I was going to publish this right after the last one, but then I read it again and realized I hadn't established any of the changes I'm planning on doing. So, I basically had to scrap the whole thing and start over. Finally, it's done. So sorry for the long silence.

Same old tune: don't own Yugioh, OCs are mine, my beta is awesome for reading this same chapter multiple times, and, most importantly, my readers are amazing. Love you guys. :)

Also, I have no real knowledge of how the real Yugioh afterlife or spirits work, so most of this is me trying to make something coherent. I hope at least it was entertaining.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 78

Yami followed Timaeus down the mountain, his mind spinning too much to do much more than walk forward. The puzzle was back; that explained why his head throbbed with a strange rhythm. The urge to pull on the millennium powers grew stronger even though it stayed just out of reach. But if the puzzle was not yet completed . . .

Timeaus, who hadn't said a word after bidding farewell to the Blue-Eyes, stopped, let out some combination of words Yami didn't recognize, and slammed his fist into the side of the cliff. Debris slid down from the impact, though thankfully it was only a small amount.

"Idiot," Timeaus' eye flashes yellow. "What is he thinking? Digging up the puzzle, for what?"

Yami gripped his friend's shoulders as he suddenly pitched forward. Timeaus allowed Yami to pull him back so he leaned against the dirt cliff face. His eye closed and jaw clenched as he pushed back the pain.

"Guess I'm old." Timeaus' lip twitched, but his eye remained closed.

"What happened to you?" Yami demanded.

"Got on the wrong side of a mind probe."

It was almost as bad as having no memories again as Yami's mind jumped from different scenarios of what was wrong.

"What haven't you told me?" Yami feared the answer but had to know.

Timeaus' eye opened and the turquoise iris studied Yami with an intensity he'd never seen before. Slowly he nodded. "You deserve to know."

The knight motioned that he was fine and Yami took a few steps back to give him space. Timeaus pushed himself up, but he still looked tired. "Did you ever wonder why Dartz wanted your soul so bad?"

"Everyone wanted the puzzle." Yami corrected. "Everyone from Pegasus to Marik wanted it. I assume they wanted its power."

Timaeus' brow furled with confusion.

"I've had to fight off a lot of people who wanted my puzzle." Yami clarified.

"How much do you remember about the puzzle? Atem's memories, I mean."

Yami considered. "I . . . I only have a few memories. Atem gave me a few during the duel against Zorc, also my reliving his final days, and I have my memory after I was split from him," he paused as he again ran through his memories. "That's all I have."

"Do you know how the puzzle was created?"

Yami's stomach twisted. "They were made out of souls from the people of Kul Elna."

Timeaus nodded.

"You're not shocked by this?" Yami said.

"Sounds like Millenium Magic."

"You're familiar with it? But it was centuries after you."

"The magic is older then both of us." Timeaus lightly tapped his closed eye socket. "I lost this to Millenium Spells."

Yami's jaw clenched and he attempted to redirect the subject. "Why did everyone want my puzzle so much."

"It wasn't the puzzle, at least for Dartz." Timeaus's lip curled when he spoke his former king's name. "Atem's soul is what he wanted, but I'm guessing Dartz didn't get a chance to collect it before he sealed himself away. But then you were transported into the future right when he needed it."

"This still doesn't explain why he needed me."

Timeaus took several moments before speaking. Yami wanted to tell him to hurry up but waited for the knight to collect his thoughts.

When Timeaus finally did speak, it was in a grave tone. "Millenium Magic was created before Egypt, before Atlantis. It was said the name Millenium Magic came because the effects could be felt for millennia, or the fact it took a soul with power equal to thousands to perform. That time was known as the Plana, when spirits and gods interfere directly with the lives of mortals. To perform, you needed to have a powerful soul which took lots of work and years to develop, or you could bypass it if you collected the souls of others. When power threatened to destroy the universe the gods withdrew. When they withdrew, the gods put into place the rules of the spirit and shadow realm. Millennium magic was supposed to be forgotten, never used again."

"Since I'm standing here, it wasn't." Yami said.

"Dartz knew of the power of this magic. That's why he collected souls to revive the Leviathan I and my brothers at arms vanquished 10000 years ago. But we were sealed before we could vanquish the last millennium magic trace. Apparently enough people could figure it out to revive in ancient Egypt as well."

"If someone wanted a millennium spirit there was one in the ring and even Marik had one, though I'm not sure if he was in the rod or not. Why me?"

"Anyone can split their soul, though you need to be under certain conditions to do it without killing yourself in the process. However, there is something different about you, which I can't place. If I had to guess, he wanted you because you are literally created from the millennium puzzles combined with the soul of a powerful magic user."

"That still doesn't explain why I'm reacting to the puzzle reappearing."

"You were made by the puzzle and stuck in there for centuries. You can leave, but the appearance of the Millenium Eye on your forehead means you're still connected in some way." Timeaus pushed himself up to stand straighter. "I don't understand why they didn't destroy the items when they were all there together. Now idiots like that Kaiba can go and dig them up." He shook his head. "Again, I don't know everything about millenium magic. But one thing I know for certain, performing millennium magic is one of the darkest magics. It is next to forbidden."

"Then why am I still here?"

"You shouldn't be. If Esset hadn't asked us to vouch for you, you'd be either dissolved into Atem or fed to the shadows. We hoped your transformation to a duel spirit would dispel the remaining millennium magic. As it turns out, that was a foolish hope. You're still connected to your powers, and it's angering those in charge of keeping the millennium power from being abused."

"Those in charge?"

"Duel Spirits used to decide fates. The duels I've heard you and your friends fought were just a taste of what duel spirits were called upon to do. Power like that was rolled back so as not to destroy the world. Rules like 'not being able to come unless you've been summoned' and others. Enforcers, Duel Guardians, take their jobs seriously." Timeaus winced, hand going to his head.

"But I haven't met any . . ." Yami's brain suddenly clicked the information in place. "You've been lying for me?"

"Think of it as playing defensive strategy. They talk to me, I tell them the information they want to hear, and you don't get sealed." Again the knight winced. "Their methods are . . . thorough, shall we say."

Yami's anger again threatened to rise up again. Other's shouldn't be taking his punishment.

Timeaus's gaze snapped on him. "Stop. There, you see, you're too quick to jump to people's help."

"It's why I was created." Yami snapped.

"But you solve the problem with your millennium power. The more you use that the less of your duel spirit remains, and you become a 'parasite' in Saku's eyes, something that doesn't belong."

Yami closed his eyes pulling back on the emotions. It was a lot harder than he thought. The emotion was so familiar he wanted to feel it again. He pictured Yugi and Airi in his mind, pulling on Yugi's patience and Airi's understanding. He placed his hand over the slight rise where the pendent stayed under his tunic to help him concentrate. After several moments he felt like the power was under control and opened his eyes.

Timeaus nodded in approval, eye closed again.

Yami put a hand on the knight's shoulder. "You need to get back to the house."

Timeaus nodded again, but still didn't move.

Yami helped the knight stand and ducked under his arm to give him support. They walked down the rest of the way in silence. Yami had plenty to think about.

They reached the bottom and paused to take a short break. Far above them they noticed several dragons circling, making hissing sounds. Timeaus made a comment that something was agitating them, but brushed it off and said that it was probably just the news of the puzzle coming back.

"Blue-Eye probably passed the news along. She's more chatty to real dragons then us."

Yami looked back up at the dragons. The hissing sounds sounded more ominous than just passing gossip.

They continued on their way. Timeaus looked better now and stood on his own as they conuned across the valley towards the duel arena in the distance.

A roar above made both of them look up. A black shadow descended and landed with so much force the ground shook beneath them. Yami staggered back as Red-Eyes Black Dragon stood before them. It's teeth flashed as it agitatedly snapped them together. Yami didn't need to understand dragon to know something was very wrong.

"What happened?" Timeaus stepped forward, but Red-Eyes' long neck snaked around him and his snout went right for Yami's chest.

Yami's hand went forward to push the dragon away, but the dragon's muzzle pressed against it. A wave of images channeled across Yami's mind. Bakura and Joey walking with a stranger. Bakura in pain. Joey attacked the stranger. Shadow magic. Joey running. The world around him disintegrating.

Yami jerked his hand away, breaking the connection.

"What did you see?" Timeaus put his hand on the dragon's head, wincing as the images entered his mind. "Oh."

Again the dragon's eyes snapped back to Yami and he didn't need mindlinks to understand what the winged lizard was asking. Yami took a step towards Red-Eye. "Can you take me to him?"

The dragon's head made a jerking motion and knelt down so his back was closer to the ground. Yami was about to climb on but a hand gripped his arm and he turned to find Timeaus holding him back.

"What are you doing?" Timeaus demanded.

"I'm going after Joey."

"You can't." the knight's grip tightened. "You're going to use your powers and if the duel guardians find out they'll seal you away.'' Yami realized the knight's hand shook from the effort. "Trust me. They won't listen to your reasons."

The tone of the knight's voice made Yami pause. Flashes of being trapped inside his broken puzzle crossed his mind. Then he remembered Yugi and his friends staying in a burning building to save the puzzle. To save him.

Yami pulled his arm away from Tiemaus's grip. The movement knocked the knight off balance and Yami steadied him.

"I'm going after Joey." Yami repeated. "If there is a chance to help him, I'm willing to risk it." Yami pulled himself onto the black scaled shoulders, using the raised front leg to push himself up. He gripped the black back spines to keep himself from sliding off.

"You can't intervene," Timaeus sounded, voice betraying his fear. "When they find out, you'll be punished."

"He's my friend." Yami yelled back. "I have to do something."

A sad smile twitched on the dragon knight's lips and Yami saw a hint of pride in his eyes. "Good luck, kid."

"I'll come back." Yami reassured him. "I promise."

Red-eyes shot into the air heading towards the boundary of the spirit realm.


Yugi held on tight as Tristan weaved his motorcycle between cars in evening traffic. The hum of the engine and wind rushing outside his helmet blocked out the world and gave him time to think. After Tristan had appeared at the game shop, Tea had arrived soon after. The next few minutes had been filled with chaos as they tried to establish what might have happened. According to Tristan, he was supposed to meet with Joey and Bakura on the way to the game shop. However, he'd gone to both their houses where the occupants had said Joey and Bakura had both left early, with Bakura's landlady saying someone looking like Aigami left with them.

The remaining group members decided to split up, with Yugi and Tristan taking the motorbike to check the route to Joey's house and Tea and Airi driving in Tea's mom's car to Bakura's.

As they sped through the streets Yugi's head spun with possibilities. This could all just be another coincidence, but there were too many of those: the fact the puzzle piece appeared, the disappearances of the students, and now Joey's disappearance. No, this was not a coincidence. Even the growing storm clouds in the distance reflected this view. Something was very wrong and he could only hope they found Joey, Bakura, and Aigami unharmed.

They arrived at Joey's place, where no answer came at their knocks. A text from Airi told them she and Tea had found Joey's bike a few blocks from Bakura's house. Tristan and Yugi arrived on the scene moments later to find the girl's with the bike with the duel-disk in the front basket. Airi hung up her phone, apparently having just called someone. Tea watched the sky above them as if worried about the approaching storm.

"Joey would never leave his duel-disk out like this." Tea again checked her phone. "Still no word. I can't get hold of Bakura either."

Airi looked around the street, arms folded despite the warm afternoon. "Something feels wrong."

"Yeah, I feel it too." Yugi didn't want to admit the very clear residue of shadows prickling across his skin.

"Airi, can you do your locating trick?" Tea asked.

Airi closed her eyes but after almost a full minute she opened them again, frowning. "I can't get anything." The friends exchanged worried glances and she added, "Maybe he's out of range. Besides, with Yugi and my connections to the puzzle being broken, there is no guarantee I can get any signals anymore."

Yugi's hand brushed against his pocket where he'd stored the puzzle piece. He hadn't told the others about the reappearance of the puzzle. Finding his friends was more important at the moment. Despite the confusion, feeling the weight of the piece was reassuring.

"He could still be around somewhere." Tristan insisted. "We can't just jump to the worst-case scenario."

"Right." Yugi said. "Since his bike is in this area we'll search around here first. Meet at the fountain in an hour."


Mokuba wandered the halls of KaibaCorp. He'd gotten back from Egypt several hours ago and Seto had not come back from his satellite yet. Mokuba wondered if he should check on him. He'd been in there for hours with the puzzle. It shouldn't have taken that long to put it together with the computer's help. The events in Egypt still weighed on the younger Kaiba's mind. The death of an employee and the presence of Obelisk had shaken him a bit, but all he had to do was remember Seto always had a plan.

His feet lead him into the simulation room. It had been a while since he'd been here. The podium where the prototype of the holographic dueling was replaced by the latest dueling tech Seto had developed. Mokuba hadn't spent as much time in this room as Seto and Airi. he could almost see Airi standing on one side of the simulation hitting the restart button, not stopping until she'd gotten 10 out of ten rounds against the computer.

"Good old days." Mokuba said.

The control panel flicked on. "System set to random." the computer said. "Generating duel simulation."

"Cancel." Mokuba said.

"Duel Canceled. Welcome Master Mokuba." the screens switched off.

Leaving the room Mokuba's phone beeped with an incoming message. Mokuba opened the file to reveal the background check he'd ordered on that Diva guy from Egypt. Scanning the files made the younger Kaiba frown deepen. He'd never seen anything so scant. Nearly nothing, besides being born in Egypt and a possible link to a student who registered to Domino High School a week ago. Even Dartz had more information on him, and that had turned out to be fake. But according to the information, this Diva had been spotted back in Japan right after he and Seto had returned.

His phone's voicemail beeped. Jumping at the sound, he picked it up to see it was from Airi again. It had been a while since she'd tried to call him. Apprehension entered his mind as he opened it up.

"Mokuba, I know you listen to this carefully." The hard edge to her voice made him stop in his tracks. "Joey is missing. I know you and Seto are doing something in Egypt with the Millennium Puzzle and I suspect these are related. I'm praying it doesn't, but if your digging did something to Joey . . ." she stopped and he could make out the sound of a motorcycle engine. "Call me back."

Mokuba stared down at his phone, dread creeping up his spine. What could he do? He checked again, but Seto still wasn't back. Then again, he was the VP of KaibaCorp.

"Roland!"


All too soon Yugi and the gang met at the fountain. Just by looking around, it was clear none of them had found their friends. Yugi was running out of ideas. If only they had more information.

"Looking for someone?"

Everyone looked around but no one was there. Still, Yugi had a very clear feeling of being watched.

"Guys." Airi's head turned to one side. As if on cue the area around them began to fog up as purple shadows with glowing eyes appeared from thin air. Yugi turned in time to see another figure appear from the shadows.

"Aigami?" Tea said

Their classmate had a smug smirk. Out of the rest of the crowd surrounding him, he was the only one who wasn't a glowing purple, gold eye spirit. The area crackled with shadow magic.

"Aigami." Yugi's eyes narrowed. "What is going on?"

"There is no Aigami. I am Diva and we are the Plana."

Yugi stiffened at the mention of the Plana. Sera's words surfaced, but he focused on the threat before him.

"We are not ones to be trifled with." Diva continued.

"Then spill what you did with Joey." Tristan tried to take a step forward, but Tea grabbed his arm.

"I sent him away to another dimension from which he will not return. Your friend Bakura is long gone as well. And soon you will be joining them."

From the corner of his eye, Yugi saw Airi move closer to him and Diva. He wished he could tell her not to back up through the mind link. Maybe her diadem would at least protect her from whatever this creep was planning on doing.

"We'll stop you." Yugi told Diva.

"That's just it. You can't. The Plana is stronger than you could ever realize. And once I dispose of you, Yugioh." he said the term with a sneer. "That will make our power absolute."

"Not going to happen." Yugi snapped.


Flying over the boundary caused a shudder to travel down Yami's entire body. He remembered the tendrils of the shadows licking at his skin and the shocks, but he did his best to push the fear down and focus. He could access his old power here, but for how long was the question. The dragon seemed to have no trouble flying over the tendrils and landing in the middle of them. The shadows parted like waves and gave them a wide berth as Yami slid from the dragon's back. Looking around it looked like he and Red-Eyes were alone.

"Where's Joey?" Yami demanded.

The dragon closed its eyes and gave a low growl. The air directly before them began to shudder and formed a large red-tinted portal that grew to Yami's height. Inside the space stood Joey, but he stared blankly ahead as if he couldn't see or hear anything around him. Sharing a look with the dragon, Yami held his hand out and touched the surface of the portal.

Sparks cracked at his touch and he jerked away. Frustrated, he looked around for another option. His mind raced through his memories trying to think of some power that would help him. Through the mess, he suddenly remembered opening the locked door after Yugi had defeated Arkana. Unable to do anything else he'd tried channeling his powers to his hands and with Airi's help they'd opened the door. She wasn't here, but he couldn't think of any other options.

Again he felt the familiar burn of the millennium magic smoldering in his chest and he tapped into it. It responded instantly and flared up inside him with more power than before; The return of the puzzle perhaps? Channeling the power again to his hand he touched the portal again and this time he passed through.

The boundary opened up into something he could only describe as a shadow realm. He stood in a void that prickled Yami's skin with a strange familiarity. A quick glance showed images shrouded in haze making the edges unclear and loosely resembling the real world. The power he'd collected remained, giving him reassurance. He found himself standing in front of Joey. the blond stared vacantly into the distance through the spirit standing before him. Strange purple blotches formed on Joey's skin similar to bruising but had a sickly glow.

"Joey."

No response or any hint of recognition. Yami could tell by the golden haze around Joey's body there was some kind of shadow magic barrier surrounding him. Yami's lip curled in anger as he remembered the dark energy he'd felt coming out of Airi after her duel with Evil Marik. This seemed to be the same concept; the energy was destroying Joey from the inside and from the growing purple splotches covering his friend's body he was losing. Even as he watched, the purple blotches began to crumble away and Yami could see through them to the expanse behind Joey.

The eye on Yami's forehead glowed brighter as he let his millennium powers take over. Familiar warmth flooded through him. Grabbing Joey, he pushed some of his energy into the blond. That seemed to stop the crumbling, but now what? From what he could feel, this was Joey's body in this weird dimension. He couldn't just mind-crushing him to dispel the darkness. He had to send Joey back. But without a focus point, there would be no way to know where Joey would end up. There had to be someplace he could picture.

But where?

Where.

Praying this worked, he reached out-picturing the only other millennium item he knew was in good hands.

"Airi!"


Yugi watched Diva, waiting for him to make the next move. With a smirk, Diva raised his hand.

Airi gasped, clutching her head.

"Airi?" Tea screamed.

"What are you doing to her?" Yugi yelled at Diva, stepping between them to shield his sister who still held her head as if it would burst.

Diva stared at them, clearly just as confused, hand still raised.

Airi sank to her knees, pulling at the band on her head which refused to come off. The ankh on the diadem's face began to shine. Despite its size of the ankh, it continued to send out strong beams of light creating a barrier around the friends and pushing against the Plana creeps.

At the edge of the barrier, a circle of light appeared. Everyone watched as the light grew brighter and a figure appeared inside. Yugi kept glancing between the portal, to Diva, and then his sister, but no one seemed to have answers.

Suddenly, the light vanished and they were again surrounded by Diva and his group. Except this time, there was another person with them.

"Joey!"

The blond stood, testing his limbs. "I'm ok? And I'm still in one piece."

"No." Diva stared at Joey like a ghost. "You should be gone."

Joey stood. "Ya right I'm still here, can't get rid of me that easily."

"Diva failed." the purple hivemind around them hummed in unison. "How is this possible? Diva failed." one by one they faded away.

Diva glared at them and Yugi noticed his gaze was on his sister.

"You creap." Joey shouted at Diva, running to the place he disappeared. "Get back here, coward."

"Forget it Joey." Tristan said. "They're already gone."

Clattering rang though the square as Airi finally dislodge the diadem off her head. She remained kneeling on the ground and held her face in her hands. Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder and could feel her shaking.

"Sis, what's wrong?"

"Stop spinning." she muttered to herself, one hand stayed over her eyes as her other gripped Yugi's as he helped her up and led her to the fountain. Tea sat next to her, handing her a water bottle from her purse.

"What happened Joey? What happened to Bakura?" Tristan said.

"We were walking to Yugi's place, when the Aigami, Diva, what's-his-face, started interrogating Bakura and giving him some kind of attack. When I tried to stop him he sent me to some dimension place that disintegrated around me." He paused, glancing at Airi. "Then I got pulled back here."

"Do you know if Bakura was sent to the same place you were?" Yugi asked.

"I didn't see him. Hey, if i can come back maybe Bakura's around here somewhere?"

"We should look for him." Yugi said.

"You ok Airi?" Tea asked.

Airi finally let her hand lower from her face though her eyes. "I think I'm ok. Just out of practice."

Yugi picked up the diadem from where it had dropped on the ground. He frowned at it. Whatever it had done to bring Joey back was unlike anything he'd seen before. His fingers ran across the surface, and his eyes widened as he realized some of the inlaid stones were loose. The piece with the ankh seemed about to fall out. Dropping it on the ground shouldn't have damaged it that much. These things had faced much worse than concrete.

"You don't look good." Tristan said to Airi. "you should head back to the game shop."

"I can drive you." Tea said.

"But Bakura could be out there." Airi insisted. "We need to spit up and look for him."

"No." Yugi said. "You need to rest. You and Tea can go back to the house. We will look for Bakura."

"But I have an item and you don't" Airi said. "Of all of us I'm the one who's most protected."

Yugi's fingers gripped the diadem in his hands. "And you can't even stand."

"At least sit in the car until you feel better." Tea said.

Airi looked around at the rest of the group, but no one offered another option.

"Fine." She said.

"We gotta go." Tristan pointed out. "If Bakura is around here he'll need help."

"Right." Yugi said. "We'll split up. Meet back here in half an hour.


Airi covered her eyes again as the teens made plans. The world around her had stopped spinning but her eyes throbbed and it was hard to focus on anything. She couldn't explain in words what had happened. Nothing coherent anyway. She's been ready to jump in if that Diva guy was about to make a move against Yugi or the others. Then she'd heard her name, and she'd swear her life it had been Yami's voice. After that the diadem had gone crazy, clamping down on her head as it projected light around the group. In all the attacks she'd faced in the past years she never felt that much of a pull on herself. Maybe it was because she wasn't near the puzzle? Maybe it was because she and Yugi were separated from Yami? Maybe this Plana was incompatible with her millennium item so it had to work doubly hard to protect her and bring Joey back? So many questions that hurt too much for her to answer.

The other had stopped talking and she looked up to see Yugi handing her the diadem. She accepted the metal, noting that it felt colder that she was used.

"Be safe." he told her. Turning away he and Tristan headed in opposite directions. Tea said something about bringing the car closer so Airi wouldn't have to walk so far and headed off in another direction.

Only Joey remained. He went a few steps, then turned back to face her.

"Airi, when you, ya know, borough me back, did you hear a voice?"

Airi's heart gave a leap. "You heard him too?"

A clap of thunder interrupted from the distance.

"We'll talk later." Joey said and ran off.

Airi wanted to call Joey back, demanding more information, but he was already gone. At least she hadn't been the only one to hear him. She looked down at the head piece. Something was off about it. The stone inlay looked tarnished in the dim light and a quick run over the surface with her fingers told her some of the stones were at risk of falling out. Yugi's apprehension of her being alone became clear. The place with ankh on the other hand stood out bold and gold as if it had been polished. Hoping the magic inside would still hold she slid the piece back on her head. Instead of helping to clear her head the spinning sensation seemed to worsen. She covered her face in her hands, trying to shut out the world for a moment. Suddenly the diadem seemed to get a hold of itself and her head stopped spinning. Taking several deep breaths she opened her eyes. She hated to admit it , but that had taken a lot out of her. But how-

The diadem tightened again: Danger.

The air before her flickered and she barely had enough time to stand and back up and Diva appeared in front of her.

"You have the diadem." the Egyptian boy demanded.

"What's it to you?" Airi hoped she sounded braver than she felt.

"You can summon people back from Plana. You will ruin everything."

"That wasn't me. I don't even know how to repeat it."

"Give it to me."

The diadem flashed, forcing him to back up.

"You can't have it." Airi's head pounded harder, and she gritted her teeth to keep herself from showing how weak she was.

"You're not near your brother right now." Diva pointed out. "Hand it over, or I'll have my companions punish him for your insolence."

Airi hesitated, heart racing.

Searchlights flooded the area around them. Both Airi and Diva starred up as several dark figures descended from the helicopters and surrounded Diva. They had him restrained and blindfolded with a strange eye mask in a matter of seconds. Airi was too stunned to react. The insignia on all of the uniforms proudly pronounced KC. When did KaibaCorp get a police force? The connection was confirmed when Roland appeared next to her.

"Miss Airi." he motioned to a car she hadn't realized was nearby. "Come with me please."

"Why?" Airi asked as he led her away.

"For your safety, miss Airi. Master Mokuba insisted."

Airi's head gave a violent pound and she pitched forward as her legs turned to jelly and she barely felt Roland catch her as she blacked out.


Yami didn't allow himself to relax. Joey was gone and he hoped he reached the others. not sure how to get back. He'd assumed Red-Eyes would keep the portal open for Yami to pass back through, but when he turned he realized he was on his own. Panic began bubbling inside his chest. He was out in the middle of who knew where and his millennium magic wasn't fading. Having his powers was reassuring, but terrifying at the same time. The way Timeaus spoke of these duel guardians, they would be drawn to him if he stayed out here any longer. But where should he go?

A rippling in the fog next to him made him start. A robed figure materialized before him. Everything about this figure made Yami feel uneasy. Pinpricks of light in a void that should have been a face stared Yami down.

"We meet at last, Spirit of the Pharaoh." the voice came out evenly. "But you don't deserve to be a spirit do you, Millennium Spirit." he said the last bit like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Yami took a step back. "You're the one who's terrorizing my friends."

"Yes. Forgive my manners, I am called a Duel Guardian, but the name you need to fear is Saku. I give you credit for having evaded me so long. You really have loyal friends. Too bad their efforts are wasted."

Anger cracked at the back of Yami's mind. All he wanted to do was make this scum pay for hurting Timaeus, but a more rational part of him, sounding a lot like Yugi, kept him from throwing all his power in a full scale attack.

"Well, now that I have you, I can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Yami was only half listening. He'd picked up another surge of magic in the distance out of sight. There was no mistaking the distinct pull of the millennium items.

It felt so much like the draw of the items, but he wasn't sure. He could be feeling his puzzle, or another item. His heart leapt at the thought it could be Airi. He shouldn't jump to conclusions.

Again he felt the pull as the distant object activated. If it was his puzzle, he could be sucked back in. if it was the ring, it could be a trap. If it was the diadem . . .

Saku put his hand out, but Yami blocked the attack. Pushing back, he sent the attack back at Saku, sending the guardian reeling off his feet. Yami fled, pushing through the shadows and heading off towards the draw of the power. He had to make sure she was safe.


Airi woke in one of the KaibaCorp waiting rooms. Which one she wasn't sure; it had been so long since she'd been in one. She didn't know why she was there. Piecing together the events after Roland had arrested Diva didn't give her much of an answer; She'd passed out before she could get one. KaibaCorp didn't have the authority to keep someone against their will, right? There had to be laws or something. He definitely didn't have any business keeping her here. Pushing herself up from the couch, she discarded the blanket that had been draped over her in a pile on the cushions. A collection of bottled water with the KaibaCorp logo on them stood on a table next to her. Taking one she downed it in a few gulps before dropping it in the trash nearby.

The diadem sat on the table. She ran her fingers through her hair to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She reached for it but it slipped from her grip and landed on the tiled floor with a clunk. A piece dislodged and skidded across the floor with a flash. Diving after it she felt around under the armchair until she located it. Brushing the flecks of dust off she sat back down. It was the piece with the Ankh on it which still seems to glow. She tried to place it back in the headpiece, but it kept sliding out.

"Yugi's going to panic even more when he finds out." she told the empty room. Remembering Yugi she tried her phone. No signal. In a KaibaCorp building? Calling Seto something that would make Mokuba gasp, she put the phone and dislodged piece in her pocket. She slid the diadem on her head and stood. Thankfully she wasn't jelly-legged.

Going over to the door she tested it and was surprised to realize it was open. Ok, either Seto was being clever or careless; she wasn't sure which, but definitely not the second. Walking down the deserted hallway didn't make her feel any better about her situation. Either the security was getting lax, or they didn't see her as a threat.

The place really had changed a lot since she was last here. She missed having Mokuba guiding her through the tech maze. There also didn't seem to be an exit. She tried using her locket to open one of the doors, but it only flashes red and stayed locked. At least Seto had remembered to change the code as he'd promised.

"Can't even tell the elevators from the doors around here." she muttered, doing another lap of the floor. "Maybe it's to drive intruders insane."

She kept touching her phone in her pocket for reassurance. Giving up on trying to make sense of the room she figured exploring would be a good use of her time. Maybe she'd figure out what the Kaiba's had been up to the last several months. She ended up retrying a few of the doors: they all looked the same.

Finally, she reached one that wasn't locked and stepped in. The room was straight out of a sci-fi film. The floor and walls were covered with square tiles. She stepped in and the room lit up. She glanced back towards the hallway. She could still leave, but the idea of wandering around more wasn't appealing. At least maybe she'd figure something out here. She kept going, stepping carefully across the tiled floor. It was when she noted the lines on the floor, mapped out in the exact dimensions for a pro dueling arena, that she realized she was in a simulation room.

"Crap." Airi muttered. Remembering all her times in a duel, simulations washed over her all at once. Why of all the places did she have to end up here. She needs to get out before . . .

A holographic control pad appeared before her.

"System set to random." a neutral female voice announced. "Generating duel simulation."

"No, wait."

"Voice commands not recognized." the voice said. "Beginning first stage simulation."

The tiles flashed and before her eyes, the room turned into a vast cathedral. Airi now found herself standing at the head of the church, near where the altar would have been if there had been one. Realistic-looking stained glass windows shone colored patterns across the floor between her and the far away shadowed entrance. She had to give Seto credit for upgrading the place.

Airi looked around. She didn't have a dual-disk and the program didn't seem about to give her one. Glancing to the side she could still make out the door, now built into the side of the stone walls. At least the exit was still visible.

Footsteps approached, echoing from the other end of the room. Turning she squinted towards the dark doorway at the far end. Someone was coming towards her. The closer it came the more the reflected light illuminated the silhouette. A very familiar silhouette.

Yami walked out of the shadowed doorway. Airi's breath caught in her throat. The echo of his footsteps thudded in her ears as he came closer and closer. He could have walked out of her memories. The outfit was exactly like she was back during the first Battle City. the gold streaks in the hair; the school jacket on the shoulders like a cape; the red mixing with Yugi's violet eyes; the confident stance.

The hologram stopped exactly at the right distance from her for a duel. Neither of them spoke. The program seemed to be waiting for something. Slowly Airi's mind began to clear. This was a simulation. Yami was not here. This was some twisted thing Seto had come up with. Anger rose inside her chest and pushed back the confusion in her mind. This must be why the puzzle had been dug up. She had to find Yugi and tell him. She turned to the door.

"Airi."

Her blood turned to ice and she turned back to the hologram. Something had changed. It looked the same except now the eyes had gone full red. Her heart thudded in her ears desperately trying to believe what she was seeing.

"Airi. it's me." The hologram spoke again, each word causing the ice in her blood to thaw. Still sensing her doubt, the figure took another step forward and switched to ancient Etyptian. "My love, it's me."

Her eyes began to burn but she didn't dare blink. "Ya-Yami?"

He smiled and every doubt fled her mind. She ran to him, ignoring the lines appearing on the floor flashing to tell her she was out of bounds. He held out his hands to her but when she tried to take them she passed right through. Both stared at their fingers suspending within each other.

Airi finally found her voice. "How?"

"I felt your diadem." his eyes suddenly darted around as if looking for something. "Airi, listen, I don't have much time."

She pushed down all the new questions rising in her mind and nodded.

"Something is very wrong. Another shadow magic threat is coming."

"It's here," Airi said. "They call themselves the Plana."

"I don't have much power, but I need you to tell Yugi to summon me."

"But-"

"I don't care if my card is useless." Yami interrupted. "I can't do anything to help if I'm not summoned. Doing this is already a risk." again, his eyes darted around as if looking for something. "Just make him promise to summon me if he has to duel. I'll figure something out from there."

She nodded and he looked relieved.

"Yami, are you alright?" She again tried to take his hand but her fingers slipped right through his fingers.

"I am now." Yami's hand reached up to touch her face. "It's so good to see you."

"I miss you so much." She reached up to cover his hand with hers but could feel nothing. So many things she wanted to say, but she could only make out. "I love you."

He smiled.

"I love y-"

The hologram vanished. Blinking in surprise she realized the panels had returned to being blue tiles as well as the floor. Footsteps behind her signaled she wasn't alone.


Yami felt himself being dragged back before being deposited unceremoniously on the ground. Every part of his body screamed in protest as he tried to move. He pushed himself up so he knelt on the ground shaking at the effort. He became aware of his surroundings. He was back in the duel spirit realm by the barrier. It was then he realized he wasn't alone.

The duel guardian stood before him. everything about how the spirit stood was triumphant. Yami's body knew it had to do something to prevent what was about to happen, but all he could do was stare up as the figure drew closer.

"What's the matter, Spirit of the Puzzle." Saku said. "Use up all your power. I admit I didn't believe you were foolish enough to summon yourself into a hologram. I hope your last moments were worth it."

Shouting, Yami recognized that Timeaus sounded off somewhere to the side, but he could only watch as Saku extended a long bony figure to point between Yami's eyes.

"Being sentimental." Saku's gloated. "How pathetic."

The finger touched Yami's skin.


A/N: So, so, so sorry for ending it there, but really wanted to get this out. Feel free to vent in the reviews. thank you so much for reading. Take care and God bless.