In Ancient Times, Games Were Used To Predict The Futures of Men and Kings.

These Games Can Be Traced Back As Far As Ancient Egypt.

But The Magic Ceremonies Where Destinies Themselves Were Decided Were Known As "Shadow Games"

From These Games Erupted A War That Threatened To Destroy The World Until The Magic Was Locked Away For All Eternity…

Until Now.

"Yami! Hey Yami!"

Yami looked up from organizing his Duel Monsters deck. Class had just let out and nearly all the students had left the room. Strange, Yami had thought they would have all gone the second the bell rang.

"Wanna join us for basketball?" the other student grinned with an eyebrow raise. "All the girls are playing."

"No thanks," Yami shook his head. "Sports aren't my thing."

The other student had already started leaving the moment Yami had started speaking. Well, that was fine. It's not like he was really expecting anything from the guy anyway. He didn't even know that kid's name.

Still, Yami thought as he gave up on organizing and shoved the deck back into its protective holster, it would have been nice to have at least tried. He could hear the laughter and cheers of his classmates from outside, the muted sound somehow making him all the more isolated.

Maybe he should have said yes to basketball. Sports might not be his thing, but at least he would have looked like he fit in rather than sitting there alone and disconnected from the rest of them. Never seeming to fit in with the picture that they all easily formed together. Just a piece from a different puzzle.

Wait! He could do that instead.

He reached down and opened his schoolbag, trading his plastic-holstered deck for a golden box inscribed with writings from another world. With a clack he placed the box on his desk. As he traced over the hieroglyphics etched into its pristine side, he recalled what his grandfather told him when they had been clearing out some old junk and Yami found the box hidden under a layer of dust.

Something you can see, but you've never seen it before.

The hand that swiped the box away was so sudden Yami couldn't react until Honda was already showing it off to Jounouchi. When Yami caught up with what had happened, he was seething. How dare they take something so special to him?

"Oh, Yami, so dark and gloomy," Honda teased, "Your parents really picked the a good name for you, didn't they?"

"Give it back," Yami glared.

Honda grinned, and Yami's heart nearly stopped when he tossed the box to Jounouchi. Yami lunged forward but his tormentors, having the advantage in a larger arm span, easily threw the box between the two of them. Mercifully, Jounouchi caught the box a final time and held it up high with one hand. There was something vaguely Shakespearean about it.

"A golden treasure," Jounouchi mocked as he examined the box. "What, no diamonds? No ode to your royal majesty?"

Yami's hand curled into a fist at his side. He would not let this get the best of him. He just would not.

"That would be the other gold box," he deadpanned, holding his other hand out to Jounouchi. "Stop fooling around and hand that over. It's not yours to toy with."

"Relax," Jounouchi said as he tossed the box from one hand to the other. "I'll give it back. I just want to see what all the fuss is about. Or you could always get off your high horse and just take it back from me by force."

Yami scoffed, "I'm not going to attack you on school property just because you told me to. I'm not an idiot." After a beat, Yami sighed and let his arm fall to his side. "Fine. You can look but don't lose it."

Jounouchi grinned and lifted the lid to peek inside. The grin vanished when Yami sucker-punched him in the gut and caught the puzzle box when Jounouchi dropped it.

Honda shouted at Yami as Jounouchi doubled over, supporting himself on one of the desks, but Yami didn't stick around to watch the chaos unfold. Cradling his box on his chest, he ducked under Honda's outstretched arms and sprinted from the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

He flew past Anzu as he rounded the corner, barely catching her surprised gasp. He thought he saw her hand reach out, but by the time he thought to look back he was already down the hall.

-Line-

"Yami…" Anzu stopped at the door and watched him disappear around the corner. She didn't get a good look at his face, but she could tell that he wasn't running forward as much as running away. Sure enough, Honda burst from the room Yami had just vacated, followed closely by Jounouchi who grabbed Honda by the shoulder.

"Come back here you little coward!" Honda shouted in the general direction Yami had run.

"It's fine Honda," Jounouchi said. "Let him go."

"After what he did? Are you insane?"

"Whatever it was," Anzu said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, "Jounouchi was probably asking for it,"

"Butt out," Honda waved her off dismissively. "It's none of your business."

Anzu raised her brows in judgment. "And I'm sure you're the experts in staying out of other people's business."

"Shut up," Jounouchi glared. "Just because you have a thing for the guy—"

"I do not have a thing for the guy," Anzu blushed. "What I have is the knowledge that you two together mean trouble. Why can't you just leave him alone?"

"He seems to be doing a pretty good job with the 'alone' part himself," Jounouchi said. "I get that you're distracted by whatever it is he does for you, but that doesn't make him less of a prick. You can't blame me for trying to take the guy down a peg and bring him into the real world."

"If bringing into the 'real world' means bullying him every chance you get—"

"Who's bullying who?"

All three looked up to see a huge wall of a boy, though maybe man was a better word. He wore a school uniform like they did, but the sheer presence he had would have intimidated most. Jounouchi however, wasn't most.

"What's it to you?" he stepped up to the guy only to have Honda clap a hand over his mouth.

"No one! No one's bullying anyone!"

Anzu rolled her eyes but said nothing. There was something about this upper classman that set off alarms, though he hadn't actually done anything she hadn't done already. Call it instinct or women's intuition, she could tell there was something fundamentally untrustworthy and possibly dangerous about this person. As if her could sense her thoughts, the stranger caught her eye, almost challenging her to counter Honda's claim. Instead, she glanced away.

After a moment, the man nodded and turned his gaze back to the boys.

"Good," he said. "Bullying is wrong."

"True! Very true!" Honda agreed a little too adamantly as the man turned away and walked down the hall. Once he was out of earshot, Honda finally let go of a struggling Jounouchi.

"You moron! I couldn't breathe!"

"Don't you know who you were talking to?" Honda exclaimed. "That was Tetsu Ushio!"

"Ushio?" Anzu said incredulously. "From the Morals Committee?"

"Yea," Honda said, warily eyeing the direction Ushio had gone. "He's developed a rough reputation after he becoming the Student Head Enforcer. Even some of the teachers have started to feel nervous around him." He turned Anzu. "Don't get any ideas."

Anzu scoffed. "Are you serious? I had the chance to tell him, but I didn't."

"That doesn't mean you won't change your mind later."

"I won't have to tell him if you keep behaving like idiots," Anzu sneered and pushed herself off the wall. "Actions speak louder than words and boy, are you two loud." She turned on her heel and stalked off, frustration coming off her in waves.

Boys.

-Line-

"What a bitch," Jounouchi said as he and Honda started walking. "So high and mighty, just like that Yami guy."

"I still can't believe you stopped me from chasing him," Honda shook his head. "There's no honour in sucker-punching. If he was a real man, he'd make it a fair fight."

"I did ask for it, Honda," Jounouchi pointed out. "I can't fault the guy for doing what I told him to do. Even if he did it deceitfully. Besides, I've already got my revenge." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the metal piece he took from Yami's box.

"What is that?" Honda asked, taking it and holding it up between his thumb and forefinger, the engraved eye staring at them unblinking. "Creepy."

"From what I could tell, that stupid box of his contained some kind of puzzle. Given how girlish he was acting about it, he must be really eager to solve it." Jounouchi took the piece back from Honda, tossed it up once and caught it in a fist. "Pity he won't be able to."

Honda laughed. "Pretty slick, man."

"What can I say, I'm not just a pretty face."

"Ignoring that last comment, what should we do with it? Maybe we can hock it for cash or something. Don't people go crazy over gold?"

Jounouchi shook his head. "Nah, it's too hard to be gold. Look here. It was in a box with a bunch of other stuff all day in a schoolbag, but there's no scratches or anything. Perfectly smooth."

"Crap," Honda shook his head. "We could have gotten some cool stuff if it was real."

"Yea," Jounouchi commiserated. "Too bad." An idea came to him when they passed an open window overlooking the swimming pool. "Bet it would make a satisfying splash, though."

Jounouchi threw the puzzle piece out the window. A few breaths later and there was a splash most satisfying. Honda howled with laughter while Jounouchi watched the little glimmering piece sink to the bottom. Treasure… more like rotten jerk.

He shook himself from his thoughts and grinned at Honda.

"Let's go."

-Line-

Yami crossed the schoolyard, relieved. No one had come after him, so he was confident that whatever the repercussions were for punching Jounouchi, he wouldn't be dealing with them today. At least he would be able to focus on the puzzle for the time being.

"Yami?"

He turned around to see a large upperclassman following him. Yami stopped and waited for the large student to catch up. The student nodded his thanks and began to introduce himself.

"My name is Ushio, Head of the Morals Committee. I'd like to ask you some questions."

"…Okay."

"Have you been picked on by anyone in your class?"

Yami started at the candor with which Ushio spoke. He was definitely one of those 'straight to the point' type of guys. Still, why was he asking him that? For that matter, why was Ushio interested?

"…No?" Yami answered carefully.

"Hold on," Ushio said as Yami was about to leave. "For the good of the school, answer me." Yami was too unnerved to respond, and made even more so when Ushio grabbed him by the shoulders with an intensity that almost crushing.

"Don't worry Yami," Ushio urged. "From now on, consider me your bodyguard. No one else will bother you with me around."

Yami shook off Ushio's grip and backed away. "No thanks."

He turned around and made his escape, perhaps a little faster than what could be considered a normal walking speed. He was suddenly more than eager to get home.

Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful, if not a little crowded on the bus. It wasn't until he was through the front door of his grandpa's game shop that anyone even acknowledged him.

"Yami!"

He looked up to see his grandfather, Sugoroku, sweeping the floor. Yami smiled and closed the door behind him.

"Hey gramps," he walked over to the counter and set his schoolbag down on the counter. "We get many customers today?"

"About the same as always," Sugoroku chuckled. "Just getting ready for the rush. How was school?"

"About the same as always," Yami shrugged.

"Same as always?" Sugoroku asked knowingly. "I take it that means you were about as social as you usually are with kids your age?"

Yami smirked. "Did you want me to finish that up for you?"

Sugoroku scoffed, but allowed the change of subject, "I'm not so old that I can't use a dustpan." He bent down to sweep the dust and dirt into the little red bin, only to grab his back a moment later with a grunt of pain. Yami was by his side in an instant.

"Here, let me."

"Thank you," Sugoroku said as he leaned up against the counter and let Yami sweep up the mess. There was a clatter as he knocked over Yami's schoolbag and the lid of the puzzle box opened the bag's flap. Sugoroku and Yami both eyed the gold peeking out from inside the bag.

"So," Sugoroku said with a significant smile and Yami let his eyes fall back to his task. "You haven't given up on the puzzle."

"Who said anything about giving up?" Yami stood and emptied the dustpan into the trashcan behind the counter.

"The most intelligent minds of this age couldn't solve that puzzle. It's impossible for you."

"Gee, thanks for the support," Yami deadpanned over his shoulder as he put the broom and dustpan in the supply cupboard.

"It's just that with that puzzle's history-"

"Oh the history," Yami rolled his eyes.

Sugoroku's voice slipped into a well-practiced cadence of an avid storyteller. "Everyone involved in the excavation of the pharaoh's tomb from whence that puzzle came the died mysteriously. They say the last one—"

"The last one died screaming about a Shadow Game," Yami finished in a passing imitation of his grandfather's voice. "'And 'To the one who controls me, I will give dark wisdom and strength.' You've only told me this story about a thousand times."

"Oh, that's an exaggeration," Sugoroku waved off Yami's complaint.

"Not really. Besides, what does any of this have to do with me finishing the puzzle?"

"It means that eight years is long enough! It'll sell for a lot!"

"I'm not selling it," Yami grabbed his bag and held it close to his chest. "It'll make a great keepsake of you."

"Not any time soon, I hope," Sugoroku crossed his arms.

Yami smirked, "Depends on how many times you try to get me to sell it."

"Is that any way to talk to such an old man?" Sugoroku laughed and clapped Yami on the back. Yami smirked and brought his bag down to his side.

"Sorry," he started walking toward the stairs. "I'm just going to get started on my homework."

"Good boy," Sugoroku nodded. "Take the puzzle up to your room. I'll go make tea."

-Line-

Click.

Click.

Click.

"Maybe here?"

Click.

"Damn!"

Sugoroku smiled outside his grandson's door, slowly shaking his head. The kid should have gone to bed hours ago, but Sugoroku couldn't bring himself to reprimand him. Yami was at his happiest when he was involved in his games, and he had so few happy moments as it was.

Click.

Click.

Clack!

"Yes!"

Sugoroku chuckled softly and continued his trek from the bathroom back to his own room. Yami really was his grandson.

-Line-

"Hey."

Yami jerked up at his school desk, fighting his way back from the edge of sleep to find Anzu standing beside him. She started at his sudden movement.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."

"It's fine," Yami said, rubbing his hand over his face. "I should be the one apologizing to you."

"Hmm? What for?"

"For running past you like I did yesterday. It wasn't anything personal."

"No, it's fine!" Anzu assured. "I understand. Those guys are such jerks."

Yami shrugged, "Don't worry about it."

"I can't not worry about it," Anzu scoffed. "I mean, how can I abide people being so—"

"Hey, Yami."

The pair looked up to see Ushio standing in the doorway. Anzu's eyes darted between the two while Yami internally groaned. He so did not want to deal with whatever it was that was happening. Ushio nodded down the hall.

"Would you come with me for a moment?"

Yami considered for a moment. What did Ushio want with him? Did it have something to do with the weird conversation from the day before? He glanced at Anzu, who urged in a quiet voice, "You don't have to go with him."

"Don't worry," Yami assured as he stood up. "I'm sure it won't take long."

Anzu still seemed worried as Yami followed Ushio out of the room. They were silent as he led Yami down the halls. It wasn't until they were outside that Yami gave up on waiting for an explanation and just asked where Ushio was taking him.

"Just follow me," Ushio said, the cadence of his voice so low as to sound menacing. "I'm sure you'll like this."

Yami briefly entertained the notion of just turning around and walking away, but he came this far. It wasn't until they had rounded the corner that he almost wished he hadn't. There, much to Yami's horror, lay Jounouchi and Honda. Their faces were marred with already dark bruises and broken skin.

"What—" Yami just stared as Jounouchi's gaze met his, "what the hell—"

"I told you, Yami," Ushio said as Yami took a few involuntary steps forward. "I'm your personal bodyguard now. It's my duty to punish these vermin."

"No," Yami shook himself out of his trance. "No, this—this is not—"

"I should have guessed," Jounouchi said, earning Yami's attention once again. "Are you satisfied?"

"No!" Yami said incredulously. "Why would I—"

"Move over, Yami," Ushio grabbed Yami's shoulder and pulled him back. "I'm not done punishing these guys." Ushio delivered a swift kick to Jounouchi's midsection. The choked huff that Jounouchi made was too much and Yami found himself standing between the two and staring defiantly up at Ushio.

"I said move over," Ushio reached out but Yami swat his arm away.

"No."

"What, are you protecting these jerks?" Ushio laughed. "This is your chance for revenge! Punch. Kick. Show them they're worth less than the dirt beneath your feet!"

"The only person worth less than dirt here is you!" Yami thought he heard a gasp from behind, but he ignored it.

"You're a strange guy," Ushio crossed his arms. "Most people hate those that bully them."

"I don't hate them," Yami said. "They're annoying, but they're not bullies. This—they don't deserve any of this."

"Well, alright then," Ushio shrugged. "Doesn't matter as long as you pay my protection fee. That'll be ￥200 000."

Yami raised his eyebrows, "Are—are you serious? I told you before that I didn't want—"

"Regardless of how my services were provided," Ushio grinned maliciously. "They were provided. Surely you're not suggesting I not get paid for my work."

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting!" Yami shouted. "You can't treat people like this and expect to be rewarded!"

"Maybe I should treat them worse," Ushio said, uncrossing his arms and cracking his knuckles. "I could always beat them more."

Yami glowered, "You've done more than enough. Leave."

"Not before I persuade you to give me what's mine," Ushio grabbed Yami by the front of his jacket and lifted him off the ground. "My arguments can leave quite the impression on people."

-Line-

Jounouchi watched as Ushio gave Yami them same treatment he had given them. Ushio's hits rained down on Yami, each one accompanied by the familiar percussion of abuse on skin. The strangest thing was that Yami didn't even lift his hands to defend himself. Instead he seemed more focused on maneuvering himself so that his every fall and stumble placed himself between them and Ushio.

Yami… are you protecting us?

Jounouchi couldn't understand it. Yami always seemed to be so standoffish and superior. He was always so quiet and stoic, only ever opening his mouth to say some sarcastic remark. Why would he do this?

A final kick threw Yami well off to the side. He coughed with his arms wrapped protectively around his middle while Ushio stood over him and laughed.

"I suppose that's enough for today," Ushio mocked. "At least until tomorrow, if you don't get me what's mine." There was a heavy pause where he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. "Believe me, this pain is nothing compared to what I could teach you with this."

Jounouchi gasped and his gaze darted to Yami, who just stared up at Ushio defiantly. It was only with careful observation that Jounouchi saw the fear in those amethyst eyes.

"Heh," Ushio laughed and stowed the knife away. "You have until tomorrow."

As Ushio walked away, Yami pushed himself up so that he was resting against the opposite wall, seemingly unaware that he was being watched. Maybe he thought he and Honda were too banged up to be paying him any attention, or maybe he just didn't care if they did. Whatever the case, it was with surprise that Jounouchi noticed just how broken Yami looked. It was as if he had been wearing a mask all this time and only now did it fall away to reveal a face that spoke of hurt and frustration, and eyes that were bright with an almost quiet resignation.

"Yami?" Jounouchi said before he could stop himself. It was like a switch had been flicked as the stern mask returned to Yami's face and he pushed himself to his feet.

"Jounouchi," Yami nodded, failing horribly at hiding a wince as he shifted his weight. "Are you two alright?"

"Uh…" Jounouchi blinked, almost at a loss for words. He looked over at Honda, who stopped glaring at Yami to meet his gaze and nod. "Yea. Yea, I think so."

"Good," Yami said, and turned to walk back around the way he came.

Jounouchi was about to call out for him until Honda's groan as he tried to get up silenced him. Right, they should take care of themselves first, and then Jounouchi could find some way to thank Yami for what he did, preferably a way that didn't involve much talking. Or any talking really.

Slowly, an idea began to form.

-Line-

Click.

￥200 000.

Click.

Where the hell was he going to get ￥200 000?

Clack.

Of course, there was the option of just not paying.

Clack!

He really didn't want to have to pay.

Clack!

Yea, there was the logic of picking your battles but if he gave in once, Ushio might try to extort him again in the future.

Clack!

That is, assuming he had a future if Ushio decided to pull that knife on him tomorrow.

Clack!

Yami looked down at his hands and noticed with some shock that he had made a lot more progress with the puzzle than he had thought. While only a couple pieces had fit together before, suddenly there was a mostly completed pyramid in his hands.

Putting his concerns over Ushio on hold, he focused all his attention on the puzzle. He didn't understand why it was so easy now that he felt more terrible than he ever had in his life, but it was. With each piece he slid into place, he felt a bit of his helplessness fall away.

Before he knew it, he was only one piece away from completing his eight-year task. He reached into the puzzle box only to find it empty. Panic gripped his heart as he turned the box over and searched around his desk, his pace turning from careful to frantic. Soon, he was flipping over actual pieces of furniture in his haste.

Where could it be? He knew he had it at one point so it couldn't have been gone for long. It was pretty difficult to forget that distinctive eye marking on that piece. It had to be somewhere. It just had to. He was always so careful. He always put every piece back into the box when he was done. It had to be here. It just had to be.

He fell to his knees, his room in complete disarray. Drawers gone and upended from their dresser. Chair tipped over on its side. Mattress balanced haphazardly against the wall. Still for all he tried to keep him room tidy, he couldn't care less in the face of the most crushing realization he had ever experienced.

My wish will never come true.

Tears burned his eyes and pain burst from his fist as he slammed it against the floor. Eight years. Eight long years he spent trying to solve this puzzle. He'd poured everything into it. His hopes. His dreams. His heart. Everything that made him who he was, all of it, was in that puzzle. Losing that piece was like losing a part of himself.

No, he swore. I will not let this defeat me!

He shot up to his feet, grabbed his school jacket from where it was hung on his doorknob, and shoved his arms through the sleeves before picking up the puzzle and stalking out of his room.

-Line-

Jounouchi shivered while the street lamps flickered into light above him, bathing him in their yellow glow. His waterlogged clothes clung uncomfortably to his skin while the crisp evening air chilled him down to his bones. He cursed the bus driver who wouldn't let him onboard.

Disrupt the other riders my ass, he thought. Stupid jerk making me walk the whole way. Where is this damn game shop? He was passing a lot of shops, but none of them looked remotely like Kame Game.

He was starting to wonder if he was even in the right area when he saw Yami angrily walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street. It didn't look like he'd noticed Jounouchi yet, and he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. His eyes were caught between determined and murderous, and his hand was curled protectively around the nearly completed puzzle hanging from his neck.

Well, if fate put him in my path I better get on with it, Jounouchi thought to himself as he started crossing to the other side of the street and waved.

"Hey!"

Yami looked up, shock quickly morphing into annoyance. "I don't have time for your nonsense, Jounouchi," he made to walk past him, eyes focused ahead as Jounouchi fell into step. "I have to do something important."

"Is that why you're out on an angry night walk?"

"I mean it, Jou. Not now."

"Sorry," Jounouchi raised his hands up in an attempt to placate, "I'm not trying to get a rise out of you."

"Is that why you're stalking me?" Yami looked at him askance as they neared a corner store. It was at that point Jounouchi realized that Yami was headed back toward the school. "And why are you drenched?"

"Actually, I, uh," Jounouchi anxiously put his hands into his pockets. Damn, why did making amends have to be so hard? A part of him wished a meteor would hit him so he wouldn't have to deal with this.

They were just passing the corner store when the door opened and Ushio stepped out with an unlit cigarette between his lips and a lighter in hand. Damn!

Jounouchi and Yami stopped short, the sudden movement likely earning Ushio's attention. He seemed surprised, but that didn't last long before a cruel grin took over his face. Double damn!

"Heh," Ushio said. "Didn't expect to see you so soon. Looking for me?"

"Fuck off, Ushio," Jounouchi said, cursing his complete lack of self-preservation. Ushio glowered at him before turning to Yami with a smile.

"So do you have my money?"

"No," Yami glared. "You said I have until tomorrow. Last I checked, it's not tomorrow."

"Doesn't mean you can't pay early," Ushio not-so-casually put a hand in his pocket. "Or I could always hock that gawdy necklace you've got there." Yami tensed beside Jounouchi. "Even broken, I'm sure it's worth at least ￥200 000."

Jounouchi darted forward and sucker punched Ushio in the gut. As Ushio doubled over, Jounouchi reach back, grabbed Yami's sleeve, and pulled.

"What the hell!" Yami shouted as they ran past Ushio and toward the school. Ushio had recovered and was in thunderous pursuit. Thankfully weighed down by his size, but still fast enough that they were still in his sights.

"I panicked!" Jounouchi shouted back, letting go of Yami's sleeve. They passed through the school gates. Whether that was good or bad was anyone's guess. "I don't trust guys with pocketknives."

"I had it under control! You didn't have to—" Yami's sentence was interrupted by something gold falling out of Jounouchi's pocket and clattering when it hit the pavement. Yami stopped almost impressively on the spot and scooped up the piece.

Jounouchi skid to a halt and looked back. Yami looked at him with furious disbelief while Ushio was just furious and getting too close too fast with that knife in his hand. In a few seconds, he'd be on them.

"Yami!" Jounouchi shouted.

Yami looked back at Ushio and started to run, only for Ushio to grab the edge of his jacket and throw him to the ground. Ushio loomed over Yami's form, knife glinting in the artificial light, with a sadistic grin.

Jounouchi watched as Yami, who in a moment that could only be described as a lapse in judgment brought on by dumb panic, slammed the gold piece into the pendant's slot. His puzzle was complete.

A golden blast of light knocked Jounouchi on his ass. Groaning, he pushed himself up enough to see Ushio doing the same, apparently knocked back by whatever it was that knocked Jounouchi over.

Most startling though, was Yami himself. He stood to his feet calmly with one hand cradling the puzzle and his head down, hair blocking his eyes. Maybe it was a trick of the light, or the aftereffects of something Jounouchi couldn't even begin to understand, but the eye of the puzzle seemed to be glowing. There was something about it that seemed both awesome and terrible.

Jounouchi was distracted from the puzzle when Yami laughed. Or at least, the laughter looked like it was coming from Yami. His shoulders shook and his chest moved. The sound, though, was most definitely not Yami.

"What the…"

Yami turned his far toward the sky, hair parting to reveal a glowing, golden eye like the one on the puzzle on Yami's forehead. Yami's own eyes were closed and there was an odd sereneness about his face as he took a deep breath. It was almost like he was savoring the moment.

"Yami!" Ushio's shout didn't seem to bother Yami, but it sure bothered Jounouchi. He sprang to his feet as Ushio did, ready to fight, but Yami just turned to calmly face Ushio.

"Good of you to come, Ushio," Yami said is a voice that was most definitely not his and the glowing eye faded away. "Though I think this meeting could have started off a lot better."

Meeting? Had Yami planned this?

"W-What the hell?" Ushio seemed just as lost as Jounouchi, though his tone suggested he was clearly so much angrier. "What are you playing at Yami?"

"Yami? Huh," Yami mused. "It sounds right, but…"

He looked back at Jounouchi and nearly scared him out of his skin. Yami's eyes. Those were not Yami's eyes. They were so wide and eager to take in everything. Nothing like the closed detachment Yami's eyes usually held. And were they red?

"We're friends, right?"

"F-Friends?" Jounouchi took a careful step back. "I, uh, s-sure?"

"Great!" Yami said with a large, bubbly smile. "Friends use nicknames! That should make things better. But what would be a good nickname for me…"

Jounouchi just stared as Yami stood there looking thoughtful. Friends? He must have been joking, if not completely delusional. Still, the way he said it. It sounded so genuine and unwavering that Jounouchi couldn't help but believe it to be true.

"I've got it!" Yami said as he clapped his hand with his fist. "You can call me Yuugi! I think it's a pretty fitting name, don't you?"

Yami- no, Yuugi laughed, and Jounouchi found himself nervously smiling along with him. How could someone be so fucking happy?

"Cut the crap, kid!" Ushio shouted. Yuugi sighed and looked back at Ushio over his shoulder. "Where's my ￥200 000?"

"Oh!" Yuugi smacked his forehead with his one hand and produced a thick wad of cash from his pocket with the other. "￥200 000? I'm so embarrassed. I brought ￥400 000 by mistake."

400 000? Jounouchi was dumbstruck. He had the money on him the whole time? What. The. Fuck.

Ushio took a step forward and reached out for the money, only for Yuugi to pull it out of arms reach.

"Hmm," Yuugi hummed and flipped through the cash. "Since there's an extra ￥200 000, why don't we make a game of it?" Yuugi smiled again. "Sounds a lot more fun than simply handing it over, doesn't it? And the only thing we'll need will be that blade in your hand."

Ushio started, as though he'd forgotten he was holding a knife at all, but nodded. "What kind of game are you thinking?"

"Have you ever heard of a Shadow Game?" Yuugi asked as he started walking and gestured for Ushio to follow. Without making the conscious choice, Jounouchi found himself following as well. That night was already so strange, and Yuugi might need his help.

"I can't say I have," Ushio said. "Where are you leading me?"

"I'm here too," Jounouchi grumbled. Yuugi shot him a quick sympathetic look, but said nothing until they had made it to the sports field and were standing next to step platforms stacked waist high. Yuugi took the cash and Ushio's knife and placed them on top of the steps.

"The game is set."

-Line-

Jounouchi grew more and more anxious as the 'Shadow Game' neared its end. When Yuugi first explained the rules, Jounouchi had thought it was the most insane thing he'd ever heard, including everything else that had happened that night. Seeing Yuugi place the cash on top of his hand and stab it however, was something else entirely. He could understand why Yuugi had said control was the most important aspect of this game.

It was Ushio's turn again and while there were much fewer bills left, Ushio was just arrogant as the game started.

"This is so easy," Ushio gloated, holding the knife with a white knuckled hand. "I may as well just take the cash and forget the game!"

"Taking the cash would break one of the rules," Yuugi shrugged, eyes betraying something Jounouchi couldn't identify. "You remember what I said would happen if you cheat."

"Yea, yea," Ushio rolled his eyes. His grip on the knife was so tight his entire hand was shaking. "Penalty game. Whatever."

"And don't stab your hand either," Yuugi warned.

"Don't worry about my hand," the tone of Ushio's voice set off alarms in Jounouchi's head. "I've figured out a way to get all the money without sacrificing my hand."

Jounouchi was in motion the moment Ushio drew his arm back.

"DIE, YAMI!"

Jounouchi collided with Ushio. His weight wasn't enough to knock Ushio over, but it was enough to change the course of the knife so that it became imbedded in plastic, not Yuugi.

Ushio turned on Jounouchi, mouth open with yet to be expressed rage, when his face was suddenly illuminated with a golden light. Jounouchi looked over to see the glowing eye had returned to Yuugi's forehead and he looked almost… sad. He was disappointed.

"Just as I thought," Yuugi's voice was quiet. "You couldn't follow the rules."

"Enough games!" Ushio jumped backward, clearly remembering how that light had thrown him back on his ass before. "What the hell is going on with that eye!?"

"This eye can see what's in your heart," Yuugi laughed ruefully. "It, much like the game, reveals your true self. I had hoped to be wrong but the eye doesn't lie. You are a greedy bully who hurt my friends and tried to steal money from me.

"Penalty Game!" Yuugi raised a hand and point directly at Ushio. An echo of the eye on Yuugi's forehead shot forward and washed over Ushio. "Illusion of Greed!"

Jounouchi watched in horror as Ushio screamed, covering his eyes under the intensity of the light directed at him. When the light faded and Ushio's hand fell from his face, there was a definite shift in demeanor. Ushio's face lit up as he looked around at dead leaves and garbage before he dove to the ground to scoop up as much of it as he could.

"Money!" Ushio shouted with his hands full of trash. "It's money!"

"This may be a happy ending for him," Yuugi said. Jounouchi looked over to see him watching Ushio sadly. The eye on his forehead was gone once again, but Jounouchi was still unnerved.

"What the hell are you?" Jounouchi blurted out. Yuugi seemed just as surprised by Jounouchi's question as Jounouchi was.

"I mean," Jounochi went on, "I know you're human, probably. But you're not… you're not Yami, are you?"

Yuugi was quiet for a long time. So long in fact, that Jounouchi thought Yuugi wasn't going to answer. When Yuugi started collecting damaged playing cards from where they had fallen during the game, Jounouchi knew that Yuugi wasn't going to answer. Wait, playing cards?

"What happened to all the cash?" Jounouchi asked. When Yuugi looked up at him, perplexed, Jounouchi clarified. "I mean, what happened to the ￥400 000?"

"Oh that!" Yuugi said, picked up the last of the cards from the ground and shoved them in him pocket. "I wondered if I'd gone overboard, but I knew he wouldn't leave us alone until I paid up, and he definitely wouldn't have played my game if I hadn't sweetened the deal enough that he couldn't refuse."

"Does that mean you, uh, you turned those cards into money?" It sounded stupid to Jounouchi's ears, but it was worth asking. Knowing someone who could turn cards into cash would go a long way to solving some of his problems. Unfortunately, Yuugi shook his head. Damn.

"The cards were in my pocket at the time," Yuugi explained. "I don't know about you, but ￥200 000, let alone twice that much. I had to improvise, so I cast an illusion."

Jounouchi felt his face blanche. Ushio's scream haunted him and that the same thing had happened to him, even on a smaller scale, was most definitely not okay with him.

"I'm sorry," Yuugi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, apparently catching on to Jounouchi's discomfort. "If it helps, it still looked and felt like cash to me too until the spell broke."

That was… better Jounouchi supposed. He didn't like having his head messed with, but at least it wasn't just him. He shook his head. There were other things that needed to be addressed now.

"You still haven't answered my question," Jounouchi said. "Are you Yami, or not?"

"I think so?" Yuugi hedged. "I have all my memories of being Yami, but…" His eyes grew distant for a moment, pensive. "I'm not sure how to describe it. Something happened when I solved the puzzle."

"The puzzle?" Jounouchi glanced at the pyramid hanging from Yuugi's neck.

"It… awakened me," Yuugi said thoughtfully. "Or at least, this version of me."

"And the other version?"

Yuugi smiled softly, placing a hand on his heart. "Still here. Though, I'm not sure how much of tonight I'll remember tomorrow."

"Do you mean you or, uh, the other you?" Jounouchi asked, feeling as confused as he did in their English classes. Two Yamis was a confusing subject and he was suddenly very thankful Yuugi had the foresight to distinguish himself from… himself.

Yuugi grinned and his hand fell to his side. "My other self. He might be a little furious when he remembers you stole a piece of our puzzle."

Jounouchi tensed. "You, uh, you know about that?"

"I do still have my memories," Yuugi laughed. "Even if they might not belong to me."

"You're not," Jounouchi shuffled on his feet and glanced in Ushio's direction. "You're not going to challenge me to one of those Shadow Game things, are you?"

"What?" Yuugi's brows drew together. "Why would I do that?"

"I, uh," Jounouchi really hoped he wasn't digging his own grave here. "I did kind of steal from you."

"But you returned it," Yuugi said assuredly. "Or, you were planning to before we had our run in with Ushio."

"What makes you think I was planning to return it?"

"Why else would you cross the street to talk to me?"

Jounouchi really didn't have an answer to that. If it hadn't been for Yami standing up to Ushio, Jounouchi probably wouldn't have paid Yami any mind if he had happened to see him on the street. It wasn't like they were exactly friends. Speaking of…

"Did you mean that before?" Jounouchi asked. "When you said we were friends?"

"Yea! I mean," Yuugi shrugged sheepishly as he looked away nervously. "I had hoped so. I know you think I'm stuck up and antisocial—"

"I don't think you're stuck up or antisocial," Jounouchi said carefully before slipping into a teasing tone. "A little more talkative and childish maybe."

"I'm not—" Yuugi started defensively before pinching the bridge of his nose. It was a little funny, actually. Yuugi's hand fell from his face and he started over. "Not the point. The point is, I really think we could be friends. If, uh, if you'd be interested in that."

Jounouchi didn't know what to say. It wasn't often someone asked if they could be friends with him, much less in that sheepish way Yuugi spoke. Then again, it wasn't often he saw a classmate use mystical powers to disarm someone who had no problem extorting people for money or murder. Before he knew it, Jounouchi found himself laughing.

"Oh," Yuugi looked absolutely crestfallen, bringing Jounouchi back to reality. "It's okay, we don't have to—"

"No!" Jounouchi said urgently. "No, that's not it. I, well, shit. Yea, we could try being friends."

"Really?" Yuugi asked hopefully. "Promise?" His voice was so stupidly optimistic that if Jounouchi hadn't just seen him take down arguably the most dangerous guy at their school, he might have called it pathetic. Or pathetically sweet.

"Yea," Jounouchi smiled. He then immediately looked away and kicked the ground just to have something to do that didn't involve any of this touchy-feely garbage. "Friends sounds… nice."

The arms that wrapped around his waist were a surprise. Jounouchi tensed and a yelp caught in his throat. He looked down and the tips of Yuugi's spiky hair tickled his nose, but even so Jounouchi couldn't bring himself to push the guy off.

"Thank you, Jounouchi," Yuugi's embrace tightened and Jounouchi's arms wrapped themselves loosely around Yuugi. This was definitely the weirdest part of the night.

Yuugi suddenly went limp and it was only thanks to Jounouchi's arms around him that he didn't fall.

"Yuugi!" Jounouchi gently lowered the unconscious body to the ground and pat his cheek. Yuugi's eyelids fluttered. "Yuugi, you okay?"

"Jounouchi?"

"Yami?" Jounouchi helped to maneuver Yami into a seated position. "How- what- what just happened?"

"I don't know," Yami said as he looked around and caught sight of Ushio, who was still hoarding whatever gross thing he found. When Yami looked back at Jounouchi, it was with a face so full of confusion and eyes so edged with fear that Jounouchi could come to only one critical conclusion.

He doesn't remember.

-Line-

The last thing Yami remembered was Ushio throwing him to the ground and standing over him with that knife. Yami took a quick inventory, sighing with relief when he realized the only injuries he'd sustained were the ones he'd earned in the initial fall. But then, why had he blacked out?

"Are you okay?" Jounouchi asked. If Yami didn't know better, he'd say Jounouchi was actually concerned.

"I…" Yami looked down, unsure what to say. That's when he noticed it. Moving faster than he ever thought he could, Yami picked up the gold pyramid and stared into the Eye of Horus. Finally, after eight long years, he'd completed the Millennium Puzzle.

He was so lost in awe that it took him a moment to realize Jounouchi had stood up and was offering his hand. Yami looked up to see a nervous smile on Jounouchi's face.

"You need a hand… friend?"

"Friend?" Yami questioned. Could his wish have… then he remembered another detail and smacked Jounouchi's hand away. "You stole a piece of my puzzle, asshole!" Yami shot up to his feet in anger and balled his hands into fists.

"You think you can hold out a hand and call me 'friend' like you haven't been tormenting me since our first class together?"

"Yami—"

"No!" Yami shouted. "I'm going home. Don't follow me."

He turned around stormed toward the school gate. How the hell had they gotten so far away from where Yami had fallen? He was starting to wonder who he should call about Ushio when he heard Jounouchi shout his name. Yami turned around to see Jounouchi stare him down.

"I made a promise," Jounouchi said with determination, "and I don't intend to break it. I'll see you in class tomorrow, friend!"

Yami shook his head, disbelieving, and continued his way back home. Jounouchi had gall, Yami would give him that, but it didn't make sense. What the hell happened while he was blacked out?

He paused at the school gate and wrapped a hand around the puzzle hanging from his neck. It was the strangest thing. He'd spent so long trying to solve this puzzle. Toyed with it every day. Now that it was complete, something was different. The once cold pieces felt warm under his touch. Alive, somehow.

Yami smiled and continued homeward, feeling like he was at the start of something wonderful.