Hello all! Thank you guys so much for your patience, especially those of you who've been here since before the 13 months where I didn't update. I'm back with the third and final part of Shadi and the spirit's Shadow Game, and it's been a long time coming!

Content warning(s): can't think of any that apply

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter start!

Submersion

By: The Half-Blood Guardian

Previously:

Directly behind him, gaping open wide and leaning forward in preparation to destroy him, was-

"I know the answer!" The spirit shouted, and Ammit froze. "The matching pairs of tiles are eyes, ears, nostrils and hands! The single remaining tile is the mouth!"

The tiles flipped, revealing the images to be exactly what he'd said they were. Then they and the platform faded into nothing. Ammit groaned and shuddered, releasing the spirit's arms and sinking back into the pit, where the beast dissipated into wisps of darkness. The rooftop reassembled itself, crumbling in reverse.

"Good work," Shadi responded evenly, and the spirit felt his insides curdle at the words of praise from this man. "You have passed the second test, as well as my own anticipations. It is now time for the final trial. This one will be different from the first two. In each of those, you faced a game with yourself as the only active participant. Allow me to introduce your new opponent."

Suddenly, something was tugging sharply on the cord around the spirit's neck, and he had just enough time to register the sensation before the cord snapped. He spun around, and his eyes widened. There, standing where no one had been moments ago and holding the Millennium Puzzle in hand, was one of the last people he had expected to see.

"Honda-kun…?"

Chapter 18: Shadow Game Part 3

The other's eyes were a blank, burnt orange, and there was a smirk on his face that the spirit had never seen, not even before the boy had become Yuugi's Friend. It was sharp, cold, and showed an utter lack of concern for what damage he might inflict. Looking closer at him, the spirit realized that tiny wisps of darkness were drifting lazily from his form. This Honda seemed to be a construct. His Shadows circled the brunet in confused disconcertion.

"Spirit creature." The voice that came from the other teen's (construct's?) mouth was Honda's, but the flat, refined tone was so different from his usual speech that it sent a shudder up the spirit's spine. His Shadows hissed and darted back towards their master, away from the wrongness of the one who looked like the Light child's Friend but felt so different.

Sick thing! They simmered, agitated. This one is a sick thing!

"Whilst I was inside your Soul Room," Shadi said, "you shielded your thoughts from me. I was unable to establish enough of a hold on your mind to glean anything from it. However, I was able to access your host's mind through your connection to him. His mind was unused to fending off purposeful external invasion and provided practically no resistance. I obtained certain memories from him. One of them," he gestured to the possible construct, "was a memory of how this boy treated him in the past. Using that memory as a base and this body as a vessel, I implanted, in the present, an approximation of the mentality of this boy as he was in the past."

The spirit's lip curled in disgust and his mind rebelled at the thought of this man poking his mental fingers into Yuugi's thoughts and memories, taking what wasn't his and fashioning it into whatever abhorrent creation he had foisted onto Honda, or at the very least Honda's likeness.

Was this actually a construct? He looked so solid and realistic, but there were those wisps of darkness coming off of him. But what if Shadi had just placed them there to keep the spirit's Shadows from interfering, or to make him think this was a construct, to trick him into hurting Yuugi's Friend somehow?

He'd thought Honda had been relatively safe after drawing Yoshimori's attention away from Sugoroku and running off; even with the mind-controlled professor chasing after the brunet, the spirit knew he was quite athletic and a very good runner, whereas even if Yoshimori hadn't been addled, he had the build of someone who wasn't used to rigorous exercise.

He shouldn't have assumed Honda would be fine. He should have known better than to let him run off on his own. He should have gone after him, guarded both him and Sugoroku from Shadi, but instead he had just waited inside Professor Yoshimori's office until his time was up, too preoccupied with his anger to suspect Shadi of going after any of Yuugi's other loved ones. The man could very well have taken control of Honda, or even Sugoroku, without the spirit's knowledge.

He cursed himself for not being more thorough, for not insisting that Shadi swear every single person Yuugi cared about would be safe before they shook hands, sealing their agreement. Whatever this being was, a Friend or only an imitation, his existence was just one more thing Shadi was using to control the spirit.

Grid lines were suddenly spreading across the rooftop, cutting short his thoughts. Each square of the grid was about two feet wide, and he briefly wondered what they would be used for.

Then the ground around the spirit and the possible construct fell away, leaving them standing on a roughly circular island of concrete twenty feet across, surrounded by an abyssal trench. Shadi stood outside the trench, and spoke after allowing the spirit a moment to inspect the new playing field.

"As you are aware, the Millennium Puzzle is shaped like an inverted pyramid. When it is worn as a pendant, there is a point on the bottom where four sides meet. You two will take turns throwing the Millennium Puzzle like a die, and whichever direction that bottom point faces when it lands, the other person must move two squares in that direction. If you are still standing after your opponent, you will have passed the final trial and won this game. I will release you, your host, and your host's loved ones and never challenge you again. If your opponent wins…" he glanced at the trench. "…Well, I believe your fate in that case is obvious."

The spirit glared, then turned to the possible construct.

"Honda-kun." He said, feeling strange to be addressing the brunet instead of just watching Yuugi interact with him. Still, if this was actually Honda, then there might be a possibility that he could reason with him, or maybe even break Shadi's control. The chance was incredibly slim, but he had to try. "Please, give me the Puzzle and don't play Shadi's game."

The brunet didn't move, only continued to smirk.

"Honda-kun," the spirit tried again, "we don't have to do this. There is no need for you to listen to that man. Please, just hand me the Millennium Puzzle."

"The 'Millennium Puzzle'? You mean this thing?" The possible construct sneered, holding it out away from his body as though it were something foul. "You see your 'greatest treasure'? It's just some stupid piece of jewelry! You're so weak and girly and immature, listening to you makes me sick!"

The part of the spirit connected to Yuugi's emotions twinged sharply, shooting a spike of pain through his chest.

The brunet's callous words tugged on the insecurities of his Light despite Yuugi's lack of awareness, dragging the feeling of distress from across their link to infect the spirit's determination. That must have been Shadi's intent. To distract him enough he would doubt and then fail. He was using the spirit's bond with Yuugi against him.

And the spirit was getting nowhere trying to talk the possible construct down.

Honda tossed the Millennium Puzzle, and the spirit couldn't hold back his flinch at the jarring thunk of his physical link to Yuugi landing heavily on the ground.

The point faced away from the possible construct, and he was forced to step two squares further from the Puzzle and closer to the edge.

"It is your turn, spirit creature." Shadi told him.

The spirit turned and crouched to pick up the Puzzle, then paused, staring at where his hand was stretched out towards it. Past it, directly in front of him, was the possible construct. And just to the left of his line of sight was Jounouchi, swaying at the edge of the roof. The spirit's brow furrowed.

His hand, which didn't actually belong to him but to Yuugi – his wonderful Light who would fall into the pit if Shadi won this trial.

The possible construct that, regardless of if he was real or not, possessed Honda's form. Ready to fall into the pit if Shadi didn't win.

And Jounouchi. Ready to jump from the roof if the spirit attacked Shadi.

Three precious individuals, at least one of which would be in danger whether he kept playing or fought back. The spirit made his decision. He stood and shifted to face Shadi.

"I'll pass."

The man's gaze sharpened, his attention more focused, and the spirit felt satisfaction bloom in his chest at the fleeting look of bewildered shock that crossed Shadi's face. The man recovered quickly.

"Very well."

Honda picked up and tossed the Puzzle again. It landed facing the same way as last time.

The spirit stepped up to the last square before the edge. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them. He would skip his next turn as well, the brunet would roll the Puzzle again, and when the roll required him to step forward two squares, the spirit would refuse. As consequence for his cheating, he would lose the trial, his soul would be forfeit, and the Shadow Game would end. Shadi's view of himself as a righteous judge meant that without the spirit to challenge, he would no longer threaten Jounouchi, Honda, Sugoroku, Yoshimori, or – most importantly – Yuugi.

This was the only option that would end this Shadow Game without either Yuugi or any of his loved ones being harmed.

"It is your turn again. Will you still pass?" Shadi asked, and something in his voice made the spirit turn to look at him. The Egyptian's expression, such as it was, was doubtful, but there was a subtle gleam of intrigue in his eyes. The spirit realized the man thought he would give in and take his turn now that he was backed against the edge, but after being initially surprised by the skipped turn, wasn't quite as sure as before that the spirit would conform to his expectations. He was waiting to see what would happen. The spirit set his jaw and looked Shadi in the eye.

"I'll pass."

Honda picked up the Puzzle. The spirit sucked in another deep, steadying breath and waited.

And waited.

He turned to look at Honda. The possible construct's expression was flat, and he was frozen with the Puzzle in his hand.

"Toss the Millennium Puzzle," Shadi said, and the spirit saw that he was frowning. "Go on. Beat your opponent."

The brunet stayed put. Another few seconds passed, and a smirk slowly overtook the spirit's face as he realized what was happening.

"Why will you not obey my command?" Shadi demanded. The brunet shimmered, form wavering before dispersing into the air. With nothing to hold it, the Puzzle fell. It landed facing the opposite direction. The spirit strode back over to pick it up, and his Shadows quickly mended the leather cord so he could slip it around his neck. A soft warmth settled back into place in his chest.

Pieces of broken cement knitted themselves back together. Soon, the roof was once again smooth and whole, exactly as it had been before the Shadow Game. He was the last one standing where the island in the trench had been. He had won.

"Did you really think I would allow someone who has ever meant Yuugi any real harm to remain near him? That I would even entertain the notion of protecting such a person?" The spirit asked, sneering at Shadi. "You misunderstood Honda's essence when you looked into my Light's memories. And I can tell that you never looked inside the room of his soul. Otherwise you wouldn't have used that 'approximation' of him against me in this game. Even the aberration you created would rather disappear than risk killing my Light."

Shadi stared blankly forward, and for a moment he wondered if the man had even heard him. Then the Egyptian turned his burnt orange gaze to the spirit.

"I suppose, then, that it was my own oversight that lost me this Shadow Game. It is good to know what I must improve upon." Shadi dipped his head. "You win. I will never threaten you, your host, or you host's loved ones again. I know better than to deny the outcome of a Shadow Game, or to try counteracting a contract sealed by the shadows."

He pulled out the Key and lightly touched its tip to Jounouchi's head. The spirit watched the blond slowly blink and begin to come back to himself.

Shadi vanished in a swirl of darkness. The buzzing resonance the spirit had felt in his chest from the presence of the man and his Items faded. Too late, he jolted and reached out a hand as if to grab the Egyptian. He sent Shadows to find and retrieve him, but they only circled the rooftop in confusion, unable to track the man. Shadi had escaped.

Jounouchi shook his head, coming fully back into awareness, and promptly shouted in alarm when he noticed his proximity to the edge of the roof, stumbling and wobbling precariously. The spirit dashed forward, Shadows tugging him to go even faster, and caught Jounouchi's hand, pulling him to a safer distance. As soon as he was sure the blond was no longer in danger of falling, he let go of his hand and quickly averted his eyes, having seen their startling scarlet color in the reflection of a window and knowing that Jounouchi was already hyper-sensitive enough to supernatural energies without a visible indicator.

"Yuugi!" Jounouchi gasped, shuddering. "Thanks, bud! I coulda been-!"

His voice caught in his throat, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling, and his hand hovered midair, torn between wanting to reach for his friend's shoulder in thanks and wanting to shove the smaller teen back and get as far away from him as possible.

"Jounouchi? Yuugi?" Came a muffled call. Jounouchi barely heard it, too focused on calming his suddenly uneven breathing to really notice. Then the door to the rooftop slammed open. The blond startled, the sound jolting him out of his inexplicable fear response, and the spirit's tense shoulders loosened a bit as Honda – real, genuine Honda – ran through the doorway.

The spirit receded back into his labyrinth, leaving Yuugi blinking his violet eyes in confusion as Honda came over to him and Jounouchi.

"There you guys are! How'd you end up on the roof anyway?" Honda exclaimed, inspecting his friends.

Yuugi looked dazed and unfocused and Jounouchi looked like he was trying not to stare at the shorter boy. Something was off. He glanced around the rooftop warily, but upon seeing nothing decided that checking on the other two took precedence over looking for another threat.

"Yuugi? What happened?"

Yuugi's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. When it became clear the smaller boy wouldn't be able to answer, Honda looked at Jounouchi.

"I… I don't…" Jounouchi shook his head, frowning. Yuugi just stared between the two with a furrowed brow.

Honda narrowed his eyes in concern.

"C'mon," he said softly, turning and starting back towards the door. When Yuugi and Jounouchi didn't move to follow, he grabbed each of them by the hand and gave a firm tug before letting go.

Unseen, Yuugi frowned to himself, mind beginning to race.

It had happened again. He had lost time.

He'd been in Professor Yoshimori's office with that man from the museum, Shadi, trying to understand why the Egyptian was using the professor to hurt his friends. Shadi's response had been to proclaim his actions as necessary, that he had to remove the "other inside him". Yuugi had felt despair and desperation, and then a flair of rage, frightening in its intensity. Then there was something like static fuzzing his vision, and… blackness? Not quite nothing, but when he tried to examine whatever it might be his thoughts slipped away as though forbidden.

"Yuugi?"

Jounouchi's voice broke through Yuugi's introspection. He realized he had stopped walking and was staring into space, and quickly looked over at the blond.

"Yes, Jounouchi-kun?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" His jaw was tense and he had a strange look in his eye, something puzzled and slightly disconcerted. Yuugi quirked his lips into a little smile and nodded to reassure his friend.

"I'm sure."

"Okay. You just seemed…" Jounouchi trailed off. Shook his head. "Never mind. I must've just… I don't know." He looked away.

"…Your grandpa's downstairs, Yuugi." Honda said, motioning to the door again. "Let's get out of here, guys."

Inside his Soul Room, the spirit snarled, slamming his fist into a stone wall.

The lingering feeling of sheer helplessness, of knowing someone was trying to uproot him and take him away from Yuugi, to hurt the boy and his Friends, and not being able to retaliate, weighed heavily on the spirit, sinking its frigid claws into his core. The one time he'd released someone who had lost to him, and the loser had come back for another round, this time more prepared.

The man's reasoning had been that he was protecting Yuugi and the world from an unstable and dangerously unpredictable entity. He probably even believed that that was the only purpose for his actions; despite his ability to peer into the very souls of others, it seemed that he was just as prone to self-deception as anyone else. But the spirit could see past that. The protection of others may have been part of his reasoning, but much of his motivation had been to avenge the wounded pride left in the wake of his defeat.

The spirit had shown mercy. And Yuugi had paid the price.

Never again! From this point on, his only focus would be to protect his Light. The spirit's purpose was not to communicate with Yuugi, no matter how he longed to make contact. Nor was it his purpose to emulate the boy's compassionate nature. He would do what he should've done from the start and leave the displays of mercy to Yuugi. His Light's safety was all that truly mattered. If protecting Yuugi meant he had to be a being of utter mercilessness, then so be it.

He howled into his labyrinth, his Shadows shrieking and snarling along with him.

Never again!

Yuugi blinked, feeling suddenly dizzy as he walked down the stairs, and for just a moment, if anyone had been looking, they would have seen violet eyes flash a burning scarlet.

AN (please feel free to skip if you don't enjoy reading the author's take on things or would prefer to come to your own conclusions):

So here are some reasons why the rope, plank, Millennium Key and ushebti/ushabti weren't used here, even though they were there in the original: first, I felt that in my version of events, the complex setup was unnecessary and taking the time to explain it would actually go against the tone I was trying to set. Second, in this version, Shadi isn't just trying to test the "Other Yuugi" or beat him or even prove a point, he's literally trying to destroy him altogether. Not only did he not need the symbolism that was there in the objects he used in canon, but by not using them, he was forcing the spirit to rely only on his word that Yuugi and his loved ones would be safe if he won, using the lack of physical props to solidify his control over the situation. In short, it was yet another psychological power play meant to intimidate his opponent and decrease the likelihood that the spirit would win by crushing his hope.