Losing The Light

DHITS: HELLO EVERYBODY!

Everybody: Oh Ra! She's back!

Sage: Hey, you don't have to live with her!

DHITS: Hey!

Sage: Seriously, I mean, all day long I have to put up with her inner monologues. " Oh Yugi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…"

DHITS: We agreed to keep those personal!

Sage: Isn't there something you want to do?

DHITS: Yeah! *locks self in room with a cartoon of cookie dough ice cream and day time television*

Sage: Not what I had in mind! *groans* Great! No I have to do it! DHITS does not own Yugioh….she is merely borrowing the characters to relieve anger and hatred towards those around her. This story will be dark….er than what she normally writes. If you want a story about ponies, rainbows and sprinkles, hit the back button and search Strawberry Shortcake fan fiction. You have been warned.

Yugi laid on his bed, face first into the pillow. His body was sore and fatigued from the events earlier in the day. He lazily swung his hand out and it landed on his nightstand. Not bothering to take his face out of it's soft and comfortable position, he walked his hand around until it something hard and metallic. Putting his hand on the opposite side, he slide his prized possession off the wooden furniture and onto his bed. The Millennium Puzzle landed softly by his side with a small and barely audible thud.

Groaning in pain, Yugi flipped himself onto his back and placed the ancient artifact on his stomach. Serveal questions about the prior events of the day plagued him and the young adult pondered on them. He needed reassurance and called forth the only person who could give it to him.

/Yami?/ The boy called out through the mind link. His fear was as visible as the morning sun. He didn't like to admit to Yami that he was scared; it only made the point across that he was weak. As many times as the spirit of the puzzle tried to tell him otherwise Yugi knew he was weak. He wasn't courageous and strong like his darker half. In fact, he was the exact opposite. But, to avoid as lecture on how he needed to believe in himself from the spirit, Yugi normally kept this thoughts blocked off from his other half.

The ex-pharaoh appeared in a transparent form. In his trademark position, arms crossed with a frown on his face, he sat on the foot of the bed. /Yugi, you need to sleep. You have to heal./ Yami chastised.

/I can't./ Yugi said. /I can't get my mind off what happened today./

/What is it that bothers you?/

Yugi shifted into a sitting position, much to the dislike of the pharaoh, but Yugi ignored him. /Well…why would this guy want to challenge us?/

/We have often been challenged by other duelists. That is not unusual./

/No. But those who do challenge us are experienced duelists. This guy!-It was as if he never played the game before!/

Yami had been thinking the exact same thing as well. The stranger practically gave up before the duel even started. The spirit began to reflect on what happened earlier that day.

~Flashback~

Yugi and his friends, Joey, Tristan, and Tea were spending their Saturday afternoon in the local park. Yami watched his partner from inside the safety of the Millennium Puzzle. He was not worried about his young friend's safety, as long as he was with friends he was safe. The group spent some time talking about what had happened during the week at school. From tests they found difficult or easy to just the plain oddities you'd find in any high school.

After a demanding week of school, Yugi came up with the idea to relax at the park. Their conversation was interrupted, however, by a voice.

"Yo! You're Yugi Motou, ain't ya?"

The group turned around to see a shady-looking man. He wore a long, brown trench coat and sunglasses, even though it wasn't that bright out. He wore a square, brown hat on top of his head trying to conceal every part of his body.

"Who wants to know?" Joey shouted, standing in front of his young friend. Joey had grown up in the ghetto, and he knew that men like these were one of two things. They were either a drug dealer, or a hit man. Sometimes, very commonly actually, they were both. The man walked closer to the group with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm a fan of yours, Mister Motou." The man said. His voice was deep and strong.

"Uh, thank you?" Yugi said uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what else to say, but he knew that this man couldn't be good news. Yami thought the same as well, for he appeared by his partner in spirit form, eyeing the man.

"I want to duel you, Mister Motou, for your title."

"No way am I gonna let my buddy duel you, ya creep!" Joey shouted. Yugi looked down and clenched his fists. While he appreciated the fact that his friend was looking out for him, Yugi couldn't help but feel slightly enraged.

"No Joey!" The small teen pushed passed his taller companion, much to everyone's shock. "This is my choice!" Yugi slung his backpack off his shoulder and grabbed his duel disk out of it. Deck and all. He threw it on his wrists.

/Yugi, are you sure about this?/ Yami asked, his voice filled with concern. /We know nothing about this guy./

/I'm sure Yami./

"If you want a duel, then you're gonna get one!" Yugi shouted. An eerie grin grew on the man's face and he pulled his arms out of the pockets, revealing his own duel disk. "Those are just the words I wanted to here." The man said as he activated his dueling mechanism. "Let the game begin!/

~One Duel Later~

The stranger's life points hit zero while Yugi's still remained around 3800. The spirit had agreed to let Yugi do this on his own on the condition that if things got to dangerous, he would step in. Not having much of a choice, Yugi agreed.

"Alright Yugi!"

"He did it!"

"I knew you could do it!"

Through the cheers of his friends, Yugi heard something come from the stranger, who was now on his knees. It was muttered but Yugi heard it clear as a bell.

"Do it now, Master?"

Yugi found that odd and walked up to his defeated opponent to make sure he was alright. Yugi outstretched his hand. "Good game." Yugi lied. It was one of the easiest duels he ever fought!

Suddenly, the man jumped on top of Yugi, grabbing the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi screamed as the man shook him violently. Yami tried to take control of the body, but found he unable too. He could only watch helplessly. Joey and Tristan ran across the field at blazing fast speed, knocking the man off their now unconsciousness friend. Joey had the man pinned down by his wrists while Tristan stood above the man.

"What the hell man?" Joey screamed while Tea ran across the aid her friend. "Yugi was just tryin' to be a good sport and you try to kill 'em?"

"It wasn't like that!" The man pleaded. "I swear! I was forced to!"

"By whom?" Tristan asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"I-I can't tell you!"

Joey was infuriated. He didn't want to deal with this moron anymore, He got off the man.

"I suggest you run before we call the police."

The man could only nod as he stumbled away.

"What'd you do that for, man?" Tristan asked.

"We have more important things right now." Joey said motioning his head towards Yugi. Tea was supporting his head while he came to. He mumbled something incoherent.

"Yuge, are you okay?" Joey asked as he kneeled by his friend.

"'I'm fine." He mumbled while he tried to open his eyes.

"I think we should take him home now." Tristan said and Joey and Tea agreed. Joey scooped up his short friend and together the group took him back to the Domino Game Shop.

~End Flashback~

Yami snapped out of his trance and looked back at his light. The young adult looked at him with sad eyes.

"What happened? Why couldn't you take over?"

Yami had been asking himself the same thing. He didn't like not knowing things, especially when they concerned his hikari's safety. If it weren't for his friends, who knows what would've happened to Yugi? "I honestly don't know, Yugi." He said, not using the mind link for the first time that day. Using the link used a lot of energy and required immense concentration. The same rules applied to Yugi as well and Yami knew that the boy needed his rest. "I think you should go to bed now." Yugi nodded his head in agreement and flipped onto his side, while putting the Puzzle back onto the nightstand.

Yami went inside his chambers to allow his friend to get some much needed rest.

When Yugi opened his eyes he realized he was in his soul room. Confused, the teen looked around for his darker half. The only times he entered his soul room was by his own will or when Yami called him in. Yugi knew he didn't will himself in here, but was confused as to why Yami would call him in. He was about to walk to the door and enter through Yami's when he sensed…..something. He turned around, looking past all the toys and board games that cluttered the floor.

He heard something that could only be described as a crackling sound. He carefully walked over to end of the room, where a large toy box was placed against the wall. The sound appeared to be coming from behind it. He grabbed the far end of the box and pushed it a few feet. It collected some dolls and board games and they traveled with it. When Yugi looked down, he saw a ball of dark energy.

His first instinct was to run to Yami. There shouldn't be shadow magic in his soul room! But Yugi found himself drawn to the ball. He got on his knees and reached his hand towards it. Every part of Yugi was screaming this is a bad idea! You know you shouldn't touch that! What are you doing? But Yugi couldn't control his hand. He grabbed the object and held it out in the palm of his hand. He stared at it and saw as his skin absorbed the magic. It was painful. Yugi felt as if his hand were on fire. He screamed out in pain and then everything around him became fuzzy.

His breathing became ragged and felt like he did back in the duel with Pegasus. He swore in the deep recesses of his mind he heard someone-no-something laughing.

"You're mine now." The voice said. Then everything went black.

What's going on? Who was that man? What's happened to Yugi? Why am I asking you all these questions? Stay tuned for the next update in Losing The Light!

Sage: School has started again, so my hikari won't be able to update as often. She will try to update every Friday but apologizes in advance if she is unable to.

R&R please!