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

93. Chapter 92

Bifauxnen

---

The train ride took far longer than it could have, moving from one reach of cyberspace to the next. As the 'creator' of this world after all he could have easily just moved to the correct 'location' in an instant of course, but rather than that they simply sat in the representation of both reality and dreams, in the purely private train car built into the hull of a monorail meant solely for amusement park transport. To the hull of a dragon-shaped train with white steel coating. For the moment, there was nothing to see in the windows beside them, which were likely the only flaws in the snake-like 'dragon's design. They weren't really moving after all, merely under the impression of movement, floating along in darkness... But for the moment they had nowhere to go, or at least they wouldn't until Seto reached 'the' location.

Along with the end of any hopes and comforts she still held. Noa smirked as he leaned back on the couch, Mokuba leaning against him to stare at the television screen before them. "Niichan," the boy was asking, appearing to not really care for whatever it was they were watching for the moment, "Why are we doing this?"

"Hn..? Doing what," he 'asked', despite already knowing just what it was the boy was thinking.

Mokuba shrugged, shaking his head as he watched what appeared to be a young woman in red traversing a ruined land. "Watching this..."

"Because... This woman wants to separate us, and hurt us," he explained smoothly, his 'brother' not once doubting his words. "We need to create a trap for her," the man continued with calming tones, "And make sure she doesn't even come close to succeeding in her goals."

There was no question as to what those goals were, Mokuba merely nodding as he fell silent. "Oh... ...Niichan," he said after a moment, narrowing his eyes and turning to the man beside him as he frowned. "Why does she look like you?"

"I don't know," he said truthfully, shaking his head. He probably never would, given how much research he'd done into a family tree that traced generations back with no connections. That, however, did not matter here. "We may never know," he told Mokuba after a moment. "But you need to be careful," the man added, "As this woman will try everything to take my place, just like she took 'Tousan', understand..? You can't listen to anything she says," Noa continued, further encouraging the seeds of doubt he'd planted long ago. "No matter what she claims to know about the house, about Kuma, or-"

"Or Yuki," Mokuba asked worriedly, his brother hiding a smirk with ease at the mention of an apparently treasured pet.

"Yes... Like Yuki," he whispered, feeding off the memory of the second horse as fear momentarily rose in his 'brother's eyes. "You don't want her to take Yuki either, right?"

A short span of silence again arose, before Mokuba nodded. "...R... Right..." Again the boy fell silent, the screen briefly changing and flashing to an alternate scene as Noa checked in on the others in his realm. "...Niichan," he asked quietly, his brother not turning back.

"Yes..?"

The boy pointed toward the screen, the scene of a moving truck of sorts clearly visible across it. "Who is that," he asked, looking to the blond that was turning from the end of a road to shout at those he'd been transporting seconds before the vehicle had stopped. "...He seems familiar..." Famil-

Noa briefly tensed, before easily calming himself to fix the brief 'slip' in memory Mokuba was developing. He could not let him remember these people he told himself, silently easing in a short 'lie' to appease the curiosity. He simply could not let that happen... "You met in passing once," he said calmly, Mokuba seeming to frown as his brother continued. "But you can't trust him either," he warned, narrowing his eyes. "After all... If he finds us," he whispered almost threateningly, "Then she will follow..."

And in the darkness of the train car Mokuba again nodded, completely unwilling to argue with his older 'brother' on the subject of those who would take him away.

---

If either of the two Noa had warn against known what sorts of things Mokuba was being told, their moods would quite likely have been far more negative than they already were. As it was, while Seto was somewhere off in the distance walking in silent rage, Katsuya was already less than pleased when their 'map' just about led them off the side of the cliff. The fact was, as the blond found himself slamming on the breaks with a shout, he was fairly certain that the cliff hadn't been there a few seconds prior. "HAAHH! Gh- What th' hell," he shouted, vehicle skidding to a turned stop just a centimetre or so from the edge. "Where th' hell did tha' come from!"

"Where did what come from," came an annoyed shout in the back, Ren momentarily quarantined to a jar they'd found on board. "Someone lift me!"

Though the request was quite ignored the others nonetheless peered over the trailer's edge, drawing back with nervous swallows as they looked down the sheer drop. "A-Ahh... The road is gone," Yugi shouted with a swallow, looking back to the snake as it swallowed from behind the glass.

"G-Gone..!"

"Gh- Oii! You guys," he roared, turning back as he killed the engine on the truck. "What is this? I thought y' said that map would work," he snarled, the others scratching their heads.

The 'guys' in question, Otogi and Shizuka, merely shrugged, each one pulling a face as they stared at the map before them. "We're just as confused as you are," the older of the two said with a frown, crossing his arms as he looked to the table before him. "It was fine until the moment you stopped; once you did that though," he continued almost nervously, gesturing to the screen, "It... Well... Stopped."

"Ah... Stopped," Anzu repeated from the back, having momentarily convinced Yugi to come with to give her 'partner' some air from the jar. "What do you mean 'stopped'?"

Shizuka as well frowned, leaning somewhat on her spear as her brother moved to hop out of the truck and look at the map himself. "The map went completely clear," she said quietly, shaking her head as Katsuya leaned over the side and stared. "Almost as though it never existed to begin with..."

Hn! "Well ain't that jus' convenient," he muttered, a slight whine coming from Honda as the dog moaned.

"Mannnn," he groaned, rubbing his snout as he whined. "And here I thought we were getting somewhere-aru..."

"Tell me about it," Ren added from the side, ignoring the puppy's growl as he realized the serpent was roaming 'free' again. "This is worse than you guy's 'quarantining' me in a jar..." Ah, but he wasn't in a jar now, he just wasn't allowed near Anzu.

"Hn... I still don't see why he's supposed to be 'quarantined'," his partner added in quotes, crossing her arms as the others turned to look back at the woman. "Is it really that much for the snake to be sitting on my shoulder?"

"Well... Not to put it rudely," Shizuka said with a swallow, both of the 'partners' looking her way as she bowed her head, "You were scary out there..."

"Yea; it was like watching the 'Other-Bakura'-aru! Or even that 'other Malik' that showed up," Honda continued, a few of the others shuddering in response. It would be best not to even think of that...

"Malik... Right," the woman muttered, holding her head as the others stared. This, as well, was becoming a bit of a sore point really; apparently, Anzu couldn't remember what happened on the airship. Which meant she didn't know 'Namu' was Malik (not to say she didn't now)... Or about the increasing number of casualties onboard. "Hahhhh..." Anzu sighed, sitting back down as she frowned. "I just... I don't even remember all of this! So just what does that mean," she protested, those before her sharing a look. Well...

"It means," Katsuya said with a cough, "That yer probably still bein' manipulated by a psychopath, an' until we get proof y' ain't," he continued, "We gotta take precautions!"

Anzu's jaw dropped, the snake's falling as well. "Are... Are you SERIOUS," she protested. "You're going to cast me out like some black sheep!"

"Oi oi, we didn't say that-aru, just don't touch the snake..."

"Right! It's not about you! And... Well, it's not like we'll be here much longer right," Shizuka added nervously, holding out her hands in defense as the other woman scowled.

A few sighs hit the air as their friend continued to glare at them in betrayal, before Otogi and Shizuka returned to 'fixing' the map and Honda stared at 'Ren'. "...Anzu..." The woman looked up from where she'd again fallen silent, Yugi coming over to sit by her with a sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry... That you can't remember anything, and that we're doing this," the boy began, momentarily turning away to look to the trailer floor. "But you know Anzu, we still trust you," he said confidently, a smile over his face as Ren blinked. "Just make sure you know that- we would never think that you would turn on us, or attack us! Because you're our friend, understand?"

"Ah... Yugi..."

"Hey... He's righ', got that," Katsuya muttered from the front. "Jus' cause I said 'pr-cautions' doesn' mean we don' trust you; we jus' don' want y' flippin' out when y' don't realize it."

"Ah..."

"...Hey, what about me," Ren asked from the side, receiving a loud snarl in response.

"GH- You're the problem-ARU!"

"AHHHH, so harsh..!"

"Hahhh..." While Yugi found himself uncomfortably stuck between arguments as he went to separate the again bickering snake and hound Katsuya sighed, looking back to the 'map' and smacking it with his staff as he scowled. There was no response, none whatsoever from the device; it merely gleamed dully in the sunlight, giving off painful sparks as those near it jumped back. "Tch! Damn it... We're gettin' nowhere w' this," he muttered, the others biting their lips as the blond continued to huff and growl. "Gotta be some other way t' get there..."

"If there was," his sister added with a frown, "We'd likely have encountered it by now..."

"And it's not like we can just look for another path either," Otogi muttered, gesturing to the chasm before them. "If Kaiba really did just keep going straight, we'd have found him by now, or at least his foot prints. There's no wind here," the teen explained shortly, "So they'd have remained just as long."

Hnnnnggg... Short yelps caught his attention, Katsuya blinking as Yugi struggled to hold a snarling Honda away from Ren.

"ROU! ROUR-ROU-ROU! LET ME AT HIM-ARU! RAOUR! RAOUFF!"

"G-HNG... Honda-kun," the boy wailed, ducking back from the open and frankly nauseating 'mouth' as he clung to the dog's collar. "Can't this wait!"

"ROUR! ROUF AOUF AOUF!" Barking was Yugi's only answer for the moment, the boy wincing with each one as the dog scrambled. "RNNNN... NO! NO IT CAN'T-ARU, I'm gonna SLICE HIM TO SHREDS!"

"Oh come on," the snake snorted from just below the puppy's 'wires', "You've been threatening me all day, and I've still yet to see you act on them... Ah-"

"REN," Anzu hissed, pulling the snake out of Honda's reach as the dog bolted forward, "You really aren't helping right now..."

"Hey, he started it," her partner protested, Katsuya rolling his eyes and leaning over the trailer wall as the bickering continued.

"H-Honda-kun..!"

"ROU-ROU-ROU-ROU-R! Y-RF!" The dog was abruptly grabbed by the tail and pulled from Yugi's grip, the others staring as Katsuya pulled the dog over and upside down to stare at him. "Y-Rourr? J-Jonouchi," Honda protested, receiving a somewhat blank stare as he was pulled out of the trailer. "What are you doing-aru?"

The blond merely poked at the inside of the puppy's 'head', narrowing his eyes as the wires and mouth-panels each drew back and shuddered. "Jus' want y' to know tha' I completely understand this not bein' yer choice," he said plainly, the others raising their eyebrows as the dog went largely limp.

"No- A-rour! What does that even have to do with this," he growled, shaken somewhat until he fell quiet. "Rrnn!"

Katsuya switched his grip, grabbing the dog by the tendrils of its head and spinning him slightly as the dog protested angrily. "Well," he said with a shrug, ignoring the yelps and growls coming as he shook the dog rather violently in circles, "Way I figure," the blond said plainly, "We can' jus' sit here an' wait f'r somethin' t' get us righ'? So with you here-"

"With me- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT-ARU! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME-ARU NOW PUT ME DOWN," he snarled, shaking momentarily stoping as the panels seemed to extend. "GRAAAAAAAAAAA-" The dog was dropped without another word, Ren approaching from the side to peer into the puppy's 'head'. "R-Rouuurrrrrr... Dizzy... ...And what the hell-aru! What are you going on about!"

"Well think about it," the snake said with a grin, Honda turning as the serpent drew closer. "Your body was made here right? And it's a robot..."

"Ah- Which means there might be some sort of source code to get us out," Otogi realized, before frowning as Ren slithered into a snarling Honda's head. "AH- Hey," he shouted, leaning over the trailer wall. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Helping," the snake responded, the dog's head snapping shut on impulse as he began to growl and claw at where the snake likely was. "Besides," his muffled voice continued rather flatly, "Not like you care if I die anyways right? I'll be doing all of you a favor!" Erm...

"R-Ren! It's not like that," Anzu protested, Otogi scratching his head. "They don't think you're-"

"Ah... Actually, it kind of is 'like that'," he muttered. "After all, he-" The teen hurriedly cut off as Anzu leered at him, before nervously hopping out of the trailer to laugh. "Ahahaha... I'm only being honest; the fact is," he explained with a swallow, "Those weird 'fits' you had only happened while you were in contact with that snake, and-"

"Otogi-han," Shizuka coughed, the woman before them growing more and more tense with each word. "I would stop..."

"...Yea... That sounds like a plan," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck before turning as an echoed voice again cut the air.

"Dang Honda, how deep does this thing go," Ren muttered, the puppy seeming to jump with those very words.

"Gh-! ERFF!" The others turned as the dog in question shook himself, scratching at his head in anger before seeming to roll and run about uncontrollably. "Ge- Knock it off-ARU! It might not be real-aru but that doesn't mean you mess around in there," he snarled, dragging himself over the ground as he growled. "Seriously-aru, stop!"

"Whatever~" Niiiice... Really mature there 'Ren'. "So what do you think we'll find," the snake continued, still ignoring the snarls and growls. "A secret map, a tracking system..."

"How about you just get OUT-aru!"

A sudden click entered the air, the dog's body locking up into the 'default' and 'muzzled' appearance they'd found prior as the lights of his eyes flicker flickered. "That work," Ren called out, the others staring as the dog appeared to quiver slightly. Er...

"I... I think y' jus' BROKE 'm," Katsuya shouted, hurriedly grabbing the stiffened dog and shaking it. "H-HEY! H-Honda," he shouted in panic, "Snap outta it man!"

"HEY! I'm still in here, cut that out!"

"Wake up Honda, wake up!"

"Seriously," Ren wailed, the dog still being shaken wildly as Katsuya swung the thing around by its tail. "Stop that, I don't know how many switches I'll-"

'-click-'

"Hit."

"Ah?"

The dog's head opened immediately, each individual tendril pointing forward as Katsuya dropped the animal to the ground. "-Assault Mode Activated,-" the dog announced, each tendril charging a laser of sorts as Ren ducked amid the wires and panels. "-Multi-Target Mode-" M-Multi..!

The dog seemed to hover in the air, chasing after the blond as he paled. "AHHHHHHH REN! What the hell kind of switch did you push," he roared, those in the trailer ducking as a few rays of light blew past them.

"I don't know," Ren cried, the serpent in question hanging from a panel on the dog's neck with a panicked expression in his eyes. "Just tell me how to stop this thing!"

-ssssf! Sssssf ssssf-

"Ahhhhh..." Duck, jump left right left left... DAMMIT! "Guuuuuyyyyyyss!" The others hopped out of the trailer as the futile game of 'cat and mouse' continued from a distance, staring in silence for a few moments before Yugi coughed.

"E- Ah... Did you try looking for an 'emergency' button," he asked, the snake tightening its coils before responding.

"E-Emergency..?"

"WELL IT'S A GOOD TIME," Katsuya roared, ducking another series of blasts while the snake nodded furiously.

"R-Right! Uh... Emergency, emergency..." Ren slipped between the cracks in the panels, disappearing into the wires. "...AH... Ahh... OH! 'E'," he shouted, ducking further into the head as the lasers cut short. "Hah! There we- GH-!" Katsuya jumped as the dog's system again locked up, head closing in as it returned to the ground before opening once more. "Hhaaah! That-" The wires again flailed, each grabbing at Ren before throwing him back. "What the..!"

-Emergency Mode Active-, came the robotic cry once again, panels around the collar opening in a satellite-like fashion as it continued to 'shout'. -EMERGENCY MODE ACTIVE-

The others moved to walk over, eyes wide as each 'tentacle' in the dog's mouth arranged themselves in a pattern. One cable went up, another went down, another braided in some strange intricate formation... Others spread wide, until the entire thing resembled some odd flower. "What is this," Anzu whispered, her snake moving toward her only to be picked up by a frowning Otogi as it hissed.

"Quarantine," he reminded the snake, Ren merely spitting as the others stared.

"SFFFFFF I'll show you 'quaran-'"

"Ah... Nihan," Shizuka called out, Katsuya stepping back and out of the way as the tendrils and wires began to emit a light of sorts. "Look," she shouted, a faded image coming into view, "I think he's creating something..!"

"Creating," Yugi repeated, before his eyes widened and the light began to clear. "AH! Honda-kun!"

-Emergency Exit Located,- the robotic hound said plainly, a wide and open 'entrance' appearing as the dog's head snapped back into place. -Commence Connection-

W-Wh... "Connecti'n," Katsuya choked, before watching as the puppy wordlessly made his way through the door. "...Gh! What th' hell did y' do t' him, 'REN'?"

The serpent drew back at those words, appearing to shrink under the crowd's stares while he cringed. "GH- I don't know, how about what you all told me to," he growled, baring venomous fangs in a failed attempt at 'defense'. "It was a big red 'E' button, it was the best option!"

"The big red button was your best option," Anzu repeated in mild horror, Ren appearing to just realize what he'd said.

"...Well... Yea... Um..."

"Hey... What is that place anyways," asked the second girl of the group, the others moving to follow Shizuka through the door as Honda continued to silently and robotically walk ahead. "It looks almost like an amusement park..."

An amusement park..? "You're right..." Light and wind blew past as they went through the door, momentarily blinking off their shock as they stared at the scene. "But where is this," Anzu added as she walked through, looking around at the numerous buildings that towered somewhat around them. "I mean... It can't be Japan..."

"Well if you aren't all ignoring me still," a familiarly childish voice drawled, "I think I might have an idea..." The others turned to Ren, watching as the serpent jerked his head upward and behind the crowd. "Take a look!"

The five followed Ren's gaze, before choking as they read the english letters of the sign above. K-A-I... "A-AH- 'Kaiba-Land'," Katsuya shouted incredulously, looking back down the street. "We're at 'Kaiba-Land'! But Kaibaland's a tower!"

"Well this isn't a tower," Ren muttered, before finding himself cut off.

"Ah... Mokuba-kun mentioned a building project in the USA right," Yugi asked, eyes wide as the others recalled the event. "So then, perhaps this place is..."

'KaibaLand US'? ...Well, Mokuba did say the promise was 'all over the world'... "Guys, over here," Shizuka called from ahead, pointing down one of the streets with her spear. "Honda-han's going into one of the buildings!" Ah... He was..? The group quickly ran to follow the girl's gaze, turning to watch as the puppy moved toward what looked to be an odd curved warehouse. "He still isn't saying anything," she whispered, the others watching as a few tendrils unlocked the 'door' to move in.

"Hnnn... You don't think I really did break him do you," Ren muttered, an odd look of curiosity in place.

Katsuya frowned, shaking his head to the surprise of the others. "Naw... Gotta be something else," he muttered, standing to follow after the dog. "S... Kaiba must've come by here, tha's why he's walkin'... S... He had t' come by here," he continued, swallowing somewhat nervously. She had to...

"That's right," Yugi added optomistically, looking down the path they were on. "And if we follow Honda-kun," he added, "Then maybe we can find him..!"

The blond nodded, before running after the dog with a shout. "OI! Honda! Wait f'r us, alrigh'," he called out, Otogi giving him an incredulous look from the back.

"Ah- If he can't respond, what use is that?"

"HONDAAA!"

"Did you hear a word I said!"

"HONNNNNDAAAA-Aaaah... Nh-" Katsuya blinked, holding an arm out for the others to stop as he came to a halt and stared forward. "Wait..." In the back of his mind... Snarling...

"'Wait'," Otogi repeated, unaware of the 'daze' his friend was in. "But he's right there..."

Right there... But not in the way they'd want. "Hn! Moron... That's exactly the point," Ren hissed seriously, the others frowning as he continued. "He's turned around and hasn't said a damn thing; you don't think he wonders how he got here?"

"And how do you know he doesn't know that," Otogi spat, the serpent rolling his eyes.

"Would he be quiet about it if he was?"

Anzu stiffened at that, turning back to look at the dog as Katsuya nervously approached it. "Alrigh' Honda... C'mon," he muttered, "Snap outta it..." And for the love of god, don't go rabid on him...

"-WARNING: YOU ARE ENTERING A STAFF ONLY LOCATION,-" the puppy responded, mouth flapping open as the multiple tendrils flared out and pointing forward. "-PRESENT VOICE KEY, OR TURN BACK. COMPLY,-" he continued warningly, the tips of each wire seeming to sharpen, "-OR BE ANNIHILATED.-" Gh...

"Given that Honda almost took down Judgeman I'd say we better watch it here," Otogi whispered with those words, Katsuya nervously nodding from the front and stepping back.

"Righ'..." Keep distance then and get ready to duck. Alright. "Oii... Honda," he called out, before stiffening as the dog growled and snarled.

"-VOICE KEY INCORRECT.-" Voice- Awwww damn it...

"C-C'mon Honda! It's us! Jonouchi, Yugi, ev'ryone," he protested, shaking his head. "You r'member us righ'?"

Evidently not. "-VOICE KEY INCORRECT,-" the dog repeated, Katsuya waving a hand at the air and walking away as the others sighed.

"Well obviously somethin's in there," he muttered, crossing his arms. "G'ven how he's so keen on us leavin'... Anyone got an idea on how t' get through," the blond continued, only to tense as another robotic shout met the air.

"-VOICE KEY INCORRECT,-" Honda stated yet again, his friend rolling his eyes before the crowd paled and swallowed. "-ENTERING ASSAULT MODE 'N'-" Assault mode what now?

"Er... 'N'," Ren repeated with an almost squeaking tone, those before them slowly looking to the dog with horror as growling filled the air. "As in 'OMEGA' N!" Errr... Not that he'd really bothered wondering what that meant but... Yes..? "I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound good... At all," the snake hissed with a swallow, ducking under Otogi's vest as the teen swallowed.

The dog had begun to grow before them, stomping at the ground in an apparent rage. Fur bristled and grew black, lengthening and almost stiffening even. Size however, was not the only change; the panels of steel had each split down the center to divide into pieces. And from those pieces they again divided as the tendrils braided about each other in a slowly growing shape, and as the once foot tall puppy began to grow to fill the ship-sized hall around them. Another division, and another, and another as the crowd stepped back, watching the tail grow in length to be covered in scales, as each metal flap began to curl and bend and hiss with the eyes and mouths of vipers. As each of the wiry clumps from the neck developed into bone, sinew, muscle, tendons, fat, eyes, skin... Fur...

But with three heads as opposed to one. "GRRRRRAOUH-RAOUH!" A monstrous and snarling hound... "GHREAAAAARREEEEEEEE!" The stubbed but just as menacing bulldog... "HRAAEEECHHHEEE!" And the very 'Akita Inu' that Honda had borrowed for his 'puppy' form moments prior. A face that seemed... Much, much more frightening now.

And angry. "GRAAAAAOOOOOOOOO!"

Eyes wide and filled with fear the teens watched as a mighty three-headed dog towered before them, feet stomping the ground before them to send tremors about the hall. Snarling pierced their ears, and with each shout droplets of foam and spittle flew their way from rabid mouths. "Ohhhh hell Honda," Katsuya muttered in a panic, still stepping back as he swallowed. "This is NOT th' way t' fix things..!"

The only answer was a snarling roar, along with flames from each of the dog's mouths as the crowd scattered and leaped away.

---

If she hadn't liked deserts before, she certainly wouldn't after this she told herself. It was bad enough to be constantly forced to recall every stupid and pestering little dream on the location. Hell, it was bad enough to have those dreams in the first place; but the fact remained that she was here...

And this time it was as close to 'real' as it would ever get, provided no one meddle with that particular decision. Seto's blade hung almost limply in her hands as she walked, blade tip dragging across the ground and digging a line deep into the sand. The blade was covered in just as much dust as herself, and as she dully looked around her a light wind blew still more sand in her hair and face. Ruins stood around her but for once, she noted, they were not 'Egyptian' in origin. Rather she was walking amid the forms of strange and rounded buildings, of vehicles beyond the modern world's achievements... Stones littered the ground, and as she walked up the steps of what looked to be a hill trail she could see carvings on the side. Carvings of a 'stone', of monsters and people alike clamouring over the object as though it were a god...

Only for the 'true one', an enormous serpent of sorts, to strike them down with all the malice in the world.

"Hn! A modern day 'golden calf' myth," she spat, despite her subconscious telling her that the advancements were far more unique in origin than some mere idol. This realm... It supposedly came from her head but she refused to admit it, not just yet she told herself. Even if she had believed these things, there was too much more in this realm to consider.

Things like her captor.

"He said he was 'dead'," she whispered to herself, pausing a moment to look over the lands she'd traveled as her footsteps blew away in the wind. He'd said that he'd been dead for almost 9 years, a full two years before she'd been adopted into the Kaiba family... Which meant that if she were to believe Noa's insistence's of her identity as a 'failsafe' and as a 'cover'... If she were to believe she had 'replaced' that boy... Well. Either one or the other was wrong, either Noa wasn't dead or Noa wasn't the real 'Noa'...

Or this was a ghost.

...Yea. RIGHT. "Hn! 'Ghosts'," she muttered, shaking her head as she climbed up to the hill and smirked briefly. "I'm being completely brainwashed by Yugi's supernatural garbage," the woman hissed, before peering over the horizon to freeze in place. Wind was blowing fiercely again; had she still held her cape and hat it would have blocked her vision in the gale in fact, and as it was even her short hair was proving an annoyance. However, for the moment that 'annoyance' would be easily ignored. "A-Ah..." This place... A sturdy wall, an incomplete statue, its pedestal missing a vital centerpiece that had yet to come to mind... "...Kaiba-Land," she whispered, stepping forward as she looked over the completed theme park. All of it, she told herself with wide eyes, all of it was there... The stadium, the roller coaster, the monorail station... Even Mokuba's 'capmon' branch. This place... The woman shook her head, tensing as a voice whistled past her ear.

'Seto,' an older voice whispered, forcing a shudder down her back as the unrecognizable tone swam through her mind. 'I WIN...' Win..? W...

It was him! The woman's eyes snapped open, fists clenched as she looked toward the sky in rage. "GH... Noa... WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIM," she roared, shaking from where she stood to stare at the sky. "WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY BROTHER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM! YOU... Gh..! Hah..." Too much shouting... "Hah..." She'd just finished going through a desert with no water, of course her throat would... "GH..." And there was no answer. No answer, no answer, no answer, she told herself, struggling to slow her shuddering breaths. Eyes half shadowed in exhaustion the woman stood, choking on her words and breaths as she took shaking steps toward the theme park she had yet to even finish building. "Mokuba," she called out, voice quieter than she'd hoped as her sword again came loose in her grip. "Answer me..! Where ARE you..?"

A breeze passed, but there was otherwise no response, as with before. Walking forward in her robes of red she stood out almost painfully from the white and blue buildings around her even passing through the gate, her sword sheathed as she walked around in silence. The park was empty, as expected. Rides weren't moving, stores were closed... There weren't even any monsters to face in the large park, and as the wind blew the entire place almost seemed 'haunted'. Another spit in the face of 'logic', not that it couldn't be explained by however Noa hoped to mess with her mind. The woman continued to make her way around the park with these thoughts running through her mind, only stopping as she spotted the entrance to her still tarp-covered coliseum. A coliseum with a locked 'door' in front of it. "...This lock..."

Seto stepped forward as a small pedestal came to view, a chessboard sitting upon it with clear purposes relating to the entrance. Most of the pieces were already taken or moved... Scattered across the board in a seemingly random pattern to the 'average' eye, yet to the trained one it was the path to destruction for one or the other's side. All that remained beside the king were a few pawns, her knights... And her queen, she noted, narrowing her eyes. The king was almost completely surrounded... There was only one point of attack, and she had it. And she'd taken it...

As she would now. "...Checkmate," she whispered as the 'Queen' was moved into position, the door to the side opening as she stared to the board. That move...

If she hadn't made that move she wondered, walking into the darkness of the stadium halls, what would have happened. To her... And to Mokuba. What would have happened... "Mrrrnnniinnnnn..."

"Hn!" Seto jumped at the somewhat robotized sound, looking down with wide eyes as an armadillo of sorts peered out from the corner. It was metal in appearance, that was obvious; a collective of golden panels, with tiny lens eyes staring forward. A... A duel monster..? ...That was right, she thought to herself with a frown. One of the latest ones being offered up from I2; the 'mosaic' and 'material' series... Now just what was it doing here? The beast seemed to blink, ears twitching before it curled up and rolled across the hall to stop and glance back.

"Mirrrrrrinnnnnnn..." W-What? "Mirriiiiiiiiii..." The monster rolled about somewhat, tail thumping the ground as it stared. "Mrrriiiiiiiii..." Follow it?

Hah! ...Fine. The woman narrowed her eyes, cautiously following after the monster only to find nothing but empty space as the monster vanished. Well... "...Hn! Playing with my mind..." That little rat... And just what was it about the armadillo anyways that convince Noa to use that? Still muttering curses under her breath the woman stepped further into the hall, looking to the side as she spotted an open door. Slightly open rather; there was just enough space to see a light from inside, and despite preferring to act on caution Seto found herself lightly pushing it forward to frown and enter the room. It was a projector causing the light it seemed, connected to a VHS player by a small assortment of cables as it beamed its light to a white screen. Well... She was fairly certain it was that, and- There was a small frown as she looked around the front at the device, suspicions confirmed. "...Hn... Who uses VHS now," she muttered, nonetheless moving over to hit 'play' before standing back to watch.

Crackling met the air, and the projector hummed to life. Timers counted down, static filled the screen, and just seconds after a mostly coloured view of the inside of a mansion could be seen. The typical shaky vision of a camera was expected of course; but just a few moments into it and she realized that it was instead moving as though the camera was simply another person's eyes, occasionally drifting, looking away from those speaking, closing and opening... Or staring at nothing at all. 'Did you enjoy church,' a woman's voice was asking as the 'camera' moved upward, Seto briefly tensing as a woman whose face was near identical to another in her memory came into view.

'It was fun,' a boy's voice cried in response, Seto watching narrowing her eyes at the sound of an almost familiar sound. It couldn't be... And yet as she watched, she couldn't be sure that it wasn't. 'There weren't many people my age,' the boy was saying almost carelessly. 'Just one,' he added, Seto snorting in response. Hn! Of course there wasn't, Christianity made up less than 1% of the religious population... And given the looks of things in that room, this wasn't even that; it was Catholicism. ...

...Well... Didn't that just bring up 'happy' memories she thought to herself, narrowing her eyes before shaking the thought from mind. The video cracked from the woman on screen happily lifting the 'camera' to the air at that moment, switching to a wide scene of foods and a large cake with candles. 'Alright, get ready to blow the candles,' a middle-aged man announced, Seto stiffening with wide eyes as Gozaburo came into view. This man... Eyes flickered over the screen, not comprehending what she could see. He was smiling, she noted coldly, expressions of mixed anger and disbelief coming over her. Smiling an honest and genuine smile that should have been impossible... Impossible..!

'Happy birthday, Noa!'

Noa. Her eyes narrowed as the candles were blown out, laughter filling the air before the scene shifted yet again. "Tch... Trying to prove he's who he says," she muttered under her breath, watching as a younger version of the boy's reflection came into view before the 'camera' turned from the seas to Gozaburo once more. To prove her 'wrong'... Laughter and smiles... They were sailing, and having the time of their god-forsaken lives, shouting promises of vacations and altered hours in classes... Of more time together, of more time without work and schooling, because after all 'you've come so far!'

This was NOT Gozaburo she growled to herself, moving back toward the projector with a clenched fist, ready to crush the device before her into nothing but scrap. This was NO-

'Shk... Shk... shk...' ...Crying.

The woman froze, looking back to the screen with narrowed eyes before feeling herself grow cold with dread. She didn't know how she could see this. She didn't know why she was seeing this even, or at least she didn't for a short moment. All the scenes had been from the boy's point of view, from Noa's point of view. Now however, it was a security feed from a funerary home of all places, from a place far more 'well off' than what her own parents had gone through. The last moments... Approaching the coffin, guests and 'friends' of the family paying their respects in anything they had... Leaving flammable objects that would burn with the body into ashes, things like toys and candy...

And then the coffin was sent into the flames, burning away completely. Seconds later the view had changed... And despite the 'mother's tears, that same smiling woman she'd seen before walked out from that building with a framed picture of her now dead son gripped in her hands. A funeral... Noa's funeral she realized coldly. "So you are dead then," she hissed, stepping back with a swallow as the film cut short. But if he was dead...

Then who was-

"We've been waiting for you, Serii-sama." Ser- The woman tensed, turning around with wide eyes to see 'Kisara' standing before her in the entrance of the room. The girl's outfit had changed since she last saw her, since she'd seen Mokuba cut the child in two... It resembled the typical station attendant's uniform for the moment, and at her side was none other than the same robotic armadillo she'd seen before. This girl... White wings folded behind her back, blue eyes staring forward...

It figured Noa had 'backed up' the files. "You... Kisara," she whispered almost confusedly, the child smiling in an act that caught Seto almost completely off guard as the girl bowed before her.

Kisara stood once again, wings shifting somewhat as she gestured to the door at the side. "Please," she said calmly, stepping to the side as a train station rather than a hallway met her gaze from beyond the door. "Your transport is waiting." Transport...

The smooth 'roar' of a train's track came into being, a white figure blurring past to slow to a stop as a white steel hull came to view. The train... "Expecting visitors are we 'Noa'," she muttered, nonetheless stepping past as the doors to the 'Blue-Eyes Monorail' as its own car door opened up. So she was being moved from her park in her train... "...Tch..." She walked aboard, Kisara following behind to leave her pet at the station as the doors closed and locked tight. The cars, of course, were empty she noted. Each of the two seat rows on the sides of the halls were simply coated with the blue fabric picked out before hand, simple and slightly cushioned chairs facing forward along side wide and clear windows in a pale light. As she moved into the car she took the first seat available, not wanting to bother 'picking' anything else and only dimly aware of the movement the train was already going through.

"We are now en-route to our destination," Kisara calmly announced a few minutes afterward, the girl having vanished to some room with access to the train's speaker system while her 'guest' became lost in thought. "Arrival will be in approximately one hour. Until then," she continued, Seto narrowing her eyes with impatience and thought both as the girl went on, "Please... Enjoy your stay."

'Enjoy'... Hah! That was far from what was on her mind she thought, crossing her arms as she silently waited for the train to reach that same destination. 'I'm waiting,' a voice was whispering, hissing in the same tone she'd heard just a few minutes prior the train's departure. 'Waiting for you... You've been invited to my private realms and that's rare... So try not to disappoint me...

'...Serii...'

---

Fire was a powerful thing to behold. Man's first 'invention' despite it being naturally created all about the world, the first real 'weapon' to last through the ages. Sure, it granted warmth and all that, making cooking possible and life in the middle of winter plausible, but it could take down entire forests if given the right time and weather; it wasn't something to joke about. It was a 'power'.

And it was especially powerful when it came from the inside of a wet mouth for some reason, but for the moment, he wasn't going there. Because really, the fact was that Honda... AKA 'the cerberus'... Had a tail that was wreathed in flames, three very angry fire-breathing heads that could only be told apart by the fact that the center was the only one with pricked ears, and a mane of at least four hundred snakes. The entire deal of fire breath wasn't really his concern right now, given that the only thing between himself, his friends, and that thing was a wall around the corner. And now that they were sitting at this corner, they were able to let the information finally set in properly. Their friend was no longer just stuck in the body of a 'robot'. He wasn't even just under Noa's control. No... He'd just finished turning into THE Cerberus. The Greek's take on the hell-hound, Otogi told them, the guardian to the gates of hades AKA hell...

"It's furred hide is impenetrable," he went on with a nervous swallow as the monster snarled and spat, "And it's said that besides music the only way to take it down is by strangulation. Its poison can burn through anything, and it has the strength of the largest monsters in existence... It only eats live, human prey," he continued, shuddering somewhat, "And-"

"Otogi," Katsuya muttered weakly, holding out a hand as he swallowed back a wave of nervous bile. "...Stop talkin'."

The teen blinked, before hurriedly nodding. "...Right... Sorry about that."

"You certainly have a way of choosing your 'friends' chabar..." Tell him about it, he was still talking to this ghost thing... "...Hn! Don't listen to me then!" Ehhhh... Damn it.

The blond merely grimaced and nodded, the others looking around the corner of the wall as the cerberus' snarls continued. Flames were singing the steel ground, and before them was nothing but ash and darkness. Red eyes glowed fiercely from the distance, and the light from outside the door was long gone... All in all, a truly horrifying sight, even without realizing that this was their friend. "Hnnn... There has to be some other way to take this down," Shizuka muttered, biting her lip. "Some way we can snap Honda-han out of it without killing him..."

"Well unless you can withstand the fire and venom before you get there to find out, there isn't," Otogi muttered, biting his lip as he stared at the ground. "As it is," he whispered, "We'll be safe if we stay here but..."

"But then we can't find Kaiba-san and Mokuba-kun," Yugi finished, slumping to the ground with a sigh and gripping his boomerang tightly. "This is a problem..."

"Yea..." A round of sighs filled the air, expressions morose and thoughtful before realization came over the black mage of the group. "...Ah! Wait," Anzu muttered, looking toward Otogi with wide eyes as an expression of dread came over her face, "Where's Ren?"

The teen blinked, looking over himself with a slight frown. "Ren," Otogi asked, standing to his feet and looking himself over, "He's righ- ... Shit," he shouted, looking around and hurriedly turning to the side. "Where-"

"HEY UGLY," they heard over the cerberus' snarls, the group looking around the corner with wide eyes as the dog momentarily paused to crouch down and look at the miniscule serpent before it. It was as though a mouse were standing next to a whale; and to complete that image Ren appeared as though he were facing the face of death itself for the moment, eyes wide and quivering despite his apparently unwavering voice. "Hng... You want to take someone on," the snake hissed, fangs bared and dripping as the monster stared. "Well here you go! I'm the one you want," he announced, hood flaring as he spat and riled the monster up. "'ISHTAR MALIK' right? THEN GO FOR IT! EAT ME!"

"What..." He couldn't be serious. This was the guy who orchestrated an entire underground ring, what- "What th' hell is that idiot doing..!"

"M-Malik," Shizuka repeated with a swallow, looking back to the others as snarls hit the air, the snake before them easily dodging each attempt at squashing the creature. "Then... He was righ-"

"It has to be a bluff," Anzu muttered with wide eyes, cutting the girl off. "Honda kept accusing him of that after all, so... So it's only natural he'd use that to his advantage but... R-REN," she shouted, running forward as the dog snarled and finally caught the beast in his hands. "REN!" There were no screams... The cerberus tossed the somehow silent snake into the air, and still there were no screams as it fell toward the leftmost head. "REN DON-"

"Gh... THIS BETTER WORK," they heard through the air, followed by the sounds of a screeching halt as Anzu stopped.

"GHRAAAAOOOUUUUUUGGHHH!" The middle head was arguing with the one on the right, paws raised in an action that almost seemed to be an attempt to fight with itself. "ROAAARRRRRROOOOOHHHH!" The arguments however, were for naught... And in an instant the snake was gone, tiny body flailing and twirling mid-air until it was swallowed into the head completely.

And there wasn't a single sound following that, even from the monster. Anzu stood in the path of the enormous beast, frozen in shock as the dog padded the ground to snort at its next opponent. "Y... You... ...You..."

"What th' hell was that," Katsuya muttered, stepping out with a swallow even as the cerberus began to growl warningly once more. "What..."

"The switches were inside the heads last time right," Shizuka whispered, eyes wide and quivering in shock. "So maybe, he thought..."

"S-Shit," Otogi said with a swallow, staring at the beast. "Sh-"

"Gh... HAAAAAHHHHH!" The group pulled back as Anzu screamed, charging the monster with her staff in hand despite all common sense arguing against it. "Honda... I don't know now if you're right or wrong," she cried, weapon glowing with power even without the aid of her partner, "But this is for your own good! Here's my latest spell," she roared, kicking off into the air as the hound before her snarled and leaped into action, "AEOLUS!"

Wind tore from her staff, slicing through the nearest head to cleave it clean in two before it could even give a pained bark. The snakes on the mane beneath hissed in agitation and pain both as the halves collapsed uselessly on those that survived, the remaining canine heads snarling in added rage. "GRAAOHHHHH! RHHHOOOOUUURRR! ROUR ROUUURRR RHOUUU!" One hit... One-

The middle head wasn't snarling as much any more...

"Hah... Anzu won't be able to do this on her own," Yugi shouted with a swallow, running past the others as they stared toward the carnage incredulously. "Quick, we have to help," he shouted, Anzu in question landing to the ground to stare up at the monster before her with eyes of rage. Without waiting for a response the boy continued to charge, weapon pulled from his back and unfolded into its full form. "Hah... HONDA-KUN," the boy announced, the heads that had been mere inches from Anzu's face turning on him as he ran along the soot covered wall. "Forgive me..! H-AH!" The boomerang in his grip was tossed forward as he kicked back from the wall, a wave of flames wrapping over where he'd stood just moments before. In seconds however the weapon made its mark, regardless of the fires that coated it briefly; the head on the far left was cut from the neck completely and cleanly, and as the head on the right dispersed into shaven tendrils and wires in its death the left head did the same. The collar 'shrank'... Metal surrounded the third and final head in some bizarre control-like panel system, along with lights and buttons that were quickly covered up by any remaining serpents from the mane. "Ah... That..."

"The controls," Shizuka shouted, the beast before them attempting to get over its crippled form as it gave a pained whine. She ran forward, momentarily squinting in an attempt to read the labels. "They're the controls," she repeated, "We can-"

"DUCK," Katsuya roared, pushing the girl to the side as fires blasted toward them from the recovered head.

"GH-"

Fires bathed the ground they'd stood upon, nothing but black and ashen ground meeting their gaze. The blond took a shuddering breath, looking back up as the Cerberus snarled. Two heads down, controls to go... "Hah... Otogi," he shouted, raising his eyebrows to the teen. "What was tha' abou' stranglin' th' thing? Abou' 'impenetrable hides' an' all tha'?"

"I never said that Noa would go exactly by myth," Otogi retorted, the others merely busying themselves with dealing with the monster while the boys bickered.

"Well SAY tha' next time," Katsuya roared, before looking up to the beast with a scowl. "Tch! Alrigh'... We gotta get past those snakes," he shouted, the others nodding as they fell to the ground once more. "Get t' th' panel an' find th' switch we want!"

"I'm on it," the teen behind him announced, daggers at the ready as he ran forward with Shizuka at his side. The pair leaped into the air, both weapons glowing with energy as they kicked back from mid air. "Pine Dance," he called out, spinning around in mid air to send a volley of blades to the snakes.

"Meteor Fusilade," Shizuka added in, her own double cast clearing a path for her to land on the metal sheet of the monster's neck. "HaaaaaaAAAH!"

Dozens of serpents heads were falling to the ground in the onslaught of daggers and ice coated bullets, replacing themselves with shards of metal as they scattered before them. Above Honda was reeling... Toppling on his feet, growling under his breath... The vipers on his mane however were very much themselves, and they did not at all appreciate being cut down. "S-SHIZUKA," Katsuya shouted up, watching as the snakes attempted to hone in on the girl before them. "QUICK! FIND A BUTTON!"

"A BUTTON," she shouted incredulously, Yugi answering the to girl's shouts before Katsuya could respond.

"Find an 'override'," he shouted, Otogi nodding in agreement.

"It'll be different from the rest," the teen told her with wide eyes, "More noticeable so that it wasn't pressed..!"

The snakes were still turning on her... Venom was dripping from their fangs and burning whatever ground they hit. Shizuka's spear was cutting through them however, and as fires filled their vision from what was apparently another power from the snakes, it was impossible to see or hear her response to their cries. In an instant however, as the last of the snakes were cut down into steel they could see her reach for a switch... See her slam down on it with one hand before falling back in exhaustion, Katsuya running forward to catch the girl. "S-SHIZUKA! SHIZUKA!" He wasn't going to make it... He wasn-

"I got her," a familiar voice shouted, a 'coil' pulling up from the ground to snatch her on its back. The snake, almost horse sized for the moment, lowered the girl down before slowly returning to normal size as he grinned. "Hehehehe..." The golden cobra chuckled as the others stared, Katsuya skidding to a halt and Shizuka staring almost incredulously as Ren laughed. "Hahaha! You can all thank me la- GLK!"

The serpent was instantly snatched up by Anzu, the woman gritting her teeth as the dog above them seemed to lock down on itself and stand motionless. "You... Moron," she roared, Ren wincing in the shouts as he was gripped in her fists. "Do you know how lucky you are that we cut down the right heads," the woman continued as her 'partner' sighed almost exasperatingly. "Why would you use something like that bluff anyways," she continued, something seeming to flash in the snake's eyes with those words. "Did you think you were brave? Did you somehow think that you'd take it out on your own so that the others stopped accusing you?"

"Gh-" The serpent continued to draw back, hood still flared in agitation. "Geeze... Lady, I'm not five," he hissed, Anzu merely tightening her grip.

"Well you certainly act like it!"

"Well you act 50!"

Ummm... "WHAT," the woman hissed, Ren appearing to realize all too soon what he'd said.

"Ehehehe..."

The boys and Shizuka both swallowed, slowly moving back as the the storm before them continued to rise. Best to just leave now... Before anything really bad happened, and- "Hn... Nnng... Wh... What happened-aru," a voice called out, the arguments abruptly cut short as those below turned to look at the enormous dog before them. Honda appeared to look over himself briefly, shaking himself of whatever bits of wire and metal were still in his fur before jumping. "E-Erf! What... Since when did I get this big," he shouted in shock, Shizuka looking up with wide eyes as a grin began to form.

"Ah... H... Honda-han," she shouted up, laughing somewhat as the dog continued to panic. "Honda-han, Are you alright?"

"Eh... Never better-aru! But what happened," he pressed, the sound coming out with an added rumbling bark as a thankfully normal mouth opened and closed.

Ren smirked, coiling around Anzu's wrist and chuckling as the dog attempted to pinpoint his location. "What happened? You went crazy and tried to kill us all," he laughed, the dog above growling somewhat as the snake sighed. "Ahhhh... And you worry about me..."

"Ren... That isn't helping your case," his partner muttered, the snake merely holding his grin.

"Still true," he said with a smirk, before frowning. "But hey, besides that," he coughed, drawing back against his partner's wrist, "Do you think you would shrink down? This is a little intimidating..."

Honda merely snorted, taking a seat before them and giving the serpent as close to a grin as he could. "Hn! Now you know how I feel-aru!"

"How you- I'M SMALLER THAN YOU MORON!"

"Not all the time," the dog countered, Ren's hood flaring in agitation as he rose.

"Why you-"

"A-hm!" The arguing monsters turned, Otogi crossing his arms and gesturing forward. "...The shrinking," he reminded, a few of the others staring momentarily.

"Oh..." Honda blinked, slowly nodding his head as the teen before him repeated the gesture. "Right. Uh..." He frowned, looking over himself in confusion as he coughed. "...I don't actually remember how I got here though-aru, so... I don't know if I can... You know..."

You know? ...Oh COME ON! "...Yer stuck," Katsuya shouted incredulously, the dog whining and cringing despite his mammoth size.

"Hey! It's not my fault-aru! Blame the one who messed around in my head," he snarled, an almost rabid bark being aimed toward the snake in question.

"Oh come on, I was only listening," Ren muttered, only to be silenced by another glare from the crowd. "... SHEEESH! Can't win for losing with you guys, and I got eaten!"

The serpent was pointedly ignored, the others merely looking up as they attempted to think of a way to help their friend. Most of the 'controls' were switches really... But if it was anything like the disguised head... "Maybe you need to visualize it," Shizuka offered, the enormous dog moving to lay on his front as he tilted his head. "Did you try that..?"

A small span of silence was their response, the dog eventually shaking his head and slumping between his paws. "...Nothing," he admitted, tail smacking the ground as he whined. "Man... This day just gets worse and worse..."

Yea tell them about it; the only way this could possibly get any better was if- "Are you perhaps in need of assistance," a voice asked, pulling them from their thoughts. ...Eh..?

The group turned, blinking as a young and familiar white winged boy stood before them. "Ah... Seraph," Katsuya muttered, the boy merely moving to stand before them with his typically 'blank' stare.

The boy held his arms firmly crossed behind his back, looking directly toward his blond 'charge' and speaking yet again. "I repeat; are you in need of assistance," he asked, dressed in what appeared to be a station attendant's uniform.

"Unless you can fix 'this'," Honda whined from 'above', nose barely level with the top of Katsuya's head, "No."

Seraph turned and stared in response to those words, blinking dully before moving past to put a hand on the canine's nose. It was a little strange how the boy could simply start walking in the air actually; nonetheless what he said next was enough to keep them from asking questions. "...Hn. Your coding is blocked," he muttered, the others raising their eyebrows.

"Ah... Blocked," Anzu asked, Seraph nodding as he turned to the others..

"It is an incomplete code," the boy explained, landing on the ground with the same emotionless expression from before. "For that reason, it has been blocked off until completion. It is very close however," he added, turning to the others. "If you like, I shall initiate this specific one under the 'safe mode'." Safe mode... Well, that sounded pretty-

"Ah... Wait... Initi- Hey wait a second," Katsuya growled, crossing his arms as the boy stared. "You work for Noa! What kind 'f 'reward' do y' get in helpin' us?"

The others nodded in agreement to this, their target merely staring blankly as the dog behind him began to growl. "...I was told to make certain that you reach your destination," Seraph responded, the rest of the group frowning. "Only this. Now..." A slight glow emitted from the boy's hand as he turned back to Honda, and with a loud yelp the dog before him collapsed at his normal size in a split second flash of light. "You will find many sections of code have been cancelled by this action," the boy explained, bringing his hand back to bow to the group politely. "Please, do not wait to find out which ones these are," he continued, before gesturing down the hall. "Now... There are two paths you may take. Which will you choose?"

Another moment of silence, and after trading glances the group looked forward and swallowed. "...How 'bout you decide... Seraph."

---

The train ride she'd taken was endlessly dark for a majority of the trip thus far Seto noted from her seat, staring blankly out the window. Nothing but darkness as far as she could see, the train floating through space for all she knew. It resulted in an eerie sensation, almost akin to floating really... And then with a sudden realization she spotted light, and the feeling of unease was banished. The light increased, a heat rising through the air and breeze passed, the woman moving toward the door to look out with wide eyes as she was met with a second wave of pressuring heat. This...

The train began to fall, Seto pushing off from the vehicle with a shout as she skidded to the ground and looked back. All around there was nothing but stone cliffs, lit by a heated glow from below the earth. The train she'd come in collapsed through those very cliffs, and the vehicle was immersed in flames the instant it touched the magma in the caverns below... The moment it struck the heat that, if it were any closer, would send her into nothing but ashes on the wind. It only took seconds to fully comprehend her location after that.

It was hard to miss being trapped in a volcano after all. "Gh... This place..." As the woman pulled herself to her feet she took a deep and shuddering breath, moving to look over the cliff's edge at the molten sea below. A volcanic plain... What a wonderful place to be trapped in. The sensation of being watched came over her at that moment, and with narrowed eyes Seto turned to look across the field around her. Her gaze however, was quickly widened with shock, eyes honing in on light coloured hair and fox-like eyes in an instant. "...You..." Impossible, she told herself, stepping forward on the stone 'bridges' as the one before her smirked. "Noa..."

The man before her was tall, that was for certain. He just barely met the half-way point between six and seven feet it looked like in fact, and rather than wear his suit as a professional would his jacket was loosely slung over his shoulders in a fashion not unlike her rival. It was the hair however, and the face that caught her eye. The narrowed blue stare, set in a face that was both like and unlike her own, with sharper angles, more masculine features... And light hair, she could see, her glare intensifying. Light hair that only one other person she knew was in possession of, styled in a fashion far too similar to her own for comfort. "Hnhnhnhhn... Welcome," the man said calmly, holding a hand out as the woman drew her blade, already prepared to attack. "Like the scenery? I built it myself you know..." This...

Bastard... Bastard... "You BASTARD," she roared, kicking off the stone to send her blade toward the man javelin style as her opponent easily skipped back. MONSTER! To think he could speak 'calmly' after all this, that he could simply play with their minds..! "Where's Mokuba," she snarled, pulling herself up as her opponent continued to smirk from before her. "What have you done with him!"

"'Done'," the man repeated, calmly ducking the next swing of a blade only to grip the sword in his hands from the next strike. "My dear 'Seri'," he chuckled, leaning in as the woman's eyes widened with minute surprise, "I would never do anything to harm my brother... When I'm through with you," he continued, gripping the blade tightly as his opponent attempted to pull it free, "He'll be released back to the real world in perfect health..." This...

"...And how do I know you're telling the truth," she finally spat, pulling her sword back and distancing herself from the first person to surpass her height in over two years. "Just how can I possibly trust you with that," she roared, shifting into a stance and preparing to charge once again.

Noa merely smirked, shaking his head and sighing. " Well... You can't of course," he admitted with a shrug, brushing a bit of hair from his face. "But it would be preferred..."

Of course it would be 'preferred'... But did she honestly care? She wanted to leave; to leave with her brother, the mutt, and if luck would have it anyone else that had manged to get themselves stuck here. And the one thing in her way was THIS! "What do you WANT with me," she snarled, sword pointed forward as she paced around her opponent. "Just tell me now and get this over with!"

This seemed to almost be the wrong thing to ask really, given the continued 'positive' reaction. "You really want to know that," the man chuckled, narrowing his eyes as he changed the subject. "Just look around... It's perfect isn't it," he asked, "The world at its birth." If beauty could be called 'dead' she supposed... "No animals live here, no plants grow... I wonder," Noa continued, his opponent narrowing her eyes as the rambling went on, "Just how lonely the creator of this world must have been... I can create anything here," the man told her, holding his arms out in an open gesture to the surrounding chasms. "I could take us to the depths of the seas or to the far reaches of space, or even a place only located within your mind. Anything is possible... From here," Noa explained almost with a shout, "I could alter the course of history itself! From here... I 'am' the laws that bind the realm together, and I am 'GOD'..!" Noa's hands were brought back down to his sides with those words, a menacing grin on his face while his opponent scowled. Hn! Great. She had an 'omnicidal' maniac and a religious nutcase on her hand... Could this get any worse at all...

She snorted at the very thought, focusing her anger onto more pressing matters. "Tch... I'm fairly certain that if 'God' existed, it wouldn't resemble you," she sneered, momentarily standing in place despite her mind telling her to move. "Now... What do you WANT!"

Noa sighed, shaking his head and turning from the woman. "Well... I'm just surprised is all," he 'admitted', shrugging as he pocketed his hands. "You have all this power at your fingers... And I doubt that anyone would question or complain against you for too long if you were to reveal yourself, given your 'experiences'," he continued, glancing back to his target. "Yet you hide," the man pressed, "And you smother your ability, using it for nothing but a children's card game... Are you really worthy of this power," Noa asked, narrowing his eyes and stepping toward his target. "Truthfully?"

Worthy? HAH! "Hn... You're quite the hypocrite," she growled, sword glowing with fire as the pair 'paced' around each other. "You claim not to care about appearances and yet you stand here in that form?"

"Hnhnhn! This... This was just a 'treat'," the man said with a shrug, jacket 'cape' flowing somewhat behind him as he moved. "It's only the truth after all... I thought I should keep things accurate for our 'fight'. Just think; it's almost been ten years," he whispered, narrowing his eyes as he smirked. "A long time... Plenty of time to plan this..."

"This," she repeated almost incredulously, opponent's smirk growing wider in response.

"This land, this trap... We're going to play a game," Noa announced, holding a hand out in gesture as the field seemed to darken beyond what it already was. "A game that will decide which of us is the one worthy of the power that comes from the 'Kaiba' name... A game that I'm sure you're quite familiar with," he added with a chuckle, a flash appearing in his eyes. "'Duel Monsters'..." Oh were they now?

"Hn!" Seto snorted, shaking her head as she looked away. "As though it would even matter," she muttered, opponent's smirk dropping coldly while his opponent turned back. "You're already dead," the woman roared. "I saw that much; so tell me now, before even considering a 'challenge', just what are your real intentions!"

She never should have asked.

---

The films they were watching weren't 'real', not in the way most would expect at least. True, the scenes had happened, and exactly as shown at that, but it was never really 'filmed', and if it was it hadn't been like this. The 'tapes' they saw were instead pulled directly from a young boy's mind, a boy whose own depressing end had brought pain and suffering to those who surpassed him for years to come. "What is this," Yugi whispered, watching the final moments of the cremation of their captor, a scene with stark contrast to the horse-back rides and somehow enjoyable classes the 'camera' had gone through.

"It... It's h's funeral," the blond beside him whispered, swallowing nervously as the film cluttered to a stop. "His..."

"If this is Noa's funeral," Anzu said quietly, holding her own staff close, "Then who was the 'Noa' we saw here..?"

"Last I checked ghosts don't possess computers and run body-stealing gambits," Ren added from her shoulder, none of the others wanting to try and separate the two for the moment. "And if they did, I'm pretty sure they'd come forward about it.

Would they..? Katsuya shook his head, biting his lip as the projector light went blank and glaringly white once again. "I don'... ...I don' know," he muttered, bowing his head as he turned to leave the room. "Hell," he continued as he shuddered, "W' this kid I don' ev'n know what t' believe..."

The others went fairly quiet at that, before freezing as they stepped out into a wide and open room from the tiny and cramped 'closet' they'd been in. "A-Ah... Where is this place," Otogi exclaimed, the others looking around the pillars and benches of a train station with wide eyes. "We were in 'Kaiba-Land' a few seconds ago right," he continued, familiar posters of upcoming movies or shows decorating the sides along various other advertizements. "So how..."

"We've pretty much been ev'ry where in th' las' 'few seconds'," Katsuya responded, walking around the station as he swallowed. "Th' question is where th' hell we are..."

"You are standing at the crossroads of the mind," Seraph told them, the group turning to stare as 'Kisara' and a small robot of sorts stood at the boy's side. Cross...

"Crossroads," Shizuka repeated in confusion, shaking her head as a breeze blew past the two on the station's platform. "But what do you mean by that..?"

The children stepped to the sides, a train rolling into the station to stop as they gestured toward it. "We now stand at the point in Noa's mind where we come to a conflict," they both chorused, bowing their heads.

"One one hand, he wishes you to die," stated Kisara, a flash of malice in her eyes.

"And on the other, he wishes you to live," finished Seraph, his own eyes appearing still dull despite the momentary life.

"Either way," they both continued, the monorail train's door opening wide, "He wishes for you to move on to his private realms." Move...

"Oi oi oi... If he wants us to do something-aru, then why can't he tell us outright instead of putting us through this," Honda growled, his head no longer the bizarre 'fly trap' it had been before. "Why can't he just figure out what he wants and get it over with-aru!"

The children both smirked, the others tensing up in response to the sudden show of emotion. "Because that," they told them, toothy grins across their faces, "Would be inhuman." Inhu- ...What? The door to the white train locked on the side as lights came on from within the device, the pair bowing before them as they grinned. "There is something you must see," the pair explained, expressions again serious in intent, "And something you must do."

"We cannot help you with this," Seraph continued,

"Nor can we interfere," his sibling went on. "Instead," the girl told them, "We will give you this advice. Though this train will not take you to the full distance with no tracks to run upon," Kisara told them, those before her swallowing somewhat nervously, "There is a way for you to reach your destination, and a way for you to leave this place."

"Shou-kun will show you this path," the girl's 'brother' went on, gesturing to the armadillo that was sitting silently to the side. "You must take this train to the very last station and then step off; from there," Seraph stated, "You must use your own power to move on, with Shou as your guide."

"...Our own power," Yugi muttered, swallowing somewhat nervously as he looked the pair over. "But what power is that..?"

Seraph looked toward Honda, blinking slowly as he spoke. "As stated," the boy began, "Your partner's programming has been altered. No more will he have access to the weapon systems he once did. Instead," he continued, Honda appearing to tense considerably at the thought of being 'programmed', "You will only have access to the form that I connected his programming into."

"AH-" The dog jumped at those words, eyes wide as he grinned. "You mean... I can switch between that form and this one-aru! That great big 'thing' from before-aru?"

The others grew rather pale at that, Ren being the one to voice their concerns as a round of awkward coughing filled the air. "H-Hah... I'm all for a good show," he 'laughed', drawing back still further against his partner, "But don't you think that this might be a little bit much? What with him having tried to kill us and all that?"

Kisara shook her head, before bowing politely to the group as she 'smiled'. "I have repaired the holes in the programming," she told them, her 'audience' sharing uncomfortable glances as they took the words of their very enemy's program. "You will have no problems with the 'assault mode' option any more."

Well... ...Better than... Nothing..? "Tha's good I suppose," he admitted, scratching his head. "Er..."

"Very well then," Seraph stated, he and his 'sister' both stepping further off to the side to leave a clear path into the train. "In that case, please enjoy your travels with this train-line; we will take you to your destination as fast as possible," they both told them, the teens each giving their own nod of agreement before walking into the train itself.

"Righ'..." In they went then he supposed, walking into the car to take a seat as the vehicle began to move. The group looked around the semi-private car they sat in, benches each turned to each other as the robotic armadillo from before stood by the door. The door had locked itself in with a 'hiss'... And seconds later there was nothing but the light from the train itself to see by. "So... What do y' think tha' thing is," he said after a moment, the others shaking their heads as they looked to the dog-sized robot.

"Honestly, as long as it doesn't try to eat me," Ren muttered with a stretch, yawning and curling around his partner's neck, "I could care less..."

"That would be your main concern, wouldn't it-aru..."

The serpent snorted as the train made its way forward, looking to the dog as it sat in Shizuka's lap. "Hn! Just remember who keeps eating me and you'll probably remember why," he muttered, Honda merely growling in response.

"Grrrrrrrnnnnggg... Bastard..." Hahahaha- Stop fighting.

"Mrrrrrrnnnnn..." The others jumped as an odd rumbling sound came from the front, the armadillo tilting its head before rolling toward the door. Eh...

The train had stopped... "A-Ah! H-Hey, we can' be there already righ'," he asked, running to the door and following the somewhat large metal 'ball' off the train with a shout. "O-Oi," Katsuya called out, the others following behind as the armadillo continued its 'pinging' cry. "OI!"

A hissing sound came from behind as the train doors shut behind them, the group turning to watch as their train took off in a blur of white. "...Well... There goes our ride," Shizuka said with a bit lip, before blinking as the armadillo trundled back from where Katsuya had been chasing it. "Ah- Hey, what's it doing..?"

"Ah... Not sure," Otogi muttered, watching it as it jumped down to the track to curl up into a ball on the long metal line. "...We should probably follow it though," he added, crossing his arms as he gestured downward. "After all; this might be the way Kaiba went."

"Don't you think Kaiba would have taken the train though," Anzu added, looking to the others in scepticism. "I mean... This is a train station. It would make sense..."

"Noa probably cut the tracks after Kaiba got there though," Otogi answered quickly, waving the suggestion off with a shrug. "Besides," he added, "Those two kids said Honda would be our ride, didn't they?"

The dog balked at this, jumping as the others turned his way to stare almost confusedly. "A-Aru! They said that-aru!"

"You were there Honda... An' I don' think they'd 'f brought it up if y' weren't," Katsuya added dryly, the dog blinking a few times in response.

"Ehhrf..."

The others continued to stare for a moment, the dog seemingly lost in thought for the moment. "Well come on," Ren hissed from the side, eyes narrowed as he looked to the hound. "Get... 'Big' or whatever it is you're supposed to do!"

"Wh-What-"

Shizuka nodded, smiling as the others attempted to encourage the dog. "That's right- I'm sure it'll be fine Honda-han..!"

"H-Hey, I don't even-..."

"Hahhhh..." Katsuya sighed, before moving over to punt the thing off the side of the station platform as it gave a loud and shocked bark. "C'mon," he growled, crossing his arms as he scowled. "We don' have all day damn it!"

"I'm going I'm going-aru!"

And a few seconds later, after the 'switch' had been found and passengers 'loaded' on a mane of snakes...

And 'going' was putting it rather lightly. "Hh-hh-hh-hh-hh-hh-hh-hh-" Pounding steps sounded on the air as a dog chased after a tumbling and curled up armadillo. The constant 'in-out' of a needless breath came with each footstep, and amid these sounds the rather panicked screams expected from the passengers of an open seated-120 kilometer-per-hour 'bullet'.

As it was, Shizuka seemed to be far regretting her earlier comments of 'it'll be fine'. "H-HAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A lot.

"T-THIS... AIN'T... WHAT I HAD... IN MIND," Katsuya screamed, gripping the collar of the now train sized version of Honda's canine self. A mane of snakes proved successful seat-belts to hold them in place, true, but they weren't the most stationary; if anything, he was beginning to realize why Honda hated them.

"GH- HONDA," Anzu shouted, adjusting her grip on the collar as the dog's steady rhythm tossed them up and down in a steady and violent pattern. "HONDA, YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST!"

"Whaaaat? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT," the snake on her arm shouted, tightly coiled and grinning almost madly. "THIS IS AWESOME! KEEP IT UP! GO, GO!"

"GLAD YOU THINK SO-ARU, I CAN'T STOP!"

Woah woah woah woah- WHAT. "WAIT, WHAT- WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'CAN'T STOP'," Anzu screeched, looking to the back of the dog's head in incredulity.

"I MEAN I'M GOING TOO FAST-ARU! IF I TRY TO STOP I'LL JUST CRASH-ARU!" Cr-Cr-

"WHAT!" The mood of the passengers fell considerably at that, Ren in particular giving a good long scream upon realizing his 'ride' was a death trap. "WHAT THE HELL! GET ME OFF THIS THING, IT AIN'T WORTH IT!"

"UM... I don't think that's a good idea-aru," the dog responded, still pounding along the ground as Anzu struggled to keep hold on her now 'suicidal' snake.

"WELL THINK 'F SOMETHIN'," Katsuya roared, the snakes holding him in place shifting uncomfortably. "I'm gonna be sick!"

"I think I already am sick," added his sister, the others pulling slight faces at that.

"Please don't puke on me-aru!"

"Mrnnnn... If I do, please forgive me Honda-han..."

"W-WHAT!"

"Honda-kun," Yugi shouted over the grumbles, the dog momentarily cut from any thoughts of bile in his fur, "Are you sure you can't slow down gradually?"

There was a short bit of silence, the dog seeming to bow his head mid run before nodding. "I can try-aru, but isn't that a little counter-productive," he asked, a number of the passengers growing rather red with the protest.

"Gh... IT'S 'COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE' IF YOU CRASH US ALL," came Otogi's angry shout, the dog ducking his head as his fur bristled.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT-ARU, I'LL TRY, but-"

The dog cut off with a yelp, a large rumbling coming from behind them to throw his running off balance. "Uhhhhh... What w's that," Katsuya asked quickly, looking back as the others did the same.

"...Don't look now," Ren answered, comment all too late for the others, "But I think our tunnel is collapsing..."

"C-Collapsing," Yugi repeated, turning back with wide eyes as the darkness seemed to do just that. "A-AH!"

"HONDA! I TAKE BACK ALL I SAID," Otogi shouted with a start, cracks of white appearing and filling the area behind them with an empty space that destroyed all in its path, "RUN LIKE HELL!!"

Honda, suffice to say, was more than happy to oblige.

---

Back in the heat and steam filled air of the depths of what could well have been hell, little had changed after Seto's accusations. If anything there'd been a short span of silence as they paced each other, the taller of the pair narrowing his eyes in 'thought'. "...So you know the truth then," Noa said almost in disappointment, Seto staring at the man from their positions at opposite ends of the craggy field. "Well... I suppose this simply means I can speak freely then," he chuckled, shaking his head with a laugh. "No secrets, no holding back... Yes. I am 'dead'," he said plainly, the woman before him narrowing her eyes in suspicion as he continued. "This body you see here... It could have been mine, but it's mere ashes now, and never had the chance... But that's only my body," the man added, a dark smirk on his face as his form seemed to steam and mist. "Just look," he called out as he pointed to the air. "THIS is my real body..." His real one...

The blackened and ash covered clouds above began to swirl and spiral with Noa's words, converging almost in a tornado like fashion. Rather than spiralling down for such a thing however they were pushed aside by an enormous metal 'sphere', sitting amid the clouds almost like a 'sun'. The sphere could barely even be called that however; metal rods and antennae spread out from its form, cracks and crevices lining its form in a circuit-like pattern. Occasionally small lights could be seen on the device, flickering on and off with some unknown message in mind amid the sun-like glow. This thing... A super-computer she asked herself, looking to the device in confusion. But it couldn't be... It couldn't. The woman narrowed her eyes further, looking back to Noa and swallowing a wave of suspicion. "This thing..."

"My 'real' brain," the man 'finished', sinister and nearly maddening smirk in place. "My mind's electric signals and pulses are preserved within this machine, never dying, and always adapting... It's given me quite the power," he continued, misting from sight just as his opponent made to charge and break through whatever mental holds had been placed. "And I have to say," he chuckled, Seto's blade meeting nothing but steam and fog, "The advantages are endless, if not even 'boring' at times..." Gh-

Enough was enough! No more talking..! "SHOW YOURSELF," she snarled, the smoking form of the man appearing behind her with those very words. "I- GH-!" Behind her..!

Noa chuckled as the woman reeled on him, misting from existence once again as a sword sliced through his 'body'. "Really," he sighed, shaking his head and re-appearing far to the woman's left. "Haven't you learned yet? This isn't real... All your energy is being wasted," the man continued, opponent pulling herself upright yet again to turn on him, "Spent on nothing but a running 'dream'..."

Dreams and illusions... "Believe me," Seto growled, pointing her blade forward. "It will be no 'dream' when I get to the 'body' you hold in the real world..."

"If you manage to get there," her opponent added, crossing his arms as he sighed. ...'If'? He said that almost as though he expected her to win despite his own intentions; a true fact of course, but for him to admit it... "I don't have to take you after all," Noa whispered, chuckling darkly as his opponent frowned and paled. "You're 'imperfect', a failed 'copy' created for the sole purpose of furthering my existence. And I... Well I could be anyone," he hissed, body shrinking and slimming before the woman's eyes. Hair grew out, stood on end... Eyes grew wider, yet sharper nonetheless as 'Yugi' seemed to brush a lock of still green hair from his face. As his clothing altered and shifted into more 'familiar' attire. This... "See," Noa 'asked', the voice of her rival echoing through the air. "I could be a partner, a 'rival'," he offered, walking forward and smoking from existence as he changed again. "Or perhaps someone you're more curious about," the 'boy' continued, in an echo, appearing to the side as hair lengthened and flattened to a more 'average' style to match with a taller, clearly feminine build. This... Kisara, her mind told her, blue eyes narrowing in mirth as the body again shifted. And in a shuddering wave of smoke the 'woman' vanished from sight completely, only for a familiar voice to come from beside her ear in a low and seductive tone. "Perhaps maybe even a lover," 'Jonouchi' whispered, the woman he spoke to barely able to turn and stare at what stood before her. L-

He dared to suggest... That... That...

Eyes shook with rage but the woman nonetheless held silent, 'blond' hair before her coloured to match Noa's own lighter hue with a dark expression far unlike the mutt. "Hnhnhnhnhn... I've hit a sore point," 'Jonouchi' chuckled, hands stowed in his pockets with a now white uniform jacket loosely hanging open on his form. "I wonder," the teen began, "Just how much you know about him... Does he know you forgot about him," he asked, Seto shaking on the spot as a growl developed in her throat. "Or does he simply pass off that time as 'coma-recovery'? Perhaps you don't even care," the young man continued, slowly walking around his target as she stared in shocked silence. "Perhaps you're even confused, curious about this 'boy' who pays such attention to you... Why, he'd do anything for you," he laughed, a wide and crazed grin on his face for just a brief moment as he laughed. "Even 'die'... So tell me," the teen whispered, walking closer as his target stood frozen in place, unable to move despite her body and mind both screaming for her to do so. "What do you want to 'change'..?" C... Change..? "Perhaps 'tha' acc'nt 'f his'," he whispered in a hauntingly familiar tone, Seto's blade slowly glowing with flames as the fires leaped from the metal. "Perhaps that stubborn intent to do the opposite of what you prefer," he continued, "Who knows... I can do that," Noa hissed, fading from sight to mist directly behind the woman and place a hand on her shoulder. "If you just let me take his place..." This...

"You TWISTED BASTARD-! Don't even TOUCH me!" Smoke blew out from the blade's path as she reeled on the 'teen', eyes blazing as she ground her teeth and turned toward where he re-appeared in a mist. No effort to take the form of one she knew had been made this time, not that she cared as she charged the again 'adult' 'Noa Kaiba'. "You say I exist, that my pain and life exist because of YOU," she roared, swinging the blade downward in a violent release of rage. "That I'm no more than a 'FAILSAFE'? A 'COPY' meant to REPLACE you! Don't FUCK with me," Seto roared, blade cutting through smoke and nothing but smoke as her opponent was steadily forced back against the stone cliffs beneath them. "Don't even think for a MOMENT that you have anything to do with ME! This is MY life," she hissed, "And it has been since the moment I was born. And to those who even think to interfere with the path's I've created," Seto continued with a snarl, "I will exact the most powerful force that this world has ever known," she screamed, bringing her sword forward once again. "HRAAAAAH-Gh-"

Eyes widened as the blade in her hands seemed to dissolve, her opponent doing the same as he 'smoked' into existence across the lava filled chasm. "Hnnn... You resist so strongly," he sighed, spinning his opponent's sword in his hand as Seto clenched her fists from across the impossible divide between the two. "You should be relieved at what I'm doing," Noa snorted, shaking his head at the woman before him. "To take your body would mean to leave you here, with no worries to distract you, with nothing to hide from... And yet you continue to fight..."

"Words are useless after all," she snarled, clenching her fists. "What use would a life be if everything you did was decided so easily?" A smirk appearing on her 'brother's face with the accusation, eyes narrowing to mere slits as a wind blew past.

"True... Words have a place, and this isn't it... Well then," he chuckled, snapping his fingers as lava erupted into geysers around him, "We should start moving... You still have the same deck from last time correct," he asked, Seto narrowing her eyes and nodding nonetheless. "Then choose-"

"I have my deckmaster," Seto growled, armor already shifting as it became lined with violet scales and coloured in blue. Her cape and hat were replaced, and though the sword she'd held before was not she brought a foot back into a more battle ready stance nonetheless. "The Kaiser Seahorse..."

At this Noa seemed to nod, stance almost carelessly casual as he gave a 'bow'. "In that case," he chuckled darkly, "Ladies first..."

Had she received any other cards in her hand at that moment, she'd have attempted to leap the canyon to run her opponent through right then. It wouldn't have mattered that she had no sword to wield; her hands would have been enough, and she'd have strangled the son-of-a-bitch to death if she had to. Or even simply run him through with her bare hands. As it turned out however, victory was already on her side, with the perfect combo already set to come into fruition. "Tch... I summon the 'Giant Germ'," she called out almost bitterly, the amoeba rising from a mist of water that had no source nor place in the volcanic terrain. "In addition" the woman muttered, "A card face down... End turn." This boy had made numerous mistakes in capturing and tormenting her, to say the least...

Challenging her and harming those two would be the last thing he would ever recall having done.

---

Light had become visible in the distance as they struggled to hold onto the dog before them, the snakes making up his mane beginning to loosen their hold. They couldn't even see their 'guide' any more now that the run was unstoppable, and by this point it had become apparent that it was not just the crumbling wall behind them that kept Honda running.

He hadn't been lying when he said he couldn't stop. "H-HUAAAAAAAHHH!" And in all honesty, he wished he didn't know that.

"HONDA-HAN," Shizuka was screaming, one of her hands slipping from the ring of snakes and steel.

"HONDAAAAA," the others were crying, those on the edges staring forward with wide eyes. The screams were endless, and the coming destruction behind was devastating true...

But the light, at least, offered them a bit of hope. It was only faint, but within seconds he was seeing more than just a precognitive flash of the image, his eyes widening further as the blinding glare moved forward. "L-LIGHT," he cried, a grin coming over him. "We made it! IT'S LIGHT!"

"It's the exit," Yugi shouted in agreement, eyes wide as he clung to the still present collar of (thankfully) emotionless serpents. "HONDA-KUN," he called out, "WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"

Their ride nodded, a doggish grin on his face. "And not a moment too soon-aru! This is-" The dog abruptly cut off as he leaped forward from the edge of the 'end', eyes widening as his paws met with the air. "AH-AH-AAAHHHRAOUFF!"

"H-HAAHHH!"

"NO FLOOR!" No shit!

It was likely luck that saved them from being turned into burnt ashes really. From where Honda had run through the air a platform of stone had come into view from directly above, and though the shock had shrunk him down to 'puppy' size it had nonetheless saved everyone from falling to a firey death. As to just where they were however, with nothing but heat and an ashen sky to give them an idea for a moment... "Hnnngg..." The blond grunted, weakly pulling himself to his hands and knees as he winced. "Oww oww oww..." That... Was one hell of an exit...

Who the hell knew what Noa's 'realm' was though, if this was even it. "Owwww... That hurrrrrrts," Ren hissed, slowly creeping from under Anzu's arm while the woman stood to grimace. "My everywhere hurts... Ahhhh..."

"Your 'spine' then," Honda barked quietly, wincing himself as his 'collar' shook itself out. "And here I thought you didn't have one-aru."

The snake instantly pulled himself from whatever pained grumbles he had, hood flaring as he turned on the dog. "I SWEAR IT YOU DAMNED BARKING-RAT, I'M GONNA-"

"Where... Where is this," Anzu muttered, the others standing to look around in confusion as they ignored the arguing duo at the side. "A volcano..?"

"No... A volcano would be different," Shizuka muttered with a swallow, holding her spear close. "This is similar, but it's not a 'volcano'... More of a molten plain, but where it is specifically..." The girl shook her head, biting her lip. "I can't be sure really..."

Well that was just great. Katsuya frowned, before a shout from the side and around a small growth of stone caught his attention, the wall only partially blocking their view of the field beyond. 'Summon Chiron the Mage,' a voice announced, the blond freezing as he came around the stone to see the sight of an already in-progress duel. 'ATTACK MODE!' Monsters... "Aw hell," he muttered, the others following his gaze as Seto hurriedly leaped back from the attacking warrior's staff. "This is..."

Noa was adult. As in 'his actual age', hovering somewhat in the air with a confident grin and a white suit nearly identical to his old 'last clothes'. He was an adult, and facing Seto in battle at his own mental 'core'. That was never good... Yet as the others came around to stare he found himself unable to speak on the matter, the only one of them with a loose enough tongue catching himself in shock after mere seconds.

"K-Kaiba-san," Yugi had called out, eyes wide as the woman froze from behind her bare-handed block to Chiron's staff. "And Noa!"

"Gh- Yugi," she shouted through disguised tones, throwing her opponent's monster back. "You-"

The duel screeched to a halt as the shout rang through the air, a frighteningly crazed grin appearing on Noa's face as he turned to look at the crowd. "Ohhh... Well would you look at that," the man chuckled, stance instantly shifting to that of confidence and superiority as opposed to the careless and playful one he'd held seconds prior in the air. "Your friends are here," he said almost teasingly, Seto snarling from the side.

"Gh... NOA..."

"Now now," the man shouted with a smirk, shaking his head as he laughed. "Don't be so upset... They've barely missed a thing," he called out in 'reassurance', "In fact they're just in time..." Just in time..? But for what..? The blond's questions were quickly answered as their captor continued to chuckle, adjusting the jacket on his shoulders with a sneer. "This game has a 'plan' after all," Noa was saying, pacing his side of the chasm as he grinned and landed upon the ground. "A 'plan', a 'story'... A 'Genesis'... But before we begin," he continued with an accusing point to his opponent, "There seems to be a problem; while it will take seven turns to complete my heaven and earth, there's a flaw standing before me in the design, a black smudge on my realm! Only truth can stand before me," Noa warned, a smirk remaining on his face as both Yugi and Katsuya paled with cold suspicion. "No lies can remain in my path... I've been sharing nothing but facts with you, and with all of your friends of course," the man went on, throwing his hands out as he shook his head. "And you've been guests in my lands, you've all traveled to my own personal realms... But while I've answered all of your questions," he sneered, the crowd at the side narrowing their eyes as Seto as well paled and dropped her scowl for a chilled look of blank horror, "There's someone here who hasn't been completely honest with you at all..."

"What..." Shizuka frowned, shaking her head as the others stared in confusion. "What are you talking about," she managed to ask, the others merely narrowing their eyes further as both Yugi and Katsuya stepped back to stand against the stone wall and trade fear-filled glances. Don't ask don't ask don'- "What do you mean?"

Shit. "Oh," Noa 'asked', eyes narrowing in cruel mirth as he looked toward the crowd. "So she didn't tell you then..?"

"Ah- She," Anzu repeated blankly, mad laughter filling the air. No... No no no no n-

"Hnhnhnhnhnhn... HnhnHAHAHAA! Really," the man called out, lava rising from the chasms behind him, "How horrible! You shouldn't lie to your friends, Seri!" With the snap of Noa's fingers wind blasted across the molten plain, Seto throwing her arms up in defense as a blinding light and a wave of lava blocked her from view. The heat slammed against each of them, and amid the burning lava a shadow could be seen.

"GH- NOA," the woman could be heard shouting, voice still disguised despite earlier comments. "YOU-" And then there was silence...

And when the lava fell, Seto's voice had no more need for a disguise, not that she spoke after that fact. For as the woman stood frozen, her armor vanished and replaced with clothing she had never even come close to wearing. The unisex tunic and gauntlets were tightened and slimmed into a white t-shirt, the hat and cape that so hid her figure destroyed completely. Boots were replaced with simple shoes, and as the others stared in a similar shock, mere mutterings leaving their lips, the pants had already long been changed into something else. And as Katsuya held his breath his friend was doing the same, both boys pressing their backs against the stone with bit lips and wide eyes. Ooohhh hell he thought, staring at the woman before him as the field fell silent for a brief moment. Ohhhh shit...

"K-K-Kai..." Otogi couldn't even finish saying the woman's name as the 'hips' he'd been glancing at were revealed in full, the fairly revealing gym-uniform bottoms leaving little excuses to prove him wrong this time around.

"Sh... Shoujo..." Honda momentarily lost his canine 'tic', his own jaw dropping as eyes honed in on a narrowed waist that had been too difficult to discern amid the black cloth of the real world and the blinding light from the draconic deckmaster seen hours prior.

"O-Ojou," Anzu and Shizuka both choked, only for Ren's shout to echo even further above the field as Noa gauged each of their reactions.

"B-B-BNAT!"

And as Seto stood, frozen in the very much revealing women's gym uniform, only one other statement could be heard before the former crossdresser finally snapped.

"Like your new clothes," Noa was cheerfully asking, still fiddling with the sword he'd confiscated from her moments before. "I designed it from memory..."

There was only one way to put this he decided quickly, Seto's gaze moving slowly from her own body to her opponent as knuckles audibly cracked in the air.

Noa was fucked.

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AN: Yea that about sums it up-

BUT THE REVEAAAAALLLL! How will Kaiba react next? Will it be a 'blue-screen' situation, where the body just freezes and attempts to comprehend everything at once (Because hey, she knows EVERYONE is there.)? Or will she kick ass?

OR BOTH? ...Actually not sure how 'both' works. Oh well~

Any ways, ahhh... Remember that job? It was a horrible horrible scam... (-sigh-) I'll be surprised if I got minimum's wage worth from that.

So YEA. Back to looking for a job that actually complies to the labour laws, so expect regular updates for another few days at least.

Also, giving the 'music' bit of this note an official section, as recently I've taken to picking out specific songs at each section. You don't have to read it with the chapter; because hey, you might not like it! But still. It'll be down past the pictures section.

Anonymous Review Responses

Hey there Iona!

And YES! BATTLE ROYAAAAALE! Actually, now that you've mentioned 'the chair', I can't get it out of my head...

And yes, the height seems pretty crazy... It's actually not though. To put it in perspective, people from the UK alone tend to be three-four inches taller than those in North America, where the average guy is 5'11''. Of course, in JAPAN this is pretty much FRIGHTENING... But nonetheless. While Noa would still be above average in his mom's country, everyone else is likely to assume compensation anyways.

Oh, I meant in regards to Siegfried; when Siegfried appears, he'll be calmed down enough to care, hahaha.

Ahhh... He probably was; the thing is though, Mokuba and Yugi are drawn really out of proportion to the cast. In reality, Yugi should only be about two inches shorter than Anzu after all. Instead, he's drawn a full head shorter, and Mokuba isn't far behind.

Also I needed a reason for Adult!Noa, so shhhhhhh...

As for the next part... HOORAAAAYYYyyyy..? Um...

Cynical Gamer! You survived the dive!

...And you're going back for more? NOOOOOOOO...

You can expect lots of 'interesting' chapters in this arc thanks to the levels of mindscrew. I do like being surprising of course, and as for Ren, hey! Someone had to find out, and Honda has a legit reason; he's connected to the computer after all, however subconsciously the connection. VERY glad about the reaction to the Jou/Yugi fusion. I wonder what you'd call those two though... *digs around for ideas*

Ooooh, those stone dragons... You'll be seeing them MUCH later, and then it'll allll make sense~ ...Before we get there though, for if you're one who 'knows' who they are, they're not reincarnation-ally involved. (That a word..? IT IS NOW.) At all. You'll find out how they're really involved though later on.

Noa's going to be a huge prick, and if you haven't gotten that from the above... YEA. But yes, MOKUBAAAAA! You're going to HATE what happens next if you hated this!

Hahaha, I'm not surprised about missed things really; I try to be vague enough that it'll turn into an 'Oh yeaaaaaaaa...'. Glad to be a reference to the original Japanese too; and you're quite right, Kaiba really went through a lot of character development in that series. A LOT. And so many people don't realize this...

I wouldn't go so far as to say 'shining armor' though. More that he's a great bit 'tsundere'; he'll help. But clearly it had nothing to do with you. (-snrk-)

HAHAHAHAHAH! We're of the same opinion then! ISN'T IT FUN?

Hey, don't be so quick to think the real Kisara won't get a decent appearance; she's actually due for a cameo soon, and while it's not in this arc, it'll happen before Battle City end.

As for reactions, you'll see that next chapter, so I hope you keep enjoying this!

Until then, have a good read!

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Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that foresees 'Street-Fighter' references in the next chapter... Also fanservice.

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'Bifauxnen' refers to two things here! As the standard, it defines Kaiba; she looks 'bishounen' (To the point where valentines day is the plague...), but she's assuredly not.

However, it refers to Noa as well; he's not really bishounen, he's barely thirteen! That's shota silly!

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What? But they've been to KaibaLand! Well not this one; in the anime, it's as though it's the Japan one…

But it's got more than just the tower! KaibaLand-Japan is entirely contained within a tower structure though, so that's impossible…

Needless to say, we've therefore combined elements with the dub; it's KaibaLand-California… But rather than simply being built by blue-print, it's already being built in the states at that moment. The date it'll be finished? Almost a year from the fanfic's date, hehehe.

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'Kaiba Land', or rather, what I'm using as reference for this Kaiba Land, had a map printed out when the Bunkoban (The somewhat edited re-print of the ENTIRE MANGA) was released. (In Japan, of course.)

Here's a guide to what each number is here:

Blue-Eyes Arcade

Future KaibaCorp building

Duel Stadium

Washroom

Kaiba Land Hotel

Blue-Eyes Monorail depot

Kaibaman show

Battle City the Movie

Death-T virtual theater

Blue-Eyes Ultimate World

Kaiba Castle

Blue-Eyes Burst Stream

Washroom

Shop

Blue-Eyes Adventure

CapMon Mokuba building

Shop

Monster Horror building

Washroom

Blue-Eyes Jet Coaster

The map itself, is here, and remember, remove the spaces! http : / / images. wikia. com/ yugioh/ images/ 2/ 25/ KaibaLandMap. png …And for the sake of the fanfic, don't think of it as 'to scale'!

I'm not completely sure why Kaiba plans to put the office in a giant duel disk. I don't think I'm going to ask either… Particularly since there's a GIANT STATUE OF HIM in there. (That's not there in FanficLand; just Blue-Eyes being AWESOME… Mostly because Seto wouldn't want a statue of herself crossdressing up there.)

Note that there's a lot of stuff here that wouldn't have happened until after the events of the manga. This 'Kaiba Land' was finished after the fact… Which means that really, you can just assume that things that shouldn't be there just yet would ordinarily have different things at certain times. 'The Movie' thing would have different films for example. The 'Kaibaman show' (-snrk-) would… Probably have different things as well. The Death-T building on the other hand, is probably just REALLY DIFFERENT.

I would think that things like 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate World' are rides… But you never know right? As for the 'Capmon Building', that's definitely STAYING… In fact, if I decide to work it in enough, you might get another anime filler arc thrown in here. (-wink wink-)

In other news, using the map above, I'm working on the the 'fanfic equivalent'… ALSO not to scale, and not nearly as well drawn, but what the hey. There's going to be a giant dragon in the middle of those three instead of a giant Kaiba. As to why there's a fourth dragon on that sculpture… Well, there were kinda four to start hn? And besides, it's going to be Blue-Eyes Shining anyways; for the fanfic, Tenma and Gekko will end up giving it to Kaiba as a present.

What with her being the only one who could play it anyways, you know? (And also with them kinda trying to take over the building in R. Which hasn't happened yet.)

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By the way, the building they entered wasn't a warehouse; it was the unfinished duel stadium.

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Cerberus aside (Cerberus being the guardian to the gates of Hell in Greek and Roman myth by the way; rather fitting here), it really is depicted with a mane of snakes and the tail of that same animal. Honda's 'secondary' form as this still has a mane of snakes despite losing the two other heads actually; and they're still there in the 'mini' form too! (It's to make up for his lack of metal-head... Stuff.)

Besides this though, the 'code', or 'N' refers to typing shorthand in Japan; the greek symbol omega is used in the place of the n kana. Most likely for scientific purposes though.

Omega by the way is the final letter of the Greek Alphabet, and generally refers to top-power, the end, etc...

So yes, this is why Ren was notably afraid.

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Now, I'm no chessplayer, but I'm pretty sure the move we saw in the anime wasn't a game finisher… At all. The King didn't seem to be in range from what I saw… In any case, leaving it vague and different; for irony's sake, the Queen took the King!

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By the way, the robot is 'Material Armadillo', in reference to a monster that Kaiba had in his hand at one point during Yugioh R.

There is also nothing special about it at all; I just enjoyed toying with the image of Dog!Honda chasing after a ball. Hehehehehe.

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That projector was a traditional film reel in the original. OH HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

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Church? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS! Seriously, Noa's duel is so Biblical, I just… HOLY SHIT. From Noa's ark to his obsession with God in general, I had to stick in another reason. I had to. Because face it guys, Noa's had access to the ENTIRE INTERNET for how long? He'd have either debunked his own theories until he entered his own debate, or simply gone weird and bitter thanks to other webpages. He'd be the biggest troll on the internet EVER.

Clearly he is every twelve year old noob you've encountered online.

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Little bitter there Kaiba? Well, the fact is, it's hard for anyone to think of someone like Gozaburo as someone who was ever nice-ish. And even so, there are 'nice' people who are nice to their families and then pull that arms dealing crap with the 'weapons on both sides' thing in the world as it is! The problem here is the contrast between the Gozaburo that she knew, and the one Noa knew. There's a lot that caused this difference, and while Noa's eyes are admittedly somewhat covered with rose-glasses, the man was very different back then, at least in the fanfic.

Of course, that's just unbelievable to Kaiba; both because of the above, and also because that means she missed out on a decent life with her brother. Had Gozaburo acted anything like he did with Noa, I doubt there would have been as much hate…

Oh well~

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What, but these were filmed normally, and- NO. STOP. PARENTS DON'T FILM FUNERALS.

And given that we have slight proof that Gozaburo genuinely loved his son… (Which is ironically the fanfic's reasoning as to why he was SO horrible to Kaiba, but more on that later) …Well, I'm sticking with 'he didn't film that'.

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Ren! Why did you do that! You're not the self-sacrificing type... Yet!

He really did think the switch was in the head; and the fact is, he's good at riling things up.

Granted, he didn't expect to live through it (he's honestly quite sick of hearing everyone talk about him, and the fact is, he knows damn well he won't 'really' die.), but even so, it's been mostly taken as a bluff.

But why? Well, it has to do with Anzu's pestering actually; Malik's voice, at least as 'normal' Ren, is pretty much what he sounded like as a small child. So, despite anything that points to otherwise, Anzu can't help but treat him like one.

As the giant snakes of attack power though, he sounds more like his actual self, but thanks to the echo it creates only Jou and Honda have really put two and two together.

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Oh hey, they got the train but it still didn't work… Well, fact is, while the train made it out in the anime, I kinda crashed it into the lava in this fanfic rather than just... Vanishing. It's one thing for one person to escape that, but the groups is too big to escape like that.

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Also 'Shou'? As in, 'sounds like show'? OH THE PUNNERY!

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Those two? OHHHHH, I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.

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In other news, yes; Jonouchi foresaw the encounter from his point of view rather than Seto's. CREEPY ain't it!

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So many words for girl! But why use them all?

Well, 'Shoujo' is of course simply 'Girl'. Hence the terms 'shonen' and 'shoujo' manga; boy's manga and girl's manga. Shoujo specifically tends to refer to children however, those from childhood to young-teens really. Or at least it does when speaking of a specific person. (It's a little rude with an adult after all; like calling a 'woman' a 'girl' in a professional situation. If at a meeting somewhere fancy, it sounds better to say the 'woman at the desk' rather than 'the girl at the desk' doesn't it!)

Ojou on the other hand, is more polite.

As for Ren's 'Bnat', that's Egyptian Arabic for 'Girl'. (The actual word is spelled and pronounced more like 'binat'... So basically, it's been accented.) What, you thought his shocked exclamations would be in Japanese?

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FanArt and My Art Section

Remove the spaces for your fanserv- I mean fanart.

SpoilerConcept! OC & Noa - http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ NoaLyris. jpg - Meet Lyris; her name is written in Katakana, because she's not Japanese. But you probably guessed that. This is the OC that may or may not make an appearance at the end; in fact, consider that a poll. Do you want her to show up or no? It would be around the final arcs if she did.

Also Adult!Noa. And Adult!FEM!Noa... In a Gym uniform. Eeeeeh?

I'd have posted Seto in her own gym uniform, but her ass-kicking pose is coming more difficult than I'd hoped. So...

Enjoy the fem-Noa? ...And Lyris!

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Musical Notes

In which I tell you what I was listening to while I typed, and you decide if you like it, if you don't like it, and if I'm just plain crazy.

You knew that last one though.

Anyways, for here, I was bouncing back and forth between these three songs in particular, along with two 'mash ups' from Nico Nico.

The 'Mash-Ups' are known as 'Nico Nico Medley' and 'Nico Nico Ryuuseigun Chaos' (The one I mentioned last chapter.

Other songs are...

'Remote Control', another song I mentioned last chatper, and

Nowhere from Madlax (Used in the Anime Noir; it's pretty awesome.)...

Along with 'Agent Yoru o Iku', from Makoto of the game 'The Idolmster'! ...Yes I listened to that one during Kaiba's scenes. Shush.

Well, that's all for now... If this chapter seems somewhat iffy, let me know; I'm always open for critiques, and I know that with this arc in particular things likely seem off the map. Part of it is simply from the earlier mindscrew warnings.

Others really are off the map, as this is pretty much the only chance I have at getting away with gravity defiant and over the top moves, ahahaha. Not to mention Seto standing still with Noa right there; if you haven't guessed now, that was Noa's doing. He doesn't much like getting interrupted by a sword you know.

Well, enjoy the chapter! Coming up next, the first half of Noa VS Kaiba! (And yes, this duel is going to be long... Though with luck, Yugi's half will still only be one chapter.) See you next time!