"Nice shooting!" Jou grinned, high-fiving Honda.

Bakura ignored the characters in favour of watching the other player. This wasn't Yugi, her soul was in the Birdtail figure on the table. So who was this? Yugi had called this new spirit 'Anesan.' That thought brought something Yugi had said to her to the forefront of her mind.

"Yugi no Oneesan, I presume?" Bakura asked irritably, having been so focused on victory, she had forgotten about the other spirit.

"Bakura-san." Oneesan nodded, irritation obvious, "I wanted information, not my friends stuffed into lead figurines."

"It's just Bakura." The other Millennium spirit corrected, "And I don't know, they look better like that." Bakura smirked at her, "And now you're the only one in that body. You should be grateful."

"I'd rather share this vessel with its rightful owner for a thousand years than steal it away from her for even a moment." Oneesan scowled, "I was happy to sit back and let Imoto-chan play, even when I realised there was more going on here than just a game. But you attacked our friends and sealed her soul into her figurine so now you have to deal with me."

"She was sealed at her own request, I will remind you." Bakura tutted at her opposite number, "Do you think you can handle the pressure of having the lives of your 'sister' and your friends in your hands where she couldn't?"

"I don't lose so their lives are in no danger." Oneesan informed Bakura, who smirked slightly, enjoying the game even more with someone facing her who wasn't even slightly cowed by the powers at work.

"Then let the game continue." Bakura crowed, the Shadows in full swing now, bringing the board and figurines on it to life properly. Oneesan felt her little sister balk to start with, as the Shadows first moved, and braced Imoto-chan's mind, glad she was able to do that despite the separation.

Yugi looked up at Oneesan and smiled gratefully, not saying a word about the issue to her friends in order to help them keep calm.

"It's a new round of combat." Bakura informed them, "And though he just lost his hand, Zorc looks almost uninjured. Plus things are looking worse for the Adventurers." As she said that the hand shifted and split, taking the form of two monsters.

"Any piece of my flesh cut from my body transforms into monsters under my control!" Zorc informed them, sounding smug. "Minions. Deal with them, I grow bored."

He turned to leave and Yugi stepped forward, wanting this over as soon as possible. "Are you running away?" She demanded, "Stand and fight us!"

"I have a special place set up for our final battle." Zorc informed her, "Make your way to my castle while the fires of hate still burn within you, if you can." With that he took off, flying ahead to the castle.

"Jerk! Creep! Power Gamer!" Jou roared insults after him, "Just wait! We'll get to the castle no matter what it takes!"

"We're playing right into Bakura's script." Yugi mentally grimaced, "We really are stuck in her game world."

'You're right.' Yugi jumped a mile and wheeled around to look up at her elder sister, shocked when she heard Oneesan's voice echoing in her mind, 'Bakura made Zorc appear when your guard was down, then she was able to seal your souls into figurines. Everything's gone according to her plan. She's a Game Master to watch out for.'

"I think she's cheating." Yugi informed her elder sister, needing to warn her. "Whenever she rolls she gets a critical."

'I know.' Oneesan replied, delighted that she could finally talk to her little sister outside of the soul rooms despite the situation. 'And I can stop her.' She felt her sister's relief at that and her grin widened slightly.

"Warrior." Bakura looked down at Jou, "It's your turn to attack."

"Let me at her, Oneesan." Jou glanced up at the spirit of the Puzzle, his fear easing in the face of the sheer unshakeable confidence that Oneesan was projecting and the faith Yugi had that her elder sister would get them out of this. Instead embarrassment started to take hold instead, making him wish he hadn't yelled at Yugi.

"Don't forget, Yugi." Bakura called, "You roll a fumble and that character dies."

Oneesan was unfazed, confident smirk on her features as she spun the dice out of her hand. The lack of fear was rewarded by a super critical which allowed Jou to wipe out one of the monsters.

Bakura seemed stunned for a moment, staring across the board at the other spirit. Then she shook herself out of it, tapping something on the laptop as she did. "The remaining monster is shocked at the ease in which you took down his ally and loses his action. Which means it's the Monster Tamer's turn."

Yugi nodded, understanding and looked up at Oneesan. "I need to make as many allies as possible before we reach Zorc's castle." She spoke to Oneesan directly. Her Other Self nodded in agreement.

"Beast Hand Power!" Yugi announced, focusing the odd power she could feel gathering around her at the proclamation, power that felt different from the energy that normally swirled around her but seemed to jump at her call.

"Until moments ago, the Zorc Arm Dragon was part of Zorc. You only have a ten percent chance of getting it to change sides." Bakura chuckled, certain that there was no way they could roll that low and that the little Yugi's power was almost useless.

"Only ten percent?" Yugi mentally gulped, "That means I have to roll less than ten or I fail..." She glanced over her shoulder, saw Oneesan nod to her, reassurance surging over the link, and took a deep breath, "I trust Oneesan. And she WILL roll what I need to do this." She let the power flow.

The dice spun out of Oneesan's hand, the red coming to a stop on an eight, making Yugi flinch. Then something seemed to make the ground below them jump slightly, startling Yugi into taking flight, and the blue die, which was still spinning hit the red one, setting it going again.

"One of the many ways of cheating with dice," Oneesan chuckled at Bakura's astounded and slightly furious expression as Yugi landed in time for the dice to come to a stop, their value totalling two, "The double hit technique. The same class as your 'run of criticals,' Bakura."

With the roll totalling two, Yugi was able to bring the dragon under her command, giving her a second monster that could help her out in battle. Her puffball babbled at the dragon, who promised to help out its new master.

"Wait," Jou looked confused as he turned to face the spirit of the Puzzle, "You cheated? I thought you couldn't cheat in a Shadow Game."

"Bakura's been doing it since the beginning." Oneesan replied, "It's possible to control the way the dice fall. She's been doing it to get all of her critical rolls."

Bakura let out a low growl. She had but she hadn't expected someone to be able to do it back.

"Too bad, Bakura." Oneesan chuckled at the reaction she got, "If you can cheat, I can too. Shadow Games have to be fair, after all."

"Fine." Bakura grumbled, "From now on spinning is prohibited, the only way we're allowed to roll dice is like this." She let the dice slide off her hand and, letting them fall without any tricks involved.

"I'll agree to that." Oneesan nodded, still amused that she had shut down Bakura's cheating so effectively.

"The next time you cheat, you should get turned into a figurine too!" Jou snapped at Bakura, turning to glower at the D.M.

"Let's continue the game." Bakura ignored him, further angering the boy trapped in the Warrior's figurine. "After dealing with Zorc's minions, the Adventures continue on to the gates of Zorc's castle."

'This is where the real fight begins.' Oneesan thought, frowning slightly as Jou took point and pushed open the doors, glad that the moment they had left the forest, Imoto-chan had regained her Dexterity bonus, making her harder to hit. 'At least the fight is fairer now.'

"I'm not sure it's fair yet." Yugi sent back, following her friends through the gate warily. "With how little damage we did to it, I have a horrible feeling that Zorc's far above our encounter level."

'Even if it is, there has to be a way to beat it.' Oneesan replied, confidence unshaken and reassuring her little sister despite her certainty that she was correct in her assumptions. 'The Shadows are allowing her to cheat, but they're bending for us just as much. I'll find the backdoor and get you all back to your bodies safely.'

"I know you will." Imoto-chan's confidence in her helped bolster her confidence. She wouldn't let her little sister down. Ever.

Just as they went to step into the castle grounds, the diorama opened up, revealing a tower and a throne.

"Alright Zorc!" Jou demanded as he stepped forward first, "Come out and show yourself, you coward!"

Bakura just sniggered at the boy. His impatience would be his downfall. "There's no sign of Zorc." She informed them, "Nor is there any of his minions."

"That tower looks suspicious." Honda pointed out, unable to see the throne from his position on the board.

"Well let's go check it out then." Jou nodded, trying to herd the others towards it, only for Yugi to hang back when she saw there was a carving on a stone pillar in the middle of the room. The knee high pillar had two half hoops on and it looked like the upper half was missing.

"Guys, I think it's a..."

"You worry too much." Jou pulled her towards the tower, only for Yugi to shake him off and take off, getting out of his reach and looking frustrated.

"Jou, please listen to me, at least once." She pleaded, "That pillar looks like it's a trap."

Jou paused. Yugi didn't plead for anything normally and she had been right about the game, right about the forest being a bad idea and right about letting Oneesan take over for her. She was most likely right here too. Plus he kind of felt guilty for ignoring her when she had been trying to help them the whole way through. It was just easy to overlook Yugi when her older, cooler sister was guiding them through the game.

"Alright." He nodded to the temporary Birdtail, stepping back. When he heard a sharp, frustrated hiss of breath that sounded like it came from Bakura, he realised that he had made the right decision. Yugi came down again, landing with relief obvious on her features as her friends moved away from the obvious trap.

Bakura scowled down at the scene. The little Yugi was proving to be more of a bother than she had expected. Everything had been playing out as she had hoped it would until the girl had intervened. She suspected that if she wanted to win this game, she was going to have to rid herself of the nuisance.

"Judgement roll." Bakura's sudden call caught all of their attention, the D.M. rolling without giving them warning for what she was rolling for.

The Adventurers couldn't see the roll, but Oneesan could and the twenty eight that landed on the board caused her to let out a low growl as Bakura started cackling.

"Zorc emerges from the castle!" She crowed, the great demon appearing in a cloud of purple light and smoke, "And he wins initiative! Forty three!"

Yugi had just enough time to let out a started yelp before Zorc's huge hand cut through the air and slammed into her, sending her crashing into the stairs leading up to the throne.

"Imoto-chan!" Oneesan stood, her sister's pain echoing through her, her game face giving way temporarily to fear as Yugi let out a pained groan and slowly pushed herself sitting, a dazed expression on her features.

"Not the best number, but good enough for a slow, painful death." Bakura smirked at the spirit of the Puzzle, blessing her luck. When she had gone for a walk last night, she had not expected to come across someone who was entrenched in Shadows and could lead her to the girl who had been wandering around with a Millennium Item on display.

That the girl was a fool who didn't seem to remember who she was had been a blessing in disguise. She had walked straight into her Shadow Game and now, though Bakura had originally called the Game to test the other girl, to see if three thousand years had left her abilities rusty, it now looked like she was going to be able to wipe out the Pharaoh and take the Millennium Puzzle for herself.

She just had to win the game and from the way the spirit of the Puzzle had recoiled when her 'little sister' had been hit, Bakura had a strong feeling that if she wiped out the little Yugi, the big one would go with her, winning her the game and leaving her with three new game pieces for her host.

"I should have gotten a roll to dodge that!" Oneesan snarled at Bakura, glowering at the smug witch who had just taken almost half of her sister's health points in one, underhanded, blow, "Imoto-chan's Dexterity means she should have been able to escape from that!"

"I'm the Game Master, not you." Bakura retorted, smirking, "And I rolled for her dodge. She failed, obviously."

Oneesan let out a low growl. Bakura was cheating again - the sneaky, underhanded witch.

"I'm okay." Yugi's voice wavered slightly, but she managed to get to her feet, smiling around at her friends, who looked reassured by the ease of which she got up.

"Hey, Peabrain!" Jou snarled, causing Bakura to look at him, "You were so focused on Yuge, you forgot about us!" He launched an attack on Zorc's unprotected back. On a roll of fifteen, his blade caused Zorc to cry out as a slash opened up across Zorc's back.

Bakura grimaced momentarily before speaking up, "Indeed," She agreed, "Any Adventurer who is behind Zorc gets a free attack this round." Which meant everyone bar Yugi. "Starting with the MagicGunman."

"Let me kill him!" Honda demanded of Oneesan, who nodded, able to feel Honda's anger channelling through her and into the dice. The critical that she rolled allowed Honda to do heavy damage and Anzu's free strike was a super critical that should have sent the giant monster sprawling.

Except...

Bakura cackled as the smoke from Anzu's attack cleared only to reveal Zorc didn't look like he had more than a few surface wounds.

"After all those criticals?" Jou protested. "Nothing?!"

"Fools!" Bakura continued to cackle, "You are still apprentices. Level one Adventurers! You don't have the experience to defeat Zorc!"

"Th...Then, there isn't any way for us to win!" Yugi realised, taking a step back, her leg touching the rubble she had caused when she had slammed into the stairs, causing her to look over her shoulder at it.

"You dirty, cheating bitch!" Jou snarled up at Bakura.

"I'm not cheating." Bakura sniggered, "I'm the Dark Master, I made everything in this game world! I am the rules! I AM the monsters! I AM the GOD!"

Oneesan let out a low growl. So that was why the Shadows were letting her get away with everything. Bakura made the rules. She couldn't be cheating and breaking them if she was making them as she went along.

'The game was rigged from the moment we sat down.' Oneesan's thought crossed the link, causing Yugi to look up at her.

"We can do this. There has to be a way for us to do this." Yugi sent back, praying she wasn't wrong.

"Now, the battle continues." Bakura crowed, "You can at least act out your deaths gracefully." She paused to consider something in her case, "You know, Yugi, I'm disappointed. Three thousand years ago you would have seen right through me before the game even started. You wouldn't have fallen into such an easy, and fatal, trap."

"You knew me?" Oneesan couldn't help but ask, buying time to try and think of some way to save her friends that hadn't already been closed off by the diabolical and deceitful D.M.

"You really don't remember?" Bakura asked, looking surprised.

"I have no memories of my time in Egypt." Oneesan confirmed, trying to get Bakura to talk, "No name, no memories, just the knowledge Shadi passed on when he was here."

"Ha, like Shadi knew anything." Bakura snorted, watching her carefully, like she was a puzzle to assemble or a cadaver to dissect. "What 'truths' did he bother to pass on?" She asked her, curiosity piqued.

Oneesan wasn't going to complain, she could feel Yugi's mind working almost as fast as her own could to work through the problem while she kept Bakura from killing her friends. "I was a Pharaoh back in Egypt." She replied, watching Bakura who nodded at that, "And I gave my life and soul to stop the demon armies of the Thief Ki..."

"The Thief King was a pathetic worm who had no brain, no power and no idea of how to deal with you or your priests." Bakura interrupted, a scowl of distaste making their way across her features, "It was I who led those armies, not him. He wouldn't have been able to lead a thirsty camel to water."

"I'm just telling you what I was told." Oneesan shrugged, getting the feeling that Bakura would talk more about it if she let her. "What's the true story?"

"Does it matter?" Bakura asked, turning back to her case, "You'll be dead soon anyway."

"Consider it a last request." Oneesan replied, though she had no intention of letting Bakura kill her or her friends, "After three thousand years I want the truth before I die."

"Shadi was full of crap." Bakura snorted, picking out a pair of dice, "You were a Pharaoh, yes. And you were a good one, unlike your bastard of a father. But the Thief King wasn't the one who you gave your life and soul to seal into the Millennium Items. It wasn't even a demon army. It was me." Bakura smirked slightly, "Just me. Well, myself and one other... my most powerful ally."

"If I was a good Pharaoh, why would you rise against me? Destroy my country?" Oneesan asked, confusion obvious as Yugi darted around to join her friends, still trying to formulate a plan.

"In the past you understood. Now..." Bakura shook her head, "It's almost a shame to have to do this, we were friends once after all, but I'm afraid that friendship won't save you now. You've had your turn and now Zorc turns his wrath on the Adventurers." She rolled the dice.

"No!" Oneesan's heart skipped a beat as the dice landed on double zero. Super Critical.

"Zorc Catastrophe!"

Zorc loosed a huge black ball of power that exploded on contact with the ground, the players, the surroundings, everything. All four Adventurers let out agonised cries that suddenly went terrifyingly silent. Oneesan nearly passed out from the pain herself, needing to lean against the table to remain upright as the Shadows swarmed and the body started failing her.

'N...No...' She thought, still able to sense Yugi's light, though it flickered like a candle barely standing against the harshest breezes, fighting to remain upright, to remain fighting if there was the slightest chance one of her friends had survived the attack. 'Not now...not after all this...'

"Zorc's magical attack has the power to kill characters with more than fifty hit points!" Bakura smirked, "All of the player characters are dead!"

Oneesan didn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. She could still sense Imoto-chan's light. She couldn't be gone. Not yet. And her friends... they couldn't be gone. They just couldn't. Not like this. Not after everything they had been through.

Not to some cheating, lying, treacherous bint who changed the rules at every turn.

"Well," Bakura continued, amused as she watched the trembling, barely alive Pharaoh trying to hold on to life in a body that would soon give up on her, "It's pointless but I had better crunch the data. You haven't officially lost until the computer says they're all dead, after all and there's so many variables."

Oneesan just glowered, concentrating on holding on to her little sister's mind as best she could and drawing in breath. Keeping them both alive for another breath, and another, and another. Even if it would soon be all over for them.

"I'll input the data on Zorc's attack power, the die roll, the player's defence, hit points, damage..." She chuckled slightly, "No matter what the result, it'll be less than zer...what?!"

Jou was the first to pick himself up, the Warrior using his sword to help him push himself up off of the ground. Honda wasn't far behind, staggering as he forced himself up. Then the two boys turned to the girls and offered them a hand as Anzu and Yugi pulled themselves to their feet, using the boys as leverage.

"You made it!" Oneesan's delighted, relieved exclamation had them all turn to her, breathing coming easier with panic and despair not strangling her heart. 'I knew it!' For all she wanted to sound like she had known their survival had been certain, the relief and cheer in her mental tone told Yugi just how frightened she had been. 'I knew you couldn't be dead! We're the same soul! We're never apart! If you had died, I would die too!'

"Right." Yugi agreed, smiling at her despite the way she was trembling, exhaustion and pain trying to claim her, "We're not done yet."

"How?" Bakura breathed, watching the players rise to their, unsteady, feet and trying to work out how they had managed to survive Zorc's most deadly attack with one health point apiece.

Then she noticed her left hand was typing by itself.

'WHAT?!' She stared at what was being typed up.

"I am Amane Bakura." The note informed her, "I won't let you kill them. I'll fight you too!"

'Could it be?' The ancient spirit of the Ring asked herself, 'My soul is linked to the Zorc miniature in the game world. When the Adventurers cut off Zorc's left hand, somehow, despite me locking her in her soul room, it allowed Amane to control MY left hand.'

"Dice roll!" She was distracted from her train of thoughts by the other spirit starting her move, rolling an attack for the Warrior that allowed him to stab Zorc in the left eye, blinding her in that eye in real life. "I'll say it one more time, Bakura." Oneesan stared her down, "It's not over yet."

"Yugi," Bakura snarled as she recovered from the pain and shock of the attack, causing both Oneesan and Yugi to look at her. "You're making me mad."

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when you're angry." Jou murmured in a low voice, causing Honda to shove him.

'What in the world is going on?' Oneesan frowned, watching Bakura closely, watching the expression on the other spirit's face shift between rage, confusion, frustration and then calm decision. 'I know she made some kind of miscalculation. Not that I'm complaining.' Then a thought occurred to her, 'That's it! The game's rigged but if the Game Master makes mistakes...' She smirked slightly. 'That's the key!'

"All right." Bakura snarled, "Back to the game. The Warrior strikes a perfect hit! His sword gouges out Zorc's left eye! However Zorc's hit points are only reduced a fraction!"

"This sucks!" Jou complained, "No matter how many critical we get we can't do Zorc any real damage! He's level fifteen, we're level one!"

"Then how can we defeat Zorc?" Honda demanded.

"We need to heal the party." Yugi thought, knowing Oneesan was listening in, "Which means we need Anzu's turn to Healing Magic can restore the entire party's hit points, but if Zorc attacks before she can go..." Yugi winced slightly.

"Now, according to the initiative scores," The gang froze, waiting to hear who would be moving first. "Anzu gets the first move."

"Oh thank..."

"But Zorc's score is tied with hers so they move at the same time."

"Oh for..." Jou snapped, "How many bloody attacks do you want, you cheating bi..."

"Jou." Oneesan snapped, noting the ugly look that Bakura was giving him. "So how do we settle this?" She asked the D.M.

"We both roll. The one with the lowest score moves first." Bakura explained, watching Oneesan pick up her dice. "If Anzu moves first she can heal you and you might survive the next round. If Zorc moves first it's game over."

"We have to believe in Anesan for this roll." Yugi murmered to her friends and Bakura prepared to roll too.

Both players let the dice roll.

"Ha!" Bakura cackled as her blue die came to a stop on a zero, "Super critical! I win!"

"Our dice..." Yugi turned to look, watching them stop, "Nine..."

"Not low enough!" Bakura cackled, "Zorc goes first and..."

"Are you blind?" Oneesan interrupted her second attempt to wipe out the party with a small, smug smile, "Look at your dice!"

Bakura trailed off as she stared at her dice. "A ten? But that's..." She picked up her dice and Oneesan couldn't help but feel vindicated when shock crossed Bakura's face. She had obviously tried to cheat to win the roll and failed.

"Healing Magic Luona!" Anzu cried, healing the entire party, restoring everyone to half health.

"So you went first, that doesn't mean anything!" Bakura snarled, "Zorc has an eighty percent chance of hitting and if he hits, he damages all of you!" She rolled the dice and both Yugi and Oneesan flinched as they felt something from the dice.

Whatever they were expecting, it wasn't what happened as the dice rolled to a stop on ninety-nine.

"She Fumbled!" Yugi cried out, delighted as Zorc blew himself up, wiping out almost sixty of his own health points and causing Bakura to let out a cry of pain.

"Alright!" Honda cheered.

"Looks like she's not invincible after all!"

Bakura snarled, her expression vicious as she recovered quickly from the Fumble and seized the wrist of her left hand.

"This bloody left hand!" She snarled, glowering at it for a moment before slamming it down on the cones on one of the remaining spires of Zorc's castle, which pierced right through the limb, "How does that feel, Amane Bakura!?" Bakura demanded, cackling like a loon. "How do you like the durable polyresin now!?"

"Did she just say...?" Yugi gasped sharply, staring up at the D.M. who looked a right state as she pulled the hand off of the spire it was impaled on and wrapped a cloth around the bleeding limb.

'The light must still be in there.' Oneesan nodded, 'She's fighting for us...'

"Hey Yuge?" Jou asked quietly, "Is there any way we can help Bakura?"

"I don't know." Yugi admitted, thinking quickly, "But I have an idea."

"Pay attention, little Yugi." The spirit of the Ring smirked down at her, "It's your turn. Not that you can do much."

"Game Master!" Oneesan spoke up, agreeing with Yugi's plan, "The BeastTamer will try her hand power on Zorc, the Lord of Darkness!"

"You can't be serious!" Bakura looked stunned for a moment before she started cackling again, "Your 'hand power' is a magic power that turns enemies into allies, you really think that would work on Zorc!?"

Yugi just prepared to cast her spell. She wasn't trying to change Zorc. Instead she was hoping to rescue the soul trapped inside him.

"A useless effort." Bakura sniggered, unaware of what was actually being tried, "Zorc would never be your ally, even if it meant the end of the world!"

"Well I'm trying anyway!" Oneesan rolled. On a roll of five the magic training hand appeared.

"Fool!" Zorc sniggered at Yugi, "You'd have to be level one million before you could ever succeed in turning me into an ally. You'll...what!?"

The training hand latched onto something that was emerging from the stump, pulling a person free of the huge demon and placing them in front of Yugi who helped them to their feet.

"Thank you," The white robed girl who had a blue ankh on her hood and tabard, "For saving me. I'm Amane, a level thirteen white wizard. I'm a NPC created by Amane Bakura, please may I join your party?"

"Of course!" Yugi nodded, grinning broadly as her friends cheered at gaining such a powerful ally. "Let's defeat Zorc together."

The Dark Master looked furious as she looked down at the board but she didn't say what was going through her mind as she growled out, "It's still your turn. The MagicGunman goes next."

"He attacks." Oneesan answered, rolling a fifteen that blew a chunk out of the demon that had been giving them so much trouble before.

"How?" Honda looked pleased, but shocked.

"As a Non Player Character, I obey the will of the Other Game Master, Amane Bakura." The White Wizard explained, "I thought it might help, so I lowered Zorc's defences with my white magic."

That was it. That was the backdoor Oneesan had been scrambling to find. Relief coursed through the Pharaoh, echoed through her little sister as they realised in the same moment that it was now possible for them to take down Zorc and win.

"Thank you." Yugi breathed, delight obvious as she grinned at Amane.

"This is the least I can do." The White Wizard replied, smiling back, "You saved me from the darkness of Zorc's heart. Let me fight together with you this time." When Yugi nodded, Amane took point, facing down the damaged demon.

The Dark Master let out a vindictive snigger as Zorc shifted forms, crawling more than walking, a circular emblem appearing on its chest.

"Uh oh." Amane breathed, grimacing slightly.

"What?" Jou demanded, not liking the sound of 'uh oh.'

"That's Zorc's final form. His attack and defence both level up." She replied, "I can lower his defence again, but..."

"Don't get hit." Honda nodded, understanding what she was getting at.

"That'll be difficult considering its Zorc's turn next!" The Dark Master crowed, "His long awaited attack!"

The demon focused his energy, the circular emblem opening to reveal an eye as the Game Master rolled for Zorc's attack.

Double zero. Super Critical. It was all over.

"Zorc Inferno!" The blast of purple light, fire, heat and rage shot towards the party.

"White Magic!" Amane's voice somehow came through clearly over the noise of the attack, "Shining Shield, level thirteen!"

A bright white shield of light appeared over the party, deflecting the blast away from them, Amane giving everything she had to shield the party.

"How long can you last?" Bakura cackled down at her, "You'll be out of magic power before his attack ends!"

Amane was fully aware of that as she was already resorting to converting her health points to magic.

When the attack finally cut off everyone was still standing, though Yugi had to dart forward and catch Amane before she hit the floor. "You risked your life for us."

"Is she alright?" Honda asked, looking around at his friends, who were all back down to anywhere between one and three health points.

"Hang on till my turn." Anzu fussed at the White Wizard, "I'll heal you."

"I...I'll be fine." Amane breathed, down to one health point herself. "But if you have enough power left to heal me, use it to attack." She looked down, obviously kicking herself, "I don't have the power to protect everyone again. If we don't end it this turn, we'll be destroyed."

"I've got her." Honda took Amane from Yugi, leaving the girl free to join in the final assault. "If we're going down now, it's not without a fight."

"If Zorc's attack and defence power grows when he becomes 'Last Zorc,' why hasn't he done it before?" Yugi wondered, confusion only showing slightly as she considered her opponent, trying to work out what had changed between Zorc's transformation and now.

'Because this is Zorc's final gamble.' Oneesan's reply caused Yugi to glance back over her shoulder at her, 'We've pushed him so far, he has no choice. He may be stronger, but in return he's exposed his weak point.'

"Weak point?" Yugi blinked, turning back to Zorc and seeing the eye that had been revealed in the attack. "Weak point!" She grinned slightly, at least for a moment before she winced as the emblem started to slide back into place, "It's already closing!"

"There's the weak point!" Oneesan informed the other players, "The eye of Zorc!"

"It's no good!" Jou protested, "It'll seal up before we can..." He trailed off as Yugi's puffball shoved itself into the hole, preventing the emblem from resealing.

"Poki!" Yugi yelped, shocked. She knew what it was trying to do. Somehow the monster's chirping translated to words in her mind, and it was pleading with them to blow Zorc away, no matter what happened to it.

Yugi shook her head, "Don't worry," She told the monster who was trying to help them, "It's not over yet. An evil soul isn't worth an ounce of the life of a friend," She looked up at her big siser, "Anesan."

"Right." The spirit of the Puzzle nodded, before looking over at the Game Master, "The BeastTamer attacks!" Rolling a two allowed Yugi to summon the training hand which punched straight through Zorc, slamming into the weak point and punching a hole through to the other side, collecting Poki as it did so.

The Game Master nearly collapsed at the table as Jou's attack, a one, allowed him to chop Zorc in two. The demon itself hitting the floor hard.

"We did it!" The Adventures cheered, "We beat Zorc!"

'No.' Oneesan's frustrated denial cut through Yugi's delight, causing the girl to look at her as Zorc continued to move, 'Not yet we haven't.'

"He's not dead!?" Jou protested, "How?"

"The fact you didn't finish Zorc this turn will be your downfall!" The Dark Master sniggered, "On the next turn you have to roll for initiative again! Yugi!" She pointed at Oneesan, "This is the last die roll! The winner goes first!"

"I'll take you on!" Oneesan swore, picking up the dice to complete the roll of life or death. "I'll put everything I have into these dice, and I will win!"

"Remember, Yugi, you're aiming to be the closest to zero. This roll also determines success, so it will determine who kills who! The moment my roll beats yours, Zorc will self destruct! By destroying all of you, I will be victorious! And if we roll the same number we both die! I blow up at the same time you attack me! Either way I win!"

"Anesan," Yugi thought at her big sister, "We're channelling our faith into your hands! Into the dice!"

'I can feel it.' Oneesan responded, channelling the power that was flowing into her into the dice in her hands. They started glowing and the pair in Oneesan's hand were the only ones. The Dark Master's dice gained glow too, though theirs were more sickly than the ones in the hand of the Pharaoh.

"Let's go!" Bakura cackled, "The roll of life and death!"

Both players chucked the dice up into the air and the Adventurers held their breath as the four d10 landed and bounced until they came settling to a halt.

"Double Zero!" Jou crowed as Oneesan's dice came to a halt, "Super Critical!"

"I knew Oneesan wouldn't fail us."Anzu grinned.

Neither Oneesan or Yugi celebrated yet. The Dark Master's roll hadn't stopped yet and if she rolled the same...

"Hahaha! To roll a super critical at this junction... Yugi! I salute your skill as a gamer!" Bakura sniggered, "But too bad for you, there's no way you're leaving this game alive!"

Her dice came to a halt.

Double Zero.

"Super Critical..." Oneesan's heart sank. She had been so close. So close to getting her little sister and her friends home safely. Done everything she possibly could... And it was over. All over.

Bakura's laughter was crazed and maniacal, "What a cruel strike for you. At the moment where you were sure of victory, only to fall into the jaws of defeat! This was great! This was the best game ever!"

Oneesan didn't respond. There was nothing she could do or say now. Though the game was technically ending in a tie, Bakura would survive this, they wouldn't. And not a word or deed she could say or do would change that now.

She had failed.

"Two Super Criticals!" Bakura continued, "Everyone dies! As the Adventurers leap forward to attack, Zorc explodes taking everyone..." She trailed off as something on the board cracked loudly.

Her dice were shattering.

A fog emerged from the dice, Amane Bakura taking form out of them.

"I refuse to lose anymore friends." The spirit of the girl told the spirit possessing her body, "Even if it means my soul should shatter."

"You'll die!" Bakura seemed scared by that idea, surprising Oneesan who was shocked by the turn of events as it was. "If you do this, you'll die!"

"It'll be worth it to finally put a stop to your games." Amane responded before turning to Oneesan and the players, "Thank you, everyone, thank you for believing in me."

"Bakura! You..." Yugi didn't get to finish what she wanted to say before the dice shattered and Amane's soul went with them.

There was silence for a moment as what had happened sank in, then Oneesan glowered over at the other spirit, whose own light had turned on her, "Super Critical?" She demanded, "I don't see a super critical! No dice, no roll!" Bakura was still too stunned to respond.

A brief glimmer of sympathy jolted through Oneesan, she knew what it felt like to lose the other half of your soul, but this had to end.

"Prepare yourself, Zorc!" She snapped, "Anzu's magic attack!"

"Final Big Bang!" Anzu cried out, channelling everything she had and every bit of rage and distress her friends were feeling into the burst, whichblew Zorc away.

Bakura screamed as Zorc died, agony coursing through her until she fell forward. As Oneesan darted around the table, the rope upon which the Millennium Ring hung snapped of its own accord and the golden artefact fell to the ground.

"Anesan!" Yugi's cry was just as desperate as Oneesan's search for life within Bakura's frame.

"She's gone..." Oneesan breathed, hearing Jou and Honda curse at her words, "She sacrificed her soul for us..."

"No." Amane spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "My Mistress's soul lives, inside of me."

"H...How?" Yugi asked, praying Amane was right and not quite understanding how that could help now.

"The Mistress created me into this world years ago, channelling her soul, her energy and her emotions into me and through time and her adventures I've grown." Amane explained, "Over time I became a level thirteen White Wizard and now I can pay her back."

"Wow..."

"Since I'm level thirteen, I should be able to send my soul back to the Mistress, even if it means I'll be level one again the next time you meet me." Amane turned to Oneesan, "It's okay though, I want to repay her so I'll need your help. I'm only a game piece. I can't act without a player rolling for me. So please Yugi..."

Oneesan nodded, smiling. They didn't need to look at the dice, they knew the moment it landed it was a Super Critical as Amane started casting her spell.

Though they were sorry that the White Wizard that had helped them defeat Zorc wiped herself out to save her player, it was with great relief that they watched Bakura sit up, confused but happy.

Oneesan started by helping her return the souls of the players on the board to their bodies and then guided her through the process of releasing those who were in the remaining game pieces. It was with joy and sadness that Bakura watched each of those souls go, as some returned to their bodies and others moved on, but she was just happy it was over.

As was the Pharaoh. She had survived her fight with the woman who had tried to kill her and her friends, a woman who had tried to wipe her out three thousand years ago too and now she was just looking forward to getting a good long rest.

They all deserved it.

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Author Note: And that's Season Zero done and dusted. If you want, you can go check my Author page as the first chapter of 'Ennead: For Those We Love' should have gone up at the same time.

For those who aren't continuing this journey with me, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this story and feel free to review and leave me your feedback.

For those who are, I look forward to your reviews on the next book in this saga.