Of Jealousy, Love and Realization (Part 3)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

"Almost," Bes said. He came over by the box. "So, the game is to be a game done without the help of gods. No gods, no goddesses, and no deities. That includes fusion gods like Horakhty."

"I don't care. I don't need Horakhty to win a game," Set declared. "Now, either the winnings are ready or they aren't."

"They are ready," Atem said stepping toward the box. "If you win, I will be your servant in eternity and you may take away the ability to summon any deities. I will use none either during the game."

"Me too," Yuugi agreed. "The same punishment and rules."

"Ability to summon?" Set looked toward Bes. "That's not the bet."

"Nope!" Bes smiled and gestured toward Anzu and Masika. "In the words of Isis?" Bes pulled out a piece of paper. "If the whole of Atem wins, you have to back off and let them rule the world as they wish. They will have command of their gods and goddesses and any afterlives of friends who are lost during this time, now will be redeemable."

"Yes, I know," Set said. "And?"

"If Pharaoh Set wins, the whole of Atem will serve him in the afterlife. He is also to be graced with four wives of amazing powers. Mai Kujaku, who will gift him a daughter of a past sorceress. She will be taught by her predecessor as she grows older."

"What?!" Jounouchi had some words about that. " This is what Mahado was for? You're just giving my body away?"

"Yes," Bes said, "moving on. You will gain a wife of Shizuka Kawai, who has the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Once again, Jounouchi couldn't be quiet. Yuugi had to help him calm down. "You will gain Masika, that means both parts."

"Wait." Yuugi wasn't holding Jounouchi back anymore. "Anzu? How does she fit in? We never agreed to that!"

"Nah, but you have a light goddess that split, " Bes said clevely. "Not a real goddess, but uh, from prophecy?"

Oooohh. Oh no. Anzu took a step backward.

"Be happy," Set said out toward her. That grin was downright evil. "Don't you love the way ancient egyptians wrote things?"

"They aren't goddesses, that was just prophecy writing!" Yuugi yelled in protest.

///Atem: That's not going to matter.///

Bes looked toward Set. He looked back at his guitar and strummed a few chords. "A simple matter but can they stay with the whole of Atem until the moment you win?"

Set groaned. "Isis is trying to appeal to me , they should be mine until this is over! And you are still missing one of my wives."

"He's going to take us? Now?" Anzu couldn't believe it. "I don't want to go with this guy."

Atem pointed violently at Bes, forgetting for the moment who he'd been, his rage in control. "You knew what this bet would involve, and you didn't bother explaining!"

"I told you, Isis did her best for all outcomes." Bes' charming demeanor disappeared. "If you win, great for you. If you lose? With the woman of his dreams, dragons and a sorceress, Set won't choose to end humanity. He will choose to lead it with his newfound power and become a legend. Win or lose, mankind is safe."

"He is right. Cheers, Atem. Even if you don't win, don't feel so bad. I'm much more likely to help mankind than take over brutally if I have a powerful rule behind it. Future generations built with wives that have dragons, sorceresses, and everything else. Even the worst of humanity should be beat into submission with it all." He waved lightly to Anzu as she started scooting toward him.

Yuugi and Atem both tried to stop it. They held onto the cement cracks as deeply as they could, but just as before, Set's power was too much. It was pulling her straight to him.

///Yuugi: He's still mad about losing her, he wants Anzu and Satiah in this bet!/// "Atem. We're risking them all," Yuugi said to Atem as he tried to hold onto Anzu.

"For the world. To save the world. Without it, this world we know will crumble," Atem reminded him. "This is not the first time we have put everything on the line. We've done it more than once."

"But I never . . ." Yuugi couldn't speak at first. Then he looked at Anzu. "Death is finite, but we'll lose them forever." His sparkling eyes, becoming wetter. "That's worse than death."

"He already has them, Yuugi," Atem said coldly. "We can't do this against the power he has. This is our only choice."

"It's okay." Anzu was trying to be brave. "I'll go willingly. Atem wouldn't put me in danger. He's right, I have to go."

"Observant," Set congratulated her as he stopped trying to pull. "I'll take Mai Kujaku too."

"Huh? No way, you can't take her already!" Jounouchi yelled. "This game isn't even settled!"

"Well, this is getting complicated," Bes complained as he sat down his guitar. "Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

"You can't take her, it's against the rules!" Bastet spoke up, herself not even showing her presence again until that moment. "She is pregnant, which puts her under my protection," Bastet warned him.

"Mine too, and Taweret," Bes said. "None of us will let you have her."

"I don't have to fight anyone for anything," Set insisted. "I can just disappear and forget this bet completely. I could also just flat out have everyone killed and steal what I want instead." He crossed his arms. "No one could stop me."

"No way!" Yuugi couldn't allow that.

"I would never hurt Masika though," Set answered. "They were originally mine and I can win them back. The future will be mine so game accepted."

"Great!" Bes belted out a few chords between. "Everyone's in agreement. The game will be a combination of games. It will involve dual monsters but only one on one. The game will include both players, allies, and prey. If I were you, I'd each start finding your best cards."

"And the game date?" Atem insisted.

"Isis says it'll be decided when all rewards are here on Earth," Bas said. "So when Mana is born probably."

Mana? "Mai is only four months or so," Atem said. "We have to wait five more months?" Five months. Five months of that in and out kind of living in that world? Cramped. Walking for food and water from stores. Having to be ignorant of what was happening outside of Domino City?

"Months for a game? No, I can't afford to wait that long." Set hummed a second. "Eh. I still have three wives."

Then, Mai grabbed at her stomach.

"I pushed it ahead," he grinned wickedly. "Survive or not, it's still the prize. If I were you? I would get her to a hospital. Meanwhile, I'll be in touch afterwards."

"That delivery room. Where everyone smiles." Mai kept watching the guys, trying with all their might to come up with something. Atem apologizing for his rash words, like he had caused it to happen. "I've been there thousands of times. Everyone smiles. Even Atem. They are all smiling . . . or trying to smile." Oh no. "She changes her eyes and her hair color. From a dusty blonde to brown and back. Like the Dark Magician Girl card."

"She won't be a goddess, and she'd be too little to help," Bastet said next to her. "You understand. You always have."

///Mai: The gods and goddesses of fertility and birth are right here. They could make Mana stronger . . . by somehow fusing her with her monster before she's even born. She could survive but . . ./// "A monster for a daughter." The concept was strange, yet it wasn't. Not as many times as she had that dream. "The Dark Magician Girl's name will be Mana." No, she would not cry. ///Mai: The guys will win, I trust them! I trust them with everything./// "We need to get to the hospital."