Title: A Simple Game

Author: Junko the Lost

Category: Drama

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or chess

Yami Bakura was having a nightmare. That was all it was. It had the same disjointedness of a nightmare, and he had certainly had enough nightmares over the last three thousand years to be able to spot one when it came up.

But somehow it felt oddly realistic as he wandered the endless passages of Yami's soul room. The maze wasn't too confusing if you thought about it the way a pharaoh would. At the very top were the most important rooms, and the rest of the rooms were less important and mainly meant to confuse enemies as were the inverted staircases and doorways.

He finally came to the exit. Pushing open the door, he found himself in a hallway. Across the hall was another door. Must be Yuugi's room, he thought. He pulled open the door, half expecting it to be like a child's room, full of toys and playthings.

He was shocked to find that the room looked empty. It was pitch black expect for a light at a far end that shined on a figure, supposedly Yuugi, sitting in a throne-like chair.

"Come in, Yami no Bakura," came Yuugi's voice from out of the inky darkness. When he hesitated, that amplified voice laughed. "What, you have the nerve to invade my Yami, the Pharaoh of Egypt's soul room, but you're afraid of little old me. How adorable! Please, my friend, step forth." An odd emphasis was placed on the word friend, as if mocking its meaning. But Yami Bakura was never one to back down from a challenge, so he stepped into that drowning darkness.

The instant he stepped into the shadows, another throne materialized out of them, this one in front of him. Yuugi giggled. "Good job, Theif King, you've passed the first test. Now, take a seat," the voice was soft, but the words sounded harsh, as if they should be said by a much more intimidating voice.

Yami Bakura did as he was told. The moment he did, lights came on around the soul room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, he gasped. For between him and Yuugi, lay a giant chess board. The pieces were life size and stood in perfectly straight rows. Yuugi was on the white side, and he was black.

"I see you've noticed the decorations of my room." Yami Bakura couldn't help but nod. "I grew bored with Duel Monsters after a short while, so I challenged my Yami to a game of chess. We've been playing for quite some time. You are familiar with the game of chess?"

"Yes, Ryou taught me," Yami Bakura answered, speaking to Yuugi for the first time.

"Ah, yes, your sweet hikari. So naïve, but besides, this game of chess is slightly different. This game of chess is affected by events in the real world and affects events in the real world." The distant figure of Yuugi got up off his throne. He walked onto the board, striding between the pieces. He stopped before a pawn. Gently, he ran a hand along the smooth white surface.

The stone moved like it was alive, shifting and moving until Yami Bakura could make out the figure's face. It was Malik.

"Surely you heard that last week Malik committed suicide," Yuugi said with a slight giggle in his voice. He flicked his wrist in the general direction of Yami Bakura. The Malik figure began striding towards Bakura as Yuugi once again sat on his throne.

The Malik figure stopped before the black row of pawns started, and for one second he though he saw it cry. With one sweep, the pawn to the diagonal of Malik crushed him and moved among the rubble to replace him. The broken pieces faded into the board until nothing was left.

"And then, of course, Yami no Mariku tried to kill Mokuba, but then Seto tried to stop him. And now, Yami no Mariku is in jail having killed the both of them." The board began to shift, pieces changed faces. A black rook became Yami no Mariku and a white Bishop became Mokuba as well as a white Knight became Seto. Pawns moved as Mariku moved to attack Mokuba and Seto moved in his path only to be crushed by Mariku and him killing Mokuba anyway. Mariku ended up being blocked in by pawns, if he moved any way he'd be taken.

Once the movement stopped, Yuugi laughed, high and false and completely unlike anything he expected to hear from Yuugi. "What are you doing, Yuugi?" he asked, hiding the slight fear in his voice. It's just a nightmare, he kept telling himself. This isn't really happening.

"Just now beginning to understand, Yami no Bakura? I suppose it's only to be expected but I would have hoped you'd have caught on sooner. But it has the same result, anyway. My Yami and I hold all the pieces, Thief King, and there is no way you can beat us."

"Where is your Yami?"

"Probably trying to manipulate my Knight, the lovely Jounouchi," with another flick of that dainty wrist, the white Knight became Jouno.

"What are you trying to prove Yuugi?" he asked, voice rising a few notes as he went into a slight panic mode.

Yuugi waggled a finger, "No, no, no, dearest Thief King, you cannot merely go asking whatever you wish of your ruler." With those words the white king became Yuugi and the black king became Yami. "But I suppose while we're waiting for the events of the night to unfold, you can try to play a few moves with me. Tell me, Yami no Bakura, what would you do if you were in my dearest Yami's position?"

Yami Bakura gulped, he didn't fully understand the concept of chess yet, he'd only played a couple of games with Ryou. Though, if this was a dream, he had nothing to lose. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Black knight moves to check white king."

With those words, the black knight began to move, and as he moved, his face changed. When he at last stopped near the white king, Yami Bakura gasped, the black knight, was him.

Yuugi laughed long and loud and piercing. "Now you understand, do you? You are merely a pawn, or should I say, a knight?" Yuugi laughed even louder at his own joke. "Though by taking such a brave move, you are threatening your superior's life." Standing, Yuugi came to stand near the white Bishop he had left. "It's so sad to lose such a delightful pawn, but you chose wrong, Yami no Bakura, and I will protect myself in anyway necessary." He touched the Bishop softly.

The metamorphosis was slow this time, but once it was done, Yami Bakura couldn't help but be surprised. It was Ryou.

He gave that small wrist flick that Yami Bakura had come to dread. Ryou's piece moved closer to Yami Bakura, lifting his staff. And just as Ryou became close enough for the final blow . . .

He awoke, sitting up in his bed. He gasped, letting the fear slide out of him.

"Thank Ra, it was only a nightmare," he muttered. He got out of bed and left to go to the bathroom, but he didn't expect Ryou to be waiting outside his room with a knife.

"Bishop takes knight."

End