A chapter every few months isn't that bad, right? Anyway, this is a good time for a reminder that this fic is an AU. If anything confuses you, feel free to ask me to clarify - of course, there's some things that would be spoilers if I said anything so be mindful of that. Mixed POV once more, a little heavier on the Yugi than the Ryou and I'd like him shaken, not stirred. I wonder if anyone's ever made cocktails for Yugioh characters...

Unbeta'd, my mistakes are a blind pack with nothing but monster cards.

In this chapter, Yugi makes a new friend, while Bakura has a reunion of sorts.

Yugi stared blankly at his copy, who shuffled around a bit under his gaze. He was almost totally identical, right down to that increasingly awkward expression as the silence dragged on, like when he was alone in class with Anzu sometimes, back before they reconnected and were just awkward ex-friends.

All except for his eyes. His pupils were slit, like a snake.

"So, soul fragment," the copy drawled, "What's a nice kid like you doing calling Shadow Games?"

Below them, the game continued. Otogi was still holding the Puzzle. The copy looked down, caught sight of it, then smacked his forehead. "Right, right. Redundant question."

He dragged his fingers down his face, holding his chin with them in a not so solemn contemplation. He was like Yugi looking in the mirror whenever he couldn't decide what to wear. "This would be less weird if I didn't look like you, right? This is just a default thing - if you like, I could be a little more accurate to myself."

Yugi could only nod, then quickly wished he'd said otherwise as something under the copy's skin wriggled. Streaks of pure black shot out from the darkness like cloth, drowning the figure and enveloping him completely. Then he started to get taller, even taller than Kaiba and broader than anyone he's ever seen. More shadows flew around his shoulders, almost looking like bat wings as they faded into red.

Like a demon. He had no desire to see the finished transformation. "A-actually looking like me is just fine, thank you!"

The half-formed monster shrugged, one of his eyes - an almost cartoonish off-white circle set in a void of nothingness - seemed to close in a wink. Then, almost like someone had popped the world's most evil balloon, the copy returned to his original form, folding his arms behind his head with a grin. "That's a relief! It's a lot easier to talk to you humans at this size, believe me."

"What are you?" Yugi choked out.

The copy's smile faded a little as he sighed, turning away. "It's been so long since someone asked me that... I don't really know the answer anymore. I've been trapped in this darkness as long as I remember. If I ever got a glimpse of what lay on the outside, it was only through those Items."

Then he sank down, crossing his legs and propping his head up on his elbows. "Maybe I was human, a long time ago. Maybe I wasn't and I've just taken a liking to the human form. I don't think it matters though, in the grand scheme of things. Do you?"

"I don't know... I mean, you're trapped here kinda like how..."

Then he remembered Bakura's warning, the other him's distress. The Millennium Items were made for war. Millennium Items could start Shadow Games. This thing, whoever he was, obviously inhabited those very same shadows that the Games dealt with.

But he might know something Bakura and the other him didn't.

Almost unconsciously he took a step forward, then another until he stood beside the copy, watching the Game below. He was still winning by all accounts and he didn't need to see Mr. Otogi's face to see how frustrated he was. The man's shoulders were tense and he kept squeezing the dice in his hand.

The copy looked up at him as he moved closer, apparently ignorant of his thoughts and looking mildly curious. "Like ...?"

"Have you... ever heard of the Millennium Items?"

The copy's eyes narrowed, ever so slightly. "I have."

"T-there's a spirit trapped in mine, and there's one trapped in the Ring too. I was wondering if you might know how they got there -"

The shadows around them didn't move, nothing did, but he still froze as what could only be the gaze of countless eyes crawled across the back of his neck. The copy glanced around, his expression stern, an expression Yugi rarely ever saw on his own face. It looked a little like his mother, whenever she was scolding him. He must look like that, whenever he had to scold anyone, although he couldn't really remember having to. "Hey, back off. It's just a question and the fragment's got every right to be curious."

The presence behind Yugi vanished almost entirely. The lingering sensation of being watched that made his skin itch was all that remained.

"What was that?"

The copy looking away. "They were sealed in here with me. They haven't managed to deal with it as well as I have, as you can see."

"Is it to do with where the Millennium Items came from?"

"Yes. They barely remember anything about it, just echoes and wisps. None of them remember how they died. I do. I'm the only one that does. I'm glad of it, but at the same time..."

How they died echoed in Yugi's mind. These Items were surrounded by death it seemed, no matter where they ended up. Killing people with their own power, motivating people to kill each other... It made sense that people were killed to make them. He didn't want it to. Was the other him killed alongside them? Was Bakura? He couldn't imagine either one of them going down without a fight, but the idea that both of them were once alive was what really stuck in his mind. He'd always thought of them as 'spirits', but really they were ghosts. He tried to imagine either one of them with their families, being alive and in their own bodies and came up with nothing.

Yugi didn't ask anything else and the copy seemed grateful of it. They sat and watched the game in silence, the copy quietly explaining the rules to him every so often, but it felt like it was sliding into one ear and out the other no matter how hard Yugi listened. Eventually, he gave up.

Bakura remembered only shreds of his past by the sound of things, and he acted like, well, Bakura. The copy remembered everything by the look of things. It was a miracle he'd humored Yugi for so long, and still managed to be surprisingly pleasant company.

"You're really strong..."

The copy blinked at him, obviously not expecting the compliment, but his smile from before returned anyway. "If you say so, fragment. Sorry for dragging you into all this, by the way. You haven't done anything to deserve all the trouble these Items have already brought you, or what they're gonna bring, but fate's a fickle creature. Best not to piss her off, yeah?"

"It's fine. Why do you keep calling me 'fragment', by the way?"

"You're not really Yugi right now, but you're also not not Yugi. You don't know the rules of Devil's Dice, because you're just what's necessary from Yugi to start a Shadow Game while what's not necessary is hard at work winning. That part is also the one that knows the rules of Devil's Dice. Speaking of which, what kind of ante are we dealing with here?"

"... What?"

I can't believe you made me skip school for a card. If I fail this year, it's your fault.

I'd say designing Monster World sets does far more damage to your grades than I ever did. Have you even played anything since the last time?

Ryou ignored the question, tracing his finger just above the glass of the window. Most everywhere carried little blind boxes at the counters now, even stores that had nothing else to do with games in general, but the shop Ryou stood before now sold individual copies. Ryou's nose wrinkled at the price of the single cards being the same as a blind pack of ten, but that was just the price to pay for taking out the guesswork, he supposed.

They'd taken the bus to school, but thanks to a detour the bus had to go down a different road, one that took them past a store that sold Duel Monsters cards. Through his eyes, Bakura had caught a glimpse of a card on display in the window and Ryou could still feel the odd agitated pulse as they came to the end of another row with nothing. To his credit, not even once had he implied that he'd take over Ryou's body by force in order to go, but he was certainly petulant enough at Ryou's first refusal that Ryou felt no desire to spend the day stuck with his bad mood.

So, he'd simply stayed on the bus, silently praising the Domino High's slow admin system for not mailing him his replacement uniform yet and hopped off the next stop after school. Of course, it took him most of the day to track down the store again, since he hadn't been paying too much attention to the street signs and he still wasn't all that familiar with Domino. Unfortunately, the Ring couldn't track everything.

He hoped the others wouldn't worry; he'd apologize if they asked about it.

Bakura couldn't offer him a name, or even a very good description beyond 'silver'. He couldn't even recall if it was a monster, magic or trap card, or what type it was, leaving them stuck checking each and every row on display through the window.

No five-finger discounts. I don't want to get banned from this store.

Whatever. I'll let you know when I see it.

Something sounded off in Bakura's voice, a little hint of need that had Ryou itching to ask about why he desired this card so badly, but instead he just kept searching down the rows.

He was almost about to suggest that maybe the display had been changed by the time they returned, when Bakura suddenly gasped. Ryou's arm froze where it was and Ryou's mind automatically lashed out, regaining control in an instant. Bakura retreated like a smacked dog until his presence was barely a whisper in his mind.

Ryou looked down at the card he'd been stopped at, his curiosity at what had Bakura in such a state overwhelming his annoyance at the takeover. In Bakura's defense - and he almost couldn't believe he'd just thought that - the takeover hadn't been like the other times. It was almost an unconscious, desperate grab than anything else and if he'd really wanted to, he would've fought back against Ryou and kept trying, rather than backing off. He'd never done that before. He didn't try to take over again at any rate. As he read the card's details, Bakura slowly crept back into his awareness, apparently surprised at the lack of a good telling off. He certainly deserved one, but maybe later.

A card that could drain the strength or abilities from other cards did seem rather useful, but Bakura didn't seem to care much for the effect. His gaze was locked on the artwork of the card instead.

A masculine naga-esque creature, with a second fanged snake head at the end of its tail. Wings erupted from its back and hips, while a horn protruded from a startlingly human face. The entire thing was the same shade of gleaming silver all over and if he hadn't seen the accompanying symbol, he would've never guessed that it was a Dark type monster. Then again, you could probably say the same thing for the Dark Magician Girl.

'Diabound Kernel'. Funny; he'd never heard of that card before. Something with such a potentially broken effect would surely be big news, especially for anyone hoping to take on Kaiba. That card could bring the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon down to a relatively less intimidating 2700 attack points, even more if he'd used any card to increase its stats, and it would completely cripple a normal one.

That's the one. Listen, you need this card.

Ryou wasn't usually one for being spiteful, but a little flare of indignation erupted at the thought of Bakura messing with his finely tuned deck, one that he didn't bother disguising from Bakura.

No I don't - my deck's pretty much solid. Besides, you don't even play.

Fine, I need this card. I won't put it in your deck.

Why?

I don't know. I just... I want it around.

His voice shook as he spoke despite his attempt at being snippy. Ryou could accept that, now that he knew Bakura wasn't just trying to mess with his deck for the fun of it. He didn't really want to hear that wavering in his voice again either. It didn't feel right. The store clerk couldn't find any fresh copies of the card in their spare stock when Ryou failed to find any in the aisles, but was happy to let Ryou take the one on display from the front. The colors were a little faded from sunlight, the edges a touch ragged from age and there was residual tackiness on the corners where it had been stuck to the window, but it was theirs now.

The clerk even let them have it at a discount thanks to the damage, but Ryou would've paid full price for the card just to feel the waves of bewildered contentment that emanated from Bakura again as they left the shop, and Ryou inspected the card as they began the long walk home. Every edge in their soul plane felt warmer, somehow.

I bet there's a ton of support cards that would work with him; we could build you your own deck. It's easier to buy protectors for forty cards than just the one, anyway. I'll teach you how to play.

Yeah. Thanks. Your phone's going, just so you know.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Bakura! Where were you today, man?" Jounouchi shouted. He sounded like he was running.

"Just didn't feel like going in, that's all. Sorry. What's going on?"

"'S'fine, don't worry. Listen, has Yugi called you or anything? Like, did he say he was gonna stay at yours tonight?"

"No, why?"

There was a muffled curse on the other line, then it sounded like he was running even faster. "And his mom hasn't heard anything either... That means he's gotta still at the Crown."

"The Crown?"

"Black Crown, it's a game shop that opened close to Kame Game. Yugi said he was going there after school to talk to a new guy called Otogi, but nobody's heard from him since."

"I'll meet you there."

Ryou hung up and pulled the Ring out from under his shirt, relieved that he didn't have to call Jounouchi back for directions since the needles were already waving around as they tried to focus. Then they all pointed in the same direction. He took off running, following the needles.

This is strange...

How so?

I think Yugi's in a Shadow Game - at least, kind of in one - but the Puzzle feels like it's separate from Yugi somehow. Pick up the pace, I don't like this.

He could ignore the 'fragment' stuff - and maybe that itself was proof of it being true - but... "Mr. Otogi called the Game first, so why are you asking me about it?"

The copy rolled his eyes, like he was talking to a complete newbie. To be fair, he kinda was. "Just because he called on the Shadows first doesn't guarantee they'll answer him. His soul's not as appealing as yours and these shadows are picky."

"... Huh?"

"Maybe a demonstration is in order."

Then they were no longer in a plain of darkness, but a small boxed room, no bigger than his own bedroom. Wall to wall, and even inexplicably floating in the air in a dense cloud, were rows upon rows of near blindingly bright studio lights, with a single lit candle floating in the middle. It was kinda plain, a simple wax candle just about the length of his palm.

"These are what normal souls look like. Some are slightly dimmer than others, some a little brighter."

The copy gently plucked the candle from the air and handed it to Yugi. "Can you tell me how bright your soul is in relation to the rest of the world right now?"

This was his soul?! What if he blew it out by accident?! He held the flame at arm's length and the copy blinked at him, then chuckled. "I, uh... I wasn't being literal about that being your soul, fragment. It's just a metaphor. It's not even a real fire."

As the copy demonstrated by sliding his finger into the flame Yugi shook his head, forcing the sting of embarrassment away, and focused on the task at hand. He couldn't tell the difference in the brightness one bit. The room itself hurt to look at.

Suddenly he was plunged into darkness as all the lights fizzled out at once leaving dozens of bright circles burnt into his vision. All except the candle in his hands. The flicker caused the copy's face to be enshrouded in shadows.

"Now look at this. See how much brighter your candle looks, even though nothing about it has changed in the slightest? That's what your soul is like, to the shadows. They can't tell who's brighter with a pair of normal souls, so it's just dumb luck who they'd decide to listen to, but you could have the dimmest candle of all and they'd still come to you before Otogi's father. You're drenched in shadows and so your light looks like it shines brighter, even if it's pretty average in reality. It's a clever illusion, right?"

Average? Yugi was a little offended at that. Perhaps it showed on his face because the copy quickly returned the room to 'normal', back at the window to the dice game below and looking just the slightest bit sheepish. Then he sat back down again and this time Yugi joined him.

"I guess we just wait for the Shadow Game to end then. What are you gonna do with the body, by the way?"

"Body?"

Something seized up within him and his mouth went dry. The copy apparently didn't catch it, leaning against Yugi's side as he talked.

"Well yeah - that geezer's going to earn fifty more years in a second when he loses and last I checked, human ages breaking into the triple digits is pretty damn unusual. Gonna burn it? Wouldn't recommend it, especially on such short notice. The smell's so bizarre; there's a reason humans get called 'long pigs'..."

The copy trailed off. Not that Yugi really noticed over the sound of his own heartbeat, which suddenly seemed to echo around him. Was it always so loud? Did his skin always feel that cold? His throat closed up but he wouldn't be able to speak even if he wanted to.

"Know what? You don't look the body disposing type and all these witnesses would be a hassle too. I'll call the shadows off for you."

The copy's voice, what he said, were like a breath of fresh air. Yugi couldn't stop himself from grabbing the copy's arm in relief. "Really?"

"Yeah. I won't let the shadows listen to Otogi's dad either."

There had to be a catch, somewhere. Something as demonic looking as he had almost looked surely wouldn't go this far.

"What do you want in return?"

"Nothing?"

"No, seriously."

Confusion crossed the copy's face. "Fragment, this is a favor. When you do someone a favor you don't usually expect anything in return, yeah?"

Then the copy's face turned serious. "This is a one time deal though. Next time, I won't be able to be so generous. I can calm the shadows down from one denied Game, but a second without any compensation might make them disobey me. If I lose control of the shadows, anyone who's been touched by them will be able to call them, even if they didn't mean to. That's you, your friends, anyone who's been exposed to them somehow, even if they weren't in the Games themselves. It would be a disaster."

Jounouchi, Anzu and Honda had all been in Shadow Games. So had Ryou. And Kaiba. He nodded, the relief that he wouldn't be killing anyone making his eyes well up. The copy didn't say anything as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He waited until Yugi composed himself before chuckling lightly.

"Next time you decide to jump into a Shadow Game, fragment, don't have any misconceptions about what they're capable of, alright? Ask the other you, he knows exactly how high the stakes can get."

"What?"

"Good luck!"

Then he was back in himself, Mr. Otogi impatiently rolling his dice when he should've stayed his hand and used the token he'd won in an earlier turn to bypass Yugi's trap, obviously hoping for the dice to roll in his favor and land him on the final square instead of just close to it. He growled as his token ended up even more spaces back from where it started, having landed smack dab in the middle of Yugi's trap piece. Sweat rolled down the man's neck and what Yugi could see of his skin was red.

Of course he knew the rules for Devil's Dice. At its core, it was just a slightly more complex version of snakes and ladders, one that let players have more freedom and control over the snakes themselves. And Mr. Otogi just landed in a den of them. Victory was only a few moves away, and he and Otogi could get away from him and out of there, hopefully for good. He wasn't sure how, but he would find a way to make it happen.

He swore internally as he remembered that he hadn't asked the copy how his grandpa could call Shadow Games.

(Why won't you tell us what happened?)

(It would only make you sad. You've suffered enough.)

(Oh/thank you/you're always so kind to us/but we can't repay you)

(No need. It's what I'm here for.)