Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters…

Delirium

Alone. He was alone.

He stood at the threshold of the palace, a cloth bundle containing all his worldly possessions. He tugged nervously at the hem of his simple linen tunic. There were stories told about this, dark rumors of 'Shadow' games the Pharaoh and his nobles liked to play. They said unnatural creatures prowled the corridors at night, and if you ever lost one of these games you could lose your mind, or your very soul. 

And here he was, in front of the very place that caused whispers of fear to circulate among the villagers.

He supposed, in a way, it was his fault he was here. He had been too brave and stood out among his peers in Egypt, catching the notice of the Pharaoh himself. It was not a good idea to attract notice.

Bandits had attacked his village one night. During the raid many of the villagers had fell, including his only family, his dear sister. The boy had slew as many that had been murdered but that had not been enough. Some of the village people had been taken to be sold as slaves in Nubia, and blinded by a demonic rage, he tracked them.

Alone.

 They had not gotten far before he found them. Moving swiftly and silently he dispatched half of them before they noticed their comrades dropping dead from a seemingly invisible assailant. An assailant that didn't remain invisible for long. What followed afterwards was too violent for words, but as he wiped his blade on the last of his fallen enemies, he snapped out of his bloodlust and saw the carnage he had left.

He screamed.

When he led the freed hostages back to their ruined village he was a hero…a defender of Egypt from the scourge of their enemies. Tales of his seemingly impossible acts traveled like wild fire across the nation. He should have felt proud. Instead he was sickened by grief for his slain family.

Then the order had come. He had been chosen for the Pharaoh's palace guard, where the elite soldiers protected his highness and his court from the dangers posed by the nation's enemies. To refuse would have meant death for him and the entire village.

The Pharaoh didn't really appreciate being told no.

What had he gotten himself into?

Jounouchi didn't appear at Domino High the next day, nor the day after that. Rumors were flying wild. Nobody knew anything, and the administration wasn't talking. All that was known for sure was that a phone call had been made to the school from the Katsuya residence. What was said remained a mystery.

Everything was a mystery.

And then the third day came…

There were monsters walking the hallways.

He shuddered in a corner of his tiny chamber, grateful to be finally relieved of his shift. All the rumors were true…The only small comfort was that he didn't have to play their supernatural games. It was punishable by death for a person of his status to be involved in them, except with explicit permission of the Pharaoh himself.

He gnawed at the dates and bread left for his dinner. Tonight he would be serving the High Priest and the Pharaoh himself at the royal banquet and it would not do for his stomach to rumble in hunger. It would seem odd for one of guards to be taking a position usually reserved for a slave or serving girl, but these were special circumstances. Ambassadors from Sumer would be attending this feast and assassination attempts during the visits of high ranking foreign dignitaries were common.

Anzu was beside herself with worry, "Three days. It's been THREE days! What could have happened?! Jounouchi doesn't get sick! Not like this…" She wrung her hands, "We saw the signs. Something was seriously wrong and we did nothing. NOTHING!" She hung her head, "We just stood by and watched."

"Anzu," Honda sighed, "We could have done nothing. Jounouchi wouldn't admit to being unwell, you know that. He can be so bullheaded sometimes…and secretive. What I suggest we do is pay him a visit and see how he's doing. Then we can wring his neck for scaring the crap out of us."

He paused and grew thoughtful.

"Ummm…Anzu?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where Jounouchi LIVES?"

Another feast, another assassination attempt. But this time the treachery ran deeper…some of the palace guard were in on the plot dignitaries from Sinai and Assyria had conceived. They and a band of mercenaries had stormed the great banquet hall and immediately attacked the guests.

He slew the traitors swiftly as he could, but the crush of fleeing nobles hampered his movements. A quick glance revealed the Pharaoh and the High Priest fighting as well but the attackers were well trained and the chance a fatal blow might slip under their guard increased with every second. The glint in the shards of ice that passed for the High Priest's eyes told that he knew it too.

The priest raised the staff that had served him as a dagger and a shrill keen rent the air. Out of the darkness, three sets of blue eyes appeared.

The fighting stopped; dead silence filled the hall. All had eyes only for the scaly white creatures that slithered into the light.

They were dragons.

They were exceptionally beautiful.

Not to mention extremely deadly, as their unfortunate enemies found out. Within minutes all that was left of the traitors were stains of blood on the floor. Though that was not the concern at the forefront of the boy's mind

The head of one of the dragons was inches from his face.

Blue eyes met red, and absently he noted the red blood still trickling down the side of its mouth, marring the perfection of glittering pearl scales. He didn't move to attack the creature; instead he forced himself to assume a more relaxed and submissive posture. What was the point of striking anyway, when the dragon could remove his head with one quick snap of its jaws?

The dragon decided to content itself with sniffing him instead and with a high pitched whine, moved back to its master. Said master rewarded it with a few words of praise and some pats of the head...

He gradually became aware that he was on the receiving line of an intense appraising stare from both the High Priest and the Pharaoh. They glanced at each other and a decision seemed to flicker between them.

"Kneel" said the Pharaoh.

He knelt.

"You have shown exceptional bravery and loyalty today in my service. Tell me, what is your name?"

He gave it.

My name is Jounouchi a voice seemed to scream and was silenced.  He didn't let a flicker of his internal unease appear on his face. Instead he kept his features composed in an expression of total respect and attentiveness as befitted a servant.

"What do you think of my dragons?" The High Priest had his attention focused squarely on him, his features fixed in a neutral look. Yet there was something flickering behind his gaze, what he could not tell. He just hoped that whatever the thought was, it did not involve harm to him or his village kin.

"They're beautiful my lord. I've never seen such creatures as lovely as these." Awe and reverence, against his will, crept into his voice.

"As a reward for your outstanding courage and loyalty to us, I award you the powers necessary to compete in the Shadow games. You are now permitted to participate. Give me your hand."

Numbly, he did so. He was terribly frightened. Indeed possessing the dark powers gave many advantages to the bearer that the ordinary man did not possess…but…but the price! If he played a game and lost

A burning sensation began to travel up his arm. The golden pyramid that hung around the Pharaoh's neck was glowing white, and he felt like his innards were being incinerated as the fiery energy infused itself into every fiber of his body. Yet he did not cry out. It would be taken as a sign of weakness. The energy concentrated itself on a focal point in the middle of his forehead and for a second a golden eye shone forth. The pain began to lessen and drained, he sagged to the floor.

The Pharaoh smiled warmly…a shocking sight for the servant boy. "You will be pleased to know that part of your new powers allows you to control and bind monsters to yourself." His shock grew worse, the pharaoh knew exactly how much he admired the High Priest's monsters…and even more incredible…he was being spoken to like… like an equal. "Lord Set will train you in your abilities while you are not attending to your new duties as Captain of the Guard." The Pharaoh smiled ruefully. "My old one is now in the belly of one of Lord Set's beasts."

A deep throaty rumble made them turn. Perched in the middle of the hall was another dragon with glossy black scales and crimson eyes and just as beautiful as his pale counterparts. The Pharaoh made a small noise of satisfaction and stated, "As I see you like dragons, this creature seemed like an appropriate first monster for you."

"Go ahead and claim him. He's yours."

Finding Jounouchi turned out to be a more difficult task than they thought. Turned out Katsuya was a common family name in Domino and at one glance at the length of the list of Katsuyas had them chucking the phone book away. No use finding him that way.

Trying to find out the information from the school secretary was equally useless. They got the usual run around about student information confidentiality and if they wanted to know where their friend lived they should ask him themselves. Tiny problem there. The reason they were asking in the first place was because they couldn't find Jounouchi, and hadn't been able to for three days. The secretary had simply shook her head and sighed about not making the policy but having to follow it anyway. Both left the school ready to explode in frustration and take out anyone who was foolish enough to be around them when it happened.

To hell with bureaucracy!

 

Next stop was the Turtle game shop. They were practically tackled by Yugi, demanding to know if they had found out ANYTHING. Yugi's own search for Jounouchi had been fruitless. Nobody had seen him. Then again, not many people could see his comings and goings. Jounouchi could slink through the shadows like a panther if he wanted. 

Yugi paused then. Jounouchi had once said he was so secretive about his movements and home because he was the enemy of many gangs in Domino. He had suggested that Yugi should also be careful; anyone who wanted to harm him might strike at Yugi first. He didn't like it, but Jounouchi did have a reputation. And with all the feathers he had ruffled over the years, there had to be someone gunning for him. If they had come across his friend in his weakened condition…

He shuddered. At least he had backup. If anyone even dared attack him, they'd promptly lose their minds, courtesy of one spirit of the puzzle. Jounouchi had no one….

Yugi gathered his resolve. There was one person left that had even a hope of finding him. And he suddenly didn't care what he had to do to make him do it too.

Life had certainly gotten more pleasurable after his promotion. A larger space to sleep in, more food to eat, a constant companion in the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Even if he couldn't see his friend as he lead the patrols through the palace, he knew he was there in the shadows, waiting…He no longer feared most of the monsters, finding them not to be the demons he thought they were, though some made him step warily. That could not be said of the Shadow games…he avoided them best he could. He could never forget the price that went along with his new powers…that if he wasn't careful; he could lose his very soul.

That, in his opinion was the worst fate that could ever befall a person.

He found those who had actually taken souls disgusting, inhuman. Unfit to exist.

Lord Set had helped him through the awkwardness of adjusting to his new abilities. He had been surprisingly gentle as he showed him what he could do, taught him how to properly duel. They had taken walks together in the Shadow Realm, Set patiently pointing out and explaining everything that he needed to know and he eagerly soaked the knowledge like a sponge. Lord Set was an enigma: yes, he could be cold, cunning, ruthless to a fault, damn he did have quite the temper, but there also a warmer side under all that ice.

And shocking himself, he found he actually cared about the taciturn priest. He found himself doing a lot of things that his mind deemed unwise these days.

He'd be damned to admit he actually loved the guy. How could he? One priest wasn't able to maneuver his way past the walls surrounding his heart and actually become…

Oh shit.

NOT good, not-as-in-get-painfully-executed-good. Servants do not fall in love their superiors, it just wasn't done.

He would never be able to say a word.

It only took five minutes for Seto Kaiba to hack his way into the school computer network and retrieve Jounouchi's address. Leaning back with a self-satisfied smirk, Seto stared at the little group littering his office.

"So," he drawled, "why hasn't the mutt told you where he lives? He's your friend, isn't he? It's funny, isn't it; I pegged him for the trusting, gullible type. Well looks like I was wrong about the trusting part at least."

Yugi snarled, "He trusts us! He cares for us; he's proven it many times! So what if he's secretive about where he lives; if I had gangsters after me all the time, I'd be real cautious too. And he is not as stupid as you think!" He finished in a huff.

"Gangsters, eh?" Seto said softly. " If he really is your friend, then why hasn't he called you, anyone of you. Just. Once."

"We d-don't know," Anzu stammered.

"Let's find out then." He punched his intercom, "Yukino, please have my driver pull out front and drive myself and three friends to the following address…" He then rattled out an address that obviously had to be Jounouchi's. With a click the intercom went dead. "Come on. The pup has some explaining to do."

Storm clouds were gathering over Egypt.

Abuse of the powers of Darkness by the nobles were reaching unprecedented levels and the powers themselves, according to Lord Set, were growing, intensifying in strength…and becoming chaotic in the process. It was driving the ones who had access to the powers insane.

The instability was becoming so bad, it threatened to rip Egypt apart.

He had felt the changes himself. For days he had been sick, unable to eat and barely able to sleep. He wondered, at times, how long he had before he succumbed to the madness.

The Pharaoh, it was reputed, was working on a way to seal off the powers so no one could use them again. All the High Priest said on the matter was that it would require a tremendous sacrifice, the greatest sacrifice a person could make.

The way he said it…it was like he was warning him, like he was going to be involved in the whole mess, like Set wanted him to prepare himself for the days ahead.

He trembled.

Knock, knock…

Nobody answered. Fortunately no one needed to, the door was unlocked and swung open, revealing to the small group the shabby glory that was the Katsuya apartment.

"Is anyone there?"

No answer.

They cautiously made their way through the living room. The place looked like it had been trashed. There were sake bottles everywhere.

"Oh my God! Jounouchi!"

Anzu had found Jounouchi's room and when the rest of the group rushed in they were treated to a horrific sight. Curled in a ball on his bed Jounouchi laid trembling. His face was grey, his breathing shallow, his clothes sweat soaked. Honda gently took his friend's wrist and gasped.

"Gods, Yugi, it's like he's on fire! And his pulse, it's very weak. He should be in a hospital!"

"I found him like that you know, lying in the bathroom," a voice replied out of the shadows. They turned and found a middle aged man surrounded by beer cans, and clutching another in his trembling fist. "Only he was screaming then. Said something about someone stalking him. Said it couldn't be real, that all of it had to be in his mind. That was four days ago. All he's done since is lie there and choke down water. And cry. He cried." He gulped the rest of his beer in one swig, then reached for another, letting the old can fall to the ground at his feet. "My poor boy…"

Seto whirled on him, "And you did nothing?! He needs a doctor! Look at him!" He pointed to the shuddering form on the bed. "What kind of father leaves his son like this?"

Rheumy eyes stared defiantly at him. "Can't afford no doctor. Do we look rich to you? This is the best I can do!"

"You FOOL! Japan has universal healthcare…it wouldn't cost you a penny to get him some help!" Yugi cried.

Anything that would have been said afterwards was cut off as Jounouchi let loose one single choking cry.

Seto whipped out his cellphone, "Operator? Yes this is an emergency. I need an ambulance at…"

He stood in front of the door, and mustering all of his courage, stepped inside…

Items of interest for my readers: Nubia, Sumer, Sinai, and Assyria were all actual countries that existed during the time of ancient Egypt, though when during that time, I haven't a clue. Interestingly enough, Japan's Weekly Jump is running what I believe to be the explanation into Yami's past and the creation of the millennial items right now in the manga, but since I don't read Japanese, I don't have a clue on what's going on.

From what I know, Japan's health care system is very like Canada's, with some of the same problems too. Also of note, much later on in the manga, Jounouchi is involved in and is playing Shadow games. As for Jou's 'illness', explanation comes next chapter…'kay? As for Ryou…expect him soon…