The Drums of the City Rain.

Yugi

Yugi nods in agreement and makes his way to the large door. It leads the Duelists to an open courtyard, stone pathways leading to a central domed structure over a shallow pool. The pillar of line eminates from the top of the dome, and a crystalline statue of a familiar foe sits below.

"Careful, Partner..." his Other Half warns as Yugi approaches the crystal statue.

He steps up onto the platform of the domed structure, glancing over his shoulder at the others, and around the courtyard. But as he reaches out to touch the statue, suddenly the crystal falls apart to nothing more than dust on the wind. Yugi's eyes widen, and Dartz's laugh echoes around them again

Seto

Upon hearing the laughter that grates on his nerves and his ears, Seto readies his Duel Disk to play monsters for the fight. He takes a defiant step forward, knees bent slightly for poise.

"Dartz! Where are you, snake food?! Show yourself!"

Yugi

"I'm with my god now. Don't worry, Seto. You'll join us soon enough," echoes Dartz's voice from the dome overhead. As his words finish, that bright pillar of light splits into four, each arcing in a different direction over the side of the island and plunging deep into the ocean far, far below.

Joey

It's a good thing he's focusing on the task at hand. The emptied soul squares were creepy, the portal was weird, this empty city is creepy as hell, and the life-sized glass Dartz that just disintegrated for no reason? You guessed it, creepy!! The disembodied voice is not helping, though at least Joey only jumps a little when all that light goes shooting outwards again. He heads to the edge of the domed area to try to look over, see where it went.

His jaw drops as a massive green serpent winds and twists its way out of the ocean, into the sky, flying towards them. It's big enough to coil around the entire floating city. "Holy-! That thing could pick its teeth with any of the Egyptian God monsters! That's the Great Leviathan!?" Well. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. But damn.

"...Is it just me or does he have a pimple?"

Yugi

At Joey's comment, the Other Yugi squints at the enormous snake that looms over the Duelists. He gasps when he realizes.

"That pimple is Dartz!"

The Leviathan roars in response.

The Pharaoh wastes no time, immediately drawing and summoning the first three monsters in his deck: Dark Magician, Summoned Skull, and... Kuriboh. As the monsters appear, as flesh and blood rather than projections of light, the Other Yugi pulls one more card, and the dragon Timaeus joins them.

Joey

"Eugh!?"

Joey follows Yugi's lead, summoning Flame Swordsman, Jinzo, and, of course, Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He's liking these battles that don't stick strictly to the rules. To top it off, he's got Hermos next in his deck, and he wastes no time bringing him out as well. "ALRIGHT!! We got this!"

Seto

Seto bares his teeth at the monstrous creature, pulling from his Extra Deck to summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Gadget Soldier, and Vorse Raider, who has been loyal to him through this entire ordeal- and, finally, Critias. Seto feels the monsters all share a smiliar dedication to their Duelists, and to the world those Duelists live in; they have to give this battle their all.

Dartz looks down at the humans and their Duel Monsters and gives his heartiest, cruelest laugh yet, mocking them. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Is this all the Chosen Duelists have to muster?!"

"Shut it, hood ornament! Prepare to get blasted into next week!"

Yugi

Once all three legendary dragons are summoned, the Other Yugi feels a pull in his heart that tells him to draw another card. And so he does. He immediately slides Legend of Heart into place in his DuelDisk, and the three dragons regain their human, knight forms.

He stares that enormous snake down with all his rage as he calls on all of their monsters to attack as one. A bright, white light encompasses the battlefield, leaving the Duelists temporarily blinded by the united front.

But when the spots clear from his vision, the Other Yugi gasps.

The great Leviathan still stands, seemingly unaffected by the all powerful attack.

Dartz laughs again. Though his torso and head look so small protruding from the massive monster's face, his guffawing still echoes.

The Pharaoh grits his teeth, plants a foot in the ground below him. He draws another card and plays Multiply. Outside of the rules of Duel Monsters, he uses the spell card to amplify the knight Timaeus's attack. Once again, a great burst of light errupts.

And once again, the serpent stands as the lights fade. Completely unharmed by the mighty affront.

Seto

Seto shields his eyes from the massive onslaught's discharge of light, having no time to marvel at the Knights who came from the Dragons. He supposes it makes sense, in a way... but he did prefer their dragon forms to these humanoid Knights. Joey seems far more surprised, at least, until they're all blinded again by Timaeus's follow-up attack.

Which, still, does nothing.

"Oh, is that it? Your magnificent mosquito bite?" Dartz giggles, which somehow stings more than evil laughter. "Then I suppose it's my turn!"

The great snake rears up, gathering negative light into its huge maw...

Yugi

As the Leviathan draws energy for its attack, the Other Yugi thinks quickly. He pulls another card, and holds it into the air as he calls for Timaeus. The knight absorbs the powerful defense of Big Shield Gardna into his sword, projecting a barrier of light that shields the Duelists.

But the other monsters aren't so lucky.

When the Leviathan's attack fades and the Full Barrier Shield finally disappears into a cloud of glitter, the Duelists stand with only their Knights left to protect them.

As the snake stares them down, those iridescent auroras begin to glow overhead once more. The great beast raises its head, pausing to investigate the colorful lights.

Glowing bubbles seem to emerge from the aurora, and the Other Yugi gapss as he recognizes a voice coming from one. The Dark Magician Girl, who he had met the night he freed Timaeus, calls out to her fellow monsters to unite against the serpent. One after another, dozens of those bubbles of light crash into the snake.

"Help from the other side--!!" the Pharaoh gasps as he realizes.

Seto

Seto stares for a moment where the Duel Monsters are hitting the Leviathan, watching for any damage that may occur... but it's not enough. He turns back to the other two Duelists. "Hey- Yugi, Idiot, we should take this opportunity to regroup, while he's still surprised enough not to attack us again!"

Which leads to Seto summoning his XYZ Dragon Cannon, Blade Knight, and Kaiser Seahorse. They're less than his best monsters, but with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the graveyard... it's what he has available.

Yugi

The Other Yugi nods in determined agreement with his rival. He tosses him a quick smirk, but in a fraction of a second, his focus is returned to the great beast.

The futility of the monsters' attack won't shake his confidence. He summons forth three new monsters, Black Luster Soldier, Buster Blader, and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. A stark upgrade from his last pulls.

Joey

"Don't call me idiot, jackass." There's no heat to the little jab, though, as Joey summons a new lineup. Gearfried, Rocket Warrior, and Gilford the Lightning. "I got your back, Hermos! All you hit him at once! Ain't no way it can stand up to us plus the help of those monsters up there!"

Yugi

Once each Duelist has summoned their next wave of monsters, the Other Yugi orders them to attack. Their monsters leap at the Great Leviathan as one, giving their all as they slash, stab, and blast into the snake's throat.

The massive beast roars, throws its head back, but it shows no signs of damage still. Blade-like spines shoot from its hide, piercing the monsters that hack and slash hopelessly against its thick scales.

Enraged but unharmed, the divine serpent turns its venomous gaze to the legendary knights.

Seto

The Legendary Knights are fearless in the face of this immense God-creature, but, unfortunately for their Duelists, they are but Duel Monsters, nothing more.

Even with all the bolstering in their decks, these Knights cannot withstand a blow from such a monster. They, too, are destroyed.

Dartz then sends tendrils of darkness toward the Chosen Duelists, effortlessly entangling them and pulling them toward his God's obsidian skin. "Don't you see? Even your Legendary Knights have failed you, Chosen Duelists; resistance is futile. All will be consumed by the great Leviathan, and it will drown the world in the darkness of humanity's hearts! Take a moment, now, while you can: hear them inside its belly!"

Joey

Joey watches their monsters get skewered with a wince. "Okay... Maybe we need a plan B." Well they still have their Knights!

And. Now they don't.

"No!! Shit, nothin's workin' on this thing!" he cries out as they get snatched up. He still tries to fight, even aiming a punch at the tendril that grabs him. "Bring it on, you freaky mutant! Ain't no god has kept me down yet, you ain't about to break that streak!!" But then he freezes. Looks around. "...Mai? Valon? Rex??" He looks back up at the Leviathan. Where the voices are coming from. "...I hear you. I HEAR YOU!! I AIN'T GIVIN' UP ON YOU, WE'LL GET YOU OUTTA THERE!!!"

Somehow.

As he does, he finds Joey and Tristan tending to an unconscious Raphael. He feels a bittersweet sigh from his Other Self at the sight. "How did he get here...?"

With Joey and Tristan carrying the much larger man between them, they all finally make their way to the temple's entrance, flooded now with bright, teal light. They all race outside, temporarily blinded by the sudden intensity. As her vision clears, Téa gasps.

Floating far overhead is a mass of land, an island raised into the sky.

"is that--!! atlantis?!" Yugi squeaks. "That has to be where that serpent took Dartz!"

"can our helicopters even make it up there?!" Mokuba wonders in awe, sticking close to his brother's side. "in these winds???"

Yugi glances back over his shoulder at the temple. "that rift was left after the monster ate dartz. i wonder if we could follow it back that way...?"

Seto

Seto gazes up at the island before them, then over to the helicopters, then back to Yugi. "...At the very least, we should put those who have no business trying to kill a God onto the helicopters. This place is collapsing."

He squeezes Mokuba's hand- and is summarily interrupted by the pilot himself.

"Mr. Kaiba! A huge hurricane is headed toward the East coast of the United States! If I may, I suggest you all should leave here as soon as possible!"

Seto huffs. Everyone heard that, at least, from the mic in his lapel. He turns on his heel, back toward the temple, and lets go of Mokuba; unfortunately, without a vested interest in Duel Monsters and no deck at the moment, Mokuba has no business trying to follow him, here.

"You all stay here. I'll handle Dartz, myself."

Mokuba

At first, Mokuba nods along to his brother's suggestion. It isn't until Seto lets go of his hand that he realizes, he's part of the helicopter group. He blinks a few times, then turns as if to follow, only to be stopped by Téa's hand on his shoulder once again.

"I'm coming too--" he starts to say.

"Your brother will be okay. He'll fight better knowing you're safe," she assures him.

Still, he can't help but feel particularly small and useless as he watches him go.

Joey

Joey doesn't need to say a word. He just looks at Tristan, and his friend sighs and nods, taking the full weight of Raphael onto himself. Then he turns to Mokuba.

"Don't you worry, squirt!" he teases. It's funny to him, now, to always call him squirt no matter how tall he gets. "We'll keep an eye on 'em. Right Yug? Us and Critias, Hermos, and Timaeus!"

Mokuba

Mokuba rolls his eyes a little less playfully at Joey's comment, however. "I'm gonna be taller than you pretty soon," he warns. Seeing Tristan struggle under the full weight of the larger man, he does at least see one opportunity to be somewhat useful. He's not as strong as Joey, but he slings one of Raphael's arms over his own shoulder to help get him onto the chopper.

But he does glance back at Yugi and Joey as they go. "...please come back," he mumbles

Yugi

Yugi rolls his eyes at Kaiba's comment, but he has a playful little smile as he turns to follow him back into the temple. He keeps his pace slow, though, hanging back a bit until Joey joins them.

"that's right!!" he pipes up in agreement with his best friend. "as long as we stick together, we can't lose." He raises his voice in emphasis on those two words, letting his voice carry down the echoing halls toward Kaiba up ahead.

Seto

Another frustrated *Huff* is all the reply Yugi or Joey get out of Seto as they jog to catch up with his long strides. He doesn't look back to see if they're following (their footsteps are telling enough) and he doesn't particularly care if they *are.* Though, Joey does make a good point...

"I don't need help from a low-class fool; the only reason you'll be at all useful is that legendary dragon card. If not for that, I would insist on handling this alone." *Backed up with a gun, if necessary,* is only thought of, not spoken.

The Chosen Duelists make their way back through the now-empty temple, rumbling and crumbling around them. The souls have all vanished from the stone cards they were being stored in, leaving the halls eerily silent in feeling; Seto isn't sure if he preferred it when it was sorrowful.

But with Joey and Kaiba setting the pace, they make quick time to the swirling blue portal Dartz disappeared into.

Yugi

Yugi has to trot a little to catch up to Kaiba once Joey's at his side. He's quiet as they walk quickly, letting the two have their bantering. Whether Kaiba means his words or not, at least his inflated insults feel familiar. Somehow, they distract him from the anxiety of the battle they're walking into.

But as they venture deeper back through the temple, his pace slows just a bit. He looks at the walls as they pass, empty now, and his chest feels tight.

"all those tiles are empty now. do you think.... they've been.. um."

"....Mm."

"devoured...?"

There's a pause, but Yugi can feel the way his Other Self flinches.

"...We need to move quickly, Partner."

And so he does. Yugi breaks into a bit of a jog as the conversation inside his heart quiets. He's right at Kaiba's side as they reenter the massive chamber where their last fight had taken place.

Yugi draws a deep breath as he approaches that rift. There's still the chance he's wrong. That this portal leads directly into the Leviathan's mighty maw instead of a battlefield. But they came all this way, the Duelists couldn't turn back now.

"ready guys?" Yugi asks his friends.

But the response he gets, the sound of Dartz's laughter echoing from the portal, sends a chill down his spine.

Yugi glances at his allies, wraps a fist around the chain of the Millennium Puzzle, and disappears into the teal light.

For just a moment, he disappears into his own soul, closing his eyes to meet his Partner inside their shared heart. And there he sees him. Yugi Mutou, his other half. With his sweet smile and soft eyes, and all the warmth of a summer morning. He reaches out to take the hands of his Other Self as his smile somehow grows even brighter. "i'm so happy to see you again," he says with both a chuckle and a sob. "I missed you so, so much. Partner, I-- I'm sorry…" Despite the tears that fall from his eyes, the Pharaoh smiles as he holds onto Yugi's hands. "shhhh, other me, what are you talking about? i'm so proud of you," Yugi says, with breathless adoration. Oh, how he wants to stay like this forever. To just hold his Partner and never let him go again. But as the raging waves shake the crumbling temple, the two are pulled out of their emotional reunion, and back to the reality, and urgency, of their situation. For the first time in weeks, Yugi opens his own eyes. It's a little disorienting, to occupy a physical body again after so long as nothing more than a trapped soul. But he wastes no time, blinking away the discomfort before rushing to the side of Kaiba and his friends on the temple floor.

Seto Kaiba

Seto groans as he raises his bruised body, touching the back of his head where it hit the stone floor, checking for blood. No… he's fine, just battered. He then notices Mokuba holding his arm, immediately taking all of his attention with more than a little alarm; Seto gently shakes his little brother's shoulder, yelling over the din of the temple's rumbling, "Mokuba. Mokuba! Are you alright?" The older Kaiba hardly notices or cares when Yugi runs over to everyone.

mokuba

Mokuba groans as his consciousness returns, but he doesn't immediately open his eyes. His head hurts. His body feels heavy. He feels his brother shift beside him and snuggles closer, almost forgetting where they are or the danger they'd been in, as his mind isn't quite awake yet. But the urgency in Seto's voice as he calls his name has Mokuba quickly sitting up in alarm. Instantly, he remembers the Duel, remembers watching the awful way Seto had twitched and writhed against the seal as Dartz had cast him out from it. "Nii-sama!!" he gasps, eyes wide as he looks up at his brother in shock and excitement. "you-- you're okay!!" He pulls his attention away from Seto, looking around at the others as Yugi goes to Téa and Tristan to check on those two. "does that mean-- did Yugi win? is it over???"

But Yugi glances over at the brothers' touching reunion, bites his lip, and shakes his head.

Seto Kaiba

Seto finally fixes his gaze on Yugi, after it had briefly, almost imperceptibly softened at Mokuba's awakening, again intense and disdainful. "What do you mean, Yugi."

yugi!

Once he helps his friends up and ensures they're okay, Yugi walks over to the Kaibas. "my other self beat dartz, but that didn't stop the leviathan. it… consumed dartz, instead. i guess it didn't matter which powerful soul it took…"

Seto Kaiba

He doesn't accept a hand up, but does help Mokuba up, himself. He dusts them both off with a few pats, fussing over his little brother a little. "…I see. Ironic, and fitting. But it's still been awakened, then. We gotta get out of here."

yugi!

Yugi smiles a little as he watches the brothers, especially Seto's rare display of caring. But he nods solemnly in agreement with his suggestion. "yup… but… we can't give up hope yet. we can still save everyone. we just need to regroup and-- see if joey's okay too." Téa's already motioning to the door to the chamber they're in. "So let's go!!" she urges

Joey

He. Is. RUNNING. From the moment he awoke in the helicopter, Joey knew what that meant. He just knew that Yugi was right there. And there was no man alive that was going to keep him apart one second longer. Toward the temple, up the steps, down the halls, right into the chamber. "OUTTA MY WAY!! YUGI!!!" He barrels straight for him, not even stopping once he reaches him. He roughly yanks Yugi up, spinning on the ball of his foot as he hugs him tight. "He did it!! You're here!! Ahaha, we're really back!!"

yugi!

As Yugi starts to lead the group out of the chamber, the sound of a familiar voice echoes down the stone halls and stops him dead in his tracks. The realization hits him after a second, and immediately his spirits seem to lift, a big smile growing on his face as his violet eyes go wide. And then, before he can react, he's swept off his feet. He can't help but to break into gleeful laughter, throwing his arms around the other man he's missed so, so much. "joey!!!" he cries, returning the gesture with the tightest squeeze he can. "i'm here-- you're here!!! i'm so glad you're okay, you have no idea--!!!"

Joey

"I should be sayin' that to you!" Joey laughs, spinning around once more for good measure. "Hey, don't leave us out!" Tristan teases, jogging over for a hug of his own and waving an arm for Téa to join in as well. The two got theirs, now it's group hug time!

yugi!

Yugi's all smiles as he's spun around by his excitable best friend again, feeling his Other Self chuckle at them from inside his heart as well. He's just about to remind them they still have work to do, but then Tristan comes running over with Téa at his side and well-- the world can wait for one more hug. "get over here guys!" yugi giggles, one arm around Joey and one outstretched invitingly. But as Tea wraps her arms around Yugi and Joey, Yugi keeps his arm open, violet eyes and friendly smile fixed on the loner brothers.

Seto Kaiba

Seto crosses his arms, but has a playful smirk on his face as he shakes his head. He intones to Mokuba, "We were so over, but now we're so back." He isn't actually sure if he's getting that song reference right; he doesn't care about pop music like Mokuba.

mokuba

Mokuba gives his brother a perplexed look, but just snickers and shouts a "yeah!!" in agreement. As he catches Yugi's fixated stare and gesture, he rolls his eyes. But he still smiles as he lumbers over with exaggerated objection, pulling Seto by the hand toward the group. "ohhhh my godddd you and your dumb friendship, the world is ENDING you NERDS," he complains loudly, though he slings an arm around Yugi in a side hug. Looks down and smirks a little and leans a bit too much weight on him, just really rubbing it in how much bigger he is than Yugi now. Get bullied, shortstuff.

Seto Kaiba

Seto refuses to join the hug. But he does put a hand on Yugi's shoulder, and an arm around his little brother. "We can celebrate after we get out of the crumbling temple, idiots.*

Joey

This is one of those small, brief moments that's going to stick in his mind forever, he thinks. Out loud, Joey cracks a joke. "Man, I just ran up all them steps!" Tristan gives him a playful jab as they disentangle. "A'right, a'right, let's vamoose!"

yugi!

Oh, Yugi will never forget this moment, and neither will his Other Half. Even Mokuba's antagonizing warms their heart. They both promise to hold onto his memory forever as they all separate….. "oh! one second!" Yugi pipes up one more time. He takes his deck from his DuelDisk to search for something, then holds out two cards. "now that you're both back…. i think you're gonna need these."

Seto Kaiba

Seto takes his Fang of Critias without much gratitude, but with care, after they all step back from Yugi. "We surely will. I hope you used my card well," he adds, with a sharp but somehow also lighthearted Look at the other Duelist.

Joey

Joey accepts his card back with a grin. It's more familiar this time, this weird feeling of being reunited with an old friend, but still stands out enough for him to Notice. "Thanks for takin' care of it for me, hope he helped! Okay, now let's not get crushed!!"

yugi!