Out of the Darkness: Dark Side of Dimensions

Chapter 8: History Repeats

Atem had felt loss before, and despair. Helplessness. He felt helpless when he was too young to understand, watching his mother die. He felt helpless when he saw his father martyr himself to the gods. He felt helpless when he watched evil forces, this great evil, slowly kill all the people around him, all his protectors, while he was still too weak to stop them. He felt helpless often, thousands of years later, nothing but a twisted spirit, a shadow of himself. But this was a little different.

This was a specific hurt, a specific loss and despair. A specific kind of helplessness. He remembered the time after he had just learned he was the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, and in his research, Yugi found that most pharaohs were all inbred, causing their bodies to be weak and small, and prone to disease. Atem wondered if he was the reason why Yugi turned out the same way. It wasn't the first time Atem had wondered about his and Yugi's connection, about how Yugi's fate was tied to his. It wasn't the first time Atem had wondered how much his existence in Yugi's life caused him pain and suffering.

Atem had all his memories back now, and instead of thinking of the loss of his parents, or the loss of his kingdom, or his death at the hands of Zorc, he thought instead of ducks. When he was very young, no more than a babe, his mother had sewn ducks into his baby clothes for him and gave him duck toys. He clung onto those ducks for years, long after he had outgrown the clothes and toys, long after his mother had passed away.

One night his father and Akhenaten took all the ducks and burned them. He had to be strong now. He had to be serious. He couldn't afford to be a child anymore. There was no room in his life for childhood toys, or old clothes sewn by his mother, or ducks.

It was such a silly thing to be sad about, to feel pain and weep over, but it was this loss that came to his mind now. It was loss yes, and despair, and helplessness, but also unfairness and injustice. Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be this way? Why did he have to live a life that was bereft of the things that made life good, and innocent, and pure, and livable? A commoner could live a life enjoying the simple things, but a Pharaoh had to celebrate only the great victories, the things worthy of a Son of Ra.

He had lived his life, he had fought to the death, he had sacrificed himself to stave off the cold, bleak darkness. He had waited in that darkness for thousands of years. He had given up everything he could possibly give up in order to win. Now Atem could only watch as that same darkness that took everything from him, everything worth living for, now took Yugi, and there was nothing he could do.


"Yugi!" Anzu and Honda shouted.

"Anzu! Honda-kun! Shizuka-chan!" Yugi tried to keep smiling but he suddenly grimaced and dropped to one knee. Anzu ran to Yugi's side. Honda dropped Kaiba next to Atem and then ran to Yugi as well.

"Shizuka!" Jounouchi shouted.

"Big brother! I'm okay!"

Atem went crazy. "Akhenaten, it's me you want! Leave him alone!" He banged on an invisible barrier, unable to cross.

"Finally, you join us, Pharaoh. You are late," Akhenaten said.

"I'll give you whatever you want, just let my friends go!" Atem begged.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Why would I give away my bargaining chips when I have the upper hand? I know what the others say about you and your Vessel," Akhenaten scoffed.

Akhenaten addressed Atem directly, and the sneer on his face was blood curdling. "Pharaoh, I will not hand him over easily. What can you do anyway? You cannot intervene from that side of the veil."

"Aibou, run!"

Akhenaten turned back to Yugi. "Pathetic. Look at him. What kind of Pharaoh is this? Telling you to run? Begging for mercy? A kind, caring, soft, weak…Pharaoh. A Pharaoh like this is an embarrassment," Akhenaten said in disgust. "My son Set is ruthless, powerful, and has no such human weaknesses. He should have been the Pharaoh."

But in front of everyone's shocked expressions and Yugi's carefully blank face, Akhenaten suddenly laughed. "But what's the point in saying all that? After all, the parts of Pharaoh Atem that are weak…ended up in you."

"Yeah, they did," Yugi replied. His friends looked horrified.

"Yugi!" Anzu said.

"Yugi, what is he talking about?" Honda asked.

Akhenaten looked positively gleeful. "So, you know? You know that Pharaoh Atem, when he sacrificed himself, split his soul into pieces and you are just a piece of his soul. You were the piece that was reborn, and that" Akhenaten suddenly pointed at Atem "was the piece that was sealed inside the Millennium Puzzle to be Zorc's prison guard."

Yugi smiled, although it looked like a grimace from his pain. "Yeah, I know."

"It's strange. You're just a piece of a soul. You're not even a whole person," Akhenaten looked at Yugi like he was an experiment. "Yet you are still standing. You have gotten in the way of my plans so many times. Where does your strength come from?"

"Yugi isn't a piece of anything! He's a real person, his own person!" Jounouchi shouted. "And he's got his friends and his family! He's got us! That's why he's strong!"

Yugi smiled for real at Jounouchi's words.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are or where your strength comes from," Akhenaten said sarcastically. "Sooner or later, you will have to let go of those spirits. When I have the power of the Millennium Items, there is no strength in the world that will be able to withstand me. Then I can finally make my son the Pharaoh."

"Akhenaten, even if you do succeed, Kaiba-kun will not be grateful," Yugi said quietly.

That made Akhenaten pause. "Why do you say that? How would you know?"

"Kaiba-kun is ruthless and likes power, yes, but he's also a proud person. He won't accept someone else's power or a handout. Everything he has now he earned using his own power and hard work. He won't want your help," Yugi explained.

"Yugi is right! You should give it up!" Jounouchi shouted.

"You brat, you're just the vessel, what would you know of our suffering? To stand by and watch someone else be Pharoah, someone undeserving. For all your hard work, all your talents go unnoticed and wasted. How long as my son challenged you for your title and failed? How many times must he suffer the sting of defeat?"

"Oi, are you saying being Pharaoh and being King of Games is the same thing?" Honda asked incredulously.

"My son was reincarnated, and so was the Pharaoh. History repeats itself," Akhenaten said.

"Everything Kaiba-kun has, he built it brick by brick. He doesn't need to be Pharaoh, or someone else's title, to be successful. He already is, just by being himself," Yugi retorted.

Jounouchi was wracking his brain to figure out what to do, when something suddenly occurred to him. He had laid Kaiba down on the ground next to him, but Atem was standing on the side with another Kaiba next to him. Jounouchi picked up Kaiba and trotted over to Atem's side.

He couldn't help staring at his long-lost friend. "Atem, is Kaiba ok?"

Atem came back to himself and crouched down. "He needs to merge back into his physical consciousness."

Jounouchi carefully set down Kaiba next to himself. Jounouchi then pulled out his deck and reached for a card.

"Fusion!" They watched as the two Kaibas merged back into one. Jounouchi crouched down and pulled Kaiba into his arms.

Kaiba groaned and slowly stirred.

"Kaiba!" Jounouchi said. "Everyone! He's awake!"

Kaiba groaned. "My head hurts."

"Kaiba, you're ok!" Jounouchi said in relief.

"Jounouchi," Kaiba said hoarsely.

"Yeah, it's me," Jounouchi said. "Everyone is here. Yugi, Anzu, Honda, my sister Shizuka, even Atem!"

"Yugi?" He asked. Then he opened his eyes. He stared at Jounouchi's face, then at Atem's face, and then he took in everyone else. An old man he didn't recognize. Yugi's band of friends. Yugi, grimacing and hunched over in pain.

"Yugi," Kaiba said, eyes locked onto his target.

"Kaiba-kun," Yugi said in relief. "I'm glad we found you. Mokuba-kun was worried about you."

Kaiba tried to sit up on his own. "Weren't you with me the whole time?"

"Well, part of you was, but not the other part of you," Jounouchi answered. Kaiba grabbed Jounouchi's shoulder to pull himself up more. Jounouchi held onto his waist.

"Then who was I talking to?" Kaiba asked. He straightened up and let go of Jounouchi.

"That would be me," Atem answered. Kaiba stared at him until recognition dawned on his face.

"You're the Other Yugi," Kaiba said.

"Yes," Atem answered.

"Where are we?"

"We are between dimensions, the darkness between life and death and other planes of existence," Atem explained tensely. "You ripped your own soul apart when you attempted to go to the afterlife, and everyone has had to risk their lives to save you," Atem said angrily.

Kaiba looked around. "Impossible. What a ridiculous explanation," he said blankly.

Everyone had to process Kaiba's reaction. "Then how do you explain this?" Atem asked.

"Clearly this can be explained by space time, or quantum mechanics. Whatever it is, I refuse to fall for your superstitions and magical hoaxes."

Atem stood up to watch Yugi again. If he didn't turn away, he was going to punch Kaiba.

"Oi, Kaiba, do you recognize that guy?" Jounouchi said. He jerked his head in Akhenaten's direction. Kaiba followed with his gaze.

"Looks like a homeless man," Kaiba replied.

Jounouchi tried to hide his face in Kaiba's shoulder, but his shoulders were shaking with laughter.

"Kaiba! This is a serious situation! Yugi is in danger!" Atem shouted. Kaiba rolled his eyes but looked in Yugi's direction. Yugi did look very pale, and he seemed weak with pain.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Yugi. Did you lose a duel?" Kaiba asked. The entire situation was so ludicrous Honda started laughing.

It was Akhenaten who answered. "The vessel of the Pharaoh did not lose a duel," he said. "Against my will, he has absorbed the powers of the Millennium Items and seeks to use them to thwart my plans for us."

"Us? Are you referring to me?" Kaiba asked.

Akhenaten nodded. "Seto, you may not remember me, but you are my son. It was you who should have been Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt, not him. But I'm going to rectify this, by giving you the power of the Millennium Items!"

Kaiba looked at Atem with an unimpressed look on his face. "Pharaoh? He's dead. Why would I want to be him?"

"This is your destiny, Seto. This is the birthright that was robbed from you."

Kaiba frowned. "I have a billion-dollar company. I've made an empire based on science and modern technology. Why would I want someone else's dusty legacy and superstitious nonsense?"

"Told ya!" Jounouchi cheered. "Kaiba doesn't want it! Kaiba doesn't want your stupid plan!"

Akhenaten's temper snapped. He shot a blast of dark energy towards Jounouchi. Without hesitating, Kaiba stepped to the side and directly between the attack and Jounouchi. His action and intention were unmistakable.

The blast hit Kaiba full on in his chest and he was knocked off his feet. His body flew into the air and slammed into Jounouchi behind him. Jounouchi fell backwards too but caught Kaiba before either of them had to experience their heads bouncing off the ground like bowling balls.

"Hey, you asshole! You hit us both, you bastard!" Jounouchi yelled.

If anything, Akhenaten was angrier, and every fiber of his body was lit up with cold rage. "You are all nothing but petty meddlers! A bunch of nosy gnats! And you worst of all, my ungrateful son! If only you would be obedient like you're supposed to! I wasted all that time manipulating your dreams."

"You've been manipulating my mind? Is that why I've been dreaming of Gozaburo?" Kaiba asked.

"You should know your place Seto. You should be honored that I would do all this for you!" Akhenaten shouted.

"Fuck you, you bastard. I don't give a damn about your stupid revenge or your stupid plan. I won't be anyone's puppet, and I definitely won't be yours. If you want to accomplish anything, you'd better kill me first!" Kaiba shouted back.

"Fine," Akhenaten snarled. From within his body poured forth all the vitriol, all the hatred, thousands of years of resentment and regret, and it all shot towards Kaiba. In an instant, it had consumed his body. When the shadows ceased, Kaiba was not there anymore.

"Seto," Akhenaten said triumphantly. "Kill the vessel."

"Yugi!" His friends shouted. Yugi had fallen to his hands and knees, gasping in pain. The Shadow Realm writhed with new energy and passion, ignited by the darkness in Akhenaten's heart. New barriers burst forth, pushing everyone away to the side until there was only Akhenaten, Kaiba, and Yugi left.

"Aibou!" Atem shouted, but it was no use. Yugi collapsed to the ground in pain.

Kaiba stalked towards Yugi. "Don't do it, Kaiba!" Jounouchi yelled. He kept banging on the barrier with his fists. Then the darkness obscured all vision, all of existence.

Yugi looked up into Kaiba's eyes. They were dark and soulless, and there wasn't a single hint or glimmer of the real Kaiba left.

"Kaiba-kun," Yugi said weakly. "I won't let him win."

Kaiba straddled Yugi over his chest and leaned down. His hands wrapped around Yugi's neck delicately, squeezing. Yugi gasped, one hand still on his chest but one hand grabbed onto Kaiba's wrist weakly, trying to pull him off. Kaiba squeezed harder.

"Dark Magician!" Yugi gasped. The magician appeared and shot a blast directly between Kaiba's eyebrows. Kaiba threw himself off of Yugi and dodged just in time.

"Seto! Kill him!" Akhenaten ordered.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba roared, and the white dragon was summoned. Dark Magician and Blue Eyes battled all across the Shadow Realm. Blue Eyes roared in fury as Kaiba ordered attack after attack. Dark Magician dodged them all one after another, until suddenly two attacks, dark and light, hit him simultaneously from two different directions. He vanished from existence.

Yugi's chest heaved up and down slowly, struggling to breathe. Spots were appearing over his eyes. He tried to push himself up on his elbows, but he had no strength left. He felt a shadow fall over his body and looked up. It was Akhenaten.

Akhenaten stared at him darkly. "Your persistence is annoying. To hold so much darkness at bay, your strength is admirable. I am impressed. Despite your…character flaws, if you were my son, I would be proud," Akhenaten mused. "But if you were my son, we would not be here."

Akhenaten reached down and helped Yugi up. "Stand, vessel of the Pharaoh." Yugi was visibly struggling as he stood up, but he managed to stay standing. "For a warrior like you, you should die on your feet."

"A last stand," Yugi murmured. "Thank you," Yugi said, with a sincere smile. It took Akhenaten aback. Kaiba, still under mind control, walked up until he was behind Yugi.

"Will you admit defeat now, vessel of the Pharaoh? You have no strength left to defend yourself or to defy me," Akhenaten wondered. "It is no shame to surrender at this point. You would be doing so with dignity. I will allow you this much."

A black sword appeared in Kaiba's hands. He raised it up and positioned himself ready to stab Yugi in the back.

"It is right…that you should die as you are meant to be…" Akhenaten whispered. "You are after all, the Pharaoh. We all swore oaths to serve you, even my son."

Kaiba silently inched forward, step by step. His hand was still raised up with a blade in his hands. His eyes were trained on Yugi's small, frail looking back. But he was standing straight up, and his back was draped with a royal blue cloak. In this darkness, where there was no life, no wind, it billowed. Kaiba's hand hesitated.

Serve the Pharaoh.

"Goodbye, vessel of the Pharaoh!" Akhenaten roared. Yugi closed his eyes.

"No!" Akhenaten suddenly screamed.

And then Yugi opened his eyes again and wheeled around. Kaiba had stabbed himself through the chest with the black blade. His hands slipped from the handle, and he fell backwards.

"Seto!" Akhenaten shrieked. He ran to Kaiba. Kaiba grabbed Akhenaten by the collar.

"I told you," Kaiba gasped. "You'll have to kill me to use me as your pawn…"

Yugi stared in shock at Kaiba's sacrifice. One moment, he was still consumed with pain, trapped in his mortal coil, body thrumming with adrenaline and fear, conscious of every little moment and every little movement. Next moment, he was drifting in unconsciousness.

It was still dark, but a different kind of darkness, a familiar one. Yugi was surrounded by the maelstrom of suffering souls; the lost sacrificial souls of Kul Elna. They screamed at Yugi; they wailed, they shrieked, they groaned. Yugi was drowning in their resentment and suffering, and his blood was filled with the sounds of their pain. His self-preservation instinct wanted to escape, to cover his ears, but Yugi stayed where he was.

But Yugi was not afraid. There was a faint memory from long ago, from the times before he and Atem realized they were separate people, from when he was in middle school and first solved the Millennium Puzzle. There had been long gaps in his memory, and although he didn't remember the details, he remembered something like this. The darkness, the suffering, the evil. Something had lurked in Atem's soul back then, and when Atem was controlling Yugi's body, Yugi was floating in that darkness. He didn't remember when he was conscious, but he remembered now.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Yugi asked, and the spirits screamed their agreement. They screamed out for vengeance, lashing out with their pain and anguish.

"I know it hurts. I'm sorry. What happened to you all was terrible, and you're right to be angry," Yugi spoke aloud into the darkness. "I know you want an end to your suffering. If I can make the pain go away, then take me. It'll be fine."

The souls and their darkness filled every inch of Yugi's mind and soul, but Yugi smiled. There was a warmth pouring out from inside of him, and he felt at peace. If he had to die for this, it would be worth it. He wasn't afraid.

The warmth felt like sunlight.


Atem and friends watched as the darkness that separated them from Akhenaten, Yugi, and Kaiba disappeared. The darkness lightened slowly, at first by the smallest of degrees, and then gradually larger and larger, until enormous rays were cutting through the darkness. The darkness wasn't gone, but it wasn't in complete control.

The light coalesced into one orb, then two, then three. The three orbs grew brighter and brighter, their light rivaling the sun. Yugi reappeared from the darkness. He opened his eyes. A third eye appeared in the middle of his forehead.

Ghosts poured out from his chest. They weren't the nightmarish ghouls or spirits that fueled the Millennium Items. They were peaceful, transparent, and quiet. They looked like people. Men, women, young and old. One by one they flew out into the sky and disappeared. A few looked back at Atem or Akhenaten but did not stop or say anything. They just vanished.

The third eye disappeared from Yugi's forehead too, and he collapsed onto his knees. But it was a normal kind of exhaustion, and he rested with his eyes closed and a satisfied smile on his face.

"You…purified them. The spirits of Kul Elna," Akhenaten said. He was stupefied.

When Yugi stood up, he was dressed in Atem's garb. "The Millennium Items will never have any power again, Akhenaten, and neither will you. Give up, Akhenaten. It's time for you to move on too," Yugi ordered.

Akhenaten groaned. "Muto Yugi. I underestimated you. Your strength and your light. The power to release the Pharaoh's soul from his dark prison."

"You failed to sacrifice me Akhenaten," Yugi said. "So, you have no way of summoning the Dark One back now. Give up!"

"You're right…I couldn't sacrifice you. You defeated the darkness of the Millennium Items. The one who solved the Millennium Puzzle, the one who mastered the Items, the Chosen Vessel of the Pharaoh. I should have expected this," Akhenaten sighed.

"But there is one darkness even you cannot thwart, and without the Millennium Items, you will also have no way of sealing it away. I cannot give up, Muto Yugi. For my dream, there is no price, no sacrifice, I am not willing to pay. It is worth it. It is all worth it!"

"He's going to summon Zorc!" Atem said.

"Akhenaten!" Yugi jumped up but Akhenaten stabbed himself with a black blade and fell over. The wind changed, and all the hairs on Yugi's back stood up.

"Obelisk! Osiris! Ra!" Yugi summoned the three Egyptian Gods. In unison, all three blasted Akhenaten with the power of the Gods. But an invisible force pushed all of them back and blew the three Egyptian gods away. Akhenaten started screaming as the forces of darkness began to slowly consume him, eating him away as he willingly sacrificed himself for Zorc.

Yugi fell back too and found himself near Kaiba. They looked at each other. It seemed like Yugi had things he wanted to say. It seemed like Kaiba had things he wanted to say. He opened his mouth to try.

Yugi spoke first. "I'm sorry, Kaiba-kun. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend. I should have been there for you more, when you were struggling with the scars from your father," Yugi said sincerely.

"Yugi," Kaiba started, but then stopped. His brain just stopped working. He didn't know what to say, or where to start.

"Aibou!" Atem shouted.

"It's okay, Kaiba-kun. I know what you mean." Yugi scrambled onto his feet bravely and stumbled over to Atem. He raised his hands up until they were level with Atem, separated by only that invisible barrier.

"Aibou, you need to get out of here. Akhenaten is going to summon Zorc. Get our friends to safety, and I'll hold off Zorc." Atem said.

Yugi smiled and shook his head. "No, Other Me. You and I both know you have no more powers now. You transferred them to me when you lost the Ceremonial Duel. It's my turn now."

Atem slammed the barrier again. "Aibou, I never wanted this for you!"

"I know. Please don't blame yourself. But you heard Akhenaten. I'm you too. I'm also the Pharaoh," Yugi explained. "I can't let you sacrifice yourself again. You left me your legacy, so it's my turn to do what must be done."

"Aibou, I can't let you sacrifice yourself either!"

"There's nothing you can do about it now. You've finally laid down your sword and reached the afterlife. I won't let anyone take that from you," Yugi said resolutely.

Yugi turned to the others. "Everyone, Akhenaten is going to summon Zorc soon! You need to all get to safety."

"Yugi, we can't leave you here!" Honda yelled.

"Yugi!" Anzu cried tearfully.

"I'll be ok. This is something I have to do. I'm the perfect person to face Akhenaten," Yugi said as he stared down the growing shadows of Zorc.

Yugi smiled. "In his own way, he's willing to sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. And so am I."

"Jounouchi, stop him! He's going to sacrifice himself!" Atem shouted. Jounouchi looked between Atem and Yugi. Yugi shook his head.

"Take care of everyone for me, Jounouchi-kun. Thank you," Yugi said.

"Damn it!" Jounouchi felt tears prick his eyes. Run!" Jounouchi yelled. He grabbed Kaiba and started leading everyone away from the blasts. An evil roar came from the depths of the earth. Finally, Zorc appeared.

The third eye appeared on Yugi's forehead again. "Osiris! Obelisk! Ra!" He summoned the three Egyptian Gods again and charged into battle.

"Aibou! Aibou!" Atem screamed. Jounouchi grabbed him bodily around the waist and began dragging him away slowly.

Kaiba watched helplessly as he half-stumbled, half-crawled to safety with Yugi's friends. He was too weak to help, and too numb to think of any brilliant ideas. He could only flee to safety while the smallest, slightest frame protected them from the oncoming darkness.

It was chaos. The Egyptian Gods raged war violently with Zorc, blasting off divine power and thrashing at Zorc's body to tear it to shreds, just as Zorc pummeled them back with dark fire and threw punches, hands reaching out blindly in the maelstrom to grab at a limb and tear it off.

There was a beam of light in the distance, and the sounds of two voices chanting in discord. One was unpleasant, rasping, and desperate. One was soft, and calm, like the smell of grass after a rainstorm. Kaiba couldn't understand the language, but he could sense what the words meant.

I sacrifice my right leg to seal away the Dark One's right leg.

I sacrifice my left leg to seal away the Dark One's left leg.

I sacrifice my right arm to seal away the Dark One's right arm.

I sacrifice my left arm to seal away the Dark One's left arm.

I sacrifice my ib to seal away the Dark One's heart.

I sacrifice my ka to seal away the Dark One's power.

I sacrifice my shut to seal away the Dark One's history.

Yugi was bleeding, covered in dust, and he was dying. He knew it as clearly as he knew himself, his purpose, his past and present and future. His hands and body had bloody carvings from his knife, done to complete the ceremony Atem had completed thousands of years ago to seal Zorc away the first time.

Zorc was trapped in a magical seal. Akhenaten was trapped too, and seething. Yugi dragged himself up to his feet and a few painful steps closer so Akhenaten could see what he was doing.

I sacrifice my ren to seal away the Dark One's name, so that none may ever be able to call upon him again and bring him forth into the world.

"Don't do it, vessel of the Pharaoh! They will forget your name! They will forget all the memories they had of you! You will cease to exist!" Akhenaten yelled.

A golden cartouche appeared with Yugi's name on it, and Yugi began to carve it clumsily away with his knife. Every stroke felt like he was flaying his own flesh and bones apart.

"Noooo!" Akhenaten screamed.

"Akhenaten let's go to hell together," Yugi whispered. He brought the final stroke down.


There was darkness, but the mechanical kind. Gradually, his ears heard the sounds of machines beeping, and the hissing of oxygen machines and hydraulics. He felt the thud, thud, thud of treads underneath him as his container moved down a track for a while until it stopped. He heard human voices. When he opened his eyes, it was dark, but he could see light peeping through the gap between the door and the outside world.

"Take it easy! Their eyes won't be able to handle the light. Do we have wheelchairs ready for everyone yet?" Mokuba's voice rang out. Other people answered him, but he couldn't recognize anyone else's voice.

There was the hiss of machinery, and people excitedly greeting someone. The squeaks of leather shoes on the ground. The sounds of wheels running across the ground. Jounouchi's voice.

"Did I age in there?" Jounouchi groaned. "Why don't my knees work?"

"Sorry, Jounouchi! We had to put all of you to sleep, just in case your body suddenly moved, and you injured yourself."

It was very cramped in the space he was in. Under his butt he could feel fabric upholstery like the ones in cars, but there was a hard board behind him, and cold hand rests on either side boxing his chest and arms in. It was incredibly uncomfortable. He tried to scoot forward but his knees immediately hit the front, and it was impossible to do more than squirm.

"Move him out of the way! I need to get my brother out!" Mokuba ordered.

He tried to get some more space, because he was feeling extremely claustrophic. He felt like he was buried alive. His elbow went into the hard board behind him, and the board gave out a pained grunt.

"Open the door!" Light flooded his eyesight and blinded him completely. He heard gasps and shouting. He felt hands reach down and physically lift him from the space. He gasped gratefully.

"Be careful Jounouchi!" Anzu scolded. He felt her hands on the back of his head.

"I know! He's a hero! I wouldn't chuck him around!" Jounouchi retorted.

"You just got out of those things yourself, and your legs still don't work!" Honda argued. "Give him to me before you drop him, and you both end up in the hospital." He was transferred to someone else and then set down in a wheelchair. He tried to open his eyes, but his head hurt so bad.

"Just relax," Anzu said. "You just went through a lot." He was very confused. Where was he? Why was he hearing these voices?

"Big brother, are you ok?" Mokuba asked.

"I have no feeling in my arms and legs," Kaiba muttered.

"Sorry, it was Atem's idea. We didn't have enough pods for everyone, so Atem thought he could share with you. You know because he's a lot smaller. Always gotta be the hero, Atem."

"My blood circulation is completely cut off," Kaiba said in a deadpan voice.

"And who do you have to blame for this?" Jounouchi shot back with a teasing voice. "If it weren't for you risking yourself so recklessly, would Atem and I have to rescue you?"

Fire exploded inside his chest and the sparks lit up every nerve in his body. He remembered. He couldn't open his eyes yet, but he pushed himself up shakily.

"Atem, wait! You need rest!" Anzu said.

"Kaiba," he whispered. "Let me see…Kaiba."

Anzu and Honda grabbed him on each side and carried him forward. "Jeez, Atem, you can't be patient either!" Jounouchi teased. "You're always grumpy too but I know you'll worry until you get a good look at him, so there! Kaiba's fine, so stop worrying and get some rest."

He opened his eyes. Immediately his vision swam, and his eyes hurt from the blinding light, but he forced himself through it. He watched Kaiba's face turn from confusion to fear, and then resignation.

He pushed Anzu's hands away, stepped forward, and swung a punch at Kaiba's face. It barely caught his cheek, it didn't have any strength in it even if he tried, but Kaiba looked like he had been stabbed. The momentum tugged him forward anyway, and he found himself face first into Kaiba's chest. His knee banged painfully into the pod exterior.

"Whoa, Atem, what the hell!" Jounouchi yelled. He tried to pull him back, but Jounouchi was weak too, so two scientists ran up to steady him.

"Atem, stop!" Honda grabbed his other side, but he pushed him off. He raised his fist to swing again.

"He might be confused," Mokuba said. "Someone get the sedatives!"

"Atem, stop!" Anzu cried. She grabbed him around the chest from the back and pulled him off his feet. She turned him around by the shoulders and stared in his eyes, searching desperately.

"Something's wrong," Atem muttered.

"Atem, what's wrong? Please tell me what is wrong," she begged. "What are you so upset about?"

"I'm not supposed to be here!" Atem yelled. "I'm supposed to be dead! There's someone else – there's supposed to be someone else! The wrong name!"

Something in his expression must have scared Anzu. She hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Atem?" Mokuba asked.

"We have to go back!" Atem yelled. "Mokuba, let me go back there!"

"The pods are completely fried; they were experimental! What are you talking about? Everyone's fine, why are you yelling?" Mokuba asked.

"Atem, you're just confused." Honda said.

"What happened?" Atem asked.

It was Jounouchi who answered him. "You and Kaiba had one of your usual fights, and Kaiba was salty after he got beat again. Kaiba went home and did some crazy science experiment to combine his illusion technology with that magic cube that takes you to alternate dimensions. He lost his consciousness so you and I went into the same pods to rescue him."

"No, it wasn't me. It wasn't me! You have to believe me! There was someone else! It wasn't me. I'm not supposed to be here right now!" Atem screamed himself hoarse.

"Atem stop!"

Atem shoved Anzu off of him. "Kaiba, I'm going to kill you!" He shouted. His eyes were shut but he ran forward blindly, still not upright. All around him were people pushing, grabbing, shoving, pulling him back, shielding Kaiba from him, but he didn't care. There was nothing to care about anymore.

Atem felt a sharp pain in his arm like a stab, and then the darkness swept him away.