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In the wake of disappearing ashes of the ruin beneath them, there was nothing but silence among them. Each of those who had just fled from Noa's 'world' were in that bridge room now, staring through the window with nearly identical expressions across their faces... With looks of dull depression and faded eyes, watching as scraps of metal from the airship sank to the depths of the ocean while the now 'jet' transport they were being carried within flew over it with ease. "Noa," Mokuba whispered, looking through the window. "I guess... ...He's gone now..."

Gone. Dead. They were the same thing but... The fact was, for Noa, it was probably best. "When you think about it," Yugi whispered quietly, "He wasn't so much 'evil' as he was..."

"Confused." Anzu, golden eyes revealing it to be Malik for the moment bowed 'her' head, staring through the window as a few of the others turned to the somewhat altered pattern of speech. "He was just... Confused. He wanted his father back," the teen continued quietly, "And he wanted to see the real world again." "He was just a scared little boy," the real Anzu continued as she looked up with again blue-brown eyes. "Just..."

"They were both idiots," Seto's growling and disguised voice muttered, the woman standing behind them with crossed arms as the group turned. "Noa and Gozaburo." There was a large amount of distaste visible in her expression. Seemingly endless amounts of hate, rage... Though they'd escaped from the fire after all, they had yet to escape everything else. As it was however, she wasn't yet finished with speaking. "Both of those fools wasted our time completely... And if you know what's good for you," she continued almost threateningly as she looked to the group, "You'll forget that whatever happened down there even occurred..."

Katsuya and Mokuba both frowned, the others following their actions. After all. It was one thing to tell them to forget what happened to them... But what the others learned there was an entirely separate matter, and though the initial shock of hearing a 'familiar' and male voice from Kaiba's mouth kept them silent for a moment, the knowledge that it was 'wrong' opened their mouths back up. "...You... You can tell us to forget all you want," Otogi said somewhat quietly as he looked to the woman, eyes narrowing somewhat as he shook his head. "But... That doesn't mean you're right..."

"We know what we saw in there," Honda continued with a similar tone, silent and seemingly invisible tension rising in the air as the teen swallowed. "And you can't change that... You..."

"Seto-sama," one of the pilots called from the side, cutting Honda off before he could finish. The man gave a slight gesture to the screen before continuing, hands firmly on the wheel. "We're now back on course," he said somewhat plainly, "And we should arrive at Alcatraz in approximately 45 minutes."

The woman turned, nodding somewhat curtly before looking down upon the others once again. They were going back to the tournament now... Back to what they had yet to finish, but- "...This bridge is for staff only," she said stiffly, arms still crossed as the others stared almost incredulously in response. "I suggest you each leave and find some way to entertain yourself until we land..." Enter-

"Gh- An' what's that s'pposed t' mean," Katsuya growled, narrowing his eyes as the woman moved to stand near the 'central' controls. "You jus' gonna ignore all this then," he asked, growling under his breath. "That it?"

The look they received in response was far colder than what he'd gotten used to in recent times, and far more threatening than he'd have liked. "When this ship lands," the woman said darkly, seeming almost reminiscent of the 'her' from before even Duelist Kingdom, "This tournament is going to continue as planned; it is currently fifteen minutes after nine," she continued as the group stared. "By the time we reach Alcatraz it will be ten o'clock, half an hour from the expected continuation of the tournament. From that time however," Seto growled, "There are still four hours before a helicopter with the equipment and space required for each of the unconscious on board will reach the island." Four... Four hours..? As the others slowly realized just what the woman was getting at, she turned away, leaving to stand at the bridge 'head' to look to the approaching tower of Alcatraz. "If I were you," she hissed almost under her breath, "I would take as much time to prepare for your next match as possible... Because regardless of what happens," the woman warned, "This tournament will go on."

"You're kidding," Otogi muttered, "You-"

"Leave the bridge," she said stonily. "Now."

They'd left the room after that for obvious reasons; no one wanted to argue with Seto at the moment, and frankly, they had other things to check on. And the fact was that though there was no real way to tell what was on Seto's mind, whatever it was was most assuredly important. Which was likely why it was such a relief when they left the room, or so it seemed to Mokuba as he stood at his sister's side in silence. The woman beside him still had a stony look across her face, and as the others cleared the room both siblings stood in silence, Mokuba briefly watching as his sister's expression and stiff posture slackened somewhat to the more stressed one she held after coming back from a long day at work. Seto was more shaken than even before, even with everything over it seemed. Even though Noa was dead now, the boy muttered mentally to himself, the light-haired 'boy' coming to mind at that thought. He couldn't remember much from their final moments, but he thought that when he was about to wake up he could hear him apologizing... And then when they'd left, he'd told them 'I'll make it', that he would find a way out...

But that had been a lie, hadn't it? Mokuba bit his lip, looking down at the ground as a few tears dotted his eyes, recalling the expression Noa had given them when he looked back to him. He'd known he was going to die... But he'd also known that to stay would mean the same fate for Katsuya, and that it was him or them. So then he... He...

For their sakes...

Mokuba wiped his eyes, shaking himself with an almost shuddering swallow. He needed to pull himself together he told himself, still staring at the ground. He had to keep living and... ...And for Noa's sake the boy decided, he'd live for him too. No matter what... And he couldn't just rely on everyone else either, he thought to himself with a swallow. He had to stop letting everyone get hurt trying to fight him... Stop pulling people in for his sake, like what Seto did trying to get him back, when she'd pushed herself past the point of death... Which meant, he thought somewhat nervously, not simply following people around either. He couldn't blindly follow his sister with whatever she wanted to do... He had to help her too, didn't he? And the same with Katsuya- he couldn't just tag along with him whenever he was bored. Katsuya needed his own time too, and he'd done fine without him before, and...

And the fact was, no matter what either of them thought, they couldn't be strong all the time. Not really...

"Mokuba," Seto said at that moment, the boy turning upward as his sister looked down in slight worry. "...You're quiet... Are you alright," she asked, her brother blinking again.

The boy hurriedly nodded, smiling nervously as he searched his mind for an excuse to give. "A-Ah... Y-Yea," he said with a cough ,"I'm fine..." At least as fine as he could be after that mess below... So... "I'm just nervous..." Very nervous, he mentally corrected. There was still the rest of the tournament and it all involved that same maniac that was still on board. Speaking of which... "...We're almost there," he said after a few moments, momentarily wondering just where 'Malik', the 'dark one' at least, had disappeared to. "At Alcatraz..."

Seto nodded almost absently in response, her arms still crossed. "That's right..." His sister continued to stare through the window, eyes seeming to grow dim. "We're almost at the tower..." The tower that had originally been built with the intent of flaunting power over the others. The tower that was now the last thing that remained of the time influenced by Gozaburo. The tower that held the last memory of a time before 'Death-T', a darkened time that was filled with something that only one simple, tiny and seemingly harmless word could describe.

'Wrong'.

Once they got rid of that tower he told himself, they would focus on happier times... Maybe, no matter how long it took, Seto would start to open up... She and Katsuya would get closer, and his friends would become her friends, if not just slowly. But right now, the boy thought to himself, that wasn't what mattered, at least not immediately.

Because right now, their tournament wasn't even continuing because of the fact that it was a tournament, or because of the fact that its end would herald the beginning of a new and better story. Now it was continuing as a way to pass time and keep the others alive, keep them in at least somewhat livable conditions until their escape came. But as the radio crackled, even that had failed it seemed, as both he and his sister paled with the severity of the words they heard. "Sir," the familiar voice of their doctor said somewhat choppily, "There's something we need to speak about. In person."

Whatever it was that Mokuba had expected Kuzushi to tell them as they left for the doctor's office was certainly not good... But it would have been absolutely foolish to think it had been anywhere near as 'good' as he'd expected, he told himself later on.

Shortly after they left the bridge, it seemed as though a mantle had been lifted from the crowd. As they walked down the hall of the upper floor of the enormous jet they had, for the most part, remained silent. But even within a few steps the feeling of unease began to vanish, along with the sensations of fear, of trauma and nervousness that had been instilled by the combined horrors of Noa's Virtual World. And finally, after a few more moments in silence, there was one long and loud release of held breath from one of the teens around them, the group pausing momentarily to turn. "Hahhhhhhhhhhh... I swear to god Jonouchi," Honda groaned, shaking his head as he looked to the blond with a slight laugh. "I don't know... How you can live through that, but..."

"There's no 'but'," Otogi added with a swallow, his own expression not quite as 'amused' as his friend's as it was somewhat disbelieving. "How do you live with that..?"

Katsuya blinked, staring at the others with slight surprise. "Er... Live w' what," he asked confusedly.

Yugi as well seemed to stare, before the hovering 'other' half beside him caught on. "Ah- I believe they're referring to Kaiba's use of ventriloquism," he muttered, before smiling in slight amusement as his friend blinked. "And I have to admit," he laughed, rubbing his head somewhat. "It's more than a little disconcerting to start..."

What..? Oh come on... "Nyyyyyyh..."

"Hahaha... The other me has a point," Yugi laughed, the rest of the group turning as Yugi went on to somewhat 'explain' what they'd been talking about beyond most 'normal' ears. "When Kaiba-san uses her fake voice..."

"Well," Honda 'cheered' with a sigh, "At least we know what the hell was going on now."

"Er... What..." Alright, what were they talking about..?

"That's right," Otogi added, nodding with a somewhat amused smirk as he continued with the comments on whatever unknown topic he and his friend was on. "There's no need for us to question who your mysterious date is- now we know it's a lie to hide your crush," he continued, chuckling somewhat as the smirk grew. WH-

"EH? I wasn' even' sayin' anythin' abou' a date," he protested loudly. "You guys 're th' ones tha' did tha'!"

"And I'm sure that eventually you'll find a way past the pride, the antagonism, the low tolerance for 'loss'... Well... Everything," 'Malik' added, with a somewhat awkwardly placed smirk given Anzu's usual expression. "To make things work out." Work-

A-AHH! Katsuya continued to tense, growing red in the face. "GH- I AIN' DATIN'-"

-SMACK-

"ITEEEEEEH!"

Shizuka sighed, crossing her arms as the blond beside her rubbed his head. "Hnnn... Nihan," she muttered, shaking her head and rubbing her somewhat stinging hand somewhat before crossing her arms. "Honestly..! Is this really the time for that kind of thing," the girl continued, looking at her brother with narrowed eyes

The blond merely frowned, grumbling to himself as his sister again sighed before beginning to walk away.

"Hahhh... I'm going to go see Keichi," she decided, moving past the others to go upstairs before glancing back at the others with a frown. "You should probably do what Kaiba-han asked and check over your deck," she added, "Just incase you have to fight... ...'Him'," the girl said with a swallow. Well... That was always a good idea he supposed, given who 'he' probably was, but-

"Hard to believe we've still got this crap to deal with," Honda muttered, crossing his arms with yet another sigh as Shizuka disappeared upstairs.

"I know," Anzu added, her eyes and voice identifying her as herself once again as she shook her head. "We just got out of Noa's computer... And there's still the tournament, and 'Dark' Malik..." The woman's eyes flashed over, a far more guilty expression coming over her face as the lighter and original half began to speak. "...This is all my fault," 'Malik' muttered, leaning against the wall and against shaking 'his' head. "If I'd just done things differently... If I'd realized who it really was that killed 'him'..." Ah... 'Him'? A flash came to mind, the blond holding back a slight wave of nausea as a blood-spattered wall came to mind along with a scream. ...Erm...

Never mind... A few of the others blinked, trading looks as Otogi voiced the other's likely opinion on the situation. Namely the one standing before them, which had nothing to do with whatever was running through Katsuya's head. "Ah... ...Malik," the teen said somewhat hesitantly, 'Malik' in question turning as his 'friend' coughed. "...You seem oddly comfortable with this... Ah... This..."

"What," Malik asked somewhat flatly. "What is it?"

Well, they were staring at Anzu's breasts and Malik wasn't so... "Dude, you're in a girl's body," Honda blurted, the apparent woman blinking once again in apparent confusion as the others stared. "How are you... I mean... Functioning... And... ...Uh..."

And... Yea that covered it. Malik narrowed 'his' eyes, crossing 'his' arms as a very much Anzu-typical expression came over the body's face. "There's how much going on," 'he' growled in a manner almost similar to the body's own despite obvious gender-differences, "And thisis your main concern?"

The two teens shrugged, gesturing awkwardly to the woman's form as Malik continued to scowl. "Wellllll..."

"Hah... Ahahaha... L... Lets just leave things as they are," Yugi laughed somewhat nervously, shaking his head. "The important thing is that we're all alive, right? And once we deal with the 'other' Malik," he continued, "You can go back to being... ...You," he finished somewhat lamely. "...Right?"

There was another awkward cough and look toward 'Anzu' at that, Malik turning away somewhat as he himself caught on to the strangeness of the situation. "Right," he said with a cough. "I'll just-"

The door to the bridge slammed open, Seto storming past with wide eyes and a somewhat uncharacteristic expression as the others stumbled to the sides. "W-What th' hell-," Katsuya began, only to find himself cut off by a billowing white coat.

"Move," Seto said stonily, Yugi and the others scarcely doing as told in time for the woman to head for the stairs upward with eerily out of place speed.

"H- What th' hell," Katsuya muttered, shaking himself as he stared toward the staircase. "What's going on..?"

"Nothing good, that's what," Mokuba answered, the others watching as the boy briefly paused from following his sister to swallow and stare at them pale-faced. "...Follow me..!"

There was really little other choice than that they decided, nodding hurriedly as they did just that, nodding and rushing up the stairs to come outside the door to the boy's room. No other choice...

But as they came to look at the hall outside the stairs, Katsuya found himself growing pale, freezing in place as the others gathered around him.

Shizuka. Shizuka was... "Ah... Uaaaaaaahhhh... UaaaaaaaaaAAAHHHH... Why... WHY," she was crying from across them, the blond running to his weeping sister to reach out with a comforting hand. "Why did this..."

"Calm down little one," Ishizu was whispering to the girl, pulling her close as the teen beside her momentarily looked at the woman in confusion. "It'll be alright, he'll live... I assure you he'll live..." He..?

But who was... "Shizuka," Katsuya whispered, the girl turning from the Egyptian's side as the others looked into the room Seto had just rushed into. "Shizuka," he continued as his sister trembled violently, "What happened, wha's-" Before she answered... Before she could say a thing...

"...Jonouchi-kun," Yugi said weakly, swallowing as he looked into the room across them with wide eyes. "I think... I think you should see this..."

The room they stood in front of was Mokuba's room, strangely enough, though he'd known that before even realizing it was their destination. Maybe it was because of the security involved... Maybe it was because of all that had happened downstairs, but for the moment, as he walked inside, he could see Seto was giving orders to staff over a radio. He could see Kuzushi with all of her standard equipment and papers, the blond watching as the ship's female doctor tended to someone on a bed. As to who that someone was however, it took a moment, one extremely long moment, to tell. Numerous machines were connected to the form in the room, the one who was currently covered partially by a thin blanket on what was once meant to be Mokuba's bed. Katsuya stepped further into the room as he caught sight of this form however, swallowing while he came closer to the side. Heart rate monitors were on the side... Along with machines to record the organ function, to record breathing... The latter of which was being regulated by a large machine of sorts at the side, and while there was a muttering in the back of his mind concerning how prepared Seto had been for the absolute worst he had no time to pay attention to that.

Because for the moment, he still couldn't tell who this was. There were nothing but bandages on this person after all, or at least until you reached the top of the figure's head. Past the cheeks and mouth, where the nose, eyes, and hair were still clearly visible amid the tube allowing air to pass through and the gauze patching the sides of his face. Closed eyes, appearing as though in a sleep... And messy, somewhat long hair that was partially obscuring a thoroughly bandaged shoulder and neck in two separate tones. This person... "...Ryuzaki," Katsuya muttered, eyes wide as he stared at the bed. Almost dead, despite the fact that just 'moments' before he'd been... "...Oh god Ryuzaki..."

A phone at the side was vibrating. It was flashing constantly, and in his mind there were numbers and letters mixing around in the back of his mind. Ryuzaki's phone had been buzzing for a while now as those numbers increased. The counter of missed messages rose, higher, higher, higher... "For the love of... Honestly..!" Doctor Kuzushi snatched the phone up and clicked it off, stowing it away in a drawer with a scowl before going back to work. "There is a limit to texting for worry, and I don't have time for this..!" Texting..? It didn't seem like... The blond looked toward the drawer a moment, before looking back to the doctor on the side as she went to the other end of the room to speak with her boss.

All the others in the room were standing in silence for the moment... 'Anzu' had backed away with wide and almost guilty looking eyes, Malik relinquishing control as the woman who actually owned the body bowed her head and shook. Honda and Otogi had quickly lost the joking attitude they'd been using in an attempt to get over the events they were now leaving behind, both looking forward almost in terror as those feelings of dread they'd abandoned were pulled screaming to the front of their minds. Yugi was silent. And the ghostly form of the other Yugi hovered beside him in a similar state, both coming further into the room behind their friend.

"What... What happened," the physical one whispered, turning back to the others as Seto crossed her arms and stared stonily toward the bed from where she was still speaking with Kuzushi. "What happened here..?"

Ishizu came into the room with that statement, Shizuka only briefly hesitating before following and moving past to better see her friend on the bed. The others only somewhat followed themselves, and though they remained near the entrance the area was soon enough completely filled with people. "...Malik tried to follow you," she stated, holding the same calm tone she somehow managed to hold at all times as those in the room more or less turned their attentions to the woman. "He did so with intent to kill," she added, not that the comment was needed in the other's opinions. "And... When Ryuzaki-san saw this," she continued, her eyes dimming as her explanation fell oddly short,."...He..."

"I've called in a second helicopter," Seto muttered from the side, her brother as well looking to the bed in silence. The crowd instantly looked toward the woman, staring as she fixed a steady and almost aggravated glare toward them all. "However," she continued stiffly, "...My earlier statement still stands." Earlier... As the others continued to frown their 'host' spoke, seeming to move closer to the door as she did so. "This tournament will continue on... Once we land, we begin."

"You..." A low growl came over the air, followed by a rage filled shout. "You plan to fight after all of this!" The others jumped at Shizuka's outburst, the woman stepping forward with wide eyes as the tournament host stared back in indifference. "He's barely alive," the girl hissed, tears dotting her eyes. "Mai-han is barely alive, and Bakura-han is GONE even... And you're still holding this tournament..!" ...

But of course. "I've explained the reasoning behind this before," Seto responded rather coldly, Katsuya in the meantime finding a growing headache approaching as he grimaced. "And as it is," the woman hissed further, "I will be doing everything possible to make sure we don't have another death on this ship."

Death..?

The crowd froze at that, giving plenty of leeway for Seto to move toward the door even as the others swallowed and stared. "There... Someone is..? Dead," the shortest of the crowd asked with a swallow, eyes wide. Again Anzu shifted on the side by the door, Ishizu herself standing in silence as Seto left the bedroom to head for her own. "...Someone died," Yugi repeated with a swallow, eyes widening even further as the spirit at his side mirrored the expression.

"I... I knew he was capable," the other muttered with a swallow, shaking his head, "But then who was-"

The headache just passed. Ohhhh hell... Katsuya looked back to the doctor at the side, shaking himself before looking to the others. A blood-spattered wall appeared in his mind again but this time the screams were dulled by a crushed throat. "Yugi," he 'asked' as the others looked over, watching the blood drain from their friend's face before Katsuya continued. "...How long's Kuzushi been here..?"

Kuzushi in question seemed to tense somewhat from the other side of the room, before passing off what she'd heard as 'nothing' and turning back to her work. Ryuzaki was, after all, in no condition to be left un-attended to... And Kuzushi had two other patients to look after. Alone. "...Syn-san is gone," Yugi whispered in realization, the others swallowing as Ishizu nodded from beside them.

"Yes... That's right," the woman said with a slight shudder, shaking her head. "...Doctor Syn was the one tasked with looking after Rishid," she explained, "And as the dark Malik's existence relies on that of Rishid's..."

The crowd continued to pale, Yugi speaking first. "He's his target... Then... Rishid is..?"

"My dark half killed the doctor before attempting to do the same to Rishid, that's true" 'Malik' muttered hoarsely, the others turning with wide eyes as the voice hissed from their friend's body. "Before he could do so however," the teen went on, "He was called for his match against Mai." And after that... "On the second time," Malik said quietly, "He was stopped by Bakura... But despite this, Bakura lost." Yea... He had but-

Wait, hang on..! "Bakura," Honda repeated, eyebrows raised as he shook his head. "Why the hell would Bakura-"

Otogi shook his head, interrupting the teen. "No, better... How do you know Bakura did this..?" Malik's response, needless to say, was probably enough to throw any hope of calming down for the next forty or so minutes off the jet.

"...Because I was there."

Again the others fell silent, Ishizu taking the conversation from that point on. "My brother came to me using Anzu's body last night," she began quietly, "Asking for help to hide Rishid and claiming to have failed to stop his dark half with Bakura-san's aid; we moved him to my room initially," the woman continued with dim eyes, "But after Ryuzaki-san came back with Malik's body-"

"W- Hold on," Katsuya choked, eyes wide. Alright, he hadn't gotten a heads up on that one..! "Malik's body..?" Hell he knew there'd been a fight but...

As the others turned to 'Malik' in question the body he was possessing shook its head the face's expression still caught in stony grief. "My body is still alive," 'he' said plainly, if not even hopelessly from where he sat at the side. "If it wasn't," he continued almost quietly, "I would cease to exist." . . .

OH... Well... That was cheery...

Ghostly chuckling came from the back of his mind, Katsuya finding himself looking up before gaining a somewhat exasperated expression. "Hnhnhnhnhn... 'Cheery' doesn't even begin to cover it chabar..." Ahahaha, he was wondering where this ghost went.

Now if it would only leave… The blond sighed, holding his head and continuing to look to the beaten body on the bed before him. "Augggghhh... Damn it," he groaned almost quietly, "What th' hell is going on w' everythin'?" Like Shizuka had said, Bakura was gone, Mai was dying, Ryuzaki was close enough to it... "Hell," he added with a mutter, "Do we even have t' bother w' th' tournament if Malik's out?" Maybe he could convince Seto otherwise or-

Ah... Headache... That was a big no... Immediately after he said those words Ishizu nodded, the group still more or less converged in the entrance of the bed room as they looked to the Egyptian. "There's always the chance that he recovers," she said tensely, looking decidedly upset about that fact. "If he were to awaken before we land..."

"I'd say 'what're th' chances', but somethin' tells me I know," Katsuya muttered under his breath, the others nodding. Hell for something like this who needed precognition... The blond sighed again, watching as his sister moved to sit at the side of her friend's bed with her backs turned to the others. She was still crying... She was trying to hide it but she was still crying... "...Damn it... Th's 'Malik'..." Of all the things... He'd already done enough, but to do this..! "No 'ffense," he growled to the 'Malik' behind them, "But yer other half is a complete monster."

"None taken," Malik responded shortly, before moving to leave the room instantly thereafter. "I... ...I need some air," 'he' muttered shortly, a few of the others nodding at that.

"That sounds like a good idea," Honda decided as he gave a final look around the room. "Given all of this..." Another round of nods.

"I'll come with," Otogi muttered. "Some air outside the room sounds..." Good. That sounded good.

"I need to check on Rishid," Ishizu continued as she followed after the group. "Anzu-san, I'd actually like to speak with you later alright..?" Anzu nodded in response and split from the other two who had left to do just that it seemed, and soon enough the room cleared... Soon enough, it was just himself, Yugi, Shizuka...

The blond continued to stare at his sister, swallowing as he moved close to look down at the crying and praying young girl. "...Yugi," he muttered after a moment, looking back to his friend with somewhat dim eyes. "Do y... Think tha' you could..."

Both boy and spirit nodded, turning to leave without a hint of arguement. "Right," the lighter half said in response.

"We'll leave you be..."

"Thanks..." The door was closed shortly afterward. Kuzushi was looking over the vital signs of the patient before her again, giving the two a cautionary look... Katsuya walked over to stand behind his sister, a worried frown over his face as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "...Shizuka," he asked after a moment, the girl not looking back as he swallowed. "...You... Are you gonna be alrigh'?"

There was silence for a moment. "...No," she said bluntly, shaking her head. "No, I'm really not." ...Damn it, that wasn't going to...

The blond sighed, pulling over the second chair to sit beside his sister. "Lis'n... Shizuka..."

"He wasn't even supposed to be here," the girl whispered, holding herself as she looked to the boy miserably. "I wasn't supposed to be here. And if I wasn't," she cried, a loud sniffling sound coming over the air, "He'd have never followed that... That man and..."

The doctor looked over at the pair, before moving over and placing a somewhat comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "He's already out of the 'danger zone'," she assured her, a small if not severe smile on her face. "He might be unconscious, and I might not know for how long, but his vitals are still stabilized. He'll live," Kuzushi continued positively, "You have my word on that." Well that was one, but...

"...And Mai," Katsuya found himself asking, the doctor looking back up. "How's she doin'?"

Kuzushi's already morose expression fell further with that, the woman sighing as she fingered her clipboard. "Kujaku-san is... ...Still non-responsive," she admitted before continuing. "Provided she is taken to the helicopter and hospital in time she should be fine but..." The doctor bit her lip, before shaking her head with a sigh. "I wouldn't bring your hopes up too much; all I can say is that if and when she awakens, she will likely be just as non-responsive then as she is now." Just as..? Before he could ask the question his mind put two and two together, Katsuya nodding as he looked over the doctor's expression. Right...

...Mai was probably going to be scared as hell when she woke up, huh... "...I understand," the blond muttered, turning away as Shizuka looked to him sympathetically. "...Thanks... ...I..."

Damn it all... Mai... Ryuzaki... Rishid and Bakura, and the 'good' Malik as well..! All of them... All of them were suffering and that 'monster' was still alive..! "You realize," the ghost in his mind muttered, "That to stop this from getting worse you would have to defeat the 'other' Malik first, correct?" Of course he did..! And moreover...

He would defeat Malik..! He would..!

Even if it was the last thing he did...

Her tournament was crumbling.

Falling to pieces in her hands, becoming nothing more but shrapnel, like the shattered steel ruin of Alcatraz. Nothing but ruined concrete and fallen ashes, floating on the seas for a split second before sinking downward. The ghouls of Egypt were one matter. One matter that she'd thought had been prevented by creating a mobile location for the finals, and a matter that she had never even dreamed would reach this point. It was supposed to 'fix' things and get her the God cards and a destined fight all at once.

Instead however, it seemed to have made things far, far worse. Now they were locked in the air with the psychopath that controlled those ghouls. And in a few moments, though those left on the airship would be safe, it would become locked in a tower with that psychopath. It was plain to see after all that Malik Ishtar was dangerous, and more than capable of killing a man. There was more than enough reason to be leery of any 'locked room' situation involving him.

But she'd hardly expected the first casualty to be her private physician, and she had never expected it to be as gruesome as she'd found. "Damn it all," she hissed, slamming a fist into the computer's 'counter' in her room, the sound thankfully blocked by momentarily sound-proofed walls. She was keeping an eye on these cameras until at least a few minutes before landing, mark her words. There would be no more accidents... No more casualties...

No more 'Ryuzaki's she told herself, already pondering just how close the body count had been to becoming 'two'. Seto grit her teeth as she stared at the footage of Malik Ishtar's room, where the blond Egyptian was still out cold from his apparent battle. There wasn't even a scratch on him from what she could see from the screen, staring at the 'duelist'. Nothing but a slightly bruised cheek...

Compared to the dinosaur duelist borrowing her brother's room for the sake of the room needed for machines... It was absolutely disgusting. The boy was barely alive... But thankfully enough it seemed Ryuzaki only had minor damage to his organs. In fact a majority of his wounds, though deep and graphic in appearance, would heal albeit with scars. A few would need to be surgically repaired, with whatever material embedded in the skin pulled out and any nerves or muscles involved stitched together however... Something that simply couldn't be done here. Something that the hospitals would worry about.

But the fact was, she never did like being in anyone's debt. And had it not been for the moron, both herself and everyone on the ship that had escaped Noa's virtual world would have likely died. They'd have been killed in their sleep and left with nothing but the computerized world to live in, waiting for the next pod to be built, for the next victim to come along and-

"Tch!" The woman shook her head free of now 'pointless' thoughts, standing back from the computer as she looked to the clock. Thirty minutes left. All of this... This tournament was becoming a disaster. She wanted to fight Yugi... More than anything she wanted to fight him, defeat him, leave that tower behind to throw back that last screaming portion of her past and it was the only way!

And now it seemed that the past was fighting back. Everyone on the ship, save the trio of 'Ishtar's, and the missing or comatose males on the ship, knew of her gender now. It had very clearly not been 'reset' nor 'erased' from their minds when they were released from the virtual world, and it was even more obvious that Yugi's precious 'friends' weren't going to drop it for a while.

So where were the jokes then? She'd half expected a truck load of spite filled pokes at how she hid, at how she constantly disguised her voice and appearance to suit the business world and the now half-useless shield from her past. At how she had always gone on about being the 'King' of games when in all honesty she would be nothing more than the queen (but really, the most powerful piece on the chessboard was...)...

But there was nothing. If anything, she thought with disgust, they'd looked to her with pity. Stared at the scars on her back and-

Seto looked down from the screens, eyes dimming as scars came to mind, scars that were by far not her own. In the virtual world, one could never tell what was real. If what they saw or heard was real, or if it was just fiction. Hell... She was still willing herself to forget one particular 'vision'. To forget everything of 'Egypt' and of stupid, moronic dreams that held no reason to exist within the back of her mind. But she knew, no matter what, that the memories from just a few years back weren't fake. That what she'd heard in that memory...

...To think that bastard had known, she thought bitterly, an almost demonic scowl coming over her face at the thought. Well..! It would make the destruction of this island all the more better, she supposed, pushing the thought from mind. That much more... But what she'd felt in that realm... That scar...

She'd given Jonouchi CPR just a few hours before and there had been nothing there. Nothing but the dog tags that she'd expected him to lose within a few weeks, and the jacket that he'd clung to for all these months. Moments later, she received a report from Syn (she'd have to contact his family, explain what happened and...)... A report on exactly what kind of condition her mutt was in.

Bruises covering his chest, inexplicably shaped like some giant's fist. A cut on his arm, explaining the earlier bleeding, which would scar slightly but was otherwise nothing to worry about. And other than that, other than the one he'd received in December on his head, there were no scars, no mentions of anything similar... Hell, with the way the bruise was described it would be impossible for a scar to exist there!

But what she felt in the virtual world, beneath her finger-tips...

She didn't think that had been fake. In fact she was almost certain it had been real, and as the clock ticked down to ten minutes before landing, as Malik Ishtar began to stir in his room on the screen, Seto found herself biting her lip. The duels would go on, no doubt about that...

But when this was over, she and her mutt would be having a bit of a 'talk'.

"...Malik," Ishizu asked quietly as she entered Bakura's room, looking toward the figure that was sitting on the bed. Anzu Mazaki's body seemed almost hunched over in the darkness, careful not to move to close to the body laying on the bed. "...Malik, are you still..."

"It's Anzu right now," the woman beside Rishid answered, not looking up from the ground. "...You can come in though," she added, turning somewhat away in apparent unease.

It was strange, to see such seamless cooperation in sharing the body before her she thought to herself. Earlier that morning Malik had come to her in a fright with no signs of ever letting on that he had taken Anzu's body as a temporary refuge. Now? It was as though they held the same form of bond that the pharaoh held with his vessel, shifting with the moods to suit the situation.

Quite frankly it scared her. "...What happened in there," she asked, taking a seat beside the woman on the bed. "Between you and my brother?"

"...It's complicated," Anzu responded almost at a whisper, still looking away. "I..." A hand was brought to her shoulder, the woman rubbing it absently as she shook her head and closed her eyes. "...Our memories," the body went on, 'Malik' revealing himself despite holding onto the Japanese language as golden eyes opened up again. "While in the computer we were separated briefly; but since we were in the same body," he continued with a whisper, "Anything drawn from memory affected both of us." What..? Memory?

The Egyptian woman blinked, frowning somewhat. "The... Computer," she asked, staring somewhat. Ishizu continued to frown, shaking her head. She wasn't even going to try and make sense of that just yet... "Maybe you should start from the beginning..."

"Ughh... That would take way too long," Anzu muttered, before her head snapped back up with golden eyes to rebuke the comment. "To sum it up," Malik began quickly, "We were locked inside a virtual computer game by an omnicidal twelve year old who liked messing with our heads. A lot; he locked us both in a repeat of our memories," he continued more seriously, voice beginning to quiet to a less sarcastic tone to prove his honesty. "And one of the memories," Malik whispered, rubbing his back. "It was..."

Ishizu's eyes narrowed as the light came over a corner of Anzu's shoulder, the woman taking hold of the body's hand as Malik and Anzu both turned with a slight frown. "Malik... Anzu," she continued, carefully placing a hand over the woman's back and pushing the confusion of the 'computer' from mind. Ridges... There were ridges on her back but they weren't digging inward, they were raised she noted in disbelief, but that should have been impossible unless... "...What is this," she whispered, pulling her hand back in horror as the familiar lines appeared within her mind from her fingertips. "Those markings... The carved history," he hissed in shock, "But how-"

They shook their head, and as the two beings shifted through control of the body the alternation between confusion and unbridled fear was more than obvious to them. "I think... When Anzu's body thought it was getting cut," Malik began, rubbing an arm with a swallow, "That it tried to heal... ...But instead of healing a cut..." Gh...

Hypertropic scars... The body created too much scar tissue and it gathered... More over Ishizu realized coldly, if Anzu as well had seen that memory... "...Anzu- did you see the memory," she asked seriously, swallowing back a wave of unease, "Or did you feel-"

There was no answer, but at that moment the body's eyes flashed golden and snapped toward the door. "...Sister," Malik said fearfully, straightening up from 'his' seat as he cut his sister off. "Outside the hallway," he whispered. "He's..."

Ishizu immediately knew what her brother meant, looking toward the door with a swallow. "We can talk later," she decided, standing from the bed with her eyes closed in sympathy. "Anzu," she added honestly. "Whatever you saw... Know that I am truly sorry for whatever you-..."

Anzu shook her head, not looking up. "It's alright, okht." O-

Okht..? The woman paled, turning back briefly from where she'd headed for the door and watching as the one on the bed again turned to hold her silent vigil at Rishid's side. The eyes hadn't changed from blue-brown this time. And when Anzu spoke this time, it was with her feminine tones, with the speech patterns of the typical teen-aged girl... So then... When her brother said all their memories... Could he have possibly meant...

Ishizu stepped outside of the room, closing the door tight behind her and looking around the hall. Malik had obviously felt something from that 'darkness' that came from him, that thing inside his body. As to what it was however she wasn't sure, and until she took a step down the hall the reason didn't come to mind.

Not until she heard him.

"Hello, okht."

In reflex her hand flung toward her neck, reaching for where the tauk around her neck would ordinarily be. It wasn't there though, she reminded herself. Not any more, and so long as that was the case... Ishizu stepped back with wide eyes and watched as Malik, the 'Dark Malik' stood before her, the millennium eye blazing across his forehead and the rod gripped tightly in his hands. Blood still stained the blade... Still stained the arm that held it, along with anything that had been within range of Ryuzaki's spurting blood, having dried to a sick black shade that cracked and dusted when brushed against. It was all the makings of a horror movie antagonist, and it was standing right before her. "H... You..." She refused to call this... Thing 'Malik'. She refused to call this thing her brother, when the spirit of her brother currently shared a body with the woman in the room behind her. Refused... "You..!"

"Poor poor okht," 'Malik' sneered, fingering the rod in his hands as he began to step closer. "You lost the fight... You get to live," he continued with a chuckle, "But at what cost..? Now you get to watch hell occur on earth itself," the teen hissed, stroking the item in his hands, "And you can't do a thing about it... Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn..."

Ishizu backed away, hand still over her neck despite having placed the tauk back on Yugi's table in his room long ago. "You... What do you want," she hissed, soon coming to a stop against the lift doors as she ran out of space to go. "You've already done enough you monster, so what do you want..?"

"What I want," the teen sneered, "Is to know where Rishid is..." Rishid..! She steeled herself, clenching her fists as she brought them back to her side. Never...

She would never reveal... "Who knows," she said plainly, narrowing her eyes as Bakura's room was pushed back from mind. "There are a number of rooms in this jet. He could be in any."

The Egyptian across from her growled, pointing the rod toward her threateningly as the woman swallowed. "Don't toy with me," he spat, stepping closer as Ishizu tensed. "I know for a fact that you've hidden him... And without your item," he continued with a sneering grin, his 'sister' continuing to pale as her hand gripped at empty space, "You can't protect yourself from me... This face filled with terror," he hissed, a look of 'pleasure' across his face as Ishizu swallowed back a wave of bile from the approaching blond, "How I've wanted to see this... You're vulnerable to whatever I wish of you under the Rod's command now," he continued with a chuckle. "You know that much... Hnhnhnhn... Hnhnhnhnhnhnhnh..."

-Attention,- a sudden voice called through the air, 'Malik's eyes flicking to the side as Ishizu held her breath and looked up to the side. -We are approximately five minutes from landing at our destination. We now request all semi-finalists to finish with what preparations remain for their next match.- That...-click-

Ishizu's eyes looked down from the speaker on the side to her 'captor', 'Malik' stepping back with a slight scowl. "Hn! So we've arrived already," he muttered, adjusting his grip on the millennium rod. "Well then," he chuckled darkly. "It isn't as though he'll be going anywhere... In fact," the psycho continued with a grin while he walked further backward, "I don't think he'll be waking up at all..! Your pharaoh and priest stand no chance against me," he continued with a hiss, narrowing his eyes. "And against Ra they will both fall..! I'll take my leave now," the teen chuckled, giving his sister a mock bow. "I have a few last minute things to grab... But I implore of you sister, watch the show from your bedroom window... The blood sacrifices I make are all for you... And your last 'hope'," he continued with a wide eyed grin as he left for his room, "Is about to become swallowed in darkness..."

As 'Malik' disappeared down the hall Ishizu could do nothing but stare, frozen with fear and terror both as she stiffened against the wall. It was only until after the door to his room closed over in fact that she could release the breath she'd held, only dimly aware that she was shaking. This... This thing possessing her brother...

"May the Gods protect them," she whispered with a trembling shudder, before slowly moving back to her own room with quivering breaths. "May they protect them all..."

In the darkness of his bedroom, the window currently shadowed by the clouds overhead in the bright July sky, Yugi lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. There were lots of things on his mind, for the moment, not that this was surprising. Some of them were menial, almost to the point where he was berating himself for thinking of them. They were stupid things really... Things such as what Anzu's feelings for Malik were given her treatment toward him in the Virtual World. Did she maybe like him? Did something happen in there..? Did girls really flock to the 'exotic' or 'foreign' types? He knew that this 'light Malik' was on their side, or at least enough to act in their benefit for now but... Did Anzu...

The boy shook his head violently, biting his lip. No..! He shouldn't be doubting his friends..!

There were more serious matters... Like the white ghost in Jonouchi's mind, which had a mind of its own, an unknown identity, and a power that had himself and his other frowning with worry. Like the visions he was still having, the moments where he'd pause, turn oddly, and ask to be alone, because then no one would know what he knew and-

"...I'm worried other me," he said after a while, holding his puzzle as the spirit sat in the air at his side. "I don't know what's happening to him... Neither does he, or Ishizu-san," he continued with a whisper. "And with everything that's going on now..."

"You think there's more to it," his other self finished, his expression telling him he thought the same. "That there's still something else he hasn't mentioned..."

Yugi nodded, hesitating a moment before continuing on. "On the field... You said... That the monsters acted like they knew him," he began as he looked to the ghost, "But you also said that it was different from how we play, didn't you," he asked, the spirit nodding.

"That's right; in fact," the ghost continued, furrowing his brows in thought, "One of them mentioned the 'rules of play'... He refused to attack," the spirit explained, "Even turning on one of the other monsters rather than waiting for the 'shield arm' trap to activate..." Something that shouldn't have been possible... Not at all... "Moreover," he whispered, "I could see tablets..." Tablets..?

The boy sat up, frowning and shaking his head. Hang on... "You saw tablets..?"

"That's right; and now, with all of this... A part of me wants to question him on it now before something happens, but all the same," his partner admitted, "With all that's going on..."

"Right now he's probably focused more on the tournament," he added, staring at the ground. "Something we shouldn't distract him from... Jonouchi-kun... He really likes Kaiba-san," Yugi continued with a mutter, "So with both of us and the 'other' Malik as the finalists..."

"He'll be more than determined to take Malik down in our stead," his partner finished, knowing their friend well enough for that. It was in his nature after all; Jonouchi was a loyal person... A strong person.

And Jonouchi would damn himself if he didn't do anything for those he cared for, and if he simply stepped back to 'wait'. Yugi sighed almost hopelessly on the side of the bed, leaning back against the wall. "What do you think happened," he asked after a moment, thinking of the other victims of 'Malik's violence. "To Bakura I mean..?"

"There's no sign of him anywhere on the ship," the spirit muttered with a frown, having searched around earlier. "Even in engine and 'staff only areas'... But," he went on, catching the worried looks and thoughts when the image of the destroyed building they'd just finished escaping came to mind, "There was no sign of him on this ship before we landed last time as well," he warned, looking back to his friend. "Which means he wasn't in the fortress Noa captured us in." Well... That was always good, but-

"H-Hold on..!" Yugi sputtered, turning to his partner with wide eyes. "W-W- He's been gone that long!" There was a nod, Yugi biting his lip and turning away with a bit lip. "Hnn... Bakura's last fight was with 'Dark Malik' if what Malik said is any sign," he muttered, looking down as he gripped the puzzle. "So if Bakura lost..."

"He's probably somewhere in the world of 'shadows'," his other half muttered with narrowed eyes, "That place where the power for shadow games come from... Until we defeat Malik's dark half," the spirit continued, "It's likely he'll never come back, the same with Mai. Ryuzaki is probably spared that fate," he added with a slight shrug, "Given that he remained conscious enough to drag Malik's body back to the ship and therefore 'won' the fight, but..."

The boy on the bed sighed, still looking down as his partner fell silent. With all that was happening... Shizuka's panicked screams came to mind. 'You're STILL going to fight? He's barely alive... And you plan to keep fighting!' All of this... No matter what everyone said, he couldn't help but notice a guilty, if not grieving tone to Kaiba's eyes through all of this. Her doctor of apparently six years was dead. And the fact remained that once Ishizu mentioned the reason Ryuzaki was in such dire condition that guilty and (in Kaiba's likely opinion) unwanted look had again creeped into Kaiba's face. Kaiba wasn't the type to leave a so called 'debt' withstanding. She didn't believe in favors for the sake of friendship.

So now that Ryuzaki had all but killed himself to make sure they lived on... And now that they were again in a situation where time couldn't be wasted, lest the psycho that was Malik's 'hate and rage' do worse to them, she had little choice but to fight on and put a stop to it herself. And the fact was, she'd rushed down to Ryuzaki's room just moments after they'd left. She'd contacted the same people she had for Mai and Bakura, likely to obtain a more properly equipped vehicle for Ryuzaki's transport. And beyond that... "Aibou," Yugi's 'other half' whispered, the boy looking up as his friend bit his lip. "All of this... The sacrifices occurring here..." The ghost sighed, shaking his head and turning away in obvious and guilted despair. "This is my fault; it's my lost memories that caused this hate to arise- had it not been for me-"

"Stop," Yugi protested, scowling at his partner as a severe glint came into his eyes. "This isn't your fault..!" The spirit turned, and Yugi continued. "You can't remember what kind of person you were, true... But you can't be held responsible for what happened between that time and this one either," he went on with a stern frown. "And even without your memories... I know, no matter what," he told him, "That you were and still are a good person... You try so hard to protect everyone, no matter what... And even before, when I didn't know who you were," the boy whispered honestly, "You still protected my friends and I..." As the ghost continued to stare at his partner Yugi smiled somewhat weakly, standing from the bed to continue. "Other me... We still have a chance to save them all- it's like you said; we have to defeat the 'Dark Malik'," he went on, "We have to fight..! Got it..?"

Again his other half was silent, staring at the boy before him before finally meeting the smile with one of his own. "...Of course. You're right," he continued with somewhat more confidence, 'standing' in the air to give his friend a confident nod. "A warrior doesn't quit in the middle of the battle after all... We'll have to press on..!"

"That's the spirit," the boy laughed, the pair sharing a smile. "Now-"

"Ahaaah! Found you," a somewhat masculinely patterned woman's shout announced, the spirit and duelist both turning as 'Anzu', gold eyes staring forward, poked her grinning head in. She was wearing her jacket again despite the heat they noted, front hanging wide open as the 'woman' grinned. That was... Odd... "Yugi," 'Malik' continued, walking in with Honda and Otogi just behind 'him' as 'he' waved. "The airship's about to land..!"

"Yea! We've been looking for you," Honda continued with a grin, hands stowed in his pockets. "If we have to continue on with this tournament thing, we mind as well make sure that you're up to it right," he 'asked'

"And with Bakura as 'missing' as he is," Otogi added with an uneasy swallow, "Well... ..." An awkward silence fell in over the crowd, and the teen frowned. "...You don't... Think that the ring ties into that do you," he added, rubbing his arm nervously. "I mean... We never did find it after all that happened," the teen went on, Anzu almost suspiciously looking toward the wall with that. Well... That was...

Yugi forced a smile onto his face nonetheless, shaking his head. "We can't worry about that," he insisted, grabbing his jacket and dueldisk while making sure his deck was still in his holster. "No matter what, he'll come back, alright? We just need to defeat 'Dark Malik' right?"

"Right," Anzu, the real one, called out in agreement. "Now-"

-ATTENTION,- a voice called out overhead through the loud speakers, -The Battle City Airship has now arrived at Alcatraz Island. All remaining participants are required to exit the ship.- -click-

The others turned back to each other, a few giving somewhat calm shrugs in response to the announcement. "Well," Honda said, "You heard the lady..."

"Are you ready to go," Otogi added, Anzu also looking toward their friend.

Yugi in question turned to his partner at that, his own face conveying the message he held in his mind. Well..? Didn't he want to answer their question?

A slight gust of 'wind' and the spirit nodded before switching places with the boy. Of course, he thought to himself. "Of course... Lets go..!"

The island was as unchanged as when she'd left it a few weeks prior, having personally inspected the building to make sure it was 'up to snuff' for the tournament. Stale air hung around them, thick and stagnant, and as she stood in apparent confidence on the path amid the barely cleared rubble she found herself looking back to the entrance of the ship behind her. The others... The mutt, Yugi, and their 'friends'... They hadn't left the ship yet she noted, narrowing her eyes somewhat. They were simply looking at the barren and ruinous field before them, and the small path that had been cleared to make way to the tower. "Tch..." Wasting time... "What are you morons waiting for," she finally grit out, those in the doorway seeming to tense in response. "An invitation? 'Permission' to take a step on this god-forsaken island," she added, voice just as heavily disguised as it always was.

Those on the ship merely steeled whatever resolve had slipped enough to hold them back, Yugi and Jonouchi in particular walking over as the usual 'cheering crowd' hung back somewhat behind them. A cold wind blew and a number of the teens shivered, looking around the destroyed island with somewhat wide eyes. "Damn," the taller of the two was muttering, looking up at the tower behind her. "That thing is..."

Silence. Obviously whatever he said was picked up on however as he was soon answered. "...Nhn," the 'Other' Yugi said from beside him with slight indifference, looking up at the structure with only slight amazement in comparison to most of the others. "...It's bigger up close," he decided somewhat lamely, Seto rolling her eyes as Mokuba and the others pulled slight smiles. Hn..!

Honestly, was that all he had to say? "This is where we'll be fighting," she muttered somewhat stonily, looking back to the tower before them with narrowed eyes as the group stared. "Where the next 'King of Games' will be decided," the woman continued. "You and I will be fighting at the very top," Seto added, looking back to Yugi with somewhat narrowed eyes. "No matter what."

"...Kaiba..."

"Oiiii... Don' f'rget abou' me," Katsu- (Jonouchi, her mind corrected. ...Damn 'Noa' must have done something...)... Jonouchi countered with a smirk, cutting off any argument that had been about to rise short as he laughed. "We're gonna fight too," he said with a grin. "No matter what happens," he continued, "We're gonna fight! I'm a threat too, y' can't f'rget tha'!" ...Him? A threat?

Seto snorted at the thought, shaking her head. "Please; you're as much a threat to me as the scrap around us," she chuckled, her brother merely sighing from beside her. "I'll just bury your pride in the ruin around us if it comes to fighting you."

The blond predictably tensed at that, hurriedly grabbed from behind by the taller of his friends as he made to run forward. "GH- SETO-CH-" WHAT- "MMMPPHH!"

"Don't open your mouth, don't open your mouth, don't. Open. Your mouth," Honda hissed, as though repeating a spell over constantly. "You think 'Malik' won't notice a first name basis," he warned lowly, Katsuya growing pale as the hand was pushed away from his face. Tch...

Did the idiot think Malik would miss the 'chan'..! "We'll figure this sort of thing out through duels alright," Anzu decided aloud, Seto briefly narrowing her eyes as a flash of gold seemed to go through the other woman's own. The woman crossed her arms, before continuing on with the change of subject. "Also, before anyone asks," she began, "Shizuka-chan decided to stay behind... She'll be keeping track of the duels using the recorder in the room, but she didn't want to leave Ryuzaki..." Recorders? Please, Seto thought dryly in response to that, as though the 'recorder' was anything compared to seeing it in person...

Not to say she didn't at least partially understand the girl's reasoning for remaining behind... "Tournament starts up again in just a few minutes," her brother was saying from beside in the meantime, the others turning in response. "Anzu's right; the duels will decide who's best in just a few moments," he said with a slight smirk, "So follow me and-"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... What a pleasant view," a deep, grating voice hissed, the others tensing in response. That sound... The group turned to the side where 'Malik' stood, cloak billowing in the wind as he stood upon a pile of rubble with a sneering grin. "Hnhnhn... Wouldn't you agree Pr'aah... H'm-Net'r..." P- Those words... Pharaoh... And...

Priest..! She scowled, going somewhat red in the face as the blond before them continued to chuckle. "Gh..!"

"Malik," Jonouchi hissed dangerously from behind, the others growing red.

"UNU," the blond's friend shouted almost accusingly. W-Wait... …

What.

"What th' hell man," Jonouchi muttered from behind, turning to his friend for a moment, "What was that, a bark..?"

"E-EH! What are you talking about, that was nothing like a bark..!"

"...Yes. Yes it was," the blond responded, "An'-"

"Hnhnhnhnhn...Barking suits both of you," Malik hissed, grinning as he slid down the side of the pile of rubble. "Nothing but dogs following the 'King'... So tell me 'Priest'," he continued with a sneering and maddening grin, standing just a few feet from the tower door with a crazed grin on his face. "Who will be fighting whom..?" Priest..?

"Gh..." This... Wretched... Egyptian... Snake..!

Tension was building, that much was certain but it seemed her brother of all people would be the one to cut the problem short while the rest of them growled curses under their breath. "You'll find out your fate in just a few moments," the boy snarled, standing almost 'protectively' in front of his sister despite the near foot of difference between the two. "When you get inside the tower- got that?"

There was a 'chorus' of nods at that, but nothing was erasing the grin from Malik's face. Isono stood ahead at the moment while the door opened however, and with a slight cough gestured toward the entrance. "The preparations are complete," he said somewhat stiffly, stepping to the side and away from Malik as the others walked forward. "The rules will be explained inside..."

Another chorus of nods, and keeping silent, Seto walked in with others following somewhat close behind. As planned, the room they entered was nothing more than decently sized and somewhat echoing chamber with five doors; one at each 'corner', cutting the square shape's corners from each point, and another at the far end to the stairwell up above. "There's nothing here," she could hear Otogi mutter behind them, the woman only dimly paying attention to the peanut gallery at her rear.

"Where are the duel's going to happen," muttered Anzu, only to be answered by a chuckling Mokuba.

"You'll find out soon," he said with a knowing grin, the corner of his sister's mouth twitching up somewhat in response. Yes... They would wouldn't they...

And with this system, Malik would be forced out of the hair of everyone below for at least an hour... Before being distracted long enough with following matches, as the timer until the end of the island ticked down. ...Maybe she could blow him up with the tower she added mentally, expression revealing nothing of her thoughts. That would be nice.

Isono's words jarred the woman from her mental ponderings, Seto turning her attention back to rules she already knew. "Welcome duelists," he announced clearly, somehow holding the facade of 'calm' in the face of a murderer who was still in possession of a weapon. "To the 'Duel Tower'. Before we begin with the Semi-Final matches," the man continued on, "We will be holding a 'deciding round', a 'Battle Royale'. Inside each of these doors," he explained clearly, "You will find a 'lift' with a screen and cable attached. Each of you will choose one of these lifts and enter them, connecting the cable provided to a slot built into the bottom of the duel disk," Isono went on, both Yugi and Jonouchi examining the disks in question as Seto listened on. Honestly... It figured that they'd be looking now...

The tournament assistant continued however, and Seto decided to instead wait for the moment she could 'leave' than pay attention to such things. "Standard tournament rules will apply of course," he was telling them clearly as he held a professional stance before them, "However, in this battle it is 'all or nothing'; you may attack which ever opponent you like, and by the end, the first two to be eliminated from the match will hold the first battle of the semi-finals, while the remaining pair hold the second. Further instructions," Isono went on, "Will be given in the next room... Until then, I ask that each of you pick a door, and hold any questions you may have concerning anything outside the lift properties until that time. No matter which door you decide on," he added, "You will begin on equal footing. Realize that."

Hn! Of course they'd be on 'equal footing', what kind of battle wouldn't have that? Each of the doors to the side hissed as they opened, those around looking at them almost curiously. "Four doors," Yugi was muttering, Seto already making her way to the side as she gave a nod toward her brother. "Hnn..."

"Which one... He says it makes no d'ff'rence," Jonouchi muttered, apparently ignorant of the fact that his employer was already making her own choice, "But I still can't decide... O-Oii, Yugi," he said loudly, looking to the boy as his friend glanced back. "Which one 'r you pickin'?"

"...I don't really mind which door I take honestly..."

"Nyhhh... Damn it," the blond muttered, looking to each door and pointing to them as he continued talking to himself. "Alrigh'..! Eenie, meenie, mienie, moe, catch a tiger by th' toe..." Oh of all the most idiotic things...

"Ugh... He'll be taking the last one in the end," she muttered to herself, stepping into the room she'd picked as the blond's loud 'that one!' came over the air.

"Aha! That's the one I'll- AH! M-MALIK," Katsuya (Jonouchi damn it!) shouted incredulously, hopping back as the cloaked figure entered one of the doors.

"Hnhnhnhnhn..."

"D-Damn it... Then maybe-"

"Jonouchi," Yugi said clearly as he moved for the other door that Seto couldn't see, "I'll take this one alright?"

"EH-EHHHH!" Seto smirked, shaking her head as she stepped into her lift to watch the blond outside run frantically to the other side of the room. "D-Damn it, I really am in th' las' one..! I-" Sound cut out as the door before her closed over, and after turning her disk on and connecting it to the device before her she leaned back against the 'lift' and lost the smile. This tournament... No matter what, it would hold together, and nothing else would happen. Mark her words...

It was time to fight.

AN: LET THE DUELS BEGIN!

By the way, this one's another double post! Aren't I nice... I think?

Originally you see, this chapter wasn't split in two. You see, the average length of chapters has jumped thanks to the Virtual World arc; maybe I'll be able to pull it back down, but the fact is, the average is 20,000... With 18,000 of that being the chapter. The above in addition to the next was a super chapter; those average out at 30,000 words, 25-26,000 of which is chapter material. Which, divided in two, is a mere 12,500-13,000 words compared to the current average... Which only happened because of how loaded with information the Noa arc was; seriously! Until it started, the average for chapters was still 10,000-13,000 words!

In any case trust me, that small difference makes a big one, and a good one at that. The world isn't ready for how the next chapter ends to come slamming down right after an arc ends!

Needless to say, this became another 'double post', but updated about the same speed as a normal one...

Any ways, no art today, but there's lots of music at least... Moving right along.

What with how quick this 'double post' is coming out, review responses are in the second half again... So is all the music and art (one picture!)!

Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that made another double chapter..! ...But why?

For this chapter, I would think the 'Reset Button' a little obvious neh? After all; for a lot of characters, events after the Noa arc effectively just scrubbed it from mind. I mean...

For the fanfic, I wouldn't blame them but still. Regardless, 'Reset Button' makes sense- they've come back to Battle City, and back to finishing that off.

Hey look, the side effects of the mind meld. Basically, it's like this; they subconsciously use each other's mannerisms. So they're still them…

They'll just have this weird habit of suddenly completely getting where a guy is coming from on a topic a girl would normally hate (Anzu) or be completely disgusted with guys for no apparent reason (Malik).

As mentioned before, certain skills transfer as well, since they're… Well, learned skills and habits. For the most part, things like entire languages require more focus however… Though Malik has the added advantage of having studied the language prior all this, which pretty much just means he'll never have an accent again. (Also he'll pick up on the cultural points quicker. Which is always cool.)

Um… I suppose this means Malik would be able to dance if he wanted as well. But really, for all we know, he could dance anyways. And it's not like we'll ever see, seeing how he's not interested in that in any way last I checked.

Course, with that same logic, Anzu would probably fly through a Motorcycle test for a license...

As to what this means for romantic preferences, I'm pretty sure they're both still straight. Well. …One can never tell with Malik… But for the sake of keeping arguments and yaoi-haters at bay, we'll go with straight.

Anyways, for an example of a momentary slip between the two, the 'THIS IS YOUR MAIN CONCERN' line was very Anzu- not really a Malik line. Malik would actually have more likely either said something sarcastic, or simply waved it off with a bit of deadpan snark.

On Anzu's end… Ohkt. That is all.

WHA WHA WAH- Anzu has the SCAR!

This is where I explain. There are two kinds of scars. The ones Ryuzaki is about to have, and the ones that Malik and Jonouchi have, are called 'Atropic'. This means fat, skin, and possibly muscle, was taken and unable to be repaired, leaving an impression.

'Hypertropic' however is when collogen, (which is the protein that creates skin tissue) develops in reaction to a wound… But it's over produced, so it rises above the wound rather than creating a smooth surface. Now… The whole 'your mind makes it real' thing can only go so far. Just because Anzu thinks she's getting cut to bits, doesn't mean she is. Quite the opposite actually.

Her brain sent signals to the body to start repairing a scar that wasn't there, so now she has a 'reverse' of Malik's scar; a 'braille' version if you will. It also hurts like hell right now, as her brain still thinks its healing.

And if you've forgotten, 'okht' is Arabic for sister. Hooray! Poor Anzu, her brain is really confused right now… And so is Malik's.

Also Yami Malik is the scariest SOB since ever. Just saying'.

Dialogue change! Mostly because no one found out about Malik's little soul-stow-away in Anzu's body until the duel between Yugi and 'Marik'. Hihhhhhh…

Biggest dialogue change though? KAIBAKAIBAKAIBAKAIBAKAIBA. This part of the arc is going to be much much much less of an ego-stroker than canon thanks to the events and nature of everything; sure, Kaiba will still be blinded by her hate just as much as her canon counterpart, but believe me when I say there won't be any over-the-top ridiculousness in regards to being overly smug.

'H'm-Net'r', or 'Priest', is otherwise known as 'Hem-Netjer'. This is because, in reality, there aren't really any vowels in Egyptian. In fact, properly 'spelled', 'Hem-Netjer' is 'Hm-nTr', which translates to 'God's Servant' (Hem being 'Man' and 'Netjer' being God, making this 'Man of God'.). For the High Priest, add 'tepey' or 'tp.y' at the end. That word means 'first'.

As to why none of the Ishtar's realize that Set, in Egypt, was a woman, it's because of how the 'accession to the throne' occurred. It pretty much just looks like the Queen came from nowhere while the High Priest vanished… In fact, this will be touched upon later, because you can bet that the Ishtars, thanks to what Malik himself knows, will be putting two and two together in terms of the King, Queen, and Priest.

Kaiba's annoyed 'what are you waiting for' is a reference to the original's line in the anime and manga. He gives them 'permission' to come onto the island that his pride built.

I am completely serious.

Needless to say, some lines get cut for size. Others get cut for being too ridiculous and out of place for the situation.

In other news, we're back to Yami Yugi being as clueless as he probably is without looking through the normal one's mind. Since Yugi's just as surprised as anyone about the size of the building though, all Yami can really do is sort of stare and go '…Yea. I guess. …Meh.'

Mostly because tall buildings don't really seem to be the sort of thing that would impress Yami that much. Of course, it can get a little hard to impress that guy with much of anything outside of game skills in any field. Not to say the size still didn't catch him off guard (IT'S HUGE!), but he's not impressed.

What's the recorder? It's the same program Seto used to watch Bakura's fight with Malik, and what Mokuba used to keep tabs on the first part of Yugi VS 'The Doll'.

Heee snake. If you only knew how true that was Seto. (Remember; she's now the only one unaware of the Anzu-Malik-Body control situation.)

'Unu' is actually a proper way to say 'You' in Japanese… But in reality, it's much more polite, and VERY archaic. This is just a reference to the same joke in the anime, where Honda made a monkey sound rather than saying 'you'. In any case, it really is Honda slipping to a bark while trying to say 'You'. Doesn't happen again though thankfully.

Big dialogue change in that most of the match rules were explained at the 'lift explanation'. It just seems silly to wait until afterward to do more than explain the purpose of the life-points on the wall and such.

And that's all for the notes in this chapter; tune into the next one for the next part of Battle City!

Enjoy!