(A/N: For all of our squeamish people in the audience with active imaginations, this chapter's going to suck for you. Also, my apologies in advance to anyone that gets DGR3 episode 10 flashbacks. …Here we go).


Standing in front of the Domino Cemetery, Chiaki Nanami stood in the midst of ominous purple fog as Bakura's dark counterpart stood before her, grinning maliciously. With Hajime's mind and soul in the shadow realm and calling for help being a pointless endeavor, Chiaki stood her ground and prepared to play one fateful duel.

"Let's Duel!" She and Bakura declared together.

"Since I'm the host of this fine game, I'll start us off. First, I draw," Bakura stated. "And I summon Headless Knight in attack position!" A headless fiend-type warrior with 1450 attack points and 1700 defense points appeared. "Next, I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Nothing seems to have changed yet, Chiaki thought. He said this was just like Duel Monsters, so I suppose I should play the game how I normally would until I understand this added twist he mentioned. "My turn." Chiaki declared. "I draw." She added her new card to her hand. "I place one card face-down on the field." The spell/trap face-down hologram appeared. "Then I place on monster face-down onto the field in defense position." The sideways face-down monster hologram appeared.

"My turn is complete," Chiaki said.

"Not going to attack are we?" Bakura grinned. "You're either cautious or your hand is terrible. I draw." He drew the top card off of his deck. "I sacrifice my monster to play the Earl of Demise!" A blue, rotting, zombie-like fiend-type creature appeared carrying a sword. It had 2000 attack points and 700 defense points. "Earl of Demise! Attack!"

Bakura's monster swung its saber towards Chiaki, revealing her man-eater bug, which sprang to action and destroyed Bakura's monster.

"Not bad," Bakura said with a sinister chuckle. "It appears you have some skill after all." He held up a card, the back to Chiaki. "Not good enough though. I'll be placing one more card face-down onto the field," he said, inserting the card into the spell/trap zone, causing the hologram to appear. "And ending my turn."

"My turn then," Chiaki said as she drew the top card of her deck. "And I play Jester Lord, in attack mode!"

The wacky, kooky clown-like monster appeared with 0 attack and 0 defense points. "And since Jester Lord is the only monster out on the field, he gains 1000 attack and defense points for every spell and trap card in play, even if they're face-down and even if they belong to my opponent. That gives him 4000 attack points, enough to end this duel in one turn. Jester Lord, attack my opponent directly!"

"Not so fast!" Bakura declared. "I activate two of my face-down cards! The first is Fearful Earthbound! Whenever you declare an attack, you lose 500 life points!"

"That still won't stop my attack!" Chiaki declared.

"Which is why I have my second trap card: Conscription!" Bakura shouted, revealing the trap card. "Now, you reveal the top card of your deck and if it's a monster card, I can summon it to my side of the field."

Chiaki held her breath. If this was a spell or trap card, the duel would be over and Hajime would be safe. However, if this was a monster card, this duel would likely take a much darker and sinister turn.

Please don't be a monster card, Chiaki said, taking a deep breath and drew the top card off of her deck. She gasped, her face horror stricken when she saw the card she drew. It was a monster and not just any monster in her deck. No! Not this!

"AHAHAHA! It sounds like we have a winner. I'll be taking that card, thank you," Bakura said. Like magic, the card disappeared from Chiaki's hand and ended up in Bakura's. He looked at the card that Chiaki had given him and laughed. "Oh how lovely, exactly what I need to destroy you. I special summon Thunderclap Skywolf!" Chiaki's favorite monster ended up on Bakura's side of the field. "And with 2500 attack points, he'll do plenty of damage to you, my dear."

Jester Lord's attack power dropped to 0, but the attack unfortunately continued and Thunderclap Skywolf unleashed a blast of greenish blue lightning from its mouth, which continued past Jester Lord and went straight for Chiaki. The attack barreled into her and electrocuted her from all angles like she'd been hit with a high powered taser.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Chiaki screamed as her life points dropped to 1500. She then stood there, her body trembling, eyes bugging out. "That…actually…hurt? I…I feel…" Chiaki's body continued to twitch unnaturally from the pain. Her whole body felt numb and hot, as though she was actually just electrocuted.

"AHAHAHAHA! What's the matter?" Bakura chuckled.

"What...is...this?" Chiaki asked, barely able to get the words out. "What did you…do?"

"It's a shadow game, my dear," Bakura chuckled. "And when you play a shadow game, you play for keeps. The monsters and the damage become real. Oh, but of course, the fun is just beginning. Go! Forbidden Earthbound!"

Chiaki saw Bakura's other trap card finally resolve as a jaw of dirt rose up from the ground and ensnared her leg, clamping down like an alligator's maw. Chiaki screamed as blood shot out of the ground. "AAAAGH! AAAH! AAAAAAAH!" She shouted, dropping to the ground and clutching her bleeding leg. Tears started to eject from her eyes as her life points fell to 1000.

However, despite the pain and agony, Chiaki still managed to gaze up in half-defiance at Bakura. The other half was a look of pure agony.

He found her predicament amusing. "AHAHAHA! Yes, that's the look you should have on your face. I thought to challenge your friend, but I didn't know if I wanted to face down the wrath of the Five-Headed Dragon. You on the other hand, well I thought I might be able to handle you. Looks like I was right."

"Are you…working for…Marik?" Chiaki asked, her voice disappearing in between breaths due to the pain.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Bakura asked.

Chiaki forced herself to her feet, only to immediately slip and fall to the ground on her stomach because of the open wounds in her leg.

"So, are you going to surrender now?" Bakura asked. "I hear the Shadow Realm is lovely this time of year."

"I'm not…" Chiaki grunted as she pushed herself up off the ground and stood up on her wounded leg. "Giving up." With shaky arms she pulled a card from her hand. "I activate the spell card Dian Keto the Cure Master! This spell card lets me regain 1000 life points."

Chiaki's leg injury was completely healed as a kindly old woman with green hair appeared and doused her with healing light. Chiaki closed her eyes and held out her arms to feel the healing glow of the spell card. When she opened her eyes, they were full of vigor. Though her body still felt battered from the blows she suffered, Chiaki wasn't giving up without a fight. Some of her fierce gusto had returned as her life points shot up to 2000.

"Next, I play Swords of Revealing Light!" she declared and cast down the forceful lights onto Bakura's side of the field. "Now you can't attack me for three turns!" she declared.

"How very desperate," Bakura commented. "You still cling to life, expecting victory. However, I'm afraid this is where it ends for you, both the tournament and your life!"

"It's not over," Chiaki said, glaring defiantly. "There's no way I'm giving up. I promised," she sneered at Bakura. "I promised Hajime we would go to the finals together! And I'm not giving up until I make that dream a reality! Because…" Chiaki grinded her teeth tightly before shouting loud and proud, "BECAUSE MY HOPE WILL NEVER DIE EVEN IN THE FACE OF DESPAIR!"

For a brief moment, Bakura was overpowered by Chiaki's defiant declaration, but only for a moment. He then chuckled. "Your bravado is charming, but that alone won't save you."

"Maybe not, but these might," Chiaki said holding up two cards, "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"All right then," Bakura said with an evil grin. "My turn." He drew the top card of his deck. "Heh heh, the time has come. "I summon the Portrait's Secret in attack position!" A wiggling, weird creature coming out of a portrait appeared. It had 1200 attack points and 1500 defense points. "And next, I play a card face-down." Bakura was down to 1 card in his hand. "My turn's done."

"My turn then," Chiaki said and drew the top card of her deck. She nodded to herself. "I summon to the field, Fencing Fire Ferret!" A fiery little critter with a whip sword for a tail appeared on Chiaki's side of the field with 1700 attack points and 600 defense points."

Bakura chuckled. "Aren't we forgetting something. My trap card Forbidden Earthbound activates!"

Chiaki revealed one of her face-downs. "Not with this spell card!" she declared. "I activate Ring of Defense! Since I would take effect damage, my life points are safe!" The ring clasped itself around Chiaki's leg and broke the teeth of Bakura's continuous trap when it tried to bite her, causing it to sink back into the ground until the next time she made an attack

Fencing Fire Ferret's attack continued unimpeded and it struck The Portrait's Secret down with its tail, cause a bit of flame to burn towards Bakura and he took a step back as his monster was destroyed and his life points fell to 3500. "Well, bravo, little girl. It looks like you've got some bite to you after all. But I'm afraid you've walked straight into my trap."

"We'll see about that," Chiaki said.

"Indeed," Bakura said. "Because now its my turn." He chuckled. "Prepare to meet your doom. I remove from my graveyard, Headless Knight, Portrait's Secret and Earl of Demise in order to call upon the one that will bring the end of this duel. I summon Dark Necrofear!"

A big blue, creepy fiendish creature carrying a decrepit baby doll appeared. It had 2200 attack points and 2800 defense points.

"Impressive monster," Chiaki said calmly. She then said defiantly, "You still can't attack."

Bakura chuckled. "Perhaps not, but it's enough. Your turn, my dear."

"Very well," Chiaki said and drew the top card of her deck. She looked at it. Heavy Storm? She looked at the field and examined it thoroughly, especially Bakura's face-down cards and how he'd been playing up until now. I'd better save this. I'm definitely going to need it later.

"I switch Fencing Fire Ferret to defense mode," Chiaki said as the burning little critter crouched and put its tail in front of its face. "Next," she said slapping a card sideways into her monster zone. "I play a monster face-down and I end my turn."

"My turn," Bakura said, "Draw!" he shouted, dramatically pulling the top card off of his deck. "Ah, excellent." He held up a spell card. "I activate the magic card De-Spell and I think I'll use it to get rid of your Swords of Revealing Light."

Chiaki gasped as an eerie mist disabled her swords now making it possible to Bakura to attack. "Feeling comfortable?" Bakura asked. Chiaki looked like she was going to say something, but Bakura talked first. "Don't answer that. You won't be in a moment. Go Thunderclap Skywolf!" he shouted. "Attack! Destroy Chiaki's face-down monster!"

Thunderclap Skywolf's lightning blast shot for, revealing a red orb with metal claws all around it. The monster was not destroyed and leapt through the lightning blast and latched onto Thunderclap's body.

"What?!" Bakura shouted.

Chiaki was quick to explain. "Blast Sphere's effect activates! It latches onto the monster that attacked it and then, next turn, blows up with enough force to deal damage to you equal to the attack power of the monster it's attached to!"

Bakura chuckled. "A small price to pay. Go, Dark Necrofear! Destroy Fencing Fire Ferret! Doom Gaze!"

With but an eerie beam of light from Necrofear's eyes, Fencing Fire Ferret was obliterated, but its spirit remained.

"Fencing Fire Ferret's effect activates!" Chaiki shouted. "When its destroyed, I can target one monster you control and destroy it. And," she said throwing her arm out sideways. "You take 500 points of damage! Go now, Fencing Fire Ferret! Destroy Dark Necrofear!"

Fencing Fire Ferret's spirit launched forward and incinerated Bakura's monster, reducing his life points down to 3000. He braced himself as the flames licked at his skin, but then he pulled his arms away from his torso and just started cackling.

"Excellent! You did exactly what I was hoping for! I activate the almighty power of Dark Necrofear, allowing me to activate the field spell, Dark Sanctuary!"

Suddenly another eerie piece of scenery appeared. Red mist surrounded the purple fog and disembodied eyes and lips with fangs began coating the red mist. Shrill screams and ghastly wails were heard from the spirits that slumbered all around the area. And then, a poltergeist appeared next to Bakura, it being little more than a nightmarish looking ghostly head with a long, wispy tail.

"Welcome to the realm of your nightmares, little Chiaki. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Eh, I've seen scarier in Silent Hill," Chiaki commented. "Your shadow game is far more terrifying."

"Well then, maybe this will give you a fright," Bakura said, rolling with his opponent's lack of terror. "To keep this cozy little sanctuary in play, I have to tribute a monster every turn. And I think I'll use the Thunderclap Skywolf you've so graciously given me."

Chiaki gasped as her monster was sacrificed to the power of Dark Sanctuary before it could be used as detonation fuel for her Blast Sphere.

"But wait! There's more!" Bakura declared excitedly. "I activate my face-down card: Destiny Board!"

A ouja board appeared and immediately the board scrambled over to the letter F.

"At the end of each of my turns, Destiny Board gains a letter and when all five letters have appeared on the Destiny Board, your life will be at an end."

"I know about that trap card," Chiaki said. "In order to use it effectively, you need to use all five of your spell and trap zones."

"Ordinarily yes, but thanks to the power of Dark Sanctuary, I'm not limited by my spell and trap card zones. I can activate as many spell and trap cards as I would like. So no matter what, in five turns, this duel is over!"

"Then I'll just have to destroy your Dark Sanctuary before then."

"Good luck with that," Bakura told her with an amused grin. "You're going to need it. It's your turn by the way."

"Then I shall draw," Chiaki said and took the top card off her deck. She glanced at her hand. I could activate Heavy Storm right now, but… She looked at the field and the shape she was in. She also carefully examined the difference in life points. Chiaki shook her head. I need to make him think he's got me beat or I won't be able to win. "I place Soul Tiger in defense mode and end my turn!" The blue beast with 0 attack points and 2100 defense points appeared.

"How Lovely," Bakura chuckled. He drew the top card of his deck. Right now the cards on my field are Forbidden Earthbound, which will prevent Chiaki from attacking, lest she wants a wounded leg again, my Dark Sanctuary, my Destiny Board and my face-down trap card: Dark Spirit of the Silent. Bakura glanced at Chiaki's side of the field. She has a strong, defensive monster, and two face-down cards. Best to play it safe then. It will be over soon enough.

"I play the monster card Sinister Serpent." A snake with wings appeared. It had 300 attack points and 200 defense points. "And now, thanks to the power of Dark Sanctuary, I tribute my monster to continue its effects. And now that it's the end of my turn, Destiny Board activates!"

The letters F-I now appeared about Destiny Board's ouja board.

"It's my turn," Chiaki declared and drew the top card of her deck. That'll do! "I summon to the field my Stealth Bird!" A fearsome looking cornflower colored bird appeared. It had 700 attack points and 1700 defense points. "Once per turn, I can flip summon my monster and deal 1000 life points of direct damage directly to you. And also once per turn," Chaiki said as Stealth Bird flew backwards behind her into the mist of Dark Sanctuary and the sinister shadows all around the battlefield. "Stealth Bird conceals itself. You can feel free to attack it, but you'll need more than 1700 attack points to destroy it."

"How irritating," Bakura grumbled, realizing that Stealth Bird could finish him off before he had a chance to set off Destiny Board. "But I have my ways of making you squirm, my dear. First, I draw!" Bakura ripped the top card off of his deck and placed it in his hand. "Ah, excellent. First, Sinister Serpent's effect activates and it comes right back to my hand at the start of my turn." The card was ejected from Bakura's graveyard and he placed it back in his hand. "Next, I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." Bakura drew the top two cards from his deck. "Ah, Excellent. I activate my favorite spell card, Change of Heart." Bakura declared activating the spell card as its holographic image appeared in front of him. "This allows me to target one of your monsters and have it as my own for one turn and I think I'll target your face down Stealth Bird."

Chiaki gasped and looked absolutely petrified.

"Thank you so much for explaining its special ability. Go! Stealth Bird! Attack!"

Stealth Bird emerged from the shadows of safety and flew straight towards Chiaki from behind Bakura and unleashed a pelting rain of icy, razor-sharp feathers. Chiaki braced for impact as the cold iron feathers sliced into her skin, cutting her cheek, ripping her jacket and cutting against her forearms and one stuck straight through her right shin. Her life points fell all the way to 1000.

Chiaki threw her arms out at her side and gave a pained glare of defiance, teeth clenched and shown to Bakura.

"Well look at you acting all defiant," Bakura said with manic glee, "It's cute. But I'm afraid that's not all I'm going to do to you this turn. I sacrifice your monster in order to summon The Dark Ruler!" A tall, well-dressed, green skinned fiend appeared. It had 2450 attack points. "And next, I activate the spell card Spirit of Illusion, allowing me to make an exact copy of my monster."

A shadowy doppelganger to The Dark Ruler appeared with the same attack and defense points as The Dark Ruler.

"This duel is over and so is your life, little Chiaki! I attack with my Spirit Illusion doppelganger. Attack Soul Tiger!"

"Sorry, but I activate my trap card: Trap Hole of Spikes!" Chiaki declared.

As Bakura's monster charged forward, spikes jutted out of the ground and impaled the illusion, destroying it.

"Thanks to my trap card, not only is your monster destroyed, but you take damage equal to half its attack points."

Bakura looked irritated as his life points dropped down to 1775. However, he bounced back quickly with a satanic grin. "Heh, no matter, I can still take out that eyesore of a tiger with my actual Dark Ruler. Go! Destroy her monster!"

"Not gonna happen! Reveal face-down card! Widespread Ruin!"

Bakura looked absolutely speechless, his eyes shrinking inward in surprise as a powerful, loud, fiery explosion consumed his Dark Ruler.

"No! This can't be!"

"Thanks to my trap card, your monster is destroyed," Chiaki said, pointing at him. "And since you have no monsters to tribute this turn, Dark Sanctuary is destroyed!"

Bakura watched as his Dark Sanctuary began to peel back and completely vanish, leaving only the backdrop of Domino City and its cemetery behind Chiaki.

After he got over his shock and surprise, Bakura chuckled. "Well, you're a tricky devil, aren't you? I didn't even get to show you the grand hospitality of my Dark Sanctuary. Oh well, at least Destiny Board still activates its effect."

The letters F, I, and N now appeared above the ouja board.

"Sorry," Chiaki said as she drew the top card of her deck, "But I have no time for a luxurious vacation. I have the finals to get to."

"It's really adorable that you think you're going anywhere, but the Shadow Realm, my dear. Soon you will have no choice, but to accept defeat. And I will take great pleasure in your despair."

Chiaki looked at her current hand of three cards. She looked at Bakura. "Since you won't tell me your plans, will you tell me your name?"

"And why should I do that? Does the cow need to know the name of its butcher? It's still going to end up as steak." Chiaki simply glared at Bakura. "But fine, if it will appease your curious nature, you may call me Bakura."

"Good," Chiaki said. "Now I have a name to report to KaibaCorp for aggressive behavior because I play Bistro Butcher in attack position." Chiaki's fiendish butcher appeared, sharpening its knife with its hook. "With 1800 attack points, it will end this duel! Bistro Butcher, attack!"

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Bakura asked. "My trap card, Forbidden Earthbound activates and you take 500 points of damage. You may have broken its teeth earlier with your Ring of Defense, but now its back and its teeth are sharper than ever." Bakura declared as the trap rose out of the ground around Chiaki's leg again. He then declared with sadistic glee. "All the better to eat you with, my dear!"

Chiaki tensed up her leg, withstanding the pain and simply letting her tears fall as her whole leg was punctured. Her life points fell to 500 as fresh blood dripped down her leg. "It will be worth it…to end this duel!" she declared.

Bakura chuckled sinisterly. "End this duel? Hardly!" Bakura activated his face-down card. "My face-down card is Dark Spirit of the Silent! And I'll use it to change your Soul Tiger into attack position and make it attack instead."

Chiaki watched as her Bistro Butcher became possessed by an evil spirit, which left it dazed and confused for a moment as the same spirit then dove into Soul Tiger and switched it into attack mode.

"No!" Chiaki declared, watching as Soul Tiger's wispy paw clawed at Bakura.

He chuckled as her monster slunk back to Chiaki's side of the field. "Since your monster had 0 attack points, I take no damage. You put all that effort forth, but it was all for naught! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Chiaki dropped to her knees from the pain in her leg. "I place…one card…face-down and…end…my turn."

The face-down card appeared.

"I see, so the Shadow Realm is finally taking its toll on your spirit," Bakura said, noting how Chiaki was finding it hard to breathe. "That and you've lost quite a bit of blood from the injuries I've given you. Such a tragic end for you, Chiaki Nanami. You've come so close to glory, but your story will end before it has even begun. It's my turn and first I draw. AHAHAHAHA! It's all over for you, my dear. Now that I've drawn my card, Sinister Serpent returns to my hand and I shall play it in attack position!" The winged serpent appeared on the battlefield with 300 attack points and 200 defense points. "Next, in case you were expecting your face-down card to save you, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon."

Chiaki braced for impact.

"Oh don't worry my dear, I'm not targeting your face-down. I'm using it to destroy my Forbidden Earthbound Trap card."

"You're doing that…" Chiaki said and then coughed, "To win with Destiny Board next turn?"

"Precisely," Bakura said as his spell card destroyed his trap card. "Next, I'll use my monster to destroy your Soul Tiger."

Sinister Serpent launched forward and tore straight through Chiaki's spiritual Tiger before bashing her in the chest with its skull and lashing her abdomen with its tail. The pain to Chiaki's body sent a shock through her entire system as she was thrown aside with saliva pouring out of her mouth as she collapsed on her stomach, her feet laid out in Bakura's general direction. Her life points dropped to 200.

"And now that I end my turn, Destiny Board activates once more," Bakura declared as the message now read FINA. All that was missing was the L. "Next turn, the message will complete and you will automatically lose this duel. You only have 200 life points left. There is very little you can do to win, my dear."

"This duel isn't over!" Chiaki declared. "Not…yet!"

Slapping the ground, Chaiki forced herself to her feet. "I'm still not giving up!"

"I must say, I admire your courage. Strong souls like you are hard to come by. It will make sending you to the Shadow Realm all the more satisfying."

"We'll see who's going to this so-called Shadow Realm!" Chiaki declared. "Because it's my turn now! I draw!" Chiaki drew the top card of her deck. She looked at the field and at the Heavy Storm card in her hand. It should be okay now. "I activate my spell card, HEAVY STORM!"

"What?" Bakura gaped as his eyes shrank in. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

With Chiaki's destructive gale unleashed every single one of Bakura's spirit messages and his Destiny Board was completely obliterated. The fearsome storm of Chiaki's spell card also knocked Bakura and Chiaki around a little, causing Chiaki to fall, but she forced herself to get up and brace against the remaining wind, arms crossed over her chest.

"What have you done?" Bakura spat with violent anger.

"Win!" Chiaki declared. "Bistro Butcher! Attack Sinister Serpent!"

With a cackling laugh, Bistro Butcher charged forward and cut the monster down to size and then it attacked Bakura, slicing him with the residual damage—which was quite a lot of it. Causing him to receive a physical injury of his own along his torso.

"Heh heh heh, not bad little girl," Bakura chuckled as blood ran out onto his hand and his life points decreased all the way to 275. "But now your monster's effect activates. I'm quite familiar with it. I get to draw two cards. Let's hope that doesn't backfire on you."

"Bistro Butcher," Chiaki panted. "Has 1800 attack points. Unless you drew…" she panted, "Monster Reborn…or…have the means to special summon one monster. I…have…the advantage." Chiaki started to wince as sweat poured down her face. Her vision was starting to get blurry. She staggered forward a bit, head tilting downward, but she stopped herself from falling over on her bad leg through sheer willpower. Just a little more…it's…it's almost over. She panted even harder, her body barely holding together.

"It seems you can barely hold your body together. Don't worry, my dear," Bakura said as he quickly drew the top card off of his deck. "I'm not without mercy." He then added Sinister Serpent to his hand once more. "I'll put you out of your misery." Bakura now looked at the four cards in his hand. "Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thank you for providing me with the exact means I need to destroy you. I don't need Monster Reborn or a special summoned monster. Say hello to Archfiend Cavalry!"

A skeletal soldier in red armor, riding atop a pale blue horse with flaming blue hair for its mane and tail appeared. It carried a jousting lance made of bone and had 1900 attack points and 0 defense points.

"With 1900 attack points, my monster has just enough power to destroy yours. And next turn, no matter which monster you summon, I'll throw in another monster, even if it's my Sinister Serpent, destroy it with my Archfiend Cavalry, and end this duel! You may have destroyed Destiny Board," Bakura glared, "But you've still lost this duel! Go! Archfiend Cavalry! Attack!"

With a whinny from its mount, Archfiend Cavalry struck forward and plowed through Bistro Butcher destroying it. It then continued to charge, stopping just short of Chiaki as the tip of its lance struck into her and a gust of wind rushed towards her from behind it.

"AAAAAH!" Chiaki screamed as she was blown back, feeling as though the lance had actually struck her, but taking no puncturing blow of the sort. However, the feeling still wracked her body with immense pain as her life points dropped to 100. She landed on the ground a couple yards away, smacking her shoulder against a large, bumpy rock and lying flat on the ground, her body having trouble breathing. Loud, raspy breathes escaped Chiaki's body as her eyes looked like tiny, colored beads and the color in them began to fade.

Chiaki looked up at the moon above. It was so pretty in its almost full state. The light of the moon brought her peace. Hajime… Chiaki's primary thoughts were of the person she considered her closest friend. With a raspy noise in her throat, she looked over to where Hajime was collapsed, his own body practically devoid of life. He wasn't moving and Chiaki couldn't see his chest rising and falling either.

"Haji…me…" Chiaki said with tremendous effort, reaching her arm out towards him in desperation as tears fell from her face.

Bakura chuckled. "Shall I take your unwillingness to stand as a sign of resignation?"

Chiaki didn't answer she forced her head to lift up and stare at Hajime. Still she continued to reach out to Hajime, as though she was trying to, with her last breath, feel his companionship one…final…time.

Chiaki's strength faded as she lay flat on the ground, staring up at the moon, the light from her eyes retreating as the shadows of the shadow realm began to encircle her weak, feeble body.


Chiaki stood with a plushie in her hands, barely five years old, watching her parents play videogames in front of the television. "May…may I have a turn?" she asked her daddy.

Chiaki's parents looked at the game they were playing. It was tough, even for avid gamers like them. Still, there didn't seem to be any harm in letting Chiaki have a go. Her dad handed her the controller.

"Knock yourself out, Rice Ball." Rice Ball was her parents' pet name for her like how other parents called their kids pumpkin or princess. They picked it because Chiaki was soft, cute and adorable like a fluffy rice ball.

Chiaki took the controller and pressed start. The game was a 2-D sidescroller, one of the hardest on the console.

Chiaki remembered this day. The first day she ever played a video game.

Six levels, three stages on each level. Her hands moved at what could only be described as superhuman. Her gaze was intent and focused on the television. The entire world seemed to disappear from Chiaki. She was completely zoned into the game. And she won. No restarts, no continues. One, continuous playthrough. And she enjoyed every minute of it.


Chiaki's mom brought Chiaki, now nine, to the mall to do some shopping. As a reward for being so patient, the two went to the arcade and Chiaki's mom handed her daughter a roll of coins. "Have fun," she told her.

"Have…fun," Chiaki repeated. Whenever she gamed, whenever her parents gamed, it wasn't about winning or losing. It was about fun. They could laugh, they could get mad, they could tease, but at the end of the day, she and her parents always had fun.

Chiaki knew she would've spent the entire day in that arcade, but of course her mother could not. She was so good that while that roll of coins would've been blown through in an hour by most gamers, Chiaki hadn't lost even half of them by the time her mother said it was time to go.


"Mom, dad," Chiaki called to her parents. It was 7:30 at night. She was now 11 and food wasn't on the table. "Are we having dinner?" Her parents were sitting in front of the television, playing a fighting game against each other.

Her parents didn't answer Chiaki's queries, entrenched in their game.

"Um, can I play winner?" Chiaki asked.

Again, no answer.

Chiaki's stomach gurgled. Being a short little thing, she had to go into the kitchen and push a chair up against the pantry door so she could get some cup ramen out of it. It would have to do to sooth her aching tummy. As she at the cup of noodles, Chiaki cried as she watched her parents play games, feeling abandoned. This was the 90th day in a row this had happened. Chiaki started to believe that she'd done something wrong.


Aside from the occasional tournament at a convention, Chiaki's parents continued to mostly ignore their daughter, paying more attention to each other. Without her parents to guide her, Chiaki began to not adhere to a strict bedtime. She fell asleep in class, staying up until the wee hours of the morning to play videogames. She started walking around town on her own, head face-down in a handheld console. Around her, the world was gray, even on a clear blue day full of sunshine. She ignored the people around her, her footsteps and her game the only sounds she had for company. Day in, day out, through winter, spring, summer and fall, Chiaki…was alone. The once happy, energetic girl now coasted through life a shell of her formal self, withdrawn only into her world of fiction.

She did her homework, studied for tests and balanced her hobby, but at the end of the day, she snuggled into her futon playing games. One day she even came home with a black eye because she beat some big tough guy at an arcade and only didn't get hospitalized because a mall employee saw what was going on and helped Chiaki get home. And, of course, her parents paid no attention to it whatsoever.

However, after two years of neglect, when Chiaki entered middle school, things started to get a little better. Duel Monsters came out and revolutionized the world forever. Her parents paid attention to her again and Chiaki was happy.

"Look, Chiaki! Booster Packs three for five hundred yen. Shall we get some?"

"Yes!" Chiaki exclaimed.

They bought cards, they made decks. They had fun.

"I play Lizard Warrior in attack mode," Chiaki said, playing the monster on the table. "And with this spell card, Bashing Shield, it gains 1000 attack and defense points, making it more powerful than Jerry Beans man and taking out the rest of your life points."

Chiaki's dad sighed, looking at the duel between Chiaki and her mother. "Chiaki wins again."

"Seriously, how do you always manage to be so good at games?" her mother asked.

"Um, I guess I was raised that way," Chiaki said. She really didn't know. Why was she so good at games? Until the first time she held a video game, she never really knew what they were, now they were her hobby, her life and she loved all of them as long as the creator of the game loved the game they made.

But, nothing could last forever. It didn't take long until Duel Monsters too became something her parents played only amongst each other, and not Chiaki. She heard them mention her once.

Her dad slapped the game table. "Guh, if Chiaki was playing right now, she'd already have a trap card on the field! That move would never work against her!"

"Yosuke! You're dueling me right now!" Chiaki's mother yelled. "Forget about Chiaki for the moment!"

"I can't! What are we supposed to do, Leiko? Tell her we don't have fun playing with her anymore because she's so much better than us? I won't do that to her!"

Chiaki gasped, having heard that and ran to her room, locking herself inside. And, on that day, she cried harder than she ever had in her life. She cried of a broken heart.


As the trips down memory lane continued, Chiaki could feel the shadow realm closing in on her heart, prodding gently as if asking for permission to take it.

Tears spilled out of Chiaki's eyes. She remembered how crummy she felt. She believed that she had taken away her parents' love for their passion. She realized all the trouble she'd caused as a gamer. Was it still okay for her to like games? Was it okay for her to be this good? Was having fun an insincere statement? Did people just want to win? It was a questioned that plagued Chiaki for a long time.

Even when she got her acceptance letter to Hope's Peak, Chiaki's parents just ignored her and Chiaki knew, she believed that they didn't care about her anymore. So, she just packed her things and left hoping her parents would find happiness without her to ruin their lives.

But then something amazing happened, something that changed Chiaki's life forever.


It was two months since Chiaki first started attending Hope's Peak academy. With her game girl turned up to maximum volume she walked aimlessly through the school campus, body and soul entrenched in the game she was playing. It was a really difficult part of the game and she wasn't giving up for anything.

Thump!

Oh. Was there a wall there? Oh well, Chiaki thought and kept playing, not even bothering to care about the scenery around her. After all, everything was gray to her still. As she kept playing though, this wall seemed to vibrate. Oh. She had bumped into someone. She felt she should apologize.

When she got to a stopping point, Chiaki lifted her head up to the tall, young man in front of her. He had to be exactly her age, she figured and he looked like a protagonist in one of her many RPGs. She liked his hair too. He looked at her with a surprised look, likely wondering why she'd just bumped into him.

Chiaki just looked at this boy with a tired, bored look. She wanted to say, "I'm sorry," but she just couldn't muster up the energy. A nap. That was what she needed. She'd walk to her dorm room and take a nap.

"A-are you okay?" her peer finally asked her.

"Uh huh," Chiaki mumbled. Okay so at least the awkwardness had passed. Back to gaming. Chiaki walked around the teen and kept playing her game.

"Gala Omega, right?"

Chiaki froze. He knew the title. Barely anyone did. She spun around.

"You know it?" she asked. "You're the first, like, ever." Chiaki got really close, excited that someone knew her penchant for games. Starving for human attention, she got right up in the young man's face, standing on her tiptoes to hear his answer.

"Uh…yeah," he answered.

Chiaki sighed with satisfaction and smiled.

"It's a classic, don't you agree?" she asked. "There's nothing else like it in the whole genre!"

The person she was speaking to put his hands up like he was under arrest, looking nervous. "Y-yeah, classic. I New Game Plused it five times in a row once."

"Are you serious?" Chiaki asked, excited, paying no mind to the fact that the person she was speaking to was red in the face and likely embarrassed by her invasion of his personal space.

"Yes, cross my heart," he answered.

Chiaki put her feet flat on the ground and smiled. "I know how tough that is. I did ten in a row once."

"That blows mine out of the water," he said, feeling slightly inadequate.

Chiaki smiled brighter than she had in years. "It's just, I've never met anyone who could play games as much as me before. Someday, I wanna see your very best run, all right?"

"Sure," he said, turning his head away. Chiaki could easily see the blush. "You got it."


Chiaki remembered that day with all her heart. It had brought back, even for the tiniest moment, the cheerful girl that loved games and never stopped playing them. Hajime had reignited her passion and Yukizome had added to it. Within weeks, she'd come to love all of her classmates and they loved her. She was now their class representative and Yukizome's favorite. And she was letting them all down. She couldn't move let alone stand, and she could barely breathe.

"Boy, aren't you a sorry sight?"

Chiaki craned her neck up to see what was calling out to her. A transparent image of Hiyoko appeared, seeming to mock her.

"Is this really all your capable of?" she asked.

"I…" Chiaki started.

"Come on, you can't quit now. You're so close!"

Chiaki turned her head to see which member of her class had appeared next. "Kazuichi?"

"Come on, I want to take a picture of your victory," an illusion of Mahiru said.

"In battle, you cannot give up until the bitter end," Peko told her.

"But I…"

"So are you saying you've given up?" Fuyuhiko asked. "What the fuck is that kind of attitude. You're way stronger than that!"

"You mustn't give up, Chiaki!" Sonia exclaimed, looking worried. "Be strong!"

"But I…" Chiaki repeated.

"On your feet, soldier!" Nekomaru's voice thundered.

"But I can't move," Chiaki said.

"If legs are what you need than we shall be come them," Gundham said, appearing. "We shall act as your legs, your arms, your fingers, even your heart and mind if need be."

"Y-you shoulder the burden of all of us," Mikan said. "And you're always looking after us. N-now it's our turn to help you."

Slowly, Chiaki pushed her duel disk arm onto the ground, slowly lifting herself up.

"That's it, nice and easy," Akane said. "You can do it, Chiaki. We all believe in you."

"Stand up, Chiaki," Ryota told her. "You can't give up now."

"Stand up, Chiaki!" Ibuki shouted.

"Come on, stand up," Teruteru told her. "Being covered in blood and looking hopeless doesn't suit you?"

"And speaking of hope," Nagito said. "Yours is the strongest out of all of us. We're all with you so get up and don't succumb to despair."

Yukizome then appeared, her hand reaching out and grabbing Chiaki's right arm. "You can do it," she told her. "And look who's here too."

At the back of the crowd of all of her classmates, Chiaki saw Hajime. He was reaching out towards her, his hand open.

"Come on," he said. "Take my hand. Stand up, Chiaki."

"Stand up, Chiaki!" her class chanted in unison.

Stand up!

AND FIGHT!

Chiaki gasped as her eyes shot open and the shadows retreated around her. She'd hallucinated all of that and what a powerful hallucination it was. With no hesitation, but with great effort, Chiaki forced herself to her feet, screaming in pain, but also in triumph. The shadows were forced away by her bright fighting spirit.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she bellowed, her face looking fierce and determined as she hunched over, panting, but alive now more than ever. "Surrender," she said. "I cannot do that." Chiaki took a step forward on her bad leg, the pain not even bothering her. "It's not just Hajime, my friends would be sad if I just let it all end here!"

Bakura could see the fire burning in Chiaki's eyes. She was no longer scared. She wasn't even trembling. What is this girl?

"And so I'll fight bravely until the VERY END!" Chiaki shouted proudly, swinging her arm down at her side.

Bakura did his best to maintain his composure. "Ah, I see the fighting spirit in you hasn't quite died down just yet. But there's no point in delaying the inevitable. You may as well surrender. My monster has 1900 attack points, you have no cards on the field, only one card in your hand, and you can barely stand. If I don't defeat you, your body will."

"Never!" Chiaki shouted, causing Bakura to grimace. "Because I have something so powerful that you'll never crush it." Chiaki placed her hand on her deck. "THE POWER OF HOPE!" A blue light seemed to coat her deck as she ripped the card off of it, a bright light covering the card as she held it down and away. She didn't need to look at it. She knew what it was. Her friends had helped her draw it.

"What…is this?"

Without even bothering to look at the card, Chiaki slapped it into the spell and trap zone. "I activate Monster Reborn!" she shouted, the appropriate hologram appearing in front of Bakura's eyes.

"This can't be!" Bakura shouted, enraged.

A white light flashed on the card's artwork as Chiaki raised her hand to the sky. "Now, return to me from your grave as I declare your name: Thunderclap Skywolf!"

A loud howling was heard from all around as, from within the card graveyard, Thunderclap Skywolf's spirit leaped from its tombstone, solidifying as it shot up from the ground shooting into the air as it was accompanied by a lightning bolt hitting the ground. With 2500 attack points, it was perfectly capable of finishing this duel.

"No! This can't be happening!" Bakura shouted.

"I won't activate Thunderclap Skywolf's special ability so that I can attack your Archfiend Cavalry. Thunderclap Skywolf, attack! Destroy his Archfiend Cavalry with Thundering Claw Charge!"

Thunderclap Skywolf howled and charged with a growl, its claw poised to strike as Chiaki shouted in determination along with it, arm and pointer finger extended. The powerful wolf tore straight through Archfiend Cavalry, slamming into it with its powerful claws and kept going towards Bakura, electrocuting him and dropping his life points down to 0.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGH!" Bakura shouted as he was defeated.

The shadows began to disappear as Bakura slumped backwards, swaying back and forth.

Chiaki's second wind was now dying as her vision began to wane and her legs began to feel wobbly. She won. It was over. Now she just had one more thing to do. "Give me…" she said as she lost the feeling in her legs. "Give me back…Hajime…you…" However, before she could finish, she sunk to her knees and collapsed on the ground, eyes shutting and completely passing out.


When Chiaki opened her eyes again, she was on her back with something soft and firm underneath it for support. Someone was hovering over her, but their figure was blurry in the natural darkness of the night. The Ultimate Gamer could feel a cool compress on her head and, as she drifted more and more into consciousness, her leg was no longer in any pain. She could feel thick bandages wrapped out it.

Quickly, she bolted upright, only to clutch her chest, which felt battered and bruised. Chiaki hissed and winced in pain.

"Ah, try not to move around so much," A kind voice told her. "Your body's pretty beaten up."

Chiaki recognized the voice and opened her eyes to the familiar sight of a brunette in a pink blouse and a short, light blue skirt. "Mikan?" she looked at her classmate. She then gasped. "Where's Hajime?" she asked, suddenly placing her hands on Mikan's shoulders. "Please tell me Hajime's all right."

"Who?" Mikan asked.

"My friend. He should've been with me at the cemetery with the guy I dueled," Chiaki explained frantically.

"O-oh, is that his name? He's fine," Mikan told Chiaki. "You should be more concerned about yourself! You're really beat up! I couldn't even get you to a proper hospital and I had to treat you here!"

"Let me see him!" Chiaki demanded, leaning closer to Mikan's face so that their chests were pressed together.

"I-In a minute," Mikan stuttered. "Y-you need to rest. I..."

"I need to see him," Chiaki exclaimed, shaking Mikan.

"Eek!" Mikan yelped in fright, shutting her eyes.

"What's all the yelling for?"

Chiaki turned her head to see Hajime exiting the cemetery and towards the cold pavement where Chiaki and Mikan were sitting up on the ground.

"Hajime!" Chiaki called out to him. She looked at him up and down his body. He appeared unhurt and completely healthy. She'd done it. He was safe. In relief, pools of tears began to flow from Chiaki's face. Her face became blinded by tears as she got up from the ground, ignoring all medical advice and threw herself at Hajime, slamming her head against his chest.

"Oof!" Hajime exclaimed from the impact.

"You're okay!" Chiaki sobbed. "I was so sca—and…you ufebwedebwe…" she sobbed as she began to spout gibberish that even Ibuki wouldn't be able to translate. She hugged Hajime tighter. "And…" she hyperventilated. "And you were heflebedebwe…" More gibberish continued to flow out of Chiaki as she nestled her head against Hajime's torso in relief and happiness that he was okay. That whole situation had completely terrified her and she wasn't able to let out her true feelings until now.

"I'm fine, Chiaki," Hajime told her, rubbing her shoulder. "You were very brave."

"Oh, is she awake now?"

When Chiaki saw Bakura approaching her, she fell on her ass and scuttled back like a crab, holding up her fingers in the shape of an X. She looked at him with panicked eyes and a triggered expression.

"N-no! I-it's okay! He's okay now!" Mikan reassured Chiaki, flicking her hands up and down.

"Bakura was explaining it to me that that necklace around his neck harbors a dark spirit from thousands of years ago," Hajime said. "Sometimes the spirit gets out and," He looked down at the fist he made in front of his chest and swallowed, "Bad things happen."

Chiaki looked at Hajime like he had two heads. That sounded like something straight out of a video game, but this was real life. It sounded ridiculous.

Hajime saw the expression on her face and said, "I admit, it was a bit hard to believe at first, but you've been out of it for about an hour. I mean, I'm still skeptical, but it explains why he's acting docile compared to how you ended up the way you did." He looked nervous as he said, "Plus, KaibaCorp holograms aren't supposed to do real damage like that," he pointed at the blood seeping through the bandage on Chiaki's right leg.

"Aside from some bruising, your leg took the worst of it," Mikan said. "You should probably take it easy for a little while."

"I can't do that," Chiaki said, getting to her feet. "I need to get to the finals."

"How can you think of the finals at a time like this?" Mikan asked, flabbergasted.

"Because I promised Hajime," Chiaki said, smiling at him.

"Chiaki," Hajime could barely believe that Chiaki's primary concern was their promise.

"B-But, you need bedrest," Mikan insisted in a panicked tone. "And your leg is nowhere close to being healed. If you walk on it, it might never heal properly."

Bakura looked guilty. "I'm really sorry," Bakura said. "This is all my fault. I caused you a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past," Chiaki said, trying to bury the hatchet on what happened.

"Um, can I speak freely for a moment?" Mikan requested nervously.

"I don't see why not," Chiaki said to her.

"Um, can...can I come with you guys to the finals? I just...I really don't want you walking around unattended. And if you suddenly collapsed, I should be nearby to help," Mikan insisted, though still looked nervous.

"Sure," Chiaki said without hesitation.

"Yeah," Mikan said miserably, "I didn't figure you…" It then registered in her brain what Chiaki had said. "What? Really?" Rejection had already been made up in her mind so it was weird to hear Chiaki accept the idea.

"I'm pushing myself for Hajime," Chiaki said with a calm, but serious tone. "It'd be nice to have you too around, Mikan. Because," she smiled. "I didn't win that duel because I was fighting for Hajime. I won because I wanted to see all of you again."

Mikan hugged Chiaki, cheek against her cheek, crying, "You're so nice!" she sobbed, cuddling Chiaki like a stuffed animal.

Chiaki grunted uncomfortably began Mikan was holding her too tight.

Mikan yelped. "Ah! Sorry!" She exclaimed, letting go. "I just...I got a little..."

Chiaki laughed. "It's okay."

Mikan stood up and spoke to Bakura, hands clasped in front of her chest, looking worried, "Bakura, you should come with us. When we get to the finals, we can ask Mr. Kaiba to have medical staff take you back to the hospital. Chiaki's wounds and damage are worse than yours so if you're able to move around then, as long as I'm around things should be okay."

"Honestly, I think I'd be better off in your care, Mikan," Bakura said. "I think if I'd been in the care of the hospital staff proper I'd still feel pretty anemic." The hospital staff had been pretty inattentive. Mikan had had to do most of the legwork when he was in the hospital.

"Well, she's not the Ultimate Nurse for nothing," Chiaki pointed out.

"Eh eheheheh," Mikan laughed, smiling brightly.

"We should get going quickly," Hajime said. "We're running out of time regarding making the final cut for the finals. It's almost 10pm."

"Ah, my locator cards," Chiaki gasped.

"Don't worry, I already gave you mine. I don't even remember how I got a duel disk," Bakura said. "The spirit inside the ring must've done something."

"We can worry about that later. I already know where we're going," Hajime said. "Follow me."

Chiaki took a few steps forward only to stumble. Hajime quickly caught her. Chiaki was now leaning against him, shoulder first, hand flush against his chest.

"Oh no! Chiaki!" Mikan exclaimed. "I was afraid this would happen."

"Guess there's no choice," Hajime said. He squatted down. "I'll carry you."

"N-no, i-it's okay. You shouldn't trouble yourself like that," Chiaki said, blushing a little.

"I insist. You're not walking from here to the stadium."

"But I…" Have a boy carry her? Chiaki had no experience with this sort of thing. And not to mention that sort of thing was…especially with so many people around… "Y-you'll have to take responsibility for this," Chiaki stuttered as the only line she could fetch from her vocabulary was one from a sim-date RPG.

Hajime looked over his shoulder and gave Chiaki a confident, but gentle smile, "Would you just get on my back already?"

Blushing in the moonlight, Chiaki leaned forward and gently put her hands on Hajime's shoulders, giving them a firm squeeze. Hajime then lifted his hands underneath her legs and Chiaki leaned against him, letting her arms drape over Hajime's shoulders towards his chest. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked Hajime.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Hajime stuttered, not wanting to admit he liked the feeling of Chiaki's chest flush against his back. He then stood up, lifting Chiaki into the air, giving her quite the view from over his shoulder. And as she leaned against Hajime, things felt very warm. "Hang, on tight, okay. I promise I won't drop you, but you should still hang onto me regardless."

"Yeah, but…um…"

"What's the matter?"

"You're really warm, do you mind if I…sleep?" she asked.

"Yeah, rest and get your strength up," Hajime said, readjusting his grip on Chiaki's legs. "I want you to be at your best when we duel in the finals."

Chiaki smiled and then went out like a light against Hajime's back.

"S-so, you said a stadium," Mikan said. "Which way?"

"Just follow me," Hajime said. "It's kind of far from here, but we'll get there on time."

"O-okay," Mikan stuttered.

As she, Hajime, and Bakura headed off down the street, Hajime glanced back at the sleeping, snoring Chiaki on his back. I'm not really sure what happened back there, frankly I think I'm better off not knowing, but what I do know Chiaki is that you're an amazing person. And…no matter what happens next, even if this is the one and only tournament I ever get to participate in…I'm glad I got to experience it with you, Chiaki. You're my…you're my very best friend.

Chiaki's head then rolled off to the side, her temple smacking into Hajime's cheek, her cute little snores now echoing into his right ear. "Friends…" she mumbled, "forever."

"Yeah," Hajime said, smiling to cover up his torn up emotions, "friends forever."

And, though she was fast asleep, Chiaki smiled and slept peacefully all the way to the finals.


(A/N: Do I deserve a round of applause? Because I think I deserve a round of applause. I can't believe it took me 28 chapters to eventually write a "Power of Friendship" victory XD. But man, that was brutal. Good thing Mikan was there. Long story short: Bakura went missing and she'd been looking for him. Oh come on! Like I'd actually do something bad to my undisputed number 1 waifu. And hey, gives me an excuse to let her come along XD.

We also got Chiaki's backstory this chapter and her…neglectful parents. Let me know what you think about that cause I worked really hard on it.

Next chapter, the Battle City finals officially begin as we showcase the 16 finalists, though you know most of them already. And then following that, the first duel of the finals will commence and the fun doesn't stop here. The very first duel is guaranteed to be a real showstopper. Heck, all of them will, cause I'm awesome like that XD. Anyway, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)