Chapter 19 – The Showdown

A/N Crazy, right guys? I actually managed to upload a chapter within a week with the last one! But I am very happy to say that I've found the momentum for this story again. Yes losing the last couple of chapters was a blow, but just because I can't recreate them word for word, doesn't mean that what follows will lose the heart of what I intended (well I hope not anyway) What also is great is now that this will draw a close to the Legendary Heroes Arc, we can finally have a break from adventures with completely original material, which I think you'll all enjoy! Although don't get too settled, things won't stay that way for long, we're finally getting into the real meat of what I had intended for this story, particularly that we'll be dealing with Atem's storyline and Mina's backstory. But for now, here is another crappy chapter that I trapped hopelessly to model of the original. Enjoy!

Well, despite all the horrific things that Mina could say about Kaiba, there was one thing she could not hold against him, he knew how to make an entrance. The Blue Eyes burst through the floor, and Mina and Kaiba managed to glide down the length of its spine, to the very tip of its tail. They landed gracefully on their feet, and, Mina smiled upon seeing her friends standing in front of them. "Took you long enough to get here", she smirked.

"Mina, Kaiba, thank God you're okay!", Joey exclaimed, "What a relief, we've been all worried".

Kaiba scoffed, "Huh Joey, you look like an overgrown monkey in that outfit". Mina scold at him, honestly, there would never be any thanks no matter how many times they saved his ass.

"Overgrown monkey?" he seethed, but was quickly interrupted by Mokuba bounding forward, "Seto!" he cried, as he wrapped his arms around his big brother.

"Easy, tiger", Kaiba spoke softly, and for a glimmering moment, Mina was reminded of the kind side of Seto Kaiba, the one that he rarely showed to other people. Mina smiled at Yugi but paused as a cold shiver traced its way up her spine, and she perceived how he stood much taller, towering over her in fact, and bore older eyes. Yami!

Yami, I can't believe it, she communicated with him telepathically, you can possess Yugi even in this virtual world?

Yes, Mina, he replied, our minds are linked, wherever Yugi is conscious, as am I.

Well, I am glad to see you. Mina wasn't aware that she was smiling brightly, and even Kaiba perceived It, with confusion. "I hate to cut things short", she spoke quickly, "But we really need to get going".

"Going?" A voice above them boomed loudly, startling the group as they all huddled together. Before their eyes, a swirling vortex of blue and purple appeared before them, and Mina knew that of all things, it wasn't going to be pleasant. "Go where exactly?" it sneered.

And another voice spoke from within the void, "Congratulations gamers, you've made it to the final level".

"Correction you slimeball", Kaiba sneered, pushing Mokuba behind him, "We've beaten the game".

"Oh, is that what you think?" the voice laughed.

"That's right", he barked, "I escaped the lava pool; therefore, the mythic dragon wasn't summoned. That means this game is over".

Another voice, a third man, that Mina had counted, laughed along with the others, "Oh it'll be game over alright, but for you, not us", and instantly, the vortex tripled in size, taking the holographics of the game with it, leaving the eight stranded in a chamber of endless neon coding, like the internal hard drive of a computer.

"What the bloody hell is happening now?" Mina shrieked, the game was becoming endless, and her patience was wearing thin, she had recognised the voices, it was 'the big five' (as she had dubbed them), the same corporate scumbags who had attacked her and Mokuba after colluding with Pegasus. She glanced at Kaiba, and felt her stomach drop to see the shocked look on his face, "What's going on?" she asked him.

"They've rewritten the program", he seethed in disbelief, "They're summoning the mythic dragon themselves!" And just as Kaiba spoke, the colossal dragon appeared before them, it was humongous, with five heads, one aligned with the five elements, and it looked deadly.

"Alright everyone, stay close", Yami commanded, "We'll win together, or together we'll fall".

"Why is the second option looking the most likely", Mina grimaced.

"Man, have I had it with this virtual reality stuff", Joey gasped, "rescuing Kaiba was one thing, but now we gotta deal with this mythic dragon too? I'm really starting to miss my body" and all of them readied their duel disks, with Mokuba handing his brother his duel deck. "Stay close to me", Mina told him, aware fully that as the only one now without a deck, Mokuba was the most vulnerable.

"Suck it up", Kaiba growled, "There's only one way we can get out of this game".

"I agree", Yami nodded, to Mina's shock, the two of them actually agreeing on something? "We have to take this dragon down".

"Me first", Mai declared confidently, stepping forward, and she drew the card from her deck, "I call out the harpie lady sisters!" Mina had hoped that this would be a sign of their ample footing as a team, she had heard Yugi talk about Mai's signature monsters, and they were praised as deadly on the playing field. The three-winged and clawed females materialised, soaring in the air, but immediately they were grounded, their bodies alight with blue electrical currents. "What's happening?" Mai gasped.

The Big five chuckled together once more, "Just another bit of reprogramming that we did", one answered, and a large painted dragon appeared beneath their feet, "We call it the dragon's seal, and it makes this lair a sacred place where only dragon class monsters are allowed to attack, every other monster type is useless".

At those words, Kaiba began to laugh himself, almost manically, "You dare challenge me to a battle of dragons? You five should all know better than that", Mina thought on this quickly, why would Kaiba's suits orientate this around dragons, when their boss possesses all three of the most powerful dragon cards that existed? No, Mina thought, they wouldn't be that stupid, which was why she now knew that there had to be some kind of trap in place. But before she could warn Kaiba, he was already drawing his card, "I call the blue eyes white dragon!"

Joey was swiftly on his tail, "Go red eyes!" he cried, drawing his own card.

"Harpie's pet dragon!"

"Curse of dragon!"

The friends followed in suit, and Mina knew that despite her concerns, they would need her too, "And I summon Black Rose Dragon!" Her own dragon soared out from her card, it was a brilliant sleek black, with red lined wings. All five now had dragons out in play, and that seemed to evenly match with the five heads of the mythic dragon.

"Your mythic dragon will not stand against all that we have set against it!" Yami growled, and the odds seemed much better with their powerful dragons before them. And they all ordered their dragons to attack in unison, their blasts combining into one powerful strike. But it seemed that five was paradoxically an even number, as each of their blasts was cancelled out by the defence of the mythic dragon.

"None of our attacks even got through", Joey hissed in disdain.

"They are too evenly matched", Yami concurred, "All the blasts must have cancelled each other out".

"So, they did", one of the big five sniggered, "But one of your teams has no dragon with which to attack or defend, isn't that right, Mokuba?".

"Wait, no, you wouldn't!" Kaiba snarled, but Mina could see the mythic dragon preparing itself to strike, as one of the heads fired, she reacted instantly, "Black Rose, block it!" she screamed, and her dragon did as commanded, lunging in front of the small boy, taking the hit of the blast.

"Mina, if you're Black Rose took the hit", Mai gasped, "then that means –

But Mai didn't have to finish, as the life-points counter on Mina's duel disk drained down to zero, and she suddenly felt very, very weak. Her head felt light as she stumbled, falling to the ground. It came back to her, this was how she felt after being knocked out by the sand twister, the same feeling of extreme fatigue, and the sickening realisation struck her, she had been injured for real in the game, what would happen to her now?

"Oh no, Mina!" Mai cried, and her friends rushed to her side, Yami was the closest to her, and as she watched in horror as her feet disintegrated beneath her, Mina knew that there was a final thing she could do to give them an edge, that might help them beat the mythic dragon. She pulled the card from her deck, and placed it face down on Yami's own duel desk, you know what this is, use it Yami, "Sorry guys", she grinned weakly, "But I think I'm done for".

"You can't go!" Mokuba protested, but they all watched in horror as she faded from their view and disappeared completely.

They all watched, stunned, too afraid to think of what might have become of her. Tears had welled in Mokuba's eyes, and Mai and Joey looked panicked ridden, "You creeps!" Mai screamed at them, "What kind of sick, twisted game have you turned this into!"

"Game?" one of them sniggered, "this ceased to be a game long ago, that foolish de noir girl crossed us once in protecting Mokuba, looks like she won't be protecting him anymore".

Kaiba was the only person who had not yet uttered a word. He had remained standing, his face expressionless, but inside, his mind was raging. He wanted to annihilate those imbeciles, he wanted to kick and scream. Why, why, did she always have to be so self-sacrificing? He had watched Mina slip away before his very eyes, utterly helpless to do anything to stop it. He had been helpless when he had to watch her be dragged away by Pegasus' goons, helpless to do anything when they were forced to play his game. He was sick to death of being helpless, particularly when it came to safeguarding Mina's welfare. He vowed in that instant, never again. Those suits had no idea of the rage they had ignited in him. "We need a new tactic", he stated, something very dark in his countenance.

"Yes", Yami nodded, "With our dragons alone we won't win this", and he glanced down at the card Mina had laid out face down on his duel disk. She was right, he did know what it was, but Pegasus had made it himself, could he trust it? Mina seemed to, and above everything else, he trusted her, and he smiled, "But I think I know how we can".

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked, having not seen Mina's final act of sacrifice.

"As strong as that mythic dragon might be", Yugi explained, "there's one creature that can beat it".

Mina's eyes blinked open, they did not feel heavy nor tired, quite the opposite really, she felt alert, her senses heightened. She gazed around her, it was darkness, it could have been a room that she was standing in, there were no borders to tell her otherwise, it was just black, as far as she could see. "Hello?" she called out, her voice did not echo back, Hello!"

"Wilhelmina", she spun on her heels, of all things she expected to see, it was not the Yami version of herself, the persona adopted by the spirits of her Ankh necklace. "Where am I?" she asked, "What happened with the duel?"

"That is not important right now", the spirit answered, and walked towards her.

"But", she wavered, "What happened to me, what is this?"

"When your life-points were drained, it was like a death in the virtual world", the spirit answered, "Though not a true death, your body has entered a coma-like state. We are currently speaking deep, deep within your subconscious".

"So, is this a dream?"

"In a way", the spirit nodded, "We are inside your mind, but this is real".

Mina felt ill, shaking her head rapidly, "But, I don't understand, why have you come spirits, I did not summon you".

"You did not", they agreed in their whispering tones, "But we feel your presence, and we felt your conscious be extinguished, "But we have also come to warn you?"

"A little late for warnings", Mina replied dryly, "Can't you help me get out of this?"

"Virtual reality, along with modern technology is beyond our power", the spirits chided her, "You shall be released from your subconscious once Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba win the duel within the game".

"But that's not really Yugi", she reminded them, "A spirit from Yugi's millennium item possesses Yugi and guides him, just as you spirits guide me".

Her Yami -self narrowed her gaze, "The spirit of the millennium item is far different from us", it told her, "And it is because of the millennium items that we must warn you". Mina felt her throat go dry, even though she was aware that she still did not have a throat, that she was still stuck inside her own head, her current body a fabrication of her mind, still, her stomach flipped when she thought on the millennium items.

"Three of these sacred and powerful objects, brought so close together in such a short space of time, is much more than chance", The spirit went on, "It is fate, and you, Wilhelmina De Noir, know that one's fate cannot be ignored", Mina grimaced, not liking what the spirit was insinuating about her, that was going too far back into her past. "And what has any of this got to do with me?" she snapped.

"An oath was taken", the spirit grimly reminded her, "You know your duty, the secrets of Egypt must be protected, the world must be protected, you must continue the work of your parents, you must prepare for the dangers on the horizon".

"Dangers?" Mina exclaimed, "Please Spirits, do not speak vaguely if you know of danger coming, tell me what it is, tell me so that I can be ready".

The Yami-Mina shook her head, "We cannot. Wilhelmina know this, and heed it well:

An oath, once taken, cannot be broken

A secret kept, not shared

Bonds that lay deep cannot be forsaken

Your words, your thoughts laid bare.

For matters of duty and the heart shall divide you

And drive you to despair

A choice you must make

The dark or the light

For it may seem clear which you shall choose

Allegiances forged and destroyed

Tread careful, or all you shall lose.

Tread carefully on this your path

Keep the dragon and king close

Or this fight shall be your last.

Mina's head was ringing as the rhyme repeated over and over as her Yami-self circled her, "What, what do you mean, what does that mean?" she cried, shielding her ears with her hands. "Stop, please stop!" The rhyme becoming louder, the spirit's voice higher, until it was almost like white noise. Mina fell to her knees, her eyes clamping shut as she tried to drown out the spirits' words, "Please just stop!"

Kaiba glared at Yugi, his grievances ran too deep, and he found it almost impossible to team up with his nemesis, let alone trust him, but at that moment, he had no ideas of his own on how to take down the mythic dragon, and even he could let Mina's sacrifice be for nothing. Now, there was nothing to stop the big five from launching a second attack on Mokuba, who was still without a dragon to fight with. He watched as Yugi's eyes narrowed, and he drew his next card, "Black Luster Soldier, I summon you! By sacrificing the power of my Dark Knight and my Curse Of Dragon!"

Immediately Kaiba thought him foolish, weren't you listening? Only dragon monsters can be played. But the fearsome soldier appeared in a beam of bright light, wielding his sword and shield.

The big five gloated, thinking like Kaiba that Yugi too had made a mistake, "Your soldier cannot attack, but we can attack him!"

"No, you can't", Mai growled, stepping to the forefront which Mina once held, "My pet dragon will stop you".

"Then you'll pay the price!" One of the suits roared, and the mythic dragon overpowered her attack.

Yami cried out, realising what Mai had done as her own life point count drained down to zero, and like Mina, she collapsed to her knees.

"Yugi", she stammered, "Looks like I'm not gonna be around to see how this all plays out", she wavered as her whole body felt void of life, "… sorry, I tried my best, guess now, It's up to you". And in a matter of seconds, she too vanished into oblivion.

Joey swiftly followed as once more the Big Five attempted to attack Yugi's Black Luster Soldier, he was not about to see his best friend get hurt. Each vanished friend chipped further away at Yami's resolve, losing Mina and Mai were one thing, but Joey as well? He had had enough. But there was no time to mourn as he turned sharply to the remaining Kaiba brothers, "Now Kaiba, this may be our one chance, we have to work as a team".

"No way", Seto sneered, "You don't even know what your doing, you just lost two of your friends, and Mina too", Yami watched as his eyes darkened dangerously upon saying her name, and he grew frustrated by his stubborn stupidity, "You just have to trust me!"

"I don't have to do anything Yugi, I can win this battle in my own way".

"Win?" The Big Five cheered, "Three of your group are already gone, and we're about to make it four!" and the flaming head of the dragon unleashed its fiery blast.

"Kaiba! Quickly! Call your ultimate dragon!"

But Seto barked at Yami to quieten, not seeing the real danger, unfortunately, his brother did. "Seto, it's not your dragon they're attacking!" Mokuba cried, "It's you!" And he bolted forward, pushing Kaiba out of the way, his small body taking the full heat of the attack as he crumbled to the ground. Kaiba tried to catch him, but just as his arms reached his little brother, he became incorporeal and vanished just like the others. All colour drained from Kaiba's face, no words could describe the panic that surged through his body. He had no idea as to what became of his brother, what they must have done to him, he stood shaking for a moment, before dropping to the floor howling his brother's name.

Yami could see the pain of loss carved into Kaiba's face, and as much sympathy that he felt for him, he knew that there could be no time for grieving, they had to press on, and quickly, "Kaiba", he spoke calmly and yet with urgency, "Your brother's sacrifice doesn't have to be for nothing, we can still win this, but we need to work together, I have a plan to defeat this beast … Listen, you have to trust me, for it's the only way we can avenge our friends, now have faith, and bring out your ultimate beast!".

"Alright then", a darker tone had possessed Kaiba's voice as he rose to his feet, "Come out, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Blue lightning scorched the ground, and the three-headed ultimate blue eyes appeared before them, matching the mythic dragon in stature. "I hope you know what you're doing Yugi".

"Fools", one of the five spoke, "That dragon may be powerful, but ours is still the ultimate one".

"For now, maybe", Yami growled, "But once he has combined himself with another, your dragon's reign will be through. According to legend, when heroes are united, they will create a power strong enough to destroy the mythic dragon. We will fulfil that prophecy now!", and he drew his card, eyes remaining fixed on the card played face down on the field, "Go polymerization! Go, soldier!"

Kaiba caught on to Yami's plan and commanded, "Go ultimate dragon! Combine!"

And at once, a new, very powerful monster was formed, the Supreme Dragon Master Knight.

"Mythic Dragon obliterate them!" the big five bellowed, and all five heads struck at once, but all five were deflected, "What?" they snarled in unison, "Nothing happened".

"Of course, nothing happened, "Yami chided, "For our Dragon master is protected by a very powerful magic card, placed earlier on the field, Go Dragon's attraction!" he flipped the card, and at once a brilliant bright forcefield enveloped their monster, and the spellcaster bearing Mina's visage appeared, twirling her sceptre, ankh glowing on her forehead as she chanted. Kaiba recognised it immediately, and realised with awe that this was in fact, not Yugi's plan, Mina had known exactly what she was doing when she had given Yugi that card, what she had set in motion. The forcefield grew brighter, and behind the Dragon master, ghostly mirages of the fallen dragons appeared.

"What's going on?" one of the five stammered, "those dragons were sent to the graveyard, how could they be back!"

"Look!" another cried, "Something's even happening to our mythic dragon", as power from their beast was zapped away, and carried over to the Dragon Master Knight.

"Through Dragon's Attraction, the Dragon Master Knight gains the attack power of every dragon ever played on the field, including ones that were already destroyed, while also being protected from attack by her spell!" he explained confidently, "Now, in the memory of Joey, Mai, Mokuba, and Mina, we will topple your beast!"

Kaiba nodded, as they called out as one, "Attack, Dragon Master Knight, Dragon Sabre Blast!"

The monster roared, sending out an all-powerful strike, shattering the mythic dragon into a thousand pieces. But there was no time for celebration, as the chamber around them disappeared with the mythic dragon, and Yami and Kaiba found themselves falling into the black void.

They awoke within seconds to a cheering crowd, their bodies were strewn out on a stone stage. "What's this?" Yami gasped in confusion, and both boys rose to their feet, blinking in the bright sunlight.

"Where are we?" Kaiba groaned, however, he was swiftly answered by the cheers of the villagers. "Our Heroes, you did it! You slew the dragon!" one man cried, and both remembered what had transpired, the victory they had one, and the causalities they had lost.

"Our Heroes!" they heard a feminine voice call out behind them, and they turned to see Princess Adena waiting for them with Lysander at her side, "What you have done will keep my people and our land safe forevermore".

"We're not the ones that you should be cheering", Yami lamented.

"There shouldn't even be any cheering", Kaiba trembled with rage, "I lost my brother in there", and to his horror, he could not help but add in his mind: and Mina.

"Fear not", Adena spoke graciously, "The losses you have suffered are far too great for any hero to bear, no matter how strong they are", and she stepped away from them giggling. The two stared at the girl and were shocked to see her soar into the air, a bright golden light engulfing her, as she transformed into, to their surprise, another duel monster.

"Remarkable", Yami commented in awe, "The princess is actually the Mystical Elf, and she's casting a spell to bring back our friends!".

A blue light beamed down from the sky, leaving behind the forms of Joey, Mokuba, Mai and Mina, and even the little fairy Earu, sprawled out on the ground. All began to groan and moan as their eyes fluttered open.

"What just happened?" Joey grumbled.

But as Mina rose, she was in no doubt of what had happened, her mind still fresh from the torment she had endured inside her own subconscious. She wagged her head in a meagre attempt to shake the memories from her mind, "That's as close to dying as I ever want to get", she groaned but smiled widely as she took in their bright surroundings, and her friends around her. Even as she saw Kaiba and Mokuba embracing, her grin only extended as Yami helped her to her feet. Even then, there seemed no time for celebrations, as a black swirling vortex appeared on the wall behind them. Upon seeing this, Kaiba quickly began to walk forward, "Let's go Mokuba".

"Wait, hold a sec Kaiba", Joey stopped him, "Don't ya think the very least you could do is say thank you or something?"

Kaiba halted in his tracks, and although he was turned away from them, Mina could tell that the bloody bastard was smirking, I never asked for your help", he replied, "And as far as I'm concerned, I never needed it".

"Ah, come on!" Joey protested, but Kaiba turned to look over his shoulder, "Yugi, you on the other hand, I will offer some gratitude, we made a good team, you and I – but don't think it means that we'll be partnering up in true reality".

Yami nodded in agreement, seemingly content with that just as much as Kaiba was, "Very well, but despite whatever grudge you may still hold against me and the others, perhaps you can begin to stop looking at us as just adversaries, and more as friends".

"Hm", but once more Kaiba could not help but glance at Mina as Yami spoke, her own dark eyes met his, and her expression as entirely unreadable as she stood next to Yugi and her friends, he frowned, "Come on Mokuba", he muttered, before stepping into the blackness.

"I'm coming!" his brother called happily, before following suit.

"He's a pretty cheery guy, huh?" Mai mused as Joey growled in irritation, "Mina, besides the good looks and wads of cash, I don't know what it is you see in him". And instantaneously it was Mina's turn to growl, "Bite me".

And with final parting sentiments from Adena, the four left, departing through the portal.

Mina awoke feeling utterly exhausted. She had never felt such tiredness in all her life, and as her virtual pod opened, all she wanted to do was clamber into bed, but clearly, they had plenty of problems waiting for them in the real world.

"Yugi, Mina, Joey! You're all back!" Téa cried out happily, and Mina grimaced upon seeing Kemo and his flock of suited goons, oh, she had been long waiting to get her own back on that one.

"And so is Kaiba", Yugi beamed, "he's probably getting out of his pod right now".

"No, he can't be!" Kemo stuttered, and Mina hopped out from her pod, "Oh, he is", she smirked, "But it isn't Kaiba that you should be worrying about", and before he could process her words, Mina acted quickly, kicking him hard in the chest, Kemo groaned as he stumbled backwards, none of his lapdogs coming forward to overpower her this time. Mina took the opportunity of him doubled over to swing her fist, punching him squarely in the jaw. Kemo cried out once more and tried desperately to retaliate, but Mina merely swooped her leg beneath him, he lost his balance, falling clumsily to the floor. "Not so easy to beat up a girl without your pals to protect you huh?" she grinned as he began to clamber backwards on his hands and knees

"You better hurry", Mokuba growled as the bodyguards fell out of line, "Without you guys to guard your bosses, I'd say my brother is about to kick some butt!"

"Hey, he's right!" one of them yelled as he hauled Kemo roughly to his feet, "We gotta get back!"

"We did it!" Téa smiled.

"Bunch of wimps", Tristan agreed before clapping Mina on the back, "That was some moves!"

"I'll say!" Joey grinned, but their high spirits were interrupted, by a loud, long yawn, coming from one of the other rooms.

"It's Mai!" Mokuba concluded, and the tall blonde came outstretching her limbs, "She's been here all along!"

"In the flesh", she yawned, "Is everything cool?"

"Sure looks that way", Mina told her, "It's nice to see you in the real world".

"You too Mina", she winked, "Although I am going to miss Lysander, he was cute", and Mina cringed as her cheeks flared bright red, she was never going to live that down.

"Everything's okay now", Mokuba repeated, turning to face them, "And it's all because of you guys! So, thank you so much!" The group swelled with pride at what they had done for the little boy.

"Ah, come on", Joey grinned, "Now go get out of here already, your brother probably can't wait to see you".

"Okay, Thanks again!" But Mina grabbed his arm, "Oh, no way mister I'm letting you go there by yourself", she stopped him, "For all, we know the big five are still there, with back up on the way".

"I'll be fine Mina!" he tried to protest, but he saw how she had the same look in her eyes as she did in the virtual world, and Mokuba knew that there was no arguing with her, "Okay, okay".

"Mina are you sure that's safe?" Sarah piped up in concern, placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder, "Don't you want us to come with you?" Mina smiled, but shook her head, "No, you guys head on home, besides, these bastards have had this a long time coming".

Mokuba said his goodbyes to Mina's friends, and she took him outside to her car, "Now", she sighed, "Let's go see if your brother needs some help in kicking butt, eh?"

"You betcha!" Mokuba bubbled, and they hopped inside.

Mokuba directed them to the building that Mina had not seen since her first night in Domino City, KaibaCorp, the tallest skyscraper in all the city's skyline. They parked just outside its gates, and Mina jogged to her boot, digging through the mismatched items belonging to Blake and Sarah to retrieve one of her Katanas. Mokuba raised an eyebrow as he watched her attach the sheath to the belt of her school skirt. "You keep a sword in your car?"

She slammed the hood down and shrugged her shoulders, "Comes in handy, like right now for instance".

Mokuba had the passcode for the gates, and they were able to enter through the large front doors. Mina knew from checking her phone on the drive that it was already past 1 am, and any security staff had already left. "Stay close", she muttered to Mokuba as they took the elevator down, "My brother's lab is in the very bottom of the building".

Just as the elevator doors opened to the basement labs, they were partly startled to see Kaiba waiting there, having just woke up himself. "Mokuba", he breathed a sigh of relief, and his brother flocked to his side, leaving Mina standing before them. His cold blue eyes bore into her, chilling Mina enough to make her shudder, "I wanted to make sure Mokuba got here safely", she answered, even though no question was asked. She shifted on her feet, suddenly feeling the urge to grab for her Katana, at least to retain some semblance of power in the situation. Mina was expecting Kaiba to ridicule her or berate her for being in contact with his brother, but instead he nodded, and gestured to his brother to take a seat next to one of the many computers in the lab, "Stay here while Mina and I deal with these worthless rats", he told him firmly.

Mokuba pouted, not wanting to be left out, "I can help!" but he knew that Seto would have none of it.

Mina didn't speak, practically floored by Kaiba's attitude, she was most certainly not expecting that. Mokuba flopped onto the chair, crossing his arms sulkily as Kaiba walked inside the elevator beside her, "We will come back for you when it's safe", he promised, hitting the button for the 34th floor. Mina was still gobsmacked, there it is again, she thought, we. Did he leave his personality behind in that game? She was unsure of how to act, or even what to say as they stood shoulder to shoulder in silence.

"Don't underestimate them", he warned her suddenly, and Mina felt herself jump slightly, "They may be slimy desk jockeys, but I wouldn't put it past them having a few dirty tricks up their sleeves".

"I won't", she stated, fingertips tracing over the handle of her blade, she probably wouldn't need it, if one thing her training had taught her, is that you kill only when there is no other alternative. She doubted that the Big Five alone could put her in a situation of having to choose between her own life and theirs.

The doors of the elevator silently glided open to reveal a large board room. It was something Mina expected to see from a film, a half circle table with large black-cushioned chairs, and also out of a movie, the room appeared as though it had been ransacked. Mina peered beneath the table, opened briefcases was strewn about, along with papers and wads of cash held tight in metal clips. Their escape looked extremely hurried, perhaps it was because they knew that Kaiba was trapped in the virtual pod inside his company. But they left everything behind, it looked too rushed. "I doubt that they'll be coming back any time soon", she mused, rising back to full height, "In any case, I would still alert the police, they'll be able to identify them if they try to cross state lines".

Kaiba shook his head, "No cops. I want to track these creeps down myself".

Mina shrugged, "I'm all for personal vendettas, but you won't be able to devote all your time to hunting them down".

Kaiba pursed his lips together, walking around the briefing room, taking in the wreckage. Despite extreme misgivings, Mina couldn't help but feel sorry for him. How lonely it must be, not being able to trust anyone in his life, always having to be on his guard. The 'Big Five' were supposed to help him run the company, not steal it from him, it was becoming clearer and clearer to Mina that the only person Kaiba had in his life that he could trust completely was Mokuba.

"Well, if they do come back, they'll have me to deal with", she spoke smoothly, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

"This isn't your fight", he told her sternly, and Mina could not help but laugh, "Not my fight?" she smirked, "This is the second time that these goons have attacked me, and tried to hurt you and Mokuba, they made this my fight".

Kaiba glared at her, trying to discern what she was thinking, but it was impossible to read the expression on her face, it was in this moment that he realised that he had never seen her so confident, so calm and poised in her exterior. It was threatening … and yet alluring, she was a far cry away from the petrified girl utterly helpless in Duellist Kingdom. She was powerful, composed, and he couldn't help but be mesmerised. Mina brushed stray locks of hair from her face, recognising the tension that pervaded the air, you two in a room together? You could cut the tension with a knife and serve it on a plate to Joey, Mai's voice penetrated her mind, and she found herself seeking shelter from his unwavering gaze. "But you might want to think about hiring new security", she tried to joke, masking her insecurity.

"Hmm", he hummed as he lightly kicked one briefcase with his foot, "That, I might actually agree with", once more they fell into silence, and Mina found it unbearable. She looked all around her, hoping to find something to say, even if she had to pluck it from the air.

"That magic card", it was Kaiba who spoke, still holding her gaze in his, "Where the hell did you get something like that?"

Mina hesitated, of all things to ask her, it had to be that. "Duellist Kingdom", she attempted to answer vaguely, but it was evident that she wasn't fooling anyone, and bit her lip in anxiety as she answered truthfully, "Pegasus, made it for me, gave it to me along with my mother's duel deck, alright?"

Kaiba took in everything that she said, processing it as quickly as she spoke, but was enraged upon hearing that name, Pegasus.

"Pegasus gave you that card, and you took it?" hearing Kaiba say it out loud, Mina could see how idiotic it sounded, but she still stood by her choice.

"Look at we've been able to do with it so far", she defended, "And besides, but in the end, I think Pegasus was honestly trying to make amends, or at least begin to".

Kaiba shot her an incredulous look, "You can't be serious", he seethed, "After everything he has done, what he did to Mokuba – to you – he beat you and tried to lock you away in his castle, do you honestly believe that he could ever make amends for that?" Mina could see his temper rise, and her own was rearing its ugly head.

"It's more complicated for me", she countered in frustration, raking a hand through her hair.

"Complicated?" he laughed in disbelief.

"Yes, complicated", she snapped, "Pegasus, he, he knew my parents, well, near family, from how he described it … and I, I pity him".

Kaiba simply stared at her as though she had grown a second head, and Mina knew that she would be forced to elaborate before he tossed her out of his building. "Everything he did Seto, he did for love … for his wife, Cecilia. He thought that if he could get all the millennium items and your technology at KaibaCorp, to somehow bring her back".

"And that justifies what he did to my brother?" he sneered in disgust.

"No, of course not!" Mina exclaimed, "That's not what I'm saying. Pegasus, what he did, was grief taken way over the line of sanity, and I suppose, well I know, I saw myself in him, in his grief. How I was in Duellist Kingdom, I would have done anything to get my family back … God, Pegasus was offering to bring them back too", she turned away from him, wrestling with her temper, "I could have taken it, my grief was the same as his, but what would that make me, if I'd taken him up on his offer? Hurt people to bring back my parents? That would have gone against everything they had instilled in me, I would have been worse than Pegasus, and that's where grief would have taken me", she watched as Kaiba leered at her, very unsure of how he must be feeling, knowing him, probably anger, "So yes, I took the damn card, because I need to believe that Pegasus will be able to repent, and tackle with his grief, because then I know that I'll be able to carry mine".

Though Mina was unaware of it, Kaiba couldn't help but feel her pain, her frustration, and yes, her grief, knowing all this, yes, he could understand her need to forgive Pegasus, he didn't have to like it, but he decided that he would not chastise her for it either. "Mina, for god sakes, just don't trust him, alright?" he was nearly pleading with her, and once more she found herself completely thrown of her guard. "I won't", she promised quietly. And for once, their silence was not an uncomfortable one, but one of understanding.

Mina unfolded her arms, stuffing her hands into her blazer pockets, "At least, for once, things look like they might be a little calmer", she tried to smile, but it fell flat.

"Mina –

"Seto –

The pair tried to speak at once, overlapping one another. "You first", Mina urged him, growing weary of doing all the talking.

But Kaiba shook his head, "No, you", he stated firmly, and Mina had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. "Look, Seto, I know things haven't always been particularly easy between the two of us, but, I honestly can't deal with further hostilities", she faced his unwavering gaze head-on, "I'm not asking you to be my best friend, I just want a bit of peace". Kaiba could see it plainly on her face, the girl was exhausted, and to be frank, so was he.

"Go home, De Noir, get some sleep", he suggested, though there was no malice or contempt in his voice.

Mina laughed, "You should take your own advice, Kaiba, but yeah, I think I'll do that", she turned to leave, but a sudden thought stirred her to stop, and, though Mina convinced herself it was the sleep deprivation that spurred her, she still turned on her heels, and walked quickly forward, hugging Kaiba tightly. "I'm glad you're okay", she murmured over his shoulder, and though he did not reciprocate the gesture, Kaiba would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't enjoy it. It was a strange relief to have her so close to him once more, the smell of her Lancôme perfume lingering in his air, even when she broke away from him.

"Well, see you in school, Kaiba", she smiled before finally walking towards the elevator.

"See you, De Noir", and the two shared a small smile before the elevator doors shut, and she was whisked out of sight.

A/N Oooh, are things heating up with these two again? I was going to actually take out that last scene but come on it's been too many chapters without a little mina/Kaiba action.