A/N: Well here's another chapter. I've made a decision. I need a beta. A good one. One who knows their stuff and has experience. My laptop is awful at best and I can't use it to post my chapters. It's really frustrating and annoying.

Pairings:

Fem!Yuugi/Yami

Slight Fem!Ryou/Bakura

A/N(2): You guys all know how shadow duels have no violence and are super lame right? Well I;m going to try to incorporate that into this chapter. Please no flames if it came out terribly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! in any way, shape, or form.

"Hah! With all the excitement of the championship, you forgot to open your package, Yuugi." her mom exclaimed.

"What could it be?"

Yuugi opened the box and found a DVD, a red fingerless glove, and two stars.

"Huh?"

"Some kind of glove...", Trey muttered.

"And stars."

"Maybe there's an explanation on the video."

"Pop it in and check it out."

"Okay."

Yuugi slipped the DVD in the DVD player. A blue screen appeared before the face of a woman with silver hair appeared on the TV.

"Greetings, little Yuugi. I am Maxine Pegasus Crawford."

"Pegasus?"

"We just saw her on TV."

"The famous Maxine Pegasus sends greetings to my Yuugi?"

"I have heard some terribly interesting things about you, Yuugi-girl."

"Huh?"

"Your present defeat of Seta Kaiba intrigued me so much, I've decided to investigate your amazing dueling skills personally. Right here, right now, we shall hold a special duel. We'll play with a strict time limit of fifteen minutes and when time's up, the player with the highest life-points will be the winner. Are you ready?"

"Wha-?"

"Wha-? She can't seriously expect you to fight a duel against a DVD."

"That's crazy."

Pegasus laughed a golden glow came from her covered eye.

"No, it's magic."

"Huh?"

Everybody faded in the background as Yuugi was pulled towards the TV.

"Everything's growing dark and cold and the others aren't moving. What have you done to them? Where have you taken us?"

"We're no longer in the world you know. But I will return you... after our game."

"Then it's time to duel!"

A glow covered Yuugi and in her place stood the spirit of the puzzle.

"Start the clock and make your move, Pegasus."

"Oooh, I get to duel little Yuugi's boyfriend? Charming. Let's begin."

Yami's face flushed a deep red as he scratched the back of his head. The DVD player showed a 15:00 countdown.

"Nervous, Yuugi-boy? You should be. You have never faced a duelist like me before."

"You may be good-"

"I assure you, I am."

"- But I will beat you to save my friends."

"You won't save anyone with that dragon card."

Yami's eyes widened as he looked down at the card he picked in his hand. It was the Koumori Dragon.

"How?"

"I told you, you've never faced anyone like me before. I know every move you'll make. Before you can even make it."

Yami glared his eyes at the silver-haired woman.

"Knowing every move you'll make gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say? For example, I can anticipate your next play and counter it with this Dragon Capture Jar."

"Aghh!"

"It will draw the Koumori Dragon from your card and imprison the beast. Trapped. Never to be played against me."

'This is crazy. First she reads my mind, then she brings the monster on my card to life.'

"This dark dimension we're in is known as the Shadow Realm, a mystical place where incredible monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible."

"But what you're telling me can't be true."

"Tell me, Yuugi, do you believe there is magic in these cards?"

"Don't you know? You invented this game."

"What if I told you I didn't?"

"Huh?"

"In ancient times, the Egyptians called this the Shadow Game. Powerful fellows would hold mystical duels in other dimensions just as we're doing now. But not with cards, they battled with real monsters and real magic. Magical forces so powerful, the Egyptians lost control of them and nearly destroyed the entire world."

"It's a good story, . But these monsters can't be real."

"Tell that to my Dragon Piper as his flute of resurrection frees your Koumori Dragon, but puts him under my control."

"I have to counter attack! Silver Fang!"

[Koumori Dragon attacks Silver Fang]

"Oh, the heat!"

Yami's clothes were singed and had a few burns on his body. His breath was sharp.

"Augh!"

Yami-2000-1500

Pegasus-2000

"Hah! As you see, Yuugi, these monsters are very real. And also quite dangerous. Ah, Yuugi-boy. You really are quite entertaining- the way you scowl and sneer so defiant and yet helpless. And so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle."

"What?"

"Five thousand years ago, a powerful pharaoh locked the power of the Shadow Games away."

"What's this have to do with me?

"The pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items."

"Seven items? You're saying that... my puzzle's one of them?"

"Yes, and there are mystical energies locked within it. Magic that could change your life forever... if you only knew how to unleash it."

"But why are you telling me this?"

"Why? Simply because I need you to know. But perhaps I have said too much. And since the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume playing our little duel."

'She's right, times running out and I still haven't figured out if she can really read my mind or if it's some kind of trick. I've gotta try something, maybe my Zombie Warrior!'

'Wait a minute, she definitely knows what I'm about to do. But how? It's gotta have something to do with that weird eye of hers. That's it, isn't it? That weird eye must somehow let her see the cards in my hand. So no matter which card I pick, she's already one step ahead of me. But that gives me an idea.'

"Hurry up now, Yuugi-boy. Time is running out for you and your friends."

'I guess she's expecting me to play one of the cards in my hand. But what if I play a card even I haven't seen yet? What happens if I draw a new card straight from the deck without even looking at it?'

"I already know you plan to play the Zombie Warrior, and I'm already prepared to counter it with a trap card that makes even zombies lie down and play dead."

"Not this time. I figured out your little game, Pegasus. You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the cards I pull from the deck."

"Hmmm?"

"My next card is... the Dark Magician!"

"Whoa, the big, scary Dark Magician." she said flippantly.

"Mock me all you like, Pegasus. But my magician will destroy that dragon."

"Go right ahead, if you think it'll help."

"It'll do more than help, Pegasus. It'll bring you closer to defeat and bring me closer to saving my friends."

"If it can do all that, by all means, play it."

"Dark Magician!"

[Dark Magician appears on playing field]

"Dark Magic Attack!"

[DM attacks Koumori Dragon]

Yami- 1500

Pegasus-2000- 1200

"Wait why weren't you effected like me?"

"Yuugi-boy, I've spent years working my mind to not be affected by the Shadow Realm's influence and nicely played. But by using your Dark Magician, you've let me manipulate you once again."

"Huh?"

"By playing that one card, you have ensured my victory."

"No!"

"We shall see, Yuugi. Oh, a very rare card. This is the fearsome Faceless Mage."

"I've never seen that card before. But my Dark Magician is one of the strongest magic cards in the game."

"But how will she fare once I combine my Faceless Mage with the, equally rare, Eye of Illusion."

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

[DM Dark Magic Attacks, Faceless Mage holds up the Eye of Illusion and DM's attack has no effect]

"Dark Magician! My attack had no effect at all."

'Her Faceless Mage should've been destroyed, but it's still standing and I'm running out of time.'

The DVD timer, which reads- 0: 05.00, keeps ticking down.

"I'm up by three hundred life-points, but only because Pegasus is toying with me. I've got to find a way to beat her at her own Shadow Game. Pegasus knows all kinds of tricks. But I gotta find a way to defeat her. I just have to trust in my grandpa's cards. I attack your combo with the Celtic Guardian!"

[Celtic Guardian appears on playing field]

"This mighty warrior will cut your Faceless Mage down to size."

"True, your elf is mighty. But you have once again underestimated the incredible power of my Eye of Illusion! Hah hah!"

"No!"

"Dark Magic Attack."

[Celtic Guardian shatters]

Yami-1500-0400

Pegasus- 1200

Yami's coat burst into flames. He shook it off and was left in his black sleeveless shirt.

'Arg! But that's impossible! The Faceless Mage doesn't have a Dark Magic Attack. Oh no! It was my own Dark Magician that attacked me. Pegasus is controlling her with the Eye of Illusion. But if she's using its magic to control my magician, what's controlling her mage?'

"Well, Yuugi, our time together is nearly up, and as I have more life-points than you, it appears I am the victor."

The DVD reads 0:05.

"Time's not up yet, Pegasus. And you've left your Faceless Mage vulnerable to a physical assault."

[holds up Summoned Skull]

"Nnngh."

"Summoned Skull, attack!"

The DVD says 0:02, Summoned Skull was close, 0:01, he's about to slash, 0:00, the game ends before he can complete his attack.

"Well, we've run out of time. But how close was that? If you had been able to complete that attack, I would have lost. But I didn't, did I? I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yuugi Motou. And when next we duel, we shall play for far higher stakes."

"I'm done with your games."

"You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter. But... I'm not, for I too possess one of the seven Millennium Items- the all-powerful Millennium Eye!"

"A Millennium Eye?"

"That's right, Yuugi-boy. And now I'll show you the true extent of its magic. You see, I have found that- given the proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my game."

A glow shot out from Pegasus' eye and wrapped around Grandpa and pulled him into TV.

"Huh?"

"Yuugi!"

Yuugi quickly changed and ran toward the TV. Tears were in her eyes as she shakes the TV.

"Grandpa!"

"Yes, we will duel again, Yuugi. How else will you reclaim your grandfather's soul?"

Everything returned to normal and Yuugi's friends were let go. Grandpa's body falls over as if dead. Trey, Trisha, and Joy try to pull her away from the TV but she wouldn't let go.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpaaaaaa!"

Her mother shakes her grandfather, trying to wake him up.

"Solomon!"

"Augh!"

Yuugi was standing in front of her bathroom mirror as she looked over her wounds. Several burns splattered across her pale skin. She was holding an alcohol wipe trying to disinfect them. She slammed her hands on the counter and let out an angry yell.

[I'm sorry]

She gasped as she turned around trying to find the voice and her eyes landed on a figure on her bed. He didn't look solid. He got up and placed his ghostly hands on her cheeks. She didn't pull away, the feel of the mysterious boy's hands was warm and somewhat familiar. Like she's felt them a long time ago.

"Why are you sorry?"

[I didn't protect you]

Her eyes widened. She remembered about a year ago she had been having strange gaps in her memory after completing her Millennium Puzzle. She would later hear of strange happenings occurring in school. Bullies who had once harassed her were no longer sane or heard from again. The teacher that had made fun of Yuugi for her looks had quit not soon after.

"You were the one who did all those things? The gaps in my memory. That was you?" she asked quietly.

He sighed.

[Those were not my best moments. I had just awakened from my slumber and realized that the girl who had released me was being tormented so I thought of returning the favor. With time I came to realize that you were scared and I might have gone about things the wrong way. So I stopped and so did your tormentors.]

Her eyes widened again as she felt a pair of ghostly lips on her forehead. When he pulled back, she was blushing a deep red. He let out a chuckle.

[Seems I couldn't help myself. But Yuugi I wish to tell you something. I love you. Since the day you released me]

"But who are you?"

[I do not know. I don't remember much about my past, not even my own name. All I know is off my time in the puzzle and now. And you for some reason. Like I've known you before. Loved you before. But I don't know how.]

She grabbed his hands and held them.

"I have felt at times, somebody holding me and looking over me. I'm glad I found out it was you and not some crazy stalker."

He let out a laugh as she giggled.

[Well I kind of was considering how I had hurt people who hurt you.]

"But you did it to be kind. To repay me for I had done to help you. A crazy stalker wouldn't do that." she said kindly.

[I guess] he said with a smile.

"But we have to pick a name for you, though so I won't call you 'spirit' or 'you' all the time."

[Okay, then what do you think it should be?]

"Well I was thinking Yami, in my language it means 'dark' or 'darkness', since you're so dark and mysterious."

He looked like he was thinking about it before he nodded his head.

[I like it. Thank you.]

"No thank you I finally got my wish I wished on the puzzle."

[Oh, and what would that be?]

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his stomach.

"It wasn't just for friends because I was lonely. But for somebody to love me for me."

A/N(3): Well what do you think? Good? Bad? Be truthful but kind. I'm still new to the whole writing thing so bear with me. Please review. It brings a smile to my face knowing people actually read this story. :)