**DISCLAIMER**
Midnightscreamer doesn't own Yugioh and all the characters belong to whom the original creater is. Blah, blah, blah. Enjoy.
Bakura's eyebrows rose as an amused expression grew on his face. He had heard what Atem had said, and didn't plan on hiding it.
Yugi side-glanced at Atem, making sure to keep Bakura in the corner of his eye so he knew where he was. Who knew what he was capable of?
"A game you say, Prince?" Bakura said slyly.
Atem kept his eyes on Bakura as he jumped off the table, walking over to stand next to Yugi. He kept his face guarded; not letting Bakura read his emotions.
Yugi bit his lower lip. Bakura looked confident, too confident. That wasn't good. He had a feeling that Bakura wasn't going to be "easy competition." Yugi usually wasn't fearful of tough components...just Bakura.
Atem, for the first time, was actually smiling. It wasn't the confident smirk he had on earlier. He looked...happy. Joyful even. Yugi had not expected Atem to show a smile. Come to think of it, nothing had turned out as Yugi had expected.
"Yes, a game." Atem said, looking down so his golden bangs covered his eyes. "But, not just any kind of game."
A chill went down Yugi's spine. His stomach twisted in ways he didn't know were possible. He felt like this wasn't going to end well. He wondered where Atem was going with this. His mind buzzed with a million questions. What did Atem consider not to be an ordinary game?
Bakura smiled. "Are you talking about a Shadow Game?" The thief chuckled. "Who knew Prince had the guts for a Shadow Game?" Bakura laughed louder. Yugi couldn't decide whether the man was crazy, or just plain weird.
Atem lifted his head, his crimson eyes looking serious and business-like, but not aggressive. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Yes, a Shadow Game," he began. "We win, you give back my puzzle and the notebook."
Yugi gasped, unable to conceal his shock. Bakura had taken the notebook as well? A sudden realisation came to him. That was the reason Atem hadn't replied with the address!
Bakura reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden object. It was the puzzle they kept referring to, a golden, upside-down pyramid about the size of an adult male's fist. Yugi blinked. He had never seen a puzzle so complex. Just by looking at it, it seemed extremely hard to solve. Only now did he realize that it had more on it. The puzzle also bared an eye in the center. Yugi guessed it was the Eye of Udjat, but then second-guessed himself. It looked different from the eye in textbooks.
Bakura held up the pyramid by the tips of three fingers. The gold sparkled lightly from the sunshine streaming through the glass window. He examined it, pretending to scrutinize every detail, studying every aspect and marking on Atem's treasure. The unpleasant leer returned to his face as he slowly glanced back up at Atem.
"Of course Prince, but if thou shall lose..." He threw the puzzle up into the air. "Your soul will forever remain in the Shadow Realm...as well as the boy's." Bakura tilted his head towards Yugi as he caught the golden shape in his hand. "And of course you know what that means Prince," his smirk widened. "I get the notebook and your puzzle."
Yugi gulped. Forever was a long time.
Atem's expression changed to one of worry, no longer calm and relaxed. He gave Yugi a very uneasy stare. Yugi didn't know what to say. He was so confused. What was so important about a stupid notebook…other than its unique ability?
Yugi, after struggling with words to say, found the courage to speak. "W-what's a S-Shadow Game?" His voice shook uneasily.
Bakura's right eyebrow rose, giving his overall expression an edge of dark malevolence. Atem stared at Yugi and weakly mumbled, "You don't know what a Shadow Game is?"
Yugi shook his head, feeling guilty at failing Atem once again.
Bakura laughed. "This is perfect, Prince! Your little…what was it? Aibou?" He cackled at the name. "Doesn't even know what a Shadow Game is!"
Yugi frowned harder even though there was truth behind Bakura's words.
Atem explained to Yugi as simply as he could what a Shadow Game was. Bakura every now and then added his two cents, explaining the darker natures of the Shadow Game in fuller detail then Atem would have liked. Yugi got more terrified by the minute; the pressure was on.
"So why is the notebook so important then, Atem?" Yugi said, turning his body all the way towards his "twin."
Atem looked at Yugi; the gaze wasn't unkind. It took a second for Atem to give Yugi a reply. "If one is to write in both notebooks...the light and darkness in the world will collide." Atem glared up at Bakura. "He has already written in my notebook. That's why yours did…that." He indicated the bloodied book in Yugi's hands.
Yugi's eyes widened in shock as he clutched to book closer to his chest. One minute he was living a normal life then…BANG, supernatural and magic stuff start entering into it. If Bakura already wrote in Atem's book, the stakes were even higher. If he would fail...
He shook his head, wishing not to finish that thought.
"Let's play a game of hide and seek. You hide the notebook in this house, and Yugi and I shall seek it," Atem said, crossing his arms. "It seems only fit that that works."
Bakura's face was grim. "Now, now, Prince. That will be too easy for you!" His tongue traced over his teeth. "I have an idea though."
Atem cringed and tensed up. "And what would that idea be?"
Bakura shook his head. "Now, Prince, you shouldn't be so stressed! I hear it's bad for your health." He sighed and a wicked smile crossed his face. "It will still be a game of hide and seek… just not in your house."
Atem relaxed, but still kept his face guarded. "Where then? Surely not on the street."
The eye on the puzzle gleamed a tiny bit when Bakura lifted it up. "In here."
Atem began to laugh. "In my puzzle? That will be too easy!"
Bakura looked at Yugi, his lips upturning even wider. "But you will not be the one seeking..."
That sentence was followed by an uneasy silence. He had no idea what awaited him. Yugi blinked as his heart rate began to pick up speed. A little thumping noise, almost equivalent to Yugi's heartbeat, came from the room next to them. Yugi stole a glance at Bakura, hoping he hadn't noticed.
Luck just wasn't on his side today.
Bakura's red irises glinted as they moved back and forth. His eyes narrowed making him all the creepier. He turned to Yugi, taking a daring step forward. Atem also took a step forward, but Yugi held up his arm to stop him. He could do this by himself.
Bakura fiddled with an arrow, pricking his pointer finger on the sharp end, blood slowly began to appear on the metal. He closed his eyes and listened. Without opening his eyes, he said, "I see we have company..."
Ryou! Stay back! Please don't come in!
If only Ryou was telepathic.
"Sorry, Yugi, I couldn't find Atem, but I heard voices from-" He opened his eyes and stopped mid-sentence. His hands quickly shot up and concealed his mouth. "Wh-who are you?"
Ryou wasn't staring at Atem or Yugi, but Bakura instead. Now that they were standing side-by-side, the similarities stood out more than when Yugi had compared them from his memory. Instead of looking shocked or even surprised, Bakura smiled, but didn't answer the question.
"I see we have more players in our Shadow Game, Prince." Bakura crossed his arms, putting the arrow back in place before doing so.
Yugi looked at Atem. He wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or what, but it was hard to see a person standing only a few feet away. Yugi glanced at Bakura; it was also hard to see him. He felt dizzy and weak. The air thickened and it seemed to hold weight. Yugi felt his knees buckle a little and he began panting. An eerie darkness set into the felt himself slip away; his eyelids pushed their hardest to keep open, but couldn't withstand the weight.
He fell to the floor, resting his head on the ground, which smelt like Mr. Clean. He just had enough strength to look at Atem, who wore a worried look. He managed to get a quick glimpse of Bakura, whose mouth erupted into a smirk. "Game start!" was the last words Yugi heard before a dense blackness overcame his current vision.
"Yugi?" A voice asked. Yugi groaned and managed to open his lids. There was a boy. Wild locks of white streaming from the boys head. The first thing Yugi saw made his panic go to an all time high.
Bakura.
Yugi's eyes wandered down to the face. He expected to see red and purple irises, but instead got brown. A slow realization came. Yugi's heart began to slow down and thump at regular beat. It wasn't Bakura, it was Ryou. His friend.
Ryou sighed and wiped away the sweat from his hairline. "Thank goodness! I was so worried!" He mumbled as he sat down beside Yugi and let his head drop.
Since this was Ryou and not Bakura, Yugi couldn't help but to wonder: Where was the real thief…and where was Atem?
Only at this time did Yugi realize the location he and Ryou were at. Well, actually, he didn't know where they were, but one thing was for sure- they weren't in Atem's kitchen. They were in some sort of twisted maze by the looks of it. The possibilities of doors and stairwells seemed endless and unpredictable. Everything was made out of gold, but the precious metal was chipped and weathered.
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Yugi said, quoting 'The Wizard Of Oz.'. Ryou managed to smile at Yugi's joke.
"Yugi…where are we?" His friend asked from beside, his weak smile disapearing instantly.
"I think we're playing a Shadow Game...inside the puzzle..." Yugi observed.
"A Shadow what?"
"A Shadow Game."
"I don't like the sounds of that."
Yugi told Ryou about Shadow Games, excluding the gory details Bakura informed him, and how they were currently playing one. He also told Ryou who Bakura and Atem were and that Bakura was wagering the puzzle and the two notebooks.
"So you think we're in that weird shaped pyramid thingy Bakura was holding?" Ryou inquired.
Yugi nodded his head sadly. "Yeah."
"So, that's why I feel like all the energy is being sucked out of me." Ryou said breathily.
"According to Bakura, it's harder for us to hold energy here." Yugi felt like he has just finished running a marathon. That last sentence was hard to say.
"Finally, Sleeping Beauty has awakened." A voice chanted.
Yugi looked up, only to see more doors and stairs. He wondered where the voice was coming from. It was clearly echoing, so it would be nearly impossible to decipher where the original sound started.
"Welcome to our little Shadow Game." The same dark voice spoke.
Yugi gulped. The voice belonged to Bakura. He would know it from anywhere since each time he spoke chills went up his spine.
"I have hidden the notebook somewhere in this maze." A fit of laughter came after his sentence. "If you manage to find it, you'll be free as a canary. Give up, and your souls, as well as Prince's, will be mine."
Yugi listened for more, but nothing followed that. Ryou glanced at him, doubt visible in his eyes. Yugi returned the glance, but his were filled with hope.
"What should we do?" Ryou asked, standing up and brushing himself off. Yugi looked around.
"It would help if we had something that could help us know where we've been," he answered.
Ryou smiled and shoved a hand into his jean pockets. He pulled out some crackers in a Ziploc baggie. The crackers were reduced to halves, and some were even close to quarters. It looked like they had seen better days. Yugi blinked and immediately thought of Hansel and Gretel.
You've got to be kidding, he thought.
"I didn't finish my lunch today." Ryou offered. He began to squish the baggie, making the bigger pieces disappear. "So we're in luck." He held up the plastic sealed bag triumphantly and reached in. He grabbed a pinch of crumbs and began to sprinkle a little bit on the ground. Yugi stared down at it. This is what they were relying on. Some cracker crumbs.
"Ryou I don't think that will work." Yugi looked at his friend. "Sorry."
The boy frowned and sighed. "It was worth a shot. I suppose your right though. Any other ideas?"
Yugi exhaled noisily. "Maybe we could leave the doors open?"
Ryou thought for a second, then replied with, "How will we know what stairwells we've been on?"
This was harder than Yugi expected! A game of hide and seek was usually easy and simple. A Shadow Game of hide and seek...eh, not so much.
Then something dawned on Yugi. He had a Sharpie! Why hadn't he thought of that before?
"Ryou! I have a Sharpie! I can just write on the doors!" He demonstrated on the floor, drawing a black smiley face on the ground.
The white haired boy's mood lightened almost instantly as the words came from Yugi's mouth. Ryou grinned.
"What are we waiting for then?" He asked. "Let's find that notebook and get out of here!"
The two boys grinned and took off down the hallway, dearly hoping that the notebook was within their sights.