Full Summary: Yugi has a lot of secrets that he keeps hidden from both the light and the dark. They are truths that could alter what most people thought they knew about the King of Games: everything from her personality to his past to the state of his soul. When Seto Kaiba is asked by the city of Domino to host another Battle City Tournament, all of the best duelists come out of the woodwork, including Yami, who has been given a body of his own. In a sudden turn of events, all of Yugi's secrets are forced into the open, changing his future and the future of those around him forever. SetoxYugi. Possible other pairings.

A/N:

Italics: in the past/memories

Bold: Arabic

This story is going to differ greatly from the manga and anime following Battle City. Yugi is going to be VERY different at some points as will Yami/Atem (as he's gonna have a body of his own) so no hating. This was actually a story I came up with when I was about 12 and watched the show religiously and, now it's finally seeing the light of day.

Prologue

The caves of Al-Khayl, which were usually silent at this time of night, were filled with violent moans of pain and suffering. Occasionally, the sound would die down into the quiet, but fiercely rise again. In one of the caverns closest to the outside world, the largest of them all, two men sat, listening. They both cringed every time the moans grew louder, relaxing only when the air became still again. A small fire burned in between them, tossing soft light onto their faces.

One of the men was very small and pale. His hair was silver and hung loosely from the dark bandana that was wrapped around his head. He had a gray blanket pulled tightly around his small frame as he tried to keep himself warm. His wise, old, violet eyes stared at the darkness further in the cave.

The other man was much younger, but much less jittery than the old man. His black hair was wild despite being cropped short, sticking out in a variety of directions. A faint beard had grown on his face, as dark as his hair. His gaze was focused on the old man, fire dancing in the brown depths.

"This should be the last night," the young man said softly in Arabic.

"How can you be sure?" the old man asked.

"I've done this a few times Solomon, of course, not on this kind of scale," the young man replied.

"You said that it takes only a day or two for the transformation to be complete," Solomon Muto spat. "It's been five."

"Like I said, I've never done it on this scale before. Usually, all I'm allowed to do is simple face alterations and the like, not transforming someone's entire body and personality! Don't forget that it was you who came to me for help!" the young man hissed

Sighing, Solomon sat back against the rock behind him and nodded.

"I understand. It's just so painful having to watch it, Adil (1)," Solomon muttered.

"Just be glad that you're not the one having to undergo that," Adil replied, motioning into the darkness. "He's actually doing better than most. They usually end up falling into fits of sobbing after an hour."

"Yugi is not just physically strong," Solomon mused.

"I know, but still. I don't think that even I could have lasted five days like this and I'm the one who creates the Khadim (2). I'm more worried about his physical state at this point."

"Why is that?"

"He'll need to get used to certain things. First of all, the scars will be hidden, which he'll probably enjoy. Then there will me some changes to his facial structure, just minor things. I also made a few other additions to the Khadim to change even the most basics of appearances."

"Such as?"

"His hair. That's one of his most distinctive features. No more long ponytails for him. It'll be the same color, but it'll be much shorter than before. His eye color will also remain as that's such an important family trait."

Both men looked up as the moaning died down again. They frowned when several minutes passed without a sound. Standing up, Solomon tossed the blanket aside and headed into the darkness. He'd memorized every twist and turn in the rock tunnels, easily able to find his way in the darkness. Finally, he came into a passage lighted with torches.

It was build like a hallway with six smaller caverns on either side of it. Each cave mouth was covered by a large rectangle of cloth that hung suspended from hooks that had been drilled into the roof and each cloth had a different design on it. Most of the caverns behind the cloths were unused at the moment, though full of personal items from the people who sometimes lived in them. At the end of the passage, faint light filtered out through the small space between the cloth and the floor. Walking over to this cloth door, Solomon stared at the logo on it: a red stallion rearing on a red background.

Pushing it aside, Solomon silently stepped into the smaller cavern. The ceiling was surprisingly high and there was only one torch out of the three that lined the wall that was lit. It sat just over a wood framed bed that was big enough for two full-grown men. Several heavy blankets, which had once covered the mattress, had been kicked down to the end or off of the bed entirely by its occupant. In one corner of the cave stood a large wooden trunk that contained shirts, pants, and other assorted clothes. On top of it, thick, ancient books had been stacked up in piles. The rest of the floor space near the walls was covered in assorted tool, strips of leather, and half-finished bridals. The only object that was out of place was a small gold box that rested on top of a work bench near the entrance (3).

As he walked over to the bed, Solomon seemed to age several years. The crow's feet at the corners of his eyes became more pronounced and the shadows of his face became darker. Reaching out, he ruffled the hair of the boy that slept in the bed, watching as the multi-colored tresses moved. His gaze drifted down to the sleeping boy's face, which was young and angelic. It resembled the wise face that Solomon was used to, but the hardness of it had been replaced by childish innocence. Running his hand along the boy's bare back, Solomon sighed, but with relief. The scars were gone and only smooth skin remained. Glancing down at the boy's legs, he found that the wounds there were gone as well.

Moaning slightly in his sleep, the boy shifted only slightly, giving the old man a look at his neck. Solomon stiffened when he saw the thick red line that cut across his grandson's neck, right below his voice box. Quickly, Solomon left the room, heading back towards the cavern in which Adil sat. Taking his seat next to the fire, Solomon expelled the breath he'd been holding in his chest since he'd seen the old scar.

"He still has the one on his neck," the old man said.

"There are some things that had to remain," Adil murmured sadly. "Otherwise, he'll forget who he is entirely. When do you plan to leave?"

"As soon as he's well enough to ride. Everything is arranged," Solomon replied, picking up a small mug of cold coffee that sat near the fire.

"So in about three days? I'll miss you lunatics. You've always given me something to look forward to. You're unpredictable," Adil said, giving the old man a smile.

Solomon shrugged in response, sitting back against the rock again. He turned to stare out into the night that had settled into the canyon, watching the fires that burned in the other caves in the ravine's walls.

(1) Means 'fair' in Arabic. Adil is an OC.

(2) Means servant in Arabic.

(3) The box that the Millennium Puzzle was kept in.