THIS IS AN AU. This is a retelling of sorts of the original story, with a few specific changes, namely that the Items don't exactly house spirits and I'm implementing the Homestuck Quadrant romantic system. Also, like many other Yugioh fics I will write, I am blending the anime and manga timelines. So basically follow the manga and throw in the anime-exclusive arcs. It will start off very similar to the manga, but it will slowly branch out and end up very different. Also, I grew up watching the 4kids dub and am used to their names, and know more about American culture and school systems and such than Japanese, so Domino City is in America and I will be using the dub names for the main group. Perhaps one day I'll change this, but for now, this is how it is. This does not include foreign characters that 4kids screwed royally up for, like calling Rishid Odion. If this bothers you, turn back now.

Chapter 1: The Millennium Puzzle

The school bell rang throughout the halls of Domino High School, signalling time for a break. Students stood and stretched, chatting with each other, heading out to the grounds for some fresh air, or to the library to study, or to the gym to play some sports. One kind student noticed one kid still planted at his desk.

"Hey, Yugi, wanna come play basketball with us?"

The small teen looked up with big purple eyes framed by jagged blond fringe preceding his wild black-violet hair. His face was softly rounded and youthful, and he smiled an innocent sheepish smile.

"No, thanks. I'd rather just stay here," he said meekly. "Besides, whatever team I'm on will probably lose, anyway."

His classmate shrugged and followed his friends out the door. Yugi didn't mind not playing with the other kids. He was just grateful someone had been nice enough to ask him to join. But he always brought other things to do anyways. He reached into his bag and pulled out his prized possession. It was a golden box, covered in glyphs and a strange eye pattern his grandfather told him was called the "Eye of Wadjet" or the "Eye of Horus". The box, and its contents, had been a gift from his grandfather. Just as he was about to open it, it was snatched from his grip. He looked up to find a boy with spiked brown hair and another with messy dirty blond hair. The brown haired one held the box with a mocking grin.

"Hey Yugi. What are you doing here in this dark classroom all alone?" He smirked. "Guess this thing must be pretty special for you to be keeping it all to yourself, huh?"

"T-Tristan!" Yugi squeaked, getting up from his desk and trying to grab the box back "Give it back! Please!"

The brunette, nearly twice Yugi's size, easily kept it out of his reach. "Joey! Catch!" he called, tossing the box to his blond companion.

"Hey, be careful with that! It's really special to me!" Yugi shouted, flailing to try and grab it.

"It must be real important, since you're acting like such a girl about it," Joey sneered. "You look dumb jumping around like that. I'll teach you to man up." He smirked and lifted the box over his head. "I'll give yer precious box back if you come at me with all you've got!"

"B-but I don't want to fight you!" Yugi objected. "I hate violence!" Joey rolled his eyes and Yugi sighed. "Can you please just give it back to me?"

"No way!" Tristan scoffed.

"Hey, what's in here, anyway?" Joey muttered, opening the lid. "Only one way to find out."

"Y-you can look, but please don't lose anything! It's really valuable!" Yugi said nervously.

Joey opened the box and peeked inside, but seemed wholly unimpressed. "Lame. Here, Tristan." He put the lid back on and tossed it in his partner's direction, but before he could catch it, it was intercepted by another hand.

"If it's so lame, then just give it back to him," the catcher scolded, blue eyes glaring at the two delinquents.

"Tea!" Yugi exclaimed gleefully. The girl ran a hand irritably through her short brown hair. She'd been his friend since elementary school, and he'd had vacillating between pale and flushed feelings for her since middle school. She'd always done her best to protect him, and her hard-headed demeanor did wonders to scare bullies away, and Joey and Tristan seemed no different.

"Picking on weaker people...You guys are the dumb ones! Now beat it!"

"Tch...Nosy woman," Tristan muttered, heading for the door. Joey followed close behind, casting a glare over his shoulder before slamming the door to the classroom behind them.

Tea turned to Yugi and smiled, holding out his re-acquired possession. "Here you go, Yugi!"

"Thanks so much, Tea!" he said, sitting down as his desk. "That was amazing!"

"Oh, it was nothing," she said, waving it off as she pulled up a chair next to his desk. "What kind of person would I be if I let those idiots pick on you?" She leaned forward, resting her elbow on his desk and her cheek in her palm. "All the guys in this class are like that. Just a while ago they were asking the girls to play basketball as an excuse to look up their skirts." Yugi blushed and looked down at his box, trying not to let his mind wander down that path. That might have embarrassing circumstances in front of Tea. She didn't seem to notice, but changed the topic anyway. "By the way, what is that?" she asked, pointing at the box.

Yugi smiled. "Can you keep a secret?"

Tea smiled back. "Of course." Yugi gently pulled the lid off the box. Inside was what seemed to be broken pieces of gold. One shard had a ring with a cord attached to it. "Wow, it's so pretty!" she said. "But what are they?"

"It's a puzzle!" Yugi explained excitedly. "I haven't completed it yet, so I don't even know what it looks like. It's "something you can see, but can't see"! That's actually what my grandpa says is written right here," he said, pointing to the glyphs on one side of the box. "He gave it to me a while ago. Since I live in a game shop, we have lots of cool games, but this was just gathering dust in the corner, so he let me take it."

"That's really neat," she said.

"Yeah. It was found in ruins in Egypt! That's what all these symbols and stuff are."

"Hm...Hey, Yugi," Tea began, "if that side says "something you can see, but can't see", what does this side say?" she asked, pointing to the glyphs on the opposite side of the box.

"Oh! Well, my grandpa says it says something like "whoever solves this puzzle will have their wish granted"! Maybe it's a bit too good to be true, but, um..." Yugi looked down and fidgeted. "Can you keep this a secret?"

She smiled. "Of course, Yugi. Don't worry!" she said brightly.

Yugi sighed. "The puzzle's really hard though...I've actually been working on it for about eight years...It can get a bit discouraging."

"You'll get it eventually. Just keep trying."

Yugi smiled brightly, a light blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, I will!"

"So...what is this wish of yours?" she asked.

"Oh, I can't tell you. It's a secret," he said with a coy wink.

"Man, Yugi's such a nerd...and that chick is so nosy, butting in other people's business," Joey grumbled. "Who's picking on weaker people?"

"Joey, that would be us," Tristan said bluntly.

Neither of them noticed where they were going and bumped right into something hard and solid. They looked up and saw a much larger and bigger upperclassman, glaring down at them through his dark hair and beneath his large eyebrows.

"What were you saying about "picking on" someone?" he asked threateningly.

Joey growled. "Maybe we were talkin about you! Move i-!" He was abruptly cut off by Tristan slapping his hand over Joey's mouth.

"He was, uh, just kidding! We didn't mean anything!" he said with a nervous grin.

"Bullying is wrong," the upperclassman stated.

"Yeah, you're totally right! I agree completely!" Tristan said. The upperclassman frowned, but continued his way down the hall. Tristan sighed, then turned to hiss at his companion. "You idiot! That was Ushio, the demon of morals! Don't just go picking fights with bigger, stronger guys!"

Joey pushed Tristan's hand away from his mouth. "You jerk, that hurt!" He snapped. "Ushio! Someday I'm gonna kick your sorry backside!"

Tristan rolled his eyes and kicked a nearby locker. "Well, now we've got nothing to do."

"Actually, I've got something," Joey said with a mischievous smirk.

"Really? What?" Joey held out his hand, revealing a jagged piece of gold with an eye design on it. "What the..."

"I took it when I looked in Yugi's box. He didn't even notice! And ya can't complete a puzzle if it's missing a piece, can you?"

"Man, that's slick, Joey!" Tristan snickered.

"Yeah!" he agreed pridefully. "But as for this..." He tossed up the piece and caught it midair, before chucking it out a nearby window, where it fell and landed in the school pool. "Come on, let's get outta here."

At the end of the day, Yugi gathered his things quickly and rushed towards the exit.

'The sooner I get home, the sooner I can finish my homework and work on the puzzle!' he thought excitedly. 'Maybe I can even finally finish it!'

"Hey, you're Yugi, right?"

Yugi blinked and turned around. Leaning against the school building and looking right at him was a student with dark hair and large eyebrows. He looked to be almost three times Yugi's height and five times his size. He was big and strong and intimidating. Yugi wondered what he could want with him. "Yes..." he replied softly.

"I'm Ushio, from the school Morals Committee," he said.

'We have one of those?' Yugi thought to himself.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Uh..."

"Have you been picked on by anyone in your class?"

"Um, not really," Yugi said, trying to turn away, but the student grabbed his shoulder.

"Hold on! It's my job to investigate this!" Yugi flinched and looked at him nervously. Ushio smiled, but it was far from comforting. "Relax. From now on, you can consider me your personal bodyguard."

"Um, uh, no thanks. I'm ok, really. Um...bye," he said, rushing away. Ushio smirked at his retreating form, a plan materializing in his mind.

'That was weird,' Yugi thought on his way home. 'I wonder what that was all about.'

"Hey, Yugi!"

He turned at the second voice to call him, but was far more excited to see who had called for him. "Hi Tea! What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much. I was just thinking it's been awhile since I stopped by and hung out," she said. Yugi smiled and opened the door to the game shop and holding it for her before entering himself.

"Grandpa! I'm home!"

"Welcome!" greeted the short elderly man. Tea jumped in surprise. "Is that you, Tea? It's been a long time since I've seen you here! You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you!" he said, eyes scanning her in a way that bordered on creepy. She giggled uncomfortably.

"Hey Tea, I'm gonna go take my puzzle up to my room!" he said, heading for the door behind the counter to his house. "Grandpa, could you make us some tea?"

"Hm?" The old man looked at him. "I thought you gave up on the puzzle."

"I never said that..." Yugi grumbled indignantly.

"I takes someone very intelligent to solve that puzzle. It may even be impossible for you!" he grinned. "And you do remember about it's cursed history."

Yugi sighed. "Grandpa..."

"The Millennium Puzzle was discovered in the 1900s in an ancient tomb, and many who tried to retrieve it never came out, or died soon after! There are rumors that some of them went insane before dying, screaming something about a "Shadow Game"!"

"Uh...hey, Yugi, that sounds kinda dangerous," Tea said.

"What's a "Shadow Game"? You never told me about that!" Yugi said, pulling out the box and looking it over. "Now I'm curious!"

"Yes, well you see the engravings on the front there?" he said, pointing. "Approximately, that says "to the one who controls me, I will give dark wisdom and strength"."

"Wow! So it really can grant my wish!" Yugi said joyfully.

"If you can solve it, that is," his grandfather said.

"I know! I'm not gonna give up!" he said determinedly. "I'll be back in a minute, ok?" He dashed through the door and up the stairs. He deposited his bag on the floor of his bedroom and carefully setting the box containing the puzzle down on his desk. He was eager to begin trying to put it together, but he would never toss away an opportunity to spend time with Tea. He gave the box a longing look before heading back downstairs to spend time with her.

When he made his way back downstairs, he found Tea sitting on the couch in the small livingroom. She smiled at him.

"Hey, sorry about that," Yugi said, heading over to sit with her.

"It's fine. You apologise too much," she giggled. "You need to relax, game boy."

Yugi blushed at the nickname and laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry. Uh, I mean...um..."

Tea laughed at his struggle to find the right words, and it didn't take long for him to join in. Sometimes he forgot how easy it could be to talk to her. He'd always admired her strength of character, how nothing could stop her from doing what she needed to do. He was especially fond of her habit of nearly doting on him, when she had time at least. They'd grown a bit distant since middle school as homework began to pile up and she apparently got busy, and had other friends. Yugi was too shy to be the social butterfly that she was. But she always made a point to say hello to him every day, and every once in a while they'd walk to school together, and in the rare times she was present when he was being picked on, she always stepped in to help him. He never failed to appreciate everything she did for him, even if she brushed it off as common courtesy.

They spent a good portion of the evening chatting and joking around, Yugi's pale feelings fluttering in his heart. They talked over tea and random snacks, about everything from school, to their families, to Tea's friends, and anything else they thought of. As the sun began to set, Tea decided she needed to head home for dinner and to put a dent in her homework. Yugi showed her out the front door.

"This was really nice, Yugi," she said. "We should do this again sometime."

Yugi smiled so brightly it could have lit the entire street. "Yeah! I'd really like that! You're welcome to come visit whenever you like."

She smiled in response. "Thanks Yugi. I'll see you at school tomorrow!" she said, heading home.

He waved as she walked away. "See you tomorrow!" As she disappeared, he smiled to himself and went back inside.

"So. She's grown up nicely. Still friendly as ever too." Yugi jumped at the sound of his grandfather's voice from where he stood in the doorway to their living space.

"Y-yeah. She's great," he agreed softly.

"Are her red quadrants open?"

Yugi stiffened and blushed. "G-Grandpa!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "She's a nice girl."

"S-she's just a friend!" Yugi stuttered in frustration. "I have homework to do." He slid through the doorway past his grandfather and up the stairs to his room. As he closed the door behind him, he sighed.

He was lucky to have Tea as a friend. No matter how strong his feelings were, he would never be able to live with himself if he lost her because he wanted something more. And besides, even if he did want to take that chance, he didn't have the confidence to tell her. Every time he felt that maybe he could at least admit his paler feelings, something stopped him and he got too scared to do it. His lack of confidence was probably also why he didn't have many friends, and why he was picked on so much. He was shy and nerdy and unathletic, and he generally kept to himself. His grades were average, and the only thing that really stood out about him was his wild hair and his love of games.

He did his best to shake the thoughts from his head and sat down his desk. He tried to focus on his homework, but it would become too confusing or downright boring and he'd push it aside to work on the puzzle. He spent the rest of the night wracking his brain on math equations and putting puzzle pieces together. He never even went to bed, passing out on his desk with the incomplete puzzle resting in his palm.

The next day went by very quickly for Yugi. He'd overslept and was nearly late, and was tired throughout the day from staying up late with the puzzle. At break time, as usual, the other students filed out of the classroom and Yugi was left alone. Just as he was about to reach into his bag for one of the games he kept in there (since in his rush he'd forgotten the puzzle), he heard his name called from the doorway. He looked up and saw Ushio, the strange student from the other day.

"Could you come with me for a minute?" he asked. "I've got something I'd like to show you."

Yugi blinked, wondering what Ushio could possibly want to show him. "Um, ok," he responded, getting up from his seat and over to Ushio, who grinned at him before turning and heading down the hallway. Yugi followed curiously, but began to worry as he was led outside and in between two of the school's buildings. "Ushio...? What exactly did you want to show me?"

"Just follow me, I'm sure you'll like it." Ushio came to a stop and Yugi looked around his large body, only to freeze with fear. Laying against the school wall, beat up and bruised with bloody lips and noses, were Joey and Tristan, groaning in pain. "Check it out Yugi!"

"Joey! Tristan! What happened?" Yugi asked worriedly, stepping closer.

"I told you to consider me your bodyguard, Yugi," Ushio stated cockily. "It's my duty to punish bullies like these guys!"

"B-but Ushio, this...this is too much!" Yugi objected "This is just cruel!" He kneeled down beside the two injured bodies. "Tristan? Joey? Are you alright?"

Joey's swollen eyes opened to glare at Yugi. "Yugi...you little brat, I had a feeling you were behind this."

Yugi's eyes widened. "I'm not! I wasn't! Why would I want this?!"

"Get out of the way, Yugi!" Ushio demanded, not waiting for an answer before pushing Yugi harshly aside. "I'm not done with them yet," he said, before proceeding to kick Joey directly in the gut. The boy grunted and coughed, unmoving and barely conscious.

"Stop!" Yugi shouted, forcing his way between Ushio and the two wounded students, arms spread wide as if he could shield them with his small body.

"What?" Ushio grunted. "Why are you defending these jerks? They made fun of you. This is your chance for revenge! Punch them! Kick them!"

"No! I won't do that to my friends!"

Yugi's words seemed to reach the two injured boys who used all their strength to look up and watch the little defender stand up to the hulking monster Ushio was.

"Heh...you're a pretty nice guy if you consider these worthless punks your friends after they bullied you like that," Ushio scoffed.

"It wasn't bullying..." Yugi mumbled. "They were just messing around..."

"Hm. Well, alright," Ushio said with a shrug. "Oh, but I'll be taking my payment now." He smirked. "My bodyguard fee is sixteen hundred dollars."

"W-what?!" Yugi gaped.

"I took care of them for you, didn't I? They won't ever bother you again. But who ever said protection was cheap?"

'What can I do?' Yugi thought helplessly. 'I don't have that kind of money...'

"Well? Where is it?" Ushio asked. "Unless of course you're unsatisfied that I didn't hit them enough?"

Yugi glared up at him. "You've done more than enough!" he yelled. "If anyone has the right to beat them up, it's me! And I won't do it!"

Ushio's brow twitched irritably. "Fine. Have it your way." He lifted Yugi up by the collar of his shirt. The small boy froze, eyes wide with terror. "How about I leave you a little reminder to pay me back?" he said, before punching the short teen right in the face. He proceeded to kick and beat him almost as hard as he had Joey and Tristan. Joey watched with wide eyes, confused thoughts rushing through his head.

'Didn't Yugi sick this guy on us?' he thought. 'And even if he didn't he's always so quiet and unresisting when we gang up on him. Why's he defending us? Why is he trying to protect us!?'

Yugi, his usual weak and pacifistic self, took the beating like a ragdoll, not fighting or resisting, barely doing anything to evade the brute's attacks. 'I...I wished on the puzzle...' his thoughts swam in his sleep-deprived, adrenaline-filled brain. 'I wished...that I could have friends...Friends who I would never turn my back on, and who wouldn't turn their backs on me...' He thoughts jumbled into an indiscernible mess of pain as Ushio delivered a swift kick to his stomach, leaving him curled up on the ground.

"Well, I guess that's enough for now," he said with a grin. "Don't forget my money tomorrow. Trust me, this is only the beginning if you don't get it." He pulled out a knife and waved it in Yugi's face to make sure he saw it. "I could teach you the real meaning of pain with this." He pulled out a small piece of paper and slide it in Yugi's pocket and hid his knife back in his own pocket, before walking away laughing, leaving his three victims in a crumpled, coughing mess behind him.

'What can I do...?' Yugi thought helplessly as his mind began to clear. 'He's so big and strong...I couldn't beat him if I wanted to...the only thing I can do is pay him...but where am I supposed to get that sort of money...?'

Eventually, a few wandering students found the three and carried them to the nurses office. She bandaged them all up, but as Yugi was the only on conscious at that point, he was the first to leave. He went to his classroom to grab his bag and headed home. His grandfather had given him a worried look when Yugi'd walked in looking worse for wear, but thought better than to ask him about it and focused on the few customers in the shop as Yugi made his way to his room. He sat at his desk and pulled out his small bank and dumped it out.

'Only thirteen dollars and thirty-four cents...' He bit his lip. 'How am I going to get a thousand and six hundred by tomorrow?' He thought and thought for the longest time and came up with nothing. His idle hands instinctively reached for the puzzle on his desk, but he fought the will to grab it, trying to come up with some way to save himself, but he eventually gave in and took the puzzle in hand.

As his hand worked the with the pieces, they all seemed to smoothly fall into place. "Wow...this is...I've been struggling with this for so long, but suddenly it feels like the easiest thing in the world!" he thought aloud. He smiled brightly as he looked at the newly formed pyramid in his hands. "Looks like it needs just one more piece!" he said excitedly, reaching into the golden box for said piece...

...Only to find that it wasn't there.

"Wha...?" Yugi looked over into the box to make sure. "I...it's gone!" He got up from his chair and looked around. "M-maybe I dropped it." He then proceeded to dash around his small bedroom, nearly tearing it apart trying to find the missing piece. His room was practically in ruins by the time he gave up. He collapsed back in his desk chair and took the incomplete puzzle in his hands.

'It's gone...' he thought. 'Without the final piece, I'll never complete the puzzle...I...I'll never get my wish...' Tear gathered in his big violet eyes and dripped down onto the golden pyramid, dripping through the hole in the center where the final piece should be.

Unbeknownst to little Yugi, his grandfather had crept in not long ago. He smiled softly at his sweet grandson, before coming up behind him with a big grin, snatching up the golden item. "Oh ho! Impressive! You finished the Puzzle!"

"No..." Yugi said softly. "In the end, I couldn't finish it..."

Grandpa's smile widened. "Yugi. You've worked on the Millennium Puzzle for eight years now. You've poured your hopes and dreams into it. You should have a bit more faith. If you do, I'm sure your wish will come true."

"But, Grandpa," he argued. "I can't finish it. I'm missing a...piece...?" Yugi's eyes widened as his grandfather extended his arm and opened his hand. Resting in his palm, was a jagged piece of gold with the Wadjet Eye, the final missing piece of the puzzle. "G-Grandpa..." Yugi smiled brightly and tackled the old man in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much for finding it!"

His grandfather chuckled, but hugged him back. "I'm not the one who found it, Yugi." At Yugi's confused look, his smile widened. "One of your classmates came by the shop and asked me to give it to you. His clothes were all wet, but I can't think of why, since it hasn't rained today."

'Wow!' Yugi thought as he pulled away from his grandfather, taking the puzzle piece. 'I wonder who it was! Whoever you are, thank you!'

Grandpa's face softened as he watched his grandson head back to his desk, practically shaking with pure joy and excitement. 'That boy said his name was Joey, but he asked me not to tell you. I wonder why. He also said you were being harassed by some delinquent at school...those marks on your face...' He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and subtly slipped it into Yugi's bag. 'I'll put some money in your bag for you, Yugi. Hopefully it can help you avoid this trouble.' He straightened up and gave one last glance at the happy teen before exiting his room.

"Good night Yugi."

The boy turned his head and smiled. "Good night Grandpa. And thank you."

As his grandfather closed the door, he turned back to the puzzle and gulped, eight years worth of tension building up inside him. 'Finally...I can complete the Millennium Puzzle!' he thought eagerly, carefully sliding the last piece into place, right in the center of the pendant.

Suddenly, a bright light shone brilliantly from the Eye of the completed Puzzle. Yugi stared in awe, his head spinning, his thoughts a buzzing mess of curiosity and confusion before falling abruptly silent, his eyes falling shut.

When they opened again, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked down at himself, unfamiliar with not only the clothes he was wearing, but the body he was in. He looked around the messy room, and upon seeing a full-body mirror at the foot of the bed, got up from the chair and walked over to view his reflection. He was a bit surprised to see familiarity in his features, but was also quick to notice every unrecognizable detail.

He was small, with short legs and shoulders that ached slightly from his natural tall posture, likely more used to slouching forward and making this stranger look even smaller than he was. His eyes were large and light and rounded, and his skin was pale, his face sweet and round. He seemed the picture of innocence. He was wearing what he assumed was a school uniform, but as he looked down in the mirror, he noticed he had something clasped in his hand, and upon observation was shocked.

'How does this kid have the Millennium Puzzle?' he thought. He decided he needed to find out more about this person who owned this Item. He spread the brown cord open and pulled it over his head, wearing the Puzzle like a necklace. He looked around the room again, noticing the mess. He couldn't be certain, but it looked more torn apart than just dirty. He wondered what could have caused it. He idly slid his hands into his pockets, and blinked upon feeling something in one of them. He pulled it out and found a folded piece of paper. He opened it and found roman letters and numbers in what seemed like a name and phone number, with a US dollar amount at the bottom and a short message at the bottom that read "You owe me or else".

'So I'm in America, am I?' he looked over the message again, and upon re-reading the name at the top, his head ached. He winced, and as he closed his eyes, flashes of memory that weren't his lit up his eyelids, visions of someone he somehow knew to be this "Ushio" attacking him. But it wasn't him. He'd never met this man before. 'Are these this kid's memories?' he thought.

He slowly opened his eyes and glared at the floor. Something about that vision bothered him. He didn't know this kid whose body he was for some reason inhabiting, but he could tell just from being in his body he was completely helpless. And he felt incredibly sore in the various places the vision had shown he'd been hit. And he could feel that the kid hadn't even fought back. That man was so much bigger than him. And not only did he assault him, he threatened him. He couldn't imagine this child being anything but innocent, and an innocent boy being attacked for no reason was not something he was willing to stand by and let pass.

'Maybe I can take care of this problem for you, boy,' he thought, looking around the room. What looked like a school bag caught his eye and he decided it might not be a bad idea to see if there was more information or something he could use in there. Upon opening it, the first thing he saw was a student ID. He took a moment to look it over. 'Yugi Muto...so that's your name.' He blinked. 'Fifteen? He looks more like he's twelve.' He shrugged but proceeded to look through the boy's bag. He came across an envelope. Curiosity piqued, he delicately pulled it open just enough to see its contents. The envelope was full of money. A smirk spread across his face.

'How about I give you what you're asking for, Ushio?'

The moon was high in the sky and the streets were dark when Ushio arrived at the school. 'Why the heck would he call me this late? At least I'm getting my money,' he thought as he looked around for the little runt who owed him his money. 'Alright, I'm at the school at midnight. Now where is he?'

"Good of you to show up, Ushio."

Ushio turned and saw what looked like Yugi sitting atop one of the gym hurdles. He was wearing his school uniform, but instead of a white collared shirt and white tennis shoes, he wore dark blue sneakers and a dark blue shirt covered in straps and belts. He was also wearing a strange necklace with a creepy looking eye on it. His posture was unusually proud and a devilish grin rested comfortably on his childish face.

"Well ain't you dressed up funny," Ushio snorted. "But hearin you've decided to pay up has lightened my mood." He held out his hand expectantly. "Now cough it up. Give me the thousand six hundred you owe me!"

"I have it right here," "Yugi" said, hopping down from his perch. "Though I seem to have accidentally brought double the amount you've asked for." Ushio's grin widened at the concept of more money, but so did "Yugi"'s devious smirk. "But, I've decided that just paying you would be boring. So, how about we play a little game?"

"A game?" Ushio asked.

"Yugi" nodded. "But not just any game. This is a very special kind of game. A "game of shadows", if you will." His smirk widened. "So, how about it? You win, and you'll get more money than you were expecting. Not a bad deal, huh?"

"Hm. You've got me interested."

"Good. To play this game, we'll only need one tool. How about you hand over that knife you've got in your pocket?"

Ushio smirked and pulled out the knife he'd concealed from his inner jacket pocket, tossing it at "Yugi" carelessly. Somehow, the unathletic boy managed to catch it perfectly by the hilt.

"Well, now we have everything we need." He placed the wad of bills on top of the hurdle, stabbing the knife into the hurdle next to the cash. "Here are the rules. Each player takes turns placing money on the back of their hand, and stabbing through them. The money on the knife goes to that player, and the next player gets to try with the remainder. The game ends when there are no more bills left. Whoever has the most money by the end is the winner. Also, if you stab your hand, you automatically lose and your money goes to your opponent. Sound like fun?" "Yugi" smirked.

"Heh. You've got guts kid, I'll give you that," he said, wondering if this was really the same kid he'd beaten up earlier that day.

"And one more thing," "Yugi" said. "If you break a rule, you'll be forced to suffer a "Penalty Game"."

"Alright," Ushio shrugged, not really caring. "Let's do this."

"Let's see who goes first. Rock-paper-scissors?" Ushios scoffed, but nodded. He played rock and glared at "Yugi"'s open hand. "Looks like I go first."

"Damn it..."

"Yugi" placed the stack of bills over his hand and pulled out the knife. He held it over his hand, carefully focused on what he was doing when he stabbed downward. When he pulled up the knife, he sighed in mock disappointment.

"Ah, less than ten bills. Guess a few slid off." He pulled off his winnings and pinched the blade, holding the hilt out to his opponent. "Your turn." Ushio took the knife and set himself up. "Yugi" smirked. "If you get too greedy, you might use too much strength and stab right through your hand. The point of the game is to control your greed."

"Shut the hell up!" he shouted, stabbing the knife downwards. When he pulled back, he grinned wildly. "Ha! More than eight hundred! And not a scratch on me! Using more strength is fine!"

"Perhaps," "Yugi" allowed, setting himself up for his turn. "But as the game progresses, it will get harder and harder to control your greed, and therefore your strength. And there's less and less dollars protecting your hand."

They continued back and forth a few more turns, the sum in the center getting smaller and smaller. 'This isn't so hard!' Ushio thought. 'I'm going to win all of this money!' Just as he was about to take his turn, he noticed something. 'Wha-?! I can't relax my hand! If I can't control it, I'll stab right through my hand!'

"Yugi" somehow seemed fully aware of Ushio's predicament and smirked complacently. 'A Shadow Game can reveal a person's true character, and can determine their fate. You are ruled by greed, Ushio, and if you can't control it, you may sacrifice your own limb for money. Quite the dilemma, isn't it?'

At that point, Ushio seemed to snap. "Heh heh...Alright," he snickered. "My hand will stab with all my strength no matter what I do. But there's still a way for me to get all the money without injuring my hand!" He looked up at with a crazed smile at "Yugi", who merely raised his eyebrow. "If I can't control my strength, I'll just control my target!" His grin widened as he raised the knife. "DIE YUGI!"

"Yugi"'s eyes narrowed as he jumped out of the way of the blade. "Just as I thought. You couldn't follow the rules." His forehead began to glow, the shape of a third eye shining in the center. Ushio's eyes widened fearfully. "I can see your heart, Ushio," "Yugi" purred. "You're just a greedy bully who hurts my friends and tries to steal money from me!" He glared and pointed at him. "And since you broke the rules, you must suffer a Penalty Game!"

"What the-?!" Light flashed before Ushio's eyes and the next thing he saw was money. It was everywhere, all around him. He frantically reached out to claim every last bill for his own. "Money! Everywhere! Mine! It's all mine!"

"Yugi" looked on at the pathetic display with disappointment and mild amusement. "Let me tell you something, Ushio," he began, not really expecting the brute to be listening. "If money is all you care about, then that will be all your eyes can see." He turned and headed back to the house he'd come from, leaving the delusional bully playing in a pile of leaves. "Now, to get this money back where it belongs. I hope I saved you some trouble, Yugi Muto."

The next morning, Yugi woke up, very tired, in his bed that he didn't remember crawling into, fully clothed and in a shirt he didn't remember putting on. Realizing he didn't have much time to get ready, he just threw a white shirt over the belted cloth adorning his chest and throwing on his jacket, brushing his teeth and grabbing some toast before heading out the door. Walking through the school's front gates, his tired brain barely acknowledged the crowd of students surrounding the base of a tree where a large student rolled around, grabbing at falling leaves and claiming that they were money.

Walking through the halls, Yugi tried to remember how his night had ended. 'I remember solving the Puzzle, then...nothing' He looked down at the Puzzle with a bright smile. 'I'm so glad I finally got to complete it!'

"Yo, Yugi."

Yugi looked up from his treasure towards where his name had come from. "Oh, Joey!"

"How are your injuries?" he asked abruptly.

"Oh, I'm fine. What about you?" Yugi asked with concern.

"I'm fine," he said. "Actually, I brought ya somethin. Wanna see?"

Yugi blinked. "R-really? Yeah!"

"Sorry, but ya can't," he said with a smirk. "This treasure "can be seen, but can't be seen", so I can't show it to ya."

Yugi's eyes widened, momentarily, realizing Joey must have still been outside the door when he explained the riddle to Tea. His brow furrowed, wondering what Joey could possibly mean. After watching him struggle for a bit, Joey smiled.

"It's friendship," he said, an embarrassed blush spreading over his cheeks as he spoke. "You can see me and you, but you can't see our friendship."

Yugi stared at him in surprise for a moment, then a big, exuberant smile spread across his face and happy tears pooled in his eyes. "Yeah!"

"W-well, come on!" Joey said, dashing off to hide his flushed face. "We've gotta get to class!"

Yugi giggled childishly and rushed after him. "Joey, wait! You lost your shoe!"

And that's chapter one! I hope you've enjoyed it so far! Reviews make me smile! :33