It was a late evening in Domino city. A boy in his late teens hurried down long concrete steps and through footpaths of hazy central park. He didn't plan to stay out this late, but the monthly social evening at the Duel Club lasted exceptionally long due to a few famous international guests, which made him narrowly miss the last bus. The boy was named Yami. He was also pretty well-known in these circles because of his prominent dueling skills, but his fairly small frame and extraordinary tricolored hair were also easy to remember. It had been raining all day, thus the usually so tidy gravel road under his feet had now turned into unpleasant sludge, and it still was quite a long way until he could change his wet clothes and wrap himself into a warm blanket.

Yami walked by an upper class detached house, the windows of which provided warm, cozy light and headed for the local shopping mall. He, however, turned around and chose a bit longer detour after seeing a group of suspicious-looking punks hanging around in the yard. Just in case. Truth to be told, it wasn't the bad weather that was causing the unease Yami was experiencing currently, but walking alone at night-time through notorious suburbs of Domino. And recently increased number of spontaneous robberies and violent incidents weren't apt to calm him down. The street life nowadays definitely wasn't what it used to be in good old times. On top of everything, the unpleasant hunch that he was followed didn't give him any rest.

'Hey runt, wait up!' His fear came true as a mocking voice behind insisted him to stop. Yami sped up, leaving the main street and hoping he could mislead his follower in dark alleys. He felt his lungs burn, as he ran along cramped alleys faster than ever. Yami had no idea what the man wanted, but he doubted it wasn't just a nice, casual duel, and he definitely wasn't about to find it out.

His escape ended soon when another dark figure suddenly appeared on his way. The men chuckled as they slowly came closer and closer, cornering him with ease. As they reached him, they grabbed the smaller boy and shoved him harshly against the wall.

'Why all the rush sweetheart?', one of the men asked casually as he held Yami against the cold stone. The other one laughed.

'You're a duelist, aren't you?' Would you mind showing us what kind of treasures those pockets hide?' Without waiting a response from the terrified boy, the man dug his hand into Yami's pocket and took his deck, scanning it quickly through a dissatisfied expression on his face. The cards spread all over as the man slammed his deck to the ground.

'Is this supposed to be a joke?' the other demanded. Yami flinched as rock hard knuckles hit his belly.

'You bastard! What are you...' another punch landed on Yami's left cheek, brutally interrupting his sentence.

'I ask again, what a fucking joke is this?' First you dare to resist us, and then you don't even have a single rare card to take but a pile of shit instead. Our time is not free, kiddo'

'But then again', another harsh voice continued, ' Now that he's here, maybe we could at least have a little fun with him. I'm sure we could use him in some way or another...'

For Yami's relief, he never found out what the man meant by "having fun with him" when a third figure appeared from the shadows and confidently walked towards them. Despite the darkness, Yami could easily tell the man wasn't just an ordinary citizen. His lavender eyes and blonde spiky hair made a weird contrast to his deep tan. The amount of gold wrapped around his arms and neck looked like it weighted a ton, but his clothes were quite normal compared to everything else; a black tank top and a pair of khaki pants.

'So', the blonde started. 'Don't you think you're quite far away from your area? You've got no business here without a permission. And I don't remember giving one'

'But he was spotted in our area before he ran off and...'

'Maybe I didn't make myself clear. You know the rules and ,of course, what happens when you're stupid enough to bend them. Stay if you wish, I would love to have some extra entertainment...'

The captors unleashed Yami from their grip visibly unwillingly and walked off muttering. Relief filled Yami's heart, and he opened his mouth to thank the man for saving him from...Ra knows what. But before he managed to express his deep gratitude, the stranger grabbed his arm and forced the surprised boy to follow him without saying a word.