jacob snuck out again, didn't you," she said. It was not a question, it was a statement.

"Kinda," Yasuo said. "But we really need your help!"

Kitana rubbed her eyes, wiping away a little more of the sleepiness that crusted her vision. Those two boys were always getting into trouble and expecting her to bail them out, and frankly, she was getting tired of it. She shook her head and imagined Yasuo and Jacob running from an angry store manager, who's sneak peak had just been crashed by a couple of 14 year olds.

Kitana yawned. "Yasuo, I'm not in the mood...you and Jacob need to come home-"

Someone cried out in pain from the other end of the line.

Kitana jolted awake. That cry...it sounded like Jacob! A thousand fears grew inside Kitana's mind. Where had they gone, and what was happening to Jacob? With an immediate sense of urgency, she leapt up and quickly began to change into her street clothes.

"Yasuo, what's happening?" Kitana cried.

There was a deafening explosion from the other end, and then the sound of a struggle. "It's Jacob..." Yasuo whimpered, his voice poisoned with fear. "...he's dueling the Black Spirit..."

The line went dead.

Kitana's heart stopped, and she felt her stomach tie itself into a painful knot. The Black Spirit? But he wasn't even supposed to be real! She threw on her deep blue jacket, grabbed her duel runner keys and ran down the stairs to the garage. No time to wake up her parents, Jacob needed her now. Plus, if anyone laid a hand on her brother, she wanted to be the one who pulverized them into a thousand pieces.

When she reached the garage, she hastily opened the door and jumped on her runner, starting it and throwing on her helmet. She revved the engine and peeled out of the driveway, turning east at full speed. There was only one place they could be; the Projects.

Jacob...he must have gone looking for that infernal vigilante in hopes that he would gain some sort of favor by defeating him. A surge of guilt tore through Kitana's chest when she remembered how she had scorned him that afternoon, ignored his feelings and dismissed his disappointment as immaturity. She cursed herself for being so inconsiderate. She had been so wrapped up in her own success that she forgot the one person who inspired her the most. And now, she might not ever see him again. If the Black Spirit could hospitalize the gangsters of Northside, then a 14 year old boy wouldn't even stand a chance...

She shook her head, trying to keep herself from falling apart. Just the thought of her little brother getting hurt, or worse...it was too much to bear. She forced those thoughts out of her mind and focused on the road, shifting gears and pushing her vehicle to its limits. Faster, faster, faster, she had to get there before it was too late!

Dammit, damn it all! Why didn't she just take the time to talk to Jacob! Had she even thanked him for all of his support, for helping her with her deck lists, for cheering for her in every duel, for cheering her up when she was discouraged? Just a few minutes to tell him how much she loved him would have stopped this. But she had treated him with cold indifference, and he had reacted like any boy would. She didn't show him any compassion or respect, so he was trying to prove himself worthy of her attention.

She sped through the streets, entering the Projects and sweeping every alley and back road she could find. No sign of them. She stopped her runner and forced herself to breathe. Okay, think...just think...the duel has to be close by, and you have Jacob's duel disk ID number. Just trace it through your interface and track the signal until you find him.

With practiced precision, Kitana entered the codes into her duel runner's interface, starting the scan for nearby duels and cross referencing the disks with Jacob's. The process wasn't strictly legal, but Kitana didn't care. It was going to help her find her brother, that was all that mattered. The hardware whirred as it processed the data, working at hyperspeed to locate the signatures.

It beeped and two windows opened on the screen. The first contained two unknown disk signatures, not the one she was looking for. But the second contained one unknown and one match. Jacob.

She pressed a few more buttons and immediately began following her GPS towards the source of the signal. She cut through alleys, ran over lawns, broke traffic laws, all to cut off precious seconds until her arrival. 200 miles an hour never felt slower to Kitana as time slowed to a crawling pace, each moment an agonizing reminder that Jacob and Yasuo were out there, in danger, and she was the only one who could save them.

There was another explosion that came from just a block away. Kitana's heart pounded as she rounded the corner on her runner and met a giant wall of smoke. She dismounted and ran into the haze, not caring what dangers may lay in wait. All she cared about was Jacob and Yasuo, and she would rather have died than see something bad happen to them.

The smog cleared to reveal Jacob laying out on the ground with Yasuo kneeling over his sprawled out form. Kitana rushed over to the pair and slid to the other side of her brother.

"Jacob!" she cried, tears stinging her eyes. She cupped his face, barely hearing Yasuo's panicked words. Her finger found its way to his neck and pressed down on the vein there. Kitana breathed a sigh of relief upon finding a pulse. He would be okay...

She felt someone grab her by the shoulders and looked up to find Yasuo staring at her with fear in his eyes. His mouth was forming words that she could barely make out, and the two heard the crunching of gravel below boots in front of them. They turned their heads to see the terror of the Projects slowly approaching though the dusty haze.

The Black Spirit growled. "Next time, stay out of the Projects. You city dwellers don't belong here." His voice was sadistic and cold.

Kitana stood up, furious at the masked man. "Why did you hurt my brother!" she demanded.

He chuckled. "He asked for it. Maybe now he will choose his battles more wisely."

"That's no reason to injure him," Kitana bit back. Her hate for this phantom was increasing every minute, and it was all she could do to not charge at him. Her blood boiled as she observes this Spirit who preyed on the weak and the helpless, evoking fear in those who crossed his path. How dare he do this to her brother!

"He got what he wanted, a duel with me. And I don't go easy on my opponents," the Black Spirit hissed.

Kitana glared. "Then you'll have no problem defeating me," she said.

The Black Spirit let out a wicked laugh and readied his duel disk once again. "Fine, you want to fall before me as well? Bring it on!" he shouted. In once swift motion, Kitana detached her duel disk from her runner, readied her deck inside, and activated the interface, posing for a duel.

Yasuo found his voice. "No!" he cried. "Kitana, you can't! He'll hurt you!"

She shook her head. "No one hurts my brother and gets away with it," she said. "Yasuo, get Jacob out of here. Take him out of harm's way. I'll be fine." Yasuo hesitated for a moment before noddind, and he crouched down again, tending to Jacob, who was still out cold. He began dragging his friend out of the streets, trying to stay strong for Kitana. Kitana didn't care if she was injured by the Black Spirit, she was going to make this bastard pay for what he did. And once she won, she was going to unmask this Spirit once and for all. No more rumors of him lurking in the night. No, he had never dueled anyone of her caliber before, only slum trash not worthy to wield a single card in her deck.

A metallic clang sounded, and Kitana found her duel disk ensnared by a metal wire, which was also attached to the Black Spirit's duel disk. Her eyes widened as a spark of familiarity struck in her mind.

"There are the devices the Enforcers used in the Satellite's gang wars!" she cried.

The Spirit tilted his head in surprise. "That's correct," he said. "Although, I made a few of my own modifications. The more life points you lose, the more pain you feel. Electric shocks are quite commonly used in underground dueling, so think of this as a...portable version."

Kitana shuddered at his tone of voice. She had heard of underground dueling, where the life points were real, and the stakes higher than anywhere else. Down there you weren't dueling for glory or fortune, you were dueling for your actual life.

"Don't worry," the Spirit crooned. "I put it on a lower setting for you, the same one I used for your brother. It's a light tickle compared to other duels I've played."

Kitana growled. "Enough talk!" she shouted.

"Let's duel!"

Kitana: 4000...Black Spirit: 4000

"I draw!" cried Kitana.

She surveyed her hand, deciding on the best course of action. It was still a mystery what this guy was playing, so she needed to find out how his deck worked before being aggressive. She reached for a card.

"I activate Six Samurai United!"

The spell card materialized on the field. "Now, each time a Six Samurai is summoned, this card gets a Bushido counter!"

Kitana chose another card. "I summon Kagamusha of the Six Samurai!" (DEF: 1800)

The warrior sprang forward, shielding itself with its blade. A green orb of energy appeared on United, giving it one Bushido counter. "I set two cards face down and end my turn!" Kitana cried. She had made the first move, now it was time to see what this guy was made of.

"I draw!" the Black Spirit cried.

He surveyed his hand and gave a smug laugh. "I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight!" he cried. The fearsome beast warrior appeared on the field, brandishing its blade. (ATK 1900) "I activate Boggart Knight's ability!" cried the Black Spirit. "When he's normal summoned, I can special summon one X-Saber from my hand. I summon X-Saber Airbellum!"

The second blade master beast appeared on the field, looking equally as fearsome with its razor sharp claws. (ATK 1600) "Now!" the Spirit cried, "Boggart Knight, attack Kagamusha!"

Kitana reached for a set card. "I activate negate attack!" Boggart Knight's attack was blocked, and the battle phase was ended. Kagamusha remained on the field, unharmed.

The Black Spirit growled. "I set two cards and end my turn," he said.

Kitana: 4000...Black Spirit: 4000

"I draw!" cried Kitana, and her face lit up when she recognized the card as one of the most powerful spells in her deck.

She surveyed her hand again. No one had taken damage yet, and she wasn't planning on being the first one to feel the burn of the device on their disks. She reached for another card. Time to get aggressive.

"I activate Gateway of the Six Samurai!" Kitana said. "Now, every time a Six Samurai is summoned, this card gets two Bushido counters!" She saw the Black Spirit shift uneasily. Good, she was slowly gaining the upper hand.

"I summon Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki!" (ATK 200) The warrior appeared on her field, and another Bushido counter glowed on United.

The Black Spirit laughed. "I activate Saber Hole!" he shouted. "Now, since I control an X-Saber, I can negate the summon of your monster and destroy it!"

Kitana smirked. "I chain Musakani Magatama!" she cried. "Now, since I control a Six Samurai, I can negate an effect that destroys a card on my field!" A bladed chain sprang forth from her card and enveloped Saber Hole, destroying it and landing Kageki safely on the field.

"Now," she said. "I activate Kageki's ability. When he's normal summoned, I can special summon another Six Samurai from my hand. Looks like I have a Boggart Knight too!" she cried. "I summon Legendary Six Samurai - Shinai!" (ATK 1600) The assassin faded in from the shadows, brandishing a deadly dagger. No Bushido counter appeared on United because it was maxed out.

"Now, I send Six Samurai United to the grave to draw cards equal to the number of Bushido counters on it!" Kitana cried. She drew two cards from her deck, and her smirk grew even wider. Once Gateway was on the field, it was only a matter of time before she won.

"I activate Gateway of the Six's effect! By removing four Bushido counters, I can add one Six Samurai from my deck or graveyard to my hand!" She searched her deck and selected a monster. "I choose Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan! And when I control a Six Samurai, I can special summon him!" The warrior sprang forth, brandishing its blade. (ATK 1800) "And, when Kizan is on the field with another Six Samurai, he gains 300 attack points!" (ATK 2100)

The Black spirit growled. Things were not looking good for him, and Kitana felt a surge of invigoration as she realized she had the most feared duelist of the Projects against the ropes. "Now!" she cried. "I tune my Kagamusha with my Kageki to synchro summon..." The synchro rings spit forth a blinding light, and a fearsome warrior emerged.

"Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En!" (ATK 2500) "Now everyone, attack his monsters and then attack him directly!" Her samurai lunged forward. Shi En sliced through Boggart Knight, obliterating it. Kizan impaled Airbellum, shattering it into fragments of holographic light. And then Shinai lunged forward and struck The Spirit directly, causing him to flinch upon contact.

Kitana: 4000...Black Spirit: 1400

Kitana felt a hum from the metallic wire attached to her duel disk, and her hair began to stand on end. She heard a cry of pain from the Black Spirit, who was writhing in agony as the device sent an electric current through his body. The electricity ran through his muscles, locking them up and causing the Spirit to fall to one knee from the damage. Even on a low setting, losing over half of your life points was devastating to endure.

He slowly up righted himself. "Agh...not bad..." he growled between breaths, his voice hoarse. "Been a while since...anyone's done...that to me..."

Kitana smirked. "There's more where that came from. I activate Gateway's effect to add Legendary Six Samurai - Mizuho from my deck to my hand! I end my turn," she said, surveying her hand.

There was no way she could lose now, she thought. Even if he did manage to defeat her monsters, Mizuho can destroy any card by tributing another Six Samurai on her field. And she could be special summoned when Shinai was on the field. All she had to do was play Mizuho and her victory was as certain as the sunrise. Confidence ran through her as her opponent reached for his deck.

"I draw!" he cried. She saw him study his cards for a moment before slowly fingering one.

"I activate Pot of Greed! Now I can draw two cards!" he said, taking them from the disk.

Kitana was taken aback, and she felt indignance at this absurdity. "You can't do that!" she cried. "Pot of Greed was banned from tournament play years ago!"

"Get over it, sweetheart," the Black Spirit hissed. "This isn't a tournament, so all cards are fair game."

Kitana growled. This guy wasn't even playing fair, and she was still beating him. She always had Shi En's ability, but she would save that for later. Fine, let him have his two cards, he was going to need a miracle to win this match.

"I summon XX-Saber Fullhelmknight!" the Black Spirit cried. (ATK 1300) "Now, I activate the spell card Saber Slash! This lets me destroy cards on your field equal to the number of X-Sabers on mine! Say goodbye to your Shi En!"

Kitana smirked. "I activate Shi En's ability! He can negate and destroy one spell or trap card per turn! Sorry, my monsters are not going anywhere!" Shi En shot forth a stream of light, and Saber Slash was destroyed. She felt another surge of confidence, thwarting yet another one of her opponent's strategies.

...and the Spirit laughed. "I know Shi En's ability. And that's why I waited to play this. I activate Gottem's Emergency Call!" he cried. "Now, since I control an X-Saber, I can summon 2 X-Saber monsters from my graveyard! Say hello to Boggart Knight and Airbellum again!" The beasts emerged from the grave, ready to fight. (ATK 1900) (ATK 1600)

The Black Spirit chuckled, and Kitana felt a cold sweat down the back of her neck. This was bad. "Now," the Spirit said. "Since I control at least 2 X-Sabers, I can special summon X-Saber Faultroll from my hand!" The giant emerged, its claymore at the ready. (ATK 2400) "Now, I tune my Fullhelmknight with my Boggart Knight to synchro summon..." The rings shone with a red light, and an even more fearsome warrior emerged.

"XX-Saber Uurubellum!" (ATK 2200)

"And I'm not done yet!" the Black Spirit cried. "I activate Faultroll's ability! He can special summon one level four or below X-Saber from my grave per turn! Come back, Fullhelmknight!" The warrior appeared on his field again.

"Now, I tune my Fullhelmknight with my Faultroll to synchro summon..." The monsters joined in the synchro rings, and the most fearsome monster yet to be summoned emerged.

"XX-Saber Gottems!" (ATK 3100)

Kitana felt her breathing speed up. This guy had synchro summoned twice in one turn! And now he had three monsters, all stronger than hers. "Now, attack her monsters!" The beasts lunged forth and sliced through the samurai, Gottems defeating Shi En, Airbellum destroying Shinai, and Uurubellum obliterating Kizan. Kitana flinched as her monsters were cut down, and she prepared herself for what would happen next.

Kitana: 2900...Black Spirit: 1400

She felt a jolt, which turned into a full out burning sure through her arms, across her chest, down to her legs and calves, contracting her muscles and causing her to cry out in agony. She could barely think straight as the pain brought her to her knees, and Kitana desperately prayed for relief. The spasms were shorted than the ones experiences by her opponent, but they were still just as painful and damaging. Her vision turned red as second after second crept by, each corroding her insides away and leaving a hollow, empty shell of desperation.

Slowly, the current subsided, and Kitana carefully stood, her world spinning as a vile sickness grew inside of her. She leaned over and vomited onto the streets, heaving up the contents of her stomach as a burning sensation reached her nostrils. After a moment, she recognized it as her own hair, fried by the device.

The Black Spirit was elated. "Welcome to my world," he said.

She would have bitten back some smart retort, but all she could focus on was trying to steady her breathing, which came in gasps. He could taunt her all he wanted. She had two cards in her hand and the match in the bag.

"Now, I activate XX-Saber Gottem's ability!" the Spirit said. "By tributing an X-Saber, you are forced to discard a random card from your hand. I tribute my Airbellum and my Uurubellum to leave you empty handed!"

Kitana watched in fear as the monsters were vaporized into the light, and she felt her cards wrenched from her hands and sent to the graveyard. No, no, no! Now she had no cards left to play, and she was facing a monster with 3100 attack points! A stain of hopelessness tainted her previous confidence, and she began to dread what the next current would feel like. Losing only 1100 life points had been one of the most painful experiences of her life. Losing the rest at once would be suffering beyond her imagination. And the Black Spirit had done it without so much as a moment of recovery.

"I set one card and end my turn," he said. Kitana closed her eyes and reached for the top card of her deck. This would decide her fate, and she prayed that it would be something, anything that would keep her in the match.

"I draw!" she cried.

She opened her eyes...

And smiled.

"I activate Firestorm of Hope!" she cried. "Now, by paying half my life points, I can special summon a fire attribute from my extra deck! I summon..." A giant wave of fire emerged from the ground, and Kitana raised her hand up in the air, her ace monster emerging from the flames. She saw the Black Spirit gaze in terrified wonder at the fiery beast, and it gave a mighty roar as it landed on the field.

"Soulfire Dragon!" (ATK 2600)

"I activate Firestorm of Hope's second effect! I can increase the attack of the monster it's equipped to by 500 by sacrificing an equal amount of life points!" (ATK 3100) She watched as her life points were drained away to pay for both of Firestorm's effects, and she cringed in wait for the pain to return...

But it didn't come. She looked up at the Black Spirit in confusion, and he shook his head. "Paying life points isn't damage. You lucked out on this one," he said.

Kitana: 950...Black Spirit: 1400

She breathed a sigh of relief. No pain this time, but if she didn't close this duel fast, then there would be more agony than she could ever imagine. She pointed at the Black Spirit's hovering giant. "Soulfire Dragon, attack Gottems!" Her beast lunged forward, its burning claws at the ready. Both of their monsters would be destroyed, and then it would be a game of who could draw the best card first. Which was a game that Kitana was very, very good at.

But the Spirit reached for his field. "I activate Shield of Destiny!" he cried. "Now, your attack is negated, and we both draw one card!" Soulfire Dragon's attack was diverted, and Kitana and the Spirit took the top card from their decks.

Kitana growled. "I activate Soulfire Dragon's effect! If it a monster it battles isn't destroyed, I can remove one fire attribute from my grave to destroy your monster, and we both take damage equal to that monster's level times 100!" she cried.

The Black Spirit flinched as his monster was engulfed by flames, and he cried out in agony as his life points were burned away. Kitana collapsed too, the electricity tearing her muscles apart, the pain making her drift in and out of consciousness. She felt an unbearable burning in her arm, one that made her want to claw away the skin and tear away the offending flesh on her right arm. It hurt more than anything, oh God it hurt, please make it end!

She wanted to drop her duel disk and run, escape from this suffering, end this sadistic battle. But she wouldn't. She had never backed down before, and she wasn't starting now. Mustering up all the willpower she could find, Kitana quickly stood, finding that the Black Spirit had never left his feet. This guy was probably used to the pain after all the duels he experienced it in. She weakly reached for the last card in her hand. "I set one and end my turn."

Kitana: 50...Black Spirit: 600

The Spirit reached for the next card in his deck, but paused to study Kitana. His blood red slits observed her, and Kitana felt like this demon was staring straight into her soul.

His breathing was heavy. "I...I've never dueled anyone as good as you," he said in between labored inhales. He painfully rubbed his right arm as another spasm shook his frame, and Kitana suddenly felt a strange sense of knowing about the cloaked duelist. Who was he...

He reached for his deck. "I draw!"

He surveyed his hand and thrust a card on the field. "I activate the spell card Mask of the Black Spirit!" The spell card materialized, and Kitana felt fear trickle down her spine. Firestorm of Hope was her signature spell card, so this must be his.

The Black Spirit reached for his extra deck. "Now, I can summon one Dark attribute monster from by extra deck! I summon..." There was a thick darkness that fell, and a black mist emerged that concealed a sinister figure. Two red eyes pierced the blackness, and a dreadful beast emerged from the abyss. It hovered over the field, seeming to absorb all life and light with its arrival.

"Dark-Heart Dragon!" (ATK 2800)

"I activate Mask of the Black Spirit's second effect. The summoned monster gains 1000 attack points!" (ATK 3800) "However, during the end phase, I have to pay life points equal to Darkheart Dragon's original attack points. But out duel won't last that long, you'll be defeated before-"

There was a screeching of tires, and three pairs of headlights cut through the night. The two duelists turned and saw the runners approaching, and their eyes widened. Wait...Kitana squinted to get a better look at the runner on the far right. It looked familiar...white with a circled frame, streamline design...

It was the Wheel of Fortune!

Despite her exhaustion, Kitana let out a cry of joy as her father approached. The other two runners must be Akiza and Yusei! They had come to save them! Kitana felt something detach itself from her duel disk and found herself free of the device that caused her so much agony. It retracted back into the Black Spirit's sleeve, and the masked man deactivated his disk.

With a curse, the Spirit thrust it back into his runner and started the engine. He peeled out with a loud squeal, leaving a black tire mark behind as he sped off into the darkness, the duel monsters fading away as Kitana's duel disk shut off. She ran back over to Jacob, who was slowly regaining consciousness, and they waited as their parents got even closer.

Yasuo was breathing heavily, tears staining his cheeks. "T-Thanks Kitana...I..."

She wrapped him in a tight hug. "Yasuo, you idiot! I'm so glad you both are okay!" she cried. She heard the runners draw closer and stop, and Yasuo's eyes became cloudy with guilt.

"I'm s-sorry...Jacob said he was going and...I couldn't let him go alone..." he whimpered.

Kitana ruffled his hair. "It's alright, you did well. Everything's fine now," she said.

"On the contrary," a deep voice sounded. Yasuo and Kitana wheeled around to find a tall figure standing over them. They gulped at his tone.

"The three of you have some explaining to do," said Yusei Fudo.

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Next chapter, punishment and reflections!