Author's Note: Hey, thanks to all you who have been reading this so soon. And thanks for the admission to the C2, I promise I won't let you down by adding any yaoi, after all, it is a Yaoi free list! Well,it's time to play a game. It's called: Find the Star Wars Reference! I've hidden one in here somewhere. I'll tell you where after the story!
Chapter 4
Of Dice and Men
The doors in front of them opened to reveal a large room, a long corridor described down its middle by two clear panes of glass. In the center of the corridor stood a lone wooden table, simple, finely crafted, and conspicuously ordinary in comparison to everything else that Yami had seen since arriving in the palatial home.
"Unremarkable, yes," the Collector said, following his gaze, "but priceless in the hidden memories it holds within." He walked over to the opposite side of the table, gesturing for his guest to do the same. "Our game shall be a game of dice. As for the stakes…"
The strange shadow appeared again in front of Yugi, relieving his boredom, but making him uneasy as well. What could it want? He realized that once more it clutched the golden chain that held him in its shapeless hands. With sudden realization, he braced himself for its cold touch, as the darkness wrapped once more around him for its black transportation.
"As for the stakes, I promised you would need offer nothing to participate. After all, it was all an unfortunate misunderstanding. For my side however, I offer that in question, which we both desire and neither is willing to give up." The Collector pointed toward the glass pane on his right, where mountains of gold, silver, and jewels rested inside a walled off area. The candles lighting the room lit up their surfaces and cast dark jagged shadows beneath each individual piece. On the coin-strewn floor, the shadows melded together to become one, seeming nearly alive. The darkness appeared to rise from the ground, and Yami saw that it was alive, another of the shadows he had twice already encountered. It resolved into its usual shape, then dispersed, leaving behind a glittering ivory and brown figure with familiar red and gold hair kneeling on the floor.
"Yugi!" His head lifted from his chest at the sound of a familiar voice. "Pharaoh!" he cried, the sound muffled behind the glass. Yami stood to rush over to him.
"Sit!" The command came, imperious and demanding, clearly expecting to be obeyed. "You forfeit the match and any claim to the prize if you leave this table."
"Is that why he is dressed this way? Because his nothing more to you than a prize to display and show off to others?" The hard edge came back into Yami's voice, cold and harsh, and he lowered himself back into the wooden seat.
"Why, yes, of course. What else? What is he to you?" A malicious smile parted his lips.
Eyes narrowed and body stiff, Yami replied, "A friend, partner, and companion. I won't allow you to take that away, to spirit him away through clever words and twisted games."
"Oh, but the law will. My 'clever words' fall under its protection. And you in fact have allowed my 'twisted games.' We are playing one now, are we not?"
"Only because you left me no choice!" Yami gripped the table's edge, his knuckles turning white.
"Well, then. If we are indeed playing, then let the game begin!" Yami glanced over at Yugi, kneeling next to the glass, golden leash pulled taut, his hands pressed against its surface, the bracelets straining against each other even though they were only shoulder-width apart. "Fine. If we must."
A light shone down from the ceiling illuminating an irregular circle between the two players. The Collector's hands emerged from his cavernous sleeves. He leaned forward onto his left elbow, his right extending into the light and showing a pair of carved dice, inked spots forming the pips on each side. "We'll play with these. A simple game, so there can be dispute." Yami watched him carefully. "The rules aren't difficult. We each will take turns rolling, once each turn. The object is easy. If your role matches the one before it, you receive a point. That's all. The first to 5 points wins. What do you say? Do you agree to these terms?"
Yami saw no other option he could do, and there seemed little way his opponent could cheat. "I accept."
"As the challenger, you may go first." The Collector pushed the dice across the table towards him. Yami grabbed them, his only reply an angry Hmmph! He pulled his arm back, his fist by his chin and shoulder, then threw the dice, casting them down the table and once more into the light. They tumbled and clattered along the grain, spinning and clacking before falling still to show a two and a four. "A six. My turn." And the Collector's bejeweled fingers delicately picked up the dice. He cast as well, the first one landing a four, the other revolving a moment before falling as a two. A horrible grin bloomed on his face as he inspected the roll.
"My, my, what a coincidence. It seems I rolled a six as well." Yami frowned, suddenly suspicious. "That's a point for me. Your roll."
"No way! He had the exact same roll!" Yugi stared from behind his gilt and glass prison. Worry and concern marked his voice. He watched helplessly as his friend grabbed the dice once more, tossing them upon the table and again rolling a two and a four. "It can't be. The dice must be weighted. But why? Now the pharaoh's got a point too!" The dice once more were thrown by Yami's opponent, and once more delivered a two and four, chalking up another point for his captor.
"Well, well, it's the end of round 2 already. And the score stands at you 1, me 2. This is fun. As a collector of the unique, I can tell you there's nothing quite like the thrill of victory, or at least impending victory. And it's an emotion, so I can experience the unique again and again. Really, it's quite odd and satisfying," the Collector said, casting words leisurely at his guest. Yugi watched worriedly the unfolding events, trying to figure out his plan. Why would he play with weighted dice, then choose a game where they give his opponent points as well? It doesn't make sense. The pharaoh reached again for the dice as he thought, his scowl deep and menacing. A round of sixes went by, the score now 2:3 against him. I bet he's already figured out his scheme. But what is it? At the end of each turn, the Collector earns a point, and the pharaoh another at the beginning of the next. Wait a minute, that's it! They may be gaining points at the same rate, but he's always one point behind. The pharaoh won't reach 5 until the beginning of the 6th round, right after the Collector gets 5 at the end of the 5th! Oh no!
The game was over less than a minute later. "It appears I won. Good game, very close." The Collector pushed back from the table, the light dying and the chair scraping, as he stood.
"It was not, the game was not fair!" Yami stood as well, stalking around the table to confront his flabby form.
"Oh, but it was. You agreed to the game, and I supplied the dice. I assure you, they are not weighted in any way. Remember, I am the Collector, amasser of rare and interesting artifacts. These," he proffered the dice, "came from a small town on a primitive planet. In the quantity dice are produced, eventually the improbable would happen; a set that always rolls the same numbers, without weight. Unbelievable, sure, but you just witnessed the proof. Perhaps that is why they are known as the Improbability Dice."
"More twisted deceit and dodging. This game was invalid. Now release Yugi!"
"Don't you dare assume as to tell what to do with my property. I have won him lawfully, and I shall be leaving now with my winnings." He turned and headed out a door in the back of the room.
"He's NOT your prop-," Yami stopped short as the shadow once more appeared beside Yugi, extending itself around him. "YUGI!" He ran over as close as he could get, the glass an impenetrable barrier between them.
"Pharaoh! Help!" Yugi struggled against the darkness enclosing him, his voice cutting off as it disappeared again into the ground.
"What have you done to him!" Yami demanded, whirling to face the Collector, who was nearing the door.
"Nothing. Are you worried I will harm him? No, no, it would be foolish to harm such a wonderful addition to my collection. Besides, some important visitors are coming tomorrow to view my new acquisitions. I've simply transported him to a safe place for the night with one of my shadow creature servants."
"Shadow creature? You mean to say you have shadow powers?"
"Ah, so you've heard of them. Yes, I do have shadow powers, but not naturally. I acquired them through a game of dejarik, but as they are artificially inside me, I can only use them as helpful transportation and messengers. But I really must be leaving. You shouldn't have upset me earlier, it's making me unwilling to show you out. I'm sure you remember how to get to the bestiary. You'll find a transport waiting for you there." And with that, he swept through the doorway, leaving the pharaoh alone except for his anger.
Once he had found his way to the bestiary, Yami leaned against a wall, his anger flowing into its cold surface, leaving him exhausted. A single tear of frustration fell down his cheek, purple eyes sparkling with moisture. Another shadow stood in a corner, waiting for him to approach to take back home. He was unsure what to do next.
"Your friend…" a high voice squeaked beside him. Yami looked over, seeing the purple parrot-like bird from before. It reached out its beak, snuffling the tip of its feather sticking out of his pocket. "He was…your friend?"
"What?" He stood the staring in confusion at the well-spoken bird.
"He pet me, it felt nice. You smell like him. Are you trying to help?" Yami searched his memories for what the Collector had said about this bird. He had called it an Oracle Tern.
"You can help me? How?" The bird rustled its feathers a moment, shifting from claw to claw before climbing his shirtsleeve to his shoulder. From his new perch, he responded.
"It is what I do. I know much, more when I care. He was kind, even in the midst of his own dilemma. You still have another chance. Make an appointment."
"What?" The statement caught Yami off guard, more than slightly confusing him.
"Make an appointment to see him. Tell the secretary you are a business associate, and he will afford you the V.I.P. privileges you need. It will be a few days before you may get in, but the Owner always sees his appointments. He never tells his secretary about his life, so you needn't worry he won't let you in."
"A few days?" said Yami, dazed by the odd circumstances around him. "I can't leave him here for a few days."
"He will be alright, I know. Go now, and don't forget my words." The bird gently nibbled his ear affectionately, then returned to the post he was chained to.
Joey, Tristan, and Téa sat on a concrete bench across the street from where the pharaoh had vanished, discussing worriedly what had happened that morning. The afternoon sun shone harsh in their eyes, making the shadows waver. One close to them seemed almost to be cast by a man, yet no one was there. Téa watched it uncertainly as it shimmered, then resolved itself into Yami.
"Pharaoh!" she shouted, rushing over to him as the guys looked up. She could tell by his expression that Yugi was still not with him. "What happened?"
"Much. But right now, Téa, I need to borrow your phone." The three gathered around his disgruntled and disheveled figure.
"Sure. But why?" she asked, handing over the pink phone.
"I need to make an appointment with someone." And with that, he left them to stand there, confused and bursting with questions, as he dialed.
So, did you find it? The Star Wars reference. Well, you'd have to be a big fan to see it. The game that the Collector won his shadow powers in, dejarik, is actually a game played in Star Wars, the one they play on the Millenium Falcon (OHHH, a new item fan fic possibility! jk). It has the holgraphic monsters on the play board and the famous line "Let the Wookiee win." Well, I babbled quite a bit there, but I've got a favor to ask of all you fans. Later on, there is, of course, going to be a Duel Monsters match. But I don't know how it should go. Oh I know the rules and everything, from the show and watching my friends play, but that doesn't mean I can script an interesting one. So, if you'd like to help, post some ideas, either for Yami's turn or his opponent. IfI use it, I promise I'll give you credit!Thanks!
Oh, and if you're looking for something new to try, try these two stories: Treasured Memories, a Kingdom Hearts fic, or Almost Interchangable, another Yu-Gi-Oh! fic. They're written by my sister, Evil Midget Turtle, and our styles are a lot alike. So check 'em out.
See you in Chapter 5: Waiting for Rescue!