I was actually challenged to write this... I hope you like it.

A Champion's Fate

The early morning's shadows and the red clouds of dawn had cleared out. The sun was now high up in the summer's brilliant sky and its beams were reaching out to the dark alleyway where they were dueling. Jonouchi shifted uncomfortably. His eyes screwed up under the bright light as he tried to look at his cards. His pharaoh-friend was giving him a hard time, as he would to anyone who challenged him.

There the king was, standing in front of him, daring and calm, his blue uniform immaculate and arranged to free his movements. It gave him quite the cool appearance, for his mad strategies were not all that made him the formidable opponent everyone admired; there was his regal and frightening presence to deal with as well. The more he thought about it, the more he realized most of their little gang of friends acted shy around him. He himself would not dare jump in his arms to greet him as he would with Yugi. He and Honda would usually sober up while in his range of hearing. Even Seto knew when to shut up around him. And, up until now, their duel had been strangely silent. He would not be surprised to somehow learn his subjects used to crawl at his feet each time he moved a finger. Hunt and battle were royals' ways to entertain themselves. The king was at ease in this game. Jonouchi knew he would strike and kill the moment he let him seize the opportunity.

Finally, after a good moment thinking, Jonouchi placed two trap cards on the field. In these moments of deep thought, the pharaoh would never interrupt him and he was grateful for it. He looked up and grinned.

'Do you mind if we moved a bit? The sun's getting in my eyes.'

Yugi (or the Other Yugi, he might say) seemed surprised.

'We can switch place if you like' he offered simply. 'I do not mind'.

'You're sure…? It's pretty bothering, you know. We could just go elsewhere…'

The blond boy seemed uncertain, still trying to decide whether his friend was suggesting that in order to continue the duel without any interruptions or if it really did not bother him. Maybe he did not care for any of those reasons at all. He saw him smile a bit while he walked to take his place. That was rare.

'I crave for the sun to embrace me in its light' he admitted so quietly Jonouchi had difficulty to catch the sentence. 'Here, he is never as warm as I wish him to be…'

He supposed 'he' was the Sun. Ra, in Egyptian, if he remembered correctly. He suddenly paled, realizing what the other was up to. Oh God. He could see the sarcastic smile now. It was right on his face as he drew the card he probably wanted. That kind of ability should not even be possible. Maybe it was a king's secret of some sort.

'It's not one of your gods, is it?' he tried, putting on a horrified face.

As if the cheap trap would work. Yugi did not even answer but he allowed him to see his mischievous smile. That could not be good. He quickly analyzed the field. His opponent had Queen Knight and a few set down cards. King Knight was already in the graveyard. In other words, the pharaoh could easily summon a god. One of the face down cards had to be Resurrection of the Dead, then he could special summon Jack Knight and normal summon Ra or whichever god he had decided to play. Not today. He would not let him.

'Activate trap card!' Jonouchi cried dramatically. 'Grave Robber: I can steal a card of my choice from your cemetery and use it now in exchange of 2000 points. I choose King Knight'. The blond struck out his tongue.

'Now, you can't use it for your little strategy of yours' he said with a broad grin.

But he had now three monsters on his part of the field. In the next turn, he would be able to summon Gilford the Lightening, use his special effect to destroy any monsters the pharaoh had left and it would be his win. The promise of glory made him exult, especially the idea of a victory over him. It was the guarantee of his high level dueling.

But the kingly Yugi lifted an eyebrow.

'I beg to differ. I think you just did what I needed you to do'. He smirked. 'This duel has been in my control from the very start'.

Jonouchi felt he had been waiting to say that for quite a moment, now. He blinked and watched Yugi sacrifice the King Knight he had just revived, along with Queen Knight, to call back his famous Black Magician.

'Black Magician was in your graveyard?' he cried.

'Since my last turn. I had seven cards in my hand.'

It was true. Yugi had been allowed to draw one more time because of the effect of one of his own gamble cards.

'Now, just don't make me believe you knew I'd lose that gamble.'

Jonouchi sounded exasperated.

'It was part of the plan' the Other Yugi chuckled.

'Part of the plan?'

'You win too much when it comes to gambles. You were bound to lose sometime' he replied.

Jonouchi looked baffled.

'I… win too much? You have to be kidding!'

The comment only succeeded in increasing his opponent's irritating haughtiness. But he enjoyed the challenged too much to get angry for it. He was not Kaiba, nor was he one of those players Yugi managed so well to get under their skin for that matter. He probably did it on purpose anyway. He liked to test his enemies' forces and willpower.

'Attack with Black Magician' the pharaoh announced.

'Why do you even have a dark theme deck if you love the sun so much?' asked abruptly Jonouchi, trying to distract him while pressing the button that would activate his Fairy Box.

The Battle City Champion frowned, waiting for the blond headed boy to throw the coin he had in his pocket before answering the question.

'Tails' Jonouchi cackled. 'Means that Black Magician attack points drop to zero. You lose the battle and take the damage. Shame my monster was in defense.'

He noticed the Other Yugi's smile had completely vanished as his life points fell down to a mere hundred.

'What? Wasn't that part of your plan?' he asked, feigning surprise and wanting to lighten the mood.

It had quite the opposite effect. Yugi pursed his lips and his expression darkened. He stayed silent, as usual, but the atmosphere felt heavier. Funny, he had never imagined the king to be a sore loser. That would have been his adjective to describe Kaiba, not his best friend. But it was true he had never seen him defeated. He would not know. And even during difficult battles, Jonouchi had been concentrating on cheering him rather than observing his general attitude. He knew, however, that pushed to this point, the champion would plan things ever so carefully and grab victory within Defeat's claws. He had to be careful. He did not want to mess things up just now.

'If you don't watch out, I'm going to win this game!'

Now it was his turn to become cocky. The one thing the pharaoh had learned him was that mental state during a duel was essential. He would play on it. But there was simply no reaction on Yugi's side. People were never quite sure what he was thinking.

'I'm really serious about this, you know.'

And he was. He suddenly felt it was necessary. Maybe he could reach the unapproachable heart of the puzzle's spirit if he did. It would force him down to their level. The king would not appreciate it at first but Jonouchi could hope he would open up to them afterwards. He briefly wondered if it had been permitted to duel the king and beat him, in Egypt. If not, it could explain things.

'You're not answering.'

'I do not see the sun very often. I feel as if I should. And my deck is built to power up the best card I have: Black Magician. It has nothing to do with me having an issue with light.'

Jonouchi was bewildered, taking some time to link Yugi's reply to the unanswered question he had asked ages ago about his dark theme deck. Then he blinked, looking up at the pharaoh. He sure knew how to dodge unwanted questions. Or maybe he really was genuine about it all? He stayed silent while the Other Yugi added cards in his magic and trap card zone and ended his turn.

'Why are you always so severe about everything, then?'

He kept on asking him questions. He was curious and he was drawn to the king. He wanted to know about his feelings, his thoughts, what made him so special for a lot of people like Anzu or Kaiba for instance. He enjoyed being there with him only. He found it was much easier to talk to him seriously. Nobody had ever asked him about himself. He tailed along behind them for Yugi's purpose. They just assumed he was another Yugi. Was he? Was he even okay with it?

'Severe?' the pharaoh repeated, cutting through his thoughts and seeming surprised.

Jonouchi took the card on top of his deck, looked at it then looked back at his opponent.

'Well…' He was searching for the best words that could explain his point of view. 'You never smile, never laugh, never make a fool out of yourself…'

Jonouchi shook his head and sighed.

'I am dead' the spirit said abruptly. The fact that he was actually answering stunned the blond to silence. 'I have no choice but to haunt this world until the day my purpose is fulfilled. Wandering spirits do not rejoice. They cannot feel happiness.'

'Are you never happy?'

Jonouchi's stomach squeezed. It was a really disturbing thought.

'I am not unhappy.'

'Would you be happy if you won?'

The pharaoh seemed to think the question inappropriate.

'I always win' he replied.

Jonouchi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

'Does that mean yes?' he pried.

'No,' Yugi said harshly. 'It means I have to win no matter what.'

He was a bit taken aback by the ruthless answer. He had started to play these games for the fun of it. It was true there were times when he had desperately needed to win and when Yugi's support had really helped, but in the end it had always been a thrilling game, something he enjoyed. He would not deny that winning was good and satisfying but winning was not everything. A point his opponent seemed to miss on.

'Do you remember any of your past now you've had the gods?'

Again, there was no reply.

'I was wondering if it had anything to do with it. Your fear of losing.'

Jonouchi winced once he saw the king's eyes flash in absolute anger. Damn, royalty was touchy. 'I mean, perhaps winning was vital to you in order to show your rivals you were still strong but…'

'Just stop pretending to understand, Jonouchi' the Other Yugi hissed. 'And stop insulting me.'

'Well stop acting like Kaiba' the blond one retorted wittily.

He smiled slightly when he saw the spirit's stunned face. He knew he was nice deep down. In his opinion, all this display was a big act. An act he had to put on for his people. But he was not king anymore. He could just relax. That was what he wanted him to understand. He just hoped it would not be as difficult as with the CEO.

'It is your turn' Yugi said firmly, closing the discussion.

Jonouchi studied his cards, coming back to the duel. Now was his chance to win. The pharaoh had a hundred points left. He had to be quick, otherwise his opponent would be back on his feet in no time.

'Okay. First off, I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Gilford the Lightening which is three hundred points more than your Magician.'

The blond looked up expectantly. Yugi seemed unfazed. So he was either bluffing or prepared for an attack. The champion had three cards set down. So his next step was: 'I play Giant Tornado so that all trap and magic cards return to their owners' hand' he explained reaching to get back his own card.

'Fast magic: Emergency Provisions' the pharaoh reacted immediately, frowning again. 'I sacrifice my two trap cards to regain two thousand points.'

Jonouchi saw with satisfaction Mirror Force and Spellbinding Circle go to the graveyard instead of returning in Yugi's hand. The big problem was: his opponent's life points had shot up to 2100. Even if he managed to destroy the Black Magician, the pharaoh would survive the turn. He had to special summon a strong monster. Luckily he had one of his gamble cards to help.

'Question' he announced with a grin. 'You'll have to guess what the first monster to enter my graveyard was. If you're wrong I can special summon it but if you're right you're okay.'

'I suppose it was that card I forced you to discard at the beginning of the duel…' the Other Yugi said.

Jonouchi was smiling madly. His opponent blinked.

'Or perhaps the card you discarded was not a monster… which would mean the first monster to enter your graveyard was Jinzo…' he wondered aloud.

'Sooo… What do you chose?' The blond asked, exulting.

'If it is not Jinzo, then it would be a monster above 1800 points if you intend to win on this turn… Say The Legendary Fisherman. Both your Panther Warrior and Rude Kaiser appeared later on in this duel…'

Jonouchi started to sweat. So the champion had managed to reduce his choice down to two monsters. He was good. There was no denying that fact. It was a fifty-fifty.

'And your guess is?'

'Jinzo'

They scrutinized each other for a few seconds more. And he knew his deathly serious look gave it away.

'Your guess is wrong' he declared quietly.

As he proceeded to take Fisherman from the graveyard and summon it on the field, he saw Yugi's face turn pale. The frightened expression was gone instantly, replaced by an unreadable look but it still made his heart clench. He had the sudden feeling he had caught a proud and beautiful wild beast in his net. And he, the hunter, was going to murder it. Jonouchi bit his lips. It did not help a bit to know it was because of the king's sheer will his calm expression remained. Did the Other Yugi felt the same way as he did now when he was about to strike the coup de grace? He was sure the pharaoh never had any qualms of conscience for winning. Why would he be uneasy about it then? Maybe the king would not understand it; he was more like an animal playing with its prey and did not know he was cruel. He, Jonouchi, on the other hand, had become way too soft. He was not even sure his opponent would like it.

'What are you waiting for?' came Yugi's cold voice.

Jonouchi swallowed, hesitating.

'If you wanted to let me win you should have found a more subtle way' the pharaoh hissed. 'Now get on with it' he snapped.

He was trying to be aggressive rather than weak. But it could not have fooled Jonouchi. He was frightened. They were both. He himself felt his heart pounding in his chest. He could not believe it. It was not right. Yugi had always won. And he had always lost. He seriously felt he was humiliating him, ripping his dignity to shreds, overstepping a sacred boundary. Maybe it was the king's powerful aura that had made him seen untouchable. It was just strange to realize how much vulnerable he could be, especially in this world. He felt guilty.

Jonouchi braced himself. Looking determined, he launched the last attack.

He saw the spirit of the puzzle close his eyes and clench his teeth, not wanting to see his life points hitting zero. Then it was all over: the holograms disappeared and the duel disks shut down. A few seconds past, none of them moved until Jonouchi realized the pharaoh was shivering. Worried, he watched him lean against the wall then slump down on the ground with a painful expression being no longer able to hide the feelings that stung his entire being.

Jonouchi run to his side. 'Yugi, I…'

'Congratulations' he heard his friend mumble feebly before he could finish his sentence. 'Take your card back' he added lending him out his deck box while the blond boy kneeled next to him.

'Don't be silly' Jonouchi said with a sigh. 'I didn't think you would take it so badly…'

'Do not excuse yourself' the pharaoh replied coldly. 'Take your card back' he repeated.

Sighing again and unsure of what to do, Jonouchi reached for the deck box and opened it. There, he saw his Black Dragon and a few other special cards. He blinked.

'Your Gods are in there…' he noticed.

'I wanted to play on your fear of them…' the Other Yugi explained bitterly.

Jonouchi seemed impressed. 'Well… It nearly worked, I must say…'

'Nearly is not enough' the spirit snapped harshly. 'Now take it and go.'

'Some king you must've been' the blond smiled with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. 'I pity your servants.'

The pharaoh stiffed.

'At least none of them have dared challenge me and win.'

'And how do you know that?'

'I don't' he admitted. 'Why does it interest you, anyway?'

'I'm your friend' Jonouchi said firmly. 'You need someone by your side right now. I can see you're taking this really bad. I'm not dumb, you know.'

His friend stayed silent, casting his eyes down. Jonouchi sat comfortably on the ground next to him.

'I won't tell anyone if that makes you feel better' he said.

Yugi's shoulders quivered. He thought he had started to cry but when he spoke again his voice was as steady as ever.

'It would be wrong of me' he said though he did not deny the suggestion. 'My Partner would not appreciate it.'

Jonouchi was startled. That was the first time he ever heard the spirit mention Yugi in a conversation. Usually, he tried to pose as Yugi himself.

'What about you?' the blond asked.

The pharaoh shook his head, not saying anything. His face was distorted by despair and fright.

'What is so important about winning?'

'Why do you insist on humiliating me? I made it clear I had dismissed you'

Jonouchi sighed, getting up. His lips twitched a bit. 'I'm not a servant of yours, I trust you know that? I was only trying to help'

The Other Yugi silently handed him his Black Dragon, not even daring to look at him in the eye. He suspected tears of anger were threatening to shed and his already wounded pride was not about to let him see them.

'Keep it.'

Their gaze met. The king's deep violet eyes were slightly turning a reddish color. It could be the light. Maybe he had cried. He did not comment. It would have been foolish.

'Does Yugi know?'

He could not help asking.

'No' the spirit mumbled. 'You will tell him'

'I won't' he sighed. 'Keep it then. Until you're ready'

Before he turned round he saw the pharaoh smile slightly at the dragon card and a murmured 'thank you' had time to reach his ears. He smiled too; he knew he was doing the right thing.

The blond boy returned home, whistling all the way back. He had won! Against the greatest opponent ever! Pity no one would know (he just could not impose that to his friend), but at least he knew his dueling skills were worth something. To be honest with himself, he knew very well his win was more due to chance than to anything else. The other one could have picked the Fisherman instead of Jinzo. There was no strategy in there. Strangely, the spirit had not complained about that point at all. Perhaps he had been too much distraught by his loss to think about it further more. Or perhaps he did not care about how you won? What did count was winning. It had definitely been his views when he had dueled Kaiba back at Duelist Kingdom. A strange being he was, that spirit. Indeed.

'Hey, Jonouchi!' he heard someone call behind his back.

It was Honda and Anzu, running down his way.

'We were looking for you. How did it go then?'

'Quite well actually' Jonouchi said with a grin.

'You lost again?' assumed Honda with a lenient smile. 'Ah, never mind, let's go and have a drink. Isn't Yugi with you?'