"Okay. Okay, okay. We gotta get to the hospital, fast," Jounouchi declared. "We need like a scarab thing." Bakura! "Where the hell is, you!" He saw Bakura and Mokuba running in their direction. Probably warned that something was happening. "Run faster!"

"Already taken care of." A familiar yet deadly voice came from behind him. He could feel her sudden presence from the mark on his neck. Sekhmet held a bloody scarab in her mouth, hanging on by her tooth. "Hold out your hands."

The things I do! Just don't eat them. He put his hands out below the bloody scarab. She opened her mouth and it fell in his hands.

"You could have wiped it off first," Bastet complained. "Sekhmet, you are such a messy eater."

"Thanks, gotta go." Done with that mess. He wouldn't complain about the blood, he had to take care of Mai and his apparent kid coming now! Bakura was showing up with Mokuba now. "Bakura, how's this thing work?"

"What is going on?" Bakura asked until he saw Mai moving in pain. He made an educated guess. "Hold hands," Bakura instructed. "No more than six people. Be kind to the doctors that are there and they should help you."

"Thanks."

Domino Hospital

Atem, Yuugi, Masika, Anzu, and Jounouchi all went with Mai and waited. There were doctors that still stayed. Nurses and doctors were handling Mai, as well as other injuries that had happened last night.

"There you go." She was placed up on a high bed. A perfect view of a window, except there was no glass in it. "Apologies for the accommodations. The glass has been swept up. I'll be back to check on you, there are more patients I have to see. There is a nurse not too far if you need to get me sooner."

"Okay, a doctor, that's good." Anzu patted her hand. "It's okay, Mai. We're all here for you."

"It's okay, really! I mean, Mana used to be a sorceress," Jounouchi pointed out to her. "So, if there's a baby strong enough to take the upgrade in a due date Set just gave her, it's her. You're gonna be fine. You and her. I know it."

"The different futures, with the same outcomes," Mai looked around. Everyone was trying to look positive toward her, but some weren't succeeding. A normal human, getting pushed up several months in a matter of minutes. My body can't handle this. She could tell mainly on Yuugi, and Atem. Still, they tried to smile. This was it, wasn't it? What the strange smiling was about? They weren't happy. They knew what the outcome would be and were just trying to make her feel better by not telling her the chances of making it. For the baby or for her. "I chose the outcome."

"What do you mean?" Jounouchi asked.

"She could have had beautiful brunette hair, if I didn't do this. But, she's beautiful no matter what. Jounouchi? She'll have blonde hair." Mai winked. "She'll pull through."

Blonde hair? "What are you saying, Mai?"

"She'll pull through, but I don't know if I ever see past this in my dreams for a reason," she admitted. "If you guys all win, don't forget about little old me," she teased. "I want to see how she turned out. I want to come back." She watched Yuugi leave Anzu's side to look out the window briefly and went over to Atem quietly. Knowing them though, they were probably talking to each other. Two Yuugi's. Two Anzu's. How many times did I see this? Where was Jounouchi now? "Jounouchi?"

"Right here, Mai." Jounouchi was right by the door. "Just talking to the nurse 'cause I don't want to be the one doing the delivery, you know? Gotta get something wrong from that vision." His words were strong, but she knew him. He was a mess inside. "You're doing great. Probably nothing to worry about."

You are doing great, too, Yuugi. Don't falter.

It was so much easier to say than to do. It was obvious, a human couldn't get pushed up that far into a due date and expect everything to be alright. He understood what he meant about the baby too. There was a god or goddess out there that must have known it had happened, and gave her the insight she needed to save Mana. To make the decision to fuse her with the Dark Magician Girl. Smile. Keep her steady and calm. Keep Jounouchi calm. Yet, none of his 'it will be okay' or 'have faith' words came. It didn't for Anzu or Satiah either. Both were doing the same.

They couldn't break and tell the truth. Mai could clearly see it. Even Jounouchi must know. The truth would ruin the mood, the calm she needed to do a good job before it ended. Mai Kujaku. I'm sorry I never got to know you better. I know I would have, Jounouchi would have kept you in his life forever.

Smile, Yuugi. Atem reminded him again. The better we are for her, the calmer this will stay.

"Just promise you'll love our little monster?" Mai asked. "Promise you'll be the best you can be for her, Jounouchi."

"The best. The total best, and anyway, once we win, you'll be back. If anything happens I mean. Best mom," Jounouchi insisted. "Best mom, best mom, you know you will be!" He hugged her and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you, Mai Kujaku, don't forget that. If you want a wedding ring, I'll get you one, just say the word."

Aww. "Big lug, you're terrible at timing, you know that?" She smiled. "Calm down. I know you'll win." They had to. "When the chips are the lowest, you guys always pull through." Yeah. When they were at the lowest. They always pulled through. Her eyes were getting heavy. Funny how there was literally no pain at all. No pain at all . . .

"Mai? Mai?!" Jounouchi shook her gently. "Doctor, doctor!"

Yuugi ran to the door. "Nurse, get the doctor," he yelled. "She went unconscious!"

Outside Domino City, Tallest Hotel Building

Kaiba was at the top of the hotel building with Shizuka. If they weren't near, then nobody could figure out what it had been. They were going to try the dragon just over the tip top of the bubble to see how it reacted. Was it like dough, would it only pierce for a second, or would the whole illusion pop? "If we are off target, we are responsible for a lot of deaths," he warned her. "We don't know it's power level yet."

"I can see it," she told him. "Just off the top, just to see how it reacts." The wind blew around her, but she was unwavering in her determination. "We have to. I know they'll be okay. The Blue-Eyes won't mess up." Her eyes opened and her gorgeous blue eyes peered out again. "I won't mess up."

"I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba yelled. The Dragon appeared right above them as he signaled for it to attack the white bubble ahead on the top.

It moved with swift speed and grace. Shizuka stayed still, but she was staying in control. Kaiba could almost seem to trace the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's path in her eyes.

When it struck,it broke, but not for long. It easily came back to it's bubble shape again even though the dragon went straight through it.

The dragon had some power, but not enough to break the bubble.

Outside Domino City, Reserved Hotel Room

This was more like it. Room service with the best he could get. Beat the hell out of what he had to eat last night. He would have a full stomach tonight, with wine. Lots of wine to get through the rest of the hell coming.

Shizuka was on the other side, eating just fine. A couple of misfires, but nothing large, nor did he draw attention to it unless he had to. She still had some vision after all. It helped that the table and utensils contrasted each other. "Thank you for the food."

Too damn kind. "You jumped risking your life to make it out here. You risked the consequences of the dragon in the middle of a city. You don't have to thank me for a damn thing. You have the dragon, I am naturally going to take care of you." He shouldn't have to say it all the time.

"Maybe, but I remember where I grew up," she said. "I didn't always have the best food. My dad didn't always have the best upbringing for us. I was happy with Jounouchi, but it wasn't easy with him. It was better with my mom, but not at first. She had to find her own way to survive. So I will always give thanks, even if you start getting tired of it."

Well, that was interesting. Shizuka actually told him about herself. He knew about Jounouchi's father, he always made sure he knew about the people around him. It was a tactic that saved his life more than once. Her though, he never had to bother looking into her mother's side. He didn't care to.

Domino Hospital

Yuugi, Anzu, Atem, Jounouchi, and Satiah all waited while the room was filled with the doctor and nurses.

"She had months left, those goddesses jumped her up so far. How's she even going to survive the birth?" Jounouchi was a wreck, pacing back and forth. "This isn't right. This wasn't in her vision."

"Maybe it was," Satiah said. "She's unconscious now. Maybe she'll wake up again one more time."

"Then I gotta be there. I gotta see her one more time." Jounouchi waited at the door, eagerly wanting to knock, but knowing that any distraction could make things worse. "All because some ****ing Pharaoh didn't want to wait months!" He grabbed at his hair. "This is ****ing bullshit!"

Then, the door came open. A nurse urged him in. "She might not wake up again. You should come say goodbye."

Jounouchi was in the room, but no one else was supposed to come in. As a few minutes passed though, they convinced them to let everyone in. The world had changed too much to follow every rule. Last goodbyes.

Jounouchi held Mana. "She got blonde hair. She would be pretty with any hair." Mai looked asleep in front of him. He came towards the end of the bed and showed her. "I don't know if you'll wake up again, but if you can? Look, Mai. Mana is here. Just like you always knew."

Mai's eyes opened up lightly once more as the Earth suddenly tremored. She looked from side to side and then toward him. She looked toward Mana.

Then fell asleep for good.

Jounouchi came over the side and gave her a final kiss. "You'll be back," he managed to say. "I promise, Mai. You'll be back." He looked at Mana. Blonde hair. She stared back at him.

His little girl was the Dark Magician Girl. He took her over to the window, looking out it. At the edge, there was now a huge river of water going through the side. He moved away and gestured his head toward the window. He couldn't speak anymore or he would just blabber. Even a word was just too much right now. Even a word.

He held Mana closer. Monster, human, it doesn't matter. Nobody is going to hurt you. I promised your mommy that. She'll be back too. You'll see her soon, I promise. She didn't look like a monster. She looked like a normal newborn, complete with some newborn clothes. He looked back out. Gotta keep it together. Tell them about it. "The Nile just started over there."

Yuugi stared out the window. Atem came over with him.

"What is up with the water?" Yuugi asked. "It cuts straight down the center."

A twisted celebration, recreating the Nile. Set is cruel.

Yuugi understood. Lost a wife, but about to gain much more. "Mai was brave, and we'll bring her back. We'll bring her back, Honda back, and even Hanasaki. He didn't deserve this. They probably just shoved the millennium tome in his archaeological digging."

"Yes. Hanasaki was a good person. We'll bring everyone back that we can," Atem agreed. Now? We should talk to the women, Yuugi. We cannot prevent him from taking them. All it will do is end our lives, and then no one will be able to play the game.

I can't believe I really can't do anything to keep Anzu away. Yuugi looked toward her. "It's going to be okay."

"I know," she said, just in case someone was around. "Just beat this game and everything will be back as good as it can be."

"We don't have diapers, cribs, nothing at all," Jounouchi just realized. "Mai was months away, and this whole thing, what do we do?"

"The hospital can help," a nurse said as she came in to check on them. She came over and looked at Mana. "She looks good. This is the first delivery we've had since the world changed. Stay overnight, and the hospital will get you plenty of diapers and something for her to sleep in. We can surely spare it."

"Thanks. Anything you got." Jounouchi pushed Mana more up his shoulder. "What umm . . . do we need to uh . . ." Her body disappeared from under the sheets. "Oh. Guess they are on top of things."

"She will be fine, Jounouchi," Atem warned him. They would win her back, just like everyone else.

"Now we can set a time." Set appeared right beside the foot of the bed. He looked over at Mana. "Better than a sorceress now, am I right? The goddesses helped it live the only way it could."

Jounouchi was about to shout, but instead he was frozen.

"I don't have time to watch children, I'd rather get to know my soon-to-be wives. After the game is settled and done though, it's mine."

"It is not." Bastet appeared over the front of the bed. "Children go with the mother. You were not granted her yet and her mother is gone. That leaves her to her father. You cannot touch her, even after the game is over. You gave up her mother for a 'quick fix'," she said mockingly. "Remember?"

Set wasn't impressed. "Damn it." He grinded his teeth. "I thought I had a good idea there, a monster that was alive and never needed to be summoned sounded so much better than a 'sorceress one day'." He shrugged. "I am still taking the others."

Anzu and Satiah instantly disappeared. There wouldn't be a chance for a confrontation about it! When Yuugi, tried to protest he was paralyzed, much in the same way Jounouchi had been to get bitten by Sekhmet.

"I want the details to this game now," Set demanded. "I didn't kill my potential wife for nothing."

Bes appeared floating beside the bed. "Isis was right, you are a greedy creep. The game takes place in one week. It will involve the players, as well as prey and allies. Both teams will be well informed of how it's played before it's time. I suggest everyone find their best cards because there is no god magic allowed. Only monsters." He gestured to the puzzle around Set's neck. "You should also remove that."

Set grabbed hold of his millennium puzzle. "This isn't from the gods."

"No, but it's from a demon, and you are about to give him great access because the gods won't hold him back. They can't be involved in it because of rules." Bes made him aware. "Also, the ones who were sacrificed for it were better people than you know. They'll defy protecting you. A demon is attached to millennium power. He will rise again, attack you and take you over. No one will help."

"I'm not afraid of some lowly demon," Set said.

"Zorc's really not that low," Bes warned him. "What was created, 'it' will cost you. Your best chances are to renounce all millennium power."

"My whole empire uses the power of the millennium tome that is set under a demon." Set just smiled. "I care not. It's not a gods power. Rules are rules. I nor my people will stop using it."

"Well, then screw you too!" Bes said to him. "You are about to shine a beacon at him for revival, you know that, so stop using the power. Of course, what do I know? I'm just an ancient god of war ." He scoffed. "Get it over with, so I don't have to keep dancing around it. Tell them before you leave."

Set shrugged. "Fine."

"Look out the window, guys," Bes said.

Yuugi was unfrozen as Jounouchi, him and Atem all looked out the window. Above the water now was a floating boat. On that boat was Anzu and Satiah.

"I have gained access to the gods' realm temporarily," Set informed them. "We are all going on a lovely cruise."

What? "What for?" Yuugi asked. "Why can you go there?"

"I have to make sure all goes well." He smiled. "You don't want them having a hard time like Mai Kujaku, do you?"

What? "I don't get it." Yuugi looked at Atem. He didn't get it either.

"Oh, you sick son of a- you planned on it!" Jounouchi seemed to understand.

"Oh no, I didn't. She was supposed to be mine! But, whatever. Her children are still my children. I mean, their children are still my children." He chuckled. "Split wives are fun, aren't they?"

"What?" Now Yuugi was . . . "What? What?!" Now Yuugi really got it. "That can't be!"

"Win, when we win, that was the deal!" Atem agreed. "This whole thing is foul."

"No, no. Horakhty said 'for the win'. Not 'to win'," Bes said. "It wasn't a reward."

"Meaning they were already?" Yuugi asked quietly.

"As soon as Horakhty said it, so Thoth wrote it, and so it had been," Bes agreed.

Yuugi covered his face. He was done. He was just done, and Atem could tell.

"Isis is a loving goddess," Bes said as he started to play a few lovely notes. "She may have played dirty, but she did it all to win the Earth. You'll probably never understand, mortal, how much it takes to set up something to save the world when it's been this lost. You've got to be willing to do anything." He finished his playing again."

"Oh, they will be great to sit on the throne next," Set told Atem himself. "Now, I have to get going," Set insisted. "I have another wife to find, and two others to take care of."

"Wait," Bes warned Set. "Isis warned you that she wanted more in the deal."

"Right, right. Go ahead. I don't really care so much, I already gave them their mirrors." Set disappeared.

Yuugi and Atem watched as mirrors showed up in front of them. Very similar to the one Jounouchi once had.

"Isis wanted you to know they were safe," Bes said. "Those mirrors connect with theirs always. You can hear and see them, and they can hear and see you."

"Anzu?" Yuugi reached out for the mirror and held it close. She smiled at him, but fear was still in her face. He hugged the mirror. At least now he could tell she was okay.

"Save her." Jounouchi looked over at Bes. "Please? His next wife, that's my little sister. I already lost someone really important." Jounouchi could barely manage it. "Please, I beg you. He cares for Anzu and Satiah, but when he doesn't care for the women . . ." He looked at the bed where Mai had once been.

Bes looked at the ground. "I'm the messenger in this case." He looked toward Bastet. "Give the human a break? He just lost the mom of his kid. New kid. Kind of the area where we show some compassion?"

Bastet nodded. "I strengthened the dragon and your sister, but that won't be enough. While Kaiba's anger runs deep, his emotional love does not go as deep. He has no chance of destroying a planet, but there is a chance he can take out Set with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"Then do it. As long as he can't destroy the world, let Kaiba pulverize that monster." Jounouchi looked at his daughter. "I mean that guy, not monsters. Not all monsters are bad. Not you."

"A price will be paid. A price is paid with and for everything," she warned him. "You know this."

"Anything, just make sure she's safe." Jounouchi touched Mana's nose as Bastet disappeared. "You'll be safe."

"J-Jounouchi?" Yuugi looked toward and Atem and gestured his head. Atem gestured his back. "Uh? J-Jounouchi?" Yuugi carefully came over. "Are you sure about that last part?"

"Yeah," Jounouchi said, still not hearing or seeing it. "Of course. Anything she can do to help my sister. I don't care if it gets Kaiba more power, as long as he can take out Set."

"Um? Yeah, but?" Yuugi didn't want to play with this right now. He wanted to concentrate on getting the girls and their new children back! But? "Gods tend to have heavy prices or rewards. You know, we don't get much say?" He gestured toward Mana. "On how they do things?"

Jounouchi still didn't get it. "Mana's fine." He didn't look pleased at Yuugi. "You judging my little girl?"

"No," Yuugi said. "Of course not, I mean-"

"The gods so far have only split people up in diffusion, or pulled new lives into the mix with infusion," Atem finally took over. "There is every chance you just gave them permission to do something with Kaiba and your sister."

"And it's probably not diffusion," Yuugi warned him. " . . . they like power?"

Jounouchi haphazardly gave Mana over to Atem as he ran out of the shop. Atem held the baby out awkwardly as poor Jounouchi's far away scream still reverberated back.

Outside Domino City

" . . . there was no way to keep it going like that," Kaiba said. "Eventually, I would run into a kid stronger than me. I was getting bruised, but I was hiding it." The wine was talking, he knew it, but he didn't care. "I don't regret what I did to give us the life we had. It did change us, but we got through it." His glass was almost dangling, considerably lower.

"Jounouchi gave everything he could to try and see me, and to keep me seeing," Shizuka said. "He is so headstrong and he accomplishes the impossible, but this time he couldn't help. That's what hurts too, hearing it in his voice. Hearing the disappointment. He feels like Duelist Kingdom when I was younger was just a waste now because I still ended up like this. It hurts. It hurts to talk to him that long, because I can always hear it lingering below. He can't get over the fact that it has to be this way."

"If Mokuba lost his vision, I'm sure I'd react the same way. You want your loved ones taken care of. Fixed to survive in the gruesome world we live in with the best senses and chances they can have." He poured himself more wine. He'd regret it later, who cared, it was expensive and good wine. "People always regretted when they messed with Mokuba. If Pegasus had taken Mokuba sooner before Death-T, I wouldn't have left until I killed him. Whatever Pharaoh did, it put some . . . grace in me, but I will still kill without hesitation if I have to."

"I hope you don't have to," Shizuka said. "Let the dragon do it for you. It wants to be near you, I know it does. Let it do what it needs to." She was trying to pour more wine too. "How much longer until Set takes this whole world away?"

"I don't know his strategy. I have no idea." He reached for the champagne bottle now and poured it in another glass to look at the bubbles. "Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. Eventually they'll all pop and this whole world will be sent to that hell." He took it and took a deep swig. "Dragon can't even take off the top. Can't do anything. Pierced it for two seconds and the aim fell off."

"It was just too far away from my eyes," she admitted. "I thought I could see. I hope I didn't hurt anybody with that blast."

"No." Kaiba cleared his throat. "I think you just brought some water. From the trajectory, I think we broke through enough to have started a small little 'Nile' off the side." He saw it in Mai's vision.

"Well, I have to get closer next time. Maybe it will work if I'm closer."

He reached for her hand as she tried to pour more wine again. "Not that way." He readjusted her hand. "There ya go." Like he was going to stop her? He could afford it. "Enjoy it all. Every shred. If Atem loses, this is the end of the world. Even if Atem doesn't lose, there's no telling when a bubble falls above us, blowing up sixty percent of the area."

"Every minute counts." Shizuka drank her wine again. "You're like a good present, triple wrapped in gruesome wrapping paper."

Seto Kaiba smirked. That was one way to describe him. He almost said thank you when he felt something pounce on him and bite him on the neck. "The ****?!" He threw it down, and it ran away to the bathroom. "Was that a cat?" He went to the bathroom but couldn't find it. "You can bet I'll complain about this." He heard a sound of a cat, came out and watched his front door fly open. How did it open a damn locked door? This hotel sucks.

Aah. A cat bite didn't sound like it'd be much. He was trying to walk it off. It wasn't just stinging, it was burning. That's no ordinary cat.

"Kaiba are you okay?" Shizuka asked. "What happened?"

"I got mauled by a wild cat that snuck inside. It went out the door." Inside the nicest hotel in the city, way up there in the penthouse? It had to have been left by the last owner. Who the hell was up here before us? As he rubbed it, it started to feel better. He felt strange markings on it though. As he traced the strange burns, it felt familiar, the tracing of the shapes he made.

"Oh. You should get looked at, it could have something," she insisted.

Kaiba traced the symbols on his neck more. "Yeah, it does, but no doctor is going to help me. This is a hieroglyph." He didn't know what it meant, but they might have to go for another spin with the dragon again.

A little riskier this time. They had no idea what the hieroglyph meant on Kaiba. They stayed far away from the edge as the dragon was called from Kaiba. When he called it, he felt a burning sensation even harder where he was just bitten. They were still going to go just from the top of the bubble. "I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Kaiba called out. As it arrived, he gave Shizuka a minute for her eyes to adjust, so she could see what the dragon sees.

But before he gave the command, the big man in charge showed up. At least Kaiba figured considering his style of clothing.

He held his finger toward Kaiba. "I need my wife."

Kaiba smirked. Wife? Yeah, right. "Nobody's taking the dragon from me." He'd rather die than lose it. Set wasn't phased, and Shizuka wasn't looking so good. "Don't worry," he told her. "You'll be fine. He hasn't realized anything yet."

The enemy's eyebrow raised."What do you think you could actually do to me?"

Kaiba raised his arm. New strategy. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Attack the phoney Pharaoh!"

Set didn't move. He just waited for it to attack and then he would grab Shizuka. She would join the other parts of Shizuka. He didn't plan on anything happening, but as the dragon opened his mouth, he saw a familiar color inside of it.

He looked toward Kaiba and saw his eyes slightly glowing and a heiroglyphic on his neck glowing. Damn it, those goddesses again! He disappeared before the dragon made its final strike. "Damn it!" He appeared high above. "I can't believe they gave you such power too. Ridiculous. Fine, I'll deal with my two wives first, but I will be back."

"Sure you will," Kaiba egged him on as he disappeared. The Dragon did get stronger.

"Seto-"

Hm? Why the hell would she just call him Seto? He looked back and watched her start to tumble. He caught her. The dragon's stronger, but it's taking her out faster. "We'll try it tomorrow." She needed rest.

"Sorry," she apologized, backing away. "I lost my balance. I'm ready."

"Liar. You're fine for a lot of things right now, but you are nowhere ready to control the dragon again." From her reaction, one a day, maybe two was probably all they would get. He would watch her though. Maybe she only needed a couple of hours to recharge.