RN: Thanks to Not-A-Randomer for providing the character for the disclaimer! Congrats on winning the challenge!

Disclaimer:

Valon: Bloody 'ell! What...What's goin' on 'ere, then?

RN: Read the script, please.

Valon: What?

RN: Read. The script. Please.

Valon: What's that? 'Robin Nightingale doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of it's'-hold up, I ain't readin' no bloody script! What sort o' whacker thought this 'ere would be good oil, eh? You let me outta 'ere right now, or you'll be servin' up ya soul fer this, you will! I'll-wait a minnut, who's that? Who're all them blokes lookin' at me? What's all this? It's all white, with words floatin' 'round! What kinda...You trapped me, didn't you? You bastards better let me out right now! I'll punch me way outta the screen if I've gots to! I'll-!

RN: *snap*

Valon: *disappears*

RN: It's actually not that hard to snap with lizard claws...Anyways, can we call someone from the Fourth Wall Department? We've really got to put up a better cover for our readers...

Chapter 16: A First Time for Everything, Part One

Half a week more of recuperation showed very plainly what sort of work.

It wasn't that the Pharaoh was new to chores. He had helped out plenty of times around the house when Yugi was more tired than usual, and the few times he had been curious, Grandpa had shown him how to properly do menial tasks such as wash dishes and laundry.

But the fact remained that none of them had ever expected the Pharaoh would one day gain his own body and thus be forced to live just as any other person. Of course, it couldn't be said the Pharaoh hadn't had practice being his own person; there had been times when the Pharaoh had been out for more than one day, and during that time, the Pharaoh had learned how to take care of his physical self rather than simply his spirit.

(It was wretchedly ironic that the longest the Pharaoh had ever been in control, and thus had to endure living as a physical being, was the time Yugi had been taken by the Orichalcos.)

For whatever the reasons he had surfaced, over the years the Pharaoh gradually came to understand what it meant to be his own person; people ate, they slept, they worked, they played, they got tired, and they moved from place to place. Most of all, they interacted with other people.

And in Japan, interaction demanded public service, at least to one's own household.

Yugi's prediction came true the Thursday of that week, if not in the manner he had imagined. For starters, the Pharaoh had volunteered his services before Grandpa had the chance to demand it of him.

Secondly, the Pharaoh's bill of health had come not from Grandpa, but from Keichi the previous day.

Keichi had come early in the morning, a few hours before noon and the shop's opening time. As Yugi was already at school, the Professor, Grandpa, and the Pharaoh were able to find the entire shop and house empty except for themselves.

Grandpa invited him to the guest room before calling to the Pharaoh, who had woken only an hour before and was finishing his breakfast when Keichi arrived. The motion was of some confusion to the professor, for Grandpa had elected to call the Pharaoh by his chosen name rather than his usual title.

"Isashi? Is there another person here? Does he know about the Pharaoh?" There was a note of concern in Keichi's questions.

Grandpa stared at him blankly before realizing what he meant, at which point he replied hastily, "No, it's not that! 'Isashi' is just the name we picked as a cover for the Pharaoh, that's all. After all, it'd be strange if we went around introducing him as 'Pharaoh', wouldn't it?" He put a hand to the back of his head and gave a somewhat forced laugh.

Relief broke out on Keichi's expression. "Oh, yes I see. Quite a clever idea."

The Pharaoh entered only a minute later, smiling warmly when he saw Keichi. He bowed. "Professor, it's good to see you again."

"My dear boy, I can only say the same," Keichi replied in awe, standing. He bowed as well, though in a far more flustered manner. "You look to be in splendid shape!"

"Thank you," the Pharaoh replied, slightly taken aback by the Professor's energy. "Actually…"

To the professor's utter surprise, the Pharaoh lowered himself until he was on his knees and bowed low to the ground, a hugely humble gesture. "I must thank you, truly, for everything you have done and all you have given us," he said solemnly, his forehead on his hands.

Grandpa repeated the gesture next to him. "Yes, Keichi. We are in your debt, for we could never have imagined you would provide such a gift."

Keichi was struck speechless. Moreover, he had absolutely no idea how to respond, for in truth he had come intending to thank them in the same manner for all they had done to help realize his dream. What resulted was several minutes of exchanged bows, respectful gratitude, and polite disagreements. At the end of it, Professor Keichi was finally able to get around to checking up on the Pharaoh's well-being, and asked several questions about how the Pharaoh had been feeling before moving on to the actual physical. At the same time, he conversed with them on what had transpired over the past week.

"If you're not attending school, you'll have to find a clinic for a proper check-up," Keichi said when the health check was done, and after he had declared the Pharaoh perfectly healthy as far as he could tell. "I'm nothing compared to a real doctor, after all."

"No need, I've got one scheduled in about two weeks," Grandpa replied.

"That's good." As he put away his equipment, Keichi suddenly noticed the Pharaoh's pendant. He paused a moment to gaze at it properly.

"What an interesting necklace," he said curiously.

The Pharaoh looked up. "I'm sorry?"

"That pendant. Have you always had it?"

"This? No, it was given to me a few days ago by Tristan."

"I see. Then that means Yugi must have the Puzzle, correct?"

"Yes."

"Ah. Good, good…"

The Pharaoh's eyes caught the relief that flitted over the professor's face, and he frowned. "I'm sorry, Professor Keichi, but…why do you say good?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Keichi answered casually, closing up his bag. "Just a thought that crossed my mind once, but it's hardly plausible."

The Pharaoh took on a more serious tone. "Professor, if there is something you think we may need to know, then please, tell us."

Keichi paused, seemingly debating whether or not to comply. Finally he sat a little straighter and looked upwards in thought. "Well, at some point I began to wonder if there was a chance that, if you were to continue wearing the Puzzle for any consecutive period of time, your soul might be drawn to it."

At the Pharaoh's confused, yet concerned look, the professor grew more focused. "You see, the Puzzle is the vessel that has housed your soul for the longest time by far; 3,000 years. Even when you died, you couldn't have been more than…17? At the very least, you may have only just come of age."

It was very odd to think of his age like that, to the point of intrusiveness. Aloud, 17 sounded so…young. Hardly out of adolescence. These days, those who were only on the cusp of adulthood were treated as inexperienced, energetic young bloods who were the hope of the community but also a danger for their rash actions.

I hardly feel like one of those people, the Pharaoh reflected, though even in his head there was a note of uncertainty. Yet, is that how I am perceived? Perhaps my sense of time has been lost over the millennia.

"And now this body, which you've been inhabiting for no longer than a week," Keichi continued, "barely a blink in the face of the time you've spent in the Puzzle, it wouldn't be able to compete with the familiarity of your former vessel. As such, there is a possibility—very, very slight, and only in theory, of course!—that if you were to wear the Puzzle for any lengthy period of time, your soul might recognize the Puzzle as its former vessel, and be drawn towards it and out of your present body. In theory, that is."

He could have said 'in theory' a thousand times, and it wouldn't have brought any more comfort. The Pharaoh floundered with his words for a few moments, shocked that a simple decision had allowed him to escape this fate yet irked that Keichi had only chosen now to tell them about this theory.

"What—Professor, aren't…aren't I in danger of this already? I may not wear the Puzzle, but I am near it every day. Should my soul not be drawn to it with this amount of exposure?"

"Only in theory, Pharaoh. The actual chances of this being a real danger are miniscule. But even if it were real, since the Puzzle is not directly on your person and you have limited physical contact to the Item, you should have no cause for worry. Think to when you were still in the Puzzle; when Yugi removed the Puzzle, how strong was your link?"

Not very strong, the Pharaoh almost said. It wasn't something he liked to admit, even to himself. It was during those times that the Puzzle had been taken from Yugi that he truly felt the Puzzle was a prison, for he had always been powerless to do anything unless he had a vessel through which to take action, and even then he could only have ever acted through Yugi. And when Yugi was far away, the Puzzle became cold and silent, and he could barely sense the occurrences of the outside world.

Keichi's deductions, though incredibly precise, were bringing up unpleasant factors, at least unpleasant for the Pharaoh to think about with others around. He merely thanked the professor for his revelations, and the conversation took a much more casual turn. After a while, however, it became clear to the Pharaoh that his thoughts were stuck on this new information. Furthermore, it seemed the two friends wished to catch up on lost time, so he politely excused himself and returned to his room, intending to ponder the professor's words further.

Every day I seem to find something new about all this, he remarked silently. It was expected that there would be further risks, but I did not imagine this…Not to mention side effects. Aside from my physical weakness and loose control over my emotions, there seem to be none, yet I can't help but feel I am running towards something awful…

He needed a second opinion. "Aibou, what do you think about—?"

He caught himself, remembering with a start that he was alone. A chuckle left him. How interesting, he mused. When Yugi was with me, to talk seemingly to thin air was no strange task. But to do so now would be…crazy.

He supposed there was a spot of irony in the mix, though he couldn't place where.

It took him only until the next morning to find that he had, at last, gotten up to full strength as well as health.

His first clue was the time he awoke. For the past week, the Pharaoh had been progressively getting up at earlier and earlier times, but this day he finally managed to wake up at the same time Yugi did. It alarmed him at first, for it was still dark out, and when he saw Yugi walking around in his pajamas he believed for an instant he had somehow managed to sleep the entire day away, despite the progress he had been making. But when Yugi assured him he was getting ready for school, not bed, the Pharaoh became far more relieved, not to mention ecstatic.

Because he felt awake. He felt wonderfully energetic and alert, in both body and mind. It was such that he wished autumn vacation could have been extended another two weeks so that he could go out and Duel like he had been wanting to ever since he woke up as Isashi Takahashi.

For the first time since the two had become brothers, he brushed his teeth and washed his face with Yugi, ate breakfast with Yugi, and even got to wish Yugi farewell as he went out the door to school. When he went back to the kitchen and found Grandpa washing dishes, he offered to finish up. And when Grandpa thanked him and started to go prepare for the day, the Pharaoh stopped him and asked, a little hesitantly, if he could help out with taking care of the shop for the day.

A pleased and surprised smile broke out on Grandpa's face. But instead of the "Of course!" the Pharaoh was expecting, he asked, "Are you absolutely sure?"

The Pharaoh's own smile faltered. "Yes, of course I am. Why?" A shot of apprehension ran through him, and for a moment Yugi's words from the previous night echoed in his head. "Is it…Is the job very difficult?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I'm asking because if you help me around the shop, that means you'll have to work around other people. Actual strangers."

When the Pharaoh still didn't give any indication he grasped Grandpa's meaning, the older man explained, "You'll be showing yourself, for the first time, as someone other than Yugi Muto. Are you ready for that?"

The Pharaoh's brow smoothed out in understanding. He took a deep breath, and answered, "I can't stay hidden in my room forever, Grandpa."

Grandpa nodded as if having expected that answer. "All right, then," he said. "Come with me, and we'll see what I can set you up with."

In the hours before opening time Grandpa ran him through the layout of the shop as much as he could. The process was quickened by the Pharaoh's rapid ability to pick up on details and the fact that he had, when he was still in the Puzzle, observed a few times when Yugi was working in the shop on weekends and evenings. By the time the shop opened, the Pharaoh had memorized where each section of games was, learned how to operate the cash register, written price tags for each game and practiced laying out some example merchandise on the shelves.

When it came time for actual work, however, he was given a choice: Stay in the shop and manage the customers, or take a trip into the city to pick up supplies from a wholesale store.

The choice seemed innocent enough, yet the Pharaoh immediately interpreted a deeper, far more important decision. Staying inside would mean he would see a few people at a time, and his existence would be gradually introduced to the world.

Going out would be a full-on announcement.

To nobody's surprise, the Pharaoh picked the latter.

Grandpa wrote down the address and gave the Pharaoh some money, as well as a note of registration for the store manager. "Go directly to the office and ask for Tanaka Hima. She'll tell you where to pick up the merchandise."

"All right." The Pharaoh folded the papers and tucked them into the pocket of his pants. He hurriedly slipped on his shoes and reached for the door handle, and was about to turn it when he froze.

Grandpa, who had been heading to the cash register, paused and turned around. "Pharaoh? Something wrong?"

"No, Grandpa, I…"

The hand on the door trembled.

Why? Why am I hesitating?

Something in his chest wouldn't let him twist his hand and pull open the door. What was it? Fear? Doubt? It was…familiar, yet unrecognizable. But suddenly staying inside for another week seemed like a rather good idea.

He closed his eyes in defeat. His hand began to let go. Maybe he wasn't ready after all…

Then from behind him, Grandpa said softly, "You have fun, now, y'hear?"

His eyes flew open, and the apprehension suddenly disappeared. His mouth curved into his old smirk.

"Yes, Grandpa."

He reaffirmed his grip on the handle, turned it, and disappeared outside.

Grandpa chuckled. "And don't get into trouble," he murmured as he shuffled behind the desk.

The Pharaoh shook his head as he walked away from the Game Shop. What was that? He couldn't remember ever being that shaken about something so trivial before.

The questions died, however, as the warmth of the morning sun began to seep into his clothing, and all attention turned to this…far more…beautiful…feature.

By the gods themselves.

Outside felt amazing.

He had begun walking briskly, but very soon began to slow. His walk eased into a stroll, and soon enough he stopped completely. His shoulders relaxed, and his eyes slowly closed in bliss. He rolled his head back and forth, and stretched his arms on either side of him. Ohhh, there were no words to comprehend how wonderful it felt to be out of the house. He had never appreciated the heat of the sun's beams, or the caress of the gentle autumn wind on his face, or the fresh, brisk scent of the approaching winter. Oh, forget the job, forget everyone else, he could stand out here forever if he wanted—.

He cracked his eyes open when he heard a suppressed snort, and with a start realized there were other people around him. Not many, and not nearby, but as he lowered his arms rather awkwardly he saw several strangers walking past or merely standing by and staring at him, some with amused smiles that they tried to hide, others with blatant disapproval.

The Pharaoh gave a brief smile and a quick bow, and the strangers went on their way, though not without a last raised eyebrow. He stretched his arms over his head, cricked his neck back and forth, and headed downtown towards the eastern part of the city.

He didn't expect the trip there to be so crowded.

Everyone he knew was either in school or at work, so the streets weren't as crowded as they could have been, but there were certainly far more people than he would have guessed to be on a Thursday noontime. Most were middle-aged businessmen-and-women briskly walking down the sidewalks with sandwiches in their mouths, or older women sitting outside cafés chatting with their friends.

It must be lunchtime, the Pharaoh reasoned.

There were hardly any people his age, but there were an abundance of young, elementary-age schoolchildren either with their parents or playing in the alleyways. As the Pharaoh passed one darkened alley, one of the children, a boy in a green cap who stood and watched while his friends Dueled, looked up and happened to see him. His eyes grew wide, and an excited grin split his face. Hurriedly he called to his friends and gestured, but by the time they looked to see what he was yelling about, the Pharaoh, who had been intently perusing the roughly-drawn map to the store from Grandpa, had already walked on, entirely oblivious to the boy's motions.

Unperturbed, the boy ran out to the sidewalk, hoping to at least catch another glimpse at the King of Games, but only a few seconds before, the Pharaoh had halted at the corner, scratched his head frustratedly, and turned to the left, thereby disappearing from the child's view.

His friends followed, slightly annoyed their Duel had been interrupted but willing to forgive their playmate, unless he had been lying about the whole "King of Games" thing. Which, as the Pharaoh was nowhere to be seen, seemed to be the case.

They grumbled and shoved the young boy around for calling them away for no reason, and without a second thought, activated their Duel Disks once more and resumed their game. The young boy, meanwhile, furiously searched the crowd for another minute, hardly paying attention to the grown-ups that bumped into him as they hurried back to work from their lunch break. But when the recognizable shock of spikey tri-colored hair didn't reappear, the search died in his face, and he slowly made his way back into the alley, all the while muttering to himself that he did see the King of Games, Yugi Muto-san was there, the others were just too slow and dumb to see him. He hunched over in a huddled position against the wall, and pulled the cap down over his face, too moody to watch the rest of the Duel.

The Pharaoh couldn't imagine how it could have happened, but it took him a solid twenty-five minutes to finally arrive at the wholesale store, GameCenter, after Grandpa had sworn it would only be a ten minute trip. He made his way inside and took a moment to calm his irritation; first impressions were, after all, rather important.

There was an office in the far corner of the building with a bright red sign in white lettering that read, "Management". There, the Pharaoh approached the reception desk with a calm and confident smile.

"Good afternoon. Is it possible that I might speak to Tanaka Hima-san?" he asked politely.

"Of course. I'll be back in a moment." The receptionist smiled sweetly at him and disappeared out a side door.

The Pharaoh turned around, leaning backwards against the desk, and surveyed the small office room. A little fish tank stood in the corner, with a miniature castle and plastic trees inside. As the Pharaoh watched, a small but very colorful fish with large, dramatic fins tentatively peeked its head out and remained there for a few minutes, its mouth opening and closing noiselessly.

Curious, the Pharaoh drew closer for a better look. The fish must have noticed him, for its fins, which had until that point merely fluttered majestically in the water, suddenly grew more rigid and flapped more rapidly. But instead of darting back into the castle, it actually swam out more, going towards him until it bounced off the glass. There it floated, and its fins returned to the slow, rippling dance the Pharaoh had seen before.

It was a remarkably colored fish. The majority of its body was black, but the fins on its back and belly, as well as the tips of those on its tail and by its side, were tinged a deep, rich red, and bright yellow stripes ran from head to tail-tip. Narrowing his eyes in awe, the Pharaoh bent a little closer.

Immediately the fish rammed against the glass. Startled by the sudden motion, the Pharaoh straightened, but still the fish continued to attack the side of the tank, its dorsal and tail fins flared in agitation.

"Yugi!"

The Pharaoh whirled around, only to see the receptionist returning behind a stern-looking businesswoman. The businesswoman stopped a few feet from the Pharaoh, confusion pulling at her sharp features.

"What are you doing here at this time of day? Why aren't you in school?" she asked.

The Pharaoh was taken aback, not because he had been called by his partner's name, but because in her tone there was a distinct scolding note. The woman, whom the Pharaoh assumed was Ms. Tanaka, certainly gave off a strong presence. She was not exactly old, but with the few wrinkles crinkling the corners of her eyes and mouth and the gray streaks in her hair, not to mention the way her mouth was pressed into a thin line, it was difficult not to imagine her as a school dean who had just summoned him to her office.

"Uh…" The Pharaoh struggled not to trip over his own tongue to answer. "I'm not…Sorry." He cleared his throat. "I'm not Yugi, madam. I'm actually his twin brother, Takahashi Isashi. I just arrived in Domino City a few days ago."

Tanaka raised her eyebrows. "Twin brother? Really? I wasn't aware Yugi ever had a twin brother…"

"Neither did he, madam. We only just learned about each other. I've been with our father all this time." He was surprised how easily this was rolling off of his tongue.

"Is that so?" Tanaka's thinly-veiled suspicion was fading, to be replaced with genuine surprise. Her face softened into a smile. "That's…amazing! I never would have guessed…Well, welcome to Domino City. I'm Hima Tanaka, store manager. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you."

Tanaka clasped her hands in front of her. "So, what brings you here today?"

In answer, the Pharaoh dug into his pocket and showed her the registration note. "My grandfather sent me. I'm here to pick up some supplies."

Tanaka peered at it closely, and a knowing smile appeared on her mouth. "Ah, another shipment. All right. Wait here, I'll go get the box."

"I can do that, miss," the receptionist offered.

"Oh, no, that's all right. I need to do this one myself." With that, Tanaka disappeared through the side door.

The Pharaoh, meanwhile, glanced back at the fish tank. The lone fish was still there, twisting this way and that as if to keep an eye on him, its fins quivering threateningly.

"He's challenging you."

The Pharaoh turned to the receptionist, who was smiling amusedly at him. "I'm sorry?"

The receptionist nodded at the tank. "It's a betta fish. The males become aggressive when they see colors similar to that of other males. Apparently, he now thinks you are a rival."

"Is that so?" The Pharaoh now turned to look at the fish with a much more impressed gaze. The fish was still darting at the glass, and he was sure that if the fish could jump out of the tank to get at him, it would do so without hesitation. "I must say, I've never been challenged by a fish before. I suppose I'm honored. He looks to be a worthy opponent."

The receptionist giggled. At that moment, the side door opened once more, and Tanaka reappeared now holding a medium-sized, heavy-looking box. Immediately the Pharaoh stepped forward to take it from her, amazed that such a small package could be such a hefty load.

"That's all for today; be thankful it's only one box," Tanaka told him.

The Pharaoh peeked inside. Several stacks of bright blue boxes were neatly arranged in four rows and columns, and when the Pharaoh shifted the package, their contents gave off muffled rattles.

Indeed, he was grateful he didn't have to carry perhaps five of these packages back across town. "What happens if there is to be more than one box?"

"Oh, in that case, your grandfather will give us a call and we'll send a small truck over with the load."

The Pharaoh nodded. "All right. How much will this be?"

"7,000 yen."

The Pharaoh dug into his pocket once more, struggled for a bit, then set the box down and finally freed the money from his pocket. As he counted out the bills and handed the money to Tanaka, a note slipped from the paper and fluttered to the ground.

"Ah, darn." The Pharaoh quickly bent to snatch it up, but paused when he noticed the paper wasn't a yen note but a folded piece of writing paper. He slowly unfolded it and scanned the written contents.

It seemed to be a message from Grandpa, which was odd, because he didn't remember receiving it. Grandpa must have slipped it in with the bills that morning. Before he could read it, Tanaka said to him, "Well, I apologize for cutting this short, but other customers are waiting, and I am expecting a call."

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for the package."

"Not at all. It was a pleasure to meet you, Isashi. Please tell Yugi and Solomon I say hello."

"I will."

The Pharaoh hurriedly folded up the note and palmed it, picked up the package, and headed out the door, bowing on the way out. As soon as the door closed behind him, however, he set down the package once more and smoothed out the paper again.

Hey, son. I gave Yugi his present a few days ago, so this one is yours. You should have enough money left over to buy your very own Duel Disk. I'd have bought you one myself, but it looks like the Duelist has to register for it personally. When you're done with getting the order, take the day off, Duel, anything. Enjoy your first day out as you. Gramps.

When the Pharaoh got to the end of the message, he looked back to the remaining yen bills in his hand. Indeed, there was just enough to purchase one Duel Disk. A touched smile spread over his lips, and he folded the paper back up and stuffed it in his pocket again.

It was time to find a game store.

A little while later, the three boys from before were walking along the still-busy sidewalks of downtown. The two that were Dueling talked loudly amongst themselves, arguing over who really won the Duel and who had the upper hand before the other cheated with that card and stole the win away from him. Behind them trailed the smallest of the trio and the one who had glimpsed the Pharaoh as he walked by. He was sullen and quiet, somewhat in part to the fact that he was yet again being blatantly ignored by those he followed. His green cap remained tugged down over his face, shielding his eyes.

Why do I even hang out with these jerks? he grumbled to himself. They didn't even believe me when I saw Yugi Muto.

As if on cue, he caught a distant cheer from a crowd, and stopped to look that direction. Not one block away from the group was a sizeable collection of people, with what was clearly the makings of a Duel going on in the middle of them. For a moment, he considered ditching the others and going to watch (it looked to be a very interesting Duel; many of the crowd were cheering and chanting something) but hesitated when one of the others, upon noticing he was lagging behind, called him sharply and told him to hurry up.

The demand was ignored, however, when the boy caught a glimpse of spiky red and black hair, shot with golden streaks.

Yugi-san!

Now not giving a care about anything else, the boy immediately dashed off towards the crowd.

To this day, it escaped the Pharaoh as to why Duel Disks were sold in only smaller stores rather than the superstore he had just left. Perhaps Kaiba liked to keep a tight rein on his inventions. Fortunately there was a game shop only three blocks away, a gleaming building wedged in between an arcade and a movie store. The front was made entirely out of glass with a set of double doors in the center. Inside, there weren't that many shelves, but they were packed from top to bottom with various games, sets, and appliances.

The Pharaoh stopped right across the street from the shop and weighed his options. He knew of another game store that gave very good prices for its products, and it was one he, Yugi, and his friends regularly visited. But it was at least five minutes away, and though he hated to admit it, he was getting rather tired (it seemed he wasn't as recovered has he had thought). Besides, this shop didn't look that bad. Hefting the box to redistribute the weight, the Pharaoh crossed the street and headed straight for it.

As he drew close, he caught a glimpse of the people inside. Two teenage girls seemed to be the only customers and were talking to single clerk standing behind the desk. One girl with short black hair tied up in two pig tails was rummaging through her purse while her friend waited patiently besides her, and every now and then she pulled out a coin or a bill. A large and expensive-looking board game sat on the desk between the couple and the clerk, who was observing the action with a large, friendly smile that showed his teeth. As the Pharaoh approached, he saw the first girl lay out a final coin and say something with a bright smile to the clerk, who quickly scooped up the money and began counting it.

Just before he reached the door, he stopped, and frowned. His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he forgot his tiredness. The clerk, who was wearing long sleeves, had put all the money in one hand. As he began picking out individual coins and bills to count it, he raised his hand upwards just a little, and the Pharaoh saw, hidden to the girls, one coin slip into the clerk's sleeve.

A dirty trick if I ever saw one. A cold, steely calm immediately settled over the Pharaoh, and he stretched out an arm for one of the doors. Meanwhile, the clerk had finished counting, and a frown had tugged down the corners of his mouth. He said something to the girls, which made both of their expressions fall to worry. The first girl began to search hurriedly through her purse, while the other asked something, possibly for the clerk to count again.

The Pharaoh opened the door just in time to hear the first girl say, "I don't understand. I know I put down that 500 yen coin, it was the only one I had! I'd been saving it for months…I promised Shiro-niisan I'd spend it on his birthday present!"

"I assure you, this happens all the time," the clerk said smoothly. "You probably spent it by mistake and forgot about it later. It's not an uncommon error."

The first girl looked up at him in horror. "No, I would never do that!"

Her friend comforted her soothingly. "Shh, it's okay, Mariko, I can pay, don't worry…"

"No, I can't, I promised!" Mariko began to sob, while her friend patted her on the back.

"I can assure you, miss, it was not you who misplaced that coin," the Pharaoh interjected, setting the box down by the entrance.

Both girls jumped around, startled, while the clerk gaped in shock. It only lasted a second, however, before it melted into a suave, welcoming grin. "Why, what a grand surprise! The King of Games, here in my own humble game shop! What can I do for you, Muto Yugi-san?"

The Pharaoh smirked. "You're mistaken, I'm afraid. Yugi is my brother; I am his twin, Isashi, recently arrived from Yokohama."

The clerk's grin faltered into a derisive sneer. "Twin brother? I didn't know Yugi-san had a twin brother."

"You don't know about a lot of things, it seems," the Pharaoh replied coldly. "Integrity, for one. The missing coin is not a fault of sloppiness on your part, miss Mariko. Just simple, cowardly sleight-of-hand."

The clerk folded his arms. "And just what are you accusing me of?" he demanded.

"Oh, I'm sure you're guilty of many things, Kasumaru-kun," the Pharaoh answered, reading the clerk's nametag. "Unfortunately, the only ones I can prove are lying, cheating, swindling, and theft."

"How dare you!" Kasumaru seemed about to slam his hand on the desk, but stopped himself. A flicker of worry passed over his face, and he glanced momentarily at the sleeve in which the coin was hidden.

The Pharaoh's smirk grew wider. "Something up your sleeve, Kasumaru-kun?"

Kasumaru scowled and crossed his arms again. "I don't have to answer to some so-called brother of Yugi Muto," he spat. "What're you doing in my shop, anyways?"

"Oh, I'm just here to buy a gift of my own," the Pharaoh said casually. "I happen to be as much of a fan of the Duel Monsters game as my brother, but unfortunately I don't have my own Duel Disk, you see. I thought I might buy one here, but now that I've seen what a cheat you are, I might just take my money somewhere else."

"Quit calling me a cheat, or I'll have you thrown out of my shop!" the clerk snarled.

"If you aren't one, prove it," the Pharaoh countered.

That seemed to catch the clerk off-guard. "What?"

"Prove you haven't lied to this lady and stolen her money. Just shake out your sleeve." The Pharaoh's gaze was unwavering and unblinking. The two girls were also staring at him expectantly, and even a few other customers, who had started to enter but stopped dead as soon as they saw the Pharaoh (and then later noticed his standoff with the clerk) were starting to look at the clerk curiously.

The clerk was starting to sweat under all this attention. He gritted his teeth, but pulled a nonchalant look and shrugged. "I don't have to prove anything to you. Now go away before I call the police for harassment."

"You wouldn't do that, not after what you just did," the Pharaoh replied. At the clerk's deepening glare, he held up a hand. "But I can see that no manner of logic is going to persuade you. So I'll offer a deal instead. You obviously know about my brother, which implies you know a little about the Duel Monsters game. I challenge you, Kasumaru, to a Duel, at the end of which you'll either confess in front of all these people—," he gestured to the growing crowd around them, "—or walk away guilt-free."

"A Duel, huh?" Kasumaru said, a greedy grin spreading over his lips. "All right. I've always wanted to challenge the King of Games. I guess I'll have to settle for you, though. What's the prize?"

"If I win, you must confess your guilt to the public, return the 500 yen coin you stole to miss Mariko, and give her the game she intends to buy as payment," the Pharaoh said.

"Fine. And if I win?"

The Pharaoh cocked his head. "So, you admit you took the coin," he said with a smile.

The clerk gulped and cursed under his breath, but at a worried glance at the people around him, he licked his lips and smiled sweetly. "What happens if I win?" he asked again.

"If you win, I'll pay double the amount of the game as an apology." The clerk's heart leapt at that. Immediately he accepted, pulling out his Duel Disk from behind the counter.

"All right, let's start this," he said eagerly.

The Pharaoh held up a hand for a second time. "Wait. As I said before, I have no Duel Disk. Perhaps you could lend me one?"

The clerk never moved faster to get a Duel Disk on the counter. He offered it with mocking grace to the Pharaoh. "Here, take it! In fact, I'll throw in a bonus: it's yours if you win the Duel!"

Inwardly, he chuckled gleefully to himself. Fool. If I win, I'll just make you pay for the Duel Disk as well!

The two moved out of the shop to the street, and the crowd followed them, now having grown to at least a hundred people. They clamored and pointed, most of them recognizing the Pharaoh right away as Yugi Muto. They set up their Duel Disks and launched the hologram projectors.

The Pharaoh went for the pouch on his belt, where he kept his Deck, only for his fingers to meet nothing but air. He looked down in surprise, but remembered with a start that he no longer inhabited Yugi's body; his partner usually kept the belt on his person at all times. He cursed. How, then, could he possibly duel?

The clerk, who had already loaded his Deck, shouted over to him, "What's the matter, Muto-twin? We're all waiting on you!"

He had no choice. He had to ask for one. Maintaining a confident outlook, the Pharaoh said back, "Forgive me, Kasumaru. I seem to have left my Deck at home. I'm not used to carrying it around all the time, you see. There isn't any chance you could lend me one of those as well?"

Several people laughed, thinking it was a joke. It was nothing, however, compared to the belting guffaw Kasumaru let loose. "What?! You challenge me and you don't even have a Deck? What an insult! You might as well just pay me right now!"

This wasn't looking good. Some of the crowd were now turned towards the Pharaoh, their expectant glares starting to grow impatient the longer he simply stood there. He scanned them, hoping that by some small chance there was someone he could recognize, someone whose Deck he could borrow for just a little while…Yet there was no one.

But just then, a loud, high voice piped up from the hubbub. "He's got a Deck! He can Duel!"

A boy in a green cap was pushing his way to the crowd and running towards him. When he reached the Pharaoh, he pressed a Deck into his hand. "Here, Yugi-san. Use mine."

The action was so sudden, the Pharaoh barely had time to say, "I'm sorry, I'm not—," before the boy was running to the edge of the crowd again. "You can beat him, Yugi-san!" he shouted over his shoulder. "I know you can!"

"Yugi-san?"

"That's Yugi-san!"

"Wow, we actually get to see him in action!"

The excited whispers and voices grew louder, and suddenly the crowd began to cheer, urging him to win. The clerk remained unfazed by this. In fact, his smile only grew wider.

"And you call me a thief," he said triumphantly. "If you really are Yugi Muto's twin, then right now you're taking his name and using it for glory! New change in the prizes: if I win, not only do you have to pay me, but you'll have to go out and tell everyone you're a fraud!"

"I take no names," the Pharaoh growled back, sliding his Deck into place. "I am Isashi Takahashi, twin brother to Yugi Muto, and the only fraud around here is you!"

A gust of wind swept up between them, signifying the beginning of the match.

"DUEL!"

A/N: What a remarkable turn of events! There's actually a card game in this Yu-Gi-Oh! story! I wanted to have at least one in there as homage to the franchise. UNFORTUNATELY...I don't know how to actually write a card game. But don't worry, I won't just leave it all hanging or anything. That's why this is a part one. You'll just have to...imagine...the actual Duel...or something...yeah...

I mean, come on. The Pharaoh always wins anyways, doesn't he? Except for that one time...and that other time...well, he nearly always wins, doesn't he?

By the way, shedding is really turning out to be a downside to this deal. I'd like to get back to having normal human skin, so please leave a good review (preferably one that's at least two sentences) and help me get back to normal! Thanks for your continued support!