"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…
…And the chains of Shadow binding his soul shattered.
He turned to shield himself, but a bolt of midday bright light wrapped around him, protecting him from the shards. It reconnected him to his friends, allowing him to feel Yugi's bright joy, Meisa's dark confidence, Anzu's determination and Honda's strength.
Katsuya knew without even having to be told.
Ishizu's side of the oath was broken. Shizuka's soul was free. His sister was safe.
And that meant he could act.
Eyes wide, Katsuya lunged for control, taking advantage of Ishizu's shock to seize control of his body, "I activate Gift Card! Giving you 3000 life points. Go ahead with the rest of your turn."
Relief and shock flickered across Yugi's face as the trap card fired off, taking her back up to 5000 life points. Enough to survive the next turn without activating her Nutrient Z.
Then the blood drained from her face and her heart froze as she realised just how close to defeat she'd come.
There were two face down cards. A Duelist didn't just give their opponent life points without a reason, but there was a nasty card in the game that could turn that gift into a curse and deduct the points instead.
If that card had fired off, this would have been her last turn. She would never have survived the start of Katsuya's next one. She would have had to pick between saving him or saving herself.
But Katsuya had managed to grab control and cut the move in half, protecting them both.
"Thank you, Katsu. I play a card face down."
She quickly slipped a card into her Duel Disk, cutting off the chance to activate the other face down card, before checking the card she'd drawn.
Her heart and soul sang when it was the card she needed. The one that could save them both, meaning no choice had to be made.
"This one too! And that's not all! I activate Monster Reborn, to bring back my Dark Magician!"
The spellcaster retook the field, did a double take when he saw it was Yugi in control rather than the Pharaoh and moved to shield her, refusing to fail her in this Shadow Game, like he had the one against Pegasus.
"I activate Thousand Knives, destroying your Gilford the Lightning!"
The warrior couldn't dodge all the knives her Dark Magician threw and Yugi felt guilty at the look of pain on its face as several struck home before it shattered.
She could see the anguish on the faces of her other friends. If she attacked with the Dark Magician now, she would win and live, but Katsuya would die at the start of his next turn. The only one who looked calm was Kaiba, who looked expectant, like he thought she would follow through. She'd expected that, but the fear on Anzu's face and the anger on Honda's hit her hard.
"Yuge? It's okay. I know what'll happen if you don't make it." Katsuya drew her focus back, shaking and pale, but pushing her to make the move. "If I live and you don't, everything ends, so attack me and win. At least I know you and Shizuka will be safe."
"I…" Yugi's voice trembled.
While she understood his choice and it was good to know Shizuka's soul was out of Ishizu's hands, she couldn't bring herself to kill Katsuya. Not when she had the keys she needed to save them both. Even if she hadn't, she didn't think she could do it. Instead she shook her head. "It's your move Katsu."
"But Yu… ahh!" His hands rose to his head as a splitting migraine slammed into it, causing him to stagger backwards and nearly step off the pier.
"Katsuya!"
'NO. THIS ISN'T OVER! IF SHE CAN'T FULFIL HER DUTY, I'LL END THIS AND DO IT FOR HER!'
Wrath and hate slammed into him as Hanaq ripped control from him and sent him tumbling into darkness.
He wanted to respond to Yugi's call, to stop Hanaq using him to hurt Yugi, but he couldn't as the Shadows dragged him down and down and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break its grasp.
Until a hand was offered…
Across the dueling field, Yugi had felt the moment her bond to Katsuya had reignited, like a bonfire someone had thrown fuel on. Now though, she took a step back, as dark flames surrounded him and Hanaq's voice overlaid with his, warning her far too clearly that Hanaq had seized control of him, despite the oath no longer being valid on either end, and she was now in grave danger.
"You will pay, Yugi Mutou, for failing to save yourself and putting the whole world in danger!" Hanaq snarled out, drawing as she spoke. The serpent tattoo bit down on them both and Yugi only remained on her feet as the 3200 life points drained away because the Dark Magician heard her cry and turned to catch her.
Seemingly unphased by the fact Yugi's life points stood at 1800 after the bite, while her own only sat at 800, Hanaq smirked, "I play Exchange."
Yugi quickly cast her eyes across the field as Ishizu's wrath moved close enough to exchange one card with her. All Hanaq had on the field were those two face down cards. If she took Osiris from her, there was nothing she could do with it.
She straightened, doing her best to look like she wasn't leaning on Mahad, as the other Item Holder approached, taking Katsuya's Red Eyes from the hand she was shown, while offering her own hand with a tremble.
"You're nervous, Yugi." Hanaq sneered, "And you should be. Your demise is just around the corner."
"I'm not scared." Yugi lied, staring back, reminding herself to treat this woman like any other bully, and not back down, "You won't win, Hanaq."
"You don't stand a chance." Hanaq bluffed as she found herself fighting not only the host of the vessel, but some other power for control of her slave.
The distraction of trying to push back the Shadows of the second force allowed the owner of the vessel she'd stolen to reach out, his hand almost on the Kuriboh next to the card she wanted, when she managed to regain control and snatch the Sky Dragon of Osiris away from Yugi.
"You don't deserve this. I'm going to show you how to use it properly." She hissed as she moved back into place, struggling to deal with the rage from two different angles, when added to the venom coursing through her soul.
"You don't have enough monsters to summon it!" Yugi protested. "Taking that God from me means nothing."
"Does it?" The sheer malicious confidence in Hanaq's voice shut Yugi's mouth.
"I activate Dual Avatar Invitation, allowing me to summon as many tokens as I have open monster slots."
As the card slammed into place from her hand, the knights with shimmering, mirror-like armour arrived, stomping their feet and banging their swords against their shields in unison.
Yugi's breath quickened as fear flooded her. She'd seen the devastation the Gods had caused in Egypt through Azra's vision…
And now she was about to meet one, face to face.
"I tribute three of my tokens for the Sky Dragon of Osiris!"
Lightning hit the water and storm clouds darkened the skies as a serpentine red form descended. Its draconic head was lined with two rows of teeth and Yugi took a step back as both mouths opened to roar at her. The almighty dragon, whose body seemed to reach forever, crackled with power as its ruby red scales shimmered in the waves. Its vicious yellow eyes stared into Yugi's soul. Its great red and black wings spread wide, hiding the rest of the world from view as lightning struck the world around it, forcing non-combatants to back off.
"You could have had this strength." Hanaq gloated as the system flagged up that its attack was 3000. "You could have had this power at your disposal, but instead you decided to sacrifice yourself for a criminal. And now you're going to pay."
"Your Sky Dragon is only 500 attack points higher than my Dark Magician. This isn't over yet." Yugi shook her head, trying not to give in to her trembling knees, which wanted to buckle at the sheer power and aura of 'fear me' the God card was radiating.
"Have you not…" Hanaq stared at Yugi, shocked, then let out a cold, cruel laugh. "Oh, you've not even experimented with the divine might of Osiris, have you? You have no clue how his power works. Well… let me show you."
With that, the lower maw opened, building up power in its jaws before unleashing a burst of lightning that slammed into Yugi's side of the field, shocking the Duelist, shattering her face down card and sending the Dark Magician crashing to his knees.
Yugi nearly joined him. The shock made her fingers and arms tremble and twitch, but she managed to hold, even as Mahad's attack points tumbled to just 500.
"Osiris's Second Mouth destroys those unworthy to stand before him." Hanaq explained with a sneer, "Anything lower than 2000 attack points dies outright, while those with more are reduced by the same amount."
Yugi could hear Honda's cursing and Anzu's terrified cry of her name, but all she could do was stare up at the great ruby head and try not to give in to the waves of power and desire to flee that slammed into her like a tidal wave.
The only thing keeping her in place was that if she held, if she didn't submit to the God's wrath, she could still win. And she could still save them both.
She didn't dare glance over at the docks when she felt the Shadows surge, but she didn't need to. She could feel the presence of the Millennium Ring without glancing away from the God and giving it a reason to strike her down.
"Just in time, Ba-Khu-Ra, to watch the Pharaoh's doll die a painful death." Hanaq's laugh carried over the storm that Osiris's arrival had ushered in. "Take heed, you'll be next! Osiris, Thunder Force Attack!"
The upper mouth opened, divine light and cracking electricity building up before being launched directly at Yugi's side of the field, with a roar of triumph.
"Mirror Force!" Yugi flipped one of her two face down cards and a glittering mirror shield placed itself between her and the God about to annihilate her, but it didn't help.
The burst pierced the shield, which shattered into a rain of shimmering light that destroyed the rest of Ishizu's tokens, but just bounced off the Divine Beast.
As Honda and Anzu called Yugi's name, Mahad surged to his feet, putting himself firmly between Yugi and the oncoming attack, trying to protect her using his body. The blast slammed into the Dark Magician, consuming Yugi's field in light, preventing anyone from seeing what was happening.
Hanaq's hand went to the throat of her mind slave as the rope of Shadows around it snapped, tumbled to the floor and faded away, "I win! I've defeated the undefeatable! The Pharaoh is dead!"
"No…I'm… not…"
Yugi's voice radiating out as the light of the attack began to fade, brought everyone in the area to a silent standstill. The glow died to reveal Katsuya's Red Eyes Black Dragon, a face up card, and Yugi, whose skin had gone ashen grey and whose eyes were dim and face was full of agony, pushing herself to her hands and knees.
Red Eyes lowered its head, giving her something to leverage herself on as the Puzzle Bearer forced herself to her feet. It was clear to all she was only able to stand because she was leaning on the dragon, whose tail shifted to support her, so it could raise its head and bellow, but she was able to rise from the ashes.
"How? You cheat!?"
"No… cheating… Relay… Soul…" Yugi gasped out between rasping breaths, completely out of life points and life energy. "When… my life points… hit zero. I can… summon a monster… as long as it lives… I live."
"But..."
"You might… have taken his body… but his heart? Rests in… in his cards. Red Eyes… is part of Katsuya's… Katsuya's soul." Yugi gasped out, staring directly into Katsuya's eyes and speaking to Hanaq through him, "I believe in it and… I believe in him. And with its… its help? We both live."
Sensing Hanaq's confusion over how Yugi had freed their slave while she was still alive, Ishizu took over control. She stared at the Pharaoh's doll as her own rules bounced around in her head. The way they'd been set up, if Yugi won, she lived, but if her life points hit zero, her boy toy lived. Under any other circumstances that would have been a loss for Yugi.
Yet she'd done the impossible.
Yugi had hit both conditions and won without sacrificing anyone. Just as she should have expected from half of the Nameless Pharaoh. From half of the Queen of Games.
Anger surged, driving Ishizu to stamp her foot, imagining crushing Yugi beneath it.
Even if Yugi was as much the Pharaoh as her Other Self and not just the worthless doll Ishizu had been taught, that just made it worse, because she'd interfered and was refusing to learn what she needed to learn.
And because of it, the Pharaoh would remain weak. Unable to do her duty.
Ishizu's hands balled into fists, though she wished she could wrap them around the neck of the little bitch who dared to defy her and restrain her might when she could end the suffering of Ishizu's family.
Osiris's Second Mouth effect fired off again, sending the dragon's attack crashing down to 400. Even as it collapsed to the ground, barely able to lift its head, it curled around its summoner, protecting her, just as its true owner would have done.
"Let him go… Ishizu… I won." Even on the very precipice of life and death, even as she relied on her dying dragon to stand, even as her voice shook and her body trembled so hard it might fall apart, Yugi managed to sound commanding. "If you don't… end your turn… I win through… time out. And when… my turn ends… this duel… is over… Your plan failed."
"You lost!" Ishizu denied, "You only survived because your little friend refused to kill you! Without his Gift Card, you'd be dead right now."
Yugi's head shake cut her off. "I have… Nutrient Z face… face down. I would have… lasted the turn and activated… Relay Soul when your snake… took my points. I still… would have won. Katsu… proved our bond… is stronger than you… when he broke free and… and helped me. And now… this exam is over… and we both live."
"You are weak. Pathetic!"
Ishizu was beyond furious that after all the time, effort and magic she'd put into these lessons, after everything she'd done to strengthen the Pharaoh so her brothers could be free, this was how it was ending.
"You couldn't do what needed to be done! You couldn't take down a former ally! You're never going to be able to do what you need to do to save the world!"
"Katsu!" Yugi turned her attention away from the ravings, enraging Ishizu further, "I was going… to tell you once this… was over, but… I love you. Hang… hang in there. I'll get you free of this…"
"Shut up and die already!" Ishizu cut off whatever insult Yugi was going to use by activating her last face down card.
Cemetery Bomb took 100 lifepoints per card in Yugi's graveyard, costing the Queen of Games 1000 more points.
And more life energy. Life energy she didn't have to spend.
It wouldn't change the status of the duel, or do anything to that blasted dragon, but it would hurt Yugi grievously, and right now?
Making her pay was all Ishizu cared about.
Yugi's eyes widened as a dome of darkness momentarily expanded from the graveyard slot on her Duel Disk and she scrambled to take it off as it contracted. The Duel Disk hit the ground as an explosion of dark magic slammed into the surrounding area, leaving the dragon unharmed but dropping Yugi's life points into the minus numbers and sending the Puzzle Bearer flying.
Unconscious.
Or worse.
Into the churning, ice cold water of the docks.
The moment Yugi hit the water, Ishizu was suddenly left reeling. The Shadows backing up her mind were swept out from under her feet as Hanaq's presence vanished. Taking advantage of the event, her slave launched an assault, supported by the bright golden fury that she now recognised as the power of the Pharaoh.
'Give my body back!'
She fought, but her magic wouldn't answer her and the Shadows were against her. Both for failing to fulfil her end of the oath with Katsuya, and for attacking her opponent, breaking the terms of the Shadow Game she had on the Pharaoh. They prevented her from using her full power, and between the strength the Pharaoh was lending him and his own determined fury, she couldn't hold control. Ishizu was forced out, allowing Katsuya to rip off his Duel Disk and the Puzzle and dive into the water.
Ba-Khu-Ra sensed the burst of Shadows as he broke free, but she was already diving, having reacted the moment Yugi had hit the water. The Ring was heavy and tried to drag her down, but the light it provided when she channelled the last of her magic into it, lit the sunset darkened waters and revealed everything, including the spectral cracks beginning to form in the reality around her and the sinking form of the Puzzle Bearer, far below her. She surfaced momentarily, taking a deep breath, then dove again, not wanting to waste time.
Because Yugi didn't have any left.
Zorc's cackling echoed at the back of her mind as Ba-Khu-Ra swam down, reaching Yugi's side as the rope of Shadows around the Duelist's throat snapped and tumbled to the sea floor before fading away, announcing that above them, the Duel Disks had timed out, giving Yugi the victory, but warning Ba-Khu-Ra that it'd been five minutes since Yugi had first hit the water.
'I need her, so if you don't help me, I'll leave the damn Ring down here so you lose the chance to be whole!' Ba-Khu-Ra hissed at the demon, trying to ignore her own fear and heartbreak when Yugi didn't respond to her touch. 'Or worse, I won't make it to the surface and you'll need a new host.'
As the demon, irritably, leant his exhausted host some of his energy, Katsuya reached her side and helped her pull Yugi to the surface, their eyes stinging and lungs burning for oxygen as they broke the surface, where Shizuka and Honda dove in and helped them to the pier and out of the water.
Too far gone to give or do anything else, Ba-Khu-Ra watched on her hands and knees as Honda tried to find Yugi's pulse and Katsuya started CPR, directing Anzu in how to do rescue breaths when the Puzzle Bearer wasn't breathing on her own.
'If she doesn't wake,' The Thief Queen gasped out over the soul bond to her sister as the cracks widened and Shadows started to seep back into the world, 'I'm killing Ishizu first. Then everyone Ishizu cares about.'
Her entire body shook as she tried to push herself to help, but she was unable to do more than watch as Jou and Shizuka's mother, a trained doctor, slid to the side of her son and took over the chest compressions, directing the others around them as she went into triage mode. Kawai's expression darkened as Honda reported he couldn't find Yugi's pulse and she snapped out instructions and directed Shizuka to use her phone to call for help, even as she watched her son and his friends crumble around her. Including Amane, whose soul trembled and tears ran down her cheeks as she promised, 'I won't stop you.'
"Come on Yuge." Katsuya begged, terrified and hating himself for failing to break free sooner, "You're stronger than this. Don't leave us now."
"Don't you dare. Not after you kicked that bitch's ass." Honda agreed, as Kawai got him to switch in, rotating the one doing the compressions to not to exhaust one person past effectiveness.
Anzu didn't have spare breath to speak, too busy breathing for Yugi as Ba-Khu-Ra forced herself to her feet.
Yugi had not only been out of life points and life energy, but she'd been far past that point. If the Cemetery Bomb hadn't killed her, the water had, most likely, finished the job.
But the terms of the duel had said should Yugi win, she would live and Ba-Khu-Ra could feel there was something or someone in the Shadows still trying to resolve that problem, slowing the seal's shattering.
And that meant she had a chance.
If she could refill enough life energy for Yugi's body to breathe on its own, the Shadows would be able to restore Yugi's soul to her vessel, fulfilling the terms of the duel, bringing her back and stopping the seal from cracking any further.
'It could kill us.' She warned her host as she scooped up the Millennium Puzzle. 'Making up what she lost from the Cemetery Bomb.'
'I don't care.'
Amane's answer didn't shock the thief in the slightest. She wouldn't have cared either, back in Egypt, and she knew her host cared as much for Yugi, as she had for her Lioness, even if the feelings weren't reciprocated.
Stumbling back to the geek squad, she slumped down at Yugi's side and interrupted their actions just long enough to slip the chain over Yugi's head, before shifting to where she could touch Yugi without getting in the way.
"What are you…?" Jou's growl trailed off as the Ring glowed briefly and Yugi lit up in unison, only for the thief to start to slip sideways.
Shizuka dropped into place next to her, supporting her and preventing her from hitting the dock. "Bakura?"
"I need…" Amane panted as she pushed herself into control of a fading body, "I need more life energy. She burned herself out saving you and your brother. She's got nothing left to survive with."
"Can you take mine?" Shizuka asked, expression determined and posture tense as her mother watched with narrowed eyes, not wanting Ba-Khu-Ra to give the kids false hope, but also aware that magic was the only thing that could save Yugi at this point.
"You're not an Item holder." Amane shook her head. "I can only feed her power from people her Item is connected to."
"Then it'll work. And you'll be able to take from all of us." Anzu gasped out between rescue breaths, "We're connected to it through Yugi and Meisa."
Amane wasn't sure it would work, but didn't have time to hesitate. She closed her eyes so she could focus on the strands of power she could feel, and found to her delight that Anzu was right. They connected her and the others to the Puzzle.
Ba-Khu-Ra helped her strengthen them, their souls echoing and bonding as they pushed themselves to their very limits and the Thief Queen's lips parted as she felt the Pharaoh reaching back, helping her weave those strands into a tight enough net to pull in the strength she needed.
The magic responded to them both without hesitation and the heart of the Thief Queen stuttered in her chest at the knowledge that finally, with Yugi gone, the Millennium Puzzle was hers to control.
And after hunting it all this time, she didn't want it.
She wanted its true Bearer back.
'Come back to us, Runt.' The Thief called for the missing soul as she dragged in every last drop of power those around her could spare and pushed it into the Puzzle, for the Pharaoh to use on healing the vessel and reviving it.
'She'll come back. She has to come back. She knows that.' The Pharaoh's voice echoed in the Thief Queen's mind, as they both tried to ignore the thought that all of this could be for nothing, if Yugi's soul had given up when her body had.
As they worked, the Puzzle glowed brightly and the backs of several hands lit up. Not just the original oath makers from Death-T but the Thief Queen, Shizuka, Mokuba and Kaiba as well.
As Yugi's hand lit up, her heart started beating once more. She convulsed, once, twice, before finally the Pharaoh managed to force the body to roll onto its side and start coughing and heaving violently, bringing up all the water it had taken in.
Then they both felt it.
Yugi's light, reaching for them.
'Imoto!'
'Anesan!'
The Pharaoh pulled on the connection and the Shadows, having waited for that moment, shoved Yugi's soul and reconnected it to her restored vessel, allowing the Pharaoh to wrap around the soul, protecting it from further harm and bolstering its resources until she was certain it would stay.
'I've got you. I've got you.'
'I'm back, Anesan…'
The Thief Queen recoiled as, with Yugi's return, the Puzzle cut her off, preventing her from manipulating its energies any further. However the Pharaoh had learned quickly, easily taking control of the weaving and distributing the remaining life energy evenly between the once seven, now eight living souls bound to her.
And as she did so, the spectral cracks stopped expanding.
The Thief Queen watched them slowly fade away with relief. Unrepaired, but also ungrowing.
Then her soul fell apart.
Ba-Khu-Ra collapsed into the corridor between Soul Sanctuaries and Amane slumped into Shizuka as Yugi's eyes flickered half open.
"Everyone… thank you…"
Yugi's words were shaky and filled with pain, but she was alive to speak them. Relief slammed into them all at the sign that Yugi recognised them, would live and that the Seal would remain, mostly, intact.
All except the demon fragment within the Ring, who turned his attention elsewhere.
