Chapter 21

Season 3

A Change of Plans

Before Kayla had gone to bed that night, she'd placed the Millennium Ring on her night stand right next to her picture from Egypt.

"I will get them out of the Shadow Realm if it's the last thing I do." She whispered to herself. Kaia was surprised to see such a change come over her. Her heart used to be full of determination and ambition. Now it still had the determination, but her heart also held hatred and anger. Part of her couldn't blame her for having so much scorn towards Marik. But the other part of Kaia feared that Kayla would become the way Marik now was.

"Kayla, you need to relax. You'll get your chance for revenge soon. Right now, we must focus on other things."

Kayla relaxed slightly. "You… You're right. I need to calm down. It's just…."

"I know, Kayla. I understand. You should get some rest though. Even if you aren't in the finals anymore, you still need your strength."

Kayla sighed, and laid down on her bed. She was too tired to even think about changing clothes. She eventually fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

She hadn't felt such bliss from sleep in a very long time.

The next morning Kayla found herself half way off of her bed. When she awoke completely, she felt the blimp shift suddenly, sending her to the floor. Her knee banged against her dresser, causing her to hiss in pain. "What the hell!"

She then heard someone outside her door knocking.

"Yo Kayla, you awake?" she heard Joey shout. "There's something screwy going on with the blimp. The gang and I are going to check it out."

Kayla stumbled to her feet. "Hang on, I'll be right out." She shouted back. She was going to make a grab of the Millennium Ring, only to realize that it wasn't there. "That's weird." She thought. "I know I set it there last night. No one else has been in here since then."

The blimp shifted again, making her stumble to the floor again.

"Kayla, are you alright?" a soft and familiar voice asked.

Kayla looked up to see big innocent brown eyes looking directly into hers. Ryo held out a hand to help her up.

"Ryo?" Kayla gasped. "But how did… What are you…. How did you get back here?"

"I'll explain later, ok? We need to meet up with the others."

Kayla nodded, and took his hand. He helped her up, and the two ran down the hall to the elevator. Serenity stood there waiting for them.

"Serenity, what's going on?" Kayla asked.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "Joey and the others went to the control room to go talk to Kaiba about it. I decided to wait for you."

Kayla nodded. "Thank you. I say we head up there now. I want to see for myself what the hell is going on here."

Serenity nodded, and pressed button. Within a few minutes they were reunited with the others.

"Hey, what's up with the turbulence?" Joey shouted. "Some of us actually sleep past five on this blimp."

"Doesn't seem that way with all the rude awakenings going on here." Kayla added with a smile. Yugi, Joey, and Tea all turned at that. Tea greeted her with a smile, and a small wave.

The blimp shifted again. Everyone clung to something in the control room to keep themselves from falling over.

"The auto pilot isn't responding Mr. Kaiba." One of Kaiba's suits said.

"Then make it respond." Kaiba snapped.

"But it's rejecting all of my commands! What should I do?"

"I pay you good money here." Kaiba growled. "Do whatever it takes to get us back on course to Kaiba Corp Island."

"God, Kaiba is such an ass." Kayla thought. Out loud, she said. "He's doing the best he can, so cut the guy some slack will ya?"

Kaiba ignored her, as usual. He continued to stare at screen showing the island ahead of them. On the island stood a tall tower.

"Is that the final dueling site?" Yugi asked.

Kaiba nodded. "I built it from the ruins of my stepfather's empire."

"Kaiba Corp. wasn't always a gaming company." Mokuba explained. "It used to develop machines for war. But all that changed when Seto took over. That island used to be the central headquarters until Seto took down all the weapon factories. Then he built that dueling tower as a symbol of the new Kaiba Corp."

"Mokuba, that's enough." Kaiba hissed at his brother. Mokuba was taken aback by his brother's sudden change.

"I think we hit a sore spot." Joey whispered.

"Damn straight." Kayla mumbled, agreeing.

"I've got it!" The suit in control of the blimp said. "The blimp is taking commands from someone outside of the ship. Someone's hacked into the mainframe and changed our coordinates!"

"No way!" Mokuba shouted. "Security on this thing is state of the art!"

The blimp shifted downward, heading straight towards the ocean.

"Everyone hang on to something!" Tea shouted.

The blimp slammed and skimmed across the water, then regained its altitude. Everyone was thrown onto the floor.

"Is everyone alright?" Kayla asked.

"Besides the whiplash and the sprained ankle, I'm just peachy." Tristan groaned.

The screen that showed Kaiba Corp Island flashed suddenly. A young voice came from it. "Greetings Duelists."

The screen flashed again, and a little boy appeared on the screen. "I am the one in control now."

"Identify yourself. Now!" Kaiba hissed.

"Always barking orders aren't you? I've been observing you, and I think it's time I put you in your place, s
Seto. From now on, I'll be calling the shots here. First rule of business is to put an end to your little card game."

Mokuba stood up, and pointed a finger at the screen. "You'll never get away with this you creep!"

"I already have." The boy on the screen shot back.

"Listen, kid. I demand to know your name." Kaiba said.

"Anybody else find it a little weird that we're having a debate session with a T.V. screen?" Kayla asked quietly. Yugi and the rest of the gang nodded at that.

"The name is Noah." The little boy said. "You and I go back a long way, Seto. And my games have just begun." There was another flash on the screen, and the boy was gone.

Suddenly, a huge metal building began to rise out of the water. Everyone gasped, and Joey almost jumped.

The blimp slowly made its way to land on the building. The pilot lost all control, and there was nothing left to do.

"The moment we land, I'll make that little brat pay." Kaiba growled.

"I want first crack at him." Tristan added.

Kayla gawked at them, shocked. "You seriously want to beat up a kid? What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

"Kayla's right." Duke added. "You both need to take it easy. He's just a kid for Christ sake."

The blimp then landed, and Noah came back on screen. "Thank you for dropping by Seto. Now it's time for you and your friends to exit the ship. And refusal is not an option here."

The exit ramp of the blimp opened, and everyone began to exit. Serenity was clinging to Joey, shaking.

"Now," Noah's voice on an intercom continued. "If you all will be so kind as to continue forward, we can continue this party. And don't bring anyone else with you. This invitation is for duelists only."

Behind her, Kayla heard Duke whisper, "You're no duelist."

"Yeah, well no one has to know that so shut it dice boy." Tristan shot back quietly. Kayla pretended not to have heard them.

Kaiba led the others down a long hallway. Ryo walked close to Kayla, and the both of them walked at the back of the group.

"What do you think is at the end of this hall?" Ryo asked quietly.

"I'm not sure what to think at this point." Kayla responded. "We'll just have to wait and see. In the mean time, are you ready to face what could be at the end?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Kayla saw a quick flash of light. She turned her head and saw Bakura had taken over, and he was now the one looking at her with a smirk on his face. "I am now."

Kayla said nothing to blow his cover. Something definitely seemed different about him now. The hostile fiery look he normally gave her was gone, and was replaced with a slightly softer look. Something about that look made her fell like she could trust him now. As always, she went with her gut feeling.

A door suddenly opened at the end of the hallway, revealing a room. Once everyone was inside it, a bright light flashed.

"Welcome, Mr. Kaiba." A group of voices said. "We've been expecting you."

Kaiba gasped, and stepped back. "No! It… It can't be!"

Five men stood in front of them, all wearing suits. One held a cane in his hand. "You should've known we'd be back, Seto Kaiba. And now we are, and we want revenge."

A/N: I have now become the evil Queen of Cliff Hangers. :D