The Millennium Items were dangerous, that much Matsuda agreed with. But, as much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't so sure any more that they would be much safer with L. He was already regretting bringing back the Millennium Ring, he couldn't begin to imagine what the rest of them would do. The fact that L apparently wanted them all now was troubling enough in and of itself. He wasn't even sure that it was L who really wanted them.

So, that was why Matsuda had disobeyed orders and was now wading through the crowds of spectators and edging around duels, not as a competitor in the Battle City tournament, but instead looking for Ryou Bakura. If anyone knew what the Ring could really do and how to stop it, he would, and Watari said this was where he would be.

Somehow Seto Kaiba had managed to claim all of downtown Domino City for his tournament. He had even come in on a blimp, if the news reports were to be believed, and put on a midday fireworks display to mark the its beginning. Now, the streets and public squares were filled with children - and some adults - dueling or running between duels, all wearing Kaiba's latest Duel Disk. All traffic was stopped and Matsuda spotted a few confused-looking businessmen peeking out of their office buildings to marvel at the chaos this children's card game had inspired.

Matsuda whispered into his wire, "How's it going?"

"There has been no change," Watari replied.

That couldn't be good. "He's still touching the Ring?"

"Yes. He hasn't said anything yet, but he appears to be retaining some control."

"Any word from the officer who's supposed to be tracking Ryou Bakura?"

"No, I am certain that he is preoccupied by the tournament just as you are."

"Oh well, thanks, Watari."

The connection closed with a click.

Matsuda would just have to find Ryou himself. So, he followed the thickening crowd into the center of the tournament in the hope that it would lead him to Yugi Muto, and that Yugi would in turn lead him to Ryou.

He was wandering down a major thoroughfare towards a mass of people that he hoped had gathered around a duel, when suddenly a grown man in a long black cloak pushed past and ran down the street.

"That's one of the Rare Hunters you were briefing L about?" Matsuda whispered.

"Yes," Watari said.

It looked like he was headed in the right direction. Matsuda hurried into the crowd as it began to disperse, hoping that the other duelist wasn't in such a rush. Thankfully, on the contrary, a line had formed to meet the winner - none other than Mai Valentine, who Matsuda had met as one of the finalists at Duelist Kingdom.

It looked like it was taking long enough as she gave autographs and signed Duel Monsters paraphernalia, that Matsuda just got in line.

When his turn came, Valentine greeted him incredulously, "What are you doing here? Aren't you a cop?"

"I'm looking for Ryou Bakura," he explained, "I have a few questions for him. I don't suppose you know where he is, or where Yugi Muto and his friends might be?"

"That weird white-haired kid? Not a clue. But, despite his height, Yugi is impossible to miss; I saw him dueling another one of these Rare Hunter creeps and thought I might as well get a piece of the action. Shame I already have one of these." She pocketed the card she won from the Rare Hunter all the same. "Last I saw him, he was dueling in the square, but he's probably won by now." She pointed him in the right direction with a doubtful word of "Good luck."

He thanked her and went on his way. With a sense of purpose and a bit of urgency from the sinking feeling in his chest, he set off at a run. It was a good thing he did, even though he was quickly out of breath. The crowd had already dispersed and he just barely arrived at the square in time to see Yugi Muto setting off down one of the side streets, and Joey Wheeler heading down another.

Matsuda only paused for an instant to catch his breath before running after Yugi. He shouted, "Yugi! Wait!"

Yugi stopped and, when he saw Matsuda hurrying to catch up to him, ran back to meet him halfway.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked as Matsuda doubled over to catch his breath.

"It's a long story," Matsuda explained between gasps for air, "But I need to find Ryou Bakura. Do you know where he is?"

Yugi shook his head. "Maybe he's with Light?"

"I don't suppose you know where Light is either?"

Yugi shook his head again. "When I was looking for Joey I went to the roof of that building." He pointed up at it. "That made it a lot easier."

"That's a great idea! Thank you, and good luck!"

"You too!" Yugi said with a determined smile and ran off, ready for the next duel that awaited him.

Matsuda set off at a run too. He knew just which office building would give him the perfect vantage point. A rush of cold air hit him as he stepped in through the front doors. Only when he stepped inside the clean, polished lobby did he realize just how sweaty he was. He self-consciously straightened his t-shirt and tried to smooth back his hair, but it probably just made him look worse. He tried to act casual and hoped no one would realize just how out of place he looked as he boarded the elevator and took off for the top floor. At least he was the only one on board.

He got off the top floor and hurried through the hallways in search of a stairwell that boasted "roof access." He could have sworn he was going in circles when he ran into a woman in a suit. She looked prim and professional, and like all of the things that Matsuda was not in that moment. He started to stammer out some sort of apology or half an explanation.

She interrupted, "Are you lost?"

He nodded. "I- I'm doing maintenance," he finally blurted out. "I'm new on the job and can't find the way to the roof. Do you know where it is?"

She led him to a stairwell he had certainly passed at least once already. He thanked her profusely, but she clearly had places to go and people to meet, and quickly removed herself from the situation. Matsuda didn't blame her. He was surprised she believed him at all and didn't just throw him out on the street. He probably looked like a homeless person and he didn't even know what he had been thinking while he was talking to her.

He was mentally hitting himself as he climbed the stairs up, onto the roof. It was a lot windier up in the open air than he expected, but he had all the range of vision he could possibly want. He carefully edged around the building, clutching the sides so he wouldn't succumb to the dizzying drop. All he needed was a speck of white; a boy with long white hair should have been impossible to miss. He made a few laps around the rooftop before he finally saw what he was looking for.

He bolted back down the stairs, not even taking the time to wait for the elevator. He had to get there before Ryou moved and before Matsuda forgot where he was. He ran around the block and down a side street until finally he saw the white-haired boy - thankfully the right one too. He was alone.

"Bakura! Ryou!" Matsuda shouted.

Ryou froze.

The boy glanced around wildly, looking like he was ready to flee. Finally he spotted Matsuda and visibly relaxed, though he still had a little of a wide-eyed caught in the headlights look to him.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Matsuda exclaimed as he hurried towards the boy.

Ryou generously waited for Matsuda to catch his breath before he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Matsuda nodded, and then hastily corrected himself, "I just have some more questions about the Millennium Ring."

"When can I have it back?"

"It's too dangerous," Matsuda insisted.

To Matsuda's surprise, Ryou dug in his heels, "It's too dangerous to be left with someone who doesn't know anything about it! How can you say it's safer with you when you keep coming to me for advice?"

"It's not safe with anyone, but at least where it is it's not going to pull anything! It's not going anywhere, we've got it locked up and it's not getting out." Matsuda just hoped they wouldn't have to keep L locked up with it forever.

"What's wrong then?" Ryo asked, still suspicious.

"It's," Matsuda began before he had figured out exactly what he was going to say. He tried again, "It's a long story, sorry. I just have a few questions about its powers, is that okay?"

Ryo hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"Great!" Matsuda exclaimed, relieved. "What exactly can it do? What sort of control does it have over its host and what are its other powers?"

"It's not safe! You lied! You gave it to someone, and now…" Ryou's expression turned to one of utter horror as he trailed off.

"It's not going to do anything," Matsuda insisted. "My boss-" he stopped himself short. But he had already revealed that much, and the most important thing was gaining Ryo's trust, so he continued, "My boss locked himself away with it. We're under orders not to let him out with the Ring and then only once we're certain he's okay. There's no way the Ring's getting out of there. I'm just worried about him."

"You should be! You don't know what it's like being controlled by that thing. Even now, sometimes I can still feel it calling to me..." Ryou shuddered at the thought.

"Do you know what it wants?"

"Not exactly… I just know that it doesn't like the Millennium Puzzle, the 'Pharaoh.' I think it wants to do something to him, to get revenge. Sometimes I have nightmares…" Ryou trailed off.

"What are its powers?" Matsuda tried to change the topic before he lost the boy entirely, "What is it capable of?"

Ryou took a breath to steady himself. "It can take peoples' souls, move them around, call shadow games, I don't know what else. It can control its host."

"You said you can still feel it even when you're not touching it?" Matsuda asked as gently as he could.

Ryou nodded. "I don't think it was always like that, but now I can feel it sometimes. It's making me want it back. Sometimes I can feel its frustration. I don't think it likes its new host, your boss. I don't think it can really control me now, though, just put ideas in my head..."

"Do you know how it controls you? If there are any limits?"

Ryo hesitated, but the boy was braver than Matsuda had given him credit for. "It's a lot more powerful than it seems. Sometimes it just takes over completely. At first I blacked out when that happened, but now - when I had it, that is - I could feel it. It's like I was just watching him using my body. I even looked more like him, if that's possible. But that wasn't the worst of it. Even when I'm 'in control' so long as I'm wearing the Ring, and now even when I'm not, I can still feel it in my mind, telling me what to say and do. I almost used to make a game of it, trying to say things it wouldn't let me. I never won. I hope your boss is stronger than I am."

They both fell silent as his words sank in.

"There has to be something…" Matsuda said, more to himself than the boy.

"Maybe Ishizu, the curator of the Egyptian exhibit at the museum, knows something. She seemed to know a lot about the Millennium Items, she even said she could see the future. That's why Kaiba is hosting this tournament at all, apparently it has something to do with the Pharaoh. Maybe she can help."

"I hope so," Matsuda said.


I hope Joey will be okay.

Yugi knew how important it was for Joey to prove himself as a duelist, but he couldn't help but regret the deal they had made to find their own way and meet again at the finals. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon card didn't belong in his hands, it belonged with Joey - Joey needed his strongest card. But maybe Joey was right, maybe Yugi did need it more; maybe Yugi needed part of Joey with him, especially with everything going on, between the Rare Hunters and the questions that remained about the mysterious Millennium Items.

A peal of eerie, high pitched laughter cut through Yugi's thoughts.

A clown approached him from a nearby stand of trees. It almost looked like a life-sized puppet; they even moved in unnatural, sudden motions, like a marionnette. Yugi's every instinct told him to run and he began to back away.

"Hello, Yugi," the clown said, in a high, nasally voice, "we've been looking for you." He gave a slight bow, an arm across his chest.

Yugi forced himself to hold his ground - he didn't even know if his legs would have been able to support him if he tried to run. He wouldn't find any of the answers he was looking for if he was too afraid to search for them.

"Who are you?" he asked, though he could not keep the trepidation out of his voice.

"You'll find out if you walk that way, 53 steps forward and into that tent. My master is waiting for you inside."

The clown made an exaggerated gesture, pointing across the park, to a circus tent that Yugi hadn't even realized was there. Under any other circumstances it would have been cheery, stripped in yellow and green. There was nothing creepy about it, but who knew what was waiting for him inside.

"It's in your best interest to go." Then the clown gave a deep bow and flipped away with a high laugh.

And then he was gone, as though no one had been there at all and Yugi had just imagined the strange, marionette-like clown and his cryptic invitation. And if it was real, that made it all the more terrible of an idea to follow his direction into a lonely circus tent. Yugi didn't even know if it actually had anything to do with the Millennium Puzzle - which belonged to Light, not to him, anyway.

Still, Yugi walked towards the tent, one step after another, until he reached the curtain and pulled it open before him. He stepped into the darkness.

This is it.

The inside of the tent was not nearly as cheery as the outside. He was alone. A lone, dim light illuminated a small stage, above which a banner read, "Magic Show." In the center of the stage, in front of a deep red curtain, was a stack of three boxes, each bearing a question mark. He would have recognized it anywhere; it looked like the card Mystic Box come to life.

Before he got up the courage to call out, the front of the boxes swung open and out stepped the clown with that same high pitched laugh.

Yugi jumped. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

The clown beckoned to him. "Enter here, Yugi. The master's waiting." And then he faded into the darkness from whence he came.

This was it. He could turn back and pretend that this had never happened, or better yet, maybe even call the police. Or, he could follow the creepy clown into the creepy box in the creepy tent. He took in a deep breath and stepped toward the box.

The door closed behind him with a click, leaving him in complete darkness.

There was a faint, distant smell of smoke and then he felt the box drop with a thud that rattled his entire body. He had hardly reoriented himself when the door swung open once more. He found himself in a dark room, empty aside from a single computer, which was pointed directly at him. The computer was on, but the screen displayed only static.

Yugi stepped out of the box and to his surprise, someone else stepped forward beside him, emerging from another identical Mystic Box.

"Light!" Yugi exclaimed.

He had so many questions, but all he felt was relief. At least Light, with his Millennium Puzzle, would be able to protect them from whoever it was that had summoned them there.

"Yugi, what are you doing here? It's not safe," Light said, glancing around the room as though he were looking for something.

"There was a clown…" Yugi began to explain, but it sounded so absurd to actually say it out loud that he couldn't bring himself to go any further. Instead, he asked, "Do you know what's going on?"

Thankfully, Light nodded. "He said that he knew something about the Millennium Items, but if it's about the Puzzle, I don't know why he lured you here too."

"Maybe it has something to do with what Ishizu said-" Yugi began.

However, he was interrupted by a smooth female voice coming from the computer speakers. "Hacking into Battle City database."

The computer beeped and an image of Yugi popped up, with his Dark Magician beside him. Under the image was a row of five golden stars like the star chips they used at Duelist Kingdom.

Static faded in and out as the voice said, "Duelist profile for Yugi Muto. Dueling level; 5 stars. Rarest card; Dark Magician."

Then, the image of Yugi was replaced by a picture of Light with four stars below it, and a fifth outlined, but not filled in.

The voice continued, "Duelist profile for Light Yagami. Dueling level; 4 stars. Rarest card; Dark Magician."

As soon as the voice stopped, the Dark Magician pictured in the card on the screen suddenly transformed from the Dark Magician that was so familiar to both of them into a sort of twisted mirror with a decidedly unfriendly grin, his purple cloak turned red. For a moment the Dark Magician seemed to move as though it were alive. But Yugi hardly had a chance to look at it before the image gave way to orange and brown static, which consumed the screen in a flash. It didn't stop there; somehow the static spread out the top of the computer until it towered over their heads, forming what could have only been a life sized hologram of the strange red Dark Magician, which loomed over Yugi and Light.

Yugi stumbled backwards in shock, but Light remained unmoved. Even though he wasn't wearing the Millennium Puzzle, Light still had all the Pharaoh's bravery and confidence.

The twisted Dark Magician laughed at them. There was an electronic distortion underlying its voice as it sneered, "I've been waiting for you. Neither of you are worthy of having me in your deck, so prepare to lose me forever! You're not the only duelists with my power, Light and Yugi, and you're certainly not the best." He pointed his staff at the two of them and Yugi prepared for a Dark Magic attack. "It's time that you met the true master of the Dark Magician!"

An eerie cackle echoed around the room and a man emerged from the shadows. He looked like the ringmaster in a red suit and top hat, his face concealed by a large, blue and black striped mask with curved spikes coming off either side. On his arm was a duel disk - if it was a duel he wanted, then that, at least, Yugi was ready to give him. Yugi tried to stand strong and him just like Light.

"Welcome, Light Yagami and Yugi Muto. I am the illusionist known as Arkana, and soon your favorite cards will be dueling for me. Only a true master of illusion deserves to hold the Dark Magician. You will never understand its full potential," he taunted them, holding up a card bearing the same twisted red version of the Dark Magician.

Yugi clenched his fists. He was proud of his Dark Magician. They had fought side by side ever since Yugi began playing Duel Monsters. It wasn't just his favorite card from the deck that his grandfather gave him; they had some inexplicable connection that this so-called "master of magicians" couldn't possibly understand.

"What are you really after?" Light asked, somehow able to think clearly despite everything going on around them. "This can't just be over some card. What do you know about the Millennium Items?"

"It's not just some card, but the Dark Magician!" Arkana exclaimed. "If you don't appreciate its power, then you may as well just hand it over and spare me the trouble of trouncing you in a duel."

"You're on!" Yugi said, ready to fight for his favorite card.

However, to his astonishment, Light seemed to be ready to give it away. "If that's what you want, then fine; I'm willing to trade you my Dark Magician for the information you promised about the Millennium Items. Unless you were just lying to lure us down here and don't really know anything about them."

Arkana cackled and for a moment his forehead seemed to glow with the golden symbol of the eye that marked all of the Millennium Items. "I know the power of the Millennium Items! Pardon me, I've forgotten my manners. Please, allow me to introduce my lovely assistant, Catherine."

As Arkana gestured to his side, a feminine figure emerged from the shadows. At first glance, his assistant looked like a woman with long blond hair in a light pink business suit, but her eyes did not open and her movements were unnatural, like another marionette. As she came into the light, Yugi could see seams at her neck and knees. She took a stiff bow.

"She left me, but my master, Marik, brought her back to me with the power of his Millennium Rod, and in return, all I have to do is defeat you, Light and Yugi, in a duel!"

Another Millennium Item?

"But that- that's just a mannequin…" Yugi glanced at Light, unsure whether it would be worse if it was only Yugi who saw that it was a mannequin or if Light saw it too.

However, Light was preoccupied by Arkana; he didn't seem to notice "Catherine" at all. "The Millennium Rod? What do you say Yugi, are you up for a duel?"

It took Yugi a moment to realize that Light had asked him anything at all. "Of course. My Dark Magician and I won't let you down!"

"Good. Then, Arkana, we accept your duel."

"Facing your demise like true duelists. Very impressive," Arkana taunted. "But this room's a little cramped, don't you think, Catherine darling? Fortunately I have a special dueling ring, specially made for this match. Right this way!"

With a sweep of his arm, Arkana beckoned them deeper into the darkness, the mannequin on his other arm. Light followed without hesitation. Yugi wished he could be that brave, but he hastened after them.

"Tada!" Arkana came to a stop in front of a solid metal door with a question mark in the center, set in a wall reinforced with strips of metal. It conveyed a clear message; the only way out was victory.

The door unlatched with a solid clang. Inside, the room looked like it was made of solid gold. The walls were gold, the floor was gold, even the ceiling was gold striped with swaths of pink cloth. Most of the room was occupied by a circular dueling arena that just looked like a depression in the floor, with a large golden eye in the center.

"Hurry, it's almost curtain time!" Arkana urged them to take their places around the circle. "I have special orders to make this duel a real spectacle!"

Yugi got up his courage to ask, "What does the holder of the Millennium Rod want with us? Does he want the Millennium Puzzle, like Pegasus?"

"Relax and enjoy the show," Arkana said, pushing the question aside. "Forget who's backstage, just worry about us!"

However, Light replied, "Yes, Yugi, I'm sure that's what he's after, but if he wants the Millennium Puzzle, he'll have to come out and face me himself, because we're not going to lose to his subordinate." Light pulled the Millennium Puzzle out of his backpack and put it around his neck, and in an instant he seemed to transform; he wasn't actually any different, but he stood taller, his shoulders looked broader, and his hair seemed a little wilder.

"You would do best not to underestimate me, especially not with the show about to begin!"

They all took their places around the arena; Arkana and his mannequin assistant, Catherine, on one side, and on the other were Yugi and Light - now taken over by Yami, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Yami who had been willing to do anything to protect Yugi and his friends. Who had saved them from Panik and Pegasus, but had also left Panik in a coma and had been more than ready to do the same, if not worse, to Pegasus. Yugi had been able to stop him then, but he didn't know what Yami would do now.

However, Yugi didn't have much of a chance to worry about Yami, because as he took his place around the circular dueling arena, a pair of manacles clamped themselves around his ankles, holding him tightly in place. He frantically glanced around that they were all restrained, even Arkana and Catherine.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Yugi exclaimed.

"Relax," Arkana said, "we're all locked in, which means none of us can escape! See, there's an extra twist! We're not just playing for what's inside your decks, we're playing for what's inside your minds!"

Yugi's eyes widened in fear as four whirling blades popped out of the arena wall. They were each at the beginning of a track that ended at the feet of each of the four duelists. The tracks were marked with numbers in increments of one thousand, from four thousand at each saw, down to zero at each duelist's feet. They were the players' life points.

Arkana let out a wild laugh. "It's a dark energy disk, and I wouldn't get too close. One touch and your mind's banished to the Shadow Realm!"

He's really gone mad.

Those weren't "dark energy disks." Yugi could see the saws as clear as day. This was some sort of death trap out of the sorts of movies he was too frightened to even watch at home with all the lights on. He struggled to break himself out of the restraints, but the solid metal refused to budge. They might not kill him, but the thought of what would actually happen if any of them lost was too horrifying to even imagine.

"This is crazy, Arkana!" Yugi shouted. "Don't do this!"

However, Arkana had already moved on to the next "feature" of his twisted arena, "You'll see each of us has a key box" - the aforementioned boxes rose from the floor between each duelist's feet - "And inside is a key to unlock the shackles around your legs. Your box displays your opponents' combined life points, and will only open if you win the duel! Only then can you save yourself! Think of it as a hope chest really, because that key is your only hope." He let loose another burst of mad laughter.

This can't be happening.

"There has to be some other way! I don't want any of us to-"

"Getting cold feet?" Arkana taunted. "It's too late for that! Your only way out is victory, and I'm afraid that will be a tall order, even for you."

"We will defeat you!" Yami declared. "There is not a chance that we will fall to the likes of you!"

"Wait! Yami, we can't go through with this!" Yugi insisted.

"Why not?" Yami seemed strangely puzzled.

"Even if we win, what about Arkana? We can't just let-" Yugi hesitated to say it, afraid that would make it more real. "We can't just let him chop his legs off! You can see the saws, can't you?"

"The stakes are much higher than that!" Arkana said with an evil laugh. "They may appear to be saws, but they are in fact dark energy disks! If they so much as touch you, they will send your soul to the shadow realm for all eternity!"

"You heard him!" Yugi said. "He thinks they're 'dark energy disks'! He doesn't even know what he's doing and even if he did, it's- it's just not right!"

"Are you ready to duel or not?" Arkana interrupted, drawing his first hand. "Not that you have a choice! You cannot stall forever, or do you mean to surrender rather than delay the inevitable?"

Yugi hastily drew his first hand, but this was a duel he couldn't bear to win or afford to lose.

"You are very noble, Yugi, to desire to save him from his own underhanded machinations," Yami said as he followed suit. "He does not deserve your mercy."

"I assure you, I will give you none!" Arkana cackled. "Brace yourself for my Legion the Fiend Jester!" A life-sized marionette materialized on his side of the arena.

"I'll show you some real magic!" Yami declared and sacrificed Arkana's own monster to summon the Dark Magician. It fired a bolt of dark energy at Arkana.

The saw slid along the track towards Arkana until it was just past the 2000 mark - more than halfway there.

It's now or never!

"I'm still waiting for this grand magic show you promised!" Yami challenged.

"Arkana," Yugi interrupted, shoring up his defenses while he could, "you don't have to do this! You can just let us all go! Please! You already have less than half your life points, but no one has to go to the Shadow Realm or anything!"

Arkana merely laughed. "You think I'll be the one sent to the Shadow Realm? Never!"

Arkana flipped over a trap card and a twisted coffin materialized on the arena. It opened to reveal Arkana's red Dark Magician, which faced Yami's own, perfectly matched.

"Those are saws!" Yugi shouted in the vain hope that something would get through to him. "They're not dark energy disks! They won't send you to the Shadow Realm, they'll cut off your feet! You have to listen to me! We can all get out of this okay if you just release us!"

"You are seeing only what your eyes want you to see! I understand, spending eternity in the Shadow Realm is a terrifying prospect. Thankfully, I won't be the one to face it!"

The mannequin took her turn in stuttered movements as they argued.

"Please! I don't want to hurt you!" Yugi was nearly begging. He could feel his eyes beginning to well up with tears.

Arkana laughed again. "You don't have a choice but to take your turn, unless you want to surrender! It's kill, or be killed! Or should I say, send to the Shadow Realm, or be sent yourself! Dark Magician, attack your doppelganger and show your true power!"

"Not so fast, Arkana! Your Dark Magician has fallen into my trap, where it will meet its demise!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Arkana countered Yami's trap with another of his own and both cards disappeared from play.

The two Dark Magicians, purple and red, again stared at each other across the arena, equally matched.

"Yugi," Yami said, his voice firm, but not entirely unsympathetic, "we cannot allow him to win. We both have things we must do and we cannot let it end here. Will you work with me?"

Yugi wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gave a shaky nod. Yami was right. He refused to let Arkana destroy himself, but he couldn't just lay down and let it happen to him and Yami - or to Light. Maybe if he just moved fast enough after the box opened, he could use the key to save Arkana too. And to do that, he had to win.

Yugi finally sacrificed two monsters and summoned his own Dark Magician to turn the tide.

I'm sorry Dark Magician.

He attacked Arkana and, with the arena cleared of trap cards, both monsters were destroyed.

"How touching," Arkana taunted, "But teamwork and good feelings won't be enough to save you from the Shadow Realm! Light is right, you should stop worrying about me and take care of yourself, Yugi! It's my show, remember? I can't lose!"

The mannequin, Catherine, summoned a Dark Magician Girl of its own.

Without a word, the mannequin sent its Dark Magician Girl after Yami's Dark Magician, sure to destroy it. Even though the monster in the line of fire was not his own, Yugi braced himself for impact.

"Not so fast!" Yami flipped over his face down - a trap card!

It was a Spellbinding Circle, just like the one that was buried somewhere in Yugi's own deck. The play was so familiar, he could almost feel his own hands moving to play the cards in Yami's place. It was as though it was his own Dark Magician that attacked the weakened Dark Magician Girl when Yami's turn came.

They both cheered when the attack went through. For an instant, their eyes met and it was as though Yugi could see past Light Yagami's eyes, into the Pharaoh's own soul, which strangely seemed to mirror Yugi's more than its own host. When Ishizu Ishtar had said Yugi was the rightful holder of the Millennium Puzzle, it was difficult to believe her, but in that moment it made all too much sense.

"My Catherine!" Arkana cried out. "How could you so heartlessly destroy her poor Dark Magician Girl? I'll just have to make you regret it by taking your Dark Magicians and casting your souls into the Shadow Realm!"

Yugi took a deep breath and prepared to face the mad Arkana once and for all. He could feel the card at the top of his deck calling out to him. It's time, he could almost hear the card saying. Before he drew, he knew it would be his own Dark Magician Girl.

However, before Yugi had the chance to play her, Arkana declared, "Time for the grand finale! It's curtains for you, Yugi! You didn't think the master of magicians would only have one Dark Magician, did you?"

He summoned the Dark Magician and launched a direct attack on Yugi's life points. The Dark Magician Girl had come too late to save him. Yugi could almost see the saw inching towards him, as his life points dropped to zero. He braced himself for the blow, though he could not begin to comprehend the pain that would follow.

But the blast of energy from the attack never came. He peeked open one eye to see a wall of glowing white energy shielding him. It was a Dark Magician! Yami's Dark Magician had rushed to his defense.

Yami was watching him, as confident as ever. "Yugi, are you unharmed?"

He nodded as the attacking and defending monsters vanished in a burst of light. Yugi wasn't alone.

When the dust settled, it was Yugi's turn again, and he knew what he had to do. "Dark Magician Girl, attack!"

The duel ended in a burst of light, but it was far from over. Yugi could see the saw inching closer to Arkana's ankles, now past the 1000 life point mark. Yugi unlocked himself as quickly as he could, when he saw Yami reaching back, his palm out.

"No!" Yugi shouted.

He bolted across the arena to Arkana, unlocked his shackles and threw him to the ground, out of the way of the saw and the magical attack alike.

When Yugi looked up, Yami had frozen in place, his palm back over his shoulder, poised to crush Arkana's mind.

Before Yugi could say anything, Arkana pushed him away and ran to the marionette with a cry of, "Catherine!"

The saw ripped through its legs and came to a stop between its ruined feet and shredded ankles. It slumped over and fell as though its strings had been cut, into Arkana's waiting arms.

"No, my dear Catherine, no, it can't be," he stammered between sobs.

"I'm sorry," Yugi said gently, "but it's okay, it wasn't really Catherine."

However, before Yugi could reach Arkana to try to comfort him, he suddenly fell silent.

The magician spun around to face Yugi and Yami in a much too fluid motion. His body hung limply, like another marionette. On his forehead was a glowing golden eye.

"Arkana is gone," the magician's voice echoed with one that was not his own. "So we meet at last, Light and little Yugi. I'm sure I need no introduction; I am Marik Ishtar, the leader of the Rare Hunters. I will claim your Egyptian God Card, Yugi, and the Millennium Puzzle which is rightfully mine! And then no one will be able to stop me! My family has slaved for centuries, protecting the tomb of the Pharaoh until his return, and for what? I should be the Pharaoh! The world should kneel before me!"

"Never!" Yami shouted and finally completed the gesture, shoving out his palm in a single brutal blow that severed Marik from the magician.

The glowing eye on Arkana's forehead vanished and he crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

Light pulled off the Millennium Puzzle with a sudden effort and returned to himself. "What happened?" he exclaimed in his own voice. "Is everything alright?"

"We have to get him out of here! He's barely breathing!" Yugi said. "Marik took control of him and then Yami forced Marik out, but I think he did something to Arkana too."

"That's terrible! I tried to stop him from hurting Arkana, but I'm afraid its power is too much for me."

Between the two of them they managed to haul Arkana out of the arena and up, back to the surface.

They sat panting on a park bench with the unconscious Arkana propped up between them.

"Yugi! There you are!" A shout came from the other side of the park.

It was Tristan, closely followed by Tea, Mokuba, and Yugi's grandpa, all running toward them across the grass. A wave of relief crashed over Yugi.

"We were worried!" Tea exclaimed when they were a little closer. "Even Mokuba couldn't locate you using the tracker in your duel disks!"

"Sorry, we're alright now," Yugi said, standing up to meet them.

He almost thought he saw a frown ghost across Light's face, before he too stood and greeted everyone with a smile.