Layla tapped on the equipment, looking over at the information before smiling. She'd had quite a few thousand years to set up her company, and had finally just taken over the Paradis one when she'd learned of that idiot and his attempt to raise a monster called Leviathan. Dartz was not the smartest or best man for the job, and his method of controlling people was heavy-handed, even more so than Shadii's methods. Gaining control of his company, and therefore getting better control over the ones he'd attempted to single out, was a boon. She doubted she could really hold much control over Varon right now, with Mai now awake and recovering after what had happened. However, there was enough to finish this all before anything else happened.

They're still on the tower, with Menw, and she wonders what it was that Ishizu saw that got her to try to keep them there after saving Marik. That the boy is still alive is a testament to how much the priorities of her sebah and the others have changed, how much this world has changed. It was the reason why, as time had passed, she'd grown angrier and angrier at ones like Shadii and his group, who sought to bring him back and wrest control of the world into their own hands, to deal such damage to the progress made because they were upset over the loss of power. She glances at the readout before frowning, then letting out a snort before typing on the keyboard. It doesn't take long before there is a response, and she lets out a breath.

That explains it, then. There's one last line before she leaves, going back and shifting, using her power to once more be dressed as she had been all those centuries ago, the feel of soft cotton and the weight of her weapon a comfort after so long. She was now in her element, now back to being the one that had protected her sebah, her star, for so long and who had dedicated herself to this end.

Merew purred when it saw her change, rubbing up and against her like a large kitten as she reached up to slowly run a hand over it's lion's head, scratching behind the ears as Layla smiled as well.

"It's time to play that game we've been setting up for so long, Merew. I'll need you to be my lion, and capture the first little marble to bring him into the game. After that, we can get to where we need to go."

Merew purred again, then disappeared as Layla turned and walked off the ship, some part of her worrying about what she'd seen and where this might lead Kaiba and the others.

Katsuye has done her part, and Kaiba will be too busy saving his company to bother us. This is the best way to ensure that my sebah finally rests, and the Shadows are put away, as they were meant to have been sealed away after that priest so defiled them and the holy palace. I will end this, open the door, and he can finally know peace.


Kaiba had frozen long enough for Ishizu to say, "Something's wrong," before he'd turned, moving to the elevator as Yami called out for him, Kaiba ignoring it in favor of attempting to call on Otogi and Honda, uncertain if the two were safe or not. The others manage to crowd in despite his rush, Ishizu putting herself between Marik and Kaiba as he glared down the other man who seemed to have reverted to a child's mindset.

"Please, Kaiba, listen to me," she said as they headed to the last location of Otogi and Honda, Ishizu looking worried as they headed down. "Something is going on, changing the way things are moving. Someone is trying to move things forward before we're ready, they're trying to throw us off."

He glared at her, not wanting to point out how obvious this was, and was almost grateful when Yugi spoke up. "What do you mean? You said before we got here that the Tauk couldn't see into the future."

"When Kaiba won, when his path was so set, the darkness cleared and I was able to see what would occur," Ishizu told him, reaching up to touch the Tauk on her neck, "Two forces are fighting for control over the fate of the Pharaoh. Both are equally dangerous, and will do anything it takes to ensure their agenda is fulfilled."

Kaiba frowned at the mention of another force in this to make their lives hard. It was bad enough that they were possibly dealing with one that Yami and the others had hinted at being used for something, never mind what the cards supposedly meant before it turned out Yami had his own body, but now there were two forces, and both probably had power over the Shadows.

He had to get everyone out of here now, or hope that with everyone being awake, they might be able to help against whatever was coming after them. Kaiba's relieved when the elevator doors open, quickly heading out and towards the secured areas before he punched his personalized code, the doors hissing open to reveal only monitors filled with static and various 'error' signs popping up. Otogi and Honda were not in the area, and Kaiba whirled on Marik and his family as he saw the empty space, his voice angry as he demanded, "Where are they?"

Marik swallowed, attempting to hide behind Ishizu as the taller man, Rishid, stepped up to get between Kaiba and the two, his own glare as icy as Kaiba's own. "They could be on the ship."

"They were here before the fight," Kaiba argued back.

"That gives them time to get back to the ship," Yugi attempted, trying to calm everyone down as Yami listened, apparently to something the others couldn't hear. "I mean, Otogi and Honda would have gone to make sure the others got out, right? You said-."

"Everyone is downstairs," Yami interrupts, his tone both commanding and quiet in a way that makes Kaiba instantly stiffen, but not in the same way that he'd stopped when Gozaburo had attempted such a tone. Some other thing, the one that continually pulled out the memory of another lifetime and person, remembers it, and Kaiba is quiet as Yami looks over at him, his red-purple eyes serious and showing only the vaguest hints of his worry.

"My Pharaoh, you can't think to-," Ishizu started, stopping when Yami looked back to her. "It's what they want. It will only cause you more pain, make it so the whole of your sacrifice was in vain."

Kaiba watches as Yami looks down, then to Yugi, before saying, "We cannot put it off. Your family, my friends, everyone…if we don't do something to stop this, we will only end up putting everyone else in danger. We must face this now."

Kaiba heads back to the elevator, his fear over what he saw rising. For all that Yami had managed to figure out where the others were, that didn't stop Kaiba from worrying. His paranoia that had started after Gozaburo had begun his strenuous and harsh curriculum to make Kaiba the 'perfect' heir to KaibaCorp had helped him survive in some situations. The new fears, from his time dealing with Yami, Pegasus, and now with Marik's sadistic side, only made him fear the worse.

Let me be wrong. Let what I heard Mokuba say be real, not what I fear it is.

The computers didn't give out 'error' messages unless something was seriously wrong, or someone had managed to get through all of the defenses and mess with them. Kaiba didn't want to think that the defenses could be breached so easily, but that didn't stop him from knowing there were still chances of it. With Hinagata and his crew, though, the chance was less likely.

But this seemed like someone who knew the system, who already had a way in…and the bigger question was what they were doing shutting down the computers?

The elevator takes them directly down to the first floor, Kaiba quickly racing out and ahead of the others as he uses the physical training he'd gone through to regain some of his muscle mass to race up to the ship, making it through the doors just as they hiss shut, cutting the others off and leaving him in a darkened, silent ship.

Kaiba drew in a breath, glaring at the darkness before he found the box near the door. It didn't take much to disconnect the ship from the KaibaCorp computer, the silence a bit deeper before the red lights came on, allowing him to at least see as he made his way through the ship. It wasn't long before he found the others - Otogi and Honda were now in the beds that had once held Katsuye and Mai, while Mai was guarding the door with Varon, the two having found something to use as makeshift weapons. Shizuka also held one, but was further away, apparently acting as backup with Anzu. Kaiba wasn't surprised that Anzu didn't have a real weapon - he'd heard about her prowess at dancing, and the fact that it kept her in good shape, and thus made it so anyone would have to get the drop on her before actually landing a blow. A body was to one side, covered in a sheet, and the Chief lay on a bed, bandaged heavily and out but alive, according to the monitors.

"Kaiba!" Mai said, sounding like she was finally relaxing before noticing that he was alone, "Where are the others?"

"They got caught outside," Kaiba managed as he squeezed in, the door closing behind him as he looked at the group, the fact that the doctor seemed happy to see the monitors on saying that things had gotten bad before he'd disconnected and reset the system to manual. However, the worried looks that everyone was giving, and the absence of Mokuba and Katsuye, made him tense as he looked over at Mai.

"What happened? Where are Mokuba and Katsuye?"

Everyone was quiet, Mai looking upset over something as Varon looked down, Anzu finally answering his question.

"We're not sure - the computers went crazy after Honda and Otogi got back in. Katsuye went to go and find out if Mokuba was ok, then they said that something was going on. They got taken by these guys who said they were from the...the true KaibaCorp."

"Varon knew them," Mai spoke up, though it was obvious she was unhappy with what had happened, "He tried to get the two to stop, but then they said that…that it was time, and that you needed to take care of the final 'loose end' here."

Kaiba frowned at that, looking around at the frightened group before he asked, "They went back outside?"

Silence before Kaiba let out a breath. "I managed to get the system disconnected from the KaibaCorp main computer, and we need to pilot it back and send those who are injured back for medical attention." He glanced at Honda and Otogi. "Can you two do that?"

The two nodded, Kaiba continuing after the conformation, "From what little I could tell, the whole computer system is down or taken over?"

Another nod from both before Kaiba let out a breath. "I'll see about getting out through the emergency hatch. They have to be on the island."

Anzu looked worried before Mai suddenly said, "Hey, I'm coming with you!"

"No, you're not," Kaiba told her, turning back towards the door, "I have done enough damage with this tournament. I don't see a reason to endanger people again by dealing with something my company is responsible for."

Varon moved up beside Kaiba, smirking at him despite the worry. "Tough. We're coming. I know those two, and Mai isn't about to leave Katsuye behind."

A glare was interrupted by a quiet, but firm, "I'm going to get my sister back." Everyone turned to Shizuka, who slowly stood before nodding firmly, her mind set. "I have to save her."

Anzu is quiet a moment longer before asking, "Where is Yugi?"

"Last I saw him, he was outside," Kaiba told her, and Anzu considered a moment longer before nodding

"I'm going to help Yugi. It can't be a coincidence that this is all happening. I know Bakura managed to get out only a little while ago - if I follow the way he went, I can get to them."

Kaiba wants to protest, but considering the few that are coming with him as it is, he has no room to do so. Everyone here has faced or seen the Shadows, or what happened to his company when the Big Five tried to take over. All of them care about Katsuye and Mokuba, and denying them the ability to help the others would only hurt his chances in the long run.

"Then let's go. We have only a small window of opportunity."


Kaiba was too quick, and Yami barely had a chance to let out a yell of warning before the door closed behind him, getting the others to stutter to a halt behind Yami and Yugi. The tangible feel of the Shadows being called made Yami frown and look around, stopping when he saw Shadii step out from behind some of the ruins of the weapons that Kaiba's adopted father had created on the island.

"So it begins," Shadii said, looking him over with a critical eye before remarking, "You are not what I expected to come out of this. A Shadow should remain such."

"You've always been one who enjoyed that romanticized idea of the past," a new voice called from a bit above them, getting Yami to look up as he heard Yugi let out a startled sound. He barely saw the chimera leap down before it was in front of Yugi, the asp-tail whipping around and hissing, stopping Yami from moving forward as the familiar voice said, "It's never as nice as they think. No one ever realizes how hard and bleak lives were back then, how easy things are now. But no, ones like you always want to sweep all of that under the rug, hidden and forgotten, just so you can have something you never really held in the first place."

"You have no say in this matter, Sakhmet," Shadii said angrily towards the sound of the voice, his hand raised as the Scales began to tilt. "Release the one who carried the Puzzle and stop this charade!"

"I did nothing," the voice, Sakhmet, said simply as the chimera growled, still circling around Yugi. Yami looked around quickly as he saw Marik shaking, hidden behind the tall man while Ishizu stood, braced and glaring at Shadii as her hand stayed near the Tauk. "The Shadows gave Yami and Yugi what they wanted, and what would best serve them in the game that had been set up since your lineage desecrated the tomb and took away his name."

"You assume too much," Shadii said, his tone even despite the fear he showed, even if it was barely. Yami looked around quickly before a glitter of gold made him pause while Shadii continued, "It was foretold by the first owner of the Tauk that he would return, that he would bring the Shadows with him, and from that time, we would once more have peace and prosperity, that the taint that priest brought upon us would be wiped clean."

"And yet before you began to work against them, they were on their way to that. A piece of the Pharaoh walked by daylight, and he brought with him his kin, the Shadows, and so far, peace by destroying those you manipulated as the priest did," the voice continued, certain even as Yami felt the Shadows begin to move around another with an Item.

"We have everyone now, don't we?" the voice of Sakhmet continued as Yugi looked over at Yami in fear, his own worry doubling as he quickly searched for where the woman was hiding. "We have the Seer, the one with Two Items, the Right Hand…the Thief, and the link to the Pharaoh and to the final Shadow Game."

Shadii glanced up, his glare set as he said, "And what of the Eye? Did you put that in someone as well?"

"Why would I put the object that so cursed everyone in anyone, Shadii? But you're right," the gold glint, catching the sunlight, finally drew Yami to where the voice was coming from. Bakura was nearby, awake and the two souls now one, the power of the Ring even more stable now. Near him, Anzu stood, defensive and obviously torn between racing to try to save Yugi or staying where she is. Catching the glittering Eye, her tawny eyes serious and her outfit now more like something out of Ancient Egypt than the relaxed clothing she'd worn, was the woman who'd been a friend to Katsuye and Mai, who had only been known to Yugi and the others, never to Yami, and seeing her now, Yami could guess why. She was saturated with the Shadows in a way that only he could see, and the gold color of something like an Item or two glittered on her shoulders and arm, making her look different than the memory of her he'd seen through Yugi's eyes.

"Layla," he said when he saw her, and the woman his aibou and the others knew as Layla Naunet smiled at him, though it was a sad one that had him blinking in confusion.

"Hello, swt of my sebah. It's time to finish that game we started so long ago."