Skin

by Usagi Squared

Jonouchi Katsuya will always look out for his friends, no matter how weird things get. That means he will keep on fighting, whether facing maniacs with freaky powers, monsters from a childrens game, or the fact Kaiba's a girl. Wait, what? Warnings inside

57. Chapter 56

Red Skies At Night

---

The thoughts that were running through Yugi's mind as he sat at the table were more or less predictable really. After all... While he'd been absolutely flying for the last few moments, looking at the board now... Well... Damn. Damn... Damn it! Yugi stared at the field, shutting his eyes as he bit his lip. Across from him, Otogi was chuckling, shaking his head. A trap... An unavoidable trap but a trap nonetheless, damn it all... "Hnhnhnhnhn... Not a single free spot left," Otogi said with a smirk, spinning the dice in his hands. "After all, with six faces on the die, you have the potential to fill an area of 3 by 4 squares... With all the possible patterns," the teen continued, "Taking into consideration flipping the position left and right, you have at least thirty different sets... So I might be 'behind' in terms of power now," he added with a smirk, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "But if I just bide my time and build up my army, moving closer to your dungeon master... I will win this game..."

Gh... Damn it... Yugi continued to stare at the field, looking at the 'line' that Otogi had created with his monster summons. He had at least two thirds of the field under a monopoly now..! Compared to that, he himself would be able to summon maybe two monsters, and that would be it... And two was probably pushing it. Yugi swallowed, still staring at the board as his opponent grabbed his next die to add to his two. "Now then... My turn," he shouted, spinning the dice around in his hands. "Yugi," he called, the boy looking up as his opponent held the die up, "Take a look at this..." A black die... "This black die is rare enough as it is," he said with a smirk, holding it between his fingers. "But take a look at this summoning crest on the side..."

The crest? Yugi blinked, frowning as he looked over the coloured crest on the die. It was... Red..? Most of the stars were a plain white... But red..? Otogi smirked, looking down at his pending dice where a single black one sat with an identical crest on its side. "In fact, I have another 'rare black' die sitting right there... Having two of those together," the teen continued darkly, "And you can get one nasty combination... Just wait and see," he continued, Yugi biting his lip as he looked at his opponent. "This is going to be fun... Now... Go," Otogi shouted, tossing the dice to the ground and letting them clatter to the floor. The teen's smirk grew as he was answered with two summoning crests, opponent wincing in response. Shoot... "I'll summon from the black die!" Yugi stared, frowning as the teen set it on his side of the field. It was barely out of range of the dungeon master... Why wouldn't he set it closer, to attack though..? "Now..." The net began to unfold, revealing a large, eye-ball-like creature as its master continued, "Dark Eye Stalker, Level Two!"

Hang on... Yugi continued to frown, watching as a spiral appeared at the end of the monster's path. What was that...

"This," Otogi said calmly, taking his opponent's frown as a sign of confusion, "Is a 'Warp Crest'..." The boy blinked, looking up. Warp crest..? "In the rarer black dice, you can unlock certain crests... This," he continued, "Is one of them... And when there are two rare black die on the field, that crest can be activated." Two dice, one set portal... Alright then... "One becomes an entrance, and one becomes an exit... And in no time flat," Otogi continued with a smirk, "I can send my monsters from my side of the field... To yours..."

Which meant that he wouldn't have to waste time going down the path either, Yugi realized with a swallow, eyes widening. Rather than travel along the extra portion of the path to his side as the dice were linked up with the path, he could get a direct shot... And there was only enough space to summon one die in his area as it was... If Otogi summoned a monster before he could... He looked back at his dice, before slowing gaining a smirk on his face as he spotted the next die in his 'dice line up'. "Heh... Otogi-kun," he said calmly, grabbing his dice and holding them forward. "You forgot something," he continued, watching as his opponent paled. "I have a black die as well... And more over," the boy stated, turning the die over in his hands and holding it forward, "It has a red crest on it." Otogi continued to pale, eyes wide as the boy tossed the dice into the air. "It's my turn now," he shouted, the dice clattering about the board and slowly falling to a stop. Battle... Summon... And... Aha! He grinned somewhat darkly as the black die landed with the summoning crest, before snatching it from the table and setting it on the side. "Not only do I summon a monster," he said with a shout, watching as information flashed on the screen before him, "I also activate the Warp Crest inside it!" The net unfolded, warp crest 'swirling' the moment it appeared as the monster summoned blurred through the portal. "The Black Ninja attacks," he shouted, the monster appearing from the other warp crest in an instant. "And he attacks the Dark Eye Stalker!"

Otogi continued to pale, the teen gritting his teeth and looking at the board. Alright... Moving on! Defending his own dungeon master was one thing... But right now he was boxed in, and if he couldn't summon anything more... Then the only way for him to win was to warp into 'enemy territory' and strike with what he had! Which meant that it was up to the Black Ninja now... "Gh..." Yugi's opponent swallowed, narrowing his eyes. "It's my turn," Otogi shouted loudly, grabbing his last die from the side and rolling. "Go!" The two watched intently as the dice spun about the table, each one coming to a stop within seconds. Summon... Trap...

Magic! Hahah! Yugi grabbed his dice as his opponent grit his teeth, tossing them onto the board with a nod. "Now it's my turn," he called out, a pair of arrows appearing among the results. "Yes! Two 'forward' crests... The Black Ninja takes two steps forward," he shouted, the monster doing just that with an increased speed. "Now, Black Ninja," the boy ordered, his monster now within range of Otogi's clown-like Dungeon Master. "Attack!"

With a single swift motion the ninja struck, drawing a pair of blades and slicing into the dungeon master. The first of the three lights faded out, Yugi nodding to himself as he looked up from the board. There...

Tie game! Now they were both even, point for point. ...Wait... The boy frowned as chuckling came through the air, narrowing his eyes. "Hahaha..." ...Why was he laughing... "Hahahah! Yugi," Otogi shouted, grinning darkly, "Pulling me into a tie this quickly... You're getting me excited!" Errr... O-Okay..? Yugi swallowed, staring in silence as his opponent gripped his last three dice. "But you won't touch my Dungeon Master again," the teen stated, the expression instantly darkening into a scowl as he said this. "It's my turn now... Roll!" Ahh... The dice clattered to the ground, bouncing off the sides of each other as they fell to the ground. Star... Star... And... ...Star! "Hahaha! Three summon crests," Otogi shouted, grinning widely as his opponent went white. A Triple roll! "Thanks to that, the level of the summoned monster goes up one... Which means that the monster I summon, the God Orgoth," he called out, pushing the black die into place and watching as the net unfolded. "And what was once a level three creature... Is now a level four! In addition to that," he added with a grin, Yugi growing steadily paler as the monster appeared behind his Ninja, "By spending three of the magic crests in my pool, I equip him with the 'Diamond Blade', quadrupling his power... Something I intend to do right this moment!"

What..! Quadruple! What kind of ability was that! The boy swallowed, watching as the enormous monster charged toward his own as a large gleaming blade appeared in his hands. Oh crap... "God Orgoth," Otogi was shouting, the enormous sword coming closer as its owner tromped forward, "Attack with Diamond Blade!"

No no no no no, he didn't have enough power to defend against- He tensed, eyes widening briefly as he looked back at the screen. Wait... In his crest pool... He had enough to... The boy hurriedly pressed one of the buttons below the screen, three of his crests vanishing from view as he turned his attention back to the board. Please work please work...

The blade connected with the 'ground', a cloud of synthesized dust hitting the air around the sword. "Hah," Otogi shouted as the dust hovered around the board, smirking, "Got him," he continued, the dust clearing to reveal a blank space where the sword sat.

Phew... It worked... "Are you sure," Yugi asked, looking at his opponent as a small light flashed across the screen. "Take a good look at the field Otogi-kun," he said calmly, the teen following his gaze.

Though the blade was still there, as it was pulled out, a void seemed to appear... "You didn't," Otogi muttered, eyes wide as he stared at the field.

The void 'increased' as the ninja slowly came back into view, Yugi nodding in response. Oh he did... "The moment God Orgoth attacked," Yugi stated calmly, "I paid three magic crests from my pool to activate the Black Ninja's special ability... Invisibility," he shouted, his opponent still looking over the field in shock. "Rendering him immune to all attack this turn!" Which gave him at least enough of a shot to take down another of the dungeon master's points to say the least...

Hah... 'Good job...' Yugi jumped, eyes widening briefly as a faint whisper met his ears. ...That voice... That was... 'Keep at it, aibou... No matter what happens...'

Don't give up... ...He was... Silence passed for a moment, Otogi momentarily smirking as he leaned back in his seat. He wasn't losing... He wasn't losing! "...Otogi-kun," Yugi said after a moment, frowning as he looked across the table. "...There's something you should know... Even though you took the puzzle from me... You didn't break the bond between us! I'm not alone," he continued, shaking his head and swallowing. "Fighting along side with me... Is the other me, who dwells in the Millennium Puzzle! We're still connected," Yugi said confidently, looking straight ahead as a small smile appeared on his face. "And I can still hear his voice..."

'Don't give up...' He could hear it clearly, as if he was wearing it now... 'No matter what happens..!'

'...I won't, other me.' "That's why," he continued, steeling his gaze and gripping his dice tightly in his hands. "That's why I won't lose! Now it's my turn," he shouted, rolling the dice and allowing the crests to log into the 'pool' on the screen. "Black Ninja," he ordered, the monster turning back to the Dungeon Master and ignoring the presence of the much larger monster behind it. "ATTACK!"

---

In a flash of light the blades of Yugi's ninja struck true. The second light on his dungeon master faded out of existence, putting the tie situation into a draw-back situation. One more attack... Ryuji stared, a smirk slowly coming on his face. One more attack and it was over... This... This was fun... But he wouldn't let him make that attack... No matter what! Yugi didn't have the crests to defend himself again after all, so there wouldn't be another chance! Hehehe... Even so... It'd be nice...

If after this, they could just sit down and play a game for the hell of it, with a 'normal board'... Without his father's revenge or the millennium puzzle on the line... The teen silently chuckled to himself at the idea, grabbing his two dice only to freeze as the door hidden to the side abruptly spun around. "W-What..."

"RYUJI," the hoarse voice of his father roared, the old man running in with the Millennium Puzzle gripped tightly in his hand. What was he doing here... What was his father doing there... With the puzzle..? "I forbid you... Completely forbid you from even thinking of accepting a loss from this boy... From Sugoroku's grandson!"

"Y-You..." Yugi instantly frowned, turning to the old man with a shout. "That's my puzzle..!"

What did he think he was doing, he had this under control..! "D-Dad..!"

The man growled, expression of rage well hidden by the misshapen clown's mask on his face. "Sixteen years," he said with a choke, shaking his head as he looked over the two. "Sixteen years it's been since I played that wretched game with Sugoroku over this puzzle... And now this game has come full circle," he shouted hoarsely, hands gripping the puzzle tightly as Yugi slowly stood from his seat. "Into the next generation!"

"You..." Yugi shook his head, turning to the man with wide eyes as he stepped from the chair. "Give my my puzzle back," he shouted, Ryuji looking over his shoulder as the man holding it stood there in silence.

What was he up to... "Hehehe... Listen good you little rat," the man spat darkly, pulling the puzzle back behind him as his son frowned. "You think you're getting this thing back? Think again," he rasped, eyes narrowed to mere slits beneath the mask. "The power of this puzzle belongs to one person and one person only," the old man raged, "And that's my son! My boy, Ryuji!"

Yugi shook his head, Ryuji watching in silence with narrowed eyes as his friend grit his teeth. "No," he said quietly, moving away from the table. "No! The Millennium Puzzle is more than that, it's a part of me," he cried, eyes wide as his face grew red. "It's the other half of my heart, my soul..." His soul..? "Give it back," he shouted with wide and angry eyes, looking at the clown from across the table.

The clown merely snorted, grip on the puzzle's chain tightening further. "Like HELL!"

Damn it! "DAD!" The old man tensed, looking to the side as his son stared at the board. "...Dad... This is our fight," he said with a growl, looking at the man from the corner of his eyes as he stood from his chair. "Please... Don't get in the way of this," he continued, hurriedly looking back as he was met with the confused blood-shot eyes of his father. Just... Don't...

"Wh...What... What are you saying Ryuji," his father muttered, shaking his head and turning to the teen. "I'm... I'm doing this because I love you," he continued almost pitifully, shaking his head. "I love you Ryuji," he repeated, sounding more pathetic than frightening for the moment. "I'm just trying to... Trying to help..."

He swallowed, not looking at the man. Now was not the time. Not at all... "Leave us alone, Dad," he said darkly, closing his eyes as he continued to stand at the table. "I told you... This is our game."

"But... But Ryuji..."

He turned, eyes flying open as he went read. "I SAID LEAVE IT, DAD!"

The man jumped somewhat, looking at him incredulously before stepping back with a few short nods. "I see," he muttered darkly, gripping the puzzle in his hands as he walked away. Ryuji swallowed, calming down somewhat as his father moved away. "You don't understand... You never... Never really understood..." Damn it, don't do this again...

"Dad," he muttered, sighing as he stared at the table and bit his lip, "Don't do this, please... Not now, not..."

"I'll help you," the old man continued darkly, the two beside the table slowly turning with frowns at those words. "I'll do something that will shatter this boy's very will to fight..." What..! "HRNNNNGGGG!"

Instantly Yugi went white, body going tense in reaction to what was almost an invisible electric shock. "NO!"

What..! Ryuji frowned, looking at his father and back to Yugi as the boy grew deathly pale. The man stood with his back to them, hiding his hands... What was he doing... What... "Yugi," the old man muttered, gripping the puzzle tightly in his worn and bone-thin hands as he gasped for breath, turning toward them. "Didn't you say... That even without the puzzle," he said with a dark and tired laugh, "Your bond can't be broken?"

"S-Stop..." Yugi stood stock still, eyes wide as tears began to develop. Scared... Yugi was scared, but why... "Stop..."

What the hell was he doing... Ryuji moved out from his chair, eyes wide as he looked over at his father. "Dad," he muttered, eyes narrowing somewhat as he frowned, "Dad what are you..."

"Hahahahaha..." Why the hell was he... "In that case," the old man spat, growing tense as he pulled at the puzzle, "I'll CRUSH THIS! Haaaaaaahhh... HAHHHH..." He continued to pull at the metal, grit teeth somewhat visible through the hole in the mask. "Gnnnnn..."

"S-STOP," Yugi shouted, eyes growing even wider as he screamed, "STOP IT PLEASE!"

"All of it," the clown continued to rasp, almost to himself. "Into pieces..."

No... No... "Dad what the hell are you doing!"

-click-

"Hahahahaha!" The sound of clacking metal met the air, a small 'slat' coming out from the side. "I did it," the old man shouted, a single piece falling to the floor as the two boys behind him froze.

"Ahhh... Ahhhh...!" What was going on... He... He didn't need to do this, and why was Yugi... "No..." More clacking sounds came as the next piece was pulled out, Yugi reaching forward as he fell to his knees in shock. "No... NO! STOP IT," he wailed eyes following each piece as it was pulled out, STOP IT!"

More pieces fell to the ground... One, two, all of them, shattering and falling to the ground as their 'key' piece fell to the floor and left only the bare bones of the 'base' of the pyramid hanging from the chain. He couldn't even move as he watched, Yugi crying at the side, his father laughing almost maniacally... "What the hell Dad," he whispered, eyes not moving from the gold on the ground. "What..."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaauuuuhhh..." On the ground Yugi was gripping at the ground, still staring at the puzzle with wide and tear filled eyes, as though in pain. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" What was going on...

And how could his father just laugh at this..! "AHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA! Don't worry boy," his father said with an insane laugh, "My son will put it back together in mere moments... As the new successor to this legend, only seconds until then!" Why was he laughing! "We're right back to where we started," the clown continued, rasping as he swung the puzzle on its chain. "And now the legend can start over..."

Was any one even listening? He wasn't after all, not to this... And if Yugi was listening... Well, he sure as hell wasn't responding, not right now. "AAAAAAAHHHH!" Tears were rolling down his face as he reached for the fallen pieces, eyes appearing almost colourless as he screamed. "AUHAAAAAAAAAAAA! You..." The boy chocked through his tears, picking up the pieces from the floor with wide eyes as he stared at them. "You... How could you... HOW COULD YOU DESTROY HIM," he finally shouted, voice echoing through the room as he looked up at the clown in front of him. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY OTHER SELF!"

"Hehehehehe... Well it's like you said," the man answered coldly, his son staring with wide eyes as he continued. "You have to win to get this puzzle back... Too bad that without it, you can't even do that, HAHAHAHA! HAHAHA-"

This was enough. With a single swipe, the man was cut off, Ryuji calmly snatching the puzzle chain from old and weary hands before placing it on the table with narrowed eyes. This was enough. And he should have stepped in long ago. "Don't touch it anymore... Otou-san."

"H-Hey..." The man stopped laughing, turning with confused eyes as his son glared and turned away. "What are you..."

Ryuji slowly stooped down to the ground, gathering a few of the pieces of the puzzle as he stared at the floor. "Yugi... I'm sorry... That you had to hear all of that," he muttered, voice barely above the level of a whisper. "Even more though... I'm sorry that this had to happen..." He swallowed, stopping momentarily as he held the few pieces in his hands. Cold... Ice cold, as though sending waves of hate right through to his very bones... A rejection so strong... "...I never realized how important this was Yugi," he said quietly, unable to look at the boy. "I'm sorry..."

"Gn.." There was no answer, Yugi merely gathering the pieces and stifling his cries as he attempted to calm down. "N..."

...Now then... "...Dad," Ryuji said with narrowed eyes, placing the pieces at the side with the puzzle before turning to the man. "This is my battle," he said clearly, not caring what his father said in response. "And I told you... Stay out of it. You don't have any right to decide if I win or lose... But Yugi," he continued loudly turning back to the boy and watching as he slowly stood up. "That doesn't mean the rules have changed... We're going to finish this game," the teen shouted, moving back toward his seat. "And the winner will receive the Millennium Puzzle, along with the honor of putting it back together" he continued, pulling into his seat at the side. "So take your seat... It's my turn!"

---

Gone... Even compared to when the puzzle wasn't around his neck, the feeling in the back of his mind... The empty feeling, the void...

It hurt... So much it hurt... Yugi took shuddering breaths as he held a few of the pieces to his puzzle in his hands, swallowing in a faulty attempt to calm himself down. Eight years... He'd spent... Eight years... Putting this puzzle together... 'Don't give up', he'd said... Don't... Don't give... The boy took another shaking breath, slowly placing the pieces alongside the rest of the puzzle before moving to take his seat. Don't give up... Hang in there... Hang in there... He'd put that puzzle together again... He promised...

He would get him back. Just one hit, he told himself with a swallow, sitting down and looking across the board. He only needed one hit! "Thinking about taking out my last point," Otogi said loudly, grabbing his dice as his opponent stared at the board. The teen frowned, tossing his dice to the ground. "Think again! It's my turn," he continued as the crests were logged away into his pool, "And God Orgoth attacks!" With a single strike his monster charged the ninja, diamond blade cutting cleanly through the Black Ninja before the monster vanished into smoke.

Gh... Yugi bit his lip, looking from the far end of the board to his own. His only monster in enemy territory... Now he only had three monsters at his side of the field... And not only did Otogi have four, counting his 'God Orgoth', but that same monster now had 2000 attack points! "Gh..."

"Oh... It's not as bad as it looks," the teen said with a smirk, holding his two dice in hand and pulling his opponent's attention back to him. Not as- Well, he supposed he was as easy to read as anything at this point really... Yugi watched as the two dice spun around in his opponent's hands, the teen's 'dice slot' now empty. "After all, I can't summon any more monsters to the board, I only have two dice left..." Ah... That was right... "So come on," he shouted, pulling the dice he was spinning back into his hand before crossing his arms. "It's your turn! Don't keep me waiting..."

Hah... It was his turn that was true, but he didn't have any way to attack right now. And since Otogi would definitely be focusing on moving his way from this point on, he'd better concentrate on defense for the moment... The boy rolled the dice, watching as the crests scattered over the field before gathering into his pool. It wasn't like he could summon after all... So... "I move Duker Twin Swords toward my Dungeon master," he stated clearly, watching as the monster shifted to cover the figure's side. Nothing more... "And that's it."

Hah... He needed this to work... "It's my turn," Otogi shouted, tossing his two dice forward. A pair of arrows met their view, Yugi growing pale as his opponent smirked. Ohhhh shoot. "God Orgoth advances into the warp panel!" Oh no... Oh no no no... "Hehehehe... I'm coming in Yugi." the teen said darkly, grabbing his dice from the board. "Prepare for battle!"

Shit... "My turn," Yugi shouted, the dice landing with two arrows and a star. Nothing he could do... He swallowed, before looking forward. "The army stands its ground around the dungeon master!"

Otogi merely snorted at the announcement, spinning his dice. "Heh! A wall of monsters won't do anything against the God Orgoth! It's my turn again," he shouted as he rolled the two dice, ignoring the results to point his monster forward, "And the God attacks! An Iron Golem is no match against a Diamond Blade," Otogi continued, the monster's blade cutting clean through Yugi's large spherical golem.

Gh... The boy winced as the first of his three monsters bit the dust, before grabbing his three dice from the table. One down, two remaining... Not good... "My turn," he shouted, tossing the dice forward. Even if he couldn't summon, his monsters still had enough power... He watched as a battle crest appeared from his results, before pointing his monster forward. "Little Wizard attacks," he anounceded, the monster charging forward with its staff held high. "Lightning Rod!"

"Heh! Think again," Otogi said with a smirk, the attack merely bouncing off his monster's hide. Gh-! "By using the defense crests I have in my pool, I can defend against magical attacks!" What..! What did this monster not have! "And on my turn," the teen added, his monster suddenly swinging the sword forward as the wizard before it paled, "I get to strike back! The little Wizard dies," he said loudly, Yugi swallowing as he was left with one monster on the field. "And in one more turn," Otogi continued, narrowing his eyes, "Your last monster is next..."

No... The boy's eyes flashed over the board, head shaking somewhat. No... He couldn't summon, he couldn't defend... And once his last monster was gone... "How do you like that," the clown rasped from the side, Yugi bowing his head to stare at the table as he shook. "Do you realize now... How slim a chance you have against Ryuji?"

No... No... He wouldn't see him again... No...

"The Millennium Puzzle is mine Yugi," Otogi was saying across the board. "No hard feelings I hope..."

No no no no no-

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Hang on... That sound... "Hahahahaha!" Yugi tensed, eyes flying open as laughter came through the air. That sound... That sound was... "Too bad Otogi," a familiar, cold tone said through his friend's voice, confidence ringing through the pitch at a level that the owner's lighter half had never come even close to achieving. Oh god... "You can't handle the puzzle," the voice continued, Yugi slowly turning around to look at the albino.

The others in the room stared, eyes growing wide as Bakura stood in the open doorway at the end of the room. "Who..." Otogi's father stared, shaking his head as his son frowned. "Who are..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Bakura... Bakura was... "In the thousands of years that this puzzle has existed," he stated calmly, slowly walking into the room, "Only one person has been able to solve and wield this device.. And that person is none other than Yugi..."

It was him. But... How..? As the teen walked into the room he could see the golden ring around his neck, the prongs dangling as he moved steadily forward with a confident air. How... Why... "B... Bakura!"

"Bakura," Otogi whispered, staring with wide eyes as he looked at the teen. He shook his head, still frowning. "But... You're..." Completely different? H-Hah... Y-Yea...

There was a good reason for that..! "Hn! I can't believe that someone of your level would actually believe himself worthy of solving this puzzle," Bakura said with a nasty smirk, shaking his head as he came up beside Yugi at the table. The albino narrowed his eyes, looking directly at Otogi as the teen continued to stare. "If I were you," Bakura continued with a wicked smirk, "I wouldn't even try it... And if you do, trust me when I say... You'll die quite horribly... To say the least..."

"You..." He was right... Here... Right here... "What are you doing here," Yugi whispered with wide eyes, pulling back in his seat as he looked at the albino. "Bakura..."

"Oh... Don't worry," Bakura said with a short 'laugh', hands in his pockets as he stood beside the boy. "I'm not the same as before... I've turned over a 'new leaf', didn't you know?" Why should he even begin to believe that..? After the last time they'd seen each other, why... "The point is, right now," Bakura continued, grinning with all the honesty of a snake, "I'm your friend... Now then..." He looked over the board, Yugi still staring with wide and terror filled eyes as the teen appeared to pay him no mind. "Let's take a look here... Hnn... Well," the albino stated, pulling back, "The odds are a bit against you but... That doesn't mean you've lost just yet... Otogi," he called out, Yugi merely staring at the albino with wide and wary eyes. "Listen well and listen good... In only a few more turns, Yugi will turn the tables on you... So take a good long look at the power of the Millennium Puzzle's host!"

Not good... Yugi swallowed, still looking back up at the teen beside him. He couldn't exactly focus on the game right now with this right here... The ring... Bakura... How could he put the ring back on..! "Gh..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn... You look as though I'm going to kill you right here," Bakura said with a smirk, eyes narrowing somewhat. Would that really be surprising..? "Really, how cruel... Just think," he continued, crossing his arms. "Think about what Pegasus told you at the Duelist Kingdom..." The Duelist Kingdom..? The boy tensed, eyes wide. How... But how did he know about what Pegasus said, he wasn't even there at the time... "The seven millennium items are all tied to the memory of the Pharaoh... We all have the same goals in the end," Bakura explained, ignoring his 'friend's discomfort, "And without the other pieces, that goal can never be achieved... So really," he continued with a smirk, "Is there any reason for us to fight right now? Back then, you were just another person who could possibly harm my host... But right now..?" The smirk darkened, Yugi narrowing his eyes in response before turning away.

This... This wasn't the time. Not the time... Whether or not Bakura was the enemy, he had to figure out how to win this game first... To get the puzzle back, to put it back together... To save his other self... The boy's eyes flew across the board, a frown on his face. He only had one monster left... But there was no way to counter attack, no way... Bakura said there was a solution but...

"Hahahahaha... No way..." Somewhere, anywhere... "There's no way you can turn this around," Otogi said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Even Yugi won't be able to do something like that, trust me... But Bakura," he continued, shaking his head as he narrowed his eyes. "...An interesting change you've gone through here... You're normally calm, quiet... Polite... I'd have hardly guessed that you were interested in things like the Millennium Items... I guess I was wrong," he added with somewhat narrowed eyes, looking over the ring for a moment. "But I have to say... I think you're wrong about the puzzle... I will win," the teen said with a frown, spinning his two dice again as he looked at his opponent and friend. "And I will repair the Millennium Puzzle."

Bakura merely looked across the table, chuckling darkly as he stared Otogi down. "Hnhnhnhnhn... A person like you? With a soul as weak as yours," the teen said with a dark laugh, "You'll burn from the inside out the moment you touch it... Don't say I didn't warn you," he continued, grinning maliciously as he stowed his hands in his pockets. "Though it'll certainly be amusing to watch..." H-Hahhhhh... That was the last thing he needed right now..!

"Hn!" Otogi snorted, shaking his head. "Keep talking... I can't hear you," he said with a smirk, before gripping his dice and looking across the field. "It's your turn Yugi," Otogi shouted loudly, spinning the two dice in his hands. "Now roll the dice!"

Gn... The boy nodded, gripping the dice tightly as he nodded. Alright... He had to at least go on until the very end didn't he? If he gave up now... Well he couldn't! Alright then... "Roll!" The dice clattered to the ground, a pair of battle crests coming into view as they came to a stop. Alright... He now had six battle crests in his pool... Now how to attack the God Orgoth..? Orgoth's attack was 2000... Not a match for Duker's... Then again... Duker's ability was to attack multiple times for each attack crest. If he used the crests in his pool... If he used all of them at once, the attacks would add up, coming to just enough to beat it... "Alright," he decided, running over the points in his mind, "I activate all of the attack crests in my pool," Yugi shouted, sending his monster forward. "Go, Duker Twin Swords... Attack the God Orgoth!"

Light filled the field, only for Otogi to grin. Uh-oh. "Hehehe... I activate the last of my 'move' crests," he shouted, "Sending my dragon forward!" What..! Otogi's dragon lept into the blade's path, taking the brunt of all the attacks as the turn ended. In an instant the flurry of attacks reduced it to dust, Orgoth left unharmed. Oh no... Oh no... "Hahahahhh... The low level dragon is gone, leaving Orgoth to stand and fight for the next turn..! Too bad Yugi," he said with a dark grin, gripping his dice as he looked over his opponent. "Your roll was pointless... And now, it's my turn!"

Ungh! "Now..." Damn... "Orgoth attacks," Otogi shouted, the monster swinging his blade forward. Destroying Duker Twin Swords!" No... The monster swung his blade forward, cutting through the swordsman in a flash. Yugi stared with wide eyes as the field was cleared, leaving his Dungeon Master defenseless at last in the face of 'Orgoth'. No monsters... He had no more monsters... He'd good as lost... "Yugi," Otogi said seriously from his side of the field, the boy looking up in silence. "You still have two more heart points left... We're going through with this this to the very end," he continued, smirking almost menacingly. "So don't even think of bowing out just yet... It's your turn..."

Hngg... He grabbed his dice, nodding. There had to be something he could do right..? The boy tossed the dice to the ground, only to wince as he was met with an assortment of crests to join his 'pool'. No way to counter attack... No way to summon. But he had an advance crest..! The boy looked at his dungeon master, staring at the base. Looking at it now... It looked like it could move at least. He mentally nodded to himself again, hurriedly moving the Dungeon Master as far as his turn allowed. Otogi's turn again... He could do nothing but run.

"It's useless," the teen said clearly, a wicked grin on his face as he looked toward his opponent. "No matter how far you run, you're still within my monster's range! My turn again," he shouted, tossing his dice up into the air and catching them again. There was no point in rolling any more... "God Orgoth attacks the Dungeon Master!"

Gh... Yugi watched as the monster's blade swung against the back of his dungeon master, the second of his 'hearts' going out as he bit his lip. One more turn... One turn and he'd lose... "Face it," a rasping voice on the side said, the clown that was Otogi's father grabbing the puzzle and pieces in his hands. "You've lost boy... And Ryuji," he said with a hoarse laugh, placing the golden puzzle beside his son with a nod. "I knew... I knew you could do it... Only my son could ever do such a thing after all..."

The teen blinked, turning to the man and looking over the puzzle for a moment. "Dad," he said quietly, the pieces spilling beside him.

"Look," the old man rasped, handing one of the pieces to the teen and folding Otogi's fingers over it. "It's yours now, you've won... You've made me proud, my son... Go a head," he continued, his son in question staring at the puzzle with a momentarily unreadable expression, "Solve it..."

But it wasn't his... It wasn't... Yugi stared at the table, not watching as the sound of pieces clicking over and around each other came through the air. "Hnhnhnhnhn... How many times must I say it," Bakura said with a laugh from beside him. "The puzzle can't be solved by the likes of you," he said with a shout, shaking his head. "Only Yugi can solve it!"

"And as I told you," Otogi said in response, only briefly looking back from the puzzle as he began to attempt at putting it together, "Keep talking... I can't hear you!"

"Haaaaahhh... Such morons my host associates with..." Gh... They weren't... "I'll say it again," Bakura continued, still smirking as he leaned over the table somewhat. "The winner of this game is Yugi- And not you! You can't solve this puzzle," he stated clearly, Yugi still looking over his dice and the board as the cracking noises continued through the air. "So don't even try..."

Puzzle... The boy stared at the blank space between the path pieces, eyes somewhat dim. Puzz... Le... "Ah..." His eyes widened, mind hurriedly running over the many patterns of a six-sided die. On the board, that one place between Otogi's and his own pieces... Maybe... Maybe... There was still a chance, if he just summoned... "Dice roll," he shouted, pulling the attention of his opponent forward and tossing the dice to the ground. The boy's eyes watched carefully as they fell, fingers mentally crossed. Come on... Pentacle... Star... ...Yes!

His opponent looked up from the Millennium Puzzle, frowning as the two summoning crests met the air. "Two summoning crests... But even with that," he said with a frown, "You still can't summon anything..! That space is too narrow, and too complex for you to find the exact one that fits..." That was what he said...

But there was one, wasn't there? Yugi grabbed his die, silently nodding to himself as he set it in place. This was the one... He ignored his opponent's confusion, instead staring at the board. Lets go. "Dimension Dice," he shouted, pushing it into place. "Go!" The sides of the box slowly unfolded from the square he'd set it in, filling in the hole in the field. One side... Two... Three... Four... "Yes!"

Otogi paled, staring at the field with wide eyes as a tiny, shell-like monster appeared from the perfectly unfolded net. "But how... There was only one..." Only one monster? Phew...

"As I said," Bakura said with a smirk, crossing his arms. "The winner of this match is Yugi... And no one else."

Hah... Alright! The boy gave a sigh or relief, staring at the board. He'd managed to summon a monster... But would it even be able to take the attack..? "...Gh... Hahahahha! Oh..." That didn't sound good. Yugi frowned, looking across the field as Otogi laughed. "To think, you managed to summon a monster... But how could you even think of pitting something with no attack power against Orgoth?" N-No attack...? The boy paled, listening as Otogi continued before looking over the info on the screen. "A monster like that..." He continued to laugh, still shaking his head. "It doesn't even stand a chance against the God Orgoth!

Oh no... Attack zero! Of course that wouldn't stand against it, it wouldn't stand against anything! Damn it... The boy clenched his fists, bowing his head again as he shut his eyes. What now? He'd used his last shot and now...

What would he say..? What would he say now..? "Yugi," Bakura roared, the boy jumping to look to the side. Er... He... That didn't mean he'd take anyone..! "Stop thinking about 'losing' and focus on the match," he spat, narrowing his eyes as the boy swallowed. "This is your test... A final challenge to prove your worth as the owner of the Millennium Puzzle, to prove his right as the King!" The... The king..?

"...What King..?" He'd heard about a King but... the King..? What was Bakura talking about...

The albino merely continued to glare, eyes narrowed into slits. "Listen up," Bakura continued, looking down at the boy. "There's one person and only one who can solve that puzzle in this world, and that person is you; that person is chosen by the gods themselves to recover the lost memories of the King... And no matter what," he added darkly, turning his attention back to the board, "I will make sure that happens..."

B...Bakura... "Hahahaha... Really..." Yugi turned, swallowing as he looked to the other side of the room. "So much talking," Otogi's father rasped, shaking his head. "It's so obvious who the winner of this game is already," he asked, eyes narrowed. "Why do you both keep fighting against it..? Why..."

"Not now Dad," Otogi muttered, eyes trained on his opponent. The old man tensed somewhat, before doing as told and watching. "Yugi," the teen called out. "Your turn is over... So now it's mine! I roll," he continued with a shout, tossing his two dice to the ground. "And now... I attack!"

The puzzle was sitting across from him... In pieces... Yugi swallowed, narrowing his eyes as he pushed a button along the screen. He had to risk whatever ability 'Puzz' had... Whatever it was wasn't too clear, the description made almost no sense but... No matter what, he would win this game! Bakura... He was right. Probably not the best person to rely on for advice but he was still right! He couldn't sit and pray for someone to give him advice... This was his game... His fight! And for his 'other', he would continue on! "Puzz's special ability activates," Yugi shouted, information flashing on the screen before him as Orgoth's blade came toward his Dungeon Master. This ability... Yes! "He transforms into an armor for the Dungeon Master!"

"That's great," Otogi shouted smirking as he sat back in his seat, "But Orgoth's already made his attack! You've-" He froze, swallowing as the holographic blade met nothing but a large shield formed by the small monster summoned from before. Heh... Just in time... "Gh- What..."

Yugi narrowed his eyes, gripping his dice tightly. "Otogi-kun... You said that I couldn't run, didn't you? Well from now on," he said clearly, steeling himself as he looked over the rest of the now clarified ability. "My Dungeon Master isn't running... Instead, he turns to fight!"

"H...Heh... But 'Puzz' is a monster without attack power," Otogi reminded the boy, smirking somewhat. "So how can you even hope to fight against Orgoth?"

He nodded slowly, frowning. "True," he began, "Puzz' attack power is only zero... But that's because he's taken the form of armor! When he turns into a weapon," he continued, narrowing his eyes, "He'll be more than enough to defeat Orgoth..." The info on the screen wasn't lying after all... When 'Puzz' took 'blade' form...

Otogi narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He thought he had missed the ability... But he hadn't... "Transforming Puzz requires at least three attack crests though," he continued, frowning. "You only have one left in your pool..."

That was right... Which meant he would have to just put all his trust in this next roll, wouldn't he! "My turn," Yugi shouted, tossing the dice to the ground. "Go!" Star... Swords... "Yes," he shouted loudly as the final dice landed, grinning. "Two attack crests! Puzz's special ability activates," he called out, the shield before his monster shifting to move into the dungeon master's 'hands'. "Transform... And attack God Orgoth!"

"Gh..!" The blade formed in an instant, striking toward Orgoth and rendering the beast nothing but air within seconds. "...You..!"

"Hah... I did it..." Otogi stared at the board, jaw clenched as his opponent continued to sigh in relief. "Hah!" He'd won... He'd... Phew... Otogi's father gave a wailing cry, shaking his head as his son continued to stare at the board in shock. He... Hah... Ah... "...Otogi-kun," he said calmly, looking across the board at the teen. Something needed to be said... Just to fix things... "...I've never thought of owning the puzzle as owning a title, or some form of ancient power," he stated, the teen looking across with a frown. Never... He needed to know that...

"...But then why," Otogi said with a frown, shaking his head as he looked back at the boy. "What drove you to win so badly..?"

What drove him..? Hah... "...I just... Wanted to see him again," the boy said calmly, bowing his head somewhat as he smiled. "I just wanted to see the other me... That's all... Otogi-kun," he continued, standing from his seat and moving past Bakura as the teen stepped back. "I won... Now give my puzzle back, alright?"

Otogi blinked, slowly looking away from the board and nodding as he put the put the pieces he'd been holding back on the table. ...Strange... He looked tired out, weakened... In fact, one of his hands were even shaking... Yugi stared, a worried expression coming over him. But why... All he'd been doing was touching the puzzle... "Alright," Otogi said with a nod, swallowing as he pulled his friend's attention back. "You win..."

"Hn! Those words probably saved your sorry little soul," Bakura said with a smirk, walking over and grabbing the puzzle by the chain. Yugi blinked, staring as the albino gathered up the pieces in his hands as well. "Here Yugi," he said with a 'smile', looking back at the boy. "How about you just sit tight and relax... After a battle like that," he continued, gathering the pieces and turning to the boy to hold them out for him, "I imagine you'd be exhausted..."

Hah... A little, yes... But... He watched as Bakura came over, carefully placing the puzzle and its fallen pieces in his open hands. This was all a little... Weird... Um... "...Bakura," Otogi muttered from the side, frowning as Yugi turned to look at him. "Who are you really..."

Who... Good question. But of Bakura heard them, he wasn't answering, the teen merely crossing his arms and looking at Yugi. "Alright," the albino said, ignoring Otogi's words as Yugi looked up. "Now... Your next task is to put this thing back together... Your 'other self' deserves just as much doesn't he..?"

Yes... Yes he did... The boy looked over the pieces, nodding. "It took a long time to put this together, the first time around," he said quietly, shaking his head as he thought back. "Eight years... Even so," he continued, nodding again and looking back up, "I'll hurry back home and finish it!" It was strange... Even though it was the same 'Bakura' who tried to lock himself and the others in figurines for eternity, and in the end, kill them completely... It was because of him that he'd won that fight really. He'd have given up otherwise, so...

Perhaps... This 'other Bakura' wasn't so bad... "Ah!" The boy turned, blinking as Bakura handed another piece of the puzzle over. Oh... "Careful now," he said with a small 'smile', "You dropped one!"

D-Dropped one! "A-A-Ahh!" The boy took the piece with wide eyes, nodding furiously as he added it to the small pile in the puzzle's 'shell'. "Th-Thanks, Bakura-kun," he said with a nervous laugh, swallowing. "If even one piece was missing..."

The albino smirked, shaking his head. "Hn! You're welcome... Now then... My business is through," he said as he cracked his neck, walking toward the door and stretching. "I would think my dear host can find his way out of this one...

Er... What? There was a 'breeze' of sorts, the hair that stood on end suddenly dropping as Bakura's expression changed. For a brief moment, the others in the room merely stared in silence, watching as the teen suddenly looked around with wide eyes. "A-Ahh..? This is..."

Oh dear... The boy shook his head, sighing as Bakura continued to look around in confusion. He'd forgotten completely... "...Yugi," Otogi said from the side, the boy swallowing as he looked at the teen. Hn... Last of the loose ends... But what were Otogi's feelings on all of this anyways? Between the time earlier, the game, the time at school... "...Even though I lost," he said calmly, still sitting at his seat as he looked at his friend, "I don't regret having this game with you! However..." He looked off to the side, where his father was staring at the ground in silence. "Hah... ...Dad," the teen continued, turning away and shaking his head. "I couldn't get revenge for you... I'll never... Be able to get revenge for you," he added, closing his eyes. "Because the fact is... I can't even try to hate Yugi... And I'd much rather have a friend in him than constantly pretend to think otherwise."

O...Otogi... "I know," the old man rasped, shuffling his feet as Yugi turned to look at him. "I know... It's my fault," he moaned, shaking his head as the three in the room listened. "All my fault... From the very start," he continued, "I should never have asked this of you..!" Yugi swallowed, gripping the loose pieces of his puzzle tightly as he stood on the side. Something did not seem right about this... Not right...

Not at all... "...Dad..." Otogi sighed, turning back to the old man with a weak and somewhat morose expression. "If we continue to carry this kind of hatred... There's no way we can ever win in any kind of battle," he stated, frowning. "This is no way to live! You have to see that!"

"Hnnn..." Silence filled the air for a moment, the others merely watching with frowns. "...Yugi," the old man muttered, stepping closer as he ignored his son. "I'm so sorry I destroyed your puzzle..." Why didn't he believe him... "You must be... Greatly saddened about what I've done..." Don't come any closer please... Don't... "Please," he continued, coming even closer as the boy stepped back, "Let me make up for it... Help hang that precious puzzle around your neck," he stated lowly, snatching the puzzle from his grip.

"A-AH! H-" Get away!

"Forgive me for this..."

"GHNK!" The chain was thrown over his neck, twisted and pulled into a tight noose as the boy's hands instantly reached around his throat. "GHK!" Pieces of the puzzle fell to the ground, Yugi barely getting air as he looked at the clown in horror. "H-GH-!"

The others in the room instantly reacted, Otogi moving from his chair with wide eyes. "DAD!"

"Y-Yuugi-kun," Bakura shouted, growing paler than he already was.

Ah... Ahhh... Air... Air..! "Better not move..." Air... He couldn't... "None of you had better move," the old man hissed, gripping the chain tightly as he gathered the fallen puzzle pieces from the floor to stow them in a pocket. He couldn't breathe... Couldn't move... Air..! "Unless you want to break someone's neck at least... Hehahahaha! HAHAHA!"

Otogi stood beside the table, eyes wide at the scene before him. "Dad," he whispered, shaking his head. "What the hell are you doing, stop this! I already told you, this won't do anything-"

"SHUT UP!" The teen tensed, jerking back as his father dragged Yugi toward the wall. "You... I can't even call you my son anymore," the man spat, eyes narrowed as the two teens watched in shocked silence. "Allowing yourself to lose to this brat..." Please... Please let him go, please let him go... He couldn't... Ahhh... "Your purpose in life was to help me get revenge," he wailed miserably, his hostage struggling to breathe even slightly. "That's all it was! And you failed that..!" Stop this... Stop this please, stop this... "Your life... It doesn't have a value anymore!"

How... How could he say that to his own... "Please... Dad," Otogi begged, moving toward the two with wide and fear filled eyes. "Don't do this..! Don't pull yourself further into this hole," he begged, choking on his words in panic. "We've done enough..!"

"Ch! Keep your mouth shut," the hold man roared, tugging roughly at the chain as Yugi wheezed for air. "I don't want any more from you..." How could he say those things... "I'll get revenge myself," he continued, turning a mask on the side of the wall with a click.

"Ghhh-hhhh!" With a sudden swirl the scenery changed. From partial darkness and colourfully painted walls came complete blackness, the sound of clanking metal and chuckling meeting his ears. "Hhhh... Hhhhh..." Breathing... He couldn't... He was still gripped tightly by the chain, he still couldn't breathe... "Hhhhh...!"

"Now... We're going to proceed with a forbidden ritual..." Please, just let him go, please... "An ancient rite from over ten thousand years ago... While I'm getting ready," the man rasped, pulling Yugi close by the chain before throwing him to the side where the boy collapsed to the ground, "You'd better sit quietly, like a good boy!"

"Gh! Gah..." Air... Air... "Hhhhaaahh... Hahhh..." He couldn't breathe... He couldn't... Candle light filled the air, illuminating a large table where a stone disc sat. The rim was lined with cobras, clawed hands facing upward with two tiny 'figures' sitting at the side... As for the rest of the room... Cheap wood and metal table, shelves of strange and foreign games lining the walls... Tapestries depicting monsters and enormous 'cities' if they could be called that, the 'eye of wdjat' above only the door behind them... Above the others, it was a strange, six-pointed star... "Gh... Hhhhaaahhh..."

Where was this... This place... "Hehehehehe... Hehehe... Do you know what kind of wheel this is," the clown rasped, placing the puzzle and puzzle pieces on the edge of the table as he spoke. No... But... "It's a cursed wheel..." He'd guessed... "Found off the shores of Ancient Egypt, dating back to further than even ten thousand years ago... No one even knows where it came from, how it's even in this kind of condition" he continued, the fire light flickering ominously against his masked face as he turned around. "But one thing is for certain... This cursed game will eat and eat at a person's life within the span of only an instant..." Ghh... Don't do this... "It might look like a simple matter of 'reaching the goal'," the old man continued, looking over the wheel as he grabbed a hammer and looped tent-peg from the ground, "But the further you proceed on the wheel," he explained with a dark laugh, "The more years of your life you place on the betting table... And whatever the number you're on when your opponent reaches the end... Is the number of years you'll age, lost forever..." Not this... He couldn't even believe his grandfather did this, please don't...

"During that battle," he rasped, turning on Yugi with rage filled eyes as the boy weakly looked up, "During that night so long ago, I lost that bet... I'm barely at the prime of my life," he moaned, "And already I've aged a full sixty years more than I should have..." Yugi closed his eyes as the man turned to look at him, gripping the hammer tightly in his hands. Please... Don't do this... "Originally... I was going to have Ryuji gain the power of the puzzle and challenge Sugoroku with it... Then that old man would be cursed and my vengeance would come full circle," he shouted, laughing menacingly. Don't do this, don't... "But that useless boy ruined my plans," he wailed, the boy on the ground merely pulling himself up to a seat against the wall as he struggled to breathe. No... This was... His puzzle... His... Don't do this...

The man came closer, snatching the few pieces that his victim still held on to and taking them with a laugh. "This puzzle... I'll put it together myself," he said with a laugh, the mask's grin staring down with dark humor. "This puzzle... Is mine! Mine," he roared, slamming the pieces on the table as he grabbed the peg once more. Please don't, don't... "No one can take it... No one will ever take it," he repeated, "So long as this peg," he shouted, slamming the hammer down onto it, "Is holding it in place!" A loud 'thump' echoed through the air, Yugi shutting his eyes and reaching behind him for a grip on the wall. "Hahahahhaha... Ahahahahaha..." Don't... Don't... Stop... "I'll complete this Millennium Puzzle... Gain its power..." Don't... Don't do this... "And then use this game to put a curse on you," he hissed, laughing insanely. "And then you can experience the same pain I did... Heheheheheh..."

No... He struggled to his feet, eyes barely held open as he attempted to breathe. Shouts were coming from outside... The sound of clicking was coming from the table as the old man attempted to piece the puzzle together. This wasn't... This couldn't... "Stop," he rasped, choking on his breath as he took a step forward. "Stop that," he whispered, shaking his head as the old man continued to mutter on the table. Don't do this...

"You can just pipe down you little rat..." The clown paid him no mind, fingering the puzzle pieces with his back turned to the boy. "This sort of thing... This kind of puzzle is easy... Easy... Hehehehehe..."

Don't... "Don't... Don't make him angry," he continued, shaking his head as the old man suddenly froze. Something was happening... Something... "Don't anger him..."

"Ahhh..." ...What... The clown continued holding the puzzle, still growing stiff. "Ahhhhhh..." What was he screaming about... "WUAAAAAAHHH! AAAAHHH!" Without warning the old man jumped back from the table, the Millennium Puzzle smashing against the table to break into still more pieces. Why was he... "UAAAAAAAHHH!" Candles toppled to the ground, easily sending the table cloth ablaze as he ran, stumbling to the floor and staring. "Ahhh... F-Fire," he muttered, Yugi's eyes flying open as he watched the flames catch onto the rest of the cloth hangings in the room. "FIREEEEEE!"

No... Yugi stared, strength somehow returning to him as he stepped forward.

Oh no..!

---

"Rouf! ROUF-OUF! ROUF!" Outside of the Black Clown building the sun was just now heading downward on the horizon. It wasn't twilight yet... That wasn't for over an hour, but it was, when added to the shade along the street, still growing dark to say the least.

Though as to what was bugging the dog and any other animal on the street, who knew really. "Hey, calm down," Honda whispered, stroking his dog's neck and head as it continued to bark. Strange how that only happened when they turned the corner... Anyways. "Quiet Blankey, come on! You'll get us in trouble!" The dog continued to growl, tugging at the leash as they looked across the street at the 'Black Clown'. The doors at the moment were 'flapping' on their hinges to say the least, slowly closing over... But something was off... "Man... Am I seeing things," he muttered, shaking his head as he looked at the building, continuing on his walk. "I could have sworn I saw Bakura..."

"Oii, Honda!" The teen turned, blinking as Katsuya and the others moved from the Kame Game behind him. Anzu, Mokuba, Sugoroku...

"Oh... You guys! Wait..." He frowned, looking back at the store across the road as the dog began growling at his friend. "Weren't you all going in there..."

"Grrrrrrrr..."

"H-Heyyy," Katsuya muttered, laughing nervously, "Down boy... Easy there..!"

Mokuba shook his head, ignoring Katsuya as he edged back from the now barking and jumping dog Honda had on his leash. "Nope... The store closed early," he continued, frowning somewhat. "They ran out of their major stock over an hour ago..."

"ROUF! ROU-ROU-ROUF!" AHHHHHH!

"O-OI!" The blond turned to the others, eyes wide as he continued to edge away from the dog. "Do something about your dog!"

"ROUUUF! ROUF!"

Honda merely stared at Mokuba, blinking a few times as he continued the conversation. "Closed," he repeated, before pulling at the leash. Oh, so he had noticed... "Hey! Blankey," he said with a frown, the dog pulling against the leash. "What did I tell you about that?" The dog whined, shaking itself before taking a seat and glaring at Katsuya.

"Hrnnnnn..." Huh. Yea, yea, go and whine, no one cared...

"Man..." Honda shook his head, before looking back at the store and frowning. "Still... You guys sure it's closed," he asked, looking back to the others. "I mean, I just saw Bakura go in there..."

Huh, that was we- ...What... Wait, what? Katsuya frowned, shaking his head and blinking a few times. "Wait... He went into th' store?" That couldn't be right... Right..? "Are you sure Honda," he asked, still frowning. "He said he was goin' home..."

The teen merely shrugged, shaking his head as he wrapped the leash around his wrist to hold his dog back in place. "Well... That's where I saw him..." Oooookay... That didn't sound too good. "Hey, where's Yugi by the way," he asked with a frown, looking over them. "Wasn't he with you guys..?" Not to mention the fact that this was his house...

Sugoroku gave a shrug, the others merely shaking their heads. Quarter after three... He and Mokuba had fifteen minutes before they had to leave. "We haven't seen him for over two hours now," the old man muttered, frowning. Which was not good to say the least.

"We're starting to get worried," Anzu added, biting her lip and looking over at the door. "The guards pulled him aside saying he'd left something behind but... They also said he left already..!"

"Which is complete bullshit," Mokuba added, crossing his arms with a huff as the others raised their eyebrows somewhat. "We were watching that store since we left," he continued with a frown, "And the only people who came out were security guards finishing their shift!

Katsuya bit his lip, looking over the building as it again flashed black. Mostly black he corrected mentally, narrowing his eyes. It wasn't completely dark, just a few shades off... "This ain't good," he muttered, shaking his head as the 'flash' ended. "First Yugi, now Bakura..."

"Hnnnn... Something bad is happening," Sugoroku muttered, shaking his head. He quickly paled, eyes widening for some reason as he turned to the store behind him. "...I need to go make a phone call," he continued hurriedly, rushing into the store. "Get some help..."

Yea, they probably should have done that a while ago..! "'Something bad' doesn't even cover it," Honda muttered, swallowing as they turned toward the crosswalk. The others blinked, frowning at the words. What did he mean by that..? They watched as the teen tied his dog's leash around the store sign post, giving one last pat to the mutt before looking back to the others. "Listen... Something I need to admit," he began somewhat nervously, "But back at the Duelist Kingdom... I saw Bakura holding the Millennium Ring again."

"At... At the Kingdom," Mokuba asked incredulously, swallowing as they stood there. Forget the kingdom, the ring!

"What..." That was a full four months ago! If the ring was on then, what was to say nothing weird was already in the works! Katsuya shook himself, quickly gaining a scowl. "Why the hell didn't you say anything!"

Honda narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he was met with glares while they walked. "Look! I don't know why I didn't say anything, alright? I just... I didn't think I was all there, it was 2 AM, I'd been trying to get Mokuba..." The boy blinked at that, before Honda again shook his head and continued. "All I know is that he showed up from nowhere and busted me out of a dungeon cell before helping me get to you. I... I kept an eye on him," he added somewhat weakly, shaking his head, "But since nothing else happened... Well..."

The others continued to frown, Mokuba shifting awkwardly as they made their way toward the Black Clown. "Well... We can deal with all that later," Katsuya muttered, running down the sidewalk. "For now we need to see what's going on in there!"

"Right," Honda said with a nod, the group charging toward the store with swallows. "Let's go then!"

"You said Bakura just walked in right," Mokuba asked, running ahead to the doors and swallowing as they moved in on themselves. "...Err..."

The others traded nervous glances, slowly walking in and staring. "...Yea," Honda muttered, looking at the pair of motionless bodies on the ground of the store. "Yea that's right..."

"Shit.." Katsuya rushed forward, Mokuba doing the same. Ahhh shit, not this again. "Errr... They're breathin'," he said weakly, the doors swinging shut behind them and leaving them in a semi dark room, "But..."

Mokuba pulled back, coughing awkwardly as he grew pale. "Their eyes are open..." A sure sign of... Soul theft...

Anzu paled, hurriedly digging into her jacket pockets for her cell phone. "I'll call an ambulance," she muttered, flipping the phone open only for Katsuya to jump. "Ah-"

"Don't bother," Honda muttered, shaking his heads as the guards abruptly groaned. "Looks like whatever happened just reversed..."

"Ahhhhghh," one of the guards muttered, "My head..."

"What happened..." The others traded awkward glances, before looking forward as Mokuba gave a shout.

"Hey! Are you guys trying to find Yugi or not?" They blinked, before charging after the boy. "Wherever he is," he continued, "It's probably back here right?"

Yea, probably... As it was, would likely be best to avoid the guards as they slowly regained consciousness... They moved for the door, Honda moving to grab the handle only to jerk back with a sudden shout."ACK!"

"Ack," Anzu repeated with a frown, the others looking back at the door to pale. Something was slowly coming through the cracks... Rising to the ceilings... "...Oh god," she muttered, ignoring the muffled sounds of the two guards behind them.

"Smoke..."

-BRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE- BREEP BREEP BREEP BREEP BREEP BREEP BREE-

And that would be the fire alarm.

Honda swallowed, before again grabbing the door and wincing as he pulled the door open. "Gh... Gah!" Instantly a wash of heat struck them, the smoke pouring out of the room along the ceiling. Smoke. Fire. Down the hall. "Oh FUCK," he shouted, running intp the hall with the others behind them. "Fuck!"

"Gh... Kah... Ah..." Coughing... They skidded to a stop as Bakura and Otogi both made their way down the hall, the albino looking up with wide eyes as he coughed. "H-Hah... All of you..." They stared, watching as the teen looked at them with relief. Smoke was literally pouring from the room they'd come out of, running along the ceilings, the tops of the walls... "...All of you came..." He continued to pull Otogi forward, eyes filled with relief. Yea... Yea they came...

But at the same time, way to prove Honda right at the worst damn moment. "B...Bakura!"

Anzu and Mokuba swallowed, before running forward to grab Otogi from Bakura and help him forward. "We'll take him outside Bakura," the woman said, Bakura nodding and standing up as he was relieved of the weight. "You just get out of here alright," she continued, eyes drifting over where the Millennium ring would be sitting if it was 'there'.

Nothing... Nothing was there, not even a 'lump' where it would show beneath the shirt...

"Y-Yugi..." The group paled, looking as Otogi began to cough in an attempt to speak. "He's still in there... The door won't open," he continued, looking up with weak green eyes. Door... The door wouldn't? Where the hell was he then..? If he was in that room then... "Please," he begged, shaking his head and giving another cough. "Please you have to... Hah.."

Katsuya turned, swallowing as he looked at Otogi with wide eyes. "Where's Yugi," he asked, swallowing. "Where is he!"

Otogi shook his head, giving another cough. Their only answer was a weak look back to where Bakura had just come from... He wouldn't say anything but...

The 'Game' room. The source of the smoke. Damn. "...Bakura," Honda shouted, still staring down the hall, "You go with Mokuba and Anzu." He turned back, looking at the others as he continued before charging down toward the room. "Come on Jonouchi!"

The blond nodded, Mokuba and Bakura both frowning in response as Anzu made off with Otogi. "But Katsuya-nii," the boy protested, "You can barely see through the-"

"Just go," he shouted, pulling his shirt up to his mouth as they ran through. Briefly he turned, giving another shout before disappearing into the smoke with Honda. "Call th' fire department and get outta here!"

The boy nodded furiously, turning to Bakura. "Got it! Come on Bakura," he shouted, looking back at the teen as he made to join Anzu. "...Bakura," he continued, only to watch as the albino as well disappeared through the smoke. "O-OI! B... BAKURA!"

---

"H-Help... Help! Somebody... Please help..!" Otogi's father wailed as he weakly slammed his palms against the side of the wall, Yugi merely grabbing for his puzzle. He had to get it... Gather all the pieces and get out of here...

"Ack!" He winced as the hot metal burnt his palms, pulling back only a moment. Hot... Hot... He had to ignore that though, he told himself, before attempting to pull it. "G... Ghn..!" The boy's eyes widened as he looked over the chain, swallowing as he followed it along the table. No... No no no no why... WHY? "Aaaaaaahhhh..!" That was right, the hammer, the peg... Why did it have to be nailed into the table...! If this went on... The puzzle would end up melting into nothing in the fire's heat... It would never... His other self would never... He tugged fruitlessly at the chain, looking fearfully at the fires around him. They had already spread to the tapestries, the bookshelves... No...

No... "H-Help! HELP ME," the clown at the side continued to wail, screaming as his clothes as well caught fire. Gh... This man... "I don't want to die," he moaned, screaming loudly as the room was filled with smoke. "I don't want to die," he continued with a whine, "Please!"

Damn it... The boy ran over, pulling the man away from the wall. "You're not going to die," he shouted, frowning. "Roll on the ground," he continued, "You'll put the flames out!"

Almost predictably the man did as told, the boy before him jumping back lest he be caught under the clown's weight as he attempted to smother the flames. "Hah... Ahhh... I don't want to die, I don't want to die..." He wasn't... Ahhhh...

Really, this was just... "You're not going to die! Look," Yugi shouted, pulling the man up with difficulty, and frowning. "You're not on fire!"

"Ah...Ah..." The clown stared, swallowing as the boy continued.

"Listen," he said, pointing toward the somewhat flaming door that the smoke was escaping through, "You need to open this door, call someone to put this fire out!"

The clown shook his head, again swallowing. "I can't..." ...What... "I... I can't that door... It won't open, I..."

No... No that wasn't... "What did you just say," he said with a swallow, staring. That couldn't be right, how would they have gotten out if there was no fire..?

"I... It doesn't open," he cried, shaking his head. "I always leave through the other door," the man continued with a moan. "But the other door is blocked by the curtains and the curtains are on fire... And I... I..."

So then... They were... Going to... "YUGI!" The boy turned, looking toward the door as smoke flew through the cracks. That voice... His eyes widened, breath caught in his throat. That voice... "YUGI WHERE ARE YOU!"

"YUGI!" And him too..! "HANG IN THERE!"

"Ha-Hah... J-JONOUCHI-KUN," he called out, looking toward the door with wide eyes. They were here, they were... "HONDA-KUN! Gh-k! Kah! Kh! Hah..." Damn... "OVER HERE!" Smoke...

The room was full of smoke... It was getting hard to breathe... "WE'RE COMIN' FOR YAH YUGI," Jonouchi shouted, voice coming through the side of the wall. "HANG IN THERE! WE'RE COMIN'!"

Guys... They... Yugi turned, stepping away from the door as shouts came closer and thumps began to sound from the other side.

They came...

---

"YUGI!" Katsuya coughed through the smoke, holding his shirt to his nose in a makeshift gas mask. Damn it... Where... "Kuh-... Hah... Hah... YUGIII!"

Honda coughed beside him, narrowing his eyes as they came to the room and looked around. A thick haze sat over everything, creating an almost inpenetrable curtain before them... This fire... It was as though it was being fueled by something other than the building, it had to be! This was a store, there should have been sprinklers, something... "Shit," Honda muttered, arm in front of his face as he shook his head. "I can't see five centimetres past my face, how are we supposed to find the door?"

"This way!" The two turned, watching as Bakura ran past and turned to them. "The door that they're behind... It's hidden in the wall, I didn't think you'd find it in time otherwise..."

They stared, Honda swallowing a few times. "I told you to stay behind and help Anzu," he said lowly, the albino frowning in response. Obviously while one was aware of the ring... The other was well aware of the suspicion surrounding it...

Though he had to say, it was rare to see Bakura's confidence shine like this, he had to give him credit for that.(It... Was their Bakura right..? ) Either way, the response Honda recieved wasn't a bloodthirsty, shark's glare but more... A stern and stone cold one. "...And I thought it would be better for me to help," Bakura stated, turning back and squinting through the smoke. "Yugi is my friend too- I'm not just someone who sits on the side after all! Now... Over here," he shouted, pointing toward a section of the wall that seemed to be spewing flames. "That's where they went through!"

Honda continued to frown, only for Katsuya to elbow him and charge forward. 'Later', he 'said', moving forward. Bakura, or at least the 'good' one was their friend. And now was sure as hell not the time. "YUGI," he shouted loudly, coming to the door and running his hands along the side as he shouted. How the hell would they get in... "YUGI! WE'RE COMIN' FOR YAH," he called through the door, a muffled answer coming from the other side.

"YUGI," Honda added, throwing in his own shout. "HANG IN THERE!"

"J-Jonouchi-kun! ...Honda-kun!" The three boys nodded, Katsuya cracking his knuckles as Honda looked back at Bakura.

"Alright... How do we open this door," he asked, coughing somewhat in the smoke.

Bakura shook his head, biting his lip. "There was a mask... Something... I don't-" He swallowed, shaking his head. "It's a trap door, but I was so caught off guard that I honestly missed how it worked, I'm sorry..!"

Damn it... "YUGI HANG IN THERE," Katsuya called, gritting his teeth. "HANG IN THERE ALRIGH'?" Honda and Bakura turned as the blond shouted, taking a few more steps from the door and turning to the others. "If there ain't a door knob, we make one got it?" He sent them a severe look, jerking his head toward the door. "C'mon!" The two quickly nodded, standing beside the blond as he looked back at the door. "JUS' GET OUTTA TH' WAY 'F TH' DOOR YUGI," Katsuya called, holding back a cough in the smoke. Time to do this the old fashioned way... "YOU'LL BE OUTTA THERE SOON!"

Now then... Three... Two... One...

-SLAM!- The three boys charged into the door frame, a loud and almost sickening crack coming through the air as wood splintered. Gh... Damn it... "NOTHING," Honda shouted, stepping back from the door.

"AGAIN," Katsuya shouted, the three stepping back to ram into the door once more. "HRAAAAAAAAH!" Go!

-SLAM!- ...Nothing. Again! -SLAM!- ... -SLA-

-CRACK-

The door snapped off to the side with silent and mental shouts of relief from the three, the boys hurriedly running in as Yugi came forward with wide eyes and a look of relief. "J-Jonouchi-kun," he shouted, helping an old, mumbling man up from the side. Wait, who the he- Was that the clown1? "Honda-kun, Bakura-kun... You're all..."

The albino came forward, smiling. "Later," he said with a nod, holding his arms out in aid. "Later... First we need to get out of here!"

Yugi hurriedly nodded in response, helping the old man over to Bakura as Honda came over. "You need to get him out of here," he said slowly, looking at the man's somewhat charred clothes with worry. "He was on fire earlier... Kg! Kah..." Damn... This smoke was...

"Got it," Honda said clearly, both himself and Bakura hauling the old man on their shoulders. "Yugi," he continued with a nod, "This fire's getting out of hand, let's go!"

Katsuya turned to the boy, frowning as Yugi stood there. He wasn't moving... ...Wait, where was... "...Yugi," he shouted, watching the boy turn back to the table in the middle in silence. The roar of flames and burning wood was almost drowning... But he was just standing there, right in the thick of it, not even flinching... "...Yugi, what are you doing?"

A thundering crack came through the air as the bookcases on the side crumbled to the ground, Honda turning with wide eyes. "Yugi, we need to get out of here," he shouted, "We can't stay any longer!"

The boy continued to stand, shaking his head. "I... I can't leave the puzzle here," he shouted, turning back to them with tearing eyes. "I can't!"

The puzzle..? Katsuya looked over at the table, staring at where the puzzle sat in pieces. "Shit..." It was one thing if it was intact but... What the hell happened here? "Honda," he said, turning to the teen. "You an' Bakura get that old man outta here alright?"

The two frowned, staring. "But what about-?"

"Just get outta here! GO!" They nodded, hauling the old man out of the room as Honda turned back.

"You... You better fucking survive this, both of you," he shouted, eyes wide as the blond nodded. "Got it?"

Katsuya nodded as the three vanished through the smoke, a steady frown in place as he turned back to Yugi. Of course... Of course they would, of course... "...Yugi... We gotta gather these pieces," he said clearly, "Carry them out..." He rushed over, hissing as he attempted to grab the chain while Yugi winced and grabbed a number of pieces. "Ach..! ...What th' hell..." The blond's eyes widened, Katsuya looking over the chain and watching as it led to the edge of the table. What..! "Yugi, this... It's pinned to th' table," he shouted, "We can't do this!"

The boy shook his head, sweat dripping off both of the two in layers as the flames ate away the walls around them. "No... No," he repeated, swallowing, "I'll just have to reassemble it here, I'm not leaving!"

No... No fucking way, no... "No... No no... You MORON! We can't stay in here," he shouted, gesturing to the flames around them. Eight years... He said it took him eight damn years to do this the last time, if he was going to put it together now..! "If we don't get out of here now, we'll burn to death! We can't-"

"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM, JONOUCHI-KUN!" The blond tensed, freezing as his friend turned on him with tear filled and desperate eyes. A-Ahh... Ah... "I'm not leaving the other me! Not even considering it! If I leave here now," he choked, rasping for breath in the smoke filled room as his friend stared, "If I leave here, the puzzle won't even be recoverable... It'll never be there... It'll be gone... He'll be gone..." Y-Yugi... And the other Yugi too... Damn it... "I'm begging you Jonouchi-kun... I'm begging you please... Please just let me put it back together..." He... He... "So I can at least see him one last time... Just one last time..."

One last time... But at this rate... The blond's expression shifted to that of rage, the teen pulling his friend close by the shirt. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN LAST? YUGI," he shouted, tears now welling up in his own eyes as his friend gave no response. "If you die... Everything is over! Everything! You moron," he continued, shaking his head as he let the boy down. "You can't... How can you solve it so quickly, we only have so long... Don't..." This fire was already getting out of hand as it was..! "Don't do this..."

"I can't..." The boy shook his head, fingers working with the puzzle now that he was released, despite the already angry red burns the metal was scaring him with. Damn it... Why... Why... "I can't..." Why...?

...He knew why.

...No... No he couldn't leave him... He guessed in the end he couldn't either. "...Alright," he said quietly, bowing his head in defeat as the sound of falling wood came from around them. "...Alrigh' Yugi, you win... But I ain't leavin'," he continued, the boy pausing momentarily to look at him with wide eyes. "An' if you even think about arguin'," he added with a weak smirk, shaking his head. "Well..." Eh... Not the time for threats... "Jus' don', alrigh'..?"

Yugi stared, swallowing before nodding and turning back to his puzzle to work. "Alright, Jonouchi-kun..." Alright...

Here's to life or death then... And silence. Fires were literally eating at the table that the puzzle was nailed to, and still Yugi pressed on, nothing but the sound of crackling flames and slowly burning wood surrounding them. That, and his footsteps as he attempted to find a clear path further into the room. He needed to find something... Something to get that damn peg out of the table... But all around them were nothing but flames, so all he could to was stand there. Not a pole, not a rod... Nothing. ...But he wouldn't leave... Like hell he would leave! Yugi wouldn't die here... He'd make sure of it. Even if he needed to knock him out cold he'd get him out... Even if he never looked at him the same again...

The blond swallowed, eyes narrowed in worry as Yugi continued to work in front of him. Click... Click... Click... Piece by piece it was being put together, half of the puzzle already in place. But damn it... Even if the puzzle was finished, he'd have to leave that guy here... The 'other' Yugi... Katsuya bit his lip, flames continuing to eat away the building around them. And with a bond like theirs... That kind of bond, that unbreakable connection...

What the hell was he supposed to do damn it? What... What did he do..?

Click... Click... Click... A portion of the roof collapsed to the ground, Katsuya coming close behind the the boy. No time... They needed to leave... Three pieces left... Two... Another portion fell, the blond's eyes wide as he looked at the wall of flames before the table. Damn it! No time! No time! "Hah... Y-Yugi," the blond said with a shout, turning back to the boy. The last piece was in there... Now or never! "Yugi come on," he shouted, grabbing his friend's shoulder while the boy slumped, "We need to get outta here, we-" He shook the boy's body, shaking his head as he looked at the unconscious form of his friend. Oh hell... The smoke, the heat, the stress... He didn't think something else would end up knocking him out damn it! No... No... The puzzle was done, but they needed to leave... He grabbed him around the waist, pulling Yugi's free arm over his shoulder. "Come on," he muttered, pulling hard. "Come on, come on, come on!" They couldn't stay, they couldn't...

The sound of the chain clacking against the pin sounded through the air, Katsuya shouting with aggravation as he put the boy down and moved to the chain. "DAMN IT!" This chain... This damn chain... He slumped to his knees, pulling at Yugi's hands and the chain both in an attempt to free one or the other. "Let go... Let go Yugi, let go... We're going to die damn it..." How could he be holding so tightly when he wasn't conscious? How... How! "Let go... LET GO! Gh... Damn it... ...Damn it..." He swallowed, eyes wet with tears despite the flames around them. Leaving one friend was another... And hard enough as it was... But two? Both of them..? "What do I do," he finally whispered, shaking his head as it slumped against the burning table. "What do I do..?"

A wind passed behind the blond, and slowly he looked up. That wind... The energy that filled the room... The blond's eyes widened as he looked at the side of his friend, hands dropping the chain. He.. The 'other' Yugi, he was looking at him, from behind the 'original'... Almost desperate if he could call it that, or even angry... Eyes narrowed with some sort of emotion he couldn't identify, something that the spirit himself was likely having troubles with. That look... ...It hurt... The blond shook his head, first only slightly, and then completely as the 'Other' Yugi stared in silence. "Don't look at me like that," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "Damn it Yugi, don't look at me like that..." Please... Please don't...

The spirit's eyes widened, the 'other Yugi' staring in shock as the flames raged. ...Wait... He heard... "Jonouchi..." He'd heard... "How can you..." HE heard... The two stared, before the spirit turned to look at the 'disk' like board on the ground. Now was not the time... But what it was time for was... "...Jonouchi," he said plainly, turning back to the blond and then looking back at the disk.

The table... No, the 'board'... Katsuya pulled himself up, eyes growing wide as he followed the spirit's gaze. "...No way..." He climbed onto the table, ignoring the flaming cloth as he picked up the large stone disk. It wasn't attacked... It wasn't... He looked back at 'Yugi' for a moment, steeling himself as he looked back at the peg. Clawed fingers spread out on the hand... And a looped peg... This would work... This would work! The claw was fixed into the hole with a grunt, the blond swallowing. "I told you," he muttered under his breath, looking back at the boy as the spirit of the puzzle vanished from sight. "We ain't dying here..." He jumped on the end of the disc, gritting his teeth as a loud crack came through the air. "WE CAN'T DIE HERE!"

The peg flew from the chain, table collapsing underneath the force of the jump while the stone disk itself crumbled into dust. This was all it took... And now they were getting the hell out of here! The blond grabbed Yugi from the ground, the puzzle still gripped tightly in the boy's hands. Still holding on... He was still holding on... The room collapsed behind him as he ran, holding his friend close and ducking beneath the flames and smoke. "Hang in there Yugi," he muttered quietly, watching as wood fell behind and before them, ducking under and jumping over the collapsing building around them. "Hang in there... Hang in there...

The door... "Yugi," Katsuya muttered, the front door in sight as he stumbled and walked past the still collapsing beams and furniture. There, there it was... "...Thank-you..."

'No,' the faint voice whispered, the outside of the building coming into sight as wood collapsed behind them. 'Thank you...'

Fire was roaring around them as he coughed, but suddenly cool air met his face as the blond stepped out. Alive... The fires were eating at everything behind him, the path he'd taken was completely demolished and they were...

"JONOUCHI," Honda shouted, rushing forward with Bakura and a few others behind him. Hah... Katsuya walked forward, coughing somewhat as he held onto his friend. "YUGI!"

Anzu, Sugoroku, Mokuba, hell even the dog... People from all over the road filled the streets as the group worriedly asked how they were, sounds barely making it through his ears. Paramedics were coming over... Sounds began to clear as the blond shook himself, looking down at Mokuba as the boy looked up. "Katsuya-nii," Mokuba said with wide eyes, looking at the two ash-covered teens before him. "Katsuya-nii, is he... Is he..."

He was alive... It would be alright... "Heh... Guys," he muttered, the others staring as he gave a sad smile. "Look... He didn' let go," he continued, the others frowning somewhat. "Even in there, he put it all t'gether an' he didn' let go... He... He's alive... ...An' th' other Yugi..." The firelight glowed against the completed puzzle, the others silent. "Through all tha' fire... Their bond... It's..." His vision was swimming... Maybe he shouldn't talk...

Paramedics swarmed the two even as he continued speaking, a pair taking the boy away on a stretcher as Sugoroku followed after. "Come this way," one was saying, the blond watching as his friend was hurriedly strapped to a board and loaded into the flashing van, "We need to treat your burns..."

"Gh-" He shook his head, watching the ambulance doors shut for the vehicle to drive off, a number of fire-fighters taking its place. "I'm fine," he muttered, "Go look after Yugi..." More doctors was never a bad thing right?

Wait, paramedic's were 'on site' only... "Sir, we have your friend in an ambulance already, now please come with us-"

Well either way, he was fine! "An' I said I'm-"

"Katsuya-nii, GET IN THE AMBULANCE!" The blond turned as Mokuba scowled, before slowly nodding. "Now!"

H-Hihhh! Shit, worse than when they first met..! "Alrigh', alrigh'," he said with a cough, shaking his head and turning around to follow the paramedic. Damn it, he hated hospitals, he wasn't even that burnt... (Though he did hurt now that he thought about it.) "I'm goi-" The blond froze, staring upward as he looked over the burning building before them. That flash he saw earlier... The clown statue going up in flames with a haunted and almost demonic smile... The building collapsing in on itself, becoming nothing but ash... The dark, smoke filled sky before it, which gave the illusion of nightfall...

"Sir..." The paramedic turned, tapping the blond's shoulder. "Sir are you alright..?"

He'd seen all this before...

The others stared, also coming over with worried expressions. "Katsuya-nii..?"

"Jonouchi," Anzu asked somewhat hesitantly, the others as well putting in their two cents.

"Hey," Honda muttered, frowning. "You alright man..?"

"Er... Jonouchi-kun..?"

"...Yea," Katsuya said quietly, following off to the ambulance as his friends shrugged behind him. "...'M fine..." Just... Fine...

Something was wrong... Something was definitely wrong, but as weird as it was, he couldn't be bothered with thinking about it too hard as he was pulled off to be taken to the hospital. Because the fact was, they were all alive...

All of them...

And that was all that mattered in the end, right..?

---

AN: Whoo! You got a long one today! Not a bad ending to the D-D-D arc nah? Fires and clowns... Fires and clowns, yikes...

The 'mysteries' of Jonouchi's ability continue to increase don't they? I can tell you this, they will at least be partially made sense of by the time we hit Battle City's 'true start'. I say true because there are breather chapters separating the chapter Ishizu first appears in from the Battle City, as it made no sense to me that Kaiba could have an entire tournament complete with air-ship built within a few weeks for that purpose.

Kaiba's awesome guys, but there are limits.

In any case, you'll all either hate me or... Or something by the end of this, that's for sure. Next chapter could count as a breather in a way, despite us getting Ishizu in it actually; though depending on how I set it up, I might end up with her coming in on the chapter after the next, it all depends...

Either way. Egypt. YEAAAAAA.

Poll Results are NOT OVER WITH. THE POLL IS ON UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER.

Just thought you should know that. In any case, GET YOUR VOTES IN, this is your last chance! Remember, you can vote 'anonymously', using the 'anonymous review' option.

As of now, the results deciding on whether or not Seto's past incarnation crossdresses or not are as follows:

Female Crossdressing Set - 13 (Three Anonymous)

Obviously Female Priestess Set - 9 (Three Anonymous)

Keeping in mind the only difference between the two is that one is wearing binding...

Well!

Anonymous Review Responses

Hey Iona! I know eh? 'Defeat means friendship' indeed…

Though what the hell does that mean for Kaiba…

And ooh god yes, his father… Ahhhhh… I have to say, the manga always made so much more sense to me concerning Otogi; his reasoning for fighting Yugi seemed so petty in the anime, really… At least we know he gets better though!

…That old man is going in a home damn it.

I might actually make a doodle comic about that now… Just so I can make that turn into a blood bath of ridiculous proportions. Hehehe…

MOKUBA~~ Lunch is about an hour long, as with most places really… I'm not actually sure if Mokuba would technically be allowed to leave the school building during that time, but I'm going to risk it… If not for the fact that it is literally about two minutes away, and he is just going into another school building.

Ahhhh… Jonouchi and Mokuba… They are close, and like you said, it is to be expected… Though you can bet that a few kilometres away, Kaiba was sitting in her chair with a feeling of 'THAT MUTT!' running up her spine for reasons beyond her.

MUTT SENSES. EVERYONE NEEDS THEM.

Ooooh yea, creepy old man… I actually wonder if the age affected his mind; maybe he's senile? I don't know… Still, his vengeance drive probably rivals that of Death-T Kaiba's, the differences being that one had the funding and the other didn't. HIHHHHH!

Strange visions for the win! Maybe he will, maybe he won't… Oddly enough, he'll probably get used to it in the end until we get a duel involving the oh-so-famous Fluffy's occult deck.

Then he'll probably be puking over the side of the airship, hahaha…

Much more embarrassing. And oooooh, that'll be interesting during the pool chapter I'm gonna have…

And crazikido2!When you get here (Seeing how this review is from chapter four), first off, welcome to the fanfic! Second off, glad you like it so much! Though I hope they don't look at you like that too long...

Well, to the next chapter!

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Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that's waiting for the snowplows! ...Seriously, this storm... TERRIBLE! (And yes, there are very few notes for you today. Funny how that works with the longest chapter in the arc.)

---

'Red Skies At Night' is obviously a terrible play on the final half of that sailor's rhyme that inspired the 'Red Skies At Morning' title way back in the Legendary Heroes arc, but it means the exact opposite of the rhyme while holding true to the meaning. A red sky at night meant that the clouds were moving away from the boat see, so the storms had already passed. However, the 'red sky' in this case refers to all the fire...

At the same time, we end this chapter out of the fires, so in the end, 'red skies at night' are still heralding good news.

And on another note, did you know that there really is a 'Black Saturday' in history? It's used to refer to the day that a terribly tragic bushfire in Victoria, Australia broke out.

Learn something new everyday...

---

Interesting fact; a lot of the later monsters we see here show up as cards in Otogi's deck during the Noa arc. Huhhhh... Interesting how that worked out… (Particularly since not all of them were Otogi's. Hell… One of Otogi's key monsters in the Noa arc was Yugi's during the D-D-D arc!) Even more interesting... But look at Duker Twin Swords and the Little Magician. Do they look familiar?

They should. They're the Silent Magician and the Silent Swordsman from Yugi's Millennium World deck! (Or at least the early depiction of them.)

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Speaking of interesting, when Otogi gestures to his next black die, it's the only die in the line up. In fact, there's empty space behind it in the 'line up'… Does that mean he has no more dice..?

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Fun fact; besides paranoia and such, it's likely that the game would have gone as it did in the manga even if Otogi's dad didn't appear. The only difference would likely be that Yugi would obviously be much more sound of mind, Bakura wouldn't show up, and the game would finish quicker... But Yugi's Black Ninja still would have died!

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HEHHHHH? Otogi's dad says it was twenty years since he lost that game against Sugoroku! But… Who the hell got together with him and had a son in the few years after that fact then? I'm so confused now…

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Now, when Otogi mentions that he can't summon any more dice monsters, he says he has three in his hand. But since he summoned the last die he had, he should only have two… HNNNNN… In the end, it apparently doesn't matter; so long as he has the crests handy in his crest pool, he can just attack and not roll. ... I had him roll anyways.

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When Bakura says 'horribly', he isn't lying; in Pegasus' flashback, we see that when someone attempted to give some random thief off the streets the Millennium ring, it instantly engulfed the guy in flames. OUUUUUUCH.

Needless to say, this scares the ever loving crap out of Pegasus, so when he's caught and forced to become the new owner of the Millennium Eye... Well, getting his eye gouged out was the least of his fears. (Pity he was the 'one person' who could take the eye...)

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Speaking of Bakura, before he enters the building, he's standing outside with his ring as it glows and does it's compass thing… He says 'It looks like I have to do the King's dirty work… Again.'

WHAT. WH… When did you do anything for the pharaoh before that point Bakura? WHEN. TELL ME.

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Yugi's last monster... 'Puzz'. Like the 'puzzle'. Hehehe. Heh. AUUUGGGGHH THESE PUNS... They hurt so much...

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Now, Yugi 'won' right after defeating Orgoth. But that's because Otogi 'decked out' by the standards of the game. He couldn't summon any monsters, which meant he had nothing to attack Yugi's dungeon master with... So yea.

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Ooooohh Bakura… Pretending to be 'friends' is going to screw you over in either the second breather chapter we see after this, or in a doodle comic...

By the way, that piece of puzzle that 'fell'? Bakura kept it to put a tiny bit of his soul inside before giving it back. YAAAAAAAY, unwanted soul-room guests!

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Originally, this 'wheel' thing was from Egypt. BUT EVERYTHING IS FROM EGYPT. Holy shit! AGH. Pick another country!

So, as a bit of spoilers for what kind of intensity you'll be getting a long ways from now in the Doma arc, I had fun with it. Hehehe.

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By the way, for those curious, Otogi's dad found himself entrapped in a giant maze the more he tried to work the puzzle. Otogi in the meantime, simply couldn't put the puzzle together. Looks like his soul is stronger than it seems eh?

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Yugi's store/house is on a corner; so the crosswalk is literally right there really.

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Smoke goes up guys. It's why you're supposed to keep your head down when you deal with all this.

Also the shirt thing helps. Not much in that kind of smoke. But it helps.

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In the manga, Jonouchi says 'Otogi, get your Tou-san out!' (Get your dad out basically.) (Otogi was still there in the manga. Bakura… Randomly not there, hnnn... ) …But how did he know it was the guy's dad..? Ahhhh...

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Also a manga point, Jonouchi waits outside the room Yugi is in. OUTSIDE? Jonouchi whyyyyyyy..? Maybe it was because Yugi asked everyone to leave him alone..?

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Weirdest thing, but in the fire, Yami Yugi shows up 'on the side' (Black background. Probably just inside Jonouchi's head.) saying 'Jonouchi'… After which the blond suddenly gets the idea to make a lever from the disk. Hnnn...

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Now sunset isn't until six PM in April in Japan... So obviously, the darkness isn't quite from the lack of the sun. More the shadows of numerous buildings plus clouds plus dusk. Twilight however, begins at 4:30... So yaaaaay~

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FanArt and My Art Section

Take out the spaces, paste the link! Ta-daaaaa~

Only two today, but nothing to sneeze at given most of the time was spent on the chapter above…

First off, Merry Christmas, Happy New Years and Happy Holidays to all of those reading the fanfic! I'm surprised it's gone this long, and trust me, it'll just keep going!

And as a Christmas Present for all of you… It might just be a sketch (My photoshop trial ran out, and I don't really like inking sketches in GIMP), but hey, it's a lot less 'sketchy' than I tend to get.

Happy Holidays! - http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ HappyHolidays. jpg - Yes, she's wearing a gown. No, this picture doesn't actually happen. It's just me making up for the lack of fanservice! Whooo! (If you look carefully, you'll spot a certain un-invited trio.

Now have a Lady Knight Critias you crazies.

The Lady Knight - http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO %20Fanfic %20- %20Skin/ TheKnight. jpg - What, you thought the three knights wouldn't get the same reincarnation treatment? They do have an uncanny resemblance to their 'owners' as the knights after all… Ironically enough, the dragon Critias is the only bipedal one, and therefore the only one that looks like it has massive hips. YAAAAAAY wait, hold on. In any case, you can take this as a small sampler, in addition to obvious little snippets above, that will hint at a massive re-tool of the Doma Arc. Though it's more me filling in holes than making them…

AND NOW... You wait for the next chapter. This is going to be the last update you get before the holidays are over, and as it is, I'll be going a lot slower after. Most of my updates came from Job Hunting going slow thanks to the snow. After the holidays though... Well, the snow's obviously been plowed off now, and the squall is over...

You might get another update, but don't count on it until after New Years. (Sorry~)

Happy Holidays everyone! And Merry Christmas!