"So guys I will meet you later," I said as I humped the bag over my back. It had my camping set and a few tools.

"You are leaving us?" Joey asked with a frown, I answered, "Simple logic Joey, the more we spread out more duelists we will find," And the more I will not be involved in your bullshit.

Tea raised her objection, "If we split up how do we help each other," I made a show of thinking for a second before nodding, "But we need to get Yugi's Grandpa's soul. This much risk is acceptable. Besides, I work best alone."

"But Mira…"

"No buts."

———

——

—

I stuck to the shadows and targeted the weak duelists, I was not in this to win.

I had over-collected. Fifteen-star for when I needed to strike a bargain.

And just in time too the chopper bearing the full wrath of Seto fucking Kaiba was coming. My future—hopefully—best friend.

I could hear the slow humming of the beast as I started walking in that direction.

"So what's going on here?" I said as I pushed past the bushes just in time to watch Kaiba grab his deck back from Yugi.

"Mira Heylel didn't know that the delinquent was a duelist," Kaiba said before turning to walk.

"Don't see a reason I can't enjoy the game," I retorted half-heartedly.

When Kaiba did not say much and walked off, I shrugged, Rome was not built in a day, "Hey Yugi! Catch!" He turned towards me as he caught a star chip flying towards him.

"Mira? Chips? You don't have to…" I stopped him as I showed him, my holder, "That one was an extra."

"You're done too! And hey Kaiba, where are you going!" Joey rushed over to the man and I sighed and walked away, "Hey where are you going again?" Tristain asked and I shrugged, "Getting more chips, that man over there," I pointed to Kaiba, "He's gonna need it."

"This is not a game, Heylel! Not for me!" Kabia barked at me ignoring Joey who was in his face.

"I know Kaiba, this is not a game to any of us. We are all here for a cause. But to Pegasus? This is a game and he holds all the cards, he holds your brother. And you will play by his rules one way or another," He scoffed at my words, "We will see about that," I shrugged.

"For what it's worth Kaiba I hope your Blue Eyes rip the fucker to shreds," I said to him as I neared the edge of the bush line, on that he smiled, "They will."

—————————————————————

"I told you it's a game to him," I said as Kaiba made his way out of the Castle, guards surrounded him as they tossed him out.

One of them pointed at me, "You can't be here—" He shut up when I showed him, my holder.

"I don't have time for you!" Kaiba said and paced off as I followed behind, "So, what's the condition?"

His steps did not stop as he continued walking down, and neither did he speak.

"Just tell me," I chased after him.

He paused and turned to me, I stopped, "What. Do. You. Want?"

I sighed deeply, and suckled in all the air I could, "Fine. I don't have a family. Everyone I loved and knew is dead. My home went up in flames and I don't have anything. I am a vagabond. I don't even know if I will have a roof after the tournament ends. And I don't care. But you do have a family and I don't want to see you lose it. So let me help. Please."

He sighed and relented, "He wants me to beat Yugi."

I nodded, "Then why are you going anywhere? Just wait for him at the castle door, he is Yugi. He will be there by the end of today."

He was probably gonna do it when his head calmed down, right now he was agitated. Probably deathly hungry too. He nodded, "Fine let's go."

I grinned as we walked up the ramp, "Don't grin like an idiot," He hissed and I shrugged, "You hungry?" He looked at me like I was an idiot.

"I know you are Seto fucking Kabia and you can probably build a space station in a canning factory but you are a human being," I gave him my most sarcastic smile possible.

———

——

"They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach but with how you cook you would drill straight out of it," I was not amused at the comment, "I said I would feed you, never said the food would be any good."

Kaiba gave me an irritated look and picked up a mushroom with a fork, "This is the cheapest mushroom you can find in a supermarket."

"What part of me being homeless did you not understand?" I retorted as I sat down on my stone-stacked seat.

"A lot of it apparently, but I suppose what can I ask of the delinquent," I wanted to punch this man so bad but I kept it in, "I don't even have books or notebooks you asshole. If I remember what was taught in class? Well and good. If I don't I am fucked. And I have yet to fail once."

"Third-class women, third-class excuses," He said and I barely held my fist back. I am not a woman…wait I am.

"If I didn't know you were strong enough to beat a bodyguard into the ground. I would have crowbarred your face," I said as I slid out my old reliable from my belt.

"You carry a crowbar? What are you a Bandit?" I nodded, "So anyway, where do you want to duel him?" He stopped to think for a second before pointing at the two connecting towers.

"So you are going to cheat if he is about to win aren't you?" I asked bluntly and he smiled, "What? Disgusted?"

"I once bludgeoned a man to death with his son's dead body, do you think I care?" He looked taken aback by what I said, "Thanks for the image."

I smiled, "You are welcome, I am not lying by the way."

"You think I care?" He asked and I admitted, "Fair enough, you are the CEO of a major corporation, you probably eat souls for breakfast."

"Kaiba and Mira? Well, this certainly is an odd duo…" Bakura, well that thing is here as well.

"Oh, Mira! Are you cooking something?" Joey ran up the stairs only to freeze at the sight of Kaiba sitting there by the fire.

"Emptied Joey," I said as I leaned back on the wall I had the stones next to. I leaned back and let the cold of the stone creep in.

"Yugi…" Kaiba began and I closed my eyes. I was mentally checked out.

———

——

—

When I came back to it when my eyes refocused I was still leaning on the wall, "Hey? Are you awake?" The first sight to enter my eyes was Joey, "Yeah," I nodded as he roasted a marshmallow over the fire.

"So, where's everyone?" I asked and Joyed pointed to the duel going on between Tea and Mai.

"So I guess Yugi lost?" I asked as I saw a checked-out Yugi watching.

Joey took a deep breath, "Yeah, Kaiba threatened to take his own life if Yugi didn't."

"Ah, he played to Yugi's good heart?" I asked as I rolled my hand through my hair.

"Yeah, but why? I know he wants to save his little bro but…" I shrugged as I stood up to Mai who was descending the platform.

I walked over to them, my hands rubbing my eyes, "So Yugi got his new chips from you?"

"And who are you supposed to be?" I pulled out four chips from my pocket, "Mira, Mira Heylel," I pushed past her as I walked to Yugi who was about to get his chips from Tea.

"You know, I hate to make this a little less potent moment of friendship," I said and dropped four of my chips in his hand, "But you don't need that many."

"But these are your chips?" Yugi asked and I showed him, my holder, "Pegasus' condition was not star chips but to defeat you. So it was pointless of me to give these to Kaiba."

"Besides, now that I don't feel dead tired, let's go. We have a match to watch," I said as I turned to the castle, "To watch?" Mai asked.

I nodded, "To watch. Do you think someone like Pegasus will hold a match with the world champion without an audience?"

She looked at me confused and I just said, "Kaiba is in there."

"Oh she yelped, this is gonna be good," I agreed.

———

——

—

This was not a duel but a farce to show us how irrelevant we were in the duel. I sighed. This is season one bullshit, it will get worse from here on out.

They were alone duelling on a retracting bridge with an arena in the middle.

And in between us and him, a drop only god knows how deep.

Cheap cartoon imitations smashing Kaiba's dreams apart. With each punch, Kaiba reeled and Pegasus smiled more and more.

This was going the way it would in cannon, "Good luck Kaiba," I said just loud enough.

Kaibe looked at me, his teeth clenched and then his eyes went to the empty hallway the puppet had walked and his hands tapped the playing field in front of him.

He knew it, I knew it, and everyone in the arena knew it. When Pegasus used [Doppelganger] to copy Kaiba's [Crush Card Virus] it was over.

"Kaiba, even if you lose. We still get one more shot at him…" He did not let me finish as he pulled up his suitcase and threw it. It flew over the chasm between us and the arena and landed squarely on Joey's face. I did not pay any attention to the mutt as I took the case.

"Use them well," He said as he used [Monster Reborn, his last card.

I nodded, I will. I did not stick around to see Kaiba lose. I had a deck to build.

A deck that would carry me to battle city.

But for now? My plan? Get Yugi to Pegasus.

Not for Kaiba, not for Mokuba, not for what is right but for myself. I am such a bitch.

—————————————————————

Dinner was over and the fixture was ready.

Since four of the duelists had entered at the same time, they could not kick any of us out. So a simple answer. I withdrew. Let the plot run its course. Well, I was offered a bit of compensation.

But what would I do? Simple, get Mokuba's body and Seto's body out. When Yugi wins they would be in their helicopter, with their decks and ready to run.

My plan was very simple and made even easier when Tristin, Bakura and Tea dropped in.

"So, you want to search the tower? Go ahead," I said as I pulled a machete to my lower leg and clasped it onto the holder.

"You are not coming?" Tristin asked and I nodded, "I am not."

"Why though?" Tea asked as I belted my kbar.

"I'm gonna go on a date with the madman," I said as I wrapped the taser in my hand.

"You gonna meet Pegasus with all that?" Bakura looked stunned, "You sure not gonna murder him?"

I nodded, "This is self-defence." Just a bit extra.

"So that's why your bag was so hard," Tristin said, probably remembering how he slept on my bag in the ship hustle.

"Ah yes, fine. Still think you should have been in the tourney Mira, challenge Keath for the spot," Tristin said and I nodded, "I have bigger fish to fry Tristin, and I don't care about the title."

"Let's wreck a fucker," I said as I picked up my deck—built especially for this 2000 life point format—and the proto duel disk.

———

——

—

"Mira Heylel, what a pleasure to meet you face to face," I nodded as I took the far end of the long dinner table, opposite Pegasus.

"So, why call me for the meeting?" I asked as I put the suitcase down next to me.

"Straight to the point? How very Kaiba-boy of you," Pegasus said and I shrugged.

"Yes, now please tell me, this whole shadow game business has been a bit much for me," I exchanged gazes with the man, he could scan minds and see what others were seeing, how so very pointless. If it were memories I would fight a war for it. But seeing someone passing thoughts? 'How so very pointless.'

"Pointless is it?" Pegasus asked and I nodded, "Utterly so."

"You figured it out and you backed away from the duel, tell me why if you think it is so pointless," He asked, his hands resting in full aristocratic vigour.

"Because I was never interested in Duel Monsters as a game," I replied as I leaned back.

"For power then, you play it for power. Your friends would be so disappointed," I shrugged, "The first time I met them I was selling off my dad's deck. They know I don't love the game."

"Very well then, do you know what your title translates to?" I shrugged, I had no flipping clue.

"It translates to 'Dawn bringer,'" He said and my eyes slid wide, "The devil?"

"Exactly so, Miss Devil, when you resigned from your position in the tournament, why did you? The Devil won't let their prey go as far as I know so why did you?" He asked with a laugh as if he was making an in-joke.

I laughed back at him, "Whoever said you were my prey," the face he had made me roll, "You are going to be a footnote in history Pegasus. You will be remembered. But that is it. Whoever beats you is my prey. Not you."

His hand slammed into the table, "And how do you think that will happen?"

I shrugged, "You are talking to the devil right? Let's make a deal."

He sighed as he composed himself, "Go on."

"If you win, you will have me at your beck and call. How does that sound?" His brow raised, "More of a bet than a bargain, what if I lose?"

"Well it is a bargain, you let me take the bodies of the Kaiba brothers and return their souls for now. If you win you get them all back," He laughed and looked at me as if I were a fool.

"You way overestimate your val—" I cut him off, "The winged dragon of Ra, Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the tormentor. Does it sound like I am overestimating my value?"

He clamped up, "How do you know those cards!?"

I gave him my smuggest smirk possible, "Heheheh, I will make you the most powerful man in this world only if you win against the winner of your tournament."

He quieted down, "You are the devil."

I stood up from my seat, "Thank you Pegasus. I will see you on the flip side. So where are they?"

"Bring the boys to her room, and you red-eyed devil. Be prepared, your services will be heavily utilised," I laughed, "We will see about that Pegasus."

———

——

—

"Wake up, nap time's over Kaiba," I said as I presented a plate of dinner in front of the two Kaibas' whose eyes slowly regained focus.

From dead to filled with life. Those unfocused, dilated eyes gave way to focused and clear pupils.

"Kaiba?" I asked again as he groaned as held his head while sitting on the sofa.

"Mira? Where is Mokuba?" I pointed to the kid right beside him.

"How did you? Where are we?" I pointed to his suitcase and the duel disk on top of it. That was the original plan. It went quite well all things considered.

"Hey, Seto!" Mokuba jumped onto his brother and turned into a Koala hug.

"We are in Pegasus' castle and he has not been dealt with, I got you two back with a bargain," I told him and he processed all of this as he rubbed his brother's back.

"The deal was simple really. If Yugi does not win the tournament and beat Pegasus I become his slave and in case Yugi does he lets us all go," I told him plain and simple as I pushed the plate to him and started taking off my machete.

"So let me get this straight, you served yourself up on a silver platter for something we would have—" I cut him off, "Alright, shut up. I know what we would get if we win, but just leaving after all that grief leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

"So you risked your life to be extremely petty?" He asked, his smile being extremely fucking smug.

"I mean if we lose there is no way he is gonna let us leave, we have seen too much already," I told him and that is the most likely scenario, "I mean this man kidnapped a child and an old man to get people to play card games with him."

"When you put it that way, yes, you had a smart idea, good girl," Wait, that's what you call a dog… Okay bitch boy, I pulled up my machete and nicked it with my fingernail, "Did you just call me a dog?"

He said completely ignoring the blade, "Okay then, how would you treat an extremely petty bitch?"

"You are not one to talk," I said as I took out my kbar from my belt and slid it to Mokuba, Kaiba looked at it and ignored it, "In case shi–things go wrong."

"So what's your plan?" He asked and I smiled, "Can you make explosives?" His eyes widened but he nodded, "Can you get them where they need to be?"

"Take a guess?" I said as I pulled the rope from my bag.