Author Note: So... given that events in the real world are more than a little tense right now, I decided to drop the chapter a week early, since I'm sure I'm not the only one that needs a morale boost.

Here you go.


Marik yelped as he was flung to the ground. The knee that had come out of socket when Bes's weight had landed on top of him slammed into the wooden boards that made up the floor of this room of the hold.

"You'll stay in here until the boat is ready to go and has left port." Karim snapped at him from the doorway, "And don't you dare try anything. We need what's on your back, not you."

Marik nodded rapidly, understanding the threat, and wanting the brutes to go away so he could, in fact, try something. As far as he was concerned, they were more than welcome to the painful scarring that took up his entire back, but he was not going to let them take him away from his family.

Not now that Rishid was far out of their grasp.

"I kept my word, didn't I?" Marik bit out, grasping his swollen knee, "I came with you quietly."

"And you'd better keep sticking to it." Marik was sure that Karim thought he sounded threatening, but he was in too much pain and too angry to be frightened. "We'll be back."

With that the door slammed shut behind Karim and the thugs, allowing Marik to turn his attention back to his knee. He had learned early into their escape from the catacombs that first aid was useful. After his sister had dislocated her shoulder, both he and Rishid had learned how to pop joints back into place.

He put part of his t-shirt into his mouth to muffle any sounds, anticipating the incoming pain and prayed his knee was not too swollen for this to work before extending his lower leg as far as it would go, while pressing down on his kneecap with gentle but firm pressure.

It HURT but he was rewarded with the kneecap slipping back into the groove with a pop.

"O…okay, next step." He mumbled after taking a moment to recover from the light- headedness the pain had caused. He took the coin Memento he had grabbed, out of his pocket, along with the one Duel Monsters card he had managed to pocket.

He would only get one attempt at this. The Memento only held enough magic for one summoning or Shadow Game, but he had known that when he had bolted for Ishizu's room rather than his phone.

As he snapped the coin in two, he took a deep breath and focused the released magic through the card, "Legendary Fiend, I summon you."

The huge, blue humanoid figure with great black wings appeared before him and stared down with its two dragonic red heads and its one humanoid one.

"I need your help." Marik told it as he used its clawed hands to drag himself onto his feet, biting back a cry as his leg took his weight, but not without much protest. "We need to get out of here and back to my siblings."

His fiend considered him for a moment, then nodded and offered its arm. Marik was not above using it as a crutch, especially when he felt its muscles bulge as the effect kicked in, giving it extra strength.

The door, unsurprisingly, was locked, so the Summoner turned to the summoned beast with a rueful smile, "Gonna need to knock that down. You okay with losing the surprise this early?"

The fiend did not really care. It was strong enough to deal with most humans. As such it nodded, drew its arm back and then slammed its dagger-like claws through the wooden door and ripped it off its hinges before tossing it to one side with a massive bang.

From down the hallway, Marik could hear his captors cursing, and he tugged on his creature's arm. "Knock them aside, but we're aiming to get out, not get into a fight."

As the Legendary Fiend swept Marik up into its arms, Bes, who was limping slightly and favouring his left arm, was still faster than the other two, and he was smart enough to pause when he saw the Duel Monster.

Unlike his brutish colleague, Hagar, who had drawn the knife on Rishid, attempted to body-check the fiend, only to get swept aside by the creature's tail.

"Back off." Karim ordered the other two as he entered the hallway and saw what was going on, "I will not lose any more men."

"I didn't forget, Karim." Marik stared at him, eyes glittering out of a face white from the agony of his leg. "I remember Abi teaching me that the reason the Leader of the Catacombs and his second have the Sacred Items, is because one summoned monster is worth thirty men. I am leaving."

"You said you'd come quietly and that you wouldn't use the magic on me."

"Yes, I did, but I didn't say how far I'd go with you. Or that I'd let you take me away from the only family I have." He hissed out, the fiend hissing along with him, "Or the life I have here. A life I actually like."

Marik patted his monster on the shoulder, "And I didn't use it on you. I used it to summon. If you annoy my Legendary Fiend, that's on you."

Karim stared at the boy, his hands clenching and unclenching as he considered his options.

Marik was right, he had the upper hand, but Karim was unwilling to just let him go now. He had worked too hard and lost too much to Ishizu's insanity to lose the prize when it was in his grasp.

Then it hit him.

He had an ace in his pocket. The ace he had taken from his wife.

The Millennium Necklace would overwhelm the magic Marik had used and allow him to call up his own beasts that could tear Marik's limb from limb.

His hand shot into his pocket and drew the golden treasure out, malicious glee coursing through him when Marik's already pale face grew a grimace of horror.

"Azra betrayed the tribe for you and your siblings." Karim hissed out as he moved to put on the golden trinket, "But I won't make the same mis…"

The Legendary Fiend did not give him a chance to finish. Instead, he exploded past the Leader of the Tomb Keepers, slamming the man into the wall as he went. Bes and Hagar followed as the creature made its way up onto the deck of the vessel, only to pause before a portal of Shadows.

From which stepped Hanaq and Rishid.

The Wrath of Ishizu paused and tilted her head as she considered the scene, then she let out an amused chuckle. "Smart, Marik. I approve."

"Thank you." He nodded, "Can we go?"

"I have clean up to do, but…" She paused as a second portal opened behind her and the Thief Queen's vessel stepped out, "Can I help you?"

"I… I'm here to help you." Amane stammered, unused to facing the full anger of a dark on the rampage, "Not stop you. I had no clue this was happening and we have a deal, don't we?"

"We do…" Hanaq allowed, "Heal my brothers while I deal with these fools, and I'll assume you're telling the truth, but harm them and I'll assume you've sided with the Pharaoh in this war."

"Yugi…" Amane tried to protest on her friend's behalf but the bands of Shadow that had been wrapped around her soul since New Year's Eve tightened violently, momentarily cutting off her train of thought and connection to her own vessel.

"Will pay for her treachery later." Came out of her throat, much to Amane's shock and horror. Her voice made the words, but it was not her thoughts behind them. She internally struggled but all that rewarded her with was a searing torment that burned her soul from the inside-out. "Perhaps during Battle City? I can help you pick out the right targets to make her life miserable."

"I may take you up on that." Hanaq smirked at her, amused before turning back to her potential victims.

'Please let me go.' Amane pleaded with the demon as it turned her vessel towards Marik, Rishid and the fiend. 'She'll kill Yugi if…'

'You forget, I want the Pharaoh dead.' Zorc hissed into her mind, highly amused, 'And no, I don't think I'll let you go for now. By agreeing to come here, you've given me exactly what I needed to push Ishizu over the edge and you can't even say I forced you to come.'

Shock and self-loathing burst through Amane as she realised that she had walked straight into Zorc's clutches by letting herself get caught up in the horrors of her past.

As the demon possessing her used her magic as if it was his own, the one controlling Ishizu smirked at Hagar and Bes. Hanaq weaved her game with practiced ease as she asked, "Shall we play?"

"You!" Hagar's sharp tone and pointed finger, along with the way Bes moved into a position where he could jump her, told Hanaq all she needed to know. These men had no intention of playing fair. "You will surrender now and answer for your crimes."

"I really don't think so." As she spoke her native tongue, darkness swarmed out and dragged her and those who had hurt those she cared about into the inky black, the game setting up around them as she spoke, "Your souls are mine."

"We will never lose to a traitor like you."

"I wasn't the one doing the treachery." Hanaq snickered, "Now stop whining and let's play."

As the board set up below them, the men beheld a gold and silver snake made up of sixteen segments, including the tail, which was at their feet.

"I'm sure you remember Mehen." She taunted as she held open a hand and a golden die landed in it. "After all, it was one of the few games you brutes allowed us children to play. I thought I'd speed up the game by letting us all start on the board without having to roll for it. And by only giving us one piece each. Ourselves."

"What are your terms?" Hagar did not acknowledge her words, but held out his own hand, a slight grunt escaping when the silver die was heavier than he had anticipated.

"It's quite simple. You roll the dice to find out how many spaces you get to move. The aim being to get to the head and back. If you can get back to the tail, you can leave the board and on a six, you can summon a lion. If my lion lands on or passes a space you're on, you're dinner. If that happens, you belong to me. If your lion reaches me, one of you gets off of the board before I do, or both of you leave the board legitimately, what is mine belongs to you."

"You'd surrender the Millennium Rod?" Bes demanded; his eyes wide.

"Of course." Hanaq nodded gracefully, amused that they knew her so poorly that they did not understand her first offer. Not that she was complaining. It worked in her favour. "If you want the Millennium Rod as your prize, it is yours. If you can defeat me. Of course, if you harm me, or try to cheat, you'll suffer a Penalty and well… you'll never see your precious catacombs again."

The two men looked at each other, then nodded. They had accepted the dangers when Karim called them in. Paris had shown the tribe just how dangerous Ishizu could be with her stolen Millennium Item. However, it was too important to get the relic and the information borne by the youngest Ishtar back into the safety of the tunnels before it could be seized by the Thief Queen.

That and stop the destruction Azra had seen coming through her Millennium Necklace.

"Fine. We'll play." The first man huffed, "My name is Hager, and this is Bes. Who moves first?"

"Oh good, I didn't want to have to refer to you as one and two. I move first, of course." Hanaq made a show of rolling her die, which bounced across the floor and landed firmly on a six. "Just to show you the board isn't trapped."

She sauntered across the board, following the curve of the snake. When nothing vicious assaulted her, she turned to look at the men, her golden die reappearing in her left hand. "Hagar? Your move."

He did not hesitate. This was his chance to bring the patricidal snake down to earth and make the traitor pay. He practically flung the die, which bounced across the floor...

Only to land on two.

He let out an irritated noise and moved forward just two spaces before his die appeared back in his hand.

Bes opened his own hand and received an ebony die of his own. He rolled it more gently, aware that he could not let himself get caught up in his thoughts or it could cost him the game and received a three for his troubles.

"Remember, this is the Shadow Game." He hissed to Hagar as he passed, "She wants you so riled up that you don't think."

Hagar nodded at his words but could not help but be infuriated when the thief's next roll presented her with another six. She had to be cheating. There was no other way to explain it. Just like she had to have done, to have defeated her father when she had dared Challenge him for her brother's fate.

He did not wait for her to finish meandering over to her new position on the board before he rolled. His die bounced across the giant serpentine board and narrowly missed going under her feet before coming to a stop.

"Four." Her singsong tone drove a spike of anger through his mind, but he was legitimately allowed to move forward four more without punishment, telling him that she had not lied.

"I have to ask, Ishizu." Bes spoke much more calmly than he felt, trying to keep his mind off the threat of impending doom, "Why would you betray the tribe like this? You were going to be one of the most powerful people there, besides your brother."

"It was I who was betrayed." Hanaq hissed back at him as his dice rolled across the board and stopped on a five. "I made a deal with my father, and he failed to keep his end of it. I was just protecting what was most important to me."

Bes could understand that as he made his move. Even if he did not properly understand why Ishizu had suddenly thought she could break centuries of tradition to become the head of the tribe in her brother's place.

"We were all lied to, Bes." Hanaq pointed out, as she gazed upon her golden die, "The elders claimed the Pharaoh was male. That only men could do what needed to be done to protect everyone. That only a man was strong enough to carry such a magical burden. But Yugi Mutou is a woman. She is a woman now and she was a woman in Ancient Egypt. It was a woman that saved her nation and the world, and so it should not be impossible for a woman to bear her secrets. I would not let my brothers suffer for the lies of the tribe, when I could take that fall…"

She tilted her hand and let the die tumble to the ground on the word 'fall'.

"If I was the leader of the tribe, I would bear the pain and I could free my brothers from their service… but the rite I earned and was sworn to me on the Shadows, was forced on my brother… that could not stand."

Her die bounced along the floor and landed heavily on a four, allowing Hanaq to stride forward and plant herself firmly on the snake's head.

She hated the tribe. She hated what they had done to her brothers. What it had done to her. Both versions of her. She hated that they had spent the Gods only knew how long, lying to their people instead of sharing the truth. That they thought it was okay to break oaths made on their own sacred items.

Hanaq did not have to admit anything to these men, but there was a certain fun in ripping apart their worldview before she tore their souls to shreds. And to do that, she needed to maintain a level head and keep her mind on the game, even as she spoke of the events that had created her.

"You lie. You just tried to steal your brother's role!" Hagar snapped, having lost his father in Ishizu's first rampage and unable to see past his desire to defeat her. "And now you're cheating!"

Hanaq raised an eyebrow at the accusation. "Have you seen me do a single thing that you and Bes haven't? Clearly you don't understand Shadow Games at all. The players are tested and the one with the strongest will emerges the victor… I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're bending and breaking already. A peon like yourself who never thinks for himself will never survive this sort of trial."

She was unsurprised when the man considered the die in his hand as if considering a projectile. It was disappointing, but she had expected both to cheat eventually. It was clear who was the brains of the outfit though. Bes was trying to keep a level head. Hagar, however…

"Hagar, you throw that die and I'll feed you to the Shadows myself." Bes' snap made Hagar stop and let out an irritated huff as he let the piece of silver drop to the ground, where it landed with a heavy thud, bounced just once, and revealed a three.

Hagar barely held himself in check as he stalked forward. She was getting through the board far too quickly for her to be doing anything but cheating. He knew it. Bes was letting her stories get to his head and could not see it.

It did not matter why Ishizu had done what she had done. The tribe had survived as long as they had because they had upheld their traditions and followed the rules tightly. The last time they had broken the rules had been around sixty years ago, when they had dared to believe that the Pharaoh had reincarnated amongst their number and had sent the child, along with several tribe members to the Pharaoh's tomb, to collect the Puzzle, so things could be set things in motion.

They had lost far too many people taking that risk. The battles waged by the forces above ground had nearly eradicated the surface tribe of Tomb Keepers. The Thief Queen had only finished what the warring factions of Italy and Great Britain had started. Even now, five decades later, staying below ground and following the laws were the best way to stay safe and prevent the loss of everything the tribe had worked for over the last three millennia.

The Ishtars' rejection of all that had kept the tribe safe all this time was a betrayal of thousands of years of Tomb Keepers. Thousands of years of people who had done their duty and protected what needed to be protected.

All so this last shot at saving the world could happen.

Hagar did not care that Yugi Mutou was a woman and always had been. The role of Pharaoh was a male one. She would not have been the first or last female Pharaoh to have been discussed like they were male. He did care though, that this brat thought she knew better than thousands of years of tradition.

Still, she had to pass him on her way back and get back to the tail if she wanted to win, and if he could seize the Millennium Rod from her on her way past, there was a good chance he could end the game.

Bes was no fool, he was fully aware that Hagar was falling to the influence of the darkness around them. He could feel it pressing at his own mind and there was a part of him that wanted to punch the one who had summoned the game before him. However, unlike Hagar, he had listened when the elders had told the tales of the Shadow Games and had enough willpower to put their teachings into action.

They had taught him that letting your baser instincts loose would cost you more than losing and he was going to hold on to that as long as he could. He did not doubt that eventually he would fall, he was not arrogant enough to think that he could resist forever, but he was determined to at least try.

He turned his attention from his ally, aware that Hagar was a loss at this point and let loose his ebony die. It rolled across the serpentine tiles and stopped on a six. He let out an irritated noise as he took the two steps forward that took him to the head, then had to take four steps back. A perfect roll was required to land on the head of the snake and he had not achieved it.

"Nearly." Hanaq allowed, her gaze catching his. Amber eyes considered brown ones carefully. "You're more stable than your companion. More able to think about my words. You could surrender and work for me."

"My duty is to the tribe. I have sworn to return the information your brother carries and the Millennium Item you bear. I don't think you'd let me do either, but thank you for the offer."

"Disappointing. It will be a shame to destroy you." She let out a dramatic sigh as she rolled and got a five, moving her back to space eleven. Bes let her pass, stepping right to the edge of the space to avoid touching her but Hagar's eyes narrowed.

She was within two squares of him. On a two or higher he would be able to make his move.

"Hagar…" Bes's warning was not heeded as Hagar flung his die, which bounced into the darkness where none of them could see it. He did not care though. There was a four in five chance he had a good enough roll to do what he wanted to do and he was done playing by the traitor's rules.

He leapt at her, attempting to tackle his prey to the ground, only for Hanaq to weave around him, causing him to crash into the ground, one square ahead of her, knocking Bes into the next space, forcing him to make an illegal move. Hagar shot to his feet as fast as he could, only to find she had drawn the dagger from the hilt of the Millennium Rod and had it pointed at his throat.

"Cheater." The hiss that emerged from her was practically serpentine, the head of the Millennium Item glowing brightly enough to almost blind those trapped within the darkness.

At her hiss, a low feline growl started up at the edge of the board and Bes' eyes widened as he looked to find a lion with dark golden fur covering its body and a huge, imposing mane of black fur paced the edge of the board, towards the tail, something in its mouth.

"I didn't touch you." Hagar protested quickly. "You're the one who's cheating by summoning a lion early."

"I didn't call him, the Shadows did." Hanaq hissed out as the lion stalked along the board, following the spaces. It stopped at her side and dropped what it was carrying, revealing a silver die...

On the number one.

Hagar had just enough time to go pale before the shadow-summoned creature leapt at him. Bes could not watch as teeth and claws dug into his ally, instead he closed his eyes and stepped back into his space, hoping that Ishizu had not noticed his forced move.

"Oh, don't think I've forgotten that step, Bes." Hanaq chuckled darkly, her words somehow carrying over the noise of Hagar's screams. "You moved outside of your turn."

"I was made to." Bes' eyes snapped open, fear forcing his voice up in pitch as the lion's teeth seized something and dragged a spectral, humanoid form out of Hagar. "I didn't willingly move. He shoved me."

"True." The Demon-Tainted young woman allowed as Hagar's vessel went still and eternally silent as the lion dragged his soul deep into the darkness for dinner. "But you did move."

"Penalising me for that isn't fair. And won't protect your brothers." Bes took a step back as a second growl started up on the board's edge. "They won't be safe until they return to the catacombs, or the Pharaoh does her duty. Hurting me might make you feel better, but it won't keep them safe…"

"I will be forcing the Pharaoh's hand in just a few days." Hanaq snarled, her tone and pitch nearly matching the lion pacing the board's edge, "She WILL pay for her actions and regret ever betraying me once I'm done with her. Not that you'll be around to watch."

She turned to the lion pacing the edge of the board, only to find it had not stepped onto the first space. She paused, surprised, then let out an irritated snort.

"Seems the Shadows aren't done watching our game though. I believe it's your move."

Bes let out a relieved sigh and turned away from the mess that had been his friend, trying to hold down the bile that tried to rise as he thought about what had just happened. He could still survive this. All he had to do was get off of the board before that lion decided he was lunch.

The creature on the edge of the board was clearly a warning from the Shadows. A message they had noted his illegal move but were allowing him to keep playing. Most likely because he had moved back to where he was supposed to be almost instantly. He suspected that if he had stayed on space thirteen, instead of returning to twelve, he would be lunch, just like Hagar.

Shuddering heavily as he barely resisted the urge to flee, he released his die and let out a relieved squeak when it landed on a four, letting him step onto the head.

Halfway done.

"If it helps." He spoke as Hanaq made her move, moving five more spaces and leaving just six between her and the end of the board, "I'm only doing my duty."

"It doesn't." He could practically hear her eye roll as he rolled his die and moved the two spaces he was allowed. "You were part of the plan to drag my brother back into the darkness. That is enough to doom you as far as I'm concerned. Just like your friend…"

Bes's gaze turned to the corpse on the floor two spaces ahead of him, suddenly very aware that he could soon be joining Hagar.

Hanaq's next roll was a four and Bes's breath came in rapid, short pants as fear started to consume him. There was no way he would catch her before she left the board. It would take too many rolls or too much good luck, when he had fourteen spaces to move, in comparison to her two. He could not win any other way though as his partner player had gotten himself eaten.

And once she was off the board, she could summon a lion on a six and he would meet a gruesome fate…

He did not want to die…

But if he had to, at least he could take her with him.

His hand slipped to the knife in his pocket.

Her back was turned to him. He could stab her and while the Shadows would destroy him for his audacity, she would no longer be a threat to the tribe. Karim could seize the Millennium Rod before the Thief Queen could and force the boys to return to the catacombs and everything would be as it was supposed to be. He could die happy, being remembered as the one who saved not only the tribe, but the Pharaoh too.

After all, Ishizu had admitted that her plan was to attack the Pharaoh and she had sided with the Demon Thief…

Mind made up, he drew the knife from his pocket and flicked it open. On the edge of the game board, the lion that was pacing suddenly gazed at him with rapt attention.

Bes did not yell or scream as he launched himself forward. There were no dramatic speeches.

And he nearly had her.

At the lion's roar, Hanaq turned to look at him, but it was too late to do more than shift enough to turn what should have been an instantly fatal blow, into a stab that sunk deep into her abdomen and would kill her slowly. Hanaq let out a pained gasp, shock driving colour from her features as she pushed him away, her hands going to the hilt of the knife as the lion leapt upon Bes and tore him asunder.

The game faded around them, bringing the real world back into sharp focus, just in time for her to see Marik back on his feet and Karim emerging from the hold. Hanaq was in too much agony to even think about giving him a chance and she lashed out with the darkness, slamming him against the wall and pinning him there, just like she had done to her father.

The Millennium Necklace fell from his hand and went rolling across the boat.

"I…Ishizu… let's be reasonable about this…" Karim stammered as she stalked forward, blade of the Millennium Rod drawn.

"Your kind gave up reason millennia ago. When you all decided it was okay to lock children in the dark and carve inscriptions on their backs, instead of being pro-active and actually trying to do something about all of this." She hissed, the world fading in and out as she tried to hold on long enough to protect her family. "This is all because of people like you, who waited for a saviour instead of finding your own solution. This will only end when your kind dies out and the bitch you call Pharaoh does her duty."

His eyes widened, "You've Fallen…"

"If I've Fallen, then it's because of you. You and the Pharaoh. It's because you forced me to Fall to protect my family." She scooped up the Necklace and examined it, "And you'll both face the same end."

With that she wheeled around and used the narrow, stiletto-like knife within the Millennium Rod to stab Karim in the heart.

"Say hello to my father for me."

As Karim let out his final breath, Hanaq released her grip on his body and staggered backwards. Rishid caught her before she could hit the floor. "Ukhti!"

"Ow…" She gasped out, her hand going to her side, where the blade rested, trembling as the adrenaline left her system, "Marik… is he…?"

"I'm okay." Marik, who had been healed by Amane over the course of the game, rushed over, "I…"

"Move." 'Amane' snapped, pushing Marik aside and grimacing as she saw the weapon. Ba-Khu-Ra took control, used to dealing with knife wounds and not wanting Ishizu to die, even if she HAD fallen to the demon, which was not guaranteed yet. When Rishid went to pull out the knife, she smacked the back of his head. "Do you want her to bleed out?"

"N…No…but we can't leave it in." Rishid protested, worried as Marik hovered. Both brothers were aware their fake paperwork would fool an individual, but not somewhere like a hospital, which was where Ishizu needed to go. Unless…

"You're healed now. Go and get Azra from downstairs." Ba-Khu-Ra snapped at Marik. "If she's alive, she'll still have hold over her Item and she WILL help, or I'll end her."

The youngest of the Ishtar siblings did not have to be told twice and he fled below deck, searching for another locked door. The one he needed was not hard to find as it still had the key within the lock and he twisted it open to find the woman who had been like a mother to his sister and brother, bound to a chair.

"Marik!" Azra's eyes widened. "Let me up. I need to…"

"You know?" He asked, rushing across the room to unbind her.

"I saw it. I saw that if I didn't let myself be captured, I wouldn't be here when I was needed and I wasn't going to let that happen." The Necklace Bearer's reply eased the knot in Marik's chest, "Now that I'm free of Karim, I have a lot of explaining to do, but right now I want to help your sister."

As her wrists came free, Marik moved to her ankles, untying one while Azra worked on the other. "I just hope she lets you."

"She will." The reply came as the woman stood for the first time, ignoring how stiffly she moved in favour of hurrying up onto the deck. "She's passed out."

"What?!"

Azra was right and the pair emerged onto the deck to find that Hanaq had slipped unconscious while Marik had been freeing the woman. Ba-Khu-Ra glowered at her as they approached but Azra held her hands up, "If I had been in on this, I would be dead. You know that."

"Then help me fix this before you lose her."

"Of course." Azra put the Necklace back on, determination clear on her features, "Boys, move back."

As Rishid and Marik stepped back, the Ring and the Necklace lit up and the Shadows swarmed the deck. Marik trembled as he watched the pair work to save the life of the sister who had given so much for him, over so many years.

Hoping beyond hope that she could be saved.