Long chapter! The duel with Dartz turned out to be an even bigger pain to deal with than the last one, partially because it's longer and partially because with all the layers of the Orichalcos and the Legendary Knights, I feel like I still have no idea what happened even though I just watched the episodes again. What I pieced together here is the result of much Googling! Anyway, some changes have been made to the canon events, which I'm sure you'll notice.

I'm very happy to note, though, that this is the last real duel I'll have to deal with for the time being! I mean, there's the fight with the Great Leviathan, but even though it uses monsters, it's not really a duel so it should be way less obnoxious to write. :D That makes me happy, and I'm also really looking forward to writing the end of the next chapter, which will deal with the final battle. In all honesty, the scene I have planned there is the whole reason for such rapid updates. I've kind of been sprinting to get to that point. ;)

Read and review, please!

~Pleurez

Tea sat beside the pharaoh's limp body. She moved to brush a strand of hair out of his face, jerking back in surprise at the cold clamminess of his skin. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "You're going to be okay. You have to be."

"That duel really took a lot out of him," Mokuba murmured. Still, he wasn't like the Joey or any of the other people Mokuba had seen fall victim to the Orichalcos. Their bodies remained motionless except for a faint rise and fall of the chest with their breaths. Yami trembled, and he twitched every now and again. Granted, the shaking probably wasn't a good thing, but at least it meant there was still hope that he'd wake up.

"There's more to it than that," she said.

Mokuba looked away.

"You know what it is, don't you? Both you and your brother."

Mokuba winced. He didn't have the same poker face as his brother. It was something he'd been trying to work on—he couldn't afford to let people read him like a book in board meetings. But he had a long way to go before he'd be anywhere near as skilled in that regard as Seto. "I think he was afraid you'd panic if you knew," he sighed.

"Knew what," she pressed.

She knew she'd promised the pharaoh that she'd trust him, but the time for that had come and gone. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand seeing her friend lying unconscious, knowing something was very wrong, but not knowing what it was or if she could help. "Mokuba, please. This isn't the time for secrets."

He looked to his brother. But he remained just as unreadable as ever. Rolling his eyes skyward and hoping he was making the right decision, he explained, "Well, I guess I don't entirely understand it. But something about the Orichalcos is making him ill." He closed his eyes, trying to keep his voice calm. He knew he couldn't just fall apart. But everything seemed to be in a rapid downward spiral and it was getting harder and harder to stay positive. "He told Seto that he doesn't have much time left. That he's dying."

Tea took the pharaoh's hand in hers, squeezing it tight. "No," she said immediately. "He can't be…"

"He is," Kaiba cut in. Scathing eyes turned to Yami. "But that's beside the point, isn't it? Because he wouldn't be lying there like that if he hadn't been so damned reckless."

"Kaiba," Tea scolded, "he was just trying to—"

"Save it for someone who cares," he barked.

"I'm worried about him, too. But fighting isn't going to help," Mokuba pleaded. A headache was brewing right behind his eyes. The situation had been stressful enough without everyone at each other's throats. "Whatever's wrong with him is because of the Seal. So all we have to do is take down Dartz, and then he'll be fine."

"Mister Kaiba? We've arrived."

"Let's make this quick." He moved to pick up the pharaoh, but Tea stood in his way.

"You can't be thinking of bringing him to Dartz like this!"

The CEO rolled his eyes. "Right. Because what we should do is just leave him here to fend for himself if one of Dartz's cronies comes looking for us."

"I'll stay—"

"And do what," he demanded. "He'd be better off fending for himself!"

"As much as I hate to say it, Tea, he's kind of got a point," Tristan sighed. He wasn't a duelist, and neither was Tea. If it came down to fighting off one of those monsters, there wouldn't be much they could do.

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't protest further.

Kaiba grit his teeth. "If I thought it was safe here, do you really think I'd even consider bringing Mokuba into this lunatic's lair?" Without waiting for an answer, he took hold of the Pharaoh.

Inside the temple, Kaiba nearly dropped him.

He gave a start, crimson eyes snapping open. "K-Kaiba! Put me down," he demanded breathlessly. His head whipped to the side and he began trying to squirm his way out of the CEO's grasp.

"What the hell?"

"He… He's here," he insisted. "Y-Yugi!"

"You're hallucinating."

"No. His… His spirit. I can f-feel it. Please. Let go."

As soon as his feet hit the floor, the pharaoh stumbled to the wall. He ignored the pain in his muscles, pushing forward with a frenzied determination. "Yugi!" His voice was weak but urgent. "Where… Where a-are you?" His breaths were short and shallow, but because of the excitement of having finally found his charge more than from pain.

He couldn't be wrong.

He felt the shadows recoiling, their hold weakening. It had to be him.

"Yugi, please! A-answer me," he pleaded.

"Welcome," a voice purred from the front of the room.

He whipped around. "Dartz," he spat.

"Were you expecting someone else?"

Kaiba clenched his fists. "Give me back my company," he demanded.

"Where… Where is he," Yami demanded. "R-Release him!"

"My, my. Don't you two sound like a fine pair of broken records," he drawled, though his eyes narrowed as they fell on Yami. He folded his arms, observing him. He was much weaker than Dartz would have liked him. But there was something stirring in his soul, feeding him and giving him strength.

He'd planned to feed the pharaoh's friends to the Leviathan first out of spite… But perhaps the boy's soul was the key to keeping him alive long enough to have his soul extracted. That was just too bad, but perhaps he could find another use for the brat in the meantime.

"If you really want your company back, the answer's quite simple. Duel me."

"No. It's too dangerous," the pharaoh insisted, though Kaiba's duel disk was already raised.

"Trying to protect him? How touching." His lips twitched into a smirk. "Of course, you could join him, you know."

"Don't."

"Very well."

"Pharaoh! Are you sure you can handle it," Tea asked. "You were in pretty bad shape."

"He can't," Kaiba sneered. He turned to Yami. "Get lost. I can fight my own battles."

"I'm not a child. I don't need you to protect me," the pharaoh ground out. With Yugi near, the shadows would be kept at bay long enough for him to manage. "Let's duel."

"You'd better know what you're doing," Kaiba hissed. He drew his hand, managing to get his Blue Eyes on the field within his first turn.

Mokuba grinned as the pharaoh also summoned one of his most powerful creatures. "Look, guys! They've already got some of their strongest monsters on the field. This thing's in the bag!"

"You underestimate me."

Yami grew rigid as the Seal activated, surrounding the playing field. He hoped that with Yugi's spirit still near, the effects of the seal would be lessened. But only time would tell. "I call forth Orichalcos Gigas. I believe you've met before. And I sacrifice five hundred of my life points to summon Orichalcos Kyutora in defense mode."

The pharaoh cursed as he set the monster in his back row, rendering it unable to be destroyed until Orichalcos Gigas left the field. Except, the creature was almost impossible to get rid of.

"I fuse my Blue Eyes White Dragon to create Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon." His eyes narrowed. "It's your move. You'd better not mess this up."

"I use Polymerization to fuse our monsters to form Master of Dragon Soldier! Next, I activate Meteorain. Now, Master of Dragon Soldier, destroy his Orichalcos Gigas!" His eyes shifted to the walls. Soon, Yugi would be free and this whole nightmare would be over.

"What are you so happy about? You just lost," Kaiba spat.

"Oh, have I?"

His eyes widened—Dartz's life points remained untouched. "What did you do?"

"Did I forget to mention the special ability of my Orichalcos Kyutora? He absorbs all damage that would be done to my life points." Bi-colored eyes glinted wickedly. "And since you can't destroy him, I'm invincible. Now, I acticate Orichalcos Deuteros."

The pharaoh gasped, doubling over in pain as the black energy of the second layer of the seal coursed through him, lending strength to the shadows.

Their opponent scowled. He'd have to tread more carefully. If he allowed the shadows to consume the pharaoh, his soul would be useless to the Great Beast. He needed him in one piece. His next turn came after another futile attempt on his life points.

"Now, I activate Mirror Knight Calling to bring forth four Mirror Knight Tokens."

The pharaoh watched helplessly as one token took down Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and the second his Black Luster Soldier, leaving both of them wide open for an attack. His knees buckled as one of the tokens struck him, decreasing his life points by five hundred.

"Get up," Kaiba snarled. "You were the one who wanted this duel. Now you'd damned well better finish it."

His Ring of Destruction took out Dart's Mirror Knight Calling. "Now your tokens can be destroyed."

"Oh, really?" The helmets cracked, falling away.

A sudden warmth coursed through the pharaoh's veins. "No," he rasped. The distance between himself and his charge's soul had closed. Yami could feel him somewhere within the confines of the Orichalcos. His face paled as his eyes settled on the Mirror Knight Tokens.

The helmets clattered to the floor, revealing the faces of their friends.

"What the hell did you do," he demanded, voice rising in pitch.

"It's just a trick," Kaiba seethed. "He's trying to distract you."

"Is it? If you're so sure, Kaiba, then why don't you attack one? But be warned, whatever might happen to their souls will be on your conscience."

Kaiba scoffed. "Unfortunately for you, I don't have one."

Yami's resolve wavered. He looked down at his trap card. Looking away, shoulder slumped in resignation, he murmured, "I have no choice but to end my turn."

"You can't be serious!"

"Well, then it's back to me. Mirror Knight Yugi, attack your other half now." He practically purred in delight. "Really, you should be thanking me. This is his chance to give you exactly what you deserve for what you've done to him before both of you are sacrificed to the Great Leviathan."

He frowned as Yugi refused to move.

"What are you waiting for? He's the reason your soul's trapped here! Punish him!"

The fire faded from the pharaoh's eyes as they remained fixed on the ground, waiting for the blow to come. Dartz wasn't wrong… It was his mistake that put Yugi in harm's way. If his charge chose to strike him, it would be well deserved.

"He's lying," Tea insisted. "Yugi doesn't blame you for anything! You have to know that!"

"Fine. Protect him for now if you like. But sooner or later, you'll see sense." He set one card face down and it was Kaiba's move.

"Well I won't be put off by your mind games. I summon Different Dimension Dragon! Kaiser Glider, attack Mirror Knight Mai!"

"Kaiba, no. Please. I beg you," the pharaoh pleaded.

"You can do what you want, but I plan to win."

"Are you sure," Dartz drawled. "Are you really okay with the possibility that you could destroy a soul?"

"Please. It's how I make my living," he shot back, unfazed as his monster lost its shield. "Now, Different Dimension Dragon, finish her!"

Kaiba snarled as Joey intercepted the attack, losing his shield but leaving all four of Dartz's knights on the field. "Two of them can be destroyed. Finish the job," he spat.

"We'll be fine."

His head shot up as he heard Yugi's voice coming from the Mirror Knight Token. "Yugi?"

"It's okay."

The pharaoh shook his head. It was too much of a risk, and he'd hurt his charge so much already… "I pass."

"When this is over, you're dead," Kaiba ground out. He wanted nothing more than to go over and shake some sense into that spiky head. The duel was still going, but Yami's posture screamed defeat.

"I activate Twin Bow Centaur. This card allows me to select one monster on my side of the field and one of yours. It will then choose one of them to destroy." His scrutinized the field. He could choose Yugi. But the pharaoh had grown stronger since his placement on the field—he was able to draw without shaking and if not for his panic at the thought of killing his friends, his breaths would have grown deeper and more even. And Dartz needed his soul to be strong if he wanted it to last long enough to be fed to the beast.

But the blond one… The pharaoh seemed quite attached to him as well, and his soul wasn't really doing anything for anyone. "I select Mirror Knight Joseph and Kaiba's Kaiser Glider."

Part of him hoped that the centaur chose his monster. It wasn't as if he couldn't afford to lose the life points, and he wanted to see the pharaoh's grief. "Oh, dear. It seems Kaiba's the unlucky one."

The CEO shot a venomous glare at Yami as his life points decreased to a mere six hundred. "Satisfied," he sneered.

He managed to save himself for another turn, but with Dartz's life points over fifteen thousand and Yami still refusing to attack the Mirror Knights, there seemed to be little he could do beyond stalling for time.

"Now I place Orichalcos Tritos on the field."

He set his sights on Kaiba's dragon. "Orichalcos Malevolence's effect allows me to switch your monster from defense to attack mode. Now, destroy his monster!"

"You've triggered my trap, Shrink! Your monster's attack is reduced by half."

"Not so fast, Kaiba." The card's image shattered and his monster remained unharmed. "The third layer of the Orichalcos allows me to destroy any trap or magic card directed at my monsters. Get ready to lose your soul."

"Haven't you figured it out yet? I don't have one!" Though beneath his bravado, his mind was working at a million miles an hour. There had to be something he could do to stop the attack. But as he stared at his hand, he came up with nothing.

"I activate Ambush Shield! Transfer Big Shield Gardna's defense points to Different Dimension Dragon's attack strength!"

Dartz shrugged casually. "You're just delaying the inevitable. Now. Shall we see if Yugi's finally seen reason? Mirror Knights, attack the pharaoh's life points directly."

Yugi struggled against the order, but found himself unable to defy Dartz's compulsion. His heart broke as the pharaoh gave an agonized cry when his sword found its mark, but there was nothing he could do. "It seems your little friends have finally realize you aren't worth protecting."

Mai struck next, followed by Joey.

"Yugi-boy!" Pegasus' voice sounded from his token as it rushed to attack the pharaoh. He halted. "Tell me you have the card I gave you! It's the key to ending this!"

"Enough stalling," Dartz snarled. "Attack!"

"Use the card," he repeated before launching his attack.

Tears pooled in the pharaoh's eyes.

Mokuba sighed, "He's in pretty bad shape, isn't he?"

He could see the pharaoh processing everything Dartz said, the attack feeding into his own feelings of worthlessness. "Dartz just won," he breathed. He may still have had life points left, but Yami was crushed.

"I'm sorry, Yugi," he murmured.

"Pull yourself together," Kaiba ground out. "How many times do I have to tell you, these are just stupid mind games!" He had to get the tokens off the field fast. Maybe if they were defeated, Yami would actually start dueling… "I summon Fang of Critias!"

Dartz paled as the legendary dragon came to the field.

"Now, I'll bet anything that face down card is Mirror Force. So, Critias, fuse with his trap and destroy his Mirror Tokens."

"You can't," Yami breathed, eyes turning to Yugi. His vision blurred and his breaths were painfully audible. "Please, I'm begging you." He couldn't see Yugi destroyed.

The shadows writhed, swarming his thoughts. His soul's as good as dead. And you know what that means.

He shook his head. "No. It… It can't be."

No reincarnation. Ours forever. In the cold and the dark, with no memories except how you failed.

"Kaiba," he rasped as the CEO refused to call off the attack.

"We'll be fine," Yugi's voice insisted. "Yami, it's okay." His other half was on the verge of a panic attack, and that was a setback they couldn't afford. He struggled against the magic binding him in place, slowly traversing the field.

As Kaiba's monster prepared to attack, he touched the pharaoh's hand. Warmth washed over him, so painfully and achingly familiar. "Listen to me. It's what he has to do. We'll be alright." He gave a reassuring smile just before the attack struck him, freeing his spirit from the monster and returning it to the wall.

A shiver ran down his spine as he felt Yugi's spirit distance itself from him, suddenly separated by the Seal. He gave an unintelligible cry of grief, searching the room desperately for even the slightest trace of his charge's spirit. "He's… He's safe," he rasped. He could still feel him, though it was faint.

"Now don't you wish you'd listened to me," Kaiba ground out. "If you—" He stopped as Dartz activated a card to force his dragon into combat with his newest, absurdly over powered monster. There was nothing either he or Yami could do to stop his life points from ticking down to zero.

"I activate Wish of Final Effort to transfer Mirror Force Dragon's attack points!"

His knees buckled as the Seal closed in around him.

"Kaiba!" Yami caught him before he hit the ground. "Kaiba, are you alright?"

Blue eyes narrowed disdainfully. "Don't fuck this up any more than you already have," he spat before his soul was pulled from his body.

"Seto?" Mokuba ran to the barrier. "Seto, come on! Get up!"

"I'm feeling generous," Dartz purred. "You can have what' left of him." A burst of energy flung the CEO outside the Orichalcos and he landed with a harsh thud beside Mokuba.

The child shook his brother's shoulder. "Come on, open your eyes." His voice broke, shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs. "Bring him back! You bring him back right now!"

"Forgive me," the pharaoh breathed. It was his fault. If he'd attacked, perhaps Kaiba's life points would have been safe. But he'd already betrayed Yugi once… It hadn't been able to bring himself to risk his safety again for the sake of victory.

"You'd better win!"

He stroked his brother's hair, clinging to his limp body. "Please come back."

"You can do this," Tea insisted.

Dartz's eyes narrowed. "I've had quite enough of your meddling."

An eye appeared behind him as the earth shook. He extended his hand and a burst of energy came forth, throwing Yugi's friends across the temple. They lay in a heap, just as lifeless as the soulless husks left in the Orichalcos' wake had been. But even despite Dartz's assault, Mokuba hadn't let go of his brother. His arms still clung to Seto, his head resting on his shoulder.

"What have you done?"

Dartz scoffed. "Nothing. They're all alive, I just wanted to talk to you without their interference. That's not so bad, is it?"

He fixed the pharaoh with a cat-like grin. "Now, tell me. Do you ever get tired of it?" He gave an indulgent chuckle as the pharaoh's brow furrowed. "Hurting the ones you love, I mean."

The pharaoh's eyes shot up.

"Oh, dear. Have I struck a nerve?" He gestured to his walls of souls. "But am I wrong? It was your action that led to your other half being trapped here, wasn't it? And then Kaiba. Your inaction cost him his soul. Not to mention the child you've left without a brother."

"No! That was your doing!"

"Face it, Pharaoh. You had the chance to protect all of them. But you were either too selfish or too incompetent."

"I'm going to make things right," he insisted.

"All you have to do is surrender," Dartz purred. "Place your had over your deck, Pharaoh, and you'll be sealed away, never to hurt another soul again. What other choice do you have? Even if you did manage to win, it would only be a temporary solution. How long would it be until you put them in danger again?"

Yami flinched.

Visions of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City flashed before him. Pegasus capturing the soul of Yugi's grandfather and locking it away… The spirt of the ring coming after Yugi and his friends to get to the puzzle… Marik and his rare hunters tracking them down. Chaining Joey and Yugi to an anchor. Kaiba forced into a duel atop a building whose ceiling was set to shatter as soon as their life points hit zero… He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head to try to banish the memories.

"You know it's true."

Arcana's blades. Ryou injured. Mai's mind banished to the shadows.

"Surrender, pharaoh. Take your fate into your own hands. Choose your destiny—stop yourself from causing further harm. You can't win anyway. Accept the end with dignity."

His hand hovered over his duel disk. Perhaps Dartz was right… Perhaps the best thing he could do for Yugi's friends at this point was to remove himself from their lives so he couldn't hurt anyone else. "I'm a danger to them…"

His deck glowed, shedding a vibrant white light. An angry roar shook the temple, a vision of the dragons appearing before the pharaoh. Timaeus regarded him, jaws parted and fangs baring. "You betrayed us, Pharaoh. And yet we gave you a second chance. Are you going to make us regret that now?"

The pharaoh looked away. He was so tired… Distanced from Yugi by the Orichalcos, there was no longer sufficient light to ward off the shadows. The cold made his bones ache. He'd lost his charge again, and he was utterly alone and without a single advantage. But the dragon's eyes bored into him, piercing his very being.

"There is hope yet. And even if you were to fail, better to go down fighting than dying a coward's death."

His opponent snarled as he pulled a card from his deck. He felt its energy thrumming beneath his fingers—it was the card Pegasus told him to use. "I play Legendary Heart to unleash the true forms of the legendary dragons!"

As the knights appeared, the Seal encircling the arena shattered.

"The Orichalcos—"

"Is useless in our presence," Timeaus said sharply.

The pharaoh managed a weary smile as the duel finally turned in his favor. Within the next two turns, his knights had cleared the field of Dartz's Orichalcos Shunoros. "It's over," he breathed.

"Not quite. My Orichalcos Shunoros may be destroyed, but it allows me to summon Divine Serpent Geh. And as long as he remains in play, I remain in the duel."

"No monster is invincible."

Dartz shrugged casually. "Believe what you like, but you'll be hard pressed to overcome a beast with infinite attack points."

"Legendary Knight Critias, absorb the effect of Attack Guidance Barrier!" He continued in a chain of cards allowing the legendary knights to attack the Divine Serpent in an endless loop, driving up the strength of the attack to match the infinite power of the serpent. "Now, Timaeus! Absorb the attack strength of Criteas and Hermos. Timaeus the Knight of Destiny, destroy his Divine Serpent!"

He felt weak with relief as the monster vanished, ending the duel. "Alright, Dartz. Now release the souls you've captured!"

Dartz gave a wicked chuckle, his eyes flicking to the rift Timaeus had created, calling into existence a temporary link between their world and the world of the Leviathan. The monster tore free, consuming Dartz.

A flash burst from the tear. "We can't free all the souls, but we will offer what assistance we can." The knights pulled two orbs of light from the rift, releasing the souls of Kaiba and Joey to return to their bodies.

"But what of Yugi?"

Timaeus frowned. He called for the boy's soul, searching to locate him and pull him back to their dimension. But before he could cross the barrier, the portal slammed shut. The knight staggered back, turning to face the pharaoh. "I'm sorry."

Yami felt numb. Suddenly, each limb was impossibly heavy, his eyes unfocused and unseeing. This was all wrong. He'd defeated Dartz. The threat of the Leviathan was neutralized. Yugi should have been freed. He sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself. "I can't… I can't feel him anymore."

"The Leviathan's taken him. The only way to get him back is to vanquish the beast," Timaeus remarked.

Hostile, watery eyes snapped to the knight. "Dartz was defeated! He couldn't summon the Leviathan!" His grip on his arms grew tighter, such that he could feel the sharpness of his fingernails even through the fabric of his coat.

Dartz's face appeared before him, smug and self-satisfied as ever. "Plans change, Pharaoh. But you're more than welcome to come find me and try again."

But the pharaoh remained on the ground. Once again, he'd been robbed of his victory. He'd had it in his grasp, and it had slipped away. The whole endeavor was beginning to feel so, horrifically hopeless, he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to get up and try again.

If Yugi's soul had truly been consumed… He feared even if he killed the Leviathan, his charge's soul would remain lost. Perhaps it would be best to remain where he was and wait for the shadows to finally claim their victory.