This story is a bit PWPish, a very random and weird idea I just happened to have. It's an AU of the season zero, since it's so cool and there aren't enough stories for it. There will probably be 27 chapters, one for each episode, but there may also be more, in case I find the episodes too long to write in one chapter, or if I add some plot-fillers in.
This will be a Yami/Yuugi/Atemu love-triangle, and there will be also probably Puppyshipping and eventual Tendershipping.
Chapter one: Furious battle, Shadow Game!
As the bell rang as the sign of the end of the lunchtime, most students of Domino High headed outside with a rush – boys to play basketball or some other sports and girls to just hang out or whatever. Some girls were even planning to join the basketball game. But not one certain boy with spiky tri-coloured hair and large violet eyes. He sat still behind his desk and was building a castle out of cards on it. At the moment he seemed focused on his job and didn't seem to notice what was going on around him.
"Hey, Yuugi," one of the boys heading outside called for him. Yuugi looked up, and his castle shattered. He sighed quietly to himself, but his classmate continued: "Don't just play by yourself. Why don't you come play basketball with us for once?" he said as he span a basketball on his finger.
"No, that's alright…the team I join would just loose…"
"That's true too." The boy said as he left.
After he was alone again, Yuugi started to put his cards back together to clean his desk.
'I wonder where Yami went…' Yuugi wondered to himself after putting his cards back to a deck-form. 'Did he go with them to play?'
His eyes searched for the desk of his friend. He then noticed that there was something on Yami's desk. A golden small box.
'Rather careless of him to leave that there. Someone might steal it.' he though as he rose. 'I'll just put it back to his bag…' He was about to take the box with his hand, but someone else grabbed it before him.
Yuugi looked up, surprised. He saw a tall blonde with brown eyes. In his right hand was Yami's box that he was currently observing.
"Jounouchi-kun?" he asked softly. Jounouchi was his classmate.
"Yuugi, what are you doing here all by yourself? What is this box anyway? It has weird texture and a weird eye on it."
"It's not mine, it's Yami's. I was just putting it away so nobody would take it. So could you please give it back!" Yuugi said while jumping up to reach the box from Jounouchi, but the taller boy threw it through the air and then hopped over some desks to catch it.
"That's no way to get it Yuugi. Amun(1) will never even look at you if you keep being so soft." Yuugi turned red at his words. Almost everyone knew that he liked Yami in a more-than-friend way, but did Jounouchi have to rub it in his face too? But Jounouchi continued: "I'll guide you on how to become a man. Come on, you want this box back, right? Then come me at all your force!"
"But I hate fighting and violence!" Yuugi yelled.
"Aagh! You may not have any guts, but you sure have a loud voice!" Jounouchi said, covering his ears with his hand and the box in his other hand
"Anyway, give back Yami's box!" Yuugi exclaimed.
"That's right. Stop it Jounouchi." Came a new voice from the door of the class. There was a boy about Jounouchi's height, with pointy brown hair and green eyes. His school-uniform jacket was buttoned all the way up to his throat
"Oh, something you want?" Jounouchi said with a cheeky smirk. "First year, a student president reject, clean up member Honda-kun."
"Not a clean up member! I am a beatification member!"
Jounouchi covered his ears again, saying: "Your voice is loud too."
"It's true that I was not elected as student president, but I'm reborn as a great man, as a beatification club member…" his words died down as Jounouchi asked from Yuugi: "By the way, what's in the box?"
"I don't know myself. It's the first time I see it too."
"Aha! So it's a secret of Amun's! Let's have a look!"
"I-I don't think you should—" but Jounouchi had already taken a peek inside the box.
Before Jounouchi could say anything, Honda said: "Listen to people when they are talking!", but then Jounouchi looked in and said dully: "What the? Boring thing…"
Then, the box was then taking out of his hands by someone. This boy was similar-looking to Yuugi, but he was taller, more built, and had narrowed eyes that were a bit darker violet in shade than his.
"Amun!" Jounouchi exclaimed.
"Yami!" Yuugi smiled, while his cheeks gained a small hue of red.
"Why did you take it off my desk if it is so boring?" He asked from Jounouchi. "Besides, when you're bullying someone, the boring one is you."
"I'm not bullying!" Jounouchi said. "I'm telling Yuugi to act like a man so that he can…"
"That's enough, Jounouchi, I don't want to hear anymore. Do I make myself clear?" Yami said calmly as his eyes send a piercing look in Jounouchi's direction. Just then a girl with long purple, almost blue hair pulled in a ponytail with a yellow ribbon was about to make her way in. She looked surprised.
"Oh, Miho-chan!" Honda exclaimed.
"Sorry, I wasn't talking to you, Nosaka-san." Yami said.
"Well, you surprised me!" Miho Nosaka said. "The cafeteria lines are so long that I still haven't had lunch…"
"That's not good! I'll get some for you, Miho-chan!" Honda said to her.
"Wait, I'll come too!" Jounouchi said and they both ran out and down the hallway.
"Yuugi, here, I got you lunch." Yami said holding up a bag.
"Oh, thanks Yami." Yuugi said and took the bag. The two then sat together down on their desks, and started to eat. Miho stayed outside the class, waiting for Honda and Jounouchi return
"People always respect you Yami." Yuugi muttered, while they were eating. "Like just now."
"It's merely that I won't let anyone mess with me, and they know it."
"I'm sorry that I couldn't save your box…" Yuugi muttered lamely. Yami just laughed.
"No, that's alright. I was being careless, I'm supposed to put it away from sights after class." He said. "I haven't shown this to you before either, right?"
"Nope."
"I'll show you, if you can keep a secret."
"You know I can."
Yami chuckled, and opened the box. There were golden pieces of something inside. They sparkled prettily.
"Wow!" Yuugi exclaimed, taking a few of those pieces in his fingers. "Are these parts of some sort of artwork?"
"Actually, it's a puzzle." Yami said with a slight smile. "I haven't still finished it, so I don't even know what shape it will take."
"Eh? No way! There is a game Great Yami can't solve? I don't believe it!" Yuugi exclaimed playfully. They both laughed together.
"You know how my family originally locates from Egypt, right?" Yami asked. Yuugi nodded. "My father brought this with him when we moved here to Japan. He used to say it's 'something you can see, but have never seen before'. He gave it to me when I was around seven. Said he was palled at trying to solve it anymore. It's a family heirloom, you know."
"Wow…"
"You see how there are these hieroglyphs on this box?" Yami said, pointing at the said texture. "When I was a kid, I used to believe what my father said about them. He said this reads 'the person who solves this puzzle will have their wish granted'." Yami finished dramatically with a low, almost spooky voice. Then he threw his head back, laughing. "But of course I no longer believe that, it was rather silly thought anyway. But I'd still like to solve this puzzle."
"I'm sure." Yuugi said, observing the pieces. "It's so pretty too…by the way, even if you don't believe it anymore, what was your wish when you were smaller?"
"Heh, now that one I won't reveal." Yami said, grinning. "It's my very big secret." He finished with a wink.
-
Meanwhile Jounouchi and Honda were making their way to the lunch area.
"Damn, he pisses me off!" Jounouchi said, clearly annoyed.
"Yuugi?" Honda asked
"No, Amun. Although Yuugi does too. Always hiding behind Amun's back, never fighting back on his own. And then Amun says I was bullying him!" Jounouchi said with a frustrated voice. The suddenly, he pumped into someone. A very big someone at that.
"You guys…what was that about bullying someone?" said Ushio, the largest brute in their school, who was also the leader of the Public Moral team.
"Nothing! Stay out of my—ptthhh!" Jounouchi was about to say something rude, but Honda covered his mouth in time, saying: "It's nothing…really." With a little quivery voice.
A moment's smug evilish grin passed on Ushio's face, but then he started to walk away, saying: "Bullying is no good…" with his low voice as he passed the two shorted boys.
"That's right! We understand…" Honda said with respecting voice.
Honda watched after Ushio while the brute walked away. He let out a sigh of relief, before he took his hand off from Jounouchi's mouth. Jounouchi coughed a few times to catch his breath, before saying: "Damn you, I couldn't breath!" angrily.
"Idiot! Don't you know who you were addressing?" Honda asked. Jounouchi gave a confused face. "That was the Public Moral leader Ushio-san. All the school's rules were made by him. He's a really amazing person."
"Keh! I wonder about that. You can't really know anyone's greatness until you test them." Jounouchi said.
"No one right in their mind would never challenge him." Honda said.
Absentmindedly, Jounouchi opened his had from the fist he had been holding. In his now-open hand was a small golden piece with a mysterious eye on it.
"Oh? What's that?" Honda asked.
"Just something I took from Amun's little box just now. I only got a glance at it, but I'm sure it's some kind of puzzle. So with even one piece missing he won't be able to solve it." Jounouchi answered.
"Jounouchi, you've always been a hopeless guy, but now you're really hopeless!" Honda said, making a palled face. "Why don't you listen to your heart's beauty for once, eh?"
Jounouchi merely made a I'll-so-handle-this face, and said: "By the way, weren't you going off to buy lunch?"
"Eh? Uah!" Honda exclaimed with a scare. "Oh no!" he half-yelled, while rushing off.
Jounouchi took a glance at the golden piece in his hand. He squeezed it mildly, before throwing it out of the window he was standing next to. The piece fell into a nearby river.
'I'm so sick of him going around acting like he is better than anyone else. That Amun Yami…I hate people like him.' Jounouchi thought to himself, before taking off himself.
-
The day was starting to turn into an evening when the school was over. Yuugi was about to leave. It had been his cleaning duty day, so he'd stayed later than the others. Yami had went on ahead, because today he was working at the Game Shop that was Yuugi's home. As he left the building, there were many of his fellow students outside, shouting out their morals of work. The Public Moral team members.
'Whoa, the Public Moral team guys? I'll avoid bothering them…' Yuugi thought to himself, while starting to walk away quietly.
"Wat a moment there, you!" Came Ushio's voice. He walked over to Yuugi, while the others were observing. "You're Mutou Yuugi-kun right?"
"Yes." Yuugi answered 'What could he want from me?' he thought.
"Actually there's something I wanted to ask you." Ushio said. "You…aren't you being bullied by some of your classmates?"
"Eh?" Yuugi exclaimed. How could Ushio know about Jounouchi and Honda? He didn't want them to get in trouble because of him…"Nothing like that has happened to me!"
"Hmm…that's just something someone like you would say." Ushio said to that, as Yuugi made a face. "But I must properly investigate this. So don't worry Yuugi-kun. From now on, I, Ushio, will be your bodyguard."
"Eh?!" Yuugi exclaimed. "But I really don't have that kind of trouble so…excuse me!" Yuugi tried to convince Ushio as he took off fast, thinking 'What the heck was that? Weirdo.'
If he would've turned around, he would've been Ushio smirking smugly at his back, while thinking 'Yuugi-kun, With me, Ushio with you, your school-life will be all rose-coloured.'. He really believed he was doing Yuugi a great favour.
-
Yuugi finally reached his home, the Kame Game Shop. As he opened the door, he called: "I'm home—!", but his call was cut short when he saw a rather tall young girl with reddish brown hair standing right next to the door's inner side. She was wearing the Domino High girls' uniform, and was smiling at him.
"Anzu!" he said, surprised. Anzu was another friend of his and Yami's. Although she was hard-headed, she had a good heart and was a good person.
"Heh, it's been so long since I came over to play, I decided to visit you." Anzu said, still smiling. But slowly that smile turned into a smirk. "I would've come another day if I'd known Yami's working today. I'm sure you wanted to be alone with him…"
"Anzu!" Yuugi yelled, embarrassed. Anzu knew about his feelings for Yami, and never missed an opportunity to tease him about it. But he hoped she'd at least try to keep her voice down when Yami was so close…
"What, am I not worthy of you time, Mazaki Anzu-san?" Yami, who was now walking over to his two friends, said.
"But of course you're not, Amun Yami-san. Only guys less than 155 cm are allowed to talk to me." The three of them laughed together, even though Yuugi felt kind of lame about Anzu's reference to his lack of height.
"You're late, Yuugi!" came a voice of Yuugi's grandfather, Sugoroku, the owner of the Kame Games Shop, as the elderly man walked over to the three youngsters. "Oh, you're here too, Anzu-chan? It's been a while, you seem to have grown so much. Especially your chest! It's finally 80 cm? Wonderful!"
Yuugi hit his forehead with his hand in embarrassment while blushing, Yami was fake-staring at the roof and whistling lightly, and Anzu was just weirdened out by the comment.
But Sugoroku continued: "By the way, Yami, I found this in your bag." He held up the golden box Yami had shown Yuugi earlier at school. "This puzzle, you still haven't given up on it?"
"Of course not. Whoever is going to give up, it's not me." Yami said simply, sounding even a little insulted that Sugoroku would even think such matters.
"Eeeh…it's beautiful, can I have a look?" Anzu said, observing the box in Sugoroku's hands.
"Well, why not. It wouldn't be fair to leave you out of this." Yami said, and Sugoroku handed Anzu the box. She took a quick peek inside. "Golden puzzle, huh…kind of cool." She then handed it to Yami, as it was his.
"But Jii-chan, how do you know about the puzzle?" Yuugi asked, kind of sad that someone had known Yami's secret before him.
"Why, Yami's father told me about it of course." Sugoroku answered. "Always when we were younger Akunamkanon would tell me about his difficulties to solve it…I have to say he threw rather a big part of his life away, spending all of his free-time trying to solve that puzzle. It was I myself who finally convinced him to go out once in a while and have at least a bit of a social life. That's how he met your mother Haruka too, Yami. After they got married and had you, he no longer had so much time to put on the puzzle, so he gave it to you. But in my personal option, you should just give up on it, too, and not throw your life away to it. It's a cursed puzzle, anyway."
"C-cursed…?" Anzu asked, kind of frightened. Sugoroku then suddenly gave a glaring glance towards her, and all the three teens felt shivers run through their backs.
"An archaeological team found the Millennium Puzzle…" Sugoroku began slowly "They brought the Pharaoh's box from the Valley of the Kings, but after obtaining it everyone in the team died mysteriously. They say that when the final one of them died, his last words were…" He gave a rather scary grin, before saying: "Shadow Games."
"Y-Yami, this puzzle sounds dangerous. Maybe you should really listen to Gramps and just give up on it…" Anzu said, nearly shivering by now.
But Yami wasn't really paying attention, instead he was just observing the small golden box in his hands, his eyes calm. "Shadow Games, hm…? Kind of cool…" he muttered to himself.
The look on Sugoroku's face slowly turned serious, as he approached Yami and looked directly up into his eyes.
"Yami," he started. "Even though it might sound intriguing, this puzzle brings nothing but misfortune. Even if keeping it might not kill you, I'd say there is a lot more worse curse on it. Many have tried to solve it their entire lives and failed. And the final result to that was that most of them ended up dying alone. This puzzle can break relationships apart, Yami. You wouldn't be the first one to lose everyone they love because of it, if that were to happen."
Yuugi suddenly felt like the air in the game shop had just turned a lot colder.
-
Later after Yami had finished his working hours, he was lying on his back on his bed, thinking about Sugoroku's words. He hadn't told Yuugi the entire truth about when he had first received the puzzle. When he'd been younger, he had sometimes seen his father building the puzzle in frustration on his desk. The puzzle had always intrigued him in a way he couldn't explain. When he was close to it, it was like the puzzle was calling out for him to solve it. He felt a deep connection to those golden little pieces. Finally he'd begged his father to give it to him. Akunamkanon hadn't at first agreed, but after a small begging, he had given in. However, Yami had had to make a few promises first. Solving the puzzle wasn't allowed to affect his school life or his relationships. He only could work on it when he had nothing better to do. Now he understood why. Akunamkanon had probably known that if Sugoroku hadn't convinced him to get a new grip to his life, he would've never met his wife Haruka and Yami wouldn't have even been born.
"Son? Is something wrong?" came a voice from the door of Yami's room.
"No dad. I'm just fine." Yami lied. His father, Akunamkanon, stepped inside. He was a rather tall and already elderly man in his early sixties. His hair was already rather grey, though it was still dark grey at least. His eyes were gentle violet, like Yami's own.
As Akunamkanon sat down beside his son on Yami's bed, he said: "You're lying. So what's wrong?"
Yami though about his words for a while, before saying: "Dad, do you believe there's a curse upon the Millennium Puzzle?"
Akunamkanon looked taken aback. It was no surprise really. Akunamkanon was an Egyptologist, and had been a rather famous archaeologist in his younger days, where he'd also met Sugoroku in the first place. He was a man of science, and didn't really believe in tales like Pharaoh's curses. "Well, you know I don't think that, but this is not about me, is it? Have you started believing there's a curse on it? Did Sugoroku poison your mind with his tales again?"
Yami's face turned slightly red, always surprised on how well his father knew him.
"Well, he didn't exactly poison my mind, but he told me about how the archaeologists who found it died…" he decided it was better not to mention what else the old man had said. But then Akunamkanon suddenly laughed.
"Died? Now that's just something he must've made up. You see, it was actually us who found the puzzle originally, and you can see we're still very much alive."
Well,now Yami was startled and he stood to sit as well. "Youfound it? But why then…what…?" Akunamkanon just laughed again.
"Sugoroku likes to make stories up, you should already know it Yami. The grave we found it from was a challenge to a long-life gamer like Sugoroku and a new gate to past for me, so he solved the clues to get to the Puzzle and I got to keep the treasure. The rest you know." He said "Are you going to give up on a challenge you've been trying to solve for eight years just because Sugoroku told you some weird story? Don't you want your wish to come true?"
"I no longer believe in that, dad. I though you didn't either."
"Oh, really you don't?" Akunamkanon said with a pressuring voice while looking Yami with a piercing look in his eyes. A look that made Yami felt like his father saw directly to his soul.
"Well, okay maybe I do – a little – but dad, it's more like what I'dlike to believe. But I've learned that one little Puzzle can't make a difference."
After these words, sadness passed on Akunamkanon's face, and he suddenly looked so much more older that just a couple of seconds ago.
"You're always so serious for your age, Yami. Ever since Haruka died…"
Yami eyes became downcast. His mother, Haruka Kuroki, had died to an illness when Yami had been but four. After that, he and his father had decided to leave their home in Egypt and start over new somewhere without so many memories of Haruka. They had chosen Japan, because it was Haruka's original homeland and they both already knew the language through her. That's how he'd met Yuugi too. They had moved close to Sugoroku in a pure accident, but it had been useful. That way they had been able to get advice on Japanese culture or the other things whenever they needed. Through Sugoroku he'd met Yuugi. At first he hadn't liked the smaller boy, but Yuugi was just too nice and warm to ignore. In the end they'd become best of friends. Yami had always been amazed on how innocent Yuugi could be although he had no other family than his grandpa. Yami had sworn he'd do anything to protect that innocence. And that need to protect had grown into so much more…
Sure he never showed his feelings out to Yuugi, but they were always there. Besided his father, Yuugi was the most important person in his life. He was also thankful to the younger boy, who had taken him out of his sadness caused by his mother's death. That's why he wanted to protect him in any way possible.
Yami was brought away from his thoughts by his father's voice: "You shouldn't let anything you hear affect yourself, Yami. The only thing that matter is how you yourself feel. Never let anyone tell you how to feel or be. Just be yourself." He stood to leave, and walked over to the door. "Listen to your heart, Yami. And don't stay up too late."
Yami stared ahead himself, thinking his father's words for a while. Then, he rose and took a small golden box from his bag and sat down before his desk.
-
Even later that night Yami sat at his desk, trying to complete the ancient puzzle. He was trying hard to fit the two pieces in his hands together, but they didn't fit in. Unknown to him, his father was watching him outside the door of his room.
'He really never gives up on it. Such a stubborn boy our son is, Haruka.' He thought to himself. 'But, people say that the one who will complete the Millennium Puzzle will inherit the so called 'Shadow Games' that were used in ancient times as a ritual to decide fate...I'm not sure whether it's be better if he solved it or not…' he thought after he walked off to his room to get to bed.
Back inside Yami's room, the boy had fallen asleep with his head against the desk and his arms on it.
-
Next day at school lunch, Yami was tired after satying up so late. This of course didn't go unnoticed by Yuugi or Anzu for that matter. Yami told them why he'd stayed up so late.
"There you see, that puzzle is dangerous! Now it's robbing your sleep from you!" Anzu exclaimed.
"Don't be silly Anzu, it was me who decided to stay up. Besides I don't believe in curses."
"But Yami…even if there's not a real curse on it, what if you really do only become antisocial?…I mean even more than now?" Yuugi asked, a little worried and sad. "I don't want to lose you…"
"Hey, hey." Yami patted his head playfully as a comfort. "I promise you it won't happen. We'll always be friends. Right, Anzu?"
"Yup! Always and forevermore!"
Yuugi seemed to cheer up a bit, but then the classroom door opened, revealing Ushio. "Yuugi-kun, could you come over here for a moment?"
Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously. What did this Public Moral brute want from his Yuugi? If he hurt Yuugi, he'd pay dear…Yami didn't exactly like fighting, but to protect Yuugi from bullies he had to sometimes use strength too, though he usually tried to solve the case by keeping his cool or by acting reasonable.
"Uh…sure." Yuugi answered, wondering what Ushio wanted from him, himself.
"You don't have to go, Yuugi." Yami said. "He's not worthy your time."
"N-no, I'll just go, Yami…I won't be long." he hurried over to Ushio, before the brute would get angry at him or Yami.
Yami looked worriedly after his friend.
-
"Ushio-san, why did you want to see me?" Yuugi asked while he and the Public Moral leader were walking toward the behind of the school building.
"Just come with me, I'm sure you'll be very pleased." The brute led Yuugi to just behind the school.
Yuugi was shocked by what he saw: Jounouchi and Honda lying on the ground badly beaten up, and a group of Moral Public team guys, who apparently had been the ones to do the beating.
"Jounouchi-kun! Honda-kun!" Yuugi screamed, rushing over to the two beat boy, but Ushio stopped him from going further with his arm. "What do you think, Yuugi-kun?"
"What is this?" Yuugi asked quietly, still in shock.
"I told you, Yuugi-kun." Ushio said. "I told you that I, Ushio, would be your bodyguard. That's why I've been punishing these bullies."
"No…Ushio-san, this is just too cruel!" He made his way to two beat up boys. "Are you alright, Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun?"
Jounouchi looked up into Yuugi, and said with a pained voice: "Yuugi…you…are you satisfied?"
"You're wrong! You think I really would ask for something this cruel?"
"Move Yuugi!" Ushio said as he pushed Yuugi away from the boys with just one hand. "We're not done with the punishing."
"Eh?"
Ushio then kicked Jounouchi into his chest. Yuugi was so scared now for his classmates. He walked in front of them and spread his arms, as if to shield them. "Stop it already!" He yelled.
"Well, well Yuugi-kun. Are covering for these guys? You're a pretty strange guy. Now it's your chance to dispel any resentment you have. Punch them! Kick them!" Ushio said.
"There's no way I could do that to my friends!" Yuugi yelled, and although he couldn't hear it, Jounouchi quietly whispered a question: "Friends?"
But Ushio just laughed. "What a rare guy! Friends you say? They're bullies who exploited you."
"That wasn't bullying…" Yuugi said rather quietly. He blushed lightly before saying: "Jounouchi-kun was trying the make me more of a man so that I could impress Yami more."
"Man, you really are a strange guy. Well fine!" Ushio said. Then he continued: "By the way Yuugi-kun, it's time for you to pay up. The total cost of my bodyguard fees, 20,000 yen."
"20,000 yen?!"
"If you won't pay, I'll beat these guys again. Or maybe that look-alike boyfriend of yours…Yes, I'll teach him the true meaning of pain." Then he left, the other Public Moral guys on his heels.
Yuugi felt tears coming up, as he ran away. He saw Yami hanging out at the front yard of school. The older boy had apparently came to look for him. Yami then noticed him. "Oh, Yuugi, what did that guy wa—" Yami was quit off by surprise when Yuugi ran into his arms and gripped his shirt while crying.
"Yuugi?"
"H-he had b-beat up Jounouchi-kun a-and Honda-kun and if I don't pay him 2-20,000 yen, h-he'll do it again, or c-come after y-you or A-Anzu…"
"Hey, we'll think of something. It'll be alright." Yami tried to comfort his broken crush.
"No…if you tried to do something, he'd just beat you up. This is my problem alone."
Then Yuugi ran back to school and didn't talk to Yami or Anzu the whole day anymore.
-
Later that night, Yami was alone in his room, again building the puzzle. However, he was also wondering what he could do for Yuugi. So far he hadn't had any good thought. He couldn't tell anyone, because Ushio was too big and too strong, and for the same reasons he couldn't do anything himself. He had even counted his savings from allowances, but it was only 1,656 yen.
'I know this is no time for me to just play with this puzzle, but at least it helps me to relax.' He thought to himself. 'But somehow it seems I'm doing better than usual'. His puzzle was already starting to have a form, although pieces were missing. It was no doubt a pyramid, shaped upside-down. He put more pieces to their places, and they fit where he put them. Then finally, there was only one piece missing. Yami was amazed. "I actually did it?! Just one piece more…" he reached for the box, but as he tried to search the last piece with his hand, it wasn't there.
-
Meanwhile, bruised Jounouchi and Honda were walking away from school next to a river. Jounouchi was suddenly remembered what Yuugi had said "There's no way I could do that to my friends!".
'If I give the piece back…maybe…' Jounouchi thought, and jumped into the river, despite Honda's late protests.
-
Yami was rushing to school. Maybe he had left the last puzzle piece there? He had the rest of the puzzle with him so he could finish it as soon as he found the last piece. For once in years, he actually had hope for the puzzle. Maybe his wish would come true as well.
But as he reached school, he came face to face with Ushio. "Yo, Yami-kun." The brute said.
"Ushio-san?"
"Your little boyfriend hasn't paid up. So I'm going to punish him…with you." He dragged Yami behind the school, away from eyes, and started kicking him against the wall. Yami didn't scream once, even though he was hurting.
"Hey!" Jounouchi's voice came. He and Honda had seen Ushio take Yami behind the school from the river, and come to check it out.
"What the? It's the bullies."
Jounouchi then saw Yami lying on the ground on his stomach, badly beat up. He crouched next to the tri-colour haired boy. "Hay, Yami, hang on!" he yelled, calling Yami by his first name for the first time.
"I…I just wanted to wish for happiness…" Yami muttered, in pain. Jounouchi saw the nearly-completed Millennium Puzzle next to him. It had fallen off from Yami's bag. He put the last piece he'd found from the river in Yami's hand and closed the hand into a fist.
"Ushio-san! Up until now I've respected you…" Honda said, and Jounouchi continued for him as he stood up. "You won't get off for free."
"Oh? You think two on one is going to make you win?" Ushio asked with a smug grin. Jounouchi and Honda tried to attach him, but only got beat up first.
As Yami heard the voices from the beats, he remembered Yuugi's earlier question: "Even if you don't believe it anymore, what was your wish when you were smaller?"
'My wish to the puzzle was…I want happiness. True happiness. Couple more of friends who I, Yuugi and Anzu could trust…we could go to arcade after school…or have a big slumber party when dad's working late…that's my wish…'
Ushio had now beat Jounouchi and Honda enough, and was about to leave, saying: "This happens to those who defy me! Remember that!" he walked away, laughing. Honda and Jounouchi had fallen unconscious on the ground.
Yami then felt something in his hand. He opened it and saw a golden small piece. "This is…?" it was the last piece of Millennium Puzzle. He reached for the puzzle that was lying next to him, and put the piece in it's place. The puzzle started to glow. Then everything went black for Yami.
-
Ushio who had been walking away, heard a deep voice saying: "So…it's game time." The next thing Ushio knew was that he was hanging in a rope somewhere high above the river. "W-what's this?!" He yelled to nobody. But then he looked up and saw a shadowy figure. The golden necklace around the person's neck started to glow and brought a light to the figure. It was Yami. However Ushio didn't seem to notice that Yami seemed taller and more muscular. His eyes and the tips of his hair had turned into crimson colour, and on his face was a wicked smirk.
"You bastard, Yami!"
"Yo, Ushio-san." Yami said with a voice different from his usual one. It was much deeper. "I've got what you want right here."
"What? You have the money? Then I wouldn't have needed to put you through all that. Anyway, just hurry and hand it over!" Ushio yelled, no longer even caring where he was.
"Giving it so easily is boring."
"What?!"
"How about playing a game with me?"
"Game?"
"Also it's not a normal game." The new Yami said. "It's a Shadow Game."
"Ha, sounds interesting! I, Ushio have never lost no matter what game! I'll take you on!"
"Impressive, Ushio-san. Here we go." The not-Yami jumped from where he was standing at the roof, and laying out cards on the roof in the middle of himself and Ushio. He and the brute were now in the same highness.
"The rules are simple." The not-Yami said. "We flip over these cards, person goes up by the value of the card they draw…and the other goes down. The one who makes it to the top first wins the prize."
"Alright, I got it! Then I'll go first." Ushio said before drawing a card near to him. "10 of Diamonds! Well, Yami you better prepare yourself." He counted the steps he took towards the top to ten. The new Yami then draw a card, his smirk never vanishing. "I've got 10." He said, holding up a Jack.
"What?!" That put the not-Yami head two steps.
Ushio drew again. "2 of Spades. How is that, I'm catching up!" He said. Yami was lowered slightly.
"We can't leave it like that, can we…" The new Yami picked up another card. "Queen of Spades."
"What was that?" Ushio said before he was jerked lower.
"3 of Diamond." He said when he picked up a card.
"9 of Hearts" Yami said.
"6 of Clubs." Ushio continued.
"Jack of Spades." Yami said. This continued for a while, until Ushio was almost at the end of the line.
"What's wrong Ushio-san? Nothing left? With one step I'm at the top." The different Yami said, still smirking wickedly.
"Shut up! The next card I pick will turn this around!" Ushio said with an irritated and frustrated voice. He then picked up a card.
"J-joker?" He said, shocked.
"Too bad, Ushio-san. The Joker is a miss. My turn." The different Yami said.
"What?! Don't screw with me! You planned this from the start didn't you?!" Ushio yelled.
Yami bent down, picking the last card. "Ace of Diamonds. It's my victory."
"Shut up!" Ushio yelled, before he started climbing up the building, hanging in the rope.
"You're breaking the rules? Doing such a thing, something terrible will happen to you." The new Yami said.
"Quiet!" Ushio yelled. He tried to punch the new Yami, but he dodged it.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to obey the rules."
Ushio still tried to take the money, but it turned out to be a deck of cards. "What's this, this isn't money."
"The Door of Darkness has opened." The not-Yami said as a third eye started gloving in his forehead.
"What the…?" Ushio had time to say before he started to fall.
"Shadow Game bring out a persons true nature. You will be swallowed by your own greed." The not-Yami said.
"What…? It's fine. It's not like I will really die." Ushio said as he was falling towards the water in the river. Suddenly a monster with three heads came out of the water, and Ushio fell into its mouth, screaming in fear.
The not-Yami got off the roof and went back to the beaten up two boys. 'Jono and Hondo are tough. They can take care of themselves.' He thought before leaving.
-
That next morning Yuugi and Yami walked into school hearing heated whispers on how Ushio-san had got hospitalised due an unknown reason. The two boys were relatively happy that Ushio was no longer going to bother them. Yami was extra happy, having finally completed his Millennium Puzzle. He now wore it around his neck, hanging it in a rope. Although he was weirdened out by the fact that the last thing he remembered from last night was getting beat up by Ushio, and then waking up in his bed in the morning, he didn't think it was very important right now. They then came across Jounouchi in the hallway.
"Yo, Yuugi, Yami."
"Oh, good morning, Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi greeted. Yami just nodded, giving the blonde a small smile.
"Yami, I took your example, now I've got something secret I treasure too. But I can't show it to you two."
Yami's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"My treasure is friendship. We can see each other, but the friendship itself can't be seen." 'What is with me today? Why am I saying these embarrassing things?'
But both Yuugi and Yami's faces spread into smiles.
"A-anyway, the class is about to start!" Jounouchi said, embarrassed by himself, and started to run away, but dropped his shoe while doing so. Yuugi quickly rushed after him, and took his shoe, calling: "Jounouchi-kun, you forgot your shoe!"
"Call me Jou!"
"'Kay, Jou!"
Yami was still smiling as he rushed after the two. Maybe it was possible for one little Puzzle to make a difference after all. Even if it was just a little one.
Phew! This was hard to write. Its probably the longest chapter I've ever written. It took me a long time because we had tests at school and so I only at first had a few hours a day to write it. I'm sorry if there are any grammar errors.
Send me comments people! And make me write this till the end, I want to write another story to an end that's not a one-shot!
(1) A last name I picked out for Yami. It's one way to spell a name of one Egyptian god, I think.