"Reika, are you alright?"

She hadn't moved - hadn't felt like she could move with the way pain was trailing down her arms. Were they hostages? She was, surely, especially now that he knew she was a wielder of a Millennium Item, but the others? Why would they be dragged into this?

"Reika, you must get up. It is nearly time for your dinner."

That got her attention, and her dark eyes glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Six o'clock exactly. Not nearly, but she did need to right herself after the long flight here and the fight she'd had with Pegasus, so with a wince and a sigh, Reika rose to her feet and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was half out of the simple bun she'd put it in, and her shirt was rumpled from the hit with the wall, but it was her eyes that told the full story. Fear and anger were evident, even as Reika tried to take deep, calming breaths. Her eye makeup still looked okay, but her lipstick had patches in it, likely from the snacks and water she'd had on the flight here.

Her movement was stiff as she reached up to pull her hair free of its restraints, allowing her waves to fall down her back and shaking her hair out before redoing the bun.

"Reika?"

She still didn't respond, moving like a puppet over to her makeup bag, finding the color she was currently wearing, and fixing her lipstick in the mirror. She straightened her blouse out, smoothing out the wrinkles before tucking it back into her pants and grabbing her blazer and putting it back on.

"There. That's better," she said.

"Are you ready to talk now?"

"About what, Azila? About how I'm being kept prisoner and can't say anything because I'm the only one who's mind Pegasus can't read?" Reika snapped, whirling on the spirit.

"About how to fight back."

Reika wheezed out a laugh. "Fight back? How am I supposed to fight back against someone who can read minds? I can't talk to anyone about this and even if I could, Pegasus has already thrown me into a wall! There's nothing I can do."

Azila frowned at her. "You cannot give up, Reika. This is war, and in wars you must fight."

"Azila I'm not a fighter. I'm just a girl who got pulled in way over her head. I know you're from Ancient Egypt and things were more difficult back then, but we aren't in a war," Reika said. "This is just… hostile negotiation tactics that will be resolved at the end of the weekend."

Probably.

Hopefully.

"You have been granted the power of the Items, Reika. You cannot ignore this. There is a war coming, and you need to be prepared. The shadow games have returned," Azila warned.

"The only one who can stop Pegasus is Yugi. My shadow magical powers clearly don't work, and I'm not as adept at dueling as Yugi is. I don't stand a chance at fighting him in any capacity. The only one who does is Yugi," Reika sighed. "Besides, I have to be on my best behavior for the Big Five. Wouldn't want to screw anything up for the Kaiba brothers."

She didn't know if she cared about the Big Five anymore, but she was dating Seto - there was loyalty there that couldn't be bought so easily.

A knock startled them, Azila disappearing in a snap. "Pardon me, Miss Mutou, but Master Pegasus asked me to gather you all for dinner," came the gruff voice of a guard. "I was tasked with showing you to the dining room."

Reika moved as smoothly as she could given the pain still radiating down her back and opened the door with a polite smile. "Thank you. That sounds lovely."

The guard moved from room to room, gathering the young adults and leading them down several long hallways and explaining the history of the castle to them. Reika only heard every other word, still lost in her thoughts and the words of what Azila said. If a war was coming, and she had this shadow power… how was she supposed to win against someone like Pegasus? He was obviously more adept at this, had been practicing the art of the shadow games for far longer than she'd even been aware of them being real.

And Yugi - fuck, it wasn't fair that all of this was landing on him and him alone. She might have been a pacifist sure, but she had always been able to sense bullshit in people. Yugi liked to see the good in everyone, which had contributed to him having trouble making friends. People took advantage of Yugi's kindness, of his goodness, and now he was supposed to go up against one of the most underhanded men she had ever met, and win? Stars above, how had their lives turned into this?

"Ah, excellent. You all look lovely. Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable," Pegasus said, gesturing to the vast amount of open seats on a table far too large for only one person to sit at. "There is much we have to discuss."

She caught eyes with Hideo, reminded of his distrust of Pegasus the very first night they'd met him in person, and saw the same anxiety in him that she felt in herself as she sat next to him.

"Bring the first course out, please," Pegasus told one of the suits, who nodded and went over to the kitchen door. "I thought we would start with a light soup to start. Lobster bisque, with lobsters straight from Maine, in the United States. I wanted to give you a showcase of my home country, you see."

"That sounds delicious, Mister Pegasus," Katsuo said. "Thank you very much."

The kitchen door opened, and Reika's heart stopped as Noah Kaiba walked through, stiffly holding a tray with six bowls of coup.

"What the - Noah? What are you doing here?" Sora asked.

To Reika's horror, there was no response from Noah. He didn't even bend to serve the soup - that was done by the guard who had called for him in the first place. Noah didn't speak, nor react to any of them. His eyes were blank and glossy, like he was a puppet on a string.

"Ah, yes, that is exactly what I would like to talk to you all about," Pegasus said, ignoring the obvious horror in the room. "You see, KaibaCorp will be heading in a new direction after this weekend, and you all are being invited on as shareholders."

"What do you mean a new direction? What did you do to the Kaiba brothers?!" Hideo snapped, leaping from his chair and glaring at Pegasus. "Answer me!"

"Settle down, Hideo," Pegasus laughed. "But I understand that this all must come as a surprise to you. Though I know you must understand what a hostile takeover is. After all, the Big Five did attempt one at Schroeder Corp before Seto stepped in, didn't they?"

A ripple was sent through the Young Five. How had Pegasus known that? That had been kept away from the media - only the brothers and them had known.

Whose mind did Pegasus read in order to find that out?

"Your mentors contacted me after Kaiba-boy's defeat and invited me to take control of the company," Pegasus explained. "And by take control, I do mean that KaibaCorp will be integrated into Industrial Illusions. It's just unfortunate that Noah was rather… combative when he found out. I had no choice but to subdue him."

"Where are Seto and Mokuba?" Sora asked, her eyes wide with fear. "What did you even do to Noah?"

"You needn't worry about the other two Kaiba brothers. Their time will come, As for what happened to Noah, well… perhaps Miss Mutou would like to explain," Pegasus said before taking a spoonful of his soup casually.

Her eyes narrowed, and she spoke, avoiding the feeling of four sets of eyes on her. "You stole his soul, didn't you? That's why he was walking around like an animated corpse."

"His soul? What the hell are you talking about?" Kattsuo asked.

"You don't think my grandfather just fell into a coma, do you? All of the tests that have been run, all of the specialists they brought in…" That KaibaCorp had paid for, she realized with horror. "People don't just do that, Katsuo."

"What happened then, Reika?"

Four pairs of eyes stared at her, and even if she was affected by Pegasus' eye, she was certain his gaze would be cutting through her too.

"I can't say what exactly he did to Noah, but with Gramps he… challenged Yugi to a duel and read every move he tried to make. Pegasus can read minds as well as steal souls."

Mei shook her head. "That's impossible."

Reika scoffed and tugged down her sleeve. "Not with these."

Hideo blanched. "You're kidding me. Those stories that you told us about as kids - "

"Yes. They're real. My grandpa didn't just tell Yugi and I scary stories at night, nor did I to you. Ancient Egyptian shadow magic is very, very real, and it is dangerous." The last part was a hiss, a warning, a plea to the others to not do anything stupid. The Big Five had already disposed of Noah. Seto and Mokuba were at risk. There was no telling what Pegasus might do to them.

They were disposable - nothing more than shiny pawns in a twisted game. Now that they were adults, the mask was shattered, and while they were stuck here, they needed to stick together and not piss off the man who could turn them into zombies.

"So what do you all say?" Pegasus asked. "Will you be a part of the brand new KaibaCorp?"

Five pairs of eyes met across the table, all wide eyed, nervous, but somehow resolute and in agreement that they could - they would - survive this.

"We accept your terms, Mister Pegasus," Sora said. "We will join the new KaibaCorp."

Pegasus gave them a smirk that had a chill running down Reika's spine.

"Excellent. Let's celebrate our new partnership with our delicious dinner, shall we? My chefs worked very hard on it you know."

As good as the soup smelled, her appetite had soured. But if she didn't eat, would he report back to Lector she had done the wrong thing? Would he go after her parents or Yugi's parents next? There were too many variables, too many questions, too many ways for things to go wrong, so she sat back and tried to choke down dinner, avoiding Noah each time he came out with a new tray.

The night was sleepless. Though the bed was luxurious, more than she had at home and certainly more than she had at her dorm, her mind had been racing the entire night, worried about Yugi, grandpa, her parents, Seto and Mokuba. Before she knew it, her phone was buzzing with the alarm she'd set given Pegasus' schedule for the day.

Her back still ached, even as she took a hot shower and tried to relax the muscles in it. Getting dressed and doing her hair was a chore, and she winced every time she had to turn or bend her arms.

But she was presentable, as any good member of the Young Five should be. Hair back in a professional bun, blouse, blazer, and black slacks, a pair of black high heels, and some light makeup, including concealer to hide the fact that she hadn't slept well.

Breakfast was tense, though Pegasus showed no worries at all as he chatted about the schedule for the day - the ship would be arriving by late morning, the duelists would have a buffet spread provided by Industrial Illusions before the opening ceremonies, and then the dueling would begin, and the Young Five would be allowed to watch whatever duels the wanted from the dining room or the sitting room.

If they hadn't been hostages, Reika liked to think she would actually enjoy this. What a shame Pegasus and the Big Five had to be snakes in the grass instead.

"Master Pegasus, the ship has arrived," Croquet said as he stepped into the room.

"Excellent, right on time. Thank you, Croquet. Has the staff prepared the serving tables?"

"Yes sir. They're just waiting for your order to set the food up."

Pegasus waved his hand. "Well of course. No better time to do it than while everyone is disembarking. There is no reason for delay. We must make sure our guests are well-fed before the start of the tournament."

At least there was some semblance of a heart in him.

"I'm glad they'll have a chance to stretch their legs after being on a ship all night. I remember after I got back from a cruise, it felt like it took forever for my legs to go back to normal," Mei said. "It was the worst, because Uncle Michael made us go right back to work or school as soon as we got back to Japan."

"Your uncle is such a stickler for his job, Miss Johnson. It really is no wonder he has the record he does in a courtroom," Pegasus said with a grin. "How nice it is to share conversation with you. Have any of you ever been camping before?"

All but Mei nodded.

"Good! Then I'm sure you'll understand the sort of conditions the competitors will be under when they aren't dueling. Though I did make sure to have showers installed on the island. I'm not a monster after all, and anyone who enters my palace should at least be clean."

The screen in front of them flickered on, showing the ship dock and the ramps come down for the passengers to disembark. Along the sides of the camera feed, she could see the butlers, maids, and kitchen staff bustling to set out the food and drinks for the duelists.

She watched Yugi get off the ship and sighed a little in relief, then frowned in confusion when she saw Joey, Honda and Anzu trailing behind. Joey was a Duelist, but hadn't been invited. Anzu and Honda were too, she supposed, but they didn't have the passion and drive that she saw in Joey.

Well, at least Yugi wasn't alone. That was the most important thing.

She forced herself to take a sip of water as she looked around the room. Surely Pegasus knew how uncomfortable they were about all of this. He had to know none of them were really interested in the "new direction" KaibaCorp was heading in. Even if he couldn't read the others' minds, none of them were behaving like they were talking with a friendly acquaintance - let alone an actual friend.

"Alright you five, I believe it's time to start the main event. Please follow Croquet to the balcony for the opening ceremonies," Pegasus said with a smile about an hour later. "The games are ready to begin!"

With a flourish of his hand, Pegasus sent them from the room, and they were halted outside of a door until their group was called.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the dueling world, please welcome the KaibaCorp Young Five!"

Reika's blood ran cold when she realized she knew the voice.

"Oh God. Isn't that - "

"Kemo."

Flickers of the same horror she felt was reflected on the faces of the Young Five. If Kemo had betrayed the Kaibas, just how far did all of this go? How long had this been planned?

But they didn't have time to delay, and so the Young Five stepped out onto the balcony to cheers and applause from the duelists below.

"Hello you five," Kemo laughed as they got into position, the noise from the crowd helping to conceal their conversation. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

It was Hideo who managed to speak through his shock. "You are a ghost, Kemo. You stayed on after Gozaburo died. What are you doing here? We assumed - "

"That I would actually want to work for a teenager? With a bunch of teenagers on staff? You kids are gullible to a fault. This is the future, kiddos, and you'll be in the background where you belong."

"Does he not know Pegasus offered us shareholder positions?" Sora whispered.

Reika could only shrug helplessly as Kemo turned back to the audience.

"And now duelists, your host for the weekend, Mister Maximilian Pegasus!"

The cheering for Pegasus was, as expected, deafening. Most of these people didn't realize what a conman he was, what sort of monster was hiding beneath the grandeur and sparkle and exciting new duel arenas (that were all because of KaibaCorp). She could see Yugi though, and none of his group was cheering. When they locked eyes, all Reika could do was give him a little smile and a nod, hoping he took it to be encouraging.

"Duelists! Your task is to win ten star chips from your fellow competitors! Ten is what you will need in order to gain entry to my castle, where the finals will take place, and if you really are the best of the best, you will have an opportunity to duel me and win the three million dollars and be crowned the King of Games!"

Cheers erupted again, and Reika forced herself to smile when Pegasus glanced over at them. Cameras were broadcasting this to the world - it wouldn't do for the Young Five to look annoyed, would it?

"I wish you all the very best of luck, and I know you all will put on excellent shows," Pegasus laughed. "And now, without further delay, let the Duelist Kingdom tournament begin!"

Fireworks exploded from either side of the tower, and she took a deep breath, meeting eyes with Yugi again and giving him a nod.

Go. Win.

"Master Pegasus, there was a slight hiccup on the ride over here…" Kemo began as the group turned to head back inside the palace. "We have one duelist who… isn't really a duelist, and two stowaways. All of them are connected to Yugi Mutou."

Pegasus raised a brow. "A duelist who isn't really a duelist? I don't know what you mean, Kemo. A duelist is a duelist."

"Yes, of course sir, but this particular duelist has not participated in any public duels and is, frankly, riding on Yugi's coat name is Joseph Wheeler, and Yugi gave up one of his star chips to him, meaning they're both at a disadvantage."

"Ah! An interesting start already!" Pegasus laughed. "Does Mister Wheeler have a gauntlet?"

"No sir."

"That is a problem then," Pegasus said with a frown. "I would hate to send such a promising young duelist home so soon, but if no one can give me a reason for him to stay - "

"I will vouch for him," Reika said before she could even stop to think her words through. "His father is a KaibaCorp employee. Joey is hoping to win the prize money for his sister. There are… financial difficulties in the family. He's a good duelist. My grandfather trained him."

Pegasus grinned. "Ah, well, given the circumstances, kicking him out now would look bad. Kemo, take one of the spare gauntlets down to him instead. If he is the son of a KaibaCorp employee and was trained by a Mutou, he deserves a fair try at my tournament."

"Yes Master Pegasus, at once, sir. But um, what should we do about the stowaways?"

Pegasus waved his hand dismissively. "Well, it would be rather rude if we sent them away now, after they managed to elude you before you even left Domino. Let them stay. If they cause any disturbances, then we will act. Now, if that's all, you have your order, Kemo."

Kemo nodded, and left the room.

"Croquet, please show the Young Five into the sitting room so they can choose the first duel they want to observe. I have a meeting to get to," Pegasus said, giving the Young Five a knowing smirk as he wandered off after Kemo.

"If you would like snacks or drinks brought to you, there is a call button installed on the remote," Croquet said, gesturing to the remote on the table. "The buttons represent each camera that we have on the island. There is a color-coded chart detailing which section the cameras are in. Master Pegasus will have you back in the dining room for dinner."

"Thank you, Croquet," Katsuo said as the Young Five settled in. "Mister Pegasus' hospitality is quite nice."

"Naturally."

And Croquet was gone, leaving them alone.

Hideo sat down on the couch and carefully took the remote into his hand. "Let's see if we can find Yugi then, yeah? Might as well cheer for the guy who threw Seto for a loop. By the way, does anyone want a snack?"

"No!"