The Pharaoh's feet dragged and her stomach churned as she headed for the docks.

She wanted to hope they were wrong. She wanted to believe Ba-Khu-Ra had managed to help Katsuya and he'd just been too distracted getting his Map Cards to call or text them.

But she didn't dare. As angry as Katsuya probably was at them, he would've contacted them, if only to start yelling, if he was able.

And she didn't know how to handle it.

Every game so far had been soul destroying for their opponents. She doubted this one would be any different, and that meant winning would…

'There has to be a way out of this.' Her twin's voice was pleading, but for the first time, the Pharaoh didn't have any reassurance to offer.

Backing out would surrender Shizuka's soul, going forward would result in the death of either her Imoto or Katsuya. There was no way forward that didn't end in them losing someone.

'I'm sorry, Imoto.'

Silence fell from the other end of the bond as Katsuya came into sight, Duel Disk on arm, expression flat, but eyes full of fury and pain.

"Yugi! It's about time you showed."

Meisa frowned when his voice came out as his and wasn't layered with Ishizu's. She knew there was no way he'd act against them willingly, and that this was because Shizuka's soul was at stake. So she didn't believe he was truthfully eager to start the duel. Still, she hesitated, not wanting to duel her best friend and her sister's boyfriend. Not like this.

"I'm gonna make you pay for what happened to Shizuka! You're going to lose everything!"

As his body and voice betrayed him, Katsuya struggled violently against the Shadows binding his soul, trying desperately to stop his vessel from reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small dragon figure.

'Keep squirming. Keep screaming. You only feed me.' Hanaq's voice hissed from the darkness, 'Your pain and hers will make me strong enough to do what she can't! And you can't stop me, because you are mine! Your life, your soul belong to me!'

With that, she snapped the toy dragon, unleashing the Shadows within. They swirled around the two Duelists, darkening their surroundings and ensnaring them in the game. Meisa swallowed hard as the darkness wrapped around her throat like a noose and she reached out with her senses, trying to work out if Katsuya was in the same situation.

And her eyes widened.

There weren't just Shadows around his neck. His whole body was flooded with them. They were wrapped around his bones and enveloped his heart, tugging on him and making him move like a well crafted puppet.

"Let him go, Ishizu!" She snarled, furious at the woman and at herself.

If she'd just dealt with Ishizu months ago, this wouldn't be happening now. Instead she'd allowed herself to be talked into trying to talk her down and now she was going to lose someone important to her.

She felt the pain and acknowledgement of fault that the thought caused her twin, but she couldn't deny that it was true.

"There is no letting him go." Ishizu twisted Katsuya's voice into a sneer. "He gave himself to me, body and soul, as payment for not devouring his sister after he broke his oath. He is mine. Now and forever. Even after he kills you."

Meisa's hands balled into fists. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it.

"You can't escape this duel now, Pharaoh. The Shadows are set." The cruel vindictive chuckle would've made Meisa's hackles rise if she'd been a cat. "Try to flee and you will die."

"What's the rules?" The Pharaoh growled out, able to feel the Shadows constrict around her throat.

"It's simple. This will be a true Shadow Game, a true test of your powers. Your life points are your life energy, and your monsters and magic will be real, so you will feel each and every hit as if you were back in Egypt. If you win, you and your doll get to live. If your life points hit zero, he lives. "

Excitement and joy suddenly hit hard from her twin, forcing her to hold the body still as Katsuya turned for the pier where their duel would happen.

'Speak quickly, Imoto, before she makes him turn and look.'

'We can get out of this without losing anyone! There's a loophole! I just need to side deck something in. Just remind me to thank Rebecca for switching booster packs with us later.'

Unsure what her twin was up to, the Pharaoh quickly switched out with her twin, who slipped the card in question into the deck swiftly then dropped back out just in time to avoid being caught by Ishizu.

"Are you coming or what?"

Her using Katsuya's voice and speech patterns was disconcerting and made the Pharaoh wonder how much of it was Ishizu doing it to tick them off and how much was that the Shadows were working through him, forcing them to use his own neural pathways.

"I'm not running." The Pharaoh swore. "Just give me a moment."

She turned to Anzu, who'd gone pale, just as Honda caught up to them.

He grabbed Meisa's arm, eyes wide, "Bakura's hunting Shizuka's soul, if she can get it free, it breaks the oath on Ishizu's end. Can you draw out the duel until then?"

"I can try." The Pharaoh wasn't sure how much it'd help but she nodded anyway, trusting her twin's plan to save them both. "Anzu, stay back with Honda?"

"Th… This isn't right." Anzu's voice trembled.

"I'll get him back and get us out of this. I promise."

"You'd better." The aggression in Honda's tone nearly covered the shakiness of his hands.

The Pharaoh nodded and took her place on the pier, activating her Duel Disk as she turned to face her closest friend.

"Katsuya, I know you're in there and we're going to get you back."

"He is mine, Pharaoh." His voice sneered, "And I will never let him go."

With that, Katsuya drew. "I activate Dark Snake Syndrome!"

As the continuous spell card hit the field, Meisa felt a prickling crawling along her skin, wrapping around her limbs and body tightly. She slipped off her jacket as best she could, revealing a dark brown snake tattoo whose head faced her neck, fangs beared.

"Now, in each of my standby phases we lose life points, starting with 200 and doubling each turn." He smirked, "You have maybe five turns to live."

"You'll lose at the same time, though." The Pharaoh frowned.

"We'll see about that. I set a card face down and summon my Blue Flame Swordsman in attack mode!"

The warrior in question was displeased to be summoned in such a duel, since it refused to draw its sword from its sheath, but it didn't matter. The Duel Disk still showed off its 1800 attack points.

"Your move."

The Pharaoh tried not to grimace when the card her twin had side decked wasn't in her opening hand. Nor was it the card she drew. "I set a card face down and a card in defence mode. And that ends my turn."

With that, the snake tattoo lunged, its fangs wrapping around her shoulder, causing her to cry out in shock and pain as 200 life points drained away, taking them both to 3800.

"I activate Aegis of Gaia." Katsuya's pained call made her head snap in his direction, allowing her to see the card flip face up and her 'friend' get lit up like a Christmas tree momentarily, before the lights drained into him, increasing his life points by 3000, giving him 6800.

Meaning the snake would kill Meisa long before it killed him.

"Nasty bite, isn't it Pharaoh?" He asked with a smirk as he drew. "And it only gets worse. I equip my Blue Flame Swordsman with Lightning Blade!"

The swordsman was left with no choice but to draw his sword as electricity erupted from it, increasing his attack by 800.

"Now attack her face down monster!"

As much as the Swordsman didn't want to be here, he didn't dare disobey his summoner's commands and he lunged forward and drove the sparking blade into Meisa's face down card, piercing the Mystical Elf who screeched and shattered.

"Remember Pharaoh, five turns. You can't be hiding now. Especially not behind something as weak as that!"

The Pharaoh gritted her teeth as she drew. Still not the card she was waiting for. "I set a card in defence mode and I end my turn."

"Is that all? Are you trying to die? Or do you think that by being pathetic, your friend will break through my control to save you?" Ishizu demanded, through Katsuya. "He is mine. What I've done is beyond basic mind control. My Shadows live in his soul now. As long as I hold the Millennium Rod, he belongs to me. And should I lose it? He'd belong to whoever held it next. His freedom is nothing but a memory!"

'WHAT?!' Katsuya's shocked and frightened cry echoed in his mind, unheard by anyone but Ishizu, who didn't dignify him with an answer.

"We'll get him back. Even if we have to rip the Rod from you and free him ourselves." Meisa snapped back, her twin just as angry and determined to help their friend as she.

"One of you will be dead long before that happens. Is it my move?"

"Yes." Meisa barely bit back the cry as the fangs of the snake dug deeper into her shoulder, taking 400 life points this time, causing her world to swim as she dropped to 3400 and Katsuya's life points hit 6400.

'Anesan!'

Yugi's worried cry made the Pharaoh straighten, not wanting to let her twin down.

"I'm going to teach you not to play stupid games, Pharaoh! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!" The black armoured knight arrived on the field only shortly, slumping in place disapprovingly.

"I activate Dark Renewal!" Meisa's call shocked her opponent. "Tributing my face down Magician of Faith and your Blue Flame Swordsman to summon the Dark Magician!"

The purple armoured spellcaster arrived on the field and immediately put himself between the Pharaoh and her opponent, glowering and pointing his staff.

"Your ace monster means nothing." Katsuya's laugh was vindictive, "Yugi would have known that but you're nothing without her. Just a worthless spirit who can't operate in the modern world. I'll put you out of your misery with Nightmare Steelcage!"

The Pharaoh, who'd been mentally flinching from the comment, yelped as solid steel bars rose from the ground and formed a dome around her, leaving small gaps so she could see her opponent and trapping her and the Dark Magician inside.

"My cage will hold you for two turns, leaving you just one to find a way to win."

"To help with that," Meisa pushed back the anger at being trapped yet again to snarl, "I equip my Dark Magician with Magic Formula and set a card face down. Your move."

Another bite, this time draining 800 life points, forced Meisa to use the cage behind her to lean on, as she dropped to 2600 and Katsuya 5600.

"I'll set this card in defence mode." He slipped a monster onto the field. "And set these two cards face down."

Gift Card, which would increase Yugi's life points by 3000. And Bad Reaction to Simochi, which would take that gift and reverse it, taking those life points away instead, giving Ishizu complete control of the duel and when it would be over.

Trapped within his mind, Katsuya realised the plan and tried to rip himself free but Ishizu had gained too much power and the Shadows refused to allow him to attack her again. He'd broken his oath once and it was not happening a second time.

"Your move, Pharaoh. Not that you can make a good one."

"I set a card in defence mode." She wished she could do more as the cage shattered upon her turn's end, but the only way she could see out of this, at this point, was drawing the card Imoto had put in or summoning Osiris and she didn't know how much it would hurt her friend.

The fangs drew blood as 1600 life points drained away and Meisa barely stayed standing as the pain from it bled into every inch of her form, matching with the venom coursing through her Imoto's soul as they hit 1000 and Katsuya landed upon 4000.

"I'll end this now and make it easy on you Pharaoh, since you're unable to put up a proper duel!" Ishizu snickered, "First, I activate Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we have six cards in our hand."

As the Pharaoh drew her cards, frustration hit hard as still the card she needed to save them both failed to arrive. Frustration that was cut through when she took a sharp breath as she drew her last card, which radiated power and sparked with lightning. Checking it revealed that yes, this was the Sky Dragon of Osiris.

"Then I sacrifice my Little Winguard and my Greafried the Iron Knight for this, Gilford the Lightning!" The blonde warrior cared not that he was on the wrong side, only that battle was happening and he pointed his blade at the Dark Magician, who raised himself up to protect her.

"See, your magician thinks he's stronger, but not for long." Katsuya snickered. "My Lightning Blade raises Gilford's attack to 3600, more than enough to kick his ass!"

The warrior darted forward, narrowly avoiding the defensive blasts her Dark Magician unleashed, to slam his blade into the Dark Magician's gut. The expression Mahad had as he started to shatter was a mix of 'not again' and 'ow' before he ended up in the graveyard, taking 400 from the Pharaoh, but giving her 1000 from the destruction of her Magic Formula.

"I play two cards face down and then it's your turn, Pharaoh. You're running out of time."

Meisa was horribly aware. While sitting on 2000 was nice, and her face down Nutrient Z would save her next turn, when the snake took 3200, the following move would be her last. The spell card would rip away 6400 the turn after and she wouldn't be able to stop it. She HAD to win to save her life and life of her twin, so even if Katsuya didn't increase his life points again and the duel ended in a draw, she was dead and she was taking Imoto with her.

As much as she hated to do it, as much as she knew her friends would hate her for it, if she wanted to save her twin's life, she was going to have to go through Katsuya and win. She had the cards in her hand, thanks to Card of Sanctity. She could end this here and now.

'Anesan?' Yugi's voice was surprisingly calm and unshaken considering the situation, leading the Pharaoh to pause and listen carefully. 'If you're going to do this, if I'm going to lose him? I want a chance to talk to Katsuya. He's in there, I know he is and I have some things I want to say before you…'

The Pharaoh winced as Yugi swallowed back her pain, and dropped out of control, allowing her twin the time she needed. 'Be careful, Imoto. You're barely standing as it is.'

'I know.'

Yugi wavered on her feet as she took control, the Shadow rope briefly constricting around her throat, letting her know she wasn't free of the game. Her hands shook as she gazed over at the other side.

"Ishizu, let me talk to him."

"You have no right to demand anything of me, little Yugi! Put the Pharaoh back out here before my Gilford the Lightning runs you through!"

"What's the matter? Is your grip on him so weak that you think a simple conversation will break it?"

Yugi's taunt surprised those watching. The tone was so full of fire and anger that it gave them hope she could still turn this around.

"Let me talk to him."

"You have no idea how powerful I've become, thanks to this duel." A rush of darkness flooded the area, sweeping around at gale force pace and nearly knocking the sick girl off of her feet. "I'm stronger than you right now! Don't test me!"

"Then why are you so afraid?" The quiet question made the magic freeze in place. "What harm can I do now? I'm dead next turn. Let. Me. Talk. To. Him."

"Fine."

Suddenly it was Katsuya in control and Yugi's heart broke to behold the pain and anguish on his face.

"Yugi, I'm..."

"It's okay." She promised as she moved around to his side of the field. "I know you don't want this. That she's making you do this. Just like she's been controlling other people all day. I don't blame you."

"But you're… I'm…"

"I'm the one who failed us. I should've told you last night about the poison. I should've done something about Ishizu sooner. You aren't at fault here. I am. And what happens to me, is me paying for that mistake. We made a promise, back in Tokyo, that we would fight Ishizu together, but I haven't fought, I've tried to avoid fighting. I've let you down. I'm sorry."

"Yuge…" He trailed off as she grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss, stunning him into silence.

'Anesan, please, help him.'

'What are you…?'

Suddenly the Pharaoh was cut off as Yugi quickly lifted the chain from over her head and slipped it over the head of the distracted Katsuya, who didn't realise what she was doing until the golden treasure fell into place, resting against his pecs.

"Wh…"

"Trust me." She whispered before letting him go.

"Surrendering already, little Yugi?" Yugi had to bite back her response as Ishizu ripped Katsuya away from her. "If you're giving me the Puzzle, you know you're doomed."

"I swore I'd never give up on Katsuya." Yugi shot back as she moved back to her place. "I'm not afraid, Ishizu, I can still win this without losing anyone. And even if I don't I know he'll look after Anesan for me. I believe in him and I believe in my deck."

With that, Yugi drew.

And in the confines of his mind, Katsuya screamed as Ishizu reached to activate her traps and finish this duel, and Yugi, for good.