Yugi dragged his feet across the deck.  He had never felt so down.  Joey had jumped into the water to get Yugi's Exodia, but had only grabbed two.  It wasn't Exodia, though, that Yugi feared for; it was Joey.  Joey had been there for him his whole life, and he had almost drowned that day.  He didn't want any more killing than there had already been...

            "Pussycat."

            "Am not!"

            "Are too!"

            Without realizing where he was going, Yugi walked straight into Shadow Hirakon, who had obviously gotten on the boat to go to Duelist Kingdom instead of blowing it up this time around.

            "Sorry," Yugi muttered without looking up.

            "Hun?"  Shadow wasn't even paying attention.  (Typical of her, no?)

            "Hey!  Who's this?"  A boy standing next to her looked at Yugi.

            "Oh, him?"  Shadow looked down lazily at the small duelist.  "Zach, this is Yugi.  Yugi, this is Zack."

            "Sup."

            "Hi," Yugi answered back softly.

            "Hey, Yugi—you look like you just got second place in a game tournament.  What's wrong?"  Shadow gazed at him curiously.

            "Well...nothing important..."

            "Go on," they both said.

            "Jinx, double Jinx," Shadow said.  Zach cursed.

            Yugi told them the whole story about Weevil asking if he could see Exodia, about the cards being thrown into the water, and about Joey's slim escape from a watery grave when he tried to fish them out.

            "Weevil?!  He did not!" Zach exclaimed angrily at how someone could do that to anybody.

            "I'm gonna go beat him up!" Shadow said.

            "No, no, no.  I'M gonna go beat him up," Zach corrected.

            "I am!"

            "I am!"

            "I am!"

            "Actually, I'd prefer if you would just leave him alone..."

            "WHAT?!"  Shadow and Zach both stared at Yugi.

            Yugi looked away in embarrassment.  "Well...that is...Joey almost got himself really hurt today...and...I don't want that happening to anyone else..."

            Shadow and Zach stared at him for a minute longer.  Finally, Shadow said, "I get it.  You're just one of those hippy people who are all obsessed with peaceful solutions and stuff."

            "Well, not hippy, but yes, I am a bit obsessed with peace, I'll admit.  Turn the other cheek, right?"

            Shadow thought about it.  "Why would that do any good?"

            "Yeah, really, man," Zach said.

            "Exactly," Yugi said.

            Zach raised an eyebrow.  "I dunno what you're talking about.  You're confusing me."

            Yugi sighed.  "It will be the least thing they'll ever expect.   So, they'll get confused and actually start thinking about being nice."

            "I still don't get it, but okay.  Whatever."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, let's just skip the whole Weevil duel and move on.

            Yugi, Tèa, Tristan, and Joey were walking down a path in the wooded areas of Duelist Kingdom.  Joey was bragging about something...none of them knew what it was because they weren't listening to a word of it.  Yugi was looking through is dueling deck, making a new strategy in his head, while Tèa was watching him and Tristan was skimming his outdoor survival book.  Everything had been pretty boring since Weevil and Yugi had dueled.  No one else had shown up and asked.

            "Man, I'm bored outta my skull!" Joey complained.  "When are we gonna find some serious duelists, anyway?"

            "We'll just have to look around and see who we find," Yugi said.  "After all, there's got to be someone nearby looking for a challen—WOAH!"  Yugi's foot caught on something and he was hoisted into the air upside-down.

            Joey leapt back.  "Yikes!  Yug!  What the heck did ya do?!"

            "I DON'T KNOW!  JUST GET ME DOWN!!!" Yugi squealed frantically.

            In a few minutes, they had Yugi down with his feet firmly on the ground, but as they continued on, Tèa hit a trip wire and was caught in a net, Joey fell down into a pit, and Tristan got his foot caught in a mousetrap.

            "This stuff is no accident!" Joey stated clearly.  "Someone must have set all these traps to keep us out!  Or...maybe they knew we would know that they would mean to keep us out, so they set the traps so we would keep going and see what was going on...but what if they knew that we knew that they knew..."

            "Joey, here's a plan.  Why don't we just keep going and find out why they're setting these traps?"

            "Hun!  Good idea!  Why didn't I think of that?"

            "Because, Joey.  Face it.  You don't come up with good ideas."  Tristan walked on.

            Joey ran after him.  "What is that supposed to mean?!"

            After traveling for a few more minutes, Yugi stepped on some bamboo that he felt was a little too unstable to be on top of solid ground.  He walked across the patch.  "That's funny," he said.  "I felt sure that was another trap."

            Tèa and Joey walked onto it.  Joey agreed, "Yeah...it doesn't feel like there's anything underneath, does there?"

            Tristan rolled his eyes.  "C'mon, guys."  He walked out on it.  "Let's just keep GOOOOIIINNNGGG...!!!"

            They fell.  They fell deep into darkness.  Down...down...

            WHAM!

            "Owwwwwwwww..."  Yugi sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.  "Not...pleasant...where are we?"

            There were tall plateaus all over, extending from a sea of blue fluorescent liquid—whatever it was—that they were all standing on.  Shaky, wooden rope bridges connected each plateau and on a select few of the bridges' posts were black birds.

            "I dunno," replied Joey.  "What's with the crows?"

            "Something weird's going on here..."  Yugi got up and looked at one of the birds.  "Are you sure these are crows, Joey?"

            "No we are not!  That was very rude!"

            Yugi cried out in fear and leapt back.  Had a bird just said something to him, or was it just his imagination?  Maybe he had gotten hit on the head too hard after the fall.

            But, it wasn't so.  The others had heard it, too, and were just as scared.  The sleek, black-feathered bird turned its nose up at them.  "Calling us crows!" it squawked crossly.  "Honestly!"

            Tristan worked up his courage and asked, "Wh-what are you, then?"

            "I," the bird said proudly, "am a glorious raven of the Elvin Northlands.  I have come here from a distant land to reside here in this lovely underground garden of magnificence—"

            "This," Joey said disbelievingly, looking around the dark, gloomy cave, "is a garden?"

            "NEVER INTERRUPT A HIGH RAVEN OF THE ELVIN NORTHLANDS, FOOLISH IDIOT!"  The Raven cursed him.  Joey cowered under the deafening voice.  The raven calmed down, cleared its throat, and stated, "I am Hayabusa, working under the watchful eye of the mistress.  I have been called upon to act by her will."

            "Who is 'the mistress,' anyway?" Tèa asked.

            "The mistress is she."

            "Who?"

            "She."

            "Does she have a name?"

            "We mustn't call her by name.  She said not to."

            Tèa frowned.  "Are you her slave or something?"

            "I AM NO ONE'S SLAVE!  I AM A HIGH RAVEN OF THE ELVIN—"

            "We've heard!" they all snapped.

            "Well, where do we find 'the mistress?" Yugi asked.

            "You may find her if you follow us."  The raven pointed with its wing across the bridge that it was perched on, and on the adjoining plateau, another bird stretched its wing.

            "Oh, I get it!" Joey said suddenly.

            "You do? It's a miracle!" Tristan exclaimed sarcastically.

            "All we have to do," Joey explained, "Is follow the ravens!  Whichever bridge has a raven perched on it is the one we should take!"

            "You must be honored to have such an intelligent companion!" the raven said.  The others exchanged glances.  It obviously didn't know Joey very well.

            So, they trekked cautiously from bridge to bridge, plateau to plateau, shaking on the old bridges, but not running into any more traps.  Eventually, the faint cerulean glow of the sea of liquid down beneath them grew brighter, so they could see more clearly, but the color of everything was extremely distorted.

            Yugi journeyed dangerously far from the group.  "Yugi!  Don't go so far ahead!" Tèa said, but Yugi didn't seem to be listening.  "YUGI!"  He stopped.  Tèa shouted to him, "Yugi!  Wait up!"  The rest of the group caught up with him and looked up at what he was staring at.  "...Oh my..."

            It was a giant dueling field.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was creepy.  One side of the dueling field was a white, almost blinding pool of illumination.  On the other side, it was so dark that you almost couldn't see the podium.  The dark, churning pool on that side was black and mysterious.

            "I don't like this, Yug.  Let's go back..."  Joey turned to leave and stopped suddenly.  Everyone looked around in shock.  The bridges, along with all the plateaus, had suddenly disappeared while they had turned away.

            "This is creeping me out!" Tristan exclaimed nervously.

            Yugi stopped looking at the mysterious disappearance and looked back to the dueling field.

            Tèa looked worried.  "How are we ever going to get out of here?"

            Yugi couldn't believe it.  It was too easy.

            Joey answered, "I dunno, but I hope we can soon!"

            "Simple," Yugi stated.  "We have to duel our way out."

            The holographic projectors on the dueling field lit up.  From somewhere up above, something shot down, landing smoothly on the light podium.  Yugi could see his opponent clearly now.  Her scarlet pigtails showed off by hanging rebelliously off her shoulders, instead of up in the air.  The look in her bright blue eyes, the same blue as the sea below, told Yugi she was ready to duel.  And he was right.

            "Smart boy, but I'm afraid it won't be so simple dueling me as you thought," she declared.  "I am Kaorie Kamo, called 'the mistress' to the ravens, and the number one duelist in London, not to mention second in America!"  (No, she isn't British.)  "BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS BEATEN BY THAT STUPID LITTLE EIGHT-YEAR OLD!!!  Sorry.  Well, I've built up my deck since I dueled HER, so that's not really important!  I see you've got three starchips.  Well...I've already got six!  Duel me, Yugi Motou!  If you don't, you might never see the light of day again!"

            "You—"

            "Yes, I know your name!  I know the name of every duelist here on the island!  But I didn't come here to introduce myself to everyone!  I came to duel!"

            Yugi grasped the string on the Millennium Puzzle and a split second later Yami stepped up and stated boldly, "Alright, I accept your challenge!"

            "Well then, Pharaoh.  Step up to the podium!"

            "Wait a minute...you..."

            "Yes, I know who you are, too, and I know all about the Millennium Items, owing to the fact that I have one myself."  Out from underneath her shirt she pulled a golden hourglass, and when she tilted it downward, Yami and Yugi could both see a Millennium Eye at the crown.  "This won't be an easy battle, Pharaoh!  This will be a Millennium Battle!" (For those of you who have the Yu-Gi-Oh! Soundtrack, don't even try playing the song "Millennium Battle" while you read this; it has no connection with it at all.)

            "Fine!  How many starchips?"

            "Well..."  Kaorie thought about it.  "Since I'd rather bet on more than starchips, I'll say this.  If you win, I'll give you all six of my starchips and my Millennium Item.  But if you loose..."  She smirked, her eyes looking darker and sharper.  "You give me your three and your Millennium Puzzle!  Deal?"

            Yugi thought hard about it.  He didn't really want to risk loosing the Millennium Puzzle, but, then again, six starchips would almost get him to Pegasus' Castle.  He'd be risking it all on this one duel, but what choice did he have?  After all, he didn't want to have to wait long in order to get to his grandpa.  This was probably the fastest way to him.  "I accept your challenge, Kaorie!" Yami declared.

            Yami ran to the podium and pulled out his dueling deck.  Kaorie's hair turned jet black and her eyes became red and even darker as she pulled out hers, also, which made Yugi wonder where he'd seen her before.  Finally, life points set to 2000 each, they both said, "Let's Duel!"  (Mwahaha, I love it when they do that!)

            "For my first card, I place Light Maiden on the field in defense mode," Kaorie said. (1100/1200)  "Don't ask," she snapped, ashamed of her worthless card.

            "Right," Yami said.  He played.  "Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in attack mode!  Destroy the Light Maiden!"

            Kaorie pouted as her monster was destroyed.  "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a lady?"

            "Everything I know, I learned from my father, and he always had bad manners," Yami replied.

            "Fine."  Kaorie drew.  A smirk spread across her face.  "Poohy for you!  You only had one good turn!"  She laid down a card, just as lousy as the last.  "Little Angel (900/1000) in attack mode!"  Yami was confused at first, but then Kaorie played a magic card.  "And," she said as she did, "the magic card, Aura of Blinding Light comes into play!"  Her sight of the field lit up with a brilliant light.  Yami squinted.  The light was so bright that he couldn't see Little Angel anymore.

            "I don't see the point of this magic card, but I'll go ahead and play."  Yami drew a card.  "I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!  Attack the Little Angel!"

            "Too bad.  You didn't see your mistake in time."

            "What?"

            Yami watched as his dragon flew into the endless white, until he couldn't stand to look anymore into the brilliant beams.  Eventually, his dragon flew out with no success, but had had its attack and defense (1400/1200) brought down by 400 points (1000/800).

            "You see," Kaorie explained, "the Aura of Blinding Light magic card not only conceals my monsters, but it also weakens any not-light monster's attack and defense by 400 points! (Celtic Guardian 1000/800)  So, that means that unless you have a light monster somewhere in your deck, which I highly doubt, you have no way to defeat me!"  She laughed loudly and with a hint of evilness.  Yami rolled his eyes, waiting for her to move.

            "Now!"  She drew her next card and smiled.  "I place this monster on the field in attack mode."

            'As long as she has that magic card in play, I can't attack, so I'll have to build up my defenses,' Yugi thought.

            "I play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode! (1300/2000, attack and defense reduces to 900/1600)"

            "Good move," Kaorie said.  "But not good enough!  I attack with my concealed monster!"  The Giant Soldier of Stone was demolished.  "Your move, Pharaoh."

            'I can't believe this!' Yugi thought.  'She summoned a powerful enough monster to defeat my Stone Soldier's defense.  Then again, it was weakened, but after Light Maiden and Little Angel, I didn't think she could summon a monster above 1600 attack.  I'd better be more careful.'

            He played card after card and Kaorie kept destroying his monsters.  He also saw her fuse her strong monster with another, and sacrifice Little Angel to make it stronger.  There was no way it could get any more powerful.

            Finally, he drew the card he needed.  "I play the Dark Magician (2500/2100, attack and defense reduces to 2100/1700) in attack mode on the field.  Dark Magician, attack!"

            "Hello, stupid!  Have you forgotten already?!"  Kaorie stuck up her nose.  "The Aura of Blinding Light prevents you from attacking my monsters!"

            "Who said I was attacking your monsters?"

            "Hun?!"

            "Since light and dark are exact opposites, they cancel each other out when they meet.  So, that means, when my Dark Magician uses its Black Magic Attack, your curtain of light concealing your monsters will be wiped away!"

            "No!"

            "Yes!  My monsters are no longer weakened, and yours are revealed!"

            Yugi's friends cheered from below as the White Sorceress (2640/2310) was unveiled.  "No fair!" Kaorie complained.  "No one's EVER figured that out!  NEVER!  Oh well.  Even if you can see my monster now, there's no way you can defeat it!  My monster was 2400/2100, but since half of this field is light, it gets a field power bonus!"

            "That's the same trick Weevil used, Kaorie.  But unfortunately, you made a big mistake."

            "What?!  What are you talking about?!"

            "This field is also half dark.  You know what that means."

            "What?!  No!  Oh, no!"

            "Yes!  The Dark Magician's attack is raised from 2500 to 2750!"

            "Yeah!  Go Yugi!  We knew you could do it!" Shouted Tèa from below.

            "Alright!  You've got her on the run now!" Joey chimed in.

            Kaorie looked angry for a moment, but then laughed softly.  "You may have won the battle, Pharaoh, but you haven't won the war.  Your turn is over, so you can't attack just yet, though I doubt you'll want to when I'm through.  I play Time Mistress (1900/2000) and use Polymerization to fuse it with the White Sorceress and create White Archon of Time! (2800/2400, 3080/2640 with field power bonus)"  Yami Cringed.  "But," continued Kaorie, "A polymerized monster can't attack on the turn it was formed, so it's your move."

            Yami looked though his hand.  'Well,' Yugi thought to himself, 'There's not much I can do.  I can't attack or defend, so I'll have to act fast with—'  "I place Magical Hats on the field and conceal not only my Dark Magician, but something else that you might not want to find."

            "Ha-ha!" Joey mocked.

            "Grrrrr!  Drat!  Now I can't find your Dark Magician.  Oh well.  I'll just hack away at those stupid hats until I find it.  But for right now..."  She smirked.  I play Mystical Hourglass and raise my White Archon of Time's attack power by 200 points! (3280/2640)  I'll attack the hat in the middle on the right!  Go, White Archon of Time!  Destroy it!"

            The duel monster attacked the hat...and...

            Yami laughed.  "Nothing!  You know what to do when you can see everything and have control, but can you find my Dark Magician without loosing your life points?  It's my turn now, so hope and pray!"  He drew a card.  "I play this card and conceal it inside the Magical Hats!"

            "Well, buttons and barn doors," Kaorie said to herself.  "Now what?  Well...I suppose I don't have anything else to do.  I play Hayabusa (1000/900) in attack mode.  Maybe next turn I can use it as a sacrifice.  By the way, Pharaoh, if you haven't noticed, you've got 780 life points left, and if my White Archon of Time catches your Dark Magician, you're finished!"

            "I am well aware of that, Kayo Kaorie."

            "Wh...what did you call me...?

            "Kayo Kaorie.  You're no more alive than I am.  You were the Time Master way back when in Ancient Egypt.  You're just the Millennium Hourglass, as I am just the Millennium Puzzle.  We are merely spirits.  You just pose as Kaorie to keep your identity hidden!"

            Kayo sighed.  "Yes, but if you haven't noticed, they're hearing all of this."  She pointed down to where Joey, Tristan, and Tèa were.

            "Hun?" Joey said.  "What are you two talking about?  All this stuff about Ancient Egypt...why can't you just focus on the duel?"

            "Well, luckily they don't understand any of it.  Still my move!  I attack the first hat to the left with White Archon of Time!"  She found nothing.  "Grrrrr!!!"

            "It looks like you get nothing, once again."  Yami looked at his hand and thought for a minute.  Then, he sighed.  "There's nothing else I can do, Kayo Kaorie.  I'll give you one last move.  If you pick the hat with the Dark Magician, you win.  But...if you pick the hat with my trap—you don't want to know."

            Kayo brushed off a drop of sweat rolling down her face.  This was it.  Now or never.  She took a deep breath and exclaimed, "As you wish, Pharaoh!  White Archon of Time!  Destroy the Dark Magician!  The hat to the far left!"

            The White Archon of Time sped forward for the kill.  It came closer and closer and closer still.  The whole gang crossed their fingers.  Yami and Yugi believed in the Heart of the Cards as much as they possibly could, and—

            Kaorie wailed, "NO!"

            Yami opened his eyes.  "Just as I thought!  You've activated my trap, the Spell-Binding Circle!  All that time you spent building up your monster and now it's going to the graveyard!"

            Kayo watched helplessly as the Spell-Binding Circle paralyzed her White Archon of Time and reduced its attack by 700 points.  "No!" she cried.  "No!  This can't be happening!"

            "Yes!  And you know what happens next!"  Yami stepped back.  "Dark Magician, let's finish this duel!  Attack!"

            The Dark Magician held up a hand and dark magic swarmed around the field, killing both of her monsters.  They all watched her life points go from 1740 to zero.

            "YAY!" Joey, Tristan, and Tèa exclaimed.  "YOU DID IT!"

            "We knew you could do it, Yug!" Joey shouted excitedly.

            Yami smiled at the cheering, took his deck, and got down off the podium.  "I couldn't have done it if all of you weren't here to cheer me on," he replied.

            "Ah, that?  That was nothing," Joey said.  "Oh, by the way—I think SOMEONE owes you some starchips!"

            "Yes, they do," Yami agreed and they went to where Kaorie (now truly Kaorie, not Kayo) had stepped off the podium.  She hadn't moved.  "Kaorie, are you okay?" Yami asked.

            Kaorie sniffed, looking downward.  "Yes...I'm fine..."  Yami saw a sparkling white tear drop from her cheek.  "I...I guess I owe you something..."  She her only six starchips from her dueling glove and took off her Millennium Hourglass.  "Here," she said flatly and shoved them into his hands.  "Take them..."

            Yami didn't take them.  He noticed something else hanging around her neck.  "What's that?" he asked.

            "Nothing..."  She buttoned her jacket and tucked it down inside.  Yami grasped the string before it disappeared and pulled.  "Wh-what are you doing?!"  He opened it.

            It was a photo.

            "Hey!  L-let go!"  Kaorie struggled.  Yami held tight.  He reached into his pocket and, as Kaorie watched him curiously, he pulled out a picture of his own.

            "This is my grandpa," he explained.  "His soul was taken from him by Pegasus.  I'm determined to win against him and get him back."

            Kaorie hesitated.  "Uh...well...this is Allen.  He's always been there to protect me and now I want to protect him...but...I guess I've failed."  She started to walk away.  Yami caught up with her and gave her things back, enclosing her hand around them.  "Hun?"

            "Kaorie, you got yourself into trouble, but only because you put way too much on this duel by choice, and that's a mistake anyone could make.  And besides, we're both fighting for the same cause, and if one of us is kicked out of the tournament, who will be there to back the other up?"  Yami put his hand on her shoulder.  "If we're going to be in this, we're going to be in this together."

            She hesitated.  "But...you won..."

            "No," Yami replied.  "We both won.  And we will win against Pegasus."  With that, Kaorie smiled and went with Yami on his adventure through Duelist Kingdom.

"Uhh..." Joey looked around.  "That was sweet and all, but...umm...how are we gonna get out of this cave?"

            "Simple," Kaorie answered calmly.  She clapped her hands once.  A huge, black bird swooped down to meet them.

            It took one look at Joey and in a familiar voice said, "Oh, no...not you...you have no respect whatsoever for the High Ravens of the Elvin Northlands..."

            "Oh, NO!  It's Hayabusa again!"

            "Yes.  He can transform into a giant bird."

            Yugi laughed, but then realized something.  "Kaorie," he said, "Wasn't there a card that you played called 'Hayabusa'?"

            "Yes!  I thought the picture on the card looked so much like the real thing that I named him after it.  Come on, Hayabusa!  Let's go!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yugi could feel it.  Someone...or something...was watching him, while it thought he was sound asleep.  Maybe it was just his imagination.  Maybe it was just the hangover of a nightmare he didn't remember.  But, one thing was for sure—it felt real.

            He couldn't take it anymore.  Without warning, he sat bolt upright and looked around.  Joey, Tristan, and Tèa were sleeping.  Kaorie was staring at him.

            "Wh-wh-why are you looking at me like that?" Yugi asked nervously.

            "I'm not," she denied.  "I'm looking at the person looking at you.  If I look away, he might do something uncalled for."

            "Who?  What?"  She pointed toward a space behind him.  Her outstretched finger looked creepy in the pale moonlight and starless illumination of the sky.

            'Geez, all we need is a fog machine,' Yugi thought, and turned toward where she was pointing.  Sure enough, there were two yellow, hawk like eyes staring at him from the darkness of the trees.  "Okay...I...I'm scared now...y-you can come out..."

            Silently, he came out from the trees.  His long, sweeping cloak flared out on the ground and his black hood draped over his face, adding to the terror that the scythe in his hands brought.  His thin, white lips frowned.  It was just the fact that he was only a bit taller than Yugi that made him seem anything near comical.  "Are...are you the grim reaper...?" Yugi breathed.

            "I prefer to be called The Lord of Silence, but yes, I am," he replied.  He came closer.  "So.  You are the grandson of Solomon Motou..."

            "Y-yeah...that's me..."

            "I've heard much about you, Yugi Motou.  All from your grandfather."

            "My...my grandpa?" Yugi stammered.  "You know him?"

            "We've become friends over the years...made a few deals...you know..."  He paused.  "He's not afraid to deal with death, Yugi Motou."

            "Are you going to take him?" Kaorie asked.

            "Which one?"

            "Yugi."

            "Hmm..."  He thought about it.  "Yes.  I will take all at some point.  But there's no need to rush.  Yugi is perfectly healthy besides the fact that if I took him, he would be dead, so why arouse suspicion among the Common People?"  He looked back to Yugi.  "But I do need to perform a certain test on you.  Do you mind if I kept Pharaoh from interfering mentally?"

            Yugi glanced at Kaorie, who urged him to agree.  Reluctantly, Yugi replied, "No, I don't mind..."

            "Alright, then..."  He put two fingers on the Millennium Puzzle and a moment later, Yami was sitting right beside him.

            "What the—"

            "Do not worry, Yugi Motou.  He is sitting beside you only because he has been separated from you.  It is difficult to explain...but suffice it to say that for the time being, I have given him his own body."  The Lord of Silence looked down at Yami.  The Egytian and he stared at each other for some time, seeming to communicate without words.  Finally, Yami nodded, as if giving him permission to perform this "test."

            "Hold out your hand, Yugi Motou."  He did so.  Kaorie looked tense.  Yami looked worse.  The Lord of Silence seemed to have neither emotion, nor any expression at all.  Yugi was terrified, but he tried to keep his hand from shaking uncontrollably.  The cloaked figure positioned his left hand underneath the boy's and lifted it slightly.  He didn't blink.  Putting his right hand over Yugi's, he lowered his thumb and without touching his palm, wrapped the other four fingers around his small wrist and stopped.  "Relax, Lord Hikari Yugi.  I have done this before.  This is not your death day, that I am sure of."  The Lord of Silence lifted his thumb again, said something in a distant tongue, and touched Yugi's palm ever so slightly—

            "Ow!"  Yugi ripped his hand away.  "That hurt!  What were you doing?!"

            The Lord of Silence didn't answer.  He just stared at Yugi with...pity...in his eyes.  Yugi was very disturbed by his expression, so he looked at Yami and Kaorie, who weren't looking at him anymore.  Yami looked upset...almost angered...while Kaorie seemed to be trying very hard not to look sad.

            "What?" Yugi asked.  "What did I do?"

            The Lord of Silence hesitated.  "Nothing.  You are brave, truthful, and unselfish.  But all good things, if mortal, must come to an end."  He stood up, turned away, and began to leave but then stopped, and without looking back, said, "Call me Kolbon Katark."  He then continued on, and vanished in the breeze.

            There was a long, awkward silence.

            Finally, Kaorie asked Yami, "Do you intend to say anything to him?"

            He hesitated.  "...No.  Not now.  Perhaps when the day comes, but then..."  He shook his head.  "No.  Not at all, actually.  I'm not sure why this is happening, but if I say anything, it might make things worse."

            "Make what worse?"

            Yami stood up and literally jumped into a tree.  "Nothing, Abiou.  Go to sleep..."

            "But—"

            "It's nothing you should concern yourself with now.  You've got to save your grandpa, remember?  You need a good night's rest for tomorrow.  Go to sleep."

            Yugi hesitated and looked at Kaorie, who shrugged and wriggled down into her sleeping bag.  Yugi followed suit, although he wasn't quite sure about this whole grim reaper thing.  What did this "Kolbon Katark" want and what had he just done?  Was he going to die?  Was someone else going to die?

            Yugi shuddered to think that another person would die.  He didn't really care about his own death.  When his time came, his time came.  But someone else?  Yugi had seen far too much death already and he didn't want to see any more.