What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter for Yugioh: Shadow War. Sorry for putting this story on hold for so long but I'm slowly getting back into it. I hope you enjoyed the last one because you'll like this one even better. Here are a few reviews that I'll answer from a few readers.

delta2177: Thank you for the praise.

Kaiser Dragon: Sailor Moon is not my thing. Sorry, but it's a big fat no.

Thunder Dragon: Excellent suggestion for the dueling element of the story, I will use that for this chapter. Also, sorry to say, but I can't do your crossover idea. Mainly because I don't know shit about Koihime Musou. Also, how I explain the fundamentals of Shadow Magic will be left up to me. Not anyone else.

Guest: No. No JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Don't like it.

MaxHD2490: I already know who the El Dorado Berserker is. The reason I know is that I looked it up on the wiki.

Fall2Glory: It could be. You just have to wait and see.

KR Chrome: The how is because of the Grail. It tapped into his genetic ancestry and summoned Servants that were close to his Egyptian and Asian heritage. And yes, they will help him as his familiars.

Joaco14jc: I have considered that, along with giving the big bad a deck composed of new cards (which I won't spoil).

: Gracias

Now for the disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or the Fate series. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!

Yugioh: Shadow War

Chapter 6: Enforcing New Rules

(Begin Trump Card by cinema staff)

(Saa ima da, kazeseyo kirifuda) The screen opens to reveal a bright light as blue, green, and white colors stream by like a vortex before a human hand outstretched towards the light

(Kono mirai wa kimi no mono sa!) The owner of the hand turns out to be Yugi as he brings up a card then slaps it onto his Duel Disk; a bright light covering the entirety of the screen

(Instruments) The camera shifts to images of Yugi, Shirou, Rin, and Sakura with outlines of Ruler, Saber, Archer, and Rider appearing in front of them while the title appears before it disappears in a burst of light

(Giragira moeteru) Cuts to a pair of violet eyes opening

(Samenai yume de mo miteiru you ni) Yugi sits up as he looks upon the sky to see Slifer the Sky Dragon soars over him

(Karada ga motomeru) Cuts to Shirou walking through town in his school uniform

(Tsuyoi yatsu ga iru basho wo) The auburn-haired teen looks back with a smile as Sakura Matou approaches him with a small blush and her own smile

(Kurakura yureteru) Cuts to Rin in her workshop experimenting on a new jewel

(Tashikana mono nado koko ni wa nai kara) Archer materializes behind her, scaring the girl just as the jewel explodes, sending a cloud of smoke in her face as she glared at her Servant

(Tadatada motomeru) Cuts to Saber, Taiga, Sakura, and Shirou enjoying a meal

(Chikara no afureru basho wo) Saber holds out her bowl to Shirou asking for seconds while Taiga blanches in shock

(Tsugi no tatakai ga boku wo matteru) The screen shifts to show the shadowed outlines of the other Servants with each of their eyes glowing

(Atarashii hibi no aizu ga kikoeru) Shows a figure clad in a black cloak with glowing blood-red eyes appearing to the side as a wicked grin appears on their face while Yugi, Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and Illya glare at the figure

(Saa ima da, kazeseyo kirifuda) Cuts to Yugi slapping a card on his Duel Disk, summoning Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Red-eyes Black Dragon by his side

(Kono mirai wa kimi no mono sa!) Cuts to Shirou placing a card on his own Duel Disk as Legendary Hero - Excalibur emerges, flying high in the sky

(Sono egao de sekai wo yuraseba) Shifts to Rin slapping a card of her own on her Duel Disk, summoning Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond, whose eyes flash as stars appear around her

(Sono ato wa jibun shidai dayo) Cuts to Sakura and Illya back-to-back before shifting to two monsters: Lunalight Leo Dancer and Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn

(Egaki da se, sono monogatari wo) Cuts to Ryu summoning Ebon High Magician while Yugi calls upon Black Luster Soldier

(Kimi koso ga shujinkou darou?) Both the Magician and Black Luster Soldier attack each other as the monsters clash their weapons against the other, engulfing the screen in a bright light

(Instruments) The camera shifts to a freeze-frame revealing Yugi, Shirou, Rin, Sakura, Ryu, Ruler, Saber, Archer, Rider, and Lancer staring up into the sky

(End of Opening)

Emiya Residence

Yugi, Ruler, Saber, and Shirou sat on one side of the table while the other side consisted of the 'Servants' that were summoned to serve under Yugi Muto.

"So… you're my familiars?" Yugi inquired.

"Yep," Nitocris answered with a smile.

"But you're also Servants?"

"Correct." Musashi nodded.

"How does that work?" The King of Games wondered, rubbing his head in confusion. Magic was always confusing for him.

"The Grail noticed that your life had been in danger countless times so it dug into your genetic history, which in turn, summoned us." Nobunaga clarified.

"Wait…" Yugi's eyes looked at each of the Heroic Spirits in shock. "So you're my ancestors!?"

"To a scale, yes." The Egyptian King nodded with a grin. "Though, you have many ancestors that are Heroic Spirits, my Pharoah."

"This is hurting my head…" Shirou groaned.

"Understandable."

"What exactly are you doing?" Saber inquired.

"Protecting our Master, of course," Nobunaga replied with a cheeky grin.

Ruler furrowed her brow in suspicion, "I find that hard to believe that the Grail would be generous enough to summon familiars for my Master."

Cleopatra shrugged, "Believe what you wish but we've been summoned and recognize Yugi Muto as our own Master."

"Come on, let's not fight," Yugi interjected, trying to keep the Heroic Spirits from killing each other.

"Goshujin-sama, is this your wife?" Suzuka Gomen asked, puffing her cheeks a little.

Yugi and Ruler both blushed immensely. "W-We're not like that!?" They denied.

"Oh, that is just so cute! You two definitely like each other." Cleopatra squealed with glee.

Ozymandias grinned mirthlessly. "Well, a Pharaoh must have his queen."

"You guys aren't listening to me!" The King of Games whined.

Saber tilted her head in confusion. "Are we going to eat soon?"

Fuyuki Outskirts

Ryu and Lancer stood in front of a broken-down shed.

"Why are we here?" The blue-garbed spearman asked his Master.

"We're here to find someone." The brunette replied.

"Who?" Lancer raised a brow.

With a smirk, Ryu kicked the door to the shed down, revealing a puddle of blood that surrounded a still-warm body. The body in question looked to be a young woman in her early twenties with red hair, a mole on her lovely face and wore a two-piece black suit with a dark necktie. There was also the fact that she was missing her left arm.

"Bazett!?" The Hound of Culann exclaimed in surprise. "But how…?"

"I came across her when I first came into this timeline. A sort of Thaumaturgy was placed on her that kept her condition stable. However, she's still lost quite a lot of blood. She needs to go to the hospital." Ryu stated.

Lancer frowned. There was something about his new Master that he wasn't telling him. Regardless, he can't really argue Ryu's suggestion. With a gentleness he reserves only for women, the blue-garbed spearman carries the unconscious woman in his arms in a bridal carry.

"Hold her still. She's unconscious now but I want to be sure in case she starts screaming in pain. If I do this incorrectly, it could kill her." The brunette told his Servant then started channeling prana into his palms. He directs his hands over the redhead's bloody stump then begins his healing process.

The Heroic Spirit watched as his Master performed a quick medical analysis on his first Master. His crimson eyes looked intently at a white-hot aura coating the stump. Thankfully, Bazett didn't even react to it. In fact, she still seemed to be fast asleep as evident by her rising chest.

"There, that should keep the bleeding in check. Now let's get to the hospital." Ryu stated, leading his Servant out of the shed then brought out a card. "Come forth, Assault Wyvern!" At his command, a navy blue wyvern with silvery-white wings, a long black tail with a bladed tip and dual-bladed edges, glowing cyan heart stones, and yellow eyes appeared out of thin air. The wyvern lowered itself for its master, allowing the duelist, his Servant, and their passenger onto its back. "Better hang on, this guy is fast."

"Don't worry about me. I'm not a Rider, but I know my way around a steed." Lancer replied with a cocky grin.

"That's why I love your optimism, Lancer." Ryu chuckled as Assault Wyvern released a brief roar then took off into the air in the direction of the hospital.

Emiya Residence - The Next Day

Yugi sat up from his guest given sleeping mat, releasing a yawn as the morning light struck him. "Time for breakfast…" He groans.

"Goshujin-sama, come back to bed~" The boy feels a pair of slender arms wrap around his neck, causing the boy to freeze in place. Looking back ever so slowly, his violet eyes met with… the nude figure of Suzuka Gomen.

Now normally, any teenage boy wrapped up in the arms of a beautiful girl would make them happy.

In Yugi's case…

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His girlish screams awakened the rest of the neighbors around the Emiya household.

The door to Yugi's guest room is snapped open, revealing Shirou, Saber, and Ruler at the ready.

"What is it!?" Shirou exclaimed.

"An enemy Servant?!" Saber demanded.

"Master Yugi?!" Ruler cried out in distress.

The three of them froze when they witnessed Suzuka rubbing her cheek against Yugi's; not even caring that she was nude as a newborn baby. She wasn't the only one there either. Sleeping next to the boy's mattress were Nobunaga Oda, Cleopatra, Nitocris, and Musashi Miyamoto dressed in nightgowns that showcased more skin than the eye could see.

"Help…" The King of Games squeaked, feeling Suzuka's breasts pressing against his arm.

The Master of Saber and his Servant looked at the sight with septic expressions while Ruler looked at the interaction between the fox-eared Heroic Spirit and her Master with an envious look on her delicate face.

One Explanation Later…

Suzuka pouts as Ruler scolds her like a mother with their child. Yugi, after a calm drink of water, sat down at the dining table. "Let's never speak of that event… ever…" He pleaded.

"What event?" Saber inquired, already forgetting about that lewd predicament.

Shirou fake coughed into his hand, getting the attention of everyone present. "Okay, let's set some ground rules from now on. As of now, boys and girls cannot sleep in the same room, no matter if they're a Heroic Spirit or not." He emphasized the last part by directing a look to Suzuka, who sticks her tongue out at the redhead only to stop when Ruler flicks her on the forehead.

"How about we explain how we're supposed to do this?" Yugi inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm a mediator, right?" The King of Games pointed out. Receiving nods from both Saber and her Master. "So… I can technically make new rules for the Grail War, correct?"

Ruler rubbed her chin. "That is true. Despite the Holy Grail War being a battle between mages, it's still technically a contest."

"Oh, I see what you mean!" Shirou replied, slightly hitting the palm of his left hand with his right fist in realization. "You could make rules that don't affect the populace or even keep Servants from doing something drastic."

"That's the general gist of it, yes," Yugi nods with a grin then looks down at his duel disk. "And I think I know just what to do…"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ozymandias asked, yawning as he marched out of the hallway, dressed in a pair of black pajama pants.

"Did you seriously just wake up and notice us talking?!" Shirou exclaimed, noticing the ancient Egyptian king stumble in with his eyes still closed.

"Yes," Ozymandias replied sleepily.

"For such a great king of the past, you're pretty lazy," Yugi said dryly.

The dark-skinned man shrugged. "Meh, this is the first time in forever when I'm not hounded by servants or slaves."

"Don't say that word." Saber furrowed her delicate brows at the man.

"What, 'slaves'?" Ozymandias blinked.

"Yes, stop saying that." The Servant growled. "It is insufferable!"

"Geez, don't get your panties twisted up." The Egyptian King huffed, sitting down at the dining table while Saber glares daggers at the man. "Besides, my time is long and gone. While I'm interested in ruling this era, I don't have the resources to do it."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"Since we've been summoned as your familiars, we have to be mindful of how we use our prana reserves," Cleopatra explained. "If we were to use our Noble Phantasms all at the same time, you would most assuredly die from the strain."

The King of Games gulped loudly.

"But that would also eliminate our chances of remaining in physical form." Nobunaga shrugged with a childish grin.

"So… you could die?" Yugi asked apprehensively.

"Not so much as die, we just fade away back into the Throne of Heroes," Ozymandias replied while downing a glass of milk.

"Oh…" Yugi looked down with a sad look.

"Is something wrong, young Pharaoh?" Nitocris asked the spiky-haired boy in concern.

"No, I'm good." The King of Games replied with a grin, hiding his sadness from everyone. "Just feeling a little under the weather."

Ruler looked to her Master with a frown. The boy could not fool her eyes, she's seen how depressed he had been, but could never discern what the cause could've been. Did her own Master not trust her to confide in her with his problems?

The thought alone actually… hurt.

Yugi shook his head, focusing back on the matter at hand. "Anyways, I've got an idea so that Masters don't get killed by Servants or other Masters. And Duel Monsters is the perfect excuse for it."

Shirou's face brightened to the point it could blind a person. "Yugi, that's an excellent idea!"

"I concur." Saber nodded in agreement with her Master.

Ruler grimaced. Somewhere along the line, she could feel a great unease that made her almost shiver in discomfort.

Fuyuki Church - Two Hours Later

Yugi enters the church grounds with Ruler and his Heroic familiars awaiting him outside. "Father Kotomine, I've returned." He called out, his voice echoing in the great hall of the chapel.

The dark-eyed priest, whose back was turned to the King of Games, turned on his heel to glance at the boy. A smirk appeared on his face that didn't match the look in his eyes. "Welcome, Master of Ruler. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"I would like to request a new set of rules to be written for the remainder of this Grail War," Yugi suggested.

Kirei inclined a brow upward in interest. "Oh? And what rules would they be?"

"First, please send out a message to all of the Masters and their Servants. Tell them to come to the chapel under a sign of neutrality and peace." The purple-eyed teen spoke up.

The priest looked at Yugi for several seconds… before nodding. "Very well. If those are the wishes of the mediator then I shall abide by them. I will send out familiars to each of the Masters and their Servants, informing them to meet at the church and put the Holy Grail War on hold."

"Thank you." Yugi bowed politely.

"In the meantime, you're free to stay here until the other Masters arrive." Kirei offered.

The King of Games nodded. "Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense," Kotomine stated. "The house of the Lord is free to all of His children."

"Thank you, sir," Yugi nodded his thanks.

A few hours after the message had been sent to all of the Masters and their Servants, the only ones to physically arrive were Shirou, Rin, Ryu, Illya, Saber, Archer, Lancer, and Berserker.

Ruler stood by her Master's side, keeping a wary gaze upon all of the participants and preparing herself in case they ignored the rules to attack their opponents.

Yugi watched those that arrived with a nervous grin. Saber was glaring viciously at Berserker while Lancer scowled at Archer, who merely smirked tauntingly at the spearman. Shirou and Rin kept their distance from the Einzbern Master, who merely sat on a bench while kicking her feet. The only one who didn't seem to be bothered was Ryu, who lazily leaned against a pillar with his arms folded across his chest.

Kirei Kotomine stepped forth, looking upon all the Masters and Servants with his smirk. "It seems Caster, Rider, and Assassin have yet to arrive."

The King of Games was a little disheartened. Despite the bloody death game, he still wanted to meet the other Heroic Spirits. Maybe try and be friends with them. His own Servant along with those that he accidentally summoned seemed like nice people.

Ruler placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, drawing his attention to her warm purple eyes. "Master, Rider approaches."

Before he could comment on what she meant, the doors opened to reveal a tall, buxom woman in a black and purple toga, black arm sleeves, and thigh-length boots. She had extremely long lavender hair and her eyes were covered by a sort of half-mask. On her forehead was a strange tattoo that Yugi couldn't discern.

Overall, she was quite a beauty. No doubt in Yugi's mind that this woman was definitely the Servant Rider. And he could feel it. The dangerous presence that usually associates with a powerful spirit from the other world.

Unfortunately, Rider's Master didn't seem to be present, save for what looked like a flying worm familiar.

"Are you Rider?" Yugi asked politely.

"Yes," The Heroic Spirit nodded at the boy.

'Okay, not much of a conversationalist.' Yugi thought with an awkward smile.

"You are the Master of Ruler," Rider spoke, shaking Yugi from his thoughts. "...you are too nice for this war."

"Eh?" The King of Games felt his cheeks flush pink when he noticed the slight undertone of concern in the woman's voice. "Um, thanks, I guess?"

Ruler glared at the Rider Servant for even thinking of getting a reaction out of her Yugi.

…'Wait, my Yugi?' Ruler thought with her cheeks colored a pretty pink.

"In any case, it would seem Caster and Assassin will not be showing up for the meeting," Kirei stated. This earned him looks from Master and Servant alike. "Yugi-kun, would you like to explain the reason for this temporary pause in the Grail War?"

Yugi felt his cheeks burn when all the attention was centered on him. 'Oh man, what should I say?' He thought to himself.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder as Yugi looked back to see Ruler smiling at him with confidence.

With resolve in his heart, Yugi faced the gathered Masters and Servants then spoke, "Hello, everyone. My name is Yugi Muto. I'm the Master of Ruler and, as such, am a mediator for this Grail War."

The Masters tensed, wondering what the spiky-haired boy wanted to say.

"As you know, the Grail War is supposed to be a battle royal between Masters and Servants, but it has come to my attention that civilians get caught up in the violence by mistake and are-" Yugi frowned with a hint of disgust. "...sentenced to death for a mistake."

"What about it?" Illya asked, far too innocently while glaring at Shirou, who wisely looked away.

"From now on, all participants of the Holy Grail War are forbidden from harming people." Yugi declared, surprising and shocking all those present. "I don't care what your reasons are but if you hurt innocent people to gain power then I won't hesitate to take you down."

"Whoa, the kid's got some balls," Lancer said with a small whistle of amusement while Saber, Archer, and Rider nodded in agreement. Berserker just stood still like a statue.

"Anything else you'd like to add?" Kirei asked the boy.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded as he reached in his deck holster and brought out his Deck. "Servants are forbidden from killing Masters. This goes to the Masters as well. You cannot kill each other. From now on, you settle things between each other with a Duel using Duel Monsters."

"You want us… to fight each other with a card game?" Rin looked at the King of Games like he had grown a second head.

"Well, Servants are free to fight each other however they like but if a Master encounters a Servant then they must Duel. If the winner of the Duel is a Master then they are granted immunity for an hour from being attacked. If a Servant is the winner then the Master has to reveal one piece of information about their own Servant." Yugi explained.

"Are you out of your mind! Who would agree to that!?" Rin exclaimed.

"It's only fair," Yugi admitted with a nervous look on his face. "Naturally, if two Masters engage in a Duel and one of them wins then the loser has to forfeit one Command Seal while the winner gains a Command Seal."

This caught the interest of all the Masters and Servants present.

Kotomine, especially, looked surprised. "Oh? That's quite a bold move, Muto-kun."

"Well, it was the only thing I could think of. Oh!" Yugi said with a bright smile. "And the players have to ante up their rarest card."

"So, you've turned the Holy Grail War into a Battle City Tournament." Ryu theorized.

"Yep," The King of Games replied with a nod.

The gathered Masters and Servants glanced at one another. A silent conversation being spoken between them before they all looked at Yugi.

"I don't mind the rules." Shirou agreed with a grin.

"I concur with my Master," Saber added.

"Fine, but I'm not gonna lose to anybody even if we do have to use trading cards," Rin said in a typical tsundere fashion.

Archer hummed in agreement with his Master.

Ryu smirked along with his Servant, "I think me and Lancer can both agree that we're definitely fine with these rules."

Rider was silent for a few seconds before she nodded firmly, "My Master agrees to these terms." She said to Yugi.

Illya puffed her chest, "Fine by me! I'll definitely be the one who beats all of you! My Berserker and I are unbeatable!" She boasted, much to the annoyance of Rin, who looked ready to blast a Gandr curse right at the little fairy girl.

Kirei nodded, "I shall send a familiar to inform the Masters of Caster and Assassin about these new rules. I look forward to seeing who comes out as the victor." He said with a grin.

Yugi nodded in agreement. The battlefield had now been changed and the rules of combat altered as the Holy Grail War had now been transformed into the Holy Battle City Grail War.

[Later…]

After the meeting ended and the Masters left with their Servants, Yugi along with Ruler had gone back to the Emiya Residence to get some rest.

"I must say, Yugi, I'm surprised that all of the Masters and their Servants agreed to your rules." Ruler admitted.

"Me too, Ruler," Yugi agreed with a sheepish grin. "Truthfully, I thought everyone would try to kill each other. I'm just thankful they listened to me."

"Still, that doesn't mean you will be exempt from the battle just because you're a mediator. Masters and Servants will try to battle you for your rarest card and a Command Seal." The beautiful woman pointed out.

Yugi chuckled, "I know but I can't help but feel a bit excited too. Even though this is a death game, it would be pretty fun to Duel against new duelists with cards I haven't seen before like Lancer's Xyz Summoning."

Ruler frowned. She felt worried that her Master was treating this Grail War like another game. Like the Battle City Tournament that he mentioned before in his stories. He didn't seem to be new to death, he just seemed… like he hated it yet accepted it all the same.

"Ruler? Is something wrong?" Yugi asked, snapping the blonde girl out of her thoughts.

"Oh, forgive me." She smiled reassuringly at her Master. "I was distracted. I hope you'll be safe during this war."

"Relax, Ruler. I've faced plenty of situations where I was in danger. This will be no different." He said with confidence.

"I hope you're right…" Ruler muttered, feeling uneasy about the coming day.

[Kotomine Church]

"Well now, Yugi-kun has certainly done quite an impressive feat," Kirei said with a smirk.

His companion, a golden-haired man dressed in fine clothes was lounging on a couch with a glass of wine in his right hand. "Hm, the mongrel does have a way with words. I find myself fascinated with this concept of Duel Monsters. I'm tempted to try my hand at this as well."

"Oh?" The priest looked at the blonde man with an incline of his brow.

"Do not misunderstand me, Kirei. This childish game is said to exist over five thousand years ago. A king such as I would find it meaningless but hearing this talk of a King of Games has me quite disappointed, especially considering that little mongrel holds such a title and is rumored to be a master at the game."

"So you wish to take his title?" He inquired.

"Hm, in a manner of speaking. However, I don't believe the mongrels have earned the right to face the One True King as of yet. I will wait until the competition has lowered before I make my move." The blonde stated.

"Well, I intend to witness these events and the progress of Yugi-kun. Though, I am disappointed that Lancer was stolen from me by an outsider." Kirei said with a smirk though he didn't seem quite torn about it. "Then again, I'm not one to talk. I did steal him from his original Master."

"The dog was merely a means to an end. Whether he was our pawn or not, he will still be a sacrifice in the end for the Grail."

Kirei chuckled, "Fair enough. What will you be doing in the meantime?" He asked.

"I will be looking into information about this Yugi Muto as well as what sort of opposition I will be facing, especially if he is to be my adversary in this war."

"I believe I know someone who can acquire videos of young Yugi-kun's duels from Duelist Kingdom and Battle City Tournament." Kirei offered.

"Good, I will enjoy this show for as long as possible and soon… I will have my prize." The blonde man smirked as his thoughts drifted to a blue-garbed swordswoman.

[The Next Day]

After a good night's rest, Yugi had decided to explore the city of Fuyuki in order to get a feel of normalcy for once in his whole life in this city.

Unfortunately, Ruler, as well as Yugi's Heroic Spirit familiars, wanted to follow him to keep him safe but the young King of Games managed to sway them from their persistence in guarding him. After all, it wasn't like any Masters or their Servants were going to attack, especially with the new rules that he enforced.

"Still… I hope they aren't too upset about it." Yugi said to himself.

"Do not fret, Master. I am sure they will understand. It's not the first time you've been in danger before but just know that we will always be with you." The voice of the Winged Dragon of Ra spoke to the duelist.

Yugi smiled, "Thanks… I really needed to hear that." He said to one of his God cards.

The golden God Card beamed happily at her Master's praise while Slifer, Dark Magician Girl, and his other female monsters were fuming with jealousy. Obelisk, Dark Magician, and the other male monsters in Yugi's Deck could only sigh in exasperation.

Said King of Games could only sweatdrop as he felt the emotions of all his monsters. "Well, it's not like things can take a turn for the worse." He said to himself… before he bumped into someone with his eyes closed. The sudden collision knocked Yugi to the ground on his rear. "Ouch…" He groaned.

A feminine yelp could be heard in front of the boy as he opened his eyes to see… possibly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life. Though she looked older than him, possibly in her mid to late twenties, there was no denying her beauty. Her facial features made her out to be a foreigner, somewhere from the Mediterranean if Yugi were to guess. She had long pale blue hair with a few strands that were braided and barely hid her oddly knife-shaped ears (which reminded Yugi of an elf). Her eyes were a lovely shade of blue and her figure made her out to be a model. She wore a black top with a jean jacket, a long tan skirt, and a pair of thigh-length mid-heeled boots. The woman seemed to be rubbing her butt in pain.

Feeling guilty and responsible for potentially hurting her, Yugi quickly stood up and offered his hand, "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

The strange woman gave the Master a small glare before her expression changed to one of embarrassment. "Ah, forgive me. I was distracted for a moment." She said in a strangely alluring accent. She took the young man's hand as he pulled the woman up with a small grunt of effort.

Yugi raised a brow in confusion, "Distracted by what if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, well, it's silly," The elven-eared woman had a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "I've been hearing about this game called Duel Monsters and… it caught my interest but I have no idea how to play or even what to do?"

A big smile appeared on Yugi's face when he heard mention of Duel Monsters, "I could teach you!" He offered.

The woman gasped in surprise and with a strange glint in her eyes, "You will? But I wouldn't want to bother you."

"I don't mind. I like helping people enjoy games. Teaching them and showing them how to play makes it all the more fun for everybody!" The King of Games said as he sheepishly scratched his cheek with his index finger.

Before he knew it, he was suddenly brought into a hug that had him face-to-face with the woman's modest breasts. The sudden contact elicits a bright red blush on the boy's face.

"Oh, you're such a sweet boy! I wish I had a kind child like you to raise!" The woman praised with a smile of her own as she hugged the boy close to her chest. Yugi waved his arms in a comical manner to escape as the need for air became too great for him. Seeing his distress, the woman quickly released the boy, who took in a large gulp of sweet, sweet air.

"Um, thank you…" Yugi said with a nervous stutter as he shuffled around on his feet. "L-let's find a shop that sells Duel Monster cards. I'm sure we can make you a Deck that will be suited for you."

"That sounds wonderful, cutie." The woman beamed, much to Yugi's embarrassment.

"U-um…" He gulped. "P-please, call me Yugi."

"Yugi? Alright then, you may call me… Mercedes." The woman told the boy.

"O-okay, Ms. Mercedes. Let's go find a card shop." Yugi was about to turn and leave before he felt a soft hand grasp his own, much to his embarrassment. "Eh?"

"You don't mind if I hold your hand, do you? I easily get lost in huge cities." Mercedes told the King of Games while giving him a lovely smile that nearly stopped his heart.

"N-no, not at all!" Yugi sheepishly chuckled as he led the woman down the sidewalk while ignoring the looks he was getting from passing civilians.

All the while, he didn't notice the woman's warm smile… growing increasingly sinister.

[Fuyuki General Hospital]

A pair of reddish-brown eyes weakly opened to the sight of an unfamiliar white ceiling.

"Where… am I?" A mature feminine voice spoke.

"You're in the hospital. I found you half-dead in a shed." A masculine voice spoke to the owner of the eyes.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz turned her gaze to the source to find a brown-haired young man sitting in a chair beside her hospital bed.

"Who are you?" She asked warily.

"My name is Ryu. I'm the guy who saved your life." He said with a smirk and a wink.

Bazett mentally groaned at the poor attempt at flirting and resisted the urge to roll her eyes before she settled on looking at her savior. "What happened to me?" She asked.

"I could explain that… but I think there's someone here who would like to have a word with you. Lancer?" Ryu spoke, drawing the woman's attention towards the astralizing form of her former Servant, the Hound of Ulster himself.

"Lancer!?" Bazett exclaimed in both shock and relief.

"How's it going, little lady?" Lancer greeted his former Master with a brief smile on his face.

"But how… Kotomine-"

Ryu interjected, "Is no longer a problem for you. I managed to snag Lancer from that priest's grip and he is now my Servant."

"And how do you know about Servants? Or about the Holy Grail War as well?" The redhead wondered.

"You could say that history has been one of my favorite pastimes…" Ryu answered.

Bazett had a feeling that she and this boy were going to be having a rather long and tedious conversation for the next few minutes…

LINE BREAK

Back at the Emiya household, Shirou was going over his new Duel Monsters deck and discovered he had a variety of different Elemental HEROes and even monsters called Heroic Champions. He smiled at each picture of the heroes since they reminded him of those old comic books that his father brought back from America when he was off on one of his trips.

"It's pretty weird that Ryu guy knew what I liked…" He mumbled to himself.

"Shirou, are you there?" The voice of his Servant asked.

The redhead turned towards his bedroom door, "Yeah, I'm here. Come in, Saber." He replied.

The blonde swordswoman slid the door open and entered, dressed in her civilian attire but she carried a Duel Disk and her deck with her. "Shirou, I've been going over my cards but I have yet to develop a good strategy with them. Our tag duel with Ruler and her Master was never finished so I wanted to ask if there was a way to practice?"

Shirou realized that his Servant was right. It had been so long since he actually dueled that he never got a chance to practice his skills. Saber only had experience in the few turns they had against Yugi and Ruler. Now that he thinks about it since the Holy Grail War was going to involve Duel Monsters, it would only be prudent for all the Masters and their Servants to train their dueling skills if they were to encounter each other. The Emiya boy was quite thankful to the King of Games for changing the rules because he had no doubt in his mind that he would never be able to kill a human being, even an evil one.

"Shirou?" His Servant's voice snapped him out of it.

"Uh, sorry, Saber," He apologized with a sheepish chuckle. "If you want, we can have a few practice Duels to build up our experience. We'll need it if we get into trouble with the other Masters."

"I see. Though Servants are not forbidden from engaging one another in mortal combat, we cannot attack Masters and must settle disputes in a Duel." Saber nodded as she looked at her cards. "In that case, Shirou, I challenge you to a Duel."

Shirou smirked at the lady knight, "Alright, but don't expect me to go easy on you." He warned her playfully.

"I should be telling you that," Saber retorted with a smirk of her own as she and her Master shuffled each other's Decks then returned them to their rightful owner. After taking their five cards in hand, the Master-Servant duo stared into each other's eyes then declared…

"DUEL!"

LINE BREAK

"Ugh! How could something like this cost so much!" Rin complained while carrying a shopping bag that contained two Kaiba Corp. Duel Disks within them. "I'm seriously going to get Yugi-kun back for this!"

"You agreed to it in the first place, Master," Archer pointed out in his astral form.

"I didn't realize that it would be so damn expensive…" The Tohsaka heiress grumbled. "For another matter, do you even know how to play this Duel Monsters game?"

"No, but nothing is stopping you from asking Ruler's Master for some lessons." Archer pointed out. "Think of it this way, if you ever Duel him, you can figure out his strategies and his cards."

Rin thought about and realized that her Servant had a point, "Alright, I'll ask Yugi-kun for some lessons. Hopefully, they won't be a waste of my time."

"Sure, and it's definitely not because you like him." Archer teased.

Rin's cheeks burned crimson, "I DON'T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT!?" She yelled, trying to convince her Servant.

"Keep telling yourself that, Master," Archer comments with an invisible grin. Though this Holy Grail War was different than the one he was used to, he always enjoyed teasing Rin, especially for what she used to do to him in the past.

LINE BREAK

Rider had returned to the Matou household on orders from her so-called 'Master' to scout out the other Masters and their Servants to learn about their Dueling strategies.

Honestly, the boy was an idiot…

Still, with these new rules, she couldn't go out to replenish her mana reserves. She needed an alternative source to at least keep herself stable in the physical world since her True Master wanted nothing to do with the Grail War. But maybe…

If Rider could show them that Masters would no longer be in danger of being killed by Servants then maybe they could reacquire their Command Seals and give her a proper foothold in the real world.

...Either that, or she would have to resort to acquiring mana through the transfer of bodily fluids. And she will be damned if she had to do it with that worm currently parading around as her Master.

Hmm, maybe Ruler's Master would fit the role or maybe even Saber's Master. They looked nice enough.

LINE BREAK

While the Masters and Servants prepared for the eventual Holy Grail Battle City Tournament, the shadowy figure that's been haunting the streets had been listening to the news through several familiars they had set out as scouts.

"So… Yugi Muto has convinced the contestants to battle with Duel Monsters. Perfect." They said with a wicked grin. They pulled out their own Duel Deck and stared at the cards. "It will be wonderful to test out my monsters against fresh prey."

Blood red eyes scoured over the entirety of Fuyuki City. Their eventual playground of chaos.

"And these fools for Masters and Servants shall be my guinea pigs."

A/N: Oh my god, I finally finished this chapter!

Well, now everyone in the Holy Grail War is regulated only to dueling, save for the Servants who can still kill each other.

Also, I'm still iffy on the pairings. So many potential girls for Yugi to romance or get 'tortured' via the harem route. Ooooh, so many possibilities and fun ideas!

Now I can work on the future Duels and interactions between Masters and Servants.

Review and comment on this chapter if you like. Love it, hate it, but just know that you've read it.

Peace out, everyone!