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Time to Duel, Mariko!	By : Hideki LaShae Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 830 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and
references belong to their respective owners. The song Heart of the Cards
belongs to the artist and the company that recorded it and was used in this
story with the best of intentions. Story elements � Hideki LaShae. No money was
gained in the writing of this story.

WARNING: This story
contains sensitive cultural practices and references that might offend some
readers. The views and opinions of the cultures which condone these practices
are not shared by this author, but they are included in this story for
awareness purposes only.

Time to Duel, Mariko!

By
Hideki LaShae

Chapter Two
That Girl I Can�t
Ignore

Marie takes
her duffle bag from Seto and lets him lead her into the mansion.
�Mokuba!�
shouts Seto, �I�m home! I�ve brought Marie!�
�Marie!
Seto!� exclaims Mokuba as he races in from another room. He throws his arms
around Marie�s neck as she kneels to embrace him.
Marie wraps
her arms tightly around Mokuba�s back. �I�ve missed you, Mokuba! I�ve missed
you so much!�
�I�ve
missed you too, Marie!� exclaims Mokuba.
�I�ve
brought you a present from Egypt,� says Marie, �I�ll give it to you in a
minute.�
�A present?
For me?� asks Mokuba blushing slightly, �You didn�t have to get me anything.�
�I�m sorry,
but yes, I did! It was just so perfect! When I saw it, I immediately thought of
you, Mokuba, so I had to bring it back to you!� exclaims Marie.
�What is
it?� asks Mokuba smiling as he pulls out of the warm embrace.
Marie
reaches into her duffle bag and pulls out a cloth-wrapped package. She passes
it to Mokuba. �I got it from the excavation site. I found it, so they let me
keep it. They didn�t think it had much historical significance, but I thought
you would like it, Mokuba. I really hope you do.�
�How could I
not?� asks Mokuba pulling off the cord that ties the cloth around the
mysterious gift.
Marie
smiles at Seto. �I would have brought you something, Seto, but I wasn�t sure if
you�d like something I dug up in Egypt.�
�I already
have my present, the best present you could have given me,� says Seto kneeling
beside Marie and placing his arm around her.
�I hope
you�re referring to either my heart or the fact that I�m back,� comes the
whispered response so quietly that Mokuba couldn�t hear the words. Marie smiles
as Seto nods his head.
Mokuba
pulls away each layer of fabric and holds out an old stone goblet with symbols
carved all around the surface. �Do you know what it says, Marie?�
�Yes, I do.
Ishizu and Grandma were teaching me how to read the hieroglyphics,� says Marie.
She points to a symbol and adds, �It starts here. The battle with the
unknown brother will decide the fate of the world. And look here around
the base of the goblet at these symbols. An eye, a scale, a rod, a ring, an
ankh, a necklace, and a pyramid. These are the symbols for the seven Millennium
items.�
�Millennium
items?� asks Mokuba, �What seven Millennium items? I�ve never heard of them.�
�What about
you, Seto? Have you heard of the Millennium items?� asks Marie raising her
eyebrow.

Puzzle, Eye, Necklace, Ring, Rod, Scale, and Key�

Seto nods.
�I have heard of them� briefly.�
�Shall we
go somewhere to talk?� asks Marie, �I can tell you all that I know about the
Millennium items.�
�Let�s go
into the living room. We can sit down there and talk,� says Seto.
�I love
this goblet, Marie! Thanks!� exclaims Mokuba hugging Marie quickly.
Marie holds
Mokuba into her arms. �I�m glad.�
Mokuba
stands up with the goblet in his hands.
Seto rises
to his feet and extends his hand towards Marie.
Marie takes
Seto�s hand and allows him to pull her up to her feet. She smiles as she
squeezes his hand.
�Hey, I�ll
get us some sodas! Then I�ll meet you in the living room! Okay?� asks Mokuba.
�That would
be wonderful, Mokuba!� exclaims Marie turning her purple eyes away from Seto�s
face.
Mokuba nods
and runs off to go to the kitchen.
�I�m glad
he�s left us alone for a moment,� says Seto pulling Marie into his arms. His
lips search Marie�s face trying to find her lips, and he kisses her deeply.
�Seto� I
really like being with you,� says Marie with a content sigh.
�So do I,�
says Seto kissing Marie again.
�Well�
although I would like to stay like this, if we don�t make it to the living room
soon, Mokuba will start to wonder what we�re doing!� exclaims Marie.
�He�s my
little brother. I don�t want him to know just yet.�
�The less
he knows about women, the better!�
Seto smiles
at Marie and pulls her towards the living room.
Marie
clutches her duffle bag tightly to her side as she hurries alongside Seto.
The living
room is comfortable, with many chairs and a soft sofa.
Seto pulls
Marie to the sofa and sits down with her.
Marie
places her duffle bag on the floor at her feet. Then she leans into Seto
happily.
Mokuba
walks into the living room with a large plate of cookies and three cans of soda
carefully balanced on a wooden tray. �I thought you might want some cookies
too.�
�Chocolate
chip cookies?� asks Marie hopefully.
�Of
course,� says Mokuba smiling. �When we got your letter saying you were coming,
we had to get some chocolate chip cookies! They are still your favorite right?�
�They will
always be my favorite!� exclaims Marie.
Mokuba sets
the tray on the table. He passes a soda to Seto. Then he sits down in a chair
with his can of soda and a cookie.
Marie
reaches out for a cookie with her left hand. She picks the biggest one off the
top of the pile and leans back against the soft cushions behind her.
�Now, what
about these Millennium items?� asks Mokuba before taking a bite of his
chocolate chip cookie.

Seven items hold the mystery�

Seto opens
his can and takes a quick drink.
�There are
seven Millennium items, and each of them possesses a special power,� says
Marie, �I know who are the owners of most of them, and I have some knowledge
about what they do� Ishizu Ishtar has the Millennium Necklace. She uses it to
see into the past and into the future. The Millennium Necklace can enable her
to see what was� with the help of artifacts from the past, and it reveals the
future to her. Although it may only be a possible future because man is the
master of his own destiny. It is believed that if you know your fate, you might
be able to change it. Each Millennium item has that �eye� symbol on it.� She
sticks half her cookie in her mouth and starts to chew it up as she grabs her
can of soda.
�What�s
with the eye?� asks Mokuba opening his can.
�It�s the
Millennium eye. I don�t know what it means. I haven�t been able to really
translate that symbol,� says Marie finishing her cookie. �The Millennium Eye is
also a Millennium item. It belongs to Maximillion Pegasus. He can use his
Millennium Eye to read people�s minds. It�s rather scary actually. I was not
too pleased when Ishizu and I saw him last. He read my mind, and I did not want
my mind to be read!�
�Pegasus
can read minds!� exclaims Seto, �So he knows what cards you have in your hand
at all times!� He grabs a cookie and takes a bite angrily.
�That�s
cheating!� exclaims Mokuba. He takes a short drink and sets his can down. He
takes another bite of his cookie.
Marie nods
her head. �It is, but it would take someone with a Millennium item to be able
to stop him. Another Millennium item could overpower his eye.�
�What about
the other items?� asks Seto taking another drink.
�Well, the
ankh is called the Millennium Key. It belongs to a rather cute guy in a robe
and a turban! I don�t know his name,� says Marie taking a drink. She grabs
another cookie and takes a small bite. �It enables him to see what�s in a
person�s soul.�
Seto looks
at Marie possessively.
Mokuba
shudders. �That�s� really weird.�
�I would
have said creepy myself, but that�s just me,� says Marie. She finishes her
cookie and leans back on the sofa.
�Has this
guy ever used the Millennium Key on you, Marie?� asks Seto looking at the table
crossly. His body seethes in anger.
�No. I have
only met him once, and he didn�t use the Key on me then. I�m glad. I didn�t
really want him poking around in my soul,� says Marie, �That�s something I
reserve for special people. Only the people I care about get to know what I
have in my soul.�
�Does that
include us?� asks Mokuba.
�That means
only you two!� exclaims Marie smiling. She sets her hand on Seto�s
shoulder. �I mean that. You and Mokuba are the only people I care about, Seto.�
Seto turns
his gaze to Marie and smiles at her.
�I don�t
know who owns the Millennium Rod, and I really don�t know what all powers it
possesses. Ishizu has told me that its power is immeasurable and highly
dangerous,� continues Marie, �The Millennium Ring is supposed to belong to
someone in this area, but I don�t know who it is. It�s a giant compass. The
Millennium Ring can locate the other Millennium items. It has another power as
well, I don�t remember quite what, but it has something to do with banishing
people�s souls from their bodies. The pyramid is the symbol for the Millennium
Puzzle. From the information I�ve obtained, it belongs to your worst enemy,
Seto. It belongs to Yugi Motou.�
�What
powers does the Millennium Puzzle possess?� asks Seto quickly.
Marie takes
a drink. She grabs another cookie. �All I know is that there is a spirit within
the Millennium Puzzle, a spirit of a pharaoh from long ago. It has the power to
rule the world, particularly if all seven Millennium items were to fall under
the control of Yugi. But all I know for certain is that it has a spirit
inside.�
�An ancient
spirit?� asks Mokuba eating another cookie.
�Mmm-hmm,�
says Marie nodding. She eats her cookie and takes a drink of her soda. �These
cookies are delicious, Mokuba!�
Mokuba�s
cheeks turn red. �Thanks! It was my home-economics project!�
�You made
these?� asks Marie smiling.
Mokuba nods
his head as his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red.
�They�re
really good, Mokuba! You did a remarkable job!� exclaims Marie.
�What about
the last Millennium item?� asks Seto. He grabs a cookie and eats it before
adding, �The scale?�
Marie slips
her left hand into her duffle bag and pulls out a large brass-colored scale.
She sets it on the table beside the plate of cookies. �I am the owner of the
Millennium Scale. Like the Millennium Puzzle, this item possesses a spirit�
some spirit from the past. The pharaoh is supposed to be a benevolent spirit,
but the spirit within my Scale is not� He is a malevolent spirit. He wants to
take over the world, and he needs my body to do so. The Scale�s power seems to
be balancing power in the struggle of good against evil. It�s the Scale of
Judgment. The dead were judged by the deeds that they did in their lifetime. If
their deeds were evil, then a hideous monster, created by their own evil deeds,
devoured them whole. The spirit of the Scale� he�s called Mariko.�
�Some evil
spirit takes over control of your body?� asks Seto standing up in shock.

The answer lies in your hand
And whether you win or lose
Hangs in the balance with
The card you choose�

Marie nods.
She stands and looks into Seto�s eyes. �I can�t control it. If I were a
stronger woman, then perhaps I could control the spirit instead of it
controlling me� Maybe if I were as strong as you, Seto, I would be able to
control it. I�m not as strong as you, Seto.�
�If it
controls you, why don�t you destroy the Scale?� asks Seto looking at Marie with
confused blue eyes.
�I can�t
get rid of it. I can�t destroy it. I tried to throw it away once, and it returned
to me. I tossed it into the Nile, and then an hour later, it was in my pack
again. I can�t destroy it either. I don�t know if it can be destroyed. The
magical energy that is within it may protect it.� Marie takes Seto�s arm and
pulls herself to him. She buries her face in his shirt and shakes
uncontrollably.
Seto wraps
his arms around Marie and tenderly strokes her back. He whispers into her ear,
�How do I keep you safe if the thing that is hurting you is a part of you?�
�I don�t
know, Seto,� whispers Marie in return. She clings to him.
�Would you
two like to be left alone?� asks Mokuba smiling.
Marie turns
around in Seto�s arms. �That�s quite all right, Mokuba. How would you like to
duel me? You can see some of the new tricks that I�ve learned.�
�You could
use my duel disk, Mokuba,� says Seto, �and I�ll get a new one for you, Marie.�
�That
sounds great!� exclaims Mokuba, �But you have to go easy on me! And leave your
evil spirit friend out of our duel!�
�Agreed!�
Marie laughs.
�Mokuba, go
get your deck. I�ll go get the duel disks.� Seto starts to walk towards the
door.
�I�ll only
be a moment!� exclaims Mokuba standing up and running from the room.
�Stay here,
Marie��
Marie blows
a kiss to Seto before he leaves her standing in the living room. She sits down
and grabs another chocolate chip cookie and starts to eat it. She pulls her
duel deck from her duffle bag and shuffles it. She slides her fingers over the
cards and draws a card from the center of the deck. She pulls it out and looks
at the girlish figure on the front of the card. �You are my most loyal card.
You�ve always been able to turn things around for me. Bring me luck today, my
lady love!�
Mokuba
hurries back into the room as Marie pushes the card back into her deck and
continues to shuffle. He sits down and starts to shuffle his own deck. �What
kind of new cards do you have, Marie? Anything I might be able to take from
you?�
�Well, I do
have some pretty rare cards,� says Marie, �but my favorite is still the Dark
Magician Girl. I can�t help it. I love her outfit!�
Seto
chuckles as he walks into the living room with two of Kaiba Corps greatest
inventions for personal dueling, the duel disks. �I�m surprised you didn�t show
up here wearing the same outfit she wears.�
�I actually
do own an outfit quite similar to hers, Seto. Maybe if you ask me nicely, I�ll
let you see it later!� exclaims Marie winking, �Now, how do these duel disks
work?�
�Mokuba,
would you like to explain? We can go out to the garden for your duel,� says
Seto, �I would very much like to see this.�
Mokuba
starts to tell Marie about the duel disks as Seto leads the way outside to a
luscious green garden full of lapis lazuli, white roses, and African lilies.
Seto sits
down on a lawn chair as Mokuba and Marie get into their positions a little more
than twenty feet apart. �Duelists, are you ready?�
�Ready!�
exclaims Mokuba placing his deck into the cardholder on the duel disk.

Long ago in ancient times
Sacred game was played in both spirit and mind�

�Okay, I
insert my duel deck here,� says Marie, �and it automatically sets my life
points to four thousand! Great! I�m ready!�
�Mokuba,
you go first,� says Seto, �and show Marie how it�s done!�
�Let�s
duel!� exclaim Mokuba and Marie together.

Trust in the heart
Don�t let down your guard�

The
portable holographic projectors shoot out and land on the ground. They start to
whir and glow in preparation to start filling the garden with holograms of
monsters and magical effects.
Mokuba
draws his five-card hand from the cardholder. He places a card horizontally on
the duel disk with its face down. He slides another card into a slot on the
side of the duel disk. �I play a monster in defense mode, and I lay one card on
the field to use later.�
A hologram
of a face down card appears in the garden and a two-foot square space behind
the card starts flashing different colors.
Marie draws
her five-card hand from her cardholder. She takes a deep breath, and says,
�Okay, I play Beaver Warrior in attack mode! And I also place one card on the
field for later.�
Marie
places her card vertically and face up on the top of the duel disk, and she
places another card inside her duel disk.
A hologram
of a small armored beaver with a sword in hand appears on the garden field, and
another two-foot square space begins to flash different colors only this space
is on Marie�s side of the field.
�Beaver
Warrior! Attack Mokuba�s face down card!� exclaims Marie.
The armored
beaver runs towards the holographic card.
�I activate
the Man-Eater Bug!� exclaims Mokuba turning the card from face down position to
face up.
�My Beaver
Warrior!� exclaims Marie.
The
holograms show a large, hideous looking bug that grabs a hold of the armored
beaver and crushes it inside its pincher-like claws.
�Smooth
move, Mokuba,� says Marie.
�Thank you,
Marie,� says Mokuba drawing another card from his cardholder. He places it
within his hand, and he lays another card face down on the field in a
horizontal direction. �I�ll keep my Man-Eater Bug in defense position and I�ll
play another monster in defense mode!�
A
holographic face down card appears on Mokuba�s half of the field.
�Are we
playing by the rules where we can attack our opponent�s life points directly if
they don�t have a card on the field?� asks Marie.
�No,� says
Mokuba, �I would actually like to play by the Duelist Kingdom�s rules.�
�Got it,�
says Marie drawing a card from her cardholder.
�Are you
afraid to duel by Battle City rules, Mokuba?� asks Seto.
�No� I just
want to give Marie a proper demonstration of the use of the duel disks, big
brother,� says Mokuba smiling.
�Don�t get
too cocky, Mokuba,� says Seto laughing, �She is a fine duelist! She would have
beaten me except for my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!�
�I�ll be
all right,� says Mokuba.
�Keep your eyes
on me, Mokuba! I�m your opponent!� exclaims Marie placing a card vertically on
her duel disk with its face up; �First, I play Succubus Knight in attack mode!�
A blonde
haired woman with six arms appears on the garden field. She wears a red and
purple outfit with long purple gloves, and she stands as if she�s ready to
fight.
�And I
place this card on the field for later,� says Marie sliding another card into a
slot on the duel disk. �Succubus Knight! Attack Mokuba�s face down card!�
Another
two-foot square starts flashing different colors.
The blonde
haired woman waves all six of her arms in various patterns in the air and a
blast of light shoots into the card. An image of a monster flashes for a
moment.
�The King
of Yamimakai!� exclaims Mokuba, �Luckily I had it in defense mode so I didn�t
lose any life points with that.� He draws another card from his cardholder and
places it in his hand. He slides another card into the slot on his duel disk.
Then he places a card with its face up on the duel disk in a vertical position.
�I put one card on the field for later, and I summon the Twin-Headed Fire
Dragon!�
A square
begins to flash on Mokuba�s side of the field, and a two-headed, armless dragon
with a claw on the end of its tail appears beside Mokuba�s Man-Eater Bug.
�My
Twin-Headed Fire Dragon has an attack power of 2200, and your Succubus Knight
only has an attack of 1650,� says Mokuba, �Attack!�
The dragon
spits fire at the woman with both of its mouths.
�Not so
fast, Mokuba! Have you forgotten the cards I placed on the field?� asks Marie
as her six-armed woman evaporates from the fire attack, �You just tripped my
trap card, Enchanted Javelin! You may have destroyed my Succubus Knight, but
instead of decreasing my life points by 550, you�ve increased my life
points by 2200 to a total of 6200 life points!�
The counter
on Marie�s duel disk rapidly rolls the numbers up to 6200.
�Nice,
Marie. That card must be new!� exclaims Seto from his seat on the patio chair.
�It is,�
says Marie with a nod and a smile. She draws another card from her cardholder
and adds it to her hand. She places a card on her duel disk with its face up
and in a vertical position. �I play Leghul! Attack Mokuba�s life points
directly!�
A worm-like
creature appears in front of Marie. It moves forward rapidly and nips Mokuba�s
leg with the pinchers on its head.
The counter
on Mokuba�s duel disk drops to 3700.
�You�re
trying to entice me into attacking you, aren�t you?� asks Mokuba as he draws
another card, �Well, I�m sorry, Marie, but not with my Twin-Headed Dragon. Your
other card must be a trap as well!� He turns the Man-Eater Bug card into a
vertical position and slides another card into a slot on his duel disk.
�Make your
move, Mokuba,� says Marie.
�Man-Eater
Bug! Attack Leghul!� exclaims Mokuba.
The
Man-Eater Bug strikes out with its pinchers and crushes the worm.
Marie�s
counter lowers to 5900.
�No trap
card this time, Mokuba,� says Marie. She draws another card. She slides two
cards into the duel disk and places another face up on top. �I put two cards on
the field and summon the Dark Magician Girl with an attack power of 2200! She�s
tied up with your Twin-Headed Fire Dragon.�
Two more
squares start to flash, and a blonde haired girl with a purple hat and a purple
and pink dress appears. She carries a small pink and purple wand.
�Are you
planning on butting heads, Marie?� asks Mokuba.
�Exactly,
Mokuba!� exclaims Marie, �Dark Magician Girl�Dark Magic Attack!�
The cute
blonde girl spins her wand in her hand like a baton and holds it towards the
Twin-Headed Fire Dragon. A blast of light shoots forth from her wand.
�I activate
my trap card, Trap Hole!� exclaims Mokuba.
The Dark
Magician Girl dissipates.
�Nice work.
Your turn, Mokuba,� says Marie.
�Since you
don�t have any monsters on the field, I can�t attack you this turn,� says
Mokuba drawing a card, �So I will simply pass this turn.�
�Thank you,
Mokuba,� says Marie as she draws a card from her cardholder. She slides it into
a slot on her duel disk. �I play the magic card Pot of Greed which allows me to
draw two cards from my deck.�
Seto covers
his mouth with his hand and looks at Marie curiously.
�I also
play the Reaper of the Cards,� says Marie placing one of her two cards onto the
duel disk.
A hologram
of a Grim Reaper appears.
�The Reaper
of the Cards has a special ability to destroy one trap card on the opponents
side of the field, and I activate that effect now!� exclaims Marie.
The reaper
flies towards Mokuba and brings its scythe down on one of the flickering
squares.
�Well, it
was a trap card, but destroying it didn�t do any good,� says Mokuba, �You see
it was called Fake Trap. You just wasted the effect of your Reaper of the
Cards. Now that it�s my turn again. I�ll draw a card.� He pulls a card from his
cardholder. He slides a card into a slot on his duel disk. �I place one card on
the field and activate my magic card Molten Destruction to raise the attack
power of my Twin-Headed Fire Dragon by 500 points to 2700! Attack the Reaper of
the Cards!�
The dragon
fires its flame at the reaper, and the reaper dissolves.
The counter
on Marie�s duel disk decreases to 4580.
�You walked
into my trap. Michizure,� says Marie, �which automatically destroys one of your
monsters.�
The
Twin-Headed Fire Dragon evaporates from the field.
Marie draws
a card from her cardholder. She pushes a button on her duel disk to activate
one of her hidden cards. �I activate the magic card Monster Reborn to summon
forth my Dark Magician Girl!�
The Dark
Magician Girl appears on the field again.
�And I use
my magic card, the Book of the Secret Arts to boost her attack power!� exclaims
Marie, �Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack the Man-Eater Bug!�
The Dark
Magician Girl spins her wand and a light shoots from it into the Man-Eater Bug.
The counter
on Mokuba�s duel disk drops to 1650.
Mokuba
draws another card. He slides the card into his duel disk. �I play the magic
card, Tremendous Fire. At the cost of 500 of my life points, I can take 1000 of
your life points!�
The two
counters roll down, and Mokuba�s stops at 1150 while Marie�s stops at 3580.
�How are
you doing over there, Seto?� asks Marie drawing a card, �Are you enjoying the
show?�
Seto
chuckles. �I�ve seen a few more exciting duels.�
�I will
pass this turn,� says Marie, �I�m sure you have seen more exciting duels.
However, this one isn�t over yet!�
Mokuba
draws a card and sighs. �Still no monster card. I can�t give you anything to
attack yet, Marie.�
�Not a
problem, Mokuba,� says Marie, �I need to dig up a few cards myself!� She pulls
a card from her cardholder and places it in her hand. �Your turn, Mokuba. Draw
a monster, a strong one. I�m okay with passing until you can draw a strong
monster. I don�t want to fight you unless you�re at your strongest!�
Mokuba nods
and draws a card. �You like having things hard, don�t you? An easy win isn�t
good enough for you, Marie!�
�Nothing is
ever good enough for Marie,� says Seto.
�That�s not
true,� says Marie looking at Seto and smiling, �I know of one thing that�s good
enough for me!� She blushes as she looks at him.
�Well, if
you want me at my strongest then you must want me to play this card,� says
Mokuba placing the card he just drew on the duel disk with its face up. �I
summon the Cosmo Queen with an attack power of 2900!�
Marie�s eyes
widen. �Nice move, Mokuba!�
�But I�m
not going to stop there. I combine my Cosmo Queen with the magic card, Axe of
Despair!� exclaims Mokuba inserting another card into his duel disk, �And I
also use the magic card, De-Spell to remove the equipment magic card you used,
Book of Secret Arts! Now, Cosmo Queen! Attack the Dark Magician Girl!�
�No!�
screams Marie watching her Dark Magician Girl evaporate before her eyes. She
looks at her life point counter as it scrolls down to 1880. She takes a deep
breath, and her purple eyes look at Mokuba shakily. She draws a card from her
cardholder. Her hands shake as she places the card on her duel disk with its
face down and horizontally. �I play this card in defense mode.�
Mokuba
draws a card and puts it in his hand. �Cosmo Queen, attack the defense
monster!�
Cosmo Queen
strikes the holographic card as it appears, and the monster flashes for a
moment before it disappears.
�Say
good-bye to your Dark Magician, Marie,� says Mokuba.
Marie draws
another card from her cardholder and thinks desperately. She needs a card or a
group of cards that could defeat Mokuba�s souped-up Cosmo Queen. She looks at
her card with despair and places it on the field with its face down, but in her
rush, she recklessly leaves it vertically. �I play one monster in defense
mode.�
�Look
again, Marie. You put that monster in attack mode. Cosmo Queen, attack!�
exclaims Mokuba as he draws another card.
Another
Dark Magician rises up on the field in a blur of purple cloth and is struck
down by the Cosmo Queen.
The counter
on Marie�s duel disk rolls down to 480.
Marie wipes
the sweat from her brow. She sets her hand on her duel deck preparing to draw
another card. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

There�s a presence deep within�

�Let me help you, Marie,� whispers a
deep, masculine voice that only she can hear.
�I can�t! I won�t! I will never let you control me,
Mariko!� thinks Marie, �I am not yours to do with as you wish! Get out of my
head!�
�I want to help you win. You want to win. You must win,�
whispers the voice of the man as he reveals himself to Marie�s mind�s eye. He
stands a head taller than Marie with wild blond hair highlighted with black
streaks. His eyes are a piercing black, and his clothing, the pants that he wears,
is made of the pitchest black fabric.
�I want to win. I must win, but I must do it alone. Get
out of my head, Mariko!� thinks Marie. She sees Mariko in front of her in the
darkness, and she sees her own mental body standing in the void of her mind.
�You can�t do it alone. You�re shaking. You�re scared of
this boy, your little brother. You can�t harm him so you can�t defeat his most
powerful monster,� whispers Mariko, �That would hurt his feelings, and you
can�t do that!�
Marie slaps Mariko. �I can hurt you easily enough. I
swear to you, if you do hurt Mokuba, I will kill us both! I will find some way
to destroy the Millennium Scale! Even if I have to carry it to the center of
the Earth and melt it in lava!�
Mariko smiles. �You won�t regret this, Marie��
Marie pulls
her hand away from her duel deck without drawing a card. She reaches her right
hand down to her side and unbuckles the Millennium Scale from the strap that
holds it to the royal purple belt around her waist. She raises it into the air
above her head.
�She left
that scale in the living room!� exclaims Seto jumping up from his seat with
wide eyes.
�It comes
to me when it�s needed!� exclaims Marie with wide eyes, �Mariko!�
A swirling
wind starts up around Marie whipping her clothing around her body.
Marie�s
triple colored, spiky hair flares out within the confines of her ponytail
holder as if a lightning bolt had just hit her. Her bangs stand up into high,
arched spikes. Her white T-shirt shortens and appears to crawl up her stomach
to reveal her tanned skin. The purple jacket with the white cuffs and collar
grows longer to extend to the middle of her thighs instead of her waist.
Marie�s
pants transform themselves into a deep purple set of hip-hugger Capris, and the
white pumps she wears change into a set of white stiletto heels to add a good
four inches to her height. The dog-tags style locket she wears reflects the
sunlight as she places the Millennium Scale back at her hip.
�Marie! How
did you get the Millennium Scale out here? You left it inside!� exclaims Seto.
Mariko
looks at Seto. When she speaks, her voice is much deeper than normal, and quite
unlike the voice she normally uses. �I am not Marie! I AM MARIKO! I can easily
summon the Millennium Scale whenever I have need of it. I am its master.
Now, it�s time to duel!�
�Big
brother?� asks Mokuba looking at Seto fearfully.
�Don�t
worry. I cannot hurt you, child,� says Mariko with her deep, masculine voice.
She draws a card from her deck. She places the card on top of her duel disk
with its face up and in a horizontal position. She slides another card into the
slot on her duel disk. �I play one monster, my last Dark Magician card, and I
put a card on the field for later. Rejoice now while you still have the lead,
Mokuba.�
The
holograms produce a purple clad male wizard with a long green staff on Mariko�s
side of the field.
Mokuba
draws a card. He places it within his hand. �Cosmo Queen. Attack!�
The Cosmo
Queen rushes towards the card.
�I activate
my trap card, Mystical Hats!� exclaims Mariko, �Hide my Dark Magician!�
Four top
hats appear on the field and one covers the Dark Magician.
�You can
still attack this turn, Mokuba� but now you must decide where to attack!�
exclaims Mariko.
�Attack the
hat on the far left, Cosmo Queen!� exclaims Mokuba.
Cosmo Queen
rushes towards the indicated hat and destroys it.
�No Dark
Magician there,� says Mariko drawing another card. She slides her card into the
duel disk. �I�ll play one card. Your move, Mokuba.�
Mokuba
discards two of his cards and draws another one. �Cosmo Queen, attack the
second hat from the right!�
Cosmo Queen
rushes towards the hat and destroys it. The axe in her hand is swept away by a
fierce tornado.
�You
activated my trap card, Dust Tornado!� exclaims Mariko, �Which destroys your
Axe of Despair and returns your Cosmo Queen to her original 2900 attack
points!� She draws a card. �I�ll pass this turn.�
Mokuba
draws a card. �Cosmo Queen, the hat on the right!�
Cosmo Queen
runs towards the hat.
The Dark
Magician rises from the hat prepared to fight the Cosmo Queen, and he�s
destroyed before he can cast a spell to protect himself.
Mariko
slides a card into her duel disk. She smiles wickedly and says, �Before I do
anything else, I�m going to play a magic card. Final Flame!�
�That takes
600 of my life points!� exclaims Mokuba. The counter on his duel disk rolls
down to 550.
Mariko
places a card vertically on her duel disk with its face up. She smiles. �I
summon my second Dark Magician Girl! She gains an addition 300 attack
points for every Dark Magician in the graveyard. That raises her attack
points to 3100, but she also gets a bonus from having my first Dark Magician
Girl in the graveyard, for another 300 points. Dark Magician Girl, attack the
Cosmo Queen!�
The
holographic projectors create a purple and pink clad girl with a small wand.
The Dark
Magician Girl spins her wand in her hand and sends a blast of light into the
Cosmo Queen destroying her.
The counter
on Mokuba�s duel disk scrolls down to 50.
�And now I
end my turn, Mokuba, but next turn, no matter what you play, I will destroy
you,� says Mariko.
Mokuba
looks to Seto.
Seto shakes
his head.
�Is it too
late to surrender, Marie?� asks Mokuba.
�I am not
Marie, and surrender was never an option for you!� exclaims Mariko.
Mokuba
draws a card from his cardholder and nods his head sadly. He places a card face
down on his duel disk in a horizontal position.
�I need Hinotama,� whispers Mariko, �That would take
another 500 life points, if he had that many to lose.�
�Leave Mokuba alone. He�s ready to surrender!� thinks
Marie, �He doesn�t need for you to crush his will to duel! Leave Mokuba alone!�
�You wanted to win, Marie. You can�t win if he
surrenders!� whispers Mariko, �I�ll summon the card Hinotama and eliminate the
rest of the wretched boy�s life points!�
�Don�t call Mokuba a wretch! He is a good friend of mine!
He is not a wretch!� thinks Marie, �I won�t let you crush his spirit, Mariko! I
won�t let you hurt him!�
�You can�t fight against me, Marie,� whispers Mariko.
Mariko
draws a card and smiles. She sticks it in her hand. She opens her mouth to
speak, but no words come out. She drops the cards from her hand and falls to
her knees. Her white shirt grows longer to cover her stomach, and her jacket
shortens to be waist-length again. Her pants grow, and her stiletto heels
transform into her white pumps again. Her hair falls down from the statically
charged spikes that it had been, falling now into more graceful spikes from her
ponytail holder down to her shoulders. She hangs her head and grinds her teeth
together. She speaks quickly, with her soft, moderately high woman�s voice, �I
surrender, Mokuba. You win.�

Search your soul take control�

�I win?�
asks Mokuba.
�He wins?�
asks Seto with wide eyes.
�No!� screams Mariko.
A
high-pitched scream erupts from Marie�s lips and she falls backwards. She gasps
as she lies on the ground.
Mokuba runs
over to Marie. �Are you okay, Marie?�
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Time to Duel, Mariko!