Yeah… I'm not really happy with how this turned out, but I didn't have enough time to change it ;_; The idea was so cool in my head but when I started writing, it suddenly wasn't anymore. I tried to save it as best I could, but I'm not sure if it worked^^'

Game

"It's been quite a while since we were summoned like that, right?"

"Yes! It's been too long if you ask me!"

"Ladies, please. We were not summoned yet, we're still here. So calm down." Mahad sighed a little at Mana's and Kisara's excitement and tried hard not to let their bright eyes and even brighter smiles infect him too much.

They were right though. It had been too long since their respective masters were dueling against each other like that and he was glad it was happening once again. As much as he tried to hide it, he was excited. He always enjoyed fighting against Kisara and Seto Kaiba the most, but over the years the times were they stood face to face on the battlefield decreased and both of them and Mana regretted that a little. They were happy that Atem and Seto had found something else to entertain themselves with, but for them as their signature monsters it was still a drop of bitterness.

Kisara's chuckle brought him out of his thoughts. "Mahad, you know Mana for such a long time now, you should know that she doesn't do calm."

Mana nodded gushily at him and all but bounced up and down, scolding him a little for his calm appearance. "Exactly!"

Mahad sighed but when he wanted to answer them, Kisara's body slowly started to lose its solidity and became more and more translucent. She smiled so brightly, it seemed to spread from ear to ear. "It's happening."

In the next moment she was gone and Mana laughed. "Aren't you happy that they're dueling again?"

"Of course I am." He smiled and ruffled her hair, what she hated, but he did it anyway – or exactly for that reason. "This has always been their game, their time they shared with us and they trust us the most to achieve their goals. It's an honor."

"It's fun!" Mana corrected, still that scolding look in her eyes, but again Mahad wasn't able to answer her properly, when he started to fade as well. He took a deep breath to ready himself and grinned at Mana, his deadpan finally faltering. She chuckled and her waving hand was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again Dark Magician couldn't help his excited smile now that he saw Kisara in her dragon form again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Dark Magician Girl appearing on the field next to him with her usual charming smile, but he only stared right ahead at Blue Eyes, just as Blue Eyes stared back at him. They were just as much each other's destined opponent as Yami and Kaiba were.

Or… had their feud turned the monsters into that in the first place?

Well, probably.

But every time he stood face to face to them on the battlefield like that, his excitement flared up and he could feel his blood pumping through his veins at breakneck speed. He swung his rod at the dragon, then looked up at its wielder… and froze. He did not look into the blue eyes of Seto Kaiba, but into the violet ones of Atem.

Dark Magician stopped moving altogether. He looked at Atem with wrinkled brows, wondering for a second if the Duel Disk he used had an error but when saw his pharaoh looking back at him with a strange mixture of wonder and disbelief, he knew that his king knew what he was doing. To confirm his suspicion, Dark Magician turned slightly to look at the person who summoned him and froze again, when he saw Seto Kaiba looking down at him with that dueling face of his.

A shiver ran through his spine and luckily brought his muscles out of their stiffness. He turned back to him and shot Atem a disbelieving, reproachful, almost hurt look. All Atem did was shrug his shoulders, the smile still on his face. That really wasn't the answer his servant wanted. Dark Magician wanted to go back on his side, the side where he belonged. He was Atem's servant and Atem's alone; he would only obey his commands and no one else's. That had always been something he shared with Kisara but now he felt it more than ever before.

So again, he took a deep breath and after a last glance at Dark Magician Girl and Blue Eyes White Dragon, he closed his eyes and started whispering.

"What the…" He heard Kaiba say and felt a little sting when the CEO immediately started to push some buttons on his Duel Disk. He looked up and into Atem's eyes only to see bewilderment reflected in those violet orbs, but he wouldn't change his mind. He didn't know what was going on, if he was dreaming or imagining things, but the last thing he wanted was to fight against Atem. He tried telling him that with the look he gave him and when Atem's features slowly softened and he saw the smallest nod, he solemnly completed the spell he was casting.

Dark Magician became more and more translucent with every passing second and when he was nearly gone, he heard Blue Eyes White Dragon making an aggravated, sad noise. He knew he was betraying his comrades, but Blue Eyes also only fought for one person, so she would understand.

A few seconds after Dark Magician had dissipated completely, the dragon started to as well. Only Dark Magician Girl was still on the field and as the duelists both looked at her expectantly and confused she just laughed and nervously scratched the back of her head as if apologizing for her fellow fighters and herself. She winked at Atem and waved again, then turned and stuck her tongue out to Seto. The next moment she vanished into thin air as well, leaving the soft sound of her giggle and two dumbfounded duelists behind.

When she returned to her human form, she found Mahad and Kisara already absorbed into a heated discussion on what just happened.

"Why did you go?"

"There is no way in hell I'd let myself be wielded by someone else than my pharaoh, let alone by that man."

"Oh, come on! They're so cute!"

"That doesn't mean they have to use us like that."

"So you admit you find them cute."

"That's not the point." Mahad tried to explain, but there was something in her eyes that made him suspect something else. "Don't tell me you of all people would have fought for someone else than your precious master, let alone Atem."

Kisara only shrugged. "I like him."

Mahad's jaw dropped at the sheer casualness with which the girl spoke. She smiled at him and his anger faded into nothingness, replaced only by a tinge of uneasiness. "But he's my master!"

"So what? I can't like him?"

"Again, that's not the point!"

"Well, what is your point then?"

"This had been our game all the time. The both of us against you and Seto Kaiba and now it's just… it's just gone."

She smiled at him, when their eyes locked again. "It isn't just a game for them anymore, Mahad. I dare say it never was. And now they have finally turned it into something more, into what it should have been for a very long time."

He stared at her for a moment, considering her words and before finally tearing his eyes away from her intense gaze. "I understand." He whispered and he really did, kind of at least. "I just… need some time to adjust to that."

"I think…" She started again and Mahad forced himself to look at her. "They trust each other so much by now that they'd even give us, their most trusted companions in the other's hand they wanted us to know and to share it with us."

Mahad stared at her for a while longer, before turning and retreating slowly. "If you say so."

"I do." Her smile didn't falter one bit as she followed him. "You can trust me on that."

They were both so absorbed in their banter that they didn't notice Mana standing next to them all the time, watching closely. And as they walked away now, a bright smirk spread on her face, eyes gleaming in realization and she giggled. "Like monster, like man, I suppose."