Where Katsuya Waits

Steady rumbling filled the air around them as the helicopter traveled above Domino district, the sound only barely filling in the otherwise silent time. After the duel above the skylight, sirens had begun to fill the air, ambulances rushing toward the building they'd left; they would only be transporting a corpse however, if the corpse was left behind. The storm above had since cleared thankfully. Mokuba mentioned, just briefly, that they'd had some problems with the wind, but other than that all he mentioned doing was calling in ambulances for the guards and Matsuda, the three having apparently been left where they were attacked. So far, all three were still out cold... As to the reasons, the doctors had yet to say.

There was little that could be said for the situation other than that really. The only words that entered the air after leaving from the northern areas of the district came from the helicopter pilot as he announced their coming arrival, the man yet another of the few in Seto's employment who was 'fully trusted'. Which was fairly interesting to find, given his fairly 'radical' appearance. Apparently he was... Russian? (Even she had to wonder how that explained anything, but really, compared to the rest of her 'house staff'... Tattooed pilots were within reasonable limits.)

Nonetheless, the pilot's announcement was answered almost immediately with a look out the window from Yugi, a nervous fidgeting motion from Mokuba as he looked to the side, and a steady, silent stare toward the ground from Seto as the woman bit her lip. "...Nee-sama," Mokuba said after a few more moments of silence, looking back from the door with hesitancy. "Do you think... Do you think they're okay," he asked, the others turning from the side with either worried or blank expressions in place. "I only saw Anzu," he admitted, turning away as the others continued to stare or listen in silence. "And she didn't know what happened to Katsuya-nii," the boy continued with a swallow, "So do you think..."

The two bit their lips with the question, Seto merely turning her gaze to the ground again before looking at her rival. To answer that question when a gnawing feeling of dread was still hanging over them and growing would be impossible without lying really; the fact was, if Jonouchi was in perfect health, she'd be surprised... Much as the thought brought a feeling of cold loathing. "Yugi," she 'asked', dropping the hoarse 'cover' for the third time that day as she steered the topic in another direction, "The leader of the ghouls, 'Malik'... As far as I'm concerned," she said with a somewhat justifying tone, "He's just another enemy..." Someone to defeat- possibly kill, not that Mokuba needed to hear that. "How much do you know about him," she pressed with a frown, the boy beside her frowning almost confusedly in response. "Besides the fact that he has Ra," she added, narrowing her eyes somewhat.

Yugi turned his gaze away for a moment as his eyes closed slightly. For a moment, it seemed he wouldn't speak. In the end however he leaned back on his seat and stared at the wall across from him, taking a deep breath as he answered the woman. "...I've never seen him," he admitted somewhat quietly, the topic both distasteful and depressing all at once. "He only speaks through his 'Ghouls'. All I know is that in addition to 'Ra'," the teen continued with a swallow, "He has a Millennium Item, similar to mine."

Millennium Items- Again? Really? "An item..." And Pegasus wasn't enough to deal with? Hell, even Ishizu's passive-aggressive fortune telling was bearable, but there was more? "Tch... Just what we 'need'... More bullshit," she growled, arms crossed.

There was a short span of silence with the comment, the others shifting somewhat awkwardly before a cough came from the younger of the group. "Is... Is this going to be like when we first met Bakura," Mokuba said worriedly, his sister momentarily paling at the reminder of her brother's tale. "Could it be that Anzu and Katsuya-nii were..." Were rendered just as comatose as the guards? A good question, though as their 'friend' responded it became clear that he'd interpreted the question differently, the apparently older of the three shaking his head hurriedly as he frowned.

"No," he said rather quickly. "As far as I can tell there's no hidden spirit locked inside that item... Instead," Yugi continued with a swallow, "The Millennium Rod holds a strong, dark power... More so than the puzzle, the ring... Possibly even the Eye," he muttered darkly, growing somewhat pale as he thought to the object. Yes, the eye... While she could really care less about what happened to that thing, just where did it go after the man died..? "In any case... Malik can control a person from any distance using the Rod's power, seeing, hearing and even speaking through them. From what I can gather at least," he added, narrowing his eyes. "There could be more to it than what we know... So far however, it's 'brainwashing' from any way you look at it."

Brainwashing eh... So the 'Millennium Item of hypnosis' pretty much. Hn! "I find that a little hard to believe," Seto muttered, a frown on her face. She turned somewhat to her rival, the frown deepening somewhat with confusion. "Hypnosis as a whole can't convince someone to do something against their inner morals; you could shout all you want for a hypnotized victim to kill someone else, but if they don't want to, they won't do it. And even if such a power even exists," she continued with a slight scoff, "What would you want to bet that this set up is a fight- I've heard the 'Mutt' comment about wanting to duel you after all... He would probably easily be convinced of at least that," the woman muttered, looking away in thought as she rolled the 'idea' around her mind.

Mokuba frowned at that, tilting his head in confusion before voicing his protests. "But nee-sama, why would the Ghouls kidnap me and the others just for that," he asked with a frown, Yugi merely looking away with a somewhat conflicted expression in place. "If it was just to have a duel they were going to have anyways..."

"No... There's more," Yugi muttered under his breath, the others again turning to him with frowns. "There has to be... Malik's intentions aren't just to gather the God cards after all..." They... Weren't? There was a slight pause, Yugi's face twisting with discomfort as he continued. "He's said it quite clearly that he wants me dead," he said bluntly, Mokuba gulping from the side as the helicopter fell silent.

Hnn... This was a problem... Besides the amazing habit of everything centering on Yugi, this put an entirely new light on things. If Malik wanted Yugi dead, he'd made it clear that he was capable of that already. The leader of the ghoul's was playing, toying with them like a cat with its prey. Giving them 'fair chances' with drastic consequences. Which meant that if any of this was real, any of it... "If this power exists," the woman whispered, lowering her voice to keep her brother from hearing as she leaned toward her rival with narrowed eyes, "And you are, against all logical meaning, right... What do you want to bet that this fight is going to be a lot more than just a 'duel between friends'?" Yugi grit his teeth in response to the question, flushing as he averted his gaze from his rival.

"Kaiba... No matter what happens," Yugi hissed almost angrily, "I will do whatever it takes to get him back." The teen held a steady glare, Mokuba looking at the two oddly from his seat as they continued the hushed conversation.

He'd avoided the 'answer' again... Tch. Seto's frown deepened, eyes narrowing to slits as she shook her head. "You can say that now," she growled lowly, "But can't you even answer a simple question?" Her rival tensed at the accusation, listening nonetheless as his rival continued. "You've been going on and on about your Power of Unity," the woman muttered under her breath, "But you're completely lost without that 'power' aren't you Yugi? If you have to fight one of the people you care about, you'll just freeze completely won't you?" Yugi's eyes widened at the continued statements, watching as his rival moved to sit back against her seat with a slightly eased scowl. "I suppose I'll be getting my answer soon enough, won't I," she said plainly, turning her gaze to the helicopter window, eyes appearing almost distant with the words. "When I see whether or not your 'power of unity' is strong enough to surpass this so-called power that Malik has..."

When she found out how strong the mutt really was, she found herself thinking, before a shout pulled her attention back to reality. "Ah!" The two teens turned as Mokuba pressed his hands against the window, the boy staring at the pier below as the helicopter made to touch down a short distance away from the docks. "There," he shouted with a grin, laughing. "I can see them... They're alright!"

They were- "They're alright..!" Yugi as well looked out of the window at those words, both boys oblivious to the frown on Seto's face. Alright... This was definitely a trap but... Alright? If they'd been kidnapped or stored in a warehouse like Mokuba had said there was no way they would be 'alright'! At the very least Anzu would be fretting about whatever they'd escaped.

"I'll be in here if you need me," the pilot muttered with slightly accented Japanese as the helicopter began to land, doors opening as it touched down for Yugi to run out. The device had barely powered down as the teen charged forward, panic and relief both on his face as he charged toward where his friends stood in the distance.

"J-Jonouchi," the teen shouted, eyes wide as the others stepped out to follow. They weren't moving... A cold pit began to form in Seto's stomach as her brother charged after Yugi, swallowing as her rival continued. "Anzu, Jonouchi!" They weren't answering... "Are you alright," Yugi asked, the boy's friends merely standing with shadowed eyes as the others moved close. It seemed only now to hit the older of the group, the teen paling and coming to a stop as a cold wind blew past. "J... Jonouchi," he whispered, eyes wide and questioning as he was briefly answered with silence.

Low chuckling filled the air, Seto's eyes narrowing as Mokuba as well slowed to a walk with wide eyes. "K-Katsuya-nii," he shouted, swallowing a wave of unease as he watched something red drip from the teen's right arm. There was a tear in the jacket, the jacket her brother had bought the blond, a tear that was stained with near-black shades of red as the fabric absorbed bits of blood from the wound beneath. "Katsuya-nii, you're bleeding..." Yes... It was slow thankfully, only a slight 'drip' from the middle finger due to gravity's always constant effects, but the fact remained.

He was bleeding and he didn't care at all. "Hnhnhnhnhn..." This wasn't right... "Yugi," the blond called out with an eerie tone, holding his voice at a far more dangerous level than normal. His hands were moved to an open and 'friendly' gesture as he grinned, eyes appearing blank as he continued to chuckle. "I've been waiting for you..." Something was wrong, Seto repeated in her mind as she stood between her brother and the helicopter. Something was horribly, horribly wrong with that voice... It wasn't the carefree laughing one that had her pulling her hair out without fail, nor was it the oddly 'wise' and 'brotherly' one Mokuba was familiar with, a tone that she herself had occasionally heard in moments when the mutt was completely serious about what he said. It wasn't even the stupid, 'confident' drawl he had when she walked in on him during security shifts, or when he was trying to prove himself beyond what were his limits. It was just wrong. Chilling.

Murderous even... The voice of a killer, of someone who wasn't just about to kill but one who had killed, and quite willingly so. This... Was not Jonouchi's voice. "...Katsuya-nii," Mokuba shouted worriedly, the blond paying him no mind as his 'employer' swallowed in unease. "Katsuya-nii," he asked again, "What are you doing..?"

"...Malik's got him," Yugi 'answered' with a growl, before narrowing his eyes and swallowing. "He's got them both," he whispered, glancing at the woman that stood motionlessly behind his friend. Beside them a horn was shouting from a docked ship, the three glancing at the boat before looking back to the blond. "...Jonouchi... Wake up," Yugi shouted, wind blowing past them in the resounding silence as the teen cried. "Do you remember that sound," he asked somewhat desperately, "It's the same sound we heard when we were looking for the boat that would take us to Pegasus' island!"

The boy beside him nodded somewhat nervously, catching on to what his friend was trying to do. "Katsuya-nii," Mokuba continued with a shout, "You went there to get me back remember? You went there because Pegasus kidnapped me! You had made a promise to Seto-niisama," he reminded the blond, "To bring me back, no matter what..! You were even shot, that's where the scar on your head came from!"

For a moment, Jonouchi appeared to tilt his head, as though running the phrases through his head. There was a part of her that wished this was all some elaborate joke really. That in just a moment the dog would break into a proper, honest grin, so that she could throttle him for being the idiot he was. But if she had even begun to think that Jonouchi had been joking, his next words would have snapped her out of it, the single statement sending a shiver down all three of their spines. "Those words mean nothing to me," the teen muttered, hands digging into his pockets as he looked down at the boy. The stare he gave was cold and dead, and after Mokuba forced himself to turn away from unease the blond looked back to his 'best friend' with a half-hearted sigh. "I'm just interested in fighting you," he stated plainly as he looked to his friend, "In a duel of life or death... Right here and now."

"No..." Yugi shook his head, repeating the phrase multiple times as he grew white. "No," he whispered, Mokuba as well going pale as he stepped back from the three in front of him. "No that's not true! Jonouchi... Don't let him control you," the teen begged, stepping just slightly closer as the slow wind continued to pass. "You're not thinking straight! Please!"

More chuckling filled the air in response, Mokuba looking back to his sister with almost pleading eyes as Jonouchi spoke. "Thinking straight," the blond said with a snort, shaking his head as the woman before him growled under her breath. "Oh trust me... I've never felt better," he said with a sneer. "It's been a long time since I could think like this... Since I could think this clearly," Jonouchi 'clarified', a sadistic grin coming over him as he went on. "I can't even begin to list the ways I could kill you right now..."

As her brother stared at the blond in shock Seto clenched her teeth, storming forward to pull the boy behind her and out of Jonouchi's line of sight. "Jonouchi," Yugi was shouting, shaking his head as the woman behind him moved to take protective measures. "Please, listen! We made a promise... I want to fight you, I really do, but not like this! We're supposed to fight as friends," the teen protested, not as enemies with our lives on the line!" An audible swallow followed the words, Yugi shaking his head as he breathed deeply. "We... You made a promise," he continued with a shout, "You asked me... 'If I do alright in the tournament, and I can call myself 'ready' for Red-Eyes again, will you fight me?' Those words..." The teen again shook his head, looking down briefly before continuing. "The reason I came this far was because of those words, because of that promise! But this isn't the battle we're supposed to have, this isn't-" That was it!

"SNAP OUT OF IT, JONOUCHI!" The two boys outside Malik's control turned, eyes widening briefly as Seto leered at the blond, the woman stalking forward with a growl. "If you think you can do exactly what I ordered you not to do as my employee," the woman continued stiffly, "If you think I'm going to stand by and let this happen, you have another thing coming... Either you wake up now," she continued with a snarl, "Or you can 'wake up' in a-"

"Shut up, Kaiba."

...What.

"K... Kaiba," The woman repeated almost at a whisper, the others growing just as white as the blond turned to walk away. His response had come within an instant, expression cold and unchanging and voice not faltering one bit.

And in the silence that single statement had brought about, Jonouchi continued to laugh, looking back briefly as he walked toward nearby dock. "Come on Yugi," he was saying with a leering grin, "The stage has already been set for your demise... You don't want to be late do you?" This...

The accent was gone. The smile was gone. The idiotic, naive and borderline impossible to bear with attitude was gone. And while she always did continuously wish that the 'blond mutt' would gain 'half a brain' and stop 'slipping up' with her name all the time...

Never before had it felt so wrong to be called by that name without hearing a stutter at the beginning.

"There... There wasn't even a pause," Mokuba whispered with a choke, staring off toward the docks as his body shook.

"Malik," Yugi hissed under his breath, bowing his head. "You bastard..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Gh- Laughter..! "Horrifying isn't it," the accented cover of a familiar woman's voice 'asked', the three turning with narrowed eyes as Anzu stared blankly at them. That tone... So Malik was using her rival's crush as a 'host' now? "You know, I'm surprised myself," 'she' continued with a chuckle, the woman's body standing in a straight and mannequin-like fashion in contrast to the usual limp slouch Malik instilled in his previous victims. "He must have some really nasty thoughts about you if he's able to pick his own words to speak..."

The others merely stared in slight horror as the woman continued to chuckle, each with their own disgusted thoughts on the situation. "A... Anzu," Yugi whispered, eyes wide and almost broken in appearance as the others clenched their jaws. Of course... If Jonouchi was under Malik's 'control', then why wouldn't everyone else be?

"Well isn't this just lovely," Seto spat, the eerie and familiar 'eye' staring out from the center of the woman's forehead. "More problems..."

'Anzu'... 'Malik' it seemed, merely stepped toward where Jonouchi had walked off, holding a small capsule between her fingers, chuckling as she held it forward. "You see this," he asked, blood draining from the faces of the observers as it shimmered just slightly in the dying light. "This is a cyanide capsule... Unless she bites down on it, it's completely harmless of course," Malik admitted, fingering the capsule while the others watched with baited breath, "But it only takes a second for me to decide on that..." Gh... Shit... Yugi would be right at his mercy then... "At my command," Malik said quite clearly, "She'll clamp down on this capsule and release the cyanide, and death will be near instantaneous... Want to see," he 'asked', running the woman's tongue along the capsule as she walked out along the docks before them.

"H-H... ANZU," Yugi shouted tensely, more chuckling hovering through the air as the docks came into the teen's view.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Frightening isn't it? But if you agree to duel your friend over there," Malik 'offered' plainly, "You'll have nothing to worry about..." Save for Yugi himself and the mutt, or so said the unseen statement as Anzu moved off again. "But you'd better make your decision quick," he 'warned', the capsule playing around in her mouth as he spoke, "Unless you want to explain why poor Mazaki Anzu was poisoned at such a young and promising age..."

The words did exactly as predicted by both Malik and Seto at that moment, with Yugi standing stock still in torn shock momentarily as the threat struck home. "I... I..!" Yugi bit his lips, before following Malik/Anzu out to the large and hollowed square dock, the two walking around to the furthest end where Jonouchi stood.

"Y-Yugi," Mokuba shouted, looking from around his sister with a swallow. "But what about-"

"He has no choice," Seto hissed, gritting her teeth as her palms again began to bleed. Mokuba stared at the woman as his sister continued to tense and shake, duel-disk even rattling on her arm. "It's lose-lose... He has no choice!"

But just what was the next catch, the woman found herself wondering, watching as 'Anzu' held two chains and cuffs forward. What would make the duel a death match..?

The answer should have been as obvious as the anchor held above the empty 'crane' spot in the center of the field, the machine having been moved for a more updated land-device. Jonouchi was standing at Anzu's side as the cuffs gleamed in the dull sunlight, Yugi swallowing as he looked from the cuffs to the enormous anchor supported on the storage-lift above the dock. The shadow cast on the waters below formed an ominous and hyper extended cresent above the docks, reminding those standing there just how deep the water in the area was. "For this duel you will both wear handcuffs," Malik announced, Anzu roughly clacking the cuffs on each duelist's wrist before stepping back somewhat. "The cuffs are attached to an anchor," he explained as his host tossed the capsule to the side, gesturing to the device above, "Which weighs 300 kilograms... This anchor is held only by a chain connected to the timer above," Malik continued as attention was brought to the momentarily scrubbed timer, "Which will do one of the following depending on your next action. It will either release the anchor in seventy five minutes following your duel's start, or, following the defeat of one or the other begin a sixty second countdown..." They had an hour and fifteen minutes to fight then... Leaving just enough time for the 'winner' to make it to the finals Seto added with a cold swallow. Gh..! "Move to your positions," the voice 'ordered' stiffly, Jonouchi doing as told before Yugi swallowed and did the same. Before each duelist stood a small box of sorts, LED display staring back up from the lids. Now what was that..? "See those boxes near your feet," Malik asked, his target looking down at the device that was currently bolted to the dock. "These boxes are tied to counters mirroring the life-point levels on your own disks. The moment you begin the duel they will synchronize with the counters in your duel disk," the Ghoul's leader explained curtly, "And in the event that the opposite 'box's' life-points are reduced to zero, it will unlock to reveal the key to your cuff! You will then have, as mentioned, sixty seconds to use this key to escape... The loser," Malik continued with a chuckle, "Will sink into the seas, with those same seconds left to share their farewells... Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn..."

"One of them is going to die," Mokuba questioned with a whisper, swallowing as Yugi began pleading with his friend to snap out of it once more. Anzu was merely standing at the far end of the docks by this point, nothing but the chains left to decide what would happen...

Tch! His older sister snarled, storming over toward them as Mokuba stared from behind. "Not if I can help it," she growled, fists still tightly clenched. That timer holding the anchor in place, it would be easy to re-write the limit to hold off for a chain cutter and a lockpick! They just needed to get to it! So... "MALIK," she roared, 'Anzu' staring blankly at the woman in response, "If you think you're going through with this, you can think aga-"

"Ghk-!" The woman froze as a sudden cut shout came from behind her, Seto turning back with wide eyes to where her brother stood stock still with a choke. "N-Nii... Sama..!"

"Hehehehe..." Two ghoul's stood behind the boy, each with sadist's grins in place as they chuckled darkly. "You were saying about the duel continuing," one of the ghouls holding the boy asked, a knife held dangerously close to her brother's neck.

Seto clenched her teeth as the blade was brought closer, her brother shutting his eyes as he attempted to pull away from the cold metal. "Mokuba..!"

"Step away from the docks," the second warned stiffly, the woman swallowing as she did just that, forming a 'circle' of sorts as she stepped to the side. "And before you try anything," he added darkly, "Take off the disk and coat!" What..? Her disk! She narrowed her eyes, nonetheless clicking the disk off with a growl as the ghouls stared. "We know what you're capable of," the Ghoul muttered, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the woman. "That coat could easily hide a weapon... And the disk mind as well be one," he added, Seto silently removing her white jacket in the meantime as the wind howled dangerously about them. "Now kick the disk away," the man was shouting, apparently treating the console with as much caution as one would a gun.

Tch... Bastards... Bastards..! The first ghoul chuckled as the coat fell to the ground, Mokuba swallowing his fear in the man's grip. "Heh... If it weren't for the obvious I'd have to say you have a nice figure there," he said with a sneer, gaining a deep scowl in response. Besides the obvious reasoning behind the comment... His death warrant had just been signed twice. "Now... You stay right there with your hands behind your head... Unless you want to end up fish food like the two over there," he added, motioning for the woman to turn around as he stepped back from her.

Gh..! Monsters! Seto swallowed a wave of disgust as she turned around, slowly putting her hands on her head lest they go through with their threat. They had Mokuba at knifepoint... She hadn't even had any time to think of silently radio-calling the pilot back in the helicopter, despite not even knowing if she'd left it on or not... She was a few feet away from the ghouls, so she couldn't even think of taking them by surprise with an attack, and when she thought about it, what could the pilot possibly do outside a distraction anyways?

Tch... This game... This sick, disgusting game she was about to watch... Of all the times for Yugi to prove her right on this 'Millennium Bullcrap' again...

Why the hell did it have to be now?

"YUGI! YUGI..! WHY? Why did you have to come... WHY!" If one could hear what Katsuya had to say about the entire matter, there would be very little needed to describe the situation. His shouts were jumping back and forth between anger and terror both as he looked out through dead eyes, seeing nothing but the notably torn and arguably terrified form of his friend across from him. "YUGI," the blond cried, fires filling his vision once more as he struggled against the Millennium Rod's hold. His shouts couldn't reach him... He could see the 'original' Yugi's spirit standing at his partner's side, shouting toward him, but he couldn't respond... "You monster... You goddamned MONSTER," Katsuya cried, choking as he heard his own voice speak out to his friend in 'response'.

"I almost forgot," 'he' was saying, holding his hands out toward the teen in a slight gesture as he motioned for 'his' friend to do something. "I could care less if you drown but I would really prefer not to go diving for Osiris after this..." It dared to say-

"You fucking fire-coated, eye-eatin' piece 'f SHIT!"

"Ah ah ah, sticks and stones now my 'dear'," the Rod said with a sneer, before turning his gaze back to Yugi. The ease with which the spirit switched between his unhidden voice and the voice of his body filled the blond with a feeling of dread, for both what he heard and what he felt. Nothing but hate and anger, and though he'd have said it was justified the Rod's presence was continually forcing it towards a target other than itself. "Take the card out of your deck," 'he' ordered the teen across him, the other Yugi nodding stiffly as he removed the deck-holder belt around his waist to hold it forward.

"...Osiris is in here," he said plainly, momentarily pulling the card out to show his opponent through the flaming haze. "You see it?"

Katsuya felt his body nod, the blond momentarily choking between screams and tear-filled cries as the red sheet of card shimmered in the sun. "Put it on the ground," he said clearly, eyes trained on the belt as Yugi did just that before turning his duel disk on and setting it into place. "God will go to the side of the survivor understand? Now..." Low chuckling sounded through the air, the point counters on the box coming to life as the timer above began its count-down. "DUEL," he announced, disk clacking into place as he brought it forward. Cards were drawn with great reluctance on the side of his opponent, the Rod giving a crocodilian smirk as he laughed. "You can go first... Hnhnhehehehe..."

Bastard... God damned... "I swear t' god when I g't outta here I'm gonna rip out each an' every one 'f yer eyes," the blond hissed, sounding decidedly snakelike as he clawed at the bonds in his mind.

"Please," the rod said with a chuckle, Yugi currently staring across the field in silence as he stared at his deck with a torn expression. "You should enjoy yourself! This is fun~ Got that? FUN," he roared, mad laughter filling the air to hit only his host's ears. "All you're doing right now is giving me a headache my dear friend... Though I'll admit it's helping with the control a lot..."

Son of a-..! Get out! "Let me talk damn it... Let me talk you sick, twisted FUCK!"

Still the Rod laughed, rolling the eye that his host could see from his wrist. "Oh now that's just plain mean," he laughed, briefly shuttering his teeth as they clacked. "Now... How about you be a dear and just sit back, enjoy the show... No one can hear you after all," he said with a low grin, eye turning to face 'their' opponent. "...Yugi," he shouted in slight agitation, again using the blond's mouth to speak. "What's taking you so long? I told you it was your turn didn't I?"

Yea... The first move in a timed death-match! "You forget that we're best friends you ASS! How is he supposed to kick your ass to save himself when you're in my body," the blond continued to snarl, his captor merely rolling his eyes once again.

"My," he said with a humored sigh, "Aren't we self-sacrificing today!" The Rod continued to chuckle as his opponent reluctantly summoned a monster in defense mode, a four armed, white winged demon appearing to stand at his summoner's side as the tablet appeared beside it. The monster could hardly move to stand in front of his 'master' with so much water before them really- rather than exhaust himself by 'hovering' in place, it chose to instead await further orders as his owner swallowed. 'Turn over,' he could hear Yugi say, the Rod cackling madly from within his head. "EHEHEHEHEE! This is going to be great! Show time... It's my turn," he shouted through Katsuya's voice, the blond snarling in an almost feral tone as the switch in voices appeared. The teeth across his hands forced his hand to move and draw his card despite the snarls, adding the result to his hand as Katsuya spat at what he saw. "Draw! Now lets see what we got here," the spirit continued with a chuckle, his host snarling as he looked at what was there. Monster, spell card, spell card, another spell card... Besides one card his entire hand wasn't his!

"You... Puttin' cards that ain't mine in my deck..!"

"Well I AM the one playing," the Rod drawled somewhat smugly, "So it's only right~"

Only 'right'? "THERE AIN'T NOTHIN' RIGHT ABOUT THIS," he roared, the spirit merely ignoring him as it set a card on the field.

"Hehehehehe... First I play the spell Raigeki, the lightning vortex," the Rod announced, a lightning storm appearing from the empty sky as opposed to a tablet arising as its container. The lightning charged toward a single target, electricity frying Baphomet to cinders as the monster gave stiff, twitching 'sniff'. The monster was quite clearly in pain of course; but how could it move with its body caught in a shocked 'lock', corpse falling into the seas only as its tablet finally caved under the pressure and ground to dust. "Hah! Your monster dies!"

"Gh- This card..!" Yugi looked across the field in horror as he unknowingly voiced his friend's thoughts, receiving nothing but a cold laugh in response. This card... It was illegal damn it!

"Psh! And how was I supposed to know," the Rod 'asked', flames appearing to 'shrug' from the wrist in response to his host's thoughts.

"As if you would even care," Katsuya spat, his body setting another card as a tablet appeared to his side. If the spirit of the Rod was surprised by the tablet he didn't show it however, instead going on with his move.

"I then summon the Alligator Sword in attack mode," the Rod shouted, familiar chinese gator arising to stand at the blond's side before shaking his head.

"Hnn..? A harbor duel," he asked, looking over the waters with a frown as he turned to his summoner. "But I thought I told you I can't duel in the water man..." Ah... That...

He couldn't see the Rod..! "Hnnn?" The rod paused for a slight moment as the alligator addressed him, before chuckling under his breath and shaking it off. "Well isn't that interesting... Perhaps I should take advantage of this 'blind loyalty', hnhnhnhahaHA!" Gh- It wasn't blind loyalty it was partnership! "Alligator sword attacks directly," the spirit ordered, Katsuya continuing to struggle against the rod's hold as he shouted at the monster.

"GH! 'GATOR! GATOR GET ME OUTTA HERE," he cried, the alligator unable to hear his master's shouts as he charged around the dock the 'long way' to cut at his opponent. "Damn it Gator, WE'RE GONNA KILL HIM," he screamed, forced to watch Yugi stumble back under the force of the blade before his monster semi-casually walked back along the docks. "YOU GOTTA LISTEN, PLEASE!"

For a moment, the gator appeared to react to the words, tilting his head as if to listen for a soft and mousy whisper. In the end however he merely frowned somewhat, crossing his arms as he turned to the blond. "Hey... You alright man, you seem off..." Off? It was more than 'off', it was...

"Damn it..." He couldn't hear him...

Katsuya's body smirked as the cold fact was realized, the spirit opting to give 'his' monster a somewhat reassuring nod before breaking into laughter at his opponent's pain. "Hnhnhn... HAHAHAHA! What's the matter," he shouted with a grin, his opponent merely clutching hist stomach with heaving breaths as he wheezed. The blond snarled at the Rod's taunts, struggling further against the hold as his monster frowned.

"Hey, Katsuya-jun," the alligator suddenly whispered with a frown, his true summoner listening only slightly as he fought the Rod, "I think I actually dealt some damage there... That ain't 'residual' or nothing, that's a real hit I just made..." A real... A real hit? But how? The monster continued to frown, looking back at his summoner with a swallow. "You better watch it man, you don't keep this under wraps and... Well I might seriously hurt him," he warned, his summoner continuing to 'pale' in realized horror.

He was... Hurting Yugi..? The blond stared across the field in his forced vision, 'swallowing' as the boy raised a slightly bloodied hand in confusion. "But that ain't right," he whispered, "I can't..."

"Oh ho ho," the rod laughed, the teeth on his hand and arm curling into a dangerous grin as its flames heightened in an almost blackened light, "But it seems to me that you CAN! Such power your have hidden deep inside," he muttered with a sinister laugh, the sound reverberating about his own skull. "Your monster's right my dear little 'Katsuya', you're a loose cannon!" That wasn't right, that wasn't right! Someone... Tell him... Prove this thing wrong please, please- "You think you're the only thing 'this' can touch," the Rod 'asked' with a leering grin, chuckling at the rising horror from within his host. "That's because you don't want anyone else to know... You CAN'T let anyone else know, and when you keep something like that bottled in it GROWS, only this time you can't observe that growth for yourself! HAHAHAHAHA! AND NOW," the spirit 'announced, chuckling under his breath, "Now that this body is in my control, your opinion means NOTHING! So while you wasted your power, it's under MY complete control!" Cont- But that couldn't be right, how was he... How was he causing... It just couldn't be he tried to tell himself with a swallow, shaking his head as he shook. He... He'd gotten pissed plenty of times before, that didn't mean people got struck down by his monsters... And he wasn't even... He wasn't...

That was only something that the guys with creepy, ancient golden Millennium Items could do... Something he didn't have! "Gh... That ain't true," he spat with that thought in mind, listening as Yugi summoned the Big Shield Guardna to his defense, "It ain't true! These ain't my feelin's... THIS ISN' WHAT I AM! You... You..!"

The 'Shield Guardna' obscured the pair's view of Yugi completely as the tablet covered his back, the Millennium Rod still laughing as his opponent ended his turn. "Ohhhh but they are yours remember..? They're all your thoughts, your rages, however dis-jointed and mis-aimed they are," the spirit 'reminded', moving to draw a card with a grin. "And now It's my turn again," he continued, Yugi gritting his teeth in response. "So you've summoned a wall monster eh," he asked, the Alligator beside him tilting his head with narrowed eyes as he stared in obvious suspicion. "Well that shield might be big," he continued, the shield monster in question doing his best to cover Yugi completely as the next card was set, "But it won't stop a fire ball! Now-"

The alligator's eyes widened, briefly grabbing at his 'summoner's arms before being casually snapped back. "Wh- Hey man, that's not..." The monster shook his head, looking back at Yugi briefly before continuing. "This guy's your friend! You use something that direct and-" And..!

What did he mean AND! "TAKE THAT," the Rod cackled through his voice, mad laughter filling the air as he ignored the monster's warnings. "HINOTAMA! THE FIREBALL!" Flames erupted from the sky, filling the air as both the Alligator and Katsuya stared in horror. Yugi was literally crushed by the blast, smoke singing the wood as laughter and screams both filled the air. "DIRECT DAMAGE," the spirit roared the Alligator stepping around the dock's support beam to look at the damage in disgust. "I'm going to fry you more than all the powers of RA! And with this power," he muttered under his breath, Yugi's screams dying down as the teen stood to breath haggardly, the scent of singed leather and hair hanging from the air, "It's more than easy..."

"You..." Katsuya's monster turned back with wide eyes, shaking his head as his so-called summoner continued to grin. "You ain't Katsuya-jun," the alligator warrior spat, stepping away as his supposed master leered at him. "I don't know what's going on," he snarled as he ran down the side of the docks, "But you can forget about the 'rules of play'!" Good... Good, just please...

Please make this stop... "Well," the Rod hissed under his breath, still smirking demonically even as his monster 'abandoned' the field. "It took him long enough... Hnhnnhnhnhn..."

"Gh..." Weakened coughs came from the other end of the docks, Yugi unknowingly helped up by both his 'Guardna' monster and the Alligator Sword. "Ngh..."

"Yugi..." How... How was he doing this? He didn't want this, not in any way! And yet... "Yugi," Katsuya cried, shaking his head as he watched his friend weakly stumble to his feet. "Yugi please," he called desperately, "Just fight back..!"

But for all he said he wasn't... He wasn't... "Jonouchi," the teen shouted, unaware that while the hologram of the Alligator stood on the field the monster was standing beside him rather than the one who summoned him, "I won't give up... I'll free you from Malik's grasp even if it costs my life," he continued clearly, stern and determined scowl coming clearly from across the field. No...

No, no no! "Yugi..!" He couldn't... He had to fight back, he had to win!

"Ohhhh, how sweet," the Rod chuckled, visible eyes leering at the blond as Katsuya cried. "It's almost ironic that your own power is what's going to bring about his end! Hehehehehe... Why... Even a being such as myself can get used to THIS," he roared, cackling madly from within the body while flames rose in ferocity and heat. Bastard...

God damned bastard..! "YOU MONSTER," the blond raged, clawing and prying at any semblance of control. "GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Yugi had set a card face down from what he saw through the flaming haze... A blank stone tablet sat to his side, and on his other the carved stone image of his 'token hair-ball'. Kuriboh in attack mode Katsuya saw with a loud and pained cry, shaking his head. Kuriboh in... "Damn it," the blond whispered, unable to feel the tears that weren't running down his face. "You have to live... You have to..."

"My turn," the spirit said calmly, staring at the field with narrowed eyes as he chuckled. "Hnhnhnhn... Kuriboh in attack mode... Well," the Rod cackled gleefully, "It looks like we've given him heat-stroke with that fire ball, good for you!"

Shut up... Shut up! "There is no WE you god-awful, hell-bound sin agains' nature!"

And again he received nothing but laughter as his response, the demonic spirit grinning widely in lieu of his host's rage. "Well there's the creativity I missed! But as I remind you again... You're wrong! Haha! So you're going to sacrifice yourself to save my life," the spirit said to Yugi with a grin, chuckling as he drew his next card. "Well... When my Alligator attacks, you'll be good as dead," he continued, grin widening even as the alligator leered from the other side. "Thanks to this power of yours," the Rod added darkly.

From across the field the monster in question snorted, crossing his arms. "Hah! See how well your attack hits when I'm not listening," the alligator shouted in response, the words ignored as Yugi's voice over powered them.

"Jonouchi," he said with a swallow, hand on his disk as he stared forward. "We both need to survive this, understand..? Neither of us are going to die," he continued almost desperately, his friend weeping as the Rod howled in laughter.

"Psh! So naive... Isn't this the 'demonic' half as you once put it?" What? Katsuya tensed, staring at the toothy eye in incredulity. But he never- He'd never said that! "Think back now," the spirit drawled, "But don't strain your head... Hnhnhnhnhn..." Gh- Monster..! "Keep believing what you want Yugi," the Rod continued with a smirk. "Either way, someone dies today, and it won't be ME! Now... ALLIGATOR SWORD," the spirit ordered with a snarl, "ATTACK KURIBOH!" Silence filled the air as the 'Gator narrowed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Like hell," he muttered, crossing his arms as Guardna coughed. "This ain't right! I'm staying righ-"

"You might want to duck," the monster muttered, his 'master's words supporting his and the Kuriboh's thoughts as the two looked at the Alligator in confusion.

"Activate trap," Yugi shouted, the tablet that stood conveniently behind the Alligator Sword abruptly crumbled, "Spellbinding Circle!" Chains of runes and shadows abruptly swung around the monster, knocking the wind out of the beast as the trap took effect.

"...That... That works too," the Gator wheezed, toppling forward as he was restrained to the ground by the large circle.

"I warned you..."

"Gh..." The spirit of the Millennium rod growled as the tablet's dust blew away, "Trap card," The Rod continued to hiss with annoyance at the attacks prevention, chuckling coming from within his 'head' as Katsuya snarled.

"Hehehehehe... When Yugi makes a promise he keeps it," the blond spat, continuing to push against his mental restraints with all he had. "You're goin' DOWN! An' like I said b'fore," the teen roared, volume unrestrained in the confines of his body, "I'm takin' you with me!"

"Tch..." The eyes Katsuya stared at merely narrowed further, before bringing his hand to the cards and disk as his host paled. "Laugh all you want," the spirit snarled, "It's not over yet!" The next card was slipped into place regardless of mental pleas to stop, the sky above darkening and converging into a violent 'hole' in the center of the sky. "I'll end my turn by playing another one of these... HINOTAMA! Hehehehehe... HAHAHAHAHA!"

Fires rained from above as ash filled the air, a shower of meteors raining upon the sea. Violent winds did nothing but buffet the clothes of those around, the sane that watched widening their eyes with both shock and awe before the largest blasted its target back against the docks. "Gh... GHRAAAAAAAAA!" Yugi..! "AAAAAHHHHH!" Fires swarmed the field, drenching the docks in ash and soot as Yugi was again crushed under the heat, remaining flames continuing to burn before the spell dissipated. "Ghk... Glk!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! This deck is filled with cards like these..." There would be at least one more Hinotama in this deck... "I don't need to attack your monsters," the Rod snarled, drunk on his own borrowed power as the sky held its darkened state, "I'll just keep burning you with flames until you can't stand!"

"Gn..." The smoke cleared from the field with those words, the cold wind slowly blowing it back to reveal the fallen form of his friend. "Ngh..."

"Yugi..." The teen slowly stumbled to his hands and knees, coughing as the smoke cleared from the air and distorted his vision. "Yugi..! Don't die please... Please just get up," he begged through his tears, "You have to... You have to get up!"

"Gh... Jonouchi," Yugi rasped, looking up with weak eyes as he struggled to do just that. The blond continued to 'cry' as he looked at his friend's face, skin red and covered with ash and tears. "Can't you hear your heart crying," he asked, shaking his head. He was crying damn it... He didn't want this, he didn't want... Any of this...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Things like that," the Rod sneered, tilting his head as he 'responded' in the blond's place. "...Those don't matter to me at all," he said clearly, Yugi bowing his head and shaking in response.

"Yugi... Yugi, Yugi, YUGI! Please... Don't listen to him, please don't," he begged, the endless laughter of the Millennium Rod echoing in the back of his mind. "It's not true... It's not TRUE!"

But Yugi couldn't hear him after all- so what was he supposed to believe? "How horrible," his friend was muttering, shaking his head as he struggled to straighten himself. "Compared to the pain I'm feeling now, that fireball was nothing..." The other Yugi's lighter half stood at his side, head bowed in his own silent pain as the other continued. "How could you lose yourself like this," he asked, unable to hear the cries of his friend across him. "How could you," he shouted, eyes wide in betrayed rage.

He wasn't doing this... Please, he wasn't... "Hnhnhnhn... You should listen closely," the Rod bragged, chuckling evilly as the eyes widened with laughter. "It's you he's talking about!"

"You... No he's not," the blond snarled, hissing and spitting at the monster holding him back. "It's you!Putting these words in my mouth... What else is he supposed to think? When you're shouting all of this at him..!"

"Ohhh, it's not like he couldn't use it..." Couldn't- "He's just a weak little boy isn't he," the spirit asked with a low chuckle, his host swallowing back a roar for a brief moment. "Just another kid to bully, another one who could use a good beating to 'tough him up'," he continued, the words sounding far too similar to those he'd said long ago at the start of his freshman year. "'It'll make him a man'..." Gh... Ngh...

"Shut up," he whispered, holding his head as he cried. "SHUT UP! YUGI," he shouted desperately, slamming himself against the 'cage' he was in with all he had. "YUGI! I'M RIGHT HERE! I'M NOT DOING THIS! So please... PLEASE! JUST STRIKE ME DOWN," the blond begged, the ticking of the clock above them grating against his mind. "PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO LIVE!"

"He can't hear you," the Rod muttered, eye rolling as it looked to the blond from his hand. "And would he honestly care if he could..?"

The spirit was responded with still more rage, Katsuya snarling and roaring almost draconically as he tore at his mental bonds. "And since when did you CARE," he spat, unaware of the ignorance his captor had for the rage. "Since when did you KNOW? THIS AIN'T YOUR BODY," Katsuya roared, pulling and tearing at the cage as he cried, "IT'S MINE! IT'S-"

"JONOUCHI-KUN," a clear voice shouted over the field, both the Rod and Katsuya staring through the flaming vision as a calming breeze passed. The change between the two Yugi's was immediately noticeable, the wide and innocent stare coming from across the field with a confident smile. Where normally the other would stand, there was instead empty space, along with the tablets and monster the duel had summoned about. "This time," the boy was shouting through sad and constant tears, "I'll be your opponent... Understand?" No...

NO! "No no... NO!" Katsuya went white as he struggled and tore at his 'cage', wailing as the spirit holding him also froze. "YUGI YOU CAN'T DO THIS, YOU CAN'T!"

"What's the meaning of this... This isn't the PHARAOH," the Millennium Rod roared, for once sharing the opinions of his host. "This... You're NOT my opponent," the spirit shouted aloud, Katsuya raging against his bonds with more vigour than even before. "Switch out," he 'ordered', only for Yugi to stare back with the same innocent determination he held when worse came to worst. "BRING BACK THE PHARAOH!"

He couldn't fight this... He wouldn't... "I can't... I CAN'T LET YOU TOUCH HIM," Katsuya spat, a pressing heat rising in his body as he roared. "I CAN'T..."

When Yugi made his mind however, it was always made up. "It's my turn," the boy said calmly, drawing his next card and closing his eyes over as he breathed deeply. No...

"NO," the spirit snarled, his words mirroring that of his host for a brief moment.

"NO! NNGGRAAAAAHHH! NO! I CAN'T LET THIS..! I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN," he continued to cry, pushing with everything he had to just break free of the fires around him.

With the draw of a card across from him, he could hear a distant roar. Amid the shouts to kill, the shouts to fight, he heard a loud and menacing roar, and with a jolt, he felt his eyes open, the flames clearing as he snarled.

"THIS... IS MY BODY!"

-GROAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOO!-

It was a sudden 'calming' sensation what happened after the dragon's cry that he'd heard at that moment. He could see again, he realized rather quickly, the colour of the waters, of the sky and of the harbour around them coming to mind. And in addition to that, he could see...

Himself..? Katsuya pulled himself to his feet as he swallowed, eyes briefly widening as flames arose from the 'copy' of himself to impossible heights. It was as though he was looking at a tower of flames, a tower that now moved to stare at him with eerie and tooth-covered eyes from the very flesh and bones of his back. "What in the hell is..."

"Well well well Blondie..." Katsuya swallowed as the flames formed an extra 'eye' from nothing, using it to stare down and chuckle at his former host. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you," he asked, the eyes 'tilting' somewhat as the blond looked himself over. He was...

Transparent. Completely translucent, able to see himself through... Himself. But that meant he was a ghost didn't it? But how was that even possible, how- "Oh hell," he muttered with a swallow, looking from his pale and ethereal 'body' and back to his real one.

"'Hell' indeed," the Rod said with a chuckle, the teeth and eye on the outstretched flame grinning wickedly as the teeth widened for a darker sneer. "You've actually managed to separate from your own BODY! You've managed to actually put YOURSELF into a soulless state! HNHNHAHAHA!" S-Soulles- He was soulless! But if he was here, and the Rod was in his body then... What did... "This is just rich," the Rod shouted through laughs, a flaming 'arm' even wiping an imagined tear from his eye. "It looks like you've got front row tickets to your best friend's death in full colour now kid! And when its all over, you'll STILL be good as dead! H-hahaha... HAHAHAHA!" Gh... This thing...

The blond clenched his fists, teeth grinding as he went red. "Like HELL," he snarled, jumping at his body and pulling at the teeth holding the eyes in place in the flames. "YOU AIN'T TOUCHIN' A HAIR ON THEM," he roared, hands slicing with each touch on the fangs as the fires burned into his skin

Words were echoing all around him again, volume increasing as he pulled at the fires and the teeth... Kurose, kurose, kurose, it said, the blond pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. "Gh- Get off me you RAT," the spirit snarled, managing to keep the body from reacting as his fires burnt into Katsuya's skin. "You don't have a say in these things," it snarled, eyes turning as Katsuya reached for his left arm.

Tch... "I can sure as hell TRY," he snarled, tugging at the teeth on his 'card hand' arm before flames wrapped around his middle to violently throw him back. "G- GHRAAGH!"

"Tch!" The eyes rolled as they watched Katsuya choke and cough, the blond struggling to his feet while his captor glared. "Suit yourself," the Rod spat darkly, "But you won't be having any luck!" Gh... He'd see about that... He'd win damn it, no matter what it took... He'd get his body back and save Yugi..! "Now... Don't take to long Yugi," the item snarled, looking across the field with a considerably more agitated glare as his opponent looked up from his hand, "We don't have all day after all!"

"What was that," Katsuya hissed, jumping at the spirit's eyes and teeth yet again as his bottom half vanished into mist in the body, "Some kinda JOKE?"

The eyes merely narrowed in response, teeth closing over slightly as they dug into Katsuya's hands. "Hnhnhnhn... You'd like to think that wouldn't you," the spirit muttered darkly, only to wince as his former host tore a fang from the teeth on his arm in response. "GH-!"

"Naw... But I'm definitely gonna be a pain in yer ass until th' second I die," he snarled as he held the fang up in minute triumph, Yugi's voice cutting across the field while he tossed the tooth away.

"I play the spell 'Card Exchange'," he announced clearly, the Millennium Rod narrowing the body's eyes momentarily. Like a number of spells before it, no tablet had appeared; there was no need for magic when the action was based in 'reality' after all, and when all that was to be done was a one-to-one trade of cards.

"Card exchange," the spirit whispered, before snorting as his flames pushed Katsuya back yet again. Standing at Yugi's side once more was the other Yugi... He was shouting, staring at his partner with worry as the body walked around to meet with Katsuya's own at the center of the dock. "Well, alright then," he decided, flames receeding. "Trading cards... Hn! Well now," the Rod said with a sneer, watching as Yugi held out his hand. Big mistake... Taking his eyes off his attacker! "Lets see what you h-GLK!" The spirit was cut off as Katsuya rammed his hand into the eye over his mouth, the 'ghost' wincing and shivering with distaste as the fluids from the eye drenched over his hand. It'd just been a hunch... Just a hunch, but as the spirit roared in sudden pain he knew he'd managed to act on the right 'feeling. "YOU," the spirit hissed, flames jumping with rage as minute surprise came over the body's face, "What the hell do you think you're doing," the spirit muttered darkly, flaming hands ripping Katsuya's hand from its eye and tossing the blond away with a snarl, "Damaging my EYES..?"

"Gh- GNHAAA!" The fluids from his arm dripped to the docks disgustingly, leaving just a slight stain as the blond attempted to stand. "Tch..." Obviously this was the right weak point... Wasn't it? He stumbled forward, wiping his mouth of the blood that somehow still existed in his more ethereal form. "What does it look like," he muttered as the spirit stared, mutterings of 'kurose' abruptly replaced with the order to take the card he'd spotted in Yugi's hand. Orders... So this voice was... Malik..! The realization filled him with even more anger, knuckles cracking as his fists clenched for another attack. "I don' break my promises... An' if you think I'm lettin' y' take Red-Eyes..."

"Well... You're in for quite a disappointment then," the spirit snarled, hands moving toward the card in question as he smirked, "Because it seems that my dear Master happens to be demanding it!"

Oh yea? "And I said I AIN'T LETTIN' YAH!" The blond launched himself at the body, partially merged with the form again as he pulled at the arm reaching forward. "You seemed t' react when I gave y' a poke in th' eye," he continued with an almost insane grin, raising his hand in an almost spear-like fashion as fingers closed around the card, "SO HOW ABOU' I DO IT AGAIN?"

"GK Wh- ARR... RAAAAAAGHH!" The spirit hissed as Katsuya jammed his arm in through the eye, pulling back on what met his fingers as hard as he could. Despite the fact that the eye was only a few centimetres above the arm, his own was buried up to the elbow as he pushed, doing all he could to keep the ghost from taking the card. "YOUUUUU... YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO WIN LIKE THAT," the monster roared, eyes narrowing before closing completely. Teeth closed over on the arm in the same manner as all the other eyes about it, Katsuya biting his lip as the teeth dug inches deep into his arm. Blood... Blood everywhere, but he was a ghost haha... He couldn't...

He couldn't die... At least not until he stopped this fight! "Glk... I... I know I am," he hissed, wrapping his free arm around the limb that was once his as the fires attempted to pull the blond free. "Because this ain't yours..! And this... Isn' somethin' I want t' do!"

"GH.. HRAAAAAA..." The spirit raged in aggravation as it pulled at the blond, the boy before him unable to see through shut eyes that his opponent was now pulling at own wrist in rage. "AAAGGHH! WHY! WHY," he roared, moving to hold his head as Yugi jumped at the shout. "WHY CAN'T I TAKE IT," he spat, the ghost on his arm continuing to pull and tear at the eye controlling it. "This should be EASY," he snarled, eyes wide with unbridled rage, "So WHY! I..!"

"You're takin'... THIS ONE!"

"RAAAGH!" A snap echoed through the air as flames surrounded his waist completely, the hand having just barely been switched to a separate card as the Millennium Rod screeched. "GET OFF ME..!" With a crack and a snarl the blond was again thrown back, the body's arm jerking from where it clenched one of Yugi's cards. Ghk... Katsuya choked as he gripped his shredded right arm, pulling himself to his knees as he looked toward the body. Did he... Did he manage to succeed...

Why... WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE RED-EYES, the 'voice' raged, the Millennium Rod cursing under its breath as Katsuya choked. He... Hahaha! He did! "It's... I... I don't need monsters," the spirit growled, making its excuses while its master hissed under his breath. "The direct attack spells are more than enough," he continued stiffly, holding his own hand out for Yugi to take his own choice of card. The flaming eyes leered at the ghost as his master reluctantly took the excuse, each and every jaw clenched tight in rage. "You... Are you trying to get me DESTROYED you blond RAT," he snarled, Katsuya merely stumbling forward with a growl. "This arm of mine... What did you DO?"

"Hehehehe... 'Destroyed' maybe..? Somethin' like that," he muttered, before launching himself at his body again with a snarl. "I'm gonna do all it takes t' get rid 'f you... So 'sit back an enjoy th' show'," he continued, only barely hearing the words of those around him.

"Jonouchi-kun," Yugi said calmly, unable to see the internal struggle as Katsuya again pulled at the eyes embedded in his body. "...I believe in you... I believe in the promise you made with the Other Me..." He did to..! He did to! It was with those thoughts that he was fighting now... Clawing at the eyes as the fires ate away at his form, as the teeth grew wide in pained agony from the wounds he was inflicting... "The reason you couldn't take Red-Eyes... It's because of that promise, isn't it," Yugi said with a sad smile, his friend giving a somewhat frenzied one in response as he gouged out the eye that rested above his right shoulder.

"AAAAAAGGGHHH! SHUT UP! Shut your mouth, BOTH OF YOU" the spirit roared, barely separating reality and 'fiction' himself as he screamed. "And get OFF MY BODY," he snarled, flames tugging on the blond as the 'ghost' wrapped his arms around his own neck.

"How many times do I have t' say it... IT AIN'T YOURS!" A sickening squelch came over the air with the destruction of another eye, the control over the body's throat all but shattered in response.

"Rrrr-GGGAAAAAAARRGH!"

And still Yugi spoke, filling his friend with encouragement even when the blond realized that the injured eyes on his arms still held their roots. "Jonouchi-kun... I also believe that this Red-Eyes will be able to wake you up, understand," he asked, the ghost merely pulling as hard as he could on the left arm's eye.

"Loud an' clear," he grunted, both hands digging in even as fires curled around him, "Loud an'-"

"THAT... IS... ENOUGH!" The blond was tossed back down the docks, the Millennium Rod steering his body back into position as it spoke. "Tch... Whether it's me or you one of us is going to die," he spat, walking back to his side of the field as his opponent reluctantly did the same, "So shut the fuck up," he snarled, ignoring the streams of tears now running down Yugi's face. No...

Don't cry, he thought with a choke, his own eyes welling up as he came to his knees. Don't... "...My turn," the boy choked, his friend's spirit struggling to his feet as he watched. "...My turn isn't done yet. I sacrifice both my monsters," he continued as the pair both errupted into pillars of black light, a tablet appearing behind him in response, "And I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Another roar filled the air, nearly identical to what he'd heard prior as red smoke filled the fresh and clear carving in the stone. "GROAAAAAAAOOOOOO! GRAAAOOOOOOOOO!" Red... Midnight black scales glowed brightly in the setting sun as the beast appeared, his brilliance rivalling even Blue-Eyes as it cracked its joints to growl.

Red eyes... The dragon's roar was sad and mourning as it looked toward the blond across him on the field, Katsuya staring as the monster curled protectively around Yugi. Red-eyes... He'd... "Gh... Ghn..." Damn it... Katsuya bowed his head momentarily as he sniffed, choking on the breaths he didn't even think he needed. He couldn't cry, he couldn't... He... "Gh... GRAAAAAHHH!" He charged his body once again, lower half once more vanishing into the flames as he screamed and tore at the now visible bonds. "This is my body... THIS IS MINE, an' I'm TAKIN' IT BACK!"

"GRN! THIS..." A piercing scream hit the air as Katsuya again struck the eyes on the body, his own shouts mixed with that of the Rod's as he cried. "NO," the item shouted, This isn't supposed to happen, it's mine now! It's MY body! You..! What is THIS," he screeched, waves of misery flowing over him rather than the hate and rage he'd so instilled. "What IS this!"

'This'? Tch... "There're my feelings," Katsuya snarled, gripping the top of his body's head as he reached for the next eye, "My real ones!"

"Jonouchi-kun," Yugi shouted, choking through his tears as the spirit and his friend both screamed without his knowledge. "You can hear it can't you," he asked, the dragon above him giving a low and pained roar. "Red-Eyes... Red-Eyes is crying for you," he shouted as he as well continued to cry, "And we're both fighting for you! Because we believe in you, Jonouchi-kun... We ALL believe! Now... RED-EYES," the boy ordered, dragon taking aim as his targets both continued their own private battle, "ATTACK... BLACK FIRE BULLET!"

The low roar that filled the field snapped the somewhat forgotten Alligator Sword at the side from his spell-induced silence, the monster's eyes widening as flames licked the side of the dragon's maw. "Gh- Shit," he muttered, looking from the dragon to his 'summoner' with a jolt, "If that thing connects..." As Katsuya continued to attempt to wrench control of his body back his trapped Alligator sword forced himself to his feet, tail whipping behind him in agitation as he made up his mind. "Gh... I don't know what's going on here pal, but you better snap out of it... You owe me one," he continued, launching himself out toward the seas as he looked up at Red-Eyes with a half-hearted grin. "HOI! DRAGON!"

Flames streamed across the seas before them, steam filling the air as Red-Eyes arose and destroyed the Alligator Sword. A target was a target after all, and the alligator had made his decision; as a monster for the other side, he would take the attacks for it as well. And even as the tablet crumbled, even as the alligator's body vanished completely, Red-Eyes' mourning cries filled the air... And despite the monster's dying intent, scraps of fire still caught onto the body's jacket, scorching the edges of the fabric and stinging the body's skin as the Rod stared in horror. "This...This isn't supposed to happen! What... WHAT IS THIS," he roared, speech appearing broken and half crazed as he momentarily moved his attentions from the blond to the field.

"Heh... I guess I'm jus' special like that," Katsuya spat, only to wince and cry as he was flung back in flames toward the waters behind them. "G-Hngah!" An echoing splash came over the air, Katsuya pulling himself above the seas to cough as flames leered at him from above.

"This... 'SPECIAL'," the item 'asked' with a cackle. "Don't make me LAUGH," the spirit roared, Red-Eyes crying out as the shouts filled the air before it. "That didn't hurt ONE BIT! Not one BIT! You haven't seen ANYTHING yet," the eyes snarled, each one speaking as their host pulled himself out of the waters. "NOTHING!"

"Gh... Khk... Kack!" How could 'ghosts' even begin to drown..?

"This... This is the end," the Rod muttered crazily, chuckling under his breath with wide and insane eyes. "It's my turn again, and with this your life will finally END..! HNHNHAHAHAHA!" Bastard, he thought, fingers digging into the planks on the dock as he pulled himself forward, bastard... Using his voice... Like that..! The sound of clinking metal hit the blond's ears, Katsuya struggling to his feet only to stare as Yugi stood at his side of the field. A wind was passing as he stood there, something gold shimmering from beneath Red-Eyes' protective position. His hands... The puzzle was in... The spirit of the Rod as well stared, his own eyes widening momentarily. "What..."

"What are you doing," both 'spirits' whispered in shock, before a grin came over the body's face. The ghost at the side shook his head, tears again running down his face. "What are you DOING," Katsuya roared in fear, the 'other Yugi' no longer in sight as the original held the puzzle in his hands with a small and tear-filled smile as flames and meteors again rained from above. "YUGI!"

"HINOTAMA!"

"YUGI! ...NO!"

While fires and screams filled the air on Domino Pier, it would be a very large lie to say that the feelings of dread were mirrored across the entire city. If anything the wide-spread emotions consisted of 'normalcy', 'boredom', 'idle amusement' at the best, and if any of those people realized what was going on they would have more than likely pushed it out of mind as quickly as possible before walking away. It was now around quarter after seven with all of the wandering the four teens, now just arrived from Osaka, had finished with at the train station. In the distance the sun was already beginning to set, with streams of red and gold bleeding across the sky above while the occasional pigeon flew past.

For all its beauty however, there was still one among them who couldn't see it, and as Keiichi slowly led his friend outside the station he had to bite his lip. "It's been so long since I came here," the girl was whispering as her friend guided her through the crowd, the other members of the group currently arguing over taxi fare ahead of them. Traffic had started to run again as soon as 6 PM struck it seemed, and cars were again roaming the streets freely as they came to the roads. While those ahead continued to argue however, Keiichi looked around for a bench, his friend breathing in the air of the city with a sigh. "Six... Seven years maybe..?"

Well... He'd first met her in year one of middle school, so it was at least three... In any case, with a number like that, when they hadn't even started high-school yet... "It's a long time," her friend muttered in agreement, Shizuka smiling somewhat as she 'looked' at the boy.

"I used to pass this station on my way to school every morning with Katsuya-nihan," she said lightly, shaking her head as the smile saddened. "I... I would love to be able to see this city again..."

Keiichi nodded somewhat, loosely holding her hand as he looked away. She would... But in the end, the fear of that being ripped away was... Just too much. And in the end, he'd said all he could, hadn't he?

The boy continued to stare off somewhat as their 'travel companions' finally stopped bickering, turning to the pair with nods. "Alright," Honda muttered, scratching his head and walking toward them with a shrug, "So... Domino Pier is at the exact other end of the city..." The exact other end? He was pretty sure it was more to the east, given that was the only side Domino had a harbour on according to the map... The teen continued to scratch his head, before moving his hands to his pockets. "Anyways, since I paid for the food, I can't pay for a cab heading out that far..."

"And I paid for almost three train tickets," Otogi added with a frown as he momentarily glared at his friend, "So I don't even have change for a block in a taxi..." Wh... The two fell silent at that, the others blinking for a moment before Keiichi tensed.

Oh hell they were looking at him! "Gh- Oi oi... Don't tell me you expect me to pay," he growled. "I just finished spending all I had on the hotel room I used here, I don't have anything left!" Which reminded him, he really had to thank Jonouchi for that ramen now...

Shizuka sighed, feeling around for a bench to sit on as the others continued to argue about the cab. "Well then what do we do," Honda hissed in response, "Walk around for forty minutes?"

Otogi scowled at that, shaking his head as he dropped the expression to sigh. "Well, it's our only bet... But who'll carry Shizuka-chan," he asked, Keiichi and Shizuka both raising their eyebrows briefly at the question. Er... What..?

The two teens paused at that, Honda frowning as he mulled the question over. "Hnn..." The taller of the boys immediately began glaring at each other when the answer refused to appear, both gritting their teeth. "Tch... Ja-Ken for it," Honda shouted, holding out a fist.

The other nodded, doing the same with a shout. "Right!" Wh-

"Gh- She can walk on her own you nimrods!"

"Hihihihihi..!" Laughter filled the air from the distance, the blood draining from two of the teens faces in response. That sound... Honda and Ryuzaki traded looks briefly before the shorter shrugged, shaking his head with a swallow.

"H-Hey," he said quickly, "I'm not dueling any more today, and-"

"M.. Mai," Honda shouted, the teen grabbing Otogi by the arm and running off toward the source. "Mai!"

"Hey, what-" Otogi cut himself off as he caught sight at the woman Honda was pulling him towards, choking somewhat as his friend continued shouting.

"What ever you do, don't do what I would," he seemed to hiss, running over to the scantily clad woman with a cough. "Hey Mai, you... You gotta help us," he asked nervously, "We-"

The woman turned from where she'd finished speaking on a train station pay phone, raising her eyebrows momentarily before grinning. "Ah- Honda! I haven't seen you since February!" There was a slight look of incredulity from Otogi as his friend grinned, the woman laughing somewhat. "Hah! That makes everyone but Jonouchi," she muttered, crossing her arms with a slightly wry smirk. "Well... I don't suppose you know where he is do you," she asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'd like to at least say 'hello' before the finals, maybe see how he's doing..."

"Er... Actually it's about that," Otogi said with a cough, finally finding his voice as his face grew tomato red. "See, we think he's at the pier," he continued, "But-"

There was a cough from behind the two, Keiichi helping his friend up and leading the girl over with a scowl. "Hey thanks for leaving us behind you dicks..." The two laughed somewhat nervously rather than snarling at the jibe, the shorter of the three continuing to scowl as he looked toward Mai. Eck... Of all the 'coincidences'...

They just had to know Mai personally, didn't they, he thought with a slight look of distaste. "Ah- Dinosaur Ryuzaki," she asked, the Keiichi continuing to frown.

"Its... It's a long story," Honda said with a cough, ignoring the scowl from the others in response. Oh come on, it would take five minutes tops. "Anyways, we need to get to the pier and-"

"Ah... So you're Kujaku Mai," another voice cut in, Shizuka turning to where Mai's voice had come from. The woman blinked, looking over Shizuka as the girl bowed somewhat in greeting. "Katsuya-nihan told me about you," she explained as the others stared, smiling politely. "You're the one who gave him and his friends chocolate on Valentines right?"

Otogi coughed at that, staring as Keiichi shook himself. "H- Mai gave you chocolate," the boy hissed, the others shrugging as the more red-faced blinked a few times.

"Well... I wasn't there so..."

"Katsuya..." The others blinked as the older woman crossed her arms, staring. "That's Jonouchi. right," Mai asked, Shizuka nodding in response. She fell silent for a moment at that, staring at the girl with an odd expression on her face before glancing to the others. "...Alright. I'll take you to the pier in my car," she decided, the others jumping somewhat in response. Ah- Just like that? "It's just over there," she added, pointing toward the parking lot. "I'll help Shizuka over in a moment, so just wait in the car," she continued plainly. "It'll be the red one." Either Mai was laid back about car security and had left the doors open, or she had a convertible... ...A red...

Convertible... The boys turned, walking toward the lot as Mai stared talking with Shizuka behind them. It didn't take too long to find the car in question, but when they did, it certainly stopped them in their tracks. "Ah- That's... That's a..."

Honda grinned as the two others stared incredulously at the car, the two looking back at their friend with wide eyes. "That's a... Is that a ferrari," Otogi asked incredulously, the grin widening from behind them.

"What did I tell you," the teen said with a laugh, hopping over the side of the 'roof-less' vehicle to sit in the back. "She's the greatest!"

Besides the fact that this was the exact opposite of what Honda had been complaining about earlier on, there were no disagreements when Mai returned with Shizuka to start the car.

AN: You can all cheer up with that ending~ It was either that or do a really mean mood-whiplash with the next chapter by starting it off with this.

In any case, you haven't seen anything yet when it comes to the Millennium Rod! Prepare to have nightmares! (And in the case of the next chapter, fan-art to fuel them.)

And in other news, I've been listening to 'Coward Mont Blanc' endlessly as I typed this chapter. Bizarrely, it creates a very welcome mood and feel to type this stuff to.

Even though the message of the song conveys something like a couple breaking up, or an abortion... And is by vocaloid Gumi...

Don't you judge me in how my brain works!

Now, since I can't say much else lest buckets of spoilers fall out of my mouth (Did I mention I'm really excited about this duel, even though it's actually almost over?), we're moving on!

Anonymous Review Responses

Hey there CynicalGamer! And oh my god it's way worse; if he'd been 'normal' he'd have blacked out! And as you can see above, I have raised still more questions… Though if you look closely, this can also be considered a hint as to his Egyptian origins.

Clearly the reason is because of friends. Yes… (Though regardless of what Seto thinks, it did end up being Mokuba's worry that got her to speak up.)

And hehehehe… It's always fun to 'ruin the dub' as I put it. It makes me feel like I'm breaking all the rules of broadcasting, even though it's just fanfic.

And as usual, regardless of time, your response is always welcome! I'm glad my explanations were of use, and as for the Rod being creepy…

Oooooh just wait… (And yes, you could argue that it's the 'Will' of the Millennium Rod. A closer description would be the 'embodiment', effectively the Rod itself; in fact, with the Tauk and Eye both, that's exactly what Jonouchi met. He was effectively speaking with the items.) As for when the others will realize what's going on, it's very soon; within this arc at least.

Though it could end up pushed back depending on which duel I decide to use, due to the Virtual World Arc… Oh well. Fun times! Let's go!

Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that can't help but shudder when it realizes how much more is yet to come...

The chapter title 'Where Katsuya Waits' is referring to the title of the 'last' manga chapter, rather, the one depicted at the centre of the last chapter. It was called 'Where Jonouchi Waits', and was basically the chapter where Malik pestered Yugi about how he'd kidnapped his friends and such.

In other words, the 'duel-wrap-up' chapter. How dare they waste a good title there! As for the Katsuya used instead of Jonouchi…

That's for you to find out later, hehehehe.

Originally, Mokuba asks why they aren't just heading for the finals since Kaiba has all six cards. He also calls Jonouchi a loser.

You can probably guess really, really quickly how much dialogue was changed in this chapter. Also why.

One of those other changes was Kaiba's focus in the conversation; originally, Kaiba was pushing about 'Ra', asking if Malik really had it. But as you can see, Kaiba's currently a little more focused on other things. Kaiba also took this scene far more lightly in the anime and manga, and it wasn't until the threat of the duel Yugi was being pulled into was revealed (As in, AFTER they were shackled to an anchor!) that he dropped the grin for sheer horror and disgust!

And of course in this case, Kaiba just ended up feeling worse rather than going from amused as heck to disgusted.

It's true! In hypnotism, you can't make a person do something they wouldn't want to do! It's impossible!

Remember way back when I fixed the 'age issue' with everyone? Here's a simple and easy chart to see who's older than who in this fanfic. And their birthdays!

Of which Shizuka has none; quick, send in your ideas! (I'd say the same for Rishid, but we'll be seeing a lot more of Shizuka compared to him...)

As a side note, remember; for those in the same 'year', the 'year' doesn't start until April, due to how the school system works over there; in other words, for the main cast, the closer you are to April, the older. So those who are certain years older than the others might only be a few months apart. As for what 'by fanfic's standards' means, it means that certain ages are obviously different than what the anime says, due to the timing of things and the birthdates. (In other words, it's a disclaimer. Hee.)

And also yes, this means Haga is turning 14 while everyone is in the airship. He's still only considered 'two years younger' due to the above though, not to mention the fact that he's written down as 13 because it's only the 20th in the fanfic. Now then! It's a long one...

Oldest

Rishid Ishtar (Age unknown; but given that he's older than Ishizu...) - No known birthday!

Mai Kujaku (Eight years older than the main cast; currently 24 by fanfic's standards) – November 20

Ishizu Ishtar (Five years older than the main cast; currently 21 by fanfic's standards) – April 5

Malik Ishtar (One year older than the main cast; currently 17 by fanfic's standards) – December 23

Hiroto Honda (17 by fanfic's standards) – April 19

Yugi Mutou (17 by fanfic's standards) – June 4

Anzu Mazaki (16 by fanfic's standards) – August 18

Ryou Bakura (16 by fanfic's standards) – September 2

Seto Kaiba (16 by fanfic's standards) – October 25

Katsuya Jonouchi (16 by fanfic's standards) – January 25

Ryuuji Otogi (16 by fanfic's standards) – February 28

Shizuka Kawai (One Year younger than the main cast; most likely 15 by fanfic's standards) – Unknown

Keiichi Ryuuzaki (One Year younger than the main cast; 14 by fanfic's standards) – December 29

Katsugi Haga (Two years younger than the main cast; 13 by fanfic's standards) – July 21

Mokuba Kaiba (Five years younger than the main cast; 12 by fanfic's standards) – July 7

Youngest

You'll notice Rebecca isn't up there. Apparently, she doesn't have a birthday either. (As it is, the only reason I can place both Rishid and Shizuka with confidence is because Mai's birthday is relatively late in the year, and Ryuzaki's is on the freaking 29th of December.)

I actually cut a large chunk of dialogue out from this section as well, in addition to the alterations; originally, Kaiba has a fair amount to say about 'why people fight', and seems quite entertained by the idea of the two best friends duking it out… And then the above happened and… Yea. In any case, since Fanfic Kaiba actually is worried about Jonouchi before getting there, she obviously isn't doing any of that.

Oh hey, possessed Jonouchi. You can tell he's possessed, because his accent mysteriously vanished. (Ohohohoho) And yes, the Millennium Rod is ad-libbing rather than broadcasting Malik's voice; it's because he can directly tick Jonouchi off that way, by saying the exact opposite of what the blond wants... Ironically, this makes it seem as though Malik has that much control over Jonouchi... When in reality, it's no more than others, if anything, less than others, because this means Jonouchi can fight back.

Since Kaiba's taking a far more direct role in terms of the possession issue, the speech given to Mokuba about duelists is cut as well. So much cutting! And on another 'cut' note, Yugi originally said they were supposed to fight with pride on the line. Because hey, that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of playing against a friend. Telling them that they'll be horribly humiliated when they lose.

Kaiba's referring to the promise Jonouchi gave to 'not die' of course. Or make her brother worry. Of course, she's too damn proud to admit to saying it was a promise between two people as... Well, people, so she's saying 'employee'.

I tell you, in a language that's so rooted in gender-specific pronouns, it's hard to figure out how to deal with the 'Anzu's a she but is possessed by a man' bit. In the end, all pronouns directly referring to Malik, speech in other words, will be male. Actions however, or anything referring to the body, will be female. Yayyyy.

Anzu got rid of the poison capsule because it wasn't needed any more; the Kaiba siblings stay out of the duel because of the younger being held at knifepoint, not because Anzu's going to die. As to tossing the coat and duel-disk aside...

Whaaaaat! But Usagi, Kaiba later takes those two out using cards!

Oh trust me guys, Fanfic-Kaiba's way will be much better. I think. Um. And on a side note with the duel disk, you've probably been wondering why I'm pressing the hint that you could potentially injure someone with it.

You will see, trust me. And you will probably shit bricks as a result.

For those wondering why the Rod is being referred to as 'he', it's because it's possessing a male body and fulfilling the will of a male item-holder. Also, it sounds male, so that's the 'gender' Jou's mind is subconciously pinning to it.

Alligator, or 'Gator''s way of referring to Jonouchi uses a Chinese honorific meant for male friends and respected people... Since he has a Chinese accent. And since Jonouchi is technically both in his monster's eyes, this fits.

'Raigeki' is a verb of sorts (It's not technically a verb.), meaning 'to be struck by lightning'. It also means 'torpedo strike' oddly enough…

'Hinotama' on the other hand comes from 'Hi', or 'Fire', and 'Tama', meaning 'Ball'. 'Hinotama' literally means 'Ball of Fire'; the 'no' is a particle.

And as a bit of a genius bonus... Hinotama is also the term used for shooting stars, AKA meteorites and comets.

Here's another note on the heart/soul deal; Yugi is saying 'kokoro'. So it can mean heart both figuratively (IE, the 'soul') and literally. As to why I'm bothering with that... Eh, mostly a reminder.

Part of the 'Leaving with Mai' conversation was cut, as rather than Mai leaving the others to speak to Shizuka, Ryuzaki walks over with her; because really, leaving the recently blinded alone on a bench is not cool. (Mai originally moved from the boys to where Shizuka was sitting, and then encouraged her to take off the bandages. She still does this, but since it's Ryuzaki's point of view, we don't hear it.)

Also, don't tell those two they're holding hands, they'll probably both deny it and make excuses really really quickly.

Speaking of the above scene, when Honda says 'Jan-ken', he refers to what Rock-Paper-Scissors is known as in Japan (And South America oddly enough), namely 'Jan-Ken-Pon'.

Otogi's reaction to Mai is based on a later panel in the manga; while they're driving off in Mai's car, Honda's freaking out about the speed while Otogi is beet red thinking 'Mai's HOT!'.

Says the one who could potentially turn men gay by simply existing...

As for Mai's car, it's hard to tell from the manga, but besides being a red convertible, the little logo on the front looks suspiciously like a rearing horse… You know… The Ferrari's symbol..?

Well, that's it for today! Expect the next chapter soon enough...

Until next time!