Chapter 49

It wasn't until they'd stepped through the mirror that Mokuba remembered Kaiba wasn't with them. Automatically he turned round to try and go back through, only to find himself confronted with a solid brick wall. For a few long moments he found himself staring at the wall not totally sure what to think about the situation. For a while now he'd been more than aware of the fact he'd been leaping to his brother's defence more because he wanted to argue with Joey rather than because he wanted to defend his brother.

The feelings of competitive resentment he was harbouring were subtle and a part of him couldn't help but wonder if this was how Duke really felt. And if it was, was Duke even aware of the fact he felt this way? It was something Mokuba was only conscious of because the feelings were foreign to him, but they themselves were so subtle they would have been easily overlooked. Almost without meaning to he found his gaze shifting towards Duke. Like him he was also stood studying the solid brick wall.

'We forgot about Seto,' Mokuba forced the words out of his mouth, but they felt dry and awkward.

'Maybe we failed the challenge,' Duke turned away from the wall and sighed, 'maybe we were supposed to go thought the other mirror.'

'I don't feel like we failed,' Catilin shook her head. 'This doesn't feel like we failed. I don't think we failed.

'I agree,' Yugi folded his arms, 'I felt something when I was passing through the mirror, it's... hard to explain exactly, but it felt... right somehow.'

'So we didn't fail the challenge, we just left my brother behind?' Mokuba lowered his gaze.

'It wasn't on purpose Mokuba,' Catilin's voice was almost light and bouncy, 'and anyway maybe he wasn't allowed to take part in that challenge.'

'What do you mean?'

'Maybe he ran off on his own because Crovell did something to make him run off on his own so he wouldn't take part in that challenge. He could already see us like we are supposed to be, remember? Maybe Crovell thought he didn't need to do that challenge.'

'Then why hasn't he been given back to us?'

'He's being treated differently to the rest of us,' Duke's voice held a subtle amount of confidence, 'maybe he's got his own challenges he has to compete in now.'

'Trust rich boy to get special treatment when it's my kids' futures at stake,' Joey rolled his eyes. 'Being a kid's actual father really doesn't count for anything around here.'

'Oh I wouldn't know about that,' a familiar voice sounded out of nowhere, 'if it didn't count for anything you wouldn't have made it this far to begin with.'

'Téa?' Yugi's voice was little more than an uncertain whisper.

Almost as he spoke Téa appeared in front of them. She casually held the Elemental Axe in her right hand as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world for her to be holding. The look on her face was somewhere halfway between boredom and dark anticipation. As her eyes carefully studied each and every one of them, Mokuba felt as though the large white hall they were in wasn't quite big enough.

'We've only been through seven gates,' Catilin took a step towards her, 'I thought there were supposed to be eight.'

'There are eight,' Téa's voice was almost toneless.

'Then...'

'You don't get it, do you?'

'G-get what,' she shook her head in confusion, 'what is it I'm not getting?'

'I'm saying I am your eighth challenge you simpleton.'

'Hey, that's uncalled for,' Mai took a defensive step forward.

'No, you're wrong, it was most definitely called for,' Téa's voice somehow managed to be both vibrant and emotionless at the same time. 'You are all simpletons in comparison to the Master, which is why I'm so surprised you've managed to pass every single challenge so far.'

'Wait, what?' Joey frowned. 'But... what about the maze? We failed the maze, didn't we?'

'And this is exactly why I called you all simpletons,' she smirked. 'The maze wasn't the point, being able to accept defeat and move on, was. And surprisingly you could.'

'I see, so if you're our last challenge, does that mean we're yours?'

'I guess you could say that,' she cocked her head to one side, 'and trust me, this is the stage I've really been looking forward to. See this round is a winner takes all. If you win all the soul cards and players go back to you. But if I win,' her face filled with a slim but cruel smile, 'you all belong to me.'

'No,' Yugi shook his head, 'you... you can't be serious.'

'Oh I'm deadly serious.'

'But... why?'

'Because I'm in the nightmare making business now and I think it's time you all experienced what true loneliness feels like.'

'No... please,' Yugi's eyes were wide and his face was pale, 'you... you can't...'

'Oh now see that's where you're wrong; I can do anything I want and right now the one thing I want more than anything is to hurt you,' Téa aimed the Axe towards him.

'This is ridicules Téa,' Mai took half a step towards her, 'I can't believe you, of all people, are acting this way.'

'Why not? Because I'm sweet, innocent little Téa, who just wants her friends to be happy and safe and together,' her lips curled with disgust. 'Except you were all leaving me, weren't you? One by one you were all leaving me. Well I won't have that; I will make you stay with me. I will make you all stay with me.'

'Téa...' Yugi's voice was toned with sadness, 'I... I had no idea you felt this way.'

'You, you of all people had no idea how I was feeling? You, host to the Face of Friendship, host to an empath, had no idea how I was feeling?' She gave an almost hysterical little laugh. 'Of course you didn't. Why would you? You were all changing and moving away from me; leaving me behind and excluding me from your world. Hell,' she met and held his gaze, 'you even went so far as to put me in a comma; that's how badly you all wanted to get away from me. Well, guess what, I won't let you leave me and if I have to trap each and every one of you in your soul cards in order to do it then I will.'

'This is madness,' Joey stared at her.

'Oh please, you have no idea what madness is,' she rolled her eyes.

'Téa... no one here wants to fight with you... there has to be some other way we can resolve this.'

'There is no other way. The Master said I could choose what the final challenge is and this is what I've chosen,' her voice was as firm as the expression on her face. 'What are you so afraid of anyway? With all the power you're packing between you, I should be easy pickings, right? Oh woops,' she mocked shock, 'I forgot, you're all powerless. Well that should make things more interesting.'

Almost without warning the Axe she was holding started to glow. It then shot out a beam of light directly towards Yugi. Without hesitation Mokuba grabbed hold of him and pulled him out of the way.

'What the hell,' Joey took up a defensive stance, 'this isn't fair.'

'Oh please, don't talk to me about what's fair,' she wagged a finger at him, 'you're not the one in a comma because one of your friends just had to turn evil. Oh well, who needs to be awake when being asleep means I can control this,' she aimed the Axe towards Joey and fired another beam.

With lightning reflexes, Mai managed to get him out of the line of fire just in the nick of time.

'Okay that's low,' Mai glared at her as she positioned herself in front of Joey, 'you can't attack him; he's off limits.'

'Why?'

'Because he's pregnant.'

'Funny, I didn't think things like that made a difference. I mean, Ahna was about seven months pregnant when she was forced to give birth to Crovell, wasn't she? Maybe Jo should get the same treatment.'

'Over my dead body,' Mai charged at her.

'If that's what you want,' Téa shot a third beam, this time directly at Mai.

'No,' Joey's voice was little more than a shrill scream.

But it was too late; the blast hit Mai dead on, sending her flying back across the room.

'Mai,' he made his way towards her unconscious body and pulled her into his arms.

'You don't play fair and that's not very nice,' Catilin stared at her as her hand attempted to flick summon an energy ball.

'What do you think you're doing,' Téa's voice was filled with deep amusement, 'you have no powers, remember?'

'My powers aren't down, they're just not my powers,' Catilin met and held her gaze. 'I am not me, remember? I'm really Yugi, but Yugi doesn't use his powers like I use my powers because that's just how things work. It's why it was so easy to make us believe our powers were down, right?'

'Talking nonsense as usual I see.'

'It's not nonsense,' she flicked her gaze towards Yugi, 'you have to use my powers.'

'Huh?' Yugi blinked back at her.

'You are me and I am you; if we think about it we can use each other's powers, we just have to tap into the parts of ourselves which are really us and not each other.'

'Err...' he continued to look confused, 'but...'

'We have to tap into each other's powers and maybe I won't be able to because maybe technically the real Jay and Ahna are still around, that's why I need you to try. You have to try and tap into my powers. You have to see if you can think like me.'

'Uh... okay... but... I... I don't want to hurt Téa.'

'It's not Téa, it's her onchasen, so it'll be alright,' almost without warning a white energy ball suddenly appeared in her hand. 'See,' she laughed, 'I did it.'