Destiny and the Dragon

Author's note: Here we go! With only one chapter left to wrap things up, everything is going to come to a head soon! There's not much to say beyond the standard, so I just want to mention two things: This story ignores that the Yu-gi-oh! Movie ever occurred (and so does the Japanese Anime and Manga), so keep that in mind. Why? When the time comes, you'll understand. Also, this is where I'll be using some made-up cards. See if you can tell the fake cards from the real ones. Furthermore, as it is rather important, these are the characters' ages, if only for this story:

Seto: 18

Mokuba: 14

Yugi and the gang: 16

Ishizu: 16

Malik: 18

Rashid: 20

Seeing as how the three events I've been listing as having occurred in our story have served their purpose, I've taken them out of the A/N. Just letting you know.

Copyright info: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! If I did, though , you can bet we'd see a lot more Seto Kaiba(and, considering he already appears a lot, they'd probably have to rename the show "The Seto Kaiba saga", or some other, less crappy, title.).

Continuity info: First, I'm using all Japanese names, as well as personalities (in short, Jounouchi isn't going to have that heavy New York accent, and Bakura won't be British). Thus, Joey is Jounouchi, the Millennium items are sennen items, and so on. Finally, the actual continuity is kind of a mixture of the manga and anime. This takes place after Battle City, but the Noa saga did not occur. However, in the manga, Yugi immediately uses the God cards to open up the doors to Yami's memory world. In this, like in the anime, he must wait until the appropriate time. Also, this is going to act as an alternative to the Memories arc in the manga so I can add my own little spin on the ancient past. Enjoy.

I want to run away,

I want to know the truth

I want to know the answers,

I want to shut the door and open up my mind.

-"Runaway Reanimation", Linkin' Park

Chapter 13: The Dragon of Destiny

By Blue Eyes Shining Dragon

Kisara

Atk: 0

Def: 0

Seto refused to believe it. Standing in front of him, acting as a monster in defense mode for his opponent, was Kisara. Seto had once overheard Jounouchi and Yugi discussing how, during Duelist Kingdom, Bakura had sealed their souls away in the Flame Swordsman and Dark Magician cards, and thus, they became part of the game. This, however, seemed different. For one thing, Akunadin was directly using a blank card that contained Kisara's soul. For another, Jounouchi and Yugi had apparently been able to remember who they were. Kisara showed no signs of even being alive. "What…what did you DO to her?" Seto asked threateningly, his voice a low snarl.

Akunadin did not respond at first. He was enjoying watching Seto, who only moments ago had been grinning confidently, twist and turn at the sight of Kisara turned against him. He was even more entertained by the sight of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons, the mightiest of all dragons, looking curiously at their mistress, confused at her presence beside their enemy. Still, after basking in his success for a moment, the ancient priest finally answered. "Her soul card…was added to my deck…in the event that I could not defeat you by brute power." He explained.

"Rather…than transfer her soul…to a normal Duel Monsters card…and risk her… regaining control of her soul on the field…I used her soul card…directly…I hope…you are pleased…with the results?" he continued.

Seto gritted his teeth in rage. Akunadin would NOT cheat his way to victory! Seto simply would NOT allow it. Gritting his teeth, he drew a card. Already, he was attempting to figure out how to get Kisara off the field without attacking her; he didn't know nor did he want to find out what would happen if she were sent to the graveyard. Akunadin decided to interrupt Seto's thoughts. "What…are you…waiting for…Seto? I have…only one monster…to defend myself…and no face-down cards. Attack…and you win the duel…" he said, smugness dripping in every word he spoke.

Seto clutched his fist in rage. "I will not allow that shambling mass of bones and rotten flesh to mock ME! I'll show him! I will attack! I will win! I have no reason to worry about Kisara's life! I only met her yesterday! What does it matter to me if she lives or dies?" he argued to himself.

However, he quickly shook such thoughts from his mind. That was the OLD Seto thinking, caught up in the need to win the duel. He would not risk Kisara's life, no matter the circumstances. He was loathe to admit it, but he felt…connected to the silver-haired girl. Indeed, if he understood the visions of his ancient past correctly, she had been his lover once, long ago. Seto did not like his life being dictated by destiny, or the events of so long ago, but he chose, at least for the time, to ignore such animosity. "I'll end my turn." He said, flatly.

Akunadin chortled. "Emotion…is weakness. Surely…my time as your Step-father…taught you that." He wheezed.

Seto snorted, but remained calm. "Don't get cocky, old man. You may have a good shield, but you don't have a sword. Sooner or later, I'll find a way to get Kisara out of this, and then, you'll have three Blue Eyes waiting to tear you to ribbons." He said.

"I have…nothing…to fear." Akunadin responded.

Seto simply gritted his teeth and drew. This was going nowhere. Worse, under Kisara's unforgiving glare, his focus had begun to falter. To see her like this…used, unable to control herself…it brought forth feelings of anger, sadness, and disappointment. He had promised he would protect her. He had promised to protect Mokuba. He had failed at both. This was his own fault for not being there, for letting Ishizu and Seth and Bakura and Akunadin and all the other Ancient Egyptian psychopaths manipulate him for their own purposes. Now, Kisara and Mokuba were suffering for his mistakes. He had no doubt Akunadin had Mokuba's soul card in his deck as well, and he also had no doubt that the insane zombie had every intention of playing it. "Somehow…I have to save them…" he thought.

Yugi clenched his fists from the sidelines. "I wish there was something we could do…" he said, frustrated.

Jounouchi nodded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really hope Kaiba beats this guy!" he said, even as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment for supporting his chief antagonist.

Malik folded his arms in contemplation. "Still, it is a difficult situation," he said, "as I doubt Seto wants to hurt Kisara. However, if he doesn't get her off the field, he can't get to Akunadin's lifepoints."

Rashid remained silent. All four continued to watch, their thoughts solely on the match. Seto ended his turn again, passing it off to Akunadin. The dark priest drew, and once more, dark glee lit his features. "I activate…the magic card…Altar of Mists…" He said.

Seto recognized the card instantly. Even as the field became surrounded by rock statues similar to those found at the famous Stone Henge, he remembered its deadly effect: After being on the field for three turns, it allowed its user to take any Ritual Magic card, as well as its corresponding Ritual Monster card, and add them both to the player's hand. "Akunadin must have a powerful Ritual Monster to attack with, and since I can't attack, he'll be able to get it on the field soon!" Seto thought anxiously.

Akunadin ended his turn. As he drew, Seto had to think quickly to win. It seemed like all hope was lost, though. What could he do? What possible strategy was there to get Kisara off the field without hurting her? The truth, Seto knew, was that there was no way. Duel Monsters was designed with the destruction of enemy monsters at its very core. As such, practically no card in the game had the ability to return a monster to the deck or hand, and even then, Seto's deck had always been about full-frontal assault. He wouldn't have any cards of that nature in his deck to begin with. Seto needed an alternative method of reaching Akunadin's lifepoints. As he drew, he sensed he had found that method.

"I activate a magic card of my own, Retreat to the Shelter!" he said.

"This card allows me to attack you directly as long as the only monster you have on the field has less than 500 attack points." He explained.

Seto grinned slightly. He vaguely remembered Mokuba giving him the card after Duelist Kingdom, saying it might help if he ever needed to take on Kuriboh again. At the time, Seto had scoffed at it. If not for the grim situation at hand, he would have laughed at the poetic irony. As it stood, however, he now had a tremendous opportunity. Unfortunately, the card forced him to skip his battle phase for the turn it was activated, so Seto ended his move. With that, Seto set a card and ended his turn, waiting for his chance to strike.

It was Akunadin's turn now. He drew, and Seto immediately realized from the wretched look on Akunadin's face that he was in trouble. Laughing manically, Akunadin played the card he drew. "Now…I activate…Time Warp Forward!" he announced.

Suddenly, the stone ruins around the field began to glow brighter and brighter. "What's going on?" Seto asked demandingly.

"The Time Warp card…allows me to speed up…time-delayed effects…" Akunadin started.

"Like Altar of Mists!" Jounouchi finished in excitement and fear.

"Correct!" Akunadin said.

"Now…through the power of Altar of Mists… I activate the ritual magic card…CONTRACT WITH THE DARK MASTER!" he shouted, raising his hands to the air.

"Oh, no…" Malik whispered fearfully.

"I sense…a terrible darkness…" Yami warned Yugi.

"Look at the sky!" Jounouchi and Rashi shouted in unison.

Everyone's eyes turned upwards. "Now…Disk Magician…and Dark Assailant…tribute your energies to summon the ultimate darkness!" Akunadin said.

As the two monsters he called upon disappeared from his hand, Akunadin became surrounded by a dark purple aura. Storm clouds gathered above them. Lightning split the skies, followed by deafening thunder. Winds began to pick up, buffeting Seto until he could barely stand. "What…have you…done?" Seto shouted, shielding his face from the storm.

Just as he asked, the storm clouds opened up, and a column of blackest energy stormed downwards, cracking the ground between Seto and Akunadin. Suddenly, the cracks in the ground spewed fire and magma. The fires soon parted, and then, a terrible beast stepped forward. The sight of it filled even the stoic Seto with fear. Its body looked human; it was muscular, and its skin was slightly red. It wore skin-tight purple pants, and gold, jeweled boots. From there, however, any similarity to a human being ended. For one thing, two purple bones were jutting horizontally out of its shoulders. For another, it had blood-red bat wings on its back, and held a strange sword that somewhat resembled an enlarged, elongated bee-stinger. Lastly, its face looked like that of a bat, with wild green hair on its back, and horns pointing out of it in various places. "I GIVE YOU…", Akunadin cried, his voice filled with unholy glee, "THE DARK MASTER…ZORC!"

Dark Master Zorc

Atk: 2700

Def: 1500

Jounouchi uncovered his eyes now that the spectacle of the demon's arrival was over, and saw its holograpically-projected statistics. "Huh? What's the big deal? It's weaker than all three of Kaiba's Blue Eyes…" he said.

Yami, who had taken control of Yugi's body the instant he had sensed the terrible power Akunadin was summoning, was quick to disagree. "Its attack strength is lower, but this card carries a far greater strength than any of the Blue Eyes…" he said, anxiety permeating his every word.

Malik gulped fearfully. He knew from legend that this card represented the Earthly messenger of the terrible being who, thousands of years ago, had laid waste to Ancient Egypt. He also knew that it carried vast destructive powers. Most importantly, however, he knew that its presence here hinted at a larger danger than the one being immediately dealt with. He knew it meant the time of destiny was at hand. Seto, in the mean time, was far more concerned with the threat he was facing now. The terrifying demon that stood before him was said to be the most deadly Ritual Monster in the game. Though he had never learned just how it earned its reputation, he feared he was going to learn now. Akunadin, for his part, was laughing manically. "THE GAME…IS MINE!" he shrieked.

Clenching his fists, he shouted "NOW, ZORC…ACTIVATE YOUR SPECIAL ABILITY AND TAKE THE POWER I DESERVE!"

The demon stepped forward, opening his hand to reveal a six-sided die. The die was blood red, and cracks ran on its sides. Where dots were used to represent the number of the side for normal dice, Zorc's die had instead a corresponding number of small flames. Zorc closed his hand again. "The roll of fate." It hissed through its fangs, dropping the dice to the ground.

Malik's eyes widened as he realized the powers at work through the dice. "OH NO!" he shouted.

"What is it, Master Malik?" Rashid asked, nervous for the safety of his foster brother.

"The Roll of fate…no matter what number comes up on that dice, Kaiba is in deep trouble." Malik said, visibly trembling.

"What do you mean?" Yami Yugi asked edgily.

"If the dice lands on a 1 or a 2, all of Kaiba's monsters are destroyed, while if it lands on a 3, 4, or 5, one monster on Kaiba's side of the field is destroyed. If it lands on a 6, all of Akunadin's monsters will be destroyed…but that means…" Malik began to explain.

He was unable to finish as Seto, who had overheard their conversation, interjected fearfully. "KISARA!" he shouted.

For a brief moment, Kisara's eyes gleamed with their usual light, but it was gone quickly, and she soon resumed her statuesque stillness. The dice dropped to the ground, hitting it with a silent thud, though to Seto it was louder than an earthquake. The dice bounced again, flipping around as it did so. Seto anxiously waited to see what number it landed on. At last, the dice stopped. Zorc looked at it, than straight at Seto. "One." He hissed.

For a moment, only silence remained. Though nothing was yet occurring, the Blue Eyes trio had visibly tensed, their lips curled back in preparation for battle. Then, the ground began to tremble. "W…what's going on?" Jounouchi asked, waving his arms to keep standing in the earthquake.

Out of nowhere, the ground split open, separating into five pieces: One for Seto, one for the Blue Eyes, one for Akunadin, one for Zorc and Kisara, and one for Yugi and the others. The space that separated them looked like the insides of a volcano, filled with bubbling magma. Soon, the magma bubbles began to grow larger. Suddenly, without warning, a titanic hand, covered in purple scales and with clawed fingers, burst from the magma, grabbing all three White Dragons in one swoop. It began to pull them down to the magma, even as the dragons struggled and roared defiantly. "ACTIVATE TRAP!" Seto shouted.

The three Blue Eyes turned into wisps of smoke, slipping through the fingers of the giant hand even as it became submerged in lava again. Jounouchi couldn't help but sigh in relief as the ground reassembled. Seto wiped sweat from his forehead; he had almost lost all three of his dragons. Thankfully, his trap card, Dragon Totem, had made his dragons immune to all effects for one turn, saving them. Now, he could eliminate Akunadin once and for all.

Akunadin, however, was not worried. "Fine…then I will end my turn…by equipping my Dark Master…with the Axe of Despair…raising its attack strength to 3700! Now…I can destroy your dragons…one by one!" he snarled defiantly.

Seto breathed deeply. He was stuck; Akunadin's Dark Master was now strong enough to destroy his Blue Eyes White Dragons, meaning he could no longer stand idle. However, he also didn't have anything in his hand that could destroy the titanic demon that stood before him. Suddenly, he heard a voice. "The light of our souls…joined as one…"

Seto knew the voice instantly. "K…Kisara…?" he thought.

He didn't know what was going on, but at least now he had a plan, and he knew one thing for sure: He had to believe in his deck now. "I activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards from my deck." He said.

At his command, a large green pot, with a grinning face etched onto its front, appeared on the field. From it, a pair of pale hands emerged, each holding a card. They placed the two cards in Seto's hand, and then disappeared along with the Pot. Seto sensed the cards, and knew that the time for action was now. If he was unable to successfully pull off his next move, he knew he would lose his only chance to save Kisara. "First, I play one card face-down. Next, I activate Lullaby of Obedience, which allows me to take one card from your deck and add it to my hand at the cost of 1000 lifepoints!" he announced.

Seto: 1750

As the card emerged on the field, a single card slipped out of Akunadin's deck, and flew into Seto's hand. "I chose Mokuba's Soul Card!" he announced, showing the card to Akunadin.

Yami Yugi grinned. "Clever move. Now Seto can focus his efforts on saving Kisara." He observed.

"Now…", Seto shouted, "I activate the power of Polymerization, to fuse my three Blue Eyes White Dragons into one being!"

"The light of our souls…Me, Kisara, and Mokuba…one for each White Dragon…joined as one…" he thought.

The three White Dragons reacted to the presence of the new magic by flying into the sky. As they did, they began to transform into pure light. Each beam of light flew off in a separate direction, eventually converging together into one spot, creating a ball of energy as bright as the sun. The winds kicked up fiercely, and everyone could feel the world trembling. "I SUMMON…", Seto shouted, staring directly at Akunadin, "THE BLUE EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!"

At last, the orb of light disappeared, breaking almost like an egg into a thousand pieces, which faded away shortly. From the orb emerged a truly titanic being. It looked similar to a Blue Eyes White Dragon, but with several key differences. The first was that most of its features were more jagged, and its size was greater. The second, and more important, was that it had three heads. Spreading its enormous wings, the newly formed Ultimate Dragon flew towards the ground, landing in front of Seto. It roared proudly and strongly.

Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon

Atk: 4500

Def: 3800

Seto pointed at Akunadin, and commanded, "Now, Ultimate Dragon, Neutron Blast Attack! Destroy Dark Master Zorc!"

The three-headed giant obeyed, as each head opened its mouth to reveal a powerful orb of electricity. The heads aligned with each other, combining their three orbs into one, and then unleashing a single concentrated blast of tremendous energy. Though the Dark Master attempted to resist the attack, it did not take long before he was reduced to ashes.

Akunadin: 4900

Seto grinned in satisfaction. Akunadin was finally showing signs of nervousness; with his trap still in play, it wouldn't take long for Seto to wipe Akunadin out with direct attacks. Mokuba was safe in his hand, and Kisara was no longer in danger. Victory was very close. "It's…my…move…" Akunadin said.

He drew. "Now…I move…my deck-master…to the field…" he said.

Seto was confused. The Possessed Dark Spirit Akunadin was using as his deck-master had a strong enough deck-master ability, but its attack and defense were low. Why would Akunadin bring it out and risk losing the duel? "Next…I activate...the magic card…Ritual of Second Birth…allowing me to bring back one ritual monster from my graveyard!" Akunadin said.

Seto knew what that meant. Sure enough, as a white vortex opened up next to Akunadin's deck-master, the Dark Master Zorc emerged from it. "Finally…I will fuse my two beasts together…with my own Polymerization card!" he said.

Seto's eyes widened. He was going to make a new Deck-Master, and with a very potent combination! "Now…I give birth…to Dark Spirit of the Underworld!" Akunadin cried in triumph.

With those words, an unholy transformation was begun. The Possessed Dark Spirit flew onto Zorc, engulfing him in flames. The two beings writhed together in seeming agony, growing in size as they did. When at last they were finished, they stood at equal height to Seto's Ultimate Dragon. They had fully fused. Zorc was the dominant one in terms of physical appearance. He still had the bat-like face, though now its eyes burned an even more intense shade of red. It still had the same body shape. However, everything else was different. Where once there had been skin, there was now only burning red flames. In certain spots, the skeleton of the demon could be seen, scorched to black. The wings had grown as well, more like those of a demon than a bat, and the sword had changed as well. Now, it looked more like a twisted scimitar. "I CREATE…DEMON SPIRIT OF ZORC!" Akunadin cried.

Demon Spirit of Zorc

Atk: 4500

Def: 3000

"Now…I activate his deck-master ability...Blaze Tempest!" Akunadin said.

The fiery monster opened its burning hand, and from its palm, a wave of fire blasted forward, circling around the Ultimate Dragon. As the three-headed titan roared in pain, Seto could only watch. Suddenly, he too felt as if a fire was burning around him. Falling to his knees, he screamed in pure agony. "KAIB!" Yami Yugi cried out in concern.

"What…what's happening…?" Seto managed to ask between howls of pain.

"It is…my deck-master's special ability. With it…I can reduce your precious dragon's attack points to 0, and take 500 life-points from you for every 2000 attack points it loses…at the cost of 2000 of my own points…though Life-Absorbing Machine…halves the cost." Akunadin explained, sadistically enjoying watching Seto writhe and burn.

Akunadin: 3900

Seto: 750

"Not good…" Yami Yugi muttered silently.

"My deck-master's ability…forces me to skip my battle-phase…but next turn…it's over, Seto. It will finally…be over!" Akunadin laughed harshly.

Seto struggled to get up, but found that he couldn't. His shoulders ached, his legs were sore, his whole body felt exhausted, and his mind was tired. He had expended all his efforts. He had done all he could do. He had come so close. Ultimately, however, he had failed. "Yes…you failed, my son." Akunadin hissed, reading Seto's mind with the Sennen Eye.

"You failed…because you broke all the rules…I taught you as your Father. You lost…because you chose weak emotions…over true power. Do not worry, however…for soon…I will strip you of your weakness…and the rest of your soul as well!" he finished, laughing cruelly as he did.

Seto collapsed to the ground, unable to stand any longer. Falling on his back, he could only lie there and breath deeply. "Get up…" he thought. "GET UP!"

He could not. No matter how hard he tried, his body was simply too beaten to stand. "NO!" he thought angrily. "I can't…I can't fail again…like I did with Pegasus...Mokuba…Kisara…I CAN'T!"

He gritted his teeth, and again tried to stand in vain. He didn't even have enough energy to pound his fists into the ground in anger. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, Seto was broken. His body was too weak to move, his mind could no longer think up an efficient counter-strategy, and he couldn't DO anything about it. "Why…why can't I…find my way even when I have something…someone…to fight for?" he mentally asked to no one in particular, simultaneously hoping Akunadin's damned eye hadn't picked up on the thought.

When they had fought at Battle City, Yugi had told Seto that the one way to unlock his true potential and find the way of the True Duelist was to open his heart, and rid it of the hatred he had held for his step-father which he had carried so long. He thought that accepting his feelings for Kisara had done that, but it seemed even now he was chained to his hatred. "I should've known. I never should have let my guard down…let myself believe, even for a little bit, that something that good could ever happen to me…" he thought sadly.

"Don't say that, ni-san!" a familiar voice ringed in Seto's mind.

Seto's eyes widened in shock. He was in a strange place now, a familiar place, where darkness was in every corner. Once more, he was in the Shadow Realm. He had been here only once, when his soul had been trapped by Pegasus, but how he had gotten there again, he did not know. "You can't give up now, ni-san…you're so closed." The voice spoke again.

"M…Mokuba?" Seto called aloud.

Seto was quick to note that he was standing again, and did not feel the fatigue of his injuries. Still, he had figured that logic would be thrown out the window the instant he realized he was in the Shadow Realm, so he paid it little mind. Just then, Mokuba appeared right in front of Seto, simultaneously surprising and relieving the elder Kaiba. "Please, Seto…don't give up!" the small raven-haired boy pleaded.

Seto wanted to respond, to say something, ANYTHING. No words came to him, however. He did not want to let his little brother down, but at the same time, he wasn't going to lie to him either. Before he could say anything, however, Mokuba again spoke. "You can still win, Seto, if you try!"

The young boy moved to his brother, who kneeled to the ground so the two could stand level. Mokuba gave Seto a hug, holding tightly to his brother. Seto returned the gesture, feeling great and familiar warmth coursing through him. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes in comfort. When he opened them, he found he was no longer holding onto anything. Mokuba had vanished, and in his place floated a bright blue ball of light. Seto quickly stood up in shock. The ball followed, moving so as to remain floating in front of his chest. "The light of our souls…" Seto thought.

Seto heard a loud roar of pain come from behind him, and turned around to find the source. There, he found his Ultimate Dragon, collapsed on its stomach. The three heads of the beast each growled lowly, struggling to breath. Seto walked to his monster in concern, when he noticed someone already gently stroking the creature's middle head. When he saw the person had long, silver hair, he instantly knew who it was. "K…Kisara?" he asked.

Sure enough, when the Ultimate Dragon's companion turned to face Seto, he was indeed faced with Kisara. However, it was not the Kisara of the present day. It was the Kisara of Ancient Egypt, the one he had seen in Seth's memories when they dueled Yami. "Ah, we finally meet." She said sweetly.

"How are you here?" Seto asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

"My soul is bound to the White Dragon's. As long as it lives, so will I." she answered, still stroking the three-headed version of the dragon she spoke of.

"However, my body is another matter. It died at the hands of Akunadin," she said, sadly, "and reincarnated into this modern era like all the others involved in the tragedy of Ancient Egypt. The separation of soul and body is why there are two of us at once."

Seto nodded in understanding, but he still had questions. "Tell me…was it you who's been sending me memories of Ancient Egypt through the Blue Eyes cards?" he asked.

She nodded. "My soul is bound to them, but it is harder to communicate through the White Dragon cards than the Sennen Items, so I could only send my messages to you intermittently." She explained.

She looked at Seto longingly, her mouth a forlorn frown. "You look so much like him…but you're not." She said, sadly.

The brown-haired boy didn't need to think too hard to realize she was referring to the High Priest Seth. "Still…you deserve a chance at happiness…" Kisara said, her optimistic demeanor returning.

Seto noticed that the small ball of light that had once been Mokuba was still following him, as if waiting for something. "I believe there is someone who wants to see you…" Kisara said. "I can allow our souls to switch places, but only for a short while…"

Before Seto could ask what she meant, Kisara's clothes began to change. No longer wearing the pale gray robes of her Ancient Egyptian self, she had switched to Kisara's modern day clothes: A sleeveless silver shirt, tan jeans, and a blue bandanna around her left arm. Her eyes were closed tightly, and she had a serene smile on her face. Seto was slightly awestruck; she was surrounded by shimmering light, and looked for all intents and purposes like an angel. For once, Seto had nothing to say. He just stood there, looking at her, and bathing in the warmth of her light. Just as he was becoming relaxed, however, Kisara's eyes opened, and the light vanished. Seto snapped out of his reverie immediately, mentally berating himself for allowing himself to get distracted. "Hi, Seto." Kisara said.

Seto stood at rapt attention, nodding to indicate he had heard her. She smiled, laughing a bit. "Verbal communication isn't your strong suit…" she said, smiling.

The smile quickly vanished, however. "I'm sorry, Seto." She said sadly.

This was enough to warrant Seto to speak to her. "Sorry? For what?"

"For dragging you back into this…For 5000 years, you managed to keep out of this ancient battle…and then I come along and make you a part of it again…"

Seto shook his head vehemently. "I've ALWAYS been a part of it, no matter how much I like to think otherwise." He admitted, to himself as much as to her.

"You have nothing to apologize for." He said.

"If anything, I should be apologizing to YOU. This…all of this…stems from my arrogance. Priest Seth and I…we think alike…and if it had been ME all those years ago, I would have done the same thing. Jumping to his rash conclusions got you killed, and started this whole damned cycle." Seto said.

Kisara's bright smile returned. "How 'bout we kiss and make up?" she joked.

Seto's face darkened, to Kisara's surprise. "Kisara…I…Look, I know you feel…attracted to me, but…"

He looked away from her. This was going to be hard, he knew. For one as experienced as he was at controlling his emotions, it shouldn't have been. Of course, Kisara had changed him. "We…don't really have a relationship. We've only known each other for a day or so…everything else is memories of someone else's life. I don't know about you, but that's not the relationship I want…" he said, his voice controlled but sad.

Kisara, much to Seto's complete shock, began laughing. "What's so funny?" he barked, angry at how lightly she was taking this.

"Seto…you've changed a lot in the short time since we met, but you're still the same in a lot of ways." She said.

"Don't you understand? It's like you said before: You and I are so alike to our Egyptian ancestors…what they felt then, we would've felt too." She explained.

"It's still the same THING!" Seto shouted, starting to get angry.

Kisara remained bright. "It doesn't have to be. Just because it's based on what came before doesn't mean we can't build something of our own. Seto, the connection we made…it's not just what existed before…it's something else, and it's all ours." She said happily. "I understand that now."

Seto took that in for a moment, and mulled it over. It was true; he had trusted her because she had been willing to trust him. It had nothing to do with his dreams; if anything, based on them, he would have kept his distance. Could it be true that HE, Seto Kaiba, NOT the High Priest, had fallen in love with this girl, a Kisara connected to the one of the past but still her own person?

"The light of our souls is all that matters, Seto. The connection we've made is eternal." Kisara said.

At that, Seto looked to the floating orb of light, and for a brief moment, he could see Mokuba again, nodding happily. Turning back to Kisara, he could see Kisara slowly changing back to her Egyptian self. "Sorry…but I've gotta go, Seto. You saved Mokuba, but my soul is still bound to Akunadin's deck. I can still give you this, though…"

And as the change was completed, she too left behind a ball of glowing blue light, as Mokuba had. With that, the Ancient Egyptian Kisara returned. The ball of light floated towards Seto. "The light of our souls…the legend is coming true." She said happily.

"I don't understand…I brought the Blue Eyes together…I already fulfilled the legend!" Seto said, his voice filled with bluster as he tried to cover his inner thinking.

If Kisara caught on, she didn't show it. "You joined their bodies, Seto, not their souls. No card or spell can do that." She explained.

"Only you can."

With those words, Seto saw an orb of blue light like the other two emerge from his chest. He stared at it, and realized that, without even knowing it, he had willed it into being. This orb was made by his understanding, by acceptance. He loved Kisara. He loved his family. He would fight to free them. That was all that mattered. The Kisara of his time had shown him that. Only with that acceptance had he been able to produce this light. "The light of our souls…" Seto repeated again.

Kisara nodded. Suddenly, everything around Seto began to disappear, but as his view faded to black, he could see Mokuba and Kisara standing next to him, orbs in front of them, holding their hands out and touching Seto's orb. He could feel a warm energy forming in his hands, and then, everything turned to darkness. "KAIBA! GET UP!" a familiar voice intruded upon the black.

Seto's eyes snapped open. He was back at the Duel, still lying on his back. He turned his head to see Yami Yugi, fists clenched pensively, calling his name. Seto grinned. It was now a bit easier to picture the Pharaoh and the High Priest as friends now. Remembering he still had a duel to win, Seto struggled to get up. He was surprised to find it was no struggle at all; the fatigue and pain he had felt before had all but vanished. "Kisara…Mokuba…" he thought, grinning.

Akunadin, however, was not grinning. He had fully expected his son to remain down, and this sudden rebirth had him worried. He sensed a great energy pulsating from his enemy, and he knew it could only mean trouble. "Kaiba!" Yami Yugi called excitedly upon seeing the Kaiba Corp. CEO get back on his feet.

Seto grinned confidently. "I'm not down just yet, Akunadin!" he shouted. "Your Dark Spirit is going down!" he finished, giving a thumbs-down sign to his ancient Father.

Akunadin grunted derisively. "Bah! Your only monster…is too weak…to attack…and you only have one card in your hand! What could you…possibly…do?" he asked mockingly, although Seto could tell from Akunadin's tone that his foe was nervous.

Seto looked at the one card in his hand. It had no picture or description; where those features would normally be, there was simply a shining silver light glowing warmly. He smiled, and somehow, knew what to do. "The time is now! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, TRANSFORM!" Seto shouted.

Everyone looked to the field in anticipation. As they did, they could see the Ultimate Dragon had risen back to its full height. Cracks began to appear all over its body, from which silver light seeped forth. With a proud and mighty roar, the Ultimate Dragon took to the sky. The cracks became more numerous as it did. When at last it had reached the sky, the Ultimate Dragon gave a final roar. With that, the cracks moved together, breaking the Ultimate Dragon into a thousand pieces. "What the…? Kaiba just destroyed his best monster!" Jounouchi shouted in confusion.

However, he quickly swallowed his words. In place of the Ultimate Dragon, a new form floated. All that could be seen were a pair of strangely shaped wings wrapped together like a cocoon. "This is the power of our souls together!" Seto said excitedly. "This is the BLUE EYES SHINING DRAGON!"

At the call of its name, the beast emerged. Its wings unfolded to a truly unusual but undeniably imposing monster. Its body, legs, and tail looked like more angular, metallic versions of the normal Blue Eyes White Dragon, save that it had no arms. In their place were a pair of large, glider-like wings. Its head looked like a Blue Eyes White Dragon wearing a long, three-pronged crown, and with a shorter neck. The most noticeable feature, however, were the many blue crystals on the beast's knees, wings, chest, and forehead. They shined with the same silver light that had been seen so many times accompanying the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon

Atk: 3000

Def: 2500

Akunadin sweated slightly, but scoffed at the shining beast. "Bah! Its attack strength is too low to defeat my Dark Spirit!" he said.

Seto smiled. "Is that so? Well, I think you may reconsider when you learn that my Shining Dragon gets an additional 300 attack points for every dragon in my graveyard!" Seto said, his old confidence returning in force.

Jounouchi blinked in confusion. "Hold on…I've never heard of that card before, so how does Kaiba know how to use it?" he asked.

Yami Yugi grinned. "He's opening the road of the true duelist…" he said.

"With my three Blue Eyes White Dragons, my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, my Luster Dragon, and my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, that gives my Shining Dragon a total of 4800 attack points!" Seto said, triumphantly.

Malik grinned. "And by the rules of his own shadow game, when Akunadin's deck-master is destroyed, he loses the duel automatically. How fitting."

"Now, Shining Dragon, attack Dark Spirit of the Underworld with Soul Light Blast!" Seto commanded.

The dragon obeyed, opening its mouth. The jewels on its body began to glow, as all five shot beams of energy that focused at the creature's mouth into an ever-growing ball. The souls of Seto's monsters could be seen circling the dragon, giving it its power. At last, the attack was ready. With a deafening CRACK, the dragon unleashed its fury. However, Akunadin reacted surprisingly happy. "FOOL! MY DECK-MASTER…CAN USE HIS POWER…AT ANY TIME! YOU'VE SEALED…YOUR OWN FATE! DARK SPIRIT…FINISH HIM….WITH BLAZE TEMPEST!"

At its master's command, the walking tower of fire unleashed its blazing attack. Cutting through the ray of light, it began to surround the dragon in a bubble of fire. However, just as the fire closed in on its prey, the Shining Dragon let loose a defiant roar, and its gems glowed again. This time, they created a bubble of light around the dragon, pushing the fire away. With a single flap of its tremendous wings, the dragon blew the flames away, dispersing them harmlessly around the field. Akunadin's eye sockets (for he no longer had any actual eyes in them) twitched fearfully, causing flakes of eons-dead skin to fall off. "Wh…what…is this? Your creature…is unaffected by the Tempest?" he questioned, unbelieving.

Seto smirked arrogantly. "Oops. Did I forget to mention Blue Eyes Shining Dragon is invulnerable to all effects, be they magic, trap, monster…or deck-master?" he asked smugly.

Akunadin did not have time to reply. The Shining Dragon resumed its attack, and this time, it went through uninterrupted. The blast of light looked almost like a lightning bolt, bobbing and weaving its way to its target. Hitting the Dark Spirit square in the chest, the blast tore straight through the spirit. The hole it left behind soon grew to consume the entire monstrosity. In a scream of rage and an explosion of fire, the Dark Spirit vanished from the field. Now, it was Akunadin's turn. "This…cannot be! Destiny…chose me!" he screamed in rage.

With those final words, Akunadin was reduced to ashes, leaving only the Sennen Eye and his duel disk behind. Seto practically collapsed on his knees in excitement: It was over! He had won! He had beaten destiny again, and he had freed himself from his past. He looked to the mighty Shining Dragon, without which he would have lost. "Thank you." He said, simply.

The dragon nodded slightly, before vanishing. In its place floated three orbs of white light. Soon, they too disappeared. Seto looked at Mokuba's soul card, still in his hand, and Kisara's soul card, still on Akunadin's duel disk. Picking up Kisara's card, Seto placed it in his hand next to Mokuba's card. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but WAY TO FREAKIN' GO, KAIBA!" Jounouchi shouted, jumping for joy.

For once, Seto did not make an angry retort. He only made a slight grin. Rashid bowed solemnly. "That's his way of saying 'good job', and it's a sentiment I share with him." Malik said, bowing as well.

Yami Yugi walked up to the victorious Seto, his face lit with a smile. He didn't say anything. He simply held out his hand and waited. For a moment that felt far longer than it actually was, the two old rivals simply stared at each other. Then, at last, Seto met Yami Yugi's hand with his own, and shook it. However, as the shake ended, he said, "Don't think this means I'm done trying to beat you, Yugi."

Yami Yugi smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Seto. The drive to duel is part of what makes us champions." He responded.

Seto smiled, then walked over to where the Sennen eye lay. As he reached to pick it up, a new hand beat him to it. Following the arm up to its body, Seto found himself looking eye to soulless eye with Shadi. "What do YOU want?" Seto asked, remembering that he had seen this person when Bakura attacked him earlier at Domino Square.

"I have come here for this stolen item." He replied dully.

Seto and Shadi stood up together, Shadi holding the Sennen eye tightly, Seto's eyes focused intently on the new arrival. "You can have the damned thing. I have no need for it. Before you take it, though…" Seto said, and then held out the two soul cards, "restore these two lost souls to their bodies."

Shadi bowed. "As you wish, High Priest." He said.

Pointing the Sennen Eye at the two cards, Shadi began chanting in ancient Egyptian. Seto was too tired to bother listening to what was being said, but took notice when the two cards began to glow. With a flash, two beams of light flew from the cards and towards the building where Seto had played the fateful game of Chess with Gozaburo so long ago. Without a word to anyone, Seto rushed past Shadi to the building. "Please be OK…" he said to no one in particular.

He ran to the building, opening the door, and continued to run inside. "MOKUBA? KISARA? ARE YOU IN HERE?" He shouted.

Looking around desperately, Seto stumbled around in the dark room. It was still night time, and the room had no lights. "…ni-san…?" he heard a voice say, weakly.

Immediately, Seto tracked the source of the voice with the focus only a concerned brother could muster, and at last, came to the just-awakening form of his little brother Mokuba, lying on the floor near the other side of the room. Seto propped the young boy up on the nearby wall, and hugged him tightly. "Seto…what's going on?" Mokuba asked, confused.

Seto just tightened his hug. Mokuba, his memory beginning of what had happened returning, hugged his older brother back just as tightly. "I knew you could do it, Seto…" he said, tears welling in his eyes.

Seto smiled. "Where's Kisara?" he asked gently.

Mokuba reluctantly let go of Seto and stood up. Stretching slightly, he pointed behind Seto. Turning in the direction Mokuba pointed, he saw Kisara lying limply on the ground. Even as he moved towards her, he could sense something was wrong. She should have already woken up, like Mokuba had. Instead, she simply lay there. As he got closer to her, Seto's mind raced: Her card had still been on the field when he had won the duel. Could that mean that, by failing to take her off the field when he won, he had destroyed her soul without realizing it? Seto refused to believe he had come this far just to fail now. "Seto…?" Mokuba said, warily. "Is she…?"

Seto put a hand up to silence his brother. Kneeling down to Kisara's still form, he placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her lightly. There was no reaction. For a brief moment, Seto remembered seeing the Egyptian Kisara, lying in a pool of her own blood, dead in his ancient self's arms. Shaking that out of his head, he called her name lightly. "Kisara…?" he said, tentatively.

For a moment, there was still nothing. Despite his best efforts, fear was beginning to grip at Seto's heart. He couldn't lose her. Not now! They had come so close, taught each other so much. "It can't…", Seto said. "It can't end like this…"

He felt something odd in his eyes. It was an eerily familiar feeling, one that he had not known for over ten years. Seto was crying. For all his efforts, he could not stop it. The sadness inside of him at the apparent loss of Kisara burned too deeply to hide or ignore. He held her in his arms and cried. An entire life-time of tears that had waited to be shed were at last released. Mokuba was, to say the least, stunned. He had never seen his big, strong, emotionless brother break down like this. "I can't…" Seto sobbed.

"Kisara," he said, regaining a little of his composure, "please…don't die. You were right. You…me…it could work. It would take time, I know…but I swear, I'm willing to try for you…for us…for our family."

With that, his tears finished, and he stopped talking. He simply held her in his arms. Mokuba simply stood behind him, looking at the floor forlornly. This was how it was for a moment. Suddenly, however, something changed. Seto felt something. Holding onto Kisara's body, he could feel it growing warmer. His eyes lit up as he felt it, and he looked at Kisara's face, waiting and hoping. To his utter delight, her eyes opened. Her blue eyes looked at his as the first thing they saw. "OK, Seto…", she said, her voice a little hoarse, "I'll give it a try."

To Be Concluded…