Disclaimer: I own nothing…

A/N: Okay, good news first! I won't have my internet connection cut since the problems that came up with the company were solved. So now you will just have to tolerate me! :)

"It doesn't matter what card you play next Yugi, you have nothing that can withstand the phenomenal attack strength of my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! You might as well give up."

From what I could understand, Kaiba had the spirit on the ropes. I could see it from the way the others looked so desperate. Also, from the fact that Kaiba's dragon had 4500 attack points. I must admit it tipped me off a bit.

Τhe spirit took a look at the card he drew and then burst into laughter.

"That's it; he finally went off the deep end…" I murmured. I kind of liked listening to my voice. It's been a long time since I could use it after all.

"Kaiba! I just drew the card that will defend me against your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Impossible!"

"Watch and learn!" said the spirit smugly. He sure looked bloody confident for someone who was ready to give up hope just a few moments ago…

He pulled back his Duel Disk and placed a card on it, then threw it back on the field. "This is it! The beginning of your defeat! Kuriboh, in attack mode!" he shouted and the fluffiest, cutest, cuddliest little fellow I've ever seen in my entire death showed up. I squealed in delight, however the moment I checked his attack points it was impossible not to sweatdrop. Kuriboh had no more than 300 attack points! I hadto say that, although I hadn't attended math class since I was eight years old, I was positive that 4500 was still a bigger number than 300. But of course that might have changed in the last eight years… I sincerely hoped.

"That's ridiculous!" Kaiba sounded genuinely offended. "In the entire game, Kuriboh is the weakest monster!"

"Kaiba's right! What was Yugi thinking playing that little guy?"

Kaiba chuckled. "Yugi, you are free to concede and forfeit the match. But, come on; don't embarrass yourself by playing that runt of a monster. You must know that this is the puniest monster with the lowest attack points in all of Duel Monsters! I've never known a serious duelist to even keep one in their deck!" Now I was genuinely offended. No one should have the mental strength to insult little Kuriboh and if you did, the you should keep it to yourself. I ean, just look at that face!

Kaiba pointed at the spirit angrily. "Don't insult my intelligence pretending that miserable creature can defend against the almighty Ultimate Blue Eyes!"

The smirk remained on the spirit's face as he answered. "Kaiba, you're mistaken. This card will defend everything! And believe me, before this duel is over your dragon will fall!" he shouted.

"My Ultimate Dragon? Nonsense!" said Kaiba looking taken aback from the spirit's statement. "So go on and finish your turn so I can knock the stuffing out of your Kuriboh and win the game!"

"As you wish!" the spirit said calmly and the card in front of him revealed itself. "My last card will be the magic card Multiply! Multiply works with monsters with attack below 500." Suddenly more of the little fury balls began to appear next to the original one. The spirit's already smug expression became even more so. "And multiplies them endlessly." I was sure I had figured out what he was about to do. He was going to attack with an infinite number of Kuriboh Kaiba's dragon! If they attacked at the same moment, taking down the mutant would be a piece of cake.

"More than you bargained for, eh Kaiba?" taunted the spirit.

Kaiba growled at him. I mean really growled. The bloke was a scary one that was for sure…

"So is this some kind of a joke?" he asked outraged.

The spirit laughed at him. "The joke's on you Kaiba! When you attacked you thought I had only one defender, but now… I have many! And I am getting more and more defenders by the second!"

And it was indeed true. As he talked, more and more Kuriboh were coming out on the field, which made me feel extremely happy for reasons I was unable to explain. I giggled and went in the middle of the arena, trying to touch them. I felt like there was nothing else I wanted more than just hug one and touch its soft-looking fur. Whoever designed this little fellow was a genius! How could anyone resist him? With those round puppy-like eyes that were so sweet and its little hands and le-

"Neutron Blast!"

I saw the energy blast going straight through me and burning some of the Kuribohs to a crisp. To my absolute shock, I actually felt pain when that happened. Went through me, I mean. Weren't those things supposed to be holograms?

"Bloody hell!" I turned around and glared at the dragon. "Did you just try to fry me like an egg?"

The dragon said nothing, which pissed me off even more. "Oh now you are just staring aren't you? Coward! Come blast me in my face you dip stick!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air.

"…for now I go on the attack!" I heard the spirit say and I decided that it was in my best interests to get out of the way. The hologram's attack had not gone by me as it should; instead I felt pain from the blast. Either the Duel Disk technology was a bit too realistic, or something was wrong with that dragon. And bugger me if I wanted to know first-hand if that applied to Yugi's monsters as well.

I took my place next to Ryou once again, judging it to be at a safe distance.

"Watch me! For I will show you the combo that will bring your dragon down!" the spirit yelled as one by one, the cards in front of him turned to face Kaiba as he called out their names.

"Mammoth Graveyard! Polymerization! And the Living Arrow card!"

"What's the Living Arrow card?" asked Kaiba slowly. He didn't seem that eager for the answer though.

"Living Arrow allows me to use my other cards in combination, not with my other cards but my opponent's monsters! I'll show you." he explained triumphantly. "Normally, I make a fusion with my cards but for a new twist… Living Arrow allows me to fuse my cards with your cards, opening up whole new possibilities!"

The cards combined with each other and slowly, the Mammoth Graveyard came out and ran towards Kaiba's dragon.

"Now what?" asked Kaiba, shocked.

The monster shined for a moment and then transformed into a golden arrow.

"Now I can use the magical power of the Living Arrow to bound my Mammoth Graveyard to the heart of you beast!" the spirit finished his explanation just as the arrow pierced the Ultimate Dragon and it made a sound of excruciating pain. And still, it looked like I was the only one who noticed that. It was supposed to be a hologram for the love of God! Why can't something not absolutely weird happen when I am with Ryou's friends?

The head of the Mammoth Graveyard appeared on the dragon's chest surrounded by a red glow.

"No, my dragon! What have you done?" demanded a terrified Kaiba.

"Since my Mammoth Graveyard is an undead type monster, he can't properly fuse with your living Ultimate Dragon. Instead it causes your monster to rot and decay from inside out!" answered the spirit, not hiding the fact that he savored every second of it. "Each turn it loses attack points until your creature is no more!"


I watched as the dragon began to decay and his points lowering by 1200, the Mammoth Graveyard's attack points, each turn. What surprised me though, was the raw paranoia I saw into Kaiba's eyes. Was he really that desperate to win in a card game?

"For the first time Yugi, I can duel with fire and passion in my heart! Let me play you for the right reasons."

That was what he had said before the duel. That there was a reason for him to fight. A reason…

I went a bit closer to him.

"Can't lose…" he mumbled. "The fate of Mokuba's soul lies on this game."

Mokuba's soul… A figurative light bulb appeared above my head and then grew hands and began pounding it. Mokuba, Kaiba's baby brother. The baby brother he had come here to save. He wasn't a participant in the Duelist Kingdom tournament so he blatantly could not enter it now that almost everyone had gathered. Did he plan on taking his star-chips at once? However he already had five of those. Where did he get them?

"Attack now Ultimate Dragon! Neutron Blast!"

The attack was of course a complete failure due to the countless Kuriboh that were on the arena.

"Again? When will you learn?" taunted the spirit. I glanced at him, to see him smirking arrogantly and there was nothing more that I wanted than to wipe it off his face. "The Kuriboh multiply faster than you can eliminate it with your Neutron Blasts." More Kuriboh appeared on the field.

"No! I will not… cannot be defeated!"

"I will draw another card and let my Mammoth finish my turn."

The Mammoth Graveyard lowered the Ultimate Dragon's attack points even more. Now they were down to 2100. I went at Kaiba's side to see what he would draw next. He didn't bother drawing though and if I had to guess I would say that he was so panicked that he couldn't even think properly. He attacked again, although by now he knew it was futile. All he could do was to wait for the spirit to destroy his monster and end the duel. He was shaking from head to toe. He was terrified. The desperation was so clear on his face that it tugged at my heart. He was fighting for his baby brother, the one Pegasus had taken away. I was just so… angry at that man. If it was the bloody Puzzle he wanted then he could have the bloody thing and leave us all alone! And what did he want with Kaiba anyway? The bloke didn't have a Millennium Item as far as I could tell. Was there something else to him?

How did he even dare to bugger around with peoples' lives?

"Once again your attack has failed Kaiba! My defense holds and you have no other strategy to use against me! Your time is running out." The smirk had turned into the most arrogant grin I had ever seen. Kaiba seemed completely resigned to his fate but the spirit kept making a joke out of him, the same way Kaiba had laughed right at Joey's face the night before. "You should never have challenged me Kaiba! You see? My mammoth takes another 1200 points from your dragon!"

The majestic creature that was standing before us a few turns ago was nothing but rotten flesh that looked like it would fall apart any moment. Its points down to a measly 900.

"Even my weakest monsters can destroy it now!"

"Shut up!" I screamed and shot an energy blast at him. I was brassed off with his arrogant comments and the way he was rubbing his victory in Kaiba's face. The bloke was barely able to stand and he had someone in that castle that needed him. If the tables were turned, how would the spirit be like right now? Yugi had his friends. Kaiba had no one. He had come into this island all alone, he had most likely already tried and failed to get that Mokuba-bloke back and failed and no one was standing next to him, giving him the strength he so desperately needed to get through this. Fighting for someone can give you strength but doing it all alone can crush you faster than anyone can imagine. I would know. Been there, done that you could say.

He needed someone to stand beside him and that someone was obviously not gonna be the spirit, Yugi, or anyone else. I could fill the part though. Blatantly no one else would.

And without me he had no one.


I couldn't leave him alone. I wouldn't leave him alone. Ryou would be alright. The spirit wouldn't allow any of Yugi's friends to get hurt. Kaiba needed me more, even if he wasn't aware of it. I wouldn't leave him alone.

The spirit drew a new card and then span the Duel Disk.

"This is it Kaiba! Prepare to meet your demise!"

The Kuriboh stood aside to reveal an elf-like warrior posed to attack at the spirit's command. "Celtic Guardian! Attack his Ultimate Dragon!"

The monster jumped and sliced one of the heads off. Kaiba was almost brought down to his knees by that attack. The rest of the gang cheered. Joey asked how was it possible for the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to still be able to stand and Ryou proceeded to explain that, as the result of the fusion of three different monsters, the dragon should be taken down piece by piece, or in our case, head by head.

Kaiba's Life Points were down to his last 400. He was, as Joey so happily declared, toast. With cheese on top, not only inside.

Suddenly, I felt him straighten his shoulders and a determined expression washed over his face.

"Yugi. It can't end this way. If I don't defeat you in this duel, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner. Forever." he said slowly and then took a few steps backwards. "I can't let that happen. And even though I don't have a card that can keep you from attacking, I think I still have a strategy that will stop you in your tracks."

At that I was taken aback and so was the spirit. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, all smugness wiped from his face. At last, might I add.

"I am going to force your hand. And win this battle Yugi." he explained and continued to walk backwards. And then I understood what he was about to do.

"You are a nutcase, you know that?" I murmured as he stood at the edge of the roof. If he jumped, it would be no doubt fatal.

"Kaiba! Stop this!" shouted the spirit. His eyes were the size of a planet.

"What's Kaiba up to now? He thinks that with these cheap stunts he will force Yugi to lose the duel and lose the chance to save his Grandpa?" asked Joey disbelievingly. Well, blatantly that's exactly what was passing through Kaiba's head. And I knew he was right.

"Go on Yugi. Attack my Blue Eyes again and wipe out my Life Points. But if you do, the resulting shockwaves will cause me to lose my balance."

"Don't tempt me!" the spirit shouted back at him. At that I raised my brow.

Kaiba smirked. "My fate is completely in your hands Yugi. You'll decide this duel one way or another. Of course if you don't surrender I… might get hurt. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me, would you?"


I looked at Kaiba while Tea and Joey were yelling for him to cut the crap, but I could understand him. He had someone he had failed to protect. Mokuba… his brother needed him. The spirit was fighting for someone too and I had full faith that he would make it. he had defeated Bakura twice, he had saved me from the Shadow Realm. Surely he would find another way. Kaiba on the other hand... The chap was brought to his knees by the mere idea that he was not gonna be able to enter the castle. But in that case, weren't there any parents to do it for him? Why did he have to be the one to go through this? And why in all seven hells wasn't he entering the castle along with the rest of us?

"He knows. He's counting on Yugi to surrender." I heard Ryou spelling it out for the gang.

"But… he can't do that! If he loses to Kaiba… he won't get into the castle!" Joey said in disbelief.

The spirit growled. "I'm warning you Kaiba! Don't push me too far! I must win to rescue my Grandfather!"

"And I must win this duel to rescue Mokuba. The difference is I am willing to risk anything to do it. You know I can stand up here all day Yugi. And I know you won't make any attack for fear it will knock me off. Even though you know that by not attacking, you give up the only chance you have to save your Grandpa." The spirit gritted his teeth. "Which means I have the advantage over you. For in my case there is nothing holding me back." finished Kaiba.

I had to admit that I was impressed. He was pushing all the right buttons in order to make Yugi surrender. Of course, he didn't know that he was not going up against only Yugi, but also a very determined spirit who had nothing to lose. Let's face it, he didn't have to be an asshole about the fact that he was willing to commit suicide.

And right now, this spirit would be the one to decide.


Kaiba drew a card and then showed it to the spirit.

"Ah, a magic card. Reborn the Monster, which I'll use to resurrect the Blue Eyes head that was just destroyed by your Guardian!"

"What?" asked the spirit stunned. "Restore the head of the Blue Eyes?"

"Now one of my Blue Eyes with its normal attack points of 3000 has just been reborn! With all of your Kuribohs in defense mode, I couldn't touch you, but now that you've put an attack monster on the field I can take out the rest of your Life Points! Which I'll do next turn. Two White Dragon heads are still weakened but the third can wipe out your Guardian in a breath."

That was a sneaky move, but also a risky one. Kaiba was fighting for someone, yes, but Yugi and the spirit did too. The difference between them though, was that one way or another, Yugi would enter the castle. I knew it, because, even if Yugi didn't gather back his star chips on time, Pegasus would find a way for him to come in. He wanted the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi was not leaving this island if he didn't have it and Bob's your uncle.

"Surrender Yugi! That is, unless you have the courage to unleash your attack!" Kaiba said nonchalantly.

I could see the struggling in his face. He didn't know what to do, since attacking meant putting Kaiba through fatal danger. But not attacking either…


I was mad. Mad at Pegasus for forcing Yugi to make this choice between his Grandpa's soul and Kaiba's life, hated him for forcing Kaiba to put his life on the line to save those he loved, despised him for putting all of us through this. I knew now that I could just kill him and be over with it if he was anyone else, but he was the owner of a Millennium Item and I also knew I couldn't stand up to one, especially if there was a spirit residing inside. From what I had seen so far, I was no match for such a thing.

"Kaiba I've never backed away and I am not starting now!" screamed the spirit suddenly, snatching my attention back to the duel. "Celtic Guardian attack!"

I stared in shock as the monster came at us. He had… attacked? Knowing that it could kill Kaiba, he had attacked?

"Yugi you can't!" screamed Tea, running to him. The Celtic Guardian came closer. "You can't take this risk! Call him back!"

It was too late, the Celtic Guardian was too close, I couldn't do anything to help Kaiba…

"Yugi you can't do this, you can't!" screamed Tea again. "This isn't like you! You got to stop! Yugi please!"

And before I could comprehend what was going on, the spirit was gone and Yugi was back in control.

"Stop!" he screamed and the Celtic Guardian ceased his attack, stopping just a few meters away from the Ultimate Dragon.

He had surrendered the duel, just as Kaiba expected him to do.

And the chance to save his Grandpa had flushed down the toilet.


I watched in sadness as Yugi's Life Points reached 0. He was on his knees, crying. Not for losing the duel that would allow him to get a step closer to save his Grandpa, but because of his inability to control the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Because the spirit would go all the way and attack Kaiba despite his wishes, ignoring the fact that Yugi preferred to lose the most important duel of his life rather than be the cause of harm for someone else, even if that someone else was the bloke that forced him to make that choice.

That kid was too kind-hearted for his own good. It should be illegal to be that kind-hearted.

He was devastated and it was almost heart-breaking to see him like that.

On the other hand, Kaiba was willing to do anything for Mokuba and I could respect that. I understood him, but I also knew that if I was in the spirit's shoes, if I was fighting for Ryou, I wouldn't hesitate even for a second either. I would finish him off without blinking. So I couldn't really blame any of them for the situation we all were right now.

Joey, Ryou and Tristan quickly went over to Yugi. Kaiba did nothing, only stood there and watched them silently.

Never in my life had I been so torn. I wanted to go by Ryou's side and stay with them, offer my own attempt at consolation, not go with some creepy bloke that didn't know that I existed! But then again, to leave Kaiba alone when I could stand next to him… it seemed wrong. I knew that Yugi would come back to his senses sooner or later; it was just how he was. He couldn't give up, now more than ever.

Kaiba however was alone. And I knew that feeling all too well to just stand back and do nothing.

I would go with him inside that bloody castle and when I found the bloody princess I would rip his bloody intestines out and shove them back in through his bloody nose, Millennium Eye or no Millennium Eye.


I had never seen Tea so angry. In fact I didn't know she was able to get angry at all. But I had to admit she was right. Kaiba had gotten what he wanted from Yugi and there was no reason for him to try and get his mistake off his shoulders by making it look like it was because of Yugi's weakness. He had bloody cheated and won a chance at saving the one he came to save. He had no right to try and make himself appear strong.

Bloody bastard.

"He spared you!" she shouted at Kaiba's face. "Kaiba he showed you compassion, which is more than you deserve!"

"He lost the game." Kaiba stated calmly.

"Because he would have killed you otherwise, you bloody whanker." I murmured.

"The game?" asked Tea, narrowing her eyes. "Yugi may have lost a lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn't lost his heart! Not like you Seto Kaiba! You've spent so much time with your machines you forgot what being human is about!"

Seto Kaiba flinched.

"Yugi has a heart Kaiba." she continued bringing her hand in front of her chest. "Yugi has us. Friends that will stand with him to the end no matter if he wins or loses some lousy game. And what do you have Seto Kaiba? What do you have at the end of the day? Tell me! Tell me!" she shouted at him, fierce passion in her eyes. At that moment I felt respect toward this girl, because although she didn't appear like much, her heart was strong enough to put everyone else here to shame.

Especially people like Seto Kaiba. Or like me.

"I have all that I need!" he answered her angrily and turned around and walked to the door that led back inside the castle. I looked back at Ryou one last time and then followed him.

Because he had me as well. I couldn't leave him alone.

But now I had to pay the prize of my choice.

I had to go down all those bloody stairs again! It was what, the fourth time today? Seriously, this was getting rather annoying…


I had many chances to regret my decision to follow Kaiba in the time it took us to go back to the gates. By the time we got there, I was considering to try and get a piggyback ride out of him. How he could go down all these stairs so briskly was beyond me…

Kaiba placed the star chips in the special lock on the main entrance to the castle and the gates opened on their own. Could this Pegasus-creep get any creepier?

Kaiba went in without hesitating even a moment. Because apparently all doors open on their own in front of him. But you know what? The chap was Seto-bloody-Kaiba. So maybe they do.

"Here goes nothing…" I murmured and followed him inside.

A/N: Kind of a filler, I know, but we have to go through these things too. Though I do promise you that next chapter some very interesting things are going to happen… You get a chocolate doughnut for each review! So REVIEW! These things are not for free you know... :)

R&R, constructive criticism welcomed, flames used for marshmallows.