Disclaimer: Um...the gods of Egypt own Yugioh?

Yugi continued to wonder about his yami's strange behavior when he heard a rumble from somewhere in the darkness. "Who's there?", he asked, trying to keep the trembling from his voice.

Things were quiet for a moment and Yugi started to relax his guard when he saw a lion with iridescent armor emerge from the darkness.

"Oh great...how am I supposed to handle a this?", he thought to himself. He remained still and tried to ignore the creature.

"You know I can see you, right?", the lion said with what might have been a chuckle.

Yugi gulped. "Sorry...are you a duel monster?"

"Not exactly. I might've been if I hadn't been betrayed, and I might've sunk into darkness had I not been found. It's complicated."

Yugi was about to ask another question when the land shook underneath them. The lion growled and then turned to Yugi. "Are you the hikari of the spirit outside?"

"Yes."

"I need you to do something for me. Since you're connected to him, you have to disrupt him. If he wins, he'll become a tyrant."

"How do you know?"

"I've had previous experience with it. My friend will free you after the fight, and the Pharoah made no deals concerning himself. If nothing else, help us for the sake of your friend. He'll go back to normal when he's been defeated."

"You aren't making sense. How would defea..." The ground shook again, and cracks in the darkness appeared.

"There isn't time to explain. Trust me." And for some reason, Yugi did. "How can I help?"

~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~

Outside Yami had just won the first battle by calling forth Ra against the girl's Silent Magician.

"I could beat you with my Kuriboh!", he taunted her.

"Then why don't you?"

"Because Obelisk is much more thrilling!" He tried to pull Obelisk from the shadows, but while it had been standing ready mere moments before, now he couldn't feel it at all.

"You know what? Maybe I will show off! Kuriboh, come forth!" Kuriboh squeaked at him happily, but he just scowled at it. "Multi...", but before he could finish the command, his opponent called forth her monster. "Yuyan Archers! Take down his Kuriboh!" The arrows hit Kuriboh before Yami could say "...ply."

They were one for one. Yami refused to lose. His pride demanded he win this battle.

His hooded nemesis said, "Let's make this personal. Beast of my Heart, come forth!" Before her appeared the same lion who had earlier been speaking with Yugi.

Yami was about to summon Slifer when the Dark Magician came before him. Yami grinded his teeth in irritation, but yelled anyway, "Dark Magic Attack!" The lion's armor absorbed it and disappeared, but that didn't matter a great deal. The lion was already charging forward and pounced the Dark Magician who disappeared upon hitting the ground.

The strange thing was the Pharaoh disappeared with him.

~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~

Yugi felt the Pharaoh vanish, and he was angry. He had been released from the Shadow Realm as soon as the battle ended, so he turned to the hooded girl and yelled, "I though you said neither of us would be hurt!"

"I said he wouldn't come to harm because of my condition, which he hasn't. He's perfectly safe, just not here." The girl's hood dropped, revealing white hair, and a familiar face. In fact, if she was dressed as a guy, she might have been mistaken for...

"Are you related to Bakura Ryou?", Yugi asked.

"Do you want to know about that, or about where your yami is?"

"Please, tell me about Yami."

She sat on a bench, and motioned for him to sit near her. "I had to send the Pharaoh away. That was the unspoken condition."

"Why?"

"There are many people who live their lives as part of a partnership. Yami to hikari, like you and the Pharaoh, or sometimes as rivals or enemies. Sometimes their other half exists in the monster world that mirrors ours, but it still forms a balance. It helps to keep our universe in harmony. Someone is out to upset that harmony. May I see your puzzle?"

Yugi was about to say no, but the look in her eye told him he wouldn't be getting anymore answers without handing it over. He keep his hand on the chain because it had been stolen before, but without Yami it was just an empty shell. He needed answers more than caution.

She stroked it, and seemed really sad and somewhat puzzled. "I was right, and also wrong..."

"About what?"

"Your other self's nature has been under pressure to change for at least two months. I thought it had only been a couple of weeks."

"What!"

She continued, "That shows he has a remarkably strong spirit. Most Yami don't last that long."

"You still aren't being very clear."

She sighed. "How do I put this? The person that is seeking to disrupt the harmony of the universe has unleashed a phenomenon that, unless we interfere with it, corrupts yamis. It first turns them evil, then starts pumping power into them so they can do great damage, and finally ends with the yami being worn out and dying. Often if the hikari isn't killed in the attack, they're destroyed when their yami is, so it's a double blow."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying this was happening to me and the Pharaoh?"

"I'm saying you two should be dead by now."

Yugi had to take a second to breathe and process this. He might have panicked, had he not been through so much before; this wasn't exactly run of the mill news though. He wanted to call Joey or Tea, but he wasn't sure what to think about it yet. It sounded a little crazy, but so did a five thousand year old spirit sharing his puzzle and body. After a few minutes, he finally let loose a deep breath.

"Is Yami going to be okay? Where is he?", Yugi asked, breaking the silence.

The girl bit her lip. "He's contained and relatively safe, but beyond putting the corrupted yamis into comas, we really don't know how to heal them. He's under the care of my master. I can take you to see him, so long as you promise not to touch him."

"I promise. Can I call my best friends and have them come though?"

"You can call them later." She opened a portal made of blue energy.

"Come on."

A/N: First off, I'm so sorry it took so long to update! My only excuse is I'm Master of Procrastination, and I would lose my title if I updated too early. Seriously though, I'll try not to do that again. Thank Novice Novelist that it got up; he reminded me at least a few times, and he helped me out with the majority of this chapter. He's pretty awesome for that. :3 Thank you Novice.

Second, thank you very much, Chao, Dakukira and Okamoto Takeo. You rock for reviewing. If I ever keep you waiting that long again, feel free to bug me for a sneak peek (*also goes for any future reviewers). Also it is anime-verse. I'm a broke college student, I can't afford manga. XD

Third, please let me know if I made any errors. I think Yugi's a bit OOC, so especially if you have any tips about that, let me know. Also, if you have any suggestions on how to bring Yami back into the story go for it, because he's giving me a bit of trouble but I wasn't really planning on shoving him out of the story.

Fourth, I said I'd tell you who the stranger was. It's Amane, Bakura's sister. ;)

Last, you are all awesome. Review if you feel like it, though every single comment makes my day. Thanks for being understanding and for reading. ^_^