Yu-Gi-Oh 1. Chapter 1

**Ruler of the Shadows **

**Pairings: **YamixYugi with other minor future pairings

**Summary: **Yami was every bit a normal teen ready to take on the adventures of college with his boyfriend and friends beside him. However not everything is as it seems as changes begin to happen with Yami that he did not see coming. What does this all have to do with the strange puzzle Yugi wears around his neck? The Shadow Games have reawakened so let the games begin!

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**Sakura:** New story! I have wanted to do a remake of Yu-Gi-Oh for years now, but never found the time. Well I finally found the time and after a little help from** s2Teennovelist**, this story was made possible. I know some people have done remakes before, but I promise this one will be way different from everyone else's and will be finished. So keep an eye out because there will be changes to the original Yu-Gi-Oh. Oh and one more thing this mostly takes place from the manga rather than the anime.

**Disclaimer: YU-GI-OH DOES NOT AND WILL NEVER BELONG TO ME!**

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**Chapter One**

**Lying Eyes**

Domino University is a small college located within the city of Domino, Japan with a small population of only about a thousand or so students. Among those students was Atemu Yami Kaiba, though he preferred to be called Yami, who stood outside the main gate of the college with two of his friends waiting on another friend to arrive. The campus was quiet for seven o'clock in the morning but that would quickly change the closer it got to eight.

Joseph Wheeler, known as Joey to his friends, let out a loud yawn as he lean against the wall that surrounded the small campus. "I don't know about you guys but I'm ready for winter vacation to come on…"

Duke Devlin, another friend of Yami and Joey, rolled his eyes at the blonde's statement. "You're just not a morning person. You were like this in high school, although you got away with sleeping in class back then." He snickered as he remembered one of the professors scaring the crap out of Joey last week by dropping some heavy books on Joey's desk.

"Not my fault his lecture bored me to tears…" Joey defended himself with a glare toward Duke.

Yami chuckled as he watched the bus stop that was located across the street. The bus finally pulled up to its destination after an hour long wait. The trio waited a few minutes and once all the passengers were off the bus pulled away giving full view to the people who had gotten off. Most were already headed down the sidewalk toward their destination, while one certain individual checked the street both ways before quickly running across.

"Yami!" The petite boy yelled as he ran into Yami's arms. He was quick to wrap his arms around the taller boy's neck and pull him down for a kiss. The other two pretended to gag at the public display of affection.

When the smaller pulled away, Yami smiled at him. "Good morning to you too Yugi, you seem extra chirpy this morning."

Yugi pulled away and clasp his hands behind his back. "I just woke up in a good mood this morning," He turned his head to look at the other two who were still snickering over something. "Alright you two, if you don't behave, I won't buy you breakfast…"

Joey had a look of horror cross his face. "You're kidding right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Yuugi said with a little smirk of his own.

Joey and Duke looked at each other before looking to Yugi with pledging faces. "Please feed us!" They begged.

Yami laughed at the two as he wrapped his arm around Yugi's shoulders. "Let's see what the university cafeteria has for us this morning. Will Tea be joining us?"

"No, she has early dance rehearsal before her first class so she texted me this morning and said she would see us for lunch," Yuugi informed his partner as they followed the two knuckle heads in front of them who happily lead the way through the small campus toward the building that held most of the food places offered on the campus. Mostly dorm students used the building for their meals, but other students were welcomed too. "You finished your English assignment last night?" He asked his taller lover.

"Yeah, but I got to tell you that our English professor is lame for making us write about ourselves. I don't have much of an interesting life…" Yami let out a sigh just thinking about the lame assignment that was tucked away in the backpack on his back. He and his friends had gotten the assignment two days ago and he had only been able to type it last night. "I just hope all the other assignments won't be boring…"

Yugi chuckled which sounded more like a giggle as he said, "Oh don't be such a baby about it. Your life is much more interesting than mine is. At least your brother is the CEO of a major gaming company."

Yami smirked at that, "True, but I'm not as famous as a certain King of Games." He pointed out as he tickled Yugi's side. Yugi laughed and broke away from Yami hurrying after the other two with Yami right behind him.

* * *

Two classes down and Yami was already ready for lunch. Their history professor was going on and on about stuff they already learned about in high school and Yami was about ready to pass out. His eyes drifted to the rest of the room and saw most of his friends either dozing off or paying close attention. Due to the fact that the campus requires students to take general education courses their first two years of college it was decided among friends to take the same courses so they could help each other study. Yami was stuck in this awful class with Tea, Joey, Duke, Tomoya, and of course his lover Yugi. Tea, Tomoya, and Yugi were all playing attention while Joey was passed out on top his desk, while for Duke it appeared he was taking notes, but Yami could tell he was taking a cat nap with his bangs hiding his closed eyes. They had one other friend Tristan Taylor, but he decided to work in his dad's mechanic shop instead of going to University.

They were a strange bunch but Yami would not change them for any other friends in the world. It used to be just him and Duke back in high school, but one fateful day allowed him to come face to face with his high school crush and then after that they all became close with one another. Yugi's friends became his friends and they all were inseparable now. Back in high school Yami had been a loner thanks to his brother Seto Kaiba before he met Duke. No one wanted to get close to him for fear of pissing Seto off. It sometimes pushed a wedge between him and his brother, but then Duke transferred to his school and next thing he knew he had a true friend.

Yugi and his friends did not come along until the end of their junior year when one fateful day Yami helped Yugi out when he was being bullied after school. It seemed they both had a crush on each other, but were too afraid to approach each other. After Yami saved Yugi he let slip that he liked him and then from that day on they became a couple. It was not serious at first given over the summer Yugi went away to some tournament for Duel monsters called Duelist Kingdom being held by the creator, but when he returned nothing had changed between them so they started a more serious relationship. The only real difference that had change was that Yugi gained a label of being the King of Games and he became a lot more popular. Thankfully Yugi knew who really cared for him and only had a few close friends.

A nudge to Yami's ribs caused the other to jerk up and look to his right. "What was that for?"

"You were daydreaming again." Yugi hissed in a whisper so the professor wouldn't hear them. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"No, a certain blond on the other side of you snores so badly it shakes the apartment." Yami whispered back as they both looked over at Joey who was drooling all over his paper. "I guess he'll want to see our notes again. I don't see how he passed high school sleeping all the time."

"Joey has his ways and I'm sure he'll be fine. He is smarter than we think…" Yugi replied as he went back to taking his notes. This was only their second week of University and some may have not seen it as tough yet, but every day counted when it came to getting the education to be able to build successful careers.

Yami looked down at the notes he had taken and noticed most of it was ideas for new game designs which dealt with history. That was why he was in college to learn everything there was about game design, which he could learn on his own, but figured college was a good place to start. Each one of them was there for their own reason, except Joey and Yugi. Tea was studying dance and drama, Tomoya was studying graphic design and literature, and Duke was studying business. Yugi and Joey were the only ones in their group with undecided majors. It was only their first semester in college so there was no rush to come up with a major, but Yami always wondered what Yugi would pick later on. He was an excellent gamer and had never been beaten at any type of game, but could that really count as a career.

"Alright class that is all I have for today…" Their professor spoke up gaining everyone's attention as the time neared for him to end the lesson, "I'll see you all next time we meet and don't forget to study for the quiz."

As soon as those words were spoken, the sound of backpacks being filled and closed up, along with the scraping of chairs against the floor filled the room as students hurried to leave. Yami took his time closing his binder and putting it in his bag as his friends did the same and Yugi tried to wake Joey up. They did not have another class until a little after noon. Three days a week they had three classes while two days a week they only had two. The three classes they had in one day were spread out so they could have lunch after two classes in a row. The days they only had two classes the group decided to have both early in the morning before lunch so those days would be shorter. Once their general education courses were over planning their schedules the same would be impossible unless they were studying the same major. So for now they wanted to spend as much time together in the same classes for the first two years. A few of them had jobs after school so it was hard seeing one another as much as they did in high school along with Tea who had been trying to get on the University dance team. Yami was the only one who had it easy given he was a Kaiba and had plenty of money so that he didn't have to work.

"So what sounds good for lunch?" Joey questioned as he sat up and stretched his back.

The rest of them just groan as food was always on the blonde's mind. Yami grabbed Yugi's hand as they all started to walk out while saying, "I'll pay this time, but you better get your butt in gear and figure out what you want." He did not have to say anything else as Joey was quickly in front of the group and out of the building before the rest of them.

"Come on slow pokes!" Joey shouted over his shoulder. Once food was the topic he was all ready for action. The rest of them followed at a slower pace, but were quick to catch up with the other as it appeared he had stopped not far from the building staring at the fountain plaza just across the way.

"What's going on?" Yuugi asked as he moved from Yami's side and up to Joey's to see if he could see what the blond was staring at.

Joey pointed ahead of them and it was then they all noticed some students in a crowd looking at a news van along with a camera crew setting up. "There is a news van at our school," Joey said stating the obvious.

"But why…" Yuugi wondered and the next thing he knew Joey had his upper arm and was dragging him toward the crowd. "Joey, hold on…"

"Come on Yug… Let's see what is going on," Joey told him before he yelled to the others. "We will see you in the cafeteria."

Yami sighed but simply walked off. He knew Joey would be back in a matter of minutes once he realized the news van was probably here for a sports game or something. It was probably nothing and the last thing Yami wanted was to be caught on camera. He got enough of that by being a Kaiba.

* * *

Yami sighed as he checked his phone before looking up at his surroundings as students still cluttered the campus. He was sitting on the edge of the fountain as the crowd from earlier and the news van had been gone long ago leaving it peaceful once again. He and their friends had gotten out of their last class about ten minutes ago. His and Yugi's friends had to go to their jobs or in Tea's case another rehearsal, which left Yugi and Yami a little free time together. However before their last class of the day started, Yuugi had informed him he needed to do something before they left campus for the day. Yami told his little lover he would wait at the fountain for him. The two were nearly inseparable, but there were times when Yami had to give Yugi his space.

The only problem was for the last ten minutes Yami had this horrible feeling in his gut that something was not right. He kept checking his phone and all those around him, but could see nothing out of place. It seemed he was not seeing something he should be seeing as the next thing he knew there was a sharp pain that passed through his head. The pain was there and gone before he could figure out what just happened and then as if his legs had a mind of his own he was up and running toward somewhere.

"What the hell?" He cried as he ran toward somewhere but did not know where. It wasn't until he stopped out of the blue that he noticed he was near the large garden the university had that grew fruits and vegetables along with flowers of all types. The place was empty for the most part but out of the corner of his eye he noticed a scene that caused his blood to boil.

His mind went blank as he took off and without thinking about what the consequences would be and he punched the guy who had been about to hit Yugi once again. When the guy was on the ground, Yami kneeled beside Yugi and helped him sit up.

"Yugi, are you alright?" Yami asked with concern and worry. He carefully reached out to touch the bruising left cheek Yugi had and caused the smaller to wince. Over all he looked fine, so Yami figured he had gotten there just after the guy punched his partner in the face.

Yami turned murderous eyes toward the one who had caused his partner harm. "You!" He yelled moving away from Yugi and picking the guy off the ground by his shirt. "What were you doing to my boyfriend?!"

"I…I didn't want to…really…" The other guy shuttered, "But the director…"

"Director?" Yami questioned before he turned when some guy stepped out of the bushes with a camera guy right behind him. "So you're the guy who put Yugi through this?" He dropped the guy in his hands who quickly hurried off.

The guy only smirked while Yami growled at him keeping his eye on him as he moved back to Yuugi. "What happened here?"

Yugi looked at the director to see the camera guy behind him was still filming. He could not believe he had been some stupid as to believe that fake student. Sadly he could feel tears come to his eyes and the last thing he wanted was to be seen as weak.

Yami could tell Yugi was about to cry so he kneeled down and pulled him closer keeping his face from the view of the camera.

"Stop the camera! They're lovers we get it! This kind of stuff is a waste of tape," The director yelled at the guy behind him who pulled the camera away from his face turning it off. "Look… it was just bad luck you got picked for the victim… Just coincidence about the same odds as rolling the dice and getting a one…" He explained to Yugi with a chuckle not at all feeling sorry for the boy. "But because of that we've taped a good show! The viewers will sympathize with you and send in letters by the dozen! You're a star Yugi! The star of our program!"

Yami stood back up ready to get back at the director for what he did to Yugi. Now that the camera wasn't rolling he had no fear of being caught on camera. "Are you asking to die?" He threatened walking up to the director and grabbing the much taller guy by the shirt. "I'll make sure you never work another day in television if you don't apologize to my Aibou and erase that footage you got."

"If I don't you gonna hit me…" The director said with a laugh, "Just remember, I'm recording the whole thing."

Yami was taken by surprise as another camera guy came out of the bushes with his camera rolling. He never saw it coming as the next thing he knew the director had kneed him in the gut causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The guy had gotten a lucky shot if only Yami had not been distracted.

"Yami!" Yugi shouted getting over his pain to run over to Yami.

"Don't you get it? You can't fight the power of media!" The director laughed while walking away his camera crew following right behind him.

Once they were gone Yami sat up although even that was painful. "He's just lucky the cameras were rolling…"

"Violence is not always the answer it's my fault anyway…"

Yami looked at Yugi in shock. "Getting beat up is never your fault. Some people have really sick minds…"

"Yeah, but I was the one who fell into the trap. I thought I was going to be interviewed for the campus newspaper. I thought the guy who was beating me up was a student here. He had a student badge and everything, I should have been more careful." Yugi argued with tears in his eyes as he looked away. He shouldn't have believed what he had been told. The guy had approached him while he was alone when he was returning to his friends from the restroom. He lied to Yugi and told the teen that the school was excited to have the King of Games as a student and he wanted to interview him for the student newspaper. Yugi had thought nothing of it and agreed to meet him after his class. He had been interviewed many of times before after his win against the creator Duel monsters Maximillion Pegasus. He figured it would only take a minute, but never knew he was walking into a trap for some horrible TV show. Both he and Joey had seen nothing going on by the news van and he wished he had known they were trying to find a victim like him for some cruel TV show.

Yami was never one to let his Aibou think so badly of himself. He lifted Yugi's face up and lean over kissing the bruised left cheek. When he pulled back he smiled at him. "No, it is never your fault. I will make sure that man pays for messing with someone I love."

"You're not going to do anything stupid are you?"

"No, but I will make sure he never works in television again." He pulled out his phone to look at the time. "How about you head over to my apartment and put some ice on that cheek. I'm sure it's starting to hurt." Yami said as he reached into his pocket giving Yugi his apartment key, "I need to deal with this then I'll be right over."

Yugi looked at Yami and could tell nothing he said was going to change the others mind so he sighed and took the key. "Oh alright, but be careful…" The smaller teen went over to pick his back pack off the ground, before hurrying off. Thankfully Yami's apartment that he shared with Joey and Tristan was only two blocks away from the campus so he could run there without any problems. He just hoped Joey and Tristan weren't there because if they heard about what happened to him they would be out for blood.

While he ran Yugi never noticed the small glow that came from the millennium puzzle he wore around his neck. It was his most prized possession that his grandfather gave him. The millennium puzzle was an upside down pyramid made of solid gold that he wore around his neck on a chain. The item came all the way from Egypt and had a tale that went along with it, but Yugi never believed the stories. It just became something he wore every day because of what it symbolized.

* * *

An hour later, in the parking garage of the news station, Yami lean against a car waiting on a certain someone to get there. He had already spent the last thirty minutes inside the station working his case against the man who hurt his Aibou. The Kaiba name went a long way and after borrowing one of his brother's many lawyers, he was able to get the guy fired for what he did. It seemed before he went to take his break the director had already dropped off his footage to be edited and once the board of directors saw the unedited footage and with someone like Yami breathing down their necks they had the footage erased and informed Yami that the guy would no longer be working for them. Once that was taken care of, Yami bid his lawyer farewell, before making his way into the parking garage. He had no doubt that the director would be there soon once he found out he had lost his job.

It seemed Yami was pretty good at predicting things because it wasn't long before the man he was looking for came got off the elevator to this level and made his way to his car. He looked pissed and Yami was pretty sure if anyone was in his way they would be given a beat down. Yami however was not scared as the guy noticed him and glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" He shouted already in a foul mood. They stood staring at each other for a minute before the glare became harsher. "Wait a minute are you the little punk who got me fired?!"

Yami simply smirked and a whole new aura seemed to appear around him. "You have hurt someone precious to me for that you must play a game with me." His smirk became a grin as he reached into his pocket to pull out something.

"A game…?" The director questioned clearly confused.

"It's nothing to be afraid of… Just a simple game of dice!" Yami explained as he pulled the one die out of his pocket. "People have been staking their fate on dice since ancient Egypt. Although back then, we used 'astragali' the uneven heel bones of calves and sheep…"

When the director continued to stare at him like he was crazy, Yami continued to speak, "Now let me explain the rules of this game of fate… We both roll the die. I roll first. Whoever rolls the lowest number wins. I'll even let you win in case of a tie! Sound good?" He received no answer from the man across from him, so he went on and added in, "However if I win then you have to play a penalty game as punishment."

"Ridiculous why do I have to play around with you?" The director finally shouted getting ready to walk away.

"Game start!" Yami announced as he dropped the die in his hands. It rolled and the director humored him for the moment to see what it would land on. The die rolled for a minute before landing with a six.

"Hahahaha! A six!" The director laughed in his face, "No matter what number comes up I win, I don't even need to roll the die!"

Yami stood his ground and smirked at the man, "The odds are in your favor, but the game's not over until you roll."

The director reached down to pick up the die before standing up and throwing it right at Yami's face. "Damn! Don't you ever shut up?!"

The sound of the die making impact with something was the only sound until the die dropped to the ground landing on a one. "It's a one I win…" The director announced about to move passed Yami to get to his car.

"No… you have to play a penalty game." Yami informed him causing the man to look back down at the die and finally see that the die had split into two both a six and a one. He looked up to see that Yami had covered his face with his wrist and wrapped around that wrist was a strange wisp of snake like purple smoke.

The director was not able to get another word out as Yami pointed his finger at him. "Penalty game! Mosaic Illusion!" It wasn't long before the man was on the ground screaming and Yami simply chuckled as he walked away. "Director… for bending the truth in front of the cameras all you shall see will be censored…"

The afternoon wind felt good to Yami as he exited the parking garage. A weight felt like it lifted off his shoulders and a minute later he was blinking in confusion. "Wait a minute…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Ugh I should have left him a while ago. I guess that took longer than I thought. Yugi must be so worried…" No other thoughts entered his mind as he raced for the nearest bus station that would take him back home.

* * *

Yugi sighed as finished setting the table in Yami's small apartment. It was a simple little place with a living room and kitchen/dining room. There were three bedrooms and only one bathroom. As soon as you walked into the place it was easy to tell three guys lived there. Joey and Tristan pretty much left their stuff everywhere. There were a few of Yami's things covering the coffee table but they were his future games he wanted to design. Artwork was included, but Yugi normally left it alone when he came over so he didn't mess anything up. Yami always showed him his designs when he was ready. The three had only been living in the apartment for the two weeks they had been in university, but they had already made it homey for themselves.

The smaller teen sat on one of the cushions around the table with his sandwich and chips. There wasn't much food in the fridge thanks to Joey, but it wasn't hard for Yugi to find something for him to make as a snack for both he and Yami. He just hoped Yami's little errand did not take long. The clock on the wall above the TV told Yugi that Yami had been gone for over an hour so there was no point in worrying yet.

Snacking on his sandwich Yugi place the ice bag over his cheek again hoping the swelling would go down soon. If it didn't he would have to beg Yami to let him stay for the night so his mother wouldn't fuss over him like he was a child. He and his friends were all eighteen years old but the woman treated all of them like babies. Even more so Yugi because according to her he was fragile. Sure he wasn't the strong type and wasn't much of a fighter, but he could hold his own. He proved that by winning the biggest tournament ever for duel monsters and became the King of Games.

The teen was pulled from his thoughts when there was a knock at the door. Yugi wasted no time in hurrying over and looking through the peep hole. He smiled and quickly opened the door allowing Yami to enter. "I was wondering when you would get home, how did it go?"

"It took a lot longer than I thought, but it's been dealt with and you have nothing to worry about." Yami reassured him as he slipped his bag off his shoulder and threw it on the couch. He then followed Yugi to the dining area and took a seat.

Yugi went to the fridge for a second to grab the sandwich he made for Yami before returning to the table with it and a soda. He passed the two to Yami before taking his seat again, "So I take it the guy got fired?"

Yami nodded, "I couldn't let him get away with what he did. I don't use my power as a Kaiba often but this was something that had to be done." He took a bite of his sandwich loving the way Yugi made it just how he liked it. After swallowing the first bite he took a good look at Yugi's face. "Your mother isn't going to like that bruise you got there."

Yugi blushed and looked down. "Yeah, I know she won't but I could always call my grandfather and let him know I'll be staying the night with you to study."

"I probably won't get much studying done with you around," Yami said with a smirk which caused a brighter blush to light up Yugi's face.

"Yami!" Yugi shouted in embarrassment hiding his face in his hands. Sometimes he wondered if Yami's mind ever came out of the gutter. One year of dating and Yugi still could not understand why some of the stuff that bugged him about Yami were also the things he loved about him. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You could kiss me…"

Yugi smiled and lean across the table kissing his lover on the lips. Yami was simply one of a kind and Yugi was really lucky to have him in his life.

* * *

**Sakura: **Done! I did not mean for it to get this long, but I ended up putting so much in the first chapter. As you can see I've left some things unanswered but as time goes on any questions you might have should be answered.

Most importantly yes Yami is a Kaiba so yes that does mean Seto and Mokuba are his brothers. There is more to their story so just stay with me until that is explained because I have a few more surprises in store.

I'm going to try my hardest to stick with the manga, but remember I'm adding my own twist. I did skip the chapter with Ushio, but I have something planned and everyone will see it in the next chapter. Oh and last thing due to the fact I want to make these chapters longer than in my other stories the updates may not have a schedule, so please bear with me and if you want to continue reading add to favorite and alert list please ^_^

**Yumi: Please Review! Short and Long reviews are welcomed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Thank you all for the reviews! I could tell people had plenty of questions so I hope this chapter will answer a few, but probably not all of them. As long as it doesn't give any thing away I will answer some questions so don't be afraid to put them in your review.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Hard Beat**

_Yami sighed as he continued to mop the floor. It was days like this that he wished he could be more like his brother and get out of cleaning duty. Down the hall were a couple of his fellow students Joey and Tristan although they were doing a little less cleaning and more talking. If only Domino High had a full time janitor then students would not be volunteered to clean up after all the students had gone home. Their school called it community service, but Yami called it child labor. He would much rather be hanging out at the arcade with his friend Duke._

_Another sigh escaped him as he looked down at the bucket of dirty water, picking it up he headed down another hall way toward the staircase. He would have to go all the way outside to dump the water and then use the spout outside to fill it again. Thankfully they were only in charge of one level of the school while other students he did not know worked on the other levels, but they had to clean hallways and classrooms which made the task that much longer. If it was only the hallways it would only take about an hour._

_Since they were on the second level the trip down the stairs and toward the front entrance took no time at all. However he paused when he heard voices and peek his head around the corner of one row of lockers to see a sight that made his blood boil. Ushio, one of the most annoying upper classman Yami had ever met, was towering over the one boy in the whole school who made Yami question his sexuality. Yugi Mutou was the shortest in the school at only five foot, but he was the most adorable guy at school who had even in the girls jealous at his perfect looks. Joey and Tristan were only two of Yugi's closest friends so most likely Yugi had been waiting by the lockers for them when Ushio cornered him. _

_Even though Yugi had a close group of friends, Yami noticed he was still picked on by others older and bigger than him. However he always had a smile on his face and if his friends were around they protected him. Yami would love to be one of those close to him to protect him, but his crush on the boy held him back. There was word that Yugi was gay, but Yami never trusted rumors. He did not want to look like a fool, plus Yami never liked a guy before so he had no idea how to approach Yugi in that way._

"_Please give it back!" Yuugi cried as he tried to reach for what looked like to Yami was an upside down pyramid with a rope that turned it into a necklace. It was something Yami always saw Yugi working on and by the looks of it Yugi had almost completed it._

"_Why should I Mutou? You still owe me money and I'm sure this hunk of gold could fetch a pretty penny," Ushio sneered as he held the puzzle out of reach._

"_Please, I'll get you the money tomorrow…"_

_Yami growled as he heard Yugi beg Ushio to give him his puzzle back and offer him money. This bully was always going around saying people owed him money when in truth they owed him nothing. The guy should have been kicked out of school long ago, but no one was ever brave enough to stand up to him. He would have gone after Yami for money when he and Seto started at Domino High freshman year, but Seto quickly shut the guy up. Not that Yami ever needed saving, but it was nice to have someone who had his back._

_There was a cry of pain as Yami watched Ushio shove Yugi into the lockers and that was when Yami had enough. "Leave him alone!" Yami shouted as he rounded the corner having dropped the bucket but was still holding his mop. He figured it was best to have some kind of weapon._

_Ushio simply laughed at him, "You standing up for the shrimp?"_

"_Yeah so give him back his puzzle or else…" Yami was pretty strong, but not as strong as Ushio. He had to think of a way to end this peacefully without Yugi getting hurt more._

"_Or else what…?"_

_Yami smirked, "Or else you won't get your payment…" He knew money talked and it's not like he didn't have any. He reached into his back pocket pulling out his wallet to show Ushio he meant business. "You give Yugi back his item and I'll give you some of what he owes now. The rest you will get tomorrow…"_

_Ushio smirked, "200,000 yen is what he owes…"_

_Yami pulled some bills out of his wallet, "This doesn't even cover half, but I'll bring the rest tomorrow. But first you give Yugi back his puzzle or you won't even get this."_

_Ushio looked as if he was thinking out it, before he tossed the puzzle in Yugi's direction and went up to Yami. He grabbed the money out of his hand counting it, before he grinned down at Yami, "Bring the rest tomorrow Kaiba or I'll make your life a living hell."_

_Yami glared at the bully's retreating back, before he hurried over to Yugi. The smaller teen was sitting up holding the incomplete puzzle in his hands, however his eyes left the puzzle to look up at Yami, "Thank you, but you didn't have to do that…" He quietly said still not believing Yami was able to get his puzzle back for him._

_Yami smiled at him, "I'll do anything for those I care about…" As soon as those words left his mouth, Yami felt like slapping himself in the face. How could he be so stupid?!_

_A bright red blush lit up Yugi's cheeks as he looked back down. "Care about?"_

_Yami rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well you see… what I mean to say was… uhh…" Words had left Yami and he wasn't sure how to explain himself to his crush. _

"_I always thought Joey and Tristan were joking about it." Yugi said quietly to himself, but Yami could hear it and then Yugi looked back up at him. "Do you like me?"_

_It was Yami's turn to blush as he tried to look anywhere but at Yugi and failing miserable. "Well you see we've been in the same class since freshman year and I've see how you treat others. You have such a bright personality…"_

_A chuckle pulled Yami from his ranting as Yugi looked up at Yami in a bashful way. "I've always had a crush on you too."_

"_Really..?" Yami asked not believing what he was hearing. This was the first time he had been able to really talk to Yugi and finally Yugi was getting to know how he felt. "So maybe we could go out sometime? I mean it doesn't have to be a date, we could just hang out or something."_

_Yugi turned fully to Yami and smiled up at him. "I would love to go on a date with you." He looked down at the puzzle in his hands and then the puzzle piece he had kept tightly in his grip. Carefully he held out his hand with the puzzle piece, "Since you saved me do you think you could help me complete the puzzle?"_

"_You've worked hard on it, so you should complete it." Yami said although he couldn't tear his eyes away from the piece. Something about it seemed to be calling out to him. However Yami just figured he was tired after the long day._

_Yugi shook his head, "I've done most the work, so I see no problem with letting someone else finish it."_

_Yami carefully reached out and took the piece. He felt the cool metal against his skin before he turned his attention to the incomplete puzzle. With Yugi holding it up for him between two hands, Yami reached forward to put the last piece in its place._

* * *

_The air around them was cold as Yami continued to smirk at Ushio who stood across from him. It was midnight and with the start of a new day Yami was going to teach this bully a lesson he would not forget._

_The pair took turns using a knife to stab a stack of bills but with each turn the bill got smaller and the player was more at risk of stabbing themselves. Finally when it was Ushio turn he had to fight against using all this strength in order to get the rest of the money. The bully then developed an evil grin on his face as he went to stab Yami instead. Yami was quick to jump out of the way._

"_Penalty Game!" Yami pronounced as his smirk never left his face as he pointed a finger toward Ushio. "The Illusion of Avarice!"_

* * *

The eighteen year old teen woke up in bed in a cold sweat as the dream he just had replayed in his head. '_No...'_ He thought all of a sudden, '_It was a memory, but that last part…' _ Yami could not remember the last part with Ushio. After he had helped Yugi complete the puzzle nothing happened, Yugi simply followed him upstairs to help him and his two friends finish the cleaning so they could all go home. After they finished their job at the school, they all went home. The last thing Yami remembered was going to bed that night, then waking up and going to school the next day. Sure some teachers found Ushio in the front of the school in a pile of leaves screaming the money was all his, but Yami figured he had just finally lost it.

Yami shook his head and looked at the clock on his night stand. His alarm was supposed to go off in a few minutes so he figured he might as well get up. Every once and a while Yami would have some strange dream so he figured his mind was probably just tired from all the college work. They got their first real English paper to write at the beginning of the week and it took most of the week to write it. He hadn't been able to hang out with any of his friends or his boyfriend. This coming up weekend was so going to be needed for some relaxation.

The tired college student reached down beside his bed and grabbed a shirt. He really needed to go over to his brother's place soon or he was going to run out of clean clothes. However when he looked at the shirt, he noticed it was too small. Looking around Yami finally noticed that the other side of his bed was unmade.

"Alright either my mind is still playing tricks on me or Yugi came over last night and I just don't remember…" He mumbled to himself as he tossed the shirt to the end of the bed and reached down to grab his shirt he took off before bed. Slipping it on Yami pulled the covers away before he got out of bed, stretching his aching muscles before heading out of the room in his shirt and boxers for the bathroom. Every morning Joey didn't get up until ten minutes before they needed to leave and Tristan was normally up and about ready to leave for work by the time Yami got up. It was nice having roommates he could get along with so Yami could get ready at his own pace. Although as far as Yami's brother knew he was living by himself, because even though Seto in his own way was kind to Yugi given Yami was dating him, Seto for some reason did not like his and Yugi's friends so much. None of them got along in high school especially Seto and Joey. If Seto found out Yami was sharing an apartment with Joey, he would never hear the end of it.

The sound of a conversation happening in the kitchen drifted down the hall before Yami could enter the bathroom. Judging by the snores coming from the room across from him he knew it couldn't be Joey. He wondered who Tristan was talking to this early. Deciding the bathroom could wait he headed down the hall and entered the dinning/kitchen area to find Tristan was seated at the table and finishing the last bit of his breakfast while Yugi was at the stove cooking.

They both looked up when he entered, but Yugi was the first to offer a smile along with a, "Good morning sleepy head…"

Yami rubbed his tired eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming before looking back at Yuugi, "You came over last night?"

Yugi nodded as he went back to the eggs on the stove so they wouldn't burn. "I came over after grandpa closed the game shop for the night. You were slaving over that English paper for most of the night it's no surprise you don't remember…"

"Oh…" Yami said more to himself as he tried to recall the night before. The only thing he remembered was typing away at his laptop, but that probably explained why he didn't remember Yugi being next to him when he went to bed. "Sorry about that, I really should finish my assignments in a more reasonable time."

"It's no worry, Joey and I played video games most of the night so it's not like I was bored." Yugi said as he turned back around with a plate for Yami. "Breakfast is ready if you want it. I know Tristan gets up early for work, so I got up early enough to cook for everyone."

"I gotta say Yami you are one lucky guy…" Tristan pointed out as he grabbed his empty plate and took it to the sink. "Yugi has some mean cooking skills, Joey will probably move in with you guys if you two ever get a place of your own."

Yugi blushed at the complement as he got his own plate ready and bought it to the table. As Yami and Yugi settled themselves at the table to eat, Tristan grabbed what he needed for the day before he took off out the door. "I'm surprised Joey's not up yet…" Yugi said as he took a peak down the hall. "He normally always comes running for food."

"He'll come when he finally wakes up…" Yami said after he swallowed his first bite. "Let's just enjoy the quiet for now…"

Yugi chuckled as he settled down to eat. It was never boring at Yami's apartment and if his mother wasn't so overprotective he probably would be living with Yami by now. However his grandfather and mother still needed him at the game shop for now, so he could deal with visiting Yami's place every now and then. It was like having a second home where he always felt safe and loved.

* * *

Lunch between friends was always enjoyable. Yugi watched as Joey pretty much stuffed his face with slices of pizza and everyone else who had different types of food ate with more manners. He was sharing a sushi plate with his lover since only a few bites were good enough for him. They still had one more class after lunch and then Yugi would be going on his usual Friday date with Yami. Thankfully their professor went light on the readings they would need to do for Monday so he could relax a little over the weekend.

As he looked around at his friends he noticed something off about one of them. Tomoya had been more quiet than usual in class and during their meal. Normally he and Duke were talking about the latest RPG games. Yugi would sometimes join in, but he was more into action and adventure type games along with Duel monsters. However, today Tomoya simply picked at his food with a worried expression on his face.

Knowing him as long as he did, Yugi decided to wait until he could get Tomoya alone. If something was on his mind he wouldn't talk about it in front of the others. Out of all of them Yugi was more similar to Tomoya in one ways than one including height.

"Last bite…" Yami said catching Yugi's attention back as he held it out with his chopsticks.

Yugi smiled and happily ate the last bite off Yami's chopsticks.

* * *

On the way to their last class, Yugi held back from the others and walked at the back of the group with Tomoya. Yami looked at him funny because of it, but Yugi waved him on. When they entered the building, Yugi took the chance to place a hand on Tomoya's shoulder. The teen looked at Yugi confused so Yugi offered him a smile.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

Tomoya nodded not sure what it was about. "Yeah, is something up?"

Yugi waited until he was sure the others went to the classroom, before he asked, "No, but it seems like something is up with you. Are you okay?"

Tomoya gave him a fake smile. "Of course everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I just noticed you haven't been acting like yourself today. You know you can tell me anything."

"Yugi…"

"I mean it, we are friends and if something is wrong then maybe I or the others could help." Yugi urged him hoping he could confide in him.

Tomoya sighed as he checked the area around them, before he pulled Yugi over to the side out of the way of passing students. "If I tell you can we just keep this between us?"

Yugi nodded, "I won't tell the others if you don't want me to."

"Well, you know I've been living in the dorms to kind of venture out on my own," Tomoya said which got a nod from Yugi, "I thought things would be great, but yesterday I got cornered by one of the upper classman of the dorm. I've heard stories about him and that most of the dorm students stay out of his way especially the freshman. I tried to after all that happened in high school, but he caught me coming back to the dorm after studying in the library. At first I thought he was going to beat me up, but turns out he only wanted me to sell tickets," Tomoya paused to pull the ten tickets out and show Yugi. "I was confused, but he said that every month he has a show on Friday and he gets freshman to sell the tickets. Different freshman are picked each month, but if I can survive the year I'll have his respect and won't have to do it again. It was pretty obvious I didn't have a choice, as the look he was giving me were the same looks I got from the bullies in high school."

Yugi took the tickets from Tomoya to get a better look at them. If the bullies in high school were bad he really hated to find out what the bullies in college were like. The last thing he wanted was for one of his friends to relive the worst of their high school days. Honestly he thought when they started college they would be around more grow adults who did not pick on the weak. That was a complete fantasy.

He noticed the tickets held the name of a karaoke club and the name of the student who would be performing. "Do you know if he is any good? I'm not one for music myself, but if he isn't half bad I would go with you."

Tomoya cringed, "I don't think I could handle the night. He lives on the floor above me and our whole floor can hear him singing. It's not the best around and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

"Oh so he is one of those who believes he can sing, but in real life he can't." Yugi said with a laugh and Tomoya agreed. Sadly Yugi had a date that night with Yami that he did not want to break or he would go and suffer with his friend. Quickly thinking of something off the top of his head he tried to figure out a way for them both to skip out. "How about I go to the dorm after class and drop it off at the front desk. I could say I found them by the fountain and figured the person may want them back."

Tomoya looked surprised at Yugi, "You would really do that?"

Yugi nodded, "Of course, I doubt the guy is going to let you give them back. He doesn't know me and I don't live in the dorm so he can't hold anything against me. He won't have any proof you did not sell them. For all he knows you sold them and the people dropped them."

"Are you sure?"

The tri-color hair teen simply smiled at his friend and pocketed the tickets. "I won't take no for an answer. I have a feeling this plan will work just fine." He put an arm around Tomoya and led the teen to their classroom before they were late.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set as Yami sat in the family limo calling each of his friends on his cell phone. He and Yugi had split up for the day after their last class so Yugi could go home and help his grandfather in the game shop. Yami had plans to pick Yugi up later for their date however when he arrived he found out Yugi had not come home. Since the teen did not want to worry Yugi's family, he simply made up a little white lie that Yugi might have forgotten about their date and was hanging out or studying with one of their friends. He got back in the limo and told the driver to drive around the block for a minute while he made the phone calls.

Yami knew Yugi wasn't with Joey and Tristan since the two were back at the apartment when Yami left to come get Yugi. He called Tea and Duke only to find they haven't heard from him. Tomoya wouldn't answer his phone and when he finally tried to call his boyfriend it simply went to voice mail. This all worried Yami greatly because he had no idea if Yugi was in trouble or not. It was really unlike him to go somewhere and not tell anyone.

Just as he thought about getting some help from his brother, a vision of some kind flashed before his eyes. He saw a place he had seen downtown before, but what confused him was why he was thinking about a karaoke club. Thinking back he tried to remember if Yugi had said anything about the place, but nothing came to mind. There was a dull ache that developed slowly and Yami felt as if his mind was becoming cloudy. When his head finally cleared Yami informed the driver of where he wanted to go next and sat back.

The ride was quick and silent and once they arrived, Yami told the driver he would only be a few minutes before he got out. Going inside he found the lobby empty, but judging by the sounds down the halls some of the rooms were being used for parties or a get together. He went right to the front desk which had a petite blond behind it chewing bubble gum rather loud and reading a magazine.

"Miss, did a teen looking like me come here this afternoon?"

She looked up for a minute, before she pointed her finger down the hall returning to reading her magazine. "Down the hall, three doors down on your left…"

"Thank you," He said before hurrying down the hall toward the room. A bad feeling was settling in his gut and he hoped that Yugi was okay.

When he opened the door however his anger boiled to the point of pure hatred as he found Yugi sitting on one of the couches in the room with his hands tied by rope and headphones covering his ears. Tomoya was next to him in about the same state, but sadly he looked worst by the broken glasses and the few busies on his face.

Not caring about the guy on the stage singing horrible, he marched right over to Yugi and carefully took the headphones off both the teens. He then worked on untying Yugi's hands when the guy realized Yami was in the room.

"What's the big idea marching in here during my performance?" He sneered and Yami turned to give him an 'are you kidding me look?' before turning back to untie Tomoya's hands next.

"Hey I'm talking to you!"

Yami finally turned around to face the guy keeping both the teens behind him shielded. The guy was dressed up as some cheap Elvis pretending he was really something. "Performance…? Don't make me laugh. I just see a pathetic loser who results to kidnapping to get an audience." He looked over his shoulder at Yugi, "You and Tomoya get out of here."

"But Yami…"

"Don't argue with me!" Yami snapped, which caused Yugi to wince. Normally Yami would never snap at Yugi, but Yugi knew that Yami was pissed and there would be no calming him down until he got his revenge on the guy who put him and Tomoya in that mess.

Yugi put one of Tomoya's arms around his shoulder and helped the boy walk out of the room. Once they were gone Yami's smirk developed into an evil one. As he took note of the name on the banner behind the guy, he finally asked, "Sozoji let me ask you one question. Are you a coward?"

"Whaaat…?"

"If you aren't, then don't try and escape from the little game I'm going to start!" Yami said as he turned toward the table his hands turning a strange purple color before two clowns sitting on cans appeared, but Sozoji saw none of it. He placed them on table opposite each other, "I call it… The Silence Game!" He explained as he took his place sitting in front of one of the clowns. "This toy is called 'Sound Pierrot"-That's French for 'Clown'. By a strange coincidence there's two right here in this room. If you make a noise near it, a sensor reacts and it starts dancing. By the rules of the game after the signal to start neither one of us will make a sound. We must keep perfectly silent! That's why a Pierrot has been placed in front of each of us. The first one to make a sound and make the clown dance loses. Sound good?"

"What will happen if you lose?" Sozoji asked with an evil grin as he pulled his sunglasses down to get a better look at Yami.

"I give you my life…" Yami told him without a hint of fear. No he would win this game and teach this Sozoji a lesson about messing with those he loves. "But if you lose, you have to play a penalty game."

After Sozoji agreed to the terms they were both found sitting across from each other seconds later in complete silence. A scowled had settled on Sozoji's face and Yami had a feeling he knew what the brute was thinking about. However that scowl turned into a grin a minute later and Yami took note of where the guy's eyes had fallen. On Yami's side was a glass of water and the headphone jack had gotten stuck on the rim from when Yami pulled the headphones off Yugi's head and the jack was pulled out of the amp.

Without Sozoji realizing it, Yami got a grin of his own as he watched Sozoji practically begging with his eyes that the jack would fall and make a noise. The grip the guy had on his microphone tightened and his heart started to race. Another minute passed before out of the blue the clown on Sozoji's side started to dance. The wannabe singer developed a look of confusion so Yami decided to enlighten him.

"That's the sound of your heart!" Yami explained to him as he pointed to the speaker behind Sozoji which had the sound of Sozoji's heartbeat coming out of it.

Sozoji then looked down at the microphone in his hands in disbelief. "The mike and I put the volume to max…"

A third golden eye appeared on Yami's forehead, "Your habit of holding onto the mike no matter how much it annoys people has done you in! You lose Sozoji!" He then pointed a finger straight at the guy. "Penalty Game! Beat Festival!"

When Yami left the room he left Sozoji withering on the floor yelling for the noise to stop. He told the lady at the front counter that he believed some poor guy was having a heart attack before leaving the place and getting into the back of the limo.

The sight that met him was Tomoya laid out on one of the seats while Yugi sat across from him waiting on Yami to return. Yami asked Tomoya were he wanted to go, which he responded with his parent's place since he went there every weekend, before telling his driver. As the limo drove away from the club, Yami put his arm around Yugi and kissed the top of his head. He apologized for yelling at him to which Yugi simply waved off. After that like a few times before a weight seemed to be lifted off of Yami's mind and then he was looking around him for a minute wondering what had happened since only moments before he had been trying to find out the whereabouts of his Aibou. It was like a chunk of his memories were missing since Yugi was right beside him along with a hurt Tomoya.

However when he asked what had happened, Yami did not get the respond he was looking for as Yugi explained to him the whole story about how when he tried to return some tickets to Sozoji that Tomoya was supposed to sell Sozoji knocked Yugi out. Then when Yugi came to he found himself in the karaoke room with a hurt Tomoya and Sozoji getting ready for his 'show'. He then told Yami how about an hour later Yami arrived and set both of them free.

"What did you do to Sozoji anyway?" Yugi asked as he looked up at Yami. "You were in there for a good few minutes."

"I simply gave him a warning not to mess with someone who is close to me," Yami lied honestly not remembering if he did do anything to the guy. However based on what Yugi told him, whatever Yami did or did not do to the guy he probably deserved it. His missing memories became the last thing on his mind as he focused on getting Tomoya home and saving his date night with Yugi. A movie with popcorn at Yugi's place sounded like a good idea and if Yugi's mom went to bed early Yami could probably get away with spending the night.

* * *

**Sakura: **I love making Yami the hero off to save Yugi from the dangerous people in the world. I seriously think the Yu-Gi-Oh manga would have been even better if Yami had been given his own body.

**Yumi: Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **This chapter gave me a little trouble, because for a while as I was typing it I wasn't sure whether to use Yugi as the hostage or keep it as Tea. However I came to a decision and I hope everyone enjoys it. I tried my best and I think it turned out pretty good. Once again thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Jailbreak**

The moon was high in the sky by time Yami returned to his apartment after having dinner with Yugi and his family. Yugi's father was in town for the week so Yugi thought it would be nice if they all got together. Even after getting to know the parents and long ago getting their approval of him and Yugi dating, the teen still got nervous when he was face to face with Yugi's father. Mr. Mutou had a few characteristics that matched Yugi which were the hair and eyes, but he was much taller than all the other Mutous in the family and was more muscular built. It seemed the short gene skipped Mr. Mutou and hit Yugi making his lover stuck at a below average height for a male, but thankfully he got his mother's good looks which made up for lack of height.

While Mrs. Mutou was a housewife who helped her father-in-law with his game shop, Mr. Mutou was a businessman who traveled for work to provide for his family. However even though he was never fully around when Yugi was growing up, Yugi was always excited to see him when he could. Yami was just glad his Aibou got to have a relationship with his parents. So many times Yami wished he could have his parents back, but then again if they had not died all those years ago there was no telling where Yami would be living and if he would have ever met Yugi.

The lights to the apartment were still on when Yami arrived at the door and unlocked it with his key. When he entered he found Joey passed out on the couch with his feet on the coffee table and a textbook in his lap. Tristan was nowhere to be found, but given he was always up before his other two roommates, he was probably already in bed given it was ten at night.

Yami sighed as he closed the door and walked over to the blond. With a shove of his foot, Joey's feet were off the coffee table and on the floor jerking him awake. The other looked around in confusion before his eyes settled on Yami.

"What's the deal Yami?" Joey asked with a yawn as he stretched.

"If you're going to fall asleep studying you could at least study in your bedroom." Yami informed him as he reached for the remote. The news was just coming on with some breaking news.

Joey closed his textbook and tossed it beside him. "I would, but this is the only room with a TV," He grinned up at Yami, "So how was tonight?"

"Same as usual, except pretty much only Yugi and his father talked during dinner. I never know what to say to the man even though he has been fine with me dating his only son."

"Just be lucky Yugi's not a girl or you could have been glared at all night," Joey joked as he stood up. He looked to see if Yami had even heard him only to notice Yami was staring more at the TV. The blond followed his line of vision to see the story that was playing on the news.

A male news reporter stood outside the Domino city jail that was two hours outside the city. In the background guards were running around shouting orders, but throughout the commotion the reporter continued with his story, "_Prisoner number 777 has escaped from Domino jail,"_ He said as a picture of the prisoner appeared on the screen beside him._ "He has killed one security officer in the process. He is believed to be headed toward Domino City. This male is considered armed and dangerous! Do not confront him if you see this man. Please call the number below on your screen if you see this man_…"

"Those guards must have been lazy if they let a killer escape their custody," Joey commented as he grabbed his textbook. "He'll probably be caught before long with that ugly face of his."

Yami agreed with him as he turned the TV off. "Domino is a small city it won't take long," He then moved to turn the lights off. "Best get to bed if we are going to get a good nice sleep before our quiz tomorrow."

Joey groaned at the reminder, but dragged himself to his room shutting the door behind him. Yami only chuckled as he entered his own room. College seemed like a pain at the moment, but in the long run they would all be able to get decent careers out of the education.

* * *

"Ahhh… It's finally over!" Joey yawned out as he got out of his seat to stretch his tired muscles. The professor had finally dismissed class for the day and with it being their short day that meant this was the last class for the day. After a short quiz at the beginning of class than an hour long lecture, Joey was ready to get out of there and fill his stomach with some food.

"Hey Yugi and I are going to grab a bite off campus, anyone want to join us?" Yami asked of his friends before they all went their own ways.

Yugi smiled, "I talked Yami into us trying out this new place called Burger World that just opened up here in Domino. It's said their burgers are great!" Everyone could tell he was excited about getting his hands on a good burger.

Tomoya sadly had to decline the offer explaining he had something else to do that day, before he excused himself from the group. However Joey and Duke both agreed that trying out Burger World sounded like a good idea.

"Ah…um… Yugi… About that burger world…" Tea tried to say not knowing the right words to say to her friend.

"You are coming too, Tea?" Yugi questioned.

Tea's attitude quickly changed, "No way!" She announced shocking them all, "I've heard that place is terrible! People started getting sick there the day they opened. You absolutely can't go there!"

"Really…?" Yugi asked in disbelief as he looked up at Yami. "I guess we won't go…"

Yami seemed to eye Tea as if he did not believe her, but let it go because he had never been there before himself so there was no way to really know if she was lying.

"Right! That's the last place you want to go." Tea told them as he threw her backpack on her back and got ready to leave.

"Then let's go to the calorie burger in front of the station," Yugi suggested next since he still wanted to eat a good burger for lunch.

"Sorry! I have dance practice to attend," Tea said over her shoulder as she paused from making her way to the door. "And anyway didn't you hear the news this morning? There's an escaped convict running around. We best all go straight home."

"Ack that's right!" Yugi said with slight fear as he remembered what he heard on the news this morning before he came to school. "Let's just go to my place and hang out."

Yami chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders and pulled him close. "There is no need to worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

While they talked and figured out what they wanted to do, Tea quietly left the room in a hurry, but one person did notice how quickly she wanted to leave.

"Yugi… hasn't Tea been acting strange lately?" Joey asked out of the blue causing all three to look at him in confusion.

Yugi looked to where Tea had been and noticed she was gone from the room, "Now that you mention it, she hasn't wanted to hang out with us recently…"

Joey then got this grin on his face, "If my instincts are correct, I think Tea's doing 'Escort Service' after classes…"

"Huh?" Yami said as he raised an eyebrow clearly thinking Joey had finally lost it.

"What's that?" Three pairs of eyes turned to Yugi who blushed a little embarrassed that he had no idea what Joey was talking about. "What, I haven't heard of it before…"

Yami simply laughed and hugged Yugi close. "You are too innocent for you own good. He means he thinks she is going on dates with rich old men."

Joey shrugged, "I hear some girls in our college do it on the side for a little spending money."

"Joey! Tea isn't that kind of girl!" Duke shouted at the blond with a blush on his face causing the others to stare at him with wide eyes.

"Whoa! What is your problem?" Joey turned to face Duke with a grin on his face, "Your face is red! Could it be…?"

Duke waved his hands in a nervous manner, "That's not it!"

Yami rolled his eyes at the two. It was clear Duke had a crush on Tea, but could never find the courage to ask the girl out. He had a feeling this crush went back from when he and Duke had started to hang out with Yugi's friend, but he could not be sure. In truth Yami had been focused on developing a stable relationship with Yugi to really notice if his friend had his eyes on anyone. The girls back in high school always followed Duke around due to his good looks, but Tea had never been one of those girls and that is probably why he noticed her more.

"I'll prove you wrong about Tea," Duke shouted at Joey trying to defend the only girl in their group.

Yami slapped his forehead, "This cannot end well…"

* * *

Twenty minutes later the four male teens finally caught up to Tea and were tailing her as she traveled from their campus and into the downtown area of Domino city. It was not easy being sneaky as the lunch rush in Domino had started so people were leaving their jobs to get lunch before their lunch break ended. They were finding it hard to keep up with the brown hair woman. At one point they had almost been caught when Tea turned around to look behind her and they all had to duck down into an alley way so they would not be seen.

"Whoops! That was close!" Joey said as he peaked around the corner to see Tea had started walking again, "But this intrepid reporter will continue to follow 'The Illicit Activities of a College Teen!'"

Duke slapped the blond upside the head, "Joey! That sounds like one of your movies!"

Yami sighed as he got back on his feet before turning to help Yugi up. They both had been knocked over into the alley when they were trying to hide, "This is getting ridiculous, and so what if she lied about having dance practice still doesn't mean she is doing anything Joey says she is."

"Besides I'm hungry," Yugi complained as he attached himself to Yami's arm. "Can we please go eat something?"

Joey and Duke's minds were on other things as they completely ignored the two shorter teens and moved out of the alley to continue their trail on Tea. Yami and Yugi quietly followed behind partly curious partly making sure Joey behaved himself. The fours teen walked for another ten minutes before they paused as they watched Tea walk into a building across the street from them.

"Tea has just entered a building," Joey said continuing to act like a reporter, "Is that where her sugar daddy is waiting?"

Duke glared at him not even bothering to hit him again since it would have no effect, "Will you stop that!"

"Hey guys?"

Yami, Joey and Duke all turned to look at Yugi who was pointing at the building Tea had just entered. They followed his line of vision and finally took notice that they were all standing across the street from Burger World. This really had them all curious as they carefully crossed the street wondering what Tea was doing at a place she told them was no good.

Once they got to the doors they automatically opened and revealed a certain brown hair teen in a pink skirt, a blue short-sleeve shirt with the Burger World logo, a yellow tie, and a yellow ribbon in her hair. She had a smile on her face as she greeted them, "Hello! Welcome to Burger World! Let me show you to…" However Tea's voice died in her throat once she realized who was in front of her. Slowly she backed up from them and did a quick turn to hide her fear stricken face.

The four males waited as she composed herself before she turned around with a forced smile and said, "Please follow me…" They did as she said as she showed them to a booth before she darted off somewhere not even taking their orders.

"Joey, we shouldn't have come here…" Yugi said as he moved into the booth letting Yami sit beside him. Joey and Duke took their places across from them. "Tea's mad…"

Joey chuckled, "No wonder she didn't want us to go to Burger World…"

They sat in silence after that until Tea came back a few minutes later with a tray. She tossed it down on the table the four drinks nearly spilling all over the four cheeseburgers she had bought them. Then she turned the ketchup bottle upside down and squeezed it. "Please enjoy our burgers with _plenty_ of our famous ketchup!" She stressed with her evil smile.

When she was done all four saw she had written in ketchup all over the cheeseburgers, 'TELL AND YOU DIE!' After that she turned and swiftly started to walk away.

"Hey Tea, cool it!" Joey shouted at her not believing she had just ruined a good meal. "What's the problem with us knowing?"

"Well… I guess I have nothing else to hide," Tea said as she turned to face them once again, but this time she had a nicer smile on her face. "My dance coach does not allow jobs given all our focus must be on practicing and our school work, plus there is the chance we may leave on trips for competitions. However without this job I can't save up my money so I can one day go to America after I graduate."

"America?" All her friends questioned. They knew she had dreams of being a professional dancer, but they had no idea she wanted to leave Domino for America.

"I'm going to continue my studies in New York," She said with a teasing glare, "Don't you dare laugh!"

"W…W…We would never laugh," Yugi stuttered not wanting to make Tea made again, "Right guys?"

Duke, Yami, and Joey all agreed since they all had dreams themselves and it wouldn't be right to laugh at one of their friend's dreams. "Don't worry Tea, we won't tell on you." Duke reassured her with a smile.

"But this restaurant makes you pay for hamburgers drowned in ketchup?" Joey asked with a look of disgust at the burgers laid out before them. He liked ketchup on his burger, but not this much. "This stuff looks nasty!"

Tea simply waved at them over her shoulder as she said, "Don't worry! Those are on me!"

* * *

A few minutes later, found the four male teens semi enjoying their burgers drowned in ketchup. Yami chuckled as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the corner of Yugi's mouth. "You had a little ketchup on your face dear."

Yugi blushed as he took the napkin and finished wiping his mouth. Joey snickered which got him a glare from Yami, so he quickly shut up. Duke rolled his eyes at the two as he continued to try and sneak glances at Tea in her uniform greeting guest at the door. Once Yami realized what he was doing he gave Duke a kick in the leg.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?"

"Stop acting like a creepy stalker. If you want to get her attention try talking to her outside of class more." Yami informed him. This then started a discussion on whether Duke was going to ask Tea out soon or if he was too chicken to try. None of them noticed the guy crossing the street and entering the business until it was too late.

"Alright! Anyone makes a sound and this girl dies!" All eyes turned to see the escaped prisoner holding Tea hostage with a gun to her forehead. It was easy to tell he was the one the police were looking for based on the three sevens tattooed across his forehead and the prisoner uniform he still wore. He obviously had not done anything to hide who he really was.

"Tea!" Her four friends cried not at all believing their luck.

A lot of the costumers started to freak out until the prisoner told them to shut up waving his gun. He started to chuckle at the scared faces staring back at him. "I'm not staying here long as soon as I fill my belly I'm gone!" He turned to look at Tea pointing the gun at her again. "But until then you stay with me, not a peep or you die!"

Yami kept his body shielding his lover as Yugi gripped the back of his shirt shaking like a leaf. They were both scared for themselves and Tea's life. He watched as the prisoner took the ribbon from Tea's hair and wrapped it around her eyes. Once that was accomplished he moved them over to a table in the middle of the room which caused everyone else including Yami, Yugi, Joey and Duke nearby to move back.

"Now… someone's gotta take my orders... who should I choose…"The prisoner looked around the room before his eyes landed on someone. "You! The wussy little one! You're the one!"

Yami growled and moved Yugi behind him, "Leave him out of this!" He shouted at the guy his anger taking over. There was no way Yugi was going anywhere near this murder. This guy already had Tea as his hostage and Yami was not going to let him take another one. If Yugi did something wrong this guy would probably kill him on the spot.

"Whatever you take his place!" The criminal shouted not in the least caring who bought him what he wanted. "Everyone else, get down on the floor and close your eyes! If any one of you moves, _an inch_, this girl is dead!"

Yugi looked up at his lover grabbing his arm. "Please don't go…"

Yami gave him a smile and kissed to the forehead, "Stay close to Joey and Duke, I'll be fine, you just stay safe." He pulled away and walked over to the prisoner before Yugi could grab for him again. He knew Joey and Duke would keep Yugi safe for him.

While everyone else got on the floor and did as the prisoner said, Yami collected the guy's order before heading to the restaurant's kitchen. It was a family restaurant so they did not sell alcohol and they certainly did not sell cigarettes and still being underage Yami wouldn't be able to buy alcohol anywhere else. However Yami did luck up when he went in the back and located the cooks who were hiding out when everything out front was going on. They happily gave Yami some of the cheap booze they cooked with and one of the guys so happened to be a smoker who had a freshly opened pack of cigarettes. Everything was then put on a tray with a glass and Yami carried it back out. If anything he hoped this ended peacefully.

Yami's dreams however of this ending peacefully went out the window when he started coming over to the table. Tea seemed to have figured out Yami had carried out the guys order and was coming over to them as she stood up, "Stay back Yami! It's too dangerous!"

Right before his eyes Yami witnessed as the prisoner backhanded Tea and told her to keep her mouth shut. Red hot anger filled Yami and no one ever noticed the small glow the puzzle around Yugi's neck gave off, before something seemed to change about Yami. '_How dare you do that to my friend… Your luck ran out when you chose me'_ Yami thought as he continued over to the table and placed the items down. However instead of leaving he calmly took his place across from the criminal as if he was going to have a friendly chat with him.

"Who said you could sit down?!" The guy shouted at Yami, who chuckled in response.

"I just thought I'd help you pass the time… Let's play a game if you got any guts!" Yami taunted the guy not in the least bit afraid anymore.

The escaped prisoner was clearly caught off guard, "A…A game?" He then reached out with his other hand to open the pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth keeping the other hand with the gun pointed at Yami. "Well… a game… This could be fun…."

"However… The one to lose this game will die." Yami informed him, but the criminal was not fazed by those words. He put the pack of cigarettes down and grabbed the bottle of booze pouring himself a drink.

"Isn't that interesting… Let's hear the rules…"

While this conversation was going on Joey, Duke, and Yugi got stuck behind a big guy so they weren't able to see what was going on. As they stayed kneeled down on all fours on the floor, Yugi turned to Joey and whispered. "It's quiet what's going on?"

"I'm not sure but I'm sure both Tea and Yami are fine." Joey whispered back as he tried to see around the guy. It was hard to do without standing up and Joey couldn't take that risk.

Back with Yami he was explaining the rules of the game to the guy across from him. "This game has just one rule," He held up his hands showing all ten fingers, "As long as we sit at this table facing each other, we may each move only one of our ten fingers and once the game starts that finger cannot change. But we are free to choose any finger we like. Which finger do you choose?"

The escaped prisoner just laughed, "I choose my index finger of course. This finger is all I need to pull the trigger and blow you away!"

"Ok…" Yami said as he put his hands down then held up his left thumb. "Then I choose my thumb. After the signal to start, we are free to do anything. You can even pull the trigger."

There was a brief paused as the two glared at each other, before Yami developed another more evil smirk. "Game Start!"

"HAHAHAHA!" The criminal laughed as he held the gun up pointing it right at Yami's head. "And in one instant it's game over!" However before he could pull the trigger Yami's hand went up showing the lighter in his hands, he flipped the lid with his thumb and then flicked the lighter on with the same thumb. It was then the prisoner noticed he had yet to light the cigarette in his mouth.

"Right! I forgot to ask for a lighter… Wasn't allowed to smoke on the inside…" He said with a smirk of his own. "Okay, the last thing you can do is use your thumb to light my cigarette… I'll kill you after that!"

Yami lean across the table using the lighter to lit the cigarette, however when he pulled back he let the lighter slip from his fingers without moving them and it landed with no problem on the prisoner's hand which was still pouring his drink into the cup. "You can keep the lighter. Take it with you to hell!" Yami told him with a wicked look in his eyes.

The escaped convict realized what had happened too late as the alcohol over poured from the cup and all over the table into his lap. Yami saw the look of fear in his eyes as he stood up. "Just try firing your gun. The recoil will make you drop the lighter for sure! Oh and by the way that's Russian vodka. It's one hundred and eighty proof which is ninety percent alcohol." He informed the criminal as he reached out and grabbed Tea's hand pulling her away from scene. Neither one saw when the cigarette fell from the guy's mouth and lit his whole body on fire, the only thing people heard were the screams before they all looked up to see what had happened. A manager in the restaurant ordered employees to try and put out the fire before it took the whole restaurant down while the manager went to call the police.

Far enough away from the blaze, Tea stopped and finally took her blindfold off. She turned toward Yami who was shaking his head, then stopped to blink his eyes as if he was fighting a dizzy spell. "Yami…" She was about to question him, when out of nowhere Yami was attacked by a crying Yugi.

Yami hugged him back and wiped away the smaller's tears. "Hey no need to cry I'm okay…"

"You had me so worried…" Yugi cried before he buried his face in Yami's chest refusing to let go of the taller male.

Their other two friends got up off the floor. Duke went over to Tea to check if she was okay, which she nodded shakily. The incident really shook her up so she pushed to the back of her mind that she just imagined Yami playing a game with the criminal to save her. Joey ran over to Yugi and Yami glad to see both of his friends were okay.

"What an idiot can't believe he set himself on fire." Joey commented as he gave Yami a pat on the back. "Glad to see you two are still with us."

Yami nodded as he looked back at the scene. Two employees had put out the fire with fire extinguishers, but the body was badly burned and it was obvious the guy was dead. He kept Yugi's face covered as they waited on the police, there was no point in Yugi being traumatized any more than he probably already was. Once the police got there and took statements, Yami was going to take Yugi straight home so they could both relax and forget about the day.

* * *

As much as Yami hoped they wouldn't find out it seems the news reporters caught word of what had happened and by time the police got through with everyone and allowed them to leave, cameras had already been set up. Yami and his friends did get away without being questioned more, but they were caught on camera in the background. All their families found out and there were a lot of worried phone calls. When Yami took Yugi home, Mrs. Mutou hugged the two with the strength of an ox and it took both Mr. Mutou and Yugi's grandfather to get her to let go. The both of them were ushered upstairs where they were asked what had happened along with being papered by Mrs. Mutou. Mostly Yugi answered their questions and when they were finally done, Yugi was able to get them both away from his parents and grandfather giving them peace and quiet in Yugi's room. Yami could understand their worry and sometimes wished he still had his parents, but the phone call he got from his younger brother Mokuba worked just as well. He had to inform the younger Kaiba that he would come spend the night with them in order to get Mokuba to calm down and hang up the phone. Both of his brothers were slightly distance from Yami when he started to date Yugi. He had a lover and spent more time with his friends than his brothers. The older Kaiba could slowly see a change in Mokuba, but Yami knew the younger had to understand he still loved them but he did have a life he needed live. Seto was always quiet and kept to himself, so Yami knew he cared for his brothers, but in a way he never fully liked the choices Yami made about his life. It was a lot of family drama that sometimes Yami just never wanted to deal with.

"You don't have to stay long if you don't want to…" Yugi told him as he sat up from lying down beside Yami on his bed. They had just been relaxing when Yami got the phone call. "I'm sure Mokuba and Seto are worried about you and just want to see for themselves that you are safe."

Yami sighed as he sat up also, "I know they worry, mostly Mokuba, but I just want to be sure you are going to be okay. You were pretty shaken up when we left Burger World."

Yugi smiled and lean over to kiss Yami on the lips. "I'll be fine, it was a lot to take in, but we and all our friends are safe. I knew you would protect me no matter what happened."

"Promise to call me if you need to talk," Yami urged not wanting Yugi to feel as if he couldn't talk to someone about what happened. He had been there also so he would be the best person for Yugi to talk to.

Yugi chuckled, "I'll call to say goodnight, but other than that you go and spend time with your brothers."

Seeing he wasn't going to win and get to stay a little longer, Yami stole another quick kiss from Yugi before he left. Sometimes Yami hated the clingy feeling he got when he was around Yugi, because he knew the teen needed his space, however he wanted to do everything in his power to keep Yugi happy and safe. Yugi was like no other person in the world and he meant so much to Yami. As long as Yami walked the earth nothing would harm his lover that is the vow Yami told himself every day trying to keep to that promise.

* * *

**Sakura: **I thought about putting Yugi in Tea's place being held hostage, but decided to stick with the manga. This chapter worked out better than I thought. I tried to add a few scenes that were not in the manga to give it a little of my own twist so it wasn't completely like the manga. The next chapter in the book is not one of my favorites, but I got an awesome way I have planned for writing it.

**Yumi: Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Small Note**

**Sakura:** Thanks for the continued reviews! Now I will say this one was not one of my favorites from the manga so I did a good bit of changes to make it interesting enough. Hopefully you all enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**The False Prophet**

Roughly a week after the incident at Burger World all had been forgotten and everyone moved on with their lives. Joey and Yami were making their way to campus on foot early one morning to meet up with their friends before classes started. The blond beside Yami was complaining about the test they were about to have tomorrow. It was the first one of the semester for that class and the professor had already informed them there would be at least four more before the semester was up. Yami was just glad that it was only one class at the moment and he didn't have a test in every class.

"I understand mid-terms and finals, but why do we have to have a test when we are only a month into school…" Joey grumbled with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Joey it's not the same as high school these classes only last half a year so they want to make sure we are learning something. It could be worst and tomorrow we could have a test in every class." Yami informed him.

Joey's eyes widened at that. "Don't even joke like that. If we had a test in every class I think I would die."

"I'm sure you will do fine Joey," His tri-colored hair friend told him as he patted Joey on the arm. "We are all going to get together and study in the library after our last class. I'm sure we can shove plenty of information into your brain before the night is up."

Joey rolled his eyes as they continued their walk. They were about a block away from the campus when it happened. A light fixture fell nearly hitting Joey if he had been only one more step forward. Both Yami and Joey jumped back and looked up to see a worker had been working on the light when it broke free and fell.

"Sorry about that!" The worker called down at them, "Are you all right?"

"We're fine!" Yami called up before he grabbed Joey's arm and pulled him away from the scene.

Joey was still pretty shaken as they made it to the front gate of the campus. "That was so a sign of bad luck…" He mumbled to himself, which caused Yami to roll his eyes as he dragged the blond to the meeting spot.

* * *

A day full of classes and everyone was tired however they still had to study for that test the next day. So after a quick bite Yugi, Yami and their friends all grabbed their things and headed for the library on campus. While walking passed one of the girls' dormitories they noticed a rather large crowd standing near the front steps. It was then Tea informed them that those were her dorms and that a student living there claimed to be a psychic and did a reading once a week for anyone as long as they were willing to pay.

"Wait a minute," Joey said stopping before the group could go any further. "There is a psychic at our campus?"

The rest stopped and Tea sighed as she filled him in, "They say she can see the future and that her predictions are really accurate. Large groups of students come here since she will only see clients once a week due to her schedule. Anyway I'm not into that stuff, but…."

"Right on! I gotta get my fortune told!" Joey exclaimed out of the blue causing all his friends to bow their heads in shame. He then grabbed Tea and Yugi dragging them along toward the group leaving Yami, Duke, and Tomoya to hurry behind them.

Once they got over there, Joey was already moving some people out of the way so they could be closer to the front. Some moved out of the way while others glared and shouted at Joey to wait his turn. After he found a decent spot Joey let go of his friends to see if he could see the so called psychic. There were mostly girls around and it seemed Joey became embarrassed by that, because after a minute a smirk developed on his face.

"Geez! I can't believe you dragged me here, Tea." Joey said out loud causing students to turn to look at him and his friends.

"What?" Tea looked mortified by that, "Who dragged Who here?!"

While the two turned to glare at each other, a lackey of the psychic yelled at them, "Quiet over there!" It was easy to tell she was a part of this whole thing based off the headband around her forehead with a pentagram attached to it. There was another girl on the other side of the table trying to keep the line in order with the same headband on her head. "Lady Anita is meditating to raise her awareness. Your negative energy is blocking the flow of her power. If you are going to be noisy leave!" The girl continued to yell before she went quiet and moved back to her side of the table.

The so called psychic was about Tea's size with long blond hair and she too wore a headband around her forehead underneath her bangs. There was also a purple cape around her shoulders held closed at the base of her neck by a gold clip. The psychic was currently sitting at the table with her eyes closed and another female student was standing in front of her.

"Ahhh… all becomes clear! As long as you don't die, you will continue to live! Heed my words!" She spoke with a soft voice and not in some weird commanding tone.

The girl across from her squealed and nodded her head before she rushed to two other girls who had been waiting on her.

Dark brown eyes finally opened and landed on the group, "Next in line…" She said with a smile not paying the least bit of attention to the line that was formed.

"Go get your fortune told, Tea!" Joey snickered causing Tea to smack him.

"Why me?!"

Before a decision could be made a small tremble went through the area causing everyone to freeze for a second. It came and went as if it had never been there. The small group of friends looked at each other confused by it just as much as everyone else.

"Was that an earthquake?" Tomoya voiced up, they had a small one earlier that week, but it was not enough to cause any damage.

The others shrugged and there attention was bought back as Lady Anita spoke up again. "You there…" She was pointing at Joey. "You just said "Get your fortune told" didn't you?"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I'll have you know. I'm not a fortune teller!" Lady Anita defended herself as she stood up. "To be sure, things like palmistry, fortunetelling, chi reading, Feng Shui, and astrology attempt to predict the future. But those are just based on statistics calculating the odds. Methods of the past!" She moved around her table and walked up to them. "I have the power of premonition! The ability to see the future!"

The group of friends looked at each other not sure to believe this woman or not. It seemed she could tell judging by their faces as she reached into her cape. "You don't believe me? Then let me show you proof…" She handed Joey a piece of paper, "My powers gave me a vision of the future this morning. I wrote it down here. Read it aloud!"

Joey took the paper and looked at it before he read aloud, "Earthquake today."

"Let's hear it for Lady Anita!" One of her followers shouted, causing her fans to clap and cheer for her and her abilities.

Yugi turned to look at Yami but he did not seem convinced by it which is how Yugi felt too. When he turned back around Anita was in front of him shocking the smaller teen. She towered over him and it made him curse his shortness. Gently she grabbed his hand and led him over to her table. While Anita moved back behind it, Yugi stood in front of it not sure what to do.

Anita held out her hand, "Let me see your hand once more and I will make a true believer out of you."

Deciding to humor her and show Joey the truth, Yugi gave her his hand to which she held tightly and ran both her hands all over it. While Yugi was starting to get a little creeped out, Yami was fuming at the way she was touching his Aibou.

'_How dare she fondle Yugi's hand like that…' _Yami growled in his mind. Before he could go over there and snatch his poor lover back, she had let go of Yugi's hand.

Anita closed her eyes as she said, "I see a wonderful woman appear before your eyes! She's someone close to you already. You will fall so deeply in love that you will swoon before her." She opened her eyes with a smile.

Yugi tried not to laugh, but it was hard to keep in the chuckles. He finally let loose a small laugh that even had his friends laughing.

"Do you not believe me?" Anita questioned sweetly.

"No, honestly I don't," Yugi told her as he composed himself. "Kind of hard to fall deeply in love with a woman, when I have a boyfriend."

Whispers moved like rockets around the crowd as Anita's eyes widen. Yugi walked away from her and over to Yami where he wrapped his arms around his waist. "Never had a thing for woman to begin with…" He proudly said not in the least bit ashamed for people to hear he was gay. He had his friends and family that supported him and that was all he needed.

Yami smirked as he wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders keeping him close. He knew Yugi had only eyes for him and no other man or woman would take him away from him. "I hate to be rude, but I'm sure psychic powers really exist, however I get the feeling most psychic's like yourself are fakes…" He stated knowing he was getting under the woman's skin. He saw the looks she had been giving Yugi when they walked up and that was enough to make him not like her.

It seemed one of her lackey's did not take kindly to Yami's little statement as she shouted, "What was that? Are you saying you don't believe in Lady Anita's power? You saw her predict the earthquake!"

Anita held up her hand causing a hush to settle over the crowd. "Are you saying my powers are faked?"

"Well no, but I saw a trick like that on TV…" Yami stated loving every minute of this as he saw her blush with anger. "Just for example, if you wrote 'earthquake today' and other predictions on note cards and hid them in your clothes that wouldn't be a real predication…"

The crowd interrupted into more whispers and this time her fans were really starting to question her abilities. Some had even started to leave, so Anita stood up quickly and pointed a finger right at Yami. "I can see your future! Countless letters will fall from the heavens and bring disaster upon you!"

Yami simply laughed it off as he turned to walk away with Yugi beside him. Their friends followed each trying to contain their own laughs at how silly the girl was acting. She was in college for crying out loud and it was time to grow up.

None of them saw the glare directed at Yami's back as they left.

* * *

The library was not busy on the first floor given it only contained the front desk, a small computer area, and a few tables big enough for groups to study. Most students went upstairs where lounge areas were with all the books. Some found it easier to do research with the shelves of books in front of them instead of taking a pile down to the first floor or checking them out. Everyone had their own way of doing research and studying, but Yugi's group was determined to sit down and study for their test as a group unlike what they did in high school.

While they got their textbook and notes out, Yami's mind seemed to be elsewhere. He had this weird feeling that something was going to happen. He flipped the pages in his textbook to the first chapter determined to study however 'countless letters' kept popping into his mind.

Yugi looked beside him at Yami noticing he seemed a little distracted, however before he could voice his concern. Joey reached across the table and poked Yami in the forehead with his pencil eraser.

"Don't get so down, Yami! That girl's predictions are useless," Joey told him with a grin. It was a good thing quiet talking was allowed on the first floor. It was hard to keep Joey quiet in any place for too long.

"But I heard this rumor…" Tea butted in causing all eyes to turn to her. "Anita's power became famous after this one prediction came true. Apparently she predicted a fire at a student's house, three days before it happened. Luckily the student survived, but she is still in the hospital."

Joey got this chilling look in his eyes as he looked at Yami.

Yugi chuckled and stood up, "Well I don't believe her predictions. Nothing is going to happen to Yami just like I'm not going to leave him for some woman," He said as he kissed the top of Yami's head, before slipping away quickly telling them he needed a restroom break.

* * *

The first floor restroom for the men said it was out of order, so Yugi sighed as he made his way upstairs to see if the second floor had one. Thankfully there was one and he quickly did what he needed to do before walking back out getting ready to go back to his friends. As he rounded the corner to the stairs he found his path blocked as Anita stood in his way.

She had a sad smile on her face as she looked at Yugi. "Hey, I wanted to apologize about before. I had no right to treat you or your friends the way I did. It's just when I saw who you were…"

"You thought you could use your charm and get a date with me." Yugi finished for her, "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of all those fans, but it's not right to trick people to get your way. I have a feeling one day you will find someone."

Not wanting to keep his friends waiting he gave her a smile and carefully moved pass her to be on his way. However he did not get far as the next thing he knew he had a rag over his nose and mouth and a sweet smell came to him as he breath in. He started to feel light headed as he fell back into Anita's arms and the last thing he heard before he blacked out was, "My predictions are infallible!"

* * *

Ten minutes and Yami was started to get worried. He knew Yugi did not need him for every little thing, but he figured his little lover would have been back by now. The tapping of his pen against his textbook must have gotten annoying to his studying friends as Duke turned to him, "Dude if your that worried go look for him."

"Yugi is a big boy I'm sure he is fine, give him some space," Joey added with a glare at Duke. Duke glared right back and thus their glaring contest started.

Those two would never change, but something did not feel right, so Yami got up from his chair and walked away. He wanted to make sure Yugi was really alright and wasn't sick or something of the sort. When he found the restrooms and saw that the men restroom was out of order, he started to see what may have been taking his little one so long. Deciding to check the second floor first, he went to the stairs and started to climb them. A noise from above got his attention as he looked up just in time to see a cart of books was coming down right at him. Shock over took Yami's body as he thought 'Countless letters!'

A split second later Yami moved out of the way just in time as the cart continued its journey down the stairs making a mess on the first floor once it crashed at the bottom. A dark look over came Yami as he looked up in time to see a certain lackey running away with that headband on her head. 'Now I know, Anita is a menace, who makes her predictions come true.' He thought with disgust.

'But if that's the case…' He continued with his thoughts as he walked back down the stairs. "Yugi is in danger!" Yami concluded aloud with a growl. His eyes closed briefly a vision coming to him, before he took off running out of the library.

* * *

There was a small auditorium about two minutes away from the library and this is where Yami's vision took him. It was used for practice for the drama students to prepare their props and get ready for their shows. When Yami entered and moved passed the lobby into the main stage area, he found a sight that made him fill with anger. An animalistic growl escaped his throat as he saw Yugi tied to a chair unconscious on the stage. A table had been set up in front of him with a plate of food and a drink. Across that table sipping her own drink was none other than Anita. She was carrying on a conversation as if Yugi was talking to her and this was a date.

"So you think you got away with it?" Yami spoke loud enough to gain Anita's attention. He began walking to the stage loving the shocked look on her face. "Too bad Anita, your prediction failed!"

Anita was at a loss for words as Yami hopped up on the stage and walked over to the table. He reached out and picked up the bottle that was in the middle which so happened to be the chloroform she had used on Yugi to knock him out along with the rag. No doubt if Yugi woke up she planned to knock him out again if he chooses not to be with her.

"Well 'Prophet', let's play a game!" Yami said with a smirk loving the way he made her squirm in her sit. "If I lose, I'll acknowledge your psychic powers."

"What if I win?" Anita asked finally finding her voice as she stood up. In one quick move Yami cleared the table so that they could play their game.

"I'll let you go on a real date with Yugi," He told her knowing she wouldn't pass that up. There was no way he was going to lose so he wasn't worried. He let her watch as he laid down pieces of paper randomly on the table then placed the chloroform back in the middle, making sure each piece of paper had a corner underneath the bottle. Before he explained the rules or started the game, he untied Yugi and placed his little angel on the stage away from their game.

When he turned back to the wretch of a woman he started to explain the rules, "The rules are simple. I spread these pieces of paper on the table and place the bottle on top of them. The players, you and I, take turns pulling out one sheet of paper at a time. You can't touch the bottle of course." He looked at her to make sure she was listening. "The one who drops the bottle loses the game, although the loser won't be conscious to know that."

Anita started to laugh, "I've won already! I can see you snoring on the floor," she said continuing to use her fake psychic abilities.

"Then let's Ro-Sham-Bo to see who goes first." He put out his fist as she did also and in the end he beat her and got to go first. With speed like lightening he did not even think about it as he grabbed a sheet and pulled it out making the bottle spin for a minute, thankfully it settled although being much closer to the edge of the table. "Phew! Now it's your turn."

"Hmph… I do not see a future where I drop this bottle," Anita sneered grabbing a sheet of paper and yanking it out from under the bottle. The bottle did a spin before settling even closer to the edge. "This is what my psychic powers can do!"

"Well this is a pinch…" Yami mumbled to himself as he reached for another sheet of paper. He took a deep breath before yanking it out quickly. The bottle wobbled a good bit before it settled once more, but this time half of it was off the edge of the table.

Anita's eyes widen in disbelief and knew that no matter what piece of paper she pulled out or how quickly the bottle would fall either way.

Yami chuckled, "Now what? You can't yank any more out. There is only one way to remove a page. If you're really a psychic levitate the bottle."

A scowl developed on Anita's face as she glared at him, before putting all her attention on the bottle. "I'll show you my power!" Her eyes closed for a minute and after another second went by of nothing they reopened and she smirked at Yami, "You see it don't you? You see the bottle floating in the air!"

"That is only your imagination," Yami informed her since in truth the bottle still was sitting on the edge. "Why don't you try pulling the paper out? That'll prove everything!"

Nervousness started to get to Anita as she slowly pulled the page out believing the bottle was floating, but the bottle simply fell to the ground breaking and covering her in the sweet smell of chloroform. As she fell to the ground fast asleep, Yami took notice of the note cards attached to the inside of her cape.

"Well, look at all the predictions in your cloak…" Yami spoke to her as if she was still awake, "You probably won't wake up until tomorrow. By that time everyone in the school will know the truth about your psychic powers. I doubt you'll remain popular after that."

He then moved back over to Yugi who was still out of it. Carefully he picked his Aibou up bridal style with a smile, "Over here we have a sleeping beauty…" As he stood their staring at his boyfriend a wave of dizziness hit him. When it went away Yami blinked his eyes and looked down at Yugi. He noticed the soft glow the puzzle gave off then went away.

"What happened?" He turned with Yugi still in his arms and noticed Anita passed out on the floor. There was a broken bottle of chloroform next to her, but he had no idea what had happened. "Did I save you?" Yami asked mostly to himself as Yugi snuggled closer to him.

The last thing he remembered was being almost ran over by a cart of books, but that was it. His memories ended there and that was what scared Yami. This wasn't the first time he felt like this and he knew it wasn't normal for him to feel this way. For now Yami decided to put his thoughts to rest until he could get Yugi to wake back up. Yami honestly had no idea what was going on with himself lately, but there was no way he could tell Yugi or his friends about it. They meant the world to him and he couldn't lose them.

* * *

Amethyst eyes slowly blinked open after being closed for roughly over thirty minutes. Yami had been worried Yugi wasn't going to wake up for the rest of the day, but when he looked down and saw Yugi stir he knew his little one was coming around. He had found a nice shady spot underneath a tree not far from the auditorium for him to sit and wait on Yugi to wake up. It would look odd if he tried to walk home with an unconscious Yugi, so he found a decent spot to wait it out. Once that was done, he waited a few minutes after he had sat down before he sent a quick text to Tea telling the others not to worry about them, that Yugi had not been feeling good and he was taking him to the clinic on campus. He also told her that if Yugi felt slightly better they would come back so they could continue studying together. He hated lying to them, but he didn't want them rushing to the clinic to come see Yugi when in truth they weren't there.

Yugi groaned and reached his heavy hands up to wipe at his eyes. He could fell a headache starting to form as his mind began to process what had happened. As his memories returned and he remember the last thing that happened before he black out Yugi sat up quickly nearly hitting Yami in the chin. However the movement was too much for Yugi as he gripped his head in pain.

"Whoa slow down…" Yami urged him as he pulled Yugi back to him and let Yugi lean against his shoulder instead. "You've been out for a while and chloroform can have side effects."

"I feel like I was hit by a truck," Yugi moaned out as Yami started to run his fingers through Yugi's hair to help soothe the pain. "Where's Anita?"

"She knocked herself out with chloroform." Yami informed him which wasn't a total lie, "I went looking for you when you took so long to return to the table and I saw her dragging you away. When I tried to stop her the bottle she had fell out of her pocket and broke on the ground. Thankfully no one else was around and I was a good distance away so I wasn't hit with the smell."

Yugi sighed and snuggled more into Yami's side, "Women are crazy. I knew something wasn't right when she confronted me outside the men restroom. I tried to just walk away, but then something was thrown over my mouth and nose, knocking me out." He turned his head up to look at Yami, "Thank you for coming to find me."

Yami smiled and kissed Yugi's forehead, "Anytime Aibou, there was no way I was going to let her take you away from me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Yugi started to get the feeling back in his body and the headache became only a dull ache. "Do our friends know what happened?" He asked to break the silence almost forgetting about them.

"No, after I got you away from Anita, I texted Tea and told her you were not feeling good so I was taking you to the clinic on campus. I didn't want them to worry about the almost kidnapping. You know how our friends can get."

Yugi lightly chuckled, "Tea would be mother hen for a week. I think its best we just keep this to ourselves."

"Agreed, now do you feel up to going back to finish studying?" Yami asked since he would take Yugi home if Yugi was not up to studying anymore.

"Nah… I should be fine. Anyway we have our first test tomorrow and I really need to be ready for it." Yugi smiled up at Yami to show he was okay, before he allowed Yami to help him up. Together the two walked hand and hand back to the library.

Thankfully their story about Yugi not feeling good was pretty believable as Yugi did not look one hundred percent after being knocked out with chloroform. When their friends did question what the people at the clinic said, Yugi simply told them they thought it was just an upset stomach from something he ate at lunch and that tomorrow he should be fine. The others bought the lie and the group continued with their studying although Tea and Joey watched Yugi very closely in case he felt sick again.

Since it hadn't really been an upset stomach, Yugi was able to get a good amount of studying in before they called it a day just before dinner and the group parted ways. Tea and Tomoya returned to their dorms on campus and Duke headed to his home, while Yami and Joey walked back to their apartment with Yugi. Once there Yami borrowed Joey's truck to take Yugi home so he wouldn't have to take the bus. The events of the day had shaken Yugi up about the crazy people out there in the world, but he still felt safe knowing he had his boyfriend to come to his rescue if he needed him.

* * *

**Sakura: **So Yami is starting to realize there is something off about him…. There will be more of that as the story develops… It took me a while to figure out if I wanted to do Tea or Yugi with the creepy stalker, but then I decided it would be more fun to write with it being Yugi and some crazy girl who likes him. It wasn't shown in this chapter but let's just say Anita is a huge fan of Yugi's due to him being the King of Games. She got lucky that Yugi came by the girls' dorm with his friends and thus the kidnapping formed in her head when Yugi made a fool out of her in front of everyone.

**Yumi: Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Thanks for the all the reviews and there was one review from a reader wondering how far I am going with this story. I waited to answer the question here because I want everyone who reads this story to know the answer. I will be doing every chapter from the first seven mangas of Yu-Gi-Oh, which is known as season 0 to most. Already mentioned is that Yugi has already gone through Duelist Kingdom so that will not be included later on. Depending on when this story ends I may do a sequel that contains Battle City and the Millennium World. I'll keep everyone up to date on what is going on when the story finally gets near the end. For now please enjoy another chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Into the Fire**

"Remind me why we are doing this again?" Joey asked of Yugi as he and his friend walked toward the huge gymnasium on campus. This was where they were headed to meet Tea who said she needed their help with something. The gymnasium was huge and was mostly used for the wrestling and basketball athletics, but there was a smaller gym connected to it that which was used for the cheerleaders and dance teams to practice.

"Because Tea is our friend and she asked for our help. The school festival is this weekend and her team needs help coming up with ideas for what they are going to do to promote and raise money for their team." Yugi explained once again to Joey. Tea had approached him first thing that morning about him coming to meet her after practice that afternoon to help her and the team come up with what they should do for the school festival. They needed something that would gain people's attention so they would spend money so the dance team could raise money for new uniforms and for trips. Tea had always been more organized than most people so when the dance coach needed someone to take charge that semester for planning their part in the festival Tea stepped forward. Apparently most of the veteran and rookie dancers were too lazy to do anything else. Tea was still a rookie herself but she hoped to gain some respect from her fellow dancers and coach for stepping up to do this.

This was going to be Yugi and his friends' first college festival. It was apparently done one month after school started every semester to raise money and promote the athletic teams, fraternities, sororities, and clubs throughout the campus. It was held over the weekend so friends and family of all the students were welcomed to come and have fun. Yugi was looking forward to it and he was more than happy to help out Tea when it seemed her and her team could not come up with something to do.

Tea had asked all her friends to come since the coach would not be at this meeting. That was one thing she did hate about the coach was her strict rules about no hanging out with boys. In the eyes of her coach they were nothing but trouble and if they wanted to make it anywhere they would only focus on dancing, not that Tea ever followed those rules what with having a job behind her back and hanging out with all her guy friends. However Yugi and Joey were the only ones available at that time. Duke had something to do after class, but Yugi just figured he didn't want to be around a bunch of girls. Tomoya had become a member of a manga club, so he was off with his own group trying to plan something for the festival. After that thing with Sozoji weeks back and the bully never returning to school, Tomoya was having fun living in the dorms and was making friends outside their small circle. Yami skipped out on going when he got a call from Seto but a few minutes after classes ended and hurried off. Yugi honestly had no idea what the call had been about, but he figured Yami would tell him about it later. So that left Joey and Yugi to wait around on campus until about the time Tea told them to meet her in the gymnasium.

Now they were entering the much larger gym and headed down another hallway to the smaller gym. Inside they found Tea's dance team sitting on the bleachers while Tea stood on the floor with a chalkboard behind her. It had been erased and cleaned so she could use it to write down ideas the team came up with.

Tea smiled when she spotted her two friends and waved them over. The team said nothing as Yugi and Joey took places on the bleachers to the side so they weren't in the way. She then called the meeting to order causing the girls on her team to quiet down.

"Okay! We need to decide what to do for the school festival. We need to present our idea to our coach so she can get it approved before we can start preparing for this weekend. We have only a week to get this done. If anyone has good ideas raise your hand." Tea informed them. The rookies were paying attention, while the veterans looked bored. Thankfully this semester the rookies outweighed the veterans since some had already graduated when Tea joined, so Tea felt like she had a chance to prove herself.

A few of the rookies raised their hands so Tea took her time calling out to them and getting ready to write down their ideas. In the end they would vote on the best idea.

"I think a haunted house!" One of the girls called out, while another quickly shot down her idea.

"No good! I hear one of the fraternities has already put in for that."

"How about making Yaki Soba?" Another girl called out and with no objections Tea wrote it on the board.

Joey rolled his eyes at their weak ideas, "This festival is supposed to be about entertainment. You girls are dancers, you have to show some guts to steal the audience from the others." A smirk developed on his face as he said the next part, "That's why I think you should use sex appeal. You could call it 'The real college girl cabaret!' You could wear costumes to appeal to every guy's fantasy and…"

He didn't get to say anymore as the girls all glared at him and started to throw things from pencils to balls of paper. Yugi hide behind the blond until the girls settled down and went back to ignoring them.

"Next time just keep your mouth shut," Yugi whispered to his friend with a snicker. Sometimes Joey did not know when to keep his mouth shut.

Joey shrugged, "Only trying to help…"

"Yeah, the wrong kind of help…"

A few others girls suggested a few things like a costume contest to cooking a different type of food called Takoyaki. Tea wrote everything down, but no good idea seemed to stick out yet. Since this was getting nowhere Tea decided it was time to use her back up plan.

"Yugi what do you think?"

Yugi looked up at his name being called. An idea had already come to mind this morning when she mentioned to him they needed help in deciding what to do, however he had no clue how the girls would feel about it. "I'd have to say games. Carnival games always do the best at festivals."

The gym was silent as everyone thought over the idea. However then a few rookies started to discuss it and before long all the girls including the veterans were swapping ideas for carnival games they could do at the festival. Yugi smiled glad he could have been of some help. He had learned long ago from his grandfather that no matter what gender or age games were always a joy to everyone.

"Then we're all for carnival games!" Tea said with a wink to Yugi silently thanking him. "I'll run the idea by our coach, but let's go ahead and think of some games we can do for the festival."

The next hour was filled with the girls throwing ideas for games back and forth. Most of them were quick to include Yugi and asked him what he thought was best. Joey was a little jealous of his friend gaining all the girls attention, but he knew even though Yugi was blushing in embarrassment it was because of the attention not because of the women. No Yugi was one hundred percent loyal to Yami and would never look at another the same way he looked at his boyfriend.

In the end all the girls decided on three games which were Bluebeard's Attack, Bottle Toss, and Shooting Gallery. Two out of the three games would catch guys' attention as they tried to prove themselves at how tough they were or to impress any ladies. The Bluebeard game was mostly to catch the eye of any children who came around because some college students had children. Yugi was a master at games and he knew after working in a game shop what to do to get the crowds over to them. This festival would be a huge success for the college dance team.

* * *

After being in college for a month and a half Yugi never thought he would be helping his friends create the perfect carnival games for the college dance team. Tea had run the idea by her coach who then sent in the idea to the board who were in charge of the whole festival. They thankfully got the all clear to start work on their project so it would be ready by that weekend.

A lottery was held to give out placements to all those who would be setting up booths and the dance team got lucky and ended up with a great spot. It was right in the middle of the campus near the fountain plaza and during the festival would have the most foot traffic.

Most of Tea's friends were able to chip in and the dance team did not mind the extra help. Throughout the whole week they prepared the games when not in classes or when the dance team was not practicing. Yugi, Joey, Yami, and Duke throughout the week helped with most of the building. Tristan even gave them a hand when he was not at work. Tomoya was the only one who wasn't around since he was helping his club with their booth.

By the time Friday morning rolled around they were in the final stretch as the festival would be taking place late Saturday morning. Due to clubs needing to get their booths finished by that day, all classes were canceled giving students time to work or have a free day if they weren't participating in the festival. The campus was busy with life as students worked as much as they could before the deadline that night.

At the carnival games booth, most of the manual labor went to Joey and Duke as they helped set up everything, while Yugi and the dance team girls were busy decorating the area around them. Tea over saw everything and kept everyone organized and on track. Yugi wished his boyfriend could have been there to help, but Mokuba had something going on at his school that Yami did not want to miss since he had the day off from classes. Yugi couldn't blame him, but made him promise to come as soon as the thing with Mokuba was over so they had more help.

Duke was making sure their sign was going to hold up by putting some extra nails in it. Joey was inside their booth finishing the final touches on the barrel for the Bluebeard Attack game. While the girls worked everyone else, Yugi sat in a corner finishing up the Bluebeard mask for whoever was going to wear it. He wasn't a manual labor kind of guy, but he had an eye for design.

After a few minutes Yugi held up the mask with a cheer, "The Bluebeard mask is finished!" It had taken him all of yesterday afternoon to make it and most of the morning to put the paint job on it.

"Hey Yugi," Yugi turned to see Joey hammering the last few nails in on the barrel, "I'm almost done here."

"That's great! You're really good at building stuff Joey."

"Everyone has at least one skill…" Tea teased as she approached the two.

Joey shrugged it off, "I've been making plastic models and garage kits for a long time." He stood up and put his tools down before lifting the top of the barrel, "Have a look!"

The blond stepped into the barrel and put the top down before he popped up out of the hole on the top. "What do you think? It's perfect!"

"That's so cool!" Yugi told him, he remembered playing Bluebeard pirate as a kid and it was cool seeing it become a life size game.

Joey started to snicker, "I wonder who'll be the pirate. I'll get a good laugh at 'em!"

"Why not you, Joey?" Tea questioned causing Joey to freeze in fear, "The size is perfect!"

Yugi held up the mask, "I made this to fit your head Joey." He said with a grin.

"What?" Joey hollered not believing his luck.

"That's it, you're Bluebeard!" Tea declared, before she noticed a group of males were headed their way with a massive grill. She was confused when they stopped in front of their booth and walked away from her friends to check it out.

"What are you guys doing?" The only one not carrying the grill growled at her. It was obvious he was the leader of the group.

"We're getting ready for the school festival," Tea informed him.

The rather large male sneered at her, "Don't be ridiculous! This school festival space is the stomping grounds for our fraternity!"

Yugi just had this feeling that something wasn't right so he walked over to Tea to make sure nothing happened to her with Duke appearing at her other side. He wasn't strong, but he hated seeing his friends get hurt.

Tea however could hold her own as she glare up at the guy. "What do you mean 'stomping grounds'? We won this space in the lottery!" She declared and no one was going to take it away from them.

Those words only caused the guy and all the others behind him to laugh, before the leader held up a fist and shouted, "Listen up boys! This is where we traditionally make okonomiyaki each semester! Get rid of these rotten carnival games! Beat it!"

"Who the hell are you? You're the ones who're gonna beat it!" Joey shouted from his place in the barrel. He could see everything that was going down and he didn't like it. "There's always a moron who starts a fight at these things and I wouldn't miss it for the world." He said as he started to get out of the barrel, but when he was almost out he realized something wasn't right.

"That's some talk from where you're standing!" The large male laughed as he watched Joey struggling to get his right leg out of the barrel. Before Joey had a chance to get out and even stand up to fight, the other punched him in the face sending Joey flying out of the barrel and into the wall of their booth.

"Joey!" Yugi cried hurrying over to his friend to make sure he was alright.

The guy turned to his group and shouted, "Go grill brigade! Break down the carnival games booth!"

The group of men wasted no time as they ran at the wall with their grill hitting it before backing up to go at it again. Everyone who had been in the booth hurried out of the way so they wouldn't get hit. They could only watch as the guys went at it again nearing knocking the wall out.

"Stop it!" Tea shouted, there wasn't much they could do physical against them, she could only shout at them to quit it. Joey was still dizzy from the hit he took and neither Yugi nor Duke stood a chance against the much larger men.

The leader could only laugh as his men took the booth down and Yugi couldn't take it anymore. Just as the men were going to ram it again, Yugi ran in front of them. "Stop! Don't! We worked hard to build this!" He shouted, but his message was not heard.

His friends could only watch in horror as the men hit Yugi with the grill sending the small teen flying. Once he was out of the way they finished with the booth and established the spot as theirs. Tea and Duke hurried over to Yugi who was groaning in pain but thankfully he was still awake.

Tea had tears in her eyes as she checked Yugi over. "Yugi, are you okay?"

"We need to take him to the infirmary," Duke told her and she agreed.

In the end the dance team could only watch as their spot was taken over by a huge grill.

* * *

To say Yami was pissed was an understatement, he was livid and beyond being able to form words at how angry he was that his innocent Aibou was injured and he wasn't there to prevent it. It made no sense for some punks to come mess up the carnival games when there were plenty of other spots to use. The teen ended what he was doing with his brothers and headed straight for the campus after he got the call from Tea. The nurses at the clinic on campus had wanted to call Yugi's family, but Yugi had been able to talk them out of it as he didn't want to worry them. Instead Tea called Yami since he would be the next person besides their friends who could look out for him after his injuries and half the time Yugi normally could get away with staying the night at Yami's apartment.

When Yami arrived, he found Duke and Joey in the waiting room with Joey holding an ice pack to his face. The two explained everything that went down that wasn't said on the phone and then Yami got a nurse to show him back to the room Yugi was staying in. Thankfully his injuries weren't bad enough for Yugi to have to go to the hospital.

The teen found Yugi lying down on the bed in the room with Tea sitting in the only chair beside the bed. She offered a smile and shook Yugi awake who blinked his eyes opened. The smaller looked at Yami a little confused at first, before he fully realized who was in the room and carefully sat up.

Yugi winced as he sat up and Yami was immediately at his side. He placed his hands on his shoulder and made him lay back down. "Don't move if you don't have to…" Yami told him then looked to Tea. "The nurse didn't tell me, but what are his injuries?"

"It's nothing too serious. We got the x-rays back a few minutes ago and nothing is broken. The doctor here believes it's simply some bruise ribs and gave him a pain killer. He will be in pain for a while and once the pain killers wear off and if he is still hurting, the doctor said he could take some over the counter pain killers. However if the pain gets worst over night, he should make an appointment with his normal doctor or go to the hospital," Tea explained to him as she stood up.

Yami sighed in relief and reached out to hold Yugi's hand in his. "I know you were only trying to help, but I don't want to see you hurt."

"I couldn't sit by and do nothing," Yugi said and it was easy to tell he was still a little out of it.

"You should get Yugi to your apartment for some rest." Tea said to Yami as she turned to walk away.

Yugi didn't like that one bit as he said, "But what about the carnival games…?"

Tea turned back to them with a sad smile, "We'll try again next semester…"

"That's no good!" Yugi cried out not at all happy with how things were turning out, "We have to get that space back."

Tea simply turned away from them and Yami could see her wiping a tear away. All of them had worked so hard on that project and it was all for nothing. A warm feeling washed over him as the anger returned, before Yami stood up startling Yugi.

"Keep an eye on Yugi for me Tea. I'll figure this mess out…" He left the two without another word an evil plan already in mind for the ones responsible.

* * *

The sun was just getting ready to set and most of the clubs, groups, and athletics had finished up their booths and were going home for the night. Tomorrow was the big day so they needed plenty of rest. Yami stood in front of where the carnival games booth should have been but the only thing left in their spot was the grill. The games had been thrown to the side, only slightly damaged so Yami knew they could reclaim their spot and still make the booth a success. After a little hacking into the computer system at school, Yami was able to find the main guy responsible and called him out. He was not going to get away so easy with his crimes.

After a while a rather large guy approached him with a smirk on his face, "So you're the loser who called me out here. You've got some guts."

Yami stared him down not the least bit afraid of him, "You have trespassed on the souls of each of my friends and partner. For that you must play a game with me."

"What are you babbling about? Shouldn't you play games with your mommy?" The guy laughed.

"If you have any guts…" Yami crossed his arms and stared the guy down. "You'll play this game with me, this shadow game!"

"A game…?" The guy questioned clearly confused, "It's beneath me to play games with a kid like you, but I've never backed down from a challenge… What kind of game are you talking about?"

Yami grinned, "We'll play a game with this. The grill that you bought here," He informed the brute pointing out the grill in between them that the guy just then seemed to notice. "I've already heated it up. The surface is hotter than a hundred degree Celsius." Next Yami held up a round block of ice with a test tube frozen in the middle, "This block of ice has a test tube in the middle that is filled with explosives. If it touches the grill, one or both of us will be blown sky high. Then you can find out what okonomiyaki feels like…" He then held up two spatulas with the other hand, "The game is called 'Griddle Ice Hockey' and we'll use these as rackets."

As he tossed a spatula to the other guy Yami placed the ice on the grill and it quickly started to melt creating steam. "The loser gives up the right to this space at the school festival! Any problems with that, Goro?"

"I'll meet your challenge!" Goro shouted back at him.

With all the items in place, Yami finally said the magic words, "Game start!"

The ice had already drifted down to Goro so he took the first swing striking the ice hard. "Put a spatula in my hand and no one can match me!" He called out.

Yami put all his strength into his swing sending the ice right back to Goro. The ice was melting faster as it moved making it a ticking time bomb and Goro must have realized that as he continued to use all this strength and more to send the ice to Yami.

The next time Yami sent the ice back it took a lot more strength than he thought he had. _'His power and speed are amazing. That little piece of ice comes at me with the weight of a boulder_.' Yami thought to himself, but that wasn't going to stop him from winning the game.

"Look at that! It takes all you got just to send the puck back! My strength gives me the edge in this game." Goro taunted sending the ice back at Yami.

Yami clenched his teeth as he used all his strength to send the puck back and was forced back a few steps because of the recoil. '_How can I win…? I sent it back somehow, but each time I return it, the recoil sends me flying.'_ He was starting to worry that maybe this was a game he wouldn't be able to win.

"Let's give it even more power!" Goro laughed hitting the ice even harder this time around.

The speed was so great that Yami had to think fast on his feet or he would lose the game. '_I must use all my opponent's strength and speed against him. If this doesn't work, I'll lose_.' Yami thought as he closed his eyes and placed the spatula vertical with the end facing the ice. By some miracle the ice was sent back as Yami opened his eyes in time to see Goro getting ready to strike it.

"I'm so tough you can only push it back! But it's no use!" Goro swung as hard as he could and when the spatula hit the ice his jaw dropped opened. Right before his eyes the ice split in two and the test tube was set free.

Thankfully no one else was around as the test tube hit the grill and exploded. Goro was thrown back a few feet and laid on the ground unconscious with a lot of minor burns to his body. Yami was many things but a killer wasn't one of them. He put only small bits of explosives in there to surprise more than harm.

"As promised we'll take this space back!" Yami said with a smirk as he turned to what was left of the carnival games booth. He snapped his fingers and just like that grill was gone and the booth was restored to how the girls had done it before what had happened that afternoon. Proud of himself, Yami began to walk away heading back to his apartment. The dance team would be in for one hell of surprise the next day, but it was worth it.

* * *

The morning of the school festival the dance team did arrive to at least show their support of other clubs and were in for one hell of surprise when they realized that their booth had been restored. They didn't know how or who did it, but they weren't complaining as they got to work assigning post and preparing for the start of the festival.

After the festival had started and family and friends were having fun with the carnival games, Tea approached Yami "You did all of this didn't you?"

Yami shook his head, "Sorry it wasn't me."

Tea looked as if she didn't believe him before she smiled, "Oh alright play dumb all you want but I know it was you." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then hurried off.

A blush formed on Yami's face, he clearly wasn't expecting that. Honestly he wasn't playing dumb when he really had no clue who rebuilt the carnival games, but he was thankfully to whoever helped the dance team out. The only thing he remembered was being in the clinic with Yugi then he woke up in his apartment with Yugi beside him.

Speaking of Yugi, Yami's line of sight switched to where his little lover was sitting in a chair keeping kids in line as they waited to play Bluebeard Attack. Poor Joey got stuck with being the pirate but it sure was funny. Everyone having fun put a smile on Yami's face as he made his way over to Yugi.

Throughout the day, the carnival games booth was a big hit!

* * *

**Sakura: **I really had to think this one over since they are not in high school where each class had to make a booth. Once on my campus we had different clubs that created booths to gain students attention because they wanted people to join, so I worked around with that idea and came up with this. At the end with Tea, sure there was a small kiss on the cheek, but it was as friends! I'm trying to be more pro-Tea in this story than some of my others. Do not worry, Tea won't be trying to steal Yami, but next chapter someone will be trying to get her attention.

**Yumi: Review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **A lot of reviews talked about being glad that I was more pro Tea in this story. I'm glad to hear I made some readers happy. I had to think long and hard on this chapter to figure out what way I wanted to go. So I hope everyone enjoys it!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**The Face of Truth**

A week had passed since the successful festival at Domino University. The dance team along with other clubs, groups, and athletics were able to raise enough money for whatever their teams needed or any trips they wanted to take. Along with that success, Yugi's injuries had healed up nicely and he was able to hide what had happened from his parents and grandfather. It's not that he didn't want to tell them, it's just he didn't want them to worry that college wasn't safe. The last thing Yugi and his friends wanted were for Yugi's mother to follow them around with her overprotective self.

Once things had settled down and Yami found a time for both he and Yugi to relax. He put together a romantic evening just the two of them with no family, friends, or horrible college work. Friday afternoon he pulled up to the Kame Game shop when he knew Yugi's shift at his grandfather's shop would be over and politely kidnapped Yugi. Yami was always a spur of the moment kind of guy so he had completely surprised his lover and did not even let Yugi change clothes.

When they were in the limo and the doors were locked, Yami informing the driver they could leave before turning his attention to Yugi. Yugi had his arms crossed and was looking at Yami with a face that said 'What the hell are you thinking?'

Yami chuckled and lean across to kiss his little one on the lips. "Don't give me that face. It's more fun when you are surprised."

"I'm more than happy to go on a date with you sweetie, but could you not have let me at least change clothes," Yugi pointed out as they both looked down at Yugi's white wash jeans along with a black tank top that was lightly covered in dirt and dust from Yugi pulling merchandise from the storage room.

Yami on the other had looked like a model off the front page of a magazine with his skin tight black leather pants with a matching black leather tank top with three buckles going across the front. He was tone and fit which made up for his lack of height. The taller teen grinned like a Cheshire cat as he moved even closer to Yugi, before the younger knew what was happening he was pinned to the back seat of the limo. "But you look so sexy that way…"

"Sexy? Seriously Yami, I probably even smell a little…" Yugi rolled his eyes not minding the fact that Yami was pretty much laying on top of him. Half the time if they were at Yami's apartment sitting on the couch watching a movie, Yami felt the need to lie on top of him. Yugi was like his own personal pillow. "Where are we going anyway?"

"That is a surprise Aibou, so just sit back and relax." Yami purred, before claiming Yugi's lips in another kiss so the other could not say a word. A make-out session began not long after that as the driver took them to their mystery location.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Yugi was able to break free from his leech of a boyfriend when the driver announced they had arrived. Yami did not wait on the driver to open the door as he let himself out than held out his hand for Yugi to take.

Yugi let Yami help him out of the limo and that was when he realized where they were at. The beautiful blue water in front of him stretched on for miles and the white sand looked inviting to sit upon. Yami retrieved a basket and blanket from the truck of the limo, before he sent his driver away for a few hours. He then led his beautiful Aibou down the path and onto the warm sand. They picked a place far enough away from the water so the blanket would not get wet.

It was odd for the place to be empty of all other people, but it was then Yugi realized this was only one of Domino's beaches. Domino city had two beaches one that was a huge attraction for surfers and swimmers and this location which was not far from the Domino pier. Due to the ships that came and went from the pier this beach was not a favorite for swimmers and was often left empty. It seems Yami thought it was the perfect place for a quiet romantic dinner on the beach.

While Yugi sat staring out at the water and ships as they passed, Yami set up their blanket and all the food he had bought along. Before long the two were enjoying a simple meal together in silence. Sometimes words were not needed and the mood was too calm and quiet to disturb with noise from their talking.

It wasn't until dessert was bought out that Yami felt like striking up a conversation. "Hey Yugi…?"

Yugi looked over at him pausing mid bite from his slice of chocolate cake. "Yeah…?" He answered before taking that waiting bite.

"Do you think Tea likes anyone?"

Yugi nearly spit out his cake at that statement. He quickly drank some of his soda to wash it down. The smaller teen didn't think Yami would cheat on him but it was kind of odd to ask such a question on a date with your boyfriend. "Why do you ask?" He questioned once he finished washing down the food.

"Yesterday I was talking with Duke and he seemed down for some reason. I kept bugging him why until he told me he saw Tea talking with this other dude. He looked so upset about it, but I honestly didn't know what to say to him. I'm not as close as you are with her so I didn't know if you knew or not if she was seeing someone. I haven't been able to get a defeated looking Duke out of my mind." Yami looked over at his lover, "I want all our friends to be happy like we are. I know Duke seriously likes Tea but is too afraid to talk to her about it."

Yugi smiled a little relieved that Yami was only worried about his friend. "Odd question to ask when on a date with your boyfriend, but to tell you the truth I'm not sure if Tea does like anyone. I haven't heard from her besides seeing her at class. Her dance team and job takes up most of her time."

"Sorry," Yami quickly apologized when he realized what he had done, "We haven't had a quiet moment for me to ask you. I should stop worrying about it and focus on our date," He finished with a slight blush.

"It's alright," Yugi told him as he lean over to kiss Yami's cheek. "I can tell this is weighing heavily on your mind and if it makes you feel better, maybe we should both sit down and talk with Duke. If we knew why he was too afraid to talk to Tea, then we could help him build up the courage."

"You think so?"

"I think he just needs a little push from his friends," Yugi said before a little smirk appeared on his face. He placed his cake to the side and crawled over to Yami, sitting on his lap and pinning him to the ground. "However we can worry about that another day. Your Aibou wants some attention."

Yami couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his lips. His little one could be so innocent one second and change to a sexy little imp the next. Both ways Yami loved it and he showed it by yanking Yugi down so their lips could meet once again.

* * *

The next day found Yugi lounging around Yami's apartment in one of Yami's t-shirts and a pair of shorts. It was nearly noon on a Saturday so both Joey and Tristan were out of the house goofing off somewhere probably. Once both Yugi and Yami had some late breakfast in them, Yami changed into some clothes and raced off to pick up Duke. Yami explained to Yugi that if Duke knew what he was coming over to Yami's apartment for then he would find a way to skip out. This way once they got him here Duke would have no way home, except to walk since there wasn't a bus in this area that went over to Duke's neighborhood. With it being a pretty long walk Yami knew Duke would have to hear them out in order to get a ride home.

Yugi lazily flipped through channels on the TV, until he heard the key in the door. A second later and both Yami and Duke were walking in with Yami closing and locking the door behind them. Duke seemed surprised that Yugi was there as he turned to Yami. "I think you have a visitor…"

Yami waved it off, "Yugi stayed the night, and I just forgot to mention it to you that it would be the three of us hanging out."

Duke shrugged before walking over and placing himself next to Yugi, "Alright so what are we going to do?"

The taller tri-color hair teen went to the TV and turned it off, before turning to face the two a very serious look on his face. "Duke this is an intervention."

Yugi slapped his forehead while also trying not to laugh at his partner. Sometimes Yami could be the most mature guy you would ever meet and then other times he was just as silly as Joey.

Duke looked completely confused as he asked Yugi, "What is he talking about?"

"I honestly have no idea, he must have hit his head in the shower," Yugi glared at his lover, "Yami stop fooling around and tell Duke the real reason he is here."

Yami slowly moved back over to the door making sure to block Duke's only exit. "The truth is Duke both Yugi and I think it's time you tell Tea you like her."

There was a second where nothing was said until Duke stood up, "Alright I'm out of here."

Yugi reached out and pulled Duke back down by the back of his shirt, "At least hear Yami out. He is really concerned about you."

"I don't want to talk about it okay?" Duke stated crossing his arms and looking away from the two. "Besides Tea can have any other man why would she pick me?"

"Dude don't take this the wrong way since I in no way see you as my type…" Yami shut up as Yugi glared at him and tried a different approach. "Listen you don't know what kind of guy she likes. In my opinion after hanging out with her for so long I think she would agree to going out with you. You have a great personality minus acting like a player sometimes, you are trying to launch your own game which means you follow your dreams, and at least you both have great fashion sense."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "What Yami is trying to say and failing at it is, you don't know unless you try. If she turns you down it just wasn't meant to be, but also she could turn you down because she is not ready to start dating yet. I have known Tea since we were toddlers, but I still don't know what kind of man she looks for in a boyfriend. If anything she is probably looking for someone who can dance just as well as she can."

"Which you can," Yami pointed out but shut back up when Yugi gave him a look again. Seriously he was the one trying to help his friend and Yugi kept scolding him like a child.

"Duke, Yami and I both know what it is like to have a crush on someone but be too afraid to express it. It probably would have taken us forever to get together until Yami let it slip he liked me. I'm not the best at relationship advice, but maybe you should first try and get her something to get her attention."

Duke turned to look at Yugi, "Like what?"

Yugi was pleased that Duke was showing some interest now. He stood up moving passed the two, "Let me get dressed and we'll head over to my grandfather's game shop. He might have something there or my mother might be able to point us in the right direction."

Once Yugi was out of the room Yami and Duke looked at each other not sure why going to the Kame Game shop would help them find a present for Tea. However they decided to give it a shot since Yugi appeared to know what he was doing.

* * *

"Well, I do have something perfect for you…" Solomon Mutou informed the three as the elderly man turned and grabbed a box off one of the shelves behind him.

"Really Grandpa..?" Yugi asked, not believing their luck. When they first entered the shop and explained things to Grandpa he immediately seemed to have something in mind. Yugi knew Tea enjoyed hanging out at his family's game shop so he thought maybe something they sold would be prefect for his friend and his grandfather always had the weirdest stuff around the shop, even though everything had to do with games. Tea wasn't a gamer, but whatever his grandfather had to show them was worth a look at.

"I haven't told Yugi the story, but this was how I got his grandmother," The older male told them as he turned and placed the box on the counter wiping dust away from the box. He opened the lid and showed them a blank puzzle with a silver frame that had a rose and heart design craved in it. "You write down your feelings, then break it up and sent it to her. As she puts it together, piece by piece your words appear. Isn't it romantic?"

Yami had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. He did not want to be disrespectful to Yugi's grandfather. Honesty Yugi's family was all about gaming including ways to ask your love interest out. It made Yami wonder if he had waited any longer if Yugi would have tried to ask him out the same way.

"I had thought about giving Yugi one back in high school when I learned about his crush on Yami, but then Yami ended up asking him out," Solomon told them out of the blue causing Yami to finally let lose the laugh he was holding back and Yugi blushed a bright red.

"Grandpa!"

Solomon shrugged, "I had only thought about it and besides Yami probably would have gotten a kick out of it."

"He is going to get a kick to the leg if he doesn't shut up," Yugi pouted as he crossed his arms. Honestly he was a gamer, but he wouldn't have given Yami a puzzle to ask him out, then he thought back to the millennium puzzle and smacked his forehead. In truth a puzzle did bring them together.

Yami had managed to calm himself down as he put an arm around Yugi. "It would have been so cute…" He continued to chuckle before looking over at Duke, "Not sure Tea will go for…"

"It's perfect!" Duke exclaimed causing both boys to look at him not believing he liked the idea. He paid for the item before turning to his two friends. "So what do you think I should write?"

Yugi and Yami both bowed their heads not sure what to think of their friend at the moment.

* * *

Later that afternoon both Yugi and Yami could be found lounging around upstairs in Yugi's room. They were at a complete lost at what to write and had been at it for hours. Duke had trusted them with the puzzle and the message that would go on it since he was hopeless at it and did not know Tea that well. He liked her and if they began to date he would get to know her a lot better. That was if his feelings were returned.

"I can't believe we got stuck writing Duke's love jigsaw puzzle, it would probably be easier to set them up on a blind date," Yami commented as he stared at the ceiling while lying on Yugi's bed. It wouldn't be long before Mrs. Mutou would be calling them down for dinner.

Yugi tapped the marker against his desk as he stared up at the skylight window. The sun would be setting soon and he didn't want to spend all night writing a love message. It was really hard to write something romantic to one of his best friends. "If I had a little help it wouldn't be taking this long."

"I still think you should just write 'will you go out with me?' and be done with it." Yami said rolling over onto his side to look at Yugi.

Yugi turned his head to stare at Yami, "Do you even have a romantic bone in your body?"

Yami smirked, "Come over here and you'll find out."

"If you're not going to be of any help you could go help my mother in the kitchen."

"Uh… I think not," Yami stood up and moved behind Yugi wrapped his arms around Yugi and resting his head on top of Yugi's. "What do you think it should say?"

"How about, 'Tea I have always admired you from afar, but I would like to know you more. Will you go out with me?' What do you think?" Yugi asked as he turned his head to look up at Yami.

Yami raised an eyebrow, "That is basely the same thing I just said with a lot more words."

"Well you had a decent idea, but it needed to be a little more romance added to it. Tea isn't into sappy romance stuff, however I think this will work. Now should we put Duke's name at the bottom or leave him to confess it to her. He didn't tell us if he wanted it signed." Yugi mentioned next since he knew Duke wanted Tea to know his feelings, but not sure if he wanted her to know it was from him just yet.

"Go ahead and put his name. The sooner Tea knows who likes her, the better it will be for the both of them." Yami said as he watched Yugi write the message in his neat little handwriting before putting down Duke's name.

Once he was done, Yami broke the puzzle apart and put both the frame and pieces in their box. The two wrapped it up with a neat bow on top. They would just have to figure out how Duke was going to give the gift to her. Something clever would have to be planned for they both knew Duke would not give it to her in person. They just hoped Tea didn't break Duke's heart too badly if she didn't like him.

* * *

When Monday rolled around Yami, Yugi, and Duke still had no idea how Duke was going to give Tea her present. It wasn't until they had breakfast with Joey that morning before classes that he heard what they were trying to do and helped them think of a plan. The first plan was for Duke to just give it to her, which he refused. The second plan was to mail it to her which Duke feared it would get lost in the mail and by time she did get it she could be dating someone else and that would be weird. The last idea that Joey came up with was to sneak it into her dance locker in the gym that way she would get it before or after practice that day.

The last idea wasn't a bad one and it just so happened, that Tea had trusted Yugi with her locker combination in case she ever forgot it. So Duke and Joey went straight to the gym after eating breakfast and waited until the girls were done with their morning practice. When the gym was clear they sneaked their way into the girls' locker room. They were able to successfully put the gift in Tea's locker before getting out of their quick and making it to class with only being a few minutes late. Now they just had to wait until Tea had practice again for her to get the gift.

* * *

The waiting really got to Duke as they went through their classes. He kept sneaking glances at Tea probably wondering in his head what she would think of her gift. Yami really hoped this worked out for his friend so he would be able to have the girl of his dreams or move on if Tea wasn't interested. It would be nice if the two started to date, because it would mean Yugi and Yami wouldn't be the only couple around. He could tell some of their friends were jealous that they had each other, so Yami had to keep the public display of affection on the down low. In all honesty Yami had a feeling that even though Duke appeared like a player, Tea knew the real him and would give the guy a chance.

When the last class was done for the day, Tea skipped out on eating lunch with them saying practice was happening early today because her first competition was coming up next week. The team wanted to be at their best and was working even harder.

What Tea didn't know was that Duke, Yami, Yugi, and Joey all skipped out on eating lunch to quietly follow her. They didn't want to miss her finding the present and opening it. So while she met up with her team in the gym, the four boys waited outside the doors peeking in through the windows. The coach was already there dressed like she was some kind of super model and not a dance coach. She clearly had on way too much make up and her smile was creepy too.

The team appeared to all be there, but they weren't going into the lockers rooms yet. Instead they all sat on the bleachers, so Joey cracked open the door so they could hear what was going on.

"Alright girls! I'd like your attention before we get started with this afternoons practice I think it's time for another one of our weekly surprise inspections!" Their coach cheered with that same sickly sweet smile on her face. "Please bring your bags to the locker room and we will begin."

A lot of the girls groaned as they grabbed their bags and headed to the locker room. They watched as they all filed in and Tea did not looked worried at all. However she didn't have to, but four boys were worried in her place.

"I hear from Tea all the time that Ms. Chono is strict. She has weekly inspections to make sure her dancers aren't using drugs or breaking any of her rules," Yugi informed them when Duke, Yami, and Joey looked lost by the inspections.

"Wait, didn't Tea tell us once before that she doesn't want her dancers to have any relationships or jobs," Yami said as they all came to the same realization.

Duke slapped his own forehead at his stupidity. "We put the gift in her locker and now she could seriously get in trouble for this. I'm so stupid."

"It's not your fault we didn't know," Yugi said as he placed a comforting hand on Duke's shoulder. "This could still work out. We just have to see how it plays out."

As if on cue the girls walked back out of the room and the last two to leave were Ms. Chono and Tea. Tea was forced to stand beside Ms. Chono as the other girls sat down. The four boys listened in as Ms. Chono held up the box. "If none of you girls put this in Ms. Gardener's locker and Ms. Gardner has no idea how it ended up in her locker, I'm going to assume that someone snuck in here who was not supposed to be in here." She ripped open the box in no time letting the wrapping fall to the floor. The only thing left in her hand was the frame to the puzzle and the pieces. The witch then walked over to the podium that was a foot away from her and placed the puzzle on top of it.

"Well it appears we have a jigsaw puzzle and if I put the pieces together a message will appear" Ms. Chono slowly started to put the puzzle together while never losing her smile. She appeared to be having too much fun, "What's this…? 'Tea, I have always admired you from afar but I would like to know you more.' What a silly little message." She said as part of the message came together given it was a really simple puzzle.

Yugi and Yami blushed as Duke looked at them. "That is what you came up with," Duke hissed at them quietly so they wouldn't be heard, but the two simply shrugged their shoulders.

"Now I wonder who gave this to you." Mrs. Chono wondered out loud catching the boys' attention again. "It's against my rules for my young dancers to be romantically involved with anyone. This sounds like a date waiting to happen. Plus we have the problem of a boy being in the girls' locker room. There is no room on this campus for a peeping tom."

Yugi nearly freaked out at those words. There was no way he could let Duke get in trouble when it was both he and Yami that pushed him to finally confess to Tea. Just as he was about to walk in there and stop this, both he along with Joey and Duke watched in surprised as Yami barge right into the room.

"I did it!" Yami confessed with a blush on his face as he looked anywhere but at Tea. This was so embarrassing but he wasn't about to let Duke take the fall. There was no telling what kind of trouble Duke would get into for being in the girls' locker room. His friends had dreams that could be fulfilled with a college education and Yami could take the risk of getting kicked out.

"No, I was the one who wrote the message!" Yugi barged in after him. There was no way Yami was going to be the only one to take the fall. He caught a glance of Tea looking at them in shock, but after that he mostly kept his eyes on the coach.

It was only about a couple seconds of silence before another voice spoke up, "Thanks guys, but that's enough," Duke said as he walked up to Yami's other side, "It's my message in that puzzle and I was the one who put it in her locker."

"W-Why are there three of you?" Ms. Chono asked with a giggle. "Only one of you is guilty so someone is lying."

Yami leveled her with a glare for putting them through this, "We aren't lying."

Another giggle escaped the coach, "Of course I can just finish the puzzle and find out the name of the guilty party. When I find out who it is, he will be expelled." She was clearly enjoying this a little too much and there was something wrong with that woman.

There were only three pieces of the puzzle left which would reveal Duke's name across the bottom and when Yami looked toward his friend he could see Duke had close his eyes in defeat. Yami could feel the anger course through him because of what she was putting his best friend through.

Unknowing to everyone the puzzle around Yugi's neck gave off a small glow, before Yami leveled the coach with one of his most serious faces. '_Ms. Chono, how dare you wound Duke and Tea's souls… Everyone has secrets in their hearts! Secrets they can only show to a special person. Duke's feelings are in that puzzle and now by the power of the millennium puzzle I change that jigsaw puzzle into a shadow game!'_ Yami thought to himself.

As he watched the coach put the last puzzle piece into place, Yami thought '_Now as much as you hurt others you will hurt yourself!' _

"I have the name!" Ms. Chono cheered loudly. "The person being expelled is…" Her words died in her throat because as if my magic her make up fell off her face in puzzle pieces revealing the coach's true ugly face underneath.

The girls on the bleachers all couldn't help but start laughing not believing how ugly their coach truly looked. As she sneered at that Yami thought, '_Ms. Chono I've removed the makeup of your soul! That is your true face! No matter how much make up you pile on, you can't cover your ugly nature.'_

"AAAAGGGHHH! This never happened! You reveal my secret and I'll get you!" Ms. Chono shouted before she left the room quickly. The girls on the bleachers didn't seem to mind as they started to head to the locker room to get their bags. If the coach wasn't there, there really was no point in having practice.

Joey walked into the room with a grossed out look on his face, "Did you see her face?"

Yami blinked his eyes at the question as he looked and noticed Ms. Chono was no longer there. Something must have happened to make her run out.

"No wonder she wears so much make-up," Yugi pointed out before he noticed Tea had walked over to the puzzle. He smiled and moved behind Duke to push him that way. "This is your chance Duke."

Duke seemed frozen on the spot until Tea looked up at them and smiled. She waved him over and he seemed to get the feeling back in his legs as he slowly walked over.

The other three stayed where they were and listened as the two talked. They were completely surprised when Tea had a blush on her face as she kissed him on the cheek. A second later she was walking to the locker room and Duke was returning to them.

"So what happened?" Joey pressed with a grin.

"We are going out for dinner tonight. She agreed to go out with me." Duke told them with a smile.

Yami patted his friend on the back, "See that wasn't so hard and before long she might even agree to be your girlfriend."

It had been a stressful but happy moment for Duke and Tea. Yami couldn't have been happier for them and hoped things worked out between the two.

* * *

**Sakura: **Sure Ms. Chono was a high school teacher in the book, but I changed that to a dance teacher. So they have never met her before until that day. Let's just say that even though the coach doesn't want them to date, Tea isn't going to let that stop her.

**Yumi: Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Glad to see my readers enjoy that last chapter! I notice I don't get many reviews for each chapter, but thanks to those who do review! As long as someone is reading this story I will continue with it.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**The Poison Man**

Crimson eyes stared at a cell phone not believing the call the owner had just received. Yami had been up since eight that morning on a Saturday no less when he didn't have to be, getting ready for a very important date with a certain amethyst eye lover. However those plans were crushed by a simple phone call.

"Who is on your hit list now?"

Yami turned to see Tristan had walked into the room still in sleep pants heading toward the kitchen for some coffee that Yami had brewed but ten minutes ago. Once the much taller teen made himself a cup and took a sip did he turn around to look at Yami.

"You look like you're about to murder your phone…" Tristan elaborated taking another sip.

Yami sighed and put his phone beside him. He was still curled up on the couch in his own pajamas not seeing a reason to get dressed now. "Yugi's mother called to tell me that Yugi won't be able to make our date today. Yesterday he hadn't been feeling good, but Yugi assured me it was probably just from stress. However turns out Yugi may have a stomach virus, given his fever and stomach pains he developed late last night. Mrs. Mutou let me know that Yugi was really sorry and asked that I don't visit him so I don't catch the bug." He explained to Tristan hating that his partner was sick. In a heartbeat Yami would be there to help and take care of him, but Yugi and Mrs. Mutou would probably just send him away. Plus Yugi always seemed to get into foul moods when sick and Yami already knew his Aibou was not so sweet and innocent when mad.

Tristan moved over to sit down on the couch beside Yami and turn on the TV, "Well I can't be much help with the whole Yugi being sick, but you could always come hang with me and Joey today. Joey has an errand he needs to do and I got roped into tagging along." He said inviting his friend to come along figuring Yami wouldn't want to be stuck in the apartment all alone.

"The only errand I know Joey would do is to grocery shop," Yami pointed out recalling the few times Joey would do the shopping because first off he owned a vehicle that could hold groceries and second he hated what Yami and Tristan picked out. Joey loved food, but he was extra picky. "The fridge is already full…."

Tristan shrugged, "Beats me, but I ain't got nothing better to do."

Yami knew Tristan had a point there and Yami's curiosity was getting the better of him. So since the blond never got up before noon on a Saturday, Yami set about getting ready for the day so he could tag along. If anything he would probably have an interesting and funny story to tell Yugi later on when he got better.

* * *

As predicted Joey did not arise from the dead sleep he was in until a little after noon. Then it took another two hours for him to shower, get dressed, and eat lunch. By the time the blond was done, both Tristan and Yami were more than ready to get out of the apartment. The group piled into Joey's truck and rode for an hour and a half toward downtown Domino, where Joey found a decent place to park and then they still had to walk a couple blocks to the place Joey was looking for.

"Ummm…." The blond kept looking at a piece of paper in his hands and then at a map in his other hand. "The map says it's around here…"

"Joey, where are you taking us?" Tristan piped up stressing out the word where. They had finally turned down an alley which was not too shady looking minus the trash cans.

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Joey told him keeping an eye out for the place, "You got something better to do?"

Yami kept his hands in his pocket and his eyes out for anyone who might want to jump them. Domino was fairly safe, but there were still those thugs that liked to hang around in back alleys waiting on victims. "Is this place safe…?"

Joey nodded turning them onto a better lit street at the end of the alley, "This joint is famous with the fans. They say the owner's crazy for his stuff." He led them to the end of the street where he stopped in front of a shop. "Here we are."

Yami and Tristan both raised eyebrows at the name '_Junky Scorpion'_ hanging above the small shop. The two didn't even have a chance to stop Joey as he went to the open the door while saying, "They've gotta have what I'm looking for." Thus giving the two no choice but to follow.

Inside Yami come to realize that the place wasn't that bad and mostly sold high end clothes and shoes that were no longer in store. Some of the items were really dated and he wondered what in the world Joey was looking for in a place like that.

"You're looking for shoes?" Tristan questioned as Joey picked up the item he was looking for and was pretty much drooling over them.

Joey stopped and glared at Tristan, "Not just any shoes these are Air Muscles! They don't make these shoes anymore and I've pretty much walked out of mine."

Yami looked down and finally noticed that the shoes on Joey's feet were in face Air Muscles, but did look like they had seen better days. It surprised him how little he noticed that Joey never wore any other shoes. If he recalled right the blond had those shoes since back in high school or so Yugi had told him one time back when they first started going out.

"Hey don't touch those!" A voice called from the back causing all three to turn and see the owner come from the back and around the corner to stand in front of Joey. He was a weird looking guy with baggy clothes and sunglasses on even in the day time.

"Those are incredibly rare you can't find them anywhere and they aren't for sale." The owner informed Joey with a sneer.

Joey however was not going to leave without those shoes, "You're the owner right? You gotta sell these to me. I came a long way to find this shop." He said trying to reason with the guy.

"There are more guys who want those sneakers than stars in the sky…" The owner said going off on his own little ramble. "But I won't sell them to just anyone. You got to show you have the stuff to wear these sneakers. Some guys will pay anything to get what they want. Some will even kill…" He pointed down to the shoes he was wearing, "In America, someone got murdered over the sneakers I'm wearing…"

"Haha, thanks for your opinion," Joey replied back sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, before becoming serious, "You gonna sell them or not?"

"Let's see…" The owner looked Joey up and down before saying, "How about this, let's play a little game. See if you have the right stuff."

"A game…?"

The owner nodded before holding up a thin rope that served as a necklace with what looked like a fake scorpion attached by the tail. "This scorpion is more than a mascot. It's a real one with real poison." He took one of the shoes from Joey and looked to have dropped the scorpion inside. "I'll put it in the sneaker…" He then handed the shoe back to Joey. "Now… You got the guts to put your foot in there?"

Joey had a look of shock on his face, "W-What?"

Yami couldn't even believe this was happening, "Joey you can't play this game it's too dangerous." He said trying to convince his friend not to go through with it. Hell if he needed a new pair of shoes like the one he had on, Yami figured he could find someone with a better deal than that.

"Dude, we can find you another pair," Tristan added on what Yami was thinking.

However their words were not reaching Joey it seemed as he stared long and hard at the shoe that was now on the floor in front of him. At first it seemed like he might pull away, before he pulled his foot out of the old pair he had on and while yelling, "I'll show you who's got guts!" The knuckle head rammed his foot into the new shoe not caring about being hurt.

There was a dead silence as Yami and Tristan waited to see if Joey started to yell in pain from the sting. However after a minute the only thing that happened was the store owner clapping.

"You pass…" He told Joey with a smirk "Didn't really put a scorpion in. Just testing you, plus I wouldn't ruin the sneaker like that."

Joey was ecstatic to hear the news and couldn't believe his luck. While his two friends behind him simply sighed not believing how dumb their friend truly was.

"Okay they're yours," The owner said catching their attention again, "And even though they sell for 100,000 yen, I'll let you have those premium rare shoes for half price."

Joey happily paid for the shoes and quickly switched his old pair out in favor of wearing his new shoes. Just before the three could leave the store the owner called out to them one more time.

"Just let me warn you. It's dangerous to wear those in town there days. Some gang calling themselves muscle hunters is going around stealing rare shoes."

The three friends looked at each other thinking, '_Muscle Hunters?'_

"Be careful not to get stripped to your bare feet!" He said with a chuckle, before going back to the back of the store.

* * *

"I know what you're gonna say… That shop owner is half crazy!" Joey said to his friends before a laugh escaped passed his lips and he started to skip down the street they were on. "But the shoes are mine!"

Tristan and Yami hung their heads in shame as people on the street started to stare.

"No one will forget the guy who risked his life for a pair of shoes," Tristan said.

Yami agreed with him, but said aloud, "We're happy for you Joey." He was trying to be supportive but he almost wished he had stayed at home. This had turned into a strange errand, but at least the blond was happy.

While Joey continued to skip down the street in his new shoes bragging about them and boasting about finally being able to chuck the other pair, Tristan lean down to say low enough so only Yami could hear. "His not a little kid, it's embarrassing to walk with him…"

"Even little kids don't skip like that…" Yami pointed out with a quiet chuckle.

After about another minute when Joey realized his friends were making fun of him, did he stop skipping and decided to walk beside his friends like a normal person. "We should get some burgers! I'm starving after all that…"

As the three chatted it up walking down the street toward Burger World they never noticed the shady looking guys following behind them. The gang of thugs took the chance to run right up to the three friends without being stopped and one of them threw a car tire around Joey keeping him from moving.

"What the hell?!" Joey shouted out in surprise before three guys started to well on him with fists and kicks to every part of his body.

Before Yami and Tristan could jump in to help their friend out a couple guys came up behind them giving them a few good punches to stun them. Yami had to curl up on the ground and protect his head from the kicks as his head started to spin from the blow to the head.

"Yami! Tristan!" Joey called out to his friends before a guy took a lucky shot and kicked Joey in the face taking him down for the count. He growled at the guy standing above him who put his foot on the tire to make sure Joey stayed down.

"Y'know these sneakers… They're just too good for you…" The guy said as he took the shoes off of Joey with no problem.

"You lousy…" Joey never got to finish his sentence as more punches came even though the thugs had the shoes.

* * *

Five long minutes later the thugs seemed to have had their fun and walked off with the shoes. They even took the tire back leaving Joey free to move, but even that hurt. By the time the three were able to sit up and figure out what happened the guys were long gone.

Joey turned to their shorter friend who was nursing the side of his face where a good looking bruise had started to appear. Yugi was so not going to be happy about that. "Hey, you alright Yami?"

"I think I'll live," Yami said as he looked at the others, they looked worst off then him but of course they could put up more of a fight then he could.

"Crap, didn't have the shoes on for two blocks." Joey cursed his luck.

Tristan looked off to where the guys had gone, "It was them… The hunters…"

Joey agreed and also noticed the street seemed to be void of people so of course no one saw anything, like they would help anyway. He let out a sigh before turning back to Yami, "Hey sorry you got roped into this…"

"I told you I'm alright." Yami informed his friends. He wasn't that fragile.

"Can you get back to the apartment?"

Yami raised an eyebrow at that. "What about you and Tristan?"

"We want…" Joey and Tristan stood up dusting off the dirt and both looked at each other with the same look in their eyes. "Revenge!"

"I'm not going home until I have those sneakers on my feet again," Joey announced.

Tristan smirked and held up a fist, "I owe those guys a beating."

Yami rolled his eyes but stood up with them dusting the dirt off, "I'll go too… Someone has to make sure you two don't get in too much trouble. "

Joey nodded, "Just make sure to leave the fighting to us."

"I'll it all to you guys," Yami told them as he ran after them. Hopefully it wouldn't take long to find the guys who did this.

* * *

Surprisingly it wasn't hard at all to find the guys and Yami never would figure out how Joey and Tristan knew the thugs would be at the arcade a couple blocks away. He simply stood back as Joey and Tristan approached the small group as they fought over who was cheating in the game or not.

"We don't attack from behind like cowards." Joey announced with a smirk on his face causing them to look his way, "We come from the front!"

Before one of the guys could do anything, Joey gave one of them a bloody nose with a fist to the face. He then grabbed the guy's shirt before he could fall down.

"Yeep….st-…st-…" The guy tried to say with the broken nose he had now. "St-… stop… you broge my node…"

"Because of you…" Joey then gave the guy a swift kick in the face with his sock covered foot, "I have holes in my socks!"

Tristan beside him was giving two other guys a taste of their own medicine. "Take this! And this!"

Yami kept at a safe distance not wanting to be involved, but had to admit that Joey and Tristan still had some mean fighting skills after all their years in high school.

"You shouldn't have picked a fight with us!" Joey shouted as he and Tristan knocked down the last of them. He then reached down to grab the guy he first knocked down who he had seen last with his shoes. "Now I'll have my sneakers back…"

"W-we don't have them…" The guy admitted, "We were just hired… like always…"

"Yeah?" Joey questioned waiting to hear more.

"3000 yen for each person. That doesn't even last an hour at the arcade." The guy said and then confessed by saying, "It's him… the shop owner…"

'_How could he….' _Yami thought as the news of it caused Yami's blood to boil. _'He knew how much Joey wanted those sneakers… Having us beaten up…swindling people!' _The overcoming anger took over and before Joey and Tristan saw anything Yami was gone from the arcade.

* * *

The streets toward the shop were etched into his brain as he turned down the familiar road to the shop. He noticed from a distance that the lights were still on. It was only when he was close enough that he noticed the sign had been changed from open to closed. Yami moved close enough to look in and saw the owner smiling down at the shoes.

"Heh heh heh I just love those fanatics." The owner chuckled loud enough for Yami to hear outside. "When they hear that it's rare they'll pay through the nose. It's all good business for me. All for a pair of sneakers…."

Yami tested the door and realized the owner forgot to lock it and walked right in, "I see, those sneakers are just a way to make money…"

"W…What the-!" The owner shouted as he turned to look at Yami, "Look at the sign! We're closed!"

"I'll take my friend's sneakers back now!" Yami told him with a scowl and his hands in his pockets, "I know that you paid the hunters to steal them back!"

A frown developed on the owner's face, before an idea stuck him and he put on a fake smile. "What? Your friend's sneakers?" He looked beside him to the pair he was holding and faked a look of shock, "Huh…? What are these! How did these get here?"

The owner turned around briefly to do something Yami could not see before he turned back around. "That's strange, but sorry 'bout that. Here take them, they're yours." He handed one of the shoes back to Yami.

Yami went to reach for the shoes with a closed fist and to the surprise of the owner dropped some coins into the shoe.

"What?!" The owner shouted in shock, "Why did you put coins in the sneaker?"

Yami simply smirked at him, "It's a game. Just like your test of courage. Only this time there is a scorpion in that sneaker." The owner still looked at Yami in disbelief so he continued, "The rules are simple. There are ten coins in this sneaker. We'll take turns pulling out coins and hoping your scorpion doesn't sting us. The person who takes the most coins wins."

As predicted the owner took the bait, "I'll take your challenge, but on one condition. If I win you owe me 100,000 yen for each coin. I'm a business man after all."

"Okay," Yami agreed to the terms pretty sure he was going to win this game, "100,000 yen for each coin. On the other hand if I win I simply want the sneakers back."

The shoe was placed on a table between the two and Yami reached his hand forward, "I'll go first…" He was careful not to startle the scorpion and pulled out successfully one of the coins. When he pulled his hand back he could see the scorpion had just reached the coins to try and sting, but Yami had been too quick for it. Once it saw the prey had gotten away it moved back. Yami let out the breath he was holding and with a sigh said, "One down…"

"Heh, that pet has no respect for its owner," The owner sneered pissed that Yami did not receive a sting before reaching forward and putting his hand in to grab a coin, "You wouldn't bite the hand that feeds you…" He said with fake sweetness to the scorpion.

The owner was lucky and was able to get a coin out, thus making it Yami's turn. Yami looked not in the least bit worried as he went to get another coin, which pissed the owner off more.

An evil smirk developed over the owner's face as another plan came to mind to win the game. "Now it's my turn," He said once Yami successful got another coin, "One question. As long as you stick your hand in the shoe to grab the coins anything goes right?"

Yami nodded, "Yes…"

"I see…" The owner said reaching behind him for something, "If that's the case…" With a quick swipe he stabbed the front of the shoe where the scorpion was supposed to be with a knife while reaching his whole hand in to grab all the coins, "Too bad scorpion, but if you're dead… I can take all the coins at once!" He turned looked up to Yami with a laugh, "This game is mine! Pay up kid!"

Yami continued to hold the same smirk on his face and crossed his arms, "You think? That's a dangerous card to play. You got greedy and took a fistful of coins and now…"

It was then the owner realized he couldn't pull his fist out of the shoe. As much as he tired there was no getting it out unless he dropped all the coins.

"And is the scorpion truly dead?" Yami questioned which caused a look of terror to cross the owner's face as shuffling could be heard within the shoe.

The shop was then filled with screams as the scorpion hit its mark causing the owner to drop the coins and pulled the hand out that was in extreme pain.

"In the shadow games, those with weak hearts always lose," Yami said as he went about getting the scorpion carefully out of the shoe then pocketing the coins again while the owner withered on the floor in pain. "If you had any love for your scorpion or those sneakers, I couldn't have foretold how this game would turn out…" With those words the game was over and Yami had won once again.

* * *

Joey had successful gotten both him and Tristan completely lost while trying to find the shop again since he had thrown away the map and address with his old shoes. The two also had tried to relocate their friend who had gone missing at the arcade. It was only when they finally remembered the streets it was on and got close enough did they find Yami coming out of the alley with the shoes.

"Dude you got them back?" Joey questioned not believing it.

Yami nodded, "I hurried back to the shop while you dealt with the thugs so the owner couldn't resale them, but when I got there he was being taken to the hospital from a scorpion sting. So I simply went in and got the shoes back since you paid for them." True Yami was lying though his teeth but he was pretty sure Joey wouldn't believe him if he told them that he had simply woken up with the owner being taken to the hospital and the shoes in his hand. He honestly couldn't remember what happened after he saw Joey and Tristan beating up the thugs for stealing the shoes.

Tristan frowned at that, "We were just about to go kick his butt…"

"Oh and I don't know why but…" Yami held out the shoes to Joey, "There's a hole in one of the sneakers."

Joey freaked at that, but soon realized the damaged wasn't that bad as he took the shoes back and put them on. He would just have to get new laces for the pair. "I'll consider this hole a battle scar!" The blond said with a grin.

"I still don't get it…" Tristan said as he rolled his eyes as they all started to walk back to Joey's truck.

The day had been long and tiring and the three were just ready to go home for the night. Plus a certain crimson eyed teen still had to call his partner to see how he was doing and tell him of the weird errand he had to run with their friends.

* * *

**Sakura: **I tried to make this chapter less boring, but it's not one of my favorites. I thought it would be better to let Yami hang out with Joey and Tristan for a change and put Tristan in the story a little more. Thankfully now I can move on and bring Seto into the story with the next chapter!

**Yumi: Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **If there are any puppyshipping fans reading this then you may or may not like this chapter. I'm not going to say there is puppyshipping, because it won't be established in this chapter, but it's a starting point. Most importantly Seto will make a appearance in this chapter and the next one. Also one last thing pay close attention to this first part of the chapter, I added my own little twist!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**The Cards with Teeth (Part One)**

The bell above the game shop door rang signaling to Yugi he had a costumer. However when he looked up from the gaming magazine he was lazily flipping through his horrible afternoon became a little brighter. His frown turned into a smile as he welcomed his friends inside. Tea, Tomoya, Yami, and Joey walked up to the counter Yugi was forced to work behind and stood in front of it given the shop had no costumers at the moment.

"Boring day?" Yami questioned while Yugi groaned.

"It's the worst! I'm waiting on grandpa to get back from his little errand then I'll be free."

Joey grinned down at his little friend, "Good because I still need to beat you at that fighter game down at the arcade."

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," Yugi said before he turned to his lover, "I guess plans changed with your brother?"

Yami shook his head, "No, but I got a call that he was running late, so I told him I would be down here at the game shop. Hitch a ride over here with Joey before he left, so at least there is a bright side to my day."

Yugi rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Yami. "You're just hoping Seto will decide not to come by here to get you."

"Whatever you say," Yami said with a grin before he moved away to go look at something.

"So Yug," Joey piped up getting Yugi's attention again, "Any new cards come in?"

Yugi thought about it before he reached below the counter for a small box. "Only a few single cards came in from Pegasus. A new line of cards are getting ready to come out next month and he sent our shop a few to display to the public."

Joey carefully took the box from Yugi and started to look inside, while Tea said, "I can tell business is still doing good if Pegasus is sending you items for the shop."

Yugi sighed, "It not so much the new items, it's the fact that Grandpa still likes to point out that his grandson is the King of Games. I think I work as a poster boy more than the front counter." He gestured to the empty shop, "I'm just glad grandpa picked a slow time to let me handle the counter. The older crowd is pretty simple to handle than the younger crowd."

"I'm sure the ladies are still coming around every so often," Joey teased since almost every week girls would come in the shop to get a peek at Yugi.

The growl from Yami could be heard across the room where he and Tomoya had moved over to check out the new RPG items in that week. Yugi sighed and waved it off, "Don't worry dear you're the only one for me." He then turned a glare toward Joey, "You love to get him riled up don't you."

Joey shrugged and handed Yugi back the box, "You just have a very jealous boyfriend is all."

The bell on top the door rang again and all eyes turned to see Solomon Mutou walked in with a bag. "Oh it seems we have visitors today," He commented heading over to the counter to stand beside Yugi. The bag was then passed over to his grandson, "I got the items your mother asked for."

Yugi eyes widen, "That is the errand you had to run? I could have done that!"

Solomon simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Now don't keep your mother waiting…"

Yugi grumble something under his breath, before grabbing the bag and heading in the back of the shop toward the apartment half of the place. A few seconds later Yami went right pass them to follow him. Tomoya rejoined everyone at the counter while Solomon took his seat back and all of them started to discuss duel monsters and other games.

It wasn't but a few minutes after Yugi and Yami returned that the door to the game shop opened again with the ringing of the bell. All of them looked up to see none other than Seto Kaiba himself standing in the doorway his silver briefcase in hand as always. He had not changed since the last time Yugi had seen him which was pretty much back in high school, since Seto never cared to get to know the person his brother was dating.

The tall CEO let his eyes wonder around the shop before they landed on Yami and Yugi. "So this is the game shop your family owns Mutou?"

Yugi nodded, "It's good to see you Kaiba." He said being formal with the taller male. The few times he was around Seto he hated the looks he got and tried to be as nice as possible.

Yami could feel the tension in the air so he made the first move and walked over to his brother, "Alright let's get this over with."

"Wants the rush little brother? I may want to see the game shop that has become famous thanks to the King of Games."

"How many times have I told you to drop the little! I'm the same age as you damn it!" Yami growled crossing his arms. "Besides you never cared before so let's go."

However Seto completely ignored his brother as he walked over to the counter to which Tea and Tomoya moved to the side, but Joey stood his ground. "You're not welcomed here Kaiba." The blond stated with a frown.

"And I didn't think they let dogs hang out in stores." Seto retaliated, which caused Joey to growl and attempt to go after the guy until Yugi and Tea pushed him over to the side.

Yami sighed, "Alright enough with the insults can we go?"

Seto once again ignore his brother and was taking a peek at the cards displayed in the counter and on the self behind Mr. Mutou until his eyes locked on one card. "It can't be…"

Solomon looked behind him at the card that had caught Seto's eye. It was none other than the Blue Eyes White Dragon a rather rare card that he never had plans on selling.

"Old man…" Seto said slamming his hand on the counter causing Solomon to jump, "Where'd you get that card?"

It was then that Yami cringed, that was why he never wanted his brother to visit this certain game shop. All his life he wanted a Blue Eyes White Dragon card and when Yami found out Yugi's grandfather had one he kept it a secret and made Yugi promise not to ever let it slip if they were in his brother's presence. Now Yami saw it was a mistake to let Seto pick him up at the game shop but he had no idea he would come inside.

"Seto…?"

It was too late Seto had already put his briefcase on the counter and opened it showing thousands of rare duel monsters cards. "Old man…! If you give me that Blue-Eyes White Dragon I'll trade you all of these cards!" He explained to the shock of everyone but Yami.

Yugi looked between his grandfather and Seto, but could already tell his grandfather wouldn't go for the deal. That card was too precious to him. He took a quick look toward his partner and saw Yami glaring daggers at Seto's back. Once this was over with Seto was going to hear an ear full from Yami, which in turn would mean later in the night Yami would call him to complain about his brother.

"I'm sorry but no…" It was a quick and simply response from Solomon which surprised everyone but Yami and Yugi.

By the look on Seto's face he wasn't happy, so Solomon went on to explain, "I know why you want this card so much. However I have a good reason to hold on to it. It's not just because it's a strong card. An important gamer friend of mine from America gave me this card. This card is important to me as my friend. I could never give it up." He said pointing to the photo that was beside the dragon which showed grandpa standing beside another older gentleman. "If you really treasure something it grows a heart of its own. Just like that card. You would never trade anything for it. So take good care of each and every card in this case Kaiba then you'll find the true strength of the game."

Seto shut his brief case and without another world grabbed it while turning around to leave. Yami waved to the others before he followed him out the door prepared to give him the lecture of a life time. That was completely embarrassing and Yami wasn't going to stand for it.

Once they were gone the tension left the room so everyone could relax again. However a few questions still lingered in the air.

"They are the same age?" Tomoya voiced up making everyone turned to look at him. He blushed at the attention, but elaborated, "I know Seto was in our class but I thought he was a year older than Yami."

"They're fraternal twins." Yugi told him and it seemed like this was the first time Tea and Joey heard this as Joey turned on him with widened eyes.

"Seriously…?" Joey asked with shock clear in his voice. "I mean they look and act nothing alike."

"Fraternal twins don't look so much alike as identical twins," Solomon explained to the blond, "Although those two take it to the extreme level being completely different in looks."

Yugi was surprised his friends were surprised by this when Yami and Seto were in their class for the longest time. "I thought you already knew all this. Yami explained it to me back when we first started dating. They look nothing alike but they were born at the same time, well Yami was born five minutes later but it was still on the same day."

"I hate to be in Yami's shoes." Joey commented the shock of it all settling down. "He has been following in his brother's footsteps since birth."

Yugi nodded, "Yami just never lets it get to him. There are some things he can do that his brother can't, plus it's thanks to their little brother Mokuba that they are even civil with each other."

"And what would that be?" Tea questioned wanting Yugi to continue.

Honestly Yugi couldn't believe he was explaining all this to his friends when they have known Yami for years now. "Now you have to promise to keep this a secret," He got a nod from them and then said, "If it hadn't been for Mokuba getting sick it would have probably been both Yami and Seto in the finals at Duelist Kingdom and between those two Seto would have stood no chance again Yami."

This was the most shocking news of the day. "They didn't enter because of Mokuba?" Tomoya asked for all of them.

"Yeah, after I won Duelist Kingdom and Yami and I started to date he told me the truth. He explained to me that he and Seto were worried about Mokuba since he was running such a high fever at such a young age and backed out of the tournament. Seto was already the national champion here in Japan, so it wasn't a big lost to him and Yami admitted to me he only enjoy duel monsters when it was a simple fun game. He used to play all the time with Seto when they were younger, but then Seto started to compete in tournaments to become better than Yami so it became less fun for Yami." Yugi explained to them. He was pretty sure if he had ever gone up against Yami or Seto in a tournament they would have given him a run for his money. The young duelist sometimes wondered what a duel with them would be like and if he would win since he did defeat the creator of duel monsters. Yami however never would duel him and sometimes Yugi wondered why. He honestly never seen Yami hold a deck of cards unless he was helping Yugi tweak his a little.

Joey got this odd smirk on his face. "I would love to see Yami wipe the floor with Kaiba."

Yugi glare at his friend, "Now don't go telling Yami I told you all this. If he hasn't already told you it was for good reason. They may not be the perfect family, but there are some things in Yami's life he wants to keep private from the media."

"I did promise didn't I. Don't worry so much…" Joey said, because when he makes a promise he knows when to keep it. "Alright can we finally go to the arcade?"

The plans to go to the arcade that had almost been forgotten about, but now they were set back into motion and the small group was ready to have some fun.

* * *

The next day was hectic for Joey Wheeler as his boss called him in early on a Sunday when it was normally his day to sleep in after a long time at work on Saturday night. He was simply a bus boy cleaning tables at a restaurant and it didn't seem like hard work but it was when the place got busy. The job allowed him to have some money on the side thanks to Yami covering the rent of the apartment and a little money to help his father out. Although he wasn't close to his father since moving out, the old man was still his parent and he felt the need to look out for him. Mr. Wheeler was decent on the days he wasn't drunk, so as long as Joey saw him on days he was sober they were both good.

After working at the restaurant until well after one in the afternoon, Joey ended up getting a flat tire on his truck and had to have the thing towed to Tristan's work so he could get a good deal on a new tire. That took another two hours since the place had been packed with other clients.

When he finally got back to the apartment the only thing he wanted to do was eat a snack and sleep the day away, but it seemed like fate was not on his side. As soon as the blond sat down with a sandwich to relax his cell phone rang. He grabbed the annoying device and looked at the number. It was listed as unknown and he thought about ignoring it, but in case it was one of his friends calling from somewhere else he decided to answer.

"Hello?"

"_I'm surprised you answered…"_

Joey frowned at the familiar voice, but for some reason he couldn't quite place it. "Who is this?"

"_I'm hurt mutt I figured you would remember me."_

"Oh hell no…! How the hell did you get my number?" Joey yelled into the phone. There was only one person who called him mutt and it was the last person he wanted to talk to.

There was a chuckle on the other end, "_It was pretty easy. I pay for my brother's phone bill and I can see every number he dials."_

Joey growled, "I want you to lose this number. The last thing I need is for you to harass me over the phone. I got enough of you in high school."

"_Oh come on now Joey, all that was in the past. I could be a changed man for all you know."_

"Yeah when hell freezes over…" Joey mumbled under his breath, but he was pretty sure Kaiba could still hear it. "What do you want anyway? Yami's not with me, he is out with Anzu and Yugi."

"_I called to see if you wanted to grab a coffee with me tomorrow."_

Joey nearly choked on the bite of sandwich he had eaten and had to grab his glass of water to wash it down. Once he could breathe again, he could only say, "What?"

"_You know coffee or do you not drink that. We could always go somewhere else."_

The blond was about to have heart failure. He couldn't believe the same stuck up CEO he went to high school with who used to love to mess with him and insult him was asking him out. "Alright who put you up to this prank?" Joey asked not one bit believing him. As much as he secretly would love to take him up on the offer there was no way this was real. It was a stupid crush he had on the CEO back in high school and he gave up on Seto changing long ago. Seto was the only guy he had ever had a crush on before so he figured it was a onetime thing and it was time to move on. Kaiba was the one person who made him question his sexuality for reasons Joey wished he knew.

"_No one put me up to this. I realized you must have thought I was the same jerk from high school after the way I acted at the game shop. Yami had a talk with me and made me promise to apologize to you. We are both grown-ups now and I think it's time we put high school behind us."_

Joey rolled his eyes. "Easier say than done Kaiba…."

"_Give me one chance and then after tomorrow if you never want to see or hear from me again I will understand."_

A part of Joey wanted to deny the offer, but a small part of him wondered what it would be like to hang out with someone like Kaiba. Back in high school he used to wonder what it would be like to go on a date, however if he agreed to this he would make it clear to Kaiba they were just hanging out. "Fine, but I have classes so I'll call you and we can meet somewhere, but a place of my choice."

It was silent on the other end before Kaiba said, "_I'll agree to that. See ya later puppy!" _

The line went dead before Joey could say anything else and he pulled the phone away from him looking at it funny. "Did he just call me puppy?" Joey wondered and seriously wished he knew what went through Seto's head when he gave him those stupid nicknames. The idea of going out with someone who could make his blood boil wasn't the way he had planned to spend his afternoon tomorrow, but if anything he was partly curious to see what would happen.

* * *

A week and a half later the gang was getting together one fairly warm Saturday afternoon at the park. It was the one day everyone could get together so they planned it out especially since the winter whether would be rolling in soon. Everyone was supposed to bring something to eat to share and bring their dueling decks. Joey thought it would be cool to have a little tournament, plus he was secretly hoping Yami would agree to duel also so he could see how really good he was.

The picnic table was full of food at the spot the group picked out around noon except one end of the table which had a dueling mat laid out. At the moment while the others watched, Tomoya and Duke were attempting to duel each other and the winner would go up against someone else. Tea and Tristan had been the first to duel with Tristan losing rather quickly even though both were still low level players then Duke was voted to go up against Tea. The two had been dating for a while now but that didn't stop Duke from beating her, which didn't seem to bother Tea one bit. Tomoya was now going up against Duke and at the moment it looked like Tomoya might win the duel with his favorite zombie cards.

Yami currently had Yugi on his lap the two of them sharing some chip and dip, but mostly Yami was trying to avoid begin picked to duel next. He had a feeling though Joey either wanted to go up against him or he wanted Yami to go up against Yugi. The crimson eye teen couldn't even lie that he didn't have a deck because Yugi knew that he did have one. His little one begged him to bring it and at least try to have fun.

A cry of victory was heard as Tomoya somehow managed to win. Duke was putting his cards away and stood up from his spot. "Alright I'm out who is next?"

Yugi looked around the group of friends and then looked to Joey who was busy with his phone, "You want to go next Joey?"

Joey shook his head and was still typing on his phone. "You can go ahead buddy…"

Yugi frowned at that before he looked to Yami, "You want to go?"

"Do you seriously have to ask?" Yami questioned hoping to get out of it.

The smaller sighed before he stood up and moved to the spot Duke had once sat at. "I guess I'm up next," He announced pulling out his deck and shuffling the cards. Tomoya looked a little nervous but Yugi gave him a reassuring smile, "No worries, sometimes you have to go up against the toughest opponents first to get stronger."

"I'll have to trust you on that," Tomoya said back to him as he gathered his cards and reshuffled them.

As they started their duel, Yami poked Joey's leg with his foot under the table. "What is with you and that phone?"

Joey looked up, before looking back at his phone and then putting it away, "Sorry, I invited someone to join us and he is late."

"Oh I didn't think you were seeing anyone…" Yami teased which caused a blush to light up on Joey's face, "Is this why you have been avoiding all of us for the past week and a half."

Joey was quick to shake his head no, "You have the wrong idea he is just a friend."

A tall figure was caught heading their way out of the corner of their eyes and both Joey and Yami turned at the same time. Yami's eyes widen while Joey had a smile on his face as none other than Seto Kaiba came walking up to their table. Joey stood up to Yami's surprise and approached the CEO.

"Took you long enough…."

"The meeting took longer than I thought pup, but I'm here now." Seto said with a smile which caused Yami's jaw to drop. He never smiled for anyone but their little brother!

That voice caught everyone's attention and there were a lot of surprise looks because of the scene in front of them. Never in a million years did they think that Joey and Seto could stand to be near each other let along Seto having his arms around Joey's shoulder as if they were the best of friends.

This was all too much and Yami was freaking out a little. He stood up without warning and went over to Joey grabbing his hand. "Can I have a word with you alone?" He stressed pulling Joey away from the group as Seto moved over to see the duel between Tomoya and Yugi. At first the two weren't sure what to do, but Yugi somehow composed himself long enough to make his next move.

Once they were at a good distance Yami turned on Joey, "What the hell was that about?"

Joey looked confused, "I don't know what you are talking about."

"That!" Yami shouted pointing toward his twin, "You two hated each other just a week ago and now you are…are…" He couldn't even find the right words.

"Friends…" Joey finished for him with a nod, "He called me up and wanted to apologize for the way he acted that one day at the game shop. Actually he said you told him he should apologize to me. We went out for lunch soon after that and I'm surprised by how much he has changed since high school."

"Apologize?" Yami questioned confused. He just told Seto to stop insulting his friends he knew Seto would never apologize to anyone. The shorter teen looked toward his brother who was giving Tomoya some pointers which was scaring Yami slightly. He had never seen his brother be so friendly to people. "Even if he did apologize why in the world are you two so civil with each other?"

Joey looked toward Seto and Yami noticed the look because it was the same look he got when he thought about Yugi or so his friends told him. "I don't know. We went out for lunch that one time and he was so nice to me for once. I guess he changed over the last few years for the better. After that we kept in touch and continued to hang out when we could."

"So this has nothing to do with the crush you had on my brother back in high school?"

The blush was back on Joey's face, "Who told you that!"

"Who else… Yugi told me a while back about the crush you had. We have no secrets between each other and at one point Yugi thought you two might end up together so he thought I should know." Yami pulled Joey's attention back to him, "So does it?"

Joey shook his head, "No it doesn't! I got over that crush a long time ago and moved on. Besides it wouldn't hurt for your brother to be friends with me since you are dating my best friend." He was lying through his teeth since over the past week that crush was slowly returning, but Yami didn't need to know that.

Of course Yami didn't believe him, but let it go in favor of walking back to the table before his brother did something stupid. Joey followed right behind and went over to sit back in his seat. Yami sat across from him and kept a watchful eye on twin.

"It is fun watching you play," Seto informed Yugi as he was nearly done with the duel, "Maybe one day you and I can duel each other."

Yugi put on his best smile even though it as a little weird with his boyfriend's brother hovering over his duel with his friend. "Thanks maybe one day we will."

Seto took note that Yugi's other friends were busy talking and eating and the only one watching him was the mutt and his brother. The plan was in full swing and he just hoped he could pull it off with his next question. "By the way, do you have the blue-eyes white dragon with you by any chance?"

"How'd you know it was there?" Yugi asked as he picked up his deck box which was beside him. The day before Joey had asked him if he could bring it to their friendly tournament since he wanted to see it in action. Joey had the famous red eyes black dragon and his friend had said he wanted to see how the two would fair in a duel together. It was surprising that Seto knew he had it, "I begged grandpa to lend it to me just for the day."

"Could you show it to me one more time?" Seto asked carefully, "Ever since I saw it in your shop I haven't been able to get it off my mind. What your grandfather said made me realize what it means to love the cards."

At first Yugi didn't look too sure, before he put on another smile and took the card out of his deck box. "Okay then, but be careful."

Seto held the card in his hand once it was handed to him as he had his other hand in his back pocket. "It truly is a beautiful card." He waited until his brother looked away for a second and no one else was playing attention before he pulled a copy of the card out of his pocket and put the real card behind him in his other pocket. "Thank you, Yugi. Just holding this card makes me love this game more than ever."

Yugi took the card back and looked at it for a second before he put it back in his deck box. "No problem."

After that Seto moved away from the duel and back over to Joey where a seat was open. The rest of the gang seemed to ignore the CEO while Joey easily struck up a conversation with him. The duels were quickly forgotten about as Tomoya lost the duel and fixed himself another plate, while Yugi moved back over to Yami and sat back in his lap. As Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi he glared at his brother as his twin put his arm around Joey's shoulders once again to which the blond did nothing about it. Yami was sure his brother didn't know, but Yami knew what his brother had done, however he was going to be the bigger person and not cause a scene. No Yami would confront his brother but later when the two were alone.

* * *

**Sakura: **Instead of the start of the duel we all know is coming up being in this chapter, I did it different from the manga and I am saving the confrontation for the next chapter along with the full duel. I had to add a hint of puppyshipping in here, but I'll leave my readers guessing on whether it will last much longer.

Oh and I'm sure I just totally blew some minds out there with the whole twin thing. I had that planned from the start because I thought it would be a nice twist. I always wanted to make Seto and Yami twins since they are always cousins in the stories I read. It changes things up a little… Plus I have seen some twins before that look nothing alike, but were born at the same time. It's really interesting how that turns out.

**Yumi: Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I can't guarantee two updates every week, but this chapter was already finished and I figured it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and get it out there for the readers to read. Let's see how everything turns out with Seto after his little stunt last chapter...

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**The Card with Teeth (Part Two)**

Later in the evening Yugi found himself in the elevator at Kaiba Corp with his boyfriend. Yami looked pissed and Yugi knew he had good reason to be. Yugi knew Seto had stolen his grandfather's Blue Eyes White Dragon, but kept quiet about it so he didn't cause a scene. What Yugi hadn't known was that his lover had noticed it too and as soon as they found some time alone, Yami dragged him to Kaiba Corp to confront Seto about it. This had to be hard on Yami given it was his twin who stole form Yugi, but that still didn't stop the smaller teen from worrying how this would turn out. Yami did have a bit of a temper and sometimes he would say things he did not mean. Yugi only hoped that Mokuba wasn't here with his brother.

When they stepped off the elevator at the top floor they found it empty with Kaiba's secretary nowhere to be found. However what they did find was yelling coming from the closed office doors and Yugi knew that voice.

"What is Joey doing here?" He asked but went silent when Joey started yelling again.

"You're a no good bastard! I trusted you and you pull a stunt like this!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about mutt! If you only came to yell at me I suggest you leave before I call security."

"I can't believe I thought we could be friends!"

Seto's laugh was clear through the doors. "Friends…? You seriously thought I would want to be friends with someone like you."

"So all this time you were using me? You really are an egotist prick. I will never understand what I saw in you to make me like you."

Yugi felt sorry for Joey having to go through all this. He had a feeling the blond still had feeling for Seto and he hated to see him being hurt like that.

"Love is for the weak mutt…."

Yami seemed to have had enough as he pushed opened the doors to the office and strolled right in with Yugi hurrying behind him. They found Seto calmly sitting at his desk with Joey standing in front of it. His face was red from all the yelling and from knowing him for years Yugi could tell he was trying to hold back tears.

Joey straighten himself up and turned to his friend, "Yami, Yugi, what are you two doing here?"

Yugi bravely stepped up and faced Seto, "I came to get my card back."

A look of shock took over Joey's face, "You saw it too…"

Yami nodded, "Yugi didn't say anything about him switching the cards because so many people were around. He didn't want to cause a scene." He turned to Seto, "I also saw what you did Seto and I can't believe you would stoop so low just for a card."

"You think I stole your card?" Seto laughed at that, "I give it back to you just as I told the mutt here."

Joey growled at that, but Yugi looked at him to be quiet, "Even I can tell the difference between a copy and the real thing…" He looked back to Seto almost begging him to return it. "Please just give it back."

Seto stood up and slammed his hands on his desk. "I know nothing about it!"

"You must know!" Yuugi yelled trying his hardest not to cry. "You have to know how important that card is to my grandpa! If I don't keep my promise and give him his card back, I'll break grandpa's heart. I can't do that to him. He's my grandpa! I can't betray him."

"Oh come on… what about my feelings?" Seto said with a hidden smirk as he reached for the button to call security, "I really don't know about your card."

Yugi saw what he was doing and rushed forward putting his hand over the button. "But Kaiba..!"

"Shut up already!" Seto yelled before shocking them all by backhanding Yugi.

Yami's eyes widen in shock as he saw his lover back away with a hand to his face. His eyes slowly started to harden as he glared at his brother, family or not, his brother did not have any right to touch Yugi in such a way. Joey looked about ready for a fight as he also glared at the CEO.

"How dare you!" Joey growled out.

Just before the two could do something about it, Yugi's posture changed before he too looked up at Seto with a glare, "Fine, I'll duel you for the card back."

Both Yami and Joey were taken by surprise at that. Somehow Yami's anger started to leave at seeing Yugi stand up for himself. His partner was getting stronger every day it seemed.

"Yugi are you sure?" Yami asked while Yugi turned to him with a smile.

"We will prove right here and now who deserves the Blue Eyes White Dragon."

* * *

A few minutes later Yami and Joey found themselves in the testing area of Kaiba Corp where Yami had witness his twin spend countless hours perfecting his hologram technology for the game of Duel Monsters. It was the same system used in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and now other tournaments around the world. At first it seemed like a simple table with two chairs in the middle of the room, but on closer look, the table had places set up for the cards and around the table were holographic monitors to make the Duel monsters come to life on the table. Since the first creation, the system has had some changes made to it like the weird glass box that used to go around it. Yami had always felt claustrophobia in the thing which the one time his brother listened to him about changing the design of it.

Now he was about to witness his lover and twin brother go up against each other. He knew Seto never backed down from a challenge and he was probably overjoyed by this moment to try and take Yugi's title as King of Games away. The problem for Yami was they still did not know if Seto had the Blue Eyes White Dragon on him or not.

A hand landed on Yami's shoulder as Yugi and Seto took their places. He looked up to see Joey smiling down at him, "Don't worry, Yugi ain't going to let old money bags over there, take him down so easy."

"I'm not I am more worried about my brother. Yugi will probably win this duel and thus give my brother the crushing blow he deserves."

He heard the teen beside him sigh, "I think I get what you are saying. Ever since I meant him in high school I felt like this was never the real Seto. Then I got to be with him over the past week and I thought he changed. This duel will either knock some sense into him or make matters worse."

"Let's pray for the best," Yami said as he watched the duel as it began.

Seto drew his first card before laying the monster down in attack mood. "I'll summon Ryu-Kishin Gargoyle in attack mode," He announced as the monster appeared above the card as if it was alive.

Yugi looked carefully at his cards, before he laid down his own monster, "I choose The Blackland Fire Dragon to stand against your monster," He said before he called his attack, "The Dragon's flame breath defeats the gargoyle."

The dragon killed the gargoyle in one move taking five hundred of Kaiba's life points with it.

Kaiba kept his face blank as Yugi ended his turn and he drew his next card. "Alright, then I summon Minotaur the Battle Ox in attack mode," He then announced his own attack, "Go, Battle Ox, slice the fire dragon to ribbons!"

In one fluent movement the dragon was sliced to pieces and Yugi lost two hundred of his life points.

Joey could already tell by the looks on both the duelists faces that this duel was far from over. Yugi was the King of Games for a reason given how good he was at the game without really trying. He also knew that Seto was good but never had seen him duel before.

"My next card is The Mystical Elf!" Yugi said after he drew his card when Kaiba ended his turn. He put his monster in defense faced up. '_She has good defense but her attack won't stand against his battle ox. I'll play her defensively and buy some time.'_ He thought to himself trying to figure out the best strategy.

"Very smart… The mystical elf's defense beats battle ox's attack by a safe margin. If I attack, I'll just hurt myself…" Kaiba said what Yugi was thinking as he reached down to change his card, "So I'll go into defense mode as well." He then chuckled, "Looks like we're in a stalemate. So we'll take turns drawing and building our hands. At least until I draw a card that can defeat your elf."

Seto reached to draw a card and took a second to look at it before he placed it behind his monster faced down, "I'll save this for next turn."

'_What kind of card did he draw…?"_'Yugi thought to himself as he stared at the face down card, '_If his battle ox gets any stronger I won't be able to stop it.' _He then drew his next card and frowned when it was a weak monster known as Skull Servant. '_No good… A weak undead like this can't do anything!'_

There was no other choice he could make so Yugi placed the Skull Servant in defense mode face down to give himself a better defense before letting Kaiba take his turn.

Seto smirked as he flipped over his face down card, "I'm playing a spell card on my Battle Ox. Giant's Might gives Battle Ox a power boost by twenty percent."

The Battle Ox's attack power went up from one thousand and seven hundred to two thousand and forty. With the beast powered up there was nothing stopping Kaiba from launching his next attack. "Now Battle Ox's attack is higher than your stupid Elf's defense! Attack the Elf!"

In one movement Mystical Elf was no more and Yugi was forced to simply draw a card and place another monster face down.

Yami watched as the turns went by and Yugi could only defend himself with face down monsters. He knew Yugi had something strong enough in his deck to beat that Battle Ox it was just a matter of him drawing it. The crimson eyed teen looked toward his brother who was enjoying every minute of this duel. He only wished he could wipe that smirk off his face, but the only thing he could do was trust Yugi.

"Give up Yugi! There's no way you can win," Kaiba taunted as the Battle Ox wiped out the last monster on Yugi's side.

Yugi ignored Kaiba's words as he stared at his deck. '_I believe in my deck…' _He told himself as he drew his next card. His eyes lit up in surprise before a smirk of his own took over his face, "Summoned Skull come forth in attack mode!"

This move took Kaiba by surprise and he was at a loss for words as Yugi called for his monster to attack, "Say goodbye to Battle Ox! Demon Lightning!"

Joey watched at that moment as the tide turn in Yugi's favorite and any card Kaiba put down was taken down easily by Summon Skull. He knew Yugi wasn't down for the count not in the slightest.

The next few turns were going to be the deciding factor in his duel and by the looks in both duelists eyes neither one were ready to give up. Yami could tell by the look in Yugi's eyes that this duel was just as challenging as the duel with Pegasus, however something seemed off about his brother. He couldn't tell what it was but something did not seem right when he looked at his brother.

"I have to say you're pretty good Yugi. I see now why Pegasus never stood a chance against you," Kaiba said and Yami noticed he had reached down on his other side for something. "But this is as far as it goes," Seto told Yugi as his hand came back up and hovered over his deck like he had just draw a card, "I've got a special card I've been saving for this eventuality…."

Yami knew at that moment what had happened and his nightmare came true when his own twin brother played the powerful Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"What?" Yugi gasped in shock, he knew Kaiba had his grandfather's Blue Eyes but he didn't think he would play it.

The powerful Blue Eyes White Dragon came to life before them all in its shiny glory. Yugi along with Joey and Yami were in a state of shock.

"I know nothing about your grandfather's card… This is my very own card. I just happened to get it from someone." Kaiba told them with a smirk, "Your summoned skull doesn't stand a chance against my dragon and I'm pretty sure nothing in your deck will help you. It would seem the great King of Games has finally lost a duel."

Yugi knew if he tried he could win this duel, but at the moment it just felt hopeless. His hands went to his puzzle in a silent prayer and he never noticed the soft glow it gave off. Yami however did notice it, but it was gone as quickly as it came so it put it off as a tick of light as he eyes went back to the duel.

"Go Blue Eyes! Finish Yugi off!"

However it was to the surprise of everyone in the room the Blue Eyes White Dragon did not move or attack at all.

"Huh? Why don't you attack?" Kaiba asked confused.

A thought stuck Yami at that moment and before he knew what he was doing he was saying, "Seto… You still don't understand the true meaning of this game. That card won't attack Yugi, because your soul isn't in that Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"W-What?" Seto yelled looked toward Yami.

"Grandpa's soul is behind those blue eyes…" Yami stated as the dragon slowly started to disappear. "To Yugi's grandpa that card was more than a collectible. The dragon was torn between its fate to destroy and it's loyalty to Grandpa's soul. It chose to destroy itself as the only way to fulfill its duty."

"That's impossible….!" Seto exclaimed, "There's no way that cards can think!"

Yugi looked toward Yami who nodded his head, before Yugi gave his full attention back to the duel. He reached down to flip over the card he had put down his last turn, "I'll choose this turn to use my face down card. Monster Reborn!"

The powerful Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared once again but on Yugi's side of the field this time around. "Attack Burst Stream!" Yugi commanded the dragon and it obeyed with no problem taking out the rest of Kaiba's life points.

Seto could only sit there in shock as he was defeated in a game he had greatly excelled at. Now he had suffered a grueling defeat against a powerful rival.

Yami walked over to the table as Yugi picked up his cards and carefully picked up the Blue Eyes White Dragon from the table. His brother did nothing to stop him as he could only stare down at his cards not believing they failed him. "I hope this is a lesson to you brother, the heart of the cards is real and once you learn to respect your cards as Yugi has that is when you will become a true duelist. As for the dragon, Yugi will be returning it to his grandfather as agreed upon in this duel." Once those words left his lips Yami turned and joined Yugi, who had walked over to Joey.

The blond watched Seto for the longest time, before he torn his eyes away to look down at his best buddy. "Good job Yug…"

Yugi smiled up at him, "Thanks," His smile got even brighter when Yami handed him back his grandfather's card. "Grandpa will be so happy to have this back where it belongs."

Yami ruffled Yugi's hair, before slinging an arm around his shoulders, "Come on lets grab some dinner on the way home first. It's been a while since we had lunch."

As if nothing had changed the three walked away, but not before Joey glanced one more time over his shoulder. He let out a sigh as Seto had yet to move from that spot. It seemed things would never work out between those two and yet Joey hated the fact that he felt like he had his heart ripped out of his chest and stomped on.

* * *

"Hey Yami…" Silence was the only reply Yugi got, so he rolled over in his bed to see Yami facing away from him. He sat up and looked over to see if Yami was still awake or not. What he found was Yami staring straight ahead at the door which was closed and locked so Yugi's mother wouldn't walk in and find out Yami was not sleeping on the floor like she wanted him to when he spent the night. "Yami, I can see you're not asleep."

Yami let out a sigh and rolled over so he was on his back, "What is it Yugi?"

"I wanted to know if you were alright…" Yugi said as he lay down on top of Yami, "You were quiet at dinner."

Yami looked off to the side avoiding eye contact with his partner, "I can't say that I'm fine, I'm worried how all this will turn out in the long run."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that my brother has always been this strong silent guy. That was okay at first, but now…" Yami ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "He resorted to stealing just to get what he wanted. I used to look up to him when I was little and now he pulls a stunt like this. I'm just glad Mokuba wasn't around to see it."

Yugi nodded as he listened, "But you gotten remember Mokuba has two big brothers to look up to. Seto made a mistake and hopefully our duel will help him see that."

"Then there is Joey…" Yami explained next, "I knew back in high school he had a crush on my brother, which to this day I will never understand, then Seto goes and plays with his heart. I understand he doesn't like Joey, but Joey is my friend and I can't stand the way Seto treated him."

"You know Joey used to chase after girls a lot back in high school with Tristan," Yugi pointed out, before he said, "It really surprised me when he came to me one day and asked how could I tell that I was gay. I couldn't understand where the question was coming from until he confided in me about Seto. Honestly I don't see how the two would work either, but there is something about Seto that draws Joey in."

Yami snorted, "If only Seto would get off his high horse of love is for the weak. I don't think he will ever end up with someone at this rate."

Yugi reached out to turn Yami's head to look at him. He planted a kiss on Yami's nose then his mouth. The younger smiled as he said, "Maybe he just needs to find that special someone like I did that can open his eyes."

The crimson eyed teen could not stop his own smile as he wrapped his arms around Yugi, "I hope your right and maybe with time that someone can be Joey."

"I'm pretty sure if given the chance Joey would love to knock some sense into him," The smaller grinned down at Yami, "Just don't go playing matchmaker. I saw how Joey was during dinner and I think he needs some time to think things over."

Yami agreed with him, "I promise, but I am going to check up on him tomorrow before I go and visit Moki."

"Good now can we get some sleep."

"That or I can think of some much more interesting things we can be doing…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter…!"

That night Yami did end up sleeping on the floor with only his pillow as company.

* * *

**Sakura:** I'm so horrible at writing out duels, but I did my best! It sucks that this chapter wasn't as long as the others, but I will try and make that up with the next few chapters.

On another note, I went off the duel from the manga so as seen some of the rules of duel monsters during their duel were changed. Like I know during Duelist Kingdom you couldn't attack your opponent directly, but then that was changed for Battle City yet in this chapter of the manga, which is before Duelist Kingdom, Blue Eyes was used to attack Seto directly. It's all weird, but then again during this part in the manga Seto and Yami were just plain old dueling in a shadow game so it felt like there really weren't any rules, except no cheating. Just felt like I should explain that for some reason.

**Yumi: Anyway please REVIEW! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I really enjoyed reading the reviews for the last chapter. Now it's time for the aftermath and seeing how Joey is coping with what happened...

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**The Wild Gang (Part One)**

Monday mornings were always a drag and it seriously made Yami rethink having morning classes. As the crimson eye teen made his way into the kitchen having dressed and showered for the morning, he found only Tristan at the table. Their blond friend was nowhere to be seen and it was getting closer to the time him and Yami needed to head to the campus.

"Joey hasn't gotten up yet?" Yami questioned as he made himself a piece of toast and some coffee.

"I don't think he came home last night," Tristan informed him, "I checked his room a couple of minutes ago and it's still empty."

Yami turned to face Tristan with a cup of coffee in hand and a frown on his face. "I know he was spending the weekend with his father, but I figured he would have gotten back sometime last night."

Joey's father was known throughout their group as a complete drunk. Yami never had met the guy in person but he heard plenty of stories from Joey. Apparently the guy was okay to be around when sober, but one too many beers and it was better to keep your distance from him. Even though the blond had finally gotten away from all that, the guy was still his dad so once in a while Joey would go visit him. It surprised Yami when Joey made plans to spend a full weekend with his father, but he had a feeling Joey just needed a change of scenery. It had only been a week since the thing with Seto and Yami was pretty sure Joey was still trying to get over his feelings for his prick of a brother.

Honestly Yami couldn't blame him and if he could Yami would never go back over to his brother's place again. However he did have a younger brother he had to visit and make sure was alright. He had to make sure Mokuba still knew that he cared for him and they would always be a family.

"It probably just got late and he decided to stay another night," Tristan said with a shrug, "He'll probably be in class by the time you get there."

Yami nodded and turned back to his toast as soon as it popped out of the toaster. "Oh and Yugi wanted me to remind you about lunch. We're gonna meet around two correct?"

Tristan grabbed his empty breakfast plate and headed to the sink to place it in there. "I'm looking forward to it. It's been a while since I've been able to get away from the shop to eat a decent lunch. Sometimes it sucks being in the family business."

Yami smiled and shook his head as Tristan gathered what he needed and hurried out the door before he was late for work. After he was gone, Yami continued his routine of getting ready before he was late for class. It felt weird not having someone to walk to campus with, but it was just one of those off days and at least everyone was going to make time to get together for lunch.

* * *

Three classes later and the group of friends were standing just outside the gates to the campus waiting on Tristan. Yugi stood a little bit away from the group on his phone, but by the frown on his face something wasn't right. He finally sighed and hung up before joining the others again.

"I still can't get Joey on his phone," Yugi told them, "It's weird that he hasn't been to any of his classes or answer my phone calls."

Tea pulled out her own phone and checked it. "That is unlike Joey. I think I've sent him like ten texts and no reply."

The group stood their puzzled by their blond friend's absent, but it wasn't a minute later Tristan pulled up by the curb on his motorcycle. He got off and took off his helmet. One look at their faces and he knew something was up. "What's going on?"

"Joey didn't show up for any of his classes and we can't get him on his phone." Yami filled him in. It was completely strange of Joey to just disappear like this.

Tristan's eyes widen at that as he took out his own phone. "That is strange because for as long as we have been in school together Joey has never missed a day of school in his life." He dialed the blond's number and put the phone to his ear.

Yugi looked over at Tea, "That's right, I don't recall him every missing a day in high school. He was always the one to bring us our homework if we missed a day."

Tea nodded, "It's weird for him not to be around. I hope nothing happened to him."

"Damn!" The group jumped at Tristan's cursing as he shut his phone with a growl. "He won't answer, but he did say he was going to visit his dad. I'll go check and see if he is still there."

"Let's all go," Yugi spoke up and there was agreement all around. So Tristan waited as the others hurried to the student parking lot and piled into Duke's car. Thankfully it was only the five of them, because anyone else and they would have had to take Tea's car too. However Tomoya, Yugi, and Yami were able to fit in the back with Duke and Tea up front. After that was settle Duke followed Tristan as they traveled toward downtown Domino and the area where their old high school was and where Joey's dad still lived.

* * *

The apartment complex was the same as the last time Yugi had seen it. He had only seen it once back in high school when he and Joey stopped by one afternoon for Joey to get his overnight bag when he was going to stay at the game shop one night. Yugi had never gone in and to meet Joey's father, but from the stories he heard he probably was better off not knowing the guy.

The neighborhood was over all quiet and the building they parked in front of was somewhat decent looking from the outside just normal wear and tear from the elements. The group all piled out of the car and followed Tristan toward the stairs to go up to the third floor and to the last apartment at the end of that floor. The name plate outside the door read 'Wheeler' so they knew they had the right place.

Tristan bravely went up to the door and knocked on it. However silence only met them with no reply from within. "Anyone home…?" He called out as he reached for the doorknob and tried to open it. Surprisingly it opened with no problem, "The door's unlocked…" He informed the others as he opened the door just a little, "Let's take a peek… Maybe no one's home…"

Tristan, Yugi, and Tea peaked in through the small opening that Tristan created only to jump back in surprise as a bottle of booze was thrown at them smashing against the door.

"Hey! You Brat! Where Ya been the last two days!" A voice yelled from within scaring everyone else.

Tristan slammed the door closed and they all took off running down the stairs not once looking back. They did not stop until they were back by their vehicles to catch their breaths.

"That was scary…" Tomoya pointed out leaning on Duke's car. He looked toward Tristan, "Was that…?"

"Yeah that's his dad…" Tristan informed him, "He has his good days, but Joey is the only who comes around to see the old guy. The drinking is what caused Joey to want to move out as soon as high school was finished."

Yami could see firsthand now why Joey wanted to share an apartment with him and Tristan. Honestly if Joey hadn't come up with the idea in the first place Yami probably would still be living with his brothers. "His dad said that he's been gone two days… If that is the case then he must have made it here on Friday night and then disappeared."

Yugi bowed his head with worry in his eyes, "I wonder where he's gone…"

"Anyway let's look for him," Tristan said as he went back to his bike, "I know a few places he likes to hang out. We should look more toward the downtown area."

With those words everyone climbed once again into Duke's car to follow Tristan. It was going to be a long day but they were determined to locate their missing friend.

* * *

Lunch had all but been forgotten about as the large group wandered the streets of the downtown area near the mall trying to locate Joey. Where ever he was he most certainly did not want to be found it seemed.

"No good…" Tristan said as they stopped to rest, "He's nowhere. We've tried all his usual hangouts."

"Joey…" Yugi whispered as he lean against Yami for support. His legs were killing him from all the walking, but Joey had to be somewhere.

It seemed Tristan notice Yugi's face and decided to try and cheer him up, "I'll keep looking. You guys get home before it gets dark… Don't worry about him. I'm sure Joey will turn up tomorrow."

Yugi didn't seem convinced but Yami put an arm around him to reassure him.

"Tristan's right, Yugi… I'm sure Joey will be home tomorrow. He probably just wanted some alone time today and forgot to charge his phone." Yami guessed and hoped to put Yugi's mind at ease.

"HEY MAN!"

All heads turned down the street to see a large group standing outside a local convenience store. The guys were all fairly built and towered over the one guy who had walked out but a second ago. The brutes were talking rather loud so it was easy to hear what they were saying.

"Step on my foot?" One of them shouted, "Why don't you look where you walk?"

Another guy grabbed the poor man by the front of his jacket, "What you gonna give us to forget about it?"

Tristan sneered at the group as he recognized the thugs, "I've seen some of them before. I think a few of them went to Rintama High school. Better leave 'em alone…"

However something seemed to have caught Yugi's eye as he stood up and pointed over there. "Hey it's him!"

The rest of the group looked to where Yugi was pointing and noticed a certain blond hanging out with the group now that some of the thugs had moved out of the way to beat up on the poor guy before them.

This shocked everyone, but Tristan more than the rest of them, "Why…? Why is he with those punks?" He wondered out loud not believing what he was seeing.

Once the thugs were finished with the poor guy they started to walk off and before Yami could stop him, Yugi was taking off after them to catch up to Joey.

"Joey!" Yugi shouted getting the blond's attention causing him to stop along with the thugs that surrounded him. The smaller teen stopped a foot away and asked, "Why did you skip classes Joey? Why are you with people like them?"

A creepy looking teen puffing on a cigarette beside Joey looked behind him at Yugi, "People like them? Does he mean us? You know that kid, Joey?"

"Nah… Never seen him…" Joey said with a smirk, "Come on let's go."

"Joey!" Yugi yelled again as the blond went to walk away.

Before Joey could move however the leader of the group turned to the blond hair teen, "Heh… Joey you're too nice… Don't tell me at that big time college of yours you let kids like that follow you around. You should've joined up with us after high school from the start."

Tristan immediately recognized the group Joey was with and their leader now that they got a better look at them. '_That's him!' _He thought in disbelief, '_I've seen him with Joey before! That's Hirutani! But why is he back with him now?'_

"Come back with us, Joey!" Yugi said trying so hard to get through to the teen.

"Hirutani that kid's getting on my nerves…" The creepy lackey said to his boss, "Joey said he didn't know him."

The boss gave a nod of his head forcing the group of friends to witness the lackey rush over and punch Yugi clear across the face before they could do anything. "Clam it whiny!"

Yugi hit the ground hard his right cheek already developing a nasty looking bruise from the hit. The lackey stood over him with a smirk, "Who said you could talk to Joey? Next time I see your face I'll cut off that hair and feed it to ya!"

Yami was seeing red as he clenched his fist and took off at the guy. No one could stop him as he delivered a well-deserved kick to the guy's stomach causing him to stumble back into his fellow gang members. "Touch him again and you'll be six feet under!" He turned a murderous look toward Joey who was looking away from the scene. "Joey! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Tristan was by Yugi's side in a second helping the smaller sit up while Tea, Tomoya, and Duke stood in front of him acting as a shield to keep him out of harm's way.

"You're the worst Joey! I can't believe you!" Tea shouted at him.

However Joey had nothing to say to that and Hirutani just laughed as he slapped a hand on Joey's back. "Let's go man!" The other members quickly followed after their leader as he walked away including the one Yami had kicked just moments ago.

* * *

A few minutes later the group of friends found themselves sitting on a bench near a local playground. Tea was kneeling down in front of Yugi and trying to put some ice on his bruise, however he kept trying to move away. Yami had to sit beside him and put an arm around him to keep him still so Tea could see the damage.

"I'm okay really…." Yugi whined trying to get Tea to stop mothering him. She did stop, but handed the ice pack to Yami so he could do it instead.

Tristan who sat beside Yami on the bench sighed in frustration. "I can't believe Joey would do this…"

"Who was that guy anyway?" Duke voiced up from his spot standing in front of them.

"You see, Joey was in a gang in middle school," Tristan explained to the group. Tea and Yugi already knew about most of Joey's past, but Duke, Tomoya, and Yami did not. "There was a time when he lived to fight with gangs from other schools… Sometimes even high school gangs. He had a long record and it almost sent him to jail…. That's when he was with Hirutani."

"However all that changed with he entered high school," Yugi pointed out recalling the few times Joey teased him but never full out bullied him. "We all became friends thanks to him."

Tristan agreed with him on that, "He used to look out for the younger guys and never beat up on weaker dudes…" He then closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. "I can't understand it… What's his deal? Maybe he's not coming back…"

Yugi looked down as well and noticed his puzzle. He put his hands around it as he recalled the memories of Joey teasing him about it. Back in high school he was always the quiet kid with his head in a puzzle or a game. Joey was the one to help him break out of his shell and make more friends. A small warm feeling came from the puzzle as if trying to cheer Yugi up and it worked as a smile appeared on Yugi's face, "I believe in him." He looked up at each one of his friends and boyfriend before his eyes settled on Tristan. "Joey hasn't changed. He couldn't have."

It seemed the determination on Yugi's face got Tristan motivated again as the tall brown hair teen stood up, "That's right! He may not be a genius, but he wouldn't treat his old friends that way. I'm sure there's a reason for this…"

With renewed motivation the group agreed to track down Joey and bring him back with them.

* * *

The trail they found led them to an old bar in the more run down part of downtown Domino. Tristan and the others stayed hidden behind a wall across the street waiting to see if one of the members would come out. It seemed Tristan wanted answers first before they rushed in there to save Joey.

They didn't have to wait long as one of the lackeys' walked up the stairs and turned down the street with his hands in his pockets.

Tristan cracked his knuckles with a smirk, "Heh… No problem… I could take three of these punks." He waved Duke along and the two of them started down the street after the guy.

Yami, Yugi, Tea, and Tomoya waited until they were a good distance down before they started to follow.

Once they were a good block away from the bar, Tristan and Duke rushed upon the guy and grabbed him by his arms dragging him into a nearby alley. Once the others caught up they found Tristan holding the guy up off the ground by his shirt, "Alright! Why's Joey hanging with you guys? Spill it!"

The guy let out a weak chuckle, "I dunno…"

"Speak up or you're dead!" Tristan yelled at him giving him a shake.

"GGGGH! I get it…" The lackey cried out, "I'll talk…"

* * *

Meanwhile in the gang's favorite hideout Joey was lay back on one of the couches in the room with his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him and a frown on his face. Hirutani was sitting on one of the stools at the bar facing Joey with the creepy lackey beside him since he was his right hand man with all the others hanging in varies places close by.

"Glad you joined us Joey!" Hirutani said with a grin, "Let's have fun, just like old times…"

"We'll make them recognize us all over Domino…." His right hand man said with a grin of his own before he turned to his boss. "Excuse me, Hirutani… You're out of cigarettes aren't you? Please have one of mine." He handed the pack over to his boss sucking up to him as always.

Joey sent a deathly glared toward the four eye creep which got the shorter guy's attention.

"What is it?" He sneered, "There something stuck to my face, Joey?"

Joey turned back around. He couldn't believe the predicament he got himself into when only trying to go visit his father and clear his mind. It seemed Hirutani had been tracking down and bringing in old friends to expand his turf which part of it happened to be around where his father lived. At first Joey tried to refuse the guy since he had changed his ways for the better, however…

The blond turned another glare toward the two and notice four eyes looking at him again.

"Whatcha thinking about, Joey..? You rather be playing with starhead?"

That caused more anger to make his blood boil. If only Hirutani hadn't figured out who Joey was close to and threaten his friends he wouldn't be stuck there. Joey would do anything for his friends and that even meant joining up with his old gang to keep them safe. However there were certain things he could not let pass by him.

"No way," Joey said as he stood up and turned to face the one who hit Yugi. "No way I'm letting that pass…"

Before anyone could stop him he closed the distance between the two of them and punched the four eye lackey in the face sending him flying over the bar. "No way I'm letting you get away with hitting my friend!" He shouted.

While his right hand man lay passed out on the floor, Hirutani looked at Joey with a smirk, "Joey I'm glad you're finally getting the old look back in your eyes… Too bad for you that it's aimed at us…" He then took the cigarette out of his mouth and yelled out, "Hold him down! Joey needs an attitude lesson!"

Joey did not even flinch as the others surrounded him. He stood up for his friends and that was all that mattered to him. One way or another he would find a way out of this and spend the rest of his life making it up to his best bud and the others.

* * *

**Sakura: **I always hated that creepy four eye guy and Hirutani. Thankfully I get to make them suffer in the next chapter!

**Yumi:** A little too excited about that I see…. Anyway please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **So far two updates a week is working out really well and I'll try and continue this as best I can. Also I hope this chapter turned out alright... It's time to make Hirutani pay!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Wild Gang (Part Two)**

Before anyone could stop him Joey closed the distance between the two of them and punched the four eye lackey in the face sending him flying over the bar. "No way am I letting you get away with hitting my friend!" He shouted.

While his right hand man lay passed out on the floor, Hirutani looked at Joey with a smirk, "Joey I'm glad you're finally getting the old look back in your eyes… Too bad for you that it's aimed at us…" He then took the cigarette out of his mouth and yelled out, "Hold him down! Joey needs an attitude lesson!"

Joey did not even flinch as the others surrounded him. He stood up for his friends and that was all that mattered to him. One way or another he would find a way out of this and spend the rest of his life making it up to his best bud and the others.

The glare stayed on his face as he tried to calculate the odds but they were not looking good. '_Man… Five of them… Not good…' _ He thought to himself before he had to quickly move out of the way as one of the lackeys tried to pull a fast one and punch him in the face.

When he had an opening Joey kicked that same lackey in the chin, before he turned and punched the guy behind him. While paying attention to the four in front of him he never noticed the guy behind him until it was too late. The blond received a blow to the back of the head sending him down to his knees and before he could do anything else the others were piling on top of him.

Joey laid on the ground struggling to get the five on top of him off of him. "Let me go you jerks!"

"Time for a change of scene…" Hirutani announced as he stood up, "To the torture chamber!"

* * *

Meanwhile as it started to get dark outside and the rain finally began to come down Yugi and the others were running back to the bar to try and bring Joey back with them. It wasn't long before they were back to the place and standing at the front entrance.

Tristan turned to the others, "You guys stay back. I'll go in alone."

"B-But Tristan!" Yugi tried to say, but Tristan interrupted him.

"Those guys are nothing but trouble! You can't take them on!" Tristan then gave him a smile to reassure him, "I don't want you falling to my level. Okay?"

Before they could stop him Tristan was running down the stairs however he wasn't alone as Duke followed right behind him. Tristan didn't even notice as he got to the bottom and kicked the door in. "Tristan the man, is here! Give Joey ba-"

However what greeted them was an empty bar. "Gone? Where'd they go?"

Tristan jumped and looked behind him as Duke moved out from behind him to look around the place. "Dude I thought you were going to stay up there with the others."

"I highly doubt you could stand against all of them, plus Tea would kill me if I didn't help out." Duke said as he approached the bar.

Tristan knew he was right and let it go for now because finding Joey was more important. He moved to the end of the bar prepared to go toward the office door, when he noticed the four eye lackey passed out on the floor. "Huh…?" He walked over and grabbed the guy by his shirt. "Hey wake up, you!"

Duke walked up behind him and could tell that guy wasn't going to wait up anytime soon. "No good. He's out like a light…. This place looks like they left in a hurry."

'_Joey… Where are you?'_ Tristan thought as the two of them headed back to the others.

"They weren't there!" Tea and Yugi exclaimed at the same time once they heard of their findings.

"Where could Joey be now?" Yugi wondered out loud.

Tristan sighed as the rain continued to pour around them. "I don't know…. But looking at how messed up the place was, Joey's gotta be in trouble."

"We have to find him quick!" Tomoya voiced up worried about their friend.

"Let's split up and look for him," Tea said already trying to put a plan together.

Tristan seemed reluctant at first, but he had to agree that if they split up they could cover more ground. "But come tell me first if you find him! Don't try anything on your own." He warned them wanting them all to stay safe.

In the end they split up into pairs with Tristan and Tomoya going one way together, Tea and Duke another way, leaving Yami and Yugi to head another way. They were all worried about Joey's safety and hoped to find him as soon as possible.

* * *

The warehouse Joey was in was near Domino Pier and the reason he could figure this out was because he could hear the nearby ships. Plus from his days hanging out with Hirutani this was where they bought most of their victims to beat up. His current predicament was having his arms tied above his head while they beat the crap out of him.

"I like this view Joey," Hirutani chuckled enjoying watching Joey getting the crap beat out of him.

"The view from here isn't so bad either!" Joey said with a smirk, "Look! It's red-butt boss monkey and his pack!" However the comment got him a few more punches to the gut and face.

"Joey you've been like that since middle school. Always acting like you were my equal. Still, nothing could stop us when we were together…" Hirutani decided to remind Joey, "Even some high school gangs were afraid of us. We have plenty of people working for us, but the one thing I never managed to do…" His face took on a grave stare showing no emotions, "was teach you this. I am the boss. You'll always be second in command."

Joey simply laughed at that, "Of course… That's just what a boss monkey would think." He was glad for the breather from the beating, but still he had to keep talking in order to think of a plan out of there. "Well lemme tell you I've got a good memory. I know you jerks' faces… I remember how many times each of you hit me. You know I hold a grudge. I'm going to pay you back double."

"Don't worry… This isn't even the main course. The next item on the menu will blow your mind!"

Joey's eyes widen when each of the group members pulled out a stun gun. One of the lackeys's held it right up to Joey's face with a smirk.

"And maybe your life too… So let's go…."

"These are 200,000 volt stun guns," A different lackey decided to fill Joey in for the fun of it, "When I flip the switch, the electricity comes on. And when that happens it's gonna blow your memories right out of your head…"

Before they could even get close, Joey jumped up and kicked the nearest one in the face. "You scum bag!" There was no way he was going to let them get near him with those.

While one went down there were still three more and one got lucky and was able to hit Joey in the arm with the stun gun. The only sound that filled the warehouse after that were Joey's screams.

* * *

Yugi paused in his running causing Yami to nearly run into him. He had the strangest feeling like he could tell Joey was in pain.

"What's wrong Aibou?"

"I just had the strangest feeling that something is seriously wrong with Joey," Yugi said as he turned to face his partner. The rain was coming down pretty hard now and they were both soaked.

Yami placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders to reassure him, "We will find him don't worry."

The younger put his hands on his millennium puzzle and looked down at it. '_Please… Millennium puzzle!' _He closed his eyes and prayed for the first time in the longest time. '_Tell me where Joey is…'_

While Yugi's eyes were closed he never noticed that Yami had let go of him in favor of clutching his head. A massive headache came over the taller of the two as he closed his eyes against the pain. What appeared behind his closed eyes was of a warehouse of some sort and he had no idea what this all meant. He wasn't able to think long before the vision started to blur and then darkness was all he saw.

When Yugi reopened his eyes he looked up to see Yami standing in front of him taking in his surroundings. "Yami?"

"I think I knew where Joey is…"

The news bought joy to Yugi, "Where is he?"

"I'm going to check it out by myself, you go find the others and let them know where I have gone." He said quickly telling Yugi of the place and before he could take off a small hand grabbed his wrist keeping him in place.

"You can't go alone…"

"It's too dangerous for you, so go find the others." His tone left no room for agreement and this was the second time Yami had raised his voice to Yugi and it was really confusing the other.

Since there was no changing his mind, Yugi took the millennium puzzle from around his neck and handed it to Yami. "I'll do what you say, but please take this with you." He had a feeling the puzzle would keep Yami safe and somehow it would be more useful to his partner than him at the moment.

Nothing else was said between the two as Yami took off with the puzzle around his neck and Yugi ran off to find his friends.

* * *

Rain continued to pour through the small openings in the roof of the warehouse leaving puddles all around, however the occupants inside were kept dry by standing away from the openings. Except one of the lackey's that Joey had knocked out laid passed out near a puddle.

The blond was no longer putting up a fight as he stood there twitching thanks to the electric shocks he had received. There were no emotions on his face as he simply stared at the floor not even able to speak.

"Hey Hirutani…" One of them spoke up to the boss, "He can't even talk anymore. He's just twitching, should we stop now…?"

"Do it!" Hirutani replied.

"But if we keep going he'll die…"

A glare set on their boss's face as he yelled, "DO IT!"

The thunder outside rumbled as another voice spoke up yelling, "STOP!"

The others looked Yami's way as he stepped into the warehouse with a glare of his own set on his face. '_How dare you hurt Joey… I won't let you get away with this…. Any of you!' _He thought as he walked over to the group keeping his distance, but standing near the passed out thug.

"What's with this kid?" One of them asked.

Hirutani simply chuckled, "I've seen this kid before. This little brat hangs around Joey…"

"If that's all the help he has then he's done for…." Another thug spoke up causing the others to laugh.

"Hey kid! This is our hangout…" One of the bigger thugs came running at Yami, before punching him clear across the face, "Not your playground!"

Yami went flying backwards knocking over a tire in the process. He quickly recovered from the ordeal and grabbed a nearby piece of metal and took off the millennium puzzle with his back to the others. A plan had already formed in his head and he was putting it into action without the others knowing. Once he was done he stood up.

"Well… Now it's my turn to start something!" He turned to them with a smirk on his face. "A game… I challenge you all to a game."

The unruly group which had moved closer putting them right in the middle of a rather big puddle and the fallen rain all had looks of confusion on their faces.

Yami chuckled at their looks of confusion so he decided to explain in words they would understand, "Haven't you figured it out? There's a time bomb hidden at your feet and a switch attached to that bomb. It's already ticking off the seconds."

"A bomb…?"

"What are you talking about wimp?"

The crimson eyed teen was enjoying the looks on their faces as he stepped up on the tire that had fallen with him. "Now the question is: 'Can you find the switch?'" Yami asked of them, "If you do you win. My life is yours to take. But if you can't find it there's a penalty game. The bomb will explode taking you with it."

A smirk developed on one of the thug's faces, "Hirutani… The kids bluffing!" He raised his hand with the stun gun ready to turn it on, "Let's stun him and watch him jerk around."

However realization seemed to dawn on Hirutani when he saw the stun gun and yelled, "Don't use the stun guns!" He then turned to face Yami with a smirk of his own on his face, "I get what he was saying. He's not just bluffing. We're all soaked with rain… That brat stood there just to lure us into the puddle, so we'd get water on us. He let us hit him with that in mind…"

It seemed the others just then realized that they were all wet from the rain and that there was a puddle underneath them. "He's right! We're all wet! That means…!"

"You've got it… If even one of us turns on a stun gun right now, the 200,000 volts will go from his hands to the puddle and all of us will be blown away by that kid's 'bomb'." Hirutani explained.

Yami had to admit that he was surprised that Hirutani figured that much out and he was a lot smarter than he looked. However the game was far from over.

Hirutani seemed to be living up his victory thinking he had already won the game, "We've found the switch kid! We're safe if we don't use the stun guns… So we'll use our fists instead."

Yami watched as Hirutani's lackeys's came running toward him ready to give him a so called penalty game, but there was something else they needed to know. Before one of them could hit him, he spoke up and said, "But you didn't find the switch. I'm the winner."

They all froze confused by his words so Yami clarified by saying, "And that switch is about to activate right…now."

It was then all of them heard the groans of someone nearby. When they looked down they finally noticed their fallen comrade with his arm propped up by a piece of metal and in his hands was his stun gun still turned on because his grip was still tight around the device. His hand hovered over the puddle just ready to hit the water.

"Th-The switch is his arm!" Hirutani announce in surprise.

Above the thug was Yugi's millennium puzzle tied to a chain with water dripping off of it. That water was hitting the guy's face causing him to wake up. As he started to open his eyes his arm moved causing the piece of metal to move out of place and his arm to fall toward the ground.

"Don't wake up!" Hirutani yelled but it was already too late.

"Switch on…" Yami said just as the stun gun hit the water. It wasn't long before all of them were receiving a dose of their own medicine. It wasn't until the thug realized what he was doing that he let go of the device and the current of electricity stopped that the others fell to the ground twitching. However before he could get up, Yami jumped down beside him and gave him a swift kick in the head knocking him back out.

Once that was taken care of Yami retrieved Yugi's puzzle and put it back around his neck before he hurried over to get Joey down.

* * *

It wasn't long after that, Yugi and his friends were able to locate the warehouse and hurried inside only to find Hirutani and his group passed out. Yami was nearby kneeling beside Joey who had yet to wake up. He turned to his group of friends and boyfriend, honestly not sure what to say to them.

Last thing he remembered was looking for Joey with Yugi, before he came to and was inside this warehouse with Joey beside him. It seemed his black outs were happening more and more lately and that worried him. He wondered how long he could keep this from the others. There was no telling what he was doing during these black outs. So far nothing bad had come out of it, but still…

Yami was broken out of his thoughts by his boyfriend wrapping his arms around him. "You had me so worried. I'm so glad to see your safe…" He looked down at his unconscious friend. "And you found Joey too… Is he alright?"

Yami nodded, "I'm sure he'll come around soon."

As if on cue, Joey groaned before he slowly blinked his eyes open. At first he seemed unsure of his surroundings until his eyes landed on his friends. Yugi was ecstatic to see him waking up and moved into his line of vision. "Joey, it's me!" He smiled when he saw realization come back to Joey's eyes. The smaller was so glad to finally be able to say the words he wanted to say, "Let's go back."

It took a minute for Joey to take in those words, before he was able to carefully sit up and pull the little guy into a hug. His friends had come for him like he knew they would. After all this he could go back home to where he belonged and never look back at his old life.

* * *

Night had finally set in around Domino by the time the group of friends made it back to Yami's apartment. Duke, Tea, and Tomoya stayed long enough to help Joey get settled in and make sure he didn't need to go to the hospital before they left for the night. Yugi decided to stay the night mostly to avoid questions from his mother about the nasty bruise on his cheek, plus he had been out in the rain all afternoon and if he came home soaked there was be hell to pay no matter how old he was. After changing into some spare pajamas of Yami's, Yugi settled himself next to Yami on the couch sharing a blanket with him while Joey sat on the other side of Yami with his own blanket.

Tristan returned from the kitchen with a tray of hot drinks for them all and set it on the coffee table. After he set them down he sat on the floor with his own covers. The TV was on but turned down for some small background noise.

No one had talked about what had happened they were mostly more worried about getting Joey home so he could start healing. However now that everything had settled down it seemed like the perfect time to talk about it.

"How in the world did Hirutani corner you like that?" Tristan asked since they already knew why Joey was forced to follow the thug and his followers.

Joey took the drink handed to him by Yami and took a sip before he explained, "I had to run down to the corner market for my dad and wouldn't you know Hirutani was hanging around there. He spotted me before I could walk away. If he hadn't threaten to come after you all then I probably would have just beat the shit out of him for all the crap in the past and walked away."

"I know you only want to protect us, but that still didn't give you the right to worry us to death..." Yugi playful scowled.

Joey grinned at his little buddy, "Yeah sorry about that but I hoped that if I gave you the cold shoulder you would leave it alone. I should have known you would continue to try and bring me back," He looked at each of them with a true smile," Thank you..."

"Dude no need to get all mushy," Tristan said with a smile of his own. "So what are you going to tell your father?"

"I figured I just lie to him. He probably doesn't remember much after he gets drunk. It will be easy to talk my way out of having to go visit him again for a while." Joey looked down at his drink, before he reached over to set it back on the coffee table. "I think I'm going to head on to bed. I'll need to rest up if I'm ever going to get back to classes this week."

Once their friend left the room and closed the door to his room, conversation started up again between the three. "Do you think he will be okay?" Yugi asked worried about Joey.

"He is a fighter, so he will have no trouble coming back from this…" Tristan replied before shaking his head. "However I have no idea if he will bounce back from that thing with Seto. I was surprised to hear he still had a thing for the prick… uh… I mean…."

Yami chuckled, "It's alright. My brother deserves to be called that and so much more. He may be my family but he has no right to mess with my friends. If he hadn't hurt Joey so badly, Joey may have not ended up going to see his father and running into Hirutani again." He then looked down in thought before he voiced what was on his mind, "Although the other day Seto did send me an email."

Yugi looked at Yami in surprise, "Really what about?"

"He apologized to me about the way he acted," Yami scoffed. "It was short and simple not even an apology to you or Joey. I replied back long enough to tell him to shove it and make a phone call next time he wants to apologize to not only me but to Joey and you as well."

Yugi was proud of Yami, but he worried about his relationship with Seto, "Do you think he will?"

Yami shrugged, "To me and you maybe, but probably not to Joey anytime soon. I know he likes Joey and just won't admit it." He then lowered his voice to make sure Joey couldn't hear. "Don't let Joey know but I have caught Seto keeping tabs on him a few times while I went to visit Mokuba."

Yugi and Tristan were surprised by this.

"Is this a good sign?" Tristan wondered out loud.

"Not sure, but we will have to wait and see. It's up to Joey and Seto whether they want this to work or not and put the past behind them." Yami said and he knew deep down it was the right choice to sit and wait all this out. He only hoped the outcome wouldn't become worse than it already was.

* * *

**Sakura:** This chapter was giving me so much trouble with the length, but then I got inspired and come up with that last little part to make the chapter a little bit longer. Now the real question is whether Seto and Joey can work out their problems… Sadly we won't find that out for a good while so just sit back and enjoy future chapters!

**Yumi: Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Less reviews than the last few chapters, but at least I still have some readers! Anyway time to introduce Shadi into the story finally... Be prepared that for the next few chapters it will be the battle with Shadi, which can seem to go on forever...

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Man from Egypt (Part One)**

Three and a half months had passed since Joey's run in with his old gang and things were looking up for the group of friends. Over the pass months they were able to get through their classes with passing grades and make it through their finals. A wonderful winter break was much appreciated relaxation time away from professors and college work. The holidays blew by too fast however and it was not long before a new year along with a new semester was upon them. Classes had already been decided and as always the group of friends would be in the same courses.

A few changes had been happening within the group as Yugi and Yami came upon their two year anniversary of becoming a couple. However the New Year also bought a second couple, Duke and Tea, who had been going out for months now and were still becoming closer to one another. Tomoya and Tristan were still single as ever, but a certain blond had made a decision that shocked everyone. After having given it a lot of thought, Joey was willing to give Seto another try. However neither had the courage to confess to each other and Seto would always be too stubborn to apologize to Joey for the way he acted. Yami knew that with time something may happen to get the two together and he could only support Joey in his decision to wait on his idiot brother to come around.

For now all their attention would be on their new classes, along with Joey and Yugi continuing their struggle to figure out what major they wanted to pursue before their sophomore year hit.

* * *

The Kame Game Shop was completely dead for the moment that morning, but it would not be long before Solomon Mutou would appear downstairs opening it up for the day before the rush of early morning students on their way to school. He was currently reading the paper and enjoying some coffee while his daughter-in-law cooked breakfast.

A certain teen had not come downstairs yet from his bedroom and if he did not appear soon, his mother would be on his tail in about sleeping in late on school days.

However before it came to that, Yugi appeared in the kitchen stretching his arms above his head and letting a yawn out. "Morning…"

"Morning, how did you sleep?" Solomon greeted his grandson as Yugi took a seat at the table.

Yugi sighed and placed his elbow on the table before placing his chin in his hand. It was obvious he hadn't gotten much sleep at all, "Not well, it's so hard to get back into the routine of having classes after not having them for like a month." He let out another yawn, before gladly accepting the mug of coffee his grandfather had already made for him. It had already cooled down, but that was just how Yugi liked it. "If it wasn't for the fact that we can get our classes done early by having them in the morning, we probably would be taking them later in the day so we can sleep in. I know Joey would love that."

"Joey needs to continue to focus on his studies like you young man," Mrs. Mutou reminded her son as she handed him a plate with her delicious cooking on it. "If you would apply yourself more and spend less time playing games late into the night, you could get a decent night sleep."

Yugi rolled his eyes when his mother wasn't looking and she went back to clean off the stove, before looking toward his grandfather, "Anything interesting in the paper today?"

"Not much, but I did notice this on the front page," Solomon informed him as he handed the paper over to Yugi.

Yugi slide the paper closer and took a look at the front page. "Wow! They found a Pharaoh's tomb in Egypt." He exclaimed when he noticed what the main story was about. His eyes widen even more when it was a professor from their college that had discovered it. Yugi had always dreamed about being an archaeologist when he was younger and his grandfather would always tell him such amazing stories. His grandfather still was an archaeologist part-time but his game shop always came first. However Yugi wasn't sure if he could handle all the traveling and being away from both his family and Yami for long periods of time. Sure Yami would try to tag along, but when they were done with college his boyfriend would have his own career he needed to focus on.

The idea of going into a field like that when he first applied to college had been at the back of his mind, but Yugi wanted to wait until the end of his freshman year before he decided fully. Sadly nothing had inspired him enough to make him change his mind and besides the fact that he may be away from his loved ones for long periods of time, he also started to think about his dueling career. It had just started to take off and as much as he loved archaeology he loved games more. The decision was almost too great for Yugi to figure out on his own.

"You know one of the discoverers is a good friend of mine, I could give him a call and see if he can get us into see the exhibit." Solomon suggested after he saw Yugi's face. "It will be opening up here in Domino within the week."

Yugi was quick to agree to the idea and hoped that possible seeing the exhibit and meeting the professor would give him the push in the right direction. "I'll tell the others about it today and see if they would like to go." He said to his grandfather before he put the paper away in favor of eating his breakfast. The bus would be at the bus stop before long and Yugi needed to get going if he was going to catch it in time.

* * *

The young Mutou waited until his gang of friends met for lunch before he decided to tell them the news. He was pretty sure none of them knew about the exhibit unless they had checked their campus email account that morning or read the local paper. Out of all their friends the only one who would think to check his email would be his own boyfriend and as far as he knew Duke was the only one who would read the morning paper.

The only one not with them was Tristan, but if they all decided to go Joey or Yami could tell him about their plans. He just hoped everyone would want to go with him and his grandfather that weekend.

"An Egyptian exhibit…?" Joey questioned once Yugi explained his exciting news.

Yugi nodded, "Yeah and it opens this week at the Domino City museum."

"That sounds interesting! We should go," Tea said with a smile knowing Yugi was probably the most excited out of all of them. She would always be supportive of her friends and willing to try new things.

"The college professor who discovered the Pharaoh's tomb is my grandpa's friend, professor Yoshimori. Grandpa is going to give him a call and see if he can get us in this weekend for free." Yugi went on to explain more. The exhibit was new to Domino and whenever some new exhibit came to their small city everyone wanted to check it out. Plus museum tickets could be high and Yugi was pretty sure his grandpa's friend could get them in for free.

"I read something about him in the campus paper this morning," Duke said as he fished around in his bag for the paper. The local Domino City paper only gave a few details about the exhibit and the professor, but the campus paper had a little more information since it was about a professor on their campus.

"Didn't they find a mummy?" Tomoya chimed in. He took the offered paper once Duke found it to see if what he heard had been true.

"Yerk! A mummy…?!" Joey exclaimed with a look of fear in his eyes, "I don't wanna get cursed!"

"Egypt is such a mystical place," Tea said as she looked toward Yugi completely ignoring Joey, "That's where your puzzle's from isn't it?"

Yugi reached down to hold his puzzle close with a smile. "Yup! My good ol' Millennium puzzle!"

Tea then got a smirk on her face deciding it would be fun to mess with Joey given his fear of being cursed, "Oh that's right... Didn't your grandpa say archaeologists who found it all died mysterious deaths..."

"No way!" Joey shouted and looked toward Yugi, "Yugi, are you alright? You aren't cursed are you?!"

"Of course I'm not cursed!" Yugi told Joey before he turned and hissed to Tea, "Don't scare him Tea..."

Yami looked down at the item Yugi always wore about his neck. Sadly Yami had to admit that strange things had been happening around him since Yugi and he put the final piece in the puzzle. Yugi seemed perfectly fine, but Yami started to notice times when he lost his memory that never happened before. For the past three months nothing had happened but all those other times still worried him. If he told anyone including his boyfriend they would probably think it was creepy and leave him. Yami had a good thing going and he wasn't about to lose it to some black outs. He just hoped those episodes were over with.

He pulled himself from getting lost in thought and came back just in time to hear the others making plans to meet on Sunday to go to the museum around one if the professor could get them in to see the exhibit.

Yugi turned to Yami with a smile, "Sound good?"

Yami smiled back and nodded, "Sure does, it will be nice to see the exhibit."

The smaller was gleaming in joy, "I love this stuff! I can't wait!"

* * *

Sunday afternoon was a sunny one, but was also slightly cold still due to the winter weather that had yet to leave. As agreed everyone meet outside the museum about thirty minutes before one and it was even better that everyone could be there including Tristan. Groups of people could be seen going in and out of the museum, but they still had to wait for the professor to come meet them.

"My friend was supposed to meet us here…" Solomon stated as he looked around.

Just as Solomon said those words everyone heard an unfamiliar voice yell, "Mutou!"

Solomon turned around in time to see his friend walking up to him with another shorter gentleman beside him. "It's been a while, good to see you," The professor said as he shook hands with Solomon.

"Thank you for inviting us to your show," Solomon thanked his friends before he introduced the professor to everyone, "This is professor Yoshimori, he works in the archaeology department at your university."

The professor bowed his head slightly, "Pleased to meet you."

Solomon then noticed the quiet man beside his friend, "Who's this…?"

Yoshimori moved back slightly to present the shorter man beside him, "Ah yes! This is the owner of the museum. He provided the grant for the excavation and is sponsoring this exhibit."

"Kanekura's the name, welcome to my museum." The owner introduced himself with a welcomed greeting. He then turned to Yoshimori and lean up to whisper something in his ear.

Yoshimori nodded, before he looked toward Solomon, "Mutou… you told me that your grandson solved the millennium puzzle…"

"I did tell you that didn't I…" Solomon did recall the letters he sent his friend a few months back.

"So you're Yugi," Yoshimori immediately recognized the younger Mutou who had said puzzle around his neck.

"That's it! The legendary millennium puzzle!" Kanekura exclaimed pretty much drooling over it. "You must show it to me."

Yugi couldn't see the harm in someone looking at it, so he carefully took it from around his neck and passed it to the man. Both he and Yami kept a close eye on the museum owner as he held it up to look at it more closely.

"T…This is wonderful! Such an important piece of Pharaonic history… and it's hanging around your neck!"

Yoshimori decided to elaborate since they all seemed lost by Kanekura's excitement over the puzzle. "Kanekura makes his living in the art business. He has an eye for antiquities."

Yugi was surprised to hear this. He had no idea his puzzle was valuable. The smaller simply thought the puzzle was an artifact from Egypt that gave many before him trouble, because it seemed unsolvable.

Attention was bought back to Kanekura as he excitedly asked, "Yugi, I beg you. People have got to see this! Let me display it at the show." He bowed his head, "Please!"

At first Yugi wasn't sure what to do, he turned to look up at Yami, "What should I do? I can't let go of it for too long…." He was sure some people might enjoy seeing it, but it was his after all and not a permanent museum piece.

Yami placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders in comfort. "How about just for one day?" He had this horrible gut feeling seeing the puzzle in someone else's hands and not his aibou's, but it was an important part of Egyptian history and it wouldn't hurt for it to be on display for a day.

Yugi agreed and Kanekura was even more excited to hear that. The group never noticed the look in the greedy man's eyes as they all headed into the museum together.

* * *

The exhibit was huge and took up one whole section of the museum. Artifacts of all kinds were behind display cases so they would not be touched by anyone. A few statues were left out in the open, but were roped off to keep the viewers at a distance.

"Wow!" Joey exclaimed as they got a firsthand look at it all. "So all this belongs to the person who dug it up?"

Yoshimori chuckled, "Wouldn't that be nice. Until 1921, the excavator could keep up to half of the artifacts he found, but now they belong to the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. It's cultural property, illegal to sell, because it's so precious. The man who discovered the famous treasure of Tutankhamen didn't get to keep one piece of the artifacts he found."

Yugi nodded his head taking in all the information, "I see… I thought archaeologists were treasure hunters with dreams of hitting it big…"

"No that's just in the movies. Archaeology is one of the worst paid professions." Yoshimori informed him as the others looked around. "But when after months and years of searching, you open the door to a piece of history that no one has seen before, there's an excitement that you can't begin to describe. That's what I'm in it for."

There was a brief pause in their conversation as Kanekura made himself known again by saying, "Excuse me for a minute, everyone. I'm going to put the millennium puzzle on display. Take your time… Enjoy yourselves." He then walked off without another word leaving them to explore the place with Yoshimori as their guide.

As they continued to explore the exhibit Yugi looked down and couldn't believe how lost he felt without the puzzle. To make up for it he had taken to holding Yami's hand for the last few minutes they had been walking around so that his worry would not overwhelm him.

"We should take a picture in front of the puzzle later," Yami told him to which Yugi nodded.

On Yugi's other side was the professor who gave the boy an apologetic smile, "Sorry Yugi, I know you didn't want to lend it to him."

"That's all right, it's only for one day." Yugi reassured them he was fine even if he felt weird.

"This expedition wouldn't have happened without Kanekura…" Yoshimori went on to explain to them, "I'm not in a position to complain, but he can be somewhat self-centered…."

Their conversation was interrupted once again when Tea said, "Wow look! It's so pretty!" Everyone turned to see she was looking at a piece of papyrus on display that told about something in Egyptian.

Yoshimori took the time to explain the piece to her, "This is a scene drawn on papyrus, showing 'weighing of the heart'… The judgment of the dead. The 'judge' is the god Osiris. That's Anubis on the left. He weighs the deeds of the dead man on a scale. If the scale falls on the side of good deeds, they pass on into the afterlife… But if the scale falls on the side of bad deeds, they are fed to Ammit, 'The Devourer!'"

"He's an Egyptian Enma." Yami pointed out from what he knew about Japanese mythology.

Yoshimori agreed and pointed them in a new direction. "And over here we have the mummy."

Joey cringed at that while Tristan glared at him, "You scared Joey? How uncool."

The others laughed over that as they all followed the professor toward the mummy.

* * *

Just the sight of the mummy flipped Joey out as he kept his distance from the thing, "Let's go! If we keep staring we're gonna be cursed."

Yoshimori placed a comforting hand on Joey's shoulder to calm the blond down. "There's no such thing as curses." However Joey did not look like he would believe anyone at that moment.

It wasn't but a few minutes of looking at the mummy that the others walked around to see what else was in that area, however Yugi stayed near the display of the mummy reading about who he was when he was pharaoh on the information card. The Egyptian's had such a rich culture and lived fantasizing lives in the past, that Yugi couldn't get enough of looking at all there was to learn there.

While he was reading, he felt a presence beside him and looked up to see an Egyptian looking man in the flesh. He was wearing robes and a turban on top his head. Around his neck was a rather large key and in his hands was a scale. What surprised Yugi the most was the tears he saw running from the man's eyes and down his cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Yugi decided to ask.

The Egyptian looked down at Yugi for a second before looking back at the mummy, "These tears are not mine… This shriveled form, he has become a doll of dust, but still he is the eternal pharaoh. His spirit lives on with his name. Even the eternal sleep is denied him. The cry of his soul becomes tears and flows down my cheeks…."

Those words just confused Yugi even more, but he didn't have time to process what had been said fully as the Egyptian smiled down at him and patted his head.

"You're a nice little boy…"

As he walked away Yugi glared at his retreating back with a growl, "Little boy! I'm in college…" He turned and went over to his boyfriend, "Hey Yami, I saw this Egyptian guy…"

Yami looked in the direction Yugi had pointed, but saw no one. "Huh… I don't see anyone…"

"Hey look! Yugi's puzzle is on display!" Joey shouted to his friends who all hurried over to see also, which completely distracted Yugi from his encounter with the Egyptian.

As they got closer they found Kanekura in front of the display talking with another gentleman, but once the owner saw them he and the man with him walked away to allow them to see the puzzle. It had been placed neatly on a pillow and gleamed brightly from the lights in the display case.

"Let's take a picture!" Tea announced, so everyone except her got situated in front of the display case as she got her camera out. "Look this way and say Cheese," She told them once she was ready. They took a few pictures to remember the day by and Tea even got a picture of just Yugi and Yami in front of it that she would print off later for them.

* * *

After a fun filled day at the museum the rather large group walked outside into the fresh air. They had spent a good few hours looking throughout the whole museum at not only the Egyptian exhibit, but the rest of the exhibits a well while they were there. Yugi snuggled up against his boyfriend as they stopped at the top of the stairs that lead down toward the sidewalk and street.

Solomon turned to his friend, "Thank you so much for today."

"It was my pleasure. Why don't you come by my lab sometime and I'll show you even more." Yoshimori invited the older Mutou who nodded in agreement. The professor waved to the rest of the group with a smile. "Well I have to get back to the university…"

The group of friends said goodbye to the professor and watched him walk away, before Tea turned to them all. "What do you want to do now?" She asked of them.

"I'll wait here until the museum closes," Yugi told them, "I want my puzzle back before I go home."

Yami agreed to stay with Yugi while the other decided split off and do their own thing for the rest of the day. Solomon would have stayed with the two but he had to get back home to the shop. So that left Yugi and Yami to sit outside the museum and wait for closing which was only a thirty more minute wait.

They found a nice spot in the sun light that would keep the chill off of them. Yami kept an eye on his watch so they could go retrieve the puzzle five minutes before the museum was to close.

"Do you think I could make a career like the professor?" Yugi asked out of the blue as he stared out at the street.

Yami looked down at his partner with a raise eyebrow. "Why wouldn't you be able to?"

Yugi shrugged, "I'm not strong or anything like that, plus I would have to be away from home for long periods of time. Grandpa isn't as young as he used to be and I would hate for something to happen to him while I'm off making a name for myself." He looked up at Yami, "Also we don't know where your career may take you. Could we handle a long distance relationship?"

The chuckle that escaped Yami's lips couldn't be helped as he wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders and kissed his spiky head. "I can see you have been thinking about this a lot. I would like to think that we would be together for the rest of our lives, but what makes you think we wouldn't be able to handle a long distance relationship?"

"Well I think no one really knows if they can handle being apart until it happens, but I don't want a career that is going to ruin what we have going." Yugi said with worry in his eyes. "I want us both to be happy, but together at the same time."

"I will be happy with whatever choice you make, just like you have supported me in my choice to design games," Yami informed him, "Don't decide not to be an archaeologist because you're scared of losing me. Honestly if we are meant to be, we will learn to make it work. It's your choice on whatever you wish to do with your life."

Yugi nodded, "I know and maybe I can talk to professor Yoshimori more about what it would take. I have a lot of pros and cons to weight in before I make a choice. You never know just because I'm fascinated by archaeology doesn't mean it's the career for me."

Yami couldn't agree more with him. He had felt the same way when he decided to try and major in game design. His career would probably cause him to work long hours, plus he had to worry about if his brother would ever treat him serious enough to produce the games or if he would have to try and start his own company. There was a lot to think about in the line of work he was going to go into however above all it was something he was going to enjoy for the rest of his life.

Looking down at his watch again Yami noticed time seemed to have flown by them and they only had five minutes before the museum was to close. "Time to get your puzzle back," He told his lover as he stood up.

Yugi wasn't far behind him as they hurried into the museum to find Kanekura and get the puzzle back.

* * *

"Geez this museum is a maze," Yami grumbled to himself as he looked around for Mr. Kanekura. Both he and Yugi had checked the display to find that the puzzle was no longer there. They had a feeling Mr. Kanekura had it but they had no idea where he would be, so they decided to split up and search.

The shorter teen stopped in his tracks when he noticed an Egyptian male in robes and a turban walking his way. He wondered if this was the man Yugi had talked about seeing earlier that day. If so he could possible work here or have some direction to point Yami in the right path into finding Mr. Kanekura.

"Excuse me… have you see Mr. Kanekura? He promised to return a puzzle… It's shaped like this." Yami explained to him making the shape with his fingers to get his point across.

A shocked expression came over the Egyptian's face as he thought, '_I…Impossible… Not this boy…!'_

Yami waited on a response from the man, but wasn't getting one. He sighed in defeat. "I guess you don't know after all…"

The Egyptian continued to stare at the boy in front of him thinking, '_The one who solves the millennium puzzle gains great power… The same power as my bloodline… I have to make sure. I must know if this boy has the power. I will use the millennium key to look into the room of his soul!'_

Yami was starting to feel a little uncomfortable by the way the guy was staring at him, "Ummm… Why are you looking at me like that?"

The only response Yami got out of the man this time was him reaching down to lift the large key that hung around his neck. Before Yami could do anything the key was connected with his forehead…

* * *

The Egyptian took in his surroundings only to find himself in a hallway faced with two rooms. "Th…This boy has two rooms in his soul!" He exclaimed in shock as he walked forward to examine them both. One of the doors was open and free for anyone to look into while the other door was closed off with the same eye that was on the millennium puzzle on the front of the steel door. "One door to one room is open… I can see inside… It's scattered with games of all kinds, but it is pure. No thoughts of darkness…"

Inside were games of all kinds scattered about the floor, but that wasn't the only thing in the room. At the back of the small room were two rather large photos on the walls. One held a younger looking Yami with a younger looking Seto beside him. They were both smiling and Seto had an arm around his smaller twin brother. Behind the two were two figures, one a man and the other a woman, but their faces were blurred out by shadows and in the woman's arms was the baby of the family Mokuba. The other photo was of a much older Yami and his arms around his lover, Yugi, who was smiling up at him. These were the people most important to him. However a surprise was that covering the rest of the walls were Egyptian hieroglyphs that told a story of some kind that this boy held close, but wanted to keep covered up from everyone else so it was written in a foreign language.

The Egyptian turned away from that door to the closed one, "And the other door…"

Slowly the door started to open on its own and as light drifted in revealed a figure which looked completely identical to the boy he had just met minus slightly darker skin and eyes. The figure developed a smirk on his face as he said, "Well… A visitor in my room… Come in, if you dare. A game awaits you."

* * *

**Sakura: **The other Yami is here! Well he has always been here, but now it is seen that Yami has a spirit attached to him. I didn't realize how long this chapter was going to be until I finished it. I have a feeling the next chapter may not be as long, but I will try to keep them not too short.

**Yumi: Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It's time to see how Shadi handles meeting Yami's other half.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Man from Egypt (Part Two)**

The Egyptian took in his surroundings only to find himself in a hallway faced with two rooms. "Th…This boy has two rooms in his soul!" He exclaimed in shock as he walked forward to examine them both. One of the doors was open and free for anyone to look into while the other door was closed off with the same eye that was on the millennium puzzle on the front of the steel door. "One door to one room is open… I can see inside… It's scattered with games of all kinds, but it is pure. No thoughts of darkness…"

The Egyptian turned away from that door to the closed one, "And the other door…"

Slowly the door started to open on its own and as light drifted in revealed a figure which looked completely identical to the boy he had just met minus slightly darker skin and eyes. The figure developed a smirk on his face as he said, "Well… A visitor in my room… Come in, if you dare. A game awaits you."

The Egyptian calmly stepped into the chambers of the unknown being. The other in front of him continued to wear the same smirk watching every move he made.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid?" He asked with every bit of courage welcoming the unknown visitor, "Show some courage!"

The other took a few more steps in, but still kept his distance from the strange male. _'I have visited rooms of many peoples' souls in the past… they may have different decorations and furnishings, but always there is only one room…'_ The Egyptian thought to himself without letting his guard down, '_but… what is this other room in this boy's soul… it is dark and cold…'_

As if sensing his thoughts the room lit up partly to reveal some of the room. Eyes widen on the Egyptian when he realized the room he was in was like a tomb of a pharaoh in ancient Egypt. The stone work, carvings and paintings on the walls were the same as they would be in the ancient past.

"I don't know what power you used to find this place…" The other Yami spoke up having lost his smirk, "But you better explain why you're here…"

The two leveled each other in a staring contest before the intruder decided to answer, "From your perspective I am an unwanted guest... Answering that question is the least I can do." Silence was all he got from the other so he continued, "I came to discover the secret of the power of your millennium puzzle." He spoke as if it was Yami he was talking to and not the other spirit in the boy's soul.

The other Yami let no emotions cross his face as he took in this information. "So you know of the existence of the millennium puzzle..." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes I know. Also that it is one of the millennium items..." The Egyptian paused for just a second before going into his long tale about the items, "The story of the millennium items has been passed down from ancient Egypt... three thousand years ago in the Valley of the Kings. They were made 'to punish thieves who would defile the tombs of the pharaohs and steal their treasures' by the magicians who served the ancient pharaohs. So it is written in the pert em hru..."

"So you came here with a millennium item...?" The other Yami questioned as it was obvious from the large key he wore around his neck that it was no ordinary key.

The Egyptian agreed with him. "The power of the millennium key… This key opens the door to one's soul... In room of the soul, one discovers everything about a person. Who they are, what they love, what they fear... even what they themselves do not know." He then went on to explain about his second item even though it was no longer with him at that moment. "And one more: The millennium scales. They weigh the sins of a person on trial. These are the two that I possess. However even I don't know the power of the millennium puzzle. I don't know what power is bestowed upon the person who completes it, because it has never been solved."

"And so to find out...You entered my soul..."

"If I can see a person's 'room'...I can see what kind of power they possess. That is what I came to discover." The Egyptian told him, before stating his true reason for being there, "And if that power is needed. I will draw it into my bloodline."

The other Yami looked at him like he was crazy, before his well-known smirk developed back on his face. "This power you speak of does rest in my room. However... I can't let you see it that easily. You know the routine." He said before stating his famous line. "This is a game! A shadow game!"

The Egyptian did not seemed fazed by those words as others before him have so the other Yami continued, "The rules of the game are simple. Somewhere within this soul is my true room... If you can find it, then you'll find what you seek."

The Egyptian chuckled at that, "I forgot to tell you about one other power I have. When I enter the room of someone's soul, I can 'redecorate' and control that person at will. I can even destroy their personality." He was prepared for anything the other Yami could throw at him, "I accept your game and I will find the true room of your soul."

It was the other Yami's turn to laugh, "Well... Don't think it's that easy... This game is more dangerous than you know!" He snapped his fingers revealing the rest of his soul room to the intruder.

A look of shock took over the Egyptian's face as he took in the rest of the room. _'Is this...A maze?'_ He thought to himself as he took in the endless stair cases and countless doors before him. _'This boy's room is truly... A labyrinth of the soul!'_

"Game Start!" The other Yami exclaimed proud to have cause worry to appear in the other's eyes. The other was like a statue unable to take it all in to even move. "Well? What's wrong? The game won't start until you take the first step." He stated as he lean against a nearby wall.

_'There...and over there... countless doors as far as the eye can see…_' The outsider was unsure where to even begin his search, _'But only one leads to the true room.'_ He looked beside him and noticed a door near him so he decided to start there. He walked over to it and put his hand on the handle. '_I'll have to open all the doors one by one..._' He turned the handle and pulled it open slowly peeking in to see if there was anything there.

A large stone weight came crashing down throwing him back away from the room and if he had taken one step in he would have died in that boy's soul room. _'A trap!'_ His first thought was as he picked himself up off the ground.

"What's wrong?" The other Yami taunted from his spot. "Do you give up?"

The Egyptian leveled him with a glare, but the other Yami was unfazed, "At this rate, you might get yourself in trouble." As if a ghost the other Yami started to disappear into the wall. "Good luck... I'll be waiting in the room..."

Once the other was gone the intruder stood to his full height and wiped the sweat from his brow. With the idea of traps behind every door, he proceeded with caution through the maze to find the true room.

* * *

Time seemed endless as the Egyptian went from door to door trying to find the true room. He avoided every trap behind each door, but none of them had led him in the right direction. Some even led him to other doors and if he did not watch himself he would be lost in the maze of the boy's soul forever.

"Which door could it be?" He said to himself, "This boy's soul is so tightly closed against strangers... It seeks to confuse me." However his determination outweighed his will to give up. "But I have to know! I must know the secret of the millennium puzzle!"

He came upon another door and stood in front of it feeling as if this might be the door. Carefully he turned the handle and opened it prepared for anything to try to kill him. However when the door was opened fully he found the other Yami sitting on a throne as if he were a proud pharaoh himself.

No words were said as he simply sat there with that smirk on his face.

_'Have I finally made it to the true room?_' The Egyptian slowly started to walk into the room thinking this was it, but something suddenly felt wrong.

The floor began to crumble out from under him causing him to lose his balance. His hand reached out on reflex to grab the edge so that he would not fall into the seemingly endless abyss. _'If I fall into the darkness... I'll be lost in the boy's soul forever!'_ This was his only worry at the moment, but there was no way for him to pull himself up.

Footsteps bought him out of his thoughts in time to look up and see the other Yami standing near him. "Shall I push you in...?" The other Yami questioned with his arms crossed. As if by a second thought instead of trying to push him in, he kneeled down and reached out a hand to the other.

The other developed a look of confusion not sure if he could trust the hand or not.

"It's all right. My hand isn't a trap..." The other Yami tried to reassure him.

The Egyptian had no other choice so he reached up with his other hand and grabbed on to the helping hand. Before long he was back on solid ground away from his appending doom.

"I had never imagined that you would save me... If indeed it is the same you..." The Egyptian bowed his head to the other, "I am in your debt."

"I don't like your hobby of peeking into people's souls. You better leave right now." The other Yami warned hoping the other would take his advice.

The intruder did heed his words as he turned to leave. "So I have lost the game..."

"No..." The other Yami replied, "This is just the beginning."

"Yes... You're right..." The Egyptian agreed as he walked to the new door that had appeared. It had the same eye as before on the front letting him know that it was the exit to the boy's soul room. "Farewell..."

* * *

Yami blinked his eyes a few times not sure at what had just happened and took notice that the Egyptian from before was now kneeling in front of him seeming to try to caught his breathe.

"Are you alright?"

At first the other just stayed like that with his head bow as if in deep thought which caused Yami to wonder if he should get some help for the guy.

"Are you okay?" Yami tried to ask again, "You look pale..."

Finally the other lifted his head, "Yes... I'm alright..." He carefully stood back to his full height. "You are a strange boy..."

Yami's eyebrows knitted together at the strange boy comment.

"Oh... I almost forgot..." The other reached into his pocket of his robes, "If I'm not mistaken, this is yours..."

To Yami's surprise he presented the millennium puzzle to Yami, who quickly took it into his hands. He was relieved to see it and it would make his partner that much more happy. "Thank you!"

"You don't need to thank me. I am already in your debt..."

Yami was confused by that statement. He had only just met the guy there was no way he had done anything for him. "Debt? Did I loan you something?"

"It was the other you."

Yami couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his lips. "Other me?" The small laugh turned into full blow laughter. He couldn't believe this strange guy thought there was two of him. There would be if his brother looked like him but that wasn't the case. Once he calmed himself down he continued what he was going to say, "No way! I'm me! I'm the only me there is."

"Yami!"

The said person turned to see Yugi running up to him. He smiled at his lover and presented him with the puzzle when Yugi was close enough. Yugi smiled brightly as Yami put the puzzle back around his neck where it belonged.

"I'm so happy you were able to find it. I couldn't find Mr. Kanekura anywhere." Yugi wrapped his hands protectively around the puzzle. "How did you find it?"

Yami turned partly back toward the Egyptian, "He had it with him. Mr. Kanekura must have sent him to give us the puzzle back."

Yugi's eyes widen when he realized it was the Egyptian from before, but then smiled up at him and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for returning it."

The Egyptian appeared shocked that Yami had handed the puzzle over to Yugi with no problems at all. "You are the owner of the puzzle?"

Yugi nodded, "Yes, sorry if Mr. Kanekura wasn't clear on what I looked like. Me and Yami look somewhat similar with our hairstyle."

"What's your name?" He asked the two but more to Yami.

Yugi figured he just wanted to verify that he had the right people in front of him to tell Mr. Kanekura. "I'm Yugi and this is my boyfriend Yami."

_'One wields the millennium puzzle while two sides exist in the other, but he has not realized it yet. When they join, the true power of the millennium puzzle will be awakened.'_ The Egyptian thought to himself before he moved to walk passed them, "Yami... There is something you must do... You must discover your other self."

Both Yami and Yugi had a look of confusion on their faces as they looked back at the other.

"And Yugi must solve the riddle of the true power of the millennium puzzle... The puzzle that was hidden for three thousand years! That is the destiny of the one who solves the puzzle. That is their duty."

_'My other self?'_ Yami thought just as Yugi was thinking _'The true power of the millennium puzzle?'_

"My name is Shadi." Shadi informed them as he walked away, "There is one more person I must place on trial... One more man who defiled the territory of the gods, the Valley of the Kings..."

The two watched the strange man leave without another word. It left the two teens wondering what in the world had just happened.

* * *

**Sakura: **Yeah I figured this would be one of the shorter chapters of this story, but that's okay. It's just a little filler chapter for what is to come in the next few chapters! Personally the chapters with Shadi are a little boring, but once I get pass him we can get to the more fun chapters!

**Yumi: Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Now it's time to see what kind of trouble Shadi is going to cause for our favorite couple.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Other Criminal **

The encounter with Shadi left Yami and Yugi feeling slightly off for reasons unknown. Nothing was said between the lovers as they made their way home and decided to call it a night at Yugi's place. Yugi's mother was out of town with a friend so it would only be Yugi, Yami, and Grandpa who was less strict about Yami being over. They shared a quick supper with the elder Mutou continuing their silence about what happened until they were in the privacy of Yugi's room.

Later when the meal was done and dishes were clean the two hurried up to Yugi's room. A minute later Yugi sat at his desk with the millennium puzzle in hand looking at it closely like all the answers for what happened would be written on it. Yami was laid out on Yugi's bed staring up at the ceiling.

"He said something about 'another me'..." Yami mumbled to himself but Yugi could hear it, "And some 'secret to the millennium puzzle'..."

"I wonder what he meant..." Yugi turned to look at Yami. "I mean there is only one you. Why would there be two of you?"

Yami shrugged, "Maybe he was just mental," The crimson eyed teen was still gonna kept quiet about his black outs and memory loss from Yugi, but what Shadi said caused questions to circle around in his mind. If there was another him then that would explain the moments of memory loss, but it did not explain why this was happening. The last thing he wanted to do was trust a complete stranger and if he tried to seek help from a doctor they might commit him to a mental institution.

"And his last words 'I must place on trial one more man who defied the Valley of the Kings...'" Yugi continued to wonder out loud wishing the answer would just come to them.

After a moment of silence Yami sat up and mess up his hair in frustration. "It makes my head spin! We gonna stop thinking about it."

Before Yugi could say anything about that, Grandpa came barging into their room saying, "Yugi, this is terrible! Come look at the news!"

Both Yugi and Yami hurried after Solomon confused about what was going on.

* * *

"_Mr. Kanekura, the owner of the museum, was found dead in his office. The cause of death appeared to be a heart attack, induced by shock but according to the coroner there were reasons that it couldn't have been a natural death. This has people wondering 'Is this the curse of the Pharaoh's tomb?'..."_ The reporter who stood in front of the museum reported into the camera with cop cars all in the back ground.

Solomon sighed, "It's depressing to think someone we just met is dead..."

All three were sat around the table watching the news and it seemed too real to be true. Yugi turned to his grandfather, "Do curses really exist...?"

"Well..." Solomon started before he went into a long tale. "When Tutankhamen's tomb was opened in 1923, there were the same kinds of rumors... Some of the discoverers died mysterious deaths. But now it's thought that the 'mummy's curse' was just a sensation stirred up by the media of the time. No one knows the truth, but that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried because there was one more man involved in the excavation..."

"Professor Yoshimori!" Yami exclaimed when he realized who Solomon was talking about and the thought '_One more man..._' entered his head. Could this have been what Shadi was talking about?

"Anyway Professor Yoshimori would be the last person to believe in curses. But still, one of the people he worked with is dead. It must be hard for him." Solomon said to them, "So I'm going to go his lab at the University to try and cheer him up."

"Grandpa..." Yugi spoke up getting their attention. "Can I come too?"

"Of course you can. I'm sure he'd like that." The elder Mutou informed his grandson.

Since Yugi was tagging along Yami found no reason not to join them. He wasn't sure why Yugi wanted to go along with his grandfather other than to check on the professor, but part of him thought that maybe Yugi was wondering about what Shadi had meant since he heard it too. If something was going to happen to the Professor than they had to stop it.

* * *

The sun had already set by the time the Mutous and Yami left the Kame Game Shop and began their walk to the University. It honestly wasn't that far, but Yugi took the bus to make the trip that much quicker in the mornings. Just as they were about to cross the street to the next block, they heard a shout behind them and turned to see Joey pull up in his truck. The blond got out and he was not alone. Duke and Tristan climbed out as well.

"Yo Yugi!" Joey called as he caught up to them. "We just saw the news about Kanekura."

"We just met the guy it's such a shock." Duke said with a shake of his head. The three had been hanging out back at the apartment when the news came on with the story. The three immediately decided to head over to Yugi's place to see if they had heard the story.

"We were coming to check to see if you heard the news and go visit the professor. I bet he knows the details of the case." Joey stated then finished with, "I just know there's a curse."

Duke and Tristan bowed their head in shame of knowing the blond beside them while Solomon chuckled. The elder saw no reason for them not to all go together. "Shall we get going then?" He suggested.

Just the idea of them going did not sit well with Yami however before he could say something someone else spoke up.

"Hey guys, I think it would be better if you didn't go..." Yugi said causing looks of confusion on the others faces, "I just get this feeling."

"We're all right Yugi, you're worried that Joey's afraid of the curse aren't you?" Duke said teasing the idiot beside him.

Joey glared at Duke before turning a grin to Yugi to show he was alright. "Yeah I'm not really scared. Professor Yoshimori showed us around the museum. We're worried about him just like you. He seems like a good guy."

"Y-Yeah... You're right!" Yugi's attitude changed just like that back to his cheerful self. "I'm sorry for acting weird..."

When all that was settled, they all somehow piled into Joey's truck and headed to the University. However during the drive Yami had a sinking feeling something big was about to happen.

* * *

Meanwhile in Professor Yoshimori's office at the University he was sitting at his desk and if anyone walked in it may have looked like he was praying, but in truth the professor was in deep thought. His office was full of artifacts most of them fakes, along with maps of Egypt and shelves with hundreds of books.

'_Impossible… There's no such thing as a curse…'_ He tried to reassure himself. Memories of the time he spent in Egypt with Mr. Kanekura plagued his mind. He could not believe the phone call he received about the man being dead. The discovery they had made was one for the history books and now the man was gone from this world just like that.

The professor let out a sigh of frustration, before he heard a noise behind him. He turned around quickly only to see no one or thing behind him. The room was still void of life and since the University was closed for the night no one should be there but cleaning staff if they were even still there.

"I'm hearing things…" He told himself as he turned back around. "A lot has happened today. I must be tired..." Then he remembered the call he received not to long ago from his good friend Solomon, "Mutou will be bringing his grandson soon… I've never needed a friend as much as I do today…"

Unaware of the person who seemed to appear out of the shadows, Professor Yoshimori never turned to see Shadi step up behind him. '_Criminal who defiled the territory of the gods, who profaned the Valley of the Kings by Anubis's will I now, put you on trial.'_ The Egyptian thought to himself as he raised his millennium key up, '_Before you die, I will unlock the room of your soul with the power of my millennium key. Gods willing, I will find some shed of guilt…'_

Once the Key connected with the back of Yoshimori's head, Shadi's soul was transported into the soul room of the Professor. Inside he found artifacts, books, and paintings from Egypt. "The first thing that meets the eye is the shelves full of books…All of them about archaeology" Shadi said taking in the shelves that covered every wall, "And artifacts from ruins… His heart is cluttered with his obsession with the past."

Shadi took a set forward and found a photo sitting on one of the shorter shelves and picked it up. The photo was of a younger Yoshimori with a woman and a child. "In one corner covered with dust, a picture of his family. He has neglected them because of his obsession… He regrets it, but it's too late now."

The photo was set down and then Shadi took in how dark the room looked, "The darkness of the room is proof of the anxiety and fear he is feeling. The museum owner's death must be the cause…" Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a ray of light in one corner. "In the darkness, a glimmer of light, this is the light of hope."

There was a moment of pause, before Shadi realized why the professor had hope. "I see… This man is waiting for his friends… That calms his heart and gives him a ray of hope…" Shadi reached out a hand to touch the light, "Who is he awaiting…?"

Surprise overtook Shadi's face in a split second when he saw a vision of Yugi and Yami with others driving toward the University. They were the ones coming to see the professor. "Two of his friends coming to visit are the boy who solved the millennium puzzle and the boy with the other self. This has become interesting... Before I kill him, I may be able to use this man to draw out Yami's hidden power."

A look of determination came over Shadi's face, "I will redecorate the room of the Professor's soul and turn him into my puppet!" He grabbed his key in his hands and closed his eyes. "Marionette Design!"

There was a moment when nothing seemed to happen before Shadi opened his eyes again to find himself back outside behind the professor. The professor did not move or speak, but Shadi knew he was in control now. "The redecoration is complete this man is my puppet now." He had no need to keep quiet now that the professor was no longer in control of his own body. "And now, Yami within Yami… The second stage of our game begins!"

* * *

"Here we are..." Solomon stated once the group stood outside the building of the archeology department at the University. It was odd coming to the school at night given how deserted the place looked. The building they stood in front of was not far from some of the buildings they had classes in and it made Yugi wonder why he never tried to come over to it and learn about the major.

The group made their way inside with no problem as Solomon had called the Professor earlier to let him know they were coming. The front door had been left unlock and a few lights were left on but not many making the building seem creepy in the darkness.

Joey cringed as they walked down a darker hallway toward the stairs that would lead them to the professor's office. "I hate schools at night! They're so creepy!"

"You don't have a shred of courage, do you Joey?" Tristan teased his best friend which got him a glare from the other.

After walking up some stairs and going down another hallway they finally found Yoshimori's office and the lights were still on letting people know there was someone inside. The window was glazed over so no one could see inside.

"It's spooky..." Joey had a look of dread on his face as he looked at the display just outside the office which had skulls and other artifacts.

Duke rolled his eyes, "Joey, you're going to make professor Yoshimori even more depressed if you look like that!"

Yugi turned to their blond hair friend, "Duke's right Joey. The professor must be worried about what happened to Mr. Kanekura."

"Awright I got it!" Joey whined to them, he then put on a smile to prove he was going to try and cheer the professor up, "Then let's put a big smile on, huh?"

Solomon agreed "This should help cheer him up..."

"Yeah, let's not mention the museum at all..." Yami bought up, they were trying to help him forget not remember Mr. Kanekura.

With that in mind Joey slide open the door and both he and Yugi popped their heads in, "Hey there Professor Yoshimori!" They called before all the others filed in after them.

"Sorry, we're late Professor..." Solomon apologized to the professor who was standing with his back to them.

Slowly the professor turned around, "Thank you for coming..." He spoke in a voice that sounded like him but something was slightly off about it. Upon closer inspection the group would have noticed the glazed over look in the professor's eyes but they were too far away to notice. "Come in... Come in...I've been waiting for you."

"Uh... Hope we're not interrupting anything..." Joey said to the professor while he whispered to Yugi, "He looks pretty happy."

Yugi agreed with him before Joey held up a bag he had bought along. "Professor, we brought something for you! Y'know... you showed us around the museum and all..."

All the others froze at Joey's words and it took a minute for even the blond to realize what he said and cover his mouth.

"Moron!" Tristan hissed, "Ixnay on the useummay!"

"Oh yes oh yes... The museum..." The professor said as he tilted his head. "Somebody killed him... Somebody killed Mr. Kanekura..." He then started to chuckle to himself.

The news that the professor gave them shocked them to the core. His odd behavior and the way he said it just seemed off.

"Hey something weird is going on here..." Joey pointed out.

"Professor Yoshimori what's wrong...?" Solomon asked trying to figure out what was wrong with his friend.

"There is nothing wrong... I was just waiting..." A creepy smile developed on the professor's face, "Waiting for Yugi and Yami..."

None of them had a moment to figure out what he meant by that as the professor charged forward with his arms outstretched. He found a target quickly wrapping his hands tight around Joey's throat.

The blond teen clawed at the hands trying to get them off as they cut off his air way, but the grip was too strong.

Tristan, Duke, and Yami jumped into action trying to pull the professor off but he had a death grip on their friend. Yugi and Solomon could only watch in horror as the professor tried to kill Joey.

"I want to see the other Yami..." The professor said looking Yami right in the eye.

Yami on the other hand was more worried about saving Joey to fully understand those words.

Behind all the chaos Shadi seemed to have appeared out of nowhere behind Yugi and Solomon. Yugi turned when he felt a presence and his eyes widen when he saw Shadi.

"Please excuse my puppet's rudeness..." However it was easy to tell by the look on his face he wasn't sincere about it.

The gears in Yugi's mind started to turn as he tried to figure all this out. _'Why's the professor doing this...? Wait...It couldn't be... Shadi..._' He looked back toward the Egyptian male and shouted, "Shadi! What did you do to professor Yoshimori?"

"If my theory is correct this will bring him out..." Shadi replied as if it was the most obvious thing as he looked toward Yami who was pulling at the professor's arm. "This will bring out the other Yami!"

* * *

**Sakura: **Shadi has made his move! Things are going to get much more interesting for the next few chapters or so I hope.

**Yumi: Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Let's see what troubles Shadi brings with him in this chapter. Oh and there is a twist inside this chapter, so lets see if my readers can catch it.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Shadi's Challenge **

The death grip the Professor had on Joey's throat could not be loosen no matter how hard the group tried. While Tristan and Duke tried to pull the professor off, Solomon was on one side trying to get the professor to let go while Yami and Yugi were on the other side pulling on his other arm.

"His strength is insane!" Solomon cried out, "I can't budge his arms!"

_'What's happened...?_' Yugi thought to himself as he pulled with all his strength to get the professor to let go. _'It's like someone brainwashed him and turned him into a killer_.' The smaller looked behind him at Shadi, _'Did Shadi do something to the professor...?_'

Shadi watched the scene with an emotionless face, _'Know this Yami and Yugi... I have redecorated the room of that man's soul... Now he moves at my will... I have planted one thought in that puppet. Make the boys' friends suffer. That will push them to their hearts limit. If my theory is correct, when they have no other options when their hearts are out of hope then the other Yami will awake_!'

At that moment the group was really worried that Joey wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

_'I planned to leave this country as soon as I punished the men who defiled the territory of the gods and opened the Pharaoh's tomb...But then I met that young man..._' Shadi thought as he looked toward Yami and remember his time in the other Yami's soul room. _'Since that time, the feeling of defeat smolders in my heart. I can't leave this country, not with those embers still burning. I want to meet him again. I want to see the other Yami's power with my own eyes._' A dark look came over Shadi's face as he thought one final thought, _'To do that, I will push these boys as far as I must..._'

All hope seemed lost as Yugi realized that just trying to pull the professor off Joey was not going to work. The death grip was too tight and Joey did not have much more time. He would not let his friend die like this and with that determination in mind he looked around the room for something else to use. A globe sitting on a small table near him caught his attention, so he quickly went over to pick it up. Now Yugi was not one for violence but this was a desperate matter.

With all the strength he could muster, Yugi held the stand of the globe and swung as hard as he could. Tristan and Duke jumped out of the way as the globe made contact with the professor's face knocking him backwards flat on the floor. A few of his teeth came flying out of his mouth because of the force of the hit.

Joey fell to his knees with a gasp as his hands lightly came around his aching neck as he tried to catch his breath. "I almost…. croaked…" He panted out not believing what had just happened.

"You knocked him out…!" Solomon said in disbelief and as he looked at his fallen friend. His grandson had quite the arm on him which surprised them all.

Shadi stood there with a look of shock on his face the only emotion he had shown since all this had started.

"Are you alright Joey?" Yugi asked as he kneeled beside his friend after putting the globe back down.

Joey nodded as he gave Yugi a smile to show him he was okay. "Yeah… Nice shot Yug!"

Solomon moved slightly over to the professor, "I'm worried about professor Yoshimori…"

Yugi looked toward his grandfather and really hoped he didn't almost kill the professor. "I think I hit him too hard…"

However this wasn't the end as the professor stood up out the blue as if nothing had happened to him. His arms were outstretched again as he tried to find another victim to latch onto.

"Oh no…! The professor's still the same!" Tristan pointed out the obvious.

Joey leapt to his feet crying, "He's a zombie!"

"Everyone! Let's split up!" Yami called out knowing if they all took off in different directions the professor couldn't get them all. He knew Tristan, Joey, and Duke could handle themselves against the zombie like professor as long as he didn't get his hands on them like he did with Joey, but Yugi and Solomon wouldn't stand a chance.

'_Evidently the professor isn't enough…'_ Shadi thought his face going back to its neutral look. He looked around the room, '_I must enter the room of the soul of another person here and turn them into a puppet as well!'_

Just Shadi's luck Yugi happened to move in front of him trying to dodge the professor. _'This boy…_' He was the one who had truly solved the millennium puzzle and the Egyptian knew there was a deep bond between him and Yami. If he used him, he was sure to bring out the other Yami. With the millennium key in hand he touched the back of Yugi's head with it.

After a blinding light Shadi opened his eyes and they widen when he realized this hallway he was in looked like the one he had been in when he entered Yami's mind. Surprisely there were two doors one was open showing the inside to be bright with toys and games all over the floor. The walls were a soft blue along with a bright white carpet. It was warm and welcoming with pictures hanging on every wall each with photos of those close to the boy. The biggest photo surprisingly was not of the boy and his family but of his lover. It showed that a true bond had developed between the two and the boy may have already found his soul mate.

The other door however was dark with the same eye as on the puzzle on the door. The main difference between this door and the door within Yami's mind was that this one had chains keeping it locked. Shadi could feel a powerful presence from inside and wondered what was being hidden. He walked forward and reached out a hand to try and remove the chains. As soon as his hand made contact a sharp pain of electricity course through his core pushing him back.

When Shadi reopened his eyes he found that he had been removed from Yugi's mind. The boy move away from Shadi having not realized what had happened as he and his friends tried to fight the professor off. Something about that boy was not right and Shadi knew there were deeper secrets that tied those two boys to the millennium puzzle. This challenge would no longer be just for awaking the other Yami he now needed to find out why there was a locked door in the mind of Yugi Mutou.

Shadi still needed another puppet for his plan to work and then his eyes fell on someone else. The Egyptian moved behind Duke and did the same as before and entered the mind of the young man. This time he only found one soul room as it should be with every individual. There were items around the room that describe the teen's dreams and his fears. There were a few photos of his friends and one of him and his girlfriend. The fellow seemed like a nice guy who had a close connection with Yami. In Shadi's eyes he was the perfect target for his plan.

"I pity him, but I need to push the boys to their limits…" Shadi said as he closed his eyes, "At least I won't make him into a pitiful puppet like the professor. I'll make him into a doll without memories or a voice…"

While the others had no idea what Shadi had just done to one of their friends, they were still trying to run away from the professor. As he went to go after Joey again, Solomon jumped in the way.

"Professor Yoshimori, what's going on?" Solomon called out trying to get through to his friend, "Do you remember me?"

"Gramps! Don't get too close!" Joey hollered, but it was too late.

Solomon ended up with a punch to the face that sent him backward into a bookshelf. A few books fell down on top of him and one hit him over the head just right knocking him out cold.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried praying that the old man was alright. He couldn't get to his grandfather with the professor in the way.

Joey started to calculate the odds of being able to get the others out of here safely. The professor had simply knocked grandpa out of the way so he was not the target of this zombie. With the way the zombie like professor was looking at him he was one of the targets. He had to use that to his advantage somehow. '_I've got to distract him…' _An idea stuck him after that thought and he knew it was risky but it had to work, '_I've got to lead him away!'_

"Hey ya old bookworm!" Joey shouted making funny faces at the professor. He stood before the open door way and turned to bend over and smack his own butt. "Take a bite out of this! My Butt!" With those words the zombie chased Joey out of the room and it wasn't but a second later Tristan was chasing after the both of them not going to leave his friend to handle the professor all on his own.

Yami and Yugi raced to the door to look out and watch as the three disappeared down the darken hallway.

"You have good friends…" Shadi spoke up catching both of their attention. "They would save you by sacrificing themselves."

Yami glared at the Egyptian just now noticing his presence after all this time, but that glare did not last long and the question he had on the tip of his tongue died in his mouth as he noticed who stood in front of the Egyptian. His best friend stood there as if a zombie himself with the same glazed over look the professor had.

"Duke!" Yugi cried out while Yami was at a loss for words. "Shadi what did you do to Duke?"

"I redesigned the room of his soul," Shadi informed them as if it was obvious, "This boy is now a doll, who cannot speak or think. He is a puppet who cannot move without my will."

Those words shocked the two to the core and no words could describe the way they were feeling especially Yami since it was his best friend in the hands of that man.

"Now let your blood burn with anger! Let your body shake with sorrow and call him forth!" Shadi yelled at the two, "The other Yami!"

* * *

At some point in their running away from the zombie professor Tristan and Joey had caught up to each other and were simply running for their lives at the moment.

"Damn he's fast!" Joey cursed as the professor was right on his heels.

Tristan couldn't agree with him more as he tried to keep up the pace. "At least we got him away from the others."

Another corner was coming up soon and an idea hit Joey at that moment. He had an idea and he hoped it worked out for the two of them. As soon as they turned the corner, Joey did a quick turn causing Tristan to stop in his tracks not sure what the plan was.

"Dude! Come on!"

Joey didn't listen as he waited for when the professor turned the corner. As soon as he did Joey let him have a punch to the face knocking him back into the nearby wall. "That right hook will bring you to your senses!" He shouted with a smirk.

The professor laid slumped against the wall with his head down after the impact no movement at all.

"Prof?" Joey questioned as he walked a little closer while shaking out his sore hand. That punch ended up being a lot harder than he thought and he hoped the professor wasn't too hurt.

"You think he's okay?" Tristan asked since the professor wasn't moving at all.

Joey shrugged, "I didn't think I hit him that hard. He's probably just knocked out."

"Yeah and remember when Yugi knocked him out, he got right ba…." That sentence died in Tristan's throat as if by those words the professor stood back up. The two quickly moved away not sure if Yoshimori was back to his old self or not.

"Professor?" Joey tried to call again.

The head of the professor snapped up, but he was just the same as before but with less teeth. He reached out once again toward the two causing them to turn tail and start running again.

"No way!" Joey shouted not believing their luck. "Why didn't that work?!"

* * *

Back with Shadi and the two remaining teens, Yami was glaring at the Egyptian while Yugi was simply looking worried about the situation. They kept their distance from the man not having a clue why all this was happening to them.

'_That's it…' _Shadi thought as he watched the emotions that played in Yami's eyes. '_On the far side of your emotions… like a runner waiting for the hand-off in a relay… the other Yami is waiting!'_

"Listen well, Yami… These words will be the final trigger…" Shadi said out loud to the two before him, "If I ordered this boy to die… He would die!"

That appeared to be the final straw for Yami as the anger within him reached its limit. The puzzle around Yugi's neck came off a familiar glow as Yami felt a pull at his mind. Before Yami could figure out what was going on darkness cloudy his vision and the last thing he remembered was seeing his friend in trouble.

'_This is it…'_ Shadi thought as he watched to teen in front of him change. His crimson eyes took on a darker shade and the way he carried himself was of that of a pharaoh. '_He is coming…'_

"Shadi!" The other Yami yelled and even his tone of voice was different. It held more power and authority to those around him.

"So we finally meet in this world Yami within Yami…" Shadi said with a hint of a smirk on his face, "Now! The second stage of our game can begin…"

* * *

**Sakura: **I can't wait for all you lovely readers out there to see what I have in store in the next chapter. If you thought things were getting interesting now just wait until Yugi and Yami are faced with Shadi's game…

**Yumi: Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I really like this chapter because... well I don't want to spoil anything before everyone gets to read it. Thanks for all those reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Game Start**

"I needed to see you again other Yami..."

"Shadi!" The other Yami yelled completely pissed off. His friends were not to be used as pawns for such selfish reasons.

Yugi looked between the two at a complete lost to what was going on. They had only just met this man at the museum and now he was attacking their friends like this. The professor was acting like some kind of zombie, while Duke stood in front of the Egyptian as if a doll. He had no clue as to what was going on or as to why Shadi was now referring to his boyfriend as the other Yami. As he looked at his lover he could see no difference except the look of hatred that now was in his eyes. His Yami could get angry at some people but never look at them as if he was about to murder them.

"Now that you're here the time has come to finish our battle in a shadow game." Shadi informed them which just caused more questions to rise in Yugi's mind. "The last time we met I searched the room of your soul trying to determine your power, but you forced me out. This time I will try your power in the real world."

"Now that the shoe's on the other foot. I suppose I have no choice but to accept..." The other Yami said as if he knew what Shadi was talking about, but Yugi was still left in the dark.

"Yes," Shadi agreed, "If not this boy will remain a doll forever."

The other Yami growled, but said nothing as Shadi continued to speak, "The game will begin in ten minutes on the roof. I will go on ahead and make the preparations. Fortunately all the tools I need are here in this archaeology lab. Come when the clock strikes eight. I'll be waiting on the roof."

No other words were said between the two as Yami and Yugi were forced to leave the room.

* * *

A few minutes later the two stood on the last floor to the building near the stairs that would lead them to a door to the roof. Neither had said a word since given the instructions from Shadi. The other Yami was in deep thought while Yugi was nervous about what would happen to their friends.

_'Shadi... Why is he so determined to test my power?_' The other Yami thought to himself, _'Does his bloodline, whatever group he says he represents, want to use my power? Or do they want to eliminate it...?'_

His line of sight moved down to look at the boy next to him who looked as if he wanted to say something but still remained silent. Yugi had his hands wrapped around the puzzle as if to gain comfort from it. _'The power of the millennium puzzle... even I don't know its full extent, but it's there somewhere inside me... hidden in the true room of my soul. It pulses quietly waiting for the right time.'_

The other Yami's eyes shifted back to the clock on the wall. They still had a five minute wait until eight o'clock_. 'However, there's one thing I'm sure of Shadi. The fact that you are my enemy. No matter what game you challenge me to... I must win for Duke's sake!'_

"What is happening?" The question startled the other Yami as he looked back down at Yugi.

Yugi was looking up at him finally as if he had all the answers. "You act as if you knew what Shadi was after back there. Do you know what is going on Yami?"

The other Yami remained silent as he figured out how to answer this question. This was his host boyfriend and he had every right to worry. He had no idea that a spirit such as himself was taking control of his lover. The boy's presence and look felt familiar somehow, but his memories were vague on why. However in order to concentrate on the challenge at hand he would need to be the boy's mind at ease.

"It has to do with your millennium puzzle I believe. Shadi seems to think it has some hidden power."

Yugi looked down at the puzzle, "I remember Shadi saying something like that before, but how can he be sure, I mean it looks like a normal artifact from Egypt to me."

"Looks can be deceiving..." He replied hoping to put the questions and worry to rest, but it appeared Yugi had one more question.

"And what about that other Yami? I mean there is only one you right?"

"Perhaps he is mistaken..."

_'I get this weird feeling that he's not'_ Yugi thought as he looked up at Yami. The light from the moon outside picked that moment to shine through the window lighting up the area. The light appeared to catch Yami's face just right and it was then Yugi noticed something.

The shorter teen moved in front of his lover and put his hands on either side of Yami's face. His lover raised an eyebrow at his behavior and to Yugi's surprise he made no move to touch Yugi. The younger took this moment to look Yami right in the eye. Something did not seem right about his eyes, the color was too dark even in the moon light. Yami's eyes were always such a bright crimson and they were one of the things Yugi loved the most, but right now they appeared darker and Yugi wondered how he never noticed that before.

"Yami, are you feeling alright?" Yugi voiced his concerns.

"Of course I'm just worried about our friends..." The other Yami explained as he put his hands on Yugi's waist. He lean in to place his forehead against Yugi's after giving the smaller a gentle kiss on the nose.

Yugi smiled at that and moved his hands to hug the other. He felt silly for thinking such silly thoughts about his Yami being different. The stress of all that was happening must be affecting his brain somehow.

The clock behind them made a loud ticking sound and when they looked up they noticed that their time was up. They had to meet Shadi up on the roof to save their friends.

* * *

The sight that met them was not one they were expecting. Duke stood still upon the end of a board that had been placed on the other side of the fence that wrapped around the roof. The only thing holding the board up were some ropes nailed to the board and those ropes were tied to little Egyptian figures laced through the fence. If it weren't for the ropes Duke would have fallen to this death.

"Duke!" Yugi shouted not believing what Shadi had done.

"Then let's begin the game..." Shadi announced being only a few feet away from the two. "The trial of the mind!"

"Shadi!" The other Yami yelled glaring at the man. "How dare you put Duke in danger! You're not going to use him in our game."

"I am," Shadi replied without a bit of emotion. "If you lost this game, it will mean the boy's death..."

The other Yami growled at him while Yugi was even more nervous than he had been before. What kind of sick game was this guy making them play...

"Before I explain the rules, I want to say one thing about the millennium puzzle..." Shadi said catching Yugi's attention, "I don't know how you got your hands on the millennium puzzle. Let alone how you managed to complete the puzzle that no one has been able to solve for three thousand years. You seem to think it is a coincidence, but that is wrong. The millennium puzzle chose you after waiting over three thousand years..."

The news of that shocked Yugi and the more he listened the more it made him wonder if there truly was more to the puzzle then he thought. His grandfather had simply given it to Yugi as a challenge because of his love for puzzles and never once did he think Yugi could solve it. Then to the surprise of everyone he did and grandpa let him keep it instead of letting a museum have it. It was his treasure and he could never part with it now.

"My bloodline, too has been chosen to wield the power of the millennium items." Shadi went on to explain.

"I've heard enough. Don't you dare try to say we're some sort of allies!" The other Yami stopped the Egyptian before shouting, "Shut up and start the game! Tell me the rules!"

Yugi looked at his lover and for some reason he felt fear. Just seeing how angry his lover was getting about the situation scared him. He couldn't understand why though...

"Don't be afraid Yugi..."

Yugi eyes widen as he looked at Shadi, "Me? Afraid?"

"Somewhere in your heart, you are afraid of that power. You fear the unknown power of the millennium puzzle."

That wasn't what he was afraid of at all... or was it? Yugi was scared of the unknown sure, but the puzzle didn't have any power. Of course that is what Yugi tried to tell himself.

"Yugi... That is the weakness of your heart!" Shadi's eyes cut over to the figures holding the ropes around through the fence. "The proof lies before you!"

The other Yami and Yugi's eyes cut over to the fence and they watched in shock as one of the figures started to crack until finally it shattered. Once it was gone one of the ropes fell causing the board to sway slightly.

"Duke!" Yugi yelled scared that his friend was going to fall. _'What in the world...? One of the statues broke on its own…?'_

"You didn't realize the game has already started...?" Shadi broke into their thoughts, "The boy is standing on the bridge of life! It is supported by four ropes attached to four ushebti. The ushebti were buried to serve the pharaohs - their name means 'those who answer'. But these ushebti are reflection of the hearts of both of you. If either of you show weakness of your hearts. The ushebti will answer that weakness and break one by one!"

The shock of it all surprised the two of them and Yugi was starting to wonder if he was cut out to be here. He didn't want to be the cause of his friend death. Yami was the more composed of the two and could handle this better. Hell anyone would be scared in a situation like this.

Shadi continued to speak even as Yugi's thoughts started to consume him with fear and doubt, "And when the four ushebti that reflect your hearts all shatter and fall the boy will fall as well..."

The other Yami cursed their luck as he reached down to squeeze Yugi's hand to calm him. He could feel the boy trembling beside him and if they did not watch themselves this game would be over soon letting them be the cause of their friend's death. They needed calm hearts and clear minds if they were going to make it out of this shadow game.

"This is a game... Let me explain how you can win." Shadi announced to them finally as he went into the rules, "The four ropes holding the bridge of life are strung through the ring of the millennium key. The millennium key is supported by an ushebti that reflects my own heart." The two could see that what Shadi spoke of was the truth. "In other words if you can break my heart's ushebti before your hearts' three ushebti break. The millennium key will travel down the rope and reach the boy's hand. If a person who has been 'redecorated' touches the millennium key they return to normal. The boy's life will be saved and I will lose."

The Egyptian's eyes cut over to Yami as he stared him down. "Do you see? The one whose heart shows weakness loses the game."

_'This is a game to determine each other's weaknesses._' The other Yami realized from the Egyptian's words, _'Our hearts are being weighed against Duke's life... This is truly a trial of the mind_.'

"Let us begin!" Shadi said as a strong wind swept passed them, but it was no ordinary wind.

The other Yami felt himself be pulled from Yugi's grip and thrown backwards. When he regained his balance he saw Yugi looking at him in the same confusion. It wasn't until the other Yami went to join Yugi's side again that he found a barrier preventing him. It was like an invisible wall had been placed between them.

Yugi watched as Yami started to shout something, but Yugi could hear nothing. He turned to Shadi unsure the meaning of this all.

"This is stage one little Yugi and you will have to face it alone. No help from your partner..." Once those words left his mouth the ground started to shake.

Yugi watched on as the spots on the roof around him started to break and before he could move away he had to watch in horror as bony zombie like hands started to come out of the ground reaching for him. "What the...?" Yugi shouted as he found he was surrounded and couldn't move.

It wasn't long before those hands turned into full on mummies coming out of the ground at Yugi. They quickly latched on to the teen causing massive terror to travel through him. He couldn't help the scream that escaped his mouth as he tried to fight them off.

"Yugi this is the first stage..." Shadi's voice somehow reached the terrified teen, "Answer my riddle! '_What creeps on the ground and clings to the pillars?_' Then you will know what surrounds you!"

Yugi tried to concentrate as hard as he could on the riddle but no answers to it came to mind, '_Creeps on the ground and clings to the pillars...? What is it...?' _He was always good at riddles as a kid when his grandfather would tell them to him, but the terror Yugi felt in his heart was taking over his mind.

The proof of that was in the second ushebti as a crack appeared on the face.

The other Yami watched on as Yugi tried to fight something, but in his eyes there was nothing there. The look of terror on Yugi's face caused the other Yami to bang on the barrier even more. This game was meant for him and only him. Yugi should have never been involved.

Shadi watched as Yugi fought his illusion. _'When you show weakness of your heart, you will drown in that illusion and all of your ushebti will shatter. In the shadow games those with weak hearts always lost. You have been chosen by the millennium puzzle. You must know that. The only way to defeat that illusion is to hold your heart strong and answer my question. Find the true nature of that illusion.'_

Yugi was forced to hold still as the mummies crawled up his body. Just the feeling of their hands on him creeped him out and he kept trying to think back to the riddle. _'That which creeps on the ground and clings to the pillars..._' His mind was a jumble messed at the moment that no answer would come to him, _'This has got to be just an illusion...Shadi must have put it in my mind, but even though I know it's an illusion I can't break free...'_

He tried to calm his mind and think back on what Shadi had said, _'Answer the riddle... That's what Shadi said... If I solve the riddle maybe this illusion will disappear...'_

No matter how scared he was Yugi knew he had to be strong and calm himself down. There were lives on the line if he did not win. _'Don't rush... think..._' Yugi recalled his grandfather's words as he closed his eyes to put the illusion out of his sight._ 'Think of his question...That which creeps on the ground and clings to the pillars... That which creeps on the ground are these mummies...The pillar that they cling to... is me!_' He came to a realization, but continued to think because that couldn't be the answer, _'If I think of it the other way around... imagine a pillar standing and coming off it, clinging to the ground...'_

"I've got it! I know the answer!" Yugi shouted as his eyes snapped back open, before proudly stating, "The illusion's true nature is my shadow!"

Thus as if by magic the illusion went away as if blown away with the wind. Yugi let out a breath of air as he kept himself from falling to his knees. Thankfully the barrier disappeared also and the other Yami was able to hurry over to Yugi and pull him into his arms.

"Are you okay?"

Yugi smiled up at him, "I'm fine..." He was shaken up but he had a feeling he would be alright when they were done with his game.

"Somehow you managed to clear the first stage..." Shadi spoke up getting their attention. "But I was just trying you out... The next stage is even harder. Can you keep your heart strong?"

The ground beneath them started break forcing the two to break apart and back away. As the hole got bigger causing the other Yami to continue to back up, Yugi found himself surrounded by a barrier much like the other Yami had been before. He could only watch as bright eyes appeared down in the deep hole and worry began to once again settle in his heart as he knew this challenge was meant for Yami.

"Wh-What the...!" The other Yami exclaimed as he watched the eyes wondering what this challenge would have in store for him.

Meanwhile Joey and Tristan were still running.

* * *

**Sakura:** To explain that random sentence at the end of this chapter, it's in the manga during this chapter and I figured it would be a little funny to add it at the end. Joey and Tristan will reappear in the next chapter so don't think I left them out. Oh and just like Yugi does in the manga, the spirit of the millennium puzzle will be referred to as 'Other Yami' Once Yami realizes there is another him, he will call the spirit 'Other me' while Yugi will call him 'Other Yami' or something along those lines unless I think of something better. As of right now Yugi only as a small idea that something is off about his lover and doesn't know there is a spirit in control of the body. This will all change of course when they figure out the spirit was a pharaoh, but that won't happen for a while so just bear with me as we journey through this story.

**Yumi: Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It is Yami's turn to face Shadi's challenge. Lets see how well he handles it...

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Second Stage**

"Wh-What the…?!" The Other Yami shouted as he looked at the eyes staring up at him from below. "Something's down there… under the floor!" Movement warned him that the creature was making its way up. '_It's something big, trying to crawl its way up… This is bad… I have to get away!'_

As soon as he turned to run, arms broke their way through the roof. Huge claws of a beast grabbed his arms in a viper's grip keeping him in place as the creature's head appeared out of the pit. "It's a monster!" The other Yami exclaimed once he saw the ugly beast show its face. It looked like a deformed crocodile with a massive mouth that could eat him in one bite.

"You cannot escape, Yami. This is the second stage of our game…" Shadi explained, "The shadow game… Concentration or Death!"

Warm breath breathed around the other Yami's backside as the creature waited for its meal. Fear was quick to settle in his mind and he wasn't the only one. Yugi was but a foot away banging on the invisible wall with tears in his eyes. Unlike the last time with Yami, Shadi was allowing Yugi to see the illusion set in place. It was better to break the weaker of the two in order to win.

"Hear me Yami," Shadi's voice broke through the fear that gripped the other Yami's mind, "There is only one way to escape the clutches of Ammit and that is to win!"

The other Yami tried to slow his breathing and stay calm until the game started. He had to stay strong especially when he caught site of Yugi looking about ready to break. It wasn't hard to figure out that this illusion was being seen by the smaller teen. Also if it was anything like the last one he would not be able to tell Yugi he would be alright.

"As you have probably figured out, that thing that holds you, Ammit, is not 'real' in the way you use the word. But illusion or real, when you feel her teeth bite you will die and Ammit will consume your soul!" Shadi filled in for Yami, "So you know, her last meal was the soul of the museum owner not long ago she must still be ravenous…"

The other Yami's eyes widen at the thought, '_It was him! He killed Kanekura!'_

"Yami… the only way you can survive is to clear this stage and dispel the illusion of Ammit," Witnessing Yami's confused stare, the Egyptian continued to explain, "Allow me to explain the rules…"

Appearing out of nowhere in front of the other Yami nine stone plates with question marks came out of nowhere. "Nine stone plates?" He questioned, "What in the world?"

"Do you know the game 'concentration'?" Shadi asked, but did not give Yami time to answer, "You spread out a deck of playing cards and attempt to turn over matching numbers, one pair at a time. Those stone plates, like cards, have pairs of pictures etched onto the reverse side."

"Hold on!" The other Yami interrupted, "There are nine plates! You need an even number to have pairs!"

There was a chuckle from the Egyptian, "That's right… There is one extra plate in the middle. In this version of the game you must name the picture etched on that middle plate, you don't have to match the other pairs. If you can solve that puzzle the illusion of Ammit will disappear. However…" Shadi changed his tone of voice so it was very clear of the rules, "You are not allowed to turn over even one of the nine stone plates!"

"What?"

"There is a time limit." Shadi also informed him disregarding the look of shock on Yami's face from the rules he was given, "You have five minutes to answer. When that time is up, Ammit will close its jaws on your head."

The other Yami stared at the plates at a complete loss. They could be anything at all! He would need more information if he was to be able to beat this test.

However just when it seemed hopeless it appeared Shadi wasn't going to leave him in the complete dark, "Let me tell you the key to the puzzle. Those stone plates are a mirror of Ammit."

'_A mirror of the monster?'_

"Now Yami! Shake off your fear and solve this puzzle! What is the picture on the center plate?" Shadi finished with, "Game Start!"

'_How…?_' The other Yami thought as he could feel panic start to creep in. '_The picture on center plate? Concentration? A mirror of the monster?'_ He kept staring at the plates in front of him trying to block out Ammit, Yugi, Shadi, and Duke as best he could so he would beat this. '_I don't know! I can't think straight!' _

Between his fear for his friends and his lover, one of the three remaining ushebti started to crack catching his attention. This caused him to have to rethink his feelings if he was going to save everyone. '_If I show weakness, the ushebti that support Duke will shatter. There are three ushebti left….'_

He thought back to the memories of the challenges he had faced before. '_I'll save you if it costs me my life!'_ A new more powerful thought crossed his mind and a look of determination finally entered his eyes, '_I'll solve this puzzle no matter what!'_

* * *

Meanwhile with Joey and Tristan they were still running for their lives from the professor. All the running was starting to get to them and it was only a few times they had been able to rest before the professor somehow found them again.

"Dammit!" Joey yelled, "Don't you ever stop?"

There was no response from Yoshimori who still had his arms out stretched toward them ready for when he would have a chance to grab one of them.

The two friends dashed around another corner only to wind up at a dead end with only one room which they had no idea if it was unlocked or not. They turned to see the professor gaining up on them and had to think quickly.

"Stop!" It seemed Joey had an idea as Tristan watched him yell once again at the man, "Red light! Time out! Pause the game!"

To the shock of both of them the professor stopped and put his arms down. He still had that blank look on his face, but he seemed to have understood their words somehow.

"Whoa, he heard you..." Tristan stated surprised that worked.

Either way Joey was glad to have another break, "Alright I get it! I'm a man I won't run anymore. I'll accept your challenge."

Tristan looked around them quickly and spotted a fire extinguisher. He nudged Joey's arm to get his attention and his bud didn't need to be told to know what he was thinking. Joey nodded at his friend as he started to quickly form their plan.

"Okay! Let's finish this in here," Joey said as he headed toward the door. Surprisingly the door was not locked so he carefully opened it. "We'll go in first okay? Then you follow us." He explained referring to him and Tristan, who had quietly, took the fire extinguisher down and was hiding it in his jacket away from the professor's eyes.

The two carefully walked inside and were even more shocked when the professor did not follow right away. In fact it took a good full minute before he slowly walked in. However by this time Joey and Tristan had set up a trap of their own to slow down the professor even more.

Once inside Joey started to use the fire extinguisher to spray down the professor. "Extinguisher attack! Take that, zombie professor!" He said as his battle cry.

What they didn't plan on was that making the professor even angrier. He punched the fire extinguisher away with no problem, so Joey was forced to punch him in the face to keep him back.

The second plan was an even more of a failure as the punch did not seem to faze him this time around as he grabbed Joey by the collar of his jacket and ran him backwards toward the window.

"Hey what're you doing?" Tristan shouted as he hurried to stop him.

"You're not...!"Joey seemed to have an idea what the professor was thinking as he tried to fight him off but at the moment the professor seemed to have his super strength back. "Wait! This is the third floor!"

Before either one of them could stop the professor Joey was pushed through the window glass going everywhere. The blond had to think quickly and on reflex he was able to grab the window curtains which had been blown outward due to the sudden wind sucking air out. He held on tightly as he dangled and tried hard not to look down below.

Tristan tried to get to his friend but he had to fight the professor who stood in his path. "Hang in there Joey!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Joey shouted back and then he felt a jerk. He looked up to see the rings keeping the curtain up were starting to pop loose thanks to the added weight. "Gimme a break!"

Before the curtain was no more Joey was able to hop on a small ledge just below the window and hug the wall. Any wrong move and he would be a goner for sure. However that was the least of his worries when he caught a sight just to his left. When he looked up he found Duke two stories up on the edge of a board sticking out from the roof.

_'What is he doing up there...!_' He thought in fear not having the faintest idea what his friend was thinking. This night was starting to get really weird.

A hand nearly grabbing his hair got his attention back to the window above him where he found the professor trying to grab for him even as Tristan tried to pull him away.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Joey shouted trying to stay on the ledge and dodge the zombie professor.

"He seems determined to get you Joey," Tristan hollered as he put the professor in a headlock and yanked him from the window.

"Keep him busy I'm go around!" Joey informed Tristan as he started to carefully move away from the window and use the ledge to get to the next one. He had to get to the roof and find out what was going on. If the professor continued to come after him and wasn't even studying Tristan then his friend should have no problem fighting him off or so he hoped.

* * *

The other Yami continued to stare at the nine plates in deep concentration trying to piece together the puzzle. Everything around him was a distraction leaving him with no idea what the answer could be.

Finally after what seemed like forever, Shadi spoke up once more, "Yami! You have one minute left."

The idea that he had one minute left seemed to have gotten him back in gear. _'No... At this rate everyone will lose...'_ He slowed his breathing to calm his racing heart once again. _'Run through everything again... Nine stone plates in all... The one in the middle is the puzzle...'_

He then had to think back to the clue Shadi had given him hoping it would led him to the answer quicker. _'What was the clue again...? These plates are a mirror of the monster_...' It was then the word mirror stuck out to him. _'A mirror reflects your face and form!'_

Looking back down at the nine plates he started to piece the puzzle together. _'And since this game is concentration. Eight of the plates must hide four pairs of pictures but the plate in the middle is left out.'_

"Thirty seconds left..." Shadi informed him but the other Yami forced himself to tune him out so he could think.

_'If the stone plates are a mirror then they must show part of the monster. What does this monster have two of? And what does it have only one of...?'_ The other Yami then started to list off what he knew the monster had two of, "There are two eyes, nostrils, hands, ears..."

"Five seconds left!"

"And there is only one..." Realization seemed to dawn on him and he started to wonder how he could not have thought of that in the beginning. The fear must have had him so paralyzed that he couldn't figure out the simple answer. "That's it! I know the answer! There's only one..."

"Mouth!" The other Yami shouted before time ran out causing the illusion behind him to disappear setting him free and the nine plates in front of him flipped over showing he was correct. Once the answer was shown the plates disappeared along with the barrier keeping Yugi away.

With tears in his eyes Yugi raced over to his boyfriend and hugged him tight around the middle. His Yami returned the embrace, but kept his eyes on Shadi, glaring at the man.

"You have done well to beat my second game, but this is the final stage," Shadi told them letting them know it was far from over yet. "This challenge will be much more difficult than the ones so far!"

Yugi was already tired of these games, but he knew Shadi was not going to let them go until this was over. He was scared just thinking about what their next challenge was going to be. The other two had been enough for him and he was worried there may be a chance him or Yami could end up losing.

His boyfriend kept a tight grip on him as if afraid that they would be forced apart for a third time.

_'He should have never had to face these kinds of games.'_ The other Yami thought as he looked down at the frighten boy in his arms. _'However no matter what the challenge we have to win...'_

* * *

**Sakura: **We are getting closer to the end of Shadi just a couple more chapters left! Then I can finally move on to the even better stuff in the mangas.

**Yumi: Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It's time for the final stage! Lets see how Yugi and Yami handle what Shadi has planned next...**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Final Stage**

Joey slowly but surely started to make his way under the board Duke was standing on. He still would have to climb up to get to it however that was the least of his problems.

"Don't follow me out here, you stupid zombie!" He yelled at the professor behind him. Somehow he was able to shake Tristan and climb out onto the ledge to follow Joey. It was but a minute later Tristan stuck his head out to tell Joey he was going to head on up to the roof to see what was going on.

The blond didn't have much of a fear of heights as some of the others in their group of friends, so he was the only one brave enough to try and climb up to Duke while dodging a grabby zombie.

* * *

"This is the final game!"

The other Yami glared at the Egyptian as he kept a tight grip on Yugi. They needed to just win this final challenge and all would be right again or so he hoped.

"You have done well to clear the first two stages. You still have three of your hearts' ushebti holding up the boy..." Shadi congratulated them before his face became serious. "But now your three ushebti will shatter!"

_'Curse him..._' The other Yami growled in his head, _'He seems so confident. It's like he already knows all our weak points. But no matter what game he throws at me. I can't let the ushebti break. Duke's life depends on it. To save Duke we have to break Shadi's ushebti, then the millennium key will slide down the rope to his hand and then Shadi's spell will be broken.'_

"What can we do to break his ushebti?" Yugi whispered up at Yami once he had calmed down slightly. It was as if he knew what Yami was thinking about. "Does he have any weaknesses at all?"

"I can't think of anything..." The other Yami sadly replied back.

It seemed Shadi could hear their conversation as he chuckled and said, "You can search my heart for weakness, but you do so in vain... My heart's ushebti is like unbreakable diamond, but your hearts ushebti are like alabaster, weak and easily broken. You will understand this in the next game. Let me introduce your opponents!"

As if by magic two figures appeared behind the couple and when they turned to see who it was they were surprised.

"Joey!"

"Seto!"

The two were different somehow as they wore smirks on their faces and oddly enough they were in their old high school uniforms. Yugi did not seem to notice that difference as he walked away from Yami and up to his blond hair friend. "Joey what are you doing?" He last remembered his friend had been with Tristan keeping the professor away. Had Shadi somehow gotten to him along with Seto to use them in his sick game?

Joey did not say anything as he walked up to Yugi and with one quick move, punched the younger in the gut. While Yugi was doubled over in pain, Joey grabbed the chain of the puzzle slipping it off with ease, before pushing the smaller teen away as he then returned to Seto's side.

"That image of your friend is created from a memory in your heart Yugi." Shadi's voice drifted back to them as the other Yami helped Yugi back to his feet. "The 'friend' who bullied you in the past has been reborn before your eyes."

Yugi turned his head to look at Shadi in shock, _'The Joey from the past...!'_

"I caught a glimpse of those memories when I visited your soul. Even if you have forgotten those painful memories will always remain in your heart. No matter how much time passes…" Shadi informed them as he prepared the final stage. "Yugi and Yami in the final stage you will play the 'game of death' against both a friend and a brother."

"The game of death?" The other Yami questioned as both he and Yugi's eyes widened. The ground began to rumble once more, however instead of creatures appearing from below. The roof began to disappear tile by tile around them creating an arena of some sort with no way of escape.

"Let me explain the rules." Shadi went on to explain, "You will take turns throwing the millennium puzzle like a die. For each throw, your opponent must move two squares in the direction the tip of the puzzle points. The first one to force his opponent into the pit wins. This challenge will be played in pairs, Joey and Seto vs Yugi and Yami!"

"He can't want us to play such a dangerous game with them." Yugi worried illusion or not he could not hurt his friend or his boyfriend's brother. He honestly could not remember when Shadi had looked into his mind to figure out his past, but there was no telling with that weird man.

"Now, let me see you defeat those painful memories."

The other Yami cursed their luck, he was not sure of the painful memories his host held toward his brother, but if it was anything like Yugi there was a high chance it would show weakness. "I'm sure these two are Shadi's illusion, but there's a chance that this is the real Joey and Seto under Shadi's spell." The other Yami voiced out loud and Yugi agreed with him. They had to be sure...

"Joey! We don't have to play this!" Yugi cried to his friend, "Joey!"

"Seto, if that is you than you know that I could never hurt you." The other Yami called to the quiet figure as Yugi tried to talk to Joey. This game was getting out of hand and they had to stop it before anyone else got hurt.

Joey simply stared at the millennium puzzle in his hand, before he finally grinned at Yugi, "This is your greatest treasure Yugi? Watching you makes me sick! Only a girl would care about a box!"

Those words were like a knife in Yugi's heart. He hadn't heard words like that since when he first met the blond and Joey used to tease him. He never full on beat him like other bullies would, but his words had been just as hurtful. After they became friends they put the past behind them to move forward. Joey had become his best friend who looked out for him throughout their high school days.

One of the ushebti which already had a crack in the face from the other challenge shattered with little to no force. There were only two holding the board up now.

"You never truly belonged to our family did you Yami?" Seto taunted the smaller teen, "I mean it was your fault that our parents died. Mokuba and I could still be a happy family if you hadn't ever been born. You are just a freak of nature!"

It was as if his heart had been tore in two as the heartache and fear gripped his heart. The other Yami could feel Yami's soul in turmoil from those words. Memories of his parents' death haunted the boy up until now when he had thought the past was in the past. Shadi must have reached far down into Yami's memories to find that most painful memory. Sadly thanks to Seto's words, the second to last ushebti shattered leaving only one left to keep Duke from falling.

Thankfully the other Yami was able to get a grip on the situation as he attempted to calm the other soul in his body and keep Yugi shielded from Joey. He left out a breath of relief that Duke was still safe when he almost could have died there. _'Good one ushebti is left. Joey and Seto's words reminded my other self and his lover of their painful past. It must be Shadi's intent to shock the hearts of my other self and Yugi. If we show any more doubt we'll lose.'_

"You want this puzzle back?" The illusion Joey said with a grin holding up the puzzle.

"Then you got to beat us in this game." The other Seto finished.

The other Yami and Yugi remained quiet waiting on the game to start. The illusion Joey made the first move by tossing the puzzle down. "Fine… I'll go first."

The puzzle clicked and clanked on the ground before it stopped pointing toward Yugi and Yami.

"It points over there." The illusion Joey stated pointing behind the two. "Two squares toward the pit!"

The two obeyed and turned toward the pit and walked two squares. The other Yami took the change to lean down to Yugi and whisper in his ear, "Do you trust me?"

Yugi looked at his lover confused, "Of course. Do you have a plan?"

The other Yami gave a small nod as the blond behind them said, "It's your turn."

The two remained facing the pit as the other Yami clearly stated, "I won't do it. I don't want to play this game with the both of you."

_'The fool..._' Shadi thought. '_Will they jump into the pit on their own?'_

"Then you pass?" The illusion Seto questioned as he picked the puzzle back up. "Then its our turn again." He tossed the puzzle and once again it pointed the same way as before. "Again toward the pit."

With those last few steps Yugi and Yami were right on the edge of the pit. Yugi closed his eyes and kept a tight grip on Yami's arm. He trusted Yami's decision in this just like he trusted his family and friends. Yami knew what he was doing and if they didn't have trust in each other then there was no point in being in the relationship.

The illusion Joey picked up the puzzle. "Last chance... Depending on how the puzzle lands, this time you might fall in the pit. You can't want to pass again..."

The other Yami cut his eyes back at the two behind them, "We pass."

"Are you throwing the game?" Shadi shouted not believing what they were doing. "Do you admit your defeat?"

"Defeat?" The other Yami questioned like it was a joke, "You're wrong Shadi. It's trust!" He turned to face the Egyptian a complete serious look on his face, "We trust our friends and family."

"You trust," Shadi laughed at that. "It seems you are unable to defeat your past. You lose." He then went on to explain, "What I was testing in this final game was the weakness of your heart in trusting too much."

The two before him did not say a word and simply listened.

"Trust is more easily broken than ushebti. In the end friendship and family is nothing but weak hearts clinging together for solace. True strength of heart is the ability to believe in yourself needing no one. If you had sent your friend to the pit, you would have gained true strength." Shadi then faced the illusions behind the two, "Now throw the puzzle for the last time! End the game!"

However the two simply stood there unmoving until slowly they started to disappear. Yugi dared to turn around and see that the illusions were no longer looking at them in hate, they looked happy.

"Why don't you throw the puzzle?" Shadi shouted and then right before his eyes the illusions were no more. _'Impossible... My illusion disappeared!'_

"There is no past or present for friendship and family," Yugi spoke up surprising the other two. "If you trust your friends and family, they will trust you."

The other Yami looked toward Duke and was glad to see he was still safe and that they may have won. However what he did not expect to see was that the rope supporting their friend was starting to break in two. "The rope supporting Duke is...!"

Everyone's line of vision went that way when they heard a yell from below. "Duke I'm here! Everything is going to be all right."

Yugi knew that voice and he couldn't believe Joey was keeping the board up keeping Duke from falling to his death as the board wavered under him. That was true friendship for you!

_'What?_' Shadi thought as his eyes widen, _'Impossible... It's as if they support each other without hesitating for an instant.'_

A rather loud sounding crack was heard and all eyes turned to the two remaining ushebti statues but it wasn't Yugi and Yami's that was breaking. It was the face of Shadi's ushebti that was finally cracking.

"Shadi, you probably won't understand this," The other Yami said as he saw the disbelief on the man's face. "True strength of the heart can't be gained alone."

Yugi smiled as he wrapped his arms around Yami's waist. "The power to trust your friends and family. That is true strength of the heart." He finished knowing that deep down Shadi may or may not believe their words.

_'The power to trust..._' Ran through Shadi's head as his ushebti continued to crack and break.

* * *

**Sakura: **One more chapter than I can finally get to the chapters that are a few of my favorites.

**Yumi: Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **We have finally reached the end with Shadi!

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Game Over**

"My heart's ushebti shattered!" Shadi exclaimed in disbelief as the ushebti shattered into pieces falling to the ground. With its release the millennium key quickly slide down the rope that was still holding together but barely.

"Shadi's statue has broken. The millennium key will slide down the rope to Duke's hand." Yugi said his thoughts out loud relieved that their friend was going to be released from the spell he was under.

However as soon as the key touched the teen's hand, they should have realized the situation he was in and how he would react. This was not thought of as Duke blinked his eyes and took in the view in front of him.

"Huh?" Duke wondered as he looked down and nearly had a heart attack at what he saw. "Oh shit!" He cursed dropping down to his knees to hold on to the board.

"Hey Duke!" Joey shouted trying to continue to support the weight of the board and Duke, but with his friend dropping to his knees all of a sudden did not help. "You're too heavy! Get up on the roof!"

Duke took a peek under the board and noticed his blond friend, "Joey, what are you doing there?"

"Shaddup! That's what I'd like to know!"

The board wandered a little causing Duke to hold on even more. "I ain't moving! One wrong move and I'll fall to my death."

"Look you..." Joey never got to finish his sentence as he noticed he had another problem. "Zombie professor! No! Down boy! Don't climb up here!"

The professor did not listen as he continued to climb up and try to grab Joey's legs.

"Duke! Hurry up!"

Duke noticed the problem Joey was having and sighed, "Fine, but keep that board steady." He carefully turned around and started to crawl toward the roof, trying his hardest not to look down.

By that time the professor had one of Joey's legs in his grip and was trying to pull the blond down.

_'Hurry up man!'_ Joey thought trying to keep the board steady and his feet planted on the ledge. '_He's pulling on my leg... I can't hold it up anymore.'_

When close enough Duke stood up grabbing the rope that partly kept the board up in a light grip. He went to reach for the fence just as he heard Joey say, "I can't hold on..." With those words the board was no more it came out from under Duke's feet just as he was about to grab the fence.

However before the black hair teen could fall to his death, a hand reached out and grabbed his hand pulling him back toward the fence. He grabbed onto the fence with both hands with his knees on the small ledge. To his surprise it had been Yami who had climbed the fence to get to him and save his life. Just as he was about to thank his pal he noticed something seemed different about him. It wasn't anything obvious to those who didn't know Yami, but his eyes just seemed all wrong.

Joey let out a breath of relief that Duke was out of harm's way however the pull on his leg reminded him they still had one more problem. "Now to do something about this guy."

"Joey!" The other Yami shouted to get the blond's attention. "Make the professor touch that ankh-shaped key!"

Joey looked up and it seemed he noticed the change in Yami too as he looked at Yami as if he was another person. Were his friend's eyes always that dark red? "O-okay! Is this it?" He wondered about the key near his head.

The board had flipped around leaving the end with the millennium key trapped on a pole sticking out of the board near Joey's head. Joey reached down and grabbed the professor's hand making him reach up and touch the key. It was as if a light went on in the professor's head as his eyes returned to normal.

Joey kept his grip on the professor as the man came back to his senses and looked around confused by what was going on.

"Huh?"

"Professor, are you back to normal?" Joey questioned relieved to see that it may have worked. At least the man wasn't grabbing at him anymore.

The professor looked at Joey as if he was not sure why the blond was in front of him. "You're Joey aren't you...?"

Joey kept on a forced smile to keep the professor calm. "Forget it okay. Just don't look down."

"D-Don't look..." It was too late however it was not the height that caused the professor alarm. "My teeth...!"

* * *

Minutes later the gang of friends and the professor were all safely on the roof including Solomon who had recovered and followed Tristan up there. The brown hair teen had not realized how easy it was to get lost in a building he was unfamiliar with and it took forever to find the stairs to get up each floor. However everyone was safe after their little adventure and that is all that mattered.

"Yo gramps you all right?" Joey asked as Solomon and Tristan walked over to the group gathered on the roof.

Solomon smiled at him, "I was just knocked out for a little while…" He checked around to see that everyone looked okay even the professor who had been acting like a zombie not long ago. "Is everyone alright?"

There were nods all around except from Yami as he walked over to Shadi who was still there after his defeat.

"Yami… You have passed all of the tests. It is my complete defeat…" He said to him as if he were tired. The game must have took a toll on him as much as it did on Yami and Yugi. "I used the millennium items to show you illusions… Illusions summoned from the shadows and yet to me." There was a pause as he let out a sigh, "The image of you and your friends trusting and helping each other here in this world, seems like an illusion. Somehow, that seems sad…"

"Shadi, I've realized something about the power of the millennium puzzle," The other Yami decided to inform him since this is what the man wanted to know all along. "No matter how far apart we are, friends always come together as one. We are small pieces that bind together to become an undefeatable power. Just like a puzzle." He briefly turned to look at Yugi who was smiling up at his friends with his hands on the millennium puzzle before looking back at Shadi, "The power of unity. That is the power of the millennium puzzle."

'The power of unity?' Shadi thought in disbelief and as if to prove the other Yami right the group of friends walked up behind the other Yami with Yugi taking his place beside the other Yami.

"Hey you in the dress," Joey shouted with a glare at the Egyptian, "I don't know how you did all this, but this is our place. You better not come here anymore."

Shadi bowed his head in agreement, "Yes that is true…" He turned to make his leave until he turned his head to look at Yami one last time, "Yami, you have passed my tests. I have been beaten but I am pleased. My bloodline has been searching for so long for someone like you."

The other Yami only watched as Shadi walked away saying, "You may be able to open that door…" And with that being said he left the group as he went to continue on his journey.

"What the…? What is that jerk talking about?" Joey wondered with a sneer as soon as the weird Egyptian was gone. The guy had one too many screws loose in Joey's opinion.

"Hey Joey?" Duke spoke up getting the blond hair teens attention. "Doesn't Yami seem a little different from normal?"

Now that Joey thought about it he had to agree, "Yeah, I saw that too." He whispered back so that Yugi and Yami wouldn't hear them talking behind their backs.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tristan wondered hearing their hushed conversation.

Joey ignored Tristan as he walked forward a little to put a hand on Yami's shoulder. "Hey Yami…"

Yami turned to look at Joey, "What's wrong Joey?" His eyes had returned to normal to the semi bright red that he was known for.

Joey put on a grin, "Ah…Nothing's wrong. How ya doing?" He tried to cover up how nervous he had been about that. The darkness around them must have been playing tricks on his eyes earlier.

Both Joey and Duke looked at each other wondering if they had been going crazy to think something was different about their friend.

Yugi watched the two and couldn't believe they had noticed it too. When he looked at Yami now he could see there had been a change in his eyes from earlier. He just couldn't figure out why his eyes had appeared different while they were facing Shadi. The shorter teen also wondered if he was worrying over nothing because of what Shadi had said about their being other Yami. There couldn't be two Yami's living in one body could there? Sure he had heard about some people having multiple personalities, but Yami couldn't be like that or so he tried to tell himself.

When Yugi looked up at Yami again he noticed his lover was looking around as if he had been under a spell. It was as if he was trying to figure out why he was on the roof in the first place. That was enough to tell Yugi that something may not be right with his lover.

"Hey Yami are you okay?"

Yami quickly looked down at Yugi and smiled. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" In truth deep down he had a feeling something wasn't right about him. He felt like he had just woken up from a dream. Once again there were no memories of how he ended up on the roof when they had last been with the zombie like professor. The professor appeared fine now so something must have happened.

Yugi put on a smile too, "Sorry you just seemed lost in thought." He wanted to express his worries to Yami, he really did, but he worried more about hurting Yami's feelings and making Yami hate him.

"Well it's good to see the professor is back to normal…" Yami said as he watched Solomon talking to his friend, "Feel sorry about his teeth though."

Yugi blushed at that, "Let's just keep it our little secret."

Yami chuckled finally relaxing some, "Of course Aibou, but never knew you had such an arm on you."

"I can't believe you knocked out some of his teeth." Joey spoke up catching in on their conversation.

"Don't pin it all on Yugi, you broke three of them." Tristan bought up causing Joey to glare at him.

"It was either that or let him choke me to death!"

"Hey keep your voices down!" Duke hissed, "He might hear you…"

All of them turned to see that Solomon and the professor were still talking to each other and hadn't heard their conversation, which was a relief to both Yugi and Joey who felt really bad for what they did to the professor.

Joey crossed his arms as he looked up toward the sky in deep thought, "I still wonder what that weird Egyptian guy was after? Do you think he drugged the professor?"

"Kind of extreme if you ask me…" Tristan pointed out, but then he thought out loud, "It probably has something to do with the exhibit. He might have been the one who killed Kanekura."

Duke agreed with Tristan, "He appeared Egyptian and since it was a tomb Kanekura and Yoshimori dug up, he may have been a protester of some kind. This could be his revenge for them taking items out of that tomb."

"Whatever the reason killing people isn't the answer." Joey said with a growl, "That guy better not show his face around here again or he'll get a beat down from me."

"I don't think we'll ever know the real answer, but as long as he doesn't come back around we should be okay." Yugi spoke up hoping to end the conversation. It was better for them to put this all in the past and move on. They had no idea that it appeared that Shadi was after him and Yami, while also coming to judge the professor for digging up that tomb. He just hoped that Shadi got the answers he was looking for and would leave them alone.

"I don't know about the rest of you but I'm hungry," Solomon said catching the attention of the group of friends. "How about we all go out to get a late night bite?"

"Great idea grandpa, we should get some burgers." Yugi voiced out earning a chuckle out of Yami. Mention food around Yugi and it would be burgers every time.

With everyone in agreement they all made their way off the roof and down the stairs toward the first floor so they could leave and get themselves a late night snack.

* * *

While they left the building they never noticed up on the roof as the board, rope, and pole disappeared leaving the millennium key to fall down to the ground below. However before it would touch the ground, a hand grabbed it.

'_Goodbye Yugi and Yami…_' Shadi's final thoughts were as he held the key in hand, '_We'll meet again._'

* * *

It was late by the time Solomon, Yugi, and Yami made it back to the Kame Game Shop. None of them wanted to discuss what had happened and just went to their rooms to get ready for bed. Solomon bid the boys good night before he disappeared into his own room and the two teens went into Yugi's room.

While Yami dressed into some spare pajamas he kept at Yugi's house, Yugi went into the bathroom to change and brush his teeth. It wasn't until Yugi reappeared in the doorway of the bedroom that he spoke, "The bathroom is yours if you need it."

Yami shook his head, "I'm good…" He said not even looking at Yugi as he crawled into the bed leaving space for Yugi to join him.

Yugi crossed his arms as he looked at Yami, "Alright spill, something is up with you. You were quiet the whole time we were out enjoying a burger with the others."

"It's nothing Yugi…"

"No it's not nothing," Yugi said as he crossed the room and sat on the bed with his knees pulled up under him. "If something is wrong then you can talk to me about it."

Yami sighed, "That's the thing Yugi, I don't know if something is wrong or not. I don't want to worry you over nothing."

"I'll be the judge if it's something I need to worry about or not."

Yami watched his lover for a minute, then realized they would never get to sleep if he didn't spill what was on his mind. Yugi was as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. "Would you believe me if I told you that I feel like I've been in some weird dream."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at that, "You mean the thing with Shadi?"

"Yeah, I remember talking to the man in the professor's office and then the rest just feels like a dream and I woke up to find myself on the roof." He turned his head to face away from Yugi before saying, "I feel sometimes like I'm losing time and I don't know why."

Yugi could feel his nightmare coming true about there really being another Yami. Hearing his boyfriend tell him this was like putting the final pieces to a puzzle together. However the real question was why this was happening to Yami in the first place. It was never like this back in high school or when they first dated. It was then Yugi's eyes caught the millennium puzzle sitting innocently on his desk. '_Could the puzzle be the cause of all this…?'_

"Yugi..?"

The smaller was jerked out of his thoughts by a hand resting on his so he quickly put on a smile for Yami. "Sorry so much has happened today I keep getting lost in my thoughts…" Yugi crawled into bed beside Yami wrapping an arm around Yami's chest and resting his head on the taller teen's shoulder. "I bet it just felt like a dream because of how things were happening. Your mind was just trying to cope with all the scariness of what was happening to the professor."

"I guess you're right, but why were we on the roof anyway?"

"Uh… The professor chased us up there. Then we figured out what was wrong and got Shadi to fix what he did." Yugi lied and he hated doing it, but if he tried to explain to Yami that he thought his boyfriend was being possessed by someone else. That was a conversation that would never go over well with the other. The fear and pain of losing Yami was too great for Yugi to have the courage to tell him the truth. He could only hope he could figure out why this was happening to them and the only thing Yugi could think to start off with was doing some more research on his puzzle.

"Well I'm glad all this is over with. Goodnight Yugi," Yami said with a yawn as he kissed the top of Yugi's head and closed his eyes.

Yugi whispered a goodnight back and watched as Yami drifted off to sleep, but it would be a while before sleep would finally find its way to Yugi.

* * *

**Sakura: **So Yami has an idea that maybe something isn't right while Yugi is pretty sure his boyfriend is being possessed somehow. At first I was going to continue to have Yugi being completely clueless about Yami being taken over by the other yami, but then I had some interesting ideas I wanted to try out. I won't give anything away, but please continue to read and review so I will be inspired to write more chapters faster.

**Yumi: PLEASE REVIEW!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I just now realized I had over a 100 reviews for this story! I think it happened a few chapters back, but thank you to those who review for getting me past 100. I've seen some new reviewers and I'm glad to see so many people enjoy this story. Now lets move along to one of my favorite chapters out of the manga series...

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**Digital Pet Duel**

_Beep Beep_

Yami groaned as he rolled over to slam a hand down on his alarm clock. However the sound kept going on but a minute later. Crimson eyes blinked open to look on his night stand finally seeing what was causing the noise. A small key chain device was lighting up signaling it needed Yami's attention. The teen let out a sigh as he reached for it then looked at the little lit up screen. A tiny creature danced around on the screen with its mouth opening letting Yami know it was hungry.

"You're so lucky I don't want to make Yugi sad with your death." Yami mumbled as he pressed a button to feed the thing. This was the second day in a row it had woken Yami up early just to be feed. He would be so happy when Yugi would take it back home with him tomorrow.

Key chain games for some odd reason were big at their college right now. It had started with the middle school students, then the high school students and now college students were getting in on it. The most popular were the digital pets, because it was all the fun of taking care of a pet in a digital world and not the real one.

When even their friends started in on it and got one, Yami decided to buy Yugi one that they could raise together. His apartment didn't allow any real pets and Yugi's mother was allergy to animal fur of any kind it seemed or so she said when Yugi's father tried to get Yugi a dog and then a cat when he was younger and his mother flipped out. It was either fear of them or she really could not stand to be around them.

Anyway the digital pets were only programmed to live a month and Yami had figured Yugi would enjoy it. What Yami hadn't planned is for Yugi's father to come into town the first weekend they had it so for the past two days he was in charge of taking care of it instead of Yugi. During the day things were fine, but at night it was like every other hour the creature wanted to wake Yami up.

_BEEP BEEP_

"ARGGHHH!" Yami sat up to glare at the stupid creature only to realize it was his alarm clock this time. He fell back on his bed and screamed into his pillow. Tomorrow Yugi was going to get his pet back and for the rest of the month it was going to stay with Yugi.

* * *

It had been four weeks since the incident with Shadi and everyone had appeared to move on and forget about what had happened. Even Yami, who hadn't had a black out since then and as long as he wasn't losing moments in time anymore, he felt much better. Yugi on the other hand had been doing research without his friends and lover knowing. He had been trying his hardest to find out what he could about the millennium puzzle. The smaller duelist asked his grandfather about it and even went to Yoshimori to talk to him about it when his grandfather could not tell him much. Yoshimori had agreed to help him out, but also gave Yugi some information about the archaeology department since Yugi had shown an interest in it. Yugi figured it wouldn't hurt to look into it but he still wanted to talk to Yami about it before deciding on a major by the end of the semester.

Other than classes things had been peaceful and more relaxed for the group.

At that moment Joey, Yugi, Yami, Tomoya and Duke were all sitting around in their first class for the day on a Monday. They still had ten minutes before class was to start and students were just talking and hanging out until the professor showed up.

"Morning guys!" Tea called out when she finally entered the room. She walked over and took her seat in the desk behind Yugi. "How's your pet doing Yugi?" In her hand was her own digital pet.

"He's in good shape, so long as I'm watching him." Yugi said and everyone in their circle knew about Yami's dislike for the poor little digital pet. Ever since his first weekend with it weeks ago he refused to take care of it again. As far as Yugi was concerned it didn't matter to him although he thinks Yami simply dislikes it because it takes his attention away from his lover.

Tea looked over Yugi's shoulder and squealed, "It's so cute! He is looking more like you each day."

Yugi had just feed his little pet some food and it was eating. True to her words, the digital pet did look a little like him with spiky hair and doe eyes. The only odd looking thing about it was the arms that came out of its head above his eyes. "U2 is always so full of energy it's hard to keep him full sometimes."

"Even though it's just a game, you really get attached to your digital pet," Tomoya pointed out and his friends minus Yami agreed with him. He even had his own pet he was looking after that moment.

"Well mine is a big tough guy now," Joey decided to point out showing him off to his friends.

"It's so ugly!" Tea cried in disbelief.

"Yeah and it's got your bad attitude," Duke said with a chuckle.

Joey glared at the two, "Shut up!" He was proud of his little guy even if it did look like a turnip with legs, narrowed eyes, and what looked like a question mark on his head.

"They say you transfer your personality to your pet in the way you take care of it," Yugi spoke up trying to calm Joey down. "You know Joey digital pets can share data with other pets. It might help your little guy out."

Joey looked at him as if he was just now hearing all this, "Really?"

Yugi held up his device and pointed out the two ports on the bottom. "See… There's a data port on the underside of it. You link it with your friend's and then you can share your pets' personality data with each other. That way you make an even more unique pet."

"Wow, I didn't know that…" Joey said as he looked at the underside of his device. If he had known that he probably would have done it long ago to give his creature a better look. However it was never too late to try and give his guy an attitude adjustment. "Alright let's mate right away."

Duke lean over to Yami and said, "That just sounded wrong didn't it?"

Yami chuckled, "In more ways than one, but watch this…" He stood up and walked up behind his partner. Wrapping his arms around Yugi's neck, he made sure to put his mouth right next to Yugi's ear looking right at Joey as he said, "Sorry Joey but he is taken."

Joey and Yugi both lite up like red traffic lights, while the others try not to crack up at the stunt Yami just pulled.

"Seriously Yami, I meant our pets." Joey grumbled as he rubbed at his face to get the blush to go away.

Yugi was just bowing his head in embarrassment hiding his blush as best he could behind his bangs. Oh he would so get Yami back for that!

Knowing his work was done Yami kissed the side of Yugi's face and went back to his seat. He figured Yugi would try and get him back later but that was too fun to pass up.

Once the moment passed and everyone was calmed back down did Yugi and Joey link up their pets to see what would happen. They place the two linked devices on Yugi's desk as everyone in their small group crowed around to see what would happen.

At first the two creatures were looking up at each other's device trying to figure out what was going on.

"Whoa they're checking each other out…" Joey commented like a sport game was on, before saying, "Hey my pet's leaving the screen…"

Sure enough Joey's pet was walking out of the screen and reappeared on Yugi's device. It appeared Joey's pet was going to make the first move. Everyone wanted with paused breaths to see what would happen. However what happened next ended up shocking everyone more than surprising them.

"It's a bully!" Yami said as he glared at their blond hair friend. Poor little U2 had gotten kicked in the face by Joey's mess of a creature. Just because Yami didn't like taking care of him didn't mean he enjoyed seeing the little guy being bullied.

"I'm ashamed of him," Joey cringed not at all happy with his pet's behavior.

Yugi was trying to stay positive, but that just appeared cruel even for a digital pet. "Maybe this was a bad idea…"

The second time everyone looked at the screen they happily noticed a better change between the two. Even though Joey's pet seemed a little rough around the edges, U2 had reached out to pat the other pet on the head. It was trying to make peace even after taking a kick to the face.

"I think they may just like each other," Yugi said with a smile and waited until he heard the sound meaning the data transfer was complete. Once he heard it he went to disconnect the two devices once Joey's pet was back on his screen, "After this there should be some change in their development. They could get even more unique than before."

"You need to get some of U2's cuteness!" Joey sneered at his pet.

Yugi smiled down at his little creature, "What kind of data did you get from Joey?" He asked if as if it could answer him.

U2 looked up at him and shrugged as if he understood Yugi. Inside the little device he was looking up at Yugi thinking, "_This is my master._" Then out of nowhere a shiver ran through the little guy and he started to shake.

Yugi watched as U2 coward in fear because of something, the device beeping letting Yugi know something wasn't right, "Huh? He looks scared."

"Hey Yugi…" The group turned to see a rather large student walk up with blond hair cut into a bowl shape looking like it was simply sitting on his large head and small eyes peering at the group. His name was Kujirada and he had been in the same classes as the group back at Domino High. No one had really liked him back in high school because of the way he gloated about how rich he was. His parents were the ones with all the money not him and his family was far from being as powerful as the Kaiba family.

Rumors had spared their last month of high school that his parents had to pay him just to get him to go to University, but no matter how much they paid him it would never help him make the proper grades if he never applied himself. It was just their luck this semester that they ended up with him in their class, even if he never showed up much. Sure there were plenty of Domino High students who now attended Domino University, but at least they were civil.

"You wanna see my pet?" Kujirada asked with a grin, "My pet is special."

Yugi resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he kindly smiled and said, "You're raising a digital pet too?"

"Of course I am! But mine's different from your ordinary pets."

"Hey Kujirada, What makes you think your pet's so special?" Joey asked pulling the guy's attention away from Yugi, "What is it a thorough-bred? Does it have papers?"

Kujirada chuckled, "Don't you know? There are 'hidden characters' in these digital pets."

"Hidden characters?" Tea, Joey, and Yugi questioned at the same time. This was the first time they were hearing about it.

"Yeah the chances you'll get a hidden character are a million to one…" Kujirada went on to explain, "They say they come from some kind of glitch or maybe even a computer virus. Nobody knows for sure. The way you discipline them… when you feed them… the other's personality… When everything is just right, your pet turns into a special pet." His grin then got even bigger, "And I have one of them! The ultimate hidden pet!"

"Then how about you show us this ultimate hidden pet," Yami countered figuring the guy was bluffing. He was always trying to act like a big shot when he wasn't.

"Well if you like…" Kujirada said as he held up his device.

Only Joey, Tea, and Yugi lean in to see the creature within the small device. Each of their reactions was different, but the looks on their faces were priceless. Joey had to hide a grin behind his hand as he thought '_It's even uglier than mine!_'

"Oh wow…" Yugi said with a grim look not believing what he was looking at.

While Tea looked bored and said, "Looks like a brute…"

The creature before them looked like a beach ball with eyes and a huge mouth, tiny arms and skinny legs. On its belly was a huge black star, but nothing else made it special.

Joey looked up at the guy in front of him, "But how do you know this is one of those hidden characters?"

"According to secret info, the hidden characters always have a star in their graphics…" Kujirada was all too happy to inform them. "Oh and one more thing… Your pets don't live longer than a month, but my pet has been alive for two months already! This is the ultimate pet!"

Tea put her hands on her hips as she said, "Everyone's pet is special while they last. I don't think yours is so great just because it lives longer."

'_Heh… you're just jealous…_' Kujirada thought as he turned to walk away.

Yugi looked back down at his device as it started to beep again. U2 didn't appear to need anything he was still shaking though as if scared of something, '_What's wrong with U2? He's been acting so scared…_' However Yugi wasn't able to figure out the problem before class started, so Yugi was forced to put the device in his pocket and wait for class to be over.

* * *

Two days later the group of friends was once again early for their first class of the day just sitting around talking, except Joey who had to run to the bathroom. He left his things at his desk figuring no one would touch it since his friends were around. Sadly none of them noticed a foot slowly pull Joey's backpack under another desk and go through the bag. The bag was returned a minute later as if nothing had happened.

Joey returned to the room with five minutes before class was to start and was thankful the professor had not arrived yet. He sat at his desk grabbing his bag and unzipping the top pocket. Inside were a few pens and pencils along with his digital pet. Joey pulled the device out to see if his little buddy needed anything before class was to start, however he got a shock.

"My data is gone!" He cried out gaining the attention of his friends.

"What's wrong, Joey?" Yugi asked as he leaned over to see what had his pal so worried.

Joey showed Yugi the screen, "My pet is gone and he had at least a few more days before he was scheduled to die. It's like everything has been erased…" He looked up at each of his friends, "Did you see anyone near my bag?"

They all shook their head confused by what had happened to Joey's pet.

While the mystery of it all went around in their heads they did not notice Kujirada approaching Tea from behind.

"Hey Gardner, give me your pet for a while…"

Tea jumped at the voice from behind her, but she turned to glare at the teen, "No way!"

Before she could stop him he had reached out and snatched the device off her desk. Duke jumped up ready to punch the guy for taking what belonged to his girl.

"Dude not cool, give it back to her now."

Those words never reached Kujirada as he had already connected the devices. The poor little peach shaped pet with a bow on top her head never stood a chance. They were all forced to watch as Tea's pet was eaten by Kujirada's pet. It appeared the mystery was solved about what happened to Joey's pet.

"My peachy!" Tea cried pissed off. Duke was quick to console her even if he wanted to punch the day light out the guy for what he just did, but his girlfriend came first.

The shock of it all surprised Yugi and he didn't even have a chance to hide his pet before it was snatched away from him also.

"Rejoice! You will become part of the ultimate pet!" Kujirada laughed as Yami tried to stop him but once again it was too late and U2 was at the hands of the huge freak of a monster.

"U2 run away!" Yugi shouted as he watched U2 run for his life from the monster of a beast that was now on his screen.

The little guy ran and ran but for a big brute the monster behind him was fast.

"_It's not use! I may look fat but I'm fast on my feet!"_ The creature taunted U2 gaining on him quickly. He reached out snatching U2 off his feet and holding the little guy in his claw of a hand. "_I've got you!"_

'_He's done for…_' Yugi thought in horror not believing this was how U2 was going to die. He didn't care if it was a digital pet that would only last a month. He had been a gift from Yami and it was like he had gotten the chance to take care of a real animal.

Surprisingly that horrible thought went away when a different sound came from Yugi's device. "That's the sound you hear when your pet grows and changes." He exclaimed in surprised and everyone watched to see what would happen.

Before their eyes U2's attitude changed and his eyes harden. The creature did not even know what hit him when U2 punched the monster straight in the jaw destroying him and his monstrous ways.

"Cool! U2 transformed and blew him away!" Joey cheered for the little guy.

Yugi looked back at his friend with a smile, "He must have incorporated the data he received from your pet."

They were all cheering for U2 that the group of friends never noticed when Kujirada blinked his eyes as if unsure where he was at and took his device back. Walking out of the classroom he shrugged and said, "Too bad my pet is gone… But now I can sleep at least…"

* * *

But all good things must come to an end as Yugi sat in his room on a Friday night with his digital pet sitting on his desk. Even the lives of digital pets don't last long and it was according to his programming U2 was sure to disappear tomorrow after being alive for a full month.

"Eat as much as you want U2," Yugi told the little guy as he gave him some food. He wished Yami would also be there to send him off, but he had to do something apparently. Even if Yami never liked him so much because he kept him up, Yugi was sure deep down Yami would probably miss the little guy. It was kind of fun pretending to be parents for the month although Yugi never voiced that out loud to Yami. He hoped his lover would want children, because there was plenty of children out there that needed adopting into good homes. It made Yugi wonder if Yami ever saw them lasting that long and starting a family.

It was a dream of his that he hoped would come true, but for now Yugi would have to settle for enjoying what he had now.

"I'll watch you until morning okay…" He said as he watched U2 look up at him as if he understood. "Bye U2…"

* * *

Meanwhile at Yami's apartment, Joey and Tristan walked in after having a guy's night out to find a rather funny scene displayed before them. Their shorter friend was busy running around the house as two fur balls ran around under him and all over the place. A misplaced bag ended up being Yami's down fall as he tripped over it falling flat on his face. One of the fur balls walked over and started to lick Yami's nose.

Joey reached down and grabbed the other fur ball that tried to make a run for the kitchen. "Care to explain?"

Yami looked toward them a blush making its way on his face after being caught like that, "Uh… well… you see…"

"Just start from the beginning," Tristan informed him as he closed and locked the door.

Yami sat up, grabbing the butter ball beside him setting the little guy in his lap. Joey still had the other one and it appeared content in the blond's lap as Joey petted him once he sat down on the couch with Tristan.

"You guys know that U2 probably won't live much longer and I know Yugi will be upset about it so I decided to get him something that will last a little longer."

"So you got him puppies?" Joey clarified.

Yami nodded as he smiled down at the little guy in his lap. The small pup was pure white and was big and fluffy. He had a curled tail like his brother however his brother who was falling asleep in Joey's lap had a black head and back. "I went down to the pound to see what they had and turns out these little guys had been bought in a week ago after a store owner found them behind his business. The mother was sick and her other pups had already died. Sadly their mother didn't make it, she died two days ago, but these two brothers were going to be put up for adoption next week since they were found healthy just a little underweight." He explained to them, "After doing many charities events with Seto, I know the owner and he let me see them before anyone else once I told him what I was looking for. Just seeing their poor sad faces broke my heart so I decided to get them. I couldn't very well separate the two brothers after all they went through."

Tristan watched as Yami picked up the little guy and started to talk to it like it was a baby. It was kind of funny to watch and he had a feeling Yami had always wanted a pet just like Yugi, "So how in the world are you going to keep them? The apartment doesn't allow pets."

Yami smirked up at them, "That is where being a Kaiba comes in handy. My brother has given more than enough money to the University so it looks good on Kaiba Corp. I just had to do a little persuading and come to an agreement that any damages made by these little guys will be paid by me and that they had to be quiet so as not to disturb the other students living here."

"They seriously need to change their stupid rules. There is nothing wrong with having a pet," Tristan said as he reached out to pet the pup in Joey's lap. He had his own German Shepard at his parent's place because of the stupid rule. It would be nice to have her at the apartment with him, but with two puppies and her being an older dog he wasn't sure how they would feel about each other. For now he would settle for helping Yami and Yugi raise these little guys. "What kind of dog are they?"

"There mother was an Akita, but there was no telling what their father was. They could be pure Akita or a mix breed, but either way they are simply adorable." Yami smiled at the puppy's face rubbing his nose with the pup's nose. "Yugi is going to love the both of you."

* * *

**Sakura: **That last part was a last minute add on when I was typing this chapter. I thought it would be cute for Yami to go out of his way to get Yugi a pet that they can raise together once U2 was gone. Plus they have Joey and Tristan to help train the puppies. Oh and for why I picked Akita, well I simply looked up Japanese dogs and that was the first thing to pop up. They were cute and fluffy so I had to go with them.

**Yumi: Please Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **This is one of my favorites and I think it might be obvious as to why. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

**American Hero (Part One)**

"Boys I'm here!" Yugi called out as he entered Yami's apartment with his overnight bag for the weekend and another bag with a gift for his favorite little guys.

"Be there in a minute Yugi," Yami hollered from his room trying to finish cleaning up. He had spent all day cleaning just to make the place look nice and so Yugi wouldn't feel the need to clean the place up. No matter how much Yugi wanted to deny it he was similar to his mother in wanting to keep a place neat. Although he completely failed when it came to his own room, but Yami was the same way with his own room so he couldn't complain.

Once finished with the bed Yami made his way into the living space only to find that Yugi wasn't talking to him or to his roommates who were playing video games while laid out on the couch and the floor.

Yugi was kneeled down in front of the door playing around with his new favorite boys. Shadow and Yuki were all over Yugi's lap nipping at him trying to figure out what he had in the bag. Since the first time Yugi laid eyes on them he was sold and when he found out they were his, well Yugi thanked Yami in his own way that was private between the two of them.

One of the pups being white as snow, Yugi took no time deciding the name to be Yuki. However after watching the black and white one for a whole afternoon, Yugi came up with the name Shadow, because little Shadow liked to follow Yuki around. They were the best little pups around and as far as Yugi was concerned Yami was the best boyfriend in the whole world. He couldn't believe Yami decided to adopt him two dogs after losing U2.

"We're my babies good for daddy…" Yugi talked to them like they were babies as he pulled two small treats out of the bag and gave one each to his pups.

"Besides chewing on one of my boots, they were perfect angels." Yami told Yugi as he kneeled down to pull Shadow onto his lap after he was done with the small treat. He didn't like picking favorites, but Yuki liked to chew on anything he could get his mouth around. Shadow was a little more laid back compared to his brother as he started to get used to his new home so Yami liked him a little better.

Joey and Tristan had started to help him train them and it had only been a week and a half since they came to live with them so it would be a while before they were going to be able to be left alone. For now the pups went to Tea's parents' house while they were in classes every day of the week. Tea's mother worked out of her home and had been more than happy to help Yugi and Yami out. Tea used to have a dog when she was little, but after he died of old age around the time Tea was in high school she could never bring herself to getting another dog. It was the only arrangement they could work with and it at least meant the puppies would be looked after.

Yugi smiled up at Yami and really hoped it hadn't been his favorite boots. "Sorry about that," He reached more into the bag and pulled out four new toys to add to the pile their friends had bought the pups. It was like having a baby, all their friends wanted to spoil the puppies. "This is why all weekend we will be training my sweethearts won't we…" Once again the baby talk was back and directed at Yuki as Yugi tried to get him to play with the new squeak toy.

Yuki watched the toy and tilted his head to the side trying to figure out the noise. He waited until Yugi had stopped moving the toy around before he walked up and smell the toy. At first he seemed unsure, but with time he had at least started to paw at it.

"Are we still meeting with Tomoya tomorrow?"

Yugi nodded as he watched Shadow crawl out of Yami's lap to see what his brother was doing. "I'll text him tonight and make sure." He turned to his friends who were playing some kind of racing game with Joey winning. It was just a normal Friday afternoon. "Joey, you coming tomorrow..?"

"Sorry Yug, got called into work for tomorrow. We can all hang out some other time."

"Tristan..?"

Tristan sighed as he lost another race before replying to Yugi, "I'd rather just hang out here tomorrow. It's been crazy at the shop and I could use the day to sleep in. But I can watch the pups for you guys if you need me to."

Yami nodded, "Thanks..." He hated leaving the guys alone for too long, but he trusted Tristan to watch them. It been a while since most of them could hang out together thanks to college work and they did not want to pass up a free weekend. As far as it looked it would be just Yugi, Yami, and Tomoya unless Tea and Duke were able to show up.

Yugi grabbed his overnight bag and stood up while his pups were checking out the new toys. "Don't let me forget to get them tags made while we are out tomorrow. We also still need to buy some leashes and collars for them." He reminded Yami as he walked toward Yami's room to drop off his bag.

Before he forgot, Yami pulled out his phone to make a note of it since it needed to be done sooner rather than later. He also sent a text to Duke to see if he was hanging out with them tomorrow. A day out of the house with friends was more than needed this weekend.

* * *

Two hours of shopping and Yami's feet were killing him. Yugi had taken him to three different pet stores to find what he needed for the little pups. At this rate they were more spoiled than a rich kid getting everything he or she wanted from their parents. As far as Yugi was concerned they were his children and Yami saw no problem with that.

Once they dropped their bags off at the limo that Yami borrowed from his brother, he sent the driver away for a few hours while he and Yugi took a small walk to a local café to meet their friends. Burger World would have been the first choice, but Tea did not want to go there if she didn't have to on her day off, plus every once in a while it was alright to change up a normal routine.

The café served simple sandwiches and soups with soda or coffee, however it was also heard they had the best desert and smoothies in Domino. Tomoya and Yugi had huge a sweet tooth so it would be the perfect place for them.

When the two arrived they found that Tea, Duke, and Tomoya had already grabbed a booth and were sipping at their drinks. Tea had a latte, Duke a soda while Tomoya was drinking what looked like a cherry smoothie. Tea and Duke greeted the two as Yugi and Yami moved into the booth beside Tomoya, who had his head in a comic.

Yugi took one look at the comic and knew at that moment why Tomoya was so into it. "You're dad finally sent you a new one?"

Tomoya finally looked up and blushed when he realized Yugi had arrived. He had met up with Tea and Duke but then after that his head had been in his comic. "Sorry, how are you doing Yugi?"

Yugi smiled, "Good, mind if I see the new one?"

"Sure, came in the mail before I was coming to meet you guys. I just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen." Tomoya replied as he handed the comic over to Yugi.

Yami read over Yugi's shoulder to see it was another Zombie comic that Tomoya liked to read. Back in high school he always had his head in a comic during their breaks, but he had never been close to the group back then to ask about them. The comic was in English so it was probably from America. "I didn't know you were into America comics."

Tomoya nodded, "Yeah, my father sends them to me from America. Zombire is super popular in America and I've always like American superheroes. The mangas here in Japan are alright and the club I'm in loves to talk about them, but I'm slowing trying to introduce them to the American comics."

"I never understood why America comics are full of all these macho bodybuilder guys." Tea commented.

"Zombire isn't a 'bodybuilder guy'," Tomoya defended his favorite hero, "He was originally the god of death, but he learned how to love and started to fight evil. But the more he turns good, the more the face hidden behind his mask rots away like a zombie and every time his life gets shorter. But he still fights evil. That's why he is the greatest hero every." The boy then noticed the looks of shock his friends were giving him and blushed, "Uh… sorry about that… I get all excited when I talk about Zombire."

Yugi patted his shoulder as he gave him his comic back, "Just shows how much you like him. I'd love to read the new comic once you are finished with it."

"Sure and I got some new items in my collection," Tomoya told Yugi with this excited look in his eye, "You guys should come by and see them."

"It's has been a while since we have seen your collection," Yugi said as he looked at Tea who agreed, "I'd love to see it."

Yami agreed with them also, "This will be the first time Duke and I will get to see it. Should be awesome right Duke?"

Duke nodded, "You can count me in."

Tomoya was ecstatic that his friends were coming over to his parent's place to see his collection. Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan had been to his house once before back in high school, but pretty much after that everyone just met at Yugi's place. He couldn't wait to show Yami and Duke his huge collection that he had collected over the years.

The plans were all set for after lunch that the group would head over to Tomoya's house to see his Zombire collection.

* * *

Yami and Duke were in for a shock when they entered Tomoya's bedroom at his parents place. Zombire was everywhere! The American hero covered the walls in posters and shelves of figures and books. The only sign that Tomoya lived at his parent's place over the weekends was the unmade bed and the desk that had a few college textbooks on top. Other than that it looked like a store for Zombire items.

While Yugi and Tea made themselves at home on the floor with Tomoya, Yami and Duke took a look around the room. "You collected all this?" Duke asked out of the blue.

Tomoya nodded his head, "Like Yugi's father, my father works in America and every time he comes back to Japan he brings something for me. Sometimes if he won't be home for a while he will send it by mail."

The door to Tomoya's bedroom opened quietly and they all looked as Tomoya's mother stepped in with a tray of snacks for them. The two looked so much alike it was easy to see where Tomoya got his looks from. "It's good to see everyone again," She greeted as Tomoya took the tray from her and set it on the floor. She looked toward Yami and Duke, "It's also nice to see some new faces."

"Mom you remember Yami and Duke from high school graduation," Tomoya reminded her since it hadn't been that long ago, "Yami is Yugi's boyfriend and Duke's his best friend."

Yami bowed his head slightly, "It's nice to see you again Mrs. Hanasaki."

Mrs. Hanasaki smiled back at him, "It's nice to see you again too dear." She then looked toward her son, "But before I forget, you have another surprise visitor Tomoya."

"Huh?" Tomoya questioned as a figure appeared behind his mother.

The figured laughed as he waved and said, "Bwa ha ha ha! I'm Zombire!"

They all jumped a little as they noticed the dude behind Mrs. Hanasaki was wearing a Zombire mask hiding his true face.

Tomoya seemed to know who he was as he jumped up like a little kid on Christmas and raced over to the taller male, "Dad!" He briefly hugged his father before stepping back, "When did you get home? I just got your package today in the mail."

"Oh just now… I ended up catching an earlier flight than I thought I would." The man reached up to pull the mask off his head, to reveal a normal looking father underneath. He passed the mask over to Tomoya, "I finally found the one you wanted."

Tomoya took the mask in his hands not believing he was holding a real Zombire mask. It was so real looking, "This must have been expensive."

Mr. Hanasaki waved it off, "That's okay, as long as you like it."

'_Alright! I'll dress up in costume and surprise everyone_.' Tomoya thought as his parents left his room to head downstairs. The costume he was making was for his club and the final piece was the mask. He figured the best people to show it off to were his friends. With that in mind, the boy hurried over to his closet to grab a few other things, "I'll be right back. Just relax and enjoy the snacks."

Once he was gone, Duke sat down beside his girlfriend and picked up one of the cookies to try it out, "Whole family is Zombire crazy…"

Tea rolled her eyes at him as she looked around the room. There seemed to be even more unopened boxes than the last time, "I think the garage kits from last time multiplied." She then turned to Yugi with a grin, "Remember last time we were here and Joey opened one."

Yugi chuckled at the memory, "Tomoya was so upset about that and Joey ended up apologizing for a week."

"He doesn't put them together?" Yami questioned realizing there were a lot of unopened items in the room.

Yugi nodded, "Tomoya wants to keep them in perfect condition. He prefers to collect more than play with new items of Zombire." He then looked toward the door when it opened again and his eyes widen in surprise. "Tomoya?"

"Tomoya? I'm Zombire!" Tomoya announced in his Zombire costume. Everything about it looked real except the fact that Tomoya wasn't as tall as the real Zombire. "What do you guys think?"

"You look cool, Tomoya." Tea told him.

Tomoya took off the mask so he could breathe and sat down with his friend again, "Thanks, I've been working non-stop on it for the past few weeks. Our club is going to have a costume party in a few weeks and the rule is to dress up as your favorite character."

"You'll have the best costume there," Yugi encouraged him, which put a smile on Tomoya's face.

* * *

The friends spent a few hours at Tomoya's house, until it started to get close to dinner time and everyone figured it was time to go home. The day had been interesting and Yami enjoyed getting to know Tomoya a little better. Tomoya and his parents saw his friends out but once Tomoya and Mrs. Hanasaki said their goodbyes and went back in Mr. Hanasaki hurried to catch up with Yugi and Yami.

Tea and Duke had already gone on ahead, but Yugi and Yami stopped to hear what the man had to say.

"Yugi I haven't been able to thank you for being my son's friend. It would mean so much to me if you could continue to do so." Mr. Hanasaki pretty much begged the teen.

Yugi smiled and understood, "We'll always be friends."

"Thank you," Mr. Hanasaki thanked him, "Tomoya is fragile and I hadn't been home like I should to be there for him. Until you and your friends came along I was worried his only friends would be his action figures."

"Don't worry Mr. Hanasaki. He's not as fragile as you think he is," Yami found himself saying hoping to put the man's worries to rest about his son. Tomoya had grown since high school and if the man was around more he would see it one day.

The two waved to the older male as they walked away to head home. Once they were out of sight Mr. Hanasaki stood there thinking over Yami's words and thinking of a time when Tomoya was younger. The boy had always been in and out of the hospital as a baby and during his grade school years. It wasn't until around middle school that he had gotten stronger, but he still did not have friends. The only friends had been the Zombire that Mr. Hanasaki had introduced his son to. It always boosted him up in the hospital and he could never get enough of reading the comics. Mr. Hanasaki feared one day that Tomoya would be left all alone.

As he walked back to the house he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Tomoya had opened his window which was on the second floor. The way the house was made, Tomoya could easily climb out onto the roof of the first floor and drop down to the street from there. This is what Mr. Hanasaki watched his son do while dressed as Zombire.

* * *

"This is great!" Tomoya said an hour later as he sat down on a park bench that was close to his home. The sun had already set making the street lights turn on and no one was really out anymore. Everyone was probably at home enjoying their dinner or heading home at least. He felt silly for going out in his costume, but a feeling of wanting to get out of the house and pretend to be Zombire was too much. No one would know it was him anyway, so he would have no problem facing his friends tomorrow. The park was void of life and made for the perfect place to test out his costume.

However while he was relaxing and taking in the night air he heard, "Take that!"

Tomoya quickly looked behind him to see two guys beating up on another guy. They hadn't seemed to notice him yet. _'A fight… this looks bad. Two against one…_' He thought as he stood up to make his leave, "I'd better get out of here…"

Once those words left his mouth another thought came to him, '_But… Zombire wouldn't run at a time like this!'_ Putting on his brave face behind the mask he headed over to the scene, "St…Stop picking on him!" He shuttered trying to stay brave.

"Huh?" One of the thugs questioned looking toward Tomoya, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Zo-"Tomoya stopped himself when he realized, '_Wait! Zombire doesn't give his name until after he beats up the bad guys!'_

"You want some too, eh?" The thug asked as he race over with a fist ready to punch Tomoya.

Tomoya put up his hands in reflex barely touching the guy who fell back with a scream of pain. '_Huh?'_ He thought as he looked to see the guy on the ground. The other thug came racing at Tomoya next.

"Hey! You hit my friend!"

Before Tomoya knew it he barely shoved the guy and then he was on the ground too in pain. It didn't take long for the two to get up but instead of coming after Tomoya again they ran off.

"This dude's stronger than a freight train!" One of them shouted.

"We can't fight him! Let's get outta here!" The other exclaimed to his friend.

Tomoya just stood there in disbelief at what had just happened. That had been really weird since he barely touched them, but at least they quit attacking the poor guy they had been picking on. When he looked for him Tomoya noticed he was gone too probably haven't run off when he had the chance. With a shrug Tomoya started to walk away and head home before his mother would start to worry.

He never noticed his father meeting up with the thugs not long after Tomoya had left the park.

* * *

The next day Yugi found himself leaving the convenience store not far from Yami's apartment. They had run out of milk that morning after making breakfast and he was going to need more for when he made dinner that night. Just as he was passing the University and almost to Yami's apartment he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you're from Domino University right?"

Yugi looked behind him to see two thug looking guys standing behind him. '_They look like trouble…' _ He thought and wondered if it had been a mistake to wear Yami's University t-shirt that day.

"You know somebody named Hanasaki?"

'_Hanasaki? What do these guys want with Hanasaki? I'd better keep quiet…'_ He knew his friend and he was pretty sure Hanasaki wouldn't hand out with shady people like them, "I don't know who you're talking about…"

Tomoya headed out the main gates of the school ready to catch the bus back home. He had forgotten a book at his dorm that he needed for an extra credit project he needed to work on that weekend. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Yugi being corner by the thugs he had met last night. He knew Yami's apartment was far from there and that had been most likely where Yugi had been headed to before he got cornered.

Seeing his friend behind cornered like that did not sit right with Tomoya and he knew that he had to help his friend out.

* * *

**Sakura: **Tomoya got the spotlight shined on him this time. I like his character and wish he was in the book more, this is why he has been in most of my chapters for this story. Even after this chapter I'm going to try and add him more than I have.

**Yumi: Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Here is the continuation of American Hero!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**American Hero (Part Two)**

Tomoya headed out the main gates of the school ready to catch the bus back home. He had forgotten a book at his dorm that he needed for an extra credit project he needed to work on that weekend. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Yugi being corner by the thugs he had met last night. He knew Yami's apartment was not far from there and that had been most likely where Yugi had been headed to before he got cornered.

Seeing his friend behind cornered like that did not sit right with Tomoya and he knew that he had to help his friend out. Before he knew what he was doing Tomoya was walking right over to the scene and stood in front of Yugi with his arms out.

"Cut it out!" He shouted.

Yugi looked on with wide eyes as Tomoya seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. It made him wonder if Tomoya really did know these guys. In all the time he knew him Yugi had never seen Tomoya act so bravely before.

Tomoya continued to glare at the thugs in front of him waiting to see if they would back off. They had ran off easy the night before and he hoped today would be the same. Sadly this time he wasn't dressed as Zombire and for all he knew they had freaked when they noticed his costume and got scared.

The two seemed to whisper to each other and then looked closely at Tomoya, before they simply turned to walk away.

"Hey let's get out of here!" One said to the other.

"We can't handle this guy…"

Once they were gone, Tomoya let out the breath he had been holding. Yugi on the other hand couldn't believe they walked away like that, '_They ran away when they saw Tomoya!'_ He thought in disbelief.

"Are you okay Yugi?" Tomoya questioned as he turned to his friend.

Yugi nodded with a smile, "Yeah that was incredible Tomoya."

Tomoya blushed slightly at that, "It was nothing I just couldn't stand to see you get hurt. I've seen those thugs before near my neighborhood. You just got to stand up to them to get them to back off." He lied slightly deciding to keep his little night adventure a secret.

"Still that was brave of you." Yugi said before he noticed the book in Tomoya's hand, "Were you at the library?"

"No… I forgot it at my dorm. I came early this morning to get it and chatted with my roommate waiting on the next bus to come back around," Tomoya said as he checked his watch, "It should be here any minute so I'll see you later?"

Yugi nodded, "Sure, Yami's probably wondering how much longer I'm going to be. He started to work on that garage kit you gave him last night and if I'm not there to watch the pups they will be driving him crazy," He let out a light chuckle as he turned to walk away with a wave, "Bye…"

"Bye…" Tomoya waved back before he hurried across the street to wait the last few minutes before the bus was to arrive. He just hoped Yugi would be alright getting back to Yami's place. It had been weird that those guys from before cornered Yugi like that. He wondered if they were from around this area and liked picking on the weak. In any case if they tried to mess with Yugi again he was sure Yugi would let his friends know. Tomoya wouldn't be much help in a fight but he would try to help Yugi out if he could.

* * *

Later in the night after Yugi and Yami had finished dinner, Yugi went into the kitchen to clean up while Yami took his place back in front of the coffee table to work on his model. The Zombire garage kit Tomoya had given Yami to try out was coming along nicely. It was all thanks to the peace and quiet around there. Tristan and Joey were over at Tristan's folks place for dinner and probably wouldn't return for a few more hours. Shadow and Yuki were falling asleep in their huge dog bed that was placed on the other side of the coffee table. It allowed them a view of the door so they could see who was coming and going.

The figure in Yami's hands had finally finished drying after being glued together and he was getting ready to put the first coat of paint on. He pulled the small can of spray paint out of the box. The can said it was washable if wet quickly so if he missed and got some on the coffee table it would thankfully come off.

However when Yami went to spray the paint on he noticed something. When he pushed down on the cap, nothing came out. "Seriously..?" He questioned as he shook the can slightly before trying again, but sadly with the same results. "Well this completely sucks…"

"What does?" Yugi asked as he came into the room drying his hands on a rag.

"The can is empty."

Yugi took the can from Yami and tried so he could see for himself. He shrugged when it didn't work for him, "Tomoya has probably had that kit for a while. The paint could be dried up inside."

Yami lean back so he was leaning against the couch behind him. "I was almost done. Talk about bad luck."

Yugi looked at the clock on the wall and noticed the time, "Well most stores would be closed by now, but Tomoya's house isn't far from here. We could borrow Tristan's car, since he never uses it and go see if Tomoya has some paint to spare." He mentioned to Yami. If they drove there it wouldn't be but a quick ten minute trip there and back. Honestly Yugi would never understand why Tristan had a car and a motorcycle, but at least the car came in handy sometimes.

"You sure he wouldn't mind us coming over?"

Yugi shook his head, "Tomoya wouldn't care at all and besides we still have to take the pups out for their nightly walk." He said as he went to the small table beside the door and grabbed the keys to the car. The leashes were placed inside the small drawer in the table which he grabbed. The sound of the keys got the dogs attention quick.

"Well I'll leave a note for Tristan and Joey just in case they come back and see we are gone," Yami said as he got up to grab the supplies needed out of his room. Once he wrote a quick note and left it on the coffee table, he went about helping Yugi get the pups on their leashes so they could get them out to the car.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Hanasaki house, the family was just finishing up dinner also. Tomoya looked at his father in surprise by the news he was told, "You're going back to America tomorrow?"

His father nodded, "I wish I could have stayed longer, but…" He saw the distance look in his son's eyes and had to think of a way to cheer him up. "B…By the way Tomoya, I heard an incredible rumor in town."

Tomoya looked up wondering what kind of rumor his father heard, "What is it?"

"Last night, some bad guys were beating someone up in the park. But they were stopped by a superhero, who appeared out of nowhere. Who knows? It might be Zombire…"

'_They weren't really stopped more like ran away…'_ Tomoya thought in his head, but out loud said, "That's sounds cool…" Sometimes his father still liked to talk to him like he was a little kid and not a college student. If only his father was around more he would see how grown up Tomoya had become.

Slowly losing his appetite, Tomoya stood up from the table, "Thanks for dinner, but I'm going to call it a night."

After he was gone Mrs. Hanasaki looked to her husband, "He's not a child anymore dear. Don't you see how grown up he has become?"

Mr. Hanasaki simply smiled as he poured himself another drink, "I guess you're right…" However deep inside he was thinking he was the one who was making Tomoya grow up and become stronger.

* * *

In his room Tomoya placed himself at his desk to continue work on his extra credit project. Honestly his grades were already excellent, but he wanted to push himself a little more to prove himself. He wanted his father to see how much work he put into his studies to pursue his goals.

While he was doing his reading and writing down some notes, a crash sounded in the room as something small came flying through his window. The small package landed on the book Tomoya had been reading surprising the smaller teen. He reached for it carefully and opened it up to find a note tied around a rock.

"What is it…?" Tomoya wondered as he read the note. As he finished reading his eyes widen in shock, "A ransom note!"

_Attention Superhero- We have your friend! Don't try and stop us!_

A small map and a poorly done picture of Yugi were on the ransom note letting Tomoya know who they had with them. He couldn't believe those thugs would pull a stunt like this and besides how did they know it was him behind the Zombire mask. So many questions were running through his head as he quickly pulled out his phone to dial Yugi's number.

He knew there was no way Yami would have let anyone kidnap his boyfriend. This had to be some sick joke, however when the call went to his voicemail, Tomoya started to worry. He tried dialing Yami's number next, but the call just went straight to voicemail without even ringing either it was turned off or dead.

Tomoya stood up as he tried to think of what to do next. He couldn't leave his friend in the hands of those men and the ransom note wasn't proof enough for the police. Besides these thugs threw this note through his window, so it was obvious they wanted pay back for that night at the park.

With no other choice in his mind, Tomoya threw on a jacket before he opened his window and climbed out onto the roof. There was no sense bothering his parents over this since it appeared this was his fight. He needed to try and help Yugi on his own one way or another.

* * *

In the same area as Tomoya's home, the punks were hanging out near a bridge that over looked one of the rivers in Domino. There was a platform for workers that lead down closer to under the bridge and closer to the water. This is where the punks were hanging out spray painting a skull on one of the pillars connected to the bridge above them.

"Hey, he's coming this way," The friend told the other who stopped spray painting after hearing those words. He had received a phone call from one of their followers that Tomoya was leaving his home and headed that way.

The leader of the group turned to his friend, "Okay, time for stage two."

The other nodded and dialed a number on his phone. It wasn't long before someone picked up on the other side. "Hello, is this Tomoya Hanasaki's home? You're his old man?"

There was a reply on the other end causing a grin to appear on the thug, "Hey. It's us. We'd like to play some more hero games with Tomoya tonight. The payment this time is…" As he told the old man their price he was not surprised by the gasp on the other end. "If you don't want to pay, then we'll introduce a shocking new plot element. This time the superhero gets beat to death by the bad guys."

"_I-… I don't have that kind of money…"_

"Here he is…" The leader said as he had looked and noticed Tomoya standing at the top of the stairs leading down.

"The hero just arrived, old dude… If you don't bring the cash quick, the next time you'll see him is in a hospital bed." The other told Mr. Hanasaki before he hung up on the man.

"What have you done with Yugi?" Tomoya shouted trying to act brave as he glared down at the punks.

* * *

Once Yugi and Yami pulled up on Tomoya's street they parked just outside the front gate to the home. They each grabbed a puppy before walking through the front gate and up to the front door. Yugi rang the doorbell wondering if the family was still up. Judging by the lights being on someone had to still be up or so he hoped.

It took no time for someone to answer the door, but they were surprised to find a clearly upset Mr. Hanasaki just about to step out.

"T-…Tomoya is…." Mr. Hanasaki shuttered to get out through his tears.

"What happened to Tomoya?" Yugi asked with worry as he placed a hand on Mr. Hanasaki's shoulder to calm him down. With the way he was crying and stressing out Yugi couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"I found this…" Mr. Hanasaki explained as he tried to flatten out the note he found, "It was in Tomoya's room... What should I do?" It seemed like he was asking them, but in truth he was just asking himself since he had no idea what he could do at that moment. The worry about his son had taken control and it was hard to think clearly.

Yugi took the note to take a look at it, while Yami read over his shoulder. Surprise was clear on their faces until anger took its course. The puzzle let off a small glow feeding on their worry and anger, it was then Yugi saw it.

When he looked up at his partner he noticed the change in his posture and the look in his eyes. The color in his eyes was different as it was when they faced Shadi. There was no forgiveness in those eyes and now that Yugi knew what he was looking at he could see what Shadi was talking about. There really was another Yami. This would be the perfect chance for Yugi to get all his answers that he had been looking for, however with Tomoya in danger there was more pressing matters to deal with.

"We need to save Tomoya," Yugi stressed to the Other Yami.

The other Yami had the same thing in mind as he agreed with Yugi, "Let's get going."

Mr. Hanasaki tagged along as they all hurried back to the car and drove to where they knew Tomoya had gone.

* * *

"What's wrong little hero?" The leader of the group taunted as he kicked Tomoya in the gut.

Tomoya fell to the ground in pain before he rolled over on all fours to protect his stomach. This had seriously been a bad idea, but Yugi was his friend and he would do anything for the people who had been there for him. He had no idea what these guys wanted or what he had done to them. In the park he had barely touched them and now it seemed they were out for blood. Something was not right in the head with them.

"I'll let you in on something…" The leader said with a smirk as he watched Tomoya tried to catch his breath, "We were only acting last night. Your old man paid us to do it!"

Tomoya listened to their words and he could not believe what he was hearing. His father paid them to act like the bad guys, but why? However in the depth of his mind he should have known why. His father always saw him as fragile and weak. He could not see that Tomoya had grown into a strong man who was making something of himself. Tomoya should have known his father would have set something up like this after he gave him that mask. He believed Tomoya loved playing the hero and he gave Tomoya that chance that night in the park.

"Shut up!" Tomoya shouted not wanting to hear their words. This was all some sick joke and he was the laughing stock for wanting to be the hero, "Shut up!" He got up and ran at them only to receive a nasty kick to the face sending him backwards.

"That's enough you, scum!" The thugs looked up at those words and found the other Yami standing at the top of the stairs, "I'm the one who's going to play with you!"

"What the-?" The leader said in surprise, "Another wanna be hero…?"

Yugi watched as the other Yami walked down the stairs with Mr. Hanasaki not far behind. He had to stay behind near the car with the dogs so they would be safe since there was no way he was going to leave them on their own. They were laid out in the back seat with the window down so Yugi could just reach in if they needed tending to.

"Oh, you wanna play huh?" The leader's friend laughed as he watched the other Yami pass the opening to the gated area. Mr. Hanasaki moved slowly from behind Yami and moved over to Tomoya who was curled up on his side in pain.

Mr. Hanasaki kneeled beside his son and helped him sit up slowly. "Tomoya… Are you all right?"

The leader flicked the cigarette out of his mouth as he grinned at Yami, "Think you can take all three of us?" He mentioned to his friend and their young follower who had showed up not long before Yami and the others had.

The other Yami's eyes followed the cigarette and saw it land not far from him near a can of spray paint. He reached down to pick up the can before he looked toward the thugs with a smirk of his own, "I think this'll be fun."

The punks pulled out switch blades after that as the leader's friend said, "He's dissing us…"

Before they could come after the other Yami he darted to the side and started to spray the ground with the paint. He continued to run circles around the three giving Mr. Hanasaki time to get Tomoya out of there, while painting a path with the paint.

"Fast little brat!" The leader cursed, "I'm gonna kill him!"

While they continued to chase Yami, Mr. Hanasaki was able to get Tomoya to the top of the stairs. He kneeled down in front of his son with concern in his eyes. "Tomoya… are you all right?" He tried to ask his son again.

Yugi walked up to the two and winced when he saw the bruises developing on Tomoya's face. It would be a while before he felt better. He was about to say something but Mr. Hanasaki started to talk again.

"Come on Tomoya… Let's get back to the house."

Both Yugi and Tomoya looked at the man with eyes wide. Yugi could not believe he wanted to turn tail and run when there was someone down there fighting for them. True Yugi did not know the other Yami so well, but still that was his boyfriend's body down there and in a fight like this, Yugi could lose his boyfriend or he could be seriously injured.

"What?" Tomoya questioned not believing his father's words.

Mr. Hanasaki acted like he did not hear the question as he said, "Come on Tomoya…"

Tomoya was not going to stand for that, "I won't run away!" He shouted at his father as he glared at the man in front of him. "Yami is down there because of me! If anything I should be down there helping him."

Mr. Hanasaki was shocked into silence by those words as Tomoya turned to Yugi with an apology ready. "I'm so sorry for all this Yugi… I thought they had kidnapped you, but then I realized this had all been set up by my father."

Yugi shook his head, "There is no need to apology for this Tomoya. It was very brave of you to come here when you thought I was in danger. I'm just sorry we couldn't get here sooner…" He hated that his friend had gotten hurt, but he could not be more proud of Tomoya for coming down here ready to fight these guys. He had a truly strong heart.

Now Yugi's only concern would be the other Yami getting out of this alive as he turned back to the scene below and noticed the thugs had cornered the other, however judging by the look in the other Yami's eyes he was far from defeated.

The leader chuckled as the three backed the other Yami up into a corner. "Got you cornered now… Prepare yourself!"

The other Yami never lost his smirk, "Fools! Do you think I was just running in circles for fun? Look at the ground."

The three did and quickly took notice of what the other Yami had been doing. It look as if he had simply been tagging the ground however there was a path to his paint madness.

"I wasn't simply tagging," The other Yami said at their clueless looks, "Your cigarette butt is the fuse…"

The three turned to see he was right and the cigarette had still been burning creating a fuse to the paint. A few seconds later and the whole area was lit up thanks to the flammable paint.

"Welcome to my maze of fire!" The other Yami announced with a laugh from his safe spot away from the flames. The thugs however were not safe as the flames started to catch on to their shoes and pants. They started to dance and run toward the other opening that lead to the river below.

"Hahaha that's it run! Run to the end of the maze!" The other Yami continued to chuckle as he watched them run as fast as they could. As much as they deserved to die as long as they made it to the river their lives would be spared and it appeared luck was on their side as each of them jumped into the river below without a second thought.

The corner they had cornered the other Yami into was not far from the opening to the stairs that lead to the street so the other Yami was able to easily get out of the area without the flames getting him. Once he reached the top he found Tomoya having a talk with his father away from the car. Yugi stayed out of the conversation between father and son, but he did approach the other Yami when he reached the top.

"I think they'll be okay…" Yugi said as he wrapped his arm around the other and lean against him. This other Yami wasn't his boyfriend, but he was still in his boyfriend's body.

"Tomoya's father just need to see how strong Tomoya has become over the years in his absence." The other Yami voiced out as he allowed Yugi to touch him, however he made no move to put his arm around Yugi.

Yugi looked up at the other and decided it was now or never, "You're not Yami are you?"

That one question caused eyes to widen on the other Yami which only proved Yugi's point further as he looked down at Yugi. "W-What…? What do you mean?" He was almost speechless.

"I know my Yami and you are not him. However I do have questions," Yugi said as he smiled sweetly at the other, "So don't go anywhere just yet…" There was no telling when Yugi was going to get a chance like this again and he was going to get some kind of answers tonight.

* * *

**Sakura: **I know horrible place to leave it, but it is all part of the plan! I got to add my own twist in here. Oh and sorry if Tomoya seemed a little OC, but he is in college now and I see him as a strong person, but since his father hasn't been around he has not seen that. In the manga it's kind of like Yugi and friends are just getting to know Tomoya, but in my story they have known him for years now. I think it all worked out well in the end.

**Yumi: Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Small Note **

**Sakura: **Time to meet the younger brother... So for any Mokuba fans out there reading this story, he is finally going to make an appearance. Oh and I threw in another one of my twist to change things up. Lets see if anyone notices...

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**Capsule Monster Chess**

A few days had passed since the incident with the punk thugs who decided to try and extort money out of Mr. Hanasaki. Mr. Hanasaki had a long talk with his son and the two were able to work things out. He even cancelled his trip back to America to stay in Japan for a few more days and really get to know his son. Tomoya was happy and he was coming around to forgiving his father. The young teen was just happy that they all came out of that alright.

Yugi on the other hand had been more chipper lately, which confused Yami. That night had been a blur to Yami and he only remembered bits and pieces, but Yugi simply assured him the stress and worry clouded his mind. Even Yugi admitted that it seemed like that night was simply a memory that he could not remember. Yugi was able to put Yami's mind at ease and distract him from the fact that Yugi knew something he did not.

True there were things Yugi still wanted to know but that night he had learned something important that would change his lover once he realized his other self. However Yugi was going to give Yami time to figure it out on his own, so that Yugi wouldn't look like a fool trying to explain it to him. There was something much deeper going on and they would both need to come together to deal with it.

* * *

The day was bright and beautiful, a perfect day to take the dogs on a walk to the park. There was a small park not far from the University but it was a good five blocks away so Yugi and Yami made sure to pack a lunch while they were at it and plenty of supplies for the puppies. It was just after they had finished with their classes for the day but sadly none of their friends could join them. It was just going to be the young couple and their dogs for the afternoon, which did not bug them at all.

As they were walking down the street they happened to pass by a candy store which had a crowd of children outside of it. Yugi was quick to notice the small machine they were lined up to give their money to for the prize inside. A smirk developed on his face as he nudged Yami in the side.

"It appears the game is still popular among the elementary and junior high students." Yugi pointed out causing Yami to look toward where Yugi was looking.

Yami groaned and pulled the ball cap he was wearing down more. The sun was shining brightly today so he borrowed one of Joey's caps to cover his eyes from the sun. However it didn't fully hide his hair so he hoped he wasn't recognized. "Let's get pass here quick before they see us."

Yugi chuckled, "What's the matter dear? Scared of some little kids, I'm sure they would love to meet the creator of capsule monsters." He teased the other knowing how much Yami hated having to stop what he was doing just to say hello to some fans. It had toned down since their high school days, but there were still kids out there who would love to meet Yami.

Capsule monsters or 'capmon' for short was a game of Yami's design that he created when he was younger, but wasn't bought forth until Seto took over Kaiba Corp around the time they were in high school. The game launched thanks to Seto who wanted to prove to investors that Kaiba Corp was no longer a weapons company but a gaming company now. Capsule Monsters was a simple game by design and played much like chess. Two players pick five of their best monsters and pit them against each other. The monsters fight on an eight by eight game board that's supposed to be the mythical planet garnaster. The players win the game by defeating all their opponent's monsters. Each monster has different attack powers and movement abilities, so the player has to plan their strategy carefully. The challenging part of the game is that at the start of it players cannot see their opponent's monsters until the start of the game. The little capsule monsters were sold separately from the board and put into small coin machine so players could go to any small shop around town and try their luck at getting the best monsters out there. The monsters come in egg shaped capsules and range from levels one to five. According to Yami there were over two hundred and fifty to collect and at least fifty different battle fields to play on.

The game itself was a well design game and continued to sell well throughout Japan, but mostly to the children than the teenagers. In high school Yugi and his friends were the only ones to really play the game. Some thought it was because of Yugi's crush on Yami, while others knew that Yugi gave any game a try to see if it was good.

Yami had grown over the years and was trying to make better games that would appeal to all audiences, but Capsule monsters would always be the very first project that he held dear. It was the one thing he saw that made his brothers proud of him. Seto had always been big into chess before Duel Monsters and Mokuba always wanted to learn how to play chess, so Yami tried to design something for Mokuba that was simple and fun. He wanted a game his younger brother could play and enjoy.

After Yugi and Yami had first started to date, Yami designed some rare monsters that no one else would have and gave them to Yugi. They wouldn't be able to be used in a game, but it was Yami's way of thanking Yugi for being so supportive.

"You know what I think I'll give my luck a try…I still haven't collected all the capsule monsters out there yet." Yugi said as he went to walk over to the thinning crowd. Normally the lines never stayed long due to once the children got their capsule they would quickly try and trade with those around them.

"Seriously Yugi… I could just get the ones you need." Yami really didn't want to get too close to the kids.

Yugi smiled at Yami, "We're in no hurry and besides where is the fun in you simply giving me the monsters I need." He picked Yuki up so that he would be safe and went over to stand in line.

Yami sighed as he picked Shadow up so the little guy could relax in his arms until they were ready to head on to the park. He really did hope it would only be a moment.

As Yugi stood in line he would pet Yuki to keep the little guy calm and look over at Yami to make sure his boyfriend was alright. A little detour in their plans was not going to kill them and normally when Yugi went by a store the machines were always out thanks to the kids.

Speaking of kids, he turned just in time to see a child which sadly was about his height jump in front of him, "Hey no cutting in line…" He told the kid hating children with no manners.

"Cutting? You were just spacing out…" The kid smugly stated as he turned to look at Yugi. "Besides, aren't you a little old to be playing capmon."

Yugi forced a smile on his face already not liking this kid, "Listen age doesn't mean anything to a real gamer."

Yami saw the whole scene before him and would love more than anything to give that kid a piece of his mind, but he knew of a faster way to get this over with. With a sigh he took off his cap, before he said, "Hey Yugi…"

At that moment all eyes turn toward the voice and eyes lit up on the children. It was like nothing else matters at that moment as they all hurried over to Yami. While they surrounded him, Yami gave Yugi a quick wink who understood.

There was no line at all for the machine so Yugi was able to happily walk up and put his money in. He knew he was going to owe Yami big time for this, but it would be worth it. However what he did not plan was for his money to get stuck, "Seriously?"

The smaller teen kicked the bottom of the machine hoping to get it to work right, but the only thing he received was a hit to the head. It appeared the owner of the store had heard the noise outside and came outside to see what was going on.

"Hey kid! Don't hit the machine!" The owner yelled at Yugi like he was a child, "You think I'll let you break it just because you lost a hundred yen! This machine is expensive and it's worth more than you are!"

Yugi cringed at the man's voice and had to quickly calm Yuki down as the little guy started to shake. He only gave the little machine one kick and that wasn't going to break it. He had a feeling the old guy was probably going to go on forever yelling at him until he apologize, but before it came to that another voice spoke out.

"Hey Yugi…"

The voice seemed familiar and once Yugi turned to see who had called him he understood why. Mokuba Kaiba stood but a foot behind him with his three friends at his side. The twelve year old Kaiba looked about the same as the last time Yugi had seen him which happened to be back in high school. He was about a few inches shorter than Yugi with long black hair and blue/gray eyes. On his back was his school backpack so he had probably been hanging out with his friends after he got out of school. Normally Yugi only heard about the younger Kaiba or seen pictures of him through Yami. The last time Yugi had seen him was back when Yami first introduced Yugi to Mokuba when they started to date. Mokuba hadn't seemed to like Yugi from the moment he meant him and never tried to get to know Yugi. Yugi hoped to one day feel welcomed in the Kaiba family, but until he got passed the walls Seto and Mokuba had up it did not seem likely.

"It's nice to…." Yugi tried to be friendly toward Yami's younger brother, but was not even able to finish his sentence.

"Seto is a master at any game he plays. He's my hero. I can't believe that a little shrimp like you actually beat him…" Mokuba interrupted Yugi, "I thought you might be pretty cool, but I guess I was wrong."

Yugi was not sure how much Yami would like to hear what Mokuba was saying and he was glad his boyfriend was still trying to handle the crowd of kids around him.

"I'm pretty good at 'capmon'" Mokuba went on to gloat when he saw the machine Yugi was in front of, "I won the last tournament.. What about you Yugi? It looks like you play it too."

Yugi forced a smile on his face, "Well I'm not that good…"

"Don't be so modest…" Mokuba said with a chuckle, before he became completely serious as he shouted, "Get him!"

Yugi didn't know how to feel when Mokuba's three friends surrounded him with stun guns and BB guns in their hands. This situation just turned ugly real quick…

"What the hell is going on?" Yami shouted when he had looked up in time to see what was happening to Yugi. He had thought he heard his younger brother and could not believe what he was seeing. He had immediately pushed his way through the crowd of kids to walk over and snatch a BB gun out of one of the kid's hands. "Where did you get these from?"

Mokuba's eyes widen at the sight of one of his brothers and tried to laugh off the situation. "Big bro! I didn't realize you were here…"

Yami leveled a stern look at his brother, "Mokuba, what the hell were you thinking?"

Mokuba expression changed as he glared at Yami, "Yugi beat Seto and it just isn't right." He said as he stomped his foot like a little kid.

"So it's alright to try and get back at Yugi like this. You were raised better than this Mokuba."

"How would you know you are never around anymore thanks to him!" Mokuba shouted, "Yugi always comes first now."

Yugi could see where this was going now. Mokuba was partly mad at him for beating Seto in that duel, but a part of him also blamed Yugi for stealing Yami away from him. They didn't have parents so Mokuba only had Seto and Yami. "Mokuba…"

Mokuba's glared turned to Yugi, "Don't Mokuba me… I'm going to beat you at my own game and prove to everyone that there was no way Seto could be beaten by you." He turned to the shop keeper and threw down a wad of cash, "We're taking this machine."

The shop keeper had no objection to that as he took the cash and went back into his shop like nothing had happened. Mokuba turned back to Yugi, "I challenge you Yugi to a game of capsule monsters!"

Yami sighed at his brother antic and so hated that he wasn't around more to be there for Mokuba. There was no telling what Seto was saying to their brother and he was starting to feel like a stranger to his own family. He was about to say something, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

Yugi shook his head, "Let me handle this Yami. I think I need to prove myself in Mokuba's eyes before he will begin to accept me." He turned to the younger Kaiba not at all afraid of the challenge. "Alright Mokuba I accept your challenge."

Mokuba seemed pleased by those words as he led the two away from the shop and toward his own secret place.

* * *

A couple blocks away from the shop were a few warehouses and it was one of those warehouses that Mokuba led them to. Inside were boxes that had a familiar logo on the side of them that Yami knew all too well.

"This is our secret hide out…" Mokuba said to them as he took a seat at a makeshift table made out of boxes that held a capmon board on top of it.

"Mokuba does Seto know you have been playing around in the Kaiba Corp warehouses again?" Yami questioned as Yugi took a seat across from Mokuba. He was left in charge of both the dogs that seriously looked like they wanted to be somewhere else but there.

"Neither you or Seto seem to care what I do anymore." Mokuba retaliated not at all happy with Yami at the moment as he turned to address Yugi, "Ready to play a game of Capsule monster chess with me. I learned from the best so I have a feeling you won't be able to beat me."

Yugi knew the person who had taught Mokuba was Yami so he wasn't kidding when he said he learned from the best, but that still didn't mean anything. A true gamer believes in themselves that they can win the game. "Well I'm a little rusty…" He tried to warn Mokuba since it had been a while.

"What is this guy?" One of Mokuba's friends said with a laugh, "He is a wussy king of games…"

Yugi was about to say something about the name calling, but it appeared Mokuba's friends were enjoying making him feel uncomfortable.

"You got something to say skinny?" Another one said trying to insult him.

"You mess with us and we'll burn your house to the ground." Another one said trying to act tough like he was in a gang.

All three ganged around Yugi as one of them noticed Yugi's necklace. "Look at this stupid necklace. We should smash it!" He went to reach for it, but enough was enough.

"Get your filth hands off the puzzle you little brats!" Yami shouted causing all of them to freeze before slowly backing away from Yugi. He had tried to keep his cool for as long as he could and there was no way he could handle this anymore.

The older Kaiba passed Yugi the dogs before he helped Yugi out of his seat and took his place, "I'm not going to let your wannabe gang mess with Yugi anymore. I challenge you to a game Mokuba and if you can beat me, then you can have a chance at beating Yugi." He was sure Yugi could wipe the floor with his younger brother, but Yami need to teach Mokuba a lesson.

Mokuba appeared to not mind the change as he crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll accept your challenge. It's been a while since I've gotten a chance to go up against you big bro. The capmon champion against the creator of Capsule Monsters…"

"Quit bragging and let's play…" Yami said as he took note of the board Mokuba had set out. It was a battlefield seven crisis hill which was one of the boards Mokuba does well at so it would be a challenge. "Prepare your capsule monsters. You can use any level you like."

Mokuba chuckled, "That's why I had bought the coin machine for my battle against Yugi. If I used my regular collection there wouldn't be any challenge and even though I'm going against you I will keep with my plan." He informed his brother not in the least bit worried, "We will take turns drawing capsules."

Yami stood up out of his seat and went over the machine. After putting in the money he turned the knob and got his first capsule which happened to be a level one.

"My turn…" Mokuba shouted and one of his friends hurried over to get the capsule for him which ended up being a level five, "I got a level five on the first try. Good for me but bad for you."

By the end of the back and forth drawing of the capsules, Yami ended up with three level one monsters, a level two and a level four. Mokuba on the other hand ended up with two level four and three level five.

"Looks like the battle is over before it's even started…" Mokuba pointed out while he thought, '_I had rigged the machine for Yugi, but this works out even better.'_

Yugi watched the brothers face each other down and almost wished this wasn't happening. When he had first started to date Yami he had no idea how much Mokuba would come to hate him for it. Then he beat Seto in that game which seemed to only make it worst. Yami would tell him it was not his fault, but deep down Yugi still felt guilty. He just hoped Mokuba would not end up like his brother if Yami beat him.

"But before we get going…" Mokuba called their attention back with a smirk on his face, "This game needs a little wager to make things interesting. If you lose big bro you have to stop seeing Yugi and move back home."

"Okay…" Yami said to the surprise of Yugi who look at his lover with wide eyes, "But if I win you will get a punishment of my choice for doing all this."

Mokuba agreed to the terms so the two of them went about placing their capsules on the board in the place they wanted them much like the start of a chess game, but they could put them anywhere they wanted on their side of the board. The only bad part about it was that the monsters were hidden so neither of them knew what they were up against except the level.

"Let's go big bro…" Mokuba announced as he started to uncover his monsters, "Game start!"

By the time Mokuba and Yami were done removing the capsules from their monsters it appeared Mokuba would probably be the clear winner. Mokuba had a level five head sucker, gumbo, and dinosaur wing, along with a level four the skull and cobrada. While Yami had a level one eye mouth, flower man, and devil castle, along with a level two torigun and level four the great pa.

The names clearly matched the monsters and showed that Yami was pretty young when he made up all these monsters. It clearly was the perfect game for Mokuba who was using that to his advantage.

"I'll go first," Mokuba said as he thought, '_Yami's layout is like a beginner.' _He moved his level five gumbo into the position he wanted and waited to see what his brother would do.

Yami moved his level one eye mouth to meet Mokuba's level five gumbo, "I'll meet you head on."

Mokuba laughed at that, "I can't believe you came at me with a low level monster. I'll show you who the better player is." He moved his monsters capturing and getting rid of the level one monster. "One down, four to go."

The older Kaiba chuckled at Mokuba's enthusiasm as he said, "You still have a long way to go if you want to learn how to be a true gamer. No matter what the circumstances always act like you have the upper hand. That's rule number one."

"I don't have to learn nothing from you." Mokuba growled slamming his hands on the makeshift table.

"Stay cool at all times. That's rule number two," Yami continue to tell him even if Mokuba wasn't listening to him. Mokuba still had a lot to learn, but hopefully this game would be the starting point. Yami reached for his level four monster and moved it, "I'll go on the offensive."

That move put Mokuba's level four cobrada in a battle with Yami's level four the great pa. The move destroyed both monsters since they were equal level and they were moved out of play.

Mokuba couldn't believe how stupid his brother was being. He had gotten soft it seemed as the years went by while Mokuba was only getting better, "Even if I lost one monster, I'm still totally going to beat you." He moved his level five dinosaur wing into position to take out his brother's level one flower man.

Yami moved his level one devil castle to the left as if he was going to try and save it, but Mokuba seemed to see his strategy, "You think I'll let you get away? I'll follow you and eat you right up!" Devil castle was quickly taken out by the skull leaving Yami with only one monster left.

Mokuba laughed at the situation, after all these years he was finally going to beat Yami at the game he created. "I win! You have one monster left and I've got four. You can't fight them."

However judging by the smirk on Yami's face and the chuckle that came from his mouth he was far from defeated yet.

"What's so funny?" Mokuba demanded, "Don't tell me laughing is a stupid rule too!"

Yami shook his head, "No… This is a laugh of victory."

Judging by the look of confusion that crossed Mokuba's face he had no idea what Yami was talking about so the older brother decided to enlighten his little brother, "Take a good look at your monster's positions on the field."

It was then Mokuba saw first-hand what had been Yami's plan all along. "They're lined up diagonally!" He exclaimed in surprise not believing how that had happened.

"My last monster torigun…" Yami said as he reminded Mokuba about his low level monster, "It's a low level, it can't make sharp turns and it's terrible at close combat, but it has one special talent. Once per game it can defeat any number of enemies, even level five ones, in a diagonal super attack."

'_Th-That's… Yami sacrificed all of his monsters but one… Just to draw my four into a line…' _Mokuba thought in disbelief not believing he had just lost once again to his older brother.

Yami stood up with the game being over and offered a little more advice to Mokuba, "Hold your thump card till the end. Ruler number three and I would remember it well."

Mokuba continued to stare in disbelief at the game board not believing he had once again been defeated so easily by his own brother.

"I expect you home by dinner tonight and if you do not come home, the punishment will be more severe." Yami warned Mokuba as he took one of the dogs from Yugi. He lead his partner out of the warehouse not going to change his plans just because of his brother.

Once they were back outside, Yugi place Yuki down on the ground so he could walk, "Are you sure that was smart? Maybe you should let me take the dogs to the park and you go deal with your brother."

Yami shook his head as he also put Shadow on the ground letting the dogs walk beside them as they got back on the street that would take them to the park, "I'll have a good talk with both him and Seto tonight. I think Mokuba needs some time to think about what he has done. Plus I'm not going to let my little brother ruin the plans we had for today."

"Family is more important Yami…"

"You are also part of the family Yugi and I just don't want to deal with either of them right now. I'm sick of the way they have been treating you making it appear like you are the one ruining our family when you are not." Yami even went so far as to hold Yugi's hand and lace their fingers together, "They will need to come to turns with the fact that I'm not leaving you unless you decide to dump me."

Yugi smiled slightly at that, "Now why would I do a stupid thing like that?"

Yami chuckled, "You never know you could get sick of me one day."

"I highly doubt that," Yugi said with a roll of his eyes. Deep down he had a feeling this wasn't the end of his fight to get Mokuba and even Seto to accept him. He just hoped it didn't take years as he and Yami were only getting closer.

* * *

**Sakura: **It may seem like Mokuba got off easy, but we will just say he gets a rather long lecture and a nice lengthy grounding from Yami. I decided against the shadow game because I didn't see a reason for something so severe, plus Yami and Yugi were not in danger of dying or anything so no reason for the other Yami to appear. This was all a family matter that Yami needed to deal with and leads up to what I'm sure some of you already know is going to happen next.

**Yumi: Review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I almost forgot I update on this day, but anyway here is another chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**The One-Inch Terror**

"Class, make sure you read the next chapter before we meet next time and write a half page reaction on what you found most interesting. I will take these papers up to make sure you have done the assignment and we will have a discussion on the material during our next meeting." The professor informed his students as he turned to erase the board of the notes he had written.

Now that they had been given their assignment the students started to put their materials away and leave the classroom ready to enjoy the weekend. Yugi and his friends took their time getting ready to leave while discussing their plans for the weekend besides the small amount of homework they had been given.

"Hey Yug, want to go to the arcade?" Joey asked his shortest pal as he stood up to stretch his stiff muscle.

Yugi nodded his head and gave his friend a smile, "Sounds like a plan…" He turned to the others, "Anyone else, want to join?"

"Sorry, I've already got plans." Tomoya replied as he threw his bag onto his shoulder, "I'll see you guys later."

Once he left, Tea also grabbed her bag before passing it to her boyfriend when he offered to carry it, "I wish I could but I have a job interview…"

Joey raised an eyebrow to that, "Since when did you quit at Burger World?"

"Since I told you last week that some guy grabbed my butt so I punched him. My boss let me quit instead of firing me but I've still been looking for a new job." Tea explained once again to the blond before turning to Duke, "Ready to go?"

Duke nodded and waved to the others, "We'll hang out some other time."

After they were gone there was only one other person to ask. The two friends turned to Yami, who had finished putting his notes away in his bag. Yami turned to them and sighed, "Sorry I wish I could, but I promised Seto I would help him out with something. He has been working on this big project lately but won't give me all the details."

"It's a surprise he has been asking for help at all." Joey pointed out. He knew months ago Yami and Seto had started to talk again. However both he and Yugi had yet to hear any kind of apology from Seto. The CEO was too stubborn to admit he was in the wrong, but both Yugi and Joey agreed that it shouldn't stop Yami from being with his family. Seto would hopefully come around one day or so they hoped.

"Anyway I'm going to go pick up the pups from Tea's mother then head over to my brother's place." Yami said as he tossed his bag onto his shoulder, "I'll call you later okay Yugi."

Yugi nodded and gave Yami a kiss before watching his boyfriend walk out the door. He turned to Joey with a smile, "I guess it's just you and me today."

Joey put an arm around Yugi as they walked out of the classroom together, "Just like old times."

* * *

After a bus ride downtown Yugi and Joey headed down one of the less busy streets of Domino toward the arcade. There were a few around Domino because of how busy each arcade could get, but this one was special to them. It was the one they came to all the time back in their high schools days. Normally it was just Yugi and Joey but every once in a while Tristan, Tea, and Tomoya would join along. They stopped going so often about their senior year so they never did get to show their favorite hangout spot to Duke and Yami.

"Alright, today I'm finally gonna break this dude's record!" Joey announced as he entered the building. There were only a few younger children and young adults hanging around so it was perfect time to come.

"Joey you have been trying to break his record since high school." Yugi reminded his friend, "What makes you think today will be your day?"

Joey grinned down at Yugi as he headed over to his favorite racing game, "I can just feel it Yug and besides this guy has held the record of every game in here for long enough."

Yugi looked at the screen of the racing game to see that it appeared the same as in their high school days. 'Kai' was still the top score and more than likely it was still the same as on all the other games. Even Yugi had not been able to defeat the simply ridiculous high score. Whoever the person was they had a lot of time on their hand to come to the arcade and set a record on each and every game in the arcade.

"I still can't believe someone had the time to do this," Joey pointed out, "These games are connected online to arcades across the country. This guy is still the number one gamer in Japan."

Yugi took a look around the arcade, "I wonder who the guy is since it is hard to tell with just those letters."

Joey agreed with him, "I'll beat this guy and be the best in Japan. Today will be my day to finally beat 'Kai'!"

"Yeah right, not in a million years…"

Joey and Yugi turned to see two junior high students standing not far from them. They looked like they had just finished up with a puzzle game and had heard the two of them talking.

"There's no way you can break Kaiba's record!" One of them said with a laugh at Joey.

Joey growled, "What was that, you little brat!" He really hated smart nosed kids.

"K…Hey did you just say 'Kaiba'?" Yugi questioned them before they could walk away. He knew of three Kaibas and there was a good chance one of them might be this 'Kai' person. There was this strange gut feeling that he should have figured this out a while ago. If it had been Yami he would have told Yugi about this….right?

One of the boys nodded, "Yeah Kaiba the game master. He's like a legend!"

"There are three of them, the older two are the game whiz of the family, but the middle one is a true genius. He hasn't been seen around here for a few years now, but there was word he used to come around to this arcade every day for hours on end." The boy's friend explained to them.

Yugi and Joey both looked at each other in surprise. The only one they could be talking about was Yami. He was always mistaken for the middle child because of his height and the fact that he looked nothing like Seto. Everyone always thought Yami was a year or two younger than Seto. The two friends knew Yami loved games and was good at them like Yugi, but they never truly knew how good he was.

"He is more of a genius than we thought," Joey mentioned to Yugi who nodded.

"But… people around here say that Kaiba got bored with normal games and that is why he stopped coming around… It's no surprise since no one can beat him." The boy's friend went on to tell them, "And then, there's this rumor that the older brothers are working on this super-secret project. They say the two are building the ultimate game."

'_Ultimate game….'_ Yugi thought to himself and then remembered what Yami told him about Seto working on a secret project. Yami said he did not know much about the details, but Yugi wondered if Yami was telling them that so they would not ask about the project. His boyfriend had been a little quieter lately the past few days, but he thought it was because Yami was still upset at having to ground Mokuba for the stunt he pulled.

"Well later!" The two boys said as they turned to walk away, "Have fun challenging his record forever!"

As they walked away laughing that only fueled Joey more to beat the record. He turned to Yugi with a new fire in his eyes, "Alright Yugi let's play! I bet I can beat Yami's score."

"Okay!" Yugi said with a smile, but he had a feeling Joey wouldn't be beating Yami's score today. It was strange learning that his boyfriend was the record holder. Sometimes Yugi wondered if Yami was still hiding a little of his past from him. There were times when Yugi and Yami would play a simple board game or card game, but Yugi always beat him. It made him wonder if Yami was holding back his competitive side.

Those thoughts however would be pushed aside as Yugi and Joey were there to have fun. Once they exchanged their money for game coins, Yugi watched Joey play a couple rounds of a racing game.

After the third race, Joey threw his hands up in the air after he crashed. "I suck at this one."

Yugi chuckled as they moved on and Joey let Yugi pick a game next. Yugi's favorite games in the arcade were the fighting games, so once he found them he was set. Sitting down in front of one of the machines he put his money in and started to pick his character. The games were set up to where you could play against the computer or a person sitting across from you. However the machines screen was so tall you couldn't see the other player on the other side.

"I'm going to play as 'The Dragon' Bruce Ryu. He's a Kung Fu master," Yugi told Joey as he picked his character.

The character still looked like Bruce Lee in Joey's eyes and he knew Yugi was a fan of Lee's movies. That is why his buddy always picked that character first. Every once in a while Yugi would try different characters, but Bruce Ryu was his first pick.

Yugi picked to play against the computer at first, since there were no challengers available. It only took but a few moves for Yugi to beat the computer since it always made the same moves. Once that game ended, they were both surprised when the screen changed on them to show someone was challenging Yugi.

"Oh, someone's challenging me," Yugi stated in surprise.

Joey grinned, "You show'em Yugi!"

Yugi nodded and accepted the challenge. The same two characters appeared on the screen in different clothes ready to fight. The 'Ready…. Set…. Go!' appeared on the screen before both players could control their characters.

"Yeah get him!" Joey cheered his friend on as Yugi delivered blow after blow to the guy. The other player got a few good hits in too, but Yugi appeared to still have the upper hand. After a couple more kicks, the other player's character was knocked out. "Alright you got him with the close-quarters attack the 'one inch punch'!"

The screen changed again to show the player Yugi was fighting against wanted to go another round. Yugi saw no harm in it since it was better than the computer so he accepted the new match.

* * *

Ten minutes later Yugi had won multiple matches against this one player. After winning once again the two teens were surprised when the same person once against sent a challenge to Yugi. "Wha… He's challenged me again!"

"This is like the thirtieth time!" Joey stated, "Weak guys never give up…"

"Well I guess one more round won't hurt…" Yugi said more to himself as he accepted the match.

Joey could tell Yugi could be there a while so he stood up, "Want something to drink? It's on me."

"Thanks! I'll have a cola…" Yugi told his friend not taking his eyes off the screen.

As Joey walked away to go get their drinks, Yugi continued the match up until the point he won once again. After this match however the player did not challenge Yugi again. "Looks like he's not continuing…"

With no other challengers, Yugi picked to go up against the computer until Joey returned and they could go find some other game to play. He never did notice the guy that had appeared around the corner and walked up to him.

"Hey kid…" A voice called out behind Yugi, "Turn around!"

"Huh?" Yugi turned just enough to end up with a punch to the face knocking him out of his seat and flat on his back.

"You brat! Don't act so tough just because you won at a video game! I'll show you what a real fight is!" Yugi's assailant never gave Yugi a chance to see who was attacking him as he wailed on Yugi with punches.

Before long Yugi was still flat on his back trying to keep from passing out with the splitting headache he was feeling at that moment.

"Where's your arrogant grin now! Let me see you laugh again!" The assailant said before he reached down and pulled the millennium puzzle from around Yugi's neck. He walked away laughing to himself as he said, "Fight games really do help you burn off stress."

Once he was out the door, the two boys from earlier came rushing over to Yugi. "Hey are you okay?" They questioned as one of the boys tried to help Yugi sit up.

The only thing Yugi could tell at the moment is that the comfortable weight around his neck was gone and when he reached to his chest he found the millennium puzzle was not there. He carefully opened one eye to see his nightmare was true causing tears to come to his eyes.

The boys helped Yugi to sit up against one of the machines, who was really in no shape to make any other moves. This is how Joey found him when he came back making his blond hair friend drop his drink and rush over to Yugi.

"Yugi!" He kneeled down beside his hurt friend, "Are you alright?"

Yugi tried to keep the tears from falling but they wouldn't stop, "Y-Yeah… I'm okay…" However by his tone of voice he was far from okay.

The two boys explained what they had seen to Joey and that was enough to have Joey seeing red.

* * *

It took Joey no time at all to find the guy the two kids had seen leaving the arcade after beating Yugi up. He left Yugi in their care until he returned since Yugi was not majorly injured and he knew he needed to get the millennium puzzle back before it was too late. The assailant did not make it far down the street before Joey stopped him just as he turned down an alleyway. "Hold it right there!" He shouted at the guy, who turned at being shouted at. He reminded the blond of a Bruce Lee wannabe, but uglier.

"How dare you hurt my buddy," Joey continued to shout at him with rage in his eyes, "I'm not gonna let you live."

"You got guts to challenge me to a street fight," The wannabe said with fist clenched at his side. The millennium puzzle hung plain as day around his neck like he owned it.

Joey put his hands in his pocket and kept his poker face on, "It's not a fight! It's gonna be a slaughter and then I'm gonna take back that pendant."

"Well get this, I've never lost in a fight," The guy felt the need to tell Joey bragging about himself, "I know karate and boxing. You're the one who's gonna die."

"Quit flapping your jaws and make your move!"

The guy chuckled, "Don't be in such a hurry, I may not look like it but I'm a big fan of Bruce Lee. He wasn't just an action star, he was a real fighter. He showed his true strength to the word in the ED Porter International karate tournament at Long Beach. That's where he used his 'one-inch punch'. The records show that with just one inch and no handicap his punch blew his opponent away." He bragged about his hero as if Joey cared about that, "Do you get it? Just one inch! And now I'm going to teach you the terror of one inch. Let's do this like a fighting game and if you win, I'll give this pendent back!

"A game..?" Joey questioned not seeing the point in all this. If he wanted to he could just punch this guy's lights out and be done with it.

However before Joey could even think about making a move the guy pulled two knives out of his pocket, "Let me tell you the rules, you fight with this knife clenched in your teeth."

"What?!"

"If you don't like it, I can smash this puzzle right here!" The guy threatened as he held the puzzle up.

Joey growled knowing this guy would probably follow through with his threat. He couldn't let anything happen to Yugi's millennium puzzle or he wouldn't be able to live with himself. It looked like Joey was going to have to play this guy's game in order to get his friend's treasure back.

"See like this…" The punk said once he had Joey's attention, "I'll have a knife in my teeth too. We'll be evenly matched." He placed one of the knives between his teeth as if to prove his point.

Joey had a feeling the knife in the guy's mouth had a trick to it judging by the look in the guy's eyes. He wasn't one for murdering people so even if the knife did have a trick to it he wanted to be able to punch the guy without worry of killing him as much as he wanted to. "Alright I'll play but first take that knife out of your mouth. I don't mind doing it, but if you had one, I'd have to hold back on punching your face." With those words he took the knife the guy handed him and put it between his teeth.

The wannabe took his own knife out of his mouth and got into a fighting position, "Fine it's your funeral! But when I punch you in the face that knife will go right into your throat. This is a 'game of death' just like the film with Bruce Lee!"

The two glared at each other long and hard for a few seconds before the guy made his move, "Let's go!" He shouted moving with speed that Joey didn't think he had trying to punch Joey right in the face.

As Joey dodged the punches he thought, _'He's right… I'm one inch between life and death'._ Sweat started to break out on his face, but he knew he had to win this game. A second later and the guy got a lucky shot and nicked the side of Joey's face. 'I_t gets worse! In this narrow alley, I can't dodge that far to either side. He's got a double advantage.'_

There was a slight pause in their game as the guy took a step back before he went at Joey with a surprisingly slower punch.

"Heh… What's wrong?" Joey said around the knife in his mouth, "You punch so slow I can see 'em coming the day before."

"You!" The wannabe said as he tried to catch his breath, "Are you making fun of me? Take your hands out of your pockets."

Joey smirked and continued to leave his hands in his pockets, "I have promises to my friend in both these pockets. You don't get to see 'em until it's over."

"Your loss fool…" The guy mumbled as he went in for another punch, but this time changed up and hit Joey square in the stomach, "Your torso is wide open!"

Joey bent over slightly at the pain in his stomach, but that left him distracted long enough for the guy to try and take a cheap shot at Joey's face. However Joey had a trick of his own up his sleeve and it was time to reveal them. Out of nowhere he lean over allowing soda to spray the guy all in the face stopping his attack. Joey pulled the empty cola can out of his pocket revealing it to the guy, "This is the promise from my left pocket a cola."

The guy however couldn't see at the moment because he had soda in his eyes.

"And here's what's in my right pocket…" The blond hair teen pulled his fist out of his other pocket and clobbered the guy right in the jaw knocking him to the ground. "The promise to clobber you!" He shouted and once he saw the guy was out like a light he spit the knife out of his mouth.

With the guy down for the count Joey had no problem reaching down and taking the puzzle back that rightfully belong to Yugi. He turned to leave the alley saying, "I've got the puzzle back. Now all I've gotta do is buy another cola."

* * *

**Sakura: **This was another one of those little filler chapters before a major event and just showing how far Joey will go for his best friend. There was no way I could leave it out plus it leads us into the next chapter which will get very interesting as I work my spin on it.

**Yumi: Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Time for Mokuba's comeback!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**Russian Roulette**

Thirty minutes after the incident at the arcade Yugi and Joey decided to call it a day and walk back to the nearest bus stop. From there they would catch the bus to the University and then Joey would give Yugi a lift home once they got to the apartment.

Joey looked over at his friend as Yugi continued to nurse his bruised cheek. The other hits were not as bad as the surprise attack so he had a nice developing bruise on the left side of his face but not much else. "Are you all right Yugi?"

Yugi smiled up at his friend and moved his hand away from his face, "I'm fine. I'm feeling a lot better since you got my puzzle back." His hands went to the puzzle that was back around his neck where it belonged. The millennium puzzle meant everything to Yugi and for a while there he worried he would never see it again. Thankfully he had an awesome friend who was willing to go fight for it back.

As the two continued down the street and were about to reach the crosswalk that would take them across the street to the bus stop a black town car pulled up in front of the two. The driver door opened up and out stepped a familiar face to the two teens.

"Master Yugi and Joey, Master Yami cordially requests your presence at the Kaiba estate." The man said with a slight bow.

Yugi was surprised to find the Kaiba family driver coming to pick them up like that. It was strange and the car he was driving was different. Normally he was driving the family limo, but sometimes Yugi wondered if Yami just like to treat Yugi to dates in style. He knew the man so he trusted him, but it was odd for him to come pick Yugi up.

The two friends look at each other and shrugged, before getting in the back of the town car when the driver opened up the back door. Once inside the driver went back to his seat before turning the car around to head back the way he had come.

Joey looked over at Yugi, "I wonder why Yami wants us at his brother's place. I don't think he has ever invited us over there before."

"I've been there once when we first started to date to meet Seto and Mokuba, but after that we always met up at the Game Shop until he got the apartment." Yugi mentioned before he looked toward the driver. "Why did Yami not come to pick us up?"

"Master Yami was busy at the moment. He is working with Master Seto on a very important project, but asked that I come and pick you up. The reasons behind this were not told to me." The driver informed them with what little information he had.

Joey looked around the car, "I'll never get over how loaded these brothers are. I thought their limo was fancy, but this car ain't half bad either. It's gotta be nice being the president of a major gaming company."

"Don't forget the vice president…." A voice in the passenger seat spoke up surprising Yugi and Joey once again. The two were shocked when Mokuba Kaiba turned in his seat to look at them. "It's been a while Yugi."

Yugi forced a smile a little nervous, since Mokuba seemed to be out to get him. He remembered Yami telling him he had grounded Mokuba, but he had a feeling the younger Kaiba wasn't listening to his older brother. "It's good to see you again Mokuba."

Mokuba nodded, and then turned his eyes to Joey, "I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm Mokuba Kaiba, Seto and Yami's younger brother."

"It's nice to meet you I'm Joey Wheeler, Yugi and Yami's friend." Joey said being nice but he could tell by the tension that Yugi wasn't too friendly with the kid. He never got to meet Mokuba when he was hanging out with Seto so he wondered if Mokuba even knew about him, "So you're the vice president?"

"Well second vice president to tell you the truth. Yami and I share the title and work alongside our brother." Mokuba turned back around in his seat so he was facing away from them, "We've been working on a major project and it's finally been finished today. The opening ceremonies are tomorrow."

"Opening ceremonies?" Yugi and Joey both questioned their attention being caught by that.

Mokuba chuckled, "So anyway, my thoughtful considerate brother wanted his boyfriend and friend to be the first to enjoy it. Yami talked Seto into giving you a special invitation which includes the pre-opening celebration tonight."

"What's this project?" Yugi asked to see if Mokuba would say anything. He did not get much out of Yami about what the brothers had been working on.

"That's a secret… You'll have to wait to find out." Mokuba said with a smirk that the other two could not see. What they did not know is that Mokuba had a little surprise ready at the mansion for the two that he had cooked up. Neither Yami nor Seto knew of Yugi and Joey coming over and Mokuba planned to keep it that way until his plan could be put into action.

* * *

"We have arrived at the Kaiba residence," The driver informed them as the gates to the manor opened up. They traveled up the short pathway up to the front doors of the massive estate. Mokuba did not even wait for the driver as he opened his door up when the car stopped then opened the door for Joey and Yugi to get out.

"Don't hold back, come on in!" He said with a smile as he led the two into the home of him and his brothers.

The place was still the same as Yugi remembered it as he walked into the giant foyer. It had been a while, but the size of the place always seemed to take his breath away.

Joey whistled, "Wow, It's like a European castle." This was his first time seeing where the Kaiba brothers lived and he wondered why Yami decided to rent an apartment with him and Tristan. He had been living in style and there were plenty of people Joey knew that wouldn't give this up for anything.

The two teens stopped in their tracks as Mokuba stopped and all three were greeted by two rows of well-dressed men in butler uniforms standing in front of the stair case leading to the upper floors. A shorter gentleman who was even shorter than Yugi stepped forward to welcome them.

"Welcome. We have been waiting for you."

"These are our servants." Mokuba let Yugi and Joey know even though it was pretty obvious.

The elder butler turned his eyes to Yugi, who looked as if he was trying to remember this man. "You are Master Yami's lover, Master Yugi, are you not?" He questioned to which Yugi nodded, "Master Yami has ordered us to make your stay as pleasant as possible."

"Hey where are my brothers?" Mokuba voiced up causing the elder butler to turn back to his smaller master.

"Master Seto retired to his room a while ago and Master Yami is busy at the moment. Neither of them wishes to be disturbed."

Mokuba frowned at that trying his best not to smirk, "What is Seto and Yami's problem! Why aren't they here for the pre-opening celebration?" He had to put on an act for two behind him, but he was glad the two were not here.

"Master Mokuba, Master Seto has been working nonstop these last few days. I believe it would be best not to disturb his sleep. I am sure Master Yami will be down when he is finish with whatever he is doing."

With a sigh Mokuba turned to Yugi and Joey with a sorry look in his eyes, "Sorry about this, looks like my brothers won't be able to see you for a while. So tonight you will be my guests! I'll take good care of you!"

Yugi had an odd feeling about this, but decided to give Mokuba the benefit of the doubt. This might give him a chance to get to know the younger Kaiba. If Mokuba began to like him then maybe one day Seto could like him also. There was no telling what the future held for Yugi and Yami, but he wanted Yami's family to welcome him into their lives.

"Master Mokuba… Shall we prepare a meal?" The head butler asked the younger Kaiba.

Food immediately got Joey's attention, "Yeah that sounds good. I'm starving!"

"What? Why did you say something?" Mokuba asked with a smile. "I'll treat you to the best food in the world."

Joey was all for that and even Yugi was a little hungry himself. The two hadn't even had a chance to have a proper lunch so they were more than ready to enjoy some good food. Mokuba started to bark orders at the servants, before he developed a hidden smirk on his face. "We're both going to enjoy this…" He mumbled to himself, ready for them to see his little surprise.

* * *

A few minutes later both Yugi and Joey were led into the dining hall and instead of being seated at the main dining table, they were led by Mokuba to a smaller circular table that had been set up for them. In the middle of the table was a turntable with different kinds of food on top of it. It reminded Yugi of a wheel you would see on game shows.

"Dinner is served!" Mokuba announced as Yugi and Joey took in the different foods laid out.

Joey tried to keep a straight face as he took in what they were being served. '_I was hoping for some fantastic cooking, but this is a sundae, a hamburger, a kiddie lunch, pancakes…_' He thought not sure why they were being forced to eat these kinds of meals. '_This is just what a spoiled kid would think of._'

"What do you think? Doesn't it look good? Don't hold back dig in," Mokuba told them before that happy smile of his went away, "…That's what I'd like to say, but that wouldn't be interesting. What do you think about playing a little game?"

Both Yugi and Joey look at each other before they looked back at Mokuba confused, "A game?"

Mokuba reached out to turn the turntable slightly just to show it moved, "See this circle. It's a turntable like they use at Chinese restaurants. The three of us take turns spinning the table, and then we eat the food that's in front of us."

"There isn't any poison in the food is there?" Joey asked as a joke. The kid was strange sure and he had heard stories that Mokuba did not like Yugi so much because of his being involved with Yami, but the way things were looking the kid just wanted to have fun. Joey wasn't one to play with his food, but as long as he got to eat he was willing to play.

Mokuba laughed, "That would be rude. I'd never do that to a guest. Actually there's a wonderful treasure hidden in these dishes and the person who finds it first wins."

Joey was all game for it as he said, "Alright let's play."

Yugi wasn't so sure about this, he had a feeling something wasn't right. He just hoped his gut feeling was wrong.

"Then you start, Joey…" Mokuba said and the blond agreed.

Joey reached out and spun the table. It went round and round for a while before it stopped on a dime leaving the kiddie meal in front of the taller teen. He cursed his luck at not ending up with one of the better meals. "Just my luck…"

"You have to clean your plate Joey." Mokuba reminded the blond hair teen, "That's the rules of the game and you might find the treasure."

"Alright I get it," Joey said as he grabbed his fork and dug into the meal. The other two were forced to watch as Joey ate his meal, but it was only about a minute into him eating that something seriously was not right. He started to feel light headed and his vision was starting to get fuzzy. "Hey…. What's going on?"

Yugi started to notice that Joey didn't look so good and it was then out of the blue that the blond's head hit the table shocking his shorter friend. "Joey what's wrong?" He questioned as he stood up trying to shake his friend awake.

"Bingo!" Mokuba called out of the blue catching Yugi's attention, "Looks like you got the prize, Joey!"

"Y-You mean…"

"He was right all along it was poisoned!" Mokuba said with a laugh. "I call this game 'Russian Roulette Dinner', because if you eat the wrong thing you'll die of poison in thirty minutes."

'_He's trying to kill us_!' Yugi thought in shock. He knew Mokuba disliked him but not this much and besides Joey had nothing to do with any of this. "Mokuba you have gone too far!"

Mokuba just laughed at that as he pulled a small vile out of his shirt pocket, "You want to save Joey? Then you've got to win and get this antidote."

"I've got a better idea how about I go get your brothers and let them deal with you." Yugi threaten hoping Mokuba would stop this senseless game.

Mokuba was not fazed by the threat, "I highly doubt you can wake Seto from his sleep and by the time you find Yami in this huge manor Joey will be dead," He pointed out as he sat back in his seat with his arms crossed, "So what will it be Yugi?"

Yugi took one more look at Joey, before he took his seat and prepared to play the game. He had to end this before Joey died. "I won't let you get away with this Mokuba."

"Big words, but there are five dishes left and there's one more 'prize' among them. I hope for Joey's sake that you don't end up like him."

Yugi glared at the younger Kaiba before he spin the table praying it didn't land on another special 'prize'. The table went round and round before once again it stopped on a dime leaving the spaghetti in front of Yugi.

"Well Well! Spaghetti…" Mokuba continued to wear the smirk on his face as he watched Yugi pick up his fork. "Eat up Yugi, like they say in Italy… Mangia! Mangia!"

Yugi took a deep breath before he put a bite of spaghetti in his mouth. It tasted normal, but like with Joey if it had poison in it, it could take a while to take effect. He just wished Yami would come down here already so this game could end faster.

"You're safe!" Mokuba decided to enlighten Yugi after Yugi had about five bites of the pasta. "How was it Yugi? Was it not tasty? A meal where you could live or die! After you eat, you think 'boy I'm glad I didn't die!'" He continued to laugh about it, "This meal makes you experience the joy of living and that makes it 'The best meal in the world!'"

Once Yugi finished with his meal he put his fork down and looked back at Joey. The blond wasn't moving and he worried if his friend did not have that much time. "Just take your turn Mokuba." He growled at the kid across from him.

Mokuba had no problem at all spinning the table and it looked like he was having fun doing it. After going around a couple of times the table stopped. "Yahoo! Chocolate parfait! My favorite!" He cheered as he grabbed the spoon beside him and dug in without a worry.

'_Strange Mokuba isn't at all nervous playing this dangerous game…_' Yugi thought to himself as he watched the kid eat the desert. '_That brat… He must be using some kind of trick_.' The teen thought back to when Mokuba had spun the table and he had thought he saw the kid touched the bottle beside him before taking his turn. Since threatening him didn't work he decided to try a surprise of his own to knock Mokuba off his game, "Hey Mokuba what's in that bottle?"

Mokuba froze in his eating at the question as his eyes drifted down to the bottle. "Ahhh, this is…" He was at a loss for words surprised Yugi had noticed the bottle, "It's a syrup bottle. There are pancakes, aren't there?"

"Then why's it empty?"

Mokuba composed himself with a laugh, "I'll tell you why… because this bottle will be filled for the first time as soon as you eat the poison! Like they say… 'The suffering of others makes the sweetest syrup!'" While in his mind he was freaking out slightly, '_I got a chill when Yugi noticed this bottle, but I bluffed through it somehow. It's actually a switch and it lets me stop the table whenever I want… the game will end next turn as I give you a taste of the poison.'_

Yugi then got an idea as he took the puzzle from around his neck without Mokuba seeing as the kid finished his desert. "Mokuba, let's finish this in one go. On the next turn, let's both eat the dishes that end up in front of us."

"All right," Mokuba said fast to agree to the terms.

With a quick spin, Yugi sent the table spinning around in circles once again. Mokuba was all grins as he thought he had the upper hand, but at the sound of breaking glass he looked down in shock to see his switch was no more.

Yugi was wearing a smirk of his own as he thought_, 'Now there's no cheating… Win or lose the game is up to luck.' _He was still nervous about the outcome, but this was the only way to make sure Mokuba had a fair shot at getting the poison and not him. By the look on Mokuba's face and the words he said earlier, Yugi knew he had been cheating this whole time.

When the table finally did stop, the outcome was not in Mokuba's favor as surprise took over the younger Kaiba's face. In front of him was the hamburger, which is what he did not want. '_Impossible! Why did the switch break?' _He thought as he looked toward the switch to find the cause now that the table had stopped. He was even more surprised to find the millennium puzzle had been attached to the table and it had been the cause. '_I hate you Yugi!'_

In just a few bites Yugi had finished the pancakes that had landed in front of him and was wiping his mouth with a napkin, "Mokuba, I've finished the pancakes… since there's nothing wrong with me, I must have missed the poison." He noticed Mokuba had yet to touch his plate, "Weren't the rules to clean your plate?"

Mokuba growled at Yugi and looked pissed, but made no move to touch his plate. He knew what waited for him with that hamburger.

"What is going on here?"

The new voice caused Mokuba and Yugi to look toward the entrance of the dining area to find Yami standing there in all his shirtless glory in swim trunks and a towel around his shoulders. Yugi tried to fight down his blush and stay serious given Joey's life was still in danger. Mokuba on the other hand was even more not happy about the situation. His brother was supposed to be kept out of the way until he got his revenge.

Yami took one look at Joey and it seemed he had an idea of what was going on. "Mokuba, what did you do this time?" He questioned with a stern voice as he approached the table.

"I didn't do anything! We were just playing a game." The younger Kaiba said trying to act all sweet to his brother. He didn't want his grounding to be even longer than it already was.

"I don't believe that for one second Moki," Yami stated as he turned to his lover, "Yugi what did my brother do this time?"

Yugi had no problem telling Yami everything from Mokuba coming to pick them up with the driver to them coming to the manor and he being forced to play the dangerous game to save Joey. "I even threaten to come find you, but Mokuba said by time I found you it would be too late."

Yami sighed, "I have a strong feeling this was why I found myself locked in the pool room for the last hour and a half." He said with a glare toward his younger brother. The older Kaiba put out his hand, "Hand it over Mokuba."

Mokuba knowing he had lost decided to give in. He reached into his pocket and handed over the vial with the antidote.

Yami took one look at the vial, before he uncorked the top and sniffed what was inside. "Seriously Mokuba…" He held out his hand again. "Hand them over…"

"Is it not the antidote?" Yugi wondered as he looked between the two brothers.

"Not unless water is now an antidote," Yami explained to Yugi as Mokuba reached into his pocket again and pulled out a pill bottle. He handed whatever it was over to his brother who looked at it. "Mokuba you are not supposed to be messing with Seto's medicine. This stuff is not a toy."

Mokuba crossed his arms and pouted. "It was all in good fun."

"Nothing is funny about knocking out my boyfriend and our friend, now go to your room before I change my mind and make you eat that hamburger." Yami's tone left no room for argument.

Since it was either eat the burger and be knocked out cold or go to his room, Mokuba decided on the latter. However it was not before sticking his tongue out at Yugi and then he left the room in a hurry before Yami punished him even more.

Yami let out another sigh as he moved over to Joey to make sure the blond was okay. "Sorry about this Yugi. I had no idea he was going to pull a stunt like this."

"What kind of medicine is Seto on?" Yugi questioned since he knew taking someone else's pills could cause problems for certain people.

"A simple sleeping pill to help him sleep at night, Seto is an occasional insomniac. Most nights are okay for him, but there is some times where he can stay up for days. You would think it was because he was the president of Kaiba Corp that this developed, but actually he has been like that since we were children." Yami enlighten Yugi. It wasn't something he did not like to go around telling everyone about, but his boyfriend had a right to know since Joey had just been given some of that medicine, "I'll have our family doctor check to make sure Joey is okay. But by tomorrow morning he should be back to his old self. In my own opinion this will probably be the best sleep he has had in days."

A small smile developed on Yugi's face now that he knew that Joey was going to be okay. If he listened closely enough he could just now hear the slight snores coming from his friend. "That good to know. I was worried that Mokuba was seriously trying to kill us."

"Pull a prank on yes, but I would hope my brother wasn't trying to kill you or Joey. I'll have to have another long talk with him about this. He wasn't even supposed to leave the house."

"So you really were the one who asked the driver to come get us?"

Yami nodded as he summoned two servants to carry Joey to one of the guest's bedrooms. "The project my brother has been working on is finished and he told me to invite you and Joey to the opening. I was surprised when he told me to invite you over to the manor for a pre-celebration, but I figured maybe he was ready to apologize for that stunt he pulled with the Blue Eyes card. So I asked the driver to pick you guys up from the arcade while I went and got in a few laps in our pool but I had no idea Mokuba was going to lock me in the pool room and then go meet you guys."

After Joey was taken away to go rest in one of the guest rooms. Yami took Yugi's hand and led him up the stairs to his own room. "I'm starting to think Mokuba is never going to like me." Yugi mentioned out of the blue.

"I wish I knew what was going on in that brain of his, but after what happened to our parents. I think he is scared of losing me." Yami said as they stopped outside his room. "I know this is hard Yugi, but I will try and keep a better eye on him."

Yugi nodded, "I know you will and maybe one day he will come around to liking me." He leaned up to give Yami a kiss, glad that everything turned out alright.

Once they broke apart, Yami turned to head down the hall to Mokuba's room. "I'll be right back. I need to make sure my brother is in his room like he is supposed to be."

"Wait Yami…"

"What is it?"

The blush that Yugi had been holding back finally made itself know on his face, "It might be best to put a shirt on first."

Yami looked down at himself and quickly agreed, "Yeah he might not want a lecture from me half naked." He followed Yugi into his room to grab a clean shirt.

The room was the same as the last and only time Yugi had been there back when he was in high school. Games of all kinds were all over on the place, whether they were the floor, on bookshelves, and in his closet. The floor around his TV stand was covered with all kinds of video games and consoles. His boyfriend's old room was a gamer's paradise. All his most personal items were back at his apartment where he now lived away from the manor.

As Yugi made himself comfortable on Yami's bed he watched Yami slip a shirt on, "By the way where are the dogs?"

"In a pen in the backyard. Seto isn't really an animal person, so I had the servants make an outdoor place for them to relax with food, water, and plenty of room to run around in with some of their toys until bed time. We can bring them in before night fall so they can sleep in here with us." Yami let him know so Yugi did not worry about his babies. "I'll take you out back after I get done dealing with Mokuba."

Yugi agreed with that and offered Yami a smile, "Good luck…"

"I'm going to need it," Yami said as he headed out the door to go deal with his brother.

* * *

**Sakura: **This chapter was seriously not supposed to be this long, but I just ran with the ideas going around in my head. I had to add my own twist at the end where Mokuba doesn't eat the burger, but Yami steps in to punish him. I figured it would be funny that Mokuba locked Yami in the pool room before going to meet Yugi and Joey. Also I can't see Mokuba being a killer so I came up with the whole sleeping pills and he just wanted to knock the two out as a sick prank. Don't worry it won't be long before Mokuba does warm up to Yugi.

**Yumi: Review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Now it's time for Seto to make a comeback! Let's see how well Yugi and Joey fair against Seto's new theme park...

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**Project Start!**

As sun light broke through on a new day Yami left Yugi and Joey in the dining hall to eat breakfast, which Yami assured them that Mokuba had not touched, while he traveled up stairs to check on his brothers. It was no surprise that Mokuba was still asleep or was faking sleep because he was still mad at Yami after the lecture he received. On the other hand Yami needed to make sure Seto was up for the big day.

He stopped outside the double doors to his brother's room and knocked loud enough to be heard. "Seto, you up?" He questioned before putting his ear to the door. There was sound of movement inside so he turned the knob and peeked his head in.

Inside he found his brother sitting at the small table at the end of his bed enjoying his own breakfast that the servant beside him had bought him. The servant must have slipped past Yami without him knowing to deliver the morning meal to his taller brother.

"Really Seto, you can't come to the dining table to eat with the rest of us?"

Seto simply chuckled, "I'm pretty sure your friends would be able to enjoy their meal a lot better without me around."

"It wouldn't be so hard for them to like you if you would treat them with respect and besides Yugi is my boyfriend would it kill you to admit that." Yami added that last part just to remind his brother, who still wanted to deny Yami was in a relationship. Sometimes he wondered if his twin was jealous that he was moving on with his life.

"You could do so much better."

Yami rolled his eyes, but dropped that conversation. "Moving on, Mokuba is grounded even longer after the stunt he pulled last night. I just thought you should know since he is not allowed to leave the house not even for the grand opening today."

"What was it this time?" Seto dared to ask.

"Well for one he locked me in the pool room, and then he drugged Joey with your sleeping pills and tried to do the same to Yugi. I don't know what is going on in that kid's head but he can't go around hurting people I care about."

"So you felt the need to put him on lock down?"

Yami glared at his brother, "What else was I supposed to do? I feel like I'm the only one acting like a real parent to the kid while you let him do whatever he wants. He is nearly a teenager, the only thing I can do it ground him from going anywhere."

Seto shrugged as he finished his coffee before he stood up and grabbed his silver briefcase that was beside the table. Unlike Yami who was dressed in black leather pants and a crimson tank with the word GAME across the front that Yugi got him, Seto was dressed in his famous white suit with a light blue shirt and slightly dark blue tie. "Mokuba would not act out so much if you were around more."

"Seriously Seto, we are not having this talk again! I do have a life outside this mansion and one day both you and Mokuba are going to have to realize that." Yami turned to leave the room slamming the door behind him. He let out a sigh as he started down the hallway, knowing it wouldn't be long before Seto was right behind him. They did have a grand opening they couldn't be late for.

* * *

After Yugi and Joey had finished their meals, they were forced to pretty much sit at the table until Yami got back. The crimson eye teen had been gone for a while now and they hoped he would be back soon.

Yugi looked toward his blond hair friend who looked even better after he got some breakfast in him, "It's good to see you are feeling better."

Joey nodded as he grinned at his pal, "I think that was the best sleep I've had in years." He then looked behind him at the guard standing at the door, "But I hate that we had to spend the night here. Kaiba and I don't really see eye to eye."

"You're not the only one." Yugi agreed with him even though he had Yami here. "I feel like this place is a jail."

Joey could agree with Yugi on that so he decided to change the subject to get their minds off of where they were at. "I wonder what this 'opening ceremony' is going to be like."

Yugi shrugged, "I couldn't get any details out of Yami, but it's supposed to be a big deal for Kaiba Corp."

As the two continued to throw ideas back and forth, the doors to the dining hall were reopened to reveal Yami with his much taller twin beside him. Yami walked right over to the two getting their attention as he lean in and kissed his lover. He didn't mind public displays of affection especially to get back at his brother.

Yugi blushed about ten shades of red and couldn't meet anyone's eyes when Yami released him. The shorter Kaiba straighten himself with a smirk.

Seto on the other hand simply rolled his eyes before putting on a fake smile, "It's good to see you again Joey and Yugi." He could tell judging from their faces they were far from happy to see him. A small part of him hated the look on Joey's face, but he could not let that bother him today.

Joey glared at the taller Kaiba. Sure he wanted things to work out between them, but until Seto changed his ways the two of them didn't have a future. "Cut the crap Kaiba. You don't exactly offer a warm welcome with that psycho brother of yours. You should really spend less time with your company and more time with him." He knew Yami did his best to spend time with Mokuba and be there for the younger Kaiba, so he didn't blame his friend. No he blamed the one who was around Mokuba the most and was a bad influence on him.

"Boys will simply be boys. You'll have to forgive his little games."

"You don't think you're about to be killed in 'little games'." Joey shouted at Seto. He had thought he was going to die when he heard Mokuba say the food had been poisoned before he passed out.

Yugi knew this was getting out of hand so he finally spoke up, "When are we leaving?"

Yami looked at his watch, before helping Yugi out of his seat, "We should be leaving now if we are going to make it on time."

No other words were spoken between the four as they made their way out of the Kaiba Mansion and into a limo headed to their destination.

* * *

The drive to location had been extremely quiet as Yugi and Yami sat on one side in the limo and Joey and Seto were forced to the other side. Joey was cursing his luck as he watched the two lovebirds cuddle against each other while Joey was trying to keep as much space as possible between him and Seto.

The president of Kaiba Corp could see how tense the blond beside him was so with a smirk he lowered his hand onto Joey's hand that was in the space between them. The reaction was just what he wanted to see as a bright blush developed on Joey's face as he jumped and pulled his hand away. Joey placed both his hands on his laps and refused to look at anyone.

To some it would appear that Seto was one again toying with Joey, but to a certain crimson eye teen across from them he knew what was really happening. As much as Seto preached love was for the weak, he was completely falling hard for the blond hair teen. Joey appealed to Seto in ways Yami wouldn't understand, but he hoped this day would bring a new spark to push them in the right direction.

Before the tension could grow more between Joey and Seto, the limo stopped and it wasn't long before the doors opened. Yami and Yugi were the first out followed by Joey and then Seto. Yugi and Joey's eyes grew wide when they finally saw the massive skyscraper they now stood in front of. The building was much like the Kaiba Corp main headquarters in looks, but the building was shorter and on the front of the building was the words 'Kaiba Land'. Flocks of children and their parents were hovering near the front just waiting on the doors to open.

"This is 'Kaiba Land'…" Yami informed his boyfriend and friend, "It's an indoor amusement park."

As the four walked toward the front the children were quick to catch sight of them. There were whispers all around from the children about how great the Kaiba brothers were.

Seto shocked Yugi and Joey as he waved to the children with a smile while saying, "Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Grand opening of Kaiba Land!"

"Jeez, the kids like him…" Joey said to Yugi and Yami.

Yami nodded, "Kaiba Land is scheduled to open in three days, but there's a special event that Seto planned out, so the doors will be opening to certain children by invitation before the official opening for free. It's no surprise the children love him because of this." He placed an arm around Yugi, "It's been an exhausting process, but it's now finished and I'm sure you two will enjoy it just as much as the children do."

It wasn't but a few minutes later with the okay from Seto that the doors to Kaiba Land were opened. Those invited were forced to show their invitation at the door, but once inside they were allowed to enjoy everything Kaiba Land had to offer for as long as they wanted that day.

As the families hurried into the building Seto, Yugi, Yami, and Joey stayed outside letting the massive crowds go in first. Seto looked toward the two his brother hung out with, who were all excited to get to enjoy the amusement park as much as the kids. They never knew of the surprise that awaited them later.

While they hung around outside they did not see the older gentleman walking up behind them until a voice spoke up, "I know what you did, Seto!" Four pairs of eyes turned around to look at the man behind them, "You kill the CEO!"

Yugi and Joey looked on confused as the man before them continued to rant, "You took over Kaiba Corporation and drove the CEO, your own father, to commit suicide… You're the devil incarnate!"

Seto seemed unfazed by those words as he turned to a guard that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Throw him out!"

Two more guards appeared and it wasn't long before they were dragging the ranting man away from the building kicking and yelling like a little kid.

"He used to be my father's right-hand man, but now he's a worthless has-been," Seto explained to both Yugi and Joey. "There have been many rumors… My father's death was a tragedy, but neither I nor my brothers had anything to do with it. I think my father was able to die in peace knowing I would take over for him…"

Yugi saw a different look come to Seto's eye that he did not like and when he turned to look at Yami he could tell his lover looked different as well. Yami's smile was gone and he appeared slightly shaken. There were not any rumors that Yugi had heard about the past CEO's death, but it had been in the papers and on the news for week when the death had occurred years ago. It had shocked Domino to the core and prays had gone out to Yami and his brothers. Not understanding why someone like that man would come around at a time like this, he grabbed Yami's hand to calm the taller teen down.

Yami jumped a little before he looked down at Yugi, "Sorry about that… We tend to get people like him every once in a while at every Kaiba Corp function. Some people can't let go of the past."

Yugi couldn't agree more, but he did not like the scared look in Yami's eyes. He and their friends knew about the three brothers being adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba after their parents died because Yami had told them. Sadly that was all they knew because Yami never talked about his years living under the same roof as Mr. Kaiba. It was judging by the look in Yami's eyes that some of their memories may have not been happy.

"Well now that, that is out of the way let us move inside so I can show you around," Seto spoke up as if nothing had happened. He didn't even check to see if the others were going to follow as he turned to walk into his amusement park.

* * *

Time seem to fly by as Seto showed Yugi and Joey around the newly built amusement park. The man who had been shouting at them outside was forgotten about and Yami had begun to relax again. The two brothers would explain how the amusement park ideas came to be and allow Yugi and Joey a chance to test out the new rides. The place was huge with many floors so it was hard to see everything.

The group had only gotten to see most of the second floor when one of the security guards came over to Seto and whispered something. Seto nodded, before he turned to his twin, "Yami, do me a favor and go check out the command post. I was just informed that one of the rides may have a glitch in the system and needs checking."

"Why can't you go do it?"

"You'll be able to fix the problem faster than I can and besides…" Seto put an arm around Joey's shoulder who wasn't sure what to think of that, "I want to continue to show these two around. I need to make up for my behavior all those months ago."

Yami looked unsure, since he highly doubted showing someone around was a good form of an apology. However before he could try and talk his way out of leaving Yugi squeezed his hand to get his attention.

"Go, we'll be fine and besides…" Yugi looked toward Seto and Joey who had started to talk. Joey had removed Seto's arm, but he did not push the CEO away. "It would be good for those two."

"Fine, but call me if those two start to go at it with fists."

Yugi agreed and then watched Yami hurry off to go deal with whatever the problem was. After he was gone, Yugi turned to the other two and noticed the way Seto watched Yami leave out of the corner of his eye. It was odd behavior, but he shrugged it off for now.

Seto looked down at his watch before smiling up at the two, "It's almost time for the special show I had planned today. How about we head over there before we miss it? I have reserved seats just for us."

Joey and Yugi saw no problem with the idea and followed the CEO as he led them to a different area on the second floor. They ended up having to go across a walkway that over looked the first floor and was accessible only to those allowed to enter. Once over the walkway they came upon sliding steel doors to which Seto put in a pass-code gaining access to wherever they were going.

As soon as the doors opened the three walked in only to have the doors slam shut behind them. They walked down a dimly lit hallway to the sound of cheers. It was only when they reached the end of the hallway that Yugi and Joey got the shock of their lives. The two found themselves in a huge stadium of some kind with rows upon rows of children in the stands cheering for Seto. In the middle of the place was a giant glass cube with a table and chairs along with a person inside.

"That's my grandpa…!" Yugi's eyes widen not believing his own grandfather was here. '_What in the world is grandpa going here…?'_ He thought and before Joey could stop him he was running toward the cube. The smaller male was stopped however by a guard standing near the cube. "Grandpa!"

"Yugi!" The elderly man called out as he stood up from his seat and walked up to the glass as if reaching out for his grandson.

Yugi could understand what his grandfather was saying by his lips, but he could hear no sound, "I can see your lips moving, but I can't hear anything!" He called out hoping his grandfather could hear him.

Solomon continued to call out to his grandson but it was no use. It appeared the cube had been sound proof so Yugi couldn't hear what he was saying. Everything the night before had happened so fast it felt like a nightmare. Some men had come to the door and kidnapped him just before dinner and thankfully Yugi's mother had not been around. They had said that they had Yugi and would kill him if Solomon did not come along. He was just grateful that Yugi was alright. Some part of him knew that this was all Seto's doing, but for what reason he wished he knew.

The children in the stadium continued to chant Seto's name as the CEO walked toward the cube. Joey did not follow but he did try to glare holes into the back of Seto's head. Something had been fishy from the start about all this and he would love to do something about it but they were holding Yugi's grandfather hostage. He would just have to sit back and see how things played out. However while thinking this, he was also trying to piece together if Yami knew about this, but a part of him knew he couldn't because if he did Seto wouldn't have sent him away. No…. Yami couldn't be involved, but how long would it be before he would be there to stop this like Joey knew he would.

* * *

"I'll freaking kill him!" Yami shouted as he glared at the monitors in front of him. He could not believe he did not see this coming at all. As soon as he walked into the command post that controlled everything, two of his brother's personal bodyguards locked the door and refused to let him out. If they weren't twice his size, Yami would have tried to take them on.

The first thing he had tried to do was get into the system so he could give his brother a piece of his mind through the intercom system, but to his shock and dismay his brother had rewritten the programs and locked his own brother out of the network. Throughout the whole process of creating the amusement park Yami had no trouble using the system, but now Seto was letting him have no control.

"I should have known he was up to something," Yami growled out as he slammed his fist on the controls. The only thing he could do was sit back and watch as everything unfolded in front of his eyes. At some point Seto was going to have to let Yami out and no matter if they were brothers, Seto was going to pay dearly for this.

* * *

"For your entertainment, you will now witness a match of the world's number one collectible card game 'Duel Monsters!'" Seto announced to the crowd of cheering fans, "My challenger is the gentlemen, Solomon Mutou. He is said to be a game master who has never lost a duel."

Yugi couldn't believe this was happening. His grandfather had given him his deck before Duelist Kingdom wishing Yugi the best of luck. Those cards had bought Yugi to victory time and again, but without them he worried how his grandfather was going to win. Solomon had seemed to retire from duel monsters and did not even have friendly duels with him or his friends anymore. He could see inside the cube that his grandfather looked determine and was holding a deck of cards. The younger duelist just hoped those were cards that his grandfather had made into a deck and not cards given to him by Seto.

Seto walked into the cube, his guard locking the door behind him so Solomon could not escape. He took his place across from the elderly man, "Don't hold back. Hit me with your strongest cards." He informed him as he placed his deck on the table.

"Don't worry… I plan to!" Solomon replied back as he set his deck on the table as well while thinking, '_My deck holds the strongest card on earth, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! The moment I draw that card, I win.'_

"Game Start!" A computerized voice spoke to the two players letting them draw their cards.

"Incidentally, old man, this cube is a high-tech product made especially for this game… It may be hard on someone of your advanced age…" Seto warned Solomon with a smirk.

Solomon knew all about the holographic technology, but had never been faced with it first-hand. He wasn't scared, he had seen a lot in his life time and monsters coming to life on cards would be no big deal.

Seto went first placing his monster in attack mode and before both their eyes the monster seemed to jump out of the card and appearing twice the size. It reached out as if to grab Solomon, who jumped back a little shocked by how real it looked.

Solomon placed a hand over his racing heart as Seto ended his turn, "You'll give me a heart attack with these graphics…" He mentioned as he drew a card.

The duel went on with both sides not letting up. Back and forth it seemed they would take each other's monsters out, but while Seto seemed unfazed by it all, the duel appeared to be taking its toll on Solomon.

Yugi was surprised at how well his grandfather was holding up in a duel against Seto. It should have been no surprise at all since his grandfather taught him all he knew about the game. Just seeing a duel like this was amazing, "Good luck grandpa."

Solomon looked down at the cards in his hand, '_This young man is pretty good… Even if he doesn't know how to use spell cards properly…' _On his turn he reached for his deck and drew another card. A slight smirk developed on his face when he saw what was now in his hand, "It's over Kaiba. I win." He flipped it over to reveal the Blue Eyes White Dragon, "When I put this card down, it's over."

Seto once again appeared unfazed as pulled a card from his hand, "Then I choose to play this card." He placed a card down on the field shocking Solomon.

'_It can't be…'_ Solomon thought since before long right before his eyes Seto had not one, but three Blue Eyes White Dragon's on his side of the field. _'I…I lose…'_

Joey and Yugi could only watch on in horror as Yugi's grandfather lost his duel with Seto.

"Only four copies of the Blue Eyes White Dragon are known to exist. Of course they are in the hands of fanatic collectors around the world. I searched them out… One in America, one in Germany, one in Hong Kong and you old man." Seto explained to Solomon as he picked up his Dragons when the duel was done, "Of course none of them agreed when I told them to hand it over so I used a bit of force. I used my wealth to force them to bankruptcy or I made deals with the mafia… One of them even committed suicide!"

'_What a terrible young man!' _ Solomon thought and he felt sorry for Yami having such a brother like this. However his thoughts were cut short, when Seto reached across and pulled the Blue Eyes White Dragon card from his hand.

"This is your punishment for losing to me and to your card for betraying me last time!" Seto announced as he ripped the Blue Eyes White Dragon card in two in front of the old man's eyes. "Now I'm the only one with this card in the entire world." He stood up with his deck to leave and just when he reached the door he added, "There is one other punishment…"

As Seto stepped out of cube, the guard closed the door again as smoke began to fill the cube and slowly creatures appeared within the smoke, scaring Solomon with their lifelike appearance. He wanted to fight them off, but fear kept him rooted to his seat.

"Grandpa!" Yugi shouted as he tried to get to the cube being stopped by the guard once again. "Grandpa!" He glared at Seto who continued to wear the same smug smirk of his, "Let my grandpa out of that box!"

"We've done human experiments in that simulator. We discovered that the average person goes insane in about ten minutes. If we don't stop it soon, your grandfather will be destroyed…" Seto taunted the younger Mutou.

Yugi stopped his struggles to get to the box at those words as shock took over his body. There was no way he could let his grandfather die like this.

"I do have one condition for stopping the simulator," Seto mentioned keeping Yugi's attention, "You must swear to face the hidden attraction of Kaiba Land, "Death-T". The theme park of death that I built to exact my revenge on you."

The smaller duelist was normally a gentle person, but at this point Seto had gone too far. He wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of Seto for pulling a stunt like this. One look toward his grandfather and Yugi knew the answer he would have to give no matter how much he hated it.

* * *

**Sakura: **Seto has made his move and now it's up to Yugi to make his. I hope everyone liked the little twist I added in there about Yami. If you have read the manga you pretty much know what is going to happen next, but I'm going to leave you guessing on whether Yami will be able to make an escape to get to his lover.

**Yumi: Review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I had a lot of reviewers believing Yami would somehow get out and get to Yugi and Joey. Well lets just see if that will happen in this chapter...

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**Arena # 1**

As the simulator continued to terrorize the elder Mutou, who had fallen out of his chair by this point and was forced into a corner of the cube, Yugi was able to get pass the guard and bang on the glass. He kept trying to call out to his grandfather but it was of no use.

"Grandpa!"

Seto laughed at Yugi's poor attempt to help his grandfather, "Your grandfather is 'experiencing death' in the virtual reality of the simulator box. In another five minutes he will be insane- a testament to those who would defy me."

"Seto! Let my grandpa out of this box!" Yugi shouted at the taller Kaiba in anger.

"Very well, but I have one condition. There is a hidden side of Kaiba Land- 'Death-T'. I'll only stop the simulator if you swear to face 'Death-T'." Seto explained to him giving Yugi an ultimatum.

Yugi glared at Seto knowing that he had no choice if he was going to save his grandfather. "I understand, I'll face Death-T."

With those words Seto turned to the guard and nodded. The guard used a small device he had in his pocket to turn off the simulator and as if they were never there the monsters disappeared into puffs of smoke. Yugi wasted no time in entering the box when the door was opened and rushed over to his grandfather.

The elder Mutou simply lean against the wall wheezing as he tried to catch his breath with sweat breaking out all over his face. The shock of the monsters trying to kill him had put strain on his aging heart.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried out in fear as he kneeled besides his grandfather, "Grandpa, are you all right?"

"Yugi…" Grandpa strained to speak, "I'm sorry… I lost…"

Yugi shook his head with tears rolling down his face, "Grandpa…"

"He… He's a terrible young man… He'll do anything to win a game… Even… Taking a person's life…"

"Grandpa don't talk…!" Yugi stressed trying to keep his grandfather calm.

Solomon reached into the pocket of his overalls and handed over a few cards from his deck to Yugi, "I want you… to have these…"

Yugi took the cards in his hands, but did not look at them as he put them away in his deck box attached to his belt. He never left home without his deck of cards because being the King of Games you never know when you will be challenge to a game.

"Yugi… I know you can defeat that young man." Solomon told Yugi believing in his grandson.

Yugi nodded and it was about that time Joey ran to the door of the glass box telling Yugi that help was here for his grandfather. There was no telling who called an ambulance, but Joey knew Seto probably was not that one to make that phone call. Either way Solomon was going to get the help he needed while Yugi dealt with Seto.

As Solomon was loaded up on a stretcher and wheel away, Yugi could only watch as he was forced to stay behind. '_I'm sorry Grandpa… I can't go with you…' _He thought as he sent a silent prayer for his grandfather to be alright. More than anything he wished Yami was with him, but there was no telling where his lover was. At least he had Joey beside him to give him support.

"I hope that loser deck of yours is up to standards. I have three of the most powerful cards on earth!" Seto taunted, however Yugi remained unfazed by the words. "A rematch with you is what I've wanted from the beginning."

Yugi continued to glare at Seto out of the corner of his eye. If Seto had wanted a rematch he could have just asked, but apparently that wasn't good enough for the CEO. So Yugi would have to face this challenge head on and win for his grandpa.

"The stage for our duel will be the dome at the top of this building. We're on the second floor now and each deadly game you clear brings you closer to the top." Seto explained to Yugi ready for the game to begin, "But you will never conquer 'Death-T'!"

Joey stepped up at that point blocking Yugi from Seto's view, "I'm not letting my buddy go alone. You can count me in."

Yugi was surprised by that move and if anyone had been looking closely enough they would have noticed that Seto was too, but the look disappeared too quickly for anyone to see.

'_Moron…_' Seto thought to himself, '_You'll regret that foolish friendship when you experience 'Death-T'._'

"Listen Seto! I could punch in your lily-white face with my fist right here and now!" Joey shouted with anger, he couldn't believe he had thought of giving Seto a second chance. "But that wouldn't mean anything. Yugi'll beat you at your card game and I'll stake my life to help him get there!"

"Don't forget about me!"

The two friends turned around in shock when they found Tristan standing behind them. He had his own glare on his face at Seto with his arms crossed.

"Tristan…" Yugi and Joey called out in shock not believing their friend was there of all places.

"What are you doing here?" Joey questioned knowing if he could help it Tristan would have not be in a place like this.

Tristan sighed as he pointed toward the stands, "I got stuck tagging alone with my sister and her kid for the opening ceremony. We were in the audience when things started getting weird and you guys showed up. It was a good thing I was here you look like you needed a hand. Count me in I can't let you two go through this alone."

More tears developed in the corner of Yugi's eyes as thought, '_Tristan…Joey… You're doing all this for me. Thanks guys…'_

"So let's start the game already!" Joey told Seto as he and Tristan stood behind Yugi.

Seto had no problem allowing Joey and Tristan to tag along with Yugi in his deadly game as he turned to his guards, "Open the gate of 'Death-T'!"

On the other side of the Arena a door labeled with the words 'Death-T' came to life like a machine as the doors slowly opened revealing a dark pathway. There was no telling what awaited them, but Yugi knew he had to make it through these tests.

"Step through the gate Yugi. We're all waiting for you." Seto exclaimed as the crowds around them cheered who were thinking this was all part of some show and that Yugi and his friends were getting to enjoy another theme park for special guests.

With no other choice, Yugi made the first move as he walked toward the doors with his friends following. Once they were inside the doors slammed shut behind them leaving them in the dark until dim lights lit up the hallway. They had no other choice at that point but to keep moving forward and see what awaited them at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

"I'll kill you!" Yami shouted at his taller twin as the CEO sat down in his chair. The shorter teen had tried and failed miserable to jump and beat the crap out of his brother as soon as Seto came into the room. The guards stopped him by grabbing his arms into vice grips keeping Seto safe from harm. "You have gone too far you bastard!"

Seto was unfazed by this as he change the view on the monitors to show Yugi, Joey, and Tristan walking down the hallway toward their first challenge. "You'll thank me later once I show you how weak and pathetic your so called boyfriend really is. You could do so much better Yami, but you fail to see that."

Yami was seeing red as he tried to fight off the guards, "I don't care what you think about my lover! Yugi is my boyfriend whether you like it or not." He manage to kick one of the guards in the shin so hard that the guy let go of Yami's arm. However that didn't help the teen as the other guard still had his arm, "Let me go!" He shouted as he tried to pull his arm free. There had to be a way for Yami to stop this before it got out of hand. Grandpa was already in the hospital because of Seto and Yami was not going to let something else happen to Yugi and their friends.

"Let him go, he won't cause any trouble," Seto stated as he turned in his chair to smirk at his brother, "Isn't that right Yami? Not while I have Yugi's life in my hand."

Yami yanked his arm free when the grip on it loosened, but he made no move to go at his brother. Sadly Seto was right that he could do nothing with Yugi's life in danger. No he just had to find a way to stop all this or find a way to get to Yugi and help him. It had been him who called the ambulance for Solomon since he knew his brother would do no such thing and he had also called Duke and Tomoya to go get Mrs. Mutou and take her to the hospital. He knew Yugi would feel better if people were with Solomon in his time of need.

While Yami got his breath back from all the struggling he had just done, he remembered the one question he had wanted to ask when he came face to face with Seto again. "Why not me?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, why did you lock me up here? Was it because you knew I would try and take Yugi's place or join him in the game. If you had wanted to hurt Yugi, your best choice would have been to use me and not his grandfather." Yami stated since it was true. If he had not been related to Seto, he would have been the number one choice for Seto to get revenge. He wanted to believe that a part of his brother that he remember all those years ago was still in there and cared.

"This fight did not concern you. My fight is with Yugi only."

Yami growled at his brother, "If you cared about me at all you would stop this! I know deep down you wanted to keep me out of harm's way, but by doing this you are still hurting me." They had lost so much in their lives when they were kids and he just wanted his old brother back, "Don't take away the one thing that has made me happy since mom and dad died."

Seto stared at his brother for the longest time before he turned back around in his seat without one word.

Yami knew Seto's answer right then and there as he glared at the back of Seto's chair. "I'll find a way to stop you one way or another." He promised himself and if Seto heard it he said nothing.

* * *

As the three walked down the simply endless hallway Yugi could not help the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even with his friends beside him he still wanted more than anything to have his boyfriend with him.

"How far does this damn tunnel go…?" Joey complained, "Where's the stupid game?"

Just when it seemed like they would be walking for hours, they finally came upon a door with 'Death T-1' on the mechanical door. Before they could question what was going to happen the doors opened on their own letting the three pass through. As they walked through the doorway the scenery change to what looked like the inside of an alien spaceship. About a few steps down the new hallway a new sound surprised them.

"_Emergency! Emergency!"_ A mechanic voice spoke up scaring the crap out of the three friends.

"What's going on?" Joey shouted over the noise.

"Please help me!" A female voice called out as someone ran toward them. However who it was shocked the heck out of them.

"Tea!" All three cried out in shock. Tea stood there in her uniform which consisted of a short dress with a vest that looked like something from a laser tag game, and a small gun attached to her hip that looked like an alien weapon.

"Whaaa?" She cried out surprised to see them also. So far there had been no players coming down the hallway and she had been bored out of her mind. It was a shock to see her friends were the first people she would run into. "What are you doing here?"

"That's my line!" Joey complained, before he did ask, "What are you doing here?"

"I started working at this amusement park today," Tea informed them, "This was the job interview that I had yesterday. After the interview they gave me this costume and made me the guide for this game."

"So why did you yell 'Help'?" Joey asked her next.

"It's an act, part of the game. After that I say this line to the costumers…" Tea then got back into her character, "The enemy is about to blow up this space station. You are the only ones who can save it! Put on your cyber-vests and defeat the intruders with your laser guns!"

"How can you act like that at a time like this?"

Tea glared at the blond hair teen, "I practiced hard! My acting isn't that bad!"

"Sheesh are you stupid?" Joey couldn't believe Tea had no clue what was going on, "Do you have any idea what this theme park is about?" Tea continued to look confused, so Joey dropped it, "I guess you're better off not knowing…"

"Hey it looks like the first game is a shootout game…" Tristan spoke up and all heads turned to see he had found the vests and guns lined up on a wall not far behind Tea.

Tea who had no clue what was going on smiled at them, "Alright everyone! Time to get dressed!" She did have a job to do and they were here to play the game she was sure of.

Before long all three boys had on vests and guns in their hands looking ready as they could be to start the game. Since they were all set it was time for Tea's part again as she explained what was going to happen next. "Okay the game is a shooting match, three against three. The battle takes place in the electrical field behind that door," Tea said as she showed them the door behind her, "There's a sensor on the front of these cyber vests. Aim for this spot," She pointed to the spot that was on her vest. "If you get hit even once, you're out of the game. If the enemy's laser hits your sensor you'll feel a light vibration over your whole body. The first team to lose all its members loses then its game over."

'_This game can't be so simple… Seto must be planning some trap…_' Yugi thought to himself knowing this game was not going to be easy. He just wished he knew what kind of trap Seto would plan in a game like this.

With no other details needed to be explained the boys headed for the door with Tea wishing them luck.

* * *

"Who the hell hired that girl? She's one of their friends." Seto yelled at his right-hand man who stood beside him.

Yami smirked as he proudly stated, "I did Seto," causing his brother to turn his head and look at Yami. Well it was only partly true that Yami got Tea the job. He had simply gotten her the interview when he learned she was looking for a new job that paid well. Yami had no idea that she would get hired, but Tea was a likable girl so it was really no surprise to him that she ended up with the part. He just left all that out letting his brother believe he was the one to hire Tea. "Bet you didn't plan on that."

Seto turned back around in his seat, "Ah well… is our team ready?"

The goon, as Yami now called them since they only seemed to work for Seto, nodded, "Yes sir, we have prepared a special team to face the three of them. Each one is a pro in his field."

On the monitors above the ones showing what was happening in the game appeared three photos on three different monitors. It gave the person's name and a detailed list about them along with a photo.

Yami's eyes scanned the information seeing one was an unknown assassin, another a swat team leader, and the last one a Green Beret commander. Each looked tough and it was seriously not right for people with their skills to go up against Yugi and his friends in a laser tag game. He had figured out a plan to get out of the command room and get to Yugi, but he wanted to know what his brother had planned. Something did not feel right to him…

"It's over already Yugi…" Seto said mostly to himself since Yugi could not hear him and he knew anything that was said would not be leaving this room, "The guns I've given you are mere toys… But if the lasers that these three hold hit the sensor on your cyber vest you'll get shocked with a million volts!"

Eyes widen on the crimson eyed teen as he heard those words leave his brother's mouth. He really did plan to kill Yugi and his friends. Hell it appeared Seto did not even care that Joey was now a part of all this. At this point Yami had to believe that the only person Seto cared about was himself. Yami on the other hand would not let his lover and friends die like this.

When Seto's right hand man had come into the room a few minutes before, Yami managed to use the distraction and pickpocket one of the goons of their passkeys. Normally Yami could just use his own passkey on the door to get out, but with him locked out of the system he was pretty sure that wouldn't work. However if his hunch was correct he was the only one not allowed to leave the room. So with all eyes on the monitors, Yami slowly moved backwards toward the door. No one was even paying him any attention as he felt behind his back for the slot for the key. When he found it he quickly inserted the card key hearing the small click of the door unlocking.

However when the door slid open it sadly was not quiet and all eyes turned his way. Yami waved and said, "See ya!" Before he was out the door running as fast as he could. If Seto sent anyone after him he would need to put as much distance between him and them if he was going to make it to Yugi.

* * *

As soon as Tristan, Joey, and Yugi were inside the game the doors closed behind them. In front of them was a wall about Yugi's height, so Yugi could not see over it but Joey and Tristan could. Across from them Joey and Tristan could see the three goons Seto had hired to play this game with them. They looked tough, but there was no way Joey, Tristan, and Yugi were going to lose.

"All right let's do this!" Joey cheered. The other two agreed and waited for the game to begin.

* * *

**Sakura: **I tried to make Yami's daring escape exciting, but it was hard to write. I hope I did a decent job since I had planned from the start for him to try and meet up with Yugi. We will just have to see if he makes it in the next chapter.

**Yumi: Review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Time for the first game to begin, lets find out if Yami can get to them in time.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**Shooting Stardust**

Both sides were quiet as they waited for the game to begin. The players on both sides of the field stared each other down trying to size up what their competition was. On one size were the bounty hunters looking for a quick pay day, while on the other side were the group of friends just trying to survive and win this twisted game.

The rules of the game were simple it was a shooting game with two teams of three people. The players aim for the sensor on the left side of their opponents' cyber-vest. If the sensor is hit, that person loses and must leave the game. The first team to defeat all the members of the opposing team wins.

However the twist of it all that the three friends did not know was that Kaiba had hired professional gunmen with real laser guns to take them out. And speaking of the big bad CEO of Kaiba Corp… A screen came down in the middle of the field and on it appeared Seto.

"Hello again, Yugi. Welcome to Death T-1, the first game of the theme park." Seto said with the same smug smirk on his face, "The three enemies you are about to face are mercenaries I've hired especially for this game. If you're lucky you'll die in a blaze of glory like a shooting star across the sky."

"Listen up, bowl head! Your games suck! We're gonna make it to the top!" Joey sneered at the prick while all he wanted was to punch the CEO in the face for causing all this. He knew no matter what any of them did Seto would never change, but at the same time he didn't want to believe that.

'_We will make it to the top'_ Yugi agreed with Joey in his head while also thinking, '_Then I'll challenge you and beat you once again with grandpa's cards.'_

Seto wasn't fazed at all by Joey's outburst or Yugi's silence as he said, "Enjoy your last game!" His face then disappeared and so did the screen.

Joey turned to his friends, "Alright, we need to concentrate everyone!"

Yugi agreed, "Seto will do anything to win. The enemy will be tough."

"No problem, I'm an ace with model guns," Tristan said not at all worried, "When I was a little kid I could hit a 100-yen piece with a BB gun at 50 feet."

Before any comment could be made on what Tristan said a computerized voice came over the speakers saying, "Game Start!" This caused both parties to duck behind their walls and take cover.

On the other side of the field the three goons were thinking up their own strategy. "How should we deal with those kids?"

"I'm the expert at guerrilla warfare leave it to me. I'll pull a surprise attack and finish them in an instant." The former green beret commander stated, "They're amateurs, they'll be scared stiff when I jump right out in front of them. A game like this is nothing to someone with real combat experience."

With those words he ducked down low and started to crawl his way to another wall to keep cover.

"Show-off wants the bounty all to himself…" The former swat team leader commented to the assassin.

Meanwhile the three friends were really unsure what to do. They had already been sitting there for a few minutes without a plan. "Hey what are we waiting around for?" Joey hissed in a whisper.

"Idiot, stay still let them make the first move," Tristan whispered back. It was true they didn't have a plan, but they would be able to come up with something once their enemy made the first move.

Joey sat down with a sulk while also peeking around the corner every once and a while to make sure no one was coming on his side.

'_In tight quarters like these you only move forward when you secure a good position. That's a sure survival technique_.' Tristan thought as he listened closely for movement.

Yugi sat between the two and had to agree with Tristan's plan of sitting still, '_Tristan's right, if we stay here the enemy will come to us.'_

'_No way, I can't stand sneaking around. A real man faces his enemy head on.' _Joey thought with a glare toward Tristan, '_I've had enough of this.' _Just like that Joey stood up and climbed on top the wall they were hiding behind shocking both Tristan and Yugi. Standing on top the wall, Joey could see everything and he was excited about that, "Yeah! Now I've got room to fight!"

With those words he took off jumping from wall to wall, "Here I come!" He announced happily.

"Joey!" Yugi and Tristan both shouted not believing what their friend was doing. He was halfway across the field so they couldn't call him back or stop him.

Joey jumped down on one of the walls and looked down finding one of the thugs who had a look of terror on his face as Joey shouted, "Found one!"

'_He thought up an attack even more surprising than mine!' _The commander thought in disbelief as he quickly raised up his gun to fire just as Joey did. '_but I'm the one with weapons training. I can draw a bead first!'_

"DIE!" The commander shouted as he went to fire only to get a foot to the face knocking him out cold.

Joey grinned as the guy went down, "My way is much faster."

Both Tristan and Yugi had peeked over the wall to see if Joey was going to be alright and they were shocked to see him take out one of the men. "He did it!" Yugi cheered, while Tristan could not believe how lucky Joey had been.

"That idiot… He got one of them…"

The noise had alerted the other two who had also looked up and were shocked to find the commander down for the count. They were in as much disbelief as the blond hair teen's friends. However they quickly recovered when the three teens were clear for the shooting.

Red laser beams came flying at Joey when the other two opened fire. The teen had to quickly dodge and turn tail to run back to his friends.

A plan quickly formed in Tristan's head at that point, "Alright they've shown themselves, you be the decoy Joey." He called out to the blond who kept running trying not to get hit. "I'll finish them off." He said more to himself as he aimed at the swat leader. The guy was right in his sights and was focused more on trying to get Joey making him the perfect target to take out first.

As Tristan aimed and shot at the swat leader, his red beam hit the target dead on, however something was amiss when the light on the vest did not change to show he was out. '_That's weird… I hit him dead on…'_

"Joey are you alright?" Yugi called from their cover as he saw Joey take cover not far from them.

Joey kept his back to the wall and took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, "No problem…" He told Yugi.

With the game on both teams continued to fire at one another, Tristan was trying to get another shot and see if something went wrong with that first shot. However before he could he had to duck back down when one of the opponent's lasers hit him in the shoulder causing a light shock to go through his shoulder. '_What the? I got shocked…'_ It was then Tristan looked down and got a good look at his gun.

As the opponents continued to fire both Yugi and Joey couldn't even look over the wall to get a shot off. "Man this is bad. If they come any closer, I won't be able to keep covering the sensor on my chest." Joey said more to himself as he kept as close to the wall as he could.

Tristan had other plans as he called out to his friends, "Yugi, Joey, we have to pull back." Something was seriously wrong with the game and if they didn't pull back they were going to lose.

* * *

Tea had been watching the monitor that was provided at the beginning of the game and saw when Joey had taken out one of their opponents. "They got one of the enemies, so they're ahead." She had no clue of the danger her friends were really in. Before she could watch more of what was going on in the game a hidden door for employees only opened near her causing her to jump when Yami rushed in slamming the door behind him. The shorter teen lean against the door with his forehead against the cool metal. He carefully caught his breath before he turned to see her surprised face.

"Sorry about that…" Yami apologized as she waved off his apology.

"It's alright, I was just so into the game, I didn't expect someone else to come for a while," Tea said before she asked, "Why weren't you with Yugi and the others?"

Yami looked at the screen and saw as his boyfriend and friends came under heavy fire. He just prayed that none of them got hit, "Listen Tea, we have to get them out of there."

Tea looked confused, "Why? The game just started."

It was then Yami realized that Tea didn't know anything. He figured Yugi and the others might have told her but it looks like they didn't. "I'm really sorry I got you caught up in this, but there is something you must know…" He then went into his long explanation about Seto's revenge on Yugi and all that had happened before the boys entered the game.

"That snake I can't believe he would do all that." Tea said in disbelief and anger once Yami finished his tale.

"This is why we need to stop the game, they are in real…" The rest of what Yami was going to say died in his throat when the doors opened and all three boys came out. Tristan looked pissed off while Yugi and Joey just looked confused.

"Hey Tristan! Why are we running away? It's not cool to show your back to the enemy." Joey complained.

"Thank god you're okay…" Yami said catching all of their attention and Yugi's eyes lit up.

The much smaller teen raced over to his boyfriend wrapping his arms tight around Yami's waist. "I was so worried…" He looked up at Yami and asked, "Where did you go?"

Yami sighed as he held his partner close, "Seto locked me in the command room. He was going to keep me there, but I managed to escape and dodge all his stupid goons on my way here."

Joey lean against a wall with his arms crossed, "Your brother has a sick mind."

"I couldn't agree more, but there is something else you should know…"

"The game is rigged," Tristan said taking the words out of Yami's mouth.

Yami was shocked to hear those words come out of Tristan's mouth, "How did you know?"

Tristan simply threw down his gun, "The guns are useless. I hit a guy dead on and the sensor on his vest didn't change colors."

"Seto gave you toys while the mercenaries in there have real laser guns." Yami informed them causing shocked looks to come to the three teens. "One hit from those in the sensor could kill you. Seto wasn't playing when he said he was trying to kill Yugi."

Yugi couldn't believe what he was hearing. If one of them had been hit with the laser from the other team they wouldn't be here. They were lucky to have gotta out of there when they could.

"However I have a plan…" All eyes turned back to Yami as he let go of Yugi and moved over to Tea. He held out his hand, "Let me see the gun you have."

Tea had no problem hanging over the gun not sure what Yami was going to do with it.

Yami used her gun and compared it with the one Tristan had thrown on the ground. It was as he thought when he saw the difference in the weapons. "They look the same, but are built completely different. Seto didn't realized I had gotten Tea an interview to work one of the rides here at the amusement park. It is extremely lucky she got hired on to work this ride, because now we have a way to win this game."

"By the way, thanks for helping me out but I quit." Tea pointed out not at all pleased with Seto trying to kill her friends.

"I don't blame you…" Yami said as he started to mess with Tea's gun. After he made a few tweaks he handed the gun over to Tristan, "I remember you telling me you were a good shot. If you're going to win this game, it will be up to you."

Tristan nodded and took the gun into his hands, "Now we just have to think of a new plan to take out both of them at the same time."

The group of friends all got together in a tight circle and kept their voices down in case Seto was somehow listening as they thought up a new plan to win the game.

* * *

A few minutes later and the doors reopened allowing Tristan back into the arena. The two remaining mercenaries looked his way surprised that even one of them showed back up.

"Hey one of the kids came back," The assassin pointed out to the swat leader.

Tristan kept the glare he had on his face, not giving away the plan that had been decided in the room behind him.

"Are you going to keep playing?" The two pointed their guns at Tristan who had remained on his side of the wall. "Cause it's two against one. You don't stand a chance on your own."

However to the shock of the two, Tristan dropped his gun and put his hands up as if in surrender.

The two mercenaries busted out laughing believing his surrender to be the funnies thing they had seen. "So you chickened out? You gonna surrender?" The assassin questioned.

"It's no use," The swat leader spoke up, "Kaiba boy told us to kill you, so say your prayers."

They both pointed their guns dead at Tristan prepared to fire, "It is execution time!"

A gun came out of nowhere behind Tristan just before the triggers could be pulled and Tristan caught it out of the air. The other two didn't know what hit them as Tristan aimed and fired without a second thought hitting both dead center in the middle of the sensors. To their surprise and more importantly shock, the mercenaries went down quickly as electricity course through their vest knocking them to the ground and out cold.

"Haven't you ever watched any westerns? The hero is always the one who says the least." Tristan explained to the knocked out mercenaries as Yami stood up from behind Tristan.

Yami walked over to the two and moved one slightly with his foot. "Their lucky I'm not like my brother and turned down the voltage so they wouldn't' die, although they probably would have deserved it." The plan was for Tristan to appear to surrender while Yami remained hidden behind him with the real laser gun. Their guard would be down and they wouldn't think Tristan to have another gun. Yami had wished Tristan could have gone in without the vest, but they had to keep up appearances that he was still playing the game. Thankfully the plan went smoothly before anyone really did die.

Joey and Yugi peeked into the room with Tea when the coast was clear and was glad to see the other two were alright, "They did it!" The three had already changed out of their vest, but Tea would have to wait until later to change out of her uniform dress.

Yugi quickly walked in and gave his lover another hug, "Thank you… I don't know what we would have done without you."

"I'm sure you could have managed, isn't that right Joey?" Yami said with a grin, "I'm pretty sure you could have kicked your way through his challenge."

"Not in a million years, I just got lucky with that first guy."

"I have to believe there was a lot of luck involved, "Tristan said as he took off his vest and threw it down. "So what else does Kaiba have in store for us?" He asked more toward Yami.

Yami sighed, "I wish I knew, but this part of the amusement park was not in the plan. I left before I could learn more because I knew you guys needed help."

"Well whatever he throws our way we can beat it right guys?" Tea said trying to boost everyone back up.

Yugi nodded with a smile, "I'm sure we can face anything together."

Those were the motivating words that pushed them to head out of the arena and toward the next challenge that awaited them. Not knowing the whole time they were being watched by Seto who sat nice and comfy in his chair not in the least bit worried, while thinking, '_So you've cleared Death T-1… but how will you fair in the next stage…'_

* * *

**Sakura: **Yami made it in time to save them… Well it was pretty obvious in the long run… Anyway I decided after thinking it over for a good while that I will be skipping the 'Don't Make a Sound' chapter with the creepy butler with the ride toward the haunted house. Since the baby is not in this story, I couldn't figure out a better way for that chapter to go and to me it was a pointless short chapter so it was taken out. I have a feeling it would have been super short if I typed it up, so we will be moving on to the haunted house next chapter.

**Yumi: Review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It's time for stage two! Now if you missed explanation at the bottom of the last chapter, I'm going to say this again. I skipped the chapter in the manga called 'Don't Make a Sound'. It has the creepy butler and that horrible ride where no one could make a sound. If you haven't noticed the baby is not in this story so I couldn't figure out how to work with that chapter and besides I always thought it was pointless. So this chapter they go straight to the murder mansion, let's see how they handle it.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

**Murderer's Mansion**

"Yeah! We are the champions!" Joey cheered as they walked out of the first arena and toward the next stage in the game, "Bring on stage two." He turned to his best bud who refused to leave his boyfriend's side. The two were pretty much glued to the hip, "We cleared that shooting game without a problem. It was a good warm-up, but now we're gonna really kick butt. Right, Yugi?"

Yugi agreed, but he knew they would need to be careful, "I guess, but I still feel nervous. We could have died back there and I'm sure Seto's next game will be even more dangerous."

"Yugi's right, don't let your guard down." Tristan added in knowing Joey loved to rush into things without thinking.

Joey just waved him off with a grin, "Anyway, no matter what it is we can beat it!"

* * *

While the five made their way down the long tunnel toward the next challenge that awaited them, Seto continued to watch from his post in the command room. He cursed his brother for escaping and teaming up with those losers he called friends. Never in a million years would he ever recognize Yugi as his brother's boyfriend. It showed how much different they were even though they were twins, given Yami was too soft and cared too much. However even though his twin had managed to team up with them, he was not going to stop the games. If he wanted to die with the rest of them that was fine with him.

"The fools acting so proud because they cleared Death T-1. They have no idea how hard the next game is…" Seto said out loud to no one since the room was empty however there was one thing even he had to admit to himself. "But they're starting to look like a worthy enemy. I spent a lot to build this theme park for Yugi. My monument to my revenge… I need to get my money's worth out of him."

A few minutes later a voice came over the communication radio, "_Yugi, along with your brother and their friends are leaving the 'space zone' Death T-1. Estimated time of arrival in zone two: five seconds_."

Seto pressed a few buttons to bring up the next zone while saying, "I wonder how will they do in Death T-2, the 'horror zone'?" He questioned to himself with a chuckle.

* * *

Upon arriving at the new location, the group was surprised to find themselves in a new place. The scene before them appeared to be some sort of graveyard with a tall manor in the distance. There was a chill in the air along with a few creepy sounds to go along with it. Above them at the main gates was a sign with a skeleton head reading, 'Death T-2'.

Yami had to admit his brother went all out when it came to this game, but if only this game could be used for enjoyment and not revenge.

Joey cringed at the scenery before them, "What's with the change in scenery? This is creepy." He commented liking the other area better.

"Yea… It sends a chill down your spine." Tristan agreed with him. There was no telling what they would be up against next. But judging from the place they were in it wasn't going to be something nice.

"Anyway let's keep moving," Yami said taking Yugi's hand and heading straight for the manor. As long as nothing jumped out at him he was fine, however Yugi on the other hand would probably pass out. He found out long ago that Yugi and horror did not mix. "The faster we get through here the faster we can get out."

It was easy to tell Joey wasn't a fan of horror either as he pushed Tea in front of him, "Ladies first, Tea."

Tea glared at the blond, but went on ahead with Tristan beside her, "What happened to all that courage you just had?"

"I…uh…" Joey tried to think of something, but gave up quickly and just said, "I just hate this sort of thing alright?"

As they made their way toward the manor they were about halfway through, before they all jumped when they heard a ringing sound. Yami quickly went for his cell phone not believing he could get a signal in a place like this.

"Jeez Yami give us all heart attacks…" Joey cursed placing a hand over his heart.

"Sorry…" Yami apologized as he read the text he had gotten from Duke.

Yugi could tell by Yami's face that it wasn't good news, "Did something happen?"

Yami sighed as he sent a reply and then turned his phone on vibrate. When he put it back in his pocket he turned to face the others, "This might be hard to hear, but Grandpa's in critical condition."

There were gasp throughout their group as the news did hit them hard. Yugi most of all as he tried not to freak out. His grandfather was like a third parent to him and had been there through everything. He wasn't sure what he would do without the older Mutou around.

"Who's with him?" Yugi found himself asking not wanting his grandfather to be alone.

"Duke, Tomoya, and your mother. I contacted Duke and Tomoya to take your mother to the hospital to be with your grandfather and send me any news on how he was doing." Yami sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "I wish I could have stopped Seto."

Yugi reached up to place a kiss on Yami's cheek, "This was never your fault, but thank you for looking after my grandfather. I should have known it was you who called that ambulance for him." He turned to his friends who were trying to process the news. Grandpa had been a grandfather to them too and they would suffer too if anything happened to him. "Grandpa is a fighter and he won't leave us that easy. We have to clear this game as fast as we can."

The others agreed with him and they hurried along toward the manor ready to face the challenge that awaited them. They did not even stop to think of what they were walking into as Tristan kicked open the doors to the haunted place. Inside they found what appeared to be a deserted manor complete with creaky floorboards and creepy decor. The place was musty and dark making it hard to breathe and see.

"It's so musty in here. It sticks in your throat…" Tristan commented as he wave the dust out of his face.

The five waited until their eyes adjusted to the darkness before they walked in and as soon as they did the doors slammed shut behind them. Tea rushed over to the doors and tried to reopen them but they wouldn't move, "They won't open, we're trapped!"

Joey moved Tea aside and tried for himself, "Crap! It really is locked… Does anyone have a wire or something? I can open this door with something like that."

"You have some strange talents, Joey…" Tea mentioned as she walked away from the blond who kept kicking and pulling at the doors.

Yami could tell the place was getting to Joey, but he needed to calm down. "Joey, we need to find the exit if we're going to get out of here. If I know my brother like I think I do, you won't even be able to pick the lock on that door."

"Yami's right," Tristan said, "We have to find the exit in order to move on."

"Let's split up and look for the way out." Yugi spoke up and they all agree even Joey who stopped trying to murder the door.

As they all searched the bottom floor together they found that there seemed to be no exit around. Just as Yugi passed by the suit of armor stationed beside the stair case a second time, he happened to look up and notice a note tape to the helmet.

"Huh?" Yugi reached up and grabbed the note taking a good look at it. "What's this scrap of paper? There's something written on it…" In big bold lettering in some kind of ink or so Yugi hoped it was ink based on the one word written on the paper. "Blood…? What on earth could that mean?"

"There's no way out!" Joey cried out as they regrouped.

"I'll check the second floor," Tristan volunteered as he headed up the stairs only to find his path blocked off and the stairs really lead to nowhere, "The stairs are blocked off. There isn't a second floor." He announced as he made his way back down. Because of how dark it was it had looked like there was a second floor, but it was just a mind trick.

As they all gathered back in the center of the room, they continued to try and figure out how they could get out of there. It almost appeared hopeless until they got another surprise as Seto appeared out of nowhere floating above their heads.

"Welcome to the Murderer's Mansion!" Seto announced to their surprised faces.

Yami glared at his twin, "Cheap trick Seto, why don't you quit using your holograms and face us like a real man!"

"All in due time brother, but for now I see you're searching for the exit to this mansion. Have you found it yet?" Seto questioned with a smirk, "Let me give you a word of warning. If you don't escape soon something terrible will happen."

They were even more surprised to hear that except Yami who knew his brother was up to something. He just wished he knew what.

"Let me explain why I call this Murderer's mansion…" Seto began to explain, "Do you remember what happened last summer at the camp near Domino Lake? Those terrible murders that had all of Domino City cowering in fear. Ten boy scouts staying at the camp were murdered all in one night. Not even a master of puzzles would have been able to assemble those body parts back into a human form. Those boys were mincemeat." Beside Seto appeared a hologram of a small shadowy figure holding an axe, "After that, the suspect came to be known as 'the Chop man'. He is still at large…"

Yami thought back to last summer, but he never remembered hearing about ten boy scouts being murdered. What he remembered was of ten boy scouts getting lost in the woods, which had the town of Domino on the edge of their seats hoping they would be found. It was after a five hour search that the authorities found the boys tired and scared, but unharmed. His brother had a sick mind to come up with a way to twist a story like that around to fit his needs. Judging by the looks of his friends and boyfriend they either had not heard the story or did not remember it, because they believed Seto's words.

"You haven't figured it out have you…?" Seto said with a chuckle, "The Chop man is hidden in this mansion."

Thus the news of that hit the others pretty hard as terrified looks crossed their faces and Yami so wished his brother was there so he could punch him in the face.

"So will you be able to escape this mansion without running into the Chop man?"

Yami had tried to remain silent but enough was enough, "Seto stop with your lies and tell us how to get out of here! I'm sick of your twisted games."

Seto appeared unfazed by his brother's outburst, but he did have a plan in mind, "Fine, I'll give you a hint to find the way out of the mansion." He pointed at something behind them, "Look at the wall behind you."

They all turned and were surprised to find the wall behind them had changed. There were four holes in the wall with numbers above them. That had not been there when they had arrived, so it had to have been hidden without them knowing until Seto appeared.

"There are switches on the other side of that wall," Seto informed them, "If you press the right switch the location of the exit will be revealed. Now, gather your courage and put your hands in those holes."

Yugi knew something wasn't right he could feel it, '_This is a trap. There has to be some kind of trick._'

"What is it Yugi? You look suspicious. You'll never get out unless you press the right switch."

Yami glared at his brother and turned Yugi away from him. He looked his lover in the eye as he said, "Just in case this is a trick I want you to stay here." Before Yugi could protest he was left standing where he was as the others walked over to the holes in the wall.

"Cripes, there's no choice…" Joey said as he slowly put his hand in the hole with the number 00 at the top.

Tristan put his hand in the hole with the number 01, while Tea had the hole with number 11, and leaving Yami with the hole that had number 10 above it. There was no reason to trust Seto, but there was no other way they could find that would get them out of there. However they realized fast that they shouldn't have trusted Seto, when all four found themselves trapped in place as a metal ring clamped around their wrist leaving their hands stuck. A noise above caught their attention and even Yugi looked developing a look of horror fast.

"A guillotine!" All cried out in shock. It would be there luck to get stuck in a trap like that.

Seto laughed at the look of horror on their faces, "Now the game begins! Only one of the switches is the real one. If you press the wrong switch the blade will fall and cut off your hands. You have five minutes before this blade drops. Don't forget you can only press one switch."

Joey turned to look at Seto, "Kaiba you…"

"I've left a hint hidden in this room… I wish you luck." Seto said interrupting Joey and then disappearing into thin air.

Yugi rushed over to his boyfriend and friends as they tried to pull their hands out but it was no use. He wasn't sure if he could be of any help, but he had to try.

"This is impossible… Which is the right switch…?" Joey questioned before he yelled in frustration, "I can't stand this! What's with all these games?"

"These numbers must mean something," Yami pointed out as he looked at the numbers in front of them.

"They're all zeros and ones… That's like…What's it called…" Tea said trying to remember where she had seen numbers like this before, "A computer code or something…"

"Argh, I don't get it!" Joey yelled out pissed off now that he still couldn't get his hand out, "That friggin Kaiba said there was a hint somewhere in this room…"

It was at that moment Yugi remembered the note from before. "That scrap of paper…" He quickly reached into his pocket where he had put it for safe keeping. He held it out for the others to see.

"Blood… What's this..?" Tristan questioned once he saw it.

"I found that scrap of paper in this room." Yugi explained to them. "This has to be the clue."

Each of the trapped teens took a good look at the word on the paper but nothing came to mind. Time was ticking away and their minds could not stop thinking about the blade above them. They had to figure this clue out and fast or they would seriously lose their hand.

"I don't get it. Numbers and letters… I hate this kind of puzzle." Tristan said just as frustrated as the rest of them.

The word puzzle clicked for Tea as she turned to Yugi, "You can solve this. You solved the millennium puzzle."

Yami agreed with her, "I know you can do this."

"Okay…" Yugi said determined as he looked down at the word on the paper. At first nothing came to mind as he repeated the word over and over in his head. He tried to clear his mind as best he could of everything but that word to see if something would come to mind. As soon as he tried spelling out the word on the paper something clicked. "Huh?"

'_That's got to be it. The word's misspelled so that must be the clue. It's supposed to be 'blood' but there's two 'L's''. _Yugi thought and he couldn't believe he didn't see that before now.

"Hey we only have two minutes left!" Tristan warned Yugi having been keeping up with the time that had passed. He knew Yugi was trying, but if they didn't figure this out quick things were not going to be good for them.

Sweat started to break out on Yugi's face as he stared at that word. He found the clue, but he couldn't figure out what it meant. These letters didn't go with the numbers at all. The smaller teen closed his eyes in frustration. '_It's no good… I don't get it.' _He didn't want to give up, but all seemed hopeless. '_Why did you do it Seto…?'_ He wished he knew why Seto hated him so much from the first day he met him. If Seto hadn't hated him so much they wouldn't be in this game of death.

Deep down Yugi knew he couldn't let Seto win like this. He had too many lives in his hands and they all needed to make it out of here alive in order to go see his grandpa. The elder Mutou was counting on him to win.

"Yugi, there's no more time." Tristan yelled out.

'_I have to save everyone!'_ Yugi thought as he opened his eyes just as the blade started to come down. It was then by a stroke of luck the answer hit him. "I got it!" He turned to the only female in their group, "Push your switch, Tea!"

"Okay…" Tea didn't need to be told twice as she easily pushed the button with her finger just as the blade was near their hands causing them all to close their eyes.

There was no yelling of pain or the sound of the blade cutting through flesh, so Yugi slowly let out the breath he was holding as he saw the blade had stopped. "It's alright the blade has stopped."

All the others slowly opened their eyes breathing in relief that the mess was over with. Their hands were set free of the trap letting the owners pull their hands back out of the holes. Joey and Tristan gave each other high fives to Yugi's success, while Tea gave Yugi a big hug for figuring it out. Once she let him go it was Yami's turn to pull the smaller teen close not caring who was watching as he pulled Yugi into a kiss.

It was only when they needed to breath that they pulled away with smiles on their faces. Yami grinned down at the smaller, "How did you figure it out?"

"At first, I kept thinking about the meaning of the word blood, but the shape of the letters was what mattered." Yugi explained to them, "They made the word blood with just zeros and ones." He said as he showed them the paper again, "And when you look closely at this 'L' in this word blood. There's an arrow point down. That must mean that the exit is in the basement. So the right answer was the eleven that the arrow is drawn on, Tea's switch."

"Good work Yugi," Joey congratulated the teen as he patted his pal on the back. "The master of puzzles!"

Just as they continue to celebrate a noise caught their attention as they turned to see part of the floor had moved to reveal a door with the word 'EXIT' printed on it. It was a relief to them all to finally be able to get out of that place.

"Alright let's get outta here!" Joey and Tristan both moved over to the door and used their strength to pull the hidden door open.

* * *

**Sakura: **So they have won once again and are moving on. Due to the fact that the baby is not in this story, I decided to cut the Chop man out of this story as well. So that chapter of the manga will not be in this story. In all truth I really don't like the guy he gives me the creeps. I figured I would just put Seto telling that story to freak them out instead of it being true.

**Yumi: Review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Thirty chapters in and we are about half way done with this story. Also if anyone missed the little note at the bottom of the last chapter, I skipped the chop-man chapter so the group is going straight to the cube arena. I didn't want anyone to be confused.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty **

**Terror Cubed**

"So they've made it to 'Death T-3," Seto said as he watched the group make their way to the next challenge. "Not outside the realm of chance but looking over their progress, I see some factors I underestimated. They're a good team. Their close friendship has been the real key to beating the games. I need to break up that union…"

The group of friends had no idea what awaited them in the next game, but Seto knew and he was determined to break them. '_After all friendship is just an illusion. Everyone cares the most about himself. When they find themselves in real trouble they'll soon betray their friends to save their own hides. That's where 'Death T-3' comes in…'_

* * *

After running down what seemed to be another endless hallway they finally came toward another door at the far end of the hall. They slowed to a walk as they came upon the next door to the next game that awaited them.

"We're getting closer to that jerk, one step at a time," Joey pointed out as they paused just outside the door. Above it was the word 'Death T-3' were written showing them this was the right place.

"I wonder what could come after the horror zone." Tea wondered out loud.

"Kaiba designed this theme park. You know it's gotta be something even more cheap and sadistic." Joey said loud enough knowing Seto was probably listening in to their conversations.

"Either way we will beat it together," Yugi said and the others agreed as they all stepped into the room.

However the challenge that awaited them was not something they were expecting at all. To the shock of them all the room was completely empty. It wasn't even that large just a simple room designed into a perfect square with large titled floor and walls.

"There's nothing here!" Joey pointed out the obvious as he looked around completely confused. "It's an empty room."

Just like with the last challenge once they were all inside, the doors slammed shut behind them locking them in for good. "Yeah just like always…" Tristan said not really all that surprised that they were trapped there.

"Alright let's look for the way out," Yami suggested, "There has to be some kind of trick."

So with a plan in mind they all started to search the room looking for any kind of clues or a way out. They searched the walls and the floor feeling for any hidden trapdoors or buttons to press. Sadly each of them was coming up empty handed and soon all regrouped in the middle of the room.

Tristan looked up and noticed he couldn't even see the ceiling, "The ceiling's pretty high. It's too dark to tell, but maybe it's open at the top…"

As Yugi looked up he noticed something the others had failed to see, "There's a hole in the wall up there…" He said as he pointed it out.

Yami's eyes followed Yugi's finger, "It's about ten meters above the floor. It would be impossible for us to climb up there."

"Crap," Joey cursed out, "There's nothing we can do. We're stuck."

"Maybe…" All eyes turned back to Yugi as he tried to pretty much disappear into Yami's side feeling very vulnerable at that moment, "Maybe we're trapped here and this was Seto's plan all along…" The worry in his eyes was enough to cause the others to calm down to face the situation.

Joey reached out to place a hand on his pal's shoulder, "Don't give up Yugi. We'll beat this like we did the last two games, okay?"

Yugi gave a slow nod, "Okay…" He didn't sound too sure and welcomed his boyfriend's arm that wrapped around his shoulders.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens." Yami reassured him as they all slowly took a seat on the floor. There was no point standing around until something happened. He just hoped it happened soon so they could beat it and be one step closer to getting out of there.

* * *

The minutes ticked on but nothing had changed. If it wasn't for Yami having his cell phone on him they wouldn't have even known how long they had been stuck in that room. Seto had really pulled out all the stops on that game making them sit in that room for over ten minutes already. It was making Yugi's theory seem more and more real as time went by.

It was also making the smallest of the group more and more upset as they sat there in silence. '_We've been here for ages and nothing has changed… Maybe it does end here…'_ He thought to himself as tears developed in his eyes. He couldn't believe he was the cause of all this. There was no telling how his grandfather was and now his boyfriend and friends were trapped in here with him forever.

The thoughts consuming him were enough to put him over the edge as he punched the ground with his fist and yelled, "I'm sorry! It's my fault… If I weren't here this wouldn't have happened…"

Those words must have trigger something in Joey as he reached out and grabbed Yugi by his shirt collar not enough to hurt him but enough to hold him so Joey could shake some sense into him. "Don't you dare say that again!" Joey warned while the others around him jumped surprised by the sudden actions.

Yugi was also in a state of shock as he stared into his best friend's eyes.

"Don't say things like that!" Joey said trying to get through to Yugi that none of this was his fault. "Yugi don't you understand why we came with you? It's because we're friends."

Tristan reached out putting a hand on Joey's arm before saying, "Anyway Joey, it might be smart to let go of his collar before his boyfriend punches your lights out."

Joey took one look at Yami's glare before he quickly let go of Yugi, "Sorry about that…" He bowed his head with a sigh, "You know I remember back when Tristan and I were just stupid punks…"

"We were stupid punks alright…" Tristan added in with a chuckle.

"Living in a stupid society with stupid parents and my stupid self, I never learn to like myself…" Joey said as he looked back at Yugi, "Until I met you, Yugi."

Yugi didn't look surprised anymore and his tears had stopped as he listened to Joey.

"You were this innocent little kid…" Joey said thinking back to the days when he first met Yugi, "Everyone took advantage of you. At first I couldn't stand to watch you. I thought you were an idiot but I wasn't really mad at you. I was mad at myself…"

"I know how you feel…" Tristan added in, "I was the same. I would get so wound up. I just needed to pick a fight it didn't matter who, some local punks even a telephone pole. I'd hit them with everything I had, then I'd realize the person I really wanted to hit was me…"

Tea and Yami listened on as Tristan and Joey recalled their own painful past. It wasn't really the time for reflection, but they could tell that the two were trying to show Yugi how important he was and that this wasn't his fault.

Joey turned a smile toward Yugi, "Hey Yugi, you remember when I stole part of your puzzle?"

Yugi nodded as he looked down at the completed puzzle, "I remember you wouldn't give it back for like a week." It was one of the incidents that pushed them into being friends.

"When I gave it back… That took more courage than anything but just then I started to like myself a little bit. For the first time in my life…." The blond surprised them all once again as he placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders, "Listen to me Yugi. You know what friends are? They're someone you like and because of them you learn to like yourself. That's why we are friends Yugi. So whatever you are keeping bottled up you can tell us no matter what it is. All of us are here for you through it all." He smiled down at the smaller duelist trying to cheer him up, "I'm not giving up yet so don't you give up either. Okay?"

The tears were back again, but this time they were happy tears as Yugi reached up to wipe them away with a smile. "O-Okay…"

"No one learns to like themselves on their own…" Tea spoke up with her words of wisdom, "It's a big game you play throughout your life." She stood up with determination in her eyes. "Hey look at this white room. Doesn't it remind you of a blank canvas?"

The others stood up as well not sure where she was getting at now.

"I always thought if I went somewhere special with my friends, I'd leave my name there to remember it by."

"Are you a tagger Tea?" Tristan asked as a joke causing Joey to hide his laugh with a cough.

Tea glared at the two before producing a marker out of thin air it seemed, "No, but put your hands out, everyone."

"What are you up to?" Joey questioned not sure what she had planned.

"Just gimme your hands..."

So one by one they each put out a hand in font of Tea. She added her own to the circle of hands before drawing something with the marker on the back of everyone's hand. "See smiley face…." Once she was done she pulled her hand away and explained herself, "Even after we graduate and go our separate ways, if we're ever alone. We just have to think of this smiley face and we'll remember being here and being friends. Even when I'm studying dance in New York I'll always remember the time I spent with you guys."

Realization seemed to dawn on the others faces and they were glad to have been able to share this moment with each other.

"The ink of the marker will wear off, but in our hearts, the ring will always be there." Tea finished off and there was agreement all around the small group.

There happy moment was short lived as they heard a noise from above and looked up just in time to see a block fall down from seemingly nowhere. They all quickly moved out of the way as it crashed down where they had been standing only seconds ago.

"What the hell a giant cube dropped from above?" Joey exclaimed shocked at what had just happened.

It was Yami who seemed to quickly realize what was happening, "This is the game!" He quickly told the others, "The game of 'Death T-3' has begun."

"Be careful, guys. There's another cube coming!" Tea hollered out to her friends causing all of them to hurry out of the way again before being flattened.

Yugi tried to calm his racing heart as the second cube had landed where he had been put seconds ago, "Darn… You can't tell where the next cube is going to fall."

"All we can do is run around dodging!" Tristan cried out as they dodged the third cube to come down from above.

Before long they were running out of room to move. Joey cursed there luck as Yami and Yugi pretty much ran into the blond trying to dodge the next cube to fall, "It's like dancing with death. There's no place left to run."

Looking around them an idea formed in Yugi's head as he headed straight for one of the cubes and started to climb on top of it. "I think I get the point of the game. We have to use these cubes to climb our way out."

"I get it!" Yami said joining Yugi by also climbing up onto the cube, "We dodge the falling cubes and climb up until we get to the exit." He turned to their other friends who had followed their lead. "Keep away from the edges of the room. If you get boxed in you're dead."

Joey dodged yet another cube by jumping out of the way as they tried to work their way up, "At this rate we're going to be flattened."

They had all taken notice that the cubes did not follow any true order and were making all kinds of paths. It left little room for error if they wanted to live through this.

As another cube fell causing Yugi to jump across a gap into his boyfriend's arms it seemed Tea had figured something out they hadn't. "Hold on, there's a rhythm to the timing of the falling cubes." She informed them, "Maybe there's some rule to where they fall as well…"

"You're a trained dancer," Yugi pointed out as Tea closed her eyes to listen, "You're got a talent for reading rhythms."

The only female of the group listened carefully and counted in her head before she opened her eyes and pointed to a spot. "There!" Just as she said that a cube fell in the spot she said it would.

"That's awesome!" Joey cheered.

Tea smiled glad she could be of some help in this game, "If the timing of the falling cubes is rhythm and the places where they fall are the steps of a dance, then it's like the cues are following a simple dance."

Yami was glad that at least one of them was able to figure it out, "The mechanism of this game is probably too big for the computer program controlling it to be too complex. It's just our luck it was kept simple so the cubes only know easy dances."

"All right all we have to do is stay light on our feet like dancers and make it to the exit." Tristan pointed out as he helped Tea up toward Joey who had already made it to the exit. "This game's easy if you know where the cubes are going to fall."

Yami helped Yugi climb up to Tristan, who then passed him up to Joey and Tea. He then used a nearby cube to get up to the spot Tristan was at so they could both get out of there.

"Tristan look out!" Tea cried out out of the blue and Yami looked up in time to see a cube coming straight down for Tristan.

Just when they thought he was going to be a goner he moved out of the way just in time by jumping off the cube he had been standing on. They all let out a breath of relief.

"Be careful the rhythm is getting faster." Tea warned them having not expected the rhythm to change like that.

"All right let's move." Tristan said as he went to help Yami climb up only to realize something causing slight terror to come to his eyes for a second.

Yami was trying to use his strength to climb up to the cube Tristan was standing on finding it not so easy when he had no one helping him. However that wasn't true when Tristan's hand reached out and the taller teen said, "Quick give me your hand."

"You go first Tristan," Yami urged knowing he would be right behind the other. They all had to get out of there and quick.

"Just give me your hand before the cubes block the exit!" Tristan shouted at him, so Yami did as told.

What shocked the slightly shorter teen wasn't when Tristan pretty much yanked him up there with him, but that instead of them both getting out of there, Tristan used his strength to keep his feet off the ground and passed him to Joey like a child.

Joey and Tea helped Yami into the hole in the wall as they all turned waiting on Tristan. "C'mon Tristan! What're you waiting for?" Joey urged not prepared for Tristan's next words.

"This is as far as I go…"

All four friends were surprised by those words and it was then they finally noticed that the end of the jacket Tristan had been wearing was trapped between two of the cubes pinning him to the spot.

Tristan gave them a thumb up and said, "Goodbye guys…" Before anyone could do anything a cube fell down blocking the exit.

* * *

**Sakura: **You know as I was typing this and looking at the manga, I bet Seto planned it just right. He probably saw them being all the best of friends and decided to ruin the moment. Either way he will get what is coming to him in the end.

**Yumi: Review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I had a feeling everyone was going to hate Seto after that. Just have to wait and see if Tristan survives, but for now we see the aftermath of the terror cubes.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty One**

**Arena # 2**

"This is as far as I go…"

Those were the last words the friends heard as the cube fell blocking the only exit. Yami's heart started to pound in his chest as the others around him kept calling out for Tristan. Sweat broke out on his forehead as the thought of his friend's death overwhelmed him.

"Tristan is…. Tristan is…." Yami kept trying to say not wanting to believe it but knowing it was probably true.

"I won't believe it! Tristan can't be gone!" Joey shouted as he continued to beat the cube that refused to move, "You can't get rid of that idiot so easily…"

'_Tristan is…Because of me, Tristan is…_' Yami continued to let his thoughts consume him as he stumbled away from the others and fell to his knees. Tristan could have gotten out of there if he had not been so worried about getting Yami out of there. '_Why…. Tristan… Yugi's grandfather…. Taken from me…'_ The feelings of abandonment felt all too real as he was forced remember how his parents were ripped from him too early. Then there were the major changes in his brothers forcing the once close siblings apart.

However the predicament he was in at that moment was caused by only one person. A new feeling of power and anger swelled within him as Yami thought, '_Curse you Seto!'_

Tea looked back at that moment to see something was not right with Yami. She rushed over to his side placing a comforting hand on his back, "Tristan is going to be alright. I'm sure he's alive."

Joey delivered one final punch to the cube before shouting, "Tristan, listen up! We're gonna go on ahead but you use that hard head of yours to get outta that fix. We'll be waiting for you… you idiot!" Tears had started to develop in his eyes but he wiped them away before facing the others still with him, "C'mon, let's go."

"Wait…" Tea said stopping Joey, "Yami's acting strange… Something's wrong…."

Yugi was already kneeling in front of Yami trying to snap Yami out of it. He had a feeling he knew what was happening, but he could also tell that Yami appeared to be fighting it. The shock of what happened must have pushed him over the edge once again like all those other times and the other Yami was trying to surface to protect them. If Yami was fighting it that meant he was scared, but Yugi was there and he was not going to let Yami deal with this alone.

* * *

In the command room Seto had watched the scene unfold with a smirk, "If this is chess, Yugi is the King, Joey and Yami the knights, and Tristan must be the rook…." He reached over to knock down the rook that was on a chess set he kept beside him. "The rook has been captured so the countdown to checkmate has begun…"

"They don't give up easy. Do they big brother?" A younger voice questioned as Mokuba entered the room.

"Mokuba…" Seto acknowledge without turning to look at his little brother.

"They're almost at the final stage and you know what that means." Mokuba pointed out with his hands on his hips. "Do you remember your bet with me? The one we made before you started the 'Death-T plan? We bet on which stage of the theme park Yugi would die in."

"Yes…"

"And you bet on Death T-5. Isn't that right big brother?"

"You bet on Death T-4, didn't you..?" Seto countered still not turning to face his brother.

Mokuba glared at his older brother, "Of course I did you jerk! Death T-4 is the stage where I fight Yugi."

"Yes I know Mokuba…" Seto confirmed, but also added, "I bet on the final stage of the theme park Death T-5… The final game of Duel Monsters."

"You know what I mean!" Mokuba shouted at Seto, "You bet on Yugi instead of your own brother! How do you think that feels?"

Seto cut his eyes back to look at Mokuba from the side, "And I still feel the same. You can't beat Yugi. I opposed your participation from the beginning."

Mokuba growled at his brother with his fists clenched as Seto continued with, "Mokuba. You tried to show me up by challenging Yugi to a game before didn't you? Do you think I don't know the outcome of that game?"

"Th-That's not…." Mokuba was almost at a loss for words. He knew Seto knew that it wasn't Yugi he faced but their own brother Yami in his last game of capsule monsters. If Yami hadn't stepped in Yugi was sure to have lost, but his own brother got in the way. "I… I just… I just thought you'd like me if I beat him…" There was that, but there was another part of him that wanted to show Yami that Yugi wasn't good for him. He wasn't going to say that in front of Seto.

"Know this!" Seto exclaimed gaining Mokuba's attention, "There is no such thing as brotherly love in the gaming world. Until you figure that out, you will always be a loser, Mokuba."

Mokuba hated those words so much and he was sick of hearing them, "I'll show you!" He shouted at Seto, "I'll beat Yugi myself!" He then turned to the two goons behind him, "You! Are the preparations for Death T-4 ready?"

"Yes Sir, master Mokuba."

"Then let's go!" Mokuba left the room with the two goons following him, stomping his way down the hall. '_Just you watch! Today I'll finally show my brothers that I am a gamer!'_

* * *

"Yami… Come on you have to snap out of it!" Yugi called out to his boyfriend shaking his shoulders. He was really scared at that moment and he wanted to know Yami was going to be okay. Their two friends were just standing there at a loss of what to do.

Yami took a sharp intake of breath as he carefully said, "I can't hold it back… Something inside of me…"

"Yami… You're just tired from all the stress…" Tea pointed out trying to be supportive. They were all tired and it had been a very stressful day.

"No… I…." Yami shook his head trying so hard to fight it. Finally the grip he felt pulling at his mind started to subside allowing him to be able to think straight again, "There's something I've kept secret from you all…"

This surprised both Tea and Joey, but Yugi had a feeling he knew what Yami was about to tell him. He was scared this day was going to come sooner rather than later. Yugi just hated it had to be at a moment like this, but if Yami was realizing there was something off about himself and was ready to tell them, then Yugi would need to come clean too.

"I think there's another 'me' inside of myself that I don't know about…" Yami explained as he gripped his hair frustrated by it all. "There have been times when I black out. I think I'm changing into someone that I don't know about…"

Tears started to gather at the corner of Yami's eyes terrified of what might happened now. He didn't want to lose anyone else, but he was sick of feeling this way, "I'm scared…. I was afraid that if you knew about the other me… You might leave me!"

Yugi's eyes softened as he reached out to wipe away the tears. He forced Yami to look at him and kept a smile on his face despite the situation to calm Yami down. "Lately I have noticed a change in you when you are scared or anger, but it's nothing to be afraid of."

This was news to them all and even surprised Yami to hear Yugi say that. Joey and Tea remained quiet as they simply listened to what Yugi was telling Yami.

"I think it has something to do with my millennium puzzle, but you have nothing to fear from your other self." Yugi reassured Yami, "No matter what happens I am here and I'm not going anywhere." There wasn't time for a full on explanation given the situation, but Yugi would tell Yami everything after they were done and he was sure his grandfather was going to be okay. For now he could calm Yami down so they could get through this. He wanted his boyfriend's support before he went on to face Yami's own twin brother.

"Yami…" Joey spoke up causing them all to look his way, "I swear to you. Even if there is another person inside of you. We'll always be friends." They had been through too much to end a friendship over something like that. Honestly Joey wasn't too sure about anything at that moment, but Yami had been there for him and he was going to be there Yami.

Yami looked at them all in surprise not believing that by coming out and saying what he did that he would feel so much better. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"He's right. We'll always be friends." Tea added in with a smile of her own reaching out a hand to help Yami up.

Yami nodded and shakily stood up with Yugi beside him. "Thank you…"

Yugi grabbed one of Yami's hands in his own and gave it a squeeze before they all turned to hurry away from there and to the next challenge. Yami briefly looked behind him promising to come back for Tristan when this was over. Tristan wouldn't go down without a fight so Yami could only hope Tristan could hold out for a little longer.

As they were hurrying down the rather short hallway they noticed they could hear noise coming from the open doorway just ahead. It was only until they made it through into the light that their eyes widen at the sight.

Before them was a giant arena with cheering fans all around in the stands. Below them was a giant capsule monsters board while above suspended from the ceiling was another one of those glass cubes like the one Seto had dueled in not too long ago with Solomon. There were three paths leading from the cube, one was the one they were standing on, another was straight across from them and the last one to their left which led to an elevator with an up arrow posted above it.

Also straight across from them on the path was their opponent Mokuba Kaiba, Yami's own little brother, ready to face Yugi in a one on one game of capsule monsters.

"Yugi welcome to my stage Death T-4!" Mokuba announced with a grin as he stared them down, "This is a battle between you and me. Leave your friends where they are and come to the duel box alone."

Yugi also stared Mokuba down not one bit afraid of the challenge. Yami had taken his place in the last game, but this time he was determined to face Mokuba himself and show the little brat he could not be push around.

"Yugi it's too dangerous for you alone." Joey said recalling the game they played with Mokuba at the manor. There was no telling what kind of tricks Mokuba had up his sleeve. "I'll go too."

Yugi shook his head, "No, I have to do this alone." He turned to face his friends and boyfriend with a smile. "I'll never be alone, because I have you guys by my side. No matter where you are, you are always with me." His eyes meet Yami's and he could see the other was still unsure. "You trust me, right Yami?"

Yami did with all his heart, but his brothers were after his lover and wanted to see him die. He couldn't lose Yugi, he just couldn't! "I…."

/_Trust…him_/

Those words from a voice unknown in the back of Yami's mind surprised the other. He had thought it was his own inner voice talking to him, but there was something different about this voice.

/_Trust…him_/

"Okay…" Yami said out loud as if answering that voice. He looked toward the others and noticed the strange looks he was getting and blushed slightly in embarrassment, "What I mean is I do trust you Yugi."

Yugi was glad to hear that as he reached up to give Yami a kiss, "I will win don't worry about that. Be strong for me like I will be strong for you."

Yami nodded as he watched Yugi turn and walk away from them toward the duel box in the center of the arena. Just the thought of Yugi going it alone terrified Yami after all they been through with his brothers. However he had to trust that Yugi knew what he was doing and could stand on his own with their support.

The roar of the crowd became less deafening once Yugi entered the duel box where inside he found Mokuba sitting at a table with a smaller version of the board that was below their feet.

"Congratulations on making it to Death T-4 Yugi," Mokuba said with this smug grin on his face, "Too bad for you it was just a warm-up."

"Didn't your brother teach you a lesson last time, you little brat?" Yugi questioned as he took his seat at the table. He was really getting sick of Mokuba and with how much of a spoil brat he was acting.

Mokuba simply chuckled at the question not bothering with answer, but instead said, "I'm going to prove once and for all that you are every bit a weakling and not worthy of my brothers time. However if you do somehow manage to defeat me…." He pointed toward the elevator. "That elevator will take you to the final stage where you will face Seto."

"So I've got to beat you to get to it…"

"Like you have a chance you're gonna die at this stage along with your friends."

Those words caused Yugi to turn and he was shocked to find two guards behind Joey and Tea with guns pointed at their heads. Yami, who had been standing in front of Joey and Tea, was left free and clear, but Yugi could tell by his face that Yami was not happy about what was happening. The guards seemed to only follow Seto and Mokuba's orders and Yami was helpless to stop any of it.

"Don't worry about us!" Joey shouted to Yugi not one bit afraid, "Just kick his butt at his own game!"

Yugi wanted to help, but he knew the only way to stop this was to defeat Mokuba. So he turned back in his seat to face Mokuba and get this game started.

"Let the game begin, Capsule monster chess the virtual reality version!" Mokuba announced before explaining, "We will play capsule monster chess on this board but the battle will be displayed by virtual reality on the giant field below us." He pulled out two capsules and placed them on the board, "Let me give you a demonstration. This strong piece is like me. It will do battle with this pathetic, low-level piece like you."

Just like with Duel monsters the two capsule monsters that Mokuba had placed on the field appeared in bigger versions on the field below their feet for the audience to enjoy. The two monsters were placed right in front of each other so they would do battle.

"Now fight!" With one blast the much stronger monster destroyed the much weaker monster in one go.

Mokuba was enjoying every minute of that as he informed Yugi, "I'll destroy you just like I destroy this weak little monster. Of course the loser will play a penalty game, 'The Experience of Death'!"

Yugi recalled that penalty game all too well and there was no way he could lose. He had too much riding on this game to experience what his grandfather did.

"Now the game begins…" Mokuba said as he thought, '_I will defeat Yugi. I'll be the one to destroy him! I'll show my brother!'_

"I'll take you on, Mokuba." Yugi replied as he thought, '_I have to win to make it to the final stage.'_

* * *

**Sakura: **I always feel really bad for Mokuba for having a brother like Seto, but Seto isn't so bad later in the manga. So at the moment there is no brotherly love, but it won't last forever! The brothers will reunite soon, well maybe not too soon, but it will happen. Also there was not much explanation on Yugi's part about what was going on with Yami, but given the situation there really was no time. Sorry if that part appeared short...

**Yumi: Review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Yugi and Mokuba finally face off in a deadly game of Capsule Monster Chess. Let's see who the winner will be...

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Two**

**Board Game ****Death-match**

The name of the game was Capsule Monster Chess and the loser would be forced to play a penalty game called 'The Experience of Death'. This game was going to be a true fight for Yugi, but in more ways than one. One of the ways was that he was fighting his way up to face Seto, however another fight for Yugi that was more personal was showing Mokuba and Seto that he was no push over and deserved to be with Yami. He was not going to force them to accept their relationship, but he did not want to be hated because of it for the rest of his life.

'_I will win this game Mokuba!' _Yugi thought as he stared the younger Kaiba down. '_I will get past you and face Seto.'_

'_I'm gonna win Yugi. You'll never even get to see my big brother.' _Mokuba thought with a grin, before he pointed over to the coin machine that was beside their table. "First, we each draw our capsule monsters from the coin machine."

No other words were said between the two as they went through the process of getting their monsters for the game. Yugi had a feeling Mokuba had a trick up his sleeve but he would face the challenge head on and win no matter what.

'_This machine is rigged to give me the most powerful capsule monsters and to leave you stuck with a group of weaklings.'_ Mokuba thought as he watched Yugi gather his team. This battle would be the easiest one he had ever faced and he would show Seto who the real gamer was. "There's no way I can lose, Yugi!" He continued to taunt since as he knew would happen he ended up with four level five monsters and one level four monster, while Yugi ended up with three level one monsters and two level two monsters.

Yugi kept on a poker face not showing any weakness as he figured out Mokuba's trick, '_The machine must have been rigged. There's too much difference in the monsters levels. He must have planned this all along…'_ He surveyed the board they were playing on noticing it was battlefield number twenty five which was called 'Garnaster's Boarder'. It was an upper level board and a very tricky board at that with mountains in the middle making it so that there were only two paths to try and get to the other players side. The point of getting to the other player's side on this board was for the evolution spaces. Yugi's was on Mokuba's side of the field while Mokuba's was on Yugi's side. It made the game that much harder if the players wished to evolve their monsters.

"Place your capsules in your territory. See if you can think up a good formation for those monsters." Mokuba chuckled as he began to place his own monsters on his side of the field.

'_Now… how to fight…'_ Yugi thought as he watched where Mokuba put his own monsters. '_This board has one path on each side but you can't get by if the enemy is waiting for you…'_ He had played a few times with his friends, but Mokuba had probably been playing longer. However they both learned from the creator and in the end that would be Mokuba's down fall with his cheating ways. A idea came to Yugi as he surveyed the board one final time and began to place his own monsters where he knew they would work out best.

"If you're done then capsules out… Don't wet yourself when you see my monsters Yugi." Mokuba warned as he took the capsules off his monsters to reveal a level five Megaton, Big Foot, Zoid 'M', and Armorsaurus. There was also a level four Nama Hargen. The way he had placed them was in a wave pattern on his side of the field.

Once Mokuba's eyes landed on Yugi's side of the field he had to laugh not believing the formation Yugi had picked out. "What's that setup supposed to be? All the weaklings together…" He couldn't stop the chuckles that escaped his mouth, "Yugi you suck at this."

Yugi had placed his level one Mogley, Brain Slime, and Toppo, along with his level two Ninja Squid in a square with his level two Beeton to the side beside the group. They were all placed in front of one of the two paths like a mini army. '_Almost all Mokuba's monsters are level five. If I fight them one on one they'll be unstoppable. This is the only way to face them.' _There was strength in numbers and Yugi would show Mokuba a thing or two about the game. No matter how weak there was always a way to face a tougher opponent and win.

"All right game start!"

The crowd went wild when the creatures appeared on the board below their feet allowing everyone to see the battle that would take place in the box above. The creatures looked so life like and this was certainly going to be a new way to play the capsule monsters board game.

"C'mon Yugi, you gotta win!" Joey shouted to his friend hoping Yugi could hear him.

Yami continued to clench and unclench his fist trying to keep calm and stay strong for Yugi. He had taught Yugi everything he knew about the game just like he had with Mokuba. They both knew the ends and out, but Yugi was more level headed and a better gamer. Mokuba still had a long way to go and if he did win somehow it would be a miracle. Yami could already tell by the board below that Yugi had a strategy in mind and he could only watch and see if it worked.

"I go first," Mokuba said and wasted no time in moving his Armorsaurus to another spot on the board. On the giant board below the crowd outside could see where Mokuba could move the creature before he moved it. Once he placed the creature in its new spot the giant creature below walked to that spot on the board.

"Your move Yugi…"

Yugi remade silence with his eyes closed not listening to Mokuba at all.

"Did you hear me? I said it's your turn!"

"I pass. Don't have to move." Yugi said with his eyes still closed. He would move his monsters when the time was right, but for now he would skip his turn.

"What?" Mokuba said in disbelief before his eyes harden in a glare thinking. '_You're up to something! See if I care…'_ Out loud he said, "Fine! If you won't move, then I'll come to you."

Mokuba had a strategy of his own since Yugi would not move. He decided to split his monsters into two groups and attack from both front and behind. Yugi's monsters would be pinned and there would be nothing he could do to win after that. So with that plan in mind he started to put his strategy into play.

The crowd along with Yugi's friends and boyfriend watched as Mokuba made move after move and Yugi did nothing but sit there and pass his turn. There was noise all around as the crowd tried to figure out if Yugi had given up or not.

"What is he doing?" Joey asked Yami who continued to watch the game intently. "At this rate Mokuba will have him cornered."

"Just watch Yugi knows what he is doing." Yami told them as he watched each move Mokuba made. There was a way out of his corner if Yugi made the right moves, but he had a feeling his little lover already had the same plan he had already in mind.

In a few short turns Mokuba had Yugi's monsters surrounded with his own. A few of his monsters were deep in Yugi's territory leaving Yugi no room for escape.

"This duel is mine!" Mokuba cheered and it was then something changed.

Yugi opened his eyes and made his first move out of the whole game by moving his Beeton which was a worm like creature up a spot.

"You're too late Yugi! I'll attack with Armorsaurus!" Mokuba said with a laugh and his Armorsaurus attacked Yugi's Brain Slime destroying it quickly. Once that was taken care of his turn was not over yet, "I'm not done yet, Armorsaurus's turn isn't over."

With those words Armorsaurus rolled into a ball and rolled over Yugi's Toppo destroying it. It was Armorsaurus's special ability to curl up in a ball allowing it to destroy the nearest monster in a straight line.

Mokuba was enjoying the game a little too much, "You've already lost two monsters!" He taunted.

'_It's not over yet… I won't give up until the end!'_ Yugi kept as calm as possible and kept his poker face on.

"I'm going to have some fun and destroy all your monsters with just Armorsaurus!" Mokuba informed Yugi before sending his creature off again to destroy another of Yugi's monsters. However there was a twist in the game that Mokuba had overlooked.

Just when Armorsaurus was about to flatten Yugi's Mogley which was a small mole. The little creature's special ability kicked in. It allowed the little guy to dig a hole to get out of the way. This would be the start of Mokuba's down fall.

'_I forgot he can burrow!'_ Mokuba cursed himself as he realized Armorsaurus couldn't stop its roll making its next target one of Mokuba's monsters which had been in front of Mogley. In one quick turn both Armorsaurus and Mokuba's Megaton were destroyed together given they were both level five monsters.

"High level monsters have unrivaled power, but you need to learn to control it." Yugi said giving Mokuba a lesson in only using high level monsters. Sure they were awesome to have, but if weaker ones were used correctly they could be just as powerful. "Now you've lost two monsters Mokuba."

Outside the box the moves made by Yugi surprised the crowd and his friends. Joey could not believe Yugi was able to pull off moves like that. "Yugi's finally fighting back."

Yami could agree with him and he was proud of Yugi. If you knew the abilities and used them to your advantage the high level monsters did not stand a chance. Yugi's next few moves would be critical and he needed to play his monsters right if he wanted to win. "This game is far from over, but Yugi now has a better chance at winning. We will have to see what else Mokuba has in store."

"You really think Mokuba still has a chance to win?" Tea asked after being silent for most of the game.

"I taught Mokuba everything he knows about the game just like I did with Yugi." Yami informed them. "He has spent days training trying to become the best. Mokuba is still young and could learn a thing or two about being a true gamer. However he could prove me wrong today by being able to defeat Yugi."

"Yugi's the master at any game I doubt Mokuba could beat him." Joey said with a grin. Yugi loved games of all kinds and no matter how hard he tried he could never beat him. He doubt Mokuba would be able to not with so much riding on this game.

Yami nodded, "That is true and I know Yugi can do it. If anything Mokuba has been listening to Seto too much and has lost his way. He has to put his heart in it if he wishes to defeat Yugi."

Back in the box Yugi picked up the ninja squid and moved it to a different spot. "Now I'll move this piece to attack Zoid 'M'. A level two monster can't hope to match it, but there is one way it can defeat a level five enemy…"

Once beside the level five Zoid 'M', the Ninja Squid's special ability kicked in. In one move it destroyed itself and Zoid 'M' by blowing them both up. It was a sacrifice that had to be made, but one well worth it.

Mokuba was in a state of panic as he lost yet another monster, "I-It took out my monster in a suicide attack!"

"And now a path has been opened."

Mokuba looked down and finally noticed Yugi's true plan all along. All this time and all the moves Mokuba made left all monsters on Yugi's side of the field. This left the evolution space free and open. The little bug Beeton had a clear path toward the space once Yugi took a few more turns.

'_He sacrificed the other pieces to let one weak monster reach the evolution space.' _Mokuba thought in disbelief not believing he could let such a simple mistake happen. '_My monsters are too far away! I can't stop Beeton from evolving.' _As Yugi took his turn again and moved Beeton, Mokuba continued to stress about the outcome, '_Monsters that reach the evolution space automatically evolve three levels. Which means this useless level two…'_

Mokuba took his turn and then Yugi took his moving Beeton again. '…w_ill transform into a powerful monster!'_

A final move was made and Yugi was able to put Beeton on the evolution space. "I've reached the evolution space." With those words Beeton began to evolve before everyone's' eyes. He slowly began to change from a weak little worm to a strong fierce beetle.

"No matter how weak a monster is, if you believe in each step it takes, it will grow strong." Yugi explained to Mokuba now that he had a level five Hyper Beetle on his team. "Let's go!"

Thanks to his new transformation Hyper Beetle was able to use its special ability of fly and horn attack to go after Mokuba's level four Nama Hargen. It took the lower level monster out with one move leaving Mokuba with only one monster left in the whole battle.

In the end there was only Hyper Beetle and the level five Big Foot left to stand off against each other face to face.

"Yugi this battle will decide the game." Mokuba decided to point out as he thought with a chuckle, '_Hyper Beetle's long range attacks are powerful but in close quarters Big Foot is stronger.'_

The two opponents leveled each other with just their eyes neither showing worry or weakness and everyone outside waited with silent breaths to see the outcome of this final battle.

Finally both Yugi and Mokuba shouted, "Fight!" sending both their creatures at each other. For a full minute nothing seemed to happen as their creatures stood there with their backs to each other. However after a minute was up Hyper Beetle fell and was no more as it disappeared.

"HAHAHA Hyper beetle is dead!" Mokuba laughed, "Yugi you're done for!"

Yugi had a slight sense of panic when he realized Mokuba had noticed his hidden monster on the field. There was one other little creature that had remained hidden for the rest of the battle.

"Yugi… You had another monster hiding on the board didn't you? Do you think I'll let it get away?" Mokuba had not forgotten about Mogley which had dug its way away the first time but had now resurfaced on the board. At first it was easy to forget about but Mokuba had only killed four monsters and Yugi still had one weakling left.

"This is it! The last monster!" Mokuba shouted with a grin. He couldn't believe he had beat Yugi of all people before his own brother! '_I did it! I win!' _

However before Mokuba could fully celebrate his win, something was up with his Big Foot monster. The creature had yet to kill the little mole in the ground. It stood there for a while until finally a large crack started to develop on his face. Then before everyone's eyes the creature broke down into pieces finally destroyed from Hyper Beetle's attack.

'_It can't be… Hyper Beetle's attack was a critical hit?' _Mokuba was in a state of shock as he watched his last creature disappear from the board leaving him without any monsters.

"You know the saying 'It's not over 'till it's over'." Yugi reminded Mokuba with a smirk of his own, "Now it's truly over and I win Mokuba."

* * *

**Sakura: **Mokuba just got his butt handed to him again, but this time by Yugi! Do not worry this is the last time Mokuba will try and go at Yugi. There is a critical moment in the next chapter for those two and well I'll just keep it a secret for now. Until the next chapter!

**Yumi: Review!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It's no big surprise that Yugi would be the winner... Now it's time to see the aftermath of that battle.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Three**

**Battle Beyond Hope**

Before everyone's eyes Mokuba's monster was no more and given Yugi still had one monster on the field he was the winner of their battle. Mokuba had lost once again at his favorite game of capsule monsters.

"I win this game Mokuba." Yugi informed the younger Kaiba.

'_No way… It's a mistake….' _Mokuba thought over and over in his head as he stared at the board in front of him. He had this look of disbelief and shock not wanting to believe he had lost. '_I lost….?'_

The audience in the stands who had been cheering for Mokuba had soon changed their tune to cheering for Yugi, the King of Games. Tea, Joey, and Yami were even happy for Yugi as Joey shouted, "You did it Yugi!" They all knew what Yugi's next fight would be, but at least they were able to get over this challenge in one piece and were one step closer to finally being done with Death-T.

Mokuba banged his fist against the table in frustration as the door beside them opened up for Yugi since he had won. Yugi felt bad for Mokuba who only wanted to prove himself to his brothers, but he was going about it all the wrong way. He hoped to one day be able to be friends with Mokuba, but for now he needed to go face Seto so they could get out of there.

"I'll be going…" Yugi said as he stood to leave. Just when he was outside of the cube did he hear shouting behind him.

"Wait Yugi…" Mokuba shouted at him, "I won't believe it! There's no way I could lose. All of my capsule monsters were higher level and stronger than yours. There was no way I could lose to you!"

Yugi sighed and turned to face Mokuba once again and explain what happened, but he was surprised to find that on the huge screens above the box Seto's face was clear as day. It was surprising to see all of a sudden and everyone else appeared just as surprised.

"I've been waiting for you Yugi." Seto said addressing only him, "Good job, but I've gotten bored of these amusements. Take that path to the elevator and rise to the final stage."

Yugi glared at Seto, "I will, don't you go anywhere!" He shouted at the screen sick and tired of all these games, "You'll get your game all right!"

Inside the box there was a screen allowing Mokuba to also see his brother's face. Mokuba looked pretty scared for the moment like he had done something truly horrible and was about to get punished, "S-Seto… ah… I…."

"I've felt your pathetic clinging loser's glaze staring at my back for years. I kept telling you over and over Mokuba. If you play with fire you'll get burned." Off screen no one could see Seto as he reached out for a button in front of him, "You understand don't you? Only the winner is allowed out of that duel box. A penalty game awaits the loser. That is the law of Death-T."

'_Huh….?' _Mokuba watched as the box started to fill with smoke, '_He wouldn't… My brother wouldn't do it to me…. Not that…'_ He then let out a terrifying scream that could be heard outside the box as creatures of all kinds started to reach out for Mokuba.

"Mokuba!" Yugi yelled and could not believe what he was witnessing, '_Impossible. He would put his own brother through a penalty game!' _Before he knew what he was doing he was hurrying back to the box.

"Save me big brother!" Mokuba shouted as he was faced with a terrifying dragon with its mouth wide open ready to eat him.

"Mokuba… take my hand!" Yugi shouted as he reached into the smoke hoping Mokuba could see it. It appeared he had when Yugi felt a hand close around his and so the smaller duelist pulled until Mokuba was completely out of the box.

With its victim gone the illusion started to disappear. Mokuba kneeled down on the ground trying to calm his racing heart and once he realized what he was doing, he yanked his hand away from Yugi's.

"Why…Why did you save me…?" These were the first words out of Mokuba's mouth as he looked up at Yugi.

Yugi smiled down at the younger Kaiba, "Mokuba. I wouldn't have won this game if I didn't have friends who reached out to me. Plus you are important to Yami and I can't stand by and watch someone he loves be hurt." He kneeled down in front of Mokuba and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Mokuba I know you don't like me but I will always be there if you need me."

"Mokuba!" The two turned to see Yami was standing in the doorway of the box looking at the two of them. He had this look of relief in his eyes as he fell to his knees and pulled his younger brother into a hug. "I was so worried…" He looked up to Yugi, "Thank you…"

"You know I could never let anything happen to Mokuba." Yugi said as he turned to see his friends were still being held at gun point. The goons must have not cared that Yami slipped away to make sure his brother was okay, but it looked like his friends were still going to be kept from him for now.

Yami pulled his younger brother back enough to look Mokuba in the eyes, "Don't you ever do something like that again!" He then turned and looked up toward the monitor to find that Seto was no longer on screen. "Runs and hides like a coward."

Mokuba bowed his head as he recalled Seto's words, '_Until you realize that there is no such thing as brotherly love, you will always be a loser'. _He shook his head and tried to rid himself of that thought. "NO!" He shouted surprising both Yugi and Yami. "Seto is not a coward. He didn't mean to hurt me I just know it."

"Mokuba he gave you a penalty game. I know Seto is our brother, but he has taken things too far." Yami tried to reason with his younger sibling.

"Yeah and what would you know. You haven't been around both you and Seto are leaving me behind." Mokuba turned to glare at Yugi. "It's his entire fault."

Yugi looked away for a moment with a sigh before he also kneeled down beside Mokuba. "You hate me for taking Yami away don't you?"

Mokuba had tears gathering in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "Yami is never around anymore and Seto can't go one day without talking about defeating you in a duel. I'm sick of hearing it!" The younger Kaiba turned and hid his face in Yami's shirt so no one could see the pain he was in. "I want my brothers back."

Yami wrapped his arms around Mokuba and held him close. He tried to come home every once in a while and be there for Mokuba when he needed him, but things had changed. Yami was in college, he had friends and a boyfriend, and…. However that wasn't an excuse at all. His brothers were the only family he had left and he was finally seeing that he may have neglected them more than he thought.

"I'm sorry… It's my fault."

Both Mokuba and Yugi looked up at Yami in surprise.

"Mokuba, I love you, I hope you know that, but I also love Yugi. In a different way of course…" Yami smiled down at Mokuba. "I want both of you in my life. I know it used to just be the three of us, but is it really so bad to welcome someone else into the family?"

Mokuba looked up at Yami before he looked behind him at Yugi who had kept his distance. The shorter duelist had never really done anything to him except keep most of his brothers' attention. Yami and Seto were the only family he had left and he thought he would never see the day where they both would have eyes for someone else.

"Could you please get to know him?" Yami asked of his brother. "I'm sure the two of you have a few things in common like capsule monsters for one. I bet if the two of you fought each other fair and square it would be an awesome sight to see."

Yugi agreed he liked that idea if Mokuba was willing to give it a try. "I'm sorry for taking most of Yami's attention, but did you know that most of the time that I'm with him he always talks about you."

Mokuba eyes widen surprised to hear that. "Really?"

Yugi nodded, "After he goes to visit you he tells me all about how well you have done in school and how smart you are. I know both your brothers love you very much and no one could replace you in their hearts."

The tears in Mokuba's eyes finally fell as he took out the photo he always carried. It was of him and Seto playing a game of chess when they were in the orphanage. Yami was standing behind Mokuba because he had been giving him some help. The three of them were smiling at the camera that one of the nice ladies who worked there had. She wanted to take a picture for them to remember that moment.

"I promise Mokuba that if you can give me a chance, I'm sure we can be the best of friends." Yugi said as he held out his hand. "Can we start over?"

Mokuba looked at the happy picture one more time before he looked at Yugi. "I'll try…" He slowly took Yugi's hand and shook it. "Yugi do you think you could help Seto?"

Yugi looked confused as they all stood up not sure what Mokuba was talking about. "With what?"

"I want to see him smile again. Over the years Seto has changed and I'm scared what might happen to him." Mokuba looked up at Yami, "I feel like he's not even my brother anymore."

Yami hugged his brother one more time before moving away from Mokuba, "Yugi and I will help Seto as best we can Moki. You stay here where you will be safe, alright?" He moved over to his boyfriend and took Yugi's hand in his.

Mokuba nodded his head as he held on to his photo tight as he watched the two walk away toward the elevator. He wished things could be how they were when the three of them were little, but as times changed so did the people around him. Mokuba had been so scared of change that he had changed himself. He just hoped Yami and Yugi could help Seto so they could start over.

* * *

The arena for Death T-4 had cleared out quickly as the audience hurried to the next arena so they would not miss the duel between Seto and Yugi the King of Games.

"You're going upstairs as well." The goon behind Joey commanded.

Joey just smirked glad to hear that, "You bet. Front row seats if you please. Where we can get a good view when Yugi clobbers that jerk Seto." He then turned on the spot and managed to grab the cell phone in the goon's pocket. "One more thing. Let me borrow your cell phone."

"Hey…Who are you calling?" Tea asked as the goon behind Joey tried to figure out how Joey got his cell phone.

"Tomoya to see how Grandpa is doing. Last we heard he might not be doing so well so I wanted to see if anything has changed." Joey informed her before he heard someone pick up on the other end.

"_Hello…"_

"Tomoya it's Joey how's gramps doing?"

Tomoya sighed on the other end. "_He's in emergency surgery right now. It started an hour ago, but you should know. The surgeon says there isn't much hope."_

Joey's eyes widen at the news. "I see… Tomoya, you and Duke make sure to stay there for Mrs. Mutou. Call us if anything happens…."

"_Yes of course…"_

The two hung up, but Joey held on to the phone. "It sounds bad…" He explained to Tea.

She was shocked to hear that and she hoped that grandpa Mutou did pull through. It would be a major blow to them all if he did not make it.

Joey used the cell to try and call Tristan, but he was having no luck. "Of course Tristan isn't answering his cell either. It can't get much worse…"

After that the goon was able to get his cell phone back and then both Joey and Tea were escorted to the new arena.

* * *

As the elevator slowly rose to its final location Yugi and Yami stood side by side leaning against the back wall. They hadn't said much between the two of them since they were both worried about the outcome. However there was something important Yami wanted to ask of Yugi that wasn't going to be easy.

"Yugi I need to ask a favor of you."

Yugi looked toward his boyfriend confused. "Sure what is it?"

Yami held out his hand, "I need to borrow your dueling deck."

That request completely blew Yugi away. This was the last thing he ever thought Yami would ask of him in a moment like this. "Why?"

"As much as Seto wants to duel against you. I can't sit by and let my brother destroy those I care about." Yami said thinking back to Grandpa and Tristan, along with his little brother. He knew Yugi wanted to get revenge as much as he did, but this was something he needed to do. "I know you can defeat Seto even if he doesn't think so, but I need to face him and reawaken the real him that I know is still inside."

"You think dueling him yourself might help Seto?"

"I won't know until I try."

Yugi looked down at his dueling deck for a moment realizing that this was not only his fight but Yami's fight also. His boyfriend would be going up against not only his own brother, but his own twin at that. There may have been one point in life when these two were close, but over time that bond shattered leaving only broken pieces. Judging by the way his lover was acting he wanted to repair that bond and bring out the real Seto that was hidden. It was then Yugi knew what he needed to do.

Yami looked down at his hand as Yugi placed his deck there. The two looked at each other with Yugi smiling at him.

"I have faith in you, like you have faith in me." The shorter duelist reached up to give Yami a quick kiss. "No matter what happens I am here for you."

Yami let a smile come to his face and hugged Yugi glad to have someone in his life who was so supportive of him. There were things in his life that he needed to face, but as long as he had those dear to him he would never truly be alone.

There moment was forced to end when the elevator made it to its destination causing the two to break apart. They stepped out into the new arena to find a whole different playing field with cheering fans. Instead of a glass box, the new dueling arena was covered by a dome. The two looked across the way to find Seto stepping out of his own elevator with the same smug smirk on his face.

"Welcome to the final stage Yugi!"

Yami scowled at his twin as he left Yugi's side and headed straight for the dome. "Your fight is with me now Seto! If you manage to defeat me in a duel only then will you face Yugi."

Seto seemed unfazed by the turn of events as he entered the dome as well. "I had a feeling you would pull something like this little brother, so I'll accept your challenge."

Yami continued to glare at his twin as they took their place at the table. "I'll make you pay for all that you have done."

"Words mean nothing to us anymore. What will decide our fates are the cards." Seto explained as he placed his deck on the table. "Before staring the game we will shuffle and cut each other's deck."

Once that was over with the two drew their first cards. Joey and Tea arrived around that time and were surprised to find Yami in the arena and not Yugi. It was certainly a turn of events.

'_I will win.'_ Yami told himself since he believed in Yugi's deck and knew it would bring him to victory. He pulled one card from his hand and played it down. "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress in attack mode."

"I'll take you on. My card is Hitotsu-me Giant!" Seto placed his card down, but it did not stand a chance against Yami's card.

In one turn Seto's monster was destroyed. "Your Cyclops was destroyed with that attack and you lose two hundred life points." Yami informed him, however Seto was not fazed at all.

Seto only continued to wear that smug smirk on his face as he said, "That doesn't hurt a bit."

* * *

**Sakura: **I'm proud of myself this chapter was going to end up being really really short, but I managed to add a few things here and there to make it longer. I wanted to give Yugi and Mokuba a moment to show that Mokuba is going to try and give Yugi a chance. I will develop that more once Death-T is over with.

**Yumi: Review!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Small Note**

**Sakura:** Not much to say except I combined chapters To the Death and The Terror of the Blue Eyes from the manga so this chapter would be longer. It would have ended up way short if I kept with the manga completely.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Four**

**The Terror of the Blue Eyes**

In the arena Yami had just attacked with his Winged Dragon taking out Seto's Hitotsu-Me Giant bringing Seto's life points down to eighteen hundred. The crowd outside was all rile up by the duel playing out cheering for which Kaiba brother they believed would win.

'_I let you win the first exchange,' _Seto thought to himself with a smirk, '_My deck has three blue-eyes white dragon cards. This duel is already won!'_

Yami looked toward Yugi's deck knowing it would bring him to victory. '_I believe in Yugi's deck. I will defeat Seto.'_

"Now it's my turn to draw," Seto said as he took his turn. He looked at the card he drew from his deck. "Yami… I can feel your puny heart pounding every time I draw a card. That's because you know the moment I draw my blue eyes white dragon, you will die…"

Yami watched as Seto held a card up and wonder if he had already drew the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Every card could be beaten, but Yami worried with how he would be able to beat it. Yugi had defeated the best duelist around with this deck. Yami could only hope it would bring him to victory also.

"The card I play is…" Seto put down the Wicked Worm Beast in attack mode. "It equals the Winged Dragon in both level and attack points. Worm Beast, Kill him!"

"I'll take you on!" Yami called out as he also attacked with his monster.

The Wicked Worm Beast shot poison out at the Dragon however thanks to Winged Dragon's ability to fly he had a thirty five percent chance to evade. Thankfully luck was on the Dragon's side as he was able to evade the attack.

"And now counter attack!" With that the Dragon released its fireball attack destroying the Beast in one strike. "The Winged Dragon destroys your Worm Beast." Yami said with a smirk of his own.

Seto once against was not fazed by his second monsters destruction. "Since their attack points were the same my life points are not affected."

Outside the arena Joey and Tea watched on as Yami defeated two of Seto's monsters. "Awright! Seto lost again…" Joey cheered. His friends would probably think him strange for wishing Seto would lose given his feelings for Seto, but right now Joey wanted Seto to get what was coming to him. Unless Seto changed there would be no future for them and Joey was coming to terms with that. If it was to happen it would happen, but he refused to be with someone who would hurt others to get his way.

"Way to go Yami!" Yugi cheered being on the other side of the arena away from his friends. It was tough being stuck near the elevator with no one with him, but once Yami won they would be out of there and going to see his grandfather. He had thought about calling Duke or Tomoya to check up on his grandfather, but decided against it as he wanted to give all his attention to his lover's duel. He just hoped this duel did not last long and hoped Yami could beat his brother before Seto summoned his Blue Eyes White Dragons. There were some cards in his deck that his grandfather had given him that could beat the Dragons, but it would be pure luck and faith in the cards to be able to draw them.

"My turn is over but I don't have any monsters on the field. According to the first edition rules, this means I can put out a free monster in defense mode using one of the cards in my hand." Seto explained like Yami didn't know the rules as he looked over his hand, "Now which one should I use…"

Yami rolled his eyes as he waited on Seto to finish his move. Sometimes Yami wished his brother would take him more serious. He always treated him and Mokuba like they knew nothing and he was the superior one in the family. Of course it was not always like this and Yami wished somehow he could get his old brother back who used to care about others besides himself.

"This one has a good defense. I'll make it my barrier monster."

Now that Seto was done, Yami drew a card from the deck and looked carefully at his hand. '_I'm not familiar with the card Seto just played. If I attack him and his defense is higher than my attack points, I would be the one damaged.' _He decided it was better to play it safe for now and place another monster down in defense mode, "I'll play my card in defense mode as well before ending my turn."

Seto chuckled at that, "I get it. You plan to build up a strong defense before I draw a Blue Eyes White Dragon, but that won't work. I was a champion before I owned a Blue Eyes, and even without one I can defeat you. I'll prove that right now."

Yami was forced to watch as Seto switched his monster from defense to attack mode. It was only then that Yami was able to see the monster Seto had placed on the field. "That's Saggi the Dark Clown!" He was one of Seto's most played monsters in duels and could easily defeat an opponent.

"Saggi could never defeat the Winged Dragon at his current attack power. That's why…" Seto placed another card on the field, "I use the spell card 'Dark Energy' to triple his attack power."

With that card Saggi's attack power quickly went up from six hundred to eighteen hundred making it way more powerful than the Winged Dragon. "Now kill the dragon!" Seto ordered his clown.

Saggi unleashed its dark glide attack killing the Winged Dragon and bringing Yami's life points down to sixteen hundred.

"The Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress is destroyed. What do you think?" Seto asked as if he really wanted Yami's opinion. "Just your basic combo… The power of Saggi the Dark Clown enhanced by the spell card 'Dark Energy'!"

'_Strong_ _cards alone aren't enough to win in this game. Using monsters together with spells is the key to victory. Sadly Seto knows this game inside and out.' _Yami hated what had become of his brother. Seto was obsessed with being the best and this is why Duel monsters was not fun for Yami anymore. This game was designed for its fans to have fun. '_But I believe in Yugi's deck. There must be a trump to defeat Seto in here.'_

Once Yami saw the card he drew he wished it could have been something else. He just got a monster card called Right Leg of the Forbidden One and wondered why Yugi had it in his deck anyway. It had to be a combo to something, but at this moment Yami needed something to be able to defeat Seto's clown. With no other choice Yami was forced to play a different monster in defense mode in order to protect his life points. "I'll play another monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Seto laughed at his weak attempts to save his life points. "Let's start from the left!" The Dark Clown attacked taking out one of Yami's defense monsters.

Yami growled at his brother as he looked at his hand. He had no monsters that could stand up against the Dark Clown he could only play another monster in defense.

With the crowd outside now cheering for Seto, they all watched as each turn that was taken one of Yami's defense monsters was destroyed and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Yami you disappoint me," Seto said to his twin, "I don't even need my Blue Eyes for this duel. But what do you expect with that failure of a deck."

Yami had to fight the urge to hit his brother. Yugi's deck was not a failure! It was built out of love for the game and had been there for grandpa before he passed it down to Yugi who went on to win the Duelist Kingdom tournament. "Seto, do your cards have the power of your trust?"

Seto looked surprised by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I believe in these cards!" Yami told him as he drew his next card from the deck. He took one look at it before playing the monster down in attack mode. "Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

It was with an attack power of twenty three hundred that Gaia was able to destroy Saggi bringing a surprised Seto's life points down to thirteen hundred.

Yugi looked on with a smile on his face as Yami was able to destroy Seto's monster. His cards had never failed him when he was in a tough situation and he knew they would never fail Yami so long as he believed in them.

"Well it would appear the deck that belongs to the King of Games would have a decent card or two." Seto said knowing he should have seen that coming.

"You can't predict this duel not until the very end." Yami reminded his brother.

"Don't get arrogant. I know how this will end," Seto drew a card on his turn and took one look at it before a huge grin appeared on his face. He was practically laughing with joy as he played his next monster. "I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Too bad and just after you'd drawn your trump card."

Yami looked on in disbelief as his brother managed to get the Blue Eyes White Dragon on the field. This was the first time Yami had to face the Dragon head on. He honestly had no idea how he was going to defeat such a powerful Dragon. Hell he wasn't sure how Yugi would have planned to defeat Seto when it looked like nothing could stop the Blue Eyes.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon attack!"

The Dragon released a massive Burst Stream taking Gaia down without a fight leaving Yami with only seven hundred life points left. This caused Seto to continue to laugh at Yami's shocked expression knowing he had won. "And remember I still have two more Blue Eyes White Dragons in my deck! It's over for you Yami!"

The crowd outside was going wild believing Seto was going to be the winner now that he had the Blue Eyes White Dragon on the field. Yugi and his friends could only worry from the side lines, but judging from Yami's determined look Yugi knew his partner had not given up. There was a way to win and Yami would figure it out.

"Now draw Yami. No matter what monster you bring out, the Blue Eyes White Dragon will blow it away!" Seto taunted as he watched his brother take his turn.

Yami drew a card but it was only a low level monster and would not stand a chance against the dragon. With no other choice Yami played the monster in defense mode to at least hold off the dragon and keep his life points safe.

As soon as Yami's turn was over the Blue Eyes White Dragon attacked Yami's Imp destroying it. "It's painful to watch. As long as you play your monsters in defense mode, your life points don't change." Seto said what Yami was thinking, "No matter how many monsters I slaughter. You're only drawing out your inevitable demise."

'_Seto's right," _Yami hated to admit to himself, '_But if I play a monster in attack mode I lose…'_

"Now play your next monster. Eventually you'll run out of cards then you lose!"

Yami looked over the cards in his hand but none of them stood a chance against the Blue Eyes. With no other choice he played another monster in defense mode and ended his turn again.

"Attack is what you expect me to do, but I won't… not this time." Seto said to the surprise of Yami as he drew a card, "Rather than put your 'Beaver Warrior' out of its misery, I'll draw this card and increase the size of my army."

Yami quickly realized what Seto had planned. '_Each monster can only defend against the attack of one enemy monster. If he brings out more monsters, I won't have enough defenders to stop them. I'll lose in the next turn.'_

Seto looked at the card in his hand and another smirk appeared on his face, "It looks like the goddess of victory is on my side…" He put down his next monster on the field in attack mode. "Let's bring forth the second Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The CEO laughed at the shock look on his brother's face, "On my next turn these two will attack at the same time. Your life is over Yami."

'_I could play another monster this turn, but next turn I'd be defenseless. His dragons can kill two of my monsters each turn, but I can only draw one new card. I've lost…' _Yami could not believe it was going to end like this. He couldn't believe he had failed so many people and couldn't even keep his promise to Mokuba to help their brother. He looked one last time toward his partner, but he was surprised by what he saw.

Yugi didn't look worried or upset. He had a true smile on his face with a thumbs up to Yami. "Don't give up!" He shouted to Yami, "I know you can still win this!"

/_You can win…/_

That voice, he had heard it before, but it felt stronger this time. He had been scared for the longest time about what had been going on with him, but for some reason now this voice only bought him comfort. It was looking out for him like Seto had once done and how Yugi supports him no matter what he does. There were still things he wanted to learn and find out, but in order to do that he would have to win this duel and defeat his own twin. He could not give up now when he had so many people counting on him. '_I won't give up! I'm not fighting this duel alone!'_

"Everything rides on this card!" Yami said as he drew his next card believing in the deck Yugi had lent to him. He bravely looked at the card in his hand and was surprised by the card that he held. "I've drawn the spell card 'Swords of Revealing Light'!" He informed his brother as he played the card keeping Seto's dragons at bay for now. "The swords bind your Blue Eyes for three full turns."

"You still haven't given up?" Seto growled at Yami cursing him for pulling a stunt like that. "You're beginning to annoy me." He reached for his deck to draw his own card, "You can only bind the Blue Eyes for three turns. What can you do in that short time?"

It was judging by his quick change of tone Seto was not happy that Yami had delayed his defeat but the older twin was sure he would still win. Seto played another monster in defense mode. "I'll put this monster in defense mod. That way the Blue Eyes White Dragons will have the honor of finishing you off. That's how I envisioned this finale from the start. Now let's begin the countdown to your death."

Yami looked at the Dragons before him a little worried as he then looked down at his hand, '_I have four cards in my hand and only one is a monster card I can use in battle. The other three are useless I don't even know what they mean… These are junk cards, there like random puzzle pieces…' _He quickly reopened his eyes at those words not realizing he had closed them. The word puzzle had stuck out in his mind it felt like someone had jogged his memory. '_Wait… I remember these now…'_

It was a memory long since forgotten back from his high school days. He and Yugi had just begun dating and he had gone over to Yugi's house to meet his grandfather and mother. They had wanted to meet the teen who had stolen Yugi's heart. Grandpa had been in the shop when they met and it was not long before they had begun talking about Duel Monsters. The elder Mutou had shown Yami his own dueling deck that he had rebuilt after giving Yugi his old deck. Inside were five monster cards that had made no sense to both Yugi and Yami. It was not until Grandpa explained what the cards were that the two had understood.

He had explained that in Duel Monsters there was one unstoppable monster that no one had yet to summon, because there were five cards required to summon it. Grandpa had spent a few years locating these cards and finally had all five. He had hoped to one day get back into dueling and try his own luck at summoning the stoppable beast. However the last time Yami had seen them they had been in Grandpa's deck.

As Yami looked down at the cards in his hand he wondered how Yugi had come to put them in his deck. He could not recall Yugi telling him that Grandpa had given them to him. Deep down he wondered if somehow Grandpa had given them to Yugi without his knowledge hoping that Yugi would be the one to summon the beast. Either way this was his one shot at beating his brother if all five cards were truly in Yugi's deck.

"Yami! What are you waiting for? Draw your card!" Seto yelled snapping Yami out of his thoughts.

Yami looked at his hand again taking note that he had three of the cards needed to summon the forbidden one that no one else had yet to summon in any duels. He just somehow needed to draw two more and this duel would be over.

"That's enough Yami. You're just stalling to extend your miserable existence. Draw your card."

"Yes, I'll draw now," Yami reached out to draw his next card and bought it up to look at it. His eyes widen when he saw that to his luck he had drawn the fourth piece needed for the summoning. However that is all he could do at the moment as he ended his turn. One way or another he had to believe in his cards that they would give him the last piece he needed.

Seto watched the expression change on Yami's face with a frown. '_His expression has changed, but there's no card better than the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Yami's hope is like the last flicker of a candle before it's blown out.'_ He reached out and drew a card from his deck, "Well its dull just sitting here so I'll use the Judgeman to destroy your defensive monster. The stress will do you good…"

The Judgeman was summoned to the field in attack mode and since it was after the 'Swords of Revealing Light' it was allowed to attack and destroy Beaver Warrior.

Yami drew his next card quickly and ended up with Yugi's favorite card the Dark Magician. '_I could play it in defense mode, but it won't matter against two Blue Eyes White Dragons.'_ With little to no choice Yami played the Dark Magician in attack mode so he could destroy Judgeman and make a dent in Seto's life points. "Seto I won't give up on this duel until the end. I'll take every chance I get to chip away at your life points."

Seto was unfazed by the attack as his life points went down to a thousand. "It's the last turn…" He reminded Yami as he drew one more card from his deck. "And the last card I draw is…"

Before everyone's eyes Seto was able to summon the final Blue Eyes White Dragon card and unlike the other Dragons this one was able to attack and take out the Dark Magician in one blast taking most of Yami's life points with it.

Yami could only sit there and watch as his last line of defense was taken away and he was left with only two hundred life points.

"Draw your last card Yami…" Seto laughed knowing he had won this duel, "No matter what card you draw you will die!"

"Yami!" Yugi shouted worried for his boyfriend as he faced down three Blue Eyes White Dragons. He did not want what happened to his grandfather to happen to his lover also. At this point it looked as if Seto was beyond saving if he was willing to kill his own brother. No matter if Seto could not be saved, there was no way Yami would lose this duel. Yugi trusted the cards in his deck to keep his partner safe.

With the three turns being up all three of Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragons were free and ready to attack. "The Blue Eyes White Dragons have been released. On the next turn, they will attack together and you will lose!"

Yami continued to glare at Seto as he faced down all three of the powerful dragons. There was a way to win this duel and he would be the victor no matter what Seto thought. '_I will win!'_

* * *

**Sakura: **I think it's pretty obvious what Yami is trying to summon. Also I know in Duelist Kingdom Yugi lost Exodia due to stupid Weevil, but I changed it up. Yugi never had Exodia during Duelist Kingdom in my story, but if you recall after Grandpa dueled Seto, I put it where Grandpa handed Yugi a few cards. Those were the Exodia cards, but Yugi did not realize it. He just added them to his deck trusting his grandfather. Anyway next chapter will be the only time Exodia comes around….

**Yumi: Review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Small Note**

**Sakura:** Once again like last chapter I decided to combine two chapters from the manga so this chapter is both Endgame and A Piece of His Heart. I also like to thank s2teennovelist for helping me out with the ending of this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Five**

**A Piece of His Heart**

The children in the audience were cheering Seto on as they were happy to have witness a great duelist bringing out three very rare and powerful dragons. They had no idea what this duel really meant if Yami were to lose. Yugi and his friends could only watch and wait to see if Yami would be able to pull through and defeat his brother.

"Well it's your turn Yami," Seto said with a smirk, "Time to draw the last card of your life."

Yami continued to stare down at Yugi's deck as sweat started to break out on his forehead. This would be his last chance to win, but there were so many odds against him. '_In my hand I have four pieces of the forbidden one. If I can get all five I'll be able to summon Exodia, but it's impossible.' _He thought as he began to doubt himself, '_Forty cards in this deck and five are in my hand. What are the chances of drawing one I need?' _He looked up at the dragons before him. '_Am I going to lose…?'_

"Yami!" Yugi shouted trying to get his boyfriend's attention over the roar of the crowd. He could tell Yami was starting to give up judging from his face, but he couldn't. Yugi couldn't let him just give up like this, "Hang in there! Don't give up until the end!"

Yami never did hear Yugi's words as he tried to block out the taunting from his twin who wanted him to hurry up and draw his final card. There was so much pressure and this was honestly the hardest duel Yami ever had to face. He went to reach for the deck to draw the last card of the game however it was as if his mind was playing tricks on him. It felt as if the deck was moving away from him because of his doubts.

/_You have to trust the cards…/_

There was that voice again. It sounded so similar to his own that he would think it was himself trying to calm himself down. However he felt that familiar presence in the back of his mind that he had felt before but never knew why. Those were not his own thoughts but someone else trying to talk him through this.

/_Your fear is making the distance wider/_

'_I'm afraid to draw the last card…'_ Yami realized as he closed his eyes to block out everything around him. He could see the deck of card in front of him in his mind but he was too scared to reach out to it.

/_You have nothing to fear with those you care about being beside you/_

One by one he could see Joey, Tristan, Tea, Duke, Tomoya, and even Yugi surrounding the deck with a hand resting over it. There was an opening in the semi-circle for him allowing him to reach for the deck and draw the card.

/_If you ever feel lost or alone think of your friends who will always be by your side/_

Yami did not know what made him do it, but he turned his head to look beside him and his eyes widen at what he saw. He had no idea who this person was beside him in his mind, but he looked more like Yami's twin than Seto did. There were minor difference between them, but overall he looked like another Yami.

/_Trust your friends and the heart of the cards they will bring you to victory/ _The Other Yami relayed to Yami through their shared mind and as a slight smile developed on his face. /_If you defeat Seto, I have a way to help your brother back into the light/_

'_How…?_' This was Yami's only thought as the other Yami took him by the hand and lead him over to the deck of cards. Yami looked at the smiling faces around him as his hand was placed over the deck as if to draw a card.

/_You must learn to trust me like you do your friends/_

Yami took one look at everyone around him and then back at the other Yami. He had so many people he needed to win this duel for there was no way he could back down now. Finally with the loving support of those around him, Yami reopened his eyes and drew the final card from Yugi's deck. '_I won't be afraid anymore.'_

Once he saw the card that he had drawn Yami developed a smirk of his own on his face, "My next card is Exodia the Forbidden One!" He informed his brother as he placed down all five cards needed to summon the forbidden one.

Seto and Yugi along Joey and Tea were in a state of shock at the turn of events. No one had ever been able to summon Exodia and here Yami just did what no one else had been able to do. Yami had found the one way to win this duel and defeat all three Blue Eyes White Dragons.

The shorter Kaiba wasted no time in calling his attack to finally end this duel, "Exodia attack with Rage Inferno." Exodia unleashed it's deadly attack on the three dragons wiping them out in one turn. However that wasn't all as that attack took out all of Seto's life points leaving him at zero.

Seto sat there in disbelief as his dragons were destroyed in one attack. "M…My Blue Eyes White Dragons….! Th-they just…just…" He could not even form words at the moment after the defeating blow he was just handed.

"Your Blue Eyes White Dragons were powerful…" Yami had to admit to his brother, "But even weak cards can join together sometimes and together they can create an infinite power which can defeat any enemy. Miracles can happen as long as you remember the heart of the cards. I win Seto…"

It was after those words that Yami felt that pull once again. He had felt it before many of times, but this time there was no more blacking out as Yami felt like his body had been taken over by someone else. He watched as his body stood up on its own and spoke with his voice. "And for the loser a penalty game, it's time for you to pay for your crimes." This was most defiantly the work of the other Yami who Yami was now finding out was very real.

Yami watched as fear entered Seto's eyes as the other Yami pointed a finger at Seto and some weird third eye began to glow on his forehead. "Mind Crush!"

He had no idea what the other Yami had done but Yami watched as his brother slumped down in his chair and stared off into space. There was no more life in his eyes and that worried Yami so much that he was able to force back control of his body and race over to his twin. He checked to make sure his brother was still alive and was relieved when he found a pulse. Seto was alive, but it was like no one was home in his body.

"What did you do?" Yami asked out loud not knowing any other way to communicate with his other.

/_I've destroyed the part of his heart that was filled with evil. Right now, Seto is picking up the pieces of his heart in the darkness. He's reassembling the shattered puzzle of his heart. One piece at a time with his own strength so that this time he won't make any mistakes/ _The other Yami explained to Yami so he would not worry. /_When he has finished he will return to both you and Mokuba a changed man/_

Somehow it seemed hard to believe someone in his head, but a part of Yami wanted to believe it. Seto meant the world to him and Mokuba and they had been slowly losing him. Honestly Yami just wanted the old Seto back from before they lost their parents. If this was the only way for him to get better and change back to his old ways then Yami was all for it. However the other side f Yami felt terrified and upset seeing his brother in such a state.

Tears started to gather in Yami's eyes and he quickly tried to wipe them away to stay brave for Mokuba. This was of course how Yugi found him when he entered into the arena when the duel was over. Once he saw Seto's body he quickly became worried.

"Yami what happened?"

Yami wiped more tears from his eyes as he embraced his lover, "It was him… He did something to try and help Seto."

Yugi did not even need to ask to know who him was, since he had a feeling he knew who Yami was talking about. One look at Seto and he hoped the other Yami had helped Seto more than hurt him. Yami and Mokuba didn't deserve to lose another member of their family.

* * *

Joey and Tea were in high spirits unknowing to what was happening inside the arena as they saw Yugi and Yami talking. That had been some duel they had witnessed and Yami was clearly an amazing duelist.

"Way to go Yami!" Joey cheered while Tea was trying to keep back tears of joy.

She had been so worried about how this duel would end, but now they could get out of there and hopefully allow things to return to normal. But first they would need to go to the hospital to go see Grandpa Mutou and make sure he was alright.

A voice behind them reminded Joey and Tea that they still had two goons behind them with guns. Joey set a glare on his face as he looked behind him out of the corner of his eye. '_Gotta do something about these goons, but as long as he's got that gun.' _Sure Yami had won, but these were the guys following Seto's orders and without him there was no telling what they would do. '_I can't put Tea in danger and I can't take on two of them alone…'_

Just before Joey had to worry anymore he caught sight of another figure behind them and it was not long until the goon behind Tea was knocked clear out from a hit to the back of the head. Joey turned in surprise to find Tristan standing behind them with a smirk on his face.

"Why you…." The other goon never got to finish talking as Joey had already jumped up and delivered a kick to his face taking him down with ease.

"Tristan you jerk! You survived after all." Joey said with a smile.

Tristan delivered a punch to the same guy Joey had kicked when he did not go down so easily. "Darn right, I wasn't gonna let a bunch of blocks flatten me. There's too many guys' asking for a beating to leave this world yet."

While they were busy with the one goon, the one Tristan had knocked out first did not stay knocked out for long as he slowly got up and grabbed his gun. Before anyone could do anything, he had Joey by the shirt and was pressing the barrel of the gun against his face. "You little brat I'll kill you for this!"

"That's enough!" A different voice shouted catching all their attention. They all turned to see Mokuba had entered the room.

"Master Mokuba…" The goon stated in surprise.

Mokuba glared at the guy, "I said that's enough. The game is over."

A couple words from Mokuba and the goon put his gun down and backed off. Tristan turned to Joey as he pointed at Mokuba. "Is that Yami's….?"

"Yeah his little brother…" Joey finished knowing what Tristan was going to ask. "Turns out he is as big a pain as Seto is."

"Then I guess I owe this 'pain' a thank you." Tristan said shocking Joey, before explaining why, "I was locked in that room for a while with the blocks dropping until this kid turned them off and got me out."

"Hmph! Don't take it personally. I just owed Yugi a favor…" Mokuba said with a frown before his eyes caught sight of Yugi and Yami standing beside Seto. He wasted no time in pushing passed Yugi's friends to hurry into the arena to check on both his brothers. The younger brother had no idea what awaited him when he raced up to Yugi and Yami.

* * *

The feeling of his body being shaken awoke Yami from his dreamless sleep to come face to face with his younger brother. Mokuba was already dressed for the day and smiled a forced smile at him. "Big bro breakfast is ready."

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute." Yami informed him as he sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. That must have been good enough for Mokuba as he left the room without another word. Since there was no way he was going to be able to get back to sleep, Yami got out of bed and started to get ready for the day.

The day before had felt like a nightmare, but waking up in his own room at the Kaiba manor reminded Yami that yesterday had all been true and things would most certainly not be the same. His twin brother was in a coma from something the other Yami did to him to help him and there was no telling if he would ever wake up. This left all responsible on Yami's shoulders of taking care of Kaiba Corp and his younger brother. Thankfully the media had not caught wind yet of Seto's condition.

It had really been an eye opener once both Yugi and Yami realized what the other Yami had done. They of course kept quiet about it and basically lied to Mokuba that they had no idea what happened to Seto after Yami won the duel. The only people to know the truth were Yugi and Yami along with their friends. Their friends were a little unsure about it all, but they trusted Yugi and Yami since honestly a few of them had seen first-hand how Yami would change into someone else it appeared in the past. They promised not to leave Yami because of this and help him figure this all out so he was not alone. Yami couldn't ask for a better lover and friends.

It had been tricky to get Seto out of Kaibaland without alerting the guests, but once they cleared out the arena, a private team of medical professionals who worked for Kaibacorp came to pick up Seto and take him back to the Kaiba manor where their family doctor could take care of him. Yami and Mokuba followed soon after once Yami knew Yugi and his friends would be okay. He wanted to go with Yugi to check on his grandfather, but Yugi reminded him that Mokuba needed him more and that he would keep Yami updated on his grandfather's condition. Thankfully Yami did not have to wait long to get a call from Yugi that his grandfather had made it through surgery and was going to be alright.

At least grandpa was going to be alright, but that only left Seto not in the clear. Their family doctor had run multiple tests and could not figure out the cause for Seto to suddenly go into a coma. Seto was still breathing on his own and he was responsive to touch and the sound of voices, but it was as if his mind had disconnected from his body. The doctor informed Yami that they would keep an eye on him to see if his condition changed, but all they could do was hope he made a recovery.

Yami hoped that he had been right to put his trust in the other Yami, because if Seto for some reason did not pull through, Yami was not sure if he could handle it. Seto had always been the parent to them when their parents died looking out and protecting him and Mokuba. Yami would always remember the times that Seto would tell him that he just needed to focus on being a kid and live life how he wanted to while Seto worried about everything else. There were times that Yami wished he could go back in time and changed what happened in their past so that Seto never had to grow up so quickly. A part of it had been Seto wanting to take care of his brothers, but another part of Seto's massive change was because of that man who had adopted them. If there was anyone Yami hated more than anything it was Gozaburo Kaiba.

* * *

"Yugi are you sure about this?"

Yugi rolled his eyes as they reached the front stairs leading to the front doors of the Kaiba manor. "Yes I'm sure, I think it would be nice if we all came to see Seto and find out how he is doing."

"Come on Joey aren't you just a little curious at how your crush is going?" Tristan teased the blond beside him who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

It was a little after noon and Yugi planned for him and all his friends to come visit the Kaiba brothers and find out Seto's condition. Yugi had not heard from Yami since the night before and he also wanted to check on his lover. He had heard that twins were normally really close than other siblings and Yami was probably taking this hit hard. Plus it was his other self that did it and they still did not know much about the spirit connected to him.

Joey punched Tristan in the shoulder for the comment before moving past his brown hair friend to catch up to Yugi. He had to admit he was a little curious to see what was going on with Seto. It was still hard to believe that some spirit connected to Yami may have found a way to fix Seto and if it turned out that it did work then he guessed that was good news. "Are we really sure Seto is in a coma? He could just be faking to get attention after his grueling defeat."

"I highly doubt that Joey when even their family doctor can't figure out what is wrong with him. Just suck it up for a few hours and try to be nice to Mokuba while you're at it." Yugi left it at that as he rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer it.

The group did not have to wait long as the door opened to reveal the younger Kaiba brother whose eyes widened at the sight of them. "What are you doing here?"

Yugi put on a smile, "We came to check and see how you and your brothers were doing."

"Seto's doing fine, but Yami just left to go to the hospital to see your grandfather." Mokuba informed them.

Yugi cursed his luck as he quickly checked his phone. There were no missed calls or text messages so Yami had failed to let Yugi know he was coming. "Uh… well…"

Mokuba opened up the door more realizing how awkward the situation was getting. The last time Joey and Yugi had been around without Yami was when Mokuba had played food Russian roulette with them. They were probably unsure if he would try anything again, but he had promised to try and get to know Yugi. "If you like you can come in and wait on him. I'm sure he will be back once he realizes you are not at the hospital."

Yugi nodded, "Thank you Mokuba." He walked right in not sure if this was the right move, but he had to learn to trust Mokuba at some point. Slowly his friends followed in behind and while Joey and Yugi had been there before the others had not and they were amazed by the size of the place.

"How do you not get lost in here?" Tomoya asked Mokuba, he had never seen Mokuba's ugly side before so he was the only one brave enough to ask.

Mokuba put on his own forced smile. "It took a while, but once you've lived here for years you get a feel for the place." He walked toward the main living room so everyone could sit down. "Is anyone hungry or thirsty? I could have the chef fix something up."

"So you can put sleeping pills in it again…." Joey mumbled to himself which got him an elbow to the stomach from Yugi.

Yugi glared at the blond before turning to Mokuba with a smile. "Sure Mokuba…"

Mokuba looked at Joey as if he heard what the blond had said, but then turned and walked off without another word.

Once Mokuba was gone Yugi turned on Joey and hissed at him, "That is not being nice. Now if we don't put a little trust in him he will never learn to trust us."

Joey sighed as he went to take a seat with the others, "It's hard to do that after all he has done."

"I know that Joey, but Mokuba told me he wanted to start over and I would like to not mess it up." Yugi said as he went and sat over by Duke and Tea. Tomoya, Joey, and Tristan sat across from them and no one said anything else until Mokuba returned moments later saying the food would be ready in a few minutes.

Mokuba sat in his favorite recliner and picked up the magazine he had been reading before they had come to the door. Yugi took note it was a gaming magazine and of course on the front cover was Seto standing in front of Kaibaland.

"How is Seto?" Yugi bravely asked not sure how Mokuba would take it.

"The same as he was yesterday." Mokuba replied not taking his eyes off the magazine. "I was able to get him to eat this morning, but no other response."

"And the doctor could not figure anything out?"

"No…." The response was simple and short.

Before the silence could settle in around them again another question was asked, "Why did Seto do all this? Why did he plan this revenge?"

All eyes turned to Joey surprised he had even asked that question at all. Joey lean back in his seat and relaxed not sure why they all looked surprised by the question. He was just curious about why Seto wanted so badly to go after Yugi. "I'm just wondering since this can't be just because Yugi beat him in a duel over grandpa's Blue Eyes White Dragon or because Yami is dating Yugi."

Mokuba sighed as he put the magazine to the side and pulled his legs up to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees as he looked at each and every one of them before his eyes settled on Yugi, "I'm not sure how much Yami has told you about our past, but things were not always like this. My brothers and I were born in Egypt were we lived happily with our parents until they died. I was young back then so I don't know all the details, but I know that for some reason my mother's family did not want us so we were sent here to Japan to live with our father's side of the family. It was not long after we moved here that they used up our inheritance and then left us at an orphanage. Seto was furious, but knew he could do nothing to stop it. Instead he told me and Yami that he would one day make a better life for all of us and that no one would be able to hurt us again."

The young Kaiba paused in his tale as two maids came in with trays of drinks and food. They left as quickly as they came and he waited until the group grabbed them something to eat and drink before continuing. "Life at the orphanage was not all bad, Seto and Yami taught me chess and each and every day my brothers played with me keeping me happy. Yami talked about designing games for me and Seto talked about opening amusement parks around the world. They wanted to be able to make a living to support taking care of me so we could get out of there and be a family." He got up from his position and walked over to Yugi where he handed the smaller duelist a picture out of his pocket. "When that picture was taken… was the last time I saw Seto smile."

Yugi looked down at the photo to see a much younger Mokuba and Seto playing a game of chess. They were both all smiles as they looked at the camera and he could see Yami smiling at the camera standing beside Mokuba. They truly did look happy back then and he thought Seto did not even know how to smile. There were things he did know about Yami, but he never knew that Yami's family had abandoned him and his brothers after their parents died. Hell he didn't even know Yami had not been born in Japan, which did not bug Yugi, but he wished Yami trusted him enough to tell him about that. That probably explained why his first name was not Japanese but Egyptian and why he went by Yami while living here. He remembered when Yami had first started at Domino High and how the students looked at him funny when the teacher said his real name. It was never fun being different, but Yugi knew Yami was never picked on because of Seto. The brothers looked Japanese and Yugi had never seen a picture of their parents so one of them was probably Japanese and moved to Egypt.

Once Mokuba had the photo back did he go on with explaining about their past, "It was not long after we ended up at the orphanage that Gozaburo Kaiba came to so he could adopt an heir. Seto knew he was the president of Kaiba Corporation and a world grandmaster of chess so Seto challenged him. I was surprised when Gozaburo agreed to the challenge, but I think he saw something in Seto that day. Seto bet him that if he won that Gozaburo would adopt all three of us." He moved back over to his chair and took a seat looking down at the photo, "What no one knows but me and Yami is that Seto cheated in that game. He was so determined to get us out of there that he went so far as to cheat. Sadly the life we began that day was the opposite of what we had hoped for. No one knows this because he was good at hiding it was that Gozaburo Kaiba was a monster. He put my brother into a special accelerate school program where day in and day out he forced him to study foreign languages, social studies, economics, game strategy along with many other studies. It was endless torture and both me and Yami were not allowed to see him at all during that time expect for when we were allowed meals together. Yami hated our new life and rebelled the most against Gozaburo by sneaking out of the house just to show Gozaburo that no one controlled him. He was punished for it a lot but a few times Gozaburo would let him slide when he was really focused on Seto. I think Yami did it most of the time to get the attention away from Seto so Seto could breath. Even though Yami and I were not under strict studies we were still controlled under this very roof into obeying every order given to us…."

"That's horrible…" Tea commented with this sad look in her eyes. No child deserved to go through what they did.

Mokuba nodded, "Gozaburo knew no one would ever believe us if we tried to go against him because Yami threaten many of times to go to the police, but Seto always calmed Yami down and told him to look after me. I could tell Seto was changing since he was accepting what Gozaburo dished out, but I think what really changed him was the day he took over Kaiba Corp. I was forced to stay at home so I don't know what happened in that board room. The only thing I do know is that after that day, Gozaburo killed himself and Seto became the president."

"Gozaburo never realized that he wasn't creating his heir…. He was creating a powerful enemy."

The new voice caused everyone to jump and look toward the door way to find Yami standing there. Yugi stood up when Yami walked over to him and they greeted each other with a quick kiss.

"Sorry you had to go all the way to the hospital and back." Yugi apologized, but Yami shook his head.

"It was no problem, I was able to see your grandfather for a minute and it's good to see he is doing better." Yami took a seat beside Yugi when Tea moved over to make room, before he looked around the room at everyone, "I heard quite a bit of the conversation so I'm guessing Mokuba decided to tell you about our past."

"Sorry," Mokuba apologized, "They wanted to know what happened to Seto to cause him to change."

Yami waved him off, "It's alright Mokuba this has been kept in the dark long enough." He turned to look at Yugi, "I'm sorry I kept this all from you for so long, but I was not sure if anyone would believe me after Gozaburo was gone."

Yugi grabbed one of Yami's hands and held it in his own, "I would have believed you. I've only ever heard rumors about Gozaburo so I had no reason to believe his story over yours. Besides he had to be a monster to own a weapons company."

"So what happened to change Seto and the company?" Tomoya asked pulling everyone back to the discussion at hand.

Yami looked toward Mokuba who also seemed curious about what happened so Yami figured it was time to come clean. "It was six years after we had been adopted. After years of studies and torture from being under that man's control, Seto knew it was time to break free. He challenged Gozaburo once again but this time for the control of Kaibacorp. I wish I knew how he managed it but every board member at Kaibacorp turned on Gozaburo and gave their share of the company to Seto. It appeared everyone shared in Seto's plans of changing the company into a gaming company and out of the weapons business. Seto used the power Gozaburo gave him to take what the man held most dear. This was Seto's revenge to get back at Gozaburo Kaiba. I had thought it would be the end there and we could move on with our lives, but I never truly knew how much Seto had changed." He sighed as the memories came flooding back that he wanted to forget. "After losing the company Gozaburo ran out of the room and Seto just thought he was being a sore loser. We had no idea that he went home to this very manor and took all the heart medicine he was on. It was too late by time one of the maids found him on his bedroom floor. There was a suicide note beside him with some last words for Seto that I will never forget that said '_Seto, I lost my game with you. Burn this into your brain. This is what a loser deserves.'_" Yami said reciting what he remembered from the note.

"To lose means to die…" Joey wondered, "That is what Seto thinks should happen to a loser."

Yami nodded, "I've come to realize that is why he created Death-T. He could not accept that he lost to Yugi and so if Yugi were to lose in any of the Death-T games he would have died. Seto wanted to prove he was a winner and that no one could kill him."

"But now he might really die and we don't know why…" Mokuba got out through his tears.

Even though Yami knew Mokuba deserved the truth of why Seto was the way he was, he still couldn't stand to see his little brother so upset. "I'm sorry Mokuba I should have tried to stop him. He really did want to make our lives better but he just went about it the wrong way." He stood up from his seat and walked over to his brother kneeling down in front of him, "I want you to have faith that Seto will wake up from his coma and come back to us."

The only response Yami got was Mokuba throwing himself at Yami and crying on his shoulder. Yami held him close knowing at this moment the only thing he could do was comfort his brother. They would make it through this one way or another and be the family they always wanted to be.

* * *

**Sakura: **Surprise! Seto, Mokuba, and Yami are not from Japan. I honestly had that planned from the beginning, but kept it quiet for this moment. I wanted to show the the Kaiba brothers had secrets that they wanted to keep quiet about because of their past, but now it has come out into the light. Now in the next few chapters we will see how Yami handles having to play the part as acting CEO of the company.

**Yumi: Review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Small Note**

**Sakura:** Finally we have moved pass Death-T and are moving on to other things. This is another one of my favorite chapters and I also like to once again thank s2teennovelist for all the help on this chapter and the chapters that come after this. She really helped me focus my ideas and figure out what worked out best to make these chapters flow better.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Six**

**Let's Find Love**

"Yugi Mutou!" Mrs. Mutou called up the stairs trying to get her only son downstairs. She had already made breakfast for the family, but Yugi had yet to show his face. The alarm clock had gone off at its normal time however there was a high chance Yugi may have hit the snooze button again. That habit she thought had been broken since he had started university, but there was a good chance today he decided he wanted to sleep in. "Oh! If that boy is still asleep…"

Armed with her trusty ladle she walked up the stairs and opened the door to her son's room not caring if he was getting dressed or not. "Yugi!" However the sight that meant her was not something she was expecting, her son was sitting cross legged on the floor already dressed for the day with his back to the door. In front of him were all his socks laid out on the floor. "What are you doing…? Why are your socks spread all over the floor?"

"Mom! Don't talk to me right now!" Yugi complained as he continued to give all his attention to his socks. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

Mrs. Mutou continued to stare at her son as he continued to glare at his socks. It was quiet for a few minutes until Yugi made up his mind and picked two of his socks out of the whole bunch. He turned over both and to his happiness he had gotten a pair with hearts on them.

"I did it! Bingo!" He cheered loving that he had won the challenge. He picked up the two socks and started to put them on.

"Yugi… What are you doing?" Mrs. Mutou tried asking again with this blank look on her face. Sometimes her son could act so strange and he either got it from his father or his grandfather.

"This is my sock concentration game. You get a group of identical white socks and draw different symbols on the back of each pair of socks. After mixing up the socks and spreading them out, you use your sixth sense to pick out a pair of socks with the same symbol." Yugi explained to her as he finished getting ready for the day. "I'm training my sixth sense for gaming."

"Why don't you train your mind for school first?" Mrs. Mutou shouted as she hit her son over the head with the ladle. All the men in the house seemed to have gaming on the brain. "Never mind your silly game. Tea came over and she's downstairs waiting on you."

Yugi rolled his eyes as he nursed the back of his head. "Why didn't you tell me that first?" His mother had one hell of an arm and if he knew that was going to happen he would have made sure she didn't catch him playing a game.

"You told me not to talk to you…." She reminded him as she headed back downstairs.

Yugi followed not far behind and as soon as he entered the kitchen he found his grandfather and Tea sitting at the table talking. It had been a few weeks since the Death-T battle and thankfully his grandfather was doing better than ever. He had gotten out of the hospital the week before and it would not be long before he was back working in the game shop. For now the doctor wanted him to relax at home for another week to make sure his heart was not going to give out on him. His mother worked a few hours in the shop to keep money coming in although they had plenty of money thanks to his father's job overseas. Yugi worked the afternoon shift and the weekends to keep the shop open for repeat gamers who loved their little game shop. It made his grandfather happy even if he could not work in the shop for the moment.

However there was a downfall to working so much and going to school. Yugi saw less of his friends and boyfriend. Sometimes Joey, Duke, Tristan, Tea, and Tomoya would stop by the shop and of course Yugi saw them in class so he was not completely without his friends. Sadly it was not the same with him and his boyfriend. Yami became so busy with his brother's company, that for the past few weeks after Death-T he has been doing his college work from the Kaiba Manor in order to be home for his brothers and take care of the company because it needed someone to run it. The only time Yugi ever saw him was just a few days ago when they had a test in one of their classes. Yami had to come to class to take the test, but right after he was gone again. Other than that there were only a few phone calls and texts between the two of them.

It was times like these that really were a test of their relationship, but Yugi was not worried. Once Seto was back on his feet, Yami would be back living with Joey and Tristan along with going to classes with the rest of them.

"Morning Yugi!" Tea greeted her friend breaking Yugi out of his thoughts. "I thought it be fun if I gave you a lift to campus today."

"What about dance practice?" Yugi questioned as he sat at the table to enjoy his breakfast.

"Cancelled at the last minute, but I was already up so I figured it would not hurt to come pick you up." Tea said with a smile, "It will be like old times back in high school."

Mrs. Mutou sighed as she poured her father-in-law another cup of coffee. "I sure miss those days. You kids grow up too fast."

"I have a feeling they don't miss them one bit," Solomon laughed knowing Yugi was not too fond of his high school days.

Yugi groaned wishing he could forget those memories, "I'll take my college classes over high school classes' any day."

"Speaking of classes aren't we supposed to get our test grades from that one class today?" Tea wondered trying to remember if she got the dates right.

Yugi nodded with a smile. "The scores will be posted outside the classroom before class."

Tea looked at him confused, "And why are you so happy? If anyone failed the test it's out there for the whole class to see."

"I'm not worried about my grade and besides Joey, Duke, and I have a little bet taking place about who has the highest score" Yugi said with a grin, "Loser has to buy the winner hamburgers for lunch. I so gotta win this."

Mrs. Mutou rubbed her forehead with another sigh. "Only you could make a game out of test grades." She looked up to her son with a stern look, "You better come home with a B or A, you hear me? You've been doing better since you got into university and I don't want you slacking."

Yugi stood up from the table and placed his empty plate in the sink, "Don't worry Mom, I made sure to study extra hard for this test." He turned to his friend, "Ready, Tea?"

Tea nodded as she thanked Mrs. Mutou for the meal before hurrying out the door with Yugi leading the way. Once they were outside Tea stopped Yugi from getting into the car just yet. "I almost forgot…" She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it over to Yugi, "Have you seen these? All the girls have got them right now."

Yugi held the little keychain device up in front of his face wondering what it was. It was heart shaped with a small screen and only two buttons. "I haven't seen this before. Is this a new keychain game?"

"It's not really a game…" Tea went on to explain, "It's a portable love tester. It's call the Lovely Two. You type in your name, birthday, and blood type. I don't know how the program works, but it creates a special waveform from your personal data, then you go around and press the button. If you press it when you're next to another person with a Lovely Two and they've got the same waveform as you, then both Lovely Twos make a noise like a little bell ringing. When that happens you're supposed to be perfect for each other."

Yugi was taken aback hearing that, "A love tester? I thought you did not believe in stuff like that Tea."

Tea blushed slightly, "I don't but I wanted to have a little fun and test it out with Duke. He wanted nothing to do with it saying if a couple is meant to be they will get together or stay together no matter what some silly test says. I could completely agree with him, but I did not want to get rid of them." She then smiled at Yugi, "So since you and Yami are the only other couple I'm close with, I figured you two might get a kick out of it."

"Don't you need a second device?"

Tea reached into her pocket to show Yugi she had the second device. "If I see Yami again I'll give it to him. Although I have a feeling he probably will think it's silly also. I mean you two are already perfect for each other." She then got a grin on her face as she held up the device for Yami, "How about we see how well we fit together?"

Yugi knew Tea was joking but he put in his data anyway. Once he was done, he hit the button on the device to see if anything would happen. Just as they both thought nothing happened which stated they were not the perfect match. They had known all along they would only be friends due to Yugi being gay and all, so if it had rung that would have been funny.

Tea shrugged as she went about resetting the device she was going to give Yami, "Oh well, I'm perfectly happy with Duke anyway." She said with a wink to Yugi.

Yugi chuckled as he put his device in his shirt pocket. The two then got in the car and headed to campus before they were late for their morning classes.

* * *

The class they had the test in was their final class of the day so the group of friends was forced to wait until after lunch to see what their test grades were. The wait became even longer when the strict teacher surprised the class by deciding not to post the grades outside the room until five minutes before class ended. So everyone was forced to sit and listen to the lecture while their minds were wondering whether they passed or not. The teacher for the class, a Mr. Tsuruoka, was a really strict one and it was a tough class to get through. They had no idea how bad it would be when they signed up for the class and once they saw all the work they knew they had a challenge ahead of them. Yugi, Yami, Tea and Tomoya mostly did okay in the course, but Joey and Duke found themselves struggling. Yugi had tried to talk the two into changing classes, but the two were stubborn and wanted to prove themselves.

"Alright class, this time only will I let you out early to see your test grades." Mr. Tsuruoka said after he reentered the classroom and approached his desk. The students wasted no time hurrying out into the hall knowing the grades could pass or fail them in the course. If any student got a horrible grade that just meant they had to work twice as hard in order to still pass the class one way or another.

Due to their being over a hundred students in the class, the group of friends had to wait the other students out since everyone was in a hurry to see their grades. However waiting a little longer did not end up being so bad as Yugi spotted someone coming down the hall toward them.

"Yami!" Yugi shouted as he ran and pretty much tackled his lover, who was dressed rather sharply in a black suit with a red shirt and black tie. It was odd seeing him dressed like that, but it was most likely because of his work with Kaiba Corp. He looked up at Yami with a bright smile on his face, "What are you doing here?"

Yami smiled back just as brightly as he kept his arms tight around Yugi not letting him go, "I got a break from the office and thought I might pick you up from classes. Also I got an email that the grades would be posted today. Figure I would see how bad I did while I was at it."

Yugi slapped Yami's arm playfully, "I highly doubt that, I bet Duke and Joey that you probably got the best grades in the class."

"Oh really, but I'm sure your grade is much better."

"I think I did average and that's enough to get my mother off my back," Yugi joked as he finally broke away from Yami and pulled him back over to their friends where the crowd was finally thinning out. Some students walked away with looks of defeat while others appeared to look somewhat pleased, but still disappointed.

"Yo Yami how's it been?" Joey asked as he waved to the standing CEO of Kaiba Corp.

Yami sighed as he loosen his tie, "Horrible, I don't see how my brother does it. If I'm not fixing problems, I'm signing a thousand things a day that need to be approved. I might just be a little nicer to Seto after this mess."

"Hopefully it won't be for long and you'll be back in classes." Tomoya said to which Yami agreed.

"I would take being in three of Mr. Tsuruoka's classes over being CEO of Kaiba Corp."

Joey laughed, "Don't go saying things like that Yami, it might come true." It was at that point Joey saw that the list of grades had cleared out enough for them to be able to see their grades. "Now's our chance guys, let's get this over with and get out of here."

The group hurried over and they all looked over the list looking for their names to find out their fate. It was after Yugi had gone down the list and saw his friends grades, did Yugi let out a little cheer. "Joey, Duke it looks like you both owe me a burger."

Joey cursed his luck but could not be that upset given the grade he got. "I figured as much, but at least I passed."

"Surprising to us all." Duke said pretty pleased with his own grade even after losing the bet. "I won't ever understand how Yami got the highest grade in the class. I heard rumors that no one could ever get an A on a test from Mr. Tsuruoka." He turned to his best friend asking, "How did you do it?"

Yami shrugged, "Lots of studying and pure luck it looks like."

Thankfully none of them had failed the test with Yami having the highest grade an A, while Tomoya, Yugi, and Tea all somehow got Bs and lastly Joey and Duke got by happily with Cs. It proved Mr. Tsuruoka's tests were not that hard if you put enough studying into it compared to all the other grades which were failing grades.

"Now what could be so fun about test scores?" Mr. Tsuruoka asked as he stepped out of the room after hearing all the cheering.

The only ones still there were Yugi and Yami along with their friends and a few other students talking about their grades. All conversation stopped the moment the professor stepped out of the room to the noise.

"I guess when they say laughter cures pain its true." The professor said with a smug smirk, "I've never seen such a large group of imbeciles this semester."

"What do you mean imbeciles?" Joey shouted with a growl, "We all passed your stupid test."

"You call Bs and Cs passing? If I had any say those would be failing grades too." Mr. Tsuruoka informed them, "As far as I'm concerned if you can't make an A you shouldn't even be allowed to attend this university."

Yugi put his hands in his pockets as he glared at the professor. He hated this guy so much and he wished the school would do something about it. No one should be allowed to talk to students this way.

Mr. Tsuruoka looked down at Yugi feeling the others glare and that's when he noticed something sticking out of Yugi's pocket. Before the smaller teen could stop him he reached out and pulled the Lovely Two device out of Yugi's pocket.

"Hey! Wait…." Yugi tried to say, but he could not stop the professor from taking the device.

"You can't bring games to school you know!"

"It's not a game! Please give it back!" Yugi shouted and last he checked games were not forbidden from the university. This professor was just simply downright cruel and made up his own rules.

"Hey give that back to him!" Joey shouted ready to punch the teacher flat out. "You don't have the right to take people's things because you're a teacher."

"Unskilled slackers like you have no right to talk back to a teacher!" Mr. Tsuruoka laughed as he dropped the device and raised his foot ready to stomp on it. "Education is a noble profession! We teachers have the right to do anything to slackers like you. I could even…" He bought his foot down, "Smash this thing!"

"We have skills! Skills you could never match!" All eyes turned to the new voice causing the professor to freeze before he destroyed the device. It was then the group of friends noticed the change in Yami. He held himself differently and the color of his eyes changed. This was no longer their friend Yami but the other Yami who had come forward once again.

Yugi was surprised by the sudden change, but when he saw the look on the other Yami's face, he knew Yami must have been furious for the other Yami to have come forward.

"I never lose a game! Never!" The other Yami stated keeping the annoying professor's attention on him. He would right the wrong that was done here and get Yugi his gift back.

"Is that so… Then why don't we play a game, eh?" The professor picked up the device again, "The rules are simple, I'll hide this game somewhere in this building and if you can find it within one hour, you win. You get this keychain game back."

"I'll take you on!"

Duke smirked as he stated to the professor, "You're gonna regret challenging Yami." True he knew that his friend was different, but he had no idea the name of the other Yami so it was just easier to think of him as still Yami.

"On the other hand if you don't find it…" The professor added in for good measure and to make things much more interesting, "I'll have you expelled from this university and I'll stomp this little game flat." Once the other Yami agreed to the terms the professor turned to walk away, "The game starts in thirty minutes. I'm going to go hide this keychain until then stay right where you are."

After the professor was out of sight the other Yami lean against the nearby wall and waited. He made no move to talk with the others as he thought up the strategy he wanted to use. The building was not fairly large, but was one of the larger buildings on campus and the professor could hide the keychain device anywhere. It would certainly be a challenge, but one he had to win.

Yugi ignored his friends as they started a discussion about how cruel the professor was and ways they should bring up his behavior to the dean to get Mr. Tsuruoka expelled from teaching there. No he kept looking at the other Yami in a new light. There was this feeling of deja vu when he saw the way the other Yami challenged the professor. He could not explain it but something about this all seemed familiar and he searched and searched his mind for the answers why.

It was like a strike of lightning struck him as a scene of some kind flashed before his eyes. He was no longer standing in the hallway of the building he was just in. The place changed to some kind of ancient hallway with stone pillars and writing on the walls. There was a shadowy figure coming toward him but he felt no fear. Instead he stood where he was as the figure stood in front of him but remained in the dark despite the light from the warm sun around him. The figure reached out a hand revealing what he or she was holding which was a tiara of simple design with a crimson stone in the middle.

"_I don't care what anyone else says or thinks… This tiara belongs to you and only you…."_

Yugi found himself reaching out for the tiara having no clue what was going on, but having the strangest feeling he knew what this was about. However just as he was about to grab the item, the illusion vanished right before his eyes leaving Yugi standing back in the hallway with his friends. He looked around but it appeared no one had noticed he had spaced out for a minute. Shaking his head of that weird image in his head, Yugi forced his attention back to the challenge at hand. He had to help the other Yami if he ever wanted to see his gift from Tea ever again. It may have been a silly gift, but it was still a gift from his friend and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Thirty minutes later and the group was ready to go as they started down the hallway ready to find Yugi's device before the time ran out. Yugi stuck close to the other Yami as they searched the first floor and worked their way up. He wanted to help out in any way he could so that Yami would not get expelled. There was a major possible that would never happen given Yami had so much more power over Mr. Tsuruoka, but just the idea of it was completely wrong. They had to beat Mr. Tsuruoka and show him who the true boss was.

"Hey you don't think he hide it outside do you?" Joey asked as they went up the stairs to the second floor. The building had four floors so it shouldn't be too hard, but they only had an hour to search the whole building for the little device.

The other Yami stood his head, "No, he said the rule was that it would be in this building. If he hide it outside on the grounds that would mean he cheated. A man like him will play fair in order to make sure he wins."

The others were not sure how the other Yami could be so sure, but they had to have faith in him. He appeared to know what he was doing as they continued their search of the second floor. By the time they finished the second floor and were halfway done looking through the third floor minus the class rooms that had classes in them, they only had about twenty minutes left.

"The fourth floor only has offices for the professors of this building." Tomoya pointed out to the others as they finished with the third floor. "I don't think any of the professors would let us look through their offices and most of them are probably locked."

Yugi sighed as he checked his watch. They did not have much time left and they had pretty much looked over the whole building expect places they could not get into. He looked over at the other Yami who still looked determined, "If only we had a way to find out where it is…"

"Wait!" Tea said as her eyes widen and she let out a small gasp causing all eyes to turn to her. She quickly went through her pocket and produced the second device she had saved for Yami. "I was going to give this to you Yami, so you and Yugi would both have one. It's just a silly test of love, but I thought they were cute." She handed the device over to the other Yami. "If you put in your information and press that button I know Yugi's device will ring."

"Tea it's just a silly little game. I doubt it's going to ring." Duke pointed out. He doubted Yugi and Yami believed in love tests, but still if it did not ring it would probably be stuck in their heads that maybe they were not right for each other. Whether they believed it or not they could not take that chance.

The other Yami was not listening to anything as he typed in the information needed. He then grip the device tightly in his hands as he looked up at Tea, "This is just what I need, thank you Tea."

Tea nodded as she watched the other Yami run off for the stairs. She and the others were not far behind not sure why he was going up to the next floor when most of the professors' offices were probably locked.

However when they reached the fourth floor there was only one room Yami headed for and it had Mr. Tsuruoka's name big and bold on the door. The other Yami opened the door with ease finding it not locked at all and a surprised professor sitting at his desk.

"You can't come in here!" Mr. Tsuruoka shouted at them as the other Yami along with his lover and friends stood in the doorway. "No student is allowed in here without my permission. Do you little treasure hunt outside!"

"You just confirmed my suspicions. The pocket game is in this room," The other Yami stated with a smirk.

The professor appeared even more shock before he quickly covered it up with a glare, "You're wrong! The pocket game is hidden somewhere else you can't reach!"

"Somewhere we can't reach…. In other words somewhere we can't touch." The other Yami explained, "I thought hard about where I would hide it if I were you. First I would use the privileges of a professor. Students can't raise a hand to a teacher… they can't even touch a teacher. In other words the safest place is on your own body."

The professor started to sweat only proving the other Yami right even more. "Get this straight!" The professor shouted in a shaky voice, "I'm a teacher, like a god to you. You wouldn't dare touch me with your filthy hands. I'd expel you!" His glare and evil grin returned to his face, "Now what? You can't prove I have it without touching me."

The other Yami held up the device Tea had given him putting all his trust that they would hear the sound they needed to hear. He pushed the button without hesitation and listened closely for the noise that would hopefully ring out in the silent room.

"What's that sound…?" Tomoya asked as they all heard a ringing sound coming from somewhere.

The professor quickly grabbed at his hair showing the group just where the noise was coming from.

Joey and Duke had no problem rushing over to the professor and cornering him realizing the sound was coming from the professor's head. "This much proof you can't say we can't touch you!" Duke pointed out as Joey reached for the professor's hair. It surprised them all when with one pull a wig came off the teacher's head showing that their cruel professor was bald as could be and at a young age too.

Joey looked into the wig and pulled out Yugi's device which was still ringing out, "He hid the pocket game inside his wig…" He said in disbelief.

"Please don't tell anyone my secret…" The professor was almost on his hands and knees begging them. Hard to believe such a tough guy like him was scared of people knowing he was bald.

They all completely ignored his please as Joey handed the game to the other Yami showing that they had won the game. The other Yami turned to Yugi and held out his hand with the device. "Yours and Yami's heart will always be one."

Yugi blushed as he held the device close knowing he was going to be hearing that ringing over and over in his head. No matter what some silly test said he knew Yami was the one for him, but it was kind of nice for a silly test like this to prove it even more.

* * *

Yami yawned as they left the campus grounds and headed for the limo that was parked not far from the front gates. Yugi was the only one beside him as their friends had already gone their own way after they found Yugi's pocket game. Once they promised to keep the professor's secret he had let them go and all of them agreed never to speak of it again. Although Yami figured he might have a talk with the dean anyway about the professor's behavior toward students when he finally did return to his classes. However for now he would leave it alone and enjoy the rest of his day. It was nice being able to remember all that happened after the other Yami had taken over. He was not sure he would have been able to defeat the professor in figuring out where he had hid Yugi's device without him. That challenge had been a tricky one and it had also been thanks to Tea for having that second device.

"Are you tired?" Yugi asked Yami as they neared the limo.

Yami nodded trying not to yawn again. "I had to get up early this morning and after the day I've had I'm just ready for bed." He waited as the driver got out to open the door for them and once they were inside he returned to the driver seat. Once Yami told him where to drive, the two sat back and relaxed.

He pulled out the device from his pocket since Tea had said it was a gift and let him keep it. Yami pushed the button again and once again Yugi's device went off causing Yugi to blush. Yami chuckled as Yugi pulled out his Lovely Two to shut it up. "Nice to know we are meant to be."

"You know these things are silly. They probably go off with everyone who has the same blood type." Yugi stated as he shoved the device down in his bag. Yami was making this so much more embarrassing.

"But we have different blood types…" Yami said as he handed his device over to Yugi.

Yugi looked at Yami's inform to see the other Yami had put Yami's info into the device which made sense since the other Yami was simply a spirit with no memories. Of course he wouldn't know his own name or birthday or blood type. It was nice to know it went off because of his and Yami's information…. '_Wait what am I thinking this is silly…'_ He thought as he gave Yami back the device. "Anyway, I'm glad we were able to get my device back. Mr. Tsuruoka can be so cruel and I don't even see how he is allowed to teach."

"Probably the only job he can get with his attitude." Yami pointed out as he looked out the window.

Yugi watched Yami carefully before he asked the question he had been wanting to ask Yami in person for a while, "How are you and the other Yami?"

Yami sighed, but never took his eyes off the window he was looking out of. "It's weird to say the least, but I'm getting used to it. I've done my own research to try and figure this out more, but I keep coming up empty. So I figure we are probably either stuck together for life or something will come along with all the answers we need."

"So you've talked?"

"Here and there… He is not that strong yet to be able to talk with me for long. Whoever he is, he is a strong being to be able to do things people only wish they could do. I hope I can understand more about him so I can know if he truly is another part of me or not."

Yugi moved over so he could lean against Yami with a smile. "No matter what you find out, I'll always be here for you. You know that right?"

Yami smiled also as he put an arm around Yugi, "Yeah I know and that's what I love about you the most." He kissed the top of Yugi's head before looking back out the window as they neared his home.

* * *

**Sakura: **Yikes! That ended up way longer than I thought it would, but there was so much I wanted to add and not leave out! It never hurts to have some really long chapters every once and a while. Anyway if the professor seemed a little too cruel sorry about that… I wanted to keep with the chapter of the manga, but did not want to make him a counselor, which is what he is in the manga. So I made him a super cruel and strict professor who after this will never return again!

**Yumi: Review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I'm sure any puppyshipping fans reading this will like this chapter and that is about all I have to say.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

**Get the Million!**

Joey Wheeler had no clue what awaited him behind the double doors in front of him, but he knew he could not back down. The call he had received that morning had been an odd one, however Mokuba had said he needed some help. Over the past few weeks they had all been trying to make Mokuba fill welcomed in their group of friends, given Yugi wanted to give Mokuba a chance, so they all had decided to give the kid a break. When it came down to it really, Joey just saw a lonely kid. In a way sometimes Joey saw himself in Mokuba. Sure Joey still had his parents, but they were separated. In a way the same was with Mokuba as he watched Yami move on with his life and Seto never seemed the type to give Mokuba the time of day. Yami and Seto were his parents now whether they liked it or not so they both needed to be in Mokuba's life.

Although it still confused the blond hair teen why Mokuba called him of all people, but he was there so he figured he might as well hear the kid out. Joey knocked on the double doors the butler had led him to and waited to be let in.

"Come in!"

Joey opened one of the doors and stepped inside, however he cursed his luck when he realized what room of the manor he was in. He should have known Mokuba would be hanging out with his comatose brother. The two were sitting at a table near the large doors that led out onto a balcony. The doors were left open to let a breeze blow though. Mokuba was curled up in his seat with a book in his hands, while Seto remained as he had been for weeks just staring into space or in this case out the balcony doors.

Mokuba jumped up when Joey entered and set the book down. "Hey thanks for coming, you are a real lifesaver."

"Uh…sure, but what was so important that you needed me?"

"I had no one else to turn to since Yami took Yugi on a romantic date. Yugi suggested I call you if I wanted to get out of the house for a while." Mokuba said with a grin, "I'm going to go hang out with some friends for a while."

Joey was still totally lost, "Okay and what am I supposed to do about that?"

"To watch Seto of course…" Mokuba stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The blond nearly had a heart attack at those words, "You can't be serious!" He found himself yelling out in disbelief. This had to be some kind of sick prank by his friends.

Mokuba nodded looking completely serious, "I've been trapped in his manor for weeks except to go to school. Yami let me off the hook today so I called a few friends to see if they could hang out. However someone has to watch Seto and keep him company. The doctor says it's not good to leave him alone for very long and the maids have chores and will only check on him every so often. Yugi told me you would be more than happy to help."

Joey clenched his fist at his sides swearing to get Yugi back for this. There was no way he could spend his Sunday afternoon free time babysitting a grown man. He didn't care if Seto was in a coma it was just creepy being around the guy.

"Please Joey! I'm begging you!" Mokuba begged the teen with puppy dog eyes and everything, "How would you feel if you hadn't been able to see your friends in weeks. It's miserable being all alone."

Joey seriously cursed his luck and knew no matter how hard he tried he would not be able to resist puppy dog eyes. Yugi did them to everyone in their small group and always got what he wanted. Yami had it the worst, but Joey was a close second. With a sigh Joey bowed his head in defeat, "Fine, but only for a few hours and you better be back before dinner. I have a life too you know."

Mokuba had a huge smile on his face as he rushed over and surprised the teen by hugging him, "You're the best Joey. I promise I'll be back before dinner." He let go of Joey long enough to run back over to his brother and give him a hug too, "Bye Seto see ya later."

The kid was out of the room at the speed of light and Joey wished he had that much energy. Between school, work, and taking care of his father he was tired pretty much every day and just wanted to sleep. Today would have been a nice day off for him to catch up on his sleep, but he could not blame Mokuba for wanting to hang out with his friends. However Yami could have waited another day to let Mokuba off his grounding so he could watch Seto.

"I bet they planned this…" Joey mumbled to himself as he took Mokuba's seat. He crossed his arms and started out the doors at the pretty day. The quiet was nice, but awkward as hell with Seto in the room. He was just waiting for Seto to jump up and scare the crap out of him. But one look at the guy was telling Joey Seto was still very much in a coma as he had been the first day he came home after Death-T.

Joey picked up the book Mokuba had been reading, but quickly put it back when he found it was a history book probably from Mokuba's class. He must have been studying for a test coming up or something. "Mokuba better enjoy his grade school years while they last. College is hell on the brain."

There was no reply from the other body in the room, so Joey figured he would just do all the talking. He heard Yugi say that it was good to talk to coma patients that even if they don't seem like it, the words sometimes still get to them. Joey grinned figuring this was his chance to finally let off some steam.

"You know Seto, they all think you might change after this, but I know better. You were a pain in the ass back then and you'll be a pain in the ass if you ever wake up." Joey said letting Seto know how he was feelings. "I honestly don't know what I ever saw in you. I had even thought about giving you a second chance, but then you pulled a lame stunt like that and try to kill everyone. It was low even for you to try and kill both your brothers."

The body across from him made no movement so Joey continued, "I heard about your past and I guess it's true what they say about money. It makes people greedy and think their all that. Honestly if being rich turns me into someone I'm not then it's not worth it." He then sighed as he thought about his own financial troubles. "Although some money would not be too bad, at least you don't have an alcoholic father who racks up hospital bills like you would not believe just from one trip to the emergency room. I mean how can the hospital expect me of all people to pay off his bills when I'm doing good to support myself. My friends want to help me out, but I can't let them burden themselves."

Realizing what he was saying quickly made Joey shut up and rethink his words, "Okay if you heard that last part just ignore it." He looked toward Seto, "I didn't come here to tell you all my problems. I can handle them on my own."

After that Joey figured it was best to keep his big mouth shut. One way or another he would get the money he needed to pay off his father's bills. He just hoped it would be soon because the calls he kept getting were annoying him.

* * *

A few days later Tea, Duke, Tristan, and Tomoya were hanging out at the Kame Game Shop while Yugi worked the front counter for his grandfather. The elder Mutou had a checkup appointment that Mrs. Mutou was taking him to and grandpa did not want to shut down the shop for the few hours he would be gone. Yugi volunteered to watch the shop and thankfully it was the slow hours after the lunch rush. Once he got back Yugi would be free to spend the afternoon with his friends.

"By the way why didn't Joey come?" Yugi questioned as he restocked a shelf with Tomoya's help. "I thought he was excited to see that new action movie with us."

"He should be here before long. He got this phone call before we left the apartment so Joey told me to go on ahead." Tristan explained to them as he lean against the counter.

"Probably another collection call from the hospital." Tea said with a sigh, "He's trying his best to make payments so I don't understand why the calls keep coming."

Duke shrugged, "When people want their money they'll hound you for it. However they should give Joey a break, I mean the guy can't help it that his father nearly died from alcoholic poisoning. Joey has no control over the old guy and his drinking habits."

Yugi stood up and dusted off his pants when he was done and turned to the group, "Either way in any way we can we need to try and help him out."

"Have to be sneaky about it Joey hates asking for help…" Tristan reminded them to which they all sadly agreed was true.

It was at that moment a certain blond ran into the shop with the biggest grin on his face. "Guys you are not going to believe this but I'm going to be on TV!" Joey shouted like he had won the lottery shocking everyone in the room which thankfully was only his friends and no customers.

"What?" All of them asked at the same time.

Joey took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and to contain his excitement. "It's this show called 'The Get the Million Game'. If you win all the challenges the grand prize is a million yen! I can't believe they picked me of all people to be on the show!"

Yugi was the first to recover from the news and put on a forced smile for his friend. "Are you sure about this Joey? Most of those game shows are rigged."

Joey nodded not going to let anyone talk him out of it. "I gotta do this, that's why I entered myself in the first place. If I win my father's debt will be paid and I will have some extra money left over to help me out so I can work less and study more."

"Never thought I hear Joey say study more…" Tristan said with a chuckle, but instead of riling Joey up the teen nodded.

"That's right study more. If I'm going to make it through these classes I gotta hit the books. Each semester it's only going to get harder from here. Working a full time job and studying for tests is not easy one bit."

Yugi agreed with his friend, but was worried about him. "I have faith in you Joey, but what if you fail then nothing will change. I already told you Yami was willing to help you out if you will let him. That way instead of the hospital you'll be paying Yami back instead."

Joey shook his head, "Yami has already helped me out enough as it is by letting me live in that apartment with him and Tristan. Besides Yami would not let me pay him back in a million years. He would just pay the bills and let it go. If I'm going to make it as an adult I need to support myself."

"He has a point…" Tea said as all eyes turned to her. "If Joey feels this is something he needs to do then we don't need to question it and just support him."

Yugi let out a sigh knowing she was right before he turned a real smile toward Joey. "Alright Joey, let us know when this game show is so we can be there to cheer you on." No matter what Joey said he was still going to see what Yami thought about this. There were too many game shows out there that were rigged so that everyone was a loser. He wanted Joey to have a fair chance at winning. Yami would be able to dig up some dirt on this so called Get the Million show.

* * *

The day Joey was scheduled to be on the show all his friends were able to come even Yami. Yami made sure to have the day off to cheer Joey on, but also keep an eye out. He had tried to dig up some dirt on the show like Yugi asked, but it was fairly new and had only started about a month ago. Everything about it seemed true enough, but if Yami saw it for his own eyes he would get a better idea of how the place was ran.

Joey was ecstatic to be on the show and it showed on his face as he stood on the stage with the host. The crowd was large, but thanks to connections Yami got their small group front row seats. The audience began to clap when the music for the show came on signaling the show was starting.

"Hey out there all the fans at home! It's time for the Get the Million Game!" The host greeted with a smile, "Today's challenger is this strapping young man, eighteen year old Joey Wheeler from Domino City!"

Joey grinned toward the audience and waved to his friends. They all cheered for him and he could partly hear them telling him good luck, but the noise from the audience he could barely make it out. He just continued to smile and wave glad to be there and have a chance at getting some major money.

"And now… For our first game—"The host said as he turned to the small dart board two ladies bought in. The difference with this dart board was that it only had two spots one with a hundred thousand in the large area and a small area with the word loser. "Darts of Fortune! If you win, you get a hundred thousand yen and you can go on to the next stage." The host explained to Joey as he handed the blond teen a dart. "The rules are simple, when we spin the wheel just throw the dart into the hundred thousand yen zone. Can you do it Joey?"

Joey nodded with a look of determination. "Leave it to me." He waited as one of the ladies spun the wheel really fast so he couldn't aim. The only thing he could do was throw the dart and pray for the best and that is just what Joey did. "This is a cinch!"

When the wheel finally spotted everyone started to cheer when they realized Joey had just barely missed the loser zone, meaning he has passed the first stage. "You win! You get a hundred thousand yen!" The host announced as one of the ladies came up to Joey and put a medal around his neck with a hundred written on it. "Now the stakes go up and so do the risks. Can you get five hundred yen?"

Joey was more than ready and feeling even luckier as they got the second event ready for him. He waited as quietly as possible with all his excitement as they raised the curtains to show him what he had to face next.

"For our second game, the electric helmet!" The host walked Joey to the starting line of a maze, but this maze had voltage wires running through the maze at Joey's height. "The rules are simple before time runs out the contestant must run between the high voltage wires while wearing this helmet!" Another lady walked up to Joey and put said helmet on his head that looked normal except the metal rod sticking out of the top. "But don't touch the wires. The slightest bump and the metal helmet will conduct a devastating electric shock."

"I'll do it!" Joey said as he glared at the maze ready to take it on.

"Then let's start the game!"

With the buzz of the starting bell, Joey started off careful as he went through the maze. He wanted to pace himself before giving a final push toward the end. The maze was not that long, but when at risk of being shocked it was best to be extra careful. It was only when Joey was at the final stretch with time almost running out did he run to the end without even thinking which is what he did best.

The crowd went wild as he crossed the finish line with but a few seconds to spare. "Success he wins!" The host announced as one of the ladies came over and gave Joey a medal with five hundred on it. "The challenger successfully clears the second game!"

Joey could not believe his luck as he looked down at the medals. He was only one step away from wining a million yen and beginning a new life for himself and his father. If he could get all his father's bills paid off, he could use the rest of the money to help support him better and get his father the help he needed. They could finally be a family, which is what Joey had secretly always wanted since his mother and sister left them.

"We'll be right back with the final round, right after this word from our sponsors!"

Most the crowd stayed put even after the show was on commercial break, but Yami had other plans. He stood up using some excuse about having to go to the bathroom, before leaving just as Joey walked over to his friends to show them his medals. Something did not feel right and after all he had been through he had started to learn to trust his gut or in this case the spirit in his head.

* * *

'_You really think the game is rigged?_' Yami questioned the other him in his mind as he walked through the TV studio looking for some clues. The commercial breaks would be over soon and he needed to get back.

/_I have this feeling that whoever is behind this show is making this too easy for Joey_/

'_I don't see how, those events were pretty hard.'_

/_They may have been a challenge, but I sense something is wrong. It's best to be cautious/_

Yami checked his watch and realized the show was about to start back up. '_Either way I better get back before the others start to worry. If somehow Joey loses, I'll look deeper into the show and see if they cheated him out of winning. However if I don't find anything then it can't be helped.'_

"So how are the ratings?"

"Looking good, sir."

"So in the next round is the wheel rigged to lose?"

"Yes sir everything's ready."

Yami froze in his tracks letting the two men walking pass by him. '_Huh?_' He took a peak behind him and he noticed he recognized one of the men after looking up about the show Joey was going to be on. The producer of the game show was talking with one of the back stage guys.

"If there's one thing better than seeing a poor person struggling for money it's watching them fail at the last minute. Suffering always turns a profit." The producer laughed not caring if anyone heard him. "What a joke! Who would give money to a poor person? Who cares? As long as I get paid."

'_How dare he?'_ Yami growled as he glared at the guy's back. '_He won't get away with this.'_

* * *

"The wheel of fate!" The host announced as the wheel was bought out ready for Joey to spin. The show was back on in full swing and everyone was waiting to see if Joey would really win a million yen. "Well Joey? Either you win the million yen or you fail and lose all the money you've won so far."

"I'll do it! It's as good as mine!" Joey was ready for anything at this point knowing his luck was finally going to turn around.

The wheel before him started to spin on its own as the host explained to Joey and the audience, "It will spin until Joey says 'Stop'!"

While Joey was waiting for the right moment he never knew what was happening behind the stage at that same moment. "All right when he says stop you press that button. You got it?" The producer ordered his lackey who was kneeled down beside a control panel of buttons.

"Yes sir. I painted the button red to be sure. There are a lot of buttons, but there's no mistake this way. When I press this button, there's one hundred percent no chance that wheel will win."

Footsteps behind them caught their attention however as they turned around to see a boy standing behind them with a rope in his hand. "What do you want?" The producer shouted not believing security let someone like him get back here. "Only staff are allowed back here! Get out!"

The other Yami simply smirked, "Are you feeling lucky? Then why don't we test your luck?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look over there… What do you see?" The other Yami cut his eyes over to the scaffolding beside them and the producer looked over there also. He noticed the scaffolding not sure what this kid was talking about.

The other Yami decided to explain himself more to these idiots. "There's a paint can on top of the scaffolding." He then held out two ropes in his hand, "And here are two ropes, one is tied to the handle of the paint can. We will each choose one rope and tie it to our arm. On the signal we each pull our own rope. It's a game of chance the odds are fifty-fifty."

"What are you talking about? We're busy!" The producer shouted at the other Yami sick and tired of dealing with this brat. "We don't have time to play with you."

"You don't want anyone to find out your game's rigged, do you, Mr. Producer." The other Yami mentioned knowing this would get the man's attention. "About the one hundred percent no chance of winning wheel?"

That comment got the reaction the other Yami knew would happen as he saw the look of shock come over the producer's face. He had heard everything they had been talking about and if that news got out they would be ruined. The producer had no other choice but to play the game and try his luck.

"All right, you pick a rope." The producer told his stage guy.

At first the stage guy did not look like he wanted to do it, until he saw the glare on his boss's face. He sucked it up and picked one of the ropes wrapping it around his arm. The other Yami tied the remaining rope around his arm.

"Ready…." Both stood there staring at each other having no clue who the victory would be, "Set…"

Neither of them had to say go as they both pulled sending the paint can down and as the producer found out his lackey had the paint can rope as the paint can land on the stagehand's head spilling red paint everywhere.

The producer backed out of the way in time before getting paint on his suit and then he remembered the button. The silly game was over and now he had more important things to deal with. However there was a little surprise for him when he looked down at the control panel and found that all the buttons were now red thanks to the paint.

Panic started to set in as the producer tried to figure out which button was the switch. "If the wheel stops on the winning space that shiftless bum will get a million yen."

"Now you're showing your true colors. It's time for your judgment!" The other Yami announced as he pointed toward the producer who turned to face him. "Penalty game! Mind on Air!"

* * *

"Now at the contestant's call!"

Joey sent out one good prayer to every god he knew hoping his luck had not run out yet as he yelled "Stop!"

The audience was in stunned silence as the wheel stopped before slowing the crowd went wild as the host shouted, "He wins the million yen!"

"I did it…" Joey said almost speechless as he saw that he had won a million yen. The host of the show walked over to Joey and congratulated him as he handed him the check for the million yen. Just having the check in his hands was a dream come true.

Just as Yami sneaked his way back into the studio to stand beside Yugi a new commotion had started up in the place but it was not about Joey winning the million yen. No the producer had somehow worked his way into the view of the camera and was shouting at people to give him all their money.

Yugi turned to look at Yami, "I have a feeling the other Yami had something to do with that."

Yami grinned, "I have no idea what you are talking about…"

Yugi looked at Yami and knew he was lying but he figured he drop it and question him later with less people around. Joey was already headed over there way with the check in hand ready to show it off. He put a smile on his face ready to congratulate him on his win. After all he deserved it…

* * *

Several days later found Joey letting himself in at the Kaiba Manor and hunting down a certain tri-colored hair Kaiba. He found his prey sitting all cozy on the love seat with his lover and Mokuba sitting not far from them watching something on TV.

Yami looked up in surprise when Joey came stomping in with a few nervous butlers behind them. "Hey Joey, what's up?"

Joey tried to hide his anger, but sometimes people just did not listen. "How many times have I told you I can handle my own problems!"

Yugi and Yami looked at each other completely confused and wondered who had pissed Joey off. Yami dismissed the concerned butlers so they could talk in private. "Joey, what are you talking about?" Yugi tried to get out of the blond.

"It's bad enough that stupid TV Production Company went bankrupt and my check ended up being a worthless piece of paper. Now I go to the hospital to use part of my paycheck to put a payment down on my father's bills only to find out someone has paid them off for me." Joey kept his tone down so as not to scare Mokuba and deep down he knew he should not be mad at Yami, but a part of the old him could not help it. He could take care of his family on his own.

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about?" Yami had been busy these past few days and this was his first break. "You told me you could handle it so I haven't touched your father's bills."

"Then explain this!" Joey shouted walking over and shoving the photo copy of a check in Yami's face.

Yami grabbed the paper and held it back so he could get a good look at it. On the paper was a copy of a check that had a familiar logo on it that Yami knew all too well. "I promise you Joey. I didn't pay off those bills."

"I know you see the logo Yami! That is your brother's company logo and I highly doubt your brother woke up from the coma just to pay off my father's bills."

Yugi took the paper from Yami and took a look himself. The check did look like it came from Kaiba Corp and it was signed Seto Kaiba, but Seto was still in a coma last he checked which was not long ago. He had gotten over there but an hour ago to find both Yami and Mokuba hanging out with their brother. It was then they decided to give Seto some alone time and go downstairs to watch some TV.

Joey sighed knowing anger was not getting him anywhere. "Listen, I know I should not be mad, but I hate when people go behind my back."

"It seriously was not me." Yami continued to tell the thick headed blond. "I'm not in charge of the finances at Kaiba Corp so I don't have access to the checks. The only bank account I have access to is my own."

"Ugh! It was me alright! Now can you please be quiet my show is coming on!" Mokuba spoke up out of nowhere causing all three heads to turn to him.

"Mokuba?"

Mokuba turned to them with a pout. "What? Seto told me to do it so I did. I've known for a while he's had a thing for blondie over there so figured it would not hurt to help out."

A blush appeared on Joey's face, "Who you calling blondie!"

"You do have blond hair." Mokuba stated before turning back to his show. "I know you probably won't believe me but the night after Joey went home from looking after Seto for me. I noticed something strange about Seto. His hand kept twitching as if he wanted to do something, so I did what the doctor said and I told Seto to blink once for yes and two for no. I asked him if he wanted something and he blinked once for yes to my surprise. At first I was not sure how I was going to figure out what he wanted until I noticed he had somehow pointed toward the hidden camera we put in the room for him."

"Hidden camera?" Yugi questioned looking toward Yami.

Yami nodded, "It's for security reasons to make sure none of the butlers or maids mistreat Seto in his comatose state. Mokuba and I can't be with him twenty four seven and even though we have our staff fully checked out before they were hired, we still can't take any chances."

"Like Yami said it's to protect Seto, however thanks to it I was able to figure out what Seto was trying to tell me." Mokuba said before he glared at Joey, "I don't like some of the things you said to Seto, but I can't fully be mad with you when I know in some ways you are right."

At that moment Joey cursed himself and his big mouth. If he had known the camera was there he would have just sat there quietly.

"Anyway, I questioned him throughout the whole tape until I got to the part with you Joey." Mokuba went on to explain, "I heard the part about your father and asked Seto if he wanted to help you. He blinked yes, so I kind of just figured that Seto wanted me to pay off those bills." He turned to Yami with a smile. "This is proof he is coming back to us right?"

Yami nodded with a smile to his brother. "Yeah it is, but why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I figured Seto would want me to keep quiet until Joey figured it out. Never thought Joey would think you forged our brother's signature to sign a check. I've always helped out big brother with the finances so it was easy to get a check and sign his name. The hospital never questioned it since they knew who I was. I even got Kaiba Corp's best attorney to come along in case the hospital gave me trouble."

Yami sighed, "You sure are a sneaky one Mokuba…" He then turned to Joey who seemed almost speechless at finding out the news. "So now that I'm in the clear are you going to go chew out Seto for what he did?"

Joey honestly was not sure what to think at that moment, but just the idea of Seto helping him out surprisingly did not cause anger in his heart, but slight joy. "I should be mad I know, but I'm more confused than anything about why he would help me. I thought he hated me."

Mokuba turned to face Joey again with a serious look on his face. "You never got to know the real Seto before Gozaburo got his hands on him. The real Seto always cared for others and helped out when he could."

"Mokuba's right Joey, you should get to know this new Seto." Yugi pointed out with a smile, "Even when his mind was filled with hate and revenge he had his eye on you for a reason. There was something about you that drew you to him and he wants to make up for it. I just know it."

"I don't know when he might come back around, but it might be good for the both of you to move on and start over even if you only end up as friends." Yami added in hoping Joey could have the same happiness he had with Yugi.

Joey nodded and before anyone could stop him he turned and walked right out of the room. "I'm going to see him." He announced before he was gone leaving them sitting there wondering if Joey would be okay.

"You think he'll be okay?" Yugi questioned as he looked up at Yami.

Yami did not know what would happen for those two, but he had a feeling they would be able to work things out. "I'm sure he will. Although I don't know how much Joey will like the Seto I grew up with as a child. He could be a real pain."

"Big brothers are always a pain…"

Yami glared at Mokuba who pretended to be innocently watching his show as Yugi just laughed loving every minute he spent with the Kaiba family.

* * *

**Sakura**: Another chapter that pretty much wrote itself! I love those moments when I start typing and I can't stop so the chapters end up much longer than I think they will. Anyway in the manga Joey had other reasons for wanting the money but it was similar to this with wanting to help his father. I do have big plans for Seto and Joey for any puppyshipping fans out there so just hold on a little longer. Also Seto's not really in a normal type of coma, so he was able to communicate with Mokuba in his own way, just shows he is slowly coming back around.

**Yumi: Review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Not much to say this time around, except thanks for the reviews and I'm glad to see I'm collecting some new readers. It's good to see people are enjoying this story...

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

**Monster Fight (Part One)**

The sun was out making for a beautiful spring afternoon, however not everyone was enjoying the nice weather. Yugi's chipper mood that day had turned sour quick when his boyfriend had to cancel on their date once again. It was the third time in a week and he was most definitely ready for Seto to take his company back. Because of this turn in events Joey decided to give Yugi a ride home and hang out with him since he thankfully had the day off work. Due to the end of the semester coming soon, the professors had slow down on the assignments giving students more free time to study ahead for final exams. Although Joey and Yugi were the last people who wanted to study on a day like that.

As soon as they entered the Kame Game shop they found the shop empty of costumers and Solomon behind the counter reading a gaming magazine. He looked up when the bell rang and greeted them with a smile. "How were classes today?"

"Boring…" Yugi said with a sigh as he tossed his bag down and lean against the counter.

"It was alright, but Yugi is simply bummed out again." Joey informed the elder Mutou.

Solomon quickly caught on to what Joey was hinting at, "Yami cancelled again."

"Yes and it's the third time this week." Yugi complained as he checked his phone to see yet another apology message from his boyfriend. He did not want to appear clingy, but he hated when something came up and Yami cancelled.

"Well he is the acting CEO at the moment Yugi. This is something he is not use to and he has to put all his attention into it." Solomon reminded him, "Before long both of you will be working and it will feel like you don't have time for each other. You just have to make the most of the time you do have together."

"I take it your speaking from experience." Joey commented since Solomon had been married once before.

Solomon nodded, "Before she passed away my wife and I had to take every small moment we had together and cherish it. I traveled a good bit back when I was younger much like Yugi's father does now. It becomes harder when you have children, so it's best to enjoy these days you have now in your younger years."

"I know grandpa, but if Yami doesn't take a break I worry he might get sick. I barely see him as it is and he always looks tired when I do see him." Yugi said with a sigh as he finished his text to Yami and put his phone away.

"Just tell him you're worried and he'll understand. I bet it won't be long before Seto is back on his feet and Yami will be free to focus on you and his studies again." Solomon said before he decided to pull Yugi away from his depressing mood. "By the way I got that new shipment in. The one I was telling you about the other day."

Yugi eyes lit up at that. "It seriously came in? Where's it at?"

Solomon chuckled as he ducked down for a moment to grab something behind the counter before he presented the newest game he had gotten in. Yugi could never pass up the chance at being the first one to try out any new product the shop got. "I knew you would be excited to see it so I held off putting it on the shelf. It's called Monster Fighter and it's supposed to be the next big thing."

"Monster fighters…?" Joey questioned not sure what they were talking about. He watched as Solomon set out what looked like a gun but instead of a barrel it had a platform on it for something to sit on. He guessed the two monster figures Solomon set down were supposed to go on top of it.

"It's a combination of a monster boxing game and warm wrestling." Solomon went on to explain to Joey, "First you pick the monster you're going to use. There are over one hundred kinds and each has their own moves and hit strength."

Joey picked up one of the guns and one of the monsters which looked to be some kind of lizard man with boxing gloves. Yugi picked up the other gun and the other monster which looked like a ball with bunny ears and boxing gloves.

"You set it on the special 'fighting gun' like so…" Yugi showed Joey setting his own monster up on the gun and connecting the wires. "Then you link your gun with your opponent's gun and you're ready to battle." He linked up Joey's gun with his gun once Joey had his monster set up.

"So what about this thing?" Joey asked as he held up a coin size disk with a W on it. It had come with the monster so it had to have a point.

"That is your move data information," Yugi replied showing Joey his own, "There's a sensor on the back of the gun. You put the barcode disk on it and it scans it and reads your secret moves. Each monster has different finishing moves. Once the game begins, you watch your opponent for an opening and use the punch, kick, and guard buttons to defeat him." He showed Joey where and what each button did so he would be able to play. "There's two ways to win. You can knock your enemy out by hitting their weak points or you can force them out of the ring with a critical hit."

Joey nodded taking in all the information. "You sure know a lot about this game already Yugi."

"I got a little sneak peek at the game guide when Grandpa got it in the mail a month ago. The creators sent the guides out to different shops to see who would be willing to sell their items and grandpa thought this game would be a big hit for the younger kids that come around here." Yugi told Joey who shouldn't have been surprised. Every new game that came in Yugi would be the first to try it out and he used to take them to school with him back in high school to promote the game. That had changed a little since he was in college now, but he could still show off to his friends. "Ready for a friendly match?"

"You know I am." Joey prepared his monster and once they were both ready they started the match. He went first throwing a right punch at Yugi's monster.

Yugi used his monster to guard before he changed and went to punch Joey's monster. Back and forth the two went guarding, punching, and kicking trying their hardest to beat the other. Solomon watched the two having a blast playing the game, if they were having this much fun he was sure the game would sell well with the younger crowd.

"You dropped your guard." Yugi warned Joey and before his friend could do anything Yugi used his monster to kick Joey's monster in the side.

"Ack! That hit made the grip vibrate!" Joey shouted out in shock not knowing the device could do that.

"When you're hit in your weak point, you can't move for two seconds," Solomon filled in for Joey before he told his grandson, "This is your chance, use your finishing move."

"Okay!" Yugi pulled the finishing move trigger allowing his monster to use its Mach Tornado Punch to send Joey's monster off the platform and leave it hanging from the gun thanks to the wire still attached. "I win!"

"Do you ever lose at anything?" Joey wondered out of the blue because it seemed like every game Yugi played he won no matter if he was new at it or not.

Yugi grinned at his friend. "You just got to keep trying Joey, one day you might defeat me." He placed the two guns and monsters back on the counter.

"So what do you think?" Solomon asked the boys.

"I think it's awesome," Joey commented since it was like a portable fighting game. It beat going to the arcade every day and having to pay coins just to play a fighting game.

Solomon was glad to hear that, "Well since you boys like it so much, I'll let you keep these two devices if you can do me a favor."

Yugi was surprised by that, "Sure what is it?"

"I want you to promote the game while on campus. I'm sure most of the students have younger siblings and if they see you playing the game it might catch their interest. I think the best way to advertise is to see other people playing the game."

"That's a good idea grandpa…" Yugi said liking the idea. He never had a problem playing games in between classes with his friends.

"It might even catch on with the college crowd." Joey pointed out agreeing with the idea, "I'm in, it will make the days a little less boring."

Solomon gave the devices back to the boys, "Well we will just have wait and see how popular this game gets." He knew Yugi and Joey would be the best ones to show off the game. Hopefully it would not be long for the game to catch on.

* * *

Within a week, monster fighter was a big hit throughout Domino. Word of the game spread fast after Joey and Yugi were seen playing the game during their free time on campus. Students simply passing by would stop and wonder what they were playing. Since it was new it had everyone's attention and ended up catching the attention of the college crowd like Joey thought it might and once the older teens were playing, then it moved down the chain to the younger teens and children. It became a new trend in the gaming world and really did boost business for the Kame Game Shop.

Yugi was glad to have been able to help his grandfather out, however once the game became popular it was harder and harder to keep the items in stock. His family's store could not stay stocked long enough with the demand of the crowd.

"So your store still out?" Duke asked after he watched Yugi have to tell another student that his store was out. The student walked away without another word allowing Yugi to turn his attention back to his friends.

They were all trying to enjoy lunch together and it was one of those rare days where even Yami was able to join them. He had been trying to come back to classes slowly, but there were some days when he was needed more at Kaiba Corp. They had a few quizzes that day in different classes so Yami made sure to come that day.

Yugi nodded, "It's a pain having to turn costumers away. This game became almost too big of a hit." He stole a few of Yami's fries before he asked, "What about your store?"

Duke shook his head, "We've been out for two days now and I think my father isn't going to order anymore. We have other items in our store that sell well so it's not a huge lost. It just means your grandfather will be the only one in that area selling them from now on."

"I think grandpa might enjoy that." Yami said with a chuckle. The two game shops had been rivals since Duke moved to Domino back in their high school days. His father opened up a game shop not far from Yugi's and they have been in competition ever since. Yugi and Duke got along just fine, but there was word from both teens that Yugi's grandfather and Duke's father hated each other. There was no clue as to why from both boys since neither of their relatives had met before or so they think they hadn't. It was a mystery that no one bought up anymore.

"If we could just keep them in stock I'm sure he will." Yugi agreed before he looked down at his watch. "Oh crap… Yami I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Yami asked confused.

Yugi stood up while tossing his back pack onto his back. "I have to turn in some papers before our next class. Just wait here for me it shouldn't take long." He took off without another word hoping to make it back to his friends before they headed over to the building for their last class of the day.

"What was that about?" Tea wondered as she watched Yugi hurry off.

"I think it has something to do with his major." Joey pointed out causing all eyes to turn to him. "He was talking about finally deciding on a major and just having to fill out the paperwork."

Yami recalled Yugi talking to him about what major he should take. He had told him he would support him in anything he chose to do and that must have helped if Yugi was filling out the paper work to change from undecided to a real major. "I wondering if he is going for the archaeology major he was telling me about."

"Probably so, then it will just be Joey who has to decide." Duke said teasing the blond at their table who was always late deciding things.

Joey flicked a fry at Duke, "I'll have you know I'm filing for a major next week. My adviser gave me a few chooses to look over that might interest me."

"Just make sure you want to do it Joey." Tea reminded the blond, "You don't want to get stuck with something that you don't enjoy."

"I know, you don't have to worry I got it covered."

The rest of the time was spent finishing their meals and making small talk until Yugi returned to them.

* * *

Yugi stepped out of the administration building once he was done filling his paperwork. Now he would just have to wait until his new adviser called him to set up an appointment to meet so he could figure out what classes he would need to take. It was nice to have a major and know what he wanted to do with his life. He was also happy that Yami would support him just like he would support his boyfriend.

Checking his watch, Yugi found he still had over ten minutes to make it back to his friends so instead of having to run all the way back he could take his time. Now that he had everything taken care of before his last class, he could go home with Yami and enjoy the time they had together. Yami had assured him that morning that he would not be going into work, but there was no telling when he might get a phone call and have to go in. Yugi had to make sure he spent as much time with Yami as he could that day.

It was when he was passing between two of the buildings that he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey Yugi…"

Yugi turned not recognizing the voice and found a tall tough looking guy walking up to him. He hated being cornered like this since it reminded him of his high school days, but he had to learn to not see everyone as a bully. "How do you know my name?" He asked not sure what the guy wanted.

"Everyone knows the name of the King of Games," The guy said as he stopped in front of Yugi. "The names Koji Nagumo and I hear you're pretty good at Monster Fighter."

"I'm okay at the game," Yugi admitted wanting to get back to his friends. "Is there something you wanted because I have somewhere I need to be."

Nagumo pulled out his own monster fighter gun, "You see I'm a pretty good gamer myself and have become a master at this game. I remembered hearing the King of Games went to our campus, so I thought I would challenge you to a friendly game. I've been looking for a real challenge."

Yugi knew what it was like to not have any real challenging opponents to go up against. However he promised his friends he would be right back. "Maybe some other time?"

"It will be real quick I promise. You do have your gun with you don't you?"

There was this gut feeling that he was not going to be able to walk away from here without a match, so Yugi pulled his back pack off and grabbed his gun and monster from inside it. "Sure…" He figured one little game could not hurt and he did have a few moments to spare. He hooked his monster up to his gun and then linked his gun with Nagumo's gun.

"Huh? So your monster is Alti he's a nice starter monster, but my wild spider is undefeated." Nagumo informed him as Yugi saw the monster Nagumo had which was a spider with boxing gloves.

The two did not take long to start their battle and honestly it was one of the harder fights Yugi had to face. Some of the players he had face from his classes were not as strong as this guy. There seemed like there was no opening to hit the spider's weak point or a chance to knock it off the platform.

"By the way I forgot to mention there's this house rule I always play with…" Nagumo mentioned as he kept his eyes on the game.

"Huh?" Yugi wondered trying to listen and keep his eyes on the game.

"The winner gets the loser's fighting gun and of course, the loser's monster too."

That threw Yugi off hearing that and it was at that moment he wanted to stop the game. "What? No way, I don't want to Nagumo."

"Oh look out you're wide open!"

Yugi quickly looked down at the game however it wasn't the game he should have been worried about as Nagumo repeated himself by saying, "I said _you're_ wide open." It was at that moment Yugi should have realized it was him and not the game Nagumo was talking about when a pretty strong punch to the face sent Yugi flat on his back and making him lose his grip on his gun.

Nagumo chuckled as he turned to walk away with his prize. "It's the rules so I'll keep this. Got a lot of other appointments, so I've gotta run, but next time we fight I'll get serious."

Yugi was able to pick himself up long enough to watch Nagumo walk away with his gun and monster. He felt like a fool for trusting the guy and there was no way he was going to let him get away with that.

* * *

"Monster fighter hunters?" Joey questioned wondering if he heard Tomoya right as they continued to wait for Yugi at their table. They had been just making small talk when Tomoya started telling them about some of the things that had been happening on campus. Tomoya and Tea knew a lot more since they lived on campus.

Tomoya nodded, "There have been a lot of victims here at school over the past few days. The hunters steal the games then are selling them at a higher price trying to make some quick cash."

"I remember hearing about that, but I thought it was just some rumor." Tea mentioned having not realized it was true.

"I like to punch the lights out on the jerk doing all this." Joey growled, since games were supposed to be fun. No one should have to worry about getting their monster fighters stolen. Before Joey could decide to go hunt down the jerk stealing the games, Yugi reappeared at their table, but something was completely different.

"Yugi!" Yami gasped as he quickly stood up to tend to his lover. Yugi had a nasty bruise developing on the side of his face along with a cut bottom lip. The smaller teen had to deal with his concerned lover fusing over him, before Yugi could get a word in.

However instead of explaining how he ended up that way, Yugi turned to Joey with this serious look on his face. "Joey, I want to ask you a favor…"

* * *

**Sakura: **Well that is all for this chapter… I changed things up by ending it here since the manga chapter has more to it like the start of the revenge match between Yami and Nagumo. Those who have read the manga know what I'm talking about, but I wanted to hold off and leave people guessing whether Yugi will get his own revenge or if Yami is going to go kick some ass.

**Yumi: Review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **There were some interesting guesses on who would get the revenge. Let's see who was right...

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

**Monster Fight (Part Two)**

"Thanks Dude! Come Again!" Nagumo said to his latest customer and once the door was shut he laughed, "Business is booming. I still have a good stock and if I run out I'll just steal more. I'm just a brilliant entrepreneur."

There was clatter of the door opening again and Nagumo looked up thinking it to be another customer. He was working his black market store of monster fighters in an abandon gardening shed that had yet to be torn down so he knew it could not be one of the campus workers. However he was surprised to see a familiar hairstyle on the new comer.

"I've got another one for you Nagumo. Why don't you try and steal this one," Yami stepped into the light allowing Nagumo to see him holding a gun and monster that belonged to Joey.

"You're that kid…" Nagumo got a good look at Yami and realized he was not Yugi, "Wait you're not Yugi, your that Kaiba brat that hangs around him."

"That kid happens to be someone I care about and I don't take kindly to those that hurt him." Yami set a glare on his face as he stare Nagumo down, "It's a monster fighter return match Nagumo." There was no way Yami was going to let Yugi deal with this guy again after he found out what had happened. Yugi was a fighter in his own way, but this guy played dirty and Yami knew how to handle guys like him.

When Yugi had returned with the bruises on his face both Yami and his friends had to force Yugi to tell them what happened. He had wanted to handle the situation on his own, but Yami couldn't let him do that.

* * *

"_I can handle this on my own Yami," Yugi said as he glared at his boyfriend. He just needed to challenge Nagumo to a rematch to get his monster fighter back._

"_Not after what I've heard from Tomoya. It sounds like this guy has been at it for a while Yugi. He plays dirty to get what he wants and I can't let you get hurt again." Yami argued with him. _

"_Listen to him Yugi," Joey spoke up getting Yugi's attention and trying to talk some sense into him. "We are not saying you can't stand up to this guy, but going it alone is not smart. He could have friends we don't know about. The last thing any of us what is for you to get hurt worse than you already are. Let me and Yami handle this guy."_

_Yami shook his head, "I'll go it alone."_

"_Now who's trying to be the hero," Yugi mumbled to himself but the others heard it. He finally sighed knowing none of them where going to let him handle this on his own. "Fine, I'll stay here like a good boy."_

_Yami really did not want to argue with Yugi, but the boy could be stubborn. He held out his hand to Joey, "Let me borrow your monster fighter."_

_Joey knew there was no changing Yami's mind about going it alone, but at least he was glad to hear Yugi would stay behind. "You better come back in one piece."_

_Yami agreed and took the monster fighter when it was handed to him, however before he left to go find that guy he decided to clear the air with his partner. He pulled Yugi outside so they could talk alone and not have an audience. "I love you Yugi and you got to understand how it feels to me seeing you hurt like this."_

_Yugi crossed his arms and looked at his feet not happy about the situation. "I know that, but I can't always rely on others to help me with my problems."_

"_You have to pick and choose your fights Yugi. There will be problems you will be able to face alone, but trust me when I say it's better if I go get this guy back for what he has done. People like him need to be taught a lesson." _

"_But I don't want you to get hurt either!" Yugi shouted looking up at Yami._

_Yami could see the hurt and worry shinning in Yugi's eyes. Just seeing him looking at him like that felt like a stab to the heart and it took him no time to pull Yugi close and hold him tightly in his arms. "If you stay back and don't try and be involved I'll let you come with."_

_Yugi looked up at Yami in surprise, "What?"_

"_If things start to look ugly you can run for help. That way you can feel assured I won't get hurt." Yami told Yugi hoping to put some of Yugi's worry to rest. He had a slight feeling that was why Yugi wanted to handle this on his own. He didn't want Yami or any of their friends to get hurt like he did. However it was a lesson to both of them that they had to face some battles together._

* * *

Yami was glad Yugi had agreed to his terms and he was just outside the gardening shed keeping watch, but staying out of eye sight. He had a feeling things would not get too ugly, but he had a way to keep things fair.

Nagumo had no clue what was going on, but he never passed up a chance at another free monster fighter. He grabbed his own device and they both connected them together with their monsters ready. "I'm surprised you were able to find me. You think you're pretty smart don't you? There must be brain under that hair."

"This game is three sets. The first to take two wins," Yami explained ignoring Nagumo's little comment. "Just so you know this monster fighter battle is a shadow game." As soon as those words left his mouth he felt the familiar pull as if he was taking a back seat and watching everything unfold from the side lines as the other Yami took over. He had come to accept the other Yami and it had become easier for him to stay awake and witness it all. The other Yami would be able to teach this guy a lesson he would never forget. With the other Yami in charge the atmosphere around them changed, but only slightly and was not really noticed by the other player.

"A 'Shadow Game' huh? So I guess that means there are no rules?" Nagumo questioned not even realizing what he had just gotten himself into.

The other Yami left the question go unanswered as he prepared himself for the fight that was about to take place. He was going to let Nagumo make the first move so he could get a sense of his strategy. Knowing what had happened to Yugi he had to not only keep his eyes on the game, but also on Nagumo at the same time. This game was more dangerous than Nagumo would know.

With both players ready Nagumo made the first move throwing the first punch with his spider and aiming at the lizard's face. The other Yami quickly hit the guard button blocking the attack and then guarding again when Nagumo quickly went to use his spider to kick the lizard's side. It was obvious the battle was not going to be easy as Nagumo continued to try and punch and kick Yami's monster and the other Yami doing his best to keep guarding until an opening came about.

'_He's playing the game seriously…' _Nagumo thought with a chuckle, '_I'll simply clobber this kid and take his game gun.' _ He pulled back his fist and went to take a swing at Yami, '_This game battle is just a waste of time.'_

"When you break your concentration your monster is wide open," The other Yami said catching Nagumo off guard as he used his monster to punch the spider while Nagumo was not paying attention. The hit not only knocked the spider out of the ring, but it also did something else that Nagumo had not seen coming.

Nagumo fell to his knees in massive pain as he held the left side of his face. His monster had been hit not him, so he could not figure out where the random pain was coming from.

As he complained about the pain, the other Yami decided to fill him in, "Don't worry, in this game the monsters won't be damaged because we are the scapegoats for the monsters."

Once Nagumo pulled his hand away he was shocked to find a good size crack on the side of his face. '_My face got cracked instead of my monster….' _He slowly got back on his feet glaring at Yami even more.

"You don't get it do you?" The other Yami figured by the look on Nagumo's face. He still seemed confused by the crack he had developed. "If you don't play the game seriously, your body will be broken instead of your monster."

Nagumo reached down and picked up his spider reconnecting it to his gun, "I think I get it now. If I don't pay attention to the game, I'm really gonna get hurt… I get it but now it's your turn."

The other Yami was unfazed as he reminded him, "The game is three sets, the first to take two wins and I take the first set."

"I'm a gamer too you know. I can really play when I have to. It turns my stomach to say it but I'll play fair" Nagumo informed Yami, "I'll also tell you why I'll never lose this game. I learned to fight on the street. You can see it in my monster fighter strategy of judging distance, skills and techniques psyching you out. There's no way I could lose to a kid like you who's never been in a fight."

The other Yami had a feeling he could never trust Nagumo in playing fair, but had to continue on with the fight. The second battle was under way as Nagumo made the first move again sending his spider in with a high kick which Yami blocked. The attack was followed by a right straight punch which was blocked and then a low kick which was blocked again. It was all Yami could do as Nagumo went all out to try and knock Yami's monster out of the ring.

When the spider went in for a left hook, the other Yami block the attack only to realize that the attack was a trick as the spider changed and went in for a right straight punch. '_I can't raise my guard in time!'_ The other Yami realized before quick thinking may have saved him.

As the attack went to hit Yami's monster went limp moving out of the way in time. Nagumo was surprised by the turn of events as he figured out what Yami did, '_He flipped off the power and went out of balance to dodge the punch!'_

The other Yami flipped the power back on and went on the offense going at the spider with two different punches and then switching to a kick. Nagumo went to guard the low kick, but the other Yami had decided to use the same trick Nagumo had tried as the low kick turned into a high kick hitting the spider's unguarded face which so happened to be its weak point.

The gun started to vibrate meaning for two seconds Nagumo's monster could not fight and he was about to lose the game. '_Crap if he pulls his finishing move trigger right now I'll lose. I can't lose to that little brat!' _With that mindset he was done playing fair.

The other Yami never knew what hit him as he received a very real kick to the side knocking him off his feet and forcing him to let go of his gun. Dropping down to the ground he never had a chance to fight as Nagumo took the chance for his comeback.

"Now the tables are turned! This is how to fight!" Nagumo shouted with a laugh as he used his spider to throw Yami's monster into the air. "Now your monster is a fly in a spider's web! Open air combo! Spider Death Trap!" Three very powerful punches were quickly delivered to the torso of Yami's monster and the other Yami felt every one of those punches.

The other Yami never knew he had cried out in pain until he heard another voice call out for him. As he doubled over he could see Yugi out of the corner of his eye standing in the door way of the shed. The other Yami held up a hand to stop him from coming in not wanting him to get hurt also. "Stay back…" He choked out as he tried to get his breath back.

Yugi did as told, but he wasn't happy about it as the other Yami tried to stand back up slowly despite the pain. This was the same thing that had happened to him but worst, _'That cheater….'_ He glared at Nagumo hoping the other Yami paid him back tenfold for that cheat trick.

Nagumo laughed at his small victory as he said, "Now this game is even. So why don't you stand back up so I can end your misery."

The other Yami did and he was far from pleased with that stunt, he removed the polo shirt he had been wearing to reveal Yami's favorite leather top with the two buckles going across the torso and a third buckle serving as the collar. The material it was made of was high end so it took in most of the blows saving Yami from serious damage. It had been a gift from Yugi to Yami for his birthday the year before and it had certainly come in handy during that fight.

He continued to glare at Nagumo as he picked up the fallen monster and put it back on his gun, "Until now this shadow game was level one, but for this final set, I'm raising the shadow mode to level three. Get ready Nagumo."

'_Shadow Mode… right… is that supposed to scare me?' _Nagumo thought as he prepared to win the final fight. He never noticed the puzzle that let off a small glow from around Yugi's neck meaning this game had become even more dangerous.

The atmosphere became even heavier as the other Yami stated, "Nagumo you won't be able to cheat in the next set."

"Let's see about that. I'll win in my own way." Nagumo smugly replied back. As soon as those words left his mouth he was making the first move going in for another punch to which it was blocked. Then there was another left hook that followed but was blocked.

It was the same old thing back and forth as one would go in for a punch or kick only to be blocked and neither was leaving an opening for the other to get a hit in. It was only until the other Yami got in a lucky low kick that knocked the spider off balance showing that the tables were turning in their game.

The other Yami took his chance and went in for another punch hitting the spider in its weak point making it freeze for two seconds once again. "Hit the weak point again, you're frozen for two seconds Nagumo."

'_No way! If he pulls the trigger now, I'll lose.'_ Nagumo thought and it had been this way before last time, but if he used the same trick as before he could use it again. He could not let Yami win this battle. "You asked for it sucker! I'll kick you in the stomach again!" It wasn't until he went to do as he said that he realized something was not right.

"I told you Nagumo. You can't cheat in this game." The other Yami reminded him, "Look at your legs."

Nagumo looked down when he realized he could not use his leg only to find a nasty surprise keeping him from attacking. "W-What the…!" All the other monsters he had taken from other people were keeping his legs in place. He also took notice of a certain monster he knew well. _'Huh? M…. My wild spider too! Wh-What does that mean?'_

"Apparently your monster won't sell its soul to evil. Isolated and friendless it doesn't look like any of the monsters are on your side." The other Yami explained to him, "You even betrayed the trust of your monster. The only monster on your side in this game is…"

'_This is impossible… Then what is this monster on my field...?' _Nagumo looked toward his gun only to get another nasty surprise. There was another wild spider there but this one was different as it had Nagumo's face. He was put into a state of shock not knowing what the hell was going on.

"Behold your inner self, the other you, twisted into a shape to match your sick desires." The other Yami said with a smirk, "Now I'll crush your monster," He pulled the finishing move trigger sending a powerful hit through the torso of the monster before him. "A person can change their soul into any kind of monster but in the end the shadows always eat them alive." He said as Nagumo went down completely out cold from the attack.

Yugi had watched everything play out and he was surprised himself. He never really knew the other Yami's true power until then. The thought of what the other Yami did to that man scared him, but if Yami trusted him he was going to need to learn to trust him also. "What do you do to him?" He bravely asked catching the others attention.

"I shattered the evil side of his soul, changing it and allowing him a chance to change. As for physical he will be fine, but he probably has a few busted up ribs from that attack." The other Yami turned to Yugi as Yami's boyfriend slowly approached him. They could both see that the cracks that had been on Nagumo's face were gone and replaced with a nasty looking bruise that would take a while to heal if he did not have a fractured jaw.

Yugi took notice that the monsters that had moved once before were now back to being simply figures for the game. He reached down and picked up his own monster and gun back, while the other Yami collected Joey's gun and monster to return to him. Once that was taken care of Yugi turned to find that Yami was back in control as he winched at the pain coming from his chest.

"I didn't figure it would hurt this much." Yami turned to face Yugi with a weak smile. "See I knew what I was doing."

Yugi nodded, but not before punching Yami in the arm. "Scared the crap out of me is what you did." He then changed and kissed Yami's cheek in thanks. "However thank you for helping me out."

Yami chuckled knowing he deserved that as they both headed out of the garden shed, "We're pretty much already late for our last class. So why don't you and I just skip out and go do something together."

"I like that sound of that, but shouldn't we call someone about that guy?"

"Nah… He'll probably wake up before long feeling like crap. I say we just leave him and walk away, if no one reported their fighter stolen then there's really no proof against him." Yami replied as he put an arm around Yugi and led him away from the scene. Time would only tell if Nagumo learned his lesson of stealing from others.

The two walked off campus as if nothing had happened wanting to just put the incident behind them and move on. Their friends would probably question them later to find out the details, but for now they just needed some alone time.

* * *

**Sakura: **I'm not sure what type of shirt Yami wears in the manga, but I almost think that thing is bullet proof. He took some serious blows in that chapter. On another note, Yugi and Yami had a little disagreement, but all couples have those once in a while. Gotta keep the realness of it all that Yugi isn't a weakling anymore and wants to stand up for himself, while Yami just wants to protect him. Next time we will have one of my all-time favorite chapters that I have wanted to do since I started this story but with my own spin on it.

**Yumi: Review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I've been waiting to post this chapter pretty much since I first started this story. It's like one of my all time favorites and let me not forget to thank s2Teennovelist for helping me out big time with this one. I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Forty**

**13 O'clock Terror**

The beginning of the month of May proved to be a hot one. It was like summer time was already there in the city of Domino and everyone was enjoy the great whether. Given the week was going to be nothing but sunshine Yugi and Yami decided to spend their Golden Week holiday together. On that particular day they had made plans with Duke and Tea for a double date at the local outdoor amusement park that was an hour drive outside of Domino City. It was rare for Yami to have so much time off, but somehow he worked it out. A little part of it may have been from final exams coming up the next week and he needed as much time off from Kaiba Corp as possible to be sure he passed his courses. However too much studying could also stress someone out, so one little date away from having their noses in textbooks would not hurt them.

The only problem was Yami had yet to show up leaving Duke, Tea, and Yugi waiting outside the amusement park. It was amazing that any of them could set foot in any kind of amusement park after the Death-T incident, but the Domino amusement park had the promise of water park fun that more than made up their minds.

"He should be here by now…." Yugi commented as he looked at his watch. He was a little worried that Yami might have gotten pulled into work. Even though they had been studying together the first part of the holiday it had been nice having Yami around more. It almost seemed too good to be true that Yami had so much time off and he wondered if their luck ran out.

"I wouldn't worry so much. He either he got caught in traffic or woke up late." Duke mentioned to Yugi as he watched the crowds of people going into the amusement park. Hopefully by the time Yami got there it would be thinned out and they could get in and enjoy themselves before the sun baked them alive.

Just before Yugi could say something else a familiar town car pulled up in front of them and the back door opened. Yami stepped out with a small backpack thrown over his shoulder and a newspaper in his hand. He said something to the driver before shutting the door and joining his date.

"Sorry I'm late traffic was murder on the way here." Yami apologized as he looked at all three of them, "Were you waiting long?"

"Kind of, but I'm just glad you were still able to come." Yugi told him as they all headed over to get in one of the lines. There really was no reason to be mad because Yami was a little late, he was just happy he hadn't ditch them for work.

As they waited in line Yami showed Duke an article in the newspaper he had been reading that morning, "Did you hear about the Card Bomber striking again?"

Duke took the offered newspaper and looked at the head lining story which told about the Card Bomber bombing a department store and eight people died in the elevator blast. "This is what the third time?"

Yami nodded, "He sends a playing card as his calling card and the police had no leads on whom this person is or why he is doing this."

The two somehow ended up in a deep discussion about it causing their dates to look at them like they had lost their minds. "With the way they are acting you would think they were trying to solve the case." Tea mentioned to Yugi who agreed. It was scary to know there was a bomber on the loose in their city, but today was supposed to be a fun day to get their minds off of everything.

As they near the front of the line, Tea decided to intervene so that the boyfriends had their attention on their dates. "If the morning paper is so much fun, why don't you read it all day?" Tea questioned with sarcasm making sure both of the boys heard her.

They both looked up and blushed in embarrassment before Yami crumpled up and threw the newspaper away in a nearby trash can. Both Duke and Yami kissed their dates in apology before walking up to the ticket lady. Duke, Tea, and Yami had no problem giving the lady their tickets and getting on through but Yugi was another story.

"Hey kiddo, this is a college student's ticket. You are still in grade school right?" The lady asked with a smile.

Yugi went bright red at being once again referred to as a little kid. Somewhere deep inside he knew this was going to happen when he picked up a discount ticket at their university because it had happened almost every time when he came here with his friends during their high school days. The amusement park sold discounted tickets to students of any kind even university students when schools were in for the year and it was great to most people except Yugi who people still thought was in grade school.

"Excuse me, I may not look it, but I am a college student." Yugi kindly explained to her not letting his slight anger show. He produced his college ID as proof and after an apology from the ticket lady Yugi was sent on his way.

Yami chuckled as he took his flushed lover into his arms, "It's okay honey, at least you look good for your age."

"Watch it Yami or I'll bite you."

Yami let go and turned to look at the slightly crowded amusement park, "Okay what should we go on first?" He knew Yugi was only joking with him, but he wanted something to get Yugi's mind off of what happened. They were there to have fun and he didn't want his boyfriend in a foul mood over his height again.

"Let's see…." Tea said as she shielded her eyes from the sun, "It's a hot day and the sun is shining… I think I have the perfect way to start off our double date."

* * *

There were screams of enjoyment as the raft came down the long water slide into the knee deep water below. Three of the friends were laughing their hardest as during that last trip down Yami fell out of the raft at the end. Once Yami sat up and spit the water out of his mouth did he glare at the three still laughing at him. It wasn't his fault he lost his grip at the end.

Yugi hopped out of the raft and helped his lover to stand up as the other two moved the huge raft away from the slide before others came down. "You alright there?"

Yami nodded and he was so glad Tea had decided to pick the water rides first. It gave him the perfect chance to admire his beautiful lover in his swim trunks. Yugi wouldn't admit it, but he was quite a looker and Yami had noticed a few girls and guys staring at him. Of course Yami quickly made sure they knew he was taken by kissing Yugi or putting his arm around him.

"Yeah I'm good, but I think I need a break before we ride any more rides." Yami said as they walked over to join the others. Once Yugi and Yami told Duke and Tea they wanted to take a break, they all decided to take a break so they did not wear themselves out. There was still so much more to do.

Surprisingly there were four beach chairs available together so they quickly claimed them. Tea took that time to sun bathe a little, while Duke and Yugi strike up a conversation. This left Yami sitting there watching the other people at the park enjoy themselves on the water slides. It had been a while since Yami was able to simply have fun anyway and not worry about danger, his courses, or work. Over the weeks he felt like he was living his life in fast forward and missing so much at the same time.

Yami briefly looked over at Yugi, who was laughing at something Duke said and he couldn't stop the smile that came to his face.

The moment was short lived however as the next thing Yami knew he was getting spirted in the face. He quickly wiped the water away to find a little brat laughing at him. The kid walked away laughing like he had done nothing wrong, but Yami was not going to let him get away with that. "Get back here you little brat!" He shouted after the kid leaving his friends and boyfriend for the moment. Someone needed to put that kid on a leash.

Tea, Duke, and Yugi couldn't hold back their chuckles at the scene that had unfolded. They wondered how Yami would take it when they told him Tea had told the kid to do that. Yami had looked to be in such deep thought they figured a little prank wouldn't hurt him.

"Do you think he'll be mad?" Tea asked when Yami was out of hearing range.

Yugi shrugged, "Probably not, but it sure was…." He stopped mid-conversation as some dude stepped up beside Tea and blocked Yugi's view of her. Duke sat up also when he noticed the guy standing over his girlfriend.

"Hey babe!" The guy said to her lowering his sunglasses a little to get a better look, "You alone? Want to get on the slide with me?"

Tea looked at him like he lost his mind, "Not really, I'm with my boyfriend so bug off."

The dude looked behind him at Duke and Yugi as Duke stood up to show who she was talking about. "She's with me, so I would do as she says and back off."

"Or what you'll hit me?" The guy asked with a laugh, "This girl wants a real man not a little boy."

"You don't have to worry about me hitting you. She'll do it for me." Duke told him as a warning as the guy rolled his eyes and turned back to Tea. He watched as the guy made the big mistake of grabbing one of Tea's hands and kissing the back of it trying to act all suave.

Tea glared at the guy before her other hand in the form of a fist came out of nowhere and nailed the guy in the stomach. He stumbled back doubled over and totally missed Duke's foot that he stuck out causing him to trick backwards into the water behind him. It was deep enough so the guy would be unhurt, well his pride would probably be a little bruised.

Yami came back just in time to find Tea sticking her tongue out at some guy in the water. "Did I miss something?"

Duke shook his head as he gathered his things, "No nothing…" After that the four make a fast exit to go get changed and check out some of the other rides.

* * *

As the day dragged on and lunch passed, the double date was going smoothly. They went on a couple rides, before stopping for lunch and once they rested a little so they wouldn't get sick when riding any more rides they started to walk around the park trying to figure out what to go on next. They had already been on the most popular roller coasters in the park before lunch and those were the main attraction. Other than that there were only the less thrilling rides and the games.

"How about we go on the Ferris Wheel?" Tea suggested as they got near the giant wheel.

Yugi and Duke took one look at the thing and did not look all too sure about it. "Maybe we should try something a little more exciting…" Duke said as he pulled on her hand to lead her away.

Tea refused to move and since she wasn't all that weak, it was easy for her to keep Duke standing right where he was. "Oh come on, we still have time for all the other rides. Let's take a moment to relax on the slowest ride they got here. I bet the view is great."

Yami had to agree with her on that, "With the view of the park we could plan out the rest of our day and I bet it's not a bad sight either." He pulled Yugi close with a smile. "I bet it's very romantic."

Yugi forced on a smile, "Okay, I'm sure it won't be too bad. Right, Duke?"

Duke had a feeling he wasn't going to win this fight so he agreed, "Alright I'm in…" He followed the three as they walked over to the Ferris wheel. It was just his luck that there was no line and the next cart was slowly making its way to them.

The cart had already been empty so the operator simply opened the door for them to get in once it had stopped. "Are you all together?" He asked them. "We can fit four to one cart."

Tea nodded and had no trouble stepping on with her boyfriend and friends behind them. "How long does this normally take?"

"About thirty minutes, there is a two minute wait so that each cart is given a chance to enjoy the view." He informed her before closing the door behind them and locking it.

Tea, Yami, and Yugi all took a seat, while Duke stood where he was taking deep breaths. When there were four people inside there was not much room to move. It was pretty cramped in there and he was wondering if he was the only one having trouble breathing.

Tea reached out to grab Duke's arm and pull him down into the sit beside her. "It's going to be a minute before we get to the top so why don't you sit down and relax."

Duke pulled his arm away and crossed them as if he didn't want no-one touching him. "I'm fine where I am." He snapped out of the blue causing all eyes to look at him.

"What's your problem?" Tea asked because of his sudden mood change. "If you didn't want to ride the Ferris wheel that is fine, but you don't have to get mad at me."

"I don't see how you can stand this stupid ride it's cramped and stuffy in here."

Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Duke, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong!" Duke shouted at them, which caused the operator to come over and unlock the door. He opened the door to see what the problem is, but Duke simply pushed him out of the way and walked off the ride.

The other three looked at each other in confusion, before Yugi stood up and followed after Duke with concern for his friend. Tea wasn't sure how to take that outburst and just sat where she was. The operator looked at the two still left as he asked, "Do you both want off?"

Yami shook his head, "Sorry about that, we're both gotten ride."

"Alright, but I'm gonna start the ride back up so there won't be any getting off." Once it was confirmed Tea and Yami would still be riding, the operator closed the door and locked it once again. However once he got to his controls he did start the ride meaning now Yami and Tea would have to ride it to the end.

"We should have gone after them shouldn't we?" Tea asked as she looked out the window.

Yami shrugged, "Probably, but it looked like you needed someone to talk to." He waited until she looked at him, before saying, "Do you know about Duke's fear?"

Tea shook her head, "I didn't know he had any. We've talked about my fears and dreams before and he has even met my parents while I've never met his father. Every time we go out, I think I'm the one doing most of the talking when we are alone. If we're in a group it's different, he's more talkative that's why I thought this double date was a great idea." She sighed as she confided in Yami about her relationship. "Does he have a fear of heights or something?"

"No, if he had a fear of heights you would have never gotten him on any of those roller coasters." Yami told her and he knew Duke should be the one telling Tea all this, but it appeared he wasn't being completely honest with his girlfriend, "You gotten understand you are his first real girlfriend he has had as far as I've known him. I wouldn't be surprised if he believes he has to be the strong one in the relationship with no fears and needs to be completely supportive of you." He watched as she took in every word, but was still waiting to hear what had caused Duke to run out on them. "He has a fear of cramped spaces."

It was like a light bulb went off for Tea, "That would explain a few things. He wouldn't even go in the walk in pantry at my parent's place. I would have never guessed he had a fear like that, but he could have just told me that instead of biting our heads off."

"His anxiety goes through the roof in cramped spaces, so I've surprised he was that calm about it. I'm even more surprised he even got on the ride at all." He offered her a smile to try and make her feel better while saying, "Just give him a chance to explain himself. I've known Duke and he'll realize his mistake."

Tea smiled back at him, "I wouldn't end our relationship over something like that. Maybe after this he will be more open with me."

Yami hoped Duke was more open with her, because he wanted to see them just as happy as he was with Yugi. Relationships weren't about being perfect, they were about love, communication, trust, and so many other things.

* * *

Yugi was able to catch up to Duke before he got too far as his friend simply ran over to the nearest water fountain to throw a little water on his face. He carefully approached Duke hoping his friend wouldn't snap at him, "Are you alright?"

Duke looked over at Yugi as he stood up after getting a drink of water. "Yeah and sorry about that."

"It's no big deal, but judging by your reaction something did not sit well with you and that ride." Yugi pointed out, but he couldn't quite figure out what Duke was scared of. "You don't have a secret fear of heights do you?"

Duke shook his head, "I wish it was that, but no I don't like small spaces. I feel trapped and like I can't breathe." He sighed as he sat on the bench nearby, "However I probably should have said that instead of freaking out like I did. Tea probably hates me right now for leaving her like that."

Yugi sat down beside his friend, "I'm sure Yami is still with her, since he didn't come after me." He looked toward the Ferris wheel which was moving, "You know there is nothing wrong with being scared of something. Hell I have a fear of a lot of things."

"How do you get over that fear?" Duke asked as he looked at his smaller friend.

"You can try and face your fears, but normally I have Yami there to support me. If he wasn't there by my side, I would have never gotten on those roller coasters or even attempted the Ferris wheel." Yugi looked up at Duke with a smile. "I also remind myself that Yami will never let anything bad happen to me and it doesn't seem so scary. The same could be said for you and Tea. You probably have helped her through some of her fears before and if you gave her the chance she could do the same for you."

Duke looked away from Yugi as he thought about what his friend was saying, "My father was the only one around to raise me when I was growing up and he had this idea that men were to always protect their loved ones and have no fear. He said women need a strong man beside them in order to survive in this world because they are weaker." He sighed realizing he had been listening to the wrong person, "It was probably those viewpoints that caused my mother to leave him."

"Relationships aren't easy and there really is no rule book on what to do and not to do. It's a learning process and if I know Tea she'll want to talk this over with you. You just need to be open and honest with each other if you want to continue to be together." Yugi said to him hoping Duke would take his advice to heart. He knew Tea really liked being with Duke and he made her happy. If they could get passed this little bump in the road, Yugi figured they would be alright. "Why don't we head back and wait for them?"

Duke agreed as he stood up with Yugi and that was when they both noticed the heavy police presence not far from them. "I wonder if something's happened…?" He asked Yugi, who shrugged.

It was then the intercom system turned on and a voice spoke over the system. "_Attention park patrons, the police have received a bomb threat in the park. We can't go into details for security reasons, but… uh… please follow the instructions of the nearest police officer and quickly and calmly proceed to the nearest exit. Thank you."_

Once the system turned back off it was no surprise when a panic arose in the crowds and everyone was taking off for the nearest exit not even listening to any of the officers. Duke and Yugi had no plans to go to the nearest exit as they fought their way back to the Ferris wheel. They had to make sure their loved ones were okay and hopefully had already made it off the ride. There was no way they were going to leave them behind when there was no telling where the bomb was. The article in the newspaper that morning reminded them of how dangerous the situation could be.

It was as they made their way back over to the Ferris wheel the two quickly realized that Yami and Tea's cart was near the top and the ride appeared to have stopped leaving them there. The operator that had been there was no longer there leaving the riders stranded with no way off. Besides Yami and Tea, there was a rider in cart one and cart thirteen.

"This is bad, there are four people riding that Ferris wheel." Both Duke and Yugi looked beside them as a familiar figure Yugi had met before walked up with four officers behind him. The police chief who Yugi had met before back during the incident at Burger World was standing there with a phone in his hand.

"Excuse me…" Yugi spoke up getting the man's attention. "Our dates are on that ride, is something wrong?"

The chief did not even try and hide it as he said, "There's a bomb planted on that ride."

"What?" Both Yugi and Duke shouted at the same time as they looked up toward their dates. They were looking down at them and judging from their looks they had heard the announcement and wanted to get off.

The police chief got back on the phone with whoever he was talking to, before pulling a deck of cards from his jacket pocket. "Yes… I've got the cards." There was a pause in their conversation as the other person said a few things to the chief and then the chief looked toward his officers. "The bomber has challenged us to a card game. Who's a good card player? Is there a gamer here?"

Yugi took one look up at his boyfriend and then back at the officers who weren't sure what to do. There was no way no matter how much this scared him he could not let Yami and Tea be killed. Taking a deep breath he announced, "I'll do it!" He walked over to the chief and held out his hand for the phone. "Give me the cell phone."

The chief surprisingly handed it over with no problem letting Yugi talk to the bomber. "Hey. I'm here, what are we playing?"

There were chuckles on the other end as the guy said, "_A kid, very funny… All right… The game is clock solitaire."_ He then went into details of the rules of the game. "_Take the deck of cards from the officer, remove the jokers, and shuffle the fifty two cards left over…Deal the cards into thirteen piles of four, twelve in a circle like the face of a clock and one in the middle. The game is started by turning over the first card in the center pile… the thirteen o'clock position."_

Yugi followed the instructions as he set the game up as the bomber instructed and sat crossed legged in front of the game. "Here I go…" He reached for the middle cards and pulled the first one from the top to find a three of spades. So he placed it under the three o'clock pile and pulled a card from the top of the three o'clock pile. He got a four of hearts so he placed it under the four o'clock pile and drew the next card. That card was a ten of diamonds so it went under the ten o'clock pile and the cycle continued.

"This is a simple game… As all four cards in each hour pile are turned over the numbers appear on the face of the 'clock'…" Yugi mumbled to himself as he continued to play the game. '_I wonder what the point of this…What is this madman up to?' _

After flipping cards and moving them Yugi found the fourth number four card and completed the first hour. However what happen next put them all in a state of shock as the number four cart exploded before their eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Kaiba manor, Mokuba was busy watching his favorite TV show, while hanging out with his still comatose brother and surprisingly Joey. The blond had dropped by after complaining that the apartment was too quiet for him and all his friends were too busy to hang out. Mokuba didn't mind as Joey been coming over a lot more over the past few weeks and he had a feeling it was because of what Seto did for him. Yami had explained Joey's crush on Seto to Mokuba when he asked about it and the blond was growing on Mokuba. The smaller Kaiba was starting to let go and realizing he wanted to see his brothers happy.

Yugi made Yami happy and Mokuba was starting to see that Seto was happy with Joey's visits. It wasn't much but Mokuba always swore that there was a hint of a smile on Seto's face when Joey left after one of his visits. He was hoping that soon Seto would be coming back around and he could have his brother back.

At the moment Joey was lounging on the sofa with Seto sitting beside him in a wheel chair. Yugi and Yami's puppies that had been living with Yami since he moved back home where doing their own things at the moment. Yuki was running around with a sneak toy, while Shadow had found that Seto's lap was a great place to take a nap.

It was a picture perfect moment until Mokuba's show was cut off and switched to the news causing the other to curse at his luck. "Damn it! It was getting to the best part."

Joey's eyes widen at the language of the twelve year old. "I think you've been around Yami a little too much."

Mokuba blushed when he realized what he had done, "Sorry, please don't tell Yami about that. I just wish they wouldn't cut into my show time. It was a new episode that I had been waiting all week to watch."

"Well just don't do it again…" Joey caught sight of what was on the news and asked Mokuba to turn it up. The younger Kaiba did as told and the two watched as the amusement park was shown from an aerial point of view. The camera zoomed in on the Ferris wheel which police officers were standing in front of along with two other people.

"Hey isn't that Yugi?" Mokuba pointed out as he could just make out the familiar hairstyle. He looked to be playing some kind of card game in front of the Ferris wheel.

"It could be and that looks like Duke beside him, but where are Tea and Yami?" Joey wondered and his question was quickly answered as the point of view switched to the people still trapped on the Ferris wheel. Tea and Yami were both in one of the carts together and it was then Joey noticed the cart above them looked like it had been on fire at one point. "What the hell is going on?"

"_We are sorry to have disrupted your daily program." _The reporter finally said after the long moment of silence. "_Earlier this evening a bomb threat was issued to the police and appears to be linked with the other bombings that had happened over the past few weeks. Sources say this threat proved to be true as just moments ago one of the carts of this very Ferris wheel in Domino amusement park exploded before everyone's eyes. Most of the patrons of the part were evacuated from the park, but four passengers are still trapped on the ride where more bombs could still be…."_

Mokuba let out a gasp and turned to Joey, "But Yami and Tea are on that ride!"

The words floating around Seto seemed like a dream, but he could tell long ago the difference between a dream and real life. His past memories had been haunting him for days as the pieces of his heart were put together. Often times he recalled his childhood and how close him and Yami had once been. He remembered the day Mokuba was bought home, but that did not change anything as it did with some siblings. Seto and Yami had welcomed a baby brother and helped their parents take care of Mokuba. He remembered the day his parents died and when he had to take over and be responsible for both his brothers and make sure they stayed safe. Most of all he recalled when all that change when his heart became so filled with lust for power and to be better than anyone else. Gozaburo Kaiba had changed him into someone that even he did not recognize. Seto had put both his brothers at risk during the Death-T games and forgot that promise he made to them after their parents died.

'_I'll always be there for you no matter what.'_

Those simply words had lost their meaning and his greed and jealous blinded him from the truth. Yami had distanced himself from them and he had started to turn his own little brother into a monster with his actions. Surprisingly the one memory that stuck out most of all was a small one that happened right after Mokuba had been born.

It was the day Yami got hurt at the park after they had stuck out of the house. He could still see clear in his head it was the day their mother was busy cleaning the house and taking care of Mokuba. Their dad had to cancel on taking both he and Yami to the park because of a last minute meeting. It had been stupid at the time, but Seto had seen how upset Yami was that their father had canceled so he decided they were going to go to the park anyway. Seto somehow talked Yami into sneaking out with him and they walked the three blocks to the park on their own. They had a great time, until Yami slipped and fell off the jungle gym. He must have hit his head on something, because when Seto got to his side Yami wouldn't talk to him. Thankfully some parents had been around and called for an ambulance. It was a miracle in Seto's eyes that Yami ended up being alright with a slight concussion from the fall. They had gotten into so much trouble over that when their parents met them at the hospital, but over all they were glad that Yami was still with them.

It was part of the turning point when Seto realized he had to set an example for his brothers and made sure they did the right thing so they stayed safe. However now everything was messed up and he had been the one to cause all the problems. He stopped being their brother and started turning into the man Gozaburo had wanted him to be. That couldn't happen anymore, he to man up and apologize to them all for his behavior and pray his brothers still wanted him in their lives.

Joey gathered his phone and keys off the coffee table in front of him as the news continued to tell the people of Domino what was happening at the amusement park. "I'm gonna go down there and see what I can do. You stay here Mokuba the last thing Yami would want is for you to be put in danger."

Mokuba stood up as well, "But he's my brother I want to go too."

"Mokuba it's not safe."

"But Joey…"

"No buts," Joey said being stern with Mokuba so he would listen. He went to leave the room but before he was gone a very different voice spoke up.

"I'm...going with...you…"

Joey froze as he knew that voice and the only other person in the room besides him and Mokuba was… He slowly turned his head and could not believe what he was seeing.

* * *

Tea couldn't help the scream that she had let out when the cart above them had exploded. She could not believe that she and Yami had been caught up in a dangerous situation like this. Looking down below she could see the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "What are we going to do?" She had to sit down on the bench before her legs gave out on her.

Yami continued to stand and watch the scene below as he watched his boyfriend play the game. "We have to have faith that Yugi will win this game before something terrible happens." Inside he was a wreck as he thought of all the people who would suffer if they died. It couldn't end here it just couldn't.

Down below Yugi had to continue on with the game or risk the bomber changing his mind and setting off all the bombs. "_Understand now? Keep playing! Do you really think you'll end this without anyone getting hurt?" _ The bomber had said to him before he couldn't take it anymore and handed the chief the phone back. He had to focus on the game and win it without setting off any bombs that had riders. Yami and Tea were in the number three cart and he already had three of the number three cards and if one more showed up they would be done for.

While worrying over this, there was something else Yugi realized. The bomber had to be able to see his cards in order to know which bomb to set off, but for the moment he couldn't figure out where the person was. With no other choice he pulled another card and set the eight of diamonds with the other three eight cards. As they knew would happen the number eight cart exploded causing the ride to shake from the blow.

"It's over, chief. Sooner or later one of the occupied carts will explode!" One of the officers told his chief. "How can the boy win this game?"

The chief said nothing to his officers, making Yugi wonder if the guy had faith in him. Yugi just wished he had more faith in himself and didn't have to risk the lives of his friend and boyfriend along with two innocent strangers in this game. He knew the rules of clock solitaire and there was only one way to beat the game. '_The thirteen cards,'_ Yugi thought as he looked over what he already had, '_Kings go in the middle of the clock so I have to collect the four kings. You start from the center pile so when you draw the fourth king, you can't draw any more and the game ends. That's how it is supposed to work and I already have two kings with two more to go. But if I draw the last number three before that…' _He didn't even want to think about that as he put the last number two card in the two o'clock spot.

The number two cart exploded, but Yugi kept his focus on the game. He had to keep his anxiety down in order to focus. There was no messing up in this game of life and death. He reached for and drew to his luck another King meaning he only needed one more.

"Twenty seconds left," The chief said catching Yugi's attention, "Twenty seconds to the hour on the original calling card. Then all the bombs will go off."

Yugi's eyes widen at the news that he was not told. He couldn't take his sweet time anymore and had to move in order to end this game before everyone died. With his mind on over drive, he drew a card which was a useless ace and then drew his next card which would mean the end of this game whether he won or not.

As soon as Yugi saw what the card was he quickly put down the final King, not believing his luck in winning the game. He took a deep breath when none of the bombs went off meaning they were hopefully in the all clear. Yugi wouldn't be happy until Tea and Yami were with them and off that ride.

The chief and the officers were all unbelievable relieved that the game had been won without any more deaths. Two of the officers at that point walked over to the ride and started it back up, letting each rider off one by one starting with the rider in the number one cart and then Yami and Tea in the number three cart.

None of them waited another second to run into each other's arms. Tea clung to Duke as she cried into his shirt thanking every god out there that she was alive. Yami was a little less teary eyed, but Yugi was pretty much trying to squeeze the life out of Yami with the silent tears rolling down his face. He couldn't wrap his mind around how he just seemed to have won that game by complete luck.

The smallest of the group looked up at Yami with a weak smile. "You had me so worried…."

Yami wiped away the tears with a smile of his own as he kissed Yugi's forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

Their moment of bliss was interrupted by the chief walking over to Yugi and Yami. He put out a hand to Yugi, who shook his hand as the chief said, "It's thanks to you that we got out of this mess. I can't thank you enough for what you have done today."

"I'm glad I could help out. We do anything for the ones we love." He looked up at Yami as he said this, before looking back at the chief. "Oh and if you want to know where the bomber is…. Check out the person riding in the number thirteen cart. There won't be a bomb on that cart and that's the only place in the park where you could see my cards and set the bombs off. The number thirteen cart is the only safe car. The person pretending to be a hostage is the bomber."

The chief was surprised by that news and alerted his officers immediately as the number thirteen cart came around. He wouldn't know for sure until they questioned the guy, but it was better to be safe then let the bomber walk.

Tea and Yami were free to go without even having to be questioned, but sadly they could not enjoy the amusement park anymore. It didn't matter anyway because after what they went through they all just wanted to go home. Of course it looked like it could take a while when they got to the front of the park to find a media circus waiting outside the gates.

"Do you think there is a back way?" Duke wondered as they watched officers keep the reporters out of the park until the coast was clear.

"You could always follow us…"

All eyes followed the voice to find none other than Joey standing off to the side under the shade of a tree. He did not appear alone however as Mokuba and a police officer were with him. The officer was most likely there to make sure they didn't run off and it was no surprise to Yami that they heard the news and wanted to come check on the them, but what about Seto.

Yami approached them and was nearly mowed down by his younger brother as Mokuba wrapped Yami up in a bear hug and didn't want to let go. "You have me so worried." Mokuba shouted through his tears.

"I'm sorry Moki, I promise I didn't mean to put myself in danger like that." Yami reassured him because there is no way he would risk his life like that. There was a chance he could have died and then his little brother wouldn't have anyone unless Seto came out of his coma.

"You've been putting yourself in dangerous situations since the day you were born."

Yami froze where he was as he heard that voice and slowly turned his head to look at Joey. The blond simply smiled at him as he moved out of the way to reveal none other than Seto Kaiba himself sitting on a bench under the tree. He looked like he had seen better days as he slowly stood up with some help from Joey, but other than that there was that familiar light in his eyes that had been missing for so long.

"How dare you scare Mokuba and me with that little stunt of yours." Seto scorned Yami as he walked over to his twin with the help from the blond beside him.

Yami's shocked eyes turned into a glare as he glared at his brother. "That was no stunt and you know it Seto. I wouldn't put myself in danger like that." He didn't know whether to be glad or anger with his brother. Sure he was overjoyed to see his brother up and about, but another part of him still hated that attitude of his.

"I know little brother, but I was worried about you." Seto put a hand on the side of Yami's face with somewhat of a smile on his own face, until out of the blue that hand moved around and slapped Yami upside the head. "Just don't ever do anything so stupid again got it?"

Yami growled and went to lunge for Seto but Mokuba pulled him back. "Stop it Yami he didn't mean it."

"Didn't mean it my ass! I don't care if he did just wake up he had no right to hit me."

For some reason the others found it funny and had a hard time containing their laughs as Yami cursed at Seto for being so careless. Yugi had to step up just to calm his lover down before Yami did break free from Mokuba.

"Yami, he was just worried about you there is no need cause a scene." Yugi said standing in front of Seto. He still looked weak after just waking up from a coma and it probably wouldn't take much for Yami to knock him back out.

Yami did calm down, but instead of fighting Mokuba off him he just stood there with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Still he didn't have to hit me."

"I have to agree that was uncalled for…" Mokuba agreed with Yami as he looked up at his big brother, "Seto say your sorry."

At first no one thought he would do it, but to the shock of them all Seto said with a straight face, "I'm sorry Yami, it was uncalled for."

Yami couldn't believe the words he was hearing when he looked toward his twin. He was starting to believe this was all just a cruel dream and he would wake up back at the manor to his brother still being in a coma. "Do you just say you were sorry?"

Seto nodded while adding, "I'm also sorry I was such a jerk and did all those horrible things to you all during Death-T." He looked toward Yugi who had looked up at him, "I'll never be able to make up for all the trouble I have caused you but I am seriously sorry for not giving you a chance and trying to kill you during Death-T. Nothing can excuse my behavior."

Yugi was at a loss for words not expecting that at all.

"I would also like to thank you for saving my brother. Mokuba told me you were the one playing the card game against the bomber and if it wasn't for you he might not be here." Seto said with somewhat of a smile on his face. "Thank you."

Yugi blushed not believing he was getting an apologize and a thank you from Yami's own twin brother. This was the guy who had tried to kill him, his grandfather, and his friends. Not to mention his own brothers when they got in the cross fire. A part of him wondered if whatever the other Yami did to him might have helped bring back the old Seto he had heard Mokuba and Yami talk about. "I had to do what I needed to for the ones I care about."

Joey grinned up at Seto who continued to lean on him, "Who knew the big bad CEO had a heart after all." He loved being able to tease people when he got the chance and he was not going to pass up this moment.

"I'm hurt puppy, I figured you knew I had a heart from all the times you came to visit me." Seto said with a smirk as a blush grew on Joey's face. "I never knew you cared so much."

Joey would have tried to get away, but sadly he couldn't as he was the only support Seto had at the moment. "Yami come get your brother."

Yami developed a smirk of his own, "Aw but you two make the cutest couple."

"Do not!"

The others got a good laugh at how flustered Joey was getting over all this and Seto didn't seem to care. If anything he seemed pretty happy having Joey beside him supporting him like he was. Yami was just glad to see his brother was back with them and it would probably be a while before he was fully recovered, but at least he was not in a coma anymore. There was this feeling that soon everything would be back the way it was supposed to be with hopefully a changed Seto. Only time would tell but for now the brothers were back together as they should be and they weren't going to let anything tear them apart again.

* * *

**Sakura: **FIFTEEN PAGES!This is the longest chapter of this story so far. It just kept going and going because there was so much to add and I wanted to put it all in one chapter instead of two. A lot has happened in just one chapter and in the book Seto doesn't come around until Duelist Kingdom, but in my story he has come around now, because he plays a big part in this story in a few chapters.

**Yumi: Review!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I'm glad everyone enjoyed Seto being back because there will be more of him, but later in the story. I've got big plans for him and Joey, but for now we have a chapter that will focus on our favorite puzzleshipping couple.

* * *

**Chapter Forty One**

**The Evil Dragon Cards (Part One)**

Summer vacation was upon Domino and students of all kinds were welcoming the long break from classes except those who had classes during the summer. Yugi and his group of friends were in high spirits after having survived their freshmen year of college and would soon be sophomores in the fall. It was really great for both Yugi and Joey because they had finally decided on their majors and felt like they were not facing the unknown anymore.

Things did change over the few weeks into their summer break as Yami no longer had to worry about running Kaiba Corp anymore as his brother made a very quick recovery. Seto had to promise his doctor he would take things slow, but he was the one dealing with the day to day running of the company giving Yami his freedom back. Both Mokuba and Seto were working personal issues out with Yami, one of the reasons why Yami had yet to move back in with Joey and Tristan, and they were slowly getting to know Yami's boyfriend and friends. It was nice having brothers who supported him in some of his decisions and made Yami feel like he finally had his true family back.

Joey and Seto were of course still a little rocky in their own relationship after what happened in the past, but they were talking it out when they had the chance. They weren't official together as a couple no matter how much everyone knew they liked each other, but being friends was the best way to start out. Their random arguments were becoming famous whenever they were together and always got a laugh out of Joey's friends.

It felt like things were starting to become normal as they could be, when Yami still had a spirit attached to him. They had yet to figure out who the spirit was or why he was there, but Yugi and Yami had made it their mission to help him.

* * *

"I'm going to show you something different today," Grandpa informed the four in front of him as he pulled a different game out from under the counter he was standing behind. "This is an ancient Egyptian game. Two players race their pieces around the board shaped like a frog."

It was a normal hot summer day like any other which kept Yami, Yugi, Joey and Tea in the Kame Game Shop to beat the heat. Yugi had been helping his grandfather open the shop when the other three showed up seeing if he wanted to go out anywhere. After figuring out there really wasn't anywhere to go, they decided to hang around the shop with grandpa to keep him company since he had no costumers that early in the morning. Grandpa figured it was the perfect time to show Yugi's friends the new games he had just got in.

"Ancient Egypt huh…" Joey said as he tried the game out which really was a frog shaped board with a couple pieces looking like sticks that went into holes on the frog's back. "That sounds familiar, so they even had games way back then…"

"The history of games goes back five thousand years," Yugi explained to Joey. Games of all kinds had always fascinated him and he loved it when his grandfather got ancient games from places around the world in his shop. Most of the time it was friends of his grandfather's that sent them to him. Some of the games would sell, while others grandpa kept around in the shop for show.

While all of them were huddled around the game checking it out, the bell above the game shop door rang signaling someone else had arrived. Grandpa looked up to greet whoever it was with a smile, "Welcome…"

However the complete opposite happened when Yami's eyes met the new comer. If looks could kill the new comer would be six feet under. The reactions of the others were quite different as they realized who had walked in to the shop.

"Hello Yugi," The teen who had entered the shop said with a smile.

Yugi forced a smile on his face as he forced himself back into his boyfriend. He felt Yami's arms come around his shoulders in a comfortable embrace, "Ah Imori, it's been a while. How have you been? I haven't seen you since our high school graduation."

"I've been good, how about yourself? I see you and Yami are still together." Imori stated as he continued to watch Yami glare at him.

Yugi reached up to pat one of Yami's arms to get him to calm down before he started growling at the teen, "Nothing much has changed since high school. Two years together and Yami and I are still going strong."

"That's good a love like that shouldn't be broken." Imori pointed out as he approached the counter carrying something in his hands, "I remembered your family ran a game shop and I thought maybe your grandfather could take a look at this." He placed the item on the counter as the others backed away well Yugi was more like dragged back as Yami had a tight grip on him.

The item he had set on the counter looked like a jar with a box sitting on top of it. The whole thing was tied together with rope and there were weird markings all over it.

"What the heck is this?" Joey questioned as he looked at it. "Some kind of strange box…?"

Solomon's eyes had widen when he got a good look at what Imori had brought into his shop and could not believe what he was seeing.

"My grandfather picked it up when he was in Manchuria during World War II. My grandfather was a bit of a game collector," Imori explained to them, "He passed away recently and while I was helping clean out his house I discovered this in the shed so I thought Mr. Mutou might know what it is."

"It doesn't look like a game…?" Tea pointed out.

"It looks like those urns you keep people's ashes in…" Joey stated as he turned to Imori, "Can I open it?"

Imori shrugged, "Go ahead, I haven't touched it yet…"

Before Joey could touch it, Solomon had slapped his hands away and shouted, "Don't open that!" All eyes were on him looking at him in shock, before he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry for yelling but you mustn't break the seal." He urged and then went on to explain, "This is an ancient Chinese game called 'Dragon Cards'. I've heard rumors, but this is the first time I've seen it."

Everyone was confused, but also quite interested to hear more about what this game really was. Grandpa could see the curiosity in their eyes and given how dangerous the game was he decided to fill them in on the details. "It's written that the dragon cards were used by a Taoist master as a final test for Feng Shui students in china. Feng Shui is a form of magic that uses the energies of nature. It's been gradually systemized since china's golden age, four thousand years ago."

"Why were those dragon cards sealed away?" Tea asked.

"You know about the concept of yin yang in Chinese philosophy…?" Grandpa asked and got nods all around even from Joey, "Yin means shadow and Yang means light. In other words everything in the world is balance of light and dark. Right now, these dragon cards are Yin or shadows. The seal surrounding the dragon cards is Yang or light creating a balance. If the seal on the dragon cards were broken, the yin and yang would clash creating a warped power."

Grandpa picked up the jar from his counter top and handed it back to Imori, "These dragon cards are sealed away along with the power of the shadows. Promise me! You must never break that seal." They were dangerous and even he did not want them in his shop. He could not do much to stop Imori from opening it since they belonged to Imori, but he could at least warn the boy.

Imori took the jar back and nodded, "Yes of course." He thanked Mr. Mutou for his time before leaving the shop with his Dragon cards.

"Creep," Yami mumbled as he let go of Yugi. "I hope those dragon cards eat him."

It was Yugi's turn to turn around and glare at his boyfriend, "That's not nice Yami."

"He's the one who is not nice! Remember what he did back in high school!"

Yugi rolled his eyes, "You just can't let that go can you?"

Yami crossed his arms and shook his head, "Nope!"

Joey chuckled at the two, "You gotten understand Yugi, it really wasn't nice of Imori to try and make you think Yami was cheating on you."

Yugi sighed, "I know but it was pretty obvious Yami wasn't cheating on me with Tea."

"Yeah I remember those days, he was a big of a creep back then," Tea said recalling all that happened and when Imori took photos of her and Yami making Yugi think Yami was cheating. It had happened but a month after Yugi and Yami got together as a couple and the whole school learned about it. Tea had simply been hanging out with Yami getting to know him since he was dating her best friend.

"He may have tried, but he didn't succeed," Yugi said trying to give Imori the benefit of the doubt even though he did still have that feeling of dislike for the teen. "The only reason he got back at me and Yami is because I turned him down after he asked me out." That had been the weirdest day of his life when he got corner before class one day during his junior year and Imori asked him out. People knew he was gay, but he had no idea that Imori was too. According to Joey from rumors it appeared Imori had been working up the courage to ask him out and then Yugi flat out rejected him. It was not just because of his crush on Yami, but also Yugi just didn't like Imori that way. So as soon as Yugi got together with Yami, Imori tried to mess it up. He thought after high school that would be the last they saw of Imori, but after today that appeared not.

The bell on top the shop door rang again as a couple of middle schoolers walked in meaning business was going to start picking up. The four teens ended their conversation there and moved upstairs into Yugi's room to try and just forget what had happened downstairs.

* * *

A few days later on an extremely hot summer day Yugi and Yami along with their friends made plans to meet up at the outdoor pool they had on campus that was open to students. Sure they could have gone to the Kaiba Manor to swim to beat the crowd, but Yami wanted a day away from his brothers.

Surprisingly the campus pool was only slightly crowded given them all plenty of room to enjoy the cool water along with playing a few pool games. It was only until after they sent a good few hours in the pool that they decided to take a break for some lunch. The boys went to the boys locker room while Tea went into the women's locker room to change.

Nothing seemed different as Joey, Tomoya, and Duke retrieved their clothes and started to get changed, but Yugi did notice something about the locker him and Yami had been sharing. "Hey Yami did you leave the lock undone?" He asked since it wasn't too noticeable from far away but when standing in front of the locker he noticed the lock they had put on it to keep their stuff safe was not latched.

"I thought I did lock it when we were done," Yami wondered as he took the lock off and opened their locker. Their eyes both widen when they immediately noticed something missing, which should have been resting right on top of their clothes.

"My millennium puzzle!" Yugi said with slight panic in his voice as he pulled the clothes out to make sure it was not underneath them. The only things still in their locker were their clothes, along with their wallets and cell phones that had been left in their pants pockets. After having pulled out everything a piece of paper fell to the floor which he noticed and picked up. "What's this?"

Yami looked over Yugi's shoulder as they both read the note that had not been in their before. The note read: _If you want the puzzle back, Yami is to meet me at the location written below. If you tell anyone about this I will ditch the puzzle._

"It's signed Messenger of Darkness…" Yugi said as he looked up at Yami, who looked seriously pissed off by it. "Do you think someone is after you?"

Before Yami could voice anything Joey spoke up asking, "Hey what's wrong?"

Yami's mood changed quickly as he smiled to their friends, "Nothing is wrong, just go on without us. We will catch up with you guys later."

At first their friends look unsure, but then they walked away and headed out of the locker room. Yugi wasn't sure what to do as he watched Yami gather his clothes and get changed. "Are you seriously going to meet this person?"

"I will not stand for someone stealing your puzzle just to get back at me." Yami informed Yugi, "If you want to come with me that is fine, but I'm going to get your millennium puzzle back."

Yugi had a bad feeling about this, but he knew there would be no changing Yami's mind once it was set. So he started to get changed too, so he could follow Yami to the location written on the note.

* * *

The location written on the note lead Yugi and Yami halfway across campus to the theater building. They found the doors to be unlocked and once inside they found the place empty. It was only until they reached the stage that they found another note tapped to the podium with an arrow pointing to a backstage door to their right.

"Are you still sure about this?" Yugi asked Yami one more time. He didn't want his lover getting hurt even though he really did want his puzzle back.

Yami nodded as he walked up onto the stage and toward the door, "I'm sure, because I think I might have an idea of who is behind all this." He opened the door and walked inside with Yugi right behind him. They walked down a short narrow hallway until they reached behind the stage which was a huge room with props of all kinds. It was right behind the screen that kept the audience from seeing what was happening behind the stage, that they found a figure sitting at a table which had something on it covered by a cloth.

The one at the table smirked as he held the millennium puzzle in his hands, "I've been waiting for you Yami."

"Imori!" Yami growled as he approached the table, "This isn't funny, give Yugi his puzzle back."

Imori paid him no mind as he looked behind Yami at Yugi, "Y'know I've been interested in you for a while, Yugi, but then he came along," He said as he glared toward Yami, "He walked into your life and took you away from me like he owned you."

"I'm sorry that I rejected you Imori, but I wasn't interested." Yugi tried to say without sounding harsh. Even if Yami never came into his life he wouldn't have gone out with Imori. "I love Yami and nothing is going to change that."

"Oh I think it will change…" Imori said as he went on to explain, "My grandfather left me all sorts of books about games and books on ancient Egypt. At first I didn't think there was any connection but then I found the secret of the millennium puzzle. It was written in that book 'The one who solves the millennium puzzle shall gain the thousand ways of the shadow games and become the guardian of darkness.'" He smirked as he looked Yami's way, "I heard rumors that it was not Yugi who solved the millennium puzzle, but Yami. He was the one who put that final piece in that unlocked the shadows. So I swore to myself that I would find a way to defeat Yami and become the new guardian of darkness."

Yami was seriously starting to think the teen was all kinds of crazy. "So what does being the guardian of the darkness have to do with anything?" Sure he gained a spirit attached to him since Yugi solved the millennium puzzle, but he did not see himself as some kind of guardian.

"Once I'm the guardian of darkness, Yugi will have to love me!" Imori stated as he uncovered what was under the cloth, "However if you do not want that to happen Yami, you will have to defeat me in a shadow game in order to get the puzzle back."

"Th-that's the dragon cards!" Yugi exclaimed once he saw what Imori had hidden.

"Now is the time," Imori started to untie the ropes around the game, "To remove the seal. I shall release the shadow power…"

"No Imori! You mustn't break the seal!" Yugi ran forward to stop Imori, but it was too late as the seal was already taken off and the air around them was starting to change. Props and doorways began to disappear as the shadows covered them leaving them trapped until someone won the game.

"After my visit to your shop, I did some research on the dragon cards in a text about ancient china," Imori explained to Yugi, "According to it, once the seal on the dragon cards is broken, a shadow game must be played or the people of that land will suffer eternal disaster! There is only one way to replace the seal on the dragon cards. The loser of the game must offer his soul to this soul eating jar to calm the wrath of the cards." He pointed out which explained why there was a jar with the game to begin with.

Imori picked up the box that had been on top the jar and opened it to reveal the dragon cards inside, "So are you ready for our game Yami? You can't escape the dragon cards."

Yugi turned to Yami with worry in his eyes, "No Yami you can't do this."

Yami looked around them and he could already tell there was no way out. One of them would have to play and beat Imori in order to leave but of course there was no way he was going to let Yugi's soul get taken by that soul eating jar if he lost. Imori wanted to fight him thinking it would win him Yugi's heart, but Yami was going to prove him wrong. Just to prove it even more, Yami walked up to Yugi and kissed him right then and there.

When they broke away Yami smiled down at Yugi and said, "I will win and get your millennium puzzle back." He then pulled away and took his place at the table across from Imori who looked pissed off by their kiss. "Why don't you stop glaring at me and explain the rules…."

Imori placed the large stack of dragon cards in the middle before he started to explain the rules. The faster they got to the game the faster he would win. "According to Feng Shui, Chi develops in the mountains and flows into the earth. That's what's called the dragon's breath. In this case the mountain is the deck of cards and the earth is the table. Now there is power flowing around the deck…. Five elements of evil held in balance." He explained before going into the real details about the game, "First the two players draw six cards, one after the other. Each card depicts a dragon of one of the five Chinese elements. The numbers indicate the level of the dragon and there are five levels, five elements, three identical cards of each kind… for a total of seventy five cards. Once you collect three of the same card you can summon a dragon. The players collect the strongest dragon cards they can and summon two dragons each. The player who defeats the other's dragons wins."

With the rules explained it was time for the game to start as each player not saying a word to each other each drew six cards. Yugi was left to watch from the side lines praying that Yami would be alright. He had noticed the other Yami had not appeared so it was his own boyfriend fighting for his puzzle. That both scared him and meant that Yami would do anything to make sure Yugi was happy.

'_I've studied this game thoroughly. I know all the ways to win. Yami has no chance of winning.' _Imori thought with a smirk as they held their six cards in their hands before saying, "I'll draw the first card." He took his turn drawing a card and looking at it. '_A level four water dragon so that makes two in my hand. If I draw one more, I can summon a Shui Long-a water dragon.' _As according to the rules he could only have six cards in his hand, so Imori was forced to discard one face up for Yami to see."Now it's your turn."

Yami drew a card and took a good look at it before discarding one he did not need. This is what they did over the next few minutes as they each tried to get the three cards they needed to summon two dragons. At first it seemed like it would be a while, until Yami put down all six of his cards and announced, "I've collected two dragons, so I'll summon them."

"I've also got two dragons and I'll summon them," Imori also announced as he put his cards down. Smoke started to appear around them causing Yugi alarm as he didn't know what was about to happen. It threw him into a state of shock when four massive dragons appeared above the table and they did not look like holograms.

After summoning Imori had two water dragons at level three and level four while Yami had a fire dragon and a metal dragon which was a very bad move and Yami must have realized that by the look on his face.

'_My dragon may be level five but it's a fire element that can't stand again water. My metal dragon makes the enemy water dragon even more powerful.' _Yami realized right then and there that he had already lost because he had no idea what kind of dragons Imori had been trying to summon.

"Dragon Battle!" Imori announced with a laugh, "My water dragons flood attack washing your dragons away!" With Yami's dragons gone, he had lost the game and that meant Imori was the winner, "You know what's next, Yami? A penalty game where you have to give the dragons your soul."

Yami had no time to react as one of the water dragons stabbed him in the chest stealing his soul right out of his body. He fell forward with this blank look on his face causing Yugi to scream out for his boyfriend.

Yugi raced forward with tears in his eyes reaching Yami and tried to shake him awake. "Come on Yami, please wake up." He kneeled down beside him wrapping his arms around his boyfriend just waiting for Yami to return the embrace, but nothing happened. "It's can't be true, it just can't be!"

Imori continued to laugh after his victory. "There is no use crying over someone as worthless as him Yugi."

Yugi turned angry eyes toward Imori, "Give me back my Yami!" He shouted wanting his lover's soul back where it belonged. Yami was the only one for him and he was not going to let Imori tear them apart. "I'll challenge you myself if I have to to get it back."

"No, it's not safe…"

Yugi and Imori looked toward Yami to see he was getting up, but after many moments like this, Yugi knew what was happening. A darker pair of crimson eyes were glaring at Imori as the other Yami took control of Yami's body. "Imori I'll stake my other soul in this new shadow game."

* * *

**Sakura: **Imori always appeared like a creepy stalker in the manga, so I think it worked out well for this. I'm really grateful to s2teennovliest for giving me the idea of Imori having a crush on Yugi. Instead of being after the puzzle, he was after Yami to get rid of him. Gives it a twist to make it different from the manga.

**Yumi: Please review!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Imori is in for a challenge now against the other Yami. I tried my best to write out this card battle so I hope it turned out alright...

* * *

**Chapter Forty Two**

**The Evil Dragon Cards (Part Two)**

Yugi and Imori looked toward Yami to see he was getting up, but after many moments like this, Yugi knew what was happening. A darker pair of crimson eyes was glaring at Imori as the other Yami took control of Yami's body. "Imori I'll stake my other soul in this new shadow game."

Imori was taken aback by this turn of events, but Yugi was more or less relieved to see the other Yami. It meant they still had a chance to get Yami back. He was still a wreck after witnessing Yami's soul being taken away but a hand on his bought him back from his thoughts.

"I'll get him back for you. Trust me…" The other Yami said as he gave Yugi's hand a good squeeze before letting go.

Yugi nodded and back away hoping his trust was not being misplaced. There was still so much Yugi did not know about the other Yami, but he had not failed them yet in protecting them. Yami had appeared to have come to terms with sharing a body or at least he had appeared to have in the eyes of his friends. Ever since learning about the other Yami, Yugi wasn't sure what to believe anymore given how much danger they had been in over the past year. The only thing Yugi was sure of was that no matter what he was not going to leave Yami's side because of it. He cared too much and at this moment he wanted his Yami back and soon.

Imori appeared to have recovered from the shock of what happened as he glared at the other Yami, "I guess I can't become the guardian of darkness until I defeat you. That's fine by me we will play one more game." He did not know what was going on, but he would fight until Yami was gone for good.

The cards were shuffled back into one deck and while this was happening the other Yami's eyes cut over to the jar still sitting on the table, '_But… will I get his soul back even if I win?' _He wondered to himself not knowing the rules for releasing a soul. He just knew he could not leave Yami in there.

"Are you worried?" Imori asked pulling the other Yami's attention back on him, "The soul of your other self is still sealed in the soul-eating jar, but there's nothing to worry about. This jar takes three months to digest one soul. If by some extraordinary fluke you actually manage to win the next game, you'll get your spare soul back good as new."

With those words the game started as both the other Yami and Imori drew their six cards to start the game. Imori went first by drawing and discarding one card with this smirk on his face. The other Yami did the same and took notice after that move he only had one set almost there to be able to summon one dragon. There was no telling what kind of dragons Imori was planning on summoning this time so he would have to be careful.

They went back and forth for a while the discard pile getting pretty big as they worked toward trying to gather two dragons to summon. Imori continued to watch the cards the other Yami discarded having an idea of what he was trying to summon. _'He's trying to get a level five metal dragon and a level four earth dragon. But that's not good enough… my water dragon wins over metal and my wood dragon wins over earth. There's no way he can win!' _He thought to himself as he took his turn finally gathering one set, but still had one more to go.

The other Yami drew a card finally getting one he needed and discarding another one.

"I'll take that card," Imori stated as he grab the card the other Yami discarded. This move caused confusion to come to the other Yami's face not knowing what was going on. Knowing all the rules gave Imori the advantage as he explained to the other Yami, "In this game, you can make sets with the cards your opponent discards. It's dangerous to discard high level cards toward the end of the game."

The other Yami cursed Imori for leaving that bit of information out as he watched Imori put down his two dragons that he had managed to summon, '_Because he summoned his dragons first, they get stronger with each turn it takes me to complete my set.' _He drew his next card hoping it was one he needed and to his amazement he drew just the card he needed.

Both players summoned their dragons with Imori having a level five water and level five wood, while the other Yami had a level five metal and a level four earth. The four dragons appeared above them ready to do battle and reveal a victor in this second shadow game.

Imori laughed as he couldn't believe the other Yami would make the same mistake again, "I can't believe you were stupid enough to summon another metal dragon. Did you forget that in our last battle, my water dragon drowned your metal dragon in an instant? Let me refresh your memory a little." He sent his water dragon to attack the metal dragon.

The other Yami smirked having a feeling that was going to happen, "You can't get me with the same trick twice…"

Before their eyes the earth dragon moved in front of the metal dragon protecting it from the flood attack by causing the ground to shatter raising the ground and creating a dam to protect the metal dragon.

"Earth gives power to metal and metal is protected by earth. As long as the earth dragon is there, your water dragon's attack won't work." The other Yami pointed out to Imori since he was not going to go down without a fight.

'_Not bad other Yami, apparently you've figured out the strategy of this game.'_ Imori was only taken back for a moment, but now the real game would begin, "Then my next move…"

The other Yami's eyes widen when he noticed the wood dragon getting bigger. He couldn't figure out what was given it the power it needed. Until Imori decided to point it out for him, "Just like a sapling soaks up water and grows into a great tree my water dragon feeds my wood dragon." It was easy to tell what Imori's next move was going to be so the other Yami needed to act fast.

The wood dragon all powered up went after the earth dragon latching on and sucking the earth dragon's power away. "Trees take sustenance from the earth right?" Imori asked with a chuckle even though he wasn't going to get an answer, "My wood dragon is sucking the power out of your earth dragon. Soon it will be a dried up husk."

The other Yami was starting to sweat knowing this was not turning out good. The earth dragon couldn't move and if its power was continued to be taken away he would be done for soon.

Imori wasted no time in letting Yami think over what to do as he sent his water dragon for another attack, "Now back to where we were! The water dragon attacks the metal dragon again! Now the earth dragon can't move in to help…."

Yugi nearly closed his eyes not wanting to see the end of this battle. Imori knew too much about the game and it appeared hopeless in even trying to defeat him. Now the other Yami would be taken away just like Yami had been and he would be left behind. This just couldn't be the end, it just couldn't be. '_Please don't let them be taken from me….'_ Yugi found himself praying as he forced himself to watch as the water dragon's attack hit the metal dragon.

"HAHA! It took the flood straight, "Imori laughed when he thought the metal dragon was no more. "The metal dragon is dead and now you are…." His voiced died in his throat when he realized something wasn't quite right, "Huh?"

To everyone's surprise the metal dragon was able to survive the flood attack with only injuries to its legs keeping it from walking. "… Still… There… the metal dragon is still alive!" Imori was almost at a loss for words as he thought, '_The flood attack was weakened because the water dragon gave its power to the wood dragon.' _He did notice the way the metal dragon's legs were rusted weakening it so there was still a chance. Too bad for him the other Yami was already making his move prepared to end the battle.

"Alright metal dragon, give me the last of your power!" The other Yami encouraged the metal dragon watching as it gathered as much power as possible before everyone watched as it took flight.

"I-impossible… it use its axe-wings to take flight!" Imori shouted in disbelief. He watched as the metal dragon headed straight for the wood dragon ready to take it out. "No! Flood attack!" He couldn't let his wood dragon be destroyed.

However before the flood attack could take out the metal dragon, the metal dragon sliced the wood dragon to pieces freeing the earth dragon. That was the metal dragon's final move toward victory as the flood waters drowned it. With it free from the wood dragon's clutches the earth dragon moved back in front of the other Yami all powered up and ready to fight.

Imori was nervous now as he only had his water dragon and it was no match for the earth dragon even with its full power. However he wasn't going to give up as he said, "Go water dragon! Flood attack!"

The earth dragon was ready as it used its ground shatter move to create cracks in the earth so that the water dragon would sink. The earth element dams the flow of the water and absorbs the negative energy which meant that Imori had lost the game.

'_I lose… everything…._' Imori thought while in shock as the dragons disappeared before them.

"Normally I try to come up with something original, but now it's your turn to feed your soul to the twenty five ravenous dragons." The other Yami informed him hoping that offering another soul would bring back Yami's soul.

Before Yugi's eyes he watched as Imori's soul left his body and entered the jar. No matter how much the teen creeped him out and tried to hurt his boyfriend Yugi just didn't feel right about anyone having to give their souls to the dragons just to please them. Even as he watched another soul leave the jar and reenter into his boyfriend's body, he knew he had to do something to help Imori.

"It appears the jar can only hold one soul at a time," The other Yami turned to Yugi with a small smile only to develop a look of confusion as Yugi walked up to the table. Yugi looked as if he was in a trace as he placed his hands on either side of the jar. The power that pulsed from his hands shocked the other Yami who had no idea what Yugi was doing.

The power was non-threatening and if anything it felt peaceful. The room around them appeared lighter as the shadows withdrew back to where they had come from and while this was happening a soul popped out of the jar and went straight for Imori's body. Without the help from anyone the cards went back into their box and it was then Yugi placed it on top the jar and then resealed it with the rope.

The other Yami did not know what to do when Yugi blinked his eyes as if he had just woken up, however he was quick to catch him as Yugi fell to his knees weak from what ever happened. "Yugi!"

Yugi groaned as he placed a hand to his forehead feeling a major headache coming on. "What happened?"

"I don't know I was going to ask you the same thing. You somehow free Imori's soul from the soul eating jar." The other Yami informed Yugi as he looked over to Imori who had fallen from his chair and was laid out on the floor. There was no telling when the teen would wake up. "Why did you save him?"

Yugi looked toward Imori's body, before he looked up at the other Yami, "He deserves a chance to start over and I know you can help him." He forced himself to sit up and gripped one of the hands holding him upright, "Please do what you did to Seto to Imori. He is just a boy who has lost his way."

The other Yami looked at Yugi not sure at first, but one look from those pleading eyes and it was hard to say no. He left Yugi sitting on the floor as he stood up and approached Imori. First he took the millennium puzzle back before he placed a hand on Imori's forehead. When the deed was done, he returned to Yugi's side and placed the puzzle back where it belonged around Yugi's neck. "Only you can be the protector of the millennium puzzle." Not knowing why he did it the other Yami lean forward and gave Yugi a kiss on the forehead, before control was given back to Yami.

Yami pull back from Yugi and took in his surroundings not having a clue what had just happened after his soul had been taken. "I feel like I just went to hell and back." He looked toward Yugi who had relief in his eyes to see his boyfriend back.

Yugi couldn't stop the smile that came to his face as he embraced Yami silently thanking the other Yami for getting him back. "I'm so glad you are alright."

Yami returned the embrace hating himself for having worried Yugi, "I'm sorry I worried you." He looked across from them to where Imori was laying, "What happened to him?"

"Your other self did the same thing to him that he did to Seto." Yugi explained as they both got up off the floor but neither letting go of the other, "I asked him to do it instead of Imori having his soul taken by the dragons."

"He would have deserved it." Yami mumbled even though Yugi heard it. After this there was no way Yami would ever be able to forgive Imori. He couldn't help that Yugi had a big heart and it was that big heart that sometimes got him in trouble. But as long as Yami was around he was not going to let anyone hurt his Aibou. "So what are we going to do with it?" He asked referring to the game still on the table.

"Could always throw it in the ocean…." Yugi figured since that was one dangerous game no one needed around. "More importantly what are we going to do about Imori? We can't just leave him here."

Yami sighed as he let go of Yugi and went over to the unconscious teen. He picked him up with ease and threw him over his shoulder like a rag doll. "Just dump him at the clinic and tell them we found him passed out under a tree. They'll probably see it as heat stroke and call a ambulance. Either way he's not our problem anymore."

Yugi nodded seeing that as the only way as he carefully picked up the dragon game. "After that we should get rid of this game as soon as possible." He looked up at Yami, "Do you think we could go somewhere to be alone afterwards. There's something I want to talk to you about."

Even though he was confused by the sudden change in Yugi's mood, Yami agreed as they headed out of the theater. They would have to call their friends so they wouldn't worry about them, but if Yugi needed to talk about something Yami wasn't going to argue with him.

* * *

Since the apartment was empty for the time being Yugi and Yami found themselves camped out in Yami's room to be alone until Joey or Tristan came home. Even though Yami no longer live there for the time being it was still his room in the eyes of his friends since he paid for the apartment. It was an easy task dropping Imori off at the clinic which surprised them because the people at the clinic did not question them about Imori. It appeared a few cases of heat stoke had already happened to a few people over the weeks. Yami just wondered how they would take it when they realized it wasn't heat stroke, but either way Yami let the people know he and Yugi had simply found him and they in no way knew him. It was after that, they got rid of the game by driving down to the pier and throwing it into the ocean. Now they had two things out of their hair for now, but there were still things they needed to discuss in Yugi's opinion.

Yami returned to the room a minute later with drinks and snacks on a tray, closing the door behind him, before setting the tray on a night stand. Yugi made no move to grab any of the food or drink as he stayed curled up at the head of Yami's bed. The taller teen crawled up on the bed to sit in front of Yugi giving the smaller teen his full attention. "Do you want something to eat first?"

Yugi shook his head as he rested his chin on his knees. He had his legs draw up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them as if he was scared of Yami. "How….I mean uh…." He couldn't get the words he wanted to say out not sure how Yami was going to take it.

His boyfriend made no move toward him as he watched Yugi struggle with what to say. He knew what they had just been through had been tough and he wondered if Yugi was still trying to process it all. "We can talk about it another time if you like. There's no rush…"

"No…I want to get this out in the open." Yugi said with another shake of his head as he took a deep breath. "I know it had been hard for you to tell me about your other self in front of the others scared that we would leave you. I should have come clean about knowing what was going on a while back, but I was worried how you would think of me if I said anything. You might have thought I was the crazy one and walked away." He paused in his rambling trying to get himself back on track.

"Yugi, I forgave you for that. I thought we had come to terms with me having a spirit attached to me."

"I know you did Yami, but that's not what I'm trying to say," Yugi slightly yelled at his boyfriend frustrated at how hard this was. He was starting to get how Yami might have felt when he first felt something wrong with him. "I'm sorry for yelling…" He quickly apologized before Yami thought he was mad at him.

Yami finally reached forward to place a hand on the side of Yugi's face wiping away a stray tear that fell without him knowing. "Whatever you have to say, I won't think any different of you. I'll promise the same thing you promised me when I was coming to terms with the other Yami. I promise that I won't leave you no matter what."

Those words were just the thing Yugi needed it seemed as he let out a sigh before saying, "I think something may be wrong with me too." He confessed surprising Yami as his boyfriend's eyes widen in confusion. However before Yami could say anything he continued with, "There are moments when I get these vision and they mostly come at night so I figured they were just dreams. However there are times when they come when I'm awake and I have no idea what they are really about. They're always about this figure reaching out for me and it's not like its in a harmful way, it's kind of gentle like you are when you touch or hold me. Plus it's not just a figure in these vision, the whole scenery changes around me like I'm in some ancient city and it almost reminds me of Egypt." He never noticed as the tears started to fall from his eyes finally getting out what he had been keeping quiet about the last few months. "Then that thing with Imori, I felt like I had lost control of my body. It scared me and then I thought what if all this is happening because I am going through what Yami is going through."

"You think you have a spirit attached to you also?" Yami questioned not really all that surprised after what was happening with him. They were nowhere near getting answers for any of this and only one thing was for sure is that it was centered around Yugi's millennium puzzle. There was no telling if they got rid of the puzzle if everything would go back to normal and then again Yami could never ask Yugi to get rid of something that precious to him. He had spent forever working on it and in all honest Yami liked that Yugi had it. It just felt right for some reason.

Yugi wiped at his eyes trying to get the tears to stop. "I don't know and losing control of my body like that has never happened before." He looked up at Yami wishing his boyfriend had all the answers. "How do you handle this?"

Yami reached out slowly pulling Yugi from his curled up position to come sit on his lap. He was glad Yugi had decided to talk to him about this, like he should have done a long time ago, but it just showed how different they were. Yugi could never keep things bottled up for long and he trusted Yami enough to talk to him about it when he couldn't go to no one else. "I wish I knew all the answers Yugi, but I don't. The best thing to do is wait and see what happens. But no matter what you are not alone in this. I understand what you are going through and you can always talk to me." He kissed the top of Yugi's head as he held him close. "I love you Aibou…"

"I love you too…" Yugi said before he added, "We're a pretty weird couple aren't we?" This question getting a chuckle out of Yami.

"I think it would be kind of boring to be normal." Yami replied as he tickled Yugi's side getting a laugh out of his lover. Yugi squirmed away from his boyfriend as Yami continued to try and tickle him to make him feel better. Being really ticklish was one of Yugi's downfalls and Yami just loved using it to cheer Yugi up.

It continued like this for a few minutes, until Yami was sure Yugi was no longer upset and had a smile on his face. They in no way had normal lives, but honestly Yami wouldn't have it any other way so long as Yugi was beside him. If it turned out Yugi had some kind of spirit attached to him also, it would only mean he and Yami had one more thing in common making them even closer. The mysteries surrounding them were nowhere near being close to being solved it appeared but they couldn't let that hold them back. The answers would come to them one day so long as they kept searching.

* * *

**Sakura: **I just love throwing twist out there! So Yugi may or may not have a spirit attached to him… I'll just have to let my lovely readers see if they can figure this one out.

**Yumi: Review!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Okay this chapter is being posted a day early, because I'll be busy tomorrow and won't have time to get to a computer. Anyway I hope you all enjoy because it's another chapter where the spotlight is on Joey...

* * *

**Chapter Forty Three**

**Joey's Soul Battle (Part One)**

A month into summer vacation and there were some interesting changes happening within Yugi and Yami's circle of friends. The first shock of it all was the few times during their vacation that a certain blue eyed CEO hung out with them like a normal person. He treated Yugi and Yami's friends with respect and could even hold a civil conversation with Joey. Though most of the time those conversation ended in arguments, Yami could see that Seto just loved having Joey's attention on him. It was only a matter of time before one or both of them decided to confess.

The other change was Yugi's confession to his friends about how he had been feeling lately. After his talk with Yami, he realized he couldn't keep something like that in the dark from them. They even told their friends what had happened to Imori. It sort of had to come out in the open when Imori made front page news about ending up in an unexplainable coma. Thankfully Yugi and Yami somehow managed to be left out of any questioning after they supposedly 'found' Imori on campus passed out. But other than that, Yugi felt the need to get it all out in the open to his friends after seeing what had happened to Yami when he confessed. He didn't want to have a complete breakdown one day and he trusted his friends to be there for him. It was no surprise that they still supported him and even went so far as to promise to keep an eye on him if anything strange started to happen. There was no telling what was really happening with Yugi and Yami and their friends did not want to see anything bad happen to them.

There was so much mystery surrounding Yugi and Yami with no clear answers as to what was going on, but they had each other and they had their friends. So far that is all Yugi and Yami needed for the time being.

* * *

Domino Park was abuzz with activity as children played on the playgrounds, groups of people whether they were friends or strangers, hung out in groups playing games or walking about. There were the few couples walking the trails that mapped out the park enjoying the wonderful weather that had blessed Domino that day. It was not too hot with a slight breeze and a clear blue sky that made the day simply beautiful.

Yugi and Yami plus their friends had also decided to enjoy the beautiful weather in the park, bringing along soccer balls and Frisbees to play some games and a picnic lunch for when they got hungry. It was one of those rare days when no one had any plans and even Tristan was off from work that day. Even Seto was supposed to show up since Joey decided to invite him, but with this little get together being during the week, Yami had a feeling he would probably not come.

The group, minus Joey and Seto, found the perfect spot in the shade of a few trees to set up their blankets and baskets of food so they could wait on the last few people to show up. Joey was running late like always and according to Tristan who had left before him, the blond was trying to find the perfect outfit to wear. Apparently when it came to Seto showing up Joey liked to look his best. He may not act like he cares about his looks, but they knew deep down he wanted Seto's attention all on him.

While they were waiting Tristan and Duke decided to kick the soccer ball around for a while leaving the others to sit and watch. Tomoya before long pulled out a book he had bought with him and started to read it. Yami ended up laying down before long with his head on Yugi's lap, the dogs had gotten him up super early that morning and he was still tired. This left Yugi and Tea the only ones to strike up a conversation so they weren't bored.

"How have you been feeling?" Tea asked starting off the conversation. She was a major mother hen to them all at heart and with dance classes keeping her away she always checked in on them when she had the chance.

Yugi gave her a smile running his fingers through Yami's hair knowing before long his boyfriend might fall asleep on him. "I've been good. I haven't had any more weird dreams for the past week."

"That's good, I've been worrying about you. Summer vacation is a time for relaxation and I didn't want you stressing yourself out until you got sick."

"Yami watches out for me since I've been spending so much time at his place and makes sure I get enough sleep." Yugi briefly looked down at his boyfriend who had his eyes closed before looking back up at Tea. "He has been taking care of the dogs early in the morning so I won't have to get up."

Tea smiled at that, "Between the two of you those dogs are going to be spoiled rotten when they get older. Are you planning on keeping them at the Kaiba Manor from now on? My mother keeps dropping hints about me getting a dog after taking care of those two."

Yugi shrugged, "Mokuba loves them and Seto doesn't seem to mind them anymore. I don't know if Yami has plans on continuing living with his brothers from now on or not."

"Hell no…"

Both Yugi and Tea looked down at Yami knowing they heard his voice, but his eyes were still closed. Yugi reached out to poke Yami in the cheek just to see if he was awake, causing Yami to swat his hand away. The crimson eyed teen opened his eyes and turned so he was looking up at Yugi and could see Tea. "So you are awake…" Yugi pointed out with a grin.

Yami sighed, "It's hard to sleep out in the open like this..." He sat up so he was no longer lying on his boyfriend and joined in on the conversation. "It's been nice being with my brothers, but they can drive anyone up the wall. I'll be moving back in with Joey and Tristan when we start school back in the fall. The dogs will be coming with me, but a few of the servants at the manor have agreed to watch them while Yugi and I are in classes."

Tea looked at Yugi with a grin, "Well I guess that answers that question."

Yugi nodded with a chuckle before something caught his attention causing him to turn his head that way. He found their blond hair friend coming up the path that led to their little spot. By the look on his face he wasn't too happy about something and Yugi had a feeling he might who was the cause of it.

"Why the down face?" Tristan commented when Joey got up to their blankets, but made no move to sit down. He and Duke had noticed him coming over and moved back over to the group.

"That stupid idiot canceled…."

Everyone knew who the stupid idiot was and they weren't about to say they told Joey so. Yami knew his brother would find some way to back out. That morning it had appeared like Seto had something important to do, but he figured he might at least try and join them after Joey asked him to. Thinking on his feet, Yami pulled out his phone to send a message to his brother.

Yugi patted the spot beside him for Joey to have a seat. "It's a weekday he probably had an important meeting to go to. I'm sure he'll join us for our next get together." He was trying to stay positive for Joey to cheer him up however it might not have been needed.

Joey cracked a smile and shrugged, "I wasn't getting my hopes up too high and besides I was more excited to show you something new I found." He reached into his pocket and surprised them all when he pulled out a simple yo-yo. "I heard about it from a couple of my co-workers. It's supposedly the hottest thing on the streets right now so I figured I try it out."

"That is the new yo-yo that is designed so they're easy to play with isn't it?" Yugi questioned to which Joey nodded, "I heard something about those from my grandfather. He thought about selling them in the shop for some of the younger kids who drop by."

"I was surprised when Joey came home with one last night. Hey Yugi remember when he had one back in high school?" Tristan asked with a chuckle. "What was that move again loop the loop?"

Yugi nodded, "He nearly knocked out half our classmates trying to show off."

Joey rolled his eyes, "Yeah laugh it up, but I've gotten better and this yo-yo is much better than that old thing I had. Watch this, my parade the pooch." He rolled the yo-yo out and let it touch the ground. It rolled forward slightly, before Joey pulled it back up into his hand. "See?"

"Isn't that 'walk the dog'?" Tomoya asked having looked up to see what Joey was doing.

Joey blushed lightly and quickly said, "I gave it a better name is all…." He tossed the yo-yo to Yugi so his pal could try it out and Joey could stop embarrassing himself. Just before he was about to sit down and relax with his friends he heard someone call his name.

Looking behind him, Joey recognized a familiar face that he hadn't seen in a while, "Nezumi, what are you doing here?" He asked as Nezumi came up to him. The shorter teen was a really old friend of his from his father's neighborhood. They had been a little close when the other used to live in the same apartment building as Joey until Nezumi's family moved. He only stay partly in touch even when they went to the same high school, but by then Joey had made new friends and stayed away from most of the people he used to hang out with. "I haven't seen you in a while, how are you doing?"

Nezumi had grown over the years being near Joey's height now but still shorter. His hair was black, but cut shorter while spiked up in a few places. There was a bandage on his left cheek either from a cut or covering up a bruise. "I've been better. I just happened to be walking by and noticed you so I thought I would say hi. I heard you got out of the old neighborhood after high school."

"Yeah, I moved into an apartment with a couple friends and its closer to the university than my father's place. I was never going to be able to get a college education living with him." Joey pointed out as he looked at his old friend, "What happened to your face?" They were not so much friend's now, but Joey stuck up for Nezumi a few times back when they were younger. He was always being picked on like Yugi used to be.

Nezumi waved it off, "It's nothing really I just got into a fight last night with these punks. They cornered me trying to mug me for my money." He looked behind Joey at Yugi who was trying out the yo-yo, "I would have been fine if they didn't have those stupid yo-yos with them. Got me a few good times and those things hurt like hell."

"They attacked you with yo-yos?" Joey asked in surprise gaining his friends attention.

The other nodded, "Apparently I'm not the only one. They've attacked more people in our old neighborhood, but mostly high school students who are out late at night."

Joey felt his blood boil at those words. "How dare those jerks use yo-yos to steal from little kids!" The only high school he knew of in his old stomping grounds was Domino high and he wouldn't stand for someone harassing the students.

Yugi looked down at the yo-yo in his hand, "Yo-Yos are meant to be fun and not used to hurt people."

"You know Joey…" Nezumi said to get the blond's attention back. "I bet those thugs wouldn't stand a chance against a guy like you. I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm sure you could put those guys in their place. I think they hang out around the place where I got jacked so it wouldn't be hard to find them."

There wasn't anything Joey wouldn't do for a friend and it sounded like Nezumi really needed his help. If they attacked him once thugs like that they would probably attack him again if given the chance. "Alright leave it to me, I'll get your revenge on those punks and you can watch."

"I'll go with you Joey," Tristan said stepping up.

Joey shook his head, "Nah, sounds like theirs only a few of them so I should be good on my own. You enjoy your day off I should be fine."

"Are you sure Joey?" Tea asked concerned for her friend.

"I'll be fine, just wait for me here and I'll be back before you know it." Joey flashed them a smile before he started to follow Nezumi.

Yugi couldn't stand the idea of Joey going alone. There was this gut feeling that something wasn't right about Nezumi and he had thought he saw the other boy have this evil smirk on his face when he turned to walk away with Joey. It could have just been his imagination, but Yugi knew never to take chances like this. Before they could get too far, Yugi stood up grabbing Yami's hand and dragging him up with him. "Let's follow them just to make sure Joey stays safe." He turned to the others and said, "We'll be back soon!"

Yami had no choice but to follow as Yugi dragged him away from their friends to follow Joey and Nezumi. He wasn't going to argue with Yugi when he was concerned for their friend. There was just this part of him that hoped that nothing bad happened.

* * *

"It's just around the corner up ahead," Nezumi informed Joey as he and two of Joey's friends followed beside him. The two had tried to follow without being noticed, Joey easily caught them and let them tag along so long as they stayed out of trouble.

"This is a scary neighborhood," Yugi commented looking around the area and had this feeling he had been there before, "There's no houses or shops or anything…"

"Most of the attacks I hear happen around here when they catch people walking through here trying to get home quicker. I made that mistake last night." Nezumi told them wondering if Joey even recognized the area. It wasn't far from Joey's old neighborhood and it should be a place he knew well.

Joey seemed to be clueless as ever as he changed the subject not really taking in where they were headed. He looked like he was just ready for a fight. "So how in the world are they using these yo-yos as weapons?"

Nezumi stopped the smirk that wanted to show on his face as he answered. "They get around their target and then they pin you with 'warning shots' swinging yo-yos inches from your face. If you make a single move you get battered all over. You've got no choice but to give them your money."

"Those cowards," Joey growled out, "That makes me feel even better about flatten them."

Turning the corner they found themselves standing outside an abandon warehouse with Nezumi announcing, "We're here, this is the place."

Joey looked up at the place with this look of confusion. "An abandoned warehouse huh… It's funny I feel like I've been here before…." He knew however he just needed to put those feelings aside and head in there and teach those punks a lesson they would never forget. The sooner this was over the sooner they could get back to the others and enjoy their day.

As they entered the warehouse Yami couldn't shake the same feeling Joey had that he had been there before. "This place…" He took in the surroundings and it was then a memory came back to him. "Wait a minute now I remember."

"Me too…." Both Yugi and Yami looked Joey's way as he glared ahead of them at nothing. "This is the 'torture chamber' that Hirutani and his gang used." Being in here the painful memories were coming back of why he knew this place so well. A bad feeling started to settle in the bottom of his stomach.

Before they knew what was happening a bunch of guys simply jumped out of nowhere surprising them all. They all held yo-yos in their hands looking like they were ready for a fight. Both Yami and Joey wasted no time in pushing both Yugi and Nezumi behind them to keep them safe.

"Crap..." Joey cursed counting about eight guys looking at him with murder in their eyes, "This isn't just a few guys, there's a whole bunch of them."

It was as soon as the yo-yos started to fly, one of the punks said, "Circle around them! Get their backs!"

"Yugi get out of here!" Yami shouted before his partner was caught in the middle of this. He and Joey had nowhere to run as yo-yos came flying at their faces and sides barely missing them and leaving them pinned where they were.

Yugi was about to protest until Nezumi grabbed his arm and dragged him away. This was just before the guys circled around Yami and Joey leaving them trapped in the middle of the yo-yo madness. If they made one move they would be hit, so they could only stand there back to back watching the yo-yos come flying at them waiting to attack its prey.

"These guys…" Joey said gaining Yami's attention, "They knew we were coming."

Yami could agree with him on that, "They planned this attack."

Laughter from not far away turned their eyes to a new comer who had just walked into their view. He held that same smug smirk on his face that Joey remembered while saying, "How does it feel, Joey? Take one step and you enter the net of flying yo-yos and come out with broken bones and missing teeth."

"Hirutani," Joey growled feeling like he should have known he was behind all this.

"See Joey, I'm the persistent type. I want you in my gang and I'm not going to stop until you're in it. I'll do anything it takes." Hirutani informed him, which caused Joey to continue to glare at him with so much hatred, "It's not like I'm making you one of my henchmen you know. You'd be my number two. My second in command, how about it..? Does it sound good?"

Joey developed a smirk of his own as he said, "Sorry to disappoint you, boss monkey! I don't think I'd like it in your cage." No matter what Hirutani did to him, he wasn't going to join his old gang again. He had his life on track and in no way wanted to mess it up.

Hirutani just chuckled at that, "I forgot. The first thing I've got to do is stop you from mouthing off." He cut his eyes over at the scene near him, "Check this out."

Joey and Yami followed his line of sight and their eyes widen when they found Yugi being held in a choke hold by another henchman of Hirutani's. Nezumi was standing near them not doing anything about it pretty much telling Joey that he was involved in this.

"Yugi!" Yami shouted before his glare turned to Hirutani. "Let him go now!"

"Do it," Hirutani told his henchman, but it was pretty obvious he wasn't talking about letting Yugi go, when said henchman reached up and grabbed the hook that was above his head connected to a large industrial chain. It must have been used for moving carts at one point, but now it was going to be used for much more evil purposes.

The henchman hooked the hook around the chain of Yugi's millennium puzzle and then to the shock of his boyfriend and friend, the henchman let go of both Yugi and the hook causing Yugi to quickly rise about a foot off the floor to where he couldn't touch anymore.

The shock of the act and the sudden tightness around his neck caused Yugi to lose his breath. With the chain wrapped around his airway, Yugi couldn't get his breath back enough to breath and lacked the strength to pull the chain from around his neck. He was being slowly choked to death by his own puzzle.

"Yugi!" Joey and Yami shouted in fear before Joey turned to Hirutani with eyes that wanted to kill the bastard in front of him, "Hirutani! You scumbag!"

Hirutani simply crossed his arms as he turned his eyes to Nezumi. "Good work, Nezumi. Everything went according to plan," He stated letting Joey know about his involvement.

Joey wanted nothing more than to kill every last one of them for putting his friends through this. He could feel Yami trembling behind him wanting so badly to get to his partner, but if he did he would be in no shape to get Yugi down from that hook.

"Well Joey…." Hirutani spoke up again keeping the blond's attention on him, "You can't move an inch, what's your choice? You can swear to join my group or watch this kid die right before your eyes."

Yugi wanted to call out to his friend and tell him not to do it, but he had no voice. '_D-Don't do it… Joey…' _He could see it in Joey's eyes, Joey wasn't even thinking about joining Hirutani. No with that look in his eyes he was thinking of doing something really stupid and Yugi didn't want to see his friend get hurt.

"Hirutani," Joey called out gaining the thug's attention. He was about to do something seriously stupid, but Yugi needed him and he never let a friend down, "What do you mean I can't move….?" With a brave step forward Joey walked right into the fire of yo-yos letting them hit him left and right if it meant getting to his pal.

He wasn't the only one being stupid as Yami followed in right behind him. Most of the attacks hit Joey with a few getting Yami but they wouldn't be as severe. Joey was taking all the major damage in order to save Yugi and protect Yami as much as he could.

"He moved!" Hirutani gasped not believing what Joey was doing, "He went into the yo-yo murder net."

'_Anyone who stand still and watches a friend die, doesn't have a right to live_!' Joey thought as he took every hit which hurt like hell. His steps had been slow, but he used every bit of strength he had to get to Yugi. As soon as they reach his pal, he yanked Yami in front of him to keep the attacks off him and Yugi. "I'll get you down…." He huffed out as he moved his shoulder up under Yugi so Yugi was sitting on his shoulder. "Get the hook off your neck."

With the chain no longer putting pressure on his neck Yugi could finally breathe again and the black dots that had started to appear in his eyes were slowly going away. Once he slipped the hook of the chain of his puzzle, he allowed Yami to help him off Joey's shoulder. He was safe for now but they weren't out of trouble as the yo-yo attacks kept coming at Joey leaving Yugi and Yami pinned behind him and unable to get out.

"Joey you bastard!" Hirutani yelled before he shouted at his henchmen, "You're going too easy on him! Hit him harder!"

"Hirutani… The pain of these bruises…" Joey hollered out not caring that he was having to take all the pain for his friends, "Is nothing compared to the pain of betraying my friend."

Hirutani continued to glare at Joey not saying a word.

"I hope your ready Hirutani, cause now that my buddy's safe, I'm ready to go on the offense." Joey announced knowing that no matter what he would get Yugi and Yami out of their safely. This was his fight and they should have never been involved.

* * *

**Sakura: **Sadly Hirutani is back, but next chapter I will say that something big is going to happen. That is all I'm going to say for now….

**Yumi: Review!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Time for part two and I'm hoping the puppyshipping fans reading this story enjoy this chapter...

* * *

**Chapter Forty Four**

**Joey's Soul Battle (Part Two)**

If only looks could kill Hirutani would be six feet under from the heated glare coming from Joey. The blond kept his two friends behind him trying to keep them out of harm's way. The lackeys of Hirutani were no longer hitting him with yo-yos but they were still backed into a corner as the yo-yos were being used to keep the three in place. While Joey's attention was on what was happening in front of them, Yami's main concern was Yugi after he was almost choked to death. There were marks from the chain of the puzzle on his neck, but other than that he appeared fine. The smaller duelist was even breathing normal again although his throat would probably hurt for a while.

"Hirutani, you hurt my pal… you tried to strangle him with his own puzzle." Joey growled out not at all concerned about his own safety. "Now you've really made me mad!"

Hirutani considered this funny as he chuckled, "Before you talk big, why don't you look where you are. Even you should realize you're in a no win situation." A few of his lackeys were keeping the three at bay while the other followers stood behind them in case for some reason any of the three made it out. There were more of his gang and Joey only had his two so called friends behind him.

One of the followers with a yo-yo laughed, "We're gonna 'walk the dog' on your dead bodies."

'_Too many thugs and too many yo-yos…. There is nowhere to run…_' Joey thought as he took in his surroundings. If it had just been him he may have been able to make it out, but he had Yami and Yugi behind him and they didn't stand a chance again Hirutani or his men. '_What should I do…?'_

"Joey I'm going to give you one more chance." Hirutani spoke up gaining the blond's attention. "If you swear to join my group, I'll let you live."

Before Joey could speak up and make a decision someone else decided to speak for him. "Hirutani!" All eyes turned to Yugi in surprise as he glared at the thug with just as much hate as Joey, "Joey will never join you again! He doesn't care how much you threaten him."

Hearing Yugi say that really shocked Yami and Joey since it was rare for Yugi to yell at anyone. However there were some people who could be pushed to their limits and Hirutani appeared to have pushed the limits with Yugi. Joey smiled at that glad to have such an awesome friend at his side.

"That's right!" Joey turned a smirk toward Hirutani, "Hear that boss monkey? That's what a real friend would say!"

Hirutani remained silent for the moment before he shouted a simple, "Kill them!"

The yo-yo attacks came toward them more dangerous than ever as Joey dodged one that graze his cheek making is bleed. He moved back pushing his friends back as well trying to keep them out of range of the yo-yos. "You two stay back." Joey looked behind him briefly and that was when his eyes landed on Yugi's millennium puzzle. A plan formed in his head at that moment causing him to quickly ask, "Yugi let me borrow the millennium puzzle."

"Huh?" Yugi looked down at the said item for just a second before he quickly took it off and handed it out to Joey. He knew his friend would never destroy it and keep it safe, but it still left Yugi confused. '_What's Joey going to do with it…?'_

"This is just what I need to turn the tables." Joey said more to himself as he turned back to the thugs threaten them with their yo-yos. "Come and get me you chimps!"

"Get him!" One of the lackeys shouted as they moved forward more with full intent to kill.

To the surprise of them all including Yugi and Yami, Joey started to swing the millennium puzzle by the end of its chain in a full circle in front of him. It was moving so fast that only the golden pyramid could be seen as if it was floating by itself while going in circles.

The lackeys who were clueless as ever had no idea what Joey was planning and only decided to strike first before Joey tried to hit them. However they never did realize that once they tried to attack Joey with their yo-yos that those yo-yos would not be coming back.

Joey laughed at their failed attempts at hitting him, "Nice try, losers! Do you think I'm swinging this for fun?" Judging by their confused looks, they had no idea, so Joey stopped swinging the puzzle. "Don't you see it yet? Your yo-yos aren't coming back."

It was then the thugs finally noticed that the yo-yos were indeed not coming back to them like they should have when they tried to swing them at Joey. So that they weren't in the dark for long, Joey raised up the millennium puzzle and said, "Because I've got 'em!" He was true with his words as the yo-yos were wrapped on the chain right above the golden pyramid.

"Nice, he used centrifugal force of the puzzle to capture the yo-yos." Yugi cheered glad that Joey was able to think on his feet like that.

Yami agreed, "He is smarter than he looks."

"And now I can take these…." Joey unwrapped the yo-yos from the puzzle and gripped them all in his hand using his other hand to grab the hook that Yugi had been trapped on. "And hang them on this hook…" He wrapped the yo-yos on the hook so they would be stuck before just like they did to Yugi he let go of the hook. It rose up into the air just enough to pull the thugs up off their feet and leaving them hanging by the finger their yo-yos were tied on.

"I-It hurts...!"

"My finger's gonna fall off!"

Joey snickered as he watched them struggle, "I call it the Human Hanging Yo-Yo Tech!"

"What?" Hirutani shouted not believing Joey had out smarted most of his men.

Joey paid him no mind and handed Yugi back the puzzle now that they weren't in danger of being hit by yo-yos anymore. "Thanks Yugi…"

Yugi smiled as he put the puzzle back around his neck. "It was no problem…" He was glad he could have been of some help in this mess.

As soon as the puzzle was back in Yugi's hands it gave off a light glow and both Yugi and Joey turned to see Yami had changed to his other self. The other Yami looked their way, "We are not out of trouble just yet." He said referring to Hirutani and the last of his crew. "Joey I'll leave Hirutani to you while I'll take care of the rest."

Joey nodded, "Alright…." He wasn't too worried about the other Yami keeping both Yami and Yugi safe after seeing all that he could do.

The other Yami grabbed Yugi's hand and took off with Joey right behind them as they headed for the nearest stairs toward the second floor. First they had to get up there and find a safe place for Yugi so they could take care of Hirutani and his followers once and for all.

"After them!" Hirutani shouted to the rest of his men, "Don't let them leave here alive!"

By the time he shouted this all three were already on the second floor and Joey had some quick thinking as he found some left behind crates to shove Yugi behind while him and Yami kept going. The two climbed though some broken windows onto the lower roof beside them. They had to keep all the attention away from Yugi's hiding spot.

When the thugs made it to the second floor they completely by passed Yugi and found Yami standing on the roof all by himself. Hirutani followed his guys out onto the roof as they cornered the other Yami where he stood.

"Moron…There's nowhere to run up here!" One of the lackeys taunted as they pulled out their own yo-yos.

The other Yami surprised them all by producing his own yo-yo out of thin air, but really he had grabbed it from Yugi before coming out onto the roof. With amazing speed he swung it around to show them that he was just as fast if not faster than they were. "Let's start the game." The other Yami announced as he bought the yo-yo back to his hand. "The rules are simple. The last one standing on the roof wins. Make your move."

"Fine with me," Hirutani said as he ordered his men, "Get around him!"

"Hirutani," The said thug froze at the voice from behind and turned slightly to see Joey had appeared behind him. "Let's settle this once and for all." Joey said keeping his attention away from the other Yami. This was a battle he had to face on his own and the other Yami would have his hands already full with the lackeys.

Hirutani turned fully to Joey saying, "I've heard you say that before back in middle school at the start of our beautiful friendship. Remember how we used to fight until we were both on the ground? Nobody won…"

"That was before you were so screwed up in the head…" Joey replied wishing he could forget those memories. Those days were in his past and he had no plans to go back to the way he used to be. "Today I'm not holding back."

The two glared at each other before finally they both went at each other. Hirutani made the first move by trying to punch Joey, who easily dodged it. Joey dodged the second punch that came his way and saw his perfect opening going straight for Hirutani's face with a punch of his own.

While those two fought the other Yami was busy trying to dodge the yo-yos flying at him, while also moving around the thugs and forcing his own yo-yo to make holes in the metal roof. The thugs around him had no idea what he was doing as they continued to try and chase him.

"Sheesh!" One of them shouted obviously annoyed by him, "Run all you like, starhead! Sooner or later our yo-yo net is gonna take you down!"

The running in circles continued for a while until the thugs finally cornered the other Yami at the corner of the roof he had started at. He turned to face them as they advanced on him ready to strike.

"That's it! Force him to the edge!"

"Hahaha! Nowhere to run, loser."

As they continued to step forward and taunt him at the same time the other Yami couldn't help but chuckled at how dumb they could be. "You're the ones who have fallen into a trap." Those words caused the thugs to pause not sure what he was talking about, "This metal roof we're standing on is old and rusted, weak enough to break with a yo-yo. It crumbles like a cookie… I wonder how long it can hold your weight with all the holes I made under your feet…"

It was then the roof started to cave in where the thugs were standing as it gave in under the weight from the four guys standing on top. This is the sight Yugi saw as he peeked out to see how Joey and Yami were doing. He watched the four thugs try to keep their balance while also trying not to move so the roof would not give out from under them.

"You don't aim yo-yos at people!" The other Yami informed them, "You aim them at the ground. Think about that in the hospital."

Those were the last words the thugs heard as the roof gave out from under them causing them to fall the short distance to the ground floor below. The fall wouldn't kill them but they would either be really sore or have a few broken bones after that. The other Yami and Yugi turned their attention toward the other fight happening on the roof knowing they couldn't interfere since it was Joey's fight.

The two watched as Joey delivered a solid punch to Hirutani's face causing the brute to stagger backwards toward the broken windows. "What the matter Hirutani? You've gotten pretty flabby," Joey taunted knowing he could win this fight with ease, "Must be easy on top of Monkey Mountain."

Hirutani wiped the blood from his mouth that had developed. He lost a tooth because of that punch but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Without the other three seeing he reached behind him and grabbed for a piece of glass. He punched it while it was in his hand making smaller shards as he advanced on Joey appearing as if he were about to swing at Joey.

The blond had been expecting a punch, but instead got a face full of glass as Hirutani threw the shards in his face. Joey tried to cover his face, but he was too late as a few tiny shards got in his eyes temporarily blinding him. Hirutani used this to his advantage pulling back a fist.

"Unlike you, I've gotten smarter! Now you will die!" The brute went all out with his next punch hitting Joey square on the side of the head, making the other fall to the ground.

Joey recovered only partly as he pulled himself up to his knees and spit the blood out of his mouth. He reached up with one hand trying to get the glass out of his eyes without doing permanent damage to his sight. '_Crap I can't see a thing…._' He never noticed Hirutani coming up behind him with another much bigger shard of glass.

"Joey!" Yugi shouted and before Yugi or the other Yami could do anything a blur by passed them both going straight for Hirutani.

"If I can't have you no one will! Now DIE!" Hirutani shouted as he bought the glass down to stab Joey in the back of the neck. His plan was foiled however by someone ramping him in the side causing him to drop the shard and lose his footing. As he stumbled backwards the last thing he saw were cold blue eyes promising death to him as he went over the edge of the roof. His reflexes only kicked in long enough to quickly grab onto the edge so that he didn't fall to the ground below.

Even though his sight was blurry and his eyes were watery Joey could just make out Hirutani holding on to the edge of the roof. Figuring it was the other Yami who pushed Hirutani over the edge to save his life the blond stood up and approached the edge to look over at Hirutani. "Well, Hirutani. Want to see my yo-yo tech since you're there?" He asked with a smug smirk despite the pain in his eyes. "I call this one parade the pooch… you know walk the dog…."

Joey produced another yo-yo from his pocket that was his since the other one he had planned to give to Yugi all along. He dropped the yo-yo letting it spin for a second before with amazing speed it rolled down the slight incline and hit Hirutani's fingers hard causing the thug to let go. Joey watched as Hirutani hit the ground and it was no surprise to see the thug still moving. He wouldn't be getting up for a while so Joey wasn't worried anymore.

He turned to thank the other Yami for his help knowing he might have died without it only to receive a shock. Even though his vision was only partly coming back he could just make out behind him that it was not Yami standing behind him. No this person was much taller with brown hair and blue eyes wearing a familiar suit. His words died in his throat as the other approached him.

Hands came up on either side of Joey's face as blue eyes stared right into honey brown eyes. There was no stopping the blush that appeared on Joey's face at how close he was to a certain CEO. They had not become an official couple yet, but over time Joey's crush had redeveloped as he spent time with Seto. It was so much of a shock to see him here of all places. For some reason he wondered if Hirutani had knocked him out and this was all a dream.

"I don't think there is any lasting damage, but you'll need to have your eyes checked to make sure all the glass is out." Seto assured him as he picked off a piece of glass that was on Joey's face just below his eye.

Joey couldn't believe the concern he was hearing and wouldn't you know the first thing that comes out of his mouth as soon as he realizes it was not a dream is, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Seto completely ignored his question as he dropped his hands before crossing his arms asking a question of his own, "The more important question is what do you think you were doing? Ever heard of people called the police… They handle cases like this not you."

Joey would have glared at Seto if he could but it hurt his eyes more. "I can handle myself thank you very much! And besides I was trying to help out a friend!"

"A friend who betrays you, you could have gotten yourself killed!"

Yugi looked toward his boyfriend who had taken back over his body, "Should we stop them?"

Yami stood his head, "Nah let them have at it. I think this is Seto's way of showing Joey he cares." He turned to see the rest of their friends standing behind Yugi on the second floor all witnessing another famous argument between Seto and Joey. "How did you all find us?"

"Seto was the one who found you." Tea was the one to answer, "He arrived at the park about an hour after you three left."

Since the argument had not developed into a shouting match yet, Joey heard her words and looked up at Seto in shock, "You came to our picnic? But I thought you had a meeting to be in."

Seto shrugged, "It could be postpone for another day and after the text I got from Yami, I figured it wouldn't hurt to take the afternoon off….

* * *

_As the CEO of Kaiba Corp typed away at his computer a certain blond kept popping up into his mind causing his thoughts to move away from work. He cursed the meeting he had today or he would have taken up Joey's offer. A part of trying to get close to Joey required him to have a day off from work every once in the while. However he knew if he kept bailing on his crush, Joey would probably lose interest and move on to someone else. After finally coming back to his sense, he did come to regret a lot of his decision that he made in life, but there were a few he would not change. Becoming the CEO of Kaiba Corp was one thing he did not regret as he did promise Yami and Mokuba better lives. What he did regret most of all was pushing those he cared about away in his greed for power. Joey was one of those people as ever since Seto met him he couldn't stop thinking about him._

_Joey was different from everyone else and Seto was still trying to figure out what drew him in. Besides the way he stood up for his friends and his strong willed attitude, he was just a street fighting punk. He was unique and there was nobody in world who could stand up against Seto in a debate besides Yami and now that include Joey. Joey had this fire in him…_

_Seto groaned as he could feel his thoughts moving even further away from his work. "I'm never going to get through this meeting." As he said this to himself he heard his phone vibrate on the desk and reached over to pick it up. Mokuba was out with a friend and he was supposed to keep his big brothers updated on where he was going. However when Seto saw the text it wasn't from Mokuba, but from Yami._

'_**Your puppy misses you' **__the message read with an attached photo of Joey at the park looking slightly down. Yami must have taken the photo when Joey wasn't paying attention._

_Thankfully no one was in the room or they would have gotten a rare witness to Seto's blush that lightly came to his cheeks. Yami just loved to tease him about his new nickname for Joey. The blond reminded everyone of a puppy and for Seto it was better than mutt. Joey hated the nicknames, but nothing was going to stop Seto from calling him a puppy. _

_Looking at the time, Seto took note his meeting wasn't for another hour. So with Joey's picture in mind, he saved his work and shut down his laptop. He stood up leaving the office with nothing but himself as he locked his office doors behind him. He let his personal assistant know he was taking a break and if he wasn't back in time for the meeting to reschedule it for another day. Being the boss no one would question him and he wasn't about to let work take over his personal life again. _

* * *

_The park may have been crowded but it took Seto no time to find the group his brother hung out with. What he didn't expect was to arrive and find that Joey, Yami, and Yugi were nowhere to be seen. Yami's friends looked at the CEO in shock to see him there so Seto knew he would have to be the first one to start the conversation._

"_Where the hell is he?"_

_Tea was the first to recover, "Yami left with Yugi and Joey." At least that is who she thinks he is talking about. _

_Seto resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "That I can see for myself. Where did they go?"_

_Tristan glared at him, "Why do you want to know?"_

"_Because Taylor, Yami is my brother and I deserve the right to know where he is." Seto figured it was better if they thought he was looking for Yami and not Joey. They already didn't like him and they were less likely to tell him if he asked about Joey._

"_Joey went to help a friend," A timid voice spoke up causing all eyes to turn to Tomoya. He blushed at the attention, but was more willing to help Seto. "Yami and Yugi went along with him to make sure he stayed safe. We're not sure where they were headed off to."_

_Seto nodded and pulled out his phone making a quick phone call. He used his connections to find out where Yami's cell phone was before hanging up. He frowned at the location he was given as he looked up at the others. Reluctantly he relayed the address to the group to figure out what the hell those three were doing there or at least Yami's phone was there. He knew what was around the area, but other than that he had no clue why Yami would go there. _

_Tristan seemed to know the place as he cursed under his breath and turned to his friends, "Remember that's Hirutani's old hangout. It was where we found Joey that one…." He stopped talking when he realized Seto was listening to him, "What I mean is it's a…."_

_Seto never let Tristan finish his sentence as he turned and took off in a run. The others were left to gather their items and quickly follow behind not knowing what caused Seto to rush off like that. _

* * *

"Once Tristan mentioned his name I knew you were in trouble." Seto said finishing his tale. There were a few things he didn't tell the others that had happened but he did explain most of it. He and Joey had moved off the roof and now they all stood outside the warehouse, "I know all about what happened between you and Hirutani."

Joey knew Seto had been snooping into his past instead of asking Joey himself about it, but the blond could not find himself to be angry at Seto. It was starting to become obvious that Seto only did that because in some way he cared. "Honestly if I knew Nezumi was just setting me up I wouldn't have come."

"Joey you couldn't have known that," Yugi said trying to make his friend feel better. "It all turned out good in the end and you showed Hirutani that he will never control you no matter what he does."

"I'm still sorry I dragged you guys into this," Joey said to Yugi and Yami.

Yami shook his head, "No need to apologize. Your problems are our problems and we will always be there when you need us." He looked up at his brother with a smirk. "Right Seto?"

Seto glared at his brother before he felt Joey's eyes on him. He looked down to see Joey was smiling at him which caused Seto to have to fight to hide the blush that wanted to appear on his face. That smile caused his heart to flutter and these new feelings were so foreign it was almost scary. He wasn't sure how to act so he just covered up the question by saying, "Let's just get out of here and get the puppy to the hospital."

The smile was gone in a matter of seconds as Joey jumped in front of Seto shouting, "Puppy?! How many times have I told you to drop the dog nicknames. I'm not a dog!"

"Down boy…" Seto said with a smirk as he reached out to pat Joey on the head. "I promise if you're a good boy with the doctor I'll give you a treat."

The others all had to cover their mouths to hide the laughs and since they knew another fight was going to develop between the two they decided to walk away and let Seto and Joey go at it for a while. However as soon as they walked a good bit away, they never did see when Seto took Joey into his arms as the other was about to go at the CEO for his last comment. Joey lost all his will to fight as he was trapped in Seto's arms with a massive blush on his face. This was something he wasn't expecting at all.

"I'm glad that you're okay," Seto whispered into Joey's ear. He may not fully understand his feelings, but it was time to at least show Joey he was interested in him before Joey decided to move on. "How about we go out to dinner tonight?"

The request was so out there Joey thought his brain might overload from all that had happened. Sure they had tried being friends and now here was Seto asking him out. He wasn't sure what to think of that, but who could pass up free food. Since it appeared Seto wasn't going to let him go without an answer, Joey nodded and said, "Sure…" After he was out of Seto's arms he moved back to give them some space, "Just try and drop the dog insults."

"I can try…" Seto said even though he really he had no intention of stopping them, but he wasn't going to tell Joey that. He simply grabbed the blond's hand and led him to where the others had gone. They had wasted enough time around there and Joey still needed to see a doctor. In his head Seto was already thinking of the perfect place to take Joey to sweep him off his feet.

* * *

**Sakura: **This chapter was another one of those that just wrote itself pretty much. It kept going and going and I didn't even think it was going to be this long. Sorry if Seto was a little OC, but he has changed in some ways and is trying to open up. Oh and for those Ryou and Bakura fans who are reading this story, you're going to the love the next chapters….

**Yumi: Review**!


	45. Chapter 45

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It's that time! It's time to introduce Ryou and Bakura... Hopefully any tendershipping fans out there will enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Forty Five**

**The Mysterious Transfer Student**

Fall arrived too early for students of Domino University as there was only one week left of vacation before classes were to start up. The weather outside had slowly changed causing a few chilly days, but it was still decent enough to wear summer clothes. Yami was taking advantage of a nice day by taking the dogs around the block of his apartment for a jog. Given there was only a week left before classes started, both he and the pups had moved back into the apartment for good until of course Yami graduated from college. Sadly Yugi couldn't join them on a beautiful day like that since grandpa needed him in the shop. It was alright with Yami because he loved having a chance to bond with the little ones he thought of as his own children. They had grown over the months and it wouldn't be long before they were at their full height and weight to be considered full grown.

"Whoa Shadow hold on!" Yami shouted trying not to be pulled up the stairs leading to his apartment on the second floor. Shadow was pulling him one way, while Yuki had decided to smell some flowers someone on the first floor had put out for some sun. It wasn't until Yuki was done that Yami was able to get them both going up the stairs. One quick jog around the block was enough for Yami and he was looking forward to some lunch.

At the top of the stairs Yami never did notice someone coming out of the apartment beside his until the leash that belonged to Yuki slipped out of his hands. "Yuki bad boy!" He shouted as the dog ran forward ignoring Yami and nearly knocking the person down.

The white hair teen laughed as he kneeled down to pet the top of Yuki's head. "Well aren't you a cutie," He looked at the tag on Yuki's collar, "Yuki, that's a pretty name."

"Sorry about that," Yami apologized as he approached the two and got a hold of the leash again, "He normally isn't like this with new people."

The other waved it off as he stood up, "It's no big deal they are both very beautiful dogs."

"Thank you," Yami said with a smile as he took note of the door the teen had walked out of, "You must be the new neighbors."

"Yes me and my partner are just now moving in today after this apartment became available." He reached out his hand, "My name's Ryou."

Yami put both leashes in one hand and used his other hand to shake Ryou's. "Nice to meet you, I'm Yami and I actually live in the apartment next to yours with two of my friends."

Ryou looked behind him at the door and did notice the name plates beside the door. It had the last name Kaiba, Wheeler, and Taylor showing who all lived at that apartment. He turned back to Yami with a smile, "At least I've already meet someone who knows their way around this place."

Yami shrugged, "It's not that hard, so you must be attending Domino University this fall?" He figured as much since the apartments here were only for students.

Ryou nodded, "Both me and my partner are transferring from Tokyo University."

"Wow, I hear that's a hard school to get into," Yami had looked into the University when he was applying for college, but he didn't want to be away from family and friends. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave a school like that?"

"We wanted a change is all really. The big city isn't really what we thought it would be." Ryou informed him.

Yami could tell there was probably more to the story, but since he didn't know Ryou he figured it was better not to pry. If they became friends, then maybe Ryou would open up to him more. "This place is certainly different from the big city so if you ever need any help you know where I live." The dogs pulling warned him that if he didn't get them inside soon they would be causing more trouble for him, "I really should get these two inside. It was nice meeting you…"

"It was nice meeting you too." Ryou watched as Yami pretty much had to drag Shadow and Yuki into his apartment and then close the door. At least it appeared like they would have decent neighbors living next to them. He continued his journey down the stairs to meet up with his boyfriend before he started to wonder what was taking Ryou so long.

* * *

The first day of classes always seemed to carry a little stress as students started their day and wondered how their semester would turn out. Yami wasn't all too worried as he entered his first class with his friends. It was nearly the same as last year with the group having all the same classes, except this year Tomoya and Tea were taking a few different courses from the group. It would become more and more like that as the years went on, so they were glad to enjoy the time they had in the same class.

The friends found seats all together near the middle and took their places before more students filed in. There was still ten minutes before class was to start so they sat around talking until Yami looked up and noticed a familiar face that walked in. He was surprised that Ryou was in this class also. The last time he saw Ryou was when he ran into him that first time and he had yet to meet Ryou's partner.

"Hey Ryou," Yami called out getting the white hair teens attention. Since he knew he was a transfer student he figured it would be nice to invite Ryou to hang out with them.

Ryou walked over with a smile and took a seat beside Yami, "Must be a small world for us to run into each other again."

Yami could agree with him on that. He turned to his friends and lover who had look of confusion. "This is Ryou," He introduced the white hair teen, "He just moved in next to my apartment."

"So you weren't kidding when you said we were getting new neighbors." Joey pointed out as he put out a hand to Ryou, "Welcome to Domino University, I'm Joey."

Since Joey introduced himself one by one the others felt the need to introduce themselves making Ryou feel welcomed in their group. They only got to talk briefly until the professor came in to start the class.

* * *

After their first class was over the rather large group of friends including Ryou left the building they were in together and were making small talk. None of them had to be at their next classes for a while so they were taking their time.

"So your family runs a game store?" Ryou asked of Yugi, who he was talking with mostly at the moment. Yugi had been telling him a little about himself when the game store came into the conversation.

Yugi nodded, "Do you like games, Ryou?"

Ryou nodded, "Yes very much. I especially like board games and tabletop games. My favorite is a game called monster world, have you heard of it?"

"Wow… Monster world!" Yugi said impressed.

"What kind of game is monster world?" Joey asked coming into their conversation.

"Monster world is a combination board game and role playing game. One person plays the 'dark master' and the other people play a group of adventurers together they act out a story using miniatures on a playing field." Yugi explained to his friend knowing a bit about the game himself, "The dark master wins if he defeats the adventuring party. The adventurers win if they beat the dark master. He's sort of like the boss monster of the game. The next thing about monster world is that the board is made of interconnecting blocks that can be arranged in different ways. You can buy more blocks and expand it. There are forests and mountains, villages, and castles. By arranging them in different ways, you can come up with a different adventure every time."

"I'm impressed Yugi, you know a lot about games." Ryou said causing Yugi to blush.

Yami chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Yugi, "He should he is the King of Games after all."

Ryou didn't even seem surprised to learn that and really after it being on the news and papers around the world pretty much everyone knew who Yugi was. "I bet it would be pretty cool to go up against the King of Games in a monster world game."

Yugi smiled up at Ryou, "That would be cool, maybe we could play sometime."

Ryou nodded before his eyes moved down to the pendent Yugi was wearing, "By the way there's something I've been wondering about… Where did you get that pendant?"

Yugi looked down at his puzzle and put a hand on it. "Oh this… It's called the millennium puzzle. It is said to have come from an Egyptian tomb of a pharaoh."

"Actually I…" Before Ryou could finish his sentence, he paused and reached into his pocket for his phone. He read something before putting the phone away and smiling at the group, "Thanks for hanging out with me, but I really should be going. Maybe we can plan a time to play monster world together."

The others agreed with that, before watching Ryou hurry off somewhere.

* * *

Ryou ran toward the building he was supposed to meet his boyfriend at. They had agreed when Ryou was done with his first class they would meet up, but Ryou had nearly forgotten. Yugi and his friends were an interesting bunch and it was nice to hang out with them. He hoped they could continue to get together and become friends.

It was just before he reached the building that he found his path blocked by three thug looking teens. "Where are you off to in a hurry little lady?" One of them asked and as soon as he finished his question Ryou was seeing red.

"I'm not a girl!" Ryou shouted defending himself. This happened all the time in Tokyo because of his long white hair which really wasn't that long and just went a little passed his shoulders. He liked it the way it was and he wasn't going to change it. He just wished people would quit assuming he was a woman.

"Dude it really isn't a chick," Another one commented getting a good look at Ryou in his demi jeans and blue shirt. From afar he had looked like a girl, but up close it was pretty easy to see he was a guy. "Must be one of those cross-dressing freaks you see on TV."

As they started a debate between themselves about whether Ryou was a girl or not, Ryou tried to use that moment to move past them, but it seemed they wouldn't have any of that as one of the guy's reached out and grabbed his hair keeping him in place.

"You're not going anywhere…"

"Let me go!" Ryou shouted trying to get his hair out of the guy's grip. "I told you I'm not a chick so go bug someone else!"

"What the hell is going on?!"

All eyes turned to the new comer who could have passed for Ryou's twin. He had the same white hair that went to his shoulders, but was more spiked in some places. He was also tan and not pale like Ryou was. What stood out the most was the murderous look in his dark brown eyes that caused the guy holding Ryou to let go.

"I'll ask you again," The other said slowly approaching them, "What do you think you're doing with your filthy hands all over my Ryou!"

The guys behind Ryou turned into scared little kids as they still ignored the question and took off. Ryou looked toward his boyfriend not at all surprised that they ran off. His boyfriend could scare a murderous criminal if he really wanted to with just one look. Judging from the way he was still glaring, he really wanted to go after those guys for giving Ryou a hard time.

"Bakura don't even think about it." Ryou said as he approached his partner and wrapped his arms around him.

The look in his eyes slowly disappeared, but he was still mad, "You know they deserve everything that is coming to them for touching you."

Ryou sighed, "There was no harm done and they were just being pricks. You promised me you would be a good boy this time. I can't have you getting kicked out of this college too."

Bakura still didn't look happy, so Ryou let go of him and instead grabbed his hand, "Alright let's go find a quiet place for you to calm down before your next class." Being different majors they didn't have any classes together and a few of the classes Bakura took were online so Ryou could only check on him in between his classes. It was the best they could do for now after Bakura got kicked out of Tokyo University.

"Come on Bakura," Ryou urged forcing Bakura to follow. It was going to be a long day…

* * *

Two classes later and Ryou was walking toward the entrance of Domino University with Bakura. He didn't run into Yugi and his friends for the rest of the day so it appeared he only had one class with them. The day hadn't been too bad besides the incident from earlier, but after that Bakura's mood turned around and they were able to focus on their classes.

However it did turn into a bit of a surprise when as soon as Ryou and Bakura were about to cross the street they ran into none other than Joey, Yugi and Yami getting ready to cross the street to the apartment.

"Hey Ryou," Yugi greeted as the two walked up to them.

"Hi, you guys. Are you done with classes also?"

Yami nodded, "We were just heading home." He looked to the taller male beside Ryou, "Would this be your partner?" He guessed since Ryou did say he lived with one. Although they did look alike and they could be brothers, but the same could be said for Yugi and Yami.

Ryou smiled as he patted Bakura's arm, "Yeah, this is Bakura my boyfriend. Bakura say hi."

Bakura just turned his head to the side not caring at all who these people were. Ryou was always too nice to totally strangers and he hated that about him. He didn't need to make everyone his friend.

"Sorry about him, he is still sulking about the move, but so far I don't see anything bad about Domino." Ryou said before he tugged on the sleeve of Bakura's shirt, "Bakura be nice and say hi." He stressed knowing Bakura would get the hint. His tone of voice meant that if Bakura wasn't nice, Bakura would be sleeping on the couch.

"Fine, it's nice to meet you." Bakura said quickly as he turned his head to look at the three properly. Strangely enough his eyes fell on the pendant that Yugi wore for reasons he couldn't understand. He started to feel this pain like a headache coming on, but didn't let it show. Without anyone realizing it he reached into his pocket to grip something.

Not even knowing something was going on with his boyfriend, Ryou turned his attention back to the three in front of him, "By the way I was thinking about what we talked about earlier. Would you guys like to come over to our place tomorrow and play monster world?" Ryou asked of them. They didn't know anyone in Domino and it wouldn't hurt for him and Bakura to make some friends. He looked toward Bakura, "It should be fun shouldn't it. We haven't played in a while."

"Nobody wants to play that stupid game. Let's just go home." Bakura growled out as he took Ryou's hand and dragged him across the street as there were no cars coming.

The other three were left standing on the sidewalk watching Bakura drag Ryou away. Joey was the first to comment by saying, "A pretty rude guy wasn't he?"

"Yeah he was…" Yami agreed and for some reason he felt like he already didn't like Bakura without even getting to know him. It was just this feeling deep down that he couldn't shake.

* * *

Typing on a computer was the only sound heard in the semi-lit room within Bakura and Ryou's apartment. There was light coming in from the moon and a small desk lap on the desk Bakura was sitting at. The apartment came with three bedrooms, but since the two only needed one room, one of the other rooms became an office, while the last one became a storage room. The room Bakura was in held two desks facing each other on either side of the room and there was one bookshelf near the only window in the room. The room still had boxes in it with unpacked items that the two hadn't gotten to yet.

Textbooks were already gathered beside Bakura's laptop from his courses he took online. He only had five classes he was taking, three being on campus and two being online. It's how he liked it since he had always been a bit of an anti-social person. If it wasn't for Ryou, pretty much all his classes would be online.

He was busy at the moment typing something up for one of the courses before dinner. It was movie night for the couple so he wouldn't' be able to work after dinner that night. Sometimes he appeared as a slacker to most and often most people at their old college thought he wasn't that bright which irritated him to no end. However he was used to being judged based on looks and attitude. It was nothing new and it would never change.

A sigh escaped Bakura as he looked at the one photo on his desk. It was of a younger him with Ryou and there was one older lady in the background. She was beautiful and looked a lot like Bakura except with a gentler face. If only life had been better then things wouldn't be so hard now.

/_Hahaha…./_

Bakura jumped at the foreign voice and looked around, "Who's there!" He growled, but saw no one in the room. Ryou was probably in the kitchen making dinner and he knew better than to try and prank his boyfriend.

/_So you can hear my voice now, can you? / _The voice continued with another laugh, /_I guess from now on, I'll be able to speak with my host… Truly a day to remember…/_

Bakura stood up not sure what the hell was going on. He had felt like someone was watching him and that was nothing new as he felt like this for a long time. However this was the first time he ever heard some random voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.

/_And there is something else worth remembering… I've finally met him! / _The voice sounded excited about this, /_The other boy with a millennium item after three thousand years! The millennium items must be resonating with each other to produce some kind of field and that's why you can hear me now…/_

"Who are you?" Bakura shouted gripping his hair. It almost sounded like this voice was in his head, but that just wasn't possible. "What is going on!"

/W_ho am I? I've been with you for a long time… hiding within you thanks to the item that you carry /_

Bakura let go of his hair to reach into his pocket for something.

/_Now now I can't have you trying to get rid of the item now that you know about me. I've decided to keep you as my permanent host/_

Bakura bit back a yelp of pain as he withdrew his hand from his pocket to see his fingers were slightly red as if they had been burned. Something was seriously messed up here and he just wanted the voice to go away. "Get out of here! I don't want you in my head!"

/_Don't be so cold, believe me when I say you are perfect for the plans I have. I must use this chance to get my hands on the millennium puzzle. If I let this opportunity go by, I don't know how long I'll have to wait for another one/ _

"What are you up to…?" Bakura questioned, but he didn't realize he never get an answer as he felt his eyes begin to feel heavy. Before he knew what was happening he was falling to his knees as his world went black.

A minute later there was a knock on the office door, before it opened to let more light into the room. Ryou peeked his head in and turned on the light when he didn't see Bakura at his computer. When the main light came on Ryou was surprised to find the room empty of anyone. He walked back out of the room to go search the rest of their apartment to see where Bakura had disappeared to. It was only when he came up empty did he pull out his cell phone to try and call him.

"He better not have gone out to explore this late at night." Ryou knew never to worry about Bakura because sometimes he just like to go out to clear his head which was fine, but a little notice would make Ryou feel much better. It was only when the second call went to voicemail that Ryou gave up and decided to wait up and see if Bakura came back.

* * *

The next day Bakura was walking across campus on his way back to the apartment after his one class for the day. He felt tired and had to force himself to get out of bed just to make it to his class. For some reason he couldn't understand why he felt so tired and couldn't even remember going to bed the night before. It was just really strange…

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the group of teens not far from him. He recognized three of them but didn't know who the girl was with them or what any of their names were. They were all talking about something that he couldn't hear about. His eyes once again drifted down to the item around Yugi's neck and he felt a familiar pain from yesterday. He shut his eyes against the pain just as there was a tug on his mind.

Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Yami were so busy talking they never even noticed him until Bakura walked right up to them with this odd smile on his face. Yami was getting the bad feeling he felt from yesterday but tried to ignore the feelings.

"You must be the ones I met yesterday," Bakura said sounding a lot friendlier than he did the day before. He could see the two taller guys looking at him a little wary so tried a different approach. "Listen I'm sorry about the other day. I was just in a bad mood, but that doesn't excuse me from being unfriendly."

"It's alright," Yugi waved it off with a smile. "The first day is always different for everyone. Where is Ryou today?"

"At home already, but he asked me if I ran into you guys to ask if you wanted to come over to play a game. He said he mentioned about making plans to play monster world and at first I wasn't too sure, but Ryou set me right saying it's alright to make new friends." Bakura then added, "Of course if you don't want to that is fine. We can try for another day."

Yugi looked at the three with him, "Do you guys want to play?" He always did like making new friends and it would be neat to play a real game of monster world instead of just reading about it. Bakura appeared like a scary guy, but he couldn't be all bad if Ryou who appeared so nice was in a relationship with him.

Tea shrugged, "I don't have anything better to do."

"Should we call the others?" Joey asked since Duke and Tomoya weren't with them. Tristan he knew already couldn't make it because he was out of town for the day with his father.

Yami shook his head, "Duke told me he has to work at the shop today and remember Tomoya has that extra class he is taking, so he won't be done until late."

"That's no fair," Joey commented but it wasn't long before he perked back up. "I guess it will just be us for today."

Bakura turned to head for home, "Well let's get going. I bet Ryou has the game all ready for us when we get there." The group behind him never noticed the evil smirk on his face as he led them to the apartment complex.

The walk was short given how close the place was to the University but what they hadn't except was someone to be waiting outside of Joey and Yami's apartment when they got to the second floor. Seto pushed himself off the door he was leaning against as the small group approached.

"What are you doing here Seto?" Joey asked not recalling making any plans until later that night.

"Well puppy my meeting ended early so I came to take you out for lunch."

Joey growled, "Stop with calling me puppy!"

Yami sighed, "There they go again, and it's amazing they can even be in a relationship."

"So those two are together?" Bakura questioned as he unlocked his apartment.

Yami nodded, "That's my twin brother Seto. It was only recently those two became an official couple, but no one knows how they survive with the arguments they have."

"Well they do say opposites attract," Bakura mentioned as he held the door open for them, "Would your brother like to join us?"

Before Yami could say anything Joey jumped in saying, "Sure he would," He sent a grin Seto's way who didn't look happy about Joey making decisions for him. The blond appeared to not want to take no for an answer as he grabbed Seto's hand and dragged him into the apartment. The others that knew Seto chuckled at his weak attempts to protest being involved in whatever they were doing. Once everyone was inside Bakura closed the door behind them knowing this was going to be an interesting game.

* * *

**Sakura: **Bakura's shadow game is about to start! So that everything is clear, Tristan, Tomoya, and Duke are not going to be involved in this. I wanted to throw Seto in there to keep things interesting. Oh and also yes Joey and Seto are dating by this point even though it may not seem like it.

**Yumi: Review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Small Note**

**Sakura:** It's interesting to see the reactions to Ryou and Bakura. There are some theories out there about what is going on with Bakura so I'll just leave people guessing for now. A lot will be answered closer to the ending of this story.

* * *

**Chapter Forty Six**

**Monster World**

As soon as the door closed behind them, Bakura moved over to the small table he and Ryou had their meals and picked up a piece of paper. The others stood in the living space looking around at what the two had already done to make the apartment homey but did not move further into the apartment until Bakura gave them the okay. Bakura faked a smile as he turned to them.

"It appears Ryou went out for a moment to the store." He said waving the note, "He said we should go ahead and start the game and he'll join us when he gets back."

"Are you sure?" Yugi questioned since Ryou was supposed to be the one who had invited them there. It felt weird starting without him. "We can wait until he gets back."

Bakura shook his head, "No, it's quite alright. It takes a few minutes to get the game set up so by then he should be back." He headed down the small hallway toward the room they kept their unpacked items stored. "Follow me…"

Not really sure the others followed behind him including Seto who seemed to have no choice thanks to Joey. They all entered the room Bakura had disappeared into and when the lights came on they were surprised by what they saw. The boxed up items had been moved to one side of the room leaving enough room for them to walk in. In the middle of the room was a long table with the monster world board game sitting on top that took up the whole table. It was massive with a village, forest, and castle and it was amazing at how much detail was put into.

"This is Ryou's custom made Monster world board game." Bakura informed them as he moved to the top of the table. He took a seat behind the castle where there was also a small table to his left with a laptop sitting on it. Tea took a seat to the right of the table, with Yugi and Yami sitting across from Bakura and leaving Seto and Joey to sit to the left of the table.

"Wow I can't wait to play." Yugi said as he admired Ryou's work. That board was awesome and much better than some of the boards he had seen in other stores.

"Well, are you ready to start playing?" Bakura asked them. They all were in agreement even Seto who looked a little more interested now that he saw the game board. They never noticed the dark look in Bakura's eyes as he looked at Yugi's millennium puzzle. '_Yugi… I'll win this Shadow game and I'll take your millennium puzzle…'_ He thought but out loud he said, "Let me explain the rules…"

The others reminded quiet as Bakura started to explain the rules for the ones in the room who didn't know about the game, mostly Joey and Tea. "The players are split into two groups: the 'D.M' or Dark master on one side and the adventurers on the other. The dark master controls the monsters and evil creatures that lurk throughout monster world. His role is to stop the adventurers by playing them to the best of his ability. The adventurers work as a team with each person choosing their character's race, class, and ability scores. They work together to beat the dark master." He paused to make sure everyone was following before he said, "The dark master has to defeat all of the adventurers to win. I'll be the dark master of course. For the adventures to win, they have to find the boss monster then destroy him."

"So we get to kill things?" Joey asked causing Bakura to chuckle.

"You cut right to the point."

"Monster world combines elements of a board game and a role playing game, pup." Seto cut in knowing a bit about the game himself given he ran a gaming company. "Bakura, was it?" At the nod from Bakura Seto continued, "He is taking the part of the game master in an RPG."

"Role-playing game? You mean like video games?" Tea questioned.

Yami nodded, "Video role-playing games are more common today, but the original role-playing games were played around a table."

"That's right," Bakura agreed with him, "In a role playing game you are playing a role. You have to become the character. By getting inside the mind of the character and acting out your part, the players can enter an imaginary world. It's the original virtual reality. That is the true beauty of this game."

Yami couldn't put his finger on it since he didn't know Bakura all that well, but Bakura seemed a little more different than he was yesterday. It seemed like he wanted no part of monster world and now here he was all excited that they were taking part in it. This bad feeling he had just wouldn't go away.

"Before we can play, everyone needs to create their characters." Bakura pointed out as he gathered some papers he had together. "Fill in your data on these character sheets," He asked of them as he handed them out.

Yugi and Joey looked over their pages as Yugi explained a few things to the blond. "See, we each choose a race from this list. Your race determines your basic abilities."

"Huh which should I be…?" Joey wondered as he looked down the list before a smirk developed on his face. He turned to his boyfriend with a grin on his face, "You should totally be a pixie-fairy Seto. That race is made for you."

The others had to bite their lips to keep from laughing as Seto glared at Joey and said, "Not in a million years, but too bad there's not a dog race since that would be perfect for you."

As the two developed into another one of their arguments, Yugi turned to Yami with a smile. "Maybe I'll be a half-elf."

Yami wrapped an arm around Yugi and kissed his forehead, "You would be a cute half-elf at that." He said causing Yugi to blush as he went and started to fill out his data sheet with Yami and Tea leaving the other two to figure out their own characters once they were done shouting at each other.

While they were doing that, Bakura added in, "Once you've decided on your race, next you need to choose your class." He watched as they continued to discuss and fill out their data sheets not even realizing what they were getting themselves into. _'Choose carefully…' _He said to himself, '_You'll be playing that character for longer than you think… a lot longer. H-ha ha ha…'_

"Alright we finished making our characters." Joey announced a few minutes later after he and Seto were finally finished. They were the last two everyone was waiting on, so Joey took it upon himself to gather all the data sheets and pass them back to Bakura.

Bakura took a minute to look over the sheets to make sure they had been filled out correctly, "Hmmm… Very good and you rolled your ability scores fair and square…" He put the pages aside as he reached under his seat to pull out a small box. Inside were blank figures that Ryou had yet to design, but where the others couldn't see, Bakura waved his hand over them and they took the shape he needed them to take. "Okay, your miniatures are already to go."

As soon as the others got their characters in hand they were amazed by the detail. They looked nearly the same as the players themselves even Seto's character looked a little like him and Bakura had only just met him today. Yugi's character was a half-elf named Yugi with the class of a beast tamer. His hair was much like Yugi's and he wore armor with a cape. Yami's character was a half-elf also named Yami with the class of a magician. His hair was similar to Yami's and he wore robes that looked almost the same as the Dark Magician card Yugi favored. Joey's character was a human named Joey with the class of warrior and looked like him but had armor along with a shield and a sword in each hand. Seto's character was also human with the same name with the class of a priest. The only thing similar about them was the look in the face as his hair was covered by his priest headgear and the rest of him was wearing priest robes that looked familiar for reasons Yami couldn't figure out. Lastly there was Tea's character, who was an elf named Tea with the class of enchanter. Both player and character looked similar, but Tea's character wore a blue dress with a black cape.

Joey took his character in his hands and looked it over, "Wow you made these figures look just like us."

"It wasn't me it was Ryou who made them." Bakura informed them. "After he learned you guys wanted to play the game, he made those up for when you did come over to play. However Seto's character is simply a simple priest but I think it does look a bit like you." He turned to his computer with the data sheets in hand, "I'll enter your character data into the computer for reference. These numbers will make all the difference when you get into a life or death fight. As the master I make the crucial rolls."

When everything was done and the players were ready Bakura turned to them to get the game started, "All right, it's all ready. Place your pieces on start."

They did as told all excited about the game that they didn't even realize that they should wait for Ryou to come back. "Game start," Bakura told them as he watched them make the first move.

Joey looked over the board a little confused, "Where are the other pieces? There's not a single enemy monster." The board was of a simple landscape with no people or monsters in sight.

"One of the facets of this game is that you don't know where the enemy monsters are hiding." Bakura mentioned, "The monsters will appear depending on the players' action or sometimes by random chance."

"Come to think, we don't know much about this world." Joey figured out on his own, "Like who's the enemy or what's the point of the game."

"The town!" Tea said surprising them all as all eyes turned to her. She was pointing to the town that was just in front of her. "You go to a town to get information in an RPG, don't you?"

Yugi nodded, "Tea's right, let's go to the town first."

"Very good," Bakura said as if he were narrating a story, "You take five turns to enter the village…."

Tea noticed that the town appeared to not be attached to the board, so being a little curious she reached out and lifted the town. They all looked to see that there was a tavern made underneath the town in great detail along with random characters inside.

"Wow, you take off the village model and there are people inside," Yugi said in amazement. Ryou had really gone all out when he created the game board. "Look at the detail."

"Okay lets pull up to the bar and get some news." Joey said as he moved his character toward the bar where an old man stood behind it. "Hey you old man, as you can see we're highly skilled adventurers. Any way for us to make some dough..?"

"You start with money…" Yami commented when they should be asking other questions than that.

"At those words the villager sends a glance your way and sighs and as he speaks…" Bakura narrated as the small old man turned on its own to face them.

"_If money could solve our problems, I'd give you all I've got…' _An older man's voice spoke out of the blue, "_But before you could claim your reward, you'd be dead!"_

"With that the old man moves away from the bar…" Bakura said as the bar man turned away from them.

Joey glared at the old man as he moved his character a little closer, "Hey hold on, old timer! Sounds like you got a story we're all ears!"

Seto sighed as Joey got really into the game. This was certainly a new side of Joey he had never seen before.

"Hearing those words the old man opens his mouth and says in a heavy tone…" Bakura went on to say.

"_Until a few years ago, this village was peaceful but then the dark lord Zorc assassinated the king and changed the castle into a den of evil." _The old man told them, "_After that monsters began appearing in our peaceful valley. Many of my fellow villagers have fallen prey to them."_

"What they can't get away with that!" Joey shouted, "Alright dude! We'll take care of Zorc. So let's see some gold pieces…"

Seto wrapped an arm around Joey and pulled him back before things got ugly, "This game brings out your bad side."

Tea turned to the two beside her with a look of confusion on her face. "Hey is there a speaker in there? It sounds like the old man's really talking."

Yugi shrugged, "I don't think so…"

"In a table top RPG, characters other than the adventurers are acted out by the game master, they're called 'non-player characters." Yami added in as he looked toward Bakura who was typing on the computer, "However if Ryou made this board he could have added some special features to make the game even better. Bakura is probably typing the words on the computer and the character is speaking them."

Just as he finished saying that the old man spoke up again, "_Hear me, adventurers, before you start on your journey you should talk to those men in the corner. They can tell you the safest route to Zorc castle."_

All the players moved their characters over to the three guys hanging around a table. "Hey…" Joey spoke up to get the characters attention.

All three non-playable characters turned with looks of surprise on their faces. One of the characters got brave and started to shout, "_Save us! That lunatic turned us into miniatures!"_

Yami frowned as the three characters begged them to change them back to humans. That was an odd thing for the non-playable characters to say unless Bakura made a type-o. However it felt like the characters were almost real in some way with the way they moved.

Bakura glare at the three miniatures without the others knowing causing all three of them to freeze. '_You are no longer students or even humans. I made you all eternal inhabitants of this game world.' _He informed them with his mind. '_Now play your part…. You will act the role of villagers forever. If you don't you all will die.'_

It was just like that the three figures turned back toward their table shaking out of fear, "_Z-Zorc castle… is to the north... outside the village… B-But stay out of the forest… It's full of monsters…."_ One of the villagers shuttered out at them without looking at them.

"Okay got it!" Joey said not at all fazed by what was happening. He grabbed his figure ready to move him, "Let's skip town and start hacking!"

As they moved their characters out of the town, Yami couldn't quite figure out why he felt so uneasy. Those non-playable characters seemed rather odd in their actions. The three were still huddled in their corner as Tea replaced the town over the Tavern. They spoke as if they were not part of the game and since when did these figures have eyes that held fear in them. It was bizarre and made Yami wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Bakura watched Yami's facial expressions and could tell he was trying to figure out what had just happened. '_H-Ha Ha Ha… Let those idiots fate foreshadow your own!' _He watched as the adventurers made their way down the board heading near the forest.

"Okay now we know our mission, we head for Zorc Castle!" Joey cheered, "Let's roll! Don't stop for anything."

It was just before they got close to the forest and away from the town that Bakura spoke up again, "All right… You've just entered an area where there's danger of a random encounter. From now on, there's a judgment roll every turn to determine if monsters will appear." He held up a pair of ten sided dice, "With these ten sided dice…"

"Ten sided dice… I've never seen dice like that before." Tea commented.

"The area you're in right now has a monster encounter rate of thirty percent." Bakura explained to them, "The roll is done with two ten sided dice. The white die is the ones column. The red die is the tens column… so you get a number between zero and ninety nine. If the outcome is from thirty one to ninety nine then you've avoided meeting any monsters." He shook the dice in his hand, "I make the roll."

After a few seconds of shaking the dice he let them go so they could fall on the game board for everyone to see. They rolled around a bit before they both stopped with a two on the red dice and a one on the white die. "The judgment roll is twenty one. That's lower than thirty which means that a monster appears."

Out of nowhere a goblin type creature with an axe appeared before them stopping them from moving forward. "A level three goblin appears in your way."

"Ha ha ha, we found a monster," Joey said and was all ready for a fight, "I was getting bored waiting for a fight."

Bakura tossed Joey their own pair of dice to roll with while he had his own pair, "All of the battles are decided with these ten sided dice with a percentile roll. Now you go first and take your shot."

Joey caught the dice from Bakura, "The warrior rolls," He shook the dice in his hand before dropping them on the board. They rolled a little bit before stopping with a one on the red die and a three on the white die.

Bakura referred to his computer as he said, "Based on the warrior's level, speed and weapon, I calculate that the warrior's short sword kills the goblin on a roll of forty or less. The goblin does down." He turned to the cheering friends as the first monster of the game went down, "The closer you roll to double zero, the more damage you do to the enemy. But on the other hand if you throw a fumble, a ninety nine, you have to take a penalty…"

'_The penalty to become a miniature in my game world for the rest of your lives…'_ Bakura thought only to himself leaving that little part out. They had no idea what kind of game they were truly playing.

* * *

**Sakura: **A lot has happened in just two chapters so I hope everyone understands what is going on. I decided to add a few things here to clear some things up I think might be questioned.

First off I'm sure people are wondering if Ryou is going to show up. Well no not for a while and I promise it will be explained what happened to him later.

Since I added Seto and Yami to this one, I changed what Tea was so instead of a magician she is an enchanter which was listed in the class section in the manga. Seto's character I just had to make up while Yami's I made him the magician instead.

Also the three guys in the tavern, not sure how many people will notice this because I never described them, but the gym teacher is not in this story so instead of him Bakura went after the three guys that harassed Ryou in the last chapter. Thus Yugi and his friends have no clue who those guys are.

If you have any other questions please ask and if it will not spoil the chapters I will answer. This is different from the manga in some parts so I want to make sure I'm not confusing anyone.

**Yumi: Please Review!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **So far so good and things only get more interesting from here... Also just thought I would mention that just like with Death-T I am going to start combing some chapters of the manga together, because when typing the chapters the length was too short for me. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Forty Seven**

**The Fumble of Doom**

It only took one major hit for Joey's warrior character to take down the level three goblin monster. With the monster destroyed the path was clear for the adventurers to head to Zorc's castle. However the friends had no idea what kind of game they were truly playing as their adventure story continued.

The story so far in the game was that in a land called monster world, peace had been shattered by the dark lord Zorc. On one side is a group of adventurers and on the other side is the dark master. The dark master controls Zorc and the others monsters. The adventurers work together as a team to win the game.

'_You still haven't figured out the truth about monster world? You trusting fools. This role-playing game is a shadow game._' Bakura thought to himself as he watched them discussing their first victory. '_And I am the master. You've put your lives in my hands. The game master has the right to hand down any kind of punishment to the players. I'll seal you into this game for all eternity and then Yugi's millennium puzzle will be mine. Just as I've mastered my power to transfer people's souls into lead miniatures… I'll make the unknown power of the millennium puzzle mine!'_

Joey and the others reached forward to move their characters ahead in the game when they were ready, but just after their next move Bakura spoke up again.

"Suddenly you stop as up ahead you see someone lying across your path." All eyes looked ahead of their characters to see that he was right and there was a figure lying face down on the ground. They wore a cloak of some kind along with a wrap around their head.

"Without coming closer, you can't tell much about the prostrate figured laying before you…" Bakura said while referring back to his computer, "Is he alive? Is he dead? You can find out or you can move on without helping him." He looked up at the five across from him, "What do you do?"

"I feel sorry for him, let's help." Tea said as he looked toward her friends.

"But it's kind of weird… It could be a trap…" Yugi said even though he was all for helping people. This was a game and their characters had to be careful if they wanted to win.

"Okay, leave it to me…." Joey said since they were all unsure so he moved his character closer, "First I'll poke him with my sword."

"The warrior prods the stranger person with his sword," Bakura narrated, "And he moves slightly..." The figure stood up showing that he was not dead, "It appears to be a young man… He looks at you and seems very afraid."

They watched the tiny figure shake where it stood and only its blank eyes were visible under the wrap and his cloak. Joey was the first to speak up taking the lead once again, "Hey you. We're not your enemy. Nothing to be scare of…."

The figure took a minute before out of nowhere a familiar voice spoke up, "_Please help me! A monster attacked me in the forest and stole my treasure." _Although none of them could place at that moment why that voice sounded so familiar as the figured went on to explain, "_I was on my way to give it to the hero of the village. That treasure is a holy sword! It is the only thing that can defeat Zorc."_

"A sword that can beat Zorc..?" Yugi wondered there were games where you had to find a hidden item to be able to defeat the final boss, but he had no idea if that was such the case here.

"_Please I beg you! Get back the treasure!" _The figured begged them.

"Do you respond to the young man's quest…?" Bakura asked them since it was their choice.

They all looked at each other not sure what to do. It could be a trap, but then again it could be the only way to defeat Zorc and win the game. Tea looked to Yugi who was always better at games, "But the villager told us to stay away from the forest…."

"He's talking about treasure here!" Joey pointed out.

"Is that all you think about puppy?" Seto asked which caused Joey to turn on him again.

"Stop with the nickname! My name is Joey…. Repeat after me Joey…."

Yami sighed as he lean back in his chair ignoring his brother and Joey, trying to think of a strategy of some kind. He hadn't played many role-playing games so it was hard to decide. "I don't know what we should do… Can it really be that easy to find a sword that'll defeat Zorc?"

Yugi looked at his boyfriend saying, "He's a non-playable character prepared by the dark master. He could be our ally or…"

It took a couple minutes for all of them to get together and figure out what they wanted to do and once they had a decision they turned back to the game. "All right take us to the forest." Joey said for them all.

"_Thank you very much! I'll come with you!" _The character thanked them.

"You heed the young man's plea and head for the forest." Bakura said as the non-playable character showed the adventurers to the start of the forest where they would have to enter. Once in front of the small patch of the forest, the area flipped over revealing a dark green path compared to the rest of the board with fewer trees so they could travel through it. "The shadowy green leaves rise around you. This area has a monster encounter rate of eighty percent."

"Eighty percent..?" All of them stated with a look of surprise. It was almost guaranteed they would run into some monsters before they made it out of the forest.

Before they had time to figure out how to go about the forest, Bakura grabbed the dice and did a judgment roll to see what monsters and how many were to come out. When the dice landed it was a roll of five so Bakura went back to his computer, "A five roll… Not a good roll for you. The closer to double zeros the stronger the monsters that appear." Before the adventurers' eyes five ugly monsters appeared out of thin air blocking their path, "Five monsters emerge from the trees. The players are sent straight into battle making the first move. The battles will all take place using the ten sided dice. If you roll a number under the attack success rate you manage to hit the monster. The closer the dice are to critical, the more damage you inflict on the enemy."

Joey took the dice from the board, "Okay I get the first swing." He tossed the dice back down and they rolled for a bit before stopping and showing that he had gotten an eighty two. With that score his character trips and falls to the ground.

"Bad luck, Joey needed to roll a thirty or less to hit Beega," Bakura informed them as Joey's character missed the monster, "Not only does Joey miss, he trips and falls."

Yugi cringed, "That sucks…"

"Let me handle this," Seto said as he took the dice from the board and took his turn. The dice rolled for a bit when he tossed them before they stopped showing he had a twenty one. With that score his character was able to save Joey's character and take out the monster.

"Not bad…" Joey said having to give his boyfriend props for that move. It saved his characters butt after the move he made.

Yugi reached for the dice next, "Alright my turn…" He tossed the dice and watched the roll before they stopped showing a twenty five.

"The beast tamer can touch one monster with his magic hands and make them into an ally." Bakura explained to Yugi, "Hand power brain washing has a success rate of fifty percent. You succeed."

Yugi was glad to hear that as he picked the monster he wished to change and let his character used his power to change him. The once ugly creature changed into a pink round ball with short arms and legs along with big cute eyes that just scream innocent.

"The evil has disappeared from Pokii and now he is an ally," Bakura told them as the creature joined the group by floating behind Yugi's character.

This move left only three monsters to take care of as Yami picked up the dice. However instead of taking his turn he passed the dice to Tea so she could take her turn leaving him last if there were any monsters left. "Go for it Tea," Yami told her to which she nodded. Tea tossed the dice and to the shock of them all she ended up rolling a double zero which meant only one thing.

"Double zero, that's a super critical hit." Bakura said also surprised by the move, "That means she can use the top level of magic for an enchanter."

The power inside started to fuel through Tea's character until finally it was unleashed on the rest of the monsters taking them all out in one hit. Tea let out a small gasp in disbelief at what she just did, "So that's what a super critical hit can do…"

"Right on Tea," Yugi cheered for his friend, "You blew away three monsters."

Thanks to her amazing move the path was clear for the adventurers to move forward in their quest however it appeared the tables were going to turn as before they were able to move a voice from behind them started to laugh.

"_H-Ha ha ha…"_ The characters turned to the stranger that had been travelling with them as he said in an eerie voice, "_So you are the five heroes who would defy me…. You fell for my trap and entered the forest of the dead… This will be your grave!"_

"Who in the world are you?" Joey questioned as the stranger behind them started to change shape.

"What's this? The young man's form changes and grows before your eyes." Bakura stated as the figure continued to change, "For he is none other than…." He paused for dramatic effect until the figure was done changing and revealed his true form, "The Dark Master Zorc!"

"Zorc!" They all stated in shock as before the five adventurers was a tall muscle figure with the face of a demon and horns sticking out of his head along with a cape and some strange type of armor.

"_Before you die there's one thing you should know! There is no sword in this world that can defeat me!" _Zorc said with a laugh.

"The players completely deceived by his lies are caught with their defenses down. Therefore Zorc gets to take the first attack." Bakura said as he grabbed the dice, "His success is determined by this roll." He tossed the dice and they all watched as they landed on double zeros meaning a super critical hit. "Zorc's shadow power assaults the players and his target is you Tea!"

The group could only watch as Bakura pointed to Tea and as if controlled by some unknown force, Tea slumped forward in her chair. Yugi was the first one out of his seat and moving over to Tea to make sure she was okay, "What's wrong Tea?" He tried to gently shake her but there was no movement from her in response.

'_One down… Her soul is in the miniature and with my godlike game mastering techniques I can roll criticals whenever I want.' _ Bakura watched the groups poor attempts at waking Tea up, "_You'll be next Yugi…'_

As the other four tried to wake Tea up and figure out what was going on, Yami was starting to put the pieces together of what kind of game this really was. He turned to Bakura with a scowl on his face as he shouted, "Bakura! What did you to do Tea?"

"What did I do…? I'm the game master I just followed the rules to keep the game going." Bakura said as if he didn't do anything at all, "But just to let you know… The game you're playing right now is the ultimate role-playing games."

'_The ultimate Role-playing game?_' The four remaining players thought in shock and at least two out of the four had an idea of what was happening, but Joey and Seto were still left in the dark.

"I told you, didn't I..? In Role-playing games, you have to become the characters. You transcend reality to become the people of an imaginary world and live the adventure that unfolds." Bakura explained like it was obvious.

"Bakura! I'm asking you what you did to Tea!" Joey shouted wanting to know what in the world was going on.

Bakura laughed at that as he pointed to the board, "Don't worry, Tea is alive. In the monster world that is…"

While he said this, blue eyes blinked open as Tea took in her new surroundings. She was in some kind of forest area that looked completely similar to the game they had been playing except she was nearly the same height as them. "W-What… is going on….?" She slowly said as she looked around. It was only when her eyes drifted up that she completely freaked out, "Why is everyone so big?!" She shouted in shock as she looked at Joey, Yugi, Yami, and Seto. They looked like giants all of a sudden and it wasn't until she looked down at herself that she realized why. '_No way… I've been turned into a miniature!'_

A loud scream came from inside the game as the four looked down at Tea's character who was moving and freaking out over something. Yugi shook his head almost not believing this, "I wasn't hearing things! Tea's character just screamed in Tea's voice."

The smallest of the group lean in closer to hear what the figure was saying and he could just make out her screaming for help. "Tea…." It was something that should never be able to happen but there was no denying what he was seeing. '_She's been turned into a lead figure.'_

"It's like I said. In this game, the player's fate is entirely decided by the roll of the dice. When the dark master Zorc's attack is the super critical double zero or if the player rolls a fumble of ninety nine. The player's soul will be sealed into their figurine by the shadow power. The power of Darkness." Bakura explained once again not leaving anything out. It was time they knew what kind of game they were truly playing since it was pretty obvious now.

/_It's shadow powers…/_ Yami heard his other self tell him. He had seen many of powers like this with the penalty games is other self dealt on cheats and criminals, but nothing like this. Somehow Bakura must have obtained his own way to use these powers.

"The only way to retrieve her soul is to defeat the dark master Zorc." Bakura stated which was likely not to happen.

"Why you lousy…." Joey growled as he snatched the dice back up, "I'm gonna make sure Zorc goes down." Even if it wasn't his turn Joey threw the dice and watched them roll until they finally stopped on a ninety nine. He cursed his luck when he realized he rolled a fumble which is what he did not need.

Bakura cleared his throat, "It wasn't your turn to attack. Not only is your roll the worst possible, but so is your gaming etiquette, Joey." He pointed right at the blond as he said, "To roll the dice without the master's permission is to break the rules of the game!"

Joey went down without a fight causing more alarm to go through the remaining three players. Yugi and Yami were in shock disbelief while a concerned Seto who still had no clue what in the world was going on tried to wake Joey back up. He shook the blond for a while before he set a glare in Bakura's direction.

"Shut up with all this magic crap and tell me what you did to them!" Seto was beyond pissed at this moment and it was the first time Yami and Yugi saw how much he truly cared for Joey. Things had certainly changed in the few weeks he and Joey got together.

Bakura simply chuckled as he looked toward the board, "See for yourself…."

A second later Joey's character blinked his eyes as he took in where he had ended up. "Wh-What the?"

"Joey not you too!" Tea cried out causing Joey to turn to look at Tea. It was pretty obvious now that they truly had become the characters of the game.

"Joey!" Yugi shouted as he saw both his friends' characters move on their own.

"Yugi!" Joey called up at his friend, "What should we do?" Yugi had been around more magic crap than he had. Both he and Yami had to have a plan for getting out of this.

"Bakura!" Yami growled as he glared at their opponent. There had to be something he could do to get them out of there.

Bakura relaxed in his chair as he watched everything unfold knowing that before long he would be the winner, "Think before you act Yami… If the rest of you become miniatures as well there won't be anyone left to roll the dice. If that happens then the game is automatically over! You five players will be trapped in this world forever until the next time I use you in the game."

Yami clenched his fist at his side as he tried to control his anger. He could feel his other self trying to come forth, but kept him at bay for now. Yami wanted to fight this fight on his own in order to save his friends. A hand on his arm caused him to turn and look at Yugi who had worry in his eyes.

"There's no choice we have to fight."

"Yugi! Roll the dice in our place!" Tea and Joey shouted up to their friend.

Bakura laughed, "Very good continue the game. The priest can attack Zorc on the next turn."

"You mean me," Seto growled out the glare from before never leaving his face. All this seemed like a bunch of bull crap to him but he knew Bakura had done something to his lover and he wasn't going to stand by and lose him or the others.

"_There's one more thing! On your turn you might be frozen in fear by my powerful aura!" _The Zorc character taunted the puny priest character in front of him.

"For that we have to check the priest's courage score," Bakura stated, "You must roll the dice and if you roll less than seventy percent than you conquer your fear and can go first. If you fail Zorc makes the first move." He watched as Seto picked up the dice, "Now roll! Let the dice fall where they may."

"You gotta be kidding, Me afraid?!" Seto Kaiba was scared of no one, "I'm not afraid of you or anyone."

Bakura kept his face neutral as he said, "That's for the dice to say…"

Yami reached out a hand to put on his brother's shoulder, "You can do this." There was probably going to have to be a lot of explaining on his part about what this was all about, but Yami was willing to tell his brother the truth about everything if they could just win this game first.

Seto nodded as he tossed the dice down. The dice rolled for a bit before stopping and showing them that Seto had just rolled a ninety four. "Ninety Four! This roll is stupid! I'm not scared of Zorc."

Bakura chuckled, "There is no 'you'… There is only your character. The priest is frozen in fear and he curses himself for his cowardice."

"You dirty…" Seto never got to finish his sentence as Bakura continued talking over him.

"Zorc wins the initiative…" Bakura took up the dice and then tossed them. They spun around for a while before landing once again on a double zero.

"What?!" Yugi gasped in shock. Bakura had luck up on other critical hit move.

'_No way…That means Zorc has rolled two super criticals in a row_!' Yami thought even though he had seen it with his own eyes. He knew something had to be up as he looked to Bakura and said, "Bakura! What did you do to the dice?"

"The dice don't lie…" Bakura said as he pointed toward Seto.

Seto never even knew what hit him as his soul was transfer to his game character and his body fell forward into the same slump position as the other two.

"Seto!" Joey shouted as he moved slightly over to Seto's character which was hunched over in anger with his fist clench.

"Darn it! What kind of sick twisted game is this?!"

Both Tea and Joey had no idea what to say since this is the first time this had ever happen to them also. The only people left to help them now were Yugi, Yami and possible Yami's other self.

"Well Yugi and Yami you two are the only ones left." Bakura said as he crossed his arms. "Now you must roll the dice and move the pieces of everyone including yourselves. And before I forget if the characters hit points reach zero, they will die. Not just in the game in the real world also. So be careful with the lives of your friends."

"You can do it Yugi and Yami!" Joey shouted up to the two knowing if anyone could win this game it was them. Yugi and Yami were both masters at any game they played.

"The battle continues," Bakura indicated to the two knowing he wasn't going to give them much of a choice but to continue playing, "The priest gets one more chance to attack Zorc. Now throw the dice Yugi."

Yami looked down at Yugi knowing he would do anything for his friends. The scary idea of it all was that if Yugi took his turn and failed then Yami would be left to battle on his own. However when he really thought about it Bakura didn't know that there was one other person who could play the game. He appeared to know more about this game then they did and he probably had a better chance at winning. So with that in mind he quickly asked, '_Can you promise me you'll protect us?'_

/_I will protect and win/_

That is all Yami needed to hear as he reached down and grabbed Yugi's hand. Yugi looked at him before looking down at Yami's other hand that was held out in front of him. "Let me see the dice."

Yugi looked at the dice he had picked up and without a second thought handed them over to Yami. "He's going to fight isn't he?"

Yami nodded, "And we are going to go help our friends." He turned to face Bakura with a smirk on his face, "Before that Bakura, transfer our souls into our miniatures too."

Something finally surprised Bakura and he was almost at a loss for words, well key word almost as he asked, "What… What did you just say?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing at that moment, "You want to become miniatures?"

"What are you doing?" Joey shouted at them.

Yami kept the determined look on his face as he faced Bakura, "We will fight together with our friends on the board. If they're putting their lives on the line then so will we."

"It would be easy to grant that wish… But if you two become miniatures who will throw the dice?"

'_The other me_,' Yami thought but he wasn't going to tell Bakura that. He would find out for himself when he changed them.

Since it appeared Yugi and Yami would not be changing their minds, Bakura figured he might as well. The faster he wins the better in his book, "Ah well the game master is supposed to be of service to the players so I'll do as you say." He pointed at the two of them as he finished with, "With this, it's game over!"

It was an odd feeling that was for sure having his soul pulled out of his body for a second time. But at least this time Yami knew where it was going as he blinked his eyes once he was placed into his miniature. He checked to see that all his friends and brother were alright and Yugi was right beside him in his own character. Yugi moved his body getting use to the feeling of being a board game character before the real fight was to start.

Bakura laughed as he watched the figures on the board, "All the players have been turned into lead figures. This is a perfect victory for me the game master…." His voice dead in his throat when he looked up and noticed something that should not be.

Instead of being slumped over like Yugi and his friends, Yami's body continued to sit up proudly and glare at him from across the table. '_What?'_ was Bakura's only thought.

"We were in the middle of a battle, weren't we? The priest gets to attack Zorc." The other Yami stated as he rolled the dice. They rolled a bit before they landed showing a hit of three.

Seto being the priest got to attack Zorc and with his powerful attack he took out Zorc's left hand. Seto smirked as he said, "I told you, I'm not scared of anyone." That had felt completely bizarre being the character himself, but in a way felt so great to get a hit on Zorc. Honestly his head was full of questions and he wondered if all this was just a bad nightmare. No game should be this weird…

'_Another Yami?_' Bakura thought in disbelief not even caring about the hit Seto had just attack Zorc with.

The other Yami crossed his arms with a smirk as he regarded the players "Don't worry guys, your lives are in my hands and starting now Zorc is going down…"

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**Sakura: **Things are really starting to heat up! Oh and completely sorry if Seto feels like he is just majorly out of character. I'm trying to keep him slightly in character but making him less of an ass. Since he was not originally in this part of the manga I have to make things up as I go along. Also if you feel like he isn't questioning much about the game now, just wait until next chapter when Seto gets to meet the other Yami.

**Yumi: Please Review!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **The real game has started now with our favorite characters trapped in Bakura's twisted shadow game... It's time for things to get much more interesting.

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**Chapter Forty Eight**

**The Traps of Zorc Castle**

The sight of the other Yami not only shocked Bakura, but it bought a whole new realization to Yami's friends that when he said he had another self he truly wasn't kidding. Yami looked up at the other him inside his body and felt this kind of relief to see it with his own eyes. He really did share a body with someone else and now his other self was going to fight to get them out of this game.

Yugi looked between the figure beside him that was his boyfriend and the other self inside Yami's body. They were two totally different people, but it was a relief to know the other Yami was on their side. It was strange seeing it and judging from his friend's faces they had no choice but to believe it now. The only one who looked completely confused would be Yami's own brother who had yet to learn about Yami's other self.

"What the hell is going on?" Seto yelled and they all knew that was coming.

Yami sighed as he turned to his brother. "Look I'll explain everything later. We have more pressing matters to deal with."

Seto glared at him, "No, I want an explanation now. One of you is enough I shouldn't be seeing two Yamis. Also normal people don't get trapped into miniatures on a board game!" He put a hand to his forehead beyond confused and frustrated. "This is all just one big nightmare I know it."

Yami couldn't blame his brother since Yami had been keeping a lot in the dark from him. Although just like when he had been afraid to tell Yugi and his friends about the other him, he was very sure Seto would never believe it in a million years. He looked toward his friends and boyfriend who all nodded letting him know what he had to do. So it was with a deep breath, Yami quickly gave the short version of what had been going on. "Fine, so basely after I helped Yugi finish the millennium puzzle, I got stuck with a spirit of some kind that is pretty much like another me or so I think. Well he has been going around taking over my body and punishing people who do wrong to me or my friends. However this was without my knowledge until recently which was around the time you went revenge crazy and tried to kill me and our friends. We don't know much about him but he has these abilities and he is the only one who can win this game and get us out of here."

There was silence for a while from Seto as he stared at his brother before he finally said, "You expect me to believe this?"

"No, but I expect you to keep your mouth shut and just go along with the game, because I very much would not like to live as a miniature forever." Yami shouted taking a very serious tone so his brother knew he was serious. Sometimes you just had to be straight up with Seto in order to get him to listen.

Joey moved over and patted Seto on the back, "Just continue to pretend it's a dream for now, because I seriously can't die looking like this."

"You aren't seriously buying this?" Seto looked at Joey as he said this and to his surprise the other nodded.

"I've seen what has been happening with my own eyes. You can spend the rest of your life thinking we are crazy, but you are just going to have to put up with it." Joey then grinned as he said, "At least your brother is special."

"Thanks Joey," Yami said with sarcasm. Not the kind of special he wanted to be, but right now it worked for him. He looked up at his other self who was kind of having a glaring contest with Bakura. It's almost like he knew something they didn't.

While the trapped group had their little discussion, Bakura thought while glaring at the other Yami was, '_So you're the spirit of the millennium puzzle… my opposite number…'_

'_I must save them…' _The other Yami thought as he stared Bakura down. '_To do that, I have to defeat Zorc and release their souls from the miniatures they're trapped in.'_

It was after an intense moment that Bakura saw it time to continue the game as he said, "Let's continue with the game. So 'other Yami' is it? From now on you'll throw the dice and control the entire adventuring team, but if the player character hit points reach zero your friends souls and bodies will die."

The other Yami had nothing to say to that as his only thought was, '_The outcome of this game will be decided by the dice. I have to put an end to Bakura's technique of rolling criticals."_

"It's a new round and the battle continues…" Bakura stated as the group of players were still facing down Zorc. "Although Zorc lost his hand when his guard was down he actually looks almost uninjured. You could even say things have gotten worse for the adventurers…"

All eyes went to what Bakura was looking at to find the hand Seto had taken off of Zorc was starting to change shape mutating into something grizzlier. It was by the end of the transformation that two more creatures had emerged on the enemy's side.

"_Any piece of flesh cut from my body transforms into a monster under my command." _Zorc informed the adventurers with an evil laugh.

Pokii, Yugi's new friend, was flipping out stating, "_Zorc is the source of all darkness! He will continue to spawn monsters until you put out his evil life once and for all!"_

The evil dragon that Zorc had spawned to his side turned to his master and said, "_Leave them to us master Zorc."_

"_Very well kill them," _Zorc commanded as he turned to leave.

"Are you running away, Zorc?" Yami found himself asking, "Fight us here!"

Zorc's only response was, "_I have a special place prepared for our duel together. Make your way to my castle while the fires of hatred still burn in your heart. If you can that is!" _He then fled to his castle laughing and leaving them to deal with his minions.

"Zorc takes flight and disappears towards the castle." Bakura narrated while Joey started shouting at the retreating form of Zorc.

"Jerk! Creep! We'll get to Zorc castle no matter what it takes and you're going down I tell you!"

'_We're playing right into Bakura's script," _Yami thought to his other self, '_We really are stuck in his game world.'_

_/You're right, Bakura made Zorc appear when the adventurers' guard was down. Then he was able to seal your souls into lead figures. Everything's gone according to his plan. He's a game master to watch out for/_

'_And when Bakura rolls the dice, he always gets critical. Is there any way we can win?' _Yami asked since he knew there was a trick he just hadn't figured it out yet.

/_These is…/_ It was a simple reply and Yami didn't get to question it as it was time for the battle. "It's the warriors turn to attack," The other Yami said aloud as he took a hold of the dice.

Joey was more than ready to fight as he took his place in front of the monsters. He had a good amount of faith in the other Yami that he would keep them safe and get them out of there. "I'm ready, let's get them."

"Don't forget if you roll a fumble that character will die." Bakura reminded the other Yami with a smirk.

The other Yami wore a smirk of his own as he tossed the dice letting them spin at rapid speed on the table. It was only when they stopped that Bakura was shocked to find that somehow the other Yami had lucked up and rolled double zeros. With a roll like that Joey was able to take down the first monster with no problem.

Joey turned to look at Bakura, "Hey get the lead out Bakura! So I can kill him!" He was all pumped up from that victory and really what was the point in travelling all the way to the castle.

It took a minute for Bakura to recompose himself as he turned to his computer, "Seeing his companion slain by the warrior the other monster hesitates and loses his next action." Thus it was Yugi's turn on the board to face the remaining monster.

'_I have to make as many monster allies as possible before entering castle Zorc,' _Yugi thought as he waited for the other Yami to roll the dice. He stood face to face with the remaining monster a little nervous, but had faith in his abilities to change this evil dragon into an ally. "I'm capturing you," He stated as he put his hands up to use his power.

"Until a few minutes ago, the Zorc hand dragon was a part of Zorc. The potential to brainwash him is a very low ten percent." Bakura informed them knowing it was highly unlikely for them to get less than ten on the dice.

"Here it goes," The other Yami tossed the dice down and they watched them spin before the red die stopped on an eight with the white die still spinning.

"The red dice of the tens column is an eight. There's no way you can…." Bakura voice died in his throat when he was force to witness the white die hit the red die making it spin again. '_What?! The spinning die hit the stopped die to change the roll…'_

"One of the many ways of cheating with dice, the double hit," The other Yami spoke up revealing one of his secrets. "The same class as your 'run of criticals', Bakura." It was through this new move that in the end the dice stopped giving the score of two, another critical move.

Yugi's brainwashing move worked on the dragon changing him into a much cuter looking dragon with a new mind set to protect his new master and friends. Yugi was glad to have one more friend by his side and the dragon made a great addition to the team.

"So that jerk Bakura was cheating?" Joey realized with a glare toward said jerk before looking up at the other Yami, "Is it true you can control the roll of the die?"

"Yes…" The other Yami replied to both questions as he went on to explain, "These ten sided dice are shaped like five petaled flowers on top and bottom. They're split into an even sided face and an odd sided face. In the double hit technique the important thing is to spin the dice like a top with the even face on top."

Yugi was starting to get what he was talking about, "That way it can't stop on an odd number and the chance of rolling a zero is one in five."

The other Yami nodded, "Furthermore when you throw the die you put a strong spin on the die that represents the ones column. The die with the weaker spin will stop first but if it stops on something other than zero, the stronger spinning die can change the number of the first die."

"But will the dice hit each other when you want them to?" Tea found herself asking. It seemed like pure chance that those dice hit each other to give Yugi the score he needed.

"You control the path of the spinning die by vibrating the surface by shaking the table with your knee for example. With this technique you can change the number on the die as many times as you like." The other Yami explained as he looked up at Bakura, "Too bad for you Bakura, if you can cheat I can too."

Bakura didn't appear to be that much fazed by it as he said, "Okay from now on this is how we roll the dice," He simply dropped the dice from his hand without making them roll thus there would be no chance of the dice spinning, "We let the dice slide off our hands like this, spinning is prohibited."

The other Yami crossed his arms as he said, "I'll agree to that."

"Bakura! Next time you cheat you should turn into a miniature too!" Joey put in his own two cents, but Bakura paid him no mind.

"On with the game," Bakura said as the players were now allowed to advance forward and out of the forest. "After taking care of Zorc's servants, the adventurers continue onward to the gates of Zorc Castle."

The adventurers took the short path that lead them right to the gates of Zorc's castle. It appeared much more bigger and deathlier from their point of view being simply figures of the game now. Joey turned to the others and said, "We're finally about to enter Zorc castle. Are you ready?"

Tea, Yugi, Yami, and Seto all agreed. Even though he still thought of this as a bad dream, Seto was going along with the story for now. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was curious to see how all of this was going to end.

"_Be careful, there are traps set for you in Zorc Castle." _Pokii warned the group to which Yugi nodded.

"Okay, we'll be careful."

With those words the group advanced to the gate of the castle that started to unfold for them so they could enter. Once it was down and they started to walk in, Bakura said, "Now at last the adventurers' goal lies before them. The draw bridge lowers making a path into the castle." Once they made it to the top of the drawbridge the whole castle started to change, "The adventurers enter Zorc's area, the castle field opens."

The players watched in surprise as the castle shifted and changed so that instead of a tall towering castle, it turned into some kind of throne room with three sets of stairs to the small throne before them and to their left was only one tower with an opening at the bottom.

"You're come to the last stage of your quest. Somewhere in the castle waits Zorc… Can the group of heroes find him and slay the demon?"

The five players slowly made their way onto the field and took in their surroundings trying to see if they could find Zorc. However he was nowhere to been seen at the moment and it was more than likely he was hiding from them. Yugi looked to their left and noticed the tower, "That tower looks suspicious…" He pointed out to the others.

They all made their way over to it and Joey was about to step inside until Yami notice something in the middle of the opening. "I wonder what this pedestal is…?" It was then they all saw the pedestal and the strange markings it had on it.

"It's just some dumb carving, "Joey spoke up not even worried about it, "Let's go inside."

/_No… That mark is suspicious…/_ The other Yami thought to himself as he stared at the pedestal trying to figure it out. /_It looks like the upper part of it is missing…/_ As he watched the others travel inside he realized what the pedestal was all about. "Wait everyone! Don't go in the tower!"

Yami looked at his other self confused as they all were already inside. "But we're already here…" He and Joey were in the front with the others behind them.

Bakura chuckled as he hit a button the others couldn't see, '_You fell for it…'_

A noise caught the fives attention as they looked up to see spikes coming down at their heads. None of them were able to get out of the way as the spikes came down on them.

"No!" The other Yami shouted thinking the worst of the others. It couldn't end like that!

"The adventurers have fallen into a trap… But don't worry instant death traps are the tool of amateur game masters. A good game master prolongs the torture as long as possible. I'll give you a chance to save them." Bakura informed the other Yami as he watched him worry about the five trapped in the game. They were safe for now, but they were stuck and more than likely going to die if the other Yami didn't figure out how to get them out.

Bakura spoke the truth as the five figures were forced to hold up the spiked ceiling that had fallen on their heads. In the middle of the ceiling was the same pedestal as seen on the floor but upside down. There were strange markings on both, but there was no clear way to figure out the marks without the middle piece.

Just seeing them struggling to hold it up and being unable to move pushed the other Yami over the edge causing him to snap, "Bakura! You player killing scumbag!"

Bakura chuckled as started to rub it in more by saying," I know the breaking point of my lead figures. They can hold out for just a little longer. You have three turns, in other words three rolls of the dice. If you fail, your friends die." However he decided not to leave him too much in the dark. There was one way to save them. "This is the puzzle to save your friends you must create the column to support the ceiling. However to do that you must roll a certain number on the dice."

The other Yami grabbed the dice while trying to figure out what Bakura was saying. He had to roll a certain number, but what numbers could those be to fill in the pillar. There was no time to think and he would just have to hope for the best with the dice. As agreed before this, the other Yami let the dice fall from his hand so there would be no cheating.

The dice jumped on the board a bit before they settled showing that he had rolled a four. However before he and the others players could cheer over hitting another critical move, Bakura decided to butt in.

"Too bad, you did roll a critical, but I said you needed a certain number. Here's a hint… You have to roll doubles."

This was not good news at all as the other Yami looked toward the pillar trying to figure out what kind of doubles he would have to roll. The players were already struggling more to hold the ceiling and he had only two more turns to figure it out. He knew the markings had to be the key somehow.

"That reminds me… It's time for a monster encounter to see if Zorc appears." Bakura dropped on them as he referred to his computer, "There's a thirty percent change that he shows up."

Judging by the look on the other Yami's face and the players they knew if Zorc showed up then, there was no chance they were going to survive the game. However Bakura didn't care one bit as he took his turn with the dice. His roll proved to be a good one for him as he got a twenty eight and said, "The worst possible number for the adventurers. Zorc emerges from the castle."

As he said this Zorc did appear right in front of the adventurers causing more worry for them as he said, "_You fell straight into my trap foolish children! Prepare yourselves as I cut you to sheds while the trap holds your corpses in place."_

"Dammit! That's low!" Joey shouted. There were so many twist and turns in this game and he was sure Bakura was making the rules up as he went.

/_This is bad… Not only are they about to be crushed, they're going to be defenseless against Zorc's attack. I have to save everyone and fast…_/ The only good thing was it was the other Yami's turn as he picked up the dice and quickly dropped them. Sadly he only ended up with a thirteen so once again the players were still trapped for another turn. They still had Zorc to worry about and the weight of the ceiling only got heavier.

"It's Zorc turn to attack, since his target can't move, his success rate is ninety five percent," Bakura said as he took his turn. The dice landed on a forty one for his roll, "Not the best number but it's a good start for the slow and painful death."

With his still good hand Zorc attacked both Joey and Yami on the front lines causing their hit points to go down a few. The attack hurt like hell, but they were still holding on until the end.

'_C'mon you have one last chance…_' Yami sent to his other self knowing he could do it, '_roll the dice_. _We believe in you…_'

It was with that support that the other Yami came to a realization while looking once more at the markings. He knew the numbers he needed to get and so with those numbers in mind he put his faith in the dice as he picked them up. "Don't make our faith be for nothing," He let them fall from his hand where they bounced on the board a bit and it was as if in slow motion as they stopped.

A thirty three stared them all in the face revealing that the other Yami had finally rolled the numbers needed for the puzzle. It was just in time too as the others had nearly given out holding the ceiling up. The middle part of the column appeared taking the ceiling off of their heads and allowing them freedom to move once again.

There wasn't time for celebrating though as Bakura grabbed the dice and took his turn, "You found the solution but in that same instant Zorc gets another attack." His roll ended up being a twelve allowing Zorc to strike at the adventurers before they could get out of the tower.

"_I'll slice all of you, tower, pillar and figures all at once!" _Zorc laughed evilly as he took out the tower and pillar. Smoke and rumble was all that was left after he was done. "_HAHAHAHA Dead at last!"_

"You forget the player characters have more high speed," The other Yami said with a smirk, "Once the puzzle was solved, they succeeded in escaping."

"That means we're alive and well and behind your back!" They all shouted as Zorc slowly turned to see all the characters had made it out alive.

"By taking Zorc's back, the adventurers get a surprise attack," The other Yami announced as he let go of the dice. They dropped and rolled a bit landing with a fifteen allowing Yami's character a chance to finally attack and get Zorc back for that cheap strike from before.

"Are you ready Zorc?" Yami said as he pointed his staff at the brute before them. "There's plenty more where that came from!"

* * *

**Sakura: **They are kicking some Zorc butt right now and just a little heads up there's only about two chapters left after this. I thought there would be more, but with the way the chapters are turning out I've been able to combine and shorten some things. I'm really looking forward to everyone seeing what I have planned for the ending.

**Yumi: Review!**


	49. Chapter 49

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **This story is almost finished and I can't believe how quickly this story seemed to go by. I have an important message at the end of the chapter I would like my readers to read so please check it out at the end.

* * *

**Chapter Forty Nine**

**I'll Fight Too!**

During his attack Yami was able to drop some of Zorc's own hit points down but not enough to destroy him. All the players stood at the ready just waiting for the chance when they could take down Zorc and Bakura once and for all.

"On this turn, the adventurers snuck up behind Zorc. Therefore, they get extra attacks." Bakura informed them not in the least bit worried after that attack. It was a rule he had to enforce to give the players a fair fight even if he didn't want to do it.

The other Yami picked up the dice again prepared to lead his team to victory. "Bakura I'll channel their anger for you into these dice and we see who will really come out on top." He let the dice fall from his hand which then revealed a roll of nine.

'_Another critical! Impossible….!_' Bakura thought in disbelief as Seto took his turn sending an attack right at Zorc's chest.

However the other Yami did not give Zorc a chance to take in the hit as he quickly rolled for Tea ending up with a thirteen. She was also able to attack Zorc head on and do some damage. The attacks didn't end there as the other Yami rolled for Yugi and ended up with an eight. Yugi sent both his monsters after Zorc with a beast attack taking more hit points away from the dark one.

'_Again? How can he keep rolling criticals?_' Bakura couldn't figure out what trick the other Yami was using to get all these criticals. He had watched every move he made and he wasn't doing anything special with his hands.

They could all see the looks of confusion on Bakura's face so Joey decided to speak up, "Scared Bakura? He already told you the answer. Our souls are channeled into those dice and when we get mad, the dice get angry."

Bakura wasn't scared at all as from the smoke clouds Zorc reappeared slightly banged up but still going strong. He never really took major damage to his body leaving him still powerful enough to kill them.

"What?" The group gasped not believing what they were seeing.

"After all those attacks that jerk Zorc hasn't taken any real damage." Seto exclaimed. After all those attacks it should have at least weaken him to the point of being almost defeated.

Bakura was all laughs as they had yet to figure it out so he decided to point out, "Fools! You are still apprentices, level one adventurers! You don't' have enough experience to defeat Zorc."

"B…But that's… Even after all those critical hits!" Joey couldn't wrap his mind around what was going on. Even if they were level one their attacks had been pretty powerful.

"Th…Then… There isn't any way for us to win," Yugi said starting to realize even after making it so far in the game they would never be able to win.

"Are you calling me unfair? Cowardly perhaps?" Bakura asked them as he chuckled. "As the dark master I made everything in this game world. I am the rules, I am the monsters and I am the god."

/_This game was rigged so that we couldn't win from the start_/ The other Yami thought with a glare toward Bakura. Bakura wanted to make sure he won this fight and there wasn't much they could do about it at their levels.

"Now continue the battle, you can at least act out your deaths gracefully," Bakura said as he reached into his pocket, '_You think you've stopped my run of criticals, but just like you I have others ways…' _He secretly pulled out another pair of dice that were going to be put into good use. He left the pair of dice he had been using out of sight of the players as he pulled out his special dice. "You've had your turn now Zorc gets his. He turns his full wrath on the adventurers."

As soon as Bakura let his new pair of dice leave his hand, they rolled a bit before landing on the numbers everyone did not want to see. With a super critical, Zorc was able to launch a deadly attack on the players sending them flying backwards.

"No not after all this!" The other Yami hissed as he felt the same pain his other self felt. It was a horrible feeling as he watched the five players lay on the field not moving a muscle. They just couldn't be dead! It couldn't end like that.

Bakura watched the comatose players with a laugh, "Zorc's magical attack has the power to kill characters with more than fifty hit points in an instant. All of the player characters are dead…." He turned to his computer at that point, "Well it's probably point less but I'll calculate each character status on the computer. There are so many variables in this game it's safest to let the computer crunch all the data."

He started to mumble to himself as he pulled up the character's data, adding in Zorc's attack, the players' defense, hit, and damage points. "The end result will be the number of hit points each player character has remaining. No matter what it'll be less than zero…" However Bakura was in for a shock when the results came back up showing that each player still had one hit point left.

It was as he was seeing this the five players on the board started to get up, completely worn out from the hit, but still very much alive. The other Yami knew they couldn't be dead, but for a moment there he had started to doubt himself.

"You guys alright?" Joey asked the others as he got back to his feet.

The others were all in agreement as Yami looked behind him at his other self. They were linked whether they liked it or not and if Yami had truly died then so would his other self. There game was not over yet.

'_How…? How did they…?_' Bakura kept asking himself over and over trying to figure out how they survived an attack like that. It was only when he felt movement that he looked down and his eyes widen at the sight before him. His left hand was moving on its own typing on the computer. It was as if it had a mind of its own as it type a message.

'_I am the real Bakura. I won't let you kill them. I'll fight too.'_

The message alone caused Bakura to look at his hand confused. '_I locked my host's soul deep down… How did his consciousness come to the surface…?' _It only took a second for realization to dawn on him as he looked at Zorc, '_Wait could it be…? My own soul is linked to the Zorc miniature in the game world. But Zorc's left hand was cut off when the adventurers caught him off guard. It's impossible but it's real. The real Bakura is controlling my left hand.'_

While Bakura wasn't paying attention the other Yami took his turn by rolling the dice and getting a five which gave Joey the power needed to jump up and attack Zorc in the eye. As Joey stabbed Zorc in the eye he bought Bakura back from his thoughts as his own eye closed in response to the painful attack as he lost control of it.

"I'll say it one more time Bakura…" The other Yami spoke with hatred in his voice, "It's not over yet!"

Bakura growled as Zorc lost more hit points with that attack and he lost control of his own left eye. "You're making me mad…" He hissed out. '_I was nice enough to let you play in my world and you ingrates repay me by rebelling against the master. I was going to be nice and let you live on as monster world miniatures but now more! Death to all the players! I'll bury you in eternal night!'_

It was as he was thinking this his left hand started to create a new message causing Bakura's focus to shift back down to what it was typing.

'_I won't let you control me anymore! I'm going to help them strike you down!'_

Bakura was beyond pissed now as he took a moment to move the computer from his left side by sliding the small table around him to his right side. "If I do this and place the computer where my left hand can't reach, you're powerless." He mumbled to himself.

The other Yami watched as Bakura continued to chuckle to himself. /_Bakura's expression changed when he checked the game data on the computer… What in the world is going on? I know he made some kind of miscalculation…./ _Just as he was thinking this another thought hit him_. /Maybe that's the key to defeating Zorc…/_

Once Bakura was satisfied that his left hand couldn't cause any more trouble he turned his attention back to the game. "All right, back to the game. The warrior strikes a perfect hit and his short sword gouges out Zorc's left eye. However Zorc's hit points are only lowered a fraction…"

"This sucks…" Joey complained as he stared up at Zorc, "No matter how many criticals we get we can't do Zorc any real damage. His defenses are too good and we're all level one while he's level fifteen."

They were all wondering how they could defeat Zorc, but the other Yami was more worried about their hit points at the moment. /_First things first we have to restore everyone's hit points and fast./_ He relayed to Yami who was trying to figure out the best way to take Zorc down. /_You have healing magic, but can only use it if it's your turn next./_

Yami had to agree with him on that. '_We gotten make this count then, but if it's Zorc's turn next we're dead for sure. My magic is too weak to bring people back from the dead_.'

"Now according to the initiative scores, the magician goes next." Bakura said causing Yami to relax a little bit. He could heal everyone enough so that they could hold out longer and have a shot at winning. However Bakura's next words caused slight panic to develop between the friends, "But… Zorc's score is tied with Yami's. That means they both go at the same time."

There were gasp and shouts of 'What!' from the players on the board when they realized that this wasn't going to go as smoothly as they thought. It would just be their luck that Yami would have to share a turn with Zorc.

"In this case, the first attack is decided by a dice roll. Is that far enough for you?" Bakura asked but his question went unanswered so he continued, "We both throw the dice and the one who rolls closest to double zeros goes first. This is it! If you win the magician's healing magic can save everyone's lives. However if I win Zorc's next attack will wipe them out."

With a determined look on his face the other Yami picked up his dice from the board and prepared to roll at the same time as Bakura. This roll would determine if they would be able to stay in the game or if this was the end of the road for them. /_Please roll low…./_ He thought just as he let go of the dice the same time Bakura did.

Everyone waited with held breaths as the dice were dropped and bounced on the board. The focus was first on Bakura's dice as his white die had stopped on a zero and it appeared that his red die would stop on a zero too.

"A super critical! I win!" Bakura laughed already counting his victory before the red die even stopped. These were his brainwashed dice and there was no way he could lose with them.

"L-look at Yami's dice!" Tea gasped as all eyes went to the other side of the board to see that the other Yami's dice had stopped giving him a nine.

Bakura laughed at that, "The game is over! Zorc moves faster than Yami. He raises his claw to attack and—"

A chuckle escaped the other Yami's month stopping Bakura mid-sentence. He looked up confused while asking, "W-What's so funny…?"

"Are you blind Bakura?" The other Yami asked as he pointed toward Bakura's dice, "Take a good look at your own roll."

Everyone's eyes turned to Bakura's dice and Bakura's eyes widen as he saw what he had truly rolled. A ten stared him right in the face meaning the other Yami had rolled a lower score. '_Impossible! That can't be…'_

"Like you said the dice don't lie," The other Yami informed him as Yami was able to use his healing magic to heal everyone and give them back their hit points. Now they had a real fighting chance.

'_Why? Why didn't the dice roll a critical?_' Bakura thought to himself as he picked up his dice and took a good look at them. It was then he realized something very wrong about the dice he had thrown for that turn, '_Th…These are just ordinary dice! They aren't my brainwashed dice after all. What happened to them? Where did they go…?'_

He gripped the ordinary dice in his hand pissed that he had failed that turn. They avoided death's door once again, but Bakura would make sure they would die by Zorc's hands once and for all. "All right you're healed but compared to Zorc you're still nothing more than micro-organisms! Even at your maximum hit points, you'll be blown to dust on Zorc's next turn!" Bakura said as he prepared for Zorc's next attack. With or without the brainwashed dice he would win this round, "Zorc hits on an eighty or less and if he hits then all of you take damage. Here I…"

It was just when Bakura was about to throw his dice, he had to watch in horror as his left hand moved on its own and dropped a different pair of dice. These dice however Bakura quickly realized were his brainwashed dice that he had been missing. '_My left hand was hiding them from me…_' He thought in horror and he could hear the distance voice of the real Bakura letting him know that he would not be controlled any longer.

The dice didn't take long to stop and with the roll came a fumble of ninety nine. It was due to this fumble that Zorc's own attack hit himself leaving the players safe again.

"This…. This blasted left hand!" Bakura shouted as he grew tired of having to try and get control back. It was nothing but trouble and if this kept up he would lose. With that in mind Bakura decided to do something drastic in order to gain some form of control back.

There were gasp from the players and the other Yami as they witness Bakura stabbed his own left hand with one of the pointy towers of the castle. Instead of crying out in pain, he just started laughing while shouting, "How do you like that Bakura?! How does that feel?!"

The other Yami seemed to have a moment of realization after Bakura's statement. /_Did he just say Bakura? It can't be…/ _He didn't even seem to care that Yami was able to hear this thoughts.

Yami turned his attention away from the laughing mad man before them and toward his other self, '_You don't think this is the same Bakura we met yesterday do you?' _He did not even get a chance to know the real Bakura only that from the statement he just heard it sounded either like this was not Bakura or Bakura had gone off the deep in. Then again with this shadow game they were playing it could be possible that what had happened to him may have been happening to Bakura. It made him wonder if he had finally met someone else who shared a body with a spirit. If that was the case did it mean that Bakura had a millennium item?

/_I do not know if this is the real Bakura or not. He could just be messing with ours heads…/_

Not even fazed by the pain Bakura laughed at them, "Next is beast tamer Yugi…" He was more focused on the game then his own health. Something was seriously messed up with this guy.

Yugi wasn't scared at all as he stood in front of Zorc. He would use his power as best he could to weaken Zorc and help his friends defeat him.

"Game master! The beast tamer will try his hand power on Zorc, the lord of Darkness…" The other Yami informed Bakura as he gripped the dice tight in his hand.

Bakura appeared shocked by this, "What! Your hand power is a magic ability that turns enemy monsters into allies. Do you honestly think that will work on Zorc?!"

The other Yami threw the dice as he said, "I'm trying it anyway!" The dice rolled a bit before landing with a critical five.

Yugi's magical hands appeared moving toward Zorc as if to brainwash him.

Zorc only laughed at the hands coming at him as he said, "_Fool! You'll have to raise your level to a million before you even think of making me into an ally! You'll…"_ His attention quickly turned to his left arm when he noticed smoke appearing around it, "_What?!"_

Everyone was surprised by the change in Zorc as smoke came from his left arm. Even Bakura seemed to have no idea what was happening judging by the look on his face. Yugi's magical hand ability that up until then was aimed at Zorc changed directions and went toward Zorc's left arm when they noticed a figure's head appear through the smoke.

"Take my hand!" Yugi called out and the figure did as said as arms appeared grabbing on to Yugi's magical hands. He was then pulled all the way out of Zorc and softly placed down in front of Yugi. Yugi kneeled down in front of the figure as he asked, "Are you alright?"

When the person looked up shock quickly showed on the players faces as they were staring at a miniature that looked very much like Ryou. The Ryou look alike stood up and smiled at them, "Thank you for saving me. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to get out of there on my own."

"Wait a minute…" Joey spoke up as he looked the Ryou figure over, "Is that really you Ryou?" It sounded like him unless that Bakura guy just made it sound like Ryou.

Ryou nodded, "I'm really sorry about this, guys. I honestly have no idea what is going on. Bakura was acting strange last night and then next thing I knew I was a player in this game trapped within Zorc, but there is one thing I do know," He said as he turned a glare toward the person within his boyfriend's body, "That is not the Bakura I know. Something or someone has taken him over."

The news was not all that surprising to Yami, "If what you say is true then it's obvious that what has happened to Bakura may be the same that has happened to me, but different." He looked toward his other self for a moment before he turned back to Ryou, "Instead of protecting, Bakura's other self is forcing him to commit terrible acts."

"Other self?" Ryou questioned, before he quickly shook his head. There was time for questions later, he needed to help his friends defeat this villain and hopefully save his boyfriend, "We can talk about this later, for now we need to defeat Zorc and get out of here. I'm a level thirteen white wizard and if you will let me I can join your team and help you defeat Zorc."

"Of course…" Tea said and everyone else was in agreement. "Let's defeat Zorc together."

Bakura cursed his luck as the white wizard joined up with the adventurers. He had trapped that brat Ryou within the game to keep him out of the way, but in the end it appeared adding him to the game was helping the adventurers out. If he wanted to still win he needed to take them all out and fast. However for now it was still the other Yami's turn so with a growl he said, "It's still your turn and the priest goes next."

The other Yami wasted no time in rolling the dice for the priest and it was with a roll of fifteen that Seto was allowed to attack Zorc. His attack caused a massive wound in Zorc's side crippling him and taking a good bit of his hit points. The players were all surprised by how much that attack hurt Zorc when he seemed undefeatable.

It was with a smirk of his own that Ryou spoke up and said, "Technically I'm a non-playable character, I obey the will of the real Bakura. I thought it might help so I lowered Zorc's defenses with my white magic."

As Zorc fell to his knees from the wound in his side, Bakura cursed the other him and his stupid partner. '_How dare they disobey me and help those stupid brats! I almost had them defeated…' _He couldn't believe how much will those two still had to fight and it was thanks to them that Zorc was slowly being defeated. '_Zorc's defenses are down and his hit points are dropping! I'll have to use my last resort. I'll show you all! No matter how many of you low level characters there are, you'll never defeat the dark master!'_

The other Yami could see the expressions changed on Bakura's face and it was easy to tell he wasn't finished yet. /_The game has reached the final stage, but I'm sure the dark master still has some tricks up his sleeve! If we let our guard down, we're dead. This is the last stand between us and him. One will live and one will die…/_

No one had a chance to figure out the best strategy to use because with the roar of a monster Zorc was back on his feet and with it his form began to change. "No that's…" Ryou quickly realized what was going on and he knew it wasn't good. Zorc's form changed into that of an even uglier creature as more horns developed on his head and his body became mostly bones and muscles. He had developed into something of a demon that was even more powerful than than his other form. "Be careful guys, this is Zorc's final form! His attack and defense both level up."

"And now it's Zorc's turn! His long-awaited attack!" Bakura laughed as he put all his energy into his creation to make him even stronger.

The other Yami gasped when he realized what Bakura was doing. /_Watch out, he's concentrating all his energy…/ _He tried to warn Yami so they could be prepared. There wasn't much he could do from his position.

"Look out everyone!" Ryou shouted as he stood in front of them before Yami had chance to warn everyone. He knew what was happening faster than the others did. '_No good… no time to raise everyone's defense.' _He thought as Bakura went to roll the dice. The only thing he could do was help protect them as best he could.

Bakura let lose the dice and it didn't take long for them to stop on double zero meaning what they all dreaded another super critical attack. The circular spot on Zorc's chest opened up revealing a third eye that stared at them before the energy that had been piling up let loose from that area sending a beam of raw power at them.

Ryou knew they wouldn't survive the attack so with fast thinking he pulled as much power as he could together and unleashed his own attack, "White magic shinning shield level thirteen!" He shouted as the shield appeared before them just as the attack from Zorc hit.

* * *

**Sakura: **And I'll leave it there for now and wait until the next chapter to let everyone find out if they survive or not. Also **VERY IMPORTANT!**

**Next chapter is the last chapter! I have been asked many of times if I will be doing a sequel to this story. I would like to do a Battle City sequel, however I would like to know how many who read this story would read the sequel. Just put a simple yes or no in your review and let me know if you would read a sequel. It won't come out any time soon as I have another story I want to work on, but I will begin the process of outlining the story if I get a few yes from some readers. **

**Yumi: Please Review!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **This is it! The last chapter of this story! I'm very glad I was able to write and finish this story way before the one year mark. Also a big thanks to everyone who reviewed! I got more reviews last chapter then I have for all the others, but that was because everyone was letting me know about the sequel. Which is something I need to quickly address. Every last review I got said yes to a sequel and I'm glad to see that many people would love to read it. So I will begin work plotting it out and hopefully it won't take long before I post it. I won't make any promises because I would like to work on a different story(which if your curious please check out my profile) but I will get the sequel out as soon as I can. Been working on one story at a time so I can update quicker. I can promise I won't forget about it. Other than that, you can keep up with me through my profile which I will try to post messages on and keep everyone updated with what I am working on.

Thanks to everyone who both read and reviewed to this story. It was so much fun to write!

* * *

**Chapter Fifty**

**The Last Dice Roll**

The blast from Zorc's attack hit Ryou's shield head on pushing back the group of adventurers, however they held on strong as they tried to help Ryou keep the shield up. The attack was powerful and it was hard for Ryou to hold up the protective shield. If it dropped down they were all dead.

Bakura laughed at their weak attempts at trying to protect themselves. "White Wizard, how long can your magic shield last against Zorc's flames!"

"Hang in there everyone!" Ryou called out as he started to change his hit points to magic points. It was the only way to keep the shield going.

The attack seemed to last longer than a few minutes and just when the other players thought they were going to be dead for sure the attack stopped and Ryou's shield fell. By the end of the attack Yugi, Yami, Seto, Joey, and Tea's hit points had gone down some but they were still alive. However they became less worried about themselves and more worried about Ryou when the wizard dropped to his knees completely wore out.

Tea quickly kneeled down by his side and helped him stay upright as he nearly fell over, "You risked your life to save us…"

"Just wait Ryou I'll use my healing magic on the next turn to…" Yami got interrupted as Ryou butted in with a shake of his head.

"I'm ….all… right…" Ryou struggled to get out as he turned his head to look at the magician, "Yami, if you have enough magic points to heal me, use all of that energy on your attack this turn. I don't have enough power to protect everyone again. If we don't finish it this turn we will all be destroyed."

Joey came over with Seto and with the two of them they were able to pull Ryou back onto his feet, "We got ya Ryou. If we gotta die, we'll do it together." Joey said as he sent a glare toward Zorc, "It's time to hack and slash!"

'_How could they withstand the Zorc inferno?' _Bakura thought with a growl not believing they were still alive still, '_This is bad… after he attacks, Zorc's weak point is exposed.'_

'_If Zorc raises both his attack and defensive power when he becomes last Zorc then why didn't he do it before now…?' _Yami thought since if Zorc had been in this form from the beginning they would have already been dead by now.

/_That's because this is Zorc's final gamble/ _The other Yami informed Yami causing Yami to look back at him. /_He may have raised his attack and defense power but in return he's exposed his weak point…/_

"His weak point!" Yami exclaimed not realizing he had said it out loud. He looked toward Zorc trying to find out what his other saw that he didn't.

The other Yami pointed toward a spot on Zorc, "Look at that…"All eyes turned toward the center of Zorc's chest where the eye was still visible after the attack. "That muzzle of Zorc's death weapon. That's his weak point, the eye of Zorc."

While he said this the eye started to close back up to protect itself from an attack. The group quickly realized that before they would have a chance to strike back the eye would be covered up again. Bakura on the other hand was relieved that they had figured it out too late and once the eye was protected again they wouldn't be able to do anything. On Zorc's next turn he could unleash a new attack and finish them off for good.

'_I win!'_ Bakura thought to himself, but he was wrong once again when his eyes fell to the board to see a certain monster making its way toward Zorc. Pokii moved fast enough before the hole closed up and worked his way into the center. This kept it from closing up and leaving the eye revealed for them to attack. "What?" He exclaimed now that the monster was stuck in the opening.

"Pokii!" The others shouted after witnessing such a brave act from the little guy.

"_This is your chance! Blow me away along with him." _Pokii shouted bravely glad to have been some help in this fight. He was able to make some friends and have fun being with them, which was all he wanted out of life, "_Do it now!"_

"Thank you Pokii," Yami spoke up for them all as he smiled, "But we won't sacrifice a friend we've fought alongside. An evil soul isn't worth an ounce of the life of a friend."

A tear came to the little guy's eye at those words as he tried to figure out how to get out of the hole. If he could get out at the last minute they could still win.

With the dice clenched in his fist the other Yami put all his power into that roll as he let the dice then fall from his hand, "Let's go! The beast tamer attacks!"

Yugi wasn't scared at all as he faced Zorc head on, '_Just you wait Pokii, I'll save you.' _He was the one who changed the little guy and he wasn't about to let Zorc kill him.

The dice rolled on the board before stopping with the roll of a two making a critical hit. Yugi gathered the energy that flowed through him and released his other attack training hand jet stream punch directly at Zorc's chest. The attack hit him dead on and it not only hit his weak point, but the hand reappeared out of Zorc's back with Pokii safely in its grasp.

As the others cheered, Zorc fell forward in agony from the hit and so did Bakura as he felt the pain too. "You little…"

The other Yami never let him finish that sentence as he took his next roll. Letting the dice fall from his hands a second time gaining a roll of one for the warrior. They had to finish this and now.

Joey charged forward with this new power he was given aiming and slashing Zorc in two disconnecting his torso from his legs. If that didn't finish him off then nothing would. The players were already shouting in victory of their win as Zorc went down, but never realized just yet that it wasn't over.

Even after being disconnected from his legs and his weak point hit, Zorc was able to use his arms to lift himself up partly to continue to fight the warriors. Bakura was almost to his end also but he wasn't giving up even as sweat poured down his face. '_Not yet… I still have a card to play.' _He was all laughs still despite his pain as he grinned evilly at the other Yami. "The fact that you didn't finish Zorc on this turn will be your downfall. On the next turn, Zorc and the adventurers must roll for the initiative again! This will be the last dice roll. We roll at the same time and the winner goes first."

The other Yami was not worried as he clenched the dice in his hand, "I'll take you on 'dark master'. I'll put everything I have into these dice and I will win!"

The players were left stunned at how much power Zorc still had after being cut in half. He was still putting up a fight and this last roll would be the deciding factor of it all.

Bakura grabbed his dice from the board and prepared for when both pairs of dice were to drop, "We will each throw the dice and the one closest to double zero will go first and that should be all it takes. This roll also determines the attack success so it determines who goes first and who kills who." His grin got even wider as he filled the other Yami in on some more news he should hear, "The instant my roll beats yours, Zorc will self-destruct. By destroying all of you I will be victorious and if we roll the same number we both die. I blow up at the same time you attack me. Either way I win…"

The players' faith was put into the other Yami's hand and the dice. If they could beat Bakura's roll of the dice they would win and would be able to defeat Zorc. With their victory they would be free of the game.

'_It's useless to struggle…You will die in this world along with Zorc. Even if my avatar dies, my soul will live on forever.' _Bakura thought evilly as he prepared for his victory by putting new power in the dice he held in his hand. '_And now I'll take the step I can only take once. I'll seal a part of my own soul into these dice.' _ He could feel as a part of himself flowed from his hand and into the dice. There was no way he wouldn't get a super critical when he rolled.

Once the two were ready the dice were dropped and it was up to the luck on whether the group of friends would be able to defeat Zorc once and for all or die at his hand. The players' eyes were all on the other Yami's roll as the dice bounced on the board for what felt like forever before they finally stopped.

A double zero met their eyes causing cheers to travel through all the players. They had not even paused to see what Bakura's roll had been. The other Yami was the only one not celebrating as he watched Bakura's dice roll around on the board as if in slow motion. If Bakura rolled double zeros also then they were done for, but if by some chance he rolled something higher than they had won.

Bakura was not worried at all knowing that his victory was assured once those dice stopped. They would always roll a super critical one hundred percent of the time and nothing else. Their lives would end in only a matter of seconds. It was only when the dice did stop that all eyes turned to them and watch in horror as they did indeed stop on double zeros. The players were stunned into silence while Bakura was all laughs.

"What a cruel strike for you! At the moment when you were sure of victory to fall down into the jaws of defeat! This is great! This was the best game ever." He was enjoying every minute of this knowing that the end was finally here, "Two sets of double zeros! The most dramatic ending where everyone dies. Just as you leap forward to attack, Zorc blow up taking you with h-…Huh?"

Something was off about the dice he had thrown as they shook on the unmoving table. Before everyone eyes the dice started to crack and as they started to crack a form of smoke started to form above them. With the smoke a face began to appear and it was as if Bakura was looking into a mirror.

"It's you!"

"_I won't let you kill them even if it means my soul should shatter!"_

Bakura looked on in horror as the real Bakura looked back at him, '_His soul is in the dice! Could it be when I sealed part of my soul into the dice he somehow sent his soul too…' _The dice began to crack more getting ready to break into tiny pieces, '_But… if he puts his entire soul in the dice, he can't go back to his body. That's suicide!' _

The face of the real Bakura turned as if he were looking at the other players but his eyes were only looking at Ryou's miniature, "_I'm sorry…"_

"BAKURA NO!" Ryou shouted but could only watch as the dice shattered before them. He had no time to waste being upset as he channeled as much power as he could. If this worked he had a chance of saving his lover before he was completely gone. He would not let this other Bakura take his partner away from him.

The others had no idea what Ryou was working on as they stared at the dice that were nothing but dust now. It was hard to believe that Bakura was gone, but the other Yami knew that they had to finish this. He glared at the shocked 'dark master' as he said, "So you rolled a super critical? I don't see any super critical and with no dice there is no roll. We attack!"

It was Yami's turn as he let all his anger for the other Bakura fill him along with the power from the super critical roll. He would deal this fiend the blow he deserved for putting them through all this and taking away someone Ryou cared about. When his power was at his peak he let it loose aiming his final attack directly at Zorc.

As the attack hit Zorc was blow away into nothing and with it the 'dark master' was no more. Bakura's body fell forward when Zorc disappeared from the game board as if there wasn't a soul alive within it. There was no time for a victory cheer this time as the other Yami rushed over to Bakura's body to check and see if he really was gone. He did what Yami's thoughts told him to as he checked for a pulse.

"Hey how's he doing?" Joey called up however he didn't get the answer they wanted to hear.

"It's no good… He's dead…"

Those words rattled them all to their core because even though they had won they still lost someone to the game. The others all turned to Ryou to try and help him through this dark time.

"No, Bakura's soul is still alive…" Ryou said and that wasn't the only thing shocking.

Eyes widen on everyone when they finally got a good look at Ryou to see he was holding a small orb in his hands. He was smiling as he cradled the orb close to him as if afraid to lose it. "I used the last bit of my power to bring Bakura's soul to me from the fragments of the dice. He has been there for me when I needed him and I couldn't lose him." He would have cried if he could as he looked up at all the people before him. "Thank you for helping us. I know that this isn't the kind of game I promised you, but it means so much for you to fight to the end with me and Bakura to save us."

Yugi smiled back at him. "That is what friends do."

Ryou nodded glad to hear that. He watched as one by one the souls of his new friends were pulled from their miniatures and sent back to their bodies. Looking down at the orb in his hands Ryou finally let it go as he felt his own soul leaving his miniature to return to his body.

When light brown eyes blinked back open Ryou didn't waste any time as he jumped out of bed despite the killer headache and left his bedroom. His first stop was the cupboard under the sink in the kitchen to grab the first aid kit before he hurried to the storage room where he knew the others were. When he entered he found everyone to be alright and in their rightful bodies.

"How is he?" Ryou asked before anything else as he moved to his partner's side. Tea moved out of his way where she had been trying to stop the bleeding of Bakura's left hand. The wound wasn't too terrible despite the hole in his hand and if Ryou could get him treated he hopefully wouldn't lose function of it. The smaller white hair teen went over in his head the little bit of medical training he did have from his classes as he tended to the wound.

"He is alive and it's all thanks to you," Yami informed him as he watched Ryou work. That was the first thing he had checked as soon as he returned to his body and he was relieved that Ryou's plan had worked. "I can't say how long he'll be out of it after all that happened though."

Ryou shook his head, "It doesn't matter as long as he is alive." He looked up at Yami as he finished wrapping the temporary bandage around Bakura's hand, "Do you think you could help me get him to my car. He'll need proper medical treatment since I only know so much."

"I'll help ya," Joey volunteered as he moved to Bakura's other side. He was able to get Bakura onto his back thanks to Yami and Seto's help before he went to follow Ryou out the door.

Ryou took a minute to face Yami as he asked, "Could we talk later? I don't fully understand what all went down, but it seemed like you guys might have an idea."

Yami nodded, "Focus on Bakura for now and we can talk whenever you're ready." He did not have a complete idea of what had gone down, but he did know that Bakura was not as normal as everyone thought him to be.

Ryou agreed to that as he led Joey out of the apartment and to his car. When they were gone Seto turned to his brother with a glare, "Alright, I want a full explanation now. What the hell was all that about?"

"Seto, can you give me a minute to wrap my own head around this." Yami hissed at his own twin. He knew Seto was completely confused and he was just glad Seto had gone along with the game. However now that there were out Seto probably wasn't going to stop hounding him until he got answers, "Come to my apartment and I'll explain everything to you." He didn't let Seto get another word out as he grabbed Yugi's hand and pulled him out of the room. This left Tea and Seto to follow behind as they left Ryou and Bakura's apartment.

They waited briefly for Joey to return and he did after a few minutes with Ryou in tow who had to grab a few things and locked up the apartment. He spoke quickly with them and thanked them one more time before he was gone. This left Yami and Joey to invite their respective boyfriends and only female friend into their apartment to try and make some sense of what happened and let Yami try to talk to his brother.

No telling if Seto was going to believe them or not, but Yami wasn't going to lie or leave anything out anymore. It was time Seto learned the truth just like everyone else had. It was pretty obvious after all this that Yugi and Yami were figuring out that they weren't alone when it came to sharing their bodies with spirits.

* * *

Two whole weeks it took for Bakura to make a full recovery. He did not have much of a memory of what had really happened only that he felt like he wasn't in control of his body for a long time. When he had woke up in the hospital the day after it happened he had been dazed and confused about why he was there. The doctors only thought that Bakura had fallen down the stairs of their apartment complex and somehow he stabbed his hand on something or that was the story Ryou told them. Ryou couldn't keep a secret from his partner so he told Bakura the truth about what happened but explained that they had to keep quiet about. Of course Bakura didn't believe him at first and it made sense why he wouldn't.

It wasn't until Ryou invited Yami and Yugi to come visit Bakura that the truth of it all became clear. Yami had explained the best he could that it was possible Bakura had another part of he didn't know about. He mentioned that his own other self appeared when Yugi solved the millennium item and it was at that point when Ryou got a good look at Yugi's millennium item that he showed them something surprising.

As Yami thought might be true, Ryou carried his own type of millennium item around his neck under his shirt. He didn't show many people for fear they might try and steal it. Only Bakura knew about it because he had been there when Ryou had gotten it as a gift from his father. The millennium item Ryou carried was a large ring with five large spikes hanging from it and in the center was a pyramid shape with the same eye that was on Yugi's puzzle. It was not all that surprising to find that another millennium item was at the center of all of the mess. After dealing with Shadi, Yami should have realized the craziness of his life was far from over. Sadly it even appeared that Bakura's other self wasn't all too friendly and they couldn't be sure that he was really gone after the monster world game.

After hearing all this Ryou had thought about getting rid of the item, but Bakura stopped him. He knew how much the ring meant to Ryou and he didn't want him to part with it because of him. Yami had added in to their conversation saying that even if Ryou got rid of the ring didn't mean Bakura's other self would leave. Yami himself didn't carry the puzzle yet he had someone attached to him. It was a strange mystery that he wasn't sure would ever be solved unless they could somehow learn more about the millennium items.

Although all wasn't too bad as the group ended up gaining new friends. Ryou was a little shy but he was also very brilliant and studying his hardest to become a pediatrician. Bakura on the other hand was outgoing but slightly anti-social. It was found out he only spoke nicely to Ryou and wasn't afraid to speak his mind or beat anyone up if they messed with his boyfriend. He could talk civil with someone if he wanted to, but Yami could already tell he and Bakura would butt heads. It was no surprise when they found out from Ryou that Bakura was studying to be a horror film director not much else was said on the subject. There were things they still didn't know about the young couple, but everyone had their secrets.

* * *

A few days after Bakura's recovery, Joey was able to talk Seto into holding a party at his manor. It was just something the blond wanted to do, to welcome Ryou and Bakura to Domino. Seto still had a hard time wrapping his head around what happened even after Yami told him everything, but the smaller twin figured he would have that problem. Even as a child Seto never believed in magic, spirits, or anything like that. Yami wasn't looking for his brother to accept it, but he was glad that Seto didn't think him crazy. Some part of Yami figured Seto did believe he just didn't want to say it out loud because that would make it all the more real. Either way Yami was just glad Seto didn't push him away, instead he found his brother more involved in his life which didn't bug Yami at all. Mokuba was still kept in the dark, because Yami and Seto both agreed he didn't need to know. Other than that the days went as they normal did with Seto running Kaiba Corp and the others going to their college classes unless something else came along to destroy that peace.

At the moment they were all in the back yard of the large manor which had been set up by the servants for the party with plenty of food and activities for the friends to relax and have a good time. Mokuba and Joey were busy beating Tristan and Duke at a game of two on two soccer. Tea, Tomoya, and Yugi were relaxing on the patio talking and enjoying some food. This left Yami and Seto off to the side content to just be watching everyone rather than being a part of it.

These were the scenes Ryou and Bakura walked into when they were lead to the backyard by one of the butlers. "Hey guys sorry we're late." Ryou called out as he pulled Bakura along who was carrying something in his hands.

Yugi stood to greet them with a smile, "Glad you could make it, you didn't have trouble finding the place did you?"

Ryou shook his head as he took whatever Bakura was holding as he set it on the table. "No, but it took forever to drag Kura out of the house. He's not really a party kind of guy." He turned to grin at his boyfriend.

Bakura crossed his arms and frowned, "Stop calling me Kura in front of everyone."

"Kura..? Never heard a nickname like that before..." Yami said as he approached the two which got him a nasty glare from Bakura.

Ryou pinched Bakura's arm to get him to stop glaring, "Oh stop being so grumpy." He sent a smile Yami's way, "Sorry about him, he secretly likes the name."

"Ryou damn it will you stop!" Bakura growled causing the others who had joined everyone on the patio to laugh. He was so sensitive about the littlest things. However his anger turned to someone else as he turned harshly when his hair was pulled from behind. "Ow! What's the big idea?!"

Seto glared down at him, "Watch your language around my little brother."

Mokuba grinned as he lean against the table, "I've heard it all big brother no need to worry so much." His eyes drifted to the thing covered by a cloth on the table, "So what's under there Ryou?"

"It's something really neat I made that I wanted to show everyone." Ryou explained as he pulled the cloth off.

Everyone's eyes widen when they saw what was underneath the cloth. Inside a glass case was a diorama with all the players from monster world game inside along with Ryou's character and the two monsters Yugi had changed in the game. All the players were holding up a single die and around them were different things from the game.

"This diorama is a memento of that adventure we had. A symbol of our friendship when we fought together against the monsters." Ryou told them. It would probably be a while before anyone felt up to playing again, but he hoped next time around it wasn't with the worry of people dying and he hoped to include everyone next time.

"I like it," Yami said as he wrapped an arm around his boyfriend. They smiled at each other thinking the same thing. Life was far from normal for any of them, but they had each other and anything thrown their way they would handle it one way or another. One day they would figure out the mysteries surrounding the millennium items and the spirits attached to them it was only a matter of time.

**THE END!**


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