DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

Showdown in the Shadows Part I

Kaiba worked furiously on the translation, trying to understand why he could read it better than the computer. It doesn't make any sense! Somehow, I can understand the text on the Winged Dragon of Ra. My computer network couldn't even translate it. Now, I just need to win it from Marik.

YGO

Mana stood out of sight, her son at her side, and watched as the two opponents squared off. It was evil versus evil; one part of the Dark One against another. In other circumstances, it would be amusing to watch. It was almost sad, though, because the boy that had facilitated this didn't really understand how much of a lose-lose situation it was.

'Are you ready?' Marik's evil side, Malik, asked. 'In this Shadow Duel, the loser will have to pay the ultimate price.'

The Evil Spirit of the Ring chuckled.

'There will be no laughter once I've banished you to the Shadow Realm.'

'You will be the one who's living in eternal darkness,' the Evil Spirit said. 'Wait and see.'

Malik just chuckled. He smirked cruelly. 'I almost forgot. You have the duelling experience of my weaker self to call upon.'

The Evil Spirit's own smirk deepened. 'That is correct. And, since you've learned everything you know about duelling from him, that means I know your strategy and your deck inside and out.'

Malik's eyes narrowed, but he didn't appear too upset.

'And don't think I'm unaware of the Egyptian God Card you now hold,' the Evil Spirit said.

'Just because that fool, Marik, is duelling on your side doesn't mean you're safe from the fury of Ra. For when I'm through with you two, you're both certain to end up in the dark.'

The Evil Spirit held out a hand. 'Before we start, there's someone here who would like to have a few words with you, face-to-face.'

Malik looked surprised, but annoyed. 'Make it fast.'

Marik appeared next to the Evil Spirit. 'I will win my body back from you because destiny is on my side!'

Mana pressed her lips together. She nearly shook her head. The only person destiny was on side with was the Pharaoh.

'Sorry. I've taken over your destiny now. And with it, I plan to claim the Great Power of the Pharaoh for myself, while you two fools wallow in the Shadows.'

'I won't let you claim my fate as your own, body-snatcher!' Marik insisted.

Malik chuckled and spread his arms. 'I'm afraid that it's too late for that. I am the real you, and soon you'll be nothing but a forgotten memory in the sands of time.' He threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

'While I was occupying Téa's mind, I heard Ishizu tell the story of the first day you were born,' Marik said. 'She explained that after I received the Tomb Keeper's Initiation, the seeds of your existence were planted. And it was you who began my path towards darkness when you killed my father. Soon you'll pay for what you did to me and to him.'

Malik carelessly laid a hand on his hip. 'What I did? I was born out of your hate, your jealousy, and your anger towards your father, which makes you just as guilty as me.' He pointed across at him.

'That may be,' Marik said. 'But from now on I'll make up for everything I've done.' He closed his eyes.

'Very touching,' the Evil Spirit said to him.

Marik ignored him. 'Now I know the truth. Odion shielded me from the truth and for years I believed it was that stranger who destroyed my father, but now I know better. I know it was you.'

'I'd say you're a little late to do anything about it,' Malik said.

'Not really. Once this duel's over and you're gone, revenge will be mine!'

'Without me, you won't exist!'

The duel was about to start.

Marik looked at the Evil Spirit. 'Just stand back and do as I say.'

'Silence!' the Evil Spirit snapped. 'There's business to discuss first.' He turned back to Marik. 'I'll help you to reclaim your body, but I have a price.'

'Very well, then. If we win the duel I'll give you the Millennium Rod.'

The Evil Spirit looked at him. 'Sorry, Marik. That's our old deal. Now I need more. What's that I heard about you seeking the power of the Pharaoh? Is there a magic stronger than that of the Seven Millennium Items that you haven't told me about? I want to know what secrets you're keeping from me, Marik.'

Of course there was a magic far stronger than that of the Millennium Items. Mana knew all about it though. And she knew that no one who was not of the Royal Bloodline could harness or use these powers. This bunch of fools were of no threat in that regard. But they would continue to watch.

'Tell me everything and we have a deal.'

Marik narrowed his eyes. 'If we win, I'll tell you all.'

'Then let's begin.' The Evil Spirit faced forward, staring down Malik even as he addressed Marik. 'I don't trust you at all, but this time I know you need me.'

'Then let's duel!'

'You heard your better half, you fiend,' the Evil Spirit said to Malik. 'Now prepare for a one-way trip to the Shadow Realm.' He threw his head back and laughed.

'Seems you're a bit confused,' Malik remarked. 'I'm going to bring the darkness of the Shadow Realm right here, so it can consume you, piece by piece.' It was his turn. Malik cackled as the Shadows spread around, reaching out and grabbing onto the field. They were ravenous and waiting. 'Blackness surround us! Prepare for a battle like no other! For in this duel, the eternal darkness of the Shadow Realm will slowly devour the loser as his life points diminish.'

'What do you mean?' the Evil Spirit demanded.

'Just wait and see.' Malik's smirk widened.

'Very well.' Both of them activated their duel disks. 'Let's duel.' They drew their first cards and the Evil Spirit started off. 'And now, let the destruction commence.' He looked at his first draw and smirked. 'I see the cards in my deck are already showing you no mercy.'

Malik's own smirk didn't falter.

'First off, I'll place this face-down.' He played a card and it appeared on the field. He set another card. 'Then, I shall summon the terrifying Goblin Zombie in attack mode!' The monster appeared on the field and roared. 'Are you scared yet?'

'Ha! Scared of that? No.' Malik drew. 'I'll place a card face-down,' the card in question appeared on the field, 'and summon Drillago.' The monster, which was compromised mainly of drills, appeared on the field. 'Attack him now!' The drills spun as Drillago charged.

The Evil Spirit laughed. 'Fool! You've activated my trap card, Fearful Earthbound!' He activated the card and it flipped up.

Malik's eyes widened. 'No!'

'Yes,' the Evil Spirit said. 'Your first mistake.'

Malik looked down at the purple fire at his feet and growled.

'Your first of many,' the Evil Spirit added as the mouth appeared around him.

'What's the point of this?'

'I knew you wouldn't be able to resist attacking my Zombie, and now I'm going to punish you for your fatal error by weakening your life points.'

Marik elaborated. 'When this trap card's activated, the opposing duellist automatically loses 500 life points each time his monster attacks.'

Drillago was almost at the Zombie.

'Like now!' the Evil Spirit crowed.

Malik growled. 'I'm still sending your monster to the graveyard.'

'Feel free to destroy my weak monsters whenever you want,' the Evil Spirit said. 'Not only will you lose life points, but with each monster you send to the graveyard I grow stronger.' Drillago slammed into the Zombie, destroying it. 'And now you will feel the effect of my Fearful Earthbound, as it lowers your life points by 500.'

The purple fire around Fearful Earthbound rose higher. But Malik smirked once more. 'Really? Guess again!'

'What?' the Evil Spirit demanded.

Malik activated his own face-down card. The card flipped up. 'I activate Remove Trap!' Fearful Earthbound was stopped dead in its tracks as the mouth went to close on Malik. It dissolved into a whirlwind and was sent from the field with a pained roar. Malik spread his arms and laughed. 'My magic card has eliminated your pathetic trap.'

The Evil Spirit smirked again, apparently determined not to be caught looking surprised for too long. 'It'll take more than a magic card to beat me.'

'That may be true, but from the looks of your arm it's a start.'

'My arm?' The Evil Spirit looked down to find his left arm, his bicep specifically, was gone. The rest of his arm seemed to be holding onto thin air. His life points had dropped to 3500.

Malik cackled again. 'Looks like you're the one who's about to disappear.'

'What have you done to my body?' the Evil Spirit demanded. 'It's vanishing!'

'Obviously, you weren't listening to what I said earlier. Remember, you just lost 500 life points. And as they fade away so will small portions of your body, until the Shadow Realm claims all of you.'

'You fiend!'

That was true. That was something not even the Evil Spirit of the Ring would do.

'Soon the darkness will feed on your soul for all eternity,' Malik announced.

The Evil Spirit narrowed his eyes. 'I'm quite familiar with how the Shadow Realm operates. Besides, it is you who shall disappear into the darkness.'

'Don't be a fool. There's no way you can win as long as I control the ultimate weapon: the Winged Dragon of Ra!'

'You're wrong. For with the help of your other half, I will certainly prevail.'

Malik sneered. 'Only fools rely on the help of the desperate.' He chuckled. 'Just wait. You'll see.'

YGO

Sharee laid back on her bed. Something had Shamee's attention. Her guest was sitting in one of the room's chairs, with her eyes to the ceiling. Okay, I'll bite. What's going on?

There are two evil hearts at war.

Marik and the Evil Spirit of the Ring?

Undoubtedly.

Oh, well, at least one will take the other out. Then we'll only have to deal with one of them. Sharee frowned, a thought occurring to her. But what happens at the end? If the Spirit of the Ring loses, is he gone for good?

I've got a feeling the answer is "no".

YGO

'You may have struck first,' the Evil Spirit said, 'but I'll have the last laugh. And the joke will be on you.' He narrowed his eyes. 'Now, then.' He drew.

'It doesn't matter which card you play next,' Malik told him. 'I know your deck very well and none of your moves will surprise me. Remember, I witnessed your last duel.'

The Evil Spirit narrowed his eyes and added the card to his hand. He looked down at his cards for a moment, and then he slowly smirked.

Malik bared his teeth in his smirk. 'I'm waiting.'

The Evil Spirit of the Ring scoffed. 'Anxious to lose, are we?'

Behind him, Marik spoke up. 'Ra is no threat, trust me.'

'Keep quiet,' the Evil Spirit snapped at him. 'I have a plan.'

'Don't be a fool,' Marik said. 'In my mind lies the secret of Ra.'

The Evil Spirit's eyes widened. 'Give it to me!'

'Let's go.' Malik called their attention back to him. 'You can argue when you're both in the Shadow Realm. Believe me, whatever you're planning won't work anyway.'

The Evil Spirit sneered and looked down his nose at him. 'Thanks for the tip. That just might work.' He smirked again. 'You do realise, if the scheme you just told me works and we defeat this demon, you may lose your body in the process?'

'I'll risk it!' Marik snapped. 'Now go!'

Malik growled. 'Let them conspire. It won't do them any good.'

The Evil Spirit took the cards from his hand. 'I'll place two cards face-down.' He set them and the cards appeared on the field. He set the last one. 'And I'll summon Gernia in defence mode!' Gernia appeared before him on the field. 'Just try to tear him down.'

Malik stared across the field. His eyes flicked down to his hand. 'It's my move.' He drew. He grinned darkly. He played the card he'd just drawn. 'I activate the Card of Sanctity.' The card appeared on the field.

'What does your magic card do?' Bakura asked.

'Simple,' Malik said. 'We must keep drawing until we both hold six cards. This should help me immensely.'

Both of them drew until they held the required number of cards.

Malik growled. 'No!'

The Evil Spirit smirked. 'Sounds to me like you didn't draw what you needed. Fortunately I can give you one more chance at it, that is if you don't mind my help. Open face-down card.' He activated one of his face-down cards. 'Multiple Destruction!' The card's effect took hold.

'What does that do?' Malik demanded.

'My trap card forces both players to discard their hands to the graveyard.' The Evil Spirit did so. 'Then lets us draw five new cards from our decks.' He took the card from his deck. 'Of course, there is a downside to playing this card. The duellist who uses it loses 100 life points for each card he throws away.' His life points dropped to 2900, and his right elbow disappeared. His eyes narrowed. 'Who's stalling now? It's your move.'

Malik discarded his current hand and drew a new one with a growl. 'Still no Winged Dragon. I failed again.'

'I see you still haven't drawn the card you need yet. How pathetic.'

'Heh. You just worry about my face-down card,' Malik set the card and it appeared before him, 'I'll take care of the rest. The end is near!' He chuckled. 'You're wasting away to nothing.'

'That will soon change. I draw.' He pulled his next card from the deck, and looked at it. He smirked once more. He made his move. 'And now I shall sacrifice Gernia,' the monster vanished from the field, 'in order to summon my dreaded Puppet Master.' He set the card and it appeared on the field. The Puppet Master emerged. 'Did I mention my new monster's special ability? For the bargain price of 1000 life points,' his life points dropped to 1900 and his stomach vanished, 'my Puppet Master allows me to bring three monsters back from the graveyard.'

The Puppet Master screeched and spread his hands. Beams of electrical-looking light shot out of his palms. It struck the ground in front of him. The three monsters appeared.

Malik sneered. 'You forgot to mention one important fact, you fool. Your monsters can't attack this turn.'

'Who said I was going to attack with them? I have something far more ingenious in mind,' the Evil Spirit took a card from his hand, 'with a little help from this card.'

'What?' Malik demanded.

The Evil Spirit played the card and it appeared on the field. 'Activate the magic card, Dark Designator!'

'Why should I care about a card that lets you choose one monster from my deck and place it in my hand?' His eyes widened in realisation after he'd asked the question. 'Unless…'

'Yes,' the Evil Spirit pointed across the field at him, 'I am forcing you to draw the Winged Dragon of Ra into your hand…'

Malik growled.

'…so I can then claim it for myself.'

Malik took the card from his deck. He chuckled.

'Now, enjoy it while you can, for soon it will be mine.'

'Don't be so sure. I'm onto your plan.' Malik looked up at him, amused. 'And I can assure you you'll fail. Your sad attempt to steal Ra was obvious. You laid it all out for me on the field, you fool.'

'Heh!' The Evil Spirit grinned.

'It's all there. The three useless monsters you summoned for 1000 life points, the face-down card you're waiting to activate.' He laughed. 'Too bad. That card will never leave my hand.'

'Don't be too sure, you demon!' The Evil Spirit activated his face-down card with triumphant glee. 'I activate my face-down card, Exchange!' The card flipped up and glowed as its effect took hold.

Malik watched, unsurprised. 'I was right.'

'Then you must know its effect,' the Evil Spirit said. 'When Exchange is played, each duellist takes a card from the other's hand. So please hand over your Winged Dragon of Ra.'

Malik made a contemptuous noise in his throat, but he crossed the field and handed the card over. 'As you wish, fool.'

'Thank you.' The Evil Spirit snatched it.

'Good luck!' Malik sneered.

'Hmph!' The Evil Spirit held out his own cards. 'Now you pick a card. Any card.'

Malik took one of the cards from his hand. 'Monster Reborn should do.' He turned and walked back to his side of the field.

'It must be hard to part with your most powerful card, but don't feel bad,' the Evil Spirit said. 'It may seem like you just lost your Egyptian God Card, but I can promise that you will be seeing it again very soon.' He chuckled.

Malik stopped and looked over his shoulder. 'Don't get excited just yet.' He scoffed. 'I think you're forgetting something. You can't control the power of Ra, which means the card is absolutely useless to you.'

'But not to me,' Marik said. 'The Winged Dragon of Ra can be controlled by anyone who can decipher and recite the ancient text that's inscribed on the card.'

'Well, look who's back,' Malik sneered. 'Looks like the Spirit of the Ring isn't duellist enough to handle me without running to his little friend for help.'

'Don't push me,' the Evil Spirit coldly advised.

Malik finished the walk back to his side of the field. 'You'll need more than that weakling's help to defeat me.'

'We'll see about that,' the Evil Spirit said. 'Remember, my partner knows everything you do. After all, he is your other half.'

Malik turned back around to face them. 'Wrong! I am complete without him.'

'You are nothing, and soon you won't exist at all!' Marik insisted. 'One more turn to go, and the Winged Dragon of Ra will cast you to the Shadows!'