A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, guy. You were all so concerned about Yuugi. It was adorable. A couple of you mentioned some concerns about Anzu - never fear. I strive hard for originality, which should be obvious by now. I thought for a long time about how to end this chapter, because there was something I really wanted to work in, and I didn't know if I'd be able to or not. Fortunately, it turned out that I was, and I quite like how this chapter came out in the end. And oh my GOD... I swear the crash yesterday/last night just about killed me. Of all the days for it to happen on, it would be the day I update! Finally, enjoy!
Jou's back was on fire. That was the only word for it. He gritted his teeth, struggling not to cry out, as he slowly and painfully hauled himself into a seated position. His side was also throbbing with pain, and he knew that it meant that Red Eyes Black Dragon had taken quite the blow, but there was no time to worry about that now. Not when Yuugi was facing both Anzu and a Duel Monster that he didn't recognize with no source of protection. It took a great deal of effort, but he finally managed to get his feet under him and stood up slowly. By the time he glanced up, he realized that someone quite familiar was standing in front of him. Relief shot through him and he managed a smile.
"Hey, Honda. Glad you're here," he said weakly. "You've gotta - " Even though he'd been ignoring Honda for the past few days, he still wasn't expecting the blow to the stomach that sent him right back down to his knees. Jou gasped unsuccessfully for breath and doubled over, torn between curling up protectively around his aching midsection and maintaining a straight posture for the sake of his poor back. It was a cruel place to be caught between. "What the fuck, man?"
Honda said nothing in response, and when Jou lifted his head and peered up at him, he understood why. His friend's usually warm brown eyes were filled with a strange mixture of rage and guilt. He would lift a hand and then drop it, take a step forward like he was going to kick Jou and then stop. Jou's eyes flickered over to Anzu and the Duel Monster beside her, and then he understood. Both Anzu and Honda, and probably Otogi, were under some sort of spell. Anzu appeared to have fallen victim to it entirely, but Honda was still fighting. It took everything Jou had to get to his feet a second time, and by the time he was actually standing, his body was screaming for surrender. Ignoring it, he reached out and clapped a hand on Honda's shoulder.
"Fight it, Honda," he breathed, leaning more heavily on the brunette than he wanted to admit. "You're stronger than she is, I'm telling you. Use your shadow magic and fight back!"
"Like it would really be that easy?" the Duel Monster called out. Now that she had turned towards them, Jou recognized her and felt his blood run cold in response. The last time they had met, Maiden of the Moonlight had given Seto a run for his money. She was no normal Duel Monster; Pegasus had supplied her with dozens of magic cards that boosted her strength and power to the point where even Seto had been forced to flee as opposed to continuing the fight. "You might as well give up, Puppy. Your friends are entirely under my control, and soon, I'll have one more under my grasp."
Jou glanced past her towards Yuugi and Shizuka. His little sister was sprawled on the ground unconscious, but Yuugi was awake, though he was down on his hands and knees, body clearly trembling with effort. Something gleamed on his forehead - a crescent moon mark. He swore under his breath and started to stagger forward, but Maiden of the Moonlight gave a mocking laugh and Honda's arm instantly snapped out to stop him. It was like running into a brick wall and Jou cringed again, groaning. There was no conscious decision made to fall to his knees, but somehow it happened anyway. His body was refusing to support him anymore; he'd reached the point of being unable to continue before the battle had even begun, and it burned.
His eyes fluttered closed briefly, and he mentally reached out towards his lover, pleading for help. A touch, faint but real, brushed across his forehead, and Seto's strength flooded his veins. In the distance, an animalistic roar echoed through the air, and Red Eyes Black Dragon keened softly as her mate arrived. Maiden of the Moonlight jerked backwards, her expression becoming one of utter panic as the Blue Eyes White Dragon swung around in her direction and hissed threateningly. Dragons were naturally intelligent, and it had only taken Blue Eyes White Dragon about two seconds to sum up the situation. Both her mate and her partner's mate and brother were in danger, and that was enough.
Seeing that Maiden of the Moonlight was sufficiently distracted, Jou crawled around Honda and over to Yuugi. His small friend was bent double, one hand clasped tightly against his chest. The other hand was fumbling with the Millennium Puzzle, trying to take it off as his violet eyes went hazy and distant. Jou panicked and grabbed Yuugi's hands, forcing him to stop. He was unprepared for Yuugi to jerk his hand free with surprising strength and strike out at him. Fortunately, controlled or not, Yuugi was still had crap aim, and he dodged the blow easily. One quick sweep of his ankle and the smaller boy was flat on his back with Jou leaning over him, easily pinning him to the ground.
"Stop it!" he yelled in Yuugi's face, struggling to keep his thrashing friend down. "Yuugi, I don't know what she's doing to you, but you have to fight this!" Even as he spoke, he knew that his words were useless. It had taken Yami to stop Maiden of the Moonlight before, and only Yami would be able to break through her spell and reach Yuugi this time. But Yami was no where to be seen, and from the feel of it, help was still a ways off. Jou could have wept from frustration.
"It hurts!" Yuugi cried, sounding like a child. His violet eyes were a little more focused, but he looked at Jou like he didn't even recognize one of his oldest friends. "Let go of me. I must give her the Puzzle. Then it will stop!"
"She's lying to you," Jou retorted, refusing to let go. "Once she has what she wants, she'll kill you, and Yami, too. Don't you care about Yami?" At the mention of Yami's name, Yuugi's struggles stopped. He blinked heavily, and more awareness returned to his eyes. Encouraged, Jou pushed on. "Yami's coming for you, Yuugi. You're his partner, his light, and he cares about you more than anything else in the world. What would he think if he found out that you had abandoned him and fallen into Maiden of the Moonlight's spell? You've gotta fight this, Yuugi, no matter how much it hurts."
"Jou... Oh God..." Gasping sharply for breath, Yuugi curled in on himself as much as he could, his hands clutching the Millennium Puzzle. "Where is... I want... I want Yami..."
"He's coming," Jou said, feeling utterly useless as Yuugi suffered. There was nothing he could do. It was exciting enough that he had been able to summon his partner monster; that was more than he had ever expected to be able to do. Seto had certainly never taught him how to summon more than one monster at a time. Blue Eyes White Dragon was doing an excellent job of keeping Maiden of the Moonlight busy, but that didn't account for - he swallowed hard - Anzu. Mokuba was busy dealing with Otogi, Shizuka hadn't stirred, and Honda was still staring off into space, which left Anzu free to approach the two of them.
Now, Jou didn't know Anzu very well anymore. The three of them - Yuugi, Anzu, and himself - had been friends in elementary school, but then Anzu had drifted away from them to join a group of girls that were more her style, and Yuugi had met Malik and Ryou, and Jou's whole life had changed after he met Seto. But he could remember that Anzu had been fiercely loyal to those she deemed worthy - and had the somewhat unfortunate tendency to be a little vicious to those she thought weren't. He still recalled with vivid clarity the day that he and Honda had tried to look up her skirt, and she'd sent them both home with a couple of good-sized welts that had hurt more than his pop's beating that night.
"A-Anzu," he began nervously, tensing unconsciously. Sensing his distress, Red Eyes Black Dragon started trying to get up onto her feet, but she was stopped by a little... thing that bounced off of her wounded wing and sent the dragon crashed back down to the ground, roaring in pain. Jou blinked as his side flared in pain and stared at the rather odd sight of the bright red Duel Monster. It was about half the height of Anzu, and looked kind of like a little woman with black bat wings and crazy red-and-blue hair, wearing a small red-and-black dress. "What... is that?" He didn't even realize that he'd spoken out loud until Anzu answered him.
"That's my partner monster. Fairy's Gift," Anzu said, stopping a couple of feet away from him.
"Fairy's Gift?" Jou echoed with a disbelieving expression. "That's not Fairy's Gift."
"No, it's not," she agreed, a smile that could only be described as cruel lingering around the edges of her mouth. Her eyes flashed crimson. "I suppose it's only right to call her by her other name, now. Witch's Curse."
Shit. His stomach tightened with fear, though he made an effort not to show it on his face. Witch's Curse was a rarely known Duel Monster, the direct opposite of Fairy's Gift. If Fairy's Gift was a butterfly, Witch's Curse was a devil. He couldn't believe a girl like Anzu would have Witch's Curse for a partner. Fairy's Gift was much better suited to her. What the hell was going on? There were so many things that didn't add up. "Anzu, this isn't you," he tried, getting up onto one knee. Yuugi had mercifully fallen silent, though he could still feel the tremors wracking his friend's body. "Please. Stop this nonsense."
"Oh, please." Resting one hand on her hip, Anzu scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you know me, Jou. We haven't even really spoken to each other since elementary school, and even then, you were only friends with me because of Yuugi. The only time you've actually talked to me was when you told me to back off of Yami. Did you even bother to ask why I was around him? Did you even care?" She glared at him, crimson slowly bleeding into the clear blue. "No, of course not. You never even asked whether I knew about the hikaris or not. You just assumed I was some stupid little schoolgirl who couldn't possibly be in love with the Pharaoh. Well, I guess you had to find out the truth at some point. You know, I've always heard that the truth hurts." She took another step forward. "Why don't you tell me?"
He had a split second to absorb that Witch's Curse was looming over him, face twisted in glee, before he turned and threw himself over Yuugi's body. Jou was prepared for a pain that never came. Red Eyes Black Dragon gave an enraged shriek and lashed out with her tail, knocking Witch's Curse into the air before the Duel Monster had a chance to launch her attack. Anzu staggered, off balance and clearly surprised by the unexpected retaliation. She turned a blazing glower onto the Red Eyes Black Dragon.
"You stupid little bitch," she hissed. "Witch's Curse, finish it off!"
"No!" Jou shouted before he could stop himself. "Red Eyes Black Dragon! Anzu, please, stop this. I'm sorry I didn't realize you were in love with Yami. I should have been more considerate towards your feelings. I get that. But you're going about this all wrong. Why are you siding with her?"
"I guess you could say Maiden of the Moonlight made me see the light," she said softly, taking another step forward. Now that she was close enough, Jou swore under his breath when he saw the shining crescent moon mark that had lit up on her collarbone. Instantly, his suspicions were confirmed. Anzu, Honda, Otogi - all of them had fallen under the spell of Maiden of the Moonlight and, Anzu didn't even seem realize it. No wonder her partner had changed from Fairy's Gift to Witch's Curse; her mind had been warped with hatred and rage.
"She's controlling you!" he exclaimed, but before he could say anything else, Maiden of the Moonlight took the fight with Blue Eyes White Dragon in their direction. The dragon stopped at the very last second, holding back an attack when she saw that it would put Jou and Yuugi in danger. Maiden of the Moonlight seized her opportunity and dove towards them, but then, suddenly, Shizuka was there. She stood in front of her brother and Yuugi and Maiden of the Moonlight with a determined expression.
"Back off, Maiden of the Moonlight," she warned, holding one hand up. "You'll regret it if you push this fight."
"Guardians," Maiden of the Moonlight said dismissively, dodging a blast from Blue Eyes White Dragon like it was nothing. It hit the ground a few feet from Jou and he flinched. "You all think you're so strong and brave, but you're really just a pain in my neck. You, my dear, should have stayed unconscious."
"And let you have free reign in trying to destroy the Pharaoh's hikari? I don't think so." Shizuka closed her eyes and clenched her hand against her chest. Shadow magic burned around her fist. Jou's jaw dropped as the shadows shifted beside her and formed into a large violet seashell. Slowly, the shell parted, revealing a beautiful girl with long, turquoise hair and pale skin who drew forth a bow and arrow. In the blink of an eye, she shot an arrow off towards Maiden of the Moonlight before the shell snapped shut again.
Maiden of the Moonlight swore loudly as she staggered backwards, caught off guard by the unexpected attack. "You little bitch!" she seethed, enraged.
"Red Archery Girl, protect my brother and Yuugi!" Shizuka ordered, a grim smile playing about her lips. "Don't let Maiden of the Moonlight get near them. Blue Eyes White Dragon, you have to get her out of here. We can't let her get near Yuugi! Red Eyes – argh!" Whatever else she had been about to say was cut off when Honda appeared behind her and grabbed her. Whatever guilt he'd been feeling had apparently disappeared. Otogi stepped up beside him moments later, clutching Mokuba's shirt with one hand. He had the younger boy's arm pinned behind his back with the other. Mokuba squirmed in an effort to get free and then winced when more force was applied to his trapped arm.
"Let go of her!" Jou yelled, realizing that things were rapidly spiralling out of control. Shizuka and Mokuba had been captured. Red Eyes Black Dragon had been wounded. Blue Eyes White Dragon was beginning to grow fatigued; without Seto's presence, the Duel Monster wasn't at full power. He was incapable of doing much beyond sitting on the ground, and Yuugi was still unconscious to the world, with only the occasional shiver wracking his body to prove he was even still alive.
"Hold her," Maiden of the Moonlight commanded. "Do not let her escape, do you understand me?" Honda hesitated briefly, his eyes flickering between the Duel Monster and his best friend. Something shone on his cheek – a crescent moon mark – and then his gaze went flat and glassy, like Honda had stepped out and a stranger had taken his place. "Yes Master."
"And just like that, the battle is over with." Maiden of the Moonlight smirked broadly, pleased with herself as Anzu and Witch's Curse took over battling Blue Eyes White Dragon. She looked over at Yuugi and Jou. Red Archery Girl's shell still hovered between them, but Maiden of the Moonlight didn't look concerned. "You know, if you hand him over to me, I'll set your friends free," she said pleasantly. "They won't even have any residual effects from my spell. All you have to do is let him go with me."
"Fuck you," he said coldly, wrapping an arm around Yuugi's shoulders protectively. There was no way he was letting her take Yuugi.
"If you don't, I'll every one of you and take him anyway."
"No. Jou, let go." Yuugi's voice sounded weak, but firm. With great effort, he raised his head and pushed Jou's arm away. "I won't let you... hurt my friends. I'll go with you as long as you swear that you'll leave them alone."
Maiden of the Moonlight smiled. "You have my word that I won't hurt them," she said.
"Yuugi, I won't let you do this!" Jou said, grabbing Yuugi's arm again. "This is crazy." He didn't even want to think about what Yami would do if the older boy found out that Jou had allowed his hikari to go with Maiden of the Moonlight. "Please, you gotta know that she's lying. There's no way that she's going to follow through on what she's saying. Don't do this. We can hold out until help comes!"
Yuugi shook his head slowly and, again, pushed Jou away. His arms trembled with fatigue as he braced himself against the ground and pushed himself to his feet. He staggered once or twice as he hobbled over to Maiden of the Moonlight, but he managed to stay standing. Jou started to lurch forward, but Maiden of the Moonlight extended her hand, and almost instantly, he froze in place. A heavy feeling came over his body, like he hadn't slept in weeks, washing away the pain and fear. All he wanted to do was put his head down on the floor and sleep. His limbs folded under his weight and he landed hard on his knees, the rest of his body slipping to the ground quickly. As Yuugi put his hand into Maiden of the Moonlight's, the world went dark around him.
GMA
With the fact that the Ring could no longer sense the Puzzle hanging over them, Ryou, Bakura and Yami (and Amane, tagging along behind the three of them with a pout on her face) set out on the only other course available to them: tracking down the Millennium Rod. It didn't take them long to find the other three members of their group, and Ryou couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped him when he saw that Malik, Mariku, and Seto were alright. Granted, Malik looked rather tense and worried, and Mariku was - for once - not trying to grope his hikari, and Seto was practically vibrating with rage, but other than that, they were in one piece, though he couldn't say that his feelings were reciprocated. In fact, Seto barely stopped to acknowledge their presence. He stalked by the four of them and stormed off in a completely different direction than either group had been walking in.
"Where is he going?" Ryou asked, watching Seto's rapidly fading figure.
"He's following his link to Jou," Mariku explained shortly never once loosening his grip on Malik's hand. "He thinks that something has gone wrong."
Hearing that caused new fear to spark in Ryou's heart. He chewed his lip nervously as Yami spun and took off after Seto, no doubt in the hope that where Jou was, Yuugi would be as well. The rest of them caught up to the reincarnated Pharaoh and High Priest in no time, and before long, they saw what had been drawing Seto. Ryou bit back a gasp as he took the scene in. Jou, Anzu, Honda, Otogi, Shizuka, Mokuba, and a few Duel Monsters he didn't recognize were all lying on the ground unconscious. Red Eyes Black Dragon stirred at their presence but failed to awaken, while Blue Eyes White Dragon - the only one who had managed to stay awake - keened mournfully from where she stood guard.
"Jou!" Seto sprinted over to his lover and fell to his knees beside the blonde. He lifted Jou with careful hands and cradled his body, closing his eyes. Ryou felt the resulting pulse of magic and couldn't quite hold back the resulting shiver that crawled over his skin at the desolate expression on Seto's face.
"How is he, Seto?" Yami inquired quietly, crimson eyes sweeping over the scene. It wasn't until Yami spoke that Ryou realized that Yuugi was nowhere to be seen.
"His power is weak. Sustaining Red Eyes Black Dragon for the first time has taken nearly all he had," Seto answered, placing a hand on Jou's forehead. He breathed a word in a language Ryou didn't recognize. Red Eyes Black Dragon's eyes snapped open, and she threw her head back and keened loudly before vanishing. Jou stirred but didn't wake up.
Anzu, however, chose that moment to groan. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal one highly pissed Pharaoh, and she shrank back. "Y-Yami-san," she squeaked.
"Where is he?" he demanded, reaching down to seize the collar of her shirt in a tight grip. Ryou tensed, wondering if he should intervene, but Bakura's hand came down on his shoulder and prevented him from doing anything. Mariku was scowling and Malik looked grim. It was clear that the three of them had sensed something that he hadn't, but what? He got his answer quickly.
"What do you mean, where's who?" Anzu said, sounding confused.
"Yuugi! Where is Yuugi?" Yami practically yelled. "I can sense the imprint of her magic on you. Maiden of the Moonlight - where did she take him?"
"I don't know! I don't remember." She yelped when Yami released her shirt so quickly that she fell backwards. The Duel Monster beside her - a little green woman with butterfly wings - twitched a bit when Anzu landed. "I can't - all I remember is walking into the Shadow Realm with Honda and Otogi. We were coming to find out what was going on. Then…" Her voice trailed off, and she lifted a shaking hand to her collarbone, rubbing the skin gingerly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened after that."
Pure frustration mixed with anguish flashed across Yami's face as he straightened. Ryou wanted to say something comforting, but he never got the chance. The shadows behind Yami shifted, or moved in some way, and the next thing he knew, Mariku had darted forward and shoved Yami out of the way of a blast of magic that very nearly fried Anzu to a crisp. She jerked away at the last second with a muffled shriek that woke the butterfly Duel Monster at her side, but the creature seemed dazed and disoriented, and didn't offer much in the way of protection when another blast of magic narrowly missed Yami, Mariku, and Anzu. By that point, the perpetrator of the attacks had been revealed.
"Are you missing something, Pharaoh?" she practically purred, her eyes glittering with malice. Ryou's heart twisted and sank at the sight of the Millennium Puzzle. Maiden of the Moonlight was cradling it between her hands like it was made from spun glass, and there was no sign of Yuugi. What had she done to him?
"Where is he? Return him at once!" Yami commanded, rage burning in his eyes. The aura of strength and power that he was giving off was almost frightening, but Maiden of the Moonlight didn't seem bothered.
"Oh, I could, but you see, I'd be going against his wishes," Maiden of the Moonlight replied. "Your little hikari came with me willingly. Of course, he was also foolish enough to believe that I would leave the rest of you alone if he did." She paused and purposely spun the Puzzle, running her fingers tauntingly along the sharp corners. "He's very trusting, your little one."
"What do you want?" Ryou cried. He flinched as soon as she looked at him, but stood his ground, determined to help in some way. Amane hovered behind him, and her presence helped.
Maiden of the Moonlight's gaze settled on him – no, on his chest. "If you were willing to give me something in return, I'd think about giving your friend back," she said slowly.
His hand touched the Millennium Ring uncertainly, and he couldn't help darting a glance at Bakura, remembering the last time he'd wanted to give the Ring up in exchange for someone else. Bakura had fought against him like the devil at the time, but now the yami remained silent, though his shoulders were stiff with tension. Ryou hesitated, uncertain of whether Maiden of the Moonlight could be trusted. He'd give up the Ring for Yuugi's life in a heartbeat, but she'd openly admitted to breaking whatever deal she had made with Yuugi. How could he be sure that she wouldn't pull the same thing on him?
"You'd give him back, just like that?" he asked warily.
"Of course," she answered a touch too brightly.
Ryou closed his eyes briefly and silently prayed that he wasn't condemning his best friend to death. "If you want the Ring, go get it!" With those words, he jerked the Ring off and threw it away from them, into the shadows. Maiden of the Moonlight lurched forward with a strangled gasp, putting her off balance; Seto's head whipped around and his blue eyes flashed with a pale light. Blue Eyes White Dragon screamed with triumph as she launched herself directly at Maiden of the Moonlight.
"Mariku, get Ryou and Malik out of here!" Bakura yelled, bringing one of his hands up. Before he could summon a creature, Maiden of the Moonlight dashed too close to the unconscious Shizuka and Mokuba, causing Blue Eyes White Dragon to cut off her attack immediately. That gave Maiden of the Moonlight the chance to she had been waiting for. Raw magic built up between her hands and exploded.
It was a funny thing, watching that blast of pure magic come closer. Ryou felt frozen, like time had stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Amane watch him, and although she looked horrified, she made no move to save him. He had accepted the inevitable when he felt something – or rather, someone – slam into him at full force, knocking him out of the way and leaving another person to take the brunt of the attack. The landing knocked all of the breath out of him, leaving him without the ability to scream when Bakura's body slumped lifelessly to the ground. Ten feet away, Yami also fell to his knees with a strangled groan.
"Fucking bitch!" Mariku shouted, reaching for the Rod.
"Bakura, oh my god," Ryou moaned, only half paying attention to the battle as Mariku summoned a monster. His ankle twanged with pain as he scrambled over to Bakura and pulled his yami's head onto his lap, leaning over him. The sight of the blood on Bakura's chest and arm made him feel dizzy and sick to his stomach. "Bakura? Can you hear me?"
There was no answer, but a hand touched his shoulder. Ryou jumped and found himself looking over at Yami, who managed a smile. "Don't worry, Ryou," he said hoarsely. "Bakura's faced worse things than this. Listen, you have to summon the Millennium Ring before Maiden of the Moonlight picks it up."
"Summon it?" It was too much. Ryou felt dangerously close to losing it completely, and it must have shown in his face, because Yami's grip on his arm became more firm and confident.
"The true owner of the Millennium Items can summon them at any time, as long as the Items are not being held captive in some way," Yami explained. His breathing was laboured, worryingly so. Both of them flinched as Anzu finally picked herself up and joined the battle against Maiden of the Moonlight with her Duel Monster in tow. "You just have to focus on the Ring. When Maiden of the Moonlight drops the Puzzle, I'm going to do the same."
"But… you're not the true owner…" Ryou blinked at him through eyes that felt suspiciously misty.
"I'm hoping that the Puzzle will be willing to heed my call anyway," came the quiet reply. "Hurry, Ryou!"
Ryou nodded shakily and closed his eyes again with what sounded suspiciously like a watery sniffle. He searched for that spot in his mind that Bakura had shown him. His bond with Bakura was weak, and he could tell that the attack had done more damage than was visible on the surface, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and struggled to focus on the Ring. Gingerly, he took the thin strands that connected him to the item and pulled, wishing hard for it to return to him. A breathless minute passed before he felt something hard and warm nudging against his thigh. Yami was smiling at him when he opened his eyes and grabbed the Ring.
"Good job," he said, and Ryou felt an undeniable surge of pride that he'd done something right, at least. "Now, put it around your neck, and don't ever take it off again."
A wan smile touched his lips. "Bakura told me the same thing."
"Sometimes he's smarter than he looks," Yami replied, watching as Ryou placed the cord of the Ring around his neck. He squeezed Ryou's arm hard. "Stay here, Ryou, and whatever you do, don't draw any more attention to yourself, alright?"
He nodded silently and watched as Yami stood up. Mariku was hanging back, trying to protect Malik and the other unconscious people. Blue Eyes White Dragon was clearly exhausted, and the period between her attacks was longer each time. Anzu's Duel Monster was a poor opponent for Maiden of the Moonlight; she eventually took it out with one well aimed spell. Yami's left hand clenched into a fist as the desire to help slammed through him, but there was no way he could. Without the Puzzle or Yuugi, he would only be able to summon lower level monsters that Maiden of the Moonlight would have an easy time dispersing.
Instead, eyes narrowing in concentration, Yami stared hard at the Puzzle, which was just barely visible through the bright flashes of light that made up Maiden of the Moonlight's attacks. The Puzzle trembled faintly from the force of his pull, but it was tucked snugly into the curve of Maiden of the Moonlight's arm, meaning that he was unable to pull it away. Seto glanced over at him and then, summoning the last of his energy, called one of his weaker monsters forth. Weak, yes, but effective. He watched with poorly concealed satisfaction as the ground beneath Maiden of the Moonlight's feet shook and then collapsed. She fell with a shriek, instinctively flinging her hands up as she struggled to avoid the huge mouth that had appeared below her.
Yami's hand snapped up and the golden eye of Ra gleamed on his forehead as he pulled. The Puzzle stopped mid-fall and began to fly in his direction. Maiden of the Moonlight landed safely on the ground and spun to face him. She was panting for breath, but that didn't stop her from throwing her hand up, a spell on her lips. Just as the magic leapt free of her fingers and flew towards the Puzzle, Yami's hands closed around the item. Ryou had to look away from the resulting brilliant flash of light, his eyes stinging fiercely. He heard Maiden of the Moonlight give an enraged scream, and Seto and Mariku shouting Yami's name. By the time he was able to look back, Maiden of the Moonlight was gone, and so was Yami.
All that was left were the shattered pieces of the Millennium Puzzle.
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