Tulip-Jin: People read my fic, people read my fic, YAHOOOOOOO!

Yami Tulip-Jin: About dang time, too. But when did the last chapter get posted?

Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwwwr raaaawr, rawr rawr rawr rawr... (I don't know either, isn't that strange...)

Yami TJ: (eyes Chibi Red Eyes suspiciously)

Chibi Red Eyes: (whistles innocently)

TJ: (cheering and jumping around) I AM SO GREAT! I AM SO GREAT! I AM SO GREAT!

Yami TJ and Chibi Red Eyes: (sigh)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. But this piece of cheese is all mine. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY CHEESE!


The game was a strategy game, black and white wooden pieces over a black and white colored board. I'd seen someone playing it before.

"Now, this is a little different then most games you've played before. If you refuse to play, or if you lose, your soul will be sucked into the Shadow Realm for all eternity."

That took me by surprise. "I don't even get a choice?"

"How would we have any fun if you decided to back down? If, by some freakish twist, I lose instead, the same fate awaits me. That's why they call this a Shadow Game, you know. But frankly, I doubt you'll defeat me in your very first Shadow Game."

I decided then I didn't like Takai, but I had no choice. I agreed and he went first.

He was really good, always planning all his moves well in advance. It took every strategy I knew just to keep from losing right away. He just attacked harder every time I evaded. I was going to be beaten, and worse - I knew nothing I did to protect myself would work.

"Well, this is a disappointment. I thought whoever managed to put together the Millennium Puzzle would have been more fun then this," Takai complained.

"The Millennium Puzzle?" I'd never even heard of it before.

"You put together a magical puzzle that hasn't been solved since it was created - and you don't even know what it is?" He seemed insulted.

"It's only one of the most powerful magical objects tied to the Shadow Realm in existence! Out of all the seven Millennium Items, it's the most powerful. I know mages that would sell their teeth just to get a day with their powers! Or should I say I knew them? They all lost to me, almost as pitifully as you are. And with this victory, I'll get the Millennium Puzzle as my prize!"

I noticed then that the Puzzle was hanging around my neck on a rope. It was heavy, making me wonder why I hadn't noticed it sooner. But Takai's words made me angry - I had worked my fingers to the bone putting it together, and I didn't even get a day with it before I was going to lose it forever? That wasn't fair, and neither was tricking me into a game like this.

I glared at the pieces before me. There had to be some way of winning. The object of the game was to attack and destroy a certain piece.

That piece, in this case, was marked with the symbol for 'Soul' - and I realized it must mean our own personal soul, given the result of losing.

Most of the other pieces had symbols for 'Legs', 'Arms', 'Hands', 'Feet', and the rest marked 'Energy'.

If this was a game of life and death, I suddenly realized, then the 'Legs', 'Arms', 'Hands' and 'Feet' could very well mean the real things. A lot of my 'Energy' pieces had been destroyed, and I was getting strangely tired.

'Every time I lose an Energy, I really do lose some energy! I wonder what would happen if lost a Hand or Arm,' I thought to myself.

Takai wasn't nearly a formidable a presence as he was when we met, and that made sense since I had managed to take out some of his Energy pieces as well.

'Well, I won't get anywhere by defending,' I decided, 'So that means I'd better attack instead!'

I was at a disadvantage by this point, but Takai still seemed smug. In fact, he'd made a mistake. A careless error, one I might not have noticed in my defending before.

"Well? Are you going to forfeit after all, Lord Yamakali?" He sneered.

"No - in fact, I'm going to defeat you Takai," I said.

"Oh, you are, are you? May I ask how you expect to do so?" He seemed very amused at my determination.

I smirked. "Well, first I thought I might start by doing this!"

He became astonished as I neatly destroyed four of his Energy pieces. Losing all of them so rapidly made him lose composure for a moment as his energy levels dropped. Then he gave me a grim smile.

"Very good," he panted, "Seems you've figured something out. Now, let me show you the finer points of this game of mine!"

He moved a piece, and I moved a piece, and for the first few minutes that was all we did. Then he managed to pull off a fairly complicated move that destroyed two of my four Arm pieces at once.

The result? My left arm felt like someone had stuck it with a thousand burning needles, only gradually going numb. I felt a little queasy when I finally looked at it. It was faded into almost nothing, just a blur where it was supposed to be! I couldn't even feel it with the numbness.

My left hand was hanging limply, and I couldn't even twitch a finger on it. Takai laughed.

"You see? You see? That's what happens in a Shadow Game!"