Summary: Rewrite of episode 182. Before Yami could attack with the Knight of Destiny, Dartz pulled from his bag one last trick that even the Pharaoh may have to kneel to. Dark Y/YY

Disclaimer: I don't own. Or it would be rated much higher.

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It was not meant to be like this,
Not what I planned at all.
…Definitely all your fault.
-- "The Walk," Imogen Heap

--

"Well." A slightly surprised voice announced. "That's it then, isn't it? There is no way I can win."

The nameless Pharaoh, Yami no Yuugi, laughed. "Your reign is over, Dartz! Now I will finish this and you will give me back my Aibou, and all the souls you have taken to feed your violent God! Atlantis will never unleash its dark writings and rape history!"

It was clearly over. Yugioh and Kaiba had marched through the temple's entrance, where Kaiba cleared the field and path for him. Kaiba had hissed at him he was fine and would handle Dartz with him later for daring to touch his precious corporation. The Pharaoh had smirked when Dartz contently turned from his prayer at the altar like he'd been expecting him and thought there wouldn't be enough of this idiot left for Kaiba.

The duel had begun like all his had, but rang distinctly empty for him… Yuugi's heart hadn't been near him or his cards at all, and perhaps that was why more blood and soul was so ruthlessly ripped from both sides. But that was his drive, that was his glorious paradise of a reward when he took down the stupid Atlantian and saved the world and all that — that that heartbeat would be right where it belonged beneath his, warm and friendly and happy and alive…

The Knight of Destiny.

Dartz hadn't drawn his own powerful god defenses in time for them. The priest's traps…both looked at them and knew simultaneously the limitations of such things in the face of powers beyond infinity. The Game King smirked wider, "You're done, Dartz. Atlantis will sink back again to the bottom of the ocean where it belongs."

His opponent closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, it seems so straight forward doesn't it? Your next turn and it's all over, and you win, right? And yet, you move so fast Pharaoh, because I have a small," he smiled wider, "addition to the game that I really must introduce at this time. Do you mind… your highness?"

The Game King widened his eyes, then narrowed them, holding his card tighter. What was Dartz planning? Should he play the golden bohemoth anyway or hold off? Form another strategy? He wished for the thousandth time Yuugi was there to ask. He could not let him down again… He closed his eyes, remembering Yuugi looking up at him before returning to the Leviathan a second time — I believe in you — before snarling again: "What are you talking about Dartz?"

"Let me show you." Dartz's turned slightly to the altar. "I've come too far to lose, and I should think you would actually be… unspeakably happy, with the next turn of events—though that might be too much for me to hope for. So give me a preview, Pharaoh, when I ask you: how much do you want to see little Yuugi again?"

His opponent's body tensed even further, growled low and deadly, "Give him back." He hissed. "Or you'll realize even a millennia of suffering could not possibly prepare you for my wrath."

"I'm touched," Dartz drawled calmly, indifferently snapping his fingers. "In fact, just what I wanted to hear." He turned to the altar and sang, softly, "Come out…" He raised his hand and pulled as if something in the space before him were there, narrowing his eyes and raising his voice. "I call forth your soul!"

The empty mouths of the Leviathan filled with fire, the eyes of the beasts embroidered on the stone glowed green like the Seal of Oreikalkos. Yami no Yuugi took a step back, tense, teeth grit, wondering what Dartz would do to Aibou… and if it were possible to crush Dartz's mind when he prevented it.

He decided he didn't want to risk Yuugi's safety or their friends anymore.

"Knight of Destiny! Attack—"

But Dartz had closed his eyes and turned, focusing on the energy of his God on the empty Ceremonial pedestal to his left, a containment circle in an area equal distance between from him and the Pharaoh. Green light appeared there, and much like the graveyard duel Yami no Yuugi had encountered before, molecules of spirits began to cry out as they attempted to crawl from beyond the grave. But just one soul was needed, and he was quite a bit more silent from the rest. So when a small rectangle from the altar glowed within briefly, there was no scream of release as Yuugi Mutou's form materialized to hover in the air briefly before landing within the circular perimeter with a light thud.

Yuugi was shaking on all fours and gasping, head low as if bowing to the Pharaoh; but slowly he raised his head to meet Dartz's eyes. The Mirror Knight persona had been wiped off him, leaving him bizarrely normal and out of place while he looked around, as if he couldn't quite recall who he was or why he was there.

And Yami's monsters stopped moving right along with his will.

"AIBOU!" The Dark Yuugi cried out, using every bit of control not to run over to him -- He's alive. He's alive He's alive He's alive!

Everything would be all right, everything felt right, the world was a little more correct.

And that chain inside of him was pulling so hard and desperately to Yuugi — so physical… "Aibou are you all right!"

Yuugi looked at him with eyes wide. "Mou hitori no boku!" He began to smile; he half stumbled getting up but he didn't care. He didn't know why Dartz brought him back but he didn't care, he was going to run to his pharaoh and they'd kick Dartz's ass and—"GAH!" He yelped out as he tried to step outside the circle but abruptly fell back down on his back. Like a whiplash… he grunted and tried to catch his breath.

"Aibou!"

Something…grabbed his wrist? Shaking from the pain, Yuugi lifted his right hand and his eyes widened in horror. No, something was on his wrist, yanking him back! Slowly, unable to understand what was going on, he traced the large, stone handcuff on his wrist and followed the chain that wrapped behind him to…to…

The chain didn't end exactly, it was swallowed on contact to become part of the stone Leviathan altar behind him.

"What's wrong little Yuugi?" Dartz said breezily, as Yuugi stared at it blankly. "A little confused? A little stuck?"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" The Pharaoh screamed, causing Yuugi to jump and Dartz to laugh out loud. "Let him go, LET HIM GO RIGHT NOW!" The cards were clutched in his hand, the winning cards temporarily forgotten in his fury. Oh Dartz would pay, what he did to Haaga would be nothing like what he would do to Dartz when Yuugi was back by his side — NOTHING at all, and there was no Mazaki to stop him this time; he'd lock Aibou somewhere safe and hit Dartz again and again with the arm of Osiris and the Shadows ripping his flesh until the end of time — never, never, never would he let this happen again, and it was this mantra that kept Yugioh's Shadows from bursting through another god's shrine and blowing up the entire arena; he had to save his partner.

He was too angry to be frightened of himself.

"The rules are quite simple." Dartz announced, smirking. He turned to Yuugi to be polite; what he was about to say did concern him slightly after all. "I have rewritten the rules of Leviathan to participate in a relationship not unlike the Pharaoh to the Puzzle." He smiled at a bewildered Yuugi, who was still realizing he wasn't a stone tablet anymore, and began glaring at the insane priest. "And, so like when the Puzzle shattered and the King was lost to you, so that in the destruction of Leviathan, Yuugi, you, will also be destroyed."

Dartz felt time stop for one, powerful figure, in front of him. But as tempting as it was Dartz didn't break eye contact with the boy to see the king's horror. Timing was everything here… 'Play your part, little boy,' he called him silently. 'You have no idea how very little you have to do to convince the next events to fall as they will…' No, there were no escapes to this for the irritating Pharaoh.

Little Yuugi was either too far gone from having his soul lingering in limbo or truly wasn't afraid of anything the man said. Instead with eyes narrowed his young mouth curved upwards and he laughed out his words: "Well, that isn't such a difficult choice—me or the world?!" Yuugi laughed even louder…unconsciously pulling again against the chain (good boy!). "It isn't a choice at all!" He screamed. "Isn't it, Mou Hitori no Boku! Show hi—"

He stopped.

There was an expression on the Pharaoh's face Yuugi had never seen before, as he stared at Dartz. His arm was still raised slightly to order the creature, but his arms, his hand, his fingers! Yuugi had never seen them… so frozen, stiff. His dark eyes, where even from his position Yuugi saw… he saw emotions, too fast for him to understand, or too old. Why—why wasn't he responding to Dartz's threat?! Calling his bluff? He seemed to be hesitating but WHY?

"Mou-hitori no boku?" He shouted; he fought down horror—why was it there? There was no reason! "What are you waiting for?" Nothing. "PHARAOH, PHARAOH YUGIOH!" This is such an easy decision! We've been in situations like this and made it! This is bigger than me—the answer is so obvious!

"You're a liar Dartz!" He snarled to the priest. "You can't do this because you need the Pharaoh's soul! You've entered Leviathan onto the playing field and you can't attack without it!"

Dartz gave a slow, frightening smile. "Yes, it does need one more soul…and I've decided to give it mine."

Yuugi stared at him.

"You're insane! You're an insane lunatic—"

"If the Pharaoh attacks, Leviathan and Atlantis will be destroyed and all the other souls will be released…except yours. Yours will be with us forever."

Dartz turned from him, raising his hands in mock helplessness. "What will it be, Pharaoh?"

A switch in Yuugi's brain turned off all sound, even his heartbeat, all he could understand was the heat in the Pharaoh's eyes as he ripped through him, like he was moving inside of him, going past his eyes and deep inside to touch his soul and wrap it around his tightly. Those eyes Yuugi thought he knew so well locked onto his, and a chill ran down Yuugi's spine.

"M-Mou hitori…" His voice cracked and he felt sick and very frightened. He didn't understand the intensity, didn't want to know what it meant. What are you waiting for? "This, this isn't that difficult of a decision! Just me—one person!—or the world! The world: my family, my friends—our friends!"

Oblivious, he pulled again at the chain (Dartz laughed quietly: perfect boy!), as if he could revert to spirit form and shake the Pharaoh out of his obvious temporary insanity. "Have you forgotten them?! Snap out of it!"

"I am not finished speaking, Pharaoh," Dartz said quietly, knowing he had his enemy's full attention even before his opponent's head jerked in his direction. Good, almost-puppet. Hm, a divine, breathing god made tame at the inference of a little boy! "Don't think about joining him if you continue the path of the golden hero and let him save the world with his great sacrifice. There's no reward waiting for him, Pharaoh. His soul won't even make it to Ammet, let alone Paradise like you."

"What do you mean?" Yugioh recoiled, as if he wanted to step away, not sure whether to scream at him some more or clutch his head and block out his voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Yuugi is a part of me now. Send Leviathan to the hell you described at the beginning and Yuugi goes with it." He smirked. "What was it? 'A darkness past Atlantis at the bottom'? Fire and Shadow, 'constantly feasting, picking, tearing on the soul'? Something like that I believe."

Yami's brain was moving in slow motion. This wasn't happening, this wasn't…it…he wasn't…it couldn't…he looked at… Yuugi. Aibou. Remembered Aibou. Aibou. Aibou smiling, crying, touching him, poking him, yelling at him. Yuugi's hands beneath his around the Puzzle… All the Spirit could see was his… he was pulling against a chain…

It hurt, like a stone in his shoe. It didn't go away in the blink of an eye. It tasted like something familiar. Something he'd known his whole life.

"Pharaoh," Yuugi was saying, eyes wide (but so worn and damaged), "I'm not afraid."

But he was pulling on the chain again unconsciously, as if he wanted to reach out and reassure him, but that was all his other self saw. Yuugi was so young… he was so young and it wasn't fair and he, the Game King needed him, wanted him—he couldn't do anything without him…

"Your move Pharaoh."

Aibou.

The link was gone, but it bounced around Yuugi's insides and rang in his heart so loudly with that look in the other's eyes he almost fell to the floor from his frozen crouch. He could not look away, could not fight the shock. His eyes widened. "O-Other…"

How can I hear you?

"You've been left in the dark before." The Spirit said quietly, but it reached Yuugi's ears all the same, and he didn't know how to react.

The Pharaoh was looking at his cards, lowering his head, preparing — yes! Tears welled in Yuugi's eyes and he was only a little afraid but that was okay, this was okay and—wait—what?

"W-What are you doing?" He asked softly, incredulously. "Other me what are you doing?!" He couldn't, WOULDN'T do what he thought he was doing! "OTHER ME! Stop it! Snap out of it!"

"Your move, Pharaoh." Dartz was smirking. Knowing. Knowing what? KNOWING WHAT?

And his hand was moving but why did it look so wrong? No one ever lowered their hand like that just to t—Yuugi's lost all sense of his body. NO! MOU HITORI NO BOKU DON'T YOU DARE! Don't you dare choose me over the world— "S-STOP IT! You don't know what you're doing!"

waiting so long,
(I've lost you once… twice…).
(He never saw him look so sincere. "I want to be with you always." )

He heard screams, though most of it was the roar of an awakening ocean god as the souls were harvested, Dartz's triumphant laughter. Then there were the screams of the souls fed to the god and power, and more as power emitted roaring and sweeping: set free and alive. But some of it was his, his wrist burned as the Leviathan's chains melted and ripped from his flesh, his soul, as he was released from its influence completely. He was still screaming NO NO NO NO NO, still screaming when he fell, when he was caught before he hit the ground and held tightly, desperately. The puzzle around his neck flashed and the link came flooding back, and the protective gold was sucking him in from the Death but Yuugi couldn't even hear his pharaoh's soul amongst all the chaos.

And then he realized some of it was his idolized other self babbling so desperately: "never, not you I couldn't, not you oh Gods Aibou, Yuugi, never I could never, anyone else but NOT YOU."

Somehow he could see it: how all began to turn like silver glass like Rafael had painted it in his mind: a light on the water, a darkness so bright it seemed that way, but stretching across the entire world. Hope faded, like true light, and Dartz laughed as it spread to the souls of every crib and entered every grave, the ink of history dripping down the marker board, rewritten and submissive the second the nameless spirit king himself to him—threw it all away—and clutched a tiny boy in the darkness of the Puzzle, crying to each other 'oh gods I hate you I love you I thought I lost you I lost you.'

Shadows were flying up, wrapping around the two like a cocoon from the green light of Atlantis. Yuugi beat his smaller fists against his other's chest, cursing him and crying—Jounouchi, Grandpa, Mom, Anzu all gone!, just as his darkness kissed his head /back, back, so thankful, just the thought alone/ and continued to draw Yuugi so close his larger body could swallow and melt it into his; that soul, the one he never, EVER, wanted to be without again: that soul, Dartz had mused, that had been the perfect bait.

The Millennium Puzzle fell with a heavy clunk to the ground, magic forever sealed up and lost.