Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh as it is solely the property of Kazuki Takahashi. I recieve, and have no wish to recieve profit from the writing of this story as it is simply due to pleasure and an overactive imagination that I write.

Title: Emeralds, Sapphires, and Amethysts

Chapter 2

Virtual Vengeance I

Thank you to Draconic Mage and NightWindAlchemist who were kind enough to review. :) Much appreciated, and I will try to update sooner.

I'm not so sure about this chapter, but I promise - if it's rubbish - that I will make up for it in the next.


Kyrana trembled as a cool breeze swept her long gold bangs from her face. An incessant drumbeat pounded her head accompanied by a loud crackling like giant twigs crunching beneath the feet of a colossal creature. Blearily, the young woman forced her eyes open; only to close them abruptly as her senses were assaulted by the dazzling light emitted from a blazing yellow fire.

She groaned slightly, rolling her horizontal body away from the orange glare before daring to open her eyes a fraction, squinting at the flickering light through heavy eyelids. The flames' intense glow seeped beneath the insubstantial veil of her eyelashes, stinging the girl's unadjusted eyes as she doggedly peered through the blinding orange haze.

Kyrana blinked, finally drawing her gaze away from the flames' mesmerising dance to fix upon a small, hunched shadow kneeling protectively beside the fire. The hulking figure poured over the small inferno, hypnotised by its beauty as it gently nudged the centre with a short gnarled stick.

As she continued to regard the strange shadow-creature through the slits of her eyes, Kyrana drew her arms towards her uneasily, sucking in a deep breath of air to calm herself as the figure leapt forward to effortlessly throw another log upon the young fire, resulting in a shower of sparks, weaving through the night air like sizzling fireflies and causing the girl to jolt away, a dry leaf crunching beneath her chest due to her sudden reflex. The dark figure immediately glanced up and a shudder ran through the blonde's body as stark realisation cleared the hazy fog clouding her sharp mind. How could she be outside with trees, a fire, and this creature of shadow, when only moments ago she had been in her cousin's apartment? What the hell was happening?

Kyrana found herself thrown backwards as she forcefully yanked the reluctant plug from its socket. Fortunately, her impact was softened by a pair of strong hands briefly grabbing her shoulders to steady her. The young woman barely registered her saviour as she gazed at the incessant flashing screen in growing horror. The flickering black and white pigments continued to rain down like strange, digital flurries of snow.

Impossible… there's no electricity. Kyrana bit down on her lip, her gaze wandering briefly over the other stunned and silent occupants of the room: Bakura was frozen, wide-eyed and trembling as he clasped pale white fingers over his mouth while Téa had clasped the frightened albino's arm between her hands for reassurance; Joey and Tristan had both ducked behind the sofa so that all that remained visible of them was a blond mop and a sharp spike of brown hair, beneath which sparkled two pairs of fearful dark eyes; and finally Yugi stood boldly beside Kyrana, his shadowed amethyst eyes blazing intensely while his scorching stare pierced the screen.

Directing her gaze back towards the television's menacing glare, Kyrana's eyes widened as a dark, hazy figure suddenly darted across the fuzzy maelstrom before dissipating once again into the storm of pixels. The shade's appearance had not gone unnoticed, judging by the sharp intakes of breath on either side of her. In the next moment, everyone in the room instinctively moved back a step and Téa uttered a small 'eep' of surprise as a distorted voice crackled harshly into the apartment, destroying the previously comforting silence.

"Is…Yu…gi…there? Yugi…are you there?"

Yugi's eyebrows lowered to meet in a deep frown, his eyes darkening to the colour of evening sky before dusk, while his face resumed an expression of grave concern. He knew that voice – all too well – and one thing was for sure, it meant that only trouble lay ahead.

"Yugi!" The voice called again. Its tone was clear and precise, yet the voice itself sounded young and unsteady. All in the room found their eyes transfixed to the television screen as a figure gradually began to form upon it; the storm of black and white specks forming flurrying tornadoes before gathering to create the torso, shoulders, then head of a person.

Within moments, the picture solidified into a flickering image. The being's features were barely distinguishable, but Kyrana squinted and was able to discern the face of a young boy. The youth's hair was a pale green and his eyes an impenetrable blue; hiding a fierce intelligence beneath his childish exterior.

"Noah." Yugi greeted, his voice deep and commanding, even his composure seemed somehow sterner and more serious than the Yugi of a few minutes past. The green-haired boy nodded his head in acknowledgement and allowed a small, brief smile to cross his lips.

"It can't be…" Téa whispered softly, her blue eyes widening in shocked disbelief. Whoever this boy was, his appearance had caused a great deal of unrest within the company, Kyrana observed. It was like setting a wolf loose among a pack of jackals.

Leaving the safety of his shelter, Joey unexpectedly made an appearance from behind the sofa, leaping to his feet and pointing incredulously at the television set. "Hey! What's dat punk doin' showin' up here?" He addressed no one in particular, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling with suspicion.

"Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan…" The image of the boy named Noah met each of their gazes individually; his own pleading and desperate. "I need your help. They captured Seto and Mokuba… you were the only people I could think of who would help…please."

Kyrana exchanged a nonplussed glance with her cousin who appeared equally confused, before turning back to the scene before her. Who were Seto and Mokuba? And more importantly, who was this strange kid on her cousin's television screen? She sent Téa an inquisitive glance while Joey stepped forwards, his expression untrusting as he swapped a worried frown with the silent Yugi.

"Wait just a minute… who are dese jerks you're talkin' about? An' why should we rescue rich-boy anyway?" He demanded fiercely.

Téa failed to notice Kyrana's attempts to communicate, so the blonde girl decided to give up and instead turned her attention back to the situation at hand. The green-haired boy on the screen suddenly cocked his head, as if listening for something, then his previously passive expression turned to one of panic, his navy eyes widening in fear.

"I haven't got time to explain," He babbled, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper, "They're coming for me now. I can upload you into the Virtual Mainframe, but I can't be sure where you'll end up. I need your agreement… please, will you help my brothers?"

Yugi and Joey exchanged glances, a silent message passing between them as they reached a decision before they nodded meaningfully at one another.

"Alright Yuge." Joey lifted his thumb up in consent as a cocky grin spread across his face. "It's all up ta you pal." Yugi sent his blond friend a swift smile in response before calmly turning back to the fearful green-haired boy on the television.

"We agree Noah. But if this is some sort of trick then we will not hesitate to take you down." Yugi stated with a deadly seriousness, his amethyst eyes glittering mysteriously. "Joey and I will help you save Kaiba and Mokuba."

Noah broke into a wide smile, which faded abruptly as a haze of interception invaded the screen, temporarily blocking the green-haired boy from view and causing the unpleasant scratching of static to crackle through the television speakers. Someone was overriding Noah's communication link.

"Activate upload program!" Noah's voice shouted over the interception. There were a few moments of silence, within which Yugi and Joey glanced at one another in concern. Suddenly, the crackling increased and the television demonstrated another black and white snowstorm as the pixels danced gleefully across the screen. "No! Let me go!"

Kyrana bit her lip. There was nothing anyone could do, but it sounded like the kid Noah was in trouble. His enemies had discovered him.

"We've caught you, you little brat." The screen flickered again, briefly showing the image of two dark figures grasping the arms of a smaller one between them before flashing back to the snowy maelstrom. "It's time you learnt your lesson, kid."

Bakura looked wildly at his cousin, his face pale and torn with concern as strained panting reached them through the speakers and Noah's breathless voice spoke up once again: "It's too late. My friends are coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop them – ugh!" Kyrana and Bakura flinched in unison as a loud bang and a sharp gasp indicated that something heavy had just made violent contact with Noah's body.

Before any more could be said or heard, the television screen suddenly cleared to leave nothing but a blank emptiness before a sign flashed up in large red letters, accompanied by a digital voice which announced:

"Process initiated. Commence Virtual Upload."

A strange tingling sensation spread through Kyrana's body as if she had just been on the receiving end of a powerful electric shock. The last thing the blonde was aware of was the brilliant white radiance of the television screen as it began to reel her in, hypnotising her with swirling snowy light until she finally submitted to her exhaustion and slumped to join her companions on the floor, unconscious.


The young woman instinctively shuffled away as the shadow-figure approached her. Its features were impossible to distinguish in the flickering firelight, yet it was short and its head framed by an untameable mane of midnight black hair. Finding herself backed against the leafy foliage of an ivy-strangled tree, Kyrana gulped. She was trapped.

The dark shape continued to observe the girl's behaviour, not daring to approach in case she should flee, but instead crouching beside the fire to warm its hands. A soft breeze swept through the air, revealing the rustling circle of trees around them that formed a small clearing. Another breath of wind ruffled through the shadow's mane of dark hair, finally allowing the fire's glow to expose his youthful features and serious eyes. It's only a kid. Kyrana breathed out in relief. All her previous worrying was for nothing. Relaxing slightly, the blonde girl carefully pulled herself to her feet and slowly approached the fire and the boy. For a brief moment, the boy glanced up, his solemn grey eyes meeting hers before lowering back upon the dancing flames.

"You finally woke up." He stated. His voice was young and childish, so different to his grave expression and confident composure. Kyrana supposed he was about 12 years old, perhaps younger.

"Yes… thanks." The blonde replied awkwardly, unsure how to react to such a statement. Had this boy been watching over her? It was all so confusing. It wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence to in one moment be in your cousin's house, and in the next arrive in a forest clearing with only a fire and a grim-faced boy for company.

"Don't thank me. I only found you here and decided to make camp."

Several awkward moments passed, within which Kyrana rubbed her arms uncomfortably and leaned closer to the comfort of the orange flames, gazing into their impenetrable depths.

"Do you live here then?" She cocked her head slightly as she asked the question, allowing her emerald green eyes to lock onto the dark-haired boy's face. In this light, his hair had a strange blue sheen, much like the subtle gloss upon the feathers of a raven.

The boy turned to face Kyrana with scornful disbelief shadowing his otherwise cute features: "Ha! Me? Live here? No way!"

Shifting uncomfortably at the boy's arrogant manner, Kyrana forced herself to ignore his attitude – there were more important things afoot, and she needed to discover why she was here. "So…er, where do you live then?"

The raven-boy sent her an incredulous expression. Didn't she know who she was talking to? Apparently not from the deep frown of confusion that marred her fair face. His expression softened slightly. Perhaps she wasn't a threat, but he should keep his guard up anyway, just as his brother always said.

He shrugged, before asking his own question: "Do you know Yugi Muto?"

"I do, he's a friend of my cousin. Why do you ask?"

For the first time, the boy broke into a smile, his grey eyes lightening with the sparkling reflection of orange firelight. "Yugi always gets mixed up in this sort of madness and I figured that he'd be here. I guess if you're a friend of his, you're a friend of me."

There was another long silence, filled only by the gentle hiss of leaves murmuring in the dark trees surrounding the clearing as they leaned closer to exchange secrets in hushed whispers. The fire danced merrily, joyfully licking the night air and occasionally leaping up to ensnare a passing moth in its deadly grasp.

"What's your name?"

Kyrana averted her gaze from the greedy flames then turned back to the raven-haired boy, mildly surprised by this unexpected breach of the prolonged silence.

"Kyrana." She answered finally, briefly touching her arms with the back of her right hand and glancing down at the bandages; invisible through the thick fabric of her top, before flicking back up to meet the kid's stern but inquisitive gaze. "Yours?"

"Mokuba…" The boy paused pensively before nodding to himself, confirming his decision to allow the pretty blonde girl a small amount of his trust, "I live in Domino by the way."

Kyrana's eyes widened slightly. She had not expected that. What were the chances of the boy coming from Domino too? Obviously it was more likely than she had previously thought.

Echoing the kid's smile with a faintly reassuring one of her own, Kyrana took a deep breath of the fresh, smoke infused air before responding.

"Pleased to meet you Mokuba," The young woman extended a hand formally in an attempt to treat the raven-haired boy with respect. Mokuba was unable to prevent a small giggle from escaping before he covered it over with a smirk and smoothly shook Kyrana's hand, with an unexpectedly firm grip that rivalled the girl's own. Although it was an unusual custom to shake hands in Japan, Mokuba had endured many a business meeting with his brother where he had learnt to hone his technique.

Breaking the handshake, a mutual respect glittering in both pairs of eyes, Kyrana continued: "I also live in Domino, and that brings me to our current…situation," she gestured vaguely at the surrounding landscape with a wave of her hand, "do you have the faintest idea of where we are, and how we managed to get here?"

"Er… that could be a long story." The boy said evasively, squirming where he sat and averting his uncomfortable gaze instead at the flames' writhing shapes. Kyrana watched him pensively as he carelessly ran a hand over his shining raven mane. Mokuba might only have been a child, but his furtive expression clearly stated that he knew far more than he was letting on.

"I have all the time in the world." Her tone was barely louder than a whisper, but it reached Mokuba all the same. The boy glanced up to meet Kyrana's softened eyes. Could he trust her? Or was it all a trap? She seemed real enough…

"Alright," Mokuba sighed wearily, "I'll tell you. You see, my brother had finally finished the Virtual –" He stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed at Kyrana who had gently grabbed his arm, indicating for him to quiet with a finger over her lips. Silently, the blonde pointed towards the bushes to the right of the camp.

"I heard something move." She murmured softly, her green eyes fixed, like a cat's, upon the spot where she had heard the sound. "A twig snapped, right… there."

As if on cue, a tall, intimidating figure emerged from the said bushes and strode briskly into the clearing. The breeze rose as if to herald his arrival, causing the man's long purple trench coat to elegantly billow out behind him, flapping in the wind. He stood fearlessly, arms folded before him and dark chestnut-brown locks shading his eyes.

"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed gleefully, immediately leaping to his feet, a large grin plastering itself across his young face, "I knew you'd come for me!"
The man swept around upon hearing the excited boy's voice, and a pair of sharp, ice-blue eyes scanned the two before him. The newcomer's face was handsome and angular and… Kyrana gulped, her eyes widening in disbelief as she realised why he looked so familiar.

"Seto! Over here!" Mokuba called joyously, forcing the man's penetrating gaze to instead fix on him.

There was no doubt about it. The man before her was Seto Kaiba: CEO of the major company Kaiba Corp, duelling prodigy and brother of Mokuba Kaiba. How could she not have seen it before? She had not even considered that the infamous duellist and business shark lived in the same city she had so recently moved to…

Finally tiring of calling his irresponsive brother, Mokuba dashed across the clearing like a small black hedgehog to pull the older Kaiba into an embrace, wrapping his short arms around his taller brother's waist. A smile began to form on Kyrana's lips at the sweet display of affection, but it faded rapidly as the older Kaiba brutally thrust a hand in Mokuba's face, knocking the uncomprehending boy to the ground.

Mokuba gazed up at his brother with wide, bewildered grey eyes. Why had his brother hit him? He never hit him. "Big brother…"

Kaiba glared down at his younger brother, in a manner stunningly similar to that of a machine. Kyrana watched in horror as the man turned his back on the boy, took several long strides to the opposite end of the clearing before sweeping around to face his brother. The Kaiba unfolded his arms, bringing one in front of his chest as if protecting himself from an invisible assailant, then allowed his cold blue eyes to fix on his wrist. Mokuba's mouth dropped open as suddenly, the air around the older Kaiba's wrist began to glow; sparkling particles of dust gathered together and formed a pulsating cloud before slowly binding around the man's arm. Within moments, Kaiba's arm was consumed by the silver dust, which slowly began to solidify, forming the unmistakable shape of a Duel Disk. Unfazed, Kaiba lifted his arm, narrowing his eyes at his younger brother before swiftly drawing five cards from the recently-appeared deck within his Duel Disk.

Realising the man's intentions as her gaze flicked back and forth between both brothers, Kyrana speedily jumped to her feet and rushed over to the stunned Mokuba. The boy was in shock, hardly capable of speaking due to his brother's hostile behaviour.

"Let's duel." Kaiba growled suddenly, causing Kyrana to sweep around, her eyes flashing at the cruel man's aggression towards his defenceless brother. Their eyes met, clear blue challenging passionate green.

Then, without warning, the man drew a card from his Deck, regardless of the fact neither Mokuba or Kyrana had any defence against him, and slapped it on the Duel Disk.

"I Summon La Jinn Mystical Genie Of The Lamp!" He declared. Immediately, a large green genie appeared in the clearing, towering threateningly over its two victims and emitting a dark chuckle. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were firmly shut, however, the image was still extremely intimidating. Kyrana's eyes widened, was Kaiba actually planning to attack his own brother?

"One card facedown. I end my turn."

"What have you done to my brother?" Kyrana glanced down and realised that Mokuba was now on his feet. The young boy's eyes blazed with anger mixed with sorrow and his voice shook slightly as he shouted at the older Kaiba.

The older youth continued to look at the ground, irresponsive. Kyrana had never met the CEO before, but she was sure that this was not normal behaviour – even for someone like him.

Suddenly, Mokuba lunged forward, preparing to tackle his brother and somehow get through to him. Predicting the young boy's action, Kyrana swiftly pulled him back to stand beside her and shook her head seriously.

"No Mokuba. He won't listen."

Mokuba glanced up at Kyrana, half angry with her for restraining him, and half comprehending the logic of what she had done. Forcing himself to hold back the tears threatening to sting his eyes, the boy sent another reproachful glance at his brother then turned back to Kyrana.

"…whoever he is, that's not my brother." He said finally. The young woman nodded in agreement and stepped forwards. Holding her left hand out in front of her, she gazed down at her arm, then cocked her head at Mokuba.

"I don't suppose you know how to make a Duel Disk appear?" After all, the boy was the brother of the a complete computer whizz, there was the slightest chance he might know. Mokuba nodded, she had definitely asked the right person.

"Just hold out your arm and it'll automatically appear. It was the first piece of programming my…" He paused, his clouded grey eyes passing over the strange man's familiar form, "brother made for his Virtual World."

Gazing down at the short boy, Kyrana felt a sudden pang of empathy and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get him back." With that, the blonde turned back to face Kaiba and held her left arm straight out in front of her, watching in amazement as a Duel Disk magically appeared with swarm of glowing silver particles. Quickly, Kyrana reached in the pocket of her trousers, closing her fingers around the comforting shape of her Deck. Lifting the cards from her pocket, Kyrana swiftly slipped them into the Deck slot on her Duel Disk, then glanced up at her opponent. "It's my move."

"You can duel?" Mokuba asked disbelievingly, his eyes widening in admiration as Kyrana stepped forward to confront the 'not Kaiba'. From previous experience, he knew that the amount of male duellists vastly outnumbered the females, in addition to which, he had never known anyone apart from his brother to constantly carry their Deck with them. The blonde briefly glanced down at the raven-haired boy and sent him a shy smile.

"I can hold my own ground." With that, Kyrana quickly drew her hand and allowed a small smirk to cross her lips. Not bad. Duelling was her secret passion, and now considering she was playing the ex-champion Seto Kaiba – or someone who looked like him – this could prove to be an interesting challenge.

"Okay, Mr Kaiba… or whoever you are, first I activate my Spell card Cost Down," Kyrana fed a card from her hand into the Graveyard then continued, "Then I Summon White-Horned Dragon in Attack Mode," a ferocious, crimson dragon emerged onto the field, bearing its fearsomely sharp white teeth at La Jinn, "White-Horned Dragon, Attack with Flaming Breath!" Immediately the red dragon reared its head then quickly jerked forwards to release a stream of white hot fire from its mouth, causing La Jinn to cover its face defensively before shattering into countless pieces. Kaiba's Life Points diminished to 3600 as the flames consumed him and he was forced to the ground.

Straightening up, the tall man scowled at Kyrana and watched as she ended her turn with one facedown card. In a sharp gesture, the tall youth drew a card from his Deck, glanced down at his hand, then smirked.

"I Summon Vorse Raider in Defence Mode and play two cards facedown. I end my turn."

Kyrana frowned. This surely was not the same Seto Kaiba she had seen countless times on television, the same Seto Kaiba who had won countless duels and ranted continuously throughout the entire battle. The young woman drew a card from her Deck, briefly glancing at Mokuba as she did so. The boy was watching his brother with narrow-eyed suspicion, his face deep in thought and his grey eyes sparkling intelligently.

"Very well, I'll draw." Kyrana announced. Looking at the four cards in her hand she bit her lip. She had watched Kaiba's duelling techniques before, and she was pretty sure she knew what he was planning. "I'll Summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode, then I'll activate his Special Ability to destroy one Spell or Trap on the Field, and I choose the facedown card on the left." She pointed, now was the moment of truth, this could very easily backfire on her. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief as the chosen card flipped face-up – Crush Card Virus – and was destroyed by one slice of Breaker the Magical Warrior's sword.

"Hmph."

"My Breaker's Attack is reduced by 300 points, but it's a price well worth paying. Now my warrior, attack his Vorse Raider with Blade Slice!" She commanded and watched proudly as the warrior leapt forward. Her eyes widened, the youth had activated the second facedown card on his field.

"I activate my Shrink card, cutting your monster's attack by half."

Vorse Raider suddenly lifted its blade to block Breaker the Magical Warrior's attack before pushing it backwards to Kyrana's side of the field, lowering her Life Points to 3600, equalling her opponent's.

"You might have blocked that attack, but you won't block this one – White-Horned Dragon, attack his monster now!" The dragon easily swooped into the air before dive-bombing Vorse Raider with fire pouring from its mouth. Kyrana watched as the flames enveloped her opponent's beast, before shattering the hologram. "Finally, I activate my Spell card, Gold Sarcophagus which allows me to remove choose a card in my Deck to remove from play for two turns, after which, I can add it to my hand."

The young woman swiftly chose her card then removed it from the game. "That's the end of my turn."

Mokuba observed the duel, wide-eyed. This man – whoever he was – used the same techniques and combos as his brother. He was amazed that Kyrana had survived so long against such a powerful duellist, but he supposed it was still early in the match.

"My turn." The youth growled, pulling a card from his Deck before slapping it down on the Duel Disk. "I play Kaiser Sea Horse, now attack Breaker the Magical Warrior with Trident Blast!" Immediately, the monster sprang forwards and launched its trident towards Breaker, impaling it before the Magical Warrior disappeared in a burst of colour and reduced Kyrana's Life Points to 3500. The youth slid one card facedown into his Duel Disk, then announced: "Your turn."

"Good." She quickly pulled a card from her Deck and smiled upon recognising one of her favourite cards. "Magician's Valkyria, in Attack Mode." The female Magician spun onto the field and did one last twirl before winking at Kaiba and taking her place on Kyrana's side of the field. "Now I have two monsters on the field, whereas you only have one, leaving you exposed to my attack. White-Horned Dragon, take down his Kaiser Sea Horse!" The dragon obediently launched itself into action, moving to close its large jaws around the defenceless sea warrior, only to find itself repelled by the youth's Trap.

"Activate Negate Attack; your Battle Phase is over." Feeding the card into his Graveyard, the young man smirked mechanically then watched Kyrana set her own card facedown before indicating the end of her turn.

Speedily, Kyrana's opponent drew a card from his Deck and added it to his hand. Lifting his cold blue eyes to meet the girl's own, he began to chuckle, his voice deep and sinister. "Finally. I activate Kaiser Sea Horse's effect and sacrifice him to Summon the ultimate beast." Kyrana gulped, she had foolishly forgotten Kaiser Seahorse's ability to count as two tributes for any light monster… and now it was too late. "Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kyrana's head jerked up upon hearing thunder rumble in the sky above, accompanied by a flash of stunning white lighting. No, not lightning, but a shining dragon hurtling towards the ground, pulling out of its dive and elegantly spreading its magnificent silver wings as if landed on the ground in front of her opponent. Mokuba gasped aloud. The appearance of Blue-Eyes had finally triggered his memory which explained the true identity of the man duelling Kyrana… how could he have not seen it before?

"Blue-Eyes attack with Blue-Eyes White Lightning and annihilate her Magician!" The man commanded savagely, flinging his arm out to point directly at Magician's Valkyria. Slowly, the almighty dragon reared back his head, and just as a crackling ball of blue energy began to form between its jaws, Kyrana activated her facedown card.

"Reveal, Windstorm Of Etaqua. Your dragon's attack will just have to wait." The young woman watched, her eyes glittering triumphantly as all monsters on the field hunched into defence mode, safe from any attack. Growling, the man set another two cards facedown and ended his turn.

"This is where things start to get interesting." Kyrana murmured. "First, two turns are up, so I can add the card from my Gold Sarcophagus to my hand – like so. Unfortunately for you, this was what I was planning from the start. I sacrifice both my White-Horned Dragon and Magician's Valkyria to Summon one of my favourite creatures…" Moving the card which had previously been removed from play to her hand, Kyrana lifted it into the air before slapping it onto her Duel Disk. "Meet Magician's Dragon!" A brilliant purple light began to radiate from Kyrana's Duel Disk, pulsating as the holographic storm slowly cleared to reveal a towering, violet dragon. The creature raised its head proudly, allowing a deafening roar to escape its maw as it challenged the rivalling Blue-Eyes. The dragon's scales glittered mysteriously in the firelight, while the flowing mane of soft mauve pelt trailing down the length of its lithe body, fluttered wildly in the sudden breeze. A large purple stone adorning the creature's chest was revealed as it gracefully arched its long violet wings above its head. Finally, the dragon opened its dark, swirling eyes which had no distinguishable colour under the light from the flickering flames.

Allowing a small smile of victory to cross her face, Kyrana cleared her throat. "Go, my dragon, destroy Blue-Eyes with Magical Flame attack!" Dipping its head to meet the white dragon's piercing blue eyes, Magician's Dragon barely gave a moment of warning before releasing its attack.

"I reveal my facedown card. Ring of Destruction which destroys your dragon." Kyrana's eyes widened in horror as she watched the ring fly across the field like a Frisbee before firmly collaring her Magician's Dragon and detonating, causing the hologram to disperse into tiny pieces. She lifted an arm to protect herself as the blast from the explosion rolled over her, violently knocking her to the ground. It was almost… painful. Yet this was only a game with holograms…wasn't it?

Kyrana groaned, lifting her head from the dirt to watch the smoke clearing before her. The man still stood, motionless and unaffected by the blast as a strange green shield spun in front of him, protecting him from the explosion. "Thanks to Ring of Defence, I receive no damage." He stated, blankly observing the girl's unmoving form as she remained flat on the ground, unable to rise. Kyrana gasped, struggling to muster the energy to stand and allowed her gaze to fall on her dropping Life Points: 600. Shutting her eyes, the blonde felt the despair of defeat flood her body. She only had 600 Life Points remaining, and it was her opponent's turn. With a final sigh of despair, the fatigued Kyrana trembled once more, before her head fell forwards to greet the dirt.

To be continued...

Next time we find out what Yugi and the gang are up to, and what the deal is with 'Seto Kaiba'. Keep reading, and keep reviewing. Thanks.

~ FreeXFallXPhoenix