Prologue

The people of the small village of Domino both feared and loved their dragon protector. They loved it because it kept them from harm and misfortune. They feared it because of the unimaginable power that they have seen firsthand. And though they fear him, they know he would never turn against them. It was his fate.

"Joey, where are you going?" Téa asked her blond haired friend. Joey froze and looked over at the ditzy brunette with a light smile. "You aren't thinking of... that are you?" she demanded. (1)

"I am... I have to... it is for the village Téa. If I do this the dragon will find a way to bring the river back to us. Something is blocking it and if I sacrifice myself for him, he will fix it." Joey said with his trademark grin.

"Can't you get someone else to do it, man?" Tristan whispered with a broken voice. His best friend was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Joey only shook his head. "What if... we all went searching up the river and found it and fixed it ourselves?"

"Then the dragon would die because it would symbol that we no longer need him. And if he does, who would protect us from other dragons and raiders? We've all seen his power. The Great Dragon is unstoppable. We need him to protect us." Little Yugi said softly. He grabbed Joey's hand and stared up at the warm and happy brown eyes as his own violet eyes quivered with tears. "We'll never forget you Joey." He whimpered slightly.

"Aahh, Yug..." Joey hugged the small boy and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Don't worry... I'm sure everything will be fine." He promised. "You take good care of your grandpa alright Yug? And Tristan, don't even think about going up the river. Téa, your dad is calling you." Joey advised them all and was given silent nods in this solemn moment. They walked behind him to the temple and watched him go in. The doors started to close as he turned around and gave them all a thumbs-up and his bright grin.

"Stupid curse, stupid dragon. I hate it all." Tristan muttered. He glared at the temple doors which stated the requirements for a sacrifice to the dragon.

The sacrifice had to be male.

The sacrifice had to be young.

The sacrifice had to be someone who was loved greatly by others.

The sacrifice had to be willing to die.

"Hey! Guys! The river just started flowing again!" They all turned to see small and fragile Ryou running towards them full speed. He stopped before them. "The water came back just a second ago!" he said excitedly. "No one has to..." slowly, he took in their sad faces, their place in front of the temple, and their missing member. "Joey didn't... did he?" he asked in horror.

"He did. All because that stupid spell that the elders cast." Tristan grumbled. He growled slightly and walked back towards the village. If the dragon had done it, then he had already gotten Joey's sacrifice and solved the problem in a matter of seconds.

"You know, when I was a young lad, there was a story about the dragon and its true whereabouts." Yugi's slightly deranged grandfather Solomon said as he appeared from behind a tree. Tristan stumbled back as they all sat to hear it.

"Tell us grandpa." Yugi urged. The man sat before them and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Well... once upon a time, there was an orphan. He had travelled to the village in search of shelter and protection. But none gave it to him. Instead, the villagers threw rocks at him and threatened to kill him. He was so very lonely. Then one day... a boy snuck him food. The boy had very messy and somewhat long black hair and very innocent violet eyes. He brought the orphan shelter and cared for his injuries but he was found out and killed for breaking community law." Solomon paused and watched all their horror filled faces. "Outraged, the boy went to the center of the town and cried, holding the boy to his chest. His pain and sorrow at losing his only friend turned him into a dragon with a need for revenge. He attacked the village, destroying huts and setting everything aflame."

"So how did he become our protector?" Téa asked interestedly.

"That's where the spell of the elders came in. It is said that the shaman and elders of the village gathered and each sacrificed their youngest son to seal the dragon and force it to protect our village. The dragon was caught under the influence of the spell and is brought to never harm the village." Yugi frowned and looked at the looming temple.

"What happens... if a sacrifice is not made on time and the doors close?" he asked with foreboding.

"The spell will break and the dragon will destroy everything. Or so it was told to me by my grandfather. And he was there, just a young boy at the time, but he was there. He said the dragon was the most frightening thing he'd ever seen. But he also said that the look in the boy's eyes before he turned into a dragon was even more frightening."

"What did his eyes look like?" Yugi leaned closer.

"They looked like the eyes of a demon, a monster who promised death for all who got in his sights. And he did just that." Solomon was silent. "But enough about that. It's just a story from a crackpot old fool from another crackpot old fool. Let's go home and enjoy some nice warm motsuyaki (2)." The old man said, standing up and leading the way.

Yugi stopped and looked at the large stone doors with the dragon depiction. He wondered what it was like inside, and if Joey was still... alive.

TBC

1 – I used the English dub names in here but not Joey's Brooklyn accent, though he still has his petname for yugi.

2 – motsuyaki is a Japanese all meat shish kebab. Chicken, pork, and beef giblets cooked on a skewer.

So tell me how it was please! I need to know if it's a good read.