"It's...just...nevermind." Haine said, shaking her head. She could have sworn she was imagining the crimson aura pulsing around the girl......

---

It didn't take Selena long to reach her quarters. She opened the door and stepped in, hardly missing a beat. The furnishings were more utilitarian than fashionable; she didn't care. Going to her bed, she knelt down and withdrew a gun belt, and then two pistols. Old twenty-first century semi-automatic handguns, both Glocks. She snapped the gun belt around her waist and slid the pistols into the holsters. Going to the wardrobe she grabbed a long coat; full-length, a split in back, double-breasted, long sleeves, a cloaklet over the shoulders, and black with red borders along the cuffs, hems, and blood red buttons. She pulled it on, making sure it covered her whole torso. The high-tech, durable material could block nearly any projectile, as well as psychic and magic attacks thanks to her own...modifications. Satisfied, she picked up a gunner hat and left the room again, this time heading for where Atem was. He should be on the rec deck by now, she thought, keying in the destination as the lift opened to admit her.

"You will find out in due time" Laria said, then winked at Yuzaki. "We should head to the main Cargo Deck." Everyone nodded.

Haine held up the device. "I'm going to go track down my quarters, if it suits you all." She said. With that she started off to the corridors.

---

It didn't take long for Selena to track down Atem. "Atem!" She called. "I need a favor to ask you."

---

Meanwhile, Laria and Kamikaze Sakura weren't the only ones getting ready to head to the past.

"Is the portal ready?" Kaimiri asked his servant.

Laria nodded and the remainder headded towards the main cargo bay.

---

"Yeah, what is it?" Atem asked, curioius.

---

"Yeah, but why do you need the portal for?" Charina asked.

"I need to leave you in charge until I get back." Selena replied, and then explained why. "I think I'm starting to get an inkling about Laria."

---

"To destroy one of Sakura's precious Circles." Kaimiri said. "Will you be able to open it anywhere in the timestream?" He was making sure his sword was in working order before he left.

"I already figured it out, but I'm not telling you" Atem replied.

---

"I'm not sure" Charina replied, "I haven't done this before."

Selena glared at him. "And there's nothing I can do to change your mind." She said dryly. She sighed. "Keep your secrets; I know you have reasons." She pulled something out of her pocket--a Duel Monsters card--and gave it to Atem. "I believe you'll find this helpful. I believe he's someone you know." She turned to head down the corridor. "I've got to go. By the time I'm back, we should have the second Circle of Power." And with that she headed back down the corridor to the lift.

---

Kaimiri nodded and clipped the sword onto his belt. "All right then," he said. He took her hand and placed it on the sword's pommel, causing the jewel to glow. "There. I've attuned you to the gem in my blade. When you feel your palm get warm, reopen the portal. I will not come back empty handed." And with that, he stepped through.

Atem looked at the card and got a shock.
I can't believe it he thought, The Dark Magicain.

---

Charina smirked.
"Not long now till you fall Kaimiri, so I can continue what your father wanted in the first place, total world domination" she said and laughed.

Melhana came up behind him to peer at the card. Her jaw dropped. "No way," she said. "How'd she get hold of him?" She then sensed the aura. "Shit...now I know why she gave that card to you."

---

Selena ran into the main cargo bay to find Laria already there. "Good, that means we can get going." She said. She patted her hip. "I'm good to go."

---

Kaimiri stepped out of the portal into Heartland, in the 2100s. Now, to find that Circle. He thought.

---

Kaito stood staring blankly. He had been bested by Yuma Tsukumo. He couldn't believe it. "This....this can't be happening." He said in shock.

Yuma was just as surprised. "What just happened?" He asked dumbly. Behind him, Todoroki facepalmed.

"He doesn't even know he just ended that duel in a draw...to summarize, Yuma's brain is offline." He sighed.

"I heard that!" Yuma shouted. Astral on the other hand wasn't paying much attention to the end of the duel. He'd sensed...something.

Something bad.

Laria nodded and opened the portal.
"Good luck" she said.

---

"But why did Selena had all the decks for all these years?" Atem asked.

---

"Yuma!!" Kotori yelled, "Something bad is going to happen!"

Selena nodded and stepped through the portal. Here's hoping this goes smoothly. She thought.

---

"Didn't she say that she'd been given the decks for safekeeping?" Melhana asked.

---

Yuma looked to Kotori. "What d'you mean?" He asked.

Right as he asked, a tall man with black hair, bright red eyes, and dressed in all black drove a night-black sword through Kaito's midsection. "Guh?!"

"Mindlink when you are ready to come back" Laria called.

---

"Yeah, but I died before I seen it happen, as it seems in this time" Atem replied.

---

"KAITO!!!" Kotori cried.

Selena gave a wave in aknowledgement. How that'll work through time, I have no idea. She stepped through the other side of the portal onto a raised highway....

To see a scene out of a nightmare playing out below her.

---

Melhana tapped her bottom lip in thought. "I don't think Selena's telling us everything." She said.

---

Yuma was frozen. The man behind Kaito had driven the sword through his gut like it was nothing. The scene before them was something that was only seen in horror films. Blood was dripping from the sword, and Kaito was staring at it in detached horror.

"K-Kaito-sama!" Orbital 7 yelped. "Kaito-sama! Are you--"

"What does it look like, idiot?!" Kaito snarled. He hacked as the man behind him pulled the sword out of his gut. Kaito fell, gasping and too weak to move.

"One down," the man said. "Three to go. A shame the Swordsman isn't here; I'd be able to kill you all right here."

"Yuma, this man means trouble. And I do not believe he is here to duel." Astral said. "He is here to kill, if what he did to Kaito is any evidence."

Yuma nodded. He put himself between the man and Kotori and the others. "I won't let you hurt my friends, whoever you are." He said.

"How touching." the man said, advancing on Yuma. Kaito was still on the ground, bleeding badly, but still concious and trying to stand. "Very well then," and he swung the sword down towards Yuma.

"YUMA!!!" Astral screamed. Yuma screwed his eyes shut in preparation for the blow to fall....

BANG!

Atem looked at Melhana.
"You got that right" he said, "and I can't believe that our Ashleigh is with us."

---

Kotori looked up.
"Yuma! It's Sakura!!!" she said, "Nice shot Sakura!!"

Melhana nodded. "But why?"

---

Sakura jumped down from her perch, landing on one knee, her long coat billowing outward. She had her hat pulled down over her eyepatch and guns drawn. "Kaimiri, leave here. Now." She said.

Yuma opened his eyes tenatively as Sakura drew herself up to her full height. The heeled boots she had on bumped her up to nearly six feet. "S-Sakura!" He said. "What're you doing here? I thought--"

"I'm not the same Sakura. Or I should say, I am, but from a different era in the timestream." Sakura replied, not looking at him.

Yuma blinked. "Uh...what?" He asked.

"I believe she said she's from the future. How that is possible, I don't know." Astral said. "And she's right. This is the Sakura we know, but different...older. I can tell in her aura."

Kaimiri was rubbing his hand where the bullet had hit. "Always the meddler." he said. He stopped rubbing his hand, which had healed now, and retrieved his fallen sword. "I will put an end to that!" And he started forward with the black blade.

"I don't know. We better talk to her" Atem replied.

---

"Watch out!!" Katori cried as Kaimiri made his move.

Melhana nodded. "Whenever she gets back, that is."

---

Selena needed no warning. She spun on her left foot in a dodge, and fired a shot into Kaimiri's forehead. His head snapped background, but he was still alive. "Yuma! Get your friends out of here! Now! Bring Kaito with you!"

"But--"

"No questions!" Selena demanded. She pulled off the eyepatch as she spoke. "Just go!"

"I don't think she left this ship" Atem replied, "I can sense her aura."

---

Kotori and Yuma dragged Kaito to safety.
"Something's wrong" she said, "very wrong."

"Then let's go track her down," Melhana said as she activated her handheld. Their tour with Dartz had ended some time ago, and they were hanging out in the rec deck.

---

"You're telling me," Yuma said.

"There's a portal there; use it!" Sakura shouted, glancing at them with her one normal eye. Even so, Yuma caught a glimpse of the right side of her face. He gulped and shivered. Freaky...

"What about Shark?" He asked.

Sakura dodged another attack with the sword. "I'll get him; now go!"

"I'm going too" Kotori said, "I keep an eye on Yuma." With that, the two dragged Kaito into the portal (which Laria forgot to close).

---

"There she is" Atem said, pointed to the main cargo deck, "lets go."

"We're going with," Tetsuo said. Todoroki nodded as Tokunosuke ran to catch up.

"Thanks, guys." Yuma said. He had one of Kaito's arms draped over his shoulders. Todoroki stepped forward and draped the other arm over his own shoulders, and together the two of them got Kaito to the portal. Yuma gulped as the reached it, and glanced back at Sakura. She was using some sort of martial art to fight Kaimiri hand-to-hand. Here goes nothing, and he stepped through.

---

"Right," Melhana said, marking out what looked like the fastest route. "Let's get going," and she started to the lift.

---

Selena was preoccupied with Kaimiri. She did, however, managed to catch a glimpse of Yuma and his friends dissapearing through the portal through time. 'Shut it down once they're through,' she linked to Laria. 'And get a med team down there. They've got wounded. I'll let you know when I want to get back there when I'm done here.' As she fought Kaimiri, she knew she had to find Ryoga Kamishiro soon, or they'd all be screwed.

'Got it' Laria linked back as the 4 came out on the other side. Yuzaki called for the med team to head down to the main cargo deck imediatly, looking at the state of Kaito. Laria closed the portal. And looked at Yuma.
"So you're the one who played as the Dark Magican one time" she said.

---

"Can you sense that?" Atem asked as he followed Melhana, "Four more auras has come on board."

Yuma nodded hesitantly. He was still awed by the place they'd stepped into. "How--how'd you know that?" He asked.

---

"Five." Melhana corrected. "Four human auras and one...I don't know what it is, but it doesn't feel malevolent." She looked at him. "A bit like you actually, back when you were sharing a body with Yugi, to be honest."

---

Using her Demon Eye, Selena launched a spear of thought into Kaimiri's mind. He recoiled, long enough for Selena to get out of there and out of sight. She used her Eye to hid her aura and presence, knowing that she had to essentially hide from herself; she didn't want to think how freaked out her younger self would be if she ran into a doppelganger from another time. As she ran, she locked on to Ryoga's aura, and started tracing it. Damn...he's on the other side of the city...all I can hope for now is to get there before Kaimiri does.

Atem stopped.
"It's the same two auras who helped us before" he said.

---

"I just know" Laria replied, looking out of the window. Somehow mysteriously, she saw a huge ship coming into view. The main coloney.
How did we get there so fast? It suppose to be till a few years before we reached it she thought.

"What the heck is that!?!" Todoroki asked, jumping back. "To summarize, this isn't normal!!"

---

"That's weird," Melhana said as they entered the lift, then it hit her. "The group that just came onto the ship must be the Circle Selena had to track down! The one in the past."