Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Yami no Matsuei. Sure wish I did though...

A Game of Life

The atmosphere in the hospital room was silent and cold, the only sounds heard the beeping of the machines attached to the body lying in the bed and keeping him alive.

The body in the bed, seeming all the more frail because of the various wires and tubes attached to him, was the younger of a pair of brothers, both of whom had been in the car when the accident happened. However, the older brother had escaped with only a few scratches and some bruised ribs, while his younger sibling was on the verge of death. The other car had impacted on the passenger side where the young boy had been sitting, causing him to take the brunt of the injuries, though the driver of the other car was also in critical condition. The crash had happened only three hours before, and yet already the doctors were saying that the boy didn't have much time left.

It had been an accident, it hadn't been anyone's fault, and yet now two lives were hanging on by a slim thread. And that thread was about to break.

A quiet sigh sounded as the shinigami approached the hospital bed, pausing to double-check the name on the chart at the end, and then moved unseen to the side of the bed, glancing up at the figure slumped over in the chair on the opposite side of the bed.

The elder brother had yet to leave the younger's side, not to eat or sleep, not for anything despite the urgings of the multitude of other visitors.

Another sigh, and a discrete look of sympathy was all that the shinigami could afford as he reached out a hand, prepared to help the boy out of his body so he could be escorted to the other side.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A deep voice spoke up, and the shinigami turned in surprise, because no one was supposed to be able to see him unless he wanted them to.

Standing just inside the door was one of the many visitors that the boy in the bed had received, an unusual boy with odd hair, but this time he seemed...different.

A quick glance around showed the death god that the hospital room had inexplicably gotten darker, and the shadows seemed to give the impression of...hunger? That couldn't be right, but the shinigami didn't have time to find a better word to describe the feeling the darkness was giving off.

The strange boy spoke up again, "I propose that we play a game, if I win then you let the boy live, and if I lose, then I shall stand in the way of your duty no more."

A moment for the shinigami to wonder why he would bother playing a game for the young boy's soul when he could take it anyway, but he somehow found himself nodding and agreeing to one game.

"Let the Game begin."

"Mr. Von Shroeder? I have some good news. It seems that your younger brother will make a full recovery, given time and perhaps some therapy. We'll know more when the latest x-rays come in." The doctor smiled at the look of pure relief on the CEO's face, along with the immediate outburst of cheering from the many visitors that had arrived at the hospital as soon as news of the accident reached them.

The doctor left them with the warning that they could only have about five minutes visiting time each with Leon, but that did nothing to derail the impromptu celebration.

A flurry of visits which practically filled the bedside table with get-well cards, flowers, and small stuffed animals (and Seto Kaiba showing up to say that he would be footing the hospital bills and the fees for any therapy that might be needed by the younger Von Shroeder) later, and the group left Siegfried alone with his sleeping brother.

In the midst of the group considering of Joey, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Tea, Grampa Motou, and Yugi Motou, the unseen Spirit of the Millenium Puzzle smiled as he followed after his hikari, wondering if Yugi would let him take over for a taste of the pizza that Joey and Tristan were describing.

Hisoka Kurosaki walked through the door of the Summons Department, only to get bowled over by his partner, Asato Tsuzuki, in full puppy mode.

"Hisoka! I'm so glad you're back! Something really strange happened while you were gone!" Tsuzuki sounded dangerously close to babbling, but before Hisoka could recover from the sudden infux of happy feelings courtesy of his partner, the man abruptly turned serious, a rare enough occurence that Hisoka immediately paid attention. "You didn't finish your assignment, did you? 'Cause if you did, there might be some problems..."

The twenty year-old teenager raised an eyebrow, shaking his head uncertainly as he replied, noting that Tatsumi and Watari were approaching, "No, I didn't...What happened?" He changed the subject, not really sure he could explain why he hadn't taken Leon von Shroeder's soul.

"You know that kid you were sent for? His name just vanished off the kiseki* and the entire office is in an uproar!" Tsuzuki informed Hisoka, stepping back slightly to look over his partner to check and see if he was alright.

Hisoka blushed at the scrutiny, being thankful that the Secretary and the scientist arrived, telling them about the meeting that had been called to discuss the vanished name.

And yet, Hisoka mused as he followed his still-puppy moded partner, he didn't regret losing that game.

Author's Note: I bet you all thought it was Mokuba didn't you! :) I hope I did a good job of keeping things vague, as this is my first time writing anything like this. Please R&R and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome!