Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long, both of us have become extremely busy as of late. No worries though, we're still working to make sure we roll out the chapters! Now, without further ado, we present Chapter 5! Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 5 ~ Meltdown: Overdrive to Cool-off

As she saw Yugi's light barrier appear and circle the field, Melody knew that her work was done. They had the Thief King at their mercy, and judging by the expressions on Yugi and Yami's faces, they had no intention of giving any. She could see it in their eyes, the utter rage and determination to destroy the one who had caused them so much trouble and drama in the past. Their emotions seemed to be on a runaway train preparing to ram into its victim, and she wasn't going to try to stop it. Actually, she was questioning if she even could at this point if she wanted to. In any case, she helped Enzan back onto his feet, and they could only stand there and watch.

Yami had a grin so psychotic even Flandre Scarlet couldn't compare to it, relishing the moment. He then spoke the words that signaled Yami Bakura's execution: "Sayonara, limey."

"Time to finish this!" the two said simultaneously, then summoned their weapons and took to the sky. Melody realized with a start that her suspicions were correct, yet at the same time absolute understatements: yes, Florence was dead meat, but at this rate, there was going to be no remains left. The train had just hit the gas and was going to bring out its full firepower.

Yugi and Yami began to chant a spell that the dimension traveler didn't even think the two would know; it was if they managed to find the words from a driving force deep within, subconsciously controlling their actions. The words seemed to be tied to their very souls, stating the key traits their basic desires embodied:

Musei, Chusei, Tenshi, Hikari…

Hokori, Kyouki, Kage, Yami…

Silent, Neutral, Angelic, Light...

Pride, Insanity, Shadow, Darkness...

On and on it went. Each round their power seemed to grow constantly, eventually manifesting in the form of 6 wings on their backs.

Yugi's seemed to be the blades of the "Swords of Revealing Light" spell card, pure white with a yellow glow. His staff was a halberd with the Yin symbol as the blade ends and a purple gem in the center of the top blade, an innocent amethyst.

Yami's were more complex, reminiscent of the Goddess of Makai herself, Shinki, save for the Eye of Anubis smack in the middle of each wing. In his hand was a sword with the same Eye as the hilt, a fiery ruby in the center, then continuing to a black grip with red ribbon tied around it before ending with the Yang symbol as the pommel.

Without a doubt, this was the most amount of power Melody had seen them use in this form. Along with Pearl's team, who had just arrived shortly after the barrier was thrown up, she watched in awe as the duo was about to make their next move.

Pearl wished she could claim to have watched the staggering spell erupt in a nonchalant silence, in a manner so befitting its double casters. Such demeanor was impossible in the face of the Millennium Meltdown.

The moment Yugi and Yami's seraph wings expanded, and the two clashed their weapons together, the destructive supernova of a spell blasted its way into existence. Its initial pattern was those of spiraling bullet streams, with multi-colored projectiles that formed lacy mid-air grids; the spirals then signaled massive, seizure-inducing explosions, the twin forces of light and darkness unleashing their full wrath in the illuminated, alternating bullet pattern sparking within the barrier's boundaries.

Pearl felt the resulting force push against the barrier's wall, and she was grateful it didn't collapse from the sheer pressure of the dizzying spell .She could only guess of the fate of Bakura, and for once, Pearl found herself sympathizing with the Thief King. There would no corpse to show his death.

She didn't smirk at that, and when the signal that the spell had concluded appeared in the phase of evaporating smoke, Pearl stared into the shattering light barrier, her eyes confirming that the pressure was indeed dying down; Yami and Yugi's seraph wings remained ever-present, but the bullet trails had faded, and Bakura was nowhere to be seen.

Both teams, of course, rejoiced. Their efforts had led to a reunion, and the task had been accomplished successfully. Conversations weaved as the teammates began exchanging adventure accountings, so much to the extent that no one noticed the lone figure of Pearl, as she trekked her way to the spot where the spell originated, holding the thin slip of a spell card in her fingertips.

The card sparked with feeble embers, causing its bearer to break into a sudden scowl; Pearl then forced her expression to take a neutral stance, but the thin tightened lines of stress was still visible in the midst of her face's outline.

If the "Pulse of Dissonance" card was reacting to the magical particles still radiant from previous spells, then Pearl DS had casted a far-distant spell to interfere, most likely one that transported Bakura to safety before the Millennium Meltdown had collided with him. It made the most sense, especially as the circumstances were too suspicious as they already were; Bakura had appeared right after Pearl DS had suffered defeat at the hands of Yami Yugi.

It wouldn't be illogical to accuse the two of being allies. How she had smuggled such a spell through the barrier, was a different matter altogether, though Pearl herself suspected Bakura of using the Millennium Ring to bend space's fabric in order for the spell to get through; he had tried activating its power before the Millennium Meltdown had been unleashed, but what if the seemingly futile gesture was in fact a tactical move rather than one made in desperation?

Pearl took a deep breath to calm those thoughts, a mild attempt to loosen her tense face. She pocketed her spell card once more, not daring to tell Yugi and Yami that the Meltdown may have been rendered useless due to suspected interference; nothing had been confirmed, and she was not willing to plant unfounded anxieties unto her teammates.

She wrenched herself from her streamline of thought so that no one would suspect what she was meditating on, coming to the sudden realization she always came to whenever she spaced out from the surrounding world; events actually occur while you're in your own world, and staying oblivious to them means you'll have to catch up with the news on your own time.

Pulling back to reality, Pearl had found out that Yusei Fudo had arrived, riding into the room on his D-Wheel and shouting to the group, in the friendly manner befitting the addressing of acquaintances, "Hi, guys! What did I miss?"

"Not much," answered Melody, shifting eyes to the new arrival. She had noticed that her comrade Pearl had been silent for a while, staring at one of her cards as if transfixed by its significance; she too had just realized Yusei had entered, and hastened to cover up her own silence. "We were just beating up Melvin and Florence."

"Err...right." Yusei did a double take, as the six seraph wings of Yugi and Yami still remained unfurled in their full glory, their presence an obvious trigger of confusion. "Err...are those two alright?" Yusei said shakily. "And why are there wings sprouting out of their backs?!"

"Oh, well that's the aftermath of a powerful spell, Yusei," Rockman reassured him, making an effort to sound casual as not to stir any further anxiety.

Yusei, however, was not appeased, and inquired further, noting Rockman's unusual tone, "You're saying that so casually . . . does this spell happen often?"

Rockman casted a nervous glance at Melody's direction; the details of the Meltdown spell were shrouded in rumor, and she, as the creator of its entirety, would only be able to provide the wholesome facts. As such, the cobalt Navi stated, "I think Melody is the best person to ask about that."

"I might as well ask her then," Yusei muttered.

Flandre, however, seemed more intent in seeing the Meltdown's effects rather than researching its properties, both obvious symptoms manifesting themselves in her gleaming scarlet-hued eyes. "Kyuu, kyuu~! Are you going to play with me?" the child mused.

Yami smirked at the prospect, and replied, "Correction: WE'RE going to play with you-"

"-That is, until you break!" Yugi supplied. "Isn't that something you would say, Miss Flandre?" the boy added with an icy smile gracing his equally frosty expression. The light that he embodied seemed so cold and unmerciful at this point, a stark contrast from his usual cheerful and warm disposition. There was no such emotion like that in his eyes.

At this, Pearl's suppressed anxiety resurfaced, and the outlines of evident stress tightened around her jawbone. Fearfully, trying to initiate then her sudden role as the voice of reason, she cut in, "Um...is allowing Crazy Flandre and Meltdown Mode to play a good idea? I mean, the enemy's gone, right?"

Melody shifted her gaze back onto Pearl's frame, noting the stress present on her friend's features. Her explanation of the matter at hand was done so in a slow manner, yet its reassuring effect was widespread, as her demonstration of knowledge over the spell's entirety imparted the silent message that she had complete control over the situation.

"Millennium Meltdown also leaves them in a subconscious state, the Puzzle slightly in control," Melody articulated. "Occasionally they need to fight someone else to vent out the extra energy, otherwise they're stuck like that. Not that I mind, anyway." She giggled playfully, almost in a manner defying the usual cryptic self she projected, resuming, "Sassy Yugi is fun~!"

"Oh. Good to note," Yusei said blankly, trying to process the near overload of information presented by the details. Pearl, in contrast, nodded in understanding, though she remained silent and unmoving.

Netto, also present, experimentally poked Yugi on the forehead, jabbing his finger at the middle of the shimmering golden emblem, as if trying to gauge a reaction. He ignored Rockman's outcry of warning, but to dire consequence as he was soon flung away by an angered Yugi, who seized Netto's wrist and violently hurled the brunette with such staggering force he spiraled towards the wall like a zooming bullet.

"Out of my way, Hikari," he hissed. "I have a vampire to shatter." Yugi whirled around to face Flandre, his normally serene purple eyes now reflecting the urge of battle, as if beckoning her into his challenge, "Well? Do you accept?"

Flandre responded with an outburst of pure sadistic joy, her fangs aligning to form a wide vampiric smile, as she spread her multi-colored wings in ready flight. "Yes! Kyuu, kyuu, play with me!" she chanted, a crimson aura radiating from her extended wings. "Taboo ~ Lävatein!"

The proclamation became the spell's trigger; fiery blades erupted underfoot as tornados of spiraling bullets whirled overhead, a splendid yet deadly cage.

"And so we begin," Yugi muttered, his cold tone resembling that of a lament. The first attack already seemed flawless, but despite that Yugi and Yami countered easily, folding their seraph wings to evade the row of fiery javelins and then jetting upwards, enveloping themselves in a protective layer of magic to deflect the upper projectile streams.

Yami grinned as the bullets spiraled around in futility. "Time for a little counterattack," he mused. "Duelist Weapon ~ Spirit of Shadow's Sword!"

The younger Scarlet was simply ecstatic, twirling around to dodge the bullets that spawned out of the sword hilt and zipped around the field like lightning. "Kyuu, kyuu, this fun!" she said with joy. She pulled out another spell card and attempted to activate it, but before the full name of that card escaped her mouth, time slowed around the battlefield and faded to grayscale. The card froze, trapped in compliance with the sudden change. The combatants however were unchanged, albeit a bit confused on what happened.

A maid with silver hair and holding a stopwatch of the same metallic-like color stepped into view out of thin air. "Young mistress," Sakuya Izayoi said, "Remilia-sama wishes for you to return to the Mansion. You can either do this the easy way, or the more painful route."

"Kyuu…" the vampire said sullenly as she descended, looking down at her shoes and the floor.

Yugi and Yami decided that playtime was over, both for her and for them. They could feel the magic flowing through them beginning to fade out, and to continue fighting when they were exhausted would be suicide. Making up their mind, they both looked the young Scarlet straight in the eyes and spoke: "I suggest you leave…before we change our minds about letting you off easy."

Flandre wouldn't have one bit of it though. Like a spoiled brat, she whined in protest, "No! Sakuya-san, I want to fight!"

"Flandre-chan," Sakuya said sternly, "I received strict orders from Mistress Remilia: Come home now."

Seeing how there was no way that she was going to negotiate with the Perfect and Elegant Maid, the 495-year old sighed in defeat. "Fine. If Onee-chan says so…" With that, the two disappeared and the battlefield returned to normal, time resuming its normal course.

And not a moment too soon. Light and Darkness turned to smile at each other, then closed their eyes and willingly released Millennium Meltdown, the colors of their modified outfits draining out and fading away along with their seraph wings back into nothingness. When their eyes reopened, the irises had returned to their normal states of lavender and maroon respectively.

The Hikari twins had borne witness to the de-transformation, but due to the fact that the last time they got close one of them ended up face-planting the wall, they were a bit more wary approaching the twin Duelists. Netto attempted to poke Yugi again to see what would happen; hey, he already know it was a terrible idea, but he didn't have any others at the moment.

The Pharaoh's reincarnation turned and gave the younger Hikari a look of pure innocence. "Hm? What is it, Netto-kun?"

"U-uh, nothing!" the brunette stuttered, trying to save face and not act like an idiot for once. Rockman on the other hand already knew inside of his head that by doing that the Net-Savior had practically given the lie away in one clean sweep.

Netto soon figured this out as well, and did a second attempt: "Um, anyone want to have a Net-Battle?"

The Navi could only face-palm in exasperation.

"Oh, and before I forget," Yugi said, unaffected the sudden proposal, "I apologize for acting so roughly earlier." His tone dropped to a more solemn whisper: "I don't really have much control over myself when I'm in that state."

"Don't worry about it!" Netto reassured him. "It can't be as bad as Rockman's Beast forms, right?"

Yugi shifted his eyes, a glimmer of red pulsing up in the pupil angle. It seemed to weigh down his composure into a deeper gravity, as his face tensed up with a darker, serious outline. "Unless I activate it out of emotional stress," he replied further, "Then whoever forced me to do that is good as dead."

"So we've seen," Rockman muttered, with the befitting awe accompanying the spectacle's aftermath. He did not speak onwards, and his twin followed suit, as if enthralled in a nervous silence. The air seemed to be thickening around Yugi, a broadcasted aura whose effect was almost that of a barrier, a fine line between Yugi Mutou, and the rest of the surrounding world.

"Now what?" said Yugi hastily; this time around, his voice reflected a childish sort of curiosity, and his round face reconfigured to match this projection. It was evident that Yugi was anxious to change the subject, a desperation to move away from the topic concerning the branch of magic he had only minimal knowledge of.

Netto was helpful in this department. He half-shouted, in a gleeful, anticipating tone, "We raid Kaiba's fridge while he's distracted!"

"Yay!" cheered an eager Jonouchi, who casted a cautious glance at Kaiba's direction; the cursory viewing supported the notion, as Kaiba was currently preoccupied with his cell phone, bellowing insults to the person on the other line. He was distracted, a fact that titled the scenario to thievery's favor.

"W-wait a minute!" Yugi protested, in an obvious endeavor to deter the two from their objective, "I don't think we should do that! Kaiba wouldn't appreciate that...and don't even think about saying that it's Kaiba!" he added hurriedly, as both Jonouchi and Netto had opened their mouths to argue back, "I don't care!"

"Yugi is right, Netto-kun!" supported Rockman, "Remember the last time you raided Kaiba's fridge?!"

Ah, the resort of mentioning previous failure; a common older sibling tactic, but not of fool-proof status. Netto huffed an oblivious "Nope!" in response, as Jonouchi supplied, "Not really. So, Netto, what's the plan?"

"You too, Jonouchi-kun?" Yugi muttered in disbelief, exchanging exasperated looks with Rockman.

In response, Rockman gave a nervous sigh, as his face also fittingly reconfigured to match the vexing circumstances.

Jonouchi and Netto continued discussing tactics, and within seconds the two gleeful thieves dashed onto the newly landed KaibaCorp blimp, feasting on the contents of the richly filled fridge. Reluctantly, Yugi and Rockman trekked up the blimp's plated staircase, just to check on the progress of their partners. It was their unfortunate fate to discover that Kaiba had also boarded, and was currently cursing the emptied shelves of the fridge for turning to that state. Wildly, he turned to and fro in desperate hopes to pin the miscreant, but luck did not bestow him the favor; he should have looked upwards, as Yugi both reasoned and did, since the said culprits were presently gripping the overhead rafters, clinging to the wooden boards in feared effort not to come tumbling down onto the scene of suspicion. Jonouchi was frantically mouthing a dire message for Yugi not to divulge their position, but Yugi's quick eye caught Netto's loosening hold on the rafters; expertly, he summoned a mental force field to save Netto the tragedy of plunging into downward trouble, and his treasure trove of distracting excuses pulled out the winning card to manage Kaiba leaving the immediate proximity without hassle.

"How about we go for ice cream or something? We could go to a bakery," Yugi said loudly.

The moment a detour to the bakery was brought into the fray, the younger and pastry-loving Mokuba urged his brother Seto to seize the opportunity, forcing the CEO executive to drag himself to the blimp's radar room in preparation to obey the proposition. Mokuba departed with him, happily humming his way down the hall.

Now safety at the cue, Jonouchi and Netto climbed their way down the rafters, each expressing their gratitude for Yugi's quick actions on the uptake. Yugi accepted the thanks graciously, but his serene purple eyes flickered momentarily to the flaming irises meant as penalty, as he said warningly, "You're welcome, but don't do that again." The flames surged upwards, boring a bolted sphere almost like a pupil at the center of Yugi's eyes, as he continued further, "Next time I won't be so merciful."

And there you have it! Now, Pearl and I have become a tad bit annoyed over the fact that there are so little reviews. We really want to know what other people think about this story, so give us a little feedback! And if you think this is awesome, go and recommend it! It would be really nice if more people knew about this little project we have. Thank you all for reading; Chapter 6 is up next!