Chapter Text
In the beginning, there was nothing but Destiny and the Dragon. The first sees the threads, interweaving through the multiverse, working them over until the realms bend to her will. She pulls this one and rocks fall, blocking the path of some intrepid youth, forcing them to travel in some other direction for awhile. Along the way, he witnesses the cruelties of a villain who just found his castle atop a mountain where the weather always thunders. The youth was always meant to defeat the scoundrel, Destiny just makes sure they find each other when the moment is right, ensuring that good triumphs and evil bites the dust once more. From her castle in the space between universes, she watches, makes sure this age old edict will always be true. But even she cannot watch every thread at once, for eyes that see everything must still be looking in the right direction first. Thus, to prevent the wrong threads from being tugged astray, she crafted the Spirits of Destiny, automatons who subsist on her will and traverse the multiverse so as to carry out her wishes.
The Dragon sees things differently. She believes the multiverse should be left alone to spin how it pleases. No one should change the course of things unless they are willing to do more than watch. So the Dragon split herself into many and spread across time and space until the concept of linear time became nothing more than an amusing myth. Each dragon is unique, able to act however it wishes, but all are pieces of the original. Together they remember everything, but they’ve never once wished to intervene in the affairs of others, be they good or ill.
A single girl changed everything.
Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Kisara with eyes so blue they burned with the heat of the stars themselves, and hair that glistened like the light of the moon. Her soul was powerful, fueled by the kindness in her heart that only ever grew. Destiny smiles on people like her, draping them in hardships and squeezing them until the world runs them through. She could not escape her death, but she sacrificed herself willingly on behalf of a priest who was kind, saving both him and the world in the process. This one moment forged an unbreakable bond between them and when her power slipped into his soul, Kisara shed her human skin in favor of dragon scales, the first of their kind to be born from the heart.
Dragons believe themselves immutable. They’re wrong. Perhaps they remember everything, but that doesn’t mean they cannot change. A single rock, placed in just the right place has the power to redirect whole rivers in directions water has never considered before. When Kisara becomes one with them, her heart roots deep into their collective consciousness, her memories exploding through them like an empathy bomb, forcing tears from eyes that have never once cried.
It takes five-thousand years for Kisara to find her priest again. Dragons live forever; reincarnation is meaningless to them. The soul is the soul so the person housing it must be the same. It doesn’t matter to them that this new version of the priest has locked his heart behind hard eyes and walls so thick that humans have trouble scaling them, if they ever bother to try. And yet, despite it all, he loves her still, summons her to fight his battles with the unshakable faith that she will bring him victory. Perhaps he only knows her now as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but it doesn’t matter so long as they are together.
Now that the dragons have found him, Seto Kaiba belongs to them. And they will accept nothing less than his happiness.
* * *
This is Mai Valentine, dueling against the man claiming to be someone he’s not. Who he isn’t is Marik, something that should be obvious to anyone watching with a modicum of sense. She will win the moment the Swords of Revealing Light vanish, Harpies’ Pet Dragon ready to burn away the rest of his life points in the heat of a single moment. For now, however, Mai can do nothing but wait, staring into the eyes of the man across the way as though they might reveal the truth of his identity. She’s always believed herself to be a patient woman, but this charade is old and falling to pieces, and she wants nothing more than to expose it for the sham that it is. “You know, you’re nothing like I expected,” says Mai, keeping her tone conversational.
The man frowns at her, the change in his expression almost imperceptible. He’s good at hiding his emotions, but not so much that she still can’t read him like an open book. He probably doesn’t know that working in a casino is a lot like dueling; watching your opponents for all the little tells they don’t want you to see becomes second nature. “What do you mean?” asks the man, his deep voice resonating in her chest.
“When Yugi and Joey told me about the guy whose been after them, I had a clear picture in my head of a megalomaniac who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. But you? You’ve played a fair duel so far.”
“As have you, Miss Valentine.”
“Then tell me the truth, one duelist to another. Are you really Marik?”
The man before her doesn’t answer, but Mai can see the faint glimmer of panic cross his face. She does so love being right about people. But he doesn’t give her the chance to say another word, to demand an explanation as to why an honorable man would ever work for someone like Marik. “I am Marik!” the man shouts, as though he’s trying to convince himself just as much as her. “And I shall prove it to you now! Prepare yourself, Miss Valentine, for the next card I play will finish you once and for all!”
When the man activates Soul Exchange, Mai knows she has lost. There is nothing she can do as he steals her monsters and sacrifices them in one fell swoop. He gives her no choice, no way to defend herself, so she chooses to stand tall against the incoming onslaught.
Seconds later, the Winged Dragon of Ra unfurls himself above them, spreading his wings with a cry that shakes the Temple of Kings into rubble and her bones until they feel like dust. His wings are akin to the stars in the sky, filling her eyes with naught but the majesty of god. Just the sheer power within his breath and the strength of his claws cutting the air each time he moves is enough to shake Mai to her core. She wonders what it must feel like to have such unimaginable power at her fingertips and knows she will never find out.
The man who still isn’t Marik, no matter what majestic monsters he summons, draws the Millennium Rod and thrusts it towards his own creature, as though the ancient magic within is the only thing capable of commanding a god. “Let anyone who doubts my power feel the fire of the mighty Winged Dragon of Ra!” declares the man, his efforts to convince the world that he is indeed Marik not going unnoticed. “Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack her life points directly!”
This is the moment the world is thrown into chaos. Throughout the blimp, the seven Millennium Items shiver, releasing an aura into the air so powerful that even those unacquainted with their magics can feel their displeasure. The sensation burns through Mai so deeply that she can feel the anger of Ra as if it were her own, a forest alight in the dead of the night.
It does not obey the man across the way, no matter how forcefully he asks. But, as if in answer to his pleading, a storm roars through the world, formed from the anger Mai feels in the depths of her soul. The Winged Dragon of Ra screams into the heart of the storm, breaking the final chains keeping it at bay. Lightning strikes the ground around them, until the only sound Mai can hear is the thunder. A single bolt, precise and deadly, strikes the man across the way, a thousand volts coursing through his veins. When he crashes to the ground, the sad smile on his face reveals the truth of his nature, the rod shattering like glass as he hits. Mai screams through the storm, tries to get closer to him, but the constant barrage forces her back. One wrong move will leave her in the same state as him. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Yugi’s voice finds her ears, cutting through the wind and the thunder as if the vibrations of the air are moved by his singular command of, “Don’t move!”
Mai obeys him, dropping to her knees in a desperate attempt to ground herself. Above her, the clouds in the sky light up, a thrall of the power of Ra. Joey screams, his words forever lost to the wind. Mai looks down at him. Those warm brown pools of kindness that look at her like she makes the world aflame with fireworks are the last thing she wants to see before she dies. As she watches him, Joey pushes past Yugi, arms swinging about in a desperate attempt to help. His hand brushes against the Millennium Puzzle and the point where skin touches gold erupts into a flash bright enough to blind, even when she closes her eyes.
Lightning crashes down, but it never touches her. Mai doesn’t open her eyes for a long time, a great warmth wrapping around her, making her feel safe for the first time in forever. She doesn’t wonder where it comes from, just lets the specters of Joey and Yugi and everyone else hug her soul back into her heart. She’s never felt so warm before, like her chest is full to the brim of everything good. Her eyelids flutter open, blinking away tears to reveal the barrier surrounding her, stopping every single bolt of lighting and sending them back to the sky.
The storm dies on its own, the anger of Ra swiftly abating. Afterwards, they crowd around the man on the brink of losing consciousness. In stilted whispers that resonate with pain, he reveals his true name is Odion, tells them that the true Marik Ishtar has been masquerading as their supposed friend Namu this entire time. With the truth exposed, the man in question steps forward with giggles escaping his lips that make Mai hate him more than she’s ever hated anyone. He doesn’t try to hide his laughter, just severs his mental bond with Odion as though it means nothing, sending the poor man reeling back into unconsciousness. With him no longer screaming down their mental link about what is right and wrong, Marik can finally be himself and now nothing will stop him from murdering the Pharaoh when all is said and done. His speech is well rehearsed, every word designed to dig into Yugi’s skin and crawl through his veins until he can think of nothing else.
To the dragons, it doesn’t matter that Mai Valentine won, only that she was not the one who lost.
* * *
This is Joey Wheeler, dueling against Marik Ishtar in a Shadow Game that feels like nails hammering his brain. Everything could have been fine, had he been able to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra, if it had just acted like a normal Duel Monster instead of trying to make him recite a chant he never had any hope of reading. Now the monster works for Marik, like it was always meant to, and nothing stands between him and the dragon god, especially not the chains binding him to the ancient stone tablet that feels too real to be a hologram.
It digs into his back, but Joey doesn’t feel any pain. He can’t feel anything over his own mind screeching itself hoarse, can’t even hear Marik’s taunts anymore because his own failures scream so much louder. You’ve failed Yugi again, his mind declares, a cruel refrain that it won’t stop singing. You’re not worthy of his love. You’re not even worthy of your own sister. How can you call yourself a man if you lose when it matters?
Serenity tries to save him. For a moment, he feels relieved that she loves him still, that she wants to keep him safe. But all of his positive thoughts soon drown in the shadows, the same ones that picked through his mind while Marik possessed him, who know just how to steer him so that he feels like the worst version of himself. Those thoughts rise to the surface in all out assault, until it doesn’t matter that Serenity rescued him just hours ago, because Joey no longer wants to think of her as brave. To him, she is just his younger sister who will always need him to be the big brother who shields her from a world that dares to eat her eyes. None of this stops her from planting her body between him and the Winged Dragon of Ra, as though her thoughts are the reverse of his.
Basking in the glow of the dragon god, Serenity shines like the brightest star. Her presence eviscerates the darkness, stealing away his breath and kicking him in the stomach as he realizes just how much he’s failing as an older brother right now. She needs to leave; Joey loves her too much to allow her to stay with him like this. “Serenity!” he cries out, because he can’t stand watching her face down his worst nightmare, never once flinching through the roars that rock the blimp. “You’ve gotta get outta here!”
Serenity turns to him then, seeming much too calm for a moment such as this. Instead of looking terrified out of her wits, she just smiles at him like she’s been waiting for this moment her entire life. She comes no closer, doesn’t so much as reach out, but everything in her eyes hugs him close, warming him with the love he doesn’t deserve right now. “Joey, it’s okay,” Serenity says. “You and I are a team. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’ve taught me so much today about being brave and this is the only way I can thank you.”
“I can’t let you get hurt cause of me!”
“You’ve always looked after me, big brother. It’s my turn to do the same.”
Serenity turns away from him then and his arguments all die on his tongue, as the Winged Dragon of Ra breathes forth a massive ball of crackling flame. Joey screams at her to run, feeling so distant from his own screams they might as well belong to someone else instead. She doesn’t listen to him anyway, instead remaining still and staring down the strongest creature in all of Duel Monsters like she means to freeze it with the powers of her mind alone.
When the orb finally fires on them, Serenity doesn’t even flinch. She just opens her arms wide, like she means to catch all the energy so that not a single spark touches her brother. At the last possible second, Yugi launches himself in front of her, the magic of the Millennium Puzzle shielding them all from the power of Ra.
Yugi stole this moment and Joey has never felt more relieved in his entire life. Watching him crumble to the ground, the sheer force of the Winged Dragon of Ra having drained him of his energy is the worst thing in the world, but for a moment that lasts only seconds, the only thing he cares about is that this didn’t happen to his sister. Yugi will be okay. He has to be, because if not then Joey will spend the rest of his life hating himself for not thinking of him first, for not being the man his best friend and his sister deserve.
Yugi should never have had to step in.
Marik gives him no time to think anything else. He stalks towards them, Millennium Rod twirling between his fingers like a dagger glinting in the dark. With a flash of light, he freezes Serenity in place, not even giving her the chance to scream. And when he finally reaches Joey, Marik bends down and cups his chin, fingers caressing him like an abusive lover whose gaze penetrates until it feels like he hasn’t showered in months. There’s a smirk on his face and murderous glee in his eyes and Joey knows beyond all doubt that this will be the last sight he ever sees.“Looks like I win, little mind slave,” Marik says, sounding far too affectionate. “How unfortunate for you that I always keep my promises.”
The Millennium Rod flashes once again and when the light fades, Joey falls into the shadows, trapped within the dark corridors of his own mind. He will wander here, mapping out endless walls, until his brain can no longer handle the strain. “His will to live will collapse before long,” Marik tells the rest of them with a smirk. “And when he finally dies, I’ll be there to laugh over his grave!”
To the dragons, it means nothing that Joey lost, only that he was the one who did.
* * *
Joey is cold to the touch.
He’s still breathing, but the rise and fall of his chest seems more like a metronome keeping a rhythm than a person in the throes of life. If Yugi tries hard enough, maybe he can fool himself into believing his friend is just sleeping. But to do that he has to ignore the silence because Joey has never slept so quietly in his life. He’s always been someone who snores, who shouts at the air from the depths of his dreams. It’s part of this energy always bouncing through him, like he can’t sit still until the world around him feels just a little bit warmer. And now that too is locked away, just like the rest of him. He can’t even yell at Kaiba like this.
But just seeing him is nothing compared to taking his hand and feeling the chill of his skin. He isn’t dead, but Yugi can’t stop the dam from shattering. Beside the hospital bed, he sinks to his knees, the weight of his own tears crushing him. He thinks this must be his fault. They just got him back; it has to be his fault that he’s lost him all over again. He wasn’t strong enough to save him.
His other self takes over. Yugi isn’t sure when he does, but by the time he notices, he’s sitting in his own soul room, a blanket wrapped around him and a steaming cup of tea clutched in his hands. His Pharaoh sits next to him, one arm slung around his shoulders in an awkward side hug. He’s been crying too, Yugi notices, and that only makes him feel worse. He’s been trying to give his partner as many happy memories as possible to make up for all the ones he can’t remember. You mustn’t blame yourself, Yugi, his other self declares through their mental link. I promise you, we will save Joey and the world. Together.
Marik has caused so much pain and suffering. We have to stop him before he can hurt our friends even more!
The Pharaoh tightens his grip around his shoulders, pressing him closer. There is always a chance that Marik will find his way back to the light. We can only hope that happens sooner rather than later.
I’m with you all the way, I promise.
In the arms of his other self, Yugi feels warm and safe. He can feel himself drifting, wanting nothing more than to sleep until the week is gone, even if the day is not yet done. I have never doubted you or your strength, Partner. You should rest for now. I will watch Kaiba duel on your behalf.
Yugi nods, struggling to keep his eyes open. Kaiba would never forgive them if they missed his duel. With their rivalry in full swing, he seems to be taking every chance to peacock, like he’s trying to prove that he is the only one worthy of their dueling prowess. It would be cute, were it not for everything else going on turning it into the most annoying thing in the universe. Even so, Yugi can’t deny that he’s worried. Kaiba will win, right?
He will. It is our destiny to defeat both him and Marik.
When Yugi opens his eyes again, he doesn’t remember falling asleep. He’s alone in his heart now, but he can still feel the warmth of his other self, pulsing through the walls. These days, when the Pharaoh is in control, it always feels like this, like the bond of their friendship is an undying fire warming them both. But, lurking on the edges where the Pharaoh probably thinks he can’t feel, there’s something else: the familiar tension of a duel that isn’t going the way it should.
He doesn’t tell his other self that he’s awake. Instead he just peaks through their eyes, like a thief stealing a look through the curtains in the dead of night, and catches himself up with a glance through their most recent memories. It turns out his other self has met the woman Kaiba now duels; she is Ishizu, the strange woman from the Domino Museum. She wields the Millennium Necklace, granting her the power to see the future before it happens. And though Kaiba would rather poke his own eyes out than admit it, even he seems unable to deny the truth of her claims when she keeps laying clear evidence out before him and jamming it down his throat.
It seems Ishizu is also the sister of Marik, dueling to save her brother from the darkness clouding his heart. His partner wants her to win, to be united with her brother and drive out the darkness within him through the power of love. On another day, Yugi would have agreed. The three of them share something, the drive to protect the people they care about, that great weight always pushing them to untold heights until they can stand as the shield their friends and family deserve.
But that was before he looked into the intense blue eyes of Seto Kaiba and this became something other than just another day. For someone like him, the mere idea that destiny is set in stone is preposterous. Yugi doesn’t know all the details, but he knows that everything Kaiba has now, he took for himself from people more powerful than him, until he alone controlled his fate. And now Ishizu is telling him all of that is false, that the future was carved in stone long before any of them were ever born. It would be too much for anyone to process, let alone someone like Kaiba.
If this had been another day, Yugi might have left well enough alone. Sometimes people have to have life changing experiences to understand their true place in the world. But the idea of Kaiba losing this duel, losing such a crucial piece of himself is too much to handle. Yugi already lost one friend today. He refuses to lose another.
As the light in Kaiba’s eyes begins to fade, Yugi pushes the Pharaoh out of control of their body with more force than he meant. His other self stumbles to the side, his surprise lost to the moment. “Kaiba!” Yugi shouts, hoping his voice alone will be enough to get his attention.
Even though he wanted Kaiba to look at him, he’s still surprised when he does. Those intense eyes focus on him, like dragons full of lightning dueling against thunderstorms in a war to see who can burn down the most trees. He doesn’t say a word, but Yugi can still tell that he’s listening, if only for the moment. “You keep telling me that you’re the only one who controls your future!” Yugi says, quieter now that Kaiba is paying attention to him. “You’ve always played by your own rules, taken what you’ve wanted by force, no matter what anyone else says! This whole tournament you’ve been talking about just how much you want to duel me. So if you still want that, then prove it to me now and win this, Kaiba!”
The words linger on a current of something between them, a silence that stretches to infinity and nowhere at all. Nothing happens for several long seconds. And then, just for a moment, Yugi forgets how to breath because...
Seto Kaiba smiles at him.
* * *
As far as duels are concerned, Seto Kaiba is convinced that this is the third worst duel he has ever fought. He will deny it until he’s blue in the face, but Ishizu standing across the field being so calm and collected while she digs around in his brain and throws the names of his own cards in his face irks him to no end. So, when Yugi finally speaks up, he’s not what you would call thrilled. He’s also not surprised. Yugi always has some ridiculous speech fit for every occasion, be it destiny, or the need to believe in the Heart of the Cards, or some other friendship related nonsense he has no use for.
If this was any other day, he would happily give his rival a glare to be reckoned with, complete with the derisive comment he so richly deserves before turning around and stomping Ishizu into the Battle Deck with the sheer power of his cards until she understands that he is and always will be superior to her in every single way. But this isn’t that kind of day. Today he looks down at Yugi and stops just short of telling him where he can shove it because he just realized that this Yugi isn’t that Yugi.
As much as he loathes to admit it, Kaiba would have to be both blind and deaf not to notice that there are two different personalities living inside Yugi’s body. That Yugi is the one he considers to be his rival, the one who challenges and annoys him in equal measure, who makes his cards tremble with the kind of desire he’s only ever felt while dueling him. And then there is this Yugi, whose compassion shines through amethyst eyes even when staring down his worst enemies. Kaiba hasn’t spoken to this Yugi as much as that Yugi, but even he will never forget that it was this one who refused to go through with his attack if it meant hurting him, who would sacrifice himself if it meant someone else got to live.
Seto Kaiba is not a man who considers compassion to be a strength. But that doesn’t mean that this Yugi is weak. So, because circumstances are stupid, he stops and allows their eyes to meet, listening with every intention of denying he did so later. Somehow, this Yugi knows just what to say to kick his brain back into gear and put him back in the game. It’s a little disconcerting. Yugi isn’t Mokuba; he’s not allowed to know how to change the direction of the gears whirling inside his head.
But Kaiba can worry about that later. Right now, he’s waiting for Ishizu to summon more monsters so that he can steal them away and summon Obelisk the Tormentor, shoving the definition of true power in her stupid face. It’s a stressful few turns; he can feel his own sweat rolling down his forehead. But summon them she does, just like a good little opponent should. Kaiba feels like he’s walking into a trap, but that doesn’t stop him from taking away her monsters with the magic of Soul Exchange and summoning forth his Egyptian God card like he has been planning to do since the beginning of this charade. He laughs at her, attempting to show off that he is in perfect control, that this apparent victory belongs to him and him alone. But there is just one thing that keeps him from truly enjoying the moment.
Ishizu looks calm. Too calm. It doesn’t seem to matter how he tries to goad her, how he taunts her with the latent power housed in his deck, her expression never changes from that disinterested glare that sends waves of doubt through his core. It doesn’t stop him from opening his mouth, ready to order Obelisk the Tormentor to annihilate Ishizu once and for all.
But though the words are in his mouth, something else stops him in his tracks. From out of nowhere, visions flash before his eyes, showing him that same tablet from the museum. It could be yet another one of Ishizu’s vile tricks, her latest way of digging through his head to prevent herself from losing. But some part of him senses that this has nothing to do with her and everything to do with some outside force beyond either of their control.
The tablet vanishes, fading into a scene set in desert sands, where sadness drifts through the air, thick enough to suffocate even least empathetic of people. There is a man with his back to him, dressed in the garb of an Ancient Egyptian priest, kneeling before a giant stone carving of his own Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He clutches the body of a young woman to his chest, some girl with white hair, like all the wars in the world could never make him let go. The torrential downpour of sadness in the air all comes from him and though Kaiba has no idea who either of these people are, he can still sense that they are connected to him. The tablet pulses thrice, redirecting Kaiba’s attention back to it, and then kicks him back into reality.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has been in his hand since the first turn of the duel. Now it keeps vibrating like a phone with an urgent reminder that this is how he wins. He doesn’t know what he saw, but his instincts are screaming, shouting from every direction that Obelisk the Tormentor is not the answer he needs. If he wants to win, then he must show Ishizu his true power, remind her that he is the only one in the world who wields the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. To show off his strength, he must first reveal his heart. It’s the kind of poetic nonsense Yugi and his nerd herd would approve of.
He sacrifices Obelisk the Tormentor and some other monster that somehow seems much less significant. And when the god vanishes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appears in it’s place, her scales glittering in the darkness, roaring her majesty through the world, and everything finally feels as it should. Even better, Ishizu is staring at him like she’s seen a ghost, opening and closing her mouth but unable to say a word as he tilts her world off its axis. “You’re so quiet, Ishizu! Don’t you have any more magic tricks to save you? Or have you finally realized there’s no such thing as Destiny?” Kaiba says, taunting her with the smug superiority she tried to steal from him. But no one ever tells him what to do and he will show her that now. “Blue-Eyes! Tear her future to shreds! White Lightning attack!”
Her life points vanish in a burst stream of destruction, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon flying back to the side of her master. And when his victory is declared, Ishizu almost looks relieved. Perhaps his one attack didn’t manage to shatter her spirit entirely. A pity really; she would have deserved it. But instead she just smiles. “Thank you, Kaiba. You have shown me that it’s possible to change the future. You have given me hope that it will be possible to save my brother from himself.”
Kaiba stops caring after that. If losing this duel gave her something she needed then he was more than happy to oblige her. He descends from the battle deck, striding towards the elevator with purpose. For just a moment, he stops next to Yugi. He’s still the Yugi who gave him the words he needed and, for a brief uncharacteristic moment, he considers thanking him. But that would be ridiculous, so he doesn’t. “Yugi...I’m looking forward to our duel,” he says instead. “So when that time comes, you’d better be ready to give it your all!”
“You can count on it!” Yugi says, giving him a brilliant smile.
And if Kaiba walks away with a little smile of his own, nobody else needs to know about it. He has Mokuba at his side and a duel against Yugi in his future and right now, that is more than enough.
The only thing the dragons care about is that Kaiba was the one who won. Yugi is just a bonus, one they treasure because any other outcome would have forced them to rewrite the past until this present became the truth.
Now all their pieces have fallen into place and all they have left to do now…is wait.