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

90. Chapter 89

Moments of Dying

---

The last thing he remembered clearly was a scream. Rather, the last thing that he could remember was a scream along with a sharp stinging pain through his middle. Not even 'around' or 'on' as one would expect in such a situation.

Through. Complete with the lack of sensation between it, with his consciousness dully aware that there was nothing to feel. And then there was the sensation of falling... The sight of the steel ceiling above, the cold feeling he had despite the heat he'd been subject to before, despite the heat that should have been surrounding him at that moment as he hit something 'soft'...

And then darkness. Complete and utter darkness that had him wondering if he was really dead, if he would never awaken again. That was what he remembered... But now, for some reason, he could hear... Singing. No, not even that, he told himself as he opened his eyes, an almost static-like film coming over them as he groaned.

Humming. "Hn-hn-hn-hn-hnn-hn... Hnn-hn... Hnn-hn... Nnnn-Nn-n-nh-nh-nh-nh, Nnnhnhn-hn-hnhn..." Definitely humming he told himself. Couldn't recognize the song... But he was pretty sure it was humming. "Hn-hn-hn-hn-hnn-hn... Hnn-N... ..." And then it stopped. The source, a small white coloured girl he noted through the sparking haze, suddenly froze at her computer desk before turning. "...You're awake... How odd," she muttered monotonously, the girl walking toward him. Strange... Eh. He merely continued to wince with a dull pain that was beginning to return in response, not feeling well enough to talk.

Hn! With that in mind, maybe it was strange that he was awake... Honda continued to groan, moving to rub his head only to wince with pain as a sharp shock rand down his shoulder. Acck...

Don't do that again he told himself, letting out a slight grunt in pain, don't ever, ever- "...You're still 'aware'," the girl continued to mutter, Honda tensing as he attempted to turn his head.

Eh? Aware, he thought with a frown, narrowing his eyes. What the hell did that mean, 'aware'..?

The girl, resembling an odd mix between an albino and Kaiba's trademark monster merely continued to stare, half-lidded glowing with a slight curiosity despite their 'faded' appearance. "Yes... It's strange," she muttered, hands folded in front of her, "That wasn't supposed to happen..." Um... O... Kay... The girl seemed to lean in, staring at his face as though it were some oddity before abruptly pulling back in her chair. "...Stay here," the girl decided, moving from the computer she'd been sitting at in what looked to be a bunker of sorts beneath the ground. "I will discern the cause..."

The cause of what? He turned, stumbling as he tried to stand in protest. Ack- He couldn't walk... He looked down, staring at the ground with a scowl before looking back up. Not the point. That girl... "Gh... HEY! What are you-" He paused, blinking as he was met with empty air. "Talking... About... ...Hah. Gone..." She was gone... As though she'd simply evaporated in think air. That was weird. "Man..." So was his voice actually; had some weird, metallic undertone it seemed. Regardless of the oddness of the situation, this probably wasn't the time to complain.

Seeing how he'd expected to die and all that. He sighed, looking around the room with a frown as confusion continued to strike. Hn. Couldn't walk, couldn't speak or see properly... And to top it all off everything around him was at least five times taller than it should have been, he noted, looking up at the desks with narrowed eyes. Sheesh... Just where was this place?

The teen continued his attempts to stand, stumbling somewhat forward with a grunt. Hands, for some reason unseen to him, eventually caught on something, and as he stepped forward he soon came to achieve an odd sort of balance. God... Couldn't even look down properly and it hurt, same with moving his arms... He continued to lay a hand on the wall at the side, moving forward. What happened when he died? If anything he'd think his stomach would hurt, not his joints and head. Honda shook himself despite this, instead stumbling along the metal wall before pausing. The hairs by the back of his neck were bristling, senses on high alert. Something was in the room... Something else he told himself, turning slowly to the side with narrowed eyes. Something- "Oh-" He blinked, staring at the side as his eyes met with a similarly sized 'dog' of sorts. 'Of sorts' being key it looked like; a mask of sorts sat over its face, and the fact was, he couldn't remember the last time dogs stood on their hind-legs...

Still, he supposed in a weird way it was kinda cute, despite being his size. Something he'd say even Shizuka would be interested in actually. "Er... Hey there," he laughed, eyes shut for a moment before he stared at the thing again. It was oddly silent he supposed, but that was a muzzle. "Soooo... How are you," he continued with a wave, before freezing in shock. Hold on, that wasn't... "Ah... Aaah! AHHH!" The dog stumbled back, falling over himself as he scooted away from the reflection on all fours, backing away in horror as he stared at what was his reflection. This... This was... "Wh-Wh-Wh... Holy shit... They... They actually did it," he whispered, shaking his head as he stared at the almost depressing looking 'mask' that was now his face. "Holy fuck..." His body...

They took his body... They'd replaced it with... This! The 'dog' gasped for breath, shaking as he subconsciously took a dog's typical crouching 'fight' stance to pace around the image of himself. Growling was coming through the air, and it was probably his. After a while however he found his heart-rate slowing, breathing calming as he stepped closer. "Ahhhh... Shit... What the hell kind of body did they put me in," he muttered, slowly approaching the shining computer casing to further study his reflection. "W...What am I a puppy..?" Or... A terrier? Something..? Some kind of dog..?

He couldn't well see his face after all he thought with a swallow, shaking and quivering in a mix of fear and shock both. A paw was slowly raised forward, the dog 'grimacing' despite his 'mask revealing nothing of the emotion. "Man... This is just... Ahhhh..." He tapped the side slowly, hesitantly as his reflection matched up with his 'arm'. It was his. The paws, the fur, the tail... All his he told himself, before sitting back with a swallow. "Damn it..." Well... This was just perfect, wasn't it. Not only did he get to die, he was stuck in a puppy with an S-and-M mask. "This Noa kid has some twisted interests," he growled, tail thumping the ground in agitation as a more feral sound escaped the mask's vents. "Not to mention a sick sense of humor... Ah... Hang on..." The dog frowned, stepping forward to squint at his reflection for a moment. When he spoke... Lines appeared when he spoke, just splitting slightly into four directions from between his 'eyes'. But that couldn't be right... Hell... "What kind of mask is this," he muttered, staring at the lines that just briefly appeared when he did so. Hnnn... This... Just a theory but...

What would happen if he tried to open his mouth 'wide' he asked himself, tilting his head before doing just that. "Aaaaaaaaaaaa- A-AAAAHH! AHHHHH! OH MY GOD! OH MY- AAAAAUUUUHHH!" Honda pulled back from the reflection instantly as he opened his 'mouth' wide, pushing and backing away from the thing that opened from his head as he screamed. The reflection was long forgotten in the noise, but despite this he continued to panic. No eyes... He had no eyes, no mouth, no nose, no tonge, no nothing..! "AHHHH-AAAHHH-AAAHHHH! !" Claws scratched at metal flaps as they spread into the air, wires and filaments flailing from within as a small black and empty screen/speaker faced out from the very bottom. It wasn't moving... Attached to his neck by a collar it wasn't moving, it wasn't... "OH GOD WHAT IS THIS," he screamed, rolling back to his feet as more canine instincts continued to fight the thing as though it were a vet's cone. "AHHHHH..!"

This thing... This... THING...

Honda choked, slowly pulling his breathing back under control as he caught sight of his shadow. He had to calm down, he told himself. He had to... But his head... The dog continued to 'stare', shuddering as he looked at the thing over his head. It looked more like a 'flower' right now, just slowly pulling back in on itself to reform the twisted mask it was before. It was almost like his entire skull was a giant, multi-petalled flytrap, some monstrous alien thing that hid in plain sight...

As horrific as it was to even think about that. "Hahh... Hah..." Alright... He needed to calm down damn it! So... So he had a head that split open like a great big flower with teeth for the moment. Alright! Well, he'd just have to live with that and get his body back, and that was what he'd do just now! Heck, this could have been so much worse he told himself, slowly beginning to move again as the head 're-sealed'. After all...

He could have ended up a monkey. Now that would have been horrible Honda chuckled mentally, continuing out of the room before pausing. ...Hang on... Did he hear...

"Hey," a familiar voice asked, accented by the sounds of footsteps. "Do you think... He's somewhere around here..?"

That sound... Where was it coming from? The dog froze as he heard Yugi's voice continue, a slight 'yelp' escaping him as he looked up to the devices at the side. A... The computer screen..? Voices continued through the air, Honda tilting his head somewhat before hopping on the chair beside it to inspect the device. Yep... It was definitely a screen, but where were the others he asked himself, before 'blinking' as he caught sight of a second one. "A-Ahh..! It's them," he shouted, 'head' opening and closing with the shout as he hurriedly reeled in the volume on his voice. Note to self, don't do that... The dog stared, hopping somewhat in place as he watched the crowd walk through the ruined city. An outfit almost similar to his pervious one, complete with goggles... Otogi's 'dancer' outfit, a different, white-haired look for Shizuka... Robes on both of the others, with a snake coiled about Anzu's wrist. These guys... "Yugi... Jonouchi... And..." And the others... They made it! They lived he told himself, before frowning as he turned around.

"...O-Oii... Is my tail wagging..?" ...Yes. Yes it was, though he should probably just not think about that... Given the fact that he shouldn't have had one at all. Instead he leaned closer to the screen, paws dabbing at the keys as he narrowed his eyes to stare. Yugi and everyone... Sure, it was the other Yugi, but even so, at least they were there. "Damn... Where are they..?"

There were no signs to answer that question, but as he stared at the screen he could see them speaking. They were worried about him... Searching... "Hey... They might have said they'd take his body, but they never said they'd kill him outright," Jonouchi was saying at the moment in regards to Yugi's earlier question, the dog at the screen giving a slight whine in response as he pawed the computer for balance. Those guys... They... "Maybe he's around here somewhere... Maybe if we look hard enough," his friend continued quietly, "We'll find him again..." Guys... He couldn't feel ungrateful about that in any way, and yet...

Would they recognize him at all he asked himself, hopping back to the ground with another whine at the thought. He was barely a foot tall, let along his normal height and appearance both! There was nothing to give him away, nothing at all, and who was to say they would believe anything he said..? They...

The dog steeled himself, shaking his head. They just had to know who he was though he told himself, narrowing his eyes in determination. They had to..! They just... Had to!

And with that in mind he hurried off down the hall with a nod, hopping over piles of boxes and cables as he went in the direction he just knew was the way out. He'd just have to have hope... He'd find them, and with their help get through all of this...

No matter what!

---

The ruins of Alcatraz and the city around them had changed considerably in the time it took to travel to the outer limits from the desert. In that amount of time, what had been less than a minute it seemed, a violent and brilliantly formed storm had developed, with runes appearing in the sky and patterns etching on the ground in ritualistic patterns. Within seconds the siblings walk had become a rush for shelter, pieces of ground tearing from the earth, buildings collapsing on themselves before scattering into the air to hover in place, the two attempting to avoid being either launched through the air or worse...

And above it all they could hear one loud and miserable battle cry, the sky above them filling with fog and the scent of blood. It was altogether almost frightening, to say the least. Something that had both Seto and Mokuba holding their weapons at the ready, back to back with narrowed eyes for fear of encountering whatever had caused, or possibly released, that scream. As it was, they were not alone. "...Someone's there," Mokuba was whispering, looking around them at the ruined buildings with a swallow. "But where is this," he continued, not looking back.

Seto shook her head, frowning as she took in the ruined and collapsed scenery. The hall was just an entrance to the lower and upper level's of a parking garage from what she could tell, but given the lack of a roof... "I don't know," she admitted, narrowing her eyes in thought. "It looks familiar but..." All the same it wasn't, not in any way at all. More like a mix... There were signs at the side written in what looked to be German that she recognized; and though this was helpful she told herself, it merely served to at the same time further confuse her. Seconds ago they had stood outside of the factory Alcatraz, watching its ruined form collapse- so why was it that they were now in Germany?

-tpf-f- A pebble clattered to the ground, the siblings attention instant drawn forward. "Hn! This-" The two turned, narrowing their eyes as the sound of footsteps came over the air, running along the edge of the building above. A shadow arose in the fog of the roofs... A somewhat tall figure, pointing toward them, with something in his hands...

But what... Seto's eyes widened as she heard the tell tale click of a safety being removed, hurriedly grabbing her brother and throwing them both to the ground without hesitation. "GET DOWN," she shouted abruptly, gunfire echoing through the air with the chipping of the ground at their side. You never hear the bullet she repeated in her mind, you never hear the bullet, never... In an instant she turned with Mokuba's arm tightly in her grasp, the two taking slight cover behind a ruined wall as she looked to their attacker with narrowed eyes. Bastard... Try and fight like that would they? She stood, the shots briefly halting as she looked toward her target. "FIRE!"

As the flames shot forward the figure jumped, moving to the side before the sounds of gun-fire again came through the air. Bullets spun and dug through the ground, the shadow moving closer and closer... "Gh- Nee-sama," Mokuba shouted abruptly, the woman looking around the corner as they continued to hide, "These things are going through the stone!" What..!

Seto glanced back for a moment, growing pale as she spotted the hole near their head. Shit... The woman grabbed her brother's arm, both fleeing to another wall for cover as the near blinding shots continued. "Gh... What kind of bullet does that kind of damage," she growled, gripping her sword with narrowed eyes before looking back around the corner. Their attacker was well hidden... Nothing but a shrouded figure in the fog that was now at ground level, a fact that seemed to matter little to the man before them.

A fact that seemed to even work in his favor/ "I know you're out there," a chilling voice called out, sounding almost similar to Honda's own as he moved past their hiding place. "Come on out 'Ojou-chan'..." Ojo-

The woman stood to snarl toward the source, running out with her blade forward as she grit her teeth. "Gh... I am no 'OJOU'," she snarled, swinging the blade forward at the shadow as it turned in shock. Fog cleared somewhat from the area in the resulting clash, and as the blade was blocked she abruptly tensed with shock. "Ngh-... You..!" It was this guy!

"That... It's Honda," Mokuba shouted incredulously, his sister narrowing her eyes as she stared toward the twin bayonets forcing the block against her sword. "...But what are you doing..?"

'Honda' merely chuckled, clicking the safety off both weapons once more with a sadist's grin. "Hello there 'Seto'... Doing well I assume?"

What..! Seto's eyes widened, momentarily frozen in shock as the first of the guns was moved to point toward her skull. Earlier 'Honda' called her 'Ojou'... That meant he knew... That meant..."Gh... You're..."

"Not who you think," the teen growled, before his opponent kicked back from the ground to duck underneath the shot he'd fired. 'Honda' again began to chuckle however, bringing the weapon back to brush against his magazine belt with a smirk. "Although... I can see how you'd be confused. Believe me though," he sneered, pointing his weapon forward again as the revolver barrel spun, "My hatred for you is quite unchanged..." Hatred..?

Seto's eyes widened briefly as she paced around her opponent, before narrowing them back into a fight for bodies... Honda didn't even duel last time she bothered to listen to the mutt, it wouldn't be surprising if he was the first to go..! The woman scowled, before hurriedly bringing her sword forward to block a fired bullet as the thought came to mind. A chip appeared in the sword... And another, and another as the bullets were fired. "Tch... And just what 'hatred' would that be," she snarled, silently charging up a spell as her sword glowed red. "If you are who I think," the woman added, before steadying her stance as her opponent moved to charge.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Does it really matter," he roared, forgoing the bullets for the sake of close combat. "HAAAAAA-AAH!"

"GH- FIRE," the woman countered, swinging the blade to throw her opponent back as he charged. The flames filled the air and the space he'd fallen, Seto snorting at the so called 'fight' that had occurred. "You... You think you of all people can stand against me," she snarled, watching as a shadow rose from the flames.

The teen pulled himself up from the ground almost effortlessly, fog continuing to clear as Seto paled. Impossible... Not a speck of ash was on the teen's form, not even a wisp of smoke, and as 'Honda' stepped forward, a vicious grin appeared on his face. Immune.. He was immune... "Are you done," he asked, brushing one of the guns against his magazine-packs as he again re-loaded his weapons. Gh...

Far from it she told herself, taking a stance with her blade as she narrowed her eyes and prepared to fight. Far from- "HONDA!" Ah-! Seto turned, eyes wide as the rest of Yugi's usual 'crowd' came running through the fog, panic and worry evident in their expressions. Robes, leather, cloth... Interesting how one was still in 'deckmaster form', not that she had the time to consider that. "Guys," Anzu was shouting, gesturing forward with a snake and a staff both in her hands. "Over here," she was continuing, "I found him!"

"Ah- Honda," Yugi called out, the group stopping as 'Honda' looked over with near rage filled eyes, the group too far to notice the sour expression. "You're alright!" This...

"Yugi..." All of them were there... And in addition... The woman hurriedly glanced down at herself in the corner of her eye, before looking back to her opponent in slight relief. If her armor had been anything else she'd have been exposed... But it was alright; so long as no one got too close they wouldn't see anything, and she would be safe. Besides that though...

"Tch... Backup," her opponent hissed, pulling his guns back with narrowed eyes as he backed away from the approaching crowd and Seto both. "Just what I need..!"

Well if that didn't give him away... "This... Guy's, not to complain," Otogi muttered with a swallow, "But I have a nasty feeling this isn't him..." Huh! Really now? What gave him away, the expression, the guns, or his words..?

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Shouts of protest came from the side as they realized what had happened, 'Honda' continuing to laugh as the grin over his face grew. "Did you honestly think you would find your 'friend' in his own body," the 'teen' asked, his weapons appearing to glow somewhat with a hidden power. "This is mine now," he chuckled, spinning a revolver on his hand as he pointed the second forward. "Property of 'Ota Soichiro' and soon to be known as such... But first," the teen continued, firing his weapon as his opponent brought her sword forward, "TO DEAL WITH YOU! BLADE SHOT!"

"HN!" Metal clashed against metal, the blade easily blocking the attacks only for the woman to be thrown back with a short shout of surprise as the force knocked her against a somewhat distant building. "GHK! Gnh..!" D-Damn it! That wouldn't have happened in the real world, so how- She grabbed her arm, looking up only to grow white as the white spots in her eyes cleared to see the muzzle of a gun. "..Sff!"

"N-Ne... Nii-sama," Mokuba shouted, having come out from his cover only to freeze and step away nervously at the sight of the cornered woman. "A-Ah..."

"K-Kaiba," Yugi whispered, his own friends tensed and frozen in shock themselves as their possessed friend chuckled.

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." The woman grit her teeth as the barrel of a gun met with the center of her face, sword lying at a distance thanks to the shock of the blast. "Don't move, or even think," 'Ota' warned, finger closing in on the trigger as a bead of sweat ran down the woman's face. "I'm going to kill you right now... You shouldn't underestimate the abilities of a marksman's body," he continued, narrowing his eyes. "Sayounara, Seto-oj-"

"RAOF! AOF, AOF!"

"W- G-" Barking echoed through the air as Seto closed her eyes, before blood-curdling screams forced her to open them again. The gun was gone... Something else had attacked. "GHRAAAAAAAAGGHHH! AAGGGHHH!" Ota abruptly pulled at his face as a creature struck with as much ferocity as possible, the crowd momentarily frozen in shock as Seto hurriedly went for her sword. "RHAAAAAAAAHHH!" A monster... A 'thing' had latched to the man's face, something with the body of a small dog with the head of some twisted metal monster, four panels of steel digging into the teen's skull with all the ferocity of an alligator. Something that wasn't going to let go if its life depended on it, something that likely applied completely.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRNN... RRAAARRRRRRNNNN!" Snarls continued... Blood dripped from between the jaws but as a third sound cut through the air she turned. "RER-f!" A yelp shot through the air, Seto bringing her swords up just in time to watch Ota rip the dog from his now sliced and bleeding face with a scowl.

"You... You scum," he hissed, approaching the dog with a snarl. "I'm going to-"

This was her chance. "AERO!" Rather than a blade Ota's face and body were met with a solid blast of air, the force alone enough to send him flying into the fog and out of sight. Attacking her... Tch! Did he honestly expect to succeed she thought with a growl, the dog at the side 'rebuilding' its head with a moan as she continued to stare into the foggy scene.

"Heh... Nice one, Se- ...Kaiba," Jonouchi corrected and shouted from the side, a few of the others staring incredulously as the woman gave no response.

"'Nice one'," Anzu repeated dully, Seto in the meantime approaching the area her opponent fell with slow caution, "I don't think that's really a good thing to say when it's Honda's bod-"

-RRRRNNNNNNN-RNNNN-

Rumbling tore through the air, the group paling as they turned to the source. Um. Shit. A light shone through the fog, Seto hurriedly jumping to the side as a bike spun and screeched out from the wreckage, narrowly missing the woman as she grit her teeth. "Gh- Ota..!"

A bang sounded through the air... "NII-SAMA," her brother cried, appearing almost as stone as the woman looked up from the ground. He'd been moving to charge with his wakizashi, the blade now frozen in his very hands. "NII-SAMA, I can't-" Petrification...

"Mokuba..!" The woman turned to charge the bike, only for the following events to move too quickly for her to effect them.

"You took something of mine," Ota called out, snatching the immobilized boy under his arm as the bike spun and revved, "Now allow me to take something of yours!" What... WHAT...!

"You... YOU-" The engine was already roaring as she charged, tearing off through a tunnel at the side as she stared. "Ota..!" Shouts were already echoing through the air in rage... The others charged off to the ruined tunnel Ota had shot down, shouting threats as they squinted into the dark. Nothing, she told herself, shaking her head... That would do nothing, she needed something that would move- ...Aha... "Take my brother will you," she growled, pushing the rubble from the side of where she'd previously fallen and sheathing her blade. Stones and steel slats were pushed aside as she uncovered a second bike, throwing her leg over the side and taking the handles in her grip. "Bastard... I'll make your death as painful as possible..!" Simply gripping the handles the vehicle roared to a start, the others before her hurriedly jumping to the side as she tore off in the same direction as her brother's captor. "OUT OF MY WAY," she snarled, taking off. "Unless you want to get run over!"

"A-AH- Wait, S- Kaiba," Jonouchi shouted from behind, shouts already fading as she chased after her brother's captor in the darkness of the tunnel. "WAIT! HEY!"

There was only one thing on her mind as the voices faded completely, her motorcycle exiting onto an enormous bridge towering above a city scape. The man ahead of her, regardless of identity, had her brother. And so help her she thought, the vehicle glowing with energy as she charged up an attack, the moment she saw that person he was dead.

---

"KAIBA," Yugi shouted, frowning as the bike vanished off. The shouts of the others bounced across the walls of the tunnel as their friend disappeared, the boy falling silent as he stared off. "Gh... This..."

"It looks like they... Looks like they really did it," Otogi whispered, lowering his gaze as they stared through the tunnel with similar expressions of despair. "They took his body..."

"But then what happened to his real one, or even just his mind," Anzu asked, turning to the others in worry. "I mean... If each of the big five became their deckmasters," she continued, "Then how will we find him? Honda isn't dueling any more..."

"Not t' mention tha' they aren't r'stricted to th' deckmasters," Katsuya muttered, the others turning as he explained somewhat. "If they were," he was muttering, "I wouldn' have seen Oka b'fore th' duel..." Not to mention everything else, he told himself with a wince.

Barking came from the side, the group turning as a 'dog' looked back from the ravaged battle scene before them. Just a small brown puppy, with an odd mask over it... "Ah... Hey... It's the dog that attacked Ota," Anzu noted, not realizing the pale tone that Katsuya had taken upon spotting the creature. This dog...

This was Noa's dog..! "Rff! Raof," the dog barked, mask unmoving with each sound despite the otherwise lively body below the collar. "Aof!"

Shizuka smiled at the dog's evident cheer, bending down as the puppy bounded over with a wagging tail. "Awwww... It's so cute," she said with a laugh, scratching the puppy's back as it brushed and pawed at the woman's robes. "I wonder what it's doing here..."

What it was doing... Nothing good, that was for sure. "Must be another program," he muttered, swallowing as he narrowed his eyes to step forward. "Somethin' Noa made..." Something he made to spy on them, or worse... "Hey, get away from it," he added worriedly, pulling his sister back as the girl frowned. "Tha' thing ain't somethin we can trust, believe me!"

"He's got a point," Otogi added, the dog in question whining as it lay on the concrete before them, tail drooping miserably. "Anything is possible here after all," he continued in warning, "And if we aren't careful, someone else might... Well..." He trailed off, the others nonetheless nodding in agreement despite the puppy's growls as an again morose feeling fell over the crowd. "In any case," the teen muttered, "The safest bet would probably be to leave it alone, and just walk away..." Leave it be?

"Heh! I can do y' one over," the blond beside him chuckled darkly, cracking his knuckles as he stowed his staff under his arm, "Le's jus' kill th' thin' righ' here," he offered with a frown, "So we don' have t' worry abou' it followin' us!"

The others seemed to stare with mixed reactions to the idea, Yugi in particular looking as though his lighter half was busy reprimanding him for possibly agreeing. "Ah-! Nihan," Shizuka growled, the dog in question stepping back with a nervous whine as her brother approached. "Don't!"

"W- Why not," he protested, watching as his sister scowled and blocked his path.

"Nggggh... Honestly; it tried to save Kaiba-san didn't it," she asked, the dog's tail appearing to wag with praise as the others frowned. "It's probably an ally if you think about it like that!"

"I suppose that's true," Yugi muttered, lowering his gaze in confusion. "But just why would Noa program an 'ally'..?"

Shizuka shrugged, before turning back to the dog with a comforting smile. "Hahhh... Let's just not worry about that now, alright," she asked, gesturing to the puppy with the same slightly depressed looking expression on her face. "It hasn't tried anything yet, and if Noa was attacking us," the girl continued in defense, "He'd have probably done it by now..." Well... That was true too, but this really wasn't- "Now... Come here koinu-chan," she called out sweetly, the dog bounding over with evident ease despite what was probably a degrading name.

"Rao! Raof, raof!" A 'tentacle' of sorts slipped through the cracks of the puppy's mask, licking the sides of Shizuka's face as she squealed.

"Ah! H-Hey," she protested, the taller ones of the group each tensing in response. "That tickles! Stop that!"

The dog merely 'smiled', eyes shining through the mask as it barked cheerfully. "Rao!"

Gh... Stupid dog... "Tch... You're lucky Shizuka said something," he muttered darkly from the side, "Else you'd be a dead dog..."

At this Yugi shook his head from the side, smirking somewhat at the exchange before dropping it for a frown. The fog in the air had finally cleared, leaving nothing but the layers of smog above. As it was, rubble littered the ground, leaving nothing but the tunnel. "We should find some sort of transportation," he announced, the others turning as he continued on. "Both Kaiba and Mokuba have motorcycles after all; we won't catch up if we chase them on foot."

The others blinked, Otogi frowning as he looked around and nodded. "True," he said after a moment, "We'd definitely stand more of a chance if we did that... But I don't see anything here," he continued, crossing his arms.

"I don't even know how Kaiba found that bike," Anzu added, frowning before a shout came over the air.

"Hey," a familiar and somewhat childish hissing voice called from the side. "Think this will work?" Oh? The group turned, following the shout to where Ren appeared to be sitting on a silvery-green machine, looking rather proud about having found something while they were talking. "I mean... It's not like I know much about trucks or anything, but seeing how a bike is more for one or two people..."

The teens blinked, Shizuka coming over with the dog in her arms as they stared at the mostly covered truck. "Oh... It's a 'Delta'," she muttered, Katsuya and Yugi both turning with raised eyebrows.

"Ah... A 'delta'," he repeated, his sister nodding in response.

Otogi was the one to answer despite this, moving closer as Anzu took Ren back on her arm. "A three-wheeled car," he explained, attempting to clear a few bits of rubble from the machine with a grunt. "Specifically, a vehicle with two wheels in the back and one in the front. Though this looks more like a trike," the teen muttered, before heaving a large boulder from the pile and dusting his hands off to stare. "Oh- And it's got a trailer too," he shouted back, the others looking to each other in silence.

It did indeed have a trailer, and it looked as though without it the device would simply not run. Attached to the 'car', a row of benches lined the sides, along with what looked to be an unfolding canopy and screen of sorts. For the front, there was simply the controls for the device. "Hahh... A trailer... Then we can all take the same thing," said Anzu, her partner staring at the machine with slight curiosity.

The serpent appeared to be looking at the front in particular, dangling somewhat from his partner's hand before turning. "Well.. That's great," Ren decided, "Really. But who's going to drive the thing?" Um...

A few of them looked back to Yugi, the boy raising an eyebrow before bringing his hands up in defense. "...I'm... Pretty sure I don't know how," he muttered, giving an awkward cough as he looked away.

"Well I know I don't have a licence," Anzu muttered, the others turning to Katsuya as he blinked. Wait hang on...

"E-Eh! Me," he asked almost incredulously, the others continuing to stare.

Otogi nodded, face kept rather blank. "I'm still working on my licence," he said rather plainly, shrugging as he crossed his arms. "But Honda mentioned that you and he both drove illegally a few times in late middle school, I think it was something about a cross-wired truck..." AH- He swore not to tell anyone about that!

Too late though. "You did what nihan," Shizuka hissed, the dog in her arms giving a nervous whine as the girl tensed. "I thought you told me those burns you had came from a pot," she continued, the blond vividly remembering the letter he'd sent the girl shortly after that trip.

"N-Nyhh... It was only once," the blond protested nervously, "An' we really needed th' transport," he shouted in defense, the ghost in his mind chuckling at the unease of the situation.

"A nice hole you have there chabar... Very 'roomy'." Oh stuff it already!

The blond sighed, moving toward the machine to help unbury it as the ghost did as requested. "Hahhh... Alrigh," he decided, looking at the single person car at the front as he pushed aside a few bricks of concrete, "I guess I c'n drive this thing... Looks pretty weird though," Katsuya muttered as he attempted to pull it out, "More like a bike..."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Yugi assured him, joining in with the others as the trailer was slowly cleared out and freed from the rocks. "For now," he continued seriously, "We need to focus on possibly locating Honda's 'new' body..."

Right... The others nodded, helping to pull the 'truck' out to the clearer parts of the road. "He has to be around here somewhere," Otogi said after a short moment of pushing, the dog in Shizuka's arms barking in response as their decided driver took his seat. "Though we could always try taking Ota out; that might work..."

"Aof! Aouf, raouf," the dog barked somewhat loudly, shaking his head. "Raof!"

Barking... That barking was really, really annoying... "Hey... Can y' get that dog t' stuff it," Katsuya asked, rubbing his ears as Shizuka shrugged from her place at the back of the trailer.

"Sorry," she said with a shrug, placing her spear at the side as the others followed on board. "I don't think dogs are good listeners really..."

"Well tell it I'm goin' back on th' deal if it keeps goin'," he responded as the others took their seats, the blond closing the door on his 'car' with a growl, "It's distractin'!"

"R-Rnnf," whined the puppy in response, Shizuka scowling.

"Gh! Nihan!"

As the engine started up all arguments were either put on hold or petered down after that, the others gripping the sides of the truck from their seats as the headlights on the vehicle lit up a clear path before them. "Heh... Alrigh'," he said with a smirk, pulling back on the gear shift with a dark grin, "Le's see how fast th's baby can go!"

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have said something like that before pushing down on the gas.

"W-WOAAAAAA-"

"NIIIII-HAAAAAAANNN!"

"JONOUCHI," the others cried, clinging to their places as Ren flapped from the truck canopy in the wind with wide eyes.

"I... REGRET... NOTHING," he forced out, fangs digging into the canopy cloth as he screamed. "AWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAA!" Well.

At least someone was enjoying this, he thought with a grin. Now...

Off they went!

---

"Ota... Funny seeing you here..."

There was nothing funny about the situation, truth be told. That much was likely obvious of course, but even so, as Ota screeched to a halt on the bike, unconscious and immobilized young boy in his arm, the line still fit the situation... Even if he'd already known it would happen. The scenery melted away around them as the bike came to a complete stop, the body of Honda Hiroto stepping off from the machine to swallow. "N-Noa-sama," Ota muttered, tensing as they were left floating in darkness before each other. "Hn..." Mokuba's form was misted out from the teen's arm, the bike vanishing completely as the boy was left on a couch without armor to the side. The former technology head found himself staring, looking to the 'room' at the side before swallowing nervously. "...I... Noa-sama..."

"Just what did you think you were doing," Noa asked darkly, crossing his arms as he looked over to the former board member with a scowl. "Knocking this boy out and taking him hostage..?"

Ota swallowed, bowing his head as he winced. "I... That woman took everything from me," he hissed, not looking up for a few moments as he shook with rage. "My work... My family... Even with this body," he continued with wide eyes, looking up as he shook his head, "I'll never see my children again! I'll never see them go through school, not in the way I should!"

"And that's all very upsetting," he continued, quite uncaring for the situation, "But why did you take Mokuba?"

"I wanted to take something from her," Ota responded, eyes narrowing with anger as he steadied his resolve. "To force her to feel this pain..."

"So you planned to kill him then," Noa 'asked', the teen before him showing little response to the idea as he shook his head.

"No- just her," he explained, narrowing his eyes as he frowned. "The boy would just be bait... That," Ota added darkly, "And a vessel for one of my own 'friends'..." Hahhh...

And here he'd hoped he would have another 'toy' to play with... Well, he supposed it would be difficult to re-program that 'computer' while everyone carried it around... "As I recall," Noa said with a sigh, shaking his head, "We made an agreement that there would be no such measures involved in this."

"My partners hadn't lost all but one of their matches at that time," Ota countered, fists shaking as he continued with his argument. "This is all I can do," he protested, "They're the only ones who will still know who I am, the only ones who can safely know and not consider me completely insa-"

"DON'T MAKE EXCUSES," the boy roared, voice rumbling and echoing as his 'pawn' flinched with fear. The air seemed to rumble with his rage, thundering with each word before it settled into silence yet again. "Really... How shameless..." How perfectly useless and shameless... "I'll be taking the boy," he said plainly, snapping his fingers as he and Ota were both returned to the highway and his motorcycle. "As for you... Your 'contract' has been altered. From now on you can consider your days in this world numbered," Noa warned seriously, "As until I finish what I want here," the boy explained "You will be left to wander the same realm as your former opponents. And while I'm sure you would ordinarily enjoy that," he continued on with a frown, "Your immunity has been revoked; if the 'real' Honda Hiroto defeats you in combat," Noa told him, the teen before him paling, "You will lose this body you worked so hard to earn... Have I made myself clear," he pressed, expecting no other response than 'yes'.

Ota tensed, gritting his teeth as he nodded. "Gh... Crystal," he muttered, his 'employer' smirking as he made to take his leave.

"Good... Safe travels then," he sneered, fading back to his 'room' as his final words echoed about his 'pawn'. "Don't let the dog bite..."

"Gh..! The dog..!"

As Ota's unnerved and face faded from view Noa turned, moving toward the couch where Mokuba's body lay. He was unconscious for the moment. 'Asleep' rather, thanks to a second 'effect' bullet from Ota's weapon. A handy bonus he'd received from taking a body with the same class as his own... However this would easily be repaired he told himself, taking a seat on an opposite couch as both Kisara and Seraph appeared at the sides in silence. Easily... It was time to wake up, he thought mentally, hands folding in his lap.

It was time... "H...Hnnn..." Aha...

There they were. "Feeling alright," he asked with apparently genuine worry, the boy across from him wincing as he held his head in pain.

"Ung... Where..." The boy's vision slowly cleared, his head turning before a shout broke into the air. "AH! You-," Mokuba exclaimed, pulling back on the couch with wide eyes before looking himself over. There was nothing but the skin-tight, black suit of the stereotypical ninja, mask and gloves removed along with his armor. All of his weapons were removed, leaving nothing but an almost 'Seto'-like outfit, or even one meant for Yugi in its wake. "Gh- Where is this," the boy demanded, narrowing his eyes into a glare as he turned on his captor. "And what did you do to my sister!"

Noa chuckled, shaking his head as he crossed his legs on the couch. How angry... "Really," he said with a sigh, giving the boy a slight shrug. "I'm the one who saved you... There's no need to be like that."

"Gh... I think there's plenty of reason," the boy responded, quickly finding himself unable to leave the couch despite his efforts. "Seeing how you started all of this in the first place..!"

Hn! And of course, the full story was never there... "So that's what you think now..." What everyone thought... Only natural he supposed. But really... "That almost hurts," he admitted despite the smile on his face, again shaking his head as he sighed. "I brought you here as a member of my family, as my 'brother'... I only meant to treat you as my guest, to make you feel at home."

This only served to further unnerve the boy however, Mokuba pulling back against the couch cushions with narrowed eyes. "Family," he asked incredulously, shaking his head in fear. "The only family I have is my sister and my friends! You're no member of my 'family'," he spat. "Don't even say that!"

Not a member of his family? If he only knew... But later, he told himself. Later. For now... "Ahhh yes... Your 'sister'," Noa muttered, glancing to the side as a large screen appeared to the side. The couch he sat on vanished as he stepped off from his seat, moving to the side to allow Mokuba a clear view. "Just how much about you does she know really..? Or care about you," he continued, narrowing his eyes. "As I recall," the boy went on, "She almost had you killed! Not at all the behaviour one would expect from a sister... Why, you wouldn't even expect it from a passing friend, let alone a family member..."

Hnhnhnhnhn... Mokuba merely grit his teeth in the fact of the words, sitting up with a growl as he threw up a hurried and failing defense. "That... That was 'before'," he countered, shaking his head, "Not 'now'; things are different now... She remembers who she was," he continued with wide eyes, "She remembers the kind of person she really is! She's not living the life that Gozaburo forced her to any more!"

"Mnnnnn..." The boy shook his head, sighing almost in amusement as he moved toward Mokuba's couch. "Of course... Of course not... After all," Noa continued in a seemingly 'off-handed' fashion, "Why would someone as 'powerful' as your sister be afraid of anything right," he asked, his guest tensing at the question. "Hnnn... How about we both watch a video," he decided, taking a seat as his two programs did the same to flank the boys. "I'll even introduce you to my creations; you've already met Kisara," he said plainly, the girl bowing her head as Mokuba drew back in fear, "And this here is Seraph... He was your 'Katsuya-nii's guide," he explained, the winged boy also bowing as their guest stared in slight unease. "Now-"

"Where's my sister," Mokuba growled, not wasting another moment as he flinched away from Noa's arm, the boy having moved to pull him close. "I want to go back to her, to tell her I'm alright," he pressed, Noa momentarily pulling the arm back. "So where's my sister?"

"Your sister..? Hn..." A smirk came over his face, and with the wave of his hand an image appeared on the screen, an image of a night-time highway. "Why don't we take a look..."

---

As the motorcycle drove through the bridge the stars themselves had faded from view, leaving her under a blank night sky and an enormous moon. All she could see besides this however, even with that one light, was the passing supports for the railing at the side as her bike ran at top speed through the darkness. There was nothing in sight that she could see or hear, and not even the sound of another bike met her ears as she drove, arms locked in an automatically developed 'armor' from the machine that had wrapped about her head and face. Even with this however, she could see what lay below. Beneath her and the bridge lay numerous buildings, surrounded on the sides by immense cliffs with countless walls and cave entrances. A city, an earth and sea-bound city, that much was clear she told herself. An almost impossibly advanced city she could even say, with the motorcycle she drove moving with more glide and speed than anything she had even dreamed in the 'real world', and the buildings below seeming to radiate with a bizarre mix of renaissance and post-modernism in terms of style. The bike even seemed to match it in that regard when she thought about it. It was loud, true, but there was no 'exhaust', no 'smog' of any kind or pipes to release it, allowing the machine to gain an even smoother appearance than it could ever have had in reality as it ran. There was nothing else there... There was merely the bike and the road, the device moving with such a speed that it was almost as though her very rage propelled it forward.

And then she saw the man. The tall man standing with his back to her in the shadows, the man who now blocked her path. "Gh- MOVE," she shouted, the cinder blocks at the side of the bridge forcing her into a single narrowed path as she hurriedly began to activate the 'un-lock' codes on the bike. The man, cloaked in a trench coat and hat said nothing as he turned to stare, merely watching her through a gas mask of sorts as she swallowed. Damn it... "I SAID MO- GH-!" With added rage the bike sprang forward, even as she pulled at the brakes and attempted to stop.

-SCREEEEEEEEE- Shit... SHIT!

"GH- HAGH!" The bike skidded past the edge of the bridge as the man faded from existence where she'd hit him, Seto leaping off to grab at the bridge above as the device clattered below. Damn it... That man had completely obscured the bridge's gap, she hadn't been able to even guess that she would be driving to her death..! If it hadn't have been for that last minute decision... "Hah... Hah... Ngh... Gh..." Fingers slipped somewhat on the stone as she struggled to hold on, biting her lip and looking down at where her bike had fallen. Well... There went that option... Stupid, moronic old man... "Gh... Bastard," she muttered, managing to pull one arm up as she winced before falling back. "...Nh!" Seto looked up with an initial glare, eyes widening as the mask-wearing man loomed above her with no visible emotion in place. "...You..." Him..!

"Hn... Hypnos," the man muttered, Seto's eyes abruptly beginning to close over against her will. H-Hyp... That was... Sleep wasn't... Hn... No... No, she told herself as her grip began to fail, she couldn't... "Sleep, 'Ojou-sama'... And enjoy the ride. Hnhnhnhnhn..." That voice... No...

No... As her fingers slipped from the bridge, her final thoughts were that of rage, only to be pacified by the sudden exhaustion that numbed her feeling of collapse as she fell backward. That... That voice... She knew who that voice was... It was...

It was...

Nn...

...

... ...

"Ngh! Aah! Hah... Hah... hah..." Seto's eyes flew open with a jolt, the woman pulling herself up from the ground with wide eyes and looking herself over in a panic. Sword was there, armor was there... ...Hat was gone but no matter. And the bridge, she noted as she looked up was...

Up... There...

Her eyes widened further with incredulity, the woman pulling herself to her feet to stare. She... She'd fallen from that distance and survived..! "What the hell..." How was that even possible..!

"I see you've awakened," a voice muttered plainly, Seto jumping to her feet as the familiar voice of her former 'assistant' came to the air.

Even without the face, it was easy to tell who she was dealing with right now. "Gh- Daimon," she hissed, drawing her blade as the bizarrely tall figure stood before her. "It would figure you're the one I have to fight first..." Everyone else had fought already... But Daimon seemed to be just the sort to wait at the end for someone to come to him. Unless... "...Assuming we are fighting," she muttered, holding her stance with narrowed eyes as the man chuckled.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Correct," Daimon stated, the gas mask on his face making him look decidedly 'World-War soldier'-like in appearance. "It's been a long time, 'Ojou-san'... I assume you've been doing well..?" Hn! The woman ground her teeth, refusing to grace the man with an answer. Again with the 'ojou-san'... It was beginning to really... Really, grate her nerves...

"You..." There was no time for this bullshit. None at all. "Where's Mokuba," she spat, the man before her merely staring through the glass 'eyes' of his gas mask in apparent obliviousness.

"Oh... Mokuba," he repeated, Seto continuing to snarl. "Hnnn..."

Bastard... "Your 'friend' Ota kidnapped him," the woman growled, shifting her stance as her sword gleamed in the moonlight, "Now where is he!"

Daimon shrugged, shaking his head before clapping leather clad hands against each other and standing from what had apparently been a seated position. The man was extremely tall, or whatever form he'd taken at least was. As to what 'monster' that could possibly be... Seto held her gaze, listening as the man sighed and stared her down. "Really... Roping me into such dirty business. Someone with a child in his arms did pass me on the bridge, but you know me... I don't really care for children," he hissed, soon to be opponent clenching her fists.

"You... Resorting to kidnapping of all things," Seto growled, pacing cautiously forward as her opponent watched. "What did you do with him?"

"I did nothing," the man chuckled darkly, again shaking his head. "It's Noa-sama you should be worried about... There's no telling what he'll do now that he has his own 'little brother to play' with after all! Hnhnhnhn..." His own- This... This...

That couldn't be why..! "Bastard!" The woman charged, only to swing her sword at empty space as her opponent seemingly teleported to the clearing behind her. Seto reeled on the spot, cape flapping in the dull wind about them. "You-"

"Hn! You'll have to do better than that," her opponent taunted, adjusting the cap on his head before continuing to chuckle. "As I recall," he went on, "You were more of a 'kick' type of person... Seeing you with a blade is rather interesting to say the least, let alone anything concerning the upper body..."

Interesting was it?"Not as interesting as it will look when it's embedded in your skull," she muttered lowly, eyes flashing as she turned on her opponent completely. This should work... "Hn... FIRE," she roared, a wide plume of flames escaping from her mouth as she faced her opponent. As the fires wrapped around him however a sheet of glass seemed to appear, Seto's mouth locking shut with surprise as he heard the man whisper...

"Reflect." Rel-

"Gh!" The fires she'd sent forward rushed over her body, sending wracking pains through her entire form as she was forced to one knee. "Hhhh... Hhhh..." The woman bit back a scream, digging her sword into the ground for support as she looked up with a snarl. "You..."

Daimon merely sighed, crossing his arms from where he stood on a nearby cement ruin. "Our fight hasn't even started yet Ojou-san... You need to mind your manners; after all," the man warned darkly, chuckling entering the air, "If you expect to see your little brother again, you have me to go through." Gh...

Damn it all..! "You..." This, all of this... It was ridiculous. "Completely ridiculous..! You think you stand a chance against me," she spat, already returning to her feet as she pulled the blade from the ground, "With the skills you have now?"

The man shrugged, waving off the topic as though the question meant nothing at all. "Perhaps not in an ordinary duel," he stated clearly, a fierce wind beginning to blow through the sea-side city, "But I've already proven capable of sending anything you send my way back on its head. Now..." He snapped his fingers, expression unseen from behind the mask as a dome of light shimmered into existence around Seto. "Seeing how this wouldn't be at all entertaining if I were to merely pummel you with these spells, how about we get things started? I have my deck," Daimon explained, holding his hand out in an open and 'inviting' gesture despite all identities and purposes, "Now you choose yours; God cards are excluded of course," the man stated plainly, "But you'll find all you need for your deck in there... And I'm sure you remember how the system works from last time," he continued, his opponent narrowing her eyes in response.

Hn! As though she could forget... The dome of cards hovered and glowed around her almost warmly, the woman quickly and silently picking her cards with a growl as one by one the cards vanished from sight. One, two... Five, ten... Twenty... Forty... And they were all there with that last number, the dome vanishing in a flash as she continued to hold her sword in her free hand. "I'm done," she growled, opponent nodding in response.

"And your deckmaster," he asked, the woman merely snatching at one of the cards as they began to appear before her.

"Also done," she responded coldly, the red of her leather armor replaced with black as it was lined with bone gauntlets and plates rather than leather covering. "I've chosen the Lord of Dragons... And yours," Seto asked, slowly shifting into a more advantageous stance as the duel start approached.

Her opponent chuckled, Seto narrowing her eyes as the man shook his head. "Well... I'd love to tell you," he told her, shrugging as he again adjusted his hat, "But I'm afraid that's a surprise; I don't think you'd be able to stand it if I told you now... Hnhnhnhnhn..."

Unable to 'stand it'? Oh please... The last time she was 'here' she'd given herself fifth and sixth degree burns on her own arm, she could probably 'handle it'. "Hn!" Moron... "As though that could possibly happen," the woman sneered, expression tightening as her opponent seemed to 'mist' up the sides of the nearest building and out of reach. "You're just afraid of what this 'blue fire' will burn now that you've given it fuel... Try me," she roared, rushing forward to hop along the sides of a sky-scraper's wall as her opponent hovered ahead of her and laughed. "STAND AND FIGHT!"

"Very well then," her opponent announced, still flying back along the air as he expertly dodged each strike the woman attempted to land on his form. "I set a monster in defense and set two cards," he stated, the three panels of glass appearing before him, "End turn!"

Hn! Hers then! "Spear Dragon," Seto announced, kicking off the glass panels to briefly fall back as the pterodactyl like beast appeared from the air and clouds themselves. The monster soared upward with the woman on her back, Seto's blade pointed downward for her 'move'. "Attack the defense monster," she ordered, the monster rising high above the skyline of the city as she stood at its head. "HAAAAAAAA-AH!" Metal clashed with metal as glass shattered behind her, both herself and the spear dragon diving down for alternate reasons as she kicked off the monster's head. Pushing her blade against the leather coated hands she froze however, eyes widening as slight sparks flew from the contact in those split seconds. "Gh- Meta-"

"Hurricane," Daimon stated calmly, his opponent squeezing her eyes shut in the attack as the sensation of knives spread across them. Sharper... Sharper...

"GHN!" A blast of wind forced the woman back as they were shot from both hands, Seto flipping onto her feet in mid air before holding her sword up in defense against whatever else came. "Tch... Of all things..." The woman looked over the hand in her mind, slowly circling her opponent as they faced each other on the roof. "I set a card face down," she continued, already forming the virus strategy together, recovering her strength as she stared at where her opponent stood. "End turn!"

"Hm! You're too naive..." Naive? The term had Seto frozen just briefly in shock and confusion as the man continued, Seto squinting as she attempted to locate the man in the storm. "The monster you destroyed was Hiro's Shadow Scout after all," her opponent was saying, form slowly becoming more visible in the fading gale, "And you know what that means..."

The woman frowned, a 'notice' appearing in the back of her mind. 'Hiro's Scout'... Typical. "Hn!" Three cards were drawn in the back of her mind, 'Double Snare' and 'Magic Reflector' both sent to the grave thanks to their status as spells. "You don't need to remind me what each card does," she spat, bringing her sword back to her side as she charged the man yet again again, "It matters little any ways!"

"Does it now," the man asked from a distance, holding his place in the oncoming strike "Your attack activated my card after all! 'Solemn Wishes'," Daimon explained, his second panel of glass vanishing into a shimmering dust that faded about him. "Granting me 500 life points as each time I draw a card. And of course," he continued, any damage done to the metal beneath his gloves repairing instantly as he 'swooped' out of the way of the attacking woman's strike, "While that takes effect, I'll be setting another monster and card."

Hn! Like that mattered... Briefly she halted her attack, watching her opponent re-appear across from her at another end of the 'city' with a scowl. "I summon Giant Germ," Seto called out, the air materializing into the large amoeba at her side, "And in addition," she announced, hopping the gap between buildings as she brought up her blade in a spearing motion. "Spear Dragon enters attack mode and targets your monster!"

"Activate trap," Daimon suddenly announced as the woman fell toward his lower roof.

"GH!" The woman was abruptly slammed back by some force against her face, body smashing through the window of a lower level building before she stood to cough. "Hn... Agh! ...What..!" Something on her face... What was... The woman pulled at what had locked around her face, opponent's voice coming close as the man seemed to fly near. "Gh... Where..." Where was...

"The Mask of Perplexity," Daimon's echoing voice announced, "Obscuring your vision for one turn..." Great..! Just wonderful, she growled mentally, giving up on the straps to look down at her surroundings. Shards of glass revealed on her face the beaked plague doctor's mask of the medieval European times, dull brown leather somewhat clashing against the black and white of her current costume. But while the shards of glass revealed this, she could barely see a thing besides that...

She still had an attack to made though she told herself, narrowing her eyes. She wanted this over as soon as possible after all, and nothing was stopping that! "Tch... Resume the attack," she ordered, barely recognizing the form of her spear dragon as she hopped on its back to charge forward. "And just to make sure it connects," she continued, rising into the air as her cape furled behind her in the wind, "I'll be using this; AERO!"

-fsst!- The glass across her mask cleared with that very word, and all at once the woman froze. Before her the blast of air had cut through a target yes, but it had not been her own. "What..."

"Hnhnhnhn... Looks like you attacked your own monster," Daimon laughed, smoke hissing free of the destroyed Giant Germ. "Your 'failsafe' only dug you further into a hole!" Tch...

True... She'd killed her own monster, but nonetheless! "At least you're still the one who suffers," she sneered, poisonous gas beginning to fill the air from the destroyed cell as she leaped forward from the dragon. "Seeing how the Germ's destruction gives me both another identical germ, deals five hundred points of damage to you, and activates my trap in the process," she snarled, swinging her blade forward as the metal proved itself as a separate medium of attack. "FIRE!"

Even as the flames caught onto the fog and incinerated all in sight, her opponent continued to chuckle. "Is that what you think now," he asked, voice faded and distorted as she landed to a stop on the top of the building she'd charged toward. All at once the poisoned fog cleared, and from the side came a beam of energy that sent her skidding through the nearest building as she attempted to brace herself with her sword and stop the fall.

"GH- Nggghaaaaa!" Face down she landed, pulling up her blade to use as a hand hold as she grimaced and turned to the side. "Gh... Damn it..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Have you guessed who I am yet," Daimon laughed, his opponent throwing her mask to the side as it evaporated into smoke. This monster... The woman narrowed her eyes as the flaming figure stepped through the hole in the building, gas masked tossed to the side as the fires slowly petered down to reveal ashen clumps and holes in the jacket and hat. This monster..!

CRAP. "Tch... Psycho Shocker," she hissed in shock and anger both, using her sword as support as she pulled herself to her feet and back into a fighting position. This building was going to collapse she noted, looking to the cracking pillars with wide eyes... Two panels of glass appeared at her opponent's side as he set a pair of cards, the woman taking a moment to ponder the effects an attack would have on the building. None of her traps were going to work any more... But more importantly, if she so much as moved this thing would collapse on top of her, ending her life regardless. So how...

How would she fight? "How about a change in scenery," the psycho shocker sneered from the other end of the room, Seto tensing as the field was abruptly replaced with her late 'father's board room. "Don't worry... The memory will expand for us to fight, you won't be able to ruin anything here! I might have spent my time selling weapons with Gozaburo," Daimon went on almost approvingly, "But even I have to admit your talent when it came to this virtual software ojou-chan... And besides that... I've been waiting for this for a long time," he muttered lowly, knuckles cracking as he stared forward through glass lens eyes. "The chance to settle the score with you, to end this once and for all! And all while I show you just what brought us here!"

"Gh-" This memory... The woman's expression tightened, narrowing her eyes as voices muttered around her and the room smoked further into existence. "You..."

"I suppose that talent is why you did it really," Daimon was muttering, the man pacing around the table that appeared as they both stared each other down. "Gozaburo was going to effectively steal your work... He already had in fact," the man continued with a cruel chuckle, "Your programing is so incredibly helpful that even after three years, it's still in use by numerous countries! It's only natural then I suppose, that you would pressure the man into death, with all that he used your precious 'game' for..."

Bringing up this day..! "Bastard," she hissed, remembering the event well enough as past selves and images hovered before them.

'Starting today,' her 'father' had told her, sitting across from the girl at the far end of the table, 'Your lessons are over. You have now surpassed my expectations; and I am more than pleased... In fact,' he'd continued, the present day counterpart momentarily freezing as an employee passed by to bring a case of bills to the table, 'I have a gift...For both of you boys,' the man continued, Mokuba blinking curiously from behind his sister as they sat in the room. 'Two percent of the company shares for one,' Gozaburo began, gesturing for his employee to open the case, 'And for another, Seto... Your final test...' Gh...

The woman snapped herself from her stupor as the pacing continued, eyes narrowing briefly before she swung her sword forward. "Enough with the slide shows," Seto barked, hopping the table to attempt at spearing her opponent with the blade. "I already know what happened after this," she continued, "I don't have any time for reminiscing!"

Daimon merely chuckled, misting out of existence to the other end of the room as the blade approached. "Really now? You don't think there's anything you should be thinking over..?" His opponent frowned, turning to face the 'man' as the image of her younger self being handed a pen and paper came to view. "Tch... That test you were given... It should have been impossible," the monster sneered, the scene shifting as Gozaburo explained it to her past life. "'Take one hundred million yen and multiply 100 fold in a year'... Most CEO's can't even hope to do that in the time you did," Daimon spat, "And yet you passed in a way that shocked even your father!"

Jealous was he? The woman snorted, merely narrowing her eyes as the IOU on the table was signed. That man... "The man was never my 'father'," she sneered, slowly approaching her opponent as the room melted into the library classroom with Mokuba, hopping off the table to hold her sword forward. "I personally don't see how he could have ever been one..."

"Really now... You'd be surprised," the man hissed, fading from sight as the woman approaced. "Very surprised..."

"Gh- DAIMON," she snarled, only to have her angered shouts cut short as she turned to meet instead with the rest of her memory. "Tch..."

'Nii-sama,' a younger Mokuba asked, voice echoing through the air. This library was a familiar room, she told herself, resuming the search for her opponent in the room. A room she'd taken most of her classes in, a room that she actively avoided now. A room that held almost all of her memories from the house... 'Nii-sama, how are we going to do this,' her brother had asked that day, sitting on one of the stools in worry, 'He said he'll send us back if we can't make it, I-'

'Stop worrying,' she'd said flatly, Daimon standing at the side for supervision as ordered. 'And watch; you see these cards,' the girl asked, gesturing to a pile she'd made to demonstrate the very principle of her conversation to the boy, 'This test is like a game. Like the stocks, each card represents a portion of power over a company, 1 percent.' she explained. 'The one with the largest share of the company has complete domination. So,' the teen had continued, flipping over a number of the cards, until half of the pile 'plus 1' was facing them. 'If you own fifty-one percent of a company, what do you think happens?'

'You... No one can stop you, right,' the boy asked, an almost villainous gleam appearing in Seto's eyes at that time. 'Because you'll always have more!'

Exactly. 'Right; Daimon,' she'd ordered, the present day version watching with dull and narrowed eyes as history literally repeated itself before her, 'I want you to find the most profitable company that we can afford to by 51 percent of the shares from and do just that; make sure they are a traditionally minded and employee friendly one before the purchase however, understand?'

Daimon had tensed, looking to the girl in confusion as he ran the strategy over in his mind. 'All... ALL of it,' he asked incredulously, the girl again nodding.

'Yes. And remember... It needs to be employee friendly...'

The results were seen just soon enough, the memory scarcely changing as the real-version of the woman continued to search for her opponent. Cards had been gathered back up and placed in her 'deck holder book'... Daimon entered the room again near to the middle of the day, to announce that he'd monopolized a company successfully. 'It's a ceramics company with over 300 years of history,' he'd explained, setting up a powerpoint that had been given to him after the transaction. 'A company that is very well known for their employee support.'

Mokuba's face had lit up considerably with that, staring at the screen with wonder as the building and products both came over the screen. 'Ehhh... C-Cool! You own a company already,' her brother had cheered, Seto ignoring the boy at the time. 'It's all yours!'

'True,' she'd said plainly, 'But even with this, it would be impossible to multiply our former finances 100 fold from profit alone on time.' At this her brother's face had fallen somewhat, the boy staring in confusion while his sister explained. 'We're going to use another way to 'win',' she continued with a smirk, the others frowning. 'Daimon... Show me this company's office...'

"Your intellect of that time was almost frightening," Daimon hissed from behind the woman, Seto jumping as the scene melted to that of the ceramic's building. "To pass this test... ...Absolutely horrifying..."

"Gh- Stand and fight," she snarled in response, swinging her blade forward as the monster knocked the strike back with a metal hand. Behind her she was pressuring the CEO of the ceramics company with an ultimatum. Buy back each of her shares for five times the price, or pay the price of firing each and every one of his employees including himself. "I don't need to remember this... I already know how I passed that test," Seto continued, attempting to attack her opponent's middle only to be thrown viciously to the side. "GH! Just what... Just what is it that you really want," she hissed, pulling herself up from the imitated bookshelf.

"What do I want," Daimon growled, avoiding each slice and lunge Seto attacked with as the scene around them began to falter. "What else," he 'asked', "Your life! I'm going to kill you here," the man announced darkly, "Ending the existence of the thing that took mine! You earned the quota for that test within ONE DAY," he roared, the scene melting and shifting intermittently with the roofs of the buildings from before as his opponent pushed back to frown. "ONE DAY, it was something that Gozaburo had never imagined possible! The sheer ruthlessness you displayed in your tactics was incredible, so much that you managed to scare even HIM!"

Scare him? Oh did she now? Seto narrowed her eyes, blade glowing with energy as she held it forward. "Tch... Complain to someone who cares," she spat, leaving the spell within her sword as she spun the handle in her hands. "And continue the fight! Spear dragon attacks," she announced, charging forward once more with her sword, now that the scene had come to its end, "GO!"

With the sound of shattering glass the memory 'broke', a vicious gale blasting Seto back through the windows of the building they'd stood in just prior. The bits of glass faded into the air as she landed across the window of the next building over, and with a difficult to make swallow she pulled herself up to glare toward her opponent.

"Gh-! What on earth..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Cyber Jar's effect activates," Daimon chuckled. "All monsters on the field are destroyed," he announced almost with amusement, "And each player draws five cards, special summoning any level four or lower monsters from their hands..." Hn!

"Fine; Blood Vorse in attack mode, and twin headed behemoth in defense," the woman responded, kicking off from the building to re-direct her trajectory off one of the appearing monsters as it fell. "And as for my attack," she continued, the Blood Vorse following her lead as the Behemoth used his flight to effectively turn himself into a jump platform, "I'll end your life long before you end mine! FIRE!"

More chuckling came through the air, and instantly the woman paled. "Forgetting something..?" Gh- Shit! "I spent an entire year at your side," Daimon spat, mirror appearing around the man as the flames were redirected to blast his opponent into the roof of the building below, "Don't think I don't know you well enough to fight you! Your reliance on yourself and your monsters is going to bring your end," he snarled, the woman coming to rest on the window ledge of one of the many buildings, "And without trap cards, you're nothing! Activate the spell 'Watch Tranquilizer,'" he continued, Seto grinding her teeth as the Blood Vorse grew lethargic on the building across from her. "The spell lowers a monster's attack by 100 points per level... 400 points in this case, correct," he sneered, opponent shaking with rage as she stared at the monster's location.

Tch... "That's right," she spat, currently lacking the access to a decent foot hold to reach the man across from her it seemed. "But that doesn't mean you win just yet! I... Believe in this deck," she stated clearly, mentally kicking herself for using something her rival would more likely say despite the truth of the term. "And regardless of power, the Blood Vorse attacks," Seto announced, pointing the monster forward as it snarled. "GO!"

"And in that time," her opponent countered, "My monster's effect activates!" W- What- ...Damn it all, she thought bitterly, the effect coming through her mind curtesy of the menu. "The Injection Angel Lily can be given 3000 additional attack points with the sacrifice of two thousand lifepoints," Daimon explained with a laugh, the angel in question just now revealing herself from the clouds above. "So how about we level the score! Go," he ordered, the angel at his side pulling back the plunger on the syringe as she charged, "Exterminate them!"

"Hnhnhnhn! Time for an injection," the girl announced, sending the needle forward with a smile. The expression abruptly shifted into a crazed and cackling grin, water rising from the seas behind her as she cackled. "TSUNAMI!" Wh-

This thing used spells too? Water threw the woman flat on her back and against the pent house of the building as it fell from the many feet above her, monster drowned in the attack, as her blade clattered to the ground by the force. "GH... GHAAAAAHHH! Hnggg..!" Stinging... The water stung every inch of her body, as though formed from an acid of sorts rather than the seas. The fluids receding helped the matters little either it seemed; the pain remained even after this fact, and as Seto stood up from where she'd collapsed she could to no more than scowl in range.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... My victory will be both over-powering and complete," Daimon sneered, smirk hidden behind the steel 'mask' that made up the Psycho Shocker's mouth. "The Angel's attack power returns to normal of course," the man added, "But I activate the card Sobek's blessing as well, giving me just as many life points as you lost. ...I'll put another monster in defense mode as well I think," he continued, chuckling rumbling through the air as he did so. "...Before I watch what you do now that is..."

Hn... "Kh! Glk! KACH!" Seto coughed, spitting out the water that had poured down her throat before grabbing her sword from the side with labored breaths. Water had flooded her lungs, burning her insides even now... "Hah..." Alright... The 'Angel' couldn't well attack unless Daimon gave it an extra point bonus she told herself, silently pondering her hand over. Any monster she had could easily defeat it otherwise of course; but the fact still remained that this man had a steady loop of healing and it was working far to well than she would like. This monster would work she told herself, mentally fingering the card as her behemoth came close. It would work perfectly... If nothing else happened. "Tch... I set a monster face down," she shouted in the end, pushing from the edge of the building jumping off her remaining and visible monster to the next one. Regardless of how things went she told herself, she was the type to over come anything given time; she wouldn't be impatient about this, nor would she move without thinking... "My turn is over," she called out plainly. "Do your worst..."

"Hn. Not attacking are you," her opponent asked, Seto merely narrowing her eyes in response as she turned to face the monster above her. "Well then... Before it comes to my turn," Daimon stated, "My trap 'Life Absorbing Machine' activates; I gain half the amount of life points I paid last turn," the man explained, standing atop one of the ruined buildings as still more of his wounds and clothing patched over. "And now... Let me show you the most powerful weapon Gozaburo ever made," he laughed, rumbling echoing through the air as Seto found herself griping the building for support.

"Gh-" Shaking continued to peal through the air, weakened buildings toppling over each other as she held onto hers. "..What..!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... I'm tributing my defense monster to summon a weapon that will have you on your knees in seconds," Daimon roared, gesturing upward as the grumbling increased in volume. "The satellite cannon! Just try and defeat it," he said with a laugh, Seto gritting her teeth as an enormous rocket burst through the ground to send the buildings collapsing on each other, "You won't make it without seven levels..!" Seven... The building she stood in began to topple onto its side, her own part facing the ground as she scowled.

"Tch..! Aero," she spat as she turned around, blasting the windows in her collapsing building and running through to the opposite side as the concrete itself cracked apart. Despite the difficulty in scaling moving objects she made it easily to the nearest building, staring upward with wide eyes.""Daimon," she sneered, pushing out through the other end, to glare at the man, "Believe me when I say this... I'll do more than just 'defeat' that!"

---

"I don't believe this," Ren hissed, shaking his head as the trike-truck plowed through the darkness of the cavern. The cavern in question was rather roomy compared to what one would expect; if anything, it seemed to have been carved to specifically form a 'street' of sorts, and while the truck was having no problems with it, the others were just a little confused as to how they'd gotten here. "You're incredible, you know that," the snake was complaining, currently coiled on the one of Anzu's arms closest to Jonouchi's ear. "I mean... You turn onto a straight highway, and you still manage to get yourself lost in a tunnel. You're the worst driver I know Jonouchi, seriously."

The blond in question merely growled at the comment, glancing back at the crowd of passengers he had to address the snake as it flicked its tongue in and out impatiently. "Well, it ain't like this was my idea," he spat, expertly guiding them around another rock fall as rumbling hit the air in the distance. For a moment everyone froze, looking up at the ceiling as it shuddered. After nothing happened however they continued on, picking up the conversation where it left off as they exited the tunnel.

"It might not have been your idea," Otogi was saying on the topic as came out along some cliff-face road, "But we're still not safe here..."

The blond sighed, tensing at the wheel for a moment before a sarcastic grin came on his face. "Y' know Otogi, I could kill us all righ' now," he argued, "But I'm not, so stuff it."

Otogi merely rolled his eyes at the feeble threat, before a rumbling boom echoed through the air across from them. A shock-wave passed through the cliff, brakes pulled instantly as the others turned to stare toward the cityscape before them. "A-Ahh... What was that," the dancer shouted incredulously, staring off as the others stood to do the same.

"Oh... It looks almost like a rocket," Jonouchi muttered, the white 'torpedo' like device in question shooting up from a plume of white smoke as he said this. "Hell, I think it is..!"

"I don't think so," Anzu muttered with narrowed eyes, shaking her head as the 'stick' traveled through the night sky before them. "Wouldn't it be wider?"

Honda as well stared, lens eyes shining somewhat as he took in the sight. Yea... You'd think it would be wid- Ah! An image appeared in the back of his mind, the dog reeling in his excitement lest his 'mouth' open up. This... This was..! "Wourf! Rouf, Aourf! Auf! AORF!" A satellite, he tried to shout, tail thumping his carrier's lap. It was a satellite cannon, they always looked like that when they were launched in anime! And... And...

The others ignored him for the most part, Shizuka merely scratching his back as he growled in annoyance. Damn it, listen to him! He was trying to answer their questions! "Auf aouf! Aouf! RrrraOUF!"

"I swear t' god SHUT THA' THING UP," Jonouchi shouted from the front, currently getting the truck back on track now that the satellite excitement was over.

"Ah- Sorry," Shizuka shouted nervously, Honda merely giving a low whine as he momentarily gave into being unable to speak. "But nihan... We should probably look for a safer route," she continued, frowning as she looked over the side of the cliff. "Or at least one safe enough to pick up speed..."

"Oh, that's right," Ren muttered, shifting from where he now sat next to Honda. "We need to find that 'Honda' guy right," he asked, turning up as the serpent coiled comfortably on his partner's lap.

Anzu frowned, narrowing her eyes in slight amusement. "Yes... Because that's exactly what we call him," she muttered, shaking her head.

"Ngnnnnnn..." Damn it, he was right there..! If they could just listen... The snake beside him seemed to 'shrug', turning its back to look over the cliff as Honda continued to stare. "Rouuuur-ouu..." Man, this was just terrible... He couldn't speak, and here was this snake that had everyone's attention easily! Not to mention, this thin- Oh... Honda 'blinked', shuffling closer to the snake in question as he stared There were some odd symbols on its back he noted, a 'screen' of sorts appearing in the corner of his eye as it scanned the source. Hieroglyphs, untranslatable, the screen said. Ohh... Hieroglyphs huh...

Wait. Anzu didn't know squat about Egypt, that was Yugi's field! And seeing how this wasn't Yugi, the only other Egyptians were- The dog abruptly pulled himself to his feet, growling viciously as he began to bark. "Grrrrrrrr... ROU! ROUF RAOUF RAOUF!" The serpent jumped as its 'travel partner' snarled, slithering up Anzu's arm for safety with a yelp. "RAOUF! ROUF! ROUF!"

"A-A-AHH! Koinu-chan," Shizuka shouted nervously, pulling the dog back lest it attack her friend, "What's going on!"

"Gh- W-What's wrong with this thing," Ren shouted, pulled back by Anzu with wide eyes as it attempted to slither further and further backward. "I swear, it's mask even moved!"

"Why is it even barking at you," his partner countered, the serpent shaking its head.

"How am I supposed to know, I- I..!" Malik! It was Malik, he told himself, continuing to snarl despite the problems he had with his mouth. It had to be, it just had to! The gold colour, the purple eyes, the speech patterns... The Egyptian hieroglyphs..!

They were all there, and yet no one had noticed! "ROU-ROU-ROUR! RRRRRRRR-RRAAAAAAAGGGHHHGGGG! RRRAAAAAAAAAGGHHH!"

"Ahh... AAAHHH..!" The dog was dropped immediately, the crowd pulling back with screams and shock as the 'thing' rolled over on the ground to continue its attack. The truck was stopped immediately with the screams while the driver turned, and in an instant, he could see why the shouts had been made in the first place. "EE-YAAAHHH!"

"W-WHAT IS IT," Otogi was shouting, knives at the ready as the 'dog', head resembling some sort of twisted form of piranna plan, snarled in rage at the snake in Anzu's hands. "What the hell is this thing!"

"Oh HEL- See, this is why I said t' kill it," Jonouchi shouted, ignoring the snarls from the beast as he hopped into the trailer and grabbed his staff, Yugi as well snatching his boomerang as the dog was met with a set of five weapons. He couldn't bring himself to care that he had blades and sticks in his face though really, and despite the appearance of his face he continued.

"RAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH... RAAAAAAAAAAA!" They were morons..! MORONS! He was right behind them, their enemy was right there! Sitting in Anzu's arms, staring at him now! "RAAAOUR! ROUR, ROU! RAOORRRGGGHHHH!!" Open their eyes..! Listen to him, just listen damn it, he was trying to warn them! Li- "Y-erf!"

"Ah- Nihan!" The dog cringed as it was smacked soundly on the head with the staff, panels retreating as it whined and curled up. With ease the puppy was snatched up by the collar, Jonouchi holding it at arms length as he looked to the others with a smirk. No one had really moved to attack the thing before; there was too much shock involved, concerning the formerly passive puppy that had suddenly gone 'rabid'. As the blond grinned however there was silence, the dog still growling as he laughed. "Hey; anyone got a rope?"

Minutes, cut robe hems, and much tying later and the engine was continuing to rumble loudly, growling still coming from the monstrous dog as Ren stared toward the beast from a relatively 'safe' distance. "Sheeeeesh," he muttered, looking decidedly pale for a serpent in the dog's eyes. "This thing's pissed!"

The snake's response was a rather loud snarl from the puppy, the others still staring at the thing with wide eyes as it thrashed. "I wonder why though," Shizuka asked, crossing her arms in confusion as she gripped her spear. "He was perfectly fine a moment ago..."

"Ah... How do we even know it's a 'he'," Yugi asked from near the front, a slight frown on his face as he again proved quite easily that it was the 'other' and not the 'real' one. "Is there a-"

"Yes," the girl said rather uncomfortably before the boy finished, the dog in question briefly halting its growls as a few feelers seemed to 'check'. "Yes he does."

And thank god for that, Honda thought to himself with a sigh; he was having a bad enough day as it was, becoming a girl wasn't going to help.

"Hn! Stupid dog," Jonouchi muttered near the front, an angry growl coming from the 'mutt' in question as the panels pulled back once again.

"GRAAAAA! GRAAAHHHGGG RAAAAOUR! ROUUUUURRRRRGGHH!" Gh..! He wasn't just a stupid dog damn it, it was HIM! HONDA! ...And... And...

The snarls paused just momentarily, low growling held to keep 'Ren' at bay as he winced. And he was very, very sorry Shizuka. Very sorry. About not having pants. What with being a dog and all. Um...

...Well this was awkward. "Hahhh... I still can't help but feel sorry for the little guy," Anzu muttered, shaking her head with a grimace. "It did seem fine until it spotted your hood Ren..."

"Maybe it thinks he's a threat," Otogi offered with a shrug. "Cobras certainly aren't the 'safest' of things."

"But then why not attack earlier," Yugi asked in response, narrowing his eyes. "Ren's hood wasn't even flared, which is the warning sign for a strike," he continued somewhat knowledgeably, again shaking his head. "No... Something's missing..."

Something like their brains! How were they unable to figure this out! It was MALIK! Malik, Malik, MALIK! "RAOUR! ROU-RAOUR! RARRRRRGGGHHH!" Come on! Listen!

"Hey... This is weird..." The dog tensed, pulling back as the sides of his head drew backward with the approaching cobra. The snake had gotten oddly curious as it spotted something among the feelers it seemed, and despite the fact that it would likely lose in a fight against the puppy, Honda wanted absolutely nothing to do with the thing the snake represented.

And of course, they were worried about the bastard, seeing how he'd apparently charmed his way into the group as some kind of 'pet'. "AH- Should you really be going near that thing," Anzu asked, eyes wide as the serpent poked his head forward curiously. "It just tried to eat you didn't it?"

"Eh, I'll be fine," he responded, despite the cautious growls and snarls from the dog as he approached. "Check it out," Ren continued, pulling up enough to match the puppy's height and peer within its head. "This thing doesn't have a throat or anything, and the teeth are too spaced apart to even touch me!" Oh really now? And what if he did this then? "Not to mention, I think I see a- AAH! SHIT!"

"R-REN," the serpents partner shouted, standing from her seat as the flaps on the mouth shut completely around the snake.

"HEY! Spit it out," Otogi growled, pulling at the dog's 'head panels' as it shifted into a completely round sphere. "Come on, cough it up you rat!" The dog merely continued to resist against the pulls as the snake's still visible tail flailed, Yugi and Shizuka both watching in somewhat blank silence for the moment.

"Holy- It's hollow in here," came Ren's voice, the shout echoing somewhat about the metal dome as it seeped out into the air. "And dark too... But mostly hollow! Lots of wires in this thing," he continued, pulling in slightly as the tail briefly stopped moving. "W-What is this," Ren shouted abruptly, the slight calm the others had developed suddenly vanishing. What was it? This was his mouth! NOW DIE DAMN IT! "Get me outta here! I think it's trying to digest me with tentacles!"

"We're doing all we can," Otogi answered as he continued to pry at the panels, Jonouchi looking back with grit teeth.

"Gh- Do I need t' come back there," he asked, a few of the others shaking their heads.

"We'll handle it," Yugi responded, Anzu moving past him to help at vicing the dog's head open despite the snarling and occasional tentacle like feeler swatting at them.

"GRRRRRRNNN! RRRRNNNNN!" Like hell he was letting this thing out of his mouth!

"Gh- Damn it," Ren cried, numerous feelers coiling around the serpent's body as he was pulled forward. The snake slithered into the dog's head with nowhere else to go, the others losing their hand holds as the sphere sealed completely. "CRAP," the serpent shouted, his captor tilting his head for a moment as the snake began attempting to escape, "I'm stuck!"

The others in the trailer traded odd looks, before nervously looking back to the dog with wide eyes. "A-Ah... Well... What do you see in there," Anzu asked, Honda merely scratching and clawing at his head as the snake tumbled around. Damn it, stop struggling...

"Lots of wires and teeth trying to kill me," the snake shouted bluntly, "What else! Hey, hang on, this looks like it could be a way out..." What looks like- AHH!

Augggh! A nauseating feeling tore through his body, the dog sitting up again and shaking his head as it snarled. "GRRRRNNNN! RRNRRRRRR!" Get out of his throat damn it! He was supposed to be impaled by sharp wires and teeth, not climbing around his insides! "GAORRRR... RAORRRR!" He couldn't let him out, but damn it, if this kept up!

"Holy shit, thing is robotic," the snake called out with a jolt, the others blinking confusedly. "Even the flesh, it's all fake! And hey, what's this thing d-"

"GHRAAAAAAAAAGGGHH! STOP SCREWING WITH MY THROAT," Honda snarled, mouth flying open as Ren was unceremoniously spat out and thrown to the ground by the feelers. The crowd jumped back as the dog continued to snarl, feelers thrashing angrily as it pawed over as far as the leash could go. "Malik... I'm going to slaughter you... Piece by piece... Until NOTHING is left! GRAAAAAAGGGH-"

The snake instantly froze in place as the dog spoke, the car skidding to a halt as Jonouchi turned. The dog was thrown back against the truck wall by the force, mouth 'flapping' somewhat as it shook himself for the others to stare. "That... What did he say," the blond repeated slowly, moving into the trailer with wide eyes.

"Hahhh... Ahhhhh GAOOOORRR! RAOURR! ROUF! ROUF ROUF ROU! Get over here! Get back here," the dog snarled, pulling at his leash as Ren hurriedly retreated with wide and terrified eyes, "He'll kill you all damn it, just listen to me! It can't be trusted! I don't care if you have no clue what I'm saying, but please, just listen!"

"Oh my god... H-Honda-han," Shizuka whispered, the dog turning as the flags of its 'head' pulled in slightly. Hang on, he thought with a 'frown', panels pulling in further as he stared in silence. They...

They heard... "You guys... Understand me now..?"

The group merely stared, Jonouchi slowly moving from the front as the dog stared toward them. "You... You were righ' here this entire-"

"Gh- That's not important," he barked, the wires and cables from his neck flailing with anger, the reason for his rage quickly brought back to mind as the others flinched. "What's important is the other one that's right in front of you," Honda snarled, "How could you bring MALIK around with you and tie ME up! He's the guy trying to kill us all! What's the matter with this!"

"Well we didn't know it was you! I mean, you look like something from a zombie game," Otogi protested, Anzu cutting him off with a scowl.

"Malik," she asked incredulously, holding the snake close as it stared with wide and clearly fear-filled eyes beneath the dog's accusations. "You think Ren is the madman that's been attacking people with the Rod?"

Gh... "No, I KNOW he is," the dog snarled, teeth seeming to quiver from inside the panels as he growled. "The hieroglyphs, the gold... He's even got that 'eye' on his head," he continued, Ren seeming to duck under Anzu's sleeve with the words, "It's obvious!"

Anzu shook her head, quite obviously not pleased about the accusations as she stood before the dog. "Alright... Listen very closely... REN," she emphasized, holding the serpent close, "Is a fragment of my SOUL created for this GAME; he's a familiar, Honda, not some maniac residing in my head!"

"Prove it," Honda growled, still pulling at the leash tying him in place as he reared up on his legs, "I bet you don't even believe your own words!"

"As a matter of fact, I do; the hieroglyphs are the same as the tablet I saw with Yugi just two days ago," she growled, "And seeing how Yugi's puzzle is gold and has that same eye on it," the woman continued darkly, "I'm pretty sure that explains everything else..."

"And what about his eyes?"

The group blinked, staring at the dog a moment as Ren continued to hide. "His... Eyes," Yugi repeated almost blankly, the dog continuing to growl in an unbridled rage.

"Last I checked snakes didn't have purple eyes!"

At this Anzu sighed, before Shizuka bit her lip and coughed. "Actually," she muttered, pulling a few strands of white hair behind her ear, "Quite a few cobras have blue eyes... All it would take is a pigment defect to result in purple ones, and given how pale Ren is compared to real cobras..."

"Real Egyptian cobras," Honda muttered under his breath, before getting rapped over the head by Otogi's foot as he was pushed against the ground. "OW!"

"Hey! Cut it out," he growled, crossing his arms as he took his seat again. "We've been looking everywhere for you and this guy's been helping the entire time!"

"Tha's righ'," Jonouchi called from the front, also glaring. "An' b'sides tha', I didn' see y' tryin' too hard t' tell us who y' were when you were in my sister's arms, y' RAT."

"AH-" ...Well he supposed that was true but... "Gh... What was I going to do, use morse code," he protested angrily, clawing at the air against the leash. "Oh and nice way to treat the guy who just died by the way! Really, I'm so glad this is what happens when you reincarnate!"

The others fell silent at this, Honda quickly backing up into the trailer's corner as he realized the line he'd crossed. Ah... This... "...Well... It's better than getting depressed over things right," Shizuka said, holding her spear from the 'Ruin' transformation close once again. "I mean... A lot has been happening," she continued, the truck starting up again as Jonouchi quietly decided to focus on his driving instead, "And if we don't keep our spirits up..."

The sound of the engine almost instantly died down again as they turned the corner, the others looking up with frowns. "We're stopping already," Yugi asked curiously, narrowing his eyes. "But why are we-"

Jonouchi merely pointed forward with a stiff expression in place, ruined buildings and concrete dust filling the air before them as a figure in red charged into the skies far in the distance. "S... It's Kaiba," he said tonelessly, pulling the 'keys' from the device with a swallow as the others crowded around the front. "S... ...He's fightin' Daimon."

At that time, it didn't occur to anyone that 'Daimon' hadn't been addressed by name just yet.

---

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Her opponent was chuckling... Again. Seto growled as she pulled herself up from the soaked ruins yet again, having been blasted back by a series of spells in her latest assault attempt. "It looks as though things are in my favor," Daimon was calling down from his position, the woman merely spitting another mouthful of water to the side as she scowled and glared upward.

Tch... Bastard... She'd just gotten used to being dry damn it... "What the hell are you talking about," she growled, opponent standing just meters away from her and in the air to keep barely out of reach. Levitation... Such a cheap trick...

How come she couldn't levitate damn it... Her opponent continued to laugh, rising higher into the air before coming to rest on a far off ledge. "I'm talking about 'life', 'Seto'," the man cackled, his opponent narrowing her eyes at the switch from 'ojou' to 'seto' in annoying ways to address her. "I have three times as much power as you right now... And by sacrificing 2000 to re-activate Lily's effect, I'm going to continue with that," he roared. "SO! How do you like the sound of a flu shot," he snarled, the woman ducking as Lily's 'TSUNAMI' blasted through the area yet again to send her from the top of the building roof.

"G- NGH..!" Thank god for the defense mode she told herself, soaked cape dragging her back into the rushing waters before she clipped it off and let it sink. Thank god... The woman brought her sword back up, eyes narrowed as she looked up to her opponent from the water's surface. "Tch... The Twin-Headed Behemoth's ability activates," she shouted, pushing off a building's flooded roof as her monster re-appeared in a cloud of water to flap its wings in mid air, "Allowing it to come back with cut power and defense!" As the two headed dragon snarled the woman pulled herself onto it's back, turning forward with narrowed eyes as the next part of her plan came into mind. Now then... When the time was right...

She'd make her move... "Hnnn... A resurrecting monster," Daimon was muttering, arms crossed from his position in the air. "Well, I'll just have to kill it again then," he sneered, the woman below gritting her teeth as her dragon pulled up from the seas. "I set another card, before activating the spell 'Emergency Provisions'; I gain 1000 lifepoints," he explained, the glass of the card scattering around him, "But more importantly, as it's the end of my turn, my satellite gains power as it charges! Not that you can see it of course," the monster added with a smug laugh, Seto merely tapping the back of her own monster as they rose through the air.

The satellite mattered little right now. What mattered now was this! "I don't need to see your satellite to attack," Seto growled, preparing to jump from her dragon's first head as she held the second for support. "All I need to do is wipe out your 'heal' deck! HN! HEAVY STORM," she roared, pushing off from the monster's head as her defensive wall of glass pushed ahead of her in response. Wind howled from the second sheet that sprang from her hand, wrapping around her and pushing her upward as she spoke. "This spell wipes out every last magic and trap card on your field," Seto snarled, winds carrying her forward before a sudden wave cut them short. "And I- Gh- Hn!" Seto grabbed the side of a wall she'd flown past as she began to fall again, turning upward with narrowed eyes as the winds abruptly quieted. "You..!"

"I activated the spell 'Imperial Order'," the monster said plainly, clenching his fists as his opponent began to charge and run up the sides of the sky scraper again. "So long as I pay seven hundred lifepoints each turn, you'll be unable to use spells... Of course, now that it's my turn," he continued, snapping his fingers in the face of the approaching attack, "How about I show you this... The TRUE power of this weapon that Gozaburo left to this world! FIRE THE CANNON," Daimon roared as his opponent leaped forward, the woman's eyes widening as the clouds above parted while she hung in mid air. She just jumped.

She couldn't move after she jumped. Oh FUCK- "HNAHG-" Glass shattered above her as her defense monster was destroyed, the woman blasted back by the laster that followed in mere seconds. Water evaporated from the ground, and as smoke rose from the ground a crater could be seen. Buildings toppled downward in the resulting collapse... Entire sky scrapers piled atop each other like dominos, and as Daimon cackled voices could be heard over the air. "G... Ghg..."

'KAIBAAA! KAIIIIBAAAA,' a crowd was shouting, Seto's eyes closed tightly as she winced. Those voices... 'SE- ...KAIBA,' a familiar loudmouth called out, correcting himself, 'KICK HIS ASS!' That voice..! 'KAIBA! GET UP, KAIBA!' That... Voice...

Weak hands pulled herself from the wreckage and the crater both, the woman glancing to the side as she spotted a cliff above the lower buildings. "Y... Yugi," she rasped, ashes and grime coating her face and hair as she stumbled to her feet. Those guys... What the hell were they doing here..?

"Kaiba," the boy shouted again, mutterings of 'fairness' and 'difficulty' filling the air behind him as his friends discussed her opponent. "This fight..." The remainder of the sentence was left unsaid, Seto narrowing her eyes as she snorted.

Hn! Really... If he wanted to help, he should have stayed away. "Don't bother," the woman growled, covering up her voice with a slight grunt of pain. "This is my fight; interfere and I'll consider you as much an opponent as he is," she continued, the others on the cliff tensing slightly. Seto looked back to her opponent in question, gritting her teeth as she looked toward where he hovered. Alright... This was it. "...Daimon," she growled, pulling herself from the crater. "Prepare yourself! Twin Headed Behemoth enters attack mode," Seto announced, running forward and up the still crumbling walls as they slowly succumbed to their own weight and fatigue, "And in addition," she continued as the tower behind her crumbled, "I summon the Spirit Ryu!" In a blinding light water rose to her side, the dragon swirling about her before a mask developed for it to fly forward. Good... The monsters were set... "And with that... I attack," she shouted, pushing off the falling building with a roar, "Activating Ryu's effect! By discarding two dragons," Seto announced, "He gains 2000 attack points!"

"Not nearly enough to save your sorry hide," Daimon sneered, pointing his angel forward as the nurse saluted. "Lily's effect is also activated; I give up 2000 of my lifepoints to increase her power by three thousand," he stated coldly, the angel raising her syringe like some great wand, a wave of water blasting forward. "Now... COUNTER ATTACK!" Water filled the air, crushing her and sending her flying backward beneath the stinging acid waves.

And in the resulting crossfire, the scene again changed...

With Seto finding herself standing before the form she held just under two years prior.

---

"And so it all begins again... It looks like your friends arrived just in time," Noa was saying from the front of the screen, Mokuba merely biting his lip as he looked at the boy. "Now 'dear' Seto has an audience for her death..." Gh...

No! "Nee-sama isn't going to lose," he said confidently, clenching his fists as the two programs sat motionlessly at his sides. "She's coming here right now, got that?"

"I don't know... She seems rather 'distracted' to me," the boy chuckled darkly, Mokuba shivering as he moved over to brush a bit of hair from his eyes. "Just why do you love this woman so much... She can't even get over a simple secret; do you have any idea how large a problem this will be now? Why... She could have easily passed it off as something my father forced her into had she come outright after his death... But now..." Forced to-

Gh- This sick... "Nee-sama wouldn't lie about that," he spat, narrowing his eyes. "Why she's still hiding is between her and me, it's none of your business!"

Noa tilted his head, smiling oddly. "Ohhhh but it is Mokuba... I care very much about you after all, and this, all of this... I know it's hurting you," he whispered, his captive unable to move away from his touch. "And your friend, 'Katsuya'... He knows to, but what's he doing about it? Just fawning over your big sister from a distance, not even bothering to say anything..." Gnnnh...

"That's enough, go away," he shouted, gritting his teeth. "I know what you're doing... And it's not going to work! You can't turn me against my friends and family... You can't just get into my head like that!"

The boy stared almost blankly, crossing his arms. "Hnn... Really Mokuba, I'm appalled... I'm not attempting any control at all, merely stating the facts; your 'sister' doesn't really care... Not within safe boundaries at least. And you love her, don't you," he pressed, leaning in to look at the boy. "Well if you love her, then give her a break... The real world is just one giant strain, she can't take that much longer..."

"Get. Away."

"Hahhhh... I guess it's only natural you don't understand... You can't remember the 'other' things she did after all, the darker days..." Darker...

Mokuba frowned, bowing his head somewhat. "You... What are you talking about," he muttered, flinching away as Noa continued to move close in what was shaping to be an attempt at 'comfort'. "Just get away from me already!"

Another sigh, Noa moving away to cross his arms. "Hnnn... I suppose I'll just have to show you; Daimon saw through her long ago after all," he said with a smirk, "Perhaps not long enough, but he still knows what happened that day... Your sister used you," the boy whispered, Mokuba gritting his teeth, "She used you and tossed you to the side..."

Gh... That... "LIAR," he shouted, covering his ears with a shout. "You're lying! My sister never used me for anything..! There was nothing like that!"

"Oh..? Did you forget then," Noa asked, feigning a look of confusion. "It can't have been that long ago after all... In fact, just what day was it, Kisara-chan..?"

"November 10th, 2010. 3:45 PM."

"And where," the boy continued to press, Mokuba growing visibly pale as a memory came to mind.

"Library study, west wing, 12 A Domino District."

"And as I recall... Who was involved again..?"

"Former employees Daimon Kogoro, Ota Soichiro, Oka Chikuzen, Shuzo Otaki, Konosuke Oshita... In addition, Kaiba Seto, and Kaiba Mokuba." No... Not...

Noa seemed to smile darkly, looking back from Kisara with a smirk. "That will be all, Kisara-chan... So tell me Mokuba," he continued, gesturing to the screen as the boy slowly turned to look. "Do you remember..?"

"N... No," he whispered, the scene of a ruined city slowly replaced with the very memory that was coming to mind just now. "No... You're lying," the boy said with a swallow, "Lying... She wouldn't do that," he screamed, turning away. "She wouldn't..! You're LYING!"

"You keep saying that... Yet in the end," Noa said quietly, "You can't fool a computer..."

---

'Why have you called us here,' the men in Seto's memory asked, forms obscured by a fog that arose thanks to the merged attack of Angel Lily's 'tsunami' and the Behemoth's flames. 'As I recall,' they continued, 'You were given free reign over the rest of your life; what reasons do you have calling us now?'

It was as though the entire fight had come to a standstill with the arrival of that memory; as Seto stood and stared in slight shock the monsters had continued to fight, her twin-headed behemoth and dragon both belching flames at the attacking angel before them as their master stared in a minute moment of weakness. 'Spirit Ryu' as he was called had died quickly, thankfully leaving little damage to its master in the rushing water. As it died however Lily's effect wore off, leaving it open for attack from the Behemoth... And in seconds the flames burned it into naught but ash, floating on the waves.

But now it was Daimon's turn... And it seemed that despite having the advantage, he was more than happy to wait the out, allowing his points to replenish through his cards and destroying the 'Imperial Order' to preserve himself while simultaneously watching his opponent's growing dread. Even so, with all that it was still his turn... And Seto seemed far too shocked or frozen by what stood on the field to say otherwise. "What... Is this," Anzu muttered, stepping forward as the others looked over the 'field'. Before them the entire scene of the city scape had vanished, replaced by some sort of vision of Seto's 'board room', the light of a mid-day sun bleeding through the window. "It... It looks almost like..."

"Kaiba's work building," Yugi muttered, the teen's eyes narrowed as he recognized the room from when Mokuba had taken them in. "But why are we seeing this..?"

"Why are they showing Kaiba this," Otogi added, Shizuka coming forward with Honda again in her arms to frown. "If it's his memory he'll remember this clearly right..?"

"Hnn..." The others turned as Ren pulled their attention over, the serpent shaking his head somewhat. "It's probably not something he wants to remember," the snake on Anzu's arm muttered, staring almost blankly. "It's a good way to manipulate someone, that's for sure... If the memory is dark enough..."

The dog in Shizuka's arms squirmed somewhat, apparently forgoing his current detest for the snake to focus on the scene below. "...But this is Kaiba," Honda protested, keeping his voice down lest his 'mouth' open again as Ren stared. "Kaiba's not exactly manipulatable..."

"True," the blond at the front said with a swallow, "But somethin' tells me tha's th' point..."

As the others frowned in response to this statement, Seto's opponent again began to speak. "Do you remember this day," Daimon was shouting from below, still hovering out of reach as he seemingly faded from sight. "This meeting... It was the start of Gozaburo's end," he sneered, ashen and burnt clothing hanging from the armor of the Psycho Shocker. "The start of something that will show everyone here your true colors! This plan you made not too long ago... Hn!" Plan..? 'You have ability,' the younger Seto was saying almost coldly, manipulatively and controlled to the point of near temptation in the eyes of the 'big five'. 'You have power... You could be kings in your own fields if you wanted,' the girl had told them, 'Yet you work for Gozaburo instead...' The board had traded glances with these words, coughing awkwardly as their guest continued. 'Why not work for me,' she'd asked, the woman's living counterpart visibly gritting her teeth at the sight of an unwanted scene.

Those men had agreed that day, that much he knew. And as the memory shifted to that of another room, it seemed as though Seto's opponent was speaking to them... And only to them, rather than to his opponent. "That day," he began, chuckling darkly from where he stood upon the flag-pole of a tall skyscraper in the half visible city-scape, "That was when the plan began; we began to amass stocks within the company," Daimon explained clearly, "Slowly gathering amongst us more and more of the company's percent count. However, as we came to a full forty-nine percent," he continued, "It seemed someone leaked information to your late 'father'... Leaked to him that you were planning a take over, preparing to oust the man from power. And rumor had it," the man continued with a sneer, the area appearing almost closed and cramped as they were suddenly met with the sounds of a small boy crying, "That 'mole', according to 'rumor'... Was none other than your brother..."

"You..."

"Mokuba," Anzu hissed with a frown, "But why would Mokuba-"

"Isn't it obvious," Ren answered darkly, the others listening with cold expressions that nearly matched that of the woman below. "He was set up."

'GHN!' A louder shout came through the air, and before them the scene re-played. 'N-... Nii-sama,' the boy was wailing, wiping his cheek as he was thrown roughly against the door. The look on his sister's face was that of cruel rage, not an ounce of remorse in her eyes as she proceeded with her next words and actions, arms crossed in clear distaste. 'N... Nii-sama,' Mokuba continued to cry, the present counter part of Seto bowing her head in silence as her eyes were hidden from view. 'Why... Why are you doing this,' he cried, wiping his eyes. 'Why..?'

The girl had merely snorted, lips curled back in disgust. 'Tch! When will you stop getting in my way,' she snarled, using the voice that she had just recently been taught to use as the Big Five awkwardly watched from behind the woman. 'You knew this was important... And yet all you can do is screw things up,' she snarled, her brother cringing under the shouts. 'Pathetic!'

'P-Please... Nii-sama...' The ten year old boy continued to sniff, wiping his face as he looked to his sister's eyes. 'I didn't tell him, I swear, I didn't,' he cried, pulling his legs close before roughly being pulled up. 'I didn't tell... I didn't...'

'Tch- Get away from me,' 'Seto' spat, pushing him roughly out of the room as the door was opened for him. The boy tripped and fell out into the hall turning just in time to hear his sister continue to shout. 'And DON'T COME BACK! UNDERSTAND?'

'N-Nii... Nii-sa-'

'I SAID LEAVE,' she roared, the door slamming in Mokuba's face.

And with that sound, the scene dissipated into full darkness. Seto was shaking. Her expression still couldn't be seen, the skull shaped 'hat' from her deck-master armor obscuring it perfectly as Daimon chuckled from above. "Geeze... Was Kaiba... Really that bad," Otogi whispered, Shizuka as well staring in shock as the others found themselves with distant gazes.

"...Worse," Yugi muttered after a moment, turning his attentions back to the field as Katsuya swallowed. "Far worse..."

"Wouldn' 've hesitated t' kill 'm back then," he added almost nervously, watching as the field seemed to roll with flames before coming to the final scene.

The board room again, Katsuya realized, watching as Seto stood to face her 'father' with the Big Five at her side. But this time, there was more than the big five and Seto in there. There was nothing but silence in this scene... A silence that lasted only a moment before Daimon again continued with his taunting narrative, shaking his head in mock pity. "Poor, poor Mokuba... Left with only Gozaburo to turn to," he explained darkly, "The man had exactly 51% of the company stock in his possession... There was no need to bother dealing with your 'attempts' to take control, no need to pressure us out of our own stocks... And yet you still called a meeting," he continued, the memory hiding him from view once more as his opponent was forced to watch the scene. "Beyond all clear signs that it would end in failure you moved on..."

Because that was how Seto did things. 'Thank you for coming,' the 'little' Seto said calmly, already nearing the height she was now as she stood before her 'father'. 'This is an incredibly important matter after all... We're dealing with the future of this company, hn?'

'Hmph! You're just wasting your time,' Gozaburo sneered from across the woman, arms crossed as he looked to the girl. 'You know full well the difference in power; no matter how much you want to turn on me you only have 49% of this company... And I don't plan on lending you anything of mine to change that. As for how to put an end to this nonsense,' the man continued with a snarl, holding out a small pile of papers, 'I'll be applying for insolvency this next week; the business will become nothing but subsidiaries and your stocks nothing but wallpaper scraps. You can consider your life mortgaged to ME,' he roared, no reaction coming from his 'son' as he slammed the papers to the table. 'A debt you can carry with you until death!'

'No!' The door flung open at that moment, the group watching turning as a slightly familiar form of Mokuba's past self ran through with a desperate shout. 'I won't let you! No!'

"That... He came back," Ren hissed in confusion, the others narrowing their eyes. The cobra slithered up to his partner's head, shaking himself. "He... Why would he do that..."

'Mokuba,' Gozaburo muttered, narrowing his eyes as the board and Seto both turned to look back at the boy. 'What are you doing here,' he warned, 'Your classes begin today!'

'I'm giving my stock to my brother,' he said almost nervously, holding out a small set of papers with a swallow as his 'father' paled. 'You see? You no longer have 51%..! This company is my nii-sama's now, and not yours!'

Gozaburo appeared almost frozen with those words, standing from his seat with wide eyes. 'You... But after what he did to you, he- How could you...'

'That... That was an accident,' Mokuba muttered, Otogi and Seto both visibly wincing as the memory continued to play with an excuse they both recognized for alternative reasons. 'It was an accident... He got angry,' the boy whispered, 'And... And I...'

'Mokuba... Thank you,' the 'memory' Seto said almost blandly, not looking down. 'Now, you should go home... I'll be back soon enough,' she 'promised', voice not at all showing any gratefulness.

Even so it was enough for her brother that day. 'Ah... N... Nii-sama...' For a brief moment the boy merely looked at his sister in awe, before breaking into a grin. 'Alright,' he said with a nod, turning from the room. 'Got that, 'Gozaburo'? I side with my brother,' he told him with a grin, 'And no one else!'

"And you were counting on that weren't you," Daimon hissed as the door shut behind the boy, 'Seto' turning back to her 'father' with a cunning smirk before the scene melted into dust. "All according to plan, with one handy bonus including Gozaburo's untimely suicide just after and a will granting you all of his remaining stocks... Now wasn't that a surprise," the man continued darkly, his opponent slowly raising her head to leer at the monster before her.

"You... What are you going on about," Seto hissed, still shaking as the memory cleared to reveal the ruined field in a slowly blowing wind. "All of this..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn... You told me yourself didn't you," the man shouted with a laugh, hands outstretched as he took his move. "YOU passed on that information, YOU were the one who took advantage of a small boy's trust, sending him to your opponent's arms until at the last minute his childish guilt came to your rescue... You counted on that very result," he snarled, a storm appearing to rage with every word he shouted, "Because you knew that boy thought the world of you!"

"GH... I... I..." Seto couldn't argue against this he realized, a sympathetic look coming over his face in response. She couldn't counter this... Because she knew it had happened. She was muttering something now he noted, head again bowed in fatigue and grief both as the others stared in shocked and awkward silence. "For him," they could finally hear, the woman not moving in the cold gale. "Everything I did... It was all.."

"Say what you like," Daimon countered, crossing his arms from his position on a building's radio tower, "But in the end you can't change the truth! You hurt your brother, sent the man who took you in into hell... And when you were sure it was all yours you became the very tyrant you promised not to become... You were WORSE than Gozaburo," he roared accusingly, pointing downward as he scowled. "And for what you did I'll be making sure you can never wake up again..! It's still my turn," he announced, a sheet of glass appearing before him with the wave of a hand, "And I'm setting a card... And following that," the monster shouted a blinding light coming from above, "The satellite attacks again!" The satellite-

"GH-GHAA!" And with that a blinding light tore directly through the clouds and field, sending dust into the air once more as buildings began to fall...

Blocking whatever else happened from view for what felt like all too long to those watching at the sides.

---

"GHHHAAAAAGH!" The building she was slammed back into was struck with far more force than the other attacks had been. The woman had found herself pummeled through wall after all of concrete; had she been alive, she most certainly would not have been after the first. Her 'Behemoth' had been disintegrated on impact of course, bearing the exact number of attack points as the satellite had. Her body however, despite being protected by the monster, was left to plummet into a crater-like hole in the wall of a 'final' sky-scraper, the collapsing ones before her leaving little in the area to stand for something to run along. "Gnk... Nnnh..." That memory...

She remembered that day all to clearly, she told herself, sword again making its use as a support for her to pull herself upward. That horrible, horrible day... Her brother's face... The lack of any remorse she'd felt, of any concern. But it wasn't that day she was recalling. She might have hurt and used him then but there had been worse. Far worse, and a few of those on the side knew it. There were no other real words for her 'past self'. She...

She was a monster. And as much as she loathed to say so Daimon was right; she had no excuse, none whatsoever, for what she had done.

But that was exactly why she had to keep fighting she reminded herself, looking up at the sky with an almost possessed stare. That was why she had to keep moving. To attempt to make up for it all. To save him, to show him that dream they'd made in the sandbox as small children. That was why... "Life," she found herself saying almost plainly as her disguised voice rasped out of existence, "Is a game..." No one could hear her right now, from the bottom of that canyon. No one but Daimon. That was all she needed to know. That was the only one who needed to hear. "...All a game," she repeated, narrowing her eyes as she looked upward. "And I don't intend to lose... Do you hear me," she continued with a roar, voice again covered up as she ran forward and up the tilted side of a crumbling ruin wall to target the man. "I'm not losing this battle! I activate Pot of Greed," she shouted, leaping from the building she stood on as it collapsed from the broken structures the satellite canon left on it, "Drawing two more cards before I summon the Possessed Blood Soul! Now," she ordered, pointing her blade forward from one of the few standing buildings as she came to run along the ridges of a balanced one. "ATTACK!"

"Hn! Not so fast... Dreamsprite is flip summoned," Daimon shouted, snapping his fingers as the wall of glass shattered in Seto's approaching view. "And using its effect," he continued with a shout, "The attack is redirected to the satellite!" But if the satellite couldn't be attacked... Seto grimaced as she came to the roof of one of the buildings, looking up toward the monolith across from her. The attack was useless... And that meant... "Now..! It's my turn!" Shit..! "The Satellite canon increases in power," he explained clearly, his opponent left with no option but to back away and jump as far from the tower across from her as possible. "And now... For MY attack," the monster roared, clouds already clearing above as the woman's demon fled. "THE SATELLITE CANON STRIKES," Daimon announced, Seto's eyes filling with light as she kicked off the building with an unblinking stare. "NOW..!"

-BROOUUUUMMMMMM-

The tilted towers and skyscrapers were easily scattered into chunks of flying concrete as she slowly turned back, body hanging in mid air as one particular cluster of stone fell toward her. Buildings were falling... All about her time seemed to almost freeze, her body growing limp as the tower at the front crumbled forward almost fully intact. She couldn't... She couldn't lose. She couldn't die, not now she told herself as she stared from her position in mid air. Not now, not...

"Gh... AERO" she roared, throwing her hands forward at the last minute as the stone came toward her face. And in that moment the building broke apart in her face and landed, rubble pinning her legs to the ground as her monster narrowly avoided being crushed under the pile that clattered over them. Buildings toppled into the center of the 'crater', gravity taking its toll. In the pitch black darkness the flaming monster she'd summoned now sat at the side, staring. Her monster hadn't been the target she told herself with a wince, closing her eyes as dust fell from the rubble below to hover in the air. She still had life points, so it hadn't been the target. But she was trapped.

Trapped, pinned under the ground like a corpse in its grave. And in no better condition either, she added grimly. Mokuba... She couldn't save him like this, not like this she told herself, left arm resting on the stone as it crushed her chest. ...Mokuba...

"Will it really end like this," she whispered bitterly, staring at the sky as black spots entered her vision. "My dream... Lost to a weapon of death..?" These ghosts of Gozaburo... Would they ever disappear, she asked herself, unable to move beneath the rocks atop her as her demon sat at the side. Was this the end..? Was this really it..?

. . .

No.

The woman's monster appeared to stare, flaming appearance looming over her as she steeled herself, narrowing her eyes. No...

NO! Her menu flashed in the back of her mind, Seto gritting her teeth as her free hand clenched. The flames that sat within this deck... She was going to awaken them now and burn the monster opposing her into a small pile of burning ash. There was one draw left after all, and one card that would help her. And she would summon it! No matter what. This card she'd just drawn... "This... ...Gn... ...Sacrifice two monsters," she muttered under ragged breath, the firey demon at the side melting over her form as a blinding white light began to pulse from her body, "Awaken the ruler of my deck the queen of dragons..."

This was it. It was now or never...

"I summon BLUE-EYES," she roared with a burst of strength, white flames blasting through the wreckage as she shot forward and into the air through the resulting pillar of light. "HAAA-AH!"

No one could miss the white colored 'warrior' standing in mid air, to say the least. "B-Blue-Eyes," her opponent whispered, form illuminated by the light that she now radiated. "Impossible... Im..."

Daimon shuddered below, Seto merely looking down with a menacing glare as she gripped the sword that appeared in her left hand. "You... I made a promise," she hissed, white wings spread wide behind her as her just as white hair shimmered in the light created. "A 'bet' to become the 'top' duelist once again, with honor and power both... If you think I'll let scum like you destroy it," she snarled, light seemingly pulsing with rage, "You can think again! Now DIE, DAIMON," she roared, propelling herself higher into the air as a blast of white fire grew within her mouth. "BURST STREAM!"

"No... No, 'shield'," the monster shouted, holding his hands forward as the glass created shattered on impact. 'SH-SHIELD-' n- GH- GHAAAAAAHHHH! HAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" White fires filled her vision as she landed on the building Daimon fell to, the man covered in flames despite the protections he'd attempted to put up. "GHAAAAAHH! AAAAAAAGGHHH!" This man...

A strong kick send the man flying against the wall of the building, the sword she somehow still carried brought to Daimon's throat as she placed a foot firmly atop the monster's chest. "Now Daimon," she hissed, narrowing her eyes in rage, "I will ask you only once... Where... Is... My. BROTHER."

"Hn... Your brother," the man spat, a small bit of blood spurting from his mask as Seto crushed the monster's ribs in response. "GH-! GH... Hah... Hah... Find out for yourself," he sneered, a single dead eye looking up through one of his shattered lenses as the woman grit her teeth, "I certainly don't know... Believe me," he continued, breaking into a pile of dust, "This isn't over... Ojou-san..." Gh... No...

No... "Daimon... You..! Gh... WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIM," she roared, her white armor and wings vanishing as they were replaced with her red garb once more, light fading from the air to leave her in darkness once more. "WHERE DID YOU TAKE MOKUBA?"

There was no answer to the woman's luckily disguised shouts however...

Not even from the ones watching, those who were now struggling to traverse the ruined buildings around them. Seto bowed her head in the silence that resulted, shaking somewhat before turning as shouts came from the side. "Se- KAIBA," Jonouchi was shouting, hands cupped from where he and his friends stood on the cliff side. "KAIBA!"

This was as close as they got, she told herself. Briefly she held a look with the group, before looking to the opposite side as a tunnel of sorts appeared. 'I have him,' a voice seemed to whisper, the woman closing her eyes as an involuntary shudder passed through her. 'I have your precious brother... And there's nothing you can do about it...' That... That bastard...

She had to find- "KAIBAAAA!" Seto turned, narrowing her eyes as the others ran down the side of the cliff to come over. "KAIBA! Let us come with y'," Jonouchi shouted, eyes filled with worry as the others nodded in agreement and continued to come near. "We need t' get Mokuba... So let us come wi-"

"Stay out of this," she responded flatly, the group freezing in their approach as the woman glared. "This is a family matter... It's none of your concern, understand," she added, switching the grip on her sword to her right hand.

The others stared for a brief moment, the answer coming all too quickly and all too 'as expected' for her liking. "Fam'ly... Tch!" The blond scowled, narrowing his eyes. "In case y' didn' realize," the blond growled, jabbing a thumb at himself in gesture, "I see 'm as family too! So 'your business' ain't gonna cut it!"

The woman merely narrowed her eyes, ignoring an odd stare that one among the number was giving her as she growled. "My brother may see you as 'family'," she muttered, "But as I recall you have your own crowd to deal with," she continued, Shizuka frowning as the woman glanced over her. "This is MY problem," Seto pressed, turning to face the tunnel as she gripped her sword. "And if I catch you following behind me," she continued, hopping from the roof to the tunnel's edge to begin her trek, "I'll show you just what I think of obstacles and distractions!"

"Ob- Gh... Be tha' way," she heard the blond shout from behind her, walking off into the dark tunnel without another word. "IDIOT! SEE IF I CARE THAT Y' GET YERSELF KILLED," he continued angrily, the shouts fading. "GOT THAT! I DON' CARE AT ALL!"

Despite the message most would receive from those words, and the situation they were in, Seto found herself smiling somewhat at the pathetic attempts for the blond to hide his idiotic attachments. Hn... Well.

At least there was someone that wouldn't cheer over her death after all of this...

---

"H-HAH! YEA! Kick their ass nee-sama!" Mokuba grinned as he stared at the screen before them, his sister's 'blue-eyes' influenced form remaining for just a second more before vanishing. The duel was over, and Seto was moving on...

But it was strange... So strange! Noa stared, narrowing his eyes at the boy's cheer as his guest continued to shout. This woman... He'd just convinced the boy of all her wrong doings, and yet with that one victory it was as though he'd been completely broken of the 'spell' of despair he had over him! "Mokuba... How can you not hate this woman," he whispered, the boy turning back to frown. "After all she did, how can you not..."

Mokuba merely smiled sadly, shaking his head at what he considered an obvious question. "Nee-sama will always be my sister," he said plainly, the screen blacking out at the side before it faded from sight completely. "No matter how much I suffer, no matter what happens," he continued calmly. "That will never change; I'll always stand by her side... You know that much, don't you," Mokuba 'asked', narrowing his eyes in more than evident anger.

Hn... Such loyalty he had... He could remember his own life at that age, when he was alive. The wealth, the intelligence, the power... He had never been in want of anything, nor had he ever envied anyone. He had everything Seto had now, everything but one thing... And he'd almost gotten it... 'Noa,' he remembered his father saying all those years ago, the boy's expression carefully hidden despite the tinge of pain it brought. 'How would you like a little brother..?'

He wanted this... He wanted this loyalty, this friendship, this thing that he did not have! He wanted a brother..! A real one, not a figment of his computerized exploits, not a program that acted only out of what was coded and duplicated... He had to... He HAD to..! "You're such a considerate person," Noa whispered honestly, the boy beside him staring in slight and uneasy confusion. "So kind and forgiving..."

"...It's my sister," Mokuba responded, not looking back at the boy as he held his arms close. "Why would I say anything else about her?"

"True, you're supposed to love older sisters... But she doesn't claim that title," he protested, voice kept low as he began his attempts at weaving himself into the boy's mind. "She claims to be your 'brother', at least to the public eye... What kind of sibling hides like she does," he whispered, the boy beside her shifting back with narrowed eyes, "Cowering behind a mask of indifference... Sisters don't force these kinds of secrets on their siblings, not for this long... Just what thoughts do you have on this woman," Noa asked, "That make her so 'worthy' of them..?"

The boy bit his lip, glancing back before giving his answer. "Nee-sama... Nee-sama is strong," he said confidently, swallowing a wave of unease. "Much stronger than you think, Noa. She'd do anything for me, anything..! Because we're siblings..! Because we're family!" Was that so...

Then he had just the thing, to get this thing that he wanted. "Really now? And yet what about what we saw just now? What about that day after the lessons," he pressed, the event being 'forced' into the boy's mind, "Or every day following that? She never looked to you as her 'brother'," Noa pressed, Mokuba cringing under the words, "Never respected you, nor came to your aid... She even tried to kill you," the boy whispered, sending a flash of the very event where this happened through the boy's mind. "Sisters... They don't do that," he told him, a gleam seeming to come into his eyes as he leaned closer. "How do you even know that what she says of you now is true," Noa continued, finally moving back as the boy turned to stare nervously. "Why," he added, moving from the couch with a shrug, "There's no guarantee at all that it's not just a 'mask'! I could even say the same for your friend, 'Katsuya'... Lusting after your older sister with a nearly guaranteed match as the 'one who knows'... How do you know he really cares about you though..?"

"That... That's enough," Mokuba shouted, eyes quivering with confusion and doubt both as he gripped the cushions of the couch. "Just stop it... Stop it, alright! These words... None of them are true," he tried to convince himself, "None of them!"

"Is that really what you think," he asked, turning to the side as a door appeared from no where. Footsteps echoed through the air, Mokuba looking to the side before staring with wide eyes as the one who walked through. "Hn... There she is now," the boy stated almost blandly. "Let's see who's right..."

The boy briefly looked to Noa with narrowed eyes, before running forward with a look of relief over his face upon determining nothing was wrong. "Hah... N-Nee-sama," the boy shouted, looking to the woman with a grin as he ran forward. "Nee-sama, you came for me! Hey... Since you won," he continued, hardly able to contain his excitement, "That means we're going home right? Ri-"

"I'll be going home," 'Seto' said plainly, crossing her arms as she turned to look away. "You'll be staying here."

"I-" He froze, footsteps halting briefly as the words echoed coldly through his mind. "W... What..."

The woman glanced back, narrowing her eyes as she 'explained'. "You heard what I said; you'll be staying here. You almost got us killed," Seto was telling him, eyes shining with rage, "And if you'd stayed behind the cover, you wouldn't have been taken. If you'd just listened," she snarled, "We wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Li-Lis... But how is any of this my fault," he whispered with an incredulous laugh, before jogging forward to reach out. "Nee-sama," he called out almost desperately, "I-"

-SMACK-

Mokuba stood as the sound reverberated about the room, shocked still as he slowly brought a hand to his cheek. She... She'd hit him, he realized coldly, face falling even further. She'd actually... After all that happened... "You... N-Nee-sama... What..." 'Katsuya' was standing in the door he realized. The blond was turned away in what almost looked to be annoyance, and as Seto continued to leer at the boy from above, Mokuba swallowed. He... He wouldn't do this right? He wasn't... He'd never been like this, so with his help, maybe... "K-Katsuya-nii... Katsuya-nii," he called out, eyes wide, "What's going on? Why is Nee-sama-"

"Shut up," the blond said bluntly, turning just slightly as blood drained from the boy's face. "Jus'... Shut up, alrigh'," he growled testily, Mokuba staring in confusion. The look on Katsuya's face... It was almost worse than the one on Seto's, his own eyes also narrowed in a look of anger. "Tch... I honestly 'xpected a lo' more from y'," he spat, shaking his head. "Even I ain't stupid 'nough t' run int' a trap like that!" This...

Why was this... "But..." Why was any of this... "I didn't mean for..." The boy shook, receiving nothing but glares in response as his sister snorted.

"Hn! Of course you didn't... You never do," she sneered, turning away. "You ruined everything... As it is, we're lucky to be leaving with only one casualty. We're better off leaving you here," the woman continued with that in mind. "Now... Let's go, 'Katsuya'," she said calmly, placing a hand on the blond's shoulder as they turned to leave. First names... He'd waited so long to hear his sister use first names again, but now that he heard it... The woman continued to pass through the door with the blond at her side, brother's eyes watering with tears. "We won't be worrying about him any more..." Wh... What... What did that...

The door closed off, Mokuba staring in shock as he was left in total darkness. It couldn't have been real, he was telling himself, shaking his head. It couldn't... None of it could possibly be real, and yet there it was... It happened... Right in front of him...

Right...

In front...

The boy fell to his knees, wide eyes staring at the ground as tears developed and fell to the ground. "...Why," he whispered, shaking as he held himself close, small mutterings and thoughts in the back of his mind only confirming the event. "Why would they say those things..? They never say those things," he wept, "So why..."

"Things like this... They bring out the worst in people," Noa sighed, coming up to the boy from behind. "Revealing the monsters of a person's true self... It's sad," the boy continued, Mokuba not pushing him away as the thoughts in his mind persisted. "But you know," Noa told him, "Sisters and even the ones we call 'friends' can be cruel... Seto wouldn't have said those things if she loved you, nor would your friends have agreed... You should forget about them," he added at a whisper Mokuba continuing to stare at the ground. "Just forget about things like that..."

Why did it have it be real... Why did it have to... "But why," the boy cried, shaking his head as he looked back to the one behind him. "It's not like them! It's not..."

"There there..." a hand was placed on his shoulder, the somewhat shorter boy seeming to lock eyes with him as he smiled. "Who needs them..? I can take both of their places," Noa told the boy, Mokuba shivering as his captor pulled him close in an awkward embrace before continuing. "I can be a far better brother than those two fools combined... I'll look after you, help you, care for you... No matter what," he added, looking directly into his 'brother's eyes as the somewhat taller boy sniffed and stared. "I'll always be there, right until the ends of the world itself... So what do you say..?"

'Do it,' a voice in his mind seemed to mutter, emotions curling into a spiral as he struggled to make sense of it all. 'Do it,' it repeated, Mokuba continuing to stare in silence before finally nodding his head somewhat in response. "Hn... I... ...I... ...Okay," he whispered, burying himself into the boy's arms as Noa's smirk went unnoticed to him. "Okay," he repeated, unaware of the manipulation already in process on his very mind.

And as those words echoed throughout the virtual world, Seto Kaiba found herself freezing in place in the middle of the tunnel she'd entered, the sound echoing through the air.

"M... Mokuba," she whispered, looking upward with wide eyes as she heard that one word fade across the air. "I... ... ...Wait for me..."

Please...

Just wait...

---

AN: And back to average (Well, almost average, it's still much shorter than the last) sized chapters! Though it helps that this A) isn't a three way and B) Kaiba's 'build up' was scattered across all those other chapters.

Also fight scenes. Speaking of, I got a lot of comments on the last one, and I have to thank you for them! All in all, part of the reason for the gore was because of a Mythbusters episode I caught while typing it; after realizing just what kind of damage the gatling gun could do, I really felt I should emphasize just how much those three should have died in the first strike. It's depressing...

Not to mention horribly traumatizing.

In other news of trauma inducing things, the 'official' sketch of RoboDog!Honda is below, as I altered it from the last one. Specifically, it's 4 'petals', hundreds of feelers/wires squirming around inside that, and a speaker at the base of his neck beneath it all.

He sees with those wires by the way. And feels. And smells. And touches...

Yeaaaaaaaa. Inspired by both 'The Thing' (an alien movie) and 'Resident Evil 5', I will admit.

Until then, I'm listening to music..~

Sayounara Memories, from Supercell, has a very RyuzakiXShizuka vibe to it in terms of the fanfic I find, so I thought I'd share that.

Also in regards to music, besides the fact that Sand Scraper by Kagamine Len gives me a REALLY big 'Malik' feeling, I listened to the 'Legendary' fight theme (Also known as 'Victini's Theme') from Pokemon Black and White for pretty much the entire edit of Kaiba's fight.

IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME GUYS. (But besides me shamelessly pushing my music interests on you...)

NOW! In addition to the art listed above, there's also the final... Or rather, final 'single' deckmaster for PossessedHonda down there! Before I deal with that though, here's a note on the Big Five; each one has their own class. This effectively means it merges with Honda's own 'Gunman' class... Double classing in other words.

Of course, 'Gunman' is pretty much the most destructive of the classes in most cases, hence the violence in the last chapter with the gatling guns... So you can imagine what Gunman/Gunman (Robotic Knight) will do.

As to the others, they are... 'Magus/Gunman' for Psycho Shocker (Hence Daimon's constant use of magic compared to the others), 'Lancer/Gunman' for Deepsea Warrior, 'Paladin/Gunman' for Judgeman (As in TANK), and lastly one... Really weird 'Beastmaster/Gunman' by the definition of 'beastmasters are really animal-y'. (Also known as 'Nightmare Penguin doesn't really have a class persay...')

Speaking of Deckmasters, it occurred to me that some might wonder what Ruin was doing in Shizuka's deck, given that her monsters tend to focus on earth and light; what could chaos and destruction possibly have to do with that!

Apparently a lot. Ruin is a light type monster.

Any ways, the next chapter as NO DUELS, and is instead a nice long bit of traveling... Not to mention mind-screw and eye openers, because really...

Did you see any mothers here? (What happened to Noa's! What's with the baby crying? I'M SO CONFUSED!)

Now, to business!

Anonymous Review Responses

Heh… Yea, it really was, huh Iona?

I'm actually a little disturbed/surprised with myself; I didn't expect myself to type it out in that much detail… (…Whoops?)

But yea! He came back! …Kinda. Hard to say if this is better or worse than a monkey really, as while the monkey served little purpose, that was in a Virtual World with nothing but the Big 5 attacking. This is a little… Different.

…NOM NOM NOM.

Oh! Thank you very much for the opinion on Ryuzaki/Shizuka! I'm actually glad I stuck with that idea… It's turned out to be very fun to run with, not to mention, as you said, very character developing.

They really do go after the smart people, those two… At least Shizuka is smart herself though; if it weren't for Ryuzaki (And soon enough, Haga), she'd be the top of her class herself.

As it is, once Haga enters things, he'll be tying with her constantly, studying his ass off… …As Ryuzaki sits at the back, snores, and then beats them all. (You can imagine what their reactions would be I would bet.) I almost wondered if I was going to far…

Then I realized that Ryuzaki would A) probably need those grades for his career anyways, B) his kendo was probably just something he picked out when he was younger, as most students are pressured into clubs or groups for after school meets… He'd have probably picked on just to get them off his back about it, and also to waste time… Given the lack of class work he does…

Besides, if Haga can skip a grade, Ryuzaki can be smart. -bricked-

Anyways, back on topic now, you're very right on the topic of avoiding questioning; thankfully (or unfortunately depending on your view), the next series of events will really, really skew with the time that any one has to comment on it… By which point, it'll all be coming out anyways.

Though that's not happening in this arc. (We DO get suspicions from more than just the 'circle of friends' though; Kaiba's suspicions will be raised soon enough, keep your eyes open wide when we hit the arc finale!)

In any case, I'll see you next time! Enjoy the chapter!

Hey RandomProjects! And… R-REALLY? (Is… Did you put something there..? *shiny eyes*)

Poor Shizuka indeed… Not to mention Otogi and his severed leg… *hurk*

Now that you mention that, 'Mood Whiplash' comes to mind. OWCH! I didn't even realize how much of a switch that was! It's horrible..!

I'm glad you like the change in the reasons for everything as well! As for the attack, she actually did need that much help; Ota was attacking the nun, which would have killed her. More over, none of the monsters could be used to re-direct an attack. He literally had no choice but to take it himself…

Though if Command Angel had gone up there, Honda would have lost anyways… But yes; very true about the disadvantage they had there.

Ohhhh, the dragons are doing more than being Mysterious, trust me; they're being honest. These aren't really the dragons after all; the real ones are still sealed up somewhere. This means that these are just vague memories built from Jonouchi's still incompletely revealed subconscious, which means that they really can't say who they are…

Not until the 'right time', when the rest of them are unlocked at least. Otherwise, they would have likely said something more, you're quite right. (But really, would it have made sense for these dragons to know everything from Jonouchi's head? Not really…)

Ohhh Ren… These things will be revealed, but not all of it is revealed in the Noa arc. It's not much a spoiler to say when, so I'll say this; Malik will be revealed sometime near the end (much to his displeasure), though the 'how' will obviously be held back until we actually get there. Jonouchi on the other hand, will be holding back until the Battle City finals.

Oh- It's the nine word seal? Well that makes sense now… A lot more sense! Thank you very much for that fact!

And… Oooooh, he might not have only been a prick last chapter, but he's still a prick here… Of course, he's still a little fleshed out here, so I suppose you're right to say it's a little better.

As to memories, I'll tell you that it's not from a past life. It's from the past (Obviously), but it's not from a past life…

I will concern Seto and Noa both in the end… And to a shocking extent I might add.

Well, that's all for now… With that, enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you next time!

---

Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that would like to apologize in advance for any queas- Wait too late. In that case, it will apologize in advance for any unnecessary anime/sci-fi shout ou- Wait, too late on that one too? CRAP.

---

Moments of Dying, our amazing title for today, refers to... Well, dying moments. Specifically, the one Honda mentions, the brief if not humorous one involving Malik, and finally Kaiba's own.

She actually has twice when you think about it; but the only reason Daimon forced the woman off the bridge was to 'level' the playing field, he enjoys taunting her and slaughtering (attempting at least) her more than making her fall asleep before slitting her throat.

Also Noa would probably get on his case about that...

---

The song Kisara was humming is called 'Lynne', from Hastune Miku. Think that's not creepy?

It's about a de-flowered young woman who, after the guy who did it leaves to date some other lady, ends up killing said guy. YAYYYYYYYY that's not creepy at all~ As to why she's singing it. Um. Er. There's actually no reason; I just needed her to be humming.

---

AHHHHH PIRANA PLANT- ...Dog... Things.

Kisara's not coming back by the way; Noa sent her elsewhere. She was originally supposed to convert Honda into a separate program altogether, a point I'm making based off his actions in the later half of the arc, where he slipped just briefly into some really, really half-assed 'guard dog' or sorts; however, at about the moment this exchange happened, Noa got wind of Ota's plan and put it on hold… Had Ota spontaneously changed his mind and done nothing to Kaiba, Honda would have effectively been brainwashed until Ota's defeat.

---

Bayonets on revolvers? Actually very possible; there are many handgun-bayonets out there, commonly used with army knives. They're obviously smaller and more 'desperate times-desperate measures' than the normal ones (On BIGGER guns.)… Also kinda a compensation thing. Hee.

---

In the anime, Ota attacked Kaiba and made it appear as though, despite all words pointing to other things, it was still 'Honda'. It wasn't until the others appeared and rather bluntly said 'NOT HIM!' that he revealed himself… And attacked Kaiba with a wooden sword, or 'Boken' (Where he got it, who knows)...

…Which was, on the first attack, blocked with a card in the anime. A-DUR. No. Swords on guns and bullets this time around!

---

Speaking of kendo, Honda is stated as, in the Japanese, a 'level five' in Kendo. It takes six levels, or 'kyu' to reach the first 'dan' level; the requirement for first 'dan' in addition to this is a minimum age of 14 years old. After that, the succession of 'dans' depends on the number of years spent training in the field and the ability at the time tested through an exam; one more year of training after 'shodan' or 'First Dan' gets you to 'Nidan', or 'Second'. Two more years following 'Nidan' brings you to 'Sandan' (Third), and so on so forth… Though in the case of the final, eigth dan, a minimum of 46 years of age is needed.

But here's an important thing! The 'kyu' are numbered backwards from the first 'dan'! This means that, unless Ota is specifically referring to Honda's level by the number of 'belts' rather than 'kyu', that he's really only at 'go-kyu'… Which isn't that impressive, and kinda like saying 'don't worry guys, IMA YELLOW BELT'. Given that obvious fact however, it's more likely he's 'nii-kyu', which would be about the equivalent of say… Blue belt. Impressive, but not quite the brown belt that comes before 'black' (Or in this case 'Dan') Any ways, given my obvious confusion, I went and checked again...

He said he was Go-DAN; that's like saying 'Fifth-Degree Black Belt'! But the thing is, it's impossible for him to be at that level! He's only seventeen, to be a 'Go-Dan' you'd have to be a minimum of 24 years of age! (If anything, he'd be 'San-dan'...) Needless to say, I stuck with the guns. Because we actually know that Honda's freakishly well acquainted with firearms.

Also, a random fact that will be coming into play soon, but Ryuzaki is actually already a 'Nii-Dan' himself in the fanfic; in other words, he got to '1-dan' at 14, and made it to '2-dan' REALLY FAST. (It also means he's pretty much as good as he can get officially for the moment; 'San-dan' requires two more years of training.)

'Dan' are the equivalent of the 'Black Belt', with each successive one the equivalent of the next 'degree'. Now… Before any one says 'there's no way he's already at that level', trust me… I know a fair number of people who reached black-belts in their fields by that point with only their evening classes, which tended to be bi-weekly. Seeing how Japanese clubs tend to take a hell of a lot more time and take place almost daily in some cases, there would have been plenty of opportunity for Ryuzaki to get there... And even if it was bi-weekly, Japanese clubs put a LOT more than just one or two hours into these things... So it'd be at least three times the work.

Of course, you've probably guessed that this means each 'kyu' is the equivalent of the coloured belts in karate… So you can probably guess how it works from there.

---

Go Kaiba go! The bikes those two are using are fairly standard in the anime, if not a little blocky in terms of 'standard Japanese bikes'. However, due to the time differences, the bikes they're using are a little more 'special'; specifically, both Ota and Kaiba are driving what are considered sport bikes; speed for the sake of comfort. As for appearance, think of something more unconventional and 'game-like'… Perhaps the bike Cloud rides in Advent Children? (Albeit smaller. And less of a sword cabinet.) I have some loose sketches below... But they're loose.

---

Besides the obvious squick on the audience's part given the knowledge of Honda's head that the crowd doesn't have, Shizuka's calling Honda 'puppy-chan' to put it literally. 'Ko' is added to words to make them 'children' (As that's what it means. That and small), wheras inu is dog.

You know what the 'chan' is for, I assume.

---

The truck that Jonouchi ends up driving (Now hang on, he can drive now?) is a three-wheeled truck, and actually exists; most likely the one in the anime was a Mazda t2000. The one here is more smooth in appearance however, and less 'real-world'-ish in appearance… Largely because I don't know/can't figure out what three wheeled vehicles Japan is actively producing right now. At least in terms of ones that are trucks. (Again... Loose sketches below!)

---

I don't care if it makes me a dick, turning one of the big 5 into a sympathy object; I had to bring up a point, and there's never really 'good and bad' in real life anyways!

Think about it; Kaiba was a prick back then. Besides completely screwing with the big 5's jobs, both counterparts also went back on their deal. They treated them worse than Gozaburo had, and while you never see what Gozaburo treated them like, I doubt greed was the only fact here; Daimon had, after all, witness the kind of ability Kaiba had, so this was far from a matter of either 'hey we can exploit this kid after it's done' or 'this gets us more money period'... True, money would obviously factor in, but I have a feeling there was more.

Now here's step two. Unforgivable as the Big 5 are in their approach to things in regards to vengeance, I have to ask myself, did these guys have families? It wouldn't surprise me if at least two of them did! (And ironically, it would likely be Ota and Oka. Maybe Oshita, but he'd be a grand-dad then.) Just a little upsetting when you think about it...

Course, this is about as sympathetic as Pegasus got in earlier chapters. 'Oh hey, his fiance died of cancer... Doesn't make you forgiven!'

---

Damn straight I put in a reason/reference for 5Ds here. THAT SHOW WAS AWESOME (in Japan). So yea; I always wondered how they figured out about duels themselves creating energy… While this obviously isn't how Kaiba gets to that point, she's got the building blocks for what happens in like twenty years. Yay~ (And for those who missed it, I was referencing the bikes and energy source on the show; the energy utilized is called 'Ener-D'... And is literally created from the energy spawned in duels.

---

SWORDS! But no spells, at least not to an advantageous point; otherwise, Kaiba would rely only on the fight. Why? Because if she enters a duel situation, she becomes tied to the lifepoint system. While this is handy in a few cases, such as the last duel where it kept Shizuka, Honda, and Otogi alive despite injuries, this is also a very big disadvantage, what with even the most minor of wounds causing death in that case.

---

Silly Daimon! The reason you're not pummelling Kaiba with spells is because Noa told you to beat her in a duel.

Of course, if he said that, Kaiba would have effectively said 'SCREW IT' and just charged the sucker by blasting buildings on top of him. (That would have actually taken longer though.)

---

In Japanese, it was no business of 'two shares' like the dub; a company like Kaiba Corp would have far more than that. Instead, it was a matter of two percent of the shares.

Also, the amount of money Seto seems to have received there, one billion yen, is approximately twelve million dollars. 100 times the amount is one billion dollars, and two hundred million. Now, since there really aren't that many billionaires in the world, I'd be hesitant to do this…

But the fact is, getting a million yen, or twelve thousand dollars, isn't nearly as impressive (or in this case difficult to multiply), and the fact is that Seto could very well snatch all this money in the way that they did in the anime. It's scary as hell, but they could do it…

With one hundred million yen at least. 100,000,000 yen is about as much as a million two hundred thousand dollars; the goal here is just over ten million dollars as a result, making the dub right for once.

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How is Honda the only one onto Ren? Well, Jonouchi's on to him too, just not enough to bring it up just yet without screwing everything up. But the fact is, Honda is directly linked to Noa's computer; he has access to all of his files, however unintentionally! When he spotted the scales, the database compared them to whatever was in the memory…

Including Malik's own memories of his back. WHOOPS. Of course, Honda doesn't realize this; so all of his excuses are based on instinct, poor guy... Thankfully, it won't activate on Kaiba; because Honda isn't studying Kaiba's ass or something weird like that.

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Speaking of Honda and Malik... Malik/Ren's moment of 'squee' was kind of based on the fact that at Ren's size, riding on the top of a truck is pretty much a dream come true for the motorcycle nut. Malik likes speed guys. A lot. (Also, he's kinda on the high of not having any hate or rage to turn to... And as someone who spent pretty much all of his recent life living by hate and rage, that's a really REALLY light-headed feeling.)

As for Honda's freak out, this will actually play in later on; remember how earlier I said that Honda was supposed to be programmed out?

Part of him already has been; he's got guard dog instincts! (Which isn't the best thing at the moment really...)

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In the Japanese anime, Jonouchi doesn't say he doesn't trust Honda; they tied him up because of what he said while in Shizuka's arms; he was commenting on how soft her breasts were…

Right as he flipped the translation switch on his head. Nooooooo...

Needless to say, no one was particularly pleased by this, though in this case the situation was ramped up considerably thanks to the 'Malik attack'... Though they thankfully untied him after he promised not to attack Ren. (That scene will either be covered later, or drawn for you.)

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Good thing the Behemoth was in Defense mode when it died first time around; Kaiba would have lost despite the monster's effect otherwise!

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LOTS of dialogue changes for obvious reasons. Less obvious ones again concern flow and pacing, along with the point of view actually; the anime switches a lot more you see. Basically, the reason why we skipped their conversation on Psycho Shocker being a difficult opponent is because Kaiba couldn't hear them. This also means you don't hear why no one's commented on Kaiba's voice during earlier shouts, but I'll explain that now.

Basically, besides the fact that Kaiba's normal voice is extremely unisex (Still a lady's voice, but it could pass as a younger male), the shouts are being blamed on distance and echoing… After all, doesn't that echo always sound a little different? (They'll hit themselves over the head for this later, trust me.)

Scenes have also been moved around, which of course affects the dialogue as well; in particular, Yugi and the others arrived 'early', spoke 'late', and Noa's scenes were crammed into two tiny spots in the middle and end. In addition, a fair amount of Kaiba's lines were moved past certain… Well, moves, as was the flashback scene to better suit the timing of things. Hooray!

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What! This ending is different too! Actually, this one was changed to make sense; see, with the new deckmaster rules, there's no 'summoning' when bringing the deckmaster to the field. They are the deckmaster, so they're always on the field. This means that Seto always had enough monsters for a seven star sacrifice though. Which also means that using her deckmaster ability would be pointless, as it would cost her lifepoints when she could just do what she did in the fanfic.

Another big difference is Daimon's attack; he didn't do that in the anime, as the cannon was less powerful than the demon at the time, and during Seto's turns, the satellite has no power. However, monsters can still attack out of turn if Daimon wants, so long as they target the player, and ignore the rules of lifepoints…

Which means Seto just got very, VERY lucky.

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FanArt & My Art Section

Remove spaces, past links! Hw-cha!

We have two coloured references for you, along with another sketch reference, and yet a few other sketchy, conceptual things that won't ever show up again since they're vehicles.

Or will they..?

Concept: Trucks & Bikes & ReferenceSketch: Honda-Dog – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ DoodleSheet. jpg - Poor Honda... Is this better or worse than canon? I suppose worst comes to worst, he can eat someone's head... As for the bikes, not much more to say on the matter, haha~

Deckmasters: Blue Eyes White Dragon (Leather-Armor) – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ BlueEyesSeto. jpg - The last reference you got was for 'cloth armor' you see; this is for Seto's actual armor. And I have to say, it looks beautiful in my opinion... I really like how this came out... Even if I realized later that I have Seto carry her sword in her right hand. D'OH. Fixed in the fanfic though...

Deckmasters: PossessedHonda! - Psycho Shocker – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ PsychoShockerHonda. jpg - As a matter of fact yes those are Goa'uld bracelets. ...Shhhhhhhhh...

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed your chapter-ly dose of mind-screw and horror, and you can look forward to a chapter with no card-games next update!

Until next time, enjoy!