Over in Umi, as Rebecca and Anzu approached the fake coral-wreathed buildings that were part of the available accommodation here on the island, Rebecca finally worked up the courage to say, "I'm sorry."

Anzu's foot came down hard and her back straightened as she wheeled around to stare at the younger girl. "I'm not the one you should apologise to."

"I know, I just…" Rebecca tried to hide the tremble of her lower lip, knowing that it wouldn't help.

Anzu didn't care that she was only twelve years old. She cared that Rebecca had hospitalised her friend and accused her of cheating, even after everything that Yugi had done for her. "I wasn't thinking straight."

Anzu's first response was to bite back, but she pulled it in. It wouldn't be productive, and she knew Yugi would be disappointed in her.

Instead, she asked, "You knew Yugi wasn't well. You were told she nearly died. Why did you do it?"

"I… I don't know!" Burst from the tired child's lips. "I was angry and tired, and I didn't want to have to face two Yugis, and…"

"You threw a tantrum."

The disgusted huff made the frustrated, upset tears Rebecca had been trying to suppress tumble down her cheeks. "It wasn't… I wanted a fair game! Two on one isn't fair!"

"That isn't…." Anzu paused, took a deep breath and then, with a calm, level tone that Rebecca knew was her trying not to yell. "Yugi and Meisa don't duel like that, not when it's not life-or-death. It's one, or the other. You get Yugi, or Meisa. Not both. If you'd asked, they would've told you that."

The young Duelist shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. It hadn't occurred to her to ask Yugi about how her partnership with the ghost in the Puzzle worked. She'd been so angry, so convinced of their cheating that she'd just acted.

Afterwards, there'd been a constant pulse of shame that bubbled away. It'd faded, leaving her numb and empty, but she was certain that, once she had to deal with people, it would come back full force.

"When did you even get a Memento anyway?"

At Anzu's question, Rebecca paused. She'd gotten it the night Ishizu had shown up at the shop, the night Ishizu and Yugi had agreed a truce. When Yugi had barrelled out of the gate, having sensed magic.

Explaining that to Anzu made the dancer pause and tilt her head, then start toward the apartments again, "So Ishizu might've done something to you to make you do that. That… makes it better, I guess, but you still need to apologise to Yugi."

"I know."

She knew she had to as well. Even if she'd been manipulated with magic, Rebecca had caused Yugi to collapse. Plus, she knew how hard it was for female Duelists to keep their reputations spotless, and her accusations wouldn't have helped anything. Yugi kicking her ass in a matter of two turns, would've helped Yugi's status stay secure, but it'd been a risk Rebecca shouldn't have taken.

Silence fell again as they reached the check in desk and was only broken when they collected the keys.

"Hey Rebecca?" Anzu asked as she pocketed hers, "Are you going to be okay, if I leave you here?"

Honestly, it was a relief. Rebecca was tired, she was hungry, and she just wanted to hide from the world. That and double-check her luggage had been taken from the helicopter to her assigned accommodation. She'd left her phone in her backpack, and if it was still in there, she could start picking up what was left of her reputation.

When she mentioned it to the dancer, Anzu gave her a small rueful smile. "It'll be okay. I don't think the Ishtars will harass you, since you're out of the tournament, and hey, you get to grab the first rides on whatever you want."

It didn't help Rebecca's mood much, but she gave a fake smile and waved her off, knowing that Anzu didn't really want her around and that she'd only slow her walk to where Jonouchi and Kujaku were to duel.

The dancer paused, considered for a moment, then briefly patted Rebecca on the shoulder. "You'll be okay. Trust me. Getting caught up in the magic sometimes sucks, but you'll be okay. It'll wear off soon."

The Duelist hugged back, just a small child needing comfort, "I hope so."

"It will, I promise. See you later, okay?" Anzu ruffled Rebecca's hair.

Then froze as a tornado of flames erupted over the tops of the various water slides and reflected in the waters of the rivers and pools. The two bolted for a clearer view, allowing them to see that it was a section or two over.

"I've got to go." Anzu grimaced, checking the livestream on her phone and able to breathe when she realised it was something to do with Kaiba's duel, not a non-magical explosion of some kind, "Kaiba's duel will be over soon. One way or the other. I need to get to Jou before his ends."

"Go on, I'll be okay."

Anzu didn't need telling twice and the moment her back was turned, Rebecca fled to her room, wanting to stay far, far away from the magic behind the game.

Halfway across the park, a flash of fury and a jolt of electricity forced Yugi out of the painless black of unconsciousness and back into a world where everything hurt.

Pushing herself to her hands and knees revealed that she was on the floor, in the corridor between her room and Anesan's, where she'd collapsed while protecting her sister.

Except Anesan, and her door, were missing, and that could only mean one thing.

Someone had taken the Puzzle from her.

She surged to her feet but was forced to pause as her world spun. Her hand slammed against the wall as she used it to brace herself, and her eyes closed as she tried to make her surroundings settle.

"Come on Mutou. Get it together. You can be tired once you've got Anesan back."

She staggered out to her body to find herself waking up on a hospital bed with Honda watching over her. Relief hit hard when she saw he was looking after her Puzzle and, when she reached for it, he didn't hesitate to return her treasure.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her as she slipped the chain over her head, clutched the Puzzle to her chest and mentally yanked the door of the Puzzle open, letting out her twin.

'Anesan! Are you alright?'

'I'm fine, what about… Oof.'

'Yeah…' Yugi agreed with her sister's assessment, wanting little more than to fall back asleep but not able to do so yet.

"Yugi?" Honda pressed.

"I'm… I'm okay." She knew how much worse it could've been. "Better than I was earlier."

"No offence, Yugi, but that leaves a lot of open ground," Her friend huffed in return. "You were dead earlier."

"Where are we?" She didn't clarify. Instead, she forced herself out of bed, wavering for a moment as her feet hit the floor, and headed in the direction of the divine fury that was pulling at her.

"The hospital at the stadium. You passed out after… Where're you going?" Honda followed, confused and worried when she was listing to the left as she walked.

"Osiris is ticked and I want to know… Oh."

Through one of the many windows looking out at the park, the sight of a tornado of fire spinning within the Yama section, and the wrath that flooded her senses, made her heart plummet.

Ra was attacking Kaiba.

'It can't be.' Anesan disagreed, confused, 'Hanaq has Ra, and she's dueling Ba-Khu-Ra in Yami.'

'Then tell me what that is.'

The Pharaoh emerged from the Puzzle and floated next to her twin, gaining nearly a foot in height in her shock, when she saw the flames and felt the divine wrath.

"Fill me in? Please?" Honda asked, putting his hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"We need to go. Someone's ticked off a God and…" Yugi started towards the exit, only for the world to spin again. Exhaustion slammed into her like a truck, numbing her limbs and making her knees buckle.

Honda reached out and helped her back to her room, concern flooding through him as she slumped back onto the bed.

"I need to get out there." Yugi groaned once she could sit up to give him a tired smile, fully distracted from her own predicament by the fiery wrath that was fading away outside. "I need to find out what's going on, and we promised we'd fight alongside Ba-Khu-Ra and Amane. I can't let them down like I let down Katsuya."

"You didn't let him down. You got yourself killed protecting him!" Honda darted forward and stopped her getting back to her feet. "Sit for a moment. Catch your breath."

"But…"

"You're not going to make it out to Kaiba's duel in time to do anything, not in your condition, so rushing towards that fire won't help anything. And you can't interfere in the Shadow Game once it starts, unless you want the Shadows to dropkick you. Not to mention, you can't do anything to a finalist without getting kicked out of the tournament."

At his reminder, she deflated a little.

"We still have to go, or we'll be betraying Ba-Khu-Ra," Meisa took over to remind him, her tone sharp even as she leaned back on her arms and took a moment to settle herself.

Honda grimaced as he scooped up Yugi's bag. He couldn't let the Mutou twins go to that duel. His soul was forfeit if they did.

But he wasn't sure how to stop them.

"The doctors haven't even checked you over yet." He lied, "And you need the test results. You shouldn't go."

"Kawai won't let us leave and you know it." Meisa grumbled as she put her Duel Disk on. "If I'm going, and I have to, I need to sneak out."

"Even if Yugi needs more medical treatment?" Honda asked as he shouldered the bag and heard a metallic clack.

Meisa grimaced and glanced out of her window, where she could see the Yami section clearly. Risking her twin wasn't a good idea. But letting Ba-Khu-Ra think she'd been betrayed again was worse.

While she considered her options, Honda gave into his curiosity and looked in the bag. His mind stalled when he found the handcuffs that Yugi had grabbed from the railing after the game with Hirutani.

"You know she doesn't want you there, right?" Honda asked as he fished around in the bag and found the keys, fully aware why Ba-Khu-Ra wanted him to keep Meisa away.

She didn't want the Pharaoh throwing herself in the way and getting killed.

"She said we'd do this together." Meisa shook her head, "And I promised I'd be there. So I have to be. I can't break my word. Not if I ever want her to trust me again."

As she started to turn around, Honda quickly checked the keys worked with the cuffs.

When they clicked open, he grinned.

He couldn't let Yugi leave the hospital and go to the duel but if he tried to stop them, they'd sneak out and go anyway.

Here was his answer.

In one swift movement he had one cuff around Meisa's wrist, the other around one of the metal railings of the bed and was having to dodge a Duel Disk that came swinging at him.

"Honda, what the hell?!" Meisa demanded, pulling on the chain connecting her to the bed, which clanged as the cuff hit the metal, her stomach churning at the thought that she might not be able to make it to the duel.

She had no doubt. If she betrayed Ba-Khu-Ra by failing to show, the Thief Queen would rip everything away from her, just as she had in Egypt.

"I'm Oathbound. Like Jonouchi was." Honda explained as he moved out of her reach, jangling the keys at her. The Pharaoh glared at him, making him shift from foot to foot uncomfortably. "To Bakura, not Ishizu."

"Then shouldn't you be helping me help her?" The Pharaoh spat, angry and confused.

"Anzu wasn't the only one that got caught while sneaking around Duelist Kingdom. Ba-Khu-Ra saved my ass, so I owed her a favour. Provided she didn't try and force me to injure any of my friends." Honda shook his head and offered an apologetic smile. "She gave me an order just before we left. To stop you from being at her duel. No matter what it took, as long as you lived afterwards. Unless I wanted my soul devoured."

Shock flashed through the Pharaoh, even as she tried to force the cuff over her hand and off her wrist with no success. Though Ba-Khu-Ra had tried to insist she stayed away, Meisa had thought she'd realised how much the Pharaoh didn't want to lose her, and had accepted her help.

That she'd ordered Honda to keep them away, said otherwise. And it wasn't like Honda would've been able to say no. If he was Oathbound, he was as trapped as Katsuya had been. He had to follow through or, as he had said, face the consequences.

"You're still recovering from earlier." He pointed out, not having to feign worry, "So I wasn't going to argue with her and you shouldn't either. You can't tell me you're in fighting form right now. You could get Yugi killed."

The Pharaoh grimaced as her breathing slowed to a more normal pace, unable to deny her twin's vessel was wrecked and that, despite her healing the worst of the problems when she had dragged life energy from everyone that she cared about to save Imoto's life, it was still in need of more rest than she could afford to give it. Getting into a fight with Ishizu right now wouldn't end well.

At least, if Ba-Khu-Ra had ordered him to stop her, she wasn't going to think that she'd been abandoned.

"Why do you even have handcuffs anyway?" Honda couldn't help asking, "Like are they for… you know?"

"No!" Meisa actually squeaked in her and Imoto's combined embarrassment. "Hirutani used them to try and cheat in a Shadow Game. Imoto collected them afterwards so no kids could get themselves stuck."

That made sense. Enough sense that Honda felt embarrassed for asking.

"You could've told me Ba-Khu-Ra didn't want me at her duel." The Pharaoh huffed, her shoulders slumping.

"I did. It wasn't stopping you." Honda rolled his eyes at the rueful smile that Meisa responded with.

"Would you want to run the risk of betraying someone who previously blew up your country because they thought you betrayed them?"

She had a point.

"And you didn't tell me you were Oathbound, because?"

"Because I was hoping to not have to, but you weren't listening." Honda huffed, having been worried he was going to have to get Kawai more involved than placing security on the hospital entrance.

"Well, now you've made your point, can you undo this?" She clanged the cuffs. "Or is this my life now?"

"Just until the duel's over." Honda smiled sheepishly, fully aware of how little she liked being contained or restrained.

"Even if I agree to stay?"

"Sorry, I can't take the risk. Not with your lives, or my soul." Honda apologised, noting the way her shoulders sank and she glanced at her bag, which was on the chair by the door, "What do you need?"

"Find the water bottle that was in my satchel?"

That didn't take thirty seconds. The slight green glow from the water within made its location obvious in the bag.

"What's in this?"

"I took a page out of Amane's book and loaded it with healing magic before we left the shop." The Pharaoh admitted, "It's worth about 4000 life points of healing magic."

Honda paused, trying to remember. Then it hit him. The day Yugi had come out of hospital after the fire, Amane had brought over a glowing bottle of drink steeped in the magic connected to the card, "Emergency Provisions", a healing spell card that restored 1000 life points per magic card discarded. It had been loaded with 5000 lifepoints, to help Yugi to heal the last of the injuries to her throat and lungs.

"You loaded it up for them. As thanks."

"Ba-Khu-Ra, Jou, whoever needed it. But mostly Ba-Khu-Ra. I knew she'd try something. She always does." The Pharaoh nodded, "It should be enough for a few people with minor injuries."

Or one severely injured person, he understood without having to be told.

"You want me to run it over."

"I was going to do it myself, but I can't. Even if I got out the cuffs, going would get your soul eaten." The Pharaoh huffed, hating that she was useless right now. "I don't want you anywhere near Ishizu. I don't want 129586122 anyone near Ishizu, but I don't want to lose Amane and Ba-Khu-Ra either."

"I'll leave the keys with Kawai, head over and make sure she gets it." Honda promised, "As long as you promise to rest."

Meisa tried not to be ticked that Honda was conspiring with Katsuya's mother to keep her in the hospital, "I wi…"

The sound of chaos in the hallway caused Honda to dart out, allowing him to see Marik being rushed in, unconscious but breathing on a stretcher, Rishid in tow. Without hesitating, he placed himself in the doorway, shielding Meisa from the dark glare that was shot her way.

As someone asked how long it would be until Kaiba arrived and was sent to the VIP Suite in response, Rishid's hand moved to his belt. When Honda saw the hilt of a knife, he became horribly aware that if he left without someone being here to protect Yugi, it would end badly.

And that meant he needed the others.

When Rishid's name was called, he moved on without drawing the weapon, more concerned with being there for his brother than any murder attempt for now. Honda let out a relieved sigh and fired off a text to Jonouchi.

Once he arrived, Honda could leave.

Until then, he needed to keep his friend safe and trust that Ba-Khu-Ra knew what she was doing.

The VIP Suites were as perfect as Mokuba and Seto had planned them to be. Beautiful wall hangings, the finest linens, the softest furnishing, the best views of the park and, as long as the windows were closed, they were virtually soundproof so the guests within wouldn't be disturbed by the events held in the stadium, which they could watch in comfort on the huge 70 inch television in the living area if they wanted to.

And Mokuba couldn't pay any attention to any of it. Not while his brother lay unconscious on the bed.

Even as he dismissed the guards and set the repair crew to work trying to fix the dragon statues in the hatching grounds or replace them before the official launch of the theme park, he sat at his brother's bedside. He was unable to take his eyes off the rise and fall of Seto's chest, the only sign that his brother lived.

"Mokuba-san." Isono grimaced as he fielded another call, "The press are being moved on to Umi for the third duel, but they're asking why the statues melted."

The younger Kaiba brother nearly snapped that anyone who wasn't an idiot could've worked out that the statues had collapsed because of the sheer heat that had come off the fake God Monster's flames. Then he forced himself to take a deep breath.

He couldn't say that a monster had gone berserk. The world at large didn't know about magic and admitting that, would, to the wider world, be admitting that the Duel Disks, which were due to launch tomorrow, were unsafe.

It would crash Kaiba Corp. It would destroy customer trust. All the work Seto had put into rebuilding the company's reputation and stock prices once he had come out of his coma would be undone.

He couldn't let that happen. Not again. Not now he knew how do to better.

"The plaster hadn't fully set. The weight of it caused a collapse but it's something that'll be fixed by morning." Mokuba rattled off, still watching his brother and hoping that it would be enough with the distraction of the duels.

"I'll pass that on." Isono promised. When Mokuba didn't respond, he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "The medical team will be here soon. I'm sure he's just sleeping."

In response, Mokuba's hands balled into fists, fury and fear making him tremble.

It wasn't fair. That on the eve of their dream, everyone was hurt and everything was at risk of falling apart because of the actions of a bunch of lunatics that…

"Mokuba?" Seto's voice was weaker than Mokuba would like, but just hearing it was enough to derail the dark spiral his thoughts had been tumbling into and send his heart soaring. "Where are we?"

"The VIP suite, sir." Isono's relief was audible as the elder brother pushed himself sitting and glanced around. "Specifically, your VIP suite. Mokuba Fuku-shacho had you brought here, rather than the infirmary."

"I didn't want the Ishtars anywhere near you." Mokuba admitted quietly.

Seto didn't particularly want the Ishtars anywhere near him either, with how rough he felt and the approving nod he gave his brother, made Mokuba's posture relax a little.

A knock at the door drew the attention of the only adult in the room. As he went to admit the medical team, Mokuba launched himself into Seto's arms. He curled into his brother, relief and joy at seeing him awake causing tears to tumble down his face and soak Seto's turtleneck.

Pain lanced through Seto as he wrapped his arms around his brother, holding him tight despite the echoes of flames that pulsed under his skin.

"Are you hurt?" He asked softly, able to feel his brother trembling and struggling to remember too much past lunging to protect him.

"N… No." Mokuba's voice shook as hard as his frame. "She didn't touch me, but you… you wouldn't wake up, and…"

Seto let out a soft breath and tightened his grip.

He knew why it'd hit Mokuba so hard. He hadn't been unconscious like that, except for while hooked up to a virtual reality world, since the coma.

"I'm alright Mokie. I'm alright." He promised, rubbing his brother's back until the tears had dried up and he had stopped shaking, gesturing to the medics to wait with his other hand. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'm not going to sleep like that again."

"You better not." Mokuba grumbled as he rubbed his eyes and adjusted his position to allow the medics access without letting go. "I don't want to run Kaiba Corp again."

"You won't have to." Seto leaned back into the pillows, enjoying the sheer softness of some of the most expensive pillows that money could buy as the medics moved to check him over. "I need to watch the other two duels though."

"You need to stay still while we make sure you're alright." The doctor scolded as he wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Seto's arm and took a blood sample. "When's the last time you ate or drank anything?"

When the CEO couldn't give an answer that wasn't 'before Battle City started' and Mokuba's answer wasn't much better, Isono was sent down to the twenty-four-hour restaurant that served the VIP Suites and was currently setting up for the arrival of the other VIP guests in the morning.

"I recommend you don't do anything else this evening." The doctor ordered, causing Seto to tense up and start to rise, ready to disobey doctor's orders, "You need to get some food and drink in you and rest, or you won't be fit to duel Mutou-san in the morning."

Mokuba almost laughed when he felt his brother melt back into the pillows. There was no way he would look after his health for his own sake, but to defeat Yugi?

He'd do anything for that.

"Take these before you go to sleep. It'll help with the muscle cramping and full body aches." The doctor continued, placing a bottle on the bedside table. "We'll have the test results ready for you by the morning, but if you're not feeling any better, call us again and we'll do more tests after your duel."

When Seto nodded his agreement, the doctor and his assistant headed out.

The moment they were gone, Mokuba curled back into his brother, the remote from the bedside table in hand. "We can watch the matches on the TV."

"It won't be the same, but fine." Seto complained as he wrapped an arm around his brother.

"More comfortable at least." Mokuba chuckled as he flicked the TV over to the live feed, "And we can watch and eat."

"Sounds good."