The Seal of Orichalcos shone and shot to the sky, taking with it its latest victim.

The Leviathan drank in every drop, meager as it was. Every soul counted, and it would need more if it were to get anywhere close to where it was in the past.

Not to mention the strength needed to take on the Pharaoh's soul…

Speaking of which, the Leviathan frowned. The Pharaoh below was unsteady on his feet, far sooner than the Leviathan was expecting. They were only six Duels in, and it had seen the Pharaoh take on far more than that.

The Pharaoh had gone pale, and an odd wheezing noise was coming from his chest. Without warning, he suddenly collapsed.

The Leviathan was on its feet in an instant. "Check him," it ordered.

Kaguchi lumbered down to the arena. One large hand took the Pharaoh by the shoulder and turned him on his back. The Pharaoh's hand clutched at his shirt, and he gasped for breath.

"The boy's asthma," Kaguchi said in monotone, looking up at the Leviathan.

The Leviathan tsked. "Useless," it said. "Take him back. We'll allow him a reprieve…for now."

Two puppets walked forward and took the Pharaoh by the arms. They began to drag him out of the room.

The Leviathan watched until they were out of sight. Then it removed something from its pocket.

Obelisk the Tormentor stared back at it with its beady eyes. The Leviathan sneered, then closed its eyes. It began to chant, willing the card's power to feed into itself.

A spark leapt from the card to its fingertips, and the Leviathan swore and cut off, dropping the card.

Obelisk's eyes seemed to mock it where it lay.

"Sir?" Yamamoto's voice came from behind him.

"Silence," the Leviathan snapped. It bent down to pick up the card again and stared challengingly back at Obelisk.

"You'll be mine once again, once I have the Pharaoh's soul," the Leviathan whispered.

It stuffed Obelisk back into its pocket with the rest of the God cards.

All would come in due time.

In the hallway, being dragged along by two henchmen, the Pharaoh opened his eyes.

Making sure they were far enough down the hallway, he waited until they rounded a corner.

He suddenly wrenched himself from their hold. His Duel Disk activated, and he drew the first card on his Deck. He didn't even need to see it to know it would be a Monster Card.

Black Luster Soldier answered his call and appeared in all its shining glory. The henchmen stumbled back, surprised.

Black Luster Soldier swung its sword into the wall, and a cloud of dust rained down on the three. The henchmen made no expressions, but they covered their eyes, which was exactly what the Pharaoh needed.

Forcing himself to see through the holograms, he snatched the one item he needed; a key card. Without hesitation he started to sprint down the hallway.

He could hear footsteps behind him. He drew another card: Multiply. Trusting in the Heart of the Cards, he played it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a holographic version of himself dart down a separate hallway. To his other side, a third doppelganger split off.

The footsteps behind him paused, then went a different direction. The Pharaoh breathed a sigh of relief.

He reached the room he and Yugi were kept in. He slid the key card through the lock. Please work…

The light on the lock blinked green, and the door clicked open.

He burst through in an instant. "Aibou!"

Inside the room, Yugi leapt to his feet.

The Pharaoh stretched out a hand. "Now's our chance! Come!"

Yugi took it. Together, they ran.

They had no way of knowing which way was the correct way; they could only trust. Weaving and winding, going by instinct alone, they navigated the hallways at a dash, halting only for the few heart-stopping moments when it seemed they were going to run into a patrolling puppet. Every now and then, the Pharaoh would play a card; the resulting hologram would either cause a distraction or investigate the next hallway.

Then they saw it: a door marked Exit.

Wasting no time, they burst through it.

The sunlight hit them harshly, and they winced at the glare. The cries of seagulls and the crashing of waves met their ears, and the strong smell of the ocean greeted them as the door swung shut behind them.

"Where…Where are we?" Yugi looked around.

"Not Domino." Yugi felt his anxiety spike at the worry in the Pharaoh's voice. "We must have been flown or shipped out to somewhere else entirely."

Everywhere they looked, there was ocean. Even as they ran across the ground, it was evident there was very little ground to run on.

"We're on an island," Yugi whispered. "How…How is anyone going to know where we are?"

He felt the hold on his hand tighten.

"Come on." The Pharaoh tugged him forward.

But wherever they went, it was the same. Rocky shores, small grassy hills…eventually they reached the top of a small cliff, the seemingly highest point on this hill. It was clear the island they were on was pitifully tiny, such that the building they were on must have been built beneath it.

There seemed to be no way of reaching home. Then,

"Look!" Yugi pointed. "There's a ship!"

Indeed, from their vantage point they could see the top of a small ship docked on the other side of the island.

"Maybe we can radio for help!"

"It's worth a try," the Pharaoh agreed.

"Oh, I doubt even if you got that far, you'd reach anybody in time."

Yugi felt hands curl around his arms and yank him backwards. He cried out in surprise, and looked up to see the blank face of Yamamoto, one of the assistants. She had a surprisingly strong grip that cut into Yugi's arms. Across from him, the Pharaoh was fighting the grip of Kaguchi.

The Leviathan strolled easily up the path to them. It clapped its hands lightly and twisted Keichi's mouth up into a smile. "A valiant effort, my friends. But I'm afraid you were doomed for failure from the start."

"Let us go!" the Pharaoh spat.

"Now why would I do that, after all the trouble I went through to get you?"

"Let Yugi go, at the very least! You have me, I'm the one you've been after! He's of no use to you, so let him go!"

"On the contrary, Pharaoh," the Leviathan said softly. "I've realized he's precisely the one I need."

Yugi and the Pharaoh exchanged looks of worry. What could that mean?

The Leviathan turned down the path. "Bring them."

They were taken back to the arena.

The Pharaoh expected he would be made to take his place on the field, like usual. But to his shock, the burly assistant went to remove his Duel Disk.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, even as one assistant passed the Disk to the other.

"I've come to realize that my efforts have been in vain, Pharaoh," the Leviathan said, standing a little ways from both of them. "It doesn't matter how many puppets I send after you. You'll never break. I'm afraid you're too good. Too strong."

The female assistant shoved the Disk on Yugi's arm.

In an instant, the Pharaoh understood. He immediately began to fight against Kaguchi's hold in earnest.

"Stop this! Leave him alone!"

"It's too late. You've brought this upon yourself." The Leviathan snapped its fingers.

Two henchmen appeared, carrying between them a strange device with many pads and wires. Yamamoto took hold of Yugi's shoulders.

"You would be wise not to move," she said.

One of the henchmen yanked up Yugi's shirt, and the other began placing the pads on Yugi's chest.

"What are you doing?" Yugi struggled in their grip, but the assistant's hold was too strong. She grabbed hold of Yugi's wrists and twisted them behind his back. He cried out in pain.

The Pharaoh lunged forward, and Kaguchi yanked him back harshly. "Don't move," he intoned.

"I'm okay, Other Me," Yugi said, panting. "I'll be okay."

The henchmen stepped away once they were finished. The assistant manhandled Yugi until he was standing in the arena.

"Aibou…" the Pharaoh whispered.

Yugi flashed him a reassuring smile. "I won't lose," he promised.

"You had better hope not," the Leviathan said. "Or else…"

It took out a device with a button on it. Making sure to make eye contact with the Pharaoh, it pressed the button.

Yugi screamed. His body seized, his back arching with the force of it.

"Aibou!" the Pharaoh screamed with him, lunging forward again. Once again he was brought back into place. Kaguchi's grip was hard enough that he felt like his arms were going to snap under the force of it, but he still twisted and fought.

When it was over, Yugi fell to his knees, trembling. His body jerked unnaturally, his breath stuttering.

The Leviathan turned the device in its hand this way and that. "Hmm. Maybe a bit too strong."

"What have you done to him?!" the Pharaoh demanded.

"It's what will happen if he loses the Duel," the Leviathan replied. "No souls, no Orichalcos, no magic. No chance of you getting him back, even if he should lose. I'm not taking any chances after last time. Oh, and don't think about trying to rip those off, either. You'll be dead before you get the first one off."

It started to walk away, when the Pharaoh stopped it.

"Enough of this, Leviathan! I…I submit." The Pharaoh's voice turned pleading for the first time. "I give in. You win."

"N-no…" Yugi was struggling to his feet. "D-don't, Other Me…you can't!"

"I submit, I say!" the Pharaoh shouted. "You can have my soul. Just…just let Yugi go."

The Leviathan turned back. Its face was impassive. There was a tense silence, broken only by Yugi's ragged breathing.

"I refuse."

"Why?!"

The Leviathan smirked. "As satisfying as it is to see you grovel, Pharaoh, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It doesn't matter if you give me permission or not. As I am now, I will admit…I am too weak to handle the force of your soul. The magnitude of it would tear my soul to shreds. But if I were to break you, wholly, completely, then I'll feast on you at my leisure. And what better way to render you than by sacrificing the person who means more to you than anyone else in the world?

"One way or another, I will make sure Yugi Muto's soul goes to a place you cannot reach."

"You can't…You can't!" The Pharaoh's voice broke in his despair.

"Just remember, Pharaoh…everything that transpires from this point on is your fault."

The assistant Yamamoto walked to the other side of the arena. Several henchmen approached. One held an Orichalcos Duel Disk, which he slid up her arm. The others started to put the same device on her as they had Yugi.

"Just to make things a little even," the Leviathan called down. "Now both of their lives are riding on the outcome of this Duel. Only fair, I say."

Yamamoto activated her Disk.

"Duel Start," she said.

Yugi got unsteadily to his feet. He was still shivering from the electrical attack.

"Aibou!"

"I'll be fine, Other Me!" Yugi shouted. "I won't let the Leviathan kill me."

He met the Pharaoh's terrified gaze. He gave a smile. "Trust in me."

How could he, in the face of such terrible odds? But the only thing the Pharaoh could ever do was place his trust in his partner. He hardened his resolve; his gaze sharpened.

"I trust you, Aibou."

Yugi nodded, then activated his Disk. "Duel…Start!"

It was Yugi's turn first. He scanned his cards, then set one card face down.

"I set a Monster in face-down defense position!" he said. "Your move!"

Yamamoto drew. "I play Shadow of Eyes."

The trap card revealed itself on the field as two smokey, blinking eyes. Without warning, Yugi's Monster suddenly flipped itself to reveal a soldier of stone, first knelt with its shield crossed in front of it before it was forced to stand with its sword at the ready.

"I summon Mad Sword Beast."

A large four-legged beast with a great horn curving from its nose appeared on the field. It tossed its head and snorted.

"Attack Giant Soldier of Stone."

The beast howled and charged. Its horn pierced the soldier through; cracks began to start and spread throughout, and the soldier crumbled before exploding into dust. Yugi's life point counter ticked down to 7900.

Yugi cried out when electricity hit him again. "What…?"

"Leviathan! What is the meaning of this?" the Pharaoh shouted.

"Oh, didn't I mention? Every time one of them loses life points, they get a little jolt." The Leviathan chuckled. "Just to make things interesting."

"You dare–!"

"I-I'm fine, Other Me," Yugi said. "I'll just have to be careful, that's all."

Yamamoto set one card face down and ended her turn. Yugi drew shakily.

"I place a Monster in defense mode! Then I place two cards face down and end my turn!"

Aibou, what are you doing? You can't play defense forever, the Pharaoh thought desperately.

"Draw." Yamamoto looked through her cards. "I summon Blue Winged Crown."

A beautiful blue phoenix with a red burning plume appeared on the field.

"I equip Rush Recklessly to Mad Sword Beast to give it 700 attack."

The eyes of Mad Sword Beast glowed red, and veins stood out all along its neck and legs. It threw its head back and roared.

"Attack his face down monster."

The ghost of a handsome silver wolf appeared with a howl before it was destroyed.

Yugi cried out as his body seized again, and his life points counter ticked down to 6600.

"What?!"

"When Mad Sword Beast attacks a defense position Monster, the difference is inflicted as battle damage," Yamamoto rattled off tonelessly.

That could prove troublesome, the Pharaoh thought.

"Blue Winged Crown, attack Yugi directly."

Yugi's screams as the attack landed would forever haunt the Pharaoh until his last day.

"I-I activate Rope of Life," Yugi panted. " Since I've lost a Monster, I discard my hand."

He fumbled a little with his cards, but managed to put them into the Graveyard slot.

"Now, I can Special Summon a Monster from that discarded hand."

A holographic rope appeared on his side of the field. It started to rise, pulling a Monster from the depths.

"The Monster I choose is…Archfiend of Gilfer!"

A red-winged devil of a Monster rose with the rope and leapt onto the field. It hissed, and smoke billowed from its mouth.

"Thanks to Rope of Life's effect, it gains 800 attack points!"

Yamamoto showed no shock at the new Monster on the field. She simply set one card face down and ended her turn.

"I draw!" Yugi drew, then showed the card in his hand. "Since this is the only card in my hand, I can summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight in Attack mode!"

Gaia appeared in all its knightly glory, its twin lances glinting in the firelight.

"Attack both her Monsters!"

Archfiend of Gilfer pounced on the blue phoenix, savagely ripping into its neck, while Gaia charged and pierced the Mad Beast with both its lances. Yamamoto's life points ticked down to 5700.

Yamamoto's body jerked under the force of the electrical pads; for the first time, a flicker of emotion passed over her face as she grunted in pain.

The Pharaoh winced when he felt Kaguchi's grip tighten even further. In shock, he looked up at Kaguchi's face, but saw only stony impassiveness.

"Activate Trap." Yamamoto revealed a card, Michizure. "I target your Archfiend and destroy it."

"Activate Spell card! Dark Illusion! Your card's effect is negated, and the card is destroyed!"

A spell appeared on the floor and sucked Yamamoto's card Michizure into it.

"Well done, Aibou!"

"Thanks, Other Me!" Yugi wiped the sweat from his chin. "I end my turn!"

Yamamoto drew. "I place one Monster in face down defense position. Then I play Mischief of the Gnomes," she said.

The Pharaoh inhaled sharply. That card was a tricky one, one that allowed the user to lower the levels of the Monsters in their hand by one.

"I summon Labyrinth Wall in defense mode."

A giant mess of walls began to rise all around them. For a heart-stopping moment, Yugi was put out of sight.

"Aibou!"

Emerging from the wall, a large TV flickered on. It gave a bird's-eye view of the Duel, and showed both Yugi and Yamamoto in their respective places.

"I equip Labyrinth wall with Magical Labyrinth. Then I end my turn."

The walls of the Labyrinth glowed with a sickly red energy, and a churning, swirling void appeared on the floor beneath the maze.

"My turn! I draw! I play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards!"

Yugi drew, then smiled in delight. Something in the Pharaoh's heart eased at the sight.

"I play Dark Magic Curtain! By paying half my life points, this allows me to summon my Dark Magician to the field from my Deck!"

Yugi grunted as the electrical pads took hold once again; his life points counter ticked down to 2500. But he ignored it in favor of watching his best Monster surge to the field in all its glory: Dark Magician appeared in a swirl of magic and black smoke.

"I equip Magic Formula! This will give it more than enough power to take down your Labyrinth Wall! Dark Magician, attack!"

Dark Magician aimed its staff, and swung it in a wide arc. A beam of magic shot forth, utterly rending the walls of the Labyrinth. The stone began to crumble all around them. Yugi was brought into view once again. A tension the Pharaoh didn't realize he had eased at the sight of him.

"Since I can't summon any more monsters this turn, I end my turn."

"I draw." Yamamoto revealed her card. "I activate Destruction Ring. I tribute one monster. Both players lose 1000 life points."

Identical rings appeared on each of their fingers. The gem on it blinked red, first slowly, then faster and faster; it revealed itself to be a small bomb. Suddenly it exploded, and Yugi cried out with the resulting electric shock.

On the other side of the field, Yamamoto didn't even flinch. When her life point counter showed, it displayed the same amount it had been previously of 5700.

"She didn't lose any life points?" the Pharaoh said aloud.

"The Monster I tributed was Skull-Mark Ladybug. Because of this, I gain 1000 life points when it is sent to the Graveyard. The result is a net 0."

She set a card. "I summon Island Turtle in defense mode. I set one card face down. Then I end my turn."

Yugi had fallen to one knee with the force of that attack. He knelt there with his face bowed, his shoulders jerking every now and then.

"Giving up so soon?" the Leviathan chuckled. "Perhaps I should just end it here, then?"

"No, don't! Aibou, get up! Stand up!" the Pharaoh pleaded.

Yugi pushed himself to his feet. He stood there a moment, swaying, his eyes hidden.

Then he raised his head. The Pharaoh's breath caught. There was a look in there he'd never seen before.

"Leviathan," he said quietly. "If Yamamoto loses, what will you do?"

"What will I do?" the Leviathan mused. "Why, her life would be forfeit, of course. I did say I'd make this a fair Duel."

Yugi's hand curled into a fist.

"Nothing about this is fair! We're just all playing to your stupid rules! All for your sadistic enjoyment! And for what? Why are you doing all this? Tell us!"

The Leviathan regarded him coldly. It was silent for a time.

"I am humanity's darkness."

The Leviathan raised a hand, and black flames engulfed it.

"For as long as humanity has existed, I have existed. And as long as humanity persists, I will endure. For 10,000 years I had planned to be their reckoning, to bring this pitiful world to a new order. Do you know, for that entire time, I never held any strong feelings about the matter, towards one person or another. All of you, all, are just food. One way or another, every person on this planet is destined to be devoured by me. And I would have eaten the world.

"Then I was stopped by a paltry 3,000 year old Egyptian King and a Japanese brat."

The flames were snuffed out.

"It's enough to make one just a tad pissed off."

It gestured. "Now, continue."

Yugi didn't move, staring up at him defiantly.

He had no choice but to bow, though, when the Leviathan clicked the device in his hand and electricity coursed through him once again.

"I said…continue."

"Aibou…"

Yugi looked at him, agony in his eyes.

For the first time in his life, the Pharaoh felt truly helpless. There was nothing he could protect his partner from. He couldn't take his place and feel the pain for him; he couldn't take over and do what needed to be done, all so Yugi wouldn't have to.

All he could do was trust in him, that he'd find a way out of this.

"Aibou. If anyone can win this, it's you."

He tried to put as much meaning behind his words as possible.

If anyone can find a way out of this Duel, it's you.

There was no link between them, not anymore. No way for them to read each other's feelings anymore. Yet Yugi seemed to grasp his meaning.

Small, ragged, and looking more in pain than he ever had in his life, Yugi nodded.

"I draw!" Yugi looked at the card, then displayed it to the room. "I play Card of Sanctity! We each draw until we have six cards!"

Both he and Yamamoto drew. "I now summon Queen's Knight, in Attack mode! Then I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my King's Knight, which I discarded earlier in the Duel!"

Both Queen's Knight and King's Knight leapt to the field, their armor gleaming.

"With these two on the field, I can summon Jack's Knight from my Deck!"

Jack's Knight appeared between them.

"I now play the spell card, Black Magic Ritual!"

Yes! The Pharaoh's heart soared.

"With this, I can tribute Monsters whose levels equal eight or higher! I tribute my three monsters to summon the Magician of Black Chaos!"

The three knights swirled in a black mist. Lightning struck the field as magic circles appeared all around. From the floor, a dark shape began to rise.

The Magician of Black Chaos took its place next to the Dark Magician.

"Magician of Black Chaos! Attack her Island Turtle!"

The gigantic turtle in the middle of the room let out a mournful cry as it was blasted into oblivion.

"Dark Magician! Attack her directly!"

"Activate Spell card: Block Attack."

Dark Magician lowered its staff and closed its spellbook.

Yugi let out a breath. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"I draw. I activate Final Flame. 600 points of damage."

As the field burst into flame around Yugi and his life points ticked down to 900, the Pharaoh couldn't help but jerk in Kaguchi's hold. To his surprise, he found himself nearly able to escape. Kaguchi showed no emotion, but his grip had slackened. Upon noticing the Pharaoh was again trying to wriggle out, however, he closed his fists again.

But what had that been? A lapse in attention? Up until this point, the Pharaoh had believed both assistants to be mindless, soulless beings as much as the rest of the puppets. But perhaps…

"Kaguchi," he said, putting all of his desperation into his voice, "please, listen to me. I know a part of you knows this is wrong! Whatever control the Leviathan has over you, you can fight it!"

Kaguchi's gaze slid down to his. For a moment, the Pharaoh thought he wouldn't speak.

"No control," Kaguchi said, surprising him. "Yamamoto and I are the Leviathan's servants. We will see our master returned."

"Please! I know you care for Yamamoto!" Kaguchi's eyes widened imperceptibly. "Whatever she means to you, I can tell–you don't wish to see her dead! The Leviathan will kill her if you don't help me!"

Kaguchi was silent. He seemed to be considering the Pharaoh's words. For a moment, the Pharaoh felt the grip holding him soften, and his heart leapt…

Then Kaguchi closed his hands. "To give our lives for the Leviathan would be an honor," he said monotonously.

The Pharaoh shouted in frustration. "Aibou! Don't lose!"

Yamamoto continued her turn. "Activate Sparks. Additional 200 points of damage. Activate Toll. Each player must pay 500 life points to make an attack."

Yugi, with his 700 life points, certainly wouldn't be able to afford that much.

"I summon Red Archery Girl in defense mode. Then I end my turn."

A giant clam appeared on Yamamoto's side of the field, mostly closed but for a sliver of space, through which the tiniest hint of an arrow poked through.

"I draw!" Yugi looked at his card, then at the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh's breath caught.

Yugi gave a smile. "Everything's gonna be okay, Other Me."

He looked up at the Leviathan. "I'll show you what your rules mean to me, you big ugly snake!"

He placed a Spell card down. "I play the Spell Card Upstart Goblin! I draw a card, and my opponent gains 1000 life points!"

Yamamoto's life points ticked up to 6700. The Leviathan frowned.

"Then I play Soul Target! Your Red Archery Girl is destroyed!"

The giant clam disappeared in a burst of digital sparks.

"As per Soul Target's effect, you gain an additional 1000 life points!"

7700. What was Yugi thinking?!

Yugi held aloft a card. "Now you have 7000 life points more than I do! With this, I'll end the Duel!"

He played it.

"Activate Self-Destruct Button!"

"NO AIBOU!"

A giant red button emerged from the floor in front of Yugi. Without hesitation, he slammed his hand on it.

Red lights began to flash, and an alarm blared. Smoke arose all around. Before the Pharaoh's horrified gaze, Yugi smiled, and gave a thumbs up.

Then the field exploded.

Both Yugi's and Yamamoto's life points ticked down to 0. Smoke and dust billowed upwards, obscuring the field from view.

Then the holograms froze, flickered, then faded. The lights in the arena dimmed. Even the firelight seemed to wilt.

Both Yugi and Yamamoto stood on opposite sides of the room, completely unharmed.

"Aibou!" the Pharaoh said in relief.

Yugi grinned broadly. "I did it!" he exclaimed.

The Pharaoh couldn't help but smile back. That faded at the sound of light clapping from above them.

"Very clever," the Leviathan said softly. "Very, very clever. Truly, I am starting to see why it was that I was unable to overcome the both of you."

"We beat your terms," the Pharaoh said. "Now let us go!"

The Leviathan turned its cold gaze on him. "Now when did I ever agree to that?"

He held the device in his hand aloft.

The Pharaoh's eyes widened.

"NO!"

The Leviathan pressed down.

Both Yugi and Yamamoto tensed, then arched. Their bodies quivered and jerked, their heads thrown back in soundless agony.

That was the worst part, the silence.

Then they collapsed.

The Pharaoh was there to catch Yugi as he fell (when did he break free of the grip holding him?). Yugi sank into his hold bonelessly, already unconscious. Please let him just be unconscious. Please let him be…

"Aibou?" the Pharaoh found himself muttering. "Aibou, wake up." He lowered both of them to the ground so he could turn Yugi over. "Aibou, I know you can hear me. Wake up, open your eyes!"

Was the device still attacking him? In a frenzy, the Pharaoh went to tear it off Yugi's chest. He tried not to look at the horrible marks that were left behind. He threw it behind him, and it clattered to the floor.

Yugi was still, so still. He couldn't tell if he was breathing. But he had to be breathing. He had to be…

"Aibou?" The Pharaoh shook him. One hand went for his neck, to feel for a pulse.

Nothing.

Or maybe he was simply too numb to feel it. The Pharaoh dipped his head to Yugi's chest, to listen for a heartbeat.

Was that Yugi's heartbeat, or was that his own, thundering in his ears?

It had to be Yugi's. Yugi had to be alive. He had to be.

"He's dead, Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh flinched. Don't listen to him. Don't listen to him.

"That was ten thousand volts just now, straight to his heart. He wouldn't survive that."

"You don't know him," the Pharaoh said, his voice sounding faraway. "He's strong. Stronger than you'll ever know."

"Face reality, Pharaoh. He's gone. I killed him. He isn't coming back. Not this time."

He pulled Yugi close to him.

"You've failed."

No. I can't have. I can't have lost him…

A rage-filled scream filled the air. The Pharaoh was startled to realize it wasn't coming from him. He looked up to see Kaguchi holding Yamamoto, throwing his head back, still screaming. A sickly blue-green light was coming from something around his neck.

Kaguchi cut off and slumped forward, his giant shoulders heaving. He stood, bringing Yamamoto's body with him.

"Bring her back," he said, his deep voice trembling with more emotion than the Pharaoh had heard out of the man, "bring her back, or I'll kill you."

"Now this is unexpected," the Leviathan said in wonder.

With one jump, Kaguchi leapt to the open window where the Leviathan was standing. It was an incredibly inhuman feat, and the Pharaoh's shock mirrored the Leviathan's own, right before a large hand clamped its way around the Leviathan's neck.

"Bring her back," Kaguchi said quietly.

Even while being choked, the Leviathan had the audacity to smile. A horrible feeling rose in the Pharaoh.

"Kaguchi," he said hoarsely. "Get away!"

The Leviathan made a pulling motion with its hand. Green light suddenly enveloped Kaguchi, and he roared in pain as he fell to his knees. The Orichalcos left him just as quickly, and his hand fell from the Leviathan's neck. He did not move again.

The Leviathan cleared its throat and adjusted its tie. "Fool," it sneered.

The Leviathan's gaze slid to the last occupant in the room. A hungry glint appeared in its eye. It started to descend the stairs down to the arena.

The Pharaoh merely knelt there, holding his partner close. "Aibou," he continued to murmur. "Wake up."

Yugi stayed silent. His eyes remained closed.

There was a coldness spreading throughout the Pharaoh, numbing his limbs, freezing his chest. His head was growing fuzzy, and a ringing was in his ears. He waited for an all-consuming anger to hit him, for rage to overtake him, as it had Kaguchi. But instead he felt…nothing.

Because he could do nothing. This wasn't like before. Yugi's soul hadn't been taken, it wasn't waiting somewhere for the Pharaoh to reclaim it. He couldn't bring it back. He was helpless.

Yugi had died, and he'd been helpless.

No…he's not dead…

He can't be dead…

The Pharaoh didn't react even as the Leviathan's footsteps came to a halt right beside him.

"This is nostalgic, isn't it?" The Leviathan breathed in. "The two of us, alone. You, alone. Your partner, gone, and your friends nowhere to be seen."

A tear escaped the Pharaoh at last. It fell onto Yugi's cheek and ran down out of sight.

"Last time, you were able to defeat me through the bond you shared with your friends. But I've eliminated that little problem. Your friends aren't coming. Your partner is gone. So now, there should be nothing preventing me from taking your soul."

The Seal of Orichalcos appeared on the floor. It began to shrink, slowly, steadily.

The Pharaoh didn't care. He couldn't care about anything.

How could he, when his reason for living had gone?

The Leviathan knelt and grasped the Pharaoh's chin. "Still, I want to hear you say it."

It forced the Pharaoh's vacant gaze to meet its own. "Submit to me."

"I…"

A black shadow slithered from Keichi's eyes, and the professor collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The shadow rose, higher and higher, showing itself to be a large black serpent with glowing red eyes. It began to coil around the Pharaoh, resting its head on his shoulder. Its tongue flicked by the Pharaoh's ear.

Submit, it hissed.

"I…"

The black snake began to coil tighter.

He was sinking. An ocean was rising all around him, and he was falling into its dark depths. There was nothing but the cold and the dark.

Far, far below him, a black snake sat at the bottom, waiting.

Numbness spread through his every being. He could feel nothing. No pain, no anguish, no loss.

And isn't that peace?

A small part of the Pharaoh shouted that this was wrong. That this wasn't what his friends would have wanted.

But what friends were here now?

He was alone.

I…

The black snake opened its jaws.

The door burst open.

"YUGI!"

The Pharaoh jerked. His hold on Yugi tightened.

And in his arms, he heard a cough.

"...Aibou?"

RN: If you wanna scream at me, do so in a review!

Fun fact: most of the cards used by Yamamoto are actual cards I own. It was honestly the only way I could write this Duel, haha.