Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Ichigo ran, his eyes locked on the dim light coming from the end of the tunnel before him. This was the time…this was the final confrontation. ("Midnight…for all you have done to this world, I'll stop you!") He felt his other selves all nod in agreement from within his mind. ("Halo, Alahandra, and Splinter are with me in this.")

("Ichigo, allow me to take him on.") The cold voice of Halo radiated inside the boy's head. ("I will not fail, and with my power you will win.")

("What are you babbling about, I'll take him on!") The angry voice of Ichigo's half violently pushed the black aura of Halo's self aside. ("I'm far stronger…")

("No.") Ichigo suddenly remembered. He remembered burying his friends, the Cyber Shadows, after they had sacrificed themselves to stop the first of the Speaker's. Then he remembered the nightmare of Akuma, whose power had nearly destroyed everyone he had cared about. Fast forward to the first of the Dark Demon God Cards, Kifunsuiryu, and how it nearly destroyed an entire city because Midnight had wanted him dead. ("Mother and Father…") The end of the tunnel grew closer. "You wanted a duelist who could stand up to the power of the Game of the Gods? You've gotten your wish Midnight, don't you dare regret it!"

Tournament of Tears

Chapter 30: Welcome to Earth's Final Day

His footsteps were loud and hollow to his enhanced hearing. The chamber he had entered was a place of dark beauty, covered by hundreds of ancient tapestries that depicted numerous different kinds of horrible moments in humanity's history. This horrific art gallery that Ichigo had entered showed that he was now in Midnight's private sanctuary.

The only light was from dimly lit lanterns that hovered about the area quietly, adding to the gloomy feel of the already terrifying room. It was a truly dark place…not just in appearance, but the evil was in the air as well. With every breath he could smell the palpable malice of the Dark Dragon God.

"Welcome to you, Ichigo-kun." Across the football stadium length rectangular room sat a single black stone throne. Sitting in that seat was the creature behind it all, the demon who intended to bring about the end of the world. Dressed in regal black silk robes that seemed to suck in all light around them, Midnight cut an impressive figure even when resting against the throne. His void-black hair and eyes stood out against his otherwise pale white skin, making him seem like some kind of ghost. "I wondered who would be the one to make it here. And now you have proven your power." Slowly, he started to stand. "Could I perhaps offer you something to eat, or maybe a drink?"

Eyes locked ahead, Ichigo started to approach Midnight slowly. His own black jumper made it seem like he belonged here…as if this was the place he was meant to be.

Looking into those rather emotionless eyes, Midnight wondered what exactly his young enemy was thinking. ("I sense nothing at the moment. There is simply an emotionless void in his eyes…")

Ichigo came to within a few feet of Midnight's seated form, and they simply stared at each other for a couple of minutes…before Ichigo suddenly struck Midnight across the chin as hard as he could with his fist, literally sending both the dark god and his throne into the wall at one side of the room.

For a few moments, the only sound was the noise from the damaged portions of wall falling, and then Midnight slowly stepped out of the hole his throne had created with a grimace on his face and a large welt on his cheek. "Any particular reason for that, or should I just chock it up to juvenile foolishness?"

Ichigo's fists clenched tightly, blood welling up his palms and dripping to the carpet at his feet. "Why?"

Midnight licked his thumb and ran it along the welt on his face slowly to help cool the heat it was giving off. "Because your father killed my wife."

"Is that all?"

"Of course not." Taking a step forward, Midnight was on guard now. Ichigo's lack of emotion had allowed the boy to land a blow on him that had dealt more damage than it should have, but now he was ready for it. "I refuse to lose to you…you should know that by now. My plans, one by one, were torn down by you annoying wolf demons! It's ridiculous…I expected interference from Jourgen and his descendants, but instead I find myself fighting a bunch of ugly mutts!"

"That can't be it." Ichigo lifted his bloodied right fist up to aim at the dark god. "For your sake, that isn't all."

"True." Midnight suddenly started to pace around the perimeter of the room, his eyes looking over the rows of tapestries and taking in their delicious scenes of carnage. "Bahamut killed my daughter because she fell in love with one of his sons. He…my hated enemy…dared to take the life of my only child because she loved his pure and good-hearted son." He stopped at the entrance of the chamber, because he could hear the others coming. "Tell me Ichigo…am I wrong to go about this method of revenge? I am a god, or have you forgotten?" His fist suddenly lashed out and slammed into the wall of the tunnel, causing it to instantly cave inwards and block the only way out and in.

"You can't possibly justify destroying the physical world as revenge for this." Ichigo eyes started to burn red. "It doesn't make sense. What do you accomplish by doing this? How is this repayment for the loss of your daughter and wife's lives?"

"An eye for an eye?" Midnight bared his fangs in a demeaning snicker. "Apparently you haven't gotten it, have you boy? I am the dragon god of darkness, evil, and revenge upon thy enemies. The blood grudges of the demon race pale in comparison to what my forms of vengeance are. If destroying the entirety of reality will make sure that you foolish demons die, then I'll do it gladly!"

"I won't let you win." Ichigo pulled a pair of cards out of his pocket and shuffled them into the deck that rested in his duel disk. "I possess the power to defeat your weapons."

"The power of the Noble Champion Dragon and Time Weaver Dragon's don't stand the slightest chance against my power, or have you forgotten that I possess all three of Bahamut's dark children in my possession?" Midnight's body was suddenly surrounded by a powerful force of energy. "I am four gods in one, and your power doesn't even translate to the power of one. Therefore the odds are double in my favor."

Ichigo snarled as he felt the two cards that he had just shuffled into his deck actually shudder in fear somehow. ("They are scared…not of the Hell Nova Dragon or Graveyard Melody Dragon, but of the third of their siblings. Is the final of the Dark Demon God Cards that powerful? Truly?")

Midnight snapped his hand up and suddenly lines of black energy began carving symbols into the carpet around them. "Let it begin now, Ichigo! Before you realize you are beaten already."

"Beaten? Far from it." Ichigo was about to activate his duel disk, but suddenly he felt a prescense in the room. ("What is this feeling of calm?") It seemed familiar to him, and yet unknown at the same time.

Midnight felt it as well, and something about it actually made him shiver. ("What is this energy I sense? Where is it coming from?")

"Ichigo…" As silent as the wind, a single human form stepped out from behind a nearby pillar and walked towards the boy. "I have something to give you." He was an white-haired old man in a business suit. Despite his rather relaxed appearance, he gave off an aura of strength to him that immediately made Ichigo tighten up slightly, as if he was a military officer faced by his commanding officer.

Midnight just stared at the old man in confusion. "Who in the hells…"

Ichigo just stared at the man like he was dreaming. "G…G…Grandpa? What are you doing here?"

Chuckling, Steven Pilkington calmly reached into his suit pocket and removed a small stack of cards, extending them to Ichigo. "These are for you, my grandson. As for how I got here…" He tapped his nose playfully. "This isn't the time to explain it."

Ichigo slowly took the stack and fanned the cards out, staring at them for a few moments. ("They're all blank, but it feels like they shouldn't be…") His hands moved on their own, shuffling those cards into his deck before replacing it in his duel disk. "Thanks grandpa, but you should get out of here…"

Steven was already walking towards the wall again. "Of course, just know that I'm with you, and so is everyone else. This is a duel, so try to enjoy it."

"Who said you could leave, old man?" Midnight watched as Steven slowly turned to face him. "How did you get into my private chamber, you insolent old human?"

"I have little to say to you, except that once this is done you will regret your childish plan for revenge." Turning, Ichigo's grandfather continued his walk towards the wall.

"I'll kill you, pest." Midnight lifted his hand to summon down his power to crush this weak human…and then froze, eyes wide as he realized that Steven's brown eyes were looking right into his. It was like looking into the eyes of something that not only didn't fear him, but was on the verge of smiting him from the world. ("I can't move? No, he's just a human…")

"Don't play with me, or else you'll learn the real meaning of revenge." Breaking his gaze with the dark god, Steven walked back behind the pillar he had appeared from and seemed to disappear.

After a few tension-filled moments, Midnight slowly turned to look at Ichigo. "That man was your grandfather?"

Ichigo sneered. "What's the matter, scared?"

("This boy has some true insolence for saying that!") Snapping his hand out, the dark god watched as five giant Duel Monsters appeared in the air right above his head, the faces of each one of them covered by shadow that only he could see through. "The Game of the Gods begins now! Let the level ten shadow game begin now!" The earth around them rumbled and shook as the etched symbols exploded with a violent blue light. "There is no escape now, Ichigo!"

"I have no intention of running." Ichigo drew the top five cards of his deck. "I will be the one to beat you, that is all."

Midnight smiled slightly. "The whole of the races on this planet can see you now. Their hopes will be resting with you…so don't botch it up."

Ichigo place his hand on the top card of his deck. "You're nuts if you think after all this I'm going to get stage fright."

--------------------------------------------

Rikuo threw another huge boulder away from the filled tunnel that lead to the chamber, his muscles creaking as they started to protest that his body couldn't take much more of this. "I won't leave it to that foolish boy, he doesn't have the power to make this work! And he doesn't have the experience either!"

Ryu had his eyes closed, watching the burning walls of blue fire that indicated the zones and field boundaries for the player's fields. "They've just begun, it is being broadcast across the entire world. Let's just hope that Ichigo is as ready as he seemed for this."

Griff, his clothing dirty and his body sweaty from all of the exhausting dueling that he had to go through, closed his eyes and saw his ex-roommate and best friend within that burning arena. ("Ichigo, show this guy that you were called the Blue Osiris for a reason.")

Krieger stood next to his roommate, eyes closed as well. ("Ichigo…you haven't lost when it counted in the past. You know how important this duel is, so you know you can't lose.")

Hitokage stood out of sight, his body limp as it attempted to regain its physical strength. ("Ichigo Pilkington, you are the biggest paradox in the world. How you haven't gone insane yet baffles me. And yet that is your strength. Use the life experiences of the academy to guide you. This duel has the whole of the world counting on your victory, so please don't screw it up.")

Kenshin brushed back the locks of his hair as he helped Rikuo shovel away the debris away from the collapsed tunnel. ("Ichigo, my fascination with you just goes to show that your true self is so close to my own. You are just as much a hero as people say I am. Now is the time to prove it.")

Adriel had his eyes squeezed shut tightly. ("Pilkington, I await out rematch. So win this duel so I can defeat you.")

Eri didn't need to have her eyes closed to see this duel. Her heart pulsed with the same divine flame that inhabited the bodies of Ichigo and Daniel Pilkington. ("I don't need to say anything, but at the same time I can't just leave it at good luck. Your very existence is one filled with so many 'destinies' that you should be the most depressed individual ever. And yet you can still smile…don't let this duel kill that light. Win for your sake, not ours.")

Judai was lying back-first on the ground, and had his eyes closed. ("Go Ichigo! You can do it! Show him why you're my number one student!")

---------------------

All across the world, persons who had been around during the first Game of the Gods incident were praying with all their hearts for Ichigo's victory. There were still skeptics who were saying that this was a trick, but that was to be expected. Demon or human alike…everyone knew deep-down that this was important. A battle for their lives was playing in their minds.

--------------------------

A single living being was left in the remains of New York, standing in the middle of a now empty city street and looking up at the crackling clouds of darkness and the tower where he felt this duel was taking place. ("What is going on?") Removing his red baseball cap, the boy ran a hand through his bright green hair and then rubbed his chin. "Maybe it's some kind of bad omen?"

If the inanimate objects around him could have face-fallen, they would have.

-------------------------------

Midnight brushed back the hanging parts of his robes and smiled at Ichigo coldly. "It has begun…can you stand the force of the Dark children of Bahamut?"

Ichigo only had one thing to say in response to that. "Duel!"

Ichigo- 4000

Midnight- 4000

To be continued…