Happy New Year! Wow, I can't believe this story is 10 years old, come February. Thank you so much for sticking with this story for so long. My New Year Resolution is to finish this story this year. I owe you guys that much for all the support.

So, boring stuff. I don't own Yugioh, OCS are mine, and battousaigirl16 beta read.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 80

The tone at the Muto's house was subdued as the group gathered in the living room. Airi, despite still being shaky, refused to lie down as she recounted what had happened at KaibaCorp. Holding the diadem in her lap, missing pieces standing out against the gold surface, she recounted her interaction with Diva, the simulation room, and Kaiba's challenge to Yugi. It took a few tries to recount the interaction between her and Yami in the simulation room.

Yugi's chest tightened at the recount of Yami's insistence that he needed to be summoned. The idea that Yami would risk the laws of the spirit realm to send him a message shook him. How dangerous was this Plana? Airi's voice trailed off after she'd failed to get the puzzle back from Kaiba and Yugi took over to tell the group about Kaiba's challenge and some of what Sera had told him about Diva's identity. Tea, Tristan, and Joey listened in shock.

"So," Tristan finally said. "What do we do?"

Yugi wasn't sure how to answer. It sounded redundant to say 'duel' even though that was always the answer. Thankfully Airi stepped in to again insist they needed to know more about their enemy. He remained silent as Airi opened the messaging function on her computer. After a few tries, Nasira's face appeared on the screen, looking a bit haggled.

"Finally, you called me back." Nasira leaned in closer to the camera. "Airi? What happened?"

"That bad?" Airi tried to joke, but the fact she held an ice pack to her face made the joke mute.

"I'm guessing you've run into some shadow games."

"Yep," Joey said. "What have you got on some freaks calling themselves the Plana."

Nasira looked confused. "I know there was a period in duel spirit history that was called 'Plana' but I've not heard of a group called . . ." she trailed off. "But maybe." she got up from the chair, disappearing for several moments before reappearing with something she showed was several pages, photocopied and in page protectors, she started shuffling them around to find the one she wanted. "I forgot we had these," she muttered more to herself.

"What are they?" Tea asked.

"They're Kelilia's. Don't tell her I've been in her room. She was doing some research on members of the families who went off on their own. Most were just dragged back, killed, or both."

"Charming," Tristan muttered.

Nasira continues as if she didn't hear him. "But there was one, Shadi Shin, who had his mission from the gods, his words not mine.'' She stopped a moment to gauge their reactions. "He's the one you met in the pharaoh's tomb."

"He's related to you?" Tristan said. "The dead guy."

"I didn't know him personally. I mostly heard my parents talking about how he was tempting fate letting 'outsiders' into the sanctuaries of the pharaoh."

"Outsiders?" Yugi perked up.

"Kids." Nasira paused. "About our age and younger now I think of it, at least by now if they all survived. I never knew what happened to them. Everything about Shin was kept quiet after his murder."

"Murder?" Joey said.

"He was dead, Nimrod." Tristan pointed out.

"Kept quiet?" Airi pressed.

"He died in the ceremonial duel room over five years ago. From what they could gather, someone came in for the millennium ring and killed Shadi when he intervened."

Joey perked up. "Wait, did the murder take the ring?"

"Yes, it disappeared that night."

"I knew it." Joey turned to the group. "That's why Bakura's gone. He stole the ring and killed this Shadi guy and that's why Diva wanted revenge."

"Bakura wouldn't hurt anyone." Tea said. "Besides, he would have been a kid during that time."

"The other him would." Tristan glanced at Yugi. "And size doesn't matter when a person is possessed."

All fell silent. Kul Elna had felt creepy enough without learning a murder had taken place there. Yugi realized, judging by the way Yami had reacted to the chamber, he could guess more than one death had happened there.

"What else do you know?" Airi's voice pulled Yugi back to the conversation.

Nasira went back to scanning the pages. "Here. Shadi was interested in bringing a second rebirth to the world, or Plana. A paradise. But that it could be easily corrupted so it could only be brought about in specific circumstances."

"Sera showed me the plana," Yugi interjected. "She told me her brother was trying to bring it to pass, but he'd been corrupted by fear and anger."

"So he took it out on Bakura?" Joey said angrily. "That stuff is more messed up than Orichalcos. At least then when you got your soul snatched you went to a dark void, not disintegrated."

Yugi swallowed but didn't say anything. Personally, the void was worse, but he didn't admit it.

"Well, if tonight is anything to go by the power is corrupted," Airi said. "How do we defeat it?"

"Let me guess," Joey said. "Yugi wipes the floor with Diva in a duel."

"Not quite." Nasira scanned the pages again. "It says the plana can be overridden if the pharaoh returns and defeats the plana."

Everyone in the group looked at each other.

"Which pharaoh?" Joey said.

"The Nameless Pharaoh, who else?" Nasira looked at each of them. "What did I miss?"

Airi cleared her throat. "Yami visited me in a hologram. I'm guessing that doesn't count as 'pharaoh' returning."

"No," Nasira said.

"But Atem was in the tomb when we fought Zorc." Yugi pointed out.

Nasira frowned. "That is a bit odd." She started typing as she spoke. "Yami's been active for years as well as the pharaoh being in his tomb for the last 5000 years. Maybe it's a very exact circumstance that needs to happen for the pharaoh to 'return.' Also Atem was stuck in a tomb, so maybe it means coming back to life?"

"How do you summon a dead man?" Tristan asked. "Duel Spirits I get, but they're different right? Atem's a real dead person." Everyone gave him a look. "What? He is."

"From what I can get from these notes," Nasira said. "Plana falls into shadow magic categories. So the only way to combat it is to engage in a duel."

"Same song, sixth verse," Joey said.

"There has to be more than that," Airi said. "I mean if it involves summoning the dead there have to be more rules or something."

"And the plana is really strong," Joey said. "A shadow game with them would be draining."

"The last known plana duel was recent, and destroyed the ceremonial chamber," Nasira said. "This Diva and Kaiba's duel blasted more of that wreck to rubble."

Silence filled the room.

"So I've got to duel Diva." Yugi finally spoke up.

He caught Airi's glance at him. The pain in her eyes cut him to the core. "There's got to be more to all of this." Airi turned back to the computer screen. "Kaiba wants the puzzle, and so does Diva."

"Everyone's always wanted the puzzle." Tea pointed out.

"But if the way to defeat all of this is to bring back Atem, why the puzzle?" Airi insisted.

"Diva has a cube," Joey said. "It looks like a millennium item if you squint hard enough. So maybe you have to use a magic gold piece to take out a magic gold piece."

Nasira nodded. "According to tomb keeper tradition, the Millenium Puzzle belonged to the pharaoh, the last holder being Pharaoh Atem. Maybe you need the puzzle to summon him since it is the item of pharaohs."

"Yugi's his heir." Tea said. "Yami said so before he left."

"And he won't do something stupid with it like Kaiba," Tristan said.

"But we still need to get Bakura back," Joey said. "Yugi, make sure you put that in the conditions."

"Of course, he will." Tea snapped. "Yugi's faced down harder enemies than this."

"But how is he going to summon a dead man when they barely met?" Tristan insisted.

Yugi zoned out at this point trying to process everything he'd learned. He jumped at the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket. He opened it to see he'd gotten a text from Marik.

-call me when you're alone.

Glancing at the others, who were distracted trying to figure out how to revive Atem, Yugi slipped into the hallway. Closing his bedroom door he clicked the buttons to call him back.

Marik answered on the first ring. "Are you alone?"

Yugi's dread grew. "Yes. What's wrong?"

"The Millennium Ring is missing."

Yugi's eyes widened.

"I couldn't say this in front of your sister," Marik said. "I don't want to cause a panic."

"But there can't be a threat inside the ring. The spirit inside was banished."

"Both the ring and puzzle were possessed for thousands of years. There still could be remnants of their essence."

Yugi pulled out the puzzle piece from his pocket. It felt warm from being in his pocket but nothing else seemed different.

"Yami can't be in there." Marik quickly added. "We saw him go through the barrier."

"I know." Yugi slipped it back into his pocket.

Marik was silent for a moment. Yugi could hear echoing sounds on the other side of the phone.

"Yugi, did Nasira tell you about the return of the pharaoh?"

"She's been updating us."

"So you know about the conditions of the Pharoah's return."

"Yes, but it makes no sense. Duel spirits can be summoned, not ghosts."

"Yet, that's how you defeated Zorc."

"Yami summoned At-" Yugi's voice died in his throat. The tone in Marik's voice finally made the final piece fit together. The pharaoh needed to return. Yami was a piece of his soul. Two pieces to complete the puzzle.

"Yugi?" Marik's voice broke through the pounding in Yugi's ears.

"How do you know this?" Yugi finally asked

"Ishizu put on the millennium necklace and it showed her a vision; Yami and Atem have to fuse again to become the true pharaoh and defeat the plana."

Yugi swallowed and made himself ask the question. "What will happen to Yami?

Marik paused and Yugi heard him sigh. "It's unclear."

Yugi didn't remember the end of the conversation or hanging up the phone. He stared at the window, his reflection watching him with the guarded weariness he's seen Airi and Yami have when they thought he wasn't looking.

Yugi wanted more than ever for his hair colors to shift and allow his friend to take over. He didn't realize how alone this felt. For every duel against a shadow game, Yami had been there. He remembered the orichalcos and icy pinpricks spread across his neck and down his back. Even there he'd never faced the orichalcos alone. Yami had done that. Yami always took over when things were too dangerous, but Yugi had always gotten the credit. Yami had even faced a shadow version of his past life by himself. In comparison, what had Yugi done? His reflection seemed to be waiting for an answer but Yugi couldn't give it one.

How things had changed. There had been a time he'd been afraid of Yami; Back in the Duelist Kingdom after his ranging determination pushed Yami to win even to the point of risking Kaiba's life. Yugi had been so shaken he's sworn to never duel again to keep this unknown power from hurting anyone ever again. Only the encouragement of his friends and the unchanging threat of losing his grandfather's soul forever made him keep going but didn't keep the threat of losing control from haunting his every waking moment.

Yugi leaned against his soul room door, afraid of what would happen if he opened it. Right now he was dueling Mai in the Semi-Finals. He could sense the spirit on the other side of the door trying to direct his moments, but Yugi kept shutting him out.

He was losing. Yugi knew it. From the tones of his friends watching in the gallery, they could tell he was not playing at his best. He couldn't afford to lose. But . . . His hand tightened on the doorknob.

"I intended to make sure you won." the spirit's voice came from the other side of the door.

"By hurting Kaiba? My grandpa's soul isn't worth destroying other people."

"Yugi." something in the spirit's voice changed. "I am here to serve you. If you trust me, I will duel at your side and follow your instructions."

Yugi wasn't so sure. He knew how much this spirit took over when he dueled. Heck, Yugi wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for him. Taking a calming breath, Yugi opened the door and stood in front of the other teen. The spirit had copied Yugi's appearance down to every last detail, all except for the bangs being gold streaks against the black and red hair and the blood-red eyes. The spirit stood silent, waiting for Yugi to speak.

"What's your name?" Yugi realized he'd never asked before.

The spirit blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Yami, Spirit of the Puzzle."

"We will duel together, Yami. But only if we do it my way." Yugi said. "I need to save grandpa, but I will not threaten anyone else's life to do it."

Yami bowed. "I will respect your wishes.

Yugi extended his hand. Yami took it and the two shook.

"Now, Yugi." Yami smiled. "I believe we have a duel to win."

Yugi looked at himself over again. Everyone already believed it was him who had done all of those dueling feats. Exodia, Duelist Kingdom, Battle City. Even after all of this time, he wasn't sure his friends could tell the difference. Doubt began creeping into Yugi's mind; Did he have any skill? Everyone always seemed to be put in danger because of him. Yami was sent to help him out. His friends kept getting hurt when they tried to help. Airi always seemed to have a sad smile when she thought no one was looking. Still, if Yugi didn't face Diva even more people would be put in danger.

The cards he'd been going through when Sera appeared were placed on the bed, gathered up in a hurry, and placed in stacks so they wouldn't be damaged. The deck he and Yami had built together stood out separate from the others in its card pouch, only a few cards leaving it to join the new deck Yugi used for casual duels and tournaments. The god cards were hidden away in a safe place. Joey kept asking why Yugi didn't use them. The truth was they didn't want to be played. Obelisk and Ra gave harsh resentments whenever Yugi picked them up. He probably needed to win their trust in some way, but with no world threats, Yugi hadn't had a reason to summon them. Slifer gave no negative feelings when he picked up the card but Yugi hadn't summoned him since the Second Battle City Tournament and that was with the Spirit of the Pharaoh card. Having a monster that powerful might be helpful. Then again, maybe summoning like an Egyptian god monster would cause more harm than good.

Picking up the lid of his gold puzzle box he turned it over to show a fitted piece of felt he'd fastened there. Carefully lifting the corner he pulled away a part of it to reveal a single card pouch. Sitting on the floor next to the bed Yugi slipped a card and a piece of paper out of the pouch. Airi had never asked to read his note even though he would have if she asked. The note was wrinkled from the number of times Yugi had read it after he returned from Egypt. Rereading it brought Yugi back to the night after the duel; He'd returned to his cabin, wanting to be alone for a moment to let everything sink in. Realizing he still had both decks in his pockets he opened the lid to the gold puzzle box to put them away. Resting on top of his extra cards was a carefully folded piece of memo pad taken from the desk. He'd unfolded it. It had taken him several minutes to finish because his eyes kept misting over.

Yugi, I will never have another chance to leave you this message. I don't know what tomorrow will hold or if I'll have the ability to tell you. No matter what happens, know I'm proud of you. You've grown so much in these short years, not only as a duelist but in character. I regret not seeing you progress into the man I know you will become. I want to leave you with something meaningful. You may think without our link you will be less of a duelist. Please, never believe this. You have helped me through this destiny just as much as you believe I have helped you. Trust your skill, Yugi. No matter what happens tomorrow, you are the true King of Games.

Thank you for trusting me, even with my weaknesses. Knowing you, your family, and your friends have been the best life I have ever could have wanted. Thank you for sharing your life with me even if it was only for a short time. You will forever be my friend, through eternity. Please, live your life for yourself to the fullest. I will never forget you. Yami.

Eyes stinging again, Yugi looked at the Spirit of the Pharaoh card. The shadowy figure on the card seemed suspended in action, waiting for orders. The lump in his throat grew larger and his hand shook. More than ever he wanted to speak to Yami. The last time they'd spoken was after the ceremonial duel. It had all been so fast. Looking back, Yugi could only really remember the fear of losing and everything that meant. He could remember the rush of exciting dueling brought, but now several months removed most of the details were starting to blur leaving only the raw emotions. The biggest regret he had was not saying his final goodbyes before Yami walked through the barrier. Words seemed so meaningless and he couldn't have gotten them out if he'd tried. Now, Yugi wanted to go back, not to stop Yami from going through the barrier but tell him one last time, thank you. Thank you for protecting him. For always being there. For being his friend.

A thought arose in his mind; He could have another chance if he summoned him. Quickly Marik's words crushed his hope; If Yami and Atem joined as one soul once more there was no promise that there was a way Yami would survive. He was a piece of Atem after all. That part still confused Yugi to no end. Why would a pharaoh 5000 years ago on another continent care enough to transfer part of himself into a puzzle to help a nobody like him in the future? And how could Yugi repay Yami by sacrificing him to be destroyed?

An idea came from the back of his mind. Maybe there was another way. The plana was the one banishing people and Diva was the one orchestrating this. If he dueled Diva before Kaiba got the chance then he could stop Diva from hurting people. Then he could win the puzzle back from Kaiba and return the puzzle to Egypt. Then he wouldn't have to summon the pharaoh. He knew Yami; Yami would summon himself if he could. Yugi wouldn't allow his friends to risk his soul for this. If he stopped Diva then maybe he could postpone the plana until he could take the puzzle back to Ishizu and Marik to find a solution.

Moving over to his desk drawer he put the card under a stack of notepaper. He wouldn't risk destroying Yami if he could. If he had the puzzle then maybe he could summon Atem by himself without having to summon Yami. Closing the drawer with a snap made him feel calmer. With the new clarity, a plan was finalized in his head.

Rescue Bakura and get the puzzle back. He'd think about summoning the pharaoh after he'd done those two things.

And somehow, keep Yami away from the duel.


The group left the Muto's house before midnight. Airi didn't let down her guard until the others had left. Acting like the older sister she was, she demanded each of them to text when they got home. Yugi had stayed next to her until his friends had sent the texts before going to bed. Airi was glad her brother didn't want to stay up with her. She had some things to discuss.

She'd texted Nasira to stay up until the group had left. She went down into the dark game shop in the back storage room, cracking the door so she could see if Yugi tried to sneak down to listen to her. Selecting Nasira's number she clicked the call button.

Nasira's voice came on, sounding tired. "You should get some sleep you know."

"Later." Airi checked again to make sure she was alone. "I broke the diadem."

"You what!" Nasira's voice caused Airi to hold the phone away from her ear. "How could you do that? You're lucky it's not a real item or-"

"Listen to me." Airi snapped. "It might not have been my fault. I noticed it started acting oddly after we were attacked by Diva. After everything the diadem has gone through it never lost a piece. Also, I can't touch the main piece with the ankh anymore. When I try I feel sick. But when I do, it also feels . . . familiar."

Nasira's voice sounded wary. "Familiar in what way?"

"I can't explain it. Nasira I have to know. How were the millennium items made?"

Nasira took a moment to answer. "Why do you want to know?"

"I need to know more about the Diadem. I know it's not an official Millennium item, but it seems close enough to having been made the same way."

"There is more than just curiosity, is there? You're not going to try and summon Yami are you?"

Airi's throat tightened and it took her a moment to answer. "No. I won't. But if Yugi is going to face that Diva and Plana I need to find a way to protect him."

"Alright, but you're not going to like it. Only a few members of the family know this secret. I"m not even supposed to know, but Kelilia let it slip before making me swear not to tell."

Airi waited for her to get to the point.

Nasira sighed. "It takes human souls to create an item."

Silence fell over the line.

"Airi?" Nasira asked.

Airi felt sick but made herself ask. "How many?"

"I don't know. But considering there were seven items . . ." Nasira's voice trailed off.

Airi's head spun at the information. She swore to never tell Yugi. But through her horror, things started to make sense. Yami said he could sense something inside her diadem but had never considered it to be a soul, but maybe he hadn't known. But then how could he use the diadem to bring her back to life and save Joey from Plana.

"But if you knocked it out of the setting it shouldn't be affecting you negatively." Nasira's voice brought Airi back from her thoughts. "The items are made out of souls and don't affect the others negatively, from what I remember anyway."

Airi put her hand in her pocket to feel the piece with the ankh, hesitating before letting her fingers touch the piece. To her surprise, the piece didn't hurt her as it had before. Pulling it out she could only feel a slight warmth from the piece. Even so, the feeling she received from the piece confused her like it was a tense animal not knowing how to react.

"But can I use it? I need to help Yugi."

"I don't know how you're going to use just one piece to protect your brother."

"I will find something," Airi said, more to herself. " I have to."


A text went out to all the student's phones the next morning; Half day of school to be let out at noon. Everyone in school was buzzing about the KaibaCorp Expo. even the teachers spoke about carpools to the KaibaLand Arena. Yugi didn't speak much in class. Classmates looked at him as they talked together about what kind of monsters would be on display. Yugi pretended he didn't hear any of them. Joey and Tristan did their best to distract people, speaking loudly about how Joey would beat Kaiba, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and all.

Tea was quiet as well sitting on Yugi's desk as they watched the other two talk. Several times he caught her looking at Bakura's desk. Yugi's school bag rested by his feet instead of in his locker. Inside the books had been replaced by the gold box containing his cards and the piece of the puzzle. He didn't dare let it out of his sight. Kaiba may have Diva in his custody, but still, he didn't trust something so valuable to a flimsy school locker.

A buzz came from the loudspeaker. "Yugi Muto, please report to the office."

All eyes turned to him as he stood, picking up his bag and waving goodbye as he left.

At the front doors of the schools, Roland waited for him after he'd changed his shoes. A limo waited outside the school gates. Roland opened the door for Yugi. Airi looked up from her seat, arms folded and legs crossed, and gave a nod as Yugi sat next to her.

The Muto's sat in the back in silence. Neither felt like talking, and Yugi guessed the driver would be listening to everything they said to report it to Kaiba.

Yugi finally broke the silence. "Here we go again."

"Good thing we've had experience." Airi adjusted the diadem. The dark holes where the missing pieces were stood out starkly against the pattern, especially the gaping hole in the center where the piece with the ankh usually rested. She'd tried to put it back in using glue but it would only slide back out with the glue welling up inside the headpiece. She'd managed to get the glue out without making a mess and had opted to leave the piece in her pocket. Yugi only hoped whatever power contained in the headpiece could still protect his sister.

The duel took place at the KaibaDome. Making its way into the nearly deserted theme park the car drove to the backstage entrance. There they were greeted by Roland who led the siblings to one of the lounges made for entertainers. It was comfortable enough with seating, beverages, and even a TV currently showing the news, but it somehow felt like a holding cell.

"Where's Diva?" Airi asked.

"He's in a separate waiting area until the tournament begins."

Something about his tone made Yugi's insides tense up even more. He could picture what kind of holding area someone of Diva's power implied.

Roland left and the siblings were left to their own devices. Airi tried changing the channels but the news was on the events happening at the Kaiba Dome that day, giving a bio on how amazing Kaiba was or bringing up the disappearances of Scud and his friends. Airi finally turned it off, leaving silence to fill the room.

Yugi stood near the only window in the room, looking out towards the field. Already people were filing to get a good spot to see the events on the raised platform while the late ones would have to settle for the screens around the arena.

His phone buzzed and he checked to find a message from Tea.

-Yugi, R U OK?

That brought a smile to his face.

-Hey Tea, don't worry. I promise to rescue Bakura. Yugi.

-that's not what I meant. B safe.

"Good crowd," Airi said. Yugi hadn't heard her walk up to stand next to him.

"Who'd miss seeing Kaiba show off a new duel-disk in person."

"You ready?" The question was simple enough, but he knew there was more to it.

He tried to shrug it off. "Not like anyone is going to duel for me."

Both siblings watched the crowd down below. Yugi tried to make out his friends but there were too many people.

"If someone could, would you let them?" Airi finally asked.

Yugi nearly remarked how that's what Yami used to do but stopped as realization hit. She was offering to duel in his place. He turned to find her watching him. The idea of someone taking his place was horrifying and appealing at the same time. The idea of her anywhere near Diva made him sick. Still, she waited for his answer as if there was a choice in the matter. At that moment, understanding hit him. Atem's past choices became all too clear.

"No," he said softly. "This is my fight. Bakura is my friend and I will rescue him from Diva."

"And Kaiba?"

"I'll get the puzzle from him."

Airi nodded, pulling something out of her pocket. "I hoped you'd let me duel for you, but you've never let anyone right your battles."

Yugi looked at the object in her hand. He realized it was the braided wristband she'd made him two Christmases ago. The black cord's braided pattern was only broken by the black bead. the carved black dragon on the surface snarled up at them, daring them to call it weak.

"You went into my room?" Yugi raised his eyebrow. "Picking up some bad habits?"

Airi laughed. "Learned from the best." She studied the surface again. "I asked Yami's help picking the best bead for this. he told me this one. Saying it was the most like you."

"Dark and depressing?" Yugi guessed.

"No." she twisted the bead to show the opposite side. A Kanji character had been carved on the back. The symbol made him frown in confusion.

"Light?" he said. "odd to put on a black bead."

"I thought so too." Airi smiled sadly. "I think I showed it to him to be funny but he insisted this was the one we had to use in your present."

"Did he say why?" Yugi asked softly.

She nodded. "He often thought it was unfair that he had to take up so much of your life to keep the darkness at bay. but even with everything you two went through, your Hikari would shine even when a humorless dragon like him was in control."

"He said that?"

"Yep, I told him he was being cheesy." Airi laughed.

Yugi looked at the floor. "Why didn't he tell me?"

Airi placed a hand on his arm. "If I had to guess, he was afraid you'd blame yourself or become self-conscious." She took his hand and he let her slip the braided cord onto his right wrist. "But I think he'd tell you now if he could." She gave a sad smile. "Sorry, all you have is me."

Yugi pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, sis," he said. "It will be ok. I promise.


Rika stayed with Timaeus while he rested. She thought he'd never relax after all he'd been through. The elf paced around the room agitated. Timaeus' refusing her help only made her more anxious. What had Saku done to him? It had to be Saku. No one else could shake the dragon knight to his core like the guardian. The only other thing she'd seen Timaeus get agitated over was the idea of Yami being in danger.

Yami; worry gnawed at her. The situation showed how limited duel spirit power was. The only hope she could see was if Mahad reached the person he'd spoken about, though she wasn't sure who could help them now. Her green dress sounded unnaturally loud in the confined space. The house was strangely quiet without Yami.

She became aware of movement outside the doors. Peering out the window she could make out duel spirits heading towards the arena. She frowned. Was there a duel she didn't know about? A knock came from the door and she went to investigate and found Dark Magician Girl standing there.

"There's a new tournament." Dark Magician Girl bounced up and down in excitement.

Rika tilted her head in confusion.

"I just found out about it. Saki the Clown has been spreading the word like crazy. All those simulations Master Kaiba was doing were leading to another tournament with Master Yugi and that boy who's trying to bring Plana back. We'll probably be summoned." she paused. "Well, I guess I'll be the one getting summoned. Mistress Airi doesn't seem to be involved in this one."

Rika shook her head. The way Mistress Airi looked after the simulation, the elf hoped her mistress would take it easy.

"Well, I better get there. Who knows who will duel first." Dark Magician Girl ran off to follow the crowd. ,

A step behind Rika alerted her that she wasn't alone. Timaeus appeared next to her leaning heavily against the doorway. They watched in silence as more of the crowd passed them by. The knight looked more rested, but the frustration hadn't left the lines on his face.

"Mahad's not back." The knight spoke. It was more of a statement than a question. He kept watching the spirits pass by with brooding eyes.

Rika touched his arm, making him jump.

"Sorry," he tried to smile. "I'm not great company am I."

She slipped her arm into his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"The kid should stay out of this," Timaeus said. "It's better this way."

Rika looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"You're right, I don't believe that at all." He continued to watch the other spirits pass by. She didn't expect him to speak again when he turned to her, the spark in his eye more defined. "Rika. Do you trust me?"

She blinked, taken aback by the seriousness of his voice. Her lips silently formed the single question 'why'.

"I need to ask for your help," Timaeus said softly. "I can't make it there on my own. Most of all, I need to know you won't stop me."

Realization hit Rika and she felt her heart turn cold. She glanced around looking for any other option but knew he wouldn't accept it even if she suggested it.

Timaeus silently waited for her response.

She took his hand and placed his fingers on her throat moving her lips as she projected her thoughts to send her voice into his mind.

-I trust you

The knight's eye shone as he pulled his hand away taking hers. Together the two of them walked the opposite way of the assembling spirits towards the barrier.


All too soon it was time for the tournament to start. Yugi was escorted by Roland down one hall while Airi followed Mokuba in the opposite direction. For some reason, it felt more like they were separating for good instead of for a duel. Yugi had squeezed her hand before leaving, but it did little to reassure her. She wanted the mind link back so she could check on him more. The idea made her head throb and she winced. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't have random people's thoughts in her head.

The only hope she had was the bracelet she'd slip on his arm. During her phone conversation, she'd had with Nasira she'd come up with an idea to help Yugi. On the side of the bead, she'd scratched out an Egyptian spell of protection. It wasn't much, and Nasira wasn't even sure anyone except one of the elders could implement it successfully, but Airi didn't care. At this point, anything she could do to protect Yugi from any sneaky tricks Diva might pull.

Her conscience nagged at her; she should have told him there was a charm on it, but she pushed it away. If Yugi knew there was a charm on it he'd insist that she wear it. Right now she could only hope the charm would do something.

Mokuba led her to the upper stage next to the dueling platform. The duel stage was more like a sheet of glass, transparent to give anyone vertigo with no markings except for a giant KC in the center and a few lines marking out positions on the field for the duels. So far there was no sign of Kaiba or the other duelists.

A rumble of aircraft came from above and several jets flew across the sky to the cheers of the crowd. One of the jets disconnected from the V formation and all seemed alright until plumes of smoke erupted from the engine. Airi gasped with the crowd as the plane fell towards the audience. Airi looked at Mokuba to find the younger Kaiba watching with no reaction other than pride.

Now suspicious, Airi looked back at the plane spiraling towards the screaming crowd. At the last possible moment, the KaibaCorp insignia burst, and an Ultimate Blue-Eyes White Dragon rocketed into the sky. All three heads breathed yellow flames at the jet which exploded, engulfing the monsters and the flaming debris crashed towards the stage. Airi jumped at the impact. Members of the audience started running as the wreckage fell to earth. Instead of turning into smoke, fire erupted into the sky in a pillar of fire. A giant gust of wind pushed back against the crowd and Airi had to hold a hand up to shield her face from the combination of light and wind.

Laughing erupted from the pillar of fire. Airi's eyes narrowed. From inside the flames, a figure took shape. There was no mistaking the billowing tailcoats and glowing duel-disk as Kaiba raised his fist into the air. Airi's heart pounded in her ears, shock turning to annoyance as Seto Kaiba addressed the crowd.

"What you've just witnessed is what is possible with the power of my new duel-disk."

The fire disappeared, shifting into blue light which surrounded the young CEO.

Airi's insides clenched. All that panic was caused by a hologram?

Mokuba turned to Airi who continued to stare at the air where the holograms had faded.

"Well? What do you think?"

"I can see why Gozaburo wanted this," Airi said.

Mokuba frowned and turned away.

Kaiba opened his fist and panels around the field turned, very much like the panels in the simulation room, bathing the arena in techno blue light. Despite midday, the arena was completely enclosed by a blue dome. Screens showing Kaiba's face appeared as he continued to address the crowd.

"We have entered a new era of dueling. Where the limits are your imagination. For too long we've been forced to live in this reality. It's dull. Poorly designed and pathetically constructed. I knew I could do better. And I have."

Airi glanced around the arena. The way Kaiba was talking, she had to reassure herself there were no orichalcos symbols in the blue coding of the dome.

Kaiba continued the crowd seeming to hang on to his every word. "I have never settled for mediocrity, and neither should you. With my duel-disk, you will have pure tech perfection. So world this is my gift to you. Go out and grab it. And when you do and wonder about the great marvels of the universe, and who's responsible." a section of the stage levitated, lifting Kaiba into the air. "There is only one name. That name is SETO KAIBA."

The crowd erupted into applause. The sage began to transform with the grinding of gears as the floor opened up. More and more of the surface was even higher until Airi and Mokuba could see its level. Two towers had risen to the same level of the dueling platform but were isolated from the platform. Two spots opened in the top of the towers and Yugi and Diva appeared on platforms. Yugi stood like a statue, staring ahead of him at Kaiba with little reaction while holding his gold box before him. Diva held a cube in one hand while the other hand stayed limp at his side.

A walkway extended from the main platform to where Diva stood. The Egyptian boy took a step forward.

"Kaiba, I'm dueling Diva first." Yugi's voice rang across the field. "He and I have a score to settle."

This took most of the observers aback. Even Diva seemed confused. Kaiba wasn't fazed.

"This is my tournament. I call the shots."

"Not this time." Yugi interrupted. "I have a friend who's in trouble and beating Diva may be the only way of helping him. You know me Kaiba. I'd do anything to help a friend." a hard glint came in Yugi's eye. "So back off. Or we're going to have a problem."

Mokuba's jaw dropped. Airi's lip twitched and pride rose in her chest.

"A threat?" Kaiba acted unfazed, but he was looking right at Yugi now.

"Sure, why not," Yugi said. "So what's it going to be?"

The dome was unnaturally silent as the crowd waited for the CEO's call. Airi caught a few glances her way but ignored them as she continued to watch her brother. Pride burned inside her and she wished Yami could see this.

Finally, Kaiba huffed and turned away. The ramp from Yugi's platform extended to the main dueling platform like Diva's had. "Very well then. I will grant you this favor, but just this once."

Airi let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding as Yugi and Diva descended to the main platform.

When the two reached the platform, Yugi said something to Diva no one else could make out. It looked like a request, but whatever it was Diva wasn't going for it. Yugi put down the box containing the millennium puzzle pieces.

Kaiba tossed one of his new duel-disks at Yugi who barely caught it. Diva still didn't have a duel-disk, but that soon changed as he suddenly made a cube-shaped duel-disk and an upside-down triangle-shaped light appeared on his forehead. At the same time, a strange purple light spread across the field.

"Let's go to the realm of dimensions, Yugi." Diva cackled as the purple cloud covered the entire arena. Airi gasped as where they were standing was swallowed by the shadows. The sickening feeling was all too familiar.

"Oh no," Mokuba said. "He's dimension dueling again?"

"Dimension Dueling?"

"Diva did this in Egypt when we got the puzzle."

"It's still a form of shadow magic," Airi said, more to herself. "At least something about this is familiar." She only hoped Yugi's new armband would help.

Yugi's reaction to dimension dueling was to go in feet first as he took the first turn. "I dimensionally summon the Sentry of Stone in the defense position. I set two face downs and end my turn."

"That's it?" Mokuba said. "What's up with you Muto's starting duels like that.

Airi didn't comment. She trusted her brother, but even she worried about what this Diva was going to do.

Diva smirked at Yugi's monster as he drew. "I hope you're a quick study, Yugi, because any mistake here will cost you."

Airi's foreboding about Diva's dueling grew as he summoned his monsters in quick succession, using the lesser to fuel his Geira Guile the Cubic King up to 2400 attack points, more than Yugi's monster's attack points.

"Quick note Yugi. Every time I Dimension Summon it inflicts 800 points of damage directly to your life points."

Airi groaned as she watched Yugi's life points drop from 8000 to 7200

"Geira Guile, attack Yugi's Sentry of Stone and pulverize it into rubble," Diva commanded.

The attack crisscrossed in a snake of destruction, stabbing through the Sentry of Stone several times before arching back into the sky.

"And not only that, you take damage equal to its defense points."

The attack swung back down and threw Yugi off his feet. Airi heard the others in the crowd scream as Yugi landed in a heap on the ground. She took a step forward, wishing she had a mind link to ask Yugi if he was alright. As if sensing her wish, Yugi pushed himself up, holding up a hand in her direction to signal he was alright, before turning back to Diva.

"You triggered my trap." Yugi stood. "Dig of Destiny. Since I took over 2000 points of damage, I get to draw a card."

Diva wasn't impressed. "Draw a million cards, Yugi. They won't help you."

Yugi drew his card.

"Since Geira Guile battled this turn, I send it back to my deck to special summon three Vijam to the field.'' Diva wasn't done. "I stack two Vijam to dimension summon Vulcan Dragni.'' Again Yugi's life points went down. "It gains 800 attack points for every monster used to summon it." The point counter rose to 1600. "Vulcan Dragni, attack directly."

A red lava-like beam shot out of the monster engulfing Yugi, again knocking him off his feet. Airi watched in horror as Diva repeated the Vijam dimension summon ability once more. Again the Vijam stacked, this time to create Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor. Yugi's point counter fell lower and lower and again Yugi flew off his feet and was slammed into the ground.

"Yugi!" Airi screamed. Yugi pushed himself up but remained on his hands and knees. As he knelt the sleeve of his jacket was pulled up his arm to reveal nothing was on his right wrist. Horror gripped her. Where was the band? Yugi glanced in her direction and flicked his wrist so the sleeve fell again. He'd taken it off himself? Shock turned to anger inside her. What was he thinking? If he had realized there were markings on the bead, he couldn't have known what they meant. Why did he take it off?

"Your brother better prove himself, Airi." Kaiba stood nearby, only seeming mildly interested.

She glared at him with poisonous fury. "I hate you."

He stared at her words. "For what reason."

"Take your pick," Airi growled. "I don't have time to list them." She didn't care about the semantics of who was most to blame. Kaiba had dug up the puzzle and because of it, Yugi was dueling now. Currently, she hated Diva more for tossing Yugi around the field like a rag doll but was pretty close.

Mokuba glanced between the two but didn't say anything.

"Farewell vessel of the pharaoh." Diva cackled in glee. "And farewell, pharaoh, to any chance for you to return."

"Wrong." Yugi pushed himself up to a kneeling position. "I activate Warrior's Devotion. By sending a Warrior-Type Monster from my hand to the graveyard, I decrease the attacking monster's attack points by the attack points of the discarded monsters."

An image of Silent Swordsman LV5 flashed on the field, striking Indiora Doom Volt and dropping his attack points to 100. The attack went through, sending Yugi skidding backward but Yugi's life points only dropped to 1900.

Diva glared at Yugi. "I end my turn."

Airi's heart pounded; That was only the second turn of the duel. How was Yugi going to beat monsters like that? She did her best not to show it but she could feel her resolve slip as Yugi pushed himself back to his feet. If Yugi wouldn't accept what help she tried to give she didn't know what else to do. Her fingers went to her jade pendant.

'Please.' she thought. 'Heart of Cards, anyone, help him.'


A/N: Wow, that was a lot of information at one go. I hope all the changes were clear. Let me know if I need to clear some stuff up in the next chapter.

Please review. I hope you enjoyed it. Take care and God bless.