Vivian Wong was not sure what she had expected when she was invited to meet with Pegasus J. Crawford at the Hotel Gajoen on Sunday morning. Possibly a sponsorship, an apology for not inviting her-the Duel Queen of Asia-to Duelist Kingdom, or even an 'I'm sorry' for having the audacity to promote some unknown newcomer to 'Queen of Games' rather than give her the chance to win the title.

This, however, was not it.

"I'm sorry, you want me to what?" The edge on her tone seemed to make no difference to the man she was meeting with. Nor did the stunning dress or make up she had put on to make a good impression.

"Take a short break from the competitive scene, while we build up the reputation of other assets."

"You mean Mutou." Her eyes narrowed as she understood what was going on.

"And Kujaku," Crawford allowed, his one eye watching her like a hawk as her hands balled into fists. "To give your… mistake... time to be forgotten."

Frustration surged through Wong. She had hoped she had been wrong, but she had seen this coming ever since her disastrous interview with Game On and her error in getting herself fired from a movie.

In her defense, the interview had been held the morning that she had found out that she had been overlooked for the tournament of the year. She SHOULD have gotten an invitation to Duelist Kingdom, not some NOBODY who had only beaten the World Champion by getting insanely lucky. Exodia was a cheap trick.

In her frustration she had made the accusation that Mutou had been cheating by flirting with the boys so they would go easy on her. She had not expected Game On to research some of her own wins and find the same thing. Not that she had done it recently, but she had not been above it early into her own Dueling career, and Game On was threatening to release that information.

She had received the call from Game On, asking her for comment, just before she had been called into a meeting with the director of the movie she had been working on. Despite the movie supposedly being about a FEMALE spy, the man had been insisting that they needed a big-name male lead to draw in the male viewers so she needed to work with Jean-Claude Magnum, one of the most irritating men in the known universe.

She and Magnum had never gotten along, so of course she had tried to renegotiate her contract so if she had to work with him, it would be for extra money, planning to use the extra money to cover if the negative press from the Game On article messed with her popularity. The director, however, had been having none of it and had actually dared to fire her. Then when he had been asked about the change of lead female, had blamed HER for trying to breech her contract. Vivian's lawyer was working on dealing with that issue, but she had concerns about the future of her career.

It was all Mutou's fault of course. None of Vivian's recent issues would have BEEN issues if Mutou had not come onto the scene, but she could not say that to Crawford. Not when Crawford seemed to like the brat and the girl looked like a damn saint to the press for giving away all of her prize money from Duelist Kingdom to a sick child.

"Mutou I can understand, but Kujaku's reputation is worse than mine!" Wong complained, peeved beyond belief that the Harpie Duelist, who was a known cheat, was being considered above her.

"Kujaku has been turning her reputation around, and the accusations of cheating were never proved." The CEO of Industrial Illusions shrugged. "Whereas you tried to destroy the reputation of another Duelist, and got caught doing what you were accusing Mutou of. Well, technically it's hearsay, but there's enough willing to say you did it, to trash your reputation. Game On reached out to Industrial Illusions for comment before they posted that part of your interview, and we squashed it to save your reputation. Clearly they're not going to forget about it though, after what they asked Yugi yesterday. You've made our job harder, and you owe Industrial Illusions for your… pettiness... not being published."

"You realize I don't work for you. You never gave me a sponsorship contract, despite hinting you were going to." Wong glowered at the man who had been hinting he would support her dueling career for over a year, ignoring the implication that she should be assisting him.

"Industrial Illusions was unwilling to give a contract to someone who proved to be unwilling to abide by contractual obligations." Crawford's own tone turned from casual to as sharp as a knife in moments. "And we are willing to blacklist players who cannot play fairly."

Wong stopped in her tracks at the threat. Being blacklisted by the company that ran the game of Duel Monsters was no joke. "Why would you pay to save my reputation if you were just going to blacklist me?"

"Because everyone deserves a second chance." The edge on Crawford's tone softened and his severe glower turned to a rueful smile. "I was hoping that, by bringing you in and talking things through with you, we could find a way to salvage the situation. I suggest a break from the competitive scene because I'm certain that should accusations come out of your bribing opponents with dates so soon, Game On would not hesitate to post what they have, despite the money they were paid."

Vivian paused to consider, her hands unballing. With that information in mind, taking a break from the scene to allow Kujaku and Mutou to build their reputations up was not a bad idea. That way she could sweep in and take out both the 'Harpie Queen' and the 'Queen of Games' to become 'Queen of Queens' or something.

Still… this was humiliating.

She had known, coming out of that interview, that she had allowed her anger to cause a massive misstep in her career. That she had needed the assistance to fix it was disgraceful.

"Fine." She huffed, shoulders sinking as she looked away. "I'll take a break for a few months. I'm guessing you want me to skip Battle City?"

"It would be preferred, but we will talk closer to time." Crawford at least sounded apologetic. "Thank you for meeting with me."

"And thank you for your assistance." She did not honestly feel grateful as she headed out of the meeting room and down to the gardens to clear her head.

As she leaned on the railing surrounding the pond, she wanted to scream in her frustration, but she knew it would do nothing but further hurt a reputation that SHOULD have been iron-clad.

A green glitter in the water caught her eye, distracting her from her train of thoughts and she knelt down to scoop the offending piece of trash out of the water. What she found, however, was not a piece of rubbish, but a rather stunning golden ring shaped like a serpent holding a gem that was the wrong green for an emerald.

"Well well, Vivian Wong, the Duel Queen of Asia." A man's voice, smooth and respectful, make her turn to look at the speaker. The person in question was a man who was dressed in a smart suit, who had long blue hair that was tied back in a pony tail and two different colored eyes, one yellow, one green. "It's an honor to meet you."

"That's me." There was the respect that Vivian craved, and she could not help herself as she smiled at him. "Who might have I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"My name is Vasillikos," the man informed her. "You seem sad for someone so spectacular."

"I'm fine, just having a rough day." She shrugged in return, trying to hide her anger as she rolled the ring between her fingers. Just thinking about the meeting that had just occurred irritated her further, however, and she took a deep breath. "I think I know the name. You're the CEO of Paradius right? They funded a few of the smaller studios I've worked with, I believe."

"That's quite correct." Vasillikos nodded, his eyes widening as he beheld what was in her grasp. "I see you've found something I lost."

She paused, considered the ring for a moment and then, with a slight hesitation, offered it to him in an open palm.

His smile grew wider and he picked it up and slid it onto the ring finger of her right hand. "Keep it. It suits your beauty."

She let herself blush at the compliment, unaware that her eyes had glowed briefly when the ring had settled into place.

"Why don't we have lunch together? We can discuss what my company can do for such a ravishing young actress as yourself. My subsidies are working on plenty of better movies than that mess of a spy film you walked away from." He offered his arm as he made his suggestion, and Vivian did not hesitate.

At least someone knew how to treat her right.

"And then Yugi challenged the entire world!" The amusement in Katsuya's voice as he flung his arms wide during his dramatic retelling of the events of the day before made his sister grin. Shizuka could not see what he was doing while he was talking, due to the bandages covering her eyes, which were still recovering from the operation and would be for a while. However, the sheer excitement in his voice told the story well enough.

Yugi, on the other hand, was still a little in shock that she had done that. She was normally able to handle people being rude about her with much more dignity. She was used to it after years of bullying so she was not quite sure why she had snapped quite so badly.

She paused when she sensed amusement from her twin and sighed, 'Anesan?'

'You might not have much self-confidence, but you do have a proud streak when it comes to gaming, Imoto.' The Pharaoh, who was sat on the windowsill, chuckled over the bond. 'So it's natural that you would get a little defensive. I was irritated at the accusation too. We worked hard for that title.'

'Even if that wasn't what we were aiming for in the first place.' The Queen of Games leaned back in her chair as her friend went over the rest of the interview with his sister. 'I'm just wondering what Crawford wants to talk to us about.'

She felt concern and irritation flicker through the spirit, who emerged from the Puzzle and sat on the windowsill, watching the busy Tokyo streets below them. 'I'm not sure, and I don't like it.'

'We know he doesn't have the Eye at least, so he can't trap us in a Shadow Game again.' She sent reassurance through the soul link and felt her twin relax slightly.

'True, and…'

"Hey, Yuge? Earth to Yuge." Both of the Mutou twins looked over at the call from their friend, who looked highly amused. "Shizuka was asking you something."

"Sorry." Yugi was honest in her apology, fully aware that she tended to miss things in the outside world when she was focusing on the bond between her and her sister. "What's up?"

"Are you okay?" the younger girl asked, reaching out one of her hands in the direction of the Queen of Games. The teen moved across the room and took it in hers, taking it as permission to sit on the bed. Shizuka shifted over to make a little more room as she continued. "That sounds like it was really stressful."

"I managed." Yugi grimaced slightly, remembering her body's reaction to the stress far too well. "I'm sure I'll get used to public speaking eventually, but I don't think I did too badly."

"What did your Oneesan think about it all? Have you called her yet?" The younger girl's question made Yugi pause and glance at Katsuya, tacitly asking if he thought it was okay to tell her the truth yet, since she already knew that Meisa existed, or whether he wanted them to wait until she was fully recovered.

The dragon duelist ran a hand through his hair, thinking quickly. On the one hand, he did not really want his sister dragged into the whole mess with Zorc, but on the other, he did not want to leave his sister without knowledge that could protect her if she came to Domino and something happened.

He knew they could trust her. He would not have mentioned Meisa on the tapes he had been sending her if he could not. Plus if they showed that they trusted her with their secret, it might help her mood, which was a little low after the argument with her mother yesterday.

But what if she did not believe them?

He nodded at Yugi, willing to take that risk as he was sure that she would have a way around it.

At the nod, Meisa slipped into control of the body, her grip on Shizuka's hand tightening slightly as she took a deep breath.

"I'm proud of how she handled it."

"Mutou-san?! You're here?" Shizuka squeaked, both surprised and delighted. Then her expression shifted, smile turning to a confused frown as she wondered if she had misheard. "Wait… how're you where Yugi was seconds ago? I didn't let go of her hand."

"Meisa, you can call me Meisa," the Pharaoh gave her permission, "and we have something to tell you."

She hesitated for a moment before bringing Shizuka's hand to the pendant hanging from the chain around her neck, "This is the Millennium Puzzle. It's…"

She swallowed hard and glanced at Katsuya, asking if he was certain about this as Shizuka took the pendant in her hands and felt its every contour. She did not want to frighten or push the girl away.

"It feels heavy." Shizuka spoke quietly, catching the attention of the other two teens. "And… please don't be offended but there's something off about it. It feels… heavy and… I think dark is the right word?"

Meisa and Katsuya's eyes widened and they glanced at each other, surprised. Yugi got it, though.

'She's sensitive to the Shadows.' the Puzzle Bearer murmured quietly to her twin. 'I'm not sure what opened her soul to them, but I have theories.'

The Pharaoh grimaced. She could guess, too. Being unwillingly ripped away from her loving brother could have caused the necessary soul damage. So could the steady decline of her eyesight and the news that she was going to go blind. Not to mention any other array of things they did not know about.

"It's magical," Meisa admitted slowly, watching Shizuka's reaction carefully. The girl bit her lower lip as she started to raise her head, then remembered the bandages covering her eyes and looked down again.

"Really?" the girl asked, running her fingers over every groove, trying to memorize the feel of it, an instinctive reaction to finding something new, since she was used to having to form descriptions of things without her eyes. She could feel the individual pieces because of the grooves in the smooth, slightly cool metal, and as her fingers brushed over the eye in the front she paused. "Is it Egyptian?"

"Yeah. We think it's about three thousand years old," her brother answered for his friend. "It was owned by a Pharaoh."

"Shouldn't it be in a museum then?" Shizuka's mouth pursed up, revealing her consternation.

"Normally I would say to leave artifacts where they lay or hand them to a museum, yes," Meisa allowed, "but in this case, it's exactly where it needs to be. Where it can be protected."

"What do you…" There was a pause. "You said it was magical? You were being serious about that?"

"Three thousand years ago, the Pharaoh who owned the Puzzle used its powers to protect Egypt." Meisa nodded, then remembered Shizuka could not see her and winced. "But she could not defeat the threat for good, so she had to seal it away. She ripped her soul in two doing it. One half got sealed with the threat, while the other reincarnated as a new person."

"This sounds like a plot to an anime." Shizuka huffed. "How do I know you're not having me on?"

Meisa felt her twin's hand on her shoulder and mentally stepped back, allowing Yugi to retake control. Her grip loosened on Shizuka's hand. "Because you're Katsuya's sister and we're trusting you like we trust him, and once your eyes have recovered and you're out of hospital, we'll prove to you that the magic is real. We promise."

The bandaged girl paused. "You want me to believe you and Meisa are two halves of the same soul?"

"I know it sounds weird," Katsuya stepped in, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder, "but I've seen it, Imoto. It's very real. I can even use the magic a little bit."

There was a distinct pause as the younger girl considered that. Her brother had made promises that had come to nothing before, but he had always believed in what he was saying and had never knowingly lied to her.

"You swear?" she asked, turning towards him, wishing she could see his expression right now. "You've really seen the magic and used it yourself?"

"I wouldn't lie to you about this," her brother promised. "It's too big a thing, and you knowing will let Meisa join the conversation easier."

She guessed that made sense, though it made her pause. "So Meisa's the half that was sealed away? Does that mean the threat's back, too? And why does she have a Japanese name if she's an Egyptian ghost?"

"Part of the cost of sealing everything was that the Pharaoh lost all her memories." Yugi glanced at the floor, fully aware of how much the lack of memories bothered her other self. "And her true name was used as the key to the lock. So we don't have the name we used back then. She can use my name and normally does, but since Jii-san considers Anesan his magomasume, and because he knew it upset her that she didn't have a proper name, he gave her one of her own to use around people who knew about her."

"Mutou Meisa." Shizuka nodded, kind of grateful to Doctor Mutou if that really was the truth. "You didn't answer my question about the threat. If Meisa's back, wouldn't the thing she sealed be back, too?"

"We've got it handled," Katsuya butted in, not wanting her to worry. "It's not completely free yet, so we've got time to work out how to beat it for good."

The Pharaoh retook control of the body and with a light, slightly teasing tone and a glance at her friend, she chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm looking after your brother."

"Excuse me?" Katsuya protested, his expression telling his friend that he caught the joke and was playing up for effect. "I think I'm the one protecting you!"

"I'm glad you two are protecting each other." Shizuka interrupted their banter. "And if this really is true? Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me."

"The fact that Katsuya mentioned me on the tapes means that he trusts you. If he trusts you, we can trust you."

"I won't tell anyone," the younger girl promised, putting a hand over her heart.

"Thank you."

Shizuka could hear the relief in the older teen's voice and decided she had made the right move. She was still partly convinced they were telling her a tall tale in order to distract her during her recovery. However, she knew her brother well enough to know that he at least believed what he was telling her, and Yugi had won the prize money that had paid for her operation. So she could believe the sky was pink and rain was made of chocolate and Shizuka would not tell anyone because she owed the Magician Duelist too much to make her look bad.

"So… tell me about yourself." The soft intake of breath from the much older sounding spirit made Shizuka wonder if anyone except possibly Yugi had cared to ask her. "I know Yugi from the tapes that Oniisan sent me, but I don't know much about you."

Katsuya, who was relieved that his sister had taken the news well and was pretty sure she probably would not believe them entirely until she had proof, checked the clock as two of his three favorite girls chatted, paying enough attention to catch the words 'honey cakes' as he noted that it was almost twelve.

They were going to have to leave soon. They needed to grab their bags from the hotel and check out before their train back to Domino. He did not really want to go, though. While he hated that it had taken this long to happen, the fact he was being allowed to spend as much time as he wanted with his sister made him incredibly happy.

Still, if he did not head back with Yugi he would have to make his own way back from Tokyo and that would not be fun. "Hey, Yuge?"

"Hmm?" Meisa glanced up at the clock and grimaced. Time had flown since they had arrived at eight, when visiting hours started. "Sorry, Shizuka."

The girl's shoulders sank. "I can still come over, right? Once I'm allowed out of hospital?"

"Of course," Katsuya promised. "We'll meet you at the station, right, Mei?"

"Wouldn't miss it." The smile he earned for the nickname made him grin back as his friend nodded.

Shizuka flopped back into the bed as they said their farewells and left, heading for the taxis downstairs. As they went, the Pharaoh switched places with her twin, who pulled out her phone and shot off a text message to Honda, asking if the Ishtars had caused any more trouble while they had been away.

The reply she got while in the taxi was both concerning and reassuring. There had not been any sign of the Ishtars since the incident on Friday. Namu, aka Marik, had not turned up for work, but it was okay because Honda and Anzu had filled in for him, so her grandfather had not had to run the place on his own. Making a note to buy her friends chocolates or something for bailing them out, she passed her phone to Katsuya.

"Our friends are great." He let out a snort, leaning back into the car seat and closing his eyes. "Are you going to take Crawford up on his meeting? Or are we just saying sod it and going home?"

"If I don't at least see what he wants, he could pull something weird again." Yugi grimaced, remembering the note that had asked her to meet with Pegasus J. Crawford that had been slipped under their door at some point last night. "And I don't really want him harassing Jii-san anymore than he already has."

Katsuya paused and then nodded, acknowledging her point.

Once they had gotten out of the insane Tokyo traffic, it did not take long to get back to their room and pack up what little they had not assembled last night. Then they headed for the room where Yugi had met with both Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions last night.

A single knock on the door allowed them entrance, and Gekko, his expression pensive, allowed them access. Across the room, at the big meeting table that had been so full last night, sat Crawford, who got to his feet to bow to them.

The Queen of Games paused when she saw him properly. Industrial Illusions' CEO was not well. His body language was exhausted and ill.

"Yugi-girl, Jonouchi-boy. Please, come sit. This won't take long." He gestured to the seats before retaking his own.

Meisa took the reins and sat opposite, glowering at the man and kind of relieved to have Katsuya backing her up. "Crawford? You wanted to talk?"

"First of all, while I won't apologize for the reasons behind my actions, I will say that with hindsight, my plan was short sighted and I am sorry that you got hurt because of it." The man who had put them through so much hell only a few months ago looked honestly apologetic. "If I had approached you about an alliance from the beginning, we might both be getting what we want right now and Ba-Khu-Ra would not be up a Millennium Item."

"So she did take the Eye." The Pharaoh sighed, sitting back in her chair and frowning. "Good to know. She's not used it yet, though. What do you know of the overall situation? You were possessed by Akhenaden, what did he share?"

"I don't know which of you Akhenaden told the truth, if he told it at all, but he told you and Bakura-girl two entirely different stories." The Toon Duelist grimaced. "I don't even think he told me the full truth when I asked why he hated you two."

"Oh?" She tilted her head slightly, showing curiosity without revealing any of the 'need to know' that was hiding under the surface.

"Apparently you had him arrested for a murder he did not commit." Crawford shrugged. Meisa hid her reaction well, but this second accusation of false charges hit home and made her wonder what kind of Pharaoh she had been. "Your father was not one of his victims, but he was the last to see him alive according to the memory he shared with me."

A hand on her shoulder made her glance backwards. Katsuya, expression hard to read, gave her a subtle smile. She felt the tension that had been building loosen and she nodded slightly before turning back to the CEO opposite her.

"I did not actually invite you here to discuss your uncle, Yugi-girl." Crawford less than subtly changed the subject. "I wanted to discuss the title and your stage fright."

"I wasn't…"

"I'll tell you now, you'll be expected to speak publicly in the future. As the Queen of Games, you're going to be a figurehead for Duelists across the globe. A role model. As such you'll need to make public appearances and speak with the press." He cut her off. "You've also opened yourself to be the target of every last Duelist who thinks that they can reach the height you've obtained."

"I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the title contract was signed under duress and without knowledge of what was being signed." Meisa's eyes narrowed, still ticked that they had been using the signature page of the contract as the sign in sheets for Duelist Kingdom.

"Name me one of those treasure hunters who travelled to my island for the money who would not have taken the title in a heartbeat, Yugi-girl. Besides, not reading a contract doesn't cancel out the signing of it." The man waved it off. "As for being under duress, the terms of our Duel were entirely mutually agreed. Or are you forgetting the deal I made with your sister?"

There was no way she could. Nor could she forget the duel that had followed it.

"And your twin was the one who challenged Duelists across the globe," Crawford continued. "Industrial Illusions dodsn't have to step in to help organize the mess that will cause. I need to speak with her regarding that little outburst."

When the Pharaoh's eyes narrowed, not wanting to leave her sister out around the man who had wanted to rip her soul out, he put his hands up, an innocence on his features that she did not entirely trust.

"I might be able to sense Shadow magic still, but I can't use it properly. I struggle to even summon my own Ka beast anymore," Crawford admitted, though the last looked like it hurt to admit. "I'm not a threat to your twin, your highness, but having been in her position when I was younger, I might have some advice she can use."

'What do you think, Imoto?'

At the question, the younger twin stepped forward. 'Between you and Katsuya, I'll be safe. Let me talk to him?'

The Pharaoh took a mental step back and Yugi came forward, tilting her head at the Toon Duelist. "Hello, Crawford."

"Yugi-girl. The real one. Good." She was surprised to see him relax. "I have some advice for you."

"Oh?"

"When I was a young man, well, a younger man then I am now, I didn't like public speaking either. I would let my darling Cyndia do the public speaking for our charity work. I was happier just to focus on my art and our adopted sons. Then…"

Sympathy flickered through Yugi as grief creased his features and he swallowed hard. "Then she was gone and I had to draw up the strength to face down crowds of people and speak if I was going to continue her charity work. So I learned to draw on the times when I felt the strongest. For me, that was when I was working on art and presenting my work. What's yours?"

The Queen of Games paused to think. The first idea that popped to mind was the confidence she had when she was serving in the shop, but she had a feeling that was not what he meant.

Then she remembered how strong she had felt and how little she had wanted to back down when she had been across the dueling field from Kaiba or the man sat opposite her, and how confident she had felt when she had believed that she could defeat Otogi at his own game.

Gaming was her life. It came as naturally as breathing, it made her happy, and it was during games that she felt her most powerful.

"There we go." Crawford grinned as he saw realization hit her. "Take that feeling, that power you feel when facing down an opponent, and use its strength to bolster your own. Between that and a little more experience, you'll stop wanting to be sick after dealing with crowds of people who want to know everything about your personal life."

Embarrassment flushed Yugi's face, wondering if it had been as obvious to everyone else as it had to Crawford.

"Yugi-girl, I want you to seriously consider the sponsorship with Industrial Illusions, and not just because of the fact I want to have Duelist Kingdom's… incident... kept quiet." Crawford waved off yesterday's reaction to the huge crowd. "I can understand why you'd have a lawyer go over it first; our interactions up until this point have not been the most cordial. However, you are in a unique position where you can share your love of games with the world. We are willing to assist you in future matters of dueling and education without putting massive limits on what you can and cannot do, in exchange for your promoting the game, attending the occasional publicity event, and being a respectable figurehead for women in the competitive Dueling scene. Other sponsors might not be so reasonable. If you go with other companies, you may find yourself under stricter restrictions with less support."

"I'll get back to you on it by the end of the week," Yugi promised, wanting to think it over carefully now she was under less pressure. The attempted blackmail by Yakko had left a little bit of a sour taste in her mouth.

"If you decide to go ahead with the sponsorship, we will help you organize the challengers who will be coming at you after Battle City after your little challenge to the world," Crawford promised, waving Gekko forward. "Gekko would be your primary contact at Industrial Illusions, as he leads the American Headquarters."

He saw the girl relax slightly and decided that he had made the right choice by stepping back from the Sponsored Duelist Program. Yugi might be the first female Duelist his company had sponsored, but she was not the only duelist on their books.

Until now he had handled the program personally. But after the public relations disaster that had been Duelist Kingdom, taking a step back was required. Especially considering that he had not been entirely stable since the Millennium Eye had been taken. It was better for himself, his family, and the company if he stayed at the top to keep an eye on things, but allowed his sons to take the majority of the reins of the company.

Crawford would have given control of the Sponsored Duelist Program to Yakko, but after his little stunt that had embarrassed them in front of Kaiba Corp, he did not trust the younger Tenma twin to handle it with the care that it required.

"Jonouchi-boy." Crawford looked at the teen guarding Yugi's back and was amused when he startled, having expected to be ignored. "We cannot sponsor you at the current time because of your prior convictions. Once your juvenile criminal record is cleared, we can consider you, but…"

"I get it." Katsuya huffed, cutting off the man who he still wanted to punch over what had happened on Duelist Kingdom. "I don't need a sponsorship anyway. I can kick ass without one."

"Yes, you can," Pegasus allowed, pleased that despite the boy's clear displeasure, he was keeping his irritation in check, "but a Sponsorship might be something to consider when you're able to take one, because it can pay for international transport between matches and tournaments. Just to let you know."

The Warrior Duelist shrugged. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Good." Crawford stood up. "Now I believe you two have a long train ride, and I need to speak with Kaiba-boy if he hasn't already headed back to Domino, so I wish you both a safe journey."

"Have a safe trip home, yourself," Yugi replied as she stood too and bowed politely, Katsuya following her lead before they headed for the door. Yugi glanced at the clock on her way out and grinned at her friend once they were far enough away from Crawford and his sons that she felt comfortable again.

"So… we have almost an hour and a half before we need to be on the train," she informed him as she headed for the desk to check out of the hotel, wanting to do something for her friends and to clear her mind before she thought about everything she had learned and needed to decide from this weekend. "Want to help me pick out presents for Honda and Anzu for helping Jii-san? We can probably find something near the train station."

"Sure, why not?" Katsuya perked up a little, still trying not to be annoyed that some stupid mistakes he had made when he had been younger were going to haunt him until he was twenty, and that Crawford thought he NEEDED a sponsorship to succeed.

"Cool, let me drop off the keys, then we'll head out."

Kaiba was back at work.

He had not been interested in sticking around after the event had ended and had headed home on Saturday night with his brother. Yes, it meant that Industrial Illusions was paying for an awfully expensive hotel room that was not being used, but quite frankly Seto had greater concerns.

Like the Egyptian God card that now rested in his deck.

The moment he had returned from Tokyo, he had spent time getting Obelisk entered into the Cloud network that the Duel Disks drew from and tested it out using his virtual equipment.

Or tried to.

The moment he had tried to summon it, the system had exploded, taking out all of the diagnostic equipment attached to it.

Both frustrated with the limitations of his technology and amused at the display of power from the so-called 'Divine-Beast' he was pleased he had given himself time before Battle City to work on the system. He wanted everything to be perfect when the Duel Disk launched to the public, and when he pitted his Obelisk the Tormentor against Yugi's Sky Dragon of Osiris and reclaimed his 'World Champion' title.

Nothing would get between him and his goal of proving that he was better than the Duelist who, if his gift was working correctly, was on her way back to his city.

And if that meant reworking the entire hardware in the Duel Disk in order to attain that goal?

Well, he had time.

Getting home had not been as restful as Yugi would have liked. The shop had been heaving when they had stepped through the door, so she and Katsuya had dropped their bags off and darted down to help Jii-san and their friends.

By the time the store had closed, they were all tired and hungry. Normally if her friends helped out in the shop, Yugi would cook them a meal, but ordering in was much easier and took less time, which everyone was grateful for.

As they settled around the living room with their takeaway, the Queen of Games handed out the gifts that she had purchased. Anzu got a green resin dragon necklace, holding a small golden ginkgo leaf with tiny 'T' on it, which was the symbol of Tokyo, while Honda received a silver badge with a green glass ginkgo leaf and a golden 'T'.

"Sorry they're only small gifts," Yugi said, sheepishly ducking her head briefly, "but I wanted to get you guys something for being awesome."

"It's great!" Anzu slipped the necklace on. "You didn't have to buy us anything."

"Thank you." Honda nodded his agreement as he clipped the broach to his top. "How'd it go?"

"There's a lot to tell you guys." The Magician Duelist grimaced slightly as she slumped into a chair with her udon noodles. "There's a tournament coming up that…"

She looked at Katsuya, who was entering the room from the kitchen where he had been grabbing a drink, and then at the floor, easily able to remember the warning that Azra had given. The Dragon Duelist saw the look and moved to reassure her, sitting on the arm of chair she had taken and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Something we should know?" Honda's eyes narrowed as Yugi leaned in. He noted that both were clearly openly comfortable with the contact, unlike before they had left.

"Trying to work out where to start," the Queen of Games admitted quietly, not sure she wanted to tell her friends and grandfather exactly how dangerous Battle City had been predicted to be. She turned to Sugoroku, looking a little unhappy. "I need to give your Blue-Eyes back to you."

"Why? You've done well with her so far." The elderly gamer frowned, confused.

"Battle City has an ante rule," Katsuya explained with a grimace, shifting so he could eat but Yugi could still rest into his side if she wanted. "The opponent can claim any card they like from your deck if they win."

"Oh." The former archeologist's eyes widened, understanding the problem.

"I have another card that people might want." Yugi pursed her lips. "Around which is an entirely different problem, but Blue-Eyes was yours. She's a symbol of a friendship between you and a close friend of yours. I can't risk her. That's not fair to you."

Sugoroku sat back, taking a moment to tuck into his lemon chicken and consider his options.

He trusted his granddaughter with his most precious card. After she had managed to save it from being destroyed by Kaiba, he had been able to do no less. He was certain that in a fair game, she would not lose the dragon to any other duelist.

But people did not always play fair when there was a big prize on the line.

Part of him wanted to take the dragon back because of everything it meant to him. He could not imagine that the friend that had given it to him would be pleased if Yugi lost it. However, if he let Yugi continue to hold his most precious card and take it into the tournament with her, it would be a huge show of faith, which would do wonders for her morale.

"Hold on to it for now, I'll let you know if I want it back closer to the tournament," he temporized, watching the two who had only just gotten home. "I need to talk to my friend before I make a final decision."

"Of course." The Queen of Games completely understood the hesitation. "Battle City isn't until the end of March anyway."

"So what about the rest of it?" Anzu pushed.

As Yugi and Katsuya took turns explaining everything that had happened over the last few days, the elderly game master was easily able to see that there had been a paradigm shift in the interactions of his granddaughter and his ward.

There was a lot more physical contact. Not overt contact, more like subtle touches, with the gentle leaning against each other that had always been slightly hesitant before coming much more naturally, and there was a disappearance of the personal space that his granddaughter had always subconsciously maintained.

He had a theory about what had changed, because the pair had been slowly moving towards it for a while, but if he was right, he would need to lay down some ground rules that he had not had to worry about before.

Not that he suspected the pair in question were stupid enough to need them, but they still needed to be laid.

"So what else happened?" he asked when they trailed off, watching them carefully.

Yugi looked confused, but Katsuya's momentary surprise and concern told him that there was something the pair were not saying.

"What's happened between you two?"

"I…" Katsuya hesitated as Yugi suddenly blushed as she realized what her grandfather meant. Her blush was enough to let her friends realise what the older member of the group had already worked out as Katsuya stammered out, "I… I kissed her."

Anzu looked torn between lack of surprise and concern. Honda, on the other hand and much to Doctor Mutou's amusement, gave Katsuya a look that clearly stated he did good, then turned to Yugi and asked, "You sure you want him?"

"Hey!" the blonde protested, semi-insulted.

"I…" Yugi considered Katsuya for a moment, having not expected to be put on the spot like this and having planned to admit her feelings properly in her own time. When Katsuya slipped his hand onto hers and he squeezed gently, she relaxed, understanding that he did not need her to say it verbally. Not yet.

Katsuya turned from the girl he liked to the man who had raised her. "Can I get your permission to date your magomasume?"

Sugoroku could not help but be amused by the formality that the young man was presenting. However, there were things to consider, if he was going to allow this.

"I'm not going to say no. I know I can trust you with Yugi, and you're both teenagers. If I tell you no, eventually you'll do it anyway. However, I am going to tell you to be careful." Sugoroku grimaced. "Domino High has a 'no relationships' rule, and I don't want either of you expelled."

Yugi tensed, having forgotten about that rule, but Katsuya wrapped his arm around her shoulders, offering comfort. Anzu looked torn between amusement and concern at the reminder of the school rule. Honda, though, was nodding with the request. It was sensible after how close he had come to getting expelled by Chono-sensei earlier this year when he had been flirting with Miho.

"If you're going to date, you need to keep it private until you graduate so you don't mess up your education. It's only another couple of years. I have faith that the pair of you can manage until then."

He did not have to be a Game Master to see the way the pair relaxed at the trust he was putting in them. However, he was not quite done.

"Also, I'm instating some new ground rules."

"Oh?" The Queen of Games was honestly confused, but Katsuya grimaced, able to guess where this was going.

"Katsuya, you're not to be in Yugi's room without the door being open, for a start," the former archeologist informed the teenager in a 'no nonsense' tone. "Also, the age of consent in this country is thirteen, but you're both too young to be worrying about a child, so none of that, understand?"

"Yes, Jii-san." Both teens spoke at the same time, Yugi blushing so brightly red she could be mistaken for a tomato, and Katsuya staring down at his hands, trying to hide the embarrassment by looking away.

"We wouldn't anyway." Yugi shook her head, still clearly mortified. "There's… there's a chance…"

"Battle City could be dangerous." Katsuya's tone took on an undertone of a growl, which Sugoroku was not entirely surprised about, since the boy tended to respond to shame by getting irritated. "We were warned Ishtar's gunna cause problems."

"What kind of problems?" Honda pushed.

"And can't you just refuse to compete?" Anzu's voice wavered.

"Not really…" The Queen of Games opened her deck holster and pulled out the deck protector that held the cards she had been given over the weekend. Separating out the Sky Dragon of Osiris, she offered it to Anzu, who let out a soft breath when she touched it and quickly passed it on.

"That's an Egyptian God card," Meisa slipped into control to explain, still wishing her past were not going to collide with her present in quite such a dangerous fashion. "Apparently, back in Egypt I had control of three of them, and it was their strength that allowed me to bring the fight with Zorc to a standstill. My connection to them broke when I split my soul, but getting the cards should allow me to reconnect to them and reawaken my power... and my memories."

She grimaced slightly, remembering what she had seen on Marik's back. There was more to it than that. She would have to present the three cards to the Tablet of the Pharaoh's Lost Memories to fully unlock her strength, but her concerns about what she would have to do to get them tempered her excitement at finally having a path to her memories.

"So where are the other two?" Sugoroku questioned, watching his second granddaughter's reactions and able to see she was not entirely pleased with the situation.

"Kaiba has one. Ishtar Ishizu has the other."

"And Ishizu hates you." Honda groaned, passing the card on to Doctor Mutou, who paused as a sense of recognition ran through him. He paused as Meisa confirmed what Honda had said, wondering how he could possibly have seen the God Monster before.

"Yeah." She grimaced, wringing her hands as Azra's warning bounced around her mind and barely resisting the urge to glance at Katsuya. She knew she could not let the others know about it, because just the risk would be enough to have her grandfather banning them from the competition.

Not that she wanted to compete. Not if it was going to risk the lives of her friends, but Azra made it clear that if she did not compete, things were only going to get worse.

Given the choice between risking her safety, especially if Katsuya kept his word and kept back and allowed them to handle it so Ishizu could not get to him, and letting Ishizu do whatever she wanted…

She gulped.

She felt her twin's spectral hands on her shoulders as her sister tried to offer reassurance that would have meant so much more if there was not an undercurrent of concern and nervousness behind it.

"We'll work it out." Katsuya grinned. "I mean if Yuge and Mei can beat Crawford at his own game, they can defeat some bitch who thinks that they can kick their ass."

"Language, Katsuya," Sugoroku scolded, but without much heat behind it.

"Mostly Japanese," the blonde shot back, a smirk on his face, "But with some English mixed in."

"The best part," Honda agreed.

Anzu huffed at the boys and Doctor Mutou shook his head. Meisa, however, felt a little better at the confidence and the display of normality. She let out an amused huff and retreated back into the Puzzle to allow her twin to enjoy her dinner, keeping an ear on the conversation and occasionally chipping in with commentary, but happy to rest now they were safely home.

By the time Anzu and Honda had left and Katsuya had retreated to his room, Yugi felt a little more normal and more like she could handle what was to come in the coming months. That feeling was only improved on when she reached her room and realized that someone had not only picked up all of the books and figures that had been on the floor when she had left on Friday morning, and fixed the broken figures as best they could, but her broken bookcase and bed had been replaced.

Making a note to thank both her grandfather and her friends, since it could only have been they who had helped her out so greatly, she dropped her heavy bags by the door and flopped onto the bed.

She pulled her deck and the new cards out of the deck holster at her waist and rolled onto her back to examine them. Her deck would need a rebalance in order to take full advantage of the Magician cards she had been given, but she was looking forward to using them.

The other card, though…

She carefully examined the God Monster as she separated it from the other cards and tried to ignore the static shocks it felt like she was getting. It was a little scary to think that back in Egypt they had been in control of not only this bastion of power, but two more. She had seen in the Necklace-given flashback just how dangerous the God Monsters could be…

Her train of thoughts was cut off by the sounds of something hitting her window.

Meisa shot into control, easily able to remember Bakura slipping in on Friday night, and darted over as there were another two things bouncing off of the window. Someone was on the street below, hood up. It was he who was flinging something at her window as she saw another pebble bounce off of the glass.

"Oi." She opened the window to call down. "What do you want?"

The figure below pulled its hood down to reveal the white-blonde hair and Arabic features of Marik.

"I need to talk to you," the boy called up, looking worried. "I'm sorry about my sister… Can I explain? Please?"

"Give me a minute." Meisa retreated inside and paused to think for a moment before going and grabbing Katsuya, just in case Rishid was with Marik and they had some alternative motive.

When they got down there, Marik was alone, but he seemed unsurprised that she would bring back up as he bowed to her. "My Pharaoh."

"What do you want, Marik?" Meisa's tone was flat and cold, making Katsuya glance at her, concerned.

"I've tried to talk my sister around," Marik admitted, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, "but she doesn't want to listen to me."

"Thank you for trying." Meisa sighed, a little disappointed but unsurprised. She did not want to be Ishizu's adversary. However, she completely understood why the older teen was angry and upset. With everything the Ishtar children had been through, it was entirely comprehensible. "We were warned that might happen, though. There were Tomb Keepers in Tokyo. They warned me that she's going to attack during Kaiba's tournament."

Marik's face went white for a moment, then he pulled himself together. "She's been talking about making you win Ra from her. Saying if you want to be stronger, she's going to make you stronger."

"And where do you stand on it?" Katsuya pressed the other guy.

"I have to stand with my sister." The teen's shoulders sank. "I need to be there for her. After everything she's been through for us, I can't just walk away. I'll be back to work next weekend though, if we don't move for a while because of the other Tomb Keepers. We can't get dragged back. We just can't."

"Remember, Marik, if they try, you can head here," Yugi took over to offer, speaking before thinking but being completely honest with her offer. "I won't let them take you back."

"You were serious?" Marik stared at her.

"I promise."

There was a distinct pause, then Marik, looking relieved and confused, smiled. "Thank you, my Pharaoh… I should go, though. I need to… Ishizu needs me."

"Be safe," Katsuya offered.

"I'll try."

As Marik pulled his hood up and slipped into the darkness of the night, Yugi bit her lower lip, worried about the Ishtar family but not quite sure what else she could offer. It was not like she had space to offer them safety in the shop, even if her grandfather had agreed to take them.

As Katsuya put a hand on her shoulder and led her inside, neither of them saw a figure uncurling from where she had been positioned on the roof, a small, slightly cruel smile on her features as she dropped down and followed the boy who had come to apologize.

Bakura had been waiting all weekend to go after the Ishtars again, to the point she had seriously been considering just using the Ring to track the family again. Having the boy to hunt, however, was much more fun and would be more satisfying in the long run.

Now she had her chance and maybe, just maybe, she was going to have access to another Millennium item before the night was over.