A/N I was re-watching Season 0 of Yu-Gi-Oh and I've always been interested with the transition the characters have from season 0/manga to the "main" anime, even in the Japanese version they seem toned down. So, I wanted to write more with Shadi, but Season 0 Shadi, so I decided to do something I swore I wasn't going to do in this story. Use my own original characters for the Ankh and the Scales that I created when I was six. Here we go.

Ankh: Her name is Ankhta, meaning "city of life" or "kingdom of life" or something, and I remember I modeled her after an Egyptian picture I once saw of a Goddess (I can't remember which one) with an Ankh in her hand. Herhair is shoulder length, black, and her skin is light. She wears purple with gold and black but I can't remember the style.

Scales: He is Abdul-Haqq which means "Servant of the truth". It looks like even back then I enjoyed having my characters' names mean things pertaining to them. I always called him Abdul. I cannot for the life of me remember what he used to wear though, I just remember his clothes were tan-ish with gold and black on it somewhere and his skin was light because all the other Yamis had light skin even though they were Egyptian, but I think I'll change that. I wish I could find these pictures I drew so I can show you guys. I'll look for them. I remember I originally was going to name him Anubis because I was a smart child who read a lot of mythology and the whole weighing the heart against a feather thing on a scale, yeah, that's what Anubis does. I decided against it though.

All translations were done by me. If I am incorrect, please tell me.

Shadi stared at the corpse in front of him, tears which weren't his own leaking from his eyes. Next to the man stood a small, teenage boy, looking up at him curiously.

"Why are you crying?" the boy asked.

"These tears are not my own. This rotten figure, it is a puppet of the ground. Despite that, the soul of a great Pharaoh still dwells within it. Kept from its eternal rest. The lamenting of its soul because tears within me."

'Shadi, don't go all philosophical on the child,' Ankhta lightly complained with an airy laugh.

The boy's face appeared confused, or maybe contemplative, trying to take in what the strange Egyptian had said.

'He's so cute' the woman trapped in the Ankh smiled internally.

"Cute boy." Shadi repeated aloud, voice mainly devoid of emotion as he ruffled the kid's hair.

"Boy?! I'm a student in High School!" the child called after him.

Shadi merely ignored him and continued on his way, vaguely hearing the boy mumble something about a "weird Egyptian". He chuckled a bit at that.

The scales within his grasp also laughed a bit, a deep resonating noise which only Ankhta and Shadi could hear, "Interesting kid. So where's this man we're looking for?"

"I'm not quite sure," Shadi's monotone voice rang through their minds, "But we need to wait until the others leave anyway."

After the museum had closed, and after much roaming through the maze-like building, Shadi found a man knocking excitedly, greedily, on a door.

The lights went out. After taking out the guy knocking, Shadi allowed himself into the office where his target dwelled, still clutching onto the scale.

"Wh-who are you?!" the frightened mortal exclaimed.

"I am from a family who has guarded graves for three thousand years, disciple of Anubis."

"A-Anubis?! The one who deals with the dead? That's absurd!"

"Your foul ambition has disturbed another God's slumber in the Valley of Kings, and now, you will be judged here."

"I get it! You're from the Egyptian government right?"

Abdul stifled his laughter and Ankhta sighed amusedly at the foolish human.

"I didn't realize I was being arrested for anything."

"Arrested is a bit of an understatement," Abdul-Haqq muttered as Shadi placed his object on the table.

"What is this?"

"This scale measures truth," Shadi responded blankly, unaffected by the surprise and horror radiating off the man before him.

"A scale that measures truth? You're saying this will measure my sin?"

"Now we will have a game," the Egyptian grabbed a pure white feather and set it on the scale, "A dark game."

"G-game?" the sinner mumbled as Shadi's eyes glowed white.

"On this side, I place the feather of truth. As you can see, it is balanced now. And then, I will ask you some questions. If you do not tell the truth, weight will add to the other side. That weight is your sin. If that side touches the ground, a punishment game awaits."

"Punishment game?"

"The first question. A girl falls into a deep well. You are the only one who witnessed it happen, but at your feet, the girl dropped a gold ring. So, what would you do?"

The ankh glowed as Ankhta took in what the man would say.

"I'll save the girl!" he shouted, "I'd save her!"

'Liar,' Abdul laughed darkly as the empty side of his scale lowered slightly.

"Impossible! I was not lying!"

'Should I add more weight to his sin for that, Shadi? That was also a lie, after all."

'No, that wouldn't be fair!" Ankhta argued.

'Oh, you're no fun!'

"Then the next question."

The terrified man didn't know this, but that was Shadi's way of telling both him, and his two spirits to shut up so they could all continue.

"Wh-why?! I have not lied. It continues to sink but there is nothing there! This must be some kind of trick!"

'This guy is kind of annoying,' Abdul-Haqq muttered, 'What's with all the screaming?'

'You'd be screaming too if you were in his position.'

'True, but I would actually know what was happening.'

'He heard the words punishment game. Even without knowing what is going on, that's all he needed to hear to be frightened.'

As if he could hear her words, the guy shouted, "Just what is the punishment game?"

"Very well, before the last question, I will tell you about the punishment game."

'This ought to be fun,'

"It is in your heart."

'Poetic,' Ankhta said.

'Poetic but also the truth,' Abdul added.

The avaricious screeched as his chair took the form of the beast, Amemid, drool dripping onto his face.

"It is the monster Amemid who lives in your room of mind. So, the last question. You have violated the land of Gods. You trade shiny treasures for money. Do you do this for personal profit?"

'Nope, he does it for charity Shadi! Why else would he raid a place known for treasure?!'

'Hush, it's a fair question, Abdul,' Ankhta lightly scolded, 'Besides, you know whatever his answer is, it will be the wrong one. I don't believe this man is capable of thinking for the well-being of others.'

"St-stop it! I'll pay, if you want money!"

The side of the scale clanked to the desk with the heavy weight of the man's avarice.

"There is no truth in your room of heart. Greed is all that exists. And now, you shall face punishment."

The creature gripped its prey tight and bit down hard on his head while he shouted in agony.

"Your room of mind is full of wealth and greed. It becomes the den of monsters. You were destroyed by those demons," as he retrieved the scale, he noticed, with surprise, a pyramid artifact lying on the desk which he was sure had not been there before.

"Th-this is the Millennium Puzzle in its completed form! I was told it hadn't been completed once for thousands of years."

'You were told correctly, up until now that is,' Ankhta inputted, also intrigued by the golden puzzle.

"So why is it here?"

'Well obviously someone in this country completed it, I suppose,' Abdul decided.

"Does this mean someone in this country solved the puzzle?!"

'Is that no what I just said?'

"Come, I suppose I shall bring this with me."

'You tell us to come as if it's an option for us,' Abdul sighed.

As they walked, or rather, as Shadi walked, they came across the small boy once more. The teen appeared to be looking for something.

"It's the Egyptian from earlier," Shadi heard the child say to himself.

The man halted when he then heard the sixteen year old say, "My Millennium Puzzle!"

'What?' Shadi thought to his spirits, 'It can't be!'

'Why else would he claim it to be his?' Ankhta said.

'Because it's shiny and valuable, of course. There's no way a mere child could have the competence to complete the puzzle, right?!' Abdul hastily argued.

'But he is sixteen. Surely a child of this age could if he were exceptionally bright,' she refuted.

Shadi wasn't quite paying attention to their internal debate, instead he was more focused on the boy in front of him.

"You were the one who solved this?"

"Yeah," the boy claimed, "It was really difficult."

'Understatement of the century!' Abdul scoffed.

"But why do you have the Puzzle?"

'It is said that the one to solve the Millennium Puzzle will possess dark power. The same power as my family. If so, then this boy also' Shadi trailed off slightly, 'I must make sure this boy has the same power. Now with the Millennium Cross, I can see into the boy's room of mind.'

'I'm not a cross, Shadi,'

'Sure you are,' Abdul said.

'Well, I suppose, but that word has a different connotation these days, and must you always have an argument up your sleeve?'

'Yes, I must!'

"Key?" The boy questioned.

'I'm not a key, either,' she sighed.

Shadi walked down the hallway within the child's mind, stopping before twin doors, one on the left and one on the right. The left door was open, revealing a kid's room, but the one on the other side was shut tightly, branded with the Eye which marked each Item.

"There are two rooms in this boy's mind."

'Really? I couldn't tell.'

'Don't be so sarcastic all the time, Ab.'

"One room is pure, scattered with toys. It is devoid of wicked thought. In the other room…" he opened the door, eyes growing slightly larger when he spotted a boy, nearly identical to the one whose mind this was, but slightly different in aspects such as height, attire, and hair. Even this boy's demeanor was opposite.

"Someone has come to visit my room?" the boy's voice was slightly deeper, but still held youth.

'Is this…the boy from before?'

'There's no way,'

'I agree with Abdul, Shadi. I don't think it is possible for this to be the same child. Besides, yu saw the door…this must be a spirit.'

"He seems completely different."

"Who are you?"

He did not answer.

'In the past, I have visited various people's room of mind. Usually, one mind only has one room of mind, but this boy has another room! Repressing, cold, almost like the ancient Egyptian tomb of a Pharaoh.'

'Have you not seen your room of mind? It's pretty cold and repressing in there, too,'

'I think this may be the Pharaoh, Shadi. Pharaoh Atem. What do you think, Ab?"

'I think the Pharaoh was taller and more…dead.'

"I don't know what power you used to visit my room," the boy interrupted the internal conversation, "but you will tell me why you came here."

Shadi allowed himself to laugh slightly at that, "I am a visitor, a guest, it is good manners to answer your question. I have come to learn the secret of your Millennium Puzzle's power."

"So you know of the existence of the Millennium Puzzle?"

"The Millennium Puzzle is a dark Millennium Item. It's been in the King's tomb for three thousand years, since Ancient Egypt. I heard that the Pharaoh used it to find and judge criminals."

"So you came with the power of one of the Millennium Items?"

"It is the Millennium Cross, a key to see into people's room of minds. I also possess the Dark Millennium Scales. But I do not know the power of the Millennium Puzzle."

"So you entered my mind to find the answer?"

"Seeing this room, I can tell that there is great power within. I wish to ascertain that fact, and if we need such power, my family shall take it."

'Pushy much?' his male spirit voiced.

"Your family?"

Shadi nodded.

"Indeed the power of the Puzzle is in my room, but I can't tell it to you easily. Understand? It's game time."

"Alright."

"If you win, I will tell you the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. The rule is simple. My true room is somewhere in this mind. Can you find it?"

"I forgot to mention I have special abilities," Shadi chuckled, "Once I have entered someone's room of mind, I am free to manipulate it. Of course, this includes destroying someone's personality. I accept the game and I will discover your true room."

"Will it really be so easy? This is a much more dangerous game than you believe."

A labyrinth formed around them in the tomb-like mind and with that, the mysterious boy disappeared. After landing himself in a multitude of traps and being mocked, laughed at, or scolded by the spirits within his own mind, he found himself in a dark, lone room where the boy was seated. As he approached, figuring he had found the correct room at long last, the ground beneath him collapsed from under his feet.

"No! This is also a trap!" he shouted, reaching out a hand to grasp the edge of solid ground, thankful that it stayed steady as he stared down into the abyss below, "If I fall into this darkness I'll never leave this boy's mind!"

'Yes, and thanks to you, now neither will we!' Abdul shouted fearfully as Ankhta shuddered internally.

"This is the end." The boy said as he approached.

Shadi glared at him, a mixture of unease and anger, but the teenager did not push him into the darkness, but rather held out a hand to the man.

Sensing Shadi's apprehension, he added, "It's okay…this hand is not a trap."

After but a second's hesitation, the man grasped the teen's appendage and took his leave, awakening once more in the physical world.

'I entered this mind to test the boy but I was the one who was tested,' he thought quietly.

"Are you okay? You look really pale. You haven't moved this whole time."

"Oh…I am okay," Shadi reassured, looking up at the small one, "Let me return this."

"Thank you!" the kid grinned and gratefully took the Puzzle from the elder male's hands.

"No need to thank me. After all, I am in debt to you."

"Debt? Did I lend you something?" the boy seemed confused.

"I meant to the other you."

"The other me? What are you talking about?"

'This boy does not realize he has a hidden personality.'

"Hey…are you really okay?"

'No, child, he is not,' Abdul quipped before being mentally smacked upside the head by the Ankh's spirit.

"Boy, what is your name?" Shadi questioned as he stood.

"It's 'Yuugi'! Not boy! 'Yuugi'!" Yuugi shouted apprehensively causing both spirits to chuckle.

'I think you hit a chord, Shadi,' The Ankh's feminine voice rang.

'We should leave. Say goodbye to your new friend and let me judge some people already!'

'I agree, we have much to do, Shadi. We should go.'

'I believe you two are correct. Let us go. But when we are finished with the souls of this country, I would like to see this boy again. I still have not discovered the true power of the Item he holds.'