"Wanting to protect your friends is...it's a noble goal that you shouldn't be ashamed of," Konami said. "And...well, I think that chasing such a goal...and better yet, succeeding in it, is how you become truly strong."

"And yet..." Wisteria couldn't help but recall, "...I didn't succeed. I lost my Duel in the Tag Match...and to Alexis, of all people! If I had beaten her...if I had done my job properly and left Jaden with more Life Points so he could've faced Chazz at his best...then maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this. We would've won the match, Sartorius would've been forced to flee and-and none of this would have happened."

Konami shook his head.

"You don't know that," he told her. "And besides, having seen what he pulled using Alexis, there's no telling what other tricks Sartorius might've had up his sleeve. But there's no use complaining about the past. All we can do is learn from our mistakes...and use that knowledge to prepare for the future. So...no matter what anyone says...don't let losing one measly Duel bring you down. You're a great Duelist, Wisteria...and I'd be glad to keep calling you 'partner.'"

"Wha-?" Wisteria took a step back in surprise. "You...You really mean that, don't you?"

"Of course," Konami said with a wide grin. "I'm the Soul, after all."

"No..." Wisteria breathed, stepping forward to offer him a hand. "You're more than that. You're Konami; the Konami...

...and I think it's time we got you home."


Learning to Shine
SECRET FILES
"Body and Soul - Part 2"


"Come on, Konami," Wisteria said, smiling softly as she offered him her hand. "Let's go get your body back."

"I'd love to...but it might not be so simple..." Konami admitted. "You heard Atticus...I washed up on this beach with absolutely nothing. No clothes, no Duel Disk...no cards...as much as I hate to say it...right now, I'm absolutely useless."

"He's right," Atticus said from the doorway, revealing himself to have been listening the entire time. "Besides, even if he had a deck, just look at him. Unless we find a way to lessen the burden that simply existing has on him, there's no way he can throw him into a Duel, especially not against a powered-up version of himself! He'd be completely annihilated!"

Wisteria frowned, lowering her hand as she glowered at Atticus. "Then what do you propose we do? We can't just leave things like this! There's no telling what the other Konami might do now that he has the entire Society of Light at his beck and call, and..." she glanced away, "...I wouldn't feel comfortable just giving up."

"Hey now," Atticus interrupted, "no one said anything about giving up. We just need to prioritize is all! Right now, our main concern should be solving the stamina issue affecting our pal here!"

"I'm open..." Konami breathed heavily, "...to any suggestions..."

"Well...you're a soul, right?" Atticus asked. "In that case, what you need right now is a temporary place of residence. Somewhere you can house up in until an opportunity to take back your original body arises!"

"You mean we need to give him another body?" Wisteria inquired, "And just where do you expect to find one of those? It's not like there are any empty ones just lying around for him to take!"

"True," Atticus murmured, "but then...I guess it doesn't really have to be an empty one now, does it?"

"Wha-?" Wisteria blinked in surprise. "What are you going on about now?"

"Well," Atticus murmured while scratching the back of his neck, "I've heard that there have been times when Duelists have been known to wield more than one soul. Take the famed Yugi Muto for example! No matter what everyone believes, he swears by the fact that he once shared his body with the soul of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh! And, I guess if you want a more recent example...we can probably think of this, too."

He reached into the folds of his jacket and pulled out a pitch-black mask. Konami's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Hold on," he muttered in surprise. "That mask is...!"

"Yeah," Atticus said, glancing at it cautiously. "It's the mask I wore when I became Nightshroud...a mask that grants me the power of darkness." He turned to Wisteria, "This thing is how we were able to get away from the school building earlier, you remember, don't you?"

"Yes, I'll admit I had been surprised at the time," Wisteria recalled. "You summoned a real Red-Eyes Black Dragon like it was nothing...so, there's a soul inside that mask of yours?"

"Something like that," Atticus said. "It's why I have to be careful when using it. It's fine in short bursts, like how I used it when breaking you out, but if I wear it for too long, then the wicked soul of Nightshroud will awaken, and attempt to drive the world into darkness."

Wisteria sighed at the revelation, "Be that as it may, it doesn't help us with our current situation. Even if Konami could share bodies with someone, who on earth would actually agree to such a thing?"

"Well," Atticus laughed sheepishly. "I was thinking you might do it, Wisteria."

"Wha-?! Me?!" the girl gawked.

"Well, yeah!" Atticus said. "I mean, you two sure did act like you were hitting it off earlier, and you did say that you wanted to help him get his body back..."

"B-But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm ready to have him inside me!" Wisteria sputtered, "I-I mean, I wouldn't necessarily object so long as it was purely temporary, but I don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment-!"

"Don't worry..." Konami said, interrupting. "...I don't think...we'll actually need to go that far."

"I-It's not a matter of how far, it's a matter of how it'd feel and- well, I know I might've said a lot of things to you, but I'm not that kind of girl!" Wisteria squawked.

"Not that kind of-?" Konami raised a brow at her, "Just what are you thinking about in that head of yours? I'm saying that I don't think I'll actually need to share a body with anyone at all!"

"Wha-?!" Wisteria's face went beet red after realizing that she'd misunderstood him. "T-Then you say that from the beginning!"

Atticus laughed, then turned to glance at Konami. "So, whaddya mean by that, little buddy?" he asked, "You've got a plan of some sort cookin' in that brain of yours?"

"Yeah..." Konami said with a nod of his head, "...but I won't know for sure it'll work until I see if there's anything left. Do you guys mind...helping me up?" he asked, "I want you...to take me somewhere."

The two Duelists glanced at each other in surprise, only for their eyes to widen as Konami finally told them.

"We're close to the volcano, right? Which means that...there's a place not far from here..." he explained, "...that might have exactly what we need."

"A place...?" Atticus wondered, only for Wisteria's eyes to widen in realization.

"No way...there...?" Wisteria whispered, "But why-? Ah! I see...I suppose that could work."

"Uh, you two are gonna have to fill me in..." Atticus mused.

"You'll find out when we arrive," Wisteria said, moving to give Konami the requested aid. "In the meantime...get over here and help me carry him!"

"R-Right..." Atticus muttered, and together, the three made to leave for a place...that Konami not once thought he'd ever return to.

Elsewhere...

"They've searched the entire area from top to bottom," Alexis said. "Outside of spotting Jaden and the others heading for the Slifer dorms, there's been no sign of Atticus. According to the scouts, it's as if he's completely disappeared."

The White Night King scowled as he took in the girl's words, and he turned toward her with a frown on his face.

"Impossible," he hissed. "I saw him fly off with Wisteria! He must still be on the island somewhere! There's nowhere they can hide-!" Suddenly, his eyes widened as he thought of something. "No, perhaps there is a place. Well hidden...obscure to most...yes."

"You...have you thought of something, my King?" Alexis inquired loyally, kneeling with her head bowed so as to not earn his ire.

"Yes..." he said, gesturing for her to rise. "...I have a mission for you, and if I'm right, it will reveal to us the location of your foolish brother...and his misguided rescuee."

"What is it you would ask of me?" Alexis questioned while rising from her place.

"Go to the base of the academy volcano, and venture to the point that is nearest to the sea." The King commanded, "There, you should find a hidden door. And within...the perfect hiding place for these misguided rebels. Defeat them, show them the Light as only a true disciple of Destruction can...and return to me...to receive your reward."

"Yes," Alexis breathed, slamming her hand against her chest in a sacred salute. "Hail to the Light! Kneel to the King!"

"Hail! Hail!" the many men and women of the Society echoed from behind her, each and every one of them performing the same salute she had. The White Night King smiled upon hearing their chants, then slowly fell into the seat of his throne and glared throughout the auditorium.

"Now...use this deck to defeat them." He commanded, handing Alexis a set of cards, "And know that you must not fail me."

"Understood!" Alexis said, taking the cards.

The King then leaned back to think, leaving Alexis to turn and address her squad of twenty some odd Duelists.

"Come," she told them, donning her slick white Duel Disk as she left the auditorium. "We strike in the name...of the White Night King!"

The White King watched as the others followed Alexis out, and as the last person exited his newly titled 'throne room', he grinned.

'Soon... Soon the obstacles in my path will be removed, and the road to you will be revealed!' he thought. 'I will find you, Yuma...and once I have, this world will be remade!'

Meanwhile...

"I...I don't believe it..." Atticus whispered, his eyes wide as he stared at what he was seeing. "What is all this stuff? And how long has it been here?!"

"At least since last year," Konami told him, glancing around as they staggered into the hideout he used back when he'd acted as Amnael. "But...knowing Banner...probably longer."

"I never thought I'd set foot in here again," Wisteria mused, frowning as she gazed at the facility that once housed her punishment game. "I never thought I'd do so willingly."

"Are you...alright?" Konami asked with a wince.

"Hmph, I'm fine." Wisteria said, "Although...I thank you for asking."

"So, this is that place, huh?" Atticus asked, finally understanding why the two both knew of this location. "The place where Konami here carried out his shadow operations."

"Yeah...it's Banner's second secret lab." Konami explained, "And if it's anything like the first one...then it should have exactly what we need to get me up and running again."

Removing himself from their grips, he slowly staggered to the back wall and pressed his hand against a small hidden switch. Immediately, glimmering lights illuminated the dark room, revealing a row of glowing green tubes...and the bland, unformed bodies within.

"W-What in the world?" Wisteria sputtered, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she gasped. "K-Konami, what are these things?!"

"Homunculi," Konami explained, "artificial bodies born from Banner's Iron Cores. From what he used to tell me, they were how he sustained himself throughout the decades...but since he only used animals in their creation, they don't last long after being awoken."

"I...I see..." Wisteria breathed, though she still couldn't believe it.

"So, what?" Atticus asked, "You're gonna use one of these things as a temporary body?"

"Hopefully," Konami said, hissing as another sharp pain ran through his chest. "Since they don't last too long I'll probably have to be careful...but it's gotta be better than standing around straining myself like this...!"

"Then we should hurry and get you into one," Wisteria said, stepping forward to assist. "How do we do this?"

"That's...heh..." Konami paused. "To be honest...I'm not too sure myself. But...it can't be too hard, right? In fact...since I'm a soul I should just be able to-" he winced, slowly sliding his hand into the glass. Though the pain he felt suddenly intensified, his arm started to fade, becoming transparent enough that it managed to pass through the glass as if it weren't even there. Slowly, he pushed the arm into the homunculus body; it twitched in reply.

"Wha-?!" Atticus gasped, his eyes going wide at the scene.

"Looks like...this might work...!" Konami whispered in pain, "...But...I'll need you guys to find whatever unlocks these tubes!"

"That's too bad," a feminine voice suddenly called from the entrance, "because I need all three of you to stop where you are!"

"Oh no...!" Wisteria muttered.

"That voice..." Atticus breathed, turning to face the speaker, "Sissy!"

"I'm not your 'sissy'," Alexis hissed as she stepped inside alongside several of her forces. "It's Alexis! Alexis Rhodes...newly appointed Commander of the White Night Brigade!"

"White Night Brigade...?" Wisteria gasped, "What is that - some sort of...subcult or something? Let me guess, you run around selling Girl Scout Cookies?"

"Shut up!" Alexis spat, "If you must know...the White Night Brigade acts as the glorious frontal assault unit under the direct command of the White Night King! All shall kneel before his flag, and-" she suddenly cut herself off, having finally spotted the familiar figure standing behind Atticus and Wisteria. "M-My King?! You are...you are here? But I thought you said you'd leave this situation to me?"

Konami froze. Though he had no idea what Alexis was talking about, a flurry of retorts and unique responses flew through his head. He turned his head ever so slightly as he hid a cough, caught sight of a soft but firm nod from Wisteria, then fixed Alexis with what he hoped looked like a stern and deadly glare.

"I...say many things," he began slowly. "But...I...change my mind...a lot...too."

"What?" Alexis gasped in disbelief, "I understand, but what are you doing here...with these two?"

"W-What do you think he's been doing!" Wisteria snapped at her while setting her hands on her hips. "He's...He's been showing us the glory of the Light, obviously!"

"Y-Yeah...!" Atticus continued, catching on. "He...really showed me a thing or two...heh."

"But...what...?" Alexis breathed. "We took the direct route! How did you get here before us?!"

"Do not...assume...to know the depths of my...power," Konami continued steadily, sweating as he continued to think of lines. "For my abilities are many and...erm..." he glanced to Wisteria, who subtly shrugged at him. "...My rule...absolute!"

Wisteria frowned at him.

"You..." Alexis began, tilting her head at him curiously while lowering her Duel Disk. "Wait, what are you doing over there?"

"You would dare question your ruler?!" Wisteria snapped, stepping forward with a scowl. "He should smite you where you stand! Rend your flesh! Show you the fate of all who would dare oppose him!"

"I-I wouldn't go that far," Atticus murmured, "b-but yeah!" he added, throwing an awkward fist into the sky. "All hail...the White Blight King!"

"I...I think it's White Night, Atticus..." Konami corrected.

Alexis' eyes widened, "Your eyes..." she whispered, staring past Wisteria and into the cool orbs of Konami. They weren't silver. "Fakers..." she whispered, her glare returning as she raised her Duel Disk. "Imposters! Imbeciles! You would dare mock me?! I see the Truth, and your eyes do not gleam with the Light of the King!"

"Uh-oh...looks like it didn't work!" Atticus winced, "Alexis," he tried instead, striving to appeal to his younger sister, "You've gotta snap outta it!"

"There is nothing to snap out of, brother!" Alexis hissed. "And soon...I shall show you and your little witch the power of my Light!" She raised her free arm to gesture her forces forward, and the onslaught of Duelists began to close in on the group.

"Damn," Wisteria hissed, taking several steps back. "Konami," she shouted, "how are things going back there?!"

"Slowly," Konami apologized, having only successfully pushed half of his arm into the sleeping homunculus' body. "You guys are gonna have to hold them off, and one of you will have to open this tube too!"

"Understood," she called back, "but you'll really want to try hurrying it up! There are quite a few people here...and I'm not too sure we'll be able to take them all on alone!"

Alexis chuckled, "I'm not sure what that imposter is doing in the back, but it doesn't matter! Soon he will be captured like the rest of you...and the White Night King will deal with him as he sees fit!"

"You're the one..." Wisteria grimaced, raising her own Duel Disk, "...who's going to be dealt with! Atticus, hold off the others! I'll deal with your sister!"

"Uh, well...if you're sure," Atticus said, gripping the mask of Nightshroud to let its power flow. "Just...try not to hurt her!"

"Tsk..." Alexis scowled, glaring solely at Wisteria while Atticus ran past. "As if you'll be able. You couldn't beat me during the Tag Match, and you won't be able to beat me now! Soon, you will be shown the Light, and I will take great pleasure in watching you kneel before the King!"

"Newsflash!" Wisteria spat back, "There is no King, just a power-hungry meatbag lacking in restraint! And if you can't see that...then I suppose I'll just have to knock some sense into you!"

The two girls glared at each other angrily, and then, as the first Inferno Fire Blast of Atticus' Red-Eyes Black Dragon exploded far behind Alexis...they roared.

"DUEL!"

ALEXIS VS WISTERIA

ALEXIS - 4000 LP
WISTERIA - 4000 LP

"It's my turn," Alexis began, adjusting her stance while pulling her cards from her deck, "Draw!"

TURN ONE - ALEXIS - 4000 LP - SIX CARDS

"I'll summon Snow Fairy in Attack Mode!" Alexis began, placing one of the cards in her hand onto her Duel Disk face-up. A frozen fairy with a helmet made of icicles slowly rose from the ground upon being summoned, hovering gently on Alexis' side of the field while staring toward Wisteria blankly.

Snow Fairy - LV4 - LIGHT - Fairy - (1100/700)

"Another frosty new card of yours?" Wisteria asked.

"That's right," Alexis replied, "and now that she's here, if you're planning on using any Spell cards, you better forget it! As long as she's out on the field, all of your Spell cards are 'frozen on ice!'"

"What?" Wisteria asked.

"That's right," Alexis laughed. "You can't activate them from your hand, which means the only way you'll be able to use them...is by setting them on the field for a turn first! Now that I think about it, you use a Ritual deck, don't you? Sorry, but I guess that means that all your best monsters...are SOL...and this time, I'm not referring to the Society of Light!"

"Tsk...I have more than just Ritual monsters in this deck...but why tell you, when I can show you?!" Wisteria asked. "It's my turn, I draw."

TURN TWO - WISTERIA - 4000 LP - SIX CARDS

"I play Gishki Abyss in Attack Mode!" Wisteria shouted, slapping the card upon her Duel Disk with a scowl. A fish-man with a literal shark for a head grinned sinisterly as he rose at Wisteria's behest. After realizing the state of the field, he raised his two hands and took on a boxing stance, ready to fight at his mistress' behest.

Gishki Abyss - LV2 - WATER - Fish - (800/500)

"Heh, are you stupid or something?" Alexis asked. "That monster only has 800 Attack Points!"

"I'm well aware, thank you!" Wisteria replied, "Fortunately, I didn't summon it for its Attack Points, but rather, it's effect! When my Abyss is summoned to the field, I get to add one 'Gishki' monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my Deck to my hand! The monster I'm adding to my hand is..." she searched through her cards and grabbed the one she wanted, "...this! Gishki Vision!"

Alexis smirked, "A weakling searching for another weakling, huh? It won't do you any good! Add all the Ritual Sacrifices you want, it'll do you no good so long as you can't use your Spells to summon them!"

"Maybe not," Wisteria admitted while reaching for another card, 'but maybe this will!' she added in her mind while glancing at her Mirror Mail Trap. "I'll lay one card face-down, and end my turn."

"About time," Alexis chuckled. "My move, draw!"

TURN THREE - ALEXIS - 4000 LP - SIX CARDS

She smirked at her new card, then turned her gaze back to Wisteria.

"I activate...Icicle Sacrifice!" she said, playing the green card onto her Duel Disk. "Thanks to this Spell, I gain an Icicle Token in my Monster Zone!" she explained, watching as a frozen version of an Easter Island Statue burst from the ground in front of her.

Icicle Token - LV1 - WATER - Aqua - (0/0)

"A token?" Wisteria asked, "But why now?!"

"Because," Alexis explained, "This token can be used as two tributes for a monster summon, which means..." she continued while reaching for her newest card, "I can get rid of it...to summon what you could have been, the White Night Queen!"

'Oh and here we go,' Wisteria thought with a scowl, but she couldn't help but be wary of Alexis' declaration. Two tributes meant a Level 7 monster, after all, and they weren't exactly known for being weak.

She found her thoughts coming true a moment later as Alexis' token shattered and split, only to immediately combine once again in a new and terrible form. An icy woman with long blue hair slowly rose in the token's place, garbed in little more than a white cape that fell down her back. Her cold yellow eyes stared back in Wisteria's own, prompting the girl to scowl.

White Night Queen - LV7 - LIGHT - (2100/800)

"Humph, you're saying that I could have been some ragdoll covered in ice?" Wisteria asked, "Sorry, not interested! You'll have to tell that King of yours to let go of whatever grudge he's holding! And by 'let go', I mean 'let it go!', you know, like the song!"

"Unfortunately, the only thing that'll be letting go is your grip on the field," Alexis explained, "because this White Night Queen can destroy a face-down card every turn!"

"Wait, what?!" Wisteria shouted in surprise.

"You heard me," Alexis said with a smile while pointing towards Mirror Mail, "There goes your card!"

The reverse hologram shattered into fine glass that quickly vanished from the field, leaving Gishki Abyss defenseless against the wrath of the two monsters.

"Now then...White Night Queen attack her Abyss!" Alexis declared, laughing as the frozen ruler sent a stream of cold wind toward Wisteria's fish. The shark-man yelled in pain as his body was completely covered in ice, and with one last whip of her hand, the White Night Queen shattered the monster completely. Its remains were sent flying in Wisteria's direction, leaving the girl to shield herself and grimace as the cold wind blew through her, chipping away at her Life Points.

WISTERIA - 2700 LP
ALEXIS - 4000 LP

"And now for the real hit!" Alexis continued with a mad grin, "Snow Fairy, attack her directly!"

The frozen fairy glimmered as she flew high into the air, accompanied by cute noises. After reaching a place high above Wisteria, the fairy then pointed a single finger at her, and then unleashed a beam of ice energy that crashed into Wisteria's chest.

"Agh...!" Wisteria hissed, staggering backward in pain as her Life Points dropped further.

WISTERIA - 1600 LP
ALEXIS - 4000 LP

"Wisteria, are you alright?!" Konami asked, glancing back from where he stood to check in on the Duel.

"A-Actually..." Wisteria muttered, "I could really use a coat right now..!"

Alexis giggled, "What's the matter? Too cold for you? Well, you better hurry and bundle up, because if you think its chilly now..." her blank eyes widened in glee, "just wait until you see what I've got in store for you-"

"-NEXT TIME ON Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force - Learning to Shine!" Konami interrupted. He paused as everyone turned to look at him. "Ehehehe...yeah."


"Body and Soul - Part 2"
END