The Return

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

I didn't transcript the entire episode, even though it makes Yami Bakura look as if he isn't paying attention to the game. I didn't want to write the whole thing, and I doubt you would want to read it.

For everyone who spots the inconsistency in the chapter, you have a great grasp of Egyptian religion. I applaud you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You have not converted a man because you have silenced him."

-- John Viscount Morley


A week later, through sheer luck, he overheard the conversation he'd been waiting for. He usually would listen to the school lessons while Bakura was in them, because knowledge was power, but this class had been Algebra: the only one of the boy's subjects that failed to hold his interest in any way. He had only been paying attention this time because he was still wary of leaving his other unmonitored.

At the back of the classroom, an irritating voice spoke up loudly enough to get through to him. But it was the words that caught his attention:

"I still can't believe it! Pegasus used some kind of weird spell to grab your grandpa's soul away! And now he's toying with you, forcing you to duel in the tournament!"

Bakura, he ordered, listen.

The boy immediately turned his attention from his homework to the classroom noise. [To what?]

Quiet, he snapped. Someone else was speaking now.

"...invitations, we can't even go there with you. I wish we could help ya, pal."

Then a girl. "This is bad."

There was a brief pause. The first voice spoke up again. "Hey, Yugi! Check this out! According to this card, the tournament winner takes the grand prize of three million dollars!"

When the rest of the conversation turned to the money, he turned his attention to the boy. What were they speaking about?

[I don't know,] Bakura answered.

Then find out.

The boy hesitated for a breath, then leaned over to the girl at the desk next to him. "Ah, Laura?"

The girl glanced over at him and blinked. "Yeah?" she asked.

"What were they talking about?" the boy asked politely, pointing.

"Huh?" She turned her head. "Oh, that. There's supposed to be this huge tournament for all the Duel Monsters champions, and Yugi was invited for some reason."

When?

"When?" Bakura asked.

The girl shrugged. "In a couple of days, I think. To an island. Why?"

"I was just curious," the boy answered. "Thank you." Laura shrugged again and turned back to her friends.

He shut off communication in order to think privately. Due to Bakura's interest in Monster World, which was produced by the same company that created Duel Monsters, he had found that Maximillion Pegasus possessed a Millennium Item...and one of the most powerful ones as well, the Eye. After that, he'd begun collecting information on the man, taking care to keep it a secret from Bakura. The boy still hadn't proved himself trustworthy...the very opposite, in fact.

However. The 'island' could only be Pegasus' home, the Duelist Kingdom. And if the man was trying to lure Yugi Mutou....

It seemed he had competition. Fine. Now he would be able to gather two Items at once.

The three million would come in handy as well, to finance his return to Egypt. If his Ring had been sold from there, as Bakura had said, it stood to reason that other Items would be found there as well...or at the least, someone who was aware of where they were.

Perfect.

~~~
He didn't trust the boy to be able to sneak on the ship without getting caught, so he did it himself. As soon as the guards were distracted with stopping another stowaway, he slipped into the lower hold and hid until it was obvious that the ship lef left the harbor.

Only then did he hand control of his body back over to Bakura. The boy was confused when he found himself on the boat, but he felt no urge to explain. He left Bakura to wander wherever he choose with a warning not to be caught, unless he wanted the ship to have lost a few guards by the time it docked. Then he shut himself in his soul room to finish his plan. It was a simple enough strategy, allowing him to spend most of the time lost in thought, turning over the uses of the power he would have once he controlled three of the Items.

He was distracted by a knock at his door, so soft he almost missed it. Growling at the interruption, he threw it open to reveal Bakura. "What?"

"They're clearing people off the boat," the boy said quietly, looking away from him. "How do I leave without being caught?"

"I'll do it," he said off-handly, removing the deck from Bakura's pocket where he had placed it. He flipped through the cards as he strode past the boy into the corridor between their rooms. Bakura followed him, several steps behind. No...no...no....

... Ah, there it is. He held up the magic card that had always been a favorite of his boy: the Change of Heart. "You've disappointed me time and again, Bakura," he said before turning around. "I won't let your pretty morals ruin this. You can come out when I'm done."

Bakura gave him a lost look. "What...." The boy trailed off when he lifted the card. The Ring began to glow as he tapped into its power to seal away the boy's soul.

"No!" Bakura shouted, backing away in fright. The boy began to dash for the dubious safety of his soul room, but he wasn't quick gh; gh; and with a flicker he disappeared from the corridor.

He tucked the card back into the deck and slipped it into his pocket before taking over the body. He was in a different place now, something that looked like a closet, and footsteps echoed outside the steel door. He checked briefly on his other through their link--sealing him away inside the mind corridor as he had permitted him to keep track of the boy. Finding Bakura dazed, he turned his attention to more important matters.

As soon as the footsteps receded, he left the closet and made his way out, avoiding the men who were unloading the hull. With a few questions and fewer smiles, he'd both learned the basic rules of the Island and caught up to Yugi and his friends. He shadowed them as far the castle steps. The amount of security around the castle made the risk of following Yugi any further too great, since the fact that the teen would have to come back down to the island to begin any duels made it so he could afford to wait.

~~~
Unfortunately, due to the security that was prowling the island--and which seemed to be focused around Yugi--he lost track of the group until nightfall. He followed them as they discussed where to set up camp, but then a blonde woman appeared, delaying him longer. Finally she left, and after he saw she was pulled into a duel and thus taken care of he took the opportunity presented.

The four had been talking amongst themselves when the girl shrieked at the rustling undergrowth that announced his presence. The two teenagers ran up to the bushes, while Tea cringed behind Yugi.

"Yup. She's been waitin' there the whole time. C'mon out, Mai!" the blond yelled.

He walked out of the bushes, only to be met with a collective gasp from the group.

"It's Bakura!" Yugi said in surprise.

The girl straightened. "See! I told you! I haven't just been seeing things!" He frowned internally at that. He had not intended to be seen. Bakura had obviously moved around the boat...he should have told the boy to stay still.

"What're ya doin' way out here, Bakura?" the blond asked, leaning forward with his hands on his hips.

"The same as you guys, I guess," he said, falling into the boy's soft-spoken voice.

The brunette teen relaxed visibly, sticking his hands in his pockets. "You gave us a scare, sneakin' around those bushes," he said in a friendly tone.

Joey stood up and folded his arms. "Yeah, for a minute there, we actually thought we had sumthin' to worry about." He chuckled. "Pretty silly, huh?"

He smiled, making sure that no strain slipped through. "Mm-hm."

Yugi stepped forward and smiled at him. "Do you want to hang out with us?" he asked. "We've got some food left."

"Not the way Joey went through it," Tea muttered. The blond glared at her.

"I can't help it, I'm a growing guy!" Joey said defensively.

"You're a growing headache is what you are!" the girl snapped back.

Yugi gave him a sheepish grin as Tristan pushed the two apart. "Yeah, we did eat most of it."

"That's all right," he answered. "I'm not very hungry."

"Well, come sit with us anyway," Yugi smiled, pointing to the campfire

"Sure," he said.

~~~
He wasted the next half-hour in idle chitchat with Yugi and the others, pulling information from Bakura's memories whenever necessary. He also noticed the amount of star chips that both he and the blond wore.

Then the brunette interrupted them by talking to Joey, who had been flipping a card around ever since they had sat down. "Joey, you've been staring at that card for like an hour--what's up?"

The blond huffed. "I'll tell ya, just don't laugh," he said. "Sometimes, when I'm in a duel, I pretend it's me out there swapping blows with whatever card my opponent has out." He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Isn't that dumb?!"

Perhaps Enki favored his intelligence. He couldn't imagine why else the gods would surely smile on him, but all the same...."Well, if you were, which card would you want to be, Joey?" he asked.

"Eahh...this one!" he said, showing a card. "The Flame Swordsman kicks everybody's butt!" Joey stood up and made a slashing motion with an imaginary sword. "Eagh!"

Tristan stood as well and showed off another card. "Not my guy's," he crowed, "the Cyber Commander!"

Tea and Yugi were grinning. "You boys and your cards are hilarious," she said.

Yugi turned to her. "I think everyone has a card they can identify with. You should see if you can pick one for yourself, Tea." i sti style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Amazing...the bearer of the Puzzle, aiding me. Even I wouldn't have foreseen that, he thought to himself, keeping his face straight. Yugi's uncanny resemblance to Seth-Peribsen had originally attracted his notice, just as much as the fact he wore the Millennium Puzzle, but the two couldn't be more different.

"Okay...I pick this one: Magician of Faith," Tea said, pulling a card out of her deck and bringing back his attention.

"What? You gotta be kiddin' me!" the brunette said.

"More like the Magician of Freaks, if you ask me!" Joey quipped.

Tea growled at them. "Shut up!" The two jumped back.

"Tell me which one you identify with, Yugi," he said, drawing his attention back.

Yugi grinned. "Oh, that's easy. Dark Magician, hands down," he said, holding up the card.

He held back a frown. Yet another similarity between Seth-Peribsen and this boy... disturbing. Perhaps there had been some residue of the king's personality upon the Puzzle. Curious.

The girl spoke up. "Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but don't you guys think it's a little silly to be comparing ourselves to playing cards?"

"Maybe a little," Yugi shrugged, "but it's like Grandpa says, it's not about the playing cards, it's about putting a little bit of your heart into anything you care about, you know?" The others nodded in agreement. "So which card do you care about most, Bakura?" he asked.

He held up the card that had been lying on the top of his deck. "This one is my favorite."

Yugi gave him a surprised look. "The Change of Heart card?"

"Kind of a weird lookin' picture, doncha think?" Joey commented, raising an eyebrow.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hm. If you want to see how it works, we can have a duel right now. Not for star chips, just for a little fun!" The tone of his voice had lifted slightly, giving him an almost frantic air, and he forced it back down to the previous casual.

It had gone unnoticed, however. "Sure. I'm down with that," Joey said. He turned to the rest of the group. "After all this star chip stuff, it'll be nice ta have a duel with no strings attached."

Yugi closed his eyes and grinned. "I agree. I think just a regular old duel sounds like a great idea!"

He looked over at Joey and Tristan. "Why don't you guys each put your favorite card into Yugi's deck so it'll be like we're all playing?"

The two glanced at each other. "That's a good idea!" said Joey.

"Yeah," Tristan agreed.

"Great!" Yugi said. "But I should warn you, with this all-star team of cards we'll be tough to beat." He took the cards from the other three and placed them in his deck.

This is far too easy. "True," he agreed, "but maybe I'll surprise you." He caught himself when his voice slipped slightly.

"This'll be fun!" the girl enthused.

"We can use that old tree stump for a table," the brunette said, pointing to spot that was still within the light of the campfire. "And for seats....Hey Joey, where're those rocks you tripped over earlier?" The blond glared at him.

"Right, Tristan." Yugi stood up. "I've got a board in my backpack."

Yugi began to set up the game as Tristan and Joey disappeared into the woods. They returned a minute later carrying two large stones, dropping them on roughly opposite sides of the stump. He shuffled his deck for appearance's sake, though he didn't intend to waste time here dueling.

After they sat down, Yugi said to him, "All right, I'm all shuffled."

"Now, you're sure you don't mind playing alone?" Tea asked. He nodded.

Joey leaned down next to him. "Don't you worry about a thing, Bakura, we'll go easy on ya!" he grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

"Thanks," he said.

"Right," the blond said, standing up at the same time he let his façade slip. "Now let's get this duel on the road."

"Before we get started, there's a little something I'd like to share with you all," he interrupted, letting his voice slide from Bakura's light tone to his normal one.

Tristan, standing behind Yugi, looked startled. "Huh?"

"And especially with you, Yugi," he continued, ignoring the others.

Joey frowned. "What's that?"

"You'll see." He held up his hands and began calling forth the Ring. He heard he girl whisper "What's he doing?" to Yugi over the humming ofer fer from the Ring.

As it materialized, Joey backed away from him. "This is gettin' freaky!"

Yugi gasped. "No, it can't be! A Millennium Item!"

"Yes," he grinned, "and the magic of my Millennium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm." The familiar grayness bled into the area, erasing everything but the tree stump between him and Yugi.

"Man, I hate magic," the blond muttered as the two behind Yugi stood up.

"Why are you doing this, Bakura?!" he demanded.

He smirked. You've something I want, Yugi, and I aim to take it.

[No!] came Bakura's voice, the boy's presence suddenly making itself known. [Don't hurt them!]

He didn't bother to reply, instead focusing the Ring on the four in front of him. It glowed brightly as it pulled the souls from their bodies. There was the tell-tale cry of pain that always accompanied that action, and then he sent the floating souls into the deck, moving each one to the card the owner had specified. It was far easier to send a soul to a card with a similar personality than to simply force it into the first available, but either way would work.

He laughed. "That wasn't too difficult."

[What did you do?]

He answered out loud, knowing that in the Shadow Realm the boy would be able to hear him whether he thought or spoke. "Their souls have been locked away, and now after waiting for countless centuries, the legendary Millennium Puzzle is mine!"

The news obviously meant nothing to the boy, as he could tell by his confusion. However, he had deliberately left Bakura in the dark regarding any information of the Millennium Items, so it didn't matter. He reached down to remove the Puzzle from the lifeless Yugi.

A second before he touched it, however, the Eye upon the Puzzle began to glow. He straightened, shielding his eyes from the light. "No!" he said as the light stopped and Yugi opened his eyes. "It can't be!" I sealed four souls in that deck! He took a step back as Yugi stood up.

For an instant, that loathsome stab of fear was back. It was the one he had felt when he had sealed himself inside the Millennium Ring once he realized that Seth-Peribsen intended to sacrifice the three of them to close the Shadow Realm, and that Ishtar's death had already begun the process. Right before his soul entered the Ring, his hood had fallen away and the king's eyes had narrowed when the man finally saw his face.

"You want my Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi said, crossing his arms. "Then you're going to have to duel me for it. But if I win, you'll release my friends and send us all back!"

He got a hold on himself and relaxed into a smirk. Coincidences notwithstanding, Peribsen was dead. He had made it so the king had no choice but to offer up his life instead. Yugi had clearly found a way to use the Puzzle to draw his soul back. Could it have more unknown abilities? Fascinating.

He laughed. "I agree to your ridiculous terms, Yugi. But I promise you, there is more at stake here than you comprehend; and this is one Shadow Game that you cannot win!"

Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Bakura, what have you done? Why have you taken us to this Shadow Realm?"

"Bakura," he chuckled. "Bakura's no longer here."

Yugi straightened. "If you're not Bakura, then who are you?"

He smirked. "I am 'a thief and a stealer of souls,'" he said, repeating the insults which had been flung at him by this child's look-alike ages ago. "And I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. You do remember the legends, don't you?" he said casually, noting with interest that Yugi's eyes widened. "'Whosoever wields all seven Millennium Items will possess power unimaginable.' And before I'm done with you, your Millennium Puzzle will be mine."

Yugi touched his Puzzle. "That's not going to happen," he said firmly. "Whoever you are."

He smirked and knelt in front of the board. "Then let the Shadow Game begin," he announced as Yugi knelt across from him. "The first move is yours."

Yugi's opening move was unbelievably sloppy, throwing out one of the very cards that contained his friends' souls. He decimated it quickly and laughed at the look on the teen's face as he realized what he'd done, making sure to rub salt in the wound.

In his mind Bakura murmured a name too low to make out, his tone horrified and helpless.

After a moment, Yugi played another soul card, this one belonging to Joey. His own monster was destroyed, and he grimaced as he felt some of the strength he had been using to control it drain away.

He set a trap with his next move, and as he expected the blond walked into it blindly. When they drew again Yugi's eyes widened, signaling that another soul card had been drawn--which could only be Tea's or his own. He set down another Morphing Jar and waited for Yugi to lose his hand again.

Yugi hesitated, then laid down the Dark Magician. His eyes widened in shock, and he only faintly n tha that Yugi used Reborn to bring back Tristan.

Is he mad? he wondered with a smirk. No matter how he used the Puzzle to call his soul back, setting that card on the field will draw it to the battleground. It would be an automatic victory for him. He watched as Yugi appeared on the game board, waiting for the now soulless body to collapse again.

He frowned slightly as Yugi's body continued to glare at him across the board, even though the child's soul was standing upon the field. How is this possible...?

He focused his attention on Yugi's soul as he spoke. "But, just a second ago I was up there!"

The child didn't even have the Puzzle on him in his Dark Magician's garb. There was no way Yugi could be on the field and yet act as a duelist. The Shadow Realm did not allow for that possibility--he had seen some of the strongest try.

He had ignored the four as they were speaking, but the larger Yugi's words caught him again. "Don't you?" And he certainly shouldn't be capable of speech....

"Ah!" Yugi said, as if realizing something. "Well, I have noticed that sometimes, when I duel, it feels as if someone is guiding me." His eyes flickered to Yugi's body, which nodded at the child's words. "And sometimes it's like I can hear a strong voice calling out to me from my Millennium Puzzle!" the Yugi on the board continued. "An ancient, powerful voice."

The three teenagers on the board continued to talk, but his attention had slipped almost completely from the game to studying the man across from him. It was a near-perfect likeness, certainly, in the same way Bakura would more fully resemble himself with a few more years' passing. Yet it was impossible...he had forced the king's hand, making the man sacrifice himself in order to close the Shadow Realm.

...Only the Realm had not been closed when he had reawakened. It had come to him easily the first time he called. And taking into consideration all he had heard, there was only one explanation for Yugi's body to still be standing after his soul was placed inside the game.

Seth-Peribsen had used his own curse to seal himself away. The mighty King had fallen so low as to need the tactics of a stealer of souls.

And yet, Peribsen seemed to have no memory of him. The king had been obviously weakened by the end of their final duel, but to imagine that it had been so drastic that he had not even been able to sufficiently perform the curse... amusing, he thought to himself as Yugi attacked his Morphing Jar and sent their hands to the graveyard again.

With this new hand, Peribsen's face betrayed him once more. There was only one other card that would deserve such a reaction.

A slow smile crossed his face as he watched this emotional, lesser version of the King. "Hm," he said calmly. "Isn't that Tea's favorite card? Do you suppose that her mortal soul is trapped within it? I wonder." Peribsen watched him with loathing. "Perhaps you should play it and find out!"

He set the Electric Lizard face down upon the board. "But then again, you don't know what I'm laying here. So you might be putting her in danger," he accented, wondering if Seth-Peribsen would recall how another girl in his court had died similarly. The king growled at him, a response that was somewhat heartening, if ambiguous. "A dilemma," he continued. "And while you decide, I'll just activate this trap card."

"No!" Peribsen said, watching as he flipped over the card he had laid down earlier.

"Just Desserts!" he crowed, watching as an opaque hand reached out and gripped Seth-Peribsen. "I think you'll find it will help you come to grips with your present situation," he chuckled. Then, because several of the names in the game had been changed in the long centuries they had been asleep, he reminded, "Just Desserts takes 500 points from each of your monsters on the field."

He watched in satisfaction as Peribsen clutched his heart, sweat coating his pain-stricken face. "And you'll feel like each and every point has been ripped from your beating heart!"

"Big Yugi! Are you okay?" called Tristan.

Peribsen opened his eyes slowly. "Yes," he panted. "But one more attack like that, and it's over!"

He raised an eyebrow. Why not formally ask me to kill you? You needn't just tell me how, he thought as the other man gained control of himself and played the final soul card. If he were not watching this match with his own eyes, he would find it hard to believe that this was indeed King Seth-Peribsen. To do so poorly as to openly announce a weakness...the time spent in the Puzzle had obviously not served him well.

He became aware of the extent to which he was allowing himself to be distracted when Peribsen called, "Yugi, wait!"

As he watched, the small teen attacked his Lizard, causing Seth-Peribsen to 'hurr' in angered concern. Yugi grinned in triumph for a brief moment before the electricity bounced back and sent him to his knees. "Yugi!" Peribsen called.

"You can't attack the Electric Lizard without some rather shocking feedback," he chuckled. "A lesson your little Yugi won't soon forget."

Seth-Peribsen narrowed his eyes. "All right soul-stealer, I'll play my next card face down. And it's your move." At his words, the two teenagers attempted to cover the card that held the girl.

He glanced down at the board. "Don't bother, you fools; I can see her perfectly well."

Peribsen drew back at that.

He continued, "Now I have all four of you right where I want you: helpless on the field." He pulled out his card. "Easy prey for my Man-eater Bug!"

He laughed internally at the faces of the group as they realized what, exactly, his Bug was going to do. Then he looked over his deck. Seth-Peribsen had laid out a trap card earlier, but he still had the greater amount of life points. And yet, though this new version of the King was far below his earlier, fiercer days, he didn't wish to press his luck. He wanted to end this quickly.

As the four on the playing field talked amongst themselves, he glanced at his hand. He had drawn the boy's soul card after sending his previous hand to the Graveyard and had immediately put it at the end, along with the last Morphing Jar that he could now no longer use. However, with this one as a backup, it might have a purpose....

He shifted his attention back to the game when he heard Yugi say, "I'm saying that there's only one way out of this--and we're standing on it!"

The four glanced behind them. "Right," said the brunette, "the trap card big Yugi laid down."

"Yeah, but I'm afraid to use it," Yugi answered. "The card requires that we sacrifice a creature."

He snorted. 'I'm afraid to use it?' Can Seth-Peribsen not even control his own actions? No wonder the king was playing so differently...he was a puppet to the boy below. Pathetic.

He watched detachedly as Joey attacked his Bug. Bakura! he called through the link that still existed.

[....] The boy heard, but didn't respond.

Listen carefully. I'm going to place your card on the field.

[What?!] came the shocked reply.

When I do, simply take over the monster I tell you to. Then it will fight according to my orders, he stated.

There was a pause. [...Who?]

The Dark Magician.

[Yugi.]

"I'm activating a trap, sacrificing my Flame Swordsman to do so," Peribsen announced, flipping over the trap. "The Horn of Heaven! Blasting its celestial tune directly at your Man-eating Bug, obliterating him from the field once and for all!"

Yes, he snapped as the attack drained more of his strength. He didn't have energy to waste on this discussion. As a precaution, he added, Don't forget that here, I have the control of this body. You are only the embodiment of a soul...rashness is not something I would recommend.

He felt the boy's resignation, and returned satisfied to the game. The three were staring at the place where the Flame Swordsman and his Bug had once been.

"He's gone," Tristan said quietly, turning his head away. "Just like that, my best buddy's gone!"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll soon be joining him in the Graveyard. You can spend an eternity together." When Peribsen growled at him, he continued, "I hope you don't harbor any illusions about rescuing your friend Joey from the Graveyard. You've already played Reborn the Monster, the only way to get him back." A humorless smile crossed his face. "And soon the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul, forever."

Tea murmured something quietly and began crying. A light glowed around her feet--he'd forgotten about her magical ability to revive a card. Damn it, he hissed in his mind. Then he straightened. No matter. I'll still win.

Seth-Peribsen removed Reborn from his discard pile and brought back the blond. Bored and exasperated, he said, "You waste your time and your turn rescuing these fsh msh mortals." Pathetic, King Puppet.

"My friends are never a waste of time," Peribsen said in a low voice. "Make your move."

Prepare, Bakura, he ordered the boy. "Oh, I'll move. And you'll lose. This is the play that will end the match and win me your Millennium Puzzle." He laid out the first card. "First I will play the Lady of Faith in attack mode, and then the card that will turn your friends against one another," he announced, flipping over the boy's card. "The Change of Heart."

Yugi's eyes widened. "The Change of Heart? Isn't that Bakura's favorite card?"

"And a very magical card it is," he informed Yugi. "With this card, I can turn you against your comrades--the very friends you sought to protect you will now destroy."

Yugi straightened. "No! I refuse!" he shouted.

He laughed at the child's blindness. "You won't have a choice in the matter. The Change of Heart card allows me to control any opposing monster...and I choose you, little Yugi."

"Leave the young one out of this!" Seth-Peribsen demanded angrily.

He snorted, before all emotion left his face. "Why should I? By simply destroying him, I defeat you as well." Through the link, the boy stirred. "You're here to guide and protect him? Then protect him from this!" He slammed the card on the table. There was a bright light, and he heard the four others yelling: "Yugi!"

The boy was dizzy and half-blind when he appeared upon the board. Run forward and attack now, he commanded.

"It's Bakura!" Yugi said in surprise.

"The real Bakura!" Tea chimed in.

"Bakura!" Yugi had lost track of the danger he was in, he noticed, though Peribsen was watching the board in horror. "So your soul was sealed into your favorite card too!"

The boy shook his head slightly. "Ah." Then Bakura ran forward, straight into the Lady of Faith. He stared. What are you--

"I want to help but we must act quickly, Yugi!" the boy called as he merged into the Lady of Faith. "I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours!"

He was too shocked at the fact that the weakling would dare this again to say anything.

"I'll control her while you attack me!" Bakura called, spreading his arms. "You can win against the evil Bakura!"

Idiot! he began, but to his amazement the boy threw up a barrier on the link.

Yugi was pale. "I can't! I'd be destroying you--sending you to the Graveyard!"

"I don't care, it's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit," Bakura said desperately. Yugi still hesitated, but Bakura's face was firm. "Do it!" he yelled.

"Be quiet!" he shouted at the boy.

"I have a better idea," Seth-Peribsen said, drawing their attention. The Udjat-eye on his forehead was glowing. "If the evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls from people, perhaps the power of my Millennium Puzzle can put them back!"

Suddenly, the Puzzle was attacking him directly. He countered with the Ring, but his movement was too slow. There came a tearing feeling similar to that of when he separated from the boy.

Then he was in the Lady of Faith, taking Bakura's place. "This can't be!"

Seth-Peribsen called out, "Listen closely, Yugi. Use the power of the Dark Magician. Send him to the Graveyard, now!"

"You got it. Dark Magic attack!" Yugi called.

You'll pay for this, Bakura, he thought as the attack ripped into him.

He collapsed to his knees at the force of the blast. When he could open his eyes again he was in the Graveyard. Ereshkigal, take the boy, he cursed. If he would rather die, so be it. I've come this far alone; I need no one. He slammed a fist into the ground. "The Millennium Puzzle was almost mine!"

There was a rustling of cloth behind him. He turned, and yelled in surprise when he saw how close the Reaper of Cards was to him. After catching himself, he broke into a run, the Reaper following close behind.


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