This is the final chapter of Volume 6, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 7

Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair; When the Battle has Won and Lost

"Mom," Regan called, but there was no reaction. "Mom, please wake up."

There was still no reaction as she pulled the bloody body on top of her lap. She rubbed her face into her clothing smelling the lilac laundry soup that she hated. She lifted it again and broke down.

"Mom, mommy please don't leave me." She hugged her dead mother. "Mommy, I'm sorry to get you wrapped up in this and I'm sorry for getting you killed. Please come back. PLEASE!" She cried into her mother, ignoring her confronters.

"Regan, she's gone." Atem said gently.

"No! It can't end this way, it can't. She is my mother, that's all I knew about her until a couple of weeks ago. I loved her; she was everything I had before I came to Japan, before I met Shadi; she just can't leave!" Regan yelled at him, "And all she said was foul is fair and fair is foul, why?"

"Because that is how the world works." Devin stated on his two legs.

"Are you happy now?" Seto yelled at him. "Are you happy that you just destroyed the rest of her childhood, the same one I never had and you just destroyed it."

"Yes I did, didn't I?" Devin grinned like he was enjoying every moment.

"Devin, how dare you?" Regan whispered with her face shadowed; feeling her anger being fueled once again by Seto's. "You killed her, and you are just enjoying the moment, you got what you wanted no matter what way it went. Whether it was me in that thing or having Mom sacrifice herself to save me, either way it seemed like a little girl like me would break down and be completely open for you to collect your piece of this puzzle and head back to that master of yours. But all that you have accomplished is killing a part of me and creating something that no one has seen."

"Oh I'm so scared I think I'm going to join the five of you by crying." Devin mocked.

Regan placed down her mother's body and looked at the man who had just snapped his last lucky strand. Her eyes changed from sad emerald green to fury navy blue. She got up and walked towards him.

"Regan what are you doing?" Yugi asked behind her, but she didn't answer.

"You should be scared." She threatened and she high kicked him in the face and watched him stumble to the side. "That was for working for Dark Matter." She kicked him in the ribs that he left exposed and he crumbled to one knee. "That was for organizing the tournament and for placing everyone in danger." She punched him in the face adding to his stunned looked. "That was for trying to change me." Then she kicked him in in the stomach. "And that was for killing my mother."

He didn't look like he was enjoying it any more, for each attack was powered with rage and aura. It probably wasn't a good idea since her aura was unbalanced, but she didn't care. "Please stop." He asked in pain as he moved his broken jaw and his broken nose.

"Stop, why should I?" She asked in raged. "You didn't stop when I asked instead you laughed. So how does it feel, oh wait you are a demon, why should I care!"

She felt someone wrap their arms around her immobilizing her movement. "Let me go."

"I'm afraid I can do that." The voice whispered. She couldn't recognize it through the pounding of the blood in her ears.

"Why, he killed her!" She yelled flaring up her aura.

"Because I'm afraid that I would lose the girl that I fell in love with." Yugi answered again making her immediately lose her rage, but the aura stayed strong.

Then Seto moved in front of the demon that was on the ground. "And because, this is not you. You aren't the angry, enraged person that you have turned into to get revenge. Confucius said "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves", you are the one who supposed to be happy with their life, not to go and take a life along with your own."

"What do you mean?" She asked as her aura struck out.

"Your puzzle showed flashbacks off all the memories; all the good times you had over the last month and an half." Her brother explained and Yugi let her go.

She was stunned by what he told her. Staring at her brother she felt the rage get replaced by sadness. She ran into her brother's arms and the two of them sunk to the floor with her in tears. "What is going to happen now?"

"Well, you have to move forward." Seto stated. "You love and care for your friends and they also do in return. You have Mokuba and me as your family as well."

"Family, how are you two related?" Devin asked getting back up again.

"Get with the program, how else was she able to gather Kaiba's anger so easily? It is because they share the same blood." Yugi growled and then knocked Devin out cold with a sucker punch.

She continued to cry, but they weren't just tears sorrow, they were tears of pain and exhaustion which she had no control over. Seto's warmth kept her feeling safe, and she knew that he had cried when she was inside of that bubble when the images where shown to them. But he wouldn't tell even if someone had offered him immortality.

Regan looked up when she noticed a change in the atmosphere about two minutes later. She was still cradled in Seto's arms and tears still flowed through her eyes. The shadow realm started too dispersed and the demon got up, awake from his short nap. The host then was shocked that the audience was still there. The audience though was deathly quiet as they tried to understand what they saw through the screens that they watched up to until the duel finished.

"Yugi, Atem, and Regan you're back!" Joey, Tristan and Téa called to them and started running up to the stage obviously not realizing the silence.

"Big Brother, I glad you're safe." Mokuba yelled happily and caught up with the three teenagers.

Then they got on to the platform, stopping dead in their tracks and realized what the hell was going on Téa immediately covered Mokuba's eyes while Joey blocked Serenity's path and turned them away before they saw anything. Jade was on the other side of the field to where she had first collapsed before the shadow realm and died. The host was damaged up pretty good with the injuries caused by the absorption ball being destroyed; Regan was shaky, crying, in her brother's arms and looked like she guess she looked like she was next to a bomb when it exploded.

"Oh my god, what the hell happened?" Téa asked.

Devin looked around and then vanished by shimmering away.

Regan heard running steps and saw Pegasus run up to the stage. "Everyone please leave the stadium immediately, there will be an announcement later on in the day."

People didn't seem to think twice as they headed out in a hurry, but not so quickly for others to get hurt. Regan turned her head towards Jade's body and immediately regretted it and turned away. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and she turned to them. Pegasus was held out the River's Puzzle as he was on one knee to be at her height. She looked at and took it from him. Her aura balanced out and felt Nile's presence within the tiny object, but she was still not feeling her energy restored like it had the last time. "Thank you."

Pegasus stood up. "I suggest you all go back to your rooms. I'll clean this mess up within the next few hours."

"What about her?" Atem asked and Regan knew what he was referring to.

"I want to give her a wake and a funeral, nothing fancy though. I'm sure she had some friends or even family that would like to see her again before she gets placed in the ground." Regan said shakily. She started to stand up, but her legs trembled. Yugi picked her up off the ground. "No, I can walk."

"Unless you can get out of my arms I'm not putting you down." Yugi stated and she didn't bother to struggle, she was too tired to do anything. Seto stood up beside her. "Kaiba, can you make a clear exit for us, I doubt that the path will be empty. Reporters are probably waiting."

"I have wanted to try out a new threat; I wonder how fast those reports will leave." Seto ponder.

"Really, that's the first thing that comes to mind, you testing out a new threat?" Joey asked.

"Joseph," Regan hissed and he paled under her glare. "Save it."

Yugi and Seto walked across the stage and down the stairs, Regan avoided contact of anything on the ground. Pegasus looked at the ground with a sad expression like he was remembering things from his own past. It wasn't long after they descended the stair case that the rest of the group's footsteps were heard in her ears. They walked into the challenger's hall and just as Yugi predicted there were reports barely being kept back by two bouncers. Seto walked ahead and Yugi was not too far from him. She kept her hands and eyes on the puzzle feeling it pulse and she knew Nile would come out later on, but she was probably recovering as well as doing a full checkup. Regan didn't know how the whole… experience was affecting Nile and hopefully they could talk about it afterwards. But then again, did she really want to talk about it?

Suddenly, voices broke into her thoughts, loud, annoying, pestering voices. She looked over and saw that they were really close to the exit and it didn't seem like they were going to be able to use words to get out of the hall. Seto stopped and turned around to them.

"Joey, Tristan, Atem, Kayama, we're going to make a barrier. Even if I did threaten them, there seems to be a few of the stupid ones that I recognize. Atem, Kayama, you get the rear, don't speak, just charge." He whispered just loud enough for the ten of them to hear.

She could practically see the grins on Tristan's and Joey's faces in her mind.

"Alright, now you're speaking my language." Joey answered happily.

"Good, Yugi, Téa, Serenity, Mokuba, stay in the middle, Regan keep a hold of my jacket to keep the group together. Atem, keep your hands on your girlfriend's shoulders to the charge in a clean, small, and efficient way."

"Exactly like a bullet?" Kayama asked.

"Exactly like a bullet, and if we could move just as fast that would be fantastic." Seto agreed.

They got into formation and Regan used her left hand to grab her brother's jacket. She looked up at Yugi's face and realized he was looking down at her. She buried her head into his chest and they were off. Regan felt the compression of Seto trying to get through the herd and Joey and Tristan on the sides keeping the reporters from separating them while Atem and Kayama pushed them forward sealing the encased people inside. It wasn't long that they built momentum and they were through the hoard. They didn't stop running and Regan wondered how Yugi was able to keep going with her in his arms until they reached their room and shut, locked, and barricaded the door.

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece." Grandpa said when they first ran in.

Regan looked away from him as the image of Jade popped into her mind again. She could feel the tears start to swell in her eyes.

Grandpa eyes widened and he placed his hands on his mouth. He sat on the couch and proceeded to twiddle his thumbs without a word.

"Yugi, maybe you should place Regan in the girls' room." Kayama suggested. "She needs sleep after that."

"I don't want to be alone." Regan shook her head as more images of the dark space came. "I certainly don't want to sleep alone."

"You do have Nile." Seto told her.

"I do, but…" she placed her hand on Yugi's feeling its warmth. She couldn't explain it, but she wanted something that was there to comfort her as well, Nile could, but she wanted something, alive.

"Yugi, take her to your room and keep her company."

"Wouldn't you be more efficient in something like this since, you know?" Yugi asked.

"I have things to do, and I'm sure Pegasus will be calling me any second now." Seto replied and just as he finished, his phone started to ring. He took it out of his pocket and sighed. "That man is so predictable."

Yugi didn't say anything and carried Regan to his room. She opened the door for him and he walked in. He placed her on the bed. She took off her shoes and started to feel the bed's comfort seeping into her body. She collapsed onto the bed and Yugi covered her in the blanket. She felt him sitting on the edge of the bed and she looked over at him.

"Can you cuddle with me?" She asked him.

He looked surprise and nodded. "But first, let's get something to place the puzzle around your neck again."

"Like what?"

"I bought something that I wanted to give you after we got back." He told her as he got off the bed. She watched him as he moved to his things and opened one of the pockets. He came back and hand a box in his hand and opened it for her. Inside there was a silver color, Italian link chain. "It's stainless steel, one of the strongest I could find. It shouldn't break or be cut unless you decided to go near a concentrated laser."

She sat up and hugged him as tight as she could, which wasn't as tightly as she wanted to. "Thank you Yugi, thank you for everything." She felt tears starting to fall again and Yugi hugged her back.

"Everything will be alright."

"It certainly can't get any less alright." She sniffled. "Well it could, but I don't want to think about it."

"Then don't," Yugi whispered. He let her go and placed the chain into the River's Puzzle's hoop. He placed it around her neck and crawled over her and sat down beside her on the bed. "Let's just ignore the world for a few hours, just the two of us."

She managed a smile and lied down. He lied next to her. She placed her head on his chest and snuggled as close as she could get. Her moment in the bubble left her empty and alone, but as she lied with Yugi, she felt the emptiness flee. "I love you."

Yugi kissed her on her head. "I love you too."

She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly knowing he was going to protect her from the outside world, because they were in their own world.

00000

Atem was leaning against the door. He could hear the vultures outside waiting for a helpless soul to let them in. Terry, Clare, their children, Grandpa, Joey, Tristan, Mokuba, and Serenity were all watching America's Funniest Home Videos. It seemed to lighten the mood of the room and Atem smiled slightly at that. He checked the mind link one last time and found that Yugi and Regan were both sleeping. Téa and Mai were in the girls' room packing. Nile was in his room after she sneaked out with Regan's phone without the two of them noticing and was talking to Ryou. He didn't understand why she was talking to him anytime she could, but he didn't bother to ask. What bugged him was what had happened within that absorbing sphere that Devin used. What had it done when Regan's soul was sucked into it? What did it do to his sister? He shook his head and promised himself to ask her about it later. Kaiba's door opened and Kaiba's head popped out. He beckoned Atem with his hand and then disappeared back into the room, not closing the door. Atem sighed and quickly walked over to his room without trying to disturb his friends. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Kaiba was sitting on the bed and watching something on the TV.

"News is on." Kaiba started. "That little stunt is all that's being talked about right now."

"I doubt it has the full story." Atem said and sat down beside him. "What's being done about the funeral?"

"It's going to take place in Ottawa, that's where her family is from and many generations are buried there, the wake is the sixteenth and the funeral is the day after."

"That was fast, is there not going to be an investigation on this whole thing?"

"Pegasus cleared the investigation and showed the news reporters and police that Devin was a demon by giving them the live feed. The police can't do anything as demons are apparently not on their list of serve and protect."

"That's on our list." Atem said half-heartily. "I'm presuming we're going home after that."

"Yes, that is nothing else happens to say otherwise."

"That's good." Atem sighed as a visual of tournament played on the screen. "At least we will be able to leave the damn city now."

"We are leaving tonight after Pegasus' closing ceremony; I have a limo picking us up." Kaiba replied. "Some vehicles have been rented and different hotels have been booked for when we arrive in Ottawa."

"You covered everything."

"I'm trying to make this as easy going as possible, I don't want Regan to be dwelling on this and the easier her days are will make her nights easier as well. She was warned, now she needs to accept it."

Atem looked at him in confusion, but he let it go. He knew what it was like to lose someone close to him. He lost his own father and he almost lost Yugi for good during the orichalcos event. "What do you think happened in that orb?"

"I don't know," Kaiba sighed. "I hope nothing that will come back and bite us later. Hopefully, it was supposed to harvest her life and use it to raise Zorc, good thing Jade decided to end it, or we would have an even bigger problem."

"Yes; that we would be."

I feel like you guys gave me the silent treatment, not that I blame you :P anyway I'm happy that you guys continue to read my story.

Next Volume, Volume 7: Threatening Motives

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