Alright, we're getting into the actual storyline here...yeah!!! The Spirit of the Ring's plan should become more apparent now, although it still might not be what you expect...or it might be. shrugs

Anywho, I hope no one's too dissapointed that I didn't get into the duel and go play by play. Frankly, the dueling is one of the most tedious part of the entire show when it comes to Yu-Gi-Oh in my honest opinion. It's everything that happens before, after, and between the dueling that interests me (or in really good episodes, it can be the words exchanged during a duel. Nothing worthwhile is really going to be said in a duel between Samson and Ki.) So if you were expecting some big thing with cards and LPs and whatnot...sorry.

Finally, the third thing, is that I think someone pointed out spelling mistakes. Firstly, if you see them, tell me which ones they are so I can fix them, because otherwise I probably won't find them myself (I do check my fictions, so if I didn't find them the first few times, I probably won't the next few). Oh, and if the mistakes are in a sentence Samson says or thinks, then that's intentional. Samson doesn't always speak correctly as you could imagine.

On with the fiction!

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"Too...fast..." Yugi could barely get the words out; he was concentrating too hard on breathing. Ki was slowing down as well; those annoyances that came with having an actual body of his own were catching up with him. The spirit suddenly yelped and grabbed his side, stopping and leaning against the tunnel wall. Yugi stopped as well, secretly glad for the break, and walked over to the suffering man.

"I'm not dying, am I?" Ki asked as the other boy came into his line of sight. Yugi would have laughed had he the breath to do so. Instead he just shook his head, much to his other's relief.

"You've never gotten a cramp before?" Yugi finally asked when he was able.

"I think so. It's just been so long since..." Ki trailed off, his eyes getting a little glazed over as he tried to remember. He then shook his head and smiled up at the boy. "But that's the past. I'm with you now."

Yugi's eyes widened just a little, but before more could be discussed, Samson trotted over to the two.

"Hurry up!" he whined. "You're not backing out on me now are you??"

"Sorry, I just seem to be a little out of shape," Ki said, standing back up. "Are you ready, Tim?"

Yugi nodded, and the trio headed further into the darkness.

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The Spirit of the Ring winced as the other man fell back with a cramp. He could sympathize with that. His host was not in the best of shape either. Just before they went out of sight, Samson turned back and made a victory sign. The white-haired one closed his eyes and sighed.

Fools. He hated working with them, but buffoons like Samson were needed in times like this to attain his goals. At least the idiot was smart enough to do as he had been told. The spirit looked down, following the markings in the dust under his feet so not to lose his prey.

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Yugi was running so fast that he almost smashed into Samson's back. He heard Ki screech to a stop a few seconds behind him. Or rather, he coughed as the dust flew up around him. Ki apologized, and then tried peering through the darkness to see why the troupe had stopped. He gasped, and Yugi looked up to see awe on his face.

"What is it?" he asked. Unfortunately for Yugi, the Puzzle only lit the immediate area around himself or Ki, and he couldn't see what was before him.

"Close your eyes!" Samson warned as he pressed a button in the wall. Light flooded the area. Both Ki and Yugi protested, and the bright lights dimmed considerably. When the two were able to pry their arms from their faces, Ki smiled at the view while Yugi held the same awe Ki had before.

Ok, yeah, Yugi had seen dueling platforms before, and the one in the middle of this cavern wasn't anything terribly new. But oh my, the cavern itself was a sight to behold. It was completely natural; the platform the only man-made object to mar nature's beauty. Stalagmites littered the area around them, forming almost an unbreakable picket fence of rock, while stalactites hung from the ceiling in all shapes and sizes forming a grotesque but inspiring chandelier. The walls themselves were made of all colors of minerals and dust that swirled and formed layers upon layers that told of times long ago. A trickle of water could be heard somewhere in the distance, adding an almost musical effect to the overall appearance. A hauntingly beautiful work of art, Yugi could see now why Samson loved the underground world.

Samson grinned, and Yugi noticed he now sported a pair of heavy-duty sunglasses to bear the light. The insane one jumped onto the rightmost platform and danced around on the sidebars as it carried him up. Ki sighed, and then walked calmly over to the other platform. Before he stepped on it, though, he heard Yugi calling out to him. He turned to see the younger boy rushing over, holding something out to him.

"Here," Yugi said, stopping in front of Ki. Ki looked down and saw the boy was holding a deck of Duel Monster's cards. Ki looked quizzically at Yugi. Yugi smiled at the puzzlement. "It's the other half of the deck."

Ki's eyes widened, and he pulled out his deck. Sure enough, there were only twenty cards. Sighing, then smiling, he turned to Yugi and took the remaining cards. Had he gone up there with only half his deck, he would have been disqualified automatically.

"I thought it felt a little light," he said before stepping back onto the platform. Yugi then walked to the side of the arena to watch the events as they would unfold.

"Samson," Ki began as he placed his deck down, "you will keep your end of the deal, right?"

"Deal?" Samson asked. Ki slammed his palm to his forehead.

"The one where you agree to lead us out of these caverns if I win," he reminded the insane one. Samson brightened up.

"And Yugi gets to be my pet if Samson wins!" he crowed. Both Yugi and Ki were very puzzled by why Samson had ever wanted this, but both had confidence in Ki's abilities to win.

The duel started off well enough. The field was, of course, a Wasteland, and Samson's Rock and Dinosaur type monsters started off with the advantage. But because caves were generally dark, and the lighting was dim to help Samson out even with his glasses, the field also had a bonus for Spellcaster's and Fiend's. Ki was patiently waiting for his Dark Magician to show up while Samson placed another monster facedown in defense. Despite his apparent insanity, Samson had credible dueling skills. Ki had expected this (why would Pegasus hire him otherwise) and was doing a fair job as always, in the lead by five hundred points.

Yugi smiled as he saw the familiar glint in Ki's eyes and felt a warm rush course through him. It was obvious the card he had drawn. This duel would be over soon enough.

Yugi didn't have much else to think about as a hand closed over his mouth and an arm wrapped around his waist. He was pulled against his captor and silently dragged off into the dark.

Ki was about to play his favorite card when he felt fear spike through him. It wasn't his own; he could sense that. Shaken out of the mental state his mind usually went to when dueling, Ki looked towards the area where Yugi had been standing just a moment before. He wasn't there. Ki began to panic.

"Yugi?!" he called out. Samson cocked his head, puzzled at the other man. "YUGI?!"

"Why are you calling to yourself?" Samson asked. Ki ignored him for the time being. Yugi wasn't there, and his presence was growing fainter; he could feel the fear dying down, but not because Yugi was becoming calmer. In fact, Yugi was even more scared than before; he was just moving quickly away from the spirit, causing his signal to grow weaker. Ki made to jump down when Samson cried out at him.

"If you leave the platform, I automatically win!" he said. Ki ignored him at first, then stopped halfway off. The spirit didn't care about losing not only their way out of the tunnels and apparently his freedom along with this duel. His dignity did not matter in comparison with Yugi's life.

But Ki had bet all five starchips on this duel. That meant if he left right now, he'd lose them. He and Yugi would be kicked off the island, and Yugi would never get his grandfather's soul back.

"Argh!!!" Ki yelled, hitting the board in front of him. Why was he being forced to make this choice? He could feel Yugi fading fast. The decision had to be quick. The boy's grandfather's soul and his trust...or the boy's life.

"I win!!!" Samson danced around as Ki grabbed his deck and jumped off the platform, taking off in the direction he had sensed Yugi's presence. It didn't matter if Grandfather's soul was restored if Yugi wasn't there to comfort the elderly man. It would be what the older Mutou would want. So Ki gritted his teeth and pushed on as fast as he could. He only hoped he could make it there in time.