First and foremost, a gigantic arigatou to my beta reader Wingleader Sora Jade, who helped me revise this, and to my not-quite-yami, who does everything else but the writing (and doesn't get nearly enough thanks for it, as she'll gladly tell me…)

Other notes: This is when they're stuck in Seto's virtual world, but after that it diverges from the story. It's a "what if" storyline based on the question, "What if the Big Five's men had succeeded in unplugging the pods?"

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however, own a suspiciously Otogi-like dice earring (yes, only one.) It goes everywhere with me. *^_^*

Just a Game…

"Please wake up, Yuugi," pleaded Anzu, pressing all her weight against the door. "If you don't, you might not be able to wake up at all!"

Honda was too busy barricading the door to agree. Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Mokuba remained motionless in their virtual pods. They had been there only minutes, but already it felt too long. The pounding on the other side of the door grew heavier, matching the frantic beats of her heart.

*

Within the game, Yami and Seto were also struggling, but against a different adversary. Seto barely heard the giant dragon's laughter, stunned as he was by the sudden loss of Mai, Jounouchi, and most of all, Mokuba. His heart was swearing vengeance, but his mind coldly told him there was nothing he could do. He glanced at Yami, whose eyes were also glittering with rage. "Bring out your Blue Eyes Ultimate, Kaiba," he said quietly, a power flowing in his voice.

"But…"

"Do it."

Reluctantly, Seto complied. With Mokuba gone, there was nothing left to live for; the Big Five had finally broken his spirit. Seto watched in slight awe as Yami combined the dragon with his Chaos Soldier, winning the game in one brilliant stroke. They stood silently, still taking in the victory mixed with the bitter dregs of tragedy. They turned to look at each other, as if to confirm it had all really happened. Just then the floor vanished from under them, dropping them into oblivion.

They landed suddenly on stone and picked themselves up to see Princess Adina smiling at them. "You have saved us," she said, gratitude shining in her large eyes. Seto was reminded painfully of Mokuba, and had to turn away. "But there is more."

Seto looked back at her.

"You have all suffered too much for anyone to bear," she told them, her figure shifting and elongating gracefully.

"Holy Elf!" gasped Yami.

"A spell?" questioned Seto, searching his memory for something like this in the programming.

Light gleamed on the ground and suddenly everyone was back again, apparently sleeping but definitely alive. One by one Jounouchi, Mai, and Mokuba stirred and opened their eyes, gazing about as they tried to get their bearings.

"And now," the elf said with a smile, "I will send you all home."

Unexpectedly, the world around them flickered, darkening and then returning to normal. "What was that?" asked Jounouchi, looking around. "It didn't feel good."

"I know," said Seto, his eyes narrowing. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

*

Back in reality, Anzu was struggling against the strong arms restraining her, sobbing with fury and concern. "Stay away," she shrieked at the men pouring into the room. "They never did anything to you!"

"I'm just following orders," replied the biggest man with an unpleasant smirk.

She watched in silent horror as he knelt down and pulled the many wires from their plugs in the wall. The lights on the virtual pods dimmed and faded into nothingness, and their occupants remained motionless and limp. The room went quiet as the last hum of electronics faded.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Anzu half-screamed, breaking away and rushing towards the pods. "Yuugi! Jounouchi! Speak to me! Wake up!"

"They won't."

She turned and glared at the man. He merely shrugged and walked out the door, the others following him. As the last man scurried after the others from a back room, she stood and went over to Honda's limp form, stretched out on the floor. He had taken on most of the guards when they forced their way in but was unconscious within three minutes. He stirred at her touch and raised his head, wiping away the blood that trickled from his mouth. "Did they…"

She nodded, the tears starting afresh. "We lost all of them," she murmured.

*

Within the game, the elf spread her arms wide, chanting another spell to return them to their dimension. Yami breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be leaving the game. The elf's magic swirled and shimmered, gathering to make a doorway…and nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" snapped Seto abruptly to the elf.

She looked at her hands, confusion written over her face. "I…don't know. It shouldn't do this!"

"I know what it is," said Mokuba gravely. "We've been unplugged."

There was an awful moment of silence as that sunk in.

"We're trapped here?" asked Jounouchi incredulously. "Trapped in some crazy game built by him??" He jerked his head in Kaiba's direction.

Kaiba himself was in denial. "It shouldn't have happened like this," he was saying. "If we were unplugged, the game should have stopped altogether. The emergency coding should release us immediately."

"But," Yami put in, "remember how the programming changed? Maybe they accidentally mixed something up in this area too."

"Sure beats getting stuck in the dark," commented Mai.

"Yeah," agreed Jounouchi.

"So what will happen now, Kaiba?" asked Yami. "It's your game."

Kaiba shook his head. "Not anymore. I have no idea what else they've done to this. There is no way I can predict what will happen any more. Even the landscape has altered slightly."

"What are you talking about?" asked the Holy Elf, transforming back to Adina.

"Everything here is an illusion. It's all just a game," said Seto quietly.

Mokuba opened his mouth to protest his older brother's bluntness, but Adina didn't seem bothered in the least. She merely smiled at the older Kaiba. "What do you mean? We've lived here as far as anyone can remember. We have a history, a culture. I'm talking to you right now. How can we not exist?"

"I…created you," said Seto, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. "You're not even alive…"

Adina smiled and walked up to him, grasping his hands with her own small ones. "I am here, Kaiba Seto. Can't you feel my hands? I think, I talk, I exist."

"But…how…?"

"Since you cannot go home," she said, changing the subject, "I hereby invite you to become one of us and to dwell here!"