A/N: Recently, after watching a rerun of Yu-Gi-Oh! on the WB (or CW?) I obsessed over the show. I needed to relive every great moment of the series with Yami and his evolution into the Pharaoh, and even then I wasn't satisfied. I'm bursting with ideas and as it often happens with me- I have to write it out. I'm not really in this fandom; I've jumped from Gargoyles, to Transformers, and now to Yu-Gi-Oh! and I don't presume to know most of the conventions (I'm learning about all the shipping names and even then I'm kind of lost). Will this feature shipping? Perhaps, I'm not quite sure yet.

Essentially, if you are looking for a continuation of the original series, that's what I'm trying to accomplish. I try to make everything believable in the established universe as if it could just be another episode or movie made afterward. I plan to update weekly, but I tend to update more than that because I get excited from reviews. Did I mention reviews are like crack? They're delicious. 3

Please don't hate me for using the English transliterations of their names! I never read the manga or watched the anime subbed so it's hard for me to use those names, and I'm sorry if you hate it. :( I just have a story to share so hopefully you can get past it 3

Summary: After the Ceremonial Battle that allowed the Pharaoh's spirit to enter the afterlife, Yugi thought he had said goodbye to his friend for good. But something strange is happening to famous duelists everywhere, and Yugi is reunited with his old friend; but things have gone horribly wrong.

Timing: About 2 years after the Ceremonial Battle with Yami.

She was struggling not to breathe too loudly that she clamped her hands over her mouth. It was all she could do not to sob as she hid from the fluttering wings and sharp screeches of the Harpies that searched for her among the rocks. She heard the steady drips of water and the rumble of the waves outside of her little cave but nothing distracted her from the harsh beats of her frightened heart.

But she was Mai Valentine, damn it, so why the hell was she paralyzed with fear?

This sobering thought seemed to slow her racing heartbeat, and she was able to release her hands from her mouth and take a silent, deep breath. Her violet eyes flicked to the patch of sky she could see, and when no brightly colored wings were there, she relaxed more.

It was all so stupid, so unreal. It made absolutely no sense. One moment she was attending a convention for famous duelists and while taking a break from panels, she remembered falling asleep in the bath; a terrible habit she had, and of course extremely dangerous. But she never could resist the relaxation of a warm, comforting bath. The next moment she was standing next to a foggy patch of beach, among large gray rocks and mossy cliffs. She was wearing clothing, which was perhaps a distant thought, but one that confused her for a moment since she thought she was bathing. Was this a dream?

She smelled fish, and iron, and rust. Salty air stung her eyes as she blinked at the brightness of the fog. Mai had the strange thought to look to her hands since they felt wet and slightly sticky.

They were coated in drying but fresh blood.

Before she could fully express her shock, she heard wings flutter behind her. She spun around to see the bright green eyes of her favorite winged Duel Monster.

The Harpie Lady smiled with her teeth. She cocked her head to the side in question, but approached Mai cautiously as if afraid to scare the human off. When she neared Mai she cooed softly as a talon lightly brushed against Mai's cheek. Mai was stunned and confused but felt oddly comforted by the monster. "Is this a dream?" she asked, not really expecting a response. She suddenly felt two more presences behind her, and a small turn of her head saw that they were the Harpie Lady Sisters, with firery orange hair, and electric purple. The maroon Harpie drew up closer to Mai, nuzzling against her neck with affection. The blonde duelist felt the warmth from her monster and the light brush of feathers as the taloned hand of the Harpie wrapped around her in an embrace. She heard the light chuckling of the Harpies behind her, and in an instant felt cold, gripping fear.

The maroon Harpie dug her talons into Mai's back and bit down on Mai's shoulder.

Mai screamed in pain. She thrashed in the Harpie's grip but felt the monster clamp down even harder. Flashes of white blinded Mai's sight and she felt the pain was going to make her pass out. Without thinking, Mai punched the Harpie in the stomach and felt the fangs loosen on her shoulder. She then balled her right hand, grasped it with her left, and brought it down on the doubled-over Harpie's head. She knew the orange Harpie had started to move towards her so Mai threw an elbow into her neck. The purple Harpie was too fast, and dodged the kick aimed for her and tackled Mai to the ground.

The back of Mai's head made contact with the rocky ground, and she lost her breath as the Harpie slashed her talons across Mai's stomach in a frenzy. The blonde duelist felt the burning of her fresh wounds and ground her teeth at the pain. The purple Harpie was straddling her and screeching at her sisters. Mai's hand had managed to find a large rock and with all her remaining strength, heaved it into the Harpie's jaw with a sickening crack. The Harpie fell sideways and screamed in anguish.

Mai saw the orange one starting to get up, so she rolled over on her side, used one arm to hold her bleeding stomach and the other to push herself off the ground. It was only a manner of time before she would be attacked again, so she ran toward some caves she saw in the distance, whilst trying to weave in between the surf and rocks of the shore. A large wave came up and drenched her in salt-water, stinging her wounds.

But when she looked down, her wounds seem to dry with the water and evaporate off her skin.

Her blood-stained white shirt was still trashed, and her eyes fell to her hands again. The blood was dry. But she wasn't bleeding before now- or had she been? Flickers of another attack whispered in her mind, but she heard the screech of the Harpies behind her. She ran.

She made it to the caves and there tried to be as quiet as she could, hoping that the Harpies had lost her in the chase. Mai could not be sure that she was safe and had begun to feel that abject fear rise in her throat.

Mai Valentine woke in the lavish bath of her hotel suite and felt the water had turned lukewarm. She blinked for a moment and then rose out of the bath, feeling the water drip off her and musically drop into the water. She reached for the warmed white towels on the rack and wrapped it snugly against herself. Absentmindedly, Mai squeezed her shoulder as if working out a kink. She pulled her hand away and stared at it, flipping it so she could see the back. She shrugged and sighed.

Mai Valentine walked out of the bathroom and into her room, dressed, and walked down to the lobby, feeling only a touch of sleepiness.

Yugi bounded down the steps of the game shop, giving a smile and a rousing "See you later!" to his Grandfather as he sprinted out the door. He made an immediate left out of his house, much to the consternation of the handful of duelists that seemed to live outside the door. They were always there, thought Yugi, but they have to know I go to school! Still he smiled, and waved at them as they tried to follow him towards Domino High School.

They wanted to ask him questions, usually. "What card pairs well with this one?" "How did you defeat Pegasus?" "Can I see the God cards?" were among the favorites. Yugi always tried to be gracious and answer them, but even the smallest encouragement usually resulted in a near-riot of clamoring, aspiring duelists, trying to get near the King of Games himself. The celebrity status never went to his head, but his Grandfather couldn't help but monetize it, if just a little. His business managed to boom when he touted the game shop as to where "Yugi himself learned to love games!"

Usually Joey and/or Tristan managed to arrive and personally escort Yugi to school, scaring off any would-be pestering fans. They'd be joined by Tea on occasion, and Duke if he wasn't busy with his own shop. All of them managed to keep the fans and the challenges to duels away from Yugi so that he could concentrate on living his life.

But it was on the rare occasion that when Yugi walked to school alone that he realized his life was not the same. Of course, it had been inexorably changed by the tournaments, the duels, the shadow games, and the rest of Duel Monsters; but this was more than all of that. As he walked alone, he realized he was really, truly alone.

He sometimes wondered if Bakura missed the spirit of the Millenium Ring, even for a fleeting second. Yugi had wanted to talk to the white-haired boy, but shortly after KC tournament and life began to go back to normal, Bakura had transferred to a different school and moved away to another part of Japan. Yugi had tried to keep in contact, but it seemed Bakura did not want to be reminded of his time spent in Domino City. In all honesty, most of their group of friends could not be sure they even had a meaningful relationship with him, given that he always seemed to be possessed by the evil spirit even in the most innocent of times. Yugi's heart ached for him and the loneliness he must feel, perhaps paired with the guilt of missing his other self.

For Yugi though, he knew he felt lonely. Despite all of his friends he had made and lost through the years, he felt part of him had died with Atem. Even though the Pharaoh rightly deserved his rest in the afterlife, Yugi felt his absence like a raw wound, even after a few years. There had been other tournaments that he happily participated in, if only to feel closer to the spirit that had shared his mind for so long in the game that they both loved. But when there was no distractions, Yugi swung into a silent depression.

His friends did not know, or at least Yugi tried to make sure they did not know. He wondered if they could see through the thin veneer of his smiles and laughter; he sincerely hoped not. Yugi felt better that this quiet darkness he carried was his own, and not a burden to anyone else. They all had so many other things to be worried about, he hoped that they did not worry about him.

He felt his phone buzz with a text. It read, "Meeting on DA moved to up to 3PM use back entrance don't be late." Yugi could not help but sigh loudly as he entered his school's front gate. The text had to be from Kaiba who was graciously allowing him to be involved with the planning of some kind of Dueling Academy that Seto wanted to create. More than likely, Yugi was only meant to attend to put his name and approval on the plans; he didn't want anything in the form of feedback from Yugi. In fact, Yugi didn't even give Seto his new phone number, but Yugi didn't put any dubious or privacy-invading act past the young CEO. Seto had to know that Yugi's school let out at 3 PM, giving him absolutely no time to get to the Kaiba Corp tower. Actually, Seto probably didn't know or care.

Still, Yugi smiled and envisioned a Dueling Academy especially for young duelists who wanted to go pro! He couldn't help but smile as he thought that he and Kaiba were perhaps the first true pros of the game. Yugi could also imagine Seto seething at having to share that title with him.

Joey and Tristan greeted him in the hallway, interrupting his reverie. "Yug- tell me you did the homework for English..."

Yugi blinked. "Well, yeah, it took me a while-"

"We're saved!" Tristan patted a smiling Joey on the back, almost too hard. Joey smiled a toothy grin.

"Attaboy Yugi! I knew we could count on you!"

Yugi's eye twitched. "You want to copy my homework? Guys, seriously, it took me all night! And I have to get ready for the Duel Monsters convention this weekend!"

Tristan closed his eyes and nodded gravely. "And you have sacrificed so much for your friends! A truer saint of friendship their never was!"

"Agreed!" Joey came over and put his arm around the smaller duelist. "Yugi, you are such a good influence on all of us lowly miscreants that we do not deserve your pity!"

"I didn't even know you knew what the word miscreant meant, Wheeler," said Duke as he walked past them into the classroom.

"Shaddup, Duke, and mind your own homeworky business," Joey spat while still holding Yugi with his arm. Yugi felt a little choked as Joey leaned into the classroom to continue to yell at Duke.

"Oh you mean that homework assignment for English that was extended? Don't bother Yugi, you have time to do it later." Duke replied as he got his things out of his bag.

"Whoa, what extension? Tristan, did you hear that?"

"Sweet! Yugi thanks for being a pal and all, but we'll just check you later, 'k man?"

Joey patted Yugi on the back and smoothed down his uniform. "See you in class later?" He winked and ran down the hall to try and beat the bell.

Yugi held up a finger trying to stop his friends, but just shrugged as they ran off. "That was almost diabolical, Duke," he laughed.

"Well, they should know better, right? They'll get what is coming to them." Duke smiled and leaned back in his chair, his green eyes dancing. He watched Yugi as the small duelist sat down and started to unpack his things for class. "You shouldn't let them mooch off you like that; they'll take you for granted."

Yugi smiled sheepishly. "You're probably right. But it doesn't bother me because I know they'll be there when I need them. Besides, it's just homework, not really big stuff."

"Mm. I hope so." Duke laced his fingers behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling of the classroom as more students filled in the room with greetings. He couldn't help but hear Yugi's loud yawn. "Dueling in your sleep again, Kingy?" He chuckled.

Yugi laughed. "I feel like sometimes I don't sleep at all. I never remember my dreams though. I think I'm just worried about final exams or something."

"Nah, you've got nothing to worry about. Even if you completely fail everything, you're still the King of Games, right?"

Yugi scoffed. "Yeah thanks, Duke."

Duke sat up and turned towards him. "No, I'm serious! Think about it- you've got it made. You're going to go on to some kind of game designing firm, or become a world class pro Dueler. I should think after saving the world a few times, exams are kind of chump change."

Yugi couldn't help but shake his head. "But I think it's because they are such small things that I want to do them well," Yugi replied. "If my life is going to be so normal, I want to try my best at everything; not give up because of my past successes."

Duke considered that for a moment. "Wow, yeah that makes sense. I bet I sound like all those people that don't even know you- I should've known better that you would take the high road like that." Duke smiled apologetically.

Yugi shook his head. "No it's alright. Besides, I'm not that good of a person."

Duke looked skeptical but turned his attention to the front of the class as the teacher began class. Yugi yawned again silently as he started to take notes.

Yugi crouched behind the dusty wall in the shrouded darkness. He was listening intently for footfalls, but when he didn't hear any, he scrambled out and rushed to the other end of the room to hide behind another wall where he had a better vantage of the labyrinth. The worn hieroglyphics on the walls were familiar to him, but still unintelligible in meaning. He froze when he heard someone yell and sounds of a struggle. Trying to hold he breath, he creeped closer to the sounds.

Two people were fighting; but when his eyes adjusted he realized it was just one person hitting the other. He realized they were both wearing the Domino High School uniforms, and a little dumbstruck and confused, Yugi walked closer without trying to conceal himself.

"I HATE YOU!"

The voice made Yugi freeze. Color drained from his face as he felt the hair on his neck stand up and his mouth fell open in shock.

It was his own voice.

It was like the light in the room began to slowly turned on as the yellow Egyptian bricks grew brighter, and the blue uniforms of the boys came into focus. The boy who was currently beating up the other was himself, and the other was-

Yami.

Yami attempted to grab Yugi's hands to stop him, and his face was twisted in pain. The corner of his mouth was bleeding as Yugi threw a well-aimed punch to his stomach. Yami doubled over and fell to his knees. His hands braced on the ground and he looked up to this other Yugi with pleading in his eyes. Yugi kicked him up under the jaw, throwing the spirit backward against the hard stone.

Yugi saw that this was too much- his twin, his doppelganger was ruthlessly beating his best friend and confidant, and someone he had not seen for two years. He went to help his friend and just as he reached the pair, he was stopped. An invisible force field of some kind, almost like glass, kept him from reaching Yami and the other Yugi. He pounded on the invisible wall, shouting for it to stop. But the pair acted as if Yugi was not there.

Yami groaned on the ground and turned on his side to try and get up. "Yugi, you don't have to-"

"Shut UP!" the other Yugi cried, grabbing Yami's hair at the root and yanking his head roughly down so that the spirit's face hit the ground. "You are the worst thing to ever happen to me, Pharaoh, and everyone thinks I am not a duelist in my own right without you!" he spat, kicking the spirit's torso as punctuation. "You used me, you used my friends, and you nearly killed us all for your needs!"

Yami coughed. "I didn't want to put you in danger-" he rolled out of the way of a another kick from the smaller boy and caught his foot. "Yugi, please, listen to me. You know I never meant to hurt you!" Yugi scoffed and roughly pulled his foot away. Yami let him go and held his hands up as he backed away. He backed up against the wall and slid down the wall to sit on the ground.

"I deserve all of this, and more," he said sadly. "Everything you said is true, Yugi, and I am so sorry. If there was something I could do to end your involvement, I would..." His lavender eyes were sincere and full of hurt. He wiped away the blood from his mouth, and was slightly surprised by the angry red color on his sleeve.

The other Yugi's face softened slightly. "Really?"

Yami nodded. "Yugi, I... I had no idea you felt this way, all this time. I have shared a mind with you for so long... I thought... I was foolish to not see these feelings before now."

The other Yugi walked slowly over to the spirit and knelt beside him. "I hid them pretty well," he smiled gently.

Yami smiled, relieved. "How can I ever ask for your forgiveness for everything I've done? I would do anything," he said.

Yugi smiled. It seemed things were forgiven. He leaned in and hugged him. "I'm happy to hear you say that." Yami sighed contentedly and hugged his friend back.

Yugi then plunged a dagger into Yami's stomach.

"You said anything, Yami," Yugi said darkly.

The Yugi behind the wall screamed in terror and started to try to break through the wall by pounding his fists in hysterics.

Yami gasped in pain and fell against the other Yugi, who shrugged him off as he stood up. Yami had tears spring to his eyes and he grasped the dagger in him and pulled it out. He cried out in pain as blood soaked his clothes and he saw the face of his friend. It wasn't smiling, but just dark and spiteful. His eyes dulled as his breathing became ragged and then stopped.

Yugi awoke with a start just as the teacher called on him to answer a question. Yugi blinked and laughed, embarrassed. "Can you please repeat the question?"

"Surely you can afford us a few minutes of your time, Mr. Moto, even if you are a champion duelist," the teacher said, annoyed.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me..."

"Mr. Devlin, kindly help your classmate out."

"I think the answer is 20, sir."

"Very good. Mr. Moto, kindly pay attention next time, alright? Let us continue," the teacher said turning back toward the board.

Duke leaned towards Yugi, "Hey, you okay?" he whispered.

Yugi nodded with a hand over half his face. "Yeah, I'm not sure what happened." He pulled his hand away from his face as he felt wetness. Had he been crying?

"I didn't even see you fall asleep, otherwise I would have warned you."

"Thanks Duke, you're a great friend."

"I'd do anything, Yugi," he said smiling.

Yugi couldn't help but feel struck by his words. But the feeling passed and he tried to listen to the rest of the lecture.

Please review! Give me the strength to go on! ;) 3 Next chapter will be up soonish.