ERMAHGAD! So sorry about the whole lateness of this... Really wish I had gotten this up sooner, and all... but then SOPA, and shit... yeah. Anywho. Here's your next chapter! School will be starting on Thursday, for me. September 5th... so... yeah. This story is nearing it's end... and then, wait til you see the surprise you're in store with my new adventure story! I have the first few chapters done, but I'll probably post it soon. When I post it, take a look at it, and tell me what you think! ^^
Enjoy!

Yugi's POV

He never remembered being in pain; he didn't even remember hitting the ground, or losing consciousness. So, why was it that he felt so groggy, like he'd been asleep? He remembered falling, but that was it. When he was falling, he saw only darkness, so why was there white light surrounding him? None of this felt right to him. His body felt warm, and his whole body was tingling. It wasn't too pleasant though, his body ached horribly, and all he could do was lie down and think to himself. Was he dead? Was this what the Pharaoh had felt when he had left his era?

The light above him blinded him, and the dull ache in his body seemed to fade away the longer he was still.

Soon, he began to feel like he was just waking up from a nap, with a fresh mind, and the feeling that he could walk a thousand miles.

The light began to move away from him then, but it was still there, only hovering next to him. A voice seemed to call out to him-one that he had not heard before.

"Yugi!"

Yugi looked around; then he realized he was horizontal. His back didn't feel sore, though, though, by the feel, he was on a metal table. Did he fall on the table? Or was he placed on the table?

A voice then sounded, but what she said wasn't anything he would have guessed a stranger would ask.

A woman in pale clothing approached him; she had a veil around her mouth, which complimented the color of her clothes. She wore a pretty mask that covered up the rest of her face, but only her eyes were visible. She was quite beautiful, and her eyes shone so bright... they were a light blue, crystal color that he'd never seen before. She seemed kind, and gentle...

"How are you feeling?" she said in a low tone, as if she didn't want someone to overhear. He took the hint and kept his own voice low when he responded.

"Good, despite everything that's happened so far..."

He could have sworn she smiled a bit through her veil.

"That is good; however, I suppose you are a bit confused, and would like to ask me questions...?"

Yugi sat up so he could face the woman.

"I suppose I'm a bit confused, yes... but, I'd only like to know where I am, and what's going on."

She made a tiny, surprised squeak, "That is all?"

Yugi blinked, wasn't that all he needed to know? Sure he would like to learn more about her and everything else, like the small detail of the hole he fell through, but he needed to get out of here as soon as possible and find his missing friends.

There was a moment of silence before she sighed, "You surprise me, Yugi Muto. You are not like the others I have seen... and you are not at all what my master described you to be."

Yugi raised his eyebrow, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

She looked around cautiously again, and leaned in, as if to tell a secret.

"Most men I come across have been pulled in by my beauty... but I know what to expect, and how to dress, because my master tells me what they are like."

"Your master... why does he do that? Why does he tell you to do these things for him?"
"I work for one who turned me beautiful. He warned me though, that it would not last if I were to not help him."

Yugi grew concerned, "You are a slave, then? Just so he could make you pretty?"

"An odd way of putting it, but yes..."

Yugi frowned, "You shouldn't have to put up with that; what's beautiful about a person is not their looks, but their personality."

The woman's eyes seemed to glow even brighter, and there was a moment of silence.

"Thank you for telling me that... I needed to hear that." she murmured, "But I am still afraid that when people look at me, they will want to leave, and not learn my personality... Everyone I have ever known has always, well, in your saying, 'judge the book by it's cover'..."

"I won't leave," Yugi said, then added, "I'm curious though, are your eyes really not that color?"

"...What color are they?" She asked, curiously.

"They're a crystal blue color..." He answered.

Her eyes widened, "Th-that's... that's my normal eye color..."

Yugi looked startled, "Why would you want to get rid of that? They're pretty eyes..."

"They were awful... I hate them... they are partly the reason why I wanted to look different."

Yugi thought a moment, "Did you ever look in the mirror? Maybe consider the fact that the only thing that guy really changed was your clothes?"
She quickly shook her head, "I wouldn't be able to make the others obey if I looked like myself..."

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Yugi insisted.

"N-no... there was no need to..."

"Try," Yugi suggested.

She scrunched her eyebrows, "Since he changed me, I haven't had access to a mirror... but there never really was one in the first place,"

Yugi was about ready to suggest something, but here eyes suddenly grew wide, as if she had remembered something really important.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, "I'm in so much trouble!"

"Wh-AHHH!" he got out, as the woman quickly grabbed his wrist and yanked him up, and pulled him along.

He didn't realize at the time, but the room he was in wasn't a room at all, the table in which he was lying on was just at the end of a hallway, when you turned into an immediate dead end.

"Where are you taking me?" He questioned.

She looked back, a frown creasing her features, "That's for my master to explain,"

"Your master?" Yugi asked, "Am I meeting him?"

She didn't answer, but continued on down the hallway. She quickly turned a sharp corner, and let go of his wrist to push open wooden double doors.

"This is as far as I'm allowed to take you," she said.

Yugi looked a little confused, but he didn't have enough time to think about it before she shoved him through the entrance and slammed the doors behind him.

He gulped nervously, and proceeded down the now dark hallway.

There was already a light up ahead, and every second that passed, made chills run down his spine. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. What was he supposed to do, even? When he met this 'master' that woman was talking about, what was he supposed to do? Plead to be free? He sighed, he'd have to find out when he got there. No amount of problem solving would help him at this moment.

As he drew closer he didn't hear anything. Again, what was he expecting? Some type of scraping sound? Laughter? Perhaps something, yes, but what?

The light was blinding, and when he felt it was too much, he shielded his eyes with his hands, and pushed onwards. When he heard a small chuckle, his hands fell down to his sides, and he stared at the room in awe.

Despite the small tunnel, the room was huge, If it was just the room, and not the tunnel, he would have never known that he was underground, though, the room was completely empty.

The floor wasn't anything he'd ever seen before either. It looked extremely futuristic; space-looking, even.

There was a person standing in the room, smirk plain on his face.

"I knew you'd come," he remarked.

Yugi's eyes widened considerably as he realized who it was, and his face grew pale.

"O-oni! He exclaimed.

Oni bowed dramatically, "Yours truly,"

Once Yugi got over his initial shock, his eyes hardened with determination, "What do you want from me?" he demanded.

"Your life force... the pharaoh's spiritual power... a world I can rule..."

Yugi furrowed his brows, "How can I help you rule the world?" he asked.

"By being you, and having the pharaoh's powers, I will be able to conquer and rule the spiritual world, commanding the dead to do my bidding."

Yugi gritted his teeth, "That won't be happening. I won't allow that."

An even grin spread across Oni's face, "I think you'll find me very... persuasive."

When he said the last word, chains immediately shot up from the space-looking floor, and twisted up his legs, locking him in place.

Yugi looked down in panic; he began trying to untangle them and upsh them off, but they wouldn't budge.

"What did you do to me!?" Yugi shouted.

Oni rolled his eyes, "Listen kid, I need your energy; to get this and everything else, we have to follow the rules, and play a Shadow Game..."

"We?"

Oni sighed, "Yes, we. There needs to be two people in order for a Shadow Game to take place."

Yugi closed his eyes, "I know that... but you had to make me..."

Oni grinned, showing off frighteningly sharp teeth that didn't match the form of Yugi's body that he had taken on. "Glad you understand," He said.

He tossed something in Yugi's direction, and out of instinct, he reached out and grabbed whatever it was that Oni had thrown at him.

When he caught it, he opened the palm of his hand to reveal many different types of coins, but there were only ten.

"What is this?" he questioned. He didn't know of any Shadow Game involving coins...

Oni walked up to him; Yugi could see that he had his own stack of coins, and two decks of cards. One must be for him.

Oni plopped his cards in Yugi's hands, "In your terms, it might be considered a game of Duel Monsters and American Poker... With a bit of an American War in it, as well.

Yugi raised an eyebrow, he'd never heard of anything like this before.

"I take it you haven't heard of it before, which is natural, because this is the future's version of a duel.

"Can you explain how to do this?" Yugi asked.

Oni nodded, and walked far away from him, leaving a huge gap between them. Luckily the room was so big that any sound would bounce off the walls and make an echo for others to hear.

"First, let me show you what we'll be dealing with... the pieces, if you will."

Yugi blinked.

"Drop a coin. Any coin of your choice." Oni added.

Yugi looked down at his hands. He picked a nice, silver one. He dropped it on the ground, which made a ripple on the floor.

"Your ante."

"My what?"

"Your 'betting' piece, Yugi..."

Yugi looked down, and the silver coin glowed, and a swirl of white air worked it's way up from the coin, and something materialized, or, someone to be exact.

Once the figure materialized, he looked closer. It wasn't anyone he knew... or so he thought.

The person was dressed in weird clothing; they were wearing a black cape, which could almost classify as a cloak. It was ripped all the way up the sides, like a Reaper. There was a hood that sort of masked their features, and he held up a crooked sword up by a blue light emanating from both cloaked hands.

At first the figure was still, then it's hood fell back to reveal a face.

"Meet the Night Assailant. Your bargaining piece for this turn."

Yugi didn't have time to process what everything meant, but he recognized who was in front of him.

"Kaiba!"

"Yugi?" He voiced, confusedly.

A moment of silence passed, allowing Yugi to think. His eyes hardened, and and he turned back to Oni.

"What do my friends have to do with this?" he ordered.

Oni ignored the question, and went on, "Then the other part.. The game of 'War' is played here, as well."

"War?"

"Yes, the objective here is to win the game of war each round. I'd have a betting piece, like you do, and we play a game of war- or, to put it simply, If we both flip one card, and mine is stronger in attack points than yours, I get to take both your betting piece, and keep mine. The winner is the one with all the betting pieces."

"And we both have the same amount, right?"

Oni nodded, "The deck I gave you has all of your cards in it, except the monsters that your friends soul's are occupying. I have taken the liberty of adding in more cards for you to replace the cards that aren't there anymore."

Yugi blinked, and looked down at his own deck of cards. He began shuffling them. "Uh... aren't we both supposed to have betting pieces then?" he asked, side tracked.

Oni nodded, "Oh, and one more thing. All your friend's souls are in this battle. If you're the holder of your friend's coin, then they're on your side, both physically and verbally."

Kaiba looked over at Yugi, warily, "So... our souls are at stake I take it?"

Oni nodded, "Exactly correct, my dear Seto Kaiba."

Kaiba growled at him, "Hate to say this, Yugi... but kick his ass!"

Yugi nodded, a small smile on his face. It wasn't everyday that Kaiba rooted for his victory.

Oni picked up a green coin, "My betting piece," he said, throwing it on the ground.

Again, there was a ripple when the coin hit the floor. Another figure then appeared; He wore orange jeans, and brown worker boots. The figure was hidden behind a big shield. Yugi immediately recognized this figure as the Big Shield Gardna. The only difference was the hair. Instead of the spiky black head of hair, it was a spiky white head of hair.

Oni grinned, "Meet your friend-what was his name, Ryou?" He then scoffed, "Well, not your friend anymore, perhaps." he added.

Yugi's gaze snapped to Ryou.

"Ryou?" He called out.

Ryou regarded him with a fierce, guarded look. "I don't know how you know me, but you're going down..." He responded coldly.

Hurt shone plainly in Yugi's eyes. "Ryou... it's me, Yugi..."

Ryou narrowed his eyes, "You lie. I know Yugi, and you're not him."

Yugi gritted his teeth, and turned his attention to Oni, who was beside Ryou.

"What did you do to him?" he commanded.

Oni grinned wickedly, "Not I..."

Yugi raised a brow in confusion, "Who then?"

Oni swept his arm out,k and gestured to the tunnel he came out of.

When Yugi looked, he, once again, got a big shock.

"You!" he exclaimed, "You were the one I was talking with before I came out here!"

The woman nodded sadly, not making eye contact with him.

"Ia! Don't dawdle!" Oni snapped.

Ia made a squeaking sound, and rushed over.

Oni looked at him, "Just think... the pretty girl you were crushing on, has control of your little friends..."

Yugi took a breath, "It won't matter. I'm going to win this Shadow Game, and get rid of you once and for all!"

Oni chuckled, "You think so highly of yourself..."

"Why shouldn't I? I'm the King of Games, and-"

"No. you're not King of Games. Your Pharaoh friend is. You're nothing but a puppet that he uses to duel with."

Yugi couldn't deny that this was true. It was. Being told this by all the other villains didn't hurt nearly as much as it did when Oni said it. He only felt worse when he realized that he had proved himself over and over again with the pharaoh. He had never dueled alone since Yami had come along... never. He was always there to guide his thoughts...

"Yugi, you do know what this duel means, right?" Ia said softly, "If you lose, all your friend's souls will be lost- including yours. And the Pharaoh-he'll be stripped of his ancient powers and destroyed. This whole duel has laid his fate, and everyone else's, in your hands. If you don't win..."

Yugi felt his arms shake, as well as his legs, despite the chains.

Pharaoh, please, lend me your strength! He thought desperately.

"Why don't I begin?" Oni stated, drawing a card, "Remember, when all ten of your betting pieces are gone... you lose."

Yugi shivered at the thought.

Oni drew a card then, and threw it on the ground. Once it materialized, Yugi immediately noticed that the monster card he threw down wasn't the actual monster-more like a real person.

"Abyss Soldier, 1,800 attack points. Beat the attack points to win both betting pieces, Yugi."

"Who's that?" Yugi asked.

Oni sighed, "A slave from the dorm. You wouldn't know him.

Yugi narrowed his eyes, "Will they be freed if I win?" he asked.

"The slaves will be freed regardless. This era needs them." A pause then, "Go already!"

Yugi jumped, and from the side, Kaiba whispered words of encouragement, probably because his soul was on the line.

Yugi drew in a breath, and took the top card from his deck. Without looking at it, and a quick plea to the Heart of the Cards, he threw it down, and waited for a person to appear.

He bit his lip nervously; when nothing happened after a second, Kaiba cursed under his breath.

Oni looked like he was about to say something, but a green jar appeared.

Pot of Greed. What he needed.

Oni growled, "When you get a card like that you draw the cards and choose which one you want to play this turn. Next turn, however, you will have to play the other card you drew."

Yugi set a determined face, and drew the two cards, his breath shaky. Kaiba looked nervous, too.

The first one he drew wasn't very good at all. It was the Dark Bug, and it had 100 attack points. The other one? He let out a breath.

With a tiny nod at Kaiba, he dropped the second card.

"Silent Psychic Wizard, with 1,900 attack points, which is 100 more than your Abyss Soldier."

Ia's eyes lit up a bit, and she raised her hand, from her place a little off to the side.

Both cards disappeared, and Ryou blinked a few times.

"Y-Yugi? What...?"

"Go to him," Ia ordered him softly.

Ryou looked over at her; his eyes seemed glued to hers. He then said something he wouldn't normally say.

"You're very pretty..." He commented.

She smiled slightly through her veil, "Go," she urged again.

Ryou nodded, and maneuvered his shield over to Yugi and Kaiba.

Yugi looked at Ryou worriedly, not sure if he remembered what he'd said before.

Ia seemed to read his mind, because she answered him saying, "The boy doesn't remember. He won't for the duration of this Shadow Game."

Once Ryou reached Yugi's side, he looked up at Ia, confused. Yugi and Kaiba did as well.

"What do you mean, I won't remember?" Ryou asked.

"This means that you will not remember this Shadow Game when it's over." she answered.

Ryou looked like he was about to object, but Kaiba put a hand on his shoulder. Kaiba looked over at Oni, then. "What now?" He demanded.

Oni didn't say anything, but Ia answered for him.

"Next bet, next game."

Yugi sighed.

"Disappear," Ia whispered. She raised her hand slowly, and Yugi noticed Kaiba and Ryou slowly disappear. Once they were fully gone,k two coins appeared on the ground. Yugi reached down and picked up the coins, and put them with the others he had.

"Does it... is it... this simple?" Yugi asked, mystified.

Oni only smirked."If you think it is, then yes."

Yugi thought a moment. There's something else. I can feel it. Question is, what is it that he didn't add? This Shadow Game couldn't be that simple, could it?

"Your bet, Yugi," Oni said.

Yugi hesitated, but picked up another random coin, and dropped it. Oni didn't wait for the figure to appear before dropping his own. The ripples came again, and out of the corner of his eye, Yugi could see Ia raise her hand again.

Yugi looked at the figure beside him, but found it to be much smaller than he anticipated.

The small person had faded orange hair, ocean-blue eyes, and freckles. There was only one person he recalled with those specific features; Mia.

The white wings, broom, and blue outfit was more than enough to determine what she was supposed to be.

"Ah, the Witch's Apprentice," Ia said, eyes sparkling with excitement, "A wonderful suit, Miss Mia."

Mia looked around, confused. When she spotted Ia a little ways away, her eyes instantly lit up.

"Ia!" She exclaimed happily. Oni cleared his throat suddenly, gaining all three of their attention.

"Well, well. If it isn't Rena Miyako of Ryuu..."

Mia narrowed her eyes, then pointed her broom at him, "You!" she exclaimed disgustingly. "You were the one that did this to me!"

Oni grimaced, "Nice to see you, too..."

Yugi shot him a quizzical look, but before he could ask anything, Oni had turned, and gave the figure beside him his full attention.

"Tristan!" Yugi exclaimed, horrified at his friend's appearance. Tristan and the others were all in the other time... how could they possibly have gotten here?

Oni patted Tristan on the shoulder, "I see, the Marauding Captain. You fit it quite well."

Tristan nodded, and turned a cold gaze in Yugi's direction.

Yugi nearly fell apart at his gaze. Never had he experienced Tristan so... scary. It was hard to look at, and even when Joey and Tristan had bullied him, they hadn't looked like they were going to hurt him.

"What's wrong?" Oni said, "Having a rough night?"

Yugi almost collapsed in defeat, but Mia had pulled him into a small hug. Yugi was a bit surprised that he was able to touch them, but he hugged her back fiercely.

It was like Mia had restored his energy, because once she let go, he felt stronger, and had much more determination than he began with.

"You'll be fine. Just believe." She murmured, then gestured back to Oni.

Oni narrowed his eyes at Mia. "Since you drew two cards last turn, you have one remaining. Now, you must play the last card.

Yugi looked at Mia in panic, then looked at his card again. The Dark Bug... with 100 attack points...

Any monster Oni draws could beat this! He shouted in his thoughts.

"I'll go first, if your so horrified to make a move..." Oni remarked.

'Come on, I believe in you, bud," Tristan cheered, "Make it a good card! We don't want this creep to win!"

Yugi flinched at his words, but Oni nodded, smiling. He closed his eyes and drew.

He looked at the card confusedly. "It's bound to be better than whatever he has," Tristan encouraged.

Oni nodded slowly, "You're probably right," he agreed.

He slammed down the card, "The Little Trooper, with 900 attack points."

Yugi gulped; he looked at Mia, tears starting to form, "Mia... I'm s-"

Mia shook her head, "Don't worry, just put it down."

Yugi sighed, and reluctantly let the Dark Bug float down and land on the floor.

Once it landed on the ground, there was another ripple, and the Dark Bug appeared.

Oni laughed, "Now I wonder why I was so worried!" He exclaimed. Tristan laughed with him and patted his back, "Told you!"

Ia sighed, and took a breath, "The match goes to-"

"Wait!" Mia exclaimed.

Oni and Tristan stopped laughing, and they looked at Mia uncertainly.

"I activate my special ability,"

"Special ability!?" Tristan and Oni exclaimed together.

Yugi's eyes widened, and he turned to look at her.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Yugi said, happily. Mia nodded, smiling.

Yugi turned, a smile on his face. If his calculations were correct...

"Witch's Apprentice's special ability allows me to increase all Dark monsters attack points on the field, by 500 points, and all Light monster's attack decreases by 400 points."

"No! My monster is a Light monster!" Oni exclaimed.

"Yeah, so your Little Trooper's attack drops from 900 to 500, and my Dark Bug increases from 100 to 600, making my Dark Bug stronger than your Little Trooper."

Ia raised her hand, and the two monsters disappeared.

"You'll pay for that, Rena..." Oni snarled.

"Don't call me that," She snapped back.

"Rena?" Yugi asked.

"Rena is my first name..." She said.

"What about Mia? How do you get that out of Rena?"

"You don't; it comes from my last name, Miyako."

"Ah,"

"If I may," Ia interrupted.

When Mia and Yugi stopped their exchange, she went on.

"Yugi Muto wins this round, and I relinquish control of Tristan Taylor, and hand him over to the opponent."

Tristan's eyes grew blank, and he proceeded to walk over to where Mia was.

"You'll do fine. We're all behind you, always." she said, looking at Yugi.

"Bye Rena..." Ia said, sadly.

Mia looked back at her, "Goodbye, Ia."

Ia looked like she was about to cry, but lifted her hand, and she disappeared, coming back as a coin.

Tristan was still blank, but Yugi could see the trust he was placing in him, before he also disappeared.

Yugi picked up the two coins, and stashed them with the others.

"Score stands as 8 for Oni, and 12 for Yugi Muto." Ia declared, "Next round begins now."

Yugi took up a different coin, and threw it. He wanted to move his legs, but they were still locked in place by the chains.

Yugi's betting piece then materialized, along with Oni's.

"The Magician's Valkyria for Oni, and the Dark Magician Girl for Yugi," Ia announced.

Yugi looked next to him, and was surprised to see Kali. So... Kali is the Dark Magician Girl? But, what about the Magician's Valkyria? Who is that?

"Valkyria, you're the girl, Tea, right?" Oni asked her.

Tea!? No! Yugi thought in alarm, Tea's always been on my side; I've never once seen her, or heard her, being unkind... not to me, or anyone.

Tea nodded, "Now, win this thing," She cheered.

This time, it seemed, she would be cheering for the enemy.

"Tea!" Yugi exclaimed, "No! Snap out of it!"

Kali had a sad look in her eyes as he kept on going, "Tea, you're being controlled! It's me! It's Yugi!"

Tea looked at him with a blank stare. She shook her head.

"You're wrong. I don't know you."

"Then who are you supporting!?"

She looked at Oni, and then back at Yugi.

"I can't see either of you, but I can feel both of your presences. And right now, I feel Yugi's presence right beside me."

"That's a lie!" Yugi shouted.

"Enough!" Oni growled, "Draw your card, Yugi. The sooner I win, the better."

"You won't be winning, Oni," Yugi shot back, determination surging through him. With a worried glance at Kali, he drew his card.

The Dark Magician Girl didn't have a special ability, or, one that he could use in this particular Shadow Game, anyway.

"Zure, Knight of Dark World!" Oni declared, "it has 1,800 attack points, and 1,500 defense."

"Alright! A powerful monster!" Tea cheered; Yugi felt like a bullet went through his heart. Tea wasn't cheering for him, not like he was used to. He kind of realized how it might have felt to duel on the opposite side. He felt a little bad, but-

He shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts. He drew hesitantly, and looked at it.

X Head Cannon... one of Kaiba's cards...

Yugi dropped it, "X Head Cannon, 1,800 attack and 1,500 defense..." Yugi stated, sounding a bit confused.

"Oh well," Oni said, sighing, "Ia, you know what to do."

"Wait! Do what!?" Yugi said.

"Right, I don't believe I told you that little detail. Whenever we both draw a card that has the same attack and defense points, it becomes a stalemate and we both lose our betting pieces."

"So...we trade pieces?" Yugi asked.

Oni shook his head, "They're no longer in the game."

"What!? Where do they go!? Do they... get destroyed?" Yugi asked, ending in a some-what whisper.

Oni chuckled, "Close, but no. Ia becomes the one who holds the pieces; their fate is decided by the ending of this game."

Yugi turned to Kali, "Sorry... I-"

"It's alright, Yugi. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and I have faith that you'll win this Shadow Game," she interrupted, then added, "The Pharaoh has faith in you, as well..."

"But... I don't have him to help me! I... I might lose!" Yugi said, worriedly.

Before Kali could respond, she faded away.

There were no coins on the ground this time, and when Yugi looked over at Ia, she had two people standing next to her. Tea and Kali were no longer dressed as monsters, and were standing next to Ia off to the side. The only odd thing he saw was that both Kali and tea were in plain white dresses.

"Tea...?" he called out hesitantly. She didn't respond.

"She cannot hear you, and she may not speak," Ia said, sighing, "She is seeing something that you cannot." she added.

Yugi was about to ask about that, but Oni stomped his foot, angrily.

"You get way too distracted, Yugi... and so easily, as well."

Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Oni stopped him from going any further.

"Just... put down your betting piece, and draw your card..."

"Score is: Yugi, 11, and Oni, 7." Ia announced.

Yugi had a narrow lead, but he knew this was a game of chance, where there was a 50 50 shot at winning and losing. So far, he was winning, but things could change at any moment...

Yugi picked up another coin then; it flashed a blue color, and Yugi yelped when he felt a burning sensation. He dropped it, expecting it to come to life, but nothing happened. He looked at Oni for an explanation, but he looked just as puzzled. He noticed that all the other coins in his hands were flashing different colors, too, but they didn't get hot like the one he picked up. All the coins suddenly went to a black color; he looked at Ia, and found she also had a puzzling gaze.

He looked at Tea and Kali, and was surprised to see their eyes wide with horror, and mouths open; tears began to form and fall down from both faces, and only Tea was sobbing. She still was seeing nothing, according to him, but it was obvious that something had happened. If it was enough to make even Tea cry... then something bad must have happened.

"Kali..." Ia whispered, gesturing to the coin.

Kali stopped crying, and she straightened up. Kali nodded suddenly, and made her way over to Yugi, and picked up the coin.

The coin flashed blue in her hands, but she did not react. It flashed again, only this time it was green. There was still no reaction from her, just a blank stare.

The coin flashed bright red, then orange, then black, then a series of other colors. It was flashing so many colors that Yugi's mind didn't have enough time to process it all.

It was when the coin started to shake, and turn white, that Kali had clamped a hand on it, and closed her eyes.

The coins turned a light blue color, but quickly changed to black again.

Kali stood there for a few minutes before she opened her hand again. This time it was no longer shaking, but was a bright red color.

"This one can no longer be in this game." Kali announced.

"What?" Yugi said in alarm, "Who is it? What happened?"

Kali looked at him calmly; she stared into his eyes for such a short time, but long enough to make it feel like she'd stared at him for an eternity.

She held out her hands, and showed him the coin.

While it had looked calm from a ways away, it didn't now. The red coin, though bright, was bent in half, and it was decorated with an odd black dot in the center of the coin, at the heart of the bend.

He looked at Kali worriedly, "What does this all mean?" He asked.

She gave no pause or hesitation when she formed her answer.

"This particular soul could not handle the realm it was place in. It either destroyed itself, or is lost."

Yugi's eyes widened in horror, "Whose!?" he demanded, "Whose soul couldn't handle it? I-I need to know..."

She hesitated this time, not sure how to respond to his direct question.

Instead of responding at all, she handed him back the coin, whispered, "Keep him close to your heart," and walked away, back to where Ia and Tea were standing. He held the bent coin for a brief moment, and closed his eyes.

He didn't know who was lost, but he vowed he would avenge them with every fiver of his being.

"Let's finish this, Oni, before anyone else gets hurt."

Oni shrugged, and dropped another coin. "Since you lost a soul, it'll be replaced so you can go on with the same amount you had before this all happened."

Yugi glared at Oni, "You know, I don't even want to do this..." He told him.

"No one said you would, kid," He answered, just as his betting piece appeared.

"Joey!" Yugi called out, worriedly. Joey had appeared as Oni's coin; so it would be improbable that he would respond to Yugi, but, against all odds, he did.

Joey looked up, tears dripping from his eyes, and making trails down his cheeks.

"He's... He's gone..."

"Who is?" Yugi urged.

Joey looked into his eyes, first full of hate, but then of sudden realization. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, so tight they were shaking. The tears became connected, and it seemed possible that Joey had a chance of drowning in his own tears.

Joey looked like he was trying to answer him all the while, but couldn't quite manage it. Finally, it was let out with a blood-curdling scream.

"The Pharaoh! He's gone! He's gone forever and there's nothing we can do! He's dead!"

Yugi blinked, not quite processing Joey's words.

He stood there, silent, as his oldest friend screamed and cried. So out of character for him...

But, the pharaoh... if he was gone, then... why wasn't he reacting? He'd just been given the death blow, and he was just standing there...

Truth was, he should be the one most upset, not Joey. Joey would have cried, sure, but never scream and throw a fit like he was... so, why? Why wasn't he acting like Joey? Or worse?

Yugi's mind was plagued by many questions, thoughts, and other pictures in his mind. How did it happen? Why is there no chance? Where was everyone?

Maybe he was thinking so fast that his body didn't have the time to process, or react to, what he'd just been told. Yes, that must be it...

"Yugi!" Joey screamed.

Yugi blinked again, snapped back from his inner thoughts.

"Do you not care?" Joey asked in a whisper, looking incredibly scary, hurt, and accusatory all in one glance. He walked up to Yugi.

How Joey, summoned on Oni's side of the field, could realize that it was him, was a mystery.

"Do you not care at all, Yug?" he repeated, "The Pharaoh's gone, forever. He's dead... I know, because I was forced to watch the life, the spirit, his soul... all of it, get sucked away."

Yugi felt everything on him, and inside him go cold. He could feel his heart slowing down, and eventually stop. He could no longer see or hear anything around him, except the darkness. Now, it seemed, Joey's words hit home.

Yami... was he... really gone?

"Yug, that Oni guy... that demon, he did this... This whole duel he's been sucking the life out of Yami; not just him though, you, too."

This was the only thing he was able to hear.

Oni? That... demon... he would pay dearly.

A brief picture flashed before his eyes. It looked like him, but he thought it was Oni. When he peered closer, however, he felt that it was himself. The longer he stared at himself, the more he thought about Yami; he started having flashes of moments with him. How, Yami would always show him the best strategy in a duel against an opponent; or how, Yami talked to him when he felt there was something wrong. How, Yami was always worried about him whenever they got in trouble, or when Yami would stay up all night watching over him to make sure nothing happened to him. Or all the other times that Yami seemed more protective over him over something small.

Yami was Yugi's confidence, his incarnation, his closest friend... and the only thing that Yugi considered as more than a brother. Yami was Yugi's whole world. Now, he didn't have Yami. Now, his friend, brother, world... it was all gone. And all become of one demon who wanted power. Now, Yugi didn't have a world to go back to.

He felt such pain, such agony, swell up inside of him, hate and rage swirled together, and it was suddenly too much to handle. He could explode.

The mirrored self showed up again, but was different. He didn't have room beneath all the emotions he was feeling now to be shocked at what he saw. His features had darkened considerably and his figure was outlined by a blue and white glow.

The picture faded, and he felt he was able to open his eyes.

When he did, he saw a whirlwind surrounding him, cutting him off from everything else.

After everything he'd gone through, he had to lose the only person he couldn't afford to lose. It was one thing to deal blows to him, but it was never okay to deal blows to Yami. Never.

Yugi felt himself zone in, and focus on one person: Oni.

Oni was the cause of this whole mess... as well as Sora and Mira's spirits... Yugi was sick of waiting, he needed to handle this. Before now, Yami was always the one to do that, but now...

"I'm done," Yugi growled.

Oni and everyone else were rather startled. They could feel the wind, and see him just fine, but the tone of his voice seemed far from innocent.

"You give up? You're going to give me your-"

"I'm done with your shit, you bastard." Yugi interrupted, "Everything that's ever happened to me always comes with a price, and someone always ends up getting hurt. We're going to deal with this here, and now."

Oni raised an eyebrow, "Weren't we?" He questioned.

Yugi growled low in his throat, "You were wasting my time,"

As he said this, the chains holding him to the floor snapped into many different pieces.

"This wasn't a Shadow Game at all... you were just stalling for time so that you could suck my life energy away..." Yugi narrowed his eyes, "You mentioned that you needed Yami's powers, as well as mine... and while you had me tied down, you began with Yami first, isn't that right?"

Oni was silent, "Fine, you got me there."

Yugi made a deep, odd noise, as if he were growling, but not quite.

Two of Oni's coins flared up, and burst open. The light immediately flew to him, and materialized into two beings.

Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and Blue Eyes Shining Dragon. Sora and Mira. Their Ultimate forms. It made sense, as they were both twins... but they were both deadly.

Yugi closed his eyes, and a shining bolt of light shot from the Shining Dragon, and towards the pile of coins that Oni had dropped all at once. The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon also let off a bolt of light, and it went in the direction of Yugi's hand, where all the coins were.

Yugi didn't flinch as the bolt hit him, nor did he feel a thing. He dropped the coins, allowing them to glow a beat red; Oni's coins turned the same color.

"You'll pay for what you did, Oni." Yugi muttered, advancing on him with the two dragons following closely behind him.

The coins all rippled away, and the cards that they had both had vanished, too, only to be replaced with a swarm of people, and monsters.

"Toying with our lives, with our souls is not something that I'll allow. I don't care how old you are, who you are, or where you came from, you're going down, and I'm going to make sure of it.

The souls of all my friends will put a stop to your evil ways, once and for all!" he added.

The whirlwind that surrounded him vanished, only to be replaced by the souls of the people who were trapped in the cards and coins.

He listed off all the names of his friends, hopefully separating their souls from the monsters, and maybe even doubling the fighting power.

"Ishizu, the Beautiful Head Huntress. Tea, the Magician's Valkyria. Joey, the Rapid Fire Magician. Tristan, the Marauding Captain. Mia, the Witch's Apprentice. Ryou, the Big Shield Gardna. Mikki, the Blizzard Princess. Mariku, the Darklord Edeh Arae. Odion, the Black Luster Soldier. Bakura, the Darkness Destroyer. Marik, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Shiro, Wynn the Wind Charmer. Kali, the Dark Magician Girl. Kaiba, the Night Assailant. Mira, the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, and Sora, The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Yugi listed off each name and monster without having to glance at any of them.

"And... The Dark Magician," he added.

Deep down, he knew that this was the monster that Yami had been; only, this time, yami was gone, so there was no need to call out his name, no matter how painful it was whether he did or not.

One by one, the souls and monsters separated, and man and monster stood side by side, ready to fight the one and only enemy that mattered now. Oni began to have a look of horror on his face, and he turned towards the tunnels that Yugi had once entered.

"Ia!" he called sharply, "Come here at once!"

Yugi's head swiveled towards her. Her crystal-blue eyes looked hesitant, and unsure.

Out of instinct, he held out his hand to her. She looked at him, and when he softened his gaze a bit, she made her way over and stood beside Yugi, taking his hand.

Oni looked livid with rage, but was quickly overcome by fear when Yugi's hard gaze swept over him like a blow to the face.

Yugi didn't say another word, but pointed at him.

The only thing Yugi could really think about at the moment was destroying Oni's soul.

Once he pointed, everyone lunged at the same time for him, grabbing him and hauling him away.

Yugi's anger and rage then melted away, and he and Ia were the only ones remaining in the room.

Only his anguish and pain remained. He fell to his knees, his demeanor instantly shattering to pieces.

Yami... gone? Forever? The last time he had seen Yami... was in the Infirmary.
Yugi clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. He still was unable to cry for his fallen friend.

Instead, he took to screaming. He screamed over and over again, showing the world the inner turmoil that had befallen him. Or, not his world, because he had lost that... he was showing everyone his emotions in the depths of hell.

Ia kneed down next to him, wordlessly. She rubbed his back in soothing circles, murmuring comforting words as he screamed out his pain.

Once his screams began to quiet down, he finally broke into racking sobs. Ia took him into her arms, and cradled him back and forth, until he fell into a dreamless, hellish void, he labeled as sleep. Dreaming of the future that would never be.

Did I... really kill off Yami? Wtf is wrong with me!? Oh god... This isn't quite over yet, but maybe two or three more chapters, and we should be good... if I think of nothing else :D

Hope you enjoyed, and I'll be posting my new adventure story real soon! Oh, and by the way... this chapter was extra long for you... this is 7,524 words by the way! XD Hope you liked this chapter! Please review! :D