Author's Note: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or ANY of its characters. I DO, however, own Sau-Sekhmet-Hekau (my account was named after her, not the other way around.), Tenu, Nicole, Andro, Laura and a few other things that haven't surfaced yet.

Mana-the-Authoress: No, there isn't another Millennium Item. If there were they wouldn't need the dolls (Oooh, spoiler!). I never really liked additions to the Millennium Items, so I came up with other interesting ways the crazed souls of the dead can be preserved… MWAHAHAHA-cough cough- er, actually, my idea centrals around the Egyptian traditions that stated that some things excluded you from even a PUNISHMENT after death and your soul would 'wander in the darkness for all eternity'.

Bold –card names.

Chapter 9- Sparing

"So these are Item cards, these are Magic, and this is a Tenu board?"

"Yep. And the Tenu Board's only boarders are the Projectors."

"And if I set up the Board's projectors at different distances from each other I can control the width of the Arena?"

"Yep."

And, depending on how far my opponent sets up their Projectors, we can control the length of the Arena?"

"Yep."

"And my playing ability depends on how fast I can use these cards so as to out-fight my opponent."

"Exactly."

"…wait, I don't see how-"

"Do you want us to show you how it works?"

"That would be nice…"

Andro leapt up from where he was sitting in a corner.

"YES! I HEREBY CHALLENGE NICOLE TO A FIGHT!"

"OKAY!"

Andro and Nicole both took their seats cross-legged on the ground, setting the pyramid-shaped projectors so that the Arena would be about 5 feet square. With a press of a button the soft, off-white carpet contained in the borders of the Projectors became a desert ruin, Egyptian-style buildings in various state of destruction lay in pieces across the Arena. On each player's side a strip of glowing blue space appeared between the Projectors, indicating the cardzone.

"So you're ready to lose again? This would be, what, the fifth time?"

"Not in your life, Andro!"

"Then bring it on!"

"DUEL!"

The two game creators each set a single card in the right-hand corner of their Card Zones and instantly, in the center of the arena, two beings appeared in a burst of light. Closest to Nicole appeared a slim-built, dark haired girl that reminded Ryou of the doll, except it stood a whole 4 inches tall. The character smirked, arms crossed across a robed chest, glaring across at her opponent.

Shifting his gaze to Andro's character, Ryou immediately saw the resemblance.

Standing at nearly twice the height of the girl, the black-cloaked form glowered at its miniscule opponent. Its appearance was a near-perfect mirror-image of Andro, except a few, minor details. Andro did not have a strange symbol tattooed to his forehead in blood-red ink. Nor did he have horns.

With amazing speed the two players drew seven cards each from decks they placed just outside the card zone, where they each lay a number of them.

"I equip Sau-Nesert-Hekau yw Gereh-Rw with Bow of Sekhmet! Activate the Item card Cursed Arrows!"

A gold-gelded bow and a cache of arrows appeared in the thief's hands and the bandit took off, putting as much distance between herself and the behemoth as she could.

"I equip Arch-Demon Apepi with Manslayer's Scythe! Apepi, use Necromancer's Art 4- Blood Drain!"

The giant took a step forward as steel started to engulf its right arm. The metal ran down until it was a full 3 inches longer then the arm before hardening into a long, thick blade that seemed to be melded with the flesh. As soon as the blade had solidified it raised its other hand to its face in mock-prayer and began to chant.

Halfway across the arena the thief began to weaken, a red aura engulfing its form, drifting lazily towards the giant, who seemed to get stronger. Suddenly the Thief grinned.

"I activate Suicidal Potion!"

The Thief did a two-fingered salute to her enemy and drank the bottle, but instead of herself growing weaker the aura around her turned a sickly-greenish and the Necromancer stumbled, poisoned.

"Now, Attack with your bow!"

The thief hopped up on one of the ruins to get a clear shot, knocked her bow, and shot a rapid succession of arrows at the Necromancer, all of which hit dead-on. The giant bellowed, falling to its knees. Yet before it could succumb completely to its wounds it slammed its hands to the ground, yelling three short words in an ancient tounge.

"PLANE SHIFT- ARCTIC! SCROLL OF SUMMONING WATER! COMBO!""

The entire Arena, radiating out from the Necromancer, became a frozen wasteland. Under the feet of the thief a water filled hole opened up, submerging the unlucky character to her knees, then instantly freezing solid. The bandit struggled for a moment, but eventually gave up. She was trapped.

Apepi, grinning from ear to ear with even SHARPER teeth then Andro, made his way to stand, laughing, over the thief.

"Finish it!"

The scythe didn't even slow in its path as it sliced the Sekhmet neatly in half and the entire Arena disappeared. Nicole, looking slightly sour but for the most part cheerful, turned back to Ryou.

"See? THAT it how Tenu is played. You create strategies and use them to kill your opponent, while trying to avoid being killed yourself. Do you think you're ready to play?"

Ryou swallowed before shaking his head.

"I think I'll just build my deck for a while."

Laura smiled.

"Yay!"