AN: Thank you for reviewing if you have, it's nice to know it is being read. Sorry I haven't posted recently, I found a really good, really long fic called Court of Souls that I couldn't help reading until it was done. I'm still not through yet and I've been reading it nonstop except for school and sleep since Sunday! If you're wondering it's by Rem-chan and is a Kingdom Hearts fic with lots of Yu-Gi-Oh, Ranma 1/2, and many other animes mixed in. Anyway, I've had this one typed up for a while so I thought I'd finally get around to posting it, even if I haven't checked it for typos yet!

Chapter 6

Risky Rematch

The fourth day of his captivity began as the last three had, an electric sunrise lighting the windowless room, a cold if fancy meal, and a short period of quiet before the guests arrived. Yugi marveled the Collector found time to actually do any collecting when he seemed to spend every minute entertaining, eating, drinking, and gaming. But he was a devious man, and Yugi was sure every shred of information divulged from liquor loosened tongues was being stored away safely for future use.

Sometime during the course of the past few days, his corpulent captor had stopped asking him about his 'previous owner.' It seemed that according to the galactic rules he twisted daily, since the pharaoh had control over him, he was legally his 'owner,' as he now had control over his main corporeal self, his body. For awhile, Yugi had hoped these questions had meant that the Collector still considered Yami a potential threat. But as the inquiries died away, this hope died away, leaving him with the sinking feeling it had been merely a way to sate his curiosity. The familiar indistinct forms of the many stuffy guests milled by, and he pulled himself further into the depths of the cushion to avoid the women's sweeping hems.

A chime of glass caught Yugi's attention, and, looking up, he saw the Collector delicately tapping the edge of a dessert fork against his crystal decanter. "It seems my secretary has once again made an appointment without consulting me. Rather rude of my unknown guest not to at least alert me of his request, but I make it a point never to turn away appointments. One never can know what priceless items a stranger might part with." The assembled bubbled with polite laughter at their hosts demeaning joke. "Let's bring him in shall we? Perhaps an audience might make him a bit more loose with his goods." The black shape of his shadow creature arose from the floor to sink into it once more. "He'll return with our little entrepreneur soon enough."

Curious, Yugi waited as the party gathered near the sides of the room, leaving the main aisleway free, its length lined by priceless pieces atop pedestals. It was apparent this sort of thing had happened before. Soon, a dark shadow appeared under the doorway to the room. "Ah, and here is our guest now." The doors swung open at his words, a greedy smile on his face, and the room gazed upon the silhouetted form they revealed. The visitor stood in the halls shadows, concealing his identity.

"Do, come in. We can have introductions," said the Collector from his new position upon his throne, right beside Yugi.

"Have you forgotten me already? Never a wise move to dismiss your greatest opponent." The deep, confident voice startled Yugi. Was he imagining things? It couldn't be, it just couldn't.

"Who are you to dare speak to me in that way?" the Collector demanded, his bloated face splotched red with anger.

A purple-clad figure stepped with regal grace into the room's light. "I believe you know my name, as you have addressed me before. Does the title Pharaoh mean anything to you?"

"Pharaoh! You're here!" Yugi stood to run over to his counterpart, but a vicious tug on the golden chain about his neck sent him crashing once more to the floor, unable to break his fall with the linked bracelets on about his hands. The Collector savagely tightened the shining tether until once more he was forced to remain on the floor, nearly crouching over even when he sat. He rubbed his neck painfully.

"How did you know I would let you in this way?" snapped the Collector, glaring at Yami's dangerously narrowed eyes.

"Let's just say a birdie told me," he replied coldly, fingering the dark end of a feather protruding from his pocket.

"I have no further business with you. As is allowed by law, I can forcibly evict you from the premises. In fact, I think we all just witnessed you attack me." The Collector said, spinning the evil lie into the air. "I had to defend myself. A pity you died in the struggle." The doors' shadows sprang to life simultaneously to a small flash from a golden item concealed in Yami's palm. They reached out to attack, somehow seeming even more sinister than they ever had before.

"No! Pharaoh, look out!" But Yugi's cry was unnecessary. A second brighter flash flared from the puzzle, momentarily blinding everyone in the room. As their sight returned, they watched while the shadow writhed in the brilliant light. In a matter of seconds, the shadow had vanished, torn to shreds under the intense barrage.

"I wouldn't recommend doing that again. The same thing would happen, and would only succeed in sapping you of your strength. But if you wish to weaken yourself before we settle this, by all means, continue." Yami stood defiantly, exactly as he had been before the attack. It was obvious that this time he would not be intimidated nor easily tricked.

"You forget I am protected by our laws. Even if I can't touch you, neither can you touch me. If you try, I can have an enforced restraining order against you in place so fast, you would not know what had happened before you found yourself in prison."

"But I doubt you will." The tone of his voice sounded confident and sure, and Yugi knew that he had something up his sleeve.

"And why is that? I believe I know myself better than you. And I think I will."

"Aren't you even curious about how I knew your attack was coming? Or how I defeated it so easily?" The heads of the guests against the wall looked back and forth, moving to and fro, from speaker to speaker, as if they were at a tennis match.

"That is of no concern to you. It has no bearing on our relationship."

"Oh, but it does," Yami lifted his hand with the concealed item, "I propose a rematch, a game. Just as our last match, if I win, you will let Yugi go free."

"And why should I accept? I already have what I desire, and thus far you have offered no incentive for me to risk it."

"Because I will stake this as my wager." His raised hand opened, revealing a glittering golden item. Yugi stared in surprise. "It's called the Millennium Necklace. This is part of what I used to thwart your shadow. It has the power to perceive possible futures." Seeing his opponent's skeptical and irritated expression, Yami continued on a different tack. "You might also be interested to know it is part of a set of 7 items, one of which now hangs about my neck." A sudden greedy glint in the Collector's eye told Yami he had him hooked. "IF you win," his voice hardened, "you get them both."

"No! You can't, Pharaoh! I can't let you risk that for me." Yugi shouted. Yami's look at him was gentle but firm, and it seemed to say Trust me. The Collector's gaze down at him was different, thoughtful and greedy.

"Well, well. If it gets him that upset, these items must really be remarkable. I think I'll take your wager, purely so I can watch you meddling face when you lose even more than you've lost now." Standing up, his fat rolling beneath the black shirt, the Collector started for a door in the back of the room. "You know the way to the Gaming Room. We'll have our rematch there. My party and I will meet you there. You'll forgive me if I don't trust you."

"Believe me, its mutual. I'll see you there, Yugi, I promise." He smiled warmly at him, then turned and exited to room, seeming more in charge than the Collector himself.

"Don't get your hopes up," sneered the Collector as his shady entourage filled out of the back door, "I wouldn't want to see them crushed when I destroy your frustrating friend."

Yami was waiting at the far end of the glass corridor when they arrived. His apparently quicker travel in the Collector's own house seemed to unsettle him slightly. This time the room was empty, the light from before casting an irregular circle of brilliance onto the blue-veined marble floor. One guest, a man in roguish garb reminiscent of Han Solo, escorted Yugi roughly into the glass room once more, anchoring him down.

"Keep your side of the bargain. The items go to the pot." Yami nodded, holding aloft the necklace and puzzle. A shadow cautiously approached, moving in an unthreatening way to avoid its destruction by his hands. It grasped the golden pieces and melted to the floor, sliding across its smooth reflective surface and under the glass to coalesce beside Yugi. The items were deposited at his feet before it disappeared. He picked up the items he had worked hard to collect, holding them tightly against himself. "My thanks for your compliance," mocked the Collector, his attempt to cut the pharaoh down to size falling dead. The air seemed to come alive with electricity and heat as the two stared each other down. A long moment passed in a tense, pregnant silence before the Collector cracked.

"Let us begin. I've got other pressing matters to attend to that are much more important than you."

"I wouldn't say that. This promises to be interesting for your little cronies." Yami smiled at the indignation on their faces. "It's the duel of their lifetime; the Collector versus the King of Games." The Collector spluttered and fumbled visibly, his composure ruined by the statement.

"K…King of Games? But that name is famous even out here!" Yami merely seemed politely curious, betraying none of the surprise Yugi knew he must have felt at this revelation. "You, boy! Why didn't you tell me of this when I asked about him earlier?"

Yugi looked at him, his face bright with false innocence. "You never asked." He laughed a small giggle. "I guess it just slipped my mind because I'm so used to everyone calling us that anymore!" He turned his smile upon Yami, and say a little of his tension melt away.

Scowling into the crevices of his multiple chins, the Collector collected himself. "Since you have issued the challenge, I'll decide the manner of the games we shall play." He spoke forcefully, attempting to regain his control of the situation. "We will make it three-part contest of wits. The first to win two challenges will be named the victor."

"I accept." Yami said simply. He didn't think the Collector was aware that his very life now hung on this game, besides Yugi's freedom. If he had known that the loss of the puzzle meant the gradual and agonizing deterioration of his spirit from this world, the pharaoh was sure he would have been much more cocky and assured.

"Good. The set up is this: Each round will test a facet of our wit and will to see who truly is the best. At the beginning of a round, first you, then me, then one of my distinguished guests, in an attempt at fairness, will choose one attribute and the game by which to test it. Understood?'

"Perfectly."

"As I said, you will go first. What pitiful piece of your mind do you think can defeat mine?" The Collector leaned forward, spreading his hands in a mock questioning gesture.

"Let's see how strategically that twisted mind of yours can think," said Yami darkly.

"The game?"

"A collectable game. You should like it. It's called Duel Monsters."

AN: In case you can't tell, this means next chapter will have a duel. But no one's helped me out yet! It won't be posted until I'm satisfied that it has at least marginally the same quality as before. Oh God it's gonna reek! Just hold through the duel, and try not to yell in frustration if I get any rules or techniques wrong. Just think of them as...plot device! Yeah, that's it! Anyway, hope to get it done before too long, then I can move on to the other two challenges, which I'm going to have a challenge writing too!

Oh, and Yamiace, the Collector won't give up, that wouldn't be interesting at all. I like to have a little more drama and suspence than that! Just wait because I think you might like the little surprise I'm going to put in in the end!

See you in the next chapter: Chapter 7 Let the Games Begin!