Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and references belong to their respective owners. The song Heart of the Cards belongs to the artist and the company that recorded it and was used in this story with the best of intentions. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.

WARNING: This story contains sensitive cultural practices and references that might offend some readers. The views and opinions of the cultures which condone these practices are not shared by this author, but they are included in this story for awareness purposes only.

Time to Duel, Mariko!

By

Hideki LaShae

Chapter Two

That Girl I Can't Ignore

Marie takes her duffle bag from Seto and lets him lead her into the mansion.

"Mokuba!" shouts Seto, "I'm home! I've brought Marie!"

"Marie! Seto!" exclaims Mokuba as he races in from another room. He throws his arms around Marie's neck as she kneels to embrace him.

Marie wraps her arms tightly around Mokuba's back. "I've missed you, Mokuba! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Marie!" exclaims Mokuba.

"I've brought you a present from Egypt," says Marie, "I'll give it to you in a minute."

"A present? For me?" asks Mokuba blushing slightly, "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I'm sorry, but yes, I did! It was just so perfect! When I saw it, I immediately thought of you, Mokuba, so I had to bring it back to you!" exclaims Marie.

"What is it?" asks Mokuba smiling as he pulls out of the warm embrace.

Marie reaches into her duffle bag and pulls out a cloth-wrapped package. She passes it to Mokuba. "I got it from the excavation site. I found it, so they let me keep it. They didn't think it had much historical significance, but I thought you would like it, Mokuba. I really hope you do."

"How could I not?" asks Mokuba pulling off the cord that ties the cloth around the mysterious gift.

Marie smiles at Seto. "I would have brought you something, Seto, but I wasn't sure if you'd like something I dug up in Egypt."

"I already have my present, the best present you could have given me," says Seto kneeling beside Marie and placing his arm around her.

"I hope you're referring to either my heart or the fact that I'm back," comes the whispered response so quietly that Mokuba couldn't hear the words. Marie smiles as Seto nods his head.

Mokuba pulls away each layer of fabric and holds out an old stone goblet with symbols carved all around the surface. "Do you know what it says, Marie?"

"Yes, I do. Ishizu and Grandma were teaching me how to read the hieroglyphics," says Marie. She points to a symbol and adds, "It starts here. The battle with the unknown brother will decide the fate of the world. And look here around the base of the goblet at these symbols. An eye, a scale, a rod, a ring, an ankh, a necklace, and a pyramid. These are the symbols for the seven Millennium items."

"Millennium items?" asks Mokuba, "What seven Millennium items? I've never heard of them."

"What about you, Seto? Have you heard of the Millennium items?" asks Marie raising her eyebrow.

Puzzle, Eye, Necklace, Ring, Rod, Scale, and Key…

Seto nods. "I have heard of them… briefly."

"Shall we go somewhere to talk?" asks Marie, "I can tell you all that I know about the Millennium items."

"Let's go into the living room. We can sit down there and talk," says Seto.

"I love this goblet, Marie! Thanks!" exclaims Mokuba hugging Marie quickly.

Marie holds Mokuba into her arms. "I'm glad."

Mokuba stands up with the goblet in his hands.

Seto rises to his feet and extends his hand towards Marie.

Marie takes Seto's hand and allows him to pull her up to her feet. She smiles as she squeezes his hand.

"Hey, I'll get us some sodas! Then I'll meet you in the living room! Okay?" asks Mokuba.

"That would be wonderful, Mokuba!" exclaims Marie turning her purple eyes away from Seto's face.

Mokuba nods and runs off to go to the kitchen.

"I'm glad he's left us alone for a moment," says Seto pulling Marie into his arms. His lips search Marie's face trying to find her lips, and he kisses her deeply.

"Seto… I really like being with you," says Marie with a content sigh.

"So do I," says Seto kissing Marie again.

"Well… although I would like to stay like this, if we don't make it to the living room soon, Mokuba will start to wonder what we're doing!" exclaims Marie.

"He's my little brother. I don't want him to know just yet."

"The less he knows about women, the better!"

Seto smiles at Marie and pulls her towards the living room.

Marie clutches her duffle bag tightly to her side as she hurries alongside Seto.

The living room is comfortable, with many chairs and a soft sofa.

Seto pulls Marie to the sofa and sits down with her.

Marie places her duffle bag on the floor at her feet. Then she leans into Seto happily.

Mokuba walks into the living room with a large plate of cookies and three cans of soda carefully balanced on a wooden tray. "I thought you might want some cookies too."

"Chocolate chip cookies?" asks Marie hopefully.

"Of course," says Mokuba smiling. "When we got your letter saying you were coming, we had to get some chocolate chip cookies! They are still your favorite right?"

"They will always be my favorite!" exclaims Marie.

Mokuba sets the tray on the table. He passes a soda to Seto. Then he sits down in a chair with his can of soda and a cookie.

Marie reaches out for a cookie with her left hand. She picks the biggest one off the top of the pile and leans back against the soft cushions behind her.

"Now, what about these Millennium items?" asks Mokuba before taking a bite of his chocolate chip cookie.

Seven items hold the mystery…

Seto opens his can and takes a quick drink.

"There are seven Millennium items, and each of them possesses a special power," says Marie, "I know who are the owners of most of them, and I have some knowledge about what they do… Ishizu Ishtar has the Millennium Necklace. She uses it to see into the past and into the future. The Millennium Necklace can enable her to see what was… with the help of artifacts from the past, and it reveals the future to her. Although it may only be a possible future because man is the master of his own destiny. It is believed that if you know your fate, you might be able to change it. Each Millennium item has that 'eye' symbol on it." She sticks half her cookie in her mouth and starts to chew it up as she grabs her can of soda.

"What's with the eye?" asks Mokuba opening his can.

"It's the Millennium eye. I don't know what it means. I haven't been able to really translate that symbol," says Marie finishing her cookie. "The Millennium Eye is also a Millennium item. It belongs to Maximillion Pegasus. He can use his Millennium Eye to read people's minds. It's rather scary actually. I was not too pleased when Ishizu and I saw him last. He read my mind, and I did not want my mind to be read!"

"Pegasus can read minds!" exclaims Seto, "So he knows what cards you have in your hand at all times!" He grabs a cookie and takes a bite angrily.

"That's cheating!" exclaims Mokuba. He takes a short drink and sets his can down. He takes another bite of his cookie.

Marie nods her head. "It is, but it would take someone with a Millennium item to be able to stop him. Another Millennium item could overpower his eye."

"What about the other items?" asks Seto taking another drink.

"Well, the ankh is called the Millennium Key. It belongs to a rather cute guy in a robe and a turban! I don't know his name," says Marie taking a drink. She grabs another cookie and takes a small bite. "It enables him to see what's in a person's soul."

Seto looks at Marie possessively.

Mokuba shudders. "That's… really weird."

"I would have said creepy myself, but that's just me," says Marie. She finishes her cookie and leans back on the sofa.

"Has this guy ever used the Millennium Key on you, Marie?" asks Seto looking at the table crossly. His body seethes in anger.

"No. I have only met him once, and he didn't use the Key on me then. I'm glad. I didn't really want him poking around in my soul," says Marie, "That's something I reserve for special people. Only the people I care about get to know what I have in my soul."

"Does that include us?" asks Mokuba.

"That means only you two!" exclaims Marie smiling. She sets her hand on Seto's shoulder. "I mean that. You and Mokuba are the only people I care about, Seto."

Seto turns his gaze to Marie and smiles at her.

"I don't know who owns the Millennium Rod, and I really don't know what all powers it possesses. Ishizu has told me that its power is immeasurable and highly dangerous," continues Marie, "The Millennium Ring is supposed to belong to someone in this area, but I don't know who it is. It's a giant compass. The Millennium Ring can locate the other Millennium items. It has another power as well, I don't remember quite what, but it has something to do with banishing people's souls from their bodies. The pyramid is the symbol for the Millennium Puzzle. From the information I've obtained, it belongs to your worst enemy, Seto. It belongs to Yugi Motou."

"What powers does the Millennium Puzzle possess?" asks Seto quickly.

Marie takes a drink. She grabs another cookie. "All I know is that there is a spirit within the Millennium Puzzle, a spirit of a pharaoh from long ago. It has the power to rule the world, particularly if all seven Millennium items were to fall under the control of Yugi. But all I know for certain is that it has a spirit inside."

"An ancient spirit?" asks Mokuba eating another cookie.

"Mmm-hmm," says Marie nodding. She eats her cookie and takes a drink of her soda. "These cookies are delicious, Mokuba!"

Mokuba's cheeks turn red. "Thanks! It was my home-economics project!"

"You made these?" asks Marie smiling.

Mokuba nods his head as his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red.

"They're really good, Mokuba! You did a remarkable job!" exclaims Marie.

"What about the last Millennium item?" asks Seto. He grabs a cookie and eats it before adding, "The scale?"

Marie slips her left hand into her duffle bag and pulls out a large brass-colored scale. She sets it on the table beside the plate of cookies. "I am the owner of the Millennium Scale. Like the Millennium Puzzle, this item possesses a spirit… some spirit from the past. The pharaoh is supposed to be a benevolent spirit, but the spirit within my Scale is not… He is a malevolent spirit. He wants to take over the world, and he needs my body to do so. The Scale's power seems to be balancing power in the struggle of good against evil. It's the Scale of Judgment. The dead were judged by the deeds that they did in their lifetime. If their deeds were evil, then a hideous monster, created by their own evil deeds, devoured them whole. The spirit of the Scale… he's called Mariko."

"Some evil spirit takes over control of your body?" asks Seto standing up in shock.

The answer lies in your hand

And whether you win or lose

Hangs in the balance with

The card you choose…

Marie nods. She stands and looks into Seto's eyes. "I can't control it. If I were a stronger woman, then perhaps I could control the spirit instead of it controlling me… Maybe if I were as strong as you, Seto, I would be able to control it. I'm not as strong as you, Seto."

"If it controls you, why don't you destroy the Scale?" asks Seto looking at Marie with confused blue eyes.

"I can't get rid of it. I can't destroy it. I tried to throw it away once, and it returned to me. I tossed it into the Nile, and then an hour later, it was in my pack again. I can't destroy it either. I don't know if it can be destroyed. The magical energy that is within it may protect it." Marie takes Seto's arm and pulls herself to him. She buries her face in his shirt and shakes uncontrollably.

Seto wraps his arms around Marie and tenderly strokes her back. He whispers into her ear, "How do I keep you safe if the thing that is hurting you is a part of you?"

"I don't know, Seto," whispers Marie in return. She clings to him.

"Would you two like to be left alone?" asks Mokuba smiling.

Marie turns around in Seto's arms. "That's quite all right, Mokuba. How would you like to duel me? You can see some of the new tricks that I've learned."

"You could use my duel disk, Mokuba," says Seto, "and I'll get a new one for you, Marie."

"That sounds great!" exclaims Mokuba, "But you have to go easy on me! And leave your evil spirit friend out of our duel!"

"Agreed!" Marie laughs.

"Mokuba, go get your deck. I'll go get the duel disks." Seto starts to walk towards the door.

"I'll only be a moment!" exclaims Mokuba standing up and running from the room.

"Stay here, Marie…"

Marie blows a kiss to Seto before he leaves her standing in the living room. She sits down and grabs another chocolate chip cookie and starts to eat it. She pulls her duel deck from her duffle bag and shuffles it. She slides her fingers over the cards and draws a card from the center of the deck. She pulls it out and looks at the girlish figure on the front of the card. "You are my most loyal card. You've always been able to turn things around for me. Bring me luck today, my lady love!"

Mokuba hurries back into the room as Marie pushes the card back into her deck and continues to shuffle. He sits down and starts to shuffle his own deck. "What kind of new cards do you have, Marie? Anything I might be able to take from you?"

"Well, I do have some pretty rare cards," says Marie, "but my favorite is still the Dark Magician Girl. I can't help it. I love her outfit!"

Seto chuckles as he walks into the living room with two of Kaiba Corps greatest inventions for personal dueling, the duel disks. "I'm surprised you didn't show up here wearing the same outfit she wears."

"I actually do own an outfit quite similar to hers, Seto. Maybe if you ask me nicely, I'll let you see it later!" exclaims Marie winking, "Now, how do these duel disks work?"

"Mokuba, would you like to explain? We can go out to the garden for your duel," says Seto, "I would very much like to see this."

Mokuba starts to tell Marie about the duel disks as Seto leads the way outside to a luscious green garden full of lapis lazuli, white roses, and African lilies.

Seto sits down on a lawn chair as Mokuba and Marie get into their positions a little more than twenty feet apart. "Duelists, are you ready?"

"Ready!" exclaims Mokuba placing his deck into the cardholder on the duel disk.

Long ago in ancient times

Sacred game was played in both spirit and mind…

"Okay, I insert my duel deck here," says Marie, "and it automatically sets my life points to four thousand! Great! I'm ready!"

"Mokuba, you go first," says Seto, "and show Marie how it's done!"

"Let's duel!" exclaim Mokuba and Marie together.

Trust in the heart

Don't let down your guard…

The portable holographic projectors shoot out and land on the ground. They start to whir and glow in preparation to start filling the garden with holograms of monsters and magical effects.

Mokuba draws his five-card hand from the cardholder. He places a card horizontally on the duel disk with its face down. He slides another card into a slot on the side of the duel disk. "I play a monster in defense mode, and I lay one card on the field to use later."

A hologram of a face down card appears in the garden and a two-foot square space behind the card starts flashing different colors.

Marie draws her five-card hand from her cardholder. She takes a deep breath, and says, "Okay, I play Beaver Warrior in attack mode! And I also place one card on the field for later."

Marie places her card vertically and face up on the top of the duel disk, and she places another card inside her duel disk.

A hologram of a small armored beaver with a sword in hand appears on the garden field, and another two-foot square space begins to flash different colors only this space is on Marie's side of the field.

"Beaver Warrior! Attack Mokuba's face down card!" exclaims Marie.

The armored beaver runs towards the holographic card.

"I activate the Man-Eater Bug!" exclaims Mokuba turning the card from face down position to face up.

"My Beaver Warrior!" exclaims Marie.

The holograms show a large, hideous looking bug that grabs a hold of the armored beaver and crushes it inside its pincher-like claws.

"Smooth move, Mokuba," says Marie.

"Thank you, Marie," says Mokuba drawing another card from his cardholder. He places it within his hand, and he lays another card face down on the field in a horizontal direction. "I'll keep my Man-Eater Bug in defense position and I'll play another monster in defense mode!"

A holographic face down card appears on Mokuba's half of the field.

"Are we playing by the rules where we can attack our opponent's life points directly if they don't have a card on the field?" asks Marie.

"No," says Mokuba, "I would actually like to play by the Duelist Kingdom's rules."

"Got it," says Marie drawing a card from her cardholder.

"Are you afraid to duel by Battle City rules, Mokuba?" asks Seto.

"No… I just want to give Marie a proper demonstration of the use of the duel disks, big brother," says Mokuba smiling.

"Don't get too cocky, Mokuba," says Seto laughing, "She is a fine duelist! She would have beaten me except for my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

"I'll be all right," says Mokuba.

"Keep your eyes on me, Mokuba! I'm your opponent!" exclaims Marie placing a card vertically on her duel disk with its face up; "First, I play Succubus Knight in attack mode!"

A blonde haired woman with six arms appears on the garden field. She wears a red and purple outfit with long purple gloves, and she stands as if she's ready to fight.

"And I place this card on the field for later," says Marie sliding another card into a slot on the duel disk. "Succubus Knight! Attack Mokuba's face down card!"

Another two-foot square starts flashing different colors.

The blonde haired woman waves all six of her arms in various patterns in the air and a blast of light shoots into the card. An image of a monster flashes for a moment.

"The King of Yamimakai!" exclaims Mokuba, "Luckily I had it in defense mode so I didn't lose any life points with that." He draws another card from his cardholder and places it in his hand. He slides another card into the slot on his duel disk. Then he places a card with its face up on the duel disk in a vertical position. "I put one card on the field for later, and I summon the Twin-Headed Fire Dragon!"

A square begins to flash on Mokuba's side of the field, and a two-headed, armless dragon with a claw on the end of its tail appears beside Mokuba's Man-Eater Bug.

"My Twin-Headed Fire Dragon has an attack power of 2200, and your Succubus Knight only has an attack of 1650," says Mokuba, "Attack!"

The dragon spits fire at the woman with both of its mouths.

"Not so fast, Mokuba! Have you forgotten the cards I placed on the field?" asks Marie as her six-armed woman evaporates from the fire attack, "You just tripped my trap card, Enchanted Javelin! You may have destroyed my Succubus Knight, but instead of decreasing my life points by 550, you've increased my life points by 2200 to a total of 6200 life points!"

The counter on Marie's duel disk rapidly rolls the numbers up to 6200.

"Nice, Marie. That card must be new!" exclaims Seto from his seat on the patio chair.

"It is," says Marie with a nod and a smile. She draws another card from her cardholder and adds it to her hand. She places a card on her duel disk with its face up and in a vertical position. "I play Leghul! Attack Mokuba's life points directly!"

A worm-like creature appears in front of Marie. It moves forward rapidly and nips Mokuba's leg with the pinchers on its head.

The counter on Mokuba's duel disk drops to 3700.

"You're trying to entice me into attacking you, aren't you?" asks Mokuba as he draws another card, "Well, I'm sorry, Marie, but not with my Twin-Headed Dragon. Your other card must be a trap as well!" He turns the Man-Eater Bug card into a vertical position and slides another card into a slot on his duel disk.

"Make your move, Mokuba," says Marie.

"Man-Eater Bug! Attack Leghul!" exclaims Mokuba.

The Man-Eater Bug strikes out with its pinchers and crushes the worm.

Marie's counter lowers to 5900.

"No trap card this time, Mokuba," says Marie. She draws another card. She slides two cards into the duel disk and places another face up on top. "I put two cards on the field and summon the Dark Magician Girl with an attack power of 2200! She's tied up with your Twin-Headed Fire Dragon."

Two more squares start to flash, and a blonde haired girl with a purple hat and a purple and pink dress appears. She carries a small pink and purple wand.

"Are you planning on butting heads, Marie?" asks Mokuba.

"Exactly, Mokuba!" exclaims Marie, "Dark Magician Girl…Dark Magic Attack!"

The cute blonde girl spins her wand in her hand like a baton and holds it towards the Twin-Headed Fire Dragon. A blast of light shoots forth from her wand.

"I activate my trap card, Trap Hole!" exclaims Mokuba.

The Dark Magician Girl dissipates.

"Nice work. Your turn, Mokuba," says Marie.

"Since you don't have any monsters on the field, I can't attack you this turn," says Mokuba drawing a card, "So I will simply pass this turn."

"Thank you, Mokuba," says Marie as she draws a card from her cardholder. She slides it into a slot on her duel disk. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed which allows me to draw two cards from my deck."

Seto covers his mouth with his hand and looks at Marie curiously.

"I also play the Reaper of the Cards," says Marie placing one of her two cards onto the duel disk.

A hologram of a Grim Reaper appears.

"The Reaper of the Cards has a special ability to destroy one trap card on the opponents side of the field, and I activate that effect now!" exclaims Marie.

The reaper flies towards Mokuba and brings its scythe down on one of the flickering squares.

"Well, it was a trap card, but destroying it didn't do any good," says Mokuba, "You see it was called Fake Trap. You just wasted the effect of your Reaper of the Cards. Now that it's my turn again. I'll draw a card." He pulls a card from his cardholder. He slides a card into a slot on his duel disk. "I place one card on the field and activate my magic card Molten Destruction to raise the attack power of my Twin-Headed Fire Dragon by 500 points to 2700! Attack the Reaper of the Cards!"

The dragon fires its flame at the reaper, and the reaper dissolves.

The counter on Marie's duel disk decreases to 4580.

"You walked into my trap. Michizure," says Marie, "which automatically destroys one of your monsters."

The Twin-Headed Fire Dragon evaporates from the field.

Marie draws a card from her cardholder. She pushes a button on her duel disk to activate one of her hidden cards. "I activate the magic card Monster Reborn to summon forth my Dark Magician Girl!"

The Dark Magician Girl appears on the field again.

"And I use my magic card, the Book of the Secret Arts to boost her attack power!" exclaims Marie, "Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack the Man-Eater Bug!"

The Dark Magician Girl spins her wand and a light shoots from it into the Man-Eater Bug.

The counter on Mokuba's duel disk drops to 1650.

Mokuba draws another card. He slides the card into his duel disk. "I play the magic card, Tremendous Fire. At the cost of 500 of my life points, I can take 1000 of your life points!"

The two counters roll down, and Mokuba's stops at 1150 while Marie's stops at 3580.

"How are you doing over there, Seto?" asks Marie drawing a card, "Are you enjoying the show?"

Seto chuckles. "I've seen a few more exciting duels."

"I will pass this turn," says Marie, "I'm sure you have seen more exciting duels. However, this one isn't over yet!"

Mokuba draws a card and sighs. "Still no monster card. I can't give you anything to attack yet, Marie."

"Not a problem, Mokuba," says Marie, "I need to dig up a few cards myself!" She pulls a card from her cardholder and places it in her hand. "Your turn, Mokuba. Draw a monster, a strong one. I'm okay with passing until you can draw a strong monster. I don't want to fight you unless you're at your strongest!"

Mokuba nods and draws a card. "You like having things hard, don't you? An easy win isn't good enough for you, Marie!"

"Nothing is ever good enough for Marie," says Seto.

"That's not true," says Marie looking at Seto and smiling, "I know of one thing that's good enough for me!" She blushes as she looks at him.

"Well, if you want me at my strongest then you must want me to play this card," says Mokuba placing the card he just drew on the duel disk with its face up. "I summon the Cosmo Queen with an attack power of 2900!"

Marie's eyes widen. "Nice move, Mokuba!"

"But I'm not going to stop there. I combine my Cosmo Queen with the magic card, Axe of Despair!" exclaims Mokuba inserting another card into his duel disk, "And I also use the magic card, De-Spell to remove the equipment magic card you used, Book of Secret Arts! Now, Cosmo Queen! Attack the Dark Magician Girl!"

"No!" screams Marie watching her Dark Magician Girl evaporate before her eyes. She looks at her life point counter as it scrolls down to 1880. She takes a deep breath, and her purple eyes look at Mokuba shakily. She draws a card from her cardholder. Her hands shake as she places the card on her duel disk with its face down and horizontally. "I play this card in defense mode."

Mokuba draws a card and puts it in his hand. "Cosmo Queen, attack the defense monster!"

Cosmo Queen strikes the holographic card as it appears, and the monster flashes for a moment before it disappears.

"Say good-bye to your Dark Magician, Marie," says Mokuba.

Marie draws another card from her cardholder and thinks desperately. She needs a card or a group of cards that could defeat Mokuba's souped-up Cosmo Queen. She looks at her card with despair and places it on the field with its face down, but in her rush, she recklessly leaves it vertically. "I play one monster in defense mode."

"Look again, Marie. You put that monster in attack mode. Cosmo Queen, attack!" exclaims Mokuba as he draws another card.

Another Dark Magician rises up on the field in a blur of purple cloth and is struck down by the Cosmo Queen.

The counter on Marie's duel disk rolls down to 480.

Marie wipes the sweat from her brow. She sets her hand on her duel deck preparing to draw another card. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

There's a presence deep within…

'Let me help you, Marie,' whispers a deep, masculine voice that only she can hear.

'I can't! I won't! I will never let you control me, Mariko!' thinks Marie, 'I am not yours to do with as you wish! Get out of my head!'

'I want to help you win. You want to win. You must win,' whispers the voice of the man as he reveals himself to Marie's mind's eye. He stands a head taller than Marie with wild blond hair highlighted with black streaks. His eyes are a piercing black, and his clothing, the pants that he wears, is made of the pitchest black fabric.

'I want to win. I must win, but I must do it alone. Get out of my head, Mariko!' thinks Marie. She sees Mariko in front of her in the darkness, and she sees her own mental body standing in the void of her mind.

'You can't do it alone. You're shaking. You're scared of this boy, your little brother. You can't harm him so you can't defeat his most powerful monster,' whispers Mariko, 'That would hurt his feelings, and you can't do that!'

Marie slaps Mariko. 'I can hurt you easily enough. I swear to you, if you do hurt Mokuba, I will kill us both! I will find some way to destroy the Millennium Scale! Even if I have to carry it to the center of the Earth and melt it in lava!'

Mariko smiles. 'You won't regret this, Marie…'

Marie pulls her hand away from her duel deck without drawing a card. She reaches her right hand down to her side and unbuckles the Millennium Scale from the strap that holds it to the royal purple belt around her waist. She raises it into the air above her head.

"She left that scale in the living room!" exclaims Seto jumping up from his seat with wide eyes.

"It comes to me when it's needed!" exclaims Marie with wide eyes, "Mariko!"

A swirling wind starts up around Marie whipping her clothing around her body.

Marie's triple colored, spiky hair flares out within the confines of her ponytail holder as if a lightning bolt had just hit her. Her bangs stand up into high, arched spikes. Her white T-shirt shortens and appears to crawl up her stomach to reveal her tanned skin. The purple jacket with the white cuffs and collar grows longer to extend to the middle of her thighs instead of her waist.

Marie's pants transform themselves into a deep purple set of hip-hugger Capris, and the white pumps she wears change into a set of white stiletto heels to add a good four inches to her height. The dog-tags style locket she wears reflects the sunlight as she places the Millennium Scale back at her hip.

"Marie! How did you get the Millennium Scale out here? You left it inside!" exclaims Seto.

Mariko looks at Seto. When she speaks, her voice is much deeper than normal, and quite unlike the voice she normally uses. "I am not Marie! I AM MARIKO! I can easily summon the Millennium Scale whenever I have need of it. I am its master. Now, it's time to duel!"

"Big brother?" asks Mokuba looking at Seto fearfully.

"Don't worry. I cannot hurt you, child," says Mariko with her deep, masculine voice. She draws a card from her deck. She places the card on top of her duel disk with its face up and in a horizontal position. She slides another card into the slot on her duel disk. "I play one monster, my last Dark Magician card, and I put a card on the field for later. Rejoice now while you still have the lead, Mokuba."

The holograms produce a purple clad male wizard with a long green staff on Mariko's side of the field.

Mokuba draws a card. He places it within his hand. "Cosmo Queen. Attack!"

The Cosmo Queen rushes towards the card.

"I activate my trap card, Mystical Hats!" exclaims Mariko, "Hide my Dark Magician!"

Four top hats appear on the field and one covers the Dark Magician.

"You can still attack this turn, Mokuba… but now you must decide where to attack!" exclaims Mariko.

"Attack the hat on the far left, Cosmo Queen!" exclaims Mokuba.

Cosmo Queen rushes towards the indicated hat and destroys it.

"No Dark Magician there," says Mariko drawing another card. She slides her card into the duel disk. "I'll play one card. Your move, Mokuba."

Mokuba discards two of his cards and draws another one. "Cosmo Queen, attack the second hat from the right!"

Cosmo Queen rushes towards the hat and destroys it. The axe in her hand is swept away by a fierce tornado.

"You activated my trap card, Dust Tornado!" exclaims Mariko, "Which destroys your Axe of Despair and returns your Cosmo Queen to her original 2900 attack points!" She draws a card. "I'll pass this turn."

Mokuba draws a card. "Cosmo Queen, the hat on the right!"

Cosmo Queen runs towards the hat.

The Dark Magician rises from the hat prepared to fight the Cosmo Queen, and he's destroyed before he can cast a spell to protect himself.

Mariko slides a card into her duel disk. She smiles wickedly and says, "Before I do anything else, I'm going to play a magic card. Final Flame!"

"That takes 600 of my life points!" exclaims Mokuba. The counter on his duel disk rolls down to 550.

Mariko places a card vertically on her duel disk with its face up. She smiles. "I summon my second Dark Magician Girl! She gains an addition 300 attack points for every Dark Magician in the graveyard. That raises her attack points to 3100, but she also gets a bonus from having my first Dark Magician Girl in the graveyard, for another 300 points. Dark Magician Girl, attack the Cosmo Queen!"

The holographic projectors create a purple and pink clad girl with a small wand.

The Dark Magician Girl spins her wand in her hand and sends a blast of light into the Cosmo Queen destroying her.

The counter on Mokuba's duel disk scrolls down to 50.

"And now I end my turn, Mokuba, but next turn, no matter what you play, I will destroy you," says Mariko.

Mokuba looks to Seto.

Seto shakes his head.

"Is it too late to surrender, Marie?" asks Mokuba.

"I am not Marie, and surrender was never an option for you!" exclaims Mariko.

Mokuba draws a card from his cardholder and nods his head sadly. He places a card face down on his duel disk in a horizontal position.

'I need Hinotama,' whispers Mariko, 'That would take another 500 life points, if he had that many to lose.'

'Leave Mokuba alone. He's ready to surrender!' thinks Marie, 'He doesn't need for you to crush his will to duel! Leave Mokuba alone!'

'You wanted to win, Marie. You can't win if he surrenders!' whispers Mariko, 'I'll summon the card Hinotama and eliminate the rest of the wretched boy's life points!'

'Don't call Mokuba a wretch! He is a good friend of mine! He is not a wretch!' thinks Marie, 'I won't let you crush his spirit, Mariko! I won't let you hurt him!'

'You can't fight against me, Marie,' whispers Mariko.

Mariko draws a card and smiles. She sticks it in her hand. She opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. She drops the cards from her hand and falls to her knees. Her white shirt grows longer to cover her stomach, and her jacket shortens to be waist-length again. Her pants grow, and her stiletto heels transform into her white pumps again. Her hair falls down from the statically charged spikes that it had been, falling now into more graceful spikes from her ponytail holder down to her shoulders. She hangs her head and grinds her teeth together. She speaks quickly, with her soft, moderately high woman's voice, "I surrender, Mokuba. You win."

Search your soul take control…

"I win?" asks Mokuba.

"He wins?" asks Seto with wide eyes.

'No!' screams Mariko.

A high-pitched scream erupts from Marie's lips and she falls backwards. She gasps as she lies on the ground.

Mokuba runs over to Marie. "Are you okay, Marie?"