DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: My deepest apologies for how long it's taken me to update this story. I've been writing it alongside of another fic, however I had to re-evaluate that when I realised the next chapter of that one would spoil the ending of this story. I've decided to focus on this fic for now, so updates should come a bit faster. Meanwhile, updates to my fic 'Hearts, Souls and Shadows' will resume when this fic is completed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: I've uploaded 4 chapters at once, starting with 'Chapter 12: The Storm Breaks'.

Tournament of Shadows
Chapter 15: The Finals - Night 1
By Shadow's Mirror

The first day of the Domino City Treasure Quest Tournament Finals was over, but opinion was divided over just how good it had been.

It was undeniable that the 8 duels had been interesting, at least. They had ranged in intensity from Kaiba's short and easily forgettable clash against Nyc to Mai's drawn out battle against Yugi that had left all of the audience on the edge of their seats, thrilled and enthralled as the victory teetered several times between the duelists. With only two of the duels lasting over half an hour, however, the day was over much earlier than anyone had expected and most of the audience filing out of the auditorium were left with a vague sense of disatisfaction because of it.

Bakura commented on it as he headed to Kaiba's waiting car with Wheeler and the brunette. "It's barely four o'clock. If Father wasn't waiting for Ryou at home, we could have gone somewhere fun." He scowled. Yet again, Father's presence was proving annoying for him and Ryou.

Kaiba didn't spare him a glance as he didn't really do 'fun', but Wheeler grinned at the yami and nodded. "Yeah, like somewhere we could duel properly."

Bakura returned the nod. "Definitely. I thought this tournament sounded pretty good when I heard about it but I'm starting to regret qualifying." He sighed. "The first stage was okay, mostly. I could have done without the attacks on the girls and those kids, but the tournament part was fine. A bit boring, but not every duel needs to be ridiculously dramatic with an outcome that will either doom or save the world." He waited until Wheeler had snickered at that before continuing. "I had thought it would get good when it was just us dueling each other, though."

Wheeler grimaced as he nodded again. "Oh yeah! I thought that too. I don't really get why today seemed... I don't know... kind of... boring?" The last word came out as a question and both Bakura and Kaiba understood why.

It wasn't quite the right word.

"I found today to be considerably underwhelming." Kaiba spoke quietly, his tone holding none of the usual bite in his conversations with the blonde teen. He wasn't completely disagreeing with Wheeler, after all.

Bakura agreed too. "Yeah. Predictable, too." He frowned slightly as he reconsidered what he'd just said. "Mostly." He looked at the other two, not surprised that they were both paying close attention to him. "It's not just that we're all still holding back. I knew who'd win all but one of today's duels before the first draw. Tell me I wasn't the only one."

"You were not." Kaiba didn't bother to hide his annoyance. "All of the duels were too uneven. The outcome was clear to anyone who knew the duelists involved. Except for..." He paused and his gaze on Bakura sharpened.

"Nyc versus Isis." Bakura quietly confirmed the one duel that had surprised him with its outcome. Kaiba nodded.

Wheeler frowned. "Why wouldn't Nyc win against Isis?" He blinked as Kaiba and Bakura both eyed him with surprise. "What? I know you two talked to Isis about it earlier but I wasn't there, remember? I have no clue what you're both thinking. But I really don't know why you're so shocked at Nyc's win. Isis doesn't duel much but Mai told me Nyc duels every weekend and most weekdays too. Winning isn't all about strength. Experience counts too."

Bakura frowned. "Well, yeah, but... You do know Isis has a Millennium Item too, right?" If anyone had asked him, he'd have told them that Wheeler definitely knew who had all of the Millennium Items. He'd seen most of them in use, after all. Surely the blonde wasn't that oblivious?

"Sure, I know that. Her necklace. Yug explained it to me after Battle City. How it works, too. It didn't stop Kaiba from beating her, though." Wheeler shrugged as they both stared at him.

"Because he got a vision from Malik's Rod to show him losing if he'd played his Blue Eyes White Dragon." Bakura arched an eyebrow at him. "How often is something like that going to happen to her opponents?"

But Wheeler was already shaking his head. "It doesn't have to. I figure it depends on when she gets the vision. See, if her vision of Kaiba's turn had come after his, then she'd have known that he knew not to play his Dragon. Because his vision encouraged him to take a chance and do something different. It changed the future she'd already seen. That's why he won. Because she had seen a different future to the one that happened."

Kaiba frowned as he considered that, then glanced at Bakura who was looking very thoughtful and also frowning again. "In a way, the same occurred today. Isis did not see the future that occurred."

Bakura's frown deepened. "I feel like there's something wrong with what you both just said... but I can't work out what right now." He brought a hand up to rub his forehead, as if he was getting a headache.

"You okay?" Wheeler actually looked concerned. Bakura was touched. Almost.

"I'm fine. Ryou's just pacing his soulroom worrying about Father and it's really distracting." He sighed again. "So much for our plan for today. We were hoping to visit the girls again." He scowled.

Wheeler nodded. "Me too but Kaiba's got to go back and supervise the repairs from last night. At least we know the girls are okay and likely coming here tomorrow. I might call them tonight or something."

"Oh, there's a thought. You got their numbers? Ryou can do that too." Bakura's scowl eased up. "Since Father's really unlikely to let us out of his sight tonight." He had apparently resigned himself to that fate already.

By this point, they'd reached the car and the driver was already opening the back door for them. Kaiba looked at Bakura thoughtfully. "Do you need an excuse to go out? I could always tell him we still have work to do, since you already told him we are doing a project together."

A rare genuine smile of gratitude settled on Bakura's face as he shook his head. "Not today, but thanks for the offer, Kaiba. I figure I'd better save that excuse in case we need it during the rest of the tournament. Ryou thinks we might be able to say we're going over to Yugi's tomorrow, but Father would never accept that for the day after as well."

Kaiba nodded. "Let me know if you need me to confirm the story."

It wasn't that Kaiba had a soft spot for Ryou, or that he sympathised with Ryou's situation. No, not at all. He just knew the tournament would be better if Bakura was able to compete. That was the only reason for his offer. Definitely.

With that, the three settled into the car for the ride to Ryou and Bakura's home.

Avril, Rina and Callie had watched the day's duels on the television in their hospital room and were more than happy to talk about what had been shown with their visitors, that afternoon.

Rex and Weevil showed up first, with Mai and Nyc close behind them. They'd barely starting discussing the tournament when Yugi appeared. "Hello. Joey asked me to pass on that he can't visit today as Seto has to be at home to supervise repairs and he doesn't want Joey to go anywhere alone still. Just in case."

"Repairs? From last night's storm?" Avril frowned slightly.

Yugi nodded. "Yes. The storm took out one of his trees, which took out part of his fence. Joey said they were woken up by all the alarms it set off."

Rina winced. "Oops. There's nothing worse than being woken up by alarms. That happened to us once at a hotel. Some idiot set off the fire alarm. We were so tired the next day I still don't know how we managed to all win our duels. It was the middle of a competition," she explained in response to Yugi and Mai's puzzled looks.

Rex, Weevil and Nyc all winced. "I remember that. We were at the same hotel." Rex indicated Weevil for the 'we' but Nyc's nod confirmed that she had been there too.

"I was a bit like that myself today." Mai sighed. "I'll sleep well tonight." All of the others nodded in agreement. Nyc's nod struck Yugi as being a little absent-minded, though.

"So what did I interrupt? All of you seemed to be talking about something." Yugi settled in one of the chairs next to Callie's bed, smiling at the girl before turning his attention to the others.

"Avril was just saying that the live coverage of the Finals was pretty good, except for some really weird camera angles at a couple of points." Rina grinned at Yugi as she said the last bit. "I was about to say that I think the camera guy was trying to look up Mai's skirt during her duels."

Mai snickered. "I'll take that as a compliment." She looked smug as the others gave her disbelieving looks. "What? He was kind of cute." She shrugged. "Besides, it would have made my fans happy and happy fans means more adoration for me."

It was Nyc's turn to snicker at that. "I really don't think you need more adoration from your fans, Mai. I've seen the amount of fan mail you get." She waited for the resulting laughter to subside before she returned to the original topic.

"I agree with Rina, though. I was watching that cameraman while you were dueling Sanders. He was getting lower and lower and I kept expecting to hear Limbo music. It was almost as amusing as Sanders' defeat." Her eyes gleamed with a wicked glee that matched her smirk.

The others all nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't say that was the best duel of the day, but it was definitely the most entertaining." Rex smirked too. "Especially the look on his face when he lost. He looked like a gaping fish."

Weevil looked thoughtful. "I'm pretty sure he thought he'd win both of his duels today. He looked shocked when he lost the first one but his reaction for the second was definitely anger. He's a bad loser."

The air in the room shifted from lighthearted to serious in a heartbeat as the others nodded in agreement with that observation.

"He is. Very much so." Avril spoke quietly.

Possibly trying to lighten the tension again, Callie spoke up. "Rex, why weren't you and Weevil there? They kept showing the other duelists. I think they were trying to get your reactions to the duels."

Rex grinned at her. "Oh, we were there. We got to the place about the same time as Isis and her brothers and when they said they were going to sit in the audience, it seemed like a good idea so we joined them. Best decision we could have made. Not only did we not have to sit in the same area as Evian Sanders, but we were treated to a great play by play from Malik and Marik. It was... interesting." He smirked as Weevil nodded slightly.

"Not sitting with that Sanders guy was the best part of the day, by far." Weevil sneered, his distaste for the other duelist more than obvious.

Yugi pouted a little. "At least someone was able to avoid sitting there. I was sitting closest to him and he spent most of the time muttering to himself. I couldn't hear much of it... but what I did hear sounded like he was going on about how he would do things differently and gloating that he was a much better duelist than the ones he was watching."

Rina smirked. "Not according to his performance in his duels today."

Everyone there took a moment to recall his two losses and smirk, snicker or chuckle according to their personality.

Avril looked thoughtful. "I can understand why he would believe that, however. I was a little surprised that everyone else appeared to be holding back a little."

Was it Yugi's imagination or had Avril glanced at Nyc as she said that? Either way, it was Mai who replied.

"I didn't expect it either, but it was definitely true. I did it myself." She frowned. "I wasn't sure it was a good idea for Sanders to know my dueling style until after I beat him. Now I have, so I'll be going all out from tomorrow." Mai suddenly paused, as if struck by a thought. "I wonder..." She looked over at Yugi. "Did you get the same feeling?"

Yugi paused to consider the question. It wasn't something he'd consciously thought of while he'd been dueling, but... "Now that you mention it, yes. I think so, anyway. It wasn't something I decided on deliberately, but I do remember thinking that I shouldn't reveal my best combos a couple of times, while dueling Joey and again later with you. Sorry, Mai." He shot the blonde woman an apologetic glance but she just grinned back at him and nodded.

"I guessed as much. I was doing the same thing in our duel. Maybe we should have a re-match after the tournament?"

Yugi smiled back cheerfully as he nodded. "That would be great!" He blinked at the sound of chuckling and looked around, realising with some surprise that the amused one was Nyc.

Nyc grinned at him. "I'm not laughing at you. I said something similar to Kaiba after our match. Why do I suddenly think that he'll end up setting up a small contest for at least us seven, after the tournament?"

"Seven?" Weevil frowned, then worked it out. "Oh right. No Sanders." He looked thoughtful. "If he does suggest it, can someone tell him to up the duelists to fourteen? I wouldn't mind dueling seriously against the rest of you and I'm pretty sure the others who aren't in the finals would want to be counted in, too. Rex?" He looked at the boy sitting in the chair beside his, both drawn up beside Rina's bedside. Rex nodded back.

"Yeah, I'd be in that. Make it fifteen, though. I'm sure Espa would come back for it. Provided that thing with the kids was solved by then, of course." His words caused everyone to nod in agreement but Weevil was frowning again.

"Fifteen is a really awkward number to work with. Is there someone else we could add in?"

Mai snapped her fingers, gaining everyone's attention although she hadn't actually meant to do that. She'd just thought of someone. "Isis, Malik and Marik have an older brother. He made it into the top eight in Battle City. He's not in this tournament because he entered Battle City using another name, so he was disqualified from the rankings."

Weevil nodded. "Oh yeah, that big guy sitting with them today. That would work."

Yugi smiled. "If Kaiba doesn't say something first, I'll suggest it to him after the tournament."

The room seemed lighter after that and they were all soon chatting about the duels and what they'd thought of them.

Rina and Weevil were in the middle of a lively debate about whether Isis had been toying with Sanders and could have ended the duel five turns earlier or had only drawn the card she needed the turn before she played it when the person in question arrived with her three brothers. All eyes turned to the four as they entered with Marik in the lead, his arms full of four plush toys. Before anyone could ask the obvious, Malik brightly filled them in.

"Sorry we're late. Isis took us to get our penguin but Odion saw a bunny he wanted."

Marik nodded and beamed at the girls as he continued. "Sister Isis let Brother Odion try for it before she told me to win it for him, so here. She said these are to cheer you up since you'll be sitting with Evian Sanders for the next two days." He was heading for Avril as he almost sang the words. He was really way too cheerful for what he was saying.

Avril blinked and looked more than a little bemused as she suddenly found herself in possession of a large plush white cat with a red ribbon around its neck. It was a very nice cat in an elegant pose that reminded everyone of Avril herself.

"My thanks." She seemed to like it as a small smile curved her lips as she spoke.

It was uncertain if Marik heard Avril, though, as he was already bouncing over to hand a snickering Rina a large plush parrot with brightly coloured feathers in shades of greens and greeny blues.

The girl blinked twice and grinned at Marik. "Oh thanks! It's great!" Marik did hear her as he grinned back but he was already in motion again.

Callie's eyes went wide as Marik suddenly stopped and then almost shyly took the last few steps towards her bed. "For me?" She looked unsure because Marik was holding two toys, rather than one.

"This one is." Marik was surprisingly gentle as he placed the large teddy bear on her lap. It had fluffy white fur and a pretty light blue ribbon around its neck. Callie looked delighted and smiled at Marik shyly as she immediately cuddled it. "This one... is for your little girl." His words were so soft, it took Callie a few moments to realise what he'd just said. Her eyes went wide again as she stared at him in shock, and was that a tinge of fear?

"My..."

Marik smiled at her. Not his and Malik's usual smirk or wide beam. This smile was gentle, soft and surprisingly sweet.

"The little girl Malik and I have seen you with a few times. She's your sister, right?"

Callie blushed and bit her lip before nodding slightly.

Marik happily barrelled right on. "What's her name?" He put the teddy bear, identical to Callie's but with a pink ribbon instead of blue, on the bed beside her. "Does she like teddies?"

Callie paused for a moment, then relaxed completely and smiled shyly at Marik before she nodded again. "Her name is Emi and yes, she loves teddies. Thank you very much for both of them. They're lovely."

As she smiled at Marik and hugged her new teddy bear, Callie looked happier than any of the others had seen her during the entire tournament.

Everyone left just before visiting hours were over, but the three girls remained quiet until they were absolutely sure that no one would unexpectedly return for any reason. Then they all shared glances.

Callie cuddled the bear she hadn't let go of even for a moment as she spoke softly. "I really hate lying to them."

Avril's eyes were very gentle and slightly sad as she nodded. "I know."

"I wish I could properly introduce them to Emi. Tell them exactly who she is and why she's with me." Callie hugged the bear more tightly, her voice softer still.

Rina sighed and frowned. "Yeah. It's not right that you can't."

"Not yet, at least." Avril smiled gently at the younger girls as they both looked over at that. "It will not be much longer before the plan is carried out and once that occurs... we will be free to make our own choices once more. Callie, if you and Emi wish to introduce her properly at that point... I do not see any reason why you should not do so."

Callie's smile almost rivalled the one she'd given Marik earlier as she eagerly nodded. She lay back against the pillows propping her up in the hospital bed and happily cuddled her new bear. "I'll talk to Emi about it."

Rina grinned, then remembered something she'd been meaning to ask for a while. She turned to her friend. "Hey Avril, earlier, when Yugi said Kaiba's tree had come down in the storm, you looked worried about it. How come?"

"Ah. That was..." Avril paused, a slight frown settling on her face. "It was just a passing thought. I am aware of how easily I could become paranoid in our situation, so I do not wish to give it any serious consideration."

Rina thought for a second before shaking her head. "Humour me, Avril. Tell me this passing thought of yours so I can tell you if you're being paranoid or smart enough to see something we all missed. Wouldn't be the first time." The last part was spoken so softly it was little more than a whisper, but the other two girls had no trouble hearing it.

Avril sighed softly and nodded. She could not refuse Rina after that and besides... the thought had not merely been 'passing'. It was still nestled stubbornly in the back of her mind. "Very well. I just thought that both Kaiba and Joey looked rather tired during the live coverage, today. They were also both not playing at their best. While we know that was deliberate, to anyone watching it could be seen as being a result of a lack of sleep. So anyone watching them may not yet suspect that they are holding themselves back. But of course, for that to be the case... For them to be given a legitimate reason for not playing at their best today... It would have required luck on a truly extraordinary level."

Several seconds passed in stunned silence as she finished voicing her not-so-passing thought. Finally, Rina let loose a low whistle of obvious admiration.

"Avril... Wow. That's either going well beyond paranoia or we need to rethink things." At her friend's curious look, Rina shrugged slightly.

"If Joey's luck is that strong, we need to factor it into our plans because it will definitely affect Sanders at some point."

"I think it already has." Callie's soft voice caused both girls to blink at her in surprise even before her words registered.

"Callie?" Avril looked concerned. "What do you mean?"

"Today's duels were all chosen at random." Callie hugged her new teddy and seemed to gain enough comfort from it to enable her to continue. "But none of them were really important ones. The duels that the fans are most eager to see didn't happen today. The ones we know Evian Sanders is waiting for, too. Wasn't that really bad luck for him?"

Avril and Rina stared at Callie for a moment before slowly turning to blink at each other. Then Rina smirked.

"Yeah. We definitely need to factor in Joey's luck."

Night had descended over Domino City when a certain door to a certain balcony slowly and silently slid open. A slender figure slipped through before the door closed again. For a moment, the shadows on the balcony shifted, as if welcoming a dear friend into their midst. A moment more and they deepened and darkened, surrounding the figure in their close embrace as if wishing to keep it safe while hiding it from the world. Absolute silence fell over the balcony and even the wind stilled, as if it feared to disturb the one who moved to the patch of wall beside the door, their movements oddly hesitant. The figure leaned back against the wall, as if needing the support.

Was it trembling?

In the heart of the shadows, where their darkness matched the figure's own, it was hard to tell for sure.

Did the figure's arms wrap around its shadowy form for warmth?

Or was it an attempt to hold itself together for just a little longer?

The shadows may have known the answers. But they could do nothing with that knowledge.

Perhaps, though, the one who had been watching for several hours on the street below could.

From the balcony came a whisper of sound so soft it would have been swallowed by the wind, had the wind not already been still.

As if the sound was a signal, the watcher stirred. A single step carried them into the dim glow of light cast by an old street lamp nearby and the watcher stood there for a moment, their face turned up towards the shadowed balcony.

Their body was small and slight, as if a good gust of wind would knock them over. A pair of tiny black sneakers peeked out from under the cuffs of worn black jeans. The hood of a dark blue jacket cast a shadow over their face that hid their eyes, but it couldn't contain the ends of messy black braids that spilled out of the hood on both sides.

Another whisper of sound carried on the still air and whatever had momentarily entranced the watcher lifted.

Then they were gone, leaving behind only the shadows and the night to overhear the soft sobbing from the balcony.

To be Continued...