I decided to post this since it's been sitting in my documents for a few months.

Genre: Friendship/Fantasy/Action/Adventure/Hurt/Comfort

I do not own Yu-gi-oh, nor it's characters.

Yugi Muto sat at the top of a clay building, swinging his legs enthusiastically over the edge. He munched happily on a handful of dates, watching the crowd go by. His wide amethyst eyes shown with a silent spell, splashes of silver shining inside the iris. It allowed him to see and sense things others couldn't, and no, he couldn't shut it off.

At the moment, he didn't notice anything unusual. Well, except the little companion that sat beside him, silently begging a question.

"No Kuriboh," Said Yugi out of the side of his mouth. "Someone's bound to notice a human turning into a monster. I'll let you eat with me later."

The semi-transparent monster let out a humph of annoyance, shrinking into a small light that disappearing inside of Yugi's body. The little thing loved to eat, even if he didn't need to. He got an extension of the sensation when Yugi chose to eat in his form. Yugi'd have to make it up to him later when he got more money. This snack had signaled the last of it.

Yugi brushed his hands against his tunic, watching the crowd for another few minutes. It was really busy, everyone hustling through the bazaar and haggling with shopkeepers. This city was definitely better off than most he had visited. Or at least this section of the city was. He had yet to find a city that didn't have a slum.

Something caught his eye.

It was far away, a dark purplish glow that oozed with sickness.

Looked like it was time for Yugi to get to work. The owner had just spotted Yugi sitting on their roof anyway.

Grabbing his bag and walking staff, Yugi hopped off the building into the crowd. He maneuvered through, ducking people's baskets and items. Sometimes being small worked, and sometimes it didn't. In this instance, it helped him get through quickly.

He found his way to the other side of the city, more towards the outskirts. He walked casually, then slipped behind a building to peer around the corner. He could see the tomb, a large brick building that towered over the others. Two guards stood at the entrance, looking tired and hot in the sun.

Yugi considered them for a moment, trying to decide the best way to get past them. Distraction? Sleeping spell? Flirting? Hmmm. It had been a while since he had to break into one. Maybe waiting until night was a better decision.

He looked at the dark glow coming from within, gauging the flickers of darkness that seeped from the cracks. No, if the soul was that far gone, he needed to redeem it soon else it went on a rampage.

The faintest of suggestions flitted through Yugi's head and he recognized the sender. A smile grew on his face.

"Why not? But you just volunteered yourself for the job Wing. You think you're up for it?"

Yugi felt the acceptance, as well as an amusement and skepticism from the others.

As quiet as a mouse, Yugi crept up to the still nodding off guards, careful not to alert them to his presence. When he was just a few feet from them, he stopped. Then transformed.

Yugi's whole body expanded, growing into a squat blue dragon with leathery wings and a large snout. He drew himself up to his full height, bearing his teeth, and screeched.

The guards jumped at least five feet in the air, falling over each other in shock. They yelled, throwing down their weapons and fleeing as if they couldn't leave the scene fast enough. Yugi quickly transformed back, opening the heavy door with a grunt and slipping inside. He closed it, sending him into pitch darkness.

He snapped his fingers and a ball of fire appeared in his hands, borrowing the ability from one of the monsters. He could feel them rolling in laughter.

"Haha, yes very funny but now that I think about it, not the best idea. They'll probably get someone to check out what's going on."

He could feel Wing shrug and he couldn't help rolling his eyes. He focused his eyes on the building, making his way down the corridor. The sick aura grew more powerful as he walked carefully, mindful of the traps set for tomb robbers.

Finally, he made it to the main room, flicking his finger and spreading the flame to hang in several parts of the room. They lit the final resting place, illuminating the tomb. Columns stretched to the ceiling, hieroglyphs, and treasures lining the edge, as well as the jars set aside for when the dead would need their organs again. Then he noticed it. The casket.

It was almost bubbling with the magical darkness, threatening to spill forth with an angry spirit any second.

"Are you here to free me?"

Yugi whipped his head to the side, taken off guard. Floating in the air a beautiful woman, semitransparent. She was dressed in a simple long white dress, a single thread of gold decorating her neck. Dark hair flowed behind her with blond bangs tucked behind her ears. She smiled, the expression mostly sad, but also conveying her joy at seeing him.

"Do you know what I am?" said Yugi.

"Instinctively," said the woman, looking puzzled at how she knew. "Dying turned out to be more confusing than I thought it would be."

"Well, that's Anubis for you. He just can't do things in a straightforward manner."

The woman nodded.

The calm was interrupted as the casket rattled, the monster inside growing impatient to be let out.

"Come," said Yugi, holding out his hand. The woman floated down, her translucent feet touching the stone. Delicate fingers brushed against Yugi's palm. Immediately a flash of images flitted through his mind and he gasped at the enormity of the feelings and information that swirled inside of him.

This woman, she was the late pharaoh's wife, having died over twenty years ago. She had been loved and adored by her people and her husband, charming the hearts of all she came in contact with. But as sweet as the love was, as bitter and sad the darkness that surrounded her from the grief her departure brought. A particular person filled her thoughts and regrets more than the others.

"I'm sorry for the trouble," said the woman, glistening tears falling from her face.

"Don't be," said Yugi quietly. "You didn't want to leave him. You wanted to fulfill your duty as a mother and nurture him to adulthood to take the throne. Besides." Yugi smiled at the woman before him that was beautiful both inside and out. "Take it as a compliment. Your family, friends, and people loved you so much they couldn't let you go. They held onto you in any way, unknowingly stopping you from leaving. Now a part of you will be here for them, manifested as that wish for you to stay."

The queen was too overcome to speak. Instead, he felt the gratitude flowing from her, showing her silent thanks in her eyes.

The creature groaned, filling the tomb with an eerie roar. It was time.

Yugi took her other hand, pressing his forehead against the woman's. Then he closed his eyes, slowly guiding her soul towards the light. He felt her form shimmer, slowly fading. The light shone under his eyelids, then dimmed

He opened his eyes, watching as the last of her soul spread across the casket, suppressing and changing the violent aura into a calm soft blue glow.

"Be kind to it."

"I will," said Yugi, "I'll make sure it remains as pure as your heart, never letting evil to darken its form until the day it too passes from this world."

Her presence vanished completely, leaving behind only that soft glow.

He approached the casket, raising his arms to the energy.

"Spirit, whose soul is born from grief and darkness, come forth into the light and be reborn."

Magic began to swirl, making his cloak flutter about him. The light intensified, filling the room in the blue sheen, his eyes fading into a light violet. Flecks of light trailed from them, twinkling and shining in power. A circle of magic appeared beneath his feet. Energy surged into his arms and body threatening at any second to overwhelm him. He pressed forward, controlling and guiding the power.

"I, Yugi Muto, Hikari and embassy of Anubis, command you to manifest yourself and bind yourself to me. Awaken spirit! And dwell in darkness no more."

Light flooded the room, blinding Yugi completely. He kept his eyes open, no matter how much they watered, allowing the spots to slowly leave. Eventually, they faded, showing him the spirit that had appeared.

It was a tall humanoid with blue skin and pointed ears. Her eyes were closed, a serene expression of peace on her face. She was clothed in a long green dress, dwarfing Yugi by a good three feet. On her brow rested a large white crown, long blonde hair reaching past her back.

"Hello," said Yugi smiling at the monster as the power faded from him. "My name is Yugi Muto, what's yours?"

The monster didn't answer, instead clasping its hand together and shying away from Yugi. It was almost comical to see the giant shrink back from someone as small as him.

"I don't know why you even ask anymore," said a grumpy transparent figure on Yugi's right. "You're just going to give them their name anyway."

Yugi eyed the other humanoid dressed in green and brown armor. He wore his usual frown, twin purple marks lining under his eyes.

"Don't be a grump," said another on Yugi's other side. This one had long silver hair that covered one eye, a white robe and hat decorating its person. "At least we have another roommate to talk to. Unless you've learned to speak dragon, I could use another female to converse with."

"Assuming this one talks. It has yet to say anything yet."

"That's because you won't shut up."

"Mystical Elf!" said Yugi, making the others go silent. He smiled at the monster, the humanoid perking up slightly. "I'm assuming you like the name? Alright. It's official. You are Mystical Elf, but I'll call you Mysti for short. Want to meet the gang?"

Mystical Elf smiled, nodding her head slowly at Yugi.

The meeting, however, was cut short by a group of voices that weren't coming from Yugi's head.

Crap. It looked like the guards had gotten someone. Since when did people go into tombs? Oh right, he did.

Yugi frantically looked for somewhere to hide. If he was found in here, he would probably be slowly tortured and killed, no matter what his excuse. If only he had a monster with an invisibility spell. That would have come in handy. The only real place to hide was behind the casket. Or in it.

He sprinted towards it, diving behind it and snuffing out the magical lights he had created. A few seconds later, he heard the door to the room open and the sound of voices.

"I swear I saw light coming from here."

"I'm sure you did."

"Don't patronize me, Marik. My patience is very thin right now and I'd rather not have to explain to the council why your dead body joined this tomb."

"Ohhh, so scary. I'd like to see you try and take me, Priest."

"You-"

"Shut up." Said a new voice, this one deep and masculine. "Do you not feel that?"

Yugi held his breath, noticing the dim light moving as someone walked towards the casket.

"By the gods," whispered one of the voices. "Her Ka. It's been purged. But how?"

"Must have been that monster the guards told us about," said the voice, and Yugi could hear it walking closer to him. It lowered an octave, growing in anger. "I just hope it didn't devour her Ka. I'll rip it apart if it did."

Yugi glanced at the monsters that were still out around him, watching the people that had walked in with interest. Most humans couldn't sense or see them, so they could watch the new arrivals without risk of being seen.

"They know," said Silent Magician, folding her arms. "They have powerful magic master. I think one might be a wielder of a millennium item. They might even feel us with you if they concentrated hard enough."

"Are they coming?" plead Yugi silently.

His question was answered a second later as he heard the feet step closer. Throwing caution to the wind, he reached for Kuriboh, transforming into the small brown puffball. A second later, someone stepped around the end.

It took them a second before they noticed Yugi. When they did, he found angled red eyes boring into his. The man was dripping in jewelry, a gold crown with the eye of Horus resting on his forehead. He wore a dark purple cape, one of his bejeweled hands holding up a torch.

There was something in his stature that commanded strength, that willed others to look at him with respect. It was then that Yugi noticed the upside-down pyramid resting from a strap around his neck. Yugi could feel the energy coming from the item and his guess solidified. He was looking at the current ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh Atem, the son of the woman he had just helped pass to the afterlife.

"What is this?" said Atem, eyes narrowing at Yugi. "A little fuzzball?"

Yugi felt Kuriboh huff in annoyance, the action manifesting in Yugi as well. The monster had always had less control over their bond than the others. It was hard for him to surrender to Yugi, letting him take complete control.

Atem raised an eyebrow, evidently amused by the response. "Don't be upset, if you look like a fuzzball then don't take insult when someone describes you as thus."

Yugi had to quickly calm Kuriboh before it launched himself at Atem. That would not be a good idea.

"My Pharaoh, what did you find?" said one of the other voices. It too came over, and Yugi saw a tall brunet in the apparel of a priest. Anything else about the man was overshadowed by what Yugi saw. What he felt.

The man's body was outlined by a subtle ring of darkness, visible only to Yugi. How long had it been since he had seen that?

The brunet's eyes narrowed at Yugi.

"A monster? Inside the tomb? You don't think…"

"No," said Atem. "It is not my mother's Ka. I would recognize it if it was."

"Then what in damnation happened to it?" said the other voice, this one appearing as a wild looking man. He had spiky blonde hair that stuck up in the air. Yugi was shocked again, as this man also had the outlining of dark magic about him. "That energy can't have just disappeared."

"Watch your language in my mother's tomb," said Atem sharply. "I just hope that she was able to find peace."

The pharaoh's expression darkened, and Yugi grimaced, recognizing that need for comfort. He jumped into the air, floating before Atem. Holding out a green claw, he gave Atem a light pat on the head. He would never have done this in human form, but as a monster, he got away with much more.

Atem gave him a strange look. "Are you trying to comfort me little one?" he asked.

Yugi nodded his whole body, smiling with his eyes and giving a soft 'Kirii' in assent.

"Little one." Said Atem. "Do you happen to know… what happened to my mother's Ka? We knew it was going to manifest soon. Did her soul finally find rest? Or did it turn into a dark monster?"

Yugi gave another sound of assurance, projecting the positive response. Atem closed his eyes, breathing in slowly before breathing out, tension visibly leaving his body at the action.

"And what makes you think we can trust it?" said the wild looking one, eyeing Yugi with distrust.

"Marik makes a point sire." Said the brunet. "How can we trust this untethered monster? I can't sense if it has a master. Should we bring him back with us and seal him into a tablet?"

Yugi felt Kuriboh recoil, hissing at the brunet's suggestion. He barely stopped the monster from taking full control and pushing Yugi out of his hold. The brunet raised his eyebrows at the hiss, apparently unfazed.

"Don't fret Seto." Said Atem, eyeing Yugi in amusement. "I don't think it's capable of hurting anyone. Besides, I feel that I can trust it. It's been a long time since I've seen a gentle untamed monster. It's a sight for sore eyes."

"So the fuzzball isn't going to hurt anyone." said the wild one, rolling his eyes. "Can we go back now? I was in the middle of eating."

"Yes, I think we can." Said Atem, motioning at Yugi. "Let's get you out little one. I think you might have been the one that gave the guards a scare earlier."

Yugi hummed in agreement, floating beside them as they walked out of the tomb. How lucky was he? The people he thought would trap him instead graciously showing him the way out. He could feel the other monsters sigh in relief. They too would rather not fight their way out.

The group reached the outside of the tomb and Yugi spotted the guards from earlier talking to another wild-looking man with long white hair and a red robe. Yugi's eyes went wide as he noticed this man also had that dark outline.

Three people in one day, and all knowing each other. That was some crazy coincidence!

"My Pharaoh," said the newcomer glaring at Yugi, who shrunk back behind the pharaoh. That glare was intimidating. "What is that thing? It isn't your mothers Ka is it?"

"No Bakura," said Atem. "We found it inside the tomb. It might have been the thing that scared the guards, but we're not sure where it came from, nor can we understand it's speech so asking it is out of the question."

"An untethered monster? Interesting," said the one called Bakura. He nodded to the guards. "They said that they saw something like a large blue dragon. I doubt that this little thing could have been mistaken for it. Perhaps what they saw was your mothers Ka leaving the tomb?"

"I can't help but doubt that," said Atem. "I can't imagine my mother's Ka manifesting itself as a monster like that."

"Maybe it will be one of those never solved mysteries," said Bakura with a shrug. "Can we go home now? I'm hungry."

"Why are you two so obsessed with food?" said the priest.

"Because it's what keeps us alive? We can't all live off of musty books and solitude."

"Yes, we can go now," said Atem. He now spoke to Yugi. "Be careful out there little one. Don't cause trouble or else we will have to come looking for you."

Yugi made a sound, showing that he understood. Atem nodded to Yugi before walking away with his still arguing friends. Yugi quickly hurried away from the scene, flying into a secluded alleyway.

Once he was sure there were no one around, he transformed back into his human form.

"Whew! That was close!" said Yugi, placing a hand over his heart. "It's been a while since we've had that much fun."

"I wouldn't call it fun master," said Silent Magician, coming out with her arms folded. "If you had been caught we all would have suffered. Or worse. Been sealed into those tombs for all eternity. What fate is worse than that of eternal stagnation?"

"You're being dramatic," said Celtic Guardian, also coming out. "Master wouldn't have let us be caught. You know well what he is capable of with us behind him."

Silent Magician gave a huff, then seemed to notice that Yugi wasn't listening to them.

"What is it master?" she asked, kneeling beside Yugi. "Something troubles you, I can sense it."

Kuriboh manifested beside them, coming to sit on Yugi's lap and snuggling with him. Yugi smiled at the little monster, stroking its fur as it purred. Despite being translucent, Yugi could still touch them as if they were fully there.

"It's… those three," said Yugi slowly. "Seto, Bakura and Marik. They had the aura to become Yamis."

"What! All three of them?" said Silent Magician, eyes wide. What are you doing here then? Go talk to them. Try and see if they could be the one."

"I don't think they are," said Yugi. "They just… didn't feel right." He hadn't felt any sort of strong connection with them, other than the initial pull of a potential candidate. Of course, it might be that Yugi would first have to nurture a partnership with them before that bond formed, but if he was honest with himself, the one he felt a pull towards had been the pharaoh, not any of the other three. Or perhaps that was just because Atem was the pharaoh and he had that effect on people.

"Master, no disrespect," said Celtic guardian. "But you've never felt like any of the previous candidates were the one, but you've tried anyway. Why not try again? There are three of them this time. You've got three times the chance to be right."

"Maybe..."

Yugi continued to stroke Kuriboh, thinking. Then he noticed a new addition to the group manifest, Mystical Elf coming to kneel in front of Yugi.

"I believe those three are worth the chance," said Mystical Elf, her voice calm, soft, like a cool breeze on a hot day. It immediately made Yugi's heart soften, knowing she only wanted what was best for him. "I guarantee that the journey will not be a fruitless one master, even if they do not turn out to be your Yami. I believe that you should try."

Yugi chewed on her words for a moment, thinking. It had been a long time since he had tried to find a Yami, the other half to his Hikari self, and if he was being honest, he was starting to push his limit. He was lucky that Mysti had come from a kind soul.

He was also a little worried about what they had said regarding tablets. Were they again becoming too flippant with their millennium items? Was it time again for a Hikari to come and set the nobility straight in regards to their millennium items? The truth was, Yugi didn't know. He didn't know the situation in the castle. He had woefully neglected that part of his duty while being overwhelmed leading spirits to the afterlife.

"Alright." Said Yugi finally, his words making the others light up. "Let's get myself a Yami."

Remember my friends, we authors feed off of reviews. They are the only payment we ask for in exchange for our time to write this. It's kind of like those pay for what you think it's worth type of thing.

Ka: Ancient Egypt believed the soul consisted of nine different parts. The Ka is defined as one's double form. I'm taking artistic license to mess with this definition a little. You'll learn more about it as the story progresses.

Thanks for reading!