Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Dragon Blade ❯ Chapter Three: Soul Trade ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by its creator, Kazuki Takahashi and it's respective anime companies. I'm borrowing the characters and ideas for a nonprofit fan fiction written solely for the enjoyment of myself, and hopefully others.

The Dragon Blade

Chapter Three: Soul Trade

By: Elf

The Vampire Lord lunged at Kaiba. He managed to roll himself out of the way before the vampire was on his neck. He stood back up to see the familiar ebon armor plates and slender wings of the Red Eyes Black Dragon. The ruby eyes blazed in the darkness as the sharp, reptilian head threw itself back in a blood thirsty roar.

Joey shouted, "Take this, you leech!"

The Red Eyes demolished the Vampire Lord. Joey smirked down at Kaiba, who glared as he stood back up, dusting off his white coat. Yugi, true to form, smiled and said, "Good job, Joey."

"Well, like Fang Face really had a chance against my Red Eyes," Joey gloated proudly, sticking out his chest like a rooster.

Kaiba looked over and saw more zombies rising out of their graves, including a rotting version of the Vampire Lord. He thought, If Joey was smart, he'd direct the dragon to eliminate those zombies. He twisted his hands around the sword and the black dragon looked at him, its scarlet eyes blazing in the darkness as if it recognized him.

The dragon took to the sky with a roar and opened its mouth. The blast resulted in the zombies turning into ashes and the Vampire Lord's second destruction. Joey's mouth dropped open and Yugi gasped, "Quick thinking, Joey."

"Yug, that wasn't me. I was scared shit less," Joey confessed as the dragon circled their heads.

Kaiba looked down at his sword then back at the dragon. The Red Eyes looked at him with blank eyes, as if he was waiting for something. Yugi looked up and noticed that the dragon was watching Kaiba.

"The sword," Kaiba whispered in awe as he realized the possibilities. Imagine what I can do in a Duel if I can control my opponent's dragons. Kaiba gestured with the blade and said, "I thought it and the dragon did it."

Joey snorted, "You've gotta be kidding me. Red Eyes, come back."

"No," Kaiba retorted, smirking at Joey. The dragon kept circling overhead, waiting for more commands.

Joey snapped, "No way in hell that sword lets you control dragons, Kaiba. Red Eyes, come back."

Kaiba waited as the dragon met his eyes questionably. Kaiba let go of the sword and the dragon was gone. He picked it up again as Joey smiled at him in satisfaction.

"See, told ya that sword can't control dragons," Joey retorted with a smirk.

Kaiba smiled back and looked at Yugi, who was studying the sword. He demanded, "Yugi summon a dragon. Any dragon. I don't care, just summon one."

Yugi frowned as his purple eyes looked at his deck and back at Kaiba. He demanded, "Promise that you won't kill it."

"I swear on my word, Yugi. I'm too fond of dragons to willingly damage one unless it's in a Duel. I just want to prove my point," Kaiba explained, trying to seem calm even though he was excited beyond belief. He was itching to see if the Red Eyes wasn't some sort of fluke and if the sword really did give him the ability to control dragons.

Yugi frowned as he drew a card. He held up the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress and Kaiba watched as it materialized in the sky. He smirked as he shouted, "Come to me, Dragon!"

Obediently, the dragon flew right over to him. Kaiba looked over at Joey as he said, "Land." The blue dragon landed at his feet and looked up at him patently. Kaiba smiled as he looked down at the sword then back at the blue dragon. He thought, Bakura, you just signed your own fate.

Yugi gasped and Joey's jaw dropped. Kaiba smirked at Joey and quipped, "What where you saying Joey? Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll let you touch the sword later."

"Oh, let me try it!" Joey exclaimed as he reached for the sword. He went on, "It would be so unbelievably cool to be able to do that, Kaiba! You've gotta let me try it! Please! I'll let you call me a dog and everything!"

Kaiba turned out of the way of Joey's grasping fingers as Yugi drew back the dragon. Kaiba smirked and replied, "I'll think about it."

Yugi looked extremely worried as he said, "I don't think you'd want to do that, Joey."

Joey managed to dance around Kaiba and grab the sword. Kaiba glared as he was about to wrench it away. However, Joey cried, "Holy shit!" He withdrew his hand, only to reveal red skin and smoking flesh.

"The damned thing burned me," Joey exclaimed as he cradled his injured hand to his chest.

Kaiba looked down at the sword. It felt comfortingly warm in his hand, like it was an extension of his very being. Then he looked back at the red, smoking skin on Joey's left hand. His eyes widened as he realized why Bakura wanted him so badly.

"Only I can wield the Dragon Blade," Kaiba whispered to himself as he remembered as a Roman soldier picked up the Dragon Blade and burned his hands. He remembered the young Celt as he summoned the dragons for the first time, despite the pain of loss he was feeling from watching his family slaughtered in front of his eyes. He remembered the warm elation as he held it in his hands for the first time and the awe he felt despite all of the pain as he climbed on his dragon's back for the first time.

Yami's crimson eyes looked up at both teens. The ancient spirit said, "Then we'd better keep moving. Remember what Bakura said about this game. He's going to keep trying to get you as we're heading up to that tower to save Serenity."

"I have the sword. I can control any dragon that he throws at us," Kaiba snorted confidently as he looked at the shimmering blade. He could handle anything Bakura threw at him and he reasoned that he'd have Serenity in less than an hour. Bakura had made a major mistake of giving him the sword.

Yami crossed his arms and retorted, "Remember, Bakura uses an Occult-based deck. In other words, there won't be any dragons unless you summon them yourself."

Of course. I'm being too confidant. Bakura probably realized that, Kaiba thought, cursing his momentary oversight. He started to head toward the entrance of the castle.

Yami looked at Joey's hand and asked, "Are you okay, Joey?"

"Yeah, I think so. Still, that sword burnt me," Joey answered as he followed Kaiba. Yami's garnet colored eyes lingered worriedly over the sword. Kaiba looked back at the ancient spirit questionably and crossed his arms, hoping to betray his normal arrogant impatience.

Kaiba snapped, "What?"

"Be careful with that sword, Kaiba," Yami warned as he met Kaiba's eyes.

Kaiba smirked and replied, "I have everything under control."

******

"Look at the wanker, Hikari! The bloody bastard's so confidant just because I gave him that sword," Bakura chortled to Ryou.

Ancient spirit and host body were watching the players through, ironically enough, a crystal ball. Ryou flinched as he watched Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba walk into his Darkness' Death Game he had prepared for them. He thought about poor Joey's sister in the tower and what Bakura did to her.

It was enough to make him cry.

It was all of his fault. He wasn't strong enough to stand up to his Darker Half like Yugi was. He couldn't fight Bakura on any level and the only reason why Bakura was in spirit form right now was because he knew that it hurt Ryou to watch this.

The small, pale boy clinched his fists and sighed in defeat. He replied, "You've won, Darkness. At least let Yugi and Joey go."

"What would be the fun in that, ducks? I still need the puzzle and Seth here needs a home," Bakura chuckled darkly as he held up a tiny blue orb that looked like a glowing marble. He tossed the Soul Orb up and down in the air with a smile.

Ryou snapped, "And what about Serenity? What do you plan to do with her, Bakura?!"

"Well, I'd imagine that Seth would like a good poke after a few thousand years, don't you?" Bakura answered, grinning evilly.

Ryou grit his teeth and tried to avoid his Other Half's black eyes. It made his skin crawl when Bakura used the British patterns of speech that Ryou had gathered when he was a small boy. Bakura used the foulest slang he could just because it irked Ryou so much.

Ryou whispered, "You can't do this."

"I already have, love," Bakura replied darkly, turning Ryou's face to another that was a reflection of his own. A reflection of everything he hated. Bakura growled, "So quit your whimpering, lad or I'll take over and you won't be able to see Tea or anyone else again."

Ryou's eyes welled in horror as he looked up at his Darker Half. He let the tears roll down his face as he replied, "If that gets rid of you, I'll be bloody happy to do so."

Bakura just threw back his silvery head like some obscene wolf and laughed demonically.

******

"I wonder how they're doing," Tristan said as he paced around the room for the tenth time in less than half an hour.

Mai looked up from where she was filing her nails. Tea was amazed at her calmness despite the fact that Joey had pushed her away while they were sucked into the card. She dug underneath her nail with the file and quipped, "Well, they'd already been back with Serenity if I would have gone with them." Still, Tea saw the worried gleam in Mai's violet eyes as she studied her nails.

Tea wondered what Yugi was doing, and if he was safe. And if Kaiba wasn't being a bastard. She strummed her fingers against the glass counter of the store, wishing she had something to do other than worry about Yugi.

Tea said, "Well, Yugi's with them. He won't let them do something stupid."

"Pig headed in Joey's case. I swear, he can be such a male at times," Mai groaned as she tossed her file onto the counter. She crossed her arms and continued, "I could have helped. I'm not helpless you know. I'm a better Duelist than he is and I'm much more stylish. I could be there, right now, making sure those three boys keep a level head!"

Tristan smirked at her and replied, "Joey did that to protect you."

"Well, I can take care of myself, dammit!" Mai exclaimed as she pouted. She sighed and rubbed her temples. She said, "I just wish I knew how Joey was doing right now."

Mokuba looked up from where Grandpa was showing him various cards to build a good deck. Mokuba asked, wide eyed, "What happens if they don't make it back?"

"They'll make it back, Mokuba, don't worry," Grandpa answered kindly. Tea silently agreed with the youngest Kaiba. That thought went through her mind every five minutes. What would happen if Bakura won whatever game he wanted them to play? She started to pace around the room herself.

Mokuba looked up at Grandpa and replied, "What if they lose? I know my big brother and Yugi are really good, but Seto might do something like give up his soul to save Serenity."

Despite all of Kaiba's many faults, Tea had to respect that about him. When everything looked desperate, Kaiba would do anything to protect the few people he actually cared about. It reminded her of a story she once read about this tragic hero that sacrificed his very life just to protect his family.

Then an image of Yugi came to her mind. He was smirking confidently at yet another challenger during impossible odds. He seemed taller and his eyes blazed like fine garnets despite the situation he was in. No matter what the odds, given enough time, Yugi would fight his way to the top. Tea respected and adored him for that, as well as the gentleness and purity in his soul. Yugi always saw the bright side to things and was always kind and generous to others, even if they were cruel to him first. He gave everyone a chance.

She found herself smiling as she looked at Mokuba. The little boy looked up at her with his huge, violet-grey eyes. She shook her head and firmly told him, "No. Yugi's with him and Yugi won't let it come down to that."

"Let's just hope that Joey doesn't do anything stupid," Tristan said with a grin at Mai.

Mai snorted, "You know Joey."

******

It was pitch black, like someone had poured a bottle of ink on the air. Kaiba couldn't see five feet in front of his face, much less how to maneuver around the tight corridors that they were going through. Yami was in the lead, and occasionally he'd turn back to look at Kaiba and Joey with his glowing garnet eyes as he managed to direct them through the darkness.

Kaiba hated the fact that he had to be lead around this place. Especially by Yami none the less. He would have to admit that Yami was better than him and that would be admitting defeat.

Joey was annoyingly close to him. He cold feel the shorter boy's breath hot on his neck and felt a moment of claustrophobia. It had been like this, Kaiba realized as a wave of panic washed over him. He wasn't in his body; he wasn't there. He was trapped in a soul card, helpless and depending on Yugi to free his brother. Pegasus had him again, had his body to do whatever he wished. Cold fingers traced his features and Kaiba shuddered.

There was a crack in the stillness. He could hear Yami's soft footfalls and Joey's heavy breathing. There was another crack. He felt the sword, warm and pleasant, humming with power, in his left hand. He was in his body and he was in a castle to save Serenity.

There was another crack in the quiet darkness.

Joey screamed and Kaiba felt heavy arms wrap around him. Joey squeezed him tightly. His hair tickled Kaiba's chin and his breath was hot against his neck as he whimpered. Kaiba glared, despite the fact he knew that Joey couldn't see him.

He growled in disgust, "Don't touch me."

"The hell I would," Joey snapped as he pushed away from Kaiba.

Kaiba would have payed a lot of money to see Joey's face at that moment when he smiled wickedly. He replied, "You were the one who grabbed me. Someone needs to send you to obedience school."

"I tripped and fell, bastard," Joey growled.

Kaiba leaned closer and calmly stated, "Maybe I should start carrying a rolled up newspaper around if I'm going to have a Chihuahua barking at me all the time."

"Why I outta . . ." Joey hissed as Kaiba felt his presence looming even closer.

Kaiba retorted, "What? Fall on your ass when I use a reverse arm lock again. You're out classed and out matched, puppy."

"Bastard," Joey snarled as Kaiba felt him move toward him.

He closed his eyes and felt the change in Joey's movement. He had made sure that sight depravation was part of his akiedo training. He calmly blocked Joey's punch and brought his arm down to send Joey sprawling rather ungracefully on the floor.

******

You can't take those two anywhere without them being at each other's throats, Hikari, Yami sighed in their mental link

Yugi turned around and managed to see Joey try to hit Kaiba, Kaiba block him only to defect the blow and send Joey off balance. Yugi flinched as Joey collapsed to the stone floor. The blond glared and moved to get up, but Kaiba calmly placed his foot on his chest.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Kaiba," Joey hissed as he grabbed Kaiba's ankle, so arrogantly placed, and threw it up.

Kaiba fell back, but managed to land without injury. Joey launched himself at the taller brunette and began to beat him. Kaiba automatically used his arms, covered by the metal arm bands, to deflect most of the blows, but Joey was vicious and unrelenting.

Joey head butted Kaiba, stunning the taller boy so he could wrap his hands around Kaiba's throat and throttle him. Joey hissed, "How does this feel, bastard? I'm gonna kill you and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Kaiba's eyes widened as he started to choke. Yugi shouted, "Joey, stop it! You're hurting him."

He was surprised to see Joey look at him with manic, glowing black eyes. He smiled wickedly and hissed, "You'll be next, Yugi. I'll rip your pathetic fucking head off those tiny shoulders!"

Bakura, Yami thought, more of a mental hiss than anything as he took over. Yugi retreated as Yami became ascendent. The ancient spirit walked over and said, "Joey, this isn't you."

"My master will get your Puzzle, you arrogant prick! He'll get Kaiba's body and use the Dragon Blade to gather the other Items to his glory, you pathetic mother fucker!" Joey cackled manically as he continued to choke Kaiba.

Kaiba's surprised, injured expression faded away as his blue eyes narrowed in anger. Yami was torn. He didn't want to hurt Joey, but he didn't want to see his rival dead either. However, Kaiba was ahead of him.

Joey's eyes widened in pain as he let go of Kaiba and drew up. He protectively cupped his groin as he screamed, rather high pitched, and fell back. Kaiba choked as he managed to crawl away from Joey. Kaiba snapped kicked Joey's face and the blond slumped to the ground.

"Joey!" Yami shouted as he rushed to Yugi's fallen friend. Kaiba had rolled over on his stomach as he gasped for air and coughed. Yami rolled Joey over and was glad to hear the taller boy moan.

Kaiba managed to gather himself into a seating position and grabbed the sword. He was still coughing and his face was flushed. Yami glared in anger at what Bakura had done.

How could he use that card on us? Yugi asked, sounding very young and confused.

Yami thought back, It's the Ring, Yugi. He can use the cards on us just as he can in a duel, especially here. And Joey wasn't the only one who was affected by it.

You mean Bakura was trying to make them kill each other? Yugi asked in shock.

Yami answered darkly, Yes. He knew that Kaiba would win in a hand to hand fight against Joey, but he also knew that, under the card's influence, that Kaiba would be injured and much easier to capture and control.

Yami clinched his fists and hissed, "The bastard. How dare he do that."

"Do what?" Kaiba asked, his blue eyes unfocused and confused, "What the fuck just happened?"

Yami answered, "Do you know of the Change of Heart card?"

"Yes, I do," Kaiba answered as he stood up. He glared at Joey and rubbed his throat.

Yami sighed, "Bakura used it on both of you. He played on your negative feelings for one and another and used it to his advantage."

"You mean he can use the cards on us as well, and not just our monsters?" Kaiba asked, his eyes widening.

Yami nodded as he checked Joey over. It looked like that Kaiba only knocked him out. Joey groaned and shifted. He rubbed his head and looked at Yami with guiltless brown eyes. He sat up in confusion and winched.

He asked, "What the hell was that about?"

"Bakura used the Change of Heart card on us," Kaiba answered icily.

Joey's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He managed, "I tried to kill you."

"Try being the operative word," Kaiba replied coldly.

Joey's eyes narrowed as he angrily looked back at Kaiba. He snapped, "Hey! You kicked me in the balls!"

"Again, you were trying to kill me. I defended myself," Kaiba stated, dusting off his white coat.

Joey looked a little sheepish as he said, "But you didn't have to kick me that hard . . . Damn it, Kaiba."

Kaiba only smirked and chuckled. Yami looked at them and shook his head. They were too much alike, yet too different. He realized that if Kaiba and Joey could put past their differences, then they might actually become friends, but they were too stubborn.

Kaiba said, "Let's go find Serenity."

Joey nodded and said, "Then I'm gonna hurt Bakura."

Yami, however, was secretly afraid of what other tricks that Bakura would pull to win this game.

******

"I don't think he's actually trying anymore," Kaiba sneered as they started wandering through a huge maze. They hadn't been attacked by any monsters or spells since Joey tried to kill him. It was, to be cliched, too quiet.

It was frustrating to say the least. There was all the waiting and anticipation that was becoming quite annoying. Kaiba wanted to act and not meander around this stone maze just to kill time. He sighed as they rounded yet another corner.

As if voicing his own thoughts, Joey said, "I don't like this, Yug."

Yugi nodded and replied, "It's not like he's even trying anymore. It's almost like he's baiting us."

"It's getting tedious," Kaiba hissed as he gripped his sword. He realized that he could just end all of this quite easily. He looked ahead and pulled out Saggi and the Death Virus Destruction and combined him. I'll bait him, Kaiba thought as the clown appeared, laughing madly.

Joey whispered, "I hate that card."

Yugi asked, "Kaiba, what are you doing?"

"Watch," Kaiba answered with a smirk. The clown looked at him with dark eyes and Kaiba commanded, "Attack."

The clown laughed madly as it tore down the maze, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Joey gasped, "Holy shit, Kaiba, what are you doing?"

Kaiba smirked and said, "Saggi, continue through this castle until you find another monster to attack you."

Saggi laughed wildly before leaving the maze in ruins, leaving the three a path to follow to the exit. Saggi went through the door, leaving them alone. Kaiba explained, "I'm baiting Bakura."

"You've gotta be kidding," Joey snapped, glaring.

Kaiba crossed his arms, knowing that Joey wouldn't get this logic. He sighed, "Puppy, I know this beyond your comprehension, but I'm setting a trap of my own."

"You're hoping that one of Bakura's monsters will attack Saggi then, infecting them with the Death Virus," Yugi reasoned with a grin.

Kaiba gripped the sword and said, "I'll make that spirit think before he'll challenge Seto Kaiba ever again. I'm not some tool to use for anyone to use."

"What if Bakura doesn't take the bait, what are you going to do then?" Joey asked almost challengingly, his brown eyes narrowed as he demanded Kaiba's answer.

Kaiba brought the sword up and studied the lovely clean lines of the blade and the handle. He smirked and licked his lips. He answered, "I'll separate Bakura from Ryou in my own way then."

"Still, he might attack at any moment," Yugi warned as they climbed through the maze's ruins and to the door. The three of them walked through only to be surrounded by total darkness again. Kaiba took a step forward only to step into something short that gave a short cry.

He automatically reached out and grabbed Yugi. Yugi grumbled, "I hate being short."

"Sorry," Kaiba answered as he tried to adust his vision to the sudden onslaught of darkness once again.

Joey's voice wavered as he asked, "What if there's a ghost or something?"

"Don't be stupid," Kaiba snapped as Yugi drew a card. The Mystical Elf stood there, her long blond hair flowing around her, and her silvery aura giving them enough light to see. Kaiba looked up at the beautiful card with a pang.

Serenity had a thing for elf cards. She had three Celtic Guardians, three Dark Elves, and three Gemini Elves in her own deck. She adored elves in all of their various forms, just like he loved dragons.

I'll make you pay, Bakura. If she's hurt, I'll kill you, Kaiba thought as the sword started to pulse in his hands. He grit his teeth, tired of Bakura's "game". He drew out his Blue Eyes and bellowed, "I call on my Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Kaiba, what are you doing?" Yugi shouted as the Blue Eyes materialized in front of him. The dragon's icy blue eyes met his own expectantly. Kaiba strode to the dragon and it bent its head respectively.

Kaiba answered, "I thought it was fairly obvious, Yugi." He climbed on the dragon's back, stroking the hot scales. The dragon stood up and let out a bellowing roar. With a flap of its wings, the dragon was air born.

Yugi shouted, "Kaiba, you can't be serious!"

"I'm going to save Serenity," Kaiba replied, having to shout over the beating of the dragon's wings. Go, my pet, fly, Kaiba thought as the dragon blasted through the room's huge ceiling and flew up. He held onto the dragon with one hand and the sword with another, determined to reach his goal.

******

Yugi watched in fear as Kaiba and the dragon flew up through the castle at an alarming rate. He whispered, "He's going too far . . . Bakura will beat him. We have to stop him."

Joey smiled and replied, "Already at it, Yug. Go, Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The sinister black dragon appeared before them, screaming in rage.

Yugi smiled up at Joey and said, "Quick thinking."

"Well, we might not be able to stop Kaiba, but we can sure as hell catch up to him. I'm not going to let him get hurt either," Joey replied as he climbed onto the lowered dragon's back. He held down his hand to Yugi. Yugi took it and Joey pulled the smaller boy on the dragon's scaly back.

Yugi frowned and thought, Bakura, what are you planning?

I do not know, Aibou, but I'm afraid as well, Yami replied through their mind link.

Yugi clutched to Joey as the dragon took flight. The taller boy laughed as the dragon followed the path that Kaiba had created. Yugi thought, I'm afraid that Bakura has something up his sleeve.

Knowing him, I'd say that it's safe to assume that myself, Yami replied darkly as they flew on the dragon's back to an uncertain fate.

******

Kaiba summoned the dragon back to him as soon as he reached the tower. He smirked to himself as he looked at the door in front of him. He thought, I've won. Not as easy as you thought, is it, spirit? He chuckled to himself as he opened the door.

He walked into what looked to be a giant dungeon with barred windows and no furniture to speak of. He called out, "Serenity?" He took another step into the room, his sword ready incase something attacked, or if Bakura was there.

A feeling of unease crept along the base of his spine and he couldn't explain it. He was sweating and his heart was pounding. He was actually afraid. Something wasn't right. Serenity didn't call out his name, rush to meet him, or anything to give her presence.

He frowned when he saw a slight body with a head of red hair falling into her face. She was chained to the wall and her head was bowed. He rushed over to her and called out, "Serenity!"

There was no answer.

His hands were shaking as he brought the sword up. With a sharp swing, the chains shattered under the blade. Serenity's small hands fell to her side and she made no response.

The sword clattered to the ground as he gently reached out and touched her. Again, there was no response. "Seren?" he asked tentatively as he smoothed his hands down her sides, checking for injuries. He whispered, "Seren . . ."

His heart was pounding in terror as he was afraid to think. All he thought of was Mokuba lying face down in Pegasus' own dungeon, unresponsive and gone from the living world, an empty shell. He bent down and smoothed the silky red strands of hair from her chilled features.

She's too cold, he thought with alarm as he looked at her in horror. Her eyes stared blankly ahead, dull green pools without spark. No. . . . Kaiba thought in horror as he fell to his knees and gathered Serenity's empty shell to his body. Tears stung his eyes as he stroked her hair and held her closely.

He remembered endless darkness, an unfeeling Hell of loneliness and coldness. He remembered the sheer isolation of being away from his body and began to shake. The thought of Serenity feeling the same thing tore at him, ate at his very being like a ravenous beast.

"Not her!" he shouted as tears fell down his face, creating a scalding path as they went. He choked back a sob as he rocked her back and forth, as if he could will her soul back to him. He felt her hair soft against his lips and smelled her vanilla scent, still so intoxicating to him. "Not her!" he cried as he stroked her silky hair.

Yugi and Yami, they can help. I know they can . . . They always help, he thought wildly as he looked at Serenity's barren face and smoothed her hair from it. He whispered, "I'll get help, I swear it, Serenity."

He screamed, "Yugi! Yugi! Yami! Help me! Please!"

Then he heard the chilling laugh behind him. Kaiba stiffened as he lifted his tear stained face to see the grinning, white-haired demon behind him. Bakura's black eyes gleamed in his pale face as he threw a glowing blue gem up and down in the air, catching it deftly before doing it again. The orb felt familiar to him, as if he should know where it came from, but couldn't name.

Bakura chuckled, "Oh, this is too lovely, the great Seto Kaiba begging Yugi for help."

"You fucking bastard," Kaiba hissed as he gently laid Serenity down to the ground. She was kneeling and unmoving, her body unresponsive. Kaiba looked at Bakura and then back at her. He was the reason she was like this.

Kaiba was going to kill him.

He rolled and grabbed the Dragon Blade. He was back on his feet, keeping his balance as he bellowed in primal rage. He dug at it, let it feed at him, becoming a weapon of vengeance. He took the correct stance and brought the blade down in a clean, smooth movement.

Bakura screamed, "Bloody hell!" He fell back on his rump as he looked up at Kaiba. Kaiba attacked again and Bakura shouted, "Kill me you wanker and you won't get your pet back!"

Kaiba froze and lowered the blade. He hissed, "Talk."

Bakura chuckled as he was back on his feet. He smirked darkly at Serenity and started throwing the blue orb again. Kaiba was boiling over as he gripped his sword with white knuckles. He wanted to draw blood and inflict pain. He wanted vengeance and justice.

Bakura stated, "A trade, mate."

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba snarled as he watched the white-haired thief.

Bakura smirked as he caught the glowing orb. He held out a card and Kaiba froze. He recognized the card for what it was. He had been inside one of those cards once, helpless in darkness and alone. It was a Soul Card and it held Serenity.

Her green eyes were wide with terror. Her tiny fists looked like she was trying to pound at the card and escape. Kaiba lowered the sword and closed his eyes. She didn't deserve this. She was too good, too sweet for this. She didn't deserve this fate as he had once thought he had.

"Your soul and body for hers," Bakura answered simply with a grin.

Kaiba hissed, "I won't be some pawn for your game."

Bakura smirked and replied, "I'm not asking for you to be my slave, you arrogant wanker, but I just need your body."

"So you can put Seth in my body, right?" Kaiba bantered back.

Bakura nodded and mockingly clapped. He replied, "You are a bright one, aren't you Kaiba?" He waved the Soul Card mockingly at her. Serenity's green eyes looked at him pleadingly and Kaiba frowned.

The decision was eating at him. He had to save Serenity. He couldn't let her down.

Still, he asked, "Why do you think Seth would help you?"

"You know the answer to that one, Kaiba. I mean, you've lost enough duels to Yugi to realize that," Bakura answered with a Cheshire grin.

Kaiba would have laughed at the dark irony of it all. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "Vengeance of course."

"Now you're learning," Bakura groused with a dark smile as he walked over and touched Serenity's long hair. He mused, "Pretty girl, Kaiba. Didn't know that you had such good taste."

Kaiba looked at her then at the Soul Card. He lowered his sword in defeat. He had lost this game and Bakura had won, but at least he could make sure that Serenity was freed.

"I'll do it," Kaiba whispered.

Bakura asked, "Really?"

"On one condition," Kaiba growled as he faced the Tomb Robber.

Bakura smirked and asked, "What?"

"I want to see Serenity's soul returned to her," Kaiba answered as he looked into Bakura's black eyes.

Bakura smirked as he pulled out the Millennium Eye from his back pocket of his leather pants. Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise as he realized what happened to Pegasus. He pointed the eye at the card then at Serenity. There was a brief golden glow around her as she groaned and fell.

Kaiba automatically was at her side and lifting her up. She looked at him and cried, "Seto!" She threw her arms around him and he held her as if she was spun glass. He was shaking he realized as he held her, afraid to lose his soul. There was nothing he could do, nothing at all. He lightly kissed her face.

She looked up at him with teary green eyes and cried, "Seto, you have to get out of here. Bakura wants to use you."

"I know," Kaiba answered as he stood up, bringing her with him, "And he's won."

Serenity shook her head and gripped his lapels. She moaned, "Seto, you . . . No."

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he held her. I love you . . .

Serenity touched his face and replied, "We'll find a way to save you."

"Just run," he stated as he gently moved her hands from his face. He looked at her and grabbed her for one last kiss. He put all of himself into that kiss, hoping that it would keep him for all of eternity. He felt his heart shatter as she responded to the kiss with her usual passion.

He ended the kiss all too soon and took her hands. He said, "Run, get to Yugi and Joey and tell them what happened."

Serenity started out the door when Kaiba turned back to look at Bakura. He held out his arms and hissed, "Enjoy your spoils, you bastard. I hope Seth is just like me."

Bakura held up the Eye with wild laughter.

******

Yugi gasped as he felt something tighten around his heart. The dragon burst into the tower as Kaiba fell to the ground. Serenity looked up at them and waved frantically. Bakura was tossing a little blue marble up and down in his hands. For some reason, Yugi knew that Kaiba was in that gem.

A Soul Orb, Yami helpfully provided as the dragon landed, And Kaiba's not in his body anymore. Be on your guard.

"Joey, put the Red Eyes up," Yugi whispered.

Joey asked, "Why?"

"Because that's not Kaiba that's in that body. Kaiba's in the marble that Bakura's holding," Yugi answered quietly as he clutched his Puzzle protectively.

He let Yami take over and Yami frowned.

Yami hissed, "You've gone too far, Bakura, stealing Kaiba was the last straw. Your crimes will not go unpunished."

Serenity tackled Bakura and grabbed the Soul Orb. She tossed it at Joey and shouted, "That's Seto!"

Joey dove for it and deftly caught it. He held it back up and laughed. He taunted, "Not so tough now, are you Bakura! Flame Swordsman, attack!" Joey whisked out the card and the warrior appeared.

The Swordsman bellowed as it raced at Bakura. Serenity stood up out of the way. Bakura cursed, "Bloody hell!"

However, the Swordsman never landed its blow.

His sword was locked with the Swordstalker's unholy blade, charged with the death of the Vampiric Lord. Yami watched as Kaiba's body stood up and grabbed the sword. A voice startlingly familiar to the ancient Game King said, "Kill it."

The Swordstalker calmly cleaved the Flame Swordsman in half. The warrior screamed as it dissolved into nothing and Joey watched, wide eyed, as his favorite monster fell. Angry dark blue eyes turned to Yami as Kaiba hissed, "You betrayed me, Pharaoh. You killed me."

Yami blinked in confusion. His memories were a blur at best. He remembered Seth vaguely and remembered that he respected his formal rival, but there was nothing about a betrayal. He held out his hands and asked, "What are you talking about, Seth?"

Joey took another step back as he clutched the Soul Orb tightly. He asked, "Got any plans, Yug? Because that's not Kaiba."

Hikari, I have a plan, Yami alerted his mental half through their link.

He felt Yugi as he responded, What is it, My Darkness?

You can put Kaiba's soul into a monster if you so need to. Unfortunately, the monsters in their current state are soulless and can house a human soul, Yami quickly explained as Seth approached him with the Dragon Blade in hand.

Before Yami could defend himself or even summon a monster of his own, Seth struck. The sword moved with lighting fast precision and cleanly cleaved the Puzzle off of its chain. Yami screamed in pain as he felt himself separated from his Hikari's body.

Yugi screamed as he felt Yami's pain and at the loss. He fell to his knees as Seth picked up the Puzzle and calmly handed it to Bakura. Bakura smirked as he held the golden Puzzle up to the light.

Yugi screamed, "Give that back, it's not yours!"

Bakura laughed as he held out his deck. He said, "It's mine now, little bit. Now, since you've outlived your purpose, I'll dispose of you know."

Seth looked at them with unfathomable blue eyes, eyes even colder than Kaiba's could be. He then looked at Bakura and said, "I want Yami, remember."

"Oh, we'll kill him and half some fun doing it, mate, but let's dispose of these pests, shall we?" Bakura asked rhetorically as he started to pull a card from his deck.

Yugi clutched his deck as tears formed at his eyes. He felt so alone without Yami talking to him through their link. He remembered what Yami told them and pulled out a card.

The Dark Magician appeared before them and with a swipe of his staff, they were gone. Yugi felt his stomach rush to his mouth as they appeared in another part of the castle. They were back in the maze ruins, totally alone. It was just him, Joey, and the Dark Magician.

Joey asked, "What happened to Serenity?"

"Bakura still has her," Yugi sighed, "And the Puzzle." He was shaking with the loss. He felt tears falling from his eyes as he cried. He felt Joey's arms wrap around him.

His best friend said, "We'll get the Puzzle back, Yugi. And things aren't so bad. I've still got this." Yugi looked up with watery eyes to see the Soul Orb reflect blue light on Joey's still face. He hugged Joey and Joey blushed as he said, "It wasn't anything. Serenity did all the work."

"No, we've still got Kaiba! Quick, give me the Orb," Yugi demanded as he looked up at the Dark Magician.

Joey blinked as he handed Yugi the Orb. He asked, "What cha' doing, Yug?"

"I'm giving Kaiba a body," Yugi answered grimly as he threw the Orb at the Magician's feet. It shattered in a million blue fragments and a misty blue substance entered the Magician.

Yugi looked up and thought, Let's just hope that it works.

To Be Continued!

Yes, yes, yes, I am evil!

Now, I'd like to thank Animom and Alecto and, as always, to Nate Grey.