Title: A Trial to the Afterlife

Genre: romance, pure fluff

Rating: T for mild language and some violence (might change)

Pairings: YamiXYugi; BakuraXRyou; SetoXJonouchi; MarikXMalik; HondaXOtogi

Summary: After the Duel between Yami and Yugi, Ra takes the souls of the two star-haired boys and places them into a trial, where, if they lose, then Yami passes into the afterlife. But, if he and Yugi win, then Yami gets to stay in his own body. With the help of Bakura and Ryou, whose bodies were broken up into the trial stage, spirits as their guides, and the mental assistance of their friends, will they succeed in winning this trial against the afterlife?

Me: The next chapter!

Lucy: Yugi and Ryou were taken away by a dark force, and Yami and Bakura must now try to rescue them before it's too late! But what exactly has taken them away?

Louis: Please read on to find out!

Chapter Fourteen: Trial of the Afterlife Part I

Yugi moaned softly and let his eyelids flutter open. He was greeted to the sight of a white ceiling, and his first thoughts were that he must be back in the Kame Game Shop that his grandfather ran.

His hands felt around to the sheets that he was laying on top of, and he noticed that they were different from the sheets that he kept on his bed. It shook him from the belief that he was back in the Kame Game Shop.

"Mmm," the hikari weakly moaned, hand flying to his forehead. "Ooh. What hit me?"

He slowly sat up and glanced around, noticing that he was in a room that didn't look anything like any room that he had seen before. It was, however, like a normal room.

The walls were a bright white, and there was a small desk in the corner with a lamp on the top. The ground was made out of sanded down, glossy wood, and there were a few books on the ground. The door was closed, and Yugi noticed that there was a mirror on the door, in which he could see his slightly afraid reflection staring back at him.

Where am I? the hikari wondered.

Yugi placed his hand over his heart, feeling it thump lightly against his hand. He couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen.

Then it struck him that he was all alone.

"Yami!" the star-haired hikari called, glancing around every corner of the room. "Yami?"

If the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle was even there, he didn't make his presence known. Yugi felt a chill run up his spine, and something was burning through his mind.

"Ryou?" Yugi called, hoping that his fellow hikari would answer.

To his horror, his friend, who had given up his body in order to escort Yugi safely through the Trials, didn't respond at all. Yugi glanced around and called for his friend, then called for Yami a bit longer. Neither of them answered. It almost broke Yugi's heart, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was truly alone.

"You're awake. Good."

The star-haired boy gasped and glanced up in shock. A smile made its way across his lips. He recognized this voice. It was a voice that he had fallen in love with.

"Yami-"

He paused.

This was not his beloved Yami.

This version of Yami looked much more sinister. Yugi knew right off that evil intentions just swam in his blood. He could see it in the man's black eyes. This man wasn't Yami. He was evil. The pure definition of evil itself.

Instead of getting afraid, like Yugi usually would in this situation, he grew slightly angry.

He was angry at this man, who was wearing his Yami's appearance and wielding such ugliness in his soul. It made Yugi sick to his stomach to think that someone like that was running around looking exactly the same as Yami.

"Who are you?" Yugi snapped.

The other version of Yami smirked and advanced towards him. "Me? Well, I guess you can call me Yami, little boy," he answered, placing his hands on the end of the bed.

Yugi glared. "You are not my Yami."

The other Yami scoffed and crawled onto the bed, leaning in close to Yugi's face. "I might as well be. He and I come from the same place. I am the manifestation of all his sorrow, rage, anger, and evil."Yugi stared at him in shock as the Shadow Yami leaned forward and grabbed the front of his top. "Come 'ere!"

Yugi kicked and struggled against him as best he could, but found it incredibly hard. He shouted and tried to hit the other, but the Shadow Yami dodged all of the attacks and grabbed Yugi's wrists.

"No!" Yugi cried out as he was slammed down on the bed, the Shadow Yami a top him. "No! Someone! Ryou! Bakura! Jonouchi! Kaiba! Anzu! Malik! Marik! Grandpa! Someone! Help me!"

Yugi leaned his head back as the Shadow Yami gripped his throat tight in between his hands and started squeezing, not enough to strangle him right off, but enough to hurt.

Yugi squeezed his eyes shut, and with the last amount of strength that he could muster, he tilted his head up to the ceiling, opened his mouth, and shouted for the one he loved the most.

"Yami-!! Save me!"

Me: Noooo! Yugi, don't give in! It's the manifestation of all of Yami's negative emotions that has resided inside the Puzzle come out to take revenge on Yami for sealing it for so long inside the Sennen Puzzle by hurting you!

Lucy: Wow, talk about a tongue twister!

Louis: Please review nicely! We know you are all probably a little bit aggitated with us, but we shall update ASAP!