As quickly and as unexpected as a storm, it came. Something broke. The fates cut the thread of sanity. The gates swung open, unleashing a wave of emotion that swept all before it. The torment only memory could create.

Leon had kept a wall between him and everything he didn't want to feel. That was how he dealt with things. He'd been through too much to simply face all his demons head-on.

But now, the wall was coming down. And with it, so was Leon.

He felt it rise. He fled, sinking deep into his subconscious to escape. Why? Why didn't he stay and fight?

Simple. He knew he couldn't win.

It had all become clear to him, in that moment. He saw how the voice had worn him down, pitting him against the most hated memories of his life in an attempt to break his control. With Anima, it had finally happened. His mental grip was gone. He couldn't keep it back anymore.

He was essentially blind, going only on instinct. Letting it lead him to the very centre of his mind. The absolute core of his subconscious.

A fitting place to end this. He reflected, almost laughing at the absurdity of his situation.

He walked in darkness for some time. It was impossible to keep track of time. There was no landscape or scenery. Above, around, and below him stretched an endless black void, yet he stood on solid ground.

Thump.

He stopped and listened. Someone was approaching. He could hear heavy footfalls, like the lumbering steps of an ogre. He sighed.

What now?

"Shall we make her suffer, my pet?"

His monster, a great black dragon, roared as if in agreement. Scarlet fire ignited, burning like a furnace in its gaping maw. The unearthly glow matched the wyrm's gleaming, merciless eyes. It looked upon its prey hungrily, preparing to devour her. Its claws were tensed, ready to strike upon the command. Bones jutted out from its powerful wings. It was a ferocious sight to behold.

Though she was trying very hard to hide it, Anima was afraid. She'd been in control from the start- playing Leon along like a puppet on a string. She'd done the same in this duel- accepting his challenge, giving him the pretence that he stood a chance against her, letting him think he was winning, so he'd feel that much worse when she crushed him. Her plan had been working perfectly, too. But just as she was about to drop the act…

The flames grew stronger. They illuminated the dragon master, letting him bask in their crimson light. He looked eerie and sinister among them, the light only matched by the dark flames behind his eyes. He gazed upon his beast with cold satisfaction, as if silently praising its anger.

Watching the look made Anima shiver, despite the feigned toughness. She didn't know what this…thing was, but it wasn't Leon. His deck was completely different- these cards were not the cards she'd seen before the game began. Her game plan wasn't working- she'd barely been able to make a scratch. He (for it was obviously male), on the other hand, was outplaying her with embarrassing ease. And from the look on his face, he was enjoying it immensely.

Just as she had been about to strike Leon down, his emotional walls had collapsed. She'd had a suspicion that there was a side of him she wasn't seeing, so she'd pushed him, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. But apparently, she'd pushed too hard. He'd snapped, and whatever he'd been hiding was out to play.

And, she reflected, it looks like it plays for keeps.

It chuckled malevolently. Anima flinched.

"Attack her directly, with Inferno Fire Blast!"

Screaming for blood, the dragon blasted forth its attack. Anima shrieked as the fireball hit home.

(???: 3000/Anima: 450).

She gasped in pain. Her vision began to fade to black, shadows blotting out the field.

"Get up. It's much more fun when my victims struggle."

Anima winced, partly from the pain and partly from the malice in his voice. The most frightening thing was, it spoke in Leon's voice, walked in his body. But there was no trace of him left. He'd been swallowed up by this sadistic monster.

Leon…what happened to you?

Despite altering her tactics, it wasn't enough. Her opponent countered every move she made, draining away her resources. She'd only managed to survive thanks to a hefty amount of luck, not on her own skills. She only had one card in her hand, and absolutely nothing on her field. Her opponent, meanwhile, still commanded the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, as well as a full hand of cards to use against her. However, she did have a few more tricks to try. She drew her card, eyes flickering nervously.

Perhaps there is still a chance…if he has something I can use.

"I activate the Spell Card, Exchange!"

He snarled. Anima allowed herself a grin, baring her fangs.

"Show me your hand!"

He fanned it out slowly, placing each card onto his duel disk. Their card images projected overhead. She mulled each choice over in her head, then made her decision.

"I'll take Pot of Greed!" she announced.

He removed the card and threw it lazily at her. Unperturbed, she took the last card out of her hand and tossed it to her opponent.

"Don't get too attached to that."

"Perish the thought!"

She ignored the jibe. She played her stolen Pot, drawing two cards. Her eyes lit up at her pickings.

It seemed there was yet hope.

Leon let the person shadowing him approach. With each step the man (for it was definitely a man) took, he became surer of his identity. By the time he was within earshot, he was convinced. Not that that made it any easier to deal with.

"How nice to see you again, son."

He knew that voice. He'd only known one person in his entire life that could make him feel this bad. The person who should have picked him up when he fell down. The person who should have comforted him when his mother died. The person who should have stopped him slipping away. The person who should have been his best friend in all the world.

Should have.

He was staring at his father. He was a large man, very heavy on his feet. His face was red and puffy. If not for the black hair he shared with his son, he would have looked like a pig. His arms were crossed, and he wore a smug grin on his face.

Leon glared at him. The man sniggered, spraying spit from his mouth.

"Where's the love? No hug for your old man?"

"You bastard. When did you crawl out of the woodwork?"

His father shrugged.

"Sticks and stones. You'd probably knife me in the back anyway. You've got a lot of anger welled up in here, you know that?"

Still he did not speak. His father starting walking towards him, arms outstretched in a sarcastic parody of welcome.

"Even considering our history, I would have thought you'd be happy to see your dad…"

Leon could hold it in no more. As soon as his dad was close enough, he hit him in the jaw.

"Gah!"

He stumbled back, almost falling over. He hit him again. A third time. A fourth time.

His dad laughed derivatively, despite the blood pouring from his mouth.

"You want get your ass kicked? Again?"

He nodded slightly. A sneer curled across the man's lips.

"What makes you think you've got a shot this time?"

"I've changed. I'm not yours any more."

The sneer persisted. "Obviously. But the scars didn't heal, did they?"

The jibe didn't reach him. He had sunk into ice, into calm. Waiting for the end.

"How the hell could they? After what you did?"

His father spread his arms in mock innocence. "Did what?"

Leon's hands trembled involuntarily.

"What you did? What you did?!"

"You bastard…you senile, fat, stupid, evil SWINE!!!!"

Despite being in the middle of a duel, Anima's curiosity got the better of her.

"What are you?"

Her opponent sniggered.

"Don't you know?"

She shook her head. He continued to chuckle unnaturally.

"I'm Leon, of course."

"You aren't. He wouldn't take pleasure in causing pain to people."

His face hardened. "Is that what you think? You stupid girl. You have no idea. You don't know what he wants, why he's here…"

"…What he is."

"You have the gall to ask me why? Don't you remember?! You hurt me and you hurt me and you didn't stop! Every night! Every single night! You never stopped, you never cared. Not even when I almost bled to death…and when I got down on my knees and begged for your pity, you nearly broke my bloody neck!"

Leon screamed and vented ten years worth of fear, guilt, and anger at the man in front of him. But he didn't even move.

"Finished?"

Leon's anger had drained away, subsided for the moment. He nodded slowly.

"Truth is, you're a mistake, son. That's all you ever were, all you are, and all you'll ever be. But don't worry. I'll send you back where you belong."

Leon flinched and immediately cursed himself silently for it. He stared at his dad, eyes burning.

He deserves whatever I do. He told himself. He deserves far worse then this.

"Come on then!!" he screamed. "Beat the crap out of me! Go on! It wouldn't be the first time, would it? You have no idea of the hell I saw, you bloated freaking SON OF A-"

His dad lunged, madness in his eyes. Blood spurted from Leon's nose as he landed heavily on his back. He swore and got back up, fists raised with the thrill of the fight.

He deserves it.

Anima grinned, despite the fearsome dragon towering over her. She had a semblance of a plan, but it hinged on what happened next.

"I play my Spell card- Hand Control!"

A dark, purple smog began to coil around her Graveyard. Her opponent sneered.

"Smoke and mirrors don't frighten me."

She smiled sweetly, but her voice was deadly serious.

"This will."

The smog thickened as she continued to speak. Her voice was calm, her inner panic not reaching the surface.

"Necromancy. This Spell allows you to select four monsters from my Graveyard and Special Summon them back to my side of the field. But if any of them are destroyed, all my remaining monsters lose six hundred points each."

He hissed in impatience. "I know how the card works. After all, you just…"

His eyes lit up in realisation. "No!"

Anima smirked. "Oh, yes. Hand Control allows me to call a card name, and if the card is in your hand, its activation is forced. Now play Necromancy!"

He scowled, but played the card. The smoke enveloping Anima's Graveyard thickened and congealed, until it had created four distinct shapes. At a gesture from Anima, they became flesh, growling up at her opponent's massive dragon.

"I select Vampire Lady (1550), Sangan (600), Pyramid Turtle (1400), and Fear from the Dark (1500). And because I'm nice, they're all in defence mode."

Anima twitched. "How very kind of you. Next I play the Spell, Plague Grasp!"

The spell depicted a body cart, diseased corpses being slung into the back. The driver appears terrified, keeping as much distance as possible between him and the corpses. A ghostly hand emerged from the card, pale and translucent in the gloom. It lunged, grabbing her opponent by the neck. He choked, his LP beginning to drop.

(???: 1800/Anima: 450).

Anima winced at her opponent's suffering. Whatever she was facing, it was still Leon's body, and she was pretty sure he'd want it back in one piece.

Assuming he comes back.

She tried to put the thought from her mind, but it refused to go.

"Plague Grasp removes four hundred Life Points from my opponent for each Zombie on my side of the field. But you probably figured that out already."

He staggered, lips spitting out a curse.

"Finished?"

She nodded gravely. Her opponent drew.

"Anima…do you want to know why he's here?"

She didn't say anything. He just chuckled. His laugh was cold, similar to Leon's but different at the same time.

"I think you do. Well let me fill you in on something first…"

He was almost crying with laughter. A confused expression crossed Anima's face. Eventually, the chortles subsided.

"You see, my dear…"

He smiled malevolently.

"Leon's dead."

"This is all your fault. Everything that's happened. All my pain. It's all your fault. I'm…I'm like this because of you. You hated me. Wonder why that was? Was it because I wasn't strong enough to help Mum, or that you weren't… and you knew that I knew it?

"It's all your fault. You drove me out into the cold and the dark. It might have been him who made me into this, but you were the one who opened the door. I might have treated people like shit, but you're the one who stopped me from trusting anyone. You…you…"

Leon sighed.

"You deserved it."

The scenery had changed. He was sitting on the ground, at the entrance to a natural clearing. Small, white clouds hung in the bright sky. The sun beamed down on him, but he didn't feel hot. He felt a soft breeze blowing against him. Thick trees surrounded him for as far as he could see, birds flitting about and singing amid their branches. His rage had abated- he was calm. His father was nowhere in sight. He lifted a hand and wiped the crusted blood away from his nose.

So this is what the inside of my heart looks like. Can't say I was expecting it.

Safety. It was a rare feeling for him. Ever since his mother died, he'd never been able to think of home as a safe place. Because every time he went back, his dad would be there. Waiting to thump the life out of him. He'd never feel safe again. Or at least, that's how it felt sometimes. The only time he'd felt safe was when he was with her. That was the only time when he could forget everything.

But here, in the deepest recesses of his consciousness, he felt safe. It had been a long time since he'd visited the place in reality, but it was still familiar to him. He could almost see the events from the last time he was here playing out in front of him.

"Funny how you cling to your few happy memories."

He didn't move. He wasn't surprised. He just smiled.

"Fancy meeting you here, Taylor."

For of course, it was she. She sat down beside him. She appeared normal, just as she had in Anima's room. Her scarlet hair was tied back. She put her head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Leon pointed out. "After all, it's my head."

"Heart." She corrected softly. He looked at her suspiciously.

"What are you?"

She sighed.

"I am a representation of the Taylor you know. A ghost of what was, what is, and what might be. All your memories, thoughts, feelings for her…I'm just a collection. But when you talk to me, you're talking to her. Whatever she would think…whatever she would feel…I feel it. You can trust me."

Leon shook his head. "With everything else that's happened…Anima…how can I trust another fake image?"

"You don't have to trust me. All I can do is help you. Assuming you let me, of course."

He was quiet.

"Who's the voice who hides behind the mask? What is he, Leon?"

Leon did not speak. Moments passed. Several times he looked like he would have spoken, but he didn't. She didn't push him. She knew he would say, if he was given the time.

Anima was holding her own. Barely. She had a virtual army of monsters to back her up, but none of them could beat her opponent's little "pet". She had nothing left in her hand, so she couldn't do anything to protect herself. Her opponent wore a smug look on his face. It was oddly reminiscent of Leon's smile. To a less observant person, he just seemed like a more cocky, more self-confident version of him. If not for the ice in his eyes and the swagger in his voice, he could pass for him.

Like, and yet unlike. She mused.

"My turn. Draw!"

He added the card to his hand and took another one out. His eyes danced with an eerie glee. As he slotted it into his duel disk, his monster bellowed in anger.

"I play a Spell card- Flash Flare Blast!"

A massive gout of flame erupted from the jaws of his dragon, blasting a crimson stream straight at Anima's four monsters. There was a deafening explosion. As smoke curled away from her field, Anima was horrified to see that all four of her monsters had vanished.

"What did you do!?" she shouted.

(???: 800/Anima: 450).

He sniggered infuriatingly.

"By paying 1000 Life Points when I have a Red-Eyes Black Dragon in play, I am instantly able to destroy and remove from play all monsters on my opponent's side of the field. However, Red-Eyes cannot attack this turn, so make your last move. It'll be fun to see how you try and live. It's not like you can do anyth-"

"Spell card- Exorcism!"

A brilliant white light blasted out of Anima's duel disk, streaming up towards the sky. Cards flew out of her deck, one after another after another. Their spirits were sucked into the radiant pillar, making it grow even brighter.

"What the bloody hell is this?!"

Anima smiled. "It's over. I am now allowed to remove as many Zombie-Type monsters from my deck and from the game as I wish. However, at the end of the turn, I lose four hundred points for each card I remove. Of course, that's not a factor here."

"Why not?!"

"Because you're about to die. I remove thirteen Zombies from the game!"

A fourteenth card flew out. Anima added it to her hand and revealed one of those removed from the game.

"Fallen Protector. When this card is removed from play, I may add any Zombie monster I wish from my deck to my hand. I summon it now- Persephone, Queen of the Underworld!"

(ATK/0 DEF/0).

A women dressed in a funeral shroud appeared. Her face was half-covered by a fox mask, and her eyes were filled with despair. She held her hands out, and was engulfed by the pillar of white light.

"For each Zombie-Type monster removed from play, Persephone gains 1000 attack points. And I have…sixteen."

His eyes widened. "That means…"

Anima didn't even need to speak. Tears fell from Persephone's eyes. She raised her arms. As they fell back to her sides, his dragon began to rot and decay. Flesh peeled from bone, leaving only the white skeleton behind. Soon, even that was dust. His Life Points quickly fell to 0. As the cards faded away, Anima smiled triumphantly.

"Game over. Time for you to disappear."

"How wrong you are, my dear."

"After you…"

He broke off. Taylor watched, waiting for him to continue. His voice was quiet and emotionless.

"Your disappearance…it did something to him. When you left, you tore out a piece of his heart. He cared about you so much… probably too much. So when you left…"

He started to chuckle softly. His voice was hollow.

"The old Leon died. The trauma…the loneliness…he had nobody. It drove him out into the cold, and it killed him. He died alone and afraid."

She looked at his eyes. They were dry. He returned the stare, looking her in the face as he spoke.

"Dissociative Identity Disorder. That's what the doctors call it."

Her face showed her confusion. He laughed again, but it was still without mirth.

"Multiple personalities."

Anima's confusion was understandable. Amazingly, her opponent was smiling.

"You think just because I lost a card game to you I'm going to go away? What kind of idiot would be so naive?"

She bit her lip. He extended his arm out. Three large, silver stakes appeared in front of him. She flinched at the sight. He grinned sadistically at the sight.

"Head or heart? Or maybe the chest…I always forget these things." he muttered to himself. "Oh! I know! Why not all three?"

His hand dropped. The stakes flew at Anima, impaling her through the heart, head, and stomach. Anima gasped in surprise, but the damage was done. Blood flew everywhere, trickling in thin streams from the entry points. Some of it stained his clothing. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. He clicked his fingers. She screamed in agony as the stakes burrowed deeper into her skin. He kicked her viciously.

"That" he hissed "was for ruining my outfit".

Anima could not respond. Her strength had gone. Her eyes were blank. The blood flow slowed, and then stopped. He laughed cynically.

"One down. Rest in peace, my dear lady. You'll have company soon".

He turned and walked away, chuckling to himself. Her corpse was left to rot in the darkness.

"When you disappeared, it broke him. He became obsessed with trying to see you again. But everybody who knew something was keeping their mouth shut. He couldn't do anything to help you, and his mind just…it couldn't take it. It collapsed into two separate personalities. Me, and him. The broken hero, and the sick, twisted villain."

If Taylor was shocked, she did not show any sign. Leon sighed, helplessly

"He's as real a me as I am. I just didn't want to admit it."

She reached out and held his hand gently. He didn't move, but she knew he was grateful for the comfort.

"After the split, I don't remember much. I retreated into my own mind, and let him take over. I didn't even exist. He was me. And he…he helped me find you. By retreating deep inside myself, I didn't break. It didn't break me. But I had to watch him treat everyone else like crap. And from my mind, I saw it all."

She was still holding onto him. His face was deadpan.

"But it was worth it, for me. I would do it all over again, even if I had to damn everyone else on the planet in the process."

He looked at her numbly.

"What does that make me?"

She drew him close, putting her arms around him. He responded, but he seemed cold again. She whispered quietly in his ear.

"A good person. A person who wanted to see the person he loved again. There's no shame in that. She doesn't hate you for it. You might hate yourself for it, and for the fact that you still feel what you do, even after all this time. But she doesn't. She hasn't judged you."

The words were kind. The words were warm. But they brought him no comfort. A question appeared in his head. A question half of him was terrified to voice. And a question half of him was desperate to know the answer to.

Does she love me?

But a part of him knew that whatever he heard, it didn't make a difference.

Just a fantasy, Leon.

"What does this other personality want?"

"He wants control. Craves it. After I…he…found you, I locked him away in my head. I'd learned how to detach myself from my emotions."

He laughed sourly.

"But now he's free. Anima broke my self-control, and he broke free. He's sick, twisted and evil- he's probably killed her already. I fled here because…I know I can't beat him. Not yet. All he has to do is kill me, and he's free forever. That's the goal. He lured me in here so he could break me and take control. I was a fool not to realise it earlier!"

Taylor nodded in understanding. She stood up, fiddling with something in her pocket.

"Something wrong."

She withdrew her hand. In it a Duel Monsters deck.

"What are y-"

She held a finger to her lips.

"Giving you a chance to prepare for the endgame.."

"He'll kill you!"

"Maybe he will. But I don't really exist, do I? I'm not alive, so I can't die."

He did not respond.

"This place…you're happy here, aren't you Leon?"

He nodded.

"When this is all over, will you show it to her?"

He smiled. And this time, the smile had heart.

"Yeah. I think I will."

She looked at him for what seemed like an eternity.

"Read Angel's note."

And with that, she was gone.

Leon sat there for a long time. He pulled the note Angel gave him out of a pocket. He hesitated for a moment, remembering the fire and the ash. The anger of the volcano. His threat.

"Never enter my mind again."

What did he mean? He wondered.

He flipped it open.

The darkness is always there, Leon. And it will never go away. But it's not all-powerful. Not strong enough to defeat a Forbidden power. What do I mean? I have no idea. And I'm willing to bet you don't either. But maybe you can figure it out.

You can trust her. Your heart does not lie.

Not to you.