Author's notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Sailor Moon. Oh! Is that a
flying pig I see?

Wow! Over 1000 Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics! Amazing! Congratulations to
everyone who wrote – keep up the great work!

Okay, I lied… there isn't that much action in this chapter ^^(). I'm
trying to lead up into the grand finale. I'm predicting about 4 – 5 more
chapters until the end! YAY!

~ dream sequence ~

*********************************************

"But where is all their anguish now, and where are all their tears?"

- Emily Bronte, "Song"

********************************************

Customizing a Deck: (Kaiba: 3 Blue Eyes, 1 Crush Card Virus…
Zoo: o_o)

Despite the fact that Kaiba was traveling at breakneck pace, he
could not, even at a maximum sprint, lose sight of Jounochi. Said
blonde-haired boy was currently trailing behind him like a lost puppy,
sometimes hollering out questions or demands in which the techno-
magician purposely ignored.

Kaiba suddenly came to a stop, almost hitting his nose against
the wall as Jounochi accidentally bumped into his lanky frame. The
brown-haired boy immediately shot Jounochi a death glare before
returning to examine his _actual_ reason for stopping.

"I don't see what's so interesting about here." Jounochi
complained loudly, his brash voice reverberating against the empty
hallways.

Kaiba gritted his teeth, wondering to himself whether or not
anyone would care if the blonde boy conveniently "disappeared". Upon
realizing that he was wasting his time even thinking of such thoughts,
the techo-magician began again focusing on his task at hand.

An inability to use real Magic had always put the brown-
haired boy at a disadvantage, especially during Duels involving the
Shadow Realm. Of course, he had taken care of this problem by
proposing a simple solution – create Magic simulated by technology.
Spells were programmed by microscopic chips able to react to a million
commands and twists of the mind's brain waves. Monsters could be
projected and shifted into molecular reality through strict programming.
Yes, Kaiba was a genius in a type of "magic" that had died years ago
ever since the rise of the Authority. Thus, his name "Techno-
Magician". A magician of technology.

So now, Seto Kaiba brought a hand to his ear, focusing a
command in his mind. Immediately, the computer chips fused into his
brain activated, deciphering the pattern of his brain waves to relay the
instructions to the layers of cleverly created programming currently
running through the boy's body. It would be a lie to call the techno-
Magician a "boy", for he was older than the eldest surviving person. To
be exactly, Kaiba was three-thousand years old, give or take a century.
The reason?

He was not human. Seto Kaiba had stopped existing as a
human two-thousand nine-hundred eighty years ago. For now, his
synthetic blood, created by careful genetic cloning and replicating of
his own body millennia ago, was mingled with layers of wiring and
steel plating, chrome transistors and parallel wires running across his
entire body.

Kaiba hid his secret well, his tall trench coat often covering up
the most obvious layering of machinery, the blood running through his
body allowing a false illusion of a live human body. And as long as he
stayed away from close human contact, as long as he stayed away from
the suspicion of others, he would be safe. _That_ was why Kaiba now
hated Jounochi. Because he feared that the other boy might discover his
secret. A secret that was best left forgotten, because it reminded many
of the Old times; times that held a mutual bitterness. For it was that
time in the past which had lead to Now.

Taking advantage of his now heightened senses, Kaiba
listened closely to a conversation behind the current wall he was
standing against. It was by far a strain for the naked ear, so Kaiba
increased the frequency of his reception, allowing a greater sensitivity
to the distant sound waves.

"What do you want?"

The voice was tough and commanding, and Kaiba had no
difficulty recognizing it as the Game King's. He clenched his fingers
into a fist as he listened to another's demure response, although not
really absorbing any meaning. The Game King. A rival that the techno-
magician was fated to challenge until he finally reqlenished his worth.
Yes, Kaiba was convinced that the Game King was indeed _the_ Game
King that legends had spoken about, though one thought still worried
his mind. Surely, the Game King would choose and side and win. But
winning did not mean a victory. It by far did not ensure success.

"Yo. Kaiba. You gonna keep on ignoring me like this?"
Again, Jounochi couldn't resist adding in a comment.

Due to the sensitivity of his frequency receptors, Kaiba nearly
had a heart attack at the sound of Jounochi's voice.
"Look," He quietly hissed at Jounochi, just in case anyone
could hear the pair of them – in which case it would be too late already
since the blond-haired boy had hollered from there to here, "The
information I'm getting could lead to either destruction or salvation of
the society of mankind, so I kindly suggest for you to shut your trap
and either follow silently along or better yet, just leave."

Upon realizing that Kaiba was not in a joking mood, Jounochi
sobered. "Okay, okay," Came the miffed reply, "No more talking back.
Nope, none at all!"

So, Kaiba left his position on the wall, taking several steps
further to examine any niches where he could at least observe the
interaction between the Game King and the other unknown figure.
Jounochi quietly trailed behind him, although at brief intervals, certain
random mumbling could be heard from the blond-haired boy's mouth.

***********************************************

Yami-Yuugi balled his fingers into fists, not trusting the
woman for a second. There was an air of deception around her, deep
eyes hiding an ancient and possibly horrible secret. No, the Yami did
not like mysteries – they were his to solve and conquer, not to remain
puzzled over.

/What's going on?/ Yuugi demanded, slightly alarmed by
Yami's hostility towards this woman. /Who is she?/

Yami-Yuugi did not reply, although he was all but attacking
the woman.

The green-haired woman kept her smile, eyes firm and
subtlety analyzing. "Do you not trust me, Game King?" She asked, tone
amused.

"No." Came the Yami's blunt reply. "Give me a reason first."

"If you insist." The woman's smile fell into a lopsided smirk
before disappearing completely. She suddenly tightened her grip on her
gigantic key-shaped staff, rapidly twirling it with ease in both hands.
Faster than Yami-Yuugi could react, she thrust the blunt end of her
staff centimeters away from the Yami's face.
"I could choose to kill you at this moment." Her figure
remained stock still, muscles not even twitching slightly, "Or, I could
choose to spare your life."

There was a moment of silent tension between the two before
Yami-Yuugi suddenly threw his head back and laughed. Still smirking
smugly, the Yami tilted his head so that they were level with the
woman's. "Don't mock me. You know I'm not real."

The woman shrugged indifferently. "Trust me, Game King.
You are very real." The still Garnet orb sitting on the ornamental head
of the woman's staff began glowing a brilliant crimson, though
everything else stood still.

Yami-Yuugi's eyes widened as invisible claws suddenly dived
into his chest, ripping the very fabric of his soul apart. The Yami
gasped in agony, the claws tearing away part of him, crudely discarding
the shredded part into another reality.

For a moment, time seemed to distort and unfold upon itself as
it sought to cover the newly invoked paradox created by the woman's
Magic. However, the strange Garnet orb continued to spill with
perplexing Magic, forcing reality to warp and adjust.

When the Yami dared to open his eyes again, he found himself
in a strange arid desert, strongly reminiscent of his ancient past. A
twinge of homesickness shot through his heart, though he quickly
covered it and sought, instead, to master the situation at hand.

Only then did he realize something else.

//Yuugi!// Yami-Yuugi's voice projected both mentally and
physically though either way, he received no reply. Desperate, the
Yami tried again, searching for that lost piece of his soul.

"You don't have to be so loud." The familiar voice of the
green-haired lady interrupted the Yami's cries, rather bemused than
anything else. "It's not like this is the first time this happened."

Angrily, Yami-Yuugi whipped around, face contorted into a
snarl. "Bitch!" He shouted, eyes glowing with rage. "What have you
done with him?"

The green-haired lady, also once known as the Guardian of
Time, and known before that as Setsuna Meiou, simply shook her head.
"It is much safer to talk to you in private, Yu-Gi-Oh. If you will
cooperatively listen to my proposition, you will get your Light back."

Yami-Yuugi was about to snap into a further maelstrom of
rage when he finally deducted that she might not be bluffing. "Fine."
The Yami crossed his arms. "But if you have done anything with
him…"

"Oh, its nothing like that." Came her genuine reply. "For you
are the one in greater danger."

***************************************

~ The world was screaming. That was the only way to voice
Yuugi's fear, echoing until it became a gigantic mass of guttural
shrieks ringing in his ears. Each call came claw-like to lunge and tear a
shred of Yuugi's courage before chuckling and disappearing into
endless fathoms. Wearily dragging his feet on the desolate ground, the
small boy tried to escape the cries. Silent tears dribbled down his fears,
though his voice remained choked and void of all sentience.

Everything was a mass of scarlet and black. Between the two
alternating shades lay perhaps a splatter of ochre or a spark of violet
before dying into a crimson-dark swirl. However, the colours did not
shift and blend smoothly with each another but rather pulsated and
grossly contorted their shades. It was not a mixture of colour but a
vulgar contortion symbolic of a shattered reality.

The whimper growing in his throat, Yuugi quickened his pace,
legs shuffling wearily with each forced step. He faltered and lost his
balance, falling to crack his chin painfully against the cold unyielding
ground. A dizzying sensation accompanied the stumble, his mind
reeling in physical pain. Silently, Yuugi struggled onto his
knees, spitting out the warm blood pooling in his mouth, additional
crimson covering white teeth. Teeth painfully embedded into a
bleeding tongue.

There was too much red. Everywhere. Around him, below
him, even on his shirt and pants. Violet eyes dilated into pinpoints,
despair causing his buckling arms to collapse weakly against the
ground. His entire body lay sprawled, shirt staining and accumulating
the spilt blood. And the small boy closed his eyelids, wishing no more
than to fall into the widely promised eternal sleep.

Yet, fate, even in a dream, seemed to have other intentions. A
jangle of metal suddenly clanked against the ground, chiming like soft
bells before coming to a halt. Startled, Yuugi forced his swollen eyes
open, blank irises searching for the disturbance. A glimmer of dull gold
caught the boy's sight, though Yuugi's body lay motionless and
without initiative.

As if sensing Yuugi's reluctance, the gold seemed to sparkle
and suddenly flare up with internal light, piercing the lurid darkness
around it before ebbing. It beckoned him now, warm light filling Yuugi
with a tingling surge of energy. And forcing his limbs to once again
move to the beats of their master, Yuugi clambered onto his knees,
crawling towards the golden glimmer as if it was all that mattered. In
fact it _was_ all that mattered now.

Small hands blindly groped and touched a smooth metal
surface. Yuugi picked up the beckoning golden object, examining it
with confused eyes unable to recognize beyond acceptance. The golden
circular object chimed as Yuugi brushed an experimental fingertip
across the cone-shaped tips hanging underneath its brim. A single
golden eye stared placately across the center of a larger triangle
embedded in the center of the ornament.

It was a ring.

Yet, Yuugi did not pick the item up for its power. He did not
clench the object in one hand because of its potential. For the boy was
unaware even of the existence of the Millennium Ring, and though his
Yami might have laughed in irony had he seen the situation, Yuugi
simply did not know. For true knowledge is best left untampered.

What mystified Yuugi, instead, was that strange ring seemed
to sparkle with encouragement, sometimes glowing in synchronization
with his own Puzzle. The two items greeted each other in almost a
vicious embrace, vibrating with ancient Magic as if exchanging a long-
waited for conversation.

A tingle of familiarity trickled across Yuugi's memory as he
gazed into this ancient ring. For a moment, he saw the sad face of a
white-haired boy gazing from the ornament's flat triangular surface, but
that soon disappeared along with the memory.

Perhaps, Yuugi might have re-lived that memory had a sudden
cry not interrupted the boy from his thoughts. It was not the pounding
cries of fear and darkness but an all-too-human cry; a pleading cry for
help much like his own agonized soul. Curious and slightly afraid,
Yuugi began running towards the source, fingers clenched around his
Puzzle in a determination he did not feel.

Now, Yuugi could see a sudden break in the morbid
atmosphere. There, only several dashes away from the small boy stood
a glimmer of pure feathery white. With newfound anticipation, Yuugi
forced his trembling legs across the distance until he was face-to-face
with the dazzling white. And his heart slowly dipped in disappointment
as he realized that this was not his beautiful angel that he had
anticipated.

She turned towards Yuugi, tanned hands calmly brushing back
strands of hair covered by a long white veil. Her ivory gown neither
rustled nor shook when she moved to turn to the smaller boy and
impassively regard him. Instead, she just simply stood there, limp as a
statue.

Yuugi, in turn, gaped at this maiden in puzzlement, shifting
uncomfortably on his feet as he sought to spark a conversation.
Anything to drive away the insanity of the chaotic darkness around
him.
"Excuse me miss, but where am I?"

The maiden said nothing, though her golden jewelry chimed
gently as she simply lifted her arm and pointed. First, she raised her
right arm, gesturing to Yuugi's left. Quickly, another left arm snaked
towards Yuugi's right, the two limbs crossing rather elegantly in the
center.

And when Yuugi turned to peer at the direction of the
gesturing hand, he saw not crimson and black but a large golden casket
embedded with ancient runes. Craning his neck towards the right,
Yuugi's eyes met an identical sight.

Still confused, Yuugi's gaze quickly shot back to the
mysterious maiden, only to realize that she had disappeared. In her
place, instead, lay a limp figure, restrained by a continuous network of
chains which snaked around the body and confined the actions of every
limb and muscle until said body was forced to lie flat on the ground.
Dull brown hair plastered a face plagued with discoloured bruises and
dried blood. It took the boy several seconds before his mind collected
the actual meaning behind those pictures, and then, everything spun too
fast.

"Anzu?" Yuugi heard himself question, running towards the
pitiful figure who lay ravaged against the tides of death. The small boy
bit his lip, stopping himself from crying out in fear as his examined the
girl's disfigured state. Like a broken rag doll, the girl once known as
Anzu remained mute.
"ANZU!" Yuugi cried out, hands clasping the girl's head in
the same fragile manner as holding a porcelain vase.

Caked lips painted with dull brown blood parted open to
whisper a single word. "Yuu… gi?" Anzu's eyes fluttered open, though
they were not a sparkling sapphire blue but dull silver, blank and
meaningless.

Yuugi cried out in pity as he saw those dull eyes, bringing a
trembling hand to touch Anzu's face as if to confirm that she was real.
"Anzu, what… what happened?"

The brown-haired girl, the friend to all of Yuugi's pleasant
childhood memories, replied only with a hoarse cough, vacant silver
irises lolling to one side of her face. A parched tongue brushed the
sides of her lips before recoiling back in pain. "No."

"No?" Tears were flowing freely from the small boy's eyes,
the unrealistic suffering that his friend currently was under too much
for him to accept beyond a figment of the imagination. And yet, the boy
stayed firm beside Anzu, afraid of what might happen to her lest he
leave. "What do you mean, Anzu?"

"Anzu?" The girl who was known as Anzu began laughing,
breaking into a choked cough. A trickle of blood dribbled down one
side of her mouth and stained her caked chin with newfound scarlet.
"Who is this Anzu?"

Yuugi recoiled in surprise. "What? Aren't you
Anzu?"

"A name." Another weak twitch of the brown-haired girl's
cheek, which might have been her only attempt at a smile. "Too many
names. They come and go. And here I am. But I have to go too."

"Stop it, Anzu." Yuugi balled his free hand into a fist, clasping
the smooth metal of a Ring currently in his hand. "Stop acting like this.
It's… wrong!"

"That's good." For a moment, Anzu's blank eyes seemed to
stare directly at Yuugi, though they reflected nothing but his own
reflection. Her body gave a sudden twitch, breaking into slight
convulsions, though her head hung limply on one side, exposing a
beautiful white neck pierced only by two perfectly even points, the
blood pooled there long since dry. "I'm glad… that…"

Yuugi strained to hear the last sentence, grasping the fading
twitches of her body and leaning his ear close to the soft breaths of her
mouth. He recoiled back in fear as Anzu's body gave another pulsating
twitch before she sighed and relaxed her tense muscles. Her lips still
lay parted in mid-speech, though nothing else came out. And the pitiful
rags that covered her chest no longer moved, finally forced to take a
deserved rest.
"Anzu?" Yuugi bravely ventured, voice quavering with
restrained dread. "An…zu?" The boy nuzzled his face close to her hair,
resting his cheek against her soft body as he tried to find some comfort
and warmth. "Please?"

"Cut the stupid melodrama. Just give up already."

Yuugi swiveled his head in all directions, trying to pinpoint a
gruff voice echoing everywhere at once.

"No!" Another voice, clear and resonating interrupted the first.
"Love transcends death, and you must always love!"

"Stupid." The first interrupted. "It's all in vain, you know.
Meaningless and purposeless."

"Not true! Everyone has a destiny." Came the valiant retort.

Yuugi's mind spun as he listened to the two arguing voices,
both strangely disembodied.

"There is only Evil..."

"With evil comes Good!"

"Life achieves only end..."

"With the end comes Promise!"

"Greed feeds humanity…"

"With-"

"SHUT UP!" Yuugi screamed, vexed by the voices and driven
to complete agitation by everything else that had happened. The boy
painfully squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block the agony increasing
contracting his soul. The crimson of this nether-world paled in contrast
to his internal scars, but Yuugi refused to give in. "Both of you, just –
just shut up!" The small boy bowed his head weakly above Anzu's
limp body, raising violet eyes to simply glare into space. "_What_ do
you want?" His voice cracked painfully as he squeezed out the last
sentence.

"A Balance." The answer came not from the voices but from
the white-gowned maiden. She ignored Yuugi's blatant surprise and
walked closer to the small boy. "What will you choose, Mutou Yuugi?"
Elegant arms again raised their fingers to point at the two sturdy
caskets.

Yuugi glanced at the twin golden caskets on both sides of him.
One hand still lay on Anzu's cold neck, not daring to leave her even
after death. "Why? Why do I have to choose?"

The maiden shrugged, ruffling her straight hair. "Then don't."

The two caskets lay side by side, each one a good five meters
away from the other. Between the golden boxes stood the maiden,
becoming no more involved than a hauntingly elegant statue. Yuugi's
eyes again darted to stare at the two identical boxes. What was the
point of choosing if both boxes were identical? The boy began to back
away, one hand grasping his Puzzle instinctively for comfort while the
other lay clasped to the Ring.

"Choose Good!" Sang the box on the right, suddenly springing
to life with a million fragmented images of happiness and peace. The
birds sang, the trees rustled, and the flowers blossomed to life.

"Choose Evil…" Hissed the one on the left, leaving a dank
acrid taste of hatred and death, darkness frosting every touch of its
bony hand.

Yuugi's heart leapt as he saw the beauty of the Good box, and
he instinctively rushed to touch the casket and open its clasp.

The Ring shone.

Pausing and unsure of himself, Yuugi pivoted, troubled mind
seeking to release the Evil box and bring and end to his misery.

The Puzzle glimmered.

Torn, Yuugi could only stop halfway, aware of both forces
seeking to lull him. Each one promised a million desires, snatched up
greedily by his ambitious heart. Yuugi cringed as he felt his mind
literally break down confronted by both halves of a whole. If his Yami
was here…

Looking up, the small boy suddenly smiled, a radiance he did
not feel. He knew he could only win by bluffing. "I have decided. I
have chosen something better than Good and worse than Evil."

The maiden regarded Yuugi with a bemused smile playing on
her lips. "Oh? And pray tell me what that might be?"

Yuugi analyzed and copied her confident smile, though his
own heart quavered. "Why should I tell you?"

The maiden simply laughed, her voice both melodic and
mocking. "Don't tease me Mutou Yuugi. I know very well that nothing
is better than Good or worse than Evil. They are the very forces that
exist as the extreme poles of the universe."

"You're right." Yuugi whispered. "Nothing. That's what I
choose." And the boy suddenly drew from his free hand a Duel
Monsters card, analyzing its picture for a split second. Any card would
have done, as long as he could escape. However, when it came to
Magic, the Puzzle gave no "second chances", and immediately flared to
life, calling upon the exact card needed.

Yuugi stared wide-eyed at the drawn card in his hand, a
sudden revolutionary idea playing in his mind. Confirming this change
of tactics, the small boy awakened the sleeping card.
"I call upon the Soul Exchange card to switch the places of Good and
Evil within the boxes!" Yuugi heard himself cry out, small voice
projecting loudly and clearly.

The Spell was immediately activated by the Magic, expanding
and shifting into action. Said card now seized the two boxes, switching
the placement of the entities within their empty golden shells.

"You see." In his mind, Yuugi could hear his Yami talking, as
if his Yami was saying everything and not him. "The boxes have not
changed. But the insides has been switched. So, does that mean that
Good is now Evil, or perhaps that there was no Good originally in the
box? You cannot tell by a single event – every moment draws on the
other. And although _nothing_ is greater than Good or worse than Evil,
there is something that chains the two together." Yuugi took in a few
more breaths, to steady his overflowing mind. An image of his golden-
haired angel flickered encouragingly in his memory. "And I choose
_nothing_ but Hope."

Suddenly, both entities in the boxes began to shriek fiercely,
flaring up suddenly with malevolent flames and torrential storms. The
billowing wind eventually faded, leaving only a single golden box in
the center. The lock clicked once, and out from the box stood a boy,
tanned face toughening his demeanor, though his dark eyes shone
softly.

The maiden behind the single casket smiled as she nodded in
recognition at the light-haired boy. "Hello, Malik."

Malik, if that was indeed his name, bowed just slightly. "It's
nice to see you, Isis."

Yuugi couldn't help but notice that this boy's voice sounded
oddly like a combination of the two voices of Good and Evil within the
caskets.

Both the maiden deemed "Isis" and the strange boy "Malik"
turned to stare with identical pairs of eyes at Yuugi.

"Well," Isis began. "What do you think?"

Malik grinned, the smile rather leering than pleasant. "We'll
figure out in the long run."

"Wait!" Yuugi interrupted, completely baffled. "What do you
mean? What is going on here?"

"That is for you to figure out." Isis replied. She then turned to
Malik, beckoning him. "Come brother, our task here is over."

Malik quickly leapt out of the golden casket, the object
flickering out of existence as he left its confinements. Though Isis had
left, the pale-haired boy paused, gaze creeping towards Yuugi for the
last time. "I'm sorry for all that has happened, Yuugi. I would accuse
someone else, though you would find no one to blame but me." He
managed a weak genuine smile, long alabaster canines glistening
against dark-red lips.

And before Yuugi could even begin to question, he too
disappeared. ~

********************************************

When Yuugi woke up, he was surrounded again by a stifling
darkness. Half-wondering if he was still dreaming, the boy twisted
vainly to view his surroundings. Quietly, he cupped his hands together,
generating a small sphere of light between his palms. The dark room
immediately lit up in a dim glow, revealing only the bed Yuugi was
currently sleeping on as well as a mirror on one side of the room and a
drawer on the other. The wall adjacent to the door held a large window
reflecting the luminescence of the white moon.

"Was it just a dream?" Yuugi's free hand immediately shot
towards his chest, locating the Puzzle still hanging around his neck.
However, it was cold, a dull emptiness residing in the once vibrant
Millennium Piece due to its absence of an occupant.

The small boy's heart fell, and he curled his knees to his chest,
rocking himself back and forth while tears dribbled down his cheeks.
With no one to comfort him, the boy drifted off into an agitated sleep,
although gratefully dreamless.

And all around him lay three other items, each one
surrounding the boy and glowing with its own protective light. A Ring,
a Tauk, and a Scale. Each one golden and resonating with the same
ancient Magic. The Puzzle in the center grew brighter.

*******************************************

When Yami-Yuugi peered into the small bedroom, he saw the
sleeping form of his Aibou, curled into the soft bed-sheets. The Yami
sighed in relief as he crept towards Yuugi and caressed the boy's soft
cheek with one hand. It was wet and slightly damp.

Yami-Yuugi continued to stare at Yuugi before abandoning
his post and turning to face the moonlit window. Crimson eyes gazed
fondly at the brilliant stars littering the dark sky outside; a vain hand
brushed the side of the glass to reach beyond the cold unyielding
surface.

The Yami bowed his head, letting each ghostly tear slide
shamefully down his own face. He hastily banished the tears and eased
beside his Aibou to lie down on one side of the soft bed. A finger
fondly played with a golden strand of the sleeping Light's hair before
quickly averting positions and grasping the smooth metal of the Puzzle
instead. In a twist of reality, Yami-Yuugi retreated back to his
confinements within the Puzzle.

********************************************

The hazy morning was not met by the conventional tippet of
sound but rather a shattering alarm tearing ruthlessly through the fabric
of silence. A siren wailed at maximum volume, startling several of the
building's occupants from their peaceful dreams.

Yuugi unconsciously thrashed as his sensitive ears met the
piercing sound, banging his head against the side of the bed.
Immediately awake, the small boy clenched his throbbing forehead
only to realize too late that he was midway from falling onto the floor.
He managed a squeak before his rear end and back collided several feet
downward against the hard surface.

Of course, Yami-Yuugi had been wide-awake since the
beginning of the ruckus, though he too was puzzled by the commotion.
The Yami immediately shimmered into a ghostly projection beside his
Aibou; about to comment on the noise when he noticed that his Light
did not seem to be in a very talkative mood this morning. Curious, the
Darkness prodded his Yuugi, wondering why the small boy lay face-up
curled into a fetal ball while rubbing his backside.
"What are you doing, Yuugi?" Yami-Yuugi regarded his
Aibou sideways, as to catch his other's attention. "And what is that
awful sound?"

Upon hearing that his Yami was within breathing distance,
Yuugi cracked open a furrowed eye, face still wrinkled in pain. He
gasped, trying to flip himself right side up and spare some dignity.
"Bed. Fell of. By alarm" The smaller boy finally managed to wheeze
out.

Yami-Yuugi responded with a confused expression. Three-
thousand years ago, sirens like these were used by task workers to
represent an emergency. Obviously, times had changed by then. "So,
you fell out of the bed and alerted the alarm?"

Frustrated, Yuugi snapped his head to glare at his Yami only
to recoil as a wave of nausea and pain ricocheted within his skull. The
small boy winced, burrowing his head under his hands. "It hurts."

Dark crimson eyes analyzed the small boy, and finally came to
the conclusion that this was no joke. Concerned, Yami-Yuugi knelt
down by his Aibou, prying the small boy's hands away from his head
and staring directly at the teary violet eyes. "Yuugi. I want to you tell
me where it hurts."

Yuugi winced again, though this time recoiling to avert his
gaze from the crimson eyes – eyes the colour of his most recent
nightmare. A nightmare replacing the dreaming mind with dark reality.
Whimpering, Yuugi weakly diverted his gaze.

Yami-Yuugi's eyes flashed in anger as he noticed for the first
time the small discoloured bruise against his Aibou's skin, the blemish
swelling from the jaw-line to a good portion of the cheekbone. The
Yami placed a firm hand on Yuugi, drawing the small boy closer and
giving him a stern glare. "Tell me what happened."

"N-nothing." Yuugi replied honestly. "I just had a bad
nightmare."

The Yami's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Nightmares do
_not_ leave marks behind."

Yuugi sighed. Maybe he should have never complained – it
was causing too much trouble. And half of it, he couldn't even begin to
understand. "I guess I fell off my bed and hurt myself a moment ago,"
he shrugged, trying to look indifferent though every actions sent jolts of
pain through his nerves.

"Nice try." Yami-Yuugi folded his arms against his chest.
"You fell on your _back_, and I have yet to see how a back injury can
bruise your head." Upon seeing the smaller boy painfully bite his lip in
resentment, the Yami immediately cursed himself for his blunt
approach. "Look Yuugi, I'm sorry for biting at you. I know you're hurt
and I want to know _why_. Who's hurting you?"

"I don't know!" Yuugi cried out. "I honestly don't know! I
was just some… some…"

"Some?" Yami-Yuugi prodded. The Yami waited for his
Aibou to form an answer when a sparkle of flashing metal roused his
sight. He strode towards the blanketed bed, and threw away the covers
to reveal not one but three golden relics. The Yami's eyes widened, and
he took a step back to steady himself. "Yuugi," Yami-Yuugi's voice
came in a tone filled with fear and awe, "Where did you get these
items?"

"I tried telling you!" The smaller boy finally vented his
frustration. "All I remember is _dreaming_ of these items. In fact, I
don't even remember clearly what happened in the dream, except that
there were two people, brother and sister."

"Dreams of reality?" Yami-Yuugi closed his eyes, a tingle of
familiarity rushing through the once-Pharoah's ancient memories as he
touched the golden items, each one resonating slightly as they
recognized his presence. "Let me guess their names. The one with the
Tauk is Isis, and the one with the Rod was Malik."

Yuugi nodded, deciding to leave the last part of his dream out.
He was afraid of what he had seen, and even more scared of what might
happen. Worst of all, there was Anzu.

"They are all Millennium Items, just like the Puzzle." Yami-
Yuugi explained, unaware of his Aibou's tension. "There was an
ancient legend which spoke of these items for 'whoever shall get all 7
items shall possess power unimaginable'. Of course, this has never
happened, as each Millennium Item wielder has always veered away
from the other. Well, save the Ring." Here, Yami-Yuugi gave a faint
grimace. He sighed, rubbing his temples, though he was no more
than an apparition at the moment. "There is something we are missing,
linked with the Items, Magic, and of course the Game."

Yuugi did not reply but curled his knees against his chest,
tucking his chin in to diminish his already small frame. "I don't
understand why I have to be involved in this. I'm just a nothing!"

"Never say that." Yami-Yuugi slid behind his other, hands
softly clasping the smaller boy's shoulders. "Without the Light there is
no Darkness. And without your strength, I would have never appeared."

"And none of this would have happened!" Yuugi shot back
angrily, hiccuping slightly though he continued to sob silently. "You
just don't want to say that it's all _my_ fault!"

"Why?" Yami-Yuugi questioned. "Why would it be your
fault?"

"Because of me, they're all dead. Ryou, and now Anzu.
Everyone's going to die." Despite Yami-Yuugi's attempt, the smaller
boy was only walling deeper into self-pity.

Yami-Yuugi raised a silent eyebrow in confusion. He had yet
to figure out how this friend of Yuugi's had died. The Yami clenched his fist
into a tight ball, hand shaking angrily. Someone had purposely set his
Aibou up, knowing that sooner or later Yuugi would break and fall like
shattered glass. The Yami's accusing finger immediately pointed
towards the Authority. And the Authority was doing a clever job,
covering his Aibou's accidents through "dreams", or what his Aibou
has originally claimed to be nightmares. Clever, since the Yami would
have never suspected the powerful innocence held within dreams. Until
now.

"Yuugi?" The Yami smiled encouragingly at his other, though
his stomach felt poisoned with lead weights. "The dreams are not real.
They were never real."

Startled, Yuugi looked towards his other. "B-but… if they
were not real, where did these items come from?" Here, the small boy
gestured towards the Millennium Items resting on the bed.

"The Millennium items do not distinguish between
imagination and reality. They used your friend Anzu as a test to prove
your worth."

"A test?" Yuugi's tone rose on the last word. "Anzu was a
test? My _best friend_ was an inconvenience?"

"Everyone is." Yami-Yuugi replied. "We are all just a
stepping stone to the next point, and must fulfill our purposes." The
Yami paused, deciding to change his approach. "Do you know where
we are, Yuugi?"

The small boy shook his head, though he automatically
cringed at the strain from his protesting muscles and aches. His head
continued to spin, and spots were splattering his once-perfect vision.

"This place is called "Club 0013". They are the challengers to
the Authority. In actuality, they have no chance, but they still try. They
try because they remember people like Anzu and Ryou, who have
fallen under the hands of the Authority." Yami-Yuugi laid one
comforting hand on his Aibou's head, calling upon a Healing Spell to
soothe the small boy's pain and help him relax. "Just because they are
dead, does not mean they are gone. They have simply moved on to a
happier life. Do not be selfish and mourn them for they are happy and
have learned. If it weren't for you, Yuugi, they would have never
understood love, or kindness, or sincerity at their dying point."

Yuugi could not help but feel his muscles grow numb and
relax, the pain gratefully diminishing until everything took a drowsy
air. The small boy instinctively cuddled close to his Yami, the
confidence and power within his other's chest reassuring him.
"Mmm… thank you, Yami." He whispered; mind relaxing until it was
completely sedated. Before he drifted off to complete sleep, the small
boy gave a wavering smile. "Although I can't understand everything
you say, I trust you, so I think that's all that matters."

Yami-Yuugi could only hold his other within his arms.
The Yami gazed fondly at the small boy, settling him gently onto
the bed. The other Millennium Items had been carefully stowed into his
Soul Room for further examination. While the Yami paced around his
Aibou's bed in deep thought, only one true question crossed his mind.
Did he really deserve all that trust? It was not a question – the Yami
knew he didn't. Yet, how could he refuse another who relied so heavily
on him?

Yami-Yuugi sighed, again leaning his head against the cool glass. It
was the late morning outside, the strange siren within the compounds
having died several seconds before Yuugi had drifted off to sleep. The
Yami knew he would have to tell the truth to the small boy one day. He
also knew that procrastination made things worse. The Darkness
angrily pounded a fist against the glass. A smooth hand glided of the
unyielding surface, the sun reflecting the beauty of the images outside the
barrier. And Yami-Yuugi watched the children play outside on the
grassy fields, watching them until he broke into silent laughter. A silent
grimace.

*****************************************
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seto Kaiba says:

Kaiba: Shut up. I don't need to say any morals. I'm a billionaire and I
don't need to get paid for this, so I should be exempt from your inferior
author add-ins.

Zoo: You're acting painfully stereotypical, you know?

Kaiba: *Starts crying* I'm sorry! I try really hard, but they keep on
saying I'm too nice for the character I was supposed to portray! Now
everybody hates me! *sniffles and clings on to Zoo*
What do you think I should do? *bats eyelashes cutely*

Zoo: o.O;;; GYAAAA!!!!!!! *runs out of room screaming at top of her
lungs.*

Kaiba: Heheheh.. works every time ^^V. How else did you think I got
to be the CEO?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~
******************************************

End notes:

*sighs* You know you're weird when your friends ask about you and
your conversations with your "imaginary selves" and with "locker
number 135" on your birthday cards.

Eevee muse: Is that why you're still having trouble deciding between
world destruction and domination?

Zoo: Nah. *flips a coin*

Eevee muse: *sighs and rubs temples* I am a bonsai tree… I am a
bonsai tree…

Zoo: Uhm.. what happens when the coin lands on the side? *thinks for
a moment* Ooh! Excellent! I shall destroy the world and then rule it!

Eevee muse: -_+;

Thought of the day: Am I real or is reality a part of my imagination?

Next time:
- Can Kaiba actually work with the Game King?
- Magic, Millennium Items, and Cards - Oh My! (sorry, couldn't
resist)