Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters. Please do not sue me.

AN: Well, the contest is over after one short chapter. Demon Game won, and so Aloke, the councilor, will get to appear quite a bit from now on. You can see the answer in the reviews under Demon Game's review.

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They day was cold, for an Egyptian summer, and Yami had sequestered himself in his palatial rooms and lay on his bed, staring miserably out the large window at the grey skies and palm trees, the long browning leaves flapping noisily in the wind. The young Pharaoh sighed. The weather was much worse in many other parts of Egypt and most of Thebes had taken to Yami's example and hidden in their stone houses. Unfortunately, although it got him out of doing any work it also meant that he had no entertainment, and even listening to villagers whine would give him something to do. As it was though...

"Yami. Yami. Why don't you play with us? You're bored, are you not?"

Yami looked up. The golden box still sat on its table untouched, the servants feared to move anything of the Pharaoh's lest it should anger him and loose them their heads. It had been a few days since he had heard it last. It seemed to be getting more desperate. At least, that was what Yami thought. The box was certainly interesting, he dearly wanted to open it, but he could contain himself easily. Still, he felt that most others did not have the self restraint he did, and doubtless fell to the box's persuasion easily. The box was probably getting annoyed.

'Listen to yourself. You're starting to talk about boxes like they were people. Boxes don't get annoyed, they are inanimate objects. Honestly, I wonder about you sometimes. Me. Now I'm talking to myself. It's the box's fault! Now you're blaming the box. And you are talking to yourself again.' Yami closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. This stupid box was driving him insane. Still, there _was_ something strange about it.

'That's it, I'm opening it. If I don't, I'll end up jumping into a fire.' Yami walked over to the box and picked it up. It was warm, and shone in the sunlight. 'What sunlight?' It was still cloudy. The box was shining on its own.

Yami opened the lid slowly, shielding his eyes with one hand. Nothing. He looked inside. It was empty. But not only was it empty, it was pitch black in its nothingness. Yami stared at the darkness. It was captivating. He put a hand into the box. It was so cold it almost burned. With an exclamation he dropped the box. Darkness spread up the walls and throughout the room. Yami fell back, but there was no floor to land on.

The young Pharaoh fell through the darkness, silent in an eternity filled with nothing else. Finally he slowed and was lowered onto a floor. Around him he could see the purple floor extending as far as he could see in all directions. But no one else. Looking down he saw the box at his feet, lid now shut. Yami bent down and opened the box. The inside was filled with a glowing light now. He reached into it, pausing as it seemed to tickle his hand, and then reaching in further. His fingers clasped around something square, and he pulled it. The square turned out to be a pyramid of gold, which he could hold in his hands although it was rather heavy, a crude drawing of the eye of Ra on its front. Yami stared at it.

"You'll need that if you are to play."

Yami looked around. There was still no one anywhere nearby.

"Who is there? And why shall I need it?"

"If you must see something to comprehend this, here."

A form slowly faded in, as if it had just walked through a thick mist. The form solidified, becoming a man a little taller and older that Yami with shortly cropped black hair and a longer more elaborate white skirt than that of Yami's.

"You need the pyramid to give yourself magic. And you need magic to play the game. It's all rather simple, now isn't it?" The man spoke, his voice a little irritated, and a long suffering look on his face. Yami clearly did not think it was so simple, but didn't venture to say so.

"Where is this then? And what game do you want to play?"

"This is the Shadow Realm. It finds rulers, kings, Pharaohs, whatever, and gives them a magical conductor to play with, and with which to open a portal to the Shadow Realm. They can then come here at any time they chose to, and play me, or each other, if they happen to be here at the same time. Sometimes they arrange tournaments. I believe your father played in some of them... But, we digress. We can play any game you want, although I warn you, we play for high stakes."

Yami arched a narrow eyebrow. This was starting to sound very suspicious, and something at the back of his mind was ringing, it sounded amazingly like a warning bell. Still, he had no way out right now, and this man probably wouldn't let him out until he played a game with him.

"Very well, I accept. What is your name, what game, and what stakes?" Yami crossed his arms, holding the puzzle in one hand.

"I do not have a name, I am simply a spirit that resides here. You may call me Sehka if you must call me something. We shall play a racing game, if you win, the storm that forced you in here will lift, if I win, it will become a monsoon. Fair?" He did not wait for an answer before he pulled out a small golden hare which thumped its back legs expectantly against Sehka's outstretched palm.

"You must catch this hare, alive, before me. You may use any magic you wish, but you may not harm or kill it. There are no boundaries. I will release it, count to five, and we will begin." He lowered his hand to the ground and the hare bounded out of it, scampering away from the two humans.

"One, two, three, four, five." Sehka dashed off, small wings appearing on his feet allowing him to fly a little above the ground. Yami sprinted after him, but feet were no match for wings.

The young Pharaoh skid to a stop and stared at the puzzle in his hands. 'Magic. Why would I need this for magic?' Yami had been entertained by sorcerers from a young age and knew that the court ones used a series of tricks for their illusions. He had, however, sought out an old magician who had, reluctantly, taught him his own magic. They magician had died years ago, but Yami had continued to practice and was quite strong in it. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the hare. He needed to be able to travel as fast as it. Wings were a good idea, but the wings Sehka used were too small. He needed full-sized ones.

Picturing the wings in his mind he chanted slowly, and was surprised to fell the pyramid in his hand warm up. It was helping him. A warm feeling, as if he was sitting in the sun on warm sand, filled him and he floated off the path. When he opened his eyes he found that large white feathered wings had appeared on his back, and were flapping gently to hold him above the ground. With a simple thought the wings propelled him forwards past Sehka and over the terrified hare, the whites of its eyes seeming huge and ghastly as it looked around for its pursuers. Yami swept down easily and grabbed the startled animal with his free hand (the other was still holding the golden puzzle.) He landed and the wings disappeared in showers of gold and silver. Sehka came up and landed next to him, staring at him with angry eyes.

"How could you possibly know how to, to..." He couldn't finish the question. It would imply that the outcome of the game were already known, as he had assumed Yami hadn't known how to use magic and had he had used an unfair advantage. However, his cut off sentence said exactly that even without an end.

"You didn't expect me to know how to use this, did you? I bet you win all your games, since none of your opponents have a clue about magic. So why do they keep playing you? It is addictive. They can't stop. That is what has been bothering me. Everything here hints at great wealth. And it hints that if someone could keep wining your games, they could get the wealth for themselves. The golden hare, the golden puzzle, your rich robes, everything. And almost all leaders would play their lives away to get such wealth. Almost. I, however, think it is disgraceful. Playing games and abandoning your kingdom."

Yami turned and took the puzzle in his hands. 'Take me out. Let me leave the Shadow Realm.' The puzzle glowed brightly causing Yami to close his eyes. When he opened them he was in his room, the box closed on its table and the golden puzzle still in his hands.

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Yuugi lay in bed with a fever. His Grandpa had been in earlier, and given him permission to stay home from school. If he needed anything though, he'd have to get it for himself since his Grandpa had to run the shop. 'Or have Yami get it. But I really shouldn't trust Yami with cooking. It could be a disaster.'

The millennium puzzle on his table glowed and Yami appeared at Yuugi's bedside.

"Aibou, you will be late for school if you do not get up." Yami started pulling at Yuugi's blankets while Yuugi attempted in vain to swat him away.

"I can't Yami, I'm sick. I have a fever. Grandpa says I can stay home."

Yami looked horrified.

"A fever? We must call a healer! What is your Grandfather thinking?" Yami straightened and made for the door.

"Hey, Yami, come back! It's okay! It's just the flu! I don't need a doctor! Get back here!"

Too late, Yami had made it out the door, and out of hearing range of Yuugi's raspy voice.

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Of course, when Yami had said healer, he had meant himself acting with whatever medicinal things he could find in the street shops of the town. Yami had a notorious distrust of healers (other than himself.) This caused the once-Pharaoh to be wondering the streets, looking for promising stores. Of course, to Yami, promising meant they stocked dried lizards and bottles of various bottom crawling insects. Live things were always a plus too. 'What is Yuugi's Grandfather thinking? People _die_ from fevers!' With that thought he sprinted further down the street.

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Yuugi had fallen asleep waiting for Yami to return.

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"Sire? Sire?"

Yami looked up blearily. Someone was calling him. This scene seemed very familiar for some reason. His vision focused for a minute, and he identified the voice as belonging to his councilor, Aloke. His councilor was an older man, but carried himself with quiet dignity and power, he had served two Pharaohs before Yami and knew how things were to be done.

"Sire, are you well?"

Yami lost his focus again, and the room swirled around him. He groaned and closed his eyes. Everything went black.


When Yami woke up again it was much later. The sun had almost set. People were in his room. His, the Pharaoh's room, without his permission?!? Yami opened his eyes, fully intending to give them a good talking to, but he found when he opened his eyes that everything was still blurry and the most he could see was blobs of colour moving about.

"Who is there? And why are you in my room without my permission?" His voice sounded harsh and raspy, and not very threatening.

"I am the head of the royal healers, Sire. We were told that you were, erhem, ill. As you indeed are. So if you could just lie back and, er, relax. We will do all we can to help you."

Yami made a small humphing sound under his breath but said nothing aloud.

He soon drifted off again.

When he awoke it was bright, and the room felt like a desert. Or maybe that was him. Yami wasn't quite sure. In any case, he couldn't hear anyone in his room anymore, which was a relief.

Soft footsteps echoed through the silence of the room, and Yami opened his eyes. Which didn't help him, as they were still refusing to focus.

"Sire, how are you feeling today? You do not look any better, but the healers know best..."

Yami thought about making some stinging remark, but decided he was too tired to think of one.

"Yes, Aloke, I believe you are right, and I feel no better than I look, I'm sure. I feel awful, in fact. What have the healers done, may I ask?" His councilor was standing nearby, he could hear him moving about restlessly. Yami's breathing was becoming laboured.

"They put some incense, and various charms everywhere Sire. I really do not know much about the art of healing though, Sire."

"Charms? Incense? What good is that going to do for anyone, except perhaps the royal cat who might like to chase them across the floor." Yami would have argued more, but his eyes were closing and he felt sick. As his body fell back against the bed he vaguely heard Aloke shouting for someone.

Rough hands were shaking his shoulders. He opened his eyes a miniscule bit to see a brown porcelain vase being held to his lips. It smelt awful.

"Drink this, Sire."

Yami didn't open his mouth. 'If you think that I am going to drink that, you have another-'

He stopped in mid-thought as his mouth was forced open and a foul tasting liquid poured down his throat. The Pharaoh immediately began coughing, doubling over his legs. He coughed until he thought he would be sick, and then was.

Yami could hear Aloke arguing with someone, no doubt the healers in between coughs.

"You are killing him! What was that?"

"Simply a potion to take the evil spirits from him. See, it has worked, he has been cleansed."

Yami couldn't stop coughing. He felt there was something in him he had to cough up, but couldn't feel anything. Soon he was coughing up blood.

"He's dying! Your potion is killing him!"

"Impossible! See, he is stopping now."

Yami showed no signs of stopping.

The healer ran over and started hitting him halfheartedly on the back. Yami glared at him in between coughs.

"Water ... get me water..." more blood.

"He cannot have water, it reacts badly with the potion!" The healer glared at Yami.

"Well, at least _water_ doesn't tend to kill the people who drink it, and if he thinks it will stop your foul potion, he certainly may have it." Aloke ran out into the hall to relieve some servant of their water. He sprinted back in with a jug full of the clear liquid. The healer made a grab at the jug, but Yami kicked him in the back of his knee and he fell to the ground. Aloke stood next to the Pharaoh with the water, one foot on the healer.

Yami held his breath for a minute, his body shaking with the subdued coughs, and then grabbed the jar and drank, spilling water down his front. He immediately began coughing again and rolled over onto the floor where he knelt on his hands and knees, coughing up a purple/green liquid. The potion the healers had given him. Yami drank more water and repeated the process. The he fell to the ground next to the potion, breathing deeply, eyes closed. His head ached. Aloke was kneeling next to him, asking something. Yami didn't hear it, but responded with an order anyway.

"Take that," he motioned weakly to the liquid next to him, "and have someone with brains figure out what's in it. And lock the healers up." Aloke lifted Yami easily up onto his bed again, and then escorted the healers out and some servants came to collect the potion. Yami watched the servants until he fell asleep.

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"Ha! Perfect!" Yami came out of an old dusty store with a bag in his hand. He had "managed" to beat the elderly store owner in a game, and had won the things he thought he might need. Now he was returning to Yuugi's house.

There he found Yuugi sleeping, an open book on his covers. Yami took it off and woke Yuugi.

"Look what I found! Don't worry, you will be alright now." He held up a dried lizard. Yuugi turned green.

"What exactly do you plan to do with that?"

"You're going to eat it. What did you think?"

"Eewwwww."

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Well, there's chapter 3. The Shadow Games come in. *scary music* Don't worry, they'll be back. Hopefully soon! I have to go do my homework now... ^-^;;;