A/N: There's probably some things off considering I haven't really watched the show since four years ago. If you catch any plotholes and let me know, I'll be very thankful. ^_^ I tried to avoid them, but the idea came first so there might be some plotholes or a little OOCness.

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh!

It was a warm afternoon in July, and Yugi was walking home through the park. Normally he'd take the shortest route home and normally Joey would be walking with him, but Joey had detention; anyway, Yugi wanted to enjoy the bright blue sky. He sighed. The nice day was almost nice enough to distract him from his other self, who had been acting snappish and moody lately. Yami had even yelled at him for checking on him yesterday, and any worry Yugi showed was just seemed to irritate the ancient spirit more. Yugi was almost glad he hadn't heard from the Pharaoh yet that day, as much as it hurt to admit it.

So Yugi was hoping the cloudless day was a good omen. The last few days had been stormy, matching the Pharaoh's mood, so perhaps this bright new day meant they could put it behind them. Yami's ill mood couldn't last forever, could it?

A girl's giggle distracted him from his thoughts.

"Tea?", Yugi said hopefully.

"No..."

"Who's there?"

Silence.

Yami rushed to the surface.

Yami, it might just be a harmless little...

Shut up!

Yugi stammered backwards in spirit form. The force of the Pharaoh's command and Yugi's surprise had thrown him back. Except for that one time with the Seal, Yami never acted like this.

Yami took no notice however, and instead said in a commanding tone, "Reveal yourself!"

A female figure in a dark cloak, scarcely taller than Yugi, stepped forward out of the shadows, her face obscured (don't we all know that's never a good sign?).

"Hello Pharaoh!", replied the girl cheerfully. "Do you care for a duel?"

At that, Yami actually smirked a little. "Sounds like exactly what I need." Off to the side, Yugi's brow creased in worry.

Yami?

"Why don't we make it more interesting? We could play a normal little game or we could make this a Shadow Game…your choice Pharaoh."

Yugi gaped. Who was this girl? How did she know about the Pharaoh? What did she know of Shadow Games? She didn't even have a Millennium Item!

Yami took no notice of Yugi however.

"I wouldn't say no to a Shadow Game, as long as you're aware of the risks", Yami replied with a scary grin.

The girl nodded almost sadly. "I am." Her sudden seriousness was unnerving.

Yami...!

Aibou, I know what I'm doing.

Remember the Seal?

...this isn't the same.

You'll banish her to the Shadows! You promised I would have a say in future duels!

You've had you're say. Leave!

Yugi found himself on the ground, in spirit form. His other self was breaking his promise.

"What shall the wager be?

The voice from under the cloak replied, "What else? Our hikaris."

"How can you have a hikari without a Millennium Item?"

"That's not your concern, Pharaoh", she said with an emphasis on the last word. She seemed to enjoy knowing his secrets, while he couldn't know hers.

The Pharaoh didn't ask anymore questions, but nodded. "Fine. My partner if I lose, and your hikari is I lose."

One of the hikaris in question sat on the dirt, abandoned by the other half of his soul. Without the spirit, Yugi felt he would pass out just from the fear. His other friends were no where to be found, and Yami clearly no longer valued him. Yugi pulled in his knees in to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and willed the nightmare to be over. Even a Shadow Game couldn't be worse than what was taking place in front of him. Yugi could take a lot, especially to keep his friends safe, but he had no way of dealing with the betrayal by his other self.

Yami spoke again, and said, "So shall I set the rules then, seeing as you have no Item?"

"No. I challenged you, and I claim hold to all the rights that come with that."

Yami frowned, and asked, "What are your terms then?"

"First, no harm shall come to our lights as we duel, but neither shall they be allowed to interfere."

"Agreed."

A flash of darkness surrounded Yugi. He was almost thankful for it.

"Second, we duel with monsters directly. No cards"

Yami scowled. "Is that even possible?"

"Try calling a monster."

"Dark Magician!"

The magician appeared, and a great stone tablet appeared behind Yami.

"Fine."

"Third, instead of four thousand life points, we simply have to best the other in two out of three duels."

The Pharaoh raised no objections.

"And fourth? I get a condition that only comes into play after the duel."

"Again, how is that fair?"

"Because if you give me this, I'll explain all at the end of the duel, no matter how it goes. I swear neither you or Yugi will come to harm because of this condition as well."

Yami was tempted to say no, but the Dark Magician looked back at him, and nodded as if to say, "Trust her."

The spirit gritted his teeth and agreed.

~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~

Inside the Shadow Room Yugi was in, things weren't actually that bad. There was a coach that didn't try to grab his arms or trap him, a bunch of small puzzles and games, a table and a rug...it was almost as if she had been trying to make him comfortable. Yugi didn't know what to make of it. Comfort in the Shadow Realm was like oil and water; impossible as far as he could see. It was hard not to appreciate that she tried though.

A/N: Kudos if you can guess who the mystery girl is; she's actually not an OC. Review if you like making my day, and feel free to give constructive criticism or story ideas, though there are things that can't be changed. So yeah...I think that's all I have to say...BYE!