Author's note: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and thanks for being so understanding of the huge wait. I want you to know that I do have plans to go back and edit the next chapter sometime in the near future, but as it is I'm barely getting these chapters out so...I might wait until winter break to get that done. I happened to get a little too into writing this chapter, so it's a little more eventful than I intended it to be. But really, what else can you do when you have this many characters shouting in your ear?

Thank you for your support and understanding!

Oh, for those of you who care, I'm running with the idea that Yugioh takes place in a timeline where the history of Egypt is slightly altered, because no matter what time period you choose to go with (3000 or 5000) neither are right for pyramids, which Atem has. Therefore I am basing Atem's Egypt on the Old Kingdom (I'm thinking 3rd dynastly maybe?). You'll see how it's all relevant soon enough.

Bastet, the goddess whose help was requested, is only one of several goddesses referred to as the eye of Ra. I'm sorry if I went into a little too much detail about the mythology in the chapter-I like history, so it's easy to get a carried away. I do try not to go into detail unless I have a purpose though.

I usually like to respond to reviews with private messages, but I have a guest reviewer who I'd like to respond to.

Yami Mayonka: First of all, thank you so much for your support of this story! I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far! Second: You had asked if I can expand on Ryou's character. I will at some point, although he is not a major character. I've been thinking about doing some one-shots based on Higher Stakes. Ryou will most likely be one of them. If/when I decide to do it I'll put a note about it at the top of the chapter.

Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers-you've had to put up with such a ridiculous wait. Thanks for being so forgiving! I'd also like to thank Angiembabe, lalalei, and Yami Mayonaka.

They've given me some great constructive reviews!

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 16: A desperate plea

Yugi's Pov

As soon as Seto walked through the door he seemed to have vanished. Mokuba watched in horror as his brother was swallowed up the shadows and Aiko's remained firmly glued to the purple and grey mass of shadows where Seto had previously stood. Yugi, however, could not allow himself to do either of those things. Right now Seto needed them to believe in him, and somehow taking on the mantle of leadership felt as natural as breathing. So Yugi stood tall and faced Bakura. "Where is my daughter?"

"At the other end of the maze, of course. If he lives she'll be fine."

"And if not," Yugi asked with a degree of hostility that surprised even him.

A dark grin slithered up his face that made shivers crawl up Yugi's spine. "I guess we'll see won't we? Kaiba may put up a good front but his demons are far nastier than yours. They make him weak in places that he doesn't even know exists.

Without warning or provocation Bakura yelled "Diabound Attack!"

Yugi rolled out of the way, but Diabound was already advancing on him. He closed his eyes and drew a card… "Come on...please let this be a good one…"

As soon as he caught his first glance at the picture shouted,"Dark Magician of Chaos." He had thought that he had given that one to the museum, but he wasn't complaining. Mokuba summoned something from his deck too- "Chaos Emperor Dragon, I summon you!" He yelled.

Aiko looked at Mokuba and said, "How do I…?"

"Just summon it and the item will do the rest." She nodded and drew a card. "Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, please help us! I summon you!"

"Very well then, now I suppose it's up to me. Manga Ryu-Ran, you know what to do!" The item holders formed a shield of humans and monsters around the shadow game. The monsters all tried to combat Diabound, but it was as if it dissolved into shadows whenever it was attacked because it could move too quickly and too fluidly for their monsters to keep up.

"Is this the best you can do? Maybe it'll be easier to finish you off than I thought." He drew a card. "Despair from the Dark and Berserk Dragon ought to do it. Now all I have to do is sit back and watch."

There's got to be a way out, but how? Bakura's just too powerful!" Yugi thought to himself. Use the puzzle. The Pharaoh pleaded. "But I don't know how!" Yugi thought desperately. Since you are not ready, there is a spell that may protect you-repeat after me. Such magic is only to be used in the gravest of danger, do you understand me Yugi? Yugi nodded, Very well then, repeat after me. Eye of Ra, I call upon thee."

"Eye of Ra I call upon thee"

Suddenly Bakura looked panicked. "What are you doing?"

Yugi didn't answer and focused on the spell

I beseech thee, please come to my aid

"I beseech thee, please, come to my aid,"

For it is the will of the Pharaoh's, Servant of the Gods and Protector of Kemet

"Diabound, stop him now! He's invoking the ancient rites!" Bakura yelled, no longer bothering to conceal the panic from his voice. He was afraid, which told Yugi that whatever the Pharaoh told him to do was going to work.

"For it is the will of the Pharaoh's, Servant of the Gods and Protector of Kemet,"

Please honored one, help us to protect all from peril

"Please honored one, help us to protect all from peril"

Though I have no sacrifice in the heat of battle I humbly beseech thee, please sent thy servants to us to come to our aid.

"Though I have no sacrifice in the heat of battle I humbly beseech thee, please send thy servants to our aid!" It was much longer than the spell that the the Pharaoh used to heal him, but if it worked...

Suddenly the room became blindingly bright and two large cats appeared and bowed before Yugi. "We come on behalf of our Lady Bastet, the Eye of Ra, the Devouring Lady, she who is protector. We will protect you from peril so that you may return the favor to our people." The spell has literally summoned the servants of a goddess? How had the Pharaoh even known that particular spell?

There was no time to ponder what had happened because a monster jumped out at Yugi. He dodged and breathed a sigh of relief. He could ask him later, he thought. Right now he had to focus on not dying. Even with the servants of the goddess the battle was grueling. Not one of them wasn't panting-even Tea, who didn't have an item spent all of her time dodging the attacks. It wasn't just the physical aspect that was taking a toll on them-it was dueling. The sort dueling that they were doing used a bit of their ka to bring the monsters to life, and each time they summoned a monster, or each time the monster got injured they too felt weak.

Diabound just ran their monsters in circles and then attacked them with no warning. How do you fight against a literal shadow?

Just when everything seemed hopeless the cats grew and began to emanate light all around them. "We are the servants of the Eye of Ra, the shadows hold no sway over us." Yugi had never seen such sheet terror cross Bakura's face. He growled and began furiously summoning monsters. "Shadow ghoul, diabound, zombie dragon, thousand eyes abyss, skull servant, Archfiend Zombie, Armored zombie, Blood Sucker, Despair from the Dark, Ghostrick Mummy, attack!" It was supposed to have been a retrieval mission, and instead it turned into a full battle. Bakura was fighting savagely and in his desperation he had become all the more deadly. He thought he was going to lose, but as far as Yugi could tell they were the ones in danger of losing.

The servant of the gods appearing should have been a miracle, a deus ex machina, but it only barely tipped the balance in their favor. Yugi wanted to make his way to Bakura and challenge him to end it, but monsters just kept coming at him.

"Dark Magician Girl! Alchemist Magician! Ancient Sorcerer, Arbiter of the seals!" The amount of magic needed to summon them was exhausting, but what choice did he have? Even as he ducked and dodged he could not shake the horrible images running through his head of his friends and family laying on the ground with empty, soulless eyes. All of us combined aren't strong enough. How do I do it?

Do what Yugi?

How do I summon my ka?

That's what duel monsters are for Yugi. Mahad is there, so is Mana, you don't want to do it.

Why not?

If you fail Yugi, it will kill you. Playing with your ka isn't like playing with your card-it's a part of you.

How is that different from the shadow games we've played in the past? I've already risked my soul in shadow games a dozen times, and we don't have a choice. Tell me how to do it! Please, before it's too late! Yugi pleaded.

He turned his head and saw Tea being thrown to the ground as a duel monster. Joey and Tristan were still fighting, but were becoming more sluggish by the second. Marik, Ishizu, Bakura, and Aiko were still fighting valiantly, but like him fatigue was becoming evident in the way sweat dripped down their faces.

I need to end this, please Pharaoh!

Very well. His displeasure was obvious, but he knew that Yugi was backed into a corner. I do not know if you will be able to do it on the first try-you're already pushing yourself close to your limit with shadow magic. You must reach out to the puzzle and will yourself to summon the spirit. I'm afraid that no magic spells can help you-it is almost instinctual, like knowing how to begin a shadow game.

Yugi did exactly as he said and reached out to puzzle. He willed it to be, and suddenly he could feel the puzzle's power coursing through him. It summoned a mage that Yugi had never come across before. Somehow Yugi could feel the mage's presence in a way that he had only ever felt one other being's. They were connected, and somehow the feeling didn't unsettle Yugi the way that it should.

Bakura turned Diabound on him and the servants of the goddess. "Finish them off Diabound!" Yugi hoped that Seto would finish the game soon. He could feel every hit that the monster took, and he wasn't sure how much he could stand.


Seto looked up at the image of his ten year old brother and immediately began plotting his course to get there. A younger Yugi materialized by his side. "We're going to have to work together on this." Seto wondered why he looked like he was about sixteen.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's testing your weaknesses Seto. Yours is that you don't rely on others."

For the first time in years he hesitated, and then nodded in agreement.

"Help me big brother!" The raven haired boy shouted.

"I'm coming Mokuba, just stay calm. I will rescue you." He would do whatever it took to protect him, even kill if he needed to.

He surveyed the land around them and realized that it was from a video game that he had designed. "We need find the passageway through the mountain. The path that we're looking at doesn't go all of the way up." How had Bakura known to use this image if he had been gone long before this game had been released to the public? The implications of this were chilling. What if he had always planned to come back and had been watching them? Seto tried to dismiss that thought-it would only serve to distract him. He needed to focus on the present.

"Right." Yugi nodded.

"First we need to cross the bridge". Yugi and Seto stepped onto the bridge at the same time. They were halfway through before Seto realized that it was supposed to break. He could feel the wood giving out beneath him. Luckily Yugi saw what was happening and grabbed him.

"Careful."

They went across as quickly as they could before they explored the mountain. "I'm almost certain that the entrance is here somewhere…." He rhythmically tapped the pattern of the cave until the door opened. "Hmph, I don't need your help. You can leave anytime you want to." Seto mumbled.

"Sorry, no can do. I can't leave until this is all over. That's how these shadow games work!"

"Yes, well, don't get in my way." He snapped.

Their surrounding were from one of first virtual reality games, so he he himself had played it. He knew the layout almost as well as that of his own home. "Next we enter that room to the left and expect a challenge."

Instead of the duel monster he was expecting he saw a statue of Amun. It stood tall and imposing, and something about it felt alive even though it was clearly made out of beautifully polished stone painted in the image of a man.

Seto tried to walk ahead but Yugi grabbed his arm. His hand was too solid for an illusion. "Stop!" He shouted.

"We don't have time for you to tie your shoes Yugi. Let's go-I'm not your babysitter!"

Yugi wouldn't budge. "Walk with your left foot forward to show respect for the Pharaoh."

"That's ridiculous!" He scoffed. "That statue isn't going to do anything to me!"

"That's a statue of Amun, who is one of the most powerful Gods of Egyptian mythology. In the old Kingdom he was considered to be the god of wind, but later he was combined with Ra and became Amun Ra, the sun God, who the Pharaohs believed he represented. I have a feeling that if we do not pay him the proper respect something really bad is going to happen. You know exactly what kind of power came out of Egypt. Do you really want to risk it because of your pride?"

Initially his instinct was to scoff at it and continue going, but he knew that there was some logic behind what Yugi was saying. He was currently experiencing the Egyptian shadow games. He wasn't sure whether or not he believed in the Egyptian Gods, but it didn't matter what he believed. What mattered was Bakura believed because he was the one who was the running the show, and he grew up in Ancient Egypt. If he disrespected that statue he could trigger a trap. "We'll do it your way then."

"Thank you." Yugi sighed. "Please let me lead the way-I picked up some of this from Grandpa."

"I refuse to let a child lead!" Seto growled. Yugi still went ahead with his left foot forward, but he found that the walls were slowly moving inward. "Look, put your left foot forward, bow,and then apologize!"

Was he delusional? What they really needed was for him to get out of there, not slow them down further with ridiculous, meaningless gestures. "If you don't you're going to die!" Yugi said.

Seto put his left foot forward and bowed. "I apologize for my rudeness-I am not well versed in Egyptian culture, although I do wish to respect it." Maybe he could talk his way out like business meetings.

The walls moved another fraction of an inch and then stopped. He could swear that the statue was glaring at him disapprovingly, but moved aside.

"You were saying?"

"Don't push them further, this is meant to test your weaknesses!"

Weaknesses? Seto Kaiba was anything but weak. His first reaction is to snarl and snap that he didn't have weaknesses, but he kept his cool. He was hardly a hot headed teenager anymore. He knew that he was mortal like anyone else, and he did indeed have weaknesses (however few they may be).

Ahead of them was a false chamber. If there was ever any doubt they now knew that they were in a Pharaoh's tomb. It was maze like in structure, and for every doorway leading them to their destination there were five leading to fake chambers. Why would someone who was so opposed to the law put them in the resting place of a Pharaoh? He decided that Bakura had a wicked sense of humor.

"I thought we were done with all of this." He grumbled.

Yugi sighed. "I know."

Something struck Seto. No hologram, not even one of his, could possibly be capable of being so human. He had interacted with enough to know how to tell even the most realistic one apart from a human because they just felt wrong. This one, however, felt just like Yugi. "You can't possibly be an illusion! You're too real. Just what are you?"

Yugi shrugged. "I am an illusion...I'm kinda one anyway. Really I'm just a manifestation of your memories made real by shadow magic with a touch of Yugi's essence. You've got some powerful allies on your side you know, and they wanted to give you a fighting chance, so they made me as real as possible. I think that Bakura intended for me to force you to fail, but he never intended on me being real in the first place. I'm going to get you through this alive because that's what friends do!" He said, sounding every bit like the Yugi that he knew.

How interesting, he thought, that the spirits could interfere. He had been under the impression that interference with a shadow game was impossible. That changed the game entirely."So what you're telling me is that the Pharaoh made you a clone of Yugi instead of merely a hologram?"

"Um...Yes? Kind of? It's a little complicated, but that's the gist of it. You were never intended to leave this place with your soul, so I'm going to help you."

"I don't need your help!"Seto stormed out and was nearly killed by the trap he triggered that caused arrows to fly out at him. Yugi pulled him out of the way just in the nick of time.

"I beg to differ."

The explored dozens of empty rooms and climbed up countless stairs until they reached a room. The room had three exits, and on the walls was a riddle that looked as though it had been painstakingly carved into the stone. "Let me guess, you have some sort of hidden insight?" He said sarcastically.

"Actually Kaiba...I can't help much with this one." He shrugged sheepishly. "Logic was never something that I did great with."

"Fine. It says that to reunite with my lost one find the door that leads to them. One will send me back to the beginning, one will lead me there, and the other will kill me. The question is which one-they all seem the same at first glance." Hm...Each door had a word on it. The first door to the left had money, the second had family, and third had honor and pride.

Yugi stood by the door and the ready the hieroglyphs painstakingly carved into the walls around them.
"In this world there is only one fundamental truth. If you wish to achieve anything lasting your body and your soul must be in unison. So choose honestly-which is the most important to you? If you lie you will lose. If you tell a half truth you will find yourself where we began."

"This is supposed to be a challenge? I choose family" The door opened and Seto confidently walked through. Yugi trailed not far behind him.

"No, this is the real challenge." Seto heard him before he saw them but he knew that voice. It sounded a little different from someone not wearing Yugi's face, but it was definitely him.

The Pharaoh was garbed in clothes that spoke of the decadence and splendor of Egyptian royalty. Although he wore a white tunic, he wore gold necklaces around his neck and bracelets on his wrists. Yugi bowed. "Pharaoh."

"Yugi, you have to need to bow to me. He however…" he trailed off for a moment before facing Seto.

"The challenge is simple. You must acknowledge your folly in denying your past and kneel before me."

"When hell freezes over!" What was he thinking? Why should he have kneel before anyone? Unlike him he had earned his position and risked everything to get it. All he needed to do was be born into royalty. Such arrogance and entitlement made him sick. Why should he bow before a child who had no influence over him?

Seto achieved the expected response. The Pharaoh had not been one to yell or threaten. Instead the corners of his mouth turned into a frown and his eyebrows turned downward. "I am afraid that you have no other choice if you wish to see your brother again."

"Please Seto, just do it." Yugi pleaded.

Mokuba. Moki. How terrified he must have been. After each kidnapping he had brushed him off by saying that he was fine, but there was no way that any sane, healthy child could be okay with it. He could just imagine the brave face that Mokuba was putting on even though what he really wanted to do was curl up in ball and cry. He had failed Mokuba before; he could not do it again."

Instead of kneeling he gave a deep bow. "Although I appreciate the gesture, it is not the one that I am looking for." Damn it. Bowing should have been enough. Why couldn't he have been a European monarch?

He stood there staring at throne like he wanted nothing more than to burn it, but he slowly bent down on one knee like a knight pledging allegiance to his Lord. The action made him want to vomit. Kaibas did not bow down to anyone, not even each other. Bowing down to his greatest rival was by far the most humiliating thing that he had ever been forced to do.

Both Yugi and his ancient Egyptian look alike stared at him expectantly. "Maybe there might have been some truth in all of that magic mumbo jumbo you spoke about. I should have taken it seriously"

The Pharaoh laughed. "Surely you can do better than that!"

"What do you expect me to do? Do you expect me to pander to your whims like one of your servants? I refuse. You have my confession, my admission of my mistake, now let me through."

"I cannot allow you to do that. The terms of the game are thus-if you fail a challenge you lose your soul. If you step foot outside of this room without doing as I say then all will be lost, and you may be assured that you are not the only one who shall suffer."

Hatred that Seto had never felt for anyone except, perhaps, Gozaburo, began to wash over him. If he were younger and more impulsive he would have shouted at him or challenged him to a duel. He would have gone forward to rescue his little brother consequences be damned, but now he knew better. Mokuba mattered more than his pride, so once again he kneeled down, took a calming break, and said, "I apologize for my stubbornness. Even I can no longer deny that my is connected to ancient Egypt."

The Pharaoh smiled proudly and nodded towards the door. "You must go through the chamber and turn to your left. After that the terrain should be familiar to you. I think you know where your brother is. You must hurry-time is not on your side!"

Seto broke his usual air of decorum and ran out of the room. There was not time for niceties-his little brother needed him now! He ran until he was unable to go any further because of the large tablet guarding the room. It was written in Hieroglyphs and had pictures of duel monsters on it.

Yugi walked up to his and examined it closely.

"I think it says: To those who wish to cross the door you must leave together or not at all. Prove that your hearts are one in order to pass."

Seto found himself raising his eyebrows in shock. "Since when can you ready hieroglyphs. Since the real Yugi briefly went into Egyptology. However, I should be able to read them regardless of what he can and can't do because it's necessary for my role. I was created to help you."

Somehow he had managed to forget that the teenager in front of them wasn't the real Yugi. It was disturbing hearing the boy in front of himself refer to himself in the third person as if he were 'other'. "Is that all?"

Yugi further examined the tablets in front of them and turned to him. He asked with graveness that a teenager should not posses, "Do you trust me?"

"I trust no one." Seto replied.

Yugi sighed. "In that case, you may as well just surrender the shadow game because there is no way to leave unless you trust me."

"I suppose I trust you more than others." Seto grudgingly admitted.

"Great! Now, we just need to find out exactly what-" A large Sphinx materialized in front of the door.

"My riddles are famed, but they are not my purpose. I am a defender, so I cannot allow the unworthy to pass!"

It pounced on Seto and Yugi deflected it's attack. "I summon the Dark Magician!"

Seto growled and summoned his blue eyes. "I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Stay out of the way Yugi, I'll take it from here. You've technically helped me, now I don't need you interfering. This is my fight!" He would not let a sixteen year fight his battles for him.

"No! We have to work together as a team!" Seto ignored him and directed his blue eyes to attack the creature. Somehow none of his attacks managed to make much of an impact. It only made his blue eyes bait, and he could feel it draining away at him. "Dark Magician, put as much force as you can into an attack and attack at the same time as his blue eyes." The magician nodded charged at the monster." It was the first attack that seemed to have had any level of effectiveness.

"Do you trust me?" Yugi asked for the second time since entering the chamber.

"Fine. What is it."

"Drop you attack."

"You had better know what you're doing."

"Dark Magician, fuse with the blue eyes and attack with everything you've got!" He was leaving them vulnerable to attack. What was he thinking?

The new monster attacked and obliterated the sphinx. "Lead the way-you're the one who knows where we are."

They took a left and found themselves outside. "The pit of shadows is probably at the top. We're almost there. All we need to do is cross that bridge." He pointed to a rickety old bridge. The closer he got to Mokuba the more desperate he felt to free him. An odd fluttering feeling increased in intensity with each footstep that he took.

He was honestly surprised that they made it across without the bridge breaking like he had designed it to, but he shouldn't have. Bakura had taken his world and twisted it for his own sick purposes.

The feeling didn't die down until it was replaced by terror. Mokuba was dangling over the pit of shadows in a cage and he didn't know how to get him out of it.

His mind was one that had solved a thousand puzzles and knew how to find a loophole. He analyzed the plan for weakness and found none, until he remembered that he had an item, which meant that he could summon the blue eyes white dragon. Could he possibly ride it and then pick the lock to get Mokuba out? Would such a fierce creature even consider allowing someone to ride it?"

"I summon the blue eyes white dragon!" He gave a roar and looked at him expectantly. He quickly looked into it's eyes and saw something that he never expected to see on a dragon-he saw sympathy. "I hate to ask this, but if you really were once a part of the girl's spirit, could help me rescue my brother?" The monster kneeled and allowed him on. "Thank you." He said.

He flew up to the cage and saw that he cage had never been locked. Bakura must have assumed that Mokuba would not be able to escape while the cage was positioned the way it was. Once he had Mokuba safely in his arms the scene began to fade away.

"I see you've managed to escape the shadows and break the illusion." The former version of himself said. "Since you've passed my test I suppose you must be competent enough to be worthy of the body. Step through that door to leave." He pointed to a door that had suddenly appeared in his office.

"I guess this is goodbye then." Yugi said.

"I'm only seconds away from seeing the real Yugi." Seto said impatiently.

"I have to unlock the door for the game to end, so come with me." He did as Yugi said.

Coming back from an extended trip in the shadow realm was disorienting because it all felt so real. Hadn't he been holding his little brother only moments ago? Had it really been Akari that he had heard the whole time?"

"Very well.

Akari looked at him sleepily. "Thanks Uncle Seto. I knew you and Dad would come to save me."

"Don't mention it kid, now get behind me!" Somehow their mission had taken a turn for the worse. What was formerly a hotel room had turned into a full fledged battle. Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Marik were unconscious, and the item holders were covered in bruises and cuts and looked as though they were about to collapse any moment. Yugi was the worst of them, and he looked like the was only standing through sheer force of will.

"Seto!" Yugi cried. "Duck!" He ducked just in time. "Summon the Blue Eyes! I can't hold on any longer.

"I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Everyone, we need to all attack at once!" Yugi gasped.

Everyone nodded and focused the last of their energies on one last attack. Diabound disappeared and the rest of Bakura's creatures followed suite, so had Bakura himself. He seemed to have disappeared without a trace. The shadows all lifted, leaving behind an utterly destroyed room.

Two large, which somehow he had not even seen, approached him. "We are the servants of the Goddess Bastet. We were called upon to aid in this battle for you are not ready for the final day. However, such a day will come. You cannot hope to succeed unless you all work together to defeat this evil. Perhaps you, Seto Kaiba, might have once had an opportunity to walk away, but the time has passed. Your fate has always been intertwined with Egypt, and now it will be again. From this day forth your fate has been sealed-there is no walking away from this, especially for the one who bares the face of a king. They looked towards Yugi. His destiny has always been intertwined with that of Egypt and the world. When he called upon us he confirmed it by making a covenant with us that says that he will be there when the time comes."

"What does that mean?" Aiko asked. "What do mean when you say that our fate has been sealed?"

"Do not fret young one. There is hope that the world will be safe once more. It may come with sacrifice, but such is the price for the honor of those who serve the will of the gods. Those who hold the millennium items are destined for great things, especially the one who wears the millennium puzzle. Farewell my child." The whole room was flooded with white and they seemed to dissolve into light.

When Seto surveyed the damage he saw that he and Aiko were the last ones standing. "He whipped out his phone and called the hospital, and then while he was waiting he made one last phone call.

"Already on it sir!" Were the first words out of Roland's mouth.

"You don't know what I was going to say."

"I was under the impression you'd need damage control and someone to make sure that Mister Kaiba's family is alright."

Roland had been working for the company since Gozaburo's time, and had faithfully worked for him the last time the shadow games had been released. By this point Seto thought he could nearly read his mind. "Right."

Aiko spotted her parents and immediately ran over them. She tried to shake them awake. "Dad! Mom! Come one wake up!" Her lips quivered in fear as she spoke. "Are...are they going to be okay?"

"They'll be fine."

"How do you know?"

He walked over to where Aiko was sitting next to Yugi and took her hand, placing it on Yugi's neck. "Do you feel a pulse?"

She nodded tearfully. "Then they'll be fine. They've been through worse. Right now their bodies just shut down because they're overworked. They'll be fine in a day or two."

"How do I know you're not just trying to make me feel better?"

"I don't sugar coat." He said bluntly. "You can ask Mokuba. I never sugar coated anything for him, not even when our parents died. "I made a promise that I will never lie to him, and I extend that promise to you and to Toma. Now is that all? We've got some damage control to do, and you're going to help me."

"Shouldn't I stay here with Dad?"

"They'll be fine. Right now your parents would want you where you can see me. Besides, it might be beneficial for you to observe what I'm about to do."

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

Author's Note:

Hey guys! I hope that this fifteen page chapter makes up for the month between updates. Once again, I apologize for any errors. I admit to having very little time to edit again. If I missed too much I'll have to go back around around thanksgiving (which is on the 16th) and do some editing. Anyway, please let me know what you think. As promised you got to see what was going on from Yugi's perspective.!This chapter was a first for me-I've never written a dramatic fight scene before. I never intended for an all out fight to break out this early on, but it somehow ended up happening anyway.

Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!
-The EageScribbler