"Where are you taking me

"Where are you taking me?" Nessa asked, her tone just onfof whiny. Arliss didn't mind, however. The whine just made her cuter in his eyes. "And why do we have to walk there?" She complained. "Mayday got a limo!"

"Mayday already took this tour. After we are done, I promise you, you'll get limos."

"Better." She muttered as Arliss stopped in front of a little boy, begging for quarters.

"You got a mom and dad?" He asked, kneeling down next to the homeless child. The little boy nodded his head and Arliss continued. "They treat you good? They don't hit you are mistreat you?" The child stared at him, confused, before shaking his head. Nodding, Arliss pulled out a wad of thousand dollar bills and slipped 10 of them in the child's hand. "Run to mama and daddy, don't stop, don't let go of this." He gave the child a business card. "Have them call that number if they question you about the money…go."

Nessa rolled her eyes as the boy rushed away. "Thought for a moment you were going to adopt him."

"If his parents hit him, I would have." Arliss admitted. "I'm evil, darlin', but I still got a heart. I remember how bad these streets can be." He pulled his dust tight around him.

"…are we there yet?" Nessa finally said.

Arliss smiled slightly. "Darlin'…this is the most important tour you will ever take." He focused on something up ahead. "There my love…we are almost there."

Tugging on her hand, Arliss dragged his bride-to-be down the street, shoving past people as they made their way through the bad part of Domino, the part you didn't see when they did docudramas about Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba.

Slipping down an alley, Arliss and Nessa moved past the dumpster and trash can, the old boxes and puddles of filth, making their way to the dead end, the brick wall bare and crumbling. The King of Hunters slowly knelt down, running his fingers along the blacktop. "We're here."

Nessa looked at him, her tone soft as she saw the honor her love gave this place. Why…she had no clue, but obviously, he gave it the same honor a pilgrim gave the Holy Land. "And…where is here?" She finally asked.

"Where it all began." Arliss whispered, pressing his palm against the ground. "I hid behind that dumpster there…here is where he died…calling out Marik…"

Nessa's eyes widened, realizing exactly what Arliss was getting at. "This…this is where you found the diary?"

Arliss nodded, pulling the book from his pocket. "The Diary of Marik Ishtar. With this book, I was able to change everythin', Nessa. I learned the shadow arts…I learned how to duel…I learned how to do all the wonderful things I have done…" He touched his heart, before holding the book out for Nessa to see. "I died here…and I was born here…thanks to this book."

BANG!

Arliss grunted as the bullet exploded through his palm, bits of bone and muscle splattering on the ground, the diary sliding from his fingers. Nessa was at his side instantly, the King of Hunters snarling as he gripped his hand, glaring at the intruders.

"The Diary of Marik Ishtar." Antonio Caesar said smugly, lifting the book up. "So this is the source of your power." He kept his guns trained on the two as he flipped it open. "Interesting…"

Arliss snarled, eyes flashing black as he focused his shadow magic on healing his wounded hand. "Let it go."

"Now…why would we do something like that, Signor Lockehart?" Vera asked coyly, emerging from the shadows, nuzzling Antonio's chest. "This diary is worth many Euros."

Arliss raised his hand, the shadow star appearing in his fingers. "Because otherwise I get to play Jack the Ripper on ya, lady." Arliss paused, considering the comment. "Though, with how much silicone ya injected in ya'self, I won't be surprise if there is less then a quarter of lady in ya."

Nessa scoffed. "Damn straight…I've seen Barbies that were more life-like that then blonde bitch."

Antonio took a step forward. "And what about me, signor? Do you plan to rip me apart?"

"I'll just kill ya…I'm guessin' you'd enjoy being ripped open a bit too much." Arliss snarled.

Vera, however, was more focused on Nessa to care about Arliss' threats. "You think I am hideous? Look at yourself…all dark and depressing…you would make the happiest man cry."

"Ain't you heard, bitch is the new black." Nessa said calmly, activating her duel disk. "How about I show you just how new it is?"

Vera turned to Antonio. "Deal with the annoying boy, lovely…I will finish this whore off."

Arliss grinned, teeth gleaming in the mid-day sun. "Bring it on, Luigi."

Antonio nodded, rushing him like a mad bull, colliding head on and sending the two of them into the street. The few people that walked the streets in this bad part of Domino scurried away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire as Arliss and Antonio battled each other, dark magic and bullets flung between the two.

Meanwhile, Vera and Nessa were sizing each other up, preparing for their duel, the only way two strong, independent 21st century women could.

"Your ass is big." Nessa said at last.

"Your thighs rub together."

"It's the baggy pants, but atleast I don't have stringy hair."

"I'd rather have stringy hair then cracked skin."

The two glared at each other.

Vera drew her first card, smirking as she flippantly placed it onto the field. "I will set this monster in defense, and set this card as well." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Now…could you please hurry up and make your move?"

Nessa merely drew her cards. "Did you know, that over the last month, I went on a spiritual journey? It's true. I wanted to discover the root of my power. My Nightmare deck was built by Arliss, and while powerful…it wasn't…me. So I focused, and I discovered my style…my deck." She smirked. "You see…beneath it all…under these black clothes and dark make-up and cocky attitude…I'm just plain evil. Always had it in me, just took Arliss to bring it on. I love being bad…love it." She hugged herself and murmured happily. "From the moment I wake up from making love in the bed of a person I just killed to having my nightcap of feeding off the fear of other people, I just get off on it.

"And that's how I am in life. I love bringing out the darkness is a person. And you, behind all your little angel cards…have a ripe darkness." Nessa licked her lips. "Behold…my Seduction of the Innocent deck. Nothing is going to be the same after this." Nessa held up a spell. "I start by playing The Gathering Night." The spell card, its picture showing a dark road, flashed as Nessa took out her deck from her duel disk. "This card allows me to select 3 dark monsters from deck and send them to the grave. Next, I will summon the Dark Harpie to the field!"

A terrible cry filled the alley as the monster appeared. Feathers black as night, talons of steel, eyes glowing red, teeth sharpened to fine points and dripping with blood…truly this was a terrible creature to behold.

Dark Harpy

Dark/Winged Beast/Level 3

1300/1400

Vera scoffed. "Please…is that suppose to scare me…the little bird?"

"It should." Nessa replied. "For this isn't an ordinary harpie lady. This is a corrupted one, with a special power. You see, I can remove dark monsters from my graveyard to summon Dark Harpies to the field." Nessa held out her hand, two more Dark Harpies joining her first. "And now…lets see what you have hidden. Dark Harpie #1, attack!"

"I activate Asteroid Belt." Vera said. The trap flashed, and a ring of rocks surrounded her and her monster. "Due to the complexity of the Asteroid Belt, every time you attack, you flip a coin. If it lands on tails, your monster is smashed against the rocks." Nessa nodded, taking out a coin and flipping it once, showing off the head before destroying Vera's Watapon. Flipping again, she merely nodded as her monster was shattered against the asteroids. Once more, and Nessa found herself back where she started: With only one Dark harpie.

While the two women were dueling, Arliss was shielding himself with a car, licking the blood from his lips. "I'm gonna enjoy killin' ya, boy. Gonna enjoy it real it!" He rolled his neck, getting the kinks out. "Gonna cut ya good!"

"Talk!" Antonio laughed. "Let us see you try, signor." He loaded another clip into his semi-automatic and leapt up, firing at the car Arliss had been using for shelter. The auto shivered before it exploded in a ball of burning oil. "Ciao."

Arliss leapt forward from the burning hunk of steel, shattering the protection spell he had summoned and letting fly the shadow star. The golden throwing star sung as it cut the sky, just managing to slice Antonio in the leg as the Italian assassin dove for cover, returning to its master's hand.

Arliss lifted the star to his mouth, licking the blood from one razor edge. "Mmm…I can taste your evil, boy. Not pure like mine…but still…yours will be a fun death." He leapt onto a parked van, looking around for Antonio. "You see, I'm a McDonalds style murderer. I just want it ready to go. Nessa, she's a foodie, likes to sprinkle on fear and pain until it is right."

Antonio scoffed, firing at Arliss, the hunter blasting a hole into the van's roof and diving inside. "I prefer as you Americans call it, a buffet…sample all kinds and styles!"

"You would get along great with my brother!" Arliss called out as he blasted another hole through the side of the van, rushing Antonio and tackling him. "Loves" PUNCH "To" PUNCH "Kill!"

"Now, for my next move, I will set another monster face down, in defense mode." Vera pulled out a compact. "While you take your time, let me make sure I look my absolute best."

"You do that." Nessa said, drawing. "I will now summon the Dark Marauder to the field." The new monster rapidly formed, his tarnished armor gleaming as his tattered cape billowed. One eye was shut, scarred, the other glowing red as he drew his swords, one normal yet covered in blood, the other the blade of the Terrorking Archfiend.

Dark Marauder

Dark/Warrior/Level 3

1200/400

"Next, I will play this spell card: Dark Patience." The card flashed, the image of the Red Armored Dark Magician standing still with his eyes closed glowing slightly. "Next, I will attack your downface card with my Dark Harpie."

The coin flipped several times before landing on heads, the winged beast slashing the Mystical Shine Ball into bits of goo. Next, Nessa called upon her Dark Marauder, the warrior easily striking Vera down and sending her to the ground. (Vera-2800)

Lifting herself, Vera wiped the blood from her lip and chuckled. "Foolish girl." She taunted. "So, you like playing with darkness? You never realized that I have been setting you up, letting you destroy my weak monsters, all so I can bring out a much stronger foe!" Vera removed her two monsters from her graveyard and placed them in her pocket. "By removing these two light monsters, I can summon the Soul of Purity and Light." The ghostly angel billowed onto the field, wrapping her arms around Vera and looking at Nessa over Vera's shoulder. "Next, I will have my fairy attack your Dark Marauder!"