PM's or Questions Answered: This is a very long piece of fiction. Each chapter will be anywhere from 3-6k. This follows the manga, the movie Dark Side of Dimensions, and then turns into an alternative universe. (The prologue is the only part that is different, which is why I added it.) This universe doesn't include events from any other Yu-gi-oh except the original.

This site always limits more on relationship and genre labeling, so I am going to add this does have some romance (yuugi/anzu and Mai/Jounouchi), especially at first. It doesn't focus on just this though, the whole story has a deeper level of friendship, exploring death, egyptian myths (which are fascinating) and just so much more. It also stars the main cast of Yugioh almost in total, including Seto Kaiba and Shizuka Kawai.

Enjoy.

Two Years After Graduation

/Mai opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a room. A hospital room. On her left were two Yuugi's. On her right were two Anzu's. Straight ahead was a window. Her bed was lifted higher and outside she could see devastation like a war. Yet everyone around her looked happy, like everything was wonderful.

Then the window was blocked by Jounouchi holding a blanket with a little face poking out. "Mana's here, Mai. See?" The newborn had brunette hair./

"Whoah." Mai blinked, waking up. Strangest dream ever. She got dressed and headed out of the hotel room as she heard the voice she just heard in her dream.

"Is that you, Mai Kujaku?"

Mai turned around. What in the world? Same hair, same height, but more grown up. "Jounouchi."

"Don't just 'Jounouchi' me, it's been some time." Jounouchi practically sprinted to her. "You're here for the card battle, right?"

Uh? Mai didn't know how to respond at first. Eventually, she thought she would run into him again, but it actually happened. No more guessing what to do. "Yeah I guess. You're in good standing though, what are you doing down in these bottom dwelling competitions?"

He didn't say anything at first. Then? "Card players are becoming assholes at the highest level. There's no Yuugi, there's no Kaiba, the table talk is beyond the usual sass, and there's just no honor. People are more concerned about getting their names out there and being famous."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Fame sucks." Jounouchi gave her his old Jounouchi smile. "That's why I file my winnings away underneath a different name. Kind of like a pen name, you know, like an artist." He chuckled. "Yeah I know, it sounds goofy but it's more fun around here. I might go to one of the high class invite-only's again if Yuugi goes."

Huh? "Yuugi isn't playing anymore?"

"Just for fun, no competitions," Jounouchi said. "He'll play with me one on one in the shop or out on the street, but nothing official." He shrugged. "Which is okay. Yuugi should only feel compelled to play what and how he wants to play. He's a player of all things, you know? I think Atem was the one that was most into it back then. Uh, that was the spirit's name that used to be with Yuugi. He isn't anymore."

"Yeah." Hm. Okay. "You guys are still complete morons," she scolded him. "Yuugi was number one! If he doesn't keep playing no one is going to remember his name. Can regular Yuugi not play?"

"What? Hell no, Yuugi can play well. He just doesn't care about that. Yuugi wants to design games, and man, he's already taking off." Jounouchi nodded. "As for me, I don't give a shit, Mai. Really. You know what I go for?" Jounouchi went toward the end of the hallway where there was a nice window. "That! Playing cards let's me go everywhere in the world. I'm not bound to anywhere. Japan is in my heart, but I don't live with nobody or nothing anymore. It's free."

"You do have a point." Mai had done the same thing at first. "It does feel free at first, but . . ."

"I know. You don't have to say anything." Jounouchi looked from the window. "Truth is, I knew you'd be here. I wanted to see you again. I like making new friends, but if I'm out wandering around from competition to competition? Why don't we kind of agree to meet up around certain ones?"

"Hey, I don't plan. That's not how I live my life." Still. Jounouchi grew up, he wasn't a high school boy anymore.

"Are you sure it's not 'cause you hate me?"

Damn. "Why would I hate you, Jounouchi? I barely knew you."

"That's another reason I wanted to change my dueling name and tactics," Jounouchi confessed. "I remember, Mai. I remember the way you fought. I remember how winning is the most important thing to you, how we all became friends, and then you went away. I've seen you before, you know. I watched you duck out a couple times." He looked back out the window. "I didn't want to get into it yet, but I want to now."

"Jounouchi-"

"You were sentenced to be eaten alive by flesh eating insects falling on you in an hourglass within twenty four hours. I saw it, Marik showed me when I dueled him."

She covered her ears. "I don't care, I never gave up cards! I never gave up on winning. I'd take the whole world on again." As long as I don't ever have to go back there.

"I didn't go through that, but I felt the pain of my monsters because of him. I've been through a lot, more than you'd ever know in my past. I've found ways to move on, by moving on, but . . . I still miss my friends. I'm keeping a small apartment in Domino City still for my downtime so I can keep seeing Yuugi and Honda."

"Then you got friends, Chump." What did he need her for?

"I got you too. I never forgot you. In Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. I haven't forgot that you were there fighting Marik and what he did. I just? I haven't liked the direction you've been going."

What? "What direction, winning? I get better at every tournament, Jounouchi. I'm a duelist."

"That's not what I mean." Jounouchi left the window. "Let's go get some food in this city before the competition starts. We can catch up and have fun."

Hmph.

"You don't owe me nothing. I don't expect nothing of you."

Oh. "Well you wouldn't have got anything anyhow."

"Still shouting. We'll get past that once we're eating." He motioned with his head. "Come on."

As they ate, Mai listened to his ridiculous adventures along with his latest card fights. It was hard to eat with him. For some time now, she'd been focusing on winning, but Jounouchi's name and Yuugi's name were sky high from her in their winnings. Not even in the same kind of class. Mere kids! Yet, even though they were just kids, she somehow gravitated to them.

When they were gone, she hurt. She hurt more than most would know. She filled up the void with dueling. It was popular enough, and she was good enough, that there were always small competitions with decent money to win now. All over the world. Eventually, someone would always mention their names again. And she hated it!

But, seeing Jounouchi. Talking to him, face to face. She couldn't help but have a few smiling moments.

"And so since we promised when Yuugi made his first big game that we would all come out, we all got together." Jounouchi shoved a fry in his mouth. "So, seeing as it had been a little while, I decided to test that little bridge with him and Anzu."

Mai pulled her drink away from her face. "Test Yuugi and Anzu?" Oh boy. "What did you do?"

Jounouchi chuckled. "I told him Anzu got married and she'd be bringing her husband with her when they visited from America. It was funny at the time. Yuugi didn't think so. Honda laughed."

"Guys are too cruel to each other." Anyone could tell Yuugi had a thing for Anzu Mazaki back then.

"I didn't take the joke too far once I saw the reaction wasn't quite as funny as I thought." Jounouchi shrugged. "We always push each other to our limits."

No kidding. "Remind me why I was friends with you all?"

"Remind me why you are getting a rep and it's not for dueling?"

She stopped halfway to biting into her sandwich. I knew it. "It's my life."

"It isn't you."

"Then what is me?" She put the sandwich back down. "I've always been this way, I haven't changed a bit."

"Being pretty and flirty, that's you. You actually going through with slutty things is different." Mai stood up, ready to bail, but Jounouchi grabbed her hand faster. "If you think I'm leaving you be about this, you are dreaming. You're Mai Kujaku, a great duelist, and you shouldn't be doing those things." Jounouchi moved in front of her. "I'm worried. Why you doing this?"

"What? Out in competition, it gets lonely, don't judge me. I don't care what people think of me."

"Yeah, you do, Mai." Jounouchi wasn't letting up. "You're purposely keeping yourself from making real friends or getting into a real relationship. It's not healthy, and I know that time in that hour-glass is to blame because your rep started less than a year after that."

"Thanks for the food, I'm done." She crossed her arms. "Get out of the way, Jounouchi."

"Fine, but I'm going to see you again," Jounouchi said firmly. "Soon. I'll be doing my best to find ways to see you."

"Do whatever you want." She shoved past him.

Jounouchi tried his best to not follow her after every competition. It was hard though. Once he pulled himself onto her kind of dueling circuit, he'd heard about the rumors. Nearly every duel, she was getting in deeper.

Mai Kujaku was a good looking woman, even when he was just in high school. They all drooled over her when they first saw her, but she was more than a pretty face. She had the heart of a duelist. When she fought Atem and Yuugi in Duelist Kingdom, it was a quick reminder not to take her lightly. But now?

Now, Mai Kujaku wasn't known for her looks or her dueling skills.

If someone was nice enough to her, she'd invite them back to her hotel room, and afterwards she'd never see them again. If they gave her something. If they bought her dinner. If they didn't want to be nice and wanted to test skills, they could get even more in a bet with her. She didn't put her life on the line like Yuugi did. She put her body on the line.

She didn't shout it to the world, but after so many competitions, everybody knew who to be the nicest to. They even came up with a nickname for her. The Night Duelist. If you found her before nightfall, there might be a chance you could see her.

And he hated it! Mai was so much better than that. Her winning streaks and where she fought her duels. Jounouchi didn't study much in school, but he knew her early history dueling records by heart. After Battle City, it got aggressive. She was trying to enter into every battle, money prize or just name recognition, it didn't matter. Then it morphed and changed into only prize winning. Then the nickname started.

If Jounouchi had known this was happening earlier, he wouldn't have started at the top where his reputation had placed him in. Invite only and things had nice prizes and great titles. Some of them added to the deck, making the others give each other their rarest cards. It could be anything, the more creative and cool, the better. Nicest hotels, best cities, but Jounouchi hadn't lied about the people.

They were all a-holes. The top of the line people became top of the line because they were able to afford some of the rarest cards in existence. It was like dueling Rare Hunters, except afterwards if he won instead of saying something like 'I'll get you, Jounouchi! Just you wait'! It was more like . . . eh. They just walked off. They acted and looked like Pegasus, some of them even brought their servants to serve them refreshment during the duel.

No way, screw that. Until things got fixed, he'd rather start from scratch and just do the everyone invited duels. When he did that, it wasn't too long until he'd learned about Mai.

Getting her to become a friend and a better person to herself wasn't easy. If getting her to change was a game? It was the longest duel in history, with a single move or two taking place between competitions when he saw her. He couldn't flip her overnight but he was getting better.

When he was in a duel, she was starting to converse and hang out again. When he wasn't there, sometimes she caved. She was getting better each time they saw each other though.

Still. Jounouchi sat in a local cafe in a small forest competition. The rule being all cards had to be living plants or insects found in a forest. It sounded like a good challenge. Mai came over and sat down to talk details and how they built their deck. They decided ahead of time which competitions they would fight each other, and which ones they would simply talk strategy.

It was great to have both, but while they were talking, somebody walked by saying something.

"Careful Jounouchi, there's no telling what the Night Duelist might have. And I don't mean cards."

Jounouchi got up, grabbed the guy and punched him making him fall. "You got something to say to me?!" He picked him back up. "Mai's a decent person, don't call her that." This time, the guy landed on a pile of chairs. Oops. That might be a medical bill. Aw, who cares. So far, Mai didn't have anything. Jounouchi convinced her hard enough last duel to check herself out too. It was dangerous out there just picking up duelists. He didn't want her to get hurt.

"Jounouchi, knock it off. I don't need you fighting battles for me." Mai didn't even move from her spot. "I just want to eat. What else did you buy for your competition?"

Jounouchi left the jerk alone and came back over to talk to her like nothing had happened. The guy got out, favoring his injuries but didn't speak another word. Probably 'cause he didn't want to get punched again.

Same dream. Same Anzu's. Same Yuugi's. Same devastation. Same Jounouchi introducing her to Mana. Except the details kept changing. Some days, there was complete devastation outside. Sometimes she saw only a little. The baby too, her hair and eyes kept changing. It was always the same name, but the color of her hair kept changing. One night she was brunette, and another she was blonde. No matter what, Jounouchi and the others always looked happy at her.

She never remembered any more details. She was out with Jounouchi again. Another competition. Jounouchi was keeping her company again, though he didn't have to. It had been a good few years since he'd tried to help her get better. While she had the same strange baby dream, she never told him about it. Instead, he asked about her nightmares. Sometimes she shared them, but mostly they shared conversation.

"So? How's it going on the front?" It was his words to ask if she was still doing the same thing.

"Not much." Actually, none. Mai hadn't messed with another duelist in months now. The day she said she didn't do that anymore though, Jounouchi would expect better of her. She was bound to disappoint him. At least a year between. That would be better.

"So." Jounouchi felt a little off now. "Still someone?"

"I got a boyfriend. I've stayed with him for three competitions." She put a straw in her mouth and winked. "That's progress." Jounouchi still didn't look happy. "What? I thought a boyfriend was good progress." What was with that look?

"Nothing, it's fantastic. Where is he?" Jounouchi's voice didn't match his words. It sounded like he wanted to punch the guy. "That guy coming over here?"

Mai turned. Yep. I wanted someone. He was extra nice. He's been following me though and I haven't goofed on him. So what is Jounouchi not happy about?

"Hi, Mai." He came over and Jounouchi stood up. He tried to shake Jounouchi's hand but he wasn't having it. "Something wrong?"

"No. It's great. It's fine. Things are great and fine." Jounouchi tried to shake his hand. "Jounouchi."

"Nice to meet you, Jono."

"Jounouchi," Jounouchi corrected him. "Get it right."

"Jounouchi, sorry." He tried to apologize. "I'm not from this country. Your name is tougher, sorry."

"So?" Jounouchi sat down. "I think I'm gonna go ahead and scram, Mai. I got a lot to do before the competition." He grabbed his bag. "See you."

That was weird. Jounouchi clearly hated him. She got up and headed after him. "Jounouchi? Is something wrong?"

"Nah. No way, you're doing great. A first step. Good luck, huh?" He finished heading to the elevator.

In the elevator

Once he was high enough, he started to punch the door of the elevator. The steel felt good against his fist because he couldn't punch the guy. This is a great first step, that's all that matters. Nothing else matters. He hit it again. I can't jump or run too fast. It's just her first date. Get used to it, Jounouchi. As she gets better, this will happen. I've got to let it happen.

After a few more punches, he set the course to his room. She's getting better. Look how far she's come. I'm proud of her. Still, he rubbed a tear out of his eye. I should have kept punching the door. When he arrived, he headed toward his room when he saw her waiting beside it. "Mai."

"I'm not doing something right," she said. "You hate him, I can tell. What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mai."

"Give me a break, I don't want to play games about this," Mai stated, her stance of hand on hips wasn't letting him mistake that. "I'm close to thirty and I'm still messing up. Why? What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing, I said nothing!" He wanted to get into his hotel room already. When he opened it, she went in too.

"Then what, do you not want me to date people in the competitions I'm in either?" She crossed her arms. "You know me Jounouchi, and I know you."

"You aren't screwing up," Jounouchi admitted. "I'm just." Don't. She wasn't ready. "I. Just. I guess." What? What could he say? "I feel lonely." I did not just admit that. Her eyes though.

Her eyes . . .