You know what I usually put here right?

Alright guys…I had to stay home from school today…had a touch of the flu. (Sniffle) Then again that doesn't hinder my writing. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. The first bit of action… (Atchoo) …done in the manner of Season Zero.

"I can't believe he ditched us!"

Jonouchi drummed his fingers on the worn out desk, irritated at the recent events. They all had woken up to find Yuuhi long gone, and the time a couple of hours after noon. Just a few seconds after he said this, a low growl rumbled through the room.

"I'm getting hungry…"

Seto glared in his direction. "No surprise…" He drawled, lazily watching a fly buzz by.

Yuugi looked around. "I'll try to look for something to eat…"

He made his way into the unbearably small and dingy kitchen, where he accidentally bumped into a closet door, jarring it open. Curiosity overcame him, and he peeked inside.

What was in it made his eyes grow to what seemed like twice their size.

"Whoa…"

He reached in and pilled out not one, not two, but three 24-karat gold medals. 'Where did he get these?' He thought as he examined them. Each of their surfaces seemed severely damaged, like they were filed down so much whatever was etched into them was now illegible.

'I wonder what this is…'

"Man I thought that bell would never ring…"

Riku stretched out in his chair, relieved that the school day was over. He collected his things and stood up, glancing to his front chest pocket where the treasured entry ticket was.

'I can't believe it. Me, of all people…' He thought to himself, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "Cyber Games, here I come…!" He whispered as he jauntily strolled out of the room.

As he walked down the semi-crowded hallway, he became very conscious that a fairly large group of people was following him. Trying to ignore it, he sped up his pace until he got out on campus.

'That was odd…'

"Hey freshman!" Someone called out.

Riku jerked his head to the direction of the voice. He saw someone waving him over nearby the gate. He raced over, and saw that he was surrounded by an entourage of around 6 more students.

"What's your name freshman?" The one who called him over asked.

"Riku…" The white-haired teen replied warily, the people who were beginning to surround him began eyeing him, and he didn't like it. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Shun Imahara."

Shun noticed Riku's expression, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about them, they always look that way. I saw you playing the computer yesterday…I just thought that you'd want to play a game with us…"

Shun's tone didn't ease Riku's anxiety, but at the mention of 'game', his mood brightened. "What kind of game?" He asked.

"There's this new VR game at the arcade based on Ragnarok. You can access your characters in your account and actually become them in the game."

Riku's mood brightened further. "Really now?" The look in his eye sparked ominously, his expression seemed almost obsessively psychotic.

"Of course, it's only half the fun if you play alone…that's why there's a multi-PVP function. What do you say Riku, up for a little PVP match?"

Riku could only nod in reply.

'Excellent…out of the three freshmen Yuuhi gave me, this one seems the easiest to beat. I'll be headed for the Cyber Games sooner than ever!'

Yuuhi was watching as Shun waved Riku over, he leaned into the large shady tree he was hiding under, a small smirk on his features. "This might be interesting…" He mumbled to himself as he followed them at a distance.

He looked over to Riku. 'If I remember correctly…that blond kid said that he was downright crazy for new games…I just wonder if it's the type of crazy that's needed for the Cyber Games...'

"This is it."

Riku looked around like a small kid in a candy store. There were two rooms, with large tinted windows and from inside he could see there was around ten computers form each side, and in between the two rooms was a giant flat-screen TV hanging on the wall.

"When was this installed?" Riku asked, admiring the sleek look of the computers inside the room. "I've been going to this place for ages and it's only now I've seen this!"

"Oh, it's a new arrival. My dad's a technician here and I get first dibs on the new games released."

Riku smiled in reply. 'Game Technician is nothing compared to Game Designer. Cause of my dad…I can see a game made from start to finish and play it before it gets released.'

Shun smiled back. "Just head to that room and get comfortable. I'll just chat with my boys for a while."

Riku entered the room and took a seat closest to the door.

"You guys know the plan?" He heard shun on the other side.

"Whack the dude on the head as soon as he loses right?"

"Then swipe the ticket and make a run for it."

"Gotcha, boss!"

"Why can't we just mug him for the ticket, boss?"

"Because…I like to watch my prey squirm before I kill them."

'So that's what they're up to huh?' Riku thought as he decided to play the game anyway. Noticing that the loading screen had already disappeared, he rolled his swivel chair toward the computer and typed in a number of commands. 'Well, let's see if they can actually beat the Zetsumei no Tenshi…"

Shun and his gang entered their room, while one of them stayed outside and watched the large flat-screen. Behind him, hidden behind a pillar, Yuuhi watched the screen as well. Both sets of eyes watched the screen flickered to life, and showed off a rather large labyrinth, with five characters in one room, and only one in another.

Yuuhi examined the lone character and smirked slightly. 'Well, I wasn't expecting this…'

The other occupant in the room seemed to notice as well. "Huh…I think I saw that guy from somewhere…" He thought audibly, scratching his chin.

In the Game

Shun and his gang was clambering down one dim corridor, looking left and right for Riku. Each of them was heavily armed, with swords, crossbows, and even guns; yet, their target was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd that coward go?" Shun asked, slamming his armored fist into the labyrinth wall.

"He's gotta be in here somewhere, boss!" One of his lackeys assured him.

Then, a loud clanking of metal rang off from behind the group, and Shun, not even bothering to look behind, growled. "Shut up over there, I'm trying to listen for that idiot freshman!"

They walked for what seemed like half an hour and Shun just got crosser and crosser every second. He was about to cry out and swear when he heard someone scream up ahead.

"There you are!"

They raced toward the direction of the scream and drew their weapons…up one corridor, down another, until finally they were lead to an entrance to a room. When they looked into it, they all gasped.

It was a large, bare room, with numerous lit torches hung up on the walls. But, in the exact center, was a body, covered from head to toe in blood. Shun inched closer, and his eyes widened when he could recognize the face of the corpse.

"No way…Akio!" He cried, kneeling down.

The corpse was of one of his lackeys, lying spread-eagled on the floor of the room, his eyes open wide, his mouth stretched in a silent scream. Blood was all over his body, along the walls, splashed across the brackets of the torches, which cast an eerie reddish glow over everything.

Shun looked Akio over again, and noticed that near his hand he had written down something in his own blood.

"Zetsumei no Tenshi…" Shun read, straightening. "The Death Angel…"

While the commotion was happening in the room, a lone figure leaned against the wall outside, admiring a large, bloodstained dagger in his hands.

"You chose the wrong opponent…Shun Imahara…" He mumbled, before turning around and disappearing into the oncoming darkness.

Back outside, the lone lackey was shaking in his seat. "No way…that freshman is The Death Angel?" He shockingly looked into the tinted window, where Riku was playing. His eyes were shielded by both the visor that he was using, and the bangs on his head, but an eerie, ominous smile played on his lips.

The lackey watched as said lips parted into a soft, menacing chuckle, then a low snicker…then a muffled, maniacal laugh.

"That's it, I'm outta here!" He yelped and ran out of the building, ignoring the fact that Yuuhi was leaning against the pillar, watching the screen with unblinking Plum Purple eyes.

"The Death Angel…" Yuuhi recited to himself. "The most notorious Player Killer in the Ragnarok online game franchise. First made a kill 5 months ago, and his hit list has peaked at over 500 players…so elusive that all of the moderators can't even find a trace of him. Those who have tasted his blade either quit the game or fear going back into it. Those brave ones who do say that he is of the 'Assassin' Job Class, and wears a helmet with two white angel wings."

He turned around and left. "Impressive résumé, Riku Bakura…"

Hope you enjoy the update, as for me I have to debate on who goes next...Sanryo or Kabuto...either way, hope this give you guys a little insight on the plot. Please review!