Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.

Surprise! Another short coming your way. I'm experimenting with maintaining two stories simultaneously so that I don't give up on either story as a result of getting tired of it. One chapter of the first story published, onto the other story. We'll see what happens. It's going well so far.

And if you were ever curious as to my inspiration for this particular story - iPhone app "Archers". It's fun. It goes to show - inspiration can come from virtually anything.

Chapter 1

Darkness was all he saw - not a single object was distinguishable. It was frightening, knowing the situation he was currently in with this new disability of which he acquired. Knowing Xanas, Yami suspected this was a new twist in a shadow game of her own doing.

"Congratulations pharaoh, you have made it to the final stage of my shadow game, in which you will participate in one final challenge."

Yami knew this voice well. It was the sinister voice of his once beloved cousin, Xanas, Akunamon's and his concubine's only daughter and Seto's long lost half sister. Unloved by her father and outcast to beg on the streets, Xanas sought to control the magic that coursed through her blood while having been adopted by a lonely old woman in the village. When Bakura, from the thief village of Kul Elna, rampaged through Xanas's home village, he broke into Xanas's guardian's small cottage, killed the old woman, raped Xanas, and burned down her home, not expecting that the unconscious girl would escape from the engulfing flames.

Not that it mattered. Bakura made it clear to her that the pharaoh was to blame and that he must die for allowing such destruction to perish the only thing she could call home.

"Xanas please, just let us go," pleaded Yami, "please be rational. Blinding me won't make me surrender to you."

Xanas seemed none too daunted at his words. Instead she said, "Feel the objects that are in your hands."

Yami did as he was told, now noticing the thick and long wooden object in his right hand, and a small sack of some sort in his left. He jiggled it slightly, hearing what sounded like small wooden sticks clacking together.

"What is the meaning of this, Xanas?" he asked, with dwindling patience.

"Those things you are holding in your hands are a bow and an unlimited supply of arrows. You will play me in a game to the death called 'Blind Arrow', in which you will utilize your other senses to not only survive, but also to defeat me with your arrows. We will take turns shooting at each other until there is only one of us still standing."

Yami stood, dumbstruck, staring into the blackness that covered his vision. He felt so disadvantaged without his sight. However, his hearing was now sharper than before, and he felt that he had an idea of where Xanas stood – approximately 30 feet from him. The murderous hatred emanating from her presence passed right through him like a wave of heat. In a fit of frustration, he threw the bow and arrows onto the floor, creating a loud, echoing noise.

"No," he said. "I will not do this with you. You're my cousin."

"Wrong-o," she replied, "I'm your half cousin. I am the bastard child of your uncle and his whore."

"Xanas, I'm sorry – "

"Sorry? You're anything but sorry... you sent your henchmen to destroy my village, murder the only person I ever cared about, and then do you know what happened?"

"Xanas I didn't – "

"He RAPED me, Yami! Your henchman burned down my house and raped me until I was unconscious and left me to die in the fire. I was only TWELVE.

And this is my 'thank you' to you for that - you will put your life in danger and suffer a slow and painful death to ensure your friends' safety. Because you sure as hell didn't give me that chance to save my guardian."

Yami took a step backwards.

"No, I refuse to participate in this madness. My henchmen were honorable men, and they wished no harm on anyone, as did I. You've been brainwashed by that man who hurt you, I would never command anyone to hurt you. I am sorry that happened to you, but it was none of my doing."

Xanas was seething now, Yami could sense it very strongly. He heard some rattling, and then the stretching of a rope.

"LIAR!"

He heard the snap of the rope, and only briefly caught the faint sound of the arrow zipping through the air at lightening speed before it tore through his right shoulder.

If Yami weren't already blinded, he would have surely been anyway by the searing pain rooting from his shoulder and spreading throughout his entire body. He would have also dropped his bow to the floor, had he still been holding it. He let out a small, croaking cry as his shaking fingers reached up near the arrow. Blood pounded in his ears, his breathing heavied, and his legs became weak.

"Sounds like I got you... it was easy to tell because I can hear your cry and your heart racing. I can sense your fear, your panic, and your helplessness. I am quite familiar with those feelings."

Yami simply couldn't take the pain at the moment, and sunk to his wobbly knees, breathing deeply to subside it. In the distance he could hear crying... a female's voice. It was Tea.

"Where is she?" He wasn't asking as much as he was demanding. "Where's Tea? And my other friends?"

"Your girlfriend and the others are here, and they're unharmed," replied Xanas. "Rest assured, they will be freed, if you defeat me. Otherwise… well, what's the point of telling you? You'll be dead."

Yami growled, mustering the strength to get on his feet again.

"Hmm, on that thought, I actually haven't decided what to do with them after you're dead. I may kill them. And you know who'd be first?"

Yami didn't answer. He was livid.

"It would be Tea. She's very annoying and not very useful at all."

It was then that Yami finally found the strength to rise to his feet once again, wincing as he forcefully pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and tossed it beside him, fury burning inside his heart. He loved all his friends equally, but Tea occupied a special place in his heart that he cared not to admit to anyone.

"You will not lay a hand on her, Xanas. Not as long as I'm still standing."

He heard a hmph from his cousin.

"Hurry and shoot your arrow already, or you will lose your turn and I get to try again."

After stabilizing himself, Yami stood tall and faced in the direction from which he heard her voice. "No."

Another hmph and a "fine then" came from the other side. There were slight sounds of wooden sticks, and then wooden stick against wood. Finally, the stretch of the string as tension increased.

"I think I'll aim for your heart," declared Xanas. "I can hear it beating right out of your chest."

-TO BE CONTINUED-