All right, I know I shouldn't be starting another story right now, but this one was blocking all my ideas for the other ones. I should be able to update my other stories soon but I can't make any promises.

This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic so please take it easy on me. The first chapter may not be too good but i'm hoping the rest will turn out better so just give me some time. Oh, also, the special children were be refured to as the special children or children through the story. I haven't given them another name, so I'm just leaving it at that.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Warning: This story is very AU. It also contains male/male relationships. If you have a problem with that then don't read.

Major pairing: Yami/Ryou

Minor pairings: Malik/Yugi, Marik/Bakura, Seto/Jonouchi, and maybe (note the word maybe) Mokuba/Shizkua (If anyone wants this pairing please let me know)

Summary: Very AU yaoi Welcome to Domino, where every 500 years ten children are born with special powers. Parents try to hide their children for the government wants to use them for their own purposes. Yugi, Mokuba, Ryou, and the others are soon about to find out the horrible truth about what the government wants from them.

Powers:

Mokuba: able to breath under water.

Seto: freeze, slow down, speed up, go back or forward in time.

Jonouchi: telekinesis, also able to fly.

Shizuka: transformation

Yami: super strength

Yugi: clairvoyance/foresight (able to see the future)

Ryou: mind control, telepath, and healing powers

Bakura: super speed

Malik: transportation

Marik: elementlist

Shrouded in Shadows: Secrets of the Ten

Chapter 1

Puppets of the Master

July 1, 1476

I have decided to record the events that lead to this. Even though most of my memories are full of grief I think everyone should know what really happened to us. Why we are fighting even now to save two of our friends when it seems hopeless. But mainly, I'm writing this so that the ten of us never forget what happened to us, and what that man did in his pursuit of power.

My name is Mokuba. I am one of the ten children born once every five hundred years in this city called Domino. Dartz had ordered that as soon as someone knew their children were special then they must hand over their children to the government. But, our parents hid us. We didn't know why. Dartz had said that we would be treated as kings and queens, and that our parents would be able to visit us whenever they wanted. We would never have to worry about anything. But, those were all lies.

When Dartz discovered that my brother, Seto, and I had powers, he had his guards storm into our home. They killed our parents in front of our eyes before dragging us off to Dartz's castle. We were separated from the outside world. The only people we knew were the guards, servants, and Dartz's himself, and we weren't allowed to speak to the guards or servants.

As more time passed, more of the children were brought in until all ten of us were held captive in Dartz's palace, never being allowed to step into the world we had come from. Dartz's made sure we trained in how to use our powers. He wanted us to become as strong as possible. My brother and Yami were the first to become suspicious of his motives, and the rest of us as well. We didn't trust him like he said we should, in fact we all hated him, even innocent Ryou and Yugi hated him.

But, we didn't really care what Dartz did, at least Yugi, Ryou, Malik, Shizuko, and myself didn't care. Our older brothers did though and they watched over us, never letting Dartz come close to us. Yami and Bakura were especially protective and I don't blame them. You could see it in Dartz's eyes, he wanted Yugi and Ryou, and at times I think he wanted Malik as well.

Dartz put us through a lot but at least we had nine other people to count on. And yet Dartz was determined to take that away from us as well. He wanted to shape the world in his own fashion. He wanted a world where no one could oppose him and where he would be the strongest and wisest of all beings, but he needed us in order to do so.

And then the day came where he could finally make his dream reality. All of us had become stronger than Dartz had ever imagined. It was then that the purpose for the special children was reveled to us. Dartz had planned everything so perfectly that he thought he had us right where he wanted, and for a time we were indeed his puppets. But, Dartz had never gone up against my brother before, and Seto can outsmart anyone. We are still fighting now, but if Seto's plan works, then we'll be able to get rid of Dartz forever.

OOOOO

"Jonouchi! Don't do that!" Ryou yelled as Jonouchi flew away from him, the blonde laughing at Ryou.

Yugi, Malik, and Mokuba laughed at Ryou as well as he tried to fix his white hair. "It's not funny!" the albino yelled at the three, which only succeeded in making them laugh harder.

"Jonouchi mess up your hair again?" Bakura asked as he came up behind his little brother, a smirk on his face. Ryou glared at him before sticking his tongue out at him. "Very mature, Ryou," Bakura commented as he began playing with Ryou's hair.

"Like you're any more mature," Malik said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Bakura just turned and like Ryou had done before, stick his tongue out at Malik.

Jonouchi suddenly landed beside them. "Come on guys, we have to get to the front garden now."

"Why?" everyone asked at the same time.

"Because, it seems Dartz didn't say away for two weeks like he said he would."

"You mean he's back already?" Yugi asked surprised. Dartz was supposed to be gone on a trip to one of the southern cities for two weeks. Everyone had been glad to see him go not just the children. Everyone hated him, but they were just too afraid to do anything about him, so Dartz continued to rule, just as he had done for the past 10,000 years.

Bakura muttered something under his breath that sounded strangely like 'that son of a bitch' before dragging the rest of them off to the front garden. If he could, Bakura would have just skipped welcoming Dartz back, but he wasn't about to leave his little brother unguarded near that bastard any time soon.

The six of them made it to the front garden just as Dartz was stepping out of his carriage. Yami, Seto, and Shizuka were already there waiting for them. Dartz quickly looked them over, his eyes lingering on Yugi and Ryou, earning growls and death glares from Yami and Bakura. He ignored these, but he did notice that there were only nine children there.

"Ryou," he said sweetly walking up to the white haired boy. "Would you be so kind as to go find Marik for me?"

Ryou just stood there for a second. He didn't like the way Dartz was petting his cheek, or the way the man was looking at him. It unnerved him, but at least Bakura was beside him (even if he was admitting a powerful aura of anger). "Yes, my lord," Ryou finally whispered before bowing slightly to Dartz and disappearing back into the castle.

Ryou was glad to be away from Dartz, but he knew that Marik was going to be in trouble. Even if Marik was insane, the blonde Egyptian was still his friend, but Dartz seems to want to destroy everything they all loved, including each other.

Ryou remembered when he had first been brought to the castle with Bakura. He had only been five years old at the time, and didn't understand what was going on. He had been in the marketplace shopping with his mother. He didn't know that he was somehow controlling her mind, but everything he asked for he got, even if his mother truly didn't want to buy it. And then he'd heard them. Everyone, who was in the marketplace, all their thoughts hit him like a tidal wave. He had begun to cry, and had whispered to his mother what was wrong but Dartz's men knew instantly what he was, even though his mother tried to hide it. They had killed her right in front of him and dragged him away, where at the castle he was reunited with Bakura, who as they found out, had outrun all of the soldiers horse at an incredible speed when he had been caught stealing something from a jeweler.

The had been the third pair of siblings to arrive at the castle, and as they soon found out, all the children were siblings as well. Each special child's powers would not awake until their bother's or sister's did as well. That had always been the way of it, and that would always be how it was.

The albino teen found Marik taking a nap in his room. "Marik, time to get up," Ryou said trying to shake the Egyptian awake, but to avail. "I don't have time for this," Ryou whispered after a few minutes, knowing that Marik wasn't going to get up unless he wanted to. :Marik get up: Ryou yelled telepathically into his mind. Marik instantly shot up out of bed.

"Damn it Ryou, you know I hate it when you do that," Marik said yawning. "Why'd you wake me up anyway?"

"Dartz's is back. You're supposed to be down in the front gardens now."

"What!" Marik shouted jumping out of bed. "He's not suppose to be back for another week! Why's the bastard back now!" Marik was about to storm out of the room before Ryou stopped him.

"Marik, don't you think you should change?"

Marik looked down to see that he was still in his pajamas. "Opps."

OOOOO

When Ryou and Marik finally got back Dartz let his eyes rest on the blonde. He hated Marik, more than any of the others, he hated Marik. He hated Yami, Bakura, Seto, and Jonouchi as well, but he really hated Marik. The guy was always getting into trouble or being lazy and yet his powers were some of the more advanced ones. Dart didn't understand it, and it hated what he didn't understand.

He moved swiftly toward Marik before his raising his hand and slapping Marik across the face. "You will come to my chambers this evening when I summon you. I will have your punishment ready then," Dartz whispered to him in a dangerous growl. He glared at Marik, but the Egyptian just glared right back.

Dartz finally turned away and after a nice little speech about how much he had missed them and how much they meant to him, Dartz left, which they were all thankful for. They knew he wasn't lying. Dartz did miss then and did care about them, because without them, he was powerless.

Ryou walked over to Marik and healed the bruise that was forming on his cheek. Ryou smiled sweetly at him before Marik jokingly expressed his thanks and pretended to ask Ryou to marry him. Both Yami and Bakura hit him for that one. Bakura was overprotective of Ryou no matter who it was, and everyone knew that Yami and Ryou were a couple.

Mokuba, Shizuka, Malik, and Yugi all ran off as they began to play another game closely followed by Jonouchi. He was still really a kid at heart even though he'd been forced to grow up really fast seeing as his mother died when he was a kid and his father wasted their money on booze every night. Bakura, Marik, and Seto who were making sure that nothing happened to their little brothers followed them. Nothing ever had, but still, they didn't want Dartz or the guards anywhere near them.

"Come on," Yami whispered as he pulled Ryou in the opposite direction. No one questioned it. They two slipped off a lot together, and though Bakura wasn't happy about it, he let it go because it made Ryou happy.

When they were finally in a secluded area Yami leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Ryou's lips which was quickly returned. They couldn't let anyone but the other children know, because if Dartz ever found out he would punish them and he'd make sure they wouldn't even see each other anymore. Neither wanted to lose the other, and they were willing to do almost anything to stay together. But, if Dartz found out he'd probably want them to kill one of the other children as punishment or even each other.

So, they kept quiet, the trees and birds the only witnesses to their feelings for each other. But, this time it was different. Someone else was watching the two and he was not pleased, especially when he heard Yami say those three little words to Ryou and Ryou say them back.

No, Dartz was not pleased at all.

OOOOO

And there is chapter 1. Hope you guys liked it. I'll try to update as soon as possible. If you want the next chapter though you have to review and tell me what you think of my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic. Hope I didn't bored anyone out of their minds, and I hope no one thinks this was a waste of time. Oh, and if anyone's going to flame me for this being yaoi, you were warned so don't complain about it.