Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm sorry for the gap between updates. I struggled with this one, but I think that it didn't come out too badly. This is one of Aiko's two big chapters (the second will be chapter 22). I hope you enjoy it!

Warning: This chapter contains one swear word (not the F word) towards the end. I know that some readers might be uncomfortable with swearing, so here's your heads up. I don't have my character swear often, but there are some situations when I honestly believe that would be their reaction. Thanks for understanding.

Announcement: The first outtake has been posted. It's from Ryou Bakura's pov. Please check it out if you're interested in hearing what's been happening to him during all this.

Thanks to YamiMayonaka and angiembabe for your reviews. Your continued support means a lot!

Note: Kemet means Egypt.

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 21: Time is the Enemy

Aiko's pov:

Tick. . Tock. Aiko found herself listening to the ticking of her watch as she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. Her friends thought that she was old fashioned because nobody wore watches anymore. Why get a watch when you could just check your phone? Usually Aiko just shrugged and said that most successful people still wore watches, including Seto Kaiba. Besides, she really liked the whole retro look. Today however, she just wanted to smash her watch into pieces. For some reason she felt like time was the enemy. There was never enough time, and now she could sense that it was finally running out. Each passing day was a progressing countdown until the situation finally exploded.

Things had been eerily peaceful in the days since Mr. Muto's release from the hospital. They hadn't heard so much as a whisper from Bakura, who they knew was always watching. The others didn't seem to dwell on this fact the way that she did, although everyone was still on edge. According to Joey there was no point dwelling on it because there wasn't much they could do about it, but couldn't they act a bit more worried? The worst part was that no one could ever know that these thoughts were running through her head. The others would dismiss her as a child despite her being eighteen, and she was sure that her family and friends would think that she had gone insane. Duel Monsters coming to life? A mad man who used magic to steal souls? Sometimes she even questioned her own sanity. The ever present fear only increased because Aiko knew that something had to give. This peace couldn't last for much longer. As they recovered from their wounds Bakura was plotting, and whether they were ready or not he would make a move very soon.

Aiko suddenly felt chilled. She rolled over onto her side to face the window. Had she left it open without realizing it? She heard something move. Without even thinking about it her hands flew to her item.

She peeked out the window and saw a squirrel in the tree right outside of her window that was making the leaves rustle. She gave a little chuckle. Now she was just being ridiculous. There was nothing there...except there was. She heard it before she saw it. Aiko jumped off of the bed and raised her item, eyes darting from side to side attempting to find the source of the noise. It was almost moving faster than her eyes could track it, so all she could see was a shadowy blur until it paused and stared at her. The thing that was in her room was a shadow that took the form of a monster that she had never seen before. It was tall but slender, and had large menacing claws and teeth that she just knew were razor sharp.

Aiko instinctively knew that it was going to attack her if she didn't move, so she raised her item and said, "Did you really think that you can take me without a fight? You've been tainted by Bakura-you're no longer pure if you ever were, so I'll seal you in the shadow realm where you belong!" The monster disappeared but the threat was not gone. She knew that the monster probably couldn't understand her, but there was no doubt in her mind that Bakura was listening in. She could hardly believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. She had been accused of having a large vocabulary in the past, but she didn't talk like that. A rush of adrenaline made her feel powerful, like she could take on Bakura himself.

"So you've finally found your claws kitty kat." A voice hissed from nowhere. Her first instinct was to run. Despite how she felt she knew that she couldn't face him on her own, so she used the only other course of action available to her. She instantly climbed the window. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that something had brushed against her leg.

As quickly as she could manage she scrambled down the tree and ran towards the nearest item holder. She didn't know where Joey lived, and the Ishtars were probably with Yugi, who lived farther away than she was comfortable with at the moment, so she she ran to the closest place that she could think of-Kaiba Corporation. Even if he got her surely the cameras would catch something and they would know the truth.

There were no footsteps to be heard, no heavy breathing, no taunting, nothing. Aiko had no way of tracking the presence of the man who was stalking her. She summoned a monster. "Alexandrite Dragon! Buy me some time." The monster nodded and began to hover over her. Around her people were going about their business. As scared as she was, she couldn't help but wonder why nobody seemed to notice that there was a huge dragon flying over the city. Every shadow was dangerous and every alley was a trap. Running straight through the city might make her more visible, but it also made him more visible. He couldn't hide in the shadows anymore than she could. It was a calculated risk on her part, but a necessary one. The enemy that she could see was preferable to the one that she could not.

Aiko couldn't take any of her short cuts, so getting to Kaiba Corporation was taking longer than she thought. It was a good thing that she followed a very strict regimen. She had read in a rare interview with Seto Kaiba that he followed a strict fitness regimen because a physical fitness was too easy to neglect in his business. He even attributed it to his success because it helped him to maintain a healthy mind. From that moment on she adopted a similar routine.

She was grateful for it now because slowing down wasn't an option. She pushed her body to run even faster. Maybe if she made it to the door she'd be safe. He wouldn't dare try something there. There were endless blurs of bewildered children and puzzled adults and shouts of "Hey, watch where you going!" That she hardly registered. "Focus," she muttered to herself. "You can do this. You can make it!" The building was insight and she had never been so grateful to the see the skyscraper that had become such a symbolic figure in her town. If it was anything it was the King's Palace. This was where the Kaiba brothers presided over the rest of Domino.

Her heart started hammering further because she was almost certain that there was no way that silence that she had been hearing was good. "Just a little farther…." She wheezed.

Even though her legs started to ache she didn't stop. She began shouting at the cameras. "He's following me Seto! If someone's watching this, get Seto or Mokuba! Please you've got to!" A loud crack resounded and Aiko looked up. Someone had shot the camera. She looked down again, and there was Bakura leaning against a lamp post at the edge of the property. "I've known the others for years. I had expected them to be predictable. But you...I expected better." He paused for a moment. "Or maybe I shouldn't. Somewhere deep inside of you that refuse to acknowledge you're her, the one responsible for ruining my plans."

She had to stall. If she could hold on for just a little longer someone might see her."I don't know why everyone keeps saying that! I'm not her anymore than Seto Kaiba is a priest! The only lives we have are the one that we are living. I don't know what comes after this, and but one chance is all we've got! If this whole reincarnation thing is real, then why are Yugi and the Pharaoh different people?"

"You remind me of an old friend that I imagine will be joining us shortly. That's what you're stalling for isn't it? You're hoping that your knight in shining armor will come rescue you?"

She scoffed at 'night in shining armor'. "Let me tell you something sweetheart, denying your past will only prolong the inevitable. You, I believe that a certain CEO tried that. It didn't end well," he smirked. Aiko realized that he must have been referring to the story that he had told her about ancient Egypt. "Reincarnation doesn't have to mean the whole souls. Sometimes something happens that causes a part of the soul to linger as spirits. e

"You're reaching." She accused. "I can see right through you. You're all trying to dupe us into believing in your reincarnation fairy tale so that you can manipulate us. Well here's a newsflash: it won't work."

"Interesting...so not everyone has sided with Yugi." He muttered. He lowered his weapon. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. It was like he was trying to figure her out, trying to calculate a different way to get to her. He thought that this was something that he could use against her. "If you join me I'll spare you, and since I'm feeling particularly generous I'll even consider giving your parents a place in the world order."

Aiko opened her mouth, but Bakura cut her off before she could begin. "If I were you I'd think about this very carefully. The Path that Yugi is on will inevitably lead to his downfall. In order to purify the world it must be reborn again, and whether you are destroyed too depends entirely on you. You're like me. You were despised and feared because of what you were born as. They despised you, forced you beg and flee because they feared your power, and then they 'rescued' you so that they could manipulate you. Tell me, you've been drafted into a war that you had nothing to do with. Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that they are not using you now?"

She reached for something witty to say, or for the conviction that she had thought that she had for her cause, but she didn't have anything to say to that. For the first time it crossed her mind that that what he said about being might be true. They didn't give her any option. They just told her that she had to fight because fate wanted her to. Wasn't she a woman in charge of her own destiny? Still, she had to say something, so she imitated just about every bad action movie that she had been forced to watch with her friends. "Go to hell!" She spat!

"Is that truly the best insult you've got? I've spent the past two decades in the shadow realm. Hell is nothing in comparison!"

A horn honked and then a pair of hands came out of nowhere and grabbed her, forcing her into the car."Break the sound barrier Roland!" Mokuba commanded.

"Yes Young Master Kaiba!" The now graying man hit the gas and they were flying down the street so fast that Aiko wondered if they might actually break the sound barrier. That she suddenly went from being outside to inside of a car that was obviously speeding was a little disorienting.

"How did you know?" Aiko looked at both of the Kaiba brothers. Seto was typing away at his laptop, and Mokuba was scanning her up and down.

Mokuba ignored her question. "Hey, are you okay?"

She waved off his concern. "Yeah, I'm fine. But seriously, how?"

"That's easy. You were smart, running up to our cameras. You only saw the most obvious ones, but there are three others in that part of the parking lot that were hidden. One of our security guards saw you and alerted us, so we formulated a plan to get you out of there before it became a shadow were hoping that he would reveal a bit more of his plan before we picked you up, but we could tell from your body language that one of you was about to say something to escalate the incident."

"I could have taken him," she lied, not wanting to seem weak in front of her idol. "I'm about the same age as Mr. Kaiba when he beat him."

Kaiba put down his laptop and scowled. "It was not a singular effort on any one person's part, and I was a unique case. Yugi, the Pharaoh, and I are all masters at strategy, so it was different for us. We had a 5,000 year old spirit and my training under Gozaburo to keep us from getting ourselves killed. You can't simply confront him without a plan unless you have a death wish."

Was it her or did the car just get exponentially warmer? She could feel her cheeks become tinged with red, but she still tried to keep her cool. "You have a point. I actually did come here...uh...to Kaiba Corporation for a reason. I knew you had to have cameras that would alert you to what was going on. I could probably handle his monster on his own, but Bakura's a force to be reckoned with. Once I saw him I knew that I had to get away." She paused and looked down at her arms, which were covered in scratches and bruises under sleeves from where the force of an attack had thrown her to the ground. She had even dislocated her shoulder, but considering how badly she could have been hurt she had come out lightly. "I was there too, you know," she said quietly. "I know you must think that I'm naive, but I've seen what he can do. If all of us together can just barely escape with our lives, how is just one of us going to be able to be able to survive any sort of conflict with him?"

Seto Kaiba stopped and observed for a moment, with similar calculating look to Bakura's and reached one hand to his deck.

"I'm going to tell you something that you must never repeat." He stopped and waited expectantly.

Aiko nodded. "I swear that I won't tell anyone."

He nodded and reached for his deck. Mokuba's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" He asked in awe.

"If all of this hocus pocus stuff is real," he briefly scowled before returning to the same neutral expression that he wore much of the time (at least around her), "Then this is hers by right. He held up the card.

"That's the….I can't possibly-"she started.

"Take it. I have…" He scowled again. Why did he keep scowling like that? Was he only offering because someone had goaded him into it. "I have three others. This was a gift from Pegasus. Years ago he saw that I wanted a fourth blue eyes and gave me this. It was an apology for our previous meetings."

She hesitated. "Please don't feel like you have to. I'll be fine without it."

"Just take the damn card!" He growled a little too loudly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mokuba elbowing him. "Just take it." He said more calmly this time.

This time she did as he asked and reached for the card. For some reason she felt as though the moment should be approached with reverence. It was more than just Seto Kaiba's most prized card. In some ways it felt alive. Energy pulsed from the card when she touched it, and if she listened hard enough, she could swear that she heard a roar. Something felt right about holding it in her hands. The subtle glow that it gave off for the first few seconds of holding it seemed to confirm her thoughts.

Mokuba watched the whole moment in awe, although whether it was because of what she was experiencing or because his brother just gave away his prized blue eyes card she wasn't sure."Yugi always talks about the heart of the cards. At first I was skeptical, but now I'm inclined to believe him. I think that your heart is in that card. Maybe it's meant to be yours."

Aiko was only half listening as she gently ran her fingers over the surface."It feels like an old friend," she murmured. "I feel like I know her." As much as she had struggled to believe that reincarnation existed and the she was connected to that girl, she couldn't deny it any longer. She felt like she knew her through this card. "Kisara... That was her name, right? Was she really the Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

Mokuba had only faith in his brother to go on, but Seto had been there, so he was the one who answered the question. "Yes. Her spirit could be made manifest into the shape of the Blue Eyes. She looked just like you too."

Aiko stared hard at the card, trying to picture the girl that became the dragon. What was she like? Was she just like her, or were they different people with the same face? At one point this card had been a living, breathing, human being. "Can you tell me about her? If you know anything, I mean. I know that it's been a long time, but anything would help."

"From what I was able to gather, she was feared because of her exotic appearance and the fact that she could turn into such a powerful creature. She was protected by Priest Seto, and ultimately sacrificed her life to protect his, permanently turning into The Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"So that's why she feels so protective. It's almost like she's reaching out to us-she's still trying to protect us."

Suddenly something shifted about Seto Kaiba's demeanor. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't right. Mokuba tensed, but remained silent. So it wasn't just her being paranoid. He somehow always managed to look almost regal, but now you would think that he was a king. He sat tall and confident and stared at her with piercing eyes she could almost remember seeing before. "She is a part of you, Kisara. A small part of you will always remain connected through time and space, and even when you were reborn a part of you remained as that most noble dragon. Now that you are together you will have power possessed by only a few strong souls. Use it well, for soon you must return to Kemet, and if you do not take caution you will all fall." That wasn't Seto Kaiba speaking. The speech wasn't quite right, and called her Kisara.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Do you not recognize me in this form? My cousin says that we look remarkably alike."

She remembered things that she had no logical reason to have memories of. She remembered a man with blue eyes dressed in fine clothing with gold ornaments reaching out to her. The hair was different, and skin was more tanned, but the face was the same. Something about him made her heart skip a beat. He was important for reasons other than his position, but she couldn't remember why. "I remember, Priest Seto! But...how?"

"As spirits we are allowed to play a limited role. Despite what my reincarnation will have you think, I do not actually reside here. My true place of residence is in the other realm, the afterlife, I suppose you'd call it, but I have been allowed to become a little more involved than my cousin because he has been forced to endure far more than his fair share here among the living during the years he remained in waiting. It is true that I spend a great deal of time here, but it is only because my descendant is as obstinate as an ox. Even so, I had to speak with you. Destiny is a great and terrible thing, but you are not alone in this. Without a doubt you are the most courageous woman that I have ever met."

"If you're finished, can my brother have his body back?"

His eyes narrowed, and Mokuba shifted to get a better look at him. He was obviously tense now-whether he was anticipating the worst or waiting for the spirit to leave. "Perhaps I should maintain control to do what is necessary." So there it was.

The idea of the Priest possessing Seto Kaiba was not as alarming as it was to Mokuba because she knew that he really was not going to do it. He wasn't a bad person, he just believed that he had a duty to help somehow and this seemed like the best way to do it. All they needed to do was speak to him in a language that he understood.

"Please don't, Pharaoh,"

"You may call me Seto or Priest Seto-that was the name that you knew me by. I was only Pharaoh for a short while before my death, and although I carry the blood of Pharoah's I remain my cousins devoted servant." Mokuba's jaw dropped. The resemblance between Seto and him was uncanny, but this completely shattered that image. The Seto that he knew would never give up that sort of power or allow someone else to hold that sort of power over him. Why would a King not want to be remembered as a King?

She had to make them understand that simply because he did not rule by divine right did not mean that he wasn't important. As a person of high status Priest Seto must have always been assured that he was in the right, but being royal doesn't always equate to being right, but how did one go about getting someone like him to see it? "Alright then, Priest Seto, Please give Mr. Kaiba his body back. He has obligations and responsibilities that he needs to be able to fulfill. I know that you're frustrated, but by resisting you he thinks that he's fulfilling his duty because In our time thinking for ourselves is a necessary skill in order to make the best decision. We are taught that blindly trusting what people tells us with get us into a whole trouble. If you talk to him and explain your reasoning, he might come around!" She pleaded, "So please give him his body back. The world is a different place than it was millennia ago and I can't think of anybody better at navigating it than these two! They're the ones who really rule Domino City."

"Very well then." In a matter of moments Seto transformed into his old self.

"So what did he say?"

"He told me that I really am Kisara reincarnated, and he told me that I should take the Blue Eyes White Dragon to Egypt."

"That was all?" He scowled. Mokuba and Kisara looked at each other questioningly. Was it really a good idea to tell him that the spirit considered taking over his body. "Don't lie to me Mokuba," he warned, 'Secrets could get us killed."

"He might have briefly considered taking over your body."

The expression that crossed Mr. Kaiba's face was nothing short of terrifying. His smirk still remained on his face, but there was something different about it and the cold gleam in his eyes. It hinted at ruthlessness and cruelty that she had never believed him capable of. She had seen him angry, but she had never seen him livid before. It was a terrifying sight to behold. "But it's okay! Kisara talked him out of doing it by explaining how important you and explaining ordering you to do things isn't going to cut it."

He turned to Aiko. 'He didn't trying anything did he?"

It took her a moment to fully recover her speech. "No sir. He seemed to genuinely think that he was helping.

"Just what we need-a well meaning spirit living in my head."

She wondered if it would be a good idea to explain what he told her about why he bugged Mr. Kaiba so often. "Actually sir, he says that he lives in 'the other world', and that he spends so much time here because, well…"

"Get on with it!" He snapped.

"Well sir, he feels like you aren't listening to him," she squeaked.

"He has no right-"

The Driver stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. "Mister Kaiba sir, we have a problem."

"What is it Roland?"

"It's happening again sir. There's a giant serpentine creature in the middle of the road. I uh, don't know how else to describe it." Diabound. He had found her.

"Shit." He swore under his breath.

"Akari, Mokuba, Roland, Stay here and keep the doors locked. I'll handle this," he ordered.

"What if he blows the car up sir? Or smashes it? If they're as real now as they were then, you might be in even more danger inside the vehicle."

"Roland's right Seto," Mokuba said. "Besides, all three of us have items and we can duel. We'll be okay."

"Your brother's right Mr. Kaiba. We have a chance when we're all together. Besides, I think I know what it wants."

"Well he's not getting it. Let's go kid." They moved to get out the vehicle as quickly as they could and then started running.

"Where?"

"Where do you think?" Mr. Mutou's home had been their base, so he must have been referring to that. It was a good thing that nearly every kid in Domino knew where the game shop was.

"Right." She said.

A hand snaked around her waist and pulled her to the side. "Where you think you're going? Did you rethink my proposition?"

"My answer's the same as last time," she spat. "You've tortured my friends and want to destroy the world. Why on Earth would I join you? You've been trying to kill me ever since this thing showed up!" She grabbed the item out of her tote bag and held it in front of defensively, wishing that it looked more threatening.

"Do you even know what you're supposed to do with that thing?"

When she didn't answer he just laughed. "I see I'm correct. You lot are so much easier than you were twenty years ago. You're older, more feeble, and wouldn't be able to use your items properly if they came with instruction manuals. If you truly think you're strong enough, prove it. I challenge you to a shadow game!" The wicked, creepy expression was back. "Brace yourself."

Yugi's Pov:

They had had one week of peaceful bliss, but Yugi was unable to relax fully because the shadows never went away. Yugi and Tea kept the house brightly lit at all times, which helped a little, but they never fully went away. Their power bill would be outrageous, but at least they would be safe. They had never let their guard down. He had half expected Tea to think that he was just paranoid, but as always she had his back.

Today was Friday, which meant only one thing...it was family game night at the Muto house. It was a night in which only Yugi, Tea, Akari, and Grandpa, Yugi remembered sadly, would participate unless one of the grandparents made a rare trip to visit them. Hey considered the others to be his family but Tea and Yugi agreed that every once in awhile Akari needed her parents all to herself (whether she liked it or no). It they met with friends that day family game day was postponed until Sunday or after dinner one day during the week. It couldn't officially begin until Tea got home from work, but there was no harm in playing something as they waited.

"So Dad, I went through the old storage closet and found these!" She held up dungeon dice monsters and capsule monsters. "I don't think we've ever played them before, why don't we play one."

He had honestly forgotten that they owned either of those games. They must have been ancient! He didn't have fond memories of either of those games, but he supposed that he could get through a game or two for Akari. "I beat the creator at the game on my first try, you know. Don't think that I'm going to go easy on you because you're my daughter!" For the first time in a long time Yugi smirked in a way that, if he had looked in a mirror, would have reminded himself of the Pharaoh right before he was about to prove someone wrong.

Akari's posture changed too. She looked confident, like a leader. Yugi noted that his daughter had risen in determination. The person facing him with such confidence and determination wasn't his little girl, it was young woman who was about to usurp his position of the master gamer. Perhaps tonight was the night that the student would finally surpass the teacher. "You're the one who needs me to go easy on you, not the other way around. You might be the King of Duel Monsters, but gaming is what I'm best at. For once I'm going to be you, Dad. Just watch me!"

Yugi picked up the dice and began to make his first roll when he heard quick, delicate footsteps enter the shop. "Hi Tea!"

Tea threw her arms around him a little too tightly. "You're alright! I was so worried about you!" To be honest, he had been just as worried about her. She wasn't a duelist, she didn't have an item, and she didn't know much about self defense either. Joey and Tristan had taught her to throw a punch or two, but she never really took to it. "I'm a dancer, not a delinquent," she explained when she declined further lesson.

"Everything's fine over here, I promise." Yugi tried to be reassuring, but it somehow fell flat. Tea was clearly not the least bit comforted by his remark. He wouldn't have been either, so he couldn't blame her.

"Something's wrong Yugi," she whispered, "I thought that I saw a shadow game somewhere in this part of town. The sky was purple over this part, and I thought...I thought that you had been attacked, or worse! I tried to tell myself that I was just imagining things, but it I've never seen a thunderstorm do that!"

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

"I'm trusting my instincts, so yes."

He nodded in understanding. "What do we do now?"

She handed Yugi his deck, which had been sitting on the kitchen counter right next to the bills. "What we always do-we see what we can do to help." She took out her phone and pulled up her contacts list. She started with Aiko, who was at the very top. Tea's grip on the phone tightened more and more as the phone continued to ring, until her knuckle began to turn white. Yugi was almost afraid that she'd break it. She eventually hit voicemail. Yugi and Tea looked at each other. Both of them were thinking the same thing- It just made sense that he would target her. She was by far the youngest and more inexperienced, making her the weakest link in Bakura's eyes. If Yugi were Bakura he'd target her too. He was only surprised that he hadn't done it sooner.

"Let's go."

Yugi and Tea followed the strange shadowy purple clouds in the sky until the purple fog became nearly too intense to see. If he allowed himself to unfocus his eyes for a minute he could see strange duel-monster like creatures. Some were shrouded in shadows, and some were shadows. Somehow this game felt different from the others, even from the outside. He recognized it for what it was almost immediately. It was a scare tactic. He never bothered trying it with the others because he knew that they wouldn't allow it to intimidate them. Aiko had never directly opposed him before, so he was using that to his advantage. If he could just throw her off her game her soul would be his, and so would her item.

They almost couldn't see Aiko through the fog, but they could hear her perfectly. Gone was the trembling girl that they had first met. She was doing an admirable job of standing her ground, and Bakura did not sound pleased.

"Aiko!" Tea screamed.

Yugi put a hand on her shoulder. "She can't hear us."

"We tried to end the game, but we couldn't," Mokuba said from behind them. Yugi jumped a little bit and turned around to face Seto and Mokuba.

"What happened?"

"We helped her get away, but he tracked us and stopped us in the middle of the road with Diabound." He said simply. "There isn't anything that we can do."

"There is one thing that we can do. We can have faith in her." Tea said.

Seto scowled. "Don't look at us like that. The faith that my friends had in me kept my soul from being erased during my first shadow game. I was too weak to withstand the shadow realm for a prolonged period of time, but they essentially willed my soul back existence. I think that's the key to shadow magic and using your item. You have to truly want something and then focus your energy on bringing it into being. That's why we were all able to use our items with little training."

"You've been holding back on us," he accused.

Yugi could see that his old friend felt betrayed because he thought that he was keeping secrets. "Of course not! I only just figured it out. I never really understood how my puzzle worked. I just understood that it did. When I went to summon my Ka I didn't really know what I was doing. I just wanted it and then kind of reached out to it."

"Can you two save the arguing for when we get back home? I'm trying to hear what's going on!" Tea hissed. Yugi smiled apologetically and reached for her hand. Kaiba looked towards the swirling mists and began to watch the display of power occurring right in front of them intently. Bakura had chosen such a visible location on purpose, and Yugi knew that Seto was thinking along those same lines. He

"Surrender little girl, you're out of your league!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You're the one who's going to surrender. It's only a matter time. Six against one really are terrible odds for someone in your position, even with him on your side. You have an evil spirit? We have a Pharaoh-depending on who you ask he's a god." Yugi wondered what the Pharaoh would say if he heard that. "If what Yugi tells me is true, the Egyptian gods are on our side too. We won't lose because to lose would be to go against the working of the universe. If you were truly meant to win it would have happened already. If anyone should give up it's you!"

"Be silent! You have absolutely no idea of the power that I am about to unleash!" He hissed.

"The Egyptian Gods also helped us. They want us to win! You're going against the workings of the universe, but we're working with it. Tell me, who do you think is going to win? It's like working against gravity! You're the one who has no idea what you're dealing with."

The ground started to shake and they heard a deep rumbling noise. Through the mist Yugi and Tea could see something rise from the ground. "If you think that you can win fine. Just step through the looking glass little girl, I think you'll be surprised. People are such good liars, especially when it comes to themselves."

The girl slowly disappeared, and the others were left to wonder what lied beyond the mirror.

Author's Note#2:

Hi guys! Once I was able to get past the first few pages the rest just seemed to pour out. Aiko is one of the characters that I had wanted to explore but have had little opportunity to do so because most of this story is told from Yugi's pov. She is brave, but scared, and she's intelligent and ambitious, but she's still young. Her diction took me a little while to figure out. Hopefully I did her justice.

Thanks for sticking with me so far. I think you're going to like the next chapter. These shadow game chapters are always challenging but very fun to write. When I go back and re-read what I've already written they tend to be some of my favorites. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think through a review!

-The Eager Scribbler