Key:

Aziza/Ginny

Yami/Yugi

*Bakura/Ryou*

"Ancient Egyptian"

Episodes referenced/borrowed from: Yu-Gi-Oh! Episode 13 (Evil Spirit of the Ring) and Episode 158 (Fate of the Pharaoh: Part 3)

The Gringotts poem is borrowed from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

All Japanese terms, honorifics and cultural references were found on Google and in a small handful of manga. All mistakes are mine.

Hermione stared in disbelief at the young man kneeling in front of her.

"Yugi?" she croaked.

No, it couldn't be Yugi. Yugi's skin was pale, and he was shorter, and he certainly didn't wear an ivory kilt or a crown. And she highly doubted Yugi had those abs.

A familiar Puzzle hung around the man's neck.

"The Pharaoh," she whispered in awe.

Was she actually seeing Aziza's brother the way he looked three thousand years ago? But how?

The Pharaoh whispered something, his voice breaking. Hermione's blood chilled as she took in more details.

It was night, but she could see almost perfectly. The town behind her was burning. The flames illuminated the blood and dirt streaked across the Pharaoh's golden skin. Tears dripped from his dark eyes－eyes that were focused on the ground in front of him. Slowly, reluctantly, Hermione looked down.

She screamed.

Aziza lay on dark sand that only seemed to get darker the longer Hermione stood there. The Pharaoh pressed a piece of cloth to her stomach. The blood immediately soaked through the cloth. He bellowed toward the palace. A dozen voices responded to his call. Hermione knelt beside Aziza, but the other girl didn't turn.

"Aziza, what happened?" She reached for her wand, trying to recall every healing spell she'd learned or read about.

Her wand wasn't there.

"No, no, no," she muttered. She'd had her wand in her pocket when she went into Yugi's room. Now she couldn't find it anywhere.

Aziza whispered something, drawing Hermione's attention. But she wasn't talking to the young witch. She raised a trembling hand and turned her brother's face to her, brushing a tear from his cheek. More tears fell from his eyes. Hermione sobbed as she finally understood.

Aziza was dying.

But if she was dying, how did her spirit get sealed in the Earrings? And why was Hermione seeing all this? How was she seeing this? Was any of it even real? Was it all just－

The Pharaoh gripped his sister's free hand and started chanting. The Puzzle around his neck began to glow, triggering the Bracelet and the Earrings.

"Aziza!" a girl screamed.

The Pharaoh didn't break his chant. Hermione scrambled out of the way. A girl in a short dress threw herself beside Aziza, and a girl who looked almost identical knelt on the Pharaoh's right. She flipped open a thick tome and pointed to a page silently.

Strange. Hermione didn't think the Ancient Egyptians had books like that.

The Pharaoh's voice faltered for a precious instant. Then he gripped Aziza's hand tighter and read from the spellbook. As he spoke, gold light infused Aziza's body.

The girl beside Hermione kept muttering. It felt like some version of, "Hold on. We're right here. Just hold on."

Aziza breathed a word, a sad smile on her face. Her eyes slid closed. Her hand went limp and dropped from the Pharaoh's face.

"Aziza!"

Moments later, the Pharaoh finished the spell.

The light pouring from the Items almost blinded Hermione, and when it finally died, she stared at the bloody sand where Aziza's body had been. All that was left was a bloody cloth, a bracelet and a small pair of earrings. The girls who were almost twins wailed. The Pharaoh bowed his head, his entire body trembling.

Hermione yelped as something yanked her across the desert, away from the place where Aziza died.

Someone screamed, so full of fury that Hermione trembled. She instinctively reached for her missing wand.

Bakura's white hair stood out against the darkness. His robe gaped open, flapping behind him as he paced on a cliff above the burning town. A strange metal wing wrapped around his wrist. The Ring around his neck glinted every time he turned. Behind him, a demon with glowing red eyes and a snake tail groaned. The snake hissed.

Diabound. That's what Aziza called the monster. But this ancient Diabound looked a lot different than the one Hermione had seen. She shuddered at the sight of the huge beast. It was at least as big as the Hungarian Horntail that Harry faced last year. Probably bigger.

Bakura growled curses at the darkness, ignoring the demon Diabound's attempts to...comfort him? Strange. But then, strange seemed to be the new normal.

Because the darkness growled back.

Hermione's brain couldn't comprehend precisely what she saw. She only knew it was bigger than the pyramids, it was darker than the night, and it was evil.

Not like Voldemort. Not like Grindelwald. Not like Bakura, or Umbridge, or Hitler or Stalin or any other horrible person who tried to restructure the world in their own warped image, destroying millions of lives in the process.

This creature was the embodiment of everything cruel and terrible and frightening and evil. It didn't just live in the darkness. It was the darkness.

Bakura glared at the palace. Then his lips curled into a nasty grin and he laughed, throwing his head back as shadows ripped at his body, tearing him apart piece by piece. Hermione could only stare in horror as her stomach churned.

A small light shot out of his fading body and into the Ring. Demon Diabound groaned sadly and disappeared. The Ring fell to the cold sand as the Darkness headed toward the palace.

Hermione's head pounded. She curled up into a ball, her legs unable to support her.

"Please," she whimpered. "No more."

But whatever had sent her to the past wasn't done with her yet.

*This is amazing.*

*Not really,* Bakura scoffed.

Ryou ignored the spirit, gaping up at the white marble building in front of them. The domed bank sat at the end of a long alley full of people in long cloaks and littered with magical shops that Ryou itched to explore. And standing outside the bronze doors were two short creatures with long ears and spindly fingers.

"A goblin," Ginny muttered. "They run Gringotts. They're clever and cunning, which makes them incredibly dangerous."

The goblins must have heard Ginny because they grinned, showing off mouthfuls of pointed teeth. The fact that they did it at the same time made it doubly creepy. Ryou groaned silently when he felt Bakura's interest. Ginny tapped his arm and pointed to the doors. He paused to read the inscriptions. One poem was in English:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed

For those who take, but do not earn

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

The second poem was an attempt at a Japanese haiku. Ryou mentally translated it and shivered.

*This will be fun,* Bakura cackled. Of course the Thief would take the warnings as a challenge.

"What does that one say?" Ginny asked as they passed through the door and into a hall. A second pair of goblins opened the silver doors.

"'The thief screamed, and the goblins smiled. Their treasure was protected.'"

"A bit direct," Sirius muttered. Their footsteps echoed in the marble hall. There were two long counters on either side, with perhaps fifty goblins measuring jewels or counting gold and silver coins. A dozen other goblins led wizards and witches through doors behind the counters.

The Earrings glinted. "Which means we're not going to test the goblins, are we, Bakura?" Aziza hissed.

Ryou's blood ran cold as Bakura took over, and he tugged at the mental link. Bakura smacked him away. Ryou watched helplessly through his own eyes as Bakura stepped closer to the Princess, his lips stretching into a devilish smirk.

"You sound as though you doubt me, little Princess."

Aziza's black eyes spat fire, at odds with her gentle smile. "You've proven time and time again that you are perfectly capable of getting yourself out of sticky situations. Ryou, on the other hand, would not be so lucky. And if you get caught, you're not only placing him in danger, but the rest of us as well."

*Please don't get us killed,* Ryou begged.

Bakura curled his upper lip derisively. *Relax, landlord. I can't be killed by these creatures, and I still need your body.*

*We don't know anything about goblins!*

*That's not exactly true.* Bakura rolled his eyes at Ryou's confusion. *They're smaller than the Pharaoh's midget, but what they lack in height they make up for in viciousness. Their teeth may be sharp, but they're not big enough to rip out a man's throat. Their thin fingers are most likely the weakest part of their body. They're cunning, which makes things much more interesting. They'll have traps protecting the most valuable treasures. But they also think they're better than everyone else. The clever ones always do.*

That last comment was laced with venom. If Ryou had learned anything over the last couple years, it was to how let sleeping vipers lie. He wouldn't cross Bakura unless he had no other choice. And as much as the evil spirit terrified him, Bakura was right. He needed Ryou alive.

That didn't mean he needed Ryou sane. Just because Bakura had been－nicer? Kinder?－more well-behaved since the Battle City finals, didn't mean he would hesitate to lock Ryou in his Soul Room with a bunch of Shadow creatures.

"Next!"

It was probably a good thing Ryou wasn't in control of his body; he would have jumped through the roof. While Bakura had been arguing with Aziza, they'd reached a desk in the middle of the room. Bakura laughed.

Sirius stepped forward with a heavy pouch of coins. "I'd like to exchange this for Japanese yen."

The goblin narrowed his eyes. He shook some of the coins out and held a large gold one up, checking it over. Ryou wondered if he'd try to bite it.

He never got to find out. While the goblin was examining the coins, Bakura was examining the room. Ryou felt his irritation as more goblins emerged and took their seats at the counters.

*Too quiet. Too many eyes, not a big enough crowd,* he grumbled. *Someone is bound to see something. They'd lock down the building.* Bakura rolled his eyes at Ryou's shock. *I didn't become the most feared thief in Kemet by being stupid.*

The sound of jangling coins drew Bakura's attention back to the desk. The goblin swept the coins into a small box, hopped down from his chair, grabbed the box, and disappeared into a back room.

"Where do you two want to go for lunch?" Sirius asked.

Aziza shrugged. "Probably someplace you don't need to use chopsticks."

Bakura laughed softly, and even Ryou cracked a smile. Sirius reddened.

"Just because you know how to use chopsticks…."

*When did she learn how to use chopsticks?* Ryou wondered. It wasn't common knowledge in England, and he was pretty sure the Ancient Egyptians hadn't used chopsticks.

Bakura snorted at the thought but relayed Ryou's question.

"Right around the time you dueled my brother at Duelist Kingdom."

Ryou flinched, expecting a wave of anger. But Bakura merely rolled his eyes.

"I would have won that duel if you hadn't interfered."

A red eyebrow rose. "I didn't interfere," Aziza replied coolly. "I adhered to the rules of the Shadow Game, and I made sure Cat's Ear Tribe didn't play with the Monsters."

Ryou's eyes widened as a memory surfaced.

Yugi, Téa, Tristan and Joey gaped at him from the other side of the field. The other Yugi glared at the dark spirit that controlled his body. Cats dressed in armor meowed, prowling around the players.

"I'll control her while you attack me," Ryou told the Yugi in front of him. One of the cats hissed. "You can win against the evil Bakura!"

"I can't," Yugi whispered, horrified.

Ryou flinched when he saw something tower over him. But it was only the white cat, a paw raised to nudge him. Or crush him.

A female in a black cloak pulled the cat away before it could do either. She was more shadow than human, and she hadn't been there a moment before. Ryou wondered if the Spirit had summoned her to torment them further.

But the Spirit hissed something at her, and she spat back in the same incomprehensible language.

"Uh...big Yugi, what's going on?" Joey asked, eyes darting between the towering figures. He clutched the Flame Swordsman's sword tightly. "Where did she come from?"

The other Yugi looked just as confused. "I'm not sure, but I think she's on our side."

The cats purred. The orange one shook its head so that the flaps on its helmet waved. On one of the flaps, something gold winked down at them.

*That was her!*

*Of course it was, landlord. Keep up,* Bakura thought irritably. *Who else would use Monsters to spy on a Shadow Game?*

Ryou would have asked more questions, but the goblin came back out and dropped a stack of money in front of them. The Bracelet started glowing, triggering the other Items.

Aziza sighed. "We'll meet you outside."

Ryou could feel Bakura's urge to stay and try to sneak some of the gems out from under the goblins' noses. He resigned himself to a nasty trip through the Shadow Realm. To his great surprise, however, the spirit turned and followed the Princess outside.

But not before he bumped into a cloaked figure and relieved the man of his money pouch.

She groaned. Instead of being back in Yugi's room, like she expected, she was standing on a large flat stone that stood between two jagged mountain cliffs. A sickly green circle with a six-pointed star surrounded her, Yugi, and a tall blond man. Hermione cringed. She knew, in the same way she knew the Darkness was the embodiment of evil, that staying in this green circle was dangerous. She turned to tell Yugi they should leave.

Her heart almost stopped.

The same six-pointed star had branded itself into his forehead. There was a red glint in his eye that shouldn't be there, and his upper lip was curled into an ugly sneer. The two monsters in front of him－a giant fur ball with fangs and a sharp horn, and a turtle with a catapult on its back－had the same symbol on their foreheads. Hermione frowned. The evil-looking fur ball was wrapped in a heavy chain.

On the other side of the field sat a purple card, a mermaid and a muscular grey creature with a mane of red hair. The blond drew a card.

"I activate Celestial Sword!" A long sword dropped from the sky and stuck itself in the rock. "And to use my sword, I play Guardian Eatos!"

A ball of light burst from the card and flew toward a dark cloud that hadn't been there a second ago, morphing into a winged creature with a loud cry. Lightning struck the field, and when it cleared, an angel wearing some kind of Native North American headdress and clothes floated in midair. Holographic numbers above the angel read 2500/2000.

"Of course," the Pharaoh muttered. "That's the Monster I've been sensing all along!"

The angel, Eatos, swooped down and plucked the sword out of the ground with one hand.

"Activate your Special Ability, Eatos," the blond commanded. Eatos raised her sword. "Spirit of Celestial Sword!"

Eatos aimed her sword at the Pharaoh. He grunted as his arm flew up against his will. The growl that came out of his mouth was inhuman. And it only grew more terrifying as the blond explained what his Guardian was doing.

One by one, cards flew out of the Pharaoh's duel disk and hovered in the air. Transparent copies of the Duel Monsters hung in the air, heartbreak written all over their faces. Hermione recognized the two that were talking to Aziza earlier.

"You have the power of every one of my fallen Monsters," the Pharaoh snapped angrily, staring at the spirits.

"It's your own fault," the blond retorted. "You did this to them when you selfishly sacrificed each one!"

The Pharaoh's eyes widened, and Hermione thought she saw the red light dim.

"Hermione!"

Hermione blinked at the unexpected voice. The world around her shimmered. "Ron?"

"Hermione, please, wake up!"

The sky darkened. As if from a distance, she heard the Pharaoh gasp. "Please, forgive me for what I've done to you!"

"Wake up!"

Her head pounded. She was flying through the air, her heart in her throat－

"It only needs one of us. So I'm letting the Seal take me instead."

She blinked. Ron's worried face swam into view. She closed her eyes and slumped in his arms, exhausted.

What kind of trouble could they have gotten into now? Ginny groaned. Yugi's at school and Bakura's with us!

It's Harry, Ron and Hermione, Aziza thought, ducking behind a parchment shop. Immediately she pulled the Shadows around her. Are they ever not getting－

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were taking lessons from my Ka."

As much as Aziza hated to admit it, she knew Bakura better than anyone else. He was notorious for creeping into places unseen, and getting out just as easily. He controlled the Shadows like he was part of them; even now, they swirled around him eagerly. And he wanted all the Items for himself－he certainly wasn't about to let her disappear with them.

So, of course, she absolutely did not scream as the albino materialized barely an arm's length away. She was expecting him to follow her, after all.

Sure, Ginny chuckled. Away from other wizards, she was free to stand next to Aziza. Just keep telling yourself that.

Shut up. "Show us."

The image blossomed almost before she finished speaking. She couldn't make sense of what the Bracelet was sending her: confusion, perhaps, and disbelief and heartbreak, all drowned out by a burst of terror. And then the image sharpened.

"Well," Bakura growled. "Looks like the little witch got her hands on a Millennium Item."

That would explain why the Ring was acting up.

"Hermione," Ginny whispered.

Hermione stood in Yugi's room (it could only be Yugi's, because she knew what the guest room looked like and she didn't think Mr. Muto would have a desk in his room), her brown eyes distant. Her bloodless face was blank. Was that normal? She didn't remember Isis behaving like that.

"We have to get back."

"Wait!" Ryou cried as Ron and Harry flew into the room.

"No, don't－" Aziza groaned and Bakura hissed through his teeth.

Ron had grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and started shaking her, hoping to snap her out of the trance. The Necklace dimmed.

Hermione blinked once. Twice. Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.

"Okay, we're going back now." Aziza swiped her hand through the image and pulled them out of the Shadow Realm. "Sirius will just have to get himself back to Domin－oh, come on!"

Screams erupted from all over the alley. Wizards and witches pulled their wands and started firing spells at the creatures that swooped overhead. Mothers grabbed their children and spun on the spot, Disapparating with loud cracks. Children without parents in sight ducked into shops or sprinted past them to reach the bank.

"I think your friend will have to wait," Bakura said, staring in disbelief at the Duel Monsters wreaking havoc.

Yugi glanced worriedly at Bakura's empty desk. The keeper of the Ring had seemed off at lunch, right before he disappeared.

What's Bakura up to?

The Pharaoh frowned. I'm not sure. But if the Spirit of the Ring is involved, it can't be good.

You don't think he's gone after the Millennium Bracelet and the Earrings, do you?

Possibly. But why didn't he try to take them last night?

Maybe he didn't want to face both you and your sister, Yugi suggested.

He was still trying to wrap his head around that. The Pharaoh had a sister. Sure, the Pharaoh didn't remember much about his past, so he could have had any number of siblings when he was alive. But Yugi hadn't expected the Pharaoh's sister to show up out of nowhere.

And she was trapped inside a Millennium Item that he'd never even heard of before yesterday. (Was it really only yesterday they'd met her? It seemed like a lot longer than that.) He wondered if she remembered how she got locked in the Earrings.

I wonder what else she remembers, the Pharaoh thought.

Yugi chuckled. Grandpa probably spent all day asking her questions.

Grandpa had been ecstatic to find out that the Lost Princess of Egypt was staying with them. When Yugi reminded him that the Nameless Pharaoh actually lived in their house, Grandpa waved him off.

"Yugi, compared to the Pharaohs, we know practically nothing about the royal women of Ancient Egypt! Think of everything she could teach us!"

Now, Yugi sighed as he stared at the book in front of him. I hope she was able to talk to Dark Magician. It felt wrong not having his favorite card in his deck. I still want to ask her how she does that.

Sensing where his other half's thoughts were headed, the Pharaoh shook his head. Summoning Monsters is incredibly dangerous, Yugi. You remember what happened when we dueled Pegasus.

It wasn't a question. Neither of them would forget their attempt at a Mind Shuffle any time soon.

You have to admit, it'd be pretty cool, though.

Well, yes.

Yugi chuckled. Maybe while I'm doing my homework, you can－

The Puzzle flared to life, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yuge, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure, Joey!" Pharaoh?

Something's coming. The Pharaoh's attention wasn't on the glowing Puzzle, but on the storm clouds brewing outside.

"Yugi!"

And then a faint voice, barely audible over the commotion. "Pharaoh!"

Who was that? Yugi gasped.

The Puzzle's light died, snuffed out like a candle. Screams erupted throughout the building. The entire class nearly jumped out of their skins. Joey and Tristan were out of their seats, fists raised defensively.

Yugi's heartbeat pounded in his ears. Is it another Death Eater attack?

No, Yugi. It's worse.

Worse? Yugi repeated, allowing the Pharaoh to take over. How can it be worse?

The Pharaoh reached for their deck and stood by Bakura's empty desk. Yugi looked out the window.

Oh, he thought weakly. Yeah, that's a lot worse.

Luster Dragon #2 hovered outside, its eyes locked on the cowering students.

"Princess!"

Ginny blinked in amazement as a purple-haired angel in yellow robes descended in a ray of sunlight. "Who is that?"

"Wingweaver," Aziza breathed. "What's going on? Why are the Monsters attacking?"

Wingweaver shook her head, her amber eyes confused. "What do you mean? We aren't attacking anyone. The humans are attacking us."

"But if you aren't attacking everyone, why are you here?"

"And how are you here?" Ryou wondered.

Wingweaver glanced at the darkening sky with a worried frown. "It's coming for all of us. We had to flee our world." She turned beseeching eyes on Aziza. "Please, Princess. Help us."

We have to help her.

Of course. "But how?"

"Look out!"

Aziza leaped back at Ryou's warning. Wingweaver wasn't so lucky. The jet of red light struck her directly in the eye before it ricocheted. With a shriek, she flapped her wings, whipping dirt and debris into the eyes of the wizards closing in on them.

"Wingweaver!" Ginny, hide!

Ginny reluctantly returned to her Soul Room as Wingweaver took to the skies, dodging hexes and curses.

The fairy circled the alley once, twice, a third time. As she flew, the warrior Monsters on the ground hopped on dragons' backs or vaulted over the buildings to get away from the wizards. The dragons roared and thrashed their tails. Several wizards conjured shields to protect themselves, but the dragons smashed through them easily.

A hand wrapped around Aziza's in a bone-crushing grip.

"Ah!" Unable to reach her wand or her deck, Aziza tugged the Shadow Magic around her and tried to curl it into a tight ball. The Shadows growled, unhappy at being forced into such an unnatural shape.

It's Bakura! Ginny cried.

"Let's go," Bakura growled.

Aziza dropped the ball of Shadow Magic in shock. The Shadows grumbled and faded away. "What－"

A sharp tug yanked her off balance. Bakura dragged her behind the parchment shop and pulled them into the Shadow Realm.

"Release me!"

"Gladly." Bakura dropped her wrist as if she'd burned him. Ryou hovered behind him, alarmed.

It's okay. Ginny tried to calm her pounding heart. He was trying to help us.

Aziza glared at the Thief King. Why? What does he get from helping us?

Privately, Ginny thought Bakura was worried that Aziza would get into trouble. But she knew better than to tell Aziza. You tell me.

Ryou glanced between the two spirits anxiously. "Aziza, could you summon Diabound to take us back to Domino?"

"Oh, we don't need to strain the little Princess." Bakura's eyes glinted in satisfaction as Diabound materialized.

Diabound hissed a greeting, its lower half wrapping around Bakura.

Ginny shook her head. How did he do that?

Diabound is Bakura's Ka, Aziza reminded her stiffly.

The snake's tongue flicked out to brush Ryou's cheek. Ryou yelped.

"Diabound, we need to get back to Domino City," Aziza said.

Diabound glanced at Bakura, who raised a snowy eyebrow expectantly, a chilly smirk on his lips.

"Please," Ginny added politely.

Bakura's teeth flashed, but he remained silent.

Aziza took a deep breath. "What do you want?"

"Well, your Millennium Bracelet would be nice," Bakura drawled. "And the Earrings."

"Not happening," the girls said immediately.

"Oh, I'll get them soon enough," he told them. "But for now, I think I'll take my Diabound."

Ginny frowned at the anger swelling in Aziza's mind. Aziza?

He thinks he can coerce me into simply handing over Diabound?

It's just a card, Ginny replied in alarm.

Like Kyra's just a card? Or Genesis?

Aziza had a point. Those Monsters weren't just Duel Monsters; they were special. Magician's Valkyria was Aziza's childhood friend. And if Ginny had to pick one card in her entire deck to pull her out of trouble, it would be Genesis Dragon.

Diabound is a really powerful Monster, Ginny finally agreed. But to us, it's still just a card. Bakura really seems to care about it.

Bakura doesn't care about anything but himself, Aziza snapped.

Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes. Isn't Diabound a part of Bakura? Besides, what's more important, our friends or Bakura's spirit Monster?

"I'm waiting," Bakura singsonged.

Aziza stiffened. "Fine," she told the thief coldly. "You'll get Diabound's card once we arrive safely in Domino City."

Bakura's smile widened. "Agreed."

Ryou and Ginny both sighed in relief and ducked into their Soul Rooms, bracing themselves for the trip.

"What are you looking at?!" Joey cried, throwing himself between Yugi and the really big, really scary dragon.

The dragon growled, showing off its mouthful of small but very sharp teeth. The other kids screamed. Joey was sure at least one of them had burst into tears.

"Joey, no!" Yugi cried. Only it wasn't Yugi; the voice was too deep, too confident. But Yugi's worry bled into the Pharaoh's words.

"Joey, you idiot!" Téa hollered.

"What are you doing, man?" Tristan hissed from right behind him. "I don't know if you've noticed, but that's a dragon."

Joey scowled at his oldest friend. "Really, Tristan? And here I thought I was about to take down a fluffy little Kuriboh."

Thunder rumbled almost directly above them. Every muscle in his body tensed. The dragon recoiled.

"That's strange," the Pharaoh muttered. "There's no lightning."

"Look!" Téa took a hesitant step forward, staring at something in the distance. "What's that?"

Joey followed her gaze. A sphere of light zoomed toward them and came to a stop just beside the dragon. The light faded to reveal Magician's Valkyria.

"It's that magician from the museum!" Tristan gasped.

"Magician's Valkyria," the Pharaoh told them.

Magician's Valkyria floated just beside the dragon and said something they couldn't hear. The dragon tilted its head, almost like it was listening to her.

"Hey, Yuge, does that mean Aziza's out there?" Joey wondered.

"I'm not sure, Joey."

"She's hot," someone muttered. A few other voices murmured in agreement.

Joey bit back an inappropriate chuckle as the Pharaoh scowled in the direction of the students. On his other side, Téa rolled her eyes.

Magician's Valkyria pointed to the sky, a worried crease between her eyebrows. The dragon moaned. She patted the emerald green scales gently.

"No way," Tristan gasped.

Luster Dragon #2 glanced back through the window. Its solid red eye met Yugi's. Then it flapped its wings hard enough to shake the windows and soared out of sight. Magician's Valkyria lingered just long enough to bow in their direction.

The classroom was silent.

Joey could handle weird magical items. He could deal with power-hungry psychos. He could even face Kaiba's Blue-Eyes without breaking a sweat. (Okay, while barely breaking a sweat.)

But actual, real-life dragons? That was beyond bizarre, even for him.

"Well," Tristan said at last. "There's something you don't see every day."

"Thanks, Diabound." Aziza glanced around the street to make sure nobody had seen them pop out of thin air.

The streets were deserted. If she listened closely, she could hear a cacophony of screams, sirens, and dragons' roars. But the Kame Game Shop was untouched.

"I believe you owe me something," Bakura said.

Aziza pursed her lips. She hated bargaining with the good-for-nothing Thief. It wasn't even a bargain, really; he'd practically forced her into handing over his Ka's card.

Thoth only knew what he was planning on doing with it. But a deal was a deal.

She pulled her deck out and flicked through it until she found Diabound. Bakura snatched it from her with deft fingers, as if he expected her to renege on her end of the bargain.

"Pleasure doing business with you, little Princess."

Aziza bristled at his words. One of these days, she swore. One of these days I'm going to make him regret ever coming up with that condescending title.

I'll help, Ginny promised. But right now, we have to find Hermione.

Aziza nodded.

Mr. Muto glanced up when she entered the store. He sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad you're both all right. There are Duel Monsters all over town!"

"Not just here, Muto-sama. They were in Tokyo, too."

Mr. Muto's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"

"We're not sure."

A quick glance proved it was Ryou, not Bakura, who stood behind her.

"There's more," Mr. Muto told them, a frown crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Right before all the Monsters showed up, your friend managed to get hold of the Millennium Necklace."

Aziza nodded. "The Bracelet showed us. Has she woken up yet?"

Mr. Muto shook his head. His eyes shone with curiosity. "What do you mean, the Bracelet showed you?"

The door leading to the house opened. "Mr. Muto－"

Ron let out a strangled cry when he saw Aziza. He threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around her tight enough to squeeze the breath from her lungs. "Thank Merlin you're back!"

"Get off her, you moron!" Ginny swatted at him with transparent hands.

"All right, all right. Merlin," Ron huffed but stepped back. Aziza took a quick, pained breath. "We need your help."

Aziza smiled humorlessly. "Oh? Why is that?"

Harry ran his hand through his already messy hair nervously. Bakura chortled nastily, making almost everyone else jump. Ron danced around anxiously, trying to find where the laughter was coming from. Aziza ignored them and simply stared at Harry.

"Something happened to Hermione," he confessed. "She found this necklace that kind of looks like your Bracelet, and when we found her she was in this sort of trance. She finally snapped out of it－"

"You mean Ron shook her out of it," she corrected.

Ron narrowed his eyes. "How－"

Aziza held up her wrist and shook it. The Bracelet winked in the afternoon light.

"Right. Forgot about that," Ron admitted.

"What happened after you guys found her?" Ryou asked.

"She collapsed. She hasn't woken up yet," Harry told them worriedly. "Mr. Muto said he was going to call this woman...Isizu? But then a whole bunch of monsters popped up all over the city."

"The Monsters aren't just in Domino, Harry. They're in Tokyo as well."

"Actually," Ron said, folding his arms in front of him, "that talking box says they're all over the world."

Lovely. Aziza rubbed her throbbing temple. "Muto-sama, how long ago did you call Ishizu?"

"About fifteen minutes ago."

"All right," she sighed, brushing her fingers over her deck. Mahad appeared a moment later. "Mahad, can you find Ishizu Ishtar and make sure she gets here safely?"

"Of course, Your Highness." Mahad bowed and vanished.

"Ishizu knows more about the Millennium Necklace than anyone else," Aziza explained. "She should be able to help Hermione."

"What do we do till then?" Ron waved his arms in frustration.

"Read a book," Ginny suggested, knowing full well Ron would rather sweep the Owlery with Harry's Firebolt than read while he was on vacation.

"Play chess," Aziza offered as she made her way into the house. "Help Muto-sama in the shop. Duel Ryou."

Ron brightened at that idea. "Can I duel you?"

Aziza shrugged. "Beat Ryou in a duel. Then we'll talk."

Until then, she had some plans to work out.

I have...absolutely no idea what happened with this chapter. Oh, well. Hope you guys enjoyed it!