A/N : Hello All! In the process of writing my other story (Snow Child) Inspiration hit me for a completely different story as writers block seems to have set in for writing the Snow Child conclusion. I indulged in such inspiration.

This story is set in an alternative world where Yami Bakura defeated the Pharaoh and his friends in the terrifying shadow games. I realise I will not be the first person to experiment with an alternative ending to Yu-Gi-Oh! but the idea intrigued me. Anyway, who doesn't love writing about an Evil tea drinking British Villain? Please enjoy! Xx

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

Chapter 1 - A broken city

It was once a thriving city. A fantastic place, full of life and people and shops. It was just like any other city on earth. Now, the buildings didn't stand tall and proud as they had previously. If any were left standing, they were decayed and skeletons of their past glory. They were terrifying, broken and empty. It was ten years since the buildings, those fantastic architectural skyscrapers had had the wrath of hell reigned upon them. Ten years since thousands had lost their lives. Ten years since many were left orphaned.

Hina gazed out of one of the windows of one of the few remaining skyscrapers. She surveyed the scene of destruction and cruelty with a saddened heart. This ruined city, this destruction was all Hina could remember. She knew it hadn't always been like this, but she struggled to recall the days of light after so many days filled with dark. She had only been eight years old when the creature, a monster of nightmares that no one talked about, had roamed the land, destroying everything and anything it could. It was said that anyone who had seen it couldn't rid the images of the hideous beast from their mind. They were plagued by the memories of its evil red eyes until it drove them mad. Hina sighed and turned away from the window. She couldn't bear to look at the skeleton city anymore. It was too upsetting. Hina was skinny, too skinny. They struggled to find food in this abandoned city. Her black hair hung in loose waves over her shoulders, finishing at her hips. Her icy blue eyes were brimming with tears. She brought up a thin hand to wipe them away before they had chance to spill.

"Hina, quickly!" A voice cried out. Hina jumped and ran to the centre of the room as a boy ran into the room. The boy was slightly older than herself, about three years older. Unlike her, he could remember the days of light. He had dark brown hair and vivid green eyes.

"Osamu, what's happening?" Hina asked as he grabbed her arm and pulled her over to a small hole in the wall. Hina climbed inside. It was cramped inside, barely enough room for her to fit, but she edged herself in to the small gap between the walls. This was one of the reasons they'd remained undetected for so long. Hina watched as Osamu pulled a filing cabinet in the main room in front of the gap, hiding them from view and shrouding them in darkness.

"Shh," Osamu whispered to her. Hina nodded and allowed the silence to press in on her. Hiding away like this, as it did every time they hid away, reminded her of how she'd first met Osamu. It was difficult to believe it was seven years ago, in the hidden market down town. They called it the hidden market as it was held under ground in an abandoned train station. People used it to trade, to try and make a living.

A small girl walked around the tatty looking stalls, her eyes wide. There was one stall, selling some of the most beautiful and shiny jewellery she had ever seen. Hina came across the second stall, which had attracted a lot of the survivor's attention. She pushed through the crowd, her curiosity growing. Hina reached the front and gazed at the table. It had a woollen cloth laid across it and a rather scary looking man behind it.

"Yes! Genuine Duel Monsters Trading cards!" He boasted his eyes scanning the crowd. He reached down and picked up a blue and red object, holding above the crowd so everyone could see. It was easy for Hina to see the greed in his eyes.

"And a fully working Duel disk! One of Kaiba Corp's last infamous inventions!" he called out, attracting even more interest. The small blue eyed girl gazed down at the table and saw some of the cards upon it. her eyes skimmed over all of the tattered looking cards, resting upon one. It had a picture of a man dressed in purple, holding onto a magic staff. she read "Dark Magician" upon the worn surface and reached over to pick it up to get a better look. Someone grabbed the girls arm hard. she cried out in pain as fingers bruised into her fragile skin.

"I don't think so!" The sales man roared, flinging the child away from the table. She fell back and felt her head connect with the wall. She burst out crying, knowing no one would care. Rubbing her eyes, feeling the pain still shuddering through her body, she sniffled.

"Are you alright?" A kind voice asked. Hina opened her eyes and gazed up. A boy with vivid green eyes and dark brown hair was leaning over her. He looked maybe three years older than her. The girl sniffled, eyes still streaming. She wiped the tears away.

"I only wanted a better look," she choked, gazing back over to the crowded table.

"What's your name?" The boy asked, smiling kindly at her.

"H…Hina" she said still sniffling. He grinned at the girl.

"How old are you Hina?" He asked, leaning against the wall where she was still sprawled.

"I'm… I'm eleven…" she replied wiping more tears from her red cheeks.

"Well Hina, I reckon that man is ancient." He laughed, "And I don't think oldies like him should be picking on youngsters like us." The boy grinned. Hina giggled.

"Wait here Hina; I'll go have a word with him. Out of interest, what card were you trying to look at?" he asked me, holding his hand out to me. Hina took it gratefully and he helped her up.

"Erm… I think it was called the… erm… Dark magician," she replied sadly. He grinned at her and walked back towards the crowd, disappearing into it.

Hina waited around for several minutes, waiting for the boy to return. She was just about ready to believe the boy had left her here on her own, when she heard a cry of outrage. Hina saw the boy sprinting out of the crowd and towards her, a humorous smile across his face. He ran over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling Hina along with him. She instantly sprang to life, running alongside him, dodging through the crowd and on into the deserted tunnel ahead of them. It felt like they'd been running for five minutes when they broke out into the outside world. There the familiar dilapidated buildings met their eyes. The boy turned around to gaze back down the steps and underground.

"Ha! I didn't think that old man could keep up!" He exclaimed triumphantly. He turned to Hina and grinned. He put his hand inside the tatty jacket he wore. When he took his hand out, he was holding something. He held it out to Hina and she took it, turning the card over in her hands.

"Dark Magician," she read aloud. Hina gazed up at the boy shocked.

"That'll teach the old man for picking on kids. You weren't the first he'd done that to," The boy said frowning.

"What's your name?" She asked curiously, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her small ear.

"I'm Osamu and I'm fourteen!" He grinned at her, "Do you live with anyone?" He asked suddenly. Hina shook her head sadly. She had been surviving on the streets since the King had taken her parents away.

"Well, you can come live with me! There are plenty of us!" Osamu grinned, taking a hold of Hina's hand and leading her away into the city.

Since that day, Osamu had become Hina's best friend looking out for her as she did for him. There had been more to their group, but over the years, the numbers had dwindled. Now it was just the two of them left. In the dark, Hina reached into an inside pocket on her scruffy shirt. Their clothes were tatty, almost rags. They would be, they were living off the remnants of a fallen society. There were no more clothes been made. They lived on what once was. Hina's finger tips brushed against a card. She always reached for this card whenever they were hiding away. Despite the danger, the card Osamu had once given her made her feel safe. Hina froze as they heard footsteps entering the room. A second set then a third pair of steps entered the room. Hina tensed. There was the sound of muffled voices, speaking in a hushed tone, silence, and then the footsteps seemed to be leaving the room. Hina waited with baited breath, longing to get out of the cramped confinement. She felt Osamu's hand gently brush against hers and squeeze her hand comfortingly. Hina understood. They needed to wait a little longer.

The third minute crept by with them stood in the darkness, waiting. They heard as somebody almost rushed back into the room, as if expecting to find someone there. Hina gritted her teeth. This technique, pretending to leave then rushing back in minutes later was how they'd captured the last of their group. All in the name of the king. Hina closed her eyes, praying for this to be over. She needed to get out of this small space. Eventually the sound of feet upon stone seemed to fade away into silence. Still they waited for another minute or so, making sure the Royal guard were really gone this time. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Osamu reached out and cautiously pushed the filing cabinet away from the opening in the wall. He climbed out and Hina followed after him.

"We need to change our hide out. That's every day this week they've searched this place. He must know we're hiding out here." Osamu muttered, brushing a bit of dirt from his already filthy clothes. Hina frowned at him.

"Where do you suppose we go?" She asked curiously. It was already obvious the odds were stacked against them. Osamu turned to Hina, a boyish grin upon his face.

"You know what we should do?" He asked his eyes gleaming with mischief. It was an expression and a tone of voice Hina had learned to easily recognise. It was a look that filled her with dread, apprehension and excitement.

"What?" Hina demanded, her anxiety rising, knowing she wasn't going to like what he was going to suggest.

"Well, his Majesties" He pulled a face at the reference to the king, "Cronies are clearly out on patrol for the innocent and the defiant rebels this evening. They'll be returning to the palace with their find soon. We should attack and break our fellow comrades free!" Osamu grinned, the excitement clearly evident in his body language at the thought of such a daring mission. Hina scowled and shook her head.

"Look, I hate the King as much as the next person, but I don't have a death wish!" Hina exclaimed, unable to believe the sheer stupidity of his suggestion.

"How do you even plan on pulling that off anyway?" Hina continued, unable to stop herself.

"Being on the 'Most Wanted' list has it's perks, you know," He replied stretching his arms out high above his head.

Hina shook her head exasperated, struggling to hide the amused smile which had spread across her lips. It was true, they'd received it on good authority that Osamu had managed to make himself a target for the rulers guard. What with Osamu's constant thieving of food and attacking the kings official guards, he'd made himself an enemy. Hina had somehow managed to keep out of the limelight. She met his gaze and couldn't hold back her grin.

"It's a stupid idea." She said, more to convince herself than him. He winked cheekily at her.

"No, absolutely not. It's suicidal!" She exclaimed still grinning.

"Come on, I know you want to…" He said in a teasing tone. Hina folded her arms and exhaled, trying to calm the excitement already rising inside her chest. After a few minutes of an internal battle of wills, Hina's mischievous side reigned victorious.

"How are we going to do this?" Hina asked, making the final decision.

"At a girl!" Osamu exclaimed, thumping her on the back, "Right then, I'll distract, draw the guards away, then you free the prisoners. Easy enough!" He grinned walking over to the hole in the wall. He collected a few bits together and straightened up. He threw a bag to Hina which she caught easily. Hina opened it up and grinned seeing their make shift suits. Hina pulled hers out and examined the worn fabric. It was a black dress, black socks and shoes. Hina could easily remember when they first created these outfits. It had been when their first friend had been taken away by the king. It had been more to comfort themselves than anything. Trying to make believe that they could one day save their friends, but more and more of them had been taken, until only they remained. That day, two years ago, they had walked around the abandoned and crumbling buildings, trying to find something – anything to distract them from the knowledge that they were next. They found an old costume shop.

"Let's take a look," an 18 year old Osamu had said. Hina gazed into the dusty window and could just about see some moth eaten clothing. She gazed at Osamu confused.

"Why?" She asked, the recent loss of their friend weighing heavily on her heart.
"Because…" Osamu said, grabbing her hand and pulling her in to the shop, jumping over the door that lay on its side, hinges broken. Inside the small shop were railings and shelves packed full of what once would have been a brightly array of garments, but what were now covered in dust and filth. Osamu let go of Hina's hand and began flicking through the variety of costumes. Hina walked to the back of the shop and gazed at an old fashioned dress on a mannequin. She touched the heavy fabric of the dress, curious to what the aged cloth would feel like under her fingers.

"Hina!" Osamu called to her. She turned to him, frowning. He had held up a mask to his face, grinning. She laughed at the sight of his green eyes flashing behind the black masquerade mask. He dropped the mask from his face and grinned his mischievous grin.

"We could do this, for serious," He said, his eyes twinkling.

"Do what?" Hina asked not sure what he was talking about. He walked forwards, a second mask in his hand. He put the mask over Hina's face, a piece of elastic in place. He then put his on and walked over to the mirror, dragging her with him. Hina gazed at their reflections. Her black hair hung in a loose tie down to her waist and her icy blue eyes gazed out behind a black mask.

"I still don't get it!" Hina exclaimed turning to look at Osamu again.

"We can do everything in our power to save people from the King!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"But why the masks?" she asked starting to get a feeling she knew why.

"Our disguise! We can be like real life super heroes!" Osamu grinned.

"We're not kids anymore!" she laughed back, pulling the mask off. Osamu copied her, taking his own mask off. He winked at her.

"I know we're not, but we could do it, get a costume together, save the day!" He exclaimed. Hina smiled at him, knowing when he was in this frame of mind, there was no stopping him.

He wore the same expression now, as he had every time he'd put the black costume on. The black shirt hung loosely off his frame as did the black trousers. Hina noticed the black long sleeved dress she wore was hanging looser than usual. Food was becoming harder to find. She slipped the duel monsters card into the inside pocket of the dress and slipped her own mask on, tying her hair back out of the way. Hina remembered, when we'd first set out in these costumes, she'd felt stupid and uncomfortable. Now it felt like second nature as she put a small bag over my head, so the pouch hung at my hip. Inside, she knew she'd find a variety of tools, the main one been a lock-pick. Hina turned to grin at Osamu, the feeling of excitement mounting.

"Let's go!" He beamed, slipping his mask on over his brown hair. Hina nodded at him and they left the building, out into the dark night.