Three years, hmm? It has been a while. Thanks to all of you - ALL of you wonderful, lovely, brilliant people - who were kind enough to leave messages. If not for you, this story would never have been continued. But I'm glad it has. Thank you. Thank you.

And how long until the next update, you may ask? Sometime this year, I hope.

"Kaiba, careful!" Though muffled, Yugi's voice was as insufferable as ever, and Kaiba mentally berated himself for being considerate enough to include the other man. It always did seem to come back to bite him. "He isn't constrained by our rules! He's not even from this planet! He's –"

" – dangerous," Kaiba finished calmly. "Not all of us are amateurs, Yugi."

"You don't understand!" The other man's voice verged on panic.

"Oh, I think I do," said Kaiba softly, a cruel smile gracing his face as he stepped forward. "So. Trueman, you demented, freakishly tall…thing. Have you come to be humiliated again?"

Trueman returned the smile, eyes hidden behind his dark shades. "Seto Kaiba." The voice was monotonous and bland, but there was still a darkness to it, an evil that set the duelist's teeth on edge. "No, I think not. This time will be your destruction."

"Bring it." Kaiba raised the curved dueldisk to his chest, anticipation burning in his belly, fire in his eyes. He had missed the thrill of confrontation and the stark raw emotion that accompanied the presence of the supernatural, though he would die rather than admit that to his eternal rival. Here, with adrenaline humming through his veins, he was more alive that he had ever been as CEO of Kaiba Corporation.

Trueman watched the dueldisk, a wry smile curving the side of his face. "You will not need that device, Seto Kaiba," he said softly. One gloved hand raised to point languidly at Kaiba's face. "You can simply die."

Yugi's shout of warning would not have been enough warning had Kaiba not already been on edge. One moment, there was air in front of him; the next, the air was rent in two, and fire spilled from a crack in the membrane of the universe, licking hungrily at the pavement before it lunged at the man like a living thing, hissing and spitting. Kaiba dove to the side, white trenchcoat billowing about his form, and the pillar of flame missed him by centimeters. He landed in a crouch. Trueman raised his hand again.

On Kaiba's dueldisk, a little light winked green.

The blast of pure darkness shook the street. Dust was blown from lampposts and porches, and plants withered and died. And Trueman, throughout it all – he was speechless.

For Kaiba stood tall and proud, his back straight, laughing. And at his side, wreathed in white fire, the dying sunlight reflected off its brilliant scales, hovered his ultimate monster. His first and only love. The White Dragon of legend.

"You see, Trueman, I've been thinking," the former CEO declared. "For most people, that wouldn't be too big of a deal, of course – but I'm not most people. You, Mr. T., are not from around here. Not this space, and maybe not even this time. The fact that you are here now means that something has changed. I won't pretend to know what it is. I won't pretend to know how, or why. But the fact that you are here means that certain, other sources of power are available. And that means that we don't have to follow the rules. We don't shake hands, shuffle decks, and ask nicely who wants to go first."

Trueman's lips curled in a sneer, but he said nothing. Kaiba flicked open his dueldisk and slipped the card back into his deck. "I've done my research. When you initiate contact, you challenge me, Trueman. You have the element of surprise. You have whatever hand you prepared, while I am completely unprepared. In theory. But there's more. You don't have a real deck, do you? Your deck is spiritual and insubstantial, and it is composed of every card that you have ever corrupted. Your monster, the Dark Archetype – that's your searcher. You abuse its effect in order to pull out whatever you need. You use it for its utility." Kaiba smiled viciously. "Coward. Are you that afraid of your own weakness? Come, Trueman. Fight me, as preceded by the Egyptian Empire and the Kaiba Corporation. And you are forbidden by the Ancient Rules to do anything but abide by them." Kaiba bowed mockingly. "And I will even allow you the first move."

Yugi whistled in appreciation. "It sounds like you've done your research, Kaiba," he said grudgingly."

"Not all of us spend our time studying drawings in the dirt."

"Touché."

"I summon the monster, the Skilled White Magician!" With a crackle of energy, the pale-robed magician appeared in the air, empty eyes boring into Kaiba. "Then I activate the Spell card – Future Fusion!"

"Oho," said Kaiba softly. "Taking a leaf from my book, are we?"

"What is he summoning?" the phone by the side of the roadway asked curiously.

Kaiba smiled without humor. "He just sent the Dark Magician and Buster Blader to the graveyard."

Yugi sucked in a breath. "The Dark Paladin. The ultimate weapon against a Dragon-based deck."

Trueman raised a finger, and a blast of green light washed across the abandoned roadway. "The Spell card known as Spell Power Grasp allows me to add two additional counters to the Skilled White Magician. With three counters, I can tribute him and use his soul to summon the next incarnation of your destruction. Come – Buster Blader!"

Kaiba watched, in awe despite himself. First came the sword, stabbing into the ground with such ferocity that the pavement cracked. The warrior, clad in massive purple armor, energy crackling with every movement, followed it, stepping from oblivion into existence.

"Your move."

Kaiba drew.

"This game has changed so much," remarked Kaiba. "It went five thousand years and remained constant, but give it ten years in the modern world, and the entire game goes to hell. Me, Yugi, the others – we thought we would have to rend apart our very souls, just to remain relevant. But the creator of this modern game – a man whose name I can't even remember, now, thanks to you – he refused to allow it. He allowed us to adapt, rather than change. This is proof of his existence. I activate the Continuous Spell card – the Sanctuary of the White Dragon!"

From the ground rose twin pillars of light that abruptly solidified into stone columns, emblazoned with the profile of Kaiba's beloved dragon. "This card is a bit tricky, so pay attention," said Kaiba smugly. "When this card is activated, I have first discard two cards, and then I send send four of the following spell cards from my deck to the graveyard: Ancient Rules, Burst Stream of Destruction, and the Swing of Memories. I'll choose two of the former and one of each of the other two. I've discarded the White Stone of Legend, Mr. Trueman – you know what that will mean. From my deck to my hand, I call your name, Kisara." A flicker of emotion crossed his face.

Trueman sneered. "And yet with that very move, you make your dragon useless. With two dragons in your grave, my warrior grows more powerful." The dark blader held up its massive sword, and purple flame blossomed from its tip, cocooning the metal in a nexus of power. "Where is the strength that you boast of, Seto Kaiba?"

"You've learned all the wrong lessons, you fool." Kaiba savored the taste of insults on his tongue, relishing the sense of contempt – an attitude that he savored, though it was frowned upon in the corporate world. He had so little chance to use his sharp tongue when office workers attempted to commit suicide after a mere hour of Kaiba's ranting. "You would be that idiot in school who takes chemistry and then runs around screaming like a little girl when a fire starts and you don't know how to put it out. I say 'would be' only because no school in its right mind would allow you within a mile of the premises."

"Your Duel Academy did," Trueman answered, smug malice radiating from his form.

Kaiba had to concede that point. "In retrospect, that probably wasn't the best of ideas," he admitted.

"They didn't have a choice, Seto Kaiba."

Now Kaiba scowled. "If you're not going to be interesting when you talk, can we get back to killing each other? Or, rather, me killing you? I activate the effect of my White Dragon's Sanctuary: by returning one Dragon-Type monster from my graveyard to my deck; I can then banish my spell card, Ancient Rules and activate its effect directly. Do you know the Ancient Rules, Mr. Trueman?" Kaiba brought the card across his face, displaying the fierce dragon on the card. "This card belongs to an age before monsters required tribute to summon them – an age where friendship, not sacrifice, was all it took to bring monsters forth. In the name of Egypt and its successor, I invoke these rules now. Come forth – Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The darkness was blown to shreds as the white dragon materialized above Kaiba's head, hissing at Trueman. Seto could feel the wind of the wingbeats upon his back. He could smell the sun and the sand and the desert on its white scales, and the hair on his neck prickled at the lightning that coursed through the air.

"Now for your little sword-waving cowboy. With no more Dragon-type monsters in my graveyard, your Buster Blader loses his little boost. Go, White Dragon." Kaiba closed his eyes and savored the explosion's echoing boom. He relished in the taste of burned air on his tongue, the smell of power heavy in the air. Most of all, he drew dark pleasure in the expression on the creature's face as its Life slipped from 4000 to 3400.

"One card set facedown is all I need. Make your move, Trueman." Kaiba folded his arms, and the dragon at his back settled onto his shoulder, sinking claws into his thick coat, half-raising its wings to catch the air and remain aloft.

"Your beast has no place here, Seto Kaiba. I draw." The card materialized from pure darkness as Trueman drew it from nowhere. "I activate the Trap card – the Tower of Babel!"

The sunlight was blotted out as a massive shadow fell across the street. Kaiba watched mutely as an impossibly high pillar of black stone rose from the earth, climbing into the sky endlessly, until it had vanished from his sight.

"Do you know the tale of the Tower, Seto Kaiba?"

"It's a kids' tale," the CEO replied scathingly. "The people of Babel tried to build a tower to reach the gods. For their arrogance, they were scattered across the earth, each with their own language, so that man might never again attempt such a venture."

"This is your Tower of Babel, Seto Kaiba. And when the fourth counter has been added, then it will spell out your doom. For when the final spell card is played, this tower will collapse, taking with it 3000 points of life from he who dared to continue. I activate the first Spell card - Monster Reborn!" From the earth sprang the purple-clad warrior once again, swinging its massive blade carelessly about. The dragon on Kaiba's shoulder snarled. "Now, Seto Kaiba – I activate the second spell card, the Book of Moon. Your precious dragon is changed to Defense." His eyes glinted nastily. "And the Buster Blader is strong enough now to destroy you. Go, Buster Blader. Destroy his precious dragon."

"Learn to play the game, Trueman. Activate, Negate Attack!" He raised a hand, and a void opened in front of him, swallowing the sword-shaped bolt of darkness before it reached the dragon crouched protectively on his shoulder. "You should never have shown me your plan – not until the instant you declared your attack."

Trueman set two cards facedown and then lowered the dueldisk. Kaiba didn't wait for an invitation. He drew.

"Activate. Shrink."

Kaiba blinked. The weight on his shoulder was abruptly much lighter. He glanced to the left, and his very own miniature Blue Eyes glared back at him, daring him to laugh. Kaiba smirked at it, and the dragon lashed its tail from side to side.

The tower of Babel teetered dangerously. One Spell card until collapse.

"You made another mistake, Trueman." Deftly, Kaiba sorted through his hand, made a decison. "Arrogance is a virtue, not a vice. You just have to be prepared for the moment when the sky falls on you. I'm disappointed. I had expected better from you this time around. Yugi, didn't you say this creep got better?"

Yugi's wary voice emitted from the phone. "He does. I don't know why he's being so predictable for you. Be careful."

"Hah!" Kaiba shook his head in disbelief. "Against a cautious opponent, your strategy may have worked, Trueman. I would hesitate. I would preserve my life, rather than trigger the Tower of Babel. But my tower has already reached the sky. I activate the Spell card – Non-Casting Arena! Your sad little Shrink won't affect my dragon now, and it won't activate the second one, either! Activate, Sanctuary of the White Dragon! I return the Totem Dragon from my hand to my deck, and then banish the Ancient Rules to activate its effect. I special summon – the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The black Tower cracked, splintered. And a thousand pounds of black marble crumbled and began its long descent to earth, amid ominous rumbling.

"Kaiba! What's going on?"

"His tower." Kaiba stared at Trueman, disgusted by the smug satisfaction on the other man's face. "It's a fricking huge, physical, pile of rocks. I'll be crushed. He baited me out, trusting that I'd want to crush him and his pathetic anti-dragon deck. Knowing I would ignore his Tower. His Paladin was never meant to come out."

"Then run!"

"Can't do that." Kaiba smiled without humor. "You know the Ancient Rules. If I run, I forfeit. And there's more than a match at stake. This is my soul. My past." He raised the dueldisk. "Sorry, Yugi. You'll have to find your own way back to Japan."

"Kaiba!"

The stones were ever closer.

"I activate the second effect of my Sanctuary. I can banish it, along with every Spell Card in my graveyard, to activate this. Burst Stream of Destruction. Your Blader can bathe in white lightning." Kaiba didn't even pause as the Buster Blader gave a cry of agony and disappeared in a torrent of fire. "But thanks to my Arena, my dragons can still attack. Go, white lightning. Destroy the only monster left. Trueman himself!"

"Kaiba, NO!"

He had time for a moment's satisfaction as his foe grimaced in pain, skin bubbling and distorting as the twin dragons buried him beneath a mass of fire and lightning. He had time for a single lucid, pure moment of sweet victory.

And then the black stones rained down like the meteors of old, and he knew no more.